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Olinger, Papineau Join WVU Golf
November 12, 2015 by The Original Golf Blogger
Duo to Join WVU Golf
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (November 11, 2015) – West Virginia University golf coach Sean Covich announced Wednesday that Ty Olinger (Blacksburg, Va.,/North Cross HS) and Etienne Papineau (St-Jean sur Richelieu, Quebec/Champlain St-Lawrence) have committed to joining the Mountaineers starting in the fall of 2016.
"We are really excited to be adding these two young men to our program," said Covich, who is currently guiding the Mountaineers through their first varsity season in over 30 years. "This will be our third recruiting class and we are in a great spot. Luckily we have balance on our roster with each class and are able to bring in two strong players for next year trying to replace our seniors, Easton Renwick and Mason Short."
Olinger, who hails from Blacksburg, Virginia, currently competes for Richard Cook at North Cross School. He ranks as the No. 2 senior and the No. 4 player in the state of Virginia, ranking No. 155 nationally for the class of 2016. Olinger earned VISAA First Team All-State accolades from 2012-15 and was the Roanoke Metro Player of the Year in 2014. He has earned mention on the All-Metro Team on five occasions. Olinger finished as the runner-up at the VISAA State Tournament in 2013 and 2014 and was the VISAA State Tournament runner-up in 2015. He boasts a pair of titles at the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame Junior Championship and boasts top-20 finishes at the 2012 Scott Robertson Memorial (6th), 2013 Virginia Junior Stroke Play Championship (8th), 2015 AJGA Junior at Owensboro (9th), 2014 Virginia Junior Stroke Play Championship (10th), 2015 AJGA Philadelphia Junior (13th), 63rd Virginia Junior Stroke Play Championship (14th) and the 25th Virginia Junior Match Play Championship (20th).
"I look forward to getting Ty around our guys and having him compete," said Covich. "He's a talented player who's continued to improve the past few years. I'm excited about his potential."
The son of Danny and April Olinger, Olinger intends to major in business management. He chose West Virginia over Elon, Radford and Seton Hall.
Papineau, a native of St-Jean sur Richelieu, Quebec, Canada; plays for Champlain St-Lawrence. He played in three National Collegiate Championships, posting a scoring average of 70.5. Papineau won the title at the 2015 event, scoring 10 under par for the win and also earned medalist honors at the conference championship. He earned All-Canadian honors in 2015 and was named to the all-star team in 2014 and 2015. Papineau helped the Lions to the runner-up spot at the conference championship in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and was a member of the squad that set an all-time low round score of 284. In addition, Papineau was the winner of the 2014 Quebec Junior Provincial Match Play tournament an also won the 2014 Quebec Junior Boys Championship. He finished in the top 10 of the 2014 Graham Cooke Jr. Invitational, the 2014 Quebec Men's Provincial Championship and the 2014 Vertdure Junior Spring Open.
"Etienne brings with him a ton of international tournament experience," said Covich. "He's played on the Canadian National Team and competed in some of the top junior and amateur events around the world. The competitive mindset that he brings will greatly benefit our program."
The son of Luc and Francine Papineau, he will major in sports management at WVU after selecting West Virginia over Washington State and Charlotte.
WVU recently wrapped up its first fall season since 1982. The Mountaineers will hit the links once again February 15 when they travel to Houston for the President's Day Challenge.
Follow @WVUSports and @WVU_Golf on Twitter
Categories West Virginia University - WVU Tags West Virginia Unviersity, WVU Golf Post navigation
Holiday Gift Guide On Amazon
Cobra Baffler XL Hybrid Combo Set $460 Off | {
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| {
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White Bears bounced back from their disappointment at IMKA to record a solid four set win against Onyx that leaves all four teams that have played twice so far this season tied in top spot in the league table with one win and one loss each. The two unbeaten sides, Rebels and Inter don't meet until early in New Year so the division looks like enthralling London volleyball for months to come.
The first set of their match against Onyx was an exciting one, a tiny lead changing hands several times until the score reached 9:all when Onyx opened up a two point lead and looked to have the set safe at 18:20 However, a good move saved set point and accurate serving from J Forester and a front line of H Ridge, Rosie Kirk and Annie Tinker combining well stunned all watching.
From 5:all in the second, Bears were able to raise their game but, after looking comfortable at 14:10 were hit by an Onyx revival in which they closed to 14:12 before, very slowly in an excellent passage of play, tied the score at 17:all. Hannah Robinson, who had come on as a sub two-thirds through the first set, rotated to serve and saved the moment. Earlier in the set she had served just once. this time she put in the three accurate blows that were needed.
Onyx's Joana Silva who had come on at 7:10 in the second set and served well, started the third in Position One and, with Jana Parmova, Kara Conway and Daisy Moya impressive at the net, raced to a 0:5 lead that set them up for the set. Bears settled and the remainder of the play was close and exciting but the visitors kept themselves in front. At 13:17 they secured side out and it was Joana's turn to serve again. That opening line up proved decisive and the match was saved.
Play was close to 6:all in the fourth after which Bears raced to 5:12 and 6:14. A time-out was called at each score and the second once settled Onyx. However, the damage had been done and the scoreboard ticked over remorselessly until William Perugini's final whistle.
Starting Six: J Forester, Rebecca Jones, Rosie Kirk, Rebecca Rankin, H Ridge, Annie Tinker.
Libero: Monika Czesna, P Simonte.
Other players: Hannah Robinson, L Tanita. | {
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Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis of retinoic acid receptor-α and promyelocytic leukemia rearrangements: Detection of the t(15;17) translocation in the diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia Academic Article
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15
Gene Rearrangement
Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute
Receptors, Retinoic Acid
Translocation, Genetic
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized cytogenetically by a balanced reciprocal chromosomal translocation t(15;17) (q22;q21). This translocation involves the retinoic acid receptor-alpha (RAR-alpha) on chromosome 17 and the promyelocytic leukemia locus (PML) on chromosome 15 and results in the transcription of novel fusion messenger RNAs. In this study, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was applied to the detection of the t(15;17) translocation in twenty-six clinical specimens cytologically diagnosed by French-American-British criteria as APL. This technique could readily be applied to both fresh and nonviably frozen tumor samples. In 24 of 26 samples, rearrangements of the PML and RAR-alpha, loci could be detected by Southern blotting after digestion with MluI and BssHII. Furthermore, co-migration of the rearranged fragments, detected by hybridization to probes for the PML and RAR-alpha genes, demonstrated that these loci were juxtaposed. The translocation was detected in specimens at the time of initial diagnosis, on differentiation therapy with retinoic acid and at the time of relapse. The diagnostic accuracy was compared to cytogenetics and the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for the novel PML-RAR-alpha fusion transcript. The samples from two patients were negative by all three diagnostic methods, and both of these patients failed to respond to all-trans retinoic acid. In the other 24 APL samples, cytogenetics was positive in only 76.9% of the cases, whereas both reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and PFGE methods detected the translocation in 100% of the cases. Thus, PFGE can readily detect the t(15;17) translocation in both viable and nonviable clinical specimens and can improve the diagnostic accuracy of morphology and cytogenetics in APL. In contrast to conventional electrophoresis based on rearrangement of RAR-alpha, the ability to demonstrate directly co-migration of the PML and RAR-alpha loci enables this method to distinguish the t(15;17) translocation from variant translocations such as the t(11;15). Because PFGE can be performed on nonviable, frozen tumor samples, it could be diagnostically useful in APL when the RNA-based reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction cannot be performed.
Xiao, Yong Hong
Miller, Wilson H.
Warrell, Raymond P.
Dmitrovsky, Ethan
Zelenetz, Andrew
American Journal of Pathology Journal | {
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Here's some photos of the makeshift street memorial for Juan Jerez, a 15-year-old Bedford Park resident gunned down last Friday night on the corner of Minerva Place and Creston Avenue.
Yesterday more than 20 of Jerez's friends gathered around the memorial, which they placed at the site of his death. They all said that the shooting was accidental and that Jerez was an innocent victim. He was shot while playing basketball, they said.
An unidentified 15-year-old companion of Jerez was also shot once in the right leg, but will survive.
The police arrested Daikwan Giles, 17, a suspect, in connection with the shootings. According to police, Giles also lived in the neighborhood.
Hope giles get life in prison !
why would you hope he gets life in prison, if youre not sure if he even did it shutup.
RIP JUAN GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTON!
THEY KILLED AN INNOCENT KID. MAY GOD FORGIVE THE KIDS WHO KILLED YOU CUZ I JUST CAN'T YOU MEANT SO MUCH TO ME THAT LIFE IN PRISON WON'T BE ENOUGH PUNISHMENT FOR THE CRUEL KIDS WHO TOOK OUR LIFE. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED JUAN!!!!!!!!
RIP Juan you will always live within each and everyone of us you touched. Man its gonna be hard not having you around you were the sunshine in many of our lives.
juan i love u nd i miss u so much.. we had so much fun toqether.. omg.. whoever did this to u doesnt deserve to even live..
R.I.P. John French(Frenchy)! You too deserved better!
YYOOOOO fDaikwan ree my boi Daikwan i kno he aint do it so all ya'll talkin dat hot sh!t need ta calm that down. Yo Daikwan i aint locked up in there wit you nomore but i still got ya back hold ya head!! | {
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Box Shuttle helps organizations migrate large amounts of data — anywhere from hundreds of gigabytes to hundreds of terabytes — from an existing file server, ECM or cloud data source. No matter if they have existing user permissions and metadata. Box customers have migrated petabytes of content legacy content repositories including network file shares, Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive, Sharefile, Documentum, OpenText, FileNet, Alfresco, Syncplicity, Dropbox, and many more.
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Box provides you with full visibility throughout the migration process and gives you control over your data during the migration. | {
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The High Qualification Commission of Judges continues holding interviews with candidates for the new Supreme Court until May 26, 2017.
As of May 11th, panels of the HQCJ interviewed 55 candidates with negative opinions from the Public Integrity Council, of which 42 negative opinions were neglected.
Decision on recommendation of these candidates for appointment as judges will be adopted by HQCJ: 11 of 16 votes of members of the Commission are required to adopt positive decision.
Decision of HQCJ on final list of candidates to the Supreme Court shall be taken behind closed doors by secret voting. This gives HQCJ members an opportunity to approve notorious candidates and hide behind collective irresponsibility. The Commission also failed to provide for publication of personalized results of voting for adoption/disregarding of conclusion of the Public Integrity Council. Without this the public have limited information to access whether decisions were fair.
Amendments to the Rules of procedure of the Commission need to be adopted to provide for publication of both individual scores that each member gave to each candidate and personalized results of votes on consideration of opinions of Public Integrity Council.
Please see the statement of the Reanimation Package of Reforms for more details. | {
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New to Anna M. Evans
Dreaming in Iambic Pentameter
Thoughts on the Primary and June Meeting
The Hainesport Happening Page
I didn't think anything could be more divisive for Hainesport than the General Election last year…until we went through the Republican Primary.
Sure, I had an anonymous smear campaign directed at me last fall, but the accusations were toothless. This June, an individual associated with the "Reform" Republican campaign (who doesn't even live in Hainesport) created an anonymous smear Facebook page called Hainesport Happening, which spent 3 weeks decimating the reputations of their opponents.
I'm not going to get into the details of whether or not the accusations leveled against Tony Porto and Mick Dickinson by the page were true (some were, others were twisted) or fair (are anonymous slurs ever truly 'fair'?). I'm more interested in two other questions: 1) should we hold candidates accountable for extremely negative campaigning? and 2) Is there any way to move Hainesport into a kinder, calmer mode of local election?
A Stock Photo from the Smear Page
The Darnold & Evans campaign issued a statement condemning the smear page on May 18th. The Costa & Schneider campaign issued a statement at some point disclaiming the page (which is not the same thing) and that statement has since been deleted. There is also evidence linking the smear page to the person who has been proven to be an Administrator of their actual Campaign page. I hope that, when Hainesport chooses its representatives in November, its residents will take into account the complicity of the Republican candidates in the smear page, and judge any claims those candidates make on ethical leadership and dignity accordingly.
At the June Township meeting last night, I observed during public comment that Moorestown and Mt Holly DO have a kinder, calmer mode of local election. They elect committee members as a block of 2 or 3, to serve for 4 year terms, which means they only have local elections every 2 years. Hainesport could use that breathing space for recovery! Plus, it would probably save money as personnel would be constant for two years. No need to change name plaques, stationery, business cards etc. every year.
Solicitor Gillespie responded by explaining that Hainesport operates under a different form of government, the traditional 'Township' mode, whereas the other two towns have adopted the modern 'Council-Manager' mode under the Faulkner Act, and that it would require complicated measures like a Referendum for a Charter Study Commission to change now.
So I did some research on this.
In addition to the benefits of an election-free year and cost-savings described above, I found that:
In each Faulkner Act municipality, individual citizens also have the right of initiative to propose and place ordinances on a ballot for citizens of that municipality to vote on, thus bypassing their elected representatives' legislative authority. This right is intended to "arous[e] public interest and plac[e] in the hands of the voters … direct means of controlling proposed … municipal legislation." [James M. McCreedy and Brian Rans, New Jersey Law Journal October 29, 2015]
In other words, residents in a township whose government operates under the Faulkner Act have MORE power (and officials have less) than those in a traditionally governed town. It seems to me that the idea of changing Hainesport's form of government might deserve at least an exploratory committee, and definitely more than Solicitor Gillespie's cursory dismissal.
Meanwhile, I hope that, with the incumbents dispatched in the Primary, we can anticipate a gentler, more policy-based campaign this fall. Hainesport does not need the divisiveness of fake smear pages run by outsiders.
Posted in: Local Politics
BurlCo GOP Behind Super PAC: Evidence Mounts
A couple of recent articles by Dave Levinsky of the Burlington County Times have added to the mounting evidence that the Burlington County Republican Committee were behind the Super PAC, "Preserving Our Community for Tomorrow." The group mailed "glossy campaign ads attacking Democratic candidates or supporting Republicans…to voters in Chesterfield, Eastampton, Hainesport, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Palmyra and Westampton" in the run up to last November's election.
The Evidence
The PAC's Treasurer is Joseph Lisnak, of Riverton, who is employed as the Tax Administrator for Burlington County
The PAC's expenditure filing contains several connections with BurlCo GOP:
Political Consultant Douglas Donoris of Mount Laurel, who received $37,100, is friends with Bill Layton, BurlCo GOP Chair.
Harper Polling, who got $2,342, lists the Republican Committee of BurlCo as a client
Jim Logue, paid $5,500 for Research, is "a legislative staffer for 8th District Sen. Dawn Marie Addiego and Assembly members Maria Rodriguez-Gregg and Joe Howarth, [who] has performed research for the Burlington County Republican Committee and Republican candidates."
Business Entity reports filed at ELEC showed that at least two companies with Burlington County contracts gave money:
Acacia Financial Group of Evesham contributed $5,000
This group also filed evidence of contracts with Burlington County and Moorestown (one of the townships targeted.)
Carroll Engineering of Hillsborough gave $3,000
This group also filed evidence of contracts with Burlington County and Mansfield (where Hainesport GOP Committeeman Mike Fitzpatrick is Administrator.)
By filing as a bi-partisan, state-wide super PAC, the group is allowed not to disclose its contributors. As the group spent $108,000 in total, that leaves $100,000 unaccounted for. There are strict rules limiting contributions that can be made by individuals in direct support of candidates, but the same rules do not apply to PACs. Put simply, the PAC allowed interested individuals to spend as much money as they liked to try to prevent the targeted Democrats from winning GOP seats, which is a perversion of election law.
Similarly, the BurlCo GOP were able to "pretend" that their township candidates were running clean campaigns, safe in the knowledge that an anonymous super PAC would do the dirty work.
It matters to me, even more simply, because of the lies that were told about me. (You can read a rebuttal of all those lies here.)
Running for Hainesport Township Committee Again!
I'm delighted to announce that I'm running for Hainesport Township Committee again. This November, my running mate will be Edie Darnold, a 16-year Hainesport resident and youthful grandmother who has experience working in industry and municipa l government. It's going to be a great campaign, and you can read our bios here.
Thoughts on Running for Hainesport Again
When I reread my announcement from last April, I am actually thrilled at how much Natalie and I managed to accomplish, even though we didn't win the seats. We kept the Health Benefits issue ($30,000 packages taken by our part time elected officials) in the spotlight to the extent that the Committee had to give up this taxpayer-funded perk to be competitive in this year's election. We exposed their agenda, which was to force the resignation of Bill Boettcher, and to replace Township Administrator Leo Selb. Furthermore, Natalie came within 50 votes of beating Frank Masciocchi.
I also hope that I have demonstrated my commitment to the people of Hainesport. I never gave up. Not when I was the victim of a smear campaign conducted through a Burlington County Super PAC. Nor when Mayor Tony Porto filed baseless criminal charges against me in an attempt to stop me from running for Hainesport Committee again. I kept going to the meetings and reporting on them for YOU, so you could understand what was going on in our town.
Unlike the Republican candidates, Edie and I aren't beholden to some highly political Burlington County machine. Our campaign won't be paid for by corporate donors who think they can control committee votes. In contrast, we are only about Hainesport, and are accountable solely to the people of Hainesport.
I'm looking forward to getting out and meeting even more people than I did last year during the campaign season. Please let me try to earn your vote.
Posted in: Citizens at last!, Local Politics
How What West Chester Did to Kim Bridgford Got Me into Politics
Posted on February 3, 2017 29 Comments
The Poetry Center, West Chester University
Over the course of my campaign and its aftermath, particularly in the light of what my Republican opponents did (and continue to do) to me, many people have asked me why I decided to run for office. I typically answer that I am a crusader for truth, transparency, and justice, which begs the question of what turned me into that crusader. The answer to this question is, I became a crusader because of what West Chester did to Kim Bridgford.
After Kim became director of the West Chester Poetry Center and Conference in 2010, she asked me to take over the daily running of the Mezzo Cammin Women Poets Timeline Project. This put us into frequent correspondence, and we became friends. Hence I was among the first to learn when, on September 15th 2014, she was removed from her position, asked to collect her things and leave the Poetry Center (which she was thereafter barred from entering) and reassigned to full time teaching.
I became one of Kim's most vocal defenders as the West Chester administration and its advocates conspired to give the impression that her reassignment was her fault for being a poor fundraiser (she wasn't), or perhaps for moving the Poetry Conference too far from its original mission (She was employed to increase diversity and broaden the conference's appeal.)
During my defense of Kim, my arguments were dismissed as lies, and I was not only regularly told to be quiet, but also frequently belittled and insulted online, mostly by men. It was great practice for facing down the three male incumbent Republican members of Hainesport Township Committee!
The real reason for Kim's reassignment was that she had discovered financial irregularities under her predecessor as Director, Mike Peich, and when she brought those to the attention of the administrators, they chose to remove her and stage a cover up instead of investigating. Every time I suggested this, however, I was castigated for sullying the reputation of Mike Peich without being able to verify my claims. Unfortunately, Kim was at that time unable to speak publicly about the issues.
Kim and I went on (along with original Executive Board Members Natalie Gerber, Cherise Pollard, and Kat Gilbert) to create and run Poetry by the Sea: A Global Conference, now in its third successful year. The West Chester Poetry Conference came back under the Directorship of Sam Gwynn after taking a year's hiatus in 2015, and an uneasy truce has prevailed at West Chester.
But recently West Chester added insult to injury by engaging Baker Tilly, a firm of accountants, to conduct a financial assessment of the Poetry Center (which Kim's supporters had demanded), but only covering the years of Kim's tenure as Director. This financial review, while finding no fault, contains damaging and untrue allegations which Kim has now been forced to refute legally and publicly. The letter from Kim's lawyer states this:
For 16 years, Prof. Peich directed the center with no accountability, no reporting, and no institutional oversight whatsoever. During that time he drained the six-figure Ahmanson Fund, without notifying any authority, and without being called upon to report his activities.
It concludes:
Prof. Peich's 16-year wasting spree had been enabled by a passive university and foundation. Dr. Bridgford stepped into a situation not of her own making and did her best to rectify it….The report is unfair to her and protective of those who should be held accountable.
This letter has today been circulated among the faculty of the English department at West Chester University, and finally I am in a position to support what I have been saying all along about the events of September 2014. Truth, transparency and justice are served.
Meanwhile my fight against West Chester exposed many truths I had been ignoring for too long: that many men still attempt to dominate and belittle women, that power corrupts, that those in power will do anything to conceal inconvenient truths, and that it is always the little guy who is exploited. With my social conscience newly awoken, I looked around and I saw examples of this happening very close to home.
And that is why I ran for Hainesport Township Committee.
Posted in: Citizens at last!, Local Politics, Poetry
Hainesport Township Government 101
Posted on January 18, 2017 3 Comments
The Hainesport Township Website has this to say about our form of government:
Hainesport is governed by the Township Committee form of government. This is comprised of five officials elected by the residents to serve three year staggered terms. The elected members will select a chairperson who will be known as the "Mayor of the Township."
With no mention of Republican or Democrat anywhere on the website, Hainesport residents could be forgiven for believing, as Committeeman Fitzpatrick is fond of saying, that party politics is irrelevant at a local level. However, he is mistaken.
Current Hainesport Township Committee
The three-year staggered terms currently expire as follows:
Mayor Porto (R) & Committeeman Dickinson (R): 12/31/2017
Committeeman Fitzpatrick (R): 12/31/2018
Deputy Mayor Masciocchi (R) & Committeewoman Gilmore (R): 12/31/2019
There are no term limits (although the Democrats would like to introduce a three term limit). Dickinson & Fitzpatrick are currently serving their third terms. Porto is on his third full term having also served a partial term prior to that.
How Do the Committee Govern?
It's important to note that being an elected official on Hainesport Township Committee is a part time job. Indeed, Fitzpatrick and Porto both have full time jobs in local government elsewhere (Township Administrator, Mansfield, and Tax Administrator, Hunterdon County, respectively.)
Therefore, the day to day administration of Hainesport is carried out by a hardworking and well-respected paid staff (full and part-time), led by the Township Adminstrator. Until January 12th 2017 the Hainesport Township Administrator was Leo Selb. As of April, the role has been taken by Paula Kosko.
The most visible role of the Committee is at the monthly Township Meetings, during which the business of the Township is conducted by means of Resolutions and Ordinances on which the committee vote. The material for the meetings is prepared by the Municipal Clerk. Until December 14th 2016 the Hainesport Municipal Clerk was Leo Selb (He was a joint Administrator/Clerk), but at the township meeting on December 13th he was removed from that position and the role was given part-time to Amy Cosnoski, the full time Clerk in Pemberton. Once Paula Kosko has qualified as Clerk, the roles of Administrator and Clerk will be recombined.
As explained on USlegal.com, "a resolution deals with matters of a special or temporary character and an ordinance prescribes some permanent rule of conduct or government to continue in force until the ordinance is repealed." For example, at the January meeting, Mayor Tony Porto was appointed by resolution (effective for 1 year) whereas it took an Ordinance in December 2014, (Ordinance 2014-10-11) to increase the cost of a Dog License in Hainesport to $15 for the foreseeable future.
Perhaps the most influential role of the Committee is in the selection of the individuals who either work as paid staff for the township, or are appointed by resolution as the Township Professionals on an annual basis. And this is where Party Politics comes in.
The Hainesport Democrat & Republican Committees
When Hainesport voted in the last township election, they had a choice between 4 candidates: Schneider & Evans (D) and Gilmore & Masciocchi (R). (You could of course vote for 1 R and 1 D, but most people don't.) Schneider & Evans were supported by the Hainesport Democrat Committee, while Gilmore & Masciocchi were supported by the Hainesport Republican Committee.
Hainesport Democrat Committee
Current Chairwoman Pat Macken
Consists of a male and female representative from each of the 5 Hainesport Voting Districts 1-5
Note: I am not the D3 Rep. My current affiliation with the Committee is as a non-voting attendee
Loose ties to the Burlington County Democrats (The Burlco Dems have little money or manpower to provide support to township candidates, although this is changing somewhat with the Burlington County Young Democrats.)
Hainesport Republican Committee
Current Chairman Mayor Tony Porto
You may remember there was actually a contested election for the District 3 Rep back in the Primaries, when Bruce MacLachlan stood against Ted Costa, losing narrowly
Strong ties to the powerful and wealthy Burlington County Republicans
In my experience of the Democrat side of things, the chair of the Township party committee is expected to attend the County committee meetings, which would mean that Mayor Porto would be an active member of the Burlington County Republican Committee, whose Chairman is Bill Layton.
What Do the Burlington County Republicans Have to Do With Hainesport?
They funded the smear campaign against me, Anna Evans, which some experts have estimated cost ~$8000
They provided campaign literature supporting Gilmore & Masciocchi along with the Burlington County GOP candidates
They pushed the Hainesport Committee to get rid of Administrator/Clerk Leo Selb, who was seen as too friendly to Hainesport Democrats and not sufficiently supportive of the Republican agenda
How Else Do Party Politics Influence Hainesport Township Government?
Hainesport township professionals are typically Republican and/or campaign donors
Appointees to e.g. the Joint Use Planning Board are expected to support preferred Republican candidates
Recently the Chair of the JUPB was not reappointed without warning (despite 6 years exemplary service) due to his support of non-preferred candidates.
Democrats and their supporters are seen as 'troublemakers' and less deserving of participation in community activities
Mayor Porto recently 'purged' his Hainesport Community Page on Facebook of all members known to be associates of mine.
So, party politics is more important than you thought, isn't it? Please bear this in mind next November when you are deciding whether to vote Porto (R) & Dickinson (R) in for their FOURTH full terms, or whether to vote for the as of yet unannounced Democrat candidates.
July Hainesport Township Meeting
Posted on July 13, 2016 18 Comments
This summary of the July Hainesport Township Meeting will restrict itself to controversial topics, namely the Public Hearing and Final Adoption of Ordinance 2016-9-6, and Public Comment. Ordinary township business, including an excellent NJSP report by Trooper Storm Colleton, proceeded as normal.
Ordinance 2016-9-6
This ordinance was given its first reading and introduction at the June Township meeting. The townspeople widely objected to it in June's Public Comment. However it was nevertheless passed to the second stage 3-2.
The Ordinance is disguised as a cost saving measure and a "step in the right direction" towards the elimination of Health Benefits for the current Committee, as it eliminates "Healthcare Benefits for Members of the Governing Body Retiring or Ending Service." In practice, what it means is that Bill Boettcher, who has served Hainesport faithfully for over 25 years and is in his 80s, will be forced to retire before the end of his term (within the next 20 days) in order to keep his and his wife's healthcare benefits. It will not save Hainesport any money if he retires within the next 20 days. What it will do, is vacate his position on the committee so the Republican Committee Chairman (Deputy Mayor Porto) can appoint someone more likely to agree with the three incumbents.
As this was the Public Hearing, township residents were entitled to comment. Comments were plentiful and vigorously negative. Many wanted to understand the Committee's motivation for introducing this Ordinance, given the likely result of Boettcher's resignation/ no money saved. Others asked who had introduced the Ordinance. The Committee gave no answers. As usual, many residents questioned the Healthcare Benefits of all Committee Members and said they would be happy if everyone lost benefits at the same time. A Hainesport lawyer also questioned the legality of the Ordinance with respect to the State. It was observed that a super-majority of 4-1 is needed to fire township personnel.
Once the Public Hearing had ended, Committeeman Bruce MacLachlan also spoke for his permitted 10 minutes. He tried to introduce a motion to amend the agenda to present his own Ordinance (which removes Healthcare Benefits for all Committee Members) but was voted down 3-2. Ordinance 1016-9-6 was proposed, seconded, and passed 3-2.
Here is a link to a video of these two motions on YouTube.
If you agree with me, and the vast majority of township people present at the meeting, that this Ordinance is suspect, cruel to Bill Boettcher, and likely represents a hidden agenda on the part of the three incumbents, I encourage you to contact the township.
Showing the Kermit Meme to the Audience
During public comment many residents made additional observations relevant to Ordinance 2016-9-6, especially the lawyer who was not permitted by Ted Costa to fully explore her questioning of the legality of the Ordinance during its Public Hearing. The issue of the Employment Lawyer consulted privately by just two of the Committeemen at an unauthorized cost which has now reached $6000+ also came up again. Bill Boettcher was repeatedly praised for his service to Hainesport.
I then spoke about my Citizen's Complaint against Deputy Mayor Porto for the sexist & misogynistic Kermit the Frog meme that he posted briefly on Hainesport Happenings, and then deleted but posted instead on both his own and Committeeman Fitzpatrick's page. I read some key sections from the complaint. I should add that those present who wanted to were given poster-size copies of the meme to hold up in silent protest whenever Deputy Mayor Porto spoke. The NJSP were made aware of this protest and approved it. I was told that my complaint is still under review by the township's labor attorney.
After I spoke many people who came up to make other comments also expressed their disgust at the meme and dissatisfaction with Deputy Mayor Porto. When pressed by Mark Murdy (who confirmed that he, his wife Deanna, and their son had all seen the original post on Hainesport Happenings) Deputy Mayor Porto said that he regretted posting the meme, although he denied that it was directed at anyone personally or that he had put it on Hainesport Happenings. Murdy encouraged him to apologize to me after he, Murdy, was finished speaking. This did not happen.
The new turn arrow at the junction of Hainesport Mt. Laurel and 38 was praised, and Rebecca Porto commended her husband for taking 3 hours out of her birthday celebrations on July 4th to save a township dog.
Towards the end of Public Comment people who came up often shared their disappointment that both Committeeman Fitzpatrick and Deputy Mayor Porto had displayed arrogance and contempt in dealing with township people during the session. Porto was described as "smirking" more than once. Several residents said they were ashamed of Porto and/or Fitzpatrick.
Meeting Conclusion
Bruce MacLachlan chose to make a speech during Comments from the Committee. He explained that he had hated coming to the meetings for the last few years and had only continued because of the benefits. He criticized Mayor Dickinson, Deputy Mayor Porto and Committeeman Fitzpatrick for being self-serving. He added that now, not even the benefits made it worthwhile, and walked out. It was unclear whether this constitutes resignation.
Bill Boettcher thanked Hainesport for being allowed to serve the town and was given a standing ovation.
Mike Fitzpatrick chose to make a speech also. In a remarkable display of what my teenage daughters call "sub-tweeting," he implied without naming me that I was a rumor-monger and a hate-spreader, citing the admitted misconception I voiced yesterday that the Committee had been asked to move the meeting to a venue with a greater capacity, along with my theory that the 4-1 super-majority was required to fire township administrator Leo Selb, possibly replacing him with Fitzpatrick. He also reminded us all that everyone knew about his Healthcare Benefits when we voted him in last November. He did not mention that he told people I know that once he was re-elected, he would fix this.
So, there you have it. Feel free to comment here or on Facebook.
Hainesport Township Election Altercation Video
Posted on June 23, 2016 5 Comments
Tony Porto's Version
Scott Cooper's Version
After the Hainesport Township election altercation, I gave my version, Scott Cooper gave his (see bottom left), and Deputy Mayor Tony Porto gave his (see top left), calling me a complete liar.
I like being called a liar even less than I enjoy being smeared with vulgar, sexist Kermit the Frog memes.
But what our esteemed township committee had forgotten is that the township building lobby has security cameras. And that the footage is subject to the Open Public Records Act. So we were able to submit an OPRA request and get hold of the footage.
Which speaks for itself. So again, I won't editorialize much. I don't need to. Except perhaps to say that Tony Porto doesn't appear on the footage at all, does he?
This is the view from Camera 1.
And this is the view from Camera 2.
I rest my case.
My Mild Case of Covid 19
Under Dark Waters — the Self-Interview
Photo Gallery from Poetry by the Sea Conference 2017
Ian MacConachie on How What West Chester Did to Kim Bridgford Got Me into Politics
Anna_Evans on How What West Chester Did to Kim Bridgford Got Me into Politics
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Figure-lyricism–dream
COSTAS Joachim has an exhibition at the Alpha Gallery, Nicosia.
Joachim was born in 1936 in Bellapais, Kyrenia. He studied painting at the Bath Academy of Art at the Unversity of Bristol in England and the Athens School of Fine Arts.
His works can be found at the Cyprus Museum of Modern Art and at the National Gallery of Greece, in the collections of the Presidential Palace, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Archbishopric in Cyprus, at the office of UNESCO in Paris, and in many private collections including that of Takis Ioannou.
He is one of the seven founding members of the Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts (EKATE) in 1966.
In 2003, 2004 and 2006 his lifetime achievements and contributions to the culture of Cyprus were recognised with awards from the President of the Republic.
He says that in his latest work of paintings he is concerned with themes that he created before 1974. They developed into paintings from drawings and studies in colour.
They date from a period of intense creativity inspired at Bellapais Studio by the idyllic countryside of Bellapais.
Colourful compositions in-clude figures, which have been characterised as swirling flowing free studies of movement in forms and colours, giving wonderful poetic dreamlike statements.
Figure compositions in a more sensitive, lucid approach, blending associated colours, thus luring the spectator into the aesthetic interaction.
The combination of the experiences into a non-representational context with graphic symbols is a gift. Although the study of the artist may have been done on a different level he may select and digest the experience to his own terms and his personally created forms.
Costas says: "In my artistic explorations, I study the numerous analogies that refer to space within the picture, to the line and to the form, as they exist as we see them, as they themselves as shapes have an impact on us.
"And then, while they are translated and transferred to the canvas, they are transformed, condensed and abstracted towards the basic concepts. This is a continuous 'dialogue' with the white surface of the canvas."
Dance master class
A master class - 'ECHOES of SPIRIT DANCE ' - will be taught by Aziza, of the US and Arianna Economou, of Cyprus, with George Koulas and Moreno on the drums.
It will incorporate release, improvisation, storytelling, chanting, contemporary and African based movement
The workshop takes place on Friday , October 19, from 7pm– 10pm, at the old American Center, in Homer Street, Nicosia, next to the Cyprus Museum.
The event is addressed to all interested , choreographers, dancers, musicians, artists, theatre people, men and women, and all who love to dance.
Aziza is a native of Harlem, New York and long-time community activist, as well as a choreographer, performer and teacher, whose work focuses on the development of community-based art.
As a professional dancer she toured with Stevie Wonder, Dianne McIntyre's Sounds In Motions and David Rousseve and was assistant choreographer for the Broadway productions of Rent and Mule Bone.
Aziza is the Founder/Artistic Director of the Def Dance Jam Workshop, an inter-generational performing arts troupe and programme serving youth and adults who are deaf, hard of hearing, and physically or developmentally challenged.
Arianna Economou is an interactive artist/ performer, dance artist and dance- activist in the community.
A pioneer innovative artist giving dance a place for the last 25 years in the Cyprus contemporary arts scene and organiser and founding member and director of ECHO ARTS Living Arts Centre (www.echo-arts.info) for research and development of dance as a contemporary performance art.
A pioneer in organising bicommunal performance projects the last four years, also the initiator and founding member of the first professional registered dance groups association in Cyprus.
For further information call Arianna: 0357 22 777 046 or 00 357 99 685 662. | {
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Joyce Taylor
Joyce Jattu Taylor was born in Monrovia, Liberia. Due to civil war, Joyce was forced to leave her homeland at a young age for a refugee camp in neighbouring Guinean before leaving to find safety in Australia with her mother and brothers in June of 2002.
Joyce is now an Australian Citizen, a proud Queenslander, and a Broncos fan — Go Broncos!
For more than twelve years Joyce has been a Community Development Worker for MDA Ltd and has volunteered as the Liberian United Women chairperson for more than eleven years. Joyce is the mother of two sons both born in Australia of Aboriginal descent.
"My life and experiences have taught me or given me the opportunity to Love more and be Grateful — very grateful for the little things in life like freedom and choices." | {
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Voice acting is the art of doing voice overs or providing voice to represent a character. Your favourite cartoons get all their voices from voice actors. The Mickey Mouse, Naruto, Goku, all are voices of actual people working behind the scenes.
Must a compelling voice to make the listeners feel the moments.
Earnings are extremely flexible in this industry and there is no exact earning that can be listed. The more valuable the projects you are assigned to, the more money you will earn. | {
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Online Dream Dictionary
What is the meaning and symbol of marrying an old man in the dream?
The meaning of marrying an old man's dream, marrying an old man's dream has realistic effects and reactions, as well as the subjective imagination of the dreamer. Please see the detailed explanation of the marrying old man's dream for you.
In real life, very few women are willing to marry an old man, because the age difference will cause various differences. But in dreams, if you want to know what such dreams indicate, you must analyze them according to the different conditions of the dreamer.
If a young unmarried woman dreams of marrying an old man, it indicates that there will be noble people everywhere in the life of the dreamer, and her life will be very smooth.
A married business woman dreams that she is married to an old man, which indicates that there will be many opportunities to make money in business in the future. Dreamers should be good at seizing the opportunity.
If a girl who has not completed his studies dreams of marrying an elderly person, it means that the dreamer has wasted too much time and energy on many indifferent things. The youth is slipping away quietly. It is best to wake up now and take good care of what is in front of you. I married an old man in my dream of studying.
A case study of an old man married in a dream
Dream description: In the dream, my dad booked me a kiss at home, and I knew that I wanted to wait a few days to tell my current boyfriend (we broke up in the middle of the year because his family opposed it) and then forgot to tell He waited until the day I got married. I didn't know that I had to go to work. After that, I still put on the wedding dress. I went to my sister's house to find out that he wanted me to marry an older person. I thought it was about 40 years old. Forget it, I should go to their house and say that I don't want to marry him, but when I walked halfway, I felt wronged and I should tell my boyfriend, so I called him and he came over and we were chatting. He was also reluctant to chat. When I came, I saw that the man I was going to marry was in his seventies, I turned around and ran away. My boyfriend woke up with me all the time. What does this mean?
Dream analysis: a girl marrying an old man in a dream indicates that a noble person will help, but unfortunately, in your dream, you will not be able to marry an old man in the end.
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Dreaming of Zhou Gong
We are conducting research and communication on dream judgment and dream fortune-telling, including Chinese fortune-telling (fortune-telling) and Zhou Gongyuan.
In Chinese legends, if an important thing is going to happen to someone, the Duke of Zhou will let the person know through dreams: hence the Chinese expression "Dreaming of Zhou Gong".
Copyright © 2021 Online Dream Dictionary. | {
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»Bolton receives second round of funding from National Geographic Society
Submitted by Debra J. Bolton
Debra Bolton, National Geographic Society Explorer and director of intercultural learning and academic success in the Department of Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs, has earned a second round of funding from the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C.
Bolton focuses on promoting STEM subjects, targeting females of color, by teaching introductory classes to high school students living in Garden City. Initial funding enabled the four-week courses that she calls "Girl Power GIS." The 2017 funding also helped a school teacher create an after-school Geography Club at Bernadine Sitts Intermediate Center and the high school's physics teacher to present a course on wind power. All of these activities were in the Garden City School District.
The current award from National Geographic Society funded "Creating a Pathway to STEM for Females of Color." New funding paves the way for Bolton to "take her show on the road" by presenting her strategies, learning/teaching techniques, and long-term outcomes of the project at two national meetings later this calendar year. The current funding also helps Bolton continue a popular public radio program called, "Silver Rails: Music of the World in the Folk Tradition." During Geography Awareness Week in mid-November, the two-hour program features music that matches the annual theme for the week. Geography Awareness Week-related programming on High Plains Public Radio in western Kansas and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles began eight years ago and features daily modules with geography tidbits, called, "Did You Know?"
Recently, an additional cohort of funding for "Girl Power GIS" came from a K-State Center for Engagement and Community Development Engagement Incentive Grant. The next Girl Power GIS class takes place in April 2019 in Garden City.
Bolton began her relationship with the iconic National Geographic Society, first, as a policy point person and Grosvenor Scholar of the Kansas Geographic Alliance, based at Kansas State University and Fort Hays State University. A policy point person advocates, legislatively, for raising classroom standards in geography that go beyond the simple "embedding" the subject in other courses.
Bolton worked for K-State Research and Extension as a specialist based at the Southwest Research Extension Center in Garden City for 13 years before becoming director of intercultural learning on campus.
Strengths workshops offered for faculty during Strengths Week 2019
Celebrate Union Station by JP's first anniversary today
Retirement reception for Gloria Holcombe today
The Library and Your Research: Discover-Use-Manage offered March 4
K-State Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony to present concert March 4
Gregory Finnigan to present Anatomy and Physiology Seminar
Second NACADA webinar offered March 5
The Earl Project is partnering with Beach Museum of Art
Veterinary students chosen for American Veterinary Medical Foundation scholarships
Geology department head publishes article in Nature Geoscience
Wyatt Thompson to receive K-State Alumni Association's 2019 Flinchbaugh Family Wildcat Pride Award
Campus construction and maintenance
Service interruption: All campus steam
Newsletters, magazines and blogs
Human Capital Services March 2019 Connect e-newsletter now available
Campus deadline approaching for Marshall, Mitchell and Rhodes scholarships
Nominate an extraordinary student by March 8 | {
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Well done to Matt England and Dan Hiscock for winning their level doubles match against Wiltshire's no 2's , to Ellie Slawin and Ellie Gardener for also winning their level doubles game against Wiltshire's third pair and to Will Perry and Ellie Gardener for winning their mixed match in two straight games.
Somerset was unlucky not to win more with another 11 matches played between the two counties going to three games. There were many excellent rallies played between the two counties with good attacking play from Somerset, good use of tactics to provide opportunities to attack opponents, and moving opponents out of position to create openings for winning shots.
We play our last match of the season next weekend when we host Jersey at Westlands Sports Centre on the Saturday and Sunday and will be celebrating with a social event on the Saturday after the match. The match on Saturday is 3-5pm with skittles and food from 5-7pm and Sunday is 10-1pm; we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. | {
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Am I Maximizing all Available Tax Deductions for my Family?
In Canada if your income exceeds $200,000 you have graduated to the highest federal tax bracket. Congratulations! In many provinces this brings your marginal tax rate close to or over 50%. That means for every dollar earned in excess of $200,000 you will be paying a substantial portion to the Canada Revenue Agency. With this in mind it is important to ensure that you are minimizing your family's personal tax bill.
How can your family reduce their taxes? It can be as simple as stepping back and thinking about which credits, and deductions may be applicable to you.
Do I have employment income? Did I incur any significant medical expenses this year? Did I relocate for employment? Did I contribute to my RRSP? Did I have any investment income? Did I donate to charity? Did I get tuition credits? Did I buy a house this year? Are my spouse and I in significantly different tax brackets? Do I use public transit? Am I maximizing my deductions from self-employment income?
All of these questions can pin point additional tax savings for your family. Below we have outlined some commonly missed deductions and planning opportunities which can save your family money come tax time.
Does your insurance company only pay for a portion of your medical expenses? If so the part that you pay out of pocket is likely tax-deductible. Examples of frequently missed medical expenses are prescription eye glasses & contacts, prescriptions not reimbursed, and employee paid premiums to a private health services plan.
Are you taking public transit to work? This can be a tax deductible expense. To be eligible you need to demonstrate that your transit pass meets the criteria set out by the CRA.
Did you contribute to your RRSP? You may want to think about using the deduction in the current year or deferring it to higher income years. If you direct the refund from your deduction contribution to your TFSA this could be a great form of forced savings. On the other hand, deferring the deduction to higher tax years may also be a good strategy for you.
If I am self-employed am I keeping proper track of my expenses? As a self-employed individual you are eligible to write-off many of your business expenses. Often times additional tax dollars are paid as a result of poor record keeping. Start a system this year to organize your business receipts making it easier and more efficient come tax time.
Would a spousal loan strategy help? If you and your spouse are in vastly different tax brackets this strategy could benefit you depending on your level of investment assets. With a spousal loan any income earned on the loan would be taxed in the hands of the lower income spouse.
Does an inter-vivos trust make sense for my family? At a certain level of assets an inter-vivos trust could provide your family tax savings. This is done by allocating income out to beneficiaries who are in a lower tax bracket. Inter-vivos trusts are especially useful to fund a child's education once the RESP has been maximized.
Could an IPP benefit you? For individuals over 40 with their own businesses, consider setting up an individual pension plan could offer pre-tax business savings, higher contribution room for individuals vs RRSP's, not to mention the deductibility of fees and set-up costs.
Tax legislation evolves in our dynamic political environment, and eligible deductions and credits are subject to change. A qualified tax professional can help you identify which are applicable to you and also provide guidance and planning suggestions to make the most of the strategies available to reduce your future tax bill. By paying fewer taxes, your family will benefit from having more money to achieve their financial goals. | {
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Our Toronto-based client is one of Canada's leading infrastructure suppliers. In business for over 50 years, the firm provides services to the oil, gas and municipal sectors across North America. With revenues in excess of $300mm and over 1000 employees the firm continues to grow.
Supporting and enabling continued growth will be the mandate of the Director/VP of Finance.
Reporting to the company President, the Director/VP of Finance is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day financial function for the company and reporting on those matters in a timely and accurate fashion. In addition the Director Finance will have responsibility for evaluating and impacting the effectiveness of company systems and controls on a wide range of processes supporting the company's tactical and strategic initiatives and planning.
Lead overall financial activities including banking, financing, joint ventures, M&A etc.
Specific measure of performance will be discussed with and agreed upon with the successful candidate.
keeps up-to-date in own area of expertise.
milestones and controls in order to ensure that desired results are realized.
the organization's total expenses and revenues.
Helps to create a sense of team spirit and harmonious relations through cooperation and support.
Balances personal goals with those of the team. Fosters collaboration among team members.
others to own point of view. Directly and indirectly impacts the decisions/opinions of others.
Develops a strategic plan to realize the vision. Revises strategy in light of changing circumstances.
Takes a long-term view of organizational success. Works to clarify long term organizational goals.
Able to stand back from immediate problems in order to focus on more far reaching ideas.
Inspires trust and supports others through own authenticity and following up on commitments.
Highly competitive base salary and variable package. | {
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} |
Living with a chronic illness is hard all year round. During the holiday season it causes unique extra challenges. I knew nothing about this before I became chronically ill myself. I have had many years now living with ME/CFS, some holiday seasons moderately affected and some ruined.
ME stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis. CFS stands for the ludicrous name of chronic fatigue syndrome. But that's another story.
Chances are someone you love is saddled with a chronic illness. There are lots of these illnesses. Arthritis, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, many cancers, fibromyalgia, diabetes, IBS, celiac disease, heart conditions, lupus, neurological disorders, are just a few.
Many of these are invisible illnesses, that is, the person may look fine. They may look downright great. But the person who is chronically ill deals with many struggles in ways you may not be able to imagine. Sometimes a lack of energy can be like a lead balloon that hampers everything you can think of, and plenty that never occurred to you.
Would this person you care for like to do some gift shopping? Maybe. But maybe they can't manage the crowds, stores and lists on their own. Or maybe they can't make it out of the house — possibly out of their beds — at all.
Pain can leave a nasty boot print on all activities.
Does the person you care about need help with buttons or tying their shoes? If you can offer before they have to ask, or before they struggle through the ordeal, life is easier.
Does it hurt them to open a car door? Get to that door first, and open the way.
Try to think ahead and be prepared to bridge the gap to protect their fragility. And always feel free to ask if something is hard for them, your concern will be appreciated.
For some, mental fog, which makes it difficult to think or remember things, is a crippling symptom. Some may find it hard at times to talk, or to understand what is being said.
If you can do the talking and take charge at the store counter, you could make the difference between them being able to go out or not.
This is such a lovely way of expressing just how hard it is for someone who is chronically sick. I just gave up years ago of trying to explain to my family [I don't have friends any more] how difficult it can be for me to make arrangements in advance to go anywhere only to have to cancel because I'm just not up to it. They don't understand how stress can upset my whole body- and mind. When things get too much and I burst into tears they can't understand that it's not because I'm weak it's because I've taken too much on. Emotional Lability can just overcome me and I cry. They lose their temper which just makes things worse. I hate being sick and am tired of it. If you have a strong body it's impossible to imagine how hard it is when you're so ill and yet look OK. Thanks for this- I might just try and bring it to their attention.
I do indeed know how that can be when you're so exhausted everything falls apart and nothing is possible. I'm sorry your family doesn't understand. Perhaps the day will come when they will.
I'm glad you liked my article, it is a difficult topic to present in a way that people can receive it. | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
form10_k.htm
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JANUARY 3, 2009
FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM _______ TO _______
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
The Proscenium
1170 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 900
NAME OF EACH EXCHANGE ON
Carter's, Inc.'s common stock
WHICH REGISTERED:
par value $0.01 per share
SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No x
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form
10-K. o
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large Accelerated Filer x Accelerated Filer o Non-Accelerated Filer o Smaller Reporting Company o
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x
The approximate aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of June 28, 2008 (the last business day of our most recently completed second quarter) was $776,016,341.
There were 56,352,111 shares of Carter's, Inc.'s common stock with a par value of $0.01 per share outstanding as of the close of business on February 27, 2009.
Portions of the definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A relating to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Carter's, Inc., to be held on May 14, 2009, will be incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K. Carter's, Inc. intends to file such proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after its fiscal year ended January 3, 2009.
INDEX TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
Item 1:
Item 1A:
Item 1B:
Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Item 10:
Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
Our market share data is based on information provided by the NPD Group, Inc. Unless otherwise indicated, references to market share in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are expressed as a percentage of total retail sales of a market. NPD has restated historical data, therefore, the market data reported prior to 2008 is not directly comparable to the data reported in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The baby and young children's apparel market includes apparel products from sizes newborn to seven.
Unless the context indicates otherwise, in this filing on Form 10-K, "Carter's," the "Company," "we," "us," "its," and "our" refers to Carter's, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries.
We are the largest branded marketer in the United States of apparel exclusively for babies and young children. We own two of the most highly recognized and most trusted brand names in the children's apparel industry, Carter's and OshKosh. Established in 1865, our Carter's brand is recognized and trusted by consumers for high-quality apparel for children sizes newborn to seven. In fiscal 2005, we acquired OshKosh B'Gosh, Inc. Established in 1895, OshKosh is recognized as a well-known brand that is trusted by consumers for its line of apparel for children sizes newborn to 12. We have extensive experience in the young children's apparel market and focus on delivering products that satisfy our consumers' needs. We market high-quality, essential core products at prices that deliver an attractive value proposition for consumers.
We have developed a business model that we believe has multiple platforms for growth and is focused on high volume and productivity. Our Carter's, OshKosh, and related sub-brands are sold to national department stores, chain and specialty stores, discount retailers, and, as of January 3, 2009, through 253 Carter's and 165 OshKosh outlet and brand retail stores. We believe each of our brands has its own unique positioning in the marketplace. Our brands compete in the $24 billion children's apparel market, for children sizes newborn to seven, with our Carter's brand achieving the #1 branded position with a 10.9% market share. Our OshKosh brand has a 3.2% market share. We offer multiple product categories, including baby, sleepwear, playclothes, and other accessories. Our distribution strategy enables us to reach a broad range of consumers through channel, price point, and region.
Since fiscal 2004, including OshKosh, we have increased consolidated net sales at a compound annual growth rate of 16.0%. Since fiscal 2006, our first full year of sales from OshKosh, we have increased consolidated net sales at a compounded annual growth rate of 5.3%. Our pre-tax results have ranged from income of $82.5 million in fiscal 2004 to $117.4 million in fiscal 2008, with the exception of fiscal 2007 in which we had a pre-tax loss of $29.1 million. In fiscal 2007, our pre-tax results were impacted by OshKosh related intangible asset impairment charges of $154.9 million and distribution facility closure costs of $7.4 million related to further integrating OshKosh. In fiscal 2008, our pre-tax results were decreased by executive retirement charges of $5.3 million and a write-down of $2.6 million on our OshKosh distribution facility, which is held for sale.
The Company's principal executive offices are located at The Proscenium, 1170 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 900, Atlanta, Georgia 30309, and our telephone number is (404) 745-2700.
OUR BRANDS, PRODUCTS, AND DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
CARTER'S BRANDS
Under our Carter's brand, we design, source, and market a broad array of products, primarily for sizes newborn to seven. Our Carter's brand is sold in department stores, national chains, specialty stores, off-price sales channels, and through our Carter's retail stores. Additionally, we sell our Just One Year and Child of Mine brands through the mass channel at Target and Wal-Mart, respectively. In fiscal 2008, we sold over 223 million units of Carter's, Child of Mine, and Just One Year products to our wholesale customers, mass channel customers, and through our Carter's retail stores, an increase of approximately 9% from fiscal 2007. Under our Carter's, Child of Mine, and Just One Year brands, sales growth has been driven by our focus on essential, high-volume, core apparel products for babies and young children. Such products include bodysuits, pajamas, blanket sleepers, gowns, bibs, towels, washcloths, and receiving blankets. Our top ten baby and sleepwear core products accounted for approximately 67% of our baby and sleepwear net sales in fiscal 2008, including the mass channel. We believe these core products are essential consumer staples, insulated from changes in fashion trends, and supported by a strong birth rate and other favorable demographic trends.
We have four cross-functional product teams focused on the development of our Carter's baby, sleepwear, playclothes, and mass channel products. These teams are skilled in identifying and developing high-volume, core products. Each team includes members from merchandising, design, sourcing, product development, forecasting, and supply chain logistics. These teams follow a disciplined approach to fabric usage, color rationalization, and productivity and are supported by a dedicated art department and state-of-the-art design systems. We also license our brand names to other companies to create a complete collection of lifestyle products, including bedding, hosiery, underwear, shoes, room décor, furniture, and toys. The licensing team directs the use of our designs, art, and selling strategies to all licensees.
We believe this disciplined approach to core product design reduces our susceptibility to fashion risk and supports efficient operations. We conduct consumer research as part of our product development process and engage in product testing in our own stores. We analyze quantitative measurements such as pre-season bookings, weekly over-the-counter selling results, and daily re-order rates in order to assess productivity.
CARTER'S BRAND POSITIONING
Our strategy is to drive our brand image as the leader in baby and young children's apparel and to consistently provide high-quality products at a great value to consumers. We employ a disciplined marketing strategy that identifies and focuses on core products. We believe that we have strengthened our brand image with the consumer by differentiating our core products through fabric improvements, new artistic applications, and new packaging and presentation strategies. We also attempt to differentiate our products through store-in-store shops and advertising with our wholesale and mass channel customers. We have invested in display units for our major wholesale customers that clearly present our core products on their floors to enhance brand and product presentation. We also strive to provide our wholesale and mass channel customers with a consistent, high-level of service, including delivering and replenishing products on time to fulfill customer needs.
CARTER'S PRODUCTS
Carter's brand baby products include bodysuits, undershirts, towels, washcloths, receiving blankets, layette gowns, bibs, caps, and booties. In fiscal 2008, excluding mass channel sales, we generated $362.7 million in net sales of these products, representing 24.3% of our consolidated net sales.
Our Carter's brand is the leading brand in the baby category. In fiscal 2008, in the department store, national chain, outlet, specialty store, and off-price sales channels, our aggregate Carter's brand market share was approximately 29.6% for baby, which represents greater than five times the market share of the next largest brand. We sell a complete range of baby products for newborns, primarily made of cotton. We attribute our leading market position to our brand strength, distinctive print designs, artistic applications, reputation for quality, and ability to manage our dedicated floor space for our retail customers. We tier our products through marketing programs targeted toward gift-givers, experienced mothers, and first-time mothers. Our Carter's Starters product line, the largest component of our baby business, provides mothers with essential core products and accessories, including value-focused multi-packs. Our Little Collections product line consists of coordinated baby programs designed for first-time mothers and gift-givers.
Playclothes
Carter's brand playclothes products include knit and woven cotton apparel for everyday use in size three months to size seven. In fiscal 2008, we generated $324.8 million in net sales of these products, excluding the mass channel, or 21.8%, of our consolidated net sales.
We have focused on building our Carter's brand in the playclothes market by developing a base of essential, high-volume, core products that utilize original print designs and innovative artistic applications. Our aggregate 2008 Carter's brand playclothes market share was 11.7% in the $10.0 billion department store, national chain, outlet, specialty store, and off-price sales channels.
Carter's brand sleepwear products include pajamas, cotton long underwear, and blanket sleepers in size 12 months to size seven. In fiscal 2008, we generated $164.6 million in net sales of these products, excluding the mass channel, or 11.0%, of our consolidated net sales.
Our Carter's brand is the leading brand of sleepwear for babies and young children within the department store, national chain, outlet, specialty store, and off-price sales channels in the United States. In fiscal 2008, in these channels, our Carter's brand market share was approximately 32.7%, which represents greater than two times the market share of the next largest brand. As in our baby product line, we differentiate our sleepwear products by offering high-volume, core products with creative artwork and soft fabrications.
Mass Channel Products
Our mass channel product team focuses on baby, sleepwear, and playclothes products produced specifically for the mass channel. Such products are differentiated through fabrications, artwork, and packaging. Our 2008 market share was 7.9% in the $9.8 billion mass channel children's apparel market. Our Child of Mine product line, which is sold in substantially all Wal-Mart stores nationwide, includes layette, sleepwear, and playclothes along with a range of licensed products, such as hosiery, bedding, toys, and gifts. We also sell our Just One Year brand to Target, which includes baby, sleepwear, and baby playclothes along with a range of licensed products, such as hosiery, bedding, toys, and gifts. In fiscal 2008, we generated $254.4 million in net sales of our Child of Mine and Just One Year products, or 17.1%, of our consolidated net sales.
Our other product offerings include bedding, outerwear, shoes, socks, diaper bags, gift sets, toys, room décor, and hair accessories. In fiscal 2008, we generated $60.1 million in net sales of these other products in our Carter's retail stores, or 4.0%, of our consolidated net sales.
Royalty Income
We currently extend our Carter's, Child of Mine, and Just One Year product offerings by licensing our brands to 17 domestic marketers in the United States. These licensing partners develop and sell products through our multiple sales channels while leveraging our brand strength, customer relationships, and designs. Licensed products provide our customers and consumers with a range of lifestyle products that complement and expand upon our core baby and young children's apparel offerings. Our license agreements require strict adherence to our quality and compliance standards and provide for a multi-step product approval process. We work in conjunction with our licensing partners in the development of their products and ensure that they fit within our brand vision of high-quality, core products at attractive values to the consumer. In addition, we work closely with our wholesale and mass channel customers and our licensees to gain dedicated floor space for licensed product categories. In fiscal 2008, our Carter's brand and mass channel licensees generated wholesale and mass channel net sales of $188.4 million on which we earned $16.8 million in royalty income.
In fiscal 2008, we extended the Carter's brand licensing arrangements internationally with two licensees who currently license the OshKosh brand. In connection with these arrangements, the Carter's brand generated international licensing sales of $3.2 million on which we earned $0.3 million in royalty income.
CARTER'S DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
As described above, we sell our Carter's brand products to leading retailers throughout the United States in the wholesale and mass channels and through our own Carter's retail outlet and brand stores. In fiscal 2008, sales of our Carter's brand products through the wholesale channel, including off-price sales, accounted for 32.9% of our consolidated net sales (34.2% in fiscal 2007), sales through our retail stores accounted for 28.3% of our consolidated net sales (25.9% in fiscal 2007), and sales through the mass channel accounted for 17.1% of our consolidated net sales (17.2% in fiscal 2007).
Business segment financial information for our Carter's brand wholesale, Carter's brand retail, and Carter's brand mass channel segments is contained in ITEM 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," Note 14 -- "Segment Information" to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements.
Our Carter's brand wholesale customers include major retailers, such as Kohl's, Toys "R" Us, Costco, JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears. Our mass channel customers are Wal-Mart and Target. Our sales professionals work with their department or specialty store accounts to establish annual plans for our baby products, which we refer to as core basics. Once we establish an annual plan with an account, we place the majority of our accounts on our automatic reorder plan for core basics. This allows us to plan our sourcing requirements and benefits both us and our wholesale and mass channel customers by maximizing our customers' in-stock positions, thereby improving sales and profitability. We intend to drive continued growth with our wholesale and mass channel customers through our focus on managing our key accounts' business through product mix, fixturing, brand presentation, and advertising. We believe that we maintain strong account relationships and drive brand growth through frequent meetings with the senior management of our major wholesale and mass channel customers.
As of January 3, 2009, we operated 253 Carter's retail stores, of which 170 were outlet stores and 83 were brand stores. These stores carry a complete assortment of first-quality baby and young children's apparel, accessories, and gift items. Our stores average approximately 4,700 square feet per location and are distinguished by an easy, consumer-friendly shopping environment. We believe our brand strength and our assortment of core products has made our stores a destination location within many outlet and strip centers. Our outlet stores are generally located within 20 to 30 minutes of densely-populated areas. Our brand stores are generally located in high-traffic, strip centers located in or near major cities.
We have established a real estate selection process whereby we fully assess all new locations based on demographic factors, retail adjacencies, and population density. We believe that we are located in many of the premier outlet centers in the United States and we continue to add new strip center locations to our real estate portfolio.
OSHKOSH BRANDS
Under our OshKosh brand, we design, source, and market a broad array of young children's apparel, primarily for children in sizes newborn to 12. Our OshKosh brand is currently sold in our OshKosh retail stores, department stores, national chains, specialty stores, and through off-price sales channels. In fiscal 2008, we sold over 45 million units of OshKosh products through our retail stores and to our wholesale customers, an increase of approximately 7% over fiscal 2007. We also have a licensing agreement with Target through which Target sells products under our Genuine Kids from OshKosh brand. Given its long history of durability, quality, and style, we believe our OshKosh brand continues to be a market leader in the children's branded apparel industry and represents a significant long-term growth opportunity for us, especially in the $17.0 billion young children's playclothes market. While we have made significant progress integrating the OshKosh business, our plans to grow the OshKosh brand in the wholesale and retail store channels have not met our expectations to date. We continue to focus on our core product development and marketing disciplines, improving the productivity of our OshKosh retail stores, leveraging our relationships with major wholesale accounts, and leveraging our infrastructure and supply chain.
OSHKOSH BRAND POSITIONING
We believe our OshKosh brand stands for high-quality, authentic playclothes products for children sizes newborn to 12. Our core OshKosh brand products include denim, overalls, t-shirts, fleece, and other playclothes for children. Our OshKosh brand is generally positioned towards an older segment (sizes two to seven) and at slightly higher average prices than our Carter's brand. We believe our OshKosh brand has significant brand name recognition, which consumers associate with rugged, durable, and active playclothes for young children.
OSHKOSH PRODUCTS
Our OshKosh brand is best known for its playclothes products. In fiscal 2008, we generated $228.4 million in net sales of OshKosh brand playclothes products, which accounted for approximately 15.3% of our consolidated net sales. OshKosh brand playclothes products include denim apparel products with multiple wash treatments and coordinating garments, overalls, woven bottoms, knit tops, and playclothes products for everyday use in sizes newborn to 12. We plan to grow this business by continuing to reduce product complexity, expanding our core product offerings, improving product value, and leveraging our strong customer relationships and global supply chain expertise.
We believe our OshKosh brand represents a significant opportunity for us to increase our share as the $17.0 billion young children's playclothes market, including the mass channel, is highly fragmented. In fiscal 2008, this market was more than five times the size of the baby and sleepwear markets combined.
Our OshKosh brand's playclothes market share in the department store, national chain, outlet, specialty store, and off-price sales channels in fiscal 2008, exclusive of the mass channel, was approximately 4.8% in the $10.0 billion market in these channels. We are continuing to develop a base of high-volume, core playclothes products for our OshKosh brand.
The remainder of our OshKosh brand product offering includes baby, sleepwear, outerwear, shoes, hosiery, and accessories. In fiscal 2008, we generated $95.0 million in net sales of these other products in our OshKosh retail stores, which accounted for 6.4% of our consolidated net sales.
We partner with a number of domestic and international licensees to extend the reach of our OshKosh brand. We currently have eight domestic licensees, as well as 23 international licensees selling apparel and accessories in approximately 36 countries. Our largest licensing agreement is with Target. All Genuine Kids from OshKosh products sold by Target are sold pursuant to this licensing agreement. Our licensed products provide our customers and consumers with a range of OshKosh products including outerwear, underwear, swimwear, socks, shoes, bedding, and accessories. In fiscal 2008, our domestic licensees generated wholesale and mass channel net sales of approximately $187.7 million on which we earned approximately $9.5 million in royalty income. In fiscal 2008, our international licensees generated retail sales of approximately $112.3 million on which we earned approximately $7.1 million in royalty income.
OSHKOSH DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
In fiscal 2008, sales of our OshKosh brand products through our OshKosh retail stores accounted for 16.7% of our consolidated net sales (16.6% in fiscal 2007) and sales through the wholesale channel, including off-price sales, accounted for 5.0% of our consolidated net sales (6.1% in fiscal 2007).
Business segment financial information for our OshKosh brand wholesale and OshKosh brand retail segments is contained in ITEM 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," Note 14 -- "Segment Information" to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements.
As of January 3, 2009, we operated 165 OshKosh retail stores, of which 156 were outlet stores and nine were brand stores. These stores carry a wide assortment of young children's apparel, accessories, and gift items and average approximately 4,800 square feet per location.
Our OshKosh brand wholesale customers include major retailers, such as Kohl's, Bon Ton, Costco, Fred Meyer, and JCPenney. We continue to work with our department and specialty store accounts to establish seasonal plans for playclothes products. The majority of our OshKosh brand playclothes products will be planned and ordered seasonally as we introduce new products.
We have significant experience in sourcing products from Asia, with expertise that includes the ability to evaluate vendors, familiarity with foreign supply sources, and experience with sourcing logistics particular to Asia. We also have relationships with both leading and certain specialized sourcing agents in Asia.
Our sourcing network consists of approximately 140 vendors located in approximately 13 countries. We believe that our sourcing arrangements are sufficient to meet our current operating requirements and provide capacity for growth.
The baby and young children's apparel market is highly competitive. Competition is generally based upon product quality, brand name recognition, price, selection, service, and convenience. Both branded and private label manufacturers compete in the baby and young children's apparel market. Our primary competitors in the wholesale and mass channels include Disney, Gerber, and private label product offerings. Our primary competitors in the retail store channel include Old Navy, The Gap, The Children's Place, Gymboree, and Disney. Most retailers, including our customers, have significant private label product offerings that compete with us. Because of the highly-fragmented nature of the industry, we also compete with many small manufacturers and retailers. We believe that the strength of our Carter's and OshKosh brand names combined with our breadth of product offerings and operational expertise position us well against these competitors.
We are subject to various federal, state, and local laws that govern activities or operations that may have adverse environmental effects. Noncompliance with these laws and regulations can result in significant liabilities, penalties, and costs. Generally, compliance with environmental laws has not had a material impact on our operations, but there can be no assurance that future compliance with such laws will not have a material adverse effect on our operations.
TRADEMARKS, COPYRIGHTS, AND LICENSES
We own many copyrights and trademarks, including Carter's®, Carter's® Classics, Celebrating Childhood™, Child of Mine®, Just One Year®, OshKosh®, OshKosh B'Gosh®, At Play Since 1895™, OshKosh Est. 1895®, Genuine Kids®, The Genuine Article®, and The Genuine Deal™ many of which are registered in the United States and in more than 120 foreign countries.
We license various Company trademarks, including Carter's, Just One Year, Child of Mine, OshKosh, OshKosh B'Gosh, OshKosh Est. 1895, and Genuine Kids to third parties to produce and distribute children's apparel and related products such as hosiery, outerwear, swimwear, underwear, shoes, boots, slippers, diaper bags, furniture, room décor, bedding, giftwrap, baby books, party goods, and toys.
Our Internet address is www.carters.com. We are not including the information contained on our website as part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. There we make available, free of charge, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports, proxy statements, director and officer reports on Forms 3, 4, and 5, and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Our SEC reports can be accessed through the investor relations section of our website. The information found on our website is not part of this or any other report we file with or furnish to the SEC. We also make available on our website, the Carter's Code of Business Ethics and Professional Conduct, our Corporate Governance Principles, and the charters for the Compensation, Audit, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees of the Board of Directors. Our SEC filings are also available for reading and copying at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains an Internet site, www.sec.gov, containing reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.
As of January 3, 2009, we had 6,548 employees, 2,675 of whom were employed on a full-time basis and 3,873 of whom were employed on a part-time basis. We have no unionized employees. We have had no labor-related work stoppages and believe that our labor relations are good.
You should carefully consider each of the following risk factors as well as the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission in evaluating our business. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial may also impact our business operations. If any of the following risks actually occur, our operating results may be affected.
The loss of one or more of our major customers could result in a material loss of revenues.
In fiscal 2008, we derived approximately 42% of our consolidated net sales from our top eight customers, including mass channel customers. Kohl's and Wal-Mart each accounted for approximately 10% of our consolidated net sales in fiscal 2008. We do not enter into long-term sales contracts with our major customers, relying instead on long-standing relationships and on our position in the marketplace. As a result, we face the risk that one or more of our major customers may significantly decrease its or their business with us or terminate its or their relationships with us. Any such decrease or termination of our major customers' business could result in a material decrease in our sales and operating results.
The acceptance of our products in the marketplace is affected by consumers' tastes and preferences, along with fashion trends.
We believe that continued success depends on our ability to provide a unique and compelling value proposition for our consumers in the Company's distribution channels. There can be no assurance that the demand for our products will not decline, or that we will be able to successfully evaluate and adapt our product to be aware of consumers' tastes and preferences and fashion trends. If consumers' tastes and preferences are not aligned with our product offerings, promotional pricing may be required to move seasonal merchandise. Increased use of promotional pricing would have a material adverse affect on our sales, gross margin, and results of operations.
The value of our brand, and our sales, could be diminished if we are associated with negative publicity.
Although our employees, agents, and third-party compliance auditors periodically visit and monitor the operations of our vendors, independent manufacturers, and licensees, we do not control these vendors, independent manufacturers, licensees, or their labor practices. A violation of our vendor policies, licensee agreements, labor laws, or other laws by these vendors, independent manufacturers, or licensees could interrupt or otherwise disrupt our supply chain or damage our brand image. As a result, negative publicity regarding our Company, brands, or products, including licensed products, could adversely affect our reputation and sales.
The security of the Company's databases that contain personal information of our retail customers could be breached, which could subject us to adverse publicity, litigation, and expenses. In addition, if we are unable to comply with security standards created by the credit card industry, our operations could be adversely affected.
Database privacy, network security, and identity theft are matters of growing public concern. In an attempt to prevent unauthorized access to our network and databases containing confidential, third-party information, we have installed privacy protection systems, devices, and activity monitoring on our network. Nevertheless, if unauthorized parties gain access to our networks or databases, they may be able to steal, publish, delete, or modify our private and sensitive third-party information. In such circumstances, we could be held liable to our customers or other parties or be subject to regulatory or other actions for breaching privacy rules. This could result in costly investigations and litigation, civil or criminal penalties, and adverse publicity that could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and reputation. Further, if we are unable to comply with the security standards, established by banks and the credit card industry, we may be subject to fines, restrictions, and expulsion from card acceptance programs, which could adversely affect our retail operations.
The Company's royalty income is greatly impacted by the Company's brand reputation.
The Company's brand image, which is associated with providing a consumer product with outstanding quality and name recognition, makes it valuable as a royalty source. The Company is able to generate royalty income from the sale of licensed products that bear its Carter's, Child of Mine, Just One Year, OshKosh, Genuine Kids from OshKosh, and related trademarks. The Company also generates foreign royalty income as our OshKosh B'Gosh label carries an international reputation for quality and American style. While the Company takes significant steps to ensure the reputation of its brand is maintained through its license agreements, there can be no guarantee that the Company's brand image will not be negatively impacted through its association with products outside of the Company's core apparel products.
There are deflationary pressures on the selling price of apparel products.
In part due to the actions of discount retailers, and in part due to the worldwide supply of low cost garment sourcing, the average selling price of children's apparel continues to decrease. To the extent these deflationary pressures are not offset by reductions in manufacturing costs, there would be an affect on the Company's gross margin. Additionally, the inability to leverage certain fixed costs of the Company's design, sourcing, distribution, and support costs over its gross sales base could have an adverse impact on the Company's operating results.
Our business is sensitive to overall levels of consumer spending, particularly in the young children's apparel segment.
Consumers' demand for young children's apparel, specifically brand name apparel products, is impacted by the overall level of consumer spending. Discretionary consumer spending is impacted by employment levels, gasoline and utility costs, business conditions, availability of consumer credit, tax rates, interest rates, levels of consumer indebtedness, and overall levels of consumer confidence. Recent and further reductions in the level of discretionary spending may have a material adverse affect on the Company's sales and results of operations.
We face risks associated with the current global credit crisis and related economic downturn.
The continuing volatility in the financial markets and the related economic downturn in markets throughout the world could have a material adverse effect on our business. While we currently generate significant cash flows from our ongoing operations and have access to credit through amounts available under our revolving credit facility (the "Revolver"), credit markets have recently experienced significant disruptions and certain leading financial institutions have either declared bankruptcy or have shown significant deterioration in their financial stability. Further deterioration in the financial markets could make future financing difficult or more expensive. If any of the financial institutions that are parties to our Revolver were to declare bankruptcy or become insolvent, they may be unable to perform under their agreements with us. This could leave us with reduced borrowing capacity. In addition, tighter credit markets may lead to business disruptions for certain of our suppliers, contract manufacturers or trade customers and consequently, could disrupt our business.
We source substantially all of our products through foreign production arrangements. Our dependence on foreign supply sources could result in disruptions to our operations in the event of political instability, unfavorable economic conditions, international events, or new foreign regulations and such disruptions may increase our cost of goods sold and decrease gross profit.
We source substantially all of our products through a network of vendors primarily in Asia, coordinated by our Asia agents. The following could disrupt our foreign supply chain, increase our cost of goods sold, decrease our gross profit, or impact our ability to get products to our customers:
financial instability of one of our major vendors;
political instability or other international events resulting in the disruption of trade in foreign countries from which we source our products;
increases in transportation costs as a result of increased fuel prices;
the imposition of new regulations relating to imports, duties, taxes, and other charges on imports including the China safeguards;
the occurrence of a natural disaster, unusual weather conditions, or an epidemic, the spread of which may impact our ability to obtain products on a timely basis;
changes in the United States customs procedures concerning the importation of apparel products;
unforeseen delays in customs clearance of any goods;
disruption in the global transportation network such as a port strike, world trade restrictions, or war;
the application of foreign intellectual property laws;
the ability of our vendors to secure sufficient credit to finance the manufacturing process including the acquisition of raw materials; and
exchange rate fluctuations between the United States dollar and the local currencies of foreign contractors.
These and other events beyond our control could interrupt our supply chain and delay receipt of our products into the United States.
We source all of our products through a network of vendors. We have limited control over these vendors and we may experience delays, product recalls or loss of revenues if our products do not meet our quality standards or regulatory requirements.
Our vendors, independent manufacturers and licensees may not continue to provide products that are consistent with our standards. We have occasionally received, and may in the future continue to receive, shipments of product that fail to conform to our quality control standards. A failure in our quality control program may result in diminished product quality, which may result in increased order cancellations and returns, decreased consumer demand for our products, or product recalls, any of which may have a material adverse affect on our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, because we do not control our vendors, notwithstanding our strict quality control procedures, products that fail to meet our standards, or other unauthorized products, could end up in the marketplace without our knowledge, which could harm our brand and our reputation in the marketplace.
Our products are subject to regulation of and regulatory standards set by various governmental authorities with respect to quality and safety. Regulations and standards in this area are currently in place. These regulations and standards may change from time to time. Our inability to comply on a timely basis with regulatory requirements could result in significant fines or penalties, which could adversely affect our reputation and sales. Issues with the quality and safety of merchandise we sell in our stores, regardless of our culpability, or customer concerns about such issues, could result in damage to our reputation, lost sales, uninsured product liability claims or losses, merchandise recalls, and increased costs.
We operate in a highly competitive market and the size and resources of some of our competitors may allow them to compete more effectively than we can, resulting in a loss of market share and, as a result, a decrease in revenue and gross profit.
The baby and young children's apparel market is highly competitive. Both branded and private label manufacturers compete in the baby and young children's apparel market. Our primary competitors in our wholesale and mass channel businesses include Disney, Gerber, and private label product offerings. Our primary competitors in the retail store channel include Old Navy, The Gap, The Children's Place, Gymboree, and Disney. Because of the fragmented nature of the industry, we also compete with many other manufacturers and retailers. Some of our competitors have greater financial resources and larger customer bases than we have and are less financially leveraged than we are. As a result, these competitors may be able to:
adapt to changes in customer requirements more quickly;
take advantage of acquisition and other opportunities more readily;
devote greater resources to the marketing and sale of their products; and
adopt more aggressive pricing strategies than we can.
The Company's retail success and future growth is dependent upon identifying locations and negotiating appropriate lease terms for retail stores.
The Company's retail stores are located in leased retail locations across the country. Successful operation of a retail store depends, in part, on the overall ability of the retail location to attract a consumer base sufficient to make store sales volume profitable. If the Company is unable to identify new retail locations with consumer traffic sufficient to support a profitable sales level, retail growth may consequently be limited. Further, if existing outlet and strip centers do not maintain a sufficient customer base that provides a reasonable sales volume, there could be a material adverse impact on the Company's sales, gross margin, and results of operations.
Our leverage could adversely affect our financial condition.
On January 3, 2009, we had total debt of approximately $338.0 million.
Our indebtedness could have negative consequences. For example, it could:
increase our vulnerability to interest rate risk;
limit our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, and other general corporate requirements, or to carry out other aspects of our business plan;
require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to pay principal of, and interest on, our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of that cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures, or other general corporate purposes, or to carry out other aspects of our business plan;
limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry; and
place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt.
In addition, our senior credit facility contains financial and other restrictive covenants that may limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests such as selling assets, strategic acquisitions, paying dividends, and borrowing additional funds. Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all of our debt which could leave us unable to meet some or all of our obligations.
Profitability could be negatively impacted if we do not adequately forecast the demand for our products and, as a result, create significant levels of excess inventory or insufficient levels of inventory.
If the Company does not adequately forecast demand for its products and purchases inventory to support an inaccurate forecast, the Company could experience increased costs due to the need to dispose of excess inventory or lower profitability due to insufficient levels of inventory.
We may not achieve sales growth plans, cost savings, and other assumptions that support the carrying value of our intangible assets.
As of January 3, 2009, the Company had Carter's cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired of $136.6 million, a $220.2 million Carter's brand tradename asset, and an $85.5 million OshKosh brand tradename asset on its consolidated balance sheet. The carrying value of these assets is subject to annual impairment reviews as of the last day of each fiscal year or more frequently, if deemed necessary, due to any significant events or changes in circumstances. During the second quarter of fiscal 2007, the Company performed an interim impairment review of the OshKosh intangible assets due to continued negative trends in sales and profitability of the Company's OshKosh wholesale and retail segments. As a result of this review, the Company wrote off our OshKosh cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired asset of $142.9 million and wrote down the OshKosh tradename by $12.0 million.
Estimated future cash flows used in these impairment reviews could be negatively impacted if we do not achieve our sales plans, planned cost savings, and other assumptions that support the carrying value of these intangible assets, which could result in potential impairment of the remaining asset value.
The Company's success is dependent upon retaining key individuals within the organization to execute the Company's strategic plan.
The Company's ability to attract and retain qualified executive management, marketing, merchandising, design, sourcing, operations, and support function staffing is key to the Company's success. If the Company were unable to attract and retain qualified individuals in these areas, an adverse impact on the Company's growth and results of operations may result.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Approximate floor space in square feet
Principal use
Distribution/warehousing
Hogansville, Georgia
Barnesville, Georgia
White House, Tennessee
Distribution/warehousing *
Finance/information technology/benefits administration/rework
Carter's customer service
Executive offices/Carter's design and merchandising
OshKosh's operating offices
Finance and retail store administration office
Sales office/showroom
OshKosh's design center
* As of January 3, 2009, this property is classified as an asset held for sale included in prepaid and other current assets on the accompanying audited consolidated balance sheets.
As of January 3, 2009, we operated 418 leased retail stores located primarily in outlet and strip centers across the United States, having an average size of approximately 4,800 square feet. Generally, the majority of our leases have an average term of approximately five years with additional five-year renewal options.
Aggregate lease commitments as of January 3, 2009 for the above leased properties are as follows: fiscal 2009—$51.8 million; fiscal 2010—$45.8 million; fiscal 2011—$35.4 million; fiscal 2012—$26.4 million; fiscal 2013—$21.2 million, and $51.7 million for the balance of these commitments beyond fiscal 2013.
A class action lawsuit was filed on September 16, 2008 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia asserting claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the federal securities laws. The complaint alleges that between February 21, 2006 and July 21, 2007, the Company made misrepresentations regarding the successful integration of OshKosh into the Company's business, and that the share price of the Company's stock later fell when the market learned that the integration had not been as successful as represented. Plaintiff Plymouth County Retirement System filed an unopposed motion to be appointed lead counsel on November 18, 2008, and that motion was fully submitted as of December 8, 2008. Plaintiff is now waiting for a decision from the court. By stipulation of the parties, no motion to dismiss or other response to the complaint will be due until 60 days after an amended complaint is filed subsequent to lead plaintiff appointment. The Company intends to vigorously defend this claim. Following appointment of lead plaintiff and lead counsel, the Company intends to file a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under the federal securities laws.
A class action lawsuit was filed on September 29, 2008 in United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the Company claiming breach of contract arising from certain advertising and pricing practices with respect to Carter's brand products purchased by consumers at Carter's retail stores nationally. The complaint seeks damages and injunctive relief. Plaintiff has since filed an amended complaint, alleging breach of contract on behalf of a nationwide class and Illinois Consumer Fraud Act claims on behalf of Illinois consumers. The Company has moved to dismiss the entire amended complaint. On February 3, 2009 the same plaintiff's attorney filed a second, nearly identical action against the Company in the same court but in the name of a different plaintiff. The parties filed an agreed upon motion to consolidate this second action with the first case and to stay the need for response in the second case until after the court has ruled upon the pending motion to dismiss. The Company intends to vigorously defend these claims.
The Company is subject to various other claims and pending or threatened lawsuits in the normal course of our business. We are not currently party to any other legal proceedings that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CRI. The last reported sale price per share of our common stock on February 13, 2009 was $15.70. On that date there were approximately 43,548 holders of record of our common stock.
The following table sets forth for the periods indicated the high and low sales prices per share of common stock as reported by the New York Stock Exchange:
PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS
The following table provides information about purchases by the Company during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008 of equity securities that are registered by the Company pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act:
Approximate dollar value of shares that may yet be purchased under the plans or programs
September 28, 2008 through October 25, 2008
228,178 $ 16.93 228,178 $ 8,895,948
October 26, 2008 through November 29, 2008
-- -- -- $ 8,895,948
November 30, 2008 through January 3, 2009
Represents repurchased shares which were retired.
On February 16, 2007, our Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program, pursuant to which the Company is authorized to purchase up to $100 million of its outstanding common shares. Such repurchases may occur from time to time in the open market, in negotiated transactions, or otherwise. This program has no time limit. The timing and amount of any repurchases will be determined by the Company's management, based on its evaluation of market conditions, share price, and other factors. This program was announced in the Company's report on Form 8-K, which was filed on February 21, 2007. The total remaining authorization under the repurchase program was $8,895,948 as of January 3, 2009.
Provisions in our senior credit facility currently restrict the ability of our operating subsidiary, The William Carter Company ("TWCC"), from paying cash dividends to our parent company, Carter's, Inc., in excess of $15.0 million, which materially restricts Carter's, Inc. from paying cash dividends on our common stock. We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future but intend to retain future earnings, if any, for reinvestment in the future operation and expansion of our business and related development activities. Any future decision to pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our financial condition, results of operations, terms of financing arrangements, capital requirements, and any other factors as our Board of Directors deems relevant.
RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES
The following table sets forth selected financial and other data as of and for the five fiscal years ended January 3, 2009 (fiscal 2008).
On July 14, 2005, Carter's, Inc., through TWCC, acquired all of the outstanding common stock of OshKosh for a purchase price of $312.1 million, which included payment for vested stock options (the "Acquisition"). As part of financing the Acquisition, the Company refinanced its existing debt (the "Refinancing"), comprised of its former senior credit facility and its outstanding 10.875% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011 (the "Notes") (the Refinancing, together with the Acquisition, the "Transaction").
Financing for the Transaction was provided by a new $500 million Term Loan (the "Term Loan") and a $125 million revolving credit facility (including a sub-limit for letters of credit of $80 million, the "Revolver") entered into by TWCC with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, and certain other financial institutions (the "Senior Credit Facility").
The proceeds from the Refinancing were used to purchase the outstanding common stock and vested stock options of OshKosh ($312.1 million), pay Transaction expenses ($6.2 million), refinance the Company's former senior credit facility ($36.2 million), repurchase the Company's Notes ($113.8 million), pay a redemption premium on the Company's Notes ($14.0 million), along with accrued and unpaid interest ($5.1 million), and pay debt issuance costs ($10.6 million). Other Transaction expenses paid prior and subsequent to the closing of the Transaction totaled $1.4 million, including $0.2 million in debt issuance costs.
On June 6, 2006, the Company effected a two-for-one stock split (the "stock split") through a stock dividend to stockholders of record as of May 23, 2006 of one share of our common stock for each share of common stock outstanding. Earnings per share for all prior periods presented have been adjusted to reflect the stock split.
The selected financial data for the five fiscal years ended January 3, 2009 were derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday, in December or January, nearest the last day of December. Consistent with this policy, fiscal 2008 ended on January 3, 2009, fiscal 2007 ended on December 29, 2007, fiscal 2006 ended on December 30, 2006, fiscal 2005 ended on December 31, 2005, and fiscal 2004 ended on January 1, 2005. Fiscal 2008 contained 53 weeks of financial results. Fiscal 2007, fiscal 2006, fiscal 2005, and fiscal 2004 each contained 52 weeks of financial results.
The following table should be read in conjunction with ITEM 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and ITEM 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data."
(dollars in thousands, except per share data)
OPERATING DATA:
Wholesale sales – Carter's
Wholesale sales – OshKosh
74,270 86,555 96,351 59,707 --
Retail sales – Carter's
Retail sales – OshKosh
249,130 233,776 229,103 140,104 --
Mass Channel sales – Carter's
1,490,016 1,412,246 1,343,467 1,121,358 823,121
Selling, general, and administrative expenses
Intangible asset impairment (a)
-- 154,886 -- -- --
Executive retirement charges (b)
5,325 -- -- -- --
Facility write-down and closure costs (c)
2,609 5,285 91 6,828 620
(33,685 ) (30,738 ) (29,164 ) (20,426 ) (12,362 )
135,494 (6,009 ) 165,111 121,246 101,025
(1,491 ) (1,386 ) (1,914 ) (1,322 ) (335 )
Loss on extinguishment of debt (d)
-- -- -- 20,137 --
117,407 (29,088 ) 138,188 77,867 82,508
$ 75,058 $ (70,618 ) $ 87,220 $ 47,202 $ 49,658
PER COMMON SHARE DATA:
Basic net income (loss)
$ 1.33 $ (1.22 ) $ 1.50 $ 0.82 $ 0.88
Diluted net income (loss)
Basic weighted-average shares
56,309,454 57,871,235 57,996,241 57,280,504 56,251,168
Diluted weighted-average shares
BALANCE SHEET DATA (end of period):
Working capital (e)
1,051,057 974,668 1,123,191 1,116,727 672,965
Total debt, including current maturities
CASH FLOW DATA:
$ 183,623 $ 51,987 $ 88,224 $ 137,267 $ 42,676
(37,529 ) (21,819 ) (30,500 ) (308,403 ) (18,577 )
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities
(32,757 ) (49,701 ) (73,455 ) 222,147 (26,895 )
34.5 % 34.2 % 36.4 % 35.3 % 36.2 %
See Notes to Selected Financial Data.
NOTES TO SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
(a) Intangible asset impairment charges of $154.9 million in fiscal 2007 reflect the impairment of the OshKosh cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired asset (OshKosh wholesale segment of $36.0 million and OshKosh retail segment of $106.9 million) and the impairment of the value ascribed to the OshKosh tradename of $12.0 million.
(b) Executive retirement charges of $5.3 million consist of $3.1 million related to the present value of severance and benefit obligations and $2.2 million of which related to the accelerated vesting of certain stock options.
(c) The $0.6 million in closure costs in fiscal 2004 relate to costs associated with the closure of our Costa Rican facilities and our distribution facility in Leola, Pennsylvania. The $6.8 million and $0.1 million in closure costs in fiscal 2005 and fiscal 2006 relate to the closure of our Mexican sewing facilities. The $5.3 million in closure costs in fiscal 2007 relate to the closure of our OshKosh distribution facility. The $2.6 million charge in fiscal 2008 relates to the write-down of the carrying value of our OshKosh distribution facility held for sale.
(d) Debt extinguishment charges in fiscal 2005 reflect the payment of a $14.0 million redemption premium on our Notes, the write-off of $4.5 million in unamortized debt issuance costs related to the former senior credit facility and Notes, and the write-off of $0.5 million of the related Note discount. Additionally, we expensed approximately $1.1 million of debt issuance costs associated with our Senior Credit Facility in accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force ("EITF") No. 96-19, "Debtor's Accounting for a Modification or Exchange of Debt Instruments."
(e) Represents total current assets less total current liabilities.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following is a discussion of our results of operations and current financial condition. You should read this discussion in conjunction with our consolidated historical financial statements and notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our discussion of our results of operations and financial condition includes various forward-looking statements about our markets, the demand for our products and services, and our future results. We based these statements on assumptions that we consider reasonable. Actual results may differ materially from those suggested by our forward-looking statements for various reasons including those discussed in the "Risk Factors" in ITEM 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Those risk factors expressly qualify all subsequent oral and written forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf. Except for any ongoing obligations to disclose material information as required by the federal securities laws, we do not have any intention or obligation to update forward-looking statements after we file this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
For more than 140 years, Carter's has become one of the most highly recognized and most trusted brand names in the children's apparel industry and with the Acquisition of OshKosh on July 14, 2005, we now own the highly recognized and trusted OshKosh B'Gosh brand which also earned the position of a highly trusted and well-known brand for over 110 years.
We sell our products under our Carter's and OshKosh brands in the wholesale channel, which includes over 260 department store, national chain, and specialty store accounts. We also sell our products in the mass channel under our Child of Mine brand to over 3,500 Wal-Mart stores nationwide and under our Just One Year brand to over 1,600 Target stores. Additionally, as of January 3, 2009, we operated 253 Carter's and 165 OshKosh retail stores located primarily in outlet and strip centers throughout the United States. We also extend our brand reach by licensing our Carter's, Child of Mine, Just One Year, OshKosh, and related brand names through domestic licensing arrangements, including licensing of our Genuine Kids from OshKosh brand to Target stores nationwide. Our OshKosh B'Gosh brand name is also licensed through international licensing arrangements. During fiscal 2008, we earned approximately $33.7 million in royalty income from these arrangements, including $16.6 million from our OshKosh and Genuine Kids from OshKosh brands.
In connection with the Acquisition of OshKosh, we recorded cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired of $142.9 million and an OshKosh brand tradename asset of $102.0 million. During the second quarter of fiscal 2007, as a result of the continued negative trends in sales and profitability of the Company's OshKosh B'Gosh wholesale and retail segments and re-forecasted projections for such segments for the balance of fiscal 2007, the Company conducted an interim impairment assessment on the value of the intangible assets that the Company recorded in connection with the Acquisition. Based on this assessment, charges of approximately $36.0 million for the OshKosh wholesale segment and $106.9 million for the OshKosh retail segment were recorded for the impairment of the cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired asset. In addition, an impairment charge of $12.0 million was recorded to reflect the impairment of the value ascribed to the OshKosh tradename. The carrying value of the OshKosh tradename asset is subject to annual impairment reviews as of the last day of each fiscal year or more frequently if deemed necessary due to any significant events or changes in circumstances. Estimated future cash flows used in such impairment reviews could be negatively impacted if we do not achieve our sales plans and other assumptions that support the carrying value of these intangible assets, which could result in potential impairment of such assets.
We have also acquired certain definite-lived intangible assets in connection with the Acquisition of OshKosh comprised of licensing agreements and leasehold interests which resulted in annual amortization expense of $4.7 million in fiscal 2006; $4.5 million in fiscal 2007; and $4.1 million in fiscal 2008. Amortization expense related to these intangible assets will be $3.7 million in fiscal 2009 and $1.8 million in fiscal 2010.
During fiscal 2007, the Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program, pursuant to which the Company is authorized to purchase up to $100 million of its outstanding common shares. Such repurchases may occur from time to time in the open market, in negotiated transactions, or otherwise. This program has no time limit. The timing and amount of any repurchases will be determined by management, based on its evaluation of market conditions, share price, and other factors. During fiscal 2008, the Company repurchased and retired 2,126,361 shares, or approximately $33.6 million, of its common stock at an average price of $15.82 per share. Since inception of the program and through fiscal 2008, the Company repurchased and retired 4,599,580 shares, or approximately $91.1 million, of its common stock at an average price of $19.81 per share.
Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday, in December or January, nearest the last day of December. Consistent with this policy, fiscal 2008 ended on January 3, 2009, fiscal 2007 ended on December 29, 2007, and fiscal 2006 ended on December 30, 2006. Fiscal 2008 contained 53 weeks of financial results while fiscal 2007 and 2006 each contained 52 weeks.
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated (i) selected statement of operations data expressed as a percentage of net sales and (ii) the number of retail stores open at the end of each period:
Wholesale sales:
Total wholesale sales
Retail store sales:
Total retail store sales
Mass channel sales
Consolidated net sales
Intangible asset impairment
-- 11.0 --
Executive retirement charges
0.4 -- --
Facility write-down and closure costs
0.2 0.3 --
(2.3 ) (2.2 ) (2.1 )
9.1 (0.4 ) 12.3
5.0 % (5.0 )% 6.5 %
Number of retail stores at end of period:
FISCAL YEAR ENDED JANUARY 3, 2009 COMPARED WITH FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 29, 2007
Consolidated net sales for fiscal 2008 were $1.5 billion, an increase of $77.8 million, or 5.5%, compared to $1.4 billion in fiscal 2007. This increase reflects growth in all three of our Carter's brand segments and our OshKosh brand retail store segment.
For the fiscal years ended
Wholesale-Carter's
$ 489,744 32.9 % $ 482,350 34.2 %
Wholesale-OshKosh
74,270 5.0 % 86,555 6.1 %
Retail-Carter's
422,436 28.3 % 366,296 25.9 %
Retail-OshKosh
Mass Channel-Carter's
$ 1,490,016 100.0 % $ 1,412,246 100.0 %
CARTER'S WHOLESALE SALES
Carter's brand wholesale sales increased $7.4 million, or 1.5%, in fiscal 2008, to $489.7 million. The increase in Carter's brand wholesale sales was driven by a 6% increase in units shipped, partially offset by a 4% decrease in average price per unit, as compared to fiscal 2007. The growth in units shipped was driven primarily by growth in all product categories due to increased demand and higher levels of off-price units shipped. The decrease in average price per unit was due to more competitive pricing in certain product categories, particularly to our off-price customers.
OSHKOSH WHOLESALE SALES
OshKosh brand wholesale sales decreased $12.3 million, or 14.2%, in fiscal 2008 to $74.3 million. The decrease in OshKosh brand wholesale sales reflects a 16% decline in average price per unit, partially offset by a 2% increase in units shipped, as compared to fiscal 2007. The decrease in average prices reflects a change in strategy to reposition the OshKosh brand to appeal to a broader consumer population. We believe our new product offerings and price repositioning drove the increase in units shipped.
CARTER'S RETAIL STORES
Carter's retail stores sales increased $56.1 million, or 15.3%, in fiscal 2008 to $422.4 million. The increase was driven by a comparable store sales increase of $38.5 million, or 9.0% (based on 225 locations), incremental sales of $18.5 million generated by new store openings, partially offset by the impact of store closures of $0.9 million. During fiscal 2008, on a comparable store basis, transactions increased 4.0%, units per transaction increased 3.5%, and average prices increased 1.3% as compared to fiscal 2007. The increases in transactions and units per transaction were driven by strong product performance in all product categories, improved in-store product presentation, and a focus on merchandising and marketing efforts. The increase in average prices was driven by our baby, sleepwear, and other product categories, partially offset by decreased playwear product category pricing.
The Company's comparable store sales calculations include sales for all stores that were open during the comparable fiscal period, including remodeled stores and certain relocated stores. If a store relocates within the same center with no business interruption or material change in square footage, the sales for such store will continue to be included in the comparable store calculation. If a store relocates to another center or there is a material change in square footage, such store is treated as a new store. Stores that are closed during the period are included in the comparable store sales calculation up to the date of closing.
There were a total of 253 Carter's retail stores open as of January 3, 2009. During fiscal 2008, we opened 25 stores. We plan to open approximately 20 and close five Carter's retail stores during fiscal 2009.
OSHKOSH RETAIL STORES
OshKosh retail store sales increased $15.4 million, or 6.6%, in fiscal 2008 to $249.1 million. The increase was due to incremental sales of $7.1 million generated by new store openings, and a comparable store sales increase of $10.3 million, or 3.2% (based on 160 locations), partially offset by the impact of store closings of $2.0 million. On a comparable store basis, transactions increased 2.0%, units per transaction increased 4.3%, and average prices decreased 3.0%. The increases in transactions and units per transaction and decrease in average prices were driven by heavy promotional pricing on excess products during the first half of fiscal 2008.
There were a total of 165 OshKosh retail stores open as of January 3, 2009. During fiscal 2008, we opened three stores and closed one store. We plan to close three OshKosh retail stores during fiscal 2009.
Mass channel sales increased $11.2 million, or 4.6%, in fiscal 2008 to $254.4 million. The increase was driven by sales of $14.9 million, or 15.5%, of our Just One Year brand to Target partially offset by a $3.7 million, or 2.5%, decrease in sales of our Child of Mine brand to Wal-Mart. The increase in Just One Year sales was driven primarily from new door growth and new floor space, particularly in playwear and baby. The decrease in Child of Mine sales was due to product performance in certain categories, particularly certain Spring 2008 products and certain fall hanging products. We anticipate our mass channel sales could decline approximately 15% in fiscal 2009 as compared to fiscal 2008.
Our gross profit increased $30.8 million, or 6.4%, to $514.0 million in fiscal 2008. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 34.5% in fiscal 2008 as compared to 34.2% in fiscal 2007.
The increase in gross profit as a percentage of net sales reflects a higher relative percentage of sales from our Carter's and OshKosh retail store segments, which generate higher gross profit margins than our other business segments. In fiscal 2008, our retail segments sales increased $71.5 million, or 11.9%.
Partially offsetting these increases were:
higher provisions for excess inventory of approximately $6.0 million in fiscal 2008 as compared to fiscal 2007 due to declining market conditions;
lower margins on 2008 Child of Mine products due to disappointing over-the-counter performance; and
a decline in Carter's and OshKosh brand wholesale margins due to price reductions.
The Company includes distribution costs in its selling, general, and administrative expenses. Accordingly, the Company's gross profit may not be comparable to other companies that include such distribution costs in their cost of goods sold.
Selling, general, and administrative expenses in fiscal 2008 increased $44.4 million, or 12.4%, to $404.3 million. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general, and administrative expenses in fiscal 2008 were 27.1% as compared to 25.5% in fiscal 2007.
The increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales reflects:
increase in our consolidated retail expenses from 30.7% of retail store sales in fiscal 2007 to 31.6% in fiscal 2008, related primarily to new store openings and investments in our retail management team; and
a provision for incentive compensation of $6.3 million in fiscal 2008 as compared to no provision in fiscal 2007.
a decline in distribution costs as a percentage of sales from 4.1% in fiscal 2007 to 3.7% in fiscal 2008 resulting from supply chain efficiencies; and
accelerated depreciation of $2.1 million recorded in fiscal 2007 related to the closure of our OshKosh distribution facility.
The Company is currently in the process of evaluating its overall cost structure in order to identify areas where costs can be reduced and operations can be run more efficiently. While the timing of and charges associated with any restructuring have not yet been determined, it is likely that some level of restructuring charges will be incurred during the first quarter and balance of fiscal 2009.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2007, as a result of negative trends in sales and profitability of the OshKosh wholesale and retail segments and revised projections for such segments, the Company conducted an interim impairment assessment of the value of the intangible assets that the Company recorded in connection with the Acquisition of OshKosh. This assessment was performed in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards ("SFAS") No. 142, "Goodwill and Intangible Assets." Based on this assessment, charges of approximately $36.0 million and $106.9 million were recorded for the impairment of the cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired for the wholesale and retail segments, respectively. In addition, an impairment charge of $12.0 million was recorded to reflect the impairment of the value ascribed to the OshKosh tradename.
On June 11, 2008, the Company announced the retirement of an executive officer. In connection with this retirement, the Company recorded charges of $5.3 million, $3.1 million of which related to the present value of severance and benefit obligations, and $2.2 million of which related to the accelerated vesting of stock options.
On February 15, 2007, the Board of Directors approved management's plan to close the Company's OshKosh distribution facility, which was utilized to distribute the Company's OshKosh brand products. In connection with this closure we recorded costs of $7.4 million, consisting of asset impairment charges of $2.4 million related to a write-down of the related land, building, and equipment, $2.0 million of severance charges, $2.1 million of accelerated depreciation (included in selling, general, and administrative expenses), and $0.9 million in other closure costs during fiscal 2007.
In the third quarter of fiscal 2008, the Company wrote down the carrying value of the OshKosh distribution facility by $2.6 million to reflect a reduction of the anticipated selling price of the property as a result of the deterioration in the commercial real estate market.
Our royalty income increased $2.9 million, or 9.6%, to $33.7 million in fiscal 2008.
We license the use of our Carter's, Just One Year, and Child of Mine brands. Royalty income from these brands was approximately $16.8 million, an increase of 9.1%, or $1.4 million, as compared to fiscal 2007 due to increased sales by our Carter's brand and Child of Mine brand licensees. In addition, in fiscal 2008, the Company began to license the Carter's brand internationally generating $0.3 million in royalty income.
We also license the use of our OshKosh B'Gosh, OshKosh, and Genuine Kids from OshKosh brand names. Royalty income from these brands increased approximately $1.3 million, or 8.2%, to $16.6 million in fiscal 2008 and includes $7.1 million of international royalties. This increase was driven by increased sales by our OshKosh brand domestic and international licensees.
Our operating income was $135.5 million in fiscal 2008 as compared to an operating loss of $6.0 million in fiscal 2007. This change in our operating results is due largely to the charges in fiscal 2007 related to the impairment of OshKosh's intangible assets and the closure of our OshKosh distribution facility in addition to the other factors described above.
Interest expense, net, in fiscal 2008 decreased $5.0 million, or 21.6%, to $18.1 million. This decrease is attributable to a lower effective interest rate on lower weighted-average borrowings. In fiscal 2008, weighted-average borrowings were $340.1 million at an effective interest rate of 5.76% as compared to weighted-average borrowings of $349.2 million at an effective interest rate of 7.01% in fiscal 2007. In fiscal 2008, we recorded $1.1 million in interest expense related to our interest rate swap agreement and $1.2 million in interest expense related to our interest rate collar agreement. In fiscal 2007, we recorded interest income of approximately $1.6 million related to our interest rate swap agreement, which effectively reduced our interest expense under the term loan.
Our effective tax rate was approximately 36.1% in fiscal 2008 as compared to approximately (142.8%) in fiscal 2007. This change is a result of the impairment of our OshKosh cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired asset in fiscal 2007, which was not deductible for income tax purposes. See Note 8 to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements for a reconciliation of the statutory rate to our effective tax rate.
As a result of the factors above, we recorded net income of $75.1 million in fiscal 2008 as compared to a net loss of $70.6 million in fiscal 2007.
FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 29, 2007 COMPARED WITH FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 30, 2006
Consolidated net sales for fiscal 2007 were $1.4 billion, an increase of $68.8 million, or 5.1%, compared to $1.3 billion in fiscal 2006. This increase reflects growth in all three of our Carter's brand distribution channels and our OshKosh brand retail store segment.
Carter's brand wholesale sales increased $17.7 million, or 3.8%, in fiscal 2007, to $482.4 million. The increase in Carter's brand wholesale sales was driven by a 4% increase in units shipped. Average price per unit was comparable to fiscal 2006.
The growth in units shipped was driven primarily by our baby and playwear product categories, which accounted for approximately 47% and 33% of total Carter's brand wholesale sales, respectively, partially offset by a decrease in sleepwear units shipped. The growth in baby and playwear units shipped was driven by increased demand.
OshKosh brand wholesale sales decreased $9.8 million, or 10.2%, in fiscal 2007 to $86.6 million. The decrease in OshKosh brand wholesale sales was impacted by a 19% decrease in average price per unit, partially offset by an 11% increase in units shipped as compared to fiscal 2006. The decrease in average prices reflects changes in product mix and higher levels of customer accommodations as compared to the prior year.
Carter's retail stores sales increased $33.2 million, or 10.0%, in fiscal 2007 to $366.3 million. The increase was driven by incremental sales of $22.8 million generated by new store openings and a comparable store sales increase of $13.3 million, or 4.1% (based on 206 locations), partially offset by the impact of store closures of $2.8 million. During fiscal 2007, units per transaction increased 5.3% and average prices decreased 3.0% as compared to fiscal 2006. Average prices decreased due to increased promotional pricing on spring sleepwear and fall playclothes products. We believe increased promotional pricing drove the increase in unit volume. Average inventory levels, on a comparable store basis, were up 10.9% as compared to fiscal 2006. We believe these higher average inventory levels helped drive our comparable store sales increases.
There were a total of 228 Carter's retail stores as of December 29, 2007. During fiscal 2007, we opened ten stores and closed one store.
OshKosh retail store sales increased $4.7 million, or 2.0%, in fiscal 2007 to $233.8 million. The increase was due to incremental sales of $15.2 million generated by new store openings, partially offset by a comparable store sales decrease of $9.8 million, or 4.3% (based on 146 locations), and the impact of store closings of $0.8 million. Average prices decreased 6.0% and units per transaction increased 4.4%. Average prices decreased due to increased promotional activity across all major product categories. Average inventory levels, on a comparable store basis, were up 22.5% as compared to fiscal 2006.
There were a total of 163 OshKosh retail stores as of December 29, 2007. During fiscal 2007, we opened nine stores and closed three stores.
Mass channel sales increased $22.9 million, or 10.4%, in fiscal 2007 to $243.3 million. The increase was driven by increased sales of $11.9 million, or 8.8%, of our Child of Mine brand to Wal-Mart and increased sales of $11.0 million, or 12.9%, of our Just One Year brand to Target. The growth in sales of our Child of Mine brand was driven by gaining additional floor space for fall sleepwear and fall playwear products. Growth in sales of our Just One Year brand was driven by new door growth and better product performance.
Our gross profit decreased $5.2 million, or 1.1%, to $483.3 million in fiscal 2007. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 34.2% in fiscal 2007 as compared to 36.4% in fiscal 2006.
The decrease in gross profit as a percentage of net sales reflects:
a decrease in gross profit in our consolidated retail segments, primarily OshKosh, due to increased promotional pricing (consolidated retail gross margin decreased from 51.1% in fiscal 2006 to 47.8% in fiscal 2007 despite an increase in consolidated retail net sales of 6.7% in fiscal 2007);
the impact of OshKosh brand wholesale product performance, which led to higher levels of customer accommodations in fiscal 2007; and
the impact of $4.9 million in higher losses associated with excess inventory.
Selling, general, and administrative expenses in fiscal 2007 increased $7.4 million, or 2.1%, to $359.8 million. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general, and administrative expenses in fiscal 2007 were 25.5% as compared to 26.2% in fiscal 2006.
The decrease in selling, general, and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales reflects:
a reduction in incentive compensation expense of $10.2 million as compared to fiscal 2006;
controlling growth in spending to a rate lower than the growth in net sales for fiscal 2007; and
the reversal in fiscal 2007 of approximately $1.5 million of previously recorded stock-based compensation expense and the reduction in fiscal 2007 of $1.2 million of stock-based compensation expense on performance-based stock awards (see Note 6).
Partially offsetting these decreases were:
accelerated depreciation charges of $2.1 million in fiscal 2007 related to the closure of our OshKosh distribution facility; and
increased severance, recruiting, and relocation expenses of $1.9 million as compared to fiscal 2006. The increase was driven primarily by restructuring our retail store management team.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2007, as a result of negative trends in sales and profitability of the OshKosh wholesale and retail segments and revised projections for such segments, the Company conducted an interim impairment assessment on the value of the intangible assets that the Company recorded in connection with the Acquisition of OshKosh. This assessment was performed in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards ("SFAS") No. 142, "Goodwill and Intangible Assets." Based on this assessment, charges of approximately $36.0 million and $106.9 million were recorded for the impairment of the cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired for the wholesale and retail segments, respectively. In addition, an impairment charge of $12.0 million was recorded to reflect the impairment of the value ascribed to the OshKosh tradename.
CLOSURE COSTS
In May 2005, we decided to exit two Carter's sewing facilities in Mexico. During fiscal 2006, in connection with these closures, we recorded costs of $91,000, including $74,000 of severance and $17,000 of other exit costs.
We license the use of our Carter's, Just One Year, and Child of Mine brands. Royalty income from these brands was approximately $15.3 million, an increase of 2.1%, or $0.3 million, as compared to fiscal 2006 due to increased sales by our Carter's brand and Child of Mine brand licensees.
We license the use of our OshKosh and Genuine Kids from OshKosh brand names. Royalty income from these brands increased approximately $1.3 million, or 8.9%, to $15.4 million in fiscal 2007 and includes $6.5 million of international royalty. This increase was driven primarily by increased sales by our OshKosh brand domestic licensees.
OPERATING (LOSS) INCOME
Our operating loss was $6.0 million in fiscal 2007 as compared to operating income of $165.1 million in fiscal 2006. The decrease in operating results was due to the factors described above including the charges incurred in fiscal 2007 related to the impairment of OshKosh's intangible assets and the closure of our OshKosh distribution facility, partially offset by the reversal of stock-based compensation expense associated with performance stock awards.
Interest expense in fiscal 2007 decreased $3.8 million, or 14.3%, to $23.1 million. This decrease is attributable to accelerated debt reduction in fiscal 2006 and a lower effective interest rate. In fiscal 2007, weighted-average borrowings were $349.2 million at an effective interest rate of 7.01% as compared to weighted-average borrowings of $397.9 million at an effective interest rate of 7.25% in fiscal 2006. In fiscal 2007 and 2006, our interest rate swap agreement reduced our interest expense under the Term Loan by approximately $1.6 million and $1.3 million, respectively.
Our effective tax rate was approximately (142.8%) in fiscal 2007 as compared to approximately 36.9% in fiscal 2006. This change in our effective tax rate is a result of the impairment of our OshKosh cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired asset, which is not deductible for income tax purposes. See Note 8 to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements for a reconciliation of the statutory rate to our effective tax rate.
As a result of the factors above, we recorded a net loss for fiscal 2007 of $70.6 million as compared to net income of $87.2 million in fiscal 2006.
Our primary cash needs are working capital and capital expenditures. Our primary source of liquidity will continue to be cash flow from operations and borrowings under our Revolver, and we expect that these sources will fund our ongoing requirements for working capital and capital expenditures. These sources of liquidity may be impacted by continued demand for our products and our ability to meet debt covenants under our Senior Credit Facility, described below.
Net accounts receivable at January 3, 2009 were $106.1 million compared to $119.7 million at December 29, 2007. This decrease reflects lower levels of wholesale revenue in the latter part of fiscal 2008 as compared to the latter part of fiscal 2007.
Net inventories at January 3, 2009 were $203.5 million compared to $225.5 million at December 29, 2007. This decrease was due primarily to improved inventory management across all business segments.
Net cash provided by operating activities for fiscal 2008 was $183.6 million compared to $52.0 million in fiscal 2007. This change is primarily attributable to improved working capital management. We expect operating cash flow in fiscal 2009 to return to levels more consistent with those achieved in the previous two years. Net cash provided by our operating activities in fiscal 2006 was approximately $88.2 million.
We invested $37.5 million in capital expenditures during fiscal 2008 compared to $21.9 million in fiscal 2007. Major investments included retail store openings and remodelings (including retail store fixtures), a new point of sale system for our retail stores, fixtures for our wholesale customers, and a new finance and retail store administration office in Shelton, Connecticut. We plan to invest approximately $40 million in capital expenditures in fiscal 2009 primarily for retail store openings and remodelings (including retail store fixtures), fixtures for our wholesale customers, and investments in information technology.
On February 16, 2007, the Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program, pursuant to which the Company is authorized to purchase up to $100 million of its outstanding common shares. Such repurchases may occur from time to time in the open market, in negotiated transactions, or otherwise. This program has no time limit. The timing and amount of any repurchases will be determined by management, based on its evaluation of market conditions, share price, and other factors. During fiscal 2008, the Company repurchased and retired 2,126,361 shares, or approximately $33.6 million, of its common stock at an average price of $15.82 per share. Since inception of the program and through fiscal 2008, the Company repurchased and retired 4,599,580 shares, or approximately $91.1 million, of its common stock at an average price of $19.81 per share.
At January 3, 2009, we had approximately $338.0 million in Term Loan borrowings and no borrowings under our Revolver, exclusive of $8.6 million of outstanding letters of credit. At December 29, 2007, we had approximately $341.5 million in Term Loan borrowings and no borrowings under our Revolver, exclusive of approximately $16.3 million of outstanding letters of credit. Weighted-average borrowings for fiscal 2008 were $340.1 million at an effective rate of 5.76% as compared to weighted-average borrowings of $349.2 million at an effective rate of 7.01% in fiscal 2007.
The term of the Revolver expires July 14, 2011 and the term of the Term Loan expires July 14, 2012. Principal borrowings under the Term Loan are due and payable in quarterly installments of $0.9 million from March 31, 2009 through June 30, 2012 with the remaining balance of $325.8 million due on July 14, 2012. In fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2007, we made scheduled amortization payments of $3.5 million in each year. The Term Loan has an applicable rate of LIBOR + 1.50%, regardless of the Company's overall leverage level. Interest is payable at the end of interest rate reset periods, which vary in length, but in no case exceed 12 months for LIBOR rate loans and quarterly for prime rate loans. The effective interest rate on Term Loan borrowings as of January 3, 2009 and December 29, 2007 was 3.3% and 6.4%.
The Senior Credit Facility contains and defines financial covenants, including a minimum interest coverage ratio, maximum leverage ratio, and a fixed charge coverage ratio. As of January 3, 2009, the Company is in compliance with all debt covenants. The Senior Credit Facility also sets forth mandatory and optional prepayment conditions, including an annual excess cash flow requirement, as defined, that may result in our use of cash to reduce our debt obligations. There was no excess cash flow payment required for fiscal 2008 or 2007. Our obligations under the Senior Credit Facility are collateralized by a first priority lien on substantially all of our assets, including the assets of our domestic subsidiaries.
Our Senior Credit Facility requires us to hedge at least 25% of our variable rate debt under the term loan. On September 22, 2005, we entered into an interest rate swap agreement to receive floating interest and pay fixed interest. This interest rate swap agreement is designated as a cash flow hedge of the variable interest payments on a portion of our variable rate term loan debt. The interest rate swap agreement matures on July 30, 2010. As of January 3, 2009, approximately $55.3 million of our outstanding term loan debt was hedged under this agreement.
On May 25, 2006, we entered into an interest rate collar agreement with a floor of 4.3% and a ceiling of 5.5%. The interest rate collar agreement covers $100 million of our variable rate term loan debt and is designated as a cash flow hedge of the variable interest payments on such debt. The interest rate collar agreement matures on January 31, 2009.
On January 30, 2009, we entered into two interest rate swap agreements, each covering $50.0 million of our variable rate Term Loan debt, to receive floating rate interest and pay fixed interest. These swap agreements are designated as cash flow hedges of the variable interest payments on a portion of our variable rate Term Loan debt. These swap agreements mature in January 2010.
Our operating results are subject to risk from interest rate fluctuations on our Senior Credit Facility, which carries variable interest rates. As of January 3, 2009, our outstanding debt aggregated approximately $338.0 million, of which $182.7 million bore interest at a variable rate. An increase or decrease of 1% in the applicable rate would increase or decrease our annual interest cost by $1.8 million, exclusive of variable rate debt subject to our swap and collar agreements, and could have an adverse effect on our net income (loss) and cash flow.
The following table summarizes as of January 3, 2009, the maturity or expiration dates of mandatory contractual obligations and commitments for the following fiscal years:
$ 3,503 $ 3,503 $ 3,503 $ 327,517 $ -- $ -- $ 338,026
Interest on debt:
Variable rate (a)
11,007 11,007 11,007 5,503 -- -- 38,524
Operating leases (see Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements)
52,888 46,278 35,502 26,407 21,240 51,692 234,007
Total financial obligations
67,398 60,788 50,012 359,427 21,240 51,692 610,557
8,571 -- -- -- -- -- 8,571
Purchase obligations (b)
210,648 -- -- -- -- -- 210,648
Total financial obligations and commitments
$ 286,617 $ 60,788 $ 50,012 $ 359,427 $ 21,240 $ 51,692 $ 829,776
Reflects estimated variable rate interest on obligations outstanding on our Term Loan as of January 3, 2009 using an interest rate of 3.3% (rate in effect at January 3, 2009).
Unconditional purchase obligations are defined as agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding on us and that specify all significant terms, including fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum, or variable price provisions; and the approximate timing of the transaction. The purchase obligations category above relates to commitments for inventory purchases. Amounts reflected on the accompanying audited consolidated balance sheets in accounts payable or other current liabilities are excluded from the table above.
In addition to the total contractual obligations and commitments in the table above, we have post-retirement benefit obligations and reserves for uncertain tax positions, included in other current and other long-term liabilities as further described in Note 7 and Note 8, respectively, to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements.
Based on our current level of operations, we believe that cash generated from operations and available cash, together with amounts available under our Revolver, will be adequate to meet our debt service requirements, capital expenditures, and working capital needs for the foreseeable future, although no assurance can be given in this regard. We may, however, need to refinance all or a portion of the principal amount of amounts outstanding under our Revolver on or before July 14, 2011 and amounts outstanding under our Term Loan on or before July 14, 2012.
The continuing volatility in the financial markets and the related economic downturn in markets throughout the world could have a material adverse effect on our business. While we currently generate significant cash flows from our ongoing operations and have access to credit through amounts available under our Revolver, credit markets have recently experienced significant disruptions and certain leading financial institutions have either declared bankruptcy or have shown significant deterioration in their financial stability. Further deterioration in the financial markets could make future financing difficult or more expensive. If any of the financial institutions that are parties to our Revolver were to declare bankruptcy or become insolvent, they may be unable to perform under their agreements with us. This could leave us with reduced borrowing capacity. In addition, tighter credit markets may lead to business disruptions for certain of our suppliers, contract manufacturers or trade customers and consequently, could disrupt our business.
EFFECTS OF INFLATION AND DEFLATION
We are affected by inflation and changing prices primarily through purchasing product from our global suppliers, increased operating costs and expenses, and fluctuations in interest rates. The effects of inflation on our net sales and operations have not been material in recent years. In recent years, there has been deflationary pressure on selling prices. If deflationary price trends outpace our ability to obtain price reductions from our global suppliers, our profitability may be affected.
We experience seasonal fluctuations in our sales and profitability, with generally lower sales and gross profit in the first and second quarters of our fiscal year. Over the past five fiscal years, excluding the impact of the OshKosh acquisition in fiscal 2005, approximately 57% of our consolidated net sales were generated in the second half of our fiscal year. Accordingly, our results of operations for the first and second quarters of any year are not indicative of the results we expect for the full year.
As a result of this seasonality, our inventory levels and other working capital requirements generally begin to increase during the second quarter and into the third quarter of each fiscal year. During these peak periods, we had historically borrowed under our Revolver. In fiscal 2008, we had no borrowings under our Revolver. In fiscal 2007, we had $41.6 million in peak borrowings under our Revolver.
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements. The following discussion addresses our critical accounting policies and estimates, which are those policies that require management's most difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain.
Revenue recognition: We recognize wholesale and mass channel revenue after shipment of products to customers, when title passes, when all risks and rewards of ownership have transferred, the sales price is fixed or determinable, and collectibility is reasonably assured. In certain cases, in which we retain the risk of loss during shipment, revenue recognition does not occur until the goods have reached the specified customer. In the normal course of business, we grant certain accommodations and allowances to our wholesale and mass channel customers in order to assist these customers with inventory clearance or promotions. Such amounts are reflected as a reduction of net sales and are recorded based upon historical trends and annual forecasts. Retail store revenues are recognized at the point of sale. We reduce revenue for customer returns and deductions. We also maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make payments and other actual and estimated deductions. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, an additional allowance could be required. Past due balances over 90 days are reviewed individually for collectibility. Our credit and collections department reviews all other balances regularly. Account balances are charged off against the allowance when we believe it is probable the receivable will not be recovered.
We contract with a third-party service to provide us with the fair value of cooperative advertising arrangements entered into with certain of our major wholesale and mass channel customers. Such fair value is determined based upon, among other factors, comparable market analysis for similar advertisements. In accordance with EITF Issue No. 01-09, "Accounting for Consideration Given by a Vendor to a Customer/Reseller," we have included the fair value of these arrangements of approximately $2.1 million in fiscal 2008, $2.5 million in fiscal 2007, and $3.3 million in fiscal 2006 as a component of selling, general, and administrative expenses on the accompanying audited consolidated statement of operations rather than as a reduction of revenue. Amounts determined to be in excess of the fair value of these arrangements are recorded as a reduction of net sales.
Inventory: We provide reserves for slow-moving inventory equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those we project, additional write-downs may be required.
Cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired and tradename: As of January 3, 2009, we had approximately $136.6 million in Carter's cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired and $305.7 million of aggregate value related to the Carter's and OshKosh tradename assets. The fair value of the Carter's tradename was estimated at the acquisition of Carter's, Inc. by Berkshire Partners LLC which was consummated on August 15, 2001, using a discounted cash flow analysis, which examined the hypothetical cost savings that accrue as a result of our ownership of the tradename. The fair value of the OshKosh tradename was also estimated at its acquisition date using an identical discounted cash flow analysis. The tradenames were determined to have indefinite lives.
The carrying values of these assets are subject to annual impairment reviews in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142, "Goodwill and other Intangible Assets," as of the last day of each fiscal year. Factors affecting such impairment reviews include the continued market acceptance of our offered products and the development of new products. Impairment reviews may also be triggered by any significant events or changes in circumstances.
Accrued expenses: Accrued expenses for workers' compensation, incentive compensation, health insurance, and other outstanding obligations are assessed based on actual commitments, statistical trends, and estimates based on projections and current expectations, and these estimates are updated periodically as additional information becomes available.
Loss contingencies: We record accruals for various contingencies including legal exposures as they arise in the normal course of business. In accordance with SFAS No. 5, "Accounting for Contingencies," we determine whether to disclose and accrue for loss contingencies based on an assessment of whether the risk of loss is remote, reasonably possible or probable. Our assessment is developed in consultation with our internal and external counsel and other advisors and is based on an analysis of possible outcomes under various strategies. Loss contingency assumptions involve judgments that are inherently subjective and can involve matters that are in litigation, which, by its nature is unpredictable. We believe that our assessment of the probability of loss contingencies is reasonable, but because of the subjectivity involved and the unpredictable nature of the subject matter at issue, our assessment may prove ultimately to be incorrect, which could materially impact our consolidated financial statements.
Accounting for income taxes: As part of the process of preparing the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our actual current tax exposure (state, federal, and foreign). We assess our income tax positions and record tax benefits for all years subject to examination based upon management's evaluation of the facts, circumstances, and information available at the reporting dates. For those uncertain tax positions where it is "more likely than not" that a tax benefit will be sustained, we have recorded the largest amount of tax benefit with a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. For those income tax positions where it is not "more likely than not" that a tax benefit will be sustained, no tax benefit has been recognized in the financial statements. Where applicable, associated interest is also recognized. We also assess permanent and temporary differences resulting from differing bases and treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes, such as the carrying value of intangibles, deductibility of expenses, depreciation of property, plant, and equipment, stock-based compensation expense, and valuation of inventories. Temporary differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within our consolidated balance sheets. We must then assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income. Actual results could differ from this assessment if sufficient taxable income is not generated in future periods. To the extent we determine the need to establish a valuation allowance or increase such allowance in a period, we must include an expense within the tax provision in the accompanying audited consolidated statement of operations.
Employee benefit plans: We sponsor a defined benefit pension, defined contribution and other post-retirement plans. Major assumptions used in the accounting for these employee benefit plans include the discount rate, expected return on the pension fund assets, and health care cost increase projections. See Note 7, "Employee Benefits Plans," to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements for further details on rates and assumptions.
Stock-based compensation arrangements: The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS No. 123 (revised 2004), "Share-Based Payment" ("SFAS 123R"). The Company adopted SFAS 123R using the modified prospective application method of transition. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires the use of subjective assumptions. These assumptions include the following:
Volatility – This is a measure of the amount by which a stock price has fluctuated or is expected to fluctuate. The Company uses actual monthly historical changes in the market value of our stock since the Company's initial public offering on October 29, 2003, supplemented by peer company data for periods prior to our initial public offering covering the expected life of stock options being valued. An increase in the expected volatility will increase compensation expense.
Risk-free interest rate – This is the U.S. Treasury rate as of the grant date having a term equal to the expected term of the stock option. An increase in the risk-free interest rate will increase compensation expense.
Expected term – This is the period of time over which the stock options granted are expected to remain outstanding and is based on historical experience and estimated future exercise behavior. Separate groups of employees that have similar historical exercise behavior are considered separately for valuation purposes. An increase in the expected term will increase compensation expense.
Dividend yield – The Company does not have plans to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. An increase in the dividend yield will decrease compensation expense.
Forfeitures – The Company estimates forfeitures of stock-based awards based on historical experience and expected future activity.
Changes in the subjective assumptions can materially affect the estimate of fair value of stock-based compensation and consequently, the related amount recognized in the accompanying audited consolidated statement of operations.
The Company accounts for its performance-based awards in accordance with SFAS 123R and records stock-based compensation expense over the vesting term of the awards that are expected to vest based on whether it is probable that the performance criteria will be achieved. The Company reassesses the probability of vesting at each reporting period for awards with performance criteria and adjusts stock-based compensation expense based on its probability assessment.
In December 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued SFAS No. 141 (revised 2007), "Business Combinations" ("SFAS 141(R)"), which replaces SFAS 141, "Business Combinations" ("SFAS 141"). SFAS 141(R) retains the underlying concepts of SFAS 141 in that all business combinations are still required to be accounted for at fair value under the acquisition method of accounting, but SFAS 141(R) changed the method of applying the acquisition method in a number of significant aspects. Acquisition costs will generally be expensed as incurred; noncontrolling interests will be valued at fair value at the acquisition date; in-process research and development will be recorded at fair value as an indefinite-lived intangible asset at the acquisition date; restructuring costs associated with a business combination will generally be expensed subsequent to the acquisition date; and changes in deferred tax asset valuation allowances and income tax uncertainties after the acquisition date generally will affect income tax expense. SFAS 141(R) is effective on a prospective basis for all business combinations for which the acquisition date is on or after the beginning of the first annual period subsequent to December 15, 2008. SFAS 141(R) amends SFAS No. 109, "Accounting for Income Taxes," such that adjustments made to valuation allowances on deferred taxes and acquired tax contingencies associated with acquisitions that closed prior to the effective date of SFAS 141(R) would also apply the provisions of SFAS 141(R). Early adoption is not permitted. We have evaluated the impact that SFAS 141(R) will have on our consolidated financial statements and have determined that it will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In February 2008, the FASB issued FASB Staff Position ("FSP") No. FAS 157-2 ("FSP 157-2"), which delays the effective date of SFAS 157, "Fair Value Measurements," for nonfinancial assets and nonfinancial liabilities, except for items that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis (at least annually). Nonfinancial assets and nonfinancial liabilities would include all assets and liabilities other than those meeting the definition of a financial asset or financial liability as defined in paragraph 6 of SFAS No. 159, "The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities." This FSP defers the effective date of Statement 157 to fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008, and interim periods within those fiscal years for items within the scope of FSP 157-2. We have evaluated the impact that FSP 157-2 will have on our consolidated financial statements and have determined that it will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In March 2008, the FASB issued SFAS No. 161, "Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities – an Amendment of FASB Statement No. 133," which requires enhanced disclosures on the effect of derivatives on a Company's financial statements. These disclosures will be required for the Company beginning with the first quarter of fiscal 2009 consolidated financial statements. We will include such required disclosures beginning with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three-month period ending April 4, 2009.
In April 2008, the FASB issued FSP No. 142-3, "Determination of the Useful Life of Intangible Assets" ("FSP 142-3"). The FSP amends the factors an entity should consider in developing renewal or extension assumptions used in determining the useful life of recognized intangible assets under SFAS No. 142, "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets," and adds certain disclosures for an entity's accounting policy of the treatment of the costs, period of extension, and total costs incurred. The FSP must be applied prospectively to intangible assets acquired after January 1, 2009. We have evaluated the impact that FSP 142-3 will have on our consolidated financial statements and have determined that it will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In December 2008, the FASB issued FSP No. FAS 132(R)-1, "Employers' Disclosures about Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets" ("FSP FAS 132(R)-1"), to provide guidance on an employers' disclosures about plan assets of a defined benefit pension or other postretirement plan. This FSP is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2009. We are currently evaluating the impact that FSP FAS 132(R)-1 will have on our consolidated financial statements.
Statements contained herein that relate to our future performance, including, without limitation, statements with respect to our anticipated results of operations or level of business for fiscal 2009 or any other future period, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on current expectations only and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated, or projected. These risks are described herein under the heading "Risk Factors" on page 7. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
CURRENCY AND INTEREST RATE RISKS
In the operation of our business, we have market risk exposures including those related to foreign currency risk and interest rates. These risks and our strategies to manage our exposure to them are discussed below.
We contract for production with third parties primarily in Asia and South and Central America. While these contracts are stated in United States dollars, there can be no assurance that the cost for the future production of our products will not be affected by exchange rate fluctuations between the United States dollar and the local currencies of these contractors. Due to the number of currencies involved, we cannot quantify the potential impact of future currency fluctuations on net income (loss) in future years. In order to manage this risk, we source products from approximately 140 vendors worldwide, providing us with flexibility in our production should significant fluctuations occur between the United States dollar and various local currencies. To date, such exchange fluctuations have not had a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. We do not hedge foreign currency exchange rate risk.
Our operating results are subject to risk from interest rate fluctuations on our Senior Credit Facility, which carries variable interest rates. As of January 3, 2009, our outstanding debt aggregated approximately $338.0 million, of which $182.7 million bore interest at a variable rate. An increase or decrease of 1% in the applicable rate would increase or decrease our annual interest cost by $1.8 million, exclusive of variable rate debt subject to our interest rate swap and collar agreements, and could have an adverse effect on our net income (loss) and cash flow.
We enter into various purchase order commitments with full-package suppliers. We can cancel these arrangements, although in some instances, we may be subject to a termination charge reflecting a percentage of work performed prior to cancellation. As we rely exclusively on our full-package global sourcing network, we could incur more of these termination charges, which could increase our cost of goods sold and have a material impact on our business.
Consolidated Balance Sheets at January 3, 2009 and December 29, 2007
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the fiscal years ended January 3, 2009, December 29, 2007, and December 30, 2006
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the fiscal years ended January 3, 2009, December 29, 2007, and December 30, 2006
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for the fiscal years ended January 3, 2009, December 29, 2007, and December 30, 2006
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Carter's, Inc.:
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements listed in the accompanying index present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Carter's, Inc. and its subsidiaries at January 3, 2009 and December 29, 2007, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended January 3, 2009 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of January 3, 2009, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company's management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
(dollars in thousands, except for share data)
Accounts receivable, net of reserve for doubtful accounts of $5,167 in fiscal 2008 and $4,743 in fiscal 2007
Finished goods inventories, net
Property, plant, and equipment, net
Tradenames
Cost in excess of fair value of net assets acquired
Licensing agreements, net of accumulated amortization of $13,840 in fiscal 2008 and $10,185 in fiscal 2007
Deferred debt issuance costs, net
$ 1,051,057 $ 974,668
Current maturities of long-term debt
Preferred stock; par value $.01 per share; 100,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding at January 3, 2009 and December 29, 2007
Common stock, voting; par value $.01 per share; 150,000,000 shares authorized; 56,352,111 and 57,663,315 shares issued and outstanding at January 3, 2009 and December 29, 2007, respectively
(7,318 ) 2,671
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements
Intangible asset impairment (Note 2)
-- 154,886 --
Executive retirement charges (Note 16)
5,325 -- --
Facility write-down and closure costs (Note 15)
2,609 5,285 91
135,494 (6,009 ) 165,111
117,407 (29,088 ) 138,188
$ 75,058 $ (70,618 ) $ 87,220
Basic net income (loss) per common share
$ 1.33 $ (1.22 ) $ 1.50
Diluted net income (loss) per common share
Basic weighted-average number of shares outstanding
Diluted weighted-average number of shares outstanding
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Non-cash intangible asset impairment charges
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense
Non-cash facility write-down and closure costs
2,609 2,450 --
Loss on disposal/sale of property, plant, and equipment
Income tax benefit from exercised stock options
(1,979 ) (9,630 ) 502
Effect of changes in operating assets and liabilities:
13,647 (9,092 ) (14,471 )
22,008 (31,906 ) (5,134 )
Prepaid expenses and other assets
(2,043 ) (1,404 ) (886 )
22,422 (13,721 ) 7,181
15,154 3,882 (11,936 )
183,623 51,987 88,224
Proceeds from sale of property, plant, and equipment
-- 57 348
Payments on term loan
(3,503 ) (3,503 ) (85,000 )
Proceeds from revolving loan facility
-- 121,400 5,000
Payments on revolving loan facility
-- (121,400 ) (5,000 )
(33,637 ) (57,467 ) --
852 3,039 2,390
113,337 (19,533 ) (15,731 )
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
paid-in
Accumulated other comprehensive
income (loss)
Total stockholders'
$ 289 $ 260,414 $ (2,749 ) $ 1,354 $ 127,336 $ 386,644
Exercise of stock options (994,250 shares)
9 2,381 2,390
Stock-based compensation expense
Issuance of common stock (17,172 shares)
Reversal of deferred compensation (Note 6) | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaCommonCrawl"
} |
We provide a 24x7 airport transfer service covering all major London airports and seaports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, City and Luton airports and seaports including Dover, Tilbury and Harwich. Our meet and greet service means your mini cab driver will be waiting for you in the airport when you arrive in London.
We offers a wide range of Saloon, Estate and MPV minicabs and maintains regular and rigorous check of all its minicabs and drivers. Our mini cab drivers are very professional and polite, and will do their outmost to combine our prompt cab service with the most comfortable and safe journey. | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
Twitter merger and acquisition rumours rampant
10 Feb 201161 Views
Companies such as Facebook and Google are showing a growing interest in purchasing Twitter with an estimated valuation of $8bn to $10bn.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Google Inc, Facebook Inc and other companies have held meetings with Twitter, discussing the possible acquisition of the company. The company had estimated revenue of $100m and $110m in 2011. Twitter only made revenue of $45m in 2010 due to expenditure on hiring and data centre.
Co-founder of Twitter, Evan Williams, and Dick Costolo, the chief executive, have both previously sold companies to Google.
A Twitter spokesman however, refused to discuss its finances or the valuations and interest by other companies. Google and Facebook also remained quiet on the subject.
Twitter, which was created in 2006, has 200m users and only introduced advertising last year. Promoted Trends, a new Twitter ad service, has been selling out its inventory every day.
Ethan Kurzweil of venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners stated, "Are these prices justifiable based on financial multiples? No."
He also added, "But these start-ups are building social services and have lots of data about their users" and "the market is valuing that mightily right now."
Public offering has become increasing popular, with the internet music service Pandora Media Inc planning a $100m public offering. These high valuations have sparked other start-ups to explore public offerings.
The recent offering of $315m by AOL to purchase The Huffington Post, along with the previous successes of online start-ups such as Facebook and Groupon Inc, have given hope to Twitter, with hopes of transforming into a $100bn company.
Debra Aho Williamson, an eMarketer analyst, commented on Twitter's success with advertising.
"The company is having great ad-sales momentum right now, but we still think they need to do something big to increase usage and get more people seeing and interacting with tweets.
"Most of their advertisers are just experimenting at this point; the challenge will be to get those advertisers to come back and buy more," she said.
Related: Twitter, advertising, Groupon, internet, Facebook, LinkedIn, Dick Costolo, M&As, social media
How on Earth did 540m Facebook users' details end up on public servers?
4 Apr 2019363 Views
Informing, entertaining and connecting the world
Always at the cutting edge of new innovation
Keeps files safe, synced and easy to share
A dynamic and rapidly expanding company
Life-changing career opportunities for you
Facebook to prevent ad targeting based on race, sex and age
20 Mar 2019232 Views
Facebook reforms political ad rules ahead of EU elections
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Government-imposed internet blackouts are a power move to suppress dissent
28 Jun 2019155 Views
Digital 'cannibalisation' of budgets creates staffing crisis for Irish ad industry
24 May 2019242 Views
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls for new rules to govern the internet
Hero Labs raises £2.5m for leak prevention tech | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaCommonCrawl"
} |
Designed by Setter Architects, this rustic office space was designed with a focus on working, dining and relaxing.
The Israeli-based software company Verint had its office space redesigned in order to create a more youthful and dynamic workplace. The end result of the office re-design is just that and its focus on natural elements gives it a rustic charm that is uncommon in most office spaces. Workers and visitors are greeted with a large lobby that has artfully placed vegetation on its walls in geometric shapes. The rest of the office features similar natural elements, with plants and wood being the main feature in most rooms. The rustic office even features a cheerful lounge area with an exposed brick wall, colorful decor and a foosball table.
This office was designed to optimize a comforting design that centers around nature and accommodates the evolving habits and environments in today's workplace. | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
Daily coffee doesn't affect cancer risk, according to new research from QIMR
Home / Daily coffee doesn't affect cancer risk, according to new research from QIMR
Researchers from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute have found that drinking coffee does not change a person's risk of being diagnosed with, or dying from, cancer, in a study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
The large Mendelian randomisation study looked at data from more than 300,000 people and showed that drinking coffee every day neither reduced nor increased a person's risk of developing any cancer.
Coffee contains a complex mixture of bioactive ingredients, including substances such as caffeine and kahweol, which have been shown to display antitumour effects in animal studies. However, its potential anticancer effect on humans has not been established, with studies to date producing conflicting findings for overall cancer risk and for individual cancers such as breast and prostate cancers.
The QIMR Berghofer study used cancer data drawn from the UK Biobank cohort for more than 46,000 people who had been diagnosed with most invasive cancer types, including about 7,000 people who died from the disease.
Senior author, QIMR's Associate Professor Stuart MacGregor said "Our two-pronged research looked at whether cancer rates differed among people with different levels of self-reported coffee consumption, and whether the same trend was seen when we replaced self-reported consumption with genetic predisposition towards coffee consumption. We found there was no real relationship between how many cups of coffee a person had a day and if they developed any particular cancers."
"The study also ruled out a link between coffee intake and dying from the disease," he said.
The genetic and preference information from the people with cancer was compared with data from more than 270,000 others who had never been diagnosed with cancer. QIMR Berghofer lead researcher, Jue-Sheng Ong, said the study also looked at some common individual cancers such as breast, ovarian, lung and prostate cancers and found drinking coffee did not increase or decrease their incidence.
"There was some inconclusive evidence about colorectal cancer, where those who reported drinking a lot of coffee had a slightly lower risk of developing cancer, but conversely examination of data from those people with a higher genetic predisposition to drink more coffee seemed to indicate a greater risk of developing the disease. The disparity in those findings would suggest more research is needed to clarify if there is any relationship between colorectal cancer and coffee" Mr Ong said.
Associate Professor MacGregor said the study had implications for public health messaging around the world.
"The health benefits of coffee have been argued for a long time, but this research shows simply changing your coffee consumption isn't an effective way of protecting yourself from cancer," he said | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaCommonCrawl"
} |
Welcome to THE UNWAVERING
"The movement dedicated to educating & empowering the brave men & women who have or are still serving our great nation."
Join our team as we interview fellow service members, industry leaders and experts on topics such as tuition assistance, networking, VA home loans, filing for disability and much, much more. By sharing resources, benefits and opportunities with you and your families we hope to build a community that inspires one another to REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.
Kevin Barba
Founder, The Unwavering. Kevin has served as a Quality Assurance Inspector at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory since July 2018, leading a cross-functional team of Hardware Quality Assurance representatives on various research and development projects. Prior to that, he served in the United States Marine Corps from August 2010 to August 2018 as an Avionics Technician, Communications Security Assistant and Quality Assurance Inspector. His tours of duty include Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465 (HMH-465), Third Marine Aircraft Wing (3d MAW), & Marine Helicopter Squadron 1 (HMX-1).
Gerard Garcia
Co-Host, The Unwavering Podcast. Gerard served as a Quality Assurance Inspector & NASA Instructor from January 2017 to May 2019. Prior to that he served as a Quality Assurance Inspector with the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) from April 2016 to January 2017. As a 7-year veteran of the United States Air Force, Gerard has played an integral role in military aviation & manned flight missions on C-17 & C-5 aircraft from September 2008 to February 2016. His tours of duty include the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (62nd AMXS), 8th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (8th EAMS) – Det 1, & 721st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (721st AMXS).
When we first started this project in March of 2019, our mission was simple: Pay it forward and give service members as well as their families the tools necessary to be successful both in their personal and professional lives. Yes, our vision is ambitious, but we want to give you more than helpful links or inspirational stories.
We want to bridge the gap between the military and civilian community.
We can begin to reach our full potential by educating by those around us about the wisdom and experience we as military members bring to the job market or education system. Even though the gap between the military and civilian community may never be completely eliminated, we can begin to narrow the gap by learning from each other.
Each and every one of you has made incredible sacrifices during your time in the service that many outside of our ranks will never truly comprehend. It is time you have a community that supports you not just while you are on active duty, but well after you hang up your uniform.
Why is this so important to us?
Gerard and I would not be sitting here today speaking with you if it was not for our time in the service or the friends and family who supported us along the way. Although the two of us served in separate branches for different lengths of time and were assigned completely different roles in the military, we both had the unique opportunity to serve others.
Many of you who have joined this movement or are listening to us for the first time have contributed more than anyone outside of our community could ever imagine. You signed a contract, not to be a professional athlete, actor or musician, making millions of dollars a year, but to sacrifice so that others would not have too. | {
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} |
Fact List USA
40 Interesting Facts About Arizona
Here are 40 Interesting Arizona facts.
1-5 Arizona Facts
Image credit: youtube.com
1. There is a law in Arizona called the "Stupid Motorist Law" that allows the state to fine drivers for their rescue if they drive around barricades or signs and get stuck in flooded roadways. – Source
2. Arizona lost its chance to host the 1990 Super Bowl after its voters refused to make MLK Jr. day a state holiday. – Source
3. Arizona started issuing licenses that were good until age 60. Starting at 65, drivers must renew every five years, with a vision test each time. – Source
4. There is a biker gang from Arizona who help keep child abuse victims safe while the child's abuser is prosecuted, including guarding their houses at night if a person is not yet in jail and attending court with the child, shielding them so they don't have to look at their abuser. – Source
5. A man from Arizona stole a diamond worth $160K and traded it for $20 of weed. – Source
6-10 Arizona Facts
Image credit: en.wikipedia.org
6. Best Buy removed the fighting video game "Primal Rage" from its shelves after an Arizona woman complained that her 11-year-old son had faithfully portrayed one of the game's gorilla-like character's "golden shower/urination" fatality move. – Source
7. In 2010, a man from Arizona sold an "air guitar" on eBay for $5.50 and claimed it was used once at a Bon Jovi concert. – Source
8. "Anthill garnets", small gemstones, are mined by ants in a few places in Arizona. Ants find the garnets while digging their anthills, drag them out, and discard them on the surface. – Source
9. A former Governor of Arizona, aged 96, was detained by the US Border Patrol because his pacemaker set off radiation detectors. – Source
10. The U.S. Post office delivers mail to the people of Supai, Arizona by the only way possible i.e. by mule. – Source
11-15 Arizona Facts
11. There is a nuclear power plant in Arizona on 4000 ac.², it employs 2055 workers, generates 35% of all the electric energy in Arizona, and it is the only nuclear power plant in the world that is not built next to a body of water. – Source
12. Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Savings time, except a large reservation in Arizona does, except another smaller reservation inside it doesn't. – Source
13. A guy in Arizona wrote his address on $1 bills pleading they be sent back to him & gets them back from all over the world, up to $94/month. – Source
14. The first McDonald drive-thru was opened near a military base in Arizona "to serve soldiers who weren't permitted to get out of their cars while wearing fatigues." – Source
15. There is a near-abandoned Flintstones-themed campground and amusement park in Arizona, about 30 minutes from the Grand Canyon, complete with year-round camping and a "Bedrock Theater" that plays Flintstones cartoons. – Source
16. The original London bridge is now located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. – Source
17. Maricopa County, Arizona golf courses average more than 80 million gallons daily for irrigation, consuming more water than any other place in the country. – Source1
18. The town of Why, Arizona was originally to be named "Y" because two major highways, State Routes 85 and 86, originally intersected in a Y-intersection but the state requires at least 3 letters in its city names. – Source
19. In Arizona, it is legal for any citizen to carry a gun, but it is illegal to carry nunchucks. – Source
20. Phoenix, Arizona has a similar latitude to the Ancient city of Carthage, which was a Phoenician city-state. People from Phoenix today are known as Phoenicians. – Source
21. The Hualapai Tribe in Arizona agreed to allow the builder of the Grand Canyon Skywalk to operate it for 25 years to recoup his $30 million investment. In 2012, just 5 years after it opened, the tribe seized control of the Skywalk. They lost in court and now must pay the builder $28.5 million. – Source
22. Practicing shooting in the desert in Arizona, David M. Grundman, 27, shot a giant saguaro cactus. The 7 meters tall plant got chopped off, crushing him to death. – Source
23. There is a 3.4-acre indoor Biosphere in Oracle, Arizona that researchers lived in for 2 years and 20 months to see what living on Mars would be like. There are 5 biome areas; a rainforest, ocean, wetlands, savannah grassland, fog desert, and agricultural system. As well as a human habitat. – Source
24. Saudi Arabia purchased a large chunk of land in Arizona just to grow hay and ship it back to their dairy farms. – Source
25. The eternal flame at Bullhead City, Arizona, only lasted until city officials received a US$961 gas bill. It has been relighted after complaints by veterans groups. – Source
25 Crazy Headlines of the Month - Part 87
17 Interesting Facts About Oysters
8 Interesting Facts About Manatees
11 Interesting Facts About Flamingos
19 Interesting Facts About Tap Water
22 Interesting Facts About Namibia
15 Interesting Facts About Swaziland | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaCommonCrawl"
} |
static const uint64_t PRIMES[] = {
108641969, 116049371, 125925907, 133333309, 145678979, 175308587, 197530793, 234567803,
251851741, 264197411, 330864029, 399999781, 407407183, 459258997, 479012069, 545678687,
560493491, 607407037, 629629243, 656789717, 716048933, 718518067, 725925469, 733332871,
753085943, 755555077, 782715551, 790122953, 812345159, 814814293, 893826581, 923456189,
940740127, 953085797, 985184539, 990122807};
static const uint64_t PRIMES_SIZE = sizeof(PRIMES) / sizeof(PRIMES[0]);
// Calculate hashes of ngrams that preceeds word_index in the sentence
//
// Fills ngram_hashes array with numbers in {0, 1, ..., max_hash_index - 1}
// If add_padding then dummy -1 words are added to the beginning of the sentence
// Return the number of indices filled (maybe less than maxent_order
// for a few first sentence words if add_padding is false)
int CalculateMaxentHashIndices(
const WordIndex *sen, int word_index,
int maxent_order, uint64_t max_hash_index,
bool add_padding,
uint64_t ngram_hashes[MAX_NGRAM_ORDER]);
class MaxEnt {
public:
enum LearningMethod {kSGD, kAdaGrad, kFTRL};
static const LearningMethod kLearningMethod = kSGD;
static const size_t kStride = (kLearningMethod == kSGD) ? 1 : (kLearningMethod == kFTRL ? 3 : 2);
static const Real kAdaGradPower = 0.5;
MaxEnt() : hash_size_(0), storage_(NULL) {
// empty constructor
}
void Init(size_t hash_size);
~MaxEnt();
void DumpWeights(std::vector<Real>* weights) const;
Real GetValue(size_t feature_index) const {
return storage_[feature_index * kStride];
}
Real operator()(size_t feature_index) const {
return GetValue(feature_index);
}
bool IsNull(size_t feature_index) const {
return std::abs(GetValue(feature_index)) < 1e-6;
}
void UpdateValue(size_t feature_index, Real learning_rate, Real antigrad, Real l2) {
if (kLearningMethod == kAdaGrad) {
Real& n = storage_[feature_index * kStride + 1];
n += antigrad * antigrad;
Real adarate = n;
if (kAdaGradPower == 0.5) {
adarate = std::sqrt(adarate);
} else if (kAdaGradPower != 1) {
adarate = std::pow(adarate, kAdaGradPower);
}
learning_rate /= adarate;
Real& weight = storage_[feature_index * kStride];
weight += learning_rate * antigrad - weight * l2;
} else if (kLearningMethod == kFTRL) {
// TODO: add a separate parameter for l1
const Real l1 = l2;
FTRLUpdate(feature_index, learning_rate, antigrad, l1, l2);
} else {
// SGD by default
storage_[feature_index] += learning_rate * antigrad - storage_[feature_index] * l2;
}
}
void Dump(FILE* fo) const;
void Load(FILE* fo);
private:
size_t hash_size_;
Real* storage_;
void FTRLUpdate(size_t feature_index, Real learning_rate, Real antigrad, Real l1, Real l2) {
// see http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en//pubs/archive/41159.pdf
const Real alpha = learning_rate;
const Real beta = 0;
Real& w = storage_[feature_index * kStride];
Real& n = storage_[feature_index * kStride + 1];
Real& z = storage_[feature_index * kStride + 2];
Real sigma = (std::sqrt(n + antigrad * antigrad) - std::sqrt(n)) / alpha;
z -= antigrad + sigma * w;
n += antigrad * antigrad;
Real sign = (z < 0) ? -1 : 1;
if (sign * z > l1) {
w = (sign * l1 - z) / ((beta + std::sqrt(n)) / alpha + l2);
} else {
w = 0;
}
}
};
inline int CalculateMaxentHashIndices(
const WordIndex *sen, int word_index,
int maxent_order, uint64_t max_hash,
bool add_padding,
uint64_t ngram_hashes[MAX_NGRAM_ORDER]) {
int maxent_present = (maxent_order > word_index + 1 && !add_padding) ? word_index + 1 : maxent_order;
if (maxent_present) {
// (order < maxent_present) <--> (order < maxent_order && order <= word_index)
for (int order = 0; order < maxent_present; ++order) {
ngram_hashes[order] = PRIMES[0] * PRIMES[1];
for (int i = 1; i <= order; ++i) {
uint64_t word = (word_index - i >= 0) ? sen[word_index - i] : -1;
ngram_hashes[order] += PRIMES[(order * PRIMES[i] + i) % PRIMES_SIZE] * (word + 1);
}
ngram_hashes[order] = ngram_hashes[order] % max_hash;
}
}
return maxent_present;
}
#endif // FASTER_RNNLM_MAXENT_H_
| {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaGithub"
} |
The real key to creating a superb article might be to help it to become interesting, along with the secret to that is actually to come up with something you're enthusiastic about. Prepare before beginning writing your introduction. It is important to take into account the academic manner of authorship and utilize the acceptable terminology. A brilliant composition isn't about style as well as data formatting, certainly, but design affects the very first feeling your document makes. Interview documents allow it to be possible for you to use people as your own resources in place of books. You need to remember to employ a magnificent and non – unpleasant language when writing on expository essay issues. The ideal part about creating an enlightening article might be the vast collection of issues you can select from. Creating essays may be used! Actually, most pupils have no idea the best means to do article writing, because they're complex and intense. Teachers should also supply the youngsters proper recommendations for each form of composition they need to compose.
Concur that the site you are on could be the one.
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Essays change in character and you really have to understand about the greatest structure and element each essay. Each expository essay is going to have certain goal. Here are a number of essay writing ideas that can allow you to do nothing but that. You may likely also think of other items to raise the composition. Each of the thoughts in your article must be reinforced and clarified. Below are a few decent article issues that kids may come across simple to compose.
Previous PostAll these checklist isn't unique, because there are always a variety of different unique socio economic and societal conditions that America is faced with.Next PostThe utmost amount of spots and heroes in one single point is 85. | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
Q: Slot machine TimeLine animation not working I am trying to develop a slot machine reel application. I have a custom reel pane which adds children vertically. When a spin button is clicked children have to move and when the last child reaches a boundary it has to shift its position above the first child. What I did is shown below.
public class ReelPane extends Pane {
Timeline timeline = new Timeline();
@Override
protected void layoutChildren() {
List<Node> managed = getChildren();
double y = 0;
for (Node node : managed) {
node.setLayoutX(0);
node.setLayoutY(y);
y += node.getBoundsInLocal().getHeight();
}
}
public void spin() {
List<Node> managed = getChildren();
double dy = 4;
for (Node node : managed) {
timeline.getKeyFrames().addAll(new KeyFrame(Duration.millis(2000),new KeyValue(node.layoutYProperty(),node.getLayoutY()+dy)));
if(node.getLayoutY()>=600){
node.setLayoutY(-50);
}
}
timeline.setCycleCount(Timeline.INDEFINITE);
timeline.play();
}
}
fxml file
<?import javafx.scene.control.Button?>
<?import javafx.scene.image.*?>
<?import javafx.scene.layout.Pane?>
<?import sample.ReelPane?>
<Pane stylesheets="@css/slot.css"
xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml/1"
xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx"
fx:controller="sample.Controller">
<ReelPane fx:id="reel" styleClass="container">
<ImageView fitHeight="100" fitWidth="100">
<Image url="/sample/resources/apple.png"/>
</ImageView>
<ImageView fitHeight="100" fitWidth="100">
<Image url="/sample/resources/diamond.png"/>
</ImageView>
<ImageView fitHeight="100" fitWidth="100">
<Image url="/sample/resources/glass.png"/>
</ImageView>
<ImageView fitHeight="100" fitWidth="100">
<Image url="/sample/resources/grape.png"/>
</ImageView>
<ImageView fitHeight="100" fitWidth="100">
<Image url="/sample/resources/star.png"/>
</ImageView>
</ReelPane>
<Button fx:id="spin" text="SPIN"/>
</Pane>
controller
package sample;
import javafx.fxml.FXML;
import javafx.scene.control.Button;
public class Controller {
@FXML
ReelPane reel;
@FXML
Button spin;
public void initialize() {
spin.setOnAction(event -> reel.spin());
}
}
main
package sample;
import javafx.application.Application;
import javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader;
import javafx.scene.Parent;
import javafx.scene.Scene;
import javafx.stage.Stage;
public class Main extends Application {
@Override
public void start(Stage primaryStage) throws Exception {
Parent root =
FXMLLoader.load(getClass().getResource("resources/fxml/slot.fxml"));
primaryStage.setScene(new Scene(root, 400, 900));
primaryStage.show();
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
launch(args);
}
}
But the children are not moving when button is clicked.Can someone tell what went wrong?
A: All of the KeyFrames of your Timeline are scheduled at the same time. Furthermore the if statement is executed before you even start the animation.
Imho it's easier to put all the elements in a VBox and simply repeatedly change translateY repeatedly from a negative value equal to the element height to 0 and move the last element to the front at the end of the cycle. You may want to apply a clip to the parent of the VBox though to hide anything exceeding the bounds of a single element.
@Override
public void start(Stage primaryStage) throws Exception {
VBox pane = new VBox();
Pane parent = new Pane(pane);
parent.setPrefSize(50, 50);
parent.setMinSize(Region.USE_PREF_SIZE, Region.USE_PREF_SIZE);
parent.setMaxSize(Region.USE_PREF_SIZE, Region.USE_PREF_SIZE);
Timeline timeline = new Timeline(new KeyFrame(Duration.ZERO, new KeyValue(pane.translateYProperty(), -50d)),
new KeyFrame(Duration.seconds(2), evt -> {
pane.getChildren().get(pane.getChildren().size() - 1).toBack();
}, new KeyValue(pane.translateYProperty(), 0d)));
timeline.setCycleCount(Animation.INDEFINITE);
for (int i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
Rectangle rect = new Rectangle(50, 50, Color.RED.interpolate(Color.BLACK, i / 6d));
pane.getChildren().add(rect);
}
parent.setClip(new Rectangle(50, 50));
timeline.play();
Scene scene = new Scene(new StackPane(parent), 200, 200);
primaryStage.setScene(scene);
primaryStage.show();
}
A: A much simpler tool for the needed animation is PauseTransition.
If you do not want to specify the layout in the fxml you can override layoutChildren() as you did but you'll need to disable automatic layout (layoutChildren()) so the animation can change positions:
import java.util.List;
import javafx.animation.PauseTransition;
import javafx.scene.Node;
import javafx.scene.layout.Pane;
import javafx.util.Duration;
public class ReelPane extends Pane {
private List<Node> managed;
private double dy, numberOfCchildren;
private boolean isAnimating = false;
private static final double PAUSE = 1;
@Override
protected void layoutChildren() {
if(isAnimating) return;
managed = getChildren();
numberOfCchildren = managed.size();
double y = 0;
for (Node node : managed) {
node.setLayoutX(0);
node.setLayoutY(y);
dy = Math.max(dy, node.getBoundsInLocal().getHeight()); //dy stores the highest
y += dy;
}
}
public void spin() {
isAnimating = true;
PauseTransition pause = new PauseTransition(Duration.seconds(PAUSE));
pause.setOnFinished(event ->{
for (Node node : managed) {
if(node.getLayoutY()>= (numberOfCchildren -1) * dy){
node.setLayoutY(-dy);
}
node.setLayoutY(node.getLayoutY() +dy);
}
pause.play();
});
pause.play();
}
}
Consider disabling the button while spinning:
import javafx.fxml.FXML;
import javafx.scene.control.Button;
public class Controller {
@FXML
ReelPane reel;
@FXML
Button spin;
public void initialize() {
spin.setOnAction(event -> {
reel.spin();
spin.setDisable(true);
});
}
}
To make the code mre here is the slot.fxml using publicly available resources:
<?import javafx.scene.control.Button?>
<?import javafx.scene.image.*?>
<?import javafx.scene.layout.Pane?>
<?import fx_tests.ReelPane?>
<Pane
xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml/1"
xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx"
fx:controller="fx_tests.sample.Controller">
<ReelPane fx:id="reel">
<ImageView fitHeight="100" fitWidth="100">
<Image url="https://cdn3.iconfinder.com/data/icons/softwaredemo/PNG/128x128/Box_Green.png"/>
</ImageView>
<ImageView fitHeight="100" fitWidth="100" >
<Image url="https://cdn3.iconfinder.com/data/icons/softwaredemo/PNG/128x128/Box_Red.png"/>
</ImageView>
<ImageView fitHeight="100" fitWidth="100">
<Image url="https://cdn3.iconfinder.com/data/icons/softwaredemo/PNG/128x128/Box_Yellow.png"/>
</ImageView>
<ImageView fitHeight="100" fitWidth="100" >
<Image url="https://cdn3.iconfinder.com/data/icons/softwaredemo/PNG/128x128/Box_Blue.png"/>
</ImageView>
<ImageView fitHeight="100" fitWidth="100">
<Image url="https://cdn3.iconfinder.com/data/icons/softwaredemo/PNG/128x128/Box_Orange.png"/>
</ImageView>
</ReelPane>
<Button fx:id="spin" text="SPIN" layoutX="20." layoutY="550.0" />
</Pane>
A test application:
import javafx.application.Application;
import javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader;
import javafx.scene.Parent;
import javafx.scene.Scene;
import javafx.stage.Stage;
public class Main extends Application {
@Override
public void start(Stage primaryStage) throws Exception {
Parent root =
FXMLLoader.load(getClass().getResource("slot.fxml"));
primaryStage.setScene(new Scene(root, 200, 600));
primaryStage.show();
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
launch(args);
}
}
| {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaStackExchange"
} |
Rock Singer
FebruaryFeb 6, 1962
FebruaryFeb 6, 1962 (age 57)
Born on February 6#14
Rock Singer#29
57 Year Old#7
Born in Indiana#21
First Name Axl#1
Born in Lafayette, IN#1
Aquarius Singer#38
Known for his high-pitched vocals and overall vocal range, he became famous as the animated lead singer of Guns N' Roses. The band's best known songs include "Welcome to the Jungle," "Paradise City," and "Sweet Child o' Mine."
He grew up in a torn home and suffered from abuse by both his biological father and his step father, which stagnated his emotional growth.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Guns N' Roses in 2012.
His birth name is William Bruce Rose, Jr. He married Erin Everly on April 28, 1990 and got an annulment in January 1991.
The original Guns N' Roses lineup included guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler.
Axl Rose Popularity
Axl Rose Is A Member Of
First Name Axl
Axl Rose Fans Also Viewed
Izzy Stradlin
Rock Singer Trivia Games
More February 6 Birthdays
February 6 Birthdays
More Aquarius
Johnny Orlando | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaCommonCrawl"
} |
<?php
namespace Hochstrasser\Wirecard\Request\Seamless\Frontend;
use Hochstrasser\Wirecard\Request\AbstractWirecardRequest;
class ReadDataStorageRequest extends AbstractWirecardRequest
{
protected $requiredParameters = ['storageId'];
protected $fingerprintOrder = ['storageId'];
protected $endpoint = 'https://checkout.wirecard.com/seamless/dataStorage/read';
protected $resultClass = 'Hochstrasser\Wirecard\Model\Seamless\Frontend\DataStorageReadResult';
static function withStorageId($storageId)
{
$request = new static();
$request->setStorageId($storageId);
return $request;
}
function setStorageId($storageId)
{
return $this->addParam('storageId', $storageId);
}
}
| {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaGithub"
} |
The following movie was made during a neurobionics lab course I taught. NOTE: Loud! Turn down the volume!
What can be seen are two robots (the larger one is called "Joschka" and the smaller one is called "Günther"). One is programmed to chase (the "hunter") and the other is programmed to run away (the "prey"). The interesting thing is that they can only sense each other through the sound they are making when they are moving (and through their collision avoidance systems). This is why they stop at regular intervals to listen, otherwise they would get confused by their own motor noise.
Avoid obstacles (this always takes precedence).
Move toward a sound (hunter) or away from a sound (prey).
The idea of the lab course was to show students (mainly biologists, but also computer scientists) how to start with inspiration from nature and get to a technical implementation.
I designed and taught this 3-4 day lab course which began with the physical and neurobiological basics of sound localization. Then different algorithms were implemented with Matlab on the PC. On the last day, the behavior of two sound localizing robots had to be programmed (I did the implementation of the sound localization algorithms on the robots myself, as that would have been beyond the scope of the lab course).
Scroll down for a description and close-up pictures of the robots.
Infineon C164CI microcontroller (Conrad Electronic C-CONTROL II unit).
This is the programming language of the C-CONTROL II unit. It is syntactically similar to C, but compiled to bytecode and interpreted in a virtual machine on the C164CI microcontroller.
Wheel encoders, IR collision avoidance system (front left / front right), touch sensor, motor current sense, IR communication system.
2 omnidirectional electret condenser microphone capsules, connected to a custom-built preamplifier board.
Correlation in the time domain.
Microphone preamplifier connected to 2 A/D inputs of microcontroller.
Dual delay-line algorithm (detection of phase coincidence in the frequency domain).
Spectrum Digital DSK6713 DSP Starter Kit board (Texas Instruments TMS320C6713 digital signal processor).
Microphone preamplifier connected to stereo line-in input of DSP board.
Communication between C164CI microntroller and DSP board through I²C bus.
Günther, the sound source localizing robot.
Joschka, the sound source localizing robot. | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
Pack Up + Go revolutionizes travel by incorporating the element of surprise to encourage the pursuit of wonder, spontaneity, and exploration in each of our travelers!
Explore more + enjoy the ride.
Hold the traveler experience above all else.
Communicate openly, thoughtfully, and deliberately.
Inspire positive change + conscious consumption.
We're excited to give back to organizations that make our cities so wonderful for our travelers.
For the first half of 2019, we're working with organizations that help fight homelessness + hunger.
Until June, donations will go to the National Alliance for Ending Homelessness + the National Coalition for the Homeless, United States-based organizations addressing issues related to homelessness. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by donating through the below link.
Additionally, our team is volunteering with local organizations who are doing important work here in our hometown! Be sure to check out our blog for more information on these organizations.
Small Businesses are the hidden gems that make our destination cities truly unique.
Pack Up + Go is dedicated to highlighting the companies that our travelers love.
Want more information? Click below for our Small Business Partners from cities all around the country!
At Pack Up + Go, we believe that travel has healing properties. It acts as a much-needed break from day-to-day stress. It clears your mind, rejuvenates, and relaxes. Above all, it motivates you to see more of the world, to do more.
Extensive explorers ourselves, travel has not only acted as an introduction to new people, foods, and languages we would not normally encounter, but it has taught us about history, culture, and ways of life about which we may not learn organically. Travel encourages everyone to have an open mind and to step out of their comfort zone.
We've traveled to the far corners of the world, often wandering off the beaten path - realizing in the end that the United States has just as many destinations, oddities, and microcultures as anywhere else on Earth. Pack Up + Go is a celebration of our country's expansive resources, and embodiment of open mindedness, spontaneity, and excitement.
Who says surprises are just for kids? | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
Joining Forces to Close the Gender Gap in Education
dg-unwomened8x6.jpg
Director-General Irina Bokova and UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka today seized the occasion of Mobile Learning Week celebrations to present a new programme, "Empowering adolescent girls and young women through education", to UNESCO's Member States, on 24 February 2015.
The programme is a joint undertaking by UNESCO, UN Women, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank, and will be officially launched at a meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women at UN Headquarters in New York on 10 March. It provides a coordinated and collaborative effort to close the persistent gender gap in education, focusing on two groups that are most at risk of discrimination and exclusion: adolescent girls (10-19 year olds) and young women (20-24 year olds).
After warmly welcoming Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka to UNESCO for her first visit, the Director-General told a meeting of Member States that the new programme was based on the shared conviction that "gender equality is the most powerful force we have to build more inclusive, more just, more sustainable societies" and education "a game changer for the empowerment of girls and women."
It will be rolled out gradually in 20 nations where the education gender gap is most critical, and will concentrate on four areas: improving quality and relevance of education; raising awareness at all levels to create a favourable environment for gender equality; strengthening links between the health and education sectors; and improving the data base of statistics on gender and education.
"By combining our strengths we will be able to act on several levels and accompany these countries to make education a lever for equality between men and women, which in turn will serve as a motor for development" said Irina Bokova. "Our ambition is to make a difference in a different manner, through a crosscutting approach, and putting our competences and efforts together."
Noting that gender parity and gender equality have not been achieved by a single country in the world, Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka emphasized that education was the single most effective strategy to empower women and address large gaps in political and economic participation. "By linking health, education and other relevant sectors and creating an enabling environment we want to create new or second chances for young women who have left school or are at risk of leaving school. We want to support the transition from education to the meaningful and fulfilling employment. Together we will apply our expertise and experience to this Programme with the aim to create an empowerment model for young women which can be scaled up and implemented in different national contexts."
Both leaders emphasized the strategic contribution of the programme to the post-2015 development agenda.
The new programme falls under the framework of the Global Partnership for Girls and Women's Education, launched by UNESCO in 2011.
Prior to the meeting with Member States, Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka addressed the official opening of Mobile Learning Week 2015, celebrated this week under the theme of Leveraging technology to empower women and girls. | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaCommonCrawl"
} |
In 2013 the United Nations General Assembly declared that the 3rd of March every year would be the day of"the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)", known simply as World Wildlife Day. This day would not only be a great opportunity to celebrate the beauty of the natural world but also to raise awareness of the plight of many species due to wildlife crime.
Both plants and animals provide the Earth with everything it needs to make it habitable for people to exist and thrive here, providing oxygen, clean water and food and even primitive tools came from plants and animals, along with clothes. Even fossil fuels have evolved as a result of decaying plant and animal species over billions of years, providing people with energy to give us heat and electrical power.
Although there are currently numerous conservation initiatives around the world that promote the importance of large, iconic species such as elephants, tigers and polar bears, World Wildlife Day is about also promoting the importance of smaller species whose significance to the eco-system is often overlooked. Such species include frogs, bats and even crabs amongst numerous others.
For example, the Mexican government has recently announced a commitment of $37 million to help to secure the future of the vaquita which is the smallest porpoise in the world. With less than 100 individuals thought to be left in the wild (only a quarter of which are thought to be breeding females), the species is constantly underthreat from the gillnets used by fisherman in the Sea of Cortez in their hunt for totoaba fish.
Ultimately this World Wildlife Day, we should all take the time to appreciate the signifcance of wildlife not only in our local areas but also all around the world. Like us, animals are able to use tools to aid their survival, form strong bonds between one another and are able to experience complex emotions including both happiness and pain. We share our world with both animals and plants that quite simply, we cannot live without. | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
So, if you didn't know, I am an absolute sucker for personality tests – not necessarily because I want to pigeonhole myself but more because feeling understood and understanding other people is high on my list of fun things to do.
I love people. I love learning about them, talking to them, seeing what makes them tick- but here's where I get confused – I really dislike socialising in large groups, I need at least a week after a social occasion to recuperate and I can't stand spontaneous outings, I need time to mentally prepare myself before I commit to doing anything social.
So what if you're both? That's certainly the way I feel, I love being around people, they don't necessarily drain me but I definitely don't actively seek out social occasions to attend in order to feel connected and a part of things – I'm happy at home in my own company and I rarely feel lonely.
So here's where the Outgoing Introvert steps in, not sure where you fit in on the Extrovert / Introvert scale? Maybe you're an Outgoing Introvert too – here are 5 signs of the Outgoing Introvert.
1 – Rich Inner World.
You spend a lot of time in your head, you like to mull over conversations and ideas, analysing them and thinking about them in fine detail. Not only this, you like to discuss what you're thinking with trusted individuals and hear their points of view too.
2- You like to put others needs first.
You're often thinking of others and how to make them feel comfortable, you like to relate to people and show empathy and let them know that you care. You're compassionate and eager to help people close to you analyse their issues and come to a solution.
3 – Environment is everything.
Sometimes you're the chatterbox and the centre of attention, but only when the atmosphere is right. If you're at the gig of your favourite band you might be the life and soul, dancing and singing at the top of your voice, many people think of you as being extroverted, but take you out of that situation and into another crowded place with things going on that don't interest you, then you become the introvert, quiet and a little withdrawn – it's all about the environment.
4 – Shallow friendships won't do.
Outgoing Introverts want to get to the nitty-gritty, small talk is not their favourite past time at all and friendship which centres around such a thing is unlikely to endure. Don't discuss where you got your nails done or what the weather is like, talk about the planets, about religion, about dreams and beliefs – friendships centred around intense and imaginative subjects really get the outgoing introvert's mind going.
Don't be surprised if your outgoing introvert is a little on the reclusive side occasionally – dropping off the radar for a week or so.
Despite being outgoing we're still introverts and that, of course, means regaining energy in our own space and on our own. I definitely need to do this after socialising for long spells – even to the point where I need time away from my close family members to reflect. It's not because I'm fed up of people or that they annoy me, it's just that in order to re-energise I need to evaluate and still my mind for a time. This is difficult to do around other people.
Of course, as human beings it's impossible to categorize people definitively – we're complex beings and no one is truly 100% any personality type – just because you feel a certain stack of cognitive functions fits you doesn't mean that you're exactly as that type is described and no single personality type is better than another. You could argue that we're all ambiverts or that because we're all social beings in the grand scheme of things, that we're all extroverts.
Wherever you fit on the scale you're an amazing human being and sometimes if you don't fit anywhere, it's because you're supposed to stand out! | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
Circled in red and sealed with a kiss, it's one of the most romantic holidays of the year — Valentine's Day! While some of us prefer romantic gestures, with the recent racy craze, why not add a little texture to the mix? A gift for both her and him, fabric can serve as subtle foreplay while you foray into your Valentine's desires. Check out some of our favorites, just in time for V-Day. List powered by SkinnyScoop.
Which fabric is your fave for V-Day? Let us know below! | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
January 8, 2020 / 8:11 PM / 14 days ago
UPDATE 1-UK's Johnson urges Trump to de-escalate Iran situation
(Recasts with White House statement, adds comments on nuclear deal)
LONDON/WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed Iranian missile attacks on Wednesday, even as the two leaders separately offered different approaches on how to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The two allied leaders spoke in a call before Trump, in a speech, backed away from any military response toward Tehran in retaliation for the strikes on military bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops, Johnson's spokesman and the White House said.
The Iranian strikes came after the United States killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad last week. Trump said no U.S. troops were killed in Tehran's strikes.
Johnson, in the call, urged Trump to de-escalate the situation urgently to avoid further conflict, Johnson's spokesman said.
"The two leaders discussed the current situation in the Middle East and agreed to continue close coordination in support of shared national security interests," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. He gave no other details.
Still the leaders, whose countries are close allies, separately backed different approaches to Iran.
Johnson told the UK's parliament earlier on Wednesday the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated between Iran and six world powers, including the United States and the United Kingdom, remained the best option to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018 and adopted a "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran, but Johnson told UK lawmakers the agreement "remains a shell into which we can put substance again."
In his remarks at the White House on Wednesday, Trump called the pact negotiated under his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama "very defective."
"The time has come for the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and China to recognize this reality," Trump said.
"They must now break away from the remnants of the Iran deal - or JCPOA - and we must all work together toward making a deal with Iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place." (Reporting Elizabeth Piper; Writing by Kylie MacLellan and Susan Heavey; Editing by David Milliken and Andrea Ricci) | {
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Find a Day trip that explores Africa. There are 7 tours to choose from, that range in length from 1 days up to 4 days. The most popular month for these tours is April, which has the most tour departures.
"I could not have asked for a better guide than Hares. I took my eight-year-old son..."
Antananarivo and Lemurs Day Tour! | {
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Edmund Hillary
Trailer: Eagle Vs Shark
Tag Archives: Nick Willis
Sport General | Athletics Weekly
How Middle-Distance Runner Nick Willis Trains
New Zealander Nick Willis, 39, "who has been at the sharp end of middle-distance running for over two decades", speaks to the UK's Athletics Weekly magazine about how he trains in an article by…
Sport General | GQ
Track Hero Nick Willis Tries Sub-4:00 Again in NY
Over the course of five Olympics, the New Zealand mid-distance runner Nick Willis has become a track and field legend. At 38, he recently embarked on an unprecedented quest. GQ went trackside to witness…
Sport General | Daily Mail
On Form Willis Sets New Zealand 3000m Best
Kiwi middle distance star Nick Willis continued his outstanding build-up to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games with his second personal best inside a week. Willis broke the New Zealand record for the 3000m, clocking 7:36.91 and…
Sport General | Washington Post
New Zealand Olympian Wins Fifth Avenue Mile
New Zealand's Nick Willis has won the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York, completing the run in 3 minutes and 52.1 seconds. It is the second time that Willis has won the title, having…
Golf | Runner's World
Willis Switches Speed Codes
Lower Hutt-born middle-distance Olympic medallist Nick Willis, 30, is venturing into the hybrid sport of speed golf and will participate in the Speedgolf World Championships on 26 October and 27 October at…
Sport General | Sacramento Bee (The)
Hopes for Gold at Olympic Stadium
Like many of the more than 40 Olympians with Michigan ties who'll compete during the next few weeks at the London Games, New Zealander Nick Willis — who represented the University of Michigan in…
Sport General | Detroit Free Press
Willis Readies for London
One of New Zealand's "most revered track and field athletes", Nick Willis, 29, will defend his Olympic silver medal in the men's 1500m run at the 2012 Games in London. The London Olympics will…
Sport General | Guardian (The)
Final Leap Beneath Blue
Teenager Alex Colvin features in the Guardian's regular gallery '24 Hours in Pictures', competing in the under-17 men's long jump final on day one of the 2012 New Zealand National Athletics Championships…
Sport General | Times of India (The)
Mile Win for Willis
Lower Hutt-born middle distance runner Nick Willis, 27, currently based in Michigan, has won the mile run at the 15th Boston Indoor Games. Willis crossed the finish line in a world leading time of…
Sport General | CNN News
Willis' Photo Finish
Olympic bronze medallist Lower Hutt athlete Nick Willis, 25, has won New York's Fifth Avenue Mile, a race which John Walker won in 1984. Michigan-based Willis finished in 3 minutes, 50.5 seconds to…
Sport General | Detroit News (The)
From Within the Soul
Lower Hutt runner Nick Willis surged forward in the final moments of the men's 1500m for third place, in a race Willis' University of Michigan coach Ron Warhurst said the 25-year-old "always had the…
Sport General | IFFA.org
More medals for Vili and Willis
NZ athletes won two medals at the IAAF World Cup of Athletics in Athens this month. Valerie Vili followed up her Commonwealth Games gold by winning the women's shotput event, with a throw of 19.87m. Fellow…
Sport General | Melbourne2006.com.au | NZ Rugby Sevens
Records Broken, Legends Born
New Zealand won 31 medals – 6 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze – at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. 200m butterfly victor Moss Burmester became the first NZ man to win gold in the…
Sport General | USA Today
Stars in the Making
NZ athletes contributed to an international domination of America's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Championships in mid-March. Kim Smith – running for Providence – lapped all but one of her competitors in the 5,000m, breaking a…
Sport General | Mlive.com
NZ athlete Nick Willis continues to run rings around his American college-mates. The University of Michigan student clocked the nation's fastest 3,000m time for the year to date at January's Red Simmons Invitational. Ironically, it was Willis'…
Lower Hutt born Nick Willis is the University of Michigan's latest star athlete. Still in his freshman year, he is already the No. 2 cross-country runner on campus. The best seems yet to come; according to…
Sport General | New York Times (The)
Nick Heir to Jack, Peter, John
Hutt Valley high school miler Nick Willis has become the fastest miler in New Zealand history, beating the times of Jack Lovelock, Peter Snell and John Walker at the famous Wanganui Cook Gardens. | {
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Lejeune HS
Lejeune HS: About Our School
Lejeune High School is located aboard Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base and is operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity. Founded in 1944, the originally named Camp Lejeune High School was led by a Principal and a Marine Officer, thus requiring certain military expectations to be followed such as grooming standards and locker inspections. The first campus was located on Brewster Boulevard in what is now the Russell Family Building. In 1961, it was relocated to Stone Street in what is now the John A. Lejeune Education Center. In 1968, Camp Lejeune High School was renamed to Lejeune High School. A new campus was built for the school in 1990.
A $40 million contract was award in March 2017 for a comprehensive renovation and the construction of a new two-story complex facing Brewster Boulevard. The project, involving 151,000 square feet, will move Lejeune High School forward to the new 21st century learning community design. Construction is ongoing in phases while school remains in session. The target date for completion is Sept 2020.
("old" Lejeune High School front, facing Stone Street, 2017)
The office front entrance is now located off of Brewster Boulevard. The "old" front entrance from Stone Street has been closed. Parents and visitors may visit our campus via Brewster Blvd and make a right at the fork. Our parking lot is just past the fenced Walsh Construction area on the left. Parents and visitors may follow the signs by the sidewalk to the front office entrance.
(design image of the new Lejeune High School front, facing Brewster Blvd.)
(design image of the new Lejeune High School two-story learning hub complex)
Our Namesake, Lt. Gen. John A. Lejeune
Our school is named after Lieutenant General John Archer Lejeune, 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Lt. Gen. Lejeune was born in Pointe Coupee, Louisiana on January 10, 1867. He graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge before being appointed as Midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1888 and then was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps on July 1, 1890. His service included commanding 2nd Division and an Army divisional command during World War I. He was then appointed Commanding General, Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia before being appointed as Major General Commandant of the Marine Corps in July 1920. He is also credited with being the founding member of the Marine Corps League. Being credited with over 40 years of Marine Corps service, he retired in November 1929, when he became the Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute. Lt. Gen. Lejeune died on November 20, 1942 in Maryland and was interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
Read more about his life and accomplishments by visiting the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
Grades: 9 - 12
Lejeune High School Purpose
To ensure the college and career readiness of all Devilpups, we are committed to academic achievement and productive citizenship in a competitive global society.
Educate, Engage, and Empower each student to succeed in a dynamic world.
School Vision
To be among the world's leaders in education, enriching the lives of military-connected students and the communities in which they live.
Our Mascot
The Lejeune High School mascot is the "Devilpup" after the proud Marine Corps "Devildog" history earned at the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I. The Germans named the marines "Teufel Hunden" for their courage and fighting ability.
Mascot: Devilpups
Motto: Once a Devilpup, Always a Devilpup!
Available Mascot Downloads
Lejeune HS Colors
Primary Color: #990000
Secondary Color: #F89938
CSI at Lejeune High School
The Blueprint for Continuous Improvement is DoDEA's strategic plan for school years 2018/19 through 2023/24. The title reflects the philosophy that drives DoDEA's strategic direction. A blueprint is an actionable plan that communicates and guides the work of all involved in a project. It is flexible and can be updated as the project develops and needs change. This is also true of our Blueprint, which serves as the foundation for all planning within DoDEA and directs our collective energies and resources as we strive to realize our vision. Further, the Blueprint will be continuously updated to reflect progress and shifts in students' needs and the environment.
CORE VALUES ARE WHAT DRIVES US
Student-Centered: Students are at the heart of all we do.
Excellence: We strive to exceed expectations in all we do.
Continuous Improvement: Our organization, its systems, and processes will be continually reexamined and improved.
Lifelong Learning: Earning is an active process of discovery where we cultivate curiosity, perseverance, and the desire to learn.
Diversity: We honor the uniqueness of each individual and embrace diverse beliefs and backgrounds. We respect differences and create inclusive environments which contribute to a better society for all.
Individual Potential: Individuals develop within an environment that nurtures intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and creative growth.
Shared Responsibility: Partnerships among families, students, staff, and community members are characterized by mutual commitment and collaborative effort that enrich the lives of our students.
Trust: We value relationships based on integrity, mutual respect,and open two-way communication. We cultivate a safe and risk-free culture that encourages and inspires innovation.
The Blueprint gives us 5 specific GOALS:
School Excellence
Talent Excellence
Organizational Excellence
Outreach Excellence
At Lejeune High School, we have implemented the following objectives to reach these goals:
Objective 1
For the PSAT administered to 9-11 grade students in October of 2020, 40 % of students will meet or exceed the benchmark for College and Career Readiness which measures the readiness of a student's ability to perform at an entry college level course in the areas of mathematics and literacy.
For SY 2019-2020, 40% of graduating seniors will be enrolled in 4 consecutive years of CTE courses; and a new goal of 30% of graduating seniors will complete at least 1 CTE pathway.
SY 2019-2020, for students taking the DoDEA CAS assessments
a) 45% (3% increase) of students taking the DoDEA Algebra I Assessment will have met or exceeded expectations and 5% (3% decrease) of students taking the DoDEA Algebra I Assessment will not have met expectations as determined by DoDEA Assessment scores for 2020;
b) 40% (3% increase) of students taking the DoDEA Geometry Assessment will have met or exceeded expectations and 4% (3% decrease) of students taking the DoDEA Geometry Assessment will not have met expectations as determined by DoDEA Assessment scores for 2020; and
c) 27% (increase of 3%) of students taking the DoDEA Algebra II Assessment will have met or exceeded expectations and 13% (3% decrease) of students taking the DoDEA Algebra II Assessment will not have met expectations as determined by DoDEA Assessment scores for 2020.
d) 53% or more of students taking the DoDEA Language Arts 10 assessment will have met or exceeded expectations and 5% or less of students taking the DoDEA Language Arts 10 assessments will not have met expectations as determined by DoDEA assessment scores for 2019.
During the end of 3rd into 4th quarter of 2020 there were 612 student/parent contacts with the counselors concerning social/emotional situations. Also, it was noted that during the Cognia (Advanced Ed) review there was a deficiency in (Indicator A.4). Which indicates that there is apparent need for an intervention in the social and emotional areas of student development and interactions with other students and teachers. Using the "Can Do U" program, there will be a 15% decrease in the number of student/parent and or social/ emotional contacts with the counselors quarterly.
Lejeune HS SY 22-23 Red Gold Calendar CLCS Dress Code Pamphlet CLCS Dress Code Camp Lejeune SY 22-23 Brochure for MTSS Camp Lejeune Schools ICE
835 Stone Street
Camp Lejeune, NC 28547-2520
Ms. Dana Sutherland
Lejeune HS Principal
Ms. Lorien Gustafson
Lejeune HS Assistant Principal
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The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) of non-U.S. Government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although DoDEA may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for Department of Defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.
DoDEA is a Department of Defense Field Activity operating under the direction, authority, and control of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
Content last modified: 17 March 2021 | {
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Jonathan is an Associate with DC Research, with 25 years of academic, policy development and consultancy experience as a research economist, analyst and project manager. He has a portfolio of studies that demonstrate detailed expertise from a wide range of research and evaluation work involving the arts, heritage, museum and cultural sectors, and specialises in research reviews and evaluations, business planning and organisational review, assessing and evaluating economic, social and community impacts derived from investments, projects and programmes.
Jonathan founded DC Research with long standing colleague Stephen Connolly in 2008, stepping down as co-owner and director in late 2018. He now balances working with DC Research on projects in an associate capacity, and working independently as Durnin Research Ltd, with family commitments.
Prior to previous consultancy posts with Regeneris Consulting and Experian, Jonathan held senior policy posts with Cumbria County Council and before that research posts at the Centre for Regional Economic Development (now part of the University of Cumbria). Jonathan is a Fellow of the Regional Studies Association, and is Chairman of Welland Valley Cycling Club. | {
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Here are 10 things we've learned about the Samsung Gear S4
We should have a few busy months ahead of us. Google is working on a new Pixel watch, LG on two intelligent timepieces and with IFA approaching, we're sure there will be some goodies in store from Fitbit, Garmin, Fossil and others. And lets not forget the Apple Watch 4 which is expected to land in September.
Not to be left behind, Samsung is reportedly working on the Gear S4 smartwatch. This will be a successor to the Gear S3 launched in 2016 and Gear Sport released last October. The current range is in desperate need for an upgrade, but the wait for the Gear S4 should not be too long.
The folks over at SamMobile say Samsung has labelled the new watch with the model number SM-R800 and codename Galileo. Unfortunately, apart this information, they've revealed little else. But other sources have.
Here is everything we've learned so far:
The Gear S4 could arrive as soon as next month. It is rumoured for release alongside the Galaxy Note 9 at Samsung's Unpacked 2018 event in New York city on August 9th. The early release might give it an edge over products from other companies which are expected from September onwards. Reports say the Gear S4 has already been certified in Europe which points to an imminent release.
The watch is expected to have the same round faced design, but it should be thinner and lighter than the S3. This should not be a difficult feat considering the S3 is a pretty chunky animal.
Expect the usual upgrades to the processor and memory.
The watch looks set to have LTE connectivity. This allows you to leave your smartphone behind while still staying in the loop on messages and calls. So far, LTE watches have been few and far between.
The smartwatch is also expected to come with better health and fitness features. The S Health app will be getting more in-depth sleep tracking and possibly more.
Some reports even speak of blood pressure monitoring. The company has apparently figured out how to take readings from the wrist. Similar to the way a light sensor is used for measuring heart rate, the new sensor works by shining polarized light and then sensing the intensity of the scattered light. If the technology proves accurate, it means you'll be able to monitor your blood pressure around the clock directly from your smartwatch. A game changer as no one else has managed this so far.
We are expecting two variants of the new wearable with a Classic and more rugged, sporty version possibly being revealed.
The current Gear S3 includes a 380mAh battery but this will be bumped up to 470mAh. The bigger capacity along with a more efficient processor should extend the 3 days you get on the current generation watch.
Rumours are abound that Samsung might ditch its Tizen operating system and swap it with Google's Wear OS. This rumour is from Evan Glass, a tipster with a well known track record. He recently tweeted the following: "Seen on the wrists of Samsung employees: Gear watches running not Tizen, but Wear OS."
Some rumours speak of a new name. Instead of Gear S4 the timepiece could be called the Samsung Galaxy Watch. This would make it fit neatly into Samsung's existing range of Galaxy products.
Samsung Gear S3 | Image source: Samsung
No word yet on pricing but more leaks will surface as August approaches. We'll keep a close eye and let you know when we hear more.
Help! Why Does My Workout Cause Weight Gain?
Like sleeping on the job? This company will pay you to lie in bed with a smartwatch | {
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Physicians and practice managers understand the importance of HIPAA compliance but often do not have dedicated IT Security and HIPAA Privacy resources.
Meditology's Physician Security and Privacy Compliance Services are tailored to the needs of primary care and specialty practices ranging in size and complexity from single physician to 200+ physicians.
Physician Security and Privacy Compliance Services. | {
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Learn over 15 useful words and expressions for when you go to a baseball game.
Major League Baseball has 29 teams across the United States (plus one in Canada). Each team plays several games in a season before the play offs begin. The play offs are a competition between the top teams to determine the league champion.
1 Baseball – the ball that the game is played with.
2 Bat – the player swings this object at the ball. | {
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History of Center Academy
The History of Center Academy
The Beginning of Center Academy
Center Academy began in 1968 with the vision of its founder, Dr. Mack Hicks. Seeing the need for a specialized, full-day school for students who were falling through the cracks in traditional schools, Dr. Hicks established one of the first schools in the United States to focus on the needs of students with Attention Deficit Disorder and other neuropsychological processing difficulties.
With a team of professionals in the fields of neuropsychology, education, and individualized remediation, Center Academy opened its first classrooms in a small church and then expanded to the Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. The school focused on remediating learning disabilities and providing a small, focused, and positive learning environment for students who had experienced academic frustration, and for whom tutoring and other part-time programs were not successful.
London Center Academy Opened
Center Academy opened a campus in London, England in response to requests by parents and professionals. In the US, the St. Petersburg Center Academy moved to a larger site as the school expanded to meet the needs of more students. It moved to its permanent location in Pinellas Park, FL in 1974, finding a peaceful, 10-acre setting with horses and room to grow. In 1976, Center Academy established a campus in Tampa, FL.
Initially, Center Academy worked with elementary students who were struggling with large schools, ineffective teaching methods, or one-size-fits-all approaches to learning. Over the years, the scope of Center Academy expanded to include other students, and in 1984, Center Academy began its high school program.
Schools Celebration
The Pinellas Park and Tampa schools celebrated their first graduating class in 1987.
Center Academy was awarded a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to develop and research the effectiveness of individualized remedial programs for students with a wide range of learning disabilities. While developing these programs, Center Academy provided free evaluations and remediation to over 200 students under the NIMH grant.
Newest School
As Center Academy has expanded to locations around Florida, it has stayed true to its mission and kept its focus on addressing the unique needs of each student. Center Academy now has 10 schools in Florida. Its newest school in Orlando, FL, opened in August of 2021. Two new campuses will open in the fall of 2023, one in Cape Coral, FL and one in Palm Springs, FL. | {
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Home→W.P.B.C. Online Privacy Statement
W.P.B.C. Online Privacy Statement
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West Pymble Bicentennial Club and it's representatives take your privacy seriously. Any personal information collected is kept strictly confidential and lets us inform you about coming events, competitions, updates to our site and notify you of member products and services that are available.
We do NOT give out personal information to any third parties. Your details are used only by the WPBC and it's functionaries for the provision of club information, promotions and services.
If at any time you would no longer like to take part in the e-mail newsletter, simply send an email to wpbc_events-unsubscribe@wpbc.com.au (from the address that you would like removed) to automatically stop receiving messages from the WPBC Events mailing list.
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Any data we collect via our websites is anonymous in nature and is only used to give us demographic information about our audience, which we use to improve our services.
From time to time it may be necessary for us to revise our online privacy policy. Any changes will be in accordance with the Privacy Act and the National Privacy Principles. We may notify you about changes to this privacy policy by posting an updated version here on our website.
If you require any further information about the Privacy Act and the National Privacy Principles, you can visit the Federal Privacy Commissioners website at www.privacy.gov.au.
Privacy Related Contact Information
All concerns or comments regarding the newsletter, our website or use of your personal details can be resolved by sending an e-mail to events@wpbc.com.au from the address with which it regards.
We take your privacy seriously and will endeavour to respond within 5 working days. However, as a not-for-profit association, with many functions completed by volunteers on a weekly basis, please be patient and understanding if some correspondence suffer from delays. | {
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This is a placeholder page for Bonnie Sargent, which means this person is not currently on this site. We do suggest using the tools below to find Bonnie Sargent.
You are visiting the placeholder page for Bonnie Sargent. This page is here because someone used our placeholder utility to look for Bonnie Sargent. We created this page automatically in hopes Bonnie Sargent would find it. If you are not Bonnie Sargent, but are an alumni of Hurley High School Hurley, VA, register on this site for free now. | {
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HEALTH CARE ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR - NURSES WANTED.
Companies presently offering Nurse job vacancies in Surrey include Fraser Health, Fraser Health Authority, Revera..
8 new job listings for this search have been found in the last calendar day, compared with 10 in the last 72 hours and 16 in the last week.
The Adzuna recency index score for this search is 1.46, suggesting that demand for Nurse job vacancies in Surrey is increasing.
The average salary for open Nurse jobs is currently $36,480, 65% lower than the national average salary for all jobs which is $102,673.
Get the latest Nurse Jobs in Surrey delivered straight to your inbox! | {
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Before now, you could only find wild cobia fillets on discriminating fine-dining menus. But with World Port Seafood you can find it on your doorstep, ready for dinner. It's a lean fillet with mild-to-moderate savory flavor that's caught in the certified-sustainable sea waters off the coast of Indonesia. | {
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Title: Where Is God When It Hurts?
If there is a loving God, then why is it that You ve heard that question, perhaps asked it yourself No matter how you complete it, at its root lies the issue of pain Does God order our suffering Does he decree an abusive childhood, orchestrate a jet crash, steer a tornado through a community Or did he simply wind up the world s mainspring and now is watching from aIf there is a loving God, then why is it that You ve heard that question, perhaps asked it yourself No matter how you complete it, at its root lies the issue of pain Does God order our suffering Does he decree an abusive childhood, orchestrate a jet crash, steer a tornado through a community Or did he simply wind up the world s mainspring and now is watching from a distance In this Gold Medallion Award winning book, Philip Yancey reveals a God who is neither capricious nor unconcerned Using examples from the Bible and from his own experiences, Yancey looks at pain physical, emotional, and spiritual and helps us understand why we suffer Where Is God When It Hurts will speak to those for whom life sometimes just doesn t make sense And it will help equip anyone who wants to reach out to someone in pain but just doesn t know what to say.
Recent Comments "Where Is God When It Hurts?"
This book is a gem! Yancey does a great job of using real life examples to show the true purpose and benefit of physical pain and emotional suffering. I think this book could be helpful for anyone going through physical, spiritual or emotional pain or for those that want to support someone in pain. Well researched, well written and well done!
Yancey never gives easy answers to tough questions. He never glosses over what you are feeling. This book was a powerful book about the age old question "How can a loving God allow this?"Yancey gives both practical and biblical answers and advice a style which has bad him on of my parents favorite authors. If you are looking for an honest look at this hard question, pick up this book.
This book helped me through a large turning point in my life. I've gifted many copies to others.
A comforting book to a person of faith experiencing grief. And I salute Yancey's honesty - he asks the hard questions, even when he doesn't have answers.But that's also the problem. He doesn't have answers, other than giving up and choosing to trust God. This book isn't the reason I stopped believing, but it didn't give me strong reasons to keep believing. To be fair, neither did anyone else, and at least Yancey made an effort to look at reality.
I was like, "FINALLY! Someone with real feelings." Some people act like super Christians. It was refreshing to see a person write from the perspective of a questioning and afraid Christian. It really is okay to wonder sometimes.
This is one of the most powerful books I have been impacted by. I read it shortly after experiencing one of the most devastating losses in my life. I recommend this for anybody who has been, or is, hurting for some interesting perspectives on God's role/place in our lives.
Read it in one sitting. Excellent.
A contemporary re-visitation of the Problem of Pain. Well done. Yancy feels our pain, even if he doesn't have any particular help for it.Worth re-reading.
Fairly deep and balanced viewYancey pulls in multiple sources and types of sources to give the reader a good engagement of the issue of pain and suffering and faithful response. He avoids the easy trap of looking to the afterlife to explain it all away which is common in American Christianity today while still acknowledging the reality of this life's temporary nature. It is well balanced between giving some answers and recognizing that there are no easy answers.
This book was okay. There are some good points: about the purpose of physical pain from a biological perspective; how the church body can reach out to those who are suffering. Yancey talks about the hope of heaven after we leave this broken road, yet he does not clearly present the whole Gospel (of our need for redemption through Jesus and Him being the only means of obtaining eternal life with God in heaven).
Yancey is a fantastic author and really opens your mind to new ways of thinking about God. This book was very interesting, surprising, and hard to put down until I finished reading it. Then I went back and re-read the pages I had noted with something I wanted to remember. After that, I copied by hand those notes which spoke loudest to me.
The beginning of this book was great. Yancey uses the example of leprosy and how dangerous it is to us when we cannot feel pain at the start of the book. I found this fascinating and thought-provoking. But once he got past talking about leprosy and into personal accounts of suffering, I kind of lost interest. | {
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In addition to unfilled PEEK natural which is beige-brown in color, a black pigmented version of PEEK is also available. TECAPEEK black is manufactured by Ensinger using Victrex® PEEK 450G polymer, and is available in rod, plate, and tube in a variety of dimensions. This black pigmented version of PEEK plastic demonstrates improved UV resistance in addition to the other typical PEEK properties which make this product an ideal material of choice for outdoor use. | {
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Man charged with slashing throat of 10-year-old playing video game in Lewis County
LEWIS COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A 29-year-old man accused of slashing the throat of a ten-year-old boy over the weekend in Lewis County has been charged with attempted criminal homicide.
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office said Sammy Sadler, Jr. used a knife to cut the child's throat while the boy was playing a video game Sunday evening at a residence on Howard Switch Road.
The child was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is expected to survive his injuries, deputies explained.
Court records show Sadler was booked into the Lewis County jail Monday afternoon on charges including attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, aggravated child abuse and resisting arrest.
No additional information was immediately released and the incident remains under investigation. | {
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Publish Mortem innovations instruction manual 2e is a finished functional advisor to acting the trendy put up mortem. The textual content is easily illustrated and provided by means of method. The publication covers either the normal evisceration recommendations and the various assorted dissection ideas that could be priceless in quite a few conditions more likely to be encountered via a practicing pathologist. because the retained organ fee units the foreign time table, this ebook comes at a suitable time with post-mortem and audit being an increasing number of vital because of 30-40% of loss of life certificate being mistaken. This new and punctiliously revised variation will contain guidance output from the Royal collage of Pathologists, and from the yank collage of Pathology. essential for all those that behavior publish mortems, this e-book is aimed toward pathologists in education, clinical scholars, and mortuary technicians. Michael Sheaff is widely known within the united kingdom for his paintings during this box and the workforce he has pulled jointly have a superb diagnostic acceptance.
Models to forecast alterations in mortality, morbidity, and incapacity in aged populations are necessary to nationwide and kingdom rules for future health and welfare courses. This quantity offers a wide-ranging survey of the forecasting of wellbeing and fitness of aged populations, together with the modelling of the occurrence of persistent illnesses within the aged, the differing views of actuarial and wellbeing and fitness care facts, and an overview of the influence of latest applied sciences at the aged inhabitants. among the themes coated are - uncertainties in projections from census and social defense info and actuarial ways to forecasting - believable levels for inhabitants development utilizing biol ogical versions and epidemiological time sequence facts - the financing of long-term care courses - the consequences of significant disabling ailments on overall healthiness charges - forecasting melanoma hazards and chance components accordingly, this wide-ranging quantity turns into an imperative reference for all these whose examine touches on those topics.
The Belgians usually mentioned their colonisation of the Congo as a 'civilising mission', and plenty of looked the creation of western bio-medicine as a important function in their 'gift' to Africans. via 1930, in spite of the fact that, it was once transparent that a few gains in their 'civilising challenge' have been in truth heavily hooked up to the bad health and wellbeing of some of the Congolese. The Europeans had certainly introduced medical enquiry and western bio-medicine; yet that they had additionally brought a harsh, repressive political approach which, coupled with a ruthlessly exploitative economic climate, resulted in the advent of recent ailments whereas already-existing ailments have been exacerbated and unfold. Tropical, or 'colonial', drugs was once a brand new box on the flip of the century, associated heavily either to eu expansionism and human trypanosomiasis, or slumbering affliction. In 1901 a devastating epidemic had erupted in Uganda, killing good over 250,000 humans.
Written by means of an award-winning investigative journalist with greater than 20 years of expertise, Forensic Nursing takes an aim but enticing examine a career that in accordance with the writer, "is just for people with a robust belly, a natural middle, and a brief mind." It provides the private stories and views of forensic nurses that paintings in all parts of forensic and significant care/emergency perform. The booklet explores the various medico-legal concerns forensic nurse will stumble upon through the process a occupation. It info the pertinent medico-legal ability units that each forensic nurse may still gather. It describes the way to successfully but sensitively process occasions regarding sexual attack and interpersonal violence. The textual content additionally illustrates tips on how to behavior a profitable medico-legal loss of life research. additionally of specific curiosity is details on felony nurse consulting and nursing jurisprudence. the writer describes the way to arrange for trial and the way to take care of specialist behavior within the court docket. She info tips on how to acquire DNA proof and the way to house the medico-legal matters which may come up from this facts. Forensic Nursing additionally serves as a occupation highway map for the start forensic nurse, as a motivational software for the immediate-level nurse, and as a chronicle of earlier, current, and destiny demanding situations and victories for the advanced/seasoned practitioner.
This ebook discusses rising nanotechnology-based instruments that experience the capability to dramatically impression melanoma examine, diagnostics, and remedy. melanoma is a posh, devastating, and debilitating illness and, even if a lot development has been made, novel, greater diagnostic and remedies are nonetheless wanted, specially for complicated cancers. the last word target is to observe melanoma early and non-invasively and to supply efficacious and specified precision remedies that reason fewer destructive negative effects. This ebook explains how nanotechnology can take advantage of the size-, shape-, and composition-dependent houses of nanomaterials to supply novel instruments for precision melanoma medication. it will likely be of curiosity to researchers and pros operating within the fields of chemistry, biology, fabrics technological know-how and engineering, and medication who are looking to examine extra approximately this attention-grabbing and fast moving quarter of research.
Extracted from the Drug Abuse instruction manual, 2nd version, to offer you simply the knowledge you would like at a reasonable price.
Forensic matters in Alcohol checking out offers concise and targeted details particular to the pursuits of forensic scientists and medical and forensic toxicologists. It analyzes the extreme results of alcohol intoxication and the tools wherein investigators can degree alcohol focus in blood, urine, and breath. It considers extenuating situations affecting acute impairment via detailing the disposition and destiny of alcohol within the physique in addition to the criteria influencing absorption, distribution, and removing. particular chapters deal with problems in measuring and reading autopsy alcohol concentrations because of terrible caliber of specimen, sampling website variations, and autopsy diffusion or synthesis. fresh advances in biochemical checking out give the opportunity to quantitate continual alcohol ingestion, and the e-book analyzes the efficacy of those exams as evaluators of dependence or strength for dependence.
The purpose of this ebook is to minimize the dangers of scientific remedy and increase the protection of sufferers in all components of healthcare. the 1st part discusses human blunders, the prevalence of damage to sufferers, and the improvement or chance administration. Chapters within the moment part speak about the aid of probability in medical perform in key scientific specialties. The 3rd part discusses gains of the healthcare platforms which are necessary to secure perform, similar to conversation of hazard to sufferers, the layout of kit, supervision and coaching, and potent teamwork. The fourth part describes the best way to placed probability administration into perform, together with the potent and delicate dealing with of lawsuits and claims, the care of injured sufferers and the workers concerned, and the reporting, research and research of significant incidents.
On July 22, 2009, a unique assembly was once held with twenty-four major scientists on the nationwide Institutes of wellbeing and fitness to debate early findings newly came upon retrovirus used to be associated with persistent fatigue syndrome (CFS), prostate melanoma, lymphoma, and finally neurodevelopmental problems in childrens. whilst Dr. Judy Mikovits entire her presentation the room was once silent for a second, then one of many scientists stated, "Oh my God!" The ensuing research will be like no different in science.
For Dr. Mikovits, a twenty-year veteran of the nationwide melanoma Institute, this used to be the midpoint of a five-year trip that might begin with the founding of the Whittemore-Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune sickness on the collage of Nevada, Reno, and finish together with her as a witness for the government opposed to her former organisation, Harvey Whittemore, for unlawful crusade contributions to Senate Majority chief Harry Reid.
On this trip Dr. Mikovits might face the clinical prejudices opposed to CFS, wander into the minefield that's autism, and during all of it fight to keep up her religion in God and the occupation to which she had devoted her lifestyles. this can be a tale for anyone drawn to the peril and promise of technological know-how on the very optimum degrees in our country. | {
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Q: How do I add an XML attribute using DataContract I have a simple class I'm serializing.
[DataContract(Name = "Test", Namespace = "")]
public class Test
{
[DataMember(Order = 0, Name = "Text")]
public string Text { get; set; }
public Test() {}
}
This kicks out the following XML:
<Test>
<Text>Text here</Text>
</Test>
What I want is:
<Test>
<Text type="MyType">Text here</Text>
</Test>
How do I add attributes the the XML elements?
Thanks in advance.
A: Not exactly an answer, but you can try to implement IXmlSerializable to fully control output xml format.
A: You can't add attributes to a DataContract. You either have to use a class that Implements ISerializable or use the .Net XmlSerializer.
A: I was able to achieve this by declaring an XElement which has attributes defined in it. Ex:
public XElement Text { get; set;}
A: Add the type attribute with [XMLAttribute] and the element value with [XmlText].
public class Test
{
public text Text;
public Test()
{
Text = new text();
}
[DataContract(Name = "Test", Namespace = "")]
public class text
{
[XmlText]
public string Text { get; set; }
[XmlAttribute]
public string type { get; set; }
}
}
| {
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Q: Загрузка Счетов и Актов в 1С из файлов, сгенерированных в PHP Имеется: 1С Предприятие 8.2 + Бухгалтерия 2.0
Нужно каким-нибудь образом загружать в 1Ску счета и акты.
В 1С не бум бум, но знаю, что наш бухгалтер все платежки из Сбербанк Бизнес-он-лайн выгружает в текстовый файл, который потом использует в 1С (через кнопку "Загрузить выписку").
Наверное как-то можно и счета и акты загружать в 1С через файл?
Скажите в какую сторону копать? Где искать решение? Сгенерировать нужные txt, excel, csv файлы я смогу на стороне php, важно найти решения загрузки их в 1С.
A: "Загрузить выписку" = Обработка на языке 1С, которая читает файлик, выгруженный из клиент-банка и создает соответствующий документ(-ы) в базе.
Поэтому, копать нужно в сторону 1С-ника, который напишет обработку для создания Актов/Счетов из файла с данными, который предоставите ему вы.
Второй вариант: смотреть на шлюз интеграции с 1С<->1С:Битрикс (CommerceML - суть XML с синтаксисом на русском), но "из-коробки" у Битрикса обработки расчитаны на 1С:Управление торговлей, а не Бухгалтерию.
Третий вариант: поискать готовые обработки загрузки на Инфостарте.
В любом случае, придется либо самому вникать в код обработок и быть готовым его править, либо искать 1С-ника.
| {
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Leaderboard Submission
BIZ – Northwest Louisiana
Gatti: While Louisiana sleeps
BIZ. Staff
A movement is growing across the nation to rebuild our aging roads and bridges. Serious conversations of over a trillion dollars in federal money over the next ten years. President Trump made this promise when he was a candidate and this program is gaining momentum across the nation. Anyone traveling Louisiana's roads and bridges doesn't need to be told our system is in a steep decline. Our system deficits in structure and function are obvious to out of town guests and longtime citizens. These long overdue repairs are necessary.
Trump's plan calls for heavy investments by state and local governments for most of the infrastructure spending. It seems to favor those states who have invested recently with streams of revenue dedicated to roads and bridges. States who want to leverage their infrastructure investments are developing streams of revenue to match the requirements of this upcoming program. States that can't or won't invest in this partnership will be left out on the front-end matching funds, but they will be responsible for paying off this new national debt. Being left out is an indefensible position. It's an issue all state legislatures must address, sooner rather than later.
This plan comes at a difficult time. Public trust in the legislature is at an all time low- but the legislature is the only body that can prepare Louisiana to participate in Trump's plan.
Public distrust was evident last year. The voters instructed the state government to spend transportation taxes on roads and bridges. This measure passed the legislature overwhelmingly and many saw it as a first step in regaining the public trust over wasting transportation dollars. In October 2017 a Constitutional Amendment was passed by voters concerning any new fuel taxes. The fund and its restrictions were set up before any revenue was allocated- this in an of itself of evidence of the distrust of government.
The measure required that money in the Construction Subfund be used by the state and local governments for constructing and maintaining transportation infrastructure projects. The new law prohibited money in the Subfund from being used to pay employee wages and retirement benefits. The public spoke loudly by passing this measure that they are fed up with transportation taxes not being used to fix or build new roads and bridges. Anyone surprised by this vote has been living under a rock. Raiding transportation funds for other programs must come to a stop. It was also a clear signal that a "trust but verify" relationship is emerging. Many legislators ran on fixing roads, but public trust must be restored first. This amendment wasn't the entire solution, but it was a clear first step to address the long-term problems of public distrust of government and government's limited role that includes road and bridge repairs.
While other states are addressing infrastructure needs, Louisiana has been in a "no holds barred" fight over fractions of pennies. My fear is we will be in the indefensible position of helping payoff the Trump infrastructure plan while not receiving one yard of concrete from the plan. Our ship for roads and bridges is finally coming in, but we will be at the airport fighting over fractions of pennies. We have no plan to make a meaningful leverage of funds for Trump's infrastructure plan. In fact, we have passed no meaningful roads and bridge measures in over 30 years.
While the political debate is heated and confusing, we only have five choices in the third special session. Most likely only two could receive the super majority needed for enough legislators to hold their nose and vote.
The first option is to renew the entire penny. This would fund the $648 million-dollar budget shortfall created by the lapse of the penny and create an approximately $352 million-dollar surplus. This would receive very few if any votes in either the House or the Senate. This option is dead.
The second option is to filibuster or pass nothing. This would result in the temporary one penny sales tax stopping on July 1, 2018. The result would be a projected $648 million-dollar short fall and cuts to non-protected budget items and some protected. Deep cuts across the board would be implemented and the usual scapegoats would be slaughtered- Higher Education, Healthcare, TOPS, Family and Children Services, Department of Corrections, Services for the Disabled, etc. This option doesn't need votes; it just needs one person to take the microphone and filibuster all other ideas.
This option is highly unlikely.
A third option was presented by Rep. Lance Harris who heads the Republican delegation in the State House in HB 27. This option requested the renewal of a 1/3 penny sales tax. The result on the consumer would be a thirty-three-cent increase in sales tax on a $100.00 purchase. This measure would raise $395 million in new taxes and would result in a $253 million dollar underfunding of the budget passed by the legislature. This underfunding if not addressed with revenue ahead of time, will become a mid-year cut after the budget starts on July 1. A quarter of a billion dollars in foreseeable midyear cuts is not a good message. Foreseeable midyear cuts should be a thing of the past. The fact that the head of the party in the House acknowledged a shortfall between the budget and projected revenue was a wakeup call to me personally. Most think this option would fall well short in the Senate of the 2/3 vote needed. Additionally, this option only received 38 votes in the House with 66 voting against it. The measure needed 70 house votes to pass.
The fourth option was outlined in Rep. Leger's bill from the second special session HB 17. This option requested the renewal of ½ penny sales tax. The result to the consumer would be 50 cents increase in new taxes on a $100.00 purchase. The measure would raise $510 million in new taxes and would result in a $138 million dollar underfunding of the budget passed by the legislature. This bill received 32 votes for and 6 votes against in the Senate. In the House, this measure received 63 votes for and 41 against. The measure failed in the house because it needed 70 votes.
A fifth option address the shortfall and our need to address roads and bridges. This measure would renew the 1 penny sales tax allocating ½ to the general fund and ½ to roads and bridges. The ½ to the general fund would still result in the $138 million-dollar shortfall addressed under option four above, but it clearly shows our state's willingness to participate in the Trump road and bridge program. This option would provide $510 million dollars a year for over 10 years to address road and bridge repair, preservation, and construction. The sub account would have the same restrictions as the constitutional amendment. The fund would be reviewed quarterly by the Joint Legislative Budget and would be the first account to transition to the Louisiana Checkbook recently passed into law.
This option, coupled with new transparency measures, would not only help us move forward in repairing the public trust and repairing our roads and bridges, but also provide a permanent stable solution to our budget problem, our general fund problem, and our infrastructure neglect.
Louisiana State Sen. Ryan Gatti represents Dist. 36
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As part of patient advocacy, Save Your Skin Foundation is one of the few patient advocacy organizations that is approved to submit treatment recommendations to the CADTH Common Drug Review (CDR) and to pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) from the patient perspective. As an ongoing initiative, we will post these recommendations online.
In Québec effective July 19, 2017: read more here (Appendix IV – page 19) and in Newfoundland, effective June 2017: read more here.
KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) received approval for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who have not received prior treatment with ipilimumab. KEYTRUDA is now the first and only anti-PD1 agent approved for first-line treatment regardless of BRAF mutation status. | {
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A new study ranks Publix Super Markets as second-to-last when it comes to reducing food waste, earning the chain a "D" grade.
The study by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Ugly Fruit and Veggie Campaign rated major U.S. supermarkets based on their accountability in food waste, prevention efforts and recovery and recycling.
The highest possible points a supermarket could receive in the study was 50 points, but Publix only received 11. Aldi U.S. was the only chain ranked lower than Lakeland-based Publix, while Walmart held the top spot with a "B" grade and 32 points, following by Ahold Delhaize U.S. with a "C" grade and 26 points and Kroger with a "C" grade and 24 points.
Publix has 1,178 stores throughout the southeastern portion of the U.S., with 90,000 employees manning the locations. According to the company's sustainability website, the chain recycled about 270,000 tons of materials last year and has worked with suppliers to cut down on packaging. | {
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Fishermen setting out for the day early in the morning. They will probably catch Snoek, and maybe a little Yellow Tail or Cape Salmon.
Muizenberg has always had a very active fishing community, and one of the benefits of living in the Southern part of Cape Town is having a good supply of fresh fish.
You can often see the line fishermen fishing on the beach, especially early in the morning and in the late afternoon. Sometimes you see the boats coming in, the smaller boats often landing on the beach, offloading their cargo directly onto the back of bakki's to go off for resale.
Driving to work on Strandfontein beach at about 8:00am, I spotted these fishermen taking their small rowing boat out. The boat reminded me of a bygone era of fishing, the days before motors, marine radios and GPS. The sepia effect takes it back in time.
You remind me of my childhood day. I grewup in Muizenberg, Our family home use to be on No. 1 Badenpower Drive. My dad Victor Collop worked for Cape City Council as an electrician. My three older brother were fihermen in Muizenberg. Then they had bigger boats four men rowing, on castting the net and the "skipper" Then a fishing crew would be 15 to 20 men. I still remember the owners of the boat the Van Der Pool family and the Skipper was Mr. Ross from Vrygrond. As a boy of 11 years I witness how the boat capsized and how Mr. Ross and two other fishermen drowned. On that day it shoud have been my brothers drowning. One of my brothers Stephen risked his life and saved two men. The following day in the Cape Argus the story appear with a photo of a white man as the hero. Friend, we were forcefully removed from Muizenberg in 1968 and dumped in Parkwood Estate. What a sad day it was.
Robert, that is a remarkable and very sad story. A little piece of history. Thank you for sharing it with me. | {
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This is a recipe full of proteins and packed with just the right amount of spices to treat your tastebuds BUT without adding excessive calories to tip off your balance.
Marinate it beforehand and you just need a few minutes to do the rest of it.
Wash and dry the chicken thoroughly and then mix in all the ingredients for marinade and let it marinate in the freezer for 24 - 48 hours.
Take out the chicken from the freezer and let it defrost for 4-6 hours until you are ready to cook.
In a large thick bottomed pan, add olive oil and cook on medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add asafetida, immediately add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and caraway seeds.
Stir for about 10 seconds and then add onions. Cook until onions are translucent and start to turn slightly pink.
Add marinated chicken and cook on medium-low heat stirring the chicken every 5 minutes.
Sprinkle additional salt and pepper to taste (if needed).
Keep stirring and cooking the chicken until all the liquid is dried up.
Garnish with cilantro and mix well.
Roti and Rice are certainly traditional options for eating it with (not so if you are eating for weight loss).
If you are already healthy and happy with your current weight, feel free to enjoy with roti and rice!! | {
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Our Li'l Pals® 4" Latex Blue Dog Toy is pint-sized to fit perfectly in your petite dog or puppy's mouth. Durable construction and an enticing squeaker provides hours of fun and exercise.
Li'l Pals® Latex Dog Toys are non-toxic and feature durable construction and an enticing squeaker that provide hours of fun and exercise. Designed with comfort and style in mind, the Li'l Pals® line by Coastal Pet Products is specifically made for petite pets. | {
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When is Black Friday? Black Friday is now under one month away – 25 November to be exact. Considered the biggest day of online spending the world has ever seen, retailers need to be prepared for the surge in demand.
How much consumers will spend will be determined by several factors and retailers need to consider their strategies and tactics to acquire a part of the pie.
Is Black Friday losing steam? There is recent speculation that for many shoppers the excitement of standing in long lines and sometimes fighting off other shoppers for the best deals is wearing off, with 31% of US shoppers admitting to disliking shopping on Black Friday. In order to quash the potential risk of not achieving revenue targets, traditional retailers are looking to improve their online sales. This is backed up by Deloitte's study that in the build-up to the holidays, shoppers will spend nearly half (47%) of their budget online.
To support the increased demand from shoppers, retailers need to ensure they have the functionality and strategies in place in the run-up to Black Friday.
Building Engagement – Are your marketing campaigns tailored and targeted?
Black Friday is all about getting the best deals and in preparation for 25 November, retailers should consider offering deals which entice consumers to purchase on the day.
Is Black Friday More than One Day?
While Black Friday might traditionally be one day, retailers can outdo the competition by launching their offers beforehand.
Why not have a week of offers? Tempt your customers to purchase your products without the rush of it only being available on one day. You could create your own event before anyone else launches their Black Friday offers, so why not launch Grey Week? Start hitting those revenue targets before your competitors, as well as promoting offers for 25 November to keep customers returning afterwards.
Supporting the Demand – Can your platform support the traffic?
With such a high volume of shoppers expected to be online during Black Friday (and Cyber Monday too), it is essential to have an infrastructure which can support the number of visitors on the site. It is also vital to have a platform which can cope with processing the high volume of transactions. This is in light of US eCommerce sales reaching $2.72 Billion on Black Friday 2015 – and this is set to increase for 2016.
Gathering Audience Insight – Are you able to collect audience information?
Visitors to your site offer you the opportunity to gather a plethora of information, providing exclusive insight into their interests, viewing and purchasing habits and engagement with the service. Considering how many visitors will be online this Black Friday, with 39%of US shoppers planning to shop online on Black Friday,no retailer can afford to miss out on collecting this information.
Complete Existing Strategies – Are you ready to build recurring revenues?
Regardless of the type of retail business you are, the way customers purchase products is changing dramatically.
To capitalize on this, retailers are considering how they can generate recurring revenues and looking to other industries who have recognised the opportunity in subscriptions. For all types of retail, a subscription model enables an organization to complement existing sales channels, increase revenue and improve customer engagement. The Honest Company for example, is valued at $1.4 Billion, with 80% of sales coming from its subscription plans.
This is where MPP Global's eSuite comes in – an advanced eCommerce platform to manage the complete customer lifecycle to ensure you can maximize conversions, retain existing custom and increase average spend. | {
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Jan 23, 1985 - Precision Surgical Instruments, Inc.
A hand held surgical instrument for use in removing body tissue from a human body. It is particularly useful in arthroscopic surgery of joints such as of the knee or shoulder, but may also be used to remove tissue from the stomach, abdomen, jaw or other portions of the body. An auger-like helical cutter is motor driven at speeds in excess of 1,000 rpm within a stationary outer cylindrical sheath member. The helical cutter is ground to provide a generally concave distal end which gives it a generally fish-tailed appearance and the ability to cut endwise, i.e., to effect an axial boring cut. In addition, the cylindrical sheath member is provided with a pair of longitudinally extending, diametrically opposed tab members at its distal end. Each of the tabs has at least one longitudinally extending edge thereof ground to provide a cutting edge which co-acts with the auger-like cutter blade to sever body tissue insertable between the tabs.
This invention relates to a hand held surgical instrument for removing body tissue from a human body and, more particularly, to such a surgical instrument that is particularly useful in arthroscopic surgery.
Heretofore it has been known to use coaxially mounted hollow tubes in the performance of arthroscopic knee surgery. Side cutting is effected by providing co-acting side edges of the tubes which diverge as cutting proceeds in the proximal direction. The outer tube is stationary and is provided with a side port which is opened and closed on each cycle by the inner rotating tube. Vacuum is used to remove the severed body tissue which is sequentially admitted through the port in the outer tube and then withdrawn through the inner tube. U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,444 to Bonnell et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,414 to Johnson et al are examples of the previously described prior art.
These two patents are deficient in a number of respects. First of all, because the blades are made from tubular members, radial deflection is a critical problem. Bonnell et al acknowledges that even slight deflection, even on the order of one or two thousandths of an inch, of the rotating blade radially relative to the stationary blade can result in jamming of tissues cut from the knee. Secondly, neither of the devices in these two patents are useful in cutting straight ahead, i.e., to give an axial bore cut. Both patents are used for side cutting only. Thirdly, because of the manner in which tissue is introduced into the cutters in these patents, namely, by opening and closing a port in the side of a tube, the speed of cutting is much too slow. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,444 to Bonnell rotational speeds are limited to 200 rpm or below.
In accordance with the present invention the aforementioned difficulties and shortcomings of the known prior art are effectively overcome in the practice of the present invention. In particular, an auger-like cutter blade is rotated within a stationary cylindrical sheath member which supports the cutter blade throughout its length. Both the auger-like cutter blade and the cylindrical sheath are made from stainless steel and deflection of one relative to the other is not a problem.
The cylindrical sheath member is provided with a pair of longitudinally extending, diametrically opposed tabs at its distal end. A cutting edge is provided on a longitudinally dinally extending edge of each of the tabs which co-acts with a helical cutting edge of the auger-like cutter blade to provide side cutting of body tissue insertable between the tabs. In addition, the auger-like blade is provided with a generally concave distal end ground to provide a generally fish-tailed appearance at its outer end terminating in two diametrically opposed sharp portions capable of effecting an axial boring cut.
Finally, the surgical instrument is designed for very rapid cutting speeds. In many applications, including arthroscopic knee surgery and arthroscopic shoulder surgery a rotational speed for the auger-like helical cutter blade of about 3,000 rpm is used. The surgical instrument of the present invention is adaptable to the skill of the operating surgeon. A lower speed of 1,000 rpm is possible while upper rotational speeds of 10,000 rpm or even higher are attainable for delicate operations such as an operation on the human eye.
FIG. 14 is a fragmentary perspective of another modified sheath member with a vertical cross section cut.
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a surgical instrument indicated generally at 20 with the instrument being inserted into a small puncture site below the patella of the knee joint of a patient P. Not shown in the figure are conventional elements including another small puncture site to receive a fiber optic device to light the interior of the joint from a suitable light source which return a visual image either directly to an eye piece for the surgeon or preferably with recording cameras to a visual display which is observed by the surgeon in performing the operation. Also not specifically illustrated is the external introduction of a saline solution through another small puncture site at the knee.
A vacuum line hose 22 is illustrated attached to the surgical instrument and a pneumatic drive hose 24 drives a motor within motor assembly 78. Compressed nitrogen is usually used for this purpose. Alternatively, an electric motor can be used, although special precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of the patient, especially when saline solutions and the like are being employed.
Reference to FIG. 2 illustrates a meniscus indicated generally at 26. This meniscus is generally C-shaped in cross section and is illustrated to have a tear at 28. This is only one of a great many different configurations that a damaged meniscus may have. In order to prevent the damaged meniscus tissue from being pinched between the bones comprising the knee joint, extraneous tissue will be removed by making a cut substantially along the dashed lines 30, 32 in order to provide a relatively smooth configuration for the tissue at the site of the meniscus.
FIG. 3 illustrates in an exploded view, a number of the major elements of the surgical instrument. Thus, there is illustrated a suction housing member 34 which prior to being assembled is open at both ends as may be seen by an inspection of FIGS. 4 and 10. A cylindrical sheath member 36 is illustrated which is open at both ends and terminates at its distal end in a pair of longitudinally extending, diametrically opposed tabs 38. A vacuum tube 40 is secured to the suction housing member 34 at port 42 as seen in FIGS. 4 and 10. Vacuum tube 40 is provided with a series of hose barb seal members 44 in order to receive and retain the vacuum line hose 22.
As can be seen best in FIGS. 4 and 10, the cylindrical sheath member 36 is provided with a sealing head plug member 46 inserted into one open end of the suction housing member 34. An auger-like helical cutter blade 48 received and supported by cutter housing member indicated generally at 50 is inserted within the cylindrical sheath member and resides in closely spaced relationship thereto. FIGS. 4 and 10 also illustrate the use of an O-ring on the cutter housing member 50 so as to provide a seal with the interior of the suction housing member 34 on the side of port 42 that is remote from the cylindrical sheath member 36. A C-shaped spring retainer 54 forms a longitudinal stop for an internal bearing 56. The helical cutter 48 is provided with a thickened end shaft 66 having hub ring members 58 thereon which straddle the bearing 56. A spacer member 60 with any required shim members are used to obtain the proper longitudinal spacing for the distal end of helical cutter 48 with respect to the tab members 38. An end seal member 62 is then placed next to the spacer and/or shim members. An additional constructional feature of the cutter blade includes a pin drive member 64 diametrically inserted through the thickened end shaft 66.
A quick disconnect nut member 68 is carried or trapped on a cutter drive coupling nut member 70 by virtue of a raised boss 72 (FIG. 10) on the cutter drive coupling nut member 70. Left handed threads are provided at 74 on the cutter drive coupling nut member 70 and threaded on the exterior left hand threads 76 of motor assembly 78. A hose receptor 79 is provided for the motor assembly 78 at one end and the motor shaft 80 extends to the left at the other end in FIGS. 4 and 10. Screw 82 secures a cutter drive coupling member 84 to the shaft 80 of the motor. The cutter drive coupling member 84 is slotted at 86 and provided with a widely tapering end so as to self-seat the pin drive member 64 of the helical cutter blade 48. Spring 88 is retained within the cutter drive coupling member 84 by means of recess 90 in the cutter drive coupling member 84 and engages the end of the thickened end shaft 66 so as to urge the auger-like helical cutter blade 48 constantly toward its distal end eliminating any positional change caused by any backlash in the geared drive motor.
In order to effect a quick disconnect for the surgical instrument and to gain access to the cutting blade, the quick disconnect nut member 68 is provided with internal threads 92 engageable with external threads 94 of the suction housing member 34. By simply unscrewing this connection, the end of the cutter housing member 50, which is knurled at 95 as illustrated in FIG. 3, is simply pulled away from the cylindrical sheath member whereby any jammed tissue may be removed. Alternatively, a different size of helioal cutter 48 and cylindrical sheath 36 may be inserted.
Certain measures may be taken to minimize lodging of the tissue within the surgical instrument and these are shown in FIGS. 12-14 to include the application of straight grooves such as that shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 within the cylindrical sheath member 36 or the use of spiral grooves 96a within cylindrical sheath member 36a in FIG. 14. The direction of spiralling of the spiral grooves 96a is preferably opposite to that of the spiralling of the helix on the cutter blade 48.
Further details of the distal end of the auger-like helical cutting blade 48 and cylindrical sheath member 36 may be seen in FIGS. 5-9. In particular, one longitudinally extending edge of each of the tabs 38 is ground to provide a cutting edge 100. The edge of the helical spiral on the helical cutter blades 48 cooperate with these cutting edges 100 to provide lateral shearing of tissue which is inserted laterally between the tabs 38. The tabs 38 are undercut at 102 to provide a protective outer stop shoulder or lip for the blade 48. With the aid of spacer member 60 and any required shims, the outer edge of the cutter blade 48 is positioned from about two to about four thousandths of an inch away from the hook-like undercut portion of the tab members 38.
In addition, the auger-like helical cutting blade 48 is provided with a generally concave distal end at 104 that is ground to provide a generally fish-tailed appearance at its outer end terminating in two diametrically opposed sharp portions or types 106 so that the surgical instrument is capable of making what is called a plunge cut or an axial boring cut. To increase the stiffness of the surgical instrument, it is possible to provide increased thickness at the region of the tab members such as is shown at 108 in FIGS. 5 and 8.
It is possible to vary the details of the blade cutter to suit the skill of the surgeon as well as to vary it to accommodate different tissues that are inserted between the tab members 38. For example, the back angle or sharp edge at 106 on the helical cutter blade 48 may be varied from about 35 degrees minimum to an angle approaching 90 degrees. If this angle is too blunt, no cutting will be effected and if it is too steep, the cutting edge becomes fragile. It is also possible to vary the width of the tab members 38 of the sheath. As the width is made narrower, it is possible to cut faster. This width may be either less than the diameter of the blade or greater than the diameter of the blade. Once again the width is varied dependent upon the skill of the surgeon.
As far as the amount of suction is concerned, 27 inches of mercury is deemed to be high suction and will work very satisfactorily with the surgical instrument of the present invention. Twelve to 16 inches of mercury is considered to be marginal and if the suction is less than that, the chances of clogging the spiral groove in the auger-like helical cutter blade 48 becomes much greater. The auger-like blade with its helical groove serves as a conduit for severed tissue under the influence of the vacuum connected to vacuum tube 40.
While presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be recognized that the invention may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the claims which follow.
(3) said helical cutter blade further having at least a portion of its distal end ground to provide a concave distal end providing a generally fish tailed appearence terminating in two diametrically opposed sharp tynes so that the instrument is capable of making an axial boring cut and wherein the length of the concavity of said concave distal end in a direction along the longitudinal axis of said cylindrical sheath is less than the length of said tabs.
2. A hand held surgical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the grinding of said helical cutter to produce two diametrically opposed sharp portions to produce axial boring cuts forms an angle of at least 35 degrees with an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said helical cutter.
3. A hand held surgical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein said cylindrical sheath is internally grooved to assist in the removal of severed tissue.
4. A hand held surgical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the distal end of said sheath is thickened.
5. In a hand held surgical instrument as defined in claim 1, wherein said motor drive rotates said cutter blade at a rotational speed of at least 1000 rpm.
(3) said helical cutter blade further having at least a portion of its distal end ground to provide a concave distal end providing a generally fish tailed appearance terminating in two diametrically opposed sharp tynes, each of said tynes presenting a generally radially extending cutting edge so that the instrument is also capable of making an axial boring cut independently of said external tabs and wherein the length of the concavity of said concave distal end in a direction along the longitudinal axis of said cylindrical sheath is less than the length of said tabs.
4203444 May 20, 1980 Bonnell et al.
4274414 June 23, 1981 Johnson et al. | {
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Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are essential for regulating conformational changes, activities and functions of proteins, and are involved in almost all cellular pathways and processes. Phosphorylation is one of the most important post-translational modifications of proteins, which is related to many activities of life. It can regulate signal transduction, gene expression and cell cycle regulation of many cellular processes by protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. With the development and application of proteomics technology, researchers pay close attention on protein phosphorylation research more and more widely. In this paper, we use PSO algorithm to optimize neural network weight coefficients and classify the data which has secondary encoding according to the physical and chemical properties of amino acids for feature extraction. The experimental results compared with the result of the support vector machine (SVM) and experimental results show that the prediction accuracy of PSO-ANNs 2.44 % higher than that of SVM. And this paper at the same time, this paper also analyzes the experimental results under different window values. The results of the experiment are best when the window value is 11.
This research was partially supported by Program for Scientific research innovation team in Colleges and universities of Shandong Province 2012–2015, the Key Project of Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2011FZ001), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2011FL022, ZR2013FL002), the Youth Science and Technology Star Program of Jinan City (201406003), Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, China, under Grant ZR2015JL025 and the Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Network Based Intelligent Computing. This work was also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61302128). The scientific research foundation of University of Jinan (XKY1410, XKY1411). | {
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Home » Is Turkey rattled by Russian-Kurdish deal?
Is Turkey rattled by Russian-Kurdish deal?
AUTHOR Fehim Taştekin TRANSLATOR Timur Göksel
Turkey's plans to expand its Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria and isolate Kurdish forces in the region appear to be backfiring.
Turkey may feel its already-tenuous footing in Syria slipping now that Russian troops have arrived in Afrin, after making a pact with the Kurds.
After Turkey liberated al-Bab from the Islamic State (IS), it turned toward Manbij, which is controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and its Syrian allies, only to encounter US flags northwest of the town and Russian and Syrian national flags to the southwest. Now a similar scenario is being played out in Afrin.
On March 20, YPG spokesman Redur Halil announced Russia would deploy troops to the Cindires district of Afrin province. The statement was followed by photos of military vehicles flying the Russian flag.
"The presence of Russian troops at Cindires is the outcome of an agreement reached between our forces and the Russian army," Halil said. "This agreement foresees partnership in combating terror and training of our fighters by the Russian army. We have direct contacts with Russia."
YPG sources told Al-Monitor the two sides met at Khmeimim air base near Latakia to discuss developing a joint operation against Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (previously Jabhat al-Nusra), which has made Idlib its central base. The Kurds initially insisted that the partnership should also oppose organizations such as Ahrar al-Sham, which Turkey supports. In the end, the sources said, both parties decided not to debate which organizations they will confront and agreed that Russia will set up a base in Afrin. The Kurds said they rejected Russia's request to have Syrian regime troops at the base and to fly the Syrian flag there.
But the Russian Defense Ministry denied it plans to have a permanent military base there. The ministry said Russia has a site nearby that it uses to monitor cease-fire arrangements.
Preparing for a possible war
Zelal Ceger, an official with the Kurdish Movement for a Democratic Society in Afrin, said the Kurds sought an agreement with the Russians because of persistent attacks on Afrin by Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and armed groups that Turkey supports. A Russian military convoy went first, as planned, to Cindires, immediately south of Afrin near the western border with Turkey. Russia then decided the convoy would be better positioned in Kefir Ceni, which is about an hour northeast toward the northern Turkish border and some 9 miles from Azaz.
"We have the Turkish state on one side and the gangs on the other," Ceger said. "We are resisting them by our own means. But they are setting up alliances against us. We have to do something about these. The Turkish state is threatening us every day and shelling Raco, Sharra and Shiigi. We are under pressure also from the direction of Tel Firat. Turkey is massing troops around Idlib and giving weapons to the gangs of Idlib."
He added, "This war can escalate — hence our call on Russia for an alliance. There has to be coordination between Turkey and us. Russia will provide that coordination to prevent Turkish attacks against Afrin."
Russian military experts have been coming to Afrin for the past two years. These visits started immediately after Turkey said it wouldn't allow the YPG to cross to the west of the Euphrates River, and the YPG started attacks from Afrin against Azaz. However, if the YPG sources are correct, this will be the first time the Russians have felt the need for a permanent base at Afrin. Why?
A senior YPG commander speaking to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said, "According to an agreement between Turkey and Russia, Turkey was to hand over al-Bab to the Syrian army after capturing it from IS. But Turkey did not leave al-Bab. To the contrary, it is now building a second base on a dominating hill outside al-Bab. It had already built a base at Aktarin. When the Turks didn't pull out of al-Bab, Russia wanted to send them a new message. Russia's rapprochement with the Kurds stems from the weakness of Turkish-Russian relations."
Will the rapprochement affect the partnership between the United States and the Kurds? The senior YPG commander replied, "No. We initiated contacts with Russia after openly speaking about it with the Americans. We told the Americans, 'If you are not willing to cooperate with us at al-Bab and Afrin, then we will have to look for other connections.' They did not react. The Russian and American positions on Raqqa have become closer. This makes it easy for us to set up relations with both of them."
Raqqa, the so-called IS capital in Syria, is another sore spot with Turkey, which has made it clear it plans on being part of the operation to take control of the city. That scenario is looking more unlikely each day.
After the United States and Russia reached an understanding on Manbij, the United States continued providing military assistance to the Syrian Democratic Forces, a YPG-dominated coalition. The United States has brought in armored vehicles, heavy weapons and helicopters for the Raqqa operation. The Kurds are now waiting for Apache assault helicopters. In the meantime, the Kurds firmly rejected a US proposal to include Syrian Kurdish peshmerga forces supported by Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq. Barzani cooperates with Turkey. YPG Kurds said of the proposal, "We see this as a conspiracy. It will mean war between the Kurds. We categorically reject it."
All these developments indicate that either the United States is being flexible or it is not in a position to impose conditions on the Kurds, who are aware that the US-Russia understanding could be a short-term one.
Kurds can join Idlib operation
The critical question now is what will happen at Idlib. The Syrian army has been clearing out IS forces from their last Aleppo stronghold. Thanks to an agreement between Turkey and Russia, Turkish-supported armed groups — which oppose the Syrian regime but were also fighting IS in Aleppo — were allowed to leave there with their weapons and families. Most of them settled in Idlib and Azaz.
Now, Russia and Turkey disagree on what to do with these anti-Syrian (and therefore, anti-Russian) groups. Russia wants them disbanded. Turkey would like them to hold onto that area and join the pro-Turkish Free Syrian Army factions to fight the Kurds and keep them from establishing a continuous autonomous region near Turkey's border.
If Russia and the Syrian army open a front against Idlib, clashes with the Turkish-backed groups could spill over to Afrin.
Although the Kurds are focused on defending Afrin, they may be amenable to a joint operation with the Russians against threats from Idlib. This is what the YPG commander told Al-Monitor: "We could, of course, join operations against Idlib-based groups if we so wanted. Idlib is the key now. If Idlib is attacked, then Afrin will come under pressure. We are open to different alternatives."
According to this YPG commander, if Turkish-supported groups or the Turkish army directly move against Afrin, the Kurds have two options:
"The first option is cooperation with Russians. This is ongoing. Russian deployment at Afrin is an open message to Turkey. Our second option is to give the green light to the Syrian army. Afrin is a Syrian town. The Syrian army can come there as stipulated by its territorial integrity. If we have to, we will look into this option."
In summary, Russia has deployed troops to Afrin for three reasons. First, it is sending a message to Turkey, via the Kurds, that it is unhappy about Turkey not leaving al-Bab. Second, Russia will not allow a TSK move against Afrin. Third, a northern Kurdish front is developing against groups like Jabhat Fatah al-Sham at Idlib.
www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/03/turkey-syria-russian-troops-arrive-afrin.html
news_articles | by Dr. Radut | {
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A Consumer Proposal will be noted on your credit history for two to three years following completion of the Consumer Proposal, depending on the credit bureau. This is the same credit rating impact as traditional or non-profit credit counselling programs and debt management plans, even though these plans require you to pay your debts back in full, compared to partial repayment in most Consumer Proposals.
Many people are surprised to learn that transactions credit bureaus consider "negative", such as bouncing payments or a judgment will be shown on your credit history for seven years – this is even longer than a bankruptcy note, which shows on credit history reports for six years following discharge from bankruptcy.
Filing a Consumer Proposal does not prevent you from seeking new credit before the Consumer Proposal expires from your credit history report. Even during the time that the Consumer Proposal is noted on your credit history, it may still be possible to obtain new credit, including renewal of ongoing commitments such as your mortgage, financing the purchase of a new vehicle, or even a credit card.
Tools and resources to help you rebuild your credit rating and information about actions you can take to improve your credit score are provided as part of the two financial counselling sessions that take place during your Consumer Proposal. It's important to remember that a credit score can change massively in as little as two years depending on your actions.
For many people the relatively short-term impact to their credit history and score after a Consumer Proposal filing allows them to gain a financial fresh start and build a strong credit rating faster than if they tried to pay the debt (plus interest) on their own.
Watch our short video to learn more about rebuilding your credit after making a Consumer Proposal or filing a personal bankruptcy. | {
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Books, Printed Ephemera and Manuscripts
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[ Gariazzo; lithographs ] Tribal peoples of three continents: 1930s illustrations by Pier Antonio Gariazzo
Pier Antonio Gariazzo, artist and filmmaker
80 lithographic prints, mostly hand-coloured, of drawings of indigenous peoples and tribal groups, made on a voyage to South America, Africa and Asia in 1933 by the Italian painter and film director Pier Antonio Gariazzo. With accompanying French letterpress. This collection of accomplished and beautifully-finished prints is a puzzle, with no apparent reference to it or to the letterpress among Gariazzo's published works.Each print on one side of a separate piece of thick laid paper, 24.5 x 32.5 cm. Numbered 1 to 82, with 61 and 63 lacking.
Engravings of Hawaii, Tahiti, Tonga, New Guinea, Fiji, Pitcairn Islands, etc., from De Sainson, and map of Tonga, in Vol.2 [Tomo II] of the Spanish edition of Dumont D'Urville's 'Voyage Pittoresque' ('Viaje Pintoresco al Rededor del Mundo').
M. Dumont D'Urville, Capitan de Navio [Louis Auguste de Sainson (1801-1887), official artist on board Dumont D'Urville's L'Astrolabe, during its three months' tour of New Zealand in 1827]
Barcelona. Imprenta y Libreria de Juan Oliveres, Calle de Escudellers, Núm. 53. 1841.
The 90 plates (uncoloured steel engravings) are in 4to format, in good condition, with some having creasing to corners (not affecting the illustrations themselves), on lightly-aged paper, in the second volume of the work ([6] + 382pp., 4to), which is in a worn contemporary brown leather half-binding with marbled paper covers. These show views, fauna, inhabitants, atrefacts, and incidents on D'Urville's voyage. Also present is a fold-out map (Gravé par Ambroise Tardieu') titled 'Carte des Iles Tonga pour servir au Voyage pittoresque autour du Monde par M. D'Urville.
D'URVILLE
SAINSON
'Pain and Sin' in wartime Australia: The Diaries and Stories of Duncan Murray Gordon (1912-2012)
Duncan Murray Gordon, soldier and writer [Australian Author)
Duncan Murray Gordon was born in 1912, the son of a commercial traveller. In 1927 he won a scholarship to Stott's College, Melbourne, and in August 1940 he began a clerical job at the Victorian mining company Broken Hill South Ltd. He served in the Second World War between March 1941 to July 1946, in both the AMF (Australian Military Forces) and AIF (Australian Imperial Force) in Australia and New Guinea (where he finds, as the second volume of the diary reveals, the only way to survive is 'to find somebody to go mad with').
Military and Naval History
Tribal peoples of three continents: 1930s illustrations by Pier Antonio Gariazzo
Pamphlets and Books
Travel and Topography
Diplomatic and Consular Reports. Trade of the German Colonies [Togo, Cameroon, East Africa, German South-West Africa, Kiau-Chow, German New Guinea, Marschall Islands (1896). No. 474.
[Foreign Office. 1897. Annual Series] [GERMAN COLONIES]
Foreign Office, 1897
Pamphlet, stitched as issued, blue wraps, 44pp., 8vo, sl. marked, mainly good condition. Report for 1896.
KIAU-CHOW
Studio photograph inscribed to Hubert Smith, author [?] of "Tent Life with English Gipsies in Norway"
Octavius C. Stone [ HUBERT SMITH ]
No place, 4 May 1906.
Author of "A few months in New Guinea". Vignette photograph of Stone, circa 3.5 x 6", one nick on margin, bottom trimmed, taken at the Exposne inter.fotog. Milano 1894. INSCRIBED by Stone: To my dear & valued friend Hubert Smith with sincere affection & loving memories of 'auld lang syne" / Octavius C. Stone, FRGS. / 4 May 1906". Note from net: "'The Scholar Gypsy' by John Sampson has several pages on Esmeralda Lock, including two portraits. She was married to Hubert Smith, the town clerk of Bridgnorth, but ran away for some time with a lover.
Subscribe to our irregular newsletters of selected latest additions.
RICHARD M. FORD LTD (ABA)
(Dr Richard Ford)
Antiquarian Bookseller
70 Chaucer Road,
London, W3 6DP.
e-mail: richardford@manuscripts.me | {
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My grasshopper-like spacecraft exploring an atmospherically toxic planet at sunset.
When the highly anticipated Hello Games video game No Man's Sky released in 2016 as a Playstation 4 exclusive, fanfair was loud and dreams were big; procedural-generation, a method of creating data according to algorithms instead of manually inputting them, would allow each player to pilot unique spacecrafts and discover unique flora and fauna on unique planets in unique galaxies, theoretically forever… a truly unique feat.
NMS was supposed to be so vast, more so than any other game before and after, that even though it was "technically" multiplayer, one may never come across another player. Ever. The curious nature of NMS, the sheer wonder of what one would find if they landed on that distant ringed-planet, is what fueled so much intrigue during the countdown to launch. So who is this audacious Hello Games, a relatively quiet and new company, and why would they embark on a mission of such magnitude?
Founded in 2008 in Guildford, England, former employees of other big-time video game companies came together to start over and get back to the fundamentals of creating games. Prior to NMS they specialized in making "indie games," which means they produced games without major funding and support from a larger company like Electronic Arts (one of the places some Hello Games employees left). They did this in part because indie games tend to be more on the creative side and more akin to old-school side-scrolling video games. The other reason, Hello Games only employs 16 people. SIXTEEN. In comparison, EA employs 9,300 people (as of 2018 statistics).
Ventures like NMS are thus unheard of for indie game companies because of the massive demand of resources for large scale games, even with a tool like procedural-generation.
When gamers invested their $60 towards a brighter future navigating the stars, they were stunned when instead their money went straight into a black hole devoid of happiness. As I told the cashier at my local shop that I was picking up NMS he appropriately quoted the wise Admiral Ackbar. Indeed, sir, it was a trap. It was.The gaming community finally had hands-on experience and found more of a cheeseless moon than an Earth 2.0 or Mars. The excruciatingly simple tasks - traveling to a planet, harvesting some materials, and discovering new flora/fauna - it turns out got incredibly stale. The main storyline felt hollow, simple, and uninspired. It was also too short, something rather unforgivable for a game with such touted spaciousness.
One of the saving graces was that tiny, insignificant chance that maybe, potentially you might come across another player out in the ever-expanding universes. Well, some gamers with incredible stick-to-it-iveness found out that that's not actually possible due to coding (or lack thereof) that made each player invisible to each other. Despite wandering the same planet for hours and potentially standing right next to each other, no player-to-player interaction was possible. Some of the other broken light-promises (I call them that because I don't ever remember Sean Miller or any other Hello Games exec claiming some of these during pre-release interviews, but the gaming community recalls otherwise) included the possibility for building structures ala Minecraft or Fallout. Those light-promises were not met upon release.
There are ways of tracking how many people are actively playing a game at any one moment, and they are used to determine a games popularity in real time. These stats don't usually surface for the general public because they generally follow the same arc, but in the case of NMS, by the time Houston realized it had a problem, the numbers proved it. 88% of NMS players worldwide put the controllers down and walked away like they just watched Apollo 13 in person.
With such a failure most companies would do as the consumer did, or they would tweak the game in some downloadable content for another $30. Instead, to their credit, Hello Games listened to the gaming community and went back to work to create a series of free, literally game-changing, updates.
Foundation was the first major update, and laid the… groundwork... for building planetary bases, as well as adding different game modes. Path Finder followed with three different types of vehicles (dune-buggy, hovercraft, and behemoth) to be used for planetary exploration and some extra storage. Included is another game mode titled PERMADEATH (without the caps lock ofcourse) - which plays exactly how it sounds - go until you die, then, well nobody has come back from that to tell us what happens after (perma)death… Atlas Rises arrived shortly after, reworking the main storyline and introducing new side missions, portals for traveling quicker between galaxies, new system economics and trade improvements, and joint exploration which directly leads to the next update. Next… (yep) is the latest massive update and finally made true on an original promise - multiplayer. Attached but not to be neglected is the ability to command freighter armadas and a graphics overhaul that everything look even better.
By now I have spent about equal time playing the original version and the updated version with all of the new goodies (about 100 hours altogether). I tried my best to stick with NMS during the lean times; the beautiful landscapes of each planet and simple tasks created a peaceful escape from stressful everyday life. I would be dishonest, however, if I said I loved it just the way it was and didn't think about what more it could be.The updates that Hello Games made feel necessary and delivered so much more dimension and content than previously existed. I have never experienced a game like NMS, which blends perfectly the uniqueness of Minecraft with the beauty and wonder of a Sci-Fi movie poster. I'm excited to share all of this with my fellow gamers, and with Next, finally be able to meet up on Hoth (the ice planet I've colonized and named originally). With more adventures on the horizon, today NMS seems destined to be a title that will never be deemed an all-timer due to its rough start, but will instead be called something more special by its fanbase - stardust - for that unique feeling and quality No Man's Sky possesses.
I told you it's grasshopper-like! This is Hoth (original) my colonized planet.
This freakin planet was made entirely of hexagonal plates, reminding me of the "cob-planet from Rick and Morty. | {
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Next we have decided to surprise you by ofering a new game in which you will have by your side one of your favourite disney princesses. Because we like you to have as many new games as we can offer, the administrative team of games-kids.com is trying really har to offer you new and beautiful online games in which you will have by your side some of the most wonderfull characters. This time the new game that we have for you is a makeover game in which you will have as main character princess Sofia the First. The game that we have for you is a very beautiful game in which we want you to apply some facial treatment on Sofia and eliminate all of her skin impurities. After you are done you need to arrange her eyebrows and choose a makeover for her. Use you imagination and skills and make sure you so the best for your princess friend. We are sure that you will have alot of fun playing with the beautiful princess Sofia the First and that is why we inivte you to join us and play this new game. Have fun! | {
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Imo: Why I chose my son-in-law as successor – Okorocha
September 3, 2018 1 Comment
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has revealed why he is throwing his weight behind his Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu to succeed him as governor of the state in 2019.
The governor, who made this known through a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, asserted that in a bid to avoid being missed by people of the state on some of his landmark achievements, especially his free and qualitative education programme, he has chosen Nwosu to consolidate on the projects.
Governor Okorocha maintained that the free education programme in the state, which some of his opponents had tried to discredit when it was introduced, has yielded obvious remarkable results.
He maintained that aside the school enrolment in the state snowballing from 381,000 in 2011 to more than One million in 2017, the state has continued to lead in JAMB applications for the seventh time .
Buttressing his choice of Nwosu, Okorocha disclosed that the state has also continued to do well in West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams, emphasising on the 2018 Senior School Certificate Exam (SSCE), which the state came fifth out of the thirty-six states in the country .
He also noted that his administration has more than 1,000 verifiable projects to its credit, while challenging his critics to disprove him.
"We have also been claiming and indeed, truthfully, that what Governor Okorocha's administration has achieved in less than eight years, have gone beyond all that those who had governed the state before him had achieved, when you put them together. Nobody has also challenged us or tried to fault our claims.
"We have equally gone the extra-mile to say that anybody who feels that he has a contrary claim to ours should indicate.
"And the best way to deal with such claim and counter-claim is for those concerned to itemise their claims, publish them for public consumption, while we also publish ours, for comparative analysis.
Meanwhile, a gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Frank Nneji has dismissed rumours in the state that he is being sponsored by Governor Okorocha as not only an insult to him, but the governor does not have the moral capacity to do so.
This was just as he pointed out that Imo is today at the same stage that Anambra was in 2003 where everything had grounded to a halt.
The founder of ABC Transport, who stated this at the weekend during an interactive session with newsmen in the state, said "governor Okorocha does not have the moral capacity to sponsor my gubernatorial aspiration."
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your transport company is almost dead with its always breaking down buses and you dare to govern a state?
The Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has approved the payment of N30,000 minimum wage ... | {
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GBNF
xXx EVENTS - Bros Only
POW/MIA FLAG
I am the flag of thousands that never came home!
I am the empty face of the comrade in arms that you have left behind.
My colors are Black and White; there is no gray area with me.
I am either behind a barbwire fence, with a watchtower over me, or lying in a shallow grave in a foreign land.
There was a time when I was flown throughout this country, but now you hardly ever see me.
I fly at Veterans Halls, Memorials, and the houses of those that still Remember me.
I am quickly fading from your memory.
I am the Forgotten One!
I was spawned out of WAR; I should NEVER have been born!
Is it because of that, most of you turn your head in shame when you see me?
Or is it because you are trying to forget me?
Is it that easy to forget a friend, a comrade, or a loved one?
Tell me what I did that was so wrong, that I might know why you have left me here all these years after my
Brothers have all gone home.
Why must I labor for my captures, Day after Day?
Why do I lie in a shallow grave in a foreign land, where No One comes to visit me?
Why has my country FORSAKEN ME, and the people I fought for FORGOTTEN ME?
What did I do to deserve this from MY COUNTRY?
TELL ME WHY!
I just want you to know!
I AM STILL HERE!
Bring me HOME to the land I was born in, and the Country I so PROUDLY Served!
Dear GOD, bring me HOME!
"BRING THEM HOME or SEND US BACK"
By Stubby
Viet Nam Vets / Legacy Vets MC
The POW/MIA Flag
The POW/MIA flag is an American flag designed as a symbol of citizen concern about United States military personnel taken as prisoners of war (POWs) or listed as missing in action (MIA). The POW/MIA flag was created by the National League of Families and officially recognized by the Congress in conjunction with the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue, "as the symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation."
In 1971, while the Vietnam War was still being fought, Mary Hoff, the wife of a service member missing in action and member of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, recognized the need for a symbol of U.S. POW/MIAs, some of whom had been held in captivity for as many as seven years. The flag is black, and bears in the center, in black and white, the emblem of the League. The emblem was designed by Newt Heisley, and features a white disk bearing in black silhouette the bust of a man (Jeffery Heisley), watch tower with a guard on patrol, and a strand of barbed wire; above the disk are the white letters POW and MIA framing a white 5-pointed star; below the disk is a black and white wreath above the white motto:
The flag has been altered many times; the colors have been switched from black with white – to red, white and blue – to white with black; the POW/MIA has at times been revised to MIA/POW.
On March 9, 1989, a league flag that had flown over the White House on the 1988 National POW/MIA Recognition Day was installed in the U.S. Capitol rotunda as a result of legislation passed by the 100th Congress. The league's POW-MIA flag is the only flag ever displayed in the rotunda, and the only one other than the Flag of the United States to have flown over the White House. The leadership of both Houses of Congress hosted the installation ceremony in a demonstration of bipartisan congressional support.
On August 10, 1990, the 101st Congress passed U.S. Public Law 101-355, recognizing the National League of Families POW/MIA Flag and designating it "as a symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation." Beyond Southeast Asia, it has been a symbol for POW/MIAs from all U.S. wars.
Flag Use
With the passage of Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act during the first term of the 105th Congress, the POW/MIA Flag was specified to fly each year on:
Armed Forces Day Third Saturday in May
Memorial Day Last Monday in May
Flag Day June 14
Independence Day July 4
National POW/MIA Recognition Day Third Friday in September
Veterans Day November 11
The POW/MIA Flag will be flown on the grounds or the public lobbies of major military installations as designated by the U.S. Secretary of Defense, all Federal National Cemeteries, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the White House, the United States Post Offices and at official offices of the Secretaries of State, Defense and Veterans Affairs, and Director of the Selective Service System. Civilians are free to fly the POW/MIA Flag whenever they wish.
In the U.S. armed forces, the dining halls, mess halls and chow halls display a single table and chair in a corner draped with the POW-MIA flag as a symbol for the missing, thus reserving a chair in hopes of their return.
Other color patterns exist: the Orange and Black pattern was run by Outpost flags at the time of Harley Davidson's 100th anniversary, so that the bikers would help keep the issue alive and in the forefront of American politics. There are Red and White versions, which some say are to cover more recent military actions, but this is not official policy. There are Black and Red versions available as well. | {
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} |
The Moguldom Nation
MogulWatch
Here Are The Biggest Cultural Trends To Watch In Q3 2018
Written by Lauren DeLisa Coleman
Alfre Woodard, Kerry Washington, and Brandy Rayana Norwood at Women's March Los Angeles, Jan. 21, 2017. Photo: Faye Sadou/MediaPunch/IPX
Cultural trend analysis will become even more important to everyone in the third quarter of 2018 because we are in the midst of major value and sentiment paradigm shifts.
Connecting will become even more important and to do so, understanding mindset, motivations, fears, and goals of society will be paramount.
Here are my picks for key areas and insights that I will be tracking this year and breaking down via periodic updates:
1. Celebrity
Celebrities are increasingly becoming involved in political and social issues. Trump's anti-immigration policy is only the latest, bringing out such notables as Laura Dern, Amy Schumer, Kerry Washington, Anne Hathaway, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and John Legend.
These celebrities bring awareness to help keep families together. However, the next level of the narrative will be holding such notables accountable for increased participation rather than one-offs. This is where unique business opportunities will intersect with public service.
Your play: Watch this. It's rare that celebs move solo. It's either all or none and usually a one-off attempt through their megaphones. As cause-related marketing ops heat up, compel them to deepen their participation by long-term strategies that your company can drive for the largest social good while still making the bottom line.
2. Race
The recent use of the n-word from a now former Netflix exec gives further demonstration to the CEO as quasi-public figure in this tension-filled era. Netflix was quick to jump on this. It's just one of the increasingly bold racial outbursts in which more and more companies are finding themselves entangled.
Your play: Photos such as the recreation of "A Great Day in Harlem" are nice, and they reinforce Netflix's commitment to creatives of color, but diversity is never equivalent to equity. Efforts should lead to more than images and hiring of creatives. Giving back to communities of color that Help drive Netflix's massive revenue should be next. Diversity should never be confused with equity. Spread the social word on this.
3. Millennial mashup
Fortune magazine recently did a piece about certain debit cards being the new hot status symbol among 18-34. Acorns, SoFi and Venmo allegedly rank very high.
Your play: Watch for articles like this because they may be jumping the gun a bit. Not all 80-plus million millennials follow the same trends. Make no mistake, the AMEX Black Card still reigns supreme in many sub demos. Others are all about crypto over any cards. Stay alert on the needs and moves of the variety of millennials and you'll stay ahead of the curve.
4. Tech
Blockchain in advertising is going to be h-u-g-e. It's just that simple. As blockchain and crypto intersect vital parts of the backbone of our capitalist society, rest assured that this space will grow exponentially for the rest of the year.
Your play: The most important space to watch is new ways to leverage brand messaging beyond simply using blockchain to carry out the standard ad buy with greater transparency. Those who do so will be the winners. Stay up on every conference you can attend in order to be with innovators in this important space.
John Legend performs at the "Families Belong Together: Freedom for Immigrants" March on Saturday, June 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)
5. Politics
As I mentioned in my keynote speech during the NAB Conference in Las Vegas in April, watch for increasing trends around women of color and politics. As Moguldom reported, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Latina running in her first political campaign, defeated political veteran Joe Crowley in the Democratic Party's congressional primary in New York City. What is important to note is that she is half the age of the Caucasian male she defeated and is indicative of a major power trend that will change the country as we know it!
Your play: While Caucasian women in Hollywood have primarily co-opted part of the Feminism 2.0 narrative, watch for women of color to go for other levels of political and economic power to truly change the narrative of the growing majority in the U.S: people of color.
See additional ways in which you can leverage each of these trends. Don't miss "Conquer All," the included track by new artist Kelvin D. Frazier, Ph.D.
As our world changes, cultural intelligence is definitely the new oil.
Sign up for the Moguldom newsletter - business news you need to know about economic empowerment for the digital age.
July 12, 2018 July 12, 2018 by Lauren DeLisa Coleman
Category: Crypto, GN, Hollywood, Inequality, original, Politics, Tech.Tag: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, causes, cryptocurrency, cultural trends, marketing, Millennials, Netflix, people of color, social issues, women of color
© Copyright 2019 Moguldom®
Nubai Ventures, LLC | {
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This is a placeholder page for Sandy Arab, which means this person is not currently on this site. We do suggest using the tools below to find Sandy Arab.
You are visiting the placeholder page for Sandy Arab. This page is here because someone used our placeholder utility to look for Sandy Arab. We created this page automatically in hopes Sandy Arab would find it. If you are not Sandy Arab, but are an alumni of Dowagiac Union High School, register on this site for free now. | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
package uk.co.harrymartland.multijmx.service.commandline;
import com.google.inject.Inject;
import com.google.inject.Provider;
import com.google.inject.Singleton;
import org.apache.commons.cli.CommandLine;
import org.apache.commons.cli.CommandLineParser;
import org.apache.commons.cli.ParseException;
import uk.co.harrymartland.multijmx.service.options.OptionsService;
@Singleton
public class CommandLineServiceImpl implements CommandLineService {
private CommandLine commandLine;
private CommandLineParser commandLineParser;
private Provider<OptionsService> optionsService;
@Inject
public CommandLineServiceImpl(CommandLineParser commandLineParser, Provider<OptionsService> optionsService) {
this.commandLineParser = commandLineParser;
this.optionsService = optionsService;
}
@Override
public CommandLine get() {
if (commandLine == null) {
throw new IllegalStateException("Command line not set!");
}
return commandLine;
}
@Override
public CommandLine create(String[] args) throws ParseException {
if (commandLine != null) {
throw new IllegalStateException("Command line already set!");
}
return commandLine = commandLineParser.parse(optionsService.get().getOptions(), args);
}
}
| {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaGithub"
} |
In this episode of Mike & the Kids! Where I, as Mike O'Brien, the Creator of A.P. Bio, Interview the Actors That Play the Students on the Show, show creator Mike O'Brien interviews Marisa Baram, who plays Marissa (with two s's). | {
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Background Born in Puerto Rico. Trained at Johnson & Wales University in Norfolk, Virginia. Worked at The Frog and the Redneck in Richmond, Virginia, and The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, in Atlanta.
How he got into cooking "There weren't always waves to surf in Virginia Beach, where I grew up, so I needed something else to do."
First food memory Barbecued wild pig, grilled catfish and venison sausage at his uncle's ranch in Texas, age eight.
Mentors Chefs Jimmy Sneed and Guenther Seeger.
Menu bomb "I made an awesome rabbit terrine. I was loving it, but I couldn't give it away."
What he'd be if he weren't a chef An oceanographer.
Favorite cookbook Jacques Pépin's La Technique.
Favorite place to eat Soto in Atlanta.
Dish he could eat every day Mashed potatoes.
Trend he's most tired of "People trying to do the Asian thing—it's like a contagious disease. There should be a law."
Favorite kitchen tool A Vita-Mix blender."The best. It will puree rocks."
Food vices Barbecue ("In Richmond, that's a vice") and Burger King.
Recipe tip When sautéeing onions or shallots, add a pinch of salt first; it helps release their juices and prevents burning. | {
"redpajama_set_name": "RedPajamaC4"
} |
Auditioning FAQs
Vocal Conservatory
Boys Choir
Musical Theatre Camp
For beginning and advanced singers, boys and girls, age 10–18
Develop performance skills as singer/actors alongside peers, both as soloists and members of ensembles. This two-week intensive camp will include:
Vocal coaching
Movement rehearsals and blocking
Acting and character development
Vocal Anatomy
Improvisation and theatre games
Accepting singers ages 10-18 per audition or submission.
Campers will take part in vocal coaching, acting instruction focusing on the challenges of the singer/actor, and staging/blocking sessions. Repertoire assignments are based on ability level and vocal range. Students will work in small groups and receive individual vocal coaching for their pieces. The final week is dedicated to dress rehearsals and staging. The camp ends with a final performance, allowing students to showcase their prepared scenes from the musical theatre repertory.
When: July 6–17, 2020
Where: 1336 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123.
What time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Michael Ashby earned his Masters of Operatic performance from New Jersey City University and his Bachelor of Science in Music Performance from Indiana State University. He has performed regionally in opera, operetta, musical theater, and theater productions. In addition to our vocal conservatory he maintains voice studios at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and Community Music School in Trappe, Pennsylvania. For the past year Michael has been working as the vocal technical teacher for the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale as well as the Philadelphia Girls Choir. This summer will marks his seventh time directing the opera camp for the conservatory and his twelfth opera camp in total. His previous teen opera camps were directed at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and for Philadelphia International Music Festival in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. During his time at Rutgers he was a private vocal instructor with the Mason Gross Extension Division/Community Music Program for eleven years. This Summer Michael will also undertake direction of our choral camp.
Accompanist/Coach
Steve Weber graduated from both Cedarville University (B.A. in Music) and Boston University (M.A. in Music Education). He has been teaching high school music in southern New Jersey for over 15 years, where his students have been featured on Philadelphia radio and national television several times. Steve has worked with many regional music groups, including International Opera Theater of Philadelphia, Delaware Valley Opera Chorus, and the Ritz Theater of Oaklyn. In his spare time, he arranges music for not only his students but other high school and college ensembles as well.
The fee for the two week program is $600.00. All materials are included. Lunch is not provided.
A $50 non-refundable fee is due upon application (payments can be made by check or online). If accepted into the program, $550 is due by July 1.
Please use our online application, or email info@phillygirlschoir.org.
NOTE: Singers accepted per audition or submission. Please prepare up to two song selections, one of which may be from an opera, an operetta, or musical theater. Both selections can be in English. Should you choose to submit audition materials, CDs should be mailed to our office and .mp3 files can be emailed to mashby@phillygirlschoir.org. YouTube clips are also acceptable.
Personalized Summer Instruction
See our concert schedule and order tickets to our next event.
HIRE!
Invite the Philadelphia Girls Choir to your event.
Discover how to audition to become a member and wear the signature red gown. Please visit meetme.so/PGCAuditions to schedule an audition. If there are no appointment slots available, please email info@phillygirlschoir.org to request an audition time.
BECOME A FRIEND OF THE CHOIR!
Support the choir with a gift.
Join the mailing list.
©2019 Philadelphia Girls Choir | All rights reserved | Site Map | {
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} |
module MATLAB
using Libdl
using SparseArrays
import Base: eltype, close, size, copy, ndims, unsafe_convert
# mxarray
export MxArray, mxClassID, mxComplexity,
mxclassid, data_ptr,
classid, nrows, ncols, nelems, elsize
export is_double, is_single,
is_int8, is_uint8, is_int16, is_uint16,
is_int32, is_uint32, is_int64, is_uint64,
is_numeric, is_complex, is_sparse, is_empty,
is_logical, is_char, is_struct, is_cell
export mxarray, mxsparse, delete,
mxcellarray, get_cell, set_cell,
mxstruct, mxstructarray, mxnfields, get_fieldname, get_field, set_field,
jvalue, jarray, jscalar, jvector, jmatrix, jsparse, jstring, jdict
# engine & matfile
export MSession, MatFile,
get_default_msession, restart_default_msession, close_default_msession,
eval_string, get_mvariable, get_variable, put_variable, put_variables,
variable_names, read_matfile, write_matfile,
mxcall,
@mput, @mget, @mat_str
if Sys.iswindows()
export show_msession, hide_msession, get_msession_visiblity
end
const depsfile = joinpath(dirname(@__DIR__), "deps", "deps.jl")
if isfile(depsfile)
include(depsfile)
else
error("MATLAB is not properly installed. Please run Pkg.build(\"MATLAB\") and restart Julia.")
end
# exceptions
struct MEngineError <: Exception
message::String
end
include("init.jl") # initialize Refs
include("mxarray.jl")
include("matfile.jl")
include("engine.jl")
include("matstr.jl")
if Sys.iswindows()
# workaround "primary message table for module 77" error
# creates a dummy Engine session and keeps it open so the libraries used by all other
# Engine clients are not loaded and unloaded repeatedly
# see: https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/305877-what-is-the-primary-message-table-for-module-77
# initialization is delayed untill first call to MSession
const persistent_msession_ref = Ref{MSession}()
const persistent_msession_assigned = Ref(false)
function assign_persistent_msession()
if persistent_msession_assigned[] == false
persistent_msession_assigned[] = true
persistent_msession_ref[] = MSession(0)
end
end
end
# helper library access function
engfunc(fun::Symbol) = Libdl.dlsym(libeng[], fun)
mxfunc(fun::Symbol) = Libdl.dlsym(libmx[], fun)
matfunc(fun::Symbol) = Libdl.dlsym(libmat[], fun)
function __init__()
check_deps()
if libmx_size > 0 # non-zero size library path
# load libraries
libmx[] = Libdl.dlopen(joinpath(matlab_libpath, "libmx"), Libdl.RTLD_GLOBAL)
libmat[] = Libdl.dlopen(joinpath(matlab_libpath, "libmat"), Libdl.RTLD_GLOBAL)
libeng[] = Libdl.dlopen(joinpath(matlab_libpath, "libeng"), Libdl.RTLD_GLOBAL)
# engine functions
eng_open[] = engfunc(:engOpen)
eng_close[] = engfunc(:engClose)
eng_set_visible[] = engfunc(:engSetVisible)
eng_get_visible[] = engfunc(:engGetVisible)
eng_output_buffer[] = engfunc(:engOutputBuffer)
eng_eval_string[] = engfunc(:engEvalString)
eng_put_variable[] = engfunc(:engPutVariable)
eng_get_variable[] = engfunc(:engGetVariable)
# mxarray functions
mx_destroy_array[] = mxfunc(:mxDestroyArray)
mx_duplicate_array[] = mxfunc(:mxDuplicateArray)
# load functions to access mxarray
mx_free[] = mxfunc(:mxFree)
mx_get_classid[] = mxfunc(:mxGetClassID)
mx_get_m[] = mxfunc(:mxGetM)
mx_get_n[] = mxfunc(:mxGetN)
mx_get_nelems[] = mxfunc(:mxGetNumberOfElements)
mx_get_ndims[] = mxfunc(:mxGetNumberOfDimensions_730)
mx_get_elemsize[] = mxfunc(:mxGetElementSize)
mx_get_data[] = mxfunc(:mxGetData)
mx_get_dims[] = mxfunc(:mxGetDimensions_730)
mx_get_nfields[] = mxfunc(:mxGetNumberOfFields)
mx_get_pr[] = mxfunc(:mxGetPr)
mx_get_pi[] = mxfunc(:mxGetPi)
mx_get_ir[] = mxfunc(:mxGetIr_730)
mx_get_jc[] = mxfunc(:mxGetJc_730)
mx_is_double[] = mxfunc(:mxIsDouble)
mx_is_single[] = mxfunc(:mxIsSingle)
mx_is_int64[] = mxfunc(:mxIsInt64)
mx_is_uint64[] = mxfunc(:mxIsUint64)
mx_is_int32[] = mxfunc(:mxIsInt32)
mx_is_uint32[] = mxfunc(:mxIsUint32)
mx_is_int16[] = mxfunc(:mxIsInt16)
mx_is_uint16[] = mxfunc(:mxIsUint16)
mx_is_int8[] = mxfunc(:mxIsInt8)
mx_is_uint8[] = mxfunc(:mxIsUint8)
mx_is_char[] = mxfunc(:mxIsChar)
mx_is_numeric[] = mxfunc(:mxIsNumeric)
mx_is_logical[] = mxfunc(:mxIsLogical)
mx_is_complex[] = mxfunc(:mxIsComplex)
mx_is_sparse[] = mxfunc(:mxIsSparse)
mx_is_empty[] = mxfunc(:mxIsEmpty)
mx_is_struct[] = mxfunc(:mxIsStruct)
mx_is_cell[] = mxfunc(:mxIsCell)
# load functions to create & delete MATLAB array
mx_create_numeric_matrix[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateNumericMatrix_730)
mx_create_numeric_array[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateNumericArray_730)
mx_create_double_scalar[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateDoubleScalar)
mx_create_logical_scalar[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateLogicalScalar)
mx_create_sparse[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateSparse_730)
mx_create_sparse_logical[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateSparseLogicalMatrix_730)
mx_create_string[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateString)
mx_create_char_array[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateCharArray_730)
mx_create_cell_array[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateCellArray_730)
mx_create_struct_matrix[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateStructMatrix_730)
mx_create_struct_array[] = mxfunc(:mxCreateStructArray_730)
mx_get_cell[] = mxfunc(:mxGetCell_730)
mx_set_cell[] = mxfunc(:mxSetCell_730)
mx_get_field[] = mxfunc(:mxGetField_730)
mx_set_field[] = mxfunc(:mxSetField_730)
mx_get_field_bynum[] = mxfunc(:mxGetFieldByNumber_730)
mx_get_fieldname[] = mxfunc(:mxGetFieldNameByNumber)
mx_get_string[] = mxfunc(:mxGetString_730)
# load I/O mat functions
mat_open[] = matfunc(:matOpen)
mat_close[] = matfunc(:matClose)
mat_get_variable[] = matfunc(:matGetVariable)
mat_put_variable[] = matfunc(:matPutVariable)
mat_get_dir[] = matfunc(:matGetDir)
end
end
###########################################################
#
# deprecations
#
###########################################################
end
| {
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} |
SketchUp 2014 brings with it many improvements. This webinar will present the improvements that will impact how landscape architects do business. You will hear from experts what scripts and plugins they prefer and they will share insights into some of the tricks of the trade. Speakers will discuss how plugins provide great capability within SketchUp as well as exporting a high quality rendered product. These techniques are changing the perception of what SketchUp can produce.
Understand how software improvements to SketchUp 2014 can improve your projects.
Learn which techniques and extension tools are useful for site design.
Become familiar with how various rendering plugins can greatly enhance your project quality.
Our half-day seminar on Productive Landscapes in the Urban Environment was a great success! Thank you to all of the speakers, moderators, volunteers and participants.
Photos from the event are currently posted on our Facebook page and will be posted on our website soon.
This webinar will be a tremendous opportunity to learn how to get in on the ground floor of some contracting opportunities specifically for LAs.
During this 45-minute session, ASLA members will hear from GSA's National Design Director for Landscape Architecture, Christian Gabriel, ASLA, and GSA contracting specialist Joseph Imamura, ASLA, about how landscape architects can contract with the agency to work on upcoming federal projects. Specifically, you will learn about GSA's Public Building Services program, the project delivery methods used by GSA, and how to navigate the agency's procurement process. The webinar will also provide specific examples of federal projects, including award-winning projects that used the design services of landscape architects. | {
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Beyoncé's Ivy Park Responds to Factory Sweatshop Allegations
May 16, 2016 1:31 PM PST
Beyoncé's Ivy Park brand is fighting back against accusations their products are made in a Sri Lankan sweatshop under harsh working conditions.
via WWD:
On Monday, the brand said in a statement: "Ivy Park has a rigorous ethical trading program. We are proud of our sustained efforts in terms of factory inspections and audits, and our teams worldwide work very closely with our suppliers and their factories to ensure compliance."
The brand added that it expects its suppliers to meet its code of conduct "and we support them in achieving these requirements."
The statement came in response to a front-page story in The Sun on Sunday tabloid — never one to shun a sensational headline. The paper accused the brand of relying on "poverty-stricken seamstresses" at the MAS Holdings factory in Sri Lanka to make some of the Ivy Park clothes.
The story said the mostly female workers earn 4.30 pounds a day, or $6.17, and could never afford to buy a pair of Ivy Park leggings, which can cost 100 pounds, or $144.
But the minimum daily wage in Sri Lanka is 400 rupees, or $2.68. That means Ivy Park workers are earning more than twice the minimum wage for a day's work.
We're glad that's settled.
Tags:beyonceIvy Park | {
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This Week In: English Football – Cup Roundup and Premiership Preview
January 10, 2013 ~ John Lally
Alex Lawless scores the goal the secures a win for non-league Luton Town against Wolves
Although last weekend saw only two Premiership clubs knocked out of the FA Cup, the third round stage has already produced some upsets, with a round of replays providing the potential for more. The biggest shocks were at Macclesfield and Luton, where the two non-league home teams knocked out Cardiff and Wolves respectively, the latter of whom subsequently sacked their manager, Ståle Solbakken. However, there was no fairy tale for Mansfield – who lost 2-1 to Liverpool, albeit somewhat controversially, as Luis Suarez had clearly handled the ball before scoring the visitor's second goal – nor for Hastings United of the Isthmian Premier Division, who were beaten 3-1 by Middlesbrough.
The biggest top flight casualty was Newcastle, who produced a tepid display in their 2-0 defeat away to Brighton of the Championship, while the other Premiership side to have already exited – Southampton – were beaten by Chelsea, 5-1. All of the other three encounters between teams currently at the top of the English league pyramid ended in draws: Manchester United forced a replay against West Ham thanks to Robin Van Persie's stoppage time equaliser; Arsenal scored twice in two minutes to take the lead after they had been trailing in their game at Swansea, but the hosts forced the tie back to the Emirates with their own late strike; and Kieron Dyer found the net with virtually the last kick of the match to even things up for QPR against West Brom. Five Premiership clubs were forced into another fixture by lower league opposition: Blackpool earned a 1-1 draw at Fulham; Sunderland had to battle back from 2-0 down away at Bolton to take the tie back to the north-east; Crystal Palace and Stoke ended goalless; and Wigan came from behind to remain in the competition as their home match against Bournemouth finished 1-1. By contrast, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Everton, Reading, Manchester City or Norwich, had little trouble in all advanced to the fourth round – which will be contested over the final weekend of January.
There was also League Cup action in midweek and the first legs of the two semi-finals both produced unexpected outcomes. League Two's Bradford, who had knocked out Arsenal on penalties in the quarter-finals, are half-way to claiming another Premiership scalp as they defeated Aston Villa 3-1 at Valley Parade; while Swansea were dominated by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but the Welsh side came away with a 2-0 win and now have one foot in the final. This weekend sees the return of Premiership action and on Saturday, Harry Redknapp will have the opportunity to beat the club that sacked him, as Queens Park Rangers host Tottenham – a fixture that has been moved from its original date of Monday, January 14th as QPR have their cup replay against West Brom next Tuesday. That same day, the two sides just above the relegation zone – Aston Villa and Southampton – meet at Villa Park; Swansea travel to Everton; Stoke will have their unbeaten home record tested by Chelsea; Sunderland host West Ham; Fulham, who have won just two of their last thirteen league matches, entertain third-bottom Wigan; and West Brom have an away trip to Reading.
The biggest fixtures of the weekend come on Sunday, as Arsenal host the champions, Manchester City, who have returned nearly a third of their ticket allocation, as many supporters were unwilling to pay the (ridiculous) sum of £62 to watch their team play at the Emirates, where they lost 1-0 last season; and old rivals Manchester United and Liverpool square off in the lunchtime kick off at Old Trafford. Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that his new team can continue their push up the Premiership, as they have won five of their last seven in the league, while the Red Devils will be looking to at least maintain their seven point advantage over City at the top of the table.
Last time, 8-12; Season, 90-107
QPR vs Tottenham – Home win
Aston Villa vs Southampton – Draw
Everton vs Swansea – Draw
Fulham vs Wigan – Home win
Norwich vs Newcastle – Home win
Reading vs West Brom – Away win
Stoke vs Chelsea – Draw
Sunderland vs West Ham – Home win
Manchester United vs Liverpool – Home win
Arsenal vs Manchester City – Draw
Posted in English Football, Sports
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First team hold photo shoot
Team photo shoot done for the season
So here it is, your 2016/17 Fleetwood Town Squad.
Thursday was a busy day at the club's Poolfoot Farm training ground as the first team was assembled for the official team photograph.
A number of new signings also had headshots taken for the big screen at Highbury, and the club also launched the brand new Poolfoot 5's initiative, with the help of five of the first team players.
A film crew were also in attendance to capture some behind the scenes footage which will be available very soon. Keep an eye out across the Official Fleetwood Town social media channels.
Players enjoyed meals in Crossbar And Grill where more shots were taken for some brand new advertisements and youngsters from local schools were also treated to visits from some of the squad before their matches on the 3G pitches. | {
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At Wolf Photography we are all about that real love stuff. We are natural wedding photographers with an unobtrusive approach for those free spirited couples who love light, laughter, and the great outdoors. Spontaneous moments and candid emotions are our passion.
"I am sitting here with happy tears reliving their special day! Thank you for your exceptional attention to detail and giving us a gift of beautiful moments that we will treasure forever."
We are so over the moon honoured to be featured in the below magazines and online publications! Hoping to have your wedding in the press? Just let us know before the big day!
At Wolf Photography, we have the best clients, hands down! Click on the WeddingWire Rated button below to read what our couples have been saying about us.
We are Rianna and Adam, soulmates and wedding photographers. Based in Vancouver and Toronto but lucky enough to call both Australia and Canada home. We're big believers in bringing it back to what it is all about – you marrying your best person. Real emotions, unfiltered moments, the planned for and the wonderfully unplanned.
We've been in your shoes, now we'll be there for you.
MEET US Take a look behind the scenes. See who we are and how we work. | {
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Plan B? Green Party Candidate Jill Stein's Message to Bernie Sanders Supporters
Kurt Schrader D-OR voted to ban GMO labelling
Kurt Schrader (D-OR 5th CD) is one of the 275 Members of Congress who just voted for the DARK ACT (Deny Americans the Right to Know) which prevents all states from enacting their own GMO labelling laws ever, and overturns existing state laws which do require GMO labelling.
Named the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 by a bunch of politicians who know next to nothing about about the dangers of GMOs the legislation was recently passed in the House Committee.
If you are a member of the Pacific Green Party, live in Oregon Congressional District 5, and are OUTRAGED by the Congressman's vote, please considering running against him 2016! We'll help you do so.
Jill Stein invited to meet with Russian leaders
From Green Party Watch:
"Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has been invited to Russia later this year. Stein said that after attending the UN Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, she is planning to visit Moscow on a mission for international peace and diplomacy." Click here to read the full article.
Transgender Day of Remembrance 20 Nov 2015
Greens celebrate the diversity of humankind. We believe everybody has a right to be who they are, free from constricting stereotypes, in peace. Our society must heal from all the useless violence by facing the awful truth of our social failures and embracing the radical changes necessary to build the better world we know in our hearts is possible. To find events in your area click here.
State-wide RANKED CHOICE VOTING to be on Ballot in Maine
by Alan F. Zundel
On November 18th the Maine Secretary of State determined that a state-wide ranked choice voting initiative has enough valid signatures to appear on the ballot in the November 2016 election. Maine voters will decide if ranked choice voting will be used for federal and state offices for the first time in U.S. history.
To read the rest of Alan's fine article please visit his blog at RCV Oregon.
Maine Initiative for Instant Runoff Voting Will Be On 2016 Ballot
Published in Ballot Access News on November 18, 2015, by Richard Winger.
On November 18, the Maine Secretary of State determined that the initiative for instant runoff voting (for all federal and state office except President) does have enough valid signatures. It will appear on the November 2016 ballot.
Darryl Cherney running for Green Party Presidential nomination
I am deciding now if I'll run for the Green Party Presidential nomination. Many deadlines are approaching. I am requesting that state parties provide me information on the requirements for earning delegates and/or qualifying for a primary. Please read my revised platform/manifesto and "like" my facebook page.
I need your signatures here to achieve recognition from the GPUS as a candidate. I seek your input now!
My platform is below the fold.
CHRIS HEDGES - CALLING ALL REBELS: THE MORAL IMPERATIVE TO REVOLT
Speech by noted author and activist Chris Hedges to our neighboring Green Party of Orange County on September 20, 2015.
America's Big Election Night
Photo and Article by Blair Bobier
Although a number of important—and under-reported—elections just took place in the U.S., the election that might ultimately matter most to Americans happened last month in Canada. There, the Liberal Party executed an '08 Obama-like ousting of the governing Conservative Party.
Three aspects of the Canadian election are particularly notable and inspiring—if not downright revolutionary. One is the Liberal Party's promise to change Canada's winner-take-all elections; two is the re-election to Parliament of Green Party leader Elizabeth May; and three, is the inclusive Cabinet appointed by the new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
German Greens support protection for Snowden
The European Parliament narrowly adopted a nonbinding but nonetheless forceful resolution on 29 October 2015 urging the 28 nations of the European Union to recognize Edward J. Snowden as a "whistle-blower and international human rights defender" and shield him from prosecution. "It's the first time a Parliament votes to ask for this to be done — and it's the European Parliament," said Mr. Albrecht, a German lawmaker with the Greens political bloc. Click here to read the full article. | {
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Following a series of studies, community consultation and the preparation of a detailed character study report (Kensington/South Perth – Character Study Report), the City has prepared a draft amendment to Town Planning Scheme No. 6 and an associated draft local planning policy.
The draft amendment and policy were considered by Council at its meeting of 26 June 2018, where Council agreed to commence formal public advertising on the proposals.
Table B (Additional height) & Table C (Performance Criteria) which only applies to specific sites within Precinct 16.
Special Control Area provisions and map, which apply to specific properties at the eastern end of the proposed Precinct.
Feedback closed 5pm, Tuesday 16 October 2018. | {
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The Spring weather has us back on the Playground Tour again! After visiting 23 playgrounds last fall (you can check out the full list here) we took the winter off. However there are still a few playgrounds that we didn't make it to in the fall, so this week we started taking advantage of the warm days to go check some out. If you recently started reading the blog, the Playground Tour was an idea I had last Fall, when I started the blog, for us to visit as many local area playgrounds as possible. The idea really started as a way for us to spend time outside and keep everyone entertained. What I quickly realized was that what started as a few simple trips to the playground quickly became so much more. We not only got to spend our afternoons playing outside but we also met lots of new people, learned about new places, discovered neighborhoods and areas in our own city that we probably wouldn't have visited before and become super knowledgeable about playground equipment. So all that said last week I was looking online and came across this article on Yahoo "The 5 Coolest Playgrounds in the U.S." To my surprise the first playground on their list is a little less then an hour away from our house. So this week, while the Bee is on her pre-school spring break, we took a little field trip to check it out. The Clemyjontri Playground is located in Virginia just off of 495 (right past Great Falls) so from Baltimore it took us about an hour to get there with traffic, less to come home. However we spent almost 2 hours playing at this playground so it made the drive well worth it. All three of us gasped when we pulled up, this playground is huge! The whole play area is centered around a carousel that was actually not running the day we went, but with so much other stuff to do we didn't miss it. There are public bathrooms and vending machines at the entrance as well as a few picnic tables. The playground was sort of divided up into a few sections but each area easily blended into the next. This is a great playground for little kids, especially the 5 and under group. The ground is covered in a nice soft rubber covering, the space is very wide and open so it is easy to keep and eye on everyone and there are lots of different cars, climbers, swings, mazes, instruments, airplanes and games to keep everyone busy. A few things to note, the playground was pretty quiet on the day we went, but from what I have read it can get pretty crowded. Parking can be a limited but the do have an overflow lot 1/4 mile away. There also isn't a lot of shade over the play area. We went on a slightly overcast day, so this wasn't a problem but I could see where this playground could be brutal in August. Although they have done a nice job providing pavilions and other covered structure if you needed to get out of the sun. Overall this playground was so much fun and with so much cool stuff to do it is definitely worth a little trip! | {
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Wikont company offers the Ditch Witch JT922 machine, used in horizontal directional drills, thrust force 40 kN. We carry out drills of section from O 50mm on the distance of 90m to O 300mm on shorter distances.
We, moreover, carry out drills with the usage of the pneumatic piercing tool called mole, the operating range from O 110mm to O 160mm.
WIKONT specializes mainly in electrical, sewerage and mechanical systems. | {
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Dominic Matteo gets all clear following brain tumour rehabilitation
(Image credit: Paul Barker)
Former Liverpool and Leeds defender Dominic Matteo has revealed he has fully recovered from his brain tumour.
The 45-year-old had surgery in November to remove the growth and has undergone six months of rehabilitation.
Matteo revealed the news on Twitter on Thursday and thanked the staff at Leeds General Infirmary and St James's Hospital.
Yesterday I got THE phone call, the one I've been praying for… my brain scan is clear. After 6 months of fear pain rehab surgery and treatment. I'm healthy! It feels unreal! The LGI &St James hospital saved my life. They were simply incredible. Thankyou will never be enough! pic.twitter.com/8nBY0NSHCt— Dominic Matteo (@Dominicmatteo21) April 23, 2020
"Yesterday I got THE phone call, the one I've been praying for… my brain scan is clear," the former Scotland international tweeted.
"After 6 months of fear pain rehab surgery and treatment. I'm healthy! It feels unreal!
"The LGI &St James hospital saved my life. They were simply incredible. Thankyou will never be enough!"
Matteo, who represented Scotland six times, retired in 2007 after also representing Blackburn and Stoke.
Dominic Matteo | {
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I would highly recommend this company. Great product/ service and very reasonable prices. | {
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SoccerPunter > Player > Connor Riley-Lowe
Connor Riley-Lowe Profile and Player Statistics
Connor Riley-Lowe
First name: Connor
Last name: Riley-Lowe
Position: , Defender, LB, LM, Midfielder
We are going to show you the list of football clubs and seasons in which Connor Riley-Lowe has played. It includes the total number of appearance (caps), substitution details, goals, yellow and red cards stats.
FA Cup 2022/2023 Truro City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fa Trophy 2022/2023 Truro City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Non League Premier: Southern South 2022/2023 Truro City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Club Friendlies 3 2022 Truro City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fa Trophy 2021/2022 Truro City 180 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fa Trophy 2020/2021 Truro City 90 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fa Trophy 2019/2020 Bath City 55 3 2 1 0 0 0 0
Vanarama National League South 2019/2020 Bath City 2216 29 4 3 0 0 0 0
Vanarama National League South 2018/2019 Truro City 3690 41 0 0 3 1 0 0
FA Cup 2017/2018 Truro City 180 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Carabao Cup 2016/2017 Exeter City 77 2 1 1 0 0 0 0
EFL Trophy 2016/2017 Exeter City 111 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
League Two 2016/2017 Exeter City 397 6 2 1 0 0 1 0
Vanarama National League South 2016/2017 Truro City 406 5 0 1 0 0 0 0
EFL Trophy 2014/2015 Exeter City 90 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
FA Cup 2014/2015 Exeter City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Connor Riley-Lowe has played in the following competitions and football tournaments.
Carabao Cup(3)
EFL Trophy(2)
FA Cup(1)
Fa Trophy(9)
League Two(6)
Non League Premier: Southern South(6)
Serie C: Girone C(2)
Vanarama National League South(129)
07/01/2023 Hendon
Truro City 1-1 H2H +
0 - 1 11' C. Riley-Lowe
J. White 29' 1 - 1
B. Adelsbury 54' 2 - 1
2 - 2 54' F. Keita
02/01/2023 Truro City
Tiverton Town 2-0 H2H +
C. Riley-Lowe 22' 1 - 0
T. Harvey 26' 2 - 0
2 - 1 49' T. Purrington
A. Porter 52' 3 - 1
3 - 2 90' L. Vowles
26/12/2022 Plymouth Parkway
0 - 1 14' A. Porter
B. Seymour 25' 1 - 1
1 - 2 45+2' C. Riley-Lowe
J. Crago 88' 3 - 2
3 - 3 90+4' W. Dean
12/02/2022 Tiverton Town
D. Hayfield 23' 1 - 0
A. Booth 70' 2 - 1
Dagenham & Redbridge 0-0 H2H +
0 - 1 76' J. Walker
A. Neal 88' 1 - 1
27/11/2021 Binfield
0 - 1 7' T. Harvey
0 - 2 26' A. Neal
J. Howell 53' 1 - 3
O. Harris 77' 2 - 3
19/12/2020 Concord Rangers
0 - 1 52' T. Harvey
0 - 2 63' A. Battle
S. Blackman 90' 1 - 2
Wimborne Town 4-0 H2H +
J. Richards 5' 1 - 0
J. Richards 45' 4 - 0
4 - 1 51' L. Beale
0 - 2 56' D. Rooney
19/07/2020 Bath City
Dorking Wanderers 0-2 H2H +
0 - 1 6' J. McShane
0 - 2 41' J. Prior
R. Brunt 80' 1 - 2
14/03/2020 Hungerford Town
Bath City 0-1 H2H +
0 - 1 45' A. Mann
Weymouth 0-0 H2H +
29/02/2020 Braintree Town
J. Chiedozie 60' 1 - 0
L. Smyth 90+2' 2 - 0
0 - 1 39' R. Stearn
St Albans City 0-2 H2H +
0 - 1 20' S. Nwabuokei
0 - 2 34' J. Iaciofano
0 - 3 70' Z. Banton
Concord Rangers 1-1 H2H +
0 - 1 15' B. Roast
1 - 2 88' J. Nouble
25/01/2020 Wealdstone
B. Clifford 14' 1 - 0
F. Artus 24' 2 - 0
C. Stevens 42' 3 - 0
D. Lewis 54' 4 - 0
D. Green 69' 6 - 0
M. Phillips 80' 7 - 0
Hemel Hempstead Town 0-0 H2H +
T. Smith 78' 1 - 0
R. Stearn 84' 2 - 0
A. Pollock 77' 1 - 0
1 - 1 79' T. Smith
Billericay Town 1-1 H2H +
0 - 1 24' D. Noel-Williams
R. Stearn 90+1' 2 - 1
01/01/2020 Chippenham Town
C. Zebroski 42' 1 - 0
1 - 1 45+1' R. Brunt
1 - 3 90' L. Britton
28/12/2019 Hampton & Richmond
21/12/2019 Eastbourne Borough
G. Luer 41' 1 - 0
1 - 2 90+3' A. Hartridge
Sholing 1-0 H2H +
A. Watkins 59' 2 - 0
16/11/2019 Havant & Waterlooville
A. Rutherford 57' 1 - 1
D. Kedwell 73' 2 - 1
02/11/2019 Dulwich Hamlet
0 - 1 30' N. Chilvers
A. Yussuff 48' 1 - 1
1 - 2 53' S. Pearson
1 - 3 90+1' T. Smith
A. Mann 54' 1 - 0
19/10/2019 St Albans City
Maidstone United 0-0 H2H +
0 - 1 76' R. Johnson
R. Brunt 90+5' 1 - 1
28/09/2019 Hemel Hempstead Town
0 - 1 32' R. Brunt
L. Nash 45' 1 - 1
L. Howell 80'
J. Midson 86' 2 - 1
Eastbourne Borough 1-0 H2H +
1 - 1 76' G. Luer
1 - 2 79' E. Romain
H. Hamblin 85' 2 - 2
07/09/2019 Billericay Town
S. Deering 32' 1 - 0
Hampton & Richmond 1-0 H2H +
31/08/2019 Chelmsford City
S. Jeffers 64' 1 - 0
Oxford City 1-0 H2H +
T. Richards 26' 1 - 0
1 - 1 50' T. Moore-Azille
1 - 3 75' S. Brown
24/08/2019 Slough Town
D. Roberts 13' 1 - 0
1 - 2 38' T. Richards
M. Williams 87' 2 - 2
W. Harris 90+4' 4 - 2
Tonbridge Angels 0-0 H2H +
Hungerford Town 1-0 H2H +
H. Smith 38' 1 - 0
3 - 1 90' K. Halliday
10/08/2019 Welling United
0 - 1 10' A. Hartridge
06/08/2019 Weymouth
A. Hartridge 5' 1 - 0 | {
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The breeding work
Genetics and selection
Basic Animal Breeding
by Admini
General biology is the subject of the basic laws of life phenomena. The importance of biology for medicine, agriculture and other sectors of the economy.
The basics of cytology
The main provisions of cellular theory. The cell is a structural and functional unit of the living. The structure and function of the nucleus, cytoplasm and its main organelles. Structural features of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
The content of chemical elements in the cell. Water and other inorganic substances, their role in the life of the cell. Organic substances: lipids, ATP, biopolymers (carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids), their role in the cell. Enzymes, their role in life processes. DNA self-doubling.
Metabolism and energy conversion are the basis of cell activity. Energy metabolism in the cell and its essence. The value of ATP in energy metabolism.
Plastic exchange. Photosynthesis. Ways to increase the productivity of agricultural plants. Protein biosynthesis. Gene and its role in biosynthesis. DNA code. Matrix synthesis reactions. The relationship of the processes of plastic and energy metabolism.
Viruses, the features of their structure and activity.
Reproduction and individual development of organisms
Cell division, meiosis and fertilization are the basis of reproduction and individual development of organisms. Preparation of cells for division. Doubling of DNA molecules. Chromosomes, their haploid and diploid set, constancy of number and form.
Cell division and its meaning.
Sexual and asexual reproduction of organisms. Germ cells. Meiosis. The development of eggs and sperm. Fertilization.
Embryo development (on the example of animals). Postembryonic development. The harmful effects of alcohol and nicotine on the development of the human body.
the emergence of life on Earth.)
The basics of genetics
The main laws of heredity and variability of organisms and their cytological basis.
Subject, tasks and methods of genetics.
Mono- and dihybrid crosses. The laws of heredity established by G. Mendel. Dominant and recessive symptoms. Allelic genes. Phenotype and genotype. Homozygote and heterozygote. Uniformity of the first generation.
Animal Breeding for Disease Resistance
Plant Breeding Basics | {
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Johan Brødsgaard (født 22. september 1993 i Silkeborg) er en dansk lokalpolitiker for Radikale Venstre og og 1. viceborgmester i Silkeborg Kommune. Brødsgaard har været medlem af Silkeborg Byråd siden kommunalvalget i 2013, og i dag er han udvalgsformand for Kultur,- Fritids,- Outdoor- og Idrætsudvalget og medlem af Økonomi- og Erhvervsudvalget.
Brødsgaard er opstillet som spidskandidat for de Radikale til Folketinget i Silkeborg Syd- og Skive-kredsene. Han er også opstillet i de øvrige opstillingskredse i Vestjyllands Storkreds.
Brødsgaard har også bestridt et udvalg af frivillige poster i Radikale Venstre, blandt andet som medlem af partiets hovedbestyrelse og forretningsudvalg.
I 2022 valgtes Brødsgaard til at sidde i KL's bestyrelse efter kampvalg blandt syv kandidater i partiet. Han er ydermere formand for Kultur- Erhverv- og Plan-udvalget og medlem af formandskabet.
Brødsgaard er uddannet lærer fra Silkeborg Seminarium og har tidligere arbejdet på Skægkærskolen i Skægkær ved Silkeborg. Han har været medlem af Radikale Venstre siden 2010.
Referencer
Viceborgmestre fra Det Radikale Venstre
Folketingskandidater fra Det Radikale Venstre | {
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It can seem like a daunting task, turning a space that used to belong to someone else into a home for you and your family. Here're a list of our top four things to consider when creating your home.
Some people opt to have a more formal room with the best furniture and a light colour that is not always compatible with family life. These rooms are for special occasions or when guests visit and are rarely a place you go to relax; they are a tidy reception space often designed to impress on some scale. The same home will often have a more comfortable space where the family can relax. The sofas here will be comfy to encourage snuggling up and the colours a little darker and forgiving on stains and mess. The difference in the feel of these two spaces has been achieved purely through decoration, and it reflects how the family like to live and receive guests. In short, it makes use of the space in their house in a way that suits their character, an essential element of a home. In contrast, some people prefer to use every available space and are happy to receive guest in rooms they also slob out in. It really does depend on your preference and personality.
This one may seem obvious, but it goes beyond a roaring fire in the winter, particularly if you have children to consider. Rooms that are too hot or too cold effect the way we sleep, the activities we do and how much time we spend in them. Making sure your family are comfortable is one of the easiest ways to ensure you home is a retreat during hot summer days and cold winter nights. Visit http://www.lairdandson.com to find out what heating or cooling system is best suited to your home and your family.
It is the first thing we think about when we buy a house or fancy a change. Decorating is our way of putting a personal stamp on four bare walls and transforming a plain space into a home we can relax in. How you use the space and the kind of look you are going for will all dictate how your rooms are styled. Some people love the cluttered, family look and others find it difficult to switch off if everything's a mess. Making a room feel cosy and welcoming whatever your personality is key to transforming your house into a home. Books, whether they are stacked on tables or arranged neatly in the bookcase, instantly transform a space and are a great choice for making a room feel homey. Make use of different textures by layering relaxing spaces, like your bedroom or living room, with soft throws, plush rugs and comfy cushions.
In the end, we create these welcoming spaces for the people in our lives. Whether we use our homes to entertain friends, catch up with family or play with our children, it is the people we fill them with that make them the spaces we want to be in most. | {
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Trialogue's primary research shows that more than two-thirds of companies participate in collaborative activities. However, corporate willingness to fund advocacy programmes remains low (39%) and willingness to fund development research is not much higher (59%). Are corporates in South Africa achieving systemic change?
At the November CSI Matters Forum, Trialogue unpacked what is meant by systemic change in the CSI context and presented two case studies of systemic change initiatives in the education sector – an international example (Northern Kentucky Education Council) and a South African one (National Education Collaboration Trust). The discussion that followed explored how corporates can influence systemic change through collaboration, replication, research and advocacy, with corporates providing examples of programmes that have a systemic impact and the pros and cons of participating in programmes that aim to achieve such change.
Should CSI be funding systemic change?
The overall consensus is that corporates do have a role to play in funding systemic change.
Although most corporates recognise the importance of funding systemic change, there is some reluctance to do so, largely due to a lack of buy-in by management, a shortage of resources and time and concerns about brand dilution.
One of the disadvantages of funding big programmes is that corporates have less control over the programme. Mondi raised the example of corporates having more control if they work with one particular school as opposed to working at a district or national level.
Another potential issue is the intense competition in some industries. For example, Barclays Africa raised the difficulty of banks in SA collaborating, as all banks are competing in the same space. There needs to be an independent body that sets the ground rules or makes the intervention 'company agnostic' where there is no branding and no use of products.
A distinction was made between internal and external systems change, with a number of corporate CSI practitioners saying that they have a significant advocacy role to play inside the company to change the way that it does business.
Systemic change is a broad and overwhelming concept. It is therefore important to understand what part of the system your CSI project intends to influence. Creating boundaries within the system is key to remaining focused enough to have the potential to influence systemic change. Try to identify the pressure points that will trigger the change you seek.
CSI projects may be able to influence systemic change if they focus on creating projects that are replicable and scalable. For example, the concept of preschool started as a franchise in Germany and spread to the UK, and is now a recognised part of the education system globally. In this case, a key point to consider is whether the project can be adapted to different contexts.
Tiger Brands Foundation's in-school feeding programme partners with government and supplements government's school feeding programme. The Foundation realised that to provide breakfast to all school children in South Africa (i.e. to change the school feeding system), they would need to approach other corporates and organisations to assist in order to take the project to scale.
Shanduka Foundation is involved in public-private partnership with Kagiso Trust and the Free State Department of Education. The two organisations each contributed R100 million and the department matched the funding (a further R200 million). The five-year programme is incentive-based and operates in two districts in the Free State, impacting over 400 schools. The organisations have a shared vision to improve the education system in these districts and conduct continuous M&E to track performance. If the model is successful, government will be able to roll it out in other districts and provinces.
The Banking Association of South Africa's (BASA) Teach Children to Save initiative is a financial literacy programme to teach to children to save. The programme is a collaborative effort of the banking industry and broader financial sector with BASA playing the co-ordinating role. The initiative also promotes volunteerism in the sector where volunteer bankers and professionals in the financial sector deliver one-hour savings lessons to leaners in Grades 4 to 7.
BRIDGE is a non-profit organisation that drives collaboration and co-operation among educational stakeholders. It facilitates face-to-face and online engagement to share knowledge, working practice and resources within the education community in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the country.
The Hollard Foundation has partnered with the Midvaal community to ensure that every child in the community's rights are met. They are working with the non-profits and government in the area to build capacity and strengthen collaboration and co-operation.
RCL Foods recognises that the communities in their areas of operations are an important part of the success of their business. They work closely with local government identifying priority areas and partner with other organisations in the area to raise the necessary funds to roll out programmes that have scalable impact.
Do corporates fund advocacy and research and if not, why not?
Supporting research and advocacy in the relevant developmental field is another important way that CSI may be able to facilitate systemic change. Research influences how people respond to problems and changes in policies. Advocacy can assist by educating the beneficiaries and public as to what they should be expecting from the system, and plays a role in influencing both decision makers and policy makers.
Overall, it was felt that advocacy and research is expensive to fund and in many cases it is difficult to justify the expenditure. For example, research houses are typically for-profit organisations and therefore do not align with some CSI departments' financial management systems.
Others felt that they expect the NGOs that they work with to be the experts in the field and have the most up-to-date data.
Although research is sometimes commissioned by CSI departments, it is not often shared externally. The example was raised of the number of companies doing research in the mining industry, yet there is a reluctance to collaborate and share learnings.
Some organisations reported buying research when they need it, for example Prime Media buy reports off the internet for a fraction of the cost of conducting their own research.
In many cases, municipalities are key repositories of information (i.e. integrated development plans), but in practice the ability to get information is variable.
Corporates are less willing to fund advocacy programmes. However, Mondi highlighted that they do fund advocacy and recognise the business benefits of doing so – such as their partnership with WWF. WWF and Mondi have entered into a strategic partnership that focuses on increasing environmental stewardship in the packaging and paper sectors.
There needs to be a change of mindset from short-term project driven to much longer term societal change. Internal advocacy of CSI within organisations is key. CSI practitioners may struggle with gaining the support of board executives that have little understanding of the development space. A disconnect exists between the extensive time and effort required to develop a truly impactful programme, and the competitive business focus on short term results. Taking time to educate your seniors can help them to come around to a different way of working in the CSI space.
CSI practitioners are constrained by funding cycles, board cycles, and impact cycles. Nevertheless it is important to make room for organic developmental processes. We should attempt to design programmes that balance the constraints with the organic processes. Being too prescriptive can prevent the programmes from moulding to their local contexts.
There is a need to work with other corporates and to collaborate more as one organisation cannot achieve systemic impact alone. Barclays Africa suggested it is easier to do this with corporates who you do not compete with.
Collaboration between all parties – NPOs, private and public sector – is ideal. For example, Illovo Sugar raised the challenges that some of the unions pose if you don't have them in your corner.
Partners and collaborators need to agree on common outcomes and these outcomes need to be specific and achievable. A common set of measurements should be in place. | {
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Learn more about FST's WRITE-A-PLAY program!
Also read about the YOUNG PLAYWRIGHT'S FESTIVAL!
A fresh look at the timeless classic. Enter Sherwood Forest with legendary hero Robin Hood! Wielding a bow and arrow, Robin and his band of merry men join forces to stand up for what's right. This swashbuckling tale of good and evil is full of action, trickery, disguises, swordfights, and plenty of help from the audience. | {
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Summit Daily News names Ian Donovan as its new advertising director
Local | November 9, 2017
Ian Donovan
Hugh Carey / hcarey@summitdaily.com |
The Summit Daily News has restructured its advertising department and is pleased to announce Ian Donovan has been promoted to advertising director.
Donovan moved up Nov. 1 after starting with the Summit Daily as an account manager and most recently serving as its digital sales manager.
Leading a six-person staff as advertising director, he will be tasked with overseeing all advertising operations at the Summit Daily, including print, digital and niche publications.
"I'm ecstatic to be helping businesses in the Summit County community grow, both financially and as community partners," Donovan said of the promotion.
He lives in Summit County with his wife and loves the "endless possibility of fishing holes and ski lines" that can be found here.
Donovan has a bachelor's degree in resort and hospitality management from Green Mountain College in Killington, Vermont, and has worked for Swift Communications since September 2014.
Swift is the parent company of the Summit Daily News, in addition to more than two dozen other community newspapers and niche publications across the Western United States.
Donovan previously sold marketing solutions through the Colorado Activities Center before coming to the Summit Daily News.
At the same time Donovan is being promoted, advertising sales manager Emma Simmins has been named the general manager of the Sky-Hi News, a sister publication of the Summit Daily that covers Grand County.
In her new role, Simmins will oversee all operations in the Granby office, including editorial, circulation and advertising. She lives in Kremmling and is excited to be working closer to home.
Simmins will retain some responsibility at the Summit Daily News. She'll spend one day a week in Frisco, assisting with marketing efforts and niche-publication planning.
Simmins has been in newspaper advertising sales since October 2009, and she has a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Northern Colorado.
She started with Swift in May 2015 and formerly served as the classified ad manager for the Steamboat Pilot & Today, another publication in the Swift family, before coming to the Summit Daily.
"Ian and Emma are proven leaders. Both promotions are well-deserved, and the Summit Daily and Sky-Hi News teams are better for their leadership," said Meg Boyer, publisher of both newspapers.
—Summit Daily staff report
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You are here: Home / Industry Insider / Lavish Locations
Lavish Locations The early beginnings and luxury dispensaries of entrepreneur Susan Hwang
by R. Scott Rappold | July 4, 2019
You've heard the phrase "living hand to mouth."
That's how Susan Hwang was forced to run her first medical cannabis dispensary—taking the day's sales revenue to Phoenix, Arizona to buy more cannabis to sell the next day, spending eight hours a day driving around.
Even when the dispensary was making $1 million a month, she said and home was a one-bedroom apartment, not that it mattered. Who had time to be home sleeping? Such were the hazards of diving into the nascent cannabis business without a big chunk of cash or the backing of wealthy investors.
"I had to do what I had to do. I didn't want to sell ownership to a big investment group," she said. "I didn't want to be one of 20 board members. I had a vision, and I wanted to execute it."
Execute it she has. The 32-year-old now owns a chain of medical cannabis dispensaries and associated cultivation operations, as well as cannabis consulting firm SH Management Services—not bad for someone who immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 12 with nothing but a suitcase shared with her father and sister.
And she's just getting started. Hwang just might be changing how people shop for cannabis.
Hwang didn't speak a word of English in the late 1990s when her family fled South Korea's economic crisis that cost them everything.
The family moved to Los Angeles, California, then Tennessee, scraping by the best they could, sometimes living with friends, working multiple jobs. She spent nights after school working in the family's janitorial business.
After graduating high school she went to college at Arizona State University, graduating in 2009 with a biochemistry degree. Her parents hoped she'd be a surgeon someday. "They didn't want me to an entrepreneur, because of what they'd been through. They wanted me to take the safe route," she recalled.
She was studying for a master's degree when Arizona began implementing voter-approved medical cannabis. Despite her parents' worries, and despite the fact she'd never even tried cannabis, she had an "innate entrepreneurial spirit" that couldn't resist the possibilities of this new industry.
Arizona implemented a system with stricter limits on the number of dispensaries than states like California or Colorado, so when Hwang was approved for one of the precious few licenses, it was off to the races.
"I'm introducing some different concepts that the market has not seen. The words 'smoke shop' and 'luxury' don't always go together."
While many dispensaries were focusing on the population centers of Phoenix and Tucson, Hwang took a different approach. She opened a dispensary in Eloy, population 19,000, about halfway between those two cities. She opened a dispensary in remote Yuma, which is still that city's only one. Both are named Jamestown.
She chose off-the-beaten-path locations because she didn't want to compete with other dispensaries selling $5 grams. That's the same reason she hasn't considered expanding into crowded marketplaces such as Colorado or Washington. "If it's too easy to get licenses, I don't go for it," she said.
Since most of her initial money went to licensing and dispensary construction, the pace of growth was necessarily slow.
"Because I got into the industry with no money, I couldn't do what people with money were doing," Hwang said. "I needed to leverage existing business to continue to build."
Still, she was eventually able to move from her one-bedroom apartment to a house, and she was able to actually spend some time there. She obtained a third dispensary in California. Instead of driving around buying product, her chain was growing it.
She even tried cannabis, found she liked it and came out of the "cannabis closet" publicly.
Through it all, she resisted the urge to pull in major investors or become publicly traded, for fear of losing control.
"I'm not in it [to] get big, get a high valuation, sell out and retire," she says. Rather, she wants to use her science background to learn more about the plant and educate others.
That's a mission of her consulting firm, and it's something she hopes to further with a novel approach to selling cannabis.
Luxury Boutiques
Why, Hwang asks, does society glorify alcohol with expensive wine, fancy craft beer and upscale bars, yet cannabis is often sold out of boring, nondescript buildings, often in the seedier parts of town?
So, she wants to bring some luxury to cannabis with high-end cannabis boutiques with top-dollar smoking and vaping implements—think the Louis Vuitton or Neiman Marcus of cannabis.
"I'm introducing some different concepts that the market has not seen. The words 'smoke shop' and 'luxury' don't always go together," Hwang admitted. It's a way to challenge the stereotypes people have about cannabis consumers.
She is also eyeing places most sensible cannabis investors aren't even looking at. She says she is prepared to enter the medical cannabis markets of Georgia, Texas, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and even her native South Korea, which legalized medical cannabis nationwide in 2018.
Hwang takes a lot of pride in accomplishing so much out of humble beginnings. "I'm very honored and grateful and thankful," she said. "All the adversities and hardships and challenges I've been through as a child and am still going through today are what helped me and molded me and shaped me."
"When people ask me what it feels like to be successful, I don't know how to answer," she said. "My definition of being successful is inspiring others and elevating other peoples' lives and lifestyles. There are so many people I want to inspire. I want to continue to change their lives. I want them living like me but better than me."
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Eggstravaganza is 'about loving the community'
Thousands of plastic Easter eggs were scattered around Community Center Park in Camarillo, glistening in the grass under Saturday's bright spring sun.
Eggstravaganza is 'about loving the community' Thousands of plastic Easter eggs were scattered around Community Center Park in Camarillo, glistening in the grass under Saturday's bright spring sun. Check out this story on vcstar.com: http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/camarillo/2017/04/15/eggstravaganza-s-loving-community/100418902/
Jeremy Childs, jeremy.childs@vcstar.com, 805-437-0208 Published 6:03 p.m. PT April 15, 2017 | Updated 7:03 p.m. PT April 15, 2017
Children rush to find eggs during the 2017 Easter Eggstravaganza and Craft Fair put on by the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Parks District in Camarillo. This year's event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 at Camarillo Community Center Park.(Photo: JEREMY CHILDS/THE STAR)Buy Photo
Within a minute, they all would be snatched up by eager children during the Easter Eggstravaganza and Craft Fair, an annual event hosted by the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Parks District.
Amy Stewart, recreational services manager for the district, said the Easter fair has taken place in Camarillo for more than 20 years.
"It's a way for our community to come together over Easter weekend, for free, without leaving the city," Stewart said.
Stewart expected about 4,000 people at this year's event. Linda Boyett, a parent who was there, said this was the first year she had seen the parking lot fill up.
Gallery: Easter Eggstravaganza in Camarillo
Lindsey and Issac Ordonez of Moorpark feed a pony at the petting zoo during the 2017 Easter Eggstravaganza and Craft Fair in Camarillo. This year's event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 at Camarillo Community Center Park. JEREMY CHILDS/THE STAR
Ismael Thenoz of Camarillo shows off the eggs he gathered during the 2017 Easter Eggstravaganza and Craft Fair in Camarillo. This year's event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 at Camarillo Community Center Park. JEREMY CHILDS/THE STAR
Children rush to find eggs during the 2017 Easter Eggstravaganza and Craft Fair put on by the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Parks District in Camarillo. This year's event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 at Camarillo Community Center Park. JEREMY CHILDS/THE STAR
The hunting grounds are covered in eggs during the 2017 Easter Eggstravaganza and Craft Fair in Camarillo. This year's event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 at Camarillo Community Center Park. JEREMY CHILDS/THE STAR
The Easter Bunny delivers eggs before the 2017 Easter Eggstravaganza and Craft Fair, an annual event put on by the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Parks District. This year's event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 at Camarillo Community Center Park. JEREMY CHILDS/THE STAR
Matthew Sanchez of Camarillo decorates a plastic pot with googly eyes during the 2017 Easter Eggstravaganza and Craft Fair in Camarillo. This year's event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 at Camarillo Community Center Park. JEREMY CHILDS/THE STAR
The Camarillo Community Center's Tap Dance 2 class, led by instructor Haley-Nicole, entertains during the 2017 Easter Eggstravaganza and Craft Fair in Camarillo. This year's event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 at Camarillo Community Center Park. JEREMY CHILDS/THE STAR
The main attractions were the six separate hunts which had more than 15,000 Easter eggs among them. Volunteers dispersed the eggs within a sectioned off area of the park, split into two parts — for children ages 5 and younger and those ages 6 and up. When given the green light, kids swarmed the field and tried to fill their baskets with as many eggs as possible.
It was highly competitive, with some children walking away with several eggs in their basket and others with none.
"I wanted to leave some so the little kids could get them," said Emily Ake, who gathered two eggs during a hunt for ages 6 and up.
The festival also had a crafting booth for children, offering them the chance to decorate the plastic pots of drought-resistant succulents. It also featured a petting zoo, two bounce houses, an Easter Bunny photo opportunity and booths with carnival games. A DJ played dance music next to a stage that featured gymnastics demonstrations from Cartwheel A Go Go and a tap dance performance from participants in the Camarillo Community Center's dance classes.
Journey: The Church, which congregates nearby at the Camarillo Community Center, sponsored the egg hunt for the sixth time this year. The church helped facilitate the event, provided eggs with prizes inside them and distributed bottles of water.
Jeremy Kays, a pastor, said he hoped the event would help bring people together in celebration of the occasion.
"It's about loving the community," he said.
Read or Share this story: http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/camarillo/2017/04/15/eggstravaganza-s-loving-community/100418902/ | {
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National September 11 Memorial & Museum, New York (must see)
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (known separately as the 9/11 Memorial and 9/11 Memorial Museum) are the principal memorial and museum, respectively, commemorating the September 11, 2001, attacks, which killed 2,977 people, and the World Trade Center bombing of 1993, which killed six. The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site, the former location of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed during the September 11 attacks. It is operated by a non-profit corporation whose mission is to raise funds for, program, own, and operate the memorial and museum at the World Trade Center site.
On September 11, 2011, a dedication ceremony commemorating the tenth anniversary of the attacks was held at the memorial. Three months after its opening, the memorial had been visited by over a million people. In 2012 Tuesday's Children, a non-profit family-service organization dedicated to the individuals directly impacted by 9/11 and those who have lost loved ones to terrorism worldwide, joined with the 9/11 Memorial to offer private tours to family members of 9/11 victims and first responders.
There has been a lot of thought gone into making this tribute to all those who lost their lives.
You can go down 70 feet underground to the original bedrock and pillars the buildings were built on, or walk the grounds outside and look at the fountains.
Many personal belongings of the victims and remnants of structural portions of the buildings and city emergency vehicles are present to view, also.
Try purchasing tickets online in advance, especially during the busier months (holidays or vacation periods).
Daily: 9am-8pm
Image by MartinThoma on Wikimedia under Creative Commons License.
This sight is featured in a self-guided walking tour of New York, New York within the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" which can be downloaded from iTunes App Store or Google Play. Please download the app to your mobile phone or tablet for travel directions for visiting this sight. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
National September 11 Memorial & Museum on Map
Create Your Own Self-Guided Walks in New York
Sight Name: National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Sight Location: New York, USA
Best of Lower Manhattan Walking Tour
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NYC Greenwich Village Walk
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Grand Central Station to Union Square
This self-guided walk, passing from Grand Central Station to Union Square, is bound to introduce you to some of New York's most iconic landmarks, such as Empire State Building, Macy's, Madison Square Garden and many others along the way. Not visiting any of these would be cheating on your own self.
Midtown Manhattan Walking Tour
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George Washington's New York
While not really a New York fan himself, George Washington held the city in high esteem, calling it "a post of infinite importance," and is even credited with coining the term "New Yorker". The scene of some of Washington's greatest military trials and political triumphs, NYC is a home to several important sites associated with his life and career, such as Fraunces Tavern, Bowling Green,... view more
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With "Bar Tour of the Upper West Side" sample a cross section from NYC's great gamut of drinking establishments, including a Belgian Brasserie, a wine bar, Irish pubs, and one dive — just for fun! These spots offer something a little extra, like craft beers, inspirational artwork, a chance...
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NYC Beer Tour
There are many great places to drink in New York City. Still, discerning connoisseurs are likely to find themselves awash in a sea of mediocre beer without first gaining a proper lay of the beer land. For those whose curiosity and taste buds urge them to venture beyond ubiquitious draft staples like...
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In keeping with the song, one might think that, if they can make it in New York City, they can make it anywhere. Well, not always... Some of the things made in New York City aren't made anywhere else, and you'll definitely want to try or keep at least some of them to prolong your NYC... | {
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The Lord of Castle Black (Viscount of Adrilankha, Book 2)
Synopsis of The Lord of Castle Black (Viscount of Adrilankha, Book 2)
Continuing the swashbuckling epic begun in The Paths of the Dead
Journeys! Intrigues! Sword fights! Young persons having adventures! Beloved older characters having adventures, too! Quests! Battles! Romance! Snappy dialogue! Extravagant food! And the missing heir to the Imperial Throne!In the swashbuckling, extravagant manner of The Phoenix Guards, Five Hundred Years After, and The Paths of the Dead, this is an old-fashioned adventure--moving at a twenty-first-century pace.
The Interregnum is over. To everyone's astonishment, Zerika, a very young Phoenix, has coolly emerged from the Paths of the Dead, carrying with her the Orb, which everyone had thought was lost in Adron's Disaster. The Orb is the heart of the Dragaeran Empire, the source of all its magic--and the infallible sign that Zerika is the new Empress.
But not everyone is happy to hear the news. It's been 250 years since Adron's Disaster, and power vacuums never stay that way for long. K...na, a Dragonlord, has been expanding his holdings. He now controls almost half the area that was once the Empire -- in effect, the Empire re-created, with himself on the throne.
Among those opposing him is a young Dragonlord named Morrolan - the same Morrolan familiar to every reader of the Vlad Taltos adventures. Until recently, Morrolan was an orphan raised among Easterners, unaware of his lineage, but it has belatedly come to his attention that he's a high-ranking Dragonlord, and now he means to act like one. And from Sethra Lavode he has received a gift of immense significance and power: Blackwand, a magical artifact in the form of a sword.
He'll find plenty to do with it.
Reviews of The Lord of Castle Black (Viscount of Adrilankha, Book 2)
In short, this reviewer believes there is no coin better spent than in the purchase of this new work by Paarfi (and of any of his Books). Should you seek his work, be sure to look also under the name of Brust, his translator. -- Edward Carmien, SFRevu
I have to admit that I didn't really enjoy Brust's latest offering that much. Oh, sure, it's better than 95% of the Books on my shelves, and I devoured it in a day, but still... -- Dave Kennedy, DKennedy.org
Employing his "Dumas homage" presentation, the reader is both entertained by the story itself and by the humorous narrative of Paarfi the historian. -- R.F. Briggs, Yet Another Book Review Site | {
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