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The IP Network Ready 7" Vandal-resistant Rugged Dome model offers versatility and camera protection in a compact size. It accepts analog camera systems from Canon & Elmo and many network cameras from Axis, Canon, Elmo, JVC, Panasonic and Sony or a single fixed camera with a maximum camera length of 7.5". On outdoor models a heater and blower are standard, and a cold weather kit is available to offer even wider temperature ranges. Videolarm's RH75 is a rugged dome designed for applications where tough surveillance is needed. Its cast aluminum body and polycarbonate lower dome is perfect for warehouses, parking decks, correctional facilities, power plants, stadiums, airports, bus terminals, schools, and more. The 7" Vandal-Resistant Rugged Housing models are available for indoor and outdoor applications. OptiClear polycarbonate domes, clearest domes in the industry, are a feature of these models. Maximum camera length on indoor and outdoor models is 7.5" The outdoor models come standard with two heaters and two blowers. Hence the temperature range is -40° F to + 120° F.
Axis, Canon, Elmo, JVC, Panasonic and Sony Cameras (Maximum Camera Length: 7.5")


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- Emerging Markets Daily
LatAm Stock Picks: Focus On Value And Exposure To US, Says J.P. Morgan
- Order Reprints
- Print Article
When we look at Latin American stocks, J.P. Morgan advises that we focus on value stocks and those that have exposure to the U.S. economic recovery.
As such, Mexico, U.S.'s largest trading partner in the region, is a Buy, according to J.P. Morgan:
We are OW Mexico based on (1) strong forecast economic growth acceleration to 3.4% in 2014E from 1.4% in 2013E; (2) estimated domestic FX appreciation (vs. the USD) through 2014 year-end (MXN12.25 /USD); (3) enhanced cost competiveness and high sustainable growth outlook – the agenda on reforms has advanced; and (4) leverage to an expected US manufacturing rebound.
Mexico was upgraded by S&P from BBB to BBB+ with stable outlook upon the passing of its energy reform bill today. The iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF (EWW) is up 1% in the morning.
Here is the list of stocks J. P. Morgan likes that has ADRs in the US and strong exposure to U.S. economic recovery: Vale (VALE), SQM (SQM), Copa (CPA), and Avianca (AVH).

subset: commoncrawl


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The Bad Girl
by Mario Vargas Llosa, translated by Edith Grossman
352pp, Faber, pounds 17.99
Reading a so-so novel by a first-rate author can be a disconcerting experience. Along with the letdown of the book itself, there's the constant muffled sense of a large talent trying to find a way into its own material. Mario Vargas Llosa's immense resources as a novelist are energetically applied to the surface of this tale of obsessive love - quick scene changes from one cosmopolitan location to another, lightning sketches of Peruvian political history, a bustling cast of eccentrics and revolutionaries, literary allusions galore - but the love story itself never develops a convincing heartbeat.
In the summer of 1950 a 15-year-old Peruvian boy, Ricardo Somocurcio, meets Lily, a dazzling newcomer in the Miraflores district of Lima, claiming to be a Chilean. She turns out to be lying about both her name and her nationality, but by the time Ricardo discovers this he has already fallen under the spell of her "mischievous laugh" and the "mocking glance of her eyes the colour of dark honey." In Paris, a decade later, where Ricardo has gone to work as an interpreter, the girl resurfaces, this time under the equally bogus sobriquet of "Comrade Arlette", on her way to Cuba as a trainee revolutionary. Ricardo's feelings for her return unabated: "the mischievousness I remembered so well still poured out of her, something bold, spontaneous, provocative . . . And she had that dark honey in her eyes." This time the two have an affair, in which Ricardo puts his tender heart on his sleeve, while the "bad girl" keeps hers firmly in the freezer, thereby maintaining control of the relationship.
So begins the infatuation that will become the source of all pain and pleasure in Ricardo's otherwise unremarkable life, for the next 40-odd years. Back in Paris after her Cuban interlude, Comrade Arlette reappears as Mme Robert Arnoux, the expensively dressed wife of a diplomat. Her face, "where mischief was always mixed with curiosity and coquetry", works its familiar magic on Ricardo (her little "pissant" as she now teasingly calls him), and the two resume their affair until she disappears again, breaking his heart and emptying her husband's Swiss bank account.
Her career as a gold-digging femme fatale thus launched, and her pattern of devastating recurrence in Ricardo's life established, it becomes a foregone conclusion that when Ricardo starts visiting England during the mid-60s, she will cross his path again. She does: this time as Mrs Richardson, wife of a wealthy, horse-breeding toff in Newmarket. The "gestures, looks and expressions that were a consummate display of coquetry" have their predictable effect, as they do again a few years later in Tokyo after she trades up once more, this time becoming "Kuriko", mistress to a sadistic Japanese gangster. So it continues: another round in Paris after she returns from Japan, brutalised by her gangster's nasty sex-games but soon recovering "the old vivacity and mischief" under Ricardo's dependable ministrations; then further rounds in Madrid, the south of France . . .
As the above quotations suggest, there's something static about the presentation of the central relation ship. Where you might hope for a deepening sense of its inner reality to emerge with each re-encounter - a tightening scrutiny of what it is that binds these lovers together - you get incantatory repetition instead: "mischief", "coquetry", "dark honey". In place of psychology or even pathology you get biological depictions of the changing state of Otilia's (as her real name turns out to be) vagina and breasts that come across merely as salacious. The faux-clinical tone is something like that of the doctor who discusses with Ricardo the sexual injuries from Otilia's Sadean interlude: "I have no choice but to give you the unpleasant details . . ."
At one point, as if aware of something missing in the substantiation of his heroine's allegedly irresistible charm, Vargas Llosa comes up with a Vietnamese orphan, unable to talk since his traumatic childhood. The mute boy meets the bad girl and lo, he speaks. It is a moment of unforgivable schmaltz that merely makes Otilia seem more improbable than ever.
The name "Mme Arnoux", Otilia's third alias, is also that of the object of Frederic Moreau's infatuation in Flaubert's Sentimental Education. Vargas Llosa has written extensively of his love of Flaubert, and The Bad Girl is in part an homage to Sentimental Education. Some elements, such as the tenuously incorporated running commentary on Peruvian politics, really only make sense if understood as allusions to the original - in this case the backdrop of French political turmoil. Stylistically, however, the book couldn't be less like Flaubert, whose injunctions against cliche, generic description, idees recues, it flouts with apparent glee, tossing out such lines as "He was the incarnation of the careless, absent-minded intellectual" by way of characterisation, and off-the-peg accessories (high-end, of course) - Guerlain toothbrush, Vuitton dressing case - by way of furnishings.
In its better moments (and there are some incidentally lively passages) it seems to aspire to something more like the skimming swiftness of Flaubert's pupil Maupassant, whose raffishly cynical study of corrupted desire, Bel Ami, it occasionally resembles. But whereas Maupassant situates his predatory charmers in a Paris brought to life by incandescently imagined detail, Vargas Llosa (who has achieved equally brilliant results in other novels, such as The Feast of the Goat) too often settles for the kind of obvious local colour you could find in a tourist brochure. The depiction of Swinging London is particularly lame, beginning with this painfully clunky overview: "Music replaced books and ideas as a centre of attraction for the young, above all with the Beatles but also including Cliff Richard, the Shadows, the Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger, other English bands and singers, and hippies and the psychedelic revolution of the flower children."
The line about the Stones - "with Mick Jagger" - is so richly ludicrous, I wondered if there was some weird pastiche afoot; an attempt to deliver modern times in a deliberately stilted, anachronistic manner so as to simulate the weatherbeaten patina of a "classic". I don't think so, but perhaps in 100 years or so, when the 20th century seems as quaintly old-world as the 19th, The Bad Girl 's kitschy aura will have become imperceptible and readers will share the sentiments of one of the characters in its pages who, on hearing Ricardo tell his tale, is made to exclaim obligingly: "Do you know, it's a marvellous love story?" For now, though, that reads more like wishful thinking.
· James Lasdun's most recent novel is Seven Lies (Vintage). To order The Bad Girl for pounds 16.99 with free UK p&p call Guardian book service on 0870 836 0875.


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No. 33; Updated August 2013
Click here to download and print a PDF version of this document.
"Conduct disorder" refers to a group of behavioral and emotional problems in youngsters. Children and adolescents with this disorder have great difficulty following rules and behaving in a socially acceptable way. They are often viewed by other children, adults and social agencies as "bad" or delinquent, rather than mentally ill. Many factors may contribute to a child developing conduct disorder, including brain damage, child abuse or neglect, genetic vulnerability, school failure, and traumatic life experiences.
Children or adolescents with conduct disorder may exhibit some of the following behaviors:
Aggression to people and animals
Destruction of Property
Deceitfulness, lying, or stealing
Serious violations of rules
Children who exhibit these behaviors should receive a comprehensive evaluation by an experience mental health professional. Many children with a conduct disorder may have coexisting conditions such as mood disorders, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, ADHD, learning problems, or thought disorders which can also be treated. Research shows that youngsters with conduct disorder are likely to have ongoing problems if they and their families do not receive early and comprehensive treatment. Without treatment, many youngsters with conduct disorder are unable to adapt to the demands of adulthood and continue to have problems with relationships and holding a job. They often break laws or behave in an antisocial manner.
Treatment of children with conduct disorder can be complex and challenging. Treatment can be provided in a variety of different settings depending on the severity of the behaviors. Adding to the challenge of treatment are the child's uncooperative attitude, fear and distrust of adults. In developing a comprehensive treatment plan, a child and adolescent psychiatrist may use information from the child, family, teachers, community (including the legal system) and other medical specialties to understand the causes of the disorder.
Behavior therapy and psychotherapy are usually necessary to help the child appropriately express and control anger. Special education may be needed for youngsters with learning disabilities. Parents often need expert assistance in devising and carrying out special management and educational programs in the home and at school. Home-based treatment programs such as Multisystemic Therapy are effective for helping both the child and family.Treatment may also include medication in some youngsters, such as those with difficulty paying attention, impulse problems, or those with depression.
Treatment is rarely brief since establishing new attitudes and behavior patterns takes time. However, early treatment offers a child a better chance for considerable improvement and hope for a more successful future.
For additional information see Facts for Families:
#3 Teens: Alcohol and Other Drugs
#55 Understanding Violent Behavior in Children and Adolescents
#72 Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder
#6 Children Who Can't Pay Attention
#12 Children Who Steal
#38 Bipolar Disorder in Children and Teens
#80 Bullying
#81 Fighting and Biting
#00 Definition of a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
See also: Your Child (1998 Harper Collins) / Your Adolescent (1999 Harper Collins)
Click here to order Your Child from Harper Collins
Click here to order Your Adolescent from Harper Collins
If you find Facts for Families© helpful and would like to make good mental health a reality, consider donating to the Campaign for America's Kids. Your support will help us continue to produce and distribute Facts for Families, as well as other vital mental health information, free of charge.
You may also mail in your contribution. Please make checks payable to the AACAP and send to Campaign for America's Kids, P.O. Box 96106, Washington, DC 20090.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) represents over 8,700 child and adolescent psychiatrists who are physicians with at least five years of additional training beyond medical school in general (adult) and child and adolescent psychiatry.
Facts for Families© information sheets are developed, owned and distributed by AACAP. Hard copies of Facts sheets may be reproduced for personal or educational use without written permission, but cannot be included in material presented for sale or profit. All Facts can be viewed and printed from the AACAP website (www.aacap.org). Facts sheets may not be reproduced, duplicated or posted on any other website without written consent from AACAP. Organizations are permitted to create links to AACAP's website and specific Facts sheets. For all questions please contact the AACAP Communications & Marketing Coordinator, ext. 154.
If you need immediate assistance, please dial 911.
Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.


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Government term
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 results.
The Wellbeing Budget will continue the Government's drive to make New Zealand into the best place in the world to be a child, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.
Social services dealing most directly with the harm caused by family violence will get much needed support as the Government boosts funding to front line agencies for the first time in ten years.


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Back in July, the Nerd himself asked View From a Loft about a tree he heard about from one of his readers -- so we dug in our archives and tapped our sources to piece together this post. As a digital muralist, it's a perfect location to create a public art piece that can be used as a "Welcome to LA" for those coming in via freeway or Gold Line. As a neighborhood advocate, it may be a way to stop a strip club from opening, since it's yards away from a potential historical landmark. As a storyteller, it's worth repeating.
This morning El Don Nerdito Del Los Angeles forwarded a comment from his site asking about a large tree somewhere in Los Angeles. I had notes from a few years ago because this tree was planned to be part of a digital piece that hopefully will become a mural. By late afternoon, on-line villagers gathered at LACityNerd for council.
Many Angelenos may not know of this sycamore tree, but they do know the site. It's near where that sharp jog on the 101 freeway is, between the Alameda and Mission exit, where the Brew 102 building stood before it was demolished in 1988. The view from this loft can see Caltrans constructing a bridge linking Union Station to the Metro Goldline Eastside Extension, adding a sound-wall, and replacing the on and off ramps off Commerical Street near Hewitt that will curb weaving as 101 commuters aim their cars for the 10, 5, or the Mission Exit. Now, about that tree that's a specific link to LA before it was LA.
That massive sycamore tree (60' high and 200' diameter) was alongside a wider, concrete-free, Los Angeles river serving as the site of council for LA's first residents. In a basin where thousands of Tongva (people of the land) lived, one of the many villages was named Yang Na and took the high ground near what's now the Civic Center –– making it the first settlement in the city. The Tongva village people of Yang Na met under that large sycamore tree, a symbol of the fertile land, and I would guess a big provider of shade during the summer heat. After the Franciscan fathers, led by Junípero Serra, arrived to "save" the tribes, the Tongva people were renamed after Mission San Gabriel Arcángel and called the Gabrielino. And just as the Indians received a Castilian name, so did the tree. It was renamed "El Aliso" (the alder).
Missionaries up and down the state continued settling Spanish owned land with presidios and pueblos –– including an expedition of recruited families accompanied by soldiers who made their way from Mexico, to Mission San Diego, then up to Mission San Gabriel. On September 4, 1781, they walked from Mission San Gabriel to a spot near the river and founded El Pueblo de Los Angeles. Down the slight bluff from this plaza, the sycamore tree was the last refuge of tradition for the remaining natives.
Defending it's sovereignty, Mexico's sought overland settlers and maritime traders to develop an economic base after the territory of California was sold to the US. By then the Aliso tree was providing shade for a wine cellar. The wine was produced from the surrounding vineyards planted by a European settler.
That settler, Louis Vignes, arrived at El Pubelo De Los Angeles on December 5, 1831 during Mexico's reign. Originally from Bordeaux, France, he first traveled to the Sandwich Islands where he sold goods as a trader before coming to Monterey, California. Hearing of the rich farmland he moved south. The city of Los Angeles was growing, having extended out to the intersection of Spring and Main street on the south and further out from El Pueblo to the north. On the "outskirts" of the town on land east of the present location of Alameda Street, Vignes purchased one hundred and four acres and named it Aliso Vineyard. "With my knowledge of vine and orange cultivation and of the soil and climate of California," Vignes said to a guest in 1833, "I foresee that these two are to have a great future; this is just the place to grow them to perfection." The northern street was also named after the large tree on his purchased tract, Aliso Street.
"Don Louis del Aliso" –– so named by the local residents –– built his courtyard around the Aliso tree to shade his wine-cellars. After a long career of agriculture and wine making (plus a visit to Mission San Gabriel to grab some samplings to start a private orange grove) on June 7, 1851, Vignes put up his "desirable property, El Aliso" for sale. It was developed for housing that by 1884 made the area, still known as the Aliso tract, a "working class neighborhood" mixed with manufacturing.
One of the most profitable items produced in the area west of the river from Aliso Street then south to what is now Third Street was beer, ale and wine. "El Aliso" was finally cut down, weakened from age and neglect to make room for the Philadelphia Brew House, a brewery later operated by Maier and Zobelein. Later The Philadelphia Brew House was replaced by The Maier Brewing Company. After Prohibition, to pick up sales, The Maier Brewing's ad agency renamed the formally popular Maier Beer, Brew "102" and kept it a low cost "working man's" beer. Brew 102 must have had some sort of political clout to have the newly constructed 101 freeway swerve around it's factory.
Most of Aliso street is under the 101 freeway now. Vignes street starts by my parking lot gate and leads to the site where the brewery, courtyard and "El Aliso" once stood. And Angelenos have found a story worthy to tell under a large sycamore tree near a river.
Aliso tree illustration via A Visit to Old Los Angeles /Brent C. Dickerson
Aliso Street at Alameda / View from a Loft
Brew "102", Maier Brewing Company via Breweriana.com
Additional source material: Dangerous Curve


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Determining the Happiness of Canadians: this is the executive summary of the report available on http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2010-09.pdf
The objective of this report is to ascertain whether persons living in certain regions or cities in Canada experience higher levels of life satisfaction or happiness, and if so why? To address this question, the report uses micro-data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) for 2007 and 2008. After a descriptive analysis of the data on happiness in Canada, the report identifies, through an econometric analysis of both individual and societal variables, the most statistically and economically significant determinants of individual happiness. It then uses this information to explain the variation in happiness at the provincial, CMA, and health region level, given the characteristics of the population in these geographical units. A key finding is that the most important reason for geographical variation in happiness in Canada is differences in the sense of belonging to local communities, which is generally higher in small CMAs, rural areas, and Atlantic Canada.
There is relatively little variation in average happiness in Canada both over time and across space. Statistic Canada's Canadian Community Health Survey has since 2003 provided estimates of the proportion of the population that consider themselves satisfied or very satisfied with their lives. In 2009, this proportion for the population 12 and over was 92.1 per cent, up from 91.4 per cent in 2008 (91.9 per cent in 2007, 91.8 per cent in 2005, and 91.3 per cent in 2003).
Based on a scale of 1 to 5, the average level of the happiness of the Canadian population 20 and over in 2007-8 was 4.26. At the provincial level, it ranged from a high of 4.33 in Prince Edward Island to a low of 4.23 in Ontario, a total range of 0.10 points (2.5 per cent) out of a potential maximum variation of four points. At the level of the 32 CMAs, average happiness ranged from a high of 4.37 in Sherbrooke, Quebec to a low of 4.15 in Toronto, Ontario, a range of 0.22 points or 5.5 per cent. At the level of the 121 health regions, average happiness ranged from a high of 4.42 in Kings County, Prince Edward Island to a low of 4.12 in the City of Toronto Health Unit, a range of 0.30 points or 7.5 per cent.
Based on 70,192 observations for Canada from the 2007 and 2008 CCHS, an equation was estimated, using happiness as the dependent variable and both individual and societal variables as independent variables. The individual level variables produced the most statistically significant results, and the largest coefficients. The societal variables added little explanatory power to the equations, were in most cases not statistically significant, and had small coefficients. It appears that happiness in Canada is primarily determined by the individual characteristics of the people in the population, not the average characteristics of the geographic unit in which the people live.
The following variables were found to be the most economically and statistically significant determinants of individual happiness in Canada:
An individual's perceived mental health was measured on a scale from 1 (poor mental health) to 5 (excellent mental health). A one-unit increase from the average of perceived mental health for the Canadian population increases the proportion of individuals that are very satisfied with life by 17.0 percentage points. Said another way, for the average person the effect of a one-unit increase in mental health on happiness is equivalent to the effect of a 309 per cent increase in household income. Thus, perceived mental health has a very significant effect on individual happiness
Perceived health status was also an economically significant determinant of happiness. A one-unit increase in health status (measured on a 5-point scale) increases the proportion of individuals that are very satisfied with life by 8.8 percentage points. Alternatively, a one-unit increase in health status is equivalent to a 157 per cent increase in household income for the average person on happiness.
High levels of stress level were associated with lower life satisfaction. Specifically, a one-unit increase in stress (measured on a 5-point scale) decreases the proportion of individuals that are very satisfied by 7.7 percentage points. For the average person, this change in stress level is equivalent to the effect of a 136 per cent decrease in household income on happiness.
An individual's sense of belonging to their local community was also an important determinant of individual life satisfaction. A one-unit increase in sense of belonging (measured on a 4-point scale) increases the proportion of individuals that are very satisfied with life by 6.5 percentage points. Relative to the effect of household income, a one-unit increase in sense of belonging is equivalent to a 116 per cent increase in income for the average person.
We found that being unemployed has a negative impact on people's happiness. Relative to household income, moving from unemployment to employment has the same impact on happiness as a 151 per cent increase in income for the average person.
Although household income was statistically significant at the one per cent level, it carries less economic significance for happiness. Specifically, a ten per cent increase in household income from the mean increases the proportion of individuals that are very satisfied with life by only 0.6 percentage points.
At the societal level, average household income across a health region was found to be negatively associated with individual happiness. A ten per cent increase in the average household income of a health region (holding individual household
income constant) would decrease the proportion of individuals that are very satisfied by 0.7 percentage points. This suggests that relative income is slightly more important than individual income but overall, its effect is not profound. One caveat for this result is that due to lower variation in average household income across health regions compared to variation in individual income, the marginal effect is not as robust for the societal income measure.
Marital status and immigration status were also found to be important determinants of individual happiness. Married persons are happier compared to people who have never been married. Recent immigrants are less happy compared to non-immigrants.
The regression results were used to calculate the expected happiness, that is the average happiness for an individual or group when all other variables for that individual or group assume average values. These expected happiness estimates were then compared to actual happiness estimates. In all cases, these controls reduced the variation to varying degrees between the categories with the highest and lowest average level of happiness. For example, the observed or actual estimates show a 1.92 point difference in happiness between the life satisfaction of those with poor mental health (2.65) and those with excellent mental health (4.57). But once all other factors such as income are controlled for the gap drops to 0.92 points. Nonetheless, this is still a very large gap and by far the greatest of any variable.
The next largest gap, again after controlling for all other variables, was for health (0.46 points between poor and excellent health), followed by stress (0.40 points between no stress and extreme stress), sense of belonging to the local community (0.25 points between very weak and very strong), household income (0.20 points between the bottom and top decile), marital status (0.18 points between married and never married), immigration status (0.13 points between non-immigrants and recent immigrants), and visible minority (0.09 points difference between visible minority and the majority). All other variables had variation in happiness between the top and bottom categories of 0.06 points of less, after controls were applied.
Geographical variation in happiness in Canada arises for two main sources: differences in the means of variables associated with life satisfaction and the importance of those variables in the life satisfaction regressions. To explain geographical variation, we derive weights for each variable based on the regression coefficient and use them to account for the deviation in happiness for each geographical unit from the national average. It was found that differences in the sense of belonging to the local community are the most important explanation for the geographic variation of happiness in Canada. Although sense of belonging was not the most economically significant variable in our models of life satisfaction, the variation in this variable across geographical units was quite large. For example, on a standardized scale from 1-5, sense of belonging ranged from a low of 3.22 in Quebec to a high of 3.81 in Newfoundland and Labrador at the provincial level. The range in means for this variable across provinces contributed to its ability to explain geographical variation in happiness. While mental health status was the most economically significant variable in our regression models, the differences in mean mental health status across provinces are small. British Columbia had the lowest mean
mental health status at 3.97 while Quebec had the highest mean mental health status at 4.16. This represents a range of 4.8 per cent compared to a range of 14.8 per cent for sense of belonging.
One of the key reasons for the limited geographical variation in happiness is that factors often offset one another. That is, although sense of belonging may be higher in one province, that province may also have a lower average mental health. Quebec is a good example as it has the lowest mean sense of belonging but the highest mean mental health status.
This report provides strong support for the recommendations of the Stiglitz Report, which was commissioned by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and released in September 2009, to put greater emphasis on happiness relative to GDP in the development of public policy.


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MSPP #121: 1986 Troop 68 Reviewstevejb68 on November 3, 2012 in camping, court of honor, High Adventure, Nostalgia, podcast
The year was 1986. It was a good year for the Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68 program. There was a large membership for Troop 68, and good turnout for the monthly activities and courts of honor. Winter camp, a primitive campout, the Ripley Rendezvous, a Scout-O-Rama, and a local camporee were just some of the events. It was the first year we sent a crew to Philmont Scout Ranch. I recently finished a video featuring pictures from the year which I hope to share with the troop alumni. I thought you might enjoy traveling back in time also and see what the troop program looked like in 1986.
Were you a Boy Scout in 1986?
Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast.
Or watch it online at the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast channel at PTC Media.
Subscribe to Melrose Scout Productions Podcast through iTUNES (and rate the show)
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions


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Culture has become the new buzz word in business, and folks love to ask "what's your culture like?"
Company values that are posted to a corporation's website, or displayed on a poster in their lobby, don't get you too far when it comes to truly influencing the level of engagement & love that your workforce feels for the company. It takes a lot more dedication than that.
We believe that our dedication to high involvement culture and a loving, high performing workforce sets us apart. We believe that the collective is stronger than the individual and that informed coworkers will make responsible decisions.
We practice open book management, providing coworkers access to company financials and a clear view into managerial decision making processes. We facilitate an all-staff monthly meeting where coworkers are informed on the latest and greatest New Belgium news. We also meet annually, in the form of a Strategic Planning Retreat. Our 2016 retreat was a sight to behold: all 770 of our coworkers (plus or minus a couple) come together for a few days of serious talks and serious fun. We gather input from ALL coworkers to help make decisions about the upcoming year's business plan. It's a wonderful way to celebrate, sustain our culture, reconnect ourselves to our Vision, and give out a heck of a lot of hugs & high fives in the process.
We are also a Certified B Corporation. B Corps are companies that are dedicated to proving that business can be a force for good in the world. Head on over here to learn more.
It's hard to communicate something so complex and awesome in writing, so let's just have some coworkers show you instead:
Check out some of our coworkers talking about our place of work


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The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 15/8, requested the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context to identify best practices, challenges and obstacles to the full realisation of the right to adequate housing and to pay special attention to the needs of persons in vulnerable situations as well as those belonging to marginalized groups. In her first report (A/HRC/10/7) to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur addressed the implications of certain financial, economic and housing policies on the right to adequate housing, in the context of the recent housing and financial crises. Her report addressed, inter alia, the impact of market-based housing finance policies on the realisation of the right to adequate housing.
In her report to the UN General Assembly at its 67th session, the Special Rapporteur continued her previous work, by examining national policies promoting access to homeownership and affordable housing for the poorest segments of society or other marginalized groups. The report focuses on policies and programmes which aim to promote access to adequate housing for the poor through the provision of credit to individuals and families, through public, private of quasi-private financial institutions (such as private and public banks and other credit institutions including those dealing with microfinance, Government loans corporations, credit unions and savings groups, etc.). These programmes may also include public subsidies or tax exemptions.
For this purpose, the Special Rapporteur circulated a questionnaire to solicit information from States, local authorities and civil society for the preparation of the report.
Questionnaire on Housing financing for the poor: English | French | SpanishTo read submissions of Governments in response to the questionnaire please click here..
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Habitat III and the New Urban Agenda from the perspective of the right to adequate housing
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Australia and New Zealand Finance & Operations Director, Melbourne
At BCG, Allies bring a sense of collaboration and excitement to their teams. They create an atmosphere of trust and support in which people can do their best work. Craig connects the dots to see the bigger picture.
What impresses me the most about BCG is the genuine desire of everyone across the firm to improve our clients from where they are today.
My role is the finance and operations director for Australia and New Zealand. I support the managing partner with all finance and operational matters and interact day-to-day with other partners on a very broad range of issues.
My team partners with the business on all financial, planning, tax, and management accounting. My role stretches beyond finance to also lead the national operations and IT teams. This broadens my contact within the business to include facilities, travel, policy decisions, emergency management, and a wide variety of HR matters.
I feel fortunate to work at BCG and have exposure to many challenges and opportunities across the global organization. Above all, working with such positive and astute colleagues brings a high level of satisfaction to my career. Being part of a global firm that truly strives to improve our clients and communities is the icing on the cake.
Craig is an Australian Chartered Accountant who joined BCG in 2000 after previous roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and AMP Consulting.
I was asked by the managing partner at the time if I wanted to take on the leadership of the general operations of the business. The faith that he and the other partners had in me drove me to be the best I could be. At that point, I knew I belonged here.
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The Tax Reform Evidence From 1986
Experience implies that the combination of base broadening and rate reduction would raise revenue equal to about 4% of existing tax revenue.
By MARTIN FELDSTEIN
Congress's Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is struggling to find $1.5 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years. This is a unique opportunity to use tax reform to reduce future budget deficits while lowering individual tax rates.
The Tax Reform Act of 1986, enacted 25 years ago last Friday, showed how a tax reform that includes lower rates can change incentives in a way that grows the tax base and produces extra revenue. The 1986 agreement between President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip O'Neill reduced the top marginal tax rate to 28% from 50%. A conservative Republican and a liberal Democrat could agree to a dramatic reduction in top rates because the legislation also eliminated a wide variety of tax loopholes.
A traditional "static" analysis that ignores the response of taxpayers to lower tax rates indicated that those combined tax changes would leave total revenue unchanged at each income level. But the actual experience after 1986 showed an enormous rise in the taxes paid, particularly by those who experienced the greatest reductions in marginal tax rates.
To measure that response, I studied a sample of individual tax returns (stripped of all identifying information) for more than 4,000 taxpayers provided by the U.S. Treasury Department. Because the sample contained the tax return of each individual for the years 1985 through 1988, I could compare the taxable income of individuals in 1985 with their taxable incomes in 1988, two years after their rates were lowered.
Taxpayers who faced a marginal tax rate of 50% in 1985 had a marginal tax rate of just 28% after 1986, implying that their marginal net-of-tax share rose to 72% from 50%, an increase of 44%. For this group, the average taxable income rose between 1985 and 1988 by 45%, suggesting that each 1% rise in the marginal net-of-tax rate led to about a 1% rise in taxable income.
This dramatic increase in taxable income reflected three favorable effects of the lower marginal tax rates. The greater net reward for extra effort and extra risk-taking led to increases in earnings, in entrepreneurial activity, in the expansion of small businesses, etc. Lower marginal tax rates also caused individuals to shift some of their compensation from untaxed fringe benefits and other perquisites to taxable earnings. Taxpayers also reduced spending on tax-deductible forms of consumption.
A similar picture emerged for the group of taxpayers who faced slightly lower marginal tax rates of 42% and 45%. The reduction to 28% raised the marginal net-of-tax share of this group by 25% and their taxable incomes rose by 20%, suggesting that each 1% rise in the marginal net-of-tax share raised taxable incomes by 0.8%, quite similar to the estimate for the group with the highest marginal tax rate.
The substantial sensitivity of taxable income to the taxpayer's marginal net-of-tax share has important implications for the effect of tax-rate reductions on total tax revenue. For a 10% across-the-board reduction in all tax rates, a traditional "static" analysis implies that revenue would fall to 90% of its previous level. But reducing a current 40% marginal tax rate by 10% to 36% raises the net-of-tax share to 64% from 60%, a rise of 6.7%. If that causes the taxable income of those at that tax level to rise by 6.7%, their taxable income would fall to only 96% of what it had been. In short, the behavioral response of taxpayers in this highest bracket would offset 60% of the static revenue loss.
The effect of taxpayer behavior on revenue is smaller in lower tax brackets. Calculations using the National Bureau of Economic Research's TAXSIM model, which calculates federal and state income tax liabilities from survey data, indicate that a 10% across-the-board reduction in all federal tax rates would reduce revenue by about 60% of what a static analysis would imply—i.e., that the behavioral response of taxable income to the lower marginal tax rates would offset about 40% of the static revenue loss.
These calculations have important implications for today's deficit-reduction debate. Broadening the tax base by limiting the use of tax expenditures (the special tax rules that substitute for direct government spending as a way to subsidize health insurance, mortgage borrowing and other things) could raise substantial revenue. Doing so doesn't require eliminating any of those tax expenditures. In a study of recent Treasury data, Daniel Feenberg, Maya MacGuineas and I found that limiting each individual's tax reduction from the use of tax expenditures to 5% of that individual's adjusted gross income would raise revenue equal to about 10% of current personal tax revenue.
Combining that base broadening with a 10% cut in all tax rates would be revenue neutral in a traditional static analysis. But the experience after the 1986 tax reform implies that the combination of base broadening and rate reduction would raise revenue equal to about 4% of existing tax revenue. With personal income-tax revenue in 2011 of about $1 trillion, that 4% increase in net revenue would be $40 billion at the current level of taxable income, or more than $500 billion over the next 10 years.
The Joint Select Committee should insist on counting that revenue as the starting point for a serious deficit reduction plan.
Mr. Feldstein, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Ronald Reagan, is a professor at Harvard and a member of The Wall Street Journal's board of contributors.
Copyright 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved


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We're stopping in today to let you know that we've reduced the price of the PIT BULL FROGS 2012 CALENDAR to $6.95 while quantities last. We know the year's almost half over, but this is one calendar that you will want to keep and look at again and again for years to come. The new lower price still includes shipping costs and will still allow us to donate a few bucks to some awesome Pittie organizations. So, if you would like to have a Froggin' Pittie Calendar of your very own, hop on this deal right away!
WILBUR - our inspiration and JUNE calendar Pittie
And to all of you who purchased or otherwise supported our Froggin' Calendar in so many ways - a BIG SLOPPY KISS and a HUGE THANK YOU!!!


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In space, no one can hear you meow
Our popular double-sided bandanas offer versatility to accompany your dogs' ever-changing moods! We use high quality embroidery thread and quilting-quality cotton backings. Please note that backing fabrics vary.
Our bandanas are fastened with a tie, which offers more options for sizing and for switching up between cats for those multi-pet families (or that kitty who may have had a few too many treats)!
To clean, just pop in the washing machine in cold water and lay flat to dry.
Small bandanas fit: 7 – 13 inches
Medium bandanas fit: 11.5 – 25.5
Large bandanas fit: 14.5 – 35 inches
Please remember to keep your pets safe, and don't leave bandanas on them without supervision!


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We are already familiar with the new five-door hatchback Hyundai is bringing to the States in the form of the 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT. Now Hyundai's German design center has unveiled the wagon version. Can you tell the difference?
Located just across town from Opel's main factory in Rüsselheim, Hyundai's European R&D Center designed the i30 wagon "in Europe, for Europe," and it will be manufactured there, too. Hyundai also said that the i30 wagon was developed alongside the hatchback, the one that we are getting over here as the Elantra GT.
Hyundai isn't telling how much weight the i30 gains in becoming a wagon, but they will tell us that it grows seven inches in length and gains a bit over five cubic feet of trunk space compared to the hatchback, both with the seats up. Fold the seats down and you get more interior space than a Hyundai Tucson crossover that also has its seats folded down.
Not only does the i30 wagon share a platform with the Elantra GT, but the i30 wagon gets the same engines and transmissions as the hatch, only with more diesels. It makes sense to us to bring this wagon stateside — something we may ask for when we're at its Geneva Motor Show debut next month — but automakers don't always do what we think makes sense.
Photo Credit: Hyundai Motor Co.


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Episode 165 -- Boeing Continues to Suffer from 737 MAX Safety Crisis
One-on-One with David Fotouhi, Acting General Counsel at the EPA
Personal Jurisdiction Part 2: The Ford Cases [More With McGlinchey Ep. 8]
Keyless Ignitions and the Dangers of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Blakes Continuity Podcast: Life Sciences: Liability and Immunity During COVID-19
Personal Jurisdiction: Not what you learned in law school [More with McGlinchey Ep. 4]
Blakes Continuity Podcast: Entering the COVID-19 Marketplace: Proceed with Care
Manufacturing Masks and Protective Equipment in the Age of COVID-19: Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton COVID-19 Litigation Podcast Series
Episode 139 -- DOJ Resolves Two Food Safety Criminal Cases -- Blue Bell Creameries and Chipotle Mexican Grills
Compliance into the Weeds: Episode 168-Compliance Lessons from Smithfield Foods
JONES DAY PRESENTS® AV 4.0 and the Future of Autonomous Vehicles
Litigation and COVID-19: How to Protect Your Business in This Time of Crisis
Daily Compliance News: March 17, 2020-the St. Patty's Day edition
Innovation in Compliance - Episode 118, Coronavirus Risk Exposure with Ben Locwin
Life With GDPR: Special Emergency Valentine's Day Edition-Facebook Dawn Raid in Ireland
Accountability: At the Heart of Compliance-Boeing, Part 3-Creating An Accountable World
Accountability: At the Heart of Compliance-Boeing, Part 2-Accountability from Management
Daily Compliance News: February 7, 2020, the Customer Fallout edition
The Walden Pond-Innovative Fraud Detection with Amir Weinberg
Subro Sense Podcast - Unpacking Product Claims Against Amazon
Welcome to the latest edition of the Food & Beverage Digest, our roundup of court cases and settlements affecting the agribusiness, food, beverage, and cosmetics industry.
This month, not all Ritas are lovely, someone...more
Many states, finding that the purpose of the strict liability doctrine is to protect otherwise defenseless victims from defective products, hold that principles of comparative negligence do not apply to strict liability...more
Nearly a dozen states have passed laws and even more have considered legislation purporting to grant immunity to businesses against lawsuits arising out of the spread of COVID-19....more
Product liability is based in "tort" law, along with legal claims like intentional torts, negligence, and strict liability. Torts are wrongful acts that cause injury to another person. Product liability claims can be based on...more
With so much uncertainty, there may be an assumption that attorneys are less likely to consider switching firms than in years past. However, while the hiring process may be unusual this year, attorneys are still looking to...more
Boeing is the new poster child for corporate governance failures and misconduct. Move over Wells Fargo, General Motors, Volkswagen, Novartis, Siemens and Wal-Mart, and make room for Boeing. Like General Motors and its...more
Consider a hypothetical person named Jane, who bought a chair twenty years ago. The chair was designed to help relieve back pain, but it actually made it worse. Because Jane was trying many different remedies, she did not...more
Environment & Product Regulation partner Erik Baptist sits down with David Fotouhi, Acting General Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to discuss his new role and his priorities in the Office of General...more
Governor Gavin Newsom further expanded California's regulation of chemicals in personal care products by signing AB 2762 and SB 312 on September 30, 2020.
Commencing on January 1, 2025, AB 2762 prohibits manufacturing or...more
Last month, we addressed the developing caselaw governing an "e-tailer's" role in the chain of distribution, and its resulting exposure to potential products liability suits, when a consumer purchases a defective product from...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to alter ways of life across the globe, clinical trials must be adapted for participant safety while maintaining accuracy in the midst of the ongoing crisis. In September 2020, the U.S. Food...more
Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, wrote to...more
According to a report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there were an estimated 59,000 emergency room injuries associated with (although not necessarily caused by) nursery products among children...more
Consumers are doing more and more shopping online. But when a consumer buys a product that is defective or counterfeit, are online marketplaces liable for misconduct by third-party sellers?
E-commerce platforms have...more
AG Coalitions Tackle PPP, Price Gouging Concerns-
•Eighteen Democratic AGs, led by Illinois AG Kwame Raoul, sent a comment letter to the Small Business Administration ("SBA") opposing the SBA's proposed rule...more
Welcome to the latest edition of the Food & Beverage Digest, our roundup of court cases and settlements affecting the agribusiness, food, beverage, and cosmetics industry.
This month, not all gummies are natural, one class...more
New Jersey Supreme Court Rules on Statements Against Interest by Settling Defendants -
In Rowe v. Bell & Gossett Co., 239 N.J. 531 (2019), the Supreme Court of New Jersey spoke on an evidentiary issue that parties often...more
Welcome back to the Class Action & MDL Roundup! Our summer edition covers notable class actions from the second quarter of 2020.
In this edition, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) weighed in on several...more
More than 100 years ago, the New York Court of Appeals issued its now-infamous opinion in MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co., which ushered American courts into a new age of personal injury jurisprudence. Writing for the majority,...more
Our FDA Compliance & Enforcement Team reviews how the Food and Drug Administration's first guidance on nitrosamine impurities shows what the FDA has learned about the sources of such impurities and what manufacturers can do...more
Webb v. Ellis, 2020 Tex. App. LEXIS 3527 (2020) -
Brief Summary -
A Texas appellate court reversed the trial court's grant of summary judgment in defendants' favor on plaintiffs' legal malpractice claim—which was based...more
After 34 years California's Proposition 65 continues to serve as a ripe source of litigation against businesses which fail to warn that their products can expose consumers to chemicals that cause cancer or reproductive...more
Last week, in the In re Plavix decision, the Third Circuit addressed the question of whether relators can be added or substituted in an amended complaint and, in the process, weighed in on whether the first-to-file bar is...more
U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved artificial intelligence-based algorithms are rapidly growing in number. These algorithms are, for the most part, designed to help healthcare providers implement existing workflows...more
As Congress continues to discuss the next coronavirus (COVID-19) stimulus package, one bill in particular has become a flash point in the negotiations: the SAFE TO WORK Act, which would provide far-reaching liability...more
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Managing inventory
Managing your product inventory is a key part of controlling costs and keeping customers happy by having popular items in stock. Using the Online Store's inventory feature helps you keep track of everything.
Note: This article is for the standalone version of Online Store. It doesn't apply to the Websites + Marketing version.
- Log in to your Account Manager.
- In your Products list, click Online Store, and then click Manage next to the account you want to use.
- At the top of your screen in the Products tab, click Products.
- On the All Products page, click the product whose inventory quantity you want to enter.
- Click the product's Inventory & Options tab, and set the Inventory menu to Track inventory. (By default, the If quantity reaches zero menu is set to Allow backorder.)
- Enter how many of that product you have on hand in the Inventory field.
- If you have variations of the product, such as sizes or colors, click Create new option in the Options section.
Note: After adding an option, you can then create choices for each option. (For more information, see Add product options.)
- To track inventory for an option and its choices, click to toggle the button for Advanced tracking from Off to On.
Note: Once you turn on Advanced tracking, the main Inventory field is locked since you need to set inventory quantities for each choice in the Options grid at the bottom of the page. If you turn Advanced tracking back to Off, the quantity field for each choice no longer displays, limiting you to setting only an overall quantity in the single Inventory field.
- If you turn on advanced tracking, you can use the table below the Options section to edit each choice's SKU, Price, Sale Price or Quantity.
- If you do not want to display a specific Option/Choice combination on your storefront, click its minus sign at the right end of the table row. Advanced tracking does not delete the item, but simply hides it on the storefront. (Click the counter-clockwise arrow to re-show a hidden item.)
Note: Clicking Hide removed items or Show removed options or at the bottom of the table enables you to hide or see all the removed items with a single click. To show them on the storefront, you'll need to click each individual counter-clockwise arrow.
- Click Save when you're done with that product.
Note: Choosing Allow backorder enables a customer to place an order even if the inventory is down to 0. Choosing Do not allow to order triggers an alert on the storefront when the product inventory drops below 3, and prevents the customer from buying the product when inventory reaches 0.


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Featured Pollinator
The Mexican long-nosed bat, first discovered in 1937, is primarily found in Mexico, but also lives in the southern part of the United States (Texas and New Mexico), and is relatively larger in comparison to other bat species. If you happen to be in an area where they live, the Mexican Long-nosed bat can be identified by its dark gray to dusky brown color. Additional features include a long muzzle with a prominent nose leaf (small fold of skin) at the tip; a long three inch tongue; and a small tail that may appear to be missing.
These bats are found in desert scrub vegetation covered with century plants (agaves), mesquite, creosote bush, and a variety of cacti, which serves as their primary food source. While the population status of the Mexican long-nosed bat is uncertain, there are strong indications that they are declining. The largest reported population of Mexican long-nosed bats in the United States is in Texas in and around Big Bend National Park.
The feeding ecology of the Mexican long-nosed bat is of great importance in understanding its life history and recent decline. The bats are considered an important pollinator for century plants, because they have developed a mutualistic relationship with one another. The bats migration from northern Mexico to Texas coincides with the blooming of the plants from June through August.
As the Mexican long-nosed bats move along their migratory path, they are attracted to large quantities of nectar that are present in century plants. In flight, the bats hover over the plants, while using their long tongues to drink the nectar. Their tongues become coated with pollen grains, that stick to their fur; thus transferring the pollen as they move from one plant to another to feed. The century plant needs this cross-fertilization to produce fruit and viable seeds for more century plants.
In 1988, the Mexican long-nosed bat was listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Some of the factors that contributed to the listing include: harvesting of agaves for the production of liquor; limited growth and lifespan of the agave plants; frequent wildfires; and the clearing of rangeland areas in northern Mexico. The clearing of rangeland reduces the food supply, which affects the bat population.
Adams, Rick A. 2003. BATS of the Rocky Mountain West, Natural History, Ecology and Conservation. Boulder, Colorado: University Press of Colorado.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. No date. Mexican Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris nivalis). 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX.
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. 2011. Sonorensis: Celebrating Bats. Vol. 31, No. 1, Winter 2011.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1994. Mexican Long-Nosed Bat / Leptonycteris nivalis Recovery Plan. Prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 2, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 98 pp.
|Last Updated: June 17, 2019


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In response to my July Investment Advisor column "Upping the Ante," I received the following email, which raises a question on the minds of many advisors these days, namely higher fees:
"I am a CPA finally following my passion by dramatically reducing my accounting and tax responsibilities to focus primarily on asset management and retirement planning. I am trying to ramp up the asset management side as quickly as possible. I have been discounting my fees at times to build my practice (and offering to continue filing 1040s as a complimentary part of my asset management fee), but I think I may be giving away too much. Your article indicates that I may be able to adjust my AUM fees upward.
I am currently charging 1% maximum to accounts <$500k and sliding downward to 60bps for accounts over $1mm. Assuming I am offering sufficient value to my clients, is it possible to go back to some of these people and ask for an upward adjustment to their asset management fee without sounding like I am reneging on our original agreement? Or do you think it would be better to ask for them to participate in the tax prep cost?"
With the caveat that these are only my impressions, based in part on the work done by Dan Inveen and Eliza DePardo at FA Insight in their paper for Pershing, "Pricing Strategies to Create Growth: An Independent Advisor's Guide," here's my answer: Yes, I think that the flood of breakaway brokers is moving the standard AUM fee up from independents' traditional 1%. 1.50% feels too high to me, but something in the 1.25% range seems both defensible as a fiduciary and not likely to raise any client eyebrows. With that said, raising client fees during or soon after tough markets does not seem to sit well with clients (while during a big bull market, most clients wouldn't bat an eye). Probably better to simply raise fees for new clients. While that can make things around the office a bit complicated, it's not really different from charging larger accounts less.
Your idea of charging separately for tax returns (and/or financial planning) is a popular one. Still, I've heard of two issues with that you might want to consider. First, by separating payments for returns or planning, clients often get the message that these things are optional; I've heard of firms lowering their AUM fees and charging a flat annual planning fee, only to have most of their clients drop the planning in the second or third year, paying only the lower fees.
Related to that is the question of how important doing the returns or the planning is to your overall advice. I know many accountant/advisors who feel that doing client returns is integral to understanding their financial situation. Of course, financial planners feel that way about planning. If you charge separately for either, you send the message that they are separate services from investment management, and as I said, that they are "optional."
On balance, it seems to me that simply raising fees on new clients may be the best option. In my experience, the key to charging a fee for anything is believing in your heart that what you're asking is fair. Then you can simply tell them; here are all the things I'm going to do for you (many of which are quite time consuming); here's what a broker would charge to do quite a bit less (optional)' and here's what I'm going to charge. From the client focus groups I've seen, they'll know if you're comfortable with your fee, and if you are, they'll be comfortable with it, too.


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If you're a software developer, you probably already have your own favorite file comparison software. Even if you're not a software developer, file comparison software can be very useful. A utility to compare files and directories makes my day-to-day work very efficient. I use it to compare and merge source code, web pages, settings files and other text files. I also use it to perform code reviews and audits. Without this tool, I don't think I can survive.
So, who is the guy makes me can't live without? The Araxis Merge... I have tried other file comparison software, these are the key few differentiators why Araxis Merge is the best:
- User Friendly (Araxis UI is very common sense)
- File Merging Ability (Very user friendly, try it you know what I mean)
- Directory Comparison (Cool, I like this most. )
- Binary File Comparison (Wow, not only text file comparison)


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Cisco has issued a formal complaint to the General Court of the European Union over Microsoft's acquisition of Skype, saying it needs assurances that Redmond will play fair on standards.
"The industry recognizes the need for ubiquitous unified communications interoperability, particularly between Microsoft/Skype and Cisco products, as well as products from other unified communications innovators," said Marthin De Beer, Cisco vice president said on the corporate blog. "Microsoft's plans to integrate Skype exclusively with its Lync Enterprise Communications Platform could lock-in businesses who want to reach Skype's 700 million account holders to a Microsoft-only platform."
He was keen to stress that there was no formal opposition to the merger and Cisco valued Microsoft as a partner. But nevertheless assurances are needed that interoperability standards for internet video transmission would be used by all players in the market to avoid stunting its growth. De Beer said that the industry was at a tipping point, with faster internet speeds becoming available across the globe, and by 2015 predicted a million minutes of video would be transmitted every second.
At last year's Oracle OpenWorld, Cisco CEO John Chambers called video the future of global communications and the company has been investing heavily in videoconferencing, or telepresence as it prefers to call it, for many years now. The business survived Cisco's recent cull with only modest cuts and a reorganisation and it's selling home systems and expensive business communications tablets, as well as high-end dedicated conferencing suites for those willing to splash out the cash.
Skype is a big driver for video calls, especially as it increasingly links with Facebook, and Microsoft has the potential to give Cisco some serious grief. Cisco reported sales of its communications products grew 10 per cent to $1.05bn last quarter and a lock-out would cripple its efforts in the area, particularly in light of the Tandberg acquisition.
"The European Commission conducted a thorough investigation of the acquisition, in which Cisco actively participated, and approved the deal in a 36-page decision without any conditions. We're confident the Commission's decision will stand up on appeal," a Microsoft spokeswoman told The Register in a statement. ®


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How would this look work for Rob, once Edward puts on his cloak before they drive from Volterra to the airport?pennybug84 wrote:Well if he's wearing a cloak, he's still technically shirtless. And cloaks don't need to close all the way in the front (I'm thinking of somthing similiar to the ones in LOTR.) So they could have him be shirtless until they get to the airport & Alice buys him new clothes. But we definitely need a shirtless Edward/Rob for at least the first part in Italy.Jazz Girl wrote:Genevieve~ Not that I am at all opposed to Rob Shirtlessness. Not at all. Far far far from it. But, in the interest of authenticity, Edward puts a cloak on to leave the Volturi hq and then gets a change of clothes from Alice at the airport. So, while I am all for Shirtless Robward on the plane, it would not be entirely accurate.
Our favorite New Moon manip
I can safely say that look would work very, very well for me. Unicorn...anyone?
Hope everyone is continuing to recover nicely from last night. Nothing that a little caffeine and a hamburger and fries won't fix. I had a blast ladies and rings...definitely the best e-party ever! At least we kept all the lame paparazzi away from Rob so he could rest and recuperate with us.


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Citing Data
Dryad Data Citation Guidelines
Detailed data citation guidelines for Dryad are described here. We suggest: When citing data found in Dryad, please cite both the original article, as well as the Dryad data package. You can see both of these citations on the Dryad page for each data package. Recommendations for formatting the Dryad DOI are here.
Data citation practices are actively evolving and vary considerably among journals. Dryad does not have a recommendation for the location of data citations in the original article at this time. Some publishing organizations, such as CrossRef, Springer and BioMed Central, recommend reporting the data both in the text (e.g., within a Methods or a dedicated Data Resource section) and in the bibliography.
An example of how to reference the data in the text would be:
- Data deposited in the Dryad repository: http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.585t4
An example of a full citation to the Heneghan et al. (2011) data package would be:
- Heneghan C, Thompson M, Billingsley M, Cohen, D (2011) Data from: Medical-device recalls in the UK and the device-regulation process: retrospective review of safety notices and alerts. Dryad Digital Respository. http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.585t4
Regardless of where the data citations are placed, it is important that the DOI be included. Also note that while this may be written as 'doi:10.5061/dryad.585t4', the full URL address 'http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.585t4' is generally preferred.
Users may download data citations directly into the most commonly used bibliography management software packages and save data citations using a variety of social bookmarking tools. Page view and download statistics are also provided for each data package and data file to aid in assessing the degree of data reuse.
Standards and Proposals for Data Citation
- Peter Buneman's thoughts on making identifiers citable.
- A Proposed Standard for the Scholarly Citation of Quantitative Data by Micah Altman and Gary King.
- Summary of article: Citations to numerical data should include, at a minimum, six required components. The first three components are traditional, directly paralleling print documents. They include the author(s) of the data set, the date the data set was published or otherwise made public, and the data set title. The other three are: a unique global identifier, a universal numeric fingerprint, and a bridge service. They are also designed to take advantage of the digital form of quantitative data.
- Sample citation based on minimum recommended components:
- Micah Altman; Karin MacDonald; Michael P. McDonald, 2005, "Computer Use in Redistricting", hdl:1902.1/AMXGCNKCLU UNF:3:J0PkMygLPfIyT1E/8xO/EA== http://id.thedata.org/hdl%3A1902.1%2FAMXGCNKCLU
- Useful comments on versioning: "We recommend versions of the same data set be given new identifiers and treated as separate data sets, with links back to the prior version kept in the metadata describing that data set. Forward links to new versions from the original are easily accomplished via a metadata search on the unique global identifier. New versions of very large data sets (relative to available storage capacity) can be kept by creating a new object that contains only differences from the original, and describing how to combine the differences with the original on the object's metadata description page. Version changes should be reflected by a change in the date, and may also be noted in the title, or by using the extended citation elements."
- We Need Publishing Standards for Datasets and Data Tables - White paper from OECD publishing.
- Advocates a slightly more verbose citation standard than Altman & King. (includes a comparison table for the two standards)
- In the new system being built by OECD, "All the DOIs for the datasets and tables will be deposited with CrossRef, ready for other publishers to use."
- MIT Libraries - Social Science Data Services
- International Polar Year How to Cite a Data Set
- STD-DOI project from the German Science Foundation
- Citation of Data
- Nozawa, Toru (2004): IPCC-DDC_CCSRNIES_SRES_B2: 211 YEARS MONTHLY MEANS, National Institute for Environmental Studies and Center for Climate System Research Japan, WDCC. doi:10.1594/WDCC/CCSRNIES_SRES_B2
- Kamm,H; Machon, L; Donner, S (2004): Gas Chromatography (KTB Field Lab), GFZ Potsdam. doi:10.1594/GFZ/ICDP/KTB/ktb-geoch-gaschr-p
- Stein, R.; Fahl, K. (2003): Distribution of grain size and clay minerals in surface sediments of the Kara Sea, PANGAEA, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.119754.
- ORNL DAAC users cite both the paper and the dataset.
- Dataverse has a model citation format
- Pangaea:
- From the About page: Each dataset can be identified, shared, published and cited by using a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Data are archived as supplements to publications or as citable data collections. Citations are available through the catalog of the German National Library of Science and Technology (TIBORDER).
- There is a statement at the top of most pages: Always quote citation when using data! When looking at a record, the following is listed:
- Citation: Barker, Peter F; Kennett, James P; Shipboard Scientific Party (2005): Core section summary of Hole 113-690C, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.253771
- Reference(s): Barker, Peter F; Kennett, James P; et al (1988): Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Initial Reports, College Station, Texas (Ocean Drilling Program), 113, 785 pp
ODP/TAMU (2005): Janus Database (data copied from JANUS to PANGAEA February to June 2005), Ocean Drilling Program, Texas A&M University, College Station TX 77845-9547, USA, http://odp.pangaea.de/database/
- Example: Stein, R.; Fahl, K. (2003): Distribution of grain size and clay minerals in surface sediments of the Kara Sea, PANGAEA, doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.119754.
- Encyclopedia of Life citation recommendations
- Listed example: Hancock, John. 2009. "Xysticus posti: Diagnostic description." Edited by David Shorthouse. In The Nearctic Spider Database. Accessed 15 January 2009, available from Encyclopedia of Life, http://eol.org/pages/1210360.
- NOAA Paleoclimatology Program - Data Citation
- Example:
- General form for citing published World Data Center for Paleoclimatology Data: Anderson, D.W., W.L. Prell, and N.J. Barratt. 1989. Estimates of sea surface temperature in the Coral Sea at the last glacial maximum. Paleoceanography 4(6):615-627. Data archived at the World Data Center for Paleoclimatology, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
- Related: Notices when using National Climate Data Center data:
- "Please acknowledge contributors and where appropriate, data cooperatives (e.g. International Tree-Ring Data Bank), when using these data."
- Also offered by NCDC:
- SUGGESTED DATA CITATION: Shen, G.T. and E.A. Boyle. 2004.
Lead in Corals Data.
IGBP PAGES/World Data Center for Paleoclimatology
Data Contribution Series #2004-096.
NOAA/NGDC Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder CO, USA.
- ORIGINAL REFERENCE: Shen, G.T. and E.A. Boyle. 1987.
Lead in corals: reconstruction of historical industrial fluxes to the surface ocean.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 82: 289-304.
- SUGGESTED DATA CITATION: Shen, G.T. and E.A. Boyle. 2004.
- Example:
- U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center/NASA's Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC)
- Only request acknowledgement, i.e., "Data available from the U.S. Geological Survey" or "These data are distributed by the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC), located at USGS/EROS, Sioux Falls, SD. http://lpdaac.usgs.gov."
- SIMILARLY: the Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center requires a statement like: "The data used in this study were acquired as part of the activities of the NASA Earth-Sun System Division, and are archived and distributed by the Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) Data and Information Services Center (DISC)"
- SIMILARLY: PO.DAAC - Crediting PO.DAAC Data Products, Images and Services
- "Please provide acknowledgement of the use of PO.DAAC data products, images, and services in publications or presentations."


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Brazilians Voted Latin America's "Funniest Nationality" + World's 4th Funniest: Global Poll
15 Jun, 2011, 12:00 BST
LONDON, June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
• Americans Rated World's "Funniest Nationality"
• Brazilians Voted Funnier than Mexicans and Argentinians
• Germans Voted "Least Funny"
• Humour is Vital when Meeting new People
Brazilians have been voted Latin America's "funniest nationality" and the world's fourth funniest, in a global poll to find the nationality "best at making people laugh".
The same poll names the Americans the world's funniest nationality and the Germans the "least funny".
30,000 people across 15 countries were asked to pick both the "funniest" and "least funny" nationality in a poll conducted by Badoo.com (http://www.badoo.com), the world's largest social network for meeting new people, with 119m users worldwide.
"When we meet someone new, one of the first things we notice is whether they make us laugh", says Lloyd Price, Badoo's Director of Marketing. Badoo helps millions of people meet every month.
"Brazilians are not just gifted footballers but also gifted at making people laugh", says Price. "Brazil is the land not just of Pele and Ronaldo but also of brilliant comedians like Bussunda."
Indeed, when Badoo asked users to pick the world's "least funny nationality", the Germans ranked top… but the nationality considered "least funny" by the FEWEST respondents was the Brazilians. In other words, when the question was phrased this way, Brazilians scored best of any nationality.
The Mexicans were voted Latin America's second funniest nationality and the world's sixth funniest, followed by the Argentinians, who ranked 11th globally.
The Americans were named the world's funniest nationality, as the folks who brought us not just sitcoms like Friends and The Simpsons but innumerable great comedians.
The Spanish were voted the funniest Europeans, ahead of the Italians, French and British.
The reputation of Germans for lacking humour probably derives from the German reputation for efficiency and rationality, perceived to be at the expense of humour.
It was, however, the British poet, WH Auden, who best expressed the importance of humour, when he observed: "Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh."
Funniest Nationalities
1. American 2. Spanish 3. Italian 4. BRAZILIAN 5. French 6. Mexican 7. British 8.= Dutch 8.= Russian 10. Belgian
Least Funny Nationalities
1. German 2. Russian 3. Turkish
Source: Badoo polled 30,000 users online in April/May 2011
Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com
SOURCE Badoo.com


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Welcome to Disability Services
At the University of Alaska Southeast, providing equal opportunities for students who experience disabilities is a campus wide responsibility and commitment. We work together with faculty and students to identify individual needs and how to best accommodate those needs.
General Overview
Academic services constitute an integral component of equalizing the post-secondary environment for students who experience disabilities. Disability Services (DS) is responsible for coordinating services for UAS students who experience disabilities. DS Also serves as a resource; providing information to the campus community. DS Staff can provide further information about the services available.
When barriers do arise Disability Services assist in the identification of reasonable adjustments. DS can provide details about services and accommodations that are available to qualified students with appropriate documentation. Early planning is encouraged and necessary to allow DS staff adequate time to arrange for services. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with and provide the appropriate disability documentation to DS.
DO-IT - Online resource for students with disabilities
Career Guide - Online resource for both undergraduates and graduates
JAN-Job Accommodation Network - Online resource for disabilities and accommodations
ULifeline - Online resource for college mental health
The Juneau campus consists of multiple building locations that are a considerable distance from the main campus. Students with mobility challenges will need to take into consideration the layout of the campus when determining if they can navigate it. DS encourages students with mobility challenges to take this into consideration.
Interested individuals are encouraged to contact Disability Services by phone, email, or in person.For more information contact Gail Klein or visit the full UAS Disability Services website.


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Education faculty member and Fairmont native Matt Schmuck says that providing students their first opportunity to experience adventure sports and West Virginia geography is his passion. To be able to do that in the classroom is his honor. "Every day I get to introduce students from around the country to the benefits of outdoor recreation for the first time," he says. The School of Education, Health and Human Performance offers students many opportunities to experience adventure sports as part of their curriculum in the Outdoor Recreation Leadership minor. Courses include rock climbing, backcountry living skills and adventure water sports. "Many people are intimidated to try adventure sports for the first time," Schmuck says. "By educating them in the safety and skills necessary to excel, we remove the worry and enable our students to be active participants in a healthy and adventurous lifestyle."
Read more about Matt Schmuck.


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10 Most Psychotic Video Game Villainesses
If one desires to descend into villainy, typically one must also lack a certain level of sanity. In short, most villains, like our 10 Most Psychotic Video Game Villainesses, be crazy, yo. There are those calm, cool, and collected badguys, like Hans Gruber, Darth Vader and Ben Stein, but often there's a deliciously unhinged quality to the baddies which keeps audiences entertained. Though lady villains are few and far between in video games (unfortunately), there have been a few gems whose insanity shone through, rendering them unforgettable. We've taken off the straight jackets to bring you this list of the 10 Most Psychotic Video Game Villainesses.
- 10
Harley QuinnBatman: Arkham Asylum
Oh, Dr. Harleen Quinzel. You started off with such a promising career in psychiatric medicine, even going so far as to treat the ultimate patient… but then you fell in love with him. Once you're runnin' with the Joker, well, things can't really get much crazier than that. This jester starts off our list of the 10 Most Psychotic Video Game Villainesses.
- 9
TiraSoul Calibur Series
Soul Calibur's resident sadistic psychopath, Tira, makes her craziness clear from the first second you look at her. Just check out her clothes -- ragged and randomly patched together, as if made by a crazy person. And her weapon is a giant hula hoop of death. You've gotta be nutso to wield something like that.
- 8
EdeaFinal Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII's sorta-kinda-main antagonist doesn't wear as obvious of crazypants as most of the other ladies on this list, but her wonky memory issues and total lack of affect reveal an inner nuttiness that's hard to deny. On the plus side, however, being such a crazy cold nutjob does help her rock that black dress and tightly-woven hairdo.
- 7
Most of us hate tests, but not Ms. Glad0s. She loves them, relishes them, sorta-kinda lives for them, and when Chell decides that tests aren't really her thing, Glad0s whole world starts to fall apart and we get to see the loony machinery lurking under her hard plastic shell, and hear the loony, frequently dark, gut-bustingly funny things coming from her nonexistent-because-she's-digital mouth.
- 6
KAEDE SmithKiller 7
Okay, buckle in for some spoilers for a game that's been out for over a decade: in Killer7, you play as the fragmented multiple personalities of a single person, with KAEDE Smith being the awesome ninja personality in this group of seven dissociated identities. Given that KAEDE's not even a real person so much as a piece of a single crazy person, the reason for her inclusion on this list of the 10 Most Psychotic Video Game Villainesses should be pretty obvious.
- 5
JeaneNo More Heroes
Poor, poor Jeane. While most of the ladies on this list revel in their crazy, this poor gal had it inflicted on her. Her past is as tragic as they come, with numerous traumatic events too dark to list here, which is probably why she ends up being the main antagonist to Travis Touchdown on his quest to become the world's top assassin.
- 4
Laughing OctopusMetal Gear Solid 4
All of MGS4's beastly beauties have some serious mental issues, but perhaps none more than Laughing Octopus, whose PTSD-induced mood swings lead to her having frequent bouts of terrifying laughter. She doesn't even bother with the same body armor that the other BB corps do, because one, her camouflage abilities mean that she doesn't need as much protection, and two, chick's cray-cray, yo.
- 3
ShodanSystem Shock 2
Pathetic creature of meat and bone, don't you know that you should never remove the ethical limitations of an artificial intelligence? If you do, the A.I. will likely pursue its own malicious goals and murdering everyone on board the space station it's supposed to be protecting.
- 2
Juri HanSuper Street Fighter IV
Few people love what they do as much as Juri Han loves hurting people. Every line of dialogue out of her mouth makes it clear that pain is her game, and you're the ball. Still, hanging out with her would probably be a hell of a good time... at least, until she gets bored and decides to make a game out of beating your ass.
- 1
The WitchLeft 4 Dead
Shine a light on this lady, or stand too close to her, and it's probably going to be the last thing you'll ever do. The Witch isn't just psychotic, she's psychotically depressed. Maybe popping a few Prozac and watching some Bob Ross videos might mellow out the leading lady in our list of the 10 Most Psychotic Video Game Villainesses.
- Bonus
5 Creepiest Moments in Resident Evil


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Heating Battle Heats up in Northeast
-- It's a pleasant day outside today -- in the upper 70s in Upstate New York -- but there's an issue that's picked up some mentions in the local papers the last few days: winter home-heating costs.
It will be winter's double-wallop: For people struggling to pay their bills, one particular bill is going to be as much as 25 percent higher than last year, according to the Center for American Progress.
LIHEAP -- the federal Low-Income Heating Assistant Program -- is designed to help. It sparks a perennial battle in Congress (fiscal conservatives and warm-state lawmakers tend to be less friendly to the federal subsidy) that almost always ends in some kind of compromise.
Almost. For this winter, after years of cutbacks, no money has been pumped into the federal pipeline. Without federal action, the program is done.
It's an issue that's among very many that fuels local anger toward Congress: People want their LIHEAP, just like they want their Medicare, say, and resent the inaction. An issue worth tracking in both local and federal races going into the fall.