text:
Automate with Experience. Get Results.
With strong project management and practiced coordination, there is a large team of Siemens Healthineers experts working behind the scenes for our customers. Gain insight from the Lean experts, sales consultants, workload analysts, design engineers, and technical applications and field support specialists who contributed to our more than 1600* total laboratory automation projects. Siemens Healthineers turns collective experience into individualized guidance.
Which part of the automation process takes the most time?
In my experience, the phase between the initial installation and the final handover to routine operation can last 3–6 months and sometimes longer. More specifically, the stabilization and optimization activities that take place between a defined training period and a discrete handover deadline are typically the most difficult to predict. During this period, new processes and operating procedures start to take hold, as previously independent diagnostic empires begin to function as a holistic team leveraging a common transport and centralized data-management system. Siemens field service personnel and technical application specialists, who will support the site going forward, join the team. In addition to implementing fairly straightforward technical refinements to improve performance of the automation system, we frequently see human and process issues that were not visible when the automated laboratory was still theoretical. When this happens, the Siemens Healthcare Consulting Services team will help the customer organize rapid-improvement events and employ other Lean process strategies to better optimize overall laboratory operations. Although it can take time and be a bit unpredictable, the laboratory director and staff improve their change-management skills and are better equipped to drive for continuous improvements in their operation long after this discrete automation project has been completed.
--- Stan B., Senior Manager, HCS, ~12 years at Siemens
Is automation more challenging the first time or for next-generation expansion?
Both have challenges, but they tend to be different. For instance, during the implementation phase, a second- or third-generation project tends to require more planning and training to enable staff to temporarily adopt manual, stand-alone lab operations while the old track is dismantled and the new system is installed. This can be especially challenging when a site has been automated for a long time and the staff has limited experience in a nonautomated environment. Once the new track is up and running, however, adapting to a different automation and IT system tends to be comparatively fast. In contrast, laboratories automating for the first time do not experience the same degree of operational disruption when the new system is being installed and tested. However, more time and training may be needed during the post-implementation phase as the staff learns brand-new operating procedures and gets familiar with centralized data-management tools.
---Margaret P., Senior Manager HCS Training and Quality, ~15 years at Siemens
What is the ideal room temperature for an automated laboratory?
The environment must support the operating range specified for the most sensitive analyzer in the laboratory—not just temperature, but relative humidity, electrical draw, etc. And noise and light are equally important considerations in the working conditions for laboratory staff. Ensuring that the room stays within all ideal ranges is part of the design challenge. Effective planning and design considers the location of heating and air conditioning units and overhead lighting, thermal output of all the connected systems, year-round changes in seasonal temperatures and natural sunlight in rooms with windows, and more. The need to understand and address these factors often requires the support of the engineering and IT staff at the customer organization.
---Jack M., Senior Director Customer Service, ~34 years at Siemens
With no other changes, will automation alone improve my current processes?
Not necessarily. Laboratories should independently examine overall operations to understand all the opportunities for improvement before thinking about automating. With no other changes, automation simply mechanizes a portion of the overall process and is unlikely to yield the significant productivity and cost improvements desired. For this reason, Siemens performs a Lean process review of key workflows, both inside and outside the laboratory, as part of any pre-sales engagement. As all pre- and post-analytical processes are evaluated and optimized, it can become easier to improve the design and ROI for the total end-to-end solution. For example, if a laboratory can reduce the number of aliquots through process changes, there is no benefit in taking up valuable space, time, and money to buy and maintain an automated aliquot module on the track.
---Sue Y., Senior Manager, HCS, ~10 years at Siemens
Will automation de-skill my staff?
We have found quite the contrary to be true. Our customers have reported that the opposite happens. By its very nature, automation mechanizes many of the low-skill, non-value-added tasks, such as tube decapping, aliquotting, sorting and individual tube loading, locating and retrieving patient samples, capping and storing tubes for future testing, disposing of expired samples, manually checking reagent levels, and so on. Automating these tasks gives everyone more time to perform more-valuable activities.
Consider the impact of employing autoverification rules to release results: Laboratory staff needs only to consider the typically small number of results that have been held for manual review. This removes a great deal of pressure created by the sheer volume of results and encourages more thoughtful and considered decisions for the results that actually require attention. When the flagged results are accompanied by information about why the sample was held for review (outside acceptable range, QC rule exception, delta check, or an instrument or sample flag), staff can make an informed decision to release or retest, thereby avoiding unnecessary testing and the associated low-value tasks standing in the way of addressing the clinical issues that matter most.
For senior staff, this extra time can offer the opportunity to explore new testing protocols and further the patient-care mission of the lab. For all staff, free time can be used for enhanced training and development work to "up-skill" personnel. When released from the crushing volume of work, even nontechnical personnel can focus on further enhancing processes in ways that increase turnaround times to speed diagnosis and improve patient outcomes.
---Jeff A., Head of HCS Northwest Europe, ~9 years at Siemens
When should you perform a Lean process analysis?
Lean processes and analysis tools are used throughout all phases of a Siemens automation project, and the many of the experts on our Healthcare Consulting Services staff are Lean Healthcare-accredited by the University of Michigan. During process definition and project validation phase, we share best practices and use value stream mapping to reduce non-value-added activities for overall laboratory operations, not just the automated track. During the installation and stabilization phase, we may organize rapid-improvement events to optimize the period of stand-alone operation and set the stage for new processes to be adopted in the automated environment. Finally, the post-implementation and health check phase of a project may uncover new opportunities to streamline processes both on and off the track. For example, an analysis of error messages may highlight patterns in sample handling across three shifts. Likewise, with the automation and centralized data-management systems operating smoothly, it becomes easier to identify bottlenecks that delay reporting of results to physicians. In each case, new processes will be implemented, measured, and refined following the Plan-Do-Check-Act steps of traditional continuous improvement
---Denise O., Senior Manager, HCS, ~13 years at Siemens
Is it possible to calculate the total throughput and turnaround time of my system?
This is a valid question almost always asked by customers. When a design that includes only Siemens systems is agreed upon, it is possible to estimate track throughput with a high degree of accuracy using simulation tools. Projections are more difficult for open solutions that utilize diagnostic systems from other manufacturers. Interestingly, based on the volume of data that Siemens has collected in the development of its diagnostic analyzers as well as its automation projects, a variable that has a tremendous influence on throughput—the number of tests needed per tube—actually tends to be quite constant by region. The simulation uses the actual data stream from a heavy testing day for that specific site rather than estimating peak loads. Using real customer data, the actual time that samples arrived in the lab and the actual tests ordered are factored into the equation, along with the number and type of pre- and post-analytical modules and diagnostic systems that will populate the track. To improve the accuracy of the projection, Siemens methodologies utilize discrete event simulation so the testing path for one tube directly affects the testing path for the next tube, and so on. No estimate can overcome "people factors" that come into play when the actual system comes online, such as a random decision to start directly front-loading analyzers on the track. However, the calculation is done with a level of precision that has been successfully used to set performance benchmarks for final installations.
---Marc M., Automation & HCS Manager, ~9 years at Siemens
Is it common to initially focus on one aspect of an automation solution?
When customers come from an environment where pre-analytic workflow can be improved—for example, if batching has been creating constraints—the first impulse may be to request the largest-capacity and fastest systems in the belief this will solve workflow concerns. This can easily lead to underutilized diagnostic capacity that requires calibrations, controls, maintenance, and extra staffing. However, when we are able to show these laboratories how to smooth out pre-analytical processes to deliver smaller batches on a more-timely basis, they see how easy it is to get by—and even grow—with fewer and/or smaller instruments.
For example, dedicating three staff members to pre-analytics when only one person is responsible for demographic entry can create an imbalance that delays samples from moving to the track. Reassigning personnel with an eye toward establishing a similar pace or TAKT time for both processes can reduce or eliminate artificial peaks in workload. It's also important to understand how phlebotomy procedures, courier routes, and other factors outside the laboratory contribute to batching.
The pre-analytical process needs to be as smooth as possible to support more-accurate and appropriate planning of diagnostics. In addition, the use of highly integrated, "smart" middleware on the track for intelligent routing and post-analytical processing can also prevent overinvestment in diagnostic systems.
---Alistair J., Regional Sales Manager, ~19 years at Siemens
Is automation more challenging the first time or for upgrades?
Both have challenges, but they tend to be different. For instance, during the implementation phase, a second- or third-generation project tends to require more planning and training to enable staff to temporarily adopt manual, stand-alone lab operations while the old track is dismantled and the new system is installed. This can be especially challenging when a site has been automated for a long time and the staff has limited experience in a nonautomated environment. Once the new track is up and running, however, adapting to a different automation and IT system tends to be comparatively fast. In contrast, laboratories automating for the first time do not experience the same degree of operational disruption when the new system is being installed and tested. However, more time and training may be needed during the post-implementation phase as the staff learns brand-new operating procedures and gets familiar with centralized data-management tools.
---Margaret P., Senior Manager HCS Training and Quality, ~15 years at Siemens
When is the best time for an automation system health check?
The timing and frequency of system health checks depend on the complexity of the project and the needs of the customer. After the implementation and initial optimization period, a first pulse takes place within 3 months of the go-live hand-off from the Siemens healthcare project manager to the Siemens field service engineer. If operations are smooth and performance (i.e., system utilization, turnaround times) is acceptable, ongoing health checks may only need to be scheduled annually. However, if performance is not what was expected, immediate action is taken to fine-tune systems, do more training, or hold a rapid-improvement event to further streamline processes, etc. Changes are implemented, measured, and refined as necessary and the health check repeated to ensure that improvements are realized. Learn more in this short article: Automation and Optimization: the Importance of the Health Check 0.2 MB
---Dr. Alistair G., Senior Director HCS, ~18 years at Siemens
Check back periodically for new topics.
For more in-depth explanations about issues surrounding laboratory automation, we invite you to listen to the following on-demand webinars:
*Source: Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics shipment and orders reports, July 2017.
The products/features (mentioned herein) are not commercially available in all countries. Due to regulatory reasons their future availability cannot be guaranteed. Please contact your local Siemens organization for further details.


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The date for the next Members Only Event is Sunday, March 6, 2016 from 2:30 to 5:00 pm. We hope that you've marked it on your calendars and plan to join us!
We love the annual event when we close early to the general public to share special time with members. You are the people who provide so much support to Dolphin Research Center throughout the years.
The afternoon includes light refreshments, special sessions to watch with the dolphins and sea lions, and a high energy presentation!
Admission is free to members, of course, and you may also bring guests for free up to the number your membership normally allows.
If you have not already RSVP'd to tell us that you're coming, please register today via email at firstname.lastname@example.com, or by calling the Membership office at 305-289-1121, ext. 229. We need an accurate count so that we have enough refreshments on hand.
Looking forward to seeing you in March!

subset: commoncrawl


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Library pulls plug on unemployment kiosk
The Newton Public Library is removing its Iowa Workforce Development kiosk.
The kiosks, now more than 900 across the state, were added in libraries and other places two years ago after IWD closed more than 50 unemployment offices around the state.
Newton Public Library Director Sue Padilla said it's time to pull the plug on the kiosk in her library.
"It doesn't work so we were being more of a dis-service to our users rather than a service to the public," said Padilla. "It got to the point where that software wasn't really working. We informed Iowa Works and we got really no response."
Padilla said ineffective software and a lack of help and training from IWD forced her to make the decision.
"We weren't even given a manual. It was this is it, here it is," said Padilla.
"It's absolutely their choice to do that. There is no requirement for anyone to serve as an access point," said IWD spokeswoman Kerry Koonce.
Koonce said the kiosks allow people to seek help nearly any time of the day by just logging on, but Padilla said it doesn't help people who aren't computer literate and need help from someone in person.
"I'm not sure what they meant by ineffective because 75 percent of the unemployment claims that are filed in the state are already filed online. So that isn't any kind of a different service," said Koonce.
Padilla listed specific problems with the software like she said the live chat doesn't always work and phone numbers listed don't take messages anymore. She said she's talked to other libraries who say they have the same problems.
Iowa Workforce Development said it disputes the problems. It said new libraries are still signing up to be access points and so far 965 kiosks have been setup.


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The inauguration of President Truman in 1949 produced many firsts—first to be nationally televised, first to be openly integrated, first to debut the current presidential seal.
It was also the first inauguration attended by 16-year-old Jim Upp, 20-year-old Scott Shipe, and 20-year-old Gray Parks. All three are now neighbors at Greenspring retirement community in Springfield, but also have in common the experience of participating in the 1949 parade. Upp was an Eagle Scout positioned along the parade route; Shipe and Parks were West Point cadets marching with their units.
"I know I was stationed somewhere between 7th and 11th streets," said Upp. "The inaugural officials used us for crowd control." Upp mentioned that in 1949, people generally didn't run out toward the parade vehicles as they passed, so inaugural officials lined up boy scouts along the parade route.
SECURITY at the inaugural ceremonies has tightened over the years. At President Barack Obama's second inauguration, planned Monday, Jan. 21, there will be a strong presence of ground, air, water and even Metrorail security provided by a variety of law enforcement officials and public safety agencies.
"We saluted as the president's vehicle passed by," said Upp. "I also remember it was very cold." According to records, it was a windy 38 degrees that day in the nation's capital. Upp noted that the scouts were asked to remove their coats in order to display their full uniform when they saw the parade vehicles approaching.
Upp grew up in Southeast Washington, D.C., and at age 14, was one of the youngest scouts to reach the rank of Eagle Scout. The 1949 inauguration was not the first unique opportunity that arose for Upp due to his scouting status. Just two years prior, he recalls being selected to serve as the escort for the young son of the president of Mexico, Miguel Aleman, when he visited the U.S. in 1947. "We rode around in a Lincoln sedan and were thrilled to have discovered the power window buttons," said Upp.
Upp's neighbor at Greenspring, Scott Shipe, was a first-year plebe at West Point in 1949 when his unit, the first regiment, second battalion, marched in the inaugural parade. Also remembering the day as chilly, but sunny, Shipe recalls his presentation. "We were dressed in full dress uniforms with rifles and bayonets," said Shipe. "We also wore our tar bucket hats with brass buttons on each side."
Shipe recalls marching in formation with the Corps of Cadets that day and being whisked back to West Point shortly afterwards. "We got right back on the train when the parade was over," said Shipe.
Shipe had attended Officer Candidate School for the U.S. Army before entering West Point and spent about 10 years in the U.S. Army in total. He graduated from West Point in 1952 and served in the Korean War before being medically discharged. Shipe then attended graduate school and a doctorate program in St. Louis, Mo. before moving to the Washington, D.C. area. Shipe and his wife lived in Springfield for about 50 years, 30 of which were spent working with the Central Intelligence Agency. The couple moved to nearby Greenspring in December 2008.
Gray Parks, who also lives at Greenspring, was a classmate of Shipe's at West Point. Parks marched in the 1949 inaugural parade with the second regiment, second battalion from West Point and also remembers the chilly weather that day and visiting Washington, D.C. via train.
"I was able to watch the rest of the ceremonies with my Dad after finishing my duty on the parade route that day."
-Springfield resident Jim Upp
"I recall that we came down on a train and formed up rather early for the parade; we stood in ranks and waited quite a while," said Parks. "However, we were among the first groups in the parade so many waited longer than we did." Parks noted that he had another opportunity to see the president when he visited West Point upon his and Shipe's graduation in 1952.
LIKE THE OTHER MEN, Parks lived locally for quite a while before moving to Greenspring just more than three years ago. Interestingly, however, none of the neighbors have attended another inauguration ceremony since Truman's in 1949.
"The ceremonies have become too crowded now," said Upp. They do, however, fondly remember their 1949 inaugural experiences. "I was able to watch the rest of the ceremonies with my dad after finishing my duty on the parade route that day," said Upp.
Parks also remembers the excitement, saying it was a "thrill when we did 'eyes right' to see the president and other famous people in the reviewing stand."


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School buses breaking the rules of the road | News
ATLANTA -- Every day, Georgia school buses transport more than a million students, with two of the largest fleets in the country operating right here in the Atlanta area. So we wondered, "How safe are your children when they step on a school bus?"
We conducted Open Records searches to get a handle on driver safety. We discovered that school bus drivers, like the rest of us, are not immune to getting tickets.
MORE | School bus violations county by county
We requested red light camera tickets and moving violations for bus drivers in five school districts in the Atlanta area, including Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton Counties as well as Atlanta Public Schools.
We found examples of buses running red lights and obtained the video to go along with some of those violations. We also discovered other serious infractions, including a hit and run involving a DeKalb School bus, Atlanta school buses involved in accidents and buses in Cobb and DeKalb Counties cited for speeding, some in school zones.
"Are we happy? No we're always looking at how we can constantly improve," said Gwinnett County Public Schools spokesperson Sloan Roach.
Gwinnett County School buses ran 7 red lights, two by the same driver in less than a month.
"Because they're driving a bus it comes to us and we then track down that driver, " Roach said.
Drivers are required to pay their tickets and receive extensive training throughout the year. In some school districts, too many tickets, can mean termination.
It's difficult to make comparisons between school districts, because they all track driver histories differently.
"Oh yeah they're strict, they're strict on tickets, oh yeah," said DeKalb County School bus driver, James Porter.
He got a warning for speeding last year but was cited for 'Following Too Close' after striking another vehicle.
DeKalb County Schools requires all its bus drivers to turn in any traffic violations they receive, which is how we got copies of the violations.
Other school districts like Atlanta Public Schools and Gwinnett do driver history checks with the Department of Driver Services.
However, Gwinnett County Schools provided us with copies of red light camera tickets. Atlanta Public Schools gave us copies of accident reports where their drivers were cited for being at fault.
Overall the number of moving violations was small when compared to the thousands of buses and drivers and number of miles traveled.
From, January 1 of 2011 to September of this year, DeKalb County provided 53 moving violations, Cobb had 13, Fulton 10, and Gwinnett gave us 7 red light camera tickets, and Atlanta Public Schools turned over 33 accident reports involving their drivers.
All of the school districts provide driver training and follow up safety courses when their drivers are given a moving violation. Drivers are also subject to termination for numerous offenses.
You can do your part. If you see a school bus breaking the rules of the road, take down the number and call police, because safety is a serious matter.
The good news is accidents involving school buses continue to decline. According to numbers provided by the State Superintendent of Schools, there's been a decline in school bus accidents over the last 3 years.
2009 2,470 accidents statewide were reported to GaDOE
2010 2,173 accidents statewide were reported to GaDOE
2011 1,858 accidents statewide were reported to GaDOE


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text:
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's new online health insurance marketplace has started airing television and radio ads statewide.
MNsure's ads began airing Wednesday. The broadcast spots supplement bus advertising, billboards and posters in the Twin Cities, Rochester, Duluth, St. Cloud, Mankato and Moorhead.
The state contracted with BBDO Proximity Minneapolis for the $9 million marketing campaign titled "Minnesota, Land of 10,000 Reasons to Get Health Insurance." Part of the campaign was launched Aug. 19.
The campaign features Minnesota legends Paul Bunyan and his companion, Babe the Blue Ox, in situations where health care coverage is important.
MNsure is key to implementing President Barack Obama's health care law in Minnesota. Open enrollment in the insurance plans MNsure will offer opens Oct. 1.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Related Discussions
The Co-Operative
2020-07-08 10:48:57
Logistic Services
Who has examples of lost value through sub-optimal sourcing / contracting and ongoing management of logistical services from a "buy" side?
Who has examples of lost value through sub-optimal sourcing / contracting and ongoing management of logistical services from a "buy" side?
• World Commerce & Contracting • 2020-07-08 11:22:56
Hi Grant,
You will find a range of articles related to this in the International Journal of Logistics Research & Applications (
. Though some of the papers are dated, many of the examples remain valid.
You may find this article useful
The following quote reflects the message we typically hear from the industry:
"Going forward, the industry as a whole needs to change the way contracts are perceived. Instead of the blood sport it has become, we need to move toward collaborative, results-oriented negotiations. Contracts need to be about creating value between partners rather than extracting value from one partner. They need to be based on outcomes and desired results and shared risks―and both parties need to share risk in a way that is proportional to the commercial benefit of the agreement. If we can get to a more collaborative environment, we will have healthier, more long-term contracts that breed innovation and create long-term value. That will improve the industry as a whole.'
COVID-19 clearly proved highly disruptive to the logistics sector and often resulted in new levels of communication and flexibility in buyer/supplier relationships - and sometimes even between suppliers. We have yet to see whether any of these more collaborative practices survive, but this seems to be a sector where the buyer could set a different tone, perhaps orchestrating increased focus on outcomes and developing a more 'integrated ecosystem' approach to its sourcing and contracting model.
Replies: 1
World Wide Technology
2020-07-06 22:55:33
How to show value of contract scoring
Our contracting team has developed a scoring model to rate the overall compliance of a potential contract with standard contract language guidelines provided by our le...
Our contracting team has developed a scoring model to rate the overall compliance of a potential contract with standard contract language guidelines provided by our legal department. By scoring a contract before and after negotiations, we can show the improvements our professional negotiators have achieved in the contract.
What I am looking for is a way to show the monetary value of those improvements. Can anyone recommend any ideas on this subject?
• World Commerce & Contracting • 2020-07-07 07:07:43
Hi Stephen
I'll be happy to speak with you on this, but at a simple level we recommend dividing terns between those that are 'passive' (no direct impact on process - an example is indemnities) and 'active' (direct impact on process).
When a passive clause changes, the economic benefit will typically be through a trade-off - eg a compensatory discount for reduced risk. An active clause change is likely to have a direct impact - eg on resources required, time to cash etc.
• World Wide Technology • 2020-07-08 13:43:36
Hi Tim,
Thank you for your response. I am not sure I understand your reply. I will try to be more specific about what I am looking for. Our legal has developed a set of 33 contract requirements they would like to see in our contracts (we mostly use the supplier's paper). For each of the 33 requirements, legal has provided an ideal position, as well as fallback 1 and 2 positions.
Working with our legal, we developed a spreadsheet with points for a contract from 0 to 100. Each requirement is assigned a point value percentage, which represents its percentage of the overall contract score. Percentages of that overall point value are assigned to each position (Ideal, Fallback 1, and Fallback 2. Using this spreadsheet, we are able to come up with an overall contract score for each contract, showing how well a contract conforms to what legal requires.
By scoring each contract prior to negotiation, and after negotiation, we are able to show which contract requirements were improved by negotiation and the increase in the overall contract score. For example, we can show a stakeholder that over negotiations improved the contract score from 60 to 70.
What I am struggling with is how to show the stakeholder what that improvement represents to him or the organization in actual dollar value. I know there is a soft benefit to, say, for example, improving our indemnification language to include all third party IP infringement, not just U.S patent infringement, but how do I translate that improvement to a dollar value? Thanks in advance for your help.
• World Commerce & Contracting • 2020-07-08 14:30:02
Hi Stephen
Thanks for clarifying!
So based on your description, the score you have created is essentially a risk score - which in itself is valuable (and if you are not already doing so, you may want to think about ways to consolidate the results so that you can identify scores by segments, such as different categories, different parts of the business etc. This is great for management reporting, to show how risk levels may vary).
Unfortunately, 'risk' does not in general translate to a $ value, unless you can show that you managed to gain a trade off. For example, maybe you conceded a level 2 position on third party indemnity (because actually you decided the risk here was low), but in return the supplier conceded an improved service level or an extension of payment terms (both of which would have a $ value).
My original point was that many of the traditional legal terms don't directly translate to a monetary gain - they are more focused on avoiding loss or obtaining compensation for failure. But the business terms will represent financial costs or benefits - for example, speed of delivery, service level performance, the right to adjust volumes or usage. Your negotiators should be looking at opportunities to off-set agreement in one area with beneficial terms from the supplier in another.
I guess your challenge here may be that the 33 terms agreed with Legal are not in fact those which represent real economic value - but in that case, maybe you need two indices, one for risk level and the other for economic benefits. Your negotiators should be equipped to understand the right balance in any given situation - how real is the risk versus the opportunity for a gain.
I hope this makes sense, but if not, let's arrange to speak.
• JHensley Consulting • 2020-07-14 19:21:06
I agree with everything Tim wrote.
Re: two indices ("I guess your challenge here may be that the 33 terms agreed with Legal are not in fact those which represent real economic value - but in that case, maybe you need two indices, one for risk level and the other for economic benefits. Your negotiators should be equipped to understand the right balance in any given situation - how real is the risk versus the opportunity for a gain.")
As Tim said, a risk score for revised terms does not necessarily translate into economic value - so much of this math would be "informed speculation" so to speak. As you mentioned, "there is a soft benefit to, say improving our indemnification language to include all third party IP infringement, not just U.S patent infringement."
Since each situation is unique, the economic value would be a sliding scale based on the size of the contract. For buy-side sourcing and procurement, your monetary scale would need to be informed by an estimated value of the "typical" procurement order anticipated with the vendor. You may want to include a third index that provides you with anticipated volume. (Again, all of this is educated guesswork without knowing more about your business.)
For example:
Say the terms initially were at 100 in terms of risk, but then were reduced through negotiation to 50 based on your scale. Here's the fuzzy math part: we assign this particular clause a value of $10,000 per order if risk is at 100 (full risk = full expense to your company). The anticipated volume of orders impacted by this clause is 20 per year.
So the amount of monetary risk reduced (with guesswork disclaimers above) = (50/100) * 10,000 * 20 per year = $100k annually.
Is that what you're driving toward?
Personally, I'd recommend embracing the risk scoring as the key metric without adding in the monetary value (unless it's a tangible asset with value you can trace). With the subjectivity involved, adding in more assumptions to extrapolate out to "hard numbers" could potentially confuse leadership if they aren't aware of the guesswork behind them. If they can better understand the risk rating, then they will be able to see trends for the legal team - and negotiators - who are adept at lowering their risk without needing a dollar amount. Dollar amounts using the formula above could be gamed or skewed more easily than looking at the average risk score reduction achieved by a negotiator.
Finally, there are also CLM systems that will automate all of the above for you and your end users if you're looking to move out of Excel. You may be using one already that could have these indices added into it and do the calculations for you.
Furthermore, depending on the tool used, you can leverage AI to read third-party paper, compare it to your legal baseline for the 33 terms, and have it assign a risk rating automatically to be reviewed/confirmed by legal. That would require training the AI for your use case, which is often only accessible/affordable for large enterprise implementations.
Please let me know if this was helpful or if I'm off-base! Happy to discuss further.
Replies: 4
BC Hydro
2020-05-28 19:38:24
Pricing Trends for major equipment and engineering services
Is there any research available here on pricing trends for major equipment, related transport and engineering? If someone could point me to a report or reliable source...
Is there any research available here on pricing trends for major equipment, related transport and engineering? If someone could point me to a report or reliable source it would be greatly appreciated
• World Commerce & Contracting • 2020-05-29 15:57:06
Hi Steve, thank you for your question. Pricing trends for major equipment are not something we specialize in unfortunately and in the current circumstances, the answer would, I believe, vary enormously depending on the nature, type, and location of the acquisition.
• GMR Energy LImited • 2020-06-18 14:24:19
Believe there is no ready made global data base as of now. Each countries Govt. publishes data on whole sale price index/producer price index/purchasers price index( nomenclature varies) on each and every category of product including machinery, equipment etc. year on year and month on month. These data is generally publicly available and can be accessed and down loaded.
For example - there is Bureau of Labour Statistics in USA which pubishes all such data for the products manufactured in USA. In India its published in a bulletin every month by the central bank i.e Reserve Bank of India
Replies: 2
2020-04-29 09:37:33
Market research carried out by IACCM in 2011/12
I am looking for the research paper/report from 2011/12 that you refer to in this article (https://www.iaccm.com/resources/?id=6845&cb=1588152458&). Could you ...
I am looking for the research paper/report from 2011/12 that you refer to in this article (
Could you please post a link to this research?
• World Commerce & Contracting • 2020-04-29 18:42:36
Hi Martin,
This question has come up a bunch recently, so we put together a page for you to utilize:
Replies: 1
PRS for Music
2020-03-11 15:04:47
Contractual Audits
Can someone please give me some guidance / best practice on how often you would consider auditing the KPI results of your suppliers against their own KPI methodology, ...
Can someone please give me some guidance / best practice on how often you would consider auditing the KPI results of your suppliers against their own KPI methodology, plus is there a standard in terms of the sample size?
2020-02-28 11:26:47
Visualisation of the KPI section of a Contract
During our current contract one of the main issues that we encounter is confusion over the interpretation of KPI reporting and the consequences of any failings. We are...
During our current contract one of the main issues that we encounter is confusion over the interpretation of KPI reporting and the consequences of any failings. We are currently negotiating the follow on contract so has anyone used the visual enhancements to their KPI sections ? Have you found that it has helped with understanding ? Also is it acceptable to only have the graphics in certain sections of the contract or does it have to be a blanket approach to all schedules ?
• World Commerce & Contracting • 2020-02-28 15:01:26
Thank you for your comment and yes there is signficant research and resounding evidence to confirm that visuals can support clarity and understanding in contracts - no matter which element of the contract. And yes we would deem it perfectly acceptable to have graphics in certain sections - not all. There are some elements of the contract that lend themselves to visualization more than others. There is a lot of material in our Resource Library on this topic and this particular piece of research should help you too:
Do let us know if you have any further questions
Replies: 1
The Bank of Nova Scotia
2020-01-06 14:10:40
Defining KPIs and Creating Dashboards
Hi All, I am a fresh member of the portal. Looking for some insights in regards to defining KPIs. We are a team of 3 Contract Managers and our manager has asked us to ...
Hi All,
I am a fresh member of the portal. Looking for some insights in regards to defining KPIs. We are a team of 3 Contract Managers and our manager has asked us to define KPIs and create a dashboard biweekly for her to have an insight of what we are doing. I believe the next step will be having score cards to measure the performances. I have been searching the web and thinking about this deeply for some time now. I was only able to come up with 3 KPIs but still need to define 1 more. And I am not sure if this has been answered before. Is there a document I can relate on to? Would appreciate any leading.
Thank you in advance.
• Fire and Emergency NZ • 2020-01-09 09:09:52
God day Sedef - well, again, I hate to see a good question like this sitting there all along unanswered, so here goes my contribution.
Firstly, if you get to create your own KPI's, I think that this is an awesome opportunity for you. It's a great opportunity for you to pick some criteria on which to have your performance judged by.
I think it's an opportunity though for you to think about whether or not you want these KPI's to relate to your performance alone, or contribute to or align directly with organisational performance. This could be a factor of where you feel you are as a team with procurement maturity, as well as your ability to influence the organisation's plans. Let me explain by way of example.
Four years ago, for our team, it was all about how quickly we could turn around tenders, time to contract, and the number of complaints (which thankfully were none) about the conduct of our tenders. So for us then, the KPI's were team focussed and didn't really track well into organisational plans.
Fast forward to the present day, the team has pushed back into the business to be engaging with them at a much earlier stage. The KPI's we are moving to are around developing category plans with the business and presenting them to the senior leadership team, monitoring and reporting on the significant contracts in their portfolio and working with the teams on meaningful social procurement outcomes that are relevant to their categories. As you can see, these are less about the team, and track really well into where we want to be as an organisation.
Oh, and like all KPI's, it perhaps goes without saying, but make sure that they're SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) or SMARTER (adding Explainable and Relative to the mix).
So Sedef, my advice would be to jump the opportunity to set your KPI's, and make them relevant to where you are and where you want to be. I think you are the best person to work that out, rather than me just telling you what you need based upon your one paragraph question.
Have fun with making them - and it would be great learning for others within the forum for you to tell everyone what you ended up with !
• Ngamuru Advisory • 2020-02-02 07:41:45
Hi Sedef,
Following on from Darren's excellent points, I wanted to find out how you went? Did you find the missing one? I started my Performance Based Contracting (PBC) journey in 2004 designing, implementing and managing performance measures (not just KPIs!). Over this time I have seen many, many performance measure that can be used depending on what you are trying to achieve. Indeed, over the years we have actually formed the opinion that there are more than simply KPIs, since most humans can only handle 3 - 5. Therefore, having dashboards of 20 it too much information. So while there are a number of websites that can give you a variety of performance measures, can I suggest you have a look at why you want to measure; what is the outcome you are trying to achieve? Is it the standard project ones (scope, schedule and cost), or are there other things such as the health of the relationship, the culture of safety, etc. And if you think you can't measure the last ones, you can! Just takes a bit more work to set-up. So best to work that out first.
To help, as an IACCM Fellow I write on blog where I write about this (www.performancebasedcontracting.com), which sometimes become articles for IACCM (part of the role of an IACCM Fellow). Therefore, I'd suggest you have a look here and see if this helps. There is probably a lot of content (all free!), but hopefully it helps.
Anyway, I hope this helps you on your journey. And don't be afraid to ask for help!
Dr Andrew Jacopino - IACCM Fellow
Replies: 2
PRS for Music
2020-01-06 11:02:38
I am looking to benchmark surveys i deliver to my suppliers and customer on the quality of service. Is there any recognised benchmark for what looks good in the contra...
I am looking to benchmark surveys i deliver to my suppliers and customer on the quality of service. Is there any recognised benchmark for what looks good in the contract management profession?
Saudi Electric Company
2019-11-11 10:09:34
Contractors Performance Criteria
Dear All, regarding the Contractors Performance Criteria is there any recommendations or benchmark thanks Hussein
Dear All,
regarding the Contractors Performance Criteria is there any recommendations or benchmark
• Ministry of Defence • 2019-11-12 12:55:58
I think the question is too wide at the moment? Performance against what deliverable? Goods, services. Perhaps with a bit more detail members might be able to help. Thanks.
Replies: 1
PRS for Music
2019-10-28 12:12:30
Bench marking a service
Hi All Is there any standard in terms of stakeholder satisfaction in IACCM contract Management? We have sent out surveys (which our stakeholders had input into rega...
Hi All
Is there any standard in terms of stakeholder satisfaction in IACCM contract Management?
We have sent out surveys (which our stakeholders had input into regard the questions they wanted to score us on) We have received some great feedback and suggestions for improvements. Whilst I think a satisfaction score of 81% is very good, I have nothing to compare it with.
I know all survey are different in terms of the questions, but to put this result into some context it would be good to understand if any work has been done on what good looks like in terms of satisfaction scores in other companies?
I would love to hear any views people are happy to share, as my Director would like to share these results with our board but unless we can put them into context in terms of best practice, they are just a score which doesn't tell the wider audience that much without the wider context!
Kind Regards
• World Commerce & Contracting • 2019-10-28 12:57:44
Hi Jan,
Interesting question. I commend you on your efforts to assess CCM performance. As you say, to take your analysis further forward, you need to be able to compare against some form of industry or sector-wide benchmark. Within the IACCM, we have a deep set of benchmark data - collected over many years across multiple sectors. There are two major sources: 1) the IACCM Capability Maturity Assessment (which looks at organizational efficiency with objective insights into today's performance, comparisons to the outside world and a realistic assessment of the business impact); and 2) the Skills and Competency Assessment (which considers unique benchmarks that support organizational development.) IACCM offers a confidential and objective analysis of current performance and compares your results against industry norms and world-class standards.
Key to making use of these benchmarks is the consistent application of a robust question set. This is what allows the application of an apples-to-apples comparison. I'm not saying that you would need to repeat the survey you have conducted, but I think you may find that some repeat work is necessary though.
Please message me at pbranch@
if you are interested in progressing this further. Paul
• PRS for Music • 2019-10-31 15:12:16
Hi Paul
Thank you for responding and yes I would like to talk to you to understand what the IACCM can offer.
Kind Regards
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Replies: 2
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There's a child-like wonder in all of us. A marvel attracted to simple beauty. Stirred by dreams and the invitation to possibilities, it fuels an insatiable curiosity that's eager to explore novel ideas and pursue new discoveries.
Capturing this audience means moving beyond the routine of business as usual—to inspire…to challenge. In short, it requires marketing that excites the imagination.
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That's what I'd like to help you accomplish. To visually tell your story and connect to your audience on a level where thoughts and emotions are moved to action.


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Equity futures are down overnight while long bond futures are down sharply:
This, despite the fact that Bank of America "earned" $3.22 billion in the Second Quarter and Citi "earned" a "surprise" $4.3 billion based, it claimed on the sale of Smith Barney. Is there any wonder why they were pressuring Congress and the FASB to allow mark to fantasy? There's your answer in how they handled that. I personally think earning these billions is good for the bastards. I hope they give themselves GIANT sized bonuses that they so obviously deserve for being the biggest crooks in the history of the planet by a factor of about a thousand, that way the people of the U.S. just might get angry enough to put the SOB's behind bars where they deserve. I've said it a hundred times, but I'll keep on saying it… corporations and their money must be separated from government.
Trumped up earnings and robbery in the financial space is one thing, real profits from a real economy are absolutely another.
Here's the latest greenshoot to suck the sheeple in… housing starts. I'm going to present Econopray's latest spin, but keep your eye on that year over year number which is still horrific:
Housing starts in June came in unexpectedly strong, continuing a robust gain the month before and indicating that we may have passed the bottom in housing. Starts increased 3.6 percent, following a huge 17.3 percent spike in May. The June pace of 0.582 million units annualized was down 46.0 percent year-on-year and came in well above the market forecast for 0.530 million units. The boost in June was led by the single-family component which advanced 14.4 percent after rising 5.9 percent the month before. However, the multifamily component gave back some of May's surge, falling 25.8 percent after a very strong 65.9 percent boost the month before.
By region, the June gain in starts was led by a monthly 33.3 percent jump in the Midwest, followed by a 28.6 percent boost in the Northeast. The West and South declined 14.8 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.
Importantly, permits posted a healthy increase, indicating that the strength in starts over the last two months may not be that much weather related. Permits came in with an 8.7 percent increase in June, following a moderate 4.0 percent rise in May. The June pace for permits at 0.563 million units annualized was down 52.0 percent on a year-ago basis.
Today's report shows unexpected improvement in housing and we have another indicator suggesting that we are getting closer to the end of the overall recession. Equities should like the numbers and bond yields should firm.
Anyone calling bottom on a two month bounce when an indicator has COLLAPSED 46% in the past year is certifiably nuts – especially when that timeframe is its seasonal peak. And I'll take it further and state that there is just simply too much inventory available and building more new homes into a still oversupplied market is an economic negative, not positive.
Housing Happiness
Welcome the mass psychosis of wave c up of B up. I guess to celebrate the banks robbing us blind we all run to our broker and buy stocks instead of running for the pitchforks and rope!
Talk about being overbought! 100% of DOW stocks are above their 5 day moving average. The DOW closed above it's upper Bollinger band on lower volume with an oversold daily stochastic and RSI, with everything on the shorter timeframes extremely overbought.
I care not, that's because I'm heading out ASAP this morning to go riding through the hills of Idaho and western Montana for a few days. Trust me, I need it, but hope you enjoy another Options Expiration day of manipulation and billion dollar profits for the criminals who are "running Wall Street." Of course by that I mean those who are robbing Americans of their money and of their futures.
Have a good day and weekend, I'll be back most likely on Tuesday. If I get to civilization at some point I'll make a quick post, otherwise it'll be the early part of next week.
Styx – Suite Madame Blue (America Patriotic):


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Quarterly reports?
How do you organize what your children have done into a record of work? Discuss this and other related issues here!
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Quarterly reports?
Do anyone have a sample or a template I can use for my quarterly reports. This is my first time submiting this to the schools. This is also my first year homeschooling. I live in New York. Any help would be appreciated. My email is firstname.lastname@example.com. My son is in kindergarten. Thanks, Janine
Hi, I was wondering if you could send the template to me also. This too will be my first year home schooling my kids in NY and I need all the help I can get. Thanks. My email is email@example.com.
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Sample Dress
1 In stock
FINAL SALE - Sample Sold As Is
Used during photo shoots and market shows.
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We ship to the United States and around the world from our warehouse in St. Louis, MO. In the USA, we primarily use UPS ground or USPS where appropriate. Internationally, we ship to most countries and primarily use FedEx or DHL where appropriate.
We have a simple rate structure that includes shipping and handling - no extra charges. For more information including rates please see our Shipping page.
Returns and Exchanges:
Our dresses are so special that we have a special return and exchange policy. Most of our Prom, Bridal and Social styles are eligible only for exchanges or store credit, but not returns with a refund. All sales items are not returnable. We have a new Celebrations collection of fun and much less expensive dresses which are eligible for either a full refund or an exchange.
For more information including how to return an item please see our Returns page.


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Hi everyone
Today I wanted to share a card I made using the new Chocolate Baroque Briar Rose Stamps. These are simply gorgeous stamps to use.
I quite often go for bright colors but for this card I went for shades of one color. I hope you like it.
The second card I wanted to share is a card made using one of the stamps from Chocolate Baroque's Summer Fairies' set.
That's all from me today.
Thank you to everyone for leaving comments on my last post. It is always great to hear from you.
Happy Stamping.
Florence x
P.S. The chicks are growing by the day. Thank you to everyone for asking.


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Posada to serve as guest instructor this spring
TAMPA, Fla. -- Jorge Posada is listed among the guest instructors expected in Yankees camp this spring, but manager Joe Girardi said he doesn't know when to expect the five-time World Series winner.
"I'm not sure exactly when he's coming," Girardi said. "Our guest instructors kind of make their own schedules. A lot of guys usually like to wait until the games start."
Several of the Yanks' instructors have already arrived, including Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry and David Wells. Posada was at George M. Steinbrenner Field last month to coach in the team's Women's Fantasy Camp and spoiled the surprise of his invitation.
"I'll be bossing them around -- telling them to run and all that stuff," Posada said then. "I miss certain things about the game. You're always going to miss certain things. I, obviously, miss my teammates the most."
Girardi said that he has also recently spoken to Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, who is not expected in camp this year. The 87-year-old Berra has found traveling to be increasingly difficult.
"We're all disappointed that he's not here; he's a fixture here and we miss him," Girardi said. "I look forward to seeing him when we get back."


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- ► Intact coffins unearthed in Saqqara Necropolis
- ► Artifacts Unearthed in Egypt
- ► Communal tombs uncovered in Upper Egypt
- ► Roman catacomb discovered at Saqqara necropolis
- ► Neolithic era temple unearthed in southeastern Turkey
- ► The oldest pearl discovered near Abu Dhabi
- ► Ancient gilded coffin is returned to Egypt
- ► 1000 years old royal tomb found in north China
- ► Largest ancient ruins of distillery discovered in China
- ► Stunning ancient skull discovered in Ethiopia
Sinan Pasha Mosque
Sinan Pasha Mosque
Sinan Pasha is a historic mosque located in Damascus, Syria. It was built in 1590 AD by Sinan Pasha, the Ottoman-appointed governor of Damascus between 1589–1593 AD. The mosque was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 as part of Ancient City of Damascus.
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Category: Mosques and Islamic Buildings
Site History: 16th Century AD
Oldest Culture: Islamic
Later Cultures: Islamic
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Lady Gaga and R. Kelly laid it all out on the "Saturday Night Live" stage. The two united for a performance of their hit, "Do What U Want," from Gaga's just-released ARTPOP album — scandalous choreography included. Gaga wore a deep-plunging sequined jumpsuit, channeling Michael Jackson as she made crotch-grabs and danced around the stage.
It's when R. Kelly made his entrance that things really started to heat up. Decked in a head-to-toe white suit, Kelly swooped onstage and lifted Gaga up. As each verse switched, so did Gaga and R. Kelly's positions. She bent over with Kells behind her, Miley and Robin Thicke-style. He grazed past body parts and Gaga straddled him.
"Back of the club, taking shots, getting naughty," Kelly sang. "No invitations, it's a private party/ Do what I want, do what I want with your body/ Do what I want, do what I want with your body/ Yeah we taking these haters and we roughin' em up/ And we layin' in the club like we don't give a f—."
Sliding around the stage, at one point Gaga completely laid down and R. Kelly assumed a position on top of her. And then did push-ups. Neither of them seemed to exhibit any signs of performance anxiety.
Later in the night, Mother Monster took to a pink piano to belt out "Gypsy," drawing out the intro in true dramatic flair while repeating "I don't wanna be alone forever." She broke out into the pop-rock jam as the drummer kicked in and her guitarists joined her onstage. Gaga took a guitar and leapt up from the piano bench, forming a line with her bandmates and a shirtless, spandex-wearing dancer to rock out the song's catchy chorus. " 'Cause I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm a gypsy, gypsy, gypsy."


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European Physiology Modules
Research facility for human physiology experiments in Columbus
European Physiology Modules are an International Standard Payload Rack, equipped with Science Modules to investigate the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. Experiment results contribute to an increased understanding of terrestrial problems such as ageing, osteoporosis, balance disorders, and loss of muscle.
Accommodation and Transport
The European Physiology Modules facility was launched inside the Columbus laboratory. New Science Modules and other necessary items are transported by cargo ships, originally with the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module inside Space Shuttles.
Equipment is also brought up by other transport such as the European Automated Transfer Vehicle, the Russian Progress and Soyuz vehicles and commercial vehicles.
Operational concept
To evaluate the on-board data it is essential that reference data are collected before flight and following the return of the crew who are the experiment subjects. For this reason, the facility provides Baseline Data Collection Models that are functional copies of onboard instruments.
The Baseline Data Collection Models are readily transportable to ensure availability of the equipment for the crew pre-launch and post-flight activities.
Utilisation scenario
The Facility Responsible Centre for the European Physiology Module has the overall responsibility to operate the modules according to the needs of individual Science Modules. Principal Investigators can monitor the execution of their experiments from local User Home Bases.
The European Physiology Modules were launched on Space Shuttle Atlantis with the Columbus laboratory on 7 February 2008. Since then, the facility is accessible for astronauts to perform human physiology experiments.


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Per 1000 Distribution of Persons of Age 15 Years and Above by Broad Activity According to Usual Principal Status Approach (PS) in Rural and Urban Areas in Uttarakhand (October 2012-May 2013)
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Warren Buffett Made $37 Million a Day in 2013
There's good reason why Warren Buffett is widely viewed as one of the most successful investors in the world. This past year, the Oracle of Omaha made about $37 million a day, topping a list of billionaires who made the biggest financial gains in 2013. David Friedman, Wealth-X president, joins the News Hub. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the world's billionaires may our whole lot of money this year and just how much ... wine but they raked in thirty seven million dollars a day you read that right thirty seven million and Green day ... David Friedman is the president of Wealth X from the few chancellor ... David ... Souter setup of the ... billionaires in the US actually a really nice hear how the exclusive club is this how we can even were soo globally this twenty one hundred and seventy billionaires and identified this is more than ever has been around in history ... ironically since two thousand and nine has been a hundred seventy new billionaires made ... their wealth is almost double ... so it's been incredible run since two thousand ... and six point five trillion and the developer to Hold and the US is still the billionaire capital though worldly cornered the market and billionaires in the end of the country look like they're catching up are gaining on him soo of course number two was shot at right with that we still had three times the billionaires with China's predicting where they can do to come up ... around two thousand and seventeen eighteen ... and come close to catching up soon to be rapid growth for the Chinese market making that link below the key to growth and coming off this recession and a lot of people are still struggling billionaires handling not among them well it's the truth the old Maxim that which you ... write to Leslie get some of the people who had the best year in twenty thirteen starting with Warren Buffett light ... I mean aren't into a ... REIT ... will what's happening here has an apple and some of you know what's fascinating when you look at the top tin kind of growth that we published ... on the number one which is warm Buffett basically his wealth was written by women to call a diversified conglomerate write ... to the interesting thing is when my feet was technology or finances was ... if you look at the top two tin is have a window into which which I Industries Kai drove growth ... that would be number one so diversified Holdings which means a cut of everything was rising right ... six out of that inner Internet technology driven ... to our casino ... gambling driven ... and then one is Khona finance for ... some a ... London and Bill Gates you and he is still the wealthiest man in a while the Minnelli and am When is created the years when I buy write the beginning of the city was Number two but the still them the wealthiest person ... a piece of dry matter Micra soft money now what's gonna by the tsunami there's so much that I think if I don't think he did lose money with compound interest within the pieces from one ... I mean a generic till casino back a final if ... Sheldon Adelson is one of them we had a lot from him in twenty twelve could view that a Mitt Romney backer ... is thirty five point three daily and ... how you add another eleven billion in one year you the ironic thing in the fasting thing about this is to listen to to to see them coming in we and others unless one would think that somebody had a monopoly ... on his their operations you are different but a lot of it is for me it's a it's worth it ... the council report ... in to propel both of them this much I is humble he really makes you think how much gambling between their two companies right ... I'm not just one in about ... what's your prediction how much longer until we start seeing a cap and if with made up of Asian billionaires ... it's a great question probably next in the next three years from when


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EASTBOURNE, England, June 18 (UPI) -- Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was ushered to a first-round exit by American qualifier Jamie Hampton Tuesday in an Aegon International upset.
Radwanska, the 4th-ranked former Wimbledon runner-up, tumbled to the 23-year-old American 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 at Devonshire Park.
Also falling in a surprise result Tuesday was eighth-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova, who was upended 6-2, 6-3 by former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur.
Second-seeded Li Na of China, however, safely made it into the second round, dispatching France's Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-4.
Also notching opening-round victories Tuesday were third-seeded Angelique Kerber, who bested Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-4, and No. 4 Petra Kvitova, who drilled Romanian Monica Niculescu 6-4, 6-1.
Fifth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark advanced when defending Eastbourne champion Tamira Paszek retired while trailing 6-2, 2-2.
Wild card Elena Baltacha, fellow Briton Laura Robson and Russia's Ekaterina Makarova also moved on with victories.


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Elizabeth Banks Pitch Perfect Interview
Elizabeth Banks and Her Husband Take Us Behind the Scenes of Pitch Perfect
Musical comedy Pitch Perfect, out today, hopes to graduate a cappella music to the mainstream. The movie stars Anna Kendrick as college freshman Beca Mitchell, who gets recruited to her school's all-girl a cappella ensemble. Once in the group, Beca mixes up their outdated song list with the hopes of beating their boy-group rivals. The cast includes Oscar-nominated Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, who played Kristen Wiig's hilariously awkward roommate in Bridesmaids, and Adam DeVine from Workaholics.
The film's producer Elizabeth Banks makes a cameo, too. But she was in full producer mode when I sat down with her and husband Max Handelman on Pitch Perfect's Baton Rouge set last November. Elizabeth and Max met on the first day of college at the University of Pennsylvania, and the couple produced Pitch Perfect together. While on set, I got to see performances by the rival groups, and let me tell you: your favorite pop hits from the likes of Flo Rida or Lily Allen sound great a cappella. If the trailer, seen below, made you excited about Pitch Perfect, find out more about the project from our interview with Elizabeth and Max.
Just keep reading to see the trailer for the movie and read my interview.
What drew you to this project as producers?
Max Handelman: It was based on the book Pitch Perfect. We went to the University of Pennsylvania, which is, if not close to, ground zero for a cappella. I remember being dragged to a show at one point and seeing how these kids were rock stars on stage, particularly the guys. When you see them perform, you realize that they're rock stars in their own kind of subculture. I just love the notion of superstars in your own little world and how proud they were, how committed they are.
Elizabeth Banks: I think people are drawn to aspirational stories. This is a story about nerdy girls becoming rock stars. I remember going to the same type of performance of the Penn Six 5000, and this guy Mike sang "Rocket Man" better than Elton John. And I was in a biology class or something with this guy, and I never had any inkling that he had this ability until we saw him. It was a pretty big turn on.
So, you understood the rock star appeal I see?
Elizabeth: Yeah. It's also a coming-of-age story. What am I going to do? Who am I going to be in my life? When you get to college, you get a do-over, right? Whatever you were before doesn't matter, it's all about starting over. So you get to be whoever you want to be and this is sort of about Beca Mitchell (Anna Kendrick) figuring out who she's going to be and wondering if she made the right or wrong choice throughout the movie.
Did you know who you wanted to cast?
Elizabeth: Everyone auditions. We were really thrilled by the response to the script. It's a really funny script. As an actor myself, the opportunity to sing and dance and be dramatic and be funny — it's really irresistible to actors. You get to show all sides of your talent.
What about the songs? Were there any you were dying to include?
Elizabeth: The opening song has been in the script the whole time. It's Rihanna, and we fought to keep it Rihanna throughout the whole process. We've been working on the project for almost three years. It was Rihanna three years ago, and it's Rihanna today.
Max: The landscape changes so quickly, particularly for the youth demographic. Who's hot today, 18 months from now could be just gone.
Elizabeth: We were trying to mostly use classics or things that we feel like are going to be classics.
Are there other challenges to making a musical film?
Elizabeth: We have no instruments, so every song that we chose, we don't just do a cover. We literally have to arrange for voices that we have and make it sound just as good. You would not know that Rihanna would sound just as great coming out of Adam DeVine's mouth, and yet, it does because we have a great arrangement.
How does the screenplay capture the subculture of a cappella?
Max: The script was written by Kay Cannon, who's a mainstay on 30 Rock.
Elizabeth: She writes my character (Avery Jessup).
Max: She's a good friend of ours and is a huge singing and a cappella nerd herself.
Elizabeth: She's not an a cappella nerd herself. She's never heard of a cappella.
Max: She's a huge karaoke nerd.
Elizabeth: Correct. She loves to sing.
Would you say the female characters are different, or more dynamic than what we're used to seeing?
Elizabeth: I don't believe I've ever seen a character who calls herself "Fat Amy" (Rebel Wilson's character). I remember in early drafts of the script, I was like, I don't know if you can get away with that, but we do it and it's great. Rebel really embodies it, and it's partially because Kay wrote it so well. She just owns, and it's just about a girl who owns it.
Max: When you see this film, there's going to be different characters to identify with for all sorts of different people. Our hope and our expectation is when you see this film you're going to be like, I remember that girl from college. I knew that guy. That guy was my boyfriend. Frankly, some of these characters are based on people we knew.
You met in college. How would you describe each other in college?
Elizabeth: We're more boring than any other characters in this movie. He was overly confident. And I'm exactly the same, even the face.
Max: She does pretty much look exactly the same. It's kind of amazing. It was actually fairly unglamorous. We were just two college kids.
So this movie is all about singing. What are your go-to karaoke songs?
Elizabeth: You only have one.
Max: I have one. My song is "The Weight," by The Band.
Elizabeth: I'll do anything by Irene Kara.
To find out more about the movie, "like" Pitch Perfect on Facebook.


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New in the library–Oxford Islamic Studies Online!
As part of a grant the library received from the American Library Association entitled Muslim Journeys, we got a year's worth of access to Oxford Islamic Studies Online. Most of the content is from 11 different Oxford publications (largely encyclopedias as well as a dictionary and two different versions of the Qur'an and an Arabic-English concordance). You can find this resource on our ebooks page or the master database page.


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Duffy throws from mound, takes major step forward
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Left-hander Danny Duffy took a major step toward his return to the Royals' pitching staff on Tuesday, throwing from the mound for the first time since his Tommy John surgery.
Duffy threw 18 pitches to bullpen catcher Bill Duplissea during the Royals' first official workout for pitchers and catchers.
"It went really well," Duffy said. "I'm really happy with where my effort was and I was surprised at how under control I was. It felt really good. It was really exciting after a whole year of not pitching."
Duffy, who underwent surgery last June, will rest about three days before throwing again.
Duffy and fellow starter Felipe Paulino, who had a similar surgery, are expected to be ready around midseason.
"You cannot get enough starting pitching because, over the course of a year, something is going to happen and you're always going to need it," manager Ned Yost said. "What Duffy and Paulino are is just great insurance policies that are a benefit to us around the All-Star break. But it's nothing to worry about right now. Trust me. I am extremely pleased that we have them both out there and they'll be available around the All-Star break."


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'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Bootleg Packaging Fools Consumers
A clever packaging ploy for Sony Pictures' Girl With the Dragon Tattoo DVD release has sowed enough confusion among consumers to prompt Amazon and Redbox to clarify that the DVDs are not actually bootlegs.
As displayed in the photo above, the DVD is designed to look like an amateur copy, a sly reference to Lisbeth Salander, the hacker protagonist of the film. Since it's hard to distinguish the packaging from an illegal copy, Amazon thought it had to step in with the following bolded message: "It has come to our attention that there has been some confusion on the DVD disc art as it appears to look like a bootlegged copy. Please note that the disc art is in fact the final approved disc art provided to us by the filmmakers."
According to Creativity Online, Redbox also put a warning label on its site addressing the issue, though the warning was not on Redbox.com on Thursday.


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(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
Country newcomer Kip Moore was on Live With Kelly last week and really gave viewers a good idea of how unglamorous it can be when you're out on the road before you've made it big. This is how he described his first "tour bus": "The best way I could describe it is, we had this little … basically like an airport shuttle. It was converted with bunks," he said. "I tell you what, get in a go-cart and ride through a field — wide open — and see if you can sleep on it." And even though Moore no longer has that hitch in his gitalong, because he recently upgrade his bus situation, he admitted that he still has a lot to prove. When Kelly Ripa asked him what he thought of being called "the hillbilly Bruce Springsteen," he said, "It's a very humbling thing. I was a big fan of Bruce, but I mean, I haven't achieved anything yet." To which Ripa replies, "Are you saying this is not achieving something?"


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Middle Georgia
Started by Jessa_ , Feb 23 2006 01:31 PM
32 replies to this topic
Posted 25 January 2010 - 09:31 AM
Take my hand and we'll go riding through the sunshine from above
Posted 03 October 2010 - 08:57 PM
I know this is an old old thread but there is a house across from the post office off of College street (one way going towards the city, the post office is on the left and the house is on the right) that I know had activity about 22 years ago. At that time, it was a rental with an upstairs apartment. I had friends who lived there. It was fairily active even during the day.
Posted 14 October 2012 - 01:25 AM
Hey what's going on everybody my name is mike I live Warner Robins and I am looking for a paranormal group to join.... Jessa, hanauma726, mattK and gaemt I'm very interested in possibly joining your group.... I've been looking for a group to join for years now.... I don't have that much equipment at the moment.... All I have is an EVP recorder I wouldn't mind getting more equipment... Please i am very serious and would like to visit some haunted locations around the Georgia area.... Hope to hear from someone soon....
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Great New Designs in from Victorinox
The Swiss Army Classic is, well, a classic! It's a simple knife made in Switzerland that can be carried on a key ring or in a purse or suit pocket with enough tools to get most jobs done. Victorinox has been releasing the Classic with some great designs every year and this makes it possible to give one of these great tools as a really nice gift. The price tag is still pretty low at $16.95 and these are just in time for Christmas!


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Our Beach Busters campaign, in association with Sustainable Coastlines, continues this weekend as hundreds of people take to the stunning Matakana Coast to spruce it up for summer.
Pleasingly, some of the top acts in a music festival will be joining the litter-busters before they start playing. More pleasingly still, the campaign has got to the bottom of a mystery: the source of thousands of bright-blue plastic shavings that had been baffling beachcombers and clean-up crews in the upper North Island.
It transpires that the small chips come from Korean fishing vessels: crews drill hundreds of holes in large plastic barrels which are used as traps for blind eels, a delicacy in some parts of Asia. The Kiwi second skipper of one such vessel has vowed to be more careful and the rest of the fleet will now know that the spotlight is on them.
It's a welcome reassurance early in the campaign that work like this has the potential not just to clean up rubbish, but to stop it from being dumped in the first place - to address the problem at the source, so to speak.
In an ideal world, of course, all pollution, including beach litter, would be addressed at the source, but this is not an ideal world. And initiatives such as Beach Busters give us all the chance to make a difference.
If you can't join us at Matakana today, or at other beaches in the coming weeks, adopt a small piece of the country and make it your business to keep it clean. Get you friends and family to help you. Always take your rubbish with you - and take a couple of pieces of someone else's as well. Together we can ensure that New Zealand lives up to its clean, green image.
You can register your support or participation through nzherald.co.nz or at facebook.com/sustainablecoastlines. The next clean-up is over Waitangi Weekend around Sandy Bay, Tutukaka.
* * *
Take a photo of your friends or family cleaning up your favourite beach and go in the draw to win a Sony Cyber-shot TX10, valued at $649.95. With an Underwater Sweep Panorama function and 16.2 Mega Pixels you'll be able to take stunning underwater photos, as well as crystal clear shots on land. We have one camera to give away every week for the next 10 weeks to the person who takes the best photo, as judged by Herald on Sunday illustrations editor Chris Marriner. Five runners-up will each receive a copy of the book Beached As - New Zealand Beaches Then and Now by Craig Levers.
At the end of our Beach Busters campaign, the overall winner will receive a grand prize package comprising:
* a Sony Tablet S valued at $749.95
* a dive, snorkel or sightseeing trip for two to the Poor Knights Marine Reserve courtesy of Dive! Tutukaka
* $400 worth of clothing from surf label Sitka.
Entries close each week at Friday noon, and the winning photo will be printed each Sunday. So get snapping, and email your best shot as a JPEG to email@example.com with 'Beach Busters' in the subject line. Make sure you include your name, address and daytime phone number. Include a caption giving the place and full names of the people in the photo.
Please see terms and conditions at www.nzherald.co.nz/HOScompetitions. APN New Zealand reserves the right to store electronically any pictures entered in the competition and to use the images in any of its publications.


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First Drive: 2013 McLaren 12C Spider
The McLaren 12C has a secret: The coupe's roof is little more than an aluminum-and-glass toupee that's been Krazy-glued in place with scant concern for structural rigidity. Put another way, the new 12C Spider is essentially as stiff as the fixed-roof car -- without any additional bracing.
Coupe-like rigidity from a roofless chassis is achieved via the large, hollow rails that run down each side of the MonoCell carbon-fiber tub. And for a company that will sell fewer than 2000 cars this year, using the exact same (complex and expensive) chassis for the coupe and the convertible amounts to a manufacturing coup.
A convertible like no other
With no reason to worry about chassis flex, McLaren has also kept the suspension as stiff as the 12C coupe's. That makes this Spider unique among six-figure open supercars, including the 12C's chief rival, the Ferrari 458 Spider. Softening the suspension is standard practice in a coupe-to-convertible metamorphosis, but McLaren needn't make such compromises thanks to its ProActive Chassis Control, which forgoes steel anti-roll bars in favor of interconnected dampers and sophisticated computer controls. The system squelches body roll in turns yet also allows the wheels to move independently over bumps on straights, so not only is the Spider as firm as the coupe, it's also as forgiving. In convertible form, the chassis remains the 12C's greatest attribute, with sharp responses, excellent balance, and supernatural ride quality whether the handling control is dialed to normal, sport, or track. On the 3.4-mile circuit at Spain's Ascari race club, McLaren's Formula 1-derived Brake Steer dissected chicanes, banked turns, hairpins, and changing-elevation corners with such assured aplomb that the 12C started to rewrite our biases. Maybe trading a 40-pound differential for brake-based torque-vectoring isn't such a crazy idea after all.
Spending quality time at speed with a 12C will also alter your understanding of its maker. McLaren's expertise isn't just technology; it's integrating technology with such profound skill that the 1's and 0's translate into nuance and finesse. Coupe or Spider, on road or track, it's a challenge to find serious fault with the 12C.
Quirks and quick fixes
That's not to say there isn't room for improvement. The 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-8 lacks the intoxicating immediacy of Ferrari's normally aspirated engine and the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox has its moments of suspect logic. In automatic mode, the transmission occasionally places too much faith in the turbochargers and holds its gear at 3000 rpm despite the full-throttle request of the driver. You can also catch it shifting more slowly than an economy car in manual mode if you ask for a big downshift when you're light on the accelerator. And despite McLaren's organizational neuroticism -- er, attention to detail -- there's evidence that the company is still learning when it comes to manufacturing. While we paused at a scenic overlook, a fickle Brit tourist picked the 12C apart for its uneven panel gaps and inelegant weather stripping.
His quibbles hardly registered, though, as we raced up Southern Spain's dreamlike A-369 and marveled that an automaker this green has gotten so much right. Heck, it's possible that by this time next year every McLaren will be assembled with the body quality of a Honda; the folks in Woking have embraced the notion of running changes with uncommon enthusiasm. An all-new engine calibration adds 24 hp to last year's 592-hp output, the loudness of the intake sound tube is now adjustable independent of the powertrain modes, and the throttle reacts to inputs more quickly. Eager to appease the very customers that prompted these changes, McLaren will flash the software updates onto all 2012 cars free of charge. Unfortunately for those owners, the most significant 2013 update involves hardware. A physical button on the exterior now opens the doors with perfect reliability and puts an end to the silly swipe gesture.
A new way of looking at convertibles
Beyond the thrill of exercising 616 hp with the top down, there are a couple of perks to choosing the convertible over the coupe. The nook under the tonneau cover moonlights as a second cargo hold when the top is up, and every $268,250 Spider comes with two small, L-shaped bags tailored to the contours of that space. On a more emotional level, lowering the top opens up a whole new aural experience. The flat-plane V-8's grunt isn't quite as deep as in the coupe, but the turbocharger waste gates take over with a sharp, snare-like rattle every time you back off the gas pedal. And while the roof can be opened or closed at speeds up to 19 mph, the rear window can be lowered at any velocity, creating an uninterrupted path for the engine's soundtrack to reach your cochlea.
Perhaps the only black mark on the Spider's record is a weight increase that raises the curb weight to 3249 pounds. Yet holding the gain to just 88 pounds is a heroic achievement for any convertible conversion. Whereas you can typically assume that the droptop model is a softer car for a softer buyer, you can't think of the McLaren that way. We're not looking to start a trend here, but amid four-door coupes and crossover coupes, we can't help but think of the McLaren 12C Spider as a new kind of automotive oxymoron: the folding-top coupe.
2013 McLaren 12C Spider
Price: $268,250
Engine: 3.8L twin-turbo V-8, 616 hp, 443 lb-ft
Transmission: 7-speed automatic
Drive: Rear-wheel
EPA Mileage: 15/22 mpg


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The Italian language package for your eshop-Backend.
Extending the shop backend with a link inside the header for deleting all tmp files without leaving the current context. Another link opens the frontend within its own... more
The French language package including the French flag for your eshop.
jxNewsletter allows the export of users for eg. a newsletter
The French language package including the French flag for your eshop.
Module for restricting the administrative rights of users (e.g. for creating an editorial account).
The French language package for your eshop-Backend.
jxCmdBoard allows you to create your own menu page in the oxid admin
Modul for creating Tasks for employees and agencies
With jxAttrEdit you can edit all attributes of an product on one page


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If you want your hot drinks hot and your cold drinks cold – we totally get you! We've spent the last 100 years making the best collection of insulated drinkware, tumblers, and insulated bottles so you can have it your way. You shouldn't have to settle for "good enough".
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