text:
On the evening of May 22, 2012, a star-studded cast gathered at the Pacific Coliseum for the grand finale of the 25th anniversary of Rick Hansen's Man in Motion World Tour.
The performers included David Foster, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden, the Canadian Tenors, and pop band Marianas Trench. At the end of the program, Hansen wheeled onto the stage to deliver the benediction:
"This night would not have been possible without a dream, and of course, the courage to try, and a country that believes in me. Once again, I find that the end is just the beginning and I look forward to the journey we will all take in the next 25 years."
It was an inspirational speech from a person who has provided hope and inspiration to a generation of people with spinal cord injuries.
But it was also an expensive message. According to internal documents obtained by The Vancouver Sun, the homecoming event cost $1.95 million to stage, but generated only $274,572 in revenues, for a total loss of $1.67 million.
And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
The homecoming was the conclusion of a marathon anniversary celebration organized and funded by the Rick Hansen Foundation, the charity that Hansen founded after his original world tour.
The purpose of the celebration was to raise awareness of spinal cord injury-related issues, and to raise money for research.
The anniversary celebrations had begun on March 21, 2010, exactly 25 years after Hansen embarked on his original around-the-world tour, and ended 26 months later on May 22, 2012, exactly 25 years after he completed his original tour.
The main event was a cross-Canada relay that retraced Hansen's original route. Instead of a torch, participants passed a specially made Rick Hansen medal from one to the other.
It was a complex and costly undertaking. The final bill was $10.94 million.
Hansen and his entourage also embarked on an "international outreach" program, which involved trips to Jordan, Israel, Australia, China and the United States to further international collaboration on spinal cord research and care. Total cost was $1.27 million.
The foundation also staged an international conference in Vancouver to share best practices for spinal cord research and care. The conference cost $1.44 million, but total revenues were only $200,600, for a net loss of $1.24 million.
All told, the foundation spent an estimated $17 million to $19 million on the anniversary celebrations, based on internal records and confirmed by people close to the foundation.
The foundation insists this was a calculated investment: "It was a planned, strategic investment to capitalize on this one-time opportunity," it said in a statement to The Sun.
On the revenue side, however, the foundation made a large miscalculation.
It had aimed to raise $250 million in donations and future commitments during the anniversary period. This was an extremely ambitious goal. In the preceding 23 years, the foundation had raised a total of $250 million. Now it hoped to match that figure in a 26-month period.
More than 37 months have passed since the anniversary kickoff, but so far, the foundation has secured donations and future commitments for only $84 million, just one-third of its targeted amount. Most will be spread over five years and a significant portion is simply a renewal of existing funding.
Even with special government funding and myriad corporate donations and sponsorships, the impact on the foundation's bottom line has been severe.
During the year ending March 31, 2012, the foundation reported an $8.1-million deficit. And according to internal documents, it lost another $3.3 million during the following two months.
Now that the anniversary is over, the foundation has been winding back expenses. Whether these cuts — combined with future donations — will be sufficient to reverse those losses remains to be seen.
That raises the question: Was it worth it? Given that the anniversary celebrations were also intended to raise awareness, there is no clear answer.
The purpose of this story is not to undermine the exceptional service that Hansen and his foundation have provided to disabled people. It is to review the stewardship of the millions of dollars that public and private donors have contributed to the foundation.
Neither Hansen nor anyone else at the foundation agreed to be interviewed for this story.
Written questions were met with limited responses and in some cases, no answer at all.
Hansen, now 55, was born in Port Alberni and grew up in Williams Lake. When he was just 15 years old, he was riding in the back of a pickup truck that was involved in an accident. He became paralyzed from the waist down.
Undaunted, he became an accomplished wheelchair athlete, winning 19 international wheelchair marathons, including three world championships.
In March 1985, Hansen embarked on a world tour to promote spinal cord research and raise awareness for people with disabilities. He traversed 34 countries and logged more than 44,000 kilometres. By the time he rolled into BC Place Stadium in May 1987, he had raised $26 million for the cause and was hailed as an international hero.
To manage the money raised on his world tour and continue his dream of finding a cure for the effects of spinal cord injury, Hansen formed The Man in Motion World Tour Society, which later became the Rick Hansen Foundation.
It operates as a registered charity with an 11-person board of directors co-chaired by Hansen and Vancouver lawyer Lyall Knott.
The foundation has two functions. The main one is to raise money for the Rick Hansen Institute, which is a separate organization engaged in spinal cord injury research. (Hansen is neither an officer nor a director of the institute.)
During the three years ending March 31, 2012, the foundation's gross revenues have ranged from $22.4 million to $27.2 million. About three-quarters came from provincial and federal government sources, and most of this money flowed through to the institute.
The foundation's second function is to run programs, most notably:
• Initiatives to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities (such as wheelchair ramps and home modifications).
• Programs to increase participation in wheelchair and adaptive sports.
• School programs that use the Rick Hansen story to build awareness and social responsibility.
In addition to these programs, Hansen has personally provided inspiration for a generation of disabled people, from the time of injury through rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
As a result of his remarkable accomplishments, he has received many prestigious awards and accolades. Most notably, he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of British Columbia.
He has also received honorary doctorates from numerous universities, including UBC, the University of Toronto and McGill University. Three public schools have been named after him (in Abbotsford, and Mississauga and London, Ont.). In 2010, he was given the honour of carrying the Olympic flame into BC Place for the opening ceremony.
Until last October, the foundation did not publicly release full audited statements, nor was it legally required to do so.
Instead it released summary statements that — according to auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers — "do not provide all the disclosures required by Canadian generally accepted accounting principles" and are "not a substitute for reading the audited financial statements."
In October, The Sun asked for full audited statements, but the foundation refused on grounds that it was already providing adequate information.
The Sun pressed the matter, stressing that taxpayers were largely funding the foundation, directly through federal and provincial government contributions and indirectly through charitable donation tax credits. Several days later, the foundation reconsidered and released its full audited statements.
One of the advantages of audited financial statements is that they include notes that provide all sorts of important additional information, most notably related-party transactions.
As previously reported, the notes revealed that in 2009, Hansen donated rights to his name for $1.8 million. In return, he received a $1.8-million tax receipt.
In B.C., tax receipts for charitable donations can be used to claim tax credits equal to 43.7 per cent of the donation amount.
Those tax credits can then be used to reduce taxes that would otherwise be payable for the next five years. On this basis, the $1.8-million tax receipt could potentially have saved Hansen $786,600, courtesy of Canadian taxpayers.
"I am not aware of any other instances in which a Canadian charity has issued an official donation receipt for the 'donation' or licensing of the living person's name," Toronto lawyer Mark Blumberg, an expert in charity law, told The Sun.
A note to the audited statements revealed that CRA was challenging the transaction. In an Oct. 12, 2012 letter to the foundation, the agency said it had concluded that the donation "does not meet the definition of a gift," but was willing to hear further submissions on the matter.
The foundation declined to say where the matter currently stands. If the receipt is disallowed, Hansen could be reassessed for any tax credits he claimed under the donation. The foundation will not have lost anything, other than the legal and appraisal costs associated with the transaction.
Another note to the audited statements revealed that CRA was also challenging a $10-million tax receipt that the foundation issued in 2006 to geologist Stewart Blusson for a donation of private company shares.
Blusson co-discovered the Ekati diamond mine in the Northwest Territories in the early 1990s. He still owns 10 per cent of the mine and continues to receive royalties from it.
According to the note, Blusson's donation was made in the form of shares of a private company that is controlled by Blusson and "holds the rights to a percentage of natural resource revenues in Canada" (referring to royalties from the Ekati mine).
Since shares of private companies are not readily salable, Blusson and the foundation entered into an agreement that would see Blusson buy back the shares for $10 million over a 10-year period at predetermined prices. In May 2010, Blusson repurchased the remaining shares, thereby concluding the deal.
CRA reviewed the foundation's issuance of a tax receipt for that donation, which potentially reduced Blusson's tax bill by $4.37 million, and gave it a preliminary thumbs-down.
"The foundation has been informed that the Canada Revenue Agency has challenged the tax receipt that was issued to the donor," the foundation reported in its latest financial statements, which were signed off by the auditor in June 2012.
The foundation said that, if the receipt is disallowed, Blusson is not likely to ask for his money back. It is not clear where the matter currently stands. The foundation declined to discuss the matter and Blusson did not return phone calls.
How much does Hansen make? The financial statements do not break out that figure, and the foundation refuses to say.
CRA requires charities to report how many employees it has in particular salary ranges. The highest range is "$350,000 and over."
In previous financial returns, the foundation reported that it paid one person more than $350,000 every year from at least 2009 to 2011. That person is not identified in the returns, but The Sun has determined it is Hansen.
How much over $350,000 is he making? The Sun has determined he earns more than $400,000 per year. How much more is not clear.
"The board is very confident that Rick Hansen's compensation is comparable and competitive with individuals leading organizations of similar size and complexity, and carrying similar workloads," the foundation told The Sun.
However, Hansen's compensation appears to be at least $50,000 more than the next highest charity executive in B.C. The closest was the Canadian Cancer Society, B.C. & Yukon Division, which paid somewhere between $300,000 to $350,000 to its top executive. The society has larger revenues and program expenditures than the foundation, however it was not built on the stellar accomplishments of one man. All other B.C. charities paid their top executives less than $300,000.
Until July 2011, Hansen served as president and chief executive officer of the foundation. Then he resigned his officers' positions and became co-chairman with Lyall Knot. Art Reitmayer, a chartered accountant and former broadcast executive, replaced Hansen as the foundation's chief executive.
At the same time, the foundation formed a not-for-profit society called the Rick Hansen Leadership Group (RHLG). The group is technically controlled by the foundation but headed by Hansen and includes three assistants. It provides "leadership services" to the foundation on a contract basis.
This restructuring enabled Hansen, who is involved in other activities (mainly related to fish conservation), to pursue those activities without running afoul of the objects of the foundation.
It also removed Hansen from the foundation's direct payroll. Instead of paying him directly, the foundation now pays him indirectly through the leadership group.
That means the foundation no longer has to report any compensation level for him in its CRA returns.
Instead, his salary is incorporated into the annual stipend that the foundation pays his leadership group. That stipend is negotiated annually.
How much the foundation pays the leadership group was not revealed until the foundation, at The Sun's urging, released the full audited statements.
Those statements show that, during the year ending March 31, 2012, the foundation paid the leadership group $770,560, but that would have covered only about three-quarters of the year (from the group's creation in July 2011 to the year ending March 2012).
The statements provide no breakdown of how that money was spent, or how much accrues to Hansen personally.
Exactly what the leadership group does, or will do, is not clear. The foundation refers to the group as a "separate and distinct social enterprise" that "supports Rick's extended leadership."
"Through the years, Rick has personally extended his leadership and energy into additional programs, initiatives and innovations that align with his vision of a healthier and more inclusive world," the foundation says on its website.
The foundation says it has "recently applied to extend its charitable purpose in order to support future environmental initiatives that contribute to a healthy environment."
Hansen's vision of a healthier and more inclusive world now appears to include fish conservation, which has been his lifelong passion.
The foundation's website refers to the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society, which Hansen has actively supported over the years. But it does not explain how fish conservation fits with spinal cord injury and related issues, or what resources Hansen and his foundation are going to direct to this initiative.
Reitmayer resigned as chief executive officer in July 2012, after only 13 months on the job. He declined to comment for this story. A new chief executive has not yet been named.
In the audited financial statements for the year ending March 31, 2012, a figure of $1.14 million is recorded as owing to the Rick Hansen Leadership Group.
The Sun has learned that nearly all this accrued liability is on account of a clause in Hansen's employment agreement that permits him to take a year-long fully paid sabbatical every seven years.
As at year-end, he hadn't taken any of those sabbaticals, so the benefit was accrued as money owing to the leadership group. This is a substantial benefit that the foundation has never publicly disclosed.
Hansen is currently taking his first-ever sabbatical, but he is not sitting idle. He is registered as a speaker-for-hire with the National Speakers Bureau, which is based in Vancouver. The founder, president and owner of the bureau is Perry Goldsmith, who also serves as a director of the Rick Hansen Foundation.
In an interview, Goldsmith confirmed that he had booked Hansen as a keynote speaker at the Calgary City Teachers' Convention Association on Feb. 14 and the International YMCA Conference in Vancouver on April 11.
Asked whether he had booked Hansen for any other speaking engagements, he replied: "There are a few others. I can't tell you the number, that's competitive information."
The Sun has since learned that Hansen is also booked as a keynote speaker at the Kiwanis International Convention in Vancouver on June 27. Goldsmith declined to say whether he was involved in arranging this engagement.
How much do these organizations pay? Goldsmith refused to say. However, Adriana Wild, program co-ordinator for the Calgary teachers' convention, said her organization paid him $20,000 plus expenses (including airfare and hotel accommodation), and Kelly Walker, communications manager for the YMCA of Great Vancouver, said her organization paid $20,000 for Hansen's April presentation.
Where does the money go? Goldsmith said he remits the speaking fee (less his agency fee, which he declined to quantify) to the Rick Hansen Leadership Group, which uses it "for the cause."
"It's not going into Rick's personal pocket. That's my understanding," he said.
The Sun asked the foundation what this money is used for, but it declined to comment.
As the 25th anniversary of Hansen's world tour approached, the foundation said it saw "an opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments, re-engage the broader public and broaden our vision."
"In celebration of our 25th anniversary, we have set a campaign goal of over $250 million (in donations and future commitments) with a timeline of March 21, 2010 to May 22, 2012," the foundation stated in a February 2010 primer for directors and staff.
The primer noted that charities spend, on average, 12 to 15 per cent of their dollar goals on fundraising, and based on the foundation's goal, that would translate into a campaign budget of $30 million to $37.5 million.
It acknowledged that $250 million was "a very aggressive goal" and promised it wouldn't spend "anything like" $30 million to $30.7 million.
"We are tracking all costs against the campaign and will be posting both costs and funds raised annually on our website page," the note stated.
In fact, the foundation did no such thing. It published what it routinely published: a summary of overall revenues and expenses. No member of the public could possibly discern how much was being raised or spent on the campaign. The Sun, however, obtained a copy of an internal "draft financial summary" for the 26-month period ending May 31, 2012. It states that total revenues received on account of the anniversary were just over $23 million, consisting of:
• $14.1 million in government grants.
• $3.3 million in cash donations from corporate sponsors.
• $1.8 million in non-cash donations from corporate sponsors.
• $3.7 million in private contributions.
• $270,475 from anniversary events.
Of this amount, about $17 million to $19 million was spent on anniversary events, most notably the cross-Canada relay, the international outreach program, the conference on spinal cord injury issues, and the homecoming gala.
Another anniversary initiative was Planat, an online ratings tool that enables people to rate the accessibility of buildings and public spaces. According to the draft financial summary, it cost $1.11 million and was not designed to generate any revenue. Unlike many of the anniversary events, it has enduring value and is apparently being well received.
Contrary to expectations, there was no appreciable boost in donations during the 26-month campaign.
During the year ending March 31, 2010 — the year before the tour was launched — total revenues were $24.9 million. During the next two years — when the anniversary celebrations were in full swing — revenues remained relatively flat at $22.4 million and $27.2 million, respectively.
Expenses, meanwhile, soared. During the year ending March 31, 2012, when the cross-Canada relay was in progress, overall expenses jumped by 51 per cent to $35.1 million.
Many categories of spending ballooned: travel and meeting expenses quadrupled to $3.3 million; salaries and benefits jumped 84 per cent to $9.6 million; and consulting and contract services climbed 78 per cent to $3.2 million.
The bottom line is that the foundation lost $8.1 million during the year ending March 31, 2012.
The foundation says its board "pre-approved" a loss of $9.9 million for that year, which means the actual loss was less than budgeted. But it declined to say whether this was the original projection or whether it had to revise its projection in the face of lower-than-expected revenues and/or higher-than-expected expenses.
According to an internal draft accounting obtained by The Sun, the foundation lost another $3.3 million during the two months ending May 31, 2012.
Audited statements for the year ending March 31, 2013 are not yet available. The foundation refused to say whether it is budgeting for another loss, and if so, how much.
In its CRA return, the foundation reported that, during the year ending March 31, 2012, it spent $6.9 million on administration and fundraising, representing 19 per cent of total expenses.
However, this does not include the cost of several key anniversary events. During that year, the foundation spent $7.6 million on the relay, but that expenditure is not included as a fundraising cost. If it is included, the ratios jump to 41 per cent.
Should it be included? Foundation officials repeatedly referred to the anniversary program as a fundraising campaign. However, from a CRA reporting point of view, this characterization presented a dilemma. If the purpose were to raise funds, then at least some of the anniversary costs would have to be reported to CRA as fundraising costs, which would inflate its fundraising costs as a percentage of revenues or expenses.
So the foundation treated the relay as program cost and prohibited fundraising along the relay route (although unsolicited donations could be accepted). Some foundation staff viewed this as a lost opportunity, but it enabled the foundation to minimize its fundraising ratios.
As the celebration moved forward, the financial goal remained approximately the same, but the timeline was gradually extended. By the homecoming gala, the 26-month campaign had turned into a five-year campaign.
"The 25th-anniversary campaign has served as a launch of a five-year fundraising campaign with a target of approximately $260 million," John Gibson, the foundation's communications manager at the time, told The Sun on May 15, 2012.
The foundation now says it is in the third year of a seven-year fundraising campaign.
"To date we have already raised $84 million, which would not have been possible without the investment in the 25th anniversary," the foundation says on its website.
However, it is not clear that all these contributions were triggered by the anniversary celebrations, as opposed to normal-course funding.
According to the draft financial summary, the $84 million includes $23.3 million in government grants and corporate contributions and sponsorships that were received and spent during the anniversary campaign. It also includes:
• $10 million in provincial government funding for the B.C. Neurotrauma Fund, announced in March 2010 and to be spread over five years. This is not new funding, rather it is a continuation of the B.C. Neurotrauma Fund Contribution Act, which started in 1998 and mandates a government contribution of $2 million every year.
• $11 million in provincial government funding to the Rick Hansen Institute, also announced in March 2010 and to be spread over seven years. Rather than an increase in funding, it appears to represent a decrease. During the previous eight years, the B.C. government contributed $62 million to spinal cord-related research and $12.9 million to help establish the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre (an arm of the institute).
• $4.5 million from the federal ministry of Western Economic Diversification, received during the year ending March 31, 2013. This was the last tranche of a $13.5-million, three-year funding agreement. This represents an increase in funding: during the previous eight years, WED contributed a total of $15 million, or only about $1.8 million per year.
• Another $35 million in WED funding, announced earlier this month and to be spread over five years. WED characterized this as "renewal funding."
• $500,000 described as "Alberta government repurposing." The wording suggests these funds have already been contributed, but are being "repurposed" on account of the anniversary celebrations.
Based on these findings, the foundation's claim that its anniversary campaign triggered $84 million in contributions that wouldn't otherwise have been realized appears to be an overstatement.
It is interesting to note that the entire $84 million has been pledged by government bodies. That raises the question: was it necessary to stage such an elaborate public anniversary campaign if the main source of funding was government?
But there were other goals aside from raising money, most notably increasing public awareness of disability issues and establishing partnerships with spinal cord injury research centres in other countries.
In that respect, the foundation said the 25th anniversary provided "an unprecedented opportunity to re-connect with the Canadian public and introduce and engage a new generation in our mission and objectives."
However, now that the anniversary celebrations are over, it's clear that the cost-benefit analysis that underpinned this "strategic investment" was seriously flawed, if not by understating projected costs, then at least by overstating projected revenues. The longer-term implications for the foundation remain to be seen.


text:
I don't know if it is gon' jump, you front
Owe me money you might get stomped like a punk
(hey) like a chump (hey) we can thump
(hey) what'chu want (hey) c'mon
You owe like, Pookie
Everythang ain't, goochie
You're soft like, sushi
If you owe like, Pookie
Yes you do you owe like Pookie
Yes it's true kiss all that booty
Yes you do you owe like Pookie
Yes it's true kiss all that booty
[Verse 1: Tech N9ne]
I'm so drivin', with no license
Cold night when a woman gets wined and dined and it's no pipin
Remember the crackhead on "New Jack City," the low life one
(Yup!) Well his name Pookie (gyah) and you owe like him
At the trailers, thought we began trust
You stand up my hand is on your damn butt you say I'm nuts!
The way I ham up, you said you understand us
And lessons that I can't cut but in the end you jammed up!
I don't take nothin' (gyah) but I expected something! (Gyah)
Cause you stated after dinner and movie next was humping (gyah)
And I was always taught by Momma Nem to respect a woman (gyah)
But you owe like Pookie I suggest you pay when the checks are coming
[Verse 2: Kutt Calhoun]
First T.I. go to jail then Wayne too
Notice a traumatic drop in sales when the lame dudes
Come to try the same, dude remains in the game fools
Wanting to be stars everybody ain't spangled
So how can I be confident and say these rappers will be prominent
Today they grabbin', and put a comical stain on (music, music)
It happens to be looted, you sad, you signin' for lucrative stacks
But when you listen to it in fact (ruins it, screws it)
Up for everybody else, I'mma fuck everybody else
I walk up in the store what to purchase (NOTHING!) All by myself
With all the money lost to booty suckers (you owe a lot of people)
Me, you owe yourself, you even owe my mother
So you owe Pook!
[Verse 3: Jay Rock]
It's been a minute, I want my stack with interest
And if you come with that you talking you gon' need a dentist
(Yes!) Money never grow on trees so you disrespecting
Fuck a Smith & Wesson I'mma order you that chopper special
They say you shuckin and jiving from me you duckin and hidin
Let's see you duck and hide from these bullets when I fly 'em
It's been a week nigga takin my kindness for weakness
'til I cock back and squeeze this till I leave yo' ass bleeding
Period! Now niggas wanna act so delirious
When I ask for my paper 'till I do somethin so serious
Like bust a head, break a neck, you letting in some dookie
My advice just pay up, nigga you owe like Pookie
You owe
Pookie's a character played by Chris Rock from New Jack City, a drug addict who ended dead.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Follow these simple instructions about how to make Easy Homemade Coconut Butter right in your very own kitchen. You'll never have to buy it again!
Have you seen coconut butter in recipes and wondered what it is?
Or have you seen it on the shelf in your local health food store and wondered how you can ever afford to use it?
Because it is NOT a frugal item in the least when bought in the stores.
Well, I have sure done both.
I saw a great recipe one day that I really wanted to try and then read "coconut butter" as being one of the ingredients. What? I have coconut and coconut oil in my pantry, and know about coconut flour, coconut sugar, and even coconut manna…but not coconut butter.
So of course I quickly looked online to see where I could get it and how much it would cost.
Well–giant pause– it cost a mere $13.99 for a "giant" 16 oz. container on the first site I checked :-(.
Now, I don't pay $13.99 a pound for much of anything, let alone something that is made entirely of — (reading the ingredient list)– COCONUT! That's it?!
Which is Best for Making Homemade Coconut Butter–Food Processor or High Speed Blender?
Well, it took me back to the day when I was trying to find milk substitutes for baking since my oldest was diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy to dairy and I saw oat milk on the shelf. You guess it — the only ingredients in the oat milk on the shelf at Whole Foods were oats, water and a little sweetener and sea salt. (Sounds of my "you-can-make-this-yourself" mind churning)
So what did I do next? Of course I tried to see if there was a way that I could make it myself —
Well, I found a post about making it in a food processor.
The post said it took about 12 minutes of whirring coconut in the food processor. I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news but — I have a seriously strong food processor. A Viking Professional (yes I bought it refurbished). This machine makes quadruple batches of my Savory Hummus a joy, yielding a creamy smooth product in about 1 minute. So I figured that if any food processor was going to be able to make coconut butter, mine would.
I put about 1 pound of shredded, unsweetened coconut in my processor and let it run–and run–and run– and nothing much seemed to be happening.
That's when I thought that I'd rather have my food processor than my coconut butter. So I gave up.
For awhile.
Fast forward several months and I was at it again.
This time — victory!! For me and all the frugal folks out there. Here's how to do it.
Now, brace yourself, because if you don't have one, you will need a Vitamix (you can also order one on Amazon). I suppose that this might work in a regular blender, but I don't have one anymore.
And though the price of the Vitamix is a little steep, once you see how easy they are to clean, and whip up a lot of coconut butter and:
Other Great DIY Pantry Staples
- Homemade Rice Milk
- Easiest Coconut Milk
- Powdered Sugar or Powdered Sugar Substitute
- – Easiest Almond Milk
- Homemade Nut and Seed Butter
- Powdered Egg Replacer
you'll see how quickly your financial savings will cover the cost of a Vitamix or Blendtec pretty easily!
How Much Can You Save?
One 16 oz. jar of coconut butter costs approximately $13.99. One pound of medium unsweetened coconut costs me (I purchase from Country Life Natural Foods) approximately $1.75. That's more than an 87% savings!!
I have always said that whole, real foods do not have to cost a lot of money. You just need to be a little flexible and a little creative and have a community of whole foodists to share ideas.
Need some more convincing about purchasing a Vitamix?
- I will soon be doing a post explaining how this great machine has helped our family save TONS of money over the years, so check back soon.
- You can get a great deal purchasing one through my website (special deals and free shipping are available and your purchase will help support this blog :-).)
- I know this sounds ridiculous, but here's how I think –With just your cost savings on coconut butter alone, if you make 36 16 oz. jars of it, you will have paid for your Vitamix with your savings. Since I have heard of these machines lasting 20 years (they have a great 7 year total warranty), I can easily see you making about 1 jar of coconut butter per year :-). OK. Now you know what a savings nut I can be.
4. Check out my post on Inflation – One Way to Beat It for my thoughts on the economy today and big ticket items.
Ways to Use Coconut Butter:
– Spread it on sweet crackers, or just on bread.
– Use in recipes calling for coconut butter, of course.
– Eat it with a spoon :). Straight. My oldest LOVES it like.
– As a frosting (it will need some sweetener and will get quite hard, like a stiff frosting.)
– Use as a fat substitute in recipes, but it really needs to be softened first and will make your recipe a little more stiff than otherwise.
– Works great as a substitute for nut butters in many recipes
(Note: For those of you who would like to make a go of making coconut butter in your food processor, please try it and let me know what happens. I just would encourage you to keep an eye on your machine so that you don't burn it out.)
How Should You Store It and What It Its Shelf Life?
Coconut butter keeps really well and will likely store just fine in your pantry for several months. Most likely you won't have it around that long, however.
There is no need to keep it in the fridge, and in fact, if you do, you will have hard time eating it since it gets incredibly hard at low temperatures.
Recipes Using Coconut Butter
Here are some tasty ways to use your Homemade Coconut Butter!
3 Ingredient Shortbread Crisp — (this really uses only 3 ingredients. And none of them is a packaged mix. Don't those "3 ingredient" recipes drive you nuts when one ingredient [or more] is a mix that has a gazillion ingredients?!?!
Coconut Truffles — 3 recipes for tasty simple healthy candies
Chocolate Avocado Truffles — Super easy and delicious. And healthy. You won't believe these are made with avocado!
Recipe Notes
THM: For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe is an "S."
After having trouble with this working sometimes and not working at other times, I have a few tips to help you get PERFECT coconut butter anytime.
- Start with less coconut. This works more consistently if you start with only about 4 cups of shredded coconut. Make that into a butter and then add 1 cup of additional coconut at a time, blending to a butter with the addition of each cup.
- Make sure that your blender is COMPLETELY dry. Even a little bit of water makes things problematic.
It's as simple as that!
And how creamy and sweet tasting! It will come out of your Vitamix quite warm and runny, but it will harden up as you let it sit. If you need to speed up the process, just put it into your fridge or freezer (or outside if it is winter :-).)
Your coconut butter will become spreadable around 76 degrees, but you can use a knife or apple corer to get it out of the jar if it is colder than that in your home (it sure is in mine in the winter).
NOTE: Occasionally, for some reason, the coconut butter just doesn't make coconut butter. I have really despaired of this in the past but we've managed to eat it anyway. However, if that ever happens to you, just add a few things to the blender and you can have these fabulous No-Bake Coconut Cookies instead!
Easiest Homemade Coconut Butter
- 7 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (approx. 1.25 pounds)
- Measure 7 cups medium shredded unsweetened coconut (about 1.25 pounds). Pour coconut into the Vitamix (or other high-powered blender). Of course, you can try to use less. I just found that this is a great amount to get it blending well in the Vitamix to produce a wonderful consistency quickly.
- Turn the motor of your Vitamix on and quickly work the speed up. Run the machine on High while using the tamper to keep the coconut moving through the blades (or follow directions for your blender)
- Run the machine on high for about 1 minute.
- After a brief rest, process the coconut on High again for up to 1 minute until it is of the desired consistency.
- Pour into a glass jar for storage.


text:
';var m_virtualDirectory='';var m_environment='3';
Would it be worth investing 30 minutes of your time to discover Alternative Career Options?
Working with a Career Transition Coach is one of the most powerful ways to get clarity around what you want. An Alternative Career coach not only can help you better define your Income, Lifestyle, Wealth and Equity goals, but can also help you understand your career transition options. Our no cost coaching sessions are geared to help you learn what may or may not work for you.
Is your career at a crossroads? What could Your Career 2.0 look like?
For over 34 years The Entrepreneur's Source has helped tens of thousands of people at a career crossroad explore their options and take control through our unique coaching methodology. We help you think about where you are in your life and where you want to be and guide you in the exploration of your options.
Our education, awareness, and discovery based method of career transition coaching allows our clients to discover opportunities ideally suited for the life they seek for themselves and their families.
As the number one career transition coaching network we can help you:
Your Career 2.0: A survival guide for The Battered Career and Investor Syndrome presents a glimpse of hope and more fulfilling options in a world where Corporate America has broken the social contract with its employees. This book is the starting point of your journey towards self-sufficiency and financial freedom. The unique coaching style of The Entrepreneur's Source described here takes you on a Journey of Discovery towards your dreams.
After a recommendation from a friend I reached out to Jack Dawkins, who was a tremendous help for me taking the next steps in my professional life. I was thoroughly impressed with the broad knowledge Jack possessed for the array of questions I had about my new venture. He was a consummate professional and infinitely helpful to me as i worked through the various details of my new franchise. I would highly recommend Jack Dawkins as an alternative career coach, especially if you are unsure about the options that may be available to you
Jacquie McGregor
Visit Our Blog Today
Your trusted resource for exploring alternative careers, including helpful hints and best practices related to career transition.
Powered by Primero Systems®
©2015 The Entrepreneur's Source - All Rights Reserved


text:
WHEREAS, Section 146 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (hereafter "the Act"), as amended (hereafter "the Code"), restricts the total principal amount of certain private activity Bonds which exclude interest from gross income for federal income tax purposes under Section 103 of the Code, including the portion of government use Bonds allocated to non-governmental use as required by the Act (hereafter "Bonds") which may be issued within the state of Louisiana during each calendar year to a dollar amount determined by:
(a) multiplying $80 times the population of the state, based on the most recently published estimate of the population for the state of Louisiana released by the United States Bureau of Census before the beginning of each such calendar year, and
(b) multiplying such amount by the cost of living adjustment, as determined pursuant to the Act;
WHEREAS, Act No. 51 of the 1986 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature (hereafter "Act No. 51 of 1986") authorizes the governor to allocate the volume limit applicable to the Bonds (hereafter "the ceiling") among the state and its political subdivisions in such a manner as the governor deems to be in the best interest of the state of Louisiana;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the authorization of both the Act and Act No. 51 of 1986, the governor hereby elects to (a) provide for the manner in which the ceiling shall be determined, (b) establish the method to be used in allocating the ceiling, (c) establish the application procedure for obtaining an allocation of Bonds subject to such ceiling, and (d) establish a system of record keeping for such allocations; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to replace Executive Order KBB 2004-21, issued on July 12, 2004, in order to reflect a modification in the calculation of the ceiling;
NOW THEREFORE I, KATHLEEN BABINEAUX BLANCO, Governor of the state of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution and laws of the state of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as follows:
A. Each abbreviation provided in the preamble of this Order, supra , shall have the same meaning throughout all the sections, subsections, and paragraphs of this Order.
B. The following definitions shall apply:
1. "Economic Development Bonds" means all types of Bonds subject to the ceiling other than Industrial Bonds, Housing Bonds, and Student Loan Bonds;
2. "Housing Bonds" means Bonds subject to the ceiling and issued to provide housing described under Section 142(d) of the Code ("Qualified Residential Rental Project Bonds"), or issued to provide housing under Section 143 of the Code ("Qualified Mortgage Bonds");
3. "Industrial Bonds" means Bonds for manufacturers, as defined by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes 113310, 211, 213111, 541360, 311-339, 511-512 and 54171, or facilities financed as part of the Department of Health and Hospitals' Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund, which Bonds subject to the ceiling are (1) designated as "exempt facility Bonds" in Section 142(a) of the Code (other than Housing Bonds), or (2) issued for facilities to treat, abate, reduce, or eliminate air or water pollution pursuant to the transition rules of the Tax Reform Act of 1986;
4. "Issuer" or Issuers" means any entity or entities now or hereafter authorized to issue Bonds under the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, as amended, or the laws of the state of Louisiana; and
5. "Student Loan Bonds" means Bonds subject to the ceiling and issued under the authority of Section 144(b) of the Code.
C. Any term not defined in this Order shall have the same meaning as in the Act.
A. The sum of three hundred fifty-nine million, seven hundred six thousand, seven hundred twenty dollars ($359,706,720) represents the amount of the ceiling determined by the staff of the Louisiana State Bond Commission (hereafter "the SBC staff") for the year of 2004 pursuant to the provisions of the Act.
B. On or before January 15, 2005, and on or before the fifteenth (15) day of each subsequent calendar year during the life of this Order, the SBC staff shall determine the amount of the ceiling for each calendar year in the manner set forth in the Act. Upon determining the amount of the ceiling, the SBC staff shall promptly notify the governor in writing of the amount determined.
A. A pool, designated as the "General Allocation Pool", shall be hereby created. The entire ceiling for each calendar year shall be automatically credited to the General Allocation Pool. Allocations for all types of Bonds that require allocations from the ceiling under the Act may be requested, and granted, from this General Allocation Pool. During the calendar year of 2004, and in each calendar year thereafter, at the discretion of the governor, amounts shall be initially reserved for allocations from the General Allocation Pool as follows:
1. Until September 1 of each year, an amount equal to fifty (50) percent of the General Allocation Pool shall be reserved for allocations for Housing Bonds;
2. Until September 1 of each year, an amount equal to twenty-five (25) percent of the General Allocation Pool shall be reserved for allocations for Student Loan Bonds;
3. Until September 1 of each year, an amount equal to twenty (20) percent of the General Allocation Pool shall be reserved for allocations for Economic Development Bonds; and
4. Until September 1 of each year, an amount equal to five (5) percent of the General Allocation Pool shall be reserved for allocations for Industrial Bonds.
B. On September 1 of each year, any amounts remaining and not allocated for the purposes described in Section 3(A) (1) through (4) shall be combined, and allocations from such amounts remaining shall be granted, at the discretion of the governor, without regard to any reservation for particular use.
C. The allocation of the ceiling from the General Allocation Pool shall be considered by the governor on the basis of criteria established by the governor.
D. The issuance of an executive order by the governor, awarding a portion of the ceiling to a particular issue of Bonds, shall be evidence of each allocation granted pursuant to this Order. A copy of such an executive order shall be promptly furnished to the Louisiana State Bond Commission.
A. All issuers in and of the state of Louisiana may apply for allocations.
B. An issuer who proposes to issue Bonds for a specific project or purpose must apply for an allocation of a portion of the ceiling for the particular project or purpose by submitting an application to the SBC staff. The application form, if any, may be revised from time to time at the discretion of the governor. However, at a minimum, all applications must contain the following information:
1. The name and the address of the issuer of the Bonds;
2. In the case of Bonds, other than Student Loan Bonds or Qualified Mortgage Bonds, the name and mailing address of (1) the initial owner or operator of the project, (2) an appropriate person from whom information regarding the project can be obtained, and (3) the person to whom notification of the allocation should be made;
3. If required by the Code, the date of adoption by the issuer of an inducement resolution adopted for the purpose of evidencing "official intent";
4. The amount of the ceiling which the issuer is requesting be allocated for the project or purpose of the application, including, without limitation, a statement of the minimum amount of allocation that will support the issuance of the Bonds and a general description of the project (including the address or other description of its location) or the purpose to be financed; and
5. In the case of Housing Bonds for Qualified Residential Rental Project Bonds, the following criteria must be included on the application for the project:
(a) Identify whether the project promotes neighborhood revitalization and/or in-fill development, including new development on vacant or adjudicated properties, and whether the buildings are complimentary to the existing architecture in the neighborhood;
(b) Identify whether the project is for scattered site single-family units, or, if the project is for a multiple unit dwelling or dwellings, the number of buildings in the project and the number of units that each dwelling contains;
(c) Identify whether the project is located proximate to a central business district or within a targeted area within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;
(d) Identify whether the project leverages other governmental or private equity funds and/or governmental incentives, and, if so, what the sources and amounts are; and
(e) Identify whether a workforce training program is a component of the project's development plan.
6. In the case of Industrial Bonds and Economic Development Bonds requested for manufacturing purposes, the following criteria must be included on the application:
(a) Identify the North American Industrial Classification System code reported to the federal government and the Department of Labor;
(b) Report the economic impact over ten years as determined by the Department of Economic Development;
(c) Identify the number of jobs to be created and/or retained and the average salary for both new and retained jobs as well as the amount of the capital investment made or to be made; and
(d) Identify other state programs that provide any financial or business incentives as part of this expansion or new location;
7. Either (1) a bond purchase agreement or other written commitment to purchase the Bonds for which an allocation is requested, executed by one or more purchasers, setting forth in detail the principal and interest payment provisions and the security for the Bonds, accepted by the issuer or the beneficiary of the Bonds; (2) in the case of a public offering of the Bonds for which the allocation from the ceiling is requested, a binding bond purchase or underwriting agreement obligating the underwriter or underwriters to sell or purchase the Bonds within ninety (90) days of the receipt of an allocation, setting forth in detail the proposed principal and interest payment provisions and the security for the Bonds, accepted by the issuer or the beneficiary of the Bonds; or (3) a $7,500 escrow deposit which will be forfeited in the event the Bonds for which an allocation is granted are not delivered prior to the expiration of such allocation as provided in Section 4(E). The $7,500 escrow deposit shall be returned to the party depositing the same without interest upon the substitution of the items described in (1) or (2), supra , or delivery of the Bonds within the allocation period. In the event that such Bonds are not delivered within the allocation period, the deposit shall be forfeited and deposited in the State Treasury, unless the failure to deliver such Bonds is the result of the Louisiana State Bond Commission denying approval of such Bonds, in which case the deposit shall be returned to the party depositing same, without interest;
8. A specific date as to when the bond allocation is required and when the project financing is intended to close;
9. A schedule showing the project time or projected timing of the use of the bond proceeds;
10. Information necessary to evidence compliance with the criteria established by the governor; and
11. A letter from bond counsel, addressed to the governor, expressing that the Bonds for which an allocation is requested are subject to the ceiling.
C. Upon receipt of the application required by Section 4(B), the SBC staff shall determine if the requirements of Section 4(B) have been met. When it is determined the requirements have been met, the SBC staff shall immediately forward a copy of the application to the governor.
D. Until September 1 of each year, the maximum amount of allocation that may be granted for any project or purpose in any calendar year (other than for Qualified Mortgage Bonds issued by the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency or Student Loan Bonds) shall not exceed the greater of thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) or fifteen (15) percent of the ceiling for that year. If an issuer submits a request for an allocation that is in excess of this authorized amount, the SBC staff shall retain the application for consideration of the allocation of additional amounts, which may only be granted on or after September 1 of that year.
E. Any allocation from the ceiling (other than carry forward allocations described in Section 4(H), infra ) shall expire unless the Bonds receiving the allocation are delivered by the earlier of (1) ninety (90) days from the date of notice of allocation is mailed to the person designated, or (2) December 27th of the calendar year granted. In the event the allocation of the ceiling for a particular project or purpose expires as provided in this section, the issuer may resubmit its application for an allocation of a portion of the ceiling for such project or purpose. The application of the issuer relating to such project or purpose shall be reviewed in chronological order of receipt of the resubmission.
F. On September 1 of each year, the SBC staff shall determine the remaining amounts of the ceiling and shall submit to the governor for consideration all applications for allocations of Bonds in excess of the permitted amounts.
G. The SBC staff shall maintain accurate records of all allocations and all Bonds delivered. All issuers of Bonds that have received an allocation shall notify the SBC staff of the delivery of Bonds within five (5) days after the delivery of such Bonds and shall specify the total principal amount of Bonds issued. The SBC staff shall provide to any person so requesting, within a reasonable time: (1) the amount of unallocated ceiling remaining on the date such request is made; (2) a list of allocations (naming the issuer and amount of allocation) which have been made and the date of each allocation; (3) a list of applications being held by the SBC staff which have requested a larger allocation than permitted; and (4) a list of Bonds which have been given an allocation and have been delivered.
H. If the ceiling exceeds the aggregate amount of Bonds issued during any year by all issuers, the governor may allocate such to issuers for use as a carry forward for one or more carry forward projects permitted under the Act by issuing an executive order for all carry forward projects for which an application has been submitted that contains the elements required by Section 4(B), and for which a request to be treated as a carry forward project has been received by the SBC staff. The SBC staff shall notify the issuers which are allocated a portion of the ceiling for a carry forward project at least five (5) days prior to the last date an election to carry forward a portion of the ceiling may be made.
I. This Order only relates to Bonds subject to the private activity bond volume limitation set forth in the Act. No issuer shall apply for or be entitled to an allocation from the ceiling for Bonds that are not subject to the private activity bond volume limitation set forth in the Act.
J. The governor may modify, amend, supplement, or rescind this Order to reflect any change in federal or state legislation; provided, however, that any modification, amendment, supplementation or rescission shall not rescind any allocation granted for a project or purpose pursuant to the terms of this Order if such allocation is required under federal law in order to maintain the tax-exempt status of the Bonds issued for such project or purpose.
K. Notwithstanding any provision in this Order to the contrary, if the governor determines it to be in the best interest of the state of Louisiana, because a project or purpose serves a crucial need or provides an extraordinary benefit to the state of Louisiana or to an area within the state of Louisiana, through the issuance of an executive order, the governor may authorize allocations in any amount or grant any or every portion of the ceiling, and for any purpose.
A. The responsibility of the SBC staff as set forth in this Order shall be exercised by the SBC staff independent of any of its other duties and responsibilities owed to the Louisiana State Bond Commission.
B. The governor will certify in each executive order that grants a portion of the ceiling to a particular issue of Bonds that said bond issue meets the requirements of Section 146 of the Code.
C. This Order is effective upon signature and shall continue in effect until amended, modified, terminated, or rescinded by the governor, or terminated by operation of law.
SECTION 6: Executive Order No. KBB 2004-21, issued on July 12, 2004, is hereby terminated and rescinded.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand officially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the city of Baton Rouge, on this 7th day of April, 2005.
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
Fox McKeithen
Secretary of State


text:
LONDON - Lance Armstrong believes a truth and reconciliation program is the "only way" to deal with cycling's doping crisis and the sport's governing body should have no role in the process.
Armstrong spoke to Cyclingnews in an interview published Wednesday, his first since admitting to Oprah Winfrey two weeks ago that he doped to win the Tour de France seven times.
In an email interview with the British-based cycling publication, Armstrong expressed no remorse or contrition and said he feels like a scapegoat for a sport in which no generation was ever "clean."
Armstrong said the best way forward is a truth and reconciliation process offering amnesty to riders and officials who come forward.
"It's not the best way, it's the only way," he said. "As much as I'm the eye of the storm this is not about one man, one team, one director. This is about cycling and to be frank it's about all endurance sports.
"Publicly lynching one man and his team will not solve this problem."
Asked if he felt like a fall guy, Armstrong said: "Actually, yes I do. But I understand why. We all make the beds we sleep in."
In his interview with Winfrey, Armstrong said he would be willing to take part in any truth and reconciliation process.
He told Cyclingnews the program should be run by the World Anti-Doping Agency and not the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the body which produced a scathing report detailing systematic doping by Armstrong and his teams. The USADA report led to Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour titles and banned from elite sport for life.
Asked why he would not speak to USADA, Armstrong said: "No brainer. This is a global sport not an American one."
He also insisted that international cycling body UCI and its president, Pat McQuaid, should not be involved.
"The UCI has no place at the table," Armstrong said.
He called McQuaid "pathetic" and said he was only interested in protecting himself.
"When I was on speaking terms with ol' Pat McQuaid many, many months ago I said, 'Pat, you better think bold here. A full-blown, global, TRC is our sport's best solution,'" Armstrong said. "He wanted to hear nothing of it."
The UCI and WADA have been engaged in a war of words over how to deal with the fallout from the Armstrong scandal. WADA called the UCI "deceitful" Tuesday for shutting down its independent doping panel and said it won't participate in an amnesty commission set up by the cycling body.
The UCI independent panel had been set up to look into claims in the USADA report that cycling leaders helped cover up Armstrong's suspicious doping tests and improperly accepted $125,000 in donations from him.
In the Cyclingnews interview, Armstrong said a truth and reconciliation commission should provide a complete amnesty.
"Of course, otherwise no one will show up," he said. "No one."
Asked if he would hope to get his life ban reduced if he testified to WADA, Armstrong said that was irrelevant.
"What is relevant is that everyone is treated equally and fairly," he said. "We all made the mess, let's all fix the mess, and let's all be punished equally."
Armstrong was asked about USADA chief executive Travis Tygart's statements that the rider was only hoping to restore his eligibility.
"That was Travis' stunt to make me look self-serving," Armstrong said, reiterating his claim that it was unfair that riders who testified against him received reduced sanctions while he was given a life ban.
"Letting some race the season, then giving minor off-seasons sanctions versus the death penalty isn't fair and isn't about 'cleaning up cycling," he said. "It's about getting your man."
Armstrong was asked whether he protected Italian doctor Michele Ferrari in his confession. Ferrari, who has been accused of masterminding Armstrong's doping regimen, has also been banned for life from the sport.
"I wasn't 'protecting' anyone," Armstrong said. "I was there to speak about myself, my experiences, and my mistakes. No one else. I know that goes against what we have grown used to in the last few years in cycling but I'm only interested in owning up to my mistakes. I'm a big boy and I'm not in the blame game."
Asked when he realized that doping was rife in cycling, Armstrong said his generation was no different than any others.
"The 'help' has evolved over the years but the fact remains that our sport is damn hard, the Tour was invented as a stunt, and very tough (riders) have competed for a century and all looked for advantages, from hopping on trains 100 years ago to EPO now," he said.
"No generation was exempt or 'clean.' Not Merckx's, not Hinault's, not LeMond's, not Coppi's, not Gimondi's, not Indurain's, not Anquetil's, not Bartali's, and not mine."


text:
BYRON — Growing up in Leaf River, Sydney Groen got used to having hectic days.
"We have a bunch of animals — two horses, pigs that just had babies, four dogs, cats everywhere," Groen said. "It's just tons of craziness."
That lifestyle prepared Groen for her first job as a cook and server at Sam's Drive-In in Byron.
"I like that it's fast-paced, especially after a baseball game it can get really busy," the 19-year-old said. "I like working with people, and here I get to work with a lot of people my own age."
Groen has been working at Sam's Drive-In, 705 W. Blackhawk Drive, for about a year and a half. The Byron drive-in diner is a little bit of Americana that has found its footing in the fast-food world of the 21st century.
Drive-in restaurants began popping up in the 1920s and were ubiquitous in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. By the 1960s the popularity of drive-ins began to wane because of the rise of fast-food chains such as McDonald's and Burger King.
A handful survived and now are entrenched almost as tourist attractions. Wisconsin actually heavily advertises the six drive-in diners from La Crosse to Oshkosh and down to Racine and Kenosha.
The Rock River Valley has three on or near Illinois 2, starting from Jay's Drive-In, 107 W. Washington St., Oregon, to the south to Sam's in Byron and finally Bing's Drive-In, 3613 S Main St., Rockford.
Sam's Drive-In was opened in the 1960s, according to current owner, Shirlee Aldrich of Rockford. Aldrich employs about 25 people at the restaurant, which is open from March to November. Groen said the best part of the job, the busyness, can also be the hardest. She works up to six days a week and spends a lot of time on her feet.
"I made sure I got new shoes for this summer."
Of course, competition for summer jobs is fierce for teens. Groen had to wait several weeks for an opening after she first applied. This year, she was able to get her brother, Justin, 17, and sister, Kasey, 16, in when jobs opened up.
"We get along and now we can all ride together," she said. It also means there will be Groens serving customers well after she's off to larger pursuits. The Forreston graduate attended Highland Community College this past school year and plans to go to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the fall to study agricultural education.
Alex Gary: 815-987-1339; firstname.lastname@example.com; @alexpgary


text:
The Hartford Courant's Rich Messina snapped this wonderful photo of last year's controversial squash championship, where Trinity's Baset Chaudry knocked off Yale's Kenneth Chan and then proceeded to act like the most vile human being on the planet after his victory.
But this photo captures the ridiculousness and the foolish intensity of Chaudry's reaction as he goes all crazed-gorilla on the shell-shocked Chan. It's just begging to be posterized with one of those mock inspirational messages underneath it. You roosters are clever. Try it. Please don't go too far, though, or you'll be sent to #hineyholeisland. Be obvious and boring and you'll be shipped off to #phintasticpeninsula.
Best one earns a silly little star to help bolster your internet ego.
Thanks for your continued support of Deadspin. Take a moment to collect yourselves and prepare for Wednesday, shiny and new.


text:
Slide Red
We have broadened our Slide range with a fantastic pop of red! The Saltie Slide has proved to be a holiday essential since its initial release. Based on the Classic style with an adjustable front strap, but with no ankle strap making it easy to slide on and off. From the office, to the beach, to dinner with friends - the Salt-Water Slide in red really is the sandal for everyone.
Info & Care
The Classic is a slider sandal with fully adjustable toe strap. It is great for adjusting for a narrow or wide fit. As with all sandals in the Salt-Water range we suggest that your toes sit behind the stitch line but make sure your heel is not hanging over the edge as there is no ankle strap.
Delivery & Returns
Terms of Sale:
- There are therefore STRICTLY NO RETURNS on this sale.
- We will only refund if the product is proven faulty and you report a fault within 14 days.
- If you return the purchase, and there is no fault, we will send them back to you on a regular service and invoice you for the return postage. We will not be liable for the returning item.
- No subsequent discounts or offers are valid on sale items.
All deliveries will require a signature. We deliver door to door not person to person so please make sure there is a trustworthy person at your stated address to accept your order. If no one is available at your address to take delivery, we will endeavour to ensure you receive a note that the Products have been returned to our premises or being held by the delivery company, and in either case, you will need to rearrange delivery.
- UK mainland deliveries are sent whenever possible Door to Door Courier (24 hours from the point the parcel is picked up from our depot) *a signature is required
- Scottish Highlands, Channel Islands & Ireland will be by Special Delivery trackable (3 days) *a signature is required
- International European deliveries are shipped via Courier : a signature is required. This service starts at £10
- International orders are shipped via Courier : a signature is required. This service starts at £12
All purchases for delivery to mainland UK are £6.00 up to 4 kilos (4000g)
United Kingdom
In the UK we try to deliver your sandals next day delivery if we receive your order before Midday. Next day delivery includes any number of pairs up to 4 kilos. If we receive your order before midday on a Friday it will be processed on the next working day (Monday). If we receive your order after Midday on a Thursday then it will be processed for pick up by the courier on Friday afternoon. Delivery will be next working day: Monday. We have not offered Saturday delivery as our customers have to pay a high premium for this service.
Holiday Deliveries
Please note during national holiday periods (Easter / Christmas / Bank Holidays) delivery and dispatch will be slower. Our warehouse and all Courier services also deserve a break with their families and often we rely on a skeleton staff of eager beavers. The cost for sending out our dispatches is based on using trackable services NOT on providing next day although that is most often the case.
UK Mainland Customer Returns
If you're looking to return a pair of sandals purchased from our webstore please fill out the form you received with your order including the order number and use the FREEPOST label *UK Mainland only. Take your parcel to the post office and send it back to us.
EU Customer Returns
We are unable to offer the Free Returns service to Europe or further afield. In the case of a return we ask that you fill out the form you received with your order and send it via a recorded delivery service back to us at:
Salt-Water Returns
Colvanbridge Ltd
Unit 2-4 Riverside Business Park
Station Road
Earls Colne
We cannot accept responsibility/reimburse for any lost or damaged items so please do use a trackable service and keep your proof of postage.
Cancelling an Order
Your right to cancel as per the Consumer Contracts Regulations allows you to cancel your order within 14 days of receiving it. However a delivery can only be cancelled if it does not have an assigned tracking number for shipping. If your order has already been processed and is in transit, it is not eligible for cancelled delivery. In this case, your return/cancellation must be requested once the order has arrived.
Salt-Water Sandals EU does not provide direct exchanges. Please see the Returns process outlined below for more information. You may place a new order at any time for a different item.
Faulty Items
If you have received a faulty pair/s of sandals please contact us via the contact us form and explain the problem. Likewise if you have received an item in error that was not ordered. In this case only we will refund postage costs accrued to remedy the problem
Additional Information
All merchandise must be returned unused and accompanied by the original box and packaging. Please make sure you try on your shoes on a carpeted area. We will not accept returned shoes that are marked on the sole. The condition of the product is left to the discretion of Salt-Water. All returned items must include the original packing slip as well as filled out returns form that was included in the original package. Do not use the shoe box as outer packaging as it is counted as part of the sold unit. At this time we are unable to send to every ROW country. If you cannot find your country in the address drop down list please email us via the contact us form and we can confirm whether we are able to dispatch to a personal address and provide a shipping quote.
"The Salt-Water Slide sandal will be your perfect poolside partner this Summer. A future cult classic."


text:
What's in a name? According to untold numbers of singers, actors, actresses and others, plenty.
Very often they use a name other than what's on their birth certificate because they believe it will increase their chances of making it in the entertainment industry.
In some cases, they may very well be right.
Would Whoopi Goldberg be a celebrated stand-up comedienne, Academy Award winning actress and popular television personality if she had used her birth name, Caryn Johnson?
Maybe. Maybe not.
It is difficult to imagine the iconic Tina Turner — David Bowie once said being on stage with her is "the hottest place in the universe" — becoming famous as Annie Mae Bullock.
HARDCORE rap star Snoop Dogg, now known as Snoop Lion, and originally called Snoop Doggy Dogg, may not have had as much "street cred" as Cordoza Broadus, Jr.
Speaking of street cred, another hardcore rapper, and also an actor with proven abilities, Ice-T, has a birth name that does not fit the "tough, from the streets" image — Tracy Marrow.
Kool Moe Dee was a popular attraction in rap in the late '80s and early '90s, but only a handful of people knew that his name is actually Mohandas Dewese.
Let's not forget rapper/actor Bow Wow, whose name is really Shad Moss.
Kim Weston had a classic hit during Motown's golden era written by the prolific Holland-Dozier-Holland, "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)." But would "Agatha Weston" have looked as good on the record label and on marquees? No.
SIMILARLY, the legendary and eclectic Nina Simone might have been "challenged" had she decided to pursue her career as Eunice Waymon.
In the sports world (sports is entertainment too), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar likely would have been teased in the locker room and beyond had he used his given name, Ferdinand (Alcindor).
And then there's George Michael. Not only would his success chances be reduced, but many people would have had trouble pronouncing his name, which is Georgios Panaylotou. (As you may have surmised, his heritage is Greek.)
And we can't overlook hip-hop and R&B artist Akon. If you check his birth certificate, you will find the complex name Aliaune Damala Akon Thiam. (If you guessed African heritage, you guessed right.)
BUT MORE often than not, the person just likes the sound of the chosen name better. And in so many cases, the general public is not aware of what the celebrity's name actually is.
A lot of people know that Jay-Z's birth name is Shawn Carter, that Chaka Khan is really Yvette Stevens, that LL Cool J is James Todd Smith, and that P. Diddy, also Diddy and formerly Puff Daddy, is actually Sean Combs.
Less known is the fact that Drake's full name is Aubrey Drake Graham.
Macy Gray, the eccentric singer and actress whose voice is reminiscent of Donald Duck, grew up as Natalie McIntyre.
Sisqo, of Dru Hill and a platinum-haired solo success in the late '90s and early 2000s, was born Mark Althavean Andrews.
The legendary singer/actress Diahann Carroll played around with "Carol Diahann Johnson" and came up with her stage name.
Just as Detroit's own Della Reese developed that name from Delloreese Early.
MOS DEF, the rap star with a surprising amount of acting skill, got that nickname because he was in the habit of saying "mos def," as in "most definitely."
However, not long ago he announced changing his show business name to Yaaiin (it's Islamic), but he was born Dante Terrell Smith.
It's hard to imagine Jamie Foxx is anything other than that, yet his real name is Eric Bishop.
John Legend had big dreams, so the name John Stephens wouldn't do.
Queen Latifah had similar plans, hence the name transformation from Dana Owens.
Nicki Minaj, known for outrageousness, pink hair, a huge posterior and feuding with Mariah Carey on "American Idol," has a birth name just as unusual: Onika Maraj.
Rapper/actor Common is really Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr.
THE NAME Chubby Checker is synonymous with the twist, and he got the name, a play on "Fats Domino," from Dick Clark's wife at the time, Barbara. It was more commercial than Ernest Evans.
Ricky Martin, the Latin sensation who had the world "livin' la Vida Loca" in 1999, is in actuality Enrique Morales.
Check Nelly's birth certificate and you will find the name Cornel Haynes, Jr.
D'Angelo is Michael Archer. Sinbad is David Atkins. Elton John is Reginald Dwight. Ne-Yo is Shaffer Smith. Ice Cube is O'Shea Jackson. Joan Rivers is Joan Molinsky. Cee Lo Green is Thomas Calloway. Ginuwine is Elgin Lumpkin.
And on it goes.


text:
Risk Factors for Middle Ear Infections
]]>Main Page]]> | Risk Factors | ]]>Symptoms]]> | ]]>Diagnosis]]> | ]]>Treatment]]> | ]]>Screening]]> | ]]>Reducing Your Risk]]> | ]]>Talking to Your Doctor]]> | ]]>Resource Guide]]>
A risk factor is something that increases your likelihood of getting a disease or condition.
It is possible to get an ear infection with or without the risk factors listed below. However, the more risk factors you have, the greater your likelihood of getting an ear infection. If you have a number of risk factors, ask your healthcare provider what you can do to reduce your risk.
Age and Sex
Three-quarters of children will experience an ear infection before their third birthday, and nearly half of these children will have three or more infections by age 3. Although adults can get ear infections, children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years are the most prone to ear infections. The risk of ear infections is higher in children because their immune systems have less experience with common viruses than do those of adults. Virus infections likely are the direct or indirect cause of most middle ear infections. Moreover, children's shorter eustachian tubes (the eustachian tube is the small channel which lets air pass from the nose into the middle ear) make it easier for bacteria to gain access to the middle ear. Larger adenoids in some children also contribute to the development of ear infections. Boys are probably more likely to get otitis, especially chronic otitis media, than are girls.
Daycare Attendance
Children in daycare or nursery schools are more likely to get ear infections because they are exposed to more upper respiratory infections that can subsequently infect the middle ear. While daycare is a necessary "fact of life" for many children, it is also one of the strongest risk factors for ear infection.
Exposure to Cigarette Smoke
Children who live with adults who smoke cigarettes are more likely to develop ear infections.
While ear infections are common in families from all levels of income, they tend to be more frequent and more prolonged in poor children. Poverty, daycare attendance, exposure to cigarette smoke at home, and young age are the four risk factors for ear infection which have been most consistently found in studies of this condition.
Children who are breast-fed, especially for 4-6 months or longer, have fewer and shorter ear infections than do bottle-fed infants.
Other Infections
Children are more likely to get an ear infection if they have a ]]>cold]]> , ]]>sore throat]]> , or perhaps some eye infections. Although ear infections are not themselves contagious, colds, sore throats, and other respiratory infections are readily passed from person to person.
Allergies and Asthma
People with allergies or ]]>asthma]]> are more likely to develop ear infections. The reasons for this increased risk remain incompletely understood.
Immune Suppression
Children with immune disorders, including ]]>AIDS]]> , and those receiving immunosuppressive therapy are more likely to develop ear infections because their bodies fight bacteria and viruses less effectively. The occurrence of an ear infection, or even multiple ear infections, is not itself an indication of AIDS or other immune disorder.
Congenital Conditions
Medical conditions that cause abnormalities of the eustachian tubes, such as ]]>cleft palate]]> increase the risk of developing ear infections.
Drinking from a Bottle While Lying Down
Children who drink from a bottle while lying on their backs are more likely to develop ear infections, possibly because fluid is allowed to accumulate in the eustachian tubes.
Pacifier Use
Children who use pacifiers continually may be at greater risk for developing ear infections than children who use them less frequently or not at all.
Family History
A strong family history of ear infections, especially in older brothers or sisters, also increases risk.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ .
Ferri's Clinical Adviser 2001 . Mosby; 2001.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders website. Available at: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/ .
St Sauven J, Marrs CF, Foxman B, Somsel P, Madera R, Gildsdorf JP. Risk factors for otitis media and carriage of multiple strains of haemophilus influenzae and streptococcus pneumoniae . Emerg Infect Diseases . 2000;6(6)622-630.
Last reviewed November 2008 by ]]>Elie Edmond Rebeiz, MD, FACS]]>
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © 2007 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.


text:
Add a new pattern and splash of color to your look with this unique tie from Sophgent.
Our Guarantee:
We truly believe we make some of the most astounding products in the world, and we want to make sure we back that up with a risk-free 30 days guarantee.
If you don't have a positive experience for ANY reason, we will do WHATEVER it takes to make sure you are 100% satisfied with your purchase.
Buying items online can be a daunting task, so we want you to realize that there is absolute ZERO risk in buying something and trying it out. If you don't like it, no hard feelings we'll make it right.
We have 24/7/365 Ticket and Email Support. Please contact us at email@example.com if you need assistance.


text:
½ cup margarine, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-1/4 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
Cinnamon-Sugar mixture
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together margarine and sugars until flurry. Add baking powder and spices. Beat in eggs, egg yolk and vanilla. On a low speed, mix in flour and nuts. Divide dough in half and shape into logs. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Beat together egg white and water and brush atop flattened logs. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes – until lightly browned. Cool slightly, slice and return to oven for about 10 minutes – until center is just dry. Cool on wire rack.


text:
Uncommon ground.
There may be no more basic lesson in persuasive writing than the futility of creating a straw man: Sketch a loose summary of an opponent's argument in order to dismiss it with ease. In The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, E.O. Wilson does the opposite. Instead of creating an opponent he can knock down with a puff of his breath, Wilson creates a straw man that he can easily persuade. But the result is still unsatisfactory.
An internationally known biologist and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, Wilson offers his new book as a defense of Earth's biodiversity, which is being perilously reduced by human activity around the world. Climate change, pollution, human overpopulation, overharvesting, and the impact of industrial development all come at the expense of a balanced ecosystem that sustains myriad forms of life. Some scientists, Wilson tells us, estimate that climate change could be responsible for the loss of 25 percent of plant and animal species on land by mid-century. More than 100 species have gone extinct in the United States since the passage in 1973 of the Endangered Species Act. This is no longer news, of course, and even the naysayers may soon become an extinct species.
The flaw of Wilson's treatise is not in its information but in its framework. The Creation is intended to move a particular audience: Christians who understand the Bible literally. In order to reach and persuade them, he constructs a fictional evangelical pastor, a "literalist interpreter of Christian Holy Scripture," as he describes the character, to whom he makes his argument.
"Pastor, we need your help," Wilson pleads. "The Creation--living Nature--is in deep trouble. Scientists estimate that if habitat conversion and other destructive human activities continue at their present rate, half the species of plants and animals on Earth could be either gone or at least fated for early extinction by the end of the century. ... If religion and science could be united on the common ground of bio logical conservation, the problem would soon be solved."
Presumptuousness is at the heart of Wilson's effort. He presumes, first, that he comprehends evangelicals, or perhaps fundamentalist Christians, but his imaginary conversation partner is one-dimensional. Wilson presumes his pastor's theology represents a swath of U.S. Christianity. Yet on the one hand he defines his partner as a biblical literalist and on the other he appeals to him on the basis of shared respect for creation. Does his co-conversationalist have a steward's view of creation or a dominator's? U.S. evangelical Christianity is complex, but few Christians display both views.
Finally, Wilson seems to presume that his own religious upbringing grants him the credibility to engage this discussion on religious terms. Although it is unfair to say that science is Wilson's faith, he dearly believes that modern science has intellectually neutered faith. In his eyes, religious belief lost the ability to provide a sense of meaning and profound self-understanding to contemporary humanity after the Enlightenment and the advances unleashed by the development of science and the scientific method. Even Christians who consider mostly benign the benefits and knowledge of science will bristle at Wilson's dismissal of the power of religious faith.
The media have been filled in recent years with reports of religionists rendering themselves foolish by portraying scriptural explanations for the physical world as credible scientific theory. But less criticized have been the sometimes amusing efforts of a surprising number of scientists striding confidently down that same road, from the opposite direction. Together, they're just about all the evidence needed to demonstrate that hubris truly is humanity's original sin.
Joseph Wakelee-Lynch is an editor and writer in Long Beach, California.
|Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
|Title Annotation:
|The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth
|Wakelee-Lynch, Joseph
|Article Type:
|Book review
|Dec 1, 2006
|Previous Article:
|Gandhi for today.
|Next Article:
|'The survival of the fittest'.


text:
Mz Linda's Toddler Storytime
Start the week out right! Join Mz. Linda under our big tree on Monday mornings for stories, rhymes, songs, and movement. This special time is selected for our littlest readers - babies, toddlers, and preschoolers are all welcome!
Duration: 20-30 minutes
Note: Please plan to stay with your child. Park strollers outside of the store so that we'll have room for all!
Event date:
Monday, January 28, 2019 - 10:30am
Event address:
North Hills
4209-100 Lassiter Mill Road
Raleigh, NC 27609


text:
New products introduced over the last week include a new corporate-bond ETF from iShares; a new MLP ETF from Global X; Touchstone's completion of the acquisition of Old Mutual funds; investment by Affiliated Managers Group in Yacktman Asset Management; and an opening date announcement by AdvisorShares for its Global Echo ETF.
In addition, State Street Global Advisors launched a Upromise 529 plan; Gemini Fund Services and Cole-Frieman Mallon & Hunt announced the launch of a shared trust; and Lincoln Financial announced the enhancement of its LifeSpan program with Ibbotson model portfolios.
Here are the latest developments of interest to advisors:
1) iShares Launches Emerging Markets Corporate-Bond ETF
BlackRock, Inc. announced Thursday that its iShares ETF business has launched the first index-based ETF focused on corporate bonds in emerging market countries. The iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund (CEMB) offers broad access to dollar-denominated, investment grade and high-yield bonds issued by corporations based in Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. An Irish-domiciled fund with the same exposure listed earlier the same day on the London Stock Exchange.
Both funds are benchmarked to the Morningstar Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Index, a customized, investable index that utilizes built-in liquidity screens and a 5% issuer cap. The top three country holdings are Brazil (19.0%), Mexico (11.8%) and Russia (11.6%).
2) Global X Funds Launches MLP ETF
Global X Funds announced Thursday that it has launched the Global X MLP ETF (MLPA), which provides a comprehensive benchmark of the MLP industry while maintaining a fee of 0.45% versus the industry average of 0.85%. MLPA potential tax features include 1099 tax reporting (no K-1s), qualified dividends, and IRA and 401k eligibility. The fund pays quarterly income distributions.
MLPA offers exposure to the Solactive MLP Composite Index, which is designed to be a MLP benchmark index for energy and resource master limited partnerships. As of April 17, the index consisted of 30 MLPs and the three largest components of the index were Energy Transfer Partners LP, Enterprise Products Partners, and Plains All American Pipeline LP.
3) Touchstone Investments Completes Acquisition of Old Mutual Funds
Touchstone Investments announced on April 16 the completion of its acquisition of selected fund assets of Old Mutual Asset Management's (OMAM) U.S. mutual fund business that were previously managed by OMAM's Old Mutual Capital subsidiary. The company announced the planned acquisition in October 2011.
Thirteen of the 17 acquired funds will retain their current Old Mutual-affiliated subadviser.
4) AMG Announces Investment in Yacktman Asset Management
Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. announced Wednesday that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority equity interest in Yacktman Asset Management Co. After the closing of the transaction, the management partners of Yacktman will continue to hold a substantial portion of the equity of the business and direct its day-to-day operations.
With approximately $17 billion of assets under management, Yacktman is an investment manager specializing in large-cap equities through a value-oriented approach. It seeks to make investments in high-quality businesses at low valuations with the goal of generating outperformance over the long term. The firm was founded in 1992 by Donald Yacktman.
5) AdvisorShares Announces Global Echo ETF Launch Date
AdvisorShares announced Thursday that the Global Echo ETF (GIVE) will open for trading on Thursday, May 24. GIVE is a broadly diversified multimanager ETF with a focus on sustainable investment themes that seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation with an emphasis on absolute (positive) returns and low sensitivity to a blend of traditional financial market indices, such as the S&P 500 Index, over a full market cycle. GIVE has four portfolio managers allocating to different investment strategies and asset classes.
GIVE will directly support the Global Echo Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation co-founded by Philippe Cousteau Jr., providing funding solutions to many of the challenges facing the world community including social issues impacting women and children, environmental conservation and social entrepreneurship; 0.40% of the GIVE management fee will be contributed to the Global Echo Foundation. Additional amounts will be contributed by AdvisorShares to support Cousteau's educational efforts and in addition, AdvisorShares will contribute additional basis points to charitable causes.
6) State Street Global Advisors Launches SSgA Upromise 529 Plan
State Street Global Advisors (SSgA), the asset management business of State Street Corporation, announced Tuesday the launch of the SSgA Upromise 529 Plan, marking a new arrangement with the State of Nevada and Upromise Investments, Inc. Designed to lower costs and simplify investment choices, the SSgA Upromise 529 Plan features investment strategies that will be implemented using State Street's SPDR ETFs.
Nevada's direct-sold Upromise College Fund 529 Plan has been re-named the SSgA Upromise 529 Plan, and will continue to be direct-sold as well as now available through fee-based RIAs. It now includes new portfolio options managed by SSgA's investment solutions group, which specializes in managing and advising investors on asset allocation, risk management, portfolio construction and plan implementation. Upromise Investments, Inc., a leading administrator of 529 college savings plans, will remain as the program manager.
7) Gemini Fund Services and Cole-Frieman Mallon & Hunt Launch Shared Trust
Gemini Fund Services, LLC and Cole-Frieman Mallon & Hunt LLP announced Tuesday that they have partnered to launch Two Roads Shared Trust, a shared mutual fund trust, which will be overseen by an independent board of trustees. Two Roads is tailored to advisers such as hedge fund managers who wish to start alternative mutual funds. Funds will be able to join Two Roads in Q3 of 2012. Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" inspired the new trust's name.
Two Roads will be composed of separately managed, independent funds. By joining Two Roads, funds receive fund sales, board and regulatory compliance oversight, operational efficiency and economies of scale that they would not otherwise be able to obtain by themselves. Two Roads membership also entitles funds to introductions to broker-dealers and assistance with their marketing and distribution plans.
8) Lincoln Financial Enhances LifeSpan with Ibbotson Associates Custom Model Portfolios
Lincoln Financial Group's retirement plan services business announced on April 12 enhancements to its LifeSpan customized model asset allocation program for employer-sponsored retirement plans. Lincoln now offers plan sponsors the option to engage with Ibbotson Associates, a registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., to provide discretionarily managed custom model portfolios with ERISA 3(38) coverage.
ERISA section 3(38) allows defined contribution plan sponsors to hire a registered investment manager and transfer investment-related liability to the investment manager for the oversight of plan investments. Now LifeSpan allows plan sponsors and consultants the option to delegate the fiduciary responsibility associated with developing, monitoring and updating the model portfolios to Ibbotson Associates. Ibbotson will create a series of model portfolios, including target date, target risk, and retirement income, based on its patented lifetime asset allocation methodology.
Read the April 16 Portfolio Products Roundup at AdvisorOne.


text:
En Español
You are self-motivated, goal oriented, and have superior math aptitude and communication skills.
Whether you're a speaker or an educator, we have toolkits
ready to help you show future professionals what it takes
to become an actuary.
If you've thoroughly exhausted BeAnActuary.org and you're looking for more details about the life of an actuary, then: 1. you've found your calling and 2. check out the web sites of the Casualty Actuarial Society and Society of Actuaries.


text:
All Materials
What we are working on:
- Categories for Maya, C4D and others! (finally!)
- Category for TyFlow Setups
Until then, you can upload TyFlow or PhoenixFD Setups in the Special Effects Category!
Data Policy Update
According to the European General Data Protection Regulation / EU-DSGVO Datenschutzgrundverordnung, we have updated our Privacy rules. (German language).
Please read them here
Illegal textures
Please be aware that we have to control every material concerning legal issues. Copyright infringing materials will be deleted without notice. If you notice any copyright-protected textures on this site, please report this immediately to support[at]vray-materials.de.
» Check the FAQs
Complete list of sopedro's materials
Scary Skin
Portuguese Cognac(CR&F)
Louis Vuitton White Fabric
Louis Vuitton Original Fabric
Broken Glass
Golden Skin w/Melanoma
Gabion Basket
© 2018 cg-materials.com | Hoppe & Schrenk Marketing GbR
The HDRI-Map in our Sample-Scene was kindly sponsored by
Sachform Technology