text:
Penn State students take on the Green Energy Challenge
Penn State students take on the Green Energy Challenge
A team from the Penn State student chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) has once again entered the annual ELECTRI International Green Energy Challenge. The 2014 competition asks students to conduct a detailed analysis of a student union building and provide a written proposal that outlines their recommendations for energy efficiency improvements. The three teams whose proposals earn the most points will be invited to present their plans at the 2014 NECA Convention and Trade Show in September in Chicago, Il.
For their proposal, the Penn State team chose to work with the Perkins Student Center on the Penn State Berks campus in Reading, Pa. "Of all the student union buildings across the 23 commonwealth campuses, the Perkins Student Center was among the oldest and has had the least amount of energy efficiency upgrades installed, according to Joshua Carey, bachelor's degree student in energy engineering.
The team first conducted an assessment of the current energy systems in place at the student center and also analyzed the degree of energy use throughout the facility. Their findings led them to recommend several improvements to increase the building's energy efficiency.
"The Penn State NECA student chapter has been working hard on an energy retrofit proposal for the Perkins Student Center at Penn State Berk," said Kevin Clement, president of the NECA Penn State student chapter and bachelor's degree student in architectural engineering. "The main aspects are upgrading the lighting system, installing a photovoltaic array, and an improved monitoring system."
The team also developed a plan to increase energy metering and the ability to monitor electrical use in the facility. Right now, the current monitoring equipment can observe 60% of the building's primary electrical usage. To improve the monitoring capabilities and energy control, the Penn State team suggests the facility should integrate two new systems into the existing energy monitoring framework.
"Increasing the monitoring and controls of the Perkins Student Center helps students and staff see direct results of energy used from their behavior," said Zach Kramer, bachelor's degree student in energy engineering. "This information is a valuable teaching tool to educate people how changing their habits can save them energy, money and reduce carbon emissions. This conscious effort is key to living sustainable."
At the same time, the team proposes to add an interactive software component to engage students, faculty, and staff in the observation of energy usage of the Perkins Student Center. Using four existing displays in the building, visitors would be able to monitor the total energy usage in the facility along with the percentage of usage throughout its classrooms, communal spaces, and kitchens.
"Feedback from energy monitoring engages students to interact with the student union building in a way that has not been readily accessible before," explained Rosie Cianni, bachelor's degree student in energy engineering. "While students investigate their personal contribution to everyday electricity consumption, they generate curiosity in the matter and boost their own energy literacy all in one sitting."
In total, the team's proposal for the student center is projected to yield a total annual savings of nearly 280,000 kilowatt hours and $70,000 in utility payments. This translates into an overall savings of 24 percent of the building's annual electrical energy usage.
To encourage their fellow Penn State students to become more energy aware, members of the NECA Penn State student chapter participated in EcoReps' Campus Conservation Nationals, an annual challenge to reduce campus housing energy consumption by 5 percent. During the three-week event, students are encouraged to keep their lights off, unplug electronics when not in use, and participate in events aimed at energy awareness. The NECA student chapter conducted over 50 dormitory energy audits and even created a "quick sheet" to help dorm residents understand the energy evaluation process. Their efforts saved over 4,300 kilowatt hours and 400,000 gallons of water. "You could tell that EcoReps in East Halls were engaged in the audits, and the goal was achieved to established effective energy saving habits," said Harrison Talbot, bachelor's degree student in energy engineering.
The NECA Penn State student chapter welcomes new participants to join their team for next year's Green Energy Challenge. Any student interested in joining the team can contact Kevin Clement at email@example.com.
"NECA is a great organization to join if you're looking for a real-world experience," said Jackie Eury, vice-president of the NECA Penn State student chapter and bachelor's degree student in architectural engineering. "You evaluate an existing building, consult with professional clients, and network with valuable contacts within the industry. The Green Energy Challenge is an excellent way to meet students from other disciplines and cultivate your knowledge of the latest energy trends."


text: The basic principles governing the development and function of living organisms remain only partially understood, despite significant progress in molecular and cellular biology and tremendous breakthroughs in experimental methods. The development of system-level, mechanistic, computational models has the potential to become a foundation for improving our understanding of natural biological systems, and for designing engineered biological systems with wide-ranging applications in nanomedicine, nanomaterials and computing. We developed Z34Bio (Z3 for Biology), a unifed SMT-based framework for the automated analysis of natural and engineered biological systems to enable addressing important biological questions, and studying complex biological models.

subset: commoncrawl


text: March 7, 2002 -- "THE HALLOWED HALLS, REDONE . . ." New Mexico Tech administrators recently were given a tour of the university's newly refurbished Weir Hall. The total restoration and remodeling of the historic campus building was a yearlong project that totaled $2.6 million. Pictured here in the middle of the tour is Tech President Daniel H. Lopez (left) being shown one of the new offices in Weir Hall by Tech math professor William D. Stone (right). Faculty and staff from both the Tech mathematics and general engineering departments are happily settling into their new offices in Weir.


text:
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
McClellan Awaits Battle…in Detroit
In the early years of the American Civil War, President Lincoln's greatest frustration was his inability to find the right commanding general for the Union Army.
Lincoln went through generals the way George Steinbrenner used to go through baseball managers—one after the other. And like Steinbrenner, Lincoln even hired the same general twice, and fired him twice.
That general was George McClellan.
Vain, self-righteous, arrogant, and supremely competent at organizing and outfitting an army, McClellan was loved and admired by his troops almost as much as he loved and admired himself. In his first term as leader of what came to be called the Army of the Potomac, McClellan did a terrific job of organizing, drilling and molding into soldiers what had been a disorganized and dispirited bunch of raw recruits.
McClellan had just one big flaw: he couldn't bring himself to fight.
Every time Lincoln expected "Little Mac," as he was known, to finally move against the poorly equipped, ill-clad and undersupplied Army of Northern Virginia (brilliantly handled by Robert E. Lee), "Little Mac" protested that the troops weren't ready or he didn't have enough wagons or the roads were too muddy or his plans needed perfecting or the Confederate Army was too strong.
With McClellan, as the expression goes, it was always something.
I got to thinking about Little Mac while reading a remarkable op-ed piece by Rick Wagoner, the man at the center of perhaps the nation's greatest current economic crisis—the melt-down of the U.S. automobile industry—in yesterday's Wall Street Journal.
That piece is called "A Portrait of My Industry," but it might just as well have been titled "It's Always Something," and its author could have been a corporate ancestor of Little Mac himself.
Mr. Wagoner sets up his premise—that GM is not merely suffering from self-inflicted wounds, but is, along with Ford and Chrysler, the victim of an uneven playing field—with the following howler of a statement:
Despite public perception, the answer [to the question of why GM is in trouble] is not that foreign auto makers are more productive or offer better-quality or more fuel-efficient vehicles. In this year's Harbour Report, which measures manufacturing productivity, GM plants took three of the top five spots in North America, including first and second place.
This is written by the CEO of a car company whose dependence on gas-guzzling SUVs caused its sales to collapse 24% in September, while sales for Toyota—led by the Prius hybrid—rose 10%; Nissan rose 16%; and Honda rose 12% the same month.
Mr. Wagoner compounds his McClellan-like obsession with self-justification in the very next sentence:
In the latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, GM's Buick and Cadillac ranked among the top five vehicle brands sold in America, ahead of nameplates like Toyota, Honda, Acura, Nissan, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz.
Read that carefully: Mr. Wagoner cites the Buick and Cadillac brands, but leaves out Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn—in fact, he leaves out 85% of GM's vehicle sales from the quality comparison.
Thus, like Little Mac, who, before complaining about his lack of horses, guns, blankets, and whatever else was keeping him from marching, was careful to lard his dispatches to Lincoln with encomiums about his soldiers' parade-ground capabilities, Mr. Wagoner puffs up his own situation with meaningless statistics.
Then, like Little Mac, he proceeds to the it's-always-something that he regards as the real problem—in this case, the uneven playing field upon which GM finds itself.
First, Mr. Wagoner blames the "social contract" made by "traditional manufacturers" to provide good benefits to American workers, which have left a staggering legacy of health-care costs on domestic auto companies.
Second, he decries the explosion of litigation abuse made possible by an irrational American judicial system.
Third—and I am not making this up—Mr. Wagoner decries a deliberate effort by Japanese policy makers "to artificially weaken the yen."
I'm no expert in the car business, but I do rent a wide variety of automobiles when I travel, in order to see what is happening in the world of automobile market share.
And I always find it profoundly depressing to open the door of a Ford Taurus or Chevrolet Whatever and feel—just opening the door and getting behind the wheel—the poor quality of a Big Three automobile, compared to a comparable Toyota.
Mr. Wagoner's protests aside, The Problem has nothing to do the Japanese currency or the health care burden with which Mr. Wagoner finds himself saddled. And the last time I checked, lawsuits do not directly impede the ability of any company to assemble a great car.
I have a brother-in-law in the auto business. I know how it works: everybody gets a nice car as part of their work. They drive it for a while and then they get another, newer model.
And I imagine Mr. Wagoner gets the pick of the GM litter—not a Chevy or a Saturn, but an Escalade or a Hummer.
And I don't doubt that he honestly believes GM's problem is not in the cars themselves, but in all the other problems his top lieutenants blame their troubles on at every monthly sales meeting.
But if the CEO of General Motors wants to learn something about the quality of the 85% of GM's production that is being systematically replaced by better-built cars with foreign nameplates—many of them assembled right here in America—he ought to be given a Toyota to drive around for a month.
Then I believe he would stop wasting time writing self-justifying op-ed pieces and more time trying to fix what's broken at GM: the cars.
Like "Little Mac," whose organizational abilities were unsurpassed, I imagine Mr. Wagoner is a very good executive for handling certain aspects of a large automobile business.
But not, if his Wall Street Journal piece is any indication, during wartime.
And while I know nothing about the politics within GM, I suspect that, like Lincoln, whose search for a general "who fights" only ended when he brought in U.S. ("Unconditional Surrender") Grant from the western theater to get down to the bloody but necessary business of fighting Bobby Lee on the battlefields of Virginia, the GM board has not yet found its wartime commander.
Jeff Matthews
I Am Not Making This Up
© 2005 Jeff Matthews
The content contained in this blog represents the opinions of Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews also acts as an advisor and clients advised by Mr. Matthews may hold either long or short positions in securities of various companies discussed in the blog based upon Mr. Matthews' recommendations.
36 comments:
- Its_strange said...
McClellan went on to become the Govenor of NJ . I'm dying to hear what the newly elected Govenor Corzine ( and Jim Cramer pal and ex head of GS ) will have to say about the troubles in the USA auto industry . ..Lets see what we elected here in NJ . A Grant or a McClellan .
- Pix said...
I read that editorial yesterday and thought to myself...stop blaming everyone else. GM cars (ex-Cadillac) are boring, unreliable and have horrible resale value. GM trucks are great, but you waited too long to redesign and now people are looking for smid size SUVs that get better than 15mpg. GM needs MASSIVE change soon. I don't think they go BK, but I'm not sure how bad it gets before it gets better.
- Cameron said...
I think this is a perfect example of the problem GM faces - a perception gap. You say you're disturbed at getting in a "poor quality Chevy" as a rental car and would prefer a Toyota. Well go to JDpower.com and compare an 05 Malibu to an 05 Camry. While you're there, look at the Midsize/Full Size car segments for the highest ranked cars. Chevrolet Malibu/Impala, Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Lesabre, Ford 500. I don't see a Camry there anywhere. I'm not saying GM's cars are perfect, I just think they're infintely better than the public's perception. Especially when it comes to gas mileage and SUVs -- the new full size SUVs get just as good or better mileage as a Toyota Minivan (20.5 for 2wd, 20.1 for 4wd vs 21 for Toyota Sienna 2wd and 19 for AWD).
- 127030761 said...
When the battery failed on my wife's still in warranty 1997 Taurus, she was at work. I was out of the state. She had to call AAA. After arriving at Magic Ford in Santa Clarita California, it was almost closing time; therefore, it was come back tomorrow. She had to get up earlier and call AAA, but she got there too early for the customer service shuttle. A ten minute job was turned into a major hassle by Magic Ford.
This the third vehicle we had purchased from Magic Ford. Our next vehicle was our first vehicle purchased from Frontier Toyota. Now, we no longer wait in line for vehicle service.
The big three are blind to the real problem. It is the executives really do not care about their customers. Their bonus is first with the bottom of the food chain (the customer) somewhere down the line, i.e. the rolling over Explorer.
- Brian said...
I read the op-ed piece yesterday as well and was left very curious about the quality issue. I previously owned a Chevy Blazer and now own a Toyota 4Runner. The 4Runner is a quantum improvement in every aspect of quality and satisfaction. This is GM's problem: They build junk to fill rental car lots, not to stimulate demand with individual consumers (Hummer and Caddy notwithstanding). And, Cameron, check the JDPower scores for a 4Runner vs. the Blazer and you'll see why GM lost significant sales in the SUV market (not to mention the past couple of years of big incentives just to move their SUV product out the door).
- . said...
Ramble On.
Unfortunately, I can't speak to the quality of GM cars. No one I have ever known drives one. Rich (the midwest, plainspoken sort of money, not "real" rich) old people and rappers drive Cadillacs (maybe I exagerrate, I think rappers may be moving past the Escalade).
Why wouldn't I buy a GM vehicle? They are ugly. ugly. ugly. I'd say they were the ugliest vehicles EVER EVER, but Dodge has that all wrapped up. There is something severely wrong with the designers at GM, Dodge, et al.
They had a splash with these big, HUMONGOUS vehicles, but that's fizzling out.
My only recent experience with an automobile from a US company is Ford. My sister's '98 Ford Mustang was a piece of junk. The interior started to fall apart relatively quickly, everything seemed to be made of cheap plastic. She just traded it in for a Toyota.
There should be a survey where people are asked what the first car they purchased was. I would bet that any young people who leased, bought US vehicles got the less expensive ones, and the less expensive ones turned out to be junk. Thus, the next car was a foreign made vehicle. (Isn't it majestical how I extrapolate to the entire nation from one data point?) If GM, Ford, Dodge would focus on making well made starter-vehicles, then they might build some brand loyalty. (If their starter-vehicles are well made, ignore what I suggested.)
Ramble Off.
- DaleW said...
I think this is a perfect example of the problem GM faces - a perception gap. You say you're disturbed at getting in a "poor quality Chevy" as a rental car and would prefer a Toyota. Well go to JDpower.com and compare an 05 Malibu to an 05 Camry.
This is exactly the problem -- initial quality surveys mean jack to the average hard-working person out there. It's long-term reliability that matters and this is where much more than a perception gap exists between Detroit metal and Japanese. What, is the product market inefficient and stupid? We're talking long-term trends here, not hemlines. The flaws are deeper than design -- it goes to how the basic engineering and manufacturing characteristics manifest themselves over the long-term in these products and Detroit still, on the whole, blows.
- Alex Khenkin said...
I agree with DaleW - I never read the initial quality surveys. I'm an engineer and understand the difference between building something that will last for a month or for 10 years. I also think one does not need an engineering degree to get a grip on this concept, too. There's not a single American vehicle on my company's parking lot.
Small Investor Chronicles
- Cameron said...
This is exactly the problem -- initial quality surveys mean jack to the average hard-working person out there. It's long-term reliability that matters and this is where much more than a perception gap exists between Detroit metal and Japanese.
Dale, once again, I suggest you go to jdpower.com and compare the Malibu and Impala to the Camry. Malibu Dependability is 5 stars, Impala 4 Stars, and Camry 4 stars. If you go to the corporate site and look at the vehicle dependability study, it's filled with GM and Ford vehicles (there are more Japanese vehicles here than on the Initial Quality Survey). GM's quality is nowhere near as bad as people think, and the flipside, Japanese quality is nowhere near as good as people think.
- whydibuy said...
Cam... your exactly right. The American bashing takes on a life of its own to a point where you would think that the foriegn brands are indestructable steel balls. They're not!! Only people wish to be in fashion with the times and thus remain silent about the flaws in their toyotas, nissans etc etc. Its fashionable to bash without reviewing the real hard data and Cameron has it right. American brands ARE equal or better than the foriegn brands and a heck of a lot cheaper in price. You think the foreigns are great in service work? They are by far more expensive when you need parts and often you are forced to buy a whole unit rather than replacing a single part. My two GM's have 126 k and 265 k respectively on my '96 chevy s-10 and my '93 GMC 1500 pickup. I guess I should whine about how American cars are junk LOL!!! Just like in life, people run thier yaps and give opinions totally deviod of factual information. I feel for Wagoner trying to overcome this flywheel effect of " dog piling " onto American cars because its fashionable to run them down.
- Ryan said...
Let's see, on your 1996 S-10 I see recalls for:
Safety Recall:
1) Windshield Wiper failure (2003)
2) ABS Front Axle Signal Malfunction (2000)
3) High/Low/High ABS Brake Anomaly (1999)
4) Windshield Wiper failure (1998)
Emission Recall:
1) Incorrect Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve Used (1997)
General Recall:
1) Fuel Injector Sticking Closed (2003)
2) Incorrect Fuel Pump in Sender Unit (1996)
3) Engine Block Heater not installed (1995)
I find two recalls for the 1996 Honda Passport (4WD), one recall for the Toyota 4-Runner (4WD). None for Toyota's RAV4 (4WD). None for Toyota's T100 (4WD). None for Toyota's Tacoma (4WD).
I would suggest that ingnoring your recall notices does not mean they do not exist.
- Don said...
From Jeffrey Dyer's book "Collaborative Advantage", results of a survey of 453 auto supplier – automaker relationships.
Scale: 1 = not at all; 4 = to some extent; 7 = to a very great extent
Extent to which automaker can be trusted to treat supplier fairly: Toyota 6.4, GM 3.2
If given the chance, extent to which the automaker might try to take unfair advantage of supplier: GM 5.4, Toyota 1.4
Automaker has a reputation for fairness among supplier community: Toyota 6.3, GM 2.8
Extent to which supplier shares confidential information: Toyota 6.1, GM 2.6
Automaker shares information to assist supplier with cost reduction: Toyota 3.3, GM 2.1
Automaker shares information to assist supplier with quality improvement: Toyota 3.7, GM 2.2
Automaker shares information to assist supplier with delivery and inventory management: Toyota 3.8, GM 1.9
Dollar value of goods procured per procurement employee: Toyota $12.6 million, GM $1.6 million (quote from a GM executive: "Our purchasing activities are huge and extensive. Most activities have been geared to making sure we don't get stung by an unscrupulous supplier out there.")
Percentage of time the supplier re-wins the part business at a model change: Toyota 92%, GM 58%
Percentage of face to face interaction time between supplier and automaker negotiating contracts and prices and assigning blame for problems: Toyota 21%, GM 47%
Maybe Waggoner needs to write a letter to the supplier community telling them that as with misguided consumers, their perceptions are incorrect.
- DaleW said...
Cameron and Why,
I grew up in Buffalo, a good old American steel town, watching my Dad bust his rear running a good old American manufacturing and distribution company. I have nothing against American labor, technology, or know-how. But Cameron, this is exactly the point -- there are more Japanese autos on the dependability survey than on the initial quality survey. That's what makes the difference to the average consumer and that's what drives perceptions. On average, the Japanese cars are more dependable. It's an easy answer. Initial survey means jack and it's obvious American cars don't live up to their initial perceptions while Japanese outperform them. Which way do you think market share will go until that changes?
I have little sympathy for the American auto worker. They have priced themselves out of the market and they are not worth their compensation rates. It's ridiculous UAW members are generating such outsize returns for their labor while the OEMs are generating such under-sized returns for capital. If it were for labor laws that virtually guaranty a monopoly by the UAW, most of these people would be earning $18 an hour in wages and maybe another $5 per hour in fringes.
Is it their fault American cars are not that great, long-term? No. But their wage rates certainly leave little for R&D to fix the situation long-term and little to address the quality of the product from a finished goods perspective short-term.
- BlackLab said...
The Vehicle Dependability Survey (VDS) measures long-term quality after three years of ownership. Thus, the 2005 study measures the dependability of the 2002 model year. Three years does not fit my definition of long-term. Leases, which are designed to be short-term, are most often for a period of 36 months. I would argue that 90,000 miles, or 6.5 - 7 years (driving 12,000 and 15,000 per annum, respectively) would be a better measurement period for "long-term".
Perhaps poor resale value can explain some of GM's sales problems?
- Don said...
No, GM management isn't in denial.
GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz: "If you have hybrids you're OK, and if you don't you're not. I'd say Toyota scored a major coup with hybrids even though they didn't have a business case."
You see, it wasn't a matter of foresight and management competence that Toyota was ready with hybrid vehicles when gasoline price soared and GM was slashing prices in an attempt to unload full sized trucks and SUVs. It was luck, and GM management was once again unlucky, as they have been for most of the last 40 years.
- Don said...
With regard to this Wagoner comment in the WSJ editorial: "A leading Japanese auto maker reports that for each movement of one yen against the dollar, it gains 20 billion yen in additional profitability - or nearly $170 million at today's exchange rate."
His reference is to Toyota and apparently they're getting lucky again with the exchange rate. They'll make $12 billion or so in net income this year, without the exchange rate tailwind it would only be maybe $10.5 billion. Meanwhile, GM is looking at losing a couple of billion or so. Yeah, the exchange rate must be the reason Toyota is whipping GM.
- Its_strange said...
We had a Chevy S-10 at work. We beat it , we beat on it , we treated it with zero respect and the thing just wouldn't die until someone hit some ice just as they were hitting the Jersey side of the GW bridge. It was a great machine . I had a Ford Explorer that lasted 197,000 miles until the gas tank started to leak and had to junk it. And my 95 Explorer with 156,000 miles is running just fine . .....When i started driving you were lucky to get 70,000 miles out of a new car and the Japan cars were worse
- Sam S. Park said...
Dale's last point is right on the money. The union screwed itself. Their compensation is insultingly ridiculous. I'm definitely in the wrong industry - I should've learned how to operate a forklift, instead of taking finance courses.
As Dale pointed out, the UAW gave no room for American automakers to spend on improving their products through R&D - which is zero for GM (Honda spends about 5% of sales on R&D). There seems to be a lack of collaboration between UAW and management, whereas it's the opposite story in Asia. It's that "me first" mentality that screwed GM and the likes.
- Don said...
GM's spending on R&D is quite a bit more than zero. They spent $5.1 billion on R&D in 2004, 3.2% of sales. Ford spent 5.0% of sales, Toyota 3.6%. Of course, it's not just how much you spend on R&D, it's also how productive the spending is.
- BelowTheCrowd said...
My take on this is that they're completely myopic in most respects.
Lets take a comparison I did last year between two somewhat similar vehicles: Chevy Malibu and Mazda 6 (5 door). Similar in size and in overall characteristics. And I susepct that the mechanical reliability will probably be similar.
Start with design. The Mazda has a great seating position and beautiful visibility all around. The Chevy has lousy seats and the rearward visibility is a disaster! Worse than my old converitible with the top up. The tailgate on the Mazda opens up nicely and the cargo area cover pulls right up with it, leaving a large space for me to load cargo. The Malibu has a confusing and difficult to move cargo area cover that -- I'm told -- can also be configured as a picnic table but for normal use is a major pain. the Malibu has an odd rear-seat glass roof section, but no normal sunroof. The Mazda has the latter.
Inside, both are largely plastic, but the Mazda (like my Acura) is less cheap, more solid. Probably won't make a difference in long term reliability, but sure makes a difference in how I feel about getting into the car.
The Mazda features a smooth 5-speed automatic. The Chevy is still using an antiquated and jerky 4-speed. The Japanese, of course, are quickly moving to even smoother CVT and six-speed autos.
Bottom line to me is that GM's execution of the 5 door hatchback concept is lousy and clunky. Might it be reliable? Sure. But reliability is only one part of the game. It's a car I don't want to drive. Period.
This is sad, because the whole concept of such vehicles was originally developed and perfected by Saab. Even the Mazda6 is clearly a knockoff of concepts that Saab perfected more than a decade ago. GM, of course, has dispensed with making those vehicles in favor of making more "me too" GM box-mobiles with the Saab nameplate bolted on. And when they decided to try pursuing that kind of vehicle again, with one of their other brands, they couldn't draw on knowledge and design experience that they clearly already had. It's pure incompetence, plain and simple.
The Mazda6, BTW, is made in an old Ford plant in Indiana.
On another note, I find the "long term reliability" figures to be close to useless. Few models remain substantially unchanged for more than three years. By the time those numbers come out, you're usually talking about a completely different vehicle than the one that is now offered.
Finally, to reinforced Jeff's point, I would remind you of Ross Perot's comments as a GM board member (somebody could Google them), which is a role he held after they purchased EDS and he inherited a huge slug of GM stock. He commented at the time that everybody in senior GM management had a company car and driver to take them wherever they were going (this was justified with their need for "security"), as well as company-provided and maintained vehicles for their families. They neither had to drive nor maintain their own vehicles. He felt that all GM's problems would be solved quickly if GM execs were required to:
1) Purchase their own GM vehicles, from a local dealer.
2) Drive those vehicles exclusively.
3) Maintain those vehicles themselves, at their own expense and on their own time, also at a local GM dealer of their own choice.
You should all recall that after several years of agittion, GM basically paid Perot a lot of money to go away. Nothing has changed.
- Sam S. Park said...
You're right. After searching through the 10K, I did find that GM did spend on R&D. Thanks for pointing out that correction. Anyways, I was just trying to make a point that the union is giving them little room to spend on other critical things besides on overcompensated labor.
- BDG123 said...
Blog of Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman. you get to listen to alot of defensive posts. I will say Lutz is somewhat of an outsider and is bringing some decent product to the market in the next few years. Decent, not revolutionary or leading edge. Let's see. Good ole GM. And Ford for that matter. Chrysler is off the hook because the Germans actually know how to manage a car company. Or so it appears. The difference is Ford realizes the problem is inside of its walls and is a result of lack of innovation, execution and a product the consumer doesn't want. Or at least that comes from Bill Ford himself unlike the insular Wagoner and team.
Here is my major peeve in this whole dilemma. This is not a new problem. GM has lost market share nearly every year for thirty years. Roughly 60% to 26%. Unbelievable but true that no transformational change took place and corporate executives pocketed billions while the average joe working for them dwindled by the hundreds of thousands and marketshare cratered because of mismanagement.
First they whined about unfair exchange rates as the Japanese crushed them with cars made in Japan. (Btw, energy, land, labor, logistics, etc in Japan are atrociously expensive in sum total.) So the Japanese moved their plants, marketing, sales, advertising, finance, engineering, research and the like to the US. I believe Toyota alone employs 120,000 Americans. Not to mention the ripple effect of jobs created by those 120,000 jobs. Likely a minimum of another 30,000 non Toyota jobs created here.
The reality is GM is likely the most insular major corporation in the world. The movie Roger and me isn't too far off in my mind. And you don't find a change agent who has been indoctrinated in the corporate culture of an insular company in most situations. Wagoner has had five years. His time is up as far as I'm concerned. GM is in need of a frontal lobotamy, not a bandaid. Bring on Kerkorian and team. It is a pathetic show of board room politics that he is still in the driver's seat. I'd say it's almost criminal. Corporate governance in the US? That is a joke on many fronts. Frankly, I root for the corporate raider and hedge fund executives that drive these mules to change or better yet out the door. Same goes for Time Warner. To watch AOL crater while Google and Yahoo eat their lunch is criminal. Premium brand to back water stench.
Want to hear something unbelievable? In the last thirty years GM has spent an estimated $100 billion+ on R&D. That money could have been used to buy Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mercedes and BMW at their market cap in 1980 and left GM a tidy $75+ billion left over. Or, the entire NASA manned moon mission took $100 billion from start to finish. And it created thousands of new technologies and new industries from nothing. Obviously we have a time value of money here but nonetheless. And for all of this, we get the Pontiac Aztec, Chevy Chevette, Chevy Beretta, Buick LeSabre, Cadillac Coupe De Ville, Chevy Cavalier and on and on and on. And we get an engine that really hasn't changed except for the electronic fuel management system that took a V8 from 14mpg then to 22mpg now. What would GM be today if someone would have mounted an assault as Kerkorian is doing......thirty years ago? Or if Welch were the head of GM instead of GE? Or Andy Grove? Or Steve Jobs? GM doesn't need a car guy. They need an environment of innovation and execution.
It is infuriating.
- BelowTheCrowd said...
Funny you should mention the Aztec. I remember being fairly excited when that one came out, because the concept is one that would have been great for my somewhat outdoorsy lifestle.
The concept was, the execution sucked. The angular rear of the vehicle made it a poor choice for cargo and outdoors equipment. Lots of little gimmicks and gadgets that looked cool were included, but most of them were really not all that practical. The design looked just plain weird. Distictive, but not a "good" distinctive more of a "I am a dork" kind of distinctive. And the overall fit and finish was poor.
Needless to say it sold poorly and died. The potential customers stayed with their Subaru wagons and (old style) Nissan Pathfinders.
But the concept was a good one. Honda took it and ran with it. It's called the Element. It sells well and does everything that the Aztec claimed it would. And since it's based on the popular CR-V platform (which itself is based on the Accord chassis), it didn't cost much to bring to market and doesn't require a whole lot to be sold in order to be profitable. The new Acura RDX compact SUV will leverage the same underlying platform.
Incidentally, there was an article in the LA Business Journal about the lead designer on this project (who also led the team designing the Acura TL and most of the other "North America" projects in the Honda/Acura world). He doesn't own a car. Honda allows him and other members of their North America design team to borrow various cars for their own use: both Honda/Acura and other manufacturer's vehicles.
Compare that to the world of the "Big Three," where "import" vehicles -- the defintion of "import" includes American made Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans and others -- are all banned from the main parking lots! Talk about insular businesses.
- Aaron Koral said...
Two quick points:
A) I think resale value, in addition to reliability, also plays a part in whether a consumer purchases a car from a domestic or foreign auto manufacturer. Both Honda and Toyota have been quite adept at building cars that ganer decent resale values when sold, but then, I guess that goes back to reliability, which Ford and GM have suffered from for quite a spell.
B) I think Mr. Wagoner "doth [not] protest too much" as the line from Hamlet goes. The problems that GM faces are real, and I think Mr. Wagoner is aware of them. My wish (hope) is that GM gets out of the finance business by spinning off its GMAC subsidiary, and get back to what should have been GM's core focus all along - building great cars! It could happen, but then, I could be wrong, though....
- Sam S. Park said...
Your blog is awesome. I've learned so much about the car industry just by reading the comments posted on your board, which made me look into the matter a bit more.
It's pretty obvious that GM's additional board members (from Kerkorian) will have a field day with the labor union. Have any of you looked at GM's pension liabilities?
GM cars' lack of appeal to the masses is a problem, but dealing with rising health care costs have made the company's core focus on dealing with the labor union - instead of what really matters.
I've known that S. Korea also shares its own problems with unions, but Japanese automakers typically don't deal with unions.
Cases could definitely be made to show how unions hinder a company's growth. I see this because (taking S. Korea for example) I've seen companies that refuse labor unions outpace those that deal with the union nonsense.
- Jeff Matthews said...
"BTC": glad you brought up Ross Perot!
I remember a story from his days on the board. During one of those get-with-the-trend phases GM seems to go through, the CEO told the board, in one of those grand pronouncements about The Future, "We're going paperless."
So Ross threw away his big thick notebook that all the board members got and said "Okay! We're all paperless!"
And of course the board couldn't conduct their meeting without their big thick notebooks.
I don't think it was too long afterwards that they paid him to go away.
- BDG123 said...
I'm not sure I'm convinced the UAW has anything to do with GM's problems. A couple of reasons I say that. Some anecdotal and some factual.
During college I co-op'ed with GM at a stamping plant. That plants labor relations had one of the worst reputations within that division. I spent 70 hours a week on the plant floor working as a supervisor. I had dealings with the union bosses and dozens of union members on the floor as well as witnessing how the general flow of factory work went.
The net is that day to day operations had little to do with anything different than a nonunion plant, where I also worked. In fact, my experience was the environment was more inhospitable in the nonunion plant. People have this general view of sloth and stupidity when it comes to the UAW. The plant workers were just like your neighbor, your brother or your work associate. They took pride in their work and did it honestly. Not to believe that simply reveals a lack of faith in the human spirit and dignity. That is my anecdotal commentary.
Now, here are a few facts. Germany is highly unionized and their unions are much more powerful than the UAW as they actually extract board seats and play a significant joint role in corporate management. Germany is the world's largest exporter of finished goods. They also have some of the highest labor rates. Yes, I understand Germany has its fair share of economic problems. But, so do we if you actually care to believe true comparative statistics rather than government fed pablum on things such as the unemployment rate where labor participation in the US is down significantly. ie, Our economic miracle is a little less miraculous and our employment rates/underemployment rates are closer to Germany than one would imagine. I'm surely not defending socialism.
But, here is the biggest supporting evidence I will make. Caterpillar was recently recognized as the most admired industrial company on earth. They were a mess fifteen years ago. Komatsu and others were eating their lunch. Innovation was a joke and decision making/execution was akin to a group grope.
Cat management set out to totally transform their business. Now, they crush everyone globally, are the innovation leader and move at such speed their competitors have scrapped products before they are launched because of Cat's speed of execution. A good article at Booz Allen's periodical web site on this transformation.
Search under Caterpillar. Now does that sound like a UAW shop? It is. And so is Deere which ships its products globally as a segment leader and show of American manufacturing might. A paradox to many in the world of uninformed.
Does the UAW need to change? Does the UAW need to recognize it must allow more flexibility? Does the UAW need to adopt a policy of working with management? Yes to all and more. Are they even remotely responsible for GM's demise? No way.
- Ryan said...
There certainly is more than enough blame to go around at GM.
However, using Caterpillar and its dealings with the UAW in a defense of the UAW seems odd.
I would suggest anyone interested do a Google search on "Caterpillar" and "UAW" and decide for themselves if Cat's success has been done with the aid of the UAW or by finally taking them on.
From my reading it seems Caterpillar began to soar right after it began taking on the UAW.
If one were using Cat's experience to inform GM management it seems the lesson would be to play hard-ball.
It was asked: 'does that sound like a UAW shop?'
No, it doesn't and since management has won virtually every showdown with the UAW (to the extent where the UAW worked many years without a contract) I'd say it isn't really a "UAW shop".
- Sam S. Park said...
I'm not claiming that union members are dumb. Instead, it's their ability to distrupt business operations and drive up compensation costs. There is a reason why Toyota is whooping GM and why WalMart has become the largest company (in terms of revenue). They refuse to deal with the union, which allows them to focus on gaining market share.
Regarding CAT, it was the union strikes in the 80's that nearly killed the company. It was the same story in the early part of the 90's. The reason why CAT came out of the slump was the fact that they began to apply 6 sigma. It appears that union can do more harm than good.
- Its_strange said...
Now i remember ..Didn't Herb Greenberg write that Jeff was a Civil war buff ? ....Jeff, did i learn McClellan went on to become the Govenor of NJ in McPherson's " Battle Cry of Freedom " ??? ...Man -----O---man do i gotta tell ya...I'm not a educated man and i'm not the sharpest knife in the draw but that was one great book ..I truely enjoyed reading it.
- david soloff said...
thanks for this.
i bought a slug of jan `07 gm $2.50 puts after renting a chevy in orlando for a conference this autumn.
to paraphrase george clooney lifting edward r. murrow...
"the fault, dear brutus, lies with the cars"
and, by the by, you are a really fine prose writer. i just wanted to say that you write more lucidly at 7:30 in the morning than most...
keep on plugging.
- DaleW said...
I'm not sure I'm convinced the UAW has anything to do with GM's problems.
I am. Imagine if I ran a restaurant and my lettuce cost $15 a head and my beef cost $25 a pound and my buns cost $30 per gross while all your commodities cost 30% of that AND your chefs had 30% less scrap and waste than my restaurant AND your lease was 15% lower. Observers could point to the lease expenses and say, "that's it, that's the problem," and other observers could point to the kaizen technique of my chefs, which would certainly capture some of it, but any observer who dismissed the labor costs per unit would be missing a big component of the competitive advantage and anyone who misses the cumulative effect of the whole thing plus the compounding of retained earnings and learning would be way off base.
- Chug-A-Bug said...
GM has been running a comparative ad between a Chevy Equinox and a Lexus (forget which)
The Chevy is $20k less than the Lexus!
What more needs to be said about GM's inability to understand the car market?
Oh, and the Lexus brand didn't exist in the US until 1989. Amazingly, it's just now hitting Japan.
- BelowTheCrowd said...
I just ran my own compare of the Equinox vs the Lexus RX330. The difference between a fully loaded Chevy and a fully loaded Lexus was about $15K. ($30K vs. $45K). Granded, it would in practice be a bit more, because GM has to discount heavily just to generate interest and Lexus doesn't have that particular problem.
When all was said and done, the GM configuration just couldn't compare. No navigation system, crappy audio compared to the Lexus, plastic vs. wood-trim interior, etc. Bottom line is the Lexus is a luxury vehicle, the Chevy isn't.
Want to make a fair comparision? You can compare the Equinox to the Toyota Highlander (essentially the same vehicle as the Lexus under the skin), in which case you'll find that the Toyota is comparably priced while still offering some features or options that can't be had on the Chevy at any price.
Alternately, compare the Lexus to the Cadillac SRX, which is a bit bigger vehicle and not really in the same class, but is the closest thing GM has to a smallish Luxury SUV like the RX. Pricing and features are close, though still the Cadillac can't quite match the stuff that you can get on the Lexus.
And of course, the Lexus, for the premium, also includes Lexus service (covers everything right down to the lightbulbs and wiper blades), loaner cars when necessary (Lexus requires this of dealers), and a tightly-regulated selling environment that is designed to avoid the need to interact with typical car salesmen and their sleazy tactics.
Oh yeah, both the Highlander and the RX330 are available in hybrid versions which are sold out months in advance. Last I heard GM is still saying that it's a "dead end" technology and simultaneously saying that Toyota just happened to get lucky by having it available when they didn't.
To me, just more excuses.
- decheung said...
My favorite part of the editorial was this:
Another factor beyond our control is lawsuit abuse. Litigation now costs the U.S. economy more than $245 billion a year, or more than $845 per person. That's more than 2% of our GDP. No other country has costs anywhere near this level. And the perverse thing is that, in many cases, the majority of courtroom settlements go to the lawyers and other litigation costs, not to the injured parties.
Ok ok, I get it. Lawsuits are bad. But it feels like something is missing.
For example, what does that have to do with GM? If it is so impactful, why not tell us how much this costs GM each year and why it is hurting competitiveness.
Also, are Americans not suing Toyota/Honda/Nissan/BMW?
- rkb said...
A little late to the party here...People seem to forget the simple fact that GM (and Ford) don't make cars that people want to buy. Their trucks do well, but the car designs repeatedly miss the mark. Daimler Chrylser has figured it out for the most part, but the big two haven't. No matter if the reliability is as good or even better than the Japanese or European counterpart, nobody will buy a car that they don't like stylistically.


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Emily VanCamp's Makeup at Captain America Premiere 2014
A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Emily VanCamp's Sleek Blowout
Want to get Emily VanCamp's sleek blowout? InStyle has you covered! You can get all the details from her red carpet makeup artist and hairstylist.
While most red carpet looks appear intimidating, Emily VanCamp's glowing skin and perfect blowout at the Captain America: The Winter Soldier premiere can easily be channeled in everyday life. Just in time for some weekend primping, VanCamp's glam squad shares how you can score the same look, along with a behind-the-scenes photo of the star prepping for the big night.
After settling on a soft, smoky eye and nude lip, makeup artist Rosie Johnston complemented the star's flawless complexion with a dewy flush of color. Using a foundation brush, Johnston applied Votre Vu's multitasking Vu-On Rouge in Bouquet Rose ($29) along the apples of her cheeks, blending upward for a smooth, flirty finish.
As for those glossy tresses, the Revenge star came up with that idea all on her own. "I love a look that's a mix of soft and edgy, that's why I wanted smooth, soft hair to complement my metallic dress for tonight's red carpet," she tells InStyle.com exclusively. "It's so touchably soft!"
Celebrity stylist David Gardner, who created the sophisticated hairstyle using Herbal Essences products, tell us how you can try same sleek look at home. Keep reading for the full breakdown!
- After using a wide tooth comb on wet hair, flip your head over and apply an egg-sized amount of the Herbal Essences Naked Volumizing Souffle ($7) into roots, working through hair. Then, flip your head back over and add a bit more to the hairline for additional volume and lift.
- Section hair from ear to ear around the back of your head and pin the top section up. Starting from the back, blow dry hair straight using a large round brush to give it more body and movement. Continue to work through each section, blow drying with the round brush. Make sure to blow dry at the hairline since the texture in that area can be different from the rest of the hair. The Volumizing Souffle is great for keeping this area smooth the entire night.
- Post-blowout, spray Herbal Essences Naked Sheer Shine Mist ($5) to give hair a light touchable shine. Put hair into large Velcro rollers – one away from the face on the top, one on the crown, one on each side and two in the back. Once the rollers are in place, spray your whole head with Herbal Essences Naked Flexible Hold Spritzer ($7) to keep the lift in the roots without leaving the hair stiff or sticky.
- After makeup and wardrobe, take out the rollers, brush through, and done! Sleek, sophisticated, and gorgeous style!
More from InStyle:
Where to Get Olivia Munn's Orange Lipstick
Why New Yorkers Want Beyoncé's Blond Hair Color
Buy the Blush That Christina Hendricks Loves


text:
i want to start cataloging the interesting stuff i see, so expect more image posts.
glitch-art (aka glitch aka digital noise) is the observation of the world of the screen based livelihood. random, error filled beautiful anti-abstractions and unexpected results from our so reliable black boxes.
glitch can be linked to other art movements such as the sonic noise art movement that arose during Dada or earlier. Curt Cloninger has made several posts on a rhizome discussion post that show his day to day discoveries, including an image of a decaying icon painting of the Christ. though the vernacular of glitch is computational, this image underpins that noise art is actually part of even the 'analog' arts. glitch is the material failure of the medium in which creates a unique optical impression. this type of material 'failure' can also be compared to the patina on an antique which regularly increases the value of the object.
i am also reminded of the ideas of 'happy accident' regularly discussed by painters. the happy accident occurs when material skips or misses or exhibits some other bit of resistance to the manipulation of the draughtsperson.
vcu primer on glitch
"To err human, to glitch is machine." creators project brief guide to glitch
i am a avid fan of experimental music and i started to get very interested in optically based glitch in the MMORPG's i participate in. sometimes caused by bad network or slow connections, the spaces in between navigable space of the game and the transport can be very beautiful. here's an example from recent:
Monday, January 17, 2011
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text:
Press freedom in Asia declining, – Report
Lanka ranked 162 in the Press Freedom Index 2013January 30, 2013, 10:23 pm
Press freedom across most parts of Asia has worsened, according to the latest Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders.
The media watchdog says Burma is a rare bright spot, and changes in Afghanistan are "precarious" as foreign troops withdraw.
Authoritarian countries like North Korea, China, Vietnam and Laos continue to appear at the bottom of the list, while Cambodia and Malaysia are regarded as drifting towards authoritarianism.
Sri Lanka is ranked 162 and has come up a notch from last year's position (163).
Finland has come on the top of the list while Eritrea has hit the bottom place of the 179 country list.
In Asia, India (140th, -9) is at its lowest since 2002 because of increasing impunity for violence against journalists and because Internet censorship continues to grow. China (173rd, +1) shows no sign of improving.
The annual report noted a general decline in South Asia and Japanese restrictions on reporting the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The head of Reporters Without Borders in Asia and the Pacific, Benjamin Ismail, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia there is limited media freedom in North Korea and China, despite leadership changes.
"Here we are still informed almost on a daily basis of violation of press freedom in these regions such as Tibet, but also for cases concerning the mainstream media located in Beijing or Shanghai," he said.
Burma has risen 18 places on the Press Freedom Index this year and ranks 151 out of 179 countries.
Mr Ismail says decriminalisation of the media needs to be the next step if the Burmese Government is serious about improving press freedom.
"The big challenge in 2013 for Burma will be legislative reform," he said.
"It appears many things have changed for journalists, the reality is not at all the same.
"They can really think of a brighter future, think to develop their media. But their legislative framework - which is a repressive one - is still in place, and that needs to be abolished."
The Press Freedom Index is determined by questionaries sent to non-governmental organisations, journalists, jurists and human rights workers.
Breaking News
Await Breaking News...
Last Updated May 23 2019 | 08:16 pm


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Friday, April 19, 2013
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (April 19, 2013) – Trainer Henry Collazo will look to duplicate the graded stakes success enjoyed by Signal Hill Farms' Mucho Mas Macho, the 41-1 upset winner of the Grade 2 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes in January, when starting in Saturday's Grade 3 Miami Mile Handicap at Calder Casino & Race Course.
Mucho Mas Macho, a son of Macho Uno, breezed a half-mile over the Calder main track in :48.2 on April 15, a preparatory move that has his trainer feeling confident one day ahead of the race.
"I think he's coming up to this in great shape," Collazo said. "In the past, I've said that he would do better the longer he goes, which is probably still true, but he's won a couple of times going a mile over this course before, so the distance of the race doesn't worry me.
"I think it's more about the company he keeps. I've handicapped this race over and over, and he fits well with this group."
Sandwiched between his win in the Ft. Lauderdale and the high expectations for the Miami Mile was a fifth-place performance in the Grade 2 Pan American Handicap, an effort that was clearly a disappointment to Collazo, although not without reason.
"He trained good and breezed well leading up to it, and I thought he would run big," Collazo said. "But the one thing I was hoping for was a little rain to soften up that course. That didn't happen, and the turf that day was so hard. I believe that really compromised his chances. The winner set a world record. That alone should tell you how hard the turf was."
With rains dampening the Calder turf course last weekend, Collazo doesn't see surface condition as a possible pitfall on Saturday.
"I think it will be more like grass and not asphalt," the trainer joked.
One potential cause for concern is the outer post 11 that Mucho Mas Macho has drawn for the Miami Mile, although Collazo dismisses that notion and is unwilling to engage in any pre-race excuse prognostication.
"The outside post doesn't bother me at all," Collazo stated emphatically. "Starting out there I know my horse won't get buried or intimidated early.
"If you go back to the Pan American again, other than the hard surface, I think you can see that he was a little anxious and was never in a good place during the race. And that was starting from post four. So post, to me, that doesn't matter. He's going to run his race."
Mucho Mas Macho is a three-time winner in six starts over the Calder turf, including a win in last year's $75,000 Needles Stakes as part of the Festival of the Sun Preview Day.
Read more articles in the Calder category.


text: Hi, i need to know how ispconfig 3 version 22.214.171.124 on debian 6 i386 work about standard_index.html_ language file. So when i create a new website ispconfig3 create the default index.html in english language, but in the /usr/local/ispconfig/server/conf/index there are the index page in many languages. How ispconfig3 determine the language to be used? Is the same for error pages? Thanks. Giuseppe


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CROCKETT — Sheriff's deputies arrested the great grandsons of celebrated ironworker and Carquinez Bridge namesake Alfred Zampa after the pair were suspected of stabbing a man on the street in Crockett Saturday morning, authorities said.
Sheriff's officials said Donald Zampa, 21, and Richard Zampa, 24, the fourth generation of the legendary ironworking family, were arrested about 2:09 a.m. after they got into a fight with a 29-year-old man near Second Avenue and Pomona Street, as nearby Club Tac was closing for the night.
Donald Zampa was booked into the Martinez Detention Center on suspicion of attempted murder, and Richard Zampa was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said.
Deputies arrived and found the victim suffering from multiple stab wounds, and were told the men responsible were nearby on Loring Avenue, Lee said. The stabbing victim, whose name has not been released, was flown to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek to be treated for his stab wounds and has since been released.
Information about what precipitated the fight and whether it began in the bar was not immediately available, and Lee would not say whether the Zampas knew the victim prior to the stabbing.
The renowned ironworking family gained widespread recognition after the suspects' great grandfather, Alfred Zampa, survived a fall from the Golden Gate Bridge during its construction, and later served as the namesake for the new span of the Carquinez Bridge, where he began his career in 1926.
Both Donald and Richard Zampa remain in jail, with Donald Zampa's bail set at $500,000 and Richard Zampa's at $30,000, Lee said. The case has been submitted to the Contra Costa County district attorney's office for a formal review.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 925-313-2600. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling 866-846-3592, or by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com.
Contact Erin Ivie at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/erin_ivie.


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Nation & World
Chinese migrants see cities as key to better education, lives for kids
Li Jian sat in a cool, dim kindergarten principal's office and grinned as he shelled out a thick wad of colorful bills from his worn leather wallet. Principal Jin Taohong smiled back as she punched numbers on her calculator and collected 2,200 yuan – $360 – three months' tuition for Li's 5-year-old daughter.
That stack of bills will allow his beloved Li Xin to eat three nutritious meals every school day, color squares and triangles in workbooks, sing to the tune of a sleek black piano and, hopefully, attend college.
These basic kindergarten activities aren't always realities for children such as Li Xin, who was born into a family of poor migrant workers. Like millions of others, her parents left their rural home in Sichuan province, hoping to earn a share of China's new prosperity in a village just miles away from the booming city of Shanghai.
In doing so, the Lis took a chance, deciding to live outside China's important residential registration system, a bureaucratic filter that divides urban residents from rural workers. The hukou system, as it's known, can determine which benefits citizens receive depending on where they live.
Those with residency permits for big cities such as Shanghai and Beijing have access to quality health care, education and other benefits. But those who live in poor villages receive little to no government help, especially when it's time to send their children to school.
"I want (Xin) to learn," Li Jian said. "Education is important. If she has talent, I want her to go to a university."
Though the kindergartens of Shanghai are just a subway ride away, his daughter can't attend them without the all-important Shanghai hukou.
That's how Li, 47, came to be sitting in a principal's office counting out a tuition payment for his daughter's education at a beautiful kindergarten that was built two years ago to serve the children of migrant families in his village.
The children of migrants often are compelled to attend schools that are close to their home villages, where the quality of education is spotty, said Jin, who's been an educator for more than 35 years.
In many such schools, teachers aren't qualified and school conditions are shoddy, she said. In the past two years, the Beijing government has shut down and demolished dozens of these migrant schools because they're unsafe or ill-equipped for education, according to news reports.
Li Jian is lucky. Aiyou Jiufeng, the kindergarten for migrant kids closest to his home, is a shining beacon of hope in Jiufeng village, otherwise notable for its garbage-ridden landfills, run-down shacks and stray dogs.
Once a farming village about 25 miles from the skyscrapers of downtown Shanghai, Jiufeng is now home to migrant workers who've left their villages to seek prosperity in the city.
Some of them spend nine-hour days transforming planks of wood into material for boats, others work on the hundreds of construction sites in Shanghai and still others subsist by collecting trash from the streets to recycle for money.
The poverty is inescapable. Children walk through dusty streets barefoot, and slabs of plywood and tarps serve as roofs to keep the rain out of the dilapidated sheds used as homes. Though migrant workers want their children to attend universities in the hopes of obtaining high-paying careers, few can afford it.
But poverty doesn't mean hopelessness.
Tucked in the heart of the tiny village, the 2-year-old Aiyou Jiufeng kindergarten is a different world. Cooks prepare lunch for more than 120 smiling students in a stainless steel kitchen, an in-ground pool sits next to a playground for summer swimming, and teachers stand behind newly constructed chalkboards to teach their students Chinese characters and simple math equations.
The kindergarten employs qualified teachers, and it has bunk beds for naptime, classrooms with hardwood flooring and a playground for recess.
Kindergartens such as this one are in higher demand, its principal said. The trend is catching on because of the emphasis the government has placed on education in the past 20 years, stressing a vigorous curriculum for children who are preparing to take China's grueling college entrance examinations.
Fortunately for Xie Bing, a 43-year-old migrant worker who left his home in rural Anhui province to take a job with a storage company near Shanghai, Aiyou Jiufeng is close to his home. If it weren't, his 5-year-old daughter, Dina, wouldn't be able to show off her powder-blue Mickey Mouse coat to her classmates during recess.
"I wanted to choose the closest kindergarten," Xie said. "I want to make (Dina) better developed for education."
Location is a key factor for migrant workers. If a migrant school isn't near a family's home, parents struggle to find one for their children.
Aiyou Jiufeng's enrollment quadrupled to more than 120 students in its second year. About the same number are expected to enroll for the next school year, the principal said.
Jin said the school was funded through tuition and corporate donations. Most parents are more than willing to pay, as each payment brings them closer to the dream that their children will move on to brighter futures.
The reality is still daunting, however.
At one of the country's top colleges, higher education is available mostly to the wealthy as little financial aid is offered. At Shanghai's elite Fudan University, officials estimate that less than 5 percent of students need financial assistance for tuition payments. The university doesn't track the socioeconomic backgrounds of its students, so there are no official statistics.
"All want to have a higher education, but it can't be guaranteed," Jin said.
Most Fudan students have parents who also attended college and hold high-paying jobs. Few, if any, have parents who worked in construction or repaired furniture in migrant villages.
For migrants' children especially, poor education leads to dead-end jobs. That's a lesson that workers such as Deng Yungbo learned the hard way.
Deng, 26, is a migrant from the countryside who never attended kindergarten. He came to Shanghai to work for a furniture company, in hopes that his twin 1-year-old daughters will have it better than he did.
"I just can't make a good living," Deng said. "I just want my family to have one."


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The Vermont fracked gas pipeline is now in a critical stage of regulatory decision-making. AARP has come out against the proposed deal that Gov. Shumlin reached with Vermont Gas to cap the pipeline costs that customers will be required to pay
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I attended the "special" Addison County Regional Planning Commission meeting about whether or not the commission should still support the Addison "Natural" Gas Project, in light of the most recent cost estimate increase. I heard some interesting comments as reported by Mr. Flowers in a recent Addison Independent article.
A coalition of social and environmental activist groups on Tuesday conducted a coordinated series of separate protests against fracked natural gas across the Champlain Valley. Nine people were arrested.
In Williston, members of the activist group Rising Tide Vermont handcuffed themselves to construction equipment at 7:30 a.m. to disrupt construction of the Vermont Gas pipeline extension into Addison County. Four people were arrested.
On behalf of Agri-Mark, Inc., I would like to express our very strong, continued support for the extension of the natural gas pipeline from Chittenden County to Middlebury.
SOUTH BURLINGTON — The Vermont Gas Board of Directors announced on Tuesday that Donald Gilbert will be retiring at the end of the year and Donald J. Rendall will become the new president and CEO of Vermont Gas, effective Jan. 1, 2015.
Gilbert, a Hinesburg resident, has led Vermont Gas for more than 13 years.
MONTPELIER — The Public Service Board on Friday decided not to reopen the Certificate of Public Good it issued Phase I of the Addison Rutland Natural Gas Project, allowing construction of the pipeline from Colchester to Middlebury and Vergennes to continue.
The state utilities regulator also detailed an increased burden on Vermont Gas Systems ratepayers, who will ultimately pay for the pipeline project.
This is a reply to the "commentary" by Sens. Kevin Mullin and Peg Flory, both Republicans representing Rutland County, on the Vermont Gas Systems/International Paper proposed pipeline project called "Phase 2" that appeared in the July 21 edition of the Addison Independent.
To start let me make three things clear:
• The Town of Cornwall does not oppose getting natural gas to Rutland.
SOUTH BURLINGTON — A handful of Addison County residents staged a protest at the headquarters of Vermont Gas Systems this past Wednesday afternoon, an act they said was in retaliation for trespassing by the company on their land. South Burlington police arrested one protester, Jane Palmer of Monkton, after she refused to leave the premises at the close of business.
This week's writer is Kim Greenwood, the Vermont Natural Resources Council's water program director/staff scientist.
The Vermont Gas Systems' proposal to build a gas pipeline in Chittenden and Addison counties has come under criticism, and rightly so, for a variety of reasons.
The June 26 edition of the Addison Independent featured a story on proposed changes to the Middlebury Town Plan by the Middlebury Planning Commission. The report claimed that the changes were necessary to "clarify language that might have been ambiguous." Not that they were ambiguous, but might be.
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<< Back to Sound Effects List
Coll Anderson SFX Library
Over 11,750 SFX / 150 GIGS
$1,350 USD Special
Regular $1,999 USD
Audition Library Above
Tab Delimited
A complete collection of over 11,750 BWAV Metadata Embedded Sound Effects on a 150 Gigs HDD.
Coll has been the Production Sound Mixer on over 20 feature films including Steve Buscemi's critically acclaimed Trees Lounge and Alex Winter's Fever, an official selection in the Directors Fortnight at Cannes. His production resume includes television shows Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and 13 National Commercial Campaigns ranging from pharmaceutical products to BMW.
He has been the supervising sound editor and re-recording mixer for more that 20 feature films and was the sound designer for Errol Morris' Emmy winning PBS Stay Curious Advertising Campaign. When speaking of Fever the Village Voice praised Coll's sound design for "weaving creaks, clanks, and thumps into a distinctive and eerie symphony of tenement sounds." Roger Ebert said of Mr. Death, The Rise and Fall of Fred Leuchter Jr. ".this film sounds amazing!"
Coll Anderson was born in 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Iowa, Kentucky and Utah and received a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College in 1991. Raised the son of a Midwestern Country radio disk jockey, his interest in audio engineering and technology started at an early age. He recorded his first feature length Documentary at 19 and his first Dolby feature at 21. His favorite thing to do is go into the field and record new and distinct sounds for the big screen.
Call toll-free 877-315-3647 or 310-399-4557


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The snow didn�t stick but the cold temperatures are here to stay this week.
Updated at 10:53 a.m.
The snow didn�t stick but the cold temperatures are here to stay this week.
The National Weather Service office in Newport issued a special weather statement for the area, including Onslow and Carteret counties, indicating that wind chill values will keep temperatures bitterly cold today.
An arctic front brought colder air into Eastern North Carolina Tuesday night and strong northwest winds of 15 to 30 mph along the coast have made cold temperatures today feel even colder.
�We�re only looking at highs in the upper 20s today and with strong northwest winds the wind chill will be in the teens,� said meteorologist Brian Cullen.
Cullen said temperatures tonight will be in the mid to upper teens but the winds will die down in the evening.
Temperatures are expected to reach into the 40s on Thursday but another cold front is forecasted for the area late in the week, with lows Thursday night in the mid to upper teens and the high temperature for Friday dropping back to the upper 20s.
But don�t expect any more snow.
�There is no precipitation in the forecast for the rest of the week,� Cullen said.
Cullen said a band of light snow flurries came through the Onslow and Carteret area between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Tuesday night but there were only a few spots of accumulation.
Onslow and Carteret counties may see some snow flurries late this morning and early in the afternoon, but that should be the rest of the snow, according to Meteorologist Brian Cullen.
�This snow will be light and we're not expecting any accumulation,� he said.
With the flurries comes the cold.
Cullen said that the temperatures will remain in the upper-20s today with a strong north wind bringing wind chills in the teens.
Overnight, the area should expect lows in the mid- to upper-teens.
�The wind will die off though so wind chill won't be much of a factor overnight,� he said.
That cold is expected to stick around for a while.
�Temperatures will remain below normal until (early next week) but we're not looking at any additional snow after the flurries today,� he said.
Typically the area sees temperatures in the mid-50s during this time of year.
Cullen said the area saw some snow showers, or flurries, Tuesday night between 9 and 11 p.m.
�The most we've heard of in Onslow and Carteret counties is a light dusting,� he said.


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Benefits & Features
Here at SKINS we know how much sport matters. Keep a cool head and stay focused with our new SKINS Unisex Visor, available in black or white with subtle SKINS branding. The visor features a special fastener that won't catch you hair. It's ideal for those who want to let their roots breathe!


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Why Niagara?
Why is Niagara the Perfect Fit for Veterans?
- Small class sizes.
- Academic credit for military service.
- 91% job placement in a students desired field.
- More than 50 majors and academic programs.
- Private Veteran lounge for relaxation to study, and bond with fellow veterans.
- Dedicated veterans coordinator to help incoming veterans transition to Niagara University.
- Students Veterans Organization to help incoming veterans get around Niagara University.
- CLEP and Dantes exam credits can be transferred at Niagara University.


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UK department store Selfridges presents "Board Games" featuring custom skate decks by some of today's leading designers and brands. Used as an artistic canvas for years now, the decks have been outfitted by the likes of Rick Owens, KENZO, Hood By Air, Neil Barrett, Billionaire Boys Club, Dries Van Noten, Yohji Yamamoto, Phillip Lim, AAPE by A Bathing Ape, Maison Martin Margiela and Alexander McQueen. Many others contribute, too, adding their own unique aesthetic to the blank slate. All of the boards are available now straight from Selfridges' online shop.
Selfridges presents "Board Games" featuring Skate Decks by Rick Owens, Yohji Yamamoto, Hood By Air and More
12 more


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The eclectic decor of Veronica Tincher's retirement residence in Palo Alto reflects the diversity of her life experiences -- and of her life rooted in the Midpeninsula.
Among the exotic bric-a-brac and European paintings, a pair of prominent watercolors grace the eastern wall of the living room. Impressionistic in style, they show scenes of the garden of her childhood home in Los Altos.
"I loved my mother's garden as a child -- I would run around and pick the fruit off the cherry and peach trees," Tincher said.
The watercolors were done by a Hungarian friend of the family. Tincher was born of Hungarian parents who had moved to Koenigsberg, the capital of East Prussia, a small region east of Germany.
"The artist and my father were in the Austro-Hungarian army together during World War I," Tincher said.
Through the sponsorship of the Rockefeller and Jewish Community foundations, Tincher's family came to the states in 1934, living in St. Louis, Mo. In 1938, the family moved to Los Altos after her father, formerly a professor at the University of Koenigsberg, was invited to teach at Stanford University.
"We were lucky to leave East Prussia when we did -- and it was only some years later when the Jews were rounded up. I was in Los Altos at the time and had become really Americanized. I was only a child. I didn't start thinking about what had happened until later, when I was university," she said.
It was after her first year at Stanford, during a six-month stay in Europe, that she underwent a life-changing experience.
"In 1948 I went to Hungary to see the family that had still survived. I went to see what happened to the people after the war."
She discovered that one of her uncles had been killed in a concentration camp, and another, along with his wife and daughter, had survived somehow.
"Hungary had been under siege for three months, and there wasn't a building that didn't have shell marks. Some people didn't have shoes or even clothing. There was no water or heating," she recalled.
These encounters helped mold Tincher's world view and, upon returning to the U.S., she felt a strong desire to actively engage with the issues around her.
"I was grateful for the opportunities that I have had in the U.S., and my time in Hungary made me want to reach out to the people around me."
After graduating from Stanford, she got married and settled in southern California with her husband. When their three children were in elementary school, Tincher, who also worked in research and administration at the University of Southern California, had more time to take an active role in politics.
"Wives played bridge or were interested in fashion shows, but those things didn't appeal to me," Tincher said. She was most interested in educating herself on national issues and in 1959 joined the League of Women Voters in Long Beach. The League, established in 1920 after women got the vote, focuses on advocacy, outreach and voter education.
"Just a few years ago the League commemorated my 50 years of involvement with them," she said, proudly. In addition to regular membership, Tincher has served on her local board and as president during the 1960s. After moving to Palo Alto in 1995, she joined the local branch, with which she is still active, and was president from 2004-06. She's also chaired the Santa Clara County Mental Health Board and volunteered with Legal Aide, AARP Tax Aide, Keddem Congregation and the Palo Alto Jewish Community Center.
Tincher said her proudest achievement was when she coordinated a campaign for a much-needed library in Long Beach.
"The building was old, falling apart and inefficient," she said noting that she had to convince City Hall to serve as the financing mechanism.
"The campaign involved not only organizing the League, but also the Chamber of Commerce, PTA, the school board and members of the community," she said.
"Finally when all was set, I pitched it to the City Council. It was accepted. Had I not done that, we wouldn't have had a new library. It was very satisfying."


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FIAT of Scottsdale's expansive inventory of new cars, trucks and SUVs, located at 16301 N. 78th Street in Scottsdale, AZ, is well stocked with vehicles to meet your every need!
Be sure to browse the latest New Vehicle Specials for up-to-date promotions, or check out FIAT of Scottsdale's Featured Vehicles, highlighting both new and used cars. Should we not currently stock your ideal vehicle, please complete the Fiat Finder form and FIAT of Scottsdale will complete the search for you!
Want to learn more about a particular vehicle? Check out our Vehicle Showroom, allowing you to configure your own car, truck, minivan or SUV while also learning the technical specifications and available features for each model.


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Memorial Tree Program
The Memorial Tree Program offers families the opportunity to remember their loved ones while enhancing the beauty of Bowling Green's Parks and Cemeteries. By participating in this special program, family members will help designate a memorial planting to honor their loved one and support the beautification of our parks and green spaces.
How the Memorial Tree Program Works
To participate in the program, an individual selects the Memorial Program option best suited to them, and indicates the park or cemetery in which they would like the planting to occur. The Parks Arborist, together with the Cemetery Division Manager and Maintenance Manager, will provide information about available planting sites and proper tree selection for the chosen location. The City staff will work to provide options that best suites the request while conforming to the City's horticultural plans.
Purchase online at https://playbgpr.bgky.org or
Click here to download the Memorial Tree application.
Please submit your Memorial Tree application to the following address or call (270) 393-3111 for more information:
Memorial Tree Program
c/o Parks Arborist
225 East 3rd Ave
Bowling Green, KY 42101
Tree Selection and Planting Locations
Bowling Green Parks and Cemeteries strive to maintain a healthy and diverse urban forest with long range goals for its success in mind. Tree selections and planting locations are chosen based on species, topography, soil condition, light exposure, mature plant size, and appropriateness for placement in the city's urban forest and public areas. These factors determined by the Parks Arborist combine to ensure that your memorial planting will continue to thrive for many years to come.
Care for the New Tree
The Bowling Green Parks Arborist and maintenance staff will provide all care necessary for the tree to the standards set for all park plantings.
Program Options
- New Tree Planting with Memorial Plaque
For a sum of $250, a new tree will be planted in memory of your loved one. An engraved 10"x12" gray granite marker will be placed at the base of the tree.
- New Tree Planting
For a sum of $200, a new tree will be planted in memory of your loved one.
- Adopt an existing Tree with Memorial Plaque
For a sum of $125, an engraved 10"x12" gray granite marker will be placed at the base of an existing tree.
Program Warranty
All options include a 10 year warranty for trees and limited warranty for granite markers.
For Additional Information Please Contact:
Parks Arborist: (270) 393-3111


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Dom Capers was desperate for a win.
So ahead of the 2005 Houston Texans home opener, with game-time temperatures forecast in the low 90s, the head coach asked team officials to keep the Reliant Stadium roof open. The heat, he reasoned, would roast the Pittsburgh Steelers in their black jerseys.
Alas, no. The Steelers were indeed on fire, but not in the way Capers hoped. They sacked quarterback David Carr eight times, beating the Texans 27-7. Capers would be sacked at season's end, too, after the team finished with a record of 2-14.
But the legacy of his let's-roast-the-Steelers decision lives on.
After the game, fans were merciless in their complaints about the heat – writing the Chronicle, calling radio and television stations and, most of all, calling the Texans.
"We've had a lot of communication with our fans," team owner Bob McNair understated later in the season.
Read more at HoustonChronicle.com