text:
Many people who visit an acupuncturist's office come with a history of chronic headache. While a headache may sometimes be a warning sign of a more serious medical condition, most types of head pain seen by an acupuncturist are either a tension headache, migraine, or a combination of both.
For migraines, acupuncture treatment depends on whether the patient comes into my office experiencing acute pain or is seeking preventative treatment in between migraine attacks. Prevention should be the long-term goal. Here I will describe how I approach each situation with acupuncture.
Although several studies suggest that acupuncture is effective for migraine prevention, the use of acupuncture for reducing pain during a migraine attack requires further study.
In my clinical practice, I have found acupuncture to be quite effective for managing the acute pain of mild to moderate migraine attacks.
A typical acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of fine needles into acupuncture points on the body followed by gentle manipulation of the needles. This instantly increases blood flow in the tissues through a mechanism know as the "axon reflex", which dilates the small vessels around the needle area. An increase in circulation where blood flow is poor is called removal of "stagnation" in Asian medicine and is generally considered a very good response for most chronic conditions and for migraine prevention.
However, this is not the approach I take during a migraine attack. Since pain during a migraine is believed to be associated with dilation of blood vessels in the head, inducing this physiological reaction through the insertion of needles into the head and neck area would not be desirable during an attack. It may even temporarily worsen the patient's pain and accompanying symptoms such as nausea.
Instead I minimize activity of the blood vessels in the head and neck during a migraine attack. How is this done? By limiting the acupuncture points selected to those on the arms and legs. The head and neck areas are rarely stimulated to avoid unnecessary dilation of vessels in that area.
In addition, the entire treatment is often done with the patient in sitting position rather than the usual lying position. This is because blood vessels are under greater control in sitting position, minimizing the chance of undesired dilation of the blood vessels following acupuncture. In certain situations, a high frequency (100 Hz) electrical current may be connected to the acupuncture needles to help constrict the blood vessels.
Emotional stress is a well known trigger for migraine. Japanese researchers have found that people living in fast-paced business centers in Tokyo tend to have an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, specifically, an inhibition of the parasympathetic system that is active during relaxation, and an excitation of the sympathetic nervous system, which governs our response to stress. This type of imbalance is associated with other health conditions such as heart disease, insomnia, high blood pressure, and premenstrual syndrome.
In order to harmonize the autonomic nervous system, I use a special acupuncture technique called SES. The SES technique involves the shallow insertion of acupuncture needles just to the dermis of the skin, with manual needle stimulation given while the patient is exhaling and in sitting position. This technique was originally studied by professor Kazushi Nishijo of Tsukuba College of Technology in Japan, who found it had positive physiological effects on the nervous system. My recent studies suggest that this acupuncture technique may activate the parasympathetic nervous system and decrease muscle tension. Acupuncture points for this technique are usually chosen on the forearms and lower legs.


text:
Ford Otomotiv
Assessment of Seismic Fault Rupture, Ground Deformation and Subsidence Hazards
for the Ford-Otosan Automobile Assembly Plant in Kocaeli, Turkey
Project Description
The August 17, 1999 earthquake in Turkey caused:
- Surface fault rupture along the southern perimeter of the Ford-Otosan Turkish Automobile Assembly Plant;
- Significant damage to Ford-Otosan's new buildings, especially to the body shop, where the columns were tilted;
- Regional subsidence of as much as 1.5 meters where the main plant buildings are located;
- Synclinal warping and secondary faulting associated with a step in the main fault, at the Golçuk stepover; and
- Lateral slumping and spreading of sediments into the Marmara Sea to the north of the property.
Earth Consultants International was asked to evaluate the probability of another similar earthquake occurring during the lifetime of the plant. Paleoseismic trenching confirmed the historic record of large earthquakes, separated in time by about 200 years. This evidence was critical to assessing short and moderate term risk. It was determined that the Ford-Otosan plant has a low probability of experiencing a similar earthquake in the next 50 to 100 years. However, it will likely experience smaller earthquakes (aftershocks) generated by the same fault system, and lower, attenuated ground motions as a result of earthquakes on other faults some distance from the site. Based on these results Ford-Otosan decided to rebuild the plant rather than moving their facility elsewhere.
La Jovita LNG Terminal Site
Fault Hazard Assessment Study
for the Proposed La Jovita LNG Terminal Site
Baja California, Mexico
Project Description
Panama Tectonic Geomorphology
Tectonic Geomorphic Reconnaissance
of the Pedro Miguel, Azota, Miraflores, and other faults
Panamá Canal Area and Vicinity, Panamá
Following up on our successful paleoseismic studies of the Gatún and Limón faults, the Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (ACP) authorized Earth Consultants International to investigate the entire Panamá Canal area for the presence of other active faults. The intent of the study was to identify other potential seismic hazards within the Canal watershed that should be included into the seismic hazard model being developed for the Canal Expansion project. Because of the large area to be studied, a heavy reliance was placed on aerial imagery mapping, terrain model analysis, helicopter reconnaissance, and tectonic geomorphic mapping. These techniques were supplemented with a targeted field reconnaissance program at sites identified as likely to provide positive or negative evidence for recency of activity on the faults being studied.
The tectonic geomorphic mapping indicated a high probability that the Azota and Pedro Miguel faults are active seismic sources. Both faults sharply deform all streams where they cross the fault indicating they are both right-lateral strike-slip faults, similar to the Limón fault studied earlier. A previously unmapped fault along the east side of Lake Madden also shows clear evidence for recurrent Holocene activity. The mapping also indicated a lower risk of seismic activity on the Miraflores and Caballo faults. In addition to the faults, we also estimated an uplift rate for the Caribbean Coast of Panamá and evaluated the possibility that the Gatún fault continues farther west across Gatún Lake. All results were presented to ACP management and their Geotechnical and Seismic Advisory Boards.
Panama Pedro Miguel
Paleoseismic Investigations of the Pedro Miguel Fault for Design of the Panamá Canal Expansion Project
As part of the design studies for the Panamá Canal Expansion Project, the Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (ACP) authorized Earth Consultants International (ECI) to undertake a quantitative paleoseismic investigation to determine the slip rate, recurrence intervals, recency, magnitude, location, and rupture kinematics of the Pedro Miguel fault. The fault was initially identified as a potentially active fault by ECI in a regional tectonic geomorphic mapping project as part of studies into the seismic hazard to the existing Canal. Because of the Pedro Miguel fault's proximity to the existing Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks, and its location through the Expansion Project's Borinqu&enacute; Dam, the fault would pose a significant design constraint for the project.
The investigation began with detailed research of the existing geologic investigations for the original Panamá Canal, the design studies for the 1939-41 Third Locks Project, and the new Canal Expansion Project. The trenching phase of the study was conducted over two phases, eventually totaling over 75 trenches and exposures. The study successfully located the fault through the entire Expansion Project area, resolved a right-lateral slip rate of 3.6 to 8.0 mm/yr, and determined that the fault has ruptured three times in the past 1,600 years. The study also successfully resolved slip per event, recency of activity, and recurrence intervals at three different sites along the fault. In a follow-up study, we also confirmed that the last rupture of the Pedro Miguel fault resulted in a 2.8 to 3.0 meter displacement that occurred on May 2, 1621 and severely damaged the original capital of Panamá Viejo. The results of our work were presented to the ACP's Geotechnical, Seismic, Structural, and Paleoseismic Advisory Boards, ACP's upper management, and political leaders.
Ocean Trails Landslides
Peer Review Panel for Landslide Mitigation at the Ocean Trails Golf Course
Rancho Palos Verdes, California
The Ocean Trails Golf Course, located on an elevated marine terrace at the tip of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, has had a history of adverse landslide impacts even before it was opened. Three coastal landslides (A, B, & C) had been mapped within the course's footprint during design studies. In 1998, landslide C dramatically reactivated, taking Holes 10 & 11 into the sea. The failure was repaired, and the course rebuilt. However, the failure led to a renewed scrutiny of the current stability of landslides A & B, and their future stability after new additions to the project were completed, including the Clubhouse expansion, a driving range, and a dozen new homes above landslide A. Over the course of 3+ years, the developer's geotechnical team and the City of Rancho Palos Verdes' geotechnical reviewers were consistently unable to reach concurrence on the geological model that would ultimately underpin the stability analysis and any required mitigation efforts. Principals from three firms: Earth Consultants International, GeoKinetics, and AMEC, were retained jointly by the developer and the city to serve as a Peer Review Panel between the two conflicting geotechnical firms, and attempt to bring their opinions together and allow the project to move forward.
The Peer Review Panel reviewed the extensive geotechnical documentation that had been created over 20 years of studying the site. The Panel conducted its own field reconnaissance and mapping, including rappelling down the sea cliff to map, measure, and sample the exposed strata. Four additional borings were drilled and cored at key locations where the two interpretations differed to bring hard data to bear on differentiating between them. These borings were installed with groundwater monitoring piezometers and slope movement inclinometers for future monitoring. After all the existing and new data were reviewed and analyzed, the Panel prepared a review report and held several meetings with the two parties to share the results and help them to understand the differences. The work of the Panel ultimately had two cycles, very similar in scope, as both parties continued to disagree, and more work was done on both sides, including more drilling. Although eventually neither side was pleased, portions of the project were allowed to move forward, albeit with a different design.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Did you ever stop and think about the impact you can have on a child's life? You really can make a lasting impression on children, even if you are not a parent. I mean, even as you simply go through your day, you can influence a child just in passing, because they are so impressionable, by doing the smallest act of kindness.
Sharing a smile. Helping them take that scary step by holding their hand getting onto an escalator. Asking at your local library if they need anyone to read a story to kids for a story time. Or, even taking that long lunch and driving to your child's school and showing them you can get just as messy as they do baking bread or painting an Earth Day T-shirt.
When my daughter started Kindergarten, I could not wait to get involved at her school. I think I volunteered for every class project, field trip, art activity and then some, when the occasion arose for parents to come in for an hour and spend some time with the children. I bet her teacher was tired of seeing my name on the signup sheets!
My daughter has been fortunate two years in a row now to be a part of classes that have many parents who feel as I do and devote their time to class activities when opportunities arise. So many parents volunteer to participate in activities like spaghetti day, or reading stories, or perhaps teaching an art class and leading a painting project, that sometimes I've gotten "We're sorry, we have enough volunteers for this special day. Maybe you can come in next time," notes sent home to me.
I can't even begin to explain to you the rewards of volunteering your time with kids. Children, especially at young ages, look up to adults so much. Every single one of us is someone they look up to. Why? Because they know that someday, they will be grown-ups just like us. We are their role models. All of us.
In schools, during these short windows of time, every parent, aunt, uncle, or relative who carves out a portion of their busy days to spend it with a child makes such a lasting impression and significant impact on them. And the kids are so appreciative of it. When I leave an event I volunteered for, I feel young, exhilarated, and reminded of what it's like to be a child again-seeing the world through their eyes, where everything is new and wonderful for the first time.
"it was so fun I hope you come back soon."
Recently, I volunteered to teach a Fun in Art class to first graders. I didn't have to do it. I wanted to do it. In this particular situation, I had volunteered to teach the children about a painter, show his work to them, and expand it into an interactive lesson in painting with watercolors. It was an activity I led, with teachers' permission, and it wasn't even for my daughter's class.
See, some classes, maybe because the parents are too busy, or are too afraid to lead an activity, or because they have other obligations to attend to, don't have enough or any volunteers for leading supplemental creative lessons. This was a situation where I was fortunate enough to have the time to give these children an opportunity to participate in a learning experience, just because I felt they should have the same chance to enjoy Fun in Art as the other children in their grade.
I don't get paid to do it. I have to use my own time to research an artist, or plan a lesson. If there's anything "extra" that I'd like to include in the lesson to make the activity a little more interesting, like show the students a book from the library, or provide photos of scenery related to the lesson, that's my responsibility. I'm not reimbursed. I do it because I love it; not because of what I get back in terms of dollars and cents. I'm compensated for my time in ways you can't measure, as you can see in the words of the children which I have interspersed through this article, and in my photos.
"you are very kind. You have enspirered my heart!"
This was a quick art lesson I had presented, and the students enjoyed painting imaginative cityscapes using water colors. They were so proud of their pictures. Every time I told a student that I loved their painting, or how creative they were, their faces lit up. They loved the acknowledgment. They felt pride in what they were accomplishing. All they wanted was a little attention and a sincere compliment.
Apparently my lesson went over really big, because upon leaving the classroom many of the children ran up to me and gave me big hugs. Now where else can you get that kind of appreciation?
"I like you!"
To my surprise, the next day my daughter returned home with a large envelope filled with heartwarming thank you notes from every student for me. The carefully handwritten messages, spelled to their best abilities were a lot more than the words "Thank you." I was so touched by the sentiments inside the carefully folded construction paper cards that I thought I'd share some of the ones that got me choked up the most.
"Thank you for making us open our imagination."
Knowing that I affected the lives of these little children in a positive way makes me feel so good. Yes, it was just for a moment in time. But whether it's for a minute, or a year, I can feel good knowing that they enjoyed my presence and I made a difference. The warmth they conveyed showing their appreciation and excitement to me for visiting is the best compliment ever. It makes taking that time out of my day so worthwhile. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.
"Thank's for evrey-thing. I had so much fun."
I've volunteered for my daughter's class activities, and for other classes that did not have enough relatives who could carve out time in their days to participate in these special times. I'm fortunate enough where I have the ability to extend myself in this way. Not everyone does.
"You are rilly nice."
Unfortunately, the children whose parents can not ever come into school for anything are starving for attention many times. I see that because they are the ones who have so many stories to tell me about the characters in their pictures. They are the ones that come up to me and give me an extra hug before I leave. And they are the same ones that write "I hope you can come back again," in the special thank yous they send to me after the day is done, and I remember them by name, because my visit seemed to make them smile just a bit more than the average child.
I'm a parent. I work. I have responsibilities and days where I don't sit down. We all have the pressures of life coming at us from all angles. Each of our situations is different. What I am trying to say, though, is we all have the ability to make choices.
Many of us would take a longer lunch to see a doctor, or we would request time off from work to attend a family function or go on vacation. To me, taking time off from our daily lives in a selfless way, which costs us nothing but time, to capture a moment you can never get back in your child's life should be considered to be just as important as that business meeting, or running that last minute errand.
Just consider it. I'm not saying you have to do it. I'm not saying that you can do it. Just consider it. And consider the impact you will have on your own life and the life of a child, yours, or someone else's. You only get to be a parent once. You only get to live this life one time. And we all have choices to make; and I find that the ones I make for the benefit of others, are the most rewarding to me.
"You are very enspiring and gnres. Thank you for all the things you did for us. Your friend,"
Yes, I did make some new friends that day at the school; and I saw some old ones, too. They may be children, but they are my friends. Thank you, friends, for allowing me to spend some time with you. I enjoyed it, too.
Thank you to all of the wonderful first graders and their teachers at Triangle School for giving me the opportunity to spend some time with you and share my love of creativity and fun. You have "enspirered" my heart, too.


text:
I don't know exactley what the deal is at the moment, I know that you don't gain any points from deadbeats, but do the deadbeats themselves lose any? If not then this is a sly way to get out of losing points and I think it should be redressed. I'm in two games at the moment where apparently reliable players (5+ games completed) have simply stopped playing.
I can't judge to say whether or not this is the tactic they are trying to use, but whether they are or not, I think this suggestion would be useful for other games.
Subtract the points and count them as simply "lost points" not going to anyone would be my suggestion.
If this already happens and I'm just unaware of it, then apologies for wasting your time.


text:
I have no doubt that managing a city like Evanston requires superhuman coordination and forethought. In the case of the intersection of Church and Dodge, however, I worry that someone accidentally approved the plans after a carb crash after lunch.
, I spend a significant amount of time at that intersection taking my kids to for music lessons and performances.
Over the summer, while the intersection was under construction, I wondered when the metered spaces in front of Boocoo would return. Patience, I told myself. All in good time.
When one of my sons was on crutches and needed help navigating in and out of the car with his bass guitar in the rain, I'd park in front of Boocoo with my hazards on, praying the cars behind me wouldn't a) rear end us or b) crash head-on into the opposing traffic while avoiding us or c) honk loudly or d) shout profanities. Thankfully, I suppose, we only got c) and d).
When I heard Boocoo's management discuss what a disappointment it was to learn they'd lost their metered spaces out front, I went straight to the city for answers. Having just written an article about , I found it ironic: Why do some businesses have on-street parking so tight you can't even squeeze into your car while another business loses its on-street parking altogether?
City officials Rickey Voss (Division Manager, Parking & Revenue) and Marty Lyons (Assistant City Manager / Chief Financial Officer) agreed to meet with me in front of Boocoo to see exactly what I meant. I appreciated them assessing the situation and asked if they'd be willing to respond to this issue – as well as others posed by Patch readers. They readily agreed.
Lyons said that 2nd and 5th Ward residents voiced concern over pedestrian safety at the intersection, and the city responded. Speeding cars, bus traffic and congestion from a high school population of nearly 3,000 students led to an intersection makeover. That sounds absolutely reasonable.
At Lyons' suggestion, I also contacted 5th Ward Alderman Delores Holmes about the intersection. Though she was out of town when I got in touch, she indicated via email that she's had several meetings on the issue before the intersection was redesigned as well as a follow-up meeting on Aug. 16 after if was completed. She suggested I speak with Public Works Director Suzette Robinson. I've emailed and called Ms. Robinson but have not yet heard back from her.
Alderman Holmes' email also indicated that the City had met with the Boocoo staff regarding parking and that the south side of Church at Dodge is actually in the 2nd Ward – although "we all work together for the benefit of the residents." I've left a message for 2nd Ward Alderman Braithwaite and hope to hear back from him soon.
"Crossing the street for some of the students will also be helped with the new alterations," Holmes said, suggesting that boocoo could arrange for a dropoff area in back
When I shared Ald. Holmes' comments with Alicia Hempfling, a director at Boocoo, she said that dropping kids off behind the building was not a good option, since the parking lot belongs to a dentist who "(rightfully) gets annoyed at non-authorized vehicles going in and out."
Additionally, she said that, "in the dark evenings of fall and winter, there is not a clear line of sight from the back door to the alley. We want to make sure kids are safe being picked up and dropped off."
Hempfling went on to say that she and other Boocoo staff had noticed problems when buses make stops across the street and turn from Dodge onto Church. "If there is any sort of traffic, the cars get backed up behind the bus," she said. "Although trucks and large vehicles are able to make the turn off Dodge and on to Church, it is not without difficulty. Just think of heavy traffic and the end of the school day combined."
While I look forward to Director Robinson's response (as well as that of 2nd Ward Alderman Peter Braithwaite), a recent email Robinson sent to Boocoo concedes that, following construction, some residents "correctly" alerted the city to the following problems with the new intersection configuration:
- Eastbound traffic is challenging for bus loading/unloading
- Buses have difficulty turning left onto Church from Dodge
As a result, Robinson wrote, the city has had to eliminate five metered parking spaces in front of Boocoo. Though some parking spaces remain on the north side of Church east of Boocoo, there is now nowhere for cars to stop in front of Boocoo or the adjacent businesses.
So why is this all such a big deal?
In my opinion, the planners didn't take into account what the businesses or vehicles in that area need.
I'm all for pedestrian safety. I'm all for bike lanes. I'm even into attractive architectural features. However, when the improvements lead to further congestion — not to mention create an unsafe/frustrating situation for pedestrians and performers loading and unloading on its northeast corner — I think it's time to reevaluate how the planning process works.
One city official pointed out the improved appearance of the corner, though I can't help wondering how attractive it will be when horns are honking, tempers are flaring and patrons decide the businesses on the northeast corner of Church and Dodge are simply too frustrating to access.
Here are the responses I received from Marty Lyons regarding this issue:
Q: Why was the intersection at Dodge and Church modified in the first place?
A: As a part of improving total traffic (vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian) the city continually reviews intersections and streets throughout the city. This intersection improvement will allow for a bicycle path that is not in the roadway. In order to allow for this design the parking needed to be removed. The city has also met with 5th Ward residents to discuss this issue in detail. The City is also working with Boocoo to improve the parking in the rear of their building.
Q: Because there is no longer a bus cut out on the southeast corner at Church and Dodge, what happens to the traffic behind the buses?
A: Bus traffic will continue on Church and Dodge. Vehicles behind buses will act in the same way as any other two-lane road without parking.
Q: Will there be a bike lane in this intersection?
A: Yes, this bike lane will be in the right of way on the south side of Church.
Lyons also directed me to a press release from the city of Evanston, which highlights "sidewalk brick replacement, street resurfacing, a protected bike path, bike shelter, sidewalk furniture and pedestrian lighting."
All of these improvements sound fantastic on paper, but the reality is, the intersection of Church and Dodge is a mess. And it's only going to get worse with school in session.


text:
You can still enter our active giveaways.
I'm excited to giveaway two DVDs together, that will make a little girl very happy! Join me in the giveaway of My Little Pony 'Friendship is Magic- Adventures in the Crystal Empire' DVD and Littlest Pet Shop 'Little Pets, Big Adventures' DVD. These DVDs are provided by Shout! Kids Factory and Hasbro Studios.
Here's how to enter:
Open to US Addresses only.
1) For an entry, leave a comment telling me who would receive these DVDs.
2) For another entry, Share or Like this Post on Facebook.
3) For an additional entry, Tweet about this Giveaway
The giveaway will end on Wednesday, December 26, 2012 at 11:59 PM. A winner will be chosen through Random.Org. Good Luck!
By Kristen StephensHave you entered all our giveaways?
61 Comments so far
Maria Malaveci on
December 21, 2012 8:46 pm
My daughter would be so excited to have these!
Maria Malaveci on
December 21, 2012 8:47 pm
Liked the Post on FB
Maria Malaveci on
December 21, 2012 8:48 pm
tweeted about the giveaway
Jennie on
December 21, 2012 8:54 pm
My girls would love these!
Katie on
December 21, 2012 9:02 pm
I would love to have these for my daughter!
Kayla on
December 21, 2012 9:21 pm
My niece would love these!
Allisonau on
December 21, 2012 10:00 pm
My daughter would be so excited!
Jessie H on
December 21, 2012 11:45 pm
I would love to have these for me I love MLP
Christy on
December 22, 2012 1:25 am
I have 2 beautiful granddaughters who would love these!
Jaan L of Tx on
December 22, 2012 1:25 am
Well, my son is way to old for these, but my littlest niece would love them so much, she would just go crazy for these movies. Thanks. Happy Holidays
Christy on
December 22, 2012 1:36 am
I also shared this on Facebook.
Diana on
December 22, 2012 2:50 am
I have a great-niece that would love these. Her mommy, my niece, is pregnant and has almost lost this baby twice. Because of that her husband just got fired for having to take her to the baby doc. I know these would be very much loved and enjoyed.
Thank you.
Kelly r on
December 22, 2012 4:54 am
Both of my Kids would love these videos! Thank you!
Mandy Borkman on
December 22, 2012 5:24 am
My 6 year old daughter would love these dvds. She looks forward to the new Littlest Pet Shop show every Saturday.
Twyla G on
December 22, 2012 5:39 am
I would love to be able to give these to my daughter. She would be so surprised and excited shd lay an egg.
Joan on
December 22, 2012 5:42 am
Ooh, My Little Pony brings me back to the days when my (now grown) daughter played with them – sweet memories! These days, my special great-nieces would love these DVD's.
amyc on
December 22, 2012 5:54 am
They would go to my daughter.
- amyc on December 22, 2012 5:55 am
Mary Mac on
December 22, 2012 6:07 am
These DVD's would be a gift to my granddaughter.
Cari Hozian on
December 22, 2012 7:08 am
These DVD's would go to my daughter who is OBSESSED with MLP. Almost all of her presents under the tree have something to do with MLP.
Cari Hozian on
December 22, 2012 7:10 am
I 'liked' this post on FB. Fingers crossed!
Jeanette on
December 22, 2012 7:34 am
My granddaughter would love for me to win these DVD's for her!
Mindie W on
December 22, 2012 7:37 am
My girl would love these!
Rose S on
December 22, 2012 8:09 am
My great nephew with down's syndrome!
PatriciaJ on
December 22, 2012 9:01 am
my 7yr old granddaughter would love these !
sandy b on
December 22, 2012 9:33 am
I would give these to my 5 yr old niece
Melissa on
December 22, 2012 9:39 am
My granddaughter would love these!!
Melissa on
December 22, 2012 9:42 am
I linked on facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ardeasnest
Shawn Johnson on
December 22, 2012 10:07 am
My two grandaughters would love these dvd's, thanks for a great giveaway!!!
patty on
December 22, 2012 10:44 am
i would give them to my granddaughter
my daughter used to watch my little pony thanks for the chance
Barbara Leffeler on
December 22, 2012 11:10 am
I would give the DVDs to my 4 year old grand daughter. She would love them. I'm sure her little brothers would too.
Barbara Leffeler on
December 22, 2012 11:13 am
I don't tweet, but I pinned this giveaway: http://pinterest.com/pin/25825397834978592/
Melanie on
December 22, 2012 11:28 am
Both my daughters would be thrilled to get these!
kristin on
December 22, 2012 11:32 am
My daughter would love these dvd's. She is all about My little ponies right now!
Knitting Teresa on
December 22, 2012 12:27 pm
I have a great niece, Lydia who will turn 5 on Jan 4th. I think this would make a great gift for her.
Duane on
December 22, 2012 1:44 pm
I would giLve these dvd's to my granddaughter, who loves Littlest Pet Shop.
Ginny D on
December 22, 2012 1:58 pm
My Niece would love these!!!
Nancy D on
December 22, 2012 2:58 pm
My grand-daughter would love these! She is a big fan of both!
Lori Morton on
December 22, 2012 4:35 pm
My lil' Grandgirlie would be thrilled to have these…& her birthday is in January!! Woohooo! Great giftie for her!!
Thanks for chance to win your Drawing!
smfsprout on
December 22, 2012 4:54 pm
I would give these DVDs to my granddaughter and then we would have a girls campout to watch them together.
Lisa M on
December 22, 2012 5:14 pm
My 5 year old daughter LOVES My Little Pony! She would love to win this!
marcia on
December 22, 2012 5:23 pm
My 3 year old daughter is obsessed with the ponies!
Mai on
December 22, 2012 5:23 pm
My 8 year old daughter will love the Littlest Pet Shop, that was what she wants for Christmas.
Biao Lu on
December 22, 2012 8:48 pm
My 5 year old daughter will be thrilled to have these DVD.
Anita on
December 22, 2012 8:58 pm
My 2 granddaughters would be 'nuts' to have these!
Chihyon on
December 22, 2012 9:36 pm
My 3 year-old daughter love the my little pony episodes. She sings the song over and over to memorize it, so I am sure this will be a great gift for her.
Shari J. on
December 22, 2012 11:54 pm
My 2 granddaughters (ages 6 & 8) moved in with us a short time ago as a result of their mom and dad's split. I know these videos would bring them a lot of pleasure and help them feel like they are developing their own space here in our home. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
HOLLY GRIMSMAN on
December 23, 2012 1:12 am
My nieces would love them! I LOVE TO SPOIL MY GIRLIES!!!!!
HOLLY GRIMSMAN on
December 23, 2012 1:13 am
Mary Anne Loveless on
December 23, 2012 7:15 am
My granddaughter Hannah would love, love, LOVE the Littlest Pet Shop!
Betsy Price on
December 23, 2012 12:12 pm
My daughter LOVES both of these shows and would love these videos.
Betsy Price on
December 23, 2012 12:13 pm
I tweeted the giveaway.
Betsy Price on
December 23, 2012 12:16 pm
I liked/posted on FB.
Angelia malone on
December 23, 2012 8:06 pm
Little Miss Kiara and a much smaller kia bugs would be thrilled and grinning from ear to ear to have the
Pat morris on
December 24, 2012 7:48 am
My youngest granddaughter Alyssa is a huge fan of both .
Pat morris on
December 24, 2012 7:53 am
I tweeted about this give away
Daraya on
December 24, 2012 6:33 pm
The daughter of a family friend!
cassie on
December 25, 2012 7:24 am
would love these for my god daughter !
- cassie on December 25, 2012 7:24 am
Alexa on
December 26, 2012 8:50 am
My daughter loves both of these shows!
Heather on
December 26, 2012 3:11 pm
I guess I don't understand why this giveaway is labeled closed already? It says it will end 12/26/12 at 11:59 PM. It is currently 4:10 PM on 12/26/12…there should still be 7-1/2 hours to enter by my calculations. Can you explain so I don't miss the deadline for entries in the future?


text:
Unit Level: Advanced
Available as a Student Elective: Yes
View timetable
of lectures only for this unit.
View ALL timetable
events for this unit.
This unit explores the employment relationship and the importance of strategically managing people from their initial recruitment through to retirement or termination. In working through this unit studies are focussed on effective and efficient human resource management as an important means of creating value and developing a sustainable competitive advantage.
On-campus: Coursework 50%, Examination 50%
Distance: Coursework 50%, Take-home Examination 50%
On-campus: 1 x 3 hour class weekly comprising lecture andworkshop components.
Distance: Study Guide and Readings.
Note: Class attendance may still be required
Web supported - LOnline access to some part of this unit online is optional
Resource supported teaching & learning - LAdditional resources are provided for your optional use; e.g. audio taped lectures
About Flexible Study Options
This unit includes specific international contexts/case studies.
This unit includes international cross-cultural issues/skills.
Launceston Co-op Bookshop Website - Semester (Sem 1)
STAFF: Mrs Allison James
Units are offered in attending mode unless otherwise indicated (that is attendance is required at the campus identified). A unit identified as offered by distance, that is there is no requirement for attendance, is identified with a nominal enrolment campus. A unit offered to both attending students and by distance from the same campus is identified as having both modes of study.
Campus - H Hobart, L Launceston, W Burnie. Study Centre - V Sydney, R Rozelle, P Beauty Point. Distance units may also have a campus identifier of I Isolated, N Interstate, O Overseas. Units delivered in Transnational Education (TNE) Programs have a campus identifier of A Hangzhou, F Fuzhou, G Shanghai, K KDU Malaysia, Q Kuwait or Y Hong Kong.
Special approval is required for enrolment into TNE Program units - campuses A, F, G, K, Q and Y click here for more information.
Authorised by the Academic Registrar
© University of Tasmania | ABN 30 764 374 782 | CRICOS Provider Code 00586B
Copyright and Disclaimers | Accessibility | Feedback, Suggestions and Questions
Info Line 1300 363 864


text:
LCCA is a useful economic tool for selecting among alternatives where benefits of the possible project alternatives are essentially identical. In many cases, however, alternatives that an agency is considering may not generate identical benefits. For instance, when reconstructing a road, an agency may wish to consider reconstructing it as is or with additional lanes. The appropriate economic tool for these instances is benefit-cost analysis (BCA), which considers life-cycle benefits as well as life-cycle costs (see box).
BCA attempts to capture all benefits and costs accruing to society from a project or course of action, regardless of which particular party realizes the benefits or costs, or the form these benefits and costs take. Used properly, BCA reveals the economically efficient investment alternative, i.e., the one that maximizes the net benefits to the public from an allocation of resources.
BCA is not the same thing as financial analysis. Financial analysis is concerned with how to fund a project over its lifespan and measures the adequacy of current and future funds and revenues to cover the cost of building, operating, and maintaining the project. While financial analysis is an important part of project management, the economic merit of the project as measured by BCA is generally not affected by how the project is financed.
Useful Applications of Benefit-Cost Analysis
Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) considers the changes in benefits and costs that would be caused by a potential improvement to the status quo facility. In highway decision-making, BCA may be used to help determine the following:
In BCA, the analyst applies a discount rate to the benefits and costs incurred in each year of the project's life cycle. This exercise yields one or more alternative measures of a project's economic merit.
The BCA process (see box) begins with the establishment of objectives for an improvement to a highway facility, such as reducing traffic congestion or improving safety. A clear statement of the objective(s) is essential to reduce the number of alternatives considered. The next step is to identify constraints (policy, legal, natural, or other) on potential agency options and specify assumptions about the future, such as expected regional traffic growth and vehicle mixes over the projected lifespan of the improvement.
Having identified objectives and assumptions, the analyst (or analytical team) then develops a full set of reasonable improvement alternatives to meet the objectives. This process begins with the development of a "do minimal" option, known as the base case. The base case represents the continued operation of the current facility under good management practices but without major investments.3 Under these "do minimal" conditions, the condition and performance of the base case would be expected to decline over time. Reasonable improvement alternatives to the base case can include a range of options, from major rehabilitation of the existing facility to full-depth reconstruction to replacement by a higher volume facility. Such alternatives will often involve construction, but alternatives that improve highway operations (such as the use of intelligent transportation systems) or manage travel demand (such as incentives for off-peak travel) are suitable for consideration.
Major Steps in the Benefit-Cost Analysis Process
To ensure that the alternatives can be compared fairly, the analyst specifies a multiyear analysis period over which the life-cycle costs and benefits of all alternatives will be measured. The analysis period is selected to be long enough to include at least one major rehabilitation activity for each alternative.
Ideally, the level of effort allocated to quantifying benefits and costs in the BCA is proportional to the expense, complexity, and controversy of the project. Also, to reduce effort, the alternatives are screened initially to ensure that the greatest share of analytical effort is allocated to the most promising ones. Detailed analysis of all alternatives is usually not necessary.
When an alternative is expected to generate significant net benefits to users, particularly in the form of congestion relief, the analyst evaluates the effect that the alternative would have on the future traffic levels and patterns projected for the base case (see section on Forecasting Traffic for Benefit Calculations, page 27). Changes in future traffic flows in response to an alternative will affect the calculation of project benefits and costs.
The investment costs, hours of delay, crash rates, and other effects of each alternative are measured using engineering methods and then compared to those of the base case, and the differences relative to the base case are quantified by year for each alternative. The analyst assigns dollar values to the different effects (e.g., the fewer hours of delay associated with an alternative relative to the base case are multiplied by a dollar value per hour) and discounts them to a present value amount. Risk associated with uncertain costs, traffic levels, and economic values also is assessed (see section on Risk Analysis, page 30).
Any alternative where the value of discounted benefits exceeds the value of discounted costs is worth pursuing from an economic standpoint. For any given project, however, only one design alternative can be selected. Usually, this alternative will be the economically efficient one, for which benefits exceed costs by the largest amount.
Based on the results of the BCA and associated risk analysis, the analyst prepares a recommendation concerning the best alternative from an economic standpoint. It is good practice to document the recommendation with a summary of the analysis process conducted. In some cases, particularly for larger projects, this summary will include a discussion about the economic impact analysis conducted based on the results of the BCA (see section on Economic Impact Analysis, page 32).
Table 2 lists the benefit and cost categories and elements that are generally included in BCA.
The user elements in Table 2 are labeled as "cost/benefit" rather than "cost" or "benefit" only. This is because improvement alternatives are being compared to the base case (the "do minimal" option), and each may have a different impact on users. For instance, one alternative may reduce crash rates (a benefit) relative to the base case; another alternative may increase crash rates (a cost, also called a negative benefit or disbenefit) relative to the base case. In BCA, most, if not all, agency and user elements will vary relative to the base case - thus, contrary to LCCA, all elements must typically be considered and quantified.
|Agency Costs
|User Costs/Benefits Associated With Work Zones
|User Costs/Benefits Associated With Facility Operations
|Externalities (non-user impacts, if applicable)
|Design and Engineering
Land Acquisition
Preservation/Routine Maintenance
Mitigation (e.g., noise barriers)
Vehicle Operating Costs
|Travel Time and Delay
Vehicle Operating Costs
Other impacts
Note that toll receipts and other user fees are not listed as benefits or costs in Table 2. Rather, they represent transfers of some of a project's benefits from users to the agency operating the project (see box).
Many people are puzzled about how economists assign monetary values to highway project benefits and costs. For instance, how does one value an hour of travel time, or a crash? The valuation of each of the major elements listed in Table 2 is described below.
Agency costs. The assignment of monetary values to the design and construction of a project is perhaps the easiest valuation concept to understand. Engineers estimate these costs based on past experience, bid prices, design specifications, materials costs, and other information. Care must be taken to make a complete capital cost estimation, including contingencies and administrative expenses such as internal staff planning and overhead costs. A common error in economic analysis and budgeting is the underestimation of project construction and development costs. Particular care should be used when costing large or complicated projects.
Expenses associated with a project's financing, such as depreciation and interest payments, are not included in the BCA. The equivalent value of such expenses is already captured in the BCA through the application of the discount rate to the agency cost of the project. Adding depreciation or interest expense to agency costs in BCA would in most cases lead to double counting of costs.
Travel time and delay. An hour of travel associated with a business trip or commerce is usually valued at the average traveler's wage plus overhead - representing the cost to the traveler's employer. Personal travel time (either for commuting or leisure) is usually valued as a percentage of average personal wage and/or through estimates of what travelers would be willing to pay to reduce travel time. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recommends that analysts value local personal travel time at 50 percent of average wage (see "Departmental Guidance for the Valuation of Travel Time in Economic Analysis," available on the internet, for additional guidance). The value of reduced travel time often accounts for the greatest share of a transportation project's benefits.
Treatment of Revenues, Tolls, Taxes, and Other Transfers in Benefit-Cost Analysis
Tolls, taxes, and other user charges for transportation projects constitute important potential revenue sources to State agencies for financing transportation projects. However, these revenue sources are not "benefits" of a project as measured by economic analysis such as benefit-cost analysis (BCA). Rather, these charges represent a means by which some of the benefits to the users of the transportation project (as measured by their implicit willingness to pay for reduced travel time or improved safety) can be transferred in whole or in part (in the form of cash payments by the users) to the State or private agency that operates the facility. Adding toll or tax revenues to the value of travel time, safety, and vehicle operating cost benefits already included in the BCA would be double-counting benefits.
Nonetheless, when significant tolls, taxes, and other user charges are proposed for a project, the BCA process should account for the effect of such charges on future use of the facility. In particular, the payment of a toll transfers the value of some of the time saving or other user benefit from the traveler to the facility operator, thereby reducing the value of benefits realized by the traveler. Consequently, a traveler would typically use the facility less often if it were tolled than if it were not tolled, affecting future congestion and user benefits on the facility and surrounding roads. This response can be measured through an economic factor known as price elasticity of demand (see section on Forecasting Traffic, page 27).
Revenues from tolls and taxes are also of interest for an evaluation of a project's financial feasibility (as opposed to economic efficiency) - whether the improvement generates enough cash to pay for its own development and operation. This financial evaluation may be important to determine if the improvement can be implemented, particularly if conventional public transportation funding sources are inadequate. Similarly, it will help reveal if the project can be built and operated by a private sector vendor, or through a public-private partnership.
Finally, due to their impact on facility usage, tolls, taxes, and other user charges on existing facilities are potential policy alternatives to new construction that may be considered in their own right for reducing congestion on some facilities.
Crashes. The assignment of monetary values to changes in crash rates or severities can provoke controversy because crashes often involve injury or loss of life. The use of reasonable crash values is critical, however, to avoid underinvesting in highway safety. Economists often use the dollar amounts that travelers are willing to pay to reduce their risk of injury or death to estimate monetary values for fatalities and injuries associated with crashes. Medical, property, legal, and other crash-related costs are also calculated and added to these amounts. USDOT offers extensive guidance on this subject (see "Revision of Departmental Guidance on Treatment of the Value of Life and Injuries," and "The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes," 2000 (DOT HS 809 446), available on the internet).
Vehicle operating costs. The costs of owning and operating vehicles can be affected by a project due to the changes that it causes in highway speeds, traffic congestion, pavement surface, and other conditions that affect vehicle fuel consumption and wear and tear. Accurate calculations of a project's effect on vehicle operating costs (VOC) require good information on the relationship of vehicle performance to highway conditions, and clear assumptions about future vehicle fleet fuel efficiency and performance. USDOT does not provide official guidance on estimating VOC, but useful information on the valuation of VOC (and other BCA elements) is provided in AASHTO's 1977 "Manual on User Benefit Analysis of Highway and Bus-Transit Improvements" and its successor document, and in the "Highway Economic Requirements System Volume IV: Technical Report" (FHWA-PL-00-028), Chapter 7. Benefits attributable to lower VOC are usually not a major component of a project's benefit stream.
Externalities. One of the more challenging areas of BCA is the treatment and valuation of the "externalities" of transportation projects. In economics, an externality is the uncompensated impact of one person's actions on the well-being of a bystander (see box). In the case of transportation investments, "bystanders" are the nonusers of the project. When the impact benefits the nonuser, this is called a positive externality. When the impact is adverse, this is called a negative externality.
Often, when there is talk about externalities of highways, the focus is on negative externalities. Negative externalities include undesirable effects of a project on air and water quality, noise and construction disruptions, and various community and aesthetic impacts. Positive externalities, however, also exist. A project may serve to reduce air or noise pollution from levels that would have otherwise prevailed without it.
Externalities Versus Indirect Effects
Externalities considered in benefit-cost analysis (BCA) are the uncompensated direct impacts of the project on nonusers of the project. These effects are additive to other direct costs and benefits (such as the value of time saving or reduced crashes and saved lives) measured in the BCA. Direct effects, however, usually lead to indirect effects on the regional economy through the actions of the marketplace. Indirect impacts of a transportation project could include local changes in employment or land use. The value of indirect effects is not additional to that of direct effects measured in BCA; rather, indirect effects are a restatement or transfer to other parties of the value of direct effects. Indirect economic effects are measured using economic impact analysis and not BCA (see section on Economic Impact Analysis, page 32).
Several methods exist for including externalities in BCA. In some cases, scientific and economic studies have revealed per-unit costs for air pollutants, for example, that can be incorporated directly into the BCA. Much uncertainty surrounds these valuations, however. Values can vary from project to project due to location, climate, and pre-existing environmental conditions. Risk analysis techniques (see section on Risk Analysis, page 30) can yield helpful information about the sensitivity of results to these uncertain values.
Externalities are specifically dealt with in environmental assessments required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Where adverse impacts are identified, mitigation is required to avoid, minimize, or compensate for them. Required mitigation is part of the environmental decision, and the costs of mitigation will become "internalized" in the project's cost in the BCA. The BCA effort should be coordinated closely with the NEPA assessment (see box).
When an externality cannot be put into dollar terms, it can often be dealt with on a qualitative basis relative to other, monetized components of the BCA. If the measurable net benefits of a project are highly positive, the presence of minor unquantified externalities can be tolerated from an economic standpoint even if they are perceived to be negative. On the other hand, if the net benefits are very low, then the existence of significant unquantified negative externalities may tip the economic balance against the project.
Economic Analysis and the National Environmental Policy Act Process
Any State or local project or activity receiving Federal funds or other Federal approvals must undergo analysis of a comprehensive set of its social, economic, and environmental impacts under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The findings of the NEPA analysis have a major influence on the selection of a particular project or project alternative.
When an environmental impact statement (EIS) is prepared under NEPA and economic, social, natural, or physical environmental effects are interrelated, then the EIS must discuss all of these effects on the human environment. If a benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is prepared to assist in project selection, it should be incorporated by reference or appended to the EIS as an aid in evaluating the environmental consequences. This information will complement other information assembled in the EIS. However, for purposes of complying with NEPA, the merits and drawbacks of the various alternatives need not be displayed in a monetary BCA, and typically are not.
Accordingly, information revealed in a BCA can inform the NEPA process. Similarly, information on the direct costs or benefits of environmental impacts of a project measured in the NEPA review should be incorporated into the economic analysis.
Once the analyst has calculated all benefits and costs of the project alternatives and discounted them, there are several measures to compare benefits to costs in BCA. The two most widely used measures are described below.
FHWA recommends the use of either the NPV or BCR measures for most economic evaluations. Other BCA measures are available and may be used, however, depending on agency preference. For example, the equivalent uniform annual value approach converts the NPV measure into an annuity amount. The internal rate of return measure represents the discount rate necessary to yield an NPV of zero from a project's multiyear benefit and cost stream.
Appropriate Use of the Benefit-Cost Ratio
The benefit-cost ratio (BCR) is often used to select among competing projects when an agency is operating under budget constraints. In particular, use of the BCR can identify a collection of projects that yields the greatest multiple of benefits to costs, where the ability to incur costs is limited by available funds. However, care must be taken when relying on the BCR as the primary benefit-cost analysis (BCA) measure.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recommends that only the initial agency investment cost be included in the denominator of the ratio. All other BCA values, including periodic rehabilitation costs or user costs, such as delay associated with construction, should be included in the ratio's numerator as positive or negative benefits. Adherence to this guidance facilitates consistent project comparisons. For instance, assume there are two potential projects, each with a present value of $1 million in initial investment costs, $4 million in user benefits, and $1 million in negative benefits associated with user delay at construction work zones. If the analyst includes the negative benefits with the benefits in the numerator of the BCR, the BCR would be ($4 million - $1 million)/$1 million or 3 for both projects. On the other hand, if the analyst includes the negative benefits with the initial investment costs in the denominator of the BCR, the BCR would be $4 million/($1 million + $1 million) or 2 for both projects. If the analyst were inconsistent and assigned the respective negative benefits to the numerator of one project and the denominator of the other, then the first project would appear superior based on the BCR (3 versus 2), when in fact, each project would yield the same NPV of $2 million ($4 million - $1 million - $1 million).
It is also good practice not to base a selection from among two or more alternatives solely on simple BCR values, without reference to the budget or other investment opportunities. Consider the case of two alternatives to improve an intersection. One alternative (improved traffic signals with left turn lanes) has modest benefits to the public ($10 million in present value), but a low initial investment cost ($500,000) - yielding a BCR of 20. The other alternative (constructing a grade-separated intersection) has high benefits ($100 million in present value) but an initial investment cost of $10 million - yielding a lower BCR (10) than the first alternative. Selection of the first alternative, based solely on its higher BCR, would preclude (at least for some period of time) the opportunity for the traveling public to gain the much higher net benefits associated with the second alternative. In fact, selection of the first alternative would only be appropriate if enough other projects exist with BCRs above 10 such that the collective benefits of the first alternative plus these other projects funded with the $10 million needed for the second alternative would equal or exceed the $100 million in benefits of the second alternative.
Use of specialized procedures such as incremental BCA, in which the increments in benefits and costs of one alternative relative to another are compared in ratio format and prioritized subject to budget constraints, can minimize the risk of selecting inferior alternatives using BCRs. A good description of the incremental BCA approach is provided in Chapter 7 of the "HERS-ST 2.0 Highway Economic Requirements System-State Version Overview," FHWA, September 2002, http://isddc.dot.gov/OLPFiles/FHWA/010617.pdf. (1.1 mb, pdf)
BCA is a powerful, informative tool available to assist planners, engineers, and decision makers. Agencies often avoid or underutilize BCA due to misconceptions about it.
In some cases, agency personnel are skeptical about the accuracy of BCA due to perceived uncertainties in measuring or valuing costs and benefits. In reality, there is much more substance to economic analysis techniques and values than is generally understood. Where uncertainty does exist, it can usually be measured and managed. It is helpful to remember that sound economic analysis reduces uncertainty. Not doing the analysis only serves to hide uncertainty from decision makers.
Another concern is that the workload involved in BCA may be excessive relative to agency resources. Once the engineering and economic capabilities are in place, however, BCA workloads diminish markedly. BCA level of effort should also reflect project cost, complexity, and controversy - routine projects may be analyzed with minimal effort.
Finally, some agencies are concerned that the results of BCA could conflict with preferred or mandated outcomes. In any situation, an objective and independent assessment of a project's economic consequences can contribute valuable information to the decision process. There are, however, valid reasons why decision makers may choose to override or constrain economic information. For example, if there are concerns that BCA results would disproportionately favor projects in urban areas, policy makers can initially apportion funds between urban and rural areas based on equity considerations. Urban projects would then compete based on their economic merits for the urban funds; rural projects would similarly compete for the rural funds.
As with any analytic method, BCA can give erroneous results if it is misused. Perhaps the foremost cause of error in BCA is the selection of an unrealistic base case. The base case must be premised on intelligent use and management of the asset during the analysis period. For instance, allowances should be made for traffic diversion and changing peak periods as congestion builds in the base case (the broader importance of accurate traffic forecasts is discussed in the next section, page 27). Failure to do this can lead to overly pessimistic estimates of delay levels in the base case, to which by comparison any alternative would look attractive. BCA results can also be biased by the comparison of only one design alternative to the base case, even though less costly alternatives exist. Proper BCA considers a full range of reasonable alternatives.
Another common BCA problem involves the evaluation of a "project" that is actually a combination of two or more independent or separable projects. In such cases, the net benefits of one project may hide the net costs of the other, or vice versa. Both of the projects would either be built or rejected if incorrectly joined together, when in fact one should be built and the other rejected.
BCA results can be erroneous if they do not include the correct cost or benefit elements or amounts associated with a project. This problem happens most often with the omission of user costs or major externalities (if present). In some cases, an agency may focus only on local costs and benefits, failing to include those that accrue outside its jurisdiction. Care must also be taken not to include "benefits" that are simply restatements of other benefits (or costs) measured elsewhere in the BCA. This latter error, a form of double counting, can occur when employment, business, or land use effects measured using economic impact analysis are added to the travel time saving, safety, and vehicle operating cost benefits of a project. A more thorough discussion of this latter issue is provided later in this primer, in the section on Economic Impact Analysis (page 32).
Many tools that can accommodate BCA are available. The majority of tools capture benefits and costs at the project level only, but some tools can estimate the net benefits of projects at the program level.
In the United States, perhaps the best-known BCA tool for highways is that presented in the 1977 AASHTO "Manual on User Benefit Analysis of Highway and Bus-Transit Improvements," referred to as the 1977 Redbook. This guide is being updated under a National Cooperative Highway Research Program contract and will be reissued. The Texas Transportation Institute developed the MicroBENCOST model to implement the guidance in the 1977 Redbook. A few States have developed their own BCA models.
Some software applications are specific to subsets of highway investments. For instance, the Federal Railroad Administration's Gradedec software is specific to the BCA evaluation of upgrades, separations, and closures of highway-rail grade crossings.
In 2000, FHWA released a State-level version of its Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS-ST). HERS-ST is a computer model that applies BCA to section-level highway data to predict system-wide investment requirements. HERS-ST considers capital improvements directed at correcting pavement, geometric, or capacity deficiencies. HERS-ST can determine the program funding levels required to achieve desired highway performance goals in a cost-beneficial way. Alternatively, the model can estimate the highway system performance that would result from various program-funding levels. An abundance of material concerning HERS-ST is available on the Office of Asset Management Web site, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/asstmgmt/invest.htm.
3 The base case is sometimes called the "do nothing" option, but this term can be mistaken to mean that future management of the facility is not responsive to change. The term "do minimal" conveys the notion of ongoing managerial discretion to adjust to changing circumstances in the base case scenario.


text:
Starting & Managing
Starting a Business
Managing a Business
Loans & Grants
Small Business Loans
Surety Bonds
SBIC Program
Other Financial Assistance
Getting Started
Contracting Support for Small Businesses
Understanding the Federal Marketplace
For Contracting Officials
- HUBZone
- Non-Manufacturer Waivers
- Report Fraud, Waste & Abuse
- Protests
- Small Business Goaling
- Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
- Certificate of Competency Program
- Procurement Center Representatives
- Government Contracting Field Staff Directory
- Service Contract Inventory
- Partnership Agreements
- Goaling Program
- Interagency Task Force on Federal Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses
Learning Center
Local Assistance
About SBA
What We Do
SBA Team
SBA Locations
SBA Newsroom
SBA Initiatives
- SBA Emerging Leaders Initiative
- Clusters Initiative
- 7(j) Management and Technical Assistance Services Program
- Small Business Teaming Pilot Program
- Small Business Jobs Act of 2010
- Startup America
- Council on Underserved Communities (CUC)
- Intermediary Lending Pilot
- Dealer Floor Plan Financing Program
- Greening SBA
- Small Business Saturday 2013
SBA Performance
Oversight & Advocacy
Is It Time to End Your Business Partnership? Here's How
by Caron_Beesley, Community Moderator
- Created: September 16, 2013, 2:29 pm
- Updated: September 16, 2013, 2:29 pm
Partnerships fail for many reasons. Misalignment of personality is possibly the first reason that springs to mind, but according to Michigan law firm Family & Aging Law Center , the two most common reasons that business partnerships fail is 1) failure to make an adequate plan, and 2) more importantly, from a legal perspective, failure to have a written partnership agreement that outlines in detail the partnership structure.
Why is the partnership agreement so important? Most partnership agreements are written up at the beginning of the business venture and outline how the partners will run the business – how business decisions are made, how responsibilities are divided, how disagreements will be resolved and so forth. A good one will also include a dissolution strategy, like a prenuptial agreement. Although not required by law, it can be extremely risky to operate without one. Essentially, a good agreement brings structure and agreement to the partnership – without one, partnerships run the risk of being run like separate businesses within the business, with each partner doing (or not doing) their own thing!
Without a partnership agreement, dissolving a partnership can get nasty and carry a lot of risk. For example, if a partner isn't paying bills on time or making regular contributions to pay off a business loan. Lapses and disagreements like these can quickly spiral out of control and impact your creditworthiness, relationships with vendors and so on.
Even if you do have a partnership agreement, you are carrying an element of shared liability. Each partner is liable for the actions of the business, its debts, and of course, you also have to split profits.
So what are your options when it comes to dissolving a partnership that's gone bad? Here are some considerations to bear in mind for those who have partnership agreements and those who don't:
- Change the weighting of the partnership agreement
You don't have to dissolve the partnership entirely. Perhaps you might change the weighting of the partnership so that you assume a majority share and with it more control over decisions and/or finances, while your partner agrees to remain involved, but to a lesser extent than currently.
- Buy out your partner or sell your share
If you want to continue the business, you could buy your partner's share, or sell yours if you want out but your partner doesn't.
- Legally dissolve the partnership
If you have a partnership agreement, revisit it and review your dissolution plan. Then take a look at the current state of your business to ensure a clean break. For example, have all partners completed all agreed duties? What's your business worth (use a third party valuation firm to help pinpoint this number)? What about leases, loans, and other contracts – how will the dissolution affect them and who will own the continued liability?
As you can see, there are many considerations, so make sure you consult a lawyer to help protect your interests in any dissolution or restructuring of the partnership. They can also help draft a dissolution agreement that protects you from future disputes or claims that may be brought against you.
It's also important to note that any dissolution of that partnership is governed by state law. Visit your state's website for more information about the process and the forms you'll need. It can take up to 90 days for the dissolution to become official. Once your partnership is dissolved, you can typically expect each partner to assume business assets and liabilities based on percentage of ownership.
- When there's no partnership agreement
If you didn't have a partnership agreement that outlined a dissolution strategy, try to work out terms together. If not, an intermediary may be able to help you resolve your dispute through mediation. Many law firms offer these services. Your final resort is a court-dictated decision which could be costly and may not provide the result you were looking for. Courts often divide assets and liabilities 50-50 regardless of any disputes.
Other factors to consider
Don't forget to let the IRS and state revenue office know that you are no longer in partnership the next time you file a return. Notify customers, vendors and others that your business structure has changed or dissolved. You'll also need to take care of other loose ends such as business licenses, permits and canceling a trade name or "doing business as" name with your local government. Refer to SBA's Closing Your Business guide for more information.
About the Author
Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesley
cuongcdt3 | Window Shopper | 9/17/2013 - 3:35 am
This comment was removed from public view (Irrelevant/Off-Topic). Please review the Community Rules of Conduct for more information.
gamehayst | Window Shopper | 9/17/2013 - 3:17 am
This comment was removed from public view (Sock puppet account). Please review the Community Rules of Conduct for more information.
vinguyen2302 | Window Shopper | 9/17/2013 - 12:51 am
Partnership is very important in business and in your life.
lam da trang min [1] [1] http://swisslinevietnam.com/
vemayq163 | Window Shopper | 9/16/2013 - 10:02 pm
Partnerships are particularly important. It helps faster work
abusayed | Window Shopper | 9/16/2013 - 9:34 pm
i am not willing to brack the p-ship...let me know how we grow all the
Abu Sayed Ronnie
Shoplet Promos | Window Shopper | 9/16/2013 - 4:16 pm
Dissolving a partnership is always a tricky and complicated matter. Remember
to have all bases covered and make sure there's something in the agreement
that protects your company from your ex-partner slandering the
company/sharing trade secrets after leaving. Don't let the company suffer
over a failed partnership.
to have all bases covered and make sure there's something in the agreement
that protects your company from your ex-partner slandering the
company/sharing trade secrets after leaving. Don't let the company suffer
over a failed partnership.
We make customizing high-quality, unique promotional products simple for our customers. http://www.shopletpromos.com
- « first
- ‹ previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
SBA Community
Top Rated Articles
About This Blog
Legal terms and rules explained
- August 2014 (1)
- July 2014 (13)
- June 2014 (17)
- May 2014 (23)
- April 2014 (28)
- March 2014 (21)
- February 2014 (16)
- January 2014 (22)
- December 2013 (15)
- November 2013 (26)
- October 2013 (17)
- September 2013 (24)
- August 2013 (21)
- July 2013 (26)
- June 2013 (24)
- May 2013 (29)
- April 2013 (29)
- March 2013 (27)
- February 2013 (26)
- January 2013 (30)


text:
Home | Advertise | About | Contact
Sign In
Reader Comments (0) Print
By Shelly Pope
January 17, 2013 | Vol. 39, No. 3
Shelly Pope
Jesse Roundtree and Desiree Watkins are the proud parents of the first baby of the year for Petersburg. Jesse Lyle Roundtree, Jr. was born at 1:15 p.m. Jan. 5 at Ketchikan General Hospital.
Jesse Roundtree and Desiree Watkins brought Jesse Lyle Roundtree, Jr. into the world at 1:15 p.m. Jan. 5 to be the first baby of the New Year in Petersburg.
Jesse Jr. was born at Ketchikan General Hospital in the New Beginnings Birthing Center. He weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and was 19 ¾ inches long.
Watkins arrived in Ketchikan Dec. 21 with a due date of Jan. 1, 2013.
Proud grandparents are Tonya and late Patrick Roundtree of Petersburg and Carin and Greg Richter of Prince of Wales.
Watkins is a resident assistant at Mountain View Manor and Roundtree works construction with Rock N Road Construction but is a refrigeration engineer.
The family returned home to Petersburg Jan. 8.
The couple will receive gifts from local businesses to honor the new year baby.
Petersburg Pilot | P.O. Box 930, Petersburg, AK 99833
Ph: (907) 772-9393 | firstname.lastname@example.com | www.petersburgpilot.com Content and information copyright 2014 Pilot Publishing, Inc.
Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software
© Copyright 2014 Lions Light Corp.
— Software for newspapers & magazines


text:
- Research By Topic
- Student Programs
- Executive Programs
- GSB Social Innovators
- Community Engagement
- Events
- About CSI
Skip to Content
Center for
Change lives. Change organizations. Change the world.
Jane Chen, MBA '08, is co-founder and CEO of Embrace, a nonprofit company dedicated to creating low-cost portable incubators to save the lives of low birthweight babies in developing countries. The Embrace infant warmer was launched in India in the spring of 2011 she told the annual Women in Management banquet at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
One Acre Fund feeds the world's poor by helping them feed themselves.
The founder of the Kashf Foundation argues that microfinance can improve the lives of Pakistan's next generation.
A look at what's needed next to create the right policy environment for innovation and results.
The owner of the only certified B Corporation in Kentucky assesses the pros and cons of the certification.
Project Redwood, a new venture philanthropy fund of the Stanford GSB Class of 1980, has distributed $400,000 over the past 3 years to organizations that use entrepreneurial approaches to fight poverty.
Troubled by the fact that an estimated 20,000 educated professionals leave Africa every year, Fred Swaniker, MBA '04 and Chris Bradford, MBA '05 founded the African Leadership Academy in Johannsburg, a secondary school they hope will help change the face of the continent.
Sam Goldman, MBA '07, CEO of D.light Design, finds himself running an international company whose customers are some of the poorest people in China, India, or Tanzania. The firm grew out of the Business School course Design for Extreme Affordability. Goldman talked to the Stanford Reporter.
The wealth generated by the dot-com boom of the 1990s produced a new generation of philanthropists, determined to use their capital and their business savvy to solve social problems. A decade later, have they transformed the world of philanthropy?
Lorenzo Zambrano, MBA '68, took the family's cement business from regional player to the industry's third-largest supplier.
BUILDING SOCIAL BUSINESS: The New Kind of Capitalism that Serves Humanity's Most Pressing Needs by Muhammad Yunus
Nonprofits are so busy building schools, vaccinating infants, or providing medical relief that often, they simply don't have the time for solid social media efforts. Chris Hughes, Facebook's cofounder, has created a solution for that: a platform called Jumo.
Social innovators are usually motivated by their personal values, yet they don't always act on them, because they are afraid it might lead to conflict. Even when they do act, it often ends badly. To remedy this, social innovators can learn how to articulate their values consistently and act on them in a way that is likely to lead to good outcomes.
Riders for Health had won international acclaim for its novel approach to maintaining health transport vehicles in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the organization was having trouble scaling its services at its first site: Gambia. Here is how the organization won both government support and private funding for its latest innovation.
How texting became young donors' preferred way to make charitable donations.
SVN conference focuses on economic justice.
SSIR publisher Perla Ni bids a fond adieu.
Challenging the business school approach to doing good.
World demand for water is likely to continue to outpace population. In this panel discussion, experts talk about how this troubling environmental sustainability issue offers a rare opportunity for cleantech entrepreneurs. Our search for sustainable water offers lessons that may help others facing similar large-scale challenges such as world demand for energy. The event was part of the MIT-Stanford Venture Lab Series.
Businesses, nonprofits and government agencies increasingly are embracing design thinking to solve social problems. The reason? Design thinking is inherently human centered. In this audio lecture, Jocelyn Wyatt, who directs social innovation projects at the design and consulting firm IDEO, describes how design thinking can be employed in the developing world to address the needs of people who consume a product or service and the infrastructure that enables it.
In the year 2000 DaVita, the largest independent provider of dialysis services in the United States, was being investigated by the SEC and sued by shareholders. Kent Thiry explains how building community bumped DaVita's market capitalization to $3 billion and turned it into a leader in its field.
Of the twenty million premature or underweight babies born every year, four million will die in their first month of life. In this audio lecture from the 2011 Women in Management banquet at Stanford, Jane Chen discusses her recent efforts to change these numbers, and the personal journey that took her there. Chen is the co-founder and CEO of Embrace, a nonprofit company that has developed a new low-cost, portable incubator for use in India and other parts of the developing world.
World demand for water is likely to continue to outpace population. In this panel discussion, experts talk about how this troubling environmental sustainability issue offers a rare opportunity for cleantech entrepreneurs. Our search for sustainable water offers lessons that may help others facing similar large-scale challenges such as world demand for energy. The event was part of the MIT-Stanford Venture Lab Series.
Jane Chen, MBA '08, has a vision of a place "babies no longer die from being cold, where people no longer die from preventable causes. And where every person has the ability to choose [his or her] own fate."
To help address the issue of unplanned pregnancy and maternal mortality in the developing world, researchers at Georgetown's Institute of Reproductive Health (IRH) recognized the need for an initiative, natural contraception method. IRH developed the Standard Days Method (SDM) family planning system and CycleBeads. To manufacture, sell, and distribute the product, Cycle Technologies licenses the CycleBeads product from IRH and partnered with the organization to bring it to the market.
Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a for-profit biotech firm that focuses on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel small-molecule therapeutics derived from a unique boron chemistry platform. While performing early disease screening, Anacor discovered this platform showed activity against causative agents of several neglected bacterial and parasitic diseases. Although CEO Perry felt a responsibility to apply this technology to the neglected diseases space, this conflicts with the objectives of its investors. This mini case study describes how Perry and Eric Easom, who became the company's Program Leader for Neglected Diseases devised a plan to leverage non-dilutive funding sources to underwrite this important work.
Since its founding n 1980, Ashoka: Innovators fo the Public had supported the work of over 3,000 of the world's most visionary social entrepreneurs. Even at the moment of Ashoka's dynamism propelled social entrepreneurship into the mainstream, founder Bill Drayton and his colleagues embraced an even more expansive view of social change: to suggest everyone in sociey is a "changemaker." This case traces the evolution of Ashoka's mission and vision for social change, and the programmatic and organizational changes required to achieve its vision.
d.light design is a for-profit social enterprise whose purpose is to create new freedoms for customers without access to reliable power so they can enjoy a brighter future. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes solar light and power products throughout the developing world. When d.light co-founders started as a student team at Stanford University, they needed a defending strategy to support the continued development of their product concept. They raised their first $10,000 from small donors. However, it did not take long for d.light to require substantially more funding in order to grow. This case study explores how the team tackled its early fund raising challenge.
d.light design is a for-profit social enterprise who's purpose is to create new freedoms for customers without access to reliable power so they can enjoy a brighter future. When d.light cofounders were first starting at Stanford University, they needed a strategy for gathering detailed user feedback to inform product development, which required first-hand information to be gathered in India. This cast study looks at the plan d.light developed to conduct market research and prototype feedback.
Diagnostics for the Real World (DRW) focuses on manufacturing and commercializing technologies that addresses the unmet diagnostic needs of patients in developing countries. DRW's first product was a reliable, low-cost Chlamydia Rapid Test (CRT) that made it possible to conduct field-based screenings in remote, low-resource settings. DRW believed the CRTs were commercially attractive; however market introduction was met with stakeholder resistance and funder/consumer misalignment. This case explores the potential gap between the solution and market demand, as well as DRW's response.
Diagnostics of the Real World (DRW), a for-profit spinout from the Diagnostics Development Unit at the University of Cambridge, is focused on manufacturing and commercializing technologies created at the university that can help address the unmet diagnostic needs of patients in developing countries. DRW's first product was a reliable, low-cost Chlamydia Rapid Test (CRT) that made it feasible to conduct field- based chlamydia screenings. The team discovered that although chlamydia was a significant global health concern, its as not necessarily a top priority for nongovernmental organizations. There was also no ready-make market or large-scale demand for the CRT in developing countries. The case study describes the multi-source funding strategy DRW devised to support its operations without losing sight of its mission.
Traditional Borders (BTB), Rice 360°'s undergraduate program, challenges students to solve global health problems through real-world engineering design. By pairing students with faculty, clinicians, and mentors in developing world, BTB teams had designed an impressive portfolio for effective, low-cost medical technologies. However, the temporary nature of student teams and specialized focus of these inventions proved difficult to realize these projects in the market to create consistent solutions. This mini-case study tells the story of of BTB began working with 3rd Stone Design, a design, strategy, and development consultancy, to accelerate progress on their project DosRight Syringe Clip out of the lab and into the market.
When 3rd Stone Design, a product design, strategy, and development consultancy, licensed the DoseRight Syringe Clip out of the Rice University Beyond Traditional Borders (BTB) program, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) had placed a preliminary order for 200,000 units. The DoseRight product was a simple plastic clip, inserted into the top portion of a standard oral syringe to facilitate the accurate pediatric dosing of liquid ARV medications in countries with widespread HIV/AIDs. However, 3rd Stone Design encountered problems when their prototype could not be manufactured in high volumes at an affordable price. This case study explores how 3rd Stone Design modified its product design to fulfill the CHAI order.
When a team at Stanford University accepted a challenge to design a low-cost prosthetic knee joint that could be produced locally for use in the JaipurFoot Organization's clinics across India, the students were eager to dive into the technical aspects of developing a product. However, they learned the organization already used an inexpensive joint that through research, discovered that associated emotional and psychological issues needed to be addressed in creating a better design.
In late 2006, the PATH Safe Water Project received a $17 million grant from the global development unit of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Its purpose was to evaluate how market-based approaches could help accelerate the widespread adoption and sustained use of household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) products among the world's poor. Several of the early Safe Water Project's pilots involved experimenting with direct sales models for HWTS solutions. This mini-case study outlines the lessons PATH gleaned through these studies for helping its on-the-ground partners build an effective direct sales presence.
In late 2006, the PATH Safe Water Project received a $17 million grant from the global development unit of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Its purpose was to evaluate how market-based approaches could help accelerate the widespread adoption and sustained use of household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) products among the world's poor. One of PATH's pilots tested a direct sales model in Kenya by making a durable safe water product — a ceramic water pot (CWP) — available through a basket of goods approach. PATH partnered vendors were enthusiastic; however consumers who generality weren't familiar with CWPs wanted to interact with the device before purchase. Vendors were unable to carry the bulky and fragile CWPs long distance. This study explores the creative solution PATH devised to address these issues.
After observing too many unnecessary injuries and deaths caused by surgeries that were interrupted or canceled due to the unavailability of anesthesia, Dr. Paul Fenton designed a device called the Universal Anaesthesia Machine (UAM) that could deliver safe, reliable anesthesia even in the midst of a power outage. Unfortunately, Fenton was unable to convince investors to provide funding so he could further develop his innovation.
After observing too many unnecessary injuries and deaths caused by surgeries that were interrupted or canceled due to the unavailability of anesthesia, Dr. Paul Fenton designed a devices called the Universal Anesthesia Machine (UAM) that could deliver safe, reliable anesthesia even in the midst of a power outage. On of Gradian Health System's early challenges was determining how to position and market the UAM to four distinct but interconnected stakeholder groups. They were able to to get off the ground mostly through referrals, but Gradian did not consider this to be a sustainable approach. The cast study examines how Gradian developed a comprehensive marketing strategy for stimulating UAM adoption.
While enrolled in a course focused on entrepreneurship, a team of Stanford students set out to create a platform for developing-world healthcare providers that would facilitate improved information sharing bout high-impact, affordable solutions in the material and infant health space. The result was Impact Review, an online knowledge-base. When the team members graduated from Stanford, they had to determine what was next for Impact Review. This mini-case study describes how the Impact Review team explored its options and the solution it developed to ensure the sustainability of the technology.
This seminal paper defines the term social entrepreneurship and helps shape, what was in 1998, the nascent field of social entrepreneurship.
The goal of this seminar is to investigate how social technology (e.g., blogs, websites, podcasts, widgets, community groups, social network feeds) can change attitudes and behaviors in ways that cultivate social change. We study the strategies and tactics used by companies and causes that have successfully catalyzed social persuasion.
This course focuses on the efforts of private citizens to create effective responses to social needs and innovative solutions to social problems. It equips students with frameworks and tools that will help them be more effective as a social entrepreneur.
This course explores the challenges and opportunities related to social entrepreneurship. Students study nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid organizational forms, and examine issues from a variety of perspectives, including that of entrepreneur, CEO, funder, and board member.
Students apply engineering and business skills to design product prototypes, distribution systems, and business plans for entrepreneurial ventures in developing countries. The aim is to address challenges faced by the world's poor.
This course is designed to help students understand and manage human systems, exercise leadership, and work effectively with other people, specifically within the context of culturally diverse groups and organizations. The underlying premise is that diversity can present unique challenges and opportunities.
Jessica Flannery created Kiva to connect lenders to small entrepreneurs without access to financial resources. Her goal? To alleviate poverty.
Jake Harriman starts seed projects in extremely stressed areas of the world. He works to help people lift themselves out of poverty in five years.
Daniel Grossman's Wild Planet creates toys that parents love as much as kids. His aim is to inspire learning and inventiveness.
Bruce McNamer empowers entrepreneurs in rural areas around the world to become self-sufficient. He finds helping people to help themselves a noble calling.
This case provides an overview of the nonprofit organization PATH and its Safe Water Project—a five-year effort launched in late 2006 with $17 million in funding from the global development unit of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The purpose of the grant was to evaluate to what extent market-based approaches could help accelerate the widespread adoption and sustained use of household water treatment and safe storage products by low-income populations.
Arrillaga created Silicon Valley Social Venture ("SV2") in partnership with Community Foundation Silicon Valley ("CFSV"), a nationally recognized public foundation that had experience working with individual donors and had established credibility within the philanthropic field. Arrillaga formed SV2 as a donor-advised fund to ensure that CFSV staff would help guide SV2 partners leverage their expertise and funding to select high-performing community organizations, thus generating the greatest social impact.
A Stanford scholar discusses a collaborative, human-centered approach to solving some of the world's most pressing problems.
A group of economists turns to an unusual source for funding: strangers.
An Indian army vet builds business relationships across battle lines in conflict-torn Kashmir and Northeast Indian villages.


text:
July 31, 2014
October 15, 2009
ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia's unemployment rate for September was 10.1 percent, the same as the month before.
The Georgia Department of Labor said Thursday it's the 23rd consecutive month that Georgia's unemployment rate is higher than the national rate.
Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said that the number of payroll jobs in September dropped 237,100 -- or 5.8 percent – from the same month the year before.
He said "underlying trends confirm continuing job market deterioration."
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)