text: Tech News Recap For September 19-23 Geek 5: All the News You Need to Know by POPSUGAR Tech 9/24/11 0 Reactions 4 Shares Print 0 0 4 0 0 This week was big for Facebook news, iPhone 5 rumors, and Netflix. Did you miss anything? Catch up on all the important bits in this week's tech news recap! Facebook Introduces Timeline What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mark Zuckerberg introduced Timeline at F8 this week, which puts all of your activity in chronological order in a visually pleasing way. Almost like a personal webpage for Facebook, this timeline beautifully shows off your large photos, status updates, and activity, but there's also a space for your favorite apps and a big profile photo up top. Source: Getty 1 / 5 More Facebook Changes What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 But that's not all — your Facebook newsfeed has gotten a face-lift of sorts. Check out all of the other changes that were made to Facebook here. 2 / 5 More iPhone 5 Rumors What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 There are endless iPhone 5 rumors floating around the Internet on any given day, but how do you know which ones are based in reality? We take a guess at which ones might actually be true, including the latest — the iPhone 5 will be announced on Oct. 4. 3 / 5 Instagram Releases v2.0 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Instagram announced the launch of the Instagram 2.0 update this week, which is packed with new filters and features you'll love. Included in the update (which is available now) will be a new interface, the ability to see how a filter will look through the lens as you're snapping the pic, and larger images. 4 / 5 Netflix Splits Into Two Companies What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced a major change to the company this week: the company is being split in half, with DVD-by-mail customers being funneled into a new company called Quickster, while streaming-only customers will remain with Netflix. Source: Getty 6 / 5 0 0 4 0 0 Read More Geek 5Week In Geek Get a Personalized Living Newsletter! Help us customize your newsletter by selecting your interests (optional): Home Love & Sex Tech Vegetarian Link Love Google's self-driving car can go 10 mph over the speed limit — Newser All of the comic-book titles you need to know now! — The Mary Sue 5 horrifying details you never noticed in video games — Cracked How Ferguson exposed Facebook's breaking-news problem — BuzzFeed Tech We're geeking out over the Harry Potter Warner Bros. studio tour — ChipChick Get ready to say goodbye to the traffic light — ReadWrite The first photos of Paul Rudd as Ant-Man are revealed! — POPSUGAR Entertainment Source: Flickr user LoKan Sardari


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Stop Staring! Polka Dots Dress
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Tonight, youll turn heads with this Stop Staring! midi dress, which features an icy-blue lining and simple straps. Sporting a black, velvety-dotted mesh overlay and ruching along its bodice and wide waistband, this frock is sure to catch the attention of all your admirers - creating an altogether lovely look! ...
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February 2013, TruckingInfo.com - Test Drives
By Tom Berg
When reviewing a product like the Caterpillar CT-660, there is no replacement for getting the opinion of the people who have been using it day in and day out. "The drivers love it," said John "Dick" Jones, president of Jones Fuel Co. in Columbus, Ohio, talking about the fleet's first in-service dump truck.
Tags: Caterpillar, Test Drive, Vocational
We offer e-newsletters that deliver targeted news and information for the entire fleet industry.
The expert, Mark Betner from Citgo will answer your questions Ask a question
Wheel end expert Jeff Geist from STEMCO will answer your questions Ask a question
Fiery Crash Video Paints Portrait of Brave and Caring Truckers
The True Causes of Rubber on the Road
Freightliner's S2G Propane-Autogas-Powered Truck Chassis
Volvo Brings Trucking Web Series to America
Bandag B799 Tread for Mild Mixed-Service Retreads
Rand McNally Expands HD 100 Compatibility
PressurePro, Truck Systems Technologies Announce Partnership
Mack Adds MP8 505C+ to Engine Lineup


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After training with several ceramic artists, Wendy Morris found her artistic voice in the medium of clay, which she believes echoes the beautiful unpredictability of life. Over years of study and practice as a professional artist, Wendy has created pieces big and small, from large-form sculptures to vases. She imbues each creation with her own personality?a skill she passes on to pupils in various classes that include clay sculpture as well as painting and drawing. Wendy has plenty of experience working with both children and adults, ensuring that every participant comes away from class with a unique piece capable of storing their one-of-a-kind marble collection.
Courses for Success keeps its digital library stocked with more than 800 personal and professional development courses, including ones in accounting, sales, and computer programming. Online access to each course means students have the freedom to learn from anywhere, be it while lounging on their sofa or bucking atop a local bar's mechanical bull. Each course features an easy-to-follow step-by-step format, and ongoing tutor support ensures no student hits a snag in their studies. As an added bonus, Courses for Success offers a "try before you buy" option so customers can dip their toes into the online classroom before diving in.
The licensed contractors at Segelman Shaw Roofing, Siding & Gutters handle the façade needs of all residential and commercial buildings. They fearlessly ascend ladders to inspect roofs for proper ventilation and signs of damage, such as busted shingles, defective drainage systems, or graffiti complaints from Santa about last year's cookies. They inspect and repair rain gutters atop homes and condos, ensuring water drains correctly from the downspout and preventing clogs with gutter guards. Buildings receive a facelift with brand new aluminum, vinyl, and HardiePlank siding made of fireproof fiber cement, while energy-efficient windows and solar panels help decrease monthly electric bills. The Segelman crew also tackles entire exterior-renovation projects, from window wrapping to custom shutter and trim design.
With The Diet Fantasy, there's no need to learn the difference between whole and refined grains, good and bad fats, or brussels sprouts and cabbages shot with a shrink ray. In fact, there's no need to shop for healthy groceries at all. Instead, the service automatically delivers three healthy meals and two snacks to members' doorsteps every day, eliminating the need for them to plan nourishing meals. The chefs behind the enterprise eschew processed ingredients such as white flour and MSG, opting for all-natural elements in their rotation of flavorful dishes, such as black-bean stir fry and sesame-roasted salmon. Each portion is customized to the client's height and weight, too, to ensure, for example, that a petite woman doesn't receive the same meals as The Statue of Liberty.
At Dental Design of Rockland, Dr. Barbara Ollech channels 25 years of experience when providing comprehensive dental services, ranging from the cosmetic to the treatment of gum disease and root canals. Dr. Ollech and her staff beautify smiles with dental crowns and porcelain veneers, and straighten teeth with Invisalign braces. Other services include restoring dental implants, tooth replacement, and treatment of periodontal disease.


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On DVD » Love in the Time of Money » Reviews » Comments
I'm sure the filmmakers found this a remarkable and novel concept, but anybody who has ever seen an independent film can report that it is instead a cheap clich�.
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To educate, entertain, and enthuse those who venture beyond the shore. Over 10,900 articles on solo swims, pro races, relays, charity events, eco-swims, stage swims, marathon swims, trends, products, services, personalities, coaches, governing bodies, rules, demographics, books, films, blogs, conferences, camps, clinics, exploits and happenings in oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, dams, canals, channels, fjords, estuaries, lochs, coves, firths, straits, bays, and harbors. Sponsored by WOWSA.org.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
What Stopped Chloë McCardel?
Although the type of jellyfish has yet to be officially confirmed, it is our guess based on numerous trips back and forth across the Straits of Florida that the type of jellyfish that McCardel encountered was a box jellyfish.
Although no official government information is available, or a worldwide coalition of data-gathering agencies, dozens of people and perhaps more than 100 die each year from stings of the venomous box jellyfish.
Up to 40 people die from box jellyfish stings annually in the Philippines alone according to the U.S. National Science Foundation. "But because death certificates are not required in many countries within the range of box jellyfish, worldwide fatalities from box jellyfish may be seriously underestimated," the National Science Foundation.
Last year, we traveled with four jellyfish imaging specialists from the world-renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. Under the direction of Mike McCarthney, the team of experts including Adam Sarafian, Mathhew Weeks, and Lily Bieber-Ham, utilized a variety of visible and invisible photographic imaging equipment that detected jellyfish in the water. What they found during the dusk to dawn hours was shocking and scary to us as the blooms of box jellyfish were overwhelming.
The high-tech imaging system identified the box jellyfish that follows its food sources to the water's surface as the sun sets. As night approaches, the royal blue of the Caribbean Sea turns quickly to a deep blackness that effectively camouflages the venonously invisible box jellies. Like clockwork the bane of channel swimmers rise, and destroy the dreams of those who swim in their wake.
While many channel swimmers and marathon swimmers pride themselves on withstanding an incredible amount of pain and suffering, as well as jellyfish stings, the venom that is ejected by the barbs of the box jellyfish is at a completely different level as is demonstrated by the number of individuals who die every year. These box jellyfish not only can see where they are going, they can also swim purposefully while identifying prey.
They are a very scary species and an insurmountable obstacle to those humans who cross their path.
NOTE: McCardel's explanation at her post-swim press conference is here.
Copyright © 2013 by Open Water Swimming
2 comments:
At last year's Global Open Water Swim Conference in Long Beach, a presenter asked for "human subjects" to try out his jellyfish sting preventative gel. I took some but have not yet tried it. Are there reports of its efficacy yet? I might try it in Puget Sound this summer and report. Please let me know if there is any info yet on this product.ReplyDelete
I do not believe the gel is a preventative substance. It is an after-care product that relieves the sting AFTER the venom has been introduced into the human skin. Additionally, this formulation is not optimized for what we believe were box jellyfish that Chloe encountered. There are plenty of individuals and agencies that use Ron Adley's product called Ocean Care Solutions.ReplyDelete
Thank you very much for your interest in the world of open water swimming.
The Staff of the World Open Water Swimming Association
2014 Global Open Water Swimming Conference
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
The Global Open Water Swimming Conference is a conference on the sport of open water swimming, marathon swimming and swimming during triathlons and multi-sport endurance events.
The conference which has been attended by enthusiasts and luminaries from 6 continents, is devoted to providing information about the latest trends, race tactics, training techniques, equipment, psychological preparation, race organization and safety practices used in the sports of open water swimming, marathon swimming and triathlons.
The conference's mission is to provide opportunities to listen and meet many of the world's most foremost experts in open water swimming, and to meet and discuss the sport among swimmers, coaches, administrators, event organizers, sponsors, vendors, officials, escort pilots, and volunteers from kayakers to safety personnel.
Dozens of presentations at the 2014 Conference at the Mount Stuart House cover numerous aspects of the vast and growing world of open water swimming where attendees can learn and share the latest trends, race tactics, training modalities, swimming techniques, equipment, race organization, logistics, operations, and safety practices for open water swimming as a solo swimmer, competitive athlete, fitness swimmer, masters swimmer, triathlete, multi-sport athlete, administrator, race promoter, sponsor or referee.
The conference was first held in Long Beach, California as part of the 2010 USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships. It has since been held on the Queen Mary in California, at Columbia University and the United Nations in New York City, and in Cork, Ireland. This year in September, it comes to another iconic location, the Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute in Scotland.
"The Global Open Water Swimming Conference was started due to the desire and need for athletes, coaches, referees, administrators, race directors, promoters and sponsors from around the world to share, collect and learn information about the growing sports of open water swimming, marathon swimming and triathlons," said founder Steven Munatones. "Other swimming conferences usually offering nothing on open water swimming or perhaps a speech or two, but we thought open water swimming deserves its own global conference. It is great that the community shares its information via the online social network, but there is nothing like meeting other open water swimming enthusiasts face-to-face and talking about the sport from morning to night."
Speakers at the conference include English Channel swimmers, ice swimmers, record holders, renowned coaches, world champions, professional marathon swimmers, renowned race directors, officials and administrators from the Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
"Because the audience is passionate and educated about the sport and its finest practitioners, the Global Open Water Swimming Conference is also the location of the induction ceremonies for the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame and the annual WOWSA Awards that recognize the World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year, the World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year, the World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year, and the World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year. Special Lifetime Achievement Awards are also occasionally presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the sport over their career."
The 2014 Global Open Water Swimming Conference Programme
Wednesday, September 17th
Leave Glasgow to commence 2-day tour of Scotland [closest international airport is Glasgow]
Thursday, September 18th
Stay Mainland, North of Scotland
Friday, September 19th
14:00 - Swim Loch Lomond
17:00 - Head to Isle of Bute
19:30 - Scottish Banquet
21:30 - Dinner Dance
Saturday, September 20th
09:00 - Registration & Coffee
10:00 - Speeches
12:20 - Lunch and WOWSA Awards
13:40 – Speeches
15:40 - Round Table
19:00 - International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony
Sunday, September 21st
09:00 - Registration & Coffee
10:00 - Speeches
14:30 - Swim in St Ninian's Bay on the Isle of Bute
The luminaries of the open water swimming world who will be honored in Scotland will include:
* Sandra Bucha (U.S.A.), International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Open Water Swimmer and International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Swimmer
* Jon Erikson (U.S.A.), International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Open Water Swimmer
* Claudio Plit (Argentina), International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Open Water Swimmer
* Judith van Berkel-de Njis (Netherlands), International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Open Water Swimmer
* David Yudovin (U.S.A.), International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Open Water Swimmer
* Mercedes Gleitze (Great Britain), International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Open Water Swimmer
* George Young (Canada), International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Open Water Swimmer
* Dale Petranech (U.S.A.), International Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Open Water Contributor
* Melissa Cunningham (Australia), 2013 Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award winner
* Vojislav Mijić (Serbia), International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Swimmer
* James Anderson (U.S.A.), International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Administrator
* Dr. Jane Katz (U.S.A.), International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Administrator
* Indonesian Swimming Federation, , International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Organisation
* Elizabeth Fry (U.S.A.), International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Swimmer
* Pádraig Mallon (Ireland), the 2013 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year
* Olga Kozydub (Russia), the 2013 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year
* Bering Strait Swim (international team), the 2013 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year
* International Ice Swimming Association (Ram Barkai, founder, South Africa), the 2013 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year
For additional articles on the 2014 Global Open Water Swimming Conference, visit:
* Olga Kozydub To Be Honored In Scotland
* Pádraig Mallon To Be Honored In Mount Stuart Castle
* Mount Stuart House, Splendid Setting For Swimming
* Colleen Blair To Kick-off Global Open Water Swimming Conference
* The Man Who Swims Better Than He Walks
* Joining In The Sea Goddess At The Hall Of Fame
* Mercedes Gleitze To Be Honored In Scotland
* The Incredible Career Of Merceded Gleitze
* Jon Erikson To Be Honoured In Florida
* The Incredible Career Of Mercedes Gleitze
* St Ninian's Bay To Host International Swim Conference
Copyright © 2014 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Swim Across the English Channel...
Who else is looking for a qualified open water swimming coach to help them swim across the English Channel?Chloë McCardel is a 6-time English Channel Swimmer who inspires and instructs. Access featured content by Chloë in this month's issue of the Open Water Swimming Magazine. Published monthly by WOWSA, the Open Water Swimming Magazine is a digital, interactive publication made available exclusively to WOWSA members. See what you've been missing! Become a WOWSA member today!
Open Water Swimming Magazine
Open Water Swimming MagazineThe Open Water Swimming Magazine is the monthly magazine entirely focused on open water swimming heroes and heroines of every age, ability, and background. Published by the World Open Water Swimming Association, the Open Water Swimming Magazine is a free benefit to WOWSA members.
WOWSA Member Benefits include 12 issues of the Open Water Swimming Magazine, the annual 276-page Open Water Swimming Almanac, a free listing in Sponsor My Swim, outstanding product discounts from FINIS, an entry in Openwaterpedia and more...
The Other Shore
The Other Shore follows world record holder and legendary swimmer Diana Nyad as she comes out of a thirty-year retirement to re-attempt an elusive dream: swimming 103 miles non-stop from Cuba to Florida without the use of a shark cage. Her past and present collide in her obsession with a feat that nobody has ever accomplished. At the edge of The Devil's Triangle, tropical storms, sharks, venomous jellyfish, and one of the strongest ocean currents in the world, all prove to be life-threatening realities. Timothy Wheeler's documentary brings Diana Nyad's extraordinary adventure to life as Diana sets out to prove that will and determination are all you need to make the unimaginable possible.
2014 Open Water Swimming Almanac
An Almanac for Open Water SwimmingAn almanac is essentially a body of knowledge which is so complete that it enables people in different fields to make predictions about the future of their respective industries.
This, for example, was the purpose of the traditional farmers almanacs. It enabled farmers to determine as accurately as possible which crops to plant for the greatest harvests in a given year.
But the farmers almanac was just one example among many.
There are, of course, many different kinds of almanacs.
In fact, there is even one for open water swimming...
Preview the Open Water Swimming Almanac:
The trends are very clear.
The tide is rising for open water swimming.


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Rosa DeLauro News
News on Rosa DeLauro continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.
4 hrs ago | The Hartford Courant
McEnroe: Guess Who's Running Again? Everybody
Rosa DeLauro is running for Congress . For the 13th freaking time. John Larson is running for Congress.
Communications Workers of America
National Women's Committee Report: It's Time for Paid Family Leave in the U.S.
The next step forward in medical leave is the FAMILY Act. Introduced last year, this legislation would establish a self-sustaining, national paid leave insurance plan funded by employer and employee contributions.
Commentary / Employment issues: Labor Day focus: Workers need humane scheduling
This Labor Day, Starbucks employees don't just want a pat on the back for being hard workers.
Food and Beverage News and Trends
This regular publication by DLA Piper lawyers focuses on helping clients navigate the ever-changing business, legal and regulatory landscape.
Inversion hysteria: Punishing market behavior
If you are looking for reasons why the stock market is tanking, you might turn your eyes toward Washington.
How A Nonprofit Is Teaching Women To Run For Office
According to the National Women's Political Caucus, of the 535 seats in the 113th U.S. Congress, just 18.5%--or 99 members--are women.
Americans are obsessed with fat; either with eating it or being it. We've been told that we're too fat and we're told that eating fat is bad for you.
There's Nothing SWEET About the National Soda Tax
Last month, Rep. Rosa DeLauro proposed the SWEET Act, an excise tax on sweetened beverages.
Americans are obsessed with fat; either with eating it or being it. We've been told that we're too fat and we're told that eating fat is bad for you.
Bill pushes equal pay for women
A male health care worker in Connecticut on average earns almost twice as much as a woman performing the same job.
Agency Postpones Decision On Whether NU Chief's Pro-Malloy Fundraising Violated Law
The State Elections Enforcement Commission failed to reach a decision Tuesday on whether Northeast Utilities CEO Thomas J. May violated state law last year when he asked about 50 company managers to contribute money to help Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy win re-election.
On walking tour candidate Brown sees diversity of District 3
James Brown of Stratford, candidate for U.S. Congress from Connecticut's 3rd District, was followed by volunteer Ian LeComer on the candidate's walking tour of the district Aug. 15. The Republican candidate for the District 3 seat in the U.S. Congress, running against 12-term incumbent Democrat Rosa DeLauro, met with The Star in North Branford on ... (more)
Dems urge bold action on O-Care calorie counts
A pair of congressional Democrats pressed the White House Friday to move forcefully on regulations requiring calorie counts on restaurant menus.
EDITORIAL: Testing the limits of 'sin' and making it pay
Sin has never been more popular, and its popularity is greatest among the government economists who never tire of figuring out how to make it pay.
Starbucks Changes Scheduling Practices To Make Them More Humane For Employees
A day after the New York Times featured a story about a Starbucks employee whose erratic schedule wreaked havoc on her life, the company announced that it would change scheduling practices to make its employees' lives easier.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro with VFW District Commander Dick Kennedy and World War II vets Jim Morgia and Nick Angelicola at the local VFW on Aug. 6. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro last week held the second in her "Honoring the Greatest Generation" appreciation series.
Tax-fraud phone scams con taxpayers out of a staggering $5 million...
FRAUD PHONE SCAMS CON TAXPAYERS OUT OF A STAGGERING $5 MILLION. Over a thousand taxpayers have fallen victim to phone scams from IRS impersonators who demand hundreds and thousands of dollars in alleged unpaid taxes - and the scammers have scored big.
Happy Birthday To Norwalk's Wayne Winsley
Winsley, who has lived in Norwalk, turns 51 on Wednesday. The motivational speaker, author, and broadcaster was born Aug. 13, 1963, in Cleveland.
Will the US Ever Catch Up to the Rest of the World on Paid Family Leave?
On Aug. 5, 1993, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act went into effect. In the 21 years since, it's been used over 100 million times, allowing many working Americans to take time off to bond with new children, or to care for themselves or family members when seriously ill or injured, without the fear of losing their jobs.
Food and Beverage News and Trends
This regular publication by DLA Piper lawyers focuses on helping clients navigate the ever-changing business, legal and regulatory landscape.
Will you boycott Burger King for moving its headquarters to Canada?
Adorable 2-Year-Old Drops The F-Bomb After Her Ice Bucket Challenge
Watch A Cockatoo Sneak Dog Biscuits To Her Great Dane Buddies
Police Let Their Dog Pee On Michael Brown's Memorial, Then Drove Over It
This Chihuahua Getting A Massage Is The Chillest Dog On Planet Earth
Donald Trump ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Which 'Brady Bunch' Character Are You?
Updated: Fri Aug 29, 2014 02:57 am
Copyright © 2014 Topix LLC


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Uh oh, SpaghettiOs, indeed. Campbell Soup Company apologized Saturday evening for an absurd Twitter post made Friday night tying its brand to the Pearl Harbor attacks of Dec. 7, 1941. We apologize for our recent tweet in remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day. We meant to pay respect, not to offend.…
Read More
By Katie Halper
By TBogg
By Roy Greenslade, The Guardian
By The Conversation
Raw Story is a progressive news site that focuses on stories often ignored in the mainstream media. While giving coverage to the big stories of the day, we also bring our readers' attention to policy, politics, legal and human rights stories that get ignored in an infotainment culture driven solely by pageviews.
Founded in 2004, Raw Story reaches 9 million unique readers per month and serves more than 30 million pageviews.
Copyright © 2004-2013 Raw Story Media, Inc. All rights reserved.


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Newest Posts
- A health and safety message from President Turner
- Calendar Highlights: Back to school in brief, Aug. 22, 2014
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- Save the date: SMU's Fall 2014 General Faculty Meeting will take place Wednesday, Aug. 27
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Tag Archives: Jamie Ibarra
Sports: Volleyball begins AAC play, football battles for the Iron Skillet
AAC: SMU volleyball travels to Connecticut Friday, Sept. 27 for their first match in the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs rounded out non-conference play with an 8-5 record and are ranked second in the league. Caroline Young was named American Athletic Conference … Continue reading
Posted in Sports Tagged Alfred Koroma, American Athletic Conference, Battle for the Iron Skillet, Caroline Young, Coach to Cure MD, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, football, Head Coach Carl Neufeld, Jamie Ibarra, men's soccer, men's tennis, SMU-TCU, volleyball, women's soccer, Wyndham Invitational Comments Off


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Stayed here when in Bentota last year. We were a bunch of friends and had an incredible great time there. We also stayed at the Bentota Beach Hotel, and both were amazing, but very different experiences. The Waterside is a small, intimate place, on the backwaters of Bentota, with just a few rooms. It is wonderfull located - surrounded by... More
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- The Waterside Hotel Bentota


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Beautiful Belgian Malinois puppies for sale. 2 females and 1 male. Looking for loving and caring homes. Very loyal and smart dogs. Great family dogs, very protective. Contact Jose at 619-994-3270 if interested or have any questions.
Aug 19 -
San Diego :
San Diego - Dogs & puppies
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MacService offers 320GB Apple TV upgrades
Apple repair and upgrade shop MacService has announced its new 320GB Apple TV Upgrade service. According to the company, the larger capacity drive can hold up to 400 hrs of video, 72,000 songs or 200,000 pictures. To have their Apple TV upgraded, users must send their device out in a MacService-provided custom shipping container using a pre-paid UPS shipping label. Once received, MacService installs the new 320GB hard drive and transfers the data from the old drive, which is then returned to the customer along with the newly upgraded Apple TV. The 320GB drives are brand new and come with a 3 year warranty, and MacService promises to complete all work within 24 hours of the Apple TV's arrival. MacService's 320GB Apple TV Upgrade service is available now and costs $295.
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- iTunes Extras Preview added to Apple TV
Posted by Cristina on March 11, 2009 at 12:15 PM (CDT)
I'm sure the reason they can do it within 24 hours is they are simply cloning the drive. You can do the same thing for a lot less yourself just buy a couple of cheap external cases and buying the new drive yourself for around $70 or so and using the free utility Carbon Copy Cloner or a paid utility such as SuperDuper.
Posted by Joe on March 11, 2009 at 11:15 PM (CDT)
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Merveilleusement situé et très grande chambre avec salon et cuisinette. - Mario
If you are attending a conference in international center, this hotel would be an excellent choice, located in the same block and less than 5 minutes walk. - Anonymous
The staff were incredibly polite and the service was impeccable. They were also very helpful in providing us with "local knowledge" of where to go have fun, have good food etc etc.
The room itself was huge. Impeccably clean, service was always prompt especially when we ran into trouble with the washing machine. Amenities that one needs away from home were all there. Gym, Pool & Jaccuzzi were also great. - Alex Tan
Room 7008 was brilliant - more like a suite. 2 plasma's/2 ensuites, great for the 3 of us.
Would recommend the Trip Advisor at the Hotel, they were excellent. (booked tickets for us for Great Wall/Kung Fu/Bullet train - Anonymous
the food was excellent, the staff was nice, the warm floor in the bathroom, the design was very memorable and interesting. We liked walking the steps to breakfast each morning; good exercise. We would recommend this hotel to other travellers. - Anonymous
The location is amazing, one block from Wangfujing, two from the closest metro station and a 10 min walk from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. A modern and clean hotel with spacious rooms at a very reasonable price. - Anonymous
Friendly English-speaking staff,
tasty and various breakfast, qualitative service - Anonymous
Family room was fantastic, (5 adults) large and comfy beds with a large lounge area. Staff very attentive (particularly Raoul) in catering to needs and providing helpful suggestions for trips. Close to wangfujing street with lots of shopping and less than 5 mins walk to metro. Decor of hotel very grand with beautiful staircases and impressive entrance! Would definitely recommend this hotel (and whole family would too!) - Anonymous
Great location; close to major attractions - Anonymous


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Category — Lovely Designers
Coming Soon to Lovely NY: Claire Pettibone's Romantique Line
We can't contain our excitement…we are so happy to announce that we will be carrying the Romantique line by Claire Pettibone in our New York location this fall! Keep checking our Facebook page and make sure you're following us on Instagram @lovelybride to get updates on the gowns as they arrive. Here's a sneak peek at the collection!
Carol Hannah's Sparkly New Pieces
One of our darling designers Carol Hannah has launched a line of capelets, veils, and wraps just dripping in crystals and we can't get over the photos! These are the perfect accessories to add some glam to your bridal look, especially if you opt for a more simply embellished gown. You can find select styles at Lovely stores, just call to ask! We can totally wear these over jeans and a tshirt, right???
Photos by Matthew Ree Photography
Lovely New York New Arrivals!
We know as blushing brides-to-be you want to be updated on all new dress arrivals at our shops so you can be on ahead of the trends. Today were bringing you the newest arrivals at our Lovely New York location. Schedule an appointment to see all of Lovely New York's collection here!
Hayley Paige "Paloma" is perfect for that bride wanting some insane detailing on her gown. That neckpiece is to die for!
Images via JLM Couture.
We couldn't be more excited for Sarah Seven's newest collection to hit our shops, but for now the "Violet Hour" gown will have us drooling.
Images via Sarah Seven.
Watter's "Ghila" has been everywhere this season! So we are thrilled to be adding her to our NY collection.
Images via Watters.
A glamorous Nicole Miller is always welcomed with open arms, and "Georgina" is no exception. That beaded neckline is enough to make any girl swoon.
Images via Wedding Chicks.
Sarah Seven Spring 2015 Preview
We have a treat to kick off your weekend today Lovelies! Remember those Sarah Seven gowns we shared with you from last Bridal Market? Today we have a sneak preview of Sarah Seven's Spring 2015 collection here on the Lovely Blog! Always elegant, always lovely, Sarah's new collection is sure to win your heart.
Images Via Matthew Moore Photography.
New LA Lovely Shop Arrivals
Today we are bringing you the latest and greatest dress arrivals from our Lovely LA shop! These new gowns scream 'West Coast Bride' with simple skirts, and gorgeous details. To see these and all of Lovely LA's perfectly curated collection, schedule your appointment here.
Leanne Marshall's Emma gown screams beach wedding. The style is effortlessly flattering, and will be incredibly comfortable to wear on your big day!
Image via Once Wed.
Another Leanne Marshal favorite, Melissa is so dreamy for the bride wanting to go with a vintage vibe when she saws her vows. The cap sleeves and illusion neckline are so demure, and the all over lace will be a classic for years to come.
Image via Once Wed.
Nicole Miller's Georgina gown is a glamour goddess of a dress. If old Hollywood glamour is your forte, then this trumpet style will suit you perfectly.
Nicole Miller's Blaine boasts exquisite beading in an Art Deco style. We love the V-neckline that has popping up all over the red carpet this season.
Image via The White Gown.
Last but certainly not least is Sarah Seven's Clementine. Sarah's designs continue to be a favorite of our West Coast brides, and this floral embroidered gown with gilded belt is one of her best yet!
Image via Sarah Seven.


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Keep up with the news by installing RT's extension for . Never miss a story with this clean and simple app that delivers the latest headlines to you.
The Young Turks' Cenk Uygur joins Larry and blasts Obama for selling out on his promise to change DC. And, wait 'til you hear what he says about Hillary! Then, Larry Elder jumps in with his take on Obama vs. Putin, U.S. intervention abroad & more.
Either this Gentleman is not a genuine 'independent media' source or he lacks knowledge of history and geopolitical realities when it comes to Ukraine. No reference to U.S/E.U. regime change possibilities with much evidence on the table along with examples of recent similar history on other countries. interesting.
I am pretty sure that if this was little bit more heated Cenk would have Hit him in the face.
Young Turks...right....the rest of the world could have told what you are moaning about. Obama is just a puppet and has been since he ran for President. My advise is go back to Turkey and stop criticizing the country that gave YOU an opportunity.
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Rep. Paul Ryan worried Obama doesn't see defeating ISIS as all-important to U.S. interests
Former NATO Commander Wesley Clark on the US Response in Iraq
Actor/Director Rob Reiner on How Hollywood Sways Politics
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An Introduction to Social Media.
Ignoring the Real Causes of Christian Exodus
Time reporter blames Israel and the West for Muslim intolerance
Israel at War – Day 6
As rocket attacks escalate on Israel, so does the media war – help respond now!
Israel at War: A Primer
Background & key issues behind Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
Sky News Removes Photo Distortion
A misleading photograph is removed from the Sky website.
Looking Local
The smaller media needs watching as well.
Exposed – Anti-Israeli Subversion on Wikipedia
HonestReporting exposes anti-Israel activists manipulating the online encyclopedia.
Video: Islamic Jihad's Insight into Pallywood
See how terrorist groups examine each other's work for doctored footage.
Ending the "Cycle of Violence"
Contrary to media spin, recent events are not part of a "cycle of violence".


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I need to change my timing belt. I am told I will need to change my water pump as well. What will this cost?
Lexus » RX300 » 2002 Lexus RX300 » Questions
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2002 Lexus RX300
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2002 Lexus RX300 Question: What will it cost to have the timing belt changed.
Greg N, 3.0L V6, Sayville, NY, March 25, 2011, 09:35
2 Answers
Answer #1raiderron March 25, 2011, 10:15Master
The water pump is recommended even if not leaking since there is so much labor to get to it, look at the estimator link at repairpal home page for estimate for your area.
Answer #2dandd March 25, 2011, 13:05Master
This is a really bog job, I have done a few and it costs about $1250, with a new water pump and new tensioners etc. You really want to do the water pump because it only adds a few minutes of time and will surely go out before the next belt is due, which basically doubles your costs for the same job.
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SPU shooting hero Jon Meis likely saved many lives after he stopped a would-be mass murderer with a can of pepper spray (AP).
Hero Wants SPU Donations to Victims: Jon Meis, the Seattle Pacific University student who stopped a shooting on campus last Thursday, wants donations pouring in for him to go instead to the victims of the shooting. Donors have given over $50,000 to Jon Meis since his story became public. The shooting claimed the life of Paul Lee, 19; students Thomas Fowler, 24, and Sarah Williams, 19, were injured.
Friendly Fire Kills U.S. Troops: Friendly fire killed five American troops, a member of the Afghan national army, and a civilian on Monday, the Pentagon is reporting. The accident happened in the Arghandab district in Gizee on Monday as the troops were conducting a security operation.
Driver in Morgan Crash Awake 24 Hours: The driver of a Wal-Mart truck who police allege caused a crash that resulted in the death of one man and the severe injury of comedian Tracy Morgan had been driving for 24 hours straight, authorities say. The driver, Kevin Roper, 35, didn't notice that traffic had slowed, authorities say, slamming his truck into the back of a van Morgan and others were riding in. Roper faces a vehicular homicide charge.
Gun Owner Tried to Stop Las Vegas Shooting: A 31-year-old man tried to stop a shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday with his gun, but was killed in the process, authorities say. Joseph Wilcox, 31, was inside a Wal-Mart in Las Vegas when shooters Jerad and Amanda Miller entered, firing. Amanda Miller shot Wilcox before he could use his weapon. Before entering Wal-Mart, the murderous couple had shot and killed two police officers inside a CiCi's pizza restaurant, reportedly draping Gadsden flags over the bodies.
Liberals Stump for GOP: In a cynical political move, a liberal political group is running ads in favor of Colorado GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo. Why? The group Protect Colorado Values believes a Democrat can beat Tancredo in the fall.
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General McInerney warns of Sept. 11 threatAugust 26, 2014Retired Air Force Lt. General Thomas McInerney warns of a potentially huge threat leading up to September 11th of this year.
Government Accountability Office: Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl swap illegalAugust 25, 2014A federal watchdog reported Thursday that the prisoner swap for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was illegal.
Shapiro: The great racial disconnect on policeAugust 22, 2014A new poll shows that 57 percent of black adults think that Officer Wilson should be found guilty of murder.
Witness corroborationsAugust 20, 2014A St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter says witnesses have corroborated the officer's account in the Michael Brown shooting
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Real Estate Corner
Robin's Real Estate Reality Talk We are in a very unique market. Right now our area is showing signs of recovery. We are moving in a positive direction and gaining equity though are ways off from where we were in 2006 and 2007.


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|Gorgeous home in great location nestled on 1.2 acres in Fairfax City. Updated kitchen, hardwood floors, a wall of windows skylights highlight the sunroom plus there is a full brick wall fireplace w/ gas logs in the spacious family room. 4 levels of living allow you to spread out enjoy your privacy. Best of all this lovely home faces Daniels Run Park.
Listing Broker: RE/MAX Gateway, LLC
|Fully renovated 4 bedrooms and 2 baths house. Upper level has two bedrooms, living room, dinning room, Kitchen and a full bathroom. Lower level has two bedrooms, study room, laundry room, full bathroom and a family room. The house has a big backyard with a big shed. House has lot of parking space as it is a corner house at the end of street. Walking distance to bus stop, shops. NO HOA!!
Listing Broker: Proplocate Realty
|NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL RAMBLER!! Elegant remodeled kit.4yrs old leads to custom family rm addition w/waterfall. Granite counters, Stainless steel appls, breakfast ctr, open feel. Remodled baths on ML LL. Hardwood flrs on the ML. Bsmt has custom WIC. Huge shed workshop? w/electric.Newer windows. Addition heat pump 4 yrs old. Roof 4 yrs old. LL Br not legal Floor plan in virtual tour
Listing Broker: RE/MAX Presidential
|PRICE REDUCED! SELLERS MOTIVATED!!! 2 Level EXPANDED Rambler! 1 car garage added. New carpet in 2 bedrooms and in HUGE lower level Rec Room! Two wood-burning fireplaces. Stainless Appliances. Beautiful hardwoods! Larger than most of the surrounding homes. Screened Porch off master could be converted to more living space future bath?. Large Deck. Most windows replaced with Thermal Pane windows.
Listing Broker: Prudential PenFed Realty
|*Price Drop* Contract falls through. This is a lovely 4 bedroom 2 full bath. *Hardwood Floors*, Granite Counter tops, SS Appliances. *PROFESSIONALLY RENOVATED with Fairfax City permit codes requirements. Minutes to routes 66,29, 236 50.
Listing Broker: Golden Key Realty LLC
|Price reduce to sell ...........Location...Location... Location, 350 feet to Main St, and 0.7 miles to Chain Bridge Rd. Charming Rambler 5 Br, 2.5 BA; Well maintained single family home; walk-out full finished basement with kitchen. .For information call 1st showing contact.
Listing Broker: Spring Hill Real Estate, LLC.


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There are two main issues to look at when we think about the fall season of 2014. The first is an early freeze, due to lagging crop development in some areas of the northern Corn Belt.
As we approach the September 1 time frame, there is a fairly high probability for an early freeze to affect the finishing crop in North Dakota. We favor such an occurrence before September 20, based on forecast model presentations. That region looks to be cooler than normal for September, and due to that trend, there is a better than even chance that by mid-September a push southward of polar-origin air may be strong enough to bring at least some 30-32 degree readings down through a good portion of North Dakota. This occurrence would be generally a week earlier than the 30-year average first freeze date as noted in the map below.
In other areas of the northern Corn Belt, we look for average first-freeze dates. However, even an average first occurrence of 32 degree Fahrenheit temperatures may still be too early in areas where development may be lagging. Progress reports do show crop stages ahead of their pace of 2013, which may limit the at-risk issue.
The second primary fall weather hurdle is the overall pattern--and it presents itself as a wet one for the Midwest.
The northern Plains and northern Midwest have below-normal temperatures forecast. This bolsters the idea of not only a freeze threat, but also problems in dry-down for harvest. Other areas of the Corn Belt have milder temperatures. On the other hand, precipitation may be an issue throughout the season in most areas.
Harvest this season, at least in the first portion, will be a slow affair with some drying issues. There will be at least some resemblance to the very-slow harvest of 2009, five years ago. While this season will not be nearly as drawn-out as that year was, higher moisture levels and slower progress than we would like are going to be more prominent this year.
Twitter @BAndersonDTN
© Copyright 2014 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.
As we move from late summer to the beginning of fall across Western Canada, the weather is mostly cooperating with farmers. After a period of warm, drier weather from late July through mid-August helped crops catch up, then many areas from Saskatchewan to Manitoba received a healthy dose of rain during the past weekend as a burst of cool weather pushed through the region.
Any soils that were starting to become too dry were put back into the adequate category for much of the central and eastern Prairies. Some dry soils still exist across western and northwestern portions of Alberta. Temperatures turned lower during last weekend as a push of polar air sent readings to below-normal levels in most areas with even a little bit of patchy frost from eastern Alberta to west-central Saskatchewan. It appears that there wasn't significant frost damage.
The normal dates for first frosts are only a week or two away for the northern half of the Prairies with southern areas usually staying away from a killing frost until the third week of September during a normal year. Normal does not usually happen in weather and given that the upper air pattern is likely to feature a mean trough across Western Canada during the next couple of weeks we will have to keep an eye out for potential frosts or freezes.
Swathing and combining operations are increasing across the region. With better weather expected during the next week or so, the harvest of mature crops will increase substantially. We are likely to see a bump or two in the road as a couple of cold fronts push across the region bringing a short period of showers to western areas Saturday and eastern areas Sunday. Another period of showers may push through the region toward the end of next week. This precipitation will benefit late-maturing crops.
The temperature pattern is expected to remain on the cool side of normal once we reach later this weekend into next week, but for now the origin of the air is coming more from the Pacific than northwest Canada, so any threat of a season-ending frost or freeze appears low. A few spots of light frost can't be ruled out for northern areas by the middle of next week.
Longer-range model products continue on the idea of lower-than-normal temperatures persisting for much of September across the Canadian Prairies with eastern areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba bearing the brunt of the chill. Given the persistent nature of model forecasts leaning toward a cool outlook next month we see an increased threat of an earlier-than-normal frost or freeze across the region that could affect some of the later-maturing crops.
Doug Webster can be reached at email@example.com
Those of us who wait all winter for those lazy, hazy, hot days of summer have been disappointed this summer as the typical periods of hot, humid weather we normally see across a large portion of the central and eastern U.S. have been hard to find. Absent has been the subtropical ridge which we rely on to allow heat to build under the upper level dome of warm air.
Numerous recording sites from the Plains through the Midwest and into the East all are reporting very low numbers of 90-degree afternoon high temperatures so far this summer. In some cases the 90-degree mark has not been reached and time is starting to run out as summer fades into meteorological fall in just a week.
Hot weather has made an appearance across many portions of the central and southern Midwest and Plains during recent days but for many areas this is the first such "hot spell" of the summer and is not really anything to write home about. This burst of summer temperatures does not look like it will have staying power as some polar air gets back into the mix later this week across the northern half of the central and eastern U.S.
The reasons behind the cool summer are pretty much the same as the reason we saw the cold winter and spring. High latitude blocking has been a persistent feature across North America and through the Greenland region through most of the summer. Only during the past 5 days have we seen this blocking relax enough to allow the subtropical ridge to grow northward into the south-central U.S.
The Bermuda high has also been on vacation this summer and has tended to stay across the central Atlantic rather than poking west into the East Coast of the U.S. as it does many times during a normal summer. The lack of this "heat pump" has kept places like Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. with very few 90-degree afternoons.
More often than not we have seen polar air masses make their way southward into the Midwest and East bringing cooler, drier air. Some of these fronts have even made their way all the way into the southern U.S. bringing cooling to even our most southern states.
The Southwest has also seen "cool" weather during the past month with temperatures averaging as much as 2 to 4 degrees below normal so far during August. Phoenix, Arizona has seen 9 days during August when temperatures have failed to reach the century mark. Normal high temperatures are a few degrees over the 100-degree mark.
Current model products are telling us that summer may try to make a modest attempt to continue into early September with the mostly missing subtropical ridge expected to be more of a player in our weather across the central and eastern U.S. This might mean a few places may add a few more hot days into the tally before summer finally does fade away.
I've been away most of the past couple weeks looking around Central Europe. It was a great experience and bolstered by something that hasn't been too prevalent in Germany, Switzerland and Austria this summer--sunshine. There were several comments by our guides on tours we took about how the amount of rain this year had hurt the wheat and hay crops. (This is a point emphasized in DTN market weather videos since July.)
Now, there is a quick gearing-up for the Farm Progress (or should it be "Slog-gress"?) Show in Boone, Iowa Tuesday through Thursday this week. For the second time in the past 3 shows in Boone, rain is an issue. The show at the Iowa site was crippled by heavy rain in 2010--had a dry weather event in 2012 during the drought year--and got hammered by heavy rain last week during exhibit set-up, with more rain forecast for this week's event days. Darin Newsom and I do plan to discuss the primary market and weather topics of the day each of the three days of the show and we hope to see you if you are at the show. Our program times are 9:30 AM and 1:00 PM.
I'll post a separate blog item on this topic-but I fully expect first frost dates and a frost forecast to be of high interest. I kept up on enough details from last week's Pro Farmer crop tour to know that scouts found plenty of soybeans along with some corn that need every last growing degree unit available. It also is evident that September 20 is an important date--frost on or before that date, and it won't be a pretty sight to finish the season. There's the question of harvest weather patterns as well.
Bottom line is, there are some critical items weatherwise for this year's Farm Progress Show, in addition to just being able to get to the show itself.
Fine summer weather has covered the Canadian Prairies from later June through mid August with warm weather and just enough rain to allow crops to catch up in most areas from a late start. The typical spotty nature of summer rains lead to some increased areas of dry top soils during the recent few weeks but rains have made a comeback during recent days across most of the Prairie provinces.
For the most part the recent rains are beneficial with soil moisture levels being bolstered to help filling and maturing crops. Since this is not a perfect world there, is also a downside to the rains, with the wet weather hampering areas where early harvest operations have gotten underway.
More rain is expected during the coming days and with a developing low pressure area expected to lift northward from eastern Montana Saturday through Manitoba Sunday. We may expect some heavy totals for Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There may certainly be too much rain for some areas if all of our weather chart forecasts work out.
Alberta may not see nearly as much rain and with a drier pattern taking over by Monday and Tuesday, harvest activities may resume through areas where they began prior to the recent rain. For Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the expected rain totals could delay or stop any harvest work into the middle of next week to allow fields to dry out a little.
Rain is not the only newcomer to town. Temperatures are trending much lower across the region as air from Western Canada cycles southward into the region from high pressure across the Northwest Territories. An early fall temperature preview can be expected across the region through at least early next week with widespread below-normal readings.
Thanks to the clouds and rainfall, we do not expect any significant frost threat through Monday, but by early Tuesday or early Wednesday of next week we could see some spotty frost for some central and northern areas. At this time, this does not look like a significant problem, but is something to watch. The normal dates for the first freezing weather are fast approaching for northern areas and a late-August frost is not unusual. Southern areas usually escape frost until we get a week or two into September.
Most of our computer model forecasts tell us we might expect to see temperatures average near to below normal as we move into the end of August and early September and leave the door open for some frost damage for any areas that have late-maturing crops.
The Monsoon rains would typical arrive along the south coast of India at about the 1st of June and would move into the Mumbai (Bombay) area by June 10th. This year the early part of the Monsoon was delayed but not by enough to be overly concerned about. However, the push towards the northwest after June 10th was quite a different story.
The leading edge of the Monsoon became stuck for awhile and did not make it's final push towards northwest India until after July 15th. In a normal year the Monsoon would reach to near the Pakistan boarder by July 1st. The delayed rains lead to delays in planting for summer crops in the key oilseed and cotton areas of west-central and northwest India.
When the rains finally arrived there was enough rain within a few week period to help ease concerns, somewhat. This lead to increased plantings of the soybean, groundnut and cotton crops in the area and cautious optimism.
However, during the most recent week it appears that the rains have backed away from northwest and west-central India. If this were to be the withdrawal of the Monsoon it would be exceptionally early. This would likely mean a sharp reduction is production for many key crops. This would include those already mentioned as well as others, such as sugarcane, wheat and rapeseed.
While it does not appear that the rains will be moving back towards northwest India during the medium range period it is too soon to call this the withdrawal. It is likely only a break in the Monsoon at this moment. This will allow for a continued planting pace for any crops that still have not been planted and crops will rely on the moisture that was put down when the rains were active over the prior 3 weeks.
One thing we need to watch at this time is temperatures. As the soils dry out due to the lack of meaningful rains the temperatures will turn hotter. This will increase stress to developing crops, especially the soybean crop in west Madhya Pradesh and possibly the sugarcane crop in northwest India as well. Cotton and sorghum crops are better able to handle the heat so long as soil moisture and/or irrigation is adequate.
The longer this drier pattern holds through northwest and west-central India, the higher the risk will be to summer crops and also to winter crops that will be planted later in the year. This weather pattern needs to be watched.
Joel Burgio
Summer has been in full bloom across Western Canada's crop regions during the past few weeks and while this has been great in allowing for rapid crop advancement after the slow start to the season, we have seen an increase in coverage of dry conditions during August.
Dry weather has been in place across Alberta for the longest stretch and conditions there are becoming increasingly stressful for many crops as heat and lack of rain begins to take its toll. Crop ratings are still good as of the first week of August with 75% of the crop rated good or excellent. This is still above the five-year average of 70% but has been on a steady decline as of late.
Heavy rains that fell across Saskatchewan and Manitoba early in the summer are a distant memory as lots of sunny, warm and mostly dry weather during the past several weeks is now beginning to show up in the form of some heat and moisture stress in some areas. Due to the variable nature of summer showers, a few spots are reporting excess moisture while an increasing number of areas need more rain.
Like Alberta, most areas are seeing a good crop but the very high level of good to excellent crop percentages from a few weeks ago are slipping due to the warm, dry midsummer period.
The prospects for a quick end to the dry weather are not that good. More warm, mostly dry weather for the next several days is expected. Some spotty showers will threaten Alberta and southern Saskatchewan through the weekend and a few of these may even release a few heavier downpours. A region-wide beneficial rain is not in the cards for a while, but we may see some improved chances of wet weather later next week or weekend.
The upper level ridge that brought warm, drier summer weather appears as though it will weaken in about a week. This allows a trough to settle into Western Canada and do two things: First, an increase in rain chances should come about later next week as the jet stream flow settles southward taking the storm track south and brings some disturbances in from the Pacific. Secondly, temperatures will also be on the decline as this trough settles in, but not cold enough to bring an early frost, at least not at first.
With the upper air patterns across North America still showing some of the aspects of the last 18 months, we have to be aware that some cool weather could bring an early end to the growing season if everything were to set up properly. The threat of an early frost may be more of a threat to this season's crop than the increasingly dry conditions that set in during the past few weeks. This is something to watch for as we move into late August and early September.
This blog entry features an excerpt from an article by Nebraska state climatologist Al Dutcher, which was posted in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cropwatch weekly e-newsletter Friday, August 8. Al Dutcher focused much of the article on Nebraska conditions, but the details presented here apply to other areas of the Corn Belt as well in regard to possible Growing Degree Day shortages for full corn maturity this season.--Bryce
Twitter @BAndersonDTN
Corn GDDs Suggest Freeze Vulnerabilities
Persistently cool temperatures across most of the Corn Belt have dominated this season, raising the question of whether crops will reach physiological maturity before the first hard freeze.
The portion of the Corn Belt most vulnerable to an early freeze appears to be the Dakota's, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The greatest hard freeze vulnerability in Nebraska lies along the northern border, as well as in fields replanted late due to devastating storm damage.
GDD unit differences from normal are excessive using the May 10 and May 20 emergence dates. On August 5, normal GDD unit accumulations average 25 to 27 units per day. If we take normal GDD accumulations from emergence to maturity and divide by the number of days, the average daily GDD units average 22-23 per day. Therefore, corn emerged on May 10 is running two to three days behind what would be expected given normal temperatures.
Converting accumulated deficits into days behind average using a standard 22 units per day during the growing season indicates corn is running five to eight days behind for the May 20 emergence, 13-17 days behind for a May 30 emergence, and 20-27 days behind for a June 10 emergence.
To come up with the average seasonal accumulated GDD units, GDD accumulations from May 10 to August 5 were added to the normal GDD accumulations (baseline: 1981-2010) expected from August 5 through the mean fall hard freeze date.
Corn emerged on May 30 will likely accumulate 200 fewer GDD units than corn that emerged May 20; corn emerged June 10 would be expected to have 300-350 fewer GDD units. Producers who didn't replant a shorter maturing variety have an above average probability of incurring hard freeze damage prior to physiological maturity.
In order to bring the GDD accumulated deficits back to normal during the next 60 days for corn that emerged May 10, temperatures would need to average 0.5-1.0 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. Temperatures would need to average 2.0-2.4 degrees F above normal for a May 20 emergence date, 4.5-6.3 degrees F above normal for a May 30 emergence date, and 7-10 degrees F above normal for a June 10 emergence date. These temperature thresholds assume a shorter season hybrid was not planted.
The warmest 30 days during this growing season was mid-May through mid-June when temperatures averaged 2-4 degrees F above normal. Barring the warmest September on record, corn that emerged at the end of May through early June will likely see a hard freeze before physiological maturity, unless producers moved to a variety that needed at least 300 fewer GDD units to reach maturity. This equates to a variety that takes 13 fewer days to mature than the variety best suited to a particular growing area.
The full report, with detailed information tables, is at this link: http://tinyurl.com/…
Fine weather continues for crop development and maturation across the Canadian Prairies. This is a pattern similar to last summer when late planting and wet conditions threatened to bring a poor crop but great summer weather ended up bringing about a great crop.
However, the outcome of this year's crop is far from over and there are still some obstacles that could damage the tally.
While many areas have recently seen rather beneficial growing weather, we are starting to see increasing spots of drier conditions pop up. This is as a result of the hit-and-miss nature of summer showers and thundershowers. Southern and southwest Alberta has been rather hot and dry during the last few weeks and need more moisture. There are potentially some locally moderate showers for some of these areas today, but the outlook for the next week then becomes dry again.
Dry areas across Saskatchewan and Manitoba are more widely scattered with most areas reporting soil moisture mostly in the adequate category. The drier conditions are mostly near the U.S./Canadian border, where showers have been more limited during the past week or two.
Warm to occasionally hot weather and plenty of sunshine have helped crop development move along quickly, but can be blamed for drying out topsoil fairly quickly for some areas.
The upcoming weather pattern shows more of what we have seen since mid-July. A few showers and thundershowers will accompany any weak cold fronts crossing Western Canada during the next one to two weeks, but typically this type of pattern does not bring widespread rainfall but rather locally moderate or heavy showers. Some areas will continue to miss or get just small amounts of rain leading dry areas to continue to grow.
Periods of some hot weather are also possible with the middle and end of next week looking quite warm for most of the region. Like we have seen for many of the past months, Manitoba is more susceptible to seeing some cooler weather at times.
Overall the outlook is still largely favorable for maturing crops and the beginning of harvest during the next few weeks, but the lack of rainfall may become a little more of an issue as we move deeper into August.
The overall pattern across North America is largely unchanged from what we have seen for many months. A potential problem could come in the form of an early frost or freeze later this month or during September. While warmer-than-normal temperatures are generally forecast for the next few weeks, we see some threat of a quick-hitting cool snap before crops have finished maturing or have been harvested. This is something we will have to watch for in the coming weeks.
Doug Webster can be reached at email@example.com
After the dry month of July--when many areas of the northern and central U.S. had rainfall deficits of two to four inches below normal--the forecast during the next week offers light to heavy amounts of precipitation. This is of course a "just in time" forecast as soybeans go into the key month of August, and corn moves into its dough stage ahead of the final steps toward maturation.
That rainfall pattern has a wide range. An arc from south-central Minnesota through eastern Iowa, northeastern Missouri, north-central Illinois, south-central Wisconsin, southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northern Ohio is in line for one-and one-half inches of rain, possibly heavier, during the time frame from Sunday, August 3, through Thursday, August 7. (This stretch means that the Farmfest farm show in Redwood Falls, MN may have some mud to deal with--but I don't think anyone will be too upset.)
We could also see up to one inch of rain in eastern South Dakota, northeastern Nebraska, southeastern Kansas, western and northern Missouri, central Illinois, central Indiana, central Ohio, central Michigan, central Wisconsin and central Illinois. These are certainly significant rain amounts; and, while this one event doesn't make the crop, it is certainly a timely dose of moisture.
The forecast is much lighter outside of this pocket of heavier precip. Rainfall amounts indicated are no more than one-half inch from central South Dakota south to south-central Kansas, along with central Missouri, south-central Illinois, and east to southern Ohio. There's more of a tail-off for the remainder of the Plains and Midwest, as forecast rain totals only show a maximum of around one-quarter inch.
It will, as always, be interesting to see how this rain pattern evolves. The forecast makes a definite suggestion that conditions will improve in some big-production areas of the Midwest. But, not everyone will share in the full precipitation bounty.
The weather gods have been on the side of the farmer during the past few weeks across most of the cropland of Western Canada as warmer, drier weather helped crops catch up on crop development. The aerial coverage of excess soil moisture continues to decrease with the majority of farmland now in the adequate soil moisture category.
The turn to a much more favorable weather pattern for crop growth resembles what we saw last year when a cold, wet spring was followed by a very good summer and high crop yields. The jury is still out on what kind of yield we will see this year, but the recent turn to good growing weather is certainly good news and brings about a more favorable potential for the final outcome of many of this summer's crops.
The weather mechanics of why we have seen a turnaround lie with the strengthening of the subtropical ridge across the western U.S. during the mid-summer period. There has been a ridge across the U.S. West for many of the past several months, but it has not been strong enough to extend northward to fend off the active storm track we saw during the spring and early summer until recently.
The subtropical ridge now has enough influence to keep fronts weak and push the main low pressure track to the north of the Prairies. The result for Canada's cropland is a warmer, drier pattern but with a few occasional showers to prevent soils from getting too dry.
One region that is seeing a little too much of a good thing is the southern and southwestern portion of Alberta. Some hot days combined with less rainfall of recent weeks is drying soils a little too much. This is not unlike the pattern we have encountered for much of the past year where the far western and southwestern Prairies have seen less chill and wet weather than areas further to the east across Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Many of the same aspects of the upper air weather pattern are still in place across North America that we saw last winter and for the past year and a half. High latitude blocking and occasional pushes of polar air southward through the central parts of the continent have persisted into mid-summer. Fortunately the long days of summer prevent harsh cold, but if this pattern keeps up we might what to keep an eye on an early frost or freeze threats late in the summer or early fall, especially if crops are running a little behind schedule.
For now, we should enjoy the favorable conditions for crop development, as well as the favorable outlook for the next week or so. The August outlook, by some of the more reliable models, keeps the region in a mostly favorable pattern for crop weather. Eastern areas may see a little more cool weather once in a while than the west and some of the higher chances of rain may be for the eastern Prairies rather than the west; however, it is still a pretty good outlook from a weather standpoint for August.
When a Fortune 500 company announces that its concerns about climate change are leading to some new demands on its suppliers, it's interesting. When that company is the third-largest food processor in the U.S.--and is headquartered in the Upper Midwest (Golden Valley, Minnesota) the announcement is worth posting.--Bryce
Twitter @BAndersonDTN
Jul 28, 2014 • By John Church
How the weather forecast impacts food supply
Weather is often something people think about as they're walking out the door in the morning or as they make weekend plans. But, for a food company like General Mills, it's a much longer-term consideration.
Weather conditions such as drought, floods and excessive heat, can decrease yields on crops like corn, oats and wheat.
Changing weather patterns can also impact our ability to deliver quality products to our consumers and value to our shareholders.
As weather volatility increases, General Mills recognizes the need to mitigate the climate change risks presented to humanity, our environment and our livelihoods. The urgency is clear: science-based evidence points to changes in climate that could permanently alter the atmosphere if action isn't taken in the near term.
An innovative, holistic approach is essential.
For years, General Mills has been working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in our operations and in agriculture. We've had specific GHG targets in place for our direct operations since 2005.
However, given that nearly two-thirds of General Mills' GHG emissions and 99 percent of water use throughout our value chain occur upstream of our direct operations, primarily in agriculture, we've also been focused on advancing sustainable agriculture.
To this end, we've made a commitment to sustainably source 100 percent of our 10 priority ingredients by 2020.
These ingredients represent 50 percent of our total raw material purchases. Today, we further our commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable agriculture by announcing a corporate climate policy that establishes a framework for our efforts to track and reduce GHG emissions across our broader value chain. This includes requiring key ingredient suppliers to demonstrate environmental, social and economic improvements in their supply chains.
In addition, our policy addresses further reductions in resource usage within our own operations; our leadership role in a multi-stakeholder water stewardship strategy; and our continued contributions to food waste reduction.
Climate change is not an issue one company can tackle alone. It takes the collaboration and dedication of many.
General Mills has sought partners with a shared commitment to mitigating climate change. We recently joined BICEP, Ceres' Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy, in an effort to advocate more closely with policy makers to pass meaningful energy and climate legislation.
Mindy Lubber, president, Ceres, welcomed us to the group saying: "General Mills is showing increasing leadership on climate change and we are proud to welcome the company as our newest member of BICEP. With General Mills' global commitment to sustainable sourcing and the work it is doing to reduce GHG emissions in its direct operations and in agriculture, the company brings a lot to the table. We are certain General Mills will be an effective advocate for strong climate and energy policies."
We also have great, long-standing partners including the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture.
And, our collaborative work includes other important multi-stakeholder groups such as the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil and Bonsucro.
The imperative is clear: business, together with governments, NGOs and individuals, need to act together to reduce the human impact on climate change. Government policies that provide proportionate and clear guidance on mitigation and adaptation are essential for large scale progress.
Business investment in innovations that help reduce natural resource use and create energy alternatives is essential to reach scalable practices and technologies. And, helping individual consumers make more sustainable choices is essential to reducing the collective human impact on the environment.
We all have a part to play.
We encourage you – individuals and organizations alike – to join us in the commitment to reduce our collective environmental footprint and improve the overall health of the planet.
As consumers, we can make a difference by reducing food waste, recycling packaging, using less water and energy and by choosing more energy efficient appliances. Together, our combined actions can have a big impact.
Follow our progress as we report annually in our Global Responsibility Report and via the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Water Disclosure Project.
John Church is the executive vice president of supply chain operations at General Mills, based in Minneapolis. He is responsible for worldwide sourcing, product logistics, manufacturing and global engineering. He joined General Mills in 1988.
An Internet version is at this address: http://tinyurl.com/…
The following article has some stunning detail about just how much water is being lost in the southwestern U.S. with the tremendous drought--and a lack of conservation. There's a real punch line at the end as well regarding water policy.--Bryce
Satellites show major Southwest groundwater loss
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --- Groundwater losses from the Colorado River basin appear massive enough to challenge long-term water supplies for the seven states and parts of Mexico that it serves, according to a new study released Thursday that used NASA satellites.
Researchers from NASA and the University of California, Irvine say their study is the first to quantify how much groundwater people in the West are using during the region's current drought.
Stephanie Castle, the study's lead author and a water resource specialist at the University of California, Irvine, called the extent of the groundwater depletion "shocking."
"We didn't realize the magnitude of how much water we actually depleted" in the West, Castle said.
Since 2004, researchers said, the Colorado River basin --- the largest in the Southwest --- has lost 53 million acre feet, or 17 trillion gallons, of water.
That's enough to supply more than 50 million households for a year, or nearly fill Lake Mead --- the nation's largest water reservoir --- twice. (BA note--not to mention how many acres' worth of crops could be watered.)
Three-fourths of those losses were groundwater, the study found.
Unlike reservoirs and other above-ground water, groundwater sources can become so depleted that they may never refill, Castle said. For California and other western states, the groundwater depletion is drawing down the reserves that protect consumers, farmers and ecosystems in times of drought.
"What happens if it isn't there?" Castle said during a phone interview. "That's the scary part of this analysis."
The NASA and University of California research used monthly gravity data to measure changes in water mass in the basin from December 2004 to November of last year, and used that data to track groundwater depletion.
"Combined with declining snowpack and population growth, this will likely threaten the long-term ability of the basin to meet its water-allocation commitments to the seven basin states and to Mexico, Jay Famiglietti, senior author on the study and senior water-cycle specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement.
The Colorado River basin supplies water to about 40 million people and 4 million acres of farmland in seven states --- California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming --- as well as to people and farms in part of Mexico.
California, one of the nation's largest agricultural producers, is three years into drought. While the state has curtailed use of surface water, the state lacks a statewide system for regulating --- or even measuring --- groundwater.
The following article on a farmer's thoughts regarding climate change and food production ability was written by DTN special correspondent Richard Oswald of Langdon, MO in a feature called "Letter from Langdon" that originally was posted on the "Daily Yonder" website. Richard Oswald is a fifth-generation farmer in Atchison county in northwest Missouri and is president of the Missouri Farmers Union.--Bryce
Letter from Langdon: Reliably Unpredictable
Farmers will have to grow as much food in the next 26 years as they've grown in the previous 1,500. And they will have to do it as climate change brings increasingly erratic weather. Maybe it's time to start asking questions besides "What, me worry?"
By Richard Oswald
Back in his day, Dad always stressed the risky side of farming. As proof he'd pull from a desk drawer his personal handwritten record of Langdon yearly corn prices during the 1950's. Next to those were annual yields. The message was clear; if prices don't get you, yield and weather will.
I should have asked more questions.
I thought I had all the answers. When I looked around the neighborhood all I saw was accumulated wealth of successful farmers rooted all the way down to the Depression era. Now I've figured out the hard way, secrets are held not in the answers you have, but in the questions you ask, like:
Why were they there?
Because the only farmers I saw were those who had survived.
How does one farmer succeed where so many have failed?
Being optimistic helps. Farmers believe hail storm losses won't be total, the drought won't last and rain will fall, the levee could hold if the river drops and, if all else fails, prices should rise. But as optimistic farmers like me grow older, they've learned that even if the government doesn't mess things up, Mother Nature might.
Like an old farmer once said, "I'd rather be lucky than smart."
Anyhow, Dad was right.
Farming is risky.
Now we have Risky Business, a group that believes climate change and rising sea levels are fact, not fiction. In the past, big agribusiness and a lot of farmers in the U.S. have been naysayers on climate change. But Greg Page, chairman of the board of Cargill, Inc., happens to be on the Risky Business committee.
With interests in at least 65 different nations, Cargill has obviously learned to manage risk. One of the most diversified and best-connected food and agriculture corporations in the world, neither Cargill nor Mr. Page is known for going out on thin ice.
Regardless of whether you believe scientists' 150 years' worth of temperature records or your favorite political party, you have to believe Cargill. Weather is making farming even riskier.
How risky is it?
For a farmer, risk comes from every direction. It happens when the Cargills of the world raise the cost of fertilizer, cut the price of hogs, cattle or grain. It hits when fuel prices go up or ethanol prices go down.
Or, maybe when Cargill gets the things I have to sell from some distant shore instead of from me.
But the biggest personal risk farmers accept is weather. The effects of local weather aren't felt across all sectors of business the same way individual mom and pop farms do. Sure, supply and demand eventually come into play no matter how much corporations try to manipulate prices. But, if a tornado blows machine sheds away or hail beats crops to the ground, all a farmer has is insurance and savings (if that) to survive. And insurance is becoming more costly as storm intensities rise – even with bigger deductibles demanded by risk-averse insurance companies.
Most scientists say the climate is warming. One friend, amused by controversy surrounding climate, pointed out to me that global temperatures have been rising since the last ice age–and will probably continue until the next. Iowa State ag meteorologist Elwynn Taylor upholds cyclical patterns as having the greatest effect on weather, giving only 5 percent blame to higher CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels and climate change. Taylor is quoted widely throughout the Corn Belt for his forecasts as well as his views on climate change. But even Taylor seems to bend toward conservation as a way to limit CO2's effects, especially when he speaks to agriculture's special interest groups.
Since climate has a lot to do with how much food we can grow, and because Iowa sits at the heart of America's most productive farmland, Iowa's land grant universities have a vested interest in studying every aspect of food production. That's why it's understandable that more than one opinion on climate emanates from ISU.
Jerry Hatfield is a Ph.D. USDA research scientist based on the Iowa State campus at Ames. Last month, Hatfield was one of the presenters at the Institute on the Environment in St. Paul, Minnesota, during a meeting hosted by Oxfam America. Besides Hatfield, University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley and farmers Virginia Nunonca from Peru and Richard Oswald from Langdon, Missouri (that's me), were also on the program.
Seeley, who also hosts a weekly program on Minnesota Public Radio, served as moderator. Both farmers discussed increasingly-arid conditions in one place while record flooding happened in others. But, it was Jerry Hatfield who got my attention with one statement.
Between now and the year 2040, farmers will need to produce as much food as was grown in the previous 1,500 years. That's because by then, world population levels are expected to exceed 9 billion. On top of that, greater weather variability means higher temperatures, and production shifts to the north, to places like North Dakota where it used to be impossible to produce long maturity crops like corn.
But not anymore.
So what's going on?
Most scientists say average temperatures are rising. But that is obscured by an increasingly turbulent atmosphere that carries unusual frost events briefly southward, destroying fruit tree crops. As a result, fruit production is becoming less predictable. And, while average air temperatures at the poles aren't much different today, the same atmospheric turbulence that affects more moderate latitudes drives warm ocean water to the poles where it melts ice caps from underneath. The result is a thin edge of ice that breaks off more easily as icebergs simply float away and melt.
People like Hatfield emphasize that farm crop production will be highly variable as weather becomes less predictable. All this will happen as food availability is expected to increase to meet population demands. We are using our soil and water at a faster pace than ever before with little emphasis placed on sustainability--which is to say we're growing food in ways we can't continue to do forever.
How can we get people to think about that?
Industrial food models don't offer sustainability. But, like developers in coastal areas, who lobby against real-estate-depressing government warnings of rising sea levels, promoters of industrial food don't want to talk about where or how they get raw food products or what they make of them.
That was one purpose of the meeting in St. Paul--to call attention to the plight of farmers and consumers as weather becomes more predictably unreliable, so companies like Cargill and Minneapolis-based General Mills will purchase sustainably-produced food ingredients instead of getting them from palm oil plantations that burn trees.
But, it always comes down to asking the right question. Since no one has all the answers, maybe the best question is also the simplest:
How can we do it better?
A web version of this article is at this link: http://tinyurl.com/…
The weather has been mostly on the side of farmers and their crops since mid-July as warmer, mostly dry weather has taken hold for Western Canada. A brief interruption in this pattern during the next few days will bring some rain which is actually needed in a few areas to bolster top soil moisture which has begun to lag a bit with recent drier weather, especially across western Alberta.
The upper air weather features across North America are expected to bring a mean ridge to the western U.S. which will poke up into Western Canada during the next week and probably as long as two weeks. A trough is currently pushing through southwest Canada bringing the rainy, cooler weather in the short term.
Following the passage of this trough later this weekend and into next week we can expect a return of warm weather and generally dry conditions once again. As has been the case since last winter, Manitoba may see less of the warmth than the western Prairies are expected to see.
The recent stretch of warm, dry weather has helped crops to recover some from the cool, wet conditions of late spring and early summer. While improvement has been noted, crop development is still running a little behind schedule for most areas. Hopefully the expected favorable conditions of the next week or two will allow for more catching up for crops.
Longer-range model products are keeping Western Canada in a mostly favorable weather pattern for crop advancement as we enter August. Near to above normal temperatures are being forecast for much of the region with Manitoba remaining closer to seasonal norms.
The monthly forecast for August across the Prairies is also mostly favorable with temperatures expected to average near to above normal for Alberta and Saskatchewan and just a little lower than normal across Manitoba. Rainfall predictions are for near to above normal amounts, but as long as rains are not too heavy most areas should benefit from this forecast.


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SEC's plan to brake the 'Flash Boys' draws critics
A test program to change the way small-company stocks are traded could slow high-frequency action, though some market participants worry that the initial steps are too tepid.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is a federal agency. It holds primary responsibility for enforcing the federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry, the nation's stock and options exchanges, and other electronic securities markets in the United States. The mission of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation.
A test program to change the way small-company stocks are traded could slow high-frequency action, though some market participants worry that the initial steps are too tepid.
UBS has said it had expanded the number of employees that are subject to internal background checks to around 15 percent of its workforce in a move than came in the wake of numerous scandals.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether JPMorgan Chase inappropriately steered private-banking clients to its own investment products and away from those offered by outside firms, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Morgan Stanley reduced second-quarter earnings per share by 2 cents after reaching agreements to end mortgage-related lawsuits. The firm said it may face additional claims from authorities in California.
Citigroup's rotten bonds have left a New York judge with sour grapes.
The SEC conducted a dragnet to determine who in the agency allegedly leaked information about a JP Morgan "London Whale" settlement, CNBC has learned.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged a Citigroup business unit operating an alternative trading system (ATS) with failing to protect the confidential trading data of its subscribers.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday it had charged Morgan Stanley with misleading investors about two mortgage-backed securities it issued before the 2008 financial crisis, and that the bank would pay $275m to settle the case, according to a press release.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Ernst & Young LLP with violations of auditor independence rules that require firms to maintain their objectivity and impartiality with clients.
Royal Bank of Scotland was asked by investors suing over losses from a 2008 share sale to disclose details of probes by U.K. and U.S. regulators into its near-collapse and $78bn bailout.
That's around $127,000 a day!
Computing multinational Hewlett-Packard (HP) is to pay US regulators $108m to settle a corruption scandal involving employees at subsidiaries in three countries, who were charged with bribing government officials to win and retain lucrative public contracts.
Be warned.