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Running back wins big at online poker
It would take the average Linfield student 8,750 hours to make $70,000.
Working a minimum-wage work study job one hour a day, five days a week would take that same person roughly 400 months, or 44 years, to earn that amount.
But for one student, it took a focused, intense and ultimately satisfying 10 hours of online poker play.
Senior Simon Lamson, a running back for the football team, has been a member of the Full Tilt Poker community for close to two years.
It wasn't until last summer that he reaped any serious financial benefits.
"I played a few tournaments during the spring maybe once a month, but I didn't start playing consistently until the start of the summer when I had all my free time," Lamson said. "I'd say from June until September [that] I made $8,000."
He also worked full time for Linfield's conference and events planning.
But with steady cash flowing in from his hobby, the job was more of a way to occupy the day, making the hours fly by until night's tournament.
Once the summer wound down, and the twin demands of football and school rolled around, the tournaments and games became less frequent.
Lamson was lucky to squeeze one tournament in every two weeks he said. But on Sept. 26, he found himself with a free afternoon.
"I wanted to play in this tournament. I had $200 extra in my bankroll and used it for the buy-in. The total pot was $750,000, so I knew it wouldn't be that hard to at least win back my buy-in," he said. "Play got under way at 3 p.m., and the first couple hours weren't anything special.
The tournament began with 3,500 people, and play was slow until there were 1,500 remaining, he said.
"I was winging it," he said. "I was up and down with my chip stack, winning pretty average pot sizes."
His profits shot up from that point.
"The chip average was at 9,000, I had just won two big hands and jumped up to about 25,000," Lamson said. "From then on, I was in the top 10 until the end of the tournament."
During the next three hours, players began to fall by the wayside, their chip stacks exhausted and the tension heightened.
By then, Lamson's three roommates had joined him around the computer screen, intent on the action.
Lamson's eyes were set on making the final table.
"The top nine make the final table, and ninth place was $10,000 grand," he said.
As Lamson continued to focus on making the final table, and, as his roommates cheered him on, it became clear to him that he was on the way to making more money in one night than any one of them had made during their entire lives.
It was 11:30 p.m. when screams erupted from Lamson's living room. He made it to the final nine, which guaranteed him $10,000, and only eight other people stood between him and the winner's purse of $120,000.
In tournaments this size, there is a break every three hours. It couldn't have come at a better time.
"Once I took that break it started to set in — how much money I was actually dealing with. I was fourth in chip stack, but I honestly wasn't thinking about the money. I was kind of just going with the flow," Lamson said.
After the break, fortified with a bottle of Vitamin Water, Lamson got back to business.
"I felt like I could realistically make about $20,000, but that $50,000 plus mark just didn't seem real," he said. "When I knocked the final pro player out for fifth place, I felt like I could maybe win it," he said.
Gradually, he moved up to fourth, with a guarantee of $40,000; then third, with a guarantee of $50,000. It was a surreal experience for not only Lamson but also his roommates.
"I've never been a part of anything like that, and when we found out how much money was actually at stake, it was like we were all playing in the tournament," senior Bryce Comfort, his roommate, said.
"Plus, I needed some new headphones, and I heard he had recently bought a pair for himself and one other person who supported him through his last tournament cash," he said.
One more person dropped out, leaving Lamson in the top three and a guaranteed $50,000.
After 10 hands, the players made a deal to divide the pot based on chip ratio.
"When it was finally over, I didn't know what to think. I immediately started planning what to do with it but in more of a business sense," he said. "I never looked at it as if I had a random $70,000, I knew it was important that I did something beneficial with it," he said.
He will receive payments by check through bank wire transfers until the total paid off.
As for what he's going to do with the money?
"I'm giving $40,000 back to my parents to pay for school, and sitting on the rest — probably in a high-interest savings account," he said. "Oh, and maybe finally buy matching socks and new shoes."
Chris Slezak/Freelancer
Chris Slezak can be reached at email@example.com.


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News and Announcements
- Weekly Engineering Writing Brown Bag: 12:00-1:00 in 232 Engineering Annex. August 7 discussion topic: building a positive atmosphere in our classes.
- Next EWCD Assignment Design Workshop: Helping writing students to become more self-determined. Wednesday, August 6 from 2:00-3:30 in 232 Engineering Annex.
EWCD Summer Camp: Designing and Refining Engineering Writing Assignments
Wednesdays, July 23, 30; August 6, 13, 20, 27. From 2:00-3:30 in 232 Engineering Annex.
August 6 Worshop: Helping our writing students to be more independent learners.
Join us this summer for a six-week workshop series on writing assignment design and refinement. Our goal over these six weeks is to produce a ready-to-implement assignment plan, including an assessment plan and grading rubric. Toward that end, we'll explore topics related to defining learning objectives; scaffolding students' learning and achievement; keeping students engaged; teaching writing as well as using writing to support other engineering learning; and assessment techniques that will help students to learn. We will also survey a variety of different kinds of writing assignments over the weeks, to build a foundation for assignment design.
Please plan to attend all or most workshops to get the most of this series. Email us for more information.


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Pardon Our Dust
Thanks for being part of our JFC/Patton Park Family!
Disney Pre Season Kick Off Champions - JFC U13 Boys
Congrats to our JFC U13 Boys Elite for winning the Disney Pre-Season Kick Off tournament.
Well Done!!!
Disney Pre-Season Kick Off Champions
Congrats to our JFC Storm U13 & U14 Girls for winning the Disney Pre-Season Kick Off tournament.
Great Start Ladies!
National Champions - JFC U15 Girls
2014 US Youth Soccer National Champions crowned in Germantown, Md.
Under-14 Girls | NEFC Elite (MA)
Follow the moments: Official Website | Scores and Standings | Video
GERMANTOWN, Md. (July 27, 2014) — The remaining champions were crowned Sunday at the 2014 US Youth Soccer National Championships, presented by the National Guard, at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md. The country's top teams in the Under-14 through Under-18 Boys Girls age groups met to conclude the final stage of the 2014 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series. Sunday's final matchups featured teams who earned the right to play for their respective National titles through success in group play and victories in their semifinal games.
Beach FC (CA-S) was the lone club to claim two National Championship titles (Under-16 Girls and Under-18 Girls), while DMCV Sharks Elite (CA-S) was the only defending National Champion to successfully defend its crown in 2014.
On Saturday night, the Under-13 and Under-19 National Championship finals were played, as Under-19 Concorde Fire Elite (GA) claimed the 79th James P. McGuire Cup title. A complete recap of last night's games is available here.
Stories, photos and videos are available following games at http://championships.usyouthsoccer.org.
A few highlights from Sunday's final matches…
Girls Championship Finals
NEFC Elite (MA) won the Under-14 Girls Championship, after defeating 2013 champs Legends FC 99 (CA-S) 2-0 with overtime goals. Both teams had chances during regulation but the score stayed at 0-0 resulting in overtime. NEFC reentered the field focused, and produced quick results a minute into overtime. Taylor Kofton attacked through the midfield, went around Legends' defense, and crossed to Taylor Sherman who put it away in the back of the net. The goal lifted NEFC's spirits and in the 82nd minute Makenna Hunt won a tackle, passed to Marykate McGuire, and McGuire worked her way around the keeper and tapped it in for the win. The shot was McGuire's seventh overall goal making her the leading goal scorer in the U-14 Girls age group.
Jacksonville FC 98/99 Elite (FL) took home the Under-15 Girls championship after defeating YMS Premier Xplosion 98 (PA-E) 1-0. Sophia Thompson scored for the lone goal for Jacksonville in the 64th minute and their backline protected the tally for the remainder of the match to win. Jacksonville FC was undefeated in all five tournament matches.
Beach FC 97 Academy (CA-S) defeated Tampa Bay United 97 Premier (FL) in penalty kicks to take home the Under-16 Girls championship. After regulation and overtime, the match remained scoreless resorting to penalty kicks to determine a winner. Keeper Imani McDonald was the heroine of the match making four big saves for Beach FC in the first, second, fifth and sixth deciding round. Beach outscored Tampa Bay 3-2 in PK's with goals by Jessica Johnson, Maxine Nagramada and Rocio Rodriguez.
DMCV Sharks Elite (CA-S) earned back-to-back national titles after defeating VSA Heat 96 Blue (VA) 1-0 in the Under-17 Girls final. The Cal South side retained their crown with a goal halfway through the second half from a corner kick play. Julianne M De Armas sent the corner to the middle of the box and DMCV midfielder Gianna Montini headed it into the back of the net for the win. National League team DMCV Sharks Elite finished the tournament undefeated in all matches.
Beach FC Ingrassia (CA-S) beat defending champion Cleveland United White (OH-N), 2-0, with a pair of goals by Ashley Gonzales to earn the Under-18 Girls championship. National League opponents Beach and Cleveland finished the first half of the match scoreless. Ashley outshined for Beach at the end of the match when she broke the stalemate in the 72nd minute of play. She kept the momentum going and got an additional goal in the 89th minute to secure the 2-0 win for Beach FC. Beach got through preliminary play with a perfect 3-0-0 record, scored 13 goals in five tournament matches, and conceded zero goals to merit the U-18 Girls Frank Kelly Cup.
JFC Storm U14 & JFC U15 Girls - Heading to Nationals
Good Luck Ladies- We are very proud of you!
"Share in our Journey"
Follow the moments: Scores and Standings | Official Website | Video | LIVE GAMES
Ariana Munoz - U14 National Team Camp
Congrats to our JFC Storm U14 Girls Ariana Munoz on being selected to the U14 US National Team Camp in June.
Good Luck!!!!
JFC U12 Elite Boy's - Danone Cup Champions - Brazil
Congratulations to our JFC U12 Elite Boys & Coach Bobby Shea on capturing the Danone Cup Championships and earning a birth to Brazil
Danone Cup History - Click Here
2014 Labor Day Shootout
22nd Annual JFC Labor Day Shootout
August 30th - September 1st
WE WILL ONLY PLAY ON SEPTEMBER 1st IF THERE ARE WEATHER DELAYS, OTHERWISE EVENT WILL END ON August 31st
Location: Patton Park Complex (host site) (lighted fields) and other sites including beautiful Davis Park Soccer Complex in Ponte Vedra, Florida (St. Johns County). All Finals will be played at Patton Park.
Age Divisions & Fees:
U17 to U19 ($575)
Team 1st/2nd plus individual 1st/2nd
Participation medals for all players U-9/10.
Application Deadline
August 15, 2014
Team & Club Discounts:
*$25 3 or more club teams
*$50 7 or more club teams
Patton Park Complex is a wonderful soccer venue with outstanding fields and has played host to Region 3 Premier League, Score at the Shore Collegiate Showcase, 11v11 Collegiate Showcase, US Club Soccer Nationals/Regional, US Club Soccer ID2 National Training Camp, FYSA Regional ODP Camps, US Military Championships, NCAA Division 1 games and FYSA State Cup Competitions. We welcome teams from all US soccer members including AYSO, USYSA, US Club Soccer and all USSF affiliates.
Thank you for your consideration and time,
John Turner
Tournament Director
(904) 223-3606
Heartland - The Official Sports Medicine Provider for JFC
A Proven Leader in Sports Medicine
Heartland and JFC have been working together for a little over two years now. This relationship is extremely important because it gives the members of JFC unlimited access to a great sports medicine team. Please make sure you seek out the certified athletic trainer, Jenna Geary, on site at Patton Park. Get to know her and what she can offer. Heartland Rehabilitation Services is an outpatient physical therapy company with 20 locations around the greater Jacksonville area making treatment convenient. Heartland is very pleased to be named the official sports medicine provider for JFC.
Jenna Geary, Med, ATC, LAT:
Certified Athletic Trainer for JFC
(904) 249-4000 (office)
(478) 335-8726 (cell)
Jamie Kennedy, MS, ATC, LAT:
Outreach Coordinator
(813) 528-6265
Florida Cup Champions
Congrats our JFC U12 & U13 Elite Girls on their Florida Cup Success!!!!!
We would also like to congratulate the following Florida Cup Finalists. Job well done!
JFC U12 Elite Boys - Finalists
Summer Tournaments
JFC Teams do well in August Tournaments
JFC Academy Start the Season at Southeastern Cup
Congratulations JFC U12 Girls Elite - Champions in their first 11v11 tournament
Congratulations JFC U9 Boys Premier - CHAMPIONS
Congratulations JFC U11 Boys Premier - FINALISTS
Congratulations to JFC U8-12 May tournament teams.
JFC U11 Boys Premier - Savannah Finals CHAMPIONS 2014
JFC U12 Girls Select - Disney Memorial Day CHAMPIONS 2014
JFC U11 Girls Elite - Champions Cup CHAMPIONS May, 2014
JFC U11 Boys Premier - GPS Spring Cup CHAMPIONS May, 2014
JFC U10 Boys Elite - Champions Cup CHAMPIONS May, 2014
JFC U8 Boys Elite - Champions Cup CHAMPIONS May, 2014
JFC U12 Girls Elite - Champions Cup Finalists May, 2014
JFC U12 Girls Premier - Champions Cup Finalists May, 2014
JFC U10 Girls Elite - Champions Cup Finalists May, 2014


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Ashburn VA change location
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Sonja Boggs
ashburn, VA
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More Articles for Ellicott Board Member Heiko Osterchrist
Ellicott Dredge acquires Rohr Corp., now Rohr International Dredge Co.
Ellicott Dredge Enterprises LLC of Baltimore, Md. USA has acquired selected assets of Rohr Corp. (USA), including its current backlog, and all associated intellectual property, as well as the shares of Rohr Bagger GMBH, based in Mannheim, Germany.
Through a newly ... Read More...
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- How to become a more productive highway construction worker350 Views


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7 Stocks Rising on Huge Volume
Stericycle (SRCL) is engaged in the business of managing regulated waste and providing an array of related services. The company operates in the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, and the U.K. The stock is trading up 0.20% at $77.30 in recent trading
Today's Volume: 420,435Average Volume: 526,215 Volume % Change: 76% From a technical standpoint, this stock is starting to see some decent upside flow into the name as shares approach some previous support levels near $76.23 to $76.32. If the stock can manage to hold above those levels, then this high-volume buying could be signaling that the stock has formed a near-term bottom and buyers are stepping up to own shares here. It could also be signaling that the stock is preparing for a large rebound in price soon. >>3 IPO Bargain Stocks Ready to Rebound
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Car drives wrong way round M25
Police would like witnesses to come forward after a driver drove the wrong way down a slip road and onto the M25.
The black Vauxhall Astra joined the motorway at junction six at Godstone and then continued driving the opposite way to the traffic in the early hours of this morning.
The vehicle was eventually brought to a halt by police on the M26 in Kent. The police car suffered minor damage.
Two men, aged in their 20s, were arrested on suspicion failing to stop for police, dangerous driving, theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a class B drug with intent to supply.
Police are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen the Vauxhall driving on the either the A22 or M25 to come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to call Surrey Police on the non-emergency 101 number quoting reference TD/12/2410.


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Leadership Equates to Success
A new century has dawned and at first light it has revealed itself to be a very dynamic one, especially for hazardous materials response. Many changes are on the horizon for hazmat programs and the way we respond to these emergencies.
Iacocca's example was phenomenal in saving Chrysler in the early 1980's. As a leader, Iacocca recognized the tough decisions that needed to be made to save a company and thousands of jobs. Consider that he agreed to lead the company at half the salary in which he earned at Ford; he worked around the clock at a huge cost to his family; he fired 33 of his top 35 executives; he went to the Federal government and asked for a bailout to help save Chrysler; in 1980 he reduced his salary to $1; and he asked his executives to take a 10% salary cut. All of these tough actions resulted in the success of saving the Chrysler Corporation. In 1981 the company was showing a profit and in 1983 they repaid the Federal government loan completely. Now that's leadership!
Whatever your view of what a leader is remember there are many definitions and theories of leadership. A simple definition of leadership is a person who leads or directs others. Another definition of leadership is a person who has followers. Most likely, we would have very similar thoughts when it comes to defining leadership. Bill Bradley, an ex-Senator and pro basketball player, defines leadership as "getting people to think, believe, see, and do what they might not have without you." John Naisbitt, author of the book "Megatrends" says, "Leadership is finding a parade and jumping out in front of it." The common denominator in all of these views, and most likely yours, is that there has to be someone leading the charge, directing efforts, or coordinating the action.
We would probably also have similar thoughts when it comes to listing the traits of good leaders. In a poll of 2,000 managers in the United States from 1980-1984 the following list was developed on the characteristics of leaders.
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All Schools
(17) All Schools
(17) High Schools
(1) High Schools
(1) Elementary Schools
(17) Elementary Schools
(17) Preschools
(16) Preschools
(16) Public Schools
(82) Public Schools
(17) All Schools
(17) High Schools
(1) High Schools
(1) Elementary Schools
(17) Elementary Schools
(17) Preschools
(16) Preschools
(16) Public Schools
(82) Public Schools
There are 17 blue ribbon private schools in Pennsylvania, serving 6,807 students.
These schools have been recognized by the Department of Education for achieving superior standards of academic excellence.
Pennsylvania Blue Ribbon Private Schools
- School Location Students Year
Wyncote Ancillae-Assumpta Academy
2025 Church Road
Wyncote, PA, 19095
(215)885-1636(Roman Catholic)578 students | Year: 2010
Lansdale Corpus Christi School
920 Sumneytown Pike
Lansdale, PA, 19446
(215)368-0582(Roman Catholic)506 students | Year: 2011
Morrisville Grey Nun Academy
1750 Quarry Rd
Morrisville, PA, 19067
(215)069-4151(Roman Catholic)192 students | Year: 2009
Spring House Gwynedd-mercy Academy Elementary
816 Norristown Road, P.O. Box 241
Spring House, PA, 19477
(215)646-4916(Roman Catholic)478 students | Year: 2007
North Wales Mary Mother Of The Redeemer School
1321 Upper State Road
North Wales, PA, 19454
(215)412-7101(Roman Catholic)791 students | Year: 2010
Warminster Nativity Of Our Lord School
585 W Street Road
Warminster, PA, 18974
(215)675-2820(Roman Catholic)553 students | Year: 2011
Philadelphia Our Lady Of Mount Carmel School
2329 S 3rd St
Philadelphia, PA, 19148
(215)334-0584(Roman Catholic)252 students | Year: 2006
Bryn Mawr Rosemont School
1344 Montgomery Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA, 19010
(610)922-1010(Roman Catholic)314 students | Year: 2005
Bryn Mawr St. Aloysius Academy
401 S Bryn Mawr Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA, 19010
(610)525-1670All-boys (Roman Catholic)208 students | Year: 2008
Newtown Square St. Anastasia Elementary School
3309 W Chester Pike
Newtown Square, PA, 19073
(610)356-6225(Roman Catholic)634 students | Year: 2007
Newtown St. Andrew School
51 Wrights Rd
Newtown, PA, 18940
(215)968-2685(Roman Catholic)558 students | Year: 2013
Flourtown St. Genevieve School
1237 Bethlehem Pike
Flourtown, PA, 19031
(215)836-5644(Roman Catholic)234 students | Year: 2006
Morrisville St. Ignatius Elementary School
995 Reading Ave
Morrisville, PA, 19067
(215)493-3867(Roman Catholic)238 students | Year: 2007
Morrisville St. John The Evangelist School
728 Big Oak Road
Morrisville, PA, 19067
(215)295-0629(Roman Catholic)197 students | Year: 2008
Malvern St. Patrick School
115 Channing Ave
Malvern, PA, 19355
(610)644-5797(Roman Catholic)348 students | Year: 2013
Merion Station Waldron Mercy Academy
513 Montgomery Avenue
Merion Station, PA, 19066
(610)664-9847(Roman Catholic)465 students | Year: 2009
Pottstown West-Mont Christian Academy
873 S Hanover Street
Pottstown, PA, 19465
(610)326-7690(Christian)261 students | Year: n/a
State Statistics:
|About This State (PA)
|(PA) State Statistics
|Nationwide Statistics
|Population (Approximate)
|12,486,907 people
|304,788,332 people
|Age 25+ w/College Degree
|Median Household Income
Recent Articles
Updated August 17, 2014
Getting involved with your child's school benefits both you and the school. It's a win-win for all concerned.
SAT test prep takes time to do properly. We explore some of your options here.
Choosing the right private school for your child involves comparing schools as opposed to ranking them.
More ArticlesPaying For It, Pre-elementary, Elementary Issues, High School Issues, Opinion


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Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruise With Newport Landing Tours
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruises With Newport Landing have expired.
The last date listed for Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruises With Newport Landing was Any Mon-Fri Through Feb 28.
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Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruise With Newport Landing Tours
- Full Price:
- $29.50 - $39.50
- Our Price:
- $3.50 - $13.00
One of the most amazing sights in nature is that of majestic whales swimming and playing on the ocean's surface, leaping out of the water and slapping their mighty tales. On this 2.5 hour cruise off the shores of Newport Beach, you may see giant blue whales during the summer and fall months or the annual grey whale migration bringing tens of thousands of grey whales along the coast during the winter and spring months. Huge pods of several species of dolphin are very common as are the resident sea lions. You may also catch glimpses of seals, killer whales, sharks and many other marine creatures. With a 96% success rate, almost every cruise has many viewing opportunities. An added plus is picturesque coastal backdrops of Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach. Learn More
Venue Details
The weather was cool. I wore layers, as it got hold and warm depending on the wind speed, direction and cloud cover.Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruises With Newport Landing dress • Mar 02 2014 star this tip starred
We parked at the beach lot on palm - it only cost $4.50.Whale and Dolphin Watching Cruises With Davey's Locker info • Jan 21 2013 star this tip starred
Reviews & Ratings
Featured review from Albert R.Red Velvet
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No whales spotted on our Labor Day mid afternoon trip, but some had been spotted in the recent days according to sign they had out front, but we did encounter a very entertaining school of dolphin, some of which were swimming right next to the boat. Before that not many people moved around the boat, and I didn't see anybody going between the top and bottom decks. Would have been nice to have more seat choices, but it was still okay, and nice to stand up every once in awhile and take in the view. Ocean was cold, but I was prepared with layers. Took on a bag with snacks and drinks, no problem.
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Very nice day out on the water. We did see one whale and tons of dolphins.
star this review starred report as inappropriate
Do not park in the multi level parking structure as it costs $12 for a full day and there was a very long line. Park across balboa street in the public parking for $8 for a full day. As we arrived we were told that the card had not been charged...continued
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We went on a Saturday noon trip - didn't have any whale sightings, but hung out with a pod of common dolphins - hundreds of them swimming right next to the boat for about 2 hours. Overall, it was a good afternoon and worth the half-priced tickets.
Newport Landing provides multiple whale watching trips daily departing from Newport Beach. Newport Landing is centrally located in Orange County and minutes from Los Angeles. Newport Landing offers whale watching tours all year.
Year-round cruises view many varieties of whales including the giant blue whale (which attains lengths over 80 feet) during the summer/fall months, the gray whale migration during the traditional winter and spring months, several types of dolphin year-round, seals, and many other types of marine life. Each cruise is a unique experience; you may never know what you might encounter. A recent cruise encountered a huge pod of killer whales numbering over 30 killer whales including adults and young.
The waters surrounding Newport Harbor offer deep, nutrient-rich waters, which attract all types of marine creatures. The Laguna Beach coastline is just south of Newport Harbor and offers some of the most beautiful coastline in Southern California. The gray whales very commonly seen on these cruises seem to enjoy the beauty of the Laguna Beach coastline as well, with many whales spotted just a couple hundred yards off of the beach. Most of Newport Landing's whale watching cruises take in the scenic backdrops of Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Due to the geography of the Orange County coastline and the protection of Catalina Island, the ocean conditions are incredibly calm and comparable to a fresh water lake, allowing whale watchers to fully enjoy the amazing viewing experiences.
The primary whale watching ship is 65 feet in length with a large upstairs sundeck, wrap-around outside seating, snack bar with food and beverages, and indoor seating with large windows. It was designed just for viewing marine life. Captains and crews have backgrounds in marine biology and are incredibly knowledgeable, providing details on marine creatures, environment, and ecosystems.


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Venezuelan Socialist Party swaps God for Chavez in new prayer
CARACAS - A member of Venezuela's Socialist Party has rolled out a variation of the classic Christian "Lord's Prayer" to implore beloved late leader Hugo Chavez for protection from the evils of capitalism.
Recent Lifestyle News
Market-style reforms widen racial divide in Cuba
HAVANA - Cuba's experiment with free-market reforms has unintentionally widened the communist-led island's racial divide and allowed white Cubans to regain some of the economic advantages built up over centuries.
Child abuse revelations divide 'most shameful town in Britain'
ROTHERHAM England - Swapping cigarettes and chewing gum, the teenage girls outside Rotherham's Centenary Indoor Market are not engrossed in the conversations students should be having on the first day of term.
Tycoon buys Austria's Essl modern art collection
VIENNA - Austrian tycoon Hans Peter Haselsteiner has come to the rescue of home-improvements millionaire Karlheinz Essl by buying a modern art collection that Essl had tried in vain to sell to the state to prop up his BauMax business empire.
Maradona steals show from fellow Argentine Pope Francis
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis normally has no competition for attention when he is in a room but it was different on Monday when another larger-than-life Argentine - soccer great Diego Maradona - attended a papal event.
Louis Vuitton trailblazer Carcelle dies aged 66
PARIS - Yves Carcelle, the man credited with turning Louis Vuitton into the world's biggest luxury brand by revenue, died on Sunday, Louis Vuitton parent LVMH said.
Flying flags in Northern Ireland
In Belfast, flags are potent symbols of conflict dividing Catholics and Protestants.


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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - As California's economy recovers, the Democrats who control the state Legislature put a priority on assisting more vulnerable workers with some of the laws taking effect in the new year.
LOCKPORT, La. (AP) - A nurse embroiled in a custody fight with his ex-wife killed his current wife before shooting his former in-laws and his onetime boss in a rampage that spanned two parishes in Louisiana, leaving three people dead and three wounded. He then fatally shot himself in the head, authorities said.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - A San Francisco Bay Area nursing home that had agreed to provide long-term care for a 13-year-old Oakland girl declared brain dead has backed out.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut police released thousands of pages Friday from their investigation into the Newtown massacre, providing the most detailed and disturbing picture yet of the rampage and Adam Lanza's fascination with murder, while also depicting school employees' brave and clear-headed attempts to protect the children.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - A 9-year-old boy from Southern California has become the youngest person in recorded history to reach the summit of Argentina's Aconcagua mountain, which at 22,841 feet (6,962 meters) is the tallest peak in the Western and Southern hemispheres.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Despite a string of summertime flops, Hollywood is expected to have a banner year at the domestic box office, coming in just shy of $11 billion, the largest annual take ever. But because of higher ticket prices, actual attendance at North American theaters remained flat after a decade of decline.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - California regulators have allowed hundreds of toxic waste polluters walk away from contaminated sites and dozens of waste facilities to operate with expired permits while reducing enforcement, it was reported Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) - More than 1 million Americans are bracing for a harrowing, post-Christmas jolt as extended federal unemployment benefits come to a sudden halt this weekend, entailing potentially significant implications for the recovering U.S. economy and setting up a tense battle when Congress reconvenes in the new year.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ever wonder if something's rotten at your farmers market?
DETROIT (AP) - When an ice storm glazed over Michigan last weekend, Tony Carone feared he wouldn't be spending Christmas at home with his family.
PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. (AP) - A driver who plunged 300 feet off of a Southern California ocean cliff was rescued after firefighters waded into the surf to free him from the car.
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) - The North American Aerospace Defense Command's Santa-tracking program logged 19.58 million unique visitors to its website on Christmas Eve.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Roman Catholic church official who has been jailed for more than a year for his handling of priest sex-abuse complaints had his landmark conviction reversed and was ordered released Thursday.
ATLANTA (AP) - Republicans who want to regain control of the Senate will first have to do battle among themselves in 2014 primary elections, due largely to differences over how to proceed against the law they deride as "Obamacare."
Americans waited until the last minute to buy holiday gifts, but retailers weren't prepared for the spike.
KACHINA VILLAGE, Ariz. (AP) - Hundreds of firefighters worked Thursday to protect communities on the edge of Flagstaff from a wildfire that is chewing up a scenic Arizona canyon with towering flames and burning entire trees down to nothing but ash.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The House defied the Pentagon on Thursday, overwhelmingly backing a $601 billion defense authorization bill that saves the Cold War-era U-2 spy plane, military bases and Navy cruisers despites warnings that it will undercut military readiness.
HOUSTON (AP) - Oil equals boom - especially in population right now. And Texas, in the midst of a significant energy rush, is seeing its towns and cities burst at the seams.


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Bloomington Jefferson won Section 2 as a third seed to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2007. The Jaguars have won six straight games and five or their seven losses have been five points or less.
Jefferson is led by the Alipate brothers. Moses, who signed with Minnesota to play football, is averaging 13.3 points per game. Sophomore guard Marcus is an outstanding outside shooter who leads the team with 15.0 points per game. Chad Gilmer is the third double figure scorer, contributing 11.8 points. The Jaguars have good balance with four other players averaging six or more points per game. Jefferson has good perimeter play, but their lack of size could hurt them against Henry Sibley, who has four players over 6-foot-7.
Second seed Henry Sibley, who finished runner-up in Class AAAA, returned three of their top five scorers. The Warriors have one of the top front courts in the state, led by Wisconsin signee Mike Bruesewitz, who is averaging a team-best 17.3 points per game. He was named the Minneapolis Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year and is one of five Mr. Basketball finalists. Valparaiso signee Chris Halvorsen is averaging 15.2 points per contest and sharpshooter Maurice Hernandez adds 14.6 points. However, Hernandez has been hobbled with an ankle injury. Six-foot-7 junior Mike Rostampour, who has offers from North Dakota State and Wisconsin Milwaukee, is averaging 8.3 points, and 6-foot-11 junior center Jake Kreuser, who has an offer from Santa Clara, is contributing 5.9 points. Their two losses were to Hopkins, the top seed, and Wisconsin state champion Madison Memorial.
Assistants Get Perfect Pair
With Wisconsin bringing in two new players in Mike Bruesewitz and Diamond Taylor on National Signing…


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Donna grills Katie, Hope tells Liam her decision, and Wyatt warns Quinn. » Read More
In our 'Daily Updates' section, Soaps.com gives you your daily dose of what's happening on 'The Bold and the Beautiful'! We invite you to read our in-depth updates which we try to post before 6:00pm ET!
Donna grills Katie, Hope tells Liam her decision, and Wyatt warns Quinn. » Read More
Hope decides Wyatt's fate, Quinn learns Wyatt was exposed, and Katie and Ridge spend time together with their boys. » Read More
Katie and Ridge spend time together, Bill shows Brooke the photos, and Rick puts Wyatt's fate in Hope's hands. » Read More
Wyatt and Liam argue, Ridge turns down Brooke's latest offers, and Bill brings Brooke photos of Ridge. » Read More
Liam exposes Wyatt, Bill and Justin seek dirt on Ridge, and Ridge meets with Brooke. » Read More
Liam goes looking for Hope and Wyatt, Bill plants doubts about Ridge, and Wyatt gives Hope a gift. » Read More
Katie gives Brooke advice, Liam learns the truth about Wyatt, and Rick grills Ridge. » Read More
Hope and Wyatt bask in their closeness, Quinn wants a big favor from Pam, and Ridge answers Brooke's proposal. » Read More
Wyatt and Hope grow closer on their trip, Charlie is done keeping secrets, and Brooke wants Ridge to make a decision. » Read More
Wyatt and Hope set up camp, Liam worries about Hope's safety, and Quinn works to win over Pam. » Read More


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Bow blasts Lakers out of NHIAA tournament
BOW — Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough was no match for the top seeded Bow Falcons Saturday afternoon, losing 42-0 in the NHIAA Division III semi-final round. Bow's defense held the Lakers to 111 yards of offense. The Falcons' defense primed their offense, as eight of Bow's 11 offensive series started on the Lakers' side of the 50 yard line.
"The final score of this is, is the final score of this game. It doesn't represent the overall season," said Lakers coach Jon Francis. "It was a great turnaround from a 1-7 season last year. We had incredible senior leadership this year. We were able to get into some winning ways and make it to the playoffs."
Bow controlled field position all day. The Falcons' second possession began at the Inter-Lakes 45 yard line. Three plays later Bow was on the board with an eight yard touchdown run by Matt Ehrenberg. Ehrenberg had four scores on 17 carries for 72 yards. On the ensuing kickoff Bow placed the kick between two Laker returners and recovered the ball for an onside kick and possession on the Inter-Lakes 25 yard line. On third and eight Bow quarterback Derek Polish hooked up with wide Travis Reynolds who was knocked out of bounds at the one. Ehrenberg walked in untouched two plays later for his second score of the afternoon.
At the start of the second half Bow, with a 28-0 lead, began to utilize the opportunity to give younger athletes a chance to play in the first playoff game hosted on the Falcons' home turf. Bow scored two more times in the fourth quarter, ending the game with running time for the last eight minutes.
Bow will host Stevens for the NHIAA Division III Finals on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Last Updated on Monday, 18 November 2013 08:16
Hits: 271
Formidable Bow team stands between I-L-M football and the final game
MEREDITH — The Inter-Lakes-Moultonboro Lakers head to Bow on Saturday for the semi-final round of the NHIAA Division III tournament. If the Lakers are to advance to the title match, they'll have to pull off an upset against the strongly favored Falcons. Saturday's meeting will be the second of the season for the two teams. Bow traveled to Meredith a little over a month ago and walked away with a decisive win 33-0.
Bow's route to the semi-finals was secured last weekend by ending the top-seeded Pelham Pythons' perfect season last weekend 18-6. The Falcons ended the season with a 7-1 record – the only loss coming against Pelham in the season opener. Bow's offense tallied at least 28 points per game, excluding the pair of matchups versus Pelham. The defense posted three shutouts and held three other teams to 14 points or less.
The Lakers finished last season 1-7 under first year head coach Jon Francis. This season the Lakers improved to the .500 mark. The 4-4 record was good enough for second place in the Lakes Conference, beating out Winnisquam (4-4) by winning the head to head match up. The second place slot earned the Lakers the right to visit the Gilford Golden Eagles (6-2) last weekend. Like the Falcons, Inter-lakes also avenged an earlier loss when Gilford prevailed 31-20 during the regular season. The Lakers took advantage of six Gilford turnovers to down the Golden Eagles 27-14 in the quarter-finals and punch a ticket to the semi's.
The semi-final match will be held at Bow High School at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The second Semi-final match up will pit 4-4 Epping-Newmarket versus 6-2 Stevens. The winners will meet a week from Saturday at the top seed's home field.
Last Updated on Thursday, 14 November 2013 10:00
Hits: 334
Pee Wee Lakers knock in 6 against Dover
The Lakers Pee Wee I team, sponsored by Fay's Boat Yard, had a great weekend of hockey. Sunday's late afternoon game was against the Dover Stars Pee Wee team. The Lakers came out strong in the 1st period scoring just 13 seconds into the game. Trevor Gallagher put one in the back of the net from a pass from Blake Dunlap. Just about a minute later, Brendan Hanaway scored with a well-timed pass from Cole Reid. The Stars brought pressure to the Lakers end and if it wasn't for the work of one of the Laker goalies, Jacob Maheux, they would have scored. Cole Reid again rushed the puck down the middle of the 1st period making the score 3-0, Lakers with 5 minutes to go in the 1st. The Dover Stars finally came back and put one in. Laker Trent Fountain wouldn't let the period end without a great pass to Blake Dunlap, making a nice tip in the net. The score was 4-1, Lakers, at end of the 1st. Patrick Mohan had some great back-checks on defense and managed to clear the puck out of the Laker zone. Likewise, tag team Camille Pollak and Nate McCarvill worked together to force the Dover Stars out of Laker Territory. Colin McGreevy took over goalkeeping duties during halftime of the 2nd period and also made some head-turning saves. As the puck was cleared from the zone, Lakers Brendan Hanaway, passing to Cole Reid got another one past the Dover goalie, making the score now 5-1. Will Roberge flew the puck up the ice and took a serious shot on net but the Stars goalie jumped on it. Carter Rumney also saw the chance to sneak one past the Dover goalie but the goalie again made the save. Trevor Gallagher popped one in off a great pass from Trent Fountain, making the final score 6-1, Lakers prevail. The team missed injured player Ed Demers and absent player Nate Cammack and looks forward to their quick return.
Last Updated on Monday, 11 November 2013 08:43
Hits: 230
Costly turnovers allow Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough to pass by Gilford en route to semi-finals
GILFORD — The Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough Lakers have advanced to the semi-final round of the NHIAA's Division III football tournament after beating Gilford 27-14 on the road on Saturday. The Lakers forced six turnovers to win the North Conference title and advance to the final four. Four of the six Eagle turnovers resulted in Lakers touchdowns. Two of Gilford's drives ended fumbles inside the Lakers five yard line. "Those two turnovers on the goal line getting ready to go in to score, They are killers," said Gilford head coach Chris Marden.
The Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough offense did not squander the opportunities their defense awarded them in the first half. Gilford's first two drives resulted in turnovers and Lakers scores. "We worked hard all week. Defensively we had these kids under the lights from four to seven at Prescott Park just grinding it out in the dark and working on defensive schemes and it paid off," stated Jon Francis, Lakers head coach.
The Golden Eagles first drive ended abruptly on an interception by Laker defensive back Malik Carter, who returned to Gilford's 26 yard line. The Lakers offense ran three plays before fullback Nick Hurd bulldozed his way up the middle for a nine yard scoring run. The next Gilford drive moved down the field with ease and looked as though they had brushed off the previous turnover. Until a Gilford running back tried to punch it in from the two yard line and was stripped by Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough linebacker Derek Rossetti. The Lakers recovered the fumble and quickly increased the lead to 13 on an 81 yard run down the Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough sideline by Devante Carter. Carter lead the Lakers attack with 125 yards on 19 carries. Gilford cut the lead to six with three minutes remaining in the half on a Max Troiano 17 yard touchdown. Troiano had 144 yards on 24 touches.
The Golden Eagles began the second half benefiting on the only mishap by the Lakers when quarterback Joshua Blundo tossed an interception to Kyle Gaudet, who sprinted 45 yards for a 14-13 Gilford lead. Both teams traded punts before Gilford's Jack Athanas tried to thread the needle, but paid the price when a Lakers defensive back jumped the route and went 89 yards for the final lead change of the game. Inter-Lakes punched in a one yard Nick Brothers run for some insurance late in the fourth to secure the victory.
Gilford coach Marden commented on the season: "I told the guys after the game that I couldn't be more proud of them from where they came from last year. Coming from 1-8 last year to regular season champions. Those kids gave everything they had this year and it showed. To make such a turn around like that, it reflects upon their character. They are a great group of guys and I could not be more proud of them."
Last Updated on Monday, 11 November 2013 08:38
Hits: 303
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- Winnisquam cruises past Sunapee for chance to play in volleyball state final
- Inter-Lakes volleyball can't top Nute in semi-finals
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Last Update: Wednesday, August 27, 2014
|2014 VW Tiguan R-Line: Compact Crossover Has some Bite Not Found in the Competition
|Written by Mark Maynard | Creative Syndicate
|Wednesday, 28 May 2014 23:37
Photo Credit Creative Syndicate
Highlander is also available in all-wheel drive and as a gasoline-electric hybrid.
Volkswagen's Tiguan crossover had been a smart idea since its launch in 2008, but its slightly smaller size and a pricing disadvantage kept it from the comparison lists of many motorists. But six years later in a field of at least eight competitors, the compact Tiguan is almost a value statement. It has some uniqueness and a level of refinement not found among all the competitors.
Tiguan (tiger-iguana) is among the older offerings in the group and due for a complete makeover soon (it had a mild redesign in 2012), but for 2014 VW sweetened the ride with a sportier looking R-Line model. And the killer Fender audio system can now be added to the more basic models and there is the new Car-Net connected vehicle services.
There are five models in front- or all-wheel drive, each with a 200-horsepower, turbocharged and directinjection four-cylinder engine and six-speed transmissions, manual or automatic. Starting prices range from $24,170 to $39,700, including the $865 freight charge from Wolfsburg, Germany.
My R-Line front-drive tester started at $37,745 and was $37,990 with one $235 option for the four Monster Mats with a heavy-duty trunk liner and the nifty CarGo blocks, which are very handy to barricade grocery bags and boxes.
The R-Line treatment includes aerodynamic side skirts, roof spoiler, steering wheel paddle shifters, sporttuned suspension and 19-inch "Mallory" wheels with lowerprofile 255/40 all-season tires.
The six-speed Tiptronic may seem under-geared when some crossovers have moved on to more speeds. But a second overdrive gear drops engine revs at cruising speeds and stretches fuel economy. The EPA rates it 21 mpg city, 26 highway and 23 mpg combined, on premium fuel. I was getting 24.7 to 25.7 combined, according to the trip meter.
The top sellers in this segment (Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4) trounce Tiguan in mileage by several mpgs in both categories, on regular unleaded.
But Tiguan bites back in its drivability. Acceleration is brisk, the chassis is taut and the ride quality is forgiving over rough surfaces. Dive into a cornering maneuver and there is excellent control -- for a crossover -- with no front-tire push and squeal -- within reasonable speed limits. But its turning circle is wide at 39 feet.
The functionally perky exterior creates an upright cabin orientation with open views over the hood and fenders. There is a simplistic arrangement to cabin controls and a modest-sized touchscreen with tabs left and right of the screen to access radio/media/ phone and navigation/mute/ setup. It's a quick read.
There is an electric parking brake, several places in the center console to place a phone and plug-in, but with an oldstyle iPhone cable. Large visors slide to better block sun and there is smart placement of window switches and door locks high on the door panel. Front seat-belt receivers are taller than most and provide an easy click and fit. The locking glove box has usable space.
An uncommon feature is a front passenger seatback that folds forward and flat. It creates a cargo slide-in length of 98 inches or enough to carry an 8-foot board -- surf or lumber. Also nice is the heightadjustable passenger seat.
The back seat has good foot clearance on entry and exit and supportive seats, at the windows. There is a modest center tunnel hump and just a pillion of a center seat. But there is good use of available space, including seatback pockets, door storage, coat hooks, lights and a hefty, pull-down center armrest with can holders and a hard surface for homework or note taking. The seatbacks recline, which can stretch cargo space or enhance comfort.
The panorama sunroof, with a power sunshade, is an engaging daydream window.
The cargo area has an opening of 38 inches wide by 30 inches tall and 65 inches of length with the back seats folded. There are cleverly engineered features that have good fit and snap to their function. The pieces and panels are sturdy and well fitted.
Tiguan may be a little small and a little overthought as a German "car" that must do all things well, but its attention to detail makes it a little more "premium" than its mainstream competition.
|Last Updated on Thursday, 29 May 2014 00:07


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Sensex 26867.55 229.44 0.86%
Nifty 8027.7 73.35 0.92%
Market Cap: [Rs.Cr.] 320.69 | Face Value: [Rs.] 1
Industry: Miscellaneous
Dear Members
Your Directors have pleasure in presenting the 24th Annual Report together with theAudited Statement of Accounts of the Company for the financial year ended on March 31,2013.
|(Rs. in Crores)
|Financial Performance
|Year Ended March 31, 2013
|Previous Year March 31, 2012
|Sales and other Income
|Profit before depreciation
|Profit after depreciation
|Provision for taxation
|Add: MAT Credit
|Profit after tax
|Previous years Income / Expenses
|Profit after previous years adjustment
|Add: Credit Balance
|Profit brought forward from previous year
|Transfer from Investment Allowance Reserve
|Provision for Dividend
|Provision for Dividend Tax
|Transfer to General Reserve
|Deferred Tax
|Income Tax for earlier years
|Transfer to Capital Reserve
|Credit Balance carried over to Balance Sheet
Appropriations Dividend
your Directors are pleased to recommend a dividend of 20 % (previous year dividend20%), subject to the approval of the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting, for fullypaid-up equity shares of Rs.1.00 each, amounting to Rs.2.88 Crore (previous year dividendRs.2.57 Crore). The tax on distributed profits payable on this dividend is Rs.0.47 Crore(previous year Rs.0.42 Crore) making the aggregate distribution to Rs.3.35 Crore (previousyear Rs.2.99 Crore).The proposed dividend will be tax-free in the hands of theshareholders.
Transfer to Reserves
The Board recommended a transfer of Rs.5.00 Crores to the General Reserve (previousyear Rs.5.00 Crore).
Performance in the year 2012-13
In the financial year 2012-13, the Company performed unexpectedly. The Company crossedits top line target of Rs.3500.00 Crore. The total revenue of the financial year 2012-13is Rs.3837.38 Crore which was Rs.2978.82 Crore in the financial year 2011-12. There is agrowth of 28.82%. The revenue of all the four quarters of 2012-13 surpassed thecorresponding period of the last financial year 2011-12. As far as the half-yearly trendis concerned, the turnover of the Company for the first half year period ended as onSeptember 30, 2012 is Rs.2019.33 Crore which was Rs.1301.86 Crore in the same period infinancial year 2011-12. We can clearly see that the Company performed tremendously in thefinancial year 2012-13. Profit after tax has also gone up from Rs.56.89 Crore in 2011-12to Rs.60.37 Crore in the year 2012-13. EBIDTA for the year 2011-12 was Rs.103.80 Crore andincreased to Rs.111.56 Crore in year 2012-13 i.e. by 7.48 %. Further the Cash profit alsoincreased from Rs.66.53 Crore in the year 2011-12 to Rs.70.58 Crore in the year 2012-13.
Current Performance
The Company is moving aggressively on its sales and marketing efforts and reaching outto bigger population in line with its plan to become a pan-India company. It continues tofollow the policy of perpetual technological upgradation. The Company is ISO9001:2008-certified in recognition of the organisations quality system.
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held on 30th September, 2013 at 3.00P.M. at Hotel Radisson, The Mall, Cantonment, Varanasi (U.P) to transact thebusinesses as specified in the Notice of the meeting.
Expansion Plans
The Company has commissioned its 1,200 MT Haldia unit. This project is contributing andstrengthening the position of the Company in the national edible oil sector and enhancethe presence of the Company in the Northern, Eastern, North eastern and Central regionmarkets of India. This is the biggest and technologically most advanced project of theCompany. The Company already has an existing network of sales and distribution in Easternand North-eastern market and will be able to leverage that in selling the output of theHaldia unit under its brand.
The Company is also adding a capacity of 400 MTPD of soya oil processing at Haldia andthis should complete the product offering of the Company by offering soya, mustard, palmand Vanaspati which are the four most widely consumed oil in India accounting for at least75 % of the Indian edible oil consumption. The capacity of mustard seed crushing increasedfrom 200 MTPD to 400 MTPD. This will also reduce our dependence on others for the feed forsolvent extraction plant. The capacity of our solvent extraction plant increased from 250MTPD to 450 MTPD. The above capacity expansion will reduce cost of production and willhelp the Company in being more competitive. The expanded production will also help theCompany in catering to the large geography. The storage capacity of seed increased by 6400MT by installing new silos. This increase in capacity will reduce the storage / handling /wastage expenditure of the Company, otherwise incurred on storing seed outside the factoryin private warehouse.
The Company has also devised a mechanism to procure the seeds directly from the farmersinstead of the intermediaries to reduce its cost of purchase and to be more secure for theraw material availability as its requirement has doubled. There is huge opportunity in theWestern market of country and for taking the advantage of this opportunity company islooking for land in the Western coast for setting up a refinery. Further, most of theWestern Indian states are near the port, this is an advantage because setting up of anunit at the port will reduce the logistics cost of the Company, and this will make us morecompetitive in the market. Our Haldia unit is a strong example of it.
For better and cheap procurement of raw material the Company is planning to set up asupply chain network in Indonesia and for this purpose a step down subsidiary of theCompany is incorporated in Indonesia. The Company is pleased to announce that itssubsidiary has been able to source 7500 MT of raw material for it at cheaper price andgoing forward this availability should expand. Further the Company has also signed anagreement to acquire 12500 acres land in Ethiopia (with the option to acquire 62,000acres) for the agro-related activities and this will diversify the business. The Companyhas acquired 500 acres of land in Bihar to commission an agro-based complex, as part ofits plan to enter into other commodities in which the Company can leverage its existingsales and distribution network. In line with above the plan, the Company has started workon setting up a 12 MTPH rice mill on this land. Rice as a commodity can be sold throughthe existing sales and distribution network of the Company in Central India.
Hence, the Company will leverage its existing network to market rice. It will be soldunder the brands of the Company. The first face of this project is expected to startbefore the end of this financial year. The Company has also started the cultivation ofhigh quality paddy in this area to come up with the best quality of rice for sale. TheCompany has completed the technological up-gradation of its plant in Uttar Pradesh withthe help of Alfa Laval (India) and this up-gradation should help the Company in costreduction / production increase from this financial year.
The Company has surpassed its target of Rs.3500.00 Crore topline comfortably in thelast financial. In the current year the Company is expected to reach a topline ofRs.4200.00 Crore. The Company is working towards becoming a billion dollar topline companyin the next two year.
Secretarial Audit
As directed by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) secretarial audit is beingcarried out at the specified periodity by a practicing Company secretary. The findings ofthe secretarial audit were satisfactory.
Human Resources
The Companys comprehensive HR policy interalia provides manpower training anddevelopment, keeping in mind the growing requirement for custom trained manpower at itsnew initiatives. The Companys factory at Naupur is used as a training ground fortechnical manpower. The employees are also sent to the Companys other units fortraining which helps in reducing manpower costs, avoids poaching of the Companysmanpower, and develops a sense of belonging among the Company employees, resulting inemployee satisfaction and a high employee retention rate. The Companys office isfully computerised. The new recruits are trained with an ERP system when they join,bringing out their true potential. The Company hires engineers, ITIs, MBAs, among others,for internal training and then positions them at the Companys other locations. Themanagement interacts regularly with staff members to understand their needs and problemsand to create a suitable working environment. The Company promotes employees working inthe lower order on a regular basis, and also transfers them to other branches to enablethem to undertake more challenging roles, resulting in employee growth and development.The Company provides accommodation to employees whom needed and takes appropriate effortsto make them feel at home. The Company conducts various sporting activities and celebratesIndependence day and Republic day. These initiatives help boost employee morale and createa cordial environment. The senior management participates in various training programmesand attends conferences to update their knowledge base, in turn providing better value tothe Company. These proactive measures resulted in an improved performance and a reductionin employee turnover. The Company is planning on developing a recreation centre foremployees and their families in Varanasi, along with a state-of-the-art guest house foremployees travelling to the head office from the various offices/units.
Capital and Borrowings
During the year, there was a change in the equity share capital of the Company due toconversion of 27,50,000 warrants, having face value of Rs.10/- each into 2,75,00,000equity shares of Rs.1/- each. Earlier, the paid up capital of the Company wasRs.14,04,40,000 divided into 14,04,40,000 equity shares of Rs.1 each/-. After theconversion of warrants into equity the paid up share capital of the Company has increasedto Rs.16,79,40,000 divided into 16,79,40,000 equity shares of Rs.1/- each.
During the year 2012-13, the Company availed credit facilities from Bank of Baroda andPunjab National Bank for its Varanasi and Alwar (Rajasthan) unit, under the consortiumarrangement. The Company also availed credit facilities from consortium led by State Bankof India for the units in Bihar. The total outstanding long-term loans frombanks/financial institution/ others as on March 31, 2013 are Rs.127.94 Crore (previousyear Rs.96.05 Crore). The gross fixed assets increased by Rs.91.58 Crore representingcapital expenditure on setting up new projects (Dehri-On-Sone, Bihar and at Haldia, WestBengal), expansion of existing manufacturing facility, research and development facility,other maintenance capital expenditure and for technological upgradation. The Company hadcash and cash equivalents aggregating to Rs.323.73 Crore as on March 31, 2013, as againstRs.334.57 Crore as on March 31, 2012. The Company has sufficient financial flexibility, interms of available cash and cash equivalents and committed facilities from banks/financial institution to finance the future growth plans and capitalise on emergingopportunities.
Cash Flow Statement
In accordance with the requirement of Clause 32 of Listing Agreement of the stockexchange cash flow statement duly verified by the Auditors together with their certificateis annexed hereto.
Statutory Auditors
The Company received the letter from M/s Singh Dikshit & Company, CharteredAccountants, Varanasi, U.P. to the effect that there reappointment as the CompanysStatutory Auditors for the financial year 2013-14, if made, would be within the prescribedlimits of Section 224(1B) of the Companies Act, 1956 and that they are not disqualifiedfor such reappointment within the meaning of Section 226 of the Companies Act, 1956.
Auditors Reports
The notes to the accounts referred to in the Auditors Report have been explainedin note schedule of the Audited accounts. your directors however like to briefly clarifythe auditors qualification as follows:
A. The Company has a large network of suppliers dealing with raw material, packingmaterials, among others, catering to the Company and buyers of its finished products.Hence it is not possible to get confirmation from each and every party therefore theAuditors has qualified the same.
B. The Company has not made provision for diminution in the value of long-terminvestments and it is of the opinion that the fall in the value of such investments is notof permanent nature.
C. The salary and wages include payment of remuneration of Rs.19.00 lacs to Mr. D.N.Jhunjhunwala, Chairman, Rs.24.00 lacs to Mr. S. N. Jhunjhunwala, Managing Director andRs.18.00 lacs to Mr. Adarsh Jhunjhunwala, Wholetime Director of the Company.
D. Advances given to Mr. D. N. Jhunjhunwala and Mr. S. N. Jhunjhunwala are pertainingto the Company.
E. Other observations made in the Auditors Report are self-explanatory thereforedo not call for further comments under Section 217 of the Companies Act, 1956.
F. The contingent liability mentioned in Note No. 19 are payable only on the basis oflegal pronouncement made by the different authorities previously.
G. The Company maintained cost records under Section 209(1) (d) of the Companies Act,1956.
Particulars of the Employees
Companys (Particulars of Employees) Rules, 1975 as amended read with section217(2A) of the Companies Act, 1956 are not applicable to the Company as there are noemployees drawing the minimum salary envisaged in the rules.
Audit Committee
Pursuant to the requirement under section 292(A) of the Companies Act, 1956, an AuditCommittee was constituted. The Committee comprises Mr. D. N. Jhunjhunwala, Dr. S. K.Dikshit and Mr. Mahesh Kedia, Directors of the Company.
Directors Responsibility Statement
The Board of Directors of the Company confirms:
A. That in preparation of the annual accounts, the applicable accounting standards hasbeen followed and there has been no material departure.
B. That the selected accounting policies were applied consistently and the Directorsmade judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent so as to give a true and fairview of the state of the affairs of the Company as on March 31, 2013 and profit of theCompany for the year ended on that date.
C. That the proper and sufficient care has been taken for the maintenance of adequateaccounting records and are in accordance with the provision of the Companies Act, 1956 forsafeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and others.
D. That the assumption of going concern is followed.
Directors Re-Appointment
a) Mr. Harsh Agarwal, Director of the Company, retires by rotation and being eligibleoffers himself for reappointment, in view of valuable contribution made by Mr. HarshAgarwal to the Company, the Board of Directors recommend to the shareholders to reappointMr. Harsh Agarwal as a Director of the Company, he is an engineering graduate and deepinsight in the field of Electronics and telecommunication.
b) Mr. Mahesh Kedia, Director of the Company retire by rotation and being eligible tooffers himself for reappointment, in view of valuable contribution made by Mr. MaheshKedia to the Company, the Board of Directors recommend to the shareholders to reappointMr. Mahesh Kedia as a Director of the Company. He is a Chartered Accountant and has anexpertise in commerce and financial accounting.
c) The re-appointment of Mr. S.N. Jhunjhunwala as Managing Director and Mr. AdarshJhunjhunwala as Whole Time Director and Mr. D.N Jhunjhunwala as Executive Chairman isproposed to be made with effect from 1st October, 2013 and necessary resolution in thisregard are contained in the notice of ensuing Annual General meeting.
Listing of Shares
The equity shares of the Company continue to be listed during the year under review atthe National Stock Exchange, Bombay Stock Exchange, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh Stock ExchangeAssociation Ltd., Kanpur, and Delhi Stock Exchange Limited, New Delhi. The annual listingfees of each of these stock exchanges were paid on due date.
Corporate Governance
As required by Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement, a separate report on CorporateGovernance is included Annexure II to the Directors Report in the annual report andyour Directors affirm that the Company has, during the year under review, complied withthe conditions of Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement.
Management discussion and analysis
As required by Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement, the detailed analysis of theoperating performance of the Company for the year, the state of affairs and the keychanges in the operating environment has been included in the management discussion andanalysis section which forms a part of the annual report.
Conservation of Energy, Technology Absorption and Foreign Exchange Earnings
As required U/S 217(1) (e) of the Companies Act, 1956, read with Companies (Disclosureof Particulars in the Report of Board of Directors) Rules, 1988, the information onconservation of energy, technology absorption and foreign exchange earnings and out go aregiven in Annexure I forming part of this report.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Operates two schools for educating the impoverished and social upliftment in and aroundits area of operations first, Prahlad Rai Jhunjhunwala Saraswati Shishu Mandir with400 students close to the Varanasi unit And the second Hari Vidhya Mandir Higher SecondarySchool with 300 students proximate to the site of the Companys proposed SEZ (beingdeveloped by one of the Group companies). Both schools are affiliated to the UP Board andfunded by the Company. JVL also provides scholarships to deserving students. The Companybought more buses to pick the children from remote places and bring them to study at thesetwo school, so that it can spread the message of education and help the needy who cannotafford to travel to its school every day.
It plans to adopt a hospital in the village near the plant to cater to the medicalneeds of the residents. This initiative is in the process of getting started and themanagement is currently engaged in formalities to obtain clearance. The Company is tryingto provide medical facilities to the village, which will eliminate the need to travel totowns for medical aid and treatment. The Company also provides drinking water to localsand laborers at the upcoming Haldia refinery.
Sponsors health camps for local communities. This also includes providing financialhelp and free medical facilities to the ill and the challenged (mentally and physically)
Initiatives to improve the environment enrich community life and preserve ecologicalbalance through a strong environment conscience.
The Company has undertaken a plantation drive on the occasion of Independence Day andplanted 2000 trees close to all its units in India. The Company is also adopting parks inVaranasi for its maintenance as its contribution to the society for greener tomorrow.
Spiritual and Religious
Makes donations for the construction of temples, mosques and churches, among otherreligious structures; provides drinking water in rural areas; executes various plans forland development, plantation and self-help groups others
The Company is making good policies and implementing them for the interest of itsemployees, stakeholders and everybody having interest in the Company by producing qualityproduct, instant credit mechanism, good working capital cycle, among others.
Appreciation and acknowledgments your Directors are grateful and pleased to place onrecord the appreciation for their support, trust, guidance and cooperation extended andreposed by all its stakeholders, employees, customers, consumers, media, financialinstitutions and banks, all agencies of Government of India and other central and stategovernment bodies, statutory and regulatory bodies and local authorities in the Companyand look forward to their continued patronage. The Board also expresses its appreciationof the understanding and support extended by the shareholders and employees of theCompany.
|For and on behalf of the Board
|Place: Varanasi
|D. N. Jhunjhunwala
|Dated: 26.08.2013
"Annexure 1"
Annexure to Directors Report
Particulars as required U/S 217 (1) (e) of the Companies Act, 1956 for the year endedMarch 31, 2013
|(Rs. in Crores)
|Financial Performance
|Year Ended March 31, 2013
|Previous Year March 31, 2012
|(A) Power & Fuel Consumption
|(1) Electricity
|(a) Purchased
|Unit (000)
|Total Amount (Rs. Crore)
|Rate/Unit (Rs.)
|(b) own Generation
|(i) Through Diesel Generators
|Unit (000)
|Total Amount (Rs. Crores)
|Rate/Unit (Rs.)
|(ii) Through Turbine
|Unit (000)
|Total Amount (Rs. Crores)
|Rate/Unit (Rs.)
|(2) Coal/Husk
|Quantity (M.T.)
|Total Coal/Husk (Rs. Crores)
|Average Rate (Rs.)
|(3) Furnace oil
|(4) other/Internal Generation
|(B) Consumption per MT of Vanaspati production
|Furnace Oil
|Coal (Kgs.) /Husk (Kgs.)
|(C) Technology Absorption
|Adaptation & Innovation
|(D) Foreign Exchange Earning and outgo
|Rs. (in Crores)
|Rs. (in Crores)
|Total Foreign Exchange earned
|Total Foreign Exchange Used
|JVL Agro Industries net profit declines 5.14% in the September 2013 quarter
|JVL Agro Industries net profit rises 0.84% in the December 2012 quarter
|JVL Agro Industries net profit declines 24.34% in the September 2012 quarter
|JVL Agro Industries net profit rises 2.66% in the June 2012 quarter
|JVL Agro Industries net profit declines 24.09% in the March 2012 quarter
|JVL Agro Industries net profit rises 8.53% in the December 2011 quarter
|ITC approves 'Policy for determining Material Subsidiaries'
|ITC replaces TCS as India's most admired firm: Fortune
|Nestle announces groundbreaking Global Animal Welfare reforms
|Britannia Industries hits new high
|Britannia Industries (Q1 FY15)
|Jyothy Laboratories Q1 net profit up 72%
Key Executives:
D N Jhunjhunwala , Chairman
S N Jhunjhunwala , Managing Director
S K Dikshit , Director
Mahesh Kedia , Director
Company Head Office / Quarters:
Jhunjhunwala Bhavan,
Nati Imli,
Uttar Pradesh-221001
Phone : Uttar Pradesh-91-542-2595930-31-32 / Uttar Pradesh-
Fax : Uttar Pradesh-91-542-2595941 / Uttar Pradesh-
E-mail : email@example.com
Web : http://www.jvlagro.com
MCS Ltd
F-65 1st Floor,Okhla Industrial Are,Phase-I,New Delhi-110020
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|No. of Shares
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Real news. Real funny.
Real news. Real funny.
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Jae C. Hong, AP
The Dwight Howard sweepstakes has officially begun with four teams and the incumbent Lakers making their pitches. It's anyones guess where Howard will end up, and Howard's history of waffling on big decisions only adds more intrigue. Here is a run down of the potenial landing spots for Howard:
Los Angeles Lakers
Howard has stated his ultimate goal is to win rings, and what franchise can make a better pitch in that department than the Lakers?
Last season, the Lakers had a midseason coaching change, Howard was coming off back surgery and was admittedly not 100 percent for the opener, Steve Nash was out for a large part of the season, and the team had injuries to Pau Gasol and a season-ending injury to Kobe Bryant. Yet they still were able to squeak into the playoffs with a higher seed than Houston.
Next season will surely be more consistent, and with the contracts of Bryant and Gasol and all of the team's role players expiring at the end of next season, the Lakers will have some serious cash to spend on players to build around Howard. Speaking of cash, not only can the Lakers offer Howard $30 million more than any other team, but the Los Angeles market could be a cash cow as far as endorsements are concerned.
Houston Rockets
This choice seems the most likely should Howard decide to leave Los Angeles. Howard had a meeting with the Rockets shortly after the free agency period opened Sunday night.
Hakeem Olajuwan, Clyde Drexler, James Harden and Chandler Parsons, along with Rockets executives, made the trip to pitch Howard, and Yao Ming talked to Howard from China via Skype.
From a team perspective, this situation seems the most ideal fit for Howard. The Rockets have a core of young talent to build around and already have a playoff-caliber roster without Howard.
In his meeting with the Rockets, Howard reportedly asked them to add a third superstar, which may be hard for Houston to do given the money they would spend on Howard.
Dallas Mavericks
From a team-building perspective, Dallas does not offer much more than the Lakers. The Mavericks' big contracts won't expire until the end of next season, making any immediate free-agency acquisition with Howard improbable.
However, given their styles of play, Dirk Nowitzki and Howard could form quite a compelling duo. The addition of Howard would all but solidify a post-season spot for Dallas, and, unlike in Los Angeles, the Mavericks would be definitively Howard's team.
Also helping the cause is owner Mark Cuban, who has shown no hesitation in the past to throw down the money necessary to lure big-name free agents.
Atlanta Hawks
After Chris Paul announced he was re-signing with the Clippers, the Hawks' stock quickly plummeted. Atlanta was hoping to lure both Paul and Howard, who had expressed mutual interest in playing together.
Atlanta has the most cap space of any team heading into free agency, and, should Howard sign, the team would have the ability to potentially bring in some other high-priced free agents.
While the Hawks could go on an offseason spending spree, it seems likely that the team would not be contenders for at least a couple of seasons, which goes against Howard's stated goal of wanting to win championships.
Golden State Warriors
Perhaps the surprise of the bunch, the Golden State Warriors were not on the radar until the team expressed interest in Howard and requested a meeting last week.
The Warriors have no cap space to sign Howard and would have to complete a sign-and-trade with the Lakers, which seems very unlikely. Because of the sign-and-trade scenario, it is hard to know what players would be on the roster should they acquire Howard.
Golden State did make an impressive playoff run last season and is the only team courting Howard that finished with a better record than the Lakers.
Ryan Carreon is a web editor for DeseretNews.com. E-mail him at email@example.com
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The 6'8" senior has played in 40 games for the Badgers. He has started 27 straight contests. Havenstein was a second-team All-Big Ten selection last season. He was one of nine Big Ten players named to the Outland Trophy watch list.
Two Badgers have previously won the Outland Trophy: Joe Thomas and Gabe Carimi.
Evangelist Franklin Graham prayed on a sidewalk outside the Pentagon Thursday after his invitation to a prayer service inside was withdrawn because of comments that insulted people of other religions. More>>


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Today the chairman of the House Science Committee introduced H.R. 5031, the "STEM Education Act of 2014'", to promote STEM education at NSF. The computer science community is a direct beneficiary: the first item in the bill would require federal agencies to include computer science in their definition of STEM.
You'll recall Science Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX) has been trying to move a reauthorization of the COMPETES Act, called the FIRST Act, but had met with much resistance from both the science advocacy community and the Democrats in the committee minority. That bill's route to passage promised to be challenging, and ever since a rather contentious markup of the bill its progress has stalled.
However, in the interests of still wanting to do something legislatively, Smith decided to work with the Democratic minority on his committee to break out parts of FIRST to use as stand alone bills. These would be the least contentious and most bipartisan parts of the FIRST Act. This STEM bill is the first of possibly three total bills (the other possible bills are NIST reauthorization and international science cooperation).
As for specifics of the bill, it has three parts (it is actually a very short bill). The first part, which is of most importance to the CS community, is the explicit inclusion of Computer Science in the definition of "STEM education." The inclusion of CS in STEM is aimed at ensuring that CS won't get left out of future STEM Ed initiatives at the Federal level (at least at NSF, NASA, NOAA, Energy, and NIST…the agencies under the jurisdiction of the Science Committee). The bill also authorizes STEM agencies to fund research that advances the field of informal STEM education and expands the NSF Noyce Scholarship Program to include awardees with bachelor's degrees (currently only people with master degrees qualify) and provide funding authorization to support NSF Master Teacher Fellows for a year. All three of these provisions are largely bipartisan and funding neutral.
This bill is very good news for the CS community and the science community as a whole, and hopefully indicates a new embrace of bipartisanship on the committee, after a fairly discordant period.
[Editor's Note: This post marks the debut of CRA's new Tisdale Policy Fellow for Summer 2014, Yiyang Shen. Yiyang is a sophomore at NYU, with an interest in Mathematics and Computer Science, and will spend this summer with CRA working on science policy issues, including tracking the progress of efforts to reauthorize the Department of Energy's Office of Science. Expect to see more of him on the blog!]
On June 11th the Energy Subcommittee, of the House Science, Technology, & Space Committee, held a markup of the Department of Energy Research and Development Act of 2014. Surprisingly, this hearing was very contentious and Democratic members used procedural tactics to obstruct consideration of this bill to reauthorize research and development (R&D) programs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The hearing was finally adjourned by the Republicans on a party line vote after Democrats refused to waive the reading of the bill.
The markup was originally scheduled at noon, but the subcommittee chairwoman, Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), did not convene the hearing until ~12:10pm. Representative Alan Grayson (D-FL) surprisingly started the "parliamentary game" then, interrupting the chairwoman's opening remarks by requesting a recorded vote to change the official start time in the subcommittee records. His point of order was ultimately tabled by vote but it signaled Democrats' strong opposition to the bill.
In her opening statement, Lummis stated that, "the draft bill provides a $250 million increase in funding for basic research. The bill provides deficit reduction by making cuts to outdated, wasteful and duplicative programs within DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy." The main point, as Republicans hold for the previous FIRST Act of 2014, is to use money wisely, provided the limited resources.
In response, the Ranking Member Eric Swalwell (D-CA) conveyed two central problems with this "premature" markup in his opening statement. The first relates to process: the bill was not shared with Democratic members of the Subcommittee until the last Friday before the markup. Given that this 103-page bill proposes to reauthorize all of DOE's research and development programs, Mr. Swalwell said, "that means we're being asked to make tough decisions about how to allocate billions of taxpayers' dollars after having less than three business days to consider the bill."
Mr. Swalwell then pointed out the second problem the minority has with the bill. The budget for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is substantially cut; ARPA-E funding is largely reduced; and the bill includes burdensome limitations on what research DOE can fund. In addition, it includes particularly objectionable language that bars the results of DOE-funded R&D activity from being, "used for regulatory assessments or determinations by Federal regulatory authorities." Specifically, this language is meant to keep the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using research data to support their operations and any environmental regulations. Of interest to computing researchers, the bill does include increased authorizations for the Advanced Scientific Computing Research activity, ramping the authorization for the program up to $600 million in FY 2015, $59 million more than the President requested.
After hearing the opening remarks from both sides, Ranking Member of the Full Committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) also gave a brief comment on the markup that day. She criticized how dysfunctional the committee has become, and strongly opposed the consideration and passage of the bill.
The markup ended awkwardly. After the opening remarks, the bill is then read into the record, a procedural process which is usually dispensed with under unanimous consent. However, in this instance the Democrats used it to their advantage: they withheld their consent and required that the bill be read, in full, into the record. As this would have tied up the subcommittee for hours, the Republicans instead adjourned the meeting.
The prospect of the bill moving forward this summer is unlikely. The real news from this markup is that the House Science Committee has become increasingly polarized and neither side intends to cooperate with the other. This does not bode well for future science legislation.
On May 22nd the House Science Committee took up the Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science, and Technology (or FIRST) Act of 2014. The bill's lead sponsor is the House Science Committee chairman, Lamar Smith (R-TX). This bill is to reauthorize the majority of the America COMPETES Act of 2010, and focuses on the non-energy agencies (NSF, NIST, and OSTP). Sadly, this piece of legislation is neither as visionary for American science, nor as supportive of said science, as its predecessor bill.
To get right into the problems with the bill, first, it only authorizes the agencies for two years; one of which is the current fiscal year (FY14) we are operating in and have approved appropriations. The previous versions of the COMPETES Act authorized the agencies for three years. There were attempts by the Democratic minority to amend the legislation to include a third year, but those were defeated on a party line vote.
In addition, the FIRST Act authorizes very small increases (~1.5 percent) for NSF and NIST (1 percent) in FY15. The FY14 authorized numbers are the same as what was appropriated in the Omnibus, but with one exception: it strips $100 million in authorization from the Social, Behavioral, & Economic Sciences Directorate at NSF. That money seems to be spread around within the other NSF directorates, including about $70 million for CISE in FY15. Again, there were amendments offered by Democrats to reverse these cuts, but they ultimately failed as all the Republicans voted against them. Though these authorized levels are slightly higher than what is in the President's FY15 budget request, they still don't keep up with inflation.
Here is a more complete look at the comparison of the FIRST Act budget numbers versus the last reauthorization of the COMPETES Act.
In addition, the Chairman included troubling language requiring NSF to affirm that all grant awards funded by the Foundation are "worthy of Federal funding" and in the national interest "as indicated by having the potential to achieve:"
- increased economic competitiveness in the US;
- advancement of the health and welfare of the American public;
- development of a STEM workforce and increased public scientific literacy in the US;
- increased partnerships between academia and industry;
- support for the national defense;
- promotion of the progress of science.
This is being referred to as "NSF Accountability," and is an improvement over what had been circulated in draft versions of the bill. Smith's original draft was problematic because it required that prior to the award of any funding NSF had to publish on a website the justification for that award (based on the above criteria), along with the name of the employee or employees who made the determination. The version that was included in the final bill strips that language and just requires that public announcement of the award include "a written justification from a responsible Foundation official" that the grant meets the criteria. It's somewhat better, though it still provides a hook for Congress to call that "responsible Foundation official" on the carpet for any dubious (in their, i.e. Congressional, minds) grant. Of course, Congress already has that power.
In one point of good news for the CS community, the bill includes reauthorization of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program. CRA, along with IEEE-USA, SIAM, and USACM, endorsed this a year ago when it was introduced in a stand-alone bill as the Advancing America's NITRD Act.
Some other news that came out of this markup:
- An amendment by Rep. Broun (R-GA) passed on a voice vote to cut the FY15 authorized levels for the Office of Science Technology Policy by $1M (original it would $5.55M; now it is $4.55M);
- There was a bipartisan amendment to change the Open Access provisions in the bill to be more in line with what OSTP and the Obama Administration are already doing on this subject.
To get a fuller picture of what happened at the hearing, here are two good articles by Jeffrey Mervis at Science.
The next step for the FIRST Act will be consideration on the full House floor. Passage is likely, though in what form is an interesting question. There is always a possibility that fiscally conservative elements of the Republican Party will propose amendments to strip out even more funding. As well, there could be other amendments to restrict what types of research the science agencies can spend Federal funds on. Whether any of those types of amendments will pass the full House is an open question. As well, it's unlikely that there will be any successful amendments to restore or increase funding; the environment of Washington is one of austerity right now.
The two possible silver linings in all this is that, first, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is expected to release their version of a COMPETES reauthorization any week now. The hope within the science community is that it will be a more true reauthorization of COMPETES and will be more bipartisan in nature. The second silver lining is that FIRST is an authorizing bill, which means this is only covers how NSF can spend its money (rather than an appropriations bill which determines how much money NSF gets). Current year funding for NSF has already been determined and is unlikely to be impacted by this bill, assuming it gets signed into law. As well, next year's funding levels have already passed the House Appropriations Committee, and they did not incorporate the FIRST Act levels in what they approved (FYI: The CJS bill will be on the House floor today for voting; we are expecting amendments to be offered to bring it in line with the SBE authorizations in FIRST, but it's an open question as to whether they will pass). We'll keep our readers posted on further developments with this legislation.