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5 Obnoxious Libertarian Oligarchs Who Earned Fortunes from the Government They'd Like to Destroy
Peter Thiel
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
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The cult of the libertarian-minded ultra-wealthy would make an intriguing anthropological case study. But it would be a case study with a twist: its research subjects increasingly control our economy, our politics, and even our personal lives.
We're dealing with a cohort of highly fortunate, highly privileged and highly unaware individuals who have been inappropriately lionized by society. That lionization has led them to believe that their wealth and accomplishments are their own doing, rather than the fruits of collaborative effort—effort which in many cases was only made possible through government support.
Instead of thanking the government and the taxpayers for their good fortune, they've allowed their own good press to go to their heads. They're biting the hand that feeds them, attempting to shut down the system of taxpayer support and government action which created their world. Our money-obsessed society gives them far more praise then they deserve. Our corrupted political system gives them far more influence than we deserve. And, slowly but surely, they are turning their considerable resources to dismantling government's role in society.
Call them the "cool tycoons of libertarianism." They have neat ideas (when they're not talking about government or the economy, that is). They have neat toys and neat houses. But what they would do to our society isn't neat at all.
Here are five of them.
1. Tom Perkins
Perkins has already received well more than his deserved 15 minutes of fame. But while he's been appropriately reviled for his infamous "Kristallnacht" comment, comparing the treatment of America's 1% to that of Jews in Nazi Germany, too few people have taken him to task for the depth of his ignorance on economic issues.
That ignorance was in full display when he went on Bloomberg television to "apologize" for his Nazi reference, an occasion in which he spent far more time defending his ugly worldview than he did apologizing.
In his original comments, Perkins compared "the progressive war on the American one percent, namely the 'rich'" with Nazi persecution of Jews. But much of the "persecution" that triggered Perkins' outrage involved his ex-wife Danielle Steele's landscaping—it was a one-paragraph item in the San Francisco Chronicle criticizing her. It wasn't a progressive critique; it was an aesthetic one.
Nobody's criticizing all wealthy people, of course. In fact, a number of them showed uncommon good sense during the Perkins kerfuffle. The investment firm Perkins cofounded tweeted that "We were shocked by his views… and do not agree." Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen called him an "asshole."
Perkins' defense of his initial comments on Bloomberg betray the shallowness of his libertarian thought. He insisted that his fellow tycoons are "job creators," despite the fact that they've been paying very low taxes for more than a decade – and there are no jobs!
Perkins also insisted that society should "let the rich do what the rich do" and enjoy the expanded job opportunities that will flow from that. But on Wall Street the rich were allowed to do what the rich do and it robbed the economy of millions of jobs and trillions in wealth. Apple and other big tech manufacturers were allowed to "do what they do" and hundreds of thousands of jobs were shipped overseas.
Guys like Tom Perkins don't know how to say "thank you." Instead, when they're asked whether people like him live in a "bubble," they tend to answer as Perkins did, by claiming that it is "a bubble that has changed the world."
Actually the government changed the world. So did brilliant inventors like Bill Hewlett and David Packard. Guys like Tom Perkins, while they may have been smart and/or hard-working, mostly caught a lucky break. But they've managed to rewrite their own histories as a libertarian fantasy, a victory of the supermen upon which all others must gaze in wonderment and awe.
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I'm all about giving you new reasons to eat healthy. New ways to make your trip to the grocery store more interesting. New things to think about. Well this next post may sound weird, but I believe it. And if I believe it, it must be true, right.
We've all heard the saying, "You are what you eat", right? Well here's a list of new reasons to eat your way to health. Again, it's not all about what you put in your mouth, as much as what you are NOT putting in your mouth anymore. The body knows how to heal itself. But with our unhealthy eating and living habits, the body spends too much energy trying to process and digest. How about we make it a little easier on ourselves?
There was once something called "The Doctrine of Signatures". This philosophy has been an idea of herbalists and alchemists for centuries. It is the idea that God has marked everything He created with a sign that was an indication of the purpose if was created for. A similar belief was held by Native Americans and Oriental cultures. This doctrine did not become a part of the medical thinking until the middle of the seventeenth century. Colors and shapes of plants remind us of the body part where they would do the most good. Every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or function. I've listed below a short list of some whole foods and their function.
Grapes: This fruit hands in a cluster shaped like the heart. Grapes look like a blood cell and research shows that grapes also are a heart and blood vitalizing food.
Carrots: A sliced carrot looks like the human eye. Science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to the eyes.
Tomato: A tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has the same features. All research shows tomatoes are heart and blood food.
Kidney beans: These beans actually look like our kidneys. They help to heal and maintain kidney function
Walnuts: These nuts look like a little brain. Left and right hemisphere and upper and lower cerebellums. We know that walnuts help develop over three dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Celery, Rhubarb and Bok Choy: These look like bones. Bones are 23% sodium and these are also 23% sodium. We now know that if you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body will pull sodium from your bones, and make them weak. Eating these foods will replenish the skeletal needs of your body.
Eggplant, Avocado and Pears: Are you getting the picture? Have you guessed what these target? Female health! Research shows that if a woman eats one avocado a week, it will balance hormones, shed unwanted birth weight and prevent cervical cancers. These look just like the womb and cervix of the female. It takes nine months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. Interesting, huh? There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each of these and modern science has studied about 141 of them.
Figs: These are full of seeds and grow in groups of two. They increase the motility of male sperm and will increase the numbers of sperm.
Sweet Potatoes: These look like the pancreas. They actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives: Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries. Enough said? Ok, here are some more…
Grapefruits, Oranges and other citrus: They look just like the mammary glands of females and assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions: They look like body cells. Research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all the body cells. They will also produce tears which wash the eyes.
Whew! That was a lot of information. Take it one at a time. Take the list with you to the grocery store. Eating these veggies in their raw state is even healthier for you. Keep the enzymes in your food! Allow your body to heal by eating raw. Raw food is easier to digest. Less work, more healing.
Take care of yourself.
The statements in this blog are for nutritional purposes only. Please talk to your primary doctor if you have concerns before making any major changes in your dietary lifestyle.

subset: commoncrawl


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Friday, April 13, 2012
We're Building an Earthship!
9 comments:
i've done enough "off the grid" things myself that I know exactly what you mean by peoples response. Best of luck, will check back for pictures of your finished home- when do you expect it to be completed?ReplyDelete
That's the question we have no answer to! :) We're going to work all summer to get the walls up and a roof over it. We don't expect to complete too much more than that before winter hits but hopefully we could work on interior stuff over the winter and be living there in a little over a year. At least that's the plan, but as I tell everyone, our plans are always done in pencil for a reason!ReplyDelete
I really want to follow your progress. I think it's great that you're trying something different. I'll have to look at the link.ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you Kathy! We've had nothing but rain these past few weeks but the next few weeks look good so hopefully we'll be getting started! How exciting!Delete
Girl! I am so impressed! My cousin and I were talking about when we're crazy old hippy ladies and doing this in the mountains. I think it's so awesome! Can't wait to see the process...Good Luck!!ReplyDelete
Thank you! We're not really in the "mountains" but the house site is at the top of a big ole hill, so I call it a mountain! And as 30 approaches I've already began to call myself a crazy old hippie lady :) The house site is completely level now so hopefully we start pounding tires soon! Believe me, MANY pictures shall follow!ReplyDelete
This is cool! I'm happy for you! Would you consider answering a few questions I have about earthships? Me and my girlfriend are looking into buying land in w.va and would love to meet like minded people.if anything you can give me some tips. If your interested here's my email. firstname.lastname@example.com
Thanks and have a great Xmas
Is there an update? We are preparing to take on an Earthship project in North Central WV. Care to share notes?ReplyDelete
Update? I also plan to start on one within a year or two.ReplyDelete


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USA TODAY Travel asked editors at The Huffington Post to share some of their top travel stories this week. Here are their picks:
Searching for New York's best slice of pizza: Trying to narrow down the best pizza in NYC is like trying to select the best apples from an orchard during U-pick season. The options are limitless. That said, I have sampled my fair share of NYC slices and have come to a few conclusions. There's a different pizza for every mood and appetite. If you're visiting the city and don't have time to sample around, these top five slice joints, classy restaurants, and old-school institutions will do the trick.
READ MORE: Best pizza in NYC? DiFara stakes a claim
America out the train window: By the end of World War II, trains had become a commonality; today, train travel is a commodity. For long-distance travel, aerial crafts have replaced terrestrial vehicles. Consequently, we now think in terms of destinations rather than journeys. The images that fall in this category aim to recreate landscapes a passenger would see when traveling by train. The scenery would be difficult to see from any other form of transportation, as it is indistinguishable from a plane and inaccessible by car.
PHOTO TOUR: Amtrak's most scenic train rides
A guide To America's oddest 'Capitals Of The World': Washington D.C. is frequently discussed with scorn by the career politicians who spend most of the year in Georgetown brownstones. This is what America's capital city has received in exchange for its service, a heaping helpful of disdain and a reputation as the ultimate corrupting force. But Washington isn't the only U.S. capital that can't seem to get any respect, there are a number of "Capitals of the World" within our borders that labor in such obscurity that pols don't even bother to badmouth them.
11 travel apps that will change your life:
When you're on the go, smartphone apps can save you time and money. They can get you a steep five-star hotel discount at the last minute, show you the quickest way to navigate London's Tube, even keep you in touch with your family for free from 8,000 miles away. Here are some of the things that you can accomplish with the best of the bunch.
USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.


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Welcome to Amigos Mexican Kitchen.
Experience a sumptuous and mouth watering dishes from Amigos Mexican Kitchen. We are an established takeaway based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Amigos Mexican Kitchen Sheffield aims to bring the best value for your money, services and food. You can now order food online in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Try our online ordering website where you can order food online for fast food delivery right to your door, fresh and healthy.
So hurry order online now with our new fantastic online takeaway ordering system. With Amigos Mexican Kitchen Order Online you can order food from us even easier and quicker than before. Please feel free to browse our website and to order online. You will be able to get up to date prices and special offers online.


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DID Little Masters (Season 2)Category: dance show, reality show Hindi TV Channel Zee TV
Characters: Mithun Chakraborty, Remo, Geeta, Terrence Lewis, Raghav, Shalini Moitra, Shreya Acharya, Uday Sachdeva, Jeet Das, Tanay Malhara, Neerav, Kruti, Deep Ghosh, Faisal Khan, Om Chetry, Rohan Parkale, Saumya RaiPlease rate this show :
2.8 Ratings | 59 Reviews
Serial Concept: Watch Dance India Dance Little Master; famous and the most loved TV dance show also popularly know as DID with your loving dance gurus and judges master Remo, Geeta and Terrence Lewis.
Watch Zee TV dance show DID Little Masters (Season 2) videos online.
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The 20 stocks listed in the table below have attracted the highest total options volume during the past 10 trading days. Names highlighted are new to the list since the last time the study was run, and data is courtesy of Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White. One name of notable interest among short-term call players this afternoon is eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY).
Bullish speculators have apparently taken charge of eBay Inc's options pits today, despite the shares' 1.1% slip to $49.04. Specifically, traders appear to be betting on the shares' immediate post-earnings return, as three of the five most active options today are July-dated calls, which expire two sessions after EBAY's quarterly report.
Digging into the data shows roughly 1,300 contracts have changed hands at the deep out-of-the-money July 55 call, and because 71% of the contracts went off at the ask price and implied volatility at the strike has increased, it looks like speculators are opening long bullish positions here. In other words, today's option bulls anticipate EBAY will tack on at least 12.5%, and finish atop breakeven at $55.19 (strike price plus the volume-weighted average price of $0.19) at the close on Friday, July 18, when the soon-to-be front-month options expire.
As mentioned earlier, eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) is slated to report second-quarter earnings after the close on Wednesday, July 16. From a historical perspective, the equity has tended to make significant moves in the sessions following its recent earnings reports -- including an 8.6% single-session, post-earnings pop in the second quarter of 2012.
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About Us
Learn more about us and our vintage store
Our Location
Westside Storey Antiques is located in westside of Kansas City at the corner of 17th and Summit.
Our Vendors
We feature a list of handpicked kansas city antique vendors.
Contact Us
Contact the West Side Storey team to find out more!


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NEWS BITS: Naya Rivera DROPPED From Columbia Records + Donald Sterling MAY Sue NBA To Halt Clippers Sale
written by _YBF
More bad news for Naya Rivera – she's been dropped from her record label. Get the deets inside and find out about Donald Sterling's possible NBA lawsuit.
Naya Rivera has obviously hit a bump in the road. Her engagement to rapper Big Sean is off, she was possibly fired off Glee and now she's been dropped by Columbia Records. Earlier, Billboard Magazine confirmed reports that Naya is no longer on the Columbia Records roster. Meanwhile, Naya's Instagram account continues to document her weird Kim Kardashian-like transistion. The Kim-styled selfies are getting redundant!
SMH….good luck Naya.
In sports…..
An article published by the New York Daily News reports Donald Sterling plans to sue the NBA to stop the sale of the LA Clippers. An NBA executive with close ties to Don said, "He is not going to sell the team. He'll sue and it'll take years to settle." How might this happen? The exec explained that Don may sue the NBA and base his case on language in the NBA constitution that deals with conduct that constitutes "willful acts." The term can be difficult to interpret and enforce and may takes years of legal wrangling.
On the flip side, Arsenio Hall would have more time to raise enough money to make a bid for the team.
Photo via Naya Rivera's Instagram/Getty Images
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Well, crap...
View Single Post
11-15-2012, 23:16
Join Date: May 2010
Location: NW Florida
Posts: 7,832
Originally Posted by
Big Bird
Call LMT. They will tell you exactly what I said.
You may get away with it in some rifles or may not. But my guess would be you are running it on the edge of reliability and when things get dirty or close to being out of spec it adds up.
Maybe not. I could be wrong. Been wrong before.
Honestly, Your BCG should still run with one screw tight as the key should still be tight against the carrier. But again, maybe not.
It's not running. I can't *feel* any play in the key, but it's definitely not running. Bolt moves, just refuses to feed or lock back on empty.
As for the LMT bit, I was already considering dropping it to a Carbine carrier as a test. Once I get the BCM carrier un-buggered, I still plan to try it. Until the carrier failure, though, it was running perfectly even on Tula .223 with an H2 buffer.
Originally Posted by
Well I guess I can't say I've never heard of a BCM failure. Let us know how they handle it.
It's a first for me, too. Hoping to hear back from them by e-mail tomorrow.
Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Last edited by WoodenPlank; 11-15-2012 at
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From the daily archives: Sunday, December 23, 2012
Cupcakes, Couch, Cutie
On December 23, 2012 · Leave a Comment
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Posted by Lauren
Hey everyone! Happy Sunday!
In a few hours my mom and Nicole will pick me up for our annual pre-Christmas celebration in San Francisco. I'm looking forward to spending the day with those two, a great dinner at oola and hours upon hours of shopping!
Not much has happened since my last [...]
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Archive for the 'dance' Category
jcm's Top 10 SF Performances of '12
In the midst of the embarrassment of riches jcm partook in this year, above all, it was the year of the art song, "Hasa Diga Eebowa," and contemporary american opera (and THIS without even having seen Moby Dick ;-(. This was particularly good news for art song and american opera, as it's more the norm to bemoan their demise these days.
In capturing the highlights of the year, the performance and production were weighed most heavily, but in the case of new material, the script and score were of course considerations. Oh, and who can help some personal biases slipping in? Not jcm (ie: West Side Story = the greatest show ever written)! SO, here goes…
1) Sandrine Piau, (Susan Manoff, piano) CalPerfs, Hertz Hall
It was as if a gentle, gamine spirit had landed for just an hour or two, gracing us with her rare magic. She left us transfixed, susceptible to the whims of her potent storytelling. The program was studio-ready in its refinement and attention to detail, yet never bland or white-washed. She uses her lyric instrument to full advantage, painting a broad palette of tones and expressions. The very satisfying program featured french, german and english sets of Fauré, Bouchot, Chausson, Mendelssohn, Strauss and Britten, followed by a generous set of encores: "Voyage a Paris," "Clair de lune," and Strauss's "Madchen Blumlein."
Karina Gauvin, (Michael McMahon, piano) Weill Hall at the Green Music Center
The Bay Area has been given a great gift in the form of the new Green Music Center. In structure it is reminiscent of the great Musikverein of Vienna. It is nearly all wood, which is visually rich, and acoustically perfect. In a word, intoxicating. This was the inaugural recital of the hall's vocal series. They programmed very well, especially as Karina's Bay Area appearances are rare. Highlights included: "Le Printemp" by Hahn, "Phylidé" and "L'Invitation au Voyage" by Duparc. For her encores, she performed Weill (ie: Weill Hall) and the Scottish "Ae Fond Kiss." The latter was deeply satisfying. Her english diction is stunning, and her textual delivery particularly soulful. On a personal note, her sister and mother were in the audience, just a few rows in front of me. She shared that this was the rare performance they were able to attend, and dedicated a song to her sister. A special night indeed.
2) The Book of Mormon, National Tour, Curran Theatre
It takes you by the balls, and won't let you go. I've rarely seen the kind of go-for-broke commitment from a cast as this. 21 year-old Grey Hensen, who played Moroni and Elder McKinley, as well as Jared Gertner as Elder Cunningham stole the show. I live for Gavin Creel, but oddly he seemed not to embody the role as much as to act it. Surely he's settled into it by now, or will fully by its UK West End run. The first 20 minutes have to be the most perfectly crafted portion of almost any Broadway show I've seen LIVE. You know…those laughing-and-crying at the same time moments? The vocal power in the ensemble numbers was very impressive. Having an 8 year-old behind us in the audience made the profanity and vulgarity seem even more raucous and saucy.
jcm's Top 10 Best LIVE Performances of '10
It's that time again! I'm serving up my second annual Top 10 LIVE Performances of the year. It's a follow-up to my '09 list. Sadly, there are no Broadway shows on this list. I plan on remedying that in 2011!
1. Die Walküre, San Francisco Opera (Details)
This production offered one of the finest casts that could possibly be assembled for this opera (and The Ring) in the current operatic landscape. The production said some new things, and offered a few fresh perspectives, but didn't try too hard, or overshadow the score. Maestro Runnicles is a Wagnerian master, and he and the orchestra rose to the occasion again. Yeah, I was a "Supernumerary" in the production, but I was able to watch much of it from the orchestra during rehearsals, and even accounting for my bias, this would still takes my top spot. Enjoy my full review here.
2. Scalpel! The Musical, Brava Theatre (Details)
Can you say fun? It had me at the opening number, with countless heals and drag runway walks. It was the first show I've seen in the Brava, and I immediately loved this venue…the warm lighting, the urban ambience, and the straight, raked seating offering direct views. Even with all the camp and hijinks, the entire cast was completely committed to the material. This was the second mounting of the show, and my fingers are crossed that it returns yet again. Apparently, there was a bit of a curse on the production, with multiple cast injuries (including a very unfortunate broken leg for leading man, Mike Finn), but they pushed through, with some quick and fortuitous replacements and prevailed. Picturing Sara Moore as "poop-raking" TV reporter Kitty Kelly ("Hardballs" host) still makes me laugh.
3. Heidi Melton: Salon at the Rex, The Rex Hotel (Details)
To hear Heidi Melton plead in spoken french AND debut her chest voice was alone faint-worthy, and positively scintillating. And, to hear her in repertoire much outside her core operatic rep and comfort genres was a treat (ie: Irving Berlin and Kurt Weill cabaret, and Korngold songs). Her rendition of Berlin's "Always" left not a dry eye in the audience. (Her Noe Valley Chamber Music Recital a few weeks before was also very beautiful). No thanks to the Adler "Future is Now" concert, which was on the same night, the recital was over all too soon (evidenced by a jcm quotation here and here)! I stuck around and imbibed and dined at the bar…I wanted to savor the spell Heidi had cast.
Alonzo King's LINES Ballet with SFO Adler Fellows
The Melding of Classical Voice & Dance
Thanks to my friend Sara, last night I attended one of the freshest, most daring shows I've seen in a very long-time. Somehow, it hadn't even entered my radar before her mention of it. The first half was the World Premiere of "Wheel in the Middle of the Field," presented by Alonzo King Lines Ballet, and featuring a quartet of the current Adler Fellows, two of whom I touted in their Merola debut last year. The second half was "Rasa," a piece performed by the dancers alone.
Other than brief insets within an opera, I've only seen the melding of dance with live classical voice a handful of times. The most effective have been Iphigénie en Tauride at the SF Opera ('07), with choreography by Phillipe Giraudeau, Purcell's King Arthur by the Mark Morris Dance Company (Zellerbach, '96), and Christopher Wheeldon's "Sea Pictures" at the SF Ballet, set to Elgar's song cycle, and sung by mezzo and Adler Fellow Katia Escalera ('01). This happy meeting of two of my favorite disciplines always leaves me wanting more. When I saw the listing of this program, I felt it was kismet, and clearly the product of someone thinking outside the box. Ultimately, this is the sort of risk that is a requirement if these art forms are to survive, having the power to woo the younger audiences we all pray for.
Alonzo King said about the project: "The challenge is to integrate body, mind and intention, within the individuals themselves and between the two different disciplines. I encourage them to explore and expand into their physical bodies, using the entire body as a vocal cord. I initiate exercises in being, not doing. Being without armor—which is difficult to do—is believing that what you are is enough." That intent proved to be very successful.
Curtains Up!
The performance began with the Adler quartet taking the stage: Ryan Belongie, Sara Gartland, Maya Lahyani, and Austin Kness, (with accompanist Allen Perriello in the pit). The women wore beautiful, shimmering slate blue dresses, just below the knees in length. Gartland's was spare with spaghetti straps, and Lahyani's with an additional expressive band of fabric hanging down on her left shoulder. The men were in black, both with a subtle nod to a masculine, japanese Samurai silhouette. Surprisingly, they began not to sing, but to dance! The results were mixed, but it was quite unexpected and engaging. I respected the total emotional commitment from them, especially to something they aren't presumably well-trained in.
jcm's Best of '09: A Look Back
In the quieter, darker, colder days of January, in addition to looking ahead to what the year will bring, and setting goals, it's always especially nice to reflect back on the previous year, to recall and relive some of its finest moments. So, it is in that spirit that I share my Top 10 LIVE Performances List for the year.
1. Hair on Broadway (8/2): I've certainly said enough about this love-rock musical on my blog in the past 6 months, but for good reason. Attending the acclaimed Broadway production with CJ and some dear friends was deeply moving, and a wonderful way to further launch me into my ACLO production. Although the singing style was more "pop" than I'd like (relative to the original productions), when seeing it live, any stylistic qualms fell away, and the raw honesty of the production swept me away. Steel Burkhardt was a surprisingly good understudy for Will Swenson, as Berger.
2. Heidi Melton Recitals: (2/4) Her Salon at the Rex featured Purcell, Berg, Messiaen, Debussy, and Bolcom; (10/20) Her LIEDER ALIVE! recital second half at the SF Conservatory featured Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. Now in Berlin preparing for her Deutsche Oper Berlin debut, and just off her Met debut in Elektra, she thankfully gave San Francisco two satisfying recitals before her departure. The first was very casual in spirit, much like the salons of old, I imagine…a great artist sidled up to the piano, friends and fans with cocktails in hand, and the artist just telling stories, in words and song. Perfect! The second prooved her Wagnerian chops in the demanding Wesendonck.
3. The Cockettes' Pearls Over Shanghai (8/15): Straight from The Cockettes' closet and into The Thrillpeddlers' Hypnodrome…this irresistable tale is told in glitter, technicolor, pasties, and skin, with raw, campy delivery, and a bawdy flavor. I am happy to now be a part of this production, its first revival since its creation in the late '60s. John Waters just graced our audience. Don't miss it!
4. David Wilcox at the Swedish American Hall (3/23): First row, perfect intimacy and completely disarming open-heartedness.
5. Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment at SF Opera (10/22): This Pelly production is an example of a fresh take on an opera that enhances a classic, not apologizes for or covers it up. Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Florez struck the perfect balance of bel canto purity and knee-slapping hijinx. It was genuinely funny throughout…true laughter spilled forth from the audience, not just the polite opera-laughter one is accustomed to. Meredith Arwady's turn as The Marquise de Berkenfeld was beyond her years in comedic timing, and positively ebullient.
6. Next to Normal on Broadway (8/2): Like really good therapy…onstage. Vocal chops for days from all 6 performers. Alice Ripley may be crazy, but she's perfect in this role, and the show lives up to its buzz.
7. Verdi's Requiem at SF Opera (5/29): This was a moving farewell for Donald Runnicles. Heidi Melton and Stephanie Blythe melded beautifully. Melton stepped in last minute for an ailing Patricia Racette. The performance just crackled with emotion and commitment. And, how special to experience a sacred choral masterwork in our opera house!
8. Gershwin's Porgy & Bess at SF Opera (6/12): To finally hear this score performed live in its original operatic context was a true thrill, especially after growing so fond of pop and jazz renditions for decades. Laquita Mitchell and Eric Owens lovingly gave 120%.
9. Rossini's Semiramide at Caramoor (7/31): In this case especially, it's hard to separate memories of the setting and journey from the performance itself, but the warm summer air, cultivated audience, and Queer Opera Punk friends in tow helped make it very memorable. It starred bel canto masters Angela Meade, Vivica Genaux, Lawrence Brownlee, and Daniel Mobbs. And, how lovely to discover my old choir friend Heather Meyer in the chorale!
10. Paul Taylor Dance Company at YBCA (5/2): This Program C included Arden Court, (Music by William Boyce: Symphonic Excerpts), Private Domain (Music by Iannis Xenakis: Atrees), and Offenbach Overtures (including La Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein and Berbe-Bleue Overtures). Unfortunately, this year held few dance performances for me, but, at least included this one! CJ's high school acquaintance Rob Kleinendorst is a long-time company member. The Offenbach was absolutely hysterical, not the sort of tone I expected from the company. A real fresh surprise! Last time I saw their tour, I was floored by their dramatic, apocalyptic Promethian Fire. Although not intentional, it felt like a 9/11 tribute. Well, this Offenbach couldn't be more different, and shows their breadth.
Honorable Mentions: South Pacific Tour, GG Theatre, SF; American Idiot, Berkeley Rep (World Premiere, and Broadway-bound); Kylie Minogue concert, Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA; Pink Martini in concert, Davies Symphony Hall, SF; Souvenir, with Judy Kaye and Donald Corren, Geary Theatre, SF; SF Opera Auditions for the General Director (David Gockley) highlights: Michael Sumuel's "O! Du mein holder Abendstern", Ryan Belongie's "Cara Sposa" and Nathaniel Peake's "Salut demeure chaste et pure" and "Ah! lève-toi soleil!".
Overrated/Yawners: In the Next Room: The Vibrator Play, Berkeley Rep (now on Broadway?! I fell asleep.); Billy Elliot on Broadway (some great moments and some great dancing do not a great musical make).
Let the Sunshine In
Here's some rough but spirited snapshots/outtakes from our recent "Hair" photoshoot. The actual photographer's selects are still to come. It was a fantastic experience…bonding us further as a "tribe", and connecting us with the true spirit of the show. Yes, the men's hair needs to grow longer…there is time for that (and/or wigs). In the meantime, enjoy this small taste of what's to come…
I'm (as Berger) at far left in the second photo, at center of the third photo, and at far left (partially cropped) in the final photo.


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Arts In Motion
Arts In Motion specializes in high quality instruction without the pressure of a competitive atmosphere and our staff offers quality, family friendly service that you can count on.
From beginners to adults, we offer all styles of dance classes. Our energetic teachers have a positive teaching style which helps our students to develop self-confidence and encourages self-expression.
Learn More About Arts In Motion:
Members of the National Dance Educators Organization
Contact Arts In Motion today at 734-845-9433 to find out more about our dance class schedule.


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Your high blood pressure may be your spouses fault!
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Your high blood pressure may be your spouses fault!
|Wed, 11-24-2010 - 1:30pm
Almost 60 percent of men snore, robbing their bedmates of at least one hour of deep sleep nightly, say Mayo Clinic researchers. And that can interfere with blood pressure control. Turns out deep sleep is when your body clears away the stress hormones that contribute to high blood pressure and without that quality slumber, Mayo researchers say, blood pressure can creep up six points or more.
Read more about this and other Suprising Causes of Common Health Problems here: http://www.ivillage.com/surprising-causes-common-health-concerns/4-b-299856#299857?ice=iv:mb:msg:ad


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Preparing for the class I teach with Alladi Venkatesh on Design and Innovation Management, I've been reading the Henry Dreyfuss classic, Designing for People, published in 1955. From the thirties to the sixties, he designed everything from flyswatters and tractors to airplane cabins and touchtone phones.
One thing that really struck me was the similarity between the things he was imagining in the fifties and the contents of the file I keep on innovation today. Textiles that light up? He designed curtains using tiny medical device lights for a night club in the forties. Cars with automated parking systems? His drawings were there in the fifties.
What was even more striking, however, was how much things have NOT changed in more than 50 years: washing machines, ovens, urban crowding, traffic, gas-guzzling cars. In fact, his photos of relaxed air travel then (complete with comfy sofas and curtained beds) make you long for those good old days.
So while computers and phones are delivering on his promises, most things are not. The differences, I think, are in the inertia that attaches to any established business. Detroit was doing quite well, thank you, with gas-guzzlers so until this year there was no incentive to change. Ditto for washing machines that waste more water than most people use in a week.
It's not really ideas we lack—it's the will to buck the system and create much better solutions. It's been too easy over the last century to forget what architect Daniel Burnham advised: Make no little plans.
Sunday's New York Times had an article by G. Pascal Zachary titled "Inside Nairobi, The Next Palo Alto". The author points out that most technological innovation is created either in wealthy countries or in China and India. Yet, the rest of the world may be seeking solutions that comprehend their unique constraints. For example, despite lack access to high speed internet, frequent power failures, political instability and no university training on the latest programming languages, there are aspiring entrepreneurs in Nairobi writing programs for the new iPhone (which is not even available in the country yet so they use iPhone software simulators).
In many developing countries such as Kenya, there are few wired phone lines or personal computers so; mobile phones have become an indispensable communication and computing platform. G. Pascal Zachary's article share the fact that in Kenya four times as many people have cell phones than have bank accounts and, text messages have become much more important than e-mail. This has led to the availability of very low cost mobile phones with limited functionality from major manufacturers specifically designed for these markets. Clearly, local programmers are brought up in an environment of limited bandwidth and memory which results in their developing "tight" or "light" applications. Now, Google is opening a development office there which may lead to Nairobi becoming a center for technologies targeted toward emerging economies.
I'm sure that for many of you, this talk of developing software in an environment of limited computing resources brings back "old" memories (dating all the way back to the 1980's and earlier…before the concept of "bloatware" ever existed). It seemed like it took exceptional skills and an intimate understanding of the underlying platform for programmers to architect and develop robust solutions in those days. I won't bore you with lots of examples from "those days"…but, I will just mention a couple to make the point about sparking innovation.
BMC Software, which is now a $1.7B firm, began in the early 80's when John Moores addressed the issue of limited communications bandwidth in the U.S. for the transmissions between central mainframe computers and remote CRT terminals. His software solution to the bandwidth problem significantly enhanced the productivity of his customer's personnel and launched a firm that became known for its software innovation. In an even earlier time…there was the challenge of landing a human on the moon. Up until the Apollo missions all computations for flights at NASA had been performed on analog computers. So, MIT and Raytheon develop the Apollo Guidance Computer (ACG) which was the first significant use beyond the military for rudimentary, rare, very expensive integrated circuits. This scarcity of computing power led the all the hardware and software innovations which were required to produce a small and reliable onboard computer for the space program. It is amazing today to think that the ACG only had 36K of storage (rope core memory where each 1 or 0 was manually wrapped with a wire and magnetic donut – no room for errors in the code back then) and 2K of random access memory which was enough to safely land a man on the moon and return to earth.
What can we take away from these or other examples of innovations that were born in an environment of scarcity? Is there current opportunity for firms to challenge their product development groups to create innovative ways to solve problems by constraining the underlying platform or components? Could this lead to innovations for meeting the needs of emerging and/or developed countries? What could be the opportunity gained by opening small product development labs in less developed countries such as what Google is doing?
The above titled article in today's Wall Street Journal was prompted by Dow's announcement that is purchasing Rohm & Hass for a 74% premium over yesterday's closing price. This brings me back to my last blog post on business transformation. In it, I outlined two existing models for business innovation which are either a "primarily skill leveraging approach" or, a "primarily skill acquiring approach". (As a side note, it is interesting to note that Dow's 2007 annual report had one word on the cover…"transforming".)
The skill acquiring model is driven by a top down, management team and usually tied to a real sense of urgency for entering a completely new business and developing new core competencies quickly. This strategic move by Dow is a good example of a skill acquiring model of innovation. In this case, Dow needs to move rapidly from being primarily a provider of commodity chemicals, which is rapidly facing increasing competition from the Middle East, to higher margin, specialty chemicals. Even Rolm & Hass itself evolved through both organic growth driven by a rich heritage of innovation (acrylic and small molecule chemistry for a wide variety of products) as well as through acquisitions and mergers. Rolm & Hass decided to accelerate its own specialty chemical diversification into electronic chemicals by purchasing Shipley Co., Rodel and LeaRonal, Inc. during the 90's. In 1999, Rolm & Hass merged with Morton to once again expand its product and skill portfolio.
Dow's strategy is somewhat reminiscent of the evolution of another chemical company. Monsanto had been primarily a chemicals company that moved into new markets such as plastics and textiles throughout its early years. Then the oil embargo of 1973 created an incentive to move to businesses that was less of a commodity and less dependent on the price of oil. This resulted in senior management establishing a corporate vision to build a new core competency in biotechnology. Monsanto tried various organizational structures to facilitate this transition which eventually led to forming an executive management committee to lead its evolution from a top down approach. The Monsanto of today has further refined its focus to where it is now strictly an agricultural company that helps farmers succeed "using the tools of modern biology".
Innovation efforts that are variations or extensions of the current theme are best accomplished by current business units and, dedicated new business groups are often appropriate for related diversification. But, a corporate vision that requires a complete restructuring of a business, that must be accomplished quickly and does not leverage internal competencies, can be more successful if driven a senior, corporate management team. This brings up the need for a firm to develop a simple yet powerful vision for business innovation that is grounded in its core competencies, corporate strategy and its culture. I will leave this discussion of the successful use of the "vision thing" in strategic business innovation for an upcoming blog post.
A recent article in Forbes titled "Transform Your Company For Growth" by Scott D. Anthony and Kevin Bolen of Innosight does a great job in describing the potential as well as the challenges in creating sweeping changes to an enterprise. Most corporate leader would like to know the untold secrets of how a Nokia evolved from a lumber mill to the leader in cell phones or, how Google grew from a search technology firm to a leader in advertising. The authors outline five lessons that executives can employ when seeking transformational growth ("DeLTA, for dedicated resources, lead opportunities, tools and enablers and appropriate mindsets").
I would add to this discussion a framework of how firms can think about operationalizing transformational change which is driven by a firm's existing core competencies in comparison with the skill requirements implied by its strategic vision. The framework is comprised of two models which are either a "primarily skill leveraging approach" or, a "primarily skill acquiring approach", which drive divergent implications for new business development.
The skill leveraging model is dependent on creatively applying existing core skills and technologies to build new business units by strengthening a core competence ("edge out" or "reach out" innovation). Versus the skill acquiring model which is focused on building new core competencies ("break out" innovation). These skill models will strongly influence decisions related to the best approach for organizational structure, roles and responsibilities, internal processes and corporate style.
A skill leveraging approach is often organized around a multitude of "bottoms up", interdisciplinary teams which propose new ideas for approval and funding. This approach recognizes and supports the fact that it takes time to develop completely new businesses internally. Successful firms which employ this model have an entrepreneurial culture which is difficult to organically develop overnight. This environment includes adequate resources, free time to experiment as well as freedom to fail and a degree of autonomy. There is also a flexible new business development process which includes multiple sources of funding, various internal communication forums, fluid teams and active senior management sponsors.
Now, the skill acquiring model differs in that it is likely driven by a top down, management team that sets the course and overall process. It includes few operating managers as it is based on a formal process to identify new opportunities from outside of the current business. Often, this approach is tied to a real sense of urgency for entering a completely new business and developing new core competencies quickly. Obviously, the success of this model is tied to a clear senior management vision for new business and innovation. This method is not as appropriate if the goal is to simply create add-ons to existing businesses (there is too much organizational conflict if a headquarters business development group is independently trying to acquire add-on firms for existing, operating groups that would rather drive their own businesses).
Hopefully, these two models will add another point of view to thinking about how to create "edge-out", "reach-out" or "break-out" innovation within an organization…and, the implications that each drive related to organizational structure and management style.
Last month the Wall Street Journal ran an article titled "Campbell's Chief Looks for Splash of Innovation". The article was an interview with Douglas Conant, CEO of Campbell Soup Co. in which he discussed Campbell's recent successes in innovation (e.g. reduced sodium soup). But, Mr. Conant also stated that "this year we lost the innovation war in soup" (he was referring to General Mill's Progresso light soups tied to Weight Watchers points). Now, some of us may be asking the question of whether incremental product improvement fit with what constitutes "innovation".
Has "innovation" gotten to the same broad usage as other famously overused terms such as "solutions" to where it has lost its core meaning? Would it help the discussion about innovation to add further granularity to the term? Like the popular example about the word "snow" (whether in native Inuit Eskimo or any other languages people refer to "wet snow", "power snow", "fresh snow"…well you get the idea)…do we need more than one word or phrase to describe the concept of innovation?
I like the idea of leveraging a descriptive taxonomy for differentiating various types of innovation that was used in the computer industry. This model is useful when viewing the innovation challenge from a particular company's business development challenge. Or, you could also use this vocabulary to describe new developments from an overall industry view.
Conceptually, my interpretation of this framework illustrates potential commercialization approaches based on two factors. One of those factors is the degree to which a firm has the proven, internal skills required to successful develop and bring to market a planned new offering. The other factor is to what degree this new product or service is improving on a firm's existing well understood offering or, whether it is bringing to market a completely new offering that addresses an emerging or latent customer need. If you plot the new business development opportunity against these two axis, the farther you get from the current, core business of a firm (or industry) you get…"edge-out", "reach-out" and "break-out" innovation.
So, what is the difference between "edge-out", "reach-out" and "break-out" innovation? And, how could this help the development of a strategy for pursuing business growth? To start with "edge-out" innovation, I would put the Campbell soup example into this category. It is adding incremental functionality to a well-know offering. And, Campbell is using internally, well established product development, manufacturing, and go-to-market skills.
I would characterize "reach out" innovation as adding significant new functionality either to a well known offering or to a completely new product or service for a firm. And, the commercialization of this product can be accomplished using internal skills but, they are deployed in a significantly new configuration.
I view "break out" innovation as bringing to market a completely new product or service (potentially leveraging a disruptive technology) which requires new skills in order commercialize what is internally unfamiliar technology, processes and markets.
Now, back to my earlier question of how this taxonomy can assist in the development of a strategy for pursuing business growth. Well this framework obviously hinges on the ability of a firm to leverage its available skills or, whether the company will need to acquire significantly new skills. These distinct skill models will directly influence decisions related to the best approach for organizational structure, roles and responsibilities, internal processes and corporate style. I will lay out some of the potential implications in an upcoming post. In the mean time, let me know your ideas on how to better define what constitutes "innovation".


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Plus: 'Shark Night 3-D' and "5nal Destination' fill out their casts.
The writer talks about what went wrong with season one, why it's harder to write TV than movies, and the pressure to do justice to 'Sweet Valley High.'
It's so self-aware it hurts.
My scattered responses to this week's TV.
'Tara' delivered a surprising, plot-propelling reveal.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled aggravation.
Bring on the plot turning points!
While Alice traipses about, dreaming up baby names and charming the psychobabble off Tara's shrink, the progeny delve into their own love-life dramas.
Tara acts as Charmaine's "booby buddy" during her recovery from surgery.
A pissing personality, an increasingly interesting hubby, appallingly jerkish in-laws, and a botched boob job!
Fingers crossed it's a Hooverville-dwelling hobo!
This week, boys and their ... proclivities.
This episode deals with an issue typical of suburban marriages: trouble in the bedroom.
Can Cody resist a Juno retread and rise to the demands required by her new Showtime series?
Hint: It might be time to invest in a second Snuggie.
Can't get enough of Diablo Cody's personal Twitter? Then you're going to love her live-tweeting her own show.
Plus: Diablo Cody's series is headed to Showtime, and the Farley name lives on.


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Contact SparrowHouston
|Food-as-Medicine Dinner Series: Being a Locavore
Join integrative dietitian of Naturally Nourished, Ali Miller, as she walks you through a food-as-medicine dining experience prepared and created by chef Monica Pope of Sparrow Bar + Cookshop.
The first dinner of the series will focus on being a Locavore. If food is your medicine, it is important to have a potent and sustainable pharmacy (or Farmacy) through support of local farmers, ranchers, and purveyors. Monica will prepare a 4-course menu featuring local producers and heirloom unique varietals of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and proteins.
Ali will discuss:
-The anatomy of the garden: a comparison on soil composition to that of gut ecology, playing a vital role in our ability to absorb vitamins/minerals
-The difference of big-Ag organic and sustainable production and the nutritional impact
-Importance of biodiversity in produce/livestock
-The synergistic effects of whole foods: how to identify a whole food
-The role of toxins/additives in our food system
-Grass-fed and pasture-raised proteins vs. conventionally raised (wild vs. farm-raised fish)
-Medications acting as bandaid to "fix" systemic imbalances due to nutritional deficiency
-The role of food as medicine: building/preparing your medicine cabinet
-Where to start? How to become a locavore?
-Traditional foods, traditional preparation techniques, food preservation, making it happen, etc.


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Oregon head coach Mike White, left fielder Janie Takeda, and pitcher Karissa Hovinga speak after (1) Oregon's 6-0, NCAA regional win over Wisconsin. The Ducks will play (16) Minnesota in the NCAA Super Regional on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25.
Web Extra: Ducks Prep to Host Huskers
Peterson, Moore Lead Ducks Past BYU
Oregon Postgame Interviews (Mike White, Jessica Moore, Alexa Peterson): Courtesy: Oregon Sports Information EUGENE – The No. 3 University of Oregon softball team (47-9) stayed perfect in NCAA Regional play under fourth-year head coach Mike White with its 5-2 win Thursday evening over BYU (33-24) at Howe Field. Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Jessica Moore … Continue reading »
Softball: Walker Takes Position at UCLA
Courtesy: Oregon State Sports Information CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University announced Tuesday that head softball coach Kirk Walker has resigned to take a position with UCLA, his alma mater. "I have been very fortunate to be a part of Beaver Nation and the OSU Softball program for a very large part of my professional career," … Continue reading »


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AboutA web log for all fans of Walt Disney, The Disney Company, and its many products. Using the theories behind Walt Disney's family oriented entertainment and education, this blog is intended to be a safe read for the whole family. Proud to be a part of Quality Will Out Omnimedia. The Disney Blog is not affiliated with The Walt Disney Company in any way. All Disney parks, attractions, lands, shows, event names, etc. are registered trademarks of The Walt Disney Company. The Disney Blog is affiliated with LaughingPlace.com, the number one Disney Fan site on the internet. Please see creative commons license at the bottom of this page for copyright information. All content on this website is my own and does not necessarily represent the views of my employer or anyone else on the planet. The Disney Blog is supported by advertising and some of the links on this site and in product reviews are revenue share affiliate ads. I also do accept product for review and to give away as prizes. However, I compose all my editorial separate from any decision regarding advertising or affiliate links. YMMV.
Tag Archives: Lost
LOST – Alternate Ending
I'm not sure how long this video will remain up. But it looks like the producers of LOST filmed at least one alternate ending. The production value and music all line up. This is either real or a very good … Continue reading
Posted in Lost Tagged ABC, alternate endings, chuck norris, Lost, Television 5 Comments
Lost Season 6: The End (Episode 17)
Beware, losties. Spoilers begin immediately… I think I've been saying it all along—this season has been about bringing everything and everyone full circle. It started off with the little asides and hat tips to The Island in Sideways Land. And … Continue reading
Posted in Lost Tagged Lost, lost finale, lost recap, lost season 6 episode 17, lost season 6 finale, lost series finale, lost the end 68 Comments
LOST ends tonight
Tonight brings LOST full circle. From a ground breaking new television series 6 years ago to a world wide television event that will bring a conclusion to the stories of the people we got to know via the show. To … Continue reading
Posted in Television Tagged ABC, finale, Lost, mystery, series finale, Television 4 Comments
Lost Season 6: What They Died For (Episode 16)
Can I be honest with you? I'm ready for the finale of Lost. So ready. I loved last night's episode but I felt like it was just the PS to last week's episode and the epilogue to our finale. Yeah, … Continue reading
Posted in Lost Tagged Lost, lost recap, lost what they died for 19 Comments
Lost Season 6: Across the Sea (Episode 15)
Does anyone remember the final episode of last season's finale? Yeah, it was the Jacob flashback. The first time we got to see Jacob and the first time we even knew of the Man in Black's existence. When the two … Continue reading
Posted in Lost Tagged across the sea, Lost, lost across the sea, lost recap, lost season 6 episode 15 17 Comments


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After assisting multiple clients with the system selection process I always get a bit surprised when the process seems to bog down the closer we get to the demo. Historically, we spend a lot of time in Discovery, interviewing staff and collecting requirements. Then we create a RFI or RFP so we can evaluate the vendors in order to invite the strongest three (3) vendors to demo.
Once the RFP is completed, we usually begin working on the demo script. Often I do get queries from a client as to why we need the script and just don't schedule the vendor in to "show us the system." After some discussion, everyone usually begins to understand that you would not take a trip without a good map or plan, and that is exactly what the demo script will provide. It assures that those attending the demo will see the same functionality from each vendor and be able to better compare each vendors system performance.
The demo script for any system should be created in a life cycle flow. For an PR/HR system, as an example, you would start with recruiting, then to employment, to benefits, compensation, Payroll and on through the termination process. Then you can look at reporting and system set-up. I usually suggest that there be an agenda for each section of the demo so various members of staff can come into the demo on features which will impact their area of responsibility. The one thing I normally stress with a client is that everyone be in the same sections for all demos.
Usually I recommend that items on the demo script also be weighted with a priority. This allows you to weight the scoring after the demo is done and put more focus on the items which are critical to the running of the company. It does help in creating a Vendor Comparison Report which will show in one page the major areas of the demo and how well each vendor did to the requirements. The Vendor Comparison Report and the Decisions Drivers are usually the key elements used to select the vendor of choice.
There is a lot of activity going on during the development of the demo script and coordinating the actual demo. I recommend that companies look at using an outside resource from HRchitect to assist with these tasks. This resource will allow the full client team to be focused on the demo and not on the administration. If you have any questions about the demo, be sure to ask your HRchitect representative on how they can help make the demo a smooth process.


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Milwaukee, Wisconsin Legal Blog. Latest Legal News in Milwaukee, WI
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December 19 2014 Latest news:
Police Officers. Picture: Ian Burt
Friday, January 25, 2013
Two teenagers were robbed of their mobile phones as they walked in Bowthorpe.
Detectives are now appealing for information following the incident, which happened at around 8.10pm on Wednesday.
The pair were walking along Earlham Green when two other males threatened them and stole a black and silver Blackberry and a white Apple iPhone, before fleeing towards Stevenson Road.
One wore a grey hooded top, beige trousers and a pair of blue hi-top trainers, and carried a gold YSL bag. The second wore a blue hooded top.
Call police on 101.
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Kennington Athletic Football Club is dedicated in delivering amateur youth football throughout the village of Kennington and it's surrounding area and we are always on the lookout for new football players, with both boys and girls welcome.
Supporters of the FA respect campaign, Kennington Athletic Football Club have teams playing in the Oxford Mail Youth Football League, Oxford Mail Girls Football League and the Oxfordshire Invitation Youth League.
Kennington Athletic Football Club would like to thank all their sponsors.


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Unlocking Big Value from Big Data
By: Bill Dunmire, Sr. Director Product Marketing
Today's enterprise is inundated in data. From Internet traffic, sensors, and credit card activity, to social media, video monitors and more, data is arriving in volume, with velocity, and of variety far greater than ever experienced. What has forward-looking businesses and government agencies focused on "Big Data" is the insight that can be derived through analytics. Marketing can better understand buying behavior to secure more customers. Manufacturing can better understand product performance to improve quality. Finance can better identify fraud to prevent loss. Physicians can utilize genetic profiles to treat patients more effectively. From competitive advantage and topline growth to saving lives, the potential gains surrounding Big Data are far reaching — but also present new challenges: how to derive value at greater speed, scale, and efficiency.
Designing an enterprise-class data analytics solution begins with enterprise-class infrastructure. The type of infrastructure that best meets the needs of the business generally depends, however, on two principle metrics: data relationships and time to value.
Relationships Matter
Let's begin with relationships. Are they sufficiently understood so that a data set can be broken into chunks and analyzed in parallel across a computer cluster? Say for example, ranking the top selling products over a given time period. Will parsing the data into an organized structure add value such as to facilitate further, ongoing analysis? Or should data be analyzed all at once versus in chunks in order to discover hidden relationships?
Time to value equates to speed of analysis. Do business needs allow hours to days for results? Will reducing to minutes add value? Or are real-time results (microseconds) the desired objective?
With these two metrics defined, the appropriate High Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure for Big Data analytics can now be designed. For analysis in chunks and hours to results, a Hadoop cluster is ideal. To provide organizational structure and accelerate data analysis, deploy a cluster utilizing a NoSQL database. And for knowledge discovery and immediate time to value, utilize a robust shared memory system.
Building on expertise developed over two decades delivering several of the world's fastest supercomputers, and many years' experience helping customers efficiently manage high volume data environments, SGI enables business and government agencies to perform Big Data analytics with faster and greater insight, provide extreme capacity and scale needed for Big Data storage, and lower costs.
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SL-Rasch GmbH uses SGI compute platforms to reduce time to market
Powerful Combination of SGI Compute Platforms Helps Modelling Complex Umbrella Structures
Since 1986 SL-Rasch GmbH has been a leader in the use of sophisticated technology to support the design, construction and exhibition of special lightweight structures including tents, foldable umbrellas, convertible textile roofs and domes. Using SGI ICE X and SGI UV systems, SL-Rasch is able to manage huge quantities of data to examine all aspects of wind-loaded membrane structures in the simulation environment – different wind speeds, directions, steady or intermittent, over long periods of time.
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SGI Finalizes Terms of Global Supply Chain Partnership With Jabil Circuit
Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE: JBL) will serve as SGI's primary manufacturing services and supply chain management provider
The transition to Jabil will be implemented as a "manage in place" model, which utilizes existing SGI facilities and personnel to foster continuity of supply and best practices. Jabil will purchase SGI's primary manufacturing facility, located at 100 N. Cashman Dr. in Chippewa Falls, Wis., and certain other manufacturing assets for approximately $6 million in cash. SGI expects that approximately 130 of its manufacturing personnel in Chippewa Falls will transfer to Jabil. No other workforce transfers or reductions are contemplated as a result of the transactions, which are expected to close in February 2014.


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Altering your inner dialogue can have a tremendous impact on your professional, dating and personal life. Being your own cheerleader is easier than you think, and will take you places you never thought you'd go.
Read more…
Before you can share your love with someone else, you have to first love yourself. But what does that mean and how do you get there? Try these exercises and see how how easy it is to be your own best friend.
Enjoying the most fulfilling relationships with friends, family and romantic partners is a matter of becoming as emotionally healthy as you can. Tap into these 3 markers for emotional health to make your relationships and self-worth soar.
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