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Bb5 Awful sweet A5 to be a little butterfly. Bb5 Just wingin' over things A5 and nothin' deep in-side Fmaj7#11 E7 Nothing goin' goin' wild in you you know. C Your slowin' by the riverside Bb#11 or floatin' high and blue. Bb5 Or maybe A5 cool to be a little summer wind Bb5 Like once through everything, A5 and then away a-gain. Fmaj7#11 E7 with a taste of dust in your mouth all day, but no need to know. C Like sadness. Bb#11 you just sail away. Am 'cause you know, Em C I don't do sadness, Bb not even a little bit. Fmaj7 Am Just don't need it in my life, don't want any part of it. Em C I don't do sadness, Bb Hey I've done my time. Fmaj7 Lookin back on it all man it blows my mind. Am Em I don't do sadness, so been there, C Don't do sadness, Fmaj7 just don't care
Popular Spring Awakening tabs & chords
Song lyrics
↑ Back to top | Tablatures and chords are parodies/interpretations of the original songs. You may use it for private study, scholarship, research or language learning purposes only


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Options Analysis: JOSB/MW Deal
TheStreet Premium Services
A complimentary preview
of Options-Profits Previews
BY Mark Sebastian |02/05/14 - 05:13 PM EST
This content brought to you by TheStreet's OptionsProfits. CLICK HERE FOR A 14-DAY FREE TRIAL.
Richard Collings and Ronald Orol, TheStreet's analysts over at TheDeal, have done extensive research on the Jos. A Banks Clothier (JOSB)/The Men's Wearhouse (MW) deal. Here is Ronald's latest piece and you can find more content on TheDeal.com. So, let's dive a bit deeper on Options Profits and see how we can potentially play this using options strategies.
Based on the price action of JOSB, it is obvious that the market still believes a JOSB/MW deal is going to get done. If the market believed the deal was going to fall apart JOSB would be trading near its pre-deal price of $40-$45. What is now obvious is that the board of directors of JOSB wants more money than they are being offered.
Based on what is a lot of brinksmanship, I think the JOSB board may want $58-$60 per share in order to get a deal done. That is a nice premium over the current price. If JOSB doesn't get that price range and the deal actually falls apart then this puppy could tank.
Looking at the options are I think there are a lot of plays that make sense. One play I like is an April 1X2 call spread. I would buy the 55 calls and then sell the 60 calls twice against it. As long as the deal price stays below $63.75 and gets done, the trade comes out a winner. If the deal gets done at $55 (which it seems like it won't), or the deal completely falls apart, this trade could lose.
Another interesting trade would be a risk reversal betting that the deal gets done at under $60, or falls apart. One could trade the April 35/60 risk reversal, buying puts and selling calls to collect a small credit. All of these plays fall more on the deal arbitrage side, but make perfect sense for those that understand the two companies and/or are already long shares in one or the other.
OptionsProfits can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/OptionsProfits
Mark can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/OptionPit
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subset: commoncrawl


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MicroMasters Certificate in Entrepreneurship
Get up and running quickly with this intensive certificate program designed to train and to guide you toward business success. Your own commitment along with classroom instruction, guest speakers, presentations, case studies, group work and online content allow you to evaluate the feasibility of your idea. You'll develop a strategy and business plan using proven finance and marketing tools and techniques.
Course outline (SBX 7487)
Course schedule for dates, times and locations


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Modern art created by pinball machine
Art student puts arcade skill into art creation
In news that would make Jackson Pollock proud, an art student has devised a unique and creative way of generating some abstract modern art.
Sam van Doorn, a graphic designer and student, build an art installation called STYN, which is essentially a pinball machine that uses paint covered pinballs to create works of art.
"By creating new tools, you give yourself the opportunity to break free from standards in design," said van Doorn on his blog.
"By playing the machine the balls create an unpredictable pattern, dependent on the interaction between the user and the machine," van Doorn added. "The better you are as a player, the better the poster that you create."
To check out Sam's designs and works, head over to his blog.
Source: Sam van Doorn
Related articles
Kid's Christmas 3DS gets replaced by rocks
Video game industry stalwarts make their 2013 predictions
Cliff Bleszinski wants to open his own studio
First gameplay video of Dirty Bomb releases online
Tags: active, cool, Modern art, pinball art, sam van doorn, STYN
Shutterstock is the image partner of MyGaming – technology images can be found here


text: TeachingFaith ministries is about PASSION - A Passion to take God's Word to a world of starving souls. With this Passion we are going to 'Turn the World Upside Down' as Good Soldiers of Jesus Christ living each day for the Cause of Christ. If the Holy Spirit has given you a PASSION for the Things of God in these Last Days join with us by listening and watching TeachingFaith.com.


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Nebezial is Croatian illustrator Stjepan Sejic and he's been doing some absolutely wicked pieces of fantastic comics
Posts Tagged 'pack of images'
Evil Nature Illustrations by Nebezial
Abstract Digital Art Images by Different Artists
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process. Since the 1970s, various names have been used to describe the process including computer art and multimedia art, and digital art is itself placed under the [...]
Amazing Mix Wallpapers Collection – 1920 x 1200
We Collect Best Images which make more attractive to your desktop screen The resolution of images -1920 * 1200
Photomanipulation of Photo Art by Jonathan Hasson's
Jonathan Hasson's Portfolio Sacramento, CA, USA He have professional freelance experience designing for an extensive list of clients such as US Bank, CVC Sports, Young Life, and Better World Entertainment to name a few plus countless other design-related projects for organizations (ie Take Note Troupe), individuals (ie Michelle By Design), and service/school-related work. I [...]


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city of yakima
Valley Mall Roundabout Road Work On Fridays
Yakima Starts Work on City Streets
Apartment Residents Will Receive City Help
City of Yakima Looking for Answers on How to Handle Panhandlers
Politics in Your Future? You Still Have a Chance to File
Yakima Weighing Cell Phone Tower Regulations Tonight [MAYOR'S BLOG]
Code Officials Work to Clean Up Yakima
What Kind Of Downtown Yakima Do You Want?
The City of Yakima is looking for ideas about downtown and you are invited to bring your ideas to a community workshop later this month at the Howard Johnson. City Economic and Development Director Sean Hawkins says it is your chance to tell city leaders what you want in downtown Yakima
New Pathway to Connect Powerhouse With William O. Douglas Trial
A new pathway system is under construction in Yakima that will soon offer you a chance to walk a 6. 5 mile loop connecting the Powerhouse.
Pathway to the William O. Douglas Trail. Construction work started this week on the Walter Ortman Parkway Project that will eventually create the pedestrian-friendly loop


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Our friends over at Supreme Sports Performance & Training (SSPT) are hosting a Weightlifting Clinic led by former World Silver medalist, Olympian, and former national level Chinese coach Ma Jianping. If you are interested in learning a different style of lifting or some unique drills and skills to push your performance to a higher level, this clinic is for you.
"Are you satisfied with your weightlifting speed, power, and strength? Are you unsure about how to construct the most effective plan for your weightlifting performance? Have you tried dieting only to struggle to achieve your desired body composition or level of performance? Have injuries stalled your progress or ability to drive harder?" (Click here to learn more about the SSPT Clinic).
Workout of the Day
Power Clean
Find your 1 rep max.


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London Marathon Photos
We headed to South East London to watch the Marathon yesterday. Canary Wharf (where these photos were taken), was packed as you can imagine. The crowd felt afamiliar, as I always loved heading into the Copley Square area in Boston for the Boston Marathon. Can you tell I'm a little homesick? Leave it to a marathon to make me feel homesick.


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Our Sponsors:
The start line is located just off Highway 403 at the heart of the city. About 5 million residents live within an hour's drive of Mississauga.
Approximate travel time to Start Line:
Guelph, Waterloo, Kitchener - 1 Hr.
Toronto - 20 Mins.
Oakville - 15 Mins.
London - 2 Hrs.
Barrie - 1 Hr.
Buffalo - 2 Hrs.
Oshawa - 1 Hr.
Ottawa - 5 Hrs.
Hamilton - 40 Mins.
Windsor/ Detroit - 4 Hrs.
Niagara Falls - 1 Hr.
15 Mins.
- U.S. border crossings are located in Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Windsor.
GO transit serves a population of 6-million within an 8,000 square-km region. It extends from Toronto to Hamilton, Milton and Guelph in the west, and as far as Oshawa and Port Perry eastward. GO Transit has multiple stops along the Lakeshore route in Mississauga and is a time efficient and economical solution to get to the City.
VIA Rail connects the Greater Toronto Area with the rest of Canada. It operates 480 trains a week, including 300 in Southern Ontario and Quebec.
Mississauga has an extensive trail system that offers a scenic and charming view of the city. This is an excellent way to stay in shape and be environmentally friendly.
Lester B. Pearson International Airport is located in Mississauga and is Canada's busiest airport. Many airlines offer direct flights to 27 Canadian locations, 42 U.S. destinations, and 84 International destinations.
Pearson is located just 15 Mins. Away from the Marathon start line. Mississauga, and its amenities are easily accessible by public transit and the airport limo service.
Mississauga Transit provides bus service to participants on race weekend to start and finish lines, relay exchange points and the Cawthra Community Centre. See each event for details.
Landmark Sport Group Copyright® 2013. All rights reserved. All content on this site, video, graphic and text is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without expressed written consent. - Privacy Policy -


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Hello everyone.
my name is sayu, and I am a university student in computer science.
I like to draw manga in my free time
nice to meet you ^_^
Current Residence: shibuya XD
Favourite genre of music: pop, classic,OST anime and game, etc.
Favourite style of art: manga style
Operating System: windows 7 home premium
MP3 player of choice: ipod nano 3rd generation
Favourite cartoon character: Fujiko F. Fujio Rumiko Takahashi hiromu arakawa CLAMP masashi kishimoto


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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - View original article
Funding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money (financing), or other values such as effort or time (sweat equity), for a project, a person, a business, or any other private or public institutions. The process of soliciting and gathering fund is known as fundraising.
Sources of funding include credit, venture capital, donations, grants, savings, subsidies, and taxes. Fundings such as donations, subsidies, and grants that have no direct requirement for return of investment are described as "soft funding" or "crowdfunding". Funding that facilitates the exchange of equity ownership in a company for capital investment via an online funding portal as per the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (alternately, the "JOBS Act of 2012") (U.S.) is known as equity crowdfunding.
Funds can be allocated for either short-term or long-term purposes.
In economics funds are injected into the market as capital by lenders and taken as loans by borrowers. There are two ways in which the capital can end up at the borrower. The lender can lend the capital to a financial intermediary against interest. These financial intermediaries then reinvest the money against a higher rate. The use of financial intermediaries to finance operations is called indirect finance. Lender can also go the financial markets to directly lend to a borrower. This method is called direct finance.[1]
|Look up funding in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
|This business term article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.


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Book your room at Leamington Hotel-Downtown/Port Of Miami
Double RoomMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Twin RoomMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 2 children, 2 infants)
Family RoomMax Occupancy: 5 guests (up to 4 children, 4 infants)
Hotel in Downtown Miami near Bayfront Park and Miami Convention Center
Airport nearby
Close to the airport, this hotel is also near Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, Bayfront Park, and Miami Convention Center. Other nearby points of interest include Port of Miami.
Free shuttle & Breakfast
Leamington Hotel-Downtown/Port Of Miami offers a complimentary breakfast and reception to guests. Free transportation from the hotel to the Cruise Port of Miami at scheduled times.
Premium satellite TV
Televisions come with premium satellite channels. Guestrooms also feature complimentary wireless Internet access, air conditioning, and phones (surcharge).Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Renovations & Closures
- Elevator
At your hotel
At your hotel
The Leamington Hotel offers the best value for your money in the Downtown Miami Shopping District, just steps away from shops, restaurants and clubs. We are within 5 minutes from Bayside Marketplace, American Airlines Arena and the Cruise Port of Miami. Free transportation from the hotel to the Cruise Port of Miami at scheduled times.
Our multilingual staff is on hand 24 hours to help you. We can provide you information about tours to Miami, Everglades, Key West and Orlando.
Leamington Hotel-Downtown/Port Of Miami is a smoke-free property.
- 24-hour front desk
- Airport transportation - drop-off (complimentary)
- Total number of rooms - 84
- Number of floors - 5
- ATM/banking
- Free breakfast
- Elevator/lift
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Free Wi-Fi
- Luggage storage
- Multilingual staff
- Porter/bellhop
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Year Built 1922
- Smoke-free property
- Television in lobby
- Cruise terminal shuttle (complimentary)
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
Stay connected
Available in all rooms: Free Wi-Fi
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi
In your room
- Premium TV channels
- Air conditioning
- Phone
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Complimentary toiletries
- Shower only
- Hair dryer (on request)
- Iron/ironing board (on request)
- Satellite TV service
- Free Wi-Fi
- Complimentary newspaper
Eat and drink
A complimentary continental breakfast and reception are offered to guests.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Sailing nearby
- Parasailing nearby
- Personal motorized watercraft on site
The fine print for Leamington Hotel-Downtown/Port Of Miami
When you arrive
Minimum check-in age is 18
When you leave
Check-out time is 11:30 AM
How you can pay
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- No onsite parking is available.
Cash Deposit Required
No rollaway/extra beds available
No cribs (infant beds) available
We should mention
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms.


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Expert Views
How to get consolidated MF account statement online?
22 Dec 2014, 11.11 am | Source: Moneycontrol.com
Consolidated MF account statement offers you a single view of all your mutual fund investments, which makes monitoring easy....
The bigger they are… the harder they fall
15 Dec 2014, 5.52 pm | Source: Moneycontrol.com
One of the first idioms you learn in school, a wonderful line to teach us the value of humility. Big doesn't necessarily mean size, it also means st...
When is the right time to exit from a fund?
09 Dec 2014, 11.43 am | Source: Moneycontrol.com
Investing in mutual funds is a decision each investor undertakes after thorough research and comparison.But what about the right time to exit from a f...
Invest for Long Term in Equity
08 Dec 2014, 11.58 am | Source: Moneycontrol.com
One of the most important principles for investing given by famous Warren Buffet is, "Focus on the playfield, Not on the scorecard".The key to equ...
08 Dec 2014, 11.54 am | Source: Moneycontrol.com
HDFC Top 200 Fund stands today with the highest corpus size of almost Rs 13000 crore and a highly impressive track record. The performance was such th...
Emergency corpus: Means and ways to set it
01 Dec 2014, 4.01 pm | Source: Moneycontrol.com
Having an emergency corpus helps to financially manage a job loss, illness, accidents and so on. The corpus should help you survive the contingency. S...
Analysed: The Religare Invesco Contra Fund
01 Dec 2014, 3.54 pm | Source: Moneycontrol.com
Religare Invesco Contra Fund seeks to use contrarian investing to generate returns for its unit holders. At the end of December 2011 banks was the top...
Why Reverse Mortgage is a Good Source of Raising Funds
01 Dec 2014, 3.50 pm | Source: Moneycontrol.com
In a reverse mortgage scheme, a senior citizen above the age of 60 years living in a self occupied home can receive a regular income from a bank again...
All you need to know about investing in ELSS scheme
27 Nov 2014, 3.24 pm | Source: Moneycontrol.com
An ELSS is a diversified equity mutual fund which has a majority of the corpus invested in equities. Since it is an equity fund, returns from an ELSS ...
Understanding benefits of Systematic Investment Plan
27 Nov 2014, 3.22 pm | Source: Moneycontrol.com
Systematic investment plan, as the name suggests, allows a user to build an investment portfolio with a small systematic investment at regular interva...
Debt funds or equity funds? The right answer may be 'both'
20 Nov 2014, 8.52 am | Source: Moneycontrol.com
Equity, on the other hand, is an essential asset class for the long-term growth of savings with returns that beat inflation. Equity funds typically in...
Always buy quality stocks during a bull run
19 Nov 2014, 6.26 pm | Source: Moneycontrol.com
While buying any investments, make sure that you buy quality at reasonable price and not just something that is cheap...
IDFC Premier Equity Fund: Review
18 Nov 2014, 8.34 am | Source: Moneycontrol.com
Investors looking for a long term investment would find this fund suitable as it follows a buy and hold strategy. This can show strong results especia...
Investing for tax saving through mutual funds
13 Nov 2014, 5.14 pm | Source: Moneycontrol.com
You can claim exemption under Sec 80C by investing in ELSS schemes. This benefit limit has been enhanced to Rs 1.5 lakh in budget 2014. Even at year e...
video of the day
See fresh highs before Budget; like Maruti: Kotak Inst


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I know, I know – it's not even October yet and I'm already yammering on about Halloween. I just can't help myself – someone needs to remind you that Halloween is coming soon and you better get a move on buying you candy soon, otherwise you'll be left buying over priced drug store candy at the last minute when you could have bought bulk, wholesale priced candy from us. Heed.
What an awesome birthday party (or baby shower!) theme! I love the soft pastel colors and simple decor. There are so many candy options that you can have for a yellow / pink / blue pastel color theme. Here are our top picks for what would make an amazing and delicious candy table scape. Pink, Blue and Yellow Gourmet Malt Balls Pink, Blue and Yellow Gum Balls Pink, Blue and Yellow.
These party pics bring the biggest smile to my face. The happy monsters must have made someone's little "monster" crazy happy! I am just so impressed with how all of the details tie together and how cute and modern everything looks together. This is not just a great birthday party idea, but it's perfect for a Halloween too! The idea behind the theme was to make the tablescape and party.
I saw these tablescape photos on TheGlitterGuide.com and just had to share them here. I thought this would be a perfect idea for a girl's birthday party either for a Mom and Daughter to do together before the party or for all the little girls to do as crafts during the party. You don't even have to use the votives for candles – they can be candy jars or.
I was browsing through all the candy that Sweet City Candy has to offer and began to wonder about one in particular – Pez! Where do they come from and when were they invented? So I set out to find the answer, and here you have it, people – the history of Pez! Pez was invented in 1927 in Vienna, Austria as a breath mint. Pez is actually an abbreviation.
So, Halloween is right on our heels and it's time to start planning what kinds of goodies you're going to be handing out to the gangs of trick-or-treaters who come to your door. We recommend buying your candy in bulk this year – you'll save money and won't have to worry about running out. Here are three amazing bulk candy purchases that you can get from our website that are.
So, I've been a little obsessed with Etsy lately and have found myself spending (er, wasting?) hours and hours of time trolling through Etsy.com looking at anything and everything. So I thought, why not put all this time to good use and do a Five Fun Things For Friday Etsy Edition! This way I can at least share some of the awesome things I'm seeing with my awesome readers. Of.
You've probably noticed by now in most of the "Candy Buffet" and "Real Life Party Pics" posts that we've put up, just about every food an non-food item has a cute little label next to it so all the party goers know what they're getting into. When these "printables" began to appear at parties I thought it was just a passing fad. I mean, I was happy to know that.
I just don't know how I haven't heard of this website before, but I found it last night and can't get enough! Plus, since so many of our readers come here for party and event tips, then this website is a must-have. Shop Sweet Lulu is an online store that just had it's 1-year anniversary and she sums up the theme of her shop by saying: "The shop simply carries.
Just in time for the crisp fall weather to begin, with leaves changing colors, pumpkin patches appearing, and the fresh brisk air ushering in a reprieve from the steamy hot summer, we have gotten in all of our Halloween candy! I'm so excited about these new arrivals that I just have to share one of them with you today – our Halloween Pumpkin Lollipops! These 4.5 inch lolli's are just.


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Scroll For More Information
Yardley, PA
Welcome to Capt'n Chucky's
Yardley Location
Retail Store
Owners: James & Gail Rogers
Voted Best Crab Cakes!
The Yardley, Pa store was opened in the Fall of 2012 .As you can see from the menu, we are best known for the wonderful crab cakes, but offer much more. We are constantly working on new recipes and menu items and hope to always keep it fresh and exciting as the years pass by.
Our mission is simple – we strive every day to serve the highest quality product at the lowest possible price! We love serving people and look forward to meeting new customers every day, while spending time with our regulars who have now become our friends. Our goal is that everyone enters our store as a customer and leaves as a friend!
We look forward to seeing you in our Yardley location very soon!
Holiday Hours:
Sunday, 12/21 Closed
Monday, 12/22 10 am – 6:30 pm
Tuesday, 12/23 7 am – 7 pm
Wednesday, 12/24 7 am – 2 pm
Thursday, 12/25 Closed
Friday, 12/26 10 am – 6:30 pm
Saturday, 12/27 9 am – 4 pm
Sunday, 12/28 Closed
Monday, 12/29 10 am – 6:30 pm
Tuesday, 12/30 10 am – 6:30 pm
Wednesday, 12/31 9 am – 5 pm
Thursday, 1/1 Closed
Mon-Fri – 10-6:30
Sat – 9-4
Sunday – Closed
(215) 321-3939
Visit our Store!
25 South Main Street
Yardley Shopping Center
Yardley, PA. 19067


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Object ID: WV0034.6.014
Description: Photo shows bunk beds at Buckingham Army Air Field at Fort Myers, Florida, as arranged for inspection on April 18, 1945. The bed is made with a dark sheet, a white pillow, and an army-issue blanket rolled at the foot of the bed. Shoes are lined up underneath the bed and towels and washcloths hang from the head. A foot locker, laundry bag, and knapsack can also be seen.
Rights: It is responsibility of the user to follow the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Materials are not to be reproduced in published works without written consent, and any use should credit Jackson Library, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.


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We started out our day at the Astoria tower, the highest
point in the city. From the top of the tower, we were able
to see much of the city, as well as the path that the
Columbia River took through this area. This area of the
river needs to be dredged each year so that the massive
ships would be able to pass through. After a bit of
sightseeing from the tower, it was time to start our three
day Friends of the Pleistocene field trip. After some brief
introductions and an overview of the trip, we all headed out
to our first stop.
View of
Astoria and the Columbia River from the Astoria Tower
To get to our next stop, we needed to cross the massive
suspension bridge across the Columbia River back to
Washington for our destination of Long Beach. When we
arrived there, the weather was beautiful; about 70 degrees
and sunny with a slight wind. Our focus here was to look at
the accretion of the beach in this area due to the building
of jetties. Here we were also introduced to what the effects
would be if a tsunami were to ever strike in this area.


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Social Studies: Terri Vitale
Date: September 4, 2013
by: Stephanie Hannum | Diversions Managing Editor
If you think women can't have it all, then you have yet to meet Terri Vitale. Wife to Dr. Chris Sforzo and mother to Sydney and Ryan, Vitale keeps her entire family in line.
I worked in advertising at Leo Burnett, in Chicago, which was an unbelievable experience. I learned that creating a work environment that recruits smart and creative (people) with an effective system for nurturing talent and creativity among its employees can produce great results. They had no regard for majors; they simply wanted "smart thinkers." Everyone added value to the conversation, and it made it a great place to work.
I'm really involved with Notre Dame's Board on Athletics — with current student athletes and people like myself. I'm forging mentoring relationships and doing things for scholarship funds. Having been out of school for so long, it's amazing to be around these kids who are so talented.
Chris and I got married in 1998 when he graduated, and we started our married life in Gainesville. He spent five years in residency, and I ended up working at Shands Children's Hospital in corporate development. Working with kids really opened my eyes.
Chris was offered a faculty job in Gainesville, so we bought our first house there and had our kids there. It was a learning experience for me, personally, because I had a set vision and was thrown into a situation that wasn't what I thought I wanted, but it ended up perfect. Gainesville is such a special place for us.
Because of my father, I've had the opportunity to meet people and spend time with them — people I could not have had the opportunity to meet. I've had an unbelievable exposure to people and places, especially people so impressive with what they've achieved in life.
My dad still works; he has a busy life. We have had the opportunity to see what cancer research is doing through the V Foundation. My dad likes people — he connects with fans and is always out there. He would be that guy no matter what his job. He loves fan interaction. Social media has given him the ability to connect like never before. Who has a grandpa who tweets all the time?
Our company, Tandem Enterprises, developed years ago out of the need to manage all demands of my dad's career. Between his on-air commitments with ESPN/ABC; speaking engagements with Washington Speakers Bureau; his newspaper columns, radio shows, book signings and publishing obligations; corporate appearances and endorsements with large corporations; his relationship with IMG broadcasting (his long-time agent); and, of course, his charitable and philanthropic efforts across the country with The V Foundation and other worthy causes, he needed a team around him that he could trust that ultimately was communicating effectively with all parties. We began in this capacity, and it has evolved over the years to help manage all business endeavors my dad has an interest in.
I still wanted to work but also wanted to be a mom. It was the perfect marriage.
All the money from The V Foundation goes to cancer research. Because Jimmy V was my dad's best friend, my dad has made this his personal mission. The event benefiting The V Foundation started as a party for 30 people and has evolved to packing the Ritz-Carlton, which has been good for Sarasota. The Dick Vitale Gala takes more than a year to organize; 100% of its proceeds is donated to pediatric cancer research.
Charity work for me has become important in the last eight years since I have become a mom — I see things differently and all the needs around me.
I'm definitely more like my mom, more reserved. My dad needs to be surrounded by people — he's larger than life, like a corporation. My mom was always the calming figure — she balances my dad.
My sister, Sherri, and I are always mistaken for twins, and we do have similar names. It's ironic that she ended up having twins because we grew up like twins.
Sports is just part of the conversation in our family, all the time. It is so interwoven with who we are.
We are big tennis fans — last year my daughter and I went to Wimbledon, and this year we are taking Sydney to the US Open.
People would be surprised to know that I am obsessed with reality TV on HGTV— I love "Property Brothers," "Love It or List It" and "House Hunters."
My perfect day would be spent with family doing something athletic. We like experiencing new things, always with some fun and humor in it, like watching a movie or trying a new ice cream flavor. It's never fancy or complicated, but just about being together.
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- Dec
22 PMP Sarasota Winter Residency: Student Recital
7:00 pm
- Dec
23 PMP Sarasota Winter Residency: Student Recital
7:00 pm
- Dec
24 PMP Sarasota Winter Residency: Orchestra Rehearsal
5:00 pm
- Dec
26 The Art of the Violin Gallery Showings
11:00 am
Joan M. Durante Park installs new playground
The playground is made from post-consumer recycled materials.
Pete Cumming: Bell-ringer in chief
Longboat Key Police Chief Pete Cumming took on a shift that didn't involve police work Tuesday, serving as Salvation Army bell-ringer at Longboat Key Publix.
Turtle T-shirts: Always in season
Need a gift for the turtle-lover in your life?


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The Sham…Wow Guy and His Short (Shorter Than an Infomercial) Stint as a Filmmaker
Did you ever see The Underground Comedy Movie? No? Don't worry, that is a shared experience through most of the known world. We do remember the late night ads with 'super models' on the toilet. And we also note that the film won the Best Celebrity Cameo at the B-Movie Awards for Joey Buttafuoco.
Well, filmmaker Vince Offer is best known for being the ShamWow Guy and more recently known for his beating up a prostitute in Miami was responsible for this cinematic wonder (ahem). Since his film had Bobby Lee and Slash in it, we figured Vince was a Comedy Story comic before he turned pitch/punchman.
Ant, of Last Comic Standing fame, was also in UCM and tells FBLA,"I don't think he was ever a comedian. He sold these little devices called Chop-o-matic's to finance the movie. He met me through friends and asked me to be in the movie. My scene was with a then unknown Michael Clarke Duncan (Oscar Nominated for The Green Mile). My last tonight show appearance MCD and I talked about that experience.
"Bashing a hooker while her teeth are attached to your face closer than Kirstie Ally and a Crispy Creme…not too bright….on so many levels."


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What is it about people who are very social?
They always seem to be great conversationalists and have a lot to talk about no matter how irrelevant or random the topic is, and are quick in generating responses.
Unfortunately, not all of us are socially witty and have spontaneous conversational materials to talk about every time related to a particular situation.
That's why you want to build a large social toolbox of your mojos to avoid being the quiet one, aka your sociability.
Now you are probably thinking…
"So now I have to memorize a ton of stories, routines, and conversational materials until my mind explodes?"
No, that is the good news.
You don't have to memorized a whole lot of routines to have tons of conversational materials if you just memorized the "structural formula" of those routines, but most importantly…develop your own social structures.
What is a "social structure"?
It is your very own structural formula for generating unique new responses in any form of social interaction.
I'm pretty sure you have heard about using canned scripted materials and routines for interacting with women and getting them attractive to you.
How about instead of memorizing the routines and canned materials…why not just learned "the formula and structure" of those canned materials and routines, so that way you can plug it into your social structure for your current particular social situation to generate new conversational materials every time on the spot.
People who are socially skilled always coming up with quick responses have, without realizing it, developed a lot of social structures built upon each other and interconnected from all the socializing they have done, making it easily and quickly for their architectural social mind to guide them in generating quick response subconsciously.
Think of it like a much more completed social blueprint for their mind, compared to those who are unskilled.
If you were a math geek like I was, do you remember the quadratic formula, well it looked something like this:
All you had to do was memorized this one little formula, and you could pretty much do all sorts of algebra problems.
One of the most famous structure in improvisation is "the yes and…" where you agree with whatever the other person said and add more details to continue the flow. Just knowing this one little formula structure, and you can act out a whole lot of improvisational scenes.
Variables Replacement Social Structure
One example I teach in my book the Art of Social Natural applies to storytelling , is that you alter the details of your story template to add the elements from your current situation into that story.
One of those structural alterations you can do to your stories to make them interesting and unique every time is Variables Replacement.
The facts and variables replacement makes the stories sound refreshingly unique and different every time. Basically, the most easy and common form of variables replacement you can alter is the time and place.
If you were just telling some mundane things to a girl that happened over a year ago just for the sake of telling it to fuel the social interaction, she would be wondering why you were telling a story that long ago…unless you had some sorts of moral lesson learned or something that impacted your life tremendously, like you almost went to jail.
The more up-to-date and modern the story is, the more impact it will have regardless how trivial it is, and I will even go as far to say that you can tell just about anything as long as it sounds like it JUST happened because it is understandable that you are still feeling the after-effect of it.
Here is a simple example if this really did happen to you and you said this to a girl:
"I saw the cutest little dog with a Mohawk 2 month ago back at when I was at home in LA! How do they pull that off?"
Now notice the difference between that first one and this second one:
"I saw the cutest little dog with a Mohawk just a second ago back at (wherever current location you are near at)! How do they pull that off?"
The first one is, "why are you telling me this now?"
The second one is more profound for it just happened to you, and she can also feel what you are feeling about a cute little dog; and as a added benefit, this can also be used as a natural simple opener, and the justification in her mind that you're asking her is because it just happened.
Therefore, this becomes your structural story templates based on your real life, which you can tell all the time with variables replacement, and no longer do you have to memorize a whole lot of routines that are not your own:
"I saw the cutest little dog with a Mohawk __________ back at __________! How do they pull that off?"
Have general stories based on your life and experience or take an interesting story you know making it happened to you, and replace the time and place to keep them new and fresh…while keeping the story templates' theme, event, and everything else the same.
Say for example, if something were to have happened to you 6 months ago, you could replace that variable of time, 6 months ago, to have happened this week or last week or early this month or yesterday or even early that day to keep it fresh, or they will be wondering why you are telling them something from over 6 months ago; in fact, why do you still care after 6 months?
Remember the most up-to-date the time of your story, the more impact it will have when you tell it, because it will feel like only just now since that event happened to you.
Saying Goodbye to Memorized Routines
No longer do you have to memorize a whole lot of routines that are not your own, when you plug in your present situation (where you are at in the interaction) into your social structure of your openers, stories, and other conversational materials.
Learn to recognize and be aware of social structures of not just what is attracting women, but being good with people in general, exchange stimuli of positive emotions; and it is going to help your brain make these better connections to what social structure should you use for this particular situation to get the desired outcome you want.
If you have a routine you used all the time that works for you, strip away everything else and try to understand the structure and pattern to why it works, so you can come up with new ones on your own on the spot.
Think about recognizing these social structures like building an architectural blueprint for you subconscious mind as a guide to generate quick responses.
The more structures you have recognized, the faster it is to generate these responses and think quickly on your feet, where without them your brain is stuck without the structures to guide it.
Eventually you will get to the point where you don't have to think about them, everything will just come out of the top of your head…unconscious competent.
(To download the PDF version saved to your computer for easy reference, go here.)
(DOWNLOAD – Social Skills Mastery with Social Structures)


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Comprehensive immigration reform may be bogged down in election year politics, but the issue of high skilled immigration is making some headway in Congress. In late November, the House of Representatives passed a bill (by an overwhelming margin of 389-15) sponsored by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) entitled the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (HR 3012). The legislation would eliminate the per country numerical limitation for employment-based Visas and increase the per country numerical limitation for family-based immigrants from 7% to 15% of the total number of family-sponsored visas. The family-based Visa provision is important because often an entrepreneur is able to get a Visa, but it is difficult for his or her family to come to the U.S., so this measure would loosen the ability for that family to relocate together. The measure is awaiting action in the Senate.
In other immigration news, Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Charlie Bass (R-NH) recently introduced legislation that would help foreign born students with STEM degrees from U.S. universities to remain here to start a business. Their bill, the INVEST Act (HR 3692), would create as new Visa category that would grant permanent residency to an immigrant entrepreneur who starts a new business, creates two new jobs or invests $200,000 after two years; and creates five jobs or invests $500,000 in the business within five years. According to Reps. Schiff and Bass:
"The INVEST Act will allow highly skilled entrepreneurs the opportunity to build the next great company and to do it in America. Our universities are educating the next generation of Steve Jobs – we want to make sure they build the next Apple in the United States and not overseas."Lastly, a new report released by the National Foundation for American Policy (NAFP) today finds that immigrant founders continue to play a key role in spurring venture-backed breakthrough companies. Stuart Anderson of the NAFP, and the author of NVCA's 2006 report, American Made, makes the strong case for legal immigration reform in this new report as it finds that immigrants are serving as C-level and technical product development positions at the majority of America's most promising venture-backed companies. This new report confirms the findings that NVCA made five years ago and perhaps makes it even more imperative that the US put out the "Welcome" mat for these entrepreneurs who help create jobs and drive our economy.
More from this author:
The Latest at NVCAccess
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|Property type
|Minimum Stay
"A JEWEL ON THE BEACH..." one bedroom condo/apartment & adjoining efficiency 1 bedroom apartment all with gulf view, private sandy beach, color cable TV in all rooms, queen sized bed and sleeper sofa in the living room. Bedrooms have their own bath tub/ shower, walk in closet and TV.
Kitchen is fully equipped with coffee maker full fridge and stove and bar counter. There is a full-size washer/dryer laundry room. We have patio chairs /folding chaise beach chairs and a private barbeque area with picnic table under the Palm Trees for your cookout.
Keywords: Condominium
We are local residents in Redington Beach and the owners/managers of Sunglow Condo Motel.
The Owner purchased this condo in 1988
We really like the location of Sunglow Condo Motel. It is located right on the beach and so close to so many great amenities.
It's just a short minutes scenic walk along beautiful Gulf Blvd to Wynn Dixie grocery store, dress&gift shops, hair salons , beachy restaurants /beach bars or the World's Famous John's Pass waterfront Boardwalk. The popular beach trolley stops out front and is a must scenic ride along the scenic Blvd to Clearwater Beach or St.Petersburg Beach at the other end. A 1 day pass is just $2.00. Guests and friends always enjoy the barbeque cookout, under the palm trees, at Sunglow.


text: While I take many lovely equine portraits at horse shows there is only so much that can be done between rushing from one ring to the other. To get the very best images of your four legged friend a yard or field visit is a must. It will also give you the opportunity to 'glam' up and be part of the image making process.


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Every week, senior reporter Natalie Abrams satisfies your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to email@example.com or tweet them to @NatalieAbrams
Forget Emily, how will Victoria handle David's return on Revenge? — Micah David won't be Victoria's first concern. That honor belongs to Emily, since she put Victoria in the psych ward. "[Victoria] takes stock in the horrible things that Emily has done and the chaos she has rained down on the Grayson family," executive producer Aaron Harberts told my colleague Robyn Ross. "She's going to be pissed and she'll come out swinging. As Emily is trying to create a new, more positive life for herself... Victoria is going to be coming up behind her." But David will eventually be caught in the middle of that battle. "He's going to cause a lot of problems because he's at a point where these two women's lives intersect," Harberts says.
What's coming up for Abbie and Jenny on Sleepy Hollow? — Harriet A sibling love triangle! Although executive producer Heather Kadin says the formerly estranged sisters will be on the "same side" more in Season 2, "there may be...
Read Full Article
Season 1, Episode 1
Adam is invited back to Sarah's place after a Powderfinger concert, where he meets Wilfred. Wilfred offers him a bong and quickly sizes him up as a lightweight.
What's coming up for Abbie and Jenny on Sleepy Hollow? — Harriet A sibling love triangle! Although executive producer Heather Kadin says the formerly estranged sisters will be on the "same side" more in Season 2, "there may be...
read more
Happy birthday, Bob Newhart! What a marvelous coincidence that his 84th birthday falls on the same night CBS is repeating his terrific Emmy-nominated guest performance on The Big Bang Theory (Thursday, 8/7c). And wouldn't it be splendid if this finally earns him an Emmy? It's unfathomable that he has yet to receive one for his illustrious career. Newhart's timing is impeccable as ever as "Professor Proton," the former TV host of a kiddie science show that Sheldon and Leonard still obsess over (so what else is new). And while they gush over meeting their hero, he's understandably much more impressed by Penny — although what she's doing with these geeky goofballs is a puzzle he'll never understand. The good news is that he's expected to return at least a few times during the next season, so maybe he'll eventually figure it out. Whatever the excuse, it's a treat to see Newhart working his magic before a live audience on one of TV's most deserving smash hits.
A chill wind blows onto your TV screen as summer beckons, with one last ghoulish chapter in the artful and macabre saga of NBC's Hannibal, Bryan Fuller's deliciously suspenseful and deeply unsettling twist on the Thomas Harris franchise. If we weren't in a boom time for quality drama featuring such an array of complex, morally ambiguous and compellingly portrayed male leads, the performances of Hugh Dancy as the psychologically broken profiler-for-the-FBI Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen as his mentor/secret tormentor Hannibal Lecter would be slam-dunk Emmy bait.
Lights Out just wasn't able to get up off the canvas: FX announced Thursday that it was counting out the boxing drama.The show debuted in January to a modest 1.5 million viewers and quickly fell below 1 million. Although the numbers eventually improved, its season average was 863,000 total viewers per episode, numbers akin to those of FX's recently canceled private detective drama, Terriers.
Will Lights Out be another Terriers for FX?At the time of Lights Out's weak premiere, FX President John Landgraf noted the disconnect between critical acclaim and commercial appeal...
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Elijah Wood's return to Middle Earth will be a small one — and not just because he'll reprise his role as the tiny hobbit Frodo Baggins.
Wood, who next will star in the quirky FX comedy, Wilfred, will make a brief appearance in the big screen adaptation of The Hobbit, the prequel to the blockbuster Lord of the Rings trilogy.
"I actually spoke to [director Peter Jackson] a while ago and I had an idea that there was something that they were thinking about," Wood said at the Television Critics Association winter previews Saturday. "So it was in my mind as a possibility, but not as...
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Center for Applied Studies in Education (CASE)
The CASE mission is to improve the quality of education and human services in Arkansas and globally through a number of inter-related activities.
The Center provides programs and services to talented students and their families, teachers, and administrators. Established in 2001, it is only one of twenty-five such centers nationwide.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
The Framework presents a holistic view of 21st century teaching and learning that combines a discrete focus on 21st century student outcomes (a blending of specific skills, content knowledge, expertise and literacies) with innovative support systems to help students master the multi-dimensional abilities required of them in the 21st century.


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Last updated on October 30, 2011 at 10:10 pm EDT by in5d Alternative News
* Click HERE to visit our Official Facebook page and be sure to "Like" us!!! (opens in a new window)
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Over 1,000 Mayan codices were discovered in the basement of a Los Angeles museum, presumably owned by Randolph Hunt and donated to the museum. Two other codices were found by the Maya Itza Council and have been analyzed for the past 10 years. If that's not enough, 7 additional codices were found by a treasure hunter. Carbon dating has authenticated these sacred texts and professional photographs have been taken for the Maya Itza Council to analyze the meaning behind these lost codices. One of the codices, in particular, is of great interest to the Maya who stated the codex represented "the essential pieces of information that we needed. This is how we go 4th dimensional."
by Gregg Prescott, M.S.www.in5d.comwww.HolisticCancerResearch.com
October 29, 2011 (CHICHEN ITZA) - The Itza Mayan Council has confirmed the addition of two Mayan codices that the world has never seen. The council has been exploring these codices for the past ten years. To prove the authenticity, the codices have been carbon dated back to the 1300's and authenticated by two different universities. One of the codices is called the Windcall Codex which is 13 pages long and unfolds like an accordion to show 13 pages on the backside as well.
On the first page of the codex, it shows five Mayans doing a ceremony while holding five crystal skulls. The skulls are implemented all throughout the codex until the last page, where a transformation appears to be taking place in Chichen Itza.
Read what everyone is talking about on this subject and leave a comment on YouTube
Oct 26 The Elders arrive in New York
Oct 27 New York Ceremony with the 13 Crystal Skulls
Oct 28 Leave New York to go to the Serpent Mound, OH.
Oct 29 Serpent Mound Ceremony with the 13 Crystal Skulls followed by a day of rest.
Oct 30 Leave the Serpent Mound to go to Cahokia, IL.
Oct 31 Cahokia Ceremony with the 13 Crystal Skulls and a day of rest.
Nov 1 Leave Cahokia to go to Hays, KS
Nov 2 Leave Hays to go to Crestone, CO
Nov 3 Crestone Ceremony with the 13 Crystal Skulls, and day of rest.
Nov 4 Leave Crestone to go to to Kaatsi, AZ.
Nov 5 Private Meeting in Kaatsi with Hopi and Tibetan monks including Rinpoche.
Nov 6 The Elders will spend more time with Hopis and Tibetan Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche after which they will drive to Sedona, AZ.
Nov 7 Sedona Ceremony with the 13 Crystal Skulls plus a public event.
Nov 8 The Elders will leave Sedona and drive to Los Angeles
Nov 9 Los Angeles will be a day of rest for some, and return home for others.
Nov 10 This is the day that another group of 13 elders arrive in Los Angeles from Merida
11:11:11 Gateway Ceremony with 13 Mayan Elders and the 13 Crystal Skulls at Crystal Skull Conference in Los Angeles
Nov 12 Crystal Skull Conference in Los Angeles with 13 Mayan Elders and Pilgrimage Participants present.
Nov 13 Host Gabriel Romero is sponsoring a one day seminar in which Mayan Day Keeper Hunbatz Men will impart his wisdom. The seminar will take place on Sunday, November 13, 2011. Please feel free to distribute this information to anyone who might be interested in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear the real Maya talk about 2012 and the sacred Crystal Skulls.
According to Mayan elder Hunbatz Men, these codices were discovered in a Los Angeles museum. Hunbatz asked Drunvalo Melchizedek to obtain the original codices from the museum but upon conferring with the museum's curator, he was denied due to the new antiquities laws.
However, the curator informed Melchizedek that there were over 1,000 codices in the museum's basement originating from a Randolph Hurst collection stemming from the 1920's. It would take considerable time, around 10 years or so, to purchase these items, so Melchizedek suggested to Hunbatz that the codices were to be photographed. Melchizedek estimated a total of 75,000 pages are available to be photographed and analyzed by the Maya.
It is generally believed that the Mayan calendars were used to record cycles in time. Melchizedek stated that cycles do not care when a cycle ends or begins and that there was no cycle that ended on October 28, 2011. However, Drunvalo added that a cycle does end on December 21, 2012, when the galactic alignment occurs. At that moment, the cycles begin anew.
The Mayan long Count calendar and the precession of the equinoxes end on December 21, 2012. Drunvalo added, "That does not mean when the culmination of the prophecies takes place" as agreed by Mayan elder, Don Cirillo. There is a window of time in which the Maya prophecies can be fulfilled which began in October 2007 and ends in late November to December of 2015.
The Maya believe that at this current point in time, the codices belong to the world because they can provide an understanding of events that were prophesized to happen hundreds of years ago. Additionally, the Maya are encouraging the entire process to be filmed so they can explain what they're doing and why they're doing it, due to the world implications on all levels.
If that wasn't enough, a treasure hunter contacted Melchizedek stating he had discovered seven more codices who wanted Melchizedek to help him get them back to the Maya. The treasure hunter professionally photographed the codices and sent them to Melchizedek on cd's, who then forwarded them to the Itza Maya council. Upon confirmation that these codices were authentic, the Maya contacted Melchizedek to report how those 7 codices were "the essential pieces of information that we needed. This is how we go 4th dimensional."
"The prophecy is actually happening as they said," stated Melchizedek. "They said it would begin in 2010, when it would all start unfolding and it's still rapidly moving forward and their knowledge is being returned to them right now."
This is also why the crystal skulls are being brought across the United States, at this point in time in which ceremonies in specific places are taking place, ending in Los Angeles.
Astonishingly, the Mexican government will not allow the Itza Council to do a ceremony on December 21, 2012 at the Chichen Itza pyramids. From the Maya viewpoint, if they don't do these ceremonies, it will mean the end of life for the planet.
Approximately 3-4 months ago, a corporation with heavy financial backing called Unify Earth (whose sole purpose is bringing unity to the planet) leased the Chichen Itza pyramids on December 21, 2012 for the Itza Maya Council to perform their ceremony.
This event is expected to be televised to 2.5 billion people. After the ceremony, the Mayan elders will speak to the world for about 30 minutes.
The following is from Drunvalo's website:
They say 'there's no such thing as too much of a good thing'; believe it or not, there is even more good news fueling this story. The "11:11:11 Crystal Skulls, World Mysteries, LA Gateway Event", along with all of the ceremonial gatherings that take place as the Elders travel across the United States, are just the beginning; they are a 'gateway' to a series of unprecedented live events that will bring the secrets of the ages to the attention of the entire world.
As it turns out, Unify Earth, the organization that is sponsored by the people who gave us 'Live Aid', ''We are the World', and other mega-events with a humanitarian purpose, has gotten behind Hunbatz Men, Pedro Pablo Chuc Pech, and the Mayan Council and they want to provide a vehicle for the Elders' message to be spread to every corner of the Earth. In collaboration with Cirque de Soleil, 'Google', NBC, Santana, Elevate Films, and others, all of the above have come together to sponsor a series of spectacular performances that will carry the seeds that are sown in the soon to be actualized Crystal Skull Ceremonies to hearts and minds all over the planet.
Throughout 2012, on the March 21st Spring Equinox, the June 21st Summer Solstice, and the September 21st, Autumn Equinox, Cirque de Soleil will present special performances with themes that embody the wisdom of the ancients, the secrets of the Great Shift of the Ages, and the connection between the mysteries of the heart and the awakening of human consciousness. At the heart of each performance will be the wish to open the mind and the heart of humanity to the Ascension process, and to the prospect of a beautiful future in a whole new world.
This series of blockbuster performances will culminate in a fourth mega-event that will broadcast live, from the Great Pyramid at Chichen Itza on the 2012 Winter Solstice. On the night Cirque de Soleil will take over the entire Chichen Itza Temple complex. The Chichen Itza Pyramid will be transformed into a stage, upon which the artists and performers of the Cirque de Soleil will work their incredible magic. Carlos Santana, the man who has been a clear channel for the Music of the Spheres for over fifty-years, will be the Master of Ceremonies for the main event. If that isn't enough, the Winter Solstice show will include an unprecedented, full regalia ceremony with the Mayan Elders. Yes, that's right folks; the Elders will be there too; they are coming down from the mountains to be part of this.
At 11:11 PM, on the night of the 2012 Winter Solstice spectacular, at the exact moment when our Sun and the Earth go into alignment with the center of the galaxy, the Elders, and the Cirque de Soleil performers will present a guided meditation that will unite over two-billion viewers in their hearts and open the space for all of humanity to embrace the unconditionally-loving light of the Divine Feminine. The time has come; the 'Quarantine' is about to be lifted. This event, and all of the ceremonies and performances leading up to it, are the manifestation of a dream, and of a rise in consciousness that will help us to remember who we really are and guide us out of the darkness into the Light.
One final update received from my friend, DiAnn:
Greetings DiAnnThese days nothing ever moves in a straight line. When you're dealing with shamanic energies, ancient relics, and 26,000 year old prophecies any attempt to get linear becomes counterproductive. That being said, many things have changed since the Spirit of Ma'at posted the preliminary announcement for Hunbatz Men's Crystal Skull pilgrimage. Because of this, we feel that it is important for us to clarify a few things.As events unfold it now seems that Hunbatz Men will be the only Elder present at the ceremonial gatherings; he will be supported in his efforts by skull guardians who have volunteered to travel with him, and whose wish to heal Mother Earth has called them to be part of this experience. We understand that several Mayan Elders from the council will meet Hunbatz Men for the 11/11/11 Gateway Ceremony in Los Angeles.
There is more:
If it was our understanding the Thirteen Original Crystal Skulls would be hand-carried across the U.S., we were mistaken. Out of the thirteen skulls that are part of this trip, we have been told that three of them are ancient – Hunbatz Men will carry the Tibetan, Nagaku; Nagaku's brother, Kin Batz, also from Tibet, will be there too, along with an ancient Peruvian Skull. The rest of the skulls are 'personal skulls' belonging to the selected individuals who have been chosen to travel with Hunbatz and hold space for the work at hand, at each ceremony. Lion Fire will also be present with two authenticated ancient skulls from Mongolia.
We hope that our effort to clarify things will help you decide whether or not you wish to participate. In the end, we would like to remind everyone that it is the purpose of this journey that matters – and while many adjustments have had to be made, we trust that the Elders, and the Spirits that are watching over this historic and unprecedented event, know exactly what they're doing.
From Our Hearts to Yours,
Here at the Spirit of Ma'at
About the Author:
Gregg Prescott, M.S. is the founder and editor of In5D and BodyMindSoulSpirit. He hosts a weekly spiritual show on In5D Radio and promotes spiritual, metaphysical and esoteric conferences in the United States through In5dEvents. Gregg is currently working in collaboration with Michelle Walling, CHLC, in opening a holistic walk-in clinic called Alternative Holistic Healthcare (AHH) in Sarasota, FL with subsequent subsidiaries around the world based upon this model.
Copyright Information: Copyright in5d and Gregg Prescott, M.S.. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in any form.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. in5d.com is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. in5d.com assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.


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Isaac Mizrahi
11 Isaac Mizrahi Articles
'Project Runway All-Stars' Is Kicking Off Season 2 With A Star-Studded Party2 years ago 1
The highly-anticipated new season of 'Project Runway All-Stars' is launching a fabulous party for the premiere -- and we have all the details on the… Read Article ▶
Isaac Mizrahi: Michelle Obama Has 'Great Personal Style'2 years ago 1
The designer shared his thoughts on both the First Lady and Ann Romney -- read on to see what he had to say! On Oct. 18th the ever-so-fab designer… Read Article ▶
Isaac Mizrahi Makes His Fragrance Debut: Get The Details2 years ago 2
The fashion designer is making his fragrance debut with "Fabulous," due out this September. Get all the details here! Isaac Mizrahi, 50, is… Read Article ▶
Isaac Mizrahi Is Launching A Baby Line3 years ago 0
The top designer will reveal a signature collection for newborns! Now your infant can stroll out in style — Isaac Mizrahi announced that he's… Read Article ▶
Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress Reviews: Top Designers! Say It's an '11 Out of 10'!4 years ago 3
If there was an Oscar for Best Wedding Dress of the Year. . . or Century, then Kate's dress created by Alexander McQueen designer Sarah Burton was a… Read Article ▶
Isaac Mizrahi Slams John Galliano! Says He 'Hopes He Doesn't Work Again'!4 years ago 0
While some designers and celebrities haven't been so hard on the former Dior designer, Isaac spoke out about his inexcusable behavior -- and said he… Read Article ▶
EXCLUSIVE: Go Backstage With Designer Isaac Mizrahi!4 years ago 0
[flv width="544" height="400"]rtmp://streaming.hollywoodlife.com/ondemand/video/091610_fashion_week.flv[/flv] Check out what it's like while the… Read Article ▶
Now You Can Own These Iconic 90's Dresses From '90210' & 'Clueless' Thanks To Calvin Klein & Isaac Mizrahi!4 years ago 3
Are you as excited as I am over the prospect of dressing up just like Brenda Walsh, Kelly Taylor, and Cher Horowitz? Anyone at HollywoodLife can… Read Article ▶
Exclusive Interview! Hey Michelle Obama — Designer Isaac Mizrahi is Dying To Dress You Again In A Look From His New, Hot Collection!5 years ago 0
Isaac Mizrahi has called the First Lady, the "Carrie Bradshaw of the next 10 years", and she wore his eggplant "bipartisan " dress to the recent… Read Article ▶
Isaac Mizrahi is Simulcasting His Fashion Week Show Live on His Web Site at Noon EST Today, Feb. 18!5 years ago 0
Experience Fashion Week Live at 12:00 EST! Isaac Mizrahi will simulcast his fashion show at Bryant Park for the whole world to see! Here's your… Read Article ▶
Fashion Designer Isaac Mizrahi Is So Proud Of Michelle Obama's State Of The Union 'A-Dress!' [He Designed It!]5 years ago 1
Issac Mizrahi designed the First Lady's dress & says she looked "exquisitely beautiful" during Barack Obama's State Of The Union! Michelle Obama… Read Article ▶
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Policy Note No.20 Download Note
by Nora Dihel, Ana Margarida Fernandes, Richard Gicho, John Kashangaki and Nicholas Strychacz
May, 2011
Kenya's potential to export business services is vast: Business services are generally provided on a private sector basis and require a high level of skills that are usually certified. Business services include accounting, architectural, engineering, legal services, business process outsourcing (BPO), information communication technology (ICT), information communication technology enabled services (ITeS), and more.Kenya is in a unique position to export business services throughout East Africa and to the rest of the world. Kenya's recent "ICT revolution" epitomized by the success of Safaricom has expanded mobile phone and internet access to millions of people, and Kenya's ICT services firms such as KenCall have had substantial success in the domestic as well as the international market. However, as described in the World Bank's 2010 Kenya Economic Update, exports represent Kenya's "weak engine". Increasing exports of services, especially high value added business services, therefore represents an important opportunity to drive economic growth in Kenya.Despite a moderate growth in Kenya's services exports during the last decade (the compound annual growth rate for services exports between 1998 and 2008 was 3.3%) and a stronger revealed comparative advantage in transport, travel and communication services, anecdotal and empirical evidence show that Kenya has an important potential in exporting business services. While most developing countries tend to export basic business services such as back office tasks or low value offshoring, Kenya has several world class firms that provide and export higher value offshoring services such as product development, R&D business ventures and transformational sourcing. Therefore, there are substantial gains for Kenya's economy from expanding the number of exporting firms and the number of firms that progress to the higher value offshoring and partnership segments.This policy note describes the characteristics of the professional service exporters in Kenya based on an in-depth study of 52 exporters, including their export strategies. Second, it identifies the key challenges faced by current and potential exporters of professional services. Finally, it proposes policy recommendations to address those challenges that will help establish Kenya as a desirable offshoring destination for international clients.
Characteristics of Kenyan Service Exporters
Kenyan service exporters come in all sizes, but the majority employs less than 100 workers. Most of these workers are permanent, the exception being the BPO firms which tend to keep a reserve of 20% of non-permanent staff to enable them to respond quickly to sudden increases in export orders. The majority of service exporters are 100% Kenyan owned.The majority of the surveyed Kenyan services exporters have less than 10 years of exporting experience. Only firms in the freight forwarding sector and Kenyan affiliates of large multinationals in accounting and legal services (such as Ernst and Young or Hamilton Harris and Matthews) have a longer experience in export markets.The sub-sectors with greatest export turnover are insurance, accounting, non-banking financial and BPO services. However, for the majority of Kenyan service exporters, export turnover represents a small proportion of total turnover. The exceptions are freight forwarding and BPO, followed by accounting and ICT/ITES.
Modes of Delivery1
Almost all Kenyan service exporters deliver some of their exports through cross-border supply (mode 1 in GATS), whereby the service crosses the border, for example by means of faxing, couriering or emailing of reports and other outputs.
Service exports delivered through the movement of natural persons (mode 4 in GATS) are also quite prevalent, occurring for 60% of the surveyed exporters in Kenya. Movement of professionals is used particularly within the East Africa region for architecture and engineering sectors. Kenyan engineering firms have projects in South Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, and engineers travel regularly to work on those sites. Accountants must also travel to the destination country to conduct audits.
Commercial presence (mode 3 in GATS) is used by 44% of the surveyed Kenyan services exporters to deliver their services abroad. Firms in the freight forwarding sector have small satellite offices at main border points or major markets such as Uganda. Insurance companies must have affiliate presence in order to be able to sell their services in other countries. Firms in the BPO and ICT/ITES sectors have often sales subsidiary offices in foreign markets.
The least used mode of supply by Kenyan service exporters is consumption abroad (mode 2 in GATS). This mode is used by accounting, non-banking financial or legal service firms facilitating foreign client site visits for mergers and acquisitions work or during initial public offering (IPOs). Also, legal firms often represent foreign clients for example if a tourist has an accident in a hotel and sues the hotel, or in the case of family law related to adoption or marriage.
Export Clients and Destinations
The regional markets of the East African Community (EAC) tend to dominate the export flows of Kenyan professional service firms. More than half of Kenyan service exporters have clients in Tanzania and/or in Uganda whereas about a third has clients in Rwanda. Almost a quarter of firms have clients in Sudan and in European countries (other than the U.K.) and a fifth of firms export services to South Africa. Due to language barriers, Kenyan legal firms tend to restrict themselves to English-speaking export destinations. Interestingly, during the recent global financial crisis, it became apparent that Kenyan service exporters need to be diversified, serving clients not only in developed countries but also in African markets as the latter were less affected by the global financial crisis and actually saw growth in business.
Multinational and private corporations are the main clients for more than half of Kenyan exporters. Multinational organizations, NGOs, and embassies are the key clients for a fifth of Kenyan exporters particularly in accounting and engineering sectors. Governments or quasi-government institutions are key clients for firms in architectural, engineering, and ICT sectors due to presence of large government-funded infrastructure works in the region.
In general, BPO, ICT, financial advisory, and logistics services are the services that are typically exported outside Africa. The other business services are typically exported to other East African countries. The strength of regional markets is crucial for exports of accounting, architecture, engineering, insurance, and legal services. However, the U.K. and the U.S. are the most important markets for Kenyan exporters in the BPO sector. In freight forwarding, ICT/ITES, and non-banking financial sectors, Kenyan firms export to a combination of regional markets and international markets outside of Africa.
Exported Services and Customization
Exported services: In accounting, Kenyan firms export accounting services, tax services, consulting services, and auditing services. For the latter, they are supplied mostly to organizations with branches in the East Africa Community or worldwide. In architecture, Kenyan firms provide architectural consulting services such as master planning, urban planning, land use planning, site planning, but also interior planning, and project management. In the legal sector, Kenyan firms export essentially services related to intellectual property, licensing requirements, commercial law and conveyancing.
In BPO, Kenyan firms export an array of services ranging from inbound/outbound customer voice, email, or SMS support, inbound and outbound sales via phones, customer satisfaction surveys, and back-office support, to database management such as updating changes to information portals or live updates of stock markets, safe data storage and back-up facilities, transcription from voice to text or video sub-titling, to entertainment or professional service chat support. In ICT/ITES, Kenyan firms export design services such as animations of web-advertising, user interface systems, icon and banner advertisements, but also high-end corporate and technology solutions such as hardware and disaster recovery.
Customization: The services exported by Kenyan firms are subject to some degree of customization relative to the services sold domestically in order to suit client demands. However, the degree of customization is minimal. In architectural services, an example of customization is the provision of highly detailed drawings to foreign clients that are generally not required by Kenyan clients2.
In engineering services customization occurs through the use of the appropriate Computer Aided Design (CAD) system, as some foreign clients use MicroStation whereas others use AutoCAD. In insurance services, Kenyan firms exporting to Sudan changed their focus from private vehicles for which insurance is not mandatory in that country to public service vehicles for which insurance is mandatory and that constitute a much larger market. In non-banking financial services (stock broking and investment banking services), some of the changes made to exported services are to adapt to foreign clients' reporting structures (e.g., the need for daily reports). Box 1 provides more details on the exported business services by Kenyan firms and the necessary modifications to the domestic services to make them exportable.
The Process of Exporting: Starting to Export and Sustaining Exports
The majority of Kenyan exporters of services do not set specific or conscious objectives to enter foreign markets but rather start exporting because they follow their clients as they enter foreign markets or due to referrals whereby foreign clients contact them directly. An example of the first type is when a major client of a service firm in the Kenyan market expands its services to Tanzania and the Kenyan service firm continues to provide services for that client in the new country. An example of the second type is when an existing U.K. client of a Kenyan service exporter refers a potential U.K. client with some need for work in East Africa work to the Kenyan exporter.
In the BPO and the ICT/ITES sectors, firms often make use of commission-paid agents in foreign markets to source work. Marketing and advertising efforts along with personal client visits are another way for Kenyan service firms to obtain foreign business. However, these efforts are prohibited for firms in the accounting, legal, architecture, and engineering sectors.
Tendering in competitive bidding processes for government and donor work is another important way for accounting, architecture, and engineering Kenyan firms to obtain foreign contracts. Very rarely do Kenyan services firms receive their foreign clients from the head office or the parent company. Hence, subsidiaries in Kenya operate in a fairly autonomous mode and are required to develop their own markets and client base.
In some cases, new niche areas and underserved markets are identified in foreign countries by Kenyan service firms after some time of exporting to those countries. Often the service provided is complementary to the services originally exported by the firm to foreign countries: for example, a Kenyan architectural firm in Rwanda originally offered architectural services but recently ventured into project management and property development due to limited supply in these fields in that country.
In certain professional service sectors, small to medium-sized Kenyan firms need to partner with larger firms to engage in exports. For example in the engineering sector smaller firms are often used as consultants by large firms to be able to participate in large projects since they do not have the capital or capacity to do those on their own.
Service Exports – Kenyan Success Stories
Accounting is one sector that provides important export opportunities for Kenyan firms. As a result of a widespread adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) across developed and developing countries, there has been a growing demand for accountants proficient in IFRS. Kenya was among the first countries to adopt IFRS and thus has a set of accountants with expertise and experience in IFRS (World Bank, 2010a). Through mode 4, Kenyan accountants travel often to provide services in countries that have recently adopted IFRS and have a deficit in skilled and experienced IFRS professionals.
Kenya has also developed a reputation and specialist expertise in the market niche of marine and underwater consulting engineering services which shows the diversity of services that can emerge as potential exports. Kenyan firms with premium pricing strategies have been able to offer specialized or niche services such as the provision of CAD drawings by architecture and engineering firms, and the development of new ways of providing existing services such as recurrent online job advertising sites that replace traditional newspaper job seeking advertisements by ICT/ITES firms.
At the regional level, Kenyan firms are premium quality service providers especially in countries lacking skilled professionals. Kenyan firms have a competitive advantage in understanding target markets in the East Africa region due to their knowledge of soft or cultural issues such as the slow pace of conducting business or the insistence on face to face meetings. South African and developed countries' service firms that do not possess such skills have failed in penetrating those markets. At the international level, Kenyan firms are value service providers, that is, they are able to provide quality services at lower cost than local service providers in the foreign market. Competitive pricing has been a key factor in the growth of Kenyan services exports.
Challenges for Kenyan Services Exporters
The factor that constrains most service providers from exporting is a widespread lack of knowledge about exporting opportunities, markets, and processes, and a lack of awareness as to how to acquire such knowledge. This dynamic is demonstrated by our surveys that show that 48% of Kenyan service exporters do not have a plan for exporting, and 54% of exporters do not conduct any market research before exporting. This indicates that, while Kenyan services firms may be innovative and successful domestically, many do not engage in any systematic attempt to export their services.
Very often Kenyan service providers - especially smaller ones - lack international networks and find it very difficult to obtain market intelligence on foreign markets. Obtaining information on the largest firms in each sector and key contacts in foreign markets is crucial to identify export opportunities. Kenyan service firms are also not aware of what trade support services are available from the government, which institutions support trade and the services they offer. For example, surveyed exporters were unclear about the activities and role of the Kenya Chamber of Commerce.
Box 2. Kenyan Services Exports and Innovation Success Stories—KenCall, Ushahidi, and Safaricom
KenCall: A Kenyan firm that has been very successful in exporting higher value-added BPO services to developed countries is KenCall. KenCall specializes in providing outbound and inbound voice and data services for large Western companies. The firm began with outbound voice services, such as developing sales leads and doing post-sales calls with customers, but now has added business in the more lucrative data and inbound voice services. The services that the firm offers include sales, billing, customer information, administrative and data management, and level 1 tech support. For its tech support business, KenCall's employees are certified by Cisco and Microsoft, among other ICT providers. Due to its success in this range of services, KenCall has been able to export its services globally. As Kenya further increases the quality of its telecommunications infrastructure, in particular with fiber-optic cable connectivity, KenCall will likely be able to expand and grow its business further, and other Kenyan firms may be able to enter the BPO services sector.
Ushahidi: Ushahidi developed an open source software platform through which anyone with a mobile phone or digital connection can collect, place, and visualize information on an online map in near-real time. The online map can then be viewed by anyone with an internet connection and computer, allowing for detailed information about geography and events to be shared and transferred. Ushahidi's software has been used around the world in a diverse array of applications. It was used first to track violence after the 2008 Kenyan elections, and has since been used for observing wildlife patterns in Kenya, monitoring elections in India, tracking violence in Gaza and crime in Atlanta, avoiding hazards during the 2010 blizzard in Washington DC, and coordinating the cleanup of the U.S. Gulf Coast oil spill, among others. The success of Ushahidi in disseminating its software platform globally shows that Kenyan firms compare positively with larger firms around the world in terms of innovation, and will be able to compete more vigorously as Kenya's potential for exporting higher value-added services becomes better known internationally.
Safaricom: Safaricom is a groundbreaking mobile service provider that innovated and developed one of the largest mobile money systems in the world, called M-Pesa. The M-Pesa system has helped in greatly expanding access to finance in Kenya, especially among the previously unbanked. In 2010, M-Pesa accounted for a large proportion of the estimated US$7 billion (20% of GDP) transferred via mobile phones, and since its rollout in 2007 Safaricom has grown at a staggering pace, signing over 13.5 million customers in that time. Originally M-Pesa allowed money only to be transferred electronically using a mobile phone and an extensive network of agents around Kenya butM-Pesa has now expanded further from a transfer system to a direct payment system. In addition to transferring or remitting money to family living in rural areas of the country, subscribers can also use their mobile phones to make purchases from commercial partners, including supermarket chains and Kenya Airlines. More recently, Safaricom has developed a new mobile platform called M-Kesha in partnership with Equity Bank, which allows subscribers to access their Equity Bank saving accounts through their mobile phones. The success and influence of Safaricom and M-Pesa demonstrates that appropriate government regulations and strong business strategies geared towards growth can lead to success and international prestige for Kenyan companies.
Another important constraint identified by the surveyed firms is the difficulty in penetrating foreign markets. Partially this is due to the trade and domestic regulatory restrictions faced by Kenyan firms in local and in foreign markets. Taxation-related restrictions, excessive procedures and licensing requirements to operate in Kenya, outdated sector-specific regulatory measures and sectoral restrictions such as advertising prohibitions in accounting, architectural, engineering, and legal services are several examples mentioned by the surveyed firms. Also, burdensome requirements on academic and professional qualifications and licensing requirements of individuals providing the service abroad can restrict entry into foreign markets.
Kenya has low international brand equity as a business service provider. The Kenyan government, in contrast to its Indian or South African counterparts for example, does not sponsor international conventions or events to showcase the BPO services available in Kenya. The foreign perception of Kenya's government as unstable also plays a negative role and is likely to deter foreign companies from outsourcing work to Kenyan BPOs. However, Kenya does have high visibility as a business service provider in the EAC region.
Skills mismatches and skills shortages pose a significant challenge to many Kenyan exporters. Although Kenya is relatively well endowed with graduates who could work in various business services firms, including in the BPO sector, fresh graduates need to receive a substantial amount of training to catch up with market requirements. Such training costs take up a substantial part of BPO contact centre costs. Similarly, in the ICT/ITES sector, Kenyan graduates in programming are of good quality, but they lack skills in terms of the practicality of exporting their services, the exposure to a foreign environment and the promotional expertise.
In the engineering sector there is an acute shortage of professionals relative to local demand, particularly in mechanical engineering. In the insurance sector, training in technical skills is very low. It is so difficult to find individuals with the necessary skills that firms spend considerable time with in-house training and sponsoring staff to attend courses. In the legal sector, the grasp of the law for most graduates is very theoretical and few lawyers are qualified to export legal services. In small law firms in particular, skills needed for exporting services such as experience in other jurisdictions and work experience with multinational organizations is very rare. Another frequently mentioned constraint by the surveyed firms is a lack of ICT infrastructure. This constraint is being overcome, however, by the two undersea fiber optic cables that have recently given Kenya access to a high-speed Internet connection.
Policy recommendations
Develop a Services Export Strategy: Going forward, the Government of Kenya can, through its trade supporting institutions and in collaboration with business and professional associations and the private sector, develop a Services Export Strategy and play an important role in helping reduce the barriers that Kenyan service firms face in their export development efforts3.
Most Kenyan service exporters feel that direct incentives to exports, such as tax incentives for example are unnecessary. Rather, what they consider to be crucial is that the government facilitates the access to foreign markets. Such facilitation would lead to an increase in employment, upgrades in the technology used and improvements in the quality of services delivered to meet high international standards.
Address lack of knowledge about export opportunities: The Export Promotion Council (EPC) could collect and disseminate to Kenyan service firms market research information (e.g., country profiles, sector rules and regulations, tax issues, and general working conditions in foreign markets) and highlight available opportunities for services exports. The EPC can establish links with other international trade support institutions to create a greater pool of information on businesses opportunities available in other countries as well as profile companies that can deliver those services.
The EPC, with the collaboration of business and professional associations, could develop trade directories of Kenyan service firms including detailed provider profiles, supply capacities, and key contacts. Such directories should be readily available on their website and should be used by foreign missions in Kenyan embassies to market Kenyan services internationally. The EPC and business and professional associations could also establish physical or virtual business exchanges to increase the marketing of services.
Business and professional associations should be more active in hosting international seminars to educate the industry and increase networking opportunities for local experts. For this purpose, some capacity building for associations is necessary - possibly through a government supported program - so that they can prepare marketing materials, organize conventions and forums, or participate in international events to create awareness of the available skills in Kenya.
The EPC could assist financially Kenyan service firms - especially small firms - in their incursion in international markets for example through participation in international fairs and expositions (perhaps through a co-shared effort). The EPC should also be able to assist individual Kenyan service exporters or potential exporters with marketing and branding efforts when participating in international expositions (e.g., ensure that Kenyan delegations have top of the line display stands).
The Government of Kenya could allow for tax exemptions in market development costs: i.e., business trips for marketing purposes or for business people coming into Kenya to explore the local potential.
Address regulatory and branding issues: The liberalization of advertizing in various professional services sectors would enable current and future exporters in Kenya to use an important channel for targeting foreign clients. Given the likelihood of strong informational asymmetries, allowing advertizing that is relevant, truthful and not misleading - as is currently done in accounting in South Africa, Malawi, and Zambia - would be the best combination to protect domestic and foreign clients.
The opening up of regional boundaries to allow free movement of EAC nationals without work permit requirements would be of great help to increase business opportunities within the region and boost service exports.
The establishment of mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) of professional qualifications and licensing requirements within the EAC in the areas of accounting, architecture, engineering, and legal services would likely benefit Kenyan service firms (as well as firms in neighboring countries) in their exports of services to the region. There have been ongoing talks about such MRAs and they have been in principle agreed to. For example, a draft MRA in accounting was signed in 2010 and is expected to be finalized in 2011.
The creation of standards at the EAC level for the services delivered in the accounting, architecture, engineering, and even legal sectors could potentially benefit consumers in the EAC.
Domestic business and professional associations could play a stronger role in lobbying the Government of Kenya to push the EAC on the issues that affect their members with respect to cross-border practices, mutual recognition of qualifications, and elimination of work permit requirements for EAC members.
The Government of Kenya should lead the positioning and marketing of the country brand and key services globally showcasing professional services next to tourism, sports, horticulture, and other Kenyan products. Trade support institutions should conduct concerted marketing efforts with professional associations and government agencies such as the Kenya ICT board, the Kenya Tourism board, the Communication Commission of Kenya, to promote Kenyan services and build Kenya's reputation as an exporter of professional services.
Address skills mismatches and skills shortages: The availability of scholarships or partial funding for BPO agents to be able to access formal training in courses not readily available in Kenyan universities and colleges would improve the skills and thus the marketability of Kenya's BPO sector. The same reasoning would apply to professionals employed in the ICT/ITES sector whose needs for training in specialized technology areas cannot be met by local learning institutions.The provision of rebates or the development of incentives for firms to conduct training – especially specialized training such as a certified fraud examiners course in the accounting sector – would help increase the quality and degree of specialization of the services offered by Kenyan firms.
Export Promotion Council (EPC) & World Bank (2009). Services Exports Study: Assessment of Kenya's Export Potential and Supply Capacities in Selected Professional Service Sectors.
Government of Kenya (GOK) & Export Promotion Council (EPC) (2008). Strategy for Export Promotion of Professional Services in Kenya.
Sudan, R., Ayers, S., Dongier, P., Muente-Kunigami, A., and C. Qiang (2010). The Global Opportunity in IT-Based Services. World Bank infoDev.
World Bank (2010a). Reform and Regional Integration of Professional Services in East Africa: Time for Action.
World Bank (2010b). Towards a Regional Integration of Professional Services in Southern Africa.
World Bank (2010c). Kenya Economic Update.
About the Authors
Nora Dihel is a Trade Specialist in the Africa Poverty Reduction and Economic Management unit. Ana Margarida Fernandes is a Senior Economist with the Development Research Group. Richard Gicho, John Kashangaki and Nicholas Strychacz are consultants. This work is funded by the Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Trade and Development supported by the governments of the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden and Norway. The views expressed in this paper reflect solely those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the funders, the World Bank Group or its Executive Directors.
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December 22, 2014
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First Look: The Smurfs Trailer
By Noah Michelson
'80s nostalgia alert: The Smurfs are headed to the big screen on August 3 and from the looks of it -- it's going to be gay gay gay. Neil Patrick Harris and Glee's Jayma Mays will be joined by the voices of Jonathan Winters (Papa Smurf), Katy Perry (Smurfette), Alan Cumming (Gutsy Smurf), George Lopez (Grouchy Smurf) and Paul Reubens (Jokey Smurf).
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