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Europe's sovereign-debt crisis is far from over, and economies on the periphery of the euro zone remain deeply troubled. Unrest has simmered in Greece and Spain as protesters have railed against government-imposed austerity, while economic growth, the desperately needed cure for the Continent's ills, seems a long way off.
So, is now a good time to buy European stocks? You bet. Despite lingering financial turmoil, doubts about the euro zone's sustainability effectively have been put to rest. European companies are awash in cash, and many are positioned to benefit from growth beyond their borders. Not least, their shares are cheap, even though the Stoxx Europe 600 index has risen 15% this year, to a recent 280.95. Some investors think they could rally more than 10%, and perhaps as much as 20%, in the coming year.
The Stoxx Europe 600 index trades for 11.5 times 2013 estimated earnings, compared with a price/earnings multiple of 12.5 for the Standard & Poor's 500. European equities have sold at a discount to U.S. stocks since the 1980s, but the gap has widened in recent years because of heightened political and financial risk. Stoxx 600 constituents yield an average of 3.8%, nearly double the 2.2% yield on the S&P, and almost triple the coupon on 10-year German bunds.
This has been a winning year for many European companies. Take fashion retailer Inditex ITX.MC 5.676463989230424% Industria de Diseno Textil S.A. Spain: Madrid EUR23.55 1.265 5.676463989230424% /Date(1418945880000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 8992082 P/E Ratio 30.72006261414036 Market Cap 69454589344.4367 Dividend Yield 1.2059447983014862% Rev. per Employee 136451 More quote details and news » (ticker: ITX.Spain), whose shares have rocketed 67%, spurred by a unique business model that has delivered consistent earnings growth. The parent of the Zara chain trades for 27.5 times next year's expected earnings, which isn't cheap, but its earnings record makes it hard to bet against.
European stocks have done well, in part because companies are in excellent financial health. They took advantage of the recession to clean up their balance sheets, cut costs, trim capital expenditures, and hoard cash. Stoxx Europe 600 components boasted cash and equivalents of 596 billion euros ($790 billion) at the end of 2011, according to ThomsonReuters Eikon. That was up from about €540 billion in 2007. Corporate earnings are forecast to rise between 5% and 10% in 2013, aided by a weaker euro.
THE STOXX EUROPE 600 is dominated by banks, health-care, and industrial companies. Less than a third of index components have net debt, which means Europe's corporate finances are in far better shape than the finances of many European governments. Shareholders are likely to ratchet up pressure on companies to put their cash to work, which could lead to more capital spending, an increase in merger activity, and more stock buybacks and dividend payments. Stepped-up spending, in turn, could help grease the wheels of Europe's economy.
But financial muscle alone isn't enough to unlock value. "If equity markets in Europe are going to give you a decent return next year, it is going to have to come from multiple expansion," says Dominic Rossi, global chief investment officer for equities at Fidelity.
Price/earnings multiples have improved since the summer, when the European Central Bank took action that finally persuaded investors it had the determination and ammunition to tackle the euro-zone sovereign-debt crisis. ECB President Mario Draghi pledged in July to do "whatever it takes" to save the euro. Those were the words that markets were longing to hear.
Europe's political risk has diminished but hasn't disappeared. Greece's economy is a shambles, but each time the country has gone to the brink of disaster, a face-saving resolution to ease its debt burden has been found. Spain continues to resist a rescue, even though the ECB has drawn up a suitable mechanism to provide support.
France also is a cause for concern. Credit-rating agencies have stripped the country of its triple-A rating over worries about its competitiveness. The government urgently needs to reduce dependence on public spending. France's troubles are exemplified by the plight of car maker Peugeot UG.FR 4.9079754601226995% Peugeot S.A. France: Paris EUR10.26 0.48 4.9079754601226995% /Date(1418945791000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 3482256 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap 7658607154.64276 Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee 274251 More quote details and news » (UG.France), which has been strong-armed by the government to keep open factories to preserve jobs, despite overcapacity in the European auto market. Peugeot disclosed earlier this year that it is losing €200 million a month. Its shares have fallen almost 50% in 2012.
GERMANY IS EUROPE'S standout economy, an economic engine firing on all cylinders, fueled by demand for exports. Industrial production is strong, and unemployment is low. Frankfurt's blue-chip DAX index is up 29.5% in 2012, the best-performing market in Europe. With no sign of demand for German goods slowing, the shares could have another good year. Chancellor Angela Merkel is almost certain to win a third term in office in September, another plus.
While many European economies stagnate, European companies could benefit in 2013 from accelerated global growth. The global economy is forecast to expand by 3% to 3.5%, driven by a broadening recovery in the U.S. and the resumption of turbocharged growth in China after this year's more sluggish performance. "If we don't get an improvement in the U.S. and Asia, European equities would be much more vulnerable," says Dorothee Deck, European strategist at Absolute Strategy Research in London. Failure by the U.S. to resolve fiscal-cliff issues also would be a blow.
Companies with substantial exposure to international markets, such as luxury-goods maker Richemont CFR.VX 3.1286210892236386% Compagnie Financiere Richemont S.A. Switzerland: SWX Europe CHF89 2.7 3.1286210892236386% /Date(1418945406000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 2308605 P/E Ratio 23.06194725698741 Market Cap 49553461752.3193 Dividend Yield 1.5730337078651686% Rev. per Employee 451157 More quote details and news » (CFR.Switzerland), drug maker Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B.Denmark), and chemicals producer Bayer BAYN.XE 2.5869759143621764% Bayer AG Germany: Xetra EUR115 2.9 2.5869759143621764% /Date(1418945728000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 3532904 P/E Ratio 26.018099547511312 Market Cap 92700848519.4278 Dividend Yield 1.826086956521739% Rev. per Employee 362968 More quote details and news » (BAYN.Germany), all of which generate more than 60% of sales outside Europe, could outperform. They also could get a boost from a weaker euro, which would inflate earnings denominated in other currencies. The common currency could drop 10% in value against the dollar next year on Europe's likely recession.
Some domestically focused plays could do well, too. "On a bottom-up basis, there is still great value out there," says Dean Tenerelli, manager of T. Rowe Price's European Stock Fund in London. His picks include media companies Mediaset España Comunicacion TL5.MC 3.3283656234475907% Mediaset Espana Comunicacion S.A. Spain: Madrid EUR10.4 0.335 3.3283656234475907% /Date(1418945880000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 1900902 P/E Ratio 448.2758620689655 Market Cap 4095060197.71165 Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee 822715 More quote details and news » (TL5.Spain) and M6-Metropole Television MMT.FR 2.260812581913499% M6-Metropole Television S.A. France: Paris EUR15.605 0.345 2.260812581913499% /Date(1418945915000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 188722 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap 1922519683.83551 Dividend Yield 5.446972124319129% Rev. per Employee 558252 More quote details and news » (MMT.France).
European cyclicals look more attractive than defensive issues, with sectors such as autos and auto parts, and media, likely to benefit from higher profit margins. Luxury goods, too, have promising prospects. Telecommunications and oil and gas companies could face head winds, however. Opinions are divided on financials, although insurers are expected to outperform banks as bond yields start to rise.
Barron's recently combed the Continent for companies undervalued on a historical basis, with exposure to fast-growing international markets and minimal downside risk. We found 10 that fit these criteria and offer decent dividends that seem stable. With the exception of Enagás ENG.MC 3.5901416650494857% Enagas S.A. Spain: Madrid EUR26.69 0.925 3.5901416650494857% /Date(1418945880000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 1869962 P/E Ratio 15.630124150855002 Market Cap 6150987805.53818 Dividend Yield 3.896590483327089% Rev. per Employee 1039490 More quote details and news » (ENG.Spain), the Spanish utility, all are large-cap stocks. Here's a closer look at our 2013 picks.
Volkswagen VOW3.XE 3.7089069963472885% Volkswagen AG Non-Vtg Pfd. Germany: Xetra EUR184.55 6.6 3.7089069963472885% /Date(1418945717000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 1494646 P/E Ratio 8.377212891511576 Market Cap 84390801016.4561 Dividend Yield 2.199945814142509% Rev. per Employee 347507 More quote details and news » (VOW3.Germany), the German auto maker, enjoyed a bumper year in 2012, and 2013 could be a repeat. The shares, which finished on Friday at €171, have rallied 48% since the start of the year, but still trade for only 7.2 times forecast 2013 earnings of €23.87 per share. Rival BMW BMW.XE 3.2342857142857144% Bayerische Motoren Werke AG Germany: Xetra EUR90.33 2.83 3.2342857142857144% /Date(1418945721000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 1784143 P/E Ratio 10.160854893138358 Market Cap 56243209162.7951 Dividend Yield 2.8783349939112144% Rev. per Employee 706382 More quote details and news » (BMW.Germany), which also is in high gear, trades for nine times next year's estimates.
Volkswagen shares could advance at least 20% in the next 12 months, as demand for new cars is boosted by a broadening economic recovery in the U.S. and more growth in China. The company's global footprint helps mitigate the impact of a weak European market.
Volkswagen has 12.6% of the global auto market, selling one of every eight new cars, and its share is growing. Sales are forecast to top €200 billion in 2013. With a stable of brands including Lamborghini, Audi, and Skoda, Volkswagen is exposed to the more profitable premium-car sector, and trucks. Operating profit margins will slip this year due to write-downs related to the purchases of Porsche and truck maker MAN, but the company's scale gives it leverage to improve profitability in 2013.
Don't write off BMW, either. Since Barron's wrote a positive piece on the shares in the fall (see European Trader, Oct. 29), they have risen 19%, and could add 15% next year.
European Aeronautic Defence & Space (EAD.France) scared investors this year with its aborted attempt to merge with BAE Systems BA.LN 2.6438569206842923% BAE Systems PLC U.K.: London GBP462 11.9 2.6438569206842923% /Date(1418942364000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 8795755 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap 14192550720.9585 Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee 216205 More quote details and news » (BA.U.K.). But rich rewards could be on the horizon. Its Airbus unit has a huge backlog of orders, and EADS plans to remodel its governance and ownership structure in the first half of 2013, reducing the influence of the French and German governments. The stock's public float will increase to about 70% from a current 50%.
The company also plans to buy back up to 15% of its shares at a cost of about €3.35 billion, which can be funded from its cash pile of more than €11 billion. If the buyback were to take place before year end, 2013 estimated earnings per share would be enhanced by 15%, and 2014 earnings, by 16%, according to analysts at Société Générale. The bank has a price target of €38.
EADS shares closed on Friday at €29.99. The stock trades for 11.4 times forecast 2013 earnings of €2.62 a share, well below Boeing's BA 0.487765872381257% Boeing Co. U.S.: NYSE USD125.67 0.61 0.487765872381257% /Date(1418940386009-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 6427046 AFTER HOURS USD125.96 0.29 0.23076310973183736% Volume (Delayed 15m) : 58880 P/E Ratio 17.775106082036775 Market Cap 89159023143.4815 Dividend Yield 2.896474894565131% Rev. per Employee 535042 More quote details and news » (BA) P/E of 15.
Rio Tinto RIO 0.5672793283412753% Rio Tinto PLC ADS U.S.: NYSE USD44.32 0.25 0.5672793283412753% /Date(1418940210594-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 3136550 AFTER HOURS USD44.3 -0.02 -0.04512635379061372% Volume (Delayed 15m) : 41001 P/E Ratio 12.598860415110696 Market Cap 61973352558.1988 Dividend Yield 4.21028880866426% Rev. per Employee 788468 More quote details and news » (RIO) is poised to benefit from China's increased appetite for natural resources, as its economy reaccelerates in the first half of 2013. With new Chinese leadership in place, stimulus measures could boost demand for iron ore, a key ingredient in the production of steel.
In addition, the Anglo-Australian miner is on track to bring into production Mongolia's Oyu Tolgoi mine, which is expected to produce 450,000 metric tons (496,040 U.S. tons) of copper and 330,000 ounces of gold annually. Cost cuts and the finalization of asset sales in 2014 will help offset capital expenditures and aid free cash flow.
Rio Tinto is forecast to earn 3.44 pounds ($5.56) per share in 2013, up from an estimated £3.03 in 2012. At Friday's $56.54, the American depositary receipts trade for 10.2 times forward earnings, cheap versus rivals BHP Billiton BLT.LN 0.18832391713747645% BHP Billiton PLC U.K.: London GBP1330 2.5 0.18832391713747645% /Date(1418942123000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 14261868 P/E Ratio 0.08303771393040899 Market Cap 28037751675.5586 Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee 879456 More quote details and news » (BLT.U.K.) and Anglo American AAL.LN 0.8643042350907519% Anglo American PLC U.K.: London GBP1167 10 0.8643042350907519% /Date(1418942168000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 7812551 P/E Ratio 10.157775284453892 Market Cap 16159435317.5211 Dividend Yield 3.5270607067787574% Rev. per Employee 183209 More quote details and news » (AAL.U.K). In the next 12 months, Rio Tinto's shares easily could add 20% in value.
Roche Holding ROG.VX 3.4767025089605736% Roche Holding AG Part. Cert. Switzerland: SWX Europe CHF288.7 9.7 3.4767025089605736% /Date(1418945406000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 1754141 P/E Ratio 23.169778156412697 Market Cap 240014989812.5 Dividend Yield 2.7017665396605475% Rev. per Employee 546063 More quote details and news » (ROG.Switzerland) can outperform peers in 2013 as investor focus shifts to new products and away from macroeconomic troubles. The pharmaceutical company had positive results in 11 of 14 late-stage clinical drug trials this year. It also brought several new products to market, including Zelboraf and Erivedge, for skin cancer, and Perjeta, which strengthens its portfolio of breast-cancer medicines. Roche has a young product portfolio and the lowest patent-expiry risk among leading drug concerns, which augurs well for future growth. Nor is competition from biosimilars solidifying as quickly as expected.
Roche closed on Friday at 186.60 Swiss francs ($203.42). The stock trades for 12.4 times future earnings, below the sector average of more than 13 times. Roche is expected to earn CHF15.08 per share in 2013, up from a forecast CHF13.57 in 2012. Sales next year will be just shy of CHF48 billion.
Roche yields 3.6%, but analysts anticipate a special dividend in the next few years. The company, which paid specials in the past, is expected to move from a position of net debt to net cash in 2015. Credit Suisse rates the stock at Outperform with a price target of CHF223.
WPP WPP.LN 1.71875% WPP PLC U.K.: London GBP1302 22 1.71875% /Date(1418942182000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 6546197 P/E Ratio 0.17328059791410727 Market Cap 16873129851.4292 Dividend Yield 1.7849462365591398% Rev. per Employee 93701.9 More quote details and news » (WPP.U.K.), the advertising and marketing giant, is growing steadily due to its geographic exposure and presence in digital channels. In the first nine months of 2012, revenue from digital businesses was up more than 7% year-to-year. Digital advertising is growing rapidly in mature markets such as North America, where more traditional forms of advertising are declining.
WPP, whose brands include Grey, JWT, and Ogilvy & Mather, also has market-leading positions in China and India. The company could earn 78 pence per share in 2013 on forecast revenue of £10.75 billion. Its shares, which closed on Friday at £8.90, trade for 11.4 times forecast earnings for 2013, well below a historical average of 15 to 16 times earnings.
The advertising industry traditionally has grown through acquisitions, but consolidation looks to be slowing. That is freeing up more money for dividends and share buybacks. "This is a high-quality business with high returns and good growth prospects, trading [at an] attractive valuation compared to the long-term history and the potential of the business model," says Matthew Siddle, who manages the Fidelity European Growth Fund and owns shares. Bernstein Research rates WPP Outperform, with a price target of £10.50.
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton MC.FR 3.4962256654747716% LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton France: Paris EUR130.25 4.4 3.4962256654747716% /Date(1418945995000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 1616268 P/E Ratio 19.443257700752525 Market Cap 63893147544.0722 Dividend Yield 1.7298015355086371% Rev. per Employee 257016 More quote details and news » (MC.France) is a smart play on burgeoning demand for luxury goods. The industry has shown resilience in a difficult environment, and could continue to do well if the economic recovery in the U.S. broadens and fast-paced growth in China continues. Through the first nine months of 2012, LVMH reported 22% growth in sales, including 10% organic growth, due to strength in Europe and Asia, and a pickup in the U.S. Its sought-after brands include Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan, Bulgari, Christian Dior, and TAG Heuer.
Sales are expected to reach €27.93 billion in 2012, up from €23.66 billion in 2011. Operating profit could approach €6 billion, and free cash flow, almost €3 billion. LVMH shares ended last week at €140 and trade for 17.6 times forecast 2013 earnings of €7.97 per share. That multiple is in line with rivals like Richemont, which owns Cartier. LVMH yields 2.1%, having hiked its payout last year. Analysts at Nomura think shares could rally to €165.
Deutsche Post (DPW.Germany) could rack up substantial gains in the next 12 months due to the performance of its DHL parcel-delivery unit, the company's key profit driver. DHL controls more than a third of the Asia-Pacific market, where its revenue is growing at a double-digit pace. Progress was bumpy in the third quarter, but could be back on track in 2013, fueled by growth in China and the U.S. DHL also has a strong foothold in the logistics market in Europe and the Americas.
The company's mail business in Germany continues to generate healthy profits, despite declining volume. The shares, which closed on Friday at €16.62, trade for 12 times forecast 2013 earnings of €1.39 a share, up from an estimated €1.28 this year. Competitors, meanwhile, have their hands full: Fedex FDX 3.933722732149243% FedEx Corp. U.S.: NYSE USD174.38 6.6 3.933722732149243% /Date(1418939999522-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 3766792 AFTER HOURS USD174.6 0.22 0.12616125702488817% Volume (Delayed 15m) : 36162 P/E Ratio 21.969815736377388 Market Cap 47523013902.8979 Dividend Yield 0.4587682073632297% Rev. per Employee 288660 More quote details and news » (FDX) is restructuring its express operations, and United Parcel Service UPS 2.1925380009212345% United Parcel Service Inc. Cl B U.S.: NYSE USD110.93 2.38 2.1925380009212345% /Date(1418940052375-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 3729987 AFTER HOURS USD110.76 -0.17 -0.1532497971693861% Volume (Delayed 15m) : 36121 P/E Ratio 27.255528255528255 Market Cap 99253445108.8494 Dividend Yield 2.415937978905616% Rev. per Employee 145218 More quote details and news » (UPS) is trying to complete the drawn-out purchase of Dutch rival TNT Express (TNT.Netherlands). Deutsche Post's stock could hit €20 in the next 12 months. The company yields 4.2%, another reason it could deliver for investors.
Vivendi viv.fr 2.6463104325699747% Vivendi S.A. France: Paris EUR20.17 0.52 2.6463104325699747% /Date(1418945995000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 6783238 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap 26498434679.3301 Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee 301584 More quote details and news » (VIV.France): A strategic review of Vivendi's operations could unlock value in the next few quarters. The French media and telecommunications giant likely will sell Maroc Telecom, the Moroccan incumbent, or GVT, the alternative telecom operator in Brazil. GVT would fetch more -- up to an estimated €8 billion. Proceeds could go toward reducing debt and buying back shares. A €4.4 billion buyback at €18 a share would make the stock worth €19.70 per share, according to Credit Suisse, which rates Vivendi Outperform with a €19.10 price target.
Vivendi is trading for €17.01, or 8.6 times forecast 2013 earnings of €1.98 per share, in line with rival Bouygues EN.FR 3.7153322867608582% Bouygues S.A. France: Paris EUR29.73 1.065 3.7153322867608582% /Date(1418945791000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 1826750 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap 9628660698.30966 Dividend Yield 5.328484412517928% Rev. per Employee 260122 More quote details and news » (EN.France) but more expensive than France Telecom (FTE.France). However, Vivendi, which owns French telecom SFR, has other business lines. It owns a large stake in Activision Blizzard ATVI 1.8810371123538383% Activision Blizzard Inc. U.S.: Nasdaq USD20.04 0.37 1.8810371123538383% /Date(1418940000184-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 7788044 AFTER HOURS USD20.04 % Volume (Delayed 15m) : 73025 P/E Ratio 45.399968283455294 Market Cap 14143320731.1272 Dividend Yield 0.998003992015968% Rev. per Employee 630725 More quote details and news » (ATVI), which has launched some of the top-selling games in North America and Europe. Its Universal Music Group is releasing albums from artists such as the Rolling Stones and Rihanna. Even if a share buyback doesn't materialize, Vivendi still offers good value after underperforming in 2012. Its 5.7% dividend looks secure.
AXA cs.fr 5.512890839275919% AXA S.A. France: Paris EUR19.235 1.005 5.512890839275919% /Date(1418945931000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 16325634 P/E Ratio 9.836341414451983 Market Cap 44517604192.1425 Dividend Yield 4.211073563815961% Rev. per Employee 1134220 More quote details and news » (CS.France) shares have climbed 33% in 2012, to €13.37, but at 6.8 times next year's expected earnings, they still look cheap. The large insurer is expected to earn €1.98 per share in 2013, up from an estimated €1.84 in 2012. Shares could rise to €16 or more in the next 12 months if the company can deliver on its strategy to be more selective about opportunities in mature markets.
AXA is looking to expand its more profitable life-protection business at the expense of traditional savings products, and is concentrating on margin instead of volume in property and casualty. Operating in unfavorable markets has hurt its financial performance, but it looks to be better positioned now. Among insurance peers, AXA also offers the best dividend yield at more than 5%.
Enagás ENG.MC 3.5901416650494857% Enagas S.A. Spain: Madrid EUR26.69 0.925 3.5901416650494857% /Date(1418945880000-0600)/ Volume (Delayed 15m) : 1869962 P/E Ratio 15.630124150855002 Market Cap 6150987805.53818 Dividend Yield 3.896590483327089% Rev. per Employee 1039490 More quote details and news » (ENG.Spain): There is nothing sexy about this Spanish gas utility, which generates just about all of its earnings domestically. Yet, despite the country's financial straits, Enagás profits rose 3.9% in the first nine months of 2012. Sales are expected to rise to €1.3 billion in 2013 from €1.2 billion this year. The company had €3.42 billion of debt as of Sept. 30, but its credit rating is higher than Spain's sovereign rating. Shares, at €16.20, trade for under 10 times forecast 2013 earnings of €1.67 per share. Enagás, which has a market value of €3.87 billion, offers a dividend yield of about 5%.
T. Rowe Price's Tenerelli says Enagás' business isn't economically sensitive. He reckons the stock could trade for 11 to 12 times future earnings, and be worth just shy of €20.
EUROPEAN POLITICS and poor economic news have unfairly depressed the prices and P/Es of some of the Continent's best companies. As Jim Moffett, chief international strategist at Scout Investments, says, "We are looking for good companies in bad places."
Europe obliges on both counts.
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Plunkett's Insurance Industry Trends & Statistics 2013: A Summary Of Plunkett's Insurance Industry Almanac 2013
NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:
Plunkett's Insurance Industry Trends & Statistics 2013: A Summary of Plunkett's Insurance Industry Almanac 2013
Key Features:• Industry trends analysis, market data and competitive intelligence• Market forecasts and Industry Statistics• Buyer may register for access to search and export data at Plunkett Research Online• Link to our 5-minute video overview of this industry Pages: 57 Statistical Tables Provided: 16 Geographic Focus: Global A condensed market research report excerpted from Plunkett's Insurance Industry Almanac 2013, including forecasts and market estimates, technologies analysis and vital statistical tables. You will gain vital insights that can help you shape your own strategy for business development, product development and investments. -How is the industry evolving? -How is the industry being shaped by new technologies? -How is demand growing in emerging markets and mature economies?-What is the size of the market now and in the future? Contents, Statistics, Forecasts and Analysis Include: Major Trends Affecting the Insurance Industry 1) Introduction to the Insurance Industry 2) Aging Populations Create Challenges and Opportunities for the Insurance Industry 3) Sophisticated Risk Management and Prevention Programs Lead to Lower Losses 4) Risk Managers Seek Certification 5) Independent Agencies Continue to Dominate Commercial Insurance, but Play a Lesser Role in Personal Lines 6) Insurance Direct Selling and E-Commerce Grow 7) Technology Drives Efficiencies in Back Office Tasks, Underwriting, Agency Networks and Customer Service 8) States Pick Up Some Wind and Flood Risk for Homeowners/Underwriters Rely on Sophisticated Risk Analysis Technology to Set Rates 9) Insurance Industry Mergers and Acquisitions Continue After the Financial Crisis 10) No End in Sight to the Growth of Specialized Insurance Lines
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the need for treatment is predictable. The number of people on treatment over time is a function of the rates of diagnosis, treatment initiation, and survival on treatment. These rates are also predictable given assumptions about investment in treatment programs and the organization of those programs. The scale and success of treatment will determine the impact of treatment interventions. The social and economic burden of HIV/AIDS will depend upon the success of treatment programs, as well as the efforts undertaken to care for those affected. In contrast, the accumulation of new infections over time is more difficult to predict since it will depend on changing patterns of risk in the population, which in turn are influenced by demographic, cultural, and social phenomena, as well as the impact of preventive interventions.
Over the course of the epidemic, some patterns of risk behavior will likely change, making it difficult to link the current observed prevalence of HIV to measures of risk behavior with precision. Furthermore, the sensitive, private, and often stigmatized behaviors that place many at risk of acquiring HIV may not be accurately reported in surveys (Fenton et al., 2001; Slaymaker, 2004), making it difficult to relate incidence to behavior and predict how changes in behavior will influence incidence (Garnett et al., 2006). A straightforward assumption is that trends in HIV incidence will continue in the future. With incidence trends stable, future prevalence will be determined largely by the future expansion of ART, which has both direct and indirect effects on prevalence. The direct effect of ART expansion is to lengthen the lives of people with HIV, which consequently increases prevalence. ART also has several possible indirect effects on HIV prevalence, both beneficial and adverse, through its effects on transmission and therefore on incidence (see Table A-1).
In the aids20311 predictions, it is assumed that those on treatment have a reduced infectiousness (to 20 percent of the original transmission risk from an infected person to susceptible contacts) (aids2031 Consortium, 2011; Hecht et al., 2010). In formulating its baseline projections, the committee developed a model incorporating two of the biological effects from Table A-1—the reduction in transmission among those on effective ART and the increased exposure to risk caused by a longer HIV-infected lifespan. Since the degree to which the two behavioral effects in Table A-1 will manifest as treatment access increases is still unknown and will likely be responsive to national HIV/AIDS policies, the baseline model ignores these and the other indirect effects of ART on HIV transmission.2
Others have made projections of the impact of particular interventions over
aids2031 is a consortium of partners who came together to look at what has been learned about the HIV/AIDS response and consider the implications of the changing world around the HIV/AIDS pandemic (aids2031 Consortium, 2010).
The committee's model is Version 4.05 of the open-source AIDSCost projection model, available for download on the Center for Global Development website (Over, 2009).


text:
Sunday, April 21 2013
In Defense of Don Draper
As Season Six of Mad Men continues, the controversial and iconic figure of Don Draper is back at it. Love him or hate him... you can't ignore him.
Thursday, May 19 2011
Killing Osama bin Laden and David Mamet's Special Ops Drama, 'The Unit'
Viewing the world through a haze of vaguely remembered TV shows, tough-guy dialogue and TV jingles, the news about Osama bin Laden's death quickly turned thoughts to The Unit, the TV series created by once-great writer David Mamet.
Thursday, July 30 2009
Jon Hamm returning with 'Mad Men'
Tuesday, January 27 2009
Obama & More Critical Commentary on Cultural Imperialism in 2008's 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'
The Day the Earth Stood Still was rich in contemporary and relevant social criticism despite the regurgitating an apocalypse narrative and re-hashing Keanu Reeves as another prophetic savior.
Thursday, January 22 2009
'Mad Men' keeps its edgy edge
Sunday, January 11 2009
Back to Basics - The 30 Best TV Shows of 2008
The Year in TV was a lot like the US economy: struggling until summer and then tanking under the hope of a 2009 comeback. Still, our staff found 30 solid reasons to be cheerful come entertainment investment time.
Monday, December 15 2008
Jon Hamm isn't waiting for the Earth to stand still
Friday, December 12 2008
The Day the Earth Stood Still
On its face, casting Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, that most thoughtful visitor from another planet, seems inspired. Or maybe just obvious.
Thursday, September 11 2008
Talk, Talk, Talk: December 2008
Just like the end of an inspiring speech that may or may not succeed in making its point, these final four weeks before 2009 tend to define or defeat the entire awards season purpose.
Tuesday, August 5 2008
Mad Men, Sad Men
The increasing prevalence and sophistication of advertising, the popularization of psychotherapy, and an emerging political consciousness in the American middle class all come to the fore in this excellent television series.


text:
Plum-Nectarine Buckle
From Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
A buckle is a hybrid dessert like a cakey cobbler with a crumble topping. Batter is poured into a pan, and fruit and topping are layered over it. Batter is poured into a pan, and fruit and topping are layered over it. As the dessert bakes, cracks and crevices form, buckling the cake as it rises. Our plum-nectarine buckle is made with vanilla cake batter and has a crumble topping. The wedges of fruit provide moisture and streaks of sunset color.
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Nutritional Information
(per serving)
|Total Fat
|Saturated Fat
|Total Carbohydrate
|Dietary Fiber
Courtesy of Martha Stewart
Yields: 8 to 10 servings
Oven Temp: 350
|Conversion chart
- 6 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, melted
- 1.5 cup(s) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup(s) sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoon(s) sugar
- 1.5 teaspoon(s) baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon(s) ground allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup(s) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 pound(s) (2 cups) plums, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
- 3/4 pound(s) (2 cups) nectarines, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
- 1 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
Crumble Topping:
- 6 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup(s) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) finely grated orange zest, (optional)
- 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9-inch square cake pan or 10-inch cast iron skillet with 2 tablespoons butter; set aside. Whisk together flour, 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, allspice, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk together egg, milk, vanilla, and remaining 4 tablespoons butter in another medium bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine. Spread batter evenly into buttered pan.
- Toss plums, nectarines, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Spread fruit mixture evenly over batter. Sprinkle with topping. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 1 hour before serving.
- To prepare crumble topping: Put butter and brown sugar, and orange zest if desired, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until creamy. Stir in flour and salt. Work mixture through fingers until it forms coarse crumbs ranging in size from peas to gum balls.
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Various Cheats and Hints for Super Robot SpiritsHome / Nintendo 64 /
This page contains Super Robot Spirits Hints for Nintendo 64 called "Various Cheats and Hints" and has been posted or updated on Aug 21, 2008 by Kalel08. Let us know what you think of this Hint by thumbs voting.
- Developer: Vertex
- Publisher: Banpresto
- Genre: Action Fighting 3D
- Release Date: Jul 17, 1998
- ESRB: Not Set
Various Cheats and Hints
Unlock Master Gundam
Defeat Master Gundam three times in story mode. Master Gundam may now be selectable in story mode.
Unlock Devil Gundam
Successfully complete story mode using all characters. Then, select Master Gundam as a fighter and defeat Devil Gundam in 64 mode.
Unlock Judecca
Accumulate at least three hundred hours of game play.
Super mode Shining Gundam
Win at least twenty matches as Shining Gundam in vs. mode. Then, highlight Shining Gundam on the character selection screen and press (Start). Shining Gundam may now be selected in all modes, including 64 mode and training mode.
Alternate Dunbine and Walker Galliam costumes
Accumulate at least fifty hours of game play. Then, highlight Dunbine or Walker Galliam on the character selection screen and press (Start).
Select victory pose
Hold (L) or (R) when the "K.O." message is displayed at the end of the match.
Back to all Cheats
Stuck on this game? Set a specific, clearly defined question and let others answer your question or view answers to previously asked questions. If you think you are an Super Robot Spirits expert then please try to help others with their questions.
All-Star Tennis '99 - Gameplay
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- South Park - Gameplay Video 1, (N64)
- Resident Evil 2 - Gameplay, (N64)
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- Mortal Kombat Trilogy - N64 Trailer, (N64)
- Golden Nugget 64 - Gameplay Footage, (N64)
- Kim Kardashian: Hollywood - Gameplay, (iPhone-iPod)
- Episode: Choose Your Story - Gameplay, (iPhone-iPod)
- How To Train Your Dragon 2 - Ready To Fly Trailer, (Wii)
- The Settlers - Kingdoms Of Anteria - Announcement Trailer, (PC)
- Entwined - Quick Look Trailer, (PS3)
- Blue Estate - Official Launch Trailer, (PS4)
- Goat Commando 3D Simulator - Gameplay, (iPhone-iPod)
- Munin - Official Launch Trailer, (iPad)


text:
It will be a boy for Soleil Moon Frye!
The Punky Brewster star revealed the sex of her third baby on Wednesday's episode of The View. Frye, 37, is due in the spring.
TV's best crying faces
Frye and her husband, Punk'd executive producer Jason Goldberg, wed in 1998. They are already parents to Jagger, 5, and Poet, 8.
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Transformed into a vampire and entombed for 200 years after betrayin...
A gothic-horror tale centering on the life of vampire Barnabas Collins and his run-ins with various monsters, witches, werewolves and ghosts. Based on the cult TV series
Coming into an isolated mansion in Maine to work as a governess, Victoria Winders is drawn into a world of the supernatural with gothic vampires, ghosts, and a family curse.
more Dark Shadows videos
Download the TV Guide app for iPhone, iPad and Android!


text:
MEET the GSIRC!
The Graduate Grant Writing Center is pleased to announce that on Tuesday, January 24th , GGWC will offer a very special networking opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to meet the members of the Graduate Student Interdisciplinary Research Club (GSIRC). Students are welcome to meet with GSIRC and GGWC staff to talk about research projects and partnerships with members of the GSIRC and student researchers in other disciplines. We will meet at the Grad Grant Writing Center, PHH 300 from 2:30PM - 3:30PM.
The Graduate Student Interdisciplinary Research Club (GSIRC) is a graduate student organization of the College of Science and Health Professions. GSIRC provides students with a forum where they can share research findings with others and foster a better understanding of the unique aspects of interdisciplinary research that involves science, engineering, and other disciplines, not usually considered as partners to these two fields. GSIRC hosts and participates in technical symposia and other scientific expositions within Cleveland State University and other academic institutions. Its main goal is to promote and provide an academic and social arena for students of all fields to compare findings, and discuss academic issues in an informal, relaxed forum. You can read more at the GSIRC website: http://www.csuohio.edu/sciences/dept/chemistry/gsirc/index.html
Come and chat. Meet and share your discoveries, theories, and ideas with you fellow students. Create cross-disciplinary partnerships and discover new friends and colleagues. In addition to talking about research and forming new partnerships, those who attend this event will have an opportunity to learn about the Annual G-SIRC Interdisciplinary Research Conference as well ( http://www.csuohio.edu/sciences/dept/chemistry/gsirc/abstrac ts.html).
Please register for this event by sending an email to email@example.com . Include your name and the name of the event: "Meet the GSIRC".


text:
Carl is a regular guy, a punch clock henchman whose job happens to lead to him being frequently decapitated. Enjoy Carl's lifelike head as a severed head or attached to a body.
Price is for one head.
The 3 head pic is to illustrate skin tone differences between Dark, Tan, and Pale.


text:
The Global Intelligence Files,
files released so far...
Index pages
by Date of Document
Our Partners
Al Akhbar - Lebanon
Al Masry Al Youm - Egypt
Asia Sentinel - Hong Kong
Bivol - Bulgaria
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La Nacion - Costa Rica
Malaysia Today - Malaysia
McClatchy - United States
Nawaat - Tunisia
NDR/ARD - Germany
Owni - France
Pagina 12 - Argentina
Philip Dorling - Fairfax media contributor - Australia
Plaza Publica - Guatemala
Publica - Brazil
Publico.es - Spain
Rolling Stone - United States
Russian Reporter - Russia
Ta Nea - Greece
Taraf - Turkey
The Hindu - India
The Yes Men - Bhopal Activists
Sunday Star-Times - New Zealand
Community resources
courage is contagious
The Global Intelligence Files
On Monday February 27th, 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files, over five million e-mails from the Texas headquartered "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The e-mails date between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal's Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The emails show Stratfor's web of informers, pay-off structure, payment laundering techniques and psychological methods.
Re: [OS] MEXICO/CT/GV - Mexico to hire PR firms to scrub drug war image
Released on 2013-02-13 00:00 GMT
|2010-06-17 20:43:11
Mexico to hire PR firms to scrub drug war image
Mica Rosenberg and Adriana Barrera
Thu Jun 17, 2010 7:21am EDT
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon is launching a
global public relations campaign to try to improve his country's image
and neutralize coverage of the violent drug war scaring away tourists
and foreign investors.
Calderon declared all-out war on drug cartels on taking office in late
2006, sending thousands of troops and federal police across Mexico to
take on the heavily armed gangs running a multibillion dollar business.
The strategy has so far failed to curb violence and more than 23,000
people have died in drug violence over the past 3-1/2 years. Daily
images of gruesome decapitations, charred and tortured bodies hung from
bridges and brazen daytime shootouts are commonplace on the front pages
of newspapers and evening news broadcasts.
Calderon, a strong-willed conservative, says he is turning to private
advertising firms to launch an international image improvement campaign
to show the world another, less violent side of Mexico, a country that
depends on some 20 million tourists a year to boost its public finances.
"We are promoting a comprehensive advertising project in my government,
primarily public relations, and we are hiring the best agencies in the
world promote Mexico's image," Calderon said this week during a speech
in the northern state of Baja California Sur.
"Yes, we will explain the problems we have, but also how we are facing
them. Above all we want to show what our country has to offer, which is
a lot," Calderon said.
The campaign, whose cost and other details were not disclosed, will be
run out of Mexico's tourism ministry.
The timing of the charm offensive comes as Mexico is heading into local
elections on July 4 in almost half of Mexican states and follows one of
the worst spikes in violence as drug killings continue to escalate.
Nineteen drug addicts were pulled out of a clinic in northern Mexico,
lined up and shot execution style last week. Earlier this week, 10
federal policemen were killed in an ambush in central Michoacan state,
with drug traffickers barricading the road with buses to prevent their
rescue. That same day 28 prisoners died in a gun battle inside a prison.
Many others have followed, including the killing of five police officers
in wealthy Monterrey, once one of Mexico's safest cities, and 15 dead in
a shootout with the army in the quaint, colonial town of Taxco in
central Mexico.
In response to the killings, Calderon gave a televised address to the
nation on Tuesday saying he will not give up. The attacks show cartels
are weakened and fighting among themselves for shrinking smuggling
routes, he said.
But public opinion polls say the majority of Mexicans think the drug
traffickers are winning the drug war.
Ciudad Juarez, a major manufacturing center near the border with Texas,
has become one of the world's most violent cities with 5,500
drug-related killings in just 2-1/2 years. Factories are freezing
investment as murders surge.
Analysts say a media campaign is not going to convince serious investors
that Mexico is safe for doing business if the country fails to
strengthen its institutions.
"The president is convinced that foreign investment is dropping off
because of the security situation ... he wants to show a safer Mexico, a
more advanced Mexico," Edgardo Buscaglia, a drug trade expert at Mexico
City's private ITAM University, told Reuters.
"But the reality is, businessmen are still seeing people decapitated
every day, ambushes ... that can't be solved by an advertising
campaign," Buscaglia said.
Michael Wilson
(512) 744 4300 ex. 4112
Michael Wilson
(512) 744 4300 ex. 4112


text:
WTB a vise at a killer price!
Looking for a vise for a good deal if anyone has one they want to get rid of.
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text:
Renato, I looked at your draft quickly, This sounds like a good start. What is the status of it given that you seems to have made attempts at submitting it as an RFC? SankarReceived on Monday, 27 September 1999 09:46:48 GMT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.2.0+W3C-0.50 : Monday, 7 December 2009 10:51:41 GMT


text:
Written on: 20/02/2003 by becca. (1 review written)
I've had my phone for 5 days now and so far so good. It's stylish and just the right size to carry it round in your pocket, the screen is amazing and it sounds good when you tell your friends it's got a camera. However the quality of the camera is disappointing as it is difficult to tell what the object in the photo is. Overall though i think the phone is very good and i would say worth it's money.
As rated by real users
" This Nokia 9210 mobile phone can be a real boon as it can give you ... " Read More
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text:
Aztecs trying to figure out how to fix pass defense
"We've got really good athletes in our defensive line, but their fundamental skills are in the development stages," Long said. "You have to do a lot of things right to be able to rush the passer, and just because you're quick and fast doesn't mean that you can do it.
"Our kids are getting better as it goes. But until we can get a decent pass rush with four guys, our pass defense is very suspect."
Buying time
But until his defense can close that gap in execution and technique, it's up to the defensive coordinator to get creative and help them.
"Obviously we're trying to make our players do something that they can't do, and that's a coaching thing. So that's totally on me," Long said. "The option now is that you've got to be inventive and try to figure out some zones that (while) you're going to give up some pass plays, you can maybe get some decent heat on the quarterback."
Instead of playing just pure zone (a more conservative scheme where it's tough to free up more than four guys to rush the QB) or an all-out blitz (where you leave the DBs in man coverage will little room for error) Long said the Aztecs might experiment with some zone blitzes going forward.
Zone blitzes operate on a hybrid of "zone" and "man" coverage principles. Instead of blitzing with numbers and forcing the secondary into one-on-one coverage, the defense maintains zones, but blitzes creatively by calling on defensive backs and linebackers to rush the passer in exchange for some linemen drop into pass coverage.
So you give the illusion that your defense is in man coverage, while sending an unexpected combination of five guys toward the quarterback.
That switcheroo makes it tough for the offense to identify who's rushing and can force the quarterback to hold onto the ball a fraction of a second longer as he tries to read the defense.
If last week's game tape was any indication, that could well be the difference between victory and defeat. A little bit of craftiness might go a long way as the Aztecs' try to grow up quick on defense.


text:
July 06, 2012
The series, which is a retelling of of the well known legend, has been written by Jack Lothian, James Dormer and Harriet Warner, and stars Estella Daniels as 'Nala'.
Sky's latest original drama about the iconic Arabian Knights hero is a 12 part series produced by Impossible Pictures for Sky and BBC Worldwide.
James Dormer
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Is Marco Rubio the Worst Climate Denier in Congress?
By Chris Joseph
Broward Judge Rules for Same Sex Marriage in FL
By Chris Joseph
New Times Writers to Host Reddit AMA
By Allie Conti
Potential Hurricane Forming in Atlantic
By Chuck Strouse
Sextortion Scam in South Florida
By Chris Joseph
7 Spots Where David Beckham Could Build His Stadium
By Chris Joseph
Alvarez Wants to Be Broward's First Gay State Rep
By Allie Conti
MagicJack Inventor Left Behind Messy Legacy
By Kyle Swenson
After more than an hour in the cinder-block meeting room talking about accidentally killing his daughter, Balta looks tired. Six years in prison have taken a toll. Nobody would mistake him for a little boy now.
During his time behind bars, Balta has earned his GED and now helps other inmates study for the exam. He does carpentry and has crafted an elaborate wooden dollhouse for a niece. He goes months without hearing from anyone on the outside. (As part of his sentence, he is forbidden from contacting the Bashford family.)
His cell is lined with photos of Veronika. He says he thinks of her every day. "Every time I see kids on TV, I think about holding her," he says. "She would be 7 now. I think about what she would look like and what we would be doing for her birthday."
A prison administrator lets Balta know it's time to go. He walks slowly through narrow halls toward the prison yard. The hot summer sun blazes in through the door frame. Balta pauses for a moment before stepping outside.
There are 14 years left on his sentence, but he'll never get out of prison.
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My Profile
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Flag This ProfileFlag as Inappropriate
Reviewed Croissant Maple Bread Pudding
Dec 30, 2011 in Food Network Community Toolbox on FoodNetwork.com
"This is a great dessert. Moist, delicious and easy to make. I made a few adjustment to it though. I added 2 more croissants, cinnamon and raisins. I also served it with a rum caramel sauce. Big hit with the family."""


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Whats the other chicks name?
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Walden is one of the only schools that offer a CACREP-accredited M.S. degree in Mental Health Counseling online. Our M.S. in Mental Health Counseling program will help prepare you to address and treat clients' mental health needs knowledgeably, ethically, and with respect for diversity. You'll gain the confidence, qualifications, and critical-thinking skills needed to seek licensure and apply best practices as a change agent in the counseling profession. This degree will allow you to use your knowledge immediately as a practicing professional.
The M.S. in Mental Health Counseling program includes:
Graduate Degree Specialization
* Please Note: The program information on this page is for general college research purposes only. Filling out the College Finder form (to your right), will provide information from schools that match your criteria but may or may not include any schools that may be listed on this page.


text:
|Name: _________________________
|Period: ___________________
This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 25 | Chapter 26.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What happens to Amanda for the first and only time in Chapter 3?
(a) She lends one of her books.
(b) She falls in love.
(c) She is late to school.
(d) She trips and falls.
2. What does Maniac say to the passersby when he first runs to Two Mills?
(a) "Where am I?"
(b) "What day is it?"
(c) "Hi."
(d) "Who are you?"
3. What is the prize for untying the Cobble's Knot?
(a) Butterscotch Krimpets for a year.
(b) Free soda when pizza is purchased for a year.
(c) Pizza for a year.
(d) One hundred dollars worth of Cobble's groceries.
4. What happens to Maniac Magee's parents?
(a) They die in a car crash.
(b) They die in a trolley crash.
(c) They die in a plane crash.
(d) They die in a train crash.
5. What does Maniac do for fifteen minutes before completing the knot?
(a) He takes a nap.
(b) He prays.
(c) He reads a book.
(d) He drinks an orange soda.
Short Answer Questions
1. Where does Maniac live while he stays in Two Mills?
2. What do the high school kids do to Arnold Jones in Chapter 5?
3. What does Maniac do to make McNab pitch the ball to him?
4. With what is Finsterwald's backyard filled?
5. Which of the following is not a reason why the bigger kids from all over come to the vacant lot to see Maniac?
This section contains 310 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)


text:
Here´s the deal, i need a new bike rack since my old hollywood sportrider2 wont fit my new car. I dont really want to use roof racks, so that leaves me with regular racks. So what bikerack are u using with your 951, and hows it handling it?
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For Only Watch 2009, Piaget presents a unique example of their Emperador Coussin Large Moon. This model, introduced this year, houses Caliber 860P, a self-winding movement designed, developed and produced by Piaget. Within the 46.5mm 18k pink gold (5N) case, the oversize 12mm diameter moon phase display immediately attracts your eye, and if you look closely at this Only Watch, you'll see what makes it unique... … [Read more...]
For Only Watch, Piaget Celebrates Man on the Moon
Frédérique Constant Heart Beat Trilogy for Only Watch '09
Frédérique Constant's contribution to Only Watch 2009 is the Heart Beat Trilogy, assembled for the first time in a single, luxurious box that includes a choice of different bracelets. This very feminine Heart Beat Trilogy set is designed by women for women. … [Read more...]
The Jaquet Droz Only Watch '09
The Jaquet Droz Only Watch '09, a unique Grande Seconde, combines a Grand Feu enamelled dial created using an 18th century technique with a case made of 21st century "high tech" ceramic. This unique timepiece proudly displays a rare red dial - red being the color of Monaco, the home of Only Watch. … [Read more...]
TAG Heuer Monaco V4 No. 1 for Only Watch
In 2004, TAG Heuer created the revolutionary Monaco V4 Concept Watch. Inspired by the brand's motor racing heritage (the watch's name comes from the racing-engine-like V-formation of the movement's four barrels), the V4 uses ball bearings and is belt-driven – a totally new type of watch movement. The Monaco V4 is the first mechanical watch movement to replace traditional pinions with driving belts. The pinions of the traditional mechanical movement have been replaced with a relay of five … [Read more...]
Breguet Travel Clock No. 1 for Only Watch
Breguet built the first modern travel clock in 1796. He equipped it with a balance spring, successfully replacing the pendulum balance that was unfit for travel. Glass-covered on four sides and small in size, this clock bore the number 178. In April 1798, General Bonaparte purchased it to take with him on his Egyptian campaign. … [Read more...]
Bell & Ross BR 01 Airborne One for Only Watch
The Bell & Ross BR 01 Instrument started with a simple idea: turn a cockpit instrument panel clock into a wristwatch. Now available in a number of versions and materials, the BR 01 Instrument watch has become popular with collectors. For Only Watch 2009, Bell & Ross has created a unique version of the new Airborne Talisman watch called the BR 01 Airborne One. … [Read more...]
Unique Patek Philippe Ref. 5106 for Only Watch
For Only Watch 2009, Patek Philippe has created a unique Ref. 5106 by adding a date display and other special features to the Celestial Ref. 5102. This one-of-a-kind piece is crafted in rose gold with a special guilloché pattern on the 22k rose gold bezel. The soft 22k gold allowed the unique guilloché pattern to be applied with a special hand tool created just for this watch. … [Read more...]
Franc Vila's Unique Piece for Only Watch
Franc Vila unveils his unique piece for the Only Watch auction: the first fully black watch in the "Cobra" collection. Cobra timepieces are created for aficionados of extreme sports. Built to withstand dives to 300 meters, the Cobra line was conceived for intense water activities. The automatic movement provides chronograph and big date functions. … [Read more...]
Buzz Aldrin Celebrates Moon Landing With Omega
On June 3, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Omega CEO Stephen Urquhart celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first moon walk at the Omega flagship boutique on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first humans to set foot on the moon when they made their historic Apollo 11 moonwalk on July 20, 1969. The Omega Speedmaster was the first and only watch worn on the moon. To mark the anniversary, Omega has launched the Speedmaster Apollo 11 Moonwatch, a limited edition timepiece … [Read more...]


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Friday, March 28, 2014
Red state, blue state. . .the children
1 comment:
The poverty ridden cities are overwhelmingly run by Democrats.
The gap between rich and poor has grown under Obama more than the previous 20 years.
- Friday, March 28, 2014 at 10:53:00 AM CDT
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A Manner Worthy of the Gospel
"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel". -Philippians 1:27
Paul always had a positive outlook on how to honor God no matter what the circumstances – from being beaten, jailed and poor or healthy, free and rich. He walked in all areas of life and knew how to be thankful, content and honoring to God in all areas or circumstances of life. We find joy in just that: being content and honoring to God.
We must be anchors, firmly planted and rooted in Christ. If not, then when battles or bad circumstances come, we easily fall, stumble, or compromise. Right living and conduct comes from correct beliefs and truths. Wrong living comes from believing lies and compromising to the temptation of sin. Where do you see yourself compromising? Are you living a life that reflects the gospel?
As you think of those areas, remember we are doing this together – standing firm in the unity of one Spirit and striving to be a righteous and holy Church. We can't do it alone, we must have the community of believers to spur us on, encourage and exhort us. So when you put your finger on some areas that may be easy to compromise, go to a fellow believer and have them hold you accountable, lift you up in prayer and spur you on for a life that is worthy of the gospel.
"Preach the gospel, and when necessary, use words" –St. Francis of Assisi
Post by Hilary


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India of 'Jugaad', Birkin Bags and Cultural Curry
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February 17, 2013 4:53 PM EST
Excerpts from the book Os Indianos, translated from Portuguese into English, by the author Florencia Costa:
The India growth story has set in motion a churning not seen in this country for decades. There have never been so many frictions as well. The new elite lives in their glass and steel condominiums, and the Gandhian simplicity has been disposed off in a trash can. Amid a huge sea of misery, futuristic cities and luxury towers are rising from green fields in the countryside. There are serious conflicts over land acquisition all over the country. There are new fights every day between the haves and have-nots of New India...
The most interesting thing in India is indeed its people: the most varied ethnic types, who speak different languages, dress in their own ways, eat different foods and pray to different gods. And there are people everywhere. One in six of the seven billion inhabitants of this planet is Indian. And within two decades, they will surpass the Chinese. At times, the crowd can be suffocating, but there is no escape from it. Every inch of space is packed with humans and animals. India's total landmass is just as much as the northern region of Brazil, but it has six times our population...
With so many people crammed in such a small piece of land and with so few opportunities, ordinary Indians survive by what is called Jugaad. All Indians have a great knack for this skill, which literally means "trying to make something work." Just as in Brazil, the people at the lowest rung of the social ladder make a living by innovating, Indians too have a talent for improvising when necessary, which is always. So don't be shocked, when you see a brand new washing machine being used to make lassi -- a drink of yogurt, sugar and ice -- in a roadside eatery on a highway in Punjab; or when someone tries to sell you a cellphone that also works as a mosquito repellent. In India's chaos, which refuses to subside even at night, Jugaad is a very apt way of survival. It's quite appealing, too. But this practice is also the reason why things go horribly wrong in India and the services are poor. From the neighbourhood plumbers to unprofessional road builders, they all rely on Jugaad, which is basically a short-cut method of building or fixing things. This often leads to disaster.
* * *
Daughters of the East
There is no such thing as an Indian woman. Women in this country live in different time periods, depending on their region, social class and caste. But a vast majority of them are trapped in medieval traditions of one of the most patriarchal societies in the world. Their lives are defined by their men. But there are also those living in the 21st century: the English-speaking urban elite who have become scientists, doctors, judges, lawyers, writers, academics, politics, journalists, diplomats, executives and bankers. Some of them have even joined the army and police and gone into space. But even this privileged group feels the pressure of traditions. The desire to have boys in Indian families haunts women all their life. During the Hindu wedding ceremony, the priest, reciting an ancient mantra, says to the bride: "May you be the mother of 100 sons." The minute a woman gets pregnant, sacred prayers are said by other women of the family, wishing that that the baby is a boy, and if not, the female fetus should be transformed into male. Girls are not welcome here. The sons, in addition to receiving dowry in marriage, are also supposed to take care of parents in old age. That's why they are preferred and the girls are seen as a burden. An old adage "Taking care of a daughter is like watering your neighbor's garden" sums up the status of girl-child -- and hence women -- in India.
* * *
Rich India, poor Indians
Parts of India are in the grip of a consumerist frenzy. Never before so many people had it so much to consume. Never before there was so much cash floating about. Never before there was so much on offer in the glitzy malls that dot big cities and even small towns. Never before was India so far removed from the ideas of simplicity, spartan life and ecological awareness as preached by Mahatma Gandhi, who used to practice what he preached. Gandhi is known to recycle old envelopes and writing paper. He never discarded anything into rubbish bin. He himself joked that he did so because he belonged to the Bania community, traditionally devoted to trade and famous for parsimony with which it deals with money. Ironically, his face is printed on all the currency notes -- from 10 to 1000, which are now a symbol of India's purchasing power. Now, the image of Gandhi is often used for selling even luxury items like Montblanc pens...
A good number of Indians have got used to the new wave of consumerism. Today, nobody questions the "right" to consume. Now, a Bollywood star wearing a pair of $5,000 sunglasses doesn't make news for this kind of accessories. Recently, one of the most famous actresses came to regret that she had no more desire to use her Birkin bag, the custom-made fashion item which costs thousands of dollars. "Today everybody has one," she said. There might not be a Porsche in every garage yet, but that's what this India aspires for...
In this India, one has to appear on Page 3 supplements of newspapers to announce their arrival on the scene. One appearance opens other doors, with more invites flowing in for more parties. If a star is not seen in Page 3 gigs, it is because she has fallen in disgrace and should be discarded. Many of these parties, with bubbly and lobsters, are animated by white-skinned belly dancers, many of them coming from Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Some of them earn more than $ 1000 per night. Today, they are almost mandatory feature at the late-night parties of the swish set -- and the noveau riche -- in Delhi and Mumbai. India, with its fixation for fair skin, now faces an invasion from white women, who are flocking to this emerging economy to work as models, actresses, dancers, escorts and even high-end call girls.
The biggest indicator of the consumption boom in India since economic reforms in 1991 is called the "Telecom Revolution". Today the poor are connected as well as the rich. Until the beginning of 2012, India had nearly 900 million cell phones, more than the combined number of handsets in the US, Russia and Brazil. Three out of four Indians have cellular connections. There are more Indians with cellular connection than with the bank accounts...
* * *
India on the moon
One of the factors that has driven the information technology revolution was the success of Indian professionals in the US, especially in Silicon Valley, California. The Indian engineers work in more than half of tech companies there. The migration of highly educated engineers often sparks an intense debate within India, with the migrants being accused of using the excellent -- and almost free -- education from the government to further their careers abroad, without giving anything back to their country. The bulk of Indians today migrate to the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. There are more than 25 million Indians overseas, far fewer than the 60 million Chinese diaspora. But the Indians are the champions of sending money home: in 2010, they sent $55 billion, while the Chinese remitted $ 51 billion, according to the World Bank.
The Indian diaspora is one of the most successful in the world. They work in various lines of business, in universities, medicine, literature, media, and even in politics. They are not only small entrepreneurs and software specialists; they are also business managers, bankers, hoteliers, and academics. They are the ones who study hard and earn better salaries, as compared to white Americans. Some 80% of Indians residing in the US have third-degree diplomas. Indian Americans are the richest ethnic group in the US, with an average annual income of over $50,000...
* * *
Cultural Curry
Indians have two passions: Bollywood and cricket. The game of cricket, just like football in Brazil, is often used as an instrument for gaining power and social status by politicians, big businessmen, celebrities and media. Millions of fans watch the Indian Premier League on television every year, where multi-millionaire sports icons play for teams owned by business tycoons and Bollywood superstars. It generates business worth $4 billion.
The other passion, Bollywood, generates even more money and frenzy. Though the content and style of Bollywood has remained the same over the decades, now the kitsch musical melodramas filled with cliches of love and family are giving way to new cinema, with better story lines and contemporary themes. The films have started to get shorter and less melodramatic. Instead of three hours, the stories are told between 90 minutes and two hours. The seeds of this new revolution, which Bollywood is experiencing today, were sown in the '90s with the emergence of the first multiplex cinema, with only 100-300 seats. Suddenly, the need to fill huge auditoriums with 1,000 seats four times a day was gone...
Tigmanshu Dhulia is one of the most talented directors of this "New Bollywood." In 2011, he was applauded for a film that did not follow the typical Bollywood formula: Sahib, Bibi aur Gangster (The Master, Wife and Gangster), an adaptation of a classic '50s movie, which in turn was based on a novel of a Bengali writer of the nineteenth century. The main character is a woman, the scorned wife of a noble Indian decadent who is busy with his mistress. Lonely and ignored, the wife gets involved with her private driver and uses him to settle her score with her husband. The movie had sex scenes (not explicit, of course) and lots of kisses and only two songs, which is a big departure from the set formula. "The good news is that Hindi cinema has many faces today. The middle class is hungry for entertainment. To meet this demand, major producers have opened space for movies with low budgets but high quality," said Dhulia.
Os Indianos (The Indians)
By Florencia Costa
Published by Editora Contexto (Sao Paulo)
Pages 395, Price R$55 (US$27)
(GIN - American Bazaar Online)
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President, Teamsters Local 237
Stories this photo appears in:
Good government is based on cooperation
Just hours after the recent midterm elections, talk of impeachment was already on the lips of pundits, and polarization....
Bells Ring for School Safety Agents
It's a new day for New York City's 5,000 school safety agents. They will finally be receiving the wages we have fought for over the years and which they deserve.
Get to know your loyal NYCHA workers
The safety of our public housing developments should be of critical concern to every New Yorker. We must use every tool available to reduce escalating crime in New York City Housing Authority developments.
Mayor de Blasio, keep your promise
School safety agent Kangela Moore, a hardworking mother of two, makes less than $40,000 a year after 22 years on the job, even though men who do similar work for the city earn about $7,000 more.
Seeking equal pay for women in our home town
The issue of unequal pay for men and women has reached critical mass in the United States, as socioeconomic forces have propelled women into the workplace in unprecedented numbers. On Equal Pay Day, April 8, I led a rally at City Hall to focus on the issue as it affects a group of New York City public employees who are predominantly women.
Putting soul back in City Hall
Government at all levels can be a powerful tool to uplift people and make our communities better.


text: Chad J. Rubin practices in the area of corporate and securities law. Mr. Rubin represents public and private companies in connection with mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and compliance and general corporate matters. He also represents independent trustees of mutual funds. Mr. Rubin is a 2003 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a 2000 graduate of Duke University (B.A.). Areas of Practice · Corporate Law · Securities Law · Mergers & Acquisitions · Mutual Funds Representative Matters · Represented Lehigh Gas Partners LP (NYSE: LGP), a wholesale motor fuel distributor, in connection with its $138 million initial public offering. · Independent counsel to the independent trustees of mutual funds and exchange traded funds, including a fund group with assets under management in excess of $40 billion. · Securities and general corporate counsel to publicly traded companies, including a Fortune 1000 company. · Represented a NYSE MKT-traded company in its agreement to acquire a majority equity interest in a full-service investment bank in exchange for the company's contribution of its $45 million equity interest in its broker-dealer subsidiary. · Represented a leading NYSE-traded international REIT in its approximately $900 million acquisition of a NYSE-traded REIT. · Represented a publicly traded manufacturing company in its acquisition of a privately held manufacturing company for approximately $60 million. · Represented a privately held investment firm in its acquisition of a publicly held specialty finance company in an equity exchange. · Represented a NYSE MKT-traded company in a debt-exchange transaction. · Represented a NYSE-traded company in a follow-on offering of its common stock for a total capital raise of approximately $50 million. Experience · Duane Morris LLP - Partner, 2012-present - Associate, 2009-2011 · WolfBlock LLP - Associate, 2003-2009 Board Memberships · Philadelphia Regional Port Authority - Board Member, October 2004-October 2009 Selected Publications · Co-author, "SEC Proposes Disqualifying "Bad Actors" from Rule 506 Offerings," Duane Morris Alert, June 6, 2011


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MPAA Rating: R (for crude and sexual content, language and some drug use) Genres: Comedy, Horror Run Time: 1 hour 35 minutes Distributors: Open Road Films


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"Romance & Football - Somehow it works..."
The plot is predictable, but the narration is excellent (Anna Field never disappoints) and the romance is quite...um, effective. A fun, frolicking story about a dysfunctional family, an evil cousin, a woman battling childhood abuse to come into her own in the middle of the most unlikely environment: the locker room of a football team fighting their way to the Superbowl. The romance is well written and well read. Not high literary material, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
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text: In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with \"Insert Coin\" as the subject line. Parallel computing is normally reserved for supercomputers way out of the reach of average user


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Ron Jeremy
Porn star Ron Jeremy is in critical condition after suffering an aneurysm in his heart, TMZ reports.
Stars who don't look their age!
On Tuesday afternoon, Jeremy, 59, checked himself into Cedars Sinai hospital after experiencing chest pain. Doctors then discovered the aneurysm. Jeremy has since been transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, where he's awaiting surgery.
Now, I would never turn on my Kathy, but come on. In her continual quest to try to convince us all she's on the D-list, this week she spoke at her 12-year-old nephew Johnny's school and only 30 kids showed up. Yeah, right. This is the same Kathy Griffin who sold out Carnegie Hall. Yes, I know that most of these situations are staged, but I'm not buying the "only 30 kids." If my grade school knew my famous aunt was taping her TV show at our actual school, it would've been standing-room only and I'm from the Chicago suburbs just like Kathy. But hey, this doesn't mean I didn't thoroughly enjoy watching Kathy's adventures. While we're on the subject of staged situations, we all know Kathy can do better than Ron Jeremy. I did respect Ron for stating that Kathy was downgrading by dating him, referring to her as "E-list" after going on a date with him. I also liked that their date was at the Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset here in Hollywood (great pizza, and if every place I frequ...
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According to Variety, VH1 has greenlit The Surreal Life: Fame Games, an (oxymoron alert!) all-star edition of the reality show featuring such former cast members as Ron Jeremy, Vanilla Ice, Brigitte Nielsen, Chyna Doll and Emmanuel Lewis. Set in (cheese alert!) Las Vegas and hosted by (chubbychops alert!) Robin Leach, Fame Games will pit housemates against each other in showbiz-themed challenges, all in the name of nabbing a $100,000 prize. The hope is that with that kind of cash, the winner could actually buy a clue.
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Las VegasWell, they didn't call this episode "Down and Dirty" for nothing. A porn convention takes up temporary residence at the Montecito, which means I can't write about half the things that happened; I'm going to take the high road and remain somewhat family-friendly. Let me just say that there was an ample amount of adult-oriented puns, situations, fun porn movie titles and a cameo from some guy I've never heard of named Ron Jeremy. (That's the story I'm sticking to.)
Let's move on to things of the Barry Bostwick persuasion, shall we? Called on to direct Big Ed's TV commercial, it turns out his character used to date Ed's wife, Jillian. Let's see, Cheryl Ladd and Barry Bostwick. A few Googles later and I find out that back in the day (1978), Barry was in a Se
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Tammy Faye Messner
She's been everything from a Bakker's wife to a Surreal Life housemate, but the one thing Tammy Faye Messner refuses to be is unhappy. (And for a woman who has been spoofed since she first rocked the airwaves with her holy-roller high jinks, that's saying a lot.) While braving her toughest battle — colon cancer that spread to a lung — Messner filmed Tammy Faye: Death Defying, a poignant, highly personal documentary with which she is now touring film festivals.TVGuide.com: What inspired you to make this film?Messner: I wanted to help people. Whether it's AIDS or cancer, having a disease like this is a scary thing and I thought people needed to see what goes on. I wanted to take the fear away. TVGuide.com: You had a hefty number of fears yourself, right?Messner: Sure I did! I
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For 35 years, she was the first lady of Christian TV. But in 1989, Tammy Faye Bakker fell from grace when her husband, James, was jailed for misappropriating $158 million from his ministry. But that's the past. It's Tammy Faye Messner now. (She married millionaire church builder Roe Messner in 1993.) And she can be found in the place where has-beens look for celebrity salvation, WB's Surreal Life. For its second season, the reality show put a Baywatch babe, a fallen rap star, a porn star, a Real World grad and CHiPs' Erik Estrada in the same house with the matronly minister and dared them all to make like family.
TV Guide Online: How does a televangelist end up living with a porn star?Messner: The producers begged. [Laughs] And we weren't told who was going to be there. I'd alread
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TV talent show mentors Rita, Tom, Will and Ricky headed to hip Northern Quarter bar Kosmonaut to film the new advert for the BBC show
DJ is set to speak at this weekend's Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival
Former Granada Studios worker Margaret 'Peggy Gaynor' is the eldest of five generations of women and girls
It was hard to miss the singer as she chose a bright bee-inspired ensemble and then tiger print coat with red beret
The Welsh music legend and pop icon Rita are putting contestants through their paces during filming at MediaCityUK
Pop beauty Rita Ora glammed it up as she headed to meet up with her fellow The Voice mentors Tom Jones, Will.i.Am and Ricky Wilson at Great John Street Hotel
The pair are currently filming the fourth series of BBC's The Voice at MediaCityUK
The pop star will replace Kylie Minogue on the BBC talent show, which is filmed in Salford
Our pick of the best music, arts and culture happening in Manchester today
Rochdale-born Liz will talk about her life and autobiography on Sunday October 26
Burt Bacharach has had a stellar career - and that's an understatement. At 89 he's heading to Manchester for a Bridgewater Hall show
Sir Tom Jones went for an impromptu night out at San Carlo on Thursday
He has written some of the most-cherished songs in the history of pop and now Burt Bacharach is bringing them to life with a full, classical orchestra, writes Sarah Walters
Rejected by The Voice's all-star judges, but Stockport's Bob Blakeley has become the first from this year's show to release an album
Bob Blakeley was rejected by The Voice, but is the first of this year's contestants to release an album, launching with free gig and signing at HMV.
The quarter-final of the BBC singing contest featured performances by the 12 finalists - with each coach losing one act following a public vote
Emily Heward gets all nostalgic as she checks out 90s favourites Republica and Space at Manchester Academy
Chris Royal, from Fallowfield, has made it to the live finals of BBC talent show The Voice and will sing for the public vote on Saturday
Droylsden Catholic Club, where the average age of members is 70, was served a statutory nuisance notice
He was overlooked by star judges on The Voice, but now Bob Blakeley, from Stockport, wins a record deal and releases new album.
Is there something happening in your area you would like us to report on?
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Young-adult fiction, Ruth Graham argues at Slate, is escapist, intended for "instant gratification and nostalgia." Its books lack complexity, she argues, and are merely "maudlin teen dramas." Reading them is bad for you, your brain, and your moral fiber: "Fellow grown-ups, at the risk of sounding snobbish and joyless and old, we are better than this."
There are certainly many mediocre YA books, as there are mediocre books in any genre, be it sci-fi or romance or literary fiction. But there are also some works that provide everything that Graham is asking for—complexity, ambiguity, depth, and even good writing. As one example, I'd urge Graham to try reading the wonderful novel 1994 Dive, by Stacey Donovan.
It's not a famous book; it got positive reviews when it came out, but Donovan didn't write a follow-up, and it's been largely forgotten (except by Nora Olsen, who alerted me to its existence.) But it's firmly in the YA genre. Graham's claim about books for children is a blanket dismissal, which means that counterexamples, however obscure, call her whole argument into question. If Dive is remarkable, then other YA books can be remarkable too.
In the book's brutal opening, Virginia Dunn's dog is hit by a car. She gets it to the vet with the help of a passing stranger. The doctor calls her mom to ask if she'll pay for an operation—and Virginia's mom says "no."
Contrary to the argument that YA is simplistic and satisfying, there are few neat ends in the ensuing tale. Virginia makes a deal with the vet to work for him in exchange for treating her dog—but her mother's decision is never explained, much less apologized for. Instead, the violent mess and the arbitrary cruelty of those first pages seep and spread across the whole book. Virginia's father develops an incurable, rare blood disease; her best friend suddenly pushes away from her, leaving her even more isolated with her own and her family's grief.
Donovan's first-person narration mirrors and intensifies the sense of instability and loss. Virginia's voice is a loose stream of consciousness, jumping off from mundane details to metaphor or allusion and then slipping back through memory:
Now that it's spring, baby rabbits wobble beneath the trees every time I look outside. They somersault in midair and end up facing the direction they were hopping from, all shocked, like they don't know how they landed there. I guess they don't. How much can any living thing know that's been around only for a few short weeks? It makes me wonder how much I knew when I was a tiny, wobbling baby. I admit I feel pretty confused now. I have hazel eyes. They go green when I cry.
They're still green today. Can my eyes have their own memories? It was yesterday I wept, the reverberations of a car crashing a hundred miles an hour, crashing into my bones.
That's a passage fairly at random from the book, but it neatly encapsulates the novel's themes: disorientation, the inseparability of past and present (is Virginia confused as a baby, or confused now?), and the way those you love are part of you (whose bones did the car crash into?).
This selection also explains, economically, why this book is YA, and why the distinction between books for kids and books for adults is largely meaningless. A grown-up like Graham might have you believe that those confused rabbits wobbling outside stand in for somebody else—grownups, with the wisdom of age, know just how they landed where they landed, facing in the direction they're facing. But Donovan tells us it's not so easy: Whether we've lived a few short weeks or 15 short years, or 60—how much can we know? We adults see those bunnies, or those young people, as unstable, foolish, undeveloped, just so we can pretend we're the opposite of all those things. But even as we see, our eyes keep changing.
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Competition in the cable TV industry is a worthy goal, but proposed legislation meant to encourage it could cut into consumer protection and local programming, lawmakers were told Tuesday.
In a packed public hearing that spilled into the hallway outside a Capitol committee room, public officials, lobbyists, industry leaders and even children who produce a cable TV show weighed in on a bill that would eliminate municipal cable franchises and put the approval process in the hands of the state.
Many urged the legislators to think twice about doing away with subscription TV franchise agreements that are crafted one-by-one with communities. The proposed law would establish a uniform statewide standard intended to make it more appealing for new companies to enter cable markets in Wisconsin.
Janet Jenkins, the state's top consumer advocate, said the bill, called the Video Competition Act, would weaken existing standards in a variety of ways. She said, for instance, it would no longer ensure 30-day notice of rate increases to customers.
At the same time, she said, it would end the right to have service repaired within 72 hours and would not require credit be given on consumers' bills when a service interruption of four hours or longer occurs.
"We have significant concerns about the total lack of consumer protections in the legislation," said Jenkins, administrator of the Division of Trade and Consumer Protection.
The state agency that would license subscription television companies, the Department of Financial Institutions, also had reservations. . There is nothing in the legislation, for instance, that would let it deny an application, department lawyer Christopher Green said.
The League of Wisconsin Municipalities submitted a series of amendments to the bill that league Assistant Director Curt Witynski said would protect communities that already have franchise agreements. Among the proposals: Require cable companies to honor existing contracts with municipalities until competition exists within a community.
A driver of the legislation, which sponsors Rep. Phil Montgomery (R-Ashwaubenon) and Sen. Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee) said would help Wisconsin law catch up with today's technology, is the introduction of AT&T's new cable-like TV service to some regions of the state.
Montgomery said competition would force TV system operators to offer good service and better prices. He said the purpose of the bill is to "let competition thrive."
"Now that the technology has changed, it's a whole different ball field," Montgomery said.
However, Montgomery said, his committee will consider amendments that would improve the legislation.
Historically, communities have formed their own agreements with cable operators doing business in their area, granting them access to public rights-of-way in return for a percentage - often 5% - of revenue and the promise of local access programming.
The proposed state measure would take over the franchising of cable and video providers and cap at 5% of revenue the amount companies would pay to municipalities where they operate.
Some communities, especially those that have worked out deals to get extra money for local programming, are worried the cap will mean a reduction or even end to local productions they have developed for cable TV.
Zack Henderson, a youth involved with a Sun Prairie-based cable access station called KIDS-4, said he thought the law would put the station in jeopardy.
"It would be a major mistake to eliminate a program that has provided so much for the community and touched so many lives," he told the Assembly' Committee on Energy and Utilities.
Scott T. VanderSanden, the president of AT&T Wisconsin, told the committee that when AT&T enters a cable market "prices go down and service goes up."
"I suspect you might be asking, 'Why is AT&T so concerned with video?' Simply put, studies show that consumers want an alternative to cable and we want to provide that alternative," VanderSanden said.
He said AT&T operates in 438 communities in Wisconsin, and that if the company were required to negotiate TV franchise agreements with each one, consumers would have to wait years to get AT&T's video products.
"Under this bill, local governments get major benefits of revenue sharing and consumers see benefits of competition much sooner," VanderSanden said.
Tuesday's public hearing lasted almost nine hours. Many state groups, communities and individuals expressed their support or opposition to the bill in writing as well as in person. Among those in support were the Northeast Wisconsin Chamber Coalition, the African American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Milwaukee, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin and Competitive Wisconsin Inc.
Among those opposing the bill as written were the Citizens Utility Board, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, the City of Merrill and University of Wisconsin-Madison telecommunications professor Barry Orton.
Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem) said the Assembly would debate the bill on April 24 or the first week in May.
Steven Walters of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report from Madison.