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Why is sector reform so unpopular in Latin America?
Anyone contemplating sector reform in Latin America may wonder: Why is it so unpopular? Privatization--a reasonable proxy for sector reform more broadly--is widely disliked. Opinion polls by Latinobarometro (2002) find that approximately 70 percent of respondents disagree or strongly disagree that the privatization of state companies has been beneficial to their country (see figure 1). (1) Country surveys of Argentina and Peru reach the same conclusion. Public protests have led to cancellations of projects to privatize infrastructure in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, and Peru, among others. (2) Negative views about privatization have increased over time as experience with reform has lengthened (see figure 2). Country studies suggest that Latin Americans' perceptions of privatization have been strongly shaped by privatizations of infrastructure, which made up more than half of all privatizations from 1990 to 2000 (Nellis 2003), and that they are reactions not just to ownership change but to the combination of cost-recovery pricing, tariff rebalancing, legal reform, regulatory restructuring, market liberalization, and other changes that constitute sector reform. (3) These adverse opinions raise doubts about whether future reforms are possible and past reforms can be sustained. For sector reform to have a future in Latin America, reformers will need to understand the sources of dissatisfaction and how--even whether--they can be dealt with.[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
In this article, I present evidence that sector reform is unpopular even when it is beneficial to most actors. This counterintuitive conjunction may occur because sector reforms have not been designed to be politically sustainable. Better design may make reforms more politically viable, even if less economically coherent. Dislike of even beneficial sector reforms, however, may have deeper roots. I advance the premise that many Latin Americans view pro-market reform as an ultimatum game: even when they benefit, they view their gains as unfair because the politicians and businesspeople who decide on the distribution of benefits keep a much larger share of the gains for themselves. If this view is correct, then the unpopularity of sector reforms is rooted in deeper institutional failures.
Some observers assume that reforms such as utility privatization are unpopular because most people are made worse off: However, Nellis (2003) reviews a number of empirical studies of the effects of infrastructure privatization in Latin America, all of which conclude that privatization improved financial and operating performance in most firms, relaxed constraints on new investments, extended coverage and access to services, and generally enhanced the quality of services. McKenzie and Mookherjee (2003) find that privatization of utilities in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, and Nicaragua had largely positive consequences for consumers (see table 1). Access increased, in some cases dramatically. Prices did go up in half the cases, but they went down in the other half, and because access increases have a much larger impact on consumer welfare than price increases, the reforms had a largely positive effect on consumer welfare. Sector reforms generally reduced inequality or left it almost unchanged. As for jobs, large layoffs occurred in Argentina and Mexico, but layoffs in these capital-intensive sectors had limited impact on economywide unemployment, especially over the medium term. Where layoffs were large, a significant percentage of the unemployed were reemployed in the same sector within five years: 45-50 percent in Argentina and 80-90 percent in Mexico.
Welfare calculations are vulnerable to assumptions about elasticities and counterfactuals, but other evidence points to benefits. In Mexico and Chile, privatization and regulatory reform of state electricity, telecommunications, and airline industries improved total-factor productivity and service quality, as well as consumer welfare, worker welfare, and total welfare (Galal et al. 1994). Similar outcomes are reported for urban water in Buenos Aires and Santiago (Shirley 2002). Studies of telecommunications reforms in large samples of developing countries find that privatization combined with competition increased access to services (Petrazzini and Clarke 1996; Ros 1999; Wallsten 2000). Ramamurti (1996) finds that privatization of the railroads in Argentina improved productivity and service and reduced costs.
Negative perceptions might have arisen because reforms had adverse effects on the most vulnerable groups, but in fact such adverse effects did not occur. Some observers maintain that privatization and competition leads profit-oriented utilities to "cream skim"--to serve the most profitable customers and ignore the less-profitable poor, who require new investment to give them access to the service. The poor are usually the ones who did not have access before reform, and, because of expanded access, their welfare increased in all the cases shown in table 1. Others suggest that even if access is expanded, cost-recovery pricing makes the service unaffordable to the poor. This view is challenged by Clarke and Wallsten (2003), who analyze household-expenditure surveys and find that consumption of services by the poor increased after reforms. For example, even though electricity prices increased after reform in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, access by all households and especially by poorer households increased, sometimes substantially. This evidence matches their evidence for water supply. Galiani, Gertler, and Schargrodsky (2005) find that child mortality fell by 5-9 percent in the Argentine provinces that privatized water, thanks to a reduction in infectious and parasitic diseases. These effects were largest in the poorest regions, where access and water quality were the lowest before reforms.
Yet even where the poor seem to benefit, surprisingly large numbers do not view privatization as beneficial (figure 3). It is not surprising that most middle-class consumers-who probably already had service and now must pay more for it--have negative opinions of privatization. More surprising is that the lower-class support for privatization is so small--smallest in Argentina and Chile, the two countries that reformed the most.
The Buenos Aires water concession provides insights into how outcomes that seem almost Pareto optimal can still generate controversy (sec Alcazar, Abdala, and Shirley 2002). The concession contract signed with a French private operator in December 1992 led to a substantial increase in investment: as a result, 1.5 million additional people had access to piped water, and 583,000 to sewerage by 1998. Unlike in many other cases, water prices did not go up; they went down. Tariffs were reduced by almost 27 percent at signing, and, despite subsequent increases, they probably did not regain real 1992 levels for five years. Total domestic welfare in Buenos Aires increased by $1.7 billion compared to a counterfactual with no reforms, and 80 percent of this gain went to consumers (according to estimates in Alcazar, Abdala, and Shirley 2002). Workers also gained because layoffs were done through voluntary early retirement, and the workers who remained received 10 percent of the shares in the privatized water company. (4) Nevertheless, positive opinions of the concession fell from 36 percent in 1993 to 18 percent in 1997, and negative opinions rose from 33 to 52 percent (Centro de Estudios Union para la Nueva Mayoria, cited in Frade and Sohail Khan 2003, 275). (5)
Sector reforms seem to be unpopular despite, rather than because of, the consequences. McKenzie and Mookherjee (2003) give three reasons why sector reforms might be unpopular:
1. Inadequate public information about the benefits of reform, in part because benefits are widely diffused and less visible, whereas losses are highly concentrated and very visible, combined with humans' psychological tendency to dislike losses more than they value gains.
2. Association of privatization with other unpopular and perhaps painful pro-market reforms, such as fiscal contraction and trade liberalization.
3. Beliefs that basic services such as water or electricity should not be determined by the profit calculus of multinational corporations, combined with pessimism about the ability of the market, media, and regulators to compel private enterprises to serve the public interest.
Perhaps all these factors have contributed to the public's negative perception of sector reform to some extent. The first two are difficult to deal with. Inadequate information may seem to be a tractable problem, but government public-relations campaigns may not be trusted, and government may not be able to overcome some kinds of information imperfections. (6) Diffuse benefits and concentrated losses are inherent in sector reform. Further, as indicated earlier, reforms are unpopular even where there are few losses. The association of sector reform with other painful market reforms is often unavoidable: a macroeconomic crisis is usually necessary to motivate the change in the political status quo that is a prerequisite for sector reforms.
The third reason for the unpopularity of reform seems remediable, on its face. More attention to political sustainability and to safeguarding the public interest in the design of sector reforms can reduce public suspicion of privatization and pro-market reform. Once again the Argentine water concession is instructive. Although the concession's unpopularity arose in part because of some of the intractable reasons listed earlier, its design was also at fault. The provisions of the contract and the structure of the regulator fed customers' view that their interests were threatened and that no politically independent body was protecting them.
One design flaw was the tariff system. The concession did not change Buenos Aires's opaque and inefficient tariff regime based on a flat rate adjusted by five different factors (size of property; location of property; and size, type, and age of dwelling and other constructions). This tariff system made it impossible for customers to decipher, contest, or control their bills. Tariff increases were mandated whenever a detailed and complex cost index increased by more than 7 percent, resulting in lumpy, nontransparent, and controversial rate hikes. Because the concession was awarded to the operator that bid the largest tariff reduction, the public tended to view any tariff increase as evidence that the original bargain was a bad deal for the country.
The politicized regulatory agency was a second problem. The agency's board consisted of representatives of the federal, provincial, and local governments. Contrary to the intent of the agency's charter, board seats were treated as political appointments, and directors changed whenever the political leaders changed. Political rivals controlled the different levels of government, and partisan disputes often paralyzed the board. When directors did cooperate, they often did so only to engage in politically motivated horse trading and sometimes to make legally questionable but politically popular decisions that the executive branch subsequently overturned.
A third problem was the lack of regulatory independence. The executive branch did not just reverse decisions, including overturning fines levied on the operator for failure to meet the terms of the contract; it also on several occasions bypassed the regulator and reached agreement directly with the company. (7) Although executive intervention helped to preserve the credibility of the contract, it also signaled consumers that no independent regulator was adequately safeguarding their interests.
A final flaw was the decision to charge new users for the cost of extending the secondary network to serve them. Under state ownership, all users had shared this cost. Although the company was required to help new customers finance the charge, the operator gave new consumers only two years to pay what was a large sum for low-income households. (8) This "infrastructure charge" roused resentment, and most new customers refused to pay it. The contract was eventually renegotiated, and the charge was eliminated and replaced with rate surcharges through a highly controversial negotiation that fed further public suspicion.
Based on the Buenos Aires water concession, it may be possible to improve acceptance of sector reforms by designing them with greater sensitivity to political sustainability. Phasing in price increases gradually; awarding the concession on the basis of bids for new investment instead of price reductions; designing a transparent and efficient tariff regime and installing meters; spreading the cost of the expansion across all users or requiring better financing terms for poor customers; creating a less politicized, more independent regulator and a separate, more neutral appeals court--all these choices might have made the concession more politically sustainable. Of course, some design flaws that seem evident with hindsight may not be obvious at the time of reform. More important, many key actors are not likely to be sensitive to political sustainability. The technicians and advisors who design reforms are focused on and skilled in economic and technical rationality, not in political sustainability. Foreign advisors and donors are unlikely to understand the demands and compromises required by local circumstances. Politicians may have too short a time horizon to care about long-run acceptance or may believe with some justification that a reform with widespread benefits will eventually be popular regardless of its flaws. These considerations suggest that the reform team needs to include both analysts and former political actors with a deep understanding of the local political economy.
Design flaws notwithstanding, it is still a puzzle why consumers so dislike a reform that provides most with benefits and few with losses. Most political economy models assume that reforms with large positive payoffs, with many winners and few losers, will eventually become popular. Fernandez and Rodrik (1991) show how uncertainty over the distribution of gains and losses can prevent reforms with positive payoffs from being implemented, but they assume that such reforms will become popular if they are implemented. The three reasons given by McKenzie and Mookherjee (2003) seem inadequate to explain the large and growing unpopularity of the Buenos Aires water concession.
The dislike of the Buenos Aires concession and of other sector reforms in Latin America more broadly may stem from deeply rooted and widely generalized distrust of market forces and government safeguards. Although ideology stoked by populist politicians and interest groups may lie at the heart of this distrust, the negative view is also in part a response to reality: even when consumers gain, politicians and their cronies make much bigger gains. My hypothesis is that the source of this distrust is not the gain, but the game. There is wide acceptance of differential gains in market economies when people regard the gain as somehow proportionate or "deserved," especially when they believe that they might also have opportunities for profit. My premise is that many Latin Americans see sector reform as an ultimatum game. (9)
In the ultimatum game, two strangers are given a sum, say $100, to split. Player A, the Proposer, can offer any share he wishes, from nothing to $100, to player B, the Decider. If B accepts A's offer, both players keep their shares of the money; if B rejects A's offer, neither player receives anything. According to rationality assumptions, B should accept any positive offer, however small, and A should offer as little as possible. B had nothing before, and it is rational--by this reasoning--to prefer something to nothing. When the game is actually played, however, the Deciders regularly reject offers they consider "unfair." They turn down surprisingly large offers, and the game converges at about $40 for B and $60 for A. Although variants of the game produce different proposals, the Deciders persist in their preference for an "equitable" division of the pie and in their willingness to forgo a share in order to punish Proposers for "unfair" offers.
It is beyond the scope of this article to test this premise. Nonetheless, there is evidence of a broad sense of mistrust in Latin America, greater than in other developing areas, a mistrust that is not a product of sector reform, but that precedes and surrounds it. Data on trust from the World Values surveys (1995-96) suggest that Latin Americans have much higher levels of generalized mistrust than people do in other developing countries (figure 4). Less than one-third of Latin Americans surveyed in 2002 believed that they can trust the people who run the government of their country to do what is right, and on average those respondents believed that 71 percent of civil servants were corrupt (Latinobarometro 2002).
If sector reform--or market reform more broadly--is indeed perceived as an ultimatum game, then its unpopularity has deep institutional roots in laws and norms of behavior that give politicians and their business cronies access to large windfalls and curtail less-privileged groups' opportunities for advancement or redress. For sector reform to have a future in Latin America, it is therefore not enough for it to benefit consumers and to safeguard their interests through better regulation and contractual design. It must also allay the deeper sense of injustice. Unfortunately, we have limited understanding of how to change the embedded institutions that foster corruption, reduce economic opportunities, and deny legal protection for many citizens (Shirley 2003). The underlying institutions responsible for Latin America's unequal political and economic rights are deeply rooting in the colonial and even precolonial past (Engerman and Sokoloff 2002). Despite the promises made by some in the foreign-aid community, outsiders probably cannot change these embedded institutions short of occupying the country, if then.
Opportunities for change do arise, however, and at those moments the design of more sustainable reforms will depend on an understanding of formal rules and informal norms and of local institutions' history, failings, and incentives. Local scholars have a comparative advantage in understanding the idiosyncrasies of their country's institutions and in devising sustainable reforms, but they are often isolated and underfunded and tend to leave the country or move away from research. This problem can be dealt with, but only slowly: wholesale schemes to build local knowledge fall victim quickly to the same institutional failings that undermine other well-meaning reforms.
Acknowledgment: This article was prepared originally for presentation at the Stanford Center for International Development (SCID) Conference on Sector Reform, November 13-15, 2003.
Alcazar, Lorena, Manuel A. Abdala, and Mary M. Shirley. 2002. The Buenos Aires Water Concession. In Thirsting for Efficiency: The Economics and Politics of Urban Water System Reform, edited by Mary M. Shirley, 64-102. Oxford: Elsevier Science.
Apoyo, Opinion y Mercado. Various dates. Unpublished opinion polls, April 1989 to December 1997.
Camerer, Colin, and Richard Thaler. 1995. Anomalies: Ultimatums, Dictators, and Manners. Journal of Economic Perspectives 9, no. 2: 209-19.
Clarke, George R.G., and Scott Wallsten. 2003. Universal Service: Empirical Evidence on the Provision of Infrastructure to Rural and Poor Urban Consumers. In Infrastructure for Poor People: Public Policy for Private Provision, edited by Penelope J. Brook and Timothy C. Irwin, 21-76. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.
Engerman, Stanley L., and Kenneth L. Sokoloff. 2002. Factor Endowments, Inequality, and Paths of Development among New World Economies. Economia 3 (fall): 41-109.
Estudios Mora y Araujo, Noguera y Asociados. 2002. Unpublished opinion polls cited in Alcazar, Abdala, and Shirley 2002.
Fernandez, Raquel, and Dani Rodrik. 1991. Resistance to Reform: Status Quo Bias in the Presence of Individual-Specific Uncertainty. American Economic Review 81, no. 5: 1146-55.
Frade, Tomas, and M. Sohail Khan. 2003. Making Regulatory Mechanisms Work: Lessons from Cases of Private Sector Participation. Water Policy 5: 269-88.
Galal, Ahmed, Leroy Jones, Pankaj Tandon, and Ingo Vogelsang. 1994. Welfare Consequences of Selling Public Enterprise: An Empirical Analysis. New York: Oxford University Press for the World Bank.
Galiani, Sebastian, Paul Gertler, and Ernesto Schargrodsky. 2005. Water for Life: The Impact of the Privatization of Water Services on Child Mortality. Journal of Political Economy 113 (February): 83-120.
Guth, Werner, Rolf Schmittberger, and Bernd Schwarze. 1982. An Experimental Analysis of Ultimatum Bargaining. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 3: 367-88.
Latinobarometro. 2002-03. Available at www.latinobarometro.org.
McKenzie, David, and Dilip Mookherjee. 2003. Distributive Impact of Privatization in Latin America: An Overview of Evidence from Four Countries." Economia 3, no. 2: 161-218.
Nellis, John. 2003. Privatization in Latin America. Center for Global Development Working Paper no. 31. Washington, D.C.: Center for Global Development.
Petrazzini, Ben A., and Theodore H. Clarke. 1996. Costs and Benefits of Telecommunications Liberalization in Developing Countries. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Ramamurti, Ravi. 1996. Testing the Limits of Privatization: Argentine Railroads. World Development 25: 1973-93.
Ros, Agustin J. 1999. Does Ownership or Competition Matter? The Effects of Telecommunications Reform on Network Expansion and Efficiency. Journal of Regulatory Economics 15: 65-92.
Shirley, Mary M., ed. 2002. Thirsting for Efficiency: The Economics and Politics of Urban Water System Reform. Oxford: Elsevier Science.
--. 2003. What Does New Institutional Economics Tell Us about Development? Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of International Society for New Institutional Economics, Budapest, Hungary, September 2003.
Spiller, Pablo T., and Mariano Tommasi. 2000. The Institutional Foundations of Public Policy: A Transactions Approach with Application to Argentina. Working Paper. Presented to the annual meeting of the International Society for New Institutional Economics, Tubingen, Germany, September 22-24, 2000.
Thaler, Richard. 1988. Anomalies: The Ultimatum Game. Journal of Economic Perspectives 2, no. 4: 195-206.
Wallsten, Scott. 2000. Telecommunications Privatization in Developing Countries: The Real Effects of Exclusivity Periods. Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) Policy Paper. Stanford, Calif.: SIEPR.
(1.) Data are taken from Latinobarometro, which polls a sample of 18,526 respondents in seventeen Latin American countries annually.
(2.) The opinion polls for Peru are Apoyo, Opinion y Mercado (April 1989-December 1997), and those for Argentina are from Estudios Moray Araujo, Noguera y Asociados (2002); the information on opposition to privation projects is cited in Nellis 2003.
(3.) For example, respondents who hold a negative opinion of privatization in Lima cite increases in utility prices and layoffs as its main negative effects (see, for example, Apoyo opinion surveys, various years).
(4.) There is also evidence that service improved. For example, response times to complaints were much quicker, less than one-third of the time required before privatization, and three years after the concession more than half of all consumers had adequate water pressure, compared to 17 percent before the privatization (Alcazar, Abdala, and Shirley 2002).
(5.) Approximately 27 percent were neutral, and 3 percent had no opinion.
(6.) For example, poor people in Buenos Aires whose homes were not connected to the water and sewer systems often relied on shallow wells and septic tanks or privies and suffered higher disease rates from bacterial contamination. These users may not have been aware that their water was contaminated.
(7.) Decisions could be appealed to the Supreme Court, but in Argentina the Supreme Court is not seen as neutral; since Peron, it has been famously vulnerable to politically motivated interference by the executive (see Spiller and Tommasi 2000). Justices are regularly impeached, and one of newly elected President Menem's first acts was to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from five to nine (Alcazar, Abdala, and Shirley 2002, 83).
(8.) The infrastructure charge was between $615 and $912 on top of the usual connection charge ($492-$616; all numbers are 1995 U.S. dollars). The average monthly income in the poorer areas was $200-45. See Alcazar, Abdala, and Shirley 2002, 85.
(9.) See Guth, Schmittberger, and Schwarze 1982; Thaler 1988; and Camerer and Thaler 1995.
Mary M. Shirley is president of the Ronald Coase Institute.
Table 1 Effects of Privatization of Utilities on Consumers Change Change Effects on in Access in Prices Consumer % % Welfare Argentina Electricity 3.8 -16.1 positive Telephone 33.3 -32.5 positive Water -16 Bolivia Electricity 2.9 -8.3 lgly positive Telephone 21.6 26.2 lgly positive Water 14.3 La Paz, El Alto -10.5 positive Cochabamba 43 negative Mexico Telephone 41.4 47.9 n.a. Water 6.8 9.2 n.a. Nicaragua Electricity 11.7 24.2 mixed Effects on Welfare of Poor Effects on Consumers Inequality Argentina Electricity positive reduced Telephone positive reduced Water Bolivia Electricity positive reduced Telephone positive increased Water La Paz, El Alto positive reduced Cochabamba positive none Mexico Telephone n.a. n.a. Water n.a. n.a.. Nicaragua Electricity lgly positive sm. increase Source: Adapted from McKenzie and Mookherjee, 2003.
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Author: | Shirley, Mary M. |
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Geographic Code: | 0LATI |
Date: | Sep 22, 2005 |
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This is the recording, mastering, and distribution project for the full-length debut album of Seattle rock band Certain Inertia. Read more
This is the recording, mastering, and distribution project for the full-length debut album of Seattle rock band Certain Inertia.
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Certain Inertia is a Seattle band whose founding members, Peter and Brien, have been playing together since 2003. Though the band has encountered many hurdles and setbacks, as bands made of people tend to do, Certain Inertia has persevered and continues to rock local venues with their unique synergy of Peter's unmistakable acoustic terrain and Brien's searing classic-rock-inspired leads and vocals. Each catchy tune is a personal love letter to what the band adores about music, and a testament to their dedication to the craft.
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Gallery: an urban London car safari
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Persuasion and Political Debate To paraphrase Aristotle, rhetoric is the ability to identify the best ways to persuade an audience under the given circumstances. One of the most critical differences candidates for president must learn is how a public address is different from a formal debate. In this exercise students will explore rhetorical strategies and the difficulties inherent in trying to advance arguments in the face of partisan opposition. Estimated Time of Completion: 2 hours I. Objectives
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Letter from Wallace to his daughter Violet giving the details of a séance and the train journey to Boston, undated, probably December 1886. (extract)
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Arthur in WA
Wallet was bought for my son and he loves it. What can I say besides it hold money well and has plenty of room for other things such as cards and change. Seems to be durable also.
Read All ReviewsKeith in MA
I put this sticker on my rear cargo box, getting positive comments all the time
Read All ReviewsDustin in MI
Looks to be high quality, won't be able to put it on my bike till spring but looks good.
Read All ReviewsMichael in ON
nice small sticker seems to be okay quality
Read All ReviewsSteve in ID
It's pretty funny when people read my helmet sticker.
Read All ReviewsPeter in ON
This sticker is hilarious
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Not sure if anyone else noted this story in The New York Times early this week: "Fearing Future, China Starts to Give Girls Their Due." The piece says the powers that be in China just might be considering a shift from the controversial one-child policy (enacted in the 1970s to help control population growth) to a two-child policy. Why? Well, for one, there's a grave shortage of girls in the country, due to selective abortion (or worse):In early January, the government announced that the nationwide ratio had reached 119 boys for every 100 girls. Studies show that the average rate for the rest of the world is about 105 boys for every 100 girls. Demographers predict that in a few decades China could have up to 40 million bachelors unable to find mates. These figures may bring to mind some sort of hideous plot for a reality show. (Oh, wait, isn't that a tautologous statement? Someone throw me a bone.) But the dismal issues of selective abortion and female infanticide aside, the story also hints at a topic being discussed in other parts of the world, too, one that ought to concern environmentalists but hasn't received much attention thus far in the United States: Does there come a point at which declines in fertility rates advance too far? The Times piece alludes to a "looming baby bust" in China. Who will provide for the country's "rapidly aging population"? How scary that the world's most populous country might be considering -- never mind enacting -- policies to encourage people to have more kids. While such a possibility may be a ways off in China, the discussion has been more fully joined in parts of Europe. I just returned from a trip with three French citizens, progressives all, who voiced deep concern that their country's population was leveling off. They talked with passion about the need for France and Europe as a whole to find a way to fuel population growth, whether through immigration or E.U. expansion or whathaveyou. Rather than celebrating success at approaching zero population growth or, better yet, a decreasing population -- with all the imaginable pluses for resource consumption, CO2 emissions, and other forms of pollution -- they focused on the need for population growth. I have greatly simplified the Times piece here (and also somewhat my friends' perspective) to call attention, however inarticulately, to this underreported debate. Seems to me that environmentalists should be working furiously to show that a country with a declining population can still be competitive economically and provide a high level of social services (Scandinavian or French style). It's beyond me at the moment to make this argument -- I confess I'm new to the topic, too -- but I wonder whether anyone out there can do so. Anyone? Anyone?
Caught me offguard that in his ambivalent Election Day nonendorsement (New York Times policy) endorsement of George Bush for reelection, conservative columnist David Brooks cites the president's environmental record as a primary reason to be frustrated with the current administration:[Bush] came to power with good ideas on how to move the G.O.P. beyond the Gingrich stall. But time and again, he abandoned his reformist strategy to give spoils to the G.O.P. donor base. To take one small example: on environmental policy, he showed interest in moving to a flexible, market-based system that would have cleaned the environment better than the current system. But too often rules were written to please key industries. Voters who could have been turned on by new, effective approaches were instead appalled at unseemly self-dealing.
Factcheck.org, the website the vice president tried to make famous, has this to say about the two presidential candidates' energy plans: "Kerry and Bush Mislead Voters With Promises of Energy Independence." The website, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, writes:Kerry focuses on conservation efforts, but most agree his plan is little more than an outline. Bush supports expanded drilling in Alaska to increase domestic oil supply, but the US has only about 3 percent of the world's oil reserves. At current rates of consumption that would only last 4.5 years.Factcheck.org seems to hang its hat on a Rocky Mountain Institute study that found that the U.S. could end its reliance on foreign oil by 2040 -- "but that would require a ten-year investment of $180 billion, and such steps as taxing gas-guzzling vehicles and providing government subsidies for low-income buyers of fuel-efficient autos. Neither candidate is proposing anything close to that." In many ways, the conclusions of Factcheck.org match those reached by New Yorker author John Cassidy in his recent piece "Pump Dreams; Is Energy Independence An Impossible Goal?"
In a Rolling Stone interview with magazine founder and media bigwig Jann Wenner, John Kerry says that global warming would be his No. 1 environmental priority. Asked whether he agrees with Al Gore that the time of the internal-combustion engine is ending, Kerry, ever the audacious fella, says, "I wouldn't make that kind of a bold pronouncement." Much as Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) does in Grist's interview with her, Kerry endeavors to sell his environmental plan as a jobs plan.I want American workers working; I want American cars made in America; I want American cars to be able to be sold anywhere in the world. I want to lead the world in these technologies. So I want these companies part of the solution -- not the problem. I think we can get there -- I really believe that.Kerry disputes that environmental issues have disappeared from the presidential campaign and says he talks about the environment and energy independence in every stump speech. In all, Wenner asks the candidate eight or nine questions on the environment. Kerry hasn't been quoted as much on the environment since, well, Grist's exclusive environment-only interview with him ...
Fans of The Snow Leopard, Killing Mister Watson, At Play in the Fields of the Lord -- or for that matter, anyone who cherishes good writing and clear thinking -- might want to check out Orion Online's three-part video interview with wise man Peter Matthiessen. The interview series is entitled "Our Political Environment: Environmental Policy, Corporate Ethics, and Global Warming."
In a lukewarm endorsement of John Kerry today, The Washington Post makes a fleeting, single-sentence reference to the environment and the candidates' environmental records:Where Mr. Bush ignored the dangers of climate change and favored industry at the expense of clean air and water, Mr. Kerry is a longtime and thoughtful champion of environmental protection.
For those who despair about the environment, who wonder, say, whether the world will ever take sufficient action to counter climate change, I give you ... the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Down 3-0 against their arch-nemeses, the New York Yankees, the Sox rallied tonight to win the seven-game series, becoming the first team in the history of Major League Baseball to overcome such a deficit. To a lifelong Red Sox fan -- someone conditioned from birth to always dream but never achieve -- someone, um, like myself, coated in the scar tissue of the devastating losses of the past -- a victory like tonight's can't help but give one rose-colored glasses. (At least for a night.) Who says we can't tackle climate change? Maybe the solar revolution is upon us. This is the dawning of the age of Green-arius. I'm only partially joking. As Tyler Kepner wrote in his piece posted on the New York Times website immediately after the Sox win:It was actually happening. The nerd was kissing the homecoming queen. Paper was beating scissors; scissors were beating rock. Charlie Brown was kicking the football. The Red Sox were beating the Yankees for the American League pennant.
In its Sunday endorsement of Kerry and scathing critique of Bush, The New York Times spends more time on the environment than the candidates did in their three debates. (To whom does such an endorsement speak -- do any undecideds read The Times?) Amidst the many many paragraphs that lay out an argument against a second Bush administration, the patient greenie finds this one:If Mr. Bush had wanted to make a mark on an issue on which Republicans and Democrats have long made common cause, he could have picked the environment. Christie Whitman, the former New Jersey governor chosen to run the Environmental Protection Agency, came from that bipartisan tradition. Yet she left after three years of futile struggle against the ideologues and industry lobbyists Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney had installed in every other important environmental post. The result has been a systematic weakening of regulatory safeguards across the entire spectrum of environmental issues, from clean air to wilderness protection.The editorial spends more time condemning Bush's record than building a case for a Kerry presidency. Yet, the editorial board found space among the relatively few sentences allocated to praising Kerry to call attention to this environmental matter:
Thomas Friedman is back at The New York Times after a two-month hiatus. I don't always agree with his stands (and enjoyed the alternative voices that appeared in The Times during his absence), but find it heartening that his second op-ed upon returning has an environmental bent:Of all the shortsighted policies of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, none have [Editor's Note: Grist editors would not have let slip this misuse of have] been worse than their opposition to energy conservation and a gasoline tax. If we had imposed a new gasoline tax after 9/11, demand would have been dampened and gas today would probably still be $2 a gallon. But instead of the extra dollar going to Saudi Arabia -- where it ends up with mullahs who build madrasas that preach intolerance -- that dollar would have gone to our own Treasury to pay down our own deficit and finance our own schools. In fact, the Bush energy policy should be called No Mullah Left Behind. Interesting perspective -- and certainly not one we've heard from the Kerry campaign.


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What does RTO mean in Networking?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand RTO in the Computing field in general and in the Networking terminology in particular.
Round-trip Time Out
in the context of tcp (as in tcp/ip); not abbreviated rtt because that already stands for round-trip time.
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"RTO." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://www.abbreviations.com/term/362527>.
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- Radio Telephone Operator
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- Ready Training Online
- Real Time Output
- Real-Time Oscillograph
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Product Description
Available while supplies last.
This Iron Chandelier by World Imports has a rust finish. For use with eight 60-watt clear incandescent candelabra bulbs.
Inspired by classical European designs, this original chandelier is constructed of high quality iron in a rustic finish.
- Includes 10' chain and 12' wire.
Finish: | Rust | |
Light Bulb: | (8)60w B10 Cand C Incand | |
Voltage: | 120 volt | |
Installation: | Dry Locations [Explain] | |
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Bulb sold separately
Dimensions & Weights
Canopy Diameter: | 5 inches |
Overall Height: | 12 feet 2 inches |
Diameter: | 29 inches |
Height: | 26 inches |
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Category | Chandeliers - 89 |
Style | Traditional - 143 |
Sales Rank | 3520 |
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The Old Low Light is a Grade ll listed building, the oldest surviving building on North Shields Fish Quay. It began life as a lighthouse, belonging to Trinity House of Newcastle upon Tyne and was enclosed by Clifford's Fort in 1672. In the early 19th century, it was converted into an Almshouse and during the 20th century was used as a training establishment for the Deep Sea Fisheries Association and later the Maritime Volunteer Service. It stands within the Fish Quay Conservation Area, is owned by North Tyneside Council and leased to Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust which is currently refurbishing the building to ensure its future.
© The Net (19.03.2012)
The original Old Low Light, along with the Old High Light, was established in the first half of the 16th century by Trinity House of Newcastle upon Tyne. Viewed from the sea, vertical alignment of these two lights ensured safe navigation of the treacherous mouth of the River Tyne. The building we see now is generally reckoned to have been rebuilt around 1727 and ceased to function as a lighthouse in 1810. At least three phases of construction and alteration are evident and are being verified by details coming to light during its current refurbishment.
The first graphic representation of the Low Light lighthouse appears on Ralph Gardner's 1655 perspective map of the River of Tyne. It is depicted as a tall square tower, very likely of two storeys and similar to the High Light shown on the same map.
In 1672 Clifford's Fort was built to serve as a coastal defence against the Dutch. Its structure enclosed the Low Light which was provided with a separate entrance (a postern), the remains of which survive in the sunken 'garden' west of the existing building. Only ten years later Trinity House was seeking funds, via increased shipping tolls, to repair both the High and Low Lights which were in a ruinous condition.
In the early 1700s Clifford's Fort was remodelled. Trinity House records of the time incude legal bills relating to the Fort and access to their land enclosed by it – the first signs of a rather uneasy relationship between themselves and the Governor of the Fort. The Low Light was rebuilt or remodelled in 1727, very likely to raise the height of its lantern because the Governor's house (built 1726) was obstructing the light!
Further repairs and changes took place throughout the 1700s and by 1773 the original tallow candles had been replaced by oil lamps. Maps of the late 1700s show a building with the same basic 'footprint' as the current building.
By 1805 the Old Low Light became redundant, as it could no longer be used for alignment with the Old High Light to ensure safe entry to the river. New Low and High Lights were constructed 1808-10; these being the distinctive tall white towers standing on the quayside and high on the river bank today.
In 1830 the Old Low Light was remodelled as Trinity Alms Houses and provided with a pitched roof. The building appears on the First Edition Ordnance Survey 1:500 map of 1860. The first photographs of the area appear around this time and show the Old Low Light but, alas, it appears in the background only and not as a main subject.
A late 19th century drawing by RJS Bertram shows the eastern end of the south facade much as it is today, though the large heraldic plaque and two ornate carved figures do not survive.
The Maritime Service Volunteers quitted the building around Sept-Oct 2011. The whole of Clifford's Fort, including the Old Low Light, lie within the Fish Quay Conservation Area designated in 2003. Although much of the Old Low Light's history has been deemed subordinate to Clifford's Fort (and also overshadowed by the former lighthouse at Tynemouth Castle) it remains a building of high significance – locally, regionally and nationally.
The building is once again undergoing refurbishment by Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust. It is hoped that the Net will occupy the building and bring it to new life as a Cultural and Heritage Centre.
Much fuller details of the history of the Old Low Light can be obtained from the Conservation Statement supplied by Northern Counties Archaeological Services for a Planning Application submitted by the Net to North Tyneside Council (Plan App No.12/01599/LBC) in October 2012.
Thanks are due to NCAS (Northern Counties Archaeological Services) for permission to extract details from their original document for this 'potted history'.


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Local Veterinarians in Your Area
3364 Princess Anne Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Banfield is a convenient, affordable and wise choice for all of your Pet's healthcare needs. We take an innovative and caring approach to healthcare that enables us to consistently provide Pets with the same level of care we want for ourselves. In keeping with our commitment to quality, each
4001 Legato Road, Fairfax, VA 22033
The Pender Veterinary Centre is our general practice at Pender, where dogs and cats can receive the best in surgical, routine and diagnostic care from our esteemed team of 27 veterinarians. Whether you're bringing your kitten in for a routine check-up or you're interested in learning more about oral
4508 Upper Cub Run Drive , Chantilly, VA 20151
The Pender Veterinary Centre at Dulles Gateway is a satellite animal hospital of the prestigious Pender Veterinary Centre in Fairfax. From this Chantilly location, our veterinary practice provides convenient, compassionate care for dogs and cats throughout Northern Virginia. Services include annual


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Oakland Living 2005 Mississippi 3 Piece Outdoor Bistro Set
Product Description
Available while supplies last.
Mississippi 3 Piece Bistro Set
This three piece bistro set will be a beautiful addition to your patio, balcony or outdoor entertainment area.
- (1) Bistro Table - 26"H x 26"Dia
- (2) Chairs - 16"D x 17"W x 36"H x 17.5" Seat Height
- Lightweight rust free cast aluminum construction
- Hardened powder coat finish for years of beauty
- Fade, chip and crack resistant
- Easy to follow assembly instructions and product care information
Oakland Living recommends that the products be covered to protect them when not in use. To preserve the beauty and finish of the metal products, applying an epoxy clear coat once a year is recommended.
Materials: | Cast Aluminum | |
Weight: | 46 Pounds | |
Usage: | Assembly Required | |
Warranty | 1 Year Limited | |
Furniture Grade This field allows you to distinguish between products that are intended for commercial or residential use. Commercial grade products are suitable for residential use but are often more expensive and designed to withstand more wear and tear; they may also carry longer warranties. Residential products are still of upstanding quality, but are designed to endure average homeowner or family conditions. | Furniture Grade | Residential |
Dining Set Type We offer several different types of Outdoor Dining Sets, including Formal, Bistro, and Bar Dining Sets. | Dining Set Type | Bistro |
Umbrella Hole Outdoor tables often come with a hole to add a patio umbrella. This field allows you to narrow your search by tables with or without umbrella holes. | Umbrella Hole | With Hole |
Seating Type This option allows you to search for furniture based the type of seating you are looking for. We offer several different seating type options including sling or strap. | Seating Type | Without Cushions |
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Category | Outdoor Dining Sets - 861 |
Style | Traditional - 143 |
Sales Rank | 31 |
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By Scott Calhoun
Why cactus?
I tend to specialize in horticultural lost causes, and cactus are the outcasts and misfits of the gardening world. While I was photographing gardens around the U.S. for my book, Designer Plant Combinations, it occurred to me that most home gardens contain exactly zero species of cactus. In my estimation, they are the most underrepresented group of plants in gardens, nurseries, and plant books.
As I stewed over this injustice, my own cactus collection expanded. I grew a species of pincushion whose flowers smell exactly like Lemon Pledge, and a prickly pear cactus whose fruit makes alluring magenta lemonade and margaritas. I added the totem pole, whose spineless skin looks like melted wax, and the feather cactus whose furry spines feel like the hair of a terrier. I became ensnared in a love affair with spiny plants. I caught, and still have, an STD (spine transmitted disease) called cactomania.
I began taking long dangerous trips into the Mexican backcountry with succulent plant explorers. I became acquainted with a vast subculture of spiny plant enthusiasts and cactus traders across the globe: a Bangkok peyote grower, a Tokyo executive who collects living rock cactus, and a young Czech organizing a Prague conference called "Spiny Perspectives". I lusted after artisan made pots fashioned to resemble meteorites and sea creatures.
Got Weirdness?
The gardens cactomaniacs cultivate are hardly traditional. Their plants are not potted, but rather "staged". They plant cactus among knobby rocks to approximate their natural habitats and the most discerning collectors apply a final top-dressing of micro-gravel collected from special anthills whose locations they keep secret. As a final flourish, wildflower seeds from the same range of the staged species are sprinkled over the gravel. Many cactus species are exceptionally slow-growing and long-lived—some so much so that they will be passed down to the next generation. They more closely resemble sculptures set on plinths than plants. I'm not even sure if what cactus growers do with their plants can be called gardening, but don't care because it is so weirdly beautiful! I've decided that weirdness is a greatly undervalued quality in gardens. In my horticultural pursuits, I aspire to high weirdness.
Prickly and Tasty
The ethno-botanical history of cactus is deliciously culinary. It is full of marvelously tasty but strangely packaged fruit absent from the produce aisles of the First World: hedgehog cactus fruits are encased in a web of spines that magically fall off when the fruit is ripe, revealing a strawberry-like nugget; the whortleberry, whose grape-sized fruit has the acid-sweet zing of a cranberry-blueberry cross; the organ pipe, whose golf-ball sized gems are said to be the tastiest of all cactus. The organ pipe's fruit are eaten fresh, and turned into wine by the native Seri in a wild bacchanalia celebrating their New Year. The organ pipe fruit, which is full of tiny seeds, is so prized that the Seri historically enjoyed it twice—picking through their own feces to reclaim the nutty high-fat seeds in a "second harvest." This is not a practice I recommend for the home gardener, but to each his own.
Kings of Xeriscape
And then there are the practical reasons for growing cactus. Cactus are the undisputed grand champions of drought tolerance. If climate doomsday scenarios prove true, neither watering restrictions nor hotter temperatures should prevent gardeners from planting cactus. When climatologists speak of desertification, I think, more cactus! As a person who is occasionally forced to live a life outside my garden, to hit the road and sell some books, I find it comforting to know that my cactus collection will be stoically enduring whatever the Mother Nature dishes out in my absence.
They are the ideal antidote to fussy perennials that wilt in a warm breeze or trees insistent on dropping their leaves around the yard. Cactus, on the other hand, are nearly perfectly clean, dropping almost no annoying leaf litter on your patio. They also require less watering than any kind of plant that isn't plastic. When I walk by my cactus, they seem to say, "By the way old chap, would you mind giving me a sprinkle of water when you think of it, it is bloody hot out here. No rush, don't trouble yourself, just next time you have a watering can at the ready." Yes, my prickly ones speak to me with British accents. In fact, my cactus sound like Keith Richards.
To me, cactus are more masculine than any other plant group. Even those with stunning flowers (and there are many), avoid prissiness by arranging them in a snarl of thorns. The sort of frilliness associated with cottage gardens is nowhere to be seen in the cactus world. When garden clubs ask me to speak, they often say something like, "you can speak on any of your areas of expertise, but please, no cactus." I usually sneak some cactus in anyway.
Beyond Ouch!
The pain factor is way overblown. With good gloves and a little technique, you hardly ever get poked. And when you do, it is just not a big deal. Take it from someone who is horrified by needles. In fact, the pain you share with your cactus may further endear you–a sort of horticultural Stockholm syndrome. You too may contract an STD in these intimate interactions with your plants, but the symptoms are largely manageable and not completely debilitating. Buy some long tweezers, a set of welding gloves (for the very prickliest species), and you are pretty well set. For small plants, regular gardening gloves work fine. You can also handle many species by their roots without gloves at all.
But I live in Zone 5?
Well, yes, you cannot grow as many species outdoors in the coldest parts of the country, but in a sunny windowsill, you can grow a host of potted cactus plants that you can bring onto the patio during the warm months. And if you want to grow cactus in the ground, there are a few hardy species to choose from. Consider the following: Potato cactus (Opuntia fragilis) is the most cold-hardy cactus and grows well into Canada. It is low growing, forming a mat of little round pads, blooms pink or yellow, and is hardy to Zone 1. Beehive cactus (Escobaria vivipera) grows from Mexico to southern Canada, and sports hot pink flowers and fruit with a strawberry-kiwi flavor. It is hardy to Zone 4b.
Obsession with spiny plants is not limited to the desert Southwest. Just ask the Oregon-based author of the Danger Garden blog, whose mantra is, "Nice plants are boring – my love is for plants that can hurt you."
Scott Calhoun is the author of six books about gardening. Timber Press has just published his newest title, The Gardener's Guide to Cactus. In addition to writing, he runs Zona Gardens, a landscape design studio based in Tucson, Arizona: www.zonagardens.com.


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Pour a glass of wine and chat
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Too Much of a Good Thing is Not Such a Good Thing
We have all overindulged on occasion and suffered the melancholy consequences of our immoderate behavior. In my case, this was usually not premeditated; it was just that one drink led to another and the point of no return was suddenly in the rearview mirror. (For the overly literal out there, "the rearview mirror" reference is […]
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Can you make a fortune in wine?
Sure, buy a liquor store. Ha, Ha. But wine can be an investment since it is a commodity and the value of highly prized wines fluctuates and can even be tracked on the Internet and in The Wine Spectator. A recent incident brought this topic to my attention. Last week we held an arboretum tour, […]
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Confessions of a Journeyman Wine Pairer
As head of the Albany chapter of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, I attend at least five tasting dinners a year. These dinners take place a couple weeks or a month in advance of the actual black tie event and the main purpose is to match wines for each course. The tasting committee consists of five […]
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The Cork Dorks Ride Again
I have written before about the "Collectors Club" a/k/a the Cork Dorks, an assemblage of middle aged and older gents, who get together on a monthly basis for blind tastings at various restaurants. These are the guys who each cart in a dozen or more tasting glasses, which often provokes curious stares and humorous comments […]
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Other Invasive Creatures
Claire's distressing (but amusing, at least to us) confrontations with Canada Geese at her camp in the Adirondacks brings to mind a recent encounter I had with a species unencumbered by webbed feet. (In defense of the geese, I can only submit that they are possessed of brains the size of a walnut and, unlike […]
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Repairing the World – One Small Step at a Time
The Hebrew expression "tikkun olam" translates into repairing or healing the world. While not a biblical injunction, it is something that all Jews are at least theoretically responsible for and can accomplish by performing "mitzvots" or good deeds. The idea is that while we cannot single-handedly rid the world of disease or create world peace, […]
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New Blades
About 19 years ago, for my 50th birthday, I received my first pair of Rollerblades©, showing that it's never too late to pick up a new skill. Of course, having been an avid ice skater (hockey, not figure, but thanks for asking) for many years prior to that, I was a good candidate for this […]
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Tennessee, The Final Chapter
On the day before we left Crossville, we visited the Shanks Art Gallery, which recently opened in a former food warehouse and distribution center owned (and later donated) by the Shanks family. Our host was a very attentive gentleman who I will call John (which may or may not be his actual name – because […]
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More Tales from the Heartland
Holly's stepmother wanted to Baptize immerse us in the Tennessee experience and to that end, she insisted that we visit the "Crossville Treehouse". People come from far and wide to view this massive structure, even though you will not find it listed in any tourist guide, nor are there signs directing you to its remote […]
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God's Country – Now with wine!
At least once a year we make a pilgrimage down to Tennessee to visit with Holly's stepmother who lives in a tiny retirement community about ten miles outside of Crossville. Crossville lies an hour and a half east of Nashville by car, boasts some 11,000 souls and is the county seat of Cumberland County. We […]
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text: On Tue, 2004-08-03 at 19:05 +0200, wrote: > Sure, I do not mind to help test this setup. I setup a virtualhost in > httpd.conf as described on the wiki page, and just added a > lfs.lfs-matrix.de in DNS, so that will take a few hours/a day to be > ready. Rsync already runs as "rsyncd --daemon --compress" and I setup a > as described in "Option 1". So, you can already try to throw data my > way, just you cannot access it under lfs.lfs-matrix.de until DNS is > finished. Let me know when there is something new. Thanks. Justin, I'm getting errors from your server, can you try running the rsync daemon withouth the --compress flag, please? It seems to fail on files that are already zipped, like a bz2, etc. Thanks, -- Jeremy Huntwork http://www.jenacon.net


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Last weekend, I was lucky enough to participate in Startup Weekend NYC as a Mentor for User Experience. The pitches were judged on three categories: Business Model, Customer Validation and Execution. The team with the winning pitch receives a package … Continue reading
Security Basics Part 1: Principle of Least Privilege
At AppNexus, we're proud of the innovative solutions we come up with to tackle our complex problems. But sometimes the most important solutions aren't the bleeding edge ones that the engineer next to me thinks of between his oatmeal and … Continue reading


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Kevin M wrote:Why don't you just move the money to Vanguard?
stratton wrote:
Ishares has several. MUB is intermediate and SUB is short term.
jbreittling wrote:What is the boglehead take on such alarmist types of articles?
letsgobobby wrote:I bonds seem better than TIPS, especially in taxable accounts. Of course subject to low annual purchase limits.


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I was pleasantly surprised with the immediate assistance with my order after I emailed MJM. They helped me out right away and they are fixing my...Read More ->
Most businesses have three things they can offer: price, product and service. It's rare that one business consistently offers all three. After more...Read More ->


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Skip Maine state header navigation
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The final paragraph of Title 24-A M.R.S.A. Section 2848(1-B) provides: For purposes of this subsection, a "period of continuing federally creditable coverage" means a period in which an individual has maintained federally creditable coverage through one or more plans or programs, with no break in coverage exceeding 63 days. In calculating the aggregate length of a period of continuing federally creditable coverage that includes one or more breaks in coverage, only the time actually covered is counted. A waiting period is not counted as a break in coverage if the individual has other federally creditable coverage during this period. For purposes of this subsection and subsection 1-C, "group health plan" has the same meaning as specified in the federal Public Health Service Act, Title XXVII, Section 2791(a). [Emphasis added.] It should be noted that, while the italicized sentence only addresses situations where the individual has other federally creditable coverage, a waiting period is not counted as a break in coverage regardless of whether the individual had other coverage. This interpretation is consistent with the intent of the law and with the requirements of federal law. The Superintendent will apply this interpretation in enforcing Section 2848.
March 9, 2004 Alessandro A. Iuppa Superintendent of Insurance
NOTE: This bulletin is intended solely for informational purposes. It is not intended to set forth legal rights, duties or privileges nor is it intended to provide legal advice. Readers are encouraged to consult applicable statutes and regulations and to contact the Bureau of Insurance if additional information is needed.
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Last Updated: September 27, 2010


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Introducing iCoat Wardrobes for iPhone 4
Wednesday 2nd February 2011 by Andy Simpson in iPhone.
No, they're not little cupboards to hang all your iPhone accessories in! iCoat Wardrobes are a range of coloured covers for your iPhone and are available is softer pastel shades for her and bolder, brighter colours for him – although there's no rules to say who can or can't use them.
The iCoat Wardrobe for Him includes iPhone Covers in Black, Blue, Red, Yellow and Beige while the iCoat Wardrobe for Her includes White, Gold, Pink, Purple and Crimson iPhone Covers, so finding a cover to go with your outfit really shouldn't be a problem!
Each iPhone 4 cover clips firmly onto your phone and protects the back and sides against knocks, bumps and scratches, as well as preventing any signal issues you may get by touching the antenna.
To keep your screen as pristine as the back cover of your iPhone, a crystal clear iPhone 4 Screen Protector is also included.
iCoat Wardrobes are available now, head over to their product pages by clicking on the images above if you want more details.
Related posts:
- 10 of the Best iPhone 4 Hard Cases
- Ultra thin and doubles your iPhone 4 battery! Introducing the Incipio offGRID
- iPhone Christmas Gift Ideas
- Will & Kate Royal Wedding Cases for iPhone 4
- Bling Your iPad with Bling My Thing
Tags: iPhone 4, iPhone 4 back plate,


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ROCK CRYSTAL BURNISHED SILVER Bracelet
$ 490
Finely crafted by expert artisans, this unusual bracelet has been given a sophisticated appeal by the elegant transparency of the rock crystal lens stone, set in a silver frame, and burnished silver band with a twisted finish. A discreet hook and eye fastener complete the piece.
- Hook closure
Composition: Hyaline Quartz, Silver
Diameter: 0.6 Inches
Made In Italy
Select color
Select size (Size Guide)
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Pronunciation: 保鑣
Added on: 2008-06-23
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- Pronunciation by cyliao (Female from Taiwan)
- Could you do it better? different accent? Pronounce 保鑣 in Mandarin Chinese
- Random word: 基本組織
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View all available promotions
This was a wonderful hotel in a perfect location. My wife and I stayed there on the way out after... See full review
This was a wonderful hotel in a perfect location. My wife and I stayed there on the way out after...
The hotel was nice but the staff was not very efficient. They did not have enough people at the... See full review
The hotel was nice but the staff was not very efficient. They did not have enough people at the...
Customers who viewed Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour also booked these hotels.
Rates quoted in currencies other than the hotel's base currency are subject to the rate of the international exchange. Rate may change throughout stay. Rate may reflect average nightly rate. Extra charges may apply. Incidental charges, such as room service, are not included in the rate.
The amenities and/or facilities may not be located at the hotel, but within a reasonable distance, and additional charges may apply for use. All information has been provided by this hotel and not by Orbitz
Ratings and reviews for Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour
Overall score
Reviewer score
Would not recommend
Would Not Stay There Again!
Our trip was a mix of business and pleasure. Although the Novotel was an excellent location for us to explore Sydney, the hotel itself left a lot to be desired. The friendliest staff member we came across in six days was the bell hop. No one at the check-in desk ever smiled or asked us how we were. The restaurant service was the poorest we'd ever experienced, from the time we waited to be served to the cold food that arrived at our table. After leaving our room one day, we came back to retrieve our camera, only to find the chamber maid sitting at our room desk having a cup of coffee with her feet up on the table, chatting with aother chamber maid. Nice. I honestly think the Novotel at Darling Harbour rests on its laurels because of its location, so it doesn't go the extra mile to make its guests feel welcomed.
The internet was a whopping $30 a day in the room. Walk across the bridge walk to the mall and head for the food court, where wi-fi was free.
Would recommend
Great location, slow staff
The hotel was nice but the staff was not very efficient. They did not have enough people at the front desk for check in (only one person was helping people while one other was on the computer and another on the phone). I ended up waiting 20 minutes just to check in standing at the desk. Also, there phone line takes forever to get through to ask any questions. However; despite those issues, the hotel was very nice. My room was large and clean. The location couldn't be better. You are connected to the harbourside mall on Darling Harbour. I would recommend this hotel for its cleanliness and location.
Fantastic hotel in a great location
This was a wonderful hotel in a perfect location. My wife and I stayed there on the way out after spending three weeks in the middle of the outback,what a contrast.We stayed in a suite on the top floor looking over Darling Harbor. The suite was large, spotless and the view was fantastic.The little more expence for the executive suite was well worth the price. The choice of resturants and shops along the harbor was great and we found the cost a good value. This location gives you good access to all the main attractions.We wished we had more time to spend in Sydney but the three weeks in the outback were spent visiting our daughter, son in law and first grandchild and that time was priceless. To sum it up if you ever have the time and want to go on an unbelievable trip try this one. The culture and history in the outback is hard to imagine and the stop in Sydney on the way out is wonderful. The Novatel in Darling Harbor was a perfect choice. My daughter and son in law have stayed there before and were the ones who recommended the Novatel at Darling Harbor to us. What a fantastic trip with so much contrast, a trip of a lifetime.


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A memorable meal should include good food, great friends, and inspiring conversation. The Lafco Dining Room White Celery Thyme Candle has the subtle combination of crisp celery, Russian thyme, and a pinch of celery seed will gently scent the air, inviting friends and family to stay at the table long after the last bite is gone. Hand blown art glass vessel is yours to keep. 16 oz
Pros: Fresh scent
Cons: none
Is review helpful: Yes | No
0 people found this helpful.
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Longevity has its rewards. Based on incentives for sticking around, Michael Jeffries and Glen Senk, chief executive officers of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and Urban Outfitters Inc., respectively, in the last fiscal year rose to the top two spots on the list of earners at publicly held U.S. companies that do all or a substantial portion of their business in men's wear. Abercrombie reported Jeffries' pay as $36.3 million, but $33.3 million of that "will only be realizable" if certain conditions, including his continued employment, are satisfied. Of Senk's $29.9 million reported earnings, $25.6 million won't begin vesting until 2015 and will be forfeited should he leave.


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- ITV Report
- ITV Report
House collapses close to sinkhole
- ITV Report
Helicopter rescue from rapid river
Live updates
Expert: Sinkhole caused by quickly eroding rock
Dr Tony Cooper, from the British Geological Survey, has been telling Christine Talbot what caused a sinkhole in Ripon which is threatening to engulf a house:
Ripon sinkhole threatens to engulf house
A house has partially collapsed after a large sinkhole opened up in Ripon last night. Fire fighters had to evacuate three houses.
Gregg Easteal was there this lunchtime.
Planning permission notice next to sinkhole site
Right next to where sinkhole appeared in Ripon, a planning application notice is hanging up for 75 homes.
Neighbours watch house 'splitting in two'
A neighbour of the property on the verge of collapse has said she is shocked even though she knew about the gypsum problem.
"It's a bit of a shock, really.
"It's definitely widened since first thing this morning.
"We've been aware for quite some time that there's a gypsum problem in this area."
"You can't see the hole from here - just the poor house splitting in two.
"It's a worry for us residents, really. We're assured that our buildings are safe. But it's a bit close for comfort, really."
Homeowners 'very distressed' at collapse danger
A councillor said he has spoken to the family living in the house on the verge of collapse and that they were "very distressed".
Local residents said there was a long-standing problem with gypsum-related subsidence in the area which had caused other homes to collapse over the years.
"I'm a little bit shocked by what's happened today. Surprised? Perhaps not, because there is a history in Ripon of gypsum dissolution.
"Whether this is actually down to gypsum, I don't know. I think it's too early to say. I suspect it is."
"My thoughts go out the the residents who were actually living in the house.
"It must be tremendously worrying at this point.
"I've spoken to them this morning and offered my support.
"They were very distressed this morning and they just wanted to get some sort of normality back into their lives."
The British Geological Survey has said that the most susceptible area in the UK for sinkholes is the Permian gypsum deposits of north-east England, particularly around Ripon.
Specialist engineers working at sinkhole site
A sinkhole has opened up under a detached house, leaving part of the structure close to collapse and people living nearby worried about the future of their properties.
The 25ft (7.6m) wide hole opened up beneath the 100-year-old building in Magdalen's Close in Ripon, North Yorkshire.
Firefighters rescued a dog from the property before the whole area was sealed off.
"A fire engine and a heavy rescue unit from Ripon are currently on scene at Magdalen's Close in Ripon where cracks have appeared in the ground, causing damage to a nearby building.
"There are no occupiers in the property and one dog has been successfully rescued. Residents from adjacent properties have been evacuated as a precaution.
"The crews have cordoned off the area and are awaiting the arrival of specialist engineers."
Ripon sinkhole house 'on brink of collapse'
Police are now warning locals that the house damaged by a sinkhole in Ripon, North Yorkshire, is close to collapsing.
Small crowd of onlookers watching building at risk of collapse. Still no sign of the hole that caused this. http://t.co/cWOPIo5oGj
Ripon house on 'brink of collapse'
Correspondent Gregg Easteal is at the scene in Ripon where a sinkhole has appeared and collapsed part of a building. Follow Gregg on Twitter: @GreggEastealITV
Police now reported to be telling locals by Ripon sinkhole that building "is on brink of collapse"
Developers wanted to put 75 homes near site of Ripon sink hole according to local newspaper report from just a few days ago.
Just in last few minutes gap appears to be widening in crack in collapsed sink hole. Not sure how long till building falls to ground.
Homes evacuated over collapse fears at sinkhole
Three houses had to be evacuated amid fears they could collapse after a huge 25 ft wide sinkhole opened up in a street.
Police cleared the properties on Magdalen's Close in Ripon, North Yorkshire, at 5.40pm after receiving reports the huge sinkhole had appeared.
Officers carried out house-to-house checks in the area to warn people close to the affected properties.
Police, fire crews and the ambulance service remained at the scene with utility services' engineers and structural engineers who were assisting with the incident.
A North Yorkshire police spokesman said: "The affected property and two houses nearby have been evacuated and a cordon has been put in place to protect members of the public. At this stage no injuries have been reported."
North Yorkshire fire and rescue service said that a fire engine and a heavy rescue unit from Ripon were at the scene, where cracks had appeared in the ground, damaging to a building.
A spokeswoman said: "There are no occupiers in the property and a dog has been successfully rescued. Residents from adjacent properties have been evacuated as a precaution.
"The crews have cordoned off the area and are awaiting the arrival of specialist engineers."
The spokeswoman said the sinkhole was about 25 feet wide.
The British Geological Survey has said that the most susceptible area in the UK for sinkholes is the Permian gypsum deposits of north-east England, particularly around Ripon.
It says large sinkholes have developed around Ripon, some of which have affected property and infrastructure. This is because gypsum is far more soluble than limestone, and thus dissolves more rapidly.
- ITV Report
- Tyne Tees
Ripon sinkhole is latest in UK-wide spate
A sinkhole which has opened up in Ripon in North Yorkshire is the latest in a spate to appear across the UK in recent weeks.
Read the full story ›


text:
- Published: Philadelphia, PA : Jewish Publication Society, c2007-
- Year Published: 2007
- Edition: 1st ed.
- Description: 250 p.
- Language: English
- Format: Book
ISBN/Standard Number
- 9780827608429 (alk. paper)
- 082760842X (alk. paper)
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Celebrating the Jewish year : the fall holidays, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot
by Steinberg, Paul.
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v. 1. The fall holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot
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GrainCorp needs international big brother for clout
PUBLISHED: 22 Nov 2013 10:09:12 | UPDATED: 22 Nov 2013 10:09:12PUBLISHED: 22 Nov 2013 PRINT EDITION: 22 Nov 2013The bush socialists are at it again, arguing against the proposed GrainCorp sale.
The future for the grains industry lies in competing internationally with the clout of a gorilla big brother.
As good as CEO Alison Watkins and her GrainCorp management team are, a small regional player does not have the international trading muscle.
The GrainCorp board has negotiated a good deal with ADM, extracting outstanding shareholder value. The $3.4 billion sale price will wash through the economy, providing a real shot in the arm for rural communities. Capital which currently is limited will flow into upgrading facilities.
Competition policy – which was strengthened after the grower-led monopoly AWB imploded – provides for real competition for grain and handling facilities.
The precedent of significant foreign ownership of Australia's grain industries has already been set, with Cargill and Glencore having significant operations.
It's argued that a successful ADM would streamline the grain-handling pipeline closing inefficient silos. This is certainly no different from what the current GrainCorp team tackle all the time in eliminating waste.
It is interesting to contrast the GrainCorp sale with the current Warrnambool Cheese & Butter auction. Here the WCB board has endorsed Canadian company Saputo's offer without a whimper from dairy lobbyists.
Perhaps years of foreign ownership from NZ, Italy, Switzerland, the US and Japan have proven to be non-life-threatening to dairy farmers.
It could be argued that a precedent against foreign ownership was set with the abortive bid for SunRice by Spanish Company Ebro in 2011. That was endorsed by the board and lost on the slimmest of margins on a shareholder vote.
This was an entirely different situation from GrainCorp, as it was a bad deal that valued the company on drought-year performances. Three large harvests have restored SunRice's fortunes and shareholder valuations. Likewise the continued existence of fruit icon SPC is a classic case where a big brother, Coca-Cola, with deep pockets has kept the company afloat.
Ian McMillan
Melbourne, Vic
Read more
Companies | Graincorp Ltd, AWB Ltd, Glencore Int Plc, Warrnambool Cheese |


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Awesome garlic-rubbed steak
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- 1 Rib eye
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- Republican House Rejects Homeland Security Funding
- Eight Shot in Missouri House-to-House Rampage
- Short-Term Fix May Avoid Homeland Security Shutdown
- Details Released in Washington Officer-Involved Shooting
- Three Arrested in Islamic State Terror Plot; Suspects Open About Striking Fear
- NYPD Honors Young Girl and Thank You Cards
- DOJ: No Criminal Charges in Florida Crime Watch Shooting
Law enforcement continues to be one of the largest growing segments of the National Shooting Sports Foundation's SHOT Show, the biggest show for shooting sports vendors in the world. Once again, Law Officer is here. Our Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP) has more sessions--with topics ranging from virtual training for officer suvivability to low-light training to SWAT tactics--and better attendance than ever.
Did I mention it's free?
Following are notes from a couple of the stand-out sessions so far.
Dave Young: Selecting Your Concealment Holster
Presented by Uncle Mike's Law Enforcement
"In an hour-long class there's only enough time to provoke thought," Dave Young says—which he then proceeded to do in spades.
You can't just have one method of weapon and concealment. Concealment carry requires different clothing, accessories and activities that must be considered.
People who carry concealed weapons often reveal the presence of the weapon with their behaviour. They pat their gun, adjust their pants, check themselves in mirrors, tie shoes that are already tied and clutch purses and backpacks.
"Should you have a retention snap when carrying a concealed weapon?" asks Young.
The audience was divided.
Again, says Young, you must consider what you're doing. If you're in a situation where you'll need to shoot at a distance, retaining the weapon is less crucial. You might also consider carrying a larger gun.
But if you're going to be in a situation where you'll be moving, running, bumping into people—retaining the weapon is essential.
Ankle carry? If you're working in a situation where you'll be sitting the preponderance of your time, ankle carry makes sense because your hand is close the weapon.
"It's called the 80/20 rule," says Young. If 80 percent of your time is spent doing one thing, cater your concealed weapon to this activity.
John Gnagey: The Preparedness of Law Enforcement to Respond to Terrorist Attacks on Highly Vulnerable U.S. Domestic Targets
Presented by NTOA
"We can't use strategies developed to deal with criminal organizations in the 1960s and 70s to now deal with terrorists," says John Gnagey. "Criminals have rules, like we do. Terrorists don't."
Gnagey then showed links between Mexican drug cartels and international terrorist organizations, including attempts to sneak terrorists across the U.S.-Mexican border.
Drug cartels, Gnagey implies, use terrorist tactics and might be considered terrorist organizations. He showed pictures of beheadings in Michoacan, Mexico: "You tell me if that's not the work of terrorists."
Mexican cartels are now international organizations, with links throughout Mexico, Latin America, the U.S. and Africa. They work closely with nearly every American criminal organization, from white supremacists to Crips.
Moreover, the training the organizations are receiving through military and police connections, is among the best in the world. "Cartels are often much better trained than the law enforcement personnel who must stop them," says Gnagey.
"This ties directly in to what's going on in your streets," says Gnagey, and yet we're doing nothing to prepare for it.
Mike Webber: Virtual Training for Officer Survivability
Presented by Meggitt Training Systems
"You'll only rise to the level of your preparedness," says Mike Webber, a retired Ohio State patrolman who works now as an instructor at the University of Findlay.
The main advantage of virtual training is clear: "It exposes an officer to a realistic life-or-death situation, which allows an instructor to see how they'll react."
Meggitt strives to ensure their training system is realistic. The system also allows trainers to create their own scenarios. "I've put officers through a scenario and had them experience nearly the same thing when they hit the streets," says Webber. "Hopefully we've instilled the right reaction in that officer."
Another advantage of virtual training: "You don't have to wear hearing protection. This allows trainers to get up close when instructing students."
The Meggitt system allows trainers to evaluate:


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Latest Stories
Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball
CommentsOctober 27, 2005
Hands-On Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball
CommentsSeptember 29, 2005
About This Game
- Summary
- Specifications
- Features
- Game Editions
Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball is shooter based on the popular sport that includes online multiplayer and a level designer. Prepare for the ultimate SPLAT fest with adrenaline pumping Tournament, Fieldball and Arcade modes. From bunkering inside arenas to getting gogged in the great outdoors, it's time to get break out in the most intense paintball experience yet. The game features 28 single player challenges in 13 diverse environments and eight different game types, including King of the Hill, Center Flag, Elimination and more. The included field editor allows for for unlimited customization with over 150 objects. Play 7-on-7 via Xbox Live, or two-player split screen on one console.
- Supported Functions
- Number Of Players: 1-2
- Memory Card
- 28 Single player challenges
- 13 diverse environments
- 8 Game Types - King of the Hill, Center Flag, Elimination and more
- Field editor for unlimited customization - over 150 objects
- Play 7-on-7 via Xbox®Live, or 2 player Split Screen
- Multiplayer via LAN and Internet on PC.
Splat Magazine Renegade PaintballPublisher: Global StarRelease Date: October 11, 2005MSRP: 19.99 USD


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Dolphins vet (and Plantation resident) Kim "Kimbo" Bokamper started this neighborhood hang to indulge his sports fetish, and it shows. Fifty plasma TVs enough for ya? If you know what...
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