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A system and method for predicting the wait time of a caller to a call center is disclosed. The call center associates a set of agents to which the caller may be queued. This set of agents selected may depend on the skills that each agent possesses, the type of service request made by the caller, caller priority, time of day, day of week and other conditions. An initial wait time estimate may then be given to the caller who is just queued. As a caller's conditions may dynamically change, a caller's position in the queue may also change as well as the pool of available agents. Periodic wait time estimate updates may also be given to the queued caller. A caller's wait time may be estimated based upon mean inter-arrival times for recently past calls into the call center. An average inter-arrival time may be calculated for the last several calls. Alternatively, a caller's wait time may be estimated based upon calls that are recently queued and dequeued. A table of values, Wnj, are maintained wherein each such value denoting the jth recent wait time of calls arriving with n calls already in the queue. An average value, Wn, for each n among all such Wnj, is thus calculated and a caller's estimated wait time is thus given, depending on how many calls are in the queue at the time of calling.
1. In a call center comprising a switching server, a recording/playback server, and a agent server; wherein callers communicate with said call center with requests to be handled by agents;
a method for implementing a waiting period for callers who may not be immediately serviced by available agents, the steps of said method comprising:
a) associating an initial set of agents to which said caller may be queued said initial set comprising a primary group and one or more secondary groups of agents;
b) delivering a first wait time announcement to said caller regarding an estimated wait time for service, said estimated wait time accounting for said primary group and said one or more secondary groups;
c) monitoring changes in said caller's conditions during said wait period;
d) if conditions in step (c) meet predetermined changes, said set of agents to which said caller may be queued to a second set including said one or more secondary groups;
e) if modification is made in step (d), delivering an additional wait time announcement regarding the estimated wait time for service.
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14. In a call center comprising a switching server, a recording/playback server, and a agent server; wherein callers communicate with said call center with requests to be handled by agents;
a method for calculation of a wait time estimation for said callers based on mean inter-arrival time, the steps of said method comprising:
calculate the average inter-arrival time for the last M calls;
calculate said caller's estimated wait time as the number of calls on the queue times the average inter-arrival time.
15. In a call center comprising a switching server, a recording/playback server, and a agent server; wherein callers communicate with said call center with requests to be handled by agents;
a method for calculation a wait time estimation for said callers based on queue-dequeue calls, the steps of said method comprising:
maintain a table of values, Wnj, each such value denoting the jth recent wait time of calls arriving with n calls already in the queue;
calculate an statistical value, Wn, for each n among all such Wnj.
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19. A method for determining a wait time estimation in a call center based on queue-dequeue calls, the method comprising:
determining a plurality of most recent wait time values of calls arriving with a predetermined numbers of calls already in queue; and
determining a statistical value for each of said predetermined number of calls among said plurality of wait time values.
20. A method in a call center for implementing a waiting period for callers who may not be immediately serviced by available agents, the method comprising:
associating an initial set of agents to which said caller may be queued;
delivering a first wait time announcement to said caller regarding an estimated wait time for service;
monitoring changes in said callers conditions during said wait period;
if said conditions meet pre-determined changes, modifying said set of agents to which said caller may be queued;
if modifying is done, delivering an additional wait time announcement regarding the estimated wait time for service, wherein the delivering a first wait time announcement comprises estimating wait time based upon a mean inter-arrival time method.
21. A method in a call center for implementing a waiting period for callers who may not be immediately serviced by available agents, the method comprising:
associating an initial set of agents to which said caller may be queued;
delivering a first wait time announcement to said caller regarding an estimated wait time for service;
monitoring changes in said caller's conditions during said wait period;
if said conditions meet predetermined changes, modifying said set of agents to which said caller may be queued;
if modifying is done, delivering an additional wait time announcement regarding the estimated wait time for service;
wherein the delivering a first wait time announcement comprises estimating wait time based on queue-dequeue calls, by determining a plurality of most recent wait time values of calls arriving with a predetermined numbers of calls already in queue; and determining a statistical value for each of said predetermined number of calls among said plurality of wait time values.
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) systems queue calls—typically from customers—and connect them to agents that are trained to handle the general type of inquiry generated by such customer calls. As a minimum courtesy, it is known in the art to inform callers waiting in a queue of an estimated wait time before service. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,715, Lee discloses a system in which calls are entered into a single queue of similar attendants and an estimated wait time is provided for each caller entering the queue. As the attendants are similar (i.e. all attendants are trained to handle the same type of call inquires), the estimated wait time is simply based on the number of customers in queue times a factor ("ESTQ", which is a metric of average sampled service times) divided by the number of available similar servers—to provide a lower bound estimate of wait. This estimate may be altered by another factor ("ESTS", which is a metric of average sampled service times for customers actually served) to provide an upper bound estimate of wait.
Another known method for wait time estimation, used when appropriate values of call processing time and agents were difficult to obtain, estimates wait time as the average time spent in queue so far by the calls already in a queue.
Today's service queues are not so simple, however. Advanced call queuing techniques allow for the possibility of call routing involving priorities, or calls overflowing to secondary groups of agents. These features, however, can cause systematic inaccuracies in these prior methods of estimating wait times. For example, a call queuing for a group of 5 agents with average call processing time of 10 minutes will be given an expected wait time of 60 minutes if there are 30 calls ahead of it in queue. If, however, the routing algorithm queues the call to a secondary group of 10 additional agents after the call has waited 2 minutes, it is likely the call will be served well before an hour has elapsed. Additionally, the term "caller" is a much broader concept today. For example, today's caller is anyone trying to contact a call center to obtain service or assistance. Any means of communication are possible to facilitate such call—telephone (analog or digital), email, voice-over-IP, and the like.
Moreover, increasingly in client-server environment, the switching unit and the wait time processing/playback applications are different entities and not necessarily included in a single, homogenous box
Thus, there is a need to quickly and accurately provide current callers with a realistic estimate of their particular wait time, based on their particular service request—and based on the increasingly diverse sets of operating environments for call center.
The present invention provides a system and methods for more accurately predicting the wait time of a caller querying a request from a call center. The call center of the present invention comprises a switching server, a recording/playback server, and an agent server. Callers communicate with the call center with whatever media is available—e.g. telephones, computers, emails, web buttons, and the like—and request service from available agents. If there is no available agent to handle the request, call is queued by the call center until an agent becomes available.
The present invention associates a set of agents to which the caller may be queued. This set of agents selected may depend on the skills that each agent possesses, the type of service request made by the caller, caller priority, time of day, day of week and other conditions. An initial wait time estimate may then be given to the caller who is just queued. As a caller's conditions may dynamically change, a caller's position in the queue may also change as well as the pool of available agents. Periodic wait time estimate updates may also be given to the queued caller.
In another aspect of the present invention, a caller's wait time may be estimated based upon mean inter-arrival times for recently past calls into the call center. An average (i.e. average, mean, or mode or other statistical measure) inter-arrival time may be calculated for the last several calls. The caller's estimated wait time then may be calculated as a function of this calculated inter-arrival time and the number of calls on the queue.
In another aspect of the present invention, a caller's wait time may be estimated based upon calls that are recently queued and dequeued. A table of values, Wnj, are maintained wherein each such value denoting the jth recent wait time of calls arriving with n calls already in the queue. An average value, Wn, for each n among all such Wnj, is thus calculated and a caller's estimated wait time is thus given, depending on how many calls are in the queue at the time of calling.
One advantage of the present invention is flexibility. With the present invention, a call center administrator does not have to supply values for average call processing time and agents staffed. Additionally, the number of agents eligible to answer the call and the average call processing time can vary dynamically over time, as do caller priorities and call volume, and the present invention will automatically adjust.
These and other advantages will become apparent in reviewing the detailed description of the invention in light of the following drawings.
FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of an ACD center as made in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the basic operation of the ACD center.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting the virtual loop of queuing for service for callers.
Referring to FIG. 1, system 100 depicts the general environment for the present invention wherein call requests being made by customers arrive, given the myriad of today's flexible communications media. Generically, customers may make service request calls at a customer calling station 102. Such stations 102 could be implemented as a telephone, a computer terminal or any other communication means currently available. A service request may then be relayed to ACD center 106 via a public network 104. The implementation of the network 104 is to be broadly construed. For example, network 104 may be the public switched telephone network (e.g. POTS), or it may be implemented as a network (public, private or the like) that may be connected to, or may itself be, the internet (e.g. World Wide Web) to transmit such calls and requests. The only requirement for network 104 is that it be able to transmit customer service requests—in either digital or analog format—in any method of communication available (e.g. analog telephone calls, digital telephony, voice-over-IP, email, web 'contact me' buttons, and the like).
ACD center 106 accepts customer requests from network 104 in whatever format available. ACD center 106 comprises a switching server 108 that accepts the calls from customers. Switching servers are well known in the art and might preferentially be implemented as a PBX switching server. Playback/recording server 110 is coupled to switching server 108 that provides playback for wait time announcement for waiting customers and/or recording service for those customers who no longer desire to queue for service but would like to leave a service message. Additionally, recording/playback server 110 may be programmed to glean additional information from the caller via IVR or phonemail or the like. IVR, as used for the purposes of the present invention, is an example of a playback server and will be used interchangeably.
ACD server 112 is also coupled to switching server 108. ACD server 112 (or "agent" server) generally maintains an association of agents/attendants and callers. In one embodiment, ACD server 112 additionally maintains an association of agents and the particular skills that they have. This association of agents and skills allows for calls and callers to be associated with several sets of possible agents who have the appropriate skills to handle the caller's request. In one embodiment, a caller could be associated with a primary group of agents and zero or more secondary groups of agents. Secondary agents (or overflow agents) may be represented by agents who are not the most optimal agents to handle the request; but may be "good enough".
It will be appreciated that call center 106 could be implemented in a piece-wise fashion whereby switching server 108, recording/playback server 110 and ACD server 112 are implemented in different locations and communicate and process via a host of well known remote protocols. Additionally, it is understood that the functionality of several of these components could be implemented in one piece of instrumentation. For example, ACD server could be implemented with the switching server, and possible together with the playback server. The proper scope of the present invention contemplates that the general functionality of these components be implemented in whatever fashion that is known in the art.
Along with information including the calling number, called number, and possibly some input collected from the caller by recording/playback server 110, a call is queued in center 106 and assigned a group/skill set 114 from ACD server 112. Once the waiting for a caller has expired, the caller is then given over to an attendant/agent 116 from a pool of such attendant/agents for processing and handling of the inquiry. Agents are categorized by their membership in a group or on the basis of the skills they possess to the types of calls entering the call center.
FIG. 2 gives a flowchart of the basic operation of ACD center 106. When incoming call 200 first enters ACD center 106, some information is initially recorded about the incoming call and, possibly, the call request at step 202. Such information might include the time of the call, the phone number of the originating caller, the phone number of the destination respondent, type of caller service inquiry, and the like. Such information might help determine whether a suitable agent is available, which queue to be placed in, the place such call might occupy within a queue and the expected wait time for the caller.
Based possibly upon such information recorded at 202, center 106 determines whether a suitable agent is available immediately to service the caller at step 204. If there is an agent, center 206, at its option, may note the start time of the service at 206, hand over call to agent for service at step 208, and optionally note the end time of the service at step 210. If no suitable agent is immediately available, then center at step 214 determines whether caller is at the head of a queue. If so, center at step 218 prepares a suitable announcement informing the caller about the status at 220. Otherwise, center at step 216 prepares another announcement giving the caller a wait time estimation—as discussed further below. Center at step 220 then makes whichever announcement is appropriate for that caller and queues the caller for service at step 222. It will be appreciated that many possible variations on this basic flowchart are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the center may make and prepare other announcements based on other factors—e.g. whether the caller is a priority caller; whether caller may leave a message instead of queuing; whether the "call" is an email, requiring an email autoresponse with a wait time estimate; whether the call is a callback request or a web 'call me' request; and the like.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting the flow for a caller queue for service. As callers are queued for service at step 222, they enter a queue monitoring task 300 that continually checks conditions at 302 that might alter the eligibility conditions for any given caller; and, hence, the relative position on a queue. For example, a change in a caller's eligibility might alter the appropriate pool of agents at 304 available to handle the caller's request. This process is preferably implemented as a virtual loop in which conditions and agent pools may be dynamically adjusted for optimal service processing.
As conditions are constantly being evaluated and adjusted, the system tests as to whether a suitable agent has become available at step 306. If so, then the caller is transferred to an agent—e.g. taken to step 206—for processing. Otherwise, the caller remains in the queue and conditions are dynamically tested and adjusted. As will be discussed further, some conditions that are evaluated might include: time spent in queue; caller priority (which may change with time already waiting in queue); number of qualified agents (so that the pool could change from the "perfect" team to answer the call to "very good" candidates); agent skills and areas of specialization; time of day and day of week.
Having discussed the present invention—together with its operating environment—in its broadest outline, one specific embodiment of the present invention will now be discussed. It will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the disclosure of this particular embodiment; but that the scope of the present invention contemplates the broader scope as given in its entirety herein.
Here are some of the abbreviations used in this embodiment:
ACD: Automatic Call Distribution. A method by which calls are distributed to agents waiting to answer calls.
ART: ACD Routing Table. A set of programmable steps that determine the flow of a call through a call center.
BQA: Basic Queue Announcement. An announcement given by an IVR to a caller waiting in an ACD queue.
EWT: Estimated Wait Time. An estimate of how long a caller would have to wait before being answered by a live agent.
ORTL: Open Real Time Link. A Siemens protocol/application link which provides realtime events of call center activity to customer-provided third party vendor applications. It enables third party vendors to develop realtime and historical call center applications. Of course, any link providing real time events from a switching server, such as CTI, CSTA TSAPI, CALL PATH, would suffice for the purposes of the present invention and such terms and links will be used interchangeably with the term ORTL
Overflow Groups and Secondary Groups are used interchangeably throughout the following description.
It is to be appreciated that the EWT is an estimate and by its very nature will not be consistently accurate. There will always be scenarios where the time given will not be correct. This would be the case with any predictive queue wait algorithm for a system as complex as ACD routing where there are many important parameters that constantly change: number of ACD agents available to take calls, number of ACD Groups and agents per group, active ARTs, caller priorities, "arrival rates" (call traffic), queue lengths, and most importantly service times (the call length). Some scenarios that might cause discrepancies would be when there are very few agents taking calls with a large number of calls in queue (here the length of every call will make a difference to the accuracy of the queue wait time to the caller who just joined the queue). Another would be around shift changes when ARTs and the number of agents taking calls change rather abruptly.
Given the large number of parameters and constant change that could potentially affect wait time calculations, in order to provide a satisfactory BQA solution that fits various types of call centers, one might need to do the following:
Have multiple ways of calculating wait times (multiple algorithms), each of which uses one or more parameters that affect the call wait times. This way one can define circumstances under which the algorithm will perform well and also explain the circumstances when it will not. In addition, some call centers might want other queue wait announcements like number of calls in queue, or age of oldest call in queue or just an average wait time (something based on service levels).
For each EWT algorithm, make as many parameters as possible configurable. A default set of parameters may be provided that may work for an average call center supervisor, but the system can also give the supervisor the option of tweaking the parameters to suit their Call Center. One good example of this is the sample size. It can determine an average sample size of say, 25 calls, but in call centers with very low call volumes this may be too big a sample size.
Possibly use data to make multiple 'queue progress' announcements to callers over time.
In the ACD Routing environment there are various factors that can affect the flow of the call. As a result, wait times are governed by multiple factors:
1. Call length
2. Number of agents taking calls
3. Number of groups the call is queued to
4. Arrival rates (traffic) and call's position in queue at the time of arrival
5. Active ART (ART design)
6. Service time (call length and post-call processing time)
7. Call Priority
The ability to predict estimated wait times depends on how many of the above factors are taken into account. Usually, the more factors accounted for, the better. However, more factors also increase the complexity of the algorithm calculating the EWT.
In an ACD environment, ART steps (call flow design) is a factor that gets constantly altered by the Call Center supervisors. This affects the call in terms of how many groups it gets queued to, under what conditions (like agent availability in other groups, age of oldest call in this or other groups etc), and what the caller does while waiting (listen to music, a recording, interact with an IVR etc). Given all this, one can factor in call flow (ART design) into wait time predictions either by knowing when the call enters and leaves an ART (not just one group). Alternatively, it can be accomplished by giving call center supervisors the ability to modify the list of groups that are involved in a call's flow through an ART.
One possible design alternative occurs with the choice of "when" the wait time announcement is made to the caller. If a call passes through multiple ARTs and it finally reaches the ART where it will be answered by one of the groups there, it is at this "destination ART" that the wait time announcement may be made. This design alternative may be advantageous because the calculations are based on primary and secondary groups, the answer times etc, and all that is valid in the ART where the caller is actually going to get answered.
Additionally, an advantageous design for providing Wait announcements might consider the following elements:
Provide a few "calculated" estimates of wait times and determine under what conditions each of these works well and where it fails.
Make (as much as is possible) parameters of calculated wait times configurable wherever applicable (for example, if data is polled and stored, or calculated on a per call basis, which method of calculation to use etc).
Provide the ability to announce some "raw data" from the ORTL stream. This includes things like number of calls in queue, age of the oldest call in queue, etc. which will always be correct. This will not add any overhead besides a query of the link per call, because no "calculations" are done, and this data may not need to be stored in the IVR.
Given that a good approach to providing Wait Time announcements might include raw data, the following comprises the kind of information that may be useful:
Service Level data: Of the last x number of calls, how "y" percent of calls get answered within "z" minutes or less. "x" (size of the data) and "z" (threshold time value) are usually configured in the ACD server. This can be announced to the caller as "our goal is to answer all calls within 'z' minutes" or words to that effect. Additionally, it might be desirable that the wait time application checks that the "y" percent is not very low, (say, less than 80% or 90%), otherwise this estimate may not accurately reflect the caller's average wait time.
Number of calls in queue.
Age of the oldest call in queue (how long has the longest wait been in the current queue).
All this information should be available through the Service Level query via ORTL. The last two pieces of information can be gotten via an APRI query from the IVR application as well; thus not needing ORTL.
By providing multiple choices for Wait Time announcements, there is an opportunity to give "continuous" wait announcements. For example, a caller in queue received a wait time estimate of 10 minutes. After 5 minutes it might be desirable to send the caller back into the IVR and announce the "remaining" wait time.
Another design alternative is to provide continuous information to the caller, but using different metrics each time. So for example, the first time around, a caller could hear the wait time and the second time, the average service level of the group.
Yet another design alternative is to provide for tighter integration between the switch and the wait time. This can be leveraged for Wait Time announcements since the caller's actual position in primary queue, best position out of all queues the call is in, and similar information can then be obtained. For example, this might be possible via D channel signaling (due to a CorNet-N connection) between the switch and the IVR. The following pieces of information about a call are available through this mechanism:
Number of calls in queue,
Age of the oldest call in a given queue,
Caller's position in their "primary queue",
Best position of all queues that the call is in,
Number of Idle agents in a group,
Number of logged on agents in a group.
One important benefit of this information is that if the ORTL link is down for whatever reason, a CorNet connected IVR can still offer some information to the caller. Also, the IVR application could know the exact position of the caller in queue and provide continuous announcements.
Having now discussed the system of the present invention, its environment in which it operates, and some of the relevant factors effecting wait time, novel methods of wait time estimation will now be discussed.
1. Queue Age Sum Method
This method takes into account two factors: the queue length, and wait times associated with each call in the queue. The wait time may be rounded up in minutes.
QueueAgeList (array) A list of times in seconds associating each call in the queue (how long each call has been in the queue).
CallsInQueue (number) The number of Calls queued to that ACD group.
QueueAgeListSum is in seconds and this is the sum of the age of all calls.
One advantage of this method is its simplicity. There is no need to provide information on number of agents answering calls or average talk time and work time per call because this would be reflected in the wait times for calls currently queued. It might also work well for call centers that have reasonably high call volume evenly distributed, and a relatively steady number of agents taking calls, spending approximately similar amounts of time on each call.
2. Agent Process Time Method
The following method might be provided as a default method selected for the call center if they don't specify any special requirements. In this method, the "talk time" for calls as well as the number of agents available to take calls may be calculated as well as estimated.
CallsInQueue (number): The current number of calls in specified ACD queue
AverageProcessTime (number input by User via configuration): This is a user-configurable value. The value may be given as an integer and represents "talk time" of an agent in a call (in minutes).
Very general empirical studies showed that the two formulae that have been used to estimate a caller's upcoming wait time tended to estimate too high when the wait time is short (less than one minute) and too short when the wait time is long (more than 10 minutes).
In ACD, a call gets queued to a primary group (the "best" group to answer the call) and then subsequently, based on conditional routing steps (how long call has waited, if agents are available in other groups), queue the calls simultaneously to other overflow groups. Any one of these groups might end up taking this call, not just the primary group. So the wait time spoken for the primary group will be inaccurate for the caller who gets answered by a secondary group. This can be partially alleviated by configuring, for each primary group, a set of up to 5 secondary groups. It should be appreciated that any such solution may not fully alleviate the problem.
These enhancements are applicable to all methods since it addresses basic flaws.
Just as ACD allows configuration of "shift sets" (times of day when certain ARTs will be active), at a high level, a configuration parameter should determine up to 4 different (non-overlapping) time spans when a calculation method can be chosen, and the calculations are reset. This allows for the usage of a method based on traffic levels and other special Call Center changes (like fewer agents in a shift).
To fix the problem of overflow groups not being taken into account, allow the user to configure, for each primary group, a set of up to 5 secondary groups, each group having a field for a time value. The time field for the secondary group represents the wait time after which, the EWT should be the best time between the EWT of primary group and the secondary group. In other words, this comes into play when the EWT exceeds the configured time. So a typical record might look something like this:
Primary Group
Secondary Group 1, Time Value
Secondary Group 2, Time Value
Secondary Group 3, Time Value
For example, suppose we have Q1, Q2 <2 mins>, Q3 <4 mins>, Q4 <5 minutes> for the values above.
If the EWT of Q1 is between 2 and 4 minutes, the best time between groups Q1, and Q2 would be taken. If EWT is between 4 and 5 minutes, the best time between Q1, Q2, Q3 would be taken. If it is greater than 5 minutes, wait times for all 4 would be taken into consideration for the best time. If all the time value fields are set to 0, it might be useful if all groups in the list are averaged right from the beginning.
It should be noted that the time value field may take into account conditional routing that is often used to queue a call to an overflow group—typically, as the call waits longer, ARTs are designed to queue the calls to more groups in an effort to get the call answered.
Time: Time needs to be stored in MM:SS level granularity and should not be rounded off to the nearest minute.
Borderline conditions (no prior calls in queue, no agents logged on). In these cases escape messages of a non-quantitative nature, or a statement about the number of calls ahead in queue may be a better option. The following are a few suggestions in this regard:
When there are no prior calls in queue and the caller needs an EWT announcement, if there are logged on agents, speak a message that "you are at the head of the queue and will be answered when an agent becomes available".
When Agent Process Time Method is being used, when there are no logged on agents and a caller needs an EWT, if possible, either tell the caller their queue position or use another method to do a calculation.
Zero denominators or numerators should be appropriately handled (like no calls in queue, or first call's wait time when there are zero calls in queue, no agents in the states defined as "available to take calls" or after hours, when there are no agents. When insufficient data is available, it may be preferable to do an ORTL on-demand Service Level query to get an estimate of the wait time or get the caller's position in queue or some other relevant factor.
If the rate of calls entering the ACD Queue was steady, the system could get a good estimate for this value by using the on-demand mechanism to get queue status. This would be the difference in time waited between successive calls in the queue (i.e., an average of this difference between all calls queued). For example, if 3 calls are queued for 2, 5 and 6 minutes, it could be assumed the average interarrival time is ((5−2)+(6−5))/2=2 minutes.
3: Mean Inter-arrival Time (MIT) Method
The following steps comprise the MIT method:
1. Calculate the average inter-arrival time for the last M calls (calls may be queued or not) arriving at the call center
where tj denotes the arrival time of the jth oldest call (tM>tM−1, tM−1>tM−2, etc.)
The number of calls M whose inter-arrival times are averaged is a parameter configurable by the call center administrator. A value of 25 is suitable in most cases.
2. Calculate Estimated Wait Time (EWT) as
where N is the number of calls on queue (including the call for which this wait time is announced).
It will be appreciated that the MIT method may be accomplished with calls that are either queued, not queued or both. Additionally, while a sample of the last 25 calls is suitable for most applications, it will also be appreciated that any number of calls also suffices for the purposes of the present invention. MIT gives a metric, generally speaking, of how busy the call center is—i.e. a small MIT implies that the call center is fairly busy (large number of calls incoming and/or calls getting processed fast by agents) and a large MIT implies that the call center is less busy (fewer calls incoming and/or agents spend more time with calls).
4: Queue-DeQueue (QDQ) Method
For each queued call the actual wait time is calculated by subtracting the time when the call was queued from the time when the call was removed from queue to connect to an agent. Let Wnj denote the jth most recent measured wait time of all calls arriving with exactly n calls already in queue. A table such as the following is kept in memory:
Let Wn denote some typical value (e.g. median or average) representative of the Wnj for j=1 to some number K. (For example, W3 could be the median of the previous 20 calls arriving when there were 3 calls already on queue.) If, when the next call is queued, there are k calls already on queue, the value Wk is announced as the estimated wait time for that caller.
It will be appreciated that obvious variations on the QDQ method are contemplated by the present invention. For example, each Wn may be estimated by a count of wait times other than a strict K most recent wait times—i.e. some other sampling of wait times with n calls in the queue is possible and within the scope of the present invention. Likewise, some other algorithm for Wn other than a median or average value would also suffice for the purposes of the present invention. It suffices that Wn have some rational relationship of wait time based on the number of callers already formed in the queue.
One of the main disadvantages that QDQ seeks to address in some EVVT methods is the inability to "see" what goes on inside an ART. A call queues to one Group and then to subsequent groups based on various conditions being met. However, a call that is queued to a primary group is dequeued only when one of the following conditions is met (this is given in the "dequeue reason" field of the event):
The call is answered by the primary group
The call is answered by any other overflow group within the ART
The call is routed to a different ART either via route steps or due to shift changes.
The caller abandoned
Given these circumstances, it might be useful to monitor the ORTL link o get queue-dequeue information regarding all calls to primary groups and maintain the last "X" number of calls queued to a particular group. In essence, his method gives an "ART based" calculation instead of a "group based" one because the call's time in queue is tracked until its either answered, abandoned or leaves the ART for some reason.
A monitoring service request for each of the groups monitored would provide ORTL events whenever calls are queued and dequeued to that group and store the last "X" number of calls (with entry time stamps) and also an average/best time. The call's position in queue in a regular non-APRI flex routing environment may not be known at the time that its wait time is queried (for speaking by the IVR). So an assumption could be made that it is the last call in queue.
When a call comes in, its position in the primary queue as well as the enqueue time stamp may be stored. When it dequeues, the wait time for the primary queue may be calculated and stored. It should be noted that the average may be a rolling average based on the last 10 (or 25 or 50) calls. Additionally, it should be noted that dequeue messages might also be received from the secondary group(s) the call had queued to.
The data storage per group could be implemented in the form of a 2 dimensional array, the X axis showing the number of calls stored (10 or 25 or 50 or whatever) and the Y axis showing the position of the call in queue when it first entered the queue. The rightmost column might store the average of all the wait times in that row. One possible format is as shown:
Thus, for example, if a call comes in and it is the second call in primary group A, the wait time announced for that call should be the rightmost column value (average wait time) for the "2nd in Q" row. Once this call is answered, the actual time it waited would be input in this table. If a call's position in queue (when it comes in) is greater than the last queue position stored, then it should be possible to extrapolate the wait time for this call based on the last recorded queue length's average wait time.
When a call's wait time is to be announced, an on-demand ORTL request might be made to get the length of the queue (it would be assumed that this is the last call in queue). The "average wait time" on the rightmost column should be a default, but per call center configuration preferences this could be a median, mode or best time or the like. Also, a log file might be implemented to capture actual wait times of calls to various primary groups. This might help in the debugging process.
The interface to the "application level" is the same as for the current methods.
Sample Size: The Sample size (how many calls are averaged etc) needs to be configurable. An option of up to 50 calls could count in the sample size. The default sample size should be set at 25.
Calculation Method: Add a configurable parameter for any specific preferences of whether an EWT calculations should be a mean, median or mode. The default value should be the mean.
Initial values: Let the user define what initial values to use. The starting point (time value) for EWT calculations should be given two choices: start from 0, or use historical data from same shift 24 hours ago. For the first X number of calls (based on sample sizes) wait time calculation may be inaccurate if EWT data is reset to start from 0. Storing historical data and using it as a starting point (like data from 24 hours ago, or the last time this method was used) is preferable.
In operation, it will be appreciated that the wait time application should be able to accomplish a few things. For example, the application should to be able to login to ORTL (or some other suitable real time data stream) and start and maintain the connection. It should provide an easy interface for configuring the groups to be monitored and application specific parameters. It also should provide the rolling estimated wait times for the individual groups being monitored. Additionally, it should provide a way for the application to access those values from the IVR so that they can be played to the caller.
This application should work well for calls that begin and end in one ART. In other words, one reason one would dequeue from the primary group is to be answered by a an agent belonging to a group within an ART. It is also not dependent on the number of agents logged on in any one particular group. The sample sizes and distribution of calls is important and assuming that traffic patterns are similar for a particular shift (normal distribution around the mean), this method would be satisfactory for most call centers. This application might be well suited as a default method.
Several novel methods for wait time estimation have now been described that work well in today's flexible call center environment. It will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention contemplates any and all obvious variations on the system and methods herein presented.
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Interprocess communication with D-Bus and HAL
It's the end of the line for CORBA! Gnome now relies on the D-Bus messaging system, and KDE is in the process of migrating.
Nobody likes applications that spend all day sitting in the corners of the desktop and refusing to talk to anything else. The least you might expect would be for them to exchange data with other desktop residents using simple drag & drop techniques. But many users expect their programs to demonstrate more advanced communication skills at all levels. Of course, users want pluggable USB disks no matter what program they are using. And VOIP softphones should make friends with the new hardware when you change the headset without demanding a reboot. To allow this to happen, a Linux system needs a communication system that lets desktop applications talk to one another and to the underlying levels right down through the kernel to the hardware. And if the Freedesktop developers have any say in the matter, D-Bus [1], which relies on Hardware Abstraction Layer HAL [2], will be the communication system for future generations of Linux.
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NoScript Flaw
Mozilla's script blocker add-on could be putting malware sites on the whitelist.
RIP SSLv3
The Internet community officially banishes the notoriously unsafe Secure Sockets Layer protocol.
Mate 1.1 Arrives
Popular desktop environment continues the Gnome 2 legacy – with new support for the Gnome 3 toolkit.
US Government Requires HTTPS
The Obama White House has issued a memorandum telling all US government agencies they must use HTTPS for all websites and web communication.
Mozilla Signs Firefox Add-Ons
New program will dial up security for the Firefox browser.
Fedora 22 Arrives
Red Hat's community distro embraces the cloud.
Code.org and College Board Team Reach Out for Talented High School Coders
New partnership will bring more and better CS training to US schools
A Peek Inside TeslaCrypt Ransomware
Criminals offer online help over Tor network
Mumblehard Still Spams
Sophisticated malware is still present on Joomla and WordPress sites around the world.
Launchpad Gets Git
Future versions of Ubuntu's code service will support the popular Git version control system used with Linux and other open source projects.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Stryker leverages our broad base of innovative products and services to offer solutions with enduring value.
When failure is not an option, Stryker ProCare is there to provide best in class service to meet the individual needs of your facility.
Stryker also reconfirmed that it expects 2008 diluted net earnings per
share to be in the range of $2.77 to $2.79, representing an increase of 14%
compared to 2007 diluted net earnings per share of $2.44 which included
earnings related to the sale and operations of our discontinued Physiotherapy
Associates business. Excluding the impact of the previously announced fourth
quarter 2008 restructuring charges, adjusted diluted net earnings per share
for 2008 are expected to be in the range of $2.82 to $2.84, an increase of 18%
compared to adjusted diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations
of $2.40 in 2007.
2008 Sales Analysis
Domestic sales were $1,129 million for the fourth quarter and $4,282
million for the year ended December 31, 2008, representing increases of 7.0%
and 11.2%, respectively. International sales were $589 million for the fourth
quarter, representing a decrease of 2.3% and were $2,436 million for the year
ended December 31, 2008, representing an increase of 13.3%. The impact of
foreign currency comparisons to the dollar value of international sales was
unfavorable by $68 million in the fourth quarter and favorable by $85 million
for the year ended December 31, 2008. On a constant currency basis,
international sales increased 9.0% in the fourth quarter and 9.4% for the year
ended December 31, 2008.
Worldwide sales of Orthopaedic Implants were $1,017 million for the fourth
quarter and $3,967 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, representing
increases of 4.2% and 10.6%, respectively. On a constant currency basis,
sales of Orthopaedic Implants increased 8.9% in the fourth quarter and 8.8%
for the year ended December 31, 2008. Worldwide sales of MedSurg Equipment
were $701 million for the fourth quarter and $2,751 million for the year ended
December 31, 2008, representing increases of 2.8% and 14.0%, respectively. On
a constant currency basis, sales of MedSurg Equipment increased 6.2% in the
fourth quarter and 13.2% for the year ended December 31, 2008.
2009 Outlook
The Company projects that diluted net earnings per share for 2009 will be
in the range of $3.12 to $3.22, an increase of 10% to 14% over adjusted
diluted net earnings per share of $2.82 to $2.84 in 2008. The financial
forecast for 2009 includes a constant currency net sales increase of 6% to 9%
as a result of growth in shipments of Orthopaedic Implants and MedSurg
Equipment. If foreign currency exchange rates hold near current levels, the
Company anticipates net sales will be unfavorably impacted by approximately 4%
to 5% in the first quarter of 2009 and by approximately 3% to 4% for the full
year of 2009.
"In a challenging economic environment, we are pleased to report our
eighth consecutive year of double-digit sales growth for 2008," commented
Stephen P. MacMillan, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Although our
fourth quarter was impacted by reduced capital purchases by the Company's
hospital customers, our diversified business model helped deliver another
strong year of growth. Despite great uncertainty in the global economy and
continued pressure on hospital capital expenditure budgets, we believe the
strength of our global franchises combined with our focus on cost controls
will allow us to deliver solid top line growth and double-digit EPS gains in
Conference Call on January 27, 2009
Stryker also announced that it will host a conference call on Tuesday,
January 27, 2009 at 4:30 p.m., Eastern Time, to discuss the Company's
operating results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2008 and provide
an operational update. Operating results for the quarter and year ended
December 31, 2008 will be released at 4:00 p.m. that day.
To participate in the conference call dial 800-510-9661 (domestic) or
617-614-3452 (international) and enter the participant passcode 38897062. A
simultaneous webcast of the call will be accessible via the Company's website
at www.stryker.com. The call will be archived on this site for 90 days.
A recording of the call will also be available from 6:30 p.m., Eastern
Time, on Tuesday, January 27, 2009, until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3,
2009. To hear this recording you may dial 888-286-8010 (domestic) or
617-801-6888 (international) and enter the passcode 44664788.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains information that includes or is based on
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities law
that are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause the
Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied
in such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: further
weakening of economic conditions that could adversely affect the level of
demand for the Company's products; pricing pressures generally, including
cost-containment measures that could adversely affect the price of or demand
for the Company's products; changes in foreign exchange markets; regulatory
actions; unanticipated issues arising in connection with clinical studies and
otherwise that affect U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of new
products; changes in reimbursement levels from third-party payors; a
significant increase in product liability claims; changes in financial
markets; and changes in the competitive environment. Additional information
concerning these and other factors are contained in the Company's filings with
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Stryker Corporation is one of the world's leading medical technology
companies with the most broadly based range of products in orthopaedics and a
significant presence in other medical specialties. Stryker works with
respected medical professionals to help people lead more active and more
satisfying lives. The Company's products include implants used in joint
replacement, trauma, craniomaxillofacial and spinal surgeries; biologics;
surgical, neurologic, ear, nose & throat and interventional pain equipment;
endoscopic, surgical navigation, communications and digital imaging systems;
as well as patient handling and emergency medical equipment. For more
information about Stryker, please visit www.stryker.com.
SOURCE Stryker Corporation


text:
Some NBA executives think Chris Paul has lost something
Some NBA executives think that Chris Paul has lost something, according to one reporter. Appearing on ESPN's "Numbers Never Lie" Thursday, NBA reporter Chris Broussard was asked whether the Clippers could compete for an NBA title. The Clippers reached the Western Conference semifinals last season but lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games….Read More


text: I still have a little more house-cleaning to do... I replaced my Acute-Matte screen for my 501C with a Maxwell Brightscreen two years ago and I kept the Acute Matte just in case I wanted to go back... But I don't. So, Here's a screen that makes a world of difference if you're still using the standard screens. No marks or scratches on the screen itself, just on the frame. Looks great.


text:
Fly fishing pics submitted by
|More great articles on The Global FlyFisher
|A couple of random articles
Europe's New ZealandFor more than fifteen years a gang of swedes have been fishing in Slovenia for grayling, mottled trout and rainbows. Dry flies, nymphs are cast into rakija-clear streams surrounded by bright green trees, light gray rocks and snow tipped mountains.
September 24th 2010


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Septic arthritis is a bacterial infection in a joint. The joint is
often red, hot, swollen, and tender.
The joint may become infected with bacteria after an injury or
surgery. Also, an infection from somewhere else in the body may travel through
the bloodstream to the joint.
Early treatment with antibiotics is important to prevent permanent
damage to the joint. Surgery is sometimes needed to clean the joint and repair
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Register to receive a 5% coupon on any order placed before July 31st and win your EVENT FLOWERS!
Whole Blossoms Wholesale Flowers offers the Chocolate Cosmos, which are velvety flowers characterized by deep, burgundy blooms and a dark chocolate fragrance. Its popularity has grown in recent years for weddings and can be arranged with many other flowers for your perfect wedding bouquets, centerpieces and wedding boutonnieres. Impress your guests with a truly chocolaty fragrance that is irresistible to many!
Name: Cosmos, Chocolate Cosmos, Cosmos Bipinnatus, Cosmos Atrosanguineus
Colors: Chocolate flowers
Vase Life: 3-5 days, depending on care and handling
Availability: May thru beginning of November
Average Lenght: Average length of wholesale chocolate cosmos is 8 inches long
Bloom Size: Cosmos heads span 1 to 2 inches diameter
Description: Wholesale chocolate cosmos come packed in bunches of 15 stems. Bulk chocolate cosmos have a unique dark chocolate or vanilla tinged chocolate scent. Wholesale chocolate cosmos bloom twice year and resemble daisies with a single or double row of petals surrounding their centers. The chocolate blossoms are surrounded by delicate, lacy foliage. Chocolate cosmos have a deep burgundy brown color with a velvety texture. Adding a few cosmos to a bride's bouquet will provide your flowers with a casual fresh summery look. Chocolate cosmos blend very nicely with cream, peach and white flowers. A little bit of green from amaranthus, ruscus, or bear and lily grass will make your wedding bouquets look very sophisticated. Keep cosmos away from fruit and vegetables since etylene gas released by fruit and vegetables can damage your flowers.
If a chosen color and/or variety is unavailable at the time of shipping, Whole Blossoms will match the color and/or variety as closely as possible. Farm growing conditions, weather conditions, market demand, and other general forces may result in the unavailability of the flowers shown without notice.
While online photos shown are representations of flowers available for sale, actual colors and specifications delivered may vary somewhat since flowers are a product of Mother Nature, different brower types effect the outcome of displayed photos, and computer monitors may show differences in detail, definition, contrast, brightness, and color.
Carefully unpack your CHOCOLATE COSMOS, they will need to be hydrated upon arrival!
WHEN SHOULD I SCHEDULE THE DELIVERY Of THIS FLOWER?


text:
2007 Award Winners HOST OF THE YEAR 2007
Seamus & Aoife Brock, Teach de Broc, Ballybunion, Co Kerry
You don't have to play golf to appreciate this highly popular guesthouse but it certainly must help, as it's almost within the boundaries of the Ballybunion links. The standard of comfort is very high throughout the house, and the proprietors never stop thinking about ways to make their guests even more comfortable, even including installation of an electric massage chair for easing golfers' aches and pains after a long day on the links.
The rooms are lovely – that almost goes without saying here – but the public areas of the house are exceptional, including a large and inviting guest foyer-lounge. Finding that many guests prefer not to have to trek into town for dinner, they started offering a light evening meal a few years ago (handmade pizzas are the house speciality), and this has now developed into an impressive little à la carte restaurant menu.
They also serve an excellent breakfast from 6 am – nothing is too much trouble for Seamus and Aoife Brock, it seems and they are, indeed, the perfect hosts.
Show me all 2007 Award Winners
Apps and Books
A Taste of the Waterways GuideIf you've never spent a few days lazing around our wonderful waterways you just don't know what ...more...
Georgina Campbell's Ireland for Garden LoversThis magical book combines a guide to the top gardens in Ireland with one to the most delightful ...more...
Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide (12th Edition)The latest 12th edition of the must have glove box bible to Irish hospitality is available here. ...more...


text:
Senior Ryan Lollis
March 22, 2009
COLUMBIA, Mo. - - Texas A&M avoided being swept by Missouri by scoring a run in the top of the ninth inning to take a 6-5 win on Sunday at Taylor Stadium in Columbia. It was the second-straight Sunday in which the Tigers lost after the go-ahead run was scored in the ninth inning.
Mizzou (11-11, 3-3 Big 12) jumped out to an early lead after putting two runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. After the first two Tigers to the plate flew out, junior Trevor Coleman doubled and junior Aaron Senne drew a walk. Coleman and Senne would both score when junior Greg Folgia doubled into center.
Senior Ryan Lollis led off the third inning with a triple and later scored when Folgia reached on an error by the Texas A&M third baseman.
A pair of home runs by the Aggies in the fifth and sixth innings gave them the lead. Randall Thorpe hit a three-run homer in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game at three. Then in the sixth, Kevin Gonzalez connected on a solo home run to give Texas A&M its first lead of the weekend. The Aggies added a run in the seventh to give them a two-run advantage.
Missouri tied the game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, which included an RBI single by senior Kyle Mach. Senior Austin Holt, in the game as a pinch runner, scored the tying run on an Aggies error.
Lollis and Mach each had two hits on the afternoon.
Texas A&M (14-9, 3-3) Brooks Raley singled to open the ninth and stole second base. He scored all the way from second when the throw on the steal attempt bounced into left field.
Sophomore Nick Tepesch struck out nine in 5.2 innings pitched, allowing four runs on seven hits and taking a no decision.
The Tigers will conclude its six-game home stand with a pair of games against Illinois-Chicago this week at Taylor Stadium. Game one is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with game to scheduled for 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
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text:
Originally written on Fox Sports South | Last updated 4/30/12
The hiring of James Johnson as the new basketball coach at Virginia Tech may be as much about the 2012-13 season as any down the road. The Hokies were close to essentially having no team before various newspapers in Virginia reported the news Monday. Hiring Johnson means the program has some footing and the players threatening to leave will now matriculate in Blacksburg for next season. Seth Greenberg was fired a week ago after two assistants and a basketball operations staffer had left for other jobs. Johnson, who began working for Greenberg in 2007, was one of those assistants. He left two weeks ago for a job at Clemson, turning down Techs offer at matching his new salary of 190,000. Johnson told athletic director Jim Weaver it wasnt about money. As we learned last week, exit comments from the coaches didn't shine a positive light on Greenberg, and Weaver decided a head coach with no assistants a third assistant took a job at Old Dominion the day Greenberg was fired needed ...
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text:
PAUL GIGOT: Instead of our usual closing segment, in view of developments in Rome, some thoughts about the Pope, John Paul II, a major historical figure. Bret, an unusual pope in that he, in addition to being a religious leader, he was a man of great political consequences in the twentieth century. How do you see the Pope's legacy?
BRET STEPHENS: I think the number one legacy is, he was responsible for the fall of Communism, or certainly helped it along its way. Timothy Garton Ash, the British historian, I think put it very well: No John Paul II, no solidarity. No solidarity, no Gorbachev. No Gorbachev, no end of the Cold War, no fall of the Soviet Union. And really when you trace the history of it, you really see how deeply involved the Pope was in bringing the Polish people back on its feet, feeding that movement through some very dark years in the 1980s after Jaruzelski imposed martial law in Poland and the system really clamped down.
And then also, bringing out characters like Gorbachev. If you'll remember, there was a very key meeting between Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev and John Paul II, which led to the spread of religious freedom throughout the Soviet Union, particularly with the Roman Catholic church in the Ukraine. And that had a kind of domino effect, which had very wide consequences for ending that system.
PAUL GIGOT: It's hard from the vantage point 30 years later to recall that when he was named Pope in 1978, that was before Margaret Thatcher, that was before Ronald Reagan, that was before Lech Walesa jumped over that wall in Gdansk in Poland and started the solidarity movement. Dan, he really was the catalyst for so much of that.
DAN HENNINGER: Yeah, and I think we can extend Bret's remark. The Pope has often been called conservative, and I think that level is really quite irrelevant in this case. This is a pope who lived wholly in the modern world and understood the modern world. He'd visited over 117 different nations, more than all other popes combined. And in every instance he would go and talk about primarily one thing, the inherent dignity of every single human being. It's a very classically liberal idea. And he extended that theme through everything he talked about, whether it was human rights, or abortion, or war. And you could disagree with it on any given case, but he always pressed that one idea everywhere he went. And really, if you stand back, the dignity of the individual is really the touchstone of the modern era.
PAUL GIGOT: Some great scenes to remember from his trips. In Nicaragua, when the Sandinistas were running it, holding his crucifix as the demonstrators were protesting the Sandinista. Communist protestors in Cuba where he made that famous trip, Fidel Castro in the front row and the people behind saying, "Freedom, freedom, freedom." David, he really did have this broad, ecumenical kind of broadening effect on what had been a Catholic church that looked Rome-centered. Has he re-opened the Catholic Church to the rest of the world?
DAVID HOPPE: I think he has, through his travel, as was mentioned. And he reached out to people of the Jewish faith, to the Eastern Orthodox church, and tried to -- he really brought so many people who otherwise would not have had a chance. And by the very fact that, obviously not through his own vote but being elected Pope, and moving that out of Italy, out of, if you will, the European central, he really has opened this up. If you look aroud the world, the cardinals he's named, like Cardinal Arinze, an African cardinal, who has traveled around the world, he has followed the model of John Paul II, he has opened up the church, and opened up the church in a way that people who are not of the Catholic faith, who, for a long time, were suspicious of the Catholic faith, they're no longer suspicious, they have a respect for the Catholic faith that John Paul brought
PAUL GIGOT: Dan, you're a Catholic, and your brother is, in fact, a Jesuit priest in Rome. What other effect do you think the pope had on the Catholic Church?
DANIEL HENNINGER: Well, I think he sustained and protected the integrity and internal intellectual coherence. People criticize him for having been a conservative on dogma. But the Pope was an intellectual, and when a lot of other institutions in our time have pretty much become wobbly in a way that you cannot identify any longer what they stand for, throughout his papacy the Pope maintained the integrity of his institution. And it's interesting to me that in his death, he has in some sort of admirable way sustained the integrity of the individual to choose to suffer, to see it through, and to sustain himself. And he has done it with just the most remarkable dignity, the last week.
PAUL GIGOT: In a way he understood that the core failing of Communism wasn't economic, it was moral and almost anthropological, because it misunderstood what human nature is, that you need to be able to have freedom to make moral choices. And Communism denied that, Bret.
BRET STEPHENS: Well, someone once said that Communism posed as an economic system, but its real objective was the destruction of morality. And this, I think, was in a sense John Paul's political contribution, saying you cannot have a politics that's stripped of morality. You cannot have a politics that's stripped of the most basic human yearnings and the higher human yearnings, for freedom, for dignity, for the possibility of change and redemption. And he was able to do that in sort of the heart of darkness.
If you remember what the world was like when he became Pope in 1978, the Prime Minister of Italy had just been killed, the Iranian revolution was coming upon us, there was an oil crisis, there was a sense of a world falling apart. And you had a Breshnev doctrine which said "once Communist, always Communist." And he stood up to that, and he said, "This is going to change." And in fact, it did change, in the space of about 10 years. Obviously, he wasn't the only one who did it. There were large forces at work. But I think it would be foolish to deny his place in history as someone who had a central role to play.
PAUL GIGOT: A providential figure. That's it for this edition of THE JOURNAL EDITORIAL REPORT. Thank you from all of us. We'll be back next week, and we hope you'll join us then.


text:
Arms Wide Open
A Midwife's Journey
By Patricia Harman
(Beacon Press (MA), Paperback, 9780807001714, 287pp.)
Publication Date: March 20, 2012
List Price: $16.00*
* Individual store prices may vary.
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In this prequel to the highly praised The Blue Cotton Gown, Patricia Harman reaches back to her youthful experiments in living a fully sustainable and natural life in the 1960s and '70s in rural Minnesota and on a commune in Ohio, forming alliances with the eco-minded and antiwar counterculture. From those riveting days as a self-taught midwife, delivering babies in cabins and on farms, sometimes in harrowing circumstances, Patsy takes us into the present day, where she faces the challenges of running a women's health clinic with her husband, mothering adult sons, and holding true to her principles and passions in the twenty-first century.


text:
Merci Bocups GwBW's
Classic Australiana :)
Very Big & Nice tree. Thanks
The great Aussie outback for ya, at least no one was crocodile breakfast......
This road should be wider....
What a great picture! I really like it! Greetings from Brasília!
Nice shot :-)
Love this clean, beautiful shot with different shades of blue. LIKED :)
Best wishes from Oregon, US,
You're absolutely right mate, thanks for pointing it out to me.
I'm changing it right now.
I was pretty close though...
Quite a stretch of desolate road, eh?


text:
Stephen Holden
Recent and archived news articles by Stephen Holden of The New York Times.
Sean Baker's Offbeat Characters, in 3 Films at Lincoln Center
The menu on July 9 at the Walter Reade Theater includes Mr. Baker's "Tangerine," about squabbling transgender prostitutes on Sunset Boulevard.
July 5, 2015, Sunday
Review: In 'Jackie & Ryan,' a Handsome Drifter Guides the Way
Ami Canaan Mann's film portrays a romance between a singer who fled her marriage for her hometown in Utah and an itinerant musician who arrives there on the back of a freight train.
July 3, 2015, Friday
Review: 'Jimmy's Hall' Pits the Church Against a Populist Gathering Place
Ken Loach's film, set in Ireland in the 1930s, centers on a man of the people who turns an abandoned community center into a place to dance and dream.
July 3, 2015, Friday
Review: Bette Midler Is Still Naughty and Bawdy, but Reflective, Too
In four decades of stardom, Ms. Midler has gone the distance, from "The Divine Miss M," who went against the cultural tide, to her current tour, "Divine Intervention."
June 27, 2015, Saturday
Review: Jeremy Jordan, Take-No-Prisoners Heartthrob, Has a New Cabaret Act
The actor is deploying his go-getter charm at 54 Below with a phalanx of show business talent.
June 27, 2015, Saturday
Review: In 'A Little Chaos,' a Guileless Kate Winslet Offsets a Lavish Versailles
Ms. Winslet plays a gardener well ahead of her time in this Louis XIV-era costume drama directed by and starring Alan Rickman.
June 26, 2015, Friday
Review: In 'Runoff,' a Rural Family Hits Desperate Times
Kimberly Levin's directorial debut centers on the Freemans (Neal Huff and Joanne Kelly), struggling to raise a family and save their farm and business.
June 26, 2015, Friday
Review: In '7 Minutes,' From Jay Martin, a Bank Robbery Plan Implodes
Three friends decide to commit a crime, greatly underestimating the difficulty.
June 26, 2015, Friday
Review: Karen Mason, a Well-Seasoned Belter, at Don't Tell Mama
The nightclub singer performed ballads like "I Made a New Friend," a song that distilled the essence of her musical personality.
June 24, 2015, Wednesday
Lady Gaga Brings Thrill to Tony Bennett's Immutable Style
For all the flash Lady Gaga brought to the stage, musically the evening belonged to Mr. Bennett who brought his usual optimism to signature songs.
June 22, 2015, Monday
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 166
Very easy way to get ...This Is Super Saiyan 3 & Other 'Don't Take Damage' Chievs
...This Is Super Saiyan 3 50
You won without taking any damage in Score Attack mode on Hard.
First of all, don't bother trying to do the individual achievements on their own, as '...This Is Super Saiyan 3' stacks with 'The Ultimate Power' and 'Something Good Before You Die'.
Follow this link to the QR codes available on the Dragon Ball Z For Kinect Facebook page and scan in Kid Buu and Unleash Ki.
Go to Score Attack mode and choose your opponent. I personally found Saibamen to be the easiest. As soon as the battle starts, fly left to avoid any immediate combat from the Saibamen, and instantly raise your right arm straight up to charge Buu's special move, and as soon as you're prompted, swing your arm down to throw his attack.
Spam this move over and over, it'll take about 5-6 hits before you clear his health but you'll never have to worry about charging ki.
You may have to dodge one of the Saibamen's attacks, but luckily you can do so without taking any damage, doing so by dodging left or right.
There you have it, easily the best and quickest way to get these achievments.
Full credit goes to YohCeezaX with his post on TA, I've simply found the simplest of his methods and worded it myself and added pretty links. Stay tuned for his full guide!
Last edited by LegendIsReal; 10-09-2012 at 11:53 PM. Reason: Made easier to see links
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I'm using Mercurial 1.6. I have a repo with a few subrepos (11). I would like to push the parent repo to the default remote repo without pushing the child repos. Reasons for wanting to do this include:
- I'm using SSH repos, and it takes a long time to establish a connection and push nothing to each of the subrepos.
- I have commits in subrepos I don't want propagated to the remote repos (yet).
- Subrepos have named branches that should not be propagated to the repote repos (and there's apparently no way to pass branch names to the push operation of the subrepos).
However, I've been unable to find a way to accomplish this. I tried deleting the content of .hgsub and .hgsubstate (without committing), but still mercurial insists on pushing the subrepos.
How can I push the changes from the local repo to the remote repo and ignore the subrepos temporarily?


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3D Artists GroupArts & Literature group with 1,203 members, open to all members
Are you a 3D artist? Are you looking for some inspiration? Do you just want to collaborate or know who your fellow ModDB artists are? Doesn't matter what...
Yes I lied about my age (this time I'm doing youngest instead of oldest) so I don't have to tell you my real age. Mods (I'm new to modding and stuff)Please read my Blog.I will really accept anyone. Read my blog and I need: Mapper Animator Programmer Beta Testers anything else for more information visit my group ^ up there
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0 comments by GameGuy99 on May 6th, 2010
Hello there i haven't been online for a while and I need to get back online but I'm talking about lockerz which is a free website where you can get prizes for free like an Xbox 360 elite, PS3, iPod, iPad, clothing, games for your consoles :) and hendheld gaming device (psp) if you want to be a part of this then send me a message with your email and also you pay with points and you get points by simply signing in, doing daily questions and inviting friends. Sound good? message me now.
Are you a 3D artist? Are you looking for some inspiration? Do you just want to collaborate or know who your fellow ModDB artists are? Doesn't matter what...
This Group is dedicated to the Assassin's Creed franchise. Everything you need to know about Assassin's Creed is here, including content and news for...
If you love Call of Duty games this is the place for you.
Call of Duty Fans and Players is an open group for all Call of Duty players and fans alike from all over the world.
I am looking for recruits, and we have changed to an indie game useing UDK/UE3
Garrysmod is a fun loving sex appea...I mean lovely appealing game with lots of humour and easily serverside modable. Sandbox of All Games. ^-^
For people and teams developing mods and games with Valve's Source engine.
The Unreal Tournament 3 Developers Group is for teams that have chosen Epic's new Unreal game to base their mod on.
your the same rank as me :D and thanks for the friends invite
edit: it says that i can't be friends with myself -.-'
haha lol friends with yourself
something wrong in moddb i said i whas you -.-'
what do you mean "it said i was you"
it damnit not i
Can U send me the logo (Preview) of ED?
I need it.
I did a little something.
Check the group.
Liked your old avatar, Little Big Planet was awesome :)
yeah me too I'm gonna change it soon


text: on Jul 5, 2013 @ 7:32 AMJul 5, 2013 @ 7:32 AM Published CORRECTED: Tennis: Germany cheers for 'boom-boom-Bine' LisickiWimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki has caught the imagination of tennis fans in her homeland as her 6-4, 2-6, 9-7 semi-final win over Agnieszka Radwanska saw her become the first German woman in 14 years to reach a Grand Slam final."Super Sabine! It was an unbelievable fight, it was great how she kept her calm and nerve against Radwanska, especially after she was 3-0 down in the third set," Steffi Graf, who reached the 1999 Wimbledon final, wrote on Facebook."We will all cheer for you in the final and keep our fingers crossed."Graf, 44, who lost to Lindsay Davenport in the 1999 Wimbledon final, was the last German to win a Grand Slam title when she won the 1999 French Open, but Germany is enjoying having a new tennis star reach a major final.The headline "Boom-Boom-Bine!", a tribute to the nickname "Boom-Boom-Becker!" given to former German star Boris Becker, has appeared on several newspapers and the 45-year-old is delighted to see his compatriot charm Wimbledon."Sabine Lisicki rocks! But you have to do it again, baby," tweeted Becker, a three-time Wimbledon champion, as Lisicki faces France's Marion Bartoli in Saturday's final after Thursday's semi-final win.Lisicki's Fed Cup team-mate Andrea Petkovic called on Lisicki to become a Wimbledon champion, having reached the 2011 semi-finals and beaten world number one Serena Williams in the fourth round en route to this year's final in southwest London."Wow, Bine! We are all mega proud! Bring the title to Germany," wrote Petkovic.ryj/phz


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You can now invite anyone to meet at your favorite Starbucks.
Limited-time feature
39 year old man | New York, NY, USA | Seeking women 28-34 within 5 miles
Active within 24 hours
Looking for Classy, Smart & Sexy
A fun loving, passionate, personable and ambitious real estate entrepreneur seeks a someone who will not only capture my heart but also my mind.. I am confident, secure and family oriented who was born in the midwest but grew up in nyc and new england. For the past few years i have focused on my company and its been my primary focus and passion. Now i am at a point in my life where i want more.. What is the point of working hard and being successful unless you have someone to share it with? I am looking for someone who wants to fall in love and be a part of something that is bigger than the two of us. I want to be with someone who is smart and well educated but also sexy and spontaneous.. Please enjoy adventures, great conversations and foreign travel.. I am looking for a woman who can enjoy a black tie party at a fancy club on a saturday night yet feel equally comfortable on a lazy sunday afternoon lounging in the living room with me reading the new york times. Family is important to me and I enjoy big family gatherings with a lot of laughter and banter and hopefully you do as well. I love NYC and owning a home here but I also yearn to have another home outside the City that we can escape to together. I love to entertain and to attend parties and dinners with interesting friends and family. Most importantly I really want to be with someone who is a kind and generous and will light up a room on the darkest of days and be an amazing life long partner.
Alumni connections , Coffee and conversation , Dining out , Movies/Videos , Museums and art , Exploring new areas , Nightclubs/Dancing , Religion/Spiritual , Travel/Sightseeing
Aerobics, Other types of exercise, Skiing, Tennis / Racquet sports, Walking / Hiking, Weights / Machines
I exercise 1-2 times per week.
I like Dogs
as a child i always wanted a puppy..definitely open to it but need help caring for it..
Middle of the Road
exotic locations include Mediterranean coast in France and Italy including st tropez, capri as well as Caribbean hot spots like st barts and jamaica.. martha's vineyard, hamptons and California are wonderful in their own way as well..
Columbia University, New York, NY
I have an eclectic taste in music and movies..I enjoy quirky documentaries, independent films and musical interests that range from the latest dance club/euro inspired music to the classics including neil young, james taylor and frank sinatra.
museums, movies, restaurants, dinner parties, spend time with parents, read, hanging out with friends, working out, traveling to fun destinations..
i really enjoy non fiction the most and particularly biographies as well as books that are based on monumental events, stories or current events. I read ny post, new york times and other papers every day..
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
|What he is looking for
|6'0" (182cms)
|5'4" (162cms) to 5'10" (177cms)
|Body type:
|No preference
|Dark brown
|No preference
|No Way
|No Way
|I'll tell you later
|Social Drinker
|Self-Employed / Entrepreneur
|No preference
After business school i took over a small family business and expanded it. It is very challenging to run a growing business and rewarding. The experience makes you a smarter and a better person..
|No preference
|Never Married
|No preference
|Have kids:
|Wants kids:
|White / Caucasian
|White / Caucasian
people say i have black irish looks..do get references to various movie star actor types from time to time, which, quite frankly makes me cringe a bit though i do take it as a compliment..
|Christian / Catholic
|Christian / Catholic, Spiritual but not religious, Christian / Other
i grew up in a catholic family though i generally only attend church on major holidays..
|No preference
|Graduate degree
|Bachelors degree, Graduate degree, PhD / Post Doctoral


text:
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Hotel Spa
Online bookings let you pick date/time for your visit.
If you purchase an eVoucher you will need to book with the venue directly.
Our old Wahanda Gift Vouchers can still be redeemed at over 3,000 locations. Use them to pay as you would with cash. Please note, the Wahanda Gift Voucher's successor – the Wahanda Gift Card – can only be used for online purchases.
Welcome to the Grand Millennium Dubai where you will experience a high level of personalised service, plus a memorable stay. This exclusive new property offers luxurious, spacious and tastefully furnished guestrooms, complete with state-of-the-art-technology. Located on Sheikh Zayed Road between Mall of Emirates and Ibn Battuta shopping mall, adjacent to Dubai Media City, Emirates Golf Club and The Montgomerie.
The hotel has four exciting restaurants, lounge and bars from the Italian hot spot " Dante", to the authentic Asian restaurant & bar " Toshi", serving ethnic cuisines from Malaysia, Thailand, China and Japan, the sparkling champagne lounge "Crystal Bar", the dazzling all-day dining "Atrium", the tropical "JUZZ Bar", chic "Lobby Lounge" and the unique "Belgian Beer Café" which offers a warm and cozy atmosphere of an authentic European Cafe, featuring Art Nouveau-inspired interior. Enjoy the Jasmine Spa, outdoor Swimming pool and Jacuzzi as well as extensive work out facilities and Gym equipment.


text:
Real Estate
Real Estate
Soldier Field
Northern Illinois
Jay Cutler
Brian Urlacher
Quinn Takes The Ball Again, Runs With It
By Eric Zorn
March 20, 2001
Patrick Quinn hustled into a news conference at City Hall last week just behind schedule and found a battery of TV cameras, a cluster of a mikes and a gaggle of scribblers waiting for him. Nice turnout and, for him, an almost perfect issue--the proposed reconstruction of Soldier Field, a controversy with all the elements he usually looks for in a crusade. - Arrogant lawmakers: the city and state officials who hastily greenlighted this $587 million project with almost no public...
Soldier Field to host Tuesday's World Cup viewing party
By Marwa Eltagouri and Tribune reporter
June 30, 2014
Officials are expecting between 10,000 and 20,000 fans for a free viewing party Tuesday at Soldier Field of the World Cup elimination match between U.S. and Belgium. "It's late in the day, at 3:00 p.m., and people are already taking the day off for the Fourth of July weekend," said Sinhue Mendoza, U.S. Soccer spokesman. "And it's an elimination game. It's do-or-die now." While kick-off for the round-of-16 game is scheduled for 3 p.m, fans can enter Soldier...
Soldier Field revealed
November 6, 2009
Five things Liam Ford was surprised to learn while researching his recent book,"Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City": 1. While they were building Soldier Field, the South Park Commission had trouble deciding whether to allow professional football there. The South Parks controlled Chicago's lakefront parks from Grant Park south, and wanted the new Grant Park Stadium to serve as a venue to showcase the athleticism of the children of the South Side. In the summer of 1925, the...
World Cup viewing party moved to Soldier Field
By Mitch Smith and Tribune reporter
June 29, 2014
Soldier Field will host a free viewing party Tuesday when the U.S. takes on Belgium in the World Cup, officials announced Sunday. After huge turnouts and limited space at public watch parties for the American team's group stage matches, the 61,500-capacity stadium by the lake should offer ample space for soccer-crazy Chicagoans. The U.S. and Belgium will kick off the round-of-16 game Tuesday afternoon at 3, but fans can enter Soldier Field starting at 1:30 p.m. Normal parking...
Changes at Soldier Field
January 5, 2012
I'm surprised Bears President Ted Phillips neglected to fire the team's ball boys yesterday, considering how many sweeping changes the Bears announced on Tuesday. How can an organization fire its general manager and then say that the successor must accept Lovie Smith as head coach? If you want to clean house, that restriction shouldn't be a dealbreaker selecting a new GM. Lovie may have a winning record as head coach, but his ability to take this team to the next level is suspect. It appears...
Editorial: Put Lucas' museum anywhere but Chicago's lakefront
June 26, 2014
"( I)n no instance will further private development be permitted east of Lake Shore Drive. " - Lakefront Plan of Chicago Chicago, already a huge draw for tourists, is the logical place for George Lucas to display his collection of art and movie memorabilia. We welcome the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art - although, as we wrote in the headline of a June 1 editorial , "Not on the lakefront; Generations of Chicagoans have rejected grand proposals to give...
Soldier Field a better bet
November 22, 2010
With the offensive-team players forced to move in only one direction at Wrigley Field for the Northwestern-Illinois football game, wouldn't it have been a better idea to schedule this at Soldier Field? --Philip Schwimmer, Skokie
U.S. success sparks World Cup fever in Chicago
David Haugh and In the Wake of the News
June 22, 2014
Chicago soccer legend Willy Roy noticed the strangest thing during a trip last week to Wood Dale American Legion Post 1205: People wanted to talk soccer. Even for a man who built his life around the beautiful game, this almost never happens. "Older people, my friends, are watching World Cup games and trying to follow so they ask me, 'Willy, what is offsides? What is the penalty kick?' " said Roy, 71, a U.S. national team player from 1965-73 who also coached the Chicago Sting to...
Emanuel looking at Soldier Field expansion
By John Byrne and Clout Street
March 4, 2014
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is in the very preliminary stages of looking at a 5,000-seat expansion of Soldier Field. The mayor's office and Chicago Park District, which runs the stadium on behalf of the city, are exploring the possibility as Chicago mulls a Super Bowl bid. "It's an exploration to see what, if anything, is possible," Emanuel spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton said late Tuesday. Last month, the mayor told Tribune sports columnist David Haugh that Chicago could bid for the Super...
Spring Awakening is a view to a thrill - sort of
Christopher Borrelli
June 15, 2014
Spring Awakening, the three-day electronic dance music festival perhaps you heard un-cha-un-cha-un-chaing last weekend, its bass thumps rattling the traffic that crawled north along Lake Shore Drive, has established itself in just three years at Soldier Field as a key Midwest rallying point for EDM (electronic dance music). Its biggest stars are achieving a degree of household recognition - past performers Skrillex and Calvin Harris quickly became Lollapalooza headliners - and...
Pat-downs at Soldier Field no problem
December 13, 2010
When I attend a Bears game at Soldier Field I dutifully go to the ladies' line at the entrance gate and get a patdown. It doesn't seem to bother me or anyone else. Perhaps Bears fans are not so easily offended. -- Ann Kinnealey, Chicago
Mexico taking Soldier Field tuneup game seriously
By Jack McCarthy, Special to the Tribune
June 2, 2014
If the World Cup field is like an extended family, then Mexico is the sophisticated big brother while Bosnia and Herzegovina is the upstart youngest sibling. The Balkan nation will be playing in its first World Cup this month in Brazil, while Mexico will be playing in its sixth straight and 15th overall. When the teams met at Soldier Field in 2012, Bosnia and Herzegovina stunned Mexico with a tense 1-1 battle through regulation. Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez saved the day with a...
Soldier Field gets major wireless upgrade
By Samantha Bomkamp and Tribune reporter
October 23, 2013
The wireless network at Soldier Field is getting an upgrade. Boingo Wireless and AT&T announced Wednesday that the home of the Bears will see improved wireless connections through a massive infrastructure upgrade, giving fans improved cell reception as well as the ability to send pictures, videos or texts more quickly. Installations include the placement of multiple antennas in the most heavily trafficked areas of the stadium to ensure smooth connection across 63,000 seats. There...
City offers George Lucas Soldier Field parking lots for museum
Melissa Harris and Chicago Confidential
May 21, 2014
A task force appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel recommends the parking lots south of Soldier Field as the home for filmmaker George Lucas' collection of art and movie memorabilia, should the "Star Wars" creator choose Chicago over San Francisco for his planned museum. Lucas is expected to select a site for his Lucas Cultural Arts Museum this summer, according to a museum spokeswoman. The two Chicago Park District-owned parking lots are between the stadium and...
Soldier Field management gets another contract
By Ellen Jean Hirst and Tribune reporter
February 13, 2013
The Chicago Park District Board this evening approved a new 10-year contract for the company that manages Soldier Field. The board made its unanimous decision about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday after an extensive presentation by the evaluation team and SMG, including its president Wes Westley. "We just got done with the Super Bowl in New Orleans, as you know. We're very invested in the Lake District," Westley said. "We're managing McCormick Place, we have lots of business here...
Soldier Field parking lots recommended for 'Star Wars' museum
By Melissa Harris and Tribune business columnist
May 20, 2014
A task force appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel has recommended the parking lots to the south of Soldier Field as the home for filmmaker George Lucas' collection of art and movie memorabilia, should the 'Star Wars' creator choose Chicago over San Francisco for his planned museum. Lucas is expected to select a site for his Lucas Cultural Arts Museum this summer, according to a museum spokeswoman. The proposed site, two Chicago Park District-owned parking lots, are...
Soldier Field no memorial at all
May 30, 2013
The solemnity of Memorial Day caused me to reflect on the addition of more names to Arlington National Cemetery. With wars still being fought and our fallen brave replaced by white crosses in that expanse of green lawns and waving flags, I still have difficulty adjusting to our own Soldier Field. Once a monument to another era's fallen warriors, it is now a place of sports and music events, having lost its landmark status. Once invoked to honor our soldiers, its addition has made a...
Wrigley Field brand booms, but not Soldier Field's
Phil Rosenthal
May 4, 2014
This year marks a big anniversary for the home of one of Chicago's favorite teams, and you can imagine the hoopla as its great moments in sports, music and other history are celebrated. You can try to imagine it, anyway. Soldier Field turns 90 this fall, and this paragraph may be the first acknowledgment of that fact you've seen so far this year. Unlike Wrigley Field, being feted in a monthslong centennial celebration a few miles to the north, the city's lakefront coliseum...
Spring Awakening festival expands inside Soldier Field
Greg Kot and Music critic
May 15, 2012
The Spring Awakening Music Festival scheduled for June 16-17 is expanding inside Soldier Field to meet ticket demand, promoters will announce Tuesday. The two-day event, which includes headliners Skrillex and Afrojack and dozens more DJs and electronic-dance music artists, will now be held on three stages on the south side of the stadium with a main stage inside, promoters React Presents and the Congress Theater say. Tickets ($119.99 for a two-day pass) are on sale at...
Herrera pitches Mexico's game at Wrigley
By Jack McCarthy, Special to the Tribune
April 24, 2014
Miguel Herrera's business is soccer, but baseball ranks high among his passions. The Mexican national team coach, a self-described Reds fan, visited Wrigley Field on Thursday to exchange jerseys and banter with Cubs manager Rick Renteria and watch the series finale with the Diamondbacks. The visit was part of a series of Chicago appearances promoting the June 3 pre-World Cup clash at Soldier Field between Mexico and Bosnia-Herzegovina. "The game is very important considering...
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