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Go With Top Home Alarm Systems For Protection
Protecting your family and property is the number one priority and you should trust home alarm systems to do the job for you. Home security systems can greatly reduce damage and loss, when you are not around to keep an eye on your property, get a home security camera and constant home security monitoring. You never know when a break-in or fire could occur, so you need to be one step ahead of the game and find the best home security systems to make sure you are protected. In the middle of the night, someone might break in and you might be too tired to hear it or to respond but the home security systems will always be standing by to keep your home safe. It doesn't matter where you live, even if you live in a relatively safe neighborhood with low crime, you don't want to leave a chance that a break-in could occur, so it makes sense to invest in one of the top home security systems with constant home security monitoring. You don't want to wait until it's too late, and find yourself shopping for home security systems after a break-in or other emergency has already happened.
Home security systems can greatly benefit you, they protect your family and private property when you are not able to. The home alarm systems can be very helpful if you have elderly family members living with you, as they might not be able to respond quickly to an emergency situation. They will pay for themselves several times over throughout the years, what price would you put on protecting your family? You can customize your home alarm systems to your property, it doesn't matter how big or small your property is, home security monitoring can ensure your safety. A home security camera and home security monitoring offers you expert protection that no homeowner should have to go without.
How to Get
Having a home security camera is a great deterrent against criminals who want to break into your house. The very sight of a home security camera is often enough to scare off an intruder and prevent a break-in. One of the greatest reasons for having home security systems for year-round home security monitoring is so that you can reinforce your home and deter individuals from choosing to victimize you. Home alarm systems should be at the top of your priority list so that you can be sure you are not victimized. You never know when a crime will be committed against you or your home, and it is better to be prepared with one of the top home alarm systems than to find yourself wishing you had protection. Mostly when we are burglarized, it is by someone who is familiar with our home, having home security systems and home security monitoring with a home security camera, can offer you the extra protection needed for you and your loved ones. Intruders will be less likely to enter your home when they see a home security camera and top quality home security monitoring. It may be pricey to start with, but it is well worth the money spent. This way, you never need to worry about your home, it will always be in good, experienced hands.


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…Suffering and Ministry in the Spirit: Paul's Defense of his Ministry in 2 Corinthians 2:14–3:3 Author: Scott Hafemann Publisher: Paternoster Publication Date: 2000 Pages: 284 Shedding new light on the way Paul defended his apostleship, the author offers a careful, detailed study of 2 Corinthians … more
Dr. Plummer is a biblical scholar with a missionary heart. He has served in missionary assignments of varying length in China, Israel, Trinidad, Ghana, Malaysia, and Turkey. Dr. Plummer has written Paul's Understanding of the Church's Mission: Did the Apostle Paul Expect the Early Christian Communities to Evangelize? (Paternoster Press, 2006). Articles written by Dr. Plummer have appeared in Westminster Theological Journal, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, New Holman Bible Dictionary, The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, and other publications. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Institute for Biblical Research.

subset: commoncrawl


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- Saturday, May 09, 2009
SFMOMA Rooftop Garden Member Preview Day
Date + TimeSaturday, May 09, 2009
noon - 5:45 p.m.
Be among the very first to set foot in our new Rooftop Garden at the members-only preview. This exciting extension of SFMOMA is not just a fresh space for viewing art, it also offers a new way to experience art: in the open air, high above the bustle of the streets. In addition to providing a place for visitors to enjoy sculptures by some of the most important artists of our time, the Rooftop Garden offers a place to rest, reflect, chat, enjoy a coffee, and see the San Francisco skyscape from a whole new perspective. SFMOMA's reinstalled contemporary painting and sculpture exhibition, Between Art and Life, also will be on view in the fifth-floor galleries, along with a commissioned work by local artist Rosana Castrillo Díaz on the new Rooftop Garden bridge.
Admission + Ticketing
Free for SFMOMA members. As capacity in the garden is limited, preview admission will be extended on a first-come, first-served basis.


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yea i spent 3 days doing this and bricked my phone bad by nor remembering to flash the kernel and not knowing about the zv8 radio.
i have read other post about the radio and it seems to throttle the speeds of your data more than anything
BTW for others reading you do not have to tot to zv8 just need to flash the zv8 modem.zip along with the ROM and gapps
I tried flashing just the ZV8 modem ZIP with ROM and GApps and it never worked. Tried several times. Had to .TOT no matter what. I spend basically a month with a new phone because I had to .TOT so many times from trying just about everything I could. Could you post exactly what you did to be able to just flash the ZV8 modem?
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- WND - http://www.wnd.com -
Dad called 'neo-Nazi' for questioning homework
Posted By -NO AUTHOR- On 11/15/2013 @ 1:08 pm In Education,Front Page,U.S. | No Comments
(HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS) Josh Barry recently was accused of possibly being a neo-Nazi by an East Pennsboro Area Middle School teacher after he questioned the political slant of his daughter's homework assignment on the government shutdown, which he felt had a political left-leaning bias.
East Pennsboro Area School Board's meeting on Thursday night was Barry's chance to publicly respond, and he didn't mince words.
Barry called for the resignation or termination of Cydnee Cohen, a middle school learning-support teacher, who Barry has said accused him of possibly being a neo-Nazi.
Article printed from WND: http://www.wnd.com
URL to article: http://www.wnd.com/2013/11/dad-called-neo-nazi-for-questioning-homework/
Click here to print.
© Copyright 1997-2013. All Rights Reserved. WND.com.


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Content count228
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About ClarkCam
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ClarkCam added a article in Carolina PanthersDon't Overlook GilmoreLet me explain my thoughts and reasoning. This guy has 4.4 speed, is 6'1", 190 pounds, and is all around prototypical corner build. This guy has also played at the SEC level and was a leader on his team. Gilmore has been shooting up draft boards and has even been rumored to be seen as better than Claiborne. If we got this guy, I think this would be not a reach, but a great pick. It fills a need, and he would arguable be the best player on the board.
Here are sources citing how highly he is ranked comparatively to Claiborne, and picks.
SI's Peter King, Dan Pompei of the National Football Post, and NFL Network's Mike Mayock and Mike Lombardi have all recently either reported or suggested that Gilmore is top-ten material. In Caplan's mock draft he has Gilmore going to Buffalo with the tenth overall pick.
People all around the league are talking about the potential and skill of this guy, and most of you are too stubborn to like him. All corners will get burned, and yes, he needs to stay lower to the ground in his backpedal, but this guy is top 10 material.
NFL Films' Greg Cosell also stated in a Friday radio interview that Gilmore is a better prospect than Claiborne, the 2011 Thorpe Award winner. "He's a hot guy," Lombardi said of Gilmore. "I was told Jacksonville actually likes him more than Claiborne." Lombardi also sent Gilmore to the Jags in his latest mock draft. At this point, we'd be surprised if Gilmore got out of the top-ten picks, and No. 7 seems his likeliest destination.
Here is just a video showing some good and bad plays of Gilmore. One of the better blitzers out of the slot that I've seen at corner.
This is from a year ago mind you, and he has been getting better...... This guy breaks on the ball hard.
So, what I am trying to say is, don't discount this guy. He is a legitimate prospect who has good game tape as well.
- 72 replies
- 4,492 views
ClarkCam added a article in Carolina PanthersStephon Gilmore A True Option for PanthersThis corner is being seen more and more as a top 10 pick, and with the need at corner, and it being such a premium position in the NFL, he is a very likely candidate to be picked up at #9. I used to be a Coples guy, but with all the negative things coming out about him, with very little positive, I think Gilmore would be a solid contributor, while also being the safest pick. It would really help our sad secondary, and get us some takeaways.
Here is a link citing how many analysts and teams talk about how they think he is top 10 material
I think the guy seems to have his head on straight, with some serious athletic ability.
It is also good to note, this guy is a returner as well. He helps us on multiple fronts. The more I read about this guy and watch him in games, the more I like him.
- 97 replies
- 3,336 views


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Extremely Graphic Ads Target Teen Smokers. Is This Horror Show Enough to Stop Kids From Buying Cigarettes?
Jason Aldean Lives the American Dream in Wrangler Retro Commercial
Jason Aldean and Wrangler denim are decidedly American success stories, built on the back of hard work. That's why Aldean factors into the new Wrangler Retro commercial.
'The Dale Call': Mountain Dew's New Super Bowl Ad
Underwood Thanks Ad for 'Giant Man Feet' Via Twitter
What Day is It? Hump Day! [VIDEO]
Old Spock Battles New Spock In Nerds Greatest Dream
With 'Star Trek: Into Darkness' coming out in just a matter of weeks, nerds everywhere (us included) are getting pretty pumped.


text: ThinkStock [ Banks Fall Short in Helping Struggling Homeowners By Associated Press June 19, 2013 WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report says homeowners trying to avoid foreclosure must wait too long for their loan modification applications to be reviewed by some of the nation's top mortgage servicers. Such delays can plunge borrowers deeper in debt. Read More|Comment Category: National News Tags: Foreclosures Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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Insurance Limits and Case Value - A Clear Correlation?
Cullen & Dykman Sees Colleges Calling for Title IX Help v
"Damages" in an Injury Lawsuit: An Introduction for Lay People
Your Deposition: What to Expect
Trial by Jury: Why It Matters in a Democratic Society
The Burden of Proof -- What must plaintiffs prove to win their case?
Bringing a Lawsuit to Find Out What Happened and Why
Subrogation: Piggyback Claims by Health Insurers in Injury Lawsuits
Who Can Sue the U.S. Government for Injuries? A Legal Primer
Why Secret Settlements of Injury Lawsuits Are Bad (for Everyone but the Defendant)
How Big Tobacco Handles Lawsuits -- Attrition and Wait for Deaths
The Evolution of Informed Consent in U.S. Courts
How Auto Defects Can Cause Passenger Injury
What patients misunderstand about their right of informed consent
Blecker: GM Recalls Show Need for Harsher Penalties for "Red Collar" Criminals
Attorney Client Privilege
Proximate Cause - An Important Practice Tip for Personal Injury Lawyers
Understanding Supplemental Spousal Liability Insurance in NY
The Integrated and Coordinated Approach to Title IX Compliance
Superman's Legal Duty
In a unanimous decision, the Québec Court of Appeal has upheld the decision of the Superior Court which found that a franchisor must take reasonable measures to protect and enhance the value and reputation of its brand. Thus,...more
A West Virginia Court refused to dismiss an action brought under its state workers' compensation law. That law permits an employee to recover greater damages when deliberate intent exists.
An employee of a Hardee's...more
In This Issue: Barry Kurtz and Bryan Clements Featured in Bar Association Publications; Franchisor 101:Out of Control - Franchisor Not Liable For Franchisee's Negligence; and, Franchisee 101: Improper Termination May Be A...more
Taylor Patterson v. Domino's Pizza, LLC, et al.
California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District (June 27, 2012)
This case raises the question: When an agreement between a Franchisor and Franchisee depicts an...more
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|Light Of Day
|CHORDS -, Am, Am7, C, Em7, F, F7M, F7M9, G
|Difficulty: hard
|return to normal I can't believe, your here with me,in this dream come true.I'm so gone, so far lost,in your arms, in you. (bridge) Here we are again, between the darkness and the light.Hopin' that this moment, could be frozen in time. (chorus) I don't wan (roughstock.com)


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Yves Guillemot, the chief executive officer of publisher Ubisoft, says that both Sony and Microsoft contacted his company during the development process for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox 720 in order to see what the most requested features were.
The executive tells Kotaku that, "Because we've been in the industry for a while, what happens generally – before creating the specs and creating the machine – the manufacturers come to us and say, 'What do you want on the next one?'"
Ubisoft answered by asking the teams to create an experience that veered off from traditional console ideas and came closer to the extensive gaming capabilities of the personal computer.
Guillemot says their initial requests were, "We want social, we want all the things that exist on PC to be possible on a console. We want the mobile capacities to play short-term and to play from anywhere you want."
When Sony revealed the PlayStation 4 console last week, the company emphasized the fact that its device was built using a traditional X86 architecture and then went on to talk about extensive social features, including a new dedicated share button.
Despite the similarities between the Sony reveal and Ubisoft's requests, the company has so far confirmed that just one title, Watch Dogs, will be released on the PS4 during its launch window in late 2013.
A new trailer was shown during the New York event, with some pretty impressive graphics, but little sign of improved social features.
It will be interesting to see how the Xbox 720 from Microsoft, which might be revealed in late April, matches the requirements set out by Ubisoft.
The publisher is currently also working to launch new titles on the Nintendo Wii U, although it has recently eliminated the exclusivity previously linked to Rayman Legends.


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JUNE 20, 2014 - Local Colorado author, C. R. Richards has won the 2014 EPIC eBook Award for Fantasy. Her novel, Phantom Harvest, competed with eBook entries from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and other English speaking countries.
Straying outside the realm of epic fantasy, Richards combines elements of Noir and Science Fiction in her surly character, Gideon. Phantom Harvest, Book One in the Mutant Casebook Series, introduces the dangerous and diverse Mutant World. Created by an atomic test gone horribly wrong, the "Calamity" ripped a hole in reality. Humans torn from their homes were split apart into many versions of themselves. Some theorized that a devious intelligence based the human mutations on the person's core nature.
The Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition (EPIC) was incorporated in 1998. It includes members from all professions in the ePublishing Industry. For the past decade, EPIC has held its yearly competition for eBooks and eBook Cover Art.
"I found Phantom Harvest to be a most riveting and exciting novel, and I am sure that those who enjoy fantasy will not be disappointed. I hope Richards writes more about this world she has crafted with such skill." Long and Short Reviews
C. R. Richards is the author of The Mutant Casebook Series. Her literary career began as a part-time columnist for a small entertainment newspaper. She wore several hats: food critic, entertainment reviewer and cranky editor. She is an active member of EPIC and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. For More information on her other works of fiction, please visit her website.


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Sold out
Short skirt in imitation leather with decorative zips. Asymmetrical front section and diagonal zip at front. Unlined.
50% polyester, 50% rayon.
Machine wash warm
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And So It Starts…Another Royal Couple To Be.
November 17, 2010 6:25 AM
With the seemingly global obsession that is the Royal Family of England, it makes sense that we are already getting an overdose of "news" out of Great Britain about the latest royal engagement – Prince William and Kate Middleton. And why not? First big story…Wills gives Kate his mother's ring as an engagement ring. Sapphires surrounded by diamonds. Check it out in the picture above from our friends at the "Complete Sheet". Listen and look at their first interview with the BBC here (Grab a cup of coffee too – its seventeen minutes long).


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Klorane Dry shampoo
218 reviews
77% would repurchase
Package Quality: 3.9
Price: $$$
Package Quality: 3.9
Price: $$$
INGREDIENTSButane, Propane, Isobutane, Oryza Sativa(Rice), Starch(Oryza Sativa), SD Alcohol 39-C(Alcohol Denat), Aluminium Starch Octenylsuccinate, Avena Sativa(Oat), Kernel Oil(Avena Sativa), CYclodextrin, Cyclomethicone, fragance(Parfum), Isopropyl Myristate Slicia.
on 9/21/2015 11:57:00 AM
Age: 25-29
Skin: Combination, Fair, Not Sure
Hair: Black, Other, Other
Eyes: Green
I'm am reviewing the one for oily hair with the green cap. This product does a good job for a drug store dry shampoo but it sucks when you go to wash your hair and your hair is just a rats nest, I don't understand why it makes its so tangled once I go to shampoo, I won't be buying this again
on 9/12/2015 11:34:00 PM
Age: 25-29
Skin: Dry, Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Brunette, Other, Other
Eyes: Brown
I love this stuff. It smells great, and it really works well on my dark brown hair. Only drawback is it's pretty easy to make your hair go white, but if you brush it out/shake it up it easily blends in. I much prefer it to Co-Lab's dry shampoo, which I find just makes my hair feel really dirty and greasy.
on 7/31/2015 8:55:00 AM
Age: 36-43
Skin: Sensitive, Medium, Neutral
Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine
Eyes: Brown
It is a decent product. I apply it on my second-day hair when needed. It spreads well, absorbs oil, leaves no residue, stops itching and adds volume. No problems with the nozzle. I haven't noticed that its regular use reduces oil production though. And I think I lose more of my hair if I apply it too often. It is just my theory but I think that it can clog hair follicules.I continue using it but only when needed. 1 lippie off for my doubts.
on 7/18/2015 1:27:00 AM
Age: 25-29
Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm
Hair: Black, Straight, Medium
Eyes: Brown
I am reviewing the dry shampoo with nettle, for oily hair.
This product works pretty well, adds volume, and does a good job preventing the hair from getting greasy for the rest of the day. Virtually no scent. I didn't find the powder too difficult to comb out of my dark hair.
The problem is that there's not very much in the can, so it's actually really expensive.
I'm trying to switch from washing my hair every day to every 2 days, so my hair gets pretty oily on the 2nd day, so maybe I am using more product than other people are. Or maybe I just need more practise aiming it. Anyway, I used it every 2 to 3 days and it lasted like 3 weeks.
Will still repurchase since it works for me - maybe the next can won't go by so quickly! O_o
on 6/23/2015 3:21:00 AM
Age: 19-24
Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral
Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine
Eyes: Green
Cult classic for a reason. Works great and has appealing unisex fragrance. Although I try not to spray this too close to the scalp (because of the alcohol, listed as SD alcohol/alcohol denat), just on the hair. Seems to have become more expensive to buy in Australia in the last year?
on 6/15/2015 3:14:00 PM
Age: 25-29
Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool
Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium
Eyes: Blue
I have tried both the nettle and the oat milk version. Both are excellent products, just depends what you're looking for. The nettle is supposed to be a little bit "stronger," absorbing more oil and keeping hair "clean-looking" longer. However, I got pretty good results with the oat milk one too. Using Klorane, I've been able to transition to washing my hair every four days. And I don't even have to apply it on each one of those days- one or two days max. It has a great preventative effect that stops your hair from accumulating more oil even AFTER you put it in. This is where the nettle version really shines- the oat milk has the same immediate effect but the nettle holds the oil at bay better, so I personally like the nettle one.
People have mentioned a "nice smell", but I really don't detect any smell at all. That's one of the things I like about this product. Compared to the Kevin Murphy dry shampoo, which had a very strong smell (and many other dry shampoos do), this is much better. I personally don't want my dry shampoo to compete with my perfume.
Be sure to shake the can before use, and the product will spray out in a fine mist. This makes the can last longer. I burned through my first can within just a couple weeks because I wasn't shaking it up properly. Thank goodness I gave it another shot and got it right! My hair is pretty thick so I spray it in sections, but you don't need a lot. I actually think I may be using more than I need and am trying to scale back. It comes out kind of white. Just use your fingers to comb it through and rub it in and it should disappear (it's been invisible on my hair when it's been blonde, strawberry blonde, and dirty blonde). There is a tinted version now too if you're worried about color- but, as well as being the least scented dry shampoo I've tried, it's also the most invisible. It builds up a little on hair but not a lot- much better than a powder dry shampoo from a shaker, for example.
Application is quick and easy and really does make your hair look freshly washed. I'll never forget the look on the face of this guy I was seeing when I used it in front of him- he was absolutely blown away by the difference and really thought it looked like I'd just showered. "Magic," I believe he said. :)
My only complaints with this product are the size of the can and price- I wish I got more for my money- and the aerosol. I'd happily work harder to apply this if it would protect the environment. I'd like to see a switch to non-aerosol. As for the price, I try to pick this up when it's 15 or 20% off at the drugstore (which happens sometimes) and buy a couple cans. But they ARE lasting me longer these days; my hair has adjusted to being washed less frequently and I don't need as much product as when I first started. As it stands, I continue to buy this even if it's not always marked down. If a cheaper product comes out that's also invisible, unscented, and cruelty-free (to my knowledge Klorane is), I'd be all over that.
Give this a try. If your hair is really oil or you just want to go as long as possible without washing, get the nettle. If you still plan on washing your hair every 2-3 days, get the oat milk.
on 5/20/2015 11:59:00 PM
Age: 25-29
Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Black, Other, Other
Eyes: Brown
This is the review for Klorane Dry Shampoo - extra gentle with oat milk.
Stay away from this product, I know it says extra gentle but it contains both Silica & Aluminum. It was an okay dry shampoo but for MONTHS my face was breaking out. I switched out my skincare routine numerous times. Turns out it was from this, I tossed it and my face is now returning to normal.
I had previously used the regular version of this dry shampoo, I did like that one.
on 5/19/2015 7:23:00 PM
Age: 44-55
Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Neutral
Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine
Eyes: Green
Edit: It pains me to drop a lippie off my review, but I'm doing so due to cost. I feel this is just too expensive to use regularly. It's truly a great product, but I went through the can so quickly (quicker than I've ever gone through any product) that the cost to replenish this regularly would just be too high.
This is definitely the best dry shampoo I've tried...no contest! Truly makes my second day hair look as good as freshly washed hair. And that has never happened to me with any other dry shampoo. Sprays on light with a hint of powder, and virtually no scent. It works really well to refresh hair and doesn't have the nauseating scent that most every other dry shampoo has.
on 4/21/2015 12:08:00 AM
Age: 36-43
Skin: Combination, Dark, Warm
Hair: Black, Relaxed, Medium
Eyes: Brown
I can understand why this has a cult following: Fresh Air scent, absorbs into scalp easily & controls oilies
At 1st I used a heavy hand - between the nozzle (built like Pantene's which bends forward, not straight down) and my force, white powder poofed onto my scalp. So I was much more careful on 2nd attempt and lo & behold - a fine mist sprayed straight into the parts I created to access my scalp.
1/2 lippie off for the nozzle type, 1/4 lippie off for high potential for white residue if you're not careful and 1/4 off for price. But Im aware you get what you pay for and this runs rings around Batiste and others so..,
All in all a really nice dry shampoo I will definitely repurchase
on 2/25/2015 7:37:00 PM
Age: 30-35
Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral
Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium
Eyes: Brown
Best dry shampoo I've found to date! I have been using dry shampoo for the past few months in an effort to cut back on washing my hair. This saves me time in the mornings before work, and more importantly, I have hard water and color treated hair, so not a good combo. I try to go 2-3 days between washing my hair, but I have a very oily scalp and work out a lot so sometimes I just have to wash it daily. The first dry shampoo I tried was the Alterna cleanse extend dry shampoo (it comes in a travel size can at Sephora for $12) which I thought was okay at absorbing oil but left a noticeably heavy residue and didn't work as well on day 2 without washing. Then I tried the Loreal Blow Dry It Blow Out Spray (around $5 at Walgreens) which works great at absorbing excess oil but my hair still looked 'worn' and a little flat. I recently took a trip to Paris and Klorane was in all of the pharmacies and I had read about it's cult following, so I was really excited to see it at my local Walgreens. I picked up the original and tinted version. The scent is light, not exactly fragrant or appealing to me, but it isn't overpowering and doesn't bother me. I've tried both the original and tinted versions and they both have a slightly powdery finish as soon as you spray them into your roots, but once you work the product in it blends nicely into the hair. For reference I have dark brown hair and both formulas work and look about the same for me. What I love most about using this product is that it makes my hair look like it's clean/washed. I can definitely feel the product build up, especially if I've used it 2 days in a row, but I can tolerate it as it doesn't irriate my scalp. It is a little pricey compared to the Loreal spray, but I think it's worth it and I will definitely buy again.
Popular Dry Shampoos
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text:
Adams and Dunster tied, 7 to 7, in Inter-House football yesterday. John Jeffers scored for Dunster on a long pass from George Douse, while Frank Weller tied for Adams.
Kirkland won over Adams, 24 to 6, in touch football, while Leverett forfeited to Lowell.
Dunster downed Leverett, 2 to 1, in a double overtime soccer game. A penalty kick by Archie Meyer of Dunster broke the tie. Winthrop shut out Dudley, 6 to 0, in the only Inter-house soccer game.
Read more in NewsToo Much Knowledge
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text:
|Capsule Endoscopy
|Inflammatory Bowel Disease
|Colon & Ileum
LEFT: 46 year-old woman with a polyp seen at routine screening sigmoidoscopy. Although benign in appearance, the polyp contained adenocarcinoma invading the muscularis mucosae. There was no invasion of the stalk, and polypectomy was therefore curative.
CENTER: 53 year-old woman with rectal bleeding and a family history of colonic carcinoma, with this small (1 cm) benign-appearing polyp which contained adenocarcinoma invading the stalk.
RIGHT: 47 year-old man with severe microcytic anemia and fecal occult blood positivity. This pedunculated tubular adenoma contained adenocarcinoma which did not invade the stalk. Like the two polyps shown at LEFT and CENTER, this polyp had a grossly benign appearance.
LEFT: 59 year-old man with rectal bleeding. Large smooth polyp on a broad stalk, containing invasive adenocarcinoma.
CENTER: Sessile polyp in the sigmoid colon of a 77 year-old woman with anemia. Although the polyp was moveable and therefore not fixed to the underling colonic wall, it histologically contained submucosal adenocarcinoma.
RIGHT: Same sessile polyp shown in CENTER photo, having been injected submucosally with saline, to elevate it away from the remainder of the colonic wall prior to excision with a snare using electrocautery.
|ASG Info
|Atlas Index
|Notable Websites
|After Hours


text:
what is the problem?
failing drive or a folder delete by mistake...
be more precise please as the tools for these two problems are differents
My valuable files were gone, and I really wish to restore them. Can you propose any tool that can perform this oeration on XP, NTFS?
what is the problem?
failing drive or a folder delete by mistake...
be more precise please as the tools for these two problems are differents
GetDataBackNTFS, and Stellar Phoenix.
arrogance breeds ignorance
Screaming Electron, Full of BSD Goodness
Active@ Undelete is a very good tool. It's last version also can boot from it's self boot-disk
If your problem is not solved yet then you can use ARAX Disk doctor, very good recovery soft
I recommend data recovery software by Recover Data Software Labs. Get it from http://www.recoverdatatools.com or http://www.recoverdatasoftware.com
Hello Brain was you were able to salvage your data. If you are still looking for a good data recovery software you can try Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery Software, a file and partition recovery utility which provides recovery from both FAT & NTFS files system.
I suggest you to recover the lost files by using Kernel for Windows. It not only recovers your lost files but also restore and repair the formatted partitions.Sometimes back, my hard drive gets corrupt and i need to recover the data. I used this tool and get back my data back from the corrupted hard drive.


text:
Get to know Austria's 'Line' king
The art of Austrian 'Line' king Gustav Klimt is spotlighted in new Getty exhibit
The exhibit, which marks the 150th anniversary of the Austrian artist's birth, is up through Sept. 23 at The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Friday and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is free. Parking is $15, but reduced to $10 after 5 p.m. Call 310-440-7300 or visit getty.edu.
A couple draped in gold robes, their bodies intertwined, embrace each other in a moment of pure passion.
After a century, Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" remains a hot property, the steamy image replicated on everything from T-shirts to coasters. Full-size posters of the work have adorned the walls of college dorm rooms for decades.
"The Kiss," however, only represents a small portion of Klimt's output. His style transformed dramatically during his career, which began in the early 1880s and continued until his death at age 55 in 1918. In its new show, "Gustav Klimt: The Magic of Line," The Getty Center in Los Angeles takes a comprehensive look at the Austrian artist's work.
The show is organized by Lee Hendrix, the Getty's senior curator of drawings, and Edouard Kopp, the assistant curator of drawings. They collaborated with Marian Bisanz-Prakken from Vienna's Albertina Museum, which loaned most of the pieces for this show.
Hendrix said the idea for the exhibition came from a discussion two years ago with Bisanz-Prakken.
"At the time the Getty had just gotten its only Klimt drawings," Hendrix explained. "And I thought, 'I know this artist.' But Marian began to talk about our drawings, and her words and thoughts were so profound that I realized that we don't know him at all. And the way you know him is through his drawings.
"Klimt's talent was obvious from the first. And we show his personal journey from this amazingly talented academic artist working in a conservative style — though still a little edgy — to one of the radical modernists who created a kind of modern world that we now experience."
The first gallery focuses on that early period, when he was commissioned to create art to adorn the grand staircase of the new Vienna Burgtheater. His job was to paint scenes from plays that had been presented in historic theaters of the past. One of his works depicts the death of Romeo and Juliet as it was staged at Shakespeare's Old Globe Theater.
Klimt created numerous life drawings in the late 1880s to prepare for the paintings. His one-on-one work with models gradually helped guide him to a less realistic style, and one that conveyed psychological conditions and emotional symbolism.
That shift, detailed in the second gallery, marked the start of the Vienna Secession, a movement that saw forward-thinking artists like Klimt break away from the more conservative Vienna Artists' House. Klimt was the Secession's first president and members' work was showcased in the group's own publication, Ver Sacrum.
It's during this key period that Klimt began working predominantly with the female nude figure.
"A highlight of this exhibition is a drawing he made for Ver Sacrum," said Bisanz-Prakken, referring to a 1897 pieced titled "Fish Blood." "It's a square size, which is a modern sign. And it's the first drawing of his floating women in mysterious underwater scenes. He did this in a style that reminds of Japanese art and other modern influences. It came up on the art market a few years ago."
Klimt's style shift didn't sit well with everyone. Vienna University commissioned him to create three paintings representing the educational disciplines of philosophy, medicine and jurisprudence, but his finished works were rejected. Klimt bought them back in 1905, but they were destroyed in a 1945 fire. The drawings on display provide a detailed examination of the extensive preparations he made for what were known as the Faculty Paintings.
Perhaps Klimt's most ambitious work was the "Beethoven Frieze," which was completed in 1902 and spanned three walls at the Secession building in Vienna. The slightly smaller replica on exhibit at The Getty surrounds 13 of Klimt's preparatory drawings.
Klimt left the Secession group in 1905 and then more fully developed his Golden Style. Studies from some of his major, ornamental works of this period are on display, including three 1907-08 studies for "The Kiss."
The Getty's final section looks at Klimt's important collaborators, his models. Most were Jewish women, and many owned Klimt works that were confiscated by the Nazis.
Drawing and painting up to his death following a stroke in 1918, Klimt left several works unfinished. His later drawings show that he was continuing to explore and experiment with form and style, a creative drive that made him one of the most groundbreaking artists of his era and a continuing influence on today's artists and art fans alike.
Email freelance columnist Jeff Favre at email@example.com.
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Reporter: Jason Barr, Sports Director
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) Andre Reed played wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills for 15 seasons and finished his career with the Washington Redskins in 2000. He is tenth all time on the NFL's career receptions list with 951. The full list of this year's coaches is below.
Dick Tomey, the winningest football coach in University of Arizona history, is the head coach for the West All-Stars in the second annual Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game. Tomey served as an assistant coach under Pat Hill in the inaugural game last season.
West Team Coaching Staff
Dick Tomey – Head Coach
Ron McBride – Retired, former Utah Head Coach and Arizona Offensive Line Coach
Ron Rogers – Longtime coach at Oklahoma and Texas high schools
Andre Reed – 15-year NFL Receiver for Buffalo Bills
Jeff Scurran – Catalina Foothills Head Coach
Mayur Chaudhari – UC Davis Linebackers Coach
Brandon Sanders – Troy University Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
Houston Nutt is the head coach for the East All-Stars after serving as one of the head coaches in last year's game. Nutt has been the head coach at Murray State (1993-1996), Boise State (1997), Arkansas (1998-2007) and Ole Miss (2008-2011). He has a career record of 135-96 and secured four bowl game wins. He is currently a college football in-studio analyst for CBS.
East Team Coaching Staff
Houston Nutt – Head Coach
Justin Crouse – Memphis support staff
Justin Argraves – Tucson High Magnet School Head Coach
David Rodriguez – Sahuarita High School Head Coach
Brandon Willard – Amphitheater High School Head Coach
Anthony Fogle – Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Wide Receivers Coach
Danny Nutt – Ole Miss Athletic Staff
Jack Peavey – Texas A&M Commerce Offensive Line Coach
Glenn Howell will serve as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for both teams.
- Latest


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Judith Sealy
archaeology dept, beattie bldg, rm 3.25.1
phone: +27 21 650-4064
fax: +27 21 650-2352
email: Judith.Sealy AT uct.ac.za
back to department home
More information about the Stable Isotope Laboratory can be found on our laboratory website.
My research interests include the development and application of stable isotope techniques for dietary reconstruction, hunter-gatherer archaeology across the period from the emergence of modern humans to the recent past, and the beginnings of food production in Africa. Current research projects include (i) diets and settlement patterns of hunter-gatherers and pastoralists on the southern coast of South Africa (ii) development of new stable isotope analytical methods.
|Judith Sealy is Professor and Head of the Department of Archaeology at UCT, and also holds overall academic responsibility for the Stable Light Isotope laboratory. Professor Sealy received her undergraduate and post-graduate training in this department, gaining her MSc (with distinction) in 1984 and her PhD in 1989 for a thesis entitled 'Reconstruction of Later Stone Age diets in the south-western Cape, South Africa: evaluation and application of five isotopic and trace element techniques'. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa and of the University of Cape Town. She currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Archaeological Science, Azania and Southern African Humanities, and is a former Editor of the South African Archaeological Bulletin and Associate Editor of Archaeometry.
E.J. & Sealy, J. 2012. Interpreting stable carbon isotopes in human
tooth enamel: an examination of tissue spacings from
Sealy, J. & Galimberti, M. 2011. Shellfishing
and the interpretation of shellfish sizes in the Middle and Later Stone
Ages of South Africa. In: N.F. Bicho, J.A. Haws & L.G. Davis (eds)
Trekking the Shore: Changing Coastlines and the
Antiquity of Coastal Settlement:
Codron, J., Codron, D., Lee-Thorp, J.A., Sponheimer, M., Kirkman, K., Duffy, K.J. & Sealy, J. 2011. Landscape-scale feeding patterns of African elephant inferred from carbon isotope analysis of feces. Oecologia 165: 89-99.
Sealy, J. 2010.
Isotopic evidence for the antiquity of cattle-based pastoralism in
Hine, P., Sealy, J.,
Halkett, D. & Hart, T. 2010. Antiquity of stone-walled tidal fish-traps
on the Cape coast,
Styring, A.K., Sealy, J.C. & Evershed, R.P. 2010. Resolving the bulk δ15N values of ancient human and animal bone collagen via compound-specific nitrogen isotope analysis of constituent amino acids. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 74: 241-251.
Chase, B.M., Meadows, M.E., Scott, L., Thomas, D.S.G., Marais, E., Sealy, J. & Reimer, P.J. 2009. A record of rapid Holocene climate change preserved in hyrax middens from southwestern Africa. Geology 37(8): 703-706.
Lee-Thorp, J.A. & Sealy, J.C. 2008. Beyond documenting diagenesis: the Fifth International Bone Diagenesis Workshop. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 266:129-133.
Stynder, D.D., Ackermann, R.R. & Sealy, J.C. 2007. Craniofacial variation and population continuity during the South African Holocene. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 134(4):489-500.
Sealy, J. 2006. Diet, mobility and settlement pattern among Holocene hunter-gatherers in southernmost Africa. Current Anthropology 47:569-595.
Sealy, J., Ludwig, B. & Henderson, Z. 2006. New radiocarbon dates for Matjes River Rock Shelter. South African Archaeological Bulletin 61:98-101.
Clayton, F., Sealy, J. & Pfeiffer, S. 2006. Weaning age among foragers at Matjes River Rock Shelter, South Africa, from stable nitrogen and carbon isotope analyses. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 129:311-317.
Pfeiffer, S. & Sealy, J. 2006. Body size among Holocene foragers of the Cape ecozone, southern Africa. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 129:1-11.
Corr, L.T., Sealy, J.C., Horton, M.C. & Evershed, R.P. 2005. A novel marine dietary indicator utilizing compound-specific bone collagen amino acid δ13C values of ancient humans. Journal of Archaeological Science 32:321-330.
Sealy, J., Maggs, T., Jerardino, A. & Kaplan, J. 2004. Excavations at Melkbosstrand: variability among herder sites on Table Bay, South Africa. South African Archaeological Bulletin 59:17-28.
C.S., D'Errico, F., Yates, R., Jacobs, Z., Tribolo, C., Duller, G.A.T.,
Mercier, N., Sealy, J.C., Valladas, H., Watts, I. & Wintle, A.G.
2002. Emergence of modern human behaviour: Middle Stone Age engravings
from South Africa. Science
Henshilwood, C.S., D'Errico, F., Yates, R., Jacobs, Z., Tribolo, C., Duller, G.A.T., Mercier, N., Sealy, J.C., Valladas, H., Watts, I. & Wintle, A.G. 2002. Emergence of modern human behaviour: Middle Stone Age engravings from South Africa. Science 295:1278-1280.
Henshilwood, C.S., Sealy, J.C., Yates, R., Cruz-Uribe, K., Goldberg, P., Grine, F.E., Klein, R.G., Poggenpoel, C., van Niekerk, K. & Watts, I. 2001. Blombos Cave, southern Cape, South Africa: preliminary report on the 1992-1999 excavations of the Middle Stone Age levels. Journal of Archaeological Science 28:421-448.
Cox, G., Sealy, J., Schrire, C. & Morris, A. 2001. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses of the underclass at the colonial Cape of Good Hope in the 18th and 19th century. World Archaeology 33:73-97.


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When scientist Arpad Pusztai reported that genetically modified (GM) foods caused serious health problems in rats, he was a hero at his prestigious UK institute — for two days. But after two phone calls (apparently) from the Prime Minister's office, he was fired, gagged, and mercilessly attacked. When UC Berkely professor Ignacio Chapela discovered GM corn contamination in Mexico, he too faced a firestorm of distortion and denial that left him struggling to salvage his career. Find out how the biotech industry "engineers" the truth and what they are trying to hide from you. By Bertram Verhaag, with bonus film: Monster Salmon.
Tag Archives: agribusiness
Monsanto: The World's Poster Child for Corporate Manipulation and Deceit – Part 3
When Forbes magazine declared Monsanto as the Company of the Year for 2009, millions of surprised people were forced to reevaluate their opinions about a major corporation. Now they no longer trust Forbes.
Monsanto is one of the most despised corporations on earth. This is the third in a series of articles that expose their not-so-hidden dark side and how, if unrestrained, Monsanto could unleash a cataclysm. Indeed, it has already started…
Part 3 of 10
Covering up health dangers
The policy Taylor oversaw in 1992 needed to create the impression that unintended effects from GM crops were not an issue. Otherwise their GRAS status would be undermined. But internal memos made public from a lawsuit showed that the overwhelming consensus among the agency scientists was that GM crops can have unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects. Various departments and experts spelled these out in detail, listing allergies, toxins, nutritional effects, and new diseases as potential problems. They had urged superiors to require long-term safety studies. In spite of the warnings, according to public interest attorney Steven Druker who studied the FDA's internal files, "References to the unintended negative effects of bioengineering were progressively deleted from drafts of the policy statement (over the protests of agency scientists)."
FDA microbiologist Louis Pribyl wrote about the policy, "What has happened to the scientific elements of this document? Without a sound scientific base to rest on, this becomes a broad, general, 'What do I have to do to avoid trouble'-type document. . . . It will look like and probably be just a political document. . . . It reads very pro-industry, especially in the area of unintended effects."
The FDA scientists' concerns were not only ignored, their very existence was denied. Consider the private memo summarizing opinions at the FDA, which stated, "The processes of genetic engineering and traditional breeding are different and according to the technical experts in the agency, they lead to different risks." Contrast that with the official policy statement issued by Taylor, Monsanto's former attorney: "The agency is not aware of any information showing that foods derived by these new methods differ from other foods in any meaningful or uniform way." On the basis of this false statement, the FDA does not require GM food safety testing.
Fake Safety Assessments
Monsanto participates in a voluntary consultation process with the FDA that is derided by critics as a meaningless exercise. Monsanto submits whatever information it chooses, and the FDA does not conduct or commission any studies of its own. Former EPA scientist Doug Gurian-Sherman, who analyzed FDA review records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, says the FDA consultation process "misses obvious errors in company-submitted data summaries, provides insufficient testing guidance, and does not require sufficiently detailed data to enable the FDA to assure that GE crops are safe to eat."
But that is not the point of the exercise. The FDA doesn't actually approve the crops or declare them safe. That is Monsanto's job! At the end of the consultation, the FDA issues a letter stating:
"Based on the safety and nutritional assessment you have conducted, it is our understanding that Monsanto has concluded that corn products derived from this new variety are not materially different in composition, safety, and other relevant parameters from corn currently on the market, and that the genetically modified corn does not raise issues that would require premarket review or approval by FDA. . . . As you are aware, it is Monsanto's responsibility to ensure that foods marketed by the firm are safe, wholesome and in compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
The National Academy of Sciences and even the pro-GM Royal Society of London describe the US system as inadequate and flawed. The editor of the prestigious journal Lancet said, "It is astounding that the US Food and Drug Administration has not changed their stance on genetically modified food adopted in 1992. . . . Governments should never have allowed these products into the food chain without insisting on rigorous testing for effects on health."
One obvious reason for the inflexibility of the FDA is that they are officially charged with both regulating biotech products and promoting them–a clear conflict. That is also why the FDA does not require mandatory labeling of GM foods. They ignore the desires of 90% of American citizens in order to support the economic interests of Monsanto and the four other GM food companies.
Monsanto: The World's Poster Child for Corporate Manipulation and Deceit – Part 2
When Forbes magazine declared Monsanto as the Company of the Year for 2009, millions of surprised people were forced to reevaluate their opinions about a major corporation. Now they no longer trust Forbes.
Monsanto is one of the most despised corporations on earth. This is the second in a series of articles that expose their not-so-hidden dark side and how, if unrestrained, Monsanto could unleash a cataclysm. Indeed, it has already started…
Part 2 of 10
Infiltrating the Minds and Offices of the Government
To get their genetically modified products approved, Monsanto has coerced, infiltrated, and paid off government officials around the globe. In Indonesia, Monsanto gave bribes and questionable payments to at least 140 officials, attempting to get their genetically modified (GM) cotton accepted. In 1998, six Canadian government scientists testified before the Senate that they were being pressured by superiors to approve rbGH, that documents were stolen from a locked file cabinet in a government office, and that Monsanto offered them a bribe of $1-2 million to pass the drug without further tests. In India, one official tampered with the report on Bt cotton to increase the yield figures to favor Monsanto. And Monsanto seems to have planted their own people in key government positions in India, Brazil, Europe, and worldwide.
Monsanto's GM seeds were also illegally smuggled into countries like Brazil and Paraguay, before GMOs were approved. Roberto Franco, Paraguay's Deputy Agriculture Ministry, tactfully admits, "It is possible that [Monsanto], let's say, promoted its varieties and its seeds" before they were approved. "We had to authorize GMO seeds because they had already entered our country in an, let's say, unorthodox way."
In the US, Monsanto's people regularly infiltrate upper echelons of government, and the company offers prominent positions to officials when they leave public service. This revolving door has included key people in the White House, regulatory agencies, even the Supreme Court. Monsanto also had George Bush Senior on their side, as evidenced by footage of Vice President Bush at Monsanto's facility offering help to get their products through government bureaucracy. He says, "Call me. We're in the 'de-reg' business. Maybe we can help."
Monsanto's influence continued into the Clinton administration. Dan Glickman, then Secretary of Agriculture, says, "there was a general feeling in agro-business and inside our government in the US that if you weren't marching lock-step forward in favor of rapid approvals of biotech products, rapid approvals of GMO crops, then somehow, you were anti-science and anti-progress." Glickman summarized the mindset in the government as follows:
"What I saw generically on the pro-biotech side was the attitude that the technology was good, and that it was almost immoral to say that it wasn't good, because it was going to solve the problems of the human race and feed the hungry and clothe the naked. . . . And there was a lot of money that had been invested in this, and if you're against it, you're Luddites, you're stupid. That, frankly, was the side our government was on. Without thinking, we had basically taken this issue as a trade issue and they, whoever 'they' were, wanted to keep our product out of their market. And they were foolish, or stupid, and didn't have an effective regulatory system. There was rhetoric like that even here in this department. You felt like you were almost an alien, disloyal, by trying to present an open-minded view on some of the issues being raised. So I pretty much spouted the rhetoric that everybody else around here spouted; it was written into my speeches."
He admits, "when I opened my mouth in the Clinton Administration [about the lax regulations on GMOs], I got slapped around a little bit."
Hijacking the FDA to Promote GMOs
In the US, new food additives must undergo extensive testing, including long-term animal feeding studies. There is an exception, however, for substances that are deemed "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS). GRAS status allows a product to be commercialized without any additional testing. According to US law, to be considered GRAS the substance must be the subject of a substantial amount of peer-reviewed published studies (or equivalent) and there must be overwhelming consensus among the scientific community that the product is safe. GM foods had neither. Nonetheless, in a precedent-setting move that some experts contend was illegal, in 1992 the FDA declared that GM crops are GRAS as long as their producers say they are. Thus, the FDA does not require any safety evaluations or labels whatsoever. A company can even introduce a GM food to the market without telling the agency.
Such a lenient approach to GM crops was largely the result of Monsanto's legendary influence over the US government. According to the New York Times, "What Monsanto wished for from Washington, Monsanto and, by extension, the biotechnology industry got. . . . When the company abruptly decided that it needed to throw off the regulations and speed its foods to market, the White House quickly ushered through an unusually generous policy of self-policing." According to Dr. Henry Miller, who had a leading role in biotechnology issues at the FDA from 1979 to 1994, "In this area, the U.S. government agencies have done exactly what big agribusiness has asked them to do and told them to do."
The person who oversaw the development of the FDA's GMO policy was their Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Michael Taylor, whose position had been created especially for him in 1991. Prior to that, Taylor was an outside attorney for both Monsanto and the Food Biotechnology Council. After working at the FDA, he became Monsanto's vice president. He's now back at the FDA, as the US food safety czar.
Monsanto: The World's Poster Child for Corporate Manipulation and Deceit – Part 1
Monsanto's public relations story about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is largely based on five concepts:
1. GMOs are needed to feed the world.
2. GMOs have been thoroughly tested and proven safe.
3. GMOs increase yield.
4. GMOs reduce the use of agricultural chemicals.
5. GMOs can be contained, and therefore coexist with non-GM crops.
All five are pure myths—blatant falsehoods about the nature and benefit of this infant technology. The experience of former Monsanto employee Kirk Azevedo helps expose the first two lies, and provides some insight into the nature of the people working at the company.
In 1996, Monsanto recruited young Kirk Azevedo to sell their genetically engineered cotton. Azevedo accepted their offer not because of the pay increase, but due to the writings of Monsanto CEO Robert Shapiro. Shapiro had painted a picture of feeding the world and cleaning up the environment with his company's new technology. When he visited Monsanto's St. Louis headquarters for new employee training, Azevedo shared his enthusiasm for Shapiro's vision during a meeting. When the session ended, a company vice president pulled him aside and set him straight. "Wait a second," he told Azevedo. "What Robert Shapiro says is one thing. But what we do is something else. We are here to make money. He is the front man who tells a story. We don't even understand what he is saying." Azevedo realized he was working for "just another profit-oriented company," and all the glowing words about helping the planet were just a front.
A few months later he got another shock. A company scientist told him that Roundup Ready cotton plants contained new, unintended proteins that had resulted from the gene insertion process. No safety studies had been conducted on the proteins, none were planned, and the cotton plants, which were part of field trials near his home, were being fed to cattle. Azevedo "was afraid at that time that some of these proteins may be toxic."
He asked the PhD in charge of the test plot to destroy the cotton rather than feed it to cattle, arguing that until the protein had been evaluated, the cows' milk or meat could be harmful. The scientist refused. Azevedo approached everyone on his team at Monsanto to raise concerns about the unknown protein, but no one was interested. "I was somewhat ostracized," he said. "Once I started questioning things, people wanted to keep their distance from me. . . . Anything that interfered with advancing the commercialization of this technology was going to be pushed aside." Azevedo decided to leave Monsanto. He said, "I'm not going to be part of this disaster."
Monsanto's Toxic Past
Azevedo got a small taste of Monsanto's character. A verdict in a lawsuit a few years later made it more explicit. On February 22, 2002, Monsanto was found guilty for poisoning the town of Anniston, Alabama with their PCB factory and covering it up for decades. They were convicted of negligence, wantonness, suppression of the truth, nuisance, trespass, and outrage. According to Alabama law, to be guilty of outrage typically requires conduct "so outrageous in character and extreme in degree as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency so as to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in civilized society."
The $700 million fine imposed on Monsanto was on behalf of the Anniston residents, whose blood levels of Monsanto's toxic PCBs were hundreds or thousands of times the average. This disease-producing chemical, used as coolants and lubricants for over 50 years, are now virtually omnipresent in the blood and tissues of humans and wildlife around the globe. Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group says that based on Monsanto documents made public during a trial, the company "knew the truth from the very beginning. They lied about it. They hid the truth from their neighbors." One Monsanto memo explains their justification: "We can't afford to lose one dollar of business." Welcome to the world of Monsanto.
Seed Behemoth Monsanto Stumbles into Antitrust Trouble ›


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How to encourage a reluctant reader
October 11, 2015, 12:02 p.m. by Jenn Savedge
For starters, make sure they see you reading and let them do it their way.
An open letter to female engineering students
October 8, 2015, 11:17 a.m. by Jenn Savedge
'You and I are in fact, unequal,' male student pronounces.
Join Michelle Obama's #62MillionGirls campaign
September 30, 2015, 1:50 p.m. by Jenn Savedge
When girls don't have access to an education, the whole world suffers.
Top 10 eco-schools in the U.S.
September 30, 2015, 12:58 p.m. by Mary Jo DiLonardo
National Wildlife Federation honors America's best environmental schools.
10 jaw-dropping luxury student apartments
September 29, 2015, 6 a.m. by Mary Jo DiLonardo
There's no communal shower or ratty mattress in these upscale alternatives to dorms.
Steve Jobs' widow has $50M plan for schools
September 21, 2015, 8:58 a.m. by Jenn Savedge
Laurene Powell Jobs hopes the new Super School Project will update the way kids learn.
Why is the SAT changing?
September 14, 2015, 6 a.m. by Mary Jo DiLonardo
The college entrance test will undergo an overhaul in the spring, and here's why that matters.
Girls launch weather balloon into the stratosphere
September 11, 2015, 8:48 a.m. by Jenn Savedge
For fun, the tweens built the contraption and decked it out with data-tracking gear.
Today's big computer news is this Raspberry Pi
September 10, 2015, 10:47 a.m. by Lloyd Alter
The other fruity computer company introduces a touch display for $60.
Helicopter parenting causes college struggles
September 3, 2015, 6:33 p.m. by Jenn Savedge
Students with hovering parents are more likely to be depressed and to engage in risky behaviors.
Barber's bargain: Read aloud for a free haircut
August 19, 2015, 11:56 a.m. by Jenn Savedge
Courtney Holmes wants kids to read and to let parents know the community supports them.
LeBron James offers scholarships to Ohio teens
August 18, 2015, 10:17 a.m. by Jenn Savedge
Athlete offers college education, and hope, to students who might not have either.


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Millions Of Americans Travel Ahead Of Thanksgiving Holiday
A man makes his way through the New York Port Authority bus terminal... Photo d'actualitéAdulte,Bus,Cadrage en pied,Centre d'intérêt,Finance,Hommes,Horizontal,Manhattan,New York City,Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,Transport,États-UnisPhotographer Ramin TalaieCollection: Getty Images News 2012 Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 21: A man makes his way through the New York Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan on November 21, 2012 in New York City. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is expecting to handle a high number of travelers at its hubs, bridges, and tunnels ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. (Photo by Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)


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July 18, 2006
Export prices rose 0.8 percent in June, the largest one-month increase since September 2005.
Both agricultural and nonagricultural export prices contributed to the overall increase.
Agricultural prices advanced 2.4 percent, the largest monthly increase for the index since March 2005. Higher prices for wheat, corn, and vegetables all influenced the increase. However, despite the June rise, agricultural prices ticked down over the past year.
Nonagricultural prices rose 0.6 percent in June, continuing the recent upward trend for the index. Prices of nonagricultural exports rose 4.6 percent for the year ended in June.
These data are from the BLS International Price program. Export price data are subject to revision. Learn more in "U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes - June 2006" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-1202.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Export prices up in June on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2006/jul/wk3/art02.htm (visited October 13, 2015).
New estimates of personal taxes in Consumer Expenditure Survey
In 2013, the Consumer Expenditure Survey improved its personal tax data.
Trends in long-term unemployment
Long-term unemployment reached historically high levels following the recession of 2007–2009.
Housing: before, during, and after the Great Recession
looks at consumer expenditures on household items, employment in residential construction, prices for household items, and injuries in occupations involved in building and maintaining our homes.


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COLLECTING BOUNTIES - Aetolia Online Help
The Minister of Security in each city-state (see HELP SECURITY and HELP MINISTRIES) is responsible for setting bounties on the heads of city enemies. In order to see what bounties a city has set, go to the Constabulary in that city. There will be many sketchings of who is wanted, and how much the bounty is. Keep in mind that the one placing a bounty on someone's head is responsible for providing a reason for doing so. The person claiming the bounty needs to be aware of this reason to be able to properly provide the reason if asked for it. Note that when a bounty has been placed upon your head, the reason supplied by the setter will be made known to you. Thus, anyone who seeks to kill you will be doing so for this reason. When the bounty is claimed, you will also receive a message telling you so. BOUNTIES : Shows you the bounties that have been set against you. If used in a city's Constabulary, will show a list of available bounties. CLAIM BOUNTY ON <whoever> : Claim a bounty on someone. You must have either the corpse or the head of the person whom you wish to claim the bounty on. This must be done in the Constabulary of the city that posted the bounty.


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Insurance Bill, 1990: Second Stage (Resumed).
Wednesday, 4 July 1990
Dáil Éireann Debate
Question again proposed: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
Mr. Rabbitte: When on the Adjournment of the debate, I was referring to the undertakings given by the Minister for Finance to the ICTU and the main union involved in Irish Life, the MSF, to the effect that by use of the golden share he could assure them that the substantial stakeholding by the State in Irish Life would be retained. The Minister claimed that his retention of a golden share in this company would limit the size of individual private shareholdings after flotation and safeguard against hostile takeover attempts. According to the Minister, legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General confirmed that the exercise of such a golden share option would not contravene EC laws provided [239] it did not discriminate against EC citizens on the grounds of nationality.
I want to ask the Minister to tell the House whether forthcoming EC legislation will alter this opinion. There is currently a proposal from the EC Commission on the 13th Council Directive on Company Law concerning takeovers which may already change the basis on which the Minister gave the assurance on the golden share option. Article 4 of this Directive would oblige any shareholder holding or bidding for in excess of one-third of the voting rights in a company to make a bid for 100 per cent of the shares in that company. For example, if a shareholder had 15 per cent of the shares and made a bid for a further 20 per cent which would bring the total holding up to 35 per cent, then the shareholder would be compelled to offer to purchase all the shares held by others. As I understand it, the Minister for Finance intends that the golden share proposed for Irish Life would prohibit any shareholder bidding for more than 15 per cent in the first instance. If this Directive becomes law will the ceiling and the golden share itself be open to challenge?
One of the things that worries me most about the whole development of the Irish Life privatisation saga is the misleading impressions that were given out from time to time and communicated to the public. For example, if you were to ask the man in the street why the Government propose to privatise Irish Life he would say it has something to do with enabling them to expand into the US market. We now know that is nonsense. Similarly, on this question of the golden share, I was led into a false sense of complacency, believing that if the political battle is lost in this House — as, regrettably, seems likely to happen — at least the Minister through the use of the golden share could retain this substantial holding. Now it turns out from the Minister's speech delivered this morning that that is no longer the intention. The Minister spells out the purpose of the golden share and then goes on to say: "A special share will be held by the Minister for [240] Finance to enforce this limitation and the arrangement will continue in place for at least five years after flotation." That is completely different from the impression I had from what the Minister was saying about the use of the golden share, and I know from very recent discussions with the main union involved, the MSF, that they understood they had commitments from the Minister to the effect that the golden share would enable them to retain this interest. Now it looks, as Deputy Noonan described it this morning, as if the whole option of the golden share is in any event no more than a temporary little arrangement.
Mr. Rabbitte: Well, I will be very interested to hear the Minister address the point.
Mr. Rabbitte: I know he has had correspondence quite recently on this very matter from the MSF and they have specified certain questions which the processing of this Directive in the European Parliament threatens. It seems that, depending on the priority the Italian Presidency give that Directive, it may be law later this year or in 1991. Therefore, I look forward to hearing the Minister on this point. I wonder whether he is familiar with the text of an article by Mr. Colin Browne, political correspondent of the British newspaper, The Independent of 24 October 1989. I quote the relevant section:
EUROPEAN directives on company law could block Labour's controversial plans for taking some of the privatised public utilies back into public ownership, according to John Redwood, the Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
Mr. Redwood, the Minister leading Britain's negotiations on the directives in Brussels, said in an interview for The Independent, a takeover directive currently under discussion in the EC,
[241] could make it "politically impossible or illegal" for Labour to carry out its policy.
The directive could require bidders to bid
for 100 per cent of the stock. Mr. Redwood said this would make it impossible for Labour to carry out its policy for some utilities, such as water and electricity, of taking a majority 51 per cent stake by taking back only 2 per cent of the shares which had been sold off. It could also rule out Labour's option of creating a "golden share" to give the Government a controlling interest.
It would appear that Mr. Redwood is ready to argue, according to this article, that a statutory system must have a time limit for bidders to make their moves and that he will be seeking equivalent treatment to protect the small shareholders.
If we get that established, there will be an EC directive saying if you bid for 30 per cent, you have to bid for 50 per cent. This would make it impossible for Labour to carry out its policy,
Mr. A. Reynolds: That is what that statement is all about. It was all about Labour's policy on nationalisation.
Mr. Rabbitte: That is all very well, but he has stated here clearly——
Mr. A. Reynolds: I have read it.
Mr. Rabbitte: ——that it would make the option of creating a golden share to give the Government a controlling interest not feasible.
Mr. A. Reynolds: That is John Redwood. That is not me.
Mr. Rabbitte: The EC law applies to us all. I know the Minister is a bit reluctant to admit that but——
Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn: That is nasty.
[242]An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Do not encourage the Minister to contribute while he is on his feet.
Mr. Rabbitte: The writ of our European paymasters runs on the neighbouring island just like it does here, whether we like it or not. If this EC Commission's 13th Council Directive on Company Law concerning takeovers and other general bids becomes law, then golden shares which give governments a controlling interest in companies could be illegal, according to the British Minister. I would like to hear our Minister address that point because the Directive, as I understand it, requires bidders who are making a bid for extra shares in a company to bid for 100 per cent of the shares, if their existing holdings plus the shares they are bidding for, exceed a threshold of 33.3 per cent of the voting rights. Member states may reduce this threshold — in Britain it is 30 per cent — but they cannot increase it.
The purpose of this Directive is to stop partial speculative bids for companies and to ensure equal treatment for all shareholders. I submit, therefore, that this development very significantly changes the understanding that, for example, the staff of Irish Life and a great many members of the public have about the comfort that is provided by the golden share. They will, of course, have a great deal more discomfiture when they read the Minister's address today which explicitly states that the use of the golden share is for a limited period, probably five years. That is a matter that the staff in Irish Life will want to consider seriously as well as the rest of the public on whose behalf the Government currently hold the shares. I am all the more suspicious about the motivation behind the privatisation of Irish Life when that kind of misleading inference can be drawn from official statements. After all, this campaign has been running now for some time.
I happen to have a copy of a press release, two paragraphs of which I will read, that I issued in a different capacity in 1987 when the word abroad was that [243] we were considering the expansion potential of Irish Life because of its 90 per cent-plus ownership by the State. We were told that we could not expand into the US because of the commercial laws applying to the US. It became "the man in the pub" economics that the reason we were doing this was to facilitate expansion to the US. At that time I made this statement on behalf of my union:
Irish Life's upper management's major plank in its drive for privatisation is that it wants to expand into the world's largest life insurance market. The ITGWU would support such a move but the union is critical of the twist that upper management is placing on this ambition, which is that half of the States prohibit companies with more than 51 per cent State shareholding from operating in their jurisdiction. This is a spurious argument in favour of privatisation. The US economy is 170 times larger than Ireland's, and if Irish Life got a toehold in even one or two states it would be doing very well. It is patently ludicrous to say that it must be privatised in order to trade in this vast economy of 239 million people. Even if it is true that half of the 50 states do preclude companies with more than 51 per cent State involvement from establishing subsidiaries in them there are still the other 25 States where per capita income is two and a half times higher than Ireland's.
That was ridiculed at the time.
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Sorry, Deputy Rabbitte, but perhaps you would give the name of the union and the date of the issue, and the documents. Posterity might not know what "my union" means.
Mr. Rabbitte: The union is the ITGWU and the year was 1987. The paragraphs will be made available for the record.
Shortly after that the chief executive again made his statement emphasising the necessity to be seen to expand into [244] the American market and so on, and that became the folklore about the necessity to privatise Irish Life. From the Minister's script today we find that that was all a bag of wind that had little or nothing to do with the motivation behind Irish Life. The description by the Minister of how Irish Life, such a uniquely successful Irish commercial State company, came into the ownership of the State or into public ownership, was that it was an historical accident.
I know this Minister is given to describing historical accidents like coalitions as "a temporary little arrangement" but one could scarcely describe the roots and origins of Irish Life as an historical accident. What actually happened was that Irish Life had its roots in the failure of the private sector and a number of private companies. The State was forced into the general insurance sector by the failure of the PMPA and the Insurance Corporation of Ireland and that is what happened in the case of Irish Life. The State were forced in by the imminent collapse of three Irish Life insurance companies and the threatened withdrawal from the market of a number of British companies. I would not describe that as an historic accident. I would take certain lessons from it, lessons that would induce me to believe that it is desirable that the State retain a majority stakehold in this company.
In 1938 a new company was set up to take over the business of nine of these offices. It was known as the Industrial and Life Assurance Amalgamation Company. The Government promised to make good any deficiency and got 18 per cent of the equity for its trouble. The promise eventually cost the Exchequer just over £1 million. Five British offices held 72 per cent of the shares and four Irish companies the remaining 10 per cent. Irish Life was set up as a subsidiary to underwrite new business but took over all the business in 1945 when the parent company was wound up. In 1947 the Government bought the 72 per cent stake owned by the British companies for the princely sum of £110,000, bringing its stake to 90 per cent, which it has since [245] slightly increased. The remaining shares held by the old Irish companies are now distributed among the private shareholders. The largest single shareholder after the State, with something less than 5 per cent of the shares, is the Irish Life Staff Pension Fund.
By any measure Irish Life has been a success and is by far the market leader in Ireland with subsidiary interests in banking through its stake in Irish Inter-continental Bank and in general insurance through its stake in Church & General Insurance. It has recently acquired an insurance company in the United States of America and is planning further expansion abroad. It employs almost 1,700 people and is of strategic significance in the economy given that it is a substantial stakeholder in some of the major companies quoted on the stock exchange. This morning I instanced the role it played in the Roadstone struggle for the control of Irish cement and, subsequently, in the Irish Distillers case.
Life insurance companies operate on a number of levels. At the basic level they accept risk promising a payment on death in return for premiums and at other levels they manage the savings of those looking ahead to their own needs in the future, for instance on retirement, or the needs of their dependants in the event of death. The basic insurance role of life insurance companies is now a minor element in the total. They are, essentially, the managers of people's savings. The bulk of the funds under the control of life insurance companies at any time belong to the policyholders and they must share in the returns on those funds.
The division of the profits between shareholders and policyholders is at the heart of the argument for capital restructuring. It has been claimed that the rights of shareholders must be enhanced if the company is to raise the fresh capital it is said to need to fund expansion. This would mean a reversal of the capital restructuring initiated by the Irish Life board in 1972. They did exactly the opposite — Deputy Noonan dealt with this matter at length this morning — in [246] that they reduced the rights of shareholders and enhanced those of the policyholders.
The move made at that time seemed to make sense. Like Deputy Noonan, I am not questioning the wisdom behind the commercial decision taken at that time. To understand why it is necessary to know a little about the different types of policy issued by life insurance companies. At this time the most popular are those linked to unit funds. Part of the customer's premium goes to cover the life insurance element of the policy, the risk part, while the remainder is invested in the unit-linked fund which is simply a fund of money managed by the life insurance company. Each company could have any number of such funds, some devoted solely to shares, others to property, to high risk, to low risk, and to a wide spread of investments across all areas.
It is proposed to railroad this Bill through after a debate lasting only one day. There is also the ludicrous suggestion that we complete the Committee and Final Stages in three hours next week. According to the 1989 balance sheet of the company the assets of the company stand at £4.214 billion. If we put this sum of £4.214 billion against GNP, and I know it is not entirely reasonable to make this analogy, one would get some idea of the size of the assets of this company. As I said, this sum is made up as follows: Mortgages and loans, £24 million; fixed interest securities including, I presume, Government stock and other debentures, £1,355 million; ordinary shares most of which, but not all, are quoted, £1,860 million; property, including, ironically, ground rent — an issue which has been raised in this House on many occasions — £437 million; unit trusts £268 million and, deposit and short-term interest, £619 million.
We are all supposed to put up our hands and say, after the minimum discussion, that we agree with handing over to someone else control of this substantial asset which has been built up under public ownership through the work and ingenuity of Irish workers and managers during [247] the years. In all probability, it will pass out of the control of Irish hands. This is inevitable once the company is floated. This morning Deputy Noonan asked the Minister to indicate in what way will the company be floated and what proportion of the shares will be offered on the Dublin and London stock exchanges as compared with the percentage offered on the Tokyo and New York stock exchanges. If someone does not have a great deal to say and supports the thrust of the Bill I suppose they can put that question to the Minister as a major issue. I do not believe it is a major issue.
The major issue is whether ownership and control should pass out of Irish hands. Fianna Fáil instead of using Irish Life, as they claim they have done ever since the Lemass era, as a strong, major, indigenous company to create jobs in Ireland are now abandoning that tenet of Fianna Fáil economic philosophy and are going to allow this major public asset to pass out of the control of Irish people. This is most regrettable and marks a major development in Fianna Fáil economic policy. In 1987, the leader of Fianna Fáil said to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions that Fianna Fáil did not in the past and would not in the future tamper with the major State commercial companies. The shopping list of hit companies for privatisation announced some months ago by the chairperson of the Progressive Democrats has proved to be true. This list includes Irish Steel, the Irish Sugar Company, the Great Southern Hotels Group and Irish Life. If one of the scale and significance in the economy of Irish Life is allowed to get through the net — and it looks as if this will happen — anything is possible. Unfortunately, that will be the decision of this House after the minimum discussion.
I have made reference to the pressure which was brought to bear within Irish Life to complete the mutualisation of the company in 1972 which would enable it to compete more effectively. There was a certain moral basis for this. After all, policyholders had provided the funds during the years. Therefore why should [248] they not get the surplus earned on these funds? From the point of view of the management, mutualisation had much going for it since it would leave them in total control, answerable to no master other than a diverse group of policyholders who would never be able to take any concerted action. That desire to remove any vestige of State control may have been a stronger motivation for pushing for change than any need to compete more effectively. I ask the Minister to address this question.
If the company is privatised will it become more effective and has there been a problem with its competitiveness? I ask the Minister to give us some specific figures as it is extremely difficult to deal with a company with assets of £4.5 billion without them. On what basis are we being asked to agree to the sale of the company? Will a multiple of the normal price earnings ratio, depending on the industry, apply? We do not know. Will it be based on the net worth of the company as stated in the balance sheet? We do not know. On 14 March 1990 I asked the Minister for Finance — column No. 82 of the Official Report — in a parliamentary question whether he would make available to us the contents of the report of the consultancy that studied this question in terms of what would be a reasonable valuation to put on Irish Life. In his reply, at column No. 84 of the Official Report, the Minister for Finance, Deputy A. Reynolds, said:
...I am sure the Deputy appreciates that before one attempts to float any company on the market they would not be foolish enough to publish a sensitive and confidential financial report, especially when one considers the effect this could have on the market when one gets around to flotation...
I do not appreciate any such thing. I would like to know, as an elected representative of the people, on whose behalf the Government are holding their shares in Irish Life. How am I to make a valuation on Irish Life shares or will we [249] experience the pattern that is now evident in Britain where all the public utilities have been sold off at artificially low valuations? Within a very short time, in almost all cases, when the shares settled, it became clear that they were put on the market at artificially low valuations. Will that happen in the case of Irish Life?
I will return briefly to my submission that privatisation is a political rather than an economic question. Economic questions that were advanced for this privatisation apparently no longer demand the same credence. I would like to refer to a book entitled Does Privatisation Work Lessons from the UK by Bishop and Kay. That book is available to the Minister and the officials in the Department of Finance and shows very clearly that in the United Kingdom the shareholders gained substantially from the privatisation programme with extremely generous discounts — which averaged 14 per cent — five times the average private sector discount and 28 times that in the case of British Airways, according to Bishop and Kay. The extent of the loss to the taxpayer was difficult to perceive because it is a complex area where those with the requisite expertise are generally those who have much to gain, and because it involves the transfer of wealth from the passive total population to the active articulate minority. That is precisely what happens. It is a regressive transfer of wealth because this passive total population referred to are the people of Ireland.
The people of Ireland own the shares in Irish Life. What is going to happen? There will be a regressive transfer of wealth to what is decribed here as the "active articulate minority". In other words, only those with the money can afford to buy the shares. This talk about a capitalist democracy, or a shareholding democracy has been shown to be a nonsense. Those holding shares in Britain have gone up from 9 per cent to 21 per cent, but studies have been done that show conclusively that within 12 months of the privatisation taking place, the share have reverted and again aggregated to the financial institutions. The banks [250] and the financial institutions got back the majority of shares in a very short period, because the ordinary people do not have the expertise, the inside knowledge, or the money, cannot afford to engage in dealings on the Stock Exchange. The professions which gained enormously, greatly assisting the big bang in the city and the development of the whole yuppie culture, included banks, stockbrokers, advertising agencies and public relations consultants. The most expensive flotation was British Gas which cost 3 per cent of the money raised. This may not appear to be a great deal until the absolute sum is revealed at £160 million sterling.
In an article in The Irish Times of Wednesday, 18 April 1990, an economist, Paul Sweeney, had this to say about the UK experience:
An examination of the UK privatisation programme shows that there were far greater efficiency gains in public enterprises prior to privatisation than since, and the remaining public enterprises outperformed private industry as a whole on a number of criteria. The transformation of public sector monopolies into private ones has not led to the expected improvements in services, but to higher profits at the expense of the consumer.
For example, last week it was revealed that the privatised British Telecom, whose service is constantly criticised, was over-charging its customers to the tune of stg £6,000 million a year. However, privatisation appears to be on the agenda in Ireland and it is not unrelated to the fact that the restructuring of many Irish public enterprises has been completed and most are now profitable. A minority of people may gain substantially, particularly if the sales are handled in the same say as in the UK.
I must say since this country has the good fortune to benefit from the experience in the neighbouring island, it is most distressing that we are rushing in where Thatcher has failed. It must be one of the ironies that the Taoiseach should be converted to the monetarist Thatcherite [251] position at this stage in his career. As the tide of Thatcherism ebbs in Britain, leaving a trail of human debris, poverty and unemployment in its wake, that it should be espoused so wholeheartedly by the recently retired — as Deputy Higgins calls him — President of all the Europeans, is most distressing.
Fianna Fáil always cherished the role of the leading commercial State companies in Ireland and were never in favour of going down this road. One could not say that about their partners in Government, or about the main Opposition party here who made very clear this morning, despite a fancy piece of footwork by the finance spokesman who asked a number of very intelligent cosmetic questions but did not conceal the fact that Fine Gael will be supporting the selling off of Irish Life.
In 1987 the major union involved in Irish Life — the ASTMS — referred to the rush to privatisation, or as it is sometimes called, the case for new capital restructuring. They pointed out that the arguments in 1972 — about which I spoke earlier — were turned on their head. The case has been made for increased shareholder participation in the company. The fact that a case for capital restructuring has been linked by its main proponents with a case for privatisation must raise suspicions about the motives of these advocates. I submit they are two different, distinct, separate issues. I might quote from the ASTMS document which says:
The capital of the company can be restructured without any of the State's shares being sold off to the private sector. The reason for linking privatisation to the proposed capital restructuring may simply reflect the fact that the case for a capital restructuring is a lot stronger than the case for privatisation but there are many people who have a vested interest in having the company's shares floated on the stock exchange.
Let us first look at the case for capital restucturing. Irish Life claim that their [252] expansion plans will be curtailed unless they can increase their capital base. To date expansion has been funded by retained earnings and they have been substantial, but it is claimed that these may not be sufficient to fund the type of rapid expansion which the company now envisage. Another call on retained surpluses is the maintenance of required solvency ratios. Expansion has been rapid in the recent past. To date there has been no sign that the expansion has been curtailed because of a shortage of capital, but it is pointed out that these investments may need to be topped up as they themselves expand and further acquisitions are actively sought.
The case is made that the company may require fresh share capital to fund this planned expansion but, because of the existing capital structure, there is no incentive for shareholders to put up extra cash; the potential return is just too small. Since the restructuring in 1972 shareholders are entitled to only 2 per cent of any surplus distributed while policyholders must get 98 per cent. So, if more is to be paid out to shareholders then a lot more would have to be paid out to the "with profit" policyholders. There is an uncertainty over the rightful ownership of the company's internal reserves. A capital restructuring need have no major impact on either staff or policyholders. It could simply readjust the share-out of surplus between shareholders and policyholders. Any reduction in policyholders' rights would have to be compensated.
Ownership of the company's investment reserves would also have to be decided. It would take some time and make little or no difference to the bulk of Irish Life policyholders — those who do not have "with profit" policies. There is a suggestion that the company could be restructured with a holding company created so that new non-life subsidiaries could operate completely separately from the life company. This might have some implications for staff but they are hardly adverse ones.
After the restructuring the rights of [253] shareholders would be such that the company would have no difficulty in getting them to subscribe new capital. This would be the case no matter who are the shareholders. The case for privatisation is either an ideological one — based on a view that the State should not directly own profitable enterprises — or else it is based on a claim that State-owned companies are essential, inefficient, monopolistic or all of those things.
The important net point is that the capital restructuring which Irish Life is said to need can be achieved without privatisation. Without a capital restructuring, or the promise of one, no private investor would be likely to buy the shares. But that is no good reason the State should not maintain its 90 per cent stake, or at least a majority stakeholding, after such a restructuring. Privatisation is a completely separate issue.
The Minister and other proponents of the case for privatisation have advanced two arguments. The first is based on the need for capital restructuring with the implication that this can be achieved only through privatisation. But, as pointed out already, the company's capital can be restructured without any need to sell off shares.
The second argument points to the restrictions operated in the United States against state owned companies; I have already dealt with that. Indeed it is a particularly spurious reason to advance having regard to the protectionism operated within a good many of the states of the United States in this area.
The board have decided against expansion in Ireland. The company have such a lion's share of the life assurance market that further rapid growth is not possible but they could consider expanding outside of their core business. That is one of the main planks that those of us on these benches would like to advance — that there is no conceivable reason the marvellous public asset that is Irish Life could not be utilised for expansion purposes outside its core business.
We are now rapidly going down the [254] road of the other major private, indigenous companies, companies such as Roadstone and Smurfit, which have experienced unprecedented expansion but all of it outside Ireland, expansion providing employment in the United States and in other countries so that there is very little spin-off to Irish workers, to the generation of wealth in Ireland, or indeed to tax revenue from the fact that these companies are expanding outside of Ireland. It is a tragedy to see Irish Life going headlong down that road because, inevitably, that is what will happen. They cannot wait to get the shackles off so that they can expand into the American and other markets.
I should have referred to one animus for this privatisation I passed over earlier which is the question of what it does for the advocates of privatisation in senior managerial positions. For example, a recent survey conducted in Britain showed that, immediately on privatisation being implemented, the salaries of chairmen, chief executives and senior managers, on average, increased overnight by 78 per cent; that was the percentage increase in salaries of those former public sector managers. Indeed, I think on the front page of today's Financial Times— the Minister may wish to engage in some light bedtime reading tonight and check this out — Sir Trevor Holdsworth, head of National Power, one of the about-to-be-newly privatised companies in the electricity sector, has seen his salary as part-time chairman rise to £185,000, representing precisely a 70 per cent, increase on what the full-time chairman of the total company had been earning. That will give the House some insight into why there are chairmen, directors, senior managers and others feverishly arguing the case for privatisation — because their salaries will treble if not quadruple overnight. In addition they will have extremely attractive share options on which they will make a killing within a very short period.
Deputy Taylor referred this morning to some financial information in his possession, to meetings that took place [255] between officials and the then Minister, Deputy John Bruton, in, I think, 1986. I have been supplied with similar information which suggests that at one stage a document was put to Cabinet on this issue which valued Irish Life not at the £250 million ballpark figure that we have all been discussing in this House, not at the upper limits of that at £400 million, but the paper actually prepared for Cabinet listed a figure of £800 million. I do not think that the people outside of this House, the people who put us in here, appreciate the enormity of the decision we are about to make during the course of this debate.
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Coming of Age in the East Gloucester Art World of the 1950's
Presented by Cape Ann Museum at Cape Ann Museum
July 13, 2013
An illustrated talk by writer Peter Anastas about growing up in the East Gloucester art world during the 1950's, focusing on the artists and writers he knew, especially in and around Rocky Neck. This program is free for members or with Museum admission.
27 Pleasant Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
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