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Find out the strategies corporations use to protect themselves from unwanted acquisitions.
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Find out the strategies corporations use to protect themselves from unwanted acquisitions.
Fatima Patova's insight:
Business runs on credit. Mortgages, auto loans and credit cards make the "good life" we otherwise could not afford possible. Banks borrow too on a daily basis from each other or their central bank. The latter sets the baseline interest rates every other interest rate adds on to. Its rates control the amount of money in circulation at any given time. Raise them and the money supply shrinks; lower them and it expands. "Tight" money slows economic activity down; "loose" money speeds it up. The decision to do either comes after careful deliberation about what monetary policy a central bank should pursue given prevailing economic conditions.
Fatima Patova's insight:
After my brief stint into the world of McDonalds, I decided to learn about what I thought was another franchise, but a more modern one:Starbucks. Turns out I was mistaken and it is not a franchise at all. Instead, the company is immensely vertically integrated for one purpose alone, maintaining perfect quality throughout the value-chain. At least that's what its founder, Howard Schultz, claims in his book 'Pour Your Heart Into It.' I agree that when you have a globally orientated company, with both suppliers all around the world and coffee-shops now too, and you are selling a premium product, that this is a good strategy.
How did Starbucks get this way? Its organisational structure is ingrained in the strange history of the company. It originally started as a roaster and retailer of coffee-beans, when Schultz joined the company as a young salesman. He later left it to pursue his real passion, setting up coffee-shops, and a few years later returned to buy Starbucks the company, including the name. Had he not succeeded, his strategy of expansion may well have been very different.
In business, you'll often come across the concept of transaction costs, or the make-or-buy decision. Transaction cost theory stipulates that you should keep the things in-house that constitute your core-competencies, and outsource those that do not. In other words, make it yourself versus buy it externally. In the case of Starbucks, the core-competencies is quality coffee which sells at premium prices. To them, it is vital to own the components and have the people that create this quality.
Being vertically integrated is both rewarding and risky. One the negative side, you have a lot of dependancies and there is a great risk of stagnancy in a dynamic market-place. The more people you have working for you and the more business-units you have to manage, the higher the complexity level and the more layers are necessary in a command-structure. Therefore everything happens much slower and is also much more expensive.
The best way to circumvent that is to focus on your core-values and the bottom-line. If your core-value is high quality coffee, you can also charge higher prices for it, off-setting some of the costs of vertical integration. But similarly, it pays off to slim down the complexity, make the process of creating your product as (cost-)efficient as possible.
And by controlling the value-chain, you can essentially control the experience, maintain the level of quality much better than if you are dependant on external partners. This is especially an issue in the world of coffee, where you would frequently deal with suppliers in developing nations with varying standards of quality. Starbucks does not grow its own coffee, but it does keep its buyers awfully close to those that do. Similarly, other industries like IT or retail face similar concerns. Do we hire programmers elsewhere or train them ourselves?
So why doesn't a company like McDonalds integrate vertically? On a virtual level, you could say they do. They have created McDonalds university, which offers training to franchisees, in order to share the same values throughout the company-name. They keep their R&D in-house, but share the results throughout the virtual chain. They advertise on a national and regional level. And they maintain good relationships with suppliers to buywhat they call premium-products at far-less-than premium prices.
As the last sentence suggests, that is perhaps where the difference lies. The core-value of McDonalds is not the same as that of Starbucks. The first started with offering hamburgers for $ 0.15, now around $1; the latter offered premium beans and later coffee for $3.50. This is again a superficial observation, but higher prices translate into a higher budget for quality. Just like Apple maintains high margins for it's hardware, vs. other PC-makers, it can offer a higher quality of design and customer service than most of its competitors. Similarly, Starbucks can focus on training the best people, buying the best equipment, run innovative marketing campaigns and strategies. And it can afford to be vertically integrated.
Think of return on capital employed (ROCE) as the Clark Kent of financial ratios. Most investors don't take a second look at a company's ROCE, but savvy investors know that, like Kent's alter ego, ROCE has a lot of muscle. In fact, ROCE can help investors see through growth forecasts, and it can often serve as a reliable measure of corporate performance. In this article we'll reveal the true nature of ROCE and how to calculate and analyze it. Read on to find out how this often overlooked ratio can be a superhero when it comes to calculating the efficiency and profitability of a company's capital investments.
Defining ROCE
= Profit Before Interest and Taxation / Capital Employed
The numerator, or the return, includes the profit before tax, exceptional items, interest and dividends payable. These items are located on the income statement. The denominator, the capital employed, is the sum of all ordinary and preferred-share capital reserves, all debt and finance lease obligations, as well as minority interests and provisions. These items are all found on the balance sheet. The denominator shows how much capital is being employed in the operation of the business. (For further reading, see Reading The Balance Sheet and Understanding The Income Statement.)
What Does ROCE Say?
ROCE in Relation to the Cost of Borrowing
Some Guidelines for Analyzing ROCE
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Things to be Aware Of
Consider a firm that has turned a profit of $15 on $100 capital employed, or 15% ROCE. Of the $100 capital employed, let's say $40 was cash it recently raised and has yet to invest into operations. If we ignore this latent cash in hand, the capital is actually around $60. The company's ROCE, then, is a much more impressive 25%. Furthermore, there are times when ROCE may understate the amount of capital employed. Conservatism dictates that intangible assets - such as trademarks, brands and research and development - are not counted as part of capital employed. Intangibles are too hard to value with reliability, so they are left out. Nevertheless, they still represent capital employed.
From riski
Capitalizing a company doesn't just happen in the beginning. Every company, new ones and operating ones, must deal with capitalizing issues. Especially the successful ones, because success begets growth, and growth requires capital. If your company needs capital, as the owner, you are the one who has to get it.
1. Cost Estimation - process of determining cost behaviour, often focusing on historical data.
2. Cost Behavior - relationship between cost and activity.
3. Cost Prediction - using knowledge of cost behavior to forecast level of cost at a particular activity. Focus is on the future.
The relevant range is the range of activity within which managers expect a company to operate and within which managers can predict cost behavior with some certainty.
Having ascertained the cost behavior, cost prediction can be made. Segregating into fixed and variable costs is a must before many cost prediction or forecasting techniques can be used such as:
(i) accounting method,
(ii) high low method,
(iii) linear regression
(iv) curvilinear regression
Annual growth rate is widely used in cost prediction as in large number of cases where the growth or decline is gradual.
A case where cause and effect relation is certain, one can use High low method.
*Determine high and low cost/units produced and divide cost by units produced. This should give you cost for producing one unit in various years. If such a cost is identical, we would say that it is fixed. If the unit rates is not uniform, the relevant cost is partly variable and partly fixed.
*Find difference between high and low costs and units produced and divide one by another to determine Rate Per Unit.
*The fixed part can be segregated and a cost formula can be arrived as:
Total Cost = Fixed Cost +(Numbers of Units Produced x Rate Per Unit).
Linear Regression is a powerful tool for forecasting. It uses a formula i.e Y = a + bX which is the same as described in High Low Method. The difference is that How-Low is a crude way which cares for only the highest and the lowest. The linear regression takes into account each and every figure, calculate average and standard deviations and only then processes it further.
Curvilinear is a much advance tool which takes into more than one factors.
Let us taken an example: Suppose a university has enrolled 30 fresh students for 2-year MBA program. The university is interested to know what would be GPA of each student at the end. It would decided on factors or causes effecting GPA, the dependent variables and may would arrive at the following equation:
Y = a + bX + cW + dZ + E, where Y= GPA, bX= Weighted Average of Marks in Matric, Intermediate and Graduation, cW is marks in Aptitude Test and dZ is Interview score while E is error factors based previous actual GPA and predicted GPA.
When past data is not available and some one wants to how how much 100 chairs would cost, one can resort to task analysis whereby a item would be broken into its components, each component would be measured and its cost obtained from the market sources. This is called bottom up approach. (On the contrary, in bottom-down approach, an estimated is obtained from experts to total budget and later is it is distributed to various factors. One may want to know how much a university for 2,500 students would cost. The experts can tell us that it would cost around Rs. 350 million. This amount can be split into land, building, laboratories, libraries and play grounds etc based on past pattern or proportion ( land to be 20% of total cost) to be given by the same experts.
An accountant studies the past records and classifies each cost component into fixed, variable, semi variable, step fixed and step variable. One this done, fixed component is extracted from semi-variable, step-fixed and step variable. This leaves only two components i.e. fixed and variable. Later, same approach as in Linear Regression can be adopted.
This is graphical presentation where a pattern can be noted and extend for prediction.
An understanding cost behavior helps manager in anticipation of changes in cost when there is a change in their activities like production, sales, inventory pile up etc. It provides good assistance in planning, cost management and decision making.
A number of behavior patterns exist ranging from fixed to variable and from linear to curvilinear. Many cost predictions techniques are used to forecast sales and costs or any other factor.
Getting paid on time is essential to minimising cash flow problems, especially for new businesses. Here are seven simple techniques to help you avoid cash flow roadblocks.
1. Be paid in advance
2. Only send correct invoices
3. Communicate with both customer and the person who pays
4. Snail mail your invoices
5. Make paying easy
6. Receive and check payments vigilantly
7. Get tough on repeat offenders
Via Steve Cassady
The investment is usually in the form of stocks whereby profits are in the form of capital gains or dividends. The investor considers equity investment as a long-term strategy of maximizing his wealth. The investor recovers his money only when he sells his shares to others.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Equity Investments
There is no interest charged on the committed fund and if required, knowledge and skill of the investors is an added advantage for the firm.
The investor has an opportunity for a higher return on the principal sum rather than investing in a bank.
The main disadvantages of equity investments are some loss in control of management to the firm and a considerable risk factor for the investor.
Equity Investment Instruments
*Common Stock is where the investor holds some shares of the company and earns money as dividends, which is not a guarantee. It is a risky venture but possible to make higher returns on equity investment in a short duration.
*Buying Preferred Stock is a more stable equity investment with no power in decision-making. Dividends are regular and independent of the market. The dividends may be predetermined or floating.
*Warrants are unique such that common stock is available at a specific price during a stipulated time-period. If is not purchased, it will become worthless and will return higher dividends when bought.
*Convertible Debt is a bond without collateral that is exchanged for common stock. These debentures are priced at rates lower than stock-prices.
*Equity line of credit is similar to bank line of credit. It is a commitment by the investor to purchase common stock over a period of time. The firm has the benefits of flexibility, control, security, speed and market timing. The major advantage to the investor is he pays a discounted rate for the stocks.
*Sales of restricted shares refer to stock of the company that may be transferred to another person only after meeting certain criteria.
Checklist for Investors before making an equity investment
*An impressive business plan that is detailed and accurate.
*Return on investment and the time duration.
*Details on the limited control after investing.
Equity investments meet the fund requirements of an organization. Here, the investor realizes equity instead of the traditional interest on the capital amount. Businesses must be convinced that equity investment is the right finance option before they finally decide upon. This is because the process is cumbersome and the management may lose some control of their power to the investor. On the other hand, the investor gains high returns only if the company performs well; the proposition is risky.
There are mutual benefits if the business plan is sound, the top management is performance-oriented and the investor can share his investment and expertise for the growth of the company.
A few years back, I interviewed some of the most successful CEOs in the world in order to discover their management secrets. I learned that the "best of the best" tend to share the following eight core beliefs.
1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield.
Average bosses see business as a conflict between companies, departments and groups.
Extraordinary bosses see business as a symbiosis where the most diverse firm is most likely to survive and thrive. They naturally create teams that adapt easily to new markets and can quickly form partnerships with other companies, customers ... and even competitors.
2. A company is a community, not a machine.
Average bosses consider their company to be a machine with employees as cogs. They create rigid structures with rigid rules and then try to maintain control by "pulling levers" and "steering the ship."
Extraordinary bosses see their company as a collection of individual hopes and dreams, all connected to a higher purpose. They inspire employees to dedicate themselves to the success of their peers and therefore to the community–and company–at large.
3. Management is service, not control.
Average bosses want employees to do exactly what they're told. They're hyper-aware of anything that smacks of insubordination and create environments where individual initiative is squelched by the "wait and see what the boss says" mentality.
Extraordinary bosses set a general direction and then commit themselves to obtaining the resources that their employees need to get the job done. They push decision making downward, allowing teams form their own rules and intervening only in emergencies.
4. My employees are my peers, not my children.
Average bosses see employees as inferior, immature beings who simply can't be trusted if not overseen by a patriarchal management. Employees take their cues from this attitude, expend energy on looking busy and covering their behinds.
Extraordinary bosses treat every employee as if he or she were the most important person in the firm. As a result, employees at all levels take charge of their own destinies.
5. Motivation comes from vision, not from fear.
Average bosses see fear - of getting fired, of ridicule, of loss of privilege - as a crucial way to motivate people. As a result, employees and managers alike become paralyzed and unable to make risky decisions.
Extraordinary bosses inspire people to see a better future and how they'll be a part of it. As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the organization's goals, truly enjoy what they're doing and (of course) know they'll share in the rewards.
6. Change equals growth, not pain.
Average bosses see change as both complicated and threatening, something to be endured only when a firm is in desperate shape. They subconsciously torpedo change ... until it's too late.
Extraordinary bosses see change as an inevitable part of life. While they don't value change for its own sake, they know that success is only possible if employees and organization embrace new ideas and new ways of doing business.
7. Technology offers empowerment, not automation.
Average bosses adhere to the old IT-centric view that technology is primarily a way to strengthen management control and increase predictability. They install centralized computer systems that dehumanize and antagonize employees.
Extraordinary bosses see technology as a way to free human beings to be creative and to build better relationships. They adapt their back-office systems to the tools, like smartphones and tablets, that people actually want to use.
8. Work should be fun, not mere toil.
Average bosses buy into the notion that work is, at best, a necessary evil. They fully expect employees to resent having to work, and therefore tend to subconsciously define themselves as oppressors and their employees as victims. Everyone then behaves accordingly.
Extraordinary bosses see work as something that should be inherently enjoyable–and believe therefore that the most important job of manager is, as far as possible, to put people in jobs that can and will make them truly happy.
Turnover, sales, revenue, fee income - whatever you care to call the top line - doesn't matter in finance terms.
It's what you get to keep after covering the costs that matters and most important of all, how much money is in the bank.
In big business, where ownership and management is separated, there are huge issues.
The senior managers are driven by emotion and being CEO of a big business boosts the ego so much more than being the CEO of a smaller business, even if the small business is making more money.
You will hear "I am the CEO (or MD) of a £25 million turnover electrical wholesale business."
What you won't hear is "I am the CEO of a £25 million turnover electrical wholesale business and we are losing £800k per year."
It's profit and cash that matter. So remember:
"Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity but cash is reality"
"Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity but cash is king"
If you want a good chuckle you can always turn to a S&P stock report. Take for example their recent research report on Netflix. Right at the top of the report they blessed the stock with a "Buy" rating and slapped a 12-month price target of $135 on it. Who can complain with a 17% gain? Looks like it's time to buy!
Oh wait, what is this?
"Analysis of the stock's current worth, based on S&P's proprietary quantitative model suggests that NFLX is overvalued by $48.24 or 41.9%"
Gotta love it! So on the one hand their analyst is saying 'Buy" because with a price target of $135 it is 17% undervalued. Then your later being told that, by the way, our "proprietary quantitative model" says you should lose about 42% listening to that Analyst.
From www
Lower earning rates ease the pain of sharing your investment income with the IRS. Learn more at Bankrate.com.
Small businesses are increasingly being asked to share their management accounts with suppliers following requests from trade credit insurers, research has shown.
More than 670,000 small and medium-sized firms were asked to provide their manaccs to suppliers in the last 24 months.
77% of small and medium-sized businesses were able to secure trade credit or extend existing credit facilities over the past two years after complying with such a request.
More than 47,000 had credit facilities cancelled or denied after refusing to share financial information.
"Insurers and businesses are adopting new strategies for financial risk mitigation to ensure they minimise their exposure to bad debt and defaulted payment,"
As a business owner there is one thing you understand more than anything else - cash flow. It's what keeps you awake at night because it is the life blood of your business. It is also a key determinant as to whether your business can grow and prosper or if it is stagnating and possibly heading towards insolvency.
So now that you have reached the end of the financial year you will soon be talking to your accountant to get an indication of how much profit you have made for the year. But how much will this really tell you because you never seem to have the money the business is supposed to have made actually in the bank? The one common question that accountants get asked is "well if we made that much profit, where is it"?
The answer lies in having a mechanism to identify how you have managed your sales growth (or decline). It doesn't matter whether your sales have increased or declined, both scenarios need to be managed to ensure that you don't leak cash. If your sales increase by ten percent you need to make sure that variable overheads, debtors, and cost of sales (COGS) do not increase by more than ten percent. Any increase over ten percent means that you are leaking cash.
Conversely, if your sales decrease by ten percent, you need to make sure that variable overheads, debtors, and cost of sales (COGS) decrease by at least ten percent to ensure no cash leakages. Cash leakage can contribute to unsustainable cash flow arising in a business. Knowledge of this can avert bankruptcy in advance.
If your COGS were to rise by more than ten percent (let's say fifteen percent) then your inventory and work in progress should not rise by more than fifteen percent. Anything over fifteen percent also indicates a cash leakage.
We recently wrote an article entitled "Growing Broke" because we often find that businesses experiencing cash flow problems have allowed one or more of their variable overheads, debtors, COGS, inventory or work in progress (WIP) to grow disproportionately to the rate of sales increase. What many business owners fail to see is the need to manage these areas equally closely in times of falling sales.
Fatima Patova's insight:
Buying back shares can be a sensible way for companies to use extra cash. But in many cases, it's just a ploy to boost earnings and, even worse, a signal that the company has run out of good ideas. This means that investors can't afford to take buybacks at face value. Find out how to examine whether a buyback represents a strategic move by a company or a desperate one.
When Buybacks Work
A share buyback happens when a company purchases and retires some of its outstanding shares. This can be a great thing for shareholders because after the share buyback, they will own a bigger portion of the company, and therefore a bigger portion of its cash flow and earnings.
One of the reasons given for taking on increased debt to fund a share buyback is that it is more efficient because interest on debt is tax deductible, unlike dividends. However, debt has to be repaid at some time. Remember, what gets a company into financial difficulties is not lack of profits, but lack of cash.
Historical Background on the ROCE (Return On Capital Employed) Ratio
From riski
The net worth of a business may be referred to as the amount of equity owners have in the company, or the book value of the business. The net worth of your company can be calculated by determining the amount of money left over if you were to sell all assets and pay off all liabilities, as explained by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website. Your company's net worth can be calculated using the accounting equation that states that assets equal liabilities plus shareholders' equity. This equation can be changed to state that shareholders' equity equals assets minus liabilities.
Generally under-capitalization denotes the inadequacy of capital; i.e., the shortage of capital. It is a condition when the real value of the company based on its earnings is more than the book value. A company is said to be under-capitalized when its actual capitalization is lower than its proper capitalization as warranted by its earning capacity. In the words of Hoagland, "Under-capitalization is an excess of true asset values over the aggregate of stocks and bonds outstanding.
In the words of Charles W. Gerstenberg, "A corporation may be undercapitalized when the rate of profits ti is making on the total capital is exceptionally high in relation to the return enjoyed by similarly situated companies in the same industry, or when it has too little capital with which to conduct its business."
Sometimes a company, on the face of it, may have insufficiency of capital but it may have large secret reserves or its promoters might have under-estimated it his situation will not be treated as Under-capitalization.
In short, under-capitalization is a state of affairs when the actual capital is short of the requirements of the company.
Causes of Under-capitalization:
There may be a number of causes of under-capitalization. However, the main causes of under-capitalization are":
(i) Under-estimation of earnings;
(ii) Under-estimation of capital requirement;
(iii) Promotion of company during the period of depression;
(iv) Unforeseen increase in earnings, such as, during boom period, the company will find itself under-capitalized when its earnings exceed the increase in the amount of capital employed;
(v) Conservative dividend policy of the company;
(vi) Sound financial management with high efficiency;
(vii) Tight conditions in the money market.
Merits of Under-capitalization:
The main advantages/ merits of under-capitalization are:
(i) Creation of secret reserves,
(ii) Higher rate of dividend,
(iii) Rapid increase in the prices of shares in the stock exchange;
(iv) Symptom of economic prosperity of the company;
(v) Increase in the rate of profits of the company;
(vi) Shares can be sold easily.
Evils/ Demerits/ Disadvantages of Under-capitalization:
The evils of under capitalization are:
(i) Wide fluctuation in the prices of shares etc.,
(ii) Increase in competition,
(iii) Increase in speculative activities,
(iv) Increase in opportunities for manipulation by management,
(v) Industrial relations tend to be strained,
(vi) Dissatisfaction amongst consumers, they feel they are being exploited by the company,
(vii) Increase in the tax burden of the company,
(viii) Increased Government interference etc.
On the page: Descriptions of various types of trend, and an exercise.
Instructions: Look at the graphs and read the descriptions. Important vocabulary is in bold. Then do the exercise.
*dramatically - a lot
*fluctuated - moved up and down
*gradually - slowly
*jumped - incresed quickly
*peak - the top
*rose - increased
*plateau - a flat place
*trough - a fall, then a rise.
If you're looking for a quick fix for cash-flow problems, good luck. But if you're serious about making strategic changes, read on.
SIMPLE FORMULA: collect your receivables as fast as possible and slow down your payables without jeopardizing your relationship with suppliers.
If you're just looking for a quick fix, you can extend your accounts payable period by using a credit card to pay suppliers. With a check, you only get a day or two of float – or the time between when someone deposits your check and when the amount is removed from your account. But if you pay with a credit card, your vendor gets paid and you don't have to pay the card down for several more weeks. Of course, you don't want to charge more than you can pay off in a month or you'll get slapped with some hefty interest charges.
That's a simple – and fairly short-sighted – solution. But if you're serious about improving cash flow, here are five tips.
1. Perform a Good Forecast
Quite often small and mid-sized businesses aren't prepared for all the costs associated with growing quickly. More sales could mean more employees and a bigger inventory.
2. Evaluate Your Terms
If you're having trouble with cash flow, check to see how well your customer terms and supplier terms are balanced.
If your average payable is 24 days and your average receivable is 47 days, that's 23 days that you have to float, which means you have to go out and get working capital
3. Enforce Payment Discipline
In order to shorten your receivables period, you'll need to have a good collection system in place. You should ask yourself:
*How long is it taking to get paid?
Enforcing payment discipline should also be part of your payables operations.
4. Segment Your Customers, Suppliers and Inventory
When looking at your inventory, you want to observe the volatility of sales. Do you have too much cash tied up in products that sell only sporadically? Would that money be better off used in your "bread and butter" items that turnover more quickly? "You might end up having tons of money tied up in inventory without actually meeting your customers' needs.
When breaking down your suppliers, you want to separate them into your regular suppliers versus your one-off buys. With your strategic suppliers, you'll have a better chance of negotiating better terms and discounts.
Perhaps most importantly, you should take a close look at your customers. Who really is a "key customer?" Just because your sales department thinks they're important – i.e. they generate a lot of revenue – that doesn't mean it's a profitable account. Norm Brodsky wrote last year about one business whose biggest account was actually a big money loser, ultimately adding to its cash flow woes. The solution isn't necessarily to cut that account, but to approach the customer with the situation.
5. Make it a Companywide Priority
If improving cash flow is a priority, make sure all of your employees understand that. Remember that your employees will be motivated by the targets you set for them. Obviously, collectors should have collection targets. But even your sales staff should be on board. If a salesperson only has a revenue goal, he or she will work to meet it, regardless of whether the invoices are paid on time or in full. Instead, institute a policy where, if something is written off, the revenue is backed out of commissions.
"If employees have a target, that's what they focus on," DeHaro says. "Make sure management teams support working capital objectives."
The phrase turnover is vanity, profit is sanity came to mind last week while writing the essential finance chapter of my new Double Your Business book.
When I visited them, they had a big office and a number of staff. The business had grown to a decent size turnover but they were making practically no profit at all.
I realised then that their biggest problem was not sales, but management. We sat down and spent just a couple of minutes looking at their annual accounts.
According to statistics published by the Small Business Administration (SBA), seven out of ten new employer establishments survive at least two years and 51 percent survive at least five years. This is a far cry from the previous long-held belief that 50 percent of businesses fail in the first year and 95 percent fail within five years.
1. You start your business for the wrong reasons.
2. Poor Management
3. Insufficient Capital
4. Location, Location, Location
5. Lack of Planning
6. Overexpansion
7. No Website
However, it hasn't stopped policy makers from trying: in an effort to fight what may have been a disorderly collapse of the financial system, unprecedented monetary and fiscal initiatives were undertaken to stem against market ...
Via jean lievens
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text:
Associated's Local Play: In-Market Deal Aimed at Revenue Diversity
Jackson, Ben, American Banker
Associated Banc-Corp of Green Bay, Wis., is betting that the best way to expand its retail and commercial business is to bulk up close to home.
It took a big step toward strengthening its operations in its home state by making a deal, announced Wednesday, to buy the $3.7 billion-asset First Federal Capital Corp. of La Crosse for $613 million.
The $15.5 billion-asset Associated would still have the No. 3 deposit share in Wisconsin, trailing Marshall & Ilsley Corp. of Milwaukee and U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis. But buying First Federal, which has the No. 8 share, would give Associated considerable heft in key markets, including Madison, the state capital.
In a conference call, Paul S. Beideman, Associated's president and chief executive officer, said it was attracted to First Federal's strong branch network, including its 49 in-store branches, its operations in three growth markets, and its balance sheet, which tilts toward consumer and commercial lending.
The wide branch network, Mr. Beideman said, would also help Associated sell its commercial banking and wealth management over a broader area in the three states where both companies operate: Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois.
"Our strategy is to enhance and diversify our revenue stream," he said.
The acquisition would be the first in more than two years, and the biggest since 1997, for Associated, which had been one of the Midwest's most acquisitive banking companies during the 1990s. The deal is its first under Mr. Beideman, who joined Associated a year ago from Mellon Financial Corp.
First Federal shareholders would receive 0.635 shares of Associated stock, or an equivalent amount of cash, for each of their shares. The deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter, would be roughly 90% stock and 10% cash.
Associated's deposit share in Wisconsin would increase from 6.34% to 8.4%, according to June 30 statistics from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
More significantly, the acquisition would catapult Associated into the No. 1 position in La Crosse and the No. 4 position in Madison; it is currently No. 10 in both market. In Minneapolis-St. Paul, it ranks No. …

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Secondary Malignancies After Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation In Patients With Relapsed / Refractory Hodgkin´s Lymphoma. A Retrospective Analysis On Behalf Of The Lymphoma Working Party Of The European Society For Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT)
- Anna Sureda, MD*,1,
- Ariane Boumendil, PhD*,2,
- Michal Sieniawski, MD3,
- Kirsty Thomson, MD*,4,
- Martin Gramatzki, MD5,
- Didier Blaise6,
- Catherine Thieblemond, MD*,7,
- Charles Crawley, MD8,
- Marc Renaud, MD*,9,
- Patrice Chevalier, MD*,10,
- Jian Jian Luan*,2,
- Kim H. Orchard, MD11,
- Paneesha Shankara, MD*,12,
- Urs Schanz, MD13,
- Norbert Schmitz14, and
- Peter Dreger, MD15
- 1Department of Haematology, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom,
- 2EBMT Lymphoma Working Party, Paris, France,
- 3Haematological Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom,
- 4Department of Haematology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom,
- 5Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunotherapy, 2nd Department of Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein and University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany,
- 6Hematology, Institut Paoli Calmettes, Marseille, France,
- 7Hôpital St. Louis, Paris, France,
- 8Dept. of Clinical Haematology, Addenbrooks Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom,
- 9Hopital Bretonneau, Tours, France,
- 10Department of hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Nantes, Nantes, France,
- 11Dept. of Haematology, Southampton Univ. Hospitals, Southampton, England,
- 12Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom,
- 13University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland,
- 14Abteilung f. Hämatologie, Onkologie und Stammzelltransplantation, Asklepios Klinik St. Georg Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany,
- 15Department of Internal Medicine V, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
The occurrence of late events [i.e. secondary malignancies (SM)] after therapy is of special relevance in patients with Hodgkin«s lymphoma (HL) as the median age of this population is quite low and first line therapy is curative in a high proportion of them. Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the standard of care for patients with HL in first relapse and chemosensitive disease and for those patients who demonstrate to be primary refractory. The administration of chemotherapy +/- radiotherapy is a risk factor for the development of SM and, high dose chemoradiotherapy given as conditioning regimen before stem cell infusion can further increase this risk. In this retrospective study we have analyzed the incidence of SM as well as of the different subtypes [acute leukemias (AL) / myelodisplastic syndromes – myeloproliferative disorders (MDS-MPD), lymphomas and solid tumors (ST)] in more than 2000 HL patients undergoing an ASCT with a very long follow up after transplantation.
2261 patients with HL being treated with an ASCT between January/1985 and December/1995 and reported to the Lymphoma Database of the EBMT have been included in this analysis. There were 871 (38.5%) females and 1390 (61.5%) males with a median age at diagnosis of 26.8 years and at transplantation of 30.2 years. Median follow up for surviving patients was 9.1 years. Median time from diagnosis to ASCT was 26.6 months and 1989 patients (88% of the series) received at least 2 lines of chemotherapy before undergoing the autologous procedure. 694 patients were autografted in complete remission (CR) and the remaining 1567 with visible disease (amongst them, 279 patients had primary refractory disease, 458 patients sensitive relapse and 216, refractory relapse). Total body irradiation (TBI)-containing regimens only represented 4.2% of all conditioning protocols. 1300 patients were conditioned with BEAM / BEAM like protocols, 670 with CBV and 197 with other combinations. As expected because of the year of transplantation, bone marrow was used as the source of stem cells in 1407 patients (62.2%).
After a median follow up of 10.5 years for all patients, 978 (45.4%) are alive and 1178 (54.6%) have died, 959 patients (43.7%) have relapsed after ASCT and 378 (17.5%) have died of non-relapse mortality (NRM). Relapse rate (RR) of the whole population of patients was 43.5%, 46.2% and 47% at 5, 10 and 15 years, respectively. NRM ranged from 14.6% to 19.8% at 5 and 15 years after ASCT, respectively. Disease free survival (DFS) was 41.9%, 36.5% and 33.2% at 5, 10 and 15%, respectively and finally, overall survival (OS) at 5, 10 and 15 years was 53.1%, 44.4% and 38.8%, respectively. 122 patients (5.4% of the series) developed a SM after ASCT. The most frequent ones were ST (49 patients – 40.2% of the series) followed by AL / MDS-MPD (26 patients – 21.3% / 23 patients – 18.8%), lymphomas (17 patients – 11.5%) and others (9 patients – 7.4%). 95 patients (78%) were in CR at the time of developing the SM and 27 patients (22%) had already relapsed after ASCT and being treated with additional chemotherapy.
30 patients with SM died of this late effect after ASCT (3% of NRM for the whole population of patients).
In conclusion, the development of a SM after an ASCT represents a significant late effect in this big population of HL patients with a very long follow up, the most frequent ones being the ST that, as expected seem to develop later after transplantation than AL / MDS – MPD and lymphomas. The impact of prior therapy as well as other well know prognostic factors in the development of SM after ASCT is still unclear and needs to be better defined.
Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
- © 2013 by The American Society of Hematology


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Midwest remains frugal for Valentine's Day
Sticking with the frugal tradition of the Midwest, folks here plan to spend the least of any part of the country for Valentine's Day:; an average of $92, according to a new survey from the National Retail Federation. That compares to a national average of $116.
Westerners will spend the most for the holiday of love: $141, on average.
Midwesterners are the least likely to participate in the holiday, with 55% planning to do something to mark the day. Across the country, 58% will celebrate. Participation is highest in the South, where 61% will spend money on gifts and cards.
For retailers, the survey results are good news, showing an upswing in spending from the past two years, but still below 2007 and 2008, when consumers spent an average of $119 and $122 on Valentine's Day gifts. After the recession hit, people pulled back on Valentine's Day goodies, shelling out just $102 on average in 2009 and $103 last year.
The average spend skews heavily toward men, who spend nearly twice as much on Valentine's Day. This year the average for men is $158, compared to $75 for women.
- Hallmark aiming for another touchdown: Packer Jordy Nelson is 2016 Keepsake ornament
- Wisconsin's first Akira store opens Friday at Brookfield Square
- Downtown Boston Store's new furniture department debuts Thursday
- Meijer partners with Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin network
- Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly lands meat contest awards
- TUMI luggage store to open at Pleasant Prairie outlet mall
- Marketing executive resigns from Kohl's
- Talbots will open store in Johnson Creek outlet mall
- Mini-golf tavern to open on Milwaukee's east side
- Noodles & Co. to open in West Milwaukee
Six start-ups to pitch at Water Summit in June
Casino magnate Wynn envisions water park in the desert
Modine Manufacturing reports quarterly profit, reversing a loss
LGO Group companies in Franklin file for receivership
Unemployment rates dip in Wisconsin metro areas
CEO pay climbs again, even as their stock prices don't
Bank of Montreal is cutting 4% of workforce
American Family Insurance inks baseball great Jeter as 'brand ambassador'
Boston Store to hold open house to show off renovated space in downtown store
Memorial Day weekend kicks off projected record summer of travel
Bayshore Town Center plans include razing former Sears store and building apartments
L.L.Bean plans first Wisconsin store at The Corners in Brookfield
Muskego mixed-use project, including Sendik's, wins key approval
Schaefer to resign as CEO of Citizens Community Federal Bank
Retail Business News
First Portillo's coming to state
As Wisconsin's first Portillo's restaurant takes shape along W. Blue Mound Road in Brookfield, food service expert Darren Tristano has, in the same breath, both a warning and an endorsement.
"They've got something called the cake shake, which, if you can avoid it, I would," deadpanned Tristano, who is president of Chicago-based Technomic Inc., a research and consulting firm for the food service industry. "Because it's highly addictive and incredibly craveable."
While folks in America's Dairyland probably don't needa new way to ingest cake and ice cream — the cake shake is created by mixing a piece of chocolate cake with ice cream in a milkshake blender — it soon will be available here, along with Italian beef, hot dogs, hamburgers and other Portillo's menu offerings.
More Headlines
- L.L.Bean plans first Wisconsin store at The Corners in Brookfield (5)
- Bayshore Town Center plans include razing former Sears store and building apartments (4)
- Boston Store to hold open house to show off renovated space in downtown store
- Kohl's reaps rewards from giddy woman's viral video with Chewbacca mask (6)


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The current population of Sherman County is 3,147 with the median age of 49. Sherman County's median household income is $43,292, and the average household net worth is $274,424.
|Sherman County
|United States
|Median Household Income
|Average Household Net Worth
|Median Age
|49 years
|36 years
|37 years
Age distribution represents the distribution of the population in Sherman County by age group. In Sherman County, the male-to-female ratio is 1,541:1,606, which is 3% lower than the ratio of Nebraska, which is 939,861:948,924. Age demographic data is sourced from census, 2015.
Crime rate index represents the average crime rate for a local area in comparison to nearby areas and the national average. A crime index of 100 represents the national average. Nebraska, has 3% less property crime than the national average, and has 36% less personal crime than the national average
Marital status represents the percent of residents in Sherman County that are single, married, widowed and divorced. In Sherman County, 87% of people are married and 13% of people are single. The percent of people married is 9% higher than the ratio of Nebraska, which is 78%. Marital data is sourced from census, 2015.
Household income distribution represents the distribution of Sherman County income brackets at the household level. Overall, the median household income for Sherman County is $43,292, which is 18% lower than that of Nebraska ($52,501). Income data for Sherman County is sourced from census, 2015.
Education data represents the highest level of education attained by residents in Sherman County. In Sherman County, 16% of residents 18 and over graduated from high school and 21% completed a Bachelor's degree or higher, which is 12% lower than that of Nebraska. Education statistics is sourced from census, 2015.


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Questions? Call us 866-740-9830
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The Contemporary Kitchen Helper is lightweight, easy to move, convenient to fold up and store, and safely and securely elevates children to countertop height. Easily adjusts to two platform heights; involve and encourage children to learn about activities such as baking, washing dishes, and arts and crafts. Features stylish cutouts that suit a modern kitchen design to seamlessly integrate into your home. Constructed of birch plywood and birch solids, the durable surface coating, and easy-lock platform allow for a safe and secure enviorment when used with multiple children. Minor assembly requried. Side feet help prevent tipping. Safely supports up to 125 lbs. Available in honey, white, and espresso color options. 5 year limited warranty. Ages 2+. 20"L x 21"W x 37"H
This consumer rating is based on 1 reviews of all Guidecraft products. The Guidecraft Contemporary Kitchen Helper in Honey has not yet been reviewed, be the first!


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Mark Burnett Biography
Home > Notables > B > Burnett, Mark > Biography
Birth Name: Mark Burnett
Born: 07/17/1960
Birth Place: Dagenham, England, GB
Born: 07/17/1960
Birth Place: Dagenham, England, GB
Arguably one of the most successful and prolific figures in television programming history, Mark Burnett produced some of the most popular and ground-breaking reality series of the new millennium, including "Survivor" (CBS 2000- ), "The Apprentice" (NBC 2004- ), "Shark Tank" (NBC 2009- ) and "The Voice" (NBC 2011- ). Burnett's productions, which hinged on the concept of everyday people elevated to greatness through their own physical, mental and motivational talents, struck a chord with both viewers and television executives, who responded to the overwhelming ratings numbers and award nominations - over 95 in all - generated by his projects by shifting the focus of programming away from scripted dramas and comedies to reality television. Though not every one of Burnett's productions were met with the same degree of response - for every "Survivor," there were a host of also-rans or never-weres like "My Dad is Better Than Your Dad" (NBC 2008) or "Stars Earn Stripes" (NBC 2012) - his greatest successes slipped beyond the limits of hit television to become fixtures on the cultural landscape, equal parts entertainment and pop philosophy, and contributed to his inclusion in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People List in 2004. His first effort at scripted television, the 10-part miniseries "The Bible" (The History Channel 2013), performed similarly well, and underscored Burnett's status as a television mogul with an unlimited Midas touch.
Born July 17, 1960 in London, England, Mark Burnett was the only child of Scottish Ford Motors factory workers Archie and Jean Burnett. Raised in the factory town of Dagenham, Burnett enrolled in the British Army at the age of 17 and became a Section Commander - the equivalent of a corporal in the American Armed Forces - in its 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment. He saw active duty in both Northern Ireland and the Falkland Islands before leaving the military in 1982. Unsure of his next career move, Burnett accepted a job as a military advisor in Central America. Though encouraged by his mother to turn down the position due to its high potential for danger, Burnett left the United Kingdom in 1982, but upon reaching Los Angeles at the halfway point of his trip, he had a change of heart and decided to remain in the United States. With the help of a friend, he found work as a live-in nanny in Malibu. From there, he embarked on a series of business ventures - first as an insurance salesman and then as a T-shirt vendor on Venice Beach - that proved successful enough for Burnett to launch his own marketing and advertising firm. By the early 1990s, he had become a millionaire.
In 1991, Burnett read about a French adventure competition called the Raid Gauloises, which pitted five-person teams from various countries against each other on a grueling two-week marathon of physical exertion across rugged and exotic terrain. Burnett struck upon the idea of launching a similar race in America, and underwent three consecutive Raid Gauloises between 1992 and 1994. By the following year, he began pitching his competition idea, which he called Eco-Challenge, to various networks. MTV broadcast the first "Eco-Challenge" (1995-2002) before the show transferred to ESPN and then the Discovery Channel, where it won a Sports Emmy for Best Program Achievement. The series then moved to the USA Network, where it earned another Emmy nod before coming to a close in 2002.
While working on "Eco-Challenge," Burnett purchased the rights to a Swedish reality series called "Expedition Robinson" (SVT/TV3/TV4, 1997- ), which deposited contestants on a remote location to test their survival and strategy skills. Burnett's version, titled "Survivor," found no takers on the major networks until 2000, when CBS aired the first season. It proved to be an immediate and overwhelming success, drawing some 50 million viewers to its final episode, in which Richard Hatch was named the winner of its million-dollar prize. "Survivor" would become not only one of the most successful reality series in television history, but also set the bar for the wave of competition and reality programming that followed in its wake.
"Survivor" remained Burnett's flagship franchise, netting two Emmys and a host of nominations. However, subsequent efforts did not match its unparalleled level of success, including "Boarding House: North Shore" (The WB 2003) and "The Restaurant" (NBC 2003), which followed celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito's attempt to launch an eatery in New York City. But Burnett's next effort, "The Apprentice," returned him to the winner's circle. The series, which featured teams of business hopefuls who competed against each other for the top prize of working with real estate tycoon Donald Trump. The program was another unqualified success, spawning two spin-off series, "Celebrity Apprentice" and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" (NBC 2005). As before, follow-up programs did not meet its level of success, most notably "On the Lot" (Fox 2007), a competition series produced with Steven Spielberg about aspiring filmmakers. But "The Contender" (NBC/ESPN/Versus 2005-08), a boxing competition series with Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard, and the light-hearted "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?" (Fox 2007-09), found small but devoted audiences.
Undaunted, Burnett continued to produce dozens of series while applying his brand of high-concept, high-energy television to existing franchises. Beginning in 2007, he served as director and/or producer for the MTV Movie Awards, and oversaw such long-running award series as the Emmy and People's Choice Awards. Burnett also stepped into the daily talk show ring with "Martha" (syndicated/Hallmark Channel 2005-2012), which earned two Emmys for Outstanding Lifestyle Program.. But his greatest achievements remained in the reality competition field. In 2009, he scored a huge hit with "Shark Tank" (ABC 2009- ), which introduced aspiring entrepreneurs to a panel of wealthy investors led by Mark Cuban. Two years later, he struck pay dirt again with "The Voice" (NBC 2011- ), a singing competition that quickly overwhelmed the venerable "American Idol" (Fox 2002- ) in both audience and critical response and took home the 2013 Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Program. While shepherding his vast empire, Burnett stepped into scripted programming with "The Bible" (The History Channel 2013), a ten-hour miniseries co-produced with his second wife, actress Roma Downey. Covering the text from the Book of Genesis to Revelation, "The Bible" was seen by over 100 million viewers over the course of its week-long run, but also generated controversy over allegations that Mehdi Ouazanni, the Moroccan actor who portrayed Satan in the project, bore a resemblance to President Barack Obama. Burnett and Downey denied the accusations, preferring instead to focus on its three Emmy nominations and a proposed edit of the project that would be release to theaters.


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Thinking of mounting a Nexstar 4 SE I have en route (avec Kendrick dewcap ) to my Gibraltar mount for visual use. Would such a setup cause COG balance problems if it is balanced for 60 degrees in altitude? Most objects I view are above 40 degrees to get out of the soup.
I reason it would be extremely stable for such a short ota and weight load as I could use it fully collapsed from a seated position with vibration pads.
OTA weight 3kg (~7 lbs with dewcap and 32 mmm plossl) The listed online OTA weight from Celestron seems to be the OTA+Mount head and controller.
OTA length is 13.5" sans dewcap.
I would order a vixen dovetail shoe from scopestuff:
The dovetail on the ota will need to be moved 90 deg. as it is situated for a side-saddle setup .
Would a side-saddle mountbe a superior setup balance wise any way for a short tube?
If so, does anyone know of one that fits the Gibraltar's tripod hub or accept the Gibraltar's tripod legs at it's own hub?
Any input much appreciated!
Gibraltar mount + 4" Mak ?
Started by Chassetter , Jun 23 2013 10:31 AM
3 replies to this topic
Posted 23 June 2013 - 10:31 AM
Posted 24 June 2013 - 09:17 PM
Posted 25 June 2013 - 05:31 AM
The 4" Mak on the Gibraltar should work fine. You may have some trouble attaching the Scope Stuff dovetail saddle to the Gibraltar cradle as the holes don't quite line up, but think I did it with smaller screws. Also be aware there may not be enough clearance for the saddle knob to rotate. I recall using a Baader viven saddle which had a smaller diameter knob.
Maybe consider using tube rings with the Vixen dovetail rather than epoxy.
I think the Porta II saddle is on the wrong side for the Mak dovetail.
Gotta go to work, hope that helps.
Maybe consider using tube rings with the Vixen dovetail rather than epoxy.
I think the Porta II saddle is on the wrong side for the Mak dovetail.
Gotta go to work, hope that helps.
Posted 25 June 2013 - 08:11 AM
Thanks for the input Jim. I ordered the dovetail shoe from scope stuff, waiting on delivery. I have seen photos pf it attached to a gibraltar head, but yes the saddle knob on it was replaced with a bolt, should turn by ratchet. Biggest concern is the ota balance when changing altitude on a cantilevered cradle setup like this. Nothing that time and money can't answer for it I suppose.


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Media General loses $85.5M in 4Q
RICHMOND, Va. Media General Inc., a newspaper publisher and television station operator, said it lost $85.5 million in the fourth quarter on an impairment charge and a steep drop in publishing profits due to declining advertising sales.
The company also said it was suspending its dividend. Its shares dropped 24 percent.
The publisher of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Tampa Tribune and the Winston-Salem Journal said Thursday that its loss for the period ended Dec. 28 amounted to $3.86 per share, compared with profit of $9.6 million, or 43 cents a share, in the year-ago period.
Revenue fell about 12 percent to $207 million from $235 million in 2007.
The loss in the latest quarter included a non-cash impairment charge of $130.4 million, primarily a write-down on the value of Federal Communications Commission licenses and network-affiliation agreements to what the company considered current estimated fair values.
"The market's perception of media stocks has become negative," chief financial officer John A. Schauss told analysts in a conference call.
Excluding the impairment charge, a tax valuation allowance related to continuing operations and $6.1 million of pre-tax severance expense, income from continuing operations was $8.6 million, or 36 cents a share.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected per-share earnings of 59 cents on revenue of $221.3 million. The earnings estimates typically exclude one-time items.
Media General also said that its board voted to suspend dividends on its Class A and Class B shares so it can direct cash to reducing its debt. Company officials didn't disclose the amount of additional cash it would have as a result of the suspension. The company already has cut hundreds of workers, suspended profit-sharing and executive bonuses, and plans to halt contributions to employees' 401(k) accounts.
Its shares slumped 68 cents, or 24 percent, to close at $2.16.
Media General said its publishing profit fell 68 percent to $8.5 million from the prior year.
"The publishing division's lower fourth-quarter results were due to the continuation of the declining economic trends that we have experienced all year, particularly in Florida," chief executive Marshall N. Morton said.
Richmond-based Media General is among a number of newspaper companies suffering from declining ad sales. The New York Times on Wednesday said fourth-quarter profit plunged 48 percent and online sales fell for the first time as the recession dampened ad spending. Gannett Co., the nation's largest newspaper company and publisher of USA Today, will report fourth-quarter and annual results Friday.
Media General's total publishing revenue fell nearly 17 percent and advertising revenue fell 20 percent. Classified ad sales fell by $14.2 million, or 37.6 percent, in the fourth quarter, most significantly in its three metropolitan markets. Retail ads declined 12 percent and national ad revenue fell 11 percent. Circulation revenue was up 5.7 percent, reflecting higher single-copy prices and home-delivery rate increases but circulation numbers continue to fall, company officials said in the conference call.
The broadcast division saw quarterly profit fall 8.5 percent to $21.6 million. Revenue mostly came from presidential campaign spending in Florida, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina, along with ad spending on congressional and state races in several states. The company also decreased broadcast expenses more than 10 percent, mainly by cutting jobs and adopting other money-saving initiatives.
The interactive-media division reported an operating loss of $1.6 million versus a loss of $2.6 million in 2007, partly due to results of online coupon-and-shopping site DealTaker.com, which Media General acquired in March, and higher online revenues on the company's local media Web sites. But those sales were offset partially by a 24.5 percent decline in online classified ads and a 37 percent decline in online national ads.


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10 Great Mass Effect Moments - ArticleVGChartz Staff, posted on 28 March 2013 / 4,458 Views
Spoiler warning: the following article contains spoilers for all three Mass Effect games.
Adieu to Shepard
It didn't really hit me that we were seeing the last of Shepard and the Normandy crew as the Citadel DLC was downloading. After all I had made my peace months ago after completing the game. However, despite the Citadel DLC possibly been the funniest part of any game I have played, it was impossible not to be saddened in our hero's final scene:
"We had a good run, didn't we?" – Random squad member.
"The best" – Shepard.
It was during this understated interaction that it finally slammed down on me that we were seeing the last of the characters that we had come to love. In all probability there will be a Mass Effect 4, but it seems unlikely that we'll see (m)any of these characters again.
So it seems appropriate for this tribute to not focus on the controversy that inevitably comes to the fore when discussing Mass Effect, but rather celebrate the finest moments that Bioware managed to deliver. So here are my personal top 10 moments from this outstanding series.
10) Being made a Spectre
From the onset of Mass Effect 1 you are told the Spectres are the best of the best, a secret organisation with a mandate to do 'whatever it takes'. Naturally you join them, but add to this the fact that you are the first Human Spectre and it's a proud moment for your Shep.
9) The Lair of the Shadow Broker
Teaming up with ex-squad member Liara T'Soni to take down the secretive Shadow Broker? Yes please. Bioware dangled the carrot in the main game, and when they finally released the DLC with two epic boss fights included, it was a hit. Buzzing around Illium in a sky car is still a highlight for me, as well the nosiness of what my crew were extra-netting.
8) Retrieving the IFF
Fighting inside the dead Reaper was unsettling, but it was meeting Legion that really made this mission interesting. After battling the Geth in the original game, you almost assume they are singular in their goals. Learning that they are anything but was an interesting twist and led to some difficult decisions later in the series.
7) Introducing the Normandy SR2
A short but sweet moment when you meet the vessel near the start of Mass Effect 2. The music, along with Joker's whimsical nature, makes the scene endearing.
6) The Citadel DLC
A last goodbye to the loveable characters that have been with us for years now. The main plot was dubious, but the party and accompanying humour made this piece of DLC one to remember.
5) Curing the Genophage
A key theme all the way through the series. Killing a Reaper by chucking a giant worm at it was immensely satisfying. Meanwhile, Mordin sacrificing himself to the 'Vigil' theme was a tear jerking moment. Some will have sabotaged the cure, but I am not one of them. I am such a boy scout (thanks Jack).
4) The Suicide Mission
The worry of whether your preparations had worked, the decisions of who does what with potential casualties left right and centre; the suicide mission was a real test. I'm ashamed to say it took a second attempt to get the 'No One Left Behind' achievement. You will be remembered Jack, Legion, Kasumi, Jacob and Thane! (I suck, I know).
3) The Virmire Mission
Virmire is where things really hit the fan. Convincing Wrex to help you destroy the (work in progress) Genophage cure, choosing who to save between Ashley and Kaiden, learning about the threat of indoctrination, fighting Saren for the first time, discovering that Sovereign is oh so much more than it appears. This is one of the most dramatic and action packed missions of the trilogy, and the revelations in it shape the rest of the story.
2) Resolving the Geth/Quarian Conflict.
Now this for me was the toughest of all the decisions you have to make in the trilogy. Being a Talimancer, letting the Geth upgrade was a major gamble for my Quarian-loving self, as it was strongly hinted that the Quarians would be wiped out. Nonetheless, by unabridged optimism was duly rewarded when I let them upgrade and shouted at Admiral Gerrel to stand down. The breath I let out was something that I doubt will be replicated in any future game.
1) Saving the Destiny Ascension
Sure you could let the Ascension crash and burn, but then you miss out on the cut scene of the Alliance swooping in to save the day. The subsequent inclusion of Anderson/Udina on the council was vindication for all your hard work during the first Mass Effect.
It was difficult to really only pick 10 moments; there have so many great moments - from Grunt's last stand in 3, to the Illos mission in the original game, to Mordin's loyalty mission in the sequel.
Some will complain that the ending ruined the series, but I find it impossible to not feel fondness for Mass Effect and the key events listed above. And while I retain a certain suspicion towards EA because of the recent upheavals at Bioware, I still look forward to the next Mass Effect instalment, even if Shepard isn't there to lead the way.
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How to Take Your Dog for a Walk in Winter
Want your dog to stay happy and healthy during the wintertime and get enough exercise? Then this article is for you!
This article has been tagged as a stub.
That means it's off to a good start, but still has room to grow into a more helpful resource. Until the article reaches its full potential, it will be hidden from search results. Can you help it flourish? If you think the article offers complete and accurate instructions, feel free to remove this tag.
1Buy a cotton sweater or jacket for your dog. Nothing fancy, just a basic fur coat (No, Not the one they already have!)
2Pet your dog during the walk. Every few minutes you will be able to see your dog getting colder, pet them and continue walking.
3Stop and go into dog-friendly indoor areas. Whether it's a shop or a cafe, just make sure your dog is allowed!
4Keep your dog warm! Buy him hats, tiny gloves, socks (It may be funny but it sure helps!), and even little pants!
5Keep him around snow-free areas. If there are any places, such as parking lots, that have a little less snow then other places, take your dog for walks around these places everyday!
Community Q&A
Ask a Question
- If your dog gets too cold, carry him home in your arms or if you're close enough to your house then just walk him home on his leash.
- Let your dog lie in front of the fireplace when you get back
- Don't go overboard and buy him everything!
- Don't bring him into dog-free areas or shops, even if you're super-cold!
- Don't keep your dog outside in the cold too long!


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About President Cruises
President Cruise fleets is our best seller! Established by Wuhan Yangtze Cruise Co., Ltd. The classical sailing routes are between Chongqing and Yichang. The president cruise ships include 3 five star cruise ships: President 6, President 7(newly launched) and President 8(newly launched), and 1 four star cruise ship: president 1, all ships are complementary with advanced facilities and excellent service.
Why Choose President Cruises
- Lowest prices guarantee! - 2013 newly launched ship -President 7 and President 8, the most luxury ship on Yangtze from only $399, and save up to $80 per person on our competitors, and the VIP treatment with fruit basket and welcome card on board only for our customers.
- Family-friendly on President 7 & 8 - 100 of which can be upgraded into triple rooms for families.
- Fun activities - Captain's welcome cocktail partymorning, Tai Chi exercise, Chinese Tea Culture experience, Chinese calligraphy and painting learning.
- Stable sailing schedule all year round.
- Diversity of Chinese Delicacies - Buffet breakfast, set-menu Chinese lunch and dinner with characteristic flavorful dishes made by chefs who have received special training.
2016 President Cruise Fleets
|Ship Name
|Year of built
|Number of
|Cabin Size
|Price from
|President 7
|27-198 m²
|President 8
|27-198 m²
|Presient 6
|20-70 m²
2016 President Cruises CalenderSee Details
Cruise Itinerary
|Day 1
|Board the ship from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The ship will depart Chongqing at 9:00 pm. Dinner is not included in the itinerary.
|No Meals(suggest to have dinner before boarding)
|Day 2
Shore excursion to Shibaozhai from 2pm-4pm,See a 9-storey pavilion built on the cliff face.
There is a optional tour to Fengdu Ghost City in the morning (RMB 280 per person).
Welcoming Banquet
|Breafast, Lunch, Dinner
|Day 3
The ship will pass through Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge. Enjoy the beautiful scenery on the way.
Optionional visit to White Emperor City (RMB280 per person) will be arranged.
Shore excursions to Shennong Stream in the afternoon 3:30pm-6pm). Marvel at pure nature scenery and traditional local culture.
There are performances at night.
|Breafast, Lunch, Dinner
|Day 4
Shore excursions to the Three Gorges Dam in the morning from 8:30am to 10:30am. Visit the world's largest dam.
The ship arrives in Yichang at 1pm.
Onboard Activities
Culture Lecture
President cruise ships offer lectures on Chinese history and culture which add insight and depth to the cruise experience. Topics include the evolution of the dam project and its importance to China, Chinese History, Chinese Cultures, Chinese Medicine, Chinese Traditional Calligraphy and Paintings, and lessons on how to speak Chinese, and how to make dumplings.
Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Class
Chinese Painting and calligraphy is an art dating back to the earliest days of Chinese history, and is still widely practiced throughout China to this day. The teacher will demonstrate the brush way of paint and write, those interested are able to join try their skill.
Fantastic Crew's Shows
Every evening, passengers can enjoy the performance put on by our crew. Singing, dancing, music! The cabaret show is also an opportunity for passengers to display any special talents they may have, whether it be shaking a leg, or curling the tongue...anything! This is a wonderful opportunity to unwind and enjoy the experience while cruising on the Yangtze with Presidential Cruises.
Shore Excursions
Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam, which is the world largest water and power project, was kicked off on December 14,1994. The total construction period will be 17 years. More Details. More >>
Famed by the wooden architecture complex laid on the mountain edge, and every floor of the wooden structure contains interesting artifacts. More >>
Shennong Stream
Shennong Stream is one of the most famous parts along the Yangtze River. Passengers will take the wooden flat bottom boat to see the stunning scenery on both sides of the river and are still used. The traditional Qianfu craft are dragged along the river from the bank. More >>
Optional Tour: Fengdu Ghost City (RMB290 per person)
Located on the north bank of the Yangtze River, Fengdu is an ancient city with a long history, known as the "Ghost City" to most Chinese people, it got its reputation as the "Ghost City" in the Eastern Han Dynasty (A.D. 25 - A.D. 220) More >>
Optional Tour: White Emperor City (RMB290 per person)
It clings to the hills and cliffs of a peninper sular jutting out into the river. It is a miniature city of temples and gates on Baidi Hill. The city is well known as "the Poet's City", because it has been visited by many scholars in the past. More >>
Optional Tour: Three Gorges Tribe Senic Spots (RMB290 per person)
Customers will see the authentic local culture presented at the Village on the Water, the Brook-Side Village, the Mountain Village on the Three-Gorges Tribe Scenic Spot. The area has been officially designated as a "Preservation Center of traditional Culture and Art of the Three Gorges. More >>
How to Plan a President Cruise
- All President Cruise ships are refitted during every winter to ensure they are maintained at the highest standard;
- High reputation with passengers;
- President Cruise is the most competitive fleet compared to other cruise ships of the same star standard;
- Two newly launched ships in 2013 offering low prices only from $399—President 7 and President 8;
- We guarantee that we provide the lowest price available on the internet for all President Cruise ships;
- Launched in 2013, making them newest President cruise ships;
- These sister ships are the biggest cruise ships on the Yangtze with a capacity of up to 580 passengers;
- There are a total 230 cabins and suites on each ship. 100 cabins can be upgraded 3-people families by adding a sofa bed;
- With about 200 staff on each ship ensure quality and special service;
- Every cabin has private balcony and bathroom with separated wet and dry areas;
- These 2 ships are the most economical way of taking a 5 star Yangtze cruise at $439 in the low season and $499 during the peak season. They provide a good choice for families and passengers wishing 5-star cruise ship at a great price;
- Pay extra RMB 150-RMB 450 for an upgrade to higher deck;
President Cruises are our best-seller and attract many foreign visitors. They cater for all budgets.


text: 'Protest should be lawful' - Ford 29 Nov 2013 Justice Minister David Ford has said Saturday's loyalist parade in Belfast city centre should remain lawful and should abide by the Parades Commission's determination. Share Share Share Story by UTV Staff, Belfast A group calling itself Loyalist Peaceful Protesters has been given permission by the parading watchdog to bring up to 10,000 people into the city centre for the demonstration.The parade has been organised ahead of the one year anniversary of Belfast City Council's decision to restrict the number of days it flies the Union Flag at city hall. There have been widespread calls for the event, organised for one of the busiest shopping days of the year, to be called off or re-arranged in order to minimise the impact on beleaguered traders in the city.Earlier this week the Secretary of State Theresa Villiers said she "wished" the protest wasn't taking place.Justice Minister David Ford echoed her sentiment in an interview with UTV.He said: "Nobody who is a responsible citizen should be adding any pressures to the work of the police at this time."What's absolutely clear is that if people do wish to demonstrate they should do it, not just peacefully, but lawfully."There's a Parades Commission determination that they should be clear of the city hall at 12pm and clear of the city centre by 12.30pm."They should stick to that and they should obey the law as it is set down by the Parades Commission."And they should allow those that want to go and shop in the city centre on the busiest shopping day of the year - as it's been described - the opportunity to do so freely and without fear of what might happen."The Alliance leader added: "I certainly wish it wasn't happening, indeed some of those organising it seem to recognise that it will have no affect at all on the city council vote, so we do have to question why they are doing so."But I repeat the point, if they wish to demonstrate, it must be lawful and it must therefore be out of the city centre to allow normal trade to happen."I don't know what the potential for trouble is, I certainly hope there will be no trouble whatsoever."The South Antrim MLA's call comes after dissident republicans forced a driver to take a bomb into the city centre.The intended target was one of the city's main shopping centres, Victoria Square.Mr Ford added: "I will be in Belfast doing my Christmas shopping and hope others will because it is important we live a normal life."People should be careful, but that doesn't mean they should run in complete fear and panic." © UTV Share Share Share


text:
Pope Benedict expected to call a consistory
Content syndicated from www.romereports.com
When I leafed through her latest book, The World Turned Upside Down, I thought she was exaggerating. Then two friends put me straight
A daily guide to what's happening in the Catholic Church
Visitors from the 1550s would be baffled by the way Henry VIII's eldest child is portrayed today
The Catholic Herald is a Catholic newspaper based in London. It was founded in 1888.
College of Cardinals, consistory


text:
5461 Ridge Ave
Manayunk, Philadelphia, 19128
Commute to Downtown Philadelphia
Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
Many nearby public transportation options.
Mostly flat, minimal bike lanes.
About your score
5461 Ridge Ave has a Walk Score of 82 out of 100. This location is Very Walkable so most errands can be accomplished on foot.
5461 Ridge Ave is a 10 minute walk from the Manayunk/Norristown Line Manayunk/Norristown Line at the Wissahickon stop.
This location is in the Manayunk neighborhood in Philadelphia. Nearby parks include Kendrick Recreation Center, Kendrick Playground and Fairmount Park.
Explore how far you can travel by car, bus, bike and foot from 5461 Ridge Ave.
5461 Ridge Ave has good transit which means many nearby public transportation options. Car sharing is available from Zipcar.
Rail lines:
Manayunk/Norristown Line Manayunk/Norristown Line
0.5 mi
Chestnut Hill West Line Chestnut Hill West Line
1.4 mi
Bus lines:
65 Germantown-Chelten to 69th St TC
0.0 mi
9 4th-Walnut to Andorra
0.0 mi
27 Broad-Carpenter to PlymouthMtgMall
0.2 mi
Car shares:
5461 Ridge Ave compared to all of Philadelphia.
Lowest crime area.
Lowest crime area.
How do you feel walking near 5461 Ridge Ave?
Thanks for your feedback!
5461 Ridge Ave is in the Manayunk neighborhood. Manayunk is the 40th most walkable neighborhood in Philadelphia with a neighborhood Walk Score of 82.
Moving to Philadelphia from another city? View our moving to Philadelphia guide.


text:
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Home > Community Programs > Women & Children's Health > Nurse-Family Partnership
Crozer-Keystone Nurse-Family Partnership is a free evidence based nurse-home visiting program for first-time low-income moms. Having your first baby is such an exciting time, and most women have many questions and doubts that come along with their precious little bundle. That's where the nurse-home visitor can lend a hand. Eligible clients work with their own registered nurse who makes visits to your home during pregnancy, and until your baby turns two years old. The program now serves about 125 women per year.
The visits are an opportunity for new moms to learn and get answers to those questions that come up along the way. Our moms learn about:
Complete the referral form (link to automated form)
To learn if you are eligible to participate in this program or to make a referral, please call (610) 497-7399. Office hours are Mon-Fri, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
For additional info, please visit www.nursefamilypartnership.org
With a focus on women's health, we provide tools to help you achieve wellness of the mind, body and soul. Follow us on Twitter @CKHS4Women.
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text:
Jonathan Valin articulates that there are three types of audiophiles: 1) those who are interested in the absolute sound, 2) those who are interested...
Read More »
Jeff Dorgay has posted a review of the Coffman Labs G1-A preamplifier ($5495) at TONEAudio. His conclusions:
"Judged strictly as a linestage for $5,495, the Coffman G-1A is at the top of its class. The fact that it includes an excellent phonostage and headphone amplifier makes it the bargain of the year. All of the tubes are easily found and those predisposed to tube rolling can tune and tweak until Election Day. Coffman has plans to expand the lineup, possibly making the phonostage and linestage separate boxes. When I asked him if there might be a companion power amplifier in the works, he smiled that evasive smile that usually means "yes, but I don't want to talk about it now.""
You can read the full review here.


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External Web sites
Britannica Web sites
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Paul Rudolph - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
(1918-97). U.S. architect Paul Rudolph was born on Oct. 23, 1918, in Elkton, Kentucky. He was a student of Walter Gropius. His buildings are notable for creative and unpredictable designs that appeal strongly to the senses. From 1958 to 1965 he was chairman of the Department of Architecture, Yale University, where his building-the School of Art and Architecture (1958-63)-is characterized by a complex massing of interlocking forms and a variety of surface textures. Rudolph died on Aug. 8, 1997, in New York, New York. (See also architecture.)


text:
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant
0  Reviews
Cary, NC 27511 Claim Your Listing
Olive Garden is a family of local restaurants focused on delighting every guest with a genuine Italian dining experience.
Phone Numbers
- main:
(919) 233-9714
3.3 Miles
2425 Kildaire Farm Rd, Cary, NC 27518
"Went to Bocci for NYE last night and it was truly fantastic in every way. They were thought...">
2.5 Miles
986 High House Rd, Cary, NC 27513
"Fast and friendly service and the sushi is really good.">
1.1 Miles
111 Shannon Oaks Cir, Cary, NC 27511
"Went for the first time. Food was great! My kids loved it too. Service was also great. A...">


text:
All hotels listed below are within comfortable walking distance to Georgia World Congress Center. Atlanta is a large city, and we still recommend that parents accompany their kids at all times when in the city and at the convention. Maps of the convention space will be available at a later date.
Host Hotel:
Omni Hotel at CNN Center
190 Marietta St NW
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 659-0000
Other area hotels:
Holiday Inn Downtown
101 Andrew Young International Blvd.
Atlanta, GA 30303
Embassy Suites Atlanta
267 Marietta St
Atlanta, GA 30313
Glenn Hotel
110 Marietta St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30303
Book today! (link includes multiple hotels at multiple price points)
Booking information:
Please use the link above to access hotel booking to the area MomoCon hotels.
MomoCon 2016 will be located in the Georgia World Congress Center (Hall A) and Omni Hotel. The Omni will be the primary hotel for MomoCon hosting the some events, including overnight events. The Georgia World Congress Center will be host to the majority of functions including on site registration. The two will be directly connected by an air-conditioned bridge so you don't have to walk outside going between venues. You can book at the Omni or our overflow hotels at this useful registration link.
Exploring around the hotel? Feel free, with extra professional security and uniformed officers, the area around the GWCC will also be equipped with Atlanta Ambassadors (with neat pith helmets) around to help you get to local eateries and attractions!


text:
Mathias Wandel is a Canadian engineer who can't seem to get enough of building his own machines. I'm one of his many fans, not because I think tradesmen should build their own equipment (it's crazy to think they would) but because the things he makes are interesting and clever.
In this video, Wandel explores the concept of turning a hand-held circular saw into a table saw. People have been doing this for decades, and it usually results in a not-very-usable machine. The base is screwed or bolted to the underside of a table and the original depth and bevel adjustment mechanisms are left intact—which is fine if you never change depth or bevel settings, but the moment you need to do those things you're forced to access the underside of the table.
To avoid that problem, Wandel strips the saw down to the motor and blade housing and clamps it into a form-fitting frame that will be screwed to the bottom of the table. This frame is essentially a homemade trunion. It pivots to adjust depth-of-cut and swings off a pair of hinges for bevel. The curved depth-stop gizmo and lock knob are also very clever.
Home-Made and Modified Tools
You don't need a thickness planer to flatten large slabs of wood. It's actually...
David Frane
…with a No. 11 box wrench, to be more specific. No, seriously – we're asking, because a...
Here's a case for your iPad that's rugged enough for the jobsite.
Some new technology creates batteries made from non-toxic materials that aren't...
Please read our Content Guidelines before posting.
Check out Tool Videos from our Editors and Contributors
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2016 Hanley Wood Media, Inc. All rights reserved.


text:
Where can i get free PHPBB3 templates, I have search lot on the internet but i could not get that,so please help me getting that.
Can I adapt PHPBB2 Templates for PHPBB3?
Where can i get free PHPBB3 templates, I have search lot on the internet but i could not get that,so please help me getting that.
Can I adapt PHPBB2 Templates for PHPBB3?
phpBB does not allowed any phpBB2 templates remain on their website until their authors updated them to work with phpBB3, so undoubtedly phpBB2 templates would NOT work with 3, and even though it accepts phpBB3 seems to be fairly different and its folder setup is also different too.
Here you may have few phpBB style :
I have some doubts about phpBB's existing BBtoNuke integration that I think it behaves us to take a fresh look at this.
Although I have not taken a look at phpBB3, it seems to be getting rave reviews.
Another consideration, of course, is stability. The 2.0.x branch hasn't had an update in a long while. That is a good thing from a stability and security standpoint. Do you really want to rush into 3.x? I think we need to make it "painless" to upgrade in order to keep up with the coming influx of point releases that are inevitable with all new major software releases...
It would be great to have the phpbb3 version into the nuke system.
But when you create a bbtonuke in the same make as the bbtonuke's, the problems with adding mods, themes, updates startover again.
In my opinion, leave the forum as is.
Instead, make a connector from nuke to the forum so the users are interchangable.
Importing the current users from nuke to phpbb3 is not a big problem.
simple said : copy usernames and the md5 passwordstring into the forum usertable.
The new password hashing of phpbb3 converts the md5 strings to the new hashing system when logging into the forum.
Maybe, add the hashingsystem into RN as a separate field in the database, and then through a script use that hash to autologin into phpbb3 via a link in eg the modules block.
And maybe a small addition, make a module that includes the forum (eg iframe) to keep the nuke header and footer. (no side blocks?)
I have several of them running now and I have to say they ROCK. The upgrade path was painless, they load very fast and the admin is easy to use. The biggest thing I like is I have not not had a single Spam reg since I upgraded and that is MOST EXCELLENT!
you can also download the phpBB3 database style sheet from here:


text:
This is an "intermediate-sized" textbook of hematology. It is half the size of Wintrobe's encyclopedic text, and more comprehensive than Steven Schwartz' little book. It is comparable in scope to deGruchy's excellent text, differing from the latter chiefly in the quality of its prose.
The book is generally well organized and well balanced. There are many succinct discussions of basic physiology and biochemistry. There is a good discussion of disorders of iron metabolism, including hemochromatosis, a subject notably lacking from Wintrobe's text. Reference lists are comprehensive and up-to-date (1965). A practical approach to diagnosis is presented, especially in the sections on lymphoma and hemolytic anemia. The final section on laboratory procedures is a convenient compendium of methods.
Among the special features are the historical introduction to the various sections and the illustrative clinical cases. Some of the latter are succinctly presented, but others include irrelevant details. The case of "acute
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text:
Pulitzer-Winning August: Osage County Shows the Classic American Family's Dark Side
* Additional fees apply. No coupon or promo codes necessary to enjoy the displayed discount price.
The last date listed for August: Osage County was Sunday February 9, 2014 / 2:30pm.
Venue Details
Reviews & Ratings
Featured review from Hector Coris
view more less of this review
Good production of a very complex and difficult play. Ensemble was good with some standout performances ("Violet," "Mattie Fae" and "Charles").
star this review starred report as inappropriate
If you are a theater goer and love drama, run to MET's August Osage County!!! The performances were incredible with brilliance shining through. The bar being raised, watch who rises to the top. I went on Superbowl Sunday and it was almost full....continued
star this review starred report as inappropriate
Went with a friend. The theater is small and intimate. The acting was amazing! Mesa Encore produces quality shows time and time again. The price was phenomenal! Would absolutely go see it again!
star this review starred report as inappropriate
This was the last day of the show and the actors gave it 100%. I liked it better than the movie. It's very physical, Shari Watts as Violet was superb. I am so grateful to Goldstar for providing myself and friends to go to so many great events.
This show contains mature content and language and is not intended for children.
About the Ticket Supplier: Mesa Encore Theatre
Mesa Encore Theatre (MET) brings the fun and excitement of live theatre to the community with integrity and dedication to excellence. We are committed to being an integral part of the cultural experience that contributes to the quality of life for all – adults of any age, youth and children. MET respects the talents and skills of its volunteers and welcomes everyone to participate, enjoying and enhancing their performing arts experience, both on stage and behind the scenes.


text:
Goldstar offers an Hornblower Yachts Alive After Five 2-Hour Happy Hour Cruise in New York, NY, for free. That's tied with last week's mention as a savings of $25 and the best price we could find. This cruise boards from 5pm on Pier 15, South Street, New York, NY, and departs at 6 pm. Book this travel deal by June 29 for cruises from May 19 through June 30.
Of note: An additional service fee of $7.50 applies.


text:
after : left
before : right
before : right
plot twist the one on the right is the after good work
wow thk
Thank you!
Looks handy, thanks.
Great action! Thanks so much for sharing!
I like the one on the left better. It looks much more vivid and pretty.
thanks , this is the after version which the effect do apply so am glad u liked it
so pretty colors, thanks for sharing.
the left one looks alot more richer and in depth, very nice piece of artwork
i like the one on the left better
so beautiful!
i love both
i love both
great work !
the water seems better on the right, because of it's clearish, light blue color, but the rest of the scenery on the left is beautiful.
The colors are so amazing!
Gorgeous and I love the colours
this is beautiful
really cool
I believe if u make a tutorial it will getloads of posetive attention
I believe if u make a tutorial it will getloads of posetive attention
really nice!
scuse me for two post... try to make like HDRI tecnique, it could be fun.
wut is hdri technique ?
left is better but i prefer right water


text:
Date of Stay: June, 2012
We had to stop in Dawson Creek due to wash outs farther north on the Alaska Highway. This is by far the best RV park in Dawson Creek. It is well maintained,and has a friendly, helpful staff.
Date of Stay: June, 2012
Grounds are not maintained, grass was 6-8 inches tall. Lots of holes due to rain. Restrooms, showers, and laundry were not available.


text:
Click by Gallifrey-PirateWatch
©2011-2016 Gallifrey-Pirate
So... I was in Cardiff at the weekend... and they constructed the TARDIS ... outside the Torchwood water tower. Totally had to get cosplayed up and leggit down to the bay. Unfortunately at that time it was cordoned off - missed the chance to see it unveiled, but at least nighttime is sneakier.
Eleventh Doctor = me.
Photo taken by S. Rosz.
Doctor Who = (c) BBC
Eleventh Doctor = me.
Photo taken by S. Rosz.
Doctor Who = (c) BBC
You've got absolutely no idea how jealous I am right now.
Still.. Great job being sneaky. You look great. ^_^
Still.. Great job being sneaky. You look great. ^_^
Thats so cool words cant describe it. So is that the ACTUAL tardis? Im so jealous
Aw thankee! Er, I *think* it was an official TARDIS. A fellow fangirl pointed out the seal on the door, which apparently made it "The" TARDIS, and since Cardiff is where they often film, it's quite likely it was one of their props :3 Don't quote me though, I didn't pay attention to fine detail. It was TARDIS size and had all the notices on it, and it had a security guard
Too awesome! lovin' the bowtie by the way!
clickety click.


text:
*image shown is 5 x 8 or larger rug
*smaller sizes will not show complete pattern, will be scaled down to fit.
Name: #U50633
Manufacturer: Safavieh Rugs
Material: Wool
Construction: Hand Tufted
Thickness: approx. 0.625 in
Colors: Blacks/Greys , Tans/Browns/Rusts
Made in: India
Ships in 1-2 weeks
Description: Safavieh's Wildlife collection is designed with beautiful, fun creatures from all over the world. (#U50633)
Save 50% on all orders of $250 or more, otherwise save 45% on all orders. Save 55%-80% on Best Deals Rugs. Save 35% on Rug Pads. Offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions. Prices shown are the lowest price possible.
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Related products are usually selected because they employ the same materials and colours of the product featured above but in different patterns and therefore are often perfect for use in the same or adjacent rooms.