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Chasing Dividend Yield for Income: Three Reasons to Be Wary
by Rod Greenshields
Financial advisors use a variety of investment strategies to replace retiree employment salaries or business income.
These include bond ladders, systematic withdrawal programs (SWPs), guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefit (GMWB) products, and even strategies in the relatively new category of target payout funds. But one of the most common approaches is the dividend yield strategy.
Relying on dividends for income is a strategy that has served investors well in the past. Who hasn't heard of the proverbial elderly widow living off the steady stream of General Electric (GE) dividend checks? And many investors believe that high-dividend-paying stocks are preferable to low- or non-dividend-paying stocks for portfolios intended to meet income needs.
The dividend yield strategy has been so attractive because it professes to meet the "golden three" outcomes for retirement-oriented investing—income, capital preservation/growth and liquidity. But as markets have evolved and the retirement investing landscape has shifted, is there anything about this strategy that should concern investors?
Reason #1: There's No Free Lunch
It's not hard to see why investors are attracted to the idea of high-dividend-paying stocks. On the surface, these investments seem to offer the best of both worlds: the potential for long-term capital appreciation and a steady income stream. But this perception rests on a fundamental misunderstanding of how dividends work.
Dividends come from profits that a company distributes to shareholders. Faced with a choice between re-investing this surplus into business projects, repurchasing their own stock, or paying it out to shareholders, dividend-paying companies emphasize the last option.
Paying out a dividend means a company has less capital to fund new or existing opportunities (assuming they don't raise capital through issuing additional equity). Consequently, this is likely to dampen future business growth. All else being equal, when companies declare a dividend, their inherent value immediately declines by the amount of the distribution on the dividend record date. That's a clear sign dividends aren't free.
Dividend Yield Versus Total Return
A different approach to framing the income replacement issue is through the lens of total return—the sum of both dividends and capital appreciation. According to this perspective, dividends aren't necessary in order to receive money from a portfolio. If a shareholder needs income, they can manufacture their own "dividends" at any time by selling shares of stocks or mutual funds.
In 1958, Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller published a seminal paper on capital structure and dividend theory ("The Cost of Capital, Corporation Finance and the Theory of Investment," American Economic Review, June 1958). Their assessment of optimal capital structures argues that companies should be indifferent to how they raise capital (whether through issuing more debt, selling stock, or issuing new stock) and that dividend policy doesn't affect the value of a firm.
Most individual investors, however, don't consider capital structure when evaluating high-dividend-paying stocks. Rather, they make their decisions according to more tangible criteria. And dividends are attractive because they create a mental accounting framework that is more psychologically tolerable. The rules of this game are simple: Spend the dividend check, and leave the rest alone.
Do Dividends Signal a Better Investment Opportunity?
Some might argue that dividend-paying stocks are more attractive investments and that when a company pays a dividend it signals something about its future prospects. For example, it could mean they're more confident in their future earnings.
At Russell, we've conducted our own research and reviewed that of others, but we haven't found a compelling investment case for this view that dividend-paying companies are better long-term investment opportunities. At best, there's modest support for the view that some companies that increase their dividends over time may have better future prospects. But we think this is more appropriately left as an investment management decision rather than an income management decision. Be careful of letting a convenient quarterly payment accidentally drive an active management strategy.
Reason #2: Dividends Have Been Declining
A few decades ago, it was reasonable to invest in a broadly diversified pool of stocks and still earn a healthy dividend. From 1979–1985, the average yield for the Russell 1000 index exceeded 5.5% (Figure 1).
Since then, however, dividend yields have dropped significantly. The lowest range was during 1998–2002, the tech bubble period, with an average of less than 1.5%.
The most recent 2003–2010 range does, however, show a modest bump in dividends. But two factors likely drove this change. First, the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 equalized the earlier income tax penalty for dividends. Second, 2009 marked the highest average dividend yield since 1995, at 2.96%. But this may have been the temporary effect of companies having limited re-investment opportunities in the midst of a broad recession. To that point, the average dividend yield already declined to 2.23% in 2010.
Relying on dividends to provide a level—and large enough—income isn't as easy as it used to be. And while it's difficult to predict the exact dividend policies companies will adopt in the coming years, it's unlikely that they will be as high or as stable as they have been in previous decades.
Reason #3: Concentration Risk Is Common
In order to achieve a dividend yield level even close to what a broadly diversified investor would have received a few decades ago, an investor would need to concentrate their portfolio into no more than the highest 10% of dividend-paying stocks, as represented by the Russell 1000 index (Table 1). (Keep in mind that indexes are unmanaged and cannot be invested in directly.)
|Russell 1000 index ( 1979–1985)
|Russell 1000 index ( 2010)
|Top 100 Russell 1000 index dividend-yielding stocks ( 2010)
Note that at present, 71 of these 100 top-yielding securities in the Russell 1000 are in the financial services and utility sectors. Pursuing this strategy would allocate nearly three-quarters of an investor's stock portfolio to two narrow sectors. And as history has proven time and again, unexpected events can devastate narrow areas of the market and individual securities. For example, it's an understatement to say that the financial sector has experienced a bumpy ride the past couple of years. And the June 17, 2010, announcement by BP p.l.c. (BP) that they would suspend their dividend payments was unwelcome news to many shareholders.
Lastly, don't forget that dividend yield is defined as a company's dividend payments divided by its share price. A high dividend yield might not equal a high dividend payment; it could result from the plummeting share price of a troubled company.
A Lesson Learned Too Well?
One of the more perplexing questions about the dividend yield approach is why dividends were so popular before the 2003 tax changes equalized their tax treatment. (Before the Tax Relief Act of 2003, dividends were taxed at ordinary income rates. After the act, their effective tax rate became the same as the capital gains rate, with a maximum of 15%.) It suggests that strong psychological or emotional factors are at work. If dividends can be considered a zero-sum game, or a worse choice in historical tax environments, then why has dividend yield investing been so attractive in the past?
Much of the attraction undoubtedly stems from the classic wisdom voiced by experts, family and friends: Never invade principal. This tenet of responsible investing is ingrained so deeply and so effectively, it's difficult to dispel. For many wealthy individuals, it's a core belief that helped them create their wealth in the first place. Manufacturing dividends feels like robbing the nest egg; harvesting company profits a bit at a time does not. And so emotion trumps theoretical investment rationale.
In Defense of Total Return
As more investors enter retirement and need to replace substantial proportions of their income by using their investment portfolios, a dividend yield strategy is likely to fall short. There may simply be no alternative to adopting some form of total return investing. Even more worrisome for the never-invade-principal adherents: The time may come when prudently drawing down a portfolio becomes necessary to fund living expenses.
When we consider the risks of a dividend yield strategy discussed above, a total return approach that relies on a combination of dividends and capital gains to fund income-replacement needs is compelling.
Brian from TX posted over 5 years ago:
Assuming stock price appreciation is automatic by internal "beneficial'' company use of retained earnings rather than paying dividends is too simplistic.
Shoshana from MI posted over 5 years ago:
Thank you. I found it very educating and quite compelling
J from TX posted over 5 years ago:
However, dividends are a major source of return when the market is going sideways or down. They also offer some protection.
Larry from IL posted over 5 years ago:
very informative thank you.
Thomas from TN posted over 5 years ago:
Over the long term, isn't the majority of stock return due to dividends AND the reinvestment of dividends?
Mike from NC posted over 5 years ago:
The more I read from so-called "expert analysts", the more I am convinced they are almost all just guessing...and guessing poorly at least half the time!!
Scott from MT posted over 5 years ago:
Total return strategy relies on your having all your wits. Dividend income has a better chance of sustaining those who are less able to make tough analytical decisions.
Robert from FL posted over 5 years ago:
Your article, for the most part, is simply wrong. If one holds the stock of a company which consistantly raises its dividends over many years price appreciation will necessarily take place or the yields would become astronomical... the market will correct this by increasing the share price.
42 such companies make up the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats: companies which have increased their dividends for at least 25 years.
Among these are firms like ABT, ADM, AFL, BDX, CB, EMR, JNJ, KO, MCD, MMM, PG, VFC, and XOM.
Of course buying these Blue Chips does not mean you forego capital appreciation. Nor does it mean that at some point you cannot annuitize all or part of the total or "self annuitize" the portfolio. This is simply done by taking a mortality table and adding 20 years to your predicted life expectancy. (If you are4 65 you may expect to live to about 85, so adding 20 years means you figure on spending the last dollar in this portfolio at age 105. Next make reasonable estimates of portfolio growth and inflation, and plug the numbers into a retirement calculator such as My Calculator.
Prudently selling overvalued stocks as you go, making consideration for taxes, while maintaining your asset allocation, you will be able to collect an amazing amount of money.
Robert from FL posted over 5 years ago:
Using the above method, let me make a hypothetical example.
Age 65; years to retirement 0;
Portfolio value, $500,000
Length of retirement, 40 years.
Annual portfoli8o increase 7%; inflation 3%.
Annual payment $24,000 in 2011 dollars
Final (40th) payment in 2050, $75,700
Total payout, $1,801,895
If you figure a 30 year retirement (to age 95) then your first annual payment would be about $27,450, and subsequent payments would be the same amount in 2011 dollars, corrected for inflation.
Plug in your own numbers at MyCalculator.com
Point 1 "There's no free lunch" You are the owner of companies who are good stewards of your property. Rather than spend earnings on executive bonuses and marginal investments, they deliver to their owners on the average 50% of their free cash flow.
Point 2 "Dividends Have Been Declining" Certainly not true for these comapnies, and a large number of other companies with shorter than 25 years, such as "Dividend Achievers". Simply do not buy companies with many years of dividend increases.
Point 3 "Concentration Risk"
That's pure BS. Do these choices look like financial stocks? ABT, ADM, AFL, BDX, CB, EMR, JNJ, KO, MCD, MMM, PG, VFC, XOM. Only AFL and CB fall into that catagory as Insurance Stocks. If you decide to go outside the 42 "Aristocrats" and add some stocks with 'only' 10 years of increasing dividends you can add the "Dividend Achievers" which 1s almost an other 200 companies from all sectors.
I maintain a well balanced portfolio of dividend growth stocksa all with a current yield of 3% or higher, and an average yield much higher.
Jim from CA posted over 5 years ago:
When looking for income I usually buy JNK, HYG or PFF ETFs. These typically yield 7-9%.
They have tended to also increase in price as
their dividends decreased. It's easy entry and easy exit.
D from IN posted over 5 years ago:
The true gems are stocks such as FDS which have a record of monotonously increasing both earnings and dividends. The catch is that the yield is low and you would have to wit some years to get a decent yield on your initial investment.
Gareth from MN posted over 5 years ago:
I'm not sure why Robert from Florida would say, "Your article, for the most part, is simply wrong." He then goes on to demonstrate using both dividends and capital appreciation to fund retirement, essentially in line with the author's conclusion, "When we consider the risks of a dividend yield strategy discussed above, a total return approach that relies on a combination of dividends and capital gains to fund income-replacement needs is compelling."
I would conclude more strongly than the author that at the end of the day, Total Returns are all that matters. Sure it is nice to have a dividend stream, and the companies that provide consistently increasing dividends tend to be the best run and more profitable.
So I leave you with the question. Would one prefer Robert in Florida's Abbott (ABT) that over the past 5 years has returned 28% including dividends of $7.47 AND capital appreciation, or a stock like Dolby (DLB) or DG FastChannel (DGIT) which pay no dividends but returned 5-year capital appreciation of 115% and 456% respectively? I only chose these companies to make a point. Others would show different results.
Disclosure: I am long ABT, DLB, and DGIT.
Douglas from OK posted over 5 years ago:
It might depend on which dividend yield criteria is used. If you apply the Weiss dividend yield philosophy you use the high yield as the buy trigger when the other criteria are also met. This results in buy/sell targets that provide approximate capital appreciation on the order of 8-9% with a dividend yield in the order of 2-3 % over the last 20 years (combined about 11%). Well done Robert I think you helped me more than the article did.
E from GA posted over 5 years ago:
Apparently Russ is not looking any further than his own nose or perhalps his pocket book. To date I havn't found an advisor or a growth MF for my Small growth port. that can match the total return of my Dividend port. that I manage with limited time. Use advisors only on a pay for performance agreement.
Brian from FL posted over 5 years ago:
An excellent article. I have drawn from it for use in my MBA Corporate Finance class at the University of Florida. There is a lot in this short article that is not covered in textbook treatments of dividend policy.
jan from WA posted over 5 years ago:
This article is really saying don't concentrate ALL of your portfolio in high-dividend equities. What I do personally is put 5% of my portfolio in a dividend-capture fund that pays out monthly. I treat it as sort of money-market account, much better than CDs at banks. The fund itself doesn't move at all, beta 0.29 I calculated. If I am really concerned the fund go bust, I buy a put option on it. Remember, only 5% of my portfolio is this strategy.
Courtland from CA posted over 5 years ago:
I disagree about dividends.Over the years they have provided approxximately 40 percent of total return. Also dividend paying stocks historically have outproduced non dividend paying stocks.
George from NC posted over 5 years ago:
The comments provided were as valuable as the article. Thanks to all who contribute.
I put around 7% of my retirement fund in high dividend paying energy Trusts and Limited Partnerships, such as ONEOK.
Andy from CA posted over 5 years ago:
The fundamental premise of this article has to be questioned. Yes, yields have declined as a whole but no rational income investor would hold an equity with declining payment. The author provides very little information on what is high yield. Seocond, he seems to overlook a very basic concept namely, yield on cost. He further seems to have based his thinking on a "buy and hold" premise, which again, does not make sense.
Such articles make me wonder what sort of selection criteria were used.
Charles from CO posted over 5 years ago:
I also disagree about dividends. It is true that yeilds have decreased, but that doesn't necessary mean the dividend has decreased. I have held XOM for 60yrs. I only recall increases in dividends. The XOM payout is less now than in the past, but of course the price is much higher than in past so the dividend has not decreased.
Walter from PA posted over 5 years ago:
As retiree for some 15 years, I have found that a combination of a cost efficient muni bond fund via Vanguard, two hy bond funds and foreign bond exposure, high dividend paying stocks and mutual funds have allowed me to not only derive sufficient income but to grow my porfolio from the surplus and reinvesting that I have been able to do. If a particular stock or fund begins to faulter, I move on to another investment or increase monies from its sale to one I already have. This does mean frequent monitoring, but my portfolio is greater now that it was during the crash of 2008, and my income as grown dramatically as well. Good luck with your own approach.
Ron from TX posted over 5 years ago:
I have a good living from my D&I (110K)/yr. You have to do your due diligence in buy and trading these stocks. I average a 5.6% yield and all my divident stocks. Last year I made over 100K just buying and selling and rebuying these stocks. If you will spend just a little time and research you can do it too.
Robert from IL posted over 5 years ago:
OK, so you have done a good job explaining what is not a good idea. But what is a good idea for income? Are there any good ideas about income replacement that involves dividends? Perhaps your knowledge base says no! This could mean that your knowledge base is deficient. See "Dividend Growth Investing" which is a book on how to choose dividends that avoid all of the "badies" in your article.
Stephen from FL posted over 5 years ago:
Stock dividends are part of overall investment risk, i.e.reduction or elimination...monitor the payout/per share earnings ratio and determine what rate is acceptable for individual tolerance...This approach has worked for our family for years...
Conrad from WI posted over 5 years ago:
A $50 stock pays a 3% dividend today. If the share value drops to $25 tomorrow, the dividend increases to 6%. The stock has lost
half its value, but the dividend looks great.
There are many examples of this abounding. I am not impressed with this math providing income!
Don from TX posted over 5 years ago:
I agree with David. There are several studies that contradict the Russell attitude. In addition you have restricted yourself to the U.S. Since we are global take a look at global stocks where dividends are more "normal". In a decade of negative returns and bleak prospects give me stocks with dividends and appropriate diversification.
Henry from VA posted over 5 years ago:
Vanguard Dividend Growth VDIGX managed to survive the recession better than most, and it has maintained a relatively small allocation to finance companies the past few years. Only 47 high quality stocks at present. Current SEC Dividend 2.27. Aims for dividend growwh plus some appreciation. As one a couple years from retirement, I am likely to move more of my stock portfolio to this fund over the next few years.
Paul from MD posted over 5 years ago:
I have read several reports that take the opposite approach. Dividends are a sign of strength as long as they are a minor part of a company's profits. If the stock market is static or falling, dividends may well be the only bright light for investors.
Clifford from PA posted over 5 years ago:
Good article.
Stephen Smith from MI posted over 3 years ago:
The best part of this article was understand the business you are investing in.
I have 3 classes of investments:
1. Dividends
2. Growth
3. Cash
With the fisical Cliff comming I now have more in Cash than ever.
Also good hospitalization coverage will protect your portfolio.
I have a high deductible plan with an underlying supplement funded with cash.
I don't need to touch the dividend or growth buckets for about 10 years
Mark Race from OH posted over 3 years ago:
WebMaster, How about updating the comments to this article? Comments that are a year old are for the most part no longer relevant.


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subset: commoncrawl


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UK exchanges face FCA competition probe
The UK's Financial Conduct Authority is to review services provided by stock exchanges as part of wider efforts by the regulator to promote competition in the financial sector.
A three-month consultation by the FCA's markets division into the competitive practices of UK exchanges ended last week, and is set to result in changes to the regulator's exchange rule book, according to a document seen by Financial News.
The consultation document read: "Our statutory objectives ... now include promoting effective competition in the interests of consumers. We therefore have a fundamental interest in supervising any [exchange] activity that could discriminate between its members in relation to their access to, or use of, those facilities through fees or charges."
The FCA details changes to its rule book that are of a "limited" nature, the document said, which would "complement new functions that the UK government has proposed to give us under broader competition legislation".
Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the FCA, said last year that responsibility for competition would be the single most significant change in the new regulator's objectives.
David Canning-Jones, a partner in financial services at consultancy EY, said it was important to look at the consultation in a global context.
He said few exchanges have explicit regulations on competition, but "the UK is not alone in asking market participants to consider other factors above commercial gain. For example, Hong Kong's public interest legislation requires market operators to favour investor interest and public interest over commercial interest."


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June 20, 2012 —
All of the charges against Donald and Nelia Wall have been withdrawn. The outcome came following a year and a half grand jury investigation of charges brought by Shohola resident/attorney Mark Hamill and other residents of Shohola Township.
In a statement issued by the Walls, they said the agreement reached with Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonkin was not a plea bargain, and they did not admit to any wrongdoing. Part of the agreement called for the couple to pay $7,500 to Shohola Township as "restitution," and that Nelia resign from her position as township supervisor.
The reason for the restitution was not clear and Tonkin could not be reached at press time to explain. Neither was it clear on what grounds Nelia agreed to resign her office. Elected officials may be removed by a process of impeachment or by the action of voters in an election.
In a statement, the Walls laid the main reason for the unfulfilled investigation at the feet of Hamill.
"We believe that Mr. Hamill's actions and unsubstantiated public accusations were not born of concern for government integrity," the Walls wrote. Hamill "elected to keep the matter local, where perhaps he felt that he had more influence over the handling of the case. When asked by the The Pike County Dispatch in 2009 why he did not take his concerns to the Ethics Committee, Mr. Hamill lamely professed that he did not want to hinder the township's ability to receive state grants."
The case against the Walls has driven a wedge down the middle of the township, pitting one side against the other; those in favor and those opposed to the couple. For the last 18 months, the monthly meetings were a sounding board for those supporting the Walls to vilify the two commissioners, George C. Fluhr and Greg Hoeper, who removed them from office; Donald was removed from his position as zoning officer and Nelia was removed from her position as treasurer and township secretary.
The reason for the removal at the time was Fluhr's remark that "it was time for a change."
Voices of the opposition were not usually sounded at monthly meetings but circulated quietly in the township and in the grand jury investigation. It was also not clear if the Walls could ever be tried again for related charges.
une 18, 2012 —
STATEMENT by DON and NELIA WALL
June 18, 2012
Note: This constitutes our only public statement regarding District Attorney Ray Tonkin's decision to withdrew all charges against us. No interviews will be granted as we intend to close the door on this issue and get back to living our real lives. We appreciate your consideration.
Last week, we signed an agreement with District Attorney Ray Tonkin through which he agreed to withdraw, with prejudice, all charges against us. While some of the provisions of the agreement are legally confounding, we signed the agreement to put an end to the painful nightmare in which we've needlessly been entrapped based on nothing more than false rumors initially presented to the D.A. by Eric Hamill in August 2009.
We commend D.A. Tonkin's decision to withdraw the charges.
It is extraordinarily rare and courageous for a district attorney to withdraw all charges handed down by a grand jury. We are unaware of any similar action by a Pike County D.A. We appreciate the District Attorney's recognition that the allegations against us were groundless and that we committed no wrongdoing. We are grateful for his willingness to do the right thing.
D.A. Tonkin voluntarily offered the agreement which we signed this week. He did not ask for, nor would we have agreed to, a plea bargain. We were fully prepared to go to trial and were most confident that we would be vindicated.
When approached by Mr. Tonkin to consider the agreement, we, along with our lawyers, weighed the emotional and financial costs of prolonged litigation against a $7,500 payment to Shohola Township, Nelia's resignation as Township Supervisor and immediate vindication as confirmed by D.A. Tonkin's withdrawal of all charges. Despite our fervent desire to at long last have our day in court, common sense made this an easy decision.
The agreement with D.A. Tonkin was non-negotiable. While D.A. Tonkin withdrew all charges, he required that the non-negotiable agreement include the requirement that we pay $7,500 to Shohola Township as "restitution." Restitution, or the act of compensating for loss or injury, is a penalty applied only in criminal cases in which a defendant is found or pleads guilty.
This does not apply to our situation. It is legally illogical to simultaneously withdraw criminal charges while exacting a penalty for the very alleged charges which the D.A. has withdrawn. Yet, we recognize that our detractors have exerted enormous pressure on D.A. Tonkin. Thus, it appears that the description of the payment as "restitution" is word gamesmanship to satisfy those who brought the groundless accusations to the D.A. in the first place.
We recognize that there are those who will characterize our payment to the township as admission of wrongdoing. To be clear: It is not. We committed no wrongdoing and are innocent of all of charges. Our agreement to pay $7,500 to Shohola Township is pure common sense. It enables us to move forward and avoid further litigation, emotional stress and tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.
The required check and letter of resignation were sent to Mr. Tonkin by certified mail and received by him on June 13, 2012, one day prior to the monthly Township meeting, during which Chairman Fluhr announced the receipt of Nelia's resignation and the check for $7,500 in "restitution." Mr. Tonkin's self-imposed 72 hour deadline expired on Saturday, June 16, 2012. However, the D.A. did not withdraw the charges until Monday, June 18th, 2012.
We believe that Mr. Tonkin's goal in releasing the terms of the agreement in two steps was to, first, release information which misleadingly indicated that we had changed our plea to guilty. We believe that he then announced that he was withdrawing all charges.
According to our indictments, the Grand Jury was the result of allegations taken to the D.A. in 2009 by Eric Hamill. We believe that Mr. Hamill's actions and unsubstantiated public accusations were not born of concern for government integrity.
Had his allegations stemmed from a true concern for the public welfare, and had he believed his own accusations against us, he would have taken his case to the PA Ethics Commission where it rightfully belonged. Instead, he elected to keep the matter local, where, perhaps, he felt that he had more influence over the handling of the case. When asked by the Pike County Dispatch in 2009 why he did not take his concerns to the Ethics Commission, Mr. Hamill lamely professed that he did not want to endanger the Township's ability to receive state grants.
Hamill initially aired unfounded allegations of wrongdoing against us in the fall of 2009. A special Solicitor appointed by the Shohola Township Board conducted an investigation into Mr. Hamill's allegations and found them to be groundless.
In November 2009, Mr. Hamill alleged that Don offered him the position of Shohola solicitor in exchange for Mr. Hamill's help in getting Don a snow plowing contract in Walker Lake. Here, the lead accuser -- a lawyer -- publicly accused Don of a serious crime but failed to provide the special Solicitor with a sworn affidavit regarding the alleged incident.
In addition, what is to be said of Mr. Hamill's credibility when the Grand Jury failed to act on his allegations? The Grand Jury did not include his sensational allegation in the charges brought against us. Mr. Hamill was not even called to testify at the Preliminary Hearing.
Few realize that the charges brought against us by the Grand Jury in 2011 failed to include any of Mr. Hamill's accusations. The absurdity of this matter is no better illustrated than by the fact that, after much huffing, puffing and tilting at windmills, the lead accuser offered no credible evidence to support any of his accusations.
We believe that the absence of evidence to verify Hamill's accusations pushed the Grand Jury to expand its request for Township documents to ensure that no stone was unturned. What the Township produced, under the supervision of Chairman George Fluhr, was incomplete documentation and questionable data which was presented to the grand jury out of context and misconstrued as proof of wrongdoing.
Despite nearly three years of investigation, including an 18-month grand jury investigation, and unnecessary expenditure of taxpayer money, the D.A. received a case unsupported by facts. It was evident to us and our legal team that early on in the preliminary hearing, the D.A. was struggling to produce a credible case. That is simply because we committed no wrongdoing.
We believe that most of the charges against us resulted from incomplete and out-of-context information and data produced by a Township run by Supervisors Fluhr and Hoeper, the two individuals who determined, -- outside of the public eye, and in violation of the Sunshine Law – to dismiss us as Township officials. We strongly believe that these individuals, among others, ensured that the information and documents flowing to the Grand Jury were selectively presented.
For example, charges against Don included improper submission of time sheets for township meetings with allusions to "padding" his time sheets. However, as township Zoning Officer, Don employed the same time logging practices regarding meeting attendance used by his predecessor and which continue to be used by the current zoning officer. Yet, it is obvious that the Grand Jury and D.A. didn't know this. They had no context of the accepted time logging practices in which to assess Don's actions.
This is not confidential information. Any Township Board member or the Secretary/Treasurer could have easily set the record straight on the accepted time logging practices for meeting attendance. But, no one did, even though they had copies of the indictments and specific charges against us.
As another example, Nelia, who served as Township Secretary/Treasurer, was charged with "conspiracy" for "approving" Don's time sheets. It is inconceivable that none of the Township employees who testified before the Grand Jury explained that the Township Secretary/Treasurer is not empowered to approve the time sheets of any employee.
Only the Board of Supervisors approves employee pay based on employee time sheets. Yet, it also appears that the Grand Jury and D.A. were not aware of that Don did nothing but follow authorized Township practice. And, the myth continued to be circulated in the rumor mill by the very people who know that Nelia never approved the time sheets of any employee, including Don.
In fact, during his tenure as Township Assistant Treasurer and former Board Chairman, George J. Fluhr, father of current Board Chairman George C. Fluhr, reviewed all monthly time sheets, including those of Don, before passing them to the Board for approval. The approval process for time submissions is well known by the current Board, Township Zoning Officer, Secretary/Treasurer and former Chairman Fluhr, among others.
We believe that a significant amount of simple, but key, information was withheld from the grand jury and the D.A. by current public officials in Shohola Township.
The false rumor, begun by Mr. Hamill, that Don inspected his own work became "fact." Yet, no one stopped to think this one through. If you understand what a zoning officer does, you would understand that there is no zoning work to inspect. If you understand what we do in out private business, you would realize how ridiculous Mr. Hamill's contention is. A zoning officer measures setbacks, distances from wells and septic and ensures the planned structure is allowable by ordinance.
That's it. There is no "zoning" work. Either your building is in compliance with the zoning ordinance, or it is not. As an excavator, Don digs. When he digs foundations, the work is inspected by the building inspector. When he digs septic fields, his work is inspected by the septic enforcement officer. By the time Don is hired by a resident, the zoning permit is already in hand. There are no professional "zoners." Yet, Mr. Hamill's absurd contention was blindly accepted by people who don't know better, including the D.A. Mr. Hamill certainly knows the distinction since he has had several building projects on his property.
Like the non-negotiable, required payment to Shohola Township, D.A. Tonkin's requirement that Nelia resign her position as Township Supervisor appears to be another token gesture to quell the roar of the small, hostile group who will undoubtedly be angered with the District Attorney's withdrawal of all charges.
We are deeply concerned that Nelia's forced resignation has disenfranchised those who elected her to office. She was properly elected to serve a six-year term by a majority vote. In Pennsylvania, the only way a public official may be removed from office is through the ballot box or by impeachment by the State House. Yet, this non-negotiable agreement provided a third method to remove someone from office: force a resignation under unstated threat of further litigation.
We believe that it goes against the grain of democracy when a district attorney demands relinquishment of a public office while he is withdrawing charges, especially when Nelia's position as a Township Supervisor in no way related to any of the charges against the Walls. There were neither charges nor consideration of charges relating to her role as an elected official.
Therefore, there is no logical reason for the District Attorney to require her resignation other than to satisfy those detractors who have long sought Nelia's resignation.
It all finally comes down to "Why?" Why would a small group of
people work with such fervor to keep alive false and cruel rumors which have irreparably tarnished our livelihood and good standing? Why has Eric Hamill seemed to make our demise and conviction a personal objective? Why would Supervisors Fluhr and Hoeper publicly allude to "horror stories" about our activities and integrity but refuse to divulge those stories?
Why would other township officials contribute to the unending string of lies, lies which grew to include even those who have supported us?
We can speculate endlessly as to why a handful of people mounted such a campaign against us. Yet, knowing why we were targeted is incidental to the fact that our lives, our income and our reputations have been irreparably harmed for reasons that no one will own up to. No one rose in protest against us with any clearly stated reason or rationale.
There were no calls for "clean" and "open" government. Not a single person who has worked against us on the assumption that we are guilty ever asked us about the truth of the rumors. Not a single person requested Don's time sheets to assess the charges related to his time logging practices. No one requested a copy of the Township's time logging policy. No one requested payroll records. No one asked for data on zoning permits. These are all actions which one would take to fairly assess if wrongdoing was suspected. No one, not even Mr. Hamill, did the necessary investigation to determine if his allegations were correct.
And, no one reported the alleged wrongdoing to the Ethics Commission. Simply put none of those contributing to our dismissal as public officials and eventual indictment by a grand jury took any action that evidenced an honest concern that something was awry in Shohola. This only highlights how easy it is for personal agendas, whether they be for emotional retribution or personal gain or political power, to taint innocent people and destroy good government.
Mr. Hamill, among others, has benefited from the mess he created. He was appointed by Supervisors Fluhr and Hoeper to serve as solicitor to Shohola Township's zoning hearing board.
This has been an incredibly callous and demoralizing experience. The long life of the lies about us has given those lies a superficial appearance of being right. So, it is a relief to finally be able to speak openly and frankly about the political tsunami which engulfed us three years ago.
Throughout this time, we have been lifted up by so many supporters. We are so grateful to those people who have not been afraid to publicly support us. Sadly, too many Shohola citizens have been frightened into silence by the current administration and the small band of tormentors. It is our profound hope that the people of Shohola will take note of what has happened in our town and ensure that our public servants are always working in our best interest – not theirs.


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Corridor H Authority rep set to speak
ELKINS – A representative from the Corridor H Authority will provide an update on the efforts to complete the highway during a meeting Wednesday.
The Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce's quarterly meeting is slated for 11:45 a.m. Wednesday at the Randolph County Community Arts Center, located at 2 Park St. in Elkins. The event is sponsored by the Randolph County Development Authority.
The guest speaker will be Curtis Wilkerson of Orion Strategies, speaking on behalf of the Corridor H. Authority. His presentation will include the findings from the economic impact study sponsored by the Corridor H Authority and the change in policy and politics in Virginia about the highway.
Corridor H in West Virginia is scheduled to be 75 percent complete by later this year, and with the announcement of the next section to be constructed, the total will come to 87 percent, officials said.
The Corridor H Authority sponsored an economic impact study to be conducted on completing Corridor H by 2020. This analysis estimates that completing Corridor H by 2020 would result in an additional $1.25 billion to the economy of West Virginia when compared to the highway being completed by 2036.
Additional information about the event is available by calling the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce at 304-636-2717.


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The three-day conference was hosted by the Area X FFA officers. During the conference, members participated in various sessions and workshops. The session topics included: Leadership Skills, Personal Goal Setting, Self Esteem, Public Speaking, Community Service and FFA member recruitment. The S-T FFA members who attended were Sarah Colle, Rebekah Colle, Joshua Rodriguez, Misty Martin, Whitley Rix, Trenton Dragon and Abby Hinds.
The Skidmore-Tynan FFA also had 31 members attend the Gateway District FFA convention in George West on April 15. Member Trenton Dragon was elected 2013-2014 district secretary. As a district officer, Trenton and the officer team are responsible for spearheading district activities such as the district leadership conference and convention.
Sadie Gibson placed 3rd in Prepared Public Speaking at the conference in George West; Valde Ramirez represented well in the Extemporaneous Public Speaking; and Montana Cox sang her heart out in the Talent competition.
FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education, officials said.


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- Game Details
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LEGO Batman: The Videogame News
Displaying 1–15 of 19 articles
Depressing News Of The Day: There Was "Almost" A LEGO Marvel Video Game
Try imagining miniaturezed versions of Spider-Man and the X-Men fighting out in your head and not endlessly cracking a smile. The concept of a LEGO Marvels video game makes perfect sense. It makes such perfect sense, in fact, that LEGO series developer Traveller's Tales was pursuing the Marvel license a few years back, according to studio...
'LEGO Batman: The Videogame' Behind the Gotham City Cake Video
How does one make a cake out of Gotham City? Additionally how does one make that cake a LEGO version of Gotham City? We're more than month past the initial launch of WB Interactive's action-adventure game LEGO Batman: The Videogame. However, the publishers have released a behind-the-scenes video detailing professional cake designer Confetti...
The Making Of 'Lego Batman'
Developer Traveller's Tales gives the inside look on how the pieces were put together in their latest action title, Lego Batman. Find out how the Dark Knight became everyone's favorite plastic crusader through the minds of the developers themselves. Lego Batman, published by Warner Bros. Interactive, is now available for the Nintendo DS, Wii,...
New 'LEGO Batman: The Videogame' First 15 Gameplay Footage
The Bat signal has been on for a couple of days now, have you answered the call yet? Check out the first 15 minutes of Traveller's Tales action-adventure LEGO Batman: The Videogame available for Nintendo DS, Wii, PSP, PS2, PS3, PC, and Xbox 360 now. LEGO Batman: The Videogame Direct-Feed Gameplay Footage (PS3) Watch Larger Version | Watch...
'Lego Batman' PS2 Bundle Out Now
Holy Lego Batman releases....Batman! The plastic knight is available now in stores, including the shiny new PS2 bundle available for $149.99 USD. Lego Batman, published by Warner Bros. Interactive, is also now available for the PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, DS and PC platforms. Hit the jump for the PS2 bundle's contents. Read More?
'LEGO Batman: The Videogame' Launch Trailer
The Dark Knight is pretty much the business right now and tomorrow you'll be able to purchase Batman for your console of choice in LEGO form. Warner Bros. Interactive has released the launch trailer for the game and it's definitely worth a watch. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version
New 'LEGO Batman' Vehicles Media
Traveller's Tales shows off some of their sweet LEGO rides in LEGO Batman: The Videogame. Strap yourself into action starting September 23rd on the DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, and Xbox 360. LEGO Batman: The Videogame Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version
'Lego Batman' Cartoon Building Now
Remember Traveller's Tales' LEGO fever? Well aside from the caped crusader's building block debut, game producer Rich Earl confirmed with GamesIndustry.Biz that a 20-minute Lego Batman cartoon is "being done by a separate studio in the states." He said: "My understanding is that they will use the engine, the Maya files where the...
New 'LEGO Batman' Alfred Revealed
The superhero world's most famous butler makes his debut in the Traveller's Tales action-adventure game LEGO Batman: The Videogame. Justice will be served... on a silver platter in these new images and trailer below. Build or destroy Gotham piece by piece when the game hits the streets September 23rd for the DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, and...
'Lego' Games Still Building
Warner Bros. Interactive is willing to build more Legos - cash generating Lego-themed video games to be specific. Starting with Lego Star Wars game series, to Lego Indiana Jones and the upcoming Lego Batman game, developer Traveller's Tales president Jon Burton said that the Lego blocks won't stop with the caped crusader. "We've...
New 'Lego Batman' Villain Revealed
LEGO Batman: The Videogame unveils a new villain, The Man-Bat! ... ...Okay so he's no Joker but you've got to feel for the "tragic" villains every now and then. Akin, to Spider-Man's The Lizard, an amputee scientist harboring good intentions for experimental genetics who falls victim to anthropromorphic side-effects, you have in...
'Lego: Batman The Videogame' Gameplay Footage
Take a stroll through the streets of Gotham as hero OR villain in this gameplay trailer for Lego Batman: The Videogame for nearly everything. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version
'LEGO' Batman E3 Trailer
See how the caped crusader battles the forces of evil as a LEGO in LEGO Batman, which releases on September 1, 2008 for all platforms. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version
'Lego: Batman The Videogame' Trailer
Done smacking the crap out of Legos with a Lightsaber and/or Whip? This September you can swap out for a Batarang and Utility Belt in Lego: Batman The Videogame. Once again take on an adventure of epic plastic proportions, this time with the Dark Knight at the helm. If you're a fan of Batman or the Lego series consider this a huge bundle of...
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Oh, Lego Batman, we can't wait for you to come out! Mr. Freeze is cool, eh, folks? Here's a Freeze gallery. The platformer comes out across consoles in the fall, which means it's time to put on your waiting shoes and stare at a clock for a few month.
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For Immediate Release
March 2, 2007
School Breakfast Provides a 'World of Taste'
Illinois observes National School Breakfast week, March 5-9
Springfield, Ill. – The Illinois State Board of Education is joining with schools and nutrition experts throughout Illinois in celebrating National School Breakfast week, March 5 – 9. "A World of Breakfasts!" is this year's theme for the nationwide celebration of the importance of starting each day with a nutritious breakfast.
"We know for a fact that a good breakfast is an important start for a child's successful day of learning. Studies show that children who eat a good breakfast do better in school," said Christopher Koch, Interim State Superintendent. "Kids who don't eat a good breakfast become tired in school, especially in late morning, and have shorter attention spans."
Launched in 1989 by the School Nutrition Association, National School Breakfast week raises awareness about the importance of breakfast for all students at school and draws attention to the link between eating a good breakfast and cognitive growth.
According to the School Nutrition Association, more than 75,000 schools and childcare institutions nationwide serve nearly 9 million breakfasts each day. In Illinois alone, more than 2,900 Illinois schools serve nearly 260,000 breakfasts daily.
Other Illinois breakfast facts:
- Over 44 million breakfasts were erved in Illinois during the 2005-2006 school year
- 62 percent of Illinois
public schools participate in the federal breakfast
Illinois saw a 13.5 percent increase in the number of schools participating in the School Breakfast Program from 2004-2005 to 2005-2006 – 2,973 schools up from 2,419.
- 13.4 percent increase in student participation, up to 257,627 students in 2005-2006.
- Illinois mandates that all public schools with 40 percent or more of Free and Reduced Price eligible students must operate a school breakfast program.
- 69.1 percent of schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program also participate in the School Breakfast Program.
The School Breakfast Program is a federal program that provides a nutritious meal to students at school. It provides at least one-fourth of the nutrients needed by a growing child and less than 30 percent of their calories from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat, meeting the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Participation in the federal program is open to all public schools or non-profit private schools of high school grade or under as well as residential child care institutions.
A complete listing of all Illinois schools and child care institutions that participate in the School Breakfast Program can found be online at: http://www.isbe.net/news/2007/breakfast_week.pdf
More information about becoming a sponsor of a School Breakfast Program can be found online at: http://www.isbe.net/nutrition/htmls/breakfast.htm; or by calling 1-800-545-7892. Questions can also be e-mailed to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Anybody else have this experience? My 3 month old is becoming an OALD veteran. He's learned to handle the flow pretty well, much less choking and sputtering. We had a hard time nursing lying down for a while--somehow it made the let-down harder to handle for him. Then one day he just got it. No more coughing, nursed in bed. I'm getting much more sleep. I didn't ask why it happened, I just closed my eyes and went to sleep.
The other day, I figured out how he does it. The extra milk is dripping out of his nose!!! The first time I saw it, it scared the poo out of me. Now I think of it as his "relief valve."
Anybody heard of this before?


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This is yet another ambitious documentary series from Adam Curtis, following on his widely acclaimed films "The Century of the Self" and "The Power of Nightmares."
In this film, Curtis offers a sort of intellectual history of the idea of "freedom" and individual autonomy over the past half century, drawing on many fascinating, divergent sources: from game theorists like John Nash, nuclear strategists at RAND, anthropologists studying the Yanomamo, influential liberal thinkers like Isaiah Berlin, biologists like Richard Dawkins, leaders of the anti-psychiatry movement like R.D. Laing, "New Democrats" like Bill Clinton, all the way to the great "liberators" of Iraq, Bush and Blair.
Curtis ultimately winds up back-dooring himself into an analysis of neoliberalism — a term he uses nowhere in the film, unfortunately. He does, however, weave together an impressive narrative and engages some very important questions: Why is our conception of "freedom" so limiting today? Why does this "freedom" seem so meaningless? Why has the dogged imposition of this "freedom" made so many people seemingly less free — typically by subjecting them to the vagaries of invasion or class warfare, while at the same time eroding their capacity to exert meaningful influence via democratic institutions? And are there any other ways in which we might view or practice "freedom"?
The first of the three episode, 180 minute film is posted above. The other two episodes can be found via Google Video.
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Support for the city's controversial $5.3 billion rail project has grown since voters first agreed to build a steel-on-steel transit system in November 2008.
Four years ago voters approved the ballot question on rail by 4.9 percent. In Tuesday's general election that margin grew to 7.7 percent, as pro-rail mayoral candidate Kirk Caldwell secured a convincing victory against former two-term Democratic governor and rail opponent Ben Cayetano.
"You have my total commitment to work hard every single day on all the issues," Caldwell, 60, told an enthusiastic crowd of hundreds during his victory speech at Aloha Tower.
The former state representative, who also served a two-month stint as acting mayor, also promised to work on city infrastructure issues like roads and sewers and to "build rail better."
During the final months of the campaign, Caldwell told voters he wanted to design the elevated rail system in a more historically or visually sensitive fashion, especially through downtown and Honolulu's waterfront.
Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, who is critical of rail, but has supported the project in a majority of votes, viewed Caldwell's promise as a pledge to mitigate impacts to Honolulu's view planes.
"I hope that means that we won't have this elevated rail going past Aloha Tower and through the center of downtown," said Kobayashi.
In his concession speech, Cayetano, 72, vowed to keep tabs on Caldwell as the rail project progresses.
"I wish Kirk a lot of luck, I think he's going to need it," said Cayetano. "I think we should hold him accountable for all the promises that he made."
Although making changes to the rail line remains a possibility, any drastic alterations could impact environmental clearances, like the project's final environmental impact statement.
"I think the issue is how much of a change we can make without redoing some of the EIS issues," said Councilman Breene Harimoto, a staunch rail supporter. "I'm really happy that Kirk Caldwell will be here, and together we can work through some of the issues."
Even though he lost the mayor's race, Cayetano could still delay construction of the rail project further. Cayetano is among a group of plaintiffs who filed a federal lawsuit against the city to see whether the rail project followed federal environmental laws.
On Nov. 1, Judge A. Wallace Tashima ruled the city failed to identify culturally sensitive properties along the rail line, and must study the feasibility of placing at least some of the route underground along Beretania Street. Tashima also said the city must examine how to mitigate impacts to Mother Waldron Park in Kakaako, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Tashima has scheduled a hearing Dec. 12 to hear arguments on how the city plans to fulfill the requirements of his order.
Construction of the rail project has already been halted for the past two-and-a-half months after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled Aug. 24 that the city must conduct an archeological inventory survey along the entire 20-mile route, not in four separate phases.
The AIS hopes to identify native Hawaiian burials, especially those in Kakaako, before construction of the rail project begins through the city center.


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|By Maureen O'Gara
Article Rating:
|October 21, 2009 07:00 AM EDT
Mergers & Acquisitions on Ulitzer
Sun said late Tuesday that it will be forced to cut 3,000 jobs worldwide over the next 12 months because of "the delay in the closing of the acquisition of the company," laying the blame squarely at the doorstep of the European Commission and its prolonged investigation into whether Oracle should be allowed to acquire the Sun-owned MySQL open source database.
It could be playing hardball with the EC, which some think has an interim deadline this week to decide how much longer its investigation is going to take. It could take until we're deep into January.
In an SEC filing Sun said its board had approved the plan "to better align the company's resources with its strategic business objectives."
Sun expects to incur total charges of $75 - 125 million over the next several quarters, most likely the December and March quarters, in connection with the restructuring, most of which relates to severance costs.
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More and more brands have jumped on the IoT bandwagon. We have an excess of wearables – activity trackers, smartwatches, smart glasses and sneakers, and more that track seemingly endless datapoints. However, most consumers have no idea what "IoT" means. Creating more wearables that track data shouldn't be the aim of brands; delivering meaningful, tangible relevance to their users should be. We're in a period in which the IoT pendulum is still swinging. Initially, it swung toward "smart for smar...
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The Internet of Things will challenge the status quo of how IT and development organizations operate. Or will it? Certainly the fog layer of IoT requires special insights about data ontology, security and transactional integrity. But the developmental challenges are the same: People, Process and Platform and how we integrate our thinking to solve complicated problems. In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Craig Sproule, CEO of Metavine, demonstrated how to move beyond today's coding paradigm and sh...
Dec. 5, 2016 10:30 AM EST Reads: 278
We are always online. We access our data, our finances, work, and various services on the Internet. But we live in a congested world of information in which the roads were built two decades ago. The quest for better, faster Internet routing has been around for a decade, but nobody solved this problem. We've seen band-aid approaches like CDNs that attack a niche's slice of static content part of the Internet, but that's it. It does not address the dynamic services-based Internet of today. It does...
Dec. 5, 2016 07:30 AM EST Reads: 1,001
In his keynote at 18th Cloud Expo, Andrew Keys, Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise, provided an overview of the evolution of the Internet and the Database and the future of their combination – the Blockchain. Andrew Keys is Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise. He comes to ConsenSys Enterprise with capital markets, technology and entrepreneurial experience. Previously, he worked for UBS investment bank in equities analysis. Later, he was responsible for the creation and distribution of life sett...
Dec. 5, 2016 07:30 AM EST Reads: 7,059
The WebRTC Summit New York, to be held June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, announces that its Call for Papers is now open. Topics include all aspects of improving IT delivery by eliminating waste through automated business models leveraging cloud technologies. WebRTC Summit is co-located with 20th International Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo. WebRTC is the future of browser-to-browser communications, and continues to make inroads into the traditional, difficult, plug-in web ...
Dec. 5, 2016 07:15 AM EST Reads: 1,298
20th Cloud Expo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy.
Dec. 5, 2016 06:45 AM EST Reads: 1,797
WebRTC is the future of browser-to-browser communications, and continues to make inroads into the traditional, difficult, plug-in web communications world. The 6th WebRTC Summit continues our tradition of delivering the latest and greatest presentations within the world of WebRTC. Topics include voice calling, video chat, P2P file sharing, and use cases that have already leveraged the power and convenience of WebRTC.
Dec. 5, 2016 06:45 AM EST Reads: 1,628
"We're a cybersecurity firm that specializes in engineering security solutions both at the software and hardware level. Security cannot be an after-the-fact afterthought, which is what it's become," stated Richard Blech, Chief Executive Officer at Secure Channels, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 5, 2016 06:30 AM EST Reads: 758
The Internet of Things (IoT) promises to simplify and streamline our lives by automating routine tasks that distract us from our goals. This promise is based on the ubiquitous deployment of smart, connected devices that link everything from industrial control systems to automobiles to refrigerators. Unfortunately, comparatively few of the devices currently deployed have been developed with an eye toward security, and as the DDoS attacks of late October 2016 have demonstrated, this oversight can ...
Dec. 5, 2016 06:15 AM EST Reads: 968
Fact is, enterprises have significant legacy voice infrastructure that's costly to replace with pure IP solutions. How can we bring this analog infrastructure into our shiny new cloud applications? There are proven methods to bind both legacy voice applications and traditional PSTN audio into cloud-based applications and services at a carrier scale. Some of the most successful implementations leverage WebRTC, WebSockets, SIP and other open source technologies. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Da...
Dec. 5, 2016 06:00 AM EST Reads: 1,692
Internet-of-Things discussions can end up either going down the consumer gadget rabbit hole or focused on the sort of data logging that industrial manufacturers have been doing forever. However, in fact, companies today are already using IoT data both to optimize their operational technology and to improve the experience of customer interactions in novel ways. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Gordon Haff, Red Hat Technology Evangelist, will share examples from a wide range of industries – includin...
Dec. 5, 2016 04:15 AM EST Reads: 1,621
We're entering the post-smartphone era, where wearable gadgets from watches and fitness bands to glasses and health aids will power the next technological revolution. With mass adoption of wearable devices comes a new data ecosystem that must be protected. Wearables open new pathways that facilitate the tracking, sharing and storing of consumers' personal health, location and daily activity data. Consumers have some idea of the data these devices capture, but most don't realize how revealing and...
Dec. 5, 2016 04:00 AM EST Reads: 5,138
Unless your company can spend a lot of money on new technology, re-engineering your environment and hiring a comprehensive cybersecurity team, you will most likely move to the cloud or seek external service partnerships. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Darren Guccione, CEO of Keeper Security, revealed what you need to know when it comes to encryption in the cloud.
Dec. 5, 2016 04:00 AM EST Reads: 4,713


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Laboratory Management and Technical Issues
Allythiourea (ATU) for nitrification inihibitor
Has anyone experemented with the use of ATU for nitrification inhibitor? (Std. Methods 21st edition). We have been doing some side by side comparisons with the Hach (TCMP) and the ATU and have not been having any luck with the ATU affecting the sample at all.
I've tried it once and got nothing from it. I think it got ramrodded through the inclusion in SM because someone (Hach maybe) developed a CBOD seed that used it as its inhibitor. I guess the thought was, even if the seed doesn't contain nitrifiers, it would eliminate one step in preparing the batch. I've heard from several people that ATU just doesn't do as good a job as the pyridine based compound we are all familiar with.
We are also having problems with the effectiveness of ATU for CBOD. Interestingly, CBOD results are pretty reasonable for our treated effluent samples, based on parallels with TCMP. CBOD measured for primary effluent and GGA however, are often the same or greater than the respective BOD's. When I checked the forum today I was I relieved to see it isn't just us. We hope to continue automated addition, thus the need for a soluble inhibitor, but unless we can find a way to get TCMP into solution, we'll likely go back to adding powdered solid directly to bottles. I plan to continue to research this and I may also forward this concern to our DEQ regional representatives. I would appreciate hearing from others who have experienced problems, especially anyone who may have come up with a way around the TCMP solubility issue.


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Seven national top-10 team finishes
PELLA—Central College remains No. 15 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III poll.
It's the program's highest ranking since the Dutch were fifth in 1991-92. The Dutch opened the year rated No. 29.
Central (1-1) captured the team trophy at the 11-squad Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) Invitational Saturday. Freshman Aaron Anderson (Clarion, Clarion-Goldfield HS), junior TJ Peretti (Auburn, Wash., Mountainview HS) and senior Jake Crawford (Monroe, Southeast Polk HS) were each individual champions at 133, 141 and 285 pounds, respectively. Central compiled 156 points, topping second-place Wis.-Oshkosh by more than 50 points.
Iowa Conference foe Wartburg College (3-0) holds steady at No. 1, with Coe College (3-0) at No. 4, Luther College (1-0) at No. 16, the University of Dubuque (2-1) at No. 18 and Loras College (1-4) at No. 28.
The Dutch head to Rock Island, Ill., Thursday for a double dual hosted by Augustana College (Ill.). Central meets Knox College (Ill.) at 6:30 p.m. and No. 19 Augustana at 8 p.m.


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The Ron Santo Crybaby Camp Overshadows An Otherwise Respectable Career
As a Chicagoan, I am expected to accept and endure the following three basic tenets of Chicago life, otherwise known as the Three C's:
1. Crappy weather
2. Corrupt politicians
3. Crybaby Cub fans
Because I love this fair second city and all the headaches associated with its underground, battled, scar-bearing character, I generally acquiesce and forego my impetus to break bones and punch walls in reaction to the ceaseless bombardment and annoying abundance of those Three C's.
But on a day like today, when it's 30-some degrees outside with a steady, sloppy rain pouring down… when our dear Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich is arrested at his Northside home on federal corruption charges… when the Ron Santo camp is hogging headline space by going through its annual crybaby routine… when all three of these things converge on the same day in one unforgiving onslaught of discomfort, I am left exhausted, irked and very, very thankful that I am anti-gun.
It's just too much for one man to take.
The weather, yeah. Like an unwanted pregnancy, it happens. We deal with it.
Blagojevich, yeah. I think we all knew he was a crook. I met him at the 95th Street/Dan Ryan Expressway CTA station on election day 2006. He smiled, shook my hand, patted me on the shoulder. Five minutes later, as I was left admiring the indescribable solidity of his hair, I realized my wallet was gone.
But when it comes to the Hall of Fame hopes of one Ron Santo, I have absolutely had enough. Enough!
I mean, when a woman says "no", she means "no", stupid. If you ignore that you're a rapist.
Likewise, when the Hall of Fame, whether it be the BBWAA, the Veterans Committee or the Baseball Gods themselves say "no" for twenty-five years, they mean "NO!!!!!… and stop bugging us." Because just like the yearly lament of "this is our year", the we-were-robbed cries for Ron Santo routine is getting extremely old and intensely aggravating.
Rick Morrissey, of the now bankrupt Chicago Tribune, cried out to his drones of readers, "What don't Hall voters see in Santo?"
They don't see a Hall of Famer, that's what, Rick. If doing the same thing over and over and over again while expecting different results is insanity then the crybaby Santo camp is absolutely DERANGED!
Get over it.
Ron Santo was a great baseball player. He wasn't one of the greatest of all time but he was better than average, better than good, better than what Cub fans have turned him into over the last several years: a whiny, sore losing, crybaby. It's not Ron's fault. Leave him alone. He's on your side. Quit making him look like the fat kid in gym class that no one wants on his team.
You have a stronger case with Andre Dawson so go cry about that for a few decades, will ya? By then Blagojevich might be ready to enter a work-release program cleaning up the beaches that will surround the then island of Chicago (it's a polar ice cap melting thing).
So yeah, go ahead. Hate me. Just don't hate me 'cuz I'm right.
10 Comments
Wow. Let it out, Jeff. I actually thought of you when I read about the Governor this morning. Nice for Chicagoans. Sheesh. Almost as good as Spitzer was for New Yorkers.
Yikes! And I thought we had in bad in Boston with Whitey and couple of corrupt FBI agents! Things will get brighter – what is it, only like 5 more months until spring? Hang in there Jeff. I recommend a strong drink and some soothing music – like "The Sun'll come out Tomorrow!"
How dumb can a guy be? Trying to SELL the senate seat? I don't mind a grifter if he's clever, but is this guy out of his mind? Is he on drugs?
As for Santo, I think he should be in, but the voters don't wanna hear a guy whining; Phil Rizzuto was VERY vocal about his exclusion for years and then after he quit complaining and some of his boosters like Bill White and Ted Williams wound up on the Veterans Committee, he got in.
The more this story develops, the more ill I become. Apparently being the governor of Illinois requires being a) mentally challenged b) completely egotistical c) a flat-out crook… just for starters (see George Ryan for more info). Check out the Drudge for all the dirty details of this ongoing drama… like the guv'nuh's propensity for expletives and autocracy. What a weasel. Excuse me while I go puke.
Blagojevich. The very name conjures up mental images of something bad, like the sound of vomiting, maybe. BLAHH-GOJ-EVICH… "Oh, God, I'll never drink again."
Michael NortonSome Clubhouse – It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere!
"Like an unwanted pregnancy, it happens." – LMAO on that one lol. Thx for the heads up, by the way, about the mlblogs profile pic. I had no idea it was being used lol. I been a little too caught up with college applications and senior year hecticness to spend a lot of time surfin the sphere, but I hope to be back nd posting soon.
V – http://flairforthedramatic.mlblogs.com
You said it, Michael. Around here we tend to call him "Bla-goy-a-b*tch"… but it was always in good fun. Not so much anymore. Jeesh… this is just blowing my mind right now how I (and so many other honest, hard working people) fell for this guy's load of crap.
Jeff, I am not the least bit surprised you fell for it. Chicago politics, as you said. It's kind of expected, isn't it? Do you think any of these crooks, er, politicians have even an iota of integrity? To wrap yourself in the warm hug of "hope" or "change" in the name of someone seeking elected office seems blissfully ignorant to me. More empty promises than a one night stand…
In the context of the 2006 gubernatorial election, it was Blago or Barr-Topinka. Neither got me excited. Can't change my vote now. As for messages of "hope" and "change" from a Chicago politician… Obama hasn't let me down yet and he inspired me (and a nation). Still does (me at least). I think he's different then the rest. He's no Blago. I "hope". Only time will tell, my friend.
Oh… and sometimes one night stands are okay (again, in my opinion)😉


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Prague and Prague taxi
How long does it take to drive from Prague to Prague?
The distance to drive Prague Prague is approximately 35 km
Average travel time is 30 minutes
Booking a taxi between Prague and Prague
Transportation bookings are accepted with minimum 24 hours notice. Should you need to book the transfer with shorter notice, please call Martin: 00420 775 744 447 or send an email.
|Mercedes Benz VITO - comfort class
(private transfer, up to 8 passengers)
|Mercedes E class / Viano - Business class
(up to 4 passengers, private transfer)
|31€ + waiting 15 € per hour
|37€ + waiting 15 € per hour
- Prague to Prague (one way)
- Prague to Prague (one way)
- Prague to Prague day trip
- Prague to Prague day trip
- Prague to Prague and return to Prague on a different day
- Prague to Prague and return to Prague on a different day
- all listed prices are final rates - no hidden extras, surcharges or taxes, we do not charge any extras, when you pay by a credit card
- private transfers - you do NOT share with other passengers, the vehicle is booked solely for your party
- price is per whole vehicle and whole journey (you do not pay for the car to return empty to its city of origin)
- from Prague to Prague or Prague to Prague one way, final price is 31€ / Mercedes VITO, 37€ / Mercedes Benz E class / Viano
- tip for the driver is not included and is completely voluntary
Booking, cancellation and payment policies in detail. (opens in a new tab)
Why Martin's taxi transfers:
- Economical, comfortable, door to door transfers
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- Premium German cars and minibuses: Mercedes Benz and BMW
- Non smoking and air conditioned taxis
- Fixed rates confirmed at the time of the taxi booking
- Once you booked a taxi between Prague and Prague, the rate is confirmed, the rate can not increase even if our rates go up
- Taxis are insured above standard limits, all taxis have insured passengers' seats and baggage compartment
- 24/7 support in English on phone: 00420 775 744 447
- Free taxi cancellation with a minimum 24 hours notice
- Credit cards accepted in taxi: VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS
Prague to/from Prague Taxi Reviews
Prague pick up, transfer to Prague hotel, taxi to the Prague airport
Hi Martin, back home now. I just wanted to thank you for your excellent service on the way from Prague to Prague. Courteous staff, on time and good drivers. I will recommend you to anyone travelling in your area. Regards
- Ken
One way taxi from Prague to Prague; earlier provided the Prague airport taxi.
Martin, Judy and I thank you for the wonderful service you arranged for us from Prague to Prague. Patrick was a great driver and a nice guy. His van was clean and comfortable and he was very thoughtful about our comfort and needs. He arrived in Prague as expected and the trip was very pleasant through the countryside. Thank you.
- Gerry and Judy
Taxi from Prague to Prague
Hi, I just wanted to thank you for the excellent service you and your company provided us while on our recent visit to Prague. If we are ever back your way, we will certainly call on you, and in the meantime, will highly recommend your taxi service. Visit us in Mississippi sometime! Best
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Transfer between Prague and Prague
Martin, just wanted to drop you a line and tell you what a pleasure it was to meet you and thank you again for giving my Kim and I the tour on the way to Prague. We didn't get a chance to contact you for the next two days, but your referals for dinner were much appreciated! Once again thank you for your courtesy and kindness, and when we visit again we will be sure to look you up.
- Donnie and Kim
Transportation from Prague hotel to Prague
Thank you Martin for the safe and interesting ride to Prague from Prague. The whole trip was saved by you, your kind assurance as we rode along with you and the way the trip turned out certainly was helped by you. Best wishes to you
- Borden and Monique
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Prague ↔ Prague
Prague Prague taxi is available door to door for flat rate all year round. Taxis are comfortable BMW 5 series, Mercedes Benz E class station wagons and Mercedes Benz Vito minibuses. Prague Prague transfers are provided by English speaking drivers.
Martin's Taxi Transfers are based in Prague, but transfers are operated both ways from as well as to Prague. Taxi transportation is flexible, early morning or late night departure is not a problem, we leave according to your schedule. There is never extra charge during holidays, night or special events. Price of the transfer is Euro 31€ (comfort class).
The comfort class - minibus transfer - is available for taxi between Prague and Prague. The minivans can accommodate up to 8 passengers with the luggage. Price of the transfer is the same for one person as for the eight persons. Thus the transportation is the most economical for groups of 8 passengers.
The business class - limousine taxi - we drive Mercedes Benz E class and BMW 5 series (station wagons for extra baggage space), all taxis are insured, safe and clean.
All our vehicles have modern GPS, are non smoking, and are fully insured. In case our taxi is involved in an accident or if a vehicle breaks down, we supply standin vehicle and driver. If we fail to provide the transportation, we pay the alternative transportation used instead of our taxi service (does not count in cases of unpredictable occurrences e.g. road accidents (e.g. road closures, flooding), other natural disasters and impassable sectors, late booking amendments and similar).
Drivers are friendly and helpful. We drive via the most efficient and comfortable route. Drivers drive safely and with ease. Chauffeurs obey the traffic rules, use indicators and handsfree Plantronics headsets in case they need to contact the dispatcher.
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Watch: Fort Drum Readies For 'Culinary Arts' Contest
Chefs from Fort Drum are putting the finishing touches on their technique in preparation for next month's Army-wide culinary arts competition at Fort Lee, Virginia.
The chefs have been working toward the competition for months.
"It can be tedious, doing the same thing over and over and over for hours and hours," said Sergeant First Class Michael Bogle.
That said, practice makes perfect. A 7 News reporter saw carefully crafted stuffed chickens, edible "pillows" and a chess board made out of chocolate.
"I think they're ready," said Commander Willie Rios of the 10th Sustainment Brigade. "They're motivated and they've put a lot of hard work into their craft."
(Get a taste of the chefs' work - and hear more from them - by clicking on the picture.)


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Access Lighting Collections
Access Lighting Collections
Access Lighting, one of the lead contemporary lighting manufacturers in the industry, prides itself on providing stylish, modern lighting that is upscale and affordable; exclusivity and affordability is the foundation of this family owned and operated business. Access always makes the customer their number one priority by providing outstanding, quality service and it is with you in mind that they choose lighting that is remarkable, stunning and cutting-edge. They stay up to date with the latest technology and designs in lighting and that is apparent within the fixtures they offer – Access creates functional, clever and fashionable collections made to satisfy all that you need to create amazing lighting in your home.
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Home List of Titles Fabrication of three-dimensional inductor coil using excimer laser micromachining
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/72399
- Title
- Fabrication of three-dimensional inductor coil using excimer laser micromachining
- Author(s)
- Jolic, K. I.; Ghantasala, M. K.; Hayes, J. P.; Jin, H.
- Abstract
- Conventional lithographic techniques are typically used for the fabrication of three-dimensional multilayer structures such as micro-inductors and microactuators. In this work a novel approach based exclusively on laser micromachining of dry film resists and electroplating is presented. The process involves seed layer deposition, lamination of dry film resist, laser micromachining and electroplating to mould the resist patterns. The process is then repeated, using intermediate plating seed layers if necessary, to realize the three-dimensional coil structure. The steps for sacrificial material removal involve laser patterning and chemical removal of resist and plating seed layers. The major advantages with this process are that it has fewer steps compared to conventional UV-based processing technology, and it utilizes the benefits of dry film resist processing using the laser. A three-layer micro-inductor coil was designed and fabricated using the new laser micromachining-based processing technology. The problems encountered during fabrication and possible actions to address them are discussed. This work reports the first multilayer structure that has been fabricated exclusively using laser ablation for the patterning of resist. Furthermore, this work reports the first structural layer that has been fabricated using laser ablation of resist to expose an underlying intermediate plating seed layer.
- Publication type
- Journal article
- Research centre
- Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences. Industrial Research Institute Swinburne
- Source
- Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, Vol. 13, no. 5 (Sep 2003), pp. 782-789
- Publication year
- 2003
- Keyword(s)
- Electric coils; Electric inductors; Excimer lasers; Fabrication; Laser ablation; Laser applications; Laser micromachining; Microelectromechanical devices; Micromachining; Optical microscopy; Scanning electron microscopy; Seed layer deposition
- Publisher
- Institute of Physics Publishing
- 0960-1317
- Publisher URL
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2003 IOP Publishing Ltd.
- Peer reviewed


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Overview With process geometries reaching 28-nanometers (nm) and below, there are many nanometer effects that can impact timing. Accurate analysis of these effects is required to identify real timing issues.
Synopsys' NanoTime tool is an advanced transistor-level static timing analysis solution that addresses the emerging challenges in signal integrity (SI) analysis associated with custom designs and embedded memories.
NanoTime offers concurrent timing and SI analysis, accuracy within plus-minus five percent of HSPICE®, and has the performance required to analyze complex transistor circuits and embedded memories overnight. Its seamless integration with Synopsys' PrimeTime® product enables full-chip analysis of designs that includes both gate- and transistor-level blocks. NanoTime is a key component of the Synopsys custom design verification solution that includes CustomSim® and HSPICE for circuit simulation and ESP-CV for symbolic simulation.
Download Datasheet
Download Whitepaper - The Benefits of Static Timing Analysis Based Memory Characterization
STA-Based Memory Characterization
The Challenge
Accurate transistor-level analysis of crosstalk- delay and noiseAs designs go down to 28-nm and below, crosstalk-delay comprises the majority of the total delay. Prior solutions including traditional static timing analysis with optional 3rd party crosstalk delay and noise analysis do not provide the accuracy and productivity that is required. Concurrent timing and SI crosstalk-delay and noise analysis is a must to achieve silicon success.
Accurate static timing analysis and model generation of embedded memoriesAs memory content in System-on-Chip (SoC) continues to increase, more and more silicon area will consist of memories with different functionality in the forms of embedded SRAM, ROM, and multi-port register files. The complexity of designs and verification challenges with embedded memories steadily increase with shrinking geometry. A new methodology with model generation capability to improve the overall engineering turn-around time is essential to meet today's time-to-market requirements.
Full chip timing verificationTransistor- and gate-level static timing analysis need to work together to deliver full chip timing verification. A seamless and accurate timing analysis flow from custom design to gate-level with PrimeTime achieves this. To enable higher productivity, NanoTime has the same commands as PrimeTime whenever they are applicable. Figure (1) illustrates a simplified full-chip static timing signoff flow.
Figure 1. Full-Chip Static Timing Signoff Flow
The BenefitsNanoTime offers higher predictability and improved productivity to custom designers over traditional solutions. Its concurrent timing and SI features enable designers to accurately and quickly identify timing issues early and avoid expensive silicon re-spins. NanoTime helps ensure silicon-accurate analysis and delivers overnight analysis results for complex million-transistor designs. NanoTime further boosts designer productivity by offering significant ease-of-use features, including interactive static timing analysis, extracted timing model (ETM) creation, and seamless integration with PrimeTime. In addition, Synopsys also offers a suite of custom design verification tools that operate within the Custom Designer Environment as shown in figure (2) and figure (3).
Figure 2. Synopsys Custom Design Verification Suites
Figure 3. NanoTime and Custom Designer Integration
Figure 4. NanoTime Overview and Key Features
Figure 5. NanoTime memory feature