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Tall and handsomely weathered, Cornelis J. van der Klugt, 63, has the steely-eyed bearing of the kind of 17th century Dutch admiral one imagines commanding the epic sea battles painted by Van de Welde. The impression is enhanced by the orange and blue Order of Oranje-Nassau decoration, bestowed by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, worn on his lapel. A company man for 37 years of his working life, he took the helm of NV Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken in 1986 from Wisse Dekker-at a time of much soul searching in Eindhoven. The firm has been headquartered there since 1891, when Frederik Philips and his son, Gerard, first produced incandescent lamps in a small factory.
As it approaches its centenary, the $27 billion group is showing signs of wear. It is the world's second largest maker of consumer electronics (Matsushita is first), the largest lighting equipment producer, and the leading European manufacturer of semiconductors and components. It also has significant defense, telecommunications and domestic appliance operations. Although it achieves steady volume growth of around 7 percent annually, profits are low and getting slimmer. In 1984, net after tax margins on a GAAP basis were 2 percent. In 1987, it fell to 1.2 percent and is expected to remain low for 1988.
Currency shifts don't help. Some two-fifths of its sales are denominated in dollars, and the sharp fall in the dollar more than offset its volume gains. It is also plagued with high manning levels, a heritage of its paternal role in European public life. Like its Japanese rivals, Philips traditionally operated for employees first, shareholders second.
Philips is the only remaining competitor able to stand up to the Japanese and Koreans in consumer electronics. Before van der KIugt's succession (he took charge of that division in 1978), the board questioned whether the company should continue to do battle in a field where it appeared to be entangled in its own rigging. Its problems were evident: an inefficiently fragmented production organized along national lines (it operates in 60 countries), and a high cost base centered in Western Europe. Were it not for the consolidation of its Polygram record label, Philips' consumer electronics unit would not show a profit at all.
In fact, if Philips were on the same footing as a US. or UK corporation, it would be a raider's dream. It's recent share price of $15 is less than a third of its $55 net asset value. The planned 1992 harmonization notwithstanding Philips' complex legal and ownership structure immunizes it to some degree to a U.S. style buy'em and bust'em attack.
The group's strengths are not inconsiderable. It enjoys a deserved reputation for high quality products and a venerable brand image (Philco, Magnavox, Sylvania), a solid customer base and an impressive record of technological innovation. Philips has long been aware of the need to trim fixed costs and boost profitability. The question remains: Can management do so quickly enough?
From Wall Street to London's "City" exasperated money men throw up their hands. "I wish I could recommend Philips, but 1 can't," says Henry B.W de Vismes, managing director, Kleinwort Benson International Investment and president of its Transatlantic Growth Fund and Income Fund. "It's performance continues to disappoint. Their [earnings] projections are often wrong. It's a shame, because somebody could really do something with that company."
That somebody might just be Cor van der Klugt. As president and chief executive, he has axed overhead and streamlined production along global as opposed to national lines. He installed Gerrit Jeelof vice chairman of Philips' management board as chief executive of North American Philips Corp., which became a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1987 when Philips bought the 42 percent interest that had been publicly owned. The move signaled a shift away from the fragmented confederation of national organizations towards an emphasis on product groups and global sourcing. "He has brought a new atmosphere of urgency and concern to the bloated bureacracy of Eindhoven," allows Kleinwort Grieveson analyst Chris Honnor.
Skeptics like Angela Dean, electronics analyst with London's Robert Fleming Securities Ltd. would like to see "clearer action," and more tangible signs of a turnaround in electronics. "Looking at the track record, perhaps Philips should be more in a hurry to raise cash." The group continues to cover less than half of its financing requirements internally. It has also been criticized for listless joint ventures with AT&T in information technology, and with the German electronics giant Siemens, concerning the Mega project. After negotiations with Britain's GEC over the merger with Picker International fell through, Philips was gaining unfairly, a reputation for being unable to make deals. It has since concluded a joint venture with Whirlpool where the latter has taken a majority stake in the former's household appliance operation.
In auditing its strengths and weaknesses, van der Klugt correctly points out that Philips has never lost sight of the need to maintain core technologies-something which American CEOs preach, but rarely practice. This is why the group doggedly holds onto its position in consumer electronics. Philips' experience with compact discs-which it introduced-is a good example of converging technologies and the link between consumer and professional systems. Say what you will, Philips never shorts the long-term in its R&D. Having spent half a billion dollars in restructuring itself, it is in a position to give Matsushita, Sony, Goldstar, et al, a run for their money.
Van der Klugt is nothing like the dour Dutch bureaucrat one might suppose such an imposing institution might produce for its el supremo. Confident, but realistic, he displays a commanding knowledge of facts and trends with literate wit and a taste for irony as the following exchange attests: Of our ancestors weren't in haste to cut that deal for Manhattan with the Indians, you would be interviewing me in Dutch instead of English," he quips.) He plays tennis three times a week at 7:00 A.M. and likes to ride his daughter's 10 year-old bay horse on Saturday mornings for relaxation. The honors of a Philips chief may be manifold, but what really pleases him is the occasional invitation by his Hobie Cat champion son to go out sailing. "It's not easy getting invited on that boat."
The next 12 months will tell if Philips is captained by a latter day [Admiral] de Ruyter or de loser.
Philips' ability to invent new products is well established, but it is less adept at marketing them. Are you changing this?
I would say the opposite is true. Philips is a top-notch marketer that now and again produces interesting technological concepts. One of our most famous products, the Norelco shaver, has nothing to do with research and development. [It has to do with ] championship marketing.
Take light bulbs. They're high-tech now, but for many years they've been a low-tech business in which we have held 41 percent of the world market. Our market leadership has nothing to do with Nobel prize-winning ventures. On the other hand, we've had one or two unfortunate marketing results from things we've introduced to the U.S., such as the video disc. This was due to underestimated technical problems and our "banana-peel stepping." Yet, we're largest in lighting, in TV picture tubes, and among the top three in television sets. It's true our marketing effort in the U.S. isn't what it should be, but our world leadership in these other areas is due to nitty-gritty marketing, not to technological advances.
Philips introduced the audio cassette; today one can't find a Philips blank cassette in a U.S. shop. Philips developed the video cassette recorder; today the market is dominated by the Japanese and, to a lesser extent, the Koreans.
Japan started after the war with no export performance and a very poor quality image. The U.S., and rightly so, gave them a hand. Japan appealed to American experts like [W. Edwards] Deming and [Joseph] Juran to teach them statistical quality control. The Japanese achieved success by supplying products that at first were marketed by Americans. It was only after about 10 years of this that they started marketing on their own. Getting 38,000 outlets via RCA, for example, is something money can't buy, yet the Japanese got it for free.
If marketing isn't Philips' weakness, surely its cost structure is?
Our situation is not exceptional. We have no trouble in the lighting business, and we do very well in small domestic appliances. We do quite a bit in professional electronics, too. We may be weak here and there, but we intend to grow. We intend to double our information technology activities over the next five years.
Making money in consumer electronics in the U.S. is difficult because the Japanese and Koreans can sell a product here for half the price it would cost to sell it in their home country. Anyone working from Europe has an unfavorable cost structure to start. A European engineer works 1,600 hours a year, a Japanese engineer at least 2,400, and a Korean 2,800, for half the money a European receives.
How are you trimming costs to deal with this?
By getting leaner and meaner. We're cutting out functions that don't contribute to the bottom line and removing levels of management.
How many?
From the man on the shop floor to the man at the top, there are about 10 to 14 levels; we've taken out one or two of the lowest-which is a minimal expense-but we've also streamlined the top by pensioning off 40 percent of our board members and flattening the organization.
In the end, about 30 percent of the layers will be dropped. In addition, we're moving to larger European scale manufacturing units as opposed to national units, something that will be possible in a Europe without borders [1992]. This gives us a chance to design out expensive labor and robotize the process.
We've found a better approach to making things, one that Japan developed from scratch 30 years ago. It's a process I call "comakership." Let me give you an example: We want a mold made for a cabinet. Under the traditional system, we first design the mold, then approve the drawing, then recheck the approval; it's then handed over to the purchasing department which requests prices from half a dozen different suppliers -each of whom factors in every conceivable cost into his estimate to follow that very precise drawing. This takes three months-even if you're quick.
The Japanese do this differently. They'll bring in one supplier who's an expert in molds and say, "I have a vague notion of how this cabinet should look, but we're certain that 80 percent of the mold is not subject to narrow tolerances until the last phase, so why don't you start working on it with us as we know more?"
Here's parallel action. By the time one knows what he wants the mold to look like, his supplier is already making it. This works because the guy isn't asking prices of six people, intending to leave five in the lurch. By securing a "co-maker" partnership, the process can speed up-unless of course the partner fouls up. But he's not likely to do so; he knows he won't be left in the lurch. His business may ultimately fail, but not for that reason.
Where are you implementing this "co-making" process?
In Europe, one can see it in our compact disc facility in Hanover (W. Germany) which produced the first gramophone records in the 1890s. It's an old factory that has been transformed. Unlike a shellac record, which is simple to make, compact discs are like transistors or integrated circuits that require clean surroundings and repeated galvanizing layers. In getting the raw materials, our Hanover people talked to two or three chemical companies and chose to work with one on the process.
They didn't bid on the job?
There was nothing to bid on yet. They said, "Here's what we need. Let's work together and see if we can come up with a material that works. If you can, we'll work with you." That was the first step.
Second, Hanover had to solve the submerging process which CDs undergo. This was done not on the basis of preparing a drawing and getting bids, it was done by going around to various firms within a 50-mile radius of Hanover and asking, "Can you help us solve this heat problem?" This has facilitated the manufacturing process a lot. There's a greater closeness. People from different companies call each other up to talk about problems. It's like Silicon Valley.
We've also done this around the mother factory in Belgium which makes compact disc players, and in our Monzi, Italy flow-line installation which makes, as far as we know, the cheapest 14-inch television set outside of Korea. It exists too, to some extent, in our Knoxville, Tennessee consumer electronics installation.
If marketing isn't your weakness and you reckon you've solved the manufacturing problem, why are profits so slim?
Hah! Have you gone to a Jesuit College?
First we had to gear up to become a real global company as well as a real common market company. Of the nine picture tube factories, for example, six have had to be eliminated and three were built up. That alone cost us a large amount. In 1987, restructuring cost us $250 million. Yes, we could squeeze a few more years out of some of these plants, but we would no longer be in the big leagues. We don't like to do it, but such measures are necessary to get in shape for world competition and ultimately to penetrate Japan.
Second, apart from these costs, we're going to eliminate between 15,000 and 20,000 indirect jobs-mostly staff jobs. The redundancies will lower overall costs by about $500 million. We won't show much profit during this sacrifice. It's real expensive to get rid of people. It costs $75,000 to let a worker go in Spain; and we had 8,000 of them in Spain! Now what am I going to do with the 4,000 people in Barcelona? It'll be transformed into a bigger unit producing a million or more units for the entire common market, not just Spain. If everything goes well, we'll see the turnaround this year.
If we see each other a year from now and you reproach me for not predicting accurately, it'll likely be due to world dumping and the bloodletting of margins in European markets. But I don't think this will happen. We're sticking to our guns.
How will you fight the two most important battles now being waged for the future of consumer electronics dominance, namely, the standardization of digital audio tape (DAT) and high definition television (HDTV)?
After the compact disc fight, we sat down with the Japanese to determine which of the two then competing standards would be used for DAT. It's interesting, but they prefer the gaijin [foreigner] to decide this. If the foreigner does it, Matsushita doesn't have to kill Sony and Sony won't have to commit seppuku [suicide] because Sanyo didn't go along. (This is also true of HDTV.)
It was interesting because they regarded Philips as their master in terms of knowledge-not in terms of performance. (We think we'll get there one day.) As you know, we have a 35 percent interest in Matsushita Electric Company and have a 10 year technical assistance contract which has been renewed for another 10 years. Maybe you're right in that this knowledge should be realized in marketing our own products-not with somebody else's. But in the meantime, we're getting something.
With these people around the table it was agreed that the RDAT [Rotary Digital Audio Tape] system would be the official DAT standard. At this point we said, "Wait! Make certain you get the software industry to agree to this standard." People buy the music, not the box-all we're selling here is the box." Mr. Ishiro Shinji of JVC said, and I'll never forget this, "Let the Americans solve their own problems." I told Shinji and [Akio] Morita [Sony] that they had better talk to the software industry, which is, in essence, the U.S. Next thing I knew , a flurry of Japanese newspapers were reporting that Philips was pleading with the Japanese not to start DAT because we were not ready.
None of this was true. We had learned from our experience with the audio cassette -which we freely made available to the world-and with the compact disc from which we collect royalties. If a top quality tape was introduced with CBS and EMI and earned no revenue, it would never have gotten off the ground.
At the meeting in Canada, the American record industry came away furious because the Japanese simply refused to listen. I can excuse the Japanese, to a degree, because they don't produce classical or popular software; they have no experience. They assume that if they start selling DAT, things will start coming together by themselves, but they won't. It's less than a year since Sony acquired CBS Records and there's still no breakthrough, which proves that you may be the owner and still not be able to call the shots. It's a nasty problem because no one wishes to mutilate a technology merely to protect their interests.
Why not do what the Japanese do and impose your own standard on the market and force everyone to catch up?
We can't. You need a large market share to do it, and no one does.
Nobody has a dominant market share for DAT because there's no established market yet.
We don't have a standard. We have merely proposed to have certain devices be applied within the DAT unit so that it becomes a once-only copying device. This cannot be achieved alone. You need the whole industry behind you. The CD experience is the example of how it's best done.
You must be somewhat lucky to pick the right moment when a concept is right to be standardized. I had my first historic meeting with Akio Morita just down the corridor from where we are speaking [North American Philips New York headquarters] nearly four years ago. He would make a point of stopping by to see our people, and I would casually drop by for periodic chats. He and I agreed that the CD was a worthwhile concept. He took the responsibility of gaining the commitment ofJapanese industry, and I had the duty of convincing the rest of the world. There is no equal to the CD's success. It held more than 5 percent of the market in less than five years.
What's your strategy for HDTV?
In Europe, we have taken the first step toward a satellite broadcast system called D2 MAC. On October 27, 1988, the first satellite offering this system was launched. A patch [unit] is available-to those who buy it-to use within existing TV sets to receive the signal. We will soon be making integrated sets with the new system, which will be a little more expensive than those now sold.
As you know, there's a production standard and a transmission standard and that's what we're talking about. Japan Broadcasting Corp. [NHK] worked on American broadcasters to adapt their production standard based on the MUSE system. It's a good system, but when NHK tried to force MUSE on the Americans for a transmission standard, it ran into problems. For one, MUSE can't be received by existing sets and it isn't suitable in countries like mine for example, that have a high degree of cable networking. This means people would have to throw out their old sets and buy new ones. No one in Europe is going to do that, and God himself couldn't sell Europeans on the idea.
We don't think that's good business, so we're adopting the same approach used in the introduction of color TV. Anyone with a black and white set can continue to receive a signal. Remember the multiple record standards: 78, 45, and 33 rpm? They coexisted. It's a proven. I think there's a better than average chance that the FCC will accept the Philips concept. NHK, on the other hand, continues to force and bully its own system. Not long ago, after NHK got cold water over its head, Mr. Kenji Shima offered its system to us at cost. Can you believe it? I told him, "What you're offering is an impossible system. You want to make me a slave as long as I pay my own price." In HDTV, as in DAT, the Japanese don't want to talk to anybody. Of course in Japan, everybody is scared of NHK. But, on the other hand, Japanese makers fear being painted into a comer. Ultimately, the Japanese will come around quickly and adapt with a compatible system. Our system is equally as good as MUSE except that it'll take four or five years to get there.
Once you've sorted out standardization, will Philips be able to ship products good enough and fast enough to capture top market share?
We'll have extended definition TV by the beginning of 1989. By the end of the year, Europe will have 42 new channels. We have indoor/outdoor units, the small DBS dishes, the patch units, and the integrated sets.
The answer is yes-in Europe. The U.S. has not made a decision yet, but our Signetics semiconductor unit [in Sunnyvale, CA] and our consumer electronics unit in Knoxville are on the ball and won't stand back for anybody.
Why do you believe, as you have said, that "the Japanese are past their apex?"
That's more blunt than how I phrased it, but, yes, there are questions one can ask: What will happen to Japan as its population continues to age? What will happen to social security costs? Education? Can it continue directing only the top people to universities? What will they do with those who aren't "geniuses?" How long can you make people live the rigorous existence? They don't enjoy big houses or big refrigerators, weekend houses, soft beds and sailing boats. I'm not knocking it. I admire it. But this cannot continue for a long time. How long is a long time? Certainly no more than another 20 to 25 years.
The real question is, "Will Japan increase its competitive advantage with the West?" The answer is no. They've gone as far as they can conceivably go. The big U.S. semiconductor companies formed [a research consortium] Sematech which signals the end of American submission.
Hah, finally! We've been telling Americans that they've been giving away their knowledge for nothing. Each dollar you pay them is 10 cents for the bullet that's going to kill you. Even our North American people were chiding me saying, "You can't say this to Americans." We said, "It's o.k., they're not listening to us anyway." The U.S. will not let things get too far away from them. If mainframes, aircraft, and ultimately space technology moves to Japan, what have you got left?
The president of one of the leading U.S. aircraft manufacturers (I don't wish to say who) developing the most advanced military aircraft, told me that the aircraft has 3,000 microprocessors and there's only one U.S. maker of these left. In five years, will his successor be forced to go to Japan to find them? Will SDI be "Made in Japan?" I exaggerate, but this is where these things lead. That's why I think Japan has gone as far as the world will let it go.
Will the international competitive position of the U.S. improve or worsen?
It will get better.
You've got no more than three years to turn this company around. Will you be able to do everything before you step down?
Well, Jesus Christ did it in three years!
Yes, but he had 12 helpers.That's true; and I only have 10. Seriously, I think we've got the message out. The top layers of management know. Now we're reaching out to the middle levels. As I mentioned, we sacrificed 1987 and 1988 to restructure. We'll do better in total profits in 1989. This will smother some of the criticism which, I admit, is justified. We'll make our profit target [3 percent after tax] by 1991, too.


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Athlete Profile
Athlete: Garret Fisher
- Region:
- Northern California
- Affiliate:
- Unaffiliated
- Gender:
- Male
- Age:
- 25
- Height:
- 6'1"
- Weight:
- 209 lb
|Filthy 50
|Fight Gone Bad
|Sprint 400m
|Run 5k
|Clean & Jerk
|365 lb
|285 lb
|0 lb
|Back Squat
|0 lb
|Max Pull-ups
How I Eat
I weigh and measure my food
How I Train
I have a coach who determines my programming
My Athletic Background
I played college sports
My Experience With CrossFit
I began CrossFit with a coach (e.g. at an affiliate)
My Work/Rest Schedule
I strictly schedule my rest days
How long have you been doing CrossFit?
4+ years
Athlete Coverage
Video, Posted Thu, 02.27.14
Today is the day. Open Workout 14.1 will be announced live from CrossFit North Atlanta at 5 p.m. PT. On this episode of the CrossFit Games Update, hosts Nicole Christensen, Pat Sherwood and Sean...
Video, Posted Thu, 02.27.14
Article, Posted Tue, 02.25.14
Nearly 12 years ago, CrossFit Founder and CEO Greg Glassman defined fitness. In 2007, the first test to find the fittest man and woman on Earth was born: the CrossFit Games. "It's as easy as this: if...
Video, Posted Thu, 02.20.14
With three older brothers, Lauren Fisher quickly learned how to play with the boys. "She would just never back down," says Fisher's mom, Linda. At 12 years old, Fisher started training at CrossFit...
Video, Posted Thu, 12.05.13
Top athletes throw down in Big Sky, Mont., at the 2013 CrossFit Tour event. Dan Bailey, Scott Panchik, Garret Fisher, Alessandra Pichelli, Elisabeth Akinwale and Michelle Kinney go for a max snatch...
Video, Posted Wed, 09.04.13
When you leave Montana, the world seems two-dimensional again. The rise of CrossFit worldwide still seems a surprise to many on the fringe, but the answer to all of it was on display in Big...
Article, Posted Wed, 08.21.13
Top athletes throw down at the 2013 CrossFit Tour in Big Sky, Mont. In event two of the weekend, Scott Panchik, Garret Fisher and Dan Bailey completed 5 rounds for time of: 4 muscle-ups and 3 Pig...
Video, Posted Sat, 08.17.13
SEAL training merges with dog-sled racing at the CrossFit Games. In the Team Burden Run, six members split the work. The Individual athletes—the...
Article, Posted Fri, 07.26.13
After completing the first event of the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games, Individual athletes discuss how it went.
Video, Posted Thu, 07.25.13
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subset: commoncrawl


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The ambassador program began in 1999 with 42 Airport retirees looking to stay active and involved in the industry they loved. Today this number is over 70 and they perform a range of services from assisting people with disabilities in getting around the facility to providing information on the community. They are positioned throughout the airport seven days a week, 365 days a year and can be identified by their red blazer or golf shirt to help travellers make full use of airport amenities. Our ambassadors provide a level of service unique to the Kelowna International Airport.
YLW launched the Junior Ambassador Program in the summer of 2010 to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the airport's current program. High School students in grade 10 and 11 can earn their volunteer hours required by the Central Okanagan School District while gaining exposure to career opportunities in the aviation industry.
To volunteer with either the Ambassador or Junior Ambassador programs: Airport
Tourism Kelowna Visitor Information Kiosk in the arrivals area assists locals and visitors from all over the world answering a myriad of inquiries about Kelowna and the Okanagan region. The Kiosk is staffed by trained, dedication Visitor Information volunteers seven days a week. Interested in being a Tourism Kelowna volunteer at the airport? Email: Chris Lewis or Phone: 250 861-1515 ext. 207
The YLW Airport Watch Program, linked to the national Airport Watch Program based in Ottawa, was launched in December 2009. After completing its first year, volunteer members logged over 360.25 hours conducting patrols of the lots and perimeter fencing. Members monitor general aviation procedures, the condition of the fencing, wildlife activity, parking lots, suspicious behaviours and foreign object debris (FOD) while they enjoy their favourite pastime - watching airplanes. More information .
For more information contact the Airport Administration office


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This just arrived in my email box:
LAUSD: Follow The Money by Joseph K
What qualifies Bloomberg to buy a Board of Education three thousand miles distant? In New York with the help of the Gates Foundation, he closed more than 150 "failing schools" replacing them with smaller schools and charter schools. Sixty percent of these "new and improved" smaller elementary and middle schools now have lower passing rates than the schools they replaced. Just 38% of the students at elementary and middle schools created by the Bloomberg administration passed the reading exams, compared with 47% of students citywide. Former NYC School Chancellor Joel Klein, who raised proficiency rates by dramatically lowering expectations, pitched in another $25,000.
Jaimie Alter Lynton donated $100,000 to the Coalition. She, like Chernin, is on the board of Deasy's fundraising nonprofit group. Lynton also launched L.A. School Report which is basically dedicated to extolling and promoting Deasy and electing both Anderson and Garcia while simultaneously denouncing the teachers' union as the protector of pedophiles.


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Fatal motorcycle crashes continue to decrease
Laramie, WY – The number of motorcycle riders who died in crashes in Wyoming has dropped for two consecutive years. In 2009 there were 13 fatalities. That's the fewest motorcycle deaths since 2001. Wyoming does not require riders over the age of 18 to wear helmets. Susan McHenry manages the Wyoming Department of Transportation motorcycle safety program. She says that in almost every fatal crash, riders aren't wearing helmets.
"While the numbers go down it is still an important thing for people to be wearing the motorcycle helmets out there because like I said when you look at the motorists who are killed on motorcycles about three-fourths of them are not wearing helmets."
WyDOT reports that only 23 percent of riders in Wyoming wear helmets. McHenry says a campaign urging drivers to watch for motorcycles is also helping keep riders safe.


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Leicester (final day of four): Leicestershire (5pts) drew with Northamptonshire (9)
In both 2009 and 2011, Northamptonshire missed promotion to the first division, whose fields thay have not graced for nine years, by a tantalising two points. Could it yet prove that the bowling point they grasped at Grace Road, five minutes before a terminal deluge arrived, will assume critical significance by September?
In a rain-ruined match, only 70.1 overs were possible, 36.1 of them on Friday, from tea on the second day when Leicestershire, on 47 for two, were 520 runs behind. In such play as was possible until 3.15pm on the final afternoon, they had advanced to 234 for


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by offbeans / 02/16/2009 at 9:29pm / United States (California) / Kids
Today, I turned on my camera to find pictures of my dad's secretary giving him a blowjob. Minutes later, I hear a scream from another room as my 12-year-old sister discovers similar pictures on HER camera. Mom and dad say it's no big deal. FML
by rexob / 02/04/2009 at 10:51am / United States (California) / Intimacy


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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Hy-Vee stores will honor America's veterans on Veterans Day with a free breakfast in appreciation of their service to the country. "Hy-Vee's Veterans Breakfast is one of the most rewarding activities we sponsor each year," said Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee's president. "It's an opportunity for communities to come together to thank our veterans for the sacrifices they have made to secure our freedoms." A breakfast ...
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Mondays might be inherently awful, but the latest EP from local rapper P. Blackk, which first posted online over the weekend, is making the start of the new workweek significantly more bearable.
The seven-track effort, titled Two, follows July's One (sensing a pattern here?) and finds the MC in typically fine form, rhyming over a jazzy backdrop on the album-opening "Intro (1999)," flexing atop strutting funk horns on "Richard" and spitting fire on the kinetic "Git It How U Live," which sounds like it jacked its percolating beat from a vintage video game.
"I want to know what my future holds," Blackk sings on closer "The Break-Up Song."
Alive has long predicted big things for the artist — he was named one of our Bands to Watch in 2011, after all — and this new release, which he produced, mixed, mastered and performed, only affirms our belief that Blackk's future is impossibly bright.
Stream or download the album now by clicking right here, and watch the video for "Git It How You Live" below.


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John Kosko sent in this tip for cleaning cartomizers.
Great web site, I'm going to build a puck when I can get around to it. In the mean time, I've learned carts come out pretty clean by just soaking overnight in a gallon of water, no need to boil them as some others have suggested. I blow out the wet carts to get them just damp and then put the damp carts on a 9W coffee-warming hot plate overnight to dry them out. I also made a "penny puller" for removing cart caps. Basically you file off the tip of a #4 finishing nail, bend last 1/8 inch of the tip 90-degs. Insert the tip through a small hole drilled in a penny and you have a penny puller for removing carts tips.


text: Four of us had a lovely one week stay here, in three rooms. Only one room faces the street, and we did not use that one. We were in one room at the back of the front courtyard, and the two rooms at the back of the back courtyard. None of us had noise problems. The upstairs room is accessed... More


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Project Intelligence for the Painting Industry
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012
New U.S. requirements for classifying chemicals and communicating hazardous information on container labels and material safety data sheets will be the topic of a free upcoming webinar by SSPC and JPCL.
"Complying with the Updated OSHA Hazard Communication Standard" will be presented from 11 a.m. to noon ET Dec. 5.
OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard: 1910.1200 was updated this year to align with the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.
The webinar will explain the importance of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Hazard Communication Standard: 1910.1200, which was updated May 25 to align with the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.
The update provides a uniform global approach to classifying chemicals and communicating hazardous information on container labels and MSDS. The webinar will explain how the update differs from the past version and how to conform to the current version.
The discussion will include how the new changes improve quality and consistency of hazard information in the workplace, making it safer for workers and helping reduce trade barriers, resulting in productivity improvements for American businesses that regularly handle, store, and use hazardous chemicals.
Participants may register here free.
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Stiner's career includes positions with PPG Industries and Sauereisen Inc. As a chemist in R&D at Sauereisen, she was responsible for all organic products manufactured by the company. At SSPC, Stiner performs technical writing, contributes articles to the JPCL, responds to scientific inquiries, and acts as a technical resource for members. She is also a member of the American Chemical Society, ASTM, and NACE.
Registration, CEU Credits
This program is part of the JPCL/SSPC Webinar Education Series, which provides continuing education for SSPC recertifications and technology updates on important topics.
SSPC is an accredited training provider for the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE), and Professional Engineers in Florida may submit SSPC Webinar Continuing Education Units to the board. To do so, applicants must download the FBPE CEU form and pass the Webinar Exam, which costs $25.
Free Webcasts Available
Numerous free webcasts are now available at www.paintsquare.com/webinars. Among the recent presentations:
"Confined Space Entry on Construction Projects: Applicable Standards," presented Nov. 21, discussed the relevant federal standards related to industrial painting in confined spaces. The presenter was Stan Liang, a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional with KTA-Tator's EH&S Group.
"Fundamentals of Thermal Spray for Corrosion Control," presented Oct. 31, discussed procedures for applying metallic thermal spray coatings (TSCs) of aluminum, zinc, and their alloys and composites for the corrosion protection of steel.
"Field Inspection and Repair of Transmission Pipeline Coatings," presented Oct. 25, discussed the methods and materials used to repair pipeline coating systems and describe the field inspection techniques used to evaluate the condition of coatings exposed during routine pipeline maintenance.
"The New PA 2: Procedure for Determining Conformance to Dry Coating Thickness," presented Oct. 17, offered an overview of SSPC's newly overhauled coating thickness standard. The presenter was Bill Corbett, of KTA-Tator, who headed the SSPC panel that updated the standard.
"Applying Plural-Component Coatings," presented Sept. 26, discussed new methods for applying today's advanced high solids/short pot life protective coatings.
"Quality Control of Abrasive Blast Cleaning Operations," presented Sept. 7, focused on the essentials of effective, high-quality abrasive blast cleaning. Topics included abrasive blast equipment, materials and substrate preparation.
"Introduction to CAS (Coating Application Specialist)," presented Aug. 22, provided an overview of the education, training, experience, knowledge and skills required by an Application Specialist to prepare and apply protective coatings to steel and concrete surfaces in accordance with SSPC Application Certification Standard No. 1/NACE NO.13. The presenter was Anton Ruesing, of IUPAT DC78-Florida Finishing Trades Institute.
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Obama's "paid for" job's plan — nothing but tax increases
I know, you're wondering, how does Obama plan to pay for his $450 billion plus job plan, right. Because in the speech he made the claim this was all going to be "paid for", remember.
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew outlined President Barack Obama's plan to pay for his $447 billion jobs plan — mostly through tax increases.
Lew said itemized tax deductions and exemptions for those making more than $200,000, and families earning more than $250,000 would be cut — raising about $400 billion to pay for Obama's jobs plan over 10 years.
A change to bring more hedge fund earnings under normal tax rules as opposed to carried interest rates would raise another $18 billion.
The new tax rules would not take effect until January 2013, Lew said. Obama is not offering any spending cuts to pay for the jobs plan.
The rest of the total would be raised by cutting subsidies for the oil and gas industries to bring in another $40 billion, and change the depreciation rules for corporate jets. All told, Obama would cut $467 billion to pay for his plan.
Lew added that the White House doesn't anticipate that raising some taxes on high income earners would result in the loss of jobs.
Gotta love it. No politics in this. Nothing happens until January 2013 (how convenient). And the changes will pay for his spending now in 10 years. Wow, where have we heard that before? More debt boosting smoke and mirrors. More of the same old tired agenda.
And of course, we all know that no future Congress is obligated to any of this. And you wonder why there are those of us out here shouting about paying for something now vs the future?
Also, it is a litany of those interests and demographics which reside on the Obama "enemies list". The rich and the fossil fuel industry. It is the usual class warfare politics. To sell this Obama has to attempt to demonize the rich and the oil companies – even more than he's done so already. As everyone knows, I'm all for ending subsidies for everyone, but what Obama calls subsides in this case are tax breaks all businesses in all sectors take. They're not direct subsidies at all (regardless of what the press or the White House choose to call them). This is selective taxation of the type that is meant to be punitive.
So here's the money part of the great plan. It is absolutely nothing the Republicans have supported before. It should be Dead On Arrival. Obviously, knowing the Republicans won't support such a funding mechanism, President Obama is not at all interested in a compromise jobs bill. Or bi-partisanship. He's put a completely unpalatable poison pill in the bill and will now try to paint the GOP as intransigent obstructionists.
And, given the fact that taking those tax breaks away from the oil and gas industry will cost them an extra $40 billion it's hard not to believe it won't cost jobs. Note Lew didn't address that point concerning the removal of the tax break. He's only claiming that in regards to the so-called "rich".
Business as usual. Tax and spend. And as usual it is spend now an collect later. Somehow we never get around to the spending cuts, do we? $14 trillion dollars of debt say "no".
Twitter: @McQandO
The "Irene makes big government okay again" lobby
Well now we know why, at least for some, Hurricane Irene was so hyped. It gave apologists for big government a chance to spin the response into plaudits for big government and a claim it is still necessary. Missing, of course, is any context or proportion. Those, like Dana Milbank and Steve Benen, just use the opportunity to bash small government conservatives in general and the Tea Party in particular.
And they brilliantly erect giant strawmen and then just flat tear them apart.
Tea Partyers who denounce Big Government seem to have an abstract notion that government spending means welfare programs and bloated bureaucracies. Almost certainly they aren't thinking about hurricane tracking and pre-positioning of FEMA supplies. But if they succeed in paring the government, some of these Tea Partyers (particularly those on the coasts or on the tornadic plains) may be surprised to discover that they have turned a Hurricane Irene government back into a Katrina government.
Tea Partiers have a very specific notion of what government spending means to them and it certainly isn't just centered in the canard of "welfare programs and bloated bureaucracies." In case Mr. Milbank hasn't noticed, his big government now owes more in debt than our economy produces in a year. That is the problem the Tea Party has with "big government". And, frankly, that's a problem Milbank should have with it too. Instead he spends a column touting big government using the pretext of a natural disaster (and government's response to it) to attack those who object to the continuing deficit spending of big government. Instead, if had in sense, he'd be leading the charge to rein it in.
Stipulated, there are things that government can do because of government's orientation. Wage war, for instance. But that doesn't then excuse the excesses elsewhere. Nor does it justify its intrusion in areas it has no business being in. And it certainly doesn't justify it spending more than it takes in. Those are the Tea Party's objections to big government's spending, Mr. Milbank. Please try to present them properly the next time you attempt the subject.
Of course nonsense like Milbank's above lead to absurd conclusions in order to attempt to persuade:
The other model is to have a weak federal government, without the funds to forecast storms or to launch a robust emergency response in time to do any good. You might call that the Tea Party model.
Really. Who said anything about a "weak federal government"? I believe what the Tea Party is more interested in is a Constitutionally structured federal government that does its job, stays out of areas it doesn't belong, and spends no more than the revenue it takes in. Oh yeah, and the real pesky part – doesn't engage in social engineering.
As for Benen he seconds Milbank:
That Tea Party model, by the way, isn't a hypothetical scenario — congressional Republicans are not only unwilling to provide emergency disaster relief without offsetting spending cuts, they're also eager to cut the resources NOAA needs to track storms, while also slashing the FEMA budget.
This week, federal agencies are winning generally rave reviews, but if the public expects equally competent disaster response efforts in the future, Americans will have to hope the GOP agenda is rejected.
Oh, the horror – those dastardly Republicans want to actually not spend in a deficit mode. They want to live within the revenue stream that the federal government has coming in. Imagine wanting to offset spending in one area to ensure payment in another without borrowing money? Those simple Tea Partiers! Don't they know that sometimes you just have to spend, spend, spend?
Uh, gee Mr. Benen, isn't that what has gotten us into this mess in the first place? The fact that the government actually got something right for a change doesn't then justify "big government". What it does is demonstrate nothing more than every now and then a blind squirrel will find an acorn. Lord knows the fed has had enough practice it's certainly something it should be getting right. But then, our military has been "getting it right" on disaster relief missions outside the country for years, decades even. It's not like there wasn't precedent. Yes, again stipulated, sometimes it takes a big organization to do what is necessary in a disaster to provide aid where needed. That said, that doesn't excuse "big government", spending excesses, waste, fraud, abuse, intrusion into areas the government doesn't belong, social engineering via the tax code and other means and bankrupting the nation.
What is it about these types of apologists for big government that they don't seem to ever be able to quite grasp those points?
Twitter: @McQandO
Destroying the "taxing the rich is the solution" myth
If you listen to Democrats, all we need to do to solve the debt and deficit problem is to let the Bush era tax rates expire and raise the tax rate on the rich. We've had Warren Buffet, among others, saying "hey, tax me more, I can afford it". And, of course, those standing their ground on principle saying revenue isn't the problem and tax increases aren't the solution are roundly condemned for being greedy and protecting the rich.
Well what if we increased the taxes on the rich? What if we increased them dramatically? Is our deficit problem likely to be solved? The answer, of course, is "no". And here are the numbers:
"Even taking every last penny from every individual making more than $10 million per year would only reduce the nation's deficit by 12 percent and the debt by 2 percent," the non-partisan Tax Foundation's David Logan writes.
"There's simply not enough wealth in the community of the rich to erase this country's problems by waving some magic tax wand," said Logan.
Rest assured you'd only get one shot at all the money as well. The next year the majority of the rich — and that most likely would include Warren Buffet — would find ways to hide their income from such a level of taxation. Human Nature 101.
So 12% of the deficit and 2% of the debt with 100% taxation. Sound like a solution to you? Of course not. How about raising taxes in general, good idea right now?
If you said, "no", you're in good company:
The majority of economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics believe that the federal deficit should be reduced only or primarily through spending cuts.
The survey out Monday found that 56 percent of the NABE members surveyed felt that way, while 37 percent said they favor equal parts spending cuts and tax increases. The remaining 7 percent believe it should be done only or mostly through tax increases.
Whether the president likes to admit it, we're in danger of a double-dip recession, and one way to guarantee it is to raise taxes during such an unstable time as now. Obviously if taxes are increased on the rich, it won't be 100%, so the impact on the debt and deficit are likely to be minimal at best. And it would be an action counter to what economists believe to be the best approach to avoiding a double-dip.
That most likely means that Democrats will continue to pursue such an increase with a single-minded purpose. Or, in short, they still don't get it — it's the spending, stupid.
Twitter: @McQandO
4 Trillion in debt added under Obama's term
Deficit spending has risen faster under Barack Obama than any other president in history. That's not to say other presidents weren't in the red during their administrations, but in the case of Obama, its over 4 trillion dollars in less than a single term.
The latest posting by the Treasury Department shows the national debt has now increased $4 trillion on President Obama's watch.
The debt was $10.626 trillion on the day Mr. Obama took office. The latest calculation from Treasury shows the debt has now hit $14.639 trillion.
It's the most rapid increase in the debt under any U.S. president.
The national debt increased $4.9 trillion during the eight-year presidency of George W. Bush. The debt now is rising at a pace to surpass that amount during Mr. Obama's four-year term.
The immediate problem isn't about taxes or revenues, "it's the spending, stupid!" Byron York echoes the point:
It's conventional wisdom in Washington to blame the federal government's dire financial outlook on runaway entitlement spending. Unless we rein in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the conventional wisdom goes, the federal government is headed for disaster.
That's true in the long run. But what is causing massive deficits now? . . . The bottom line is that with baby boomers aging, entitlements will one day be a major budget problem. But today's deficit crisis is not one of entitlements. It was created by out-of-control spending on everything other than entitlements. The recent debt-ceiling agreement is supposed to put the brakes on that kind of spending, but leaders have so far been maddeningly vague on how they'll do it.
Precisely. When treating a badly wounded person the immediate need is to stop the bleeding, not treat them for heart disease. Once the bleeding is stopped, then you can worry about their heart and future treatments.
The spending has to stop. And President Obama is not the man to do that. He blames his spending on everyone but himself which indicates to many that he has no intention of slowing it down:
Mr. Obama blames policies inherited from his predecessor's administration for the soaring debt. He singles out:
- "two wars we didn't pay for"
- "a prescription drug program for seniors…we didn't pay for."
- "tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 that were not paid for."
While there is some truth to what he points too, the last is nonsense unless you believe the government has first claim to your earnings. Those aren't tax cuts, they're tax rates. They've been in place for almost 10 years for the first and eight for the second. Tax rates are changed all the time, but until recently they've never been referred too as "tax cuts … that were not paid for". Also not mentioned in Mr. Obama's litany is TARP – something he voted for – and the trillion dollar stimulus bill, not to mention the new health care law which analysis now shows bends the cost curve up.
Just as this economy is all his, so is the 4 trillion in borrowed money he's spent during his term to little or no effect during his term. And the budget he submitted to Congress this year, the budget that was rejected 97-0, indicated he still doesn't understand the spending has to stop.
Our debt now stands at 97.6% of our GDP. That's default territory. Yet there are those who have attacked Standard and Poors for downgrading their rating to reflect that reality. This is serious business that effects or will effect everyone if it isn't stopped. GOP candidates need to concentrate on the immediate problem and announce and run on their plan to stop the bleeding.
Twitter: @McQandO
Still not getting it – – Democratic Rep to introduce "Progressive" jobs bill
It might come as a surprise to some, but the bill Democrat Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL) plans to introduce as a jobs bill is long on borrowing money we don't have and funneling that money through ineffective government programs. Apparently they still don't get it.
The member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus would spend $227 billion dollars and, best case, create 2.2 million jobs (or, again best case, a little over $108,000 a dollar a job). Her plan reads like something from the Franklin Roosevelt administration:
Under her plan, the following policies would be implemented:
- The School Improvement Corps would create 400,000 construction and 250,000 maintenance jobs by funding positions created by public school districts to do needed school rehabilitation improvements.
- The Park Improvement Corps would create 100,000 jobs for youth between the ages of 16 and 25 through new funding to the Department of the Interior and the USDA Forest Service's Public Lands Corps Act. Young people would work on conservation projects on public lands including the restoration and rehabilitation of natural, cultural, and historic resources.
- The Student Jobs Corps would create 250,000 more part-time work study jobs for eligible college students through new funding for the Federal Work Study Program.
- The Neighborhood Heroes Corps would hire 300,000 new teachers, 40,000 new police officers and 12,000 new firefighters.
- The Health Corps would hire at least 40,000 health care providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and health care workers to expand access in underserved rural and urban areas.
- The Child Care Corps would create 100,000 jobs in early childhood care and education through additional funding for Early Head Start.
- The Community Corps would hire 750,000 individuals to do needed work in communities, including housing rehab, weatherization, recycling, and rural conservation.
Perusing the list, there's absolutely no possible threat of waste, fraud and abuse, is there? 750,000 people hired to "work in the community" doing "recycling" and "rural conservation?" "Weatherization"? Nope, no chance of waste, fraud and abuse, none at all.
Of course, nowhere in there other than initially, is there any mechanism to fund the "jobs" created in the future. They'd last as long as the $227 billion did and then the jobs would go away. That would include the teachers, police officers and firefighters. Those are simply in the plan to make it sound more acceptable. If the localities who will get the teachers, police and firefighters funded by this boondoggle can't afford to hire them now, chances are very good they won't be able to keep them when the money runs out.
The jobs listed are also mostly make work jobs on make work projects that might be nice to have done, but aren't going to contribute to the private economy (the actual engine of the economy) in any meaningful way. Nothing is really "produced", no wealth is created, no revenue – other than salaries – is taxable.
And finally, which health care providers is "Health Corps" going to hire? There's a shortage of health care providers in the private market. Why in the world would they leave that to work for government in "underserved rural and urban areas?"
It is clear with Rep. Schakowsky's proposal that the Progressive side of the aisle still don't get it. How much louder do the American people have to shout to be heard?
Cut spending. Make government smaller. Make government less costly.
Rep. Schakowsky and the Progressives are still stuck in the 20th century. We're already living the Raw Deal thanks to spendthrifts like her.
Twitter: @McQandO
Observations: The QandO Podcast for 07 Aug 11
In this podcast, Bruce, Michael, and Dale discuss concerns about Turkey, and the debt limit.
The direct link to the podcast can be found here.
As a reminder, if you are an iTunes user, don't forget to subscribe to the QandO podcast, Observations, through iTunes. For those of you who don't have iTunes, you can subscribe at Podcast Alley. And, of course, for you newsreader subscriber types, our podcast RSS Feed is here. For podcasts from 2005 to 2010, they can be accessed through the RSS Archive Feed.
Mark Steyn is brilliant—and grim
Mark Steyn, writing in Investors Business Daily, isn't pulling any punches about what the near future holds for us if the Federal government keeps spending like there is no tomorrow. There won't be.
[B]y 2020 just the interest payments on the debt will be larger than the U.S. military budget. That's not paying down the debt, but merely staying current on the servicing — like when you get your MasterCard statement and you can't afford to pay off any of what you borrowed but you can just about cover the monthly interest charge.
Except in this case the interest charge for U.S. taxpayers will be greater than the military budgets of China, Britain, France, Russia, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, India, Italy, South Korea, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Spain, Turkey and Israel combined.
When interest payments consume about 20% of federal revenues, that means a fifth of your taxes are entirely wasted. Pious celebrities often simper that they'd be willing to pay more in taxes for better government services.
But a fifth of what you pay won't be going to government services at all, unless by "government services" you mean the People's Liberation Army of China, which will be entirely funded by U.S. taxpayers by about 2015…
And even those numbers presuppose interest rates will remain at their present historic low. Last week, the firm of Macroeconomic Advisors, one of the Obama administration's favorite economic analysts, predicted that interest rates on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes would be just shy of 9% by 2021. If that number is right, there are two possibilities:
The Chinese will be able to quintuple the size of their armed forces and stick us with the tab. Or we'll be living in a Mad Max theme park. I'd bet on the latter myself.
And we all know who'll be running Bartertown.
Look, there's no way to sugar-coat this. What's coming isn't gonna be pretty. Too many politically powerful groups have their fingers stuck too deeply into the DC pie to let it all just slip away without fighting tooth and nail. There are too many people who believe the gravy train of benefits coming out of DC should be endless to kiss that goodbye without a fight.
Look at what has been happening in Greece. They've built up two generations of people who cannot and will not accept that they're simply out of money. Despite the fact that system has been thoroughly looted, they are adamant that the looting should continue.
If we don't cut spending—and I mean real cuts, not cuts to some imaginary baseline that has $9 trillion is spending increases baked in—and some sort of serious tax reform that widens the tax base to raise more revenue, we're done.
And don't come back at me with some lame "Our GDP:Debt ratio was 120% at the end of WWII" silliness. Yes it was. And you know how we fixed it? We cut Federal spending from $92 billion in 1945 to $38 billion in 1949. For 2011, 40% of the federal budget was financed with borrowed money: We'll spend $3.818 trillion, of which $1.645 trillion is borrowed. If we funded only defense, Medicare/Medicaid, and Social Security, and interest on the debt, we'd still have a deficit of $673 billion. Just to balance the budget this year—forget paying off any debt—we'd have to cut an additional ~25% from Health, Defense, and Pensions. Follow the link and download the CSV file, open it up in Excel, and run the numbers yourself. The magic number to balance the budget this year is the revenue of $2.174 trillion.
There's no big mystery as to why we got a downgrade from S&P. The mystery is why Fitch and Moody's haven't downgraded US debt yet.
To begin paying down the debt will require massive cuts in government spending, substantially widening the tax base, and some healthy economic growth—and good luck with that as we add another couple hundred k government workers to the unemployment roles, lay off 1/3 of government contractors to boot, and start asking the bottom 50% of taxpayers to actually, you know, pay taxes, along with everyone else.
If you're under 50, and reach retirement age with any modicum of personal wealth, you can forget seeing a dime in Social Security or Medicare benefits when you retire. You'll be means-tested right out of all that.
You think the debt ceiling battle was disruptive? Well, hold on to your hats, folks.
Dale Franks
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The economy–how bad is it?
One of the well known institutions that politicians like to point to when things are going well or bad is Wall Street's stock markets. They're an indicator that at times are used to point out that things aren't as bad as they seem and as well as illustrate how bad things really are.
Today is one of those latter examples. The Dow and other indices plunged. The Dow Jones Industrial is off 512 points, its 9th steepest drop ever.
The question of course is "why" and what one has to hope is the answer is something to do with a temporary situation. But it doesn't appear that's the case. Looking out at the broad economy, it seems, investors don't at all like what they see. Add the government's continued inability to address the debt and deficit and you have what could be the beginning of many down days on the street.
"The conventional wisdom on Wall Street was that the economy was growing — that the worst was behind us," said Peter Schiff, president of Euro Pacific Capital. "Now what people are realizing is the stimulus didn't work, and we may be headed back to recession."
That's not what you want to hear when you're hoping to see investment and an economy turn around. And unfortunately, Wall Street is a place with a herd mentality, and when some investors get spooked, they all get spooked. Yesterday indicated they're spooked.
There's "total fear" in the market, said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at the world's largest money manager, BlackRock.
European and Japanese policy makers had to step in and shore up their markets as the sell off gained momentum.
"In the last two weeks, we've been through the ringer," said Rich Ilczyszyn, market strategist with futures broker Lind-Waldock. "When we start looking at the recovery, there's nothing to hang our hats on anymore."
So despite assurances that a "deal" to raise the debt limit would have a calming effect on world markets, the reality is it didn't. And Europe is in pretty deep trouble which is also reflected in this loss. Add in the poor economic reports here that continue to pile one on the other and you have a situation that looks increasingly bleak. The unemployment report today is most likely only going to underline that fact with most economists expect poor job growth to continue and the unemployment rate to stay at 9.2%. And now the Dow has lost all of what it had gained in 2011.
Stay tuned. Rocky road (continues) ahead.
Twitter: @McQandO
The markets are telling us things
Let's see how today went, shall we? We got our debt ceiling deal, but the Dow dropped 266 points, and the S&P 500 fell 33 points, so it's now negative for the year. The yield on the 10-year T-note dropped to 2.61%. Gold, meanwhile, hit a fresh record high of $1,644.50/oz. So, I guess this year's Recovery Summer is over.
None of this, by the way, has anything to do with the debt limit battle in DC. No one on Wall Street really thought a deal wouldn't be struck. At the end of the day, everybody was pretty confident that the debt ceiling would be raised, and a default avoided.
Stock prices are volatile, of course, so one day's movement doesn't mean much, but we have lost about 800 points on the Dow since 22 July, so the trend isn't good. What's worse is the steady decline on treasury yields and the climbing price of gold. When you couple that with the 0.4% 1Q GDP increase, and the danger of downward revisions to the lackluster 2Q GDP over the next two months, the evolving picture doesn't look pretty. We've also has a few weeks of unremittingly bad economic releases, showing the economy might be heading back towards recession, and unemployment getting closer to 10% than 8%.
So then what's the problem? I mean, we've had our big stimulus, and our TARP and our Quantitative Easing I and II, and we're still not only barely budging into positive GDP territory, but now all the signs are showing the economy slowing. What's happening? Why isn't any of this working?
I think the answer can be found in what I wrote in my previous post about debt levels, and how over the last several years…
…a body of peer-reviewed work has been developed (PDF) that shows that an excess of government debt serves as a drag on the economy, shaving at least a full percentage point off of annual GDP growth. And we've learned that this negative economic effect has a non-linear effect on economic growth as debt increases.
What seems to happen is that, as you begin to approach a debt-to-GDP ratio of 100%, economic growth slows. As you add debt, there's a non-linear decrease in economic growth. and each additional increment of debt slows growth more than the last. As I also pointed out, this has some pretty scary implications for Keynesian policies, because as you add debt, you're no longer stimulating growth, you're hindering it ever more strongly.
That puts policy makers in a pretty bad spot. For instance, right now, real short-term interest rates are effectively zero, so the interest rate tool is no longer of any use to the Fed. You can't lower rates below 0%. With that tool gone, the only thing left to try and stimulate the economy is to add more debt. Conversely, cutting spending will result in more government workers and contractors being moved over to the unemployment line, and the economy still slows. It's a trap, where all the standard policy moves result in a slowing economy.
Back in the 80's my fellow Econ and Business undergrads would debate about all the debt Reagan was adding, and trying to figure out when all that debt would begin crowding out private investment and slowing economic growth. As it turned out, it took far longer than any of us believed it would, but I think we finally have the answer.
The really scary this is that, if we decided that we had to bite the bullet, and impose some austerity, it really wouldn't help much. We could cut discretionary spending by half, and all it would do is gain us a few years of breathing space before the coming explosion in Social Security and Medicare entitlements—about $60-76 trillion worth of them—eat up any short-term savings and debt reduction we might acquire. After all, discretionary spending—including defense—is only about 39% of the current budget anyway.
What part does economic growth play in all this? Well, it's clear that 2% per year isn't going to help much.
It is a generally accepted truism that the trend rate of growth in a mature economy is 3%. There are a lot of reasons given for this; slower population growth in developed countries, large sunk costs in plant and capital, blah, blah, blah. But why should any of that matter? Just because population growth is slow, it doesn't necessarily follow that the growth of wealth or human ingenuity is hampered.
Here is a reason for that slow growth that's almost never given. You see, one of the things that mature economies all seem to have in common is large government expenditures, extensive entitlements, massive regulatory oversight, and increasing debt. All of that is financed by taxation to remove money from the productive portion of the economy. So, one of the primary reasons we have slower economic growth is because we trade it for public goods.
Now, we may love these public goods. And they are certainly nice to have if you can afford them. But the evidence is increasingly that we cannot. if we could, we wouldn't be racking up a level of peacetime debt that's nearly 90% of GDP. Not only do we give up a lot of economic growth to sustain these public goods, but, apparently, we eventually give up all of it…at which point, we have to give up the public goods as well.
If we really want to climb out of this hole, then what we really need to do is to radically rethink what government should be, what it should be allowed to do, and how it's funded. It's not enough any more to cut budgets, while leaving the regulatory, entitlement, taxation, and spending structure intact. A truly radical solution would be to limit government spending and revenues to no more than 10% of GDP in peacetime. Replace the income tax with a 10% VAT. Eliminate the departments of Education, Commerce, Labor, Transportation and Agriculture. Repeal most Federal criminal laws. Privatize social security. Enforce free markets, rather than the crony capitalism we have now.
No one in our current political class has the slightest interest in any of those suggestions. Drastically reducing the size and scope of government is the only solution that can possibly increase economic growth substantially, and give us a shot at paying off our ever-increasing debt, but our current political class will never embrace that.
The thing is, reality doesn't care what the political class—or anyone else for that matter—wants. It just is what it is. So, no matter what happens, we won't have to worry about the deficit or government spending for much longer. Either we'll fix the problem by electing a political class that's devoted to cutting government across the board and paying down the debt. Or we won't fix the problem, and the resulting bankruptcy and hyperinflation will allow us to monetize our debt, wipe out the life savings of every person in the country, and we will start over from scratch with a bright shiny new currency!
But the problem will get solved. The only question is how much control we'll retain over the process, and how much government we'll retain at the end of it.
Dale Franks
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Observations: The QandO Podcast for 31 Jul 11
In this podcast, Bruce, Michael, and Dale discuss concerns about Turkey, and the debt limit.
The direct link to the podcast can be found here.
As a reminder, if you are an iTunes user, don't forget to subscribe to the QandO podcast, Observations, through iTunes. For those of you who don't have iTunes, you can subscribe at Podcast Alley. And, of course, for you newsreader subscriber types, our podcast RSS Feed is here. For podcasts from 2005 to 2010, they can be accessed through the RSS Archive Feed.


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Sugarveil Cake
Comments (2)
tastefullysweet on
Beautiful! What are your pearls made of? Do you know if you can use sugarveil to make the pearls as well?
ShamsD on
tastefullysweet,I hand rolled the pearls.I have no idea if sugarveil can be used.Please check the sugarveil website.
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En español | Emotions churn and tears spill down Petra Mata's face — just as they did 20 years ago when, without warning, she lost her job at the Levi Strauss & Co. factory. Nonetheless, she continues narrating her story. Now 64, she's accustomed to the sorrow inherent in her success.
Mata, a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, converted rage and sadness into moxie, transforming herself into more than a former U.S. garment worker who lost a job to lower-paid labor abroad. In 1990, she and a handful of other laid-off Levi Strauss workers in San Antonio established Fuerza Unida, and they've spent the past two decades making it stronger. The nonprofit organization supports a sewing cooperative, food pantry and learning center as well as community marches and protests. It empowers women, Latinos and an entire community.
"They picked themselves up by their bootstraps and said, 'Let's make the best of this.' And they did," says Eva Trevino Garcia, project director of the AARP Foundation's Senior Community Service Employment Program, which directs seniors to Fuerza Unida for assistance. "They created an organization that really puts itself out there for people."
Petra Mata — Stewart Cohen
Mata's role as Fuerza Unida's executive director stands in stark contrast to her work at the plant, where she earned $9.73 an hour as a seamstress.
And not just for Texans. After Arizona passed a law allowing police to ask anyone who has been stopped, detained or arrested to produce identification papers, Mata and other San Antonio activists marched to protest the law, which they say could lead to racial profiling. (Parts of the new law have now been blocked by a federal judge.)
Mata's role as Fuerza Unida's executive director stands in stark contrast to her work at the plant, where she earned $9.73 an hour as a seamstress. "It was the best job I had ever had. Losing it was like losing the world," she says. "But I found that this loss brought me into a new world." When she and the others learned of the layoffs, she says, "it was like a death in the family."
When the plant closed in 1990, some 1,150 seamstresses were left without jobs — jobs that had allowed many to taste middle-class life despite having only an elementary school education and limited English skills. Salaries paid for houses, cars and furniture. "We had a lot of confidence in the company," Mata says. "When they told us they were shutting down the factory, we felt defrauded and betrayed."
Job loss often led to family crises, foreclosures and divorce. But for some, it also ushered in rapid personal transformation.
"I never thought I could do what I do right now," says Viola Casares, 66, Fuerza Unida's program coordinator. "I have only a sixth-grade education. At Levi's, I didn't get involved in anything. The plant closure opened our eyes."


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Xcel Energy sends more crews to East Coast
Xcel Energy is sending more crews from Wisconsin to help victims of Superstorm Sandy.
On Monday, seven Xcel Energy natural gas employees from Eau Claire will go to West Hampstead, New York, where they will be performing service work on gas meters and relighting residents' appliances as service is restored.
Xcel Energy said it received the request for assistance from the American Gas Association. The crews will join 18 Xcel Energy employees from Minnesota. The deployment is expected to last for two weeks.
On October 31, Xcel Energy sent 230 employees and contractors from its four operating companies, including 46 employees and 30 contractors from Wisconsin and Minnesota to help restore electricity in parts of West Virginia. By Election Day, crews moved on to Long Island, New York, where they continue to work.
Copyright 2012 by WKBT News8000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Are CICs the Right Model For Social Enterprise in the UK?
CIC is short for Community Interest Company, and it is the preferred legal form in the UK for social enterprise companies. This term is used to describe those companies that want to conduct a business or other activity for community benefit and not purely for private advantage. Since CIC legislation was introduced five years ago, over 5,000 CICs have been formally founded within the UK's borders, and that number continues to grow.
Despite this widespread popularity, there is still a lot of controversy around how effective the CIC model is for communities and the social enterprise movement. Some critics have charged that CICs are effectively anti-entrepreneurial, because the structure places social entrepreneurs at an unnecessary disadvantage by restricting their freedom to operate. Among the questions that are currently being debated on CICs are whether it is possible to sell CIC shares for a profit, and whether there are better models for social entrepreneurs to adopt.
New Website Links to Social Enterprise
The controversy surrounding the CIC model has not stopped the rapid growth of social enterprise in the UK, and a new website is reflecting that fact by providing links that make it easier for people to find and do business with this growing array of social entrepreneurs.
Seb2b.co.uk lists social enterprises by business category, which makes it easy to find socially-responsible businesses across a wide range of sectors. Listed companies provide services both direct to consumers and to other businesses as well. Products and services include payroll, printing, catering, conference facilities and much more.
The website currently has 20 business categories, and also features links to news items on the social enterprise sector, and marketing and sales tips designed to help social enterprises. A criteria for inclusion on the site is that profits generated by a business must be re-invested into the business in order to support the chosen social or environmental cause.


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Huguely Denied New Trial
updated 08.23.12 at 12.33 p.m.
Former Virginia men's lacrosse player George Huguely, who in February was convicted in the murder of Yeardley Love, was denied a request for a new trial, the Associated Press out of Charlottesville, Va., reported on Wednesday night.
Laywers for Huguely appeared in Chartlottesville Circuit Court Wednesday. They cited a series of errors before and during the trial in arguing for a new trial. A judge ruled that there was enough evidence to support Huguely's second-degree murder and grand larceny convinctions in the May 2010 death of Love.
On the murder charge, Charlottesville Circuit Judge Edward Hogshire said, "I think there was overwhelming evidence to support the conviction," according to the AP. Hogshire, who presided at Huguely's trial in February, said he found no reversible errors.
Huguely will be sentenced Aug. 30 and faces up to 26 years in prison.


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To show that the sign is preserved for odd n, try this:
if x>0, then clearly any power of x is also >0.
if x<0, then , thus . Since n is odd, , thus , which means that an odd power of x is negative.
Thus the sign is preserved for odd n.
I am completely new to proofs, so please bare with me.
I'm simply trying to prove that if
This seems simple enough, and i understand why it's true, but i'm having trouble expressing it in the form of a proof. I have that if x is greater than zero, then is also greater than zero. This is also true for all x greater than or less than zero provided that the number is raised to an even power. I reach this by arguing that the expression can always be reduced to factors of provided n is even, and thus the product is a product of positive numbers only. I see that the sign is preserved for odd n, which is the concept which underlies this proof, but i'm having trouble expressing it mathematically.
Could anyone help? Is there a good guide online somewhere regarding the formulation of basic proofs? The text I am working from is Spivak's Calculus (a great read) and I am able to follow his proofs, but this is the first time i've had to construct them myself.


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200+ attend Israel 60 bash
May 22, 2008
More than 200 people attended a celebration of Israel's 60th anniversary in Cambridge. Activities included choral and musical events. The climax of the party was the lighting of six candles — one for each decade — on Jonathan Allin's 3D menorah. The event, held at Mayfield School, was organised by Shoshana Squires and Jenny Culank, with the help of a support committee. Sponsors included the university's Jewish and Israeli societies.
Last updated: 12:24pm, July 13 2009


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Lu Xie2+ weeks old
I will be going to KSU starting on Aug, 3rd as a freshman. I want to rent a house before arriving. Since this is my first time trying to find house by myself, I have no idea how to start. Anyone available to help me in my search?
Link to this answerabigayle.hernandez2+ weeks old
I am in need of finding a girl to replace my spot in a house with three other great girls! We live a block away from campus and super close to Aggieville! Our house is very clean and spacious, just in need of a replacement as soon as possible!
Rent is $300 a month plus utilities (never been over $100). The lease is up on June 28th, 2013, but the girls have been talking about possibly renewing come August. The house has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The washer and dryer are in our basement and are in great shape.
We do allow any animals!
Please email intrested or want more information!
Thank you!
Link to this answerSharonyash2+ weeks old
When are you coming to the USA? Are you planning to live alone? Would you like to share?
Because I am an international student, and I am also moving to KSU starting August.
Link to this answerLi Yang2+ weeks old
Are you a boy or girl?
Link to this answerallanddam2+ weeks old
I am in the same situation, just that I am not an international student. I will be going to KSU as a Freshmen, beginning August 10th. The problem is that I live in Washington DC. I would be happy to find a roommate to rent with. I am a boy. Please email me at email@example.com for ideas
hi, i will go to ksu on Aug, 3rd as a ...


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SUN CITY, Kan. - Edna M. Davis, 88, died Friday, April 20, 2001.
Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. today in Sunnyside Cemetery with Pastor Jeff Woods officiating. Arrangements are by Larrison Mortuary of Pratt.
Mrs. Davis was a homemaker. She was a member of Sun City Baptist Church.
Survivors include a son, Gary Davis of Spearman, Texas; two daughters, Vivian Sims of Weatherford, Okla., and Marilyn Holmes of Pratt; two sisters, Mary Hoss of Potwin and Lucille McKnight of Lubbock, Texas; 11 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.
Amarillo Daily News April 23, 2001
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Tree View
The Brewery's
Brews & Views Bulletin Board Service
Brews and Views Archive 2004
January 9, 2004
Hair of the Dog....
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Walt Fischer (18.104.22.168)
Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 05:30 pm:
I just tryed a Santa Claws BW from Hair of the Dog last night...
Id have to say it was more like a strong IPA then a BW.... Nice n hoppy
And at 10%, my kinda beer!!
Good stuff, maynard
Here comes Santa Claws, here comes Santa Claws....
Jim Keaveney (22.214.171.124)
Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 05:51 pm:
I just tried 4 mad elfs (11% belgian style christmas ale)last night (even tho it only took me one sip to figure out that i love this beer). I then capped things off with a pint of the brand new Victory Hop Wallop. I need some hair of the dog!
Travis Adams (126.96.36.199)
Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 06:07 pm:
Actually that is "Doggie Claws" Walt. A truly wonderful beer. If you like that - I highly highly recommend getting some Hair of the Dog "Fred" named after Fred Eckhardt. Amazing stuff...
Denny Conn (184.108.40.206)
Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 06:17 pm:
I LOVE their Adam! They sponsored the BW at the state fair last summer and told me to come by the brewery to pick out a selection of vintage beers as my prize!
danno (18.104.22.168)
Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 06:43 pm:
Sorry Denny, I claimed your prize last week!
Denny Conn (184.108.40.206)
Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 06:49 pm:
Travis Adams (184.108.40.206)
Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 06:51 pm:
Hey Denny and Dan - can either of you give me some help on my "Xmas stout" thread below - I know you guys have had Tsunami stout from Pelican- any thoughts? Thanks - Travis
danno (220.127.116.11)
Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 10:16 pm:
Travis, I am not a big stout fan. I have only brewed it twice and the second time was from the runnings of a RIS. I'm enjoying one now as a matter of fact. The RIS was based on the recipe I got from someone here. So while I'd like to help, I don't think I have the level of experience with stouts to provide anything worthwhile.
Here's what's on the Pelican Site:
2-Row Premium Malt
Flaked Barley
Roasted Barley
Black Patent Malt
Willamette Hops
Magnum Hops
Pure Local Water
Pure Ale Yeast
Maybe someone can propose something from here. In your position, I'd go buy a bunch of the Tsunami Stout, sit back and enjoy it and try to think how to use those ingredients to make that beer. Worst case is that you get to enjoy more of their beer.
Kent Fletcher (126.96.36.199)
Posted on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 01:19 am:
Had some Doggie Claws sunday night at the club board meeting. Very good, yet again! Also enjoy Adam and Fred (still have a singel bottle of Fred hiding in the fridge).
I'm driving up to Corvallis, Oregon, this Sunday. I need to pick up some HOTD brews for our club meeting on the 4th. Any Oregonians here that can suggest a ggod spot to get them without breaking the bank?
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