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CURTIS Sironen was sitting back this week, thinking about tonight's game against the Broncos and the bloke he'll be lining up against.
This is a story that might make you feel old - but for Curtis, it's a dream come true.
Curtis tells you how he was 12 in 2005 when Scott Prince was the Tigers captain.
"Mate, I didn't know him back then, I was just a fan," Curtis says. "But I was there at the game and back at the club after as well.
"I was with my old man so I got my mug in the dressing room after the game. I was just rapt to be in there, looking around at all my heroes."
He says he'll have to be careful he doesn't ask for an autograph when he runs out tonight.
MATCH CENTRE: TIGERS v BRONCOS
But so much has changed since 2005. For starters, Curtis has grown.
At 19, he now stands at 195cm and weighs 103kg. And he's still growing.
Remember, Curtis plays five-eighth - perhaps the biggest five-eighth in the history of the game.
"Obviously I have Dad's size, so in the future if I put on too much weight I don't know how long I will be able to hang in the halves," he says.
"But because of my surgery I haven't been able to do too much upper body weights so I still have a few kilos to put on up around my chest and my shoulders.
"I could go to 110kg easy. Easy.
"But if I can stay quick enough I will back my ability to stay in the halves."
Besides, there is another Sironen at home even bigger than Curtis, and he is also a five-eighth.
"I think my little brother has more similarities to Dad in how big and strong he is," Curtis says.
"Bailey is 16 and he is bigger than me. He is not quite as tall as me but he had an ankle injury and he has been doing weights. He is a monster. He is going to be a big boy."
How big?
"He is a monster, and he can hit, too," Curtis says.
"You'll see him coming through and he is the favourite son too because he is tougher.
"I love watching him play because of how tough he is."Curtis says he'd love to play alongside him one day.
"Or against him, that would be fun," he says.
But right now, Curtis is living the dream - and what a dream it's been of late.
A couple of weeks ago he was just coming back from a shoulder reconstruction, his second in as many seasons.
Then after three games in Under-20s, Tigers first grade coach Mick Potter called him in to replace Benji Marshall against the Dragons.
Then after one game he was hauled into the City team.
After just seven NRL games all up, he says he couldn't quite believe it when told he was off to Coffs Harbour.
"I thought I was getting stitched up by Liam Fulton because he does that sort of crap," Curtis laughs.
But he spoke to City coach Brad Fittler, who confirmed this was no gee-up.
Then he remembers looking over at his old man, Paul.
"It was unreal, mate," he says. "I know there were circumstances behind how I got my go but it was still my first rep jersey.
"I was humbled. I saw my old man straight away and he was pretty shocked, too.
"He didn't say anything, he just sort of laughed. Like, 'What's doing?'"
You can only imagine the pride the old Tiger must have been feeling to see this day arrive for his eldest son.
"I do remember my old man's last game," he says.
"I think I was five, it was at Leichhardt and they got towelled up by the Roosters.
"I played all my junior footy through Balmain and that's what I bled, I bled Balmain."
And after playing for City at just 19, who knows where this story will go from here.
"Mate, as a kid State of Origin was the pinnacle," he says, like a young man not yet afraid to talk aloud about his dreams.
"I'm not looking in the too near future but down the road, State of Origin would be a dream. Yeah, it is a long-term goal of mine. It is."
But for now he just wants to stay fit. And surely after two shoulder reconstructions Curtis is due for a change of luck.
"You know, you go through six months of rehab, you bust your arse," he says. "And then for it to come out again, especially when I was just starting to get a bit of confidence.
"Mate, I was devastated to go through it all again.
"But I put in that much work now I am confident in my shoulder. I know how hard I have worked.
"I will just have to continue to do that.
"Probably through the rest of my career I will always have dodgy shoulders but, mate, I can live with that.
"I will be happy to get through another 20 or so games with the Tigers under my belt and then I will think of the future."
Originally published as Dreams keep growing for Tiger cub


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DIY Ring Flash Tutorial Produces Polished Homemade Flash
If you're looking to score a solidly constructed and effective ring flash without dropping a lot of cash, this DIY build is both polished, portable, and efficient.
Made from an assortment of off-the-shelf hardware store parts like the shade of a shop lamp, an exhaust vent reducer, some zip ties, and other miscellaneous parts, the end product is an efficient and polished flash accessory that adds even and soft lighting to your photos. Here's an example of the DIY ring flash in use while shooting insects with a macro lens:
To see more sample photos, the second part of the tutorial video, and a parts list, check out the full forum post over at Motley Pixel.
DIY Ring Flash [Motley Pixel via DIY Photography]
- Published 08/16/11

subset: commoncrawl


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U-M Head Coach Tommy Amaker
Opening statement ... "[Indiana is] an efficient team. When [they] shoot like they did, you cannot expect many good things to happen for you. We had a number of breakdowns and were not as tough at crucial moments as I thought we needed to be. The three they had at the end of the first half was very big. We had closed the gap and were heading into the locker room with a little momentum but that took it out of us. They executed very well."
On Indiana's offensive effectiveness ... "They have a solid post game. (Jared) Jeffries is a difficult matchup for us. Their perimeter players pass well and stretch you with their shooting. That makes the inside open up and they are efficient with shot selection."
On Indiana's defensive pressure ... "I wish I could say that they did something intricate to take us out of our game. I think that since they score well, they make you hurry when you have the ball and you are not as efficient since you are rushing things. We were doing that tonight."
On U-M's defensive effort ... "I didn't think we played well defensively. I give them credit for what they were doing offensively. Their perimeter game was efficient. They did not force shots and their shot selection was very good. The open shots that they were able to get, they made."
On Chris Young ... "We did a good job making sure he got touches. He did a very good job at the line. When he got there he converted his free throws. He is becoming more of a weapon. Chris becomes difficult to guard since he is making his free throws and putting fouls on the other team."
On the final few games of the season ... "We always go game by game. I think that gives us our best chance of evaluating our team and getting ready for our opponent. We need a strong finish."
Senior Center Chris Young
On the team's perimeter defense ... "I actually thought we did a pretty good job. We had breakdowns but that's going to happen. For the most part I thought we did a pretty decent job. It wasn't nearly as bad as it looked. They were making a lot of big-time shots with guys in their face. There were only a few times when we lost their shooters. The thing we didn't do well was pressure the ball when they were trying to go high-low. That's what I think we need to improve on."
On the team practicing well but not playing well ... "I thought that the energy and the toughness that we showed in practice was here today. There were guys taking charges and getting down on the floor and all the other things that don't show up in the stats. What we weren't doing, though, that we usually do in practice, was get into passing lanes and deny guys the ball when they flash to the top. That's what I think Coach (Amaker) is really concentrating on because in practice we'll get after guys all the way out to half-court, but in the games we'll take only one step past the three-point line and then stop."
On the team's mentality coming home after Purdue ... "We were angry at the way we had played. We came back and had two very good days of practice and that's why I'm very surprised at the way we came out today. However, the motivation is still there for the team."
Indiana Head Coach Mike Davis
On the importance of playing defense ... "That is the only way you can win, is to play defense. Our offensive system is good but defense is the key. Defensively, when you make it tough for the other team, it is tough for them to win. When you play passing lanes and take away their fast break your opponent has a really hard time winning the game."
On Michigan ... "I think they are a very good team. LaVell Blanchard, Bernard Robinson Jr. and Chris Young are all very tough matchups."
» Learn about Michigan men's basketball season tickets for the 2017-18 season.


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The third and final of the opening Day 1 flights was just completed a short while ago, with yet another 269 players converging on the Crown Casino in Melbourne to bring a combined total attendance for this event up to 622 players.
That figure still has some time to grow before the prize pool can be announced as players still have the option to buy into the event right up until the beginning of Day 2 tomorrow. There were a total of seven levels that the players had to play through with each of them lasting 90 minutes apiece, that meant for a long ten and a half hour session, with that not including breaks.
As the dust settled on that long session, the player that came out on top was Patrik Antonius, as despite only turning up during the fourth level of play went on a barnstorming run to amass a chip count of 204,800.
Though we may be being a little bias, it was also good news for the British contingent, with three of them finishing in the top ten. We had Sam Trickett, Christopher Brammer and Sam Holden all playing well and ensuring they will be right in the mix come Day 2.
Players Sent To The Rail!
Other players were not as lucky as we lost a whole bunch of big names from the field, though they do still have the chance to take another shot tomorrow if they so wish. Sent to the exit signs were players of the calibre of John Juanda, Gus Hansen, Jake Balsiger, Antonio Esfandiari and Angel Guillen who will have to contemplate that other shot before they sleep.
The Day 1c Top Ten!
Patrik Antonius – 204,800
Slade Fisher – 199,400
Kisk Kumar – 134,600
Sam Cohen – 128,800
Sam Trickett – 110,000
Christopher Brammer – 110,000
Gary Benson – 92,800
Nate Silver – 89,700
Sam Holden – 84,200
Dan Shak – 78,700
That was the top ten for the day just gone, however only Antonius and Fisher have enough chips to break into the overall top ten, with nobody able to match the performance of Day 1a chip leader Brian Payne.
The Overall Top Ten!
Brian Payne – 299,900
Phillip Wilcocks – 208,400
Patrik Antonius – 204,800
Slade Fisher – 199,400
Kevin Rabichow – 183,900
Mark McQuinn – 176,600
Francis Rusnak – 165,100
James Obst – 156,700
Ayaz Mahmood – 154,700
Billy Jordanou – 147,000
Day 2 will be getting underway at 12.30pm EDT with the remaining 320 players set to endure seven more tough levels of ninety minutes to see if they can push themselves into Day 3.


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California Bounty knocked off a couple of Class Two heavyweights, yet his trainer Tony Cruz says it is the import's lack of size - but definitely not his heart - that will probably stop him from reaching the very top.
"He is like a mini coupe with a porsche engine in it" is how Cruz described the English-bred three-year-old after he left Little Cow and Amber Sky in his wake up the Sha Tin straight.
Getting 13 and 18 pounds off the second and third placegetters didn't hurt a horse that has weighed in at less than 980 pounds in his two starts for Cruz.
"He is a small horse with a very big heart," the trainer said. "He is a real sprinter and he runs or any going, soft or heavy or fast or firm, he is a consistent horse and lovely to train. I expected him to win today, but I don't think he is a Group One horse - it's his size that worries me. Maybe Group Three."
California Bounty defied a betting drift to win, getting out to 5.5 at the jump, the market dominated by 2.2 favourite Amber Sky - his jockey Andreas Suborics suggesting it might be time for the three-year-old to try a turn for the first time - and Little Cow solid at 3-1.
The jury is still out on whether the California Bounty can produce his best around a bend - his entire racing career in Europe was over straight courses - although he was a respectable third first-up at Sha Tin over 1,200m.
"He laid out a fair bit when he went around a turn and I was much happier coming to the 1,000m straight with him," said Matthew Chadwick. "But it was really that the 1,200m was a bit too far for him, I thought, I think 1,100m is about his best distance and that was the trip where he got his best win in France. It's hard for him to stay out that last 100m over 1,200m."
Cruz admitted it was a mistake to debut over 1,200m. "I should have just run him up the straight, he is just a 1,000m horse. He might get 1,200m at his absolute limit but he is just a real jump-and-run type of horse with speed to burn."
It was the 900th winner for Cruz as a trainer - to go with his 946 winners as a six-time champion jockey, and it came for one of his best family of owners.
California Bounty is raced by Lucy Lu Kai-yee, the daughter of the late Thomas Liang Ting-sen, who raced many good horses with Cruz including King of Danes, and whose family now race multiple Group One winner California Memory.


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Originally written on Tireball.com | Last updated 8/31/14
DAYTONA BEACH — Dale Earnhardt Jr. was asked what he thought about the iconic No.3 returning to Cup racing in NASCAR. The No. 3 that was driven by the late Dale Earnhardt has not raced in the Cup series since his death in 2001, a return of the car has been met with mixed reviews from fans. Earnhardt Jr. said that he thought the return of the No. 3 would be "great." "It was an iconic number for my father and it means a lot to a lot of his fans. This sport doesn't really retire numbers and all the numbers have history tied to them for several different reasons. The #3 is no different." Austin Dillion, Richard Childress' grandson drives the No. 3 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the talk is that the car could move up to Cup with him in 2014. "I think that for Austin (Dillon) a kid like Austin in this regard any kid that wants to come up through the ranks and he drove the #3 in dirt racing and he drove the #3 in his Truck series and Nationwide series. He has earned the right to run ...
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Greg Sandow — that unrelenting, wolf-in-sheep's-clothing, mortal enemy of classical music and cheerleader for pop culture trash — posts an eMail from "bassoonist, composer, writer, satirist, [and] speaker" (as he bills himself) John Steinmetz in which eMail Mr. Steinmetz mounts a sober-sounding but subtly sophistic argument to explain why classical music has lost its high-pedestal status in our culture. It's because it no longer meets our culture's needs. "[O]ur culture has changed, as cultures do, and its musical needs have shifted," argues Mr. Steinmetz.
Mr. Steinmetz continues,
If classical music's ability to speak for the human spirit once appeared unlimited in scope, now the music appears to have limitations. It may not speak for everyone; it may not speak about everything. We can still admire, appreciate, and love classical music, and support it, while also seeing that it does not quite fit society's current self-perception and that it ignores some important issues.
So, it's a failure of classical music, not culture's failure, is it?
I see.
And in what ways has classical music failed?
Here are a few ways in which classical music — the music itself, not its mode of presentation or its role in society — has, through no fault of its own, fallen out of step with current values. While humanity struggles to rethink our relationship with the rest of nature, classical music, with its focus on human emotion, is mostly silent about that crucial current issue. While our culture is working to shed old baggage about gender, classical music narratives often emphasize a triumph of "masculine" energies over "feminine" energies. (Even music theory uses gendered language like "feminine endings" — see Susan McClary's wonderful books for more on this. In keeping with its predominant musical values, composers, conductors, and other power figures in classical music are still mostly male.) Recent thinking about community and interdependence does not fit well with classical music, which instead provides wonderful expressions of individualism while relying on hierarchical musical structures.
Classical music's emphasis on momentum — its special ways of mobilizing harmony toward a goal — biases it toward narratives about motion and development, and weakens its ability to provide other kinds of essential narratives.
On reading this, one struggles to keep reminding oneself that Mr. Steinmetz is here writing in dead earnest, and not in his self-described capacity as satirist, here engaged in deftly skewering some of the Left's most mindless utopian and equalitarian shibboleths; a struggle made a bit easier once one learns that Mr. Steinmetz is a born, bred, and still-resident Californian ("born in Oakland ... grew up in Fresno," and currently resident in Los Angeles), the only surprise being he matriculated and graduated California Institute Of The Arts, and not UC Berkeley.
But let us move on.
In his essay, Mr. Steinmetz enlists a metaphorical argument that analogizes the truths of Newtonian physics to the musical needs of the culture that revered classical music, and our contemporary culture's musical needs to the truths of the physics of relativity. We've progressed, you see, from Newton's limited truths to Einstein's cosmic ones.
The shift [in culture's musical needs] reminds me of the change in physics in the early 20th century. Before that change, Newton's laws appeared to be universally true. But discoveries by Einstein and others made it clear that Newton's laws apply only to certain phenomena. The status of Newton's laws changed. We still can feel awe at Newton's achievement, we still learn his laws, and they still are very important, but we now see that these laws are limited in scope.
Newton's laws are part of a larger picture.
Uh-huh. Well, if Mr. Steinmetz insists on using that metaphor, it would better have been used as a metaphor for the music itself rather than for the shift in musical needs from an earlier culture to a later. In that former capacity the metaphor would, of course, need to be reordered 180 degrees to reflect the reality of the matter which is that our contemporary music has regressed to Newton's limited truths even in the face of music having earlier — much earlier — already discovered and held within its grasp the cosmic truths of Einstein.
But be that matter as it may, Mr. Steinmetz wants to assure us he's not dissing or dismissing classical music.
Classical music, like any music, reflects the values of the culture that produced it. It's no surprise that it embodies some attitudes that now seem out-of-date while at the same time expressing values many people still care deeply about. Just as Newton's Laws say crucially important things, classical music still has a lot to offer.
Abiding human values dwell in that music, along with great richness and beauty. But classical music does not, and cannot, tell us the whole story of human experience or even the whole story of our own culture. It cannot live at the center any more because we are too aware of the multiplicity of culture; there is no center now.
Mr. Steinmetz at least got that last right. No center now, most assuredly. And we're paying for it — in spades. A brilliant and prophetic thinker a century-and-a-quarter ago used a metaphor to address a question of quite another kind, but as a metaphor it's applicable to the instant question under consideration as well. For I put it to you that if Mr. Steinmetz can blithely invoke Newtonian and Einsteinian physics metaphorically in support of his argument, I may be permitted to similarly invoke Nietzschean thought against it.
The madman jumped into [the midst of the jeering crowd], and pierced them with his glances. "Whither is God?" he cried. "I shall tell you. We have killed him — you and I. All of us are his murderers. But how have we done this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What did we do when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving now? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or down left? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is not night and more night coming on all the while? [...] God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. [...] What was holiest and most powerful of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us?
Who indeed.


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Hyundai Centennial 2013 Prices in UAE
Hyundai Centennial 2013 Specifications
Hyundai Centennial Reviews
Hyundai Centennial 2013 Features Overview
The Hyundai Centennial is a full-size high-end luxury sedan that serves as the flagship model for the Korean manufacturer. Also known as the Equus elsewhere, it is the most expensive sedan in the company's lineup ever. This is the first time that it has ever been offered outside Korea. The new-for-2010 model comes with a rear-wheel-drive platform and V8 engine aimed to compete with the Germans. The styling is conservative and the naming is derivative, as the standard model with the 4.6-litre V8 goes by the badge Centennial VS460. Features include a 6-speed automatic, 3.5-inch display screen for the driver information system, parking cameras rear and front, HID headlights, Adaptive Front Lighting, electric parking brake, leather upholstery, sunroof, power seats with reclining rear ones, CD/MP3 stereo, keyless entry with push-button start, and all the usual power accessories. The Vehicle Stability Management includes the Lane Departure Warning System, Pre-Safety System and Smart Cruise Control. When a collision is detected, the system automatically applies full braking force and reels in the front seat belts. Other safety features include nine airbags, including two front, four side and two side curtain airbags, as well as a knee airbag.
Hyundai Centennial Reliability & Resale Value
Hyundai Centennial Safety Ratings
Competitors to the Hyundai Centennial
Hyundai Classifieds


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Water rescue heroics earn honor for Portsmouth pair
PORTSMOUTH — Michael Eyre and David Sieben of Portsmouth were among a group of Rhode Islanders honored by Governor Lincoln Chafee and Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis with 2012 State Lifesaving Medals, the state's highest award for heroics while rescuing people from death.
Mr. Eyre and Mr. Sieben, who are Newport firefighters, were among a group of Newport police and firefighters who worked together to pull a drowning swimmer from the rough water off Brenton Point after responding to a panicked 911 call last year.
Three of the firefighters quickly donned water rescue gear. The other first responders formed a human chain to help the three men make their way safely down a jagged rock embankment. Two of the men entered the water and fought big waves to reach Gregory Minetti of New York and pull him to safety.
Firefighters Eyre and Sieben received State Lifesaving Medals along with their colleagues Deputy Fire Chief Frank E. Young, Deputy Fire Chief Brian T. Dugan, Fire Captain David C. Hanos Jr., Fire Captain David P. Murphy, Fire Lieutenant Andrew M. Palmer, Firefighter Derek Crossman, Firefighter Christopher Mariotti, Firefighter George Stepalavich, Firefighter Daniel P. Young, Firefighter Richard F. Wheeler, Firefighter Robert A. Edward Jr., Firefighter James C. Brown and Firefighter Allan R. Gray and Newport Police Officer Anson V. Smith Jr.
"The result of this undertaking was the saving of a young man's life, which would surely have been lost if not for their professional, well-organized and courageous efforts," said Newport Fire Chief Peter D. Connerton.
Also honored were Providence Police Officer Michael Clary, who pulled a family of four from a burning tenement; and Wyatt Detention Facility Training Sgt. Donald Pina, who performed CPR on an unconscious baby.
"When I visit schools to talk with students about the importance of public service, I always emphasize that there are many ways to contribute to your community. These are concrete examples of how people can make a dramatic difference," said Mr. Mollis. "The actions of these heroes remind us that Rhode Islanders have the capacity to do great things.
"The extraordinary actions of the Rhode Islanders we honor today demonstrate their outstanding characteristics: courage, selflessness, concern for others," said Governor Chafee. "Because of them, six people are alive today who otherwise may not have been. These are extreme examples, but it is my hope that they serve as an example to all the people of our state. Giving of yourself and helping others makes this a safer, better place for all of us to live.
The State Lifesaving Medal was created under state law to recognize the heroism of firefighters, police officers and civilians who save human life in Rhode Island. The awards are given annually.


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I got laundry detergent all over my carpet.
My stupid detergent decided to puke all over the carpet and the floor mat in the back when i was going to go do laundry.
Question is, should i shampoo the carpet, or would that lead to a car full of bubbles, i tryed vaccuming it at the car cleaner but didn't really help any cept get the liquid that had not soaked into my carpet and floor mat.
Stupid laundry detergent. GRR!!


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Acanthia Way
14,891pages onAdd New Page
this wiki
this wiki
Acanthia Way is a street in Little Norton. Acanthia Way, at number eighteen, was home to Doris Purkiss. In 1995, she told The Quibbler that Sirius Black was actually Stubby Boardman.[1]
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
Notes and references
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 10 (Luna Lovegood)


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If you grew up in the 80s like I did, there's a high probability that you came across Julia Child the same way: through PBS. The ebullient and impressive host of a variety of programs, she had a way with food–a casual, almost childlike enthusiasm for great ingredients and everything French.
In celebration of her 100th birthday, PBS has pulled out all the stops at their website, including a highlights video and that gorgeous infographic above.
Continue Reading "Julia Child's 100th Birthday Celebrated Online" »


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As blinds In inviron group for home, windows have become the staple forms of window treatment nowadays. It is not difficult to find at least several sets of window shades plus blinds in almost every home. Over time, they tend to gather dirt and dust which whenever ignored, can pose health risks, especially when you have young children prone to asthma and other respiratory problems. Frequent cleaning is critical to keep your home a secure haven for your kids.
Bathrooms could be a tricky place to hang window treatments. Bathrooms are often rather wet, moist spaces. While you require ventilation to prevent the develop of mildew, you'll also need sufficient amount of privacy while in your bathroom. Some window blinds might warp and crack with time as a result of the moisture in a bathroom. Obviously, you'll need to have got window blinds that can withstand situations such as these.
One more idea is to maximize the particular sun's heat with photo voltaic shades, or sheer colors. With these window shades, you can make technique natural light during daylight hours. The majority of solar shades and pure shades offer the privacy you wish but still allow the sunlight to warm you room's indoor.
If you are however unsure or think that you may not know enough about Roman Shades, it wouldn't harm to ask a good friend or even two who previously has its window shades set up in their families. If not, you could also inquire within your regional keep about colors, or you could just look up the web for far more information on indoor blinds.
Vertical – Also generally made of plastic, this design is attractive for covering slipping glass doors, as you can find options to draw the particular blinds to one side or maybe the center. This type is light-weight and durable; cleaning is easy.
They are durable — almost a lifetime purchase. A superior quality set of blinds, in any from the available materials: wood, wooden composite or vinyl, are made to last. Wood planting shutters are built like an excellent piece of furniture and with a little treatment should last a lifetime. Regions part special vinyl and wood blend shutters are even more long lasting and will resist fading, bending, cracking and UV rays, ideal for hot and humid areas or areas.
Along with aluminum mini blinds, the advantage of thin and light weight slats could turn out to be a household cleansing hazard. You need to be careful whenever cleaning them as they can literally cut flesh. Nevertheless, they are easily manageable using a dust busters, dry or even damp cloth. It is not recommended to use your vacuum on them.
Because you spend a lot time in your home, having a home you truly love will help keep your general satisfaction amounts high. The home improvements you are doing can affect your emotional wellbeing as well as your property value.


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This content has been marked as final. Show 1 reply
1. Re: Adding a java file to a jar and compiling itEJP Oct 27, 2011 6:09 AM (in response to roymakaay)1 person found this helpful
I have added a java file to a jar packageWhy? That's not where they normally live.
When I extracted the jar package swing-layout-1.0.2.jar the added file not found!Extracted it how?
Can someone tell me why?What package?
and I have second question
when I added the java file manually to the package (after extracting)
C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.5.0_22\bin>javac -classpath "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.5.0_22\bin\org\jdesktop\layout"That's the strangest classpath I've ever seen. Problems:
1. Directories under the JDK are the last place you should put your own source code.
2. A classpath is a list of places where classes can be found according to their package structure. If your class is in the package org.desktop.layout, the directory containing org/desktop/layout should be in the classpath, not org/desktop/layout itself.
It's not found on the classpath for the reason(s) above.
NewJFrame.java:35: package org.jdesktop.layout does not exist


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After five years watching him throw a mediocre fastball as a starting pitcher in the lower levels of their minor league system, the Padres finally cut Steve Delabar loose. In desperation, Delabar signed with the Brockton Rox, a team in the independent Can-Am Association with no ties to a Major League organization. Twelve games into that 2009 season, his baseball career came to a torturous end … or so it seemed.
He threw a pitch, heard a pop, walked to the dugout, looked in shock at his elbow. Remember the beast protruding from Sigourney Weaver's womb in the Alien movie? Delabar would use that metaphor in a television interview two years later, to describe the appearance of his elbow that fateful day.
His remarkable story since strains the imagination. Now throwing his fastball up to 10 mph harder than before the gruesome injury, Delabar is safely tucked into the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse this spring, assured of a job in the bullpen when camp breaks this week, praised by manager John Gibbons as a third option as closer should Casey Janssen or Sergio Santos be unavailable.
"It's crazy," says the 6-foot-4, 232-pound right-hander. "I'd like to sit back, look at what I've done and say, 'This is really cool.' But then I don't focus on what I'm supposed to be doing here. I've got to get guys out."
In surgery, Delabar had a steel plate and nine screws inserted to bond the shattered bone. Resigned to move on with life, he began substitute teaching back home in Elizabethtown, Ky., primarily at Central Hardin High where his wife taught fulltime. For fun, he played softball on Friday nights. He also started working with the Players' Dugout, a baseball instructional facility operated by a friend, Joe Newton, in partnership with Tom House, the former pitching coach of the Atlanta Braves who runs a separate academy in Southern California.
Newton was bringing in a pitching program devised by former college coach Jamie Evans. The philosophy boils down to balancing arm strength and arm speed in order to minimize shoulder strain and maximize velocity. Delabar would help market the program.
"I told him, the study doesn't have anybody with nine screws and a plate in his elbow, but we'll try it and at least you'll be better prepared to tell the kids what it's about," Newton said by telephone, from Kentucky. "Well, at first he threw 87-88 miles an hour. Three weeks later, he was up to 93. A month after that, 96-97."
Delabar got the itch again. He asked Newton to get in touch with a mutual acquaintance, scout Brian Williams, who worked the area for the Seattle Mariners.
"Think about it from his perspective," Delabar says. "This guy's out of baseball, he had a broken arm, he's 27 years old. So it was kind of like a favour."
During a hastily arranged lunchtime tryout at the high school, Delabar hit 98 on the radar gun.
The Mariners signed him to a minor-league contract as a relief pitcher in April of 2011, and that season he jumped from Single-A to Double-A to Triple-A until, ultimately, in early September, he got the call to the majors, eight years after the Padres drafted him in 29th round. On that occasion, he related his feelings to the Seattle Times: "It was tough, I mean, I called my wife and I couldn't talk. It's one of those things that you always hear people talk about it and you go, 'Oh, I'll be able to get it' and … I broke down immediately. Then, I was like, 'I've got to call my dad' and I called my dad and I couldn't even put words together."
Last season, he made nine appearances at Triple-A Tacoma and 34 for the Mariners before the Jays traded outfielder Eric Thames for him in July. GM Alex Anthoplous has pieced together his middle relief accordingly. Right-hander Brad Lincoln ws obtained from Pittsburgh at the same time, for Travis Snider. For allowing manager John Farrell to break his contract, Anthopolous received Mike Aviles from Boston and flipped him to Cleveland for Esmil Rogers.
Between Seattle and Toronto, Delabar (4-3, 3.82 ERA) made 61 appearances, held opponents to a .193 batting average and struck out 12.55 batters per nine innings, the highest rate in the American League for a pitcher working at least 60 innings. He throws a fastball and splitter, and is working on a slider.
With at least two days' rest he performed significantly better than on the back end of consecutive-day outings, and this offseason he cut down his body fat. Dramatic increases in performance these days lead to inevitably suspicions about the possible role of PEDs. Newton says, don't even think about it, in Delabar's case.
"I see it all the time with these athletes," he says. "It never works. They cheat and then they either get caught, or they get hurt. Steve does it the right way. A lot of major league guys work hard; nobody works as hard as Stevey. You cut down body fat by watching what you eat and hard work."
Delabar talked recently with former Jays closer Tom Henke about changes in the game but really, in his case, Henke's formula is pretty much the same for Delabar: Country hardball, nasty splitter, presto. It's that easy.Report Typo/Error
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On the road again! Re-packed and now Mike's stroller is much more accessible. Looking to put in a LOT of miles today. I know it seems crazy to have no plan. We know we have to go west with these boys while Mike still can...and that's about all we know. Mountain needs to take his boys to the MOUNTAINS! Here are a few road shots to capture the journey. PS Don't delay your own family trips for anything. Certainly nothing as small as not having an itinerary or money. Go now. ...
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Wildcats finish third at Lakeview Invitational
STANWOOD — The Lakeview Invitational was held on Saturday after being postponed on Thursday due to rain.
Held at St. Ives Golf Course, the teams still needed to wait for a thin layer of snow to melt before the tournament could begin.
Due to the change in date, only 10 of the original 16 teams were able to participate. That changed the event from match play to an 18-hole stroke play tournament.
"Weather conditions were extremely difficult as temperatures stayed in the 30s most of the day and the winds only added to the difficult conditions," Lakeview coach Brian Corwin said.
Cadillac won the Blue division with a score of 356. Sparta followed with 369, Chippewa Hills 397, Tri County 445 and Central Montcalm with 450.
Saginaw Nouvel was first in the Gold division with 340. St. Charles was second with 366, Lakeview followed with 393, Montabella 406 and Reed City 417.
Match Medalist was Nick Ludka from Saginaw Nouvel with a 79. Brody Shiller (Saginaw Nouvel) and Dustin Pumford (St. Charles) was second with 81s, while Lakeview's Jon Wandel and Chippewa Hills' James Wilson each shot 84.
Lakeview's Jon King shot 97, RK Boomer 101 and Kameron Gilbert 111.
Parker Eldred led Montabella with a 95. Austin Garner shot 102, Mike Hyde 104 and Dakoda Lobert 105.
Marcus Hall and Michael Gryzen led Tri County with 109s. Jacob Snarski shot 114 and Jayson VanDyken 114.
Tyler Sleet led Central Montcalm with 89. Josh Mitchell shot 109, Brent Johnson 115 and Chris Larsen 137.


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MRS. JOSEPH W. HARRIMAN; Banker's Wife Dies in Hospital Here After Long Illness
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June 12, 1939
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Smokin Chrome Cody is a 13 yr old APHA gelding, 15.3 hands Got him in on trade last July. He was previously used for trail riding by previous owner…$5,500
"Whiz" 2012, 15.3, AQHA Dun gelding Sire: Whiz Van Winkle (Topsail Whiz by Topsail Cody) Dam: Im A Lil Cowgirl (Master Cowboy Jac x Dulce Lad) Whiz…$15,000
Dual The Boonelight "Little Man" 2007, 14.3, AQHA Sorrel gelding Sire: Boonlight Dancer (Peptoboonsmal x Smart Little Lena) Dam: Nyla Dual (Dual Pep…$9,000
Genuine Dietz "Dietz" 2010, 15.3, AQHA Sorrel gelding Sire: OSU Derowas Jack (Genine Doc x OSU Sonnys Slider) Dam: Tenny Bree (Bree Le Doc x Pokey Joe…$10,000
Krogs Preakness "Little Bob" 2012, 15.2, AQHA Silver Roan gelding Sire: Krogs Blue Honey (Kros Blue Buck by Krog Classy Cowboy) Dam: Tailwinds Preakness…$7,000
Trigger is a very gentle, easy going gelding. Great go anywhere trail horse. Great for beginner riders. We use Trigger for first time riders and he takes…$8,000
Tivio Bob "Dude" 2010, 15.3 AQHA Buckskin gelding Sire: Poco Tivio Klem (Jessie Tivio x Jessie Klem) Dam: MCR Pretty Bonny (Quick Emotion x Mule Shoe…$7,000
2008, 15.2, AQHA Bay Roan gelding Sire: Cee Dat Four by Four (Cee Dat Booger by Cee Booger Red) Dam: Electra Lakoda (Little Canoso x Sputniks Playboy…$6,500


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Anhydrous guanidinium hydrogen fumarate: a two-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network structure
Smith, Graham, Wermuth, Urs D., Young, David J., & Healy, Peter C. (2007) Anhydrous guanidinium hydrogen fumarate: a two-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network structure. Acta Crystallographica. Section E: Structure Reports Online, 63(2), o556-o557.
|PDF (150kB)
The title compound, CH6N3+. C4H3O4-, forms a two-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network structure. The guanidinium cations lie across crystallographic mirror planes while the hydrogen fumarate anions have inversion symmetry with the acid proton 50% disordered over the two carboxylate groups.
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|single, crystal X, ray diffraction
|Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > CHEMICAL SCIENCE (030000) > PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY (INCL. STRUCTURAL) (030600) > Structural Chemistry and Spectroscopy (030606)
|Past > QUT Faculties & Divisions > Faculty of Science and Technology
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|Copyright 2007 International Union of Crystallography
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Question 1: FDLP was envisioned as a student loan program that would save federal dollars. How much money is being saved annually and how is the Department tracking annual savings? Are the results being reviewed or audited? How do savings compare with earlier projections? If savings have not yet been achieved, what are the most recent projections regarding savings? Explain.
Answer: As you correctly note, the Direct Loan program was created in part as a less expensive alternative to the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. Perhaps the simplest way to compare costs for the two programs is through the use of subsidy rates, which represent Federal non-administrative costs for the life of a loan as a percentage of each dollar loaned. (For example, a subsidy rate of 10 percent would indicate that Federal costs — including interest subsidies, default costs, and other expenses — over the up-to- 25-year life of the loan would total $10 for each $100 loaned.)
Under both Administration and Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates, Direct Loan subsidy rates are substantially lower than those for FFEL. In the President's FY 2000 Budget, the average subsidy rate for Direct Loans originated in FY 1999 is 0.39 percent; the corresponding rate for FFEL loans is 13.32 percent, or 12.93 percentage points higher. In other words, the government pays almost $13 more in subsidy cost on every $100 loaned in the FFEL program than it does under Direct Loans. (Under CBO estimates, the Direct Loan advantage is even higher, at 14.78 percentage points.) These cost estimates, as well as their underlying assumptions, are reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis.
Direct Loans subsidy costs are lower than comparable FFEL costs for two simple reasons. While per loan costs in both programs — primarily associated with in-school interest subsidies and defaults — are basically the same, in Direct Loans these costs are offset by a significant revenue stream: repayments from Direct Loan borrowers. Under current interest rate assumptions, the difference between the government's cost of funds and the higher interest rate paid by borrowers results in revenues that almost totally offset — and in future years will actually exceed — Direct Loan subsidy costs. (In FY 1999, the borrower repayment rate is 7.46 percent while the government's borrowing rate for new loans is 6.03 percent, a difference of 1.43 percent.) Additionally, FFEL loan holders are provided a subsidy to recognize their requirements for profits above costs. (While the borrowers of new loans have a FY 1999 interest rate of 7.46 percent, FFEL lenders are guaranteed a return of 7.96 percent on these loan FY 1999.)
The Department estimates that the Direct Loan program, after accounting for subsidy and administrative costs, will save over $700 million on loans originated in FY 1999. If the approximately $10 billion in new direct loans were instead originated in the FFEL program, government subsidy costs would increase by over $1.3 billion on FY 1999 loans alone. This is substantially higher than the less than one billion annual cohort cost projected at the time the program was created. (The President's FY 2000 Budget assumes roughly $30 billion in new loan volume in FY 1999, of which Direct Loans accounts for approximately a third. If this $10 billion in loans were made under FFEL, the additional $13 per $100 in higher subsidy costs would increase overall federal student loan costs by $1.3 billion.) However, Direct Loans also has higher federal administrative cost than FFEL since the government is obligated to arrange for loan servicing. When this additional lifetime cost for $10 billion in new loan volume is calculated, total government savings are lower but still substantial at over $700 million.
The Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 requires all direct government administrative costs to be recorded as an annual cash expenditures. However, for comparison purposes, the net present value of the lifetime administrative cost for a loan can be estimated. (These cost are shown per $100 dollars loaned.) As the following table shows, while the addition of these costs — using a methodology developed under congressional mandate in 1995-substantially increases the cost of Direct Loans, the program still costs substantially less than does FFEL
Total Federal Costs Over the Life of the Loan, Per $100 in Loans
Loans Made in Fiscal Year 1999
|Direct Loan
|Federal Administrative Costs
|$ 1.94
|Subsidy Costs
|Total Federal Costs
The Department is currently working to develop a more sophisticated methodology to compare the full costs of the two programs. The results of this analysis will be shared with Congress when it is completed later this summer. The recent report released by the Department's Inspector General, "Study of Cost Issues," outlined a cost allocation system for determining the administrative cost of Direct Loans. The report did not, however, calculate a lifetime administrative cost for a cohort of loans similar to that shown in the above table. (The IG report allocated the Department's annual expenses for FY 1996 and FY 1997 between the two loan programs. It did not attempt to allocate those cost between existing loan cohorts or to forecast future administrative cost for existing or new loan cohorts.)
The IG also estimated the current Direct Loan servicing system (that is, all cost excluding those related to default management and school oversight) is more expensive than comparable systems in the FFEL program. For a mixture of loans at different maturities, the IG estimated large FFEL loan holders have an average cash cost as low as $13 per loan versus the Department's average cost of $17 per loan. While the Department may not fully agree with this technical estimate, it accepts that the current servicing contract configuration may not produce the desired service levels at the best price. The PBO Modernization Blueprint directly addresses this issue with the goal that, upon completion, the Department's operations will be as efficient and cost effective as the best private sector systems. As shown above, even with the less than optional servicing system currently in place, the financing advantage of direct loans more than offsets the higher administrative cost. As the Blueprint is implemented, these net savings may increase.
As the Department continues its analysis, it will continue to share the results and methodology with all interested parties, including CBO, the General Accounting Office, the Congressional Research Service, and representatives of the student, school, lending, and guaranty agency communities, as well as the Department's independent auditors. Each of these entities has provided valuable comments on past estimates that have been incorporated into subsequent studies.
Question 2: Macro International and Coopers & Lybrand were contracted to perform a five-year study of the costs associated with FDLP. Why was the report cancelled? Is another cost study of FDLP planned? Explain.
Answer: Macro International and Coopers & Lybrand's analysis of Direct Loan program costs was one component of a broader 5-year evaluation contract awarded by the Department in FY 1994. Under the evaluation's cost component, the contractors collected and analyzed administrative cost data for the initial years of the program. They also developed a cost allocation system that has proven valuable in allocating contract costs between the FFEL and Direct Loan programs. Their findings and methodology were shared with the Department's Inspector General, and served as the basis for estimating Direct Loan administrative cost in the report, "Study of Cost Issues." (In this study, the estimated FFEL administrative costs are estimated from a Treasury analysis of a small number of very large student loan servicers.)
The Department has consistently recognized the need for an accurate, ongoing analysis of the relative costs of both Federal student loan programs. Accordingly, data from the Macro/Coopers analysis has been incorporated into the development of a more sophisticated methodology comparing the overall cost — including both administrative and subsidy expenses — ;of Direct Loans and FFEL. Preliminary results of this analysis, which reflect input from the Inspector General, the Department's independent auditor, and other outside groups, will be provided to Congress later this summer. In addition, the new performance-based Office of Student Financial Assistance Programs is in the process of establishing an updated financial management system — consistent with recommendations from Macro and the Inspector General — under which real-time, program-specific costs accounting data will be available to help program managers and policymakers make well-informed decisions.
Given this commitment to moving forward with internal efforts to develop accurate cost information, as well as competing demands for funding to support other important modernization activities, the final year of the cost component of the evaluation was discontinued in FY 1998. Further, it was determined that the work previously done by Macro provided a strong cost allocation methodology and that little substantive benefit could be achieved without first improving the Office of Student Financial Aid Programs' financial reporting systems. Those improvements are now underway.
Question 3: Please provide in detail the annual administrative costs of FDLP, projecting until the year 2004. Include the annual volume and costs of origination, servicing, and debt collection. Please breakdown by in-school (or in-grace period) borrowers, in-repayment borrowers, delinquent borrowers and defaults. How has volume affected contractor costs and have additional costs been incurred? What are the projected costs of the program (incorporating projected loan volume, delinquency and default rates)? Identify annual rates of increase in overhead costs as compared to student aid awards. Explain.
Answer: The Department of Education, through the new performance-based Office of Student Financial Assistance Programs, is in the early stages of a comprehensive redesign of its student aid delivery systems. The following cost estimates do not reflect the impact of this redesign effort, which is expected to reduce unit costs and streamline program operations. Current projected costs for Direct Loan origination and servicing activities for FY 1999-2004 are shown in the following table, along with corresponding estimates for the volume and number of loans originated and the number of borrowers in servicing.
Direct Loan Administrative Costs - FY 1999-2004
(In millions unless otherwise noted)
|% Change
|Origination Costs
|No. of Loans Originated
|Volume Originated (in billions)
|Servicing Costs
|Borrowers in Servicing
As the chart shows, increases in origination costs track very closely with corresponding increases in the number of loans originated. Originations costs are projected to rise by 20.0 percent over FY 1999-2004, while the number of loans originated is expected to grow by 17.2 percent over the same period.
Servicing costs are projected to increase at a substantially slower rate than the rate of borrowers in servicing or those entering repayment status over FY 1999-2004. While there are only minor additional costs once a borrower enters repayment if expected payments are received in an accurate and timely manner, borrowers in alternative statuses (e.g., delinquent or defaulted) have substantially higher servicing cost. Over FY 1999-2004, total servicing costs are estimated to increase only 164 percent, while the number of borrowers in servicing, in school and in repayment, are estimated to increase by more than 210 percent. This lower growth rate has several causes, a primary one being the "account servicing structure" in direct loans that allows all a borrower's loans to be managed as a single account rather than as separate pieces.
Projected Direct Loan program (that is, non-administrative) costs and subsidy rates are shown in the following table. Cost estimates, as mandated by the Credit Reform Act of 1990, are calculated as the net present value of all future costs for loans originated in a year. Negative figures indicate years in which borrower repayments would outweigh interest benefits and default costs for a cohort of loans. These cost projections are extremely sensitive to changes in the interest rates; reduced savings in FY 2003 and 2004 can be attributed to a reduced government interest arbitrage.
Direct Loan Program Costs - FY 1999-2004
(In millions)
|Direct Loan Program Costs
|Direct Loan Subsidy Rates
Growth in Federal student loan administrative costs over the past five years and into the future are a direct reflection of an enormous increase in the Department's responsibilities and workload. As noted above, these increased costs have been offset many times over by subsidy savings related to the Direct Loan program.
In 1992, federal student loan administrative activities were largely limited to maintaining systems to pay interest benefits and other subsidies to FFEL lenders and guaranty agencies and overseeing the work of a number of private debt collection contractors. With the advent of the Direct Loan program in 1994, however, the Federal role in student lending fundamentally changed. By 1996, the Department was the nation's largest individual provider of student loans; originating almost seven times more loan volume than Citibank, the largest FFEL lender. By the end of FY 2000, the Department will manage a loan portfolio of nearly $60 billion, an over 7,000 percent increase over the 1994 level, and a responsibility that did not even exist in 1992. By comparison, Sallie Mae, the largest FFEL loan holder manages a portfolio of approximately $40 billion and Citibank, the second largest holder of FFEL loans, manages a portfolio of less than $9 billion.
Managing a loan program of this size is unquestionably an expensive proposition, whether for Citibank, Sallie Mae, or the Department of Education. For FY 2000, the Department's administrative spending from the mandatory administrative appropriation in the Higher Education Act (commonly referred to as Section 458 funding for both the guaranteed and direct loan program) will equal less than 1 percent of the Direct Loan portfolio. These costs will become even more competitive as the Department's system modernization plan is implemented over the next few years.
In addition to establishing the Direct Loan program, the Department of Education has also made substantial investments in new and upgraded systems since 1992 to improve customer service and financial accountability for all student aid programs. The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), for example, which has prevented the award of over $1 billion in grants and loans to ineligible borrowers since 1994 , did not even exist in 1992. In large part as a result of these investments, the Department can point to accomplishments, such as receiving its first unqualified audit opinion in 1998, and more than doubling default collections from 1992 to 1998.
The Department collects on defaulted student loans through three primary sources: collections made by guaranty agencies (guaranty agency collection retention), collections of Department held loans by private collection agencies (contract collection costs) , and income tax refund offsets performed by the IRS. The annual federal cost of the first two are shown in the table below; the IRS charges the department a relatively minor fee for performing the offset. These collection costs are charged to borrowers and are added to the outstanding balance.
|($ millions)
|Cash Expenditure:
|Guaranty Agency collection retention
|Contract Collection Cost
|Cash Receipt:
|Annual Net Cash Collections
Question 4: Explain the experience of the Income Contingency Repayment Program (ICR), including any analysis that has been performed to date or is planned in the future. What are the criteria for including loans in this program?
Income contingent repayment (ICR) is available to all borrowers in the Federal Direct Loan program. As of March 31, 1999, 87,000 borrowers with loans of nearly $1.9 billion were paying under the ICR option, or 9 percent of total volume in repayment.
For non-consolidated borrowers, only one percent has chosen the ICR option. However, ICR is much more popular for borrowers with consolidated loans: 27 percent or over $1.7 billion in loans. Of these consolidators, 95 percent were in regular repayment and only 5 percent were prior defaulters consolidating to benefit from the flexibility available under ICR. This is reflected in an average loan balance of $25,500 for regular consolidators in ICR versus a loan balance of $6,200 for prior defaulters. (For non-consolidated borrowers taking ICR the average loan balance is $13,500, significantly higher than the average of all borrowers.)
The percentage of dollars paying under ICR more than 180 days late is 11 percent, slightly lower than the rate for non-ICR borrowers at 12 percent. This level of ICR delinquency is higher than expected when the program was introduced. Attachment A includes a set of thirty tables regularly developed by the Office of Student Financial Assistance Programs on borrowers in repayment by loan, school, and repayment types.
To date there have been independent studies of the ICR option by the Department's Inspector General (June, 1988) and by the GAO (August, 1997). Both reports conclude that the ICR program was too new to develop any final recommendations and that the Department should continue and improve its reporting on this repayment option. The Department agrees with these recommendations; the attached repayment tables are developed in part to provide this information.
Question 5: What has been the number and amount (by month) of applications for loan consolidation? What have been the costs, including overhead and promotion (distinguish between FFEL and direct loan consolidation costs)? What was the average loan balance? What problems have been experienced in the loan consolidation program and what reforms have been instituted? Are the reforms working? Explain.
Answer: The following table shows the number of Direct Consolidation Loan applications by month for the past twelve months.
Direct administrative costs associated with originating Direct Consolidation Loans have risen from $9.6 million in FY 1997 to $12.9 million in FY 1998 and an estimated $21.8 million in FY 1999. These costs are tied directly to the volume of loans consolidated. The dramatic increase in costs for FY 1999 reflects the effect of statutory language enacted in July, 1998 which ended the reduced interest rate provided to borrowers who consolidated prior to February 1, 1999. As a result of this change in the interest rate formula , the weekly volume of Direct Consolidation Loans increased by as much as tenfold over normal levels before the change went into effect. (Although administrative cost for Direct Consolidation loans is increasing, they are more than offset by the negative subsidy associated with these loans — -7.72 for loans consolidated in FY 2000.) The Department does not currently account for Consolidation Loan servicing separately from servicing costs associated with other loans. Since, however, underlying Direct Loans were already serviced under a single borrower account, there would be no additional servicing costs associated with those loans.
The Department does not conduct promotional activities for its programs; however, approximately $80,000 was spent in FY 1999 to develop and distribute program information materials describing the impact of the interest rate changes. The Department incurs no direct administrative costs associated with FFEL Consolidation Loans. Information on the availability of FFEL Consolidation Loans is provided in several Department publications, including the Student Guide, which is available to all loan applicants.
The average balance for Direct Consolidation Loans in FY 1999 is $20,189; the comparable average for FFEL consolidations is $16,216.
In September, 1997, the Department stopped processing new Direct Consolidation Loan applications to address a number of problems, most of which involved delays in gathering and verifying borrower and loan holder information and processing payments. In the wake of these problems, the Department and its contractor, Electronic Data Systems (EDS), thoroughly redesigned the consolidation process before accepting more applications in December. Improvements include periodic screening reviews at various points in the process to ensure that all necessary information has been collected; streamlined procedures for quickly obtaining missing information; more effective tracking of payments to loan holders; and simpler, more user-friendly application procedures. As a result of these highly successful reforms, the Department is consistently processing applications in less than the target-turnaround time of 60 days, even during a recent four-month period in which almost 200,000 applications were received from borrowers seeking to take advantage of the lower interest rates.
Question 6: What deficiencies have been identified in the past with the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)? Have they been corrected? Is the data accurate? What are the advantages of NSLDS and why does your Department rely on it? How and why should others use it?
Answer: In just over four years, as of March 1999, NSLDS has built its repository of school, guaranty agency, servicer, and lender data to contain: 40 million students, 110 million loans, 22 million Pell grants, and provide service to 18,000 active on-line users. To manage this repository, one of the largest in the world, in 1998 NSLDS was the first government system to take advantage of the GSA Government Wide Acquisition Contract, commonly referred to as the Virtual Data Center contract. Under this contract, costs are determined by the size of NSLDS rather than on a processing time basis, a change that substantially reduces the cost of handling the thousands of daily transactions. Being a new system, NSLDS has taken advantage of the most widely used and up-to-date technologies for developing and maintaining its processing facilities. These same technologies are prominent in the Department's PBO Modernization Blueprint.
NSLDS has proven itself to be a successful, valuable system responsible for preventing over $1 billion in grants and loans to ineligible borrowers since 1994. It has also provided audit support that allowed the Department to receive its first unqualified audit opinion ever. There have, however, been difficulties in the past which the Department has addressed.
Quality of data:
The initial emphasis by NSLDS in November, 1994 was to ensure that data was flowing to the system from the several thousand lenders and schools, guaranty agencies, and the Department's Title IV systems. Once all the data providers were supplying data on schedule, the Department turned its attention to its next objective, the quality of data in the system. Consequently, in January, 1997, the Department instituted a permanent and ongoing data quality effort as an integral part of its business practices. This effort has been successful — as noted by the Department's Inspector General in a recent draft report, "Office of Student Financial Assistance Programs (OSFAP) has made significant progress in improving the integrity of FFEL program data in the NSLDS."
Two recent opinions from independent auditing firms confirm the reliability of NSLDS data. A recent Price Waterhouse Coopers management analysis report concluded that ED can and should use NSLDS data as a valuable tool for helping ED to manage its business. Further, an Ernst and Young audit, currently in process, indicates that there are no material weaknesses in internal controls that would preclude using NSLDS in preparing the Department's financial statements. (This statement was in the context of a systems assessment.)
Examples showing positive results of NSLDS' ongoing focus on quality are:
Frequency of reporting:
NSLDS was originally designed for providers to report on a weekly basis. Because this would have been a burden to existing external systems, NSLDS decided to work in partnership with the providers to start with monthly reporting and move through iterative stages to greater frequencies as possible. One area where these efforts have proven successful was for the most needy students, those who rely upon Pell Grants. Originally, Pell processing occurred monthly, later became weekly, and now Pell updates are provided to NSLDS daily.
Access to NSLDS:
Despite continually growing processing volume, NSLDS contract costs have declined. In FY97, the cost was $26.5 million; FY 1998, $23.9 million; and FY99, $20.2 million. These costs are being reduced through the use of the GSA Virtual Data Center contract. The actual total cost of acquiring, maintaining, and using data about a loan or grant in NSLDS for an entire year is 15 cents.
As mentioned above, NSLDS has proven itself to be a productive system.
Question 7: What deficiencies have been identified in FDLP (including school administration issues) by the Inspector General and others, and what corrections have been made as a result? Please specify and explain problems, reforms and outcomes.
Answer: Since its inception, the Direct Loan program has provided $40 billion in aid to students. As with all new programs there have been mistakes and deficiencies which the Department is committed to correcting.
Lack of access to important data: As reported in OIG and annual ED financial statement reports, FDLP data has not been readily available to incorporate into the Department's risk data analysis system used for monitoring schools. Total FDLP funding for the three most recent academic years was recently incorporated into this data analysis system, allowing review teams to readily see which institutions were participating in the FDLP and at what level of funding. The Institutional Participation and Oversight Service (IPOS) in the Office of Student Financial Assistance Programs has a target date of December, 1999, for integrating FDLP data more fully into its data analysis system.
There has also been difficulty obtaining student level data from the Direct Loans contractor to allow comparisons with school records during program reviews or audits. For example, disbursement information maintained on the schools' books and records needs to be compared with similar information maintained by Direct Loans contractors to determine if schools actually used Direct Loans funds properly.
The Office of Student Financial Assistance Programs is focusing on data issues and improving its systems. Significant improvement in the availability of timely Direct Loans data for oversight and monitoring purposes is expected by the end of 1999.
Reconciliation process: Many schools have had trouble reconciling their FDLP drawdowns with loan information reported to the Direct Loan contractors. Because of the lack of timely or comparable data from Direct Loan contractors, it sometimes cannot be determined if reconciliation problems are caused by schools' improper actions or whether the problems are internal to ED and its contractors. Again, as the Office of Student Financial Assistance Programs focuses on data issues and improves its systems, reconciliation problems should be minimized.
The Department is improving Direct Loan reconciliation by: providing schools with a Direct Loan School Account Statement to facilitate monthly reconciliation; implementing automated system balancing and reconciliation between the Loan Origination System and the Central Data System; and utilizing a software program developed by the Department's Client Account Managers, which enables schools to compare the information in their school's data bases with data in EDExpress. In addition, the A-133 Compliance Supplement and SFA Audit Guide now require auditors to do tests to determine whether Direct Loan Servicing records are supported by information in schools' internal records.
Oversight perspective: It is important to note, from a monitoring and oversight perspective, the Department can more easily handle problems with FDLP institutions than those in FFEL. There are no lender and guaranty agency intermediaries to deal with in the FDLP; it is easier to control the flow of funds to poorly performing institutions in the FDLP than FFEL; and easier to bring FDLP institutions into compliance.
Question 8: What is your program doing to decrease defaults? What techniques are effective in preventing defaults? What is the proper role for schools to have in decreasing defaults? Explain.
Answer: The Department has enforced the cohort default rate requirements of the statute, and has made a major effort to resolve school cohort default rate appeals in a more timely fashion. Strict enforcement has rid the loan programs of many poorly performing schools that had large numbers of defaulters, which, in turn, has decreased the numbers of defaults. The Department has also included default rate analysis in determining whether to grant full certification or provisional certification to schools. This has also helped to reduce the number of defaults. To ensure these benefits are extended to the Direct Loan program and to ensure equal treatment to all schools, the Department established Direct Loan cohort default rates and sanctions administratively without being required by statute.
In addition to these enforcement efforts, the Department is helping schools reduce the number of defaults through a series of cohort default rate training seminars. In addition to one-on-one sessions with some schools, the Department has provided training to postsecondary schools located in Puerto Rico, degree-granting proprietary schools located in New York, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and Texas schools. These seminars are designed to provide schools with an understanding of how cohort default rates are calculated, the consequences associated with cohort default rates, and the importance of preventing students from defaulting on their loans.
These efforts to ensure that schools are aware of the consequences associated with high cohort default rates, coupled with default prevention training, are at least partially responsible for decreased cohort default rates over the last 10 years.
Schools play a very important role in reducing the number of borrowers who default. Schools have first level access to each borrower. Not only do schools have a responsibility to provide quality education, they also have a responsibility to provide students with information and guidance on financial responsibility and debt management. Many schools are beginning to incorporate financial management seminars as part of a student's curriculum. These financial management seminars will assist students in making the best decisions based on their financial situations.
The Department has found that a strong peer networking group can assist less knowledgeable and sophisticated schools to lower their cohort default rates. For example, the HBCU community has recently created one-on-one partnerships between HBCUs that are experiencing difficulty implementing an effective default prevention strategy and HBCUs that have been able to implement effective default prevention strategies.
The Department is also engaged in default avoidance activities affecting other points in the loan process, before and after the time when the cohort default rate is measured. The Department's Direct Loan servicing system provides assurance that borrowers receive timely notices and that account balances are correct. The Department works with schools and others to provide entrance and exiting counseling to students entering and leaving school, and special counseling to delinquent borrowers. In pursuing its customer service goals, the Office of Student Fiancial Assistance will examine using systems common in private business that may provide up-front, proactive counseling and assistance to at-risk borrowers. As part of its Modernization Blueprint, OSFA expects to collaborate with financial partners to ensure borrowers have access to all the information they need to understand their financial obligations and their debt repayment options. In addition, in its work with the guaranty agency community to implement new legislation authorizing "Voluntary Flexible Agreements", the Department is encouraging guaranty agencies to strengthen their efforts to help high risk borrowers avoid default.
The Department, and the Office of Student Financial Assistance particularly, are expanding direct activities to minimize the growth of the defaulted loan portfolio as overall loan volume increases in both the Direct Loan and FFEL programs. OSFA's Debt Collection Service continues to be one of the best in the government, effectively using private collection agencies to notify defaulters of their obligations, and bringing back into repayment those defaulters who have the ability to repay. Additionally, the Department is continuing to investigate partnerships with other systems to better track borrowers; for example, proper addresses and contact information is essential to ensure students' billing can be delivered properly and timely counseling can undertaken. One possible partnership proposed in the President's FY 2000 budget was the Department of Health and Human Services' National Directory of New Hires. This proposal would authorize HHS to share up-to-date employment information about defaulted borrowers with the Department and its guaranty agencies, enhancing our ability to identify and pursue those defaulters that have sufficient income to repay their debts.-###-


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Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, seen here playing the Sasquatch Music Festival earlier this summer, will headline the first night of the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks next weekend. Photo by Joe McCabe.
With this year's Monolith Festival, which takes over Red Rocks Amphitheatre next weekend, there is both good and bad news linked to the many ticket specials that have popped up in recent weeks.
The good news: Fans get more for their money. The festival just announced that $99 will buy fans a two-day pass, saving them more than $50. Day-of prices will be $65 per day, organizers say, and the $99 pass is being sold sans fees.
The bad news: It's no secret Monolith had a difficult first couple years. This year is a big one for the festival, which needs to show bigger numbers to prove its relevance. The word on the street: Monolith tickets are selling well. But if they're selling well, why slash ticket prices this close to the event?
Regardless, the festival — with headliners Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Mars Volta — will start in nine days. The schedule is up, and it looks solid. (Kudos to the promoters for acknowledging that two of their stages — the Radius Earphones Stage and the WOXY.com Stage — have severely limited capacities for a mid-scale festival. That has been frustrating to many over the last two years, and it's honorable to own up to your limitations in advance.) More good news: Gigbot is offering a custom schedule builder, and it's already bookmarked over here at the Reverb offices.
If you're not already planning on carpooling, do it. And we'll see you there. We'll be reviewing both days of Monolith and Tweeting like madmen — MADMEN, I tell you. So follow us here, and check back to Reverb often.
Follow Reverb on Twitter! Here!
Ricardo Baca is the founder and co-editor of Reverb and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post. He is also the executive director of the Underground Music Showcase, Colorado's premier festival of local music. Follow his whimsies at Twitter, his live music habit at Gigbot and his iTunes addictions at Last.fm.


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One of the advantages of an IRA is having access to a wide range of investments, often more extensive than 401(k)s. When choosing investments, it's usually a good idea to think carefully about your own situation. Are you nearing retirement and more focused on investing for income? Or perhaps your needs are geared towards investing for growth? Clarifying your goals can help you select the right type of investment.
Many IRAs allow you to choose from individual securities, such as stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit (CDs), mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), or a "single-fund" option, where the asset allocation is done for you.
Individual investment options at Fidelity
Need help choosing investments?
If you need help determining your retirement savings goals, you're not alone. Many people don't even know where to start or how to determine their needs. Fidelity offers one-on-one guidance through the process, as well as professional investment management services. We can talk with you about what you're saving for, your situation today, and ideas for tomorrow. Then we'll talk about investments to help get you closer to what you're saving for.
Our Planning & Guidance Center can help you evaluate and update your investment strategy.
As the owner of a Fidelity IRA, you can build your own mix of investments from a broad offering that allows you to invest for income or growth. Some of these include:
- Fidelity and non-Fidelity mutual funds
- Stocks
- Bonds and U.S. Treasuries
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If you're considering mutual funds, there are a number of ways to choose them. The following tools can help you find the funds that may be right for your portfolio.
- Fund Picks From Fidelity®
Choose a category and get a list of up to 10 funds based on the tool's predetermined selection criteria.
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Search for and compare more than 5,000 Fidelity and non-Fidelity funds according to criteria you specify.
Looking to simplify your investment choices?
Consider one of Fidelity's other options. Our single-fund options allow you to leverage Fidelity's expertise and can help take some of the uncertainty out of investing and provide diversification in one easy choice:
- Fidelity Freedom® Funds1
Pick a fund that can help take the guesswork out of building and maintaining an age-based retirement portfolio.
- Fidelity Asset Manager® funds
Choose a fund with an allocation that matches your risk tolerance, time horizon, and investment goals.
Another option is to have your assets professionally managed for you through Fidelity Portfolio Advisory Services®.2 This type of account offers professional, active investment management through a model portfolio of carefully selected mutual funds.
Buying and selling in an IRA vs. in a taxable account
In addition to an IRA, you may have or may be considering a taxable brokerage account for investing. Investing as much as you can through IRAs has a few advantages:
- Trading investments in an IRA offers an important advantage over a taxable account—you'll defer taxes on your gains within an IRA until you take withdrawals (when you could be in a lower tax bracket).
- Typically for both Roth and Traditional IRAs, most transactions within the accounts, including capital gains, dividends, and interest, incur no immediate tax liability, making them tax-advantaged ways to build assets.


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Harley-Davidson Club debuts at BMO Harris Bradley Center
As part of its partnership with the BMO Harris Bradley Center, Harley-Davidson has opened the Harley-Davidson Club at the arena.
The club, located on the south end of the arena on the suite level, was funded by the Harley-Davidson Foundation and seats as many as 30 people. The club is bigger than a traditional suite at the arena, according to Maripat Blankenheim, a Harley-Davidson spokeswoman.
The suite is available for purchase for all BMO Harris Bradley Center events. Sales are handled by the arena.
In addiiton to the new club, Harley is planning to exhibit a jumpstart motorcycle that will be located either inside or outside the arena. The jumpstart Sportster is a stationary bike that allows people to get the sense of riding a motorcycle.
Also, a new Harley-Davidson parking area will be set up on the east entrance to the building. The new parking lot - for motorcycles only - is free, she said.
- Is UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena a possible new arena site?
- MU's Lovell endorses new arena, wants more detail on finances
- Bucks will move corporate offices to Schlitz Park
- Bucks owner Lasry wants partnership with city on arena
- Miller Park stadium district reports strong July tax collections
- What Charlotte is doing with its arena
- Packers reportedly worth $1.4 billion; fans ranked best
- Analytics firm will work with Bucks
- Report: Bucks set to offer new discount ticket plan
- Report: Bucks set to offer new discount ticket plan


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Black Beauty HTML version
14. James Howard
Early one morning in December John had just led me into my box after my daily
exercise, and was strapping my cloth on and James was coming in from the corn chamber
with some oats, when the master came into the stable. He looked rather serious, and held
an open letter in his hand. John fastened the door of my box, touched his cap, and waited
for orders.
"Good-morning, John," said the master. "I want to know if you have any complaint to
make of James."
"Complaint, sir? No, sir."
"Is he industrious at his work and respectful to you?"
"Yes, sir, always."
"You never find he slights his work when your back is turned?"
"Never, sir."
"That's well; but I must put another question. Have you no reason to suspect, when he
goes out with the horses to exercise them or to take a message, that he stops about talking
to his acquaintances, or goes into houses where he has no business, leaving the horses
"No, sir, certainly not; and if anybody has been saying that about James, I don't believe it,
and I don't mean to believe it unless I have it fairly proved before witnesses; it's not for
me to say who has been trying to take away James' character, but I will say this, sir, that a
steadier, pleasanter, honester, smarter young fellow I never had in this stable. I can trust
his word and I can trust his work; he is gentle and clever with the horses, and I would
rather have them in charge with him than with half the young fellows I know of in laced
hats and liveries; and whoever wants a character of James Howard," said John, with a
decided jerk of his head, "let them come to John Manly."
The master stood all this time grave and attentive, but as John finished his speech a broad
smile spread over his face, and looking kindly across at James, who all this time had
stood still at the door, he said, "James, my lad, set down the oats and come here; I am
very glad to find that John's opinion of your character agrees so exactly with my own.
John is a cautious man," he said, with a droll smile, "and it is not always easy to get his
opinion about people, so I thought if I beat the bush on this side the birds would fly out,
and I should learn what I wanted to know quickly; so now we will come to business. I
have a letter from my brother-in-law, Sir Clifford Williams, of Clifford Hall. He wants
me to find him a trustworthy young groom, about twenty or twenty-one, who knows his
business. His old coachman, who has lived with him thirty years, is getting feeble, and he
wants a man to work with him and get into his ways, who would be able, when the old
man was pensioned off, to step into his place. He would have eighteen shillings a week at
first, a stable suit, a driving suit, a bedroom over the coachhouse, and a boy under him.
Sir Clifford is a good master, and if you could get the place it would be a good start for
you. I don't want to part with you, and if you left us I know John would lose his right


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hi i've always used blendshapes for animation now i want to give a rigged face a try. since i'm new to this i will tell post exaclty how i am approaching this and maybe someone would be kind enough to tell me if i'm going in the right direction or not. i gathered all of this after reading various posts and tutorials.. i'm looking to use a combination of a rigged face with blendshapes. i heard its a great way to ge the best of both worlds.
*i have a head that i duplicated off of the main head that is connected to the body and i rigged that head up with joints. i placed around the mouth areas and eyes/brows. i then smoothbound those joints to that duplicated head.
*i make my expressions by rotating the joints (as directed on the cane-toad tutorial) and setup SDK them
*the orginal head that is connected to the body has a blendshape node on it that contains a blendshape to make the kissing shape ( i figured it would be difficult to get that shape with bones)
* so i now add the rigged face to the blendshape node on the orginal head that is connected to the body.
so i can now animate with the original head that is on the body and tweak my facial animation with the blendshape node of the rigged face.
i figure this way i am able to setup my expressions on the rigged face and still be able to use the jaw joint.
i dont know if i'm missing anything this stuff is new ground for me so any advice will be greatly appreciated thx.


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Business Meetings Facilitation (Gold Key Service)
Face-to-face meetings with potential partners are the most effective tools the U.S. business community can use to increase exports and expand business operations abroad. U.S. Commercial Service Mexico offers a complete package for the businessperson visiting this country to meet with potential business partners. Prior to your trip we will work with you to identify appropriate agents, distributors, joint venture partners, procurement officials, and others you should meet to accomplish your goals while here.
We will schedule appointments with the key officials, and even arrange for a car and driver if so desired.
SME Company*
SME New-to-Export Company
Using Service for the First Time
Large Company*
1st Day
2nd Day
Bilingual Trade Professional
$250 per day
Transportation (10 hour day)
$190 - $250
* A Small or Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) is defined as a firm with 500 or fewer employees or self-certified as a small business under SBA regulations. A large company is defined as a firm with more than 500 employees. Subsidiaries will be classified based on the size of the parent company.
The assistance of a Bilingual Trade Professional requires an additional fee of $250 and is highly recommended, not only for logistics and language support, but also for relationship-building and real-time counseling during your meetings. Please discuss this additional service with our office to learn about what a Bilingual Trade Professional can provide.
Transportation requires the additional fee (see above) which should be paid directly to the provider on termination of service. It is strongly advised for security reasons and ease of travel that the U.S. client use the transportation arranged by CS offices.
Notice to Visitors!
The link you have chosen will take you to a non-U.S. Government website.
If the page does not appear in 5 seconds, please click this: outside web site
Export.gov is managed by the International Trade Administration and
external links are covered by its website disclaimer statement.
BuyUSA.gov is managed by the International Trade Administration and
external links are covered by its website disclaimer statement.


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Democratic Alliance Gains Ground on ANC in South African Local Elections
South Africa's ruling African National Congress lost support in May 18 municipal elections as the main opposition won over disgruntled ANC voters at the expense of smaller rivals.
The ANC's share of the vote dropped to 62 percent from 65.9 percent in the national election in 2009, according to results published by the Independent Electoral Commission in Pretoria yesterday. The Democratic Alliance won 23.9 percent of the vote, up from 16.6 percent.
The DA has consolidated its position as the only challenger to the 17-year dominance of the ANC, taking advantage of voters' concerns that the ruling party isn't doing enough to create jobs and provide water, sanitation and other services to many of the country's 2,700 shanty towns. South Africa's jobless rate of 25 percent is the highest of 61 countries tracked by Bloomberg.
"The DA's strategy is, over time, winning people over," said Peter Attard Montalto, an economist at Nomura International Plc in London. "It is slowly chipping away at the ANC's control."
None of the other 119 parties that contested the poll received more than 4 percent of the vote. The Congress of the People, formed in 2008 by a group of ANC dissidents, saw its share plummet to 2.2 percent from 7.4 percent in 2009, while support for the Inkatha Freedom Party slid to 3.6 percent from 4.6 percent.
Turnout 57.6%
The results showed the ANC won 62.9 percent of the proportional representation vote, while the DA won 24 percent. Of the 278 municipalities, the ANC won outright control of 198, the DA 18 and Inkatha Freedom Party 5, the commission said.
Voter turnout was 57.6 percent, compared to the commission's expectations of 40 percent.
"The people identified service delivery as an issue," President Jacob Zuma said in a speech in Pretoria after the results were published. "It came down to bread and butter issues." The "South African people, especially the poor and the workers, must be the real winners of the 2011 local government elections. There must be visible change in their living conditions."
The DA, traditionally backed by white and mixed-race voters, grew its support in all six main cities, though failed to win control of any of them, except Cape Town, which it has governed since 2006 in a coalition with the Independent Democrats.
DA Retains Cape Town
The Independent Democrats, which won 10.8 percent in Cape Town in 2006, agreed to merge with the DA before this year's election.
"We are succeeding beyond our own expectations," DA leader Helen Zille, 60, told reporters in Pretoria yesterday. "This election creates a strong platform for growth in 2014," when the country next holds a national election.
The ANC's share of the vote dropped in each of the country's nine provinces, except in Zuma's home, KwaZulu-Natal. While the ANC kept control of five of the six biggest cities, its share of the vote in Port Elizabeth dropped by 15 percentage points to 52 percent, and slid in Johannesburg to 59 percent from 62 percent.
"The ANC has now experienced two successive elections, 2009 and this week's, in which they have slipped in terms of their support," said Susan Booysen, a politics professor at the Johannesburg-based University of Witwatersrand. "There is a slight narrowing of the gap between what is emerging as the two dominant parties."
'Scored a Victory'
The ANC swept to power under Nelson Mandela in 1994, and has won every election since then with more than 60 percent of the vote, drawing support from the black majority because of the leading role it played in ending all-white rule.
The election "has once again demonstrated the power of the ANC," Zuma, 69, told thousands of singing and cheering supporters who celebrated the party's victory outside its headquarters in downtown Johannesburg on May 20. "We have scored a victory that has been forecast by others as a loss. They were saying the ANC is not going to make it."
The ruling party plans to speed up delivery of services to address demands from angry township residents, Jeff Radebe, the ANC's head of policy, said in an interview in Pretoria on May 20. South Africa had a record 111 protests against a lack of basic services such as water and housing last year, according to Johannesburg-based Municipal IQ, an independent local government research group.
"The ANC has received a resounding endorsement from our people," said Zwelinzima Vavi, general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the country's biggest labor federation of 2 million workers. "That endorsement is not unconditional. Lots of concerns have been expressed."
The rand has gained 0.6 percent against the dollar since the elections were held . The benchmark FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index has slid 0.2 percent in the same period.
To contact the reporters on this story: Nasreen Seria in Johannesburg at email@example.com; Mike Cohen in Johannesburg at email@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at firstname.lastname@example.com