text:
If "The Godfather" truly provided the answer to any business question, there would be a lot less angst about how to motivate employees. It's not a stretch to contend that business was simpler under the Mob's thumb. Processes and procedures were understood: family came first. The appearance of propriety was paramount. No Sicilian could refuse a request on his daughter's wedding day. And if gambling debts aren't paying the bills, it's time to diversify the business. Why not try an emerging market?
But imagine how turbulent the markets would be if a violation of respect resulted in literal bloodshed. It would make 2008 look like a banner year.
The key was that in the gangster-ridden world of Old New York, everyone in the "organization" had aligned goals: preserve pride, profit, and a pulse.
The same can't be said for modern-day firms. This indisputable fact has given rise to the field of corporate governance, which endeavors to mitigate the myriad conflicts between managers and shareholders.
It all boils down to a matter of diverging interests.
Shareholders' first priority is to maximize their own wealth: stock prices should go up, dividends should be paid.
"Shareholders are often thousands of miles away; they generally don't want to know about the day-to-day operations…there is a separation between management and ownership," said Professor Ronald Anderson, who has spent the last decade researching corporate governance, particularly in family firms. Anderson holds the Gary D. Cohn Professorship in Finance.
On the other hand, no one is entirely sure what company managers hold sacred. "They should be focused on maximizing shareholder wealth, but they have a natural tendency to protect themselves and maximize their own utility," Anderson said, citing examples like the implosion of Enron and scandal at Tyco. "It's a problem that has reared its head a lot over the last 10 to 12 years."
A company's ownership structure should be a superfluous ingredient in its success, but Anderson and his colleagues have proved that family owners are of a unique flavor. Firms with controlling family owners (those who wield sufficient power to enforce decisions) are singularly motivated. Though the family members may not be as hands-on as Vito Corleone, their firms make distinctive investment choices, and flourish—or flounder—in certain circumstances.
Spurred by the lack of research on family firms, Anderson and colleague David M. Reeb, now at the National University of Singapore, began in the late 1990s to evaluate family ownership and its connection to firm performance. Their findings changed the way academics and practitioners view this previously underrated demographic.
Further research at Kogod has investigated family firms' transparency, proclivity for insider trading, investment choices, and the impact of "family-style" debt. The surprising findings serve as indicators of how this inimitable slice of the business world stands apart.
In hindsight, families should have gotten acclaim beyond the box office for their business skills. After all, family owners are highly incentivized to pay attention: on average, family owners have held their shares for more than 78 years, and have 69 percent of their personal wealth invested in the firm. They have a vested interest in ensuring that the managers running their companies are protecting their assets.
Anderson and Reeb proved that despite their bumbling portrayal in the media (see: the Bluths of HBO's Arrested Development), family firms are more valuable than diffusely owned firms, which are held by a large number of shareholders and investors.
Family businesses are also highly prevalent. Thirty-five percent of Fortune 500 companies and 60 percent of publicly held companies in the US are family-controlled, according to the advocacy group Family Enterprise USA.
It turns out family presence cannot be ignored. Just as overbearing families tend to weigh in on decisions "for our own good," firms with actively engaged family owners generally outperformed firms without an active family member. Decades after public firms' initial offerings, many family members continue to hold hands-on positions in day-to-day operations.
The findings ignited a flurry of attention from academic and mainstream media, including a Businessweek cover story. For Anderson, the next questions quickly took shape: Why are these firms more valuable—and under what circumstances?
In their recent article in the Journal of Financial Economics, the pair invited Associate Professor Augustine Duru to study the effects of corporate transparency on family firms. Thanks to his prior research on the use of accounting information in CEO compensation, Duru had expertise in measuring transparency through an accounting lens.
Like many others, Duru had initially assumed that family firms would be less valuable than diffusely owned firms. "But my colleagues' empirical work showed that, certainly, family firms were more valuable. It seemed counterintuitive," Duru said.
Past research has demonstrated that corporate transparency is crucial in order to protect share¬holders and mitigate conflict between large and small investors. But no one had studied transparency specifically within the context of family firms.
"When they decided to bring in the accounting perspective," Duru noted, "the question became: If we believe that accounting information is important to firm performance, what would happen if there was a lack of information?"
While all publicly traded firms must comply with mandatory accounting disclosures, the authors acknowledge that there is still substantial variation in what firms choose to reveal—as well as in the amount of outside scrutiny they receive. Firms can also elect to engage in voluntary disclosures.
"Transparency is clearly a choice; there are public companies that are not as transparent as they could be," Anderson said. "But some of it is market-driven, and some of it is shareholder-driven as well."
To test their theories, the researchers built an index that ranked the opacity of the largest 2,000 US firms. Family involvement was defined as firms in which the founders or heirs maintain influence, usually through an equity stake. About 22 percent of the firms in the sample were founder-controlled, and another 25 percent heir-controlled.
Opacity was categorized using four factors that indicated the levels of both internal and external opacity:
• Trading volume and bid-ask spread, which lend insight into the amount of information uncertainty
• Analyst following and analyst forecast errors, which help explain the availability of firms' information
The researchers determined that both types of family firms are significantly more opaque (by about five percent) than diffuse shareholder firms. "Their shares trade less than those in diffuse shareholder firms and exhibit significantly less analyst following," they wrote.
Analysts are important because they play a monitoring role. Large, publicly traded multinational firms are subjected to scrutiny; "multiple monitoring" keeps controlling families on their best behavior, just as the looming threat of the Five Families did in the Godfather's world.
How does opacity impact other shareholders' wealth, beyond the family? Since family firms are more valuable—and tend to be more opaque—then was opacity more valuable?
The opposite was true.
Where a positive relationship existed between family ownership and performance, it was limited to firms with a high level of corporate transparency. When the corporate information environment was opaque, however, family firms ceased to be as valuable as firms without family owners.
"When it's harder to see what's going on inside the company, it is much harder for the market to monitor the family, and as a consequence maybe the family can misbehave," Anderson said. Opacity reduces the ability of outsiders to police opportunism by family firms. Simply put, the top-performing family firms are also the most transparent.
Think Walmart. The Walton family's massive multinational is currently followed by 36 analysts, all of whom are listed on the Walmart website, along with extensive stock information, historical pricing, and governance documents. The world's largest retailer is also covered widely in the news media. For Walmart, there is no escape from scrutiny.
The researchers also looked at CEO types in these transparent top performers. In their sample
• the original founders held the top spot 37.7 percent of the time;
• outsiders, like Campbell Soup Co.'s Denise Morrison, 34.2 percent; and
• heirs, such as Nordstrom Inc.'s Blake Nordstrom, 28.1 percent.
Transparent family firms led by an outsider performed best, followed by those led by founders and then heirs. Yet all three types of these trans¬parent family firms still outperformed transparent, diffusely owned firms.
In the absence of a highly transparent environment, there was no evidence of a benefit attributable to family ownership. In fact, in more opaque family firms, there was a negative relationship: as opacity increased, performance fell. Opaque family firms performed worse than any other type of firm. In those muddy waters, families can exploit control to extract private benefits at the expense of smaller investors.
It's clear that shareholders—and thus the S&P—value founder or heir involvement only when those family values include financial transparency.
As it turns out, informed trading may also be a family affair. And when there are short sales, there's gonna be trouble.
Anderson's latest project, with coauthors Reeb and Wanli Zhao of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, finds that family firms boast "substantially higher" volume of abnormal short sales, where traders bet on a company's poor performance.
"There appears to be a lot more informed trading going on in family firms; given the magnitude of it, some of it is likely illegal," Anderson explained.
Prior studies have found that family owners are among the best informed of shareholders. Anderson postulates that this is attributable to a few factors. For instance, they are likely to know about skeletons in the family closet. Also, family members who do not serve in senior management at the firm can fly under regulators' radar more easily, and potentially avoid detection.
Of course, outside investors could play a role in these antics by gleaning information from a family member and using it for personal benefit. Or perhaps the short sales are a product of disgruntled employees who perceive family domination as hurting the firm.
Take the case of Robert Chestman, a stock¬broker convicted on insider trading charges following the 1986 takeover of Waldbaum Inc., a New York-based grocery chain now owned by the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) asserted that Mr. Chestman had received nonpublic information from a member of the Waldbaum family, which he used to trade 11,000 shares of company stock.
But Chestman was by no means the only one selling. In the days before the company's announcement, the trading volume in Waldbaum stock skyrocketed. In two days, trading climbed from 2,300 shares to more than 77,000 shares traded daily, according to The New York Times and the SEC.
Insider trading hardly capped in the 1980s. In 2005, former senator Bill Frist, heir to the for-profit hospital chain HCA, raised the SEC's ire. The commission conducted an 18-month investigation into Frist's sale of his blind trust of HCA shares, but ultimately did not press charges. Frist ordered the sale during a peak in the stock's trading; weeks later, a less than stellar earnings report drove the share price down by nine percent, according to USA Today.
Relative Leaders
Founder CEO
Michael Dell, Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL)
Mark Zuckerberg wasn't the first tech entrepreneur to start a billion-dollar enterprise from a dorm room. Dell began his computer business at the University of Texas in 1984. By 1992, the then-27-year-old had become the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
Dell has since racked up accolades, written a book on his success, and served on the US President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Though he stepped down as CEO in 2004, he returned to the position in 2007 at the request of the board of directors. The Texan has four teenage children; perhaps a successor is in their midst? In the meantime, Dell Inc. announced plans to launch its first consumer tablet late this year.
Heir CEO
Micky Arison, Carnival Cruises (NYSE: CCL)
Micky Arison is the CEO of Carnival Cruises CCL, the cruise operator that owns brands such as AIDA, Seabourn, Carnival, Ibero, and a series of others. His father, Ted, founded the business in 1972. Micky joined in 1974 and worked his way up to the chairman role in 1990; he became known for acquisitions, including the purchase of Holland America Line in 1989 and P&O Princess Cruises in 2002. The Israeli American also owns the NBA's Miami Heat.
He's no stranger to controversy; early this year, the partial sinking of cruise ship Costa Concordia in Italy claimed at least 17 lives, with many more injured or missing. The company said it expected a $175 million hit against net income in fiscal 2012 as a result of the disaster, according to Reuters.
Professional Manager CEO
Denise Morrison, Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB)
Denise Morrison, president and CEO of Campbell Soup Company, hails from a family of successful businesswomen. Perhaps, then, it's appropriate that she took over leadership of the family-rooted company in August 2011. Morrison is only the 12th CEO in Campbell's 140-year history, and its first female leader; she joined the company in 2003.
With 35 years' experience in the packaged goods industry, Morrison started in the sales department of Procter & Gamble, and previously served at Pepsi-Cola, Nestlé USA, Nabisco Inc., and Kraft Foods. Campbell's has projected net sales growth between 0 and 2 percent in 2012.
Compiled by Nicole Federica and Jackie Sauter
Information leakage was at the center of Anderson's study. At the root of short sales is the spread of nonpublic information. By identifying and homing in on the times when short sales preceded negative earnings surprises, the researchers made the issue empirical. The question: Does family presence aid or impede informed trading?
They analyzed short sales that occurred prior to earnings surprises, merging the SEC's short-sales database with their own information on family ownership in the largest US firms. The resulting sample was 1,571 strong, with family firms making up more than one-third of the sample.
Rather than focusing on the motivation of the sellers, the researchers simply sought to uncover whether insider trading was more prevalent in family firms.
It was. "Family firms experienced almost 17 times more abnormal short selling preceding negative earnings shocks than nonfamily firms," the authors wrote. These firms also had marginally fewer abnormal short sales before positive surprises— indicating that more sellers were hanging on to their stock in anticipation of good news.
This was no coincidence. The presence of family members as managers or board members increased the likelihood of short sales. The researchers contrasted family ownership with that of hedge funds, private equity funds, and other large-block shareholders, but did not find the same results.
There are regulatory implications. Despite the researchers' findings, the SEC's enforcement actions of late have focused on hedge funds, with 22 enforcements between 2006 and 2008 against the funds, and zero filed against family owners. Further investigation reveals zero enforcements filed against family owners through early 2012.
Certainly, the SEC takes abuse of short sales seriously. The commission has held numerous public hearings, enacted new rules on "naked" short sales, and required more transparency about the short-selling process. The focus on short sales is warranted: the SEC says that short selling comprised almost half of US equities volume, based on data provided by exchanges for June 2010.
"Our analysis suggests that regulations to reduce informed trading, while potentially limiting such activity in nonfamily firms, appear substantially less effective in family firms," Anderson concluded.
Of course, in order for earnings surprises to occur, firms have to play a role in the action. That could mean an acquisition or investing in a new business venture. And the latter often requires firms, and their managers, to borrow money.
Debt can be a tricky business, and all debt is not equal—now that debt is no longer traded in Mafia-style personal favors, that is.
No one knows this better than Associate Professor Parthiban David, whose expertise focuses on the impact of corporate governance on firm performance. David holds the Collins Chair in Strategic Management.
David, along with coauthor Jonathan O'Brien of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, examined how the type of firm debt is related to growth. The pair chose Japanese firms to make up the sample, due to their predilection for growth.
On its face, growth is a noble goal—but there can be too much of a good thing. Excessive growth can harm profits if managers don't share the resulting wealth with investors, and instead funnel it back into the firm.
Debt helps to keep managers in check: they have to make interest payments, repay the balance at the end of a contract, and face the threat of default. Just as family-owned firms are inherently anchored in relationships, forms of debt can also have a relational quality. And debt plays an important, pseudo-parental role in corporate governance.
Exhibit A: Bank loans are built on relationships. Business owners have a rapport with the bankers who invest in the growth of their businesses. Loans are not merely dollars and cents to the bank (or so they would have us believe); rather, banks assess the complete picture of the borrower and company.
They also consider the possibility of ancillary business relationships that might form down the line; loans could be a foot in the door to a more robust, potentially lucrative relationship. Often bank representatives will hold seats on the firm's board of directors, provide other business services beyond lending, and have relationships with the firms' customers and suppliers.
"Bank loans are long term," David said, explaining that both sides build trust and may act as partners. "Banks have business relationships; growth is important to them, because more growth means more business."
In contrast, bonds are transactional, impersonal forms of debt. Bonds allow lenders to keep their borrowers at arm's length. These securities are diffusely held, and lenders are focused solely on the returns they earn.
Consider the case of Columbia Sportswear Co., a family-owned business that began selling hats in 1938.
After the 1970 death of the family patriarch, the near-insolvent company struggled to stay afloat; it had already taken a $150,000 loan from the Small Business Administration. Within two years the company racked up a negative net worth of $300,000, according to Funding Universe.
Yet the Boyle family was able to draw more credit from its bank; bank officers even suggested the family consult an adviser, which was the "first step on a path toward stability and then growth," the owners told Family Business magazine. The infusion of credit happened to pay off; Columbia has come a long way since then, projecting revenues of $1.7 billion in 2011.
There is no question that relational debts are beneficial to firms that invest substantially in R&D. The long-term relationship between lender and borrower allows continuity of investment; the bank can step in more easily if the firm were to default.
Transactional debt was more effective in preventing overinvestment in firm growth than relational debt. While relational debt may lead to more growth, the growth may hurt profits, David and O'Brien concluded.
This may be best understood with an example— one that's all too familiar.
In 1980s Japan, stock and real estate markets peaked, and real estate was all the rage. Many firms that previously had never invested in real estate were tempted to get in on the action.
As Northwestern's I. Serdar Dinc discovered, firms that had relational debt were more likely than those with transactional debt to make real estate investments. When the bubble burst less than 10 years later, they were hurt badly. Parthiban David's work implies that the "leniency" of those relational lenders led to that overinvestment, which ultimately weakened the firms.
If debt is to be used effectively for corporate governance, then managers—and shareholders, family or otherwise—need to understand the vast differences provided by these two diverging forms of debt.
Debt was something that J. Willard Marriott detested. When the founder of Marriott International wanted to focus on growing Hot Shoppes, the family's modest restaurant chain, his heir saw the promise of hotels. Getting into bed with the hospitality industry meant going into debt, something the elder Marriott avoided at all costs.
"Debt was something that [my father] didn't understand, and he hated it…he didn't want anything to do with it," Bill Marriott once told The Washington Post. Luckily for travelers, J. Willard's son went to the mattresses for the company, now valued at around $10 billion.
In the first six years after Bill took over the presidency, the company quadrupled in size, surpassing Howard Johnson and Hilton Hotels in both revenue and profits. The younger Marriott acquired Big Boy and Roy Rogers restaurant chains, and made the company international with an acquisition in Venezuela. He also invested heavily in research, which informed the decision in 1983 to target the mid-priced hotel market with Courtyard by Marriott.
Still, J. Willard's conservative business strategies are consistent with Anderson, Duru, and Reeb's findings from a recent study of the ties that bind family ownership and investment decisions.
The authors examined dueling potential motivations behind investment decisions: an aversion to risk was one possibility, or an extended "investment horizon." With Duru's help, the team focused on accounting disclosures required by regulators, including R&D and capital expenditures.
What was the family's biggest influence?
The researchers discovered that family firms preferred to construct their future in physical assets, like new restaurants, as opposed to riskier ventures— such as expanding into a new industry segment.
"We found that family firms invested less in R&D; they are more risk averse," Duru said, explaining that family firms devote less capital to long-term investments than do diffusely owned firms. Compared to their peers, family firms also receive fewer patents per dollar of R&D investment.
Rather, they seem to prefer doubling down on reinforcements that strengthen their core business. Take Carnival Corporation, which has 101 ships among its brands and 10 new ships on order, focusing on expansion into Europe, Australia, and Asia. The Arison family retains 35 percent of company stock in the world's largest cruise ship operator.
The reluctance to pony up for long-term investments may be counterintuitive. Tales of family business owners often hinge on the notion of their far-reaching view of the future and their financial sacrifices, made to prop up the business. It is possible that there is less spending on R&D in family firms simply because family oversight makes firms more efficient.
Efficiency is something that Richard Lenny, the first outsider to serve as CEO of Hershey Foods Company, understood. Lenny increased company profits by closing six underperforming plants in the US and Canada in 2007, cutting 3,000 workers, and outsourcing the production of cocoa.
It was a far cry from the utopian community that Milton Hershey envisioned for his employees and their families. When the Great Depression hit and sales plummeted 50 percent, Hershey did not lay off a single worker, but instead used employees to pursue growth opportunities. His ideals were as popular as his company's sweets; more than a century later, the town's identity is still tightly wrapped in silver foil with a tidy bow.
Milton Hershey's focus on protecting employees was not the norm for corporate America, but it is representative of many Japanese firms, which often increase their investments in growth when demand for their products falls.
"Given a choice between cutting dividends or workers, CEOs there generally say their employees and suppliers are the most important stakeholders," David said. "It's almost a family situation."
The reason behind firms' diversification—and whether the motivation differed by the identity of its owners—was the focus of David's recent study.
In the same way that types of debt can be considered either relational or transactional, domestic and foreign owners also display these characteristics.
Prior research on corporate diversification and its implications for firm performance had treated all owners as if they had the same end goal: profit.
Not so, David and his colleagues found, in a paper published by the Academy of Management in 2010. Diversification is also a means to other ends, such as career advancement opportunities for employees, higher compensation, and lower employment risk.
Using data from four sources, and excluding small firms and those in highly regulated sectors, their sample resulted in 1,180 unique firms.
It turns out that relational owners emphasize growth, while transactional owners emphasize profit for shareholders. The differences are considerable: on a share-per-share basis, transactional owners "are over three times more effective than relational owners in pressuring managers to improve profit."
"What we found is that when there is more relational ownership, the firms are less likely to cut their wages or lay off people, even when performance goes down," David said. "But with transactional ownership, they are more likely to do so."
For domestic owners, he believes, it all comes down to stakeholder relationships. Firm growth means new business, which keeps firm employees and their suppliers working. But firms with foreign ownership are more likely to diversify the business in order to collect more profits.
David was quick to point out that domestic owners are not blindly making poor business decisions. "There is a self-interest here also," he said. "It is not irrational altruism. There is an economic incentive for domestic owners to support growth; once again, more growth means more business."
The project helped to reframe a central question about firm performance, which previously had been viewed only through the profit lens.
Like his colleagues' work, the findings from David's team had significant implications for governance literature.
Taken together, the emphasis that Kogod's faculty have placed on researching the value of family firms has highlighted the firms' critical value to the US economy.
Beyond their profitability, family businesses also employ 63 percent of the US workforce. As regulators look ahead to a November election in which the key issue is jobs, they should pay a visit to these firms for counsel on how policy will impact expansion and job creation, said Ann Kinkade, CEO of Family Enterprise USA, in Forbes.
Questions remain. Will the SEC step up its focus on short-sale trading in these valuable firms? Can larger firms in the US gain access to relational funding to fuel firm growth, traditionally a more popular investment choice for small businesses? How can family businesses be encouraged to add jobs?
As Clemenza argued to Michael Corleone, "At least give me the chance to recruit some new men."


text:
Legal Online Gambling For Illinois Residents
The Illinois legislature has caused a few problems for online gamblers, as they have obfuscated the reality of the legalities of online gambling in Illinois. We want to help our readers find the truth about online gambling, and we can tell you that there are many options available. If you decide that online gambling is something you are interested in, you definitely want to look at the laws regarding the games in Illinois, as they could potentially cause you some trouble that you would rather not deal with.
Help Us Help You!!! Like Us On Facebook And Vote On Google +1
Online Gambling Age For Illinois Residents
Illinois gamblers will find that there are age limits on every form of gambling. If you are 18, you can begin participating in a few styles of play. First off, bingo games, the lottery, horse and dog race betting, online bingo and online poker can all be enjoyed. For those who are 21, the rest of the options become available. Land casinos, online casinos, online poker and online sports betting are also available.
Illinois Online Gambling Laws
Unlike almost every state in the Union, Illinois actually has laws that mention online gambling. If you live in the state of Illinois, you will find that there is something of a ban imposed on online gambling. The law simply says that anyone who "knowingly establishes, maintains or operates an Internet site that permits a person to play a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value by means of the Internet or to make a wager on the result of any game, contest, political nomination, appointment or election by means of the Internet," is violating the law.
While this makes it seem like only those who actually host a gambling site are subject to punishment under the law, it may just be those who are operating this site that are subject to punitive action.
Also, it is worth noting that Illinois previously had laws that permitted residents to bet on horse races online. The important word there is "previously" because at this very moment, it is not legal to do so. But, it's not all bad news...
As of May 26th, 2013, the Illinois House of Representatives started putting plans in place to re-regulate the industry after seeing the potential revenue being lost by not having it. Stay tuned for further updates as this bill begins to go through the Illinois Senate and to the Governor.
Gambling Sites That Accept Illinois Residents
Despite the murky legal climate in the state of Illinois, there are plenty of online gambling sites that accept Illinois residents. We are here to share information, and this is part of the information that we want to share. While we cannot assure you this is legal, and we do not recommend you partake if it is illegal, we will show you where you can join to play.
Bovada: More People Bet With Bovada Than Any Other Book
Some say that the town of Superman is Metropolis in southern Illinois, and that means that the people in this state know a super good site when they see one. Bovada is the best overall gambling site in Illinois. This site has many different things to offer, including complete sportsbooks for making wagers, poker rooms with weekly tournaments, and lots of fun casino games. This sportsbooks have full listings for NFL, NCAA, MLB, and NBA leagues. In addition, the sportsbooks feature fun betting like propositional and futures. Fly on over to the website and take a leap into signing up, it's quick and easy. Best of all, you won't find any villains there.
Bovada offers all of its heroes great bonuses with no strings attached. It's free for all players over the age of 21, and Bovada offers the greatest lines and odds for all its sportsbooks. Not even kryptonite could stop its players from making their fortunes, all from the comfort of their own personal fortress of solitudes. You won't need X-Ray vision for these books, the layouts of all Bovada's sportsbooks are easy to read and understand. The large amount of lines will give everyone a chance at betting on their own favorites. Join us at Bovada.lv for an experience unlike any order, spandex wearers are always welcome. Go To Bovada!
SportsBetting: Bet On The Bears While The Game Is Going
Don't drive through, just log in to the best overall gambling site in Illinois, SportsBetting. While the people of Des Plaines, Illinois invented the hamburger, SportsBetting invented the best website to get more lines and odds on the internet. You can expect your membership to come fully loaded with all the sides, right when you sign up. SportsBetting offers its members a free super-size on all its deposits with a large 50% first deposit bonus. This site offers a full menu of casino games, sportsbooks, and online poker. Signing up is always free and depositing is fast and easy. SportsBetting is a site for everyone of legal gambling age in all fifty states and gives players a safe and legal option to bet and play online.
SportsBetting has extensive rewards for its new and returning players. It's easy to sign up, just simply click the join now button on the main page where you'll be redirected into signing up for your account. Once you enter your information, check your email for the automatic confirmation. Logging in and making your first deposit is easier than flipping hamburgers and can be made on a hamburger flipper salary. The minimum amounts are low with credit card deposits and there is something for even the most casual bettor. Enjoy everything that SportsBetting has and turn yourself into a big mac with their high payouts and great odds. Go To SportsBetting!
|Betting Sites
|Visit Site
|50% - $250
|Poker / Casino Games
|50% - $500
|Poker / Casino Games
|25% - $1,000
|Poker / Casino Games
|25% - $500
|Live Dealer Casino
|US Casinos
|Bonus Codes
|Visit Site
|100% - $777
|200% - $500
|100% - $500
|No Code Needed
|Poker Sites
|Visit Site
|100% - $1,000
|Sports Betting / Casino
|100% - $1,000
|Sports Betting / Casino
Online Casinos That Accept Illinois Residents
Residents of Illinois will have access to a number of different casinos, and these have proven to be some of the better options for gambling on the market. If you are going to play these games, we recommend that you stick only to the best and most trusted options around. These casinos are limitless in terms of possibilities, and safety is guaranteed.
Lucky Red
A great online casino for Illinois residents is Lucky Red Casino. Within the casino, players will find a wide selection of great games to take advantage of, with slots, table games and more available. A great bonus of up to $4,000 is available on first deposits, using the bonus code LUCKYRED400.
Online Sports Betting Sites That Accept Illinois Residents
Want to hit the odds on sports? If so, you have found your options on this site. We are going to share you with the best and most trusted sports betting sites, and each of these will allow you to hit lines from all over the world. If you are going to play through these sportsbooks, you could very easily make a living.
Illinois players will have a great time at Bovada Sportsbook, able to wager on all of their favorite sports and teams. Bet on the Bears to win the Super Bowl or the Cub to win the World Series. Ok, so more likely the White Sox. But regardless, Illinois players can wager on whatever they want. A first-deposit bonus of 50 percent up to $250 on the first deposit.
Online Poker Sites That Accept Illinois Residents
Online poker rooms are easily the most desired form of online gambling, but also one of the harder to locate. We have done what we can to bring our readers a list of the best possible poker rooms, and these are the rooms you will want to stick to if you are going to play the games online.
Bovada poker is a great online room to join if you are a player from Illinois. These players in the state are accepted and welcome at Bovada. Illinois players can enjoy up to a $1,00 bonus on a first time deposit into the site, and enjoy a ton of great games.
Online Bingo Sites That Accept Illinois Players
Bingo players are another set of gamers who can find their style of play online. If you want to hit the cards from your home, you will be able to easily do so with the different bingo sites we have found. While not that many bingo halls still operate, you should have very little trouble finding an appropriate agent for your gaming. We only allow the most trusted of all gambling sites, and we can tell you that these bingo halls are no different.
Is Online Gambling Legal In Illinois?
With the aforementioned information, it is difficult to come to a conclusive decision over whether or not online gambling is legal in Illinois. With the laws as mystifying as they are, we, being laymen in terms of the law, cannot actually make an adequate determination over whether or not this is legal. What we can say is that we have not heard of an arrest over online gambling, so it is likely that you are not going to have to worry about indictment for gambling. We do not condone breaking the law however, so make sure to contact an attorney before you make any form of decision.
Are Online Casinos Legal In Illinois?
Tough question. If gambling on the Internet is legal, then online casinos are also illegal. We are not going to sit here and tell you that this is totally true, but we can tell you that gambling online may be a risk. You are unlikely to ever be arrested, but breaking the law is unacceptable in our eyes.
Is Online Sports Betting Legal In Illinois?
This is another relative unknown. While we do have the text of the law at our disposal, we cannot actually say whether or not the games are legal or illegal. We recommend consulting your attorney or a paid legal professional before you engage in online sports betting if you are worried about getting in trouble with the law.
Are Sportsbooks Safe In Illinois For Online Wagering?
While there is cloudiness over the legality of sports betting in the state, Illinois residents really need not worry about whether they're going to get into trouble for betting sports online. This is because there are way too many people that do it and to try to catch each person would be insane. Rather, Illinois is sure to focus it's efforts on the catching those who provide gambling opportunities to it's residents, whether it be online or in real life. That guy you know that puts $20 on every Bears and Bulls game doesn't get in trouble does he? And, neither do the thousands of other Illinois residents that wager online too. Plus, using the sportsbooks for Illinois players that we have listed on this page guarantees that you are wagering with an establishment that isn't located in Illinois or even the United States. These sites are out of the reach of the government and absolutely will not disclose any of your personal information.
Is Online Poker Legal In Illinois?
Poker players who live in Illinois have many options available, but the sad truth is that it may be a crime to hit the felts in Illinois. The legislature specifically mentioned games of skill in the text of the law, which is why these games may be illegal.
Will I go to jail for online gambling in Illinois?
While we have never heard of an arrest taking place in Illinois over online gambling, we cannot be 100% sure over whether or not you are completely free from arrest in Illinois. Residents who want to take the risk may, but we cannot guarantee that you will be able to play without total safety from arrest. We recommend you speak with a trial attorney before you begin to play.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This Wednesday August 13, 2014 Milwaukee resident, Jesse Hieb, will attempt to stand up paddleboard across Lake Michigan from Milwaukee, WI to Muskego MI. The route is roughly 80 miles. If he completes this it will be the first time an individual has done so. The approximate launch time is 5AM from Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, WI. The crew is aiming for a 33 hour crossing time however this is all determined by weather and paddler endurance. Jesse will aim to stay on the board at all times, including taking any cat naps and eating. Jesse stated "The hardest thing is finding a 48 hour time span where the weather will be safe enough for the support crew, and then maintaining hydration and nutrition to make sure that I can make it all the way across. 33 hours is a long time to be working out. Safety and nutrition will be our top priorities"
The paddler decided to take on this endurance challenge after returning from his first ultra-marathon in Thailand in February. "I love the feeling of pushing yourself to the limits, to the point where you know that you won't be able to make it unless God steps in and takes over. This is without a doubt a God sized goal. Without His help I don't stand a chance" Jesse said. "I have had a ton of really great sponsors that have helped me get to this point. John Udvare from www.boatshedlakemichigan.com was on board to help from the beginning. John loves adventure more than anyone so when I asked him for help he just hit the ground running. John secured a support boat and offered to captain the crew. Aqua bound paddling A WI based company also has been an awesome blessing. They loved the idea and supplied a SUP paddle that was going to be my best friend for the trip. Other sponsors that have made a huge impact include Big Head Brewing Company (Gas Sponsor), Attention Era Media (Film Crew), Alliance ENT & Hearing Center (Wilderness Medic and Health Physical Sponsor), Root Underground Outfitters (Apparel Sponsor), EOS (SUP Board Sponsor), Hamacher Resource Group (Emergency Beacon and Safety Equipment Sponsor), Valentine Coffee (Support crew and Launch day Sponsor), Cranky Al's (Support Crew and Launch0 Day Sponsor), Great Lakes Marina in Muskegon, MI (Boat Slip Sponsor), and WhiteKnuckleTV which is where the film crew will be posting the final production.
Jesse has been a Milwaukee local since 2005 when he came here for college. "I fell in love with Milwaukee…So I never left!" After graduating from Wisconsin Lutheran College in 2008 he began his professional career as a Case Manager at Integrated Family Services. "It was while working with youth in the child welfare system that I began seeing some of those really sad things that our city has going on in it. One of those things was child sex trafficking. Milwaukee is one of the worst in the nation. So when this opportunity arose it made sense to raise awareness for a non-profit called Exploit No More. This organization is fairly new but started addressing the problem and I couldn't be more excited about the things they are doing to help Milwaukee and the children affected by such a terrible act."
As of Monday, August 11, 2014 the crew plans to launch off of Bradford Beach at approximately 5:00AM. Valentine Coffee is going to provide a nice hot brew and Cranky Al's will provide donuts for anyone who is at the beach to send the crew off. GPS coordinates will be posted to social media sites so that anyone will be able to follow the paddling voyage on Twitter (@WhiteKnuckleTV) and on Facebook (SUPA-Lake Michigan).
"Thank you to everyone who has helped out with this, including all of my coworkers at ShoreTrips and REI, especially Kelly Fitzpatrick who, without her help, I never would have stuck with it and Dustin Rodamel who entertained this crazy idea and forced me to take the proper safety precautions. But most of all thankful to my God for giving me the opportunity to do something like this. Extra prayers are appreciate", says Jesse.
More from Your Stories
- Ebenezer's Pareting Tip: What is Helicopter Parenting?
- Build a Lego City!
- Anansi Puppet Story and Craft
- MCW researchers to study airway management in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
- Milwaukee Backgammon Club to hold 3 tournaments in August!
- 4th Annual Cruisin' the Grove Scheduled for Aug. 7
- MCW awarded $1.9 million to investigate disease prevention utilizing slime mold
- Dublin the Fun Partner Promotions Make Milwaukee Irish Fest Even More Affordable
- September Fashion Show in Washington County
- Back to School...BBB Reminds You to Shop Smart!


text:
Payment Information
To protect you and us against fraud, we require that all address information match what your credit card company has stored as a confirmed address. If you are shipping to an address other than your billing address, the shipping address must also be listed with your credit card company as a confirmed address. This can easily be done by calling the number on your statement or the back of your credit card. It only takes a few minutes and does not affect your billing information at all.
Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 757-357-0135 so that we can verbally verify your addresses with your credit card company. We reserve the right to cancel any orders that do not have matching bill to and ship to addresses.
If your order is under $250 dollars, your local carrier may choose to leave the package in a secure location depending on his/her discretion. Although FirstCall does not take responsibility for loss due to packages left without signature, we will do our best to assist in making a claim for your missing package. Please call us at 757-357-0135 should you have any questions.
· Wire transfer link to appropriate method
· Paypal payment with a confirmed ship to address link to appropriate method
· Mail in a US postal money order link to appropriate method
· Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express
· Wire Transfer
· Paypal
· Money Order
We accept all forms of payment for FPO or APO addresses. We treat our enlisted service customers as if they were our neighbors. Forms of payment are:
Can I pay for my order with a Wire Transfer?
Please email our accounting department at email@example.com for our bank routing and account number information. Once you have obtained that information from our accounting department, be sure to respond with an email providing proof of payment along with a copy of your order. The best way to provide a copy of your order is to:
· Fill your shopping cart with items you are interested in purchasing.
· Be sure to get estimate on freight method you want if free shipping is not included and include in your total
· Be sure to include ship to information along with contact phone number
· You will receive a phone call or email upon receipt of payment and confirmation of shipment.
Placing your order by mailing in payment is very easy.
· Purchase US Money Order for the amount of order
· Copy or print your shopping cart page, include payment and mail to:
o FirstCall Paintball
PO Box 2128
Suffolk, Va 23432
· You will receive a phone call or email upon receipt of payment
· You will receive a phone call or email with tracking number once package is shipped.
Be sure that your paypal account is valid and has a confirmed shipping address. We will not ship orders to unconfirmed shipping addresses.
If you wish to pay thru Paypal with an echeck, your order will be held until the echeck clears. An echeck can take up to 7-10 working days to clear. If you have any further questions concerning paypal, please email us at email@example.com


text:
Oil Change Due?
I searched the forum for an answer on this but only found older posts that didn't help much.... I have an "oil change due" warning - I'll take it in for an oil change next week but in the mean time how do I get rid of that silly warning?
Turn it on to ACC and then pump the gas pedal 3 times fast. The light should blink and the go off.
Re: Oil Change Due?
Vehicles Equipped With Keyless Enter-N-Go
1. Without pressing the brake pedal, push the ENGINE
START/STOP button and cycle the ignition to the ON/
RUN position (Do not start the engine.)
2. Fully depress the accelerator pedal, slowly, three times
within 10 seconds.
3. Without pressing the brake pedal, push the ENGINE
START/STOP button once to return the ignition to the
OFF/LOCK position.
Vehicles Not Equipped With Keyless Enter-N-Go
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position (Do
not start the engine.)
2. Fully depress the accelerator pedal, slowly, three times
within 10 seconds.
3. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF/LOCK position.
NOTE: If the indicator message illuminates when you
start the vehicle, the oil change indicator system did not
reset. If necessary, repeat this procedure.
Re: Oil Change Due?
Did you find that by searching the forum or reading the owners manual? :)
Re: Oil Change Due?
Re: Oil Change Due?
The owners manual is our friend.
Re: Oil Change Due?
I definitely agree, but sometimes that feedback can be a steaming pile!! :D
Re: Oil Change Due?
I got a little Kindle Paper White and loaded the three latest manuals on it. As new updates come out I'll have them ... in the console. For $119 I think it's a cheap accessory. Plus, I loaded the book I'm reading onto it. So tomorrow while I'm waiting for the fish to show up I'll have something to read. :)
Re: Oil Change Due?
I've always kept my manuals on the laptop. Good idea loading them on the kindle.
Re: Oil Change Due?
Just a note for those of us who drive the oil burning (ie diesel) V6, the cycle the ignition to the 'on' position and depress the accellerator 3 times in 10 seconds does not work.
I tried this a number of times after being advised by the dealership in Townsville that this was the proceedure to remove the message. Finally I decided to do some internet research and found that for the export model, 3.0lt diesel, the proceedure is as follows:-
1. Cycle the ignition to On/Run (Push the start button twice without putting your foot on the brake. Do not start the engine.)
2. Hold the accelerator pedal down for 30 seconds. (Don't let it back up)
3. Pump the brake pedal six times whilst still holding the accelerator pedal down. (Dont be concerned that the brake pedal will load up and get harder to push, just make sure that you push is down firmly and dont give yourself a hernia trying to make it go to the floor.)
4. Release the accelerator pedal after the sixth depression of the brake pedal.
5. Push the 'Start/Stop' button once. (This will cycle the ignition of 'Off")
6. Start the engine to make sure the message has been turned off.
I only had to do this once and the message was turned off. Information was from Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2 - Oil Change Indicator System If you visit this page it has the info for both the petrol and diesel versions of the JGC WK2's Just scroll the the very bottom of the page.
Re: Oil Change Due?
Up up down down left right left right B A Start.
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:09 AM.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2012 - JeepGarage.Org
The Jeep Grand Cherokee Owners Community


text:
There is nothing quite like celebrating the holidays with FREE gluten-free products, especially delicious ones like these from Glutino! We want you all to enjoy your family and this wonderful holiday in which we celebrate the great freedoms of the USA. Here is a little something from Gluten Free Frenzy and Glutino to make your day extra exciting!
Glutino is an amazing company that continues to provide some of the best tasting gluten-free products on the market. We love the people that work there and love sharing their fantastic products with all of you even more. Here is what we have reviewed lately. Be sure to enter BOTH giveaways below…if you choose too, remember you have the freedom to choose. 🙂
Muffin Mix: Recently my friends and I celebrated my birthday with a big, gluten-free tea party. I had always wanted to host one so I used this Glutino muffin mix to make almond poppyseed scones and I will tell you, they were delicious! We topped them with Devonshire cream and lemon curd making for a tantalizing combination of flavors. I was surprised at how easy it was to make this mix into traditional tea scones.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix: I also wanted a dessert course at my birthday tea party so I made up mini Glutino chocolate chip cookies and dipped half into milk chocolate. My friends loved them and thought they were an excellent addition to the tea menu.
Tortilla Dippers: My family downed this bag in nearly one sitting. We all loved the lightly salted flavor and crunchy texture of these chips. The fact that they were made into a dipper shape made it even more fun for my little guys to try out some peach salsa that we had on hand. They make excellent chips for parties and gatherings.
NEW Wafer Bites: These scrumptious bites come in three exciting flavors: hazelnut, lemon and chocolate. I was so impressed with the perfect wafer texture of these cookies and the just slightly, but sweet enough, taste. I personally loved the lemon the best and thought they were very refreshing. I liked the tart and sweet combination of flavor. The hazelnut was my next favorite and made me think how tasty they would be with a nice warm cup of herbal tea. My kids (not surprisingly) loved the chocolate flavor. It was the sweetest but they loved that. These bites were the perfect size for little hands to grab and go making for an easy snack in the car.
Pizza Crust Mix: Glutino's pizza crust is tasty and very easy to make. I love finding a crust that is pleasing to my entire family. This crust is just that. Make it thick or make it thin and even if you are out of a yeast packet, it will still turn out very tasty.
*These are my opinions and my opinions alone. I was provided with product for review but I was not required to write a positive feature.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


text:
Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Generation (edition 2012)
by William Knight
Work details
Generation by William Knight
No current Talk conversations about this book.
Author's guest post at my blog:
Someone said to me, "Kriss you will love it, it's a zombie, well scientific umm errr... pandemic?? well .. sort of ... just read the book.." Yes, that is about how the conversation went. Well, I heard zombies and thought AWESOME! When I read the synopsis I thought huh? I love procedural crime novels. I love when someone gets really technical and scientific and fiddles around with genomes. I had also read a response on the Amazon page:
"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo meets the X-Files." ROB SVENSON
Sounds great right? I adore the X-files (all but Season 9, the non David Dechovny). And from the description of it being a story being investigated by a yellow journalist. OK, I thought, this was well vetted! Well I was wrong. Here is the official product description from Amazon, keep this in mind as I discuss this book. Also keep in mind put everything together and overall I was going to give this novel a solid 3 but I decided with everything taken into mind (some aspects higher and some a tad lower overall 3 1/3 Star's:
A crime-thriller with an injection of horror
Journalist Hendrix 'Aitch' Harrison links bodies stolen from a renowned forensic-research lab to an influential drug company. Aided by Sarah Wallace, a determined and beguiling entomologist, he delves into a grisly world of clinical trials and a viral treatment beyond imagining. But Aitch must battle more than his fear of technology to expose the macabre fate of the drugged victims donated to scientific research.
Instead of giving you a traditional review sounding a bit like "First this happened, and then you have these two characters, there was passion, and there was a bad guy and .. etc.." I feel there is more of a critique needed. For this review/critique I am the Gene Shallot of Indie Book Publishing... well minus the mustache, the 'fro and the double chin.. OH and those awful glasses! (But not the bow tie.. bow ties are cool!)
I feel the need (adjusting my bow tie) to delve into a few things that caused my struggle to read this novel. This read should have taken me 3-days tops. I read fast, but I am highly picky about specific technical issues. I get really hung up on little things that ruin a story for me. So please remember as you read through this post and go "Kriss get over yourself, that is nothing juts let it go", hear me say this "No, I won't let it go. Just give what I say a chance!"
I am in the habit of reading analytically, I cannot help it, it is what I do. If I have no problems I can say "Woohhoo I LOVED this book, it was SO fun..." and gush everywhere, which you all have seen me do. Because of this I tend to take all forms of ingested media apart if something bothers me..gets stuck in my teeth like many little things in this book did. But because this book was obviously written by someone with a creative AND technical mind I ended up analyzing, trying to find the hidden meaning which in turn ruined the adventure of the read for me. Every artist mixes something special into the pigment of their piece. With so many well constructed metaphors and images within GENERATION, to have someone so carelessly use these two recognizable and popular works sets the readers up with expectations. I had more than a few.. Zombie like? X-File like? The powerful duo of Girl with a Dragon Tattoo? (cracking knuckles). Let's get down to a few.
X-Files comparison:
Yes, I can see this definitely. A journalist not accepted as a true journalist because of the publication he works for, a paranormal paper.. Mulder! Absolutely nothing wrong with this. He is a freelancer, and this publication happens to be the place that sends him the most work. He seems to be happy to getting the work considering how he left the service. (The reasons why he left are EXTREMELY important and are dumbed and played down and this is another problem for me..This was hinted at but never completely explained unless you really are paying attention and taking notes [umm ya I did LOL] ) The scientist, the person of reason, obviously our entomologist Dr. Sarah Wallace is our Scully. OK I buy it so far.
Girl with a Dragon Tattoo comparison:
No clue other than you have a journalist who has been blacklisted due to being sued by a person of influence and power who targeted him on purpose after he got to close to the truth. YES that is about where it stops. (thinking a bit more... umm hmmm) yes this is where it stops. OK you got me there.. right (throwing pen down). But no this is not all!
Let's talk about the main character for a bit. Hendrix Harrison, what a great name right? It is a GREAT character. Though I think that some of the character building needed to be a bit more precise. Most folks label him, including in the Amazon details, as a technophobe. This is very misleading, he is not TECHNICALLY a technophobe.
OK so the second definition sort of fits. However, TECHNICALLY he is a man suffering from PTSD. He was discharged from the military because of an incident that involved him leaving his men behind and what happened to cause him the psychological disaster of his military career.
I cannot really go into why calling Harrison a technophobe is truly wrong without it becoming a spoiler, but as I read all the references about the incident during his military tour in Afghanistan it is actually a PTSD causality. Suffice it to say, he has a good reason NOT wanting to be hip with a new smart phone and be forced to tweet or text. He does when he HAS too but he does not even want to face his phone or have anything to do with it, again, unless he forced into a corner, as when he has to text the doctor to get her attention.
If he was a technophobe Harrison would not be using his bloody laptop constantly. In fact he is described at one point to being in his element as he types furiously away at it. He prefers printed photos not because he is afraid to use a digital camera, but because he is old school. I went to journalism school also, and many journalist are the same way. They like working with the media and have a hard time moving on and away from print media. Would the normal reader know this? No but the author is a technician, he knows his technology and so he knows these arguments, and in this I applaud him! It is a wonderful part of Harrison's character development
4 stars for all character development needs to be noted. They are well constructed. The sinister corporate man, the powerful media mogul our focused scientist.. even the poor geriatric widow are well rounded and three dimensional.
Another amazing aspect of writing that makes this author shine, and makes me really not like giving it just a GOOD rating is his incredible chapters from the viewpoint of the victims of the genetic modification treatment, labeled as "case" numbers. It speaks not only directly to the dangers of messing with "creation" but also for me I could see how Harrison is another victim. He is not infused with this horrific GM therapy, but his soul is in a constant state of regrowth just as fast as the flesh of it is decomposing because of what happened to him while serving overseas. These are threads woven by the authors voice for me. As horrific as it is to read about these poor victims, it has a dark beauty that speaks to the under tones of the book.
5 stars for the psychological horror painted for me, for the not so subtle message of the dangers of gene modification as well as a VERY subtle hint of politics. Especially the ending. It was perfectly wrought!
After reading 85% of the book with some sexual tension, much like Mulder and Scully, between our journalist and our doctor (see I can give props to a reviewer of such caliber *rolling eyes*) I still was unprepared for what happens. Maybe a kiss but they were in the middle of a clandestine search for the truth and to regain their reputations that were being squashed by Big Brother Pharmaceuticals, much like Lisbeth and Mickael. (see again with the props in relation to the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).
But unlike these two couples... wait perhaps partners would be better, partners thrust together in circumstance by someone or some company in a position of great power. However I think the reason that it was compared to these two partners as a popular culture reference is of perhaps some misguided advice that "sex sells". Sure it does, but this does not mean that you have to have a rough and (what reads IMNSHO to me uncomfortable scene written in after the authors final draft at some misguided persons insistence suggestion. I bet there is a version of this novel having a kiss, or perhaps a bit of gentle touching which was due to the nature of moment because each Harrison and Wallace are at the proverbial crossroad of their careers and lives.
1 star - for this poorly constructed and awkward hack erotica/sloppy porno scene.
I think this book would be a good study at the dangers of small publishing houses and your work. I believe this author has been poorly advised. I can see the threads of the story and I feel the novel had huge potential! I can also see someone else's voice being half hazardously threaded in many different parts of the book. Oh I am sure that Knight wrote all of it. But I can tell it was probably suggested by an editor/marketing "professional" to write things in, such as the sex scene. It was uncomfortable, and unnecessary. All it did is make me throw my hands up and exclaim "WTF" more than a few times and cause my poor cat to yet again hide underneath the bed till Geoff got home.
OK so let's wrap this up:
I need to add one thing (this is post publication of this piece) The ending? It was BRILLIANT non-traditional and unexpected! FANTASTIC... absolutely disagree that this is a cliff hanger. This is what made me rethink a few things and made me question the other voice I kept hearing. This book, worth the read JUST to get to the ending and read all the INCREDIBLE psychological and visual horror scenes of each case file.. THIS part of the canvas gets 6 STARS!
This book review was part of a tour and the author was so pissed he held my blog hostage for a few days and insisted my review get removed from the tour. WOW, huh? BUT I was fair!! Oh well! I also waited over a year to post this!
You will be repulsed, chilled, and maybe even nauseated, yet unable to stop reading this captivating debut thriller by William Knight!
To read more of my review please go to http://abshepherdsreinventedreader.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/generation-by-william...
Hendrix 'Aitch' Harrison has been known to discover some unusual cases during his employment as a techno-phobe journalist at Strange Phenomena and at times it seems like he's on more of a wild goose chase than chasing down a scoop. Like being called to investigate the story of the Ashburton Wolf! Also known as… a farm dog. He's anti-Twitter and likes to do things a certain way but he's also tenacious and knows how to take the lead on a story. In other words, he's the kind of journalist you'd like investigating when something goes wrong with a company.
Said company in this case is Mendel Pharmaceutical. They're riding high on the wave of a new therapy that will make the board members very rich indeed. Who cares if it's ethical? Who cares what the consequences are of the science behind it? They've put big money into this treatment and they'll put even bigger money into protecting it and their profits.
Generation is quoted as being a cross between the X-Files and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. As a fan of both I'm not sure either reference resonated with me fully – I felt it was more Michael Crichton meets CSI. There are strange goings on and Hendrix is an investigative reporter into supernatural phenomenon but to me this smacked more of a techno-thriller. There's nothing at all wrong with that – as a long time Crichton fan, I'm always pleased to see someone new step into the arena.
Hendrix is an intriguing character though I felt this novel didn't delve into his personality or history nearly enough. I could see this being developed as a series or even a television show but as a standalone novel I felt that Hendrix was a little bland as a character and some aspects of the novel a little predictable. That notwithstanding, it can't be denied that Knight has put together a compelling read here with an interesting and thought-provoking storyline. I'd certainly be interested to read more 'Hendrix Harrison' novels if that's on the cards – I feel he could be further developed as a character and tried and tested in many different situations.
This is a good read with some well-executed ideas but the character development is a little lacking and the predictability of the story in some areas takes the edge off the twists in some of the others. Nonethless, it's a great choice for lovers of Crichton or those who just enjoy a great thriller in general and it's always nice to see a novel that's based in the UK with landmarks that I recognise and love!
A veteran of war, Hendrix 'Aitch' Harrison has lived an ordinary life, at least by his standards. Working for what's considered to be a seedy magazine catering to strange phenomenon, Hendrix has always been looking for that one story which lift him from the clutches of obscurity. When a friend mentions a passing article to him, one he has no interest in, he burns with the thought that he's been had yet again. Never once did he imagine that there would be truth within the case itself.
Delving a little deeper, he discovers a heinous plot involving Mendel Pharmaceutical, a company renowned for their breakthroughs in trying to cure cancer and other ailments. His discovery leads him to Sarah Wallace, a forensics entomologist who may have an idea as to what is going on. Unfortunately, she's convinced he's some sort of stalker and refuses to have anything to do with him.
Pursuing the leads he's been given, he realizes he may just be way in over his head. The pharmaceutical company doesn't want their research leaked out into the open and will do anything to keep that from happening. They'll silence anyone who treads on their toes and Hendrix is now their main target.
As secrets about the company's sordid experiments emerge, Hendrix wonders if upsetting the balance in order to set things is worth the risk. Bodies soon start showing up in the oddest of places; bodies that refuse to remain dead. Mendel Pharmaceutical is forced to take action in hopes of erasing what they've done so that the public will never know what really goes on within their clinical trials.
In a race against time, Hendrix gathers needed evidence on the company's shady research, much to the CEO's chagrin. With Sarah caught in the crossfire, he knows they must thwart the enemy's plans or risk dying in the process. The public must know what goes on behind the pharmaceutical's walls and they will bring everything to light, no matter the cost.
This was quite a unique take on all things zombies. Normally they're portrayed as crazed, flesh-eating shells of the person's they used to be. William allows us to delve into the minds of several beings that are dead yet alive within their own right. He's written such a thought-provoking and quite intriguing story that could very well be a take on a 'what if this were to happen in real life' sort of situation. I enjoyed the book very much and look forward to reading more of William's work soon.
References to this work on external resources.
Wikipedia in English
No descriptions found.
No library descriptions found.
Amazon Kindle (0 editions)
Audible (0 editions)
CD Audiobook (0 editions)
Project Gutenberg (0 editions)
Google Books — Loading...
Popular covers
Is this you?
Become a LibraryThing Author.


text:
Remainders, Reminders2014-05-16 1 Share Tweet
Or some things I found, other than photographs, in a forgotten roll of black and white film.
The said roll has been sitting in my fridge for a good six months until I had it processed at a photolab two weeks ago. I can only recall loading it in my SLR around mid-September last year during one of our daytime trips to Sariaya, Quezon but I cannot exactly remember what happened on that short stay, let alone what I've photographed on that lonely roll of film.
I wasn't expecting to get any result from it. Before having a dedicated space for my film stash in our family refrigerator, my rolls, exposed or otherwise, were kept on a wooden cabinet near a window. Clearly, with all that sunlight and heat, getting at least one decent photo out of this film roll would be quite a miracle.
What I received back from the photolab was really surprising. Memories suddenly went running through my head as I look at the scanned result. Along with these fragments were realizations of what I've might been missing recently and what I want to become next.
Lately, following a series of loss and extreme changes, I've lost the drive to do things that I used to love and enjoy. One of which, sadly, is taking photographs. As you can see, I haven't uploaded any album until now. I've been putting off plans to go around the city to shoot because I am either lazy or just plain tired and uninspired to go out. But seeing just how these photographs have turned out, I think, is enough to get me moving out of my shell.
Most of my photographs are of strangers and of places far from home. For some reason, I am not that comfortable with taking photographs of my own family. From this roll alone, only five, out of twenty two, were that of a close relative.
This is my grandfather and this is the last photo of him that I could ever take. He passed away last month.
Here are photos of my favorite cousin. We are ten years apart but we are really close to each other. We share the same interest in watching sci-fi and western movies and I am teaching him to use film cameras, too!
I think it's about time that I dedicate a monthly roll solely for documenting my family. Who knows what might happen next, right? And isn't it that photography was made for keeping those once in a lifetime moment with your loved ones alive?
A big chunk of this roll is that of a yearly fair at our province. I've always wanted to do a photo essay on people and their jobs and I guess, this is a good beginning.
Perhaps, this is what I've been preparing for – documenting facets of human life that are often left unnoticed and faces of people trying their best to survive despite the adversaries. Quite an ambitious dream but certainly attainable.
Although some photos were rather ugly and not aesthetically pleasing at all, I am still proud of how the entire roll turned out. I think it perfectly captured how I felt that day – lost but hopeful.
From now on, when doubts about my ability to create evocative and lasting image cloud my mind, I'll just look back at this roll and think that I already did a great start and that I can do better.
written by Lomography on 2014-05-16 #lifestyle


text:
- Horoscopes
- Dear Abby
- Games & Puzzles
- Lifestyle
- Events & Exhibits
- Food & Drink
- Arts & Music
- Movies & TV
Storrs — Shabazz Napier hit a jumper from the free throw line as time expired to keep No. 12 UConn undefeated with a 65-64 victory over No. 15 Florida on Monday night. Napier, limping on a left ankle he hurt during a four-point play with 33 seconds left, escaped a trap around 30 feet from the basket and got off a wild shot that missed but was tipped blindly back by DeAndre Daniels. Napier grabbed the ball and let go a left-handed jumper that went through as the horn sounded and set off a deafening cheer from the sellout crowd of 10,167 at Gampel Pavilion. Napier finished with 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting including making 5 of 8 from 3-point range. The Huskies (8-0) and Florida (6-2), which had a five-game winning streak snapped, battled down the stretch exchanging the lead six times in the final 6 minutes. Daniels had 14 points for Connecticut, which was outrebounded 34-26, but was able to make up a size difference with its strong guard play on the perimeter. This was Connecticut's first game this season against a ranked opponent. Florida's previous loss was in its only game against a ranked team, Wisconsin. Casey Prather had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Gators, while Patric Young had 17 points and seven rebounds. Scottie Wilbekin, playing in his third game of the season after being suspended for the first four, had 15 points but he injured an ankle with 3:01 to play, was taken to the locker room and never returned. After Wilbekin left Young took over, scoring the Gators' next seven points, two baskets on his hook shot and another on an offensive rebound. That made it 62-59 Florida with 1:18 to play. Connecticut missed two 3-point attempts but got the rebound on both. Napier took a 25-foot jumper that swished and he was fouled by Dorian Finney-Smith. The joy of the crowd was tempered as Napier stayed on the court for about a minute, holding his left ankle. Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie called a timeout so Napier could stay in the game and take the free throw. He made it to give the Huskies a 63-62 lead with 33 seconds left. Michael Frazier II, with Connecticut paying a lot of attention to Young inside, drove to the basket and scored with 17 seconds left to give the Gators a 64-63 lead. The ball was in Napier's hands for the final shot and he finally did score after Daniels tipped the ball back to him.
After doctors saved his father, Groton senior plans to study medicine
At Conn College, Green Dot program changing culture around sexual violence
Jay Leno loves vintage cars, and now he's selling products to make them shine
Connecticut Audubon's Chaney preserve looking to attract shrubland species
R.J. Evans goes to Louisville and Roger Bidwell goes to the Hall of Fame
Coast Guard Academy graduation brings together families, Trump supporters and protestors
8th graders from New Jersey refuse to be photographed with Paul Ryan
Trump calls trip 'home run' as Kushner questions left unanswered
What if U.S. quits climate deal? Scientists say it doesn't look good for Earth


text:
Jack Bentley Releases New Book, FROM 'AM I?' TO 'I AM!'
Inspiration for souls seeking the truth continues to be the goal of author Jack Bentley, who takes readers further onto the path of spiritual enlightenment and ascension with his new book. "Sometimes, reading a profoundly inspiration message stirs something deep within and causes a complete change of direction for the seeking soul," he writes in the book's preface, encouraging others to expand their consciousness and allow God the Father to build on foundational truths. In effect, knowing one's deeper self leads to deeper truth from the source of all that is.
"Teachings from Beyond the Veil - Volume III: From "Am I?" to "I Am!" reads like a spiritual diary, as Bentley presents messages he's received directly from the Father or others of his spirit helpers. Bentley became an ordained minister in 1960 when he heard the voice of God speaking directly to him, experiencing life-saving miracles and hearing other spirit-world voices, since 1955. Although he has turned from the practice of traditional denominational religion, Bentley includes Bible scripture that relates to the messages he's trying to relay. He implores readers to listen, write down and review deeper thoughts (messages) they are receiving daily, and try to live by them, whether the subject is proper thankfulness toward Mother Gaia, giving up animal products or sharing light-energy: All provide a form of enlightenment on the path of personal spiritual growth.
This is the third book for author Jack Bentley, who also wrote "The Last Enemy: Teachings from Beyond the Veil" and "Awakening Gods" Teachings from Beyond the Veil Volume II." Bentley grew up on a dairy farm in New Jersey, and began reading the Bible when he was 7. His deeper spiritual awareness began a few years later while visiting a little country church in Tennessee. Bentley took evening college courses at the University of Tennessee and later graduated from college in Hawaii while serving in the Air Force.


text:
Main Content
Kings Customers also liked:
Reviewed by 1 customer
Comment about: Men's Chicago Bulls New Era Black Official Team Color 9TWENTY Adjustable Hat
I like the clean and simple design with the Chicago Bulls' logo. The cotton fabric is soft and comfortable.
- Sizing:
- Feels true to size


text:
Article Preview
FRANCE CUTS OFF BELGIAN IMPORTS; Need to Pay Sums Owed in Gold Makes Urgent Creation of New Exchange Rate
By HAROLD CALLENDERSpecial to THE NEW YORK TIMES. ();
December 30, 1947,
, Section , Page 10, Column , words
PARIS, Dec. 29 -- The question of fixing a new exchange rate for French currency was believed in financial circles today to have been rendered more urgent by the suspension of imports from Belgium because of the necessity to pay for them in gold.
December 30, 1947
Thank you for visiting The New York Times archive.
New York Times subscribers* enjoy full access to TimesMachine—view 129 years of New York Times journalism, as it originally appeared. 99¢ for your first 4 weeks.
Or, purchase this article individually for $3.95 and download a high-resolution PDF.
* Does not include NYT Now or Premium Crosswords subscribers.
Already a subscriber? Log in to view this article »


text:
Companies are facing tough challenges in achieving and maintaining stakeholder value through strategic growth initiatives; corporate restructuring; and regulatory compliance activities, which often require a complex network of knowledge, collaboration, and support.
To meet these challenges, UHY Advisors provides objective, strategic, and tactical advisory services to middle-to-large companies with a local presence or global reach. Our consulting and advisory professionals will collaborate to develop solutions tailored for your business situation.
We offer a variety of industry specific services for:
We help organizations address challenges resulting from growth, economic issues, opportunities or crises, and provide solutions to help optimize profitability and growth, improve workflow and performance as well as manage risk and compliance. New challenges are always just around the corner and successful leaders require practical, timely solutions to business problems. Our clients look to us to both develop and execute new solutions to improve operational efficiency.
UHY Advisors convened a roundtable discussion among financial services industry professionals on Thursday, June 16th to explore the implications and causes of recent cyber bank heists. The roundtable, "Lessons Learned from Cyber Bank Heists," launched UHY's Financial Services Roundtable series and included compliance, risk management, internal audit, and technology managers from some of the world's largest banks and financial services firms.
Read More
After advising on Crain's Detroit Business' "Deal of the Year Under 100 Million" in 2015, UHY Advisors' Corporate Finance was also recognized for both buy-side and sell-side support on five other deals that made Crain's List of Largest Mergers and Acquisitions of 2015
After many years, the overtime pay law may be changing.
June 19, 2015 marked a very exciting day for small businesses and investors alike. The implementation of Title IV of the JOBS Act, also known as Regulation A+, has leveled the playing field for investors by granting early stage companies the ability to raise capital from anyone as opposed to only accredited investors.
The scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs is a disappointment on many levels, and there is no lack of solutions being offered to fix it. Since this began, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and other high ranking officials have stepped down. But while making changes to senior management might fix some of the problems, that kind of top-down approach will not yield any substantive change. There are clearly some fundamental processes at the VA that are broken. The way to really fix them, and to institute real change that's sustainable, is by working up from the bottom.
Eliminate Waste, Standardize Processes and Improve Flow to Increase Profitability


text:
Should I ask this guy to be my friend on facebook?
I stalked a guy too my sophomore year. I'm embarrassed about it now too and it's awkward. I mean, I didn't call him or drive by his house. But I kept going by him and his gf in the school cafeteri...
Read More »
Should I add this friend on facebook?
Brendan,did he invite you to be his facebook friend? If so maybe he wants to be your friend...you be the judge...as for having lots of friends on facebook to look cool...looks aren't everything...I...
Read More »
Just poked my gf's friend by mistake on facebook- I think. Should I own up to the friend or....?
If you feel this guilty about it that you are willing to get input from strangers, then you should probably own up, especially if it was just a mistake. I'm sure she'll understand, mistakes happen ...
Read More »
Should I approve a friend request on facebook if...?
if u want to....i mean why not?
My crush dropped me as a facebook friend. What should I do?
Don't chase him, you'll look desperate and creepy. Explain (in person) whatever "misunderstanding" you had and then go about your business. If he sees that you are carrying on with your own life ...
Read More »


text:
Why, Wyoming, of course!
Trip Start Aug 13, 2010
56Trip End Oct 14, 2010
Map your own trip!
Loading Map
Loading Map
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
Next stop was Devil's Tower National Monument in northeastern Wyoming. It's a 1,000 foot monolithic column of rock in the middle of the prairie land with deep vertical striations. Think of a gigantic tree stump rising out of the grassland. There were a few climbers trying to scale the Tower while we were there – about 1% of visitors to the monument try to scale it each year. No word on how many make it to the summit. Seems difficult considering most of the climb would be sheer vertical rock without many ledges or breaks.
We hiked a 1.5 mile trail there, where we saw a doe and her fawn about 20 feet away from us
The drive through most of Wyoming, by the way, was incredibly desolate. A lot of ranchland, but few ranchers. It's hard to think of other places in the country that seemed as vast and isolated as the central portion of this state.


text:
Samuel Adams Dark Depths
Join Pintley -
Earn Points, Compete with Friends
Pintley users earn points for the tasting notes and reviews they create.
Learn More About the Pintley Points Program or Sign Up Now to start earning points.
Keep it up! Earn more points, and show your friends who's boss!What are points?
Earn up to 100 points by Converting a Signup See more point opportunities
Don't forget to download Pintley for iPhone or Android!
Did you know we also have a Mobile friendly site? m.pintley.com
- Brewery
- Boston Beer Company
- Style
- Ale > Porter > Baltic Porter
- Location
- Boston, Massachusetts
- 7.6
- Popularity
- IBU scale
- 55
- AVG Rating
- 3.6
- Ratings
- 449
- Taste Notes
- 135
About Samuel Adams Dark Depths
Dark, and fierce, this English porter was transformed, from a mild ale to a dark and complex lager that confounds definition. Immersed in dark, roasted malts and a bold citrus hop character, these big and contrasting flavors are brought together with the smoothness of a lager for a brew that's rugged, mysterious, and full of flavor. We call it a Baltic IPA.
© 2009 - 2017 The Pintley Company LLC, All Rights Reserved


text:
The world of inventors and misunderstood geniuses is littered with ideas - the simple and the extraordinary. And they have found a home in patent offices - alongside voice-controlled, inflatable suits and breakfast cereal crunch protectors. Tony Davis reports.
In May 2001 Melbourne man John Keogh successfully obtained a patent on what he called a "circular transportation facilitation device". Other people may know it as the wheel.
Keogh is a patent lawyer and his move was partly tongue-in-cheek. He wanted to show the flaws in the Australian Government's low-cost patenting system, known as Innovation Patents — a system that would, he argued, enable people to make claims on things they clearly hadn't invented, and were unlikely to ever succeed in profiting from.
But for everyone who has patented something useful (if, in Keogh's case, hardly original), there are apparently thousands who have patented things that are highly original but utterly without apparent rational utility.
The decision by many countries to put
their patents files online has made the
whole process more transparent. It may yet
lead to a new form of entertainment where
bored office workers type unlikely words
and phrases into the search engine of, say,
the US Patent Office website, www.uspto.gov, to see who can find an
invention with the least commercial
If you type in "life expectancy", for example, you discover the truly bizarre Life Expectancy Timepiece. Patented in 1991 by David Kendrick of Berkshire, New York, it is described as a device for "monitoring and displaying an approximate time remaining in a lifespan of an individual". It's all electronic and once you've entered a range of personal information, it will count down the years, days, hours, minutes and seconds you have left, like a human "distance to empty" display.
A former bigwig in the Australian patent office told me about a proposed maternity hospital bed that spun at high speed, the idea being that centrifugal force would ease the birthing process. Alas, we could find no reference.
And many confirmed patents are impenetrably obscure. US patent number 200065229 is "Hepatitis A virus clones adapted for growth in African Green Monkey kidney (AGMK) cells and vaccines comprising said clones".
Others are merely intriguing. Australian patent 200165540 is a "patch and method for cannabis transdermal delivery".
But if entertainment is what you are after, try these:
The shopping singlet
A patent may be obtained for "any new, useful, unobvious invention". The emphasis on "unobvious" was obviously at the forefront of Shri Rangham Campbell's mind. His Australian patent, application number A41D015/04 (TBC), covers a shopping bag with easy-release stitching along its base. When this stitching is removed, the bag converts into a singlet, the carry handles serving as the shoulder straps. Why? It just does.
Other interesting patented clothing ideas include trousers in which the zip goes all the way around to the rear, allowing you to replace just one leg if necessary (or, presumably, mix and match in order to make an unusual style statement), and fully lockable, anti-penetration underpants.
And this from Italy: a voice-controlled inflatable suit. If you fall, you simply yell out and it will instantly expand, airbag style, to cushion your fall.
Improved mouse trap
Yes, they're still dreaming them up, by the hundred or even thousand. There are traps for catching them live and catching them dead. Some are made from cardboard, others tubular steel. There are the ornate and the disposable, ultra-humane ones and those seemingly motivated by malice towards rodents.
One, patented by Darryl Brewer from the US in 1993 (number 5184416), can electronically notify you when it makes a catch.
"It may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a new and improved mouse trap apparatus," says Brewer's rather defensive application, "(one) which addresses both the problems of ease of use as well as effectiveness in construction in permitting ease of indication of a mouse secured relative to a mouse trap assembly and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfils this need."
So form a queue here.
Motorcycle aerial safety system
Two-wheeled road users are particularly vulnerable, and Troy Jackson and Joseph Leak snr of Philadelphia certainly had this in mind when they registered their safety system in 1997 (patent 5593111).
As insanely complicated as it is gloriously daft, it involves the rider wearing a large folded up wing or, alternatively, a parachute. A sensor (which you'd want to be pretty reliable) detects an imminent accident and blasts the rider skyward, at which point the wing or parachute is "rapidly deployed, thereby causing the velocity of the ejected rider to be reduced and providing the further benefit of lifting the rider away from the crash site".
Our advice: don't have an accident in a tunnel.
Other cycle safety systems involve suits that inflate in the event of a collision or, in one case, a box-like network of airbags that instantly inflates around the bike to form what looks like one of those kiddie jumping castles.
Improved balls and tees
The local patents office, IP Australia, revealed that about 20 per cent of all consumer goods and equipment patents they see relate to golf. Improved balls, tees with little gun sights . . . you name it, someone has spent his or her hard-earned cash patenting it. On the US site, a search for the term "golf ball" brought up 7521 patents including a "wind direction detection apparatus", and what is sure to be next season's must-have golfing accessory: a "method and apparatus for placing a holding apparatus atop a person's shoe and installing a golf ball marker thereto".
Underwater plane
As well as things that will work, but have no use, there are many things that might conceivably have a use, but are extremely unlikely to work. Australian patent 198817590 (from 1988, applicant W. H. Mesiha), is for a "plane . . . capable of descending from flying in the air to the water (seas and oceans) and then dives and travels under the water".
The illustration and supporting matter is a bit short on details but attests the vehicle is equipped with a shield to absorb the water impact when flying into the briny, and can automatically fold its wings and plug up its turbine engines at that point, too.
What protects the occupants from the sudden deceleration is less clear.
Crispy cereal apparatus
The Crunch Protector (US Patent 49864331991) is a two-level cereal bowl, the lower section containing the milk, the higher (and drier) reservoir holding the cornflakes or other breakfast delicacy. By progressively transferring the cereal from the higher bowl to the lower by way of the integral chute system, you can ensure your corn flakes never become soggy.
Despite so much promise, the gains may not be as great as claimed. A more simple version of the same concept went into production as the Cyber-Krunch bowl. Joe Shea, the editor-in-chief of www.emptybowl.com, a webzine devoted entirely to breakfast cereals, reviewed the product and reported to his readers: "Drinking the milk is the coup-de-grace of any cereal meal, because the cereal steeps in the milk. In the Cyber-Krunch bowl, the cereal only spends, at most, about four to six seconds in the milk, which is not nearly enough time for the milk to infuse any of the properties of the cereal . . . (it) also makes the cereal almost too crunchy."
Australian inventors filed 3025 patents last financial year, according to Janet Werner, acting deputy director-general of corporate strategy at IP Australia, and the office also dealt with 4480 international patents lodged directly. To these can be added another 15,000 inventions patented in multiple countries, including Australia, under the Patent Co-operation Treaty.
Stuart Fox, chairman of the 1000- member strong Inventors Association of New South Wales and Australia, describes Australians as "very inventive . . . quick to see a need and an opportunity where something can be improved".
He says it is generally believed only about 5 per cent of patented inventions ever reach the markets, but he is loath to dismiss inventions or inventors as loopy.
"Sometimes it takes tenacity to stick with an idea and sometimes tenacity is taken to be as eccentric," he says. "It doesn't matter whether it is an artist or an inventor — there are eccentric, creative people in all fields, from cooks to scientists and engineers, and sometimes that is what it takes to succeed."
But for almost every person who has patented something useless and got nowhere, there is someone who has failed to patent something the world has firmly embraced. IP Australia points to Frank Bannigan, managing director of Kambrook, who came up with the electrical power board. It was a big success for his company, but equally great for many others.
Bannigan said the failure to take out a patent cost him millions of dollars in royalties alone.
One cannot help but suspect that the failure to patent a Life Expectancy Timepiece or a shopping bag that converts into a singlet would have cost their inventors substantially less.
|Print this article Email to a friend
|General features
|National features
|World features
|Latest news by email
Get free news emails from The Age
|text | handheld (how to)
membership |
conditions |
Copyright © 2003. The Age Company Ltd
|advertise | contact us


text:
With the establishment of the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund in July 2012, the Massachusetts Legislature set forth a challenge to communities across the Commonwealth: reduce health care costs by preventing chronic conditions.
The Trust supports community-based partnerships including municipalities, healthcare systems, businesses, regional planning organizations, and schools. These groups work together to provide research-based interventions that will:
- reduce rates of the most prevalent and preventable health conditions;
- increase healthy behaviors;
- increase the adoption of workplace-based wellness or health management programs; and
- address health disparities.
In January 2014, nine communities were awarded grants through the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund. The organizing partners in each of these communities are:
- Barnstable County Department of Human Services
- Berkshire Medical Center
- Boston Public Health Commission
- Holyoke Health Center
- Town of Hudson
- City of Lynn
- Manet Community Health Center
- City of New Bedford Health Department
- City of Worcester
A brief description of each partnership's goals has been posted here:
A list of grantees, including partners listed in the grant applications, has been posted here:
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is responsible for administering the Trust under the guidance of an advisory board. The advisory board meets regularly. Meeting agendas and minutes are posted on Mass.gov.
The Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund Advisory Board guided the Department of Public Health in crafting a Response for Requests (RFR) that focused on four priority health conditions: pediatric asthma, hypertension, tobacco, and falls among older adults. Applicants were also able to propose interventions for obesity, diabetes, substance abuse, oral health and mental health/depression. For each of these conditions, applicants were required to develop interventions in three domains including community, clinical, and community-clinical linkages.
Communities that applied for grants through the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund followed a competitive, formal RFR process. The Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund RFR is posted on Comm-Pass under document number 402017. A video of the bidders' conference for the RFR is available by clicking here: PWTF Bidders' Conference.
- PWTF Annual Report Executive Summary file size 1MB file size 12MB
- PWTF Annual Report file size 37MB file size 11MB
- Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund 2015 Legislative Report file size 3MB
- Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund 2014 Legislative Report file size 1MB
- Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund 2013 Legislative Report
This information is provided by the Bureau of Community Health and Prevention within the Department of Public Health.


text:
Game of Thrones S7
Premieres July 17
Get Foxtel just the way you want it with our flexible packages.
Get started
Find out how it all
fits together
Life's better when you're brilliantly entertained! Find out how you can get Foxtel and watch what you want, when you want, at home or on the go.
Ways to watch Foxtel vs Foxtel Play Channels Set top boxes Extras
Find out how Foxtel makes it easy for you to get connected on one of Australia's largest broadband networks.
Benefits Foxtel Hub Extras nbn™ from Foxtel
Foxtel TV, Broadband + Home Phone at a glance
Find out how it all works together to connect your home.
Foxtel Play1 streams TV over the internet, allowing you to watch live sport, episodes of your favourite shows or movies on demand on a range of different devices.
Content available on Foxtel Play depends on the picks selected in your Play subscription.
Got a question?
You might find your answer in our FAQs about getting Foxtel TV, broadband + home phone in your home.
Prefer to talk to someone? Call us
1300 130 799
Find us on Facebook
Twitter @FOXTEL_Help
1New Australian residential users with a compatible internet connected device running an eligible operating system. See full list of compatible devices here: www.foxtel.com.au/foxtelplay/howitworks. Not all channels/content available on all devices with Foxtel Play and Foxtel Go. Free first 14 days of Live TV and Catch Up (Anytime) offering only. Credit card details are required at time of sign up for any ongoing direct debit subscription payments if you do not cancel your subscription during the first 14 days. Ongoing subscription fees reflective of your package apply unless you cancel your subscription. Free Trial is available only for new customers. Broadband Internet connection with minimum speed of at least 3Mbps required. ISP and data charges may apply. Only available for use in Australia. Full terms and conditions available at www.foxtel.com.au/foxtelplay/terms.
Packages, pricing and information for new Foxtel residential customers
1300 788 796