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Last hurrah from Corbett?
Page Tools
The 2 percentage-point lead Roger Corbett held over Coles Myer just 12 months ago has narrowed considerably.
Picture:Steven Siewert
This time last year, Woolworths chief executive Roger Corbett was looking very comfortable at the head of Australia's biggest supermarket chain.
Armed with an aggressive store roll-out program, a new petrol joint venture with Caltex and a plan to crack Australia's $9 billion pharmaceutical market, the 61-year-old retailer was confident of sales growth in the upper single digits and of earnings growth of 10 to 15 per cent for the foreseeable future.
Although some investors were beginning to listen to the recovery story Coles Myer boss John Fletcher was spinning, Corbett still enjoyed an annual 2 percentage-point sales lead over his main rival.
Corbett boasted of Woolworths' strong balance sheet and said he had no need to make acquisitions to prop up sales or earnings growth.
Twelve months later, Coles is clocking up faster sales growth with its national discount fuel offer and revamped fresh food offering, while Corbett has failed to persuade politicians to deregulate the pharmaceutical market. The rumour mill is cranking up too, with speculation that Corbett may be close to announcing his successor and a retirement date.
It's in such an environment that Woolworths has made an aggressive $1 billion bid for pub and pokies operator Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group.
It's the biggest deal the supermarket chain has contemplated in at last 20 years; other acquisitions in that time haven't gone much over $200 million and have involved distressed sellers or private companies. It's also the first time Corbett has been involved in the takeover of a publicly listed company.
That makes it a much riskier proposition than past deals, and it will not solve the problem of slowing supermarket sales, say some. But Corbett's defenders argue that the takeover fits well with Woolworths' push into packaged liquor in recent years; plus it won't stretch its balance sheet.
My personal philosophy is not an issue. The board of directors says: 'What would the shareholders do?' ROGER CORBETT
"It's not as if Roger is trying to do the one last deal that will set Woolworths up for the next big leg of growth," says one institutional investor who holds shares in the retailer. "It's not a company-making or breaking deal.
"At the same time, with regard to its growth objectives, Woolworths is probably at a point where it has run out of opportunities (to buy unlisted companies) and, for an acquisition to add enough value to the balance sheet, you need to go for larger entities."
Corbett's retailing experience goes back more than 40 years. He joined the then Grace Bros in the 1960s and was appointed director of merchandising. One former colleague recalls that Corbett, a prominent and active member of the Anglican Church, used to hold lunchtime bible classes.
In more recent years, Corbett, along with other speakers, has addressed the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship, which holds dinners and breakfasts and an ecumenical service to mark the opening of each parliamentary year. And, until recently, he was a director of ethical investment house Glebe Administration Board.
Woolworths' bid for one of the biggest pub operators of electronic gaming machines at a time when some state governments are introducing measures to control problem gambling, might raise eyebrows in some circles. However, as Corbett points out, it's the shareholders who own the company.
"I have got a view on that as you know . . . Some people like a drink in a pub; some people like a drink at home. Some people like to play the pokies; some don't. Some like to have a bet. No one says I am right or wrong," he says.
"My personal philosophy is not an issue. The board of directors says: 'What would the shareholders do'?"
In the realms of business, if Corbett has a role model, it could be Jack Shewmaker, former boss of the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart.
When he was in Sydney earlier this year to speak at a business lunch at which Corbett acted as master of ceremonies, Shewmaker spoke with evangelical passion about retailing.
Talking to reporters later about the Australian Government's pharmacy regulation, Shewmaker said it should be a "a matter of free enterprise" where the efficient prospered and the inefficient fell by the wayside.
Woolworths' relationship with Wal-Mart goes back about 16 years, and Shewmaker remains a consultant to Woolworths. Corbett has visited Wal-Mart many times and has attended the company's Saturday morning meetings, where thousands of employees and their families get together.
But it is Wal-Mart's one-stop-shop business model - at its discount stores, you can shop for clothes, electronics, toys and fabrics, have your pharmacy prescription filled, even get your eyes tested - that interests Corbett most.
That is what has inspired Corbett's push into areas such as liquor and petrol retailing and, if the market is ever deregulated, pharmacy.
The ALH acquisition, if it goes ahead, could be the last big move Woolworths can make in liquor, for regulatory reasons and lack of suitable targets.
The deal is expected to create the largest player in a highly competitive market, in which independent retailers and producers are already feeling the squeeze from Woolworths and Coles Myer.
Broker ABN Amro estimates that the new liquor operations would boost Woolworths' liquor sales by 25 per cent.
"Of particular significance is that an acquisition of the retail liquor operations of ALH would provide Woolworths with a strong presence in the high-growth Queensland market, where 52 of ALH's hotels are located," the broker said in a research report on Friday.
"Strict liquor licensing regulations in Queensland provide some difficulty for retailers to gain access to that market, and an acquisition would provide a vehicle for Woolworths effectively to circumvent those regulatory constraints."
However, like others, ABN Amro says ALH is not a panacea for weak sales growth in Woolworths' core business.
Just how much work Corbett has to do to match Coles Myer's recent supermarket increased strength will become clearer next week, when Woolworths releases its fourth-quarter sales figures.


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Hey ShermanJackson, do you have any idea when the bounty amount will get deposited to our account as I cannot see that in my Paypal account now
ohhh thanks ShermanJackson . That's what I was wondering how that badge got added to my profile . Can you please give me link where I can see the winners?
Waiting very eagerly for the announcement of winners
WOW ! That's real cool. Thanks a lot Envato guys Cheerssssss
Hello Valonr, Nice work Bro but it's very simple & flat so that may be the reason for rejection. You can work more on the typography, alignment of content & balance of color. In the skills section I am not getting to know how much you are rating yourself in particular software. You need to enhance this graphic to make it get approved. Please go through this link & see how other designer have come with nice designs: http://graphicriver.net/category/print-templates/stationery/resumes
All the Best
Submitted my first graphic related to Vehicle Wraps
Hello graphicspencil, nice design but frankly speaking it's not very intuitive. Looking at the logo I don't get what actually the logo is designed for. The bubbles are very flat and the pencil don't needs to be sharpened from both sides. The typography for logo text is also very simple. You can use these bubbles as light transparent background behind logo. Create a whole pencil with much better typography and submit over here so that you can get some more valuable comments. After that you can submit your design & enjoy the sales . All the best
Hello graphicspencil, can you please show us your submission so that we can give you some suggestions on why your submitted items was sort rejected and not approved.
You can show us your submission through this site: http://www.hostingpics.net/
MythicThemes said
It seems overly pixelated; both the zoomed images and the background. I would also work on the typography of the title, it seems rather bland.
Thanks MythicThemes and I will definitely take care of that
nix1980nix said
The reason could be that it's blurry and at 100 % zoom it's really too blurry. Did you try to do that in vectors? Bad resolution could be the problem.
Thanks Nix, yes I also thought so, yes I have created that using vectors but may be resolution is the problem . Wll check that. Thanks anyways

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative is a public-private partnership with the mission of reducing and preventing childhood obesity through policy, systems, and environmental change.
The Initiative was formed to assure effective implementation of
the strategies outlined in the Call to
Action: San Diego County Childhood Obesity Action Plan, a
comprehensive plan for ending childhood obesity in San Diego County
through policy and environmental changes in the seven most
influential domains in creating healthy environments:
The Initiative has established active workgroups in each domain
to develop, leverage, and replicate best practices and resources
throughout San Diego County and shape a healthy future.
See our latest newsletter and the COI calendar for upcoming
Follow our latest
211 San Diego
Physical Activity and Nutrition
A free "one stop shop" for programs and services in nutrition,
healthy weight, physical activity, and diabetes.
Core funding provided in part by:
A project facilitated by:
San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative 5095 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite #105, San Diego, CA 92123 (p)858.609.7964 - (f)858.609.7998
© 2013. All Rights Reserved.


text:
I've had two TBHs - started from nucs - for about one month. When I've opened up the back of each hive I've observed that "number one" hive is building comb like gangbusters. I don't see any new come from the rear in hive "number two". The bees in each hive are going in and out busily and are coming back with pollen but "number two" looks like they are in slow motion! Always more bees and busier at the entrance of number one. The outwardly observable difference between these two hives is remarkable.
I haven't been able to go into the hives for a "full" inspections because the weather here has been horrible - always raining or rain coming in. Low pressure has been around for over a month, and on the weekends when I am only able to get to the hives, the weather has been poor. I haven't been able to go in for three weeks and I'm virtually flying blind at this point.
As a complete novice my question is this: Should I be concerned or is this normal in colonies that have started out "equally"?
When I do go in, what should I be looking for?


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Just got Immo back from her Oil/Filter service at my local Stealers and I just realised, this is the first time i've EVER serviced a car! lol. I used to just drive them into the ground and buy another crappy, cheap car.
Now I'm pleased to have a car I care enough about to, you know, actually spend money on her!
I managed to confuse the BMW stealers though...
Them: "Sir you've booked the car in for a service 2 (£149), but the OBC is showing it is due for a service 1 (£269)"
Me: "It's not really "due" a service 1 is it? Cause the counter shows that will be in over 10,000 miles... it's been recommended to change the oil between intervals, so just leave the service counter alone."
Them: "Oh, so it does...."
Cheeky sods. lol.
They called and suggested they also regas and "refresh" (antibacterial treatment) the Air Con. So i said yeah go on then.
They noticed my handbrake was crap and suggested they adjust it.
They noticed my brake pad light on, now get this, they wanted £66 to change the sensor as the wire's broken. I informed them that i can get a sensor for about £10 and fit it myself, they then dropped the price to £40 and said the official sensors from them are £18.
I said screw it, saves me doing it and let them get on with it. Turns out it didn't even put the light out! They reckon the front sensor is not an "official part" and that's why the light's still on. Want us to change that too for another £40? - No thanks, i'll live with the light on.
While I was in there an extremely pi55ed off Scottish chappy came in, shouting and swearing about what he called a "£1,700 bill for a service and a set of brake pads!" He was seriously livid. making a real scene in front of everyone, throwing out stuff like "trading standards" etc.
I found while they had my car, for all of 3 hours, they called me like 4 times to ask about stuff and if i wanted stuff doing, so i find it hard to believe mr angry Scottish man could be so "surprised" by his bill? God knows. Perhaps he was having a big 7 serviced or something.... not. a. clue.
I'm sure his bill must have covered more than a service and a set of brake pads!!
Meanwhile I pay my £269 for an oil Service, Handbrake adjustment, aircon regas and refresh, brake pad sensor and an inside and out clean and walk off with a smaile on my face. - After letting the service desk chap spend 5 mins complimenting Immo, right next to her where she could hear, admiring the colour and appreciating the model. Lovely.
I know full well, I could have got this done a lot cheaper elsewhere or even done it myself, but the peace of mind that only official, guaranteed mechanics have touched it and that everything has gone back how it should be and the all important cleaning makes it all worth it i reckon. Not to mention the little ego-felatio the salespeople give you and your car as you leave! lol.
Although i don't imagine the angry Scottish man will be saying the same! lol.
So yeah, between this service and the repairs of my recent prang, I cannot recommend Rybrook BMW Warwick enough. Sure their prices are high, sure you will need to keep saying no to their suggestions if you don't want to double your bill, but in the end i find them reasonable (as far as stealers go) they do a nice job and they make both me and the car feel pampered.
the Mrs goes to the spa - I take immo to the Dealers. lol.


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It was big news – and understandably so – when
That $20 billion to $30 billion hole in the outlook for state demand sent a shudder through South Australia, with many observers having long since noted that the state – which has long been getting a shrinking share of Australia, as the chart shows – could benefit from a larger resources sector to help it sell into the rapid growth in emerging Asia that is expected to be evident over the next decade or two.
In effect, the hope had been that South Australia could transform itself into the next Western Australia through a big bout of resources investment.
So there's no sugar coating it – that decision was a disappointment.
Yet some perspective is handy here. Olympic Dam is a world class resource, and sooner or later its economics will stack up.
Besides, you'd be missing a bigger point if you focused only on the negatives. That's because the state's existing industrial make-up has been a classic example of those businesses on the wrong side of Australia's two-speed economy.
Several sectors – agriculture, manufacturing, health, education, and the arts and recreation – are comparatively large in South Australia, while some, notably construction, finance, professional services, real estate and information and communications technology, are smaller than the national average.
There is plenty of manufacturing and farming in South Australia but relatively little mining and related engineering construction compared with Australia as a whole.
In that sense, China's slowdown should have its eventual upside for South Australia. Not tomorrow, of course, as so far the dollar has stayed stubbornly high even as commodity prices and Australian interest rates have taken a tumble.
In fact the key to the silver lining will be the timing of any fall in the dollar.
However, much of the bad news in this state in recent years has revolved around the strength in the deadly duo of exchange and interest rates, and chances are that the latter will be less of a problem for South Australia in the next few years than they were in the past few.
Or, in other words, although the state has lost an early boost to demand from the lack of an Olympic Dam go ahead, it also will gradually gain from a loosening of the exchange and interest rate noose that has been slowly strangling some other sectors.
That said, as of today the dollar is still riding high and South Australian businesses have to deal with that. So, for example, the state's car and car parts manufacturers are under a lot of pressure.
And nor is the damage of the moment due only to currency competitiveness (or the lack of it). Housing starts have lost their lustre of late, with the potential for further weakness in the pace of housing construction.
In addition, with manufacturing shedding jobs and housing construction weak, job growth in South Australia has been nothing to write home about.
So there is a lot to be concerned about in the short term.
On the other hand, interest rates have already been cut, with more good news to come on that front and I expect the dollar to stop stomping on the heads of the state's manufacturers – or, at least, to stop stomping so hard.
And that's all it takes to generate a turnaround. Or rather, I do see South Australia's economic growth getting worse before it gets better but it will indeed get better, with the lows in this business cyclical projected to come in the first half of 2013.
In turn, that doesn't change the longer term trend of South Australia growing more slowly than the rest of Australia and thereby losing more market share within Australia in coming years.
But it does say the loss of Olympic Dam's expansion from the short-term outlook isn't nearly as bad as it seems.
The south will rise again.


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Emergency: (718) 386-7229
Information: (718) 386-7230
503 Onderdonk Avenue
Ridgewood, N.Y. 11385
The Ridgewood Volunteer Ambulance Corps is the only volunteer ambulance corps in New York City to service two boroughs, Brooklyn and Queens. We have an extremely large service area with a high call volume. We are constantly looking for both experienced and fresh EMT's to join our family.
You can find us on Onderdonk Avenue, between Greene and Bleeker. We may not always have a volunteer at base to take walk-ins, so give us a call!
We are composed of all non-paid members. To see what the Ridgeood Volunteer Ambulance Corps is about, click here.
The Ridgewood Volunteer Ambulance Corps (RVAC) is a New York State Department of Health- Bureau of Emergency Medical Services certified, Basic Life Support (BLS) volunteer ambulance service. RVAC has been in operation since September of 1975 and serves the communities of Ridgewood, Maspeth, Bushwick & Wyckoff Heights. In addition to providing community based emergency and non-emergency ambulance services, RVAC also provides stand-by and emergency medical response at local events, street fairs, and sporting events within the community.
If you want to check out some EMS information, including protocols and other training information, click here.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer member with the Ridgewood Volunteer Ambulance Corps, click here.


text:
Charlotte To Host 2019 All-Star Game After Partial Repeal Of Anti-LGBT Law
Gay Man Proposes Marriage On Disneyland's Splash Mountain Ride
GLAAD Report On LGBT Representation In Film: It's Not Getting Better
Diora Baird Comes Out Gay
Chechen Police Have Killed 26 Gay Men, Russian Newspaper Reports
Ben Carson Claims Poverty Is 'A State Of Mind'
Gay marriage supporters in Ohio held a
rally in Columbus on Valentine's Day.
The 3-hour rally took place outside the
Franklin County Courthouse on High Street which houses, among other
departments, the county's marriage license bureau. Some
demonstrators took their protest to the marriage license department.
An effort to repeal the state's 2004
voter-approved constitutional amendment limiting marriage to
heterosexual couples and legalize gay nuptials in Ohio began last
year by the group Freedom to Marry Ohio. The group must collect
roughly 385,000 valid signatures by July to qualify for this
November's ballot.
"I'm getting excited," Get Equal
member Tom Morgan told WKSU.org.
"We're getting more and more endorsements. We've got a whole
bunch of things in the works. I'm confident."
Morgan brushed aside the concerns of
Equality Ohio and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), both of which
believe it's too soon to repeal Ohio's ban and have refused to
publicly endorse the plan.
"It doesn't bother us at all. We've
got many endorsements from labor, from politicians. We think that we
are going forward. Regardless of whether we get their endorsements
or not."
"We were basically told by HRC that
they would help us out when it was sure that it was a sure thing.
And then they would sweep in and help us out. Gee, thanks," Morgan
On Top Magazine


text:
ED Magedson – Founder
Ripoff Report
Gina Silva Television Reporter; Ms. Gina Silva1999 S. Bundy Drive Los Angeles, California USA
Gina Silva Television Reporter; Ms. Gina Silva FRAUD; MADE UP NEWS; DESTROYS PEOPLES NAMES AND REPUTATION FOR MONEY; CRIMINAL Los Angeles California
Does your business have a bad reputation?
Fix it the right way.
Corporate Advocacy Program™
Gina Silva is a FRAUD. She makes up news and her producers Tom Searson and Kingsly Smith are clueless enough that do not know any better. Just watch her segments on line and you will see. She takes it all from the one angel she wants to present the story and makes things up. What a SCAMMER and SHYSTER. She really is in this to make money while she is getting her own photography business off the ground. But with her lack of ethics, poor common sense and stupidity she will never make it in any profession.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 05/01/2013 12:01 AM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/gina-silva-television-reporter-ms-gina-silva/los-angeles-california-90025/gina-silva-television-reporter-ms-gina-silva-fraud-made-up-news-destroys-peoples-nam-1047539. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content
Click Here to read other Ripoff Reports on Gina Silva Television Reporter; Ms. Gina Silva
If you would like to see more Rip-off Reports on this company/individual, search here:Search Tips
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#1 Consumer Comment
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, January 06, 2015POSTED: Tuesday, January 06, 2015
Mr. Sheibani, because he is no longer a Dr., obviously wrote this.
He lacks common sense and is in fact delusional.
May God help him and those he's hurt.
Are you an owner, employee or ex-employee with either negative or positive information about the company or individual, or can you provide "insider information" on this company?
#2 Consumer Comment
Dr. Shane Sheibani
SUBMITTED: Monday, December 23, 2013POSTED: Monday, December 23, 2013
I am former employee of Dr. Shane Sheibani and am here to comment on the horrible and untruthful words against Gina Silva of Fox 11 Los Angeles. I believe that Dr. Sheibani is writing these attacks on ripoffreport.com because he is known to attacks unhappy customers in the same way and he has a vengeful spirit in him for Ms. Silva's reporting specifically. Ms. Silva made an undercover report of Sheibani's malpractice and unethical practices for Fox 11 KTTV that showed several patients that were butchered by this man. Sheibani attacked the women in this story in the same way too. I have witnessed him attacking employees and he was once arrested for that. Just look in the news and internet search under Shane Sheibani. And look at Ms. Silva's impressive career and judge yourself. Here is Ms. Silva's news report: http://www.myfoxla.com/story/22090849/doctor-from-hell-patients-complain-about-la-doctor
Are you an owner, employee or ex-employee with either negative or positive information about the company or individual, or can you provide "insider information" on this company?
Advertisers above have met our
strict standards for business conduct.


text:
- Forums
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MiceChat / kitchen sink
by Kandace Sparkles on Feb 09, 2013 | 3 Comments
Beaches & Cream is a sweet little 50's style ice cream shop. This table service location is best known for their amazing hot off the grill burgers and ice cream selections such as "The Kitchen Sink." …
Posted in Mice Munchies
Copyright © 2017 MiceChat. MiceAge and MiceChat, LLC are not associated in any manner whatsoever with the Walt Disney Company, its subsidiaries and/or its affiliates. Our purpose is to present completely independent editorials, reviews, and guides about theme parks and other products from Disney and similar companies. Disney's site is available via this link.


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"Education for a life, not just a living,"
- Michael B. Stoff, Director, Plan II Honors
Established in 1935, Plan II is a challenging interdisciplinary curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Plan II differs from most honors programs in that its core curriculum is itself a major. Over a third of the courses required for a Plan II degree are limited to Plan II students. The remaining classes are chosen from the extensive list of the University's departmental offerings. Many of these classes will be as challenging as honors courses.
- a year-long freshman course in world literature from the ancients to the present
- three semesters of interdisciplinary tutorials and seminars which develop and refine students' analytic and synthesizing capacities
- a year-long philosophy course for sophomores
- a semester of honors social science
- two semesters of non-US history
- a four-semester honors sequence in the natural sciences including modes of reasoning, theoretical math or calculus, life sciences, and physical sciences
- a senior thesis, a major independent research and writing project, which is the culmination of a student's academic program in Plan II
The core of Plan II comprises a year of world literature and a year of philosophy. Both courses read great books in connection with contemporary issues and emphasize clear writing and thinking.
Each student also chooses three seminars on interdisciplinary topics taught by top faculty from all over the University. On the science side, the Plan II core consists of special courses in logic, math, biology, and physics. In the social sciences, unique courses on the individual in society reflect Parlin's dream of an education for citizenship. An individual thesis project rounds out the senior year. Theses may be based on research or they may be original creative work. Recent topics range from software design to African music, from a historical monograph to a showing of paintings, and from marketing to political philosophy. Although the Plan II program is interdisciplinary, students concentrate in the areas of their theses and are well prepared for graduate schools in their chosen subjects.
In addition, students must satisfy University and College requirements with courses in both US government and history, a fine arts/humanities sequence, foreign language proficiency, and additional math or science.
The elective hours incorporated into the Plan II curriculum provide flexibility if Plan II students choose to complete the equivalent of a second major in a particular subject area. Someone wanting a career in banking might concentrate elective hours in economics, or even the Business Foundations certificate program. Many students complete the premed curriculum or a pre-law concentration in conjunction with their Plan II major and go on to medical school or law school.
Often, Plan II students take an additional year and simultaneously earn a second degree––in business, engineering, or architecture, for example. Hence, it is possible through the electives to achieve some degree of specialization in tandem with the broad-based Plan II curriculum. Admission to Plan II is competitive and is separate from admission to UT-Austin. On average, the program receives approximately 1400 applications for 175 freshman spots.
However, admission to Plan II is not based on scores and grades alone; other criteria include a lively spirit of intellectual adventure; a genuine desire for a broad education in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences; and the capacity for imagination and originality.
Questions concerning Plan II admission? Email Admissions Director, Kerry Pasquale
Current Plan II Honors Students, contact Program Academic Advisors:
Aims of the Core Curriculum
Plan II Faculty Retreat, January, 2004
- Admissions
- Visit Plan II
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- Contact a Current Plan II Student
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Current Students
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- Public Health Program
- Worthington Essay
- Research
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- News & Events
- The Joynes Reading Room
- Teaching in Plan II
- About Plan II
- Map
Plan II Honors Program
University of Texas at Austin
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Austin, Texas, 78712-1250
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text:
Pretoria Sweatshirts are an Idakoos specialtiy! Idakoos has many things to offer. Whether you want to get a Pretoria Sweatshirt for a special occasion, give a Pretoria Jumper as a present or need to represent with a funny Pretoria Crewneck Sweatshirt during Holidays or Family and Friends get-togethers, Idakoos is sure to have the right Pretoria Sweatshirt for you! Even if it turns out you can't find the right Pretoria Pullover with the perfect design for your mother, father or children (or friends!); Idakoos offers all of its men's women's and children's Pretoria Sweatshirts as Custom Pretoria Sweatshirts. Personalize any Pretoria Crewneck Sweatshirt the way you want to ensure the perfect gift.
Showing 1 - 24 of 35 Sweatshirt


text:
Tax Advice, Tax Glossary, Refund Estimate and More

Power up H&R Block Tax Central tax app on your iPhone to have access to multiple income tax tools.

Get quick answers to the most often asked questions being asked by tax filers.

Create a customized tax preparation checklist.

Stay informed of important dates pertaining to your personal tax situation.

Estimate the amount of your tax refund with the Tax Estimator.

Access hundreds of tax terms in the A-Z tax glossary.

Use GPS or zip code to find the nearest H&R Block office.

Test your income tax know-how with an interactive quiz.

More info: H&R Block Tax Central
File Your Tax Return on Your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad
Use this tax app to snap a photo of your W-2, then answer a few questions and e-file your tax return, all from your iPhone device. SnapTax has the same maximum refund and 100% accuracy guarantee that TurboTax tax software does, and saves a PDF copy of your return. SnapTax isn't a tax app for all tax returns, but is a solution for 1040 EZ filers with this tax scenario:

Single with income of $80,000 or less.

Married with combined income of no more than $100,000.

No dependents.

Income only from W-2s, interest, or unemployment compensation.

No home or real estate ownership.

SnapTax is free, add a state return for $15.
More info: Shoot, Snap, Prep, File: Taxes on Your iPhone
Check Your Tax Refund Status on Your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad
e-File your income tax return, then download the MyTaxRefund iPhone app to track the status of your tax refund. MyTaxRefund also lets you know if your return has been rejected or accepted by the IRS and estimates when you can expect your tax refund to arrive. MyTaxRefund is from Intuit, the TurboTax people, and is free to any iPhone users who e-Files their return, whether they use TurboTax or not.

More info: MyTaxRefund in the iTunes Store

Get Tax Tips and Check Tax Refund Status

After you file your tax return, this free tax app will check the status of your federal tax refund on your iPhone device. If you e-file your taxes, IRS2Go reports you return status within 72 hours. Paper filers don't have it so good - if you file a paper return, you have to wait 3-4 weeks to check your tax refund status.

Use the IRS2Go tax app before filing your tax return to get daily tax tips written in plain English to help you with your tax planning and preparation.

More info: IRS2Go from IRS.gov

Tax Refund Calculator for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

Enter all sources of income, then plug in your tax deductions, then 1040 Tax Calculator does the math and comes up with the amount of your tax refund, or what you owe the IRS.

This app is offered by Ijaz & Associates of Springfield, VA, and requires your name and phone number. You may be contacted regarding income tax return preparation services.

More info: 1040 Tax Calculator in the iTunes Store

While the TaxACT Mobile site is not technically an app, it has some great income tax features and is optimized for mobile devices like an iPhone.

Use TaxACT income tax preparation software to file your federal and/or state tax return, then use the TaxACT Mobile site to check the status of your tax return. Even if you don't use TaxACT, direct your smartphone browser to TaxACT Mobile to read Daily Tax Tips from J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax Guide or view a tax calendar, IRS e-file refund cycle chart, income tax preparation checklist, and state tax contact information.


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Bellville Times
Charlie Fritz Kalkomey, Jr. was born on Nov. 20, 1921 on a farm in the Big Creek area, about 12 miles south of Richmond, Fort Bend County, Texas, to Charlie Fritz Kalkomey, Sr. and Emma Sophie Henryette Seyer. He passed away April 4, 2006 at his residence in Richmond, Texas. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, he enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps that same month. He was assigned to active duty in the South Pacific and was a part of the fighting on Tulagi and Guadalcanal. The 2nd Marines moved on to Tarawa, where on his 22nd birthday, he was wounded in combat. He received a Purple Heart for his service, and was Honorably Discharged on Dec. 14, 1944. In 1950, he went to work for S.A. Russell and Associates, a local Rosenberg engineering and surveying company. Over the next 20 years, he became one of the most well-known surveyors in Fort Bend and the surrounding counties. It was at S.A. Russell and Associates that he met LaNelle Jean Dujka, and they were married on Feb. 25, 1951. On Aug. 23, 1961, Charlie received his Texas registration as a Registered Professional Land Surveyor. In 1970, he started Charlie Kalkomey Surveying, Inc. For the next 36 years, he surveyed over 18,000 separate tracts of land in Fort Bend, Austin, Brazoria, Harris, Matagorda, Colorado, Waller and Wharton Counties. Charlie was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Rosenberg since 1951, where he had served as Elder, Deacon, Trustee, Clerk of Session and Treasurer. He was the chairman of the building committee when the current facility on Radio Lane was constructed. He was also a past commander of the VFW and a member of the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors. Visitation was held from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., Thursday, April 6, 2006 at Davis-Greenlawn Funeral Chapel in Rosenberg. Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, April 7, 2006 at the First Presbyterian Church of Rosenberg with the Rev. Jack Livingston and Charles A. Kalkomey, Sr. officiating. Interment will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Park in Rosenberg. For those wishing, memorial donations may be made in memory of Charlie to the First Presbyterian Church, P. O. Box 1006, Rosenberg, Texas 77471. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Davis-Greenlawn Funeral Home, 3900 B.F. Terry Blvd., Rosenberg, Texas 77471.
Posted by Joy Neely


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To help customers and prospective customers with merchandise from our store, here's some helpful information about ordering, shipping, and customer service.
Most Customers can order merchandise directly from our website by using our shopping cart and filling out the shipping and billing forms. Billing and shipping information are managed by a secure server.
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Inquiries are welcome, but please place orders through the web site to ensure that your billing and shipping information is protected by a secure connection.
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If you should have any questions, problems with ordering, you may call us during business hours (daily 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) at (617)426-1812, ext. 122. Please leave a message if we can't come to the phone, we will return your call. You may also fax us at (617)242-0496. Fax line open 24 hours a day.
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Orders delivered within Massachusetts are subject to a 6.25% sales tax on taxable items. This generally does not include the clothing we sell in our store or over our web site.
All proceeds from the Museum Store support the operations of the USS Constitution Museum, a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to preserving the legacy of "Old Ironsides"


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Plus Racy Referee Costume
Somebody's got to be out there keeping those players in line. Can you imagine if there wasn't anyone out there to straighten them up every once in a while? Nobody would be safe and so many rules would be broken!
The really good ones can be very sneaky though. They've been on the field for years and have figured out all the tricks of the trade. You'll have to watch carefully for all the little well-played moves and fouls. Don't be afraid to get a little whistle happy with the lot of them. What if they really get out of line, you ask? Well then we've got a long list of things you can do to make sure they don't make that mistake again. You could give them a yellow or even a red card to make them sit out for a bit. Threw a flag on the field at a football game for some excessive roughness? That'll show 'em. Finally just throw them into the penalty box.Either way, they're not going to mind too much when you look this fantastic. This hot little number is perfect for so many different occasions. You could wear to a costume party, super bowl celebration, or really any kind of sporting event out there. Last we checked pretty much everyone used the same black and white stripes, and they look so good, they probably will never go out of fashion either! Just remember, once a player, always a player. At this rate, though, you're going to be the one to change the game.
- 95% polyester 5% spandex
- Top half of dress has white and black vertical stripes while bottom half is a solid black skirt
- Dress pulls over head
- Black faux collar around neck and small black pocket on chest with the number 10
- White socks have three black stripes at top
- Silver whistle is attached to a white cord chain
- Dress
- Socks
- Whistle
|40" - 46"
|102cm - 117cm
|38" - 40"
|97cm - 102cm
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Date of Stay: February, 2014
This is an excellent gated RV Resort. Great friendly staff, easy check-in, nice wide concrete streets and sites. We really enjoyed staying here and will do so again when in the Houston area. The only down sides; it is a little hard to find with GPS and it would be nice if people would pick up after their dogs better. Other than that, this is a great park.
Date of Stay: January, 2014
If you own a Class A this is a very nice park as they put the motorhomes in a separate section with big concrete pads and patios and nice wide concrete streets. If you are "trailer trash" like we must be (we have a 2008 5th wheel) you are put in the older section with narrow streets and narrow pads. The site we had was sloped and hard to level the trailer. The occupants before us had placed a mat on the ground and killed the grass, therefore we had a mud hole to walk in when we entered or departed the trailer. Our other two options while there was to park on a concrete pad that was surrounded by mud or park on sod which was mud. The Class A section paid a whopping $25.00 more per month for their nice dry sites then we then we paid for our mud. Never Again!!! I would not recommend this park to anybody!


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A sweet dress for day that could be teamed with a jacket and heels for a more mature look, otherwise ballet flats will add to a relaxed off-duty look. Shown here with a Marc by Marc Jacobs raincoat, bag and watch. 100% cotton. Dry clean. US sizing.
- Khaki cotton heart leaf print pinafore dress with plastic gem button front and a self-tie back. Marc by Marc Jacobs dress has a round neck, a large box pleat at the front and a side zip to fasten.
Product Code: 30051
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Quick Take
- LDK Solar has a higher debt load and weaker financials compared to Suntech Power, who's primary operating subsidiary filed for bankruptcy recently.
- LDK has more than $3 billion in debt, over $2 billion of which is due in about a year.
- Recent equity infusions and asset sales have been small in comparison with debt and are only enough to meet the working capital needs.
- Going by Suntech case, it seems unlikely that China's central government will help solar companies like LDK with international debt payments.
LDK Solar (NYSE:LDK) has borne the brunt of the downturn in the solar industry due to its aggressive and badly timed capacity expansions, and its vertically integrated operations, which have led to its entire supply chain being negatively impacted as prices for solar power products plummeted. Now, following Wuxi Suntech's bankruptcy, all eyes are likely to be on LDK given that its financials are actually in worse shape than Suntech's (NYSE:STP), with higher debt and weaker operating results.
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While Suntech faced its litmus test a little earlier when it defaulted on a maturing international bond payment, it remains to be seen how LDK will manage to service around $2 billion in loans that are due over the next year. We believe that the firm faces a risk of insolvency considering its precarious financials and a recent seeming lack of interest from the Chinese central government in supporting failing solar firms. We have a price estimate of around $0.90 for LDK Solar, which is a 30% discount to its current market price.
Deteriorating Operational Performance
While many large Chinese solar equipment manufacturers have seen revenues decline due to falling panel prices, their shipment volumes have held up or even grown over the past few years. This hasn't been the case with LDK Solar as its shipments as well as revenues have plummeted. Wafer shipments for 2012 are estimated (LDK is yet to release its Q4 2012 results) to be between 910 MW and 960 MW, well below the 1540 MW shipped in 2011. Module shipments are expected to be between 500 and 530 MW, compared to around 550 MW last year. LDK's revenues for 2012 are expected to have declined by more than 50% in 2012, to about $1 billion. The firms gross margins have also been extremely weak at around -11% in Q3 2012, due to certain write-down's and will be just around 1% excluding these onetime items. [1] Like most solar companies, LDK hasn't posted a net profit since 2010, and it seems highly unlikely that it will do so in the near future.
Capital Mismanagement – Badly Timed Investments
LDK's capital efficiency is abysmal even if we go by the relatively low standards of China's solar industry. The firm invested heavily on capacity expansions and now has around 4300 MW of wafer manufacturing capacity and about 1700 MW (As of Q1 2012) of module manufacturing capacity, meaning that capacity utilization rates would be well below 50% for 2012. Some of the firm's investments have also been victims of bad timing. For instance, LDK began polysilicon production in 2009, and scaled up production to around 10,455 metric tonnes (MT) in 2011, while expanding capacity to 17,000 MT. However, in the last four years, polysilicon prices have fallen from over $100 per kilogram, to current levels of around $16 per kilogram, making it completely unviable for LDK to continue production. Last year, the firm suspended most of its polysilicon operations, choosing to retrofit its likes with new equipment to reduce manufacturing costs. We think its quite unlikely that the firm will be able to produce polysilicon profitably in the near future unless prices increase sharply.
High Threat Of Insolvency
LDK has the most leveraged balance sheet among the solar firms we cover with over $3.1 billion in debt including some $700 million in bonds raised from international investors. [2] More than $2 billion of this debt is due in about a year. In comparison, the firm's unrestricted cash was just around $110 million and shareholder's equity stands at around $30 million, and it's quite possible that it could erode by Q1 2013, despite taking into account recent equity infusions. LDK hired Citigroup last year to help it renegotiate some its liabilities, but it remains unclear as to what progress it has made.
The firm has had some success in raising equity funding of late. During the first quarter, Fulai investments picked up a 12% stake in the company for around $25 million. [3] In Q4 2012, the firm sold $23 million worth of newly issued shares to a state-backed firm. We consider these deals as non-events since they do nothing to help pay off debt and are primarily used to fund LDK's money losing operations. Given the firm's market cap of just around $130 million, existing shareholders are seeing their stake in the firm getting diluted with every round of equity financing.
The firm has also been divesting some of its assets to free up cash. Last year the company offloaded three of its manufacturing plants for around $22 million in a sale and leaseback arrangement. We remain skeptical of how much cash the firm can free up through asset sales, since most of the firm's capital is tied up in manufacturing equipment, which is likely to have little demand (and value) in the Chinese market, which already has an excess of solar equipment manufacturing capacity.
LDK's hopes of getting government support to pay off debt may also be waning. China's central government took a hard stance on funding failing solar firms. Last year the state council said that the government would stop supporting money losing solar companies and indicated that it would prevent regional governments from doing so as well. If Suntech's case was anything to go by, it seems like the government will be sticking to its word. Suntech, which is one of the largest and most recognizable companies in the Chinese solar space, received no support from the central government and the state run banks in making its bond payments, and it seems quite unlikely that LDK will be an exception.
Understand how a company's products impact its stock price on Trefis


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Nordfab | SKU: T20689 | Model: 3282-083282-0800-100
8" Hose Adapter
Price: $28.95
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These metal industrial dust collection fittings are simply the best you can find - period!
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Use hose adapters to convert from solid pipe to flexible hose. Formed ridge holds hose on tightly with the help of a hose clamp.
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Jun 26, 2010
How to Create The Circumstances You Want
"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them." – George Bernard Shaw
I've always loved this success quote, because it takes a common perspective on life – namely, that life is a series of events you have to react to – and turns it on it's ear. In reality, where you end up has less to do with your circumstances than with where you decide to go in spite of your circumstances.
The decisions you make in the thick of today's circumstance are the defining factor in what your circumstances will be in the future.
You do this by deciding that you're going to overcome today's circumstances, no matter what they are.
But this is easier said than done. It's easy to let the circumstances of our day – our current financial picture, our current relationships, our current motivation levels – and see them as the defining factor of where our life is headed. It's a simple thing to let yourself be discouraged by all the things that are going wrong and feel that you can't easily stage a turnaround.
But "easier said than done" doesn't get us out of responsibility.
Even though it's not easy, no one is going to change your life except for you. Only you can create your own circumstances. But to create the powerful circumstances that you want to call your future – in spite of the challenges you face in today's circumstances – you have to understand a few fundamental things about how circumstances work.
And to understand how circumstances work, you're going to have to "unlearn" a few of your preconceptions about them. I'll refer to these preconceptions as "myths" since they aren't true (but seem true!). Then I'll drill down to the rules about how they really work. I'll call those rules the "Laws of Circumstance" here because I don't have anything snappier to call them (oh well).
Myth#1: My circumstances prevent me from doing what I want to.
Law #1: A circumstance is a fact. A circumstance with an opinion is an excuse.
This is a tough law to swallow, because we all like making excuses. Excuses help us get out of taking action as well as help us get out of feeling guilty about it. We even have a spiffy word to get us out of calling it an excuse: "rationalization." But it's still an excuse, because it's basically a less painful way of telling ourselves that the situation is insurmountable, and there's nothing we can really do about it now.
Of course, that's a load of crap. We might say something like, "I wish I had the time to start a business, but I'm already working two jobs (or I have two kids to take care of). I just don't have the time." Listen to the message of this statement: I don't have the time because I have two jobs (or two kids).
Here's the problem: one is not necessarily linked to the other.
It's a fact that you have two jobs, or two kids, or whatever. But that's all it is – a fact. In reality, all it is saying is that for a certain number of hours a day, you are dedicated to your work / your kids, and that those hours are off limits. That's a plain, emotionless fact – and nothing more.
But when you add opinion to the mix, you get into trouble … into rationalization … into excuses. You start to see this fact as the defining factor that dictates what you can and can't do. And that tends to stop you in your tracks.
You become saturated with the emotional equivalent of a brick wall – the feeling that because of X, you can't do Y. And you don't take action – or worse yet, you take a halfhearted action and don't it follow through to completion (leaving you feeling even more disempowered).
And that's the danger of rationalization.
It keeps you in a disempowered state of mind and makes you feel that there's no real chance for improvement, because you're taking your circumstance (fact) and taking it to a less than logical conclusion.
I say less than logical because we generally don't use real logic when dealing with circumstances – in other words, we don't ask ourselves how to change those circumstances, or how to work around them.
We say "I don't have time because I'm working two jobs" and stop there, rather than apply logical thinking to the situation: How can I free up time elsewhere? or How can I change my job situation so I'm not working so many hours?
The most malicious part of rationalization is the sudden stop it puts on our creative juices, our ability to work ourselves out of a situation. Our excuses literally excuse us from taking the (often difficult) action of "rising above our circumstances." We all do it – I do it, you do it … but you've got to stop doing now (or, at least begin the process of stopping!).
So how do you do this? You basically decide you're not going to take no for an answer when it comes to your goal. When you decide that – and I mean you make a firm commitment not to settle for leaving your goal behind – you can rise above your current circumstances and create new ones.
It's not a matter of "working harder" – it's a matter of working until it gets done, period. Circumstances (facts) are not supposed to prevent action (but they do because of the emotion we attach to them).
Check out the dictionary definition of circumstances:
- A condition or fact attending an event and having some bearing on it; a determining or modifying factor.
- A condition or fact that determines or must be considered in the determining of a course of action.
Look at both of these definitions. Neither of them says our common view of a circumstance: something that prevents us from getting what we're after. Both of these definitions call circumstances a condition or fact that forces you to have to adjust to it as you follow through on your course of action.
Let's apply this right away in your own life with a simple but extrordinarily effective exercise:
- Consider one circumstance that you feel is the "brick wall" preventing you from getting the goal you want.
- Now, imagine that you had no choice but to accomplish your goal. Imagine it as a life or death situation.
- Brainstorm as many ways as you can to work around this circumstance or negate it entirely (even if it's not an easy thing to do). Take your time doing this, because remember – you absolutely have to make this goal happen. Your "circumstance" cannot be used as an excuse.
- Get cracking. Now. Your goal is waiting.
I truly hope that you don't blow this exercise off – because it's easy to do. You're may be telling yourself, "This won't work," or "I don't have the time to do this," or "i don't think I can pull this off …"
Just keep in mind that those thoughts are a load of … well, you know. Your mind is going to fight you with excuses and rationalizations because there's that part of you that resists the possibility of failure, or resists the challenge of hard work … but you have to tell that voice to shut up. You have to stand up to it.
Myth#2: My circumstances make things harder to accomplish.
Law #2: Circumstances are strength training exercises designed to make you more powerful.
"No pressure, no diamonds." – Thomas Carlyle
This quote really hammers home a timeless truth about circumstances. We tend to want to view problems as things that make things harder on us, when the opposite is true - they are actually incredible opportunities to push past our limits, and become stronger. And that strength will serve us exponentially as we move forward to our goals.
Remember that old 80's movie The Karate Kid? The New Jersey teenager, Daniel Larusso, asks this Japanese neighbor Mr. Miyagi to teach him the secrets of martial arts for an upcoming karate tournament. So Mr. Miyagi agrees – then promptly puts him to work sweeping his yard, painting his fence, waxing his car.
Daniel got pretty ticked off at this … here he was asking for martial arts training and he was given the gruntwork of taking care of Mr.Miyagi 's property. Finally he gives up and says "I've had it!" He tells Mr. Miyagi that if he's not going to teach him how to fight, he's out of there. He's tired of working on things that have no bearing on his goals for the future.
And here's the part of the movie where everything became clear. Miyagi throws a punch at Daniel and suddenly his arm flys up to block it – exactly as it had a thousand times before as he painted the posts of Miyagi's fence. He tried to trip Daniel with his foot, but Daniel pivoted out of his way without thinking – exatcly as he would have moved if he was sweeping Miyagi's yard.
Finally, it clicked. Miyagi had Daniel doing grunt work to train him in the basics of movement that would prepare him for greatness in the ring. Because he toughed out the work in front of him, he would have the skills to use in the arena.
Now, your circumstances are no different. You may have things that seem like roadblocks in front of you, things that are getting in the way of you reaching your goals … but they aren't roadblocks. They are tests. They are the challenge you face to create more discipline, more courage, more staying power, more creativity … everything you will need to meet your goals in the future.
Think of it this way: How do you build muscle? By lifting weights. Heavy weights. And when you get used to them, you increase the weight. That's the only way to do it.
So take another look at your circumstances. What if you stopped looking at that situation as a roadblock and instead decided to take it as a challenge you are destined to work around? Decide for yourself right now that it's not an obstacle – it's simply a weight, one you will find a way to lift, no matter what.
The pressure is on in your life because there's a diamond in the making. So leverage that pressure and find out how to what's currently challenging you into one of the best things that ever happened to you. Get to it now. You'll thank yourself for it.
So here's your homework …
- Consider one circumstance that you feel is the "brick wall" preventing you from getting the goal you want.
- Now, imagine that you had no choice but to accomplish your goal. Imagine it as a life or death situation.
- Brainstorm as many ways as you can to work around this circumstance or negate it entirely (even if it's not an easy thing to do). Take your time doing this, because remember – you absolutely have to make this goal happen. Your "circumstance" cannot be used as an excuse.
- Get cracking. Now. Your goal is waiting.
Just one more thing before you go …
I'd like to ask you to do one important thing for me – spread the word about this article. I hope it's been "clicking" for you, and I want it to really get some reach. Click that retweet button below if you would, and spread the word however you can.
And when you're done with that, use the comments below to tell me how you're going to quit allowing "circumstances" to rule your life. Do it today – you'll thank yourself for it.
That is all -
50 Responses to "How to Create The Circumstances You Want"
- Jun 28, 2010 LaVonne Ellis
Dave, you could so beat Tony Robbins' ass. Nobody shakes up my thinking the way you do. And I really need it right now, so thanks for the perfect timing.
LaVonne Ellis´s last blog ..From Blog to Business- the Mindshift
- Jun 28, 2010 Brooke Yool
Sweet. So true. Yes, I whine about circumstances a lot, myself, but I've been trying to change that. I've been off of work for months due to a worker's comp injury, and my work is all physical. I've been whining about limited income… so instead, I've found a few small freelance writing jobs. I have no resume/reputation, so they pay squat for now, but at least it distracts me from self-pity. And here's hoping that a year or so from now, I'll be back at work *and* getting the good writing gigs.
Brooke Yool´s last blog ..You Can Get And Stay Fit- on vacation- too-
- Jun 28, 2010 Nick
Great stuff as usual mate…go get 'em.
- Jun 28, 2010 Maryam Webster
Excellent points Dave, you nailed it good. Some of the ace takeaways here:
* A circumstance with an opinion attached is an excuse (what a GREAT distinction!)
* It's not a matter of working harder, it's a matter of working until it's done
(as we say in coaching: "it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be done. Done=DONE.")
* Circumstances are strength training to make you more powerful (I would also say "more flexible and better resourced" as well)
So often our main issue is emotionalizing events. Events happen, people and situations come and go. What matters is the choices we make in how to react to these things.
I know which clients are going to make their stretch goals and which are not by how they respond to crisis. Those that respond with "what else is possible? where am I NOT looking right now?" always succeed. Those who respond with "woe is me, why does the universe hate me?" will rarely get past the superficial circumstances they perceive are the problem.
The problem is how we choose to respond. And that is always a choice, no matter how right or wrong the "circumstance" might be, how rich or poor we are, where we live or what our race or educational background might be.
There's another intervention I like that anyone can do, if I might chip in another tool. It's the NLP standard called Conflict Integration and it's really simple:
Create a symbol for both the goal you have, and the "circumstance" that blocks you.
Put your goal symbol in one hand and your "circumstance" symbol in the other. ONE AT A TIME, feel what each is like, how heavy, light, soft, hard, greasy, dry, hot, cool or whatever it feels like. Observe what it looks like or sounds like, etc. Each of your symbols will have a unique way of manifesting for you. Get a good sense of each.
When it feels right, bring your hands slowly together one on top of the other. Inside, alchemy is happening, a transubstantiation of problem into solution.
Again, when it feels right, open your hands and look, feel and/or listen to what's inside. There will be a solution for your particular circumstance in what you find there.
Again great article Dave, thank you for the brilliance and help you share!
Maryam Webster´s last blog ..What Kittens Have to Do With Making Better Choices
- Jun 28, 2010 Maryam Webster
PS: Dave, I have had a Gravatar account for years. Any idea why mine is not showing up here?
BTW – thanks for the CommentLuv!
Maryam Webster´s last blog ..What Kittens Have to Do With Making Better Choices
- Jun 28, 2010 Dale Morgan
You know, when you receive good
words to move forward with, and
you can plainly see and feel the TRUTH of it, it seems almost
embarrassing NOT to step through
those 'brick wall' places.
Inspiring stuff.
- Jun 28, 2010 Carl Harris
The circumstances I'm most interested in getting through, and helping others get through, are emotional blocks.
'I feel terrible in a trapped emotional state and am powerless to remove it'.
The fact is we have emotional blocks and get emotionally stronger by going through them and connecting more deeply with our personal value systems.
I know quite a few people who use their emotional blocks as an excuse to prevent their own progress and resent it when people try to help them 'see the way'.
Nice post, Dave, many thanks.
Carl Harris´s last blog ..Drilling for Emotional Wellness- Emotional Representations and Reflections
- Jun 28, 2010 Michele Nicholls
You are so good at rubbing our noses in what we already secretly know, and pushing us into putting into action! Roll on next monday's kick in the butt ;oD
Michele Nicholls´s last blog ..The role of arithmetic in fashion-
- Jun 28, 2010 Tamarisk
You don't get what you deserve. You get what you get.
It's what you do with it that makes the difference.
Tamarisk´s last blog ..Apologizing – A How To Guide
- Jun 28, 2010 Mary E. Ulrich
Great points. Love the Karate Kid reference, what an amazing lesson for each of us. Dave, thanks for being our Mr. Miyagi and showing us the way. But do there have to be so many damn fences?????
I always think of Viktor Frankl and his theory that in impossible situations, sometimes the only thing we can control, is how we choose to react.
It is so difficult to see others moving forward quickly and accept our pitiful small steps. Maybe it is procrastination, maybe it is fear or "perfectionism". But maybe, it is just the best you can do at this time.
- Jun 28, 2010 Isabelle
Hello Dave,
great article. Actually, just what I needed after waking up way to late and realising that Monday was to slip away from me..
When I started to read your article I recalled reading somewhere that people feel happiness when they are moving towards their goals, even if their circumstances are to be considered hard. Knowing that you are on your way to a better life gives you feelings of happiness. Just feeling noticing some proof that you're on the right track might be what's needed for overlooking your "bad circumstances" and keep fighting..
- Jun 28, 2010 Sherrie St. Cyr
I like that you take time out of the equation – "Take as much time as you need for this exercise", because so often my clients go from "I can't do it by Thursday" to "I can't do it at all". Taking time to come up with one possible step gets them into action and what seems like it will take forever ends up getting done sooner than if they had stayed stuck trying to get it done by Thursday.
Sherrie St. Cyr´s last blog ..Are You Waiting for Certification
- Jun 28, 2010 Mary
Dave, great article. I passed it on to two of my coaching clients, as well – we can all benefit from it. You really struck a nerve with me, too, since I've been moaning about how hard it is to get new clients, etc. So, I'm off to do the exercises you gave again and again until I have my answer.
- Jun 28, 2010 kate
Perfect timing!! You just completely validated everything i am currently working towards. Where we currently live is keeping me locked into a career i am no longer in love with because this area is very expensive and my current career pays the bills while we don't get to take advantage of any of the fun stuff. So, our giant work around is to MOVE! (there are many many additional benefits too!) THANKS for this post, i feel a little less crazy now
- Jun 28, 2010 Jess Webb
Wow – this was utterly and completely the kick in the ass that I needed this Monday morning! Thank you! I was going into this week feeling like something's gotta give, somehow I've got to buckle down and get my business where I want it to be…
My biggest take-away from your post today was the part about sticking with it – "Circumstances are strength training exercises designed to make you more powerful." This is a big ahah! for me this morning, as I realized I have been playing half-ass and not really giving it my all, not really pushing through when things get a bit tough.
Thank you, Dave!
Jess Webb´s last blog ..5 Facebook Resources to Help You Build Your Business
- Jun 28, 2010 Barbara D
My blocks are mostly internal, so the work seems to be identifying which ones are myths and which are facts. But the one I'm choosing to work on has to do with skill sets. I need to be a better writer, and have a stack of blog posts in draft form because they don't seem good enough.
I guess my job is to get the posts into shape and get them out there. Or trash them and move on. It might mean going back to some sources of writing instruction and inspiration that usually just sit on the shelf. Or calling on other people for input.
Instead of banging my head against the "wall" of my circumstances, will brainstorm on how to use the resources I already have to the best advantage.
- Jun 28, 2010 Brett
As fate would have it, your newsletter showed up in my inbox this morning after a very hard weekend. I've been battling to get my business off of the ground and one circumstance after another – from moving to wedding planning to health issues – have kept me from going ahead full force. But when I allowed myself to actually feel how down I was about not following through on my entrepreneurial dream, I came away stronger. I faced it head on and saw my circumstances for what they were – immovable facts. As your post mentions though, when you tie in the emotional opinions it becomes a rationalization. And man, I've been a master rationalizer the past few months. Just calling myself that really helps. I won't beat myself up over doing this because as you mention, we all are prone to doing this. I will, however, continue to look at circumstances through a new lens and see them as opportunities rather than the brick walls I've been leaning against.
- Jun 28, 2010 Mark Keating
Great stuff, as usual. Thanks for the Karate Kid reference (and reminding us that the REAL karate kid isn't related to Will Smith).
@Barbara D: I have a similar issue. The good news is, if you feel your posts aren't good enough, then you already know what you need to do to "fix" them. Get specific. Pick one. Pick it apart. Make it better. "Done" is a beautiful word.
- Jun 28, 2010 Pooja
I read your article regarding circumstances exactly when i needed it the most.You are really an angel lighting up everyone's life.
- Jun 28, 2010 Linett
Thank you Dave! I started on this path 7 weeks ago removing 1 obstacle (literally by having major surgery) and now realizing that those old excuses no longer apply to my life. Do I have to take baby steps while recovering..yes. But I am still stepping forward. This just reminded me to take care of the little things that fell by the way-side. Missed work opportunities, Missed communications with people who are important.
Thank you so much for the big push in the right direction.
Happy Monday!
- Jun 28, 2010 Patti
Thank you Dave. This is my first opportunity to read your posts and it was the perfect article to start my Monday. I am working toward change and your focus on circumstances and treating them for what they are was very enlightening and helpful. Thank you. I hope to receive future posts.
- Jun 28, 2010 Cath Lawson
Hi Dave – This is awesome – I'm going to try it out right now.
I put off a lot of things over the last few things – telling myself I couldn't do them because my son was ill and my daughter had huge problems.
Now I see that it was crazy. I wasn't devoting myself to caring for them 24/7 and I could easily have tackled some of my goals.
- Jun 28, 2010 Michelle Russell
Dave, I love your stuff (I own a few of your products), and most of the time I like everything you've got to say, but there's one thing I have yet to see you address, and this post brings it up for me in a big way.
I'd truly love to hear your response.
The "ass-kicking" brand of advice you offer works for many people, but there's a subgroup of us out here (which I'm allowed to affectionately call "Type A, control-freaky perfectionists" because I'm fully aware that I'm one of them ) who are already so used to beating ourselves up that we don't really need posterior propulsion–we do it to ourselves too much already. (Yes, we have long and very flexible legs.)
And because we tend to overcommit ourselves, many of us have lives that really, truly ARE that busy. Ultimately, yes, it's our choice to be so busy, but many things are absolutely legitimate necessities. And for the things that aren't…well, first we have to consciously *realize* that we;re asking the impossible of ourselves–something we're not very good at.
In short, we OVERestimate our responsibilities and commitments, plus our ability to meet them all, while we simultaneously UNDERestimate the time things will take us.
It's a recipe for self-flagellation and low self-worth, and adopting your "no excuses" attitude on top of the stress we're already inflicting on ourselves is apt to make us feel more inadequate, overwhelmed, and (possibly) depressed than we already do.
Is there anything you'd change in your message or say to those of us who are already way too good at kicking our own asses?
Thanks in advance for any response you choose to make.
- Jun 28, 2010 Diane
Many good points, including "decide you're not going to take no for an answer when it comes to your goal."
Life's daily hurdles can stop you, or make you stronger. It's how you approach them that makes all the difference. Thanks for today's "kick."
- Jun 28, 2010 Techquestioner
@ Michelle Russell:
You should examine all your commitments and "circumstances" and determine which ones you enjoy and want to keep, and which ones are joyless obligations, and then follow Dave's instructions on figuring out how to change, diminish, or let go of committments that keep you from doing what you really want to do. You also have to learn to evaluate how much time an energy a new commitment will take, and say "NO" politely if you do not want to take it on when others press you to do so.
- Jun 28, 2010 Hugh
No Pressure, No Diamond = one of my new favorite quotes. Awesome.
My "circumstance" is that I don't have enough energy to work on my goals everyday. This is due to a lack of consistently good sleep. I will brainstorm right now and figure out ways to get quality sleep so I can have more energy to work on my goals. Thanks for the ass kicking.
Hugh´s last blog ..Why is Obesity Acceptable
- Jun 28, 2010 Mike Reeves-McMillan
Thanks, Dave. Excellent stuff, and I'm glad to report that when I reflected on the main circumstance that's troubling me I realised I'm already doing a lot about it. Which is inspirational in itself.
Mike Reeves-McMillan´s last blog ..Better Living Through Time Travel Part 1- Fixing the Past
- Jun 28, 2010 Joe
Thanks for another great post. I know I fall into the trap sometimes of becoming overwhelmed by circumstances.
But it's not the circumstances, as you say, it's the emotions attached.
I'll give your exercise a shot tonight. Thanks.
Joe´s last blog ..A Different Way of Writing
- Jun 28, 2010 Ruth
Absolutely!!! Just what I had been mulling over, realizing that there was no absolute if-then relationship between what I was FEELING or EXPERIENCING or THINKING. No "because". Just "and" as in, "I'm really tired and I'm not doing my work" or "I'm really sad about what happened and I'm choosing not to set that aside and complete a project." The honesty of AND.
Thank you for expressing exactly what I'm mulling over in a powerful way, exactly when I need it!!!!
- Jun 28, 2010 Karen Wilson Wehrle
What a wonderful post! I'll write a blog post about it and link back to you as part of my 30-day blog challenge.
Choosing which is my biggest circumstance will take some thought. I think it's lack of money, but I've become quite an expert at being "stuck." Stuckness is familiar and comfortable, no matter how I suffer–which makes no sense at all.
Oh-ho! Is this faux circumstance my biggest block? Hmm. Off to work your steps before another 24 hours goes by. Must blog post first, as it gets me back on track with the challenge.
Thank you so much!
Karen Wilson Wehrle´s last blog ..Online Business Marketing–How to Use Social Media for Branding
- Jun 28, 2010 Maria Mazara
I'm having a perfect Monday! I found this blog today and I'm very inspired. My head is full with cool ideas. Thank you.
- Jun 28, 2010 Brandon Yanofsky
I just graduated college and have been struggling with so many issues: a lack of structure, motivation, purpose, just to name a few. But just reading this article has brought some new energy to what I'm doing. And once I do the homework, I know I'll be even more prepared to knock down my barriers.
Thank you.
- Jun 29, 2010 frank
no excuses. either you're doing or not. doesn't matter what's in between. really good article. now off to edit that video.
- Jun 29, 2010 Jennifer
I sat and read (and re-read) this for a long time yesterday.
What happens if the circumstances can't be changed? If attempting to smash one brick wall only leads to another?
Jennifer´s last blog ..Opinions- Please-
- Jun 29, 2010 Marlene Hielema
Coming in a day late on this, but glad I read it. This is your best "kick in the pants" yet! I have many family circumstances that cannot be changed, and they become excuses far too easily. Time to find the workarounds! I see some gaps I can create for my work, even if it's 6-10am on a Saturday morning.
Marlene Hielema´s last blog ..Get your lost colour back-
- Jun 29, 2010 Karen
Dave, what a wonderful and motivating post. We have no excuses, I mean, rationalizations, when it comes to our circumstances. If we are not happy, we can move ourselves into better situations. After all, we're not trees and stuck in one place for the rest of our lives. This relates to not only physical space, but emotional, financial, spiritual uprooting, too.
I'm loving your very thought-provoking series lately.
Thanks for sharing this,
Karen´s last blog ..The Secret Stress Buster No One Dares Tell You About – Guest Post
- Jun 29, 2010 Maddison
Thanks for this one Dave. I sure did need it. Things have been a bit tough going for me these past few weeks, today I finally got the good news that it's going to be smoother next month.
It was hard, but I kept pushing. Reading your words makes me see that what I went through is just a part of success.
Happy Rest Of The Week To You!
Maddison´s last blog ..Maddison's Thoughts
- Jun 30, 2010 Thea Westra www.myforwardsteps.com
A great article and will Tweet it definitely! Plus will add you on Twitter.
Thank you for posting this inspiring piece, Dave. Love that I found your blog. Looks magnificent.
"A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts. He ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities within himself."
– from http://asamanthinkethsoishe.com
Thea Westra
Thea Westra http://www.myforwardsteps.com´s last blog ..Day 276- Article- Accident Or On Purpose
- Jun 30, 2010 Amy Harrison
Great Article,
One thing that has held me back was worrying about money. It wasn't a circumstance as such and I'd never use it as an excuse but it was holding me back. I'd hoard, play it safe and go without until I was miserable. One day I decided not to worry, and then a few months later I decided to really not worry and not just pretend I wasn't worrying.
It's like a brick wall has been smashed. I think in terms of opportunities and possibilities instead of price tags and checking my bank account all the time.
I've just told myself to go, play the game, work hard, offer value, work harder and trust that the money will come by those actions, not by obsessing about it.
Amy Harrison´s last blog ..6 Simple Steps To Screw Up A Guest Post
- Jun 30, 2010 Michelle Russell
Thanks for your comment. But I've actually been working on all those things you suggest very deliberately and consciously for the past few years. It was tough at first, but I've cut all the fat out of my commitments and I've learned how to say no to new ones I don't want.
My question was more along the lines of how to reconcile Dave's no-nonsense, ass-kicking, "just do it" approach with the fact that, for some of us, this just causes us MORE internal stress.
In other words, not so much about the externals of time and task management, but the internal tendency to judge ourselves harshly.
- Jul 2, 2010 wbailey
Michelle Russell, I totally agree, being one of those types myself. Sometimes because of consciously choosing lots of commitments, you literally don't have time for one more thing unless you set something else aside. Though I suppose in that case you would say, "I'm totally committed already" rather than, "I don't have time."
But Jennifer, you're the only other person that touched on what I'm going to say:
There are some circumstances that truly can't be changed. I am in love with someone who is both 1) absolutely uninterested in me as anything other than a friend because of her innate sexual orientation and 2) lives in Africa while I'm in the U.S. Due to circumstances entirely out of my control, a physically close daily romantic relationship with her is probably impossible.
Now, if I gave up on the relationship altogether then that would be an excuse. I fully acknowledge that it's possible–and am doing my darndest–to maintain a wonderful friendship otherwise and be very happy for at least that. But sometimes circumstances just can't be changed.
No amount of determination will bring someone back from the dead either, come to think of it.
- Jul 3, 2010 Sharon Ass-got-Kicked
Dave, I have been mulling over the current topic all week: Creating your Circumstances.
Again, I am impressed by your ability to communicate such profound ideas in such an easy read style. This is one of those articles that I have printed out and am writing notes. Especially profound is "imagine you had NO Choice but to accomplish your goal". I could comment so much on your entire article. You are right-on with your insight.
I truly thank you.
I really look forward to your Monday morning Ass Kicking!!! Sharon Ass-got-Kicked
- Jul 6, 2010 Valeria
Thanks, Dave! A lot! You've inspired me to, I think, a great shift in my lifу! Actually, I've decided to get to Happiness anyway.!
- Jul 8, 2010 zephaniah
there is someone who can help regardless of your circumstances……
if you let HIM….
- Jul 9, 2010 Lauren
eliminating negative beliefs is a great way to change your outlook on circumstances. Like has been explained another way, circumstances have no inherent meaning.
- Jul 23, 2010 LUCKY
I have read this post four times from start to finish. It improves my understanding and in turn the quality of my life every time.
Thanks Dave, you do Rock My Day.
LUCKY´s last blog ..Why do Liberals Hate Oil


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Rovi (ROVI) With a Quite Large Beat on EPS
Rovi (ROVI) actually rallied in after hours after a quite large beat on EPS yesterday evening, but that does not make it correct to have held such a position size going into earnings. If I had reviewed the earnings reports list yesterday, this one would have been cut back just as any other stock and then we could get back in at much lower risk, after the fact. Every so often you are going to have a stock run away from you by going this route, but at least you don't get Vistaprinted.
With that said, I will say I am happy I did not get hit with 2 bullets today but just one ... I can tell this stock is completely off the radar of the momo crowd because no one (AP, Reuters) wrote a story about it, and a whopping 2 people had a comment on Yahoo message boards post earnings. I am good with that.
Technically, after what seemed to be a new breakout Monday (not so much), the stock has been reversing the past 3 days working off an overbought condition and settling right at its 20 day on the close Thursday. Conditions remain favorable as long as the stock holds its multi month breakout over $40. Which is also where the 50 day moving average has risen to in the past few days. As always the stock will be dominated by the overall market, so if the S&P 500 starts falling apart, the chances of Rovi standing up are slim... and vice versa.
Analysts were in for $129.5M revenue and $0.46 EPS for the quarter.
This company puts out one of the shortest earnings report in terms of prose that I have seen.
Via ROVI's earnings release:
- Rovi Corporation (Nasdaq:ROVI - News) announced today that it had second quarter 2010 revenues of $134.8 million, compared to $119.5 million for the second quarter of 2009. (+12.8% year over year)
- Adjusted Pro Forma Income Per Common Share for the second quarter of 2010 was $0.55, compared to $0.38 for the second quarter of 2009.
- We completed another excellent quarter, growing revenue by 13% in Q2 2010, when compared to Q2 2009, and growing our profit by even more during the same period, said Fred Amoroso, President and CEO of Rovi. In addition, we achieved a number of important business objectives, including winning additional business for TotalGuide, expanding our licensing program, growing advertising revenues, and continuing to retire debt.
- Given the strength of our performance in the first half of 2010, we are raising our estimates for annual Adjusted Pro Forma Income Per Common Share to a range of $1.90 to $2.10, added James Budge, Chief Financial Officer of Rovi.
[Jul 15, 2010: Bookkeeping - Beginning Rovi]
Long Rovi in fund; no personal position


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Which TV Character Are You Most Like?
Are you a witty prankster, like Carly, or an attention-craving fashionista, like Serena? Perhaps you see more of yourself in the artistic Bay, or flirty Elena? Take this quiz to find out which TV character you're most similar to!
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Well i am going to be buying an e90 320d sport in the next few weeks. I am wanting to fit m3 body panels to it to make it look a little better as i love the look of the m3 but need the fuel economy. I am going to be buy bonnet, front and rear bumpers, front wings. Is there anything else? Also i noticed on some parts e90 and e92, will the panels off both these models fit onto my car? Are all the panels off the m3 just a straight fit? I will then be painting is matte estoril blue i think.
Any comments much appreciated.


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Richard C. Lurie, 79, of Hilton Head Island and husband of Gayle Lurie died Friday, May 3, 2013 at Hilton Head Hospital. Services will be held in Fairfield, New Jersey. Donations may be made to the Fairfield Reformed Church, 360 Fairfield Road, Fairfield, NJ, 07004.
Arrangements by The Island Funeral Home and Crematory.