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Read an Excerpt
The Circle of a Promise
By Helen A. Rosburg
Dorchester Publishing
Copyright © 2003
Helen A. Rosburg
All right reserved.
Chapter One
The morning mists had long since blown away. The sun was high
and hot. The stench from the battlefield was nearly
Stephen's knights, victorious, drifted back toward their
baron. They moved slowly, battle weary and bloodied, cleaning
the blades of their weapons as they shuffled along.
Occasionally a man stopped to pat the neck of a faithful
mount, or lean, exhausted, against a massive shoulder. Many of
the horses themselves bore ghastly wounds. Others lay dead on
the ground, amidst the bodies of the fallen soldiers. The
earth was red with blood. Stephen ignored it all.
His eyes searched desperately for the one face he wanted to
see. Sunlight glinting from bright armor made him squint. He
turned and looked in the other direction. Saw her.
The form was unmistakable. Even among men she was tall. Their
gazes met.
Mara smiled. She pulled the mail hood from her head and shook
loose her magnificent hair. It tumbled in silvery waves across
her shoulders and down her back, and Stephen knew there was
not a more beautiful, desirable woman in the world. He started
toward her.
There was blood on her hauberk, but he knew instinctively it
was not hers. Thank God. Thank God. She had made it through
the battle unscathed. He could tell by the way she moved,
walked slowly toward him. The tip of her sword dragged on the
ground. Hero, her enormous warhorse, plodded along behind her,
head low. He, too, appeared uninjured.
Stephen let his blade fall to the ground. He opened his arms
to receive her, and she stepped into the circle of his
There were no words, they were too exhausted. But none were
needed. They were husband and wife, companions of both heart
and soul, lovers. They were also victors. At long, long last,
the terrible struggle was over. Many deaths were avenged. They
were finally free to be together without fear. It was over.
For a long moment they simply leaned against one another, arms
loosely clasped. Then Mara looked up at her husband.
Her eyes were the color of a deep, deep lake. The lake beside
which they had first made love.
He did not see ... No one saw ... The hidden archer. One of the
earl's men, hidden in the tree at the edge of the glade.
Stephen smiled into Mara's eyes. The blood, death and
destruction all around them disappeared. Trey, their
deerhound, whined and pushed at their legs, but they barely
noticed. They could not tear their gazes from each other.
It was thus that Stephen saw the life go out of his wife's
eyes when the arrow pierced her throat. She was gone from him
almost instantly.
Mara slumped, warm in her husband's arms, for the last time.
* * *
Steve Bellingham woke up screaming.
The clock radio read 2:00 a.m.
Chapter Two
Even had she not been the daughter of the lord of the manor,
Mara would have commanded the total respect of every servant
within the castle walls. She had inherited not only her
father's full height, but nearly the breadth of his shoulders.
Her waist-length hair was as pale as the frosts that rimed the
winter hillsides and, although she normally wore it plaited,
today it was unbound and whipped about her shoulders in the
cold spring wind. Her stride was long and purposeful and her
blue eyes glinted with dark fire. She was a Valkyrie, a
vengeful goddess, and those who worked in the stables sprang
into action when they saw her hurry down the steps from the
great hall, deerhound at her heels.
The dappled palfrey was her favored mount. The sturdy gray
mare was saddled and waiting by the time Mara had crossed the
yard to the low wooden outbuilding. She mumbled a hasty
thanks, disdained the hand prepared to aid her and swung into
the saddle. Eyes were averted as she pulled her skirt down
over a muscular, but well-toned thigh and slim, booted calf.
She gathered her reins, fitted her feet to the stirrups and
put her heels to the palfrey's flanks. The mare started off at
Though the reign of the previous king had been fraught with
civil wars, Henry III enjoyed a serene rule. The barons had no
quarrel with him. Despite continued tension with their
neighbor, the earl, peace lay upon the land. As a result, the
gate was open and the bridge across the dry moat lowered.
The guard in the watchtower hailed her, but Mara rode on past.
She kept the mare to a collected canter until they were beyond
the castle walls, then gave her mount its head. Her hound
loped at her side, pink tongue lolling, but she didn't slow.
Her father disapproved of unchaperoned rides and would send a
loyal retainer after her as soon as the gate guard reported
her departure. She wanted to get as much of a head start as
The gray mare was heavily built and sturdy, rather than swift.
Nevertheless the miles fell away. The castle, built on a hilly
slope near the great, dark Ullsmere, lake without depth, lay
far behind, and still the mare galloped on. Mara's heart
hammered along with each pounding hoof beat.
Her parents were making her get married. It would be the end
of the world as she had known it. For Mara had no illusions.
No husband would ever be as accommodating as her father had
been. There would be no more wild gallops through the
countryside, no more hawking or hunting. Her husband would not
care that she could accurately throw a dagger or competently
aim a crossbow. He would have no pride in the fact she could
effectively wield a broadsword. No. None of those things would
impress a man. A husband.
Nostrils flared and neck lathered, the mare slowed to a trot.
Mara did not urge her back into a gallop. The mare's flagging
steps were in perfect rhythm with her own faltering heart andhopes.
Beatrice, her mother, was as fragile as she was beautiful,
intelligent and devoted. Two sons had been stillborn before
Mara, and there had been none after. Doting on their daughter
Ranulf had encouraged, and Beatrice had allowed, Mara's
training in what otherwise were purely masculine pastimes.
Beatrice had not, however, neglected her daughter's education
in the feminine arts.
Mara sighed and allowed her mare to fall into a plodding walk.
She was, she mused, unfortunately, amply prepared to run a
manor. She was familiar with the spices that turned an
ordinary table into a grand one; she knew how to store and use
medicinal herbs; how to dry certain flowers with which to
sweeten dank rooms; she could even ply a needle with a certain
degree of competence, if not artistry.
But to spend the rest of her life engaged in these mundane
pursuits? Never again to feel the wind of freedom in her face,
or experience the thrill of a hunt? The thought was
intolerable. Not to mention thoughts of the man himself. Her
life, her future, would now belong to someone else. A
stranger. An intimate stranger.
The palfrey halted when she felt her rider stiffen unnaturally
in the saddle. Mara never noticed. Her hound sat down nearby
and gazed up at his mistress, panting, tongue hanging. He
cocked his head and uttered a thin whine.
The sound intruded on Mara's reverie, and she turned her
attention to the huge, shaggy dog. A bitter smile touched her
mouth. "Would to God I had been born like you, old friend,"
she murmured dryly. "A male."
But she had not. She had been born the weaker sex and so must
have a man to protect and provide for her. Mara chuckled. It
didn't matter she was likely more capable than most men. As
her mother had said, a husband there must be so a husband she
would have. And if her immediate betrothal would save her from
the clutches of the unspeakably cruel and avaricious Baldwin,
she supposed it was at least one small thing to be grateful
For only marriage to another would save her, of that there was
no doubt. If she remained unmarried and refused to wed
Baldwin, the earl would simply petition the king for her hand.
And although Henry was just, he was also a man. He would
neither understand nor countenance her refusal. He would grant
Baldwin's request. Mara shuddered.
Death would be preferable to life with the Earl of Cumbria.
Absorbed in her thoughts, Mara was unaware of how far she had
ridden, or in what precise direction. She did not notice that
she had come to the southernmost border of her father's lands,
to the point where they joined with Baldwin's. She likewise
did not notice a small band of riders crest a distant, brown
hill and halt, their attention turned in her direction. She
noticed only that the day seemed to have grown noticeably
cooler. She pulled her cloak more tightly about her shoulders.
And shivered.
Hawk-nosed and thin to the point of emaciation, Baldwin knew
he did not make a good first impression. All his wealth, all
his power, could not compensate for his lack of physical
attributes. He was aware, moreover, that his predilection for
wearing black caused many people to liken his appearance to
that of a crow. This was whispered, of course, behind his
back. The penalty for such an insult, should it be overheard,
would be a just and fitting one. Rendered swiftly.
Baldwin smiled to himself. His brother had learned that
lesson. Howard, the elder, the chosen, the handsome, the
shining one. Howard, who had been petted and fawned over by
their mother. Howard, who had become their father's constant
companion, accompanying him everywhere as he learned what he
must to assume the earldom upon their father's death. Howard,
who had unfortunately chosen to eat those delicate mushroom
pasties prepared for the boys' noonday meal. The pasties
Baldwin himself had so wisely declined to touch.
Naturally, the cook had been blamed. An accident, surely,
choosing the wrong, the most poisonous, mushrooms from the
forest's bounty. But an accident that could not afford to be
repeated with just one precious little heir remaining. The
cook had been summarily hanged.
No one had ever suspected. Not really. Just his mother, who
had never liked him very much anyway. But he had grown tired
of her long, wary looks, the expression of disgust and
revulsion that occasionally passed over her fine, pale
features. When she finally died, after a long, wasting
illness, no one suspected the honey mead that she took each
night to help her sleep. She had never been the same anyway
since her eldest son's death.
Baldwin's smile of satisfaction deepened. He smoothed back his
long, glossy black hair, certainly his finest feature.
Unfortunately it did not, he knew, enhance his unusually
pallid complexion and pale, slightly protuberant blue eyes.
But these were things that would be overlooked by his future
bride. If she knew what was good for her.
Baldwin licked his thin, colorless lips and cast his gaze down
in dreamy contemplation of the bony hand that gripped the
reins. The hand that would soon stroke that firm, white flesh,
that extraordinary hair. Baldwin's smile gathered into a
Yes. Indeed. The incredible Amarantha would soon be his. For
this time he had an offer her father could not refuse. This
time. If an alliance with the Earl of Cumbria was not enough
for the old fool, then surely hunting rights in Cumbria's vast
and bountiful forests and the gift of several hundred acres of
land along Ranulf's borders, prime grazing land, should be.
All in exchange for his daughter's hand. Why not? He could
afford to be generous. As generous and magnanimous as he
wished. He would get it all back soon enough when the
miserable old fool died and his daughter ... And her husband ...
Ranulf's daughter.
The mere thought of her thickened the blood in his veins.
Mara. Haughty, arrogant, magnificent Mara. A woman so
extraordinary he was willing to forget, temporarily at least,
the humiliation of his last attempt to press his suit.
"My Lord ... Excuse me, my Lord Baldwin. Look there, just
ahead, at the foot of the hill."
Irritated by the distraction, Baldwin waved the man away as if
shooing a fly. But his train of thought had been broken.
Rewarding the offending knight with a scowl, he gazed in the
direction the man had indicated.
And saw her. Like a dream come to life, there she was.
Unmistakable, larger than life. Amarantha. Ranulf's daughter.
She sat her mount rigidly erect, chin high. Her nearly white
hair bound and caressed her shoulders like a rare silken cape.
There was no one like her and soon, very soon, she would be
The four knights who had accompanied their earl watched a
smile briefly light their lord's perpetually bleak
countenance, and knew they were in for a bit of sport. Not a
man among them blamed the earl for his all too obvious desire,
and not one of them wouldn't have given much, if not all, he
owned to be in the earl's position.
"There she is, lads," he drawled. "My bride-to-be. My beauty.
What say we give her a warm welcome? And escort her home."
Wanting no reply, expecting none, Baldwin cruelly spurred his
mount into a dash down the hill.
Trey's growl was low, ominous. Mara knew immediately the sound
meant someone approached. She looked up and movement on the
distant hill caught her attention. She saw the riders headed
in her direction.
She was relatively safe, even unaccompanied, on her father's
lands. However, it was never wise for a woman to be caught out
alone by a group of men, and Mara experienced a prick of
apprehension. But only because, in her haste to leave the
castle, she had come away unarmed.
Then she caught a good look at the lead rider, black cape
flapping like raven's wings. And the prick of apprehension
turned to a thrill of fear that hurried up her spine.
She might, she thought quickly, wheel the mare and make a run
for it. But the animal was tired and winded from her long run.
She wouldn't make a hundred yards before being caught.
Besides, it was against her nature to turn tail and flee.
Especially from a worm like Baldwin.
Mara cursed herself for her thoughtlessness in leaving without
so much as the dagger she habitually carried in the silver
girdle at her waist. But for Trey, she was helpless and soon
to be alone with the most treacherous and loathsome man in all
of England. She held her mare steady and turned to face the
oncoming riders.
Baldwin, however, would never know she felt so much as an
instant of apprehension. Mara squared her shoulders and let
the faintest of smiles lift the corners of her mouth.
Mara's expression of disdain instantly destroyed Baldwin's
good humor. But he would soon wipe that smile from her face,
he silently fumed. He would crush her lips with his and take
what belonged to him. And if he did not, wisely, fear Ranulf's
righteous retribution, he would do it right here and now.
Controlling himself with visible effort, Baldwin pointedly
avoided a greeting and motioned his men to surround horse,
hound and rider.
Mara did not acknowledge the movement of the men to encircle
her by so much as the blink of an eye. If Baldwin sought to
discomfit her, he was going to be sadly disappointed. Trey
growled, but Mara silenced him with a wave of her hand. She
gazed levelly at her would-be tormentor.
"So, Baldwin," Mara said at length. "What is this? A hunting
party? It must be. I've heard this is how you bring down both
hart and hind, particularly the doe. Have your men surround
her, cut her off. Cut her down. How clever, Baldwin. How
The earl's knights had the grace to look abashed. Baldwin felt
only rage. He knew an unattractive flush rose to his face, and
fixed his glare on the woman who had lit the fires that banked
in his cheeks.
"I would mind my tongue if I were you, woman," he hissed
through gritted teeth. "My memory is long. And the time 'til I
take you to wife is short."
Mara snorted. "Wife? I'd rather die, Baldwin. Painfully."
The Earl of Cumbria had never been noted for either patience
or restraint. What little he might ever have possessed now
deserted him completely. With a hard spur to his horse's
flank, he lunged the animal forward and slapped Mara sharply
across the face.
The blow took her by surprise. The anger that swiftly followed
the blow, however, was not hot and heedless as Baldwin's wrath
had been. It was steel-edged, cold and calculated. Ignoring
entirely the men who surrounded her, Mara made a grab for the
shortsword Baldwin wore at his side.
The motion was as quick as the strike of a snake. Baldwin
found himself vainly reaching for the weapon already firm in
Mara's grip. The metallic hiss of steel whispered in the
sudden silence as the earl's men drew their own swords. Mara
pivoted her mare, blade raised menacingly, threatening each
and every man, then returned her hard, dark stare to the earl.
Excerpted from The Circle of a Promise
by Helen A. Rosburg
Copyright © 2003 by Helen A. Rosburg.
Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.


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Generally, anything with a mind of its own doesn't belong in a kitchen. That goes for cables flying all over the kitchen counter to paper towel rolls. Once that first sheet has been torn off, all the following ones slump - into just about anything you don't want them to and looking nasty while they're at it. And when you've just about had it, there comes the BISTRO Paper Roll Holder with its arm to keep things in check. The stainless steel arm is grounded in a silicone base and keeps up the pressure down to the last sheet of paper - it even works for various size paper rolls.
1 x Mug and InfuserView full product details
Bodum's Aqua glasses are made of heat-resistant borosilicate glass, which means hot liquids will maintain their heat for longer and colder liquids will remain cool.
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The Assam double wall glasses can be used the whole year round. You can use them for your cold drinks in summer and hot drinks in winter. They are made of a very strong but yet light weight glass (borosilicate glass). They can safely go in the dishwasher and microwave. No coaster needed. Bodum's insulated glassware is made from durable borosilicate glass. Borosilicate glass is a strong heat-resistant glass that weighs less than traditional glassware. Used to make scientific lab glass, borosilicate glass (medical grade glass) is stronger than traditional "soda-lime" glass and can be used for everything from drinkware to cookware. It substitutes boron oxide in place of the soda and lime used in traditional glassware. The boron oxide acts as a glue holding the silicate together and due to the small size of boron particles, the glass is held together tighter, resulting in a stronger glass. Some customers may perceive the glass to be "thin" as they hold it. It is important to explain the difference between borosilicate and soda lime glass. Borosilicate glass doesn't need to be as thick as traditional glass to be just as strong. It is simply a different type of glass that is resistant to temperature swings and scratching. Because the particles are held together so tightly, borosilicate glass is dishwasher safe and will not become cloudy over time; you can rest assured that after 100 cycles, the glass will be as clear as the day you bought it. Simply treat it as you would any glass product and it will stand up to every day use. Dishwasher and microwave safe.tr>View full product details
Assam double wall glass collection is a design innovation. These (0.2 l, 6.5 oz.) glasses are made of ultra-light, heat resistant, mouth-blown borosilicate glass. Their unique double wall design creates a highly effective layer of insulation that keeps hot drinks hot without burning your fingers and cold drinks cold without the messy condensation. The glasses are available in a variety of sizes to perfectly frame espressos, cappuccinos, beer and iced drinks, forever eliminating the need for a coaster. Proving that design works when form follows function, these thermo glasses have already been awarded with two prestigious international design awards: The International iF Product Design Award 2005 for their pure and minimal design and The Materialica Design Award 2004 for using a known material in an innovative way. Also available in 3 oz. and 9 oz. 13.5 oz sizes.
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India rallied through Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar to hold a 147-run lead over Pakistan at stumps on the third day of the second Test in Kolkata.
Pakistani paceman Mohammad Sami had ripped into the Indian top order to take two quick wickets and leave them reeling at 21 for two.
However, that brought Dravid and Tendulkar together and they shared a stand of 98 before the latter was dismissed for 52, leaving Dravid unbeaten on 54 and captain Sourav Ganguly four not out as bad light ended play.
Earlier, spin pair Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh ran through the Pakistan tail as the tourists lost their final eight wickets for 120 runs.
Pakistan were dismissed for 393, only 14 runs behind India's first innings total of 407. Resuming on 273 for two, the tourists had added only eight to their overnight total when they lost century-maker Yousuf Youhana.
The right-hander was trapped lbw by Lakshmipathy Balaji, offering no stroke to a ball which pitched outside off-stump. He had made 104 when Australia umpire Darrell Hair's finger went up.
Inzamam-ul-Haq joined Younis Khan and the pair put on 50 before the Pakistan skipper was dismissed.
Inzamam pushed at a ball from Irfan Pathan which angled away and got a faint edge to wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik to leave Pakistan on 331 for four.
The tourists suffered another blow when Asim Kamal was adjudged run out by the TV umpire for six after fine fielding by Tendulkar. After lunch, Pakistani wickets fell in pairs and it was Kumble who snared the all-important scalp of Younis.
He tried to turn a ball past slip which spun and bounced, edging to VVS Laxman at second slip who gratefully pouched the chance. This ended an excellent innings of 147 from the batsman off 258 balls that included 19 fours.
Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal soon followed for a 13-ball duck as he failed to build on his excellent match-saving innings in the first Test.
Pakistan were under great pressure from India's spin duo and Abdul Razzaq was the next to fall for 17 to Kumble before Harbhajan induced a top-edge from Sami that lobbed up to Ganguly.
Mohammad Khalil was the last wicket to fall for four as Kumble picked up his third wicket for 98 runs.
However, the tourists roared back and it was a fiery spell from paceman Sami that accounted for two early Indian wickets.
Virender Sehwag had begun in typically attacking style taking 14 runs from Khalil's first over.
However, his opening partner Gautam Gambhir fared less well as Sami ripped in the perfect yorker with his first ball to smash his stumps.
Sami was a man possessed and when Sehwag could only play forward his defences were breached as the ball unluckily clipped off his bat and body, before glancing the bails.
This brought Tendulkar to the crease and he and Dravid began the fightback, the former reaching his third consecutive half-century off 83 balls in an innings sprinkled with nine fours.
But he was to add only a further two runs as he fell victim to a dubious umpiring decision from Steve Bucknor, standing in his 100th Test.
The master batsman was adjudged caught behind from a ball by Razzaq but Pakistan barely appealed and replays showed the ball missed the bat.
Ganguly joined Dravid at the crease and the latter reached his 37th Test half-century before play was called off shortly afterwards with thunderclouds gathering overhead and India on 133 for three.Reuse content


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ACU Alum
Issue 3, Summer 2012
Picking winners and avoiding mug punters
With accusations of 'toxic teachers' and calls for minimum entry ATARs, it's been a turbulent few months in the education debate. ACU Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Craven addressed the National Press Club in Canberra recently, on quality and selection in Australia's universities. This is an excerpt.
Journalists can normally be relied upon to pick serious issues to report: chainsaw massacres; the state of undress of Kate Middleton; and the adolescent psychology of Tony Abbott. Lately, however, there has been a troubling shift in standards of relevance.
Improbably, education has become news, and better still, bad news. One cannot open a paper without trawling up some educational controversy. Whether it is the ramifications of Gonski; enraged cardinals thrashing state education ministers over school-funding cuts; or allegations the average teacher has literacy levels that would shame a Neanderthal, education is out there.
Astonishingly, this national testiness defies compelling evidence to the contrary. Australia's schools are not collapsing, despite minute shifts in NAPLAN scores that no-one understands anyway. Most parents seem to think their children's teachers work reasonably effectively. We have a world-class university system, with the statistical sprinkling of top one hundred institutions, and graduates highly sought in employment
Compared to worries around the resources boom, the rise of China, climate change and the inexplicable failure of Carlton to make the finals, this all seems fairly propitious.
But for some reason, instead of basking in the reality that we finally send students to university in numbers comparable to our competitors, we agonise about whether they are up to it. Rather than being pleased we have enough teachers to reduce class sizes once rivalling football match attendances, we sneer at the supposed Year 12 scores of student teachers. We wonder aloud how these people get into universities, while hoping the only copy of our own Year 12 results was cremated with Mum.
Most strikingly, these attacks on university education and teacher quality are led by the very state governments responsible for the teaching profession. In New South Wales (NSW), Education Minister Adrian Piccoli is the Savonarola of new teachers, castigating them for everything from weak Year 12 results to an inability to spell, and probably bad haircuts. He and like-minded colleagues thunder at universities for admitting these troglodytes and demand 'higher standards'.
The obvious difficulty with this is that it is the states themselves who run the schools; set the standards for teachers; employ them, determine their pay rates, approve work practices and arrange promotions. Laying sole blame upon universities for the quality of teaching involves a sidestep that would do credit to an All Blacks halfback or a used car salesman faced with an uncongenial warranty.
So what is going on? Can it really be the case that our teacher workforce is so bad, and responsibility rests not on those who run the system but those who merely supply it?
Picking winners – selection into universities
Apart from money, four things matter to universities: research; teaching; staff and students. When it comes to students, what matters is having enough and keeping them. Good teaching, beer and sleazy social life help.
You would think that selecting students would be a prime focus for universities. But selection always has been the shabby back porch of Australian universities in terms of investment and focus, and it is not hard to see why. In the Year 12 school rankings – whether termed ATARs or whatever - both universities and governments have the perfect excuse not to worry. Just read the numbers, and problem solved; an objective, authoritative, numerical solution, and best of all, one for which universities have neither to pay nor take responsibility.
This was reasonable in the 1920s, when the Year 12 exams actually were specifically designed for university selection of a tiny minority of people. But today, when they have become a general purpose certification of education, they have the fitness for purpose, as sole determiner of university entry, of an egg beater in a bush fire.
The ATAR itself is a term more used than understood. It is not even a school 'mark' as aging parents would understand it, let alone a direct reflection of intelligence, like being born Victorian. Rather, the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is just that: your percentile rank achieved at the end of Year 12, actually calculated on the number of students who entered Year 7.
The problems of the ATAR as an omni-competent tool for university selection are legion. For a start, the thing that correlates most strongly with an ATAR is not subsequent success at university but socio-economic status. Study after study suggests that if your parents are jobless and you live in Campbelltown, your ATAR statistically declines accordingly. Studies are yet to link low socio-economic status with stupidity.
Similar studies show that while ATARS are reasonably good predictors of success at high levels above 80, as soon as you move below this into the middle tiers of achievement - from about 55 on, where most of the action is in terms of expanding university participation - their reliability declines dramatically. So trying to impose life choices on the difference between 65 and 73 is a little like selecting students on hair colour or football team allegiance, but less fun.
Worse, the usefulness of the ATAR declines still further once students have been at university for a year, pointing to a fundamental truth: what really matters is the quality of a student once they have completed their university degree, not when they enter it.
These inherent limitations of the ATAR are profoundly reinforced by the utter lack of transparency of published course cut-offs purportedly based on them. Put simply, university cut-offs are as easy to rig as a bush picnic race meeting.
Students and parents, who see cut-offs as a proxy for course quality, would be astonished by this claim. After all, does not a cut-off at an ATAR of 70 guarantee that at least the vast majority of entrants achieved that rank? It does not. While many universities genuinely set cut-offs reflecting the lowest score normally required for entry, others apply wall-paper mathematics that would have impressed Bernie Madoff to give that impression, while employing a variety of stratagems – going well beyond valid bonuses for disadvantage or special characteristics - to ensure that a large majority of students in a course never approach its cut-off.
So welcome to the ATAR as it really is, the alleged decline of which is the source of so much angst in the education 'quality' debate. Undoubtedly, it is a seriously useful set of numbers guiding university selection. It also is partial, socially insensitive, inherently weak in the middle and lower ranges, blunt, incapable of assimilating relevant factors that are not purely educational, limited as a means of promoting equity and productivity, a classic input rather than an output measure, a waning asset over a student career and almost infinitely manipulable. Other than that, it is perfect.
Selecting teachers – backing a loser
Anxiety over the quality of students selected into university, particularly aspiring teachers, is nothing new. Recently federal politicians of all stripes have been calling for teachers to be allowed into their degrees only if they come in the top 30 per cent of students for literacy or numeracy. That might be a plausible goal except for the fact that students take their last literacy and numeracy tests in Year 9, some three years before they would be undertaking a university degree. Perhaps this could be combined with toddler aptitude assessments.
But for once the uber-regulators are not to be found here in Canberra: rather they dwell in the states. Outbreaks have been sporadically strong in Queensland and Victoria, but the undisputed leader is now New South Wales, with the release of its discussion paper Great Teaching, Inspired Learning.
The NSW paper, with its neo-Maoist slogan title, is the classic of its genre. It canvasses every conceivable barrier to entering teaching, from stipulating secondary school programmes, to narrowly prescribed university curricula, required skill sets, and separate entry and exit tests for university education degrees. Remarkably, given the challenges discussed here, the paper evinces a touching faith in higher ATAR scores as a panacea for new teacher quality. It gives no specific figure, but the magic number around the traps seems to be 70.
The paper's argument around a minimum teaching ATAR is made in a very particular context. It maintains the uncapping of university places has produced exploding student numbers, with many entrants going into teaching, with inadequate ATARs. Moreover, the paper asserts that as there already is a gross over-supply of teachers in NSW rivalling only the number of politicians in Australia as a whole, ATARs (and other requirements) logically could be increased without any shortfall in supply.


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Just before Manchester United's most important game against Bayer Leverkusen, the one in 2002 that had a place in a European Cup final in Sir Alex Ferguson's home city of Glasgow at stake, Roy Keane looked around him. There, as the Champions League anthem played, he noticed one of his team-mates, whom the Irishman untypically refused to name, "shaking with nerves".
There will be a shiver running through David Moyes's body as the music plays at Old Trafford tonight but it will be of anticipation rather than fear. When the realisation he would be succeeding Ferguson began to roll through his mind, it would have been occasions like this that would have seemed most thrilling.
Follow the latest news and score from tonight's match - LIVE - by clicking here
No stadium in England transforms itself for European nights quite like Old Trafford. On Saturday against Crystal Palace the atmosphere was flat and routine in a way it seldom is at Anfield. However, under the floodlights it becomes what it is, one of the world's great arenas. As he gave his first Champions League press conference, Moyes was sitting in a room in which there were 15 separate photographs of United players and managers with the European Cup.
His own taste of Europe had been fleetingly brief. As an 18-year-old an injury to Danny McGrain had seen him pitched into the Celtic back four that attempted to keep a glitteringly talented Juventus side at bay.
His years at Everton gave him one shot at the Champions League. They were drawn in a qualifier against Villarreal in 2005 and lost narrowly with the performance of the celebrity referee, Pierluigi Collina, sticking in Moyes' throat as they flew through the night back to Merseyside. At least there was the consolation of the Uefa Cup. Everton took another flight, this time to Bucharest, and lost 5-1.
"I have always wanted to get to the Champions League," he said. "I did everything I possibly could at Everton to reach it and I couldn't quite make that happen. Now, at Manchester United I am going to do everything I possibly can to win it."
Alongside him, preparing for the opening fixture against Leverkusen, was Rio Ferdinand. It says something for the standards at United that Ferdinand once remarked that he had spent the summer wondering whether the club had enjoyed a good enough season. United had won the league and the League Cup and reached the European Cup final where they had been unable to keep Barcelona at bay.
Something of that swagger seems to have gone, at least in the Champions League. You would have to go back three years to their evisceration of a Milan side that featured David Beckham to find the last time United overcame a major continental power in the competition. Of their last nine European fixtures at Old Trafford under Ferguson, United won just three and that included a victory over Braga in which they had come from two-goals down.
"We have some catching up to do," said Ferdinand. "It doesn't matter where you finish in the European Cup, if you don't win it or reach the final, you have something to prove. Last time, against Real Madrid, we went out in dubious circumstances to say the least but we have to improve."
When Moyes complained that the start United had been given in the Premier League was as difficult as anyone could remember, he was accused of displaying the paranoia that once came as standard at Old Trafford. He had more than a point and, although Arsenal or Celtic might consider United's games straightforward, United have been drawn in what for them is an unusually tricky Champions League group, featuring the third-best team in Germany, the fourth-best in Spain (Real Sociedad) and the champions of Ukraine (Shakhtar Donetsk). It is not a group of death but it might be one that carries a risk of serious injury.
It is a rule of thumb in tournament football that the successful team usually emerges from a difficult group. On the two occasions Ferguson lifted the European Cup, United were drawn with Barcelona and Bayern Munich in 1998-99 and in 2007-08 with Roma, Sporting Lisbon and Dynamo Kiev.
They may benefit from being toughened up early and Moyes rejected the suggestion he would rest players with Sunday's Manchester derby in mind. "My philosophy has always been that the next game is the most important one," he said. "In time, I may alter my view but I will look no further than Bayer Leverkusen."
For his counterpart, Sami Hyypia, the photographs of all the European Cups would not be intimidating. He had, after all, won the trophy in the most wildly improbable circumstances with Liverpool in 2005. He smiled when recalling his final 90 minutes in a Liverpool shirt. "It was here and we won 4-1," he said. "That is the first thought in my mind when I think of Old Trafford but I also remember getting sent off here after four minutes' play and watching the rest of the game in the dressing room. As a player, it was a much simpler job than the one I have now."
His job of managing Leverkusen has been carried out remarkably well, although the departures of André Schürrle to Chelsea and Daniel Carvajal to Real Madrid have lowered expectations. When asked about a long injury list, Hyypia was asked if he would make himself available. "Well," he replied. "I am afraid I haven't trained."
"But I think David Moyes is under more pressure," Hyypia added. "He has a little bit more experience of this area of football than me. Manchester United are playing at home and they have big expectations. He will have the pressure. We can be quite relaxed, enjoy the stadium and the night."
Nevertheless, Hyypia may be expecting slightly more. Asked, as his team gathered at Cologne Airport, if he had any hopes for what lay ahead, he replied: "The players should be looking to take more than Wayne Rooney's autograph back home with them."
- More about:
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Fc Barcelona
- Liverpool FC
- Premier League
- Real Madrid
- Rio Ferdinand
- Sir Alex Ferguson
- Spain
- The Carling Cup
- UEFA Champions League


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Complete Rebranding, New Logo & Arena Renovations - Part II
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Saying you're indifferent (they could wear burlap sacks, use a cinder block as the primary logo, pink skates and green helmets or whatever) over and over again is just the same as someone *****ing about the changes over and over again and adding nothing constructive to the discussion.
Since I'm not against or for the redesign, I'm not going searching for polls to support someone else's views. I agree that me posting indifference is exactly the same as someone constantly posting their vitriol or infatuation with the rebranding. BFD.
I don't get how polls can be flawed. You click if you like it or you don't. Nothing crazy to figure out. The owners should value a poll like this.
Polls are consistently flawed. Statistically you can't poll just one side of the opinion. You must ensure that opinions come from all different peoples. Questions have to be worded so that they do not lead people to a desired answer. Internet polls need to ensure that one bitter person can't vote more than once. There are lots of statistical controls that need to be in place to make a poll or study valid.
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Keen Siskiyou Low Shoes Black Olive/Bossa Nova - Men's - $74.95
Keen's Siskiyou low rise shoes for men protect your feet and provide outstanding arch support with a shock absorbing, removable metatomical dual density EVA footbed and polyurethane midsole. The waterproof nubuck uppers keep your feet warm and dry through rain and damp conditions. The accurate width and size means that this shoe will fit without having to put on extra socks, and Keen's manufacturing process means that there's no prolonged break-in period before you can wear them comfortably.Key Features of the Keen Siskiyou Low Shoes: 3mm multi directional lugs Non Marking rubber outsole Removable metatomical dual density EVA footbed Single density PU midsole Waterproof nubuck upper - $74.95


text: Introduction to Computing CSCI101 Marguerite Doman, PhD v r Communications Syllabus Blackboard - online.winthrop.edu Homework to be turned in through Blackboard Quizzes will be done through Blackboard Grading HTML Assignments: 15% Gamemaker Assignments: 25% Online Quizzes: 10% Exam 1 : 15% Exam 2 : 15% Cumulative Final Exam: 20% Late Homework Policy Online quizzes must be completed on time. The quizzes will be closed at the end of day of the lecture. 4 slip days Extra Credit Remaining slip days (.5%) Extra credit assignment: ..% History of Computing … Very Short Marguerite Doman, PhD What is a Computer? Perform the repetitive calculations for – Sheep Grain Astronomy Census information Navigational tides Finance ----- Anything we want In the beginning… Calculating Machines photos from en.wikipedia.org Counting Tables A stone with grooves on one side used as place values. Small stones were used within the lines for calculating Thought to be the precursors of the Abacus. Medieval device with 2000 years of documented use Store 'counter' derived from counting tables Pullan, J.M, The History of the abacus. Lunodon: Books that Matter, 1986; Young, Liz, A short history of the Abacus, Http://fenris.net!lizyoung/abacus.html The Salamis Tablet The oldest surviving counting board used by the Babylonians circa 300 B.C. Gaming board "The gaming boards used by ancient cultures such as the Babylonians and the Romans are thought to be the precursors of the Abacus. The Salamis tablet is approximately 150 x 75 x 4.5 cm and is made of marble. Pullan, J.M, The History of the abacus. Lunodon: Books that Matter, 1986; Salamis Tablet; Jacksonville University http://users.ju.edu/ssundbe/salamis.html Young, Liz, A short history of the Abacus, Http://fenris.net!lizyoung/abacus.html Abacus Often called the earliest calculating machine in the world. 3000 B.C or 500 B.C Abacus was invented in Babylon depending on source 1300 A.D. The 2/5 abacus (2 on the upper part, 5 on the lower) made its first appearance in China Fernandes, Luis. "Introduction", The Abacus, the Art of Calculating with Beads http://www.ee.ryerson.ca:8080/~elf/abacus: 28 March 1999 Grado, Victor M. "Nepohualtzitzin, A Mesoamerican Abacus" http://www.ironhorse.com/~nagual/abacus: 28 March 1999 Young, Liz, A short history of the Abacus, Http://fenris.net!lizyoung/abacus.html Abacus An form of the abacus was found during archeological excavations in Central America. dates to around 900 AD and is constructed from maize kernels threaded on a string, all contained within a wooden frame 7 beads by 13 columns. Fernandes, Luis. "Introduction", The Abacus, the Art of Calculating with Beads http://www.ee.ryerson.ca:8080/~elf/abacus: 28 March 1999 Grado, Victor M. "Nepohualtzitzin, A Mesoamerican Abacus" http://www.ironhorse.com/~nagual/abacus: 28 March 1999 Young, Liz, A short history of the Abacus, Http://fenris.net!lizyoung/abacus.html Napier's Bones 1600 1600 A. D. John Napier invented strips to help with mulitiplication Napier's bones demonstration Calculating Machines … with Logic photos from en.wikipedia.org Difference Engine, 1821 Proposed by Charles Babbage "Father of computing" Invented to compile mathematical tables Designed to tabulate polynomial function Logarithmic and trigonometric functions can be approximated by polynomial functions. photos from en.wikipedia.org Analytical Engine, 1833 Abilities add subtract loop (repeat instructions over and over) compare two numbers etc… photos from en.wikipedia.org Analytical Engine, 1833 The engine was designed in great detail on paper but it was never completed. Had characteristics of today's computers: It was designed to contain a memory or "store," an arithmetic unit . Capable of performing the four operations of arithmetic An input/output system which used punched cards, and a printer to display the results. The engine would have been steam-driven Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace Daughter of Lord Byron Suggests to Babbage that he use the binary system. She writes programs for his analytical engine, becoming the world's first programmer photos from en.wikipedia.org Internet Related Developments 1844 – Samuel Morse sends the first telegraphic message from Washing ton to Baltimore. 1856 -1866 Europe and all of America is connected by telegraph 1876 - Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone. 1901 Marconi sends the first transatlantic wireless message. Modern Computers 1st Generation - Vacuum Tubes 1946-1958 Vacuum Tube, 1906 A glass tube surrounding a vacuum. When electrical contacts are put on the ends, a current flows though that vacuum. In electronics, a vacuum tube, is used to amplify, switch, otherwise modify, or create an electrical signal by controlling the movement of electrons in a lowpressure space. Inventor: Lee DeForest From www.pbs.org/transitor/science/events/vacuumt.html Atanasoff-Berry Computer, 1930 Created by John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry The first electrically powered digital computer Used vacuum tubes to store data First computer to use the binary system photos from en.wikipedia.org Colossus 1944 Developed in UK during WWII Used by British codebreakers to help read encrypted German messages in World War II. photos from en.wikipedia.org Harvard Mark 1, 1944 Created by Howard Aiken and Grace Hopper Electro-mechanical mechanism used to compute artillery tables Handled 4 arithmetic functions, with special programs for logs and trig. storage = 72 numbers photos from en.wikipedia.org Grace Hopper Grace Hopper: Technology Pioneer Grace Hopper on Letterman Grace Hopper: short overview Pioneer in the field, One of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, Developed the first complier for a computer programming language. COBOL, one of the first modern programming languages. She is also credited with popularizing the term "debugging" for fixing computer glitches (motivated by an actual moth removed from the computer). Because of the breadth of her accomplishments and her naval rank, she is sometimes referred to as "Amazing Grace". photos from en.wikipedia.org Grace Hopper " If it's a good idea, you should do it." Grace Hopper Grace Hopper: Technology Pioneer Grace Hopper on Letterman Grace Hopper: short overview photos from en.wikipedia.org ENIAC 1946 First General Purpose Computer -Turing complete machine ENIAC EDVAC 1946 - Univ of Pennsylvania programmed via wires based on ENIAC program stored in memory UNIVAC 1951 first commercial machine photos from en.wikipedia.org Modern Computers 2nd Generation - Transistors 1959-1964 Transistors Invented at Bell Laboratories The Bell Labs team of John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley won the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in developing transistors. Vacuum tubes were far from ideal. They had to warm up before they worked (and sometimes overheated when they did), they were unreliable and bulky and they used too much energy. In the years after World War II, scientists were looking for alternatives to vacuum tubes. Transistors, made from silicon, have 2 different states. They are either on or off based on the current photos from http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/transistor.htm Successful nd 2 Generation Computers Time of big computers in big companies Proprietary and basically free software Successful companies: IBM Burroughs Control Data Honeywell Example: IBM 1400 A general purpose system Used in conjunction with IBM punched card equipment. Modern Computers 3rd Generation Integrated Circuit 1965-1970 Integrated Circuits Small chip containing thousands of transistors Inventor: Jack Kilby, Nobel Laureate of Physics System Examples: Burroughs B5000 •First offered in 1960 •Consider the first of the 3rd generation computers photo from http://jack.hoaroots.org/Burr104.html http://www.vikingwaters.com/htmlpages/MFHistory.htm System Examples: IBM 360 •First offered in 1964 •Equally suited for business or science •From 8K to 8M of memory photo from IBM (www.ibm.com) Other advances of the Generation Evolution of operating systems rd 3 Becoming more general purpose Separate pricing for hardware and software. Internet Related Developments 1962 – The Telstar communications satellite is launched and relays the first transatlantic television broadcast 1968 – Intel formed 1969 - ARPA-Net, the forerunner of the Internet, is established by the US Department of Defense. Modern Computers 4th Generation Computers The Microprocessor 1971 - Today Microprocessor Based on VLSI VLSI = Very Large Scale Integration thousands of transistors per chip Microprocessors Created by Intel Corp Small chip containing millions of transistors Functions as a central processing unit (CPU) photo from www.cs.indiana.edu, www.comet.rs Computers are getting faster, more powerful, smaller and cheaper Altair 8800 The first microcomputer Sold as a kit Switches for input Lights for output The first PC, the Altair 8800, was introduced in kit form and was featured in an article in Popular Electronics magazine. The response for orders was unexpectedly overwhelming. Apple Computer 1976 - Two other young hacker geeks, Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniac build a computer in Steve's parents garage. They call it the Apple. From Computer Hope: www.compyterhope.com/history Photo from Http://inventors.about.com Microsoft 1980 IBM hires Paul Allen and Bill Gates to create an operating system for a new PC. The pair buy the rights to a simple operating system manufactured by Seattle Computer Products and use it as a template. IBM allows the two to keep the marketing rights to the operating system, called DOS. From Computer Hope: www.compyterhope.com/history Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code (BASIC) Revolutionized software industry Easy to learn Lead to the creation of Microsoft Made programming easier for the masses Other advancements: User Interface Switches/Cards/tape Previously: Command line interface WYSIWYG: What you see is what you get Cellular Phones and Smartphones Features include Auto-redial Voice mail Voice-activated dialing Internet access Text messaging Personal information management (PIM) The most full-featured cell phones are categorized as smartphones Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 56 Ubiquitous Computing Computing that is inseparable from our everyday lifestyle Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 57 Internet Related Developments 1962 – The Telstar communications satellite is launched and relays the first transatlantic television broadcast 1968 – Intel formed 1969 - ARPA-Net, the forerunner of the Internet, is established by the US Department of Defense. Fifth Generation Based on ??? technology Software Industry in the U.S. Current Job Market? "software engineer" tops the Money Magazine Best Jobs list software development in U.S. is a $150Billion business Who hires CS graduates? Any company that owns a computer. How much do CS graduates make? starting salary = $43K to $55K average software engineer = $80K to $150K Specialties within Computer Science Web Application Design Networking and Computer Security Graphics Artificial Intelligence Database Analysis Future Software Trends Continued Movement to the Web Delivering Home and Mobile Entertainment New Services e.g. Google Medical Handheld Devices multi-media / intelligent / interconnected Unknown integration of devices Next Class… Computer Guts Components of a modern computer What to look for when buying a computer Operating Systems Differences in Windows and Linux


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300 East 5th Ave, Ashland WI 54806 $88,000
Features of 300 East 5th Ave Ashland WI 54806
- Multi-Family
- Status: Active
- Total Number of Units: 3
- Garage Size: 3.0
- Garage Type: 3 Car
- Est. Acreage: < 1/2
- Est. Lot Size: 50x100
- County: Ashland
- Property Taxes: $1,846
- Property Tax Year: 2015
- Listing Company: Re/Max By The Bay
- Listing Agent: Cynthia Pliss
Property Description for 300 East 5th Ave Ashland WI 54806
300 East 5th Ave Ashland WI 54806 - Very Nice Triplex That Cash Flows. The Home Was One Of Ashlands Finest Home And Is On The Historical Record.there Is Beautiful Stained Glass Windows In The Downstairs. This Property Has Had A Very Good Rental History And Has Long Term Leases In Place. Units Are In Very Good Condition And Well Taken Care Of. Included In This Property Are 3 Stoves, 3 Refrigerators And Coin Operated Washer And Dryer. This Is A Must See.
Other rooms
- Full
Interior Features
- Heating/Cooling: Hot Water
Building and Construction
- Duplex - Up Down, TriPlex
- Construction Type: E
Land Features
- Waterfront/Access: N
- Lot Size: 50x100
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Buyer understands that the information which is contained on Data pages is obtained from a number of different sources and which has not been independently verified or confirmed by the various real estate brokers and agents who have been and are involved in this transaction. If any particular measurement or data element is important or material to buyer, Buyer assumes all responsibility and liability to research, verify and confirm said data element and measurement. REALTOR *MLS* Equal Housing Opportunity


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Efforts had been made to contact NRIs all over the globe. Letters had been written to industry bodies and other institutions asking them to give details about NRIs from the state living abroad, State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Jaideep Govind today said.
The Non-Resident Indians were given voting right in 2010 after Parliament passed the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill. However, the person will be able to exercise the franchise only if he/she is enrolled in voter list and present in the constituency on the polling day.
The NRIs who have registered themselves for voting are Pramod Kumar, Shashi Kiran (both Gwalior), Mohd Iftekhar Khan (Indore), U Vishvakarma (Sehore), Abhilasha Tambe and Apree Tambe (both from Balaghat).


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I have been using MISys Manufacturing System version 5.6 now for about 2 and half months.
I have customized some reports using Crystal Reports 2008, and am having some issues with installing custom reports under respective report groups.
When i click install i don't get any error, however when i try to run the report, it does not show under the receptive report group. when i try to edit the custom report i get a prompt telling the report does not exist.
could it be my user rights/ security?


text: Hung Phu Motel offers accommodation in Cà Mau. Free WiFi is available throughout the property and free private parking is available on site. Every room at this motel is air conditioned and is fitted with a TV with cable channels. Each room has a private bathroom fitted with a shower. There is a 24-hour front desk at the property. The nearest airport is Rach Gia Airport, 51.6 miles from the property.


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Louis St.Lewis, Baron St.Lewis of Rwanda, Court Artist to H.M. the late Kigeli V.
" It's like Hieronymous Bosch meets MTV", Andy Warhol 1985
" An uncanny mix of Sex, Glamour and Antiquity, St.Lewis melds surrealist mystery with the pop pulsations of alternative rock"
D. Eric Bookhardt,
New Orleans Gambit Weekly
Featured in ARTNEWS, ARTPAPERS & ARTFORUM as a preeminant artistic talent in the South, Louis St.Lewis has long been in the business of creativity and it's myriad applications. His exhibitions and design projects are his playground, spaces where spontaneity and magic are de rigueur! Recognized and lauded by his peers in both the artistic and design world, St.Lewis plays with a multiplicity of repertoires, never sticking to a purity of style, rather letting his academic training and innate talents translate into a vocabulary that is simultaneously witty, shocking and bold. His most contemporary works are always informed with a weighty dose of history and the references infused into it produce a timeless yet timely scenario acclaimed by critics and clients alike.
An enthusiast of iconic designs and images, St.Lewis' projects feature no shortage of arresting materials, textures and images, tempered by his deeply encyclopedic knowledge of the histories of the artistic, design and cultural communities. With a mindset at the crossroads between classical terminology and contemporary aesthetics, Louis St.Lewis' projects are serene, elegant and dramatic with nods to other time periods, yet never typical or literal.
Minimalism is not for Louis St.Lewis, neither is excess. Balance and osmosis is what he is after, offsetting the sometimes rigid facets of the traditional art and design worlds with an inner vision of refinement, playfulness and wit, making his creations havens to revel in. For him, style equates lifestyle and his designs, both artistic and interior must promote a sense of harmony, style, and well being.
Louis St.Lewis' past projects include working with national and international art fairs, numerous museums, opera societies, museum galas, magazines and corporate clients of all dimensions. Recently, St.Lewis' design skills have led him to be an in demand designer for the largest entertainment company in America, LIVENATION which recently produced over 6 billion dollars in profit for the working year. The Opera Company of NC, ARTSPLOSURE, Raddison Hotels, The Ackland Art Museum, Wolfgang Puck, The Durham Symphony, The Ritz, The Fillmore, Walnut Creek Amphitheater and numerous other clients have recently been privilege to St.Lewis' creative output. St.Lewis' own artworks are included in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Ogden Museum, The New Orleans Museum of Art, The Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, The Wellington Gray Gallery at ECU, The Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History and the Morris Museum among others. In addition to his artistic and design work, Mr. St.Lewis is an in demand writer & critic with over 30 years experience writing for METRO, Chapel Hill News, The Independent, and Raleigh Magazine.
" It's like Hieronymous Bosch meets MTV"
Andy Warhol
"St.Lewis' spirituality is a union of faith and science anchored in sensory
experience.And for all of his technological, semiotic and esthetic talents,
his greatest weapon is ecstacy itself"
Robert Indiana
"Louis St.Lewis is a man of great original style! He is artistic sable in a world filled with rabbit"
Andre Leon Talley, Editor-at-Large VOGUE Magazine
" Louis St.Lewis sets a very high standard for experimental artists in North Carolina. His assemblage are the strongest I have seen anywhere in decades".
Judy Chicago upon awarding St.Lewis 1st prize at the 51st DAG juried art competition
" Louis St.Lewis is the consumate showman. Those who think that art,
buisiness and showmanship cannot go hand in hand should take a few
lessons. He is a student of the marketplace and of art history and he has a body of work that is staggering"
Blue Greenberg, Durham
Morning Herald
( St.Lewis')" Assemblages are part Louise Nevelson, Louise Bourgeois "
personages" and Marisol, with a healthy dose of African Nkisi
references thrown is"
Michelle Natale, The News &
" One of the most talented artists to arise from that moss-covered Gothic chrysalis called the South."
Anne Heller, ARTPAPERS
" St.Lewis is lush, enigmatic and self referencing through suggestion
displaying art and life intertwined"
Tom Jones, Danville Museum of
" He is a true media child, It's very interesting to me to see the whole
Orwellian-Barburian-Warholian phrophesy come true in the person of
Louis St.Lewis"
Kate Dobbs Ariail, The Charleston Post and Courier
" I like his uncanny mixture of pop culture and high art, of the mythic and the personal, of engagement with the erotic, and a certain nonchalant approachto it all, very much in keeping with the attitude of the post-modern."
Max Halperen, Spectator Magazine
"As a conceptual artist, he is a total package, if people were electrical
current, Louis St. Lewis would definately be HIGH VOLTAGE"
Mark Sloan, Halsey Gallery, College of Charleston
"In the cultured manner of a tasteful dandy, st Lewis pushes style, teasing us rather than assaulting the viewers senses"
Linda L. Brown
"St. Lewis recognizes that to understand the present, you must know the past. His works are a pointed reminder that myths are the stories of our quest through the ages for meaning and truth; and that mythology can provide clues to the problems and issues we face as a society today. For St. Lewis, mythology is the guidepost in his own search for answers; and while each work makes clear reference to the source from which they are drawn, the stories are rescripted to satisfy his own fantasies and interests."
-Tom W. Jones
Director of the Museum of the Southwest
"Renowned for his glamorous style"
Tammy Grubb, News & Observer


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Things We Dream About
This Conflict Minerals Report ("Report") of Synaptics Incorporated and its consolidated subsidiaries ("Synaptics," the "Registrant" or "we") for the year ended December 31, 2015 (the "Reporting Period"), is presented to comply with Rule 13p-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Rule"), the instructions to Form SD, and the Public Statement on the Effect of the Recent Court of Appeals Decision on the Conflict Minerals Rule issued by the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2014. Please refer to the Rule, Form SD, and the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") Release No. 34-67716 issued by the SEC on August 22, 2012 for definitions to the terms used in this Report, unless otherwise defined herein.
Synaptics is a leading worldwide developer and supplier of custom-designed human interface semiconductor product solutions that enable people to interact more easily and intuitively with a wide variety of mobile computing, communications, entertainment, and other electronic devices. Synaptics currently targets the markets for mobile product applications, including smartphones and tablets; the personal computer, or PC, product applications market, primarily notebook computers; and other select electronic device markets, including the automotive market, with our customized human interface solutions. Every solution we deliver either contains or consists of our touch-, display driver- or fingerprint authentication-based semiconductor solutions, which includes our chip, customer-specific firmware, and software. We generally supply our human interface solutions to our original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers through their contract manufacturers, which take delivery of our products and pay us directly for such products.
Synaptics does not engage in the actual mining of conflict minerals (the "Minerals"), does not make purchases of raw ore or unrefined Minerals from mines, and is many steps removed in the supply chain from the mining of the Minerals. We purchase the materials used in our products from a large network of suppliers, who may contribute necessary Minerals to our products. The smelters and refiners used by our suppliers are in the best position in the total supply chain to know the origin of ores, which cannot be determined with any certainty once the ores are smelted, refined and converted to ingots, bullions or other Minerals containing derivatives. We rely on our suppliers to assist with our due diligence efforts, including our suppliers' self-identification of the smelters and refiners used in their supply chain, and the countries from which the Minerals used in their supply chain may originate.
The following products were identified during the Reporting Period as products that may contain conflict minerals necessary to the functionality or production of products manufactured, or contracted to manufacture, by Synaptics:
Our mobile solutions include our ClearPadTM product line, designed for clear, capacitive touchscreen solutions that enable the user to interact directly with the display on electronic devices, such as mobile smartphones and tablets, and our family of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) drivers. We typically sell our ClearPad products as a chip, together with customer-specific firmware, to sensor manufacturers or LCD manufacturers to integrate into their touch-enabled products. A discrete touchscreen product typically consists of a transparent, thin capacitive sensor that can be placed over any display, such as an LCD or an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) and combined with a flexible circuit material and a touch controller chip.
Our display driver products offer advanced image processing technology for entry-level smartphones through high-resolution tablets. The adaptive image processing works in concert with proprietary customization options enabling development of efficient and cost-effective high performance solutions and faster time to market. We typically sell these products to LCD manufacturers.
Our personal computer, or PC, solutions, include our TouchPadTM, ClickPadTM, ForcePadTM, SecurePadTM, Dual Pointing Solutions, and TouchStykTM product lines, which are touch-sensitive pads and other interfaces that sense the position, movement, force, or a combination thereof, applied by one or more fingers on its surface through the measurement of capacitance. We typically sell our PC solutions as a module to the contract manufacturers of OEMs for assembly into notebook computers or other PC products.
Our Natural IDTM Fingerprint Identification products, used in both our mobile and PC solutions, are fingerprint authentication solutions that use capacitive imaging technology, along with sophisticated digital image processing to unlock devices and access online services such as retail, banking, and social media portals. We typically sell our Natural ID Fingerprint products as a module to the contract manufacturers of OEMs or directly to the OEM for assembly into mobile or PC products.
Due Diligence
Based on the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chain of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (Second Edition OECD 2013) and the due diligence framework published by the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), including the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI) current template for calendar year 2015 as developed jointly by the EICC-GeSI (the "Template"), the Registrant took the following measures, during the Reporting Period, to determine the source and chain of custody for the Minerals which the Registrant believed necessary to the functionality or production of products manufactured, or contracted to be manufactured, by the Registrant in the Reporting Period.
The Registrant identified 59 suppliers, whom the Registrant believed could provide materials containing the Minerals necessary to the functionality or production of products manufactured by the Registrant, or contracted by the Registrant to be manufactured.
The Registrant sent out a Conflict Minerals survey, based on the Template, to the suppliers described in No. 1 above requesting them to (a) determine whether they supplied the Registrant with metals or materials containing tin, tungsten, tantalum and/or gold; (b) conduct their own due diligence of their own supply chain; (c) using EICC-GeSI resources, identify all smelters in their supply chain that supply tin, tantalum, tungsten and/or gold; and (d) download, complete and return the Template to the Registrant identifying all smelters and whether such smelters were certified as conflict-free. For any non-conflict free certified smelters identified, the Registrant strongly recommended that the supplier remove such non-conflict free certified smelters from the supplier's supply chain and required the supplier to submit a plan detailing the supplier's efforts to remove or replace the non-conflict free certified smelter. In addition, Registrant's suppliers were required to establish and document a policy on conflict minerals.
All suppliers identified in No. 1 above completed the steps described in No. 2 above. Eight suppliers declared that their products did not contain any conflict minerals. Of the 51 suppliers who stated their products may contain conflict minerals, approximately 71% stated gold may be in the products supplied to Registrant; approximately 76% stated tin may be in the products supplied to Registrant; approximately 16% stated tantalum may be in the products supplied to Registrant; and approximately 29% stated tungsten may be in the products supplied to Registrant.
All of the suppliers who responded identified all smelters used in their supply chain in accordance with the Template and its instructions and of these suppliers, 88% certified that the metals or materials they supplied to Synaptics were conflict-free Minerals.
Synaptics compared the smelters identified by each of our suppliers to the list of smelters identified as conflict-free or "Active" by CFSI. Approximately 86% of the smelters used by our suppliers appeared on this list and are certified by the CFSI as conflict-free smelters or as Active smelters currently undergoing or committed to undergoing a Conflict-Free Smelter Program (CFSP) audit. Based on the information provided by our suppliers, Synaptics believes that the facilities that may have been used to process conflict minerals used in Synaptics' products include the smelters listed in Exhibit A below.
Our suppliers used approximately 45 different smelters located in 12 different countries for tantalum. These countries include Austria, Brazil, China, Estonia, Germany, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Russian Federation, Thailand and the United States. Of these smelters, 100% are certified conflict-free smelters according to the CFSI which is the same percentage of smelters who were certified as conflict-free in the Registrant's prior reporting period.
Our suppliers used approximately 113 different smelters located in 29 different countries for gold. Those countries include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United States and Uzbekistan. Of these smelters, approximately 79% are certified conflict-free smelters or are Active smelters as defined by the CFSI compared to 84% of these smelters who were certified as conflict-free or were Active smelters as defined by the CFSI in the Registrant's prior reporting period.
Our suppliers used approximately 81 different smelters located in 17 different countries for tin. These countries include Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam. Of these smelters, approximately 84% are certified conflict-free smelters or are Active smelters as defined by the CFSI compared to 76% of these smelters who were certified as conflict-free or were Active smelters as defined by the CFSI in the Registrant's prior reporting period.
Our suppliers used approximately 36 different smelters located in 7 different countries for tungsten. These countries include Austria, China, Germany, Japan, Russian Federation, the United States, and Vietnam. Of these smelters, 94% are certified conflict-free smelters or are Active smelters as defined by the CFSI compared to 65% of these smelters who were certified as conflict-free in the Registrant's prior reporting period.
Based on these due diligence efforts, Synaptics is unable, at this time, to conclusively determine the countries of origin of all the Minerals used in its products.
During the Reporting Period, we conducted the due diligence efforts described in this Report to determine the mine or location of the necessary conflict minerals in our products. We relied on the information provided by independent third party audit programs, such as the CFSI, to determine whether the smelters disclosed by our suppliers had been conflict-free certified or were "Active smelters" who had committed to undergo a Conflict-Free Smelter Program audit, according to the CFSI's standards. For the current Reporting Period, certain smelters had not yet received a conflict-free designation from an independent third party audit program such as the CFSI.
We strongly recommended suppliers who had non-conflict free certified smelters in their supply chain in calendar year 2015 to remove such non-conflict free certified smelters from their supply chain as soon as possible and required such suppliers to submit a plan to the Registrant detailing their efforts to either remove or replace such smelter. We have an audit plan in place, which was created to specifically audit the design, performance and effectiveness of our due diligence framework and due diligence measures as they relate to the Minerals.
As discussed above, where possible, the Registrant has relied on third party assurances and certifications. For example, the Registrant accepts as reliable any smelter that is a member of the CFSI program. To the extent that other audited supplier certifications are provided to the Registrant, the Registrant may consider reliance on such certifications on a case-by-case basis.
Additional Due Diligence and Risk Mitigation
We will continue to monitor our supply chain, including smelters used by our suppliers and anticipate that in future years, we will be able to determine, with greater specificity, which of the smelters used by our suppliers are conflict-free. We will continue to monitor and pressure our supply chain to provide complete and accurate information regarding their smelters who provide the Minerals; continue to pressure our supply chain to either remove or replace non-conflict free certified smelters from their own supply chain; remove from our supply chain those suppliers who refuse to or who are unable to provide complete information regarding their smelters; remove from our supply chain those suppliers who continue to maintain non-conflict free certified smelters in their supply chain; and audit the results of supplier responses to the Template, including potential site visits to our supplier locations around the world.
Due to the size, breadth and complexity of our supply chain, the process of successfully tracing all of the necessary Minerals used in our products back to their country of origin will require additional time and resources. Our ability to make determinations about the presence and source of origin of such Minerals in our products depends upon a number of factors including, but not limited to, (i) the respective due diligence efforts of our tier one suppliers and their supply chain, as well as their willingness to disclose such information to us, and (ii) the ability and willingness of our supply chain to adopt the OECD Guidance and other initiatives or guidance that may develop over time with respect to responsible sourcing. The inability to obtain reliable information from any level of our supply chain could have a material impact on our ability to provide meaningful information on the presence and origin of necessary Minerals in our products' supply chain with any reasonable degree of certainty. There can be no assurance that our suppliers will continue to cooperate with our diligence inquiries and our requests for certifications, or to provide us with the documentation or other evidence that we consider reliable in a timeframe sufficient to allow us to make a reasonable and reliable assessment following appropriate further diligence measures, as may be required.
Exhibit A
Smelters Reported in Registrant's Supply Chain as of December 31, 2015:
A.L.M.T. TUNGSTEN Corp.
Aida Chemical Industries Co., Ltd.
Allgemeine Gold-und Silberscheideanstalt A.G.
Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex (AMMC)
United States
An Vinh Joint Stock Mineral Processing Company
AngloGold Ashanti Mineração Ltda
Argor-Heraeus SA
Asahi Pretec Corporation
Asahi Refining USA Inc.
Asaka Riken Co., Ltd.
Atasay Kuyumculuk Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S.
Aurubis AG
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines)
Boliden AB
C. Hafner GmbH + Co. KG
Cendres + Métaux SA
Changsha South Tantalum Niobium Co., Ltd.
Chenzhou Diamond Tungsten Products Co., Ltd.
Chimet S.p.A.
China Tin Group Co., Ltd.
Chongyi Zhangyuan Tungsten Co., Ltd.
Chugai Mining
CNMC (Guangxi) PGMA Co., Ltd.
Conghua Tantalum and Niobium Smeltry
Cooperativa Metalurgica de Rondônia Ltda.
CV Ayi Jaya
CV Gita Pesona
CV Serumpun Sebalai
CV United Smelting
CV Venus Inti Perkasa
D Block Metals, LLC
Daejin Indus Co., Ltd.
South Korea
Daye Non-Ferrous Metals Mining Ltd.
Dayu Weiliang Tungsten Co., Ltd.
DODUCO GmbH
DSC (Do Sung Corporation)
Eco-System Recycling Co., Ltd.
Electro-Mechanical Facility of the Cao Bang Minerals & Metallurgy Joint Stock Company
Elmet S.L.U. (Metallo Group)
EM Vinto
Estanho de Rondônia S.A.
Exotech Inc.
F&X Electro-Materials Ltd.
Faggi Enrico S.p.A.
Feinhütte Halsbrücke GmbH
Fenix Metals
FIR Metals & Resource Ltd.
Fujian Jinxin Tungsten Co., Ltd.
Gansu Seemine Material Hi-Tech Co., Ltd.
Ganxian Shirui New Material Co., Ltd.
Ganzhou Huaxing Tungsten Products Co., Ltd.
Ganzhou Jiangwu Ferrotungsten Co., Ltd.
Ganzhou Non-ferrous Metals Smelting Co., Ltd.
Ganzhou Seadragon W & Mo Co., Ltd.
Geib Refining Corporation
Gejiu Kai Meng Industry and Trade LLC
Gejiu Non-Ferrous Metal Processing Co., Ltd.
Gejiu Yunxin Nonferrous Electrolysis Co., Ltd.
Gejiu Zili Mining And Metallurgy Co., Ltd.
Global Advanced Metals Aizu
Global Advanced Metals Boyertown
Global Tungsten & Powders Corp.
Great Wall Precious Metals Co., Ltd. of CBPM
Guangdong Jinding Gold Limited
Guangdong Xianglu Tungsten Co., Ltd.
Guangdong Zhiyuan New Material Co., Ltd.
Guoda Safina High-Tech Environmental Refinery Co., Ltd.
H.C. Starck Co., Ltd.
H.C. Starck GmbH
H.C. Starck GmbH Goslar
H.C. Starck GmbH Laufenburg
H.C. Starck Hermsdorf GmbH
H.C. Starck Inc.
H.C. Starck Ltd.
H.C. Starck Smelting GmbH & Co.KG
Hangzhou Fuchunjiang Smelting Co., Ltd.
Heimerle + Meule GmbH
Hengyang King Xing Lifeng New Materials Co., Ltd.
Heraeus Ltd. Hong Kong
Heraeus Precious Metals GmbH & Co. KG
Hi-Temp Specialty Metals, Inc.
Huichang Jinshunda Tin Co., Ltd.
Hunan Chenzhou Mining Co., Ltd.
Hunan Chunchang Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd.
Hwasung CJ Co., Ltd.
Hydrometallurg, JSC
Russian Federation
Inner Mongolia Qiankun Gold and Silver Refinery Share Company Limited
Ishifuku Metal Industry Co., Ltd.
Istanbul Gold Refinery
Japan Mint
Japan New Metals Co., Ltd.
Jiangwu H.C. Starck Tungsten Products Co., Ltd.
Jiangxi Copper Company Limited
Jiangxi Dinghai Tantalum & Niobium Co., Ltd.
Jiangxi Gan Bei Tungsten Co., Ltd.
Jiangxi Ketai Advanced Material Co., Ltd.
Jiangxi Minmetals Gao'an Non-ferrous Metals Co., Ltd.
Jiangxi Tonggu Non-ferrous Metallurgical & Chemical Co., Ltd.
Jiangxi Xinsheng Tungsten Industry Co., Ltd.
Jiangxi Yaosheng Tungsten Co., Ltd.
JiuJiang JinXin Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd.
Jiujiang Tanbre Co., Ltd.
Jiujiang Zhongao Tantalum & Niobium Co., Ltd.
Johnson Matthey Limited
JSC Ekaterinburg Non-Ferrous Metal Processing Plant
JSC Uralelectromed
JX Nippon Mining & Metals Co., Ltd.
KEMET Blue Metals
KEMET Blue Powder
Kennametal Fallon
Kennametal Huntsville
Kennecott Utah Copper LLC
King-Tan Tantalum Industry Ltd.
Kojima Chemicals Co. Ltd
Korea Metal Co., Ltd.
Kyrgyzaltyn JSC
L' azurde Company For Jewelry
Saudi Arabia
Lingbao Gold Company Limited
Lingbao Jinyuan Tonghui Refinery Co., Ltd.
Linwu Xianggui Ore Smelting Co., Ltd.
LSM Brasil S.A.
LS-NIKKO Copper Inc.
Luoyang Zijin Yinhui Gold Refinery Co., Ltd.
Magnu's Minerais Metais e Ligas Ltda.
Malaysia Smelting Corporation (MSC)
Malipo Haiyu Tungsten Co., Ltd.
Matsuda Sangyo Co., Ltd.
Melt Metais e Ligas S/A
Metallic Resources, Inc.
Metallo-Chimique N.V.
Metallurgical Products India Pvt., Ltd.
Metalor Technologies (Hong Kong) Ltd
Metalor Technologies (Singapore) Pte., Ltd.
Metalor Technologies (Suzhou) Ltd.
Metalor Technologies SA
Metalor USA Refining Corporation
Mineração Taboca S.A.
Mitsubishi Materials Corporation
Mitsui Mining & Smelting
Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co., Ltd.
MMTC-PAMP India Pvt., Ltd.
Molycorp Silmet A.S.
Moscow Special Alloys Processing Plant
Nadir Metal Rafineri San. Ve Tic. A.Ş.
Nankang Nanshan Tin Manufactory Co., Ltd.
Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combinat
Nghe Tinh Non-Ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company
Niagara Refining LLC
Nihon Material Co., Ltd.
Ningxia Orient Tantalum Industry Co., Ltd.
Nui Phao H.C. Starck Tungsten Chemicals Manufacturing LLC
O.M. Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
O.M. Manufacturing Philippines, Inc.
Ögussa Österreichische Gold- und Silber-Scheideanstalt GmbH
Ohio Precious Metals LLC.
Ohura Precious Metal Industry Co., Ltd.
OJSC "The Gulidov Krasnoyarsk Non-Ferrous Metals Plant" (OJSC Krastsvetmet)
OJSC Novosibirsk Refinery
Operaciones Metalurgical S.A.
Penglai Penggang Gold Industry Co., Ltd.
Phoenix Metal Ltd.
Plansee SE Liezen
Plansee SE Reutte
Pobedit, JSC
Prioksky Plant of Non-Ferrous Metals
PT Alam Lestari Kencana
PT Aneka Tambang (Persero) Tbk
PT Aries Kencana Sejahtera
PT Artha Cipta Langgeng
PT ATD Makmur Mandiri Jaya
PT Babel Inti Perkasa
PT Bangka Kudai Tin
PT Bangka Prima Tin
PT Bangka Putra Karya
PT Bangka Timah Utama Sejahtera
PT Bangka Tin Industry
PT Belitung Industri Sejahtera
PT BilliTin Makmur Lestari
PT Bukit Timah
PT Cipta Persada Mulia
PT DS Jaya Abadi
PT Eunindo Usaha Mandiri
PT Fang Di MulTindo
PT Inti Stania Prima
PT Justindo
PT Karimun Mining
PT Mitra Stania Prima
PT Panca Mega Persada
PT Pelat Timah Nusantara Tbk
PT Prima Timah Utama
PT Refined Bangka Tin
PT Sariwiguna Binasentosa
PT Seirama Tin Investment
PT Stanindo Inti Perkasa
PT Sumber Jaya Indah
PT Timah (Persero) Tbk Kundur
PT Timah (Persero) Tbk Mentok
PT Tinindo Inter Nusa
PT Tommy Utama
PT Wahana Perkit Jaya
PX Précinox SA
Rand Refinery (Pty) Ltd
South Africa
Republic Metals Corporation
Resind Indústria e Comércio Ltda.
RFH Tantalum Smeltry Co., Ltd.
Royal Canadian Mint
Rui Da Hung
Sabin Metal Corp.
Samduck Precious Metals
SAMWON Metals Corp.
Schone Edelmetaal B.V.
SEMPSA Joyería Platería SA
Shandong Tiancheng Biological Gold Industrial Co., Ltd.
Shandong Zhaojin Gold & Silver Refinery Co., Ltd.
Sichuan Tianze Precious Metals Co., Ltd.
Singway Technology Co., Ltd.
So Accurate Group, Inc.
SOE Shyolkovsky Factory of Secondary Precious Metals
Soft Metais Ltda.
Solikamsk Magnesium Works OAO
Solor Applied Materials Technology Corp.
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
T.C.A S.p.A
Taki Chemicals
Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K.
Tejing (Vietnam) Tungsten Co., Ltd.
Telex Metals
The Refinery of Shandong Gold Mining Co., Ltd.
Tokuriki Honten Co., Ltd.
Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Co., Ltd.
Tranzact, Inc.
Tuyen Quang Non-Ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company
Umicore Brasil Ltda.
Umicore Precious Metals Thailand
Umicore SA Business Unit Precious Metals Refining
United Precious Metal Refining, Inc.
Valcambi SA
Vietnam Youngsun Tungsten Industry Co., Ltd.
VQB Mineral and Trading Group JSC
Western Australian Mint trading as The Perth Mint
White Solder Metalurgia e Mineração Ltda.
Wolfram Bergbau und Hütten AG
Xiamen Tungsten (H.C.) Co., Ltd.
Xiamen Tungsten Co., Ltd
Xinhai Rendan Shaoguan Tungsten Co., Ltd.
XinXing HaoRong Electronic Material Co., Ltd.
Xstrata Canada Corporation
Yamamoto Precious Metal Co., Ltd.
Yichun Jin Yang Rare Metal Co., Ltd.
Yokohama Metal Co., Ltd.
Yunnan Chengfeng Non-ferrous Metals Co., Ltd.
Yunnan Copper Industry Co., Ltd.
Yunnan Tin Group (Holding) Company Limited
Zhongyuan Gold Smelter of Zhongjin Gold Corporation
Zhuzhou Cemented Carbide
Zijin Mining Group Co., Ltd. Gold Refinery


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Top 10 most-watched shows of the decade
By James Hibberd
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A list of the most-watched TV episodes of the decade reads like an exercise in nostalgia. Only one telecast aired after 2006. With the increasingly fractured TV universe, we probably won't see a list quite like this again. Excluding duplicate titles, here are the Top 10 TV series episodes since 2000:
* Airdate: May 6, 2004
* Viewers: 52.5 million
Titled "The Last One," the "Friends" series finale closed a modern-day Golden Age of comedy TV -- and marked the end of NBC's "Must-See TV" era. At the time, the final "Friends" was the most-watched entertainment telecast in six years, and it has never been surpassed. A finale that stayed true to the series, the "Friends" closer was well liked by fans and concluded with slow pan across Monica and Chandler's empty apartment.
* Airdate: August 23, 2000
* Viewers: 51.7 million Continued...


text:
Traitors everywhere
"Hurry, dam you!" The man cursed impatiently at the two as they left the carraige. Francois barked widley at the man. He shut the door and the Labradors whining became muffled.
They stepped out into the middle of the armed group. They were the soldiers, fully armoured and carrying an assorted mix of swords, spears and pole-axes. Zephiels own personal guard stood, weapons readied, to murder their king.
"Drop your weapons" The soldier growled, Zephiel did as he was ordered, unsheathing his sword and placing it carefully on the road. Rickard didn't move.
"Drop that sword or I will kill you." The soldier said.
"You are fools." Rickard was cool in his reply. He too was fully armoured in silver plate mail with gold trims. He was a giant of a man built from muscle. He had black hair tied into a ponytail and stubble covered his strong facial features. His dark brown eyes were full of confidence, Zephiel was shocked. He was going to get them both killed.
"You think we didn't know you were traitors?" Rickards booming voice filled the mountains and echoed back. "See this purple cloth, this is the mark of the assassins guild. If we don't return to the kingdom then the eight of you are all marked men." Rickard held out the stolen guild crest. Most of the guards had panic accross their faces. They all knew the assassins guild never missed a mark until they attacked Zephiel. "You turn and leave, then we will call off the assassins."
Most of the soldiers murmered in agreement and began to lower their weapons. Zephiel was filled with awe and confidence in Rickard now, he thanked God that he brought him. The clever ruse was working. The soldiers began to back off slowly, they turned and began to walk away.
Rickard took a step forward, he unslung his gigantic claymore and buried it in the skull of one of the retreating soldiers. The sword was nearly four feet long, the captain swung it with ease and cleaved two soldiers in half. They backed into eachother, panicked and confused. Rickard then turned and stabbed the claymore straight through a soldiers visor, it burst out the other side and tore through a man behind him. The visor began to leak gore from the vision holes. The last three soldiers began to flee in utter terror. Rickard picked up one of the fallens shortswords and hurled it. The blade lodged in the back of a fleeing soldier, the last two escaped.
"Why did you kill them?" Zephiel cried as Rickard sheathed his claymore. "They were leaving" Zephiel was terrified, he despised violence, although under captain Rickard he learnt swordmanship when he was ten. Rickard wiped his blood drenched face and looked down at Zephiel.
"They would have returned and may do yet. We need to leave now." Rickard was the only man that could get away with using such a tone to the king. He was the most respected man in the kingdom, he was also fiercly loyal to his king. Zephiel nodded, he turned and grabbed his dog and stepped round to front of the carraige.
Rickard had begun untieing the horses from the carraige. The coachmans chair was stained with blood but no body could be found. Zephiel stopped for a moment, he mused over Rickards swordsmanship. Rickard was the only man in the entire world that could wield such a claymore. The young king loved and respected him, Rickard was strong, skilled, wise, loyal and resourceful. He chuckled to himself a moment over how Rickard had tricked the soldiers. After a bried moment Zephiel and Rickard both climbed on the horses and sped into the distance, Rickard had a destination in mind.