text:
Bucs Tickets On Sale Friday
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced that individual game tickets for the team's 2012 home games will go on sale Friday, July 27, at 10 a.m
Season Pass, Stadium Club and Luxury Suite Members will have the advantage of a presale, which will start today, Monday, July 23, at 10 a.m.
The Buccaneers kick off the 2012 regular season with a home opener against the Carolina Panthers on September 9, They will celebrate the NFL's Back to Football initiative and honor Ronde Barber for his 200th consecutive start.
To purchase individual game tickets, www.Buccaneers.com or call (800) 745-3000.
Tickets will not be sold at the Buccaneers Ticket Office or Raymond James Stadium.
2012 Home Game Schedule
Fri. Aug. 17 Tennessee 7:30 PM
Fri. Aug. 24 New England 7:30 PM
Sun. Sept. 9 Carolina 4:25 PM
Sun. Sept. 30 Washington 4:25 PM
Sun. Oct. 14 Kansas City 1:00 PM
Sun. Oct. 21 New Orleans 1:00 PM
Sun. Nov. 11 San Diego 1:00 PM
Sun. Nov. 25 Atlanta 1:00 PM
Sun. Dec. 9 Philadelphia 1:00 PM
Sun. Dec. 23 St. Louis 1:00 PM


text:
More random cell phone news. Today I saw Panasonic's new p252iS cell phone. It's about 2/3rds the height of most other cell phones making it chou-kawaii!!!
It's got what is basically now the bottom of the line features in Japan which is color display, Java app/game support and a digital camera. It's also got mini-SD card support to make it easy to get your pictures out.
Every time they make a new cell phone they try to think of something new to put in it. Most phones support picture/icon characters like happy faces etc. Unfortunately they are generally provider specific. Vodofone's icon characters don't show up on AU's or NTTs phones. Even above that, some phones have characters that only work on those specific phones. The idea is you and all your friends should get the same phone so you can send lots of e-mail with these icons in them.
Well, this phone's special feature is it will look at the icons in the e-mail it just received and flash your phone's lights in different patterns and colors based on the icons. So if your friend used sad icons it will flash codes for sad, if they used happy icons it will flash codes for happy.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Interpreting Performance in Small Business Research
Davidsson, Per (2005) Interpreting Performance in Small Business Research. In Strathclyde Entrepreneurship Research Workshop, ESRC Seminar: Small Firm Performance: Academic Perspectives, Leeds, UK.
|PDF (208kB)
For obvious reasons, researchers and policy-makers alike have an interest in assessing the performance of small firms as well as in understanding the factors that contribute to it. Attaining such knowledge is not a trivial undertaking. Researchers have pointed out that the performance of small firms can be difficult to assess (Brush & Vanderwerf, 1992)—e.g., because reliable data cannot be obtained—and also difficult to predict (Cooper, 1995). In this paper I will discuss the equally important and difficult issue of how research results regarding small business performance and its predictors can or should be interpreted. In particular, I will discuss whether commonly used performance indicators like survival vs. non-survival and growth vs. non-growth really reflect 'good' vs. 'bad' performance, as is commonly assumed. Although theory and other researchers' findings will also be used to some extent, my exposition will rely primarily on experiences and illustrations from a number of research projects I have been directly involved in during the last 20 years.
The paper proceeds as follows. I will first question the assumption that business discontinuance—often called 'failure'—is a 'bad' outcome that best should be avoided from the aggregate perspective of the economic system. I will then continue to discuss 'failure' from more of a micro-perspective, arguing that most instances of discontinuation of new or emerging firms are not associated with substantial financial losses and do not necessarily represent efforts that should have been avoided. Staying at the micro level I will then turn to the issue of firm growth and the conditions under which growth represents a 'good' outcome from the perspective of the firm's principal stakeholders. I will then return to the aggregate level and discuss the extent to which firm level employment growth translates to net increases of employment in the economy. Finally, the implications of the issues raised in the paper will be restated and discussed in the concluding section of the paper.
Impact and interest:
Citation counts are sourced monthly from Scopus and Web of Science® citation databases.
These databases contain citations from different subsets of available publications and different time periods and thus the citation count from each is usually different. Some works are not in either database and no count is displayed. Scopus includes citations from articles published in 1996 onwards, and Web of Science® generally from 1980 onwards.
Citations counts from the Google Scholar™ indexing service can be viewed at the linked Google Scholar™ search.
Full-text downloads:
Full-text downloads displays the total number of times this work's files (e.g., a PDF) have been downloaded from QUT ePrints as well as the number of downloads in the previous 365 days. The count includes downloads for all files if a work has more than one.
|ID Code:
|Item Type:
|Conference Paper
|Additional URLs:
|Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > COMMERCE MANAGEMENT TOURISM AND SERVICES (150000) > BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (150300) > Business and Management not elsewhere classified (150399)
|Current > Research Centres > Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship
Current > QUT Faculties and Divisions > QUT Business School
|Copyright Owner:
|Copyright 2005 (please consult author)
|Deposited On:
|27 Nov 2006 00:00
|Last Modified:
|05 Jan 2011 13:27
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text:
Fuez Recycled Glass
Fuez is an environmentally friendly product that combines cement, fly ash, and curb-side recycled glass. You can choose any of the 28 beautiful standard products that Fuez offers, or you can create your own. We are flexible in our slabs and aggregates, shapes, colors, and sizes, giving our customers complete creative control in designing their unique Fuez surfaces.
Fuez uses up to 80% recycled materials; this includes the glass from recycled bottles, which may have come from your very own recycle bin!
FUEZ is a combination of low-carbon cement, 100% curbside recycled glass, and natural aggregate. FUEZ makes the decision to go green easy!
FUEZ products are not mined from limited natural resources, which can often be the case for marble, granite and sandstone products.
The Process
Fuez combines cement (which is 62% less carbon emitting than traditional Portland-cement), recycled glass, and stone, together with water and specialized ingredients that add strength and durability. After the slab is poured it is stored and water cured at a temperature that allows it to achieve ideal strength. Once it has cured, the slab is polished to achieve a highly reflective, naturally beautiful surface. This slab is then fabricated to fit each individual counter, vanity, hearth, floor, or shower enclosure. Fuez has grounded its process in environmental responsibility, and is constantly looking for new, creative ways to give back to the community. Fuez applies fresh thinking to standard processes; by recycling the water used in the production of FUEZ we can reduce water intake by 50%. The electricity that powers the production facility is generated by 100% wind power, helping reduce Fuez's environmental footprint. No hazardous waste is produced in the development of FUEZ products.
The Promise
Fuez, Inc leads the building industry in sustainable surfaces for the mainstream market with a commitment to environmental stewardship, localization and life-cycle products.
FUEZ is an affordable alternative to traditional stone and other green products for designers, architects and homeowners. FUEZ products are a beautiful addition to a home or office, and are an ideal fit for green building projects.
Visit our downtown Bend Showroom to view the many colors and options available in our recyled glass counter tops.


text:
By Gary Larson
Mille Lacs County Times
The Faith Christian School girls basketball team ran into a couple of tough cookies last week.
Christian Life of Farmington stopped Faith Christian 67-40 Friday night at FCS. On Saturday afternoon, Rochester Area Home School handled Faith Christian 71-35, also at FCS.
"We got to see why Rochester and Christian Life are 1-2 in the conference," said Faith Christian Coach Mike Sohre. "Christian Life is very deep with 10 solid players. It has players who are quick and fast."
Christian Life took advantage of Faith Christian's cold shooting (4-for-25) to take a 34-12 halftime lead.
"Madde Brown did a great job on Christian Life's top scorer, Mackenzie Seidel, in the first half, holding her to three points," said Sohre. "But, I could tell we didn't have enough energy to keep up that pace in the second half.
"We just did not have enough muscle or depth to keep up with the."
Seidel, the conference's leading scorer, finished with 25 points as she made 10 of 17 shots from the field.
Senior guard Mariah Roelofs and junior forward/center Jamie Nelson led the Saints with 12 points each while senior forward Alison Bechtle and Brown, a junior guard, each scored 10 points. Roelofs and Nelson each had eight rebounds while Brown had three steals.
On Saturday, Faith Christian faced a Rochester team that posses height, a lot of height.
"Rochester is like a team of 6-foot gazelles," said Sohre. "Their starting lineup featured just one girl shorter than our tallest starter.
"And, like Christian Life, Rochester has a very deep bench. We knew the game was not going to be about whether we could win but how we would represent ourselves in the face of a dominating opponent. Overall, I felt we did a pretty good job."
Nelson scored 16 points and had five rebounds while Roelofs and senior guard Jadyn Grev each had seven points. Bechtle battled for five rebounds.
Junior guard Abby Rudlong led a balanced Rochester offense with 16 points.
Faith Christian, 9-11, is at Hope Christian Academy of St. Paul Park Friday at 6:30 p.m.


text:
Shinnecock Family Reunion
Decatur Clearpool Reunion Committee
Multiple Dates
Event Details
The Annual family Reunion
We look forward to a wonderful family Reunion yet again. The program for the day is as follows:
Address is Prospect Park West and 3rd Street (we will be stationed at the Left of the Picnic House.
9am -11am Set up / Breakfast/ Family Meeting
11am- 1:00pm- Sign-in, Meet and Greet, Name Tags
1:00 - 1:30pm - Prayer, Welcome and Elder Blessing
1:30- 2:15pm Lunch
2:30- 4:00pm Games and Family Activities
4:00 - 5:00pm Family Photos
5:30 - 6:00 pm Clean up and Break- down
This year our colors are Gold and Blue. We are asking for a $75 donation (family of 4, $10 each additional person) from each family to go towards activities, shirts, banners, drinks and food.
By Public Transportation: (MTA map)
• F or G Train to 7th Avenue station or 15th Street/Prospect Park station.
• 2 or 3 Train to Grand Army Plaza
By Car:
• From Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges: Take Flatbush Ave. to Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park West exit, to 4th St.
• From Verrazano Bridge or BQE: Take BQE to Prospect Expressway, 10th Ave./11th Ave. exit. Make a right onto 10th Ave. Turn right onto 20th Street, and again right on 7th Avenue. Make a right on 3rd St. to Prospect Park West.
Prospect Park west Picnic House
Prospect Park west
3rd Street
Multiple Dates
Add to my calendar
Decatur Clearpool Reunion Committee
This committee was formed to collect information from alumni of PS/IS 35 and to organize a large reunion for 2010 and then smaller family reunions throughout the coming years.


text:
Perot Systems Corporation (NYSE:PER)
Q3 FY08 Earnings Call
November 4, 2008, 10:15 AM ET
John Lyon - IR
Peter Altabef - President and CEO
John Harper - CFO
Rod Bourgeois - Stanford Bernstein
Joseph Vafi - Jefferies & Co.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Good morning. Thank you very much for standing by and welcome to the Perot Systems Third Quarter 2008 Earnings Conference Call.
At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode; and later, we will conduct a question-and-answer session with instructions to be given at that time.
During the course of today's call, Perot Systems will be making forward-looking statements that contain risks and uncertainties. These statements are only predictions and actual results may vary materially. Perot Systems disclaims any obligations, any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or otherwise.
Please refer to the Perot Systems Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007 for a listing of risk factors that could cause actual events or results to vary from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
Now I would like to turn the call over to John Lyon. Please go ahead, sir.
John Lyon - Investor Relations
Good morning. Welcome to our third quarter earnings conference call.
During our call today, Peter Altabef, our CEO will review the performance of our major units and John Harper, our Chief Financial Officer will provide a review of our financial performance and forecast.
Before we get started, let me remind you that in addition to our press release, we have placed a downloadable financial summary for your convenience in analyzing our financial results at perotsystems.com. In addition, we will refer to two non-GAAP financial measures today.
The first is free cash flow, which is the measure we use to assess the net cash production of our operations including long term and short term capital, and it's calculated as operating cash flow less capital expenditures. The second is organic revenue growth, a measure of our pre-acquisition revenue growth. It is calculated by taking total revenue, growth less the revenue contribution from acquisitions completed in the past 12 months and then comparing it to the third quarter 2007 revenue. The information necessary to calculate these measures are available on our earnings press release.
Again, I want to thank you for joining us. I'll turn the call over to Peter.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Thank you John. Good morning and thank you for joining us today.
In the third quarter, we continued to build upon the steady financial progress we have been demonstrating. Revenue grew by 9% year-to-year to $711 million. Earnings per share grew by 25% year-to-year to $0.25. And free cash flow was $47 million bringing the trailing 12 month total to $174 million.
We have a sound business model that is designed for a variety of economic conditions. We produce 70% of our revenue from health care and federal government services. Two markets that have been less cyclical in the past and where we see attractive long term growth trends.
Our solutions help clients to improve the efficiency of their operations and optimize their cost structure. While these are fundamental benefits of outsourcing, we tend to see an increasing focus on these initiatives in a challenging economic environment.
We have $246 million of cash and debt of $185 million, which provides a sound financial footing. With our financial resources and the level of free cash flow we are producing, we have significant financial flexibility. And we are a backlog-driven business with 66% of our revenues coming from base level contracts and 84% of revenue generated by accounts that include an element of our long term backlog.
While we are well positioned with a very solid business model, to the extent that our clients experience financial pressure in their businesses, they may adjust discretionary investment levels even though we have been in a very healthy return-oriented project market. There have been significant economic headlines since we last spoke with you in the third quarter. And macroeconomic events are certainly in the news.
These macro economic events however did not have a significant impact on our third quarter financial performance. Our financial results were on target with our expectations and guidance. Cash flow continue to progress as invoice collections were solid and our cash balance continue to increase and project related investment was inline with our expectations this quarter with the pace of projects remaining at stable levels.
Looking at the fourth quarter the normal seasonal effect of fewer billable days is expected to have a greater impact on earnings than project bill productions. So far project reductions have been isolated. The clients are formulating their plans to response to economic weakness, which could result in some project pressure although the extent in timing is uncertain.
At the same time, through global modular services including the rapid deployment of resources, we can provide our clients with flexible and scalable solutions that lower costs without lengthy set up and transition periods. We expect these offering to open new growth opportunities for us in this environment.
While our financial results progress in the quarter with no significant impacts from macro events, we believe the magnitude of the macro issues and resulting uncertainty contributed to delays in new contract signings. When there's significant turmoil affecting the business environment, decision making typically slows.
New contract signings for the third quarter totaled $184 million, which was lower than we expected entering the quarter. We have seen some delays in decision making and revision to scope. But we are hopeful that the delays are temporary, and our pipeline will begin yielding greater new contract signings as we move into 2009.
With respects to our sales pipeline, we have a good level of activity. We continue to see clients evaluating new system investments although cost reductions are operating efficiencies are the focus of many pursuits. In particular, globalization of service delivery is a growing priority both with new clients and existing clients. We are continuing to see increased interest from clients and prospects that we're once hesitant to consider this form of delivery.
In addition to new client opportunities, 2008 will be an excellent year of contract extensions. We have extended two of our five largest client relationships. Harvard Pilgrim in the first quarter and Catholic Healthcare West in October. We are very pleased that we continue to earn our client's trust, which is resulting a new opportunities to serve them.
Turning to review of our unit performance and growth prospects, revenue grew by 9% year-to-year in the third quarter. Our two lines of business, Industry Solutions and Government Services grew by 7% and 14% year-to-year. For healthcare, sales activity has broadened over the course of the year and recent research points to the industry increasing into adoption of outsourcing. We are making good progress this year, but results are coming slowly.
As we look at the healthcare industry, we see several factors. First, the level of business trends within healthcare in general. Second, the changing landscape of patient care and reimbursement. Third, the impact of foreign markets on financial investment returns; and finally, a level of uncertainty as to the effects of regulatory changes on the industry. These have created an environment, where there is healthy activity, but careful deliberate movement.
In the third quarter, new business wins ranged from health system IT outsourcing to existent client add on business and to outsourcing services in support of the stage program to bring health insurance to more of its citizens. Subsequent to the end of the quarter, we also extended our contracts with of our larger clients, Catholic Healthcare West.
Under our new seven year contract, we will bring a greater level of savings to the client, gaining greater flexibility to leverage resources in return. There will also be a change to the third party contract management services we provide, which consist predominantly a pass through expenses. This functioning is transitioning back to the client, which will have an impact on our revenue, but an insignificant effect on profit.
In terms of our healthcare quarterly performance, revenue grew by 2% year-to-year. We still have year-to-year pressure related to the end of our Triad contract last year, six points of pressure in the quarter. Beyond this, we have growth in all of the major areas of healthcare.
Large hospitals after adjusting for the impact of Triad grew by 5% year-to-year. We are continuing to see project growth in the segments. Developing areas of the provider market including small to mid-sized hospitals, solutions related to the revenue cycle and physician practices, the federal government and the international community grew by 20% year-to-year. The new sales pipeline for these developing areas is very active.
Within the international marketplace, clinical transformation and implementation of electronic health records are important priorities in several countries. Solutions to reduce the payment cycle and maximize collection of insured amounts are gaining increasing interest as bad debt within the industry gross.
The non-provider areas of healthcare, consisting primarily of the payer market grew by 2% year-to-year. We are currently seeing this market embrace globalization as a way to generate significant efficiencies. This has led to an increase of sales activity this year. With the leading software platform for this market and our extensive global delivery capabilities, we are very well prepared to serve payers looking to generate efficiencies while improving quality.
Across the healthcare industry, cost saving initiatives are on the rise, whether through projects that produce efficiencies, globalization of functions or leveraging resources through outsourcing, we see a trend toward cost optimization. This should translate into new opportunities for new clients as well as building upon existing relationships. For government services, revenue growth comes primarily from webbing contracts within the civilian area and existing contract extension and project wins in the homeland and national security areas.
From a sales perspective, near term activity for government services relates primarily to smaller new projects and existing programs Re-Compete. Based on where larger opportunities are in our sales pipeline and moving from a prime to subcontracts position on a recent Re-Compete. We expect to start 2009 with limited year-to-year revenue growth in government services, but with opportunities to build upon that base. From a profit perspective, we expect to start the year with good year-to-year growth based upon the contract efficiencies we are delivering.
Finally, as we've discussed on the last call, in the third quarter, we realigned our organizational structure to combine consulting and application solutions with industry solutions. This realignment unified teams in our commercial business, where we had overlapping end markets.
The growth for our commercial unit continued to be very solid this quarter with 17% growth year-to-year, 13% prior to the full point contribution from acquisitions completed over the past year. In terms of our commercial sales activity, we have a good pipeline including small-to-mid sized opportunities. Overall, we continue to move our business in the right direction. We will continue to monitor the environment and manage our business in a disciplined way.
We thank you for joining us. And I'll now ask John Harper to detail our financial performance and forecast.
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
Thank you Peter. Good morning everyone. I want to thank you for joining us today.
In the third quarter, we continued to build upon our first half 2008 results. Revenue, operating margin, and earnings per share all grew sequentially this quarter. DSOs and free cash flows were solid at 62 days and $47 million. In addition, to continued favorable financial results. We continued to solidify our revenue base, extending key contracts that expand our backlog and provide greater long term visibility.
I will begin my review today by detailing the factors behind our year-to-year growth. After that, I will review our fourth quarter forecast and our financial position. Before I begin, I will refer you to the financial tables in our earnings release, where we have placed historical segment information that restates past periods or the organizational realignment that occurred this quarter. We have gone from three segments to two segments, industry solutions and government services to reflect how we are running our business.
Revenue for the third quarter was $711 million. This represents an increase of 9% year-to-year on a reported basis, 8% on an organic basis. This growth came from four sources: First, new contracts signed over the past year with an industry solution's added $23 million of revenue. With the move in the markets to smaller contracts, the profitability stage for new sales is reached faster. The result that these new contracts signing were beneficial not only to year-to-year revenue comparisons, but also year-to-year earnings comparisons.
Second, the ramp of new contracts and government services helped this segment to report a $21 million revenue increase year-to-year. In this case, we are working with larger more complex engagements, which are expected to reach a sustainable profit level during 2009.
Third, acquisitions completed over the past year added $7 million. Fourth, existing contracts within industry solutions added $6 million of revenue growth. This represents the net growth number. We realize $26 million of year-to-year revenue of growth from projects, new business and additional volumes. Conversely, $20 million of this growth was offset by the end of our Trial contract last year, which produced a minimum level of profit. Therefore, this account growth not only produced higher revenue, it depends also primary factor that enables us to produce higher earnings and profit margins.
Third quarter earnings were $0.25, which represents a $0.05 or 25% increase year-to-year. Our operating margins increased from 6.4% in the third quarter of last year to 6.8% for the third quarter of this year. Account profit improvements and new sales produced the majority of our earnings growth year-to-year.
Partially offsetting these were two factors. First, rebuilding our bonus tool resulted in additional compensation expense. Please note that we achieved our run rate for incentive compensation in first quarter of 2008. So, there was not a significant incremental sequential pressure associated with this year-to-year increase. Second and as expected, we have early stage acquisitions that are currently dilutive to earnings. When factoring intangible amortization expense and the cost of invested capital, it's very difficult for acquisitions to be neutral or accretive to earnings in the early months.
Turning to our forecast for the fourth quarter, there will be two factors that cause an optical change in our financials, but the economic change will be insignificant. First as Peter discussed, the low margin, third party contract management function. We have managed for CHW will be transitioned back to the client.
This average $20 million of revenue for quarter through nine months of 2008 although the revenue was not linear across these experience. The reduction going to the fourth quarter will be only $16 million, because the new contract did not take effect until beginning of November. Going to the first quarter, there will another reduction of approximately $8 million.
Second, one of our government Re-Competes, we moved from a prime contractor role to a sub contractor role, because we are no longer a prime contractor with low margin subcontract work, revenue will decrease by $5 million per quarter. But the effect on profits will be insignificant. Combined, these two items account for $21 million of lower revenue in the fourth quarter, which has the effect of lowering the $711 million of revenue for the third quarter to $690 million for the fourth quarter.
Keep in mind, this revenue did not provide much profit. So with the slightly beneficial to profit margins, our revenue range of $680 million to $695 million includes this impact and normal fourth quarter seasonality, which could create up to $4 million of sequential revenue pressure. For earnings per share, seasonality has the potential to pressure pre-tax earnings up to $4 million equal to approximately $0.02 per share. As a result, we expect earnings for the fourth quarter to range from $0.23 to $0.25.
Going to the first quarter, we see four potential things. First, the normal fourth quarter seasonal effect will reverse. Second, we expect one penny per share of earnings pressure in the first quarter related to globalization of certain functions. This represents operational setup expense that cannot be deferred. We expect this pressure to begin reversing as we go to the second half of 2009.
Third, we need to see how the project environment progresses. Four, we are hopeful that some of the hesitation in long-term contract sales environment will ease, which could provide us with new sales revenue and profits as we move into 2009. We should gain a greater level of clarity over the next 90 days as to how the business environment will progress.
From what we see today, our sale pipeline is active and positioned to produce favorable results. The pricing and competitive environment remains stable. We have seen isolated instances, where our prospective client push for economics that were not attractive. But overall, the market environment remains reasonable. The key here is to see some of the caution created by macro events subside.
In our consulting areas, we have seen a few clients pullback on projects early on the fourth quarter, while others are evaluating the cost structure given the current economic environment. At the same time, we are bidding on new work, it is designed to generate tangible near term benefits for clients.
On our long-term accounts, projects grew sequentially in the third quarter and met the expectations we had entering the quarter. With respect to the potential effects of the economy, there are more questions than answers. We're closely monitoring our business and we'll continue to make sound economic decisions.
Looking at our balance sheet, cash increased to $246 million as of September 30, an increase of $50 million for the quarter, $47 million of this increase came from free cash flow. Days sales were outstanding were 62 days. Capital expenditures were $11 million for the quarter or 1.6% of revenue. This was below our target of 3%. Although 2009 might be slightly higher than 3%, given potential facility and datacenter expansion, this is just a matter of timing.
Debt was a $185 million as of September 30. As we look at full year free cash flow, solid financial performance this year combined with generally low capital requirement should allow us to report free cash flow that equates to net income. Overall, the year has progressed well.
We've grown earnings, revenue, and profit margins, secured important revenue long term, strengthened our financial position with an outstanding year of cash generation. There are certainly questions about the state of the economy and how it may affect business. But we have a very solid business model, a strong financial position and we will to proactively address any challenges that come our way.
I want to thank you for joining us we will now answer your questions.
Question And Answer
This concludes the formal portion of the conference call. A question-and-answer session will now be conducted [Operator Instructions]. The first question will come from Rod Bourgeois with Stanford Bernstein.
Rod Bourgeois - Stanford Bernstein
Hey, guys.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Hi, Rod. How are you?
Rod Bourgeois - Stanford Bernstein
Doing fine. I want to ask about the seasonality in Q4. And I am not trying to be acute with this question. But, is the normal negative seasonality you expect in Q4 this year, consistent with the normal negative seasonality that you've seen in Q4s of the past. I guess, it seems that the $0.02 of pressure that you are planning to see this year. From my recollection it's a little greater than what you've seen in the past. But that maybe because you have left new stuff ramping up right now to offset the pressure that you are going to see in Q4, given the client and decision that exists out there. So, can you clarify the negative seasonality situation that you have this year versus in the past couple of years at this point in time?
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
Rod, I think... this is John. I think you hit it spot on. Typically, we see this level of seasonality. So this is very consistent with fourth quarters of past. But in many cases, we have had other things that came on and helped offset that. I think as we look forward to this fourth quarter, given the market environment and the level of uncertainty out there, we're being a little more cautious about being able to offset that impact. But all of that's factored into our guidance for the fourth quarter.
Rod Bourgeois - Stanford Bernstein
All right. So, in other words, if the deal flow were consistent with the normal year, you had apparently a pretty stacked pipeline heading into Q3. Some of those deals were apparently pushed out. I had those deals coming to fruition, would your Q4 outlook be a little better than what it is right now?
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
I think so. I think that's a fair statement. And also the... in past years, the level of project work and impact that as well and we are being relatively cautious about the project environment given what's going on in the economy.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Right. On that note, on the project work, have you already seen issues in the project work to be concerned about or are you guiding under the assumption that you may end up seeing issues that have yet to occur?
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
That's a great question, Rod and that is probably as we're sitting here looking at short term guidance. It's probably the most difficult question that we as a management team have to answer internally as well as to you. So that, so, let me be as clinical as I can on it. When you look at the third quarter results, you actually don't see any significant effect on, let's say, the macroeconomic level. So the project work we had in the third quarter was about what we would have expected to see in the third quarter and I think the results speak for themselves.
The revenue number is strong; the earning number is very strong at the top end of guidance. So, we are hard pressed to say that we saw any appreciable amount in the third quarter. So that gets you to the fourth quarter and we are only a month into the fourth quarter. And there are always going to be and certainly we have seen some isolated instances of clients picking up the phone and saying, hey, we're going to have to... because of a certain item affecting our business, we're going to have to pull back on this project or that project. And we have had some of those isolated instances. The question is this is a substantial business and do isolated instances make a pattern or are they isolated instances? And it's too early in the quarter to tell you frankly. So I think that's where you are. We're seeing us being cautious. But I think it's not fair to say that we have a programmatic retreat from project work. It is fair to say we have some isolated instances of that.
Rod Bourgeois - Stanford Bernstein
All right. I think that's prudent to assume that things might happen that you haven't seen yet. But I wanted to then ask about some margin outlook. You've got a couple of contracts with CHW and a government client, where you're essentially eliminating some low or no margin revenues. And so I guess I'm wondering whether your margins for the full year can actually come in at the high end of the expectation range, rather than at the lower end or the middle part of it because of the margin benefit that you're going to get as these low margin revenue roll offline.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Rod, thank you. That certainly helps. And I think looking at the full year, I think we will be certainly and comfortably within that guidance range. I think a lot of it really depends on what you see in the discretionary environment in the fourth quarter and the impact of profit as we've just discussed. So, I think we feel very comfortable that we are going to be able to achieve that range. But where we come out in that range I think, it's still too early to tell. But we're very, very pleased with the margin story. And I think internally, we're very proud. If you step back over the last five quarters and look what we've done with margins, we've increased margin 1 point, 1 point. So, as a team we were very, very proud of that and very pleased with the margin progression we've seen. Again, growing margin year-over-year and sequentially. So, we're pleased with the progress.
Rod Bourgeois - Stanford Bernstein
All right. It's nice to see the 174 million of pre-cash flow in the last year. I think that's your trailing 12 months number. I guess, the question at this point is how sustainable is that free cash flow, I guess specifically I am wondering whether you're prone to see push back form clients in ways that will hurt your working capital. And what's your thought on that. But I know your CapEx and you're just probably going to go up some, but is there also a working capital wildcard here as well?
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Well, that's a good question and I think a keen observation, especially as you look at year end. We're being a little bit cautious around collections, given that we have seen in the past that year end people manage quarter ends for that matter, people managing cash pretty tightly. And so, that could have some impact and you could see some push back there. And anytime you're in a tight environment. People are obviously going to manage their cash very closely. I think the other factor that you've seen is as you noted is that next year we do expect CapEx to tick up a little bit, and that tends to be timing. If you go back to 2007, we were slightly above 3%. This year, we are going to be below 3%, and I think next year we'll probably be above 3%. So that will have a little pressure as well.
The next question will come from Joseph Vafi with Jefferies & Co.
Joseph Vafi - Jefferies & Co.
Hi, guys. Good morning. Good results here.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Thank you, Joe.
Joseph Vafi - Jefferies & Co.
Maybe we could talk a little bit on the Government side. Some of the pure play companies that have reported so far this quarter have shown some, actually some nice budget flush coming out of the government here at end of the government's fiscal year. They're more DoD focused, I think, than you are. But it might be interesting to get your commentary on the overall funding environment coming out of the Government right now. And how that market looks in terms of the pipeline and actually the bookings numbers in the quarter in the government?
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Thanks Joe. That's a very good question and one that we are focused on. As you know, government work is now 24% of our revenue. And that's a market that we think will be very successful for a long time. You saw the growth for us, I think was about 14% for the quarter year-on-year. And interestingly, the composition of our government wok is as you pointed out, a little stronger on the civilian side than it is on the Department of Defense. So civilian makes up about 45% of our revenues, whereas the balance is both in defense and homeland security and in national security. The civilian part of that business is one that we think in particular has a very strong growth prospects going into next year.
Obviously, depending on the results of today's elections, you can guess as to whether there will be more of a focus on Department of Defense issues or civilian issues. We feel very strongly about our positioning in civilian, where that part of our business is weighted towards not only Veterans Affairs, although the Veterans Affairs numbers are actually in healthcare from a reporting standpoint. But from a government approach, we have a strong, strong focus on Veterans Affairs as well as health and human services. We expect under any administration for more focus in that area. And also on the Department of Education, where we have a very strong focus.
So, we feel very good about those areas going into next year. In terms of freeing up of moneys at the end of the quarter, we saw some of it. We didn't see a huge amount of it. And the one item that you saw in our press release, where we went from a prime to a sub with something you'll be familiar with. That was an older contract of ours, where because of the agency preferences and how the contract, the renewal was led, we moved into a sub position. So, that happens as your business matures as you know. So, I would say we feel very good about our government team going forward. But at this point, we haven't seen the flood gates open in terms of new moneys coming in.
Joseph Vafi - Jefferies & Co.
Okay. That's helpful, and then maybe one follow up again on the margin side. Obviously, some less pass through is going to help to the margin profile. And I know I think John, you talked about some of the smaller healthcare deals, helping margin, because it's a quicker ramp. Is that, everything else aside, the economic conditions and less pass through, is that something we should expect to continue into '09 on the margin side maybe given continued growth in these smaller deals?
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Well, thanks for the question. We absolutely aspire in our focused on improving margins. But with the economic uncertainty, it's really hard to predict as you noted. Ultimately, it will depend under discretionary environment that we're in. But what you are seeing with short term projects and things like that. And not only that, but early deal economics for some of these new deals that we have signed. So, one of the focuses we are seeing in the market is people wanting to save money, make sense in the market like this, people wanting to save money. A lot of times that can put a little bit of pressure on the early deal economics. So, I think those are the two factors. Are we committed to continuing to improve margins? Absolutely and it's an absolute focus of ours. And again, we're just very, very pleased with the progress we have made. But a lot of it's going to depend on the environment.
Joseph Vafi - Jefferies & Co.
All right, thank you very much.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Thank you Joe.
The next question will come from George Price with Stifel Nicolaus.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Hi guys, good morning.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Hi Joe... George.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Couple of questions, first just on the two contracts; Catholic bringing in third party management functions back in house, is that some sort of cost reduction effort or what's the driver there?
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Well, I mean from a business standpoint, obviously there is some cost reduction in the sense that there was some incremental profit that we made for that service although as you saw from John's remarks. That was a very, very small amount. There were substantial changes to our contract with Catholic Healthcare West to give them, as I've said in my remarks, more flexibility, also to allow us to have more flexibility in terms of how we manage and support that account. So that was really quite a lot of things going on.
At the end of the day, that has been a contract we've had for many years. And whenever you have a contract for that number of years, you always say, gee, how do we think this will work better going forward? And so, there were really a lot of things, moving parts at the end of the day. At the end of the day, it's one of our top five accounts and we just signed a seven year renewal. So we feel very good about the relationship and where we're going. And I'll defer to John for the rest.
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
Yes, George, just to add a little more color to that, when we first took that function over, it was much, much smaller than it is today. And we really early on in that process added a lot of value to what they were doing and really helped them get that function organized and working very well. It's at a point today, where it works very well. And our ability to add value and to continue to add value to that function has substantially decreased. So in a renegotiation, it was one of those natural functions that went back to them, and I think why it was a win-win is that it actually losing that revenue, that had very little profit with it. As we've noted, actually it helped slightly margins.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Just to clarify peers, where both of your response. So beyond this part of the contract, it is the run rate on
Catholic coming down; is that some of the flexibility that you referred to?
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
There is going to be some decrease in the, if you will, the base level of the run rate although there is also an opportunity as we restructured it for the project work that we do for that to actually increase. So as I said, it's given them more flexibility, which is something that I think many of our clients and many IT clients around the globe were asking for in this environment. At the same time, we are very excited about the ability to continue to grow the revenue on that account. This is a good thing for us and a good thing for Catholic Healthcare West.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Okay. Second question on the federal contract; is that that was moved... you were moved from a prime to a sub. Was that a legacy QSS small business contract?
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
It was, George.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Okay. And then, I guess if I look at the $25 million... well, it's actually $21 million, those two contracts and then, you said $4 million from seasonal impacts. But even if we make it $25 million, if I take that out of the... or add that back to the guidance and kind of look at it versus what we in the street were expecting and even relative to third quarter, it looks kind of flattish, which in terms of revenue in your typical seasonal trend in fourth quarter. Is that entirely explained by your caution kind of around the project, the discretionary environment is there anything else going on there?
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
No, I think that's right. I mean let's step back and walk through the pieces. You've got $711 million base from the third quarter, take out the $21 million for low margin and the $4 million for the seasonal revenue. That gets you to about $685 million. We have a range of $680 million to $695 million. So there is some... still some upside there in the range to grow revenue. I think it's fair to say that given the economic uncertainty that creates some pressure. I think the second thing is that you saw some of those bigger deals push out and that creates a little caution in that range as well.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Okay. And then last thing if I could, just on the healthcare side. I know you noted some good growth in the emerging areas and even a little bit of growth in the larger hospitals, but given the environment we are hearing about from our healthcare analysts volumes down, tighter on credit and tighter on cash outlays. Are you not seeing any sort of pullback in terms of their willingness to invest either slower uptake or deferring some projects, but their willingness to invest in IT projects that are discretionary or outsourcing?
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Well, George I think that's a very good question. Again I think it's early days for us on that question. As I said in my remarks on the project side in the large hospital world, we did not see a pullback in the third quarter numbers. And in fact we even saw an increase. So rationally you would think that would happen. We have not yet seen it at least not seen it as of the third quarter. There is a very concerted focus, I think I've said it three times in my remark about the cost initiatives and healthcare.
And the good news is we have a very healthy cost focused set of offerings in healthcare. So, our revenue cycle work both at the physician level as well as at the hospital level. We expect to begin now to see good growth coming out of that team. Because those are our projects that can start in relatively short order. And we are seeing more and more interest both at the physician and at the hospital level in that kind or work.
In addition, as I talk about globalization, we are seeing more of an appetite in some of those healthcare organizations to permit us to have more globalized model again around cost savings initiatives. So, we actually see a very healthy amount of activity in healthcare right now. It is not your traditional huge big TCV deals, but a very healthy level of activity. And we actually expect the level of activity in healthcare to begin to increase.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Great. Thank you for taking the time.
The next question is a follow-up question from Joseph Vafi with Jefferies & Company.
Joseph Vafi - Jefferies & Co.
Hi, guys. Just one clarification I guess, John, you were saying that in addition to the $16 million, there will be an extra $8 million of Canada's lower margin revenue decrease starting in Q1. So, we're at a $24 million, is that the right way to look at $24 million on Catholic Healthcare West for a quarter on '09. Is that the way to look at it?
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
Yes. So, $16 million drops off from 3Q to 4Q and 8 million drops off from 4Q to the first quarter. Now, it's averaged about $20 million a quarter, but that's just the way it works out on average. But that is the numbers for fourth quarter and first quarter.
Joseph Vafi - Jefferies & Co.
And then it stays at that run rate from there forward then?
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
That's correct.
Joseph Vafi - Jefferies & Co.
Okay, and then just maybe just one final question here on some of your offshore business. I guess we have seen some early signs of little of counter cyclicality moving into the decision making among clients on trying to lower cost and things like that in the tougher environment. Is... are you seeing that in the offshore piece? I mean I know you mentioned a little bit of that generally in projects that are cost savings driven. Is that coming from offshore? Is that maybe coming from other traditional healthcare areas and any color there would be useful. Thanks.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Joe, thanks I think it's coming from both. I think the reference that some of you have made about macro shock in terms of decision making is accurate. So, I think even for smaller level of projects you're seeing some people delayed in pulling triggers, on deals that in a normal environment, we would say hey, from a return on investment standpoint. Or even from a return on not actually financial investment, but just the time and effort it takes to put some of these together. It looks like something that you would ordinarily do quickly or actually being dragged out.
So, I think you have some of that. I think you have to some extent, fewer new logo opportunities than traditionally you have for exactly the same reason. Clients are simply not willing to take the time and effort to bring on new vendors. So, while we have new logos being signed, we also have a consulting effort within existing clients to expand our work for clients, both in terms of more of what we are doing and in terms of a broader breadth of what we are doing.
One of things I mentioned in my remarks was kind of a global modular services approach, which is actually a multi-faceted approach, as being able to save clients money very quickly with projects that are less than full outsourcing. But that hit both the applications world and the infrastructure world in particular around our REMO [ph] activities that can be put into place very, very quickly. We've modularized that work so that work can be done in short order and not through a large scale outsourcing that takes long decision making. So we have adjusted, if you will, our approach to the market to be able to accommodate smaller deals and shorter deals, deals that don't require as much taking over of control or functions at the client level, but that get client level saving in a quicker mode. So all of that is going on. I think it's going to take a little while for those projects to take hold because of the decision making process. But we think we've got the right offerings for this marketplace.
Joseph Vafi - Jefferies & Co.
Okay. And then maybe just one final one on for those larger deals and going back a couple of quarters, we kind of heard that the large deals, especially in healthcare were slowing down and then there was a little bit of movement in the pipeline and maybe it sounds now like that pipeline is kind of getting pushed out again. Is that economic driven, do you think at this point or is there a change going on again in the industry?
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
I think that that is more decision making, if you will, delays than anything else. Because those deals have... from an economic standpoint, we think are very advantageous for the clients, and we think from the strategic standpoint are advantageous as well; and they're still in the pipeline. So we think that those things will eventually come to fruition, but the decision making has clearly business stretched up.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
And I think just to add to that when you're doing a larger outsourcing contract, it really requires a lot of client focus and a lot of their time and attention and in this market, it creates a lot of distraction. And I think that just adds to that environment.
Joseph Vafi - Jefferies & Co.
That's helpful. Thanks guys.
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
Thank you, Joe.
Your next question is a follow up question from George Price with Stifel Nicolaus.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Thanks very much for letting me get back on and for letting us ask follow-ups. I appreciate it. On the acquisition revenue, $7 million was a little lighter than I think I was expecting based on the two acquisitions that you have an anniversary you had based on the prior run rates. I know, one is in Europe it is... can you just talk about what's going on with those two businesses?
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
Yes, I think the businesses are going well. Integration is proceeding well. And we are really using their capabilities and that's going to combine ultimately for better growth. We feel like, you do have a situation, where you've got weakening exchange rates that's lowering reported revenue. And anytime you have, you're in the early phases of integration.
It's difficult given all the responsibilities of integrating those businesses to keep at the levels that you're at. But I think that's only a matter of timing. I think given the environment, given what we've seen, we're still very pleased that we've done that... done those acquisitions, and they're hanging in there. And I think we'll be great value adds to our team.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Yeah I mean our approach as expand revenue outside the United States, George, is to allow us the time to really...if you will integrates these teams. We are one operating team, we are not a holding company. And so to some extent while I would have liked to see faster growth in the Irish and in the German acquisitions. The Irish acquisition has a good emphasis on financial services business and the German acquisition has a good emphasis on the auto business. And in this environment, both of those are going to be a little challenge. I will say the flip side is it really has allowed us to spend a lot of time thoroughly integrating those teams. And I think over the long-term, that will pay dividends in the way they work within Perot Systems, and I think those markets will rebound nicely. So as John said, I remain very supportive of those acquisitions. We are focused on EMEA in terms of up in a measured, very kind of prudent way expanding our footprint there. And those acquisitions are part of that.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Okay. And just on the margin target, 50 to 100 bips; is that still a target range that you think is achievable next year? Is it too early to say given the environment? Where do you stand there?
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
Well, as I noted earlier, we absolutely aspire to continue to improve profit margins. But in this time of economic uncertainty makes it very difficult to predict. Ultimately, it's going to depend on what the discretionary environment looks like. And as I noted, what our early deal economics for our new business that we signed looked like. So again big focus here. This team is make no mistake, this team is absolutely focused on improving margins. If you look at our track record on the last five quarters, 1 point 1 points of improved margin. It has been a focus it will continue to be a focus, but it's very difficult to predict.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Okay. And last just clarification on the internal growth; was that... I think you said 7.5% or 8%?
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
Organic, correct.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Is that kind of basically fully performing JJWild to be acquired at late third quarter '07? Did you...
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
I would have to look at that, but I think that fully includes the impact of JJWild.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Okay, all right.
John Harper - Chief Financial Officer
That's something I can look up and then clarify and get back with you.
George Price - Stifel Nicolaus
Okay, okay, many thanks guys.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
Thank you, George.
This ends the Q&A portion of the call. Peter Altabef will now make his closing remarks.
Peter Altabef - President and Chief Executive Officer
I want to thank everyone for joining the call today. And again remind everyone that we have a two page downloadable on our Investor Relations site that I think you'll find helpful and continues to provide guidance and insights into the business; and look forward to speaking with you next quarter. Thanks very much.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for participating in today's Perot Systems third quarter 2008 earnings conference call. You may now disconnect. .
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Research News
Antibody against RSV helps prevent wheeze in infantsBMJ 2013; 346 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f3089 (Published 15 May 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:f3089
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Palivizumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and an effective prophylactic against severe infection in high risk infants. A new trial in preterm infants reports that the drug also helps prevent …
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No studies have proven the safety in using L-arginine while pregnant or nursing, so it is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Children younger than 18 years of age should not take L-arginine because of a lack of research to support its safety in this population.
Because L-arginine is a supplement, it is not as closely regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as medications are.


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NSANGI, Uganda, Feb 8 (AFP) Feb 08, 2008
The temperature is rising a little too quickly in Uganda -- and coffee farmers are getting worried. Growers say that global warming is damaging production of coffee, Uganda's biggest export.
Ask coffee farmer Emmanuel Kawesi, who has a "feeling" about the impending danger. "It's hotter now -- this is not usual," he says standing under a wide mango tree to escape the intense sun.
"Global warming will be very dangerous for my coffee," says the 33-year-old, explaining that more sunshine and less rain means coffee beans will shrivel and yields will decrease.
Today, coffee brings in over half of Uganda's revenue. A report released by Uganda's Department of Meteorology late last year, however, warned that just a slight increase in temperature could wipe out most of the country's coffee crop.
"Everyone is talking about global warming; coffee is our business," says Mariam Sekisanda, 27, as she pauses from picking ripe coffee beans on her expansive farm to sit under the shade of a thicket of lush banana trees.
Gesturing to nearby farms along an orange-dusted road flanked by dense greenery and steep hills, Sekisanda says her neighbours are flummoxed by the fluctuating weather.
"Climate change has affected coffee production already," says Philip Gitao, director of the Eastern Africa Fine Coffees Association.
Rains have been falling at unusual times, preventing the coffee crop from having enough time to mature.
Although Uganda may receive more rainfall from surface evaporation off east Africa's Great Lakes in coming years, the increased precipitation will likely be erratic.
Combined with the fact that there have been more droughts in the past two to three years than ever before, the level of coffee quality has dropped, Gitao says.
Global interest in fine Arabica coffee varieties found in Ugandan and other east African highlands has recently surged.
American coffee chain Starbucks has already started buying green coffee beans from Ugandan farms.
But the company may have to compete with a heating up climate.
A United Nations panel on climate change predicted in January that the world's temperatures will rise by between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees C on average by the end of the century, mainly as a result of human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.
"A rise in two degrees would make most of Uganda unsuitable for coffee," says Philip Gwage, Ugandan deputy commissioner of meteorology. "There is no real doubt that global temperatures will rise."
Gwage says that certain conditions are required for coffee growth, including cool temperatures and enough water.
The average temperature in Uganda's coffee-growing area now is about 25 degrees C (77 degrees F). Robusta is the main variety of coffee grown, but it would "essentially disappear", according to the report.
Coffee-growing areas would be reduced to less than a tenth of their current size, and neighbouring coffee producers Kenya and Tanzania would also be affected.
To protect their coffee from global warming, Ugandan farmers are banking on a three-tiered strategy: growing more trees to create a cool shade for the coffee; mulching or covering soil with grass to hold on to water, and digging long terraces in the ground to retain rainfall.
But Sylvester Bukenya, who has spent 50 of his 69 years working as a farmer, is skeptical that he will able to mitigate the effects of climate change on his crops without extra help.
"The only assistance we get from the government is advice to plant more trees, but people are cutting them down for firewood and charcoal," Bukenya says, his backyard overgrown with thick, green plants and multi-colored fruits.
The Department of Meteorology's change specialist James Magezi-Akiiki says that the government is working hand-in-hand with farmers to give them information on what will likely happen to the climate in the next 30 to 50 years.
Coffee is seasonal in Uganda and thrives during the rainy, cool period, which usually lasts between November and February.
But Magezi-Akiiki warns that the coffee-growing season is set to fluctuate.
"What we are experiencing now is the effects of global warming increasing in both frequency and intensity."All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.


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Acting with Hamlet takes a certain skull
DAVID TENNANT has used the skull of a former pianist in performances of Hamlet.
Andre Tchaikowsky died of cancer in 1982 aged 46 and donated his body for medical science. But he added the proviso that his skull "shall be offered by the institution receiving my body to the Royal Shakespeare Company for use in theatrical performance".
It has since been used only in rehearsals because no actor felt comfortable enough using it on stage in front of an audience.
David Howells, curator of the company archives, said: "In 1989 the actor Mark Rylance rehearsed with it but he couldn't get past the fact it wasn't Yorick's, it was Andre Tchaikowsky's."
Now, unbeknown to the paying public, Dr Who actor Tennant has used the skull in 22 performances of Hamlet in Stratford-upon-Avon. The director, Greg Doran, explained why he did not want anyone to know. "I thought it would topple the play and it would be all about David acting with a real skull," he said.
Polish-born Tchaikowsky was smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto in 1942 to Lodz, before settling in Paris and later England. He lived in Oxford for a time and loved going to the theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Tennant's Hamlet has earned mostly positive reviews. Writing in The Guardian, theatre critic Michael Billington said: "Audiences may flock to this production to see the transmogrification of Dr Who into a wild and witty Hamlet. What they will discover is a rich realisation of the greatest of poetic tragedies."
The Telegraph, London
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How to Pick a Lancaster Web Design Partner
Break Free of Outdated Web Design Trends
If you have an existing local website, it may be looking a little dated. Many websites already created for local businesses are designed for the smallest monitor sizes, and they include extensive amounts of text. Unfortunately, most of the website design trends followed by other Lancaster marketing companies seem to be outdated. If you want to stand out, your website should look modern and follow current design trends — not old ones.
One trend overlooked by other Lancaster website design firms is the use of white space. White space provides breathing room for your site's content. It gives the visitor a welcoming experience, and doesn't overwhelm them with massive amounts of text or graphics. And, surprisingly, it's a factor that many overlook in web design in Lancaster, PA.
Another seldom-employed tactic is large photographs or illustrations as background images. With the decreased cost of monitors, the typical size of a browser window is larger than it was in the past. By using a beautiful photo or captivating illustration as a website's background, the size of the monitor's landscape is fully utilized. This under-used website design style can lead to breathtaking websites, ones that vastly outsell the local competition.
With advancements in technology, videos have become one of the most popular ways to present your information and engage your visitor. Design companies aren't always educated on the power of video, or they don't have the tools needed to produce them. But we know that video is powerful, and it should be front and center on your website. After all, seeing is truly believing!
Finally, grid layout, a common Lancaster, PA website design style, is an organized way to present information. This look is best for the more business-oriented companies. However, it's time to shake things up a bit. One large column paired with several smaller columns offers a fresh way to use a grid. By expanding the boundaries of the grid layout, your website design style can truly be unique, and will set your business apart from the rest.
By establishing new website design trends and following the industry standards, WebpageFX allows businesses in the Lancaster and Central PA area to create an online presence that propels their company into the world market. We offer both new site design and redesign packages that can be fully customized to meet your individual needs, preferences, and desires. And we know how to capitalize on website design in Lancaster, PA to help your business stand out against the local competition and beyond.
Some of Our Successes:
+ 95% Details ▸ Increased Conversion Rate by
+ 37% Details ▸ Decreased Bounce Rate by
- 60%
We Offer More Than Just Web Design for Lancaster Companies
Our clients enjoy success with their website because we take the time to research. This research is then used to create a web design that transforms the most number of visitors as possible into customers.
Our web designs are based specifically on what works for your target audience while showcasing your brand. And unlike other Lancaster web design firms and national web design companies, we offer top-notch web development, Internet marketing programs, and stellar customer service.
WebpageFX is a "one-stop shop" for Internet marketing in Central Pennsylvania. We offer everything from local SEO and PPC management to copywriting, content marketing, development, and even cell phone applications and development. Our expert Internet marketers can provide you with just one or two services or projects, or act as a full-service marketing company for you. That's the WebpageFX advantage — we offer everything under one roof.
Our goal is to create a partnership with our Lancaster clients. As their businesses evolve and needs change, we are here to expand the reach of their websites and provide everything they need to attract the most amount of customers online. And since we're located in nearby Harrisburg, we're always available for in-person meetings, events, or phone calls on your schedule.
WebpageFX's wide range of services create, support, and effectively market your online presence, placing us on the cutting edge of web design in Lancaster, PA. That's what sets us apart from the rest. And that's what will set your website apart from the rest, too.
Ready to have us design a world-class website that reaches Lancaster customers and beyond? Call 888.449.3239 or contact us to get a fast, no-obligation quote.


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Posted by Charles
Mr. Ellem is a very good lawyer who represented my case in a very professional manner. He was honest and he get's things done. I recommend him to anyone!!!
Posted by anonymous
Thanks for all the work you put into my case. I will be recommending you to anyone that has similar problems in the future.
Posted by scott
Mr. Ellem was very courteous and professional in assisting me with my legal issues. He made me feel comfortable, was always responsive to my calls and emails, and followed-through with everything he said he would. I recommend Mr. Ellem to all my friends and family, or to anybody in need of excellent representation.
Posted by Shelley
Attorney John Ellem and his staff were very professional and helpful during a very trying time in my life. Mr. Ellem worked extremely hard to ensure that I was able to remain in my home, avoid foreclosure, and secure a loan modification for me. Mr. Ellem knows the mortgage laws and is definitely the attorney you want on your side in a situation like this.
Posted by Marsha
Mr. Ellem was a great lawyer, from our first meeting to the end. He kept me informed even sent me email when i sent him emails asking question. His office employees were real friendly and helpful. He settled my law suit without having to go to court. We settled out of court and i was real pleased with the outcome of my case. How many lawyers do you know that would answer questions about a case by email, and phone calls. He was always easy to get in contact with by phone and emails even after office hours. I had questions i needed answered about another possible case and he was always there to answer my questions about it also. Not many lawyers would do that.Even after my case was over i emailed him about concerns about this possible other case and he still emailed me with answers to questions i had.
In the beginning of my case was in magistrate court and the case was thrown out of court there., Then i filed Law suit in Circuit Court and Mr, Ellem won my case with a good settlement in my favor in the end without having to go to court before the judge. The Company was glad to settle out of court.
I was highly pleased from the beginning to end of my case.
I was more than pleased with the fees i paid for my case was really reasonable cheaper than i could have been charged by other lawyers in my area. My case was settled quickly so glad it wasn't drawn out over a long period of time. Which could have taken a lot longer to settle.
*I would highly recommend Mr. Ellem to anyone. I personally think he did a fantastic job settling my case,


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Search through all the contests
Each year, the Space Foundation International Student Art Contest invites pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students from around the world to submit original artwork based on a space-oriented theme. The 2013 contest theme, If I were going..., challenges students to imagine how they would personally experience space travel, exploration or settlement – and then interpret that idea into an original work of visual art.
Media/art categories:
• Drawing
• Painting
• Digital art
Grade/age categories:
• PreK-2nd (3-7 years old)
• 3rd–5th (8-10 years old)
• 6th-8th (11-13 years old)
• 9th-12th (14-18 years old)
Original Artwork must be at least 11"x17" and no larger than 18"x24". Limit of one entry per student. There is no entry fee.
The 2013 Space Foundation International Student Art Contest is open to students enrolled in grades PreK – 12 or age equivalent.
International entries must be categorized by equivalent ages for U.S. PreK – 12th grade.
The Space Foundation will give a total of 41 awards to 36 Winners: 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd- Place in each of three media/art categories for each grade level/age group. One Grand Prize winner will be selected for each grade category from among the First-Place Winners in that group for a total of four Grand Prizes.
In addition, the Space Foundation will confer a Space Foundation Achievement Award, which will be selected by the Space Foundation graphic arts team from among all the Winners.


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Christmas Valley Golf Course
Just about any place you find on TravelOregon.com can be added to your own Oregon Roadtrippers Account. Find out how.
Get on the road with Roadtrippers
We've partnered with Roadtrippers to provide a great way to plan a trip around Oregon. So start planning your next road trip to here, there or pretty much anywhere in Oregon.
The 9-hole Christmas Valley Golf Course in Christmas Valley, OR is a municipal golf course that opened in 1962. Designed by Joe Ward, Christmas Valley Golf Course measures 3517 yards from the longest tees. The course features 3 sets of tees for different skill levels.
If you regularly tour other, well-known golf courses of Central and Sourthern Oregon, it is worth the drive to Christmas Valley to test your skill on a true links style course. You will find interesting geological attractions in the vicinity as well.
What's around here? Location & Nearby Things to See & Do
These maps and directions are for planning purposes only. You may find that construction projects, traffic, or other events may cause road conditions to differ from the map results. For travel options, weather and road conditions, visit tripcheck.com, call 511 (in Oregon only), 800.977.6368 or 503.588.2941.
Is any of the information on this page incorrect?


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Expedia car hire in Kamarhati comes with No Hidden Fees
At Expedia, our goal is to offer you a variety of Kamarhati car hire discounts at the very best price to suit our customer`s needs. We offer car hire comparisons in Kamarhati from compact economy cars with low consumption to luxury or off road solutions, depending on your preference. Every Kamarhati rental car we feature will come fully equipped with the latest amenities and safety features that ensure your trips will be safe, convenient and comfortable. It has never been easier to find a rental car in Kamarhati. We offer you competitive prices and up-to-date information, ensuring quality and efficiency for all our visitors, at all times. Book your Kamarhati rental car today and enjoy your holiday, or get anywhere in time for your business meetings. At Expedia, we understand that travelling can be a hassle if you are not well organized, which is why we provide a variety of car types to compare and choose from for all types of travellers. Your next cheap car hire in Kamarhati is now just a few clicks away, at Expedia.


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How to use the Play Console
Register for a Google Play Developer account
To publish Android apps on Google Play, you'll need to create a Google Play Developer account.Step 1: Sign up for a Google Play Developer account
- Using your Google Account, sign up for a Developer account.
- Once you have a Developer account, you can use the Play Console to publish and manage your apps.
During the sign up process, you'll need to review and accept the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement.
There is a $25 USD one-time registration fee that you can pay with the following credit or debit cards:
- MasterCard
- Visa
- American Express
- Discover (U.S. only)
- Visa Electron (Outside of the U.S. only)
Note: The types of cards accepted may vary by location.
Type your account details. Your "Developer name" is displayed to customers on Google Play.
You can add more account information after you've created your account.
Develop Android apps
Learn how to design, develop, and distribute your Android apps on Google Play.
- Android Developers
- Google Play Apps Policy Center
- Training for Android Developers
- DevBytes on YouTube
Use the Play Console
Starting in April 2017, you'll notice your Play Console has an updated design and navigation. All of the features you're familiar with are still available, but some may have moved.
Once you've selected an app, you'll see the menu includes several new categories. Here are the pages you'll find in each of those categories:
- Development tools: Crashes & ANRs, Deobfuscation Files, Services & APIs, FCM Diagnostics
- Release management: Artifact library, Manage releases, Pre-launch report
- Store presence: Store listing, Store listing experiments, Pricing & distribution, Content rating, In-app products, Paid app sales, Translation service
- User acquisition: User acquisition, AdWords campaigns, Promotions, Optimization tips
- User feedback: Ratings, Reviews analysis, Reviews, Beta feedback
For more information on some of the most popular features, click the links below.
Track app performance from your Android device
You can review app status and performance data on-the-go with the Play Console app.
- How to use the Play Console app
- View app performance statistics
- See your app's ratings & reviews
- Review your app's revenue data
What's new
Here are some popular resources with the latest news and tips on developing Android apps and games for Google Play.
- If you have a Google Play Developer account, view Play Console announcements by selecting the bell icon .
- Learn about the latest features, best practices, and strategies to help you succeed on Google Play with the Playbook app.
- Read the latest news and posts about Android and Google Play on the Android Developers blog.
- Find tips, trends, and industry insights on the Google Play Apps & Games Medium blog.
Need help publishing apps on Google Play? Here are a few places you can go for additional support.
- Android Developers forum
- Android Security forum
- Publishing
- Google Payments Merchant Center
- Contact Google Play Developer support: Our support team can help you use the Play Console but can't provide technical or development support.


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U.S. Domestic: Eastern Time Zone (GMT -4:00) (New York, Toronto)
Dec 28 9:00 AM Case-Shiller 20-city Index Oct
Dec 28 10:00 AM Consumer Confidence Dec
Dec 29 7:00 AM MBA Mortgage Applications 12/24
Dec 29 10:30 AM Crude Inventories 12/25
Dec 30 8:30 AM Initial Claims 12/25
Dec 30 8:30 AM Continuing Claims 12/18
Dec 30 9:45 AM Chicago PMI Dec
Dec 30 10:00 AM Pending Home Sales Nov
International: Eastern Time Zone (GMT -4:00) (New York, Toronto)
Dec 27 JPY Annualized Housing Starts (NOV)
Dec 27 JPY Housing Starts (NOV)
Dec 27 18:30 JPY Household Spending (NOV)
Dec 27 18:30 JPY Jobless Rate (NOV)
Dec 27 18:30 JPY National Consumer Price Index Ex-Fresh Food (NOV)
Dec 27 18:30 JPY National Consumer Price Index Ex Food, Energy (NOV)
Dec 27 18:30 JPY National Consumer Price Index (NOV)
Dec 27 18:50 JPY Industrial Production (NOV P)
Dec 27 18:50 JPY Large Retailers' Sales (NOV)
Dec 27 18:50 JPY Retail Trade (NOV)
Dec 27 18:50 JPY Retail Trade s.a. (NOV)
Dec 27 20:30 JPY Labor Cash Earnings (NOV)
Dec 28 02:00 CHF UBS Consumption Indicator (NOV)
Dec 28 10:00 USD Consumer Confidence (DEC) ***
Dec 29 EUR German Consumer Price Index - EU Harmonised (DEC P)
Dec 29 EUR German Consumer Price Index (DEC P)
Dec 29 04:30 GBP Bank of England Housing Equity Withdrawal (3Q)
Dec 29 05:30 CHF KOF Swiss Leading Indicator (DEC)
Dec 30 10:00 USD Pending Home Sales (NOV)
Dec 30 19:30 AUD Private Sector Credit (DEC)
Dec 31 GBP Nationwide House Prices n.s.a. (DEC)
Dec 31 JPY Nomura/JMMA Manufacturing Purchasing Manager Index (DEC)
Dec 31 16:15 USD Bloomberg Financial Conditions Index (DEC)
Key Earnings Announcements This Week:
Monday, Dec. 27, 2010
Before: CALM
During: -
After: -
Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2010
Before: -
During: -
After: -
Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010
Before: IPSU
During: -
After: DDMX(?), XRS(?), NCTY(?)
Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010
Before: GIGM(?)
During: -
After: -
Friday, Dec. 31, 2010
Before: -
During: -
After: -
Note: All economic numbers and earnings reports are in line with those compiled by Briefing.com. Occasionally changes will occur that are made after the posting of this column and some companies have not confirmed their time, so always double check when taking positions overnight during earnings season! (?) = Not yet confirmed at the time the list was compiled. © 1998-2010 All information presented is property of TradingFromMainStreet.com and Bastiat Group, Inc.
Toni Hansen is president and co-founder of the Bastiat Group, Inc., DBA Trading From Main Street. Toni is one of the most respected technical analysts and traders in the industry. She has been trading and educating new traders, money managers, professional market analysts and traders throughout the boom and bust of the last decade. She has worked in conjunction with some of the world's top financial exchanges. Learn more about Toni Hansen and the educational services she provides through her website at http://www.tonihansen.com.


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Believe it or not, some gamers actually enjoy the Call of Duty single-player campaign, so we're appreciative when the game's developers put a little effort into it.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare fortunately looks like it'll have a solid story-driven campaign, and we no doubt have Kevin Spacey to thank for that.
So forget the multiplayer stuff and check out a new trailer and set of screens.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – Campaign Story trailer:
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare screens:
With nations brought to their knees by a global terrorist attack, the world turns to Atlas, the largest private military company on the planet. Power, though, changes everything.


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Drama Camp Grand Finale Friday
Pictured above are Gypsy member, Joshua Davidson, center; pianist, Kaci Frates; and some of the youngest camp members working on their musical program.
DalhARTs Drama Camp students will complete their week of study with a Grand Finale Production, Friday July 10, 7:00 p.m. in the Dalhart High School Auditorium. About 45 students, ages 5 to 15, have been studying music, drama and dance under the direction of members of the Gypsy Theatre Co.


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Storm losses may top $131 billion
Page Tools
The economic loss from Hurricane Katrina and subsequent flooding is likely to top $US100 billion ($131 billion), the consulting firm Risk Management Solutions (RMS) said on Friday.
RMS said at least 50 per cent of economic loss is expected to come from flooding in New Orleans, hurricane losses from wind and coastal surge, infrastructure damage and indirect economic impacts.
The estimate is separate from estimates of insured losses. RMS has projected up to $US25 billion in losses covered by insurance, and other estimates have varied.
RMS, a consultant for insurers, reinsurers and other financial institutions, said the New Orleans flood "has developed into the most damaging flood in US history".
It said at least 150,000 properties have been flooded, topping the previous US record from flooding and levee failures on the lower Mississippi River in 1927, which affected 137,000 properties.
"The economic and insurance consequences of the 2005 Great New Orleans Flood will depend highly on how quickly authorities can respond to the event," said Laurie Johnson, vice president of technical marketing at RMS.
"The speed at which existing pumps are reactivated and additional pumping capacity is added will determine how rapidly the floodwaters are removed. But this is only the first step in restoring services to flooded areas of the city," Johnson said.
RMS said the value of physical property in the flooded areas is approximately $US100 billion. It said that while the majority of property damage occurs once floodwaters enter a structure, the longer the property remains inundated, the greater the damage.
RMS also estimated that the costs of interrupted economic activity exceed $US100 million per day.
It said the closest parallel to the 2005 disaster is the 1953 flood in the Netherlands, which led to more than 1800 deaths and the inundation of 47,000 properties. In that case, it took six months to pump out all the water from the flood bowl.
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Photo Credit: davidorban
I love to sit down and read a good book, but travelling with them can be a huge pain. And, sometimes I'm just too lazy to read and I want someone else to do it for me.
I did some research about audiobooks and I found some great sites that offer free audiobooks for you to download. You can pop these right on your mobile device like you would with any song and you're ready to go.
1) Open Culture - This one is still growing but it has some great classics available.
2) Books Should Be Free - Over 3,000 titles are waiting for your ears.
3) Librivox - This site relies on volunteers to upload audio of themselves reading books. There's no promise the reading will be amazing but there are nearly 7,500 available titles.
4) Podiobooks - If you're looking to find the "next big thing," this might be the place to start. Podiobooks features up-and-coming authors.
5) Lit2Go - This site has more poems and stories.
For more options...CLICK HERE