text:
OAKLAND — A Hayward man who spent 20 years preparing taxes for clients pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to filing his own false return and assisting in the preparation of other ones, federal officials announced.
In the agreement, Naushad Buksh admitted he intentionally signed and filed false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns with the Internal Revenue Service while operating a Hayward-based tax preparation business from 2007 through 2010, said U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag in a statement.
Buksh, who prosecutors say prepared taxes for approximately 20 years, underreported the gross receipts of the business by nearly $600,000, resulting in a tax loss by the IRS of $160,528, Haag said.
He also admitted to fabricating false deductions and credits to create fraudulent refunds for his clients.
Buksh, 56, was charged last May with four counts of making and subscribing false tax returns and 41 counts of assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. He pleaded guilty to every count, Haag said.
He will be sentenced April 11, with each count holding a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Rick Hurd covers crime. Contact him in Walnut Creek at 925-945-4780 and follow him at Twitter.com/3rdERH.


text:
D'Arrigo Bros. Co. of California has named directors of business development, sales and foodservice sales — three of five promotions at the grower-shipper, which also hired a salesman.
Matt Amaral, previously a salesman, is now director of business development.
John Scherpinski has been promoted to director of sales. He guides the daily pricing strategies for the sales staff and the Andy Boy product lines. Scherpinski has been with the Salinas, Calif., grower-shipper for nine years, according to a news release.
Greg Heinz, who's spent eight years with the company and was also a salesman, is now director of foodservice sales.
Gabriela D'Arrigo was promoted to marketing manager.
In that role she will continue to revamp the D'Arrigo website, increase the company's social media activity and enhance marketing materials.
"It is a very exciting time for marketing in the industry, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to make my mark at D'Arrigo and bring the company into the future," she said in the release.
Gabriella Besaw was promoted from sales assistant to sales associate.
D'Arrigo Bros. Co. also hired Ben Wilson as a salesman. Wilson previously worked in sales for Coastline Produce, recently renamed Coastline Family Farms.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A WINCHESTER central car park is due to be closed for three days for a technical survey.
The Chesil Street surface car park will shut from today for a geotechnical survey by Tweedie Evans Consulting for Winchester City Council.
The car park is controversially the preferred site for new homes for the elderly. Many local people are unhappy that dozens of parking spaces will be lost.
Cllr Keith Wood, council leader, said: "We are in the middle of a consultation process to consider the urgent need for extra care housing in Winchester and whether the Chesil Street surface car park might be a suitable site.
"This kind of geotechnical survey looks dramatic, with a drilling rig on site to make a test borehole, but it is routine for any site where development may take place. The report produced provides necessary technical information, but I would like to stress that no decision about extra care housing at Chesil Street has been taken at this stage."
The council has apologised for any inconvenience caused and stressed alternative parking will be available during the closure at the nearby park & ride sites and the Chesil Street multi-storey car park.


text:
CHICAGO Spurred by a difficult economy, over-the-counter medications increasingly are playing a dual role for consumers looking to minimize healthcare expenditures, the SymphonyIRI Group found in a new research paper titled "Over-the-Counter Medications: State of the Industry 2010" that was released last week.
"The down economy has reinforced and escalated consumers' quest for 'the good life,'" stated Susan Sakach, SVP healthcare solutions at SymphonyIRI. "Consumers have long worked to establish and maintain wellness in order to have a high quality of life; however, today they are motivated by something else, too. Consumers are looking to stay well in order to alleviate burdensome medical expenses."
This has prompted greater interest in self-care — more than one-third of consumers today are visiting the doctor less frequently and self-treating to save on medical expenses. Nearly all of these consumers (88%) will continue to do so even as the economy improves, SymphonyIRI found.
This has generated a greater consumer interest in overall nutrition, for example, with 74% of consumers indicating they are trying to eat better these days. While many consumers are using nutrition to achieve a specific goal, such as losing weight or controlling a special condition, 81% of consumers indicated that they are eating better because they want to stay healthy and avoid unnecessary medical expenses.
Along with the greatest interest in overall nutrition comes an increasing awareness around supplementing a diet with vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements. Two-thirds of consumers regularly use vitamins, while one-quarter and one-third of consumers take herbal supplements and omega-3s, respectively, SymphonyIRI found.
Prevention similarly is a common theme among OTC consumers. For instance, 16% of consumers indicated they take allergy medication to prevent allergies even though proactively taking allergy medication simply treats symptoms but doesn't actually prevent an allergy. This disconnect is one example of an opportunity for allergy medication manufacturers to educate consumers about true prevention strategies, SymphonyIRI suggested.
"For many consumers, OTC medications are a tool that allows them to maintain their hectic schedules despite having a chronic condition, such as allergies, or acute ailments, such as achy muscles," Sakach said. "OTC marketers are wise to consider this perspective when developing their communication strategy. Education provides fo another level of communication with consumers."
SymphonyIRI is offering a free webinar called "Over-the-Counter Medications: State of the Industry 2010," on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. EST. Click here to register.


text:
Joshua Bell's stunning virtuosity, beautiful tone, and charismatic stage presence have
brought him universal acclaim. An Avery Fisher Prize recipient, Mr. Bell recently received
the New York Chapter Recording Academy Honors and was the first person appointed music
director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (ASMF) since Sir Neville Marriner
formed the orchestra in 1958. The ensemble's first CD under Mr. Bell's
leadership-Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 and Symphony No. 7-debuted at the top of the
Billboard classical chart. Mr. Bell's holiday-themed CD Musical
Gifts-featuring collaborations with Chris Botti, Kristin Chenoweth, Chick Corea,
Alison Krauss, Gloria Estefan, Renée Fleming, and others-was released last month.
Mr. Bell's season highlights include a European and US tour with ASMF and performances
with the Houston, Dallas, and St. Louis symphony orchestras. Mr. Bell performs the Brahms
Violin Concerto with Paavo Järvi conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the
Sibelius Violin Concerto with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A US
recital tour and a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts performance with the
National Symphony Orchestra round out the season.
Mr. Bell's 2007 incognito Washington, DC, subway station performance resulted in a
provocative Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post story that examined art
and context. The conversation continues with the new illustrated children's book The
Man with the Violin.
As a soloist, chamber musician, and conductor, Mr. Bell has recorded more than 40 CDs
garnering Grammy, Mercury, Gramophone, and Echo Klassik awards. Recent releases
include works of French Impressionism with pianist Jeremy Denk, At Home
with Friends, Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, and
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the Berliner Philharmoniker. His discography encompasses
the major violin repertoire, in addition to John Corigliano's Oscar-winning soundtrack to
The Red Violin.
Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Mr. Bell received his first violin at age four and at 12
began studying with Josef Gingold at Indiana University. Two years later, Mr. Bell came to
national attention through performances with Riccardo Muti and The Philadelphia Orchestra,
and at age 17, he made his Carnegie Hall debut. Bell plays the 1713 Huberman
British pianist Sam Haywood has performed to critical acclaim all over the world.
Alongside his busy solo and chamber music career, he is also a composer and artistic
director of the Solent Music Festival.
Later this year, Mr. Haywood will make solo debuts in the US (John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts), Peru (Lima Philharmonic Society), and Austria (Vienna Konzerthaus).
He is a regular duo partner to violinist Joshua Bell, with whom he has toured all over the
world. He also regularly appears with cellist Steven Isserlis and has recently recorded a
CD of piano works by Julius Isserlis, Steven's grandfather, for Hyperion. To celebrate
Chopin's bicentennial year, he made the world premiere recording on Chopin's own Pleyel
piano, which has since been broadcast numerous times. Mr. Haywood's next recording project,
entitled Composers in Love, will feature a selection of works inspired by
composers' hearts' desires.
Following his early success in the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, the Royal
Philharmonic Society awarded Mr. Haywood its prestigious Isserlis award. He went on to
study with Paul Badura-Skoda in Vienna, where he began his enduring passion for opera. At
the Royal Academy of Music in London, he was mentored by Maria Curcio, renowned teacher and
pupil of Artur Schnabel.
Outside the musical world, Mr. Haywood is passionate about his native Lake District,
magic, literature, and technology.
Whether or not the devil actually appeared to Tartini in a dream in the guise of a virtuoso violinist, as legend has it, the ubiquitous trills that give this famous sonata its nickname are fiendishly hard to execute. Tartini and his pupils were known for the delicacy and refinement of their playing.
Nearly 10 years separate the last of Beethoven's 10 violin sonatas from its predecessor, the exuberant and concerto-like "Kreutzer" Sonata. In the G-Major Sonata, written in 1812 and revised two or three years later, Beethoven largely eschews virtuosic display until the very end, perhaps in deference to the limited keyboard technique of the work's dedicatee, Archduke Rudolf.
A four-movement concert suite drawn from the score of Stravinsky's ballet Le baiser de la fée (The Fairy's Kiss), the Divertimento blends his modernist musical sensibility with Tchaikovsky's Romanticism in a confection that is at once tenderly lyrical and irresistibly frothy. Stravinsky made the arrangement to play with his duo partner, Polish-American violinist Samuel Dushkin.


text:
A CAMPAIGN group trying to stop large-scale development around Romsey is putting the pressure on borough planning chiefs to withdraw their blueprint for 1,300 new homes at Whitenap.
Romsave has designed and printed 12,000 leaflets with detailed information on how to make objections and representations to Test Valley Borough Council on the proposed Whitenap development ,which is included in the latest draft of the Borough Local Plan.
An army of volunteers is putting the "Save Romsey from the Planners" leaflets through letterboxes across the town and nearby villages.
"We sent out an email asking for help," said Romsave chairman, Simon Curtis, adding: "The response was amazing. Over 50 people contacted us volunteering to deliver our leaflets wherever we ask them to go."
He said Romsave members, Bryn Bridges and Liz Franklin, had worked out the most efficient way to deliver the 7,500 leaflets needed for Romsey and the remaining leaflets for villages close by. Mr Curtis pointed out that about 40 different delivery routes were looked at.
"It really shows how much people care about Romsey and we are so very grateful for all the offers of help we've received," said Mr Curtis.
Anyone who doesn't receive a leaflet should go onto Romsave's website or Facebook page by searching for saveromseyfromtheplanners. All objections to the draft Borough Local Plan must be sent to Test Valley Borough Council by 4.30pm next Friday, March 7.
Comments can be emailed to email@example.com, or posted to TVBC at Beech Hurst, Weyhill Road, Andover, SP10 3AJ.
- DON'T use flooding as a reason to object to controversial plans to build 1,300 homes at Whitenap. That's the message from Romsey's county, town and borough councillor, Mark Cooper, to people writing to planning chiefs to comment on the Draft Borough Local Plan.
Mr Cooper who is vehemently opposed to the inclusion of farmland at Whitenap being used to meet borough housing targets, warned that the planning inspector would disregard flooding as a reason for objecting, because the proposed site is not on a floodplain, as listed by the Environment Agency.


text:
Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Website: http://www.metrostate.edu
Type: Public
Federal Circuit: 8th Circuit
Metropolitan State University has been given the speech code rating Yellow. Yellow light colleges and universities are those institutions with at least one ambiguous policy that too easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application. Read more here.
University Procedure 112: Student Conduct Code Procedure
Speech Code Category: Internet Usage Policies
Last updated: June 14, 2017
[U]se of computing facilities to send obscene or abusive messages or to participate in pornographic materials.
All University Policy 1010: Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination in Employment and Education Policy
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: June 14, 2017
Discriminatory harassment is defined as verbal or physical conduct that is directed at an individual because of his or her protected class, and that is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent so as to have the purpose or effect of creating a hostile work or educational environment.
As required by law, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and Metropolitan further define sexual harassment as a form of sexual discrimination which is prohibited by state and federal law. Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, sexually motivated physical conduct, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
1. submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment or education, evaluation of a student's academic performance, or term or condition of participation in student activities or in other events or activities sanctioned by the college or university; or
2. submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment or academic decisions or other decisions about participation in student activities or other events or activities sanctioned by the college or university; or
3. such conduct has the purpose and effect of threatening an individual's employment; interfering with an individual's work or academic performance; or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or educational environment.
University Procedure 112: Student Conduct Code Procedure
Speech Code Category: Policies on Tolerance, Respect, and Civility
Last updated: June 14, 2017
Students or organizations may be subject to university discipline for any of the misconduct described below that occurs at any time on university-controlled premises or at university approved or sponsored functions. … Continued willful and disruptive behavior, profanity or vulgarity, or open and persistent defiance of the authority of or persistent abuse of university personnel.
University Procedure 112: Student Conduct Code Procedure
Speech Code Category: Harassment Policies
Last updated: June 14, 2017
Harassment of any member of the university community, placing any person under mental duress or causing any person to be in fear through verbal abuse (including repeated telephone calls or electronic messages), bullying, intimidation including, but not limited to, violence or threat of violence, or personal vilification, including when such actions are based on age, sex, race, color, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or national/ethnic origin.
Unconstitutional Speech Code Pulled for Revision
December 4, 2007
Torch readers might be wondering when we are going to post December's Speech Code of the Month. The answer is tomorrow, and the reason it wasn't posted today is good news for free speech. FIRE was poised to name Metropolitan State University in Minnesota as our December 2007 Speech Code of the Month for its University Community Conduct Code, which prohibited "manifestations of prejudice regarding race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation" and imposed "sensitivity training" as a sanction for violating that prohibition. FIRE wrote to Metropolitan State back in July to express our concerns about the policy, and received a […]» Read More
It's Always '1984' at Metropolitan State University
May 9, 2006
Shall I tell you why we have brought you here? To cure you! To make you sane! Will you understand, Winston, that no one whom we bring to this place ever leaves our hands uncured? We are not interested in those stupid crimes that you have committed. The Party is not interested in the overt act: the thought is all we care about. We do not merely destroy our enemies, we change them. Do you understand what I mean by that? —George Orwell, 1984 There's nothing like a little government-sponsored re-education to get my blood boiling on an otherwise ordinary […]» Read More


text:
He Currently Follows Only Himself
December 7, 2012
The Morning Heresy is your daily digest of news and links relevant to the secular and skeptic communities.
The LDS church decides to sort-of embrace LGBT folks, conceding that, while sinful to act upon, homosexuality is not a choice.
CFI's Michael De Dora is a guest on Jamila Bey's radio program discussing the new laws surrounding "gay conversion therapy."
Michael also touts a meeting that took place in October, the first time secular groups got a private meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Oh yeah, we were there.
Susan Jacoby gives longform props to Robert Ingersoll in a really great piece for American Scholar.
Christian Post covers CFI-Indiana's lawsuit over solemnizing marriages.
Religion Dispatches on the Pope's foray into Twitter: "He currently follows only himself."
Joe Nickell lauds a new biography of one of his heroes, "illusionist and prestidigitator" Milbourne Christopher.
NYT has a creepy story about murder and sexual assault around the cult of IHOP, and I'm not talking about breakfast.
Episcopalians let a Muslim group use their church for a convention, which of course means they support terrorism. Oy.
Rep. Howard Berman denounces an Egyptian draft constitution for limiting "religious freedom" to those who profess one of the three Abrahamic religions.
The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: It's worse than we thought.
In the wake of Blake Page's resignation in protest from West Point, a GOP strategist calls West Point "a religious institute."
I love this. Our CFI Libraries Twitter account unearthed this gem: 1892's Old Testament Stories Comically Illustrated.
By the way, you absolutely must follow the CFI Libraries Twitter account. Lots of cool, funny stuff.
Chris Stedman brings his faitheist self to CFI's headquarters in Amherst, NY on December 14.
Some Jews are just so over Hanukkah.
Examiner piece ostensibly about UFOs entitled "Witness says object emitted 'loud roaring sound' over 40 minutes" actually describes me trying to get my 3-year-old son to eat his dinner.
Dave Silverman tells us about the real Bill O'Reilly:
They bring me on because they think they'll get more ratings if they bring me on. [O'Reilly] wants good television, he wants good fire, he wants that battle. He wants to show his teeth and bring out his claws, and he wants somebody that will fight back. . . . O'Reilly seems to be a cordial guy who is doing his job, which is to portray this horrible character on television.
Married to the Sea and the evil vaccine. (h/t PZ)
OMG someone stole the Baby Jesus! Now who will die for our sins???
Quote of the Day
David Niose warns the Congressional Prayer Caucus to watch where they tread:
. . . membership in the CPC is an expression of hostility to secular constituents. Given that seculars are a growing and increasingly visible demographic, legislators should think twice before joining a caucus that is committed to marginalizing these constituents.
Linking to a story or webpage does not imply endorsement by Paul or CFI. Not every use of quotation marks is ironic or sarcastic, but it often is.
Follow CFI on Twitter: @center4inquiry
Got a tip for the Heresy? Send it to press(at)centerforinquiry.net!
The Morning Heresy: "I actually read it." - Hemant MehtaCommenting is not available in this weblog entry.


text:
Days after three children were injured in a boat crash that eventually left two dead, the third "seems to be doing a little better," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said late Tuesday.
Bouchard said he expects the investigation into the accident on a lake in Keego Harbor to be completed within two weeks.
The accident happened Sunday while West Bloomfield resident John Mansour was operating a personal watercraft and pulling his three children -- Alexander, 11; Adriana, 10; and Gabrielle, 6; -- north to south on Sylvan Lake on a large tube.
"Adriana is a little better today, but she's still in a very tough place," Bouchard said while updating the investigation into the Sunday afternoon accident. "With her, right now, it's hope and pray."
Family members and friends in the Chaldean community of West Bloomfield mourned for the two deceased Mansour children and prayed for Adriana. The family asked to have privacy, according to those involved in the investigation and aftermath of the accident.
A 56-year-old Sylvan Lake man, whose boat was moving west to east, struck the children's tube, investigators said. Alexander died in the water, officials said, while Gabrielle died in the hospital Monday afternoon. Ten-year-old Adriana was listed in critical condition.
As Adriana Mansour remained at Royal Oak Beaumont, a candlelight vigil was planned for Tuesday night at Orchard Lake St. Mary's Grotto. Only a few people were in the open area before the ceremony, said Martin Vucinaj, St. Mary's CFO and head of operations.
"Our grotto is (always) open," he said. "Many in the Chaldean community come there and pray there all the time.
"We understand that it is a very mournful time (for the family)," Vucinaj said, "and we're more than available to help them in their time of need, and anytime they come pray at our campus."
On Tuesday,� a day that topped out at 90 degrees in some areas of Oakland County, according to National Weather Service personnel in White Lake Township, there was not as much traffic on the lake as on Sunday, said a Sylvan Lake officer.
Bouchard said his Marine Unit is taking "great care and diligence" in the investigation.
"Sadly, at the end of the day, it's not going to bring closure to anyone," he said. "It's a huge tragedy on every level."
Keego Harbor Police Chief Kenneth Hurst agreed.
"It's just an absolute loss clear across the board for everyone involved," Hurst said Tuesday. "There's no way of saying anything different."
Hurst added he's glad the marine unit came to Keego on Tuesday and took the equipment involved in the boat wreck, as the sheriff's office has more manpower, resources and the ability to investigate.
Bouchard said he's not sure if charges will be filed against either boater.
"The major issues right now are just going through, point by point, and seeing what contributed to the crash," the sheriff said. "But initially, there's nothing that stands out, (such as) recklessness or alcohol use." Officials have not said whether either operator was at fault.
Many Oakland Press readers speculated as to what might have happened Sunday on Sylvan Lake, which flows amid Waterford Township, Keego Harbor and the city of Sylvan Lake.
Kevin Kami Jenks said he had seen close calls like Sunday's before.
"I have seen many times where a boat gets close to children tubing and where the person pulling the tube gets way too close to other boats," he said, although he did not witness the Mansour crash.
"It's very irritating and can lead to tragedy," he said. "Praying for the families involved."
Michigan boating laws say that watercraft must be at least 100 feet from each other at all times and travel counter-clockwise around a lake. A spotter is also required "at all times," when towing a person, according to a state boating law handbook.
No matter who went where, Bouchard said, officials will not release details about the circumstances of the accident until the investigation is complete.
While the initial investigation could take only two weeks, getting results of "toxicology reports takes a while, sometimes months," he said.
After Oakland Press readers such as Facebook follower Janice Miller called for more marine patrols on the lakes, Bouchard said Oakland County has 450 lakes -- the most of any Michigan county. He said legislation asking for a better share of Oakland County boater registration fees has been introduced -- and rejected -- for the past three years.
"More money from the state would allow us to increase our presence and provide classes for water safety," Bouchard said. "The fact of the matter is when you have 450 lakes, you're not going to be on 450 lakes ... however, (there are) many situations that are going to have occurred, even with more funding."
Funeral arrangements for Alexander and Gabrielle Mansour have not yet been set, but will be handled by the Southfield Funeral Home, 18338 W. 12 Mile Road. A message on the website on both children's obituaries reads, "All arrangements ... are pending at the family's request. Please check our webpage for further updates. Thank you and God bless you."
Staff writer John Turk covers the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, police and general assignment. He can be reached at 248-745-4613.


text:
Hi I have the FPGA vi closed when i run it. However, I can't find the complie option for the FPGA vi when i finish. I am using Labview 2010. I am thinking if this is issue. i don't have open FPGA reference inside the while loop. I have attached the vi to this msg and a shot of the explorer. Sorry for the newbie trouble. I am from building science and I am new to this Labview and compactRIO.
Hi, I think i got it working. I think it has sth to do with the complie as the first time i run it it does give me an error. I got it working for now. I tried to change the setup of the 9025 on some channel from RSE to DIFF. however, it will generate the same error i posted. Is that i have to re-complie after i change anything in the hardware setup??
Also, in the scan mode i know how to change the rate at which data is read off the controller. In FPGA mode, how can i change the rate that the data is being read?? thanks
Hi, I have attached a screenshort of the output. I have 2 signal wired to 3 and 4, one is 3.3v and one is 5v (from the power supply directly). However, the graph only shows a block of data. Is this normal??
Also, the RT vi will stop execute after a few runs of the data. Is that b/c of the memory of the disk is full?? However, there is no error code showed up.
I am still trying to change the rate the data is sampled and recorded. Can someone point me to the right direction??
It looks like you have an "overflow?" method, which is probably what is causing the issue. See if you can increase the size of your fifo, or perhaps slow down the FPGA process which is writing data to the fifo. If it doesn't matter, you can also just ignore the timeout errors. The FPGA will start writing data again when space is available. Finally, you might read data on the RT side in smaller chunks--say 350 elements. If you read 2000 elements, it waits until the FIFO fills up and then tries to pull data out, but if initializing that action on the RT side takes more time than it takes to fill the fifo up to the max on the FPGA side, it will overflow and stop the RT vi.
With regards to the chart, it seems like you are selecting only a certain block of data and sending that to the chart. Since it is a chart, it should retain data from previous iterations of the loop, so that is likely why you are seeing blocks of data because of that array modification.
D Smith
Hi, i have change the elements and other parameters. However, i can't still get the data that i want. All i need is a continuous line of the data respect to time, in sec. I have attached the output that i can get. If i set the "count" to 100000uSec and the time out at 1000mSec, i get this graph. If i set bigger number to the count it will give me at Read FPGA error. If i change the time out in the FIFO, it will give me a overflow error. I try to read help regarding the properties of the FPGA read/write control for the "count" and the time out in the FIFO read. however, i am not still very sure what is the effect for this particular example.
02-11-2011 10:23 AM - edited 02-11-2011 10:24 AM
It looks like your realtime loop is moving too fast. Why don't you give this example a try:
or you could try one of the examples in the example finder (tools>>find examples>>toolkits and modules>>FPGA...)
Then, if that gets the result you want for one channel, you can look at what that example is doing and learn from it.
D Smith
I am using an NI9205, NI 9401, and NI9263 and cRIO-9074 and I have been trying to log data into the disk. When I set the properties of the FPGA FIFO to the "data type= FXP" and "word length of 26 bits" and "integer length of 5" (see the screenshot) my program fails to log meaningful data. For example for an encoder I will get only values of 0, 15.9999952 and -16.
However when I change the data type to "I16", I am able to record meanningful data.
Any ideas on why my system is behaving like this?
BTW, I am using Labview 8.6. Please let me know if you need more info.
Sorry I forgot to attach the screenshot for the FIFO properties.
By the way, I have attached a screenshot for my system configuration from MAX. As can be seen the NI RIO 3.0.1 is installed on my cRIO, but my host PC has NI 3.0. Could this be a potential problem? Another dumb question is that how come under the NI RIO 3.0.1 tree, I can see a NI RIO 3.0.0?
Sorry for my ignorance as I was given this system and I was not invloved in installing this software or drivers.
What datatype are you writing into the FIFO on the FPGA? I would start by looking for a datatype mis-match at either the RT or FPGA side of the FIFO.
Hi Caleb,
Thanks very much for your reply. I did have a mismatch! On my FPGA side I was writing two types of fixed point and integer to the FIFO and on the RT side the data type was double precision.
I changed it now to make sure that on both sides, I have FXP data type (see attached!, is it correct?) but then now I am getting an Error while TDMS attempts to write. I have attached the error here.


text:
Capuchins' Run Walk for the Hungry to German Fest - July 25
downtown Milwaukee at Lakefront, Milwaukee, WI, 53202
Come join the Capuchin friars as we walk or run for the hungry to German Fest. You will be supporting the House of Peace and St. Ben's Community Meal. New date Friday night. Choose 2-mile walk through Lakeshore State Park or USATF Certified 5K run, chip timed & scored by CARRS. After the awards presentation, enter German Fest for free with a $5 food/drink coupon PLUS receive a 2-for-1 coupon to return to German Fest. Register as an individual, as a family, or as a team...and thank you in advance for helping to feed Milwaukee's hungry. Register by Thursday, July 13, 2014 to received your sized T-shirt. www.CapuchinsRunWalkForTheHungry.org


text:
Note: This item is more than seven years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
Print – Plain Text – Permalink
News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, email@example.com, 512-389-8030
Sept. 25, 2009
Deadline to Enter Big Time Texas Hunts is Oct. 15
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is reminding Texas hunters the deadline to enter this year's Big Time Texas Hunts is Oct. 15th. Winners will be called before the end of October to give them time to make their hunting trip preparations.
The Big Time Texas Hunts offer hunters a chance to experience the best hunting packages in the Lone Star State with an opportunity to win one or more top guided hunts with food and lodging provided, as well as taxidermy in some cases.
The crown jewel of the program is the Texas Grand Slam hunt package, which includes four separate hunts for Texas' most prized big game animals — the desert bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, mule deer and pronghorn antelope. There are several quality whitetail hunt packages available, as well as opportunities to pursue alligator, exotic big game, waterfowl and upland game birds.
Entries are available online at tpwd.texas.gov/bigtime for $9 each or for $10 at retail locations where licenses are sold or by phone at (800) 895-4248.
There is no limit to the number of entries an individual may purchase. Purchasers must be 17 years of age or older.
The Big Time Texas Hunts generates hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, with proceeds dedicated to providing more public hunting opportunity and to funding wildlife conservation and research programs in Texas.
Publication — Permission is granted to publish, in whole or in part, any news releases on this page.
Print — A print-friendly version of the news release shows only the release with font sizes set to the browser default.
Plain Text — Plain text versions of TPWD news releases are provided for copying and pasting into editing software.
To copy text into an editing software:
- Click a Plain Text link to display the plain text page in your browser.
- Select all.
- Copy.
- Paste in a document in your editing program.
Permalink — This is a direct link to the news release, omitting the navigation context from the URI.
English/Spanish — News releases posted in both English and Spanish have one of these links.
If you have any suggestions for improving these pages, send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com and mention Plain Text Pages.
(5.4.16 i)


text:
On Friday, July 11, at about 9:35 p.m., the Fort Bragg Police Department was contacted by a concerned citizen who heard gunshots in the area of Morrow and Cedar streets. When officers arrived, they canvassed the area and spoke with witnesses who reported hearing only one gunshot.
A witness told officers that a man was chased by a group of men and the victim was possibly shot at by one of the subjects who were chasing him, the FBPD said in a Tuesday statement.
Officers located the victim, who was not hurt, and who provided very little information about the identity or descriptions of the men who shot at him.
Evidence was located at the scene confirming that at least one round had been fired. The evidence was sent to the California Department of Justice for analysis.
The Fort Bragg Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in identifying the subjects responsible for this incident. If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact Sergeant Charles Gilchrist at 961-2800, ext. 112. If you wish to remain anonymous, please use the Fort Bragg Police Department Crime Tip Hotline at 961-3049.
— Staff reports


text:
LANSING (AP) -- Democrats and advocates for the poor are pushing to fully restore a Michigan tax credit for low-income earners.
The working poor used to qualify for a tax credit worth 20 percent of a similar federal tax credit. Now it's 6 percent under changes approved by Gov. Rick Snyder and Republican lawmakers in a 2011 tax overhaul.
The Save Our EITC coalition says the average family eligible for the tax credit is now seeing a $300 annual tax increase. Advocates say the credit reduces poverty and provides an economic stimulus in poorer communities.
A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in Lansing.
The GOP has resisted calls to restore some or all of Michigan's low-income tax credit. But Democrats could insist on it in exchange for supporting Snyder's road-funding plan.


text:
The Great Canoe RaceMystery teasers are little stories where you need to figure out what happened based on the given clues.
It was a gorgeous summer's day on the scenic shores of Honeymoon Lake in Ontario Canada. Mr. Od-1 had just bought a new $300 canoe and took it to his yacht club to go for a paddle around the bay. As he was paddling around he was nearly run over by Bob, one of his employees, who had just bought a new 58 ft twin engine Sea Ray Sun Sport.
"Hey, sorry about that Boss but I didn't see you in that little dinghy. You really should spend some of your millions and upgrade a little. I got this boat for a steal at only $7,500,000."
Mr. Od-1 smiled as he looked up at the luxury speedboat and laughed. "Ya, nice, but you couldn't beat me in a race across the bay with that thing."
"Good joke Sir," replied Bob.
"I'm not joking. If you win I'll give you 4 extra weeks of vacation, but if I win I get your boat for 4 weeks."
Bob thought for a moment and said, "You with your canoe and me with my boat, I know you're up to something but I figure it's worth a shot to have 8 weeks of time off."
"Good," exclaimed Mr.Od-1 and asked the man to take out his PDA. He announced the date, causing Bob to grimace.
Both men and a large crowd of onlookers showed up on the appointed date to see the spectacle. Mr.Od-1 beat Bob fairly easily without cheating or even breaking a sweat. Mr.Od-1 smiled as he marched victoriously back to the clubhouse with his canoe.
How did Od-1 beat a luxury speedboat with a $300 canoe?
HintThe boats were not sailed in the normal way.
AnswerMr.Od-1 normally wasn't one to bet but the odds where greatly in his favor as he had picked Feb 15th for the race, a time when for as long as he could remember the lake had been already frozen over for 2 months. Mr.Od-1 picked up his canoe and simply walked across the lake. Bob on the other hand tried desperately to pull the large boat and trailer across but to no avail.
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Back to Top


text:
Sawatch Range > Mount Elbert > Climber's Log
Mount Elbert Climber's Log
[ Sign the Climber's Log ]
|Route: NE Ridge
Date Climbed: Jul 14, 2005
|With out-of-shape friends...11 hours (OUCH). Got dumped on in the afternoon.
|Posted Feb 27, 2006 2:01 am
|Route: NE Ridge
Date Climbed: Jun 24, 2005
|4 hr 30 min - 3 hours up, 1.5 down. Sprained ankle on way down...going too fast. Lots of loose scree. This trail is pretty trashed.
|Posted Feb 27, 2006 1:59 am
|Route: Black Cloud
Date Climbed: Jun 15, 2002
|Made summit of S. Elbert (yes, a 14er too!). Weather prevented ridge traverse to Elbert. One of the most beautiful hikes in the Sawatch!
|Posted Feb 27, 2006 1:54 am
|Really windy on top!
Date Climbed: Feb 18, 2006
|Climbed via the South Trail and reached the top at 4:30pm. Wes summitted about an hour earlier. Two other members turned back at around 12,500 ft. It wasn't snowing whole lot, but there was a lot of blowing snow due to wind gusting over the ridges at over 40mph. Lower mountain had several (more than 5!) feet of powder. Make sure to stay on the trail unless you enjoy postholing. Only saw one other group, three guys from the Bay area. HP #25.
|Posted Feb 21, 2006 4:15 am
|Joel Hopper
|Route Climbed: Northeast ridge Date Climbed: June 1995
|Climbed with my brother, SP member Woodie Hopper. The climb was windy and the summit was snow-covered.
|Posted Feb 20, 2006 5:31 pm
Date Climbed: Jul 10, 1979
|Beautiful day with few other climbers. My wife's second 14'er.
|Posted Feb 19, 2006 6:46 pm
Date Climbed: Jul 30, 1988
|It was a good day to be on top of the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains.
|Posted Feb 18, 2006 8:48 pm
|winter ascent
|Climbed in early February 2005 with a part of five, long but enjoyable dayhike from the South.
|Posted Feb 13, 2006 6:57 pm
|Route Climbed: East ridge Date Climbed: Feb 4, 2006
|Followed a freshly broken track from a CMC group in front of us, which made it much easier for us! The S. Mt Elbert trail is probably the best route to take in winter as you are guaranteed to get within 1 mile of the TH as long as CO-82 is open. Great views on a relatively moderate Feb day, but the winds were pretty rough on top.
|Posted Feb 6, 2006 1:09 am
|Route Climbed: Northeast ridge trail from gravel road. Date Climbed: June 1980
|My brother and I climbed Elbert for altitude training. So we could climb Pico de Orizaba in Mexico. We placed our names in the metal tube at the summit. See the trip report about flatlanders climbing Mt. Elbert. If your curious, check out the one titled "Possibly the last climber to climb Mt. St. Helens before the historic eruption of 1980", on my profile page. Iv'e got some photos from that, that have never been seen. Crater too. Thanks, cowlitz
|Posted Feb 6, 2006 12:22 am
|Route Climbed: Mt. Elbert trail Date Climbed: October 16, 2005
|A really good piece to practice winter hiking on. Long but not terribly difficult. The trail, if that's what you could call it, meanders significantly through the trees but becomes much more evident above treeline. This was in October but I see no reason why it wouldn't be true now (January).
|Posted Jan 20, 2006 6:15 pm
|Route Climbed: South Elbert Trail Date Climbed: 6/29/03
|Rewarding hike on Colorado's highest. 14er #7
|Posted Jan 19, 2006 8:58 pm
|Route Climbed: South Elbert Trail Date Climbed: May 10th 2004
|Small patches of snow to cross at top. Nice easy hike for our group of 6.
|Posted Jan 12, 2006 12:54 am
|Route Climbed: South Mt Elbert Trail Date Climbed: July 2, 2005
|Success in July after failure in January...
|Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:58 pm
|Route Climbed: NE Ridge Route Date Climbed: July 18, 1999
|This was my 2nd climb of Elbert. The first being a March '98 climb in the snow. Very straight forward and easy route. Even in pitch black.
|Posted Jan 4, 2006 4:50 pm
|Route Climbed: standard Date Climbed: June 2005
|wow, I had Elbert entirely to myself until down to treeline. This summit was the beginning of my summer 2005 cross Colorado peakbagging backpacking general dirtball crusade. Made it to Silverton two months later with approximately 40 climbs and all on foot!
|Posted Dec 30, 2005 11:26 pm
|Route Climbed: Mt. Elbert Trail Date Climbed: September 27th, 2004
|I climbed the entire route without stopping. Although the false peaks almost stopped me. A great climb and a lot of fun. Signed the registry and headed back down.
|Posted Dec 29, 2005 9:55 pm
|Route Climbed: via Northeast Ridge Date Climbed: August 11th, 2003
|I actually got there the day before and was pumped after already killing two peaks that day, but based on my estimations and good advise provided by some hikers, my 2pm ascent was not the wisest move. Thus I packed my bags and headed for the treeline to setup camp. I had a hard time locating any flat spots for a site, but managed a couple of feet near the end of the treeline. Got an awesome early start the next morning and had 2 miles heads up on the next party. Reached the summit by 7am, 1st one there and had it all to myself for the half an hour and the closest party was not for another hour behind me. Beautiful morning on the summit.
|Posted Dec 29, 2005 2:29 am
|Alex Hiker
|Route Climbed: Northeast Ridge Date Climbed: September 14, 2005
|I started late after 11 am, because I have just arrived to Leadville that day. It was nice not difficult hike. Unfortunately, I could not enjoy a view from the summit because of the snow storm. Nevertheless, I was able to take some pictures of the other ridge partially hidden by the clouds.
|Posted Dec 21, 2005 5:34 pm
|Route Climbed: Regular route Date Climbed: Aug 1995
|My first real Mountain. Hitch Hiked there from Texas on my way back to Canada. I had no idea what I was doing. I just heard it was the highest Mountain in Colorado. Climbed to 12,000 or so with my suitcase and bivied under a home made stick tent. Couldn't figure out why I couldn't start a fire. When I finally got one going it burnt like crap. I then got kind of dizzy and lied down under my home made tent. Sometime during the night I started hallucinating and I am pretty sure squirrels were running all over me. Woke up in the morning, filled up the milk jug I had found with water, and hiked to the top. My first 14'er and I was not acclimatized. It was hard....
|Posted Dec 19, 2005 6:36 am


text:
Gomes back from DL; Gimenez on paternity leave
KANSAS CITY -- Yan Gomes returned from the seven-day concussion disabled list for the start of the Indians' crucial series with the Royals on Friday night.
Gomes started at catcher and batted sixth in the first of three at Kauffman Stadium. He went 2-for-4 in the Tribe's 6-1 win.
"That was good, and I think he felt good physically. That was a really good sign," manager Terry Francona said. "It's always nice when guys get hits, but just to see him bouncing around and feeling good was kind of a relief."
Francona declared Gomes "good to go" before the opener.
"There's a lot of protocols -- he was examined last night, then they send it on to the league -- and it's pretty advanced, which it should be," Francona said.
In a corresponding roster move, newly-acquired catcher Chris Gimenez was placed on the paternity list.
Gimenez, who the Indians traded for on Saturday, went on the paternity list as a member of the Rangers on Aug. 4.
"I think there's been a few things going on there. I know he went back there once before, it's been not quite as easy as he wanted," Francona said. "He's new and I think there's some anxiety there. I said 'Hey, man, look. Go take care of your wife and your kid ... We'll figure it out."
Gomes went on the DL after sustaining a concussion on an unusual play on Saturday. The catcher was struck in the mask by a deflected ball, which glanced off the left arm of Minnesota's Kurt Suzuki.
Gomes entered Friday batting .284/.324/.477 in 109 games. Gomes' 17 home runs rank second among American League catchers.
Jackson Alexander is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Nigel Pearson has not ruled out Leicester making a loan signing
Nigel Pearson has not ruled out the possibility of strengthening his Leicester squad with a loan signing.
Last Updated: 19/02/13 12:13am
However, the City boss insists he is also just as likely to stick with the current group of players he has at his disposal.
Back-to-back defeats have seen the Foxes drop out of the automatic promotion places in the npower Championship and crash out of the FA Cup, prompting some inevitable criticism from some quarters.
Pearson says he would make a loan signing if the right opportunity came along, but he is in no rush to do so.
"Unfortunately, when things don't go your way, as we have experienced on a couple of occasions this season, there seems to be an opportunity for people to put a negative spin on it," said Pearson after the cup loss to Huddersfield on Tuesday night.
"What people seem to quickly forget is that it is this group of players that have got us where we are so far this season. But, as always, if we could improve the squad then that is something you consider if that opportunity comes along.
"I am not ruling it out and I'm not going to confirm that I am in a hurry to go and do business because it is always a case of 'can you?'. Let's be honest, most clubs are not going to start letting their best players out.
"If I had said I wanted to go and get one, it would be written as I need to go and do that. But it is a case of whether you can. It is one of those situations where we will have to see."
Pearson added: "I have a lot of faith in my players. They are a good group and work very hard. We are honest with how we appraise ourselves. I think the players are as well and that is why the players are such a good group to work with.
"We know where we need to be better at times and, when you are building a squad, it is always an on-going process. We will see."


text:
Seven Rules to Cultivate Deep Mobile Relationships
Let these seven strategies be your guide for developing engaging and effective push notifications that will keep customers looking forward to the content and coming back for more.
Mobile apps provide outstanding marketing opportunities that offer enormous reach by literally placing brands at the customer's fingertips. The advantages of these apps have made the mobile market very competitive, so marketers have needed to develop more customer-oriented mobile marketing campaigns that compel people to welcome these brands onto their digital devices. As a result, push notifications have become very popular because these opt-in messages arrive on the home screen of mobile devices and can be tailored to send the recipient the information they want, from relevant brand offers to location-focused news and even social updates. To help marketers create the most engaging and effective push notifications, MarketingProfs.com offered these seven savvy strategies.
Make customers welcome and want to receive your messages by making them relevant to their needs. Develop targeted push notifications by using all of the behavioral and customer information collected on each customer. Such relevance can result in a much higher response rate.
Make sure the app has a control panel that lets customers set their preferences about the types, number, and frequency of messages they receive. This shows customers that you care about their satisfaction, which helps ensure that they continue to care about the brand.
Let customers determine when they want to receive the push notification to avoid bombarding and bothering them. Make sure the app includes a setting that lets customers choose the days and times they want contact, as well as quiet.
These push notifications serve as a mobile extension and representation of the company, so keep the voice and visual content consistent with current marketing. Remember to always preview messages on various digital devices to make sure they come across clearly and correctly.
Make customers eagerly anticipate your messages by providing push content that is exclusive, exciting, or enjoyable in some way. Use multimedia to increase engagement and add value. Also, always make the content easily accessible.
Show customers that the brand is in sync with their needs by offering information customized to their ever-changing locations. Be careful not to overwhelm the customer with every move they make, so use this location data wisely and carefully craft it into relevant push content.
The only way to truly determine the effectiveness of the mobile app is to monitor and measure customer responses over time. This will show what's working well, along with what needs to be improved and optimized.
Let these seven strategies be your guide for developing engaging and effective push notifications that will keep customers looking forward to the content and coming back for more.
MDG Advertising
3500 NW Boca Raton Boulevard
Suite 601
Boca Raton, FL 33431
275 Madison Avenue
14th Floor
New York, NY 10016


text:
DETROIT - There is so much to discover and experience at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
From the concepts unveiled during Press Preview to the Charity Preview that raised nearly $4 million, hundreds of thousands have already attended NAIAS 2013.
If you plan on heading out to the auto show this weekend, here are a few things you may need to know before you go.
Tickets, Time, Parking
The auto show will run through Sunday, Jan. 27. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $6 for children (ages 7 to 12) and seniors (ages 65 and older). Children ages 6 and under can enter for free with a parent or guardian.
You can purchase tickets online or at the door at Cobo Center. Click here to learn more.
On Saturday, the auto show will be open to the public from 9am to 10pm. Visitors can attend the auto show on Sunday from 9am to 7pm.
The auto show takes place at Cobo Center, located at One Washington Boulevard in Detroit, Mich. Parking is available in the following lots nearby:
Joe Louis Arena
900 West Jefferson
Hours: 6:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Cobo Roof Deck
625 West Congress
Hours: 6:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Millennium Garage
432 West Congress
Hours: 6:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m
Visitors can also ride the Detroit People Mover that travels to Cobo Center and is a short walk from most parking lots. Click here for more parking information.
What to discover
NAIAS officially opened to the public Saturday, with more than 100,000 people attending. Some of the vehicles that seemed to grab the most amount of attention throughout this week were the new Chevy Corvette Stingray, the Ford Atlas concept and Tesla Model S.
Besides seeing the latest cars, attendees are able to test their skills in a number of exhibits, including the Toyota "Drive Land" motion-controlled game, texting in answers to Ford questions, and even dancing with the Kia hamsters.
PHOTOS: Plenty to discover at NAIAS 2013
Download the FREE app!
If you're planning to head out this weekend, be sure to download the official North American International Auto Show app for your iOS or Android phone. It features photos, videos, news, and even a virtual floor map of where each automaker is located.
Copyright 2013 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
IdahoLefty wrote:ferretdance03 wrote:IdahoLefty wrote:...10 out of 10 times you hit the basket where the disc is and its going to roll away...
Obviously not, that putt stuck. Plus, for the disc to hang like that on the nub, you figure it can't be perfectly vertical outside the plane of the basket, so technically, a fraction of the disc actually is in.
That's the fact. By the rules, and by identical explanations I've heard from folks on both coasts, the criteria for the wedges and hanging putts is the same:
1.) the disc is at rest in/on the basket
2.) Some portion of it is at rest inside the cylinder of the basket, even if it's just a tiny fraction.
That's a made putt. Heh, I dunno if it's worth four eye-rolls though, it happens about as often as a flipped coin landing on its side, and the rule's the same for everyone.


text:
HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. - The Highland Park School Board has decided to reinstate the school district's state-appointed emergency manager.
The board held a special meeting Thursday night to discuss whether to appeal another appointment of an emergency manager to run the district.
Watch: Excerpt from school board meeting
Jack Martin had been appointed EM but stepped aside when a Lansing Judge ruled the state financial review teams must meet in open public meetings, in accordance with the state's Open Meetings Act, and any action taken prior to that is void including Martin's first appointment.
The Highland Park Board had seven days to appeal.
Martin could be back on the job soon pending Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's expected approval.
On Thursday, a state financial review team met in public to comply with a recent judge's order and voted that a financial crisis exhausts.
Friday is expected to be a payless payday for teachers and all employees as the district is some $150,000 short to cover payroll.
The state has already given the district two early state aid payments.
One thousand students attend school and enrollment has dropped in recent years.
Snyder and state legislators are not expected to approve another aid payment if the EM is not in place.
How long will teachers work without paychecks? When could the district close? Many parents have said they are confused and frustrated with the uncertainty.
Copyright 2012 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) - Activist investor Carl Icahn is taking a large stake in PC giant Dell ( DELL), in a move to get a large cash payout from the struggling PC maker. Icahn said in a letter to Dell's board of directors that he will propose a debt-financed $9 a share dividend over the company's proposed $24.4 billion takeover from founder Michael Dell and private equity giant Silver Lake Partners. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Thursday Dell said it had received Icahn's proposal but is recommending the go-private transaction it agreed to on Feb. 5. "The Special Committee is currently conducting a robust 'go-shop' process to determine if there are third parties interested in proposing alternative transactions that could be superior for Dell's public shareholders to the going-private transaction -- and we welcome Carl Icahn and all other interested parties to participate in that process," Dell said in a Thursday statement. In his letter, Icahn indicated he's ready to start a proxy battle between Dell and many of its shareholders, who increasingly are in opposition to the $13.65 a share takeover offer. Icahn said his holding company, Icahn Enterprises, is willing to commit $2 billion to a bridge loan to finance the $9 a share special dividend he's recommending for Dell. The billionaire activist said he's willing to committ a further $3.25 billion in financing for the dividend. "Rather than engage in the Going Private Transaction, we propose that Dell announce that in the event that the Going Private Transaction is voted down by shareholders, Dell will immediately declare and pay a special dividend of $9 per share," wrote Icahn, in his letter. The dividend would be Dell's cash on hand, new financing arrangements or the use of accounts receivable from the company's financing arm. Were Dell to block shareholders from voting on his proposal, "we anticipate years of litigation will follow challenging the transaction and the actions of those directors that participated in it,": added Icahn in his letter. CNBC's David Faber reported on Wednesday that Icahn has taken a 100 million share stake in Dell, worth roughly $1.4 billion at current market prices, in a holding that amounts to about 6% of the company's outstanding shares. In taking the position, Icahn is joining a growing chorus of investors who may not vote for the deal in its current form. Southeastern Asset Management, Dell's top independent shareholder with a near 8.5% stake, said in February it would oppose the deal, citing a low-priced bid that it says undervalues the company by roughly $10 a share. The investment manager favors a debt financed dividend similar to the transaction Icahn is proposing. Amid unrest by other investors, T. Rowe Price, Dell's third-largest shareholder, also says it will oppose the deal. "We believe the proposed buyout does not reflect the value of Dell and we do not intend to support the offer as put forward," Brian Rogers, T. Rowe Price Chairman and CIO, said in an emailed statement on Feb. 12. Given Michael Dell's near 20% stake in Dell and his inability to vote on the proposed $13.65 a share transaction, Icahn's potential opposition to the deal raises the risk that shareholders vote against the take-private transaction.
- Log In
- Newsletters
Access insights and guidance from our Wall Street pros. Find the product that's right for you.
- Action Alerts PLUS
- Daily Swing Trade
- Income Seeker
- Quant Ratings
- Real Money
- Real Money Pro
- Stocks Under $10
- Top Stocks
- Trifecta Stocks
- Real Money Pro Portfolio
- Chairman's Club
- Compare All


text:
Last month I identified a short opportunity in Under Armour (UA). Now that the stock is getting close to the initial downside target for that sell setup, I've taken a look at the weekly chart, watching for parameters that might suggest at least a tradable low. This work has told me that stops should be tightened up on any shorts, and that we should also be prepared to turn it around for a trade if these next parameters hold and trigger an entry.
First let's look at the timing parameters illustrated on the daily chart. There are two time-cycle clusters underneath the current price that suggest a possible tradable low: between Dec. 17 and Dec. 19, and Dec. 24 to Dec. 26 -- right around the Christmas holiday. Under Armour is moving into these time cycles as it nears an important extension of a prior swing and some key weekly support that I'll show you on the next chart.
By backing up to a higher time frame, I get to see a bigger-picture bullish pattern that suggests the stock might be worth checking out for a buy in the coming week or so. There are two standout price-support zones that are visible on this chart. The first comes in between $47.19 and $47.90, and UA is essentially right above this area; the second comes in at $43.90 to $45.80. I can make a case for both of these areas being potentially important, given the healthy clustering effect you can see on the chart.
So here is the game plan: If you've taken a short against the last sell setup, tighten up your stops relatively close to current prices, as the stock is getting to a place where the decline could terminate. Second, watch the two key price-support zones defined above, and see if one them holds, followed by one of the buy triggers described here.
The setup will be even stronger if a low happens to coordinate with the timing work described above, though it is not essential for this to occur. If a buy-side trigger fires off, the maximum stop should be placed below the low end of the price-cluster zone. Regarding a target from a new low, the minimum level I would seek would be at least a $6 bounce -- though the stock could give you much more than that. If an entry is not signaled, I will back off the buy side until further notice.


text:
If you could only pick 1 mold in each category (distance driver, fairway driver, mid- range, putter) which mold would you choose? Just want to hear multiple opinions and see what discs seem the most versatile, for the most shots and conditions.
My choices:
Distance - force
Fairway - predator
Midrange - blaze
Putter - wizard


text:
daverupa wrote:Ñāṇa wrote:So what do you have confidence in?
I am confident that this pillory is off-topic.
You brought up the issues of authority and Nikāya interpretation here:
daverupa wrote:I seem able to trace it back to which texts (written and spoken) are taken as authoritative. For example, the first thread of this name having been posted in the Classical section showcases what that point of view requires in terms of textual support. Without that, the points are matters of Nikaya interpretation instead of the pursuit of a certain scholastic orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
I think consideration of the implications and consequences of these issues is relevant to the topic.


text: Kids' Loungefly® Star Wars™ galaxy print Darth Vader 3-D backpack Item G1908 Color: BLACK MULTI Size: ONE SIZE All sizes are US sizes. ONE SIZE Size Charts Quantity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Prices do not include taxes. Add to Bag Wishlist Add to Bag Add To Wishlist share: size & fit 15" H x 14" W x 4 1/2" D. Product Details There's basically nothing cooler than this 3-D Darth Vader backpack with an allover galaxy print. There, we said it. Nylon. Import. Select stores. Item G1908.


text:
Featuring real wood-fired rotisserie chicken, a restaurant opened at Rayzor Ranch Marketplace at 2520 W. University Drive, Suite 1150 on Wednesday night.
Cowboy Chicken is the seventh restaurant for the chain and the third franchised location for Vesta Restaurant Group, which plans to open 10 Cowboy Chicken restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
"We have had our eye on Denton for a while now," said Bob Andersen, president of Vesta Restaurant Group, on Thursday.
Andersen has more than 17 years of experience as a franchise development leader and restaurant executive. After visiting and talking to people in the city and the area, he felt Denton was the best fit to introduce the Cowboy Chicken concept.
The chain has three decades of tradition, beginning in 1981, when Phil and Jeanette Sanders opened their first Cowboy Chicken, a 700-square-foot restaurant in Dallas. The idea was to offer fresh, healthy and flavorful foods that could be an alternative to fast food, without the high costs of a full-service restaurant.
Since then, Cowboy Chicken acquired new partners and continued to expand the menu with healthy items such as fresh salads, sandwiches, grilled skinless chicken breast and other foods.
The 2,800-square-foot Denton restaurant under the management of Rico Ortiz employs close to 30 people in part- and full-time positions.
Sean Kennedy, president of Cowboy Chicken, visited the new restaurant Thursday and was excited to finally see it open and to see good mobility since its soft opening Wednesday night.
"Lunch was pretty busy; the staff and the management team have done pretty well," Kennedy said. "For a new store, it is running the way it should."
The restaurant offers corporate catering, delivery and an online ordering system introduced only four months ago to all Cowboy Chicken restaurants.
This month the restaurant reintroduced one of its favorite delights, the Southern Blackberry Cobbler, and the staff is already preparing for a Nov. 3 grand-opening celebration during restaurant hours, with kids' activities and an opportunity to win free chicken for an entire year.
Kennedy said the restaurant also will offer its famous Rotisserie Turkey during the month of November for Thanksgiving.
With hopes to continue to expand the restaurant concept, Andersen said he would be actively seeking to open another Cowboy Chicken location in Tarrant County, possibly in Fort Worth.
Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
For more information, call 940-320-3272 or visit www.cowboychicken.com.
Next door to Cowboy Chicken in Suite 1154, Denton Regional Medical Center's new Urgent Care Center will open Monday.
The center will treat patients for lacerations, broken bones, strep throat, flu, earaches, sports injuries and many other kinds of urgent-care services.
Caleb O'Rear, CEO at Denton Regional Medical Center, said in a news release that there was a need to have an urgent care facility in north Denton.
"For situations where you can't wait to see your family physician and don't need to go to the emergency room, Denton Regional Urgent Care will provide convenient access to the care our community needs so that they can get back to their lives faster," O'Rear said.
A ribbon-cutting and special celebration will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the weekend.
For more information, visit www.dentonregionalurgentcare.com.
The city of Denton issued the following certificates of occupancy in the month of September:
- Canalta USA Corp., warehouse, 1631 Cooper Creek Road
- Frame St., apartments, 1112 and 1114 Frame St.
- James Wood Neighborhood Autos, used car auto sales, 317 N. Locust St.
- Lady Nail & Tan, nail salon, 1125 E. University Drive, Suite 130
Coming up
Michelle McLaren with Independent Producers of America will sponsor the Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee gathering scheduled for 7:15 a.m. Wednesday at 2002 S. Interstate 35E, Suite 240 in Lake Dallas.
For more information, call 940-206-4333.
The Argyle Chamber of Commerce will have its monthly chamber mixer from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Benessere Active, 723 S. I-35E, Suite 100. Light refreshments will be provided.
For more information, call 940-591-7095.
The Denton Chamber of Commerce will have a Grow Your Business After 5 Mixer at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25 at Classic Chrysler Jeep Dodge Mazda, 4984 S. I-35E.
For more information call, 940-498-9800
The Planner ZONE Event Panning Showcase, featuring education information and samples from local restaurants and caterers, is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25 at the University of North Texas Gateway Center, 801 North Texas Blvd.
The free event is co-sponsored by the Denton Convention & Visitors Bureau and the University of North Texas.
For more information, call 940-382-7895.
Military.com and the Non-Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA) will have a free veterans career expo for transitioning service members from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25 at the C.R. Smith Museum, 4601 State Highway 360 in Fort Worth.
The two groups are looking to help more than a million veterans who will enter civilian life during the next five years.
The expo will feature corporations and businesses looking to hire military members and veterans.
Military.com is a business unit of Monster Worldwide Inc., a company that connects people with job opportunities.
NCOA is a nonprofit organization established in 1960 to enhance and maintain the quality of life for noncommissioned and petty officers in all branches of the armed forces, according to its website.
For more information, visit www.military.com/career-expo.
Karina Ramírez can be reached at 940-566-6878. Her email address is email@example.com.


text:
When you find out you're pregnant, you might breathe a sigh of relief because you're temporarily through with monthly bleeding. Let's be honest. Normal menstrual bleeding is messy and can put a crimp in your month.
But what happens if you do have vaginal bleeding during pregnancy? Is your pregnancy in danger? Are you losing the baby? Not always.
There are many reasons for vaginal bleeding during pregnancy and most of them are not life threatening for you or the baby. Some women might experience bleeding after sex as a result of increased blood flow to the pelvis. The small capillaries in the cervix can be disturbed by active sex and cause some bleeding. A small scrape of the genitals that you might not have noticed before can bleed during pregnancy.
Other causes include a vaginal infection, a cervical irritation or implantation bleeding — a small amount of bleeding that occurs when the fertilized egg is burrowing into the thickened lining of the uterus.
There are also some serious causes of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy that can be life-threatening to you and the baby. Bleeding can be a sign of miscarriage. The placenta could be covering the cervix. Or the placenta could be breaking away from the wall of the uterus.
The most important thing is to know when to call your health care provider. Ask at your first visit when to call or come in. Get clear recommendations. Sometimes, it's OK to watch a small amount of bleeding for a day. A phone call might be all it takes to get the reassurance you need. Bleeding that requires a pad or continues over time might require a visit with your provider. If your bleeding is excessive — soaking a pad in less than an hour — or is accompanied by pain or cramping, don't hesitate to go to the hospital.
When I was pregnant with my last child, I had brown spotting that progressed to red spotting at about 11 weeks. I cried and cried. I was so afraid I was losing my baby. I knew in my mind that the spotting was probably from too much activity and not enough rest. Emotionally, however, I was sure I was miscarrying. I called my midwife. She said to rest and drink fluids. She reassured me that based on my symptoms all was well. The spotting stopped in less than 24 hours. I felt very lucky. I was glad I called.
Mary M. Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
Original article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/pregnancy-week-by-week/expert-blog/pregnancy-bleeding-causes/bgp-20089684
Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below.
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit organization and proceeds from Web advertising help support our mission. Mayo Clinic does not endorse any of the third party products and services advertised.
A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.


text:
HomeComputers & TabletsPeripheralsKeyboards & Mice
Shop Keyboards & Mice
Computer Keyboards, Mice & Input Devices
Input devices are computer compenents used to interact with the computer. A computer keyboard is a peripheral computer input device partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard. Each press of a key corresponds to a single written symbol. However, to produce some symbols requires pressing and holding several keys simultaneously or in sequence. The majority of all keyboard keys produce letters, numbers or signs (characters) that are appropriate for the operator's language. The mechanisms employed in keyboards essentially involve making an electrical connection when the key is pressed. Keyboards can be connected by a variety of interfaces as well, including PS4, USB, and wireless input devices.
There exist a large number of different arrangements of symbols on keys. These different keyboard layouts arise mainly because different people need easy access to different symbols; typically, this is because they are writing in different languages, but specialized keyboard layouts for mathematics, accounting, and computer programming also exist.
Most of the more common keyboard layouts are QWERTY-based, and were designed in the era of the mechanical typewriters, so their ergonomics had to be slightly compromised in order to tackle some of the technical limitations. The letters were attached to levers that needed to move freely; jamming would result if commonly-used letters were placed too close to one another. With modern electronics, this is no longer an issue. QWERTY layouts and their brethren have been the de facto standard for decades prior to the introduction of the very first computer keyboard. Alternative layouts do exist, the best known of which are the Dvorak and more recently Colemak layouts; however, these are not in widespread use.
Other input devices include mice & trackballs, graphic tablets & writing tablets, and joysticks & gaming controllers.
Choosing the Best Computer Keyboard and Mouse is Simple.
Need to decide on which is the best Computer Keyboard and Mouse to get? We're here to help. In this video, we cover the good, better, and best options for your computer. "Click" to watch.


text:
It took me a while but I finally struck a balance between my day job and my music career. Three week day nights and weekends I am in front of knobs, dials, touch screen, API and Ableton. Weekdays as Director of Operations at ENVEN Energy Services I stare at Windows 7 via Bootcamp, Excel tracking sheets, Quickbooks or I am in the field auditing commercial lighting systems in Rockland, Orange and Sullivan Counties. Once and a while live performances as The Horrorist steal a Friday away from ENVEN but since I am a partner in the company it's a perk I am allowed. Mornings before anything starts thirty minutes goes here to Wire to the Ear and these words. I know balance has found it's equilibrium because my to do list gets cleared and I am not having those "missing class" nightmares. I admit I struggled to make this work and for a while it cost me some music creating time. The key is I pretend I am far more important than I am. I pretend I am a CEO. I wake up early, eat super healthy and spend 45 minutes on the Elliptical trainer each day. I allow myself one or two planned, scheduled fun short late afternoon meet ups with friends and family per week. I know this all sounds pretentious and needlessly stiff. In between all the positivity there is a blackness. I regularly feel like I am missing something somewhere. I have huge doubts and I feel I've become a mouse on a wheel. That said, I am doing my life's plan and I hope in the end people will have noticed.
"There's more besides joyrides. Little house in the countryside. Understand, learn to demand, Compromise, sometimes lie. You think you've got a hold of it all. You haven't got a hold at all. When you reach the top, get ready to drop. Prepare yourself for the fall, you're gonna fall. It's almost predictable." – Depeche Mode
For more info: Get the Balance Right, Depeche Mode (iTunes link)
photo credit: Colin Harris


text:
How to play noughts and crosses
Noughts and crosses, also known as X's and O's, is a game for all ages. This kids' game has been around forever and continues to be a favourite. Print off this noughts and crosses printable and be sure to read our tips - kids are smarter these days!
What you need:
- computer with internet access
- printer
- pencil or pen
There are many moves made in noughts and crosses that will end with a lost game, but played correctly, you can never lose! Follow these steps on how to an check out the tips at the bottom to make sure you never lose a game!
Step 1. Print off the already lined charts for easy gameplay.
Step 2. Grab your markers and decide who is the first player.
Step 3. Each player takes a turns to add either an O or a X to the board. The first player to line up three of their symbol in a row wins.
- Make sure you pay attention while playing, one wrong move will spell disaster!
- Always look to win or block a win move first.
- Try to think what your opponent is likely to do after your move and out-guess them.
- As a rule, the player who goes first has the highest chance of winning. Being there are nine squares, the first player has an opportunity to mark their symbol in five of them, while the second player can only get four.
- There is a higher chance of the game becoming a draw than one person winning.
Click here to print the noughts and crosses game boards.
Find more ideas for toddlers
- Eat, sleep and play ideas for toddlers
- Nursery rhyme lyrics
- Kids' songs and lullaby lyrics
- Games, crafts and activities for 2-year-olds
- How-to make your own toys videos
- 20 fun toddler activities and games
- Toddler play
- Best recipes for toddlers
- Solving toddler tantrums
- Craft ideas for 1-2 year olds
- Craft ideas for 2-3 year olds
- Craft ideas for 2-3 year olds
Find more paper craft ideas:
- Easy origami for kids
- Video tutorials on how to make paper planes
- Make your own Christmas cards
- 5 adorable Mother's Day cards to make
- 5 fun things to print and make
- 5 ways to display kids' art


text:
Distance services, Funding Information Center, Request forms, Turnitin, Other library services...
Raynor Memorial Libraries offers more than 1.8 million volumes, hundreds of research databases, computer access, laptops on loan, a multimedia collection, group study spaces, 24-hour access and library staff members who help researchers from around the world.
Campus accounts - ITS Help Desk - (414) 288-7799
Library accounts - Information Desk - (414) 288-7556
What is Find It @MU?
How do I use Find It @MU?
Why is there sometimes more than one link to full text?
Why don't I get a link to full text for some articles?
Why don't I always go directly to the article when I click on fulltext links?
I'm searching a database and the Find It @MU link appears on every item, even when there's already fulltext links for some of the items. Do I always need to use the Find It... link?
Why doesn't Find It @MU appear in all of the databases?
What do I do if a fulltext link isn't working?
Can I use Find It @MU if I am not on campus?
What can go wrong?
Where can I get more help?
Find It @MU provides an easy means of linking to fulltext articles and other resources held by the MU Libraries that are not directly available in the database being searched.
Find It @MU uses the OpenURL standard, a locally-maintained database of MU's digital journal holdings, and a link resolver to present our
digital holdings regardless of the publisher.
When a citation doesn't provide a direct link to full text, click on the icon to see if the article is available through another resource. The resulting screen may include one or more of the following options:
MU subscribes to some digital journals through more than one vendor. The sources will be listed in alphabetical order. If one link isn't working, you can
click on another. In addition, articles from some database providers, such as ProQuest and EBSCO, cannot be consolidated into one link, so multiple listings
may appear. When that is the case, click on the first of the database links; when the article is available, a link will appear below the phrase "Matches
from [name of provider] databases."
Publishers have different levels of support for the linking that Find It @MU requires. Some databases and publisher's Web sites only allow
linking to a journal's table of contents. When that is the case, browse the issues list or archives to find the article you need.
No. Publishers support linking technology to different levels. Some databases, including the ProQuest products, display the Find It @MU
link for all items, even when there are direct links to full text. Always use a fulltext link when it is available. Use Find It
@MU when no fulltext link appears.
If there is more than one link to full text, try another link. If not, search MARQCAT, link to the journal if it is
available electronically, and search for the needed volume, issue, and then article. Alternatively, click on AskUs!
Contact a Librarian for help and to report the problem.
MarquetteCard holders can use Find It @MU from off campus via the Libraries' login (proxy server) or the University's virtual private network (VPN).
More information is available here.
It is important to keep in mind that Find It @MU doesn't guarantee you will find the full text of a given article; it merely provides a
shortcut to other databases in the Libraries' holdings. The standards for Find It @MU require a number of precise elements to be in place,
from both MU and a large number of publishers. In addition, the world of commercial publishing is constantly changing, and the libraries are continually
adjusting their digital holdings. There will be occasions where links may be inconsistent, inaccurate, or misleading due to differences in how publishers
implement the linking technology and/or due to configuration changes. Users are encouraged to check MARQCAT if there
are questions related to holdings of a specific title, or AskUs! for assistance.
Please contact a librarian at Raynor's Information Desk. Through the AskUs! services, walk-up assistance is available, or by phone, by e-mail, or by virtual (chat) reference. We appreciate your questions, without which we cannot improve Find It @MU.
Raynor Memorial Libraries
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Information Desk: (414) 288-7556
Privacy Policy Legal Disclaimer Non-Discrimination Policy Accessible technology
© 2017 Marquette University


text:
Presented by Mycogen Seeds
See high quality forage samples submitted by farmers and ranchers in 11 western states at World Ag Expo, February 12-14.
The best alfalfa hay, standard corn silage and brown midrib corn silage will be on display in the Hospitality Center on Median and East Greenbelt, during the Expo.
Up to $18,000 in cash prizes from Lallemand Animal Nutrition will be awarded on February 12!
Are you a forage grower?
Deadline to enter is December 13, 2012.
Click here for information about entering the contest!
Download entry form and rules here.


text:
Dedeman Oskemen Tavros
Located in the East Kazakhstan, Oskemen sits at the foothills of the Altai Mountains where the Ulba and Irtysh Rivers intersect. In recent years Kazakhstan has become an important member of the world economics due to its investments and natural riches.
The Dedeman Oskemen Tavros is located in the city center on the bank of the Irtysh River, 10km away from the Oskemen Airport, and 500m away from the town square. You can easily access art and cultural centers with the use of the transportation systems, all of which are close to the hotel. The city's popular meeting point, the ice hockey hall, is only 2km away from the hotel, when concert halls, restaurants, and shopping centers are only 1km away. Places of interest near the Irtysh River are only 200m from the hotel.
Nearby Attractions
Ethnographic Museum
The museum was opened in 1968. Museum buildings are historic and cultural monuments: former shop of merchant I.M. Kozhevnikov, mayor assistant, built in 1914 by captured Czechs; the former building of the highest urban primary school, built in 1886; former Mariinsky female school, opened in 1902.
Now these buildings are expositions and exhibitions of Kazakh and Russian ethnography, material and spiritual culture of the peoples and indigenous ethnic groups living in the East Kazakhstan region.
Maxim Gorky Street
The city's most important street, Maksim Gorky Street, is filled with shopping centers where you can find great souvenirs. The buildings along the street are the great examples of Kazakhstan architecture.
City Monuments
Andreevsky Church
Resting on the banks of the Irtysh River is one of the city's most magnificent religious structures, the Andreevsky Church. After a pleasant stroll along the city visit the church and explore its unique and compelling architecture.
Strelka, is the place where the Irtysh and Ulba Rivers merge, and also is the memorial to World War built in honor of the national war that took place on these grounds. It is a great location to grab an afternoon drink and take in the scenery.


text:
Due to organizational changes, the Washington Township Center for Sleep Disorders will transition in November to California Center for Sleep Disorders (CCSD).
Dr. Verma and the staff of Washington Township Center for Sleep Disorders have provided exceptional care to patients for the past five years. We want to assure patients that if they decide to receive future care at the clinic operated by CCSD, they will continue to receive excellent medical care.
As of Monday, November 17, sleep medicine physician services and sleep studies will be provided by CCSD in the same space currently occupied by the Washington Township Center for Sleep Disorders located at 2299 Mowry Avenue, Suite #200 in Fremont.
CCSD has long been providing quality sleep medicine services throughout the Bay Area, in particular, serving the greater Fremont area for over ten years.
California Center for Sleep Disorders was founded in 1983 and is one of the leading providers of sleep disorder services in Northern California, operating six centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, and performing more than 3,500 tests per year.
CCSD provides comprehensive sleep services including physician consultations; both in-lab and home sleep testing and therapeutic alternatives, ranging from CPAP to Oral appliances through it's affiliated DME, Grove Medical Equipment.


text:
Posted 6 years ago
(2 items)
Sooner or later, almost all of So CA Pop Culture ends up in the Tijuana Flea Markets. Hundreds of them, scattered all over the city.
As a self-appointed Urban Anthropologist, it has been my mission to return these precious relics to the US, one piece at a time.
15,000 pieces, and counting:
30 Bushel Boxes/appx15,000
Vintage Licensed Character PVC Figures:
Cartoon, Movie, TV, Advertising, etc.
All the Usual Suspects from the past decades.
Mostly: 1960s-1980s, Hong Kong.
---Cabbage Patch Miniatures, 1984
---Loony Tunes: Arby, 1980s; Pepsi/Macau, 1994
---Walt Disney Productions, Hong Kong, 1970s-1980s
---CA Raisins, Bullyland, Jay Ward, Warner, WDP, HannaBarbera, Terrytoons, etc
---Star Wars, GI JOE, He-Man, Action Figures from 1970s-80s Movies, etc
--- Hot Wheels, Tonka, Buddy L, Tootsie Toy, etc
---Set of 12 Bank Bali vinyl Dolls promoting Indonesia's largest Bank
---Applause, Fast Food, Foreign Figures, Advertising Characters
---Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, limited China
---Vinyl, Rubber, PVC, Metal, Tin (no plush)
---Movie Characters, TV Characters, Licensed Characters, Comic Characters, etc etc etc
---Foreign: Bullyland, France, Italy, Mexico, etc.


text:
By Jonathan Lapat and Jason Baker, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com
Upon first glance, Macy's early January portfolio adjustment announcements appear to be a standard annual strategic repositioning. However, there has been a disproportionate share of coverage and discussion surrounding the well-known retailer's store closings.
To figure out if this scrutiny is representative of a net negative for the iconic department store brand, or simply business as usual, Macy's decision must be analyzed. Taking a closer look at the smallest store scheduled to be shuttered, a 75,000-sq.-ft. Macy's in Belmont, Mass., and the largest, a 791,000-sq.-ft. location in Houston, Texas, provides some insight into the dynamics behind Macy's decision-making process.
Identifying the reason for closing the undersized Macy's in the small community of Belmont, Mass., isn't difficult. Occupying a site that has been a department store for nearly three quarters of a century, this freestanding Macy's is a fish out of water. Belmont's three-block main drag is surrounded by coffee shops and mom-and-pop operations – clearly a poor fit for a major retailer. With extremely limited access to parking, tight zoning restrictions and in a location less than five miles from one of Massachusetts' best-performing malls, it is unlikely that this Macy's will be replaced by another department store. Instead, a tear-down or renovation/rebuild seems more likely, as commercial office space or some kind of residential-over-retail component would be a better fit for this location.
Since the 1980s, Houston has seen dramatic changes, including skyrocketing land values inside the area commonly referred to as 'The Loop.' The nearly 800,000-sq.-ft. Macy's located here, formerly the iconic Foley's, became a retail dinosaur amidst the newer customary downtown retail consisting of coffee shops, book stores, fast food shops, etc. That it has lasted as an oversized store in an urban environment is actually a great indication that the Macy's brand is appreciated and doing well. A similar fate as Belmont's seems likely for this site, with multi-level office being a good bet.
The big picture
Taking a closer look at the Belmont and Houston examples, Macy's store closings appear to be strategic business decisions that some might even argue were long overdue. This is the kind of ongoing and analytical performance and portfolio evaluation that every successful retailer needs to do. It is tough to say whether or not this particular move is a result of the pressures exerted by the recent recession, but it's clear that Macy's has embraced a proactive big-picture strategy for some time now.
It's also worth noting in this analysis that while six stores are slated to close this spring, Macy's also announced that nine new locations will open in 2013 and 2014. Among those new stores none of them exceed 180,000 sq. ft., a large departure from the 791,000-sq.-ft. Macy's store in Houston. It will be interesting to follow Macy's openings and closings in the future to see if this is a pattern that continues. If so, it may herald the discussion of an ongoing trend in which big box retailers begin looking more closely at how they can reduce their overall footprints in an effort to reduce occupancy costs and avoid over-merchandising.
Identifying and closing underperformers while opening stores in promising new markets is not a bad thing for any market; it's really just about moving forward. The markets themselves will benefit from a better fit, and weeding out less than ideal locations will strengthen the brand. Considering Macy's willingness and ability to make these types of tough decisions and to continue to evolve and grow as a company, it wouldn't be surprising if there were more closing announcements in the not-too-distant future.
Ultimately, the debate over whether the most important piece of this announcement is Macy's closing stores or opening them might be irrelevant: it may just be that Macy's has come to appreciate the fact that less is more, and has found that pursuing a more sophisticated portfolio strategy of value engineering is in their best interest.
Jonathan Lapat is an X Team International partner and principal of Strategic Retail Advisors in Framingham, Mass. Jonathan focuses on tenant representation throughout New England, upstate New York and the mid-Atlantic.
Jason Baker is an X Team International partner and co-founder and principal of retail real estate brokerage firm Baker Katz in Houston, Texas. Regarded as one of Houston's most professional and knowledgeable retail brokers with more than 15 years of experience, Baker has served some of the nation's top retail brands.
More Real Estate Web Exclusives & Guest Commentaries


text:
Baylor loses two great men in Dr. Cunningham and Judge Hightower
Late Saturday, we got the sad word that two treasured Baylor alumni — former University Chaplain and Board Chair Milton Cunningham, BA '50, and former U.S. Congressman and Texas Supreme Court Justice Jack Hightower, BA '49, LLB '51 — had passed away.
After graduating from Baylor in 1950, Cunningham and his wife, Barbara, were missionaries in Africa for 15 years. Dr. Cunningham then led Houston's Westbury Baptist Church for 17 years before returning to Baylor in 1996 as University Chaplain. He retired from that role in 1999 but continued to serve as chaplain for various Baylor athletic teams and also as interim pastor at several Baptist churches across the state. Cunningham was also president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas from 1977-79 and chair of Baylor's Board of Trustees from 1985-86.
Hightower was first elected to public office in 1952, just a year after earning his law degree from Baylor. After six years as a district attorney, he returned to the Texas Legislature when he was elected to the state Senate in 1965. He held that office until 1974, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he would serve for the next decade. He then spent three years as the Assistant Attorney General of Texas before being elected to the Texas Supreme Court in 1988, a role he held until his retirement in 1996. A former Baylor Trustee, Hightower's personal and official papers are housed in Baylor's W.R. Poage Legislative Library.
Sic 'em, Dr. Cunningham and Judge Hightower, for your lives of service!


text:
|Lillian posed for Blackgama Mink
for which she was roundly criticized.
|The late Wendy Wasserstein
Before you think I am fixated on Lillian Hellmann, Playwright, Author and Memoirist, I feel compelled to admit that you may be right. Lillian Hellmann's Pot Roast, which I shared with you earlier this month, opened the door to my reading "An Unfinished Woman" (Little Brown & Co. 1969) This book was the first in what became a three-volume collection of memoirs. The version that I read contained an introduction by the playwright; Wendy Wasserstein and I've leaned heavily on it to write this post. Ms. Wasserstein's tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek commentary is hilarious. She points out that in "An Unfinished Woman" Lillian reminisces about virtually every famous person you've ever heard of. But what struck Ms. Wasserstein was the number of times that Lillian encountered these people just days before their demise.


text: The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) is urging retailers to contact legislators one more time as the financial reform bill, which contains the swipe fee amendment, goes to a vote. Last week, House and Senate financial services reform negotiators agreed to finalize the financial bill with the swipe fee reforms included. Now, both the


text:
Topic: Story From Best Friends Dad
I went to meet my best friend from high school's parents today. Her dad was an oncologist and my mom arranged for us to talk. When I made the comment about how my cc might have returned and that it was pretty predictable that it did, he was quick to disagree. He knows someone who was diagnosed in their mid to late fifties, got treatment, and is now 5 (almost 6) years past diagnosis with no reoccurance. We come from a small town so he has no other experiences to share, but that one.
I thought I would pass that along for others. I remember when I first had my resection and how everything I read was so depressing. I wish this little story will give us all hope-but especially the newbies who think there is no hope--that is just not true.
36 year old patient with buckets of hope