text:
Capital Planning & Investment Control (CPIC) along with
optimal Decision Reliability is a critical process for all government agencies.
In order to effectively manage programs and capabilities, government agencies
need an effective way to select, control and evaluate program portfolio
management. The federally mandated CPIC process is a structured, integrated
approach to managing IT investments.
Its purpose is to ensure all IT
investments align to the agency mission and support business needs, while at the
same time minimizing risks and maximizing returns throughout an investments
life cycle. CPIC relies on a systematic approach using 3 distinct phases:
select, control, and evaluation.
Even when the agency does heavy up-front planning, there are
always constraints impacting agencies that need to be dealt with in real time.
For instance, budget cuts or restrictions on personnel resource planning. These
constraints require corrective action that is well informed and allows for
realignment of the program portfolio, as well as ongoing portfolio governance
and budget change realignment. The ability to 'rack and stack' the portfolios
of programs and capabilities using a quantifiable standard approach enables the
much needed portfolio governance and change management.
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a structured technique for dealing with complex decisions. Rather than prescribing a "correct" decision, the AHP helps decision-makers find one that best suits their goal and their understanding of the problem. It is a process of organizing decisions that people are already dealing with, but trying to do in their heads. The AHP converts these evaluations to numerical values that can be processed and compared over the entire range of the problem. A numerical weight or priority is derived for each element (portfolio asset such as programs) of the hierarchy, allowing diverse and often incommensurable portfolio assets to be compared to one another in a rational and consistent way.
By leveraging the Rational Software and Services Solution, agencies gain an optimal and improved maturity for supporting Capital Planning & Investment Control legislation while taking advantage of structured methods and best practices for effective smarter investment lifecycle decision processes.
I recently had the opportunity to join forces with an IBM technical architect, Jim Amsden and record a webinar about the capital planning process. It was an interesting experience to team with Jim because he is an expert in enterprise architecture and focuses on municipal and local governments. On the other hand, I came to the table with portfolio management expertise and a focal on federal government agencies. The result of our conversations and collaboration was this webcast: Leveraging IT to enable the business of government
Also, if you are in the DC area, I will also be presenting at IBM's Analytics Solution Center in DC on November 17 Deciding What Programs to Keep: Portfolio Management Analytics for Federal Agencies. If you would like to learn more about CPIC and IBM's capabilities, the webcast is a good place to start. You can access more information and resources on IBM Rational's solution websites regarding optimal portfolio management using IBM Rational Focal Point and actionable enterprise architecture using IBM Rational Software Architect.


text:
Although when they first showed that arrow moving to the right, I was getting a little worried.
Edit: I took the test again and scored 86%, I just wanted to see if that thing was accurate. I guess it is.
Although they really only had to ask one question, and that was number 2

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Largest Foundation fieldbus complex completed
SECCOs petrochem process facility goes from bare ground to on line in 27 months using a main instrument vendor to engineer and implement automation and control systems, and manage its multiple suppliers.
SECCO, a joint venture between BP, Sinopec and Shanghai Petrochemical Corp. (SPC), recently opened its huge, new petrochemical facility at the Shanghai Chemical Industrial Park in Shanghai Province, China, about 31 miles southwest of Shanghai. The $2.7-billion ethylene cracker complex (See Figure 1 below) comprises 10 separate plants, with a main ethylene cracker capable of generating 900,000 metric tons per year (MTY) of feedstock. The other plants rely on this feedstock to produce polyethylene, polypropylene, styrene, polystyrene, acrylonitrile, aromatics and butadiene.
Each of the complexs 10 plants is the largest of its kind in the world, enabling the overall facility to produce about 2.3 million metric tons of chemical products annually.
Rather than hiring a general contractor to oversee the project, SECCO decided to use an integrated project management team approach, in which each plant in the complex had a lead project contractor. A main instrument vendor (MIV) was selected to not only engineer and implement the automation and control systems, but also to help manage multiple international and local suppliers for each of the 10 plants. The alternative to working with one MIV would have been to work directly with many different instrument companies, which would have reduced construction efficiency and consumed much more time.
The SECCO complex near Shanghai in China comprises 10 separate plants, with a main ethylene cracker capable of generating 900,000 metric tons per year of feedstock.
Fieldbus technology also allows the complex to use truly distributed control. For example, many of the plants basic process control functions operate within the field devices themselves (See Figure 2 below), rather than in the main automation system.
The complex is the largest Foundation Fieldbus installation in the world. More than 10,000 of the plants 20,000 devices are networked with fieldbus technology to deliver digital process, control, and device diagnostics information. Overall, the complex includes more than 48,000 loops, with about 166,000 I/O tags. Approximately 25,000 points are hardwired to the automation system. There are more than 70,000 cables in the facility.
Accelerated Schedule, Completion
The projects main challenge was its aggressive schedule: to go from bare ground to a fully functional facility in two and a half years. As plans were developed, one major goal was to have the plant operational by July 2005. At the time, that target date seemed impossible. However, construction of some facilities started in early 2003, the bulk of the work was finished before the end of 2004, and the plant went online in March 2005, in what was considered to be a phenomenal success.
To ensure a smooth launch, the complexs downstream plants were started prior to the ethylene cracker, relying on imported feedstock to ensure everything was working properly. The plants did very well. In particular, the polypropylene unit came online very smoothly. The unit even ran out of feed, and it was necessary to shut the plant down to wait for our own olefins unit to come online. Mechanical completion for all 10 plants was completed on Dec. 28, 2004. The downstream plants went online in February 2005, and the ethylene startup was March 18, 2005, which was more than four months ahead of schedule.
In addition, the ethylene cracker was running on-spec in just 10 hours and 45 minutes. Considering the complexity of building 10 units at one time, and expecting all of them to start up in a short time frame, the timing achieved is amazing. Moreover, it was done with minimum disruption, very quickly, and achieved high levels of performance almost immediately.
MIV Method
Previously, SECCO decided that using an MIV approach would be best for the project. The MIV would work with SECCO to implement the automation and control systems, and help manage multiple international and local engineer-procure-construct (EPC) suppliers for each of the 10 plants.
After evaluating several suppliers, SECCO selected Emerson Process Management for its breadth of digital automation, including field instrumentation and systems, and for its experience in managing large-scale projects. Emerson had excellent resources in China, and could call on its global resources, specifically from its engineering centers in India and Singapore, to supplement its local resources.
Emerson and SECCO created framework agreements for all EPC contractors to use, enabling consistency across the site for current and future operations. This was vital to achieving SECCOs long-term goals of ease-of-use and reduced maintenance by making sure that every process in the 10 plants was developed consistently.
|All single-loop PID control functions are accomplished in local fieldbus devices.
This MIV organization was crucial to accomplishing a fast startup. The MIV approach was also critical to the success of SECCOs strategy of using one control room for all 10 plants. To economically connect all the various systems, including 14 outstations, to one control room, all of their systems needed to be consistent. The MIV strategy was especially important because about two-thirds of SECCOs inplant staff were fresh graduates, which required the company to depend on outside training and assistance.
Consequently, we created integrated project management teams consisting of SECCO employees, Emerson staff, and EPCs during the internal testing and factory acceptance test phase. Many of the staff stayed long nights, and sacrificed their Chinese New Year, May Day, and National holidays, which is a major sacrifice in China. The staff was extremely committed to the project.
The core Emerson/SECCO team developed the functional design specifications (FDS) over about five months, and then presented it to the plants control managers for review and fine tuning. A simulation was created for one heater of the ethylene plant, which enabled further specification refining with all the various graphics and control models. The simulation was also fine tuned for one of the polyethylene processes to enable better understanding of the process when writing the sequences template. The engineering manager in the core FDS team eventually became the master editor of the functional design specifications. Every new module anywhere in the complex needed to be created by him, so we could keep the 10-plant facility consistent. Besides being the master editor of the 1,000-page FDS, which included 14 sections and 14 appendices, this manager also became the master trainer, which also was key to a successful start-up.
Applying Digital Automation
The complexs digital architecture integrates 10 of Emersons DeltaV systems (See Figure 3 below) with one global historian and remote operations functions. All 10 automation systems are managed from one centralized control room (See Figure 4 below), which is something that wouldnt have been possible without Foundation Fieldbus technology.
These Foundation Fieldbus devices and systems provided several advantages, including openness and intelligent asset management. Because the most appropriate instrumentation was selected for each process, not all the devices were available from Emerson. The ability to integrate other suppliers devices really brought out the flexibility of PlantWeb with Foundation Fieldbus because this automation technology is designed around an open, standards-based platform on which industry-wide devices can participate.
Each of the 10 process plants has a Delta V distributed system with I/O, controllers,
Based on benefits already secured, SECCO now requires all green-field projects to be implemented with Foundation Fieldbus technology. The massive scale and success of SECCO proves Foundation Fieldbus value for most major projects. Benefits include:
- Increased reliability and accuracy.
- More seamless, richer information, which eases troubleshooting and reduces resources required for maintenance. In fact, SECCO estimates that Foundation Fieldbus will cut its maintenance costs by approximately one-third.
- A means of preparing for the future. SECCO sees fieldbus as a leading-edge, quality technology with natural advantages, which will raise its standards and business practices, and help increase the complexs net profit.
While SECCO knew that a fieldbus approach would save considerable cabling, a conservative approach was taken to devices connected on each segment. Designs were limited to no more than 12 devices, and the average ended up as five devices per segment, where each segment varies between two to 11 devices.
In addition, Foundation Fieldbus enabled performance of basic PID control in the intelligent field devices. The choice was made to locate the PID algorithms at the point of final controlin the valve controllers. This control-in-the-field (CIF) provides the improved reliability of a truly distributed control system. CIF also reduces communication traffic between the automation system and the field devices, further increasing reliability.
Only single-loop control was implemented in the valves. All complicated control, such as cascade and multielement strategies, is done in DeltaVs digital automation system. Control function blocks can be performed in any of the field devices, or in the automation system, since it is an easy drag-and-drop software choice. This easy configuration will save time as we modify our ever-changing plant. In actual application, CIF was implemented with no major problems. The benefits havent been quantified yet, but long-term advantages are expected for the SECCO plant.
Asset Management
The complexs intelligent field devices also deliver process and equipment health information to the AMS Suite in PlantWeb. While SECCO is still discovering the benefits of its asset management system (AMS), it has already proven valuable in key areas, such as the AMS Suite Intelligent Device Manager. This enables range verifying inside the transmitter, while the user sits in the comfort of the control room. Likewise, the AMS ValveLink application is being used to obtain valve signatures, so SECCO can monitor valve status, act to optimize performance, and avoid abnormal situations.
These asset management capabilities will improve the lifespan of the complexs assets by enabling performance predictions, and allowing staff to prevent problems before they occur. For example, its possible to look at information coming from the intelligent valves, and understand changes in the friction coefficients to learn if theres a potential for leakage or early breakdown.
The predictive diagnostics of PlantWeb and AMS Suite will help optimize our maintenance plan, enable personnel to focus directly on problems, improve efficiency, and minimize downtime. Knowing what the problems are beforehand, the staff can schedule maintenance and obtain needed parts. Where there are no problems, the maintenance schedule can be revised to alleviate delays elsewhere. This is a clear advantage over traditional plants that may have to tear down and rebuild equipment every two years, whether or not it is needed.
Importance of Teamwork
The project team was able to meet and beat our projects aggressive schedule because of teamwork. The technical staffs had tremendous rapport, which helped complete the project efficiently and successfully. Emerson gave SECCO a lot of support in the negotiation process, adopting a relatively flexible strategy that allowed us to reach agreements with the various EPC suppliers and sign an extremely efficient MIV contract. Following that, Emerson also provided support during the engineering construction process, which allowed intimate coordination with the EPC suppliers throughout the project.
|The central control room is a command center with a central server that runs asset
management and maintenance management software for all 10 plants.
Assessing the Project
SECCOs Shanghai project has been an unqualified success, and the complex will create a huge impact both locally and internationally. The project established a new record in going from bare ground to a fully functional ethylene cracker complex in just 27 months. The quality of the product is good, and the capital investment was completely within budget.
The project also achieved a worldclass safety record, with zero fatalities during construction out of more than 50 million man hours worked. The site also boasts leading environmental standards.
Installing Foundation Fieldbus was truly a non-issue. There were no significant problems and, in fact, it was much easier than with traditional instruments. Basically, whatever you can think of can be performed very well with this system, even the most complicated functions. Our challenge for the future will be to fully capture the value, and really build on the use of the technology.
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The Therians are the all mighty craftsmen of a better universe, a universe organized and bent to their will. They have dedicated themselves to an extraordinary mission: each star, each planet must be transformed, remodeled. The Therians abilities are infinite and their technology is all-powerful. All the resources in the universe could only oppose a very temporary resistance. Three philosophical paths guide the prodigious therian Project: The Cyphers take care of the proper functioning of the doom devices which are used to transform the conquered solar systems into therian heaven. The Warriors, have developed a taste for combat along the countless battles fought against the leagued forces of the universe. They lead the troops to victory. The Web Striders are secretly searching for the consciousness they believe lies deep inside the marvelous therian machines. One day those machines will give birth to a new algorithmical life form. All are united under the therian dream, they all seek to sweep away the pathetic opposition of the short-sighted creatures opposing them. The confrontation between the Therians, supported by their powerful technology, and the primitive animals challenging them can only end in a bloodbath. Time is the Therians ally because the future is on their side.


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Hey everyone,
so as we are only a week and a half away from wrestlemania ,I can't help but wonder who will leave as the champion of each division. (Ie: WWE, WHC, US, IC, Divas, Tag team) or maybe who is even in the running to hold the belt in the year coming. Which superstar deserves the shot along with the rest of the locker room who fits and who doesn't. Strap in and here we go.
Hey guys, I had a few thoughts and maybe it would be cool to get a big discussion going... here is what i was thinking how do you see it going
The wrestlemania season is in full swing and based on what we have seen so far ARE YOU EXCITED TO WATCH IT? I personally always do, I have since i was a kid (I'M 23) but this year just hasn't really grabbed my interest. Now i read multiple opinions
Hi guys once again I'm here to hopefully bring you a subject to talk about..... So here it goes.
FANDANGO ? now is it me or are the rest of you really sick of the vignettes and the last four supposed matches he didn't compete in (BECAUSE I AM). With that being said i have a few things i feel i need to say about the situation......
First off who's idea was it to create a dancing
Hey there everyone hope the weekend is treating you all well... so now on to the show. With the recent arrest of jack swagger (#1 contender WHC) there are now many things up in the air as to how the E will go about fixing the situation. Also this is not the first time an incident like this has occurred will the E lean from there mistakes or air on the side of business?
OK so MR. Swagger
HEY guys, whats up ? there is a big winter storm gearing up to slam us here in the north east i live in the MA. SO STAY SAFE EVERYONE!!!!!
I have been reading your guys predictions and dream cards for wrestlemania 29 & 30. to me there seems to be a few things up in the air as to what might be booked because anything can happen in the next 6 weeks or so. many people have been
Updated 02-08-2013 at 04:46 PM by BECCA_IS_AWESOME
I have been thinking about my hopes for this year in WWE, and among the things i wish to see but probably wont, is a better booking system. I'm not saying that the E' cant do there job but, i think big changes need to happen. I have read many of the great blogs posted about what should/shouldn't happen this year and, I believe they are great suggestions. I just cant help but feel that despite how
HI Guys, I'm here to talk about the possibility of the wwe doing a 180 and going a whole new direction with the product. Now i have been a long time wrestling fan and i have seen many a new eras in my 23 years (for those of you you who remember the scrambler black box) we never missed a PPV, raw or smackdown.
Now with some recent NXT call-ups and the signing of a few new Indy talents
Updated 01-23-2013 at 04:46 PM by BECCA_IS_AWESOME
Hi There, I have been a frequent reader on this site for a long time and finally decided to give my own input as many of you guys do very well week in and week out. SO HERE IT GOES
With the Royal Rumble just around the corner which happens to be my favorite annual PPV. 2013 has gotten off to a great start with this past weeks raw and the "PIPE BOMB" that we witnessed courtesy
Updated 01-10-2013 at 09:13 AM by BECCA_IS_AWESOME
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text:
CARY, NC--(Marketwire - November 08, 2012) -
Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CRTX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on commercializing products for the hospital and related specialty markets, today announced results for the quarter ended September 30, 2012.
Total net revenues were $37.5 million for the third quarter of 2012 versus $25.2 million reported for the third quarter of 2011, an increase of 49%. Net sales from the ZYFLO® family of products and CUROSURF® amounted to $14.5 million and $10.0 million, respectively, up 74% and 7%, respectively, for the third quarter of 2012 versus the third quarter of 2011. CARDENE® I.V. net sales were $12.8 million for its first full quarter in 2012.
Net income for the third quarter of 2012 was $1.2 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, compared to net income of $117,000, or no earnings per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2011. On a non-GAAP basis, net income for the third quarter of 2012 was $5.6 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, an increase of 66% from non-GAAP income of $3.4 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2011. Non-GAAP net income and net income per diluted share exclude stock-based compensation expense, amortization of product rights, amortization of debt financing costs, acquisition adjustments related to inventory sold, transaction-related expenses, the change in acquisition-related contingent payments, and the gain on the divestiture of certain product rights.
"We laid out a transformative strategic plan in June 2011, and I am pleased to say we've come a long way in reshaping Cornerstone as a specialty pharmaceutical player in the hospital and related specialty market," said Craig A. Collard, Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone Therapeutics. "The integration of EKR Therapeutics was completed successfully and rapidly, well ahead of our plans, and we are on track to achieve in excess of $8 million in synergies during the second half of 2012. We plan to use our positive momentum to seek out additional acquisition opportunities to fuel our growth."
As part of the acquisition of EKR Therapeutics, Inc., Cornerstone acquired full product rights to CARDENE I.V. and RETAVASE®. Cornerstone began to actively market CARDENE I.V. at the end of the second quarter and the third quarter of 2012 marked the first full quarter of results.
A breakdown of net revenues by product for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 (in thousands, except percentages) follows:
Three Months Nine Months
Ended Ended
September 30, Change September 30, Change
--------------- ------------- --------------- -------------
2012 2011 $ % 2012 2011 $ %
------- ------- ------- ---- ------- ------- -------- ----
Net product
ZYFLO product
family 14,495 8,316 6,179 74 37,731 22,313 15,418 69
family 12,778 - 12,778 100 13,514 - 13,514 100
ALLERX® Dose
products - 5,437 (5,437) (100) (1,125) 26,191 (27,316)(104)
products 281 1,645 (1,364) (83) 3,374 11,278 (7,904) (70)
products 8 433 (425) (98) 814 (2,067) 2,881 139
------- ------- ------- ------- ------- --------
Total net
sales 37,525 25,178 12,347 49 81,153 83,117 (1,964) (2)
License and
revenues - 2 (2) (100) 4 99 (95) (96)
------- ------- ------- ------- ------- --------
Net revenues $37,525 $25,180 $12,345 49 $81,157 $83,216 $ (2,059) (2)
------- ------- ------- ------- ------- --------
Conference Call Information
Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET today to discuss financial results. To participate in the live conference call, please dial 888-296-4217 (U.S. callers) or 719-325-4746 (international callers), and provide passcode 2185410. A live webcast of the call will also be available through the Investor Relations section of the Company's website. Please allow extra time prior to the webcast to register, download and install any necessary audio software.
The conference call and webcast will be archived for 30 days. The telephone replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after completion of the call by dialing 888-203-1112 (U.S. callers) or 719-457-0820 (international callers) and providing passcode 2185410.
About Cornerstone Therapeutics
Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CRTX), headquartered in Cary, N.C., is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on commercializing products for the hospital and related specialty markets. Key elements of the Company's strategy are to focus its commercial and internal development efforts in the hospital and related specialty product sector within the U.S. pharmaceutical marketplace; continue to seek out opportunities to acquire companies, marketed and/or registration-stage products, and late-stage development products that fit within the Company's focus areas; and generate revenues by marketing approved generic products through the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Aristos Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement the consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP, the Company uses non-GAAP measures of certain components of financial performance. These non-GAAP measures include non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per diluted share. The Company's management regularly uses supplemental non-GAAP financial measures to understand, manage and evaluate its business and make operating decisions. These non-GAAP measures are among the primary factors management uses in planning for and forecasting future periods.
These non-GAAP measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative to, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP and may be different from similarly titled non-GAAP measures used by other companies. In addition, these non-GAAP measures are not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. The additional non-GAAP financial information presented in this press release should be considered in conjunction with, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information presented in accordance with GAAP (such as operating income (loss), net income (loss) and earnings (loss) per share) and should not be considered measures of the Company's liquidity. These non-GAAP measures should only be used to evaluate the Company's results of operations in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures.
The non-GAAP financial measures reflect adjustments for stock-based compensation expense, amortization of product rights, amortization of debt financing costs, acquisition adjustments related to inventory sold, transaction-related expenses, the change in acquisition-related contingent payments, and the gain on the divestiture of certain product rights. The Company excludes these items from its non-GAAP measures because it believes that their exclusion provides an additional means to assess the extent to which the Company's efforts and execution of its strategy are reflected in its operating results. In particular, stock-based compensation expense is excluded primarily because it is a non-cash expense that is determined based on subjective assumptions; product rights amortization is excluded because it is not reflective of the cash-settled expenses incurred related to product sales; debt financing costs amortization is excluded because it is not reflective of the cash-settled expenses incurred related to the Company's debt; and the acquisition adjustment related to inventory sold, transaction-related expenses, the Company's gain on acquisition contingent payments, and the Company's gain on the divestiture of certain product rights are excluded because management believes they have no direct correlation to current operating results. Management believes that these non-GAAP measures, when shown in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures, enhance investors' and management's overall understanding of the Company's current financial performance and its prospects for the future.
The non-GAAP measures are subject to inherent limitations because (1) they do not reflect all of the expenses associated with the results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP and (2) the exclusion of these items involved the exercise of judgment by management. Even though the Company has excluded stock-based compensation expense, amortization of product rights, amortization of debt financing costs, acquisition adjustments related to inventory sold, transaction-related expenses, the change in acquisition-related contingent payments, and the gain from the divestiture of product rights from the non-GAAP financial measures, stock-based compensation is an integral part of the Company's compensation structure, the acquisition of additional companies and/or product rights and the divestiture of the Company's Factive and Spectracef product rights are an important part of its business strategy, the Company has incurred substantial indebtedness to fund its growth strategy and transaction-related expenses, whether or not the transaction is successfully closed, may be significant cash expenses.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this press release regarding the progress and timing of our product development programs and related trials; our future opportunities; our strategy, future operations and opportunities, including our plans regarding the manner and timing for the manufacture and sale of our newly-acquired cardiovascular products, anticipated financial position, future revenues and projected costs; our management's prospects, plans and objectives; and any other statements about management's future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including, without limitation, statements containing the words "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would" and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements.
There are a number of important factors that could cause our actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including risks relating to our "critical accounting estimates"; our ability to develop and maintain the necessary sales, marketing, supply chain, distribution and manufacturing capabilities to commercialize our products; our ability to replace the revenues from our marketed unapproved products, which we ceased manufacturing and distributing at the end of 2010, our propoxyphene products, which we voluntarily withdrew from the U.S. market in November 2010 at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and our anti-infective products, which we divested in March 2012; the adverse impact of returns of previously sold inventory; patient, physician and third-party payer acceptance of our products as safe and effective therapeutic products; our heavy dependence on the commercial success of a relatively small number of currently marketed products; our ability to maintain regulatory approvals to market and sell our products; our ability to obtain FDA approval to manufacture, market and sell our products and product candidates, including our lixivaptan compound, CRTX 080, and RETAVASE; our ability to successfully and effectively launch our Hydrocodone Polistirex and Chlorpheniramine Polistirex Extended Release Suspension product (formerly known as CRTX 067); our ability to enter into additional strategic licensing, product acquisition, collaboration or co-promotion transactions on favorable terms, if at all; our ability to manage and control unknown liabilities in connection with any acquisitions; our ability to successfully manage growth or integrate acquired businesses and operations; our ability to maintain compliance with NASDAQ listing requirements; adverse side effects experienced by patients taking our products; difficulties relating to clinical trials, including difficulties or delays in the completion of patient enrollment, data collection or data analysis; the results of preclinical studies and clinical trials with respect to our product candidates and whether such results will be indicative of results obtained in later clinical trials; our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates before our competitors develop and commercialize competing products; our ability to satisfy FDA and other regulatory requirements; our substantial indebtedness and debt covenants; and our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce patent and other intellectual property protection for our products and product candidates and the other factors described in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 6, 2012 and in our subsequent filings with the SEC. If one or more of these factors materialize, or if any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results, performance or achievements may vary materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
In addition, the statements in this press release reflect our expectations and beliefs only as of the date of this release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our expectations and beliefs to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements publicly at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, business development transactions, joint ventures or investments that we may make or enter into. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date after the date of this release.
CUROSURF® is owned by Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. and is licensed to Cornerstone Therapeutics for sales and marketing purposes in the United States. CARDENE® I.V. and RETAVASE® are registered trademarks of EKR Therapeutics, Inc. ZYFLO CR® and ZYFLO® are registered trademarks of Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc.
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
September 30, September 30,
----------------------- -----------------------
2012 2011 2012 2011
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Net revenues $ 37,525 $ 25,180 $ 81,157 $ 83,216
Costs and expenses:
Cost of product sales
(exclusive of
amortization of product
rights) 14,397 9,960 31,984 29,183
Selling, general and
administrative 12,933 11,239 32,745 36,113
Research and development 1,998 199 3,729 1,372
Gain on divestiture of
product rights - - (1,492) -
expenses 1,764 - 7,944 -
Amortization of product
rights 5,284 3,591 13,774 13,277
Change in acquisition-
related contingent
payments (1,574) - (1,574) -
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Total costs and
expenses 34,802 24,989 87,110 79,945
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Income (loss) from
operations 2,723 191 (5,953) 3,271
Other expenses:
Interest expense, net (1,684) (38) (1,799) (121)
Other expense, net (215) - (215) -
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Total other expenses (1,899) (38) (2,014) (121)
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Income (loss) before income
taxes 824 153 (7,967) 3,150
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Benefit from (provision
for) income taxes 425 (36) 3,038 (1,094)
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Net income (loss) $ 1,249 $ 117 $ (4,929)$ 2,056
=========== =========== =========== ===========
Comprehensive income (loss) $ 1,249 $ 117 $ (4,929)$ 2,056
=========== =========== =========== ===========
Net income (loss) per
share, basic $ 0.05 $ 0.00 $ (0.19)$ 0.08
=========== =========== =========== ===========
Net income (loss) per
share, diluted $ 0.05 $ 0.00 $ (0.19)$ 0.08
=========== =========== =========== ===========
Weighted-average common
shares, basic 26,245,765 25,782,481 26,040,695 25,646,455
=========== =========== =========== ===========
Weighted-average common
shares, diluted 26,603,258 26,331,700 26,040,695 26,223,317
=========== =========== =========== ===========
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
September 30,
2012 December 31,
(Unaudited) 2011
-------------- --------------
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 34,179 $ 73,968
Accounts receivable, net 24,562 11,894
Inventories, net 38,173 9,419
Prepaid expenses 4,107 3,753
Income tax receivable 4,241 1,900
Deferred tax asset 1,228 2
Other current assets 13,035 6,112
-------------- --------------
Total current assets 119,525 107,048
-------------- --------------
Property and equipment, net 1,516 1,574
Product rights, net 247,766 106,960
Goodwill 38,324 15,218
Amounts due from related parties - 38
Deferred tax asset, less current portion - 523
Other assets 32 953
-------------- --------------
Total assets $ 407,163 $ 232,314
============== ==============
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable $ 20,232 $ 10,012
Accrued expenses 39,308 37,125
Acquisition-related contingent payments 5,778 -
Deferred revenue - 1,428
Other current liabilities 464 90
-------------- --------------
Total current liabilities 65,782 48,655
-------------- --------------
Acquisition-related contingent payments, less
current portion 37,633 8,800
Long-term debt 89,515 -
Deferred tax liability 36,077 -
Other long-term liabilities 4,936 56
-------------- --------------
Total liabilities 233,943 57,511
-------------- --------------
Stockholders' equity
Preferred stock - $0.001 par value,
5,000,000 shares authorized; no shares
issued and outstanding - -
Common stock - $0.001 par value, 90,000,000
shares authorized; 26,305,033 and
25,803,864 shares issued and outstanding as
of September 30, 2012 and December 31,
2011, respectively 26 26
Additional paid-in capital 166,549 163,203
Retained earnings 6,645 11,574
-------------- --------------
Total stockholders' equity 173,220 174,803
-------------- --------------
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 407,163 $ 232,314
============== ==============
(In thousands)
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2012 2011
----------- -----------
Cash flows from operating activities
Net (loss) income $ (4,929) $ 2,056
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net
cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Amortization and depreciation 14,267 11,146
Amortization of debt costs 26 -
Provision for prompt payment discounts 2,390 2,781
Provision for inventory allowances 847 339
Acquisition accounting adjustment on inventory
sold 3,061 -
Gain on sale of product rights (1,492) -
Loss on disposal of property and equipment 215 -
Change in acquisition-related contingent
payments (1,574) -
Impairment of product rights - 2,500
Stock-based compensation 2,027 1,586
Deferred revenue (1,428) (54,856)
Benefit from deferred income taxes 177 1,223
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable (7,654) 56,615
Inventories (1,001) 2,540
Prepaid expenses and other assets 8,289 7,508
Accounts payable (2,441) 2,003
Accrued expenses (14,224) (3,083)
Income taxes receivable (2,341) (2,007)
----------- -----------
Net cash (used in) provided by operating
activities (5,785) 30,351
----------- -----------
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired (125,921) -
Purchase of property and equipment (265) (574)
Proceeds from sale of product rights 3,000 -
----------- -----------
Net cash used in investing activities (123,186) (574)
----------- -----------
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from term loans 90,000 -
Proceeds of debt financing costs (511) -
Proceeds from exercise of common stock options and
warrants 1,157 368
Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation 284 513
Payments related to net settlement of restricted
stock (122) -
Acquisition-related contingent payments (1,603) -
Principal payments on capital lease obligation (23) (62)
----------- -----------
Net cash provided by financing activities


text:
Few swings for Astros on first day of live BP
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- On the first day of live batting practice, hitters typically don't take many hacks against the pitchers, and that was especially true for the Astros on Sunday with chilly temperatures invading Osceola County Stadium.
While the pitchers get a chance to work on their stuff for the first time with a hitter in the batter's box, the hitters use live batting practice as a chance to get adjusted to watching pitches travel into the catcher's mitt. There were a few occasional swings.
"I took a swing and squared up a line drive up the middle," Carlos Pena said. "At this stage, you want to make sure you're ready to hit, and you try to track the pitches and follow them into the glove. But you want to make sure you're in good position to hit, and then if that's what you want, go ahead and take a swing."
Astros manager Bo Porter said the first day of live batting practice was more for the pitchers than anything else.
"It's was good for the pitchers to get out of the bullpen and get a hitter in the batter's box and get closer and closer to starting games here," Porter said. "If you're seeing the ball live and seeing ball come out of the pitcher's hand -- the weather was why some guys decided to track -- but at the same time I think it was overall good."
There will be three more days of live batting practice before the Astros play an intrasquad game on Thursday.


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The public memorial service for fallen Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Deputy Ricky Del Fiorentino will be held on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 beginning at 10 a.m. at Cotton Auditorium located at 500 N. Harold St., in Fort Bragg.
A reception will immediately follow the memorial service at the Fort Bragg Middle School located adjacent to the Cotton Auditorium.
Law enforcement agencies wishing to participate in a marked patrol vehicle procession are asked to arrive at the Redwood Empire Fair & Event Center (1055 N. State St. Ukiah, Ca) on at 6 a.m.
The procession will depart at 7 a.m. and will travel approximately 60 miles along the routes of Highway 101, Highway 20 and Highway 1 before reaching the Georgia Pacific mill site (100 W. Cypress St.) in Fort Bragg.
This procession will utilize the Nalemars radio frequency for communications.
A secondary law enforcement procession will depart the Georgia Pacific mill site to travel to the Cotton Auditorium after the first procession arrives at the mill site.
Parking at mill site
The mill site has been established as the main parking area for the memorial service and buses will be at the location to shuttle attendees to and from Cotton Auditorium. Parking near the auditorium will be reserved for family, law enforcement and special guests. Carpooling to the memorial service is highly recommended.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office will be attempting to establish a video broadcast of the memorial service accessible via the internet for those who are unable to attend.
Memorial contributions
Anyone wishing to make monetary donations to the Ricky Del Fiorentino Memorial Fund can do so by contacting or visiting any of the Savings Bank of Mendocino County locations or by mail to P.O. Box 3600 Ukiah, CA 95482 (707-462-6613).
Deputy Del Fiorentino is survived by his wife, children (ages 21, 19, 18, 6), step-son (age 29), grandson (age 5 months), step-grandchildren (ages 6, 3), parents and siblings.


text:
Education History:
B.A. Gustavus Adolphus College
M.A. and Ph.D. University of Minnesota
Current Professional/Research Interest:
In an essay entitled "Commencement" Terry Tempest Williams writes, "In the open space of democracy, the health of the environment is seen as the wealth of our communities. We remember that our character has been shaped by the diversity of America's landscapes and it is precisely that character that will protect it." Throughout the essay Williams makes connections between the natural world and our political communities. This is the focus of my research. As an environmental communication scholar I am interested in how nature shapes human communication and how communication shapes human relationships with nature. More specifically, I am interested in how we might use communication to help build communities that are beneficial for both humans and the non-human world. How, for instance, might we use our processes of communication and political debate to help shape communities in which we rely on those in our spaces for material things, such as food, clothing, and even electricity?
Food is the great human equalizer; it is something everyone needs and enjoys (when it's available). Thus, my most recent research has turned to food as a foundation on which to build a productive communicative and political project. At its base food is apolitical, something that individuals across the globe and the political spectrum can identify and see as valuable, but it is currently mired in a variety of politics, as politicians debate the "fat tax," farm subsidies, global food inequities, and the merits of organic food. I ask whether or not we might be able to find a way to remove food from these political quagmires, to use it as a symbolic and material basis for forming better functioning democracies on a local community level in a way that has positive global ramifications for environmental and social justice concerns.
Professional Associations:
National Communication Association (NCA)
Rhetoric Society of America (RSA)
International Environmental Communication Association (IECA)
Central States Communication Association (CSCA)
Presentations, Exhibitions, Performances and Published Work:
- A Call for Polycultural Arguments: Critiquing the Monoculture Rhetoric of the Local Food Movement." Argumentation and Advocacy. 50(2): 104-119.
- Prody, J. and Inabinet, B. Sustainable Advocacy: Speaking for and Before an Intergenerational Audience." In Voices on the Environment, Eds. Dr. Jennifer Peeples and Dr. Stephen Depoe, Palgrave: 88-109.
- "Constituting Inclusivity at the Expense of Inclusiveness: The Economic Realities of Local Food." Disturbing Arguments: Selected Papers Volume of the 2013 Alta Conference, Ed. Catherine Palcewski, 298-303.
- "What is Environmental Communication?" Environmental Communication Division Podcast. http://www.envirocomm.org/podcasts/
Regularly Taught Courses:
- PCA 111 Rhetoric & Public Speaking
- PCA 127 Introduction to Communication Studies
- PCA 334 Environmental Communication
- PCA 336 Rhetoric & Citizenship
- PCA Special Topics: Research Methods
Research Interest:
- Environmental Communication, Food Rhetoric, Feminist Rhetoric, and Citizenship


text:
(NOTE: I tried posting this a couple of weeks ago, but it wouldn't show up for some reason. Hopefully it works this time?)
Long-time lurker, first-time poster.
As I was watching RAW last night, I had an epiphany. As Mr. McMahon came out to address Paul Heyman and they began to go back and forth over The Shield, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. Stay with me here.


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CESANO BOSCONE, Italy -- Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi carried out his first four-hour community service stint Friday, observing work on an Alzheimer's ward as part of a tax fraud sentence.
Berlusconi, dressed casually in a dark jacket but no tie, entered and departed the sprawling Sacra Famiglia center for the elderly and infirm in a dark sedan, making no public statements. Dozens of journalists were kept behind barricades during his stay, while occasionally patients from other wards were accompanied by family members on strolls nearby.
While the three-time former premier was heckled on arrival by a lone union protester who said he should instead be at a nearby prison, a supporter waved down his car as he left the premises.
"Thank you, thank you," Berlusconi told the woman, who leaned into the premier's car. He told journalists who asked how it went that he was asked not to make statements.
Berlusconi, 77, was ordered to perform four hours of community service a week after his four-year sentence was reduced to one by a general amnesty.
lost his Senate seat due to the conviction, but remains an important political force as head of his Forza Italia party. The court's order permits him flexibility to campaign for the upcoming European elections, but only in the northern Lombard region and around Rome, where he can travel from Tuesday to Thursday.
Courts have warned that he could be put under house arrest if he insults the judicial system during his sentence, and the Sacra Famiglia administrators have barred any campaigning on grounds.
Berlusconi has promised surprises during his service - and told private radio on Thursday that he has been studying the latest treatments for Alzheimer's disease "to give nurses a way to be able to do more."
Still, Sacra Famiglia's director has said his integration into the routine will be gradual. He spent the first day observing work in the two-story structure that houses the Alzheimer's patients, accompanied by the director of the residential unit.
During his community service, Berlusconi is scheduled to arrive after breakfast during a period of recreation, where caregivers assist in activities that can include playing music for the patients. Lunch follows, but it is unlikely Berlusconi will help feed patients, at least at first. Then there is a period of rest, during which many patients return to their rooms.
"Silvio Berlusconi won't have an office. He won't perform activities that are fun and relaxing," Sacra Familia director Paolo Pigni told reporters last week.


text:
Whether measured by traditional stats like his 3-8 record and 5.23 ERA, or by ratios like his 3.48 walks and 1.31 home runs allowed per nine innings, or by advanced metrics like his 4.23 xFIP, Ian Kennedy is having a terrible season and about the only way that the 28-year-old righthander's trade value could possibly be lower would be if his name had popped up on a Biogenesis list.
So, on Wednesday, the Arizona Diamondbacks traded Kennedy. Arizona did not just trade him, in fact, the Diamondbacks sent Kennedy to a division rival in the San Diego Padres, getting back lefthanded reliever Joe Thatcher, Class A reliever Matt Stites and a sandwich pick between the second and third rounds of next year's draft.
TRADE TRACKER: Complete list of deadline deals
While Kennedy is eligible for arbitration after his one-year, $4.27 million contract expires after this season, the Padres will have him under team control for two more years. While Thatcher has been excellent in his role, holding lefthanded batters to a .190 average since 2009, and Stites has 51 strikeouts and eight walks in 52 innings in Double-A this year, they are a small price to pay for a pitcher who, if nothing else, can pitch big innings. Since Jake Peavy left San Diego, the only Padres to pitch at least 200 innings in a season have been Clayton Richard (twice) and Jon Garland.
Kennedy has done it each of the past two seasons, and has pitched 124 innings this year. Also worth considering is that in six career starts in San Diego – granted, against some pretty shoddy Padres lineups – Kennedy has posted a 2.27 ERA and 0.897 WHIP, with 48 strikeouts in 35.2 innings, allowing only three home runs.
"We're excited to add a starting pitcher of Ian's pedigree," Padres GM Josh Byrnes said in a statement. "He is under club control through 2015, and we feel he will help us take another step forward as a team."
For the Diamondbacks, trading Kennedy made sense when there was speculation that jettisoning him would free space for Peavy, but the Chicago White Sox traded the former Padres ace to the Boston Red Sox late Tuesday night. Adding Thatcher should be a boost to Arizona's bullpen, where Tony Sipp has been less than spectacular as a lefty specialist, allowing a .769 OPS to lefthanded hitters, but that kind of help comes at quite a cost.
The Diamondbacks entered play on Wednesday 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.


text:
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text:
U.S. Rep.-elect David P. Joyce announced that he has hired Hudson resident Christyn Keyes as his communications director.
Joyce, R-Russell Township, will take over in January after he won the Nov. 6 election for Ohio's 14th Congressional District, which consists of Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula and part of Cuyahoga, Summit, Portage and Trumbull counties.
"Christyn grew up in the district, and together we'll work hard to make sure we're effectively communicating with each and every constituent," Joyce said in a news release. "I look forward to an ongoing conversation with the people of Northeast Ohio so that I can serve them to the best of my ability."
Keyes previously worked at the National Republican Congressional Committee and for U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot. She graduated from Miami University in 2010 and Hudson High School in 2006.
Christyn's parents, Greg and Sue Keyes, reside in Hudson.


text:
These two have seriously left a footprint in my heart. I think from the moment her exuberance in peals of laughter ushered into my door, and the doting way his eyes would linger in happiness at her and hold her hand protectively like he was holding a sacred treasure, I knew. I just knew they were perfect. There is just something magical and solid about a first true love. It hits you like a lightning force, and then settles like the roots of a very old tree, they stem, intertwine, and delve deep under. Deep deep under. It is almost impossible to unearth no matter what the storms, the trials and tribulations, distances, or adversities it weathers.
Even after years past their first brief encounter with each other in high school, when fate had toyed with them, letting them pass each other by year after year, something about her face had imprinted itself in his mind. Something memorable. Something enduring. So much so that when life would have it, and the doors opened once more for these two, Kevin without hesitation put himself on a plane and flew from across the other side of the world, across continents to let her know he was hers. This time and always. In his words, Kevin said from the moment he held her hand, he knew she was IT. The one. And considers himself the luckiest guy in the world to be able to marry this girl and spend the rest of his life with her.
There is something magical about a first true love. It hits you, stays, and then flourishes like an indelible force.
Kevin and Valen, thank you SO much for letting me document your love! You are everything I could hope for in a client - fun, energetic, vivacious, creative, complete trust in me, and gorgeous inside and out! You both have beautiful souls and I can't wait to do this all over again with you when I hit LA!! Have a gorgeous wedding ahead - I'm so sorry I can't shoot it, but I promise when we hang together next year it will make up for it!! :D
Here are my favourites from their session:
(ps: shoutout has to go to the awesome awesome team from Pretty In White, who provided the gown, and hairpieces - they all went perfectly!!)
Here marks the start of day 2 of shooting - since the first day rained out in the middle!
This, I swear, has to be one of my favourite portraits of a bride of mine :) Its totally candid, raw, and unabashedly joyful. None of that arty fartyness hung over in it. Its true beauty in the form of happiness.
Since we had an INCREDIBLY long veil (say, 6m??), I couldn't help myself but do some dramatic veil shots, since the weather was nice and dry for it! :D
There's that exuberant laugh from Valen again!
I love it when my couples laugh like this :) It makes my day - so boys and girls, don't hold back on your laughter!! It's so beautiful!
The day ended with some pretty light! :D
And because we haven't had a slideshow on the blog for awhile, here is their slideshow to a song I just absolutely adore by an artist who has become penned as one of my enduring favourites :) For smooth viewing on slower connections, please press PLAY, then when the progress bar loads, press PAUSE. Once the bar is fully loaded, press play for a better visual experience! :D


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Telemarketer Registration Page
Telemarketers Registered with the Alaska Department of Law - PDF(11KB).
Telemarketing involves situations in which companies call consumers to sell their goods or services, or consumers call companies to make purchases in response to mailings or other forms of advertising. Telemarketing also includes sales solicitations via fax, the Internet and mail, if the consumer is encouraged to respond via the telephone, fax or Internet.
Although a large number of legitimate businesses use telemarketing to reach consumers, this method of conducting business can be easily abused by con artists looking to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals. Telemarketing fraud robs consumers of approximately $40 billion every year.
Fraudulent telemarketers ignore the law and continue to defraud people until they are caught.
For more information:
Telemarketers can withdraw money from your checking account without permission if you have given them your checking account number and the RTN (routing & transit number) at the bottom left of your check. This means that money can be electronically withdrawn from your bank account and deposited into the telemarketer's account without using paper or having your signature!
For more information about automatic debit scams, read the FTC's Automatic Debit Scams Consumer Alert.
Telemarketing is an easy way for a magazine seller to contact customers. Before you agree to purchase a subscription through a promotional mail/telephone order, stop and carefully review the solicitation. Compare the price you have been offered with what it actually costs to purchase a subscription for the entire year directly from the publisher. Often the annual rate is provided in fine print located in the first few pages of a magazine, or, a telephone number is provided for that information. The annual subscription rate is less than the newsstand rate and is usually much less than the mail/telephone monthly rates offers you may receive. And, check inside the magazine where you may find an introductory offer card that reduces the subscription rate further. BE WARY of a " trial offer". An automatic subscription may follow unless you immediately cancel by written notification. Read the fine print carefully! Monthly rates sound appealing but you may discover that the total cost for the year can run hundreds of dollars more than the annual subscription rate.
If you decide to make a purchase as a result of a telephonic solicitation, carefully review the sales contract and the fine print before you sign it.
Keep records of all contacts between you and the seller.
While frequently a mail order and internet practice, telemarketers may also use a negative option marketing plan. This means "we'll keep sending you our product until you tell us to stop". It becomes the responsibility of the consumer to cancel the order. When you agree to a free or "trial" product, (magazine, vitamins or supplements, etc.,) you may be committing yourself to a binding contract with the company that requires you to buy a specified amount of merchandise within a limited period of time. Read and understand the fine print of the purchase agreement you receive before signing it.
If you enter into an agreement that involves a negative option plan, pay attention to all the mail you receive from that company. Keep a record of all the orders you place and all the bills you pay. When you decide to cancel a contract after you have complied with all the terms of the agreement, contact the company in writing to cancel future orders. If possible, send your notification by certified mail. Return unwanted shipments and keep records of dates, how the merchandise was returned and copies of all correspondence.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the typical office supply scam involves goods or services that you routinely order: copier paper, toner and maintenance supplies, equipment maintenance contracts, or classifed advertising. When fraudulent telemarketers call, they often lie to get you to pay for items you didn't order; get you to pay more than you agreed to, by falsely claiming to be your regular supplier; or by telling you that the offer is "special" or "good for a limited time only." Con artists take advantage of holes in your organization's purchasing procedures or of unsuspecting employees who may not be aware of office practices. The supplies peddled by these bogus firms are often overpriced and of poor quality; the services usually are worthless. The Federal Trade Commission suggests that you buy from people you know and trust. Authorized employees should be skeptical of unsolicited calls and feel comfortable saying "no" to high pressure sales tactics. Legitimate companies don't pressure you to make a snap decision. Finally, consider asking new suppliers to send a catalog first for your review so that you can compare prices without being pressured.
Protect yourself and your business by learning to recognize the scams before you become a target. Read the FTC's publication - Avoiding Office Supply Scams.
Telemarketing Travel Fraud Information from the Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/tmarkg/trvlfrd.htm
The National Fraud Information Center (NFIC) was originally established in 1992 by the National Consumer League, the oldest nonprofit consumer organization in the United States, to fight the growing menace of telemarketing fraud by improving prevention and enforcement.
Registering your phone number with this registry is free. You can register online at www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222, TTY 1-866-290-4236, from the phone number you wish to register. Your number will stay registered for five years or until the number is disconnected or you remove the listing.
Telemarketers have to purchase the do-not-call list from the FTC, and they have to delete from their calling lists the phone numbers from the registry. Violators of the do-not-call provisions could be subject to penalties of $11,000 per call.
Having your number on the federal do-no-call list will not stop all unwanted solicitations. There are several exemptions to the law. For instance, if there is a "preexisting business relationship," a telemarketer can call a consumer for a period of up to 18 months after the consumer's last transaction with the seller. Also, if the call is for the purpose of conducting a survey, or is a political solicitation, or is a solicitation for a charitable organization, the Do Not Call Registry is not applicable.
Under the FTC's rules, consumers who don't want to register for the National Do Not Call Registry can still tell telemarketers that they don't wish to receive solicitations. Businesses are required to maintain lists of consumers who have made a do-not-call request, and it is a violation to call a consumer who has asked to be placed on the company's do-not-call list. This company-specific request takes precedence over the "preexisting business relationship" exemption. In other words, even if you have made a recent purchase from a company, if you tell the company you do not want to be solicited by phone, the company is required to comply with that request. Similarly, you can use the company-specific option to ask a paid fundraiser for a charitable organization to stop soliciting you by phone.
It is a violation of Alaska's Consumer Protection Act for a telemarketer to 1) call an consumer in Alaska whose phone number is registered with the national Do Not Call registry, 2) call a consumer in Alaska who has previously communicated to the telemarketer or charitable organization that the consumer does not wish to receive telephone solicitations, or 3) originate a telephone call using an automated or recorded message as an advertisement or solicitation.
For information on how to register your telephone number to reduce unwanted telephone solicitations, go to the National Do Not Call Registry website.
You can file complaints about unwanted telephone calls with the FTC at www.donotcall.gov, with the FCC at www.fcc.gov, and with the Consumer Protection Unit of the Alaska Attorney General's Office. Read about the complaint process and download a complaint form or call (907) 269-5200 or toll free at 888-576-2529.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has adopted strict rules that offer protection against telemarketing fraud. These rules require that certain information be given to consumers and prohibit telemarketers from engaging is certain actions:
Additionally, Alaska laws AS 45.63.010 - AS 45.63.100 and 9 AAC 14.010 - 9 AAC 14.900 requires the telemarketers to be registered with the Alaska Department of Law prior to engaging in telemarketing in the State; and
Some documents on this page require Adobe Reader (available as a free download) to view.


text:
10 Hot Beauty Finds for a Gorgeous Forecast
Beat the heat -- and what it does to your hair -- with these pro tips and anti-frizz hair products.
Frizz happens when your hair's cuticles--the tiny scales that cover each strand--don't lie flat. Two things can cause it: humidity that swells the hair shaft, or overstyling, which fries it. To defend yourself, start in the shower with sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, since sulfates remove the natural oils that coat cuticles. (Try Aveeno Pure Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner, $6.99 each, or use products created for color-treated hair, even if your shade is natural.) If you do dye, use a formula without ammonia. "It lifts the cuticles open, which really increases frizz," says hairstylist Ted Gibson, who works with Debra Messing. Lastly, steer clear of styling products that are heavy on alcohol (mostly hairsprays and mousses)--they'll suck the moisture right out of hair.
Camila Alves's Shows Off Summer Beauty Looks


text:
Every December 24th I visit Legend in Chelsea for a taste of Jewish Christmas: killer Sichuan and some impressive scallion pancakes. Now I have a new dish to add to the rotation.
It's called Stir Fried Corn with Egg Yolk ($16.95), a far too demure name for what turns out to be a platter-sized mountain of battered and fried corn kernels tossed with small, juicy pieces of similarly fried shrimp. Like the fried mushrooms at La Vie en Szechuan, the egg yolk comes salted, cured, and shaved into a fine powder that coats the kernels for a sweet and salty seasoning that melts into a sauce in your mouth.
Fried corn, fried shrimp, and what's essentially freeze-dried mayo doesn't make for a light bite, which means one hefty platter is enough for a banquet-sized table. But it makes a worthy fried snack to combat the restaurant's spicier, more unruly fare.
About the author: Max Falkowitz is the New York editor and ice cream maker in residence at Serious Eats. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.


text:
HUNDREDS of residents flocked to the Civic Centre in Royal Wootton Bassett yesterday to view proposals to develop land on Marsh Farm.
Although an application has yet to be submitted to Wiltshire Council, developers have shown an interest in the site and have appealed to the public for feedback to the proposals.
The proposals to build 300 new homes and a Tesco supermarket on land to the west of the Marsh Farm Hotel has proved a controversial issue among many residents, with many disagreeing with the plans.
But some residents, such as Alan Telling, believes that a new Tesco and extra housing will be of great benefit to the town.
The 31-year-old, of Lime Kiln, said: "I think I would shop there at a Tesco. I go to Asda at the moment for my shopping and it's a long way to go if you have to go on the bus.
"I think in the long term it'll be good to have a Tesco there, especially if they build the houses as well they are going to need it."
The public exhibition, which continues from 10am-6pm today, displays architects' drawings of the proposals for the site, which will include accommodation for elderly people, a community facility and an open space including an extension to the nearby sports hub.
There were also representatives from the development team, which is being led by Leda Properties, on hand.
Sophie Akokhia, corporate affairs manager at Tesco, said: "We are still waiting to hear what people have to say and what they think about the proposals before we put in an application.
"When we go over the feedback forms that will help us form the application.
"The council's own information shows that there is a need and a capacity for these homes and a new supermarket.
"It won't compete against the High Street because the people who use their butcher and their green grocers won't change their habits just because there's a new supermarket. We really support those specialised, independent shops that you find on the high street, and they attract a different kind of customer.
"It's also going to create 150 new jobs, and I've had tons of applications being sent in from people who really want to work in Bassett where they have to work in Swindon at the moment."
But there are many residents in Royal Wootton Bassett who disagree with the plans entirely, believing that it will take away more of the ever-decreasing stretches of countryside.
Bob Austin, 72, said: "I don't think anything should go on that site.
"All this development is like a cancer, it's eating away at the countryside bit by bit.
"It's the youngsters I worry about, they're not going to have any countryside left."


text: Upcoming mobile payment rollout scheduled to take place at Safeway's nearly 1,000 Starbucks locations. Safeway Inc., one of the nation's largest supermarket chains, plans to roll out mobile payment in July at nearly 1,000 Starbucks in Safeway supermarkets across the U.S., including the company's Vons, Pavilions, Dominick's, Randalls, Tom Thumb and Genuardi's stores. In addition,


text:
Hello Folks
Im Michael ,
based in London
Im a Nyingma Yogi
very interested in Chod, and many Dudjom Lineage Practices
have travelled to tibet 3 times, mainly staying in kham in denma valley
also very interested in Pemako
anyone interested in a Dudjom ngondro or Chod group please get in touch as I need to start learning how to play my Damaru properly and effectivley
best wishes
Hello Ganglia
Introduce yourself to others at Dharma Wheel.
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Re: Hello Ganglia
Lama Jinpa has a video up on youtube regarding the basics of playing the Damaru. I'll find the link eventually and post it here for you for quick and easy access. Welcome though!
Sarwa Mangalam!
Re: Hello Ganglia
There you go. May it serve you well.
There you go. May it serve you well.
Sarwa Mangalam!
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- Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:51 pm
Re: Hello Ganglia
thats very kind of you
Re: Hello Ganglia
You are very welcome.
Sarwa Mangalam!
Re: Hello Ganglia
Hi, Welcome to DharmaWheel!
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- Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:11 pm
Re: Hello Ganglia
Greetings Michael! Practicing Dudjom Tersar Ngondro here in Minneapolis.
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Ernst & Young, a leading professional organisation, will deliver an overview of the top priority $7 billion Kuwait Metropolitan Rapid Transit System (KMRT) at an upcoming infrastructure investment summit in Kuwait.
The Infrastructure Investment Kuwait 2012 Summit will be held from March 25 to 28 at Crowne Plaza, Kuwait City. Kuwait continues to invest heavily in expanding the nation's infrastructure in all major industries. One sector benefiting from the National Development Plan is the transport sector where The Partnership Technical Bureau (PTB) in Kuwait recently confirming approval for The Kuwait Metropolitan Rapid Transit System Project (KMRT). Kuwait Financial Centre - Markaz valued the new 160km project.
The metro service is designed to improve Kuwait's public transport infrastructure and will involve the development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of a three line network that will be developed over five phases. The first phase and line will connect Kuwait's southern metropolitan area with the centre and will run 25.8-km through to the main university.
The other four phases will be developed and constructed over the coming years as demand grows. The PTB has appointed a transaction advisory team of Ernst & Young, Ashurst and Atkins to prepare the procurement stage, including metro infrastructure, control system, rolling stock, depot and operations. During the summit Hashem Al Tabtabael of the PTB will be giving an overview of infrastructure development in Kuwait and Mohamad Mneimne, senior executive from Ernst & Young will give an exclusive outline of the Kuwait Metro Project.
[1] http://www.syndigate.info
[2] http://www.tradearabia.com/


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Master Blues Guitarist and Teacher Now Teaching Blues Guitar Lessons via Skype
March 31, 2012 -- !-- AddToAny BEGIN -->
Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) March 31, 2012
Dyce has a natural on-camera presence, and is a great communicatorverbally, and with his guitar. His powerful, clear approach to the blues focuses on each students particular needs, goals and abilities. Students appreciate the fact that Dyce isnt a rock guy playing the blues. He knows the genre, inside and out: Dyce has been playing the blues for 26 years, and this knowledge comes across in his blues Skype guitar lessons.
The blues is important for any aspiring musician. The blues is arguably Americas greatest original art form, and is the backbone of all American musicfrom rock to Top-40 pop, to hip-hop, country, folk, rap, punk, funk, jazz, and more. Its presence is felt everywhere: on the radio, TV theme songs, jingles and movie soundtracks, cell phone ringtones, and the internet. The blues is Americas heartbeat, and any guitarist serious about learning their instrument needs to get some blues chops under their belt. Dyce has the passion, knowledge, and teaching ability required to elevate any aspiring students ability to play blues guitar.
Dyces Fort Lauderdale guitar lessons and 1-on-1 Skype blues guitar lessons are becoming increasingly popular. For the Skype blues guitar lessons, new students dont need much: just a high-speed internet connection, webcam & mic, and Skype account (easy to create, and free).
For more information on Dyces guitar lessons call 786-457-3687 today.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/blues_skype_guitar/Lessons_dycekimura/prweb9348555.htm.


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The duel!Situation puzzles (sometimes called lateral thinking puzzles) are ones where you need to ask lots of yes or no questions to figure out what happened in the situation. These are good puzzles for groups where one person knows the puzzle and answers the questions.
Two men, John and Frank, fought a duel with guns. Each shot their opponent in the head, but neither John nor Frank died. How is this possible?
AnswerThey were not dueling each other.
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
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I just splurged on 5 new discs for the hell of it and I'd like your opinion's on which I should use.
My current setup is:
(Max D) - 172 Champ Wraith 169 Star Destroyer, almost identical I'll probably choose the Wraith though as it seems to fade more consistently)
(Overstable) - 175 Champ Firebird
(Long Range Control drivers) - Broken in 175 Ch. Orc, Broken in 169 Ch. Orc, Beat to Hell 171 Champion Firebird; The orcs are very similar I use them for long s-curves in the woods; The firebird I use for dead straight long shots)
(Understable) - Beat Champ RoadRunner; I use it for rollers and hard turning long hyzer flips.
(Midrange) - Broken in Dx Roc ; 0 Fade; I use it mainly in the open on holes that are 280-310 feet.
(Putt/Apprach) - Champ Classic Roc, used for most drives under 280'; JK Aviar approaches and putts.
So I'm confident in my discs, but I like to throw new plastic. I now have all new:
174 Ch. Banshee
176 Ch. Coyote
171 Ch. Starfire
175 Ch. Gator
I can't fit all those and my others in the bag so which of those do you think I should use? I'm definately going to use the Starfire for my low-medium headwind drives. I'm thinking the coyote can replace the roc (I like Champion plastic). The gator should be fun And the EagleX can replace one of my Overlapping Orcs.
Would a Banshee be short enough in comparison to a FireBird to be useful?


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May 28, 2013 - The Team Takeover 17u Black team has been wracking up 'W's' in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League, amassing a 13-0 record before this past weekend's Minneapolis event. Now Takeover, D.C.'s EYBL entry coached by Keith Stevens is 16-2 and tied for the lead of Division C and the EYBL overall with Houston Hoops, a talent packed team in its own right.
Robert Stephens and i95Ballerz.com have reported on Takeover and its EYBL action extensively this year. Much of that work is published below:
EYBL Hampton
Team Takeover continued their journey to Hampton in the second round of the EYBL basketball league. Takeover remained undefeated in league play after completing their second round schedule.
In their opener Takeover defeated Alabama Challenge 72-52 as Dion Wiley led all scorers with 14 points. Phil Booth chipped in with 13 points.
Tre Campbell led the team with eight assists. Campbell also scored 11 points as Takeover went on a 43-28 run in the second half. Marcus Derrickson led the team in rebounds with eight.
Takeover defeated the Family out of Detroit 78-66 in their second contest. Greg Malinowski led the team with 12 points. Booth scored 11 points while James Palmer notched 10 points and four assists. Martin Geben led the team with 12 rebounds while scoring six points.
Takeover led 35-23 at the half to improve to 2-0 at the Boo Williams complex.
Indy Spiece, one of the dominant teams in this decade proved to be a tough test in the third Hampton contest, as Takeover led just 27-23 at the half. DC's team held on for a 76-75 win as Dion Wiley led it with 24 points. James Palmer chipped in with 18 points and Phil Booth added 16 points for the winners. Campbell led the team with nine assists while scoring six points.
The Oakland Soldiers from California gave Takeover another tough challenge taking the game into overtime. TTO outscored the Soldiers 12-9 in overtime to secure a 62-60 overtime win over the West Coast squad. Campbell led Takeover with 10 points and four assists. Quadree Smith grabbed nine rebounds and scored nine points. Dion Wiley eight points as did Palmer, who added six rebounds to a balanced attack.
Takeover concluded their second round with a 79-61 win over the St. Louis Eagles. Wiley led Takeover with 24 points and six rebounds. Booth chipped in with 15 points. Palmer scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Campbell paced TTO with five assists while also scoring nine points. Takeover held the Eagles to a 29.4% shooting in the second half.
EYBL Dallas
Team Takeover of Washington, D.C. remained unbeaten after the third round of play in the 2013 EYBL Nike summer league play. Takeover won four straight contests at the Frisco complex in a suburb of Dallas,Texas.
Game One - Featured Takeover against the Albany Rocks from upstate New York. TTO jumped out to a 45-26 first half lead and never looked back. The team shot 55% in the first half from the floor while holding the Rocks to a shooting percentage of 38.5%.
James Palmer led all scorers with 15 points. Dion Wiley chipped in with 14 points. Obi Enechionyia finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Greg Malinowski contributed 10 points and four assists, while Tre Campbell matched that helper output.
Game Two - Featured BABC out of Boston, which boasts Bonzie Colson Jr. one the top scorers in the EYBL league. Bonzie's father played at Dunbar High School in the District in the 80's.
In a tightly fought contest Takeover walked away with a 64-60 win over the Boston based team. Takeover led 34-28 at the half shooting 53.8% from the floor. BABC was held to 43.5% shooting by TTO's strong defensive play.
Wiley, the only Takeover player in double figures, finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Martin Geben and James Palmer contributed nine points a piece. Phil Booth chipped in with 8 points. Takeover out rebounded BABC 29-22.
For the record Bonzie Colson Jr. scored 23 points to lead BABC. "He is a player definitely." said Takeover head coach Keith Stevens.
Game Three - Team Takeover defeated MOKAN Elite from Kansas City, Missouri 55-43, breaking open a close contest in the second half by outscoring heir opponent 28-19 in the second. Booth led all scorers with 14 points. Wiley chipped in 12 points, while Geben scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Palmer also scored 11 points and dished out three assists. Takeover held their opponent to 33.3% shooting for the game.
Game Four - Takeover faced another tough challenge with Team Final from Philadelphia. Final was an especially tough challenge due to their guard play. TTO out-rebounded their opponent 31-26 and held them to 40.4% shooting. For the first time their were no scorers in double digits; this contest was a low scoring defensive struggle. Quadree Smith led the team with eight points.
Tre Campbell, Dion Wiley, Martin Geben, and James Palmer scored seven points each.
After Dallas, Takeover became 13-0 in league play, a game over Houston Hoops at 12-1. Expressions Elite out of Boston in their first year in the league was 11-2, as was North Carolina's CP3 All Stars. Indy Spice owned a 10-3, mark, followed by the quartet of BABC, Mean Streets (Chicago) and Team Scan (NY) and Hampton's Boo Williams.
Takeover has managed to win several close games in the competitive EYBL league and there's a reason for that according to assistant coach Jamil Jones.
"This group has been together for a while" said Jones, at practice this past week. "That's one of the things that makes them unique. On offense we share the basketball which makes it easy".
Jones sees a relationship between stopping people and scoring. "Everything starts with our defense, our offense included" said Jones, an assistant seemingly with a bright future, after running drills at the session.
Of their practice methodology, he revealed "Our first 40 minutes (in practice) we work on skill work" of which they break "down the wings and the bigs in separate workouts".
For more from Stephens on Takeover 17U Black, specifically coverage of the team's EYBL California experience - the league's first tourney, click here.
Be on the look out for more of Stephens' coverage, as well as a compendium of Takeover practice notes.


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Art Toys Bring Out the Silly Side of Thundercats...
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with Collectibles Insurance, the official insurance company of the Figures.com network. Say "Figures.com" to get 5% off your first term premiums.
To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, RedfordFilms.com, Toynk.com, PastGenerationToys.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.
Have a fondness for vinyl figures? Love everything Thundercats-related? Then you just might be interested in the Thundercraps by Kuso Vinyl! Unique characters that may seem more than a little familiar to you, Thundercraps utilize the Spiki figure and are designed by artist Rotobox.
The first Thundercraps, Lion-Oh Really and Tigrowl, were released as SDCC exclusives last year and subsequently a small run of artist proofs online. At Anime Expo last week Kuso Vinyl debuted a new box set of three figures: Succumb to the Dark Side Evil Lion-Oh Really, Winter Wrap-Up Siberian Tigrowl, and Cheatarah. The first two are "repaints" of the initial figure releases in darker palettes while Cheatarah is an all-new design. She came in two versions, the OG Colorway in orange (depicted here) and a "chase" metallic Show Me the Money Honey Goldigger variant.
Spiki figures are 3 ¾ inches tall with articulation at the neck, "shoulders," and "hips." They also have cute curly tails that plug into their backs. All of the figures share the exact same mold, so if you have one you know what all of the rest will look like and do. The Spiki body has been used quite a bit for different characters, but it really works well for the feline Thundercraps. Of course, it's the painting that makes these figures, a combination of familiar patterns and designs from Thundercats and a unique vinyl style. All of the painting on the figures I've seen has been very well done with bold lines and solid colors.
The Thundercraps aren't a very optimistic group as is evidenced by the packaging for this new trio. A straightforward tri-window box, this red monolith features the logos for Thundercraps, Kuso, and the various artists involved on the front panel. Check out the top for the feline team's odd motto, "life is like a toilet bowl of crap." And if you think that's weird, you'll find on the side panels that the weapon of choice of Lion-Oh Really is none other than the Sword of Erection. Folks, I couldn't make this stuff up.
The coolest thing about the packaging here is the back that's dominated by an adorable lineup of current and future (?) Thundercraps. In addition to the current three characters you'll see the Spiki form used for the "kittens" and something like Snarf. Since those won't require any new molds it's likely we'll see them released eventually. Not as certain are the figures like Panthro and Mumm-Ra since they'd require at least new head parts. If you want to see the rest of these Thundercraps made then let Kuso know!
I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of vinyl figures but I'm really enjoying these. They're cute, recognizable as "just like" Thundercats characters, a manageable size, and they even have a little articulation. Thundercraps are not usually for sale except at conventions and through special announcements so stay tuned to KusoVinyl.com and Figures.com for all vinyl figure news.
Review and Photos by Scott Rubin


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We have a team in the IKL that is in need of a new owner.
The current roster is:
Kevin Garnett
Jason Kidd
Ray Allen
Manu Ginobili
Zadrunas Ilgauskas
Peja Stojakovic
Marquis Daniels
Brook Lopez
James Posey
Antonio Daniels
JaVale McGee
Zaza Pachulia
They also have the 4th pick in each of the 3 round draft for the fall.
Anyone up to the challenge?


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A HAMPSHIRE lad is enjoying a new set of wheels thanks to the support of his community.
Six-year-old Finn Kitchen, of Kings Worthy, has the rare condition Joubert Syndrome, which means he has difficulty walking.
Mum Katie, 31, and dad Dan, 36, realised that because it is so tiring for him, Finn was missing out.
A fundraising campaign saw friends, colleagues and community groups pull together to raise the £2,500 needed for a lightweight wheelchair – and Finn is impressed with the result.
"It's great, and it is shiny. I like it because it is orange – that's my favourite colour.
"I can do more on my own and wheel by myself. I go by myself (and collect items) and come back when we go shopping," he said.
Mrs Kitchen said: "We were overwhelmed. It just shows how important he is within the community.
"When you start fundraising, it's difficult as a parent because you feel like you're asking for help. But it was a close friend who basically strong-armed us into it!
Mrs Kitchen said that on launching the campaign last September, it gathered pace quickly, and by January everyone from the Girl Guides and the primary school, to a local plumber and the Winchester Round Table, had chipped in.
"He really is a one off. Everyone knows him and we are very proud of all he has managed to achieve and amazingly lucky to live in such a great community," Mrs Kitchen said.


text: Boys' Ludlow suit pant in Italian chino Item B8301 Color: VINTAGE NAVY Size: All sizes are US sizes. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 12 14 16 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 Hits at waist. Product Details A sharp, slim-fitting pair for all the grown-up places—and parties—he goes to. It's cut from the same Italian chino we use for our men's collection, which comes from famed Milanese tailor and textile designer Larusmiani. So it's just like Dad's, only smaller. Italian cotton. Hook and bar. Slant pockets. Partially lined. Dry clean. Import. Item B8301.


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Malcolm wrote:anjali wrote:Malcolm wrote:Because the nature of the mind for sutra is strictly emptiness. Lhundrup is never mentioned nor implied in sutra at all in any way. The understanding of mind (sems, citta) in Chan/Sutra is completely different than in Dzogchen for that reason.
But you can believe whatever you like, I don't have time to propely correct your misunderstanding. Read Nubchen.
Chinul clearly states that mind-essence includes both awareness and emptiness. Therefore, his exposition can't be considered strictly sutra. I will take a look at Nubchen, if I can find a good english translation.
What makes you think the nature of the mind being both empty and aware is not a sutrayāna perspective? It in fact is.
Hmmm. What does "strictly" mean in your comment, "Because the nature of the mind for sutra is strictly emptiness"?
I like your quotes, particularly, "The wise are liberated by knowing the phenomena's empty luminous nature in that way."


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We are always looking for volunteers and foster homes, please contact us if you are interested. (269) 637-5062
Our Hours:
Sunday Closed
Monday 11:00-5:30pm
Tuesday 11:00-5:30pm
Wednesday Closed
Thursday 11:00-5:30pm
Friday 11:00-5:30pm
Saturday 11:00-3:00pm
We are closed Sunday and Wednesday
Kittens (Under 7 months) come vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and microchipped. Adoption fee is $65
Cats (7 months and up) come vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and microchipped. Adoption fee is $45.
Senior Cats (Over 7 years of age) come vaccinated, spayed/neutered and microchipped. Adoption fee is waived currently.
Dogs over 6 months who are spayed/neutered $125
Dogs under 6 months who are spayed/neutered $175
Dogs over 7 years: Adoption fee waived temporarily
Feel free to fill out an application at http://www.al-van.org/AV/Adoptapp.html
Thank You!
Your message has been sent to Al-Van Humane Society.
You'll receive a copy, too, at to help you keep track of which pets you've inquired about, and which shelters and rescues you've emailed.
NOTE: Some shelters have physical locations you can visit; some of these shelters may only have pets for a limited time, so please do not wait for a reply—just go visit the shelter! Other organizations are rescue groups run by busy volunteers who may take a while to reply. You can find information about the shelter or rescue group caring for this pet, and their adoption procedures, on the pet's details page on Adopt-a-Pet.com.


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The Dying Ship That Taught Me How to Read
This is a story of old ships, childhood summers, inline-8 diesels and a four-letter word. This is the story of the 52-year-old M/S Amur, a vaguely abandoned 282-ft passenger riverboat. Without this rusty old Danube cruiser, I would not be here.


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At Buddhadharma, we're always trying to bring you the best new Buddhist books. Our review editor sorts through the books that come across his desk and highlights some of the best ones.
His latest round of selections includes books on the art of the 10th Karmapa, Buddhist environmentalism in Thailand, and early Sakya views on tantra. Click here to read about them.


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Love Me! I'm ... Quaker Sleeveless
Product Color:
Product information
The Sleeveless Love Me! I'm ... Quaker is the no-sleeve version of the popular favorite t-shape. Perfect for use in sports where you are bound to sweat and need wide range of movement as well as on hot and sunny days, to avoid those tan-lines across your biceps. Put Religious Society Of Friends on the finest combed jersey which feels soothing against your skin.
Religious Society Of Friends Sleeveless is available in 10 different color options. Heather Grey: 80% Peruvian Cotton/20% Polyester. Remaining Colors: 100% Peruvian Cotton.
Sku: SL1BR0000024710909090863CRRE00000


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By Ed Eisenberger, Cruising World MagazineHurricane experts are predicting that the next 20 years will be more active than the last. As sailors, theres nothing we can do to change the outcome of these predictions. But we can be prepared. Planning for the safety of your boat and where it will survive best is a lot like the real estate business: location, location, location. And determining what steps you need to take should begin before a hurricane threatens. The first major decision, one that affects all subsequent action, is: Where will you keep...
1. When preparing a vessel for the approach of a tropical wave, depression, tropical storm or hurricane, be sure to close all seacocks, except the cockpit scupper seacocks. Leave the cockpit scuppers open to allow rain water and sea spray to drain out of the cockpit. During one tropical storm, a large sailboat was blown onto soft sand in shoal water and would have suffered minimal damage. However, since the galley and head sink seacocks were left open, seawater flooded the vessel while the yacht was careened on its side. The interior was pa...
Your boat is booked, the bags are almost packed and you're counting down the days to a perfect charter sail-away vacation. It will be just that - as long as you tack around some health and safety issues common to tropical places.There are a few safety checks you can make before you even leave home. If you have any health questions or concerns, consult your doctor before departure. Fill prescriptions and bring extras along in case your travel is delayed, along with spare glasses and contact lenses. Call your health insurance company so you understand your...
These are stand up people, who make a stand up product. I would buy from them again in a heartbeat.
~ Jay Clark, Dolphin 460
"Sugar Shack"
I just wanted you to know that your level of service and the high degree of customer satisfaction have made owning my Dolphin a great experience.
~ Daniel Zlotnick, Dolphin
"Sugar Shack"