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The Jets are playing to get in the playoffs, while the NFC North champion Bears need a win to have a shot at a bye and a good seed. Chicago is a scant one-point favorite, meaning Las Vegas has no clue what's going to happen at Soldier Field today. Here's what you need to know before tuning in.
Revis Island? -- Against the Redskins, Jay Cutler threw four interceptions because he forced passes, challenging top cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Will he do the same against Pro Bowler Darrelle Revis? He's said he would, because he has faith in his receivers. He should have faith in statistics, too. Though Revis has been one of the best corners in the league, he's been hampered by injury and the late start forced by his contract holdout. He doesn't have an interception this season. The Jets only have seven.
Just how special are the teams -- Jets coach Rex Ryan has no plans to let Devin Hester add to his record return touchdown total. The Jets plan not to kick it to Hester. Plenty of teams have made that plan before, but the winds at Soldier Field don't always cooperate. The Bears have their own return problems, as the Jets' Brad Smith is one of the league's best on kickoff returns. He has 1,366 yards and two touchdowns.
Mark Sanchez ready to play -- Despite torn cartilage in his shoulder, Mark Sanchez will start today. He's been up and down this season, with a quarterback rating ranging from 127.3 in the Jets first game against New England to 27.8 in the team's second game with New England.
Ground weapons -- The Jets are averaging 140 yards per game on the ground, thanks to a resurgent LaDainian Tomlinson. The 2006 MVP had a down year in San Diego before signing with the Jets. Now, he's on pace for a 1,000 yard season and will be a challenge for the Bears. Their run defense has stopped other top 15 rushers: Minnesota's Adrian Peterson and Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy had just 53 yards against the Bears.
Let it snow -- For the second week in a row, the Bears will play in snow, but the temperature will be much warmer than the single-digit wind chills that Chicago has become accustomed to. The high for the day is 30 degrees. Balmy!
History lesson -- The Bears and Jets will be playing for just the tenth time. Chicago leads the series 6-3.


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Yesterday we showed you the Mishka collaboration tee with UK boutique Wellgosh, celebrating their 21st anniversary. Today you get a first look at their t-shirt with Stussy for the special occasion. The t-shirt comes in 4 colorways and will also be released at Wellgosh on November 21st. Expect more special product for the anniversary event, we will of course keep you posted.
More views of the Stussy x Wellgosh 21st Anniversary T-Shirts follow after the jump.

subset: commoncrawl


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I bought a second hand laptop off Ebay but after 5 months the deadly blue screen appeared after a screeching sound from the HDD area. Fortunately, I immediately found a replacement MK6021GAS. I was surprised to find a Toshiba in a Dell laptop but after a few checks found that it was the norm.After spending 3 weeks loading all the drivers via a very slow desktop computer and very little knowledge of what I was doing, the new hard drive went the way of the first. Looking at a few forums it would seem that this is a common fault. I am now wondering if it's worth buying another hard drive to allow me the luxury of a spare laptop as I have since bought a new one. If there is a compatible one I may seriously consider it but I doubt I'll buy another Toshiba MK6021GAS.
Toshiba MK6025GAS - Hard drive - 60GB, 2.5", 4200 RPM, 2MB buffer.
2 of these failed!
First one lasted 15months, and ended up giving noises like chainsaw. Then I brought second one, which lasted exactly 12.5 months- and failed 15 days after warrany expired.
The notebook (and 2nd drive in it) spent most of the year on my desk.
Both cases are just too fortunate for the manufacturer to be a coincidence.
Hit rate 2/2 = 100%. Toshiba drives sucks!
The drive was not cheapest one, so I expected I will get the quality, but got sh*t instead.
Will never buy a hdd without 4 year warranty at least.


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- Can be re-used again and again
- Gift boxed
Corkcicle Wine Cooler is the award-winning all-in-one solution for perfect wine, offering a revolutionary way to chill your bottle from the inside. The temperature of a wine can truly effect its taste. Wine left on the counter becomes unpleasantly warm, tasting too much like alcohol, yet wine left in an ice bucket becomes too cold, robbing the flavour. This Corkcicle is a simple and easy to use cooling accessory specially designed to both chill and aerate your favourite wine for up to an hour.
For White Wine or Rosé, simply pop your Corkcicle Wine Cooler in the freezer for an hour and pour out your first glass of wine to make room for the Corkcicle. Then place the Corkcicle into your bottle to keep it cool for up to an hour, or until the bottle is finished.
For red wine, a common misperception is that it should be served at the average room temperature which is 72 degrees. However, red wine is actually best when served at cellar temperature which is 60 degrees. Leaving your Corkcicle in the freezer for 15 minutes before placing it in your favourite bottle of Merlot, Shiraz or other red delights, will slightly cool your drink whilst enhancing its flavour.
TheCorkcicle Wine Cooler is a great solution to an age old problem and is a fantastic gift for wine-lovers this season. Unlike ice buckets, it's easy to store, light to carry and certainly won't make a mess!
Watch the video to find out more:
See more Bar & Accessories
See more Cooling Accessories


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Find the best Garages and Car Repairs in Bolton with Who Can Fix My Car.
Enter your registration to compare prices and reviews and find a great garage today.
Find the best Garages and Car Repairs in Bolton with Who Can Fix My Car.
Fantastic service. Car was picked up and repaired and ready the next day.
took longer than thay told me and I had to keep phoning for when the car would be done that never botherd to phone me to let me no it wasn't ready when thay said it would be
Excellent service and advice. Very good value.
Great people very friendly car had oil leak and showed me the work that needed doing going back to have more work done highly recommend
Fitted the repair in at short notice (Same day). Did the job quickly and all staff were friendly. Shown worn parts and they even made me a cup of tea. Time will tell on the repair but so far so good and would recommend. Thanks to all at the garage.
Fantastic job. Thank you for getting us up and running again.
Job got completed faster than expected and my windows now work perfectly! Quick response and precessional. Very pleased! Do not doub to go for this choice, also good price.
Came to house and advised I had the wrong part, we arranged another mutually convenient time and the part was fitted in around 10mins. No problems here, highly recommended
Great service, patient, efficient and professional, won't hesitate to use again.
Quickly diagnosed and fixed
decided to cancel after being laughed at for sending a message to confirm date and time for my brake bads to be fixed. sounded like a joke of a company so not worth the risk
Head gasket gone, Two injectors broke, glow plug broke stuck in head. Xmas time, head needed skimming and pressure checked he still got it done on time and polished the car, and brought it back to Wales for me. Matt cheers bud goes like s+it off shovel.
Excellent. Fast and friendly, price was as quoted and the best around. They also sourced me some tyres at a better price than I was going to pay. Even washed my car!
Highly Recommended Garage! Problem resolved the car is back on road now. The price quoted was very competitive compared to others. Matt also repaired my my wife's car which was refused to be repaired by nation wide high end companies like National tyres & Selecta tyres yet the price was lot cheaper than elsewhere. Matt you are star will be using your Garage in future will recommend to my colleagues, friends & family!
Excellent customer service very easy contact outstanding work quality would very highly recommend this garage to anyone very reasonable prices will be keeping number for future use thanks a lot for doing a good job
Great communication......turned up on time and job completed with no fuss. Totally recommend Rick for future customers....Thanks Rick, pleasure to meet you!
Ricky was very knowledgeable about everything he did ,very happy with all the work that he carried out ,a gentleman that gives mechanics a great name, would recommend him every day of the week
Excellent service and very helpful guy would hesitate in using these again.Job done and all sorted
Rick is a first class mechanic. He arrived on time, he was very polite and courteous. Rick did a marvellous job of changing my front Brake discs and pads, even in the pouring rain. Rick even went into the procedure with me personally, putting my mind at ease. He also left everything neat and tidy as it was before he came. I will recommend rick to anyone, and will definitely be using his services again.
Recommend rick,did good job didn't take long arrived on time highly recommend.
Had Air con done in under 30 mins very friendly service and happy with price.
Only increase was because the car needed a new flywheel which was shown to us after the job had been done. Very pleased with their service though
Wow absolutely fantastic service from Debbie and Nigel , I contacted Debbie on the Monday - booked my car in for Wednesday and collected Wednesday evening .Nigel changed a wet belt , cam belt , seals , water pump and carried out a full service to our Mondeo at a great price in super quick time .I honestly cannot praise the service highly enough - I also had a really nice chat when I collected the vehicle with a cuppa from Debbie.Very highly recommended. Thanks
Really lovely couple, came and picked up the car and delivered the car back late the next evening, amazing service!
Superb service and price, thanks
A very quick response to my query. The garage staff were friendly and saw to the car straight away. The price was lower than quoted as the job was straight forward. That doesn't happen often. I'll certainly be using Autostart again.
excellent service.
I Drop the car off at 10.30 picked it up at about 1.30 a light was changed and tires will put in the correct place as I put them back wrong when I change my break pads and discs really happy with the Service and the lady in the office was very friendly and polite I am taking my car back there shortly again for a fix on the passenger window already got a quote that I'm happy with do recommend They seemed experience and knowledgable mechanic and seemed well Stablish garage
Fantastic service. Did the job that others couldn't. I attempted to do the tracking myself and messed everything up, the garage sorted this for me and my car is now driving perfectly straight. really friendly helpful guy
Definitely recommend Autostart, great, friendly, honest service and no quibble on price initially quoted.
The cost of servicing, MOT and repairs differ across the country. Labour rates will be higher or lower depending on where in the country you are. Take a look below at the average quote in Bolton on WhoCanFixMyCar.com for some of our top service types.
|Service Type
|Average Price
|Get Quotes
|Full Service
|Full Service and MOT
|Clutch Replacement
|Brake Pads and Discs
|Cambelt Change
|Clutch Repairs
|Aircon Regas
|Mobile Mechanic
|Head Gasket
This table uses data from quotes provided on WhoCanFixMyCar.com between 23/08/2017 and 21/11/2017.


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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Ohio State players and coaches were among the 1,000 people who gathered in Columbus to pay tribute to legendary football coach Woody Hayes.
The event Friday night came as the university marked the 100th anniversary of Hayes' birth this week.
Former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce and Hayes' former players including Archie Griffin, Rex Kern and Jeff Logan shared stories about the coach who won 13 Big Ten titles in his 28 years.
Also at the event were former Buckeye greats John Hicks and Paul Warfield.
Earlier this week, an 8-foot-tall bronze statue of Hayes went up outside the athletic center that bears his name.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.


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Think power stations and you only have a snippet of what Innogy Holdings, the newly demerged UK arm of National Power (NP), is all about. In a rapidly changing sector, highly exposed to political and environmental pressures as well as commercial demands, this young and ambitious company is a far cry from the grey old image of the utility sector. "We face a very interesting mixture of issues, and it gives a lively workload to our lawyers," says company secretary Mike Bowden.
Innogy was spun out of the UK energy giant a little over a month ago. Linklaters & Alliance advised longstanding client NP on all aspects of the demerger, including the transfer of more than 60 properties into the newlycreated Innogy. The process was sealed with the flotation of the UK business on the London and New York markets on 2 October. NP, renamed International Power, retained its UK and US listings and its shares fared well. Innogy took an initial plunge but has since witnessed a dramatic rise.
The company is divided up into five business areas. In addition to the traditional core business of power stations, classed as operations and engineering, there is the energy retailing side NPower, a cogeneration and renewables business that encompasses National Wind Power (NWP), a new technologies business called Innogy Technology Ventures, and an energy trading business.
Bowden, who is head of legal and regulatory affairs as well as being the company secretary, leads the 14-strong in-house legal team, inherited mostly from NP. "It's the longest title I've ever had," jokes the former NP employee, who has worked in the sector since privatisation. He replaced former company secretary Andrew Swanson, who took severance terms, and head of legal Stuart Wheeler, who stepped down earlier this year. As a result, dealing with industry regulator Ofgen and the increasingly influential Environmental Agency also comes within Bowden's remit. "Previously, the primary input was economic regulation. Now there's been a change of emphasis. Environmental regulation is making a more telling input on our bottom line," he says.
There has been little breathing space for Bowden and his team since the demerger was announced in August. Before Innogy floated, Bowden was locked in all-night negotiations to buy Independent Energy after it went into receivership on 8 September. The £10m deal gave Innogy 320,000 electricity and gas customers, taking its customer base past the three million mark. Innogy paid just £32 per customer – it will win back that and more in commission for collecting Independent Energy's £150m backlog of bills on behalf of the receivers.
The deal was completed within just four working days, with Linklaters & Alliance advising Innogy, Allen & Overy advising receiver KPMG, and Herbert Smith acting for the regional electricity companies, instructed by Northern Electric. "The deal showed that this is not a cumbersome organisational structure. We now have the ability to move very swiftly," says Bowden. Innogy saw off competition from five or six other short-listed companies which submitted proposals to the receivers.
Bowden's close involvement in the acquisition is typical of the hands-on approach he expects his department to take. The company has rejected the alternative model of having just a handful of lawyers acting as an interface with external advisers.
Bowden says: "I'm sure that model has its merits, but we've decided to go the other way. Our team has a very high-level understanding of the underlying issues within the various parts of the business. It provides much more commercially aware legal advice than external advisers, and there are also cost advantages."
For anti-trust litigation in Brussels, for example, the company's own in-house litigation specialist Gary Chapman is able to instruct counsel direct.
"I'm not for one moment saying that we do everything in-house," says Bowden. "But we do far more than the everyday drudging stuff. We strive to cover all but the very largest corporate transactions." And even when it comes to the latter, Bowden sees his staff as key negotiators and contributors.
Innogy intends to retain Linklaters as its chosen corporate adviser for the foreseeable future. The demerger prompted a number of competitors to approach Bowden in the hope that the company, like International Power, would want to make a fresh start with new legal advisers. Last month International Power instructed Clifford Chance as principal corporate adviser, although Linklaters will continue to do some projects work (The Lawyer, 9 October). Bowden, though, has no such plans. "We're flattered by the interest but see no reasons to change," he says. "We have a longstanding relationship with Linklaters and I'm a huge admirer of their high-quality legal service. They also mix with us very well." Personal relationships, then, are clearly of great importance to Bowden.
"We don't just blindly instruct Linklaters," he says. "We do so on the understanding that lawyers who I know and like will do the work. You take competence as a given when you go to an external adviser, but you've got to be able to get on with them. We're a young, high-energy team, and we want to mirror that personality type in the advisers we use."
It also helps that Bowden has never seen Linklaters outsmarted by lawyers on the other side of the table. "If that happened we'd change horses," he says. "We get a fair view of the premier league of London firms, but I'm still convinced Linklaters is the best."
As well as the big corporate deals, some employment work is outsourced to Linklaters, but all property work for Innogy's significant brownfield portfolio is dealt with in-house. Innogy owns just the kind of land the government is now eager to see developed. "We're just starting to tap the commercial opportunities which this presents," says Bowden.
Innogy also uses niche shipping, offshore and energy firm Curtis Davis Garrard, based at Heathrow, which is advising it on a series of industry disputes.
But those areas aside, Bowden's aim is to get the full benefits of having a large in-house legal team by placing lawyers close to the business they predominantly work for. A prime example is Simon Wells, one of Innogy's 14 qualified lawyers, who is company secretary for NWP. Addressing the planning issues involved in building a wind farm five kilometres offshore is just one example of the kind of issue this fast-moving area of the business throws up. Innogy also took on two Independent Energy lawyers when it bought that company.
"Any legal issue that comes out of that part of the business is dealt with by those lawyers. Alternatively, they can take it to the most appropriate specialist within the team," says Bowden.
No doubt there are busy times ahead for his department. Innogy is currently growing its customer base organically, taking on 9,000 customers a week, but the company has made no secret of the fact that it is looking to make further acquisitions. US-owned retail suppliers Yorkshire Electricity, Northern Electric and Seeboard are all attractive candidates, but Innogy itself is not free from predators. "If someone wishes to make a bid for us, our board will consider it in line with our commitment to looking after shareholder value," says Bowden. For the time being, however, the focus is on Innogy's own growth.
Key to that strategy is the new technologies business. Innogy owns all of the intellectual property related to a new technology known as Regenesys, which allows electricity to be stored for use at peak demand. Regenesys makes Innogy unique in the energy sector, and the company plans to capitalise on its position by building a network of power stations in the UK and US using the new technology. Innogy is planning to recruit a lawyer as company secretary for this expanding area.
As energy is starting to be dealt with like any other commodity, trading is also taking off for Innogy. The company has its own trading floor at its Swindon offices, where Bowden plans to appoint a specialist trading lawyer, probably from the City, who is familiar with the New Electricity Trading Arrangements.
Innogy is by no means alone in seeing this as a growth area. "US utility companies are recruiting traders by the bucket load," says Bowden. "Since the days of government-facilitated contracts, the process of trading has become more and more sophisticated. The legal expertise it requires is changing as well." And as Innogy grows from strength to strength in the rapidly changing energy business, Bowden's team must grow in size and expertise to keep up.
He says: "We are an expanding department because the businesses that we serve want and need more legal input into their growing businesses. We are customer led and customer focused. Our customers are the businesses that make the company's profits."
Mike Bowden
Head of legal and regulatory affairs and company secretary
Innogy Holdings
|Innogy Holdings
|FTSE 250 rating
|21 (also listed on the New York stock exchange)
|Market capitalisation
|Legal capability
|14 qualified lawyers, one paralegal and one trainee
|Head of legal
|Company secretary and head of legal and regulatory affairs Mike Bowden
|Reporting to
|Executive chairman Ross Sayers
|Main location for lawyers
|Birmingham, Swindon and Worcester
|Main law firms
|Curtis Davis Garrard and Linklaters & Alliance


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Nike Q1 EPS Tops Estimates As Investors Rally (NKE)
Investors must have been anticipating this one.
Nike (NYSE: NKE) is up more than five percent in after hours trading, but the stock began to grow minutes before the company's first-quarter results were announced.
Nike's Q1 EPS came in at $0.86 -- $0.08 higher than the Wall Street estimate of $0.78.
Earnings per share were up 34 percent from the year-ago period.
Revenue came in at $6.97 billion versus the unusually accurate Street estimate of $6.97 billion.
Sales were up eight percent year-over-year.
Nike also announced that worldwide futures orders were up eight percent, which was in-line with analyst expectations. If currency changes were excluded, reported orders would have been two percent higher at 10 percent.
On a per-region basis, Nike's reported futures orders came to 11 percent for North America, 12 percent for Western Europe, 25 percent for Central and Eastern Europe, three percent for Greater China, and one percent for emerging markets. In Japan, Nike's reported futures orders are currently at negative 19 percent.
"We had a great first quarter driven by our unrelenting commitment to delivering innovative products and services to athletes around the world," Mark Parker, President and CEO of Nike, Inc., said in a company release. "Our powerful portfolio of businesses combined with unmatched leadership and resources allows us to capitalize on opportunities that drive long-term value for our shareholders. I am more excited than ever about our potential to continue to innovate with purpose, and fuel Nike's growth."
Nike has had a good year, rising more than 32 percent year-to-date. The stock has performed particularly well in September, rising nearly eight percent during this month alone.
Nike's growth stretches beyond 2013, however. The company has grown fairly consistently over the last five years, rising more than 117 percent since September 2008.
Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Louis Bedigian had no position in the equities mentioned in this report.
Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ
Posted-In: Mark Parker NikeEarnings News
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Spirulina Platensis
January 11, 2016 · Public
Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids, antioxidants that can help protect cells from damage. It contains nutrients, including B complex vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid).
Spirulina -- like any blue-green algae -- can be contaminated with toxic substances called microcystins. It can also absorb heavy metals from the water where it is grown. For these reasons, it is important to buy spirulina from a trusted brand.
Test tube and animal studies suggest spirulina may boost the immune system, help protect against allergic reactions, and have antiviral and anticancer properties. However, there is no proof that spirulina has these, or any, benefits in people. More research is needed.
Immune Support
A number of animal and test tube studies suggest that spirulina increases production of antibodies, infection-fighting proteins, and other cells that improve immunity and help ward off infection and chronic illnesses such as cancer. However, it has not been tested in people. In one clinical trial that involved humans, another type of blue-green algae called chlorella did not boost the immune response to flu vaccine.


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54 Benjul Drive Beenleigh 4207 QLD
Picture Perfect - Awaiting Deposit
BREAK LEASE. A neat, clean and nicely presented three bedroom home with a large undercover patio for extra living and entertaining space. The home has an easy care fenced yard with a garden shed and single carport. A two way bathroom off the main bedroom makes for easy living and a larger than average kitchen for family style cooking. Ceiling fans throughout for coping with the summer heat and all within easy distance to schools, shops and transport. What more could you ask? Call now to book a viewing.
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Raine & Horne
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Real Estate For Rent in Beenleigh, QLD 4207 priced between $250 and $470


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A while back, I wrote about using the StrongNameKeyGenEx API to generate keys to sign assemblies with. That API lets you pass in a dwKeySize parameter to specify the number of bits to generate in the key. If you're calling the API from your own code, that's great, but what if you're using the sn.exe tool?
With Whidbey, you can use SN to generate keys of different sizes. The -k flag takes a key size option as its first parameter. So you could do:
sn -k 2048 largekey.snk
And get a 2048 bit key. If the key size is not specified, it defaults to 1024 bits, the same as the v1.0 and v1.1 versions of SN produce. Not all key sizes are valid, you'll need to pick a valid size for an RSA key. So for instance
sn -k 2105 invalidKey.snk
Will result in:
Failed to generate a strong name key pair -- Invalid flags specified.
Of course if you specify a key too large, SN will take a long time to generate it. In fact, our test lead once tried to generate a key of 16,384 bits (which is the maximum supported size). It took just over an hour to do, so it's probably best to stay with 1024 or 2048 bit keys for a while. 🙂
Once you've generated the key, you use it in the same way that you would use any key. Just pass it as a /keyfile: parameter to your compiler of choice, and everything should work as normal.
It's interesting to note that no matter what size key you use to sign your assembly, the public key token will remain eight bytes long.


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This is a "scrum master" role in the Digital Operations Analytics and Personalization team (verizonwireless.com), responsible for leading a cross functional digital operations team focused on personalization and site optimization testing. In this role, you will lead a team of people (not direct reports), all dedicated to a war room environment, to ensure flawless execution of tests and personalization campaigns. You will also work with external partners from IT, Brand, Finance, CRM, Media, and agencies. To be effective, this role requires an extremely organized individual who can lead a large team, be present in a physical location, communicate to people at varying levels and functions, and rally a team behind common goals.
What you will be responsible for:
- Making decisions on project priorities and path forward for work, and rallying the team accordingly
- Facilitating face-to-face and video conference meetings with 30+ participants
- Resolving roadblocks preventing progress to test implementation
- Tracking open test list, key milestones, and team task list
- Communicating team progress and escalating roadblocks as appropriate
- Prioritizing projects and tasks according to business priority and operational feasibility
- Interpreting reporting and test analytics to make sound business decisions
- Updating the results library with the interim and latest test results
- Ensuring test definition briefs are standardized with strategy, creative, tech, data, and relevant offers requirements
- Identifying pain-points in execution (e.g., resourcing, test quality, etc), identifying solutions and escalating to digital ops leadership as needed
- Monitoring war room environment and keeps culture strong / motivation high
- Managing experience collisions among multiple personalized audiences
What some of your day-to-day tasks will be:
- Manage pool of execution resources, primarily working with functional leads (but with direct access to all working team members when needed)
- Receive tests from the control tower manager and assigns it to test leads in a way to balance the workload
- Lead the war room daily check-in call (informing war room members when they owe important items to team), and maintain documentation for team
- Follow-up with team members on open deliverables
- Schedule test kick offs, results step-back sessions, and bi-weekly feedback sessions
- Act as first point of contact to resolve immediate problems facing tests and take ownership to solve these problems
- Shift war-room priorities and activities when higher-impact tests identified
- Maintain a physical presence in the war room and ensure information is radiated
- Ensure consistency remains throughout the test lifecycle
- BS/BA degree or 6+ years of equivalent experience in technology, marketing, digital commerce, or project management is required
- Experience working in agile teams, Scrum Master role experience a plus
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the proven ability to present ideas in a manner that achieves clarity, buy-in, commitment, and success
- Ability to be make independent decisions and action-oriented plans
- Demonstrated ability to identify and implement process improvements
- Highly collaborative and able to produce high quality results
- Ability to prioritize the work of oneself and a team according to changing business needs
- Aptitude to develop and maintain strong working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to hold peers accountable to delivery commitments
- Proven understanding of sales KPIs
- Ability to use metrics as a key component of decision making
- Capability to operate under minimal supervision while serving as a subject matter expert
- Willingness to take calculated risks, communicate those risks, and mobilize a team accordingly
- Demonstrated ability learning new technology and tools quickly
- Aptitude to develop and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
Equal Employment Opportunity
We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer - and celebrate our employees' differences, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or Veteran status. Different makes us better.


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Dr. Andrew McLeod interviewed about Halloween contact lenses
Counterfeit contact lenses are causing long-term eye problems for people who wear them for Halloween.
NECO's Director of Contact Lens program, Andrew McLeod, was recently interviewed by WHDH, Channel 7's segment on the hazards of unregulated Halloween Contact Lens shipments. These contact lenses of dubious origin are causing wearers to experience pain and discomfort and individuals are being warned to avoid these counterfeit contact lenses. Learn more about the long term issues of wearing these contact lenses.


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I was just wondering when they usually start.
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Im not sure how early they can start, but I have seen post on here that some woman have them as early as 9 weeks, but I personaly dont know mine started just a few weeks ago now I get them everyday and it sucks.. Hope I helped a little
I got them starting at about 12 weeks but just recently 17 weeks that my stomach gets really hard and kind of uncomfortable. The same times with my first pregnancy too.
I'm currently 30 weeks and have noticed that I actually haven't been getting as many as I have been. They started with this pregnancy probably around 16 or 17 weeks, but much later with my first child.
Okay, well I'm 19 weeks and pretty sure that I feel them, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't all in my head.
I often wake up in the morning and my belly is really hard. Are those Braxtons? I am twenty weeks now, but have had that at least since week 14.
1-5 of 5 replies
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Womans choir sing SALVE REGINA (Hail queen), just two words. Recorded in church. Thank Harke from Capella Ducis for the ...
Me pretending monks choir useable as background sample in song etc. rec by AKG D80
This is a synthesized hi-hat groove. It is basically an on two layers sequenced noise-patch. One layer to create the ...
Funky house/dance beat with open hi-hats and old school funk style drums.
a 130 BPM loop of hi hats
Filtered snare and Hat loop
Rougher hi-hats and some master-processing was done to the loop.
A glitchy Hi-hat line at 140 Bpm with open/closed hi hatEffects:Open Hat: DelayClosed Hat: Flanger
I really liked this so I decided to share it on here.
Synthesized snare, heavily processed. May be useful for breakbeat, drum'n'bass, dubstep etc.
same sound as 'house snare' but without intro woosh
It's free to use, no credits needed!
A remake of my "Punchy Snare 4." It sounds a bit better in my opinion. Might compare it to xKore's ...
Light sizzle snare for dubstep. Layered, compressed and equailzed in FL studio 11 using provided drum packs.
Snare drum Source: TR 909 snare


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|Home > Ashlee
♀ Ashlee
What does Ashlee mean?
Ashlee ▼ as a girls' name has its root in Old English, and the name Ashlee means "ash meadow". Ashlee is a variant form of Ashley (Old English).
ASSOCIATED WITH Ash-, -lee, old english, ash (tree), meadow
VARIANTS Ashlye, Ashly▼, Ashlie▼, Ashli▼, Ashleigh▼, Ashlei, Ashleah, Ashlea, Ashlay, Ashla, Ashely▼
ALTERNATIVE FORMS VIA ASHLEY Ashalee, Ashalei, Ashelei, Asheley, Ashlan, Ashle, AshlenCREATIVE FORMS
Ashlee Shanaya (A.S.), ..
How popular is Ashlee?
Ashlee is a very popular first name for females (#776 out of 4276, Top 18%) but a unique last name for all people. (2000 U.S. CENSUS)
Ashlee was first listed in 1970-1979 and reached its peak rank of #144 in the U.S. in the year 1991, and is presently at #1922. (2015 BIRTH STATISTICS)
Which version is better?
Popular alternative forms of Ashlee (#1922 A YEAR AGO) ranked in the Top 2000 are Ashley (#85), Ashleigh (#1823), Ashly (#1830), Ashlie, Ashli, Ashlea, Ashlei and Ashely. Adoption of these relations of Ashlee reached its apex 24 years ago (ADOPTION OF 3.28%) and is now significantly diminished (ADOPTION 0.28%, ▼92%), with versions like Ashly becoming somewhat outmoded.
Similar Names
Suggested similar-sounding names are Abree, Adalee, Adalie, Adilene, Aidee, Ailbe, Ailee, Ailene, Ailse, Airlea, Alidee, Allene▼, Alley, Amalea, Amalee, Amedee, Amiee, Analee, Angelee, Anslea, Anslie, Aponee, Arlee, Arlene▼, Arlet, Arlie, Asante, Asela, Asha, Ashbea (see Ashby), Ashbie, Ashia, Ashira, Ashleen, Ashleena, Ashlin, Ashlinne (see Ashlynn), Ashlyn, Ashten, Ashtyn, Atalee, Athalee, Athene, Athie, Aubree▲, Audree, Avalee, Axelle, Aymee, Ayshe, Azalea▲, Brylee▲, Calee, Callee, Dollee (see Dolly), Emalee, Esmee, Estee, Ethnee, Hailee, Harlee▲, Irelee, Jolee, Jullee, Kaelee, Kalee, Kallee, Leelee, Maelee, Mahalee, Marlee▲, Millee, Orlee, Vallee and Verlee. These names tend to be less commonly used than Ashlee.See names in meaning and etymology.


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Chaplin: The Musical
Piano/Keyboard, Vocal
Composed by Christopher Curtis. Vocal Selections. Softcover. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.117502).
Item Number: HL.117502
ISBN 1480332453. 9x12 inches.
15 selections from the Broadway bio of this silver screen icon, arranged as vocal lines with piano accompaniment. Songs: If I Left London • Just Another Day in Hollywood • The Life That You Wished For • Look at All the People • The Man of All Countries • Overture • Sennett Song • This Man • Tramp Shuffle Pt. 1 • What Only Love Can See • When It All Falls Down • Where Are All the People? • and more.


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Entrance exam... last bit of panic!(99 Posts)
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CSCU picks 28 stand-outs from 104 credit union marketing campaign entries.
As the new school year settles in, here's a look at five financial literacy programs that really make the grade.
CU Rx, a credit union risk management and compliance services CUSO, has launched a regulatory news and update archive.
Four more credit unions have signed on with CU Rx, a risk management and compliance services CUSO based in Jackson, Mich.
Like many of its small peers, Ohio HealthCare Federal Credit Union knows how expensive it can be to ensure that it is up to speed on being compliant with the litany of required regulations.
CU Rx, a newly launched risk management and compliance CUSO, has signed on Ohio Healthcare Federal Credit Union.
Finding the schedule to conduct a quarterly or annual risk management review proved to be a time crunch for CP Federal Credit Union.
Credit unions looking for assistance with risk management and compliance have a home-grown solution to turn to.
CP Federal Credit Union in Jackson, Mich., said it will begin using the MoneyTracker Better Online Banking platform from Jwaala of Austin, Texas.
CP Federal Credit Union helped make Tina Greer's dream of a new home for her five children a reality.


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Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 | 11:58 a.m.
More arts and entertainment
- Check out Robin Leach's VegasDeLuxe.com for more celebrity and A&E coverage.
2011 National Finals Rodeo
2011 National Finals Rodeo
The evening belonged to bareback horse rider Kaycee Field as -- under the watchful eye of his proud father -- he won his world championship at the 53rd Wrangler National Finals Rodeo last night. It was one of a string of sensational success stories for the Utah cowboy who lives 360 miles north of Las Vegas, even though he didn't win the round and placed 4th. But the points and the purse took him over the top.
Kaycee was the second rider this week at the Thomas & Mack Center to grab a world title ahead of tonight's final Round 10 and the gold buckle presentations tomorrow. Texan Trevor Brazile won his world championship in bull steer roping in Round 4.
Mirage headliner singer ventriloquist Terry Fator, accompanied by wife and onstage assistant Taylor Makakoa, was on hand with legendary country star Charlie Daniels for the national anthem. Kaycee amazed as he won the first three rounds of the rodeo, a rare feat, and continued with two more victories. Last night meant that Kaycee joined his Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame father Lewis in the world champions club.
His 4th-place tie increased his week's earnings to $115,577 in front of 17,882 fans. He leads the bareback riding average with his year's earnings at $256,236 heading into the final round and continues to lead the Ram Top Gun Award standings, so there's plenty on the line. He just won't have to worry about the gold buckle.
"I didn't realize I'd won it, actually," said Kaycee, who takes home the gold in his fourth trip to NFR. "I knew I had to do good tonight to win it. I wished I could have done a little better tonight, but I'm just as happy as I can be."
Kaycee has tied Bobby Mote for the most round wins in a single Wrangler NFR with five and could break the bareback earnings records for an entire season and NFR -- both set by Bobby in 2009. He needs an 86-point ride in Round 10 to break Justin McDaniel's average record of 859 points on 10 rides set in 2008. The celebration will have to wait, however, for Kaycee.
"I went out last night (Thursday) and said hi to some friends but was back in bed at a decent time," Kaycee said. "I'll probably do the same thing tonight. I think I'll wait until I get home to Payson for the real celebration."
Lewis Feild was happy for his son to join the select list of father-son world champions. There have been only five such combinations: Deb (saddle bronc riding) and Jeff Copenhaver (tie-down roping); John W. and John W. Jones Jr. (steer wrestling); John and Clark McEntire (steer roping); Butch and Rope Myers (steer wrestling); and Bobby (bull riding) and Sid Steiner (steer wrestling). A seventh duo, Tuf and Ray Cooper, who owns eight world titles, could join that lineup tonight in tie-down roping.
"It's a dream come true," said Kaycee's dad, who won two world titles in bareback riding and three in the all-around in the 1980s. His first of three all-around world championships was at the inaugural Las Vegas NFR. He won his first bareback championship here in 1985 and kept his streak going in 1986 and 1987.
"I've gone through those same things myself, and to watch my son do it, I don't know how it could get any better. I guess I could have a grandson do it, but that's a little ways down the road," he said. Kaycee was pipped at the post by NFR rookie Casey Colletti, who picked up his seventh check of the week and his first NFR round victory with an 87.5-point ride.
Thanks to contributing photographer Tom Donoghue for his extraordinary action photos from Round 9 and the Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association for assisting with this report.
Saddle bronc rider Jesse Wright won his fourth round of the week, pushed his NFR earnings to $115,096 and now sits 2nd in world standings behind leader Taos Muncy in a round in which only five of 14 bronc riders made the 8-second whistle. With $195,509 won on the season, Jesse trails Taos by $14,309 going into Round 10 of his second NFR, so expect intense competition in the last night.
"I'm not worried about anything (Taos) is doing, I'm worried about myself and my horse," Jesse said. "I'm just going to try to come in and win the round like I've been trying to every night."
For the third time this week, there was a three-way tie atop the steer wrestlers' leaderboard. Luke Branquinho, Casey Martin and Jake Rinehart all claimed a share of first with 3.6-second runs. The $14,231 payday for each cowboy helped keep Luke in the race for his third world championship. It's become the closest race from top to bottom after nine rounds, so anybody can win it.
"It's an awesome feeling," said Luke, who hails from California. "It just shows you all the talent bulldogging has in it. That's what's kind of neat about the deal."
Bull rider Cody Whitney earned his second check of the week with a 90.5-point ride and his first NFR round win for the three-time Finals qualifier. "Three years ago, I won a couple of 2nds and then last year I won three or four 2nd places. To finally get a go-round buckle sure makes it worthwhile."
The bull-riding race is still down-to-the-wire between world standings leader Shane Proctor and three-time world champion J.W. Harris.. J.W. is one spot back in world and average standings.
South Dakota barrel racer Lisa Lockhart won her second round of the week with a 13.79-second run. She sits 4th in the world standings but is 9th in the average race after nine rounds. "I'm just thrilled to have won as much as I have with those downed barrels," said Lisa, who has won $79,038 despite hitting a barrel in Rounds 1 and 7. Canadian Lindsay Sears has the inside track on her second world title (the first came in 2008). She placed 6th last night and remains 2nd in world standings and leads the Las Vegas racing.
World standings leader Brittany Pozzi hit a barrel in Round 8 and has dropped to 8th in the average. Other winners last night: Shane Hanchey of Sulphur, La., won tie-down roping, and Cody Whitney of Asher, Okla., topped bull riding.
The remaining seven championships will be settled tonight in the closing 10th round. We'll be back tomorrow with all the action photos and a video report in advance of Sunday afternoon's live telecast of the gold buckle and big check presentations to the new world champions.
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world's premier platinum playground.
Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.
Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.
Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.


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E-minister broadbandless
Very, very busy
E-commerce Minister, Stephen Timms, doesn't have broadband at his home in East Ham, London - even though he has the choice of xDSL and cable.
The reason he's broadbandless, it seems, is because he's been "very, very busy".
Still, we're told he's currently mulling it over and will make a decision "imminently" about which technology he'll plum for.
We'll let you know when he's connected. ®


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Lindsay Attends GQ & AA
Lindsay Attends GQ & AA
Lindsay was named GQ's Obsession of the Year and that means the lucky lady got to hang out with some hot men last night at GQ's Men of the Year Awards. But apparently this isn't the only place LL has been spending time. Sources now say after having her fill of the party scene, LL is spending time at AA meetings. Page Six reports:
A Los Angeles spy reports seeing her yesterday at a 7:30 a.m. AA meeting near her apartment in the Sierra Towers. A friend of Lohan confirmed, "She has attended several meetings and has hopefully decided to turn her life around - this time for good. She is out of control." Lohan skipped Thanksgiving with her mom, Dina, and her family because she knew "someone would force an intervention on her." So Dina - who likes a party almost as much as her wild-child daughter - has arrived in L.A. to convince Lindsay to stay home some nights. The actress is filming "The Best Time of Our Lives" with Keira Knightley for the next five weeks - and then, friends hope "she will really get serious about getting sober. And drop out of the limelight for a while." A rep for Lohan declined comment.
We're sick of worrying about LL so let's hope she will work on sobering up and partying less. It's amazing to think she's not even 21 yet and already going through so much. More pics to come soon of the hot men from the GQ awards, but in the meantime, more of LL looking pretty on the red carpet so


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The Law of Return Is Not the Problem
Recently voiced demands for changing the Law of Return focus on the wrong aspect of the issue of aliyah.
Recently voiced demands for changing the Law of Return focus on the wrong aspect of the issue of aliyah. On the one hand, the Law of Return is a central idea in Israel's character as the state of the Jewish nation, and at its root is an expression of the basic element of solidarity. On the other hand, by being an immigration law, it has built-in distinctions between different populations - not on the basis of economic or professional criteria (as is commonly accepted in immigration laws in most democracies), but on the basis of identity and solidarity.
The argument voiced recently is that there is a need to cancel or restrict the "grandchild clause" in the law, which grants the right to immigrate to Israel to anyone who has at least one Jewish grandparent. As it stands now, it is argued, persons who have no real ties to the Jewish people are able to come to Israel. This is true, but the way of overcoming this is not by amending the Law of Return. Precisely because of its complex nature, any attempt to alter it may result in a situation in which the Knesset passes other amendments to the law that at this point no one wants.
The problem is not in the law but in the way it is implemented. The grandchild clause is justified: if someone discovers his Jewish background and wishes to be part of the nation of Israel in its sovereign country, he should be welcomed with open arms. However, today's reality is that the institutions dealing with immigration from the former Soviet Union (the Jewish Agency and Nativ) are doing something else. These organizations are actively searching for these grandchildren, undertaking active public relations among communities in the Russian periphery who are not motivated to search for their Jewish roots, and enticing them through promises that by immigrating they will be able to lift themselves from their difficult economic condition.
Most of the Jews who wanted to leave the Commonwealth of Independent States have already done so - most of them coming to Israel but many also going to the United States and Germany. Currently, most of the immigrants from these countries are not Jews, they are merely "entitled to aliyah," which means they are not Jewish according to any criteria. As such, the number of representatives of the aliyah-related institutions should be diminished because, in the absence of Jewish candidates for immigration, they make every effort - at times driven by demographic considerations - to find persons "entitled to aliyah" but who lack any form of Jewish identity.
Indeed, Jews must be encouraged to immigrate to Israel, but not those lacking real connections to the Jewish people. It should come as no surprise that some of the immigrants experience an identity crisis once in Israel, and some bring with them cultures of violence and human behavior that are normally not found in Jewish communities.
Israel needs to continue implementing the Law of Return, including the grandchild clause: whoever comes to an Israeli embassy and asks to immigrate - that is his right. But the search for offspring of Jews should cease, and so should the doling out of all sorts of promises that bring people to Israel for whom the Law of Return was not intended.
Toward this end, there is a need for a government decision which will change the policy and instruct the Jewish Agency and other organizations to operate according to the inherent logic of the Law of Return: Jewish solidarity yes; useless efforts to find Jews in places where they do not exist, no.
A similarly courageous decision could also be made in the case of the Falashmura, who are clearly not Jewish since they need to undergo conversion in Israel and arrive here within the parameters of family reunification (part of the Law of Entry into Israel), and not on the basis of the Law of Return. It is a serious mistake, both from a human and a national point of view, to think that bringing groups that are not Jewish will strengthen the State of Israel. On the contrary: it weakens its character as a state for the Jewish nation.
In parallel, the government would be well advised to set an annual quota for immigrants escaping crises, such as the refugees from Darfur, so that Israel will be loyal to both Jewish and universal values that require the offering of assistance to persecuted groups.
So far these matters - that are interconnected - have been dealt with separately and specifically by different organizations, and usually in response to ongoing developments. What is needed is an integrated government discussion on the principles of all of these issues.
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Some call for protection for rare species of tree
Buzzing chain saws awoke Solana Beach resident Torgen Johnson one recent morning.
He said he quickly realized it was coming from the nearby Child Development Center Preschool. Workers were in the midst of chopping down two towering, perhaps century-old Torrey pine trees that overlooked the playground.
"The outrage came when I found out these big beautiful trees were being chain-sawed to the ground," said Johnson, a landscape architect. "It was a bad decision."
Days earlier, a 14-foot limb had fallen from the tree directly onto the grounds where children play each school day.
"Blessedly not when there were children on the playground," said School Superintendent Leslie Fausset, adding that the tree's roots were also damaging nearby sidewalks and buildings. "We looked at every alternative to preserve the tree and for safety reasons we simply could not risk keeping it where it was."
The district had the trees inspected by two arborists, who concluded the best course of action was to cut them down since there was a danger of more limbs falling.
"We're tree lovers, not haters," Fausset said, adding that despite this, the school must follow a moral and ethical responsibility to protect children first.
Johnson, who has a 2-year-old daughter who may attend CDC, said it is very important to keep the youngsters safe, but also that this problem could have been avoided if the trees were more properly cared for.
"Every tree in Solana Beach is susceptible to having limbs fall off of them. If you maintain the tree and see there are large dead limbs, you have a tree service come in," he said. "At the very least, the community should have been involved in deciding what happens to these trees."
In Del Mar, citizens need permission from the city to eliminate Torrey pines, which are protected because they only grow in this region of the world.
Landowners must apply for removal either with the Del Mar Design Review Board or the planning director. Acceptable reasons for removal include: the tree presents a fire or public safety hazard, is dead or diseased, interferes with public utilities or is crowding other healthy trees.
Even if there had there been a similar law on the books in Solana Beach, a request by the Child Development Center would most likely have been approved. It might have even qualified for an emergency exemption.
Only the neighbors within 100 feet of the property are notified once an owner submits an application, not the entire city. If someone appeals, the matter then goes before the city council.
Johnson said he and some other environmentalists would like a similar ordinance adopted in Solana Beach.
"In the bigger picture we're all just stewards of these beautiful trees," he said. "These things will outlive most of us. During this period we're caring for them we should make them healthy."
Deputy Mayor Lesa Heebner said while she is in favor of protecting Torrey pines on city-owned property, the council will not act until it gets community input: "We'll wait to hear from the public, and I'm sure we will."


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McDonnell has six acres of greenhouses and 150 acres of outdoor production on a 225-acre site in Cameron, N.C., near Pinehurst but lives in Raleigh. His first exposure to horticulture was through a friend of his father who grew nursery stock and was involved in landscaping. As a teenager, McDonnell also worked for a greenhouse vegetable operation in the Old Brooklyn part of Cleveland, Ohio.
After graduating from college, he began his career in the crop protection side of agriculture working for Diamond Shamrock in Cleveland, which was later purchased by Ciba Geigy and then Novartis, which became Syngenta. Over the tenure of his career, he helped growers produce roses and azaleas, fruit, vegetables and soybeans. The corporate mergers presented the right time and opportunity to start his own venture as a nursery grower.
McDonnell's first foray into serving the box stores was growing Jackson & Perkins roses and other shrubs for Lowe's in Kentucky and Tennessee in 2003. "We couldn't do it in North Carolina or South Carolina, which are closer to home, because the market was being served by another grower in Florida, which also grows poinsettias and mums along with roses," he explains. "Then we got Virginia and kept stretching to Southern Ohio/Cincinnati and Southern Illinois, but staying within the Zones 6-7 market. We agreed to grow 250,000 Jackson & Perkins roses. Then in 2005 we were asked to grow for the Northeast."
Although this growth was great, price controls made it difficult to make money. "We were getting other business from Lowe's in shrubs because we were not making money on roses," he says. "But unlike shrubs, roses are more like annuals and more perishable. If you grow 500,000 roses, you've got to move them somewhere. You can't carry them over."
In 2006, McDonnell received a call from Home Depot, asking him to supply roses in the same geographic footprint for the next year. "Although Lowe's is a great company, we couldn't do both and we made the business decision to go with Home Depot," he says.
Partnering For Profit
In 2007 and this year, McDonnell has been working with Bell Nursery in the Mid-Atlantic region. Based in Burtonsville, Md., Bell is famous for its service model and taking care of all the live goods at Home Depot.
"We were introduced to Pat (McDonnell) by the Home Depot merchant we work with, Mike Duvall," says Gary Mangum, owner of Bell Nursery. "McDonnell was growing specific plant material for Mike's stores, and when we transitioned to handling the business in 2007, Mike wanted to make sure the growers he had in place did not lose out on the business and had an opportunity to grow in the marketplace."
McDonnell Horticulture provides Bell Nursery with select portions of its overall rose program, working on a contract basis for specific SKUs. "The arrangement we have with McDonnell is similar to how we work with others in the tree and shrub category," Mangum says. "In all cases, we took what we learned in 2007 and have altered planning to the extent needed to further grow sales and deliver the best plant possible to the customer."
McDonnell says he has been especially impressed with Bell's strategies to counter the commodities trap so many growers find themselves in. "Traditionally, the box stores have wanted commodity items to blow through the stores and growers wouldn't make money," McDonnell says. "For 2-gallon roses, we'd grow them for $5 and they'd retail for $6. Bell doesn't like that approach. The customer is not price sensitive, so why sell a $5 rose and not make money when we can sell a $7 or $8 rose? We used to grow 80,000 1-gallon azaleas for $1.50 that would sell for $2. Bell would rather sell a 3-gallon azalea for $15."
Together, Bell and McDonnell have been working on growing the quality required to command a higher price point. "In the past, McDonnell had focused more energy on growing to meet specific retail price points that he felt were important," Mangum says. "His growing times and in some cases initial input stock have shifted to give us a bulkier plant with plenty of energy to produce desirable flowers. We are confident that we will see stronger sales in 2008, and Home Depot is definitely offering price points that the consumer will appreciate. The commodity items are very important for many reasons. We definitely can't ever walk away from that, but with the help of Home Depot merchants, we can expand offerings available to the consumer."
On the input side, McDonnell has partnered with Canadian grower Westbrook Greenhouses, which specializes in miniature roses. "They sell us liners. It's a beautiful deal for them because I take them during their down cycle," McDonnell says. "It's about $1 million worth of business."
Sharing Risks And Rewards
On the retail side, with the increasing importance of pay-by-scan at Home Depot, Bell has implemented shared risk pricing with its contracted growers. "Bell owns the inventory and we share the risk with them," McDonnell explains. "This way we have as much to gain or to lose and an incentive to provide the right product at the right time. You don't go into the produce department and see a rotten head of lettuce, so why do it in a garden center? We believe this is the model of the future."
Mangum says sharing risk ensures Bell gets the best quality product possible with every delivery. He's also a firm believer in ownership on the service side. "I know that the third-party models in place work well and provide the stores with a fantastic resource, but I do feel that our model provides the strongest incentive to grow sales. If it doesn't sell, we don't get paid," Mangum says. "Everything we do, starting with the enforcement of retail-ready quality standards is directly related to our ownership interest."
Always a pragmatic optimist, Mangum says he believes there is a very bright future for growers who choose to work together. "The most important part of the scenario for each of us is the focus we need to always provide the consumer with the best value that we can," he says. "In addition to price, innovation and dedication to that consumer's success is what will help us all move ahead over the long term."


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A statement on the NFF's website read: "The President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, on Monday graciously rescinded last Wednesday's decision to withdraw Nigerian national football teams from FIFA/CAF football competitions.
"The decision was made known at the presidential villa on Monday evening as President Jonathan hearkened to the passionate appeals of top officials of the National Sports Commission, the Nigeria Football Federation, other concerned organs of government and well-meaning Nigerians on the matter."
Nigeria slapped a two-year ban from international competition on the squad after the traditional African giants finished bottom of their group in South Africa with just one point from three matches.
President Goodluck Jonathan also ordered an audit into how the funds allocated for the team at the World Cup were used. Sports ministry spokesman Tony Ohaeri said the decision had been taken "in the interest of football".
But the move led to an angry reaction from football world governing body Fifa, which takes a dim view of political interference in the sport.
On Friday, Fifa gave Nigeria until 1600 GMT on Monday to reverse the decision or face "the suspension of the Nigerian (football) federation."
The ban by the Nigerian government drew criticism from some in the oil-rich country who considered it too harsh, but others said drastic moves were needed to move the programme forward.
Kayode Ajibogun, a member of the country's football supporters club, said before the reversal that the ban was the right decision.
"The boys performed woefully in South Africa because of bad administration in our sports. So banning them for two years will allow us to put our house in order," he said.
Ex-national team goalkeeper Dosu Joseph suggested that Nigeria had little choice but to lift the ban.
"I see Nigeria reversing the decision even if it is five minutes to go so as not to incur the wrath of Fifa. Nigeria cannot afford to call Fifa's bluff because it will not help the development of our football," he said.


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by Jim Woods | September 18, 2013 5:00 pm
The Fed pulled an "okey doke" on the markets Wednesday, which is an urban slang way of saying the Fed played a trick on us all. After jawboning in May about the need to "taper," quantitative easing, Ben Bernanke and crew — save for the hawkish Fed Governor Esther George — all voted to keep the current $85-billion-per-month bond buying scheme in place for at least a little while longer.
The reaction to the unexpected Fed non-move was a big spike higher in equity prices, a drop in bond yields, a selloff in the U.S. dollar — and a huge move higher in gold.
Click to Enlarge Gold prices, as measured by the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD[1]), an ETF pegged to the spot price of gold bullion, shone more than 4% in Wednesday trade. The buying in GLD sent the fund roaring past the 50-day moving average, a clear technical trigger that argues in favor of a continued push higher in the value of the yellow metal.
Interestingly, gold prices had basically bottomed in June and had moved up nicely in August. However, the near certainty by just about all of the so-called experts on Fed tapering caused gold to selloff in September. There were also a lot of short positions in gold leading up to today's Fed announcement, but those shorts got caught in a squeeze after the Fed's decision today, and the ensuing short covering helped fuel the big buying in the precious metal.
For both technical reasons and sentiment reasons, I suspect that the rally in gold is just getting started here. That means it's time for traders to punch the golden "no taper" ticket here, which could be good for another 10%-15% upside in GLD over the next four to six weeks.
At the time of publication, Jim Woods was long physical gold. He does not, however, have a position in GLD.
Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2013/09/punch-the-golden-no-taper-ticket-with-gld/
Short URL: http://invstplc.com/1ftGS50
Copyright ©2017 InvestorPlace Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 700 Indian Springs Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601.


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Cortlandt includes two incorporated villages, Croton-on-Hudson and Buchanan and several hamlets including Montrose, Crugers and Verplanck. The Hudson River, the New York City Watershed Lands, numerous wooded hills and steep slopes, wetland areas and streams define the suburban character of the Town of Cortlandt.
"With a total area of 34.5 square miles and an estimated 1998 population of about 28,672 persons, the unincorporated Town of Cortlandt composition in relation to the County remained constant from 1990 to 1998 with about 7.8 percent of the County's total area and 3.2 percent of its population. This percentage remained constant from 1990 to 1998. Although much less densely populated than the county as a whole, Cortlandt's population density is slightly higher than the average for the North County communities" . . . Continued on Town website.
Press blue button
for Town History, Town Profile, Town Supervisor, Town Board, Town Clerk, and more about the Town of Cortlandt.
Location: Cortlandt Manor


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"Super 8"
Rating: PG-13
When: Opens today
Where: Wide release
Running time: 1 hour, 52 minutes
As fans of his TV series "Lost" already know, writer/director J.J. Abrams is a master at milking a monster mystery, teasing and hinting at his eager audience, but saving the reveal for the very end — often under strict orders of secrecy. While the secret behind his latest film "Super 8" is getting much of the pre-release attention, the film's real surprise doesn't come from the special-effects-laden reveal, but from its satisfying resurrection of the Steven Spielberg-style summer popcorn movie, exuding the innocence and youthful sense of adventure that made most of us — including Abrams —fall in love with movies in the first place.
The title alone should evoke a sense of nostalgia for those alive and aware during the 1970s, when home movie cameras loaded with Eastman Kodak Super 8 film were growing in popularity. Abrams and "Super 8" producer Steven Spielberg, along with many other filmmakers who came of age in the era, cut their teeth on Super 8 and 8 mm film, which explains the filmmakers' decision to center the story on a group of middle school kids making a zombie Super 8 movie during their summer vacation in 1979.
More than anything, "Super 8" is a straightforward love letter to those carefree days when anything felt possible as long as you had your friends, a movie camera and some semblance of a plan. In this case, the kids' gross-out zombie flick pales in comparison to the horrific train crash they witness during a late-night shoot and the mysterious events that turn their small Ohio town into a supernatural war zone.
While laden with nostalgia, especially with the meticulous period detail in every scene, "Super 8" is just as much for the preteen crowd as wistful adults. Abrams' gamble on a group of mostly unknown (and, in several cases, untested) young actors paid off, creating a wonderfully nuanced group of friends reminiscent of "Stand By Me." They may swear, tease and boss each other around, but that's what makes them feel so enjoyably real.
The story's emotional center sits with Joe (newcomer Joel Courtney), the makeup and special-effects kid on the crew whose mother was killed in an industrial accident a few months earlier. His father, Sheriff Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler, effective in this gruff role), is grieving, angry and entirely unsure how to be a single father. He's also preoccupied with the strange occurrences causing chaos on his beat. While father and son both seek the truth behind the train wreck, they couldn't be further apart.
"Super 8" doesn't rely on star power, but young Elle Fanning (yes, Dakota's little sister) shows she's destined for stardom with her portrayal of Alice, the only girl in the group and daughter of the troubled man (Ron Eldard) Sheriff Lamb blames for his wife's death. Fanning's screen presence alone seems supernatural, and it's easy to understand how she bewitches young Joe and most of his friends.
While "Super 8" is refreshing in its innocence, it's not exactly original in concept or execution. In fact, there are many familiar techniques, themes, even camera angles — all intentional and all in obvious tribute to the genius of Spielberg. But "familiar" is also a word often used to describe a comforting place like home, and "Super 8" puts you right there. So what if it's the home you grew up in?Copyright © 2017, The San Diego Union-Tribune


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Vinod H. Thourani
Vinod H. Thourani holds an M.D. degree. He is an Associate Professor of cardiothoracic surgery, an Associate Director of the Structural Heart Program, an Associate Director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program, and an Associate Director of the CT Surgery Clinical Research Unit at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga, USA. He has an active adult cardiac surgery practice with specialization in valve surgery (transcatheter aortic valve implantation, minimally invasive mitral and aortic valve surgery, and high-risk valve surgery) and off-pump coronary bypass surgery. He has an active clinical research program in outcomes in adult cardiac surgery. He has an active basic science laboratory in valve surgery and has a very robust collaboration with Georgia Institute of Technology in novel valve innovations.
Biography Updated on 15 November 2011