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IT'S official. The saucy bonkbuster Fifty Shades of Grey has become the bestselling book in Australia.
The first title in the controversially erotic trilogy, written by London mum E. L. James, has sold more than 1.28 million copies in print and ebook formats combined.
It has dominated the number one bestseller spot for 16 weeks and has now overtaken J K Rowling's The Dealthy Hallows in overall sales.
Publisher Random House today announced this set a new benchmark since Nielsen BookScan Australia began recording sales figures in 2003.
Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed - the second and third books in the trilogy - have sold 779, 000 and 705, 000 copies respectively, propelling combined Australian sales for the trilogy to more than 2.7 million copies.
"My main ambition when I signed the deal with Random House was to see my books in the shops," said James.
"I simply had no idea they would be so successful and this is totally unexpected. The whole process has been amazing and I couldn't be more pleased that so many people are reading the books and would like to thank everyone involved."
Wives and mothers across Queensland have been wiping out stocks of the books from bookstores and Queensland libraries have reported waits of up to six months for the opportunity to read Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels.
Random House Australia marketing director Brett Osmond said the trend was being fuelled by social media.
"The insatiable demand for the print and ebook editions is being fuelled in no small part through reader recommendations via social media and it is truly electric to witness," he said.
"We got a glimpse recently of the lightning speed of consumer's book demand with the release of the Hunger Games film but this is happening at an even greater level and appears to be still gaining momentum."
Foreign rights for the trilogy have been sold in 44 territories and translated into more than 40 languages.
In the US and Canada, sales of the trilogy have exceeded 20 million copies and film rights have been sold to Universal Features and Focus Features.
E. L. James, a 40-something mother of two teenagers and London-based television executive, began posting chapters of her book on a website for amateur romance writers.
The next thing she knew, independent Australian publisher The Writer's Coffee Shop offered to publish it as an ebook and sold 250,000 copies. It hits The New York Times e-book bestseller list and is then discovered by Random House, reportedly for about $750,000.
The publishing phenomenon has set in motion a new trend in erotica with major publishing houses scrambling to sign up their own versions of "mummy porn" writers.
Harlequin, Hachette, HarperCollins, Penguin, Simon and Schuster and others have recently released their own erotica titles.
Originally published as Fifty Shades hits the top spot


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Materials & Chemicals Market Research Reports & Industry Analysis
The materials industry and market includes building and construction materials used worldwide for the fabrication of structures, earth supports, embankments, and completion of excavations. Heavy industry materials for construction are diverse and range from readily available non-supply chain materials such as brush and mud to commodity supply materials procured for projects like construction aggregates, composite wood products, plastics (PVC), resins, synthetic textiles and fibers (fiberglass), composite cements, other plastics and polymer composites, concrete, and various metals. Heavy industry metal materials include iron, various grades of steel, specialty alloys, titanium, copper, and even gold, silver, chrome and platinum. Glass, ceramic materials and foam are also subsets of heavy industrial materials required for construction. Finished materials for construction projects can included coated glass, architectural glass, other finished specialty glass projects, cast and molded steel (re-bar and beams), pipe sections, blocks, bricks, tiles, flooring, drywall panels, piles, poles, pillars, and wires.
Radical materials advances can drive the creation of new products and new industries. Industrial applications of materials science include materials design, cost-benefit tradeoffs in industrial production of materials, processing techniques (casting, rolling, welding, ion implantation, crystal growth, thin-film deposition, sintering, glassblowing, etc.), and techniques such as electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, nuclear microscopy (HEFIB), backscattering, neutron diffraction, etc.
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. The chemical industries convert raw materials oil-- metals, air, water, natural gas and minerals-- into products. Products include chemicals to make plastic for computers, paint for cars, and medicines. Chemical engineers start with cheap, raw, natural materials, such as petrochemicals, seawater, and minerals.
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Superconductors: Global Markets to 2022
... 2022. The magnets application market is expected to grow from $6.0 billion in 2017 to $7.1 billion in 2022 at a CAGR of 3.2% for the period 2017-2022. The electrical equipment application market of the ... Read More
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... have enabled the extensive use of epoxy coatings in a wide range of applications in various industries, including marine, industrial, automotive, and several other industries. Epoxy coatings are experiencing high demand from the automotive industry ... Read More
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... a major agricultural threat. Damage caused by snails and slugs to crops varies considerably with the season and year. They are serious pests, especially for cereals such as wheat, barley, oats, rape oilseed, ornamental and ... Read More
Global Nanosilica Market 2017-2021
... nanosilica, and type 3 nanosilica. It has applications as fillers in plastics and polymers and as reinforcing agents in rubber and concrete mixtures. It provides excellent toughness, strength, and reduced setting time. Its non-toxicity and ... Read More
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... released by insects to stimulate a response in other members of the same species. The naturally released chemical signals help insects to communicate with each other. It can be a normal communication or can be ... Read More
Global Insecticides Market 2021: Emerging Trends, Market Dynamics and Strategic Assessments of Leading Suppliers
... tables and provides agrochemical industry executives with strategically significant competitor information, analysis and insight, critical to the development and implementation of effective marketing and R&D programs. In a highly dynamic and fragmented insecticides market, besieged ... Read More
Global Fungicides Market 2021: Emerging Trends, Market Dynamics and Strategic Assessments of Leading Suppliers
... tables and provides agrochemical industry executives with strategically significant competitor information, analysis and insight, critical to the development and implementation of effective marketing and R&D programs. In a highly dynamic and fragmented fungicides market, besieged ... Read More
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... to as nano precipitated calcium carbonate or ultrafine precipitated calcium carbonate. It is processed from limestone, which is a calcium carbonate rock. It is also known as refined or synthetic calcium carbonate because of the ... Read More
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... Valspar. The report presents: Specific business, new product development and marketing strategies. Major strengths and weaknesses, e.g., managerial, organizational, marketing and product development. Anticipated acquisitions, joint ventures and divestitures. Promotional tactics. Distribution approaches. Product service ... Read More
Global Polyurethane Sealants Market 2017-2021
... seal. Sealants also block dust, sound, and heat transmission. Sealants can be characterized as weak or strong, flexible or rigid, and permanent or temporary. Sealants are not typically adhesives, but they contain certain similar qualities ... Read More
Global Herbicides market 2021: Emerging Trends, Market Dynamics and Strategic Assessments of Leading Suppliers
... tables and provides agrochemical industry executives with strategically significant competitor information, analysis and insight, critical to the development and implementation of effective marketing and R&D programs. In a highly dynamic and fragmented herbicides market, besieged ... Read More
India Engineering Plastics Market By Polymer Type (ABS, Polycarbonate, Polyamide, SAN, PBT & Others), By End Use Industry (Automotive, Electrical & Electronics, Consumer Goods & Others), Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2012 – 2022
... engineering plastics market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.6% during 2017-2022 on account of rising per capita income and growing automobile industry in the country. Additionally, growing industrialization, huge presence of automobile ... Read More
Indonesia Tiles Market By Material (Ceramic Tiles, Natural Stone Tiles & Mosaic Tiles), By Type (Floor Tiles, Wall Tiles & Others), By Application (New Residential Buildings & Others), Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2012 – 2026
... 2026 Indonesia tiles market is projected to reach $ 4.3 billion by 2026, on account of increasing number of infrastructure projects in the country's residential and commercial sectors. Favorable government policies to boost infrastructure development ... Read More
United Arab Emirates Petrochemicals Q1 2018
... opening of a new polypropylene plant. In its drive to increase petrochemicals production to over 11mn tpa by 2025, ADNOC has forged an agreement with Borealis for a fourth phase of their Borouge complex. However, ... Read More
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... has not severely curtailed Qatar's petrochemicals output and exports, it will limit foreign investment. The industry will remain narrowly focused on a small range of basic petrochemicals with a lack of added value, making it ... Read More
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... UAE gems and jewelry market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9% during 2016-2022. Growth is expected to be driven by increasing urbanization, rising disposable income, changing consumer lifestyle, growing e-commerce and organized ... Read More
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... The IRGC is the second biggest shareholder in the Iranian petrochemicals industry after the Iranian government itself. As a result, foreign investors - particularly majors, such as Total, that Iran is relying on to drive ... Read More
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... 2022 "The boiler water treatment chemicals market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10.1% from 2017 to 2022." The boiler water treatment chemicals market is projected to grow from USD 2.68 billion in ... Read More
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... 2022 According to 'Global Anti-skinning Agents Market By Type, By Application, By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2012 – 2022', Global anti-skinning agents market is to reach $ 1 billion by 2022. Growth in the ... Read More
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... leading to higher rates of petrochemicals imports to serve the rising demands of the country's high growth manufacturing sector. A strong shekel and sector-specific challenges will continue to weigh on growth and any rise in ... Read More
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... the face of the label and an adhesive on the back of the label. It is quite similar to the everyday tape, and the release coating on the face prevents the labels from sticking to ... Read More
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... global packaging tape printing market consists of latest technologies and techniques used for printing tapes that have applications in the packaging industry. Technavio's analysts forecast the global packaging tape printing market to grow at a ... Read More
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... preference of male population towards hair grooming is highlighting the need for new hair styling products, thereby generating demand for hair fixative polymers, globally. Growing consumer awareness regarding chemically loaded hair styling products and the ... Read More

subset: commoncrawl


text:
For a little more than two years, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association and the Clark County School District have tried to find a way to balance high school sports schedules, create a more level playing field for teams and save on transportation costs.
They might have done all three Monday.
The NIAA's southern realignment committee on Monday approved a new look for the state's highest enrollment class, breaking Class 4A into two divisions in the hopes of saving money and giving more teams and more athletes the chance to compete for state titles.
"We successfully accomplished all of our goals," said CCSD assistant superintendent Andre Denson, chair of the committee. "We've had a lot of feedback on this, and 95 percent of it has been positive. Ninety-five percent understand that it's about students and making sure they're having fun while they're participating in extracurricular activities."
The current 34-team Class 4A in the South will change beginning with the 2012-13 school year. In its stead will be a 24-team Class 4A Division I and a 13-team Class 4A Division II, which will incorporate current Class 3A members Boulder City, Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley.
The divisions are separate and will play for separate region and state titles.
The teams were placed into divisions using a point-based rubric that took into account each school's finish in all sports for the past two seasons. Points were awarded for qualifying for the postseason in most sports, with higher point totals awarded for postseason victories and teams that won region or state titles.
Teams with the top 12 point totals in each region were placed in Division I, with the remaining teams joining the Class 3A schools in Division II.
The realignment must still be approved by the NIAA's Board of Control. The board will hold discussion on the process later this month and is expected to approve the realignment at its October meeting in Las Vegas.
"Just from a competitive-balance standpoint, it's good for the kids," Arbor View assistant principal Greg Wolfram said. "It allows schools that haven't been as competitive to get in the playoffs and have that experience of doing well in the postseason."
Realignment will take place every two years, with teams possibly shifting leagues or even divisions. Schools with large point totals in Division II would move to Division I, trading spots with the lower-scoring teams.
What it should mean for teams that have consistently struggled to compete in Class 4A is an opportunity to be more successful.
"Our coaches love it," said Tech assistant principal Nick Brockovich, whose school will be in Division II. "It's tough now. You persevere and try to endure. Our goal is to be more competitive, and this new system will allow us to be competitive."
Division I should also be more competitive. Taking out the teams that have struggled to compete will leave each division with a tougher league schedule and fewer lopsided games.
"This gives the opportunity to make schools more competitive and make students feel good about participating," Denson said. "When you get beat by large margins every game, pretty soon people will stop coming out."
While there are some oddities within the divisions — Legacy and Desert Oasis in the same league despite being on opposite ends of the valley — the new alignment should help cut down on some travel, especially for the current Class 3A schools, which often have to go out of state to fill out a schedule.
Those schools will now have more league games. The one drawback is that some rivalries could be split up.
Las Vegas and Rancho, which play the annual Bone Game in football, remain in the same league, but rivalry games between Green Valley and Basic in the Henderson Bowl, Eldorado and Chaparral in the Cleat Game, and Arbor View and Legacy in the Battle of the Bulls, will no longer be league games.
With fewer teams in each league, though, teams will have more freedom to play nonleague games and can schedule their rivals.
"The way it's set up, we'll continue the Battle of the Bulls with Legacy in nonleague games," Wolfram said. "We'll make sure we're scheduling each other because we'll have a lot more options. Centennial is another one we want to keep.
"The whole thing is very positive. It's going to be great."
Contact reporter Bartt Davis at email@example.com or 702-387-5230.In-depth high school sports coverage


text: What would you guys do if you were handed your competitions customer list ? It states what services they receive and how much they pay and the pay schedule -monthly or on a 12 month plan, the # of ferts etc. This company does not actually work in the same area as you but it overlaps your territory. The list has over 500 names and info on it. Its NOT TG/CL What would you do, because I just got the list I know what I'm going to do but would love to hear comments.


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As details of Augusta's restructuring plan emerge, a closed-door meeting of select department heads Monday did not escape the notice of those who were not invited.
Proposed radical changes -- revealed in a draft organizational chart leaked by a city official last week -- preserve or expand the departments led by most of those present Monday while eliminating others.
Administrator Fred Russell, who formed the group a few months ago to effectuate a streamlined city government, said its work was nearing completion.
"A lot of our discussion is looking at management positions, and increasing the span of control," Russell said. "We're trying to flatten the organization."
The effort is expected to fill about $1.5 million of a $9 million deficit in the 2011 budget.
The restructuring is being done completely in-house and seeks to transform a government that resembles a column -- with higher-paid staff from top to bottom -- to one with fewer supervisors overseeing the bulk of Augusta personnel.
Present Monday were the heads of Augusta's engineering, planning, human resources, information technology, procurement, recreation and housing and community development departments.
Not everyone there has a sure future with the city, however. In attendance also was Heyward Johnson, whose transit department isn't on the new chart.
Russell said a request for proposals from private bus system operators, who likely would hire many displaced Augusta drivers if awarded a city contract, was nearing completion.
Also present Monday was longtime employee Robert Leverett, who recently announced his retirement as deputy city administrator and head of the city's inmate labor camp.
The changes are not on the agenda for today's commission meeting, but Russell has said he's meeting with commissioners one-on-one to ensure that he has sufficient support to implement the restructuring plan.


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General Question
I have a HTC One S and it takes great photos, but...
Asked by 717richboy (234) November 18th, 2012
Whenever I transfer the photos to FB, the quality doesn't look as good as they looked in my gallery. Anyone having this problem, or can anyone be of assistance?
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Utley returns, makes season debut Monday
Utley returns, makes season debut Monday
He rejoined the Phillies on Sunday morning at Citizens Bank Park and will be activated from the disabled list before Monday night's series opener against the Reds.
The Phils already made space for him on the 25-man roster when they optioned infielder Pete Orr to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park.
Utley, who will be hitting third against the Reds, has missed the entire season recovering from patellar tendinitis in his right knee. It has been a tedious rehab, but the Phillies said the knee has responded favorably in nine rehab games with Class A Clearwater. Team physician Michael Ciccotti and head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan examined Utley on Sunday, and following a positive review decided to activate him.
Utley did not speak to reporters Sunday.
- 131 wins
- 121 wins
The Phils have scored three or fewer runs in nine consecutive games, so they certainly can use their No. 3 hitter. If Utley produces like he has in the past, he will fill a major void in the lineup.
But nobody really knows how effective Utley will be upon his return. Manager Charlie Manuel said this weekend he is unsure how many games Utley will be able to play because of his condition. The club does not want to overplay Utley early and find him unavailable late in the season or postseason, when he's needed most.
Manuel said he trusts Utley to tell him the truth about how his health.
"I know him," Manuel said. "His word is good."
But Utley has played through injuries in the past, so what makes Manuel believe Utley will come clean if he needs a day off?
"This is different," Manuel said. "He sees this as something ... we want to make sure we have him the rest of the season and we want to make sure we have him for a few years. Knowing him like I do and how I can talk to him, we know each other and I think he'll be totally honest with me."
Utley's health and productivity will play out over the course of the season. But for now, Utley is in Philadelphia and he is playing Monday. Beyond that, nobody really knows what is going to happen. But if the Phillies can avoid further injuries and Shane Victorino returns from the disabled list as early as June 3, the Phillies could have their everyday lineup for the first time this season in a couple of weeks.
"Once we get Chase and Victorino back, our lineup is going to be much better," Manuel said. "If you put [Josh] Hamilton and [Nelson] Cruz back in Texas' lineup, they get real better, too. So we'll get better."


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Quite possibly the most underrated Christmas movie of all time, most people often forget that this film is one at all. The time of year aside, Lethal Weapon (1987) has a dark undercurrent that sheds light on a very realistic side to the holiday season: suicide. The film wastes no time establishing the Christmas setting with "Jingle Bell Rock" playing throughout the opening credits. The story begins with the suicide of a young, drugged up girl, leaping to her death from a twenty story balcony. From there the two principle characters, Murtaugh and Riggs, are introduced. Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is a middle-aged family man with a wife and three kids. Riggs (Mel Gibson) is an ex-special forces widower with nothing to lose, giving him the reputation of being a loose canon. The two of them both work for the LAPD and are partnered up when Riggs is deemed too unstable for solo work. The recent death of his wife has Riggs depressed to the point of not caring if he lives or dies on the job and contemplating suicide during his lonely evenings. Murtaugh, on the other hand, provides a compliment to the void in Riggs' life by opening up his home and family to his new partner. The result is a lasting friendship that spanned three sequels.
|Riggs just wanted a little snow with his Christmas tree.


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The 2013 Fit for Growth Index study: How ready are you for growth?
Strategy&'s Fit for Growth* approach is a proven way forward for companies that want to cut costs and grow stronger. The Fit for Growth Index measures how well a company connects its cost and growth agendas by assessing companies in three key areas: strategic clarity and coherence with a clear and aligned set of capabilities; aligned resource base and cost structure; and supportive organization. The study analyzed nearly 200 public companies across a wide range of industries. Each company's index score was calculated and compared with its total shareholder return over the past two years.
The 2013 Fit for Growth Index study How ready are you for growth?
North America Siobhan Ford Director, Marketing +1-212-551-6234 siobhan.ford @strategyand.pwc.com
This report was originally published by Booz & Company in 2013. For further information: Fit for Growth microsite page (www.strategyand.pwc.com/global/home/what-we-think/ fitforgrowth)
Executive summary
Since the 2008 economic crisis, many companies have been trying to figure out the best way to reposition themselves for growth and economic recovery. At Strategy&, working with many leading businesses across a variety of industries, we have gained deep insights into what winning organizations do to return to sustainable high performance. It's a combination of three things: First, they create clarity and coherence in their strategy — being clear about how they're adding value and articulating the differentiating capabilities they need to win in the marketplace. Second, they put in place an optimized cost structure and approach to capital allocation — continuously investing in the capabilities critical to success, while proactively cutting costs in less critical areas to fund these investments. Third, they build supportive organizations — redesigning structures, incentives, decision rights, information flows, skill sets, and other organizational and cultural elements so the collective actions of their people align more closely with their strategy. Such a Fit for Growth* approach builds competitive muscle while cutting the corporate fat that weighs a company down. Companies that follow this approach take proactive and strategic cost actions (as opposed to reactive and tactical ones), freeing up funds to reinvest in those parts of the business that are most important for growth. At the same time, they put in place an organizational fabric that guides employees to do the right things day in and day out, thus helping the entire enterprise build and sustain competitive advantage. Having seen these three elements create value in the market, Strategy& decided to actually measure the benefits of this Fit for Growth approach.
* Fit for Growth is a registered service mark of PwC Strategy& Inc. in the United States.
In order to do so, we created a quantitative metric — the Fit for Growth Index ("the index") — that is built on these three elements, and analyzed how it correlates with company performance. Main findings of the study As part of the study, we analyzed almost 200 public companies across a wide range of industries, compiling their index score and determining their total shareholder return over the past two years. Here are the main findings from our study: 1) There is a clear correlation between the Fit for Growth Index score and market performance. Companies that focus on the three elements — strategic clarity and coherence, resource alignment, and supportive organization — generate higher shareholder returns. 2) High-performing companies tightly link their growth and cost agendas. They clearly understand which capabilities are truly critical for winning with their strategy, and they funnel the bulk of their resources to those differentiating capabilities. 3) Few companies are ready to grow. Although the three dimensions to focus on may seem clear and the positive impact is obvious, less than one-fifth of the companies (17 percent) seem well prepared to grow. Very few companies — only 6 percent of those included in the study — perform well along all three dimensions of the Fit for Growth Index. 4) Companies fall into a set of five "archetypes" with common characteristics. Depending on where their strengths and weaknesses lie, companies fall into one of five broad archetypes. Each of those company archetypes has its own characteristics and challenges, and we've identified a specific set of recommendations for each. Implications for management Few companies would disagree that robust strategies, solid cost management, and powerful organizations are critical to performance. But they may not be aware of how much these three elements need to reinforce one another. Combining them is the hard part: Our research shows that few companies are masters in integrating all three elements. Making improvements requires a dispassionate clear-headedness about one's strengths and weaknesses, an understanding of where the links between strategy, resource management, and organization are broken, and the development of a clear plan of attack to reap the benefits.
4 Strategy&
Key highlights
• Strategy& has found that sustainable company performance is driven by the extent to which companies are able to link their growth and cost agendas. • We developed the Fit for Growth* Index, a composite measurement of a company's "health" along three critical dimensions: strategic clarity and coherence, resource alignment, and supportive organization. • There is a clear correlation between high Fit for Growth Index scores and market performance. Doing well on the three attributes of the index matters. • To maximize performance, companies need to be strong on all three index dimensions — doing well on one or two dimensions only will lead to suboptimal performance. • Companies fall into five archetypes, each with its own unique symptoms, challenges, and management priorities. • Executives need to recognize their current archetype, understand where they are weak, what they must change in order to become ready for growth, and develop a credible road map to link their growth and cost agendas.
* Fit for Growth is a registered service mark of PwC Strategy& Inc. in the United States.
Now that the global recession has subsided, how do we best position our company for growth?
Should we continue to push for cost cutting, or should we release funds to invest in growth?
How do we know whether we've cut too much, whether we've cut the muscle rather than just the fat?
How can we get our initiatives and priorities to be in line with our strategy?
Is there still fat in our organization … and where shall we look for it?
What are our highest-priority areas to invest in?
Why can't we seem to make cost discipline sustainable?
The Fit for Growth Index
The Fit for Growth Index measures how well a company connects its cost and growth agendas. It assesses companies in three key areas: strategic clarity and coherence, resource alignment and supportive organization.
Fit for Growth framework Strategy & way to play
• Clear articulation of how the business creates differentiated value for customers
Release funds
Enable & sustain reductions
Strategic clarity and coherence
Invest in highervalueadded priorities
Resource alignment
Supportive organization
• Clearly articulated and coherent strategy • Sustainable and differentiating capabilities for growth • Presence in critical product, market, and customer segments
• Lean cost structure in low-criticality areas • Proactive and tailored cost reduction actions • Systematic investments in differentiating capabilities
• Organizational structure that is market-back and tied to the basic characteristics of the business • Coherent and supportive incentives, decision rights, skill sets, culture
Key dimensions of Fit for Growth Index
A company's Fit for Growth Index score is a weighted average of the company's fitness (on a scale from 1 to 5) along each of those three dimensions. We developed the Fit for Growth Index so we could: • Determine how important the three elements — strategic clarity and coherence, resource alignment, and supportive organization — are for a company's performance • Assess which of those elements is most important in driving performance • Identify common characteristics among companies that would allow us to formulate recommendations for how they can improve their readiness for growth.
Companies with a high Fit for Growth Index perform better
To measure the connection to corporate performance, we determined the Fit for Growth Index score for close to 200 companies and compared it to the company's total shareholder returns over the two-year period from August 2010 to July 2012. We found a strong correlation between companies' shareholder returns and their Fit for Growth Index scores.
Correlation between Fit for Growth Index score and two-year normalized TSR score n = 197
Normalized TSR score 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0
U.S. Bancorp Diageo Comcast Corporation
Capital One Financial Corporation Limited Brands Inc. Whole Foods Market Inc. BlackRock Inc. Time Warner Cable Inc. Luxottica Group SpA
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Fit for Growth Index score
Source: Capital IQ database; Strategy& analysis
• 73 percent of companies with high index scores had high or medium-high TSR scores, and companies scoring lower on the index also had lower TSR scores. • The strength of the relationship between index score and TSR score varies by industry, but it is present in each of the 17 industry sectors we have analyzed.
Percentage of companies in specific TSR score band by Fit for Growth Index score band n = 197
TSR score 64 companies 19% 34% 107 companies 16% 27% 42% High Fit for Growth Index score 26 companies
Low (0 - 25) Medium-low (25 - 50) Medium-high (50 - 75) High (75 - 100)
45% 47% 12% Low & medium-low (1 - 3) Medium-high (3.1 - 3.7)
31% 27% High (3.8 - 5)
Note: Width of bars corresponds to number of companies in each Fit for Growth Index score band. Source: Capital IQ database; Strategy& analysis
Fit for Growth Index score band
The most important drivers of performance
Once we had established the link between index scores and market returns, the next logical question became: What specific elements, if any, in the index framework best explain strong performance? Some of the factors within each of the three key building blocks — strategic clarity and coherence, resource alignment, and supportive organization — appear to have a particularly powerful impact on TSR scores. These include:
Index building blocks and sub-factors the particularly strong TSR impact
Starting questions for managers
Strategic clarity: Coherent strategy
• Does the strategy represent a differentiated way to play in the market? • Is the strategy reflected in a clearly stated list of firm-wide strategic priorities? • Is the strategy aligned with the changes in the market? • Is the strategy well documented? • Is there an objective and disciplined resource allocation process that focuses on strengthening differentiating capabilities? • Does the organizational structure enable nimble governance? • Are mechanisms in place to enable cross-business unit collaboration? • Is the organization efficient, flexible, and lean?
Resource alignment: Systematic investments in differentiating capabilities
Supportive organization: Speed and decisiveness in response to market or internal challenges
Five company archetypes
When analyzing how companies performed along the three dimensions of the Fit for Growth Index, we discovered a clear clustering of companies into five archetypes: five types of companies, each with its own set of characteristics. For each archetype, we developed recommendations for improving readiness to grow.
Strategically adrift "Strategically adrift" companies have:
– An unclear strategy and critical priorities that are not widely understood, even among top management. – A lack of clarity as to the capabilities that are essential for them to win in their markets. – A reactive approach—their strategic decisions are easily swayed by external events, and competitors' actions can easily propel them in new directions. Action: "Strategically adrift" companies should focus on identifying their differentiating capabilities and develop a strategy that leverages those competitive advantages.
Strategic Resource Supportive clarity and alignment organization coherence
Distracted "Distracted" companies have:
+ Moderate effectiveness and efficiency. – Some critical capabilities present as "table stakes" for the industry, but they are not distinctive enough to serve as a competitive advantage. – A strategy that is not focused enough to mobilize investment. Action: "Distracted" companies should sharpen their strategic focus and align the company around those capabilities that give them a right to win. Strategic Resource Supportive clarity and alignment organization coherence
Capability constrained
"Capability constrained" companies have:
+ A big-picture understanding of what it takes to win, but they need more discipline in execution. + Terrific strategies, and a coherent and clearly articulated set of capabilities. – Cost structures and approaches to investment management that aren't keeping pace with their intent. – Strategies and capabilities systems that aren't as effective as they could be; and inadequate practices, processes, or technologies that often hold them back.
Strategic Resource Supportive clarity and alignment organization coherence
Action: "Capability constrained" companies should be very clear about what exact capabilities they need and then work on processes, systems, skills, behaviors, and organization—all together—to become world-class at what's most important for them.
In the game "In the game" companies have:
+ Strategic focus. + A diligent approach to capability building. + Good market effectiveness. – Suboptimal organization, e.g., complicated matrix structures and onerous governance processes that undermine speed and effectiveness. Action: "In the game" companies should focus on internal structures and processes. They need to realign their management structures, decision making, and talent to support strategic priorities.
Strategic Resource Supportive clarity and alignment organization coherence
Ready for growth "Ready for growth" companies are firing on all three cylinders. They have:
+ Well-developed strategic capabilities that also are well understood throughout the organization. + Systematic ways to direct resources to initiatives with the highest strategic and financial returns. + Organizational structures that support key capabilities, with talent in the right places and efficient decision making. Strategic Resource Supportive clarity and alignment organization coherence The market success of "ready for growth" companies rests on a foundation of coherent, proven, and sustainable capabilities, not transitory factors like managerial talent or favorable market conditions.
• Among the 197 companies that we studied, only 17 percent were classified as "in the game" or "ready for growth" and thus well equipped for expansion.
Distribution of archetypes across sample companies Strategically adrift Distracted 14% 49%
Capability constrained
In the game
Ready for growth
Source: Strategy&
What a "ready for growth" company looks like
Every company is different; however, our analysis revealed a set of charac te r is tics that are common to many of the companies in the strongest ("ready for growth") archetype. Consider these elements across the three building blocks of the Fit for Growth framework: • Strategic clarity and coherence — "ready for growth" companies … –– Have specific and actionable strategic priorities that are widely understood at all levels of the company –– Make clear choices, striving for best-in-class status only in the few distinctive capabilities that create sustainable competitive advantage, and accept "good enough" in other areas –– Are able to keep their strategies relevant by sensing and rapidly adapting to market changes –– Are quicker to innovate, willing to make calculated big bets –– Feel no qualms about killing investments that aren't paying off. • Resource alignment — "ready for growth" companies … –– Employ a disciplined process that ensures adequate funding for high-growth, core activities –– Have clear and objective investment criteria that prevent department rivalries from interfering with allocation of funds to top corporate priorities –– Manage spending strategically, making rigorous trade-offs based on cost transparency and a deep understanding of how they make money.
• Supportive organization — "ready for growth" companies … –– Are organizationally efficient, flexible, and lean –– Align their power structures and allocate decision rights in ways that best serve strategic priorities and business realities –– Create nimble mechanisms for governance and collaboration across business units –– Have talent management practices that support key capabilities by moving the best people into pivotal roles –– Have a coherent culture that sets norms and expectations that reflect the requirements for success in the marketplace –– Have an ethos of excellence and continuous improvement that is reinforced by meritocratic systems.
Coherent strategy
Supportive culture Strong leadership in key roles
Strategic clarity and coherence
Strong capabilities
Supportive organization
Strong and coherent product portfolio
"Ready for growth" company
Decisiveness with respect to market & internal challenges Improvement initiatives aligned with strategy
Presence in critical markets
Systematic investments in differentiating capabilities
Thoughtful cost reduction
Resource alignment
Industry case study: Fit for Growth Index in the consumer packaged goods sector
We conducted a deep-dive on the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry to assess how the Fit for Growth Index impacts company performance in a specific industry.
The Fit for Growth Index and consumer packaged goods
Financial performance (normalized TSR score) 100
Constellation Brands Anheuser-Busch InBev
Church & Dwight Mattel Colgate-Palmolive Diageo Clorox PepsiCo Coca-Cola ConAgra Foods J.M. Smucker General Mills Kellogg Campbell Soup Avon Products
Whirlpool Newell Rubbermaid Molson Coors Brewing Tyson Foods American Greetings
0 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0
Fit for Growth Index score
• Consistent with the cross-industry findings, our analysis in the CPG sector showed close correlation between companies' Fit for Growth Index scores and their shareholder returns: –– Companies such as the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Mattel Inc., and the Brown-Forman Corporation have demonstrated an ability to produce sustained shareholder value. They also score high on the Fit for Growth Index. –– Consumer products manufacturers with low index scores, such as Avon and American Greetings, have also produced lower two-year total shareholder returns. • The data also revealed which components of the index have the greatest impact on shareholder returns: –– Differences between high- and low-performing companies were greatest in factors related to strategic clarity and coherence, and resource alignment. –– Differences between high- and medium-performing companies were greatest in the supportive organization category.
For deeper insight, we examined two particularly strong performers that embody the key principles of the Fit for Growth approach. • Diageo: Diageo is a global alcoholic beverages company with global brands including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Guinness. Diageo sells in more than 180 countries and derives 40 percent of its sales from emerging markets.
Overarching growth strategy: Expanding leading brands into new markets, with a tailored approach for each market that capitalizes on Diageo's supply chain and distribution channel advantages. Strategic clarity • Diageo relies on a small set of differentiating capabilities: marketing; supply chain, and distribution channel efficiencies; innovation; and joint business planning with customers (known as the "Diageo Way of Selling"). • Capabilities are adapted to meet the needs of local markets. For example, Diageo cultivates a premium image, and emphasizes product innovation to middle-class consumers in emerging markets. Resource alignment Diageo manages costs and investments to strengthen these key capabilities, in part by seeking efficiencies in other areas, e.g. • careful strategic sourcing of ingredients and other direct materials • operational optimization • alignment of supply footprint with growth opportunities • use of value-enhancing routes to market in emerging markets Supportive organization • Diageo has built a fit-forpurpose, efficient, and effective organization. • Diageo's geographic organization maximizes brand value by combining a focus on individual growth markets with a global marketing support system. • Employee satisfaction scores are high, with many praising Diageo for its meritocratic culture, focus on results over "face time," strong leadership, social responsibility, diversity, and work/life balance.
• Church & Dwight: Church & Dwight has assembled a strong portfolio of home-care and personal-care brands in both the premium and value categories. The approach has paid off for shareholders. Church & Dwight's total shareholder returns have ranked among the consumer products industry leaders for most of the past decade.
Overarching strategy: Identifying and acquiring niche brands with untapped residual equity, and mining this value by giving the brands wide distribution and prominent shelf space, then cross-pollinating and extending the brands into adjacent categories Strategic clarity • This strategy requires superior capabilities in areas such as brand extension, innovating in categories where a brand is the market leader, and "fast following" in niches where it is a value player. • Church & Dwight develops these capabilities through resource alignment. Resource alignment • Investments focus on brand development and marketing for a small set of "power brands" that drive growth at the company. • Innovation investments are intentional, focusing on breakthroughs in areas of market leadership (e.g., Trojan), and closely following market leaders in value niches (e.g., Arm & Hammer). Supportive organization • Church & Dwight fosters a highly performance- and results-focused financial culture, supported by aggressive cost management.
• Our survey sample comprised 197 companies in 17 industries. Companies were chosen to yield a balanced sample including high, low, and moderate financial performers in each industry, based on their total shareholder returns over a two-year period (November 2010 – November 2012). The Fit for Growth Index was designed such that it assesses companies in three key areas: strategic clarity and coherence; resource alignments; and supportive organization. NJNJ Each company received a composite score on a scale of 1 to 5 based on its "fitness" in each of these areas. In calculating the Fit for Growth Index score, we weighted the three factors as follows: strategic clarity and coherence (50 percent), resource alignment (30 percent), supportive organization (20 percent). The second and third factors — the aligned resource base and the supportive organization — together make up a company's execution capability. Thus, a company's index score is derived in equal parts from its strategy and executional fitness. These weightings reflect our belief that strategy and execution are equally important in determining performance. The three factors were, in turn, made up of several components, each with its own weighting. These components are: • Strategic clarity and coherence: coherent NJNJ strategy (15 percent), strong capabilities (10 percent), strong and coherent product portfolio (10 percent), presence in critical markets (15 percent) • Resource alignment: systematic investments in differentiating capabilities (10 percent), thoughtful cost reduction (15 percent), improvement initiatives aligned with strategy (5 percent) • Supportive organization: speed and decisiveness (10 percent), strong leadership (5 percent), supportive culture (5 percent) To supplement our own knowledge of the companies, we examined information from research databases, analysts' reports, earnings call transcripts, and business periodicals.
For each company, we determined a normalized TSR score. NJNJ TSR scores are between 0 and 100, with 100 representing the company with the highest returns in its industry segment, and 0 representing the lowest. This form of normalization allows us to insulate TSR results from external factors that might affect some sectors more than others — for example, higherthan-usual exposure to declines in spending due to the recession.
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This report was originally published by Booz & Company in 2013.
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"I'm afraid of Americans." David Bowie
The polls have closed, and for the most part the ballots have been counted. For the next several days, if not weeks, there will be counts, recounts and doubts. Facts still remain facts. The Orange-Fucking-Idiot is now the president elect. We should just as well have a cartoon as the future leader of our country.
(still read from left to right)
There has been no doubt for a very fucking long time that big government needs to be taken down. We didn't have that opportunity in this election. There was simply no choice to make to make that happen.
As I think back on my first post; when this electoral race began; knowing I only reported facts coupled with my opinion. And it looked like this…
We had little to choose from. We had one qualified republican, Ted (Mr. No Personality) Cruz and pretty much zero in the democratic running. Hills offered a safe continuation of Obama, but there was virtually nothing else.
In the Hills corner was the idea that we have suffered with Obama and could continue until the next 4 years pass and hopefully find actual candidates next time around. Obama inherited the legacy of the worst president in history, G.W. Bush, and Obama failed to produce. Sure, it broke new ground to have our first black president, but he did little for our country as a country.
What ensued was the most sadly comical presidential race in the history of our nation. We had two candidates that no truly educated person could get behind, believe or trust.
I could get past Hills' private email server built out of true American (convenience) laziness. (this is the fast food-fat ass capitol of the world) Her questionable Benghazi thing wasn't a sole problem, but it certainly left her alone in the accusations as though she were the only one in the entire American government. Several other agencies were involved and our fearless (fearful) leader Barack Obama wasn't held accountable.
Did Hills do the right thing? Fuck no! Did she trade or give up state secrets? Divulge classified information to the enemy? Fuck no!
Did Donald-Fucking-Trump slander, liable, defy and take advantage of a weak system of an under-educated southern and middle America? Duh.
This is a man that would be in prison many times over for fraud, tax evasion and countless other financial and civil crimes had he not abused the system he now vows to change.
This is one of the most frightening individuals on the planet at this moment, if not the scariest.
After all of his unapologetic xenophobic, homophobic, racist and misogynistic remarks of the past year and a half we saw in the final four days of his campaign his advisors and campaign staff pull his belt tight, take away his twitter account and threaten him with yet another one of his failures if he didn't read the speech written by someone with a brain rather than him spew anger, hate, fear and threats of suing everyone that doesn't like or agree with him. This plays perfectly into the average American's short-term memory being less than that of a goldfish.
Was I pro Hills? No. Emphatically NO. What I was, and am, is ANTI-TRUMP! Trump didn't win. Hills lost. We really only had a polished pile of shit vs. a loud pile of shit.
We now have to take into account that we have a largely uneducated-redneck-hillbilly majority voting for and with a backward agenda in control of the United States of America.
We don't just have Trump to consider, we have a full boat of a republican majority in the House, the Senate, and soon, the Supreme(ist) Court.
Executive orders thrown out, abortion will be outlawed and criminally punished, all civil, gay and women's rights will be in decline, the first amendment at risk, mass deportation, discrimination against entire religions and a fucking wall! A FUCKING WALL, PEOPLE!
Is this the death of the democratic party? The death of democracy? Both?
Trump opposes higher wages, he opposes higher taxes on the 1% (that he is rumored to be a part of), he hates, calls for nukes, praises a despot by the name of Putin and promises to make us great? Again? According to him, we were never great as a nation. He spent his life as a democrat that was never satisfied because there weren't enough things for him to take advantage of. He sees bankruptcy as a business practice, a law suit as a way of defending himself against the truth and an American way decided by the guy with the thickest wallet. His tiny hands (and mind) depict a truth that if he had to get into a dick swinging contest Hills would have won.
Hills failed in several ways…
- She sucks at being human. She is stiff, has no bedside manner and is unrelatable except in defeat. Her most human moment was her concession speech.
- She was following in Obama's footsteps. A legacy only forlorn by G.W. Bush's handed to Obama. Let's not forget, Obama sucked.
- Her Healthcare plan, a huge issue for me (refer to my first post), was just trying to reform a failed travesty. Obamacare.
- She called half of america "Deplorables." Stooped to Trump's level. Bad form.
- Back to number one…she is unrelatable. She just doesn't connect. Her best work is, and has always been done, on paper.
- She went into mining, steel and auto manufacturing states and said they were basically done. Truth is they are, but Trump lied and said they weren't.
- She let Trump grab her by the pussy.
America is driven by advertising, the promise of a better product and an easier way to achieve success. We have Tony Robbins, Depak Chopra, Oprah Whinfry and now…Trumpelstilskin. (Depak and Trump share the bad hair thing…hmmm.)
The only two positives I can see out of this Trump coup is the repeal of Obamacare and the fact that there is no more climate shift or global warming. One was given to us by an Abe Lincoln mistake and the other from the Chinese trying to take control.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt said; "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Obviously, he never met Donald John Trump.
All Hail Trump!


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Placer County CA Town Histories
ALTA – Situated in dense pine forests and named for the Spanish word "high," Alta was created by the Central Pacific Railroad in 1866 as a depot for freight and passengers bound for Dutch Flat two miles away. In 1882, Alta was home to prosperous saw mills, store houses, box factories, a fine hotel, and the usual stores, saloons, and residences of a flourishing village. Today it's a quiet little bedroom community.
APPLEGATE – Applegate was first settled in 1849 by Lisbon Applegate and originally was called Lisbon in his honor. When a post office was established in the 1870s, the settlement was renamed Applegate. Besides being a station on the Central Pacific Railroad, Applegate was known for its excellent orchards and vineyards. In connection with the vineyards were cider-mills, wine-presses, stills for brandy-making, wine cellars, and store-houses.
AUBURN - On May 16, 1848, gold was discovered in Auburn Ravine, this being the first gold discovery in Placer County. The area, originally known as both North Fork Dry Diggings and Wood's Dry Diggings, quickly developed into a mining and supply camp. The many roads leading from the town to the mines and other major cities made Auburn a center of extensive staging and freighting operations. It became officially known as Auburn in 1849. By 1850, the population had grown to 1,500, and Auburn became the seat of Placer County in 1851. The Central Pacific Railroad came to the city in 1865. Auburn was first incorporated in 1860 and again in 1888. Like many early towns, Auburn suffered devastating fires, first in 1855 and again in 1859 and 1863. Each time, however, the city was re-built and prospered. Plentiful fruits and wine were produced by farmers and fruit-growers in the Auburn area, making horticulture and wine-growing important industries.
CISCO – Ciscois in the snowy region of the Sierra, fifty-six miles northeast of Auburn. In 1864, the town was surveyed into lots and named Cisco, in honor of Central Pacific Treasurer John J. Cisco. In November 1866, the Central Pacific Railroad was completed, and the cars commenced running to this point. Cisco then became a very busy place, crowded with freight wagons and teams, stages, and travelers. This remained the terminus of the road until 1868 when the summit tunnel was completed, and the road extended out into Nevada. Cisco today is a popular destination for hikers and campers.
CLIPPER GAP – Located in the hills about six miles north of Auburn, Clipper Gap was settled by pioneers in 1857. The Central Pacific Railroad reached the area in 1865, providing handy transportation for lime products from Clipper Gap's Holmes & Company, iron ore from nearby Hotaling, black powder from the Clipper Gap's factory, and locally-grown fresh produce. A hotel was built near the train station to accommodate travelers and tourists, and by 1881 a school was built which served 22 students and one teacher. Eventually, the mines played out, the factories closed, and the population declined in the once-bustling community. Today country homes dot the oak woodlands and pine forests of quiet little Clipper Gap.
COLFAX – Colfax is said to have begun in 1849 as a little mining town called Alder Creek and later on called Illinoistown. By 1865, it was a railroad construction camp and the site of a gold strike the following year. Eventually it was renamed Colfax when then Speaker of the House (and later Vice President) Schuyler Colfax visited the town in 1865. A destructive fire swept away the main portion of the town in 1874. By 1882, the re-built business section consisted of dry goods and grocery stores, two hotels, drug store, wagon and blacksmith shop, bakery and restaurant, saloons, lumber yard, meat market, shoemaker, etc. For many years, Colfax was known as a railroad town and agricultural center, and flourished in the early part of the 1900s. The city was at the southern end of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad from 1876 until the railroad's removal in 1942, and was the eastern terminus of the first transcontinental railroad for many years. Being located on both the railroad route and I-80, Colfax is an important shipping point for timber and fruit today. According to a 2009 California Department of Finance report, Colfax is the fastest growing city in the state.
DAMASCUS – Damascus was an old mining town situated on a steep hillside about 4 miles west-southwest of Westville. In 1852 a Dr. Strong discovered gold between two branches of Humbug Canyon and Damascus Branch. At that time, the area was known as Strong's Diggings. The first post office was established in 1856 but discontinued and re-established several times over the years. Deep snow pack in the winter would shut down mining, but the mild summer weather attracted waves of miners until the gold ran out. Mining activity re-started in the 1930's for a while and has been intermittent ever since.
DEADWOOD – Situated on a steep hillside or divide about seven miles above Michigan Bluff, Deadwood came about when gold was discovered here in 1852 by a party of prospectors. Their grandiose accounts of future wealth quickly brought in a large influx of people to the area. By 1855, however, Deadwood's transient glory was gone.
DUTCH FLAT - Dutch Flat is situated in the northeastern part of Placer County on a ridge which divides the Bear River from the North Fork of the American. German brothers Joseph and Charles Dornbach founded the town in 1851. It is thought that their Dutch nativity brought about the town's name. In 1854, a water-ditch was constructed to convey the waters of Bear River to the tops of the ridges for mining purposes. This gave quite an impetus to the settlement of Dutch Flat, and it greatly increased its population and importance. In fact, Dutch Flat had the largest voting population in Placer County in 1860. Being a stage station also made it one of the most important towns around. In 1882, the town had one newspaper, three churches, one school house, a number of dry goods and grocery stores, one drug store, hotel, livery stable, one fire company, and one brewery, besides the usual quota of lawyers, doctors, etc. Its secret societies numbered Masons, Odd Fellows, Red Men, Good Templars, and Ancient Order of United Workmen. These days, the town (population about 330) is a mix of retirees, families, and professionals who commute to nearby jobs. Unlike many of the other early towns in Placer County, Dutch Flat has the enviable history of never having been burned down. Consequently, the Methodist Church, the old Dutch Flat Elementary School, the Odd Fellows Building, and the Masonic Hall survive to this day, making Dutch Flat a popular tourist attraction.
FORESTHILL – Foresthill was founded in 1850 with the discovery of gold in the area. It was a lively mining town and important trading post for many years. Gradually the timber industry replaced mining as the town's main attraction and was, until recently, the major employer. Recreation is now the main industry in this area with its reservoirs, trails, and camping facilities.
FRYTOWN – Located on Auburn Ravine about two miles below Ophir, the area was first settled in 1849. It was used mostly as supply headquarters for the miners. Like many other mining towns of the time and region, it quickly sprang up, had a lively history, but soon died out.
GOLD HILL - In the early history of Placer County, Gold Hill was quite active. It was situated in Auburn Ravine, seven and one-half miles west of the county seat. The first attempt at mining was in 1851, and in 1852 the village was organized and received its name, which came from the conical shape of the area. The diggings were on the surface where a miner could get some gold, and in some spots rich deposits were found. Eventually though, orchards, fields, gardens, and vineyards replaced mining, and gradually the village declined. Gold Hill is no more, and the area is part of Ophir today.
GOLD RUN - A post office was established called Mountain Springs in 1854, a few miles southwest of Dutch Flat The town was founded by O. W. Hollenbeck who was also its first post master. Later on, the post office moved one mile north, and the town's name was changed to Gold Run in 1863. In July 1866, the Central Pacific Railroad was completed to this point, making Gold Run an important stop in the Placer County. Gold Run was known mainly for its hydraulic mines. A total of $6,125,000 in gold was transferred out of the town between 1865-1878 due to hydraulic mining. Mining operations ceased in 1882 after a court ruling banned hydraulic operations, and Gold Run became almost deserted as a result.
IOWA HILL – The first discoveries of gold were made at Iowa Hill in 1853, and within two years it became a principal town in the eastern part of Placer County. The town's businesses consisted of three large grocery stores, four hotels, five dry-goods and clothing stores, one fancy store, three variety stores, one brewery and soda factory, two hardware and tinware stores, and two butcher shops, as well as a number of bowling alleys, billiard, and saloons. They also had a Catholic Church building, a Methodist Church edifice, a Masonic Lodge, a lodge of the IOOF, a public school, and a theater. On February 2, 1857, the whole business part of the town was destroyed by fire with the loss estimated to be at a half million of dollars. The town was immediately rebuilt, better than before. Drift mining continued through the early 1900s and revived again in the 1930s. The town almost completely burned to the ground in 1922. Today snipers and skin divers are active in Iowa Hill.
LINCOLN - The original townsite was surveyed and laid out in 1859 by railroad engineer Theodore Judah along the proposed line of the California Central Railroad. The name Lincoln was in honor of Charles Lincoln Wilson, one of the organizers and directors of the railroad. In the early 1870s, rich clay deposits were discovered nearby as well as rich coal beds. The Gladding, McBean & Co. was established in 1875 and is the pottery for which Lincoln is now famous. The countryside surrounding Lincoln is agricultural, primarily orchards and vineyards. The town's first church was built in 1864, and a Catholic Church was built in 1880. By 1882, Lincoln had one drug store, one express office, two hotels, two grocery stores, one dry goods store, three blacksmith shops, one butcher shop, one telegraph office, one bakery, five saloons, two doctors, one lawyer, one notary public, and two school teachers. Lincoln was once home to a significant Chinese American community, but its Chinese American residents were violently driven out of town in 1886. Today Lincoln is known for its pottery and its prosperous Indian casino.
LOOMIS – Loomis takes its name from one the of town's pioneers, James Loomis. At one time, James Loomis was the whole town—saloon keeper, railroad agent, express agent, and postmaster. Established in 1850, Loomis began as a mining town but soon became a center of a booming fruit-growing industry, supporting many local packing houses. In fact, in the early part of the 20th century, Loomis was the second largest fruit-shipping station in Placer County with the 1930s and 1940s as the peak years of fruit production. Today, only remnants of Loomis' mighty orchards remain, most having been replaced with suburban neighborhoods and ranchettes.
MICHIGAN BLUFF - Some eight miles beyond Foresthill is Michigan Bluff, one of the oldest mining towns in the county and once the center of vast hydraulic mining operations. It was founded in 1850 and originally named Michigan City. In 1858, the town became undermined and unsafe, so it was moved one half mile away and renamed Michigan Bluff. Mining activity declined in the 1870s, and the town was leveled by fire in 1960. Today the site is marked by a few old structures rotting away as well as random residences that have been attractively renovated.
NEWCASTLE – Nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Newcastle was founded in the mid 1800s. Freight and passenger trains began operating over the first 31 miles of Central Pacific's line to Newcastle in 1864. Although the region is in the cradle of gold country where many miners searched for their fortune during Gold Rush days, Newcastle was better known for its orchards. Today, the charming small-town community is still a prosperous fruit-growing region and has many wineries.
OPHIR - In the fall of 1850, a lone log cabin comprised the future town of Ophir which is situated below Auburn on the Auburn Ravine. By 1852, Ophir was the largest and most prosperous town in Placer County thanks to rich mining, particularly of quartz. However, that same year, the whole town was consumed by fire. Ophir never really recovered as the surface diggings were deemed nearly worked out, and it was thought there were no other viable resources. Mining ceased in the 1880s, but re-activated in the early 1900s to the 1930s. Little mining has been done since then. Ophir is considered to be a suburb of Auburn today and is known for its wineries and outdoor activities such as hiking and mountain trail biking.
PENRYN - Penryn began in 1864 when a Welsh immigrant by the name of Griffith Griffith established a granite quarry on land leased from the Central Pacific Railroad. The railroad designated the quarry Griffith's Granite Station, but Griffith had something else in mind. He named the quarry Penryn after the Welsh word "penrhyn." The town of Penryn was officially so named in May 1871. By the mid 1870s, Penryn was an established community with a schoolhouse, hotel, at least one blacksmith shop, two or three stores, and an equal number of saloons. The granite works was going strong -- at peak times employing over 200 men and would continue so until Griffith Griffith's death in 1889. It continued to operate on a somewhat smaller scale until 1918. When Penryn's economic focus faded from stone mining, orange growing stepped in. The Citrus Colony project was a large group of English growers who came to reside in Penryn and plant trial orange groves. Approximately 1,000 plam tree were planted to mark the property lines of The Citrus Colony. Today the main fruit crop is mandarins. Penryn has kept its bucolic charm and quiet natural beauty, attracting visitors to its parks, nature trails, and equestrian paths. The old Penryn Granite Works is now a park and museum.
ROCKLIN - Most of today's Rocklin occupies the southern 12,000 acres of the former Spring Valley Ranch, founded by George Whitney in 1855. The area's industrial development started in the mid to late 1850s as miners abandoned their sluice boxes to quarry granite. Boom times for Rocklin started in the mid-1860s as Rocklin quarries supplied stone for construction of the transcontinental railroad between 1864 and 1869, and the railroad located a roundhouse in Rocklin in 1866 to service the extra engines needed for the trans-sierra run. Rocklin's granite industry survived lean times in the 1870s and early 1880s but began to really flourish in the late 1880s and 1890s. At the time, as many as 30 quarries were operating in Rocklin. Labor strife and competition from cement-based concrete permanently decimated the industry in the early 20th century although one quarry continued to operate until 2004. The town now vies with Roseville for the honor of being Placer's largest city.
ROSEVILLE – In 1850, the area that would become Roseville was settled by a few ranchers, some of whom were failed miners. In 1864, the Central Pacific Railroad's east line crossed that of a smaller line here, so the crew named the area Junction. The pioneers of the early town held services in the old school house until 1882 when the city's first church, the First Methodist Episcopal Church, was erected in 1883. The Presbyterian Church was built the following year. In 1906 the Southern Railroad moved to Junction, and the city of Roseville was incorporated three years later. Business and development came fast between 1900 and 1912, and the town's businesses grew, especially fruit shipping which was a great boost to the economy. In 1913, fruit shipping needs demanded lots of ice, so the biggest ice plant in the world was built in Roseville. Roseville carried on as a leading railroad yard throughout the post-war years, but during the 1950s, the city experienced major competition from planes and trucks. By 1972, the local depot finally closed.
SHERIDAN – Located on the western edge of the county and settled in 1855 by E. C. Rodgers, it was originally called Union Shed. It became the trading point for a large population of farmers and ranchers, as well as being a station on the Oregon Division of the Central Pacific Railroad in 1866. Sometime in the 1860s, the community re-named itself Sheridan after Civil War General Phillip Sheridan. A church and Sunday school were organized in 1865 and a post office in 1868. In the 1870s, Sheridan had the only operating flour mill in the county. In 1881, the town had three stores, one drug store, two blacksmith shops, one shoe store, two hotels, three saloons, two clergymen, one doctor, and one school teacher. Sheridan today continues to support ranching and farming.
TAHOE CITY – Tahoe City was first laid out in 1863 and was considered even back then as a destination for pleasure seekers. Fishing in beautiful Lake Tahoe, new breweries, and the fine hotels were the main attractions in the 1800s. Today the region continues to attract tourists, skiers, hikers, campers, etc.
TODD VALLEY – Todd Valley was first settled by Dr. Todd, who built a log house for a store and hotel at his ranch in the lower suburbs of the town in June 1849. The town did not really grow until 1852 when rich diggings were discovered near the doctor's house. The discovery of these mines drew the attention of miners and traders, resulting in a town being laid out on the ridge. In the fall of 1859, a fire broke out in the town and destroyed most of the business part of the place. The town was re-built, but mining eventually played out. Today Todd Valley is a small community and serves as an entrance to many recreational opportunities of the Tahoe National Forest.
VIRGINIATOWN – Originally called Virginia, its location was two miles from Gold Hill. It was opened to mining in 1852 when gold was discovered on the adjoining hills and ravines. Soon after, up to 3,500 gold miners worked the area. To solve the problem of transporting water from the ravine uphill to the mines, the first railroad in the county was built in Virginiatown by Captain John Bristow. This railroad consisted of a man, a mule, and dump cars traveling on wood tracks to carry the diggings for water processing. The venture was short-lived, however, due to a drop in productivity at the mines. In 1861, Virginiatown consisted of mostly miners but also had a blacksmith, hotel keepers, at least two doctors, butchers, saloon keepers, and merchants. For many years, the region was a ghost town but today displays many attractive modern homes.
WEIMAR – Originally named New England Mills, the area was re-named Weimar in 1885 in honor of a local Maidu Indian chief. The town was first established as a timbering center, but due to its clean air and mild climate, it became the home of the Weimar Institute, a regional tuberculosis sanitarium, in 1907. When a cure for TB was discovered, the medical center closed and today is a health and nutrition center.
WESTVILLE – Located about 15 miles northeast of Foresthill, Westville was a placer mining district and way station that had its glory days during the Gold Rush. Most of the production of gold came from drift mining in the gravel ridges. Miners would stop to spend their gold dust on dinner and dancing at a grand hotel in Westville, which stood until the 1950s. Today, the area is popular with hikers, horseback riders, and fishermen.
YANKEE JIMS – The town's namesake Yankee Jim was Jim Robinson who came to the Foresthill Divide in 1849 and set up camp at what he called Yankee Jim's Dry Diggings. Having no luck as a miner, he turned to stealing horses but had to flee the area just ahead of a posse. In 1852 he was hung in San Diego for thievery. Ironically, after leaving the area, gold was discovered on his abandoned mining claim. This was one of the first mining towns in the county and eventually grew to be the largest. Hydraulic mining came to Yankee Jims in 1853 and proved very profitable until it was outlawed in 1884. Today Yankee Jims consists of a few weathered structures and isolated residences, although gold seekers can still be seen working their dredges, sluice boxes, and gold pans throughout the area.


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Maria Sharapova waited out the rain before running over Samantha Stosur to capture the title at the Italian Open.
After a rain delay of about three hours, Sharapova won the first four games of Sunday's final en route to a 6-2, 6-4 victory for her first title of 2011 and the 23rd of her career.
The seventh-seeded Russian knocked off world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals on Saturday, avenging a loss to the Dane at the Indian Wells semis earlier this year. Sunday marked Sharapova's second final of 2011, as she lost to Victoria Azarenka in the title match at Miami in April.
Sharapova notched a 6-4, 6-1 win over Stosur in the fourth round in Miami on her way to the final and on Sunday again had little trouble with the sixth- seeded Australian.
Stosur came out flat after the lengthy delay, as Sharapova won 14 of the first 15 points and broke serve twice to open a 4-0 lead. After the Russian easily finished off the first set, the two then traded breaks to start the second. Sharapova, though, broke serve again for a 3-2 lead and never let Stosur back into the match.
"I'm so happy to be the champion," Sharapova said on court after the match. "It means so much to me to add this title to the ones I already have. Rome is such a special place and I've dreamed of holding up this trophy. There are a lot of tournaments coming up, and this is a great start to everything."
Sharapova improved to 8-0 all-time against Stosur, who was appearing in her first final of 2011 and fell to 2-8 in WTA title matches. Sharapova improved to 23-12 in finals and will likely be among the favorites when the French Open kicks off next Sunday.
The Roland Garros crown is the lone Grand Slam title to elude Sharapova, who pocketed a first prize of $360,000 for Sunday's championship.


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© 2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
F. Sanchez's injury delays Giants' move
Thin on infielders, team puts off activating Schierholtz
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- No personnel moves typically means no news. That wasn't the case Tuesday for the Giants. Needing an extra infielder due to second baseman Freddy Sanchez's sore left shoulder, which prevented him from starting against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants opted to leave their current roster intact. Thus, infielder Rich Aurilia stayed on the 25-man contingent and right fielder Nate Schierholtz remained on the 15-day disabled list. "I'm active today," Aurilia said. "That's all you guys need to know." Aurilia and bench coach Ron Wotus exchanged an apparent goodbye hug after Monday's game in full view of reporters, prompting speculation that the 14-year veteran would be released to clear roster room for Schierholtz on Tuesday. But though Schierholtz pronounced himself recovered from his bruised left hip -- "I'm healthy and ready to go," he said -- Sanchez's discomfort changed the Giants' personnel landscape. With their infield depth already thinned by Juan Uribe's injured hamstring, which had limited him to two plate appearances in the previous eight games, the Giants couldn't afford to drop any infielders, at least for Tuesday. "We're going to wait at least another day [and] put Nate in a holding pattern," manager Bruce Bochy said. Bochy said that Sanchez should be sufficiently recovered to start Wednesday's series finale against the Dodgers and that Uribe likely will join him in the lineup at shortstop, giving Edgar Renteria a much-needed rest. Bochy was mostly mum on the subject of Aurilia, the popular 37-year-old who's the final link to the Giants' last era of success. "Richie's on the team. I really don't have anything to add at this point," Bochy said. Entering Tuesday, Aurilia was batting .222 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 49 games. He's in the third year of his second stint with the Giants. Aurilia initially came to San Francisco from Texas in a trade preceding the 1995 season and remained the Giants' primary shortstop from 1998-2003. That spanned the bulk of San Francisco's most recent glory years -- 1997-2004, when the club reached the postseason or Wild Card playoff five times and averaged 92 victories a season. He ranks sixth on the franchise's San Francisco-era lists in hits (1,224) and games (1,641). Aurilia owns a .275 career average in 1,641 games with San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego and Cincinnati. He was a National League All-Star in 2001, when he hit .324 with 37 home runs and 97 RBIs, all career bests.
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.