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Canada's dollar is emerging as the Group of Seven (G-7) currency with the most at stake as traders debate whether the U.S. Federal Reserve will announce a reduction in its unprecedented monetary stimulus as soon as today.
The loonie and U.S. 10-year Treasury note yields are the most inversely correlated since August 2004, increasing faster in 2013 than any other G-7 peer apart from the U.S. dollar. That means any rise in U.S. yields should the Fed taper its $85 billion in monthly bond purchases may weaken Canada's currency, which is already down 6.8 percent this year.
The Canadian dollar is particularly sensitive to Fed policy because the countries are each other's largest trading partners. The correlation increased as the U.S. considered reducing stimulus and the Bank of Canada stepped back from a pledge to move interest rates higher.
"We're in the process of seeing a divergence in monetary policy," Paresh Upadhyaya, the Boston-based director of currency strategy at Pioneer Investment Management Inc., said in a Dec. 16 phone interview. "Canada can be expected to keep a very loose, accommodative monetary policy, in contrast to the Fed, which is set to start its tightening cycle."
Pioneer, which oversees $215 billion, is underweight the Canadian dollar and would "look to add to that position on any rally," according to Upadhyaya. The firm expects the loonie to weaken to C$1.10 per U.S. dollar or lower over the next six to 12 months, from C$1.0639 at 8:24 a.m. in New York.
The 150-day inverse correlation between the Canadian dollar and U.S. 10-year Treasury yields rose to minus 0.41 on Dec. 10, its strongest since August 2004, from minus 0.05 at the start of the third quarter. A reading of 1 means they're in lockstep, while minus 1 means they move in opposite directions.
Since the start of 2013, the loonie's correlation with Treasury yields increased 0.97, the most among its G-7 peers, excluding the U.S. dollar.
Rising yields in the U.S. make America's dollar-denominated fixed-income assets more attractive relative to their Canadian counterparts, damping demand for loonies.
Widening Spread
U.S. 10-year Treasuries yielded 21 basis points more than their similar-maturity Canadian peers this month, the most since February 2011. Yields on Canadian 10-year government bonds exceeded those of Treasuries as recently as May 16.
"In the past few weeks, the performance of the yield curve has become a big driver for the currency," Sebastien Galy, a New York-based senior foreign-exchange strategist at Societe Generale SA, said in a Dec. 16 phone interview. "There's a certain attractiveness to being bearish the Canadian dollar."
SocGen sees the loonie declining to C$1.10 by the end of 2014. The median estimate of more than 40 economists surveyed by Bloomberg is C$1.08.
The Canadian dollar's drop versus its U.S. counterpart this year makes it the sixth-worst performer among 16 major currencies tracked by Bloomberg. The loonie hasn't fallen that much since weakening 18 percent in 2008. One Canadian dollar buys 93.99 U.S. cents. The Canadian currency slipped to C$1.0708 Dec. 6, its weakest level since May 2010.
Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz said on Dec. 12 that the main interest rate may remain unchanged for "quite some time" as policy makers weigh the risk of a drop in housing prices against the threat posed by persistently low inflation. The target rate has been at 1 percent since September 2010.
Taper Outlook
In the U.S., 34 percent of economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast the Fed will reduce its $85 billion in monthly bond purchases at the conclusion of a two-day meeting today. All 35 economists forecast that the start of tapering will take place by March at the latest.
"The Canadian central bank is becoming increasingly dovish as the Fed turns to tapering," Camilla Sutton, the Toronto-based head of currency strategy at Bank of Nova Scotia, said yesterday in a phone interview. "There's some divergence at that level."
Bank of Nova Scotia forecasts the loonie will weaken to C$1.08 by the end of second-quarter 2014. The firm has recommended a "large and building short position," or a bet the exchange rate will weaken, she said.
'Uniquely Positioned'
Canada's dollar may see some residual benefits from a U.S. economy that's expected to improve in 2014, according to UBS AG. U.S. gross domestic product will expand 2.6 percent in 2014, beating the G-10 average of 1.96 percent, according to the median estimate of economists in Bloomberg surveys.
"The Canadian dollar is uniquely positioned to benefit as U.S. growth gathers momentum later next year," UBS analysts led by Mansoor Mohi-uddin, the Singapore-based head of foreign-exchange strategy, wrote in a Dec. 13 note to clients.
UBS recommends taking a short position on the Australian dollar versus the loonie in the second half of 2014, implying Canadian dollar strength during that period.
Futures show the consensus remains for a decline against the greenback. Traders are the most bearish on the Canadian dollar since the week ended May 3, figures from the Washington-based Commodity Futures Trading Commission show.
The difference in the number of wagers by hedge funds and other large speculators on a decline in the loonie compared with those on a gain, known as net shorts, totaled 57,514 contracts on Dec. 10, the most since May.
"You're probably going to see the spread between the U.S. and Canadian short-term rates widen out to the dollar's advantage," Mark McCormick, a New York-based macro strategist at Credit Agricole SA, said in a Dec. 12 phone interview. "The focus in 2014 is really going to be on what rates do in the United States."


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Steven A. Chrislaw, Jr., Clinton, WI (1984-2014)
April 27, 1984 - April 28, 2014
Steven A. Chrislaw, Jr., age 30, passed away on Monday, April 28, 2014, at Mercy Medical Center after a courageous battle with Lymphoma. He was born April 27, 1984, to Steven and Elaine (Walters) Chrislaw in Beloit. Steve graduated from Clinton High School, class of 2002. He married his high school sweetheart, Nicole Pfeiffer on Dec. 31, 2007, in Janesville. Steve loved NASCAR, football, hunting, outdoor activities, working on the family farm and hanging out with family and friends.
Steve is survived by his loving wife, Nicole Chrislaw; his parents, Steve and Elaine Chrislaw; his grandparents, Henry and Ethalyn Walters; his brother, James (Katlyn) Chrislaw; and his sister, April Chrislaw. He is further survived by his in-laws: Lori, Tim and Ryan Pfeiffer; his beloved nieces and nephews; aunts and uncles; his extended family; and his two dogs, Bear and Jake. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Betty and Wallace Chrislaw; and his uncle, Tom Schulz.
The family would like to thank his Care Team at Mercy Hospital for the care they gave Steve.
Steve's Funeral Service will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, 2014, at FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 312 Church Street, Clinton, with Rev. Jamie Swanson officiating. Friends will be received on Friday from 4 until 8 p.m. at the BRIAN G. MARK FUNERAL HOME, 1000 Inman Parkway, Beloit, and again on Saturday at the CHURCH from 10 a.m. until the time of service. Burial will follow at Livingston Cemetery, Manchester Township, Boone County, IL. In lieu of flowers, a memorial is being established. Please share a memory or a condolence with the Chrislaw Family on our website.
Brian G. Mark Funeral Homes
1000 Inman Parkway, Beloit 362-2000

subset: commoncrawl


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Bring your own device (BYOD) policies have been widely heralded as the wave of the future, offering the workforce greater connectivity and saving employers on standard outfitting costs. But while BYOD programs have been implemented with much zeal, there are still some risks associated with them that must be considered, perhaps most alarming is the possibility of employee espionage that they could facilitate.
"This is one of the largest areas of theft. There's a lot of talk about foreign attempts from other countries; I think that's a problem, but the largest problem is from insiders," says David Long-Daniels, co-chair of Greenberg Traurig's Global Labor & Employment Practice
Any situation that allows an employee to connect to an organizations server using a device of their own opens up the possibility for the theft of sensitive information. According to Long-Daniels, most companies do not understand this risk until it's too late.
"It can happen several different ways, and more so now since it's a common practice for companies to allow their workforces to connect to their server," Long-Daniels says.
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Especially when companies at larger organizations seek employment at smaller upstarts in the same space, the trade secrets, practices and confidential information available to them can be particularly attractive, BYOD policies can facilitate the theft of that information.
Because of this risk, Long-Daniels says a review of your BYOD environment is critical. "What happens if an individual leaves and you don't have a policy that allows you to wipe their device? One of the triggers for companies is to make sure they have a policy. Many companies haven't updated this policy, or purchased technology that would allow them to wipe the relevant portions of information, and that is essential to mitigating risk."
But the only true way to remain completely protected from these risks may be to avoid a BYOD program all together. Long-Daniels says there are two things he feels a company should consider as options before implementing a policy.
"First, I strongly suggest a company invest in devices for people rather than allowing BYOD policies. This gives them more control over the device, and the ability to retrieve it in the event an employee leaves," Long-Daniels says. "The second is that a company needs to have a confidentiality agreement that passes muster in the state or areas where their employees are located. So if the person is based in California, you need to make sure that policy is enforceable under California law."
Research indicates that BYOD adoption rates are likely to continue their trend upward, however as Long-Daniels points out, it's still not a foolproof system and requires considerable analysis to implement effectively.


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When the Obama Administration passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, one of the key pieces of the law allowed for subsidies to qualifying middle- and low-income consumers, if they purchased coverage through a state or federally run exchange. But is that particular provision, written into a law as an Internal Revenue Service regulation, actually legal?
That depends who you ask, as two federal appeals courts reached completely opposite conclusions in decisions both released on July 22.
At issue in two different cases was an interpretation of the law allowing subsidies when customers purchase insurance on exchanges "established by the state." 36 states did not implement such exchanges, instead relying on the federal government to establish the exchanges. This raised the issue on whether customers are still eligible for subsidies in these states.
In a decision issued in the morning, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 to invalidate the regulation on the basis that allowing subsidies is not a permissible interpretation of health care law. "We reach this conclusion, frankly, with reluctance," wrote Judge Thomas Griffith, noting that many people would be affected by the invalidation.
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However, in a decision released two hours later, a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit voted unanimously to let the subsidies stand, saying that language in the Affordable Care Act was purposefully ambiguous and did not explicitly outlaw subsidies. "Applying deference to the IRS's determination, however, we uphold the rule as a permissible exercise of the agency's discretion," wrote Judge Roger Gregory.
The judges in these cases voted strictly down party lines, based on the President that nominated them. The two judges invalidating the regulation in the D.C. Circuit were appointed by President George W. Bush, while the dissenting judge was appointed by President Carter. Of the three judges in the 4th Circuit to rule, one was appointed by President Clinton, while the two others were appointed by President Obama.
It's likely that no final decision will be in place by November 15, 2014, when open enrollment is scheduled to begin under the Affordable Care Act. The losing parties in both cases are expected to appeal. The Obama Administration also said that it would ask the full D.C. Circuit, rather than just one three-judge panel, to consider the case.


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Robert Stenli, Edgerton, WI (1941 - 2014)
May 23, 1941 - February 6, 2014
Robert L. Stenli, age 72, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014, at Mercy Hospital after his second battle with cancer. He was born on May 23, 1941, in Rockdale, WI; son of Daniel and Clara (Helgerson) Stenli. He was united in marriage on June 19, 1971, to Carol Engelke in LaCrosse, WI. He attended Cambridge High School. Robert joined the Army and was a medic at the 64th Field Hospital at Fort Richardson, AK. He was employed at General Motors in Janesville for 41 years. Robert loved to bowl and in his younger years participated in many tournaments. Some of his favorite hobbies were hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family. He also played cards and watched the Packers.
Robert is survived by his loving wife of 42 years, Carol of Edgerton; one daughter, Lisa (Ryan) Arndt of Edgerton; two grandchildren, Lindsey and Riley; two sisters, Evelyn Inderberg of Spring Hill, FL, and Lucille Stenli of Fort Atkinson, WI; one brother, Edward Stenli of Wisconsin Dells; and many nieces and nephews. Robert was preceded in death by his parents, Daniel and Clara Stenli; sisters: Dorothy Peterson, Margaret (Muggie) Schmidt and Margaret Marie Stenli; brothers, Daniel Stenli, Jr., and Norman Stenli.
Services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 17, 2014, at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 206 W. Prospect, Stoughton, WI. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of service on Monday. Friends and family will be invited for luncheon following the service. A private burial will be held at West Koshkonong Cemetery.
Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com


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Traders would be limited in the positions they can hold in oil, wheat, gold, and other commodities under a proposal approved by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
The CFTC proposal, approved on a 3-to-1 vote yesterday, would cap the number of futures contracts a company can hold in 28 commodities. The limits were sought by Congress after airlines, trucking firms, and consumer groups blamed speculators for surging fuel prices in 2008. Among the measure's supporters was Commissioner Bart Chilton, who yesterday announced that he would soon step down from the agency.
The vote marks the CFTC's second attempt at a position-limits rule, after a federal judge rejected an earlier version on grounds that the agency failed to show why the limits were needed. Industry groups have successfully challenged other Dodd-Frank Act mandates by arguing that policy makers misread statutes or failed to consider business impact.
"It is critically important that these position limits be established," CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler said. "The agency has historically interpreted our obligation to include ensuring that markets do not become too concentrated."
The CFTC's vote releases the proposal for 60 days of public comment. In addition to Gensler and Chilton, the measure was supported by Mark Wetjen, a Democrat. Republican Scott O'Malia opposed the proposal.
Congress included the speculation-limits rules in Dodd-Frank after commodity prices soared in 2008, when wheat reached a record of $13.495 a bushel and oil rose to $147.27 a barrel. Related consumer prices climbed as well, and airlines and other businesses sensitive to commodity prices blamed speculators. The CFTC's rulemaking effort generated 13,000 public comments.
Consumer Impact
Chilton said he waited to announce his resignation until the agency voted to propose a rule curbing the size of positions in speculative commodity trading, which he has blamed for driving up consumer prices for gasoline. He didn't state what he'd do after leaving the commission.
"Definitely, oil was the big issue," said Tyson Slocum, energy-program director at Public Citizen, which advocated for position limits. "It's kind of like an antitrust rule. It just limits the ability of one or a small handful of players to dominate a given market."
The CFTC's previous rule relied on an interpretation that the law didn't require it to show position limits were needed to diminish or prevent excessive speculation. The agency still asserts Congress required it to impose the limits, which the CFTC says may be established without a study showing they are needed.
Academic research examining the relationship between speculation and commodity price volatility shows mixed results, Gensler said. Some studies show the level of speculation affects price movement, while others conclude it doesn't and some draw no conclusion, he said.
"I find that if a third of the studies say that it does have an effect and a third say it doesn't, that it's better to err on the side of caution," Gensler said.
The position limits would regulate the activity of speculators, or traders who buy and sell futures and swaps but don't use the underlying commodity for commercial purposes. The limits apply to 28 physical commodity futures and their financially equivalent swaps, according to a CFTC summary. Those include contracts for corn, wheat, soybeans, oats, cotton, oil, heating oil, gasoline, cocoa, milk, sugar, silver, palladium, and platinum. Approximately 400 firms may be affected by the trading limits, the agency said in the summary.
Spot-Month Limits
The regulation would limit traders to 25 percent of deliverable supply in the month when a futures contract matures. The spot-month limits apply separately to physically settled and cash-settled contracts.
Cash-settled contracts will be subject to a different regime. In that case, traders will be permitted to hold contracts equal to five times deliverable supply as long as they stay out of the physical-delivery spot-month contract for the same commodity, the CFTC said in the fact sheet.
Outside the spot month, the caps limit traders to 10 percent of the first 25,000 contracts of open interest and 2.5 percent of amounts beyond that.
Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who has blamed speculators for driving up commodity prices and manipulating prices in some cases, said the CFTC's rule "will help fill a big hole in the needed protections against such abuses."
New Exemptions
The CFTC's plan adds new exemptions to the position limits for bona fide hedging, which would benefit utilities and royalty owners, according to the summary.
The position limit rules will affect about 400 firms, the CFTC says. The limits are set high enough that only a few mutual funds or exchange-traded funds will be affected, said John T. Hyland, chief investment officer of United States Commodity Funds, which manages $2.5 billion through 12 exchange-traded funds.
A separate proposal outlines how firms would account for trading at affiliated entities or subsidiaries for the purpose of complying with position limits. A firm could separately count trading at an affiliate in which it holds an ownership interest of less than 50 percent as long as the affiliate's trading was independently managed, the CFTC said in the summary.
Big Wall Street banks such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. would have to track their commodity positions across different legal units and account for any hedges to comply with the total trading limits, Hyland said. Some banks may shut down less-profitable units in order to stay under the limits, he said.
"If you are a place like Goldman, you can have half a dozen different entities within your firm that for the house account are buying and selling futures contacts on commodities," Hyland said in a phone interview. "This is a headache for the big banks because of the logistics of keeping track of it, which is an added layer of expense."
The earlier CFTC proposal was overturned after two Wall Street lobbying groups, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association and Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), sued the agency in December 2011.
"SIFMA will review the proposed rule with our members and provide comments to the CFTC once we have fully assessed this proposal," SIFMA president Ken Bentsen said in a statement. "SIFMA steadfastly believes that any new regulation should not adversely impact liquidity, price discovery, and the ability to hedge in the commodities and broader derivatives markets for end users and all market participants."
While agreeing that Dodd-Frank authorized the CFTC to limit trading in over-the-counter commodity swaps and exchange-traded futures, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Wilkins ruled in September 2012 that the agency failed to consider whether limits were necessary or appropriate.
The CFTC appealed Wilkins' ruling. Chilton said on Oct. 31 that he expects the agency to withdraw the appeal after issuing the new proposal.


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Wall Street faces intrusive new government oversight of trading after U.S. regulators issued what they billed as a stricter Volcker rule today, imposing restrictions designed to prevent blowups while leaving many of the details to be worked out later.
The Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), and three other agencies are set to sign off today on the proprietary trading ban, which has been contested by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and their industry allies for more than three years. Agencies were proceeding with plans to release the rule in Washington even as a snowstorm forced the federal government to close.
Wall Street's lobbying paid off in part. Regulators granted a broader exemption for banks' market-making desks, on the condition that traders aren't paid in a way that rewards proprietary trading, according to the final rule released today. The regulation also exempts some securities tied to foreign sovereign debt. At the same time, regulators gave banks less leeway for bets considered hedges for other risks.
"This provision of the Dodd-Frank Act has the important objective of limiting excessive risk-taking by depository institutions and their affiliates," Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said today in a statement. "The ultimate effectiveness of the rule will depend importantly on supervisors, who will need to find the appropriate balance while providing feedback to the board on how the rule works in practice."
The Fed gave banks a delay until July 21, 2015 to comply with rule. Beginning June 30, 2014, banks with $50 billion in consolidated assets and liabilities must report quantitative information about their trading.
The rule is named for Paul Volcker, the former Fed chairman credited with taming rampant inflation in the 1970s and who served as a top adviser to President Barack Obama. Volcker, 86, proposed the ban as a means of restoring stability to Wall Street following the 2008 financial crisis, arguing that banks that benefit from federal deposit insurance and discount borrowing shouldn't be permitted to take risks that could trigger a taxpayer-funded government bailout.
The rule, enshrined by the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, allows exemptions for market-making and some hedging, and defines limits for banks' investments in private equity and hedge funds. The version issued today is 71 pages long, with an additional 850-page preamble.
"Nobody went to jail after the Wall Street meltdown," said Jim Antos, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Mizuho Securities Asia Ltd. in Hong Kong. "And maybe, the particular way they're wording this ensures that nobody is ever going to go to jail. You're getting diplomatic immunity and you don't even have to be a foreign diplomat. Fantastic."
The biggest U.S. banks slid in pre-market trading. JPMorgan Chase & Co. declined 0.4 percent to $56.28 at 8:56 a.m. in New York, and Bank of America Corp. shares fell 0.3 percent to $15.53. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. slid 0.7 percent to $166.45 and Morgan Stanley fell 0.2 percent to $30.32.
Fine Print
With Wall Street banks having already shut proprietary trading desks in anticipation of the rule, its impact rests largely in the fine print—how regulators address other banking activities, primarily market-making and hedging.
The rule by the Fed, FDIC, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency sets parameters for how banks may buy and sell financial products for clients and manage their own risks in the process.
Wall Street's five largest firms had as much as $44 billion in revenue at stake on the outcome of just one part of the debate—how market-making is defined and exempted—according to data for the year ended Sept. 30. JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. lender by assets, had as much as $11.4 billion riding on the answer.
Here are summaries of five of the rule's major provisions:
Making markets. The Volcker rule bans banks, including New York-based Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, from trading to profit for their own accounts, while allowing them to continue making markets for clients. Distinguishing between those two practices has been one of the most difficult tasks for regulators.
In the final rule, regulators eased the criteria banks must meet to qualify for the market-making exemption. To receive the exemption, a trading desk must both buy and sell contracts or enter into both long and short positions of those instruments for its own account.
The trades must not exceed, on an ongoing basis, the "reasonably expected near-term demands of clients." The rule instructs banks to determine that demand based on historical data and other market factors. Further, the rule requires that compensation arrangements not be designed to reward prohibited trading.
Bankers became concerned about the rule's potential to ban big parts of their business almost immediately after Dodd-Frank was passed in 2010. The 2011 draft included a list of criteria to be met for trading to be exempted as market-making.
Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo said the rule had been "simplified somewhat, particularly by reducing the number of metrics that will be used in the reporting and analysis of trading data."
Industry lobbyists urged the exemption be widened, saying regulators needed to recognize that banks routinely buy and sell stocks, bonds, and derivatives and build up inventories to help clients when they eventually place orders. Restricting those practices would hurt companies selling bonds, for example. Banks were joined by asset managers such as Vanguard Group Inc. and AllianceBernstein Holding LP in warning that a narrow exemption could unsettle markets.
Portfolio hedging. In the final rule, regulators require banks to demonstrate on an ongoing basis that their trades hedge specific risks in order to win an exemption from the Volcker rule.
The banks must analyze and independently test that their hedges "may reasonably be expected" to reduce the identified risk, the draft says. Banks will need to show that a hedge "demonstrably reduces or otherwise significantly mitigates one or more specific, identifiable risks," the rule says.
The final rule requires banks to have an "ongoing recalibration of the hedging activity by the banking entity to ensure that the hedging activity" is not prohibited.
The hedging provision became central to the Volcker rule debate after JPMorgan lost $6.2 billion last year in bets on credit derivatives known as the London Whale. The trades, conducted in the U.K. by the bank's chief investment office and nicknamed for their market impact, were described by JPMorgan executives as a portfolio hedge. The bank's synthetic credit portfolio produced about $2.5 billion of revenue in the five years before 2012, according to a Senate subcommittee report on the bets.
Bart Chilton, a Democratic CFTC commissioner who said Nov. 20 that he planned to vote against the rule because it was too weak, said today that it had been strengthened enough since to win his support.
"The language has been solidified tightly to avoid loopholes," Chilton said in a statement. "When people say this version of the Volcker rule will stop circumstances like the London Whale, this ongoing recalibration provision is exactly what will help avoid similar debacles."
Senator Carl Levin, 79, the Michigan Democrat who leads the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, joined other Democrats and some regulators in pushing for a narrower definition of hedging after the JPMorgan trades. Tarullo, the Fed governor responsible for financial regulation, called the trades a "real world" case to be considered as the rule was drafted.
Three months after the losses were disclosed in 2012, JPMorgan Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon, 57, told lawmakers that the Volcker ban "may very well have stopped parts of what this portfolio morphed into."
Still, Wall Street pressed regulators to allow banks leeway in how they manage assets and liabilities with hedges. "An overly restrictive Volcker rule would curtail market liquidity, harm investors, and dampen economic growth," said Kenneth Bentsen, president of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, Wall Street's biggest lobby group, in a Dec. 5 e-mailed statement.
Sovereign debt. The buying and selling of securities backed by a foreign sovereign will be permitted trading under certain circumstances, according to the rule. That exemption includes securities issued by foreign central banks and applies to U.S. banks with overseas operations as well as foreign firms with affiliates in the U.S.
The initial Volcker rule draft drew international criticism for its reach into banks based overseas as well as for its impact on foreign sovereign debt markets.
The push-back started in late 2011 after the Volcker proposal exempted trading in U.S. government securities while covering debt issued by foreign countries. Officials from Canada, Japan, and the U.K. sent letters to U.S. financial regulators and the Treasury Department saying the measure would harm their ability to fund governments.
Michel Barnier, the European Union's financial services chief, complained to then-Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner about the rule's "extraterritorial consequences." Canadian and Mexican bankers and government officials said the proprietary trading ban would violate the North American Free Trade Agreement's guarantee that banks be allowed to deal equally in U.S. and Canadian debt obligations.
Regulators also allowed more flexibility for overseas banks. They will be exempt from the ban for trades accounted for outside the U.S. so long as their employees deciding to buy and sell contracts are also located outside the country. The final rule also frees overseas banks from the ban for trades they conduct on U.S.-based exchanges and clearinghouses, and for trades they have with foreign operations of U.S. banks.
Fund investments. The proprietary trading rule seeks to limit banks' speculative bets in another way: by curbing their investments in private equity, hedge funds, and commodity pools.
U.S. banks have already begun cutting their stakes, with further reductions needed to meet the law's limit of 3 percent of Tier 1 capital invested in the funds. For example, Goldman Sachs cut its investment in such funds to $14.9 billion as of Sept. 30, down from $15.4 billion when Dodd-Frank was passed.
Regulators granted broader exemptions for some types of funds. Under the final rule, joint ventures, issuers of asset-backed securities, and wholly-owned subsidiaries are among exempt funds.
In an effort to limit the provision's impact, bank representatives told regulators too many types of investments were included in the 2011 proposal. The draft restrictions went beyond traditional private equity and hedge funds, they said.
Bankers argued that using such a broad definition would capture investment vehicles used when loans are bundled into securities, as well as commodity pools and funds based overseas. In a February 2012 letter to regulators, lobbying groups for the largest banks called the covered funds definition the "most far-reaching flaw" in the proposal.
CEO responsibility. Apart from the specific limits on bank investments and trading practices, the Volcker rule includes efforts at changing part of the culture of trading on Wall Street.
The approach was underscored by a speech in Washington last week by Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew, who said executives in charge of financial firms need to ensure that the "tone at the top" reflects a strong desire to prevent violating the rule.
Toward that end, the rule has a section entitled "responsibility and accountability," which details how banks should set up compliance programs. They must have written procedures that are approved by the board of directors as well as the senior management of the bank, according to the rule.
The board and top managers "are responsible for setting and communicating an appropriate culture of compliance," the rule said.
The centerpiece of the governance changes is a requirement that CEOs "annually attest in writing" that the company has "procedures to establish, maintain, enforce, review, test, and modify" the compliance program.
The wording will be a relief to Wall Street chiefs who were concerned that they would have to personally guarantee that their firms were in compliance with the rule, according to people familiar with the banks' thinking. Executives already file a similar certification with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, a self-regulatory group for brokerage firms.
The certification wasn't part of the Volcker rule when it was first proposed two years ago; it was added to send a signal that regulators weren't bending to a massive lobbying campaign by financial firms, according to two officials familiar with the rule.
Supervisory Focus
In the end, after hundreds of pages outlining numerous what-if's, exemptions, and special circumstances, the rule reiterates that banks will now have to prove to supervisors that they are adhering to the overriding principle that Volcker and Obama put forward in 2010 as a way to prevent another financial meltdown.
According to documents released by the Fed, the rule prohibits "any transaction or activity" exposing banks to high-risk assets or strategies "that would substantially increase the likelihood that the banking entity would incur a substantial financial loss or would pose a threat to the financial stability of the United States."


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Never miss another 'Jason Manford' show
First World Problems: Jason Manford
Everybody's favourite northern comedian, Jason Manford, has announced a brand new tour heading out to theatres across the UK from June 2013.
The show promises to feature a wealth of comedy anecdotes, misunderstandings and audience banter delivered with Jason's likeable charm and teasingly intelligent wit.
Jason Manford
Renowned for his hilarious observations and loveable, friendly delivery, Jason has been a firm favourite with comedy fans of all ages since his first solo stand-up show earned him huge critical acclaim and a nomination for the prestigious Perrier Newcomer Award back in 2005.
'8 out of 10 Cats' (Channel 4), 'The Nightly Show' (ITV1), 'Sunday Night at the Palladium' (ITV1), 'Live at the Apollo' (BBC One), 'Have I Got News For You', (BBC One), QI (BBC Two) and 'The Royal Variety Performance' (ITV1) have all helped establish Jason as a nationally known comic.
'Effortlessly entertaining' (Evening Standard)
'He's blessed with the sort of laid-back charm and sharp turn of phrase you can't manufacture' (The Daily Telegraph)
'Manford retains an affably jovial demeanour that makes him warmly enjoyable company' (Chortle)
'What Manford does best: classic, chirpy-chappie stand-up' (The Guardian).
Jason Manford tour dates
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Venue Facts
Venue: Floral Pavilion Theatre & Blue Lounge
Website: floralpavilion.com
Email: ...
Phone: 0151 666 0000
Disabled Bookings: 0151 666 0000
→ New Brighton 5 min walk


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Taylor Park
39 W. 47th St. Chicago, Illinois 60609
(312) 747-6728
Fee: Free
Age Range: All ages
Intonation Music Workshop in partnership with the Chicago Park District opened its new Studio 47 Classroom Facility at Taylor Park, in Bronzeville and now they are pleased to invite you to check it out at our upcoming Open House! The space, a former recording studio called Studio 47, was made possible through an Arts-Partner-in-Residence agreement with the Chicago Park District and includes two classrooms, several small studio booths and storage for our instrument inventory. Studio 47 will present an expanded program line-up to include special workshops, private and group lessons, mentored open rehearsal time, intensive camps, family band nights, and more!


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Death notices for April 13, 2014
Theodore P. "Ted" Bidwell, 87, Janesville, died Friday at St. Mary's Janesville Hospital. Arrangements are pending at Henke-Clarson Funeral Home, Janesville.
Robert H. Consigny, 83, Janesville, died Friday at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center, Janesville. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at First Lutheran Church, Janesville. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at Schneider Apfel Schneider & Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, Janesville.
Erma A. Lankford, 74, Beloit, died Friday at Beloit Memorial Hospital. Arrangements are pending at Brian G. Mark Funeral Home, Beloit.
Bernice C. McGhee, 93, Janesville, died Friday at St. Mary's Hospital, Madison. Private services were held. Schneider Apfel Schneider & Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, Janesville, assisted the family.
William K. Schneider, 82, Janesville, died Friday at Rock Haven Nursing Home, Janesville. Services will be held at a later date. Henke-Clarson Funeral Home, Janesville, is assisting the family.
James Tsichlis, 81, Machesney Park, Ill., formerly of New York City and Toronto, Canada, died Friday at OSF St. Anthony Hospital, Rockford, Ill. Services will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday at St. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, Rockford. Hansen-Gravitt Funeral Home, Beloit, is assisting the family.


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Janesville police search for Walgreens robber
JANESVILLE—Janesville police were seeking the public's help after an armed robbery early Tuesday morning at Walgreens, 1717 Milton Ave.
Anyone with information can call the police department at 608-755-3100.
The robber entered the store at 5:35 a.m. and demanded prescription medication from the pharmacy while displaying what appeared to be the butt end of a long gun tucked into his pants, according to a department news release.
The robber, described as between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall with a stocky build was wearing a camouflage bandanna over his face, a tan jacket, green hooded sweatshirt, blue pants and dark shoes.
When the robber fled the scene, he ran west with an undetermined amount of medication. He was carrying a dark-colored duffel bag.
Nobody was injured during the incident, according to the release.


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Patricia Barbara "Pat" Dominy, formerly of Janesville, WI, and Bella Vista, AR (1939-2014)
March 29, 1939 - February 13, 2014
Patricia Barbara "Pat" Dominy, age 74, formerly of Janesville, WI, and Bella Vista, AR, and most recently a resident of Willow Pointe Assisted Living in Verona, WI, passed away there on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014. Pat was born in Monroe, WI, on March 29, 1939, the daughter of Arthur William and Hulda (Bischofberger) Palmer. She graduated from New Glarus High School and received her nursing degree from The Cradle in Evanston, IL. Pat married Jack Thomas Dominy on Aug. 22, 1964, at St. William Catholic Church in Paoli, WI. Upon retirement in 1997, Pat and Jack moved to Bella Vista, AR. Jack passed away on Jan. 22, 2011, in Bentonville, AR. Pat was a member of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Janesville, and formerly St. Bernard Catholic Church in Bella Vista.
Survivors include three children: a daughter, Sharon (David) Grooms of Delafield, WI; two sons, Neil (Rosanne) Dominy of Rhinelander, WI, and Dean Dominy of Janesville; six grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; and a sister, Rebecca (Jerry) Lee of Dublin, OH.
A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2014, at ST. JOHN VIANNEY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, 1250 E. Racine St., Janesville, with Fr. John Auby presiding. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until the time of the Mass on Saturday at the CHURCH. Burial will take place at a later date at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Janesville. As Pat loved to cook and feed people, memorials in her name may be made to your local food pantry. BRIAN HANSEN FUNERAL SERVICE, Janesville, 608-752-8800, is assisting the family. Online condolences may be made at www.hansenfh.com


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Mattingly no stranger to great expectations
Dodgers manager dealt with pressure of playing in Bronx for more than a decade
By Tracy Ringolsby / MLB.com
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- So the new ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers went on an in-season spending spree to show their commitment last year, adding the high-priced contracts of the likes of Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett.
So they continued their roster revamping during the offseason with the free-agent signing of right-handed Zack Greinke, the elite pitcher on the open market.
So the expectations are growing that the Dodgers can dominate the National League West.
So what.
It's not what you do in the offseason; it's what you do on the field in-season.
"Expectations are the noise created by all the moves we made, and there should be expectations at this point of the year," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "Every year you want to go into the season expecting to win. But you won't know until you play the 162 [games]."
Expectations are welcomed by Mattingly.
Mattingly, after all, knows all about great expectations. He spent his entire playing career with the New York Yankees of George Steinbrenner, and Mattingly began his coaching career in the Bronx, as well.
"[Steinbrenner] was pretty tough," Mattingly said, "but you knew what you were in for. That is a good thing.
"It doesn't make you do anything different. I asked a lot of myself as a player. Nobody could ask more. And I ask a lot of myself as a manager. I have a job to do, and because there are expectations that does not change what I do."
As Whitey Herzog said so often during his managerial career, the best thing about expectations is it means the team has a chance to be good.
Mattingly added, "Having a lot of good players is a good thing."
The fact that the good players could hit bad times isn't taken into consideration. But it is a reality.
Greinke has been bothered this spring by a cranky right elbow, although the Dodgers are optimistic he's going to be OK. Crawford, still rehabbing from left elbow surgery, had played DH but not left field until Saturday. Third baseman Hanley Ramirez underwent surgery Friday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, and he won't be ready to play until late May, at the earliest.
Nobody wants to listen to that kind of talk, though.
New ownership is looking to re-establish the Dodgers as an NL power. It only took over last April, but it still has to deal with the fact the Dodgers have not been to the World Series since 1988. That's a longer World Series drought than any other team in the division.
Besides, there's too much money invested for L.A. to get sympathy.
The Dodgers will break the $220 million payroll level this year, setting a Major League record that for so long has belonged to the New York Yankees. That is a Dodgers record for payroll by more than $100 million.
It's close to $200 million more than what Houston will spend on its 25-man roster. But then while Bud Norris is the highest-paid Astro at $3 million, and only three of his teammates will even make $1 million, the Dodgers have six players who will make more than $15 million, led by Gonzalez at more than $21 million.
"It's important to be out in the open," said Mattingly. "This is what we expect. These are our parameters. This is our road map.
"For us, it's [about going] all the way. We'd like to talk about a parade along the way. That's the goal. That's where the map leads."
Now it's up to the Dodgers to follow that map.
But then that's how life was in the Bronx. Steinbrenner never skimped, and he expected performances to vindicate his expenditures.
And when things didn't go well, Steinbrenner didn't sugarcoat his disappointment.
Mattingly admits it wasn't always easy.
Patience wasn't a Steinbrenner virtue. In 12 full seasons and the final month of 1982, Mattingly was around 11 managerial changes, involving eight managers. Lou Piniella had two tours of duty during the Mattingly era, and Billy Martin was hired three different times.
Mattingly reached his boiling point following the 1988 season. Lou Piniella, who replaced Billy Martin in the middle of the '88 season, was replaced by Dallas Green for '89. The Yankees had gone seven years without advancing to the postseason and a decade without winning a World Series championship.
Steinbrenner publicly lashed out at Mattingly. He called the first baseman selfish. He said Mattingly was just trying to pile up records. He fed speculation that Mattingly might be dealt.
"Dallas called me and I told him I had had enough," said Mattingly. "He said if I wanted to play for the Yankees I better make a call."
Mattingly did, and once Steinbrenner said hello, Mattingly said his piece.
"I told him he had to respect me, and money is not respect, that I play hard every day, and I play hurt," remembered Mattingly. "We went back and forth and he said, `Good luck to you,' and hung up. I thought, 'Oh no. It's over in New York.'"
It wasn't, though. Steinbrenner respected Mattingly for standing up for himself.
"After that, he invited me to the [Kentucky] Derby, had me come to Tampa to speak to groups," said Mattingly. "I was like a son to him. He treated me great."
But then, Mattingly embraced the challenge in New York, just like he has in Los Angeles.
"You keep your head down and do your job," said Mattingly. "That's what you control."
Tracy Ringolsby is a columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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President Obama Asks Congress to Postpone Syria Vote [VIDEO]
President Obama again made his case for action against Syria in a speech from the East Room of the White House on Tuesday night while asking the House and Senate to put off a vote a vote on military action.
The president said that as a result of talks with Russian President Vladmir Putin that could lead to the removal of chemical weapons from Syria "without force" he asked Congress to put off a vote on any action while Secretary of State John Kerry heads to Switzerland to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to finalize details.
Speaking from the same room where he announced the death of Osama bin Laden, the president spelled out the evidence showing that it was Syrian President Assad who was behind the chemical weapon attacks on August 21.
"These things happened. The facts cannot be denied," said a stern Obama, who called the images of the victims of chemical weapons "sickening."
Obama said that as commander-in-chief he has the right to take military action on his own, but as "president of the world's oldest constitutional democracy" he felt it necessary to bring Congress into the decision.
He said he is aware that after long military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan "this nation is sick and tired of war" and promised not to put American boots on the ground However, he added the United States military "does not do pinpricks" in not following a strategy of a prolonged air campaign.
As Obama delivered his speech, protesters gathered outside the White House chanting "No war in Syria."
"Not The World's Policemen"
In reviewing some of the comments and questions that have come up regarding possible military action against Syria, Obama said he agrees that the United States should not be the "world's policeman" and that he has a "deeply held preference for peaceful solutions." He added, "What kind of world we would live in if we watch a leader violate international law with poison gas and look the other way?"
"The burdens of leadership are often heavy, but the world is a better place because we have borne them," said Obama.
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We show you the complete process of installing a Pioneer Double DIN car stereo in a Chevy truck. The in-depth video shows the installation of the interface, and steering wheel control.
We show you how to properly wire subwoofers. There are many options with dual and single voice coil subwoofers and they all present different loads to your amplifier. We show you the do's and don'ts!
Learn the basics of an aftermarket car stereo installation. First we walk you through a step by step process of the wiring harness installation, then we show you how to mount the units using a dash kit.
We take a Metra wire harness and break down what all the wires do. We then take you through how to make a harness for your car radio installation.


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Your Views: Voters must wake up before Wisconsin is sold to highest bidder
The priorities of the people we have sent to Madison to represent us are indeed very questionable. I find it very difficult to believe that my best interests are first and foremost, based on their actions on some issues and their inactions on others. They seem willing to hold a hearing on "duck racing" but not on a possible change to the process of redistricting.
They also insist that a photo ID must be presented in order to vote to combat what they say is widespread voter fraud. To date, no such fraud has been proven.
Also, they claim there is no need for campaign finance reform unless that change allows more money to be used to bribe legislators and even judges.
What is wrong with these people and those of us who seem content to let democracy be turned into a dictatorship?
Nearly two years ago, close to a million voters signed petitions in an attempt to stop this trend, but evidently too many voters had their hands in their back pockets and refused to recall these greedy politicians.
In a few months, we will be hearing more pleas for support to keep these people in office so they may enact laws and policies to further solidify their grasp on the Legislature.
I have a plea, also. My plea is for my fellow voters to wake up before our beautiful Wisconsin is given away or sold to the highest bidder.


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Consultant hired, city gears up to create riverfront vision
JANESVILLE--Many ideas have been thrown around about how to bring new life to Janesville's riverfront and downtown area.
Now, the city wants to see what might stick.
"Really, it's to bring some of that to life, to find out how we bring a vision to life," said Ryan Garcia, economic development coordinator for the city.
A public meeting Thursday, Jan. 30, will kick off efforts by the Downtown Revitalization Committee and city staff to "dig a little deeper" into riverfront plans and ideas put forward in the past.
Garcia said the results of the new effort would be "a playbook for action, a menu that we can put in front of developers and people with vision."
"We're not looking for a plan," Garcia said. "We're looking for some action steps."
The effort will identify potential uses of six priority areas, improvements that are needed and their possible effects on surrounding areas. Possible financing also will be discussed.
SAA Design Group of Madison, a landscape architect planning and civic engineering firm, was hired as a consultant on the project with a $200,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. SAA will involve the public and gauge how residents feel about the riverfront and downtown areas.
"What kind of memories they have, what spaces are sacred to them … and to think about what's missing," Garcia said.
The company will meet with landowners and developers in small groups. The group hopes to deliver its results to the council in fall 2014.
The six priority areas identified through a study funded by a brownfield grant two years ago are:
--The existing parking deck above the Rock River between Court Street and Milwaukee Street, including properties on Main, River and Milwaukee streets, including the former Plaza Furniture site.
--The old jail site on South Water Street from Court Street to Hedberg Public Library.
--North Main Street from Centerway to Traxler Park, including the Adams & Sons Roofing property recently bought by the city.
--The riverwalk and west side of North Main Street from Milwaukee Street to Centerway.
--The north side of West Milwaukee Street from Rock River to Franklin Street.
--The west side of South River Street from West Court Street to West Van Buren Street.
The new effort will identify the types of businesses and private development that could be attracted to and supported by redevelopment of these six sites. The consultant would use the expertise of local real estate agents and developers to determine that information.
The company also will prepare a variety of design concepts for each of the six areas and illustrate different approaches for reuse.
According to a city memo, goals are to:
--See the big picture. The revitalization committee considers the central business district the "crossroads of the community" and the Rock River the foundation of the community's natural environment, historic economy and identity. The city must continue to improve the water, expand open space, and create new commercial and residential options.
--Build on past work. Incorporate past plans so as not to duplicate work but to provide a "greater depth of thinking and definition to the planning frameworks already in place."
--Prepare priority area redevelopment plans concurrently, as each of the six priority sites would benefit from improving adjacent land uses.
--Engage the public in the planning process, including listening sessions and a website.
--Promote green and healthy design with principles that consider physical activity, air and water quality, stress relief, the social fabric and education and employment.
--Advance heritage and preservation.


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Hilda Jean Karcher, Lake Geneva, WI (1928-2013)
February 4, 1928 - December 29, 2013
Hilda Jean Karcher, 85, died Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013, at Village Glen Assisted Living Center in Lake Geneva, WI. Hilda Jean was born Feb. 4, 1928, in Manitoba, Canada, to the late Allen J. and Hulda (Cassabaum) Bailey. When Hilda was six, her parents returned to the Lake Geneva area. She graduated from Lake Geneva High School in 1946. On Sept. 10, 1949, in Zenda, WI, she was united in marriage to Franklin Charles Karcher.
Hilda loved gardening, producing gorgeous flowers and delicious fruits and vegetables. She was an avid needle worker, making many attractive crafts. She found great joy reading to her daughters when they were young and, then, to her three grandchildren. She was a kind, gentle woman who will be greatly missed.
Hilda is survived by her two daughters, Susan Karcher (spouse James Mullen, Sr.) of West Lafayette, IN, and Barbara Karcher of Lake Geneva, WI; and three grandchildren: Matthew Gelvin, Brandon Gelvin, and Sarah Gelvin. Her parents and her husband of 62 years, Franklin, preceded her in death.
Services will be held on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, at 11 a.m. in the CHAPEL OF THE DERRICK FUNERAL HOME, 800 Park Dr., Lake Geneva, WI. Burial will follow in Cobblestone Cemetery. Visitation will be Sunday, Jan. 5, from 2 until 4 p.m. at the FUNERAL HOME. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorials may be made to: A Day in Time, Inc. (Adult Memory Care and Respite Program) 1229 Park Row, Lake Geneva, WI 53147 Phone: 262-248-2922.


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Fire damages Lake Geneva Laundromat
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
LAKE GENEVA -- A furnace on the roof of the Clothesline Laundromat, 898 S. Wells St., caused a Monday-morning fire in Lake Geneva.
The Lake Geneva Fire Department responded to a call shortly before 9 a.m. and contained the fire to the furnace, Patrick Heindl, assistant fire chief said.
The furnace's motor stopped working and the belt started on fire, Heindl said.
The laundromat is open, but does not have heat, he said.


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UW-W Chancellor Richard Telfer to be interim UW System leader
WHITEWATER--Longtime UW-Whitewater faculty member and Chancellor Richard J. Telfer has been tapped to serve as interim UW System president after President Kevin P. Reilly steps down in December, the UW System announced Wednesday.
The appointment and Telfer's acceptance comes as Reilly plans to leave the post to advise the American Council on Education and return to teaching. Reilly announced his plans to leave July 30.
Telfer's interim appointment begins Jan. 1 and will extend until a new UW System president is appointed, according to the UW System.
Telfer has been chancellor at UW-Whitewater since 2008, and has been at the university since 1985. He's served as provost and vice chancellor and associate vice chancellor. He also served as a faculty member, chair of the state Department of Curriculum and Instruction and assistant dean of UW-Whitewater's graduate school.
He holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from UW-Madison, a bachelor's degree in speech and English and a master's degree in secondary education and reading improvement from Central Michigan University.
UW System Board of Regents President Michael J. Falbo said Telfer's years of experience and his leadership skills will provide stability during the transition to a new system president.
A UW System search and screen committee has completed a national search and recruitment for a new president and plans to vet applicants for a new president in November. The board of regents will likely name a new system president in January 2014, according to a news release.
Reilly announced Wednesday that UW-Whitewater Provost and Vice Chancellor Beverly A. Kopper has agreed to serve as UW-Whitewater interim chancellor during Telfer's absence.
Kopper was appointed provost in March 2010. She formerly served as associate provost for academic affairs at the University of Northern Iowa.
The board of regents will approve salaries for both interim appointments in December.


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You do want to brush the lacquer on thinly or you will have white spots where it dries if it is on too thick. I had to learn that the hard way and started putting it on thin. You want two thin coats and not one thick one.
1 can of Chateau Grey Annie Sloan Chalk Paint: $35 (did not use a whole can)
Annie Sloan Lacquer: $54 (only used half)
Valspar Translucent Glaze in Mocha: $15 (used very little)
Cost to have them professionally painted: approximately $2000.00 (paid $4500.00 for all cabinets years ago)
Saved: $1896.00


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Lawmakers should be fighting DISCRIMINATION in Wisconsin!
I have been "behind the 8 ball" as I have been studying and reading to gain information and perspective to be most objective and up-to-date in teaching "American Government & Politics" – the course I am teaching this semester at UW-Whitewater.� I have a blog brewing on this challenge.
RIGHT NOW, I am already tardy to raise an issue which goes to a vote in our WI STATE ASSEMBLY today – the GOP's pushback to the past with support/protection of DISCRIMINATION in WISCONSIN!� I am embarrassed by this move which I am convinced is totally POLITICALLY DEMEANING of WE THE PEOPLE of WI!� I thought we had matured beyond the attitudes and behaviors provided for in AB297/SB317 – Race-based nicknames, logos, mascots.
I join the citizens of WI who want to maintain the 2009 law – Wisconsin Act 250 which provides for a healthy EDUCATIONAL process through which concerns about race-based nicknames, logos, mascots in our PK-12 PUBLIC SCHOOLS are evaluated.
I do NOT understand the GOP's problem with the provision that a concerned citizen is able to file a complaint with our Department of Public Instruction.� It is, after all, the CONSTITUTIONAL STATE AGENCY with an ELECTED STATE CONSTITUTIONAL SECRETARY focusing on PK-12 public education.� The complaint leads to an investigative hearing.� The school district brings its defense of its nickname, logo and/or mascot.� The hearing evaluates whether there is discrimination.� It is the DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION which then implements whatever the decision of the hearing is on the complaint whether dismissing the complaint or requiring a local school district to change.� What's wrong with this process?
Now, the GOP wants to make the situation VERY DISRUPTIVE to the WHOLE COMMUNITY by requiring a petition which would be filed with the DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION.� Why shift from the CONSTITUIOITNAL DEPARTMENT for PUBLIC EDUCATION to the NON-Constitutional department which is the GOVERNOR's agency to administer state government.� A keenly POLITICAL department.� TRUTH BE TOLD, this is the DEPARTMENT which Governor Walker controls!� Does this legislation mean that Governor Walker supports racial DISCRIMINATION in WISCONSIN?� What does Scott say?� He is, after all, a self-touted EAGLE BOY SCOUT and a "CHRISTIAN."� Why do YOU support this change of process, Scott?
I think you should be aware of the wide-range of citizens of the STATE OF WI who have filed a strong statement OPPOSING the change with STRONG SUPPORT for the 2009 Wisconsin Act 250.� These support groups are:� Wisconsin School Social Workers Association; Wisconsin Jewish Conference; Wisconsin Council of Churches, Southeastern United Church of Christ Southeast Wisconsin Association; National Association of Social Workers; Wisconsin Chapter, NAACP; Milwaukee Branch, Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation; Islamic Society of Milwaukee; Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee; Cream City Foundation and American Civil Liberties.
I regret that my blog post is too late to encourage readers to contact their Assembly Representative.� The GOOD NEWS for most of the readers of my WE THE PEOPLE blog is that our representatives – Assembly 43, 44 and 45 will all vote against this bill in the Assembly today.� The same is true when the vote comes in the Senate since our State Senator Tim Cullen opposes the change.
I would URGE readers concerned to support the present healthy process to evaluate race-based nicknames, logos, mascots, to contact the SENATE Committee on Government Operations, Public Works and Telecommunications – the website for the Committee is:� http://legis.wisconsin.gov/pages/comm-info.aspx?c=1052.
I am resigned to the fact that the GOP dominated WI state government will pass these regressive bills and send them to GOP Governor Walker so the NEW LEGAL REALITY is that DISCRIMINATION will be protected.� I would assert that there is less than 1% that a legally filed petition on a PK-12 race-based nickname, logo and/or mascot would be found discriminatory.� WHY?� I know the mentality in WI State Government at-large today, especially the Department of Administration.� Review the actions of the DOA!� Does DOA really mean, "Dead on arrival"?� What do YOU think?
John W. Eyster lives in the Edgerton area. He is an adjunct professor assigned with the online/distance education faculty of Viterbo University, LaCrosse. He continues his personal mission supporting democracy/civics education in Wisconsin K-12 schools through Project Citizen, We the People, Discovering Democracy (Milton HS). John is a community blogger and is not a part of The Gazette staff or management.


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Payroll cards, onto which companies load workers' wages, are growing by leaps and bounds. Their popularity is being driven by the savings the cards afford employers and the growing number of employees without bank accounts. But the cards have also become a target for state legislators and regulators over the last year.
"We're moving into a climate of tighter regulation of payroll cards," said Patricia Smith, a partner at the law firm Ballard Spahr.
That could spark concerns for many companies nationwide. According to Aite Group, $34 billion was loaded onto 4.6 million payroll cards in 2012, up from $20.9 billion loaded onto 3.1 million cards in 2010. Aite's analysts predict the use of payroll cards will grow at a compound annual rate of 19.9% through 2017, when they project that there will be 10.1 million paycards in use, with $68.9 billion loaded onto those cards annually.
Proponents say the cards benefit both employers and employees. NACHA estimates companies save from $2.87 to $3.15 each time they pay a worker by direct deposit rather than with a paper check, and the savings for using a paycard are comparable. According to the Aite report, about 90% of U.S. workers were paid via direct deposit in 2012. Paycards help companies eliminate even more paper checks by extending electronic payments to workers who don't have bank accounts.
For those workers, being paid with a payroll card rather than a paper check sidesteps check-cashing fees, and many paycards can also be used to make purchases at stores or online.
However, the uptick in proposed legislation and regulatory inquiries into payroll cards followed newspaper coverage last June of a class action lawsuit in which a Pennsylvania woman sued her employer, a McDonald's franchisee, for offering a payroll card as her only option for receiving her earnings, said Bill Dunn, director of government relations at the American Payroll Association. The suit alleged that the card's fees would have reduced her earnings below the minimum wage.
Cards Under Scrutiny
Since then, state legislators and regulators have been looking at the fees on payroll cards and the question of whether employees are given options. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched an investigation and issued a report concluding that while payroll cards provide some benefits for employees, "they also have drawbacks for many low-wage workers, especially the 24% of low-income adults who lack Internet access."
Over the past year, Dunn said, 19 states have considered legislation addressing payroll cards, although only four have passed anything. Some of the bills "weren't terribly controversial," he said. "Others were quite a challenge."
The legislation initially proposed in Hawaii would have banned payroll cards, but the final version combined "consumer protections and allowing flexibility for employers," he said. A New Hampshire proposal would have been "very restrictive" but didn't go anywhere, Dunn said, while legislation proposed in New York would "make it difficult for some companies to offer payroll cards because of some of the key provisions." The New York legislation, put forward by the attorney general, would require employees to give their written consent to be paid via a paycard and would limit the fees associated with the cards.
Last September, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a bulletin reminding employers that under federal law, they cannot mandate that employees receive their wages on a payroll card. They have to offer another payment method as well, with the alternative payment type governed by state law.
"The number-one thing employers should do to avoid any regulatory risk is be sure they don't force their employees onto a paycard," Dunn said. "Employees have to have a choice—they have to have an alternative to a paycard.
"In about half the states, you don't need to offer paper checks," he added. "But you still need to offer a choice; you need to offer direct deposit. If you're not offering any choice at all, that's a big red flag that you're in regulatory trouble."
Ballard Spahr's Smith noted that, "for the most part, employer aspects fall under state law," including wage and hour laws and wage payment statutes. Employers that plan to start using payroll cards should make sure that what they're doing meets the requirements that are being put in place by states, Smith said.
"The most common one is that the employee's consent has to be obtained in writing before the employer utilizes the card," she said. "And that consent has to be freely given. It cannot be made a term or condition of employment."
Another widespread requirement is that workers should be able to withdraw their total wages once each pay period without paying a fee, said Smith, pictured at left. "The employer generally under these statutes is required to furnish a statement of deductions to the employees every pay period. It can mean a paper statement; under some statutes, it can mean the ability to access the information on a computer and print it out for free.
"The other very typical requirement is for employers to disclose to the employees the potential fees they can incur in connection with the card," Smith said. "There are a lot of fees that can kick in and perhaps be a trap for unwary employees. Some cards have many more fees connected to them than others. Some have balance inquiry fees; others do not. Some have inactivity fees; some do not. Some have withdrawal fees; some do not."
Some payroll card providers have put together state-by-state matrices to guide employers through the different requirements, said Madeline Aufseeser, a senior analyst at Aite Group.
Still, "it's the employer who's ultimately responsible," Aufseeser said. Employers "should be aware of the state wage and labor laws and work with their payroll provider to make sure they're doing this properly."


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Tips for staining (light microscopy)
About microscopic forms of life, including Bacteria, Archea, protozoans, algae and fungi. Topics relating to viruses, viroids and prions also belong here.
Moderator: BioTeam
4 posts • Page 1 of 1
Tips for staining (light microscopy)
Hello. I'm new at staining, and I was wondering if anyone could offer some tips.
For example: how can you minimize air bubbles when creating a wet mount?, how long should you let your stains sit on your specimen(s)?, how do you prevent your specimen(s) from being taken up by the paper towel when 'dragging' the stain across the slide and when clearing the stain from the slide?.
Thanks. :)
Re: Tips for staining (light microscopy)
I'll try to reply to all these questions, but I'm probably not as experienced as some here.
1) The way I minimize bubbles on my wet mounts is by holding the coverslip at a 45° angle and placing the edge of the coverslip on the drop of liquid. This will draw the liquid fully across the edge of the slip. You can then slowly lower the coverslip down and bubbles should be slowly pushed out. Depending on how much liquid you use, it is sometimes a good idea to place a lab wipe at the edge of the coverslip, which will draw excess liquid out (helps stop the slip from sliding around under oil) and may help draw bubbles to the edge.
2)Staining time depends on the type of stain done, and which industry you work in. For example, standard lab micobiology Gram stain procedure may require staining for 1 minute for each stain. However, in some industries like wastewater treatment, the time standards are different. Wastewater Gram stains typically stain Crystal Violet and Gram's Iodine for 2 minutes, and Safranin counter-stain for 30 seconds.
3) I have no input on this subject, except to say that the stain should stick to the organism, and that excess stain can probably be rinsed off with DI water. Paper towels shouldn't be needed. As for specimens being absorbed into the paper towel, there are two things to consider: stains are normally dragged with a spare slide or coverslip, and you should consider heat-fixing your sample to the slide (or air-drying for more sensitive work).
Thanks a lot! I wasn't sure I was ever going to get an answer before you replied. Hah.
I will try the things you've mentioned. I read about heat-fixing not long ago and that worked with what I've done so far (a couple of bacterial samples from surfaces around the house). I also feel quite fancy heat-fixing specimens. ;)
my tip about reducing bubbles is. Use a needle. Hold the coverslip with your left hand, hold the needle with your right hand. Place the edge of a coverslip next to sample in sharp angle and support the oposite edge with a needle. Go down (slowly) with a needle, placing the coverslip onto sample. Needle os thin enough to do it slowly and precisly and you can control distrubution of liquid and bubbles.
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Compelling Concerns
Economic pressures, regulatory burdens, data security—it seems that the list of concerns continues to grow for chief legal officers (CLO). In a new survey from the Association of Corporate Counsel, CLOs shared the most pressing issues facing their companies, and reported being heavily involved in business strategy. Fortunately, many are getting increased budgets to handle these responsibilities: Two-thirds of respondents said that their in-house budget increased during the past year, while 59 percent saw their outside counsel budgets increase.
81% Chief legal officers who are satisfied with their jobs, down from 92 percent in 2011
87% CLOs who ranked ethics and compliance as an important issue (the most of any response)
78% CLOs who said they spend most of their time participating in strategic corporate issues and advising C-suite executives
72% CLOs who said their budgets increased over the past year
Slumping Sector
After a few months of job growth, the legal services sector took a few steps back last month when it shed more than 2,000 jobs, according to numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). There was one silver lining in the January report, namely, that the sector actually added 1,900 jobs in December 2012, which was higher than previously reported. But even with the change, the industry has lost 500 jobs since last November.
2,400 Number of jobs the legal sector lost in January
157,000 Jobs the economy as a whole added last month
1,900 Jobs the legal services industry added in December, revised upwards from the BLS's earlier estimate of 1,000
1.125 million Total number of people who have jobs in the legal field
Class-Action Cash
Plaintiffs firms that handle securities class actions had a good year in 2012, as they raked in fees and court-related expenses of more than $650 million, according to a report from NERA Economic Consulting. The report also found that aggregate settlement amounts increased significantly between 2011 and 2012, although the median proportion of fees to settlements is on the decline.
$653 million Total fees and court-related expenses that these firms collected in 2012, up 4 percent from 2011
$3.3 billion Total amount recovered in class actions last year
$822.5 million Largest fee awarded in 2012, stemming from a 2004 case against American International Group that ended in two partial settlements
22% Increase in aggregate settlement amounts from 2011 to 2012
18.2% Percentage of recovery that went to fees for settlements recovering $100 million to $500 million, down from 24.2 percent in the period between 1996 to 2009
Sinking Suits
The U.S. financial sector has been much maligned since the onset of the 2008 financial crisis. But perhaps some of that ire is dissipating—at least, if the falling number of federal securities fraud lawsuits seeking class-action status is any indication. That number hit its lowest point in six years in 2012, largely because of a decline in the number of mergers and acquisitions and Chinese reverse merger filings, according to a study by Stanford Law School and Cornerstone Research. That trend could reverse itself, however, if new federal whistleblower programs lead to more fraud tips.
152 Federal securities fraud lawsuits seeking class-action status in 2012, down from 188 in 2011
1 of 29 Standard & Poor's 500 companies that faced a new securities class action filing last year
15 Filings that targeted financial sector companies, down from 43 in 2010
Rising Revenues
Big Law defied expectations in 2012, managing to boost profits and revenues despite previously grim forecasts. In fact, gross firm revenues, net incomes and profits per equity partner at large U.S. law firms last year were all at their highest levels since the recession. That increase may be the result of firms' efforts to wrap up collections and last-minute business in advance of the fiscal cliff.
The good news comes after a spate of studies that predicted low profits, partner layoffs and declining demand for legal services.
5% Increase in law firm gross revenues between 2011 and 2012
6% Increase in net income for firms over the same period
5% Rise in profits per equity partner
15% U.S. firms that planned to reduce their number of partners in the first quarter of this year due to slow growth, according to a prior survey by Wells Fargo Private Bank
Sufficient Security?
Companies may be taking legal risks more seriously—and upping the resources available to their legal departments—but many GCs are still concerned about data security at their businesses, according to a new survey from Consero Group. More than 90 percent of general counsel said that they have enough access to their CEOs, and most also said they were satisfied with the level of resources being given to them. But many GCs were less than thrilled about their companies' efforts to prevent cyber security breaches.
91% General counsel who say they have sufficient access to their CEOs
72% GCs who are satisfied with the level of resources available to them
30% GCs who said that their companies were not ready to defend against cyber security threats
28% General counsel whose companies had experienced a cyber security breach in the last year


text:
Firefighters responding to granary fire
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
TOWN OF BELOIT—Firefighters from at least a dozen fire departments are responding to a granary fire at 4097 S. Gesley Road, in the town of Beloit, according to a lead dispatcher at the Rock County Communications Center.
The fire was reported at 10:01 a.m. Tuesday.
The Town of Beloit Fire Department has requested mutual aid from Footville, Sharon, the City of Beloit, Janesville, Clinton, Brodhead, Edgerton, Loves Park and Harlem-Roscoe, she said.


text:
ELKHORN – Three 18-year-olds from Elkhorn each face one count of sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, according to a report by Fox 6 News.
The three--Nicholas Cook, Braden Mann and Gage Timmer—were accused by the then 14-year-old, of performing sex acts with her in an Elkhorn home on December 21, 2013.
In complaints against Cook and Timmer, both admitted to authorities that he performed sex acts with the girl.
The complaint against Mann said he admitted he was with the girl in the basement of the home on Dec. 21, and the girl wanted to have oral sex with him. According to the complaint, Mann wasn't sure if oral sex occurred, but said if it did, he made the girl stop.
If Cook, Mann and Timmer are convicted on the charges against them, they could face a maximum of 40 years in prison and a maximum of $100,000 in fines.
For each boy, bail was set at $10,000 — and all three boys are said to be out of custody at this time. They were released on their own recognizance, and were ordered to have no contact with the victim in this case.
For the complete story, read HERE.


text:
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C. on September 19, 2017
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C. on June 15, 2017
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C. on May 5, 2015
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C. on December 29, 2014
Hi there! My name is Golda Poretsky, HHC and I'm an intuitive eating and body image coach. I started Body Love Wellness in 2008 for women like me who were fed up with stressing out about food and weight and wanted to live great lives no matter what their size.
I invite you to check out the site and join in the body positive community that we're creating here!
With love,
I came in looking to heal my relationship with food, and I got that, but that was only part of it. I realized how my body image issues were affecting my relationship with food and my life as a whole.Autumn CummingsWashington State
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If you are tired of hating your body, of looking in the mirror and wondering what if, if you want to grab at the world with all you have to offer, then please, take advantage of this program.Hannah, PortlandOregon
She was the first person who I have had a session with that really gets where I am coming from. She understands that being given negative messages about your physical appearance and body type can effect many facets of life such as: social, professional, educational, etc. She gets that struggle between wanting to be okay with how you look and that additional inner dialogue that tells you you're no good. With that validation I felt empowered and I began to feel beautiful, as I was meant to be, and as I truly am. Thank you Golda!Ursula, New YorkNY
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I've learned to deal with my emotional issues instead of eating on them, to be kind to my self, and above all to embrace and accept with love, the person that I was, I am, and will be. I finally feel like I am beautiful, and that I am at the right place in my life.Sonia Marrón Alonso, Baja CaliforniaMexico
She taught me to connect with my body in a way I never have before and really tuned into the issues holding me back. No problem was too out there or difficult. The sense of self trust I've gained has taken the stress out of areas of my life I didn't even realize were related to my issues with food and exercise.S.B., ColoradoColorado
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What I loved about working with Golda was the way she tuned right into what was going on with me. She could tell that there were areas in terms of food where I was advanced and zeroed in on the areas I needed to catch up on. Her approach is totally personal. And her style is so warm and accepting that I felt comfortable diving into my body image and eating issues.Maya Gangadharan Cameron, MichiganEveryday Goddess TV
Golda was amazing. Extremely intuitive, experienced and understanding. Felt like a cool friend asking the right questions.Dorit, NYCwww.doritworld.com
Our one session already had me thinking about how I feel about myself in a completely different way. I always knew that I often has some self-doubt and insecurities, but until I actually verbalized and realized when and where, it didn't hit me. I just thought I would deal with feeling like this, end of story. I never really considered trying to CHANGE the way I feel.Sarahwww.tabayag.com
My session with Golda certainly helped me navigate the waters of HAES. I'm relatively new to the philosophy after a lifetime of dieting and Golda's masterful guidance eased my fears of the unknown. Her professional, yet kind and approachable manner made it easy for me to open up and work with her. Thanks so much, Golda!Amy Finnerty, IllinoisIllinois
Golda is a master listener and is also a master on zeroing on what is/is not being said. Her insights have allowed me to be more authentic and enjoy my life more. Working with Golda has been a total pleasure.Dianne, California
Working with Golda was a pleasure. I looked forward to our calls each month, and I think the main reason was because I knew that no matter what, Golda would be supportive, encouraging, and she'd offer me valuable insight and information.AAConnecticut
After the workshop I felt like I've had a much less stressful time deciding what to eat or how to make decisions that are self loving. I'm excited to see how I feel after the next workshop!Deb Malkin, NYCOwner Of Re/Dress NYC
Now, I walk around with confidence and embrace my own beauty, I get more compliments on daily basis, I enjoy my meals, I identify my hunger, I stop eating when I am full, and I finally stopped worrying about going on a diet again.Sonia Marrón Alonso, Baja CaliforniaMexico
Golda has a full understanding of how mind, body and soul affect each other and she's wonderful at helping you pinpoint what needs work to balance them out.Shey Lyn Zanotti, Los AngelesCA
I scheduled a session with Golda because I thought she could really help me explore my body issues and learn to love myself how I am. I anticipated spending some time talking about my current body image and some past experiences that have affected it, as well as my goals for the future. Golda helped me map out what my ideas were for how I would like to see myself and treat my body. It was nice using her methods to imagine my future self-image and get some ideas on how to take small steps toward my goals. Anyone who has dreams of having a positive body image, a healthy relationship with food an…Shelley, Tennessee
After reading through her blog and seeing how she approaches this topic, I knew I wanted to sign up for a Body Breakthrough Session with her. During our session, she really helped me get clarity and perspective on where I'm at and how I view my body – which is no easy feat for me; I've been struggling with this issue for years! If you want to get off the merry-go-round of hating yourself, trying to change, failing, giving up, and starting all over again, I really encourage you to talk to Golda!Tori, Virginia Beach, VAVirginia Beach
I scheduled a session with Golda because I thought she could really help me explore my body issues and learn to love myself how I am. I anticipated spending some time talking about my current body image and some past experiences that have affected it, as well as my goals for the future. Golda helped me map out what my ideas were for how I would like to see myself and treat my body. It was nice using her methods to imagine my future self-image and get some ideas on how to take small steps toward my goals. Anyone who has dreams of having a positive body image, a healthy relationship with food an…Shelley, Tennessee
I decided to work with Golda because after years of living with the remnants of an eating disorder, I wanted to be completely free. From a teleclass, her blog, and my Body Love Breakthrough session, I could tell Golda is warm, creative, and non-judgmental – the remedy to the failed attempts with mainstream counseling I'd tried before.S.B.Colorado
We all have areas of our bodies that we don't like or have trouble with specific body image issues. This course helps in a non-threatening way to start breaking down those walls so that you can really be the woman you are meant to be. I recommend The Empress Club for all women!Autumn Cummings, Washington StateWashington State
I decided to work with Golda because I was tired of hating on my body and my soul. I think of the time we spent working together as an investment in a happy and healthy future. Feeling comfortable in your own skin is a priceless experience—and Golda can help you get there.LF, New YorkNew York
Golda is kind, funny, and a great listener, so she could always get to the heart of what was going on. She helped me stretch out of my comfort zone, but never pushed too hard. I now feel good about my body (even my thighs) most of the time. And when I don't, I know that it's just a temporary funk, not the truth. And I have the tools to get back on track. I'd recommend Golda to anyone who is ready to make peace with their body.Nadira Jamal, Boston, MA, www.taktaba.com
I chose to work with Golda because I was tired of belittling my body. I knew there was more to life than analyzing my reflection in a mirror. I was expecting just toleration of my body, instead a whole world of acceptance and present living was opened up to me.Hannah, Portland, OROregon
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