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Results 26 - 50 of 76
Eighteenth-Century Fiction (1700-1780)
96 complete works in English prose from the period 1700-1780, by writers from the British Isles. Includes a scanned version of Sterne's Tristram Shandy, and two different editions of Richardson's Clarissa and Pamela and of Swift's Gulliver's Travels.Expand
Subjects: English and American Literature
EIS: Digests of Environmental Impact Statements
Provides the abstracts to U.S. government-released environmental impact statements. Includes a clear description of the project, sections on positive impact and negative consequences, and legal mandates.Expand
EIU Country Reports
EIU Country Reports cover nearly 200 countries. Each report examines and explains in depth the country's political scene, economic policy, domestic economy, sectoral trends, and foreign trade and payments.Expand
Detailed two-year forecasts complement the analysis and pinpoint political and economic developments and trends.
Subjects: Public Health
EIU ViewsWire
This Economist Intelligence Unit service provides daily highlights of key economic, political and business developments worldwide. In addition to updates to the EIU Country Reports, EIU Viewswire includes summaries of regulatory, trade, industry, and investment analysis.Expand
For help using this resource, contact Chris Palazzolo, Political Science and International Documents Librarian.
Subjects: African Studies Sub-Saharan, Area Studies, Business, Economics, News Sources, Political Science, Statistics and Demography
ELDIS Gateway to Development Information
Includes research reports, working papers, discussion papers, conference papers, statistics, case studies, policy briefings, etc. related to development that concentrate on information covering countries in the Southern Hemisphere (also includes items on other regions if the information could be applied to Southern-based research).Expand
The editors select and abstract full-text online documents from more than 4,500 different publishers focusing on materials which are of strategic, policy or practical interest for development practitioners. The database includes country profiles as well as 30 subject-focused guides. All documents are available free of charge.
For help using this resource, contact Chris Palazzolo, Political Science and International Documents Librarian.
Subjects: Anthropology, Area Studies, Development Studies, Political Science, Sociology
Electronic Poetry Portal
Emory's gateway for poetry provides Emory faculty and students with access to major collections of poetry in the English language. The Electronic Poetry Portal is a collaboration of the Beck Center for Electronic Collections, Special Collections, and ITD's Academic Technology Group.Expand
Subjects: English and American Literature
Indexes international biomedical journals covering public health, toxicology, pharmacology, drug research, health policy and management, psychiatry, psychology, biomedical engineering, alternative medicine, and environmental health.Expand
Subjects: Health, Anthropology, Environmental Sciences, Public Health, Biological Sciences
EMIS Emerging Markets
Emerging country coverage including industry and market reports, news, statistics, economic data, country ratings, company profiles, and financials.Expand
Subjects: Area Studies, Business, Economics
Empire Online
Primary sources on colonial history, politics, culture and society from 1492 to the 21st century. Thematically divided into sections covering Cultural Contacts, Literature of Empire, the Visible Empire, Religion, Race, Class and Imperialism.Expand
Sources include Exploration journals and logs; Letter books and correspondence; Periodicals; Diaries; Official Government Papers; Missionary papers; Travel writing; Slave papers; Memoirs; Fiction; Children's Adventure Stories; Traditional; folk tales; Exhibition Catalogues and guides; Maps; Marketing Posters; Photographs; and Illustrations. Indexing by period, by date, by person and subject.
Subjects: African Studies Sub-Saharan, Anthropology, Archives and Primary Sources, Area Studies, Religion, Sociology
Enciclopedia Universal en Espanol
Enciclopedia Universal en Espanol database includes more than 47,000 articles and 8,300 photographs and images. The resource also includes a Spanish-language dictionary with more than 65,000 entries.Expand
Most articles are brief or of moderate length and discuss people, places, institutions, things, or concepts. Longer articles are divided into separate sections for easier access and more accurate searching. Special features include an atlas that focuses on world countries, maps, and statistics; major world cities; and distribution of languages & religions and also a timelines that outline general history plus art and cultural history.
Subjects: Multidisciplinary Databases
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online includes the complete encyclopedia (articles and illustrations), as well as the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and the Britannica Book of the Year.Expand
Also provided is an Internet Directory of hypertext links to Web sites selected, rated, and reviewed by Britannica editors. An additional encyclopedia, Britannica Intermediate, designed for students in upper elementary grades and high school students is provided as well.
Subjects: Multidisciplinary Databases, Reference Sources
Encyclopaedia Islamica
This volume of Encyclopaedia Islamica is the first of a projected 16-volume publication, consisting of an abridged and edited translation of the Persian Da'irat al-Ma'arif-i Buzurg-i Islami, one of the most comprehensive sources on Islam and the Muslim world.Expand
One unique feature of this work of reference lies in the attention it gives to Shi'i Islam and its rich and diverse heritage, which makes it complementary to other encyclopaedias. In addition to providing entries on important themes, subjects and personages in Islam generally, it off ers the western reader an opportunity to appreciate the various dimensions of Shi'i Islam, the Persian contribution to Islamic civilisation, and the spiritual dimensions of the Islamic tradition. (1-3 simultaneous users)1-3 simultaneous users
Subjects: Area Studies, History Early Modern 1450-1800, History Middle Ages 400-1450, History Modern 1800-, History World, Religion, Middle East Studies
Encyclopaedia Judaica
Contains 26 volumes of the original text of Encyclopaedia Judaica, updated and with hyperlinks, rare films, photographs, slide shows, music, maps, charts, and tables.Expand
Subjects: Ethnic Studies, Jewish Studies
Encyclopaedia of Islam: Second Edition
The Encyclopaedia of Islam combines a familiar look with fast and effective research facilities. The entire text of volumes I to XI and Supplement (Volume XII) of the monumental, printed edition of the Encyclopaedia of Islam is now easily available on your computer screen.Expand
Additional search facilities and the Supplement enable the user to efficiently search and combine data from a vast corpus of over 12,000 printed pages— within seconds.
Subjects: Archives and Primary Sources, Area Studies, History Early Modern 1450-1800, History Middle Ages 400-1450, History Modern 1800-, Religion, Middle East Studies
Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics Online
The Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics represents a unique collaboration of a few hundred scholars from around the world and covers all relevant aspects of the study of Arabic and deals with all levels of the language (pre-Classical Arabic, Classical Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, Arabic vernaculars, mixed varieties of Arabic).Expand
The EALL Online comprehensively covers all aspects of Arabic languages and linguistics. It is interdisciplinary in scope and represents different schools and approaches to be as objective and versatile as possible. The online edition is cross-searchable, cross-referenced and regularly updated.
Subjects: Area Studies, Classics, History World, Multidisciplinary Databases, Religion, Middle East Studies
Encyclopedia of Bioethics
This edition is a complete revision of the Dartmouth Medal-winning set first published in 1995. Covering a wealth of topics on the ethics of health professions, animal research, population control and the environment, the set helps researchers to consider the impact of new scientific knowledge and its potential to harm or benefit present and future generations.Expand
Subjects: Health
Encyclopedia of Education
Intended to provide a comprehensive description of the enterprise of education both within the United States and throughout the world. Approximately 900 articles offer a view of the institutions, people, processes, and products found in educational practice.Expand
Subjects: Education
Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics Online
The Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics Online offers a systematic and comprehensive treatment of all aspects of the history and study of the Hebrew language from its earliest attested form to the present day.Expand
The Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics requires installing a Unicode Hebrew font. We highly recommend the Unicode font SBL Hebrew.
Subjects: Jewish Studies, Linguistics
Encyclopedia of Irish History and Culture
The Encyclopedia of Irish History and Culture spans prehistoric times to the present, and treats both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in detail. Entries represent an inclusive, cross-disciplinary approach, written by specialists in history, archaeology, anthropology, geography, politics, economics, the Irish and English languages and literatures, the visual arts and other fields.Expand
Subjects: History World
Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World
The Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World covers an area of Jewish history, religion and culture which until now lacked its own cohesive/discrete reference work.Expand
The Encyclopedia aims to fill the gap in academic reference literature on the Jews of Muslim lands particularly in the late medieval, early modern and modern periods.
Subjects: History Early Modern 1450-1800, History Middle Ages 400-1450, History Modern 1800-, History US, History World, Jewish Studies
Encyclopedia of Life
The Encyclopedia of Life is a free collaborative online resource that compiles information about all living species known to science. The project was created by the Field Museum, Harvard University, MacArthur Foundation, Marine Biological Laboratory, Missouri Botanical Garden, Sloan Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution.Expand
Subjects: Anthropology, Science and Technology, Biological Sciences
Encyclopedia of Life Sciences
ELS highlights structures, processes, methods, systems and applications across the biological and biomedical sciences with illustrations, further readings, and video clips.Expand
Includes a dictionary and biographies. Subjects covered include biochemistry, cell biology, ecology, evolution, genetics, microbiology, neuroscience, and bioethics.
Subjects: Biological Sciences, Chemistry
Encyclopedia of Modern Asia
Nearly 700 contributors from around the world, including 25 Asian countries, provide 3,000 articles on Modern Asia from a global perspective. Historical articles emphasize people, places, events, and developments that have had a lasting influence on Asia.Expand
Articles also cover Asian relations with Western nations, the relations between nations within Asia, and also the flow of people, goods, and ideas within Asia and globally.
Subjects: Area Studies
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Covers popular music of all genres and periods from 1900 to the present day, including jazz, country, folk, rap, reggae, techno, musicals, and world music. There are articles on artists, genres, trends, styles, record labels, venues, and music festivals.Expand
Key dates, biographies, and further reading are provided for artists covered, along with complete discographies that include record labels, release dates, and a 5-star album rating system. Editor: Colin Larkin.
Subjects: Music
Encyclopedia of Religion
The second edition of this highly regarded encyclopedia, intended to reflect both changes in academia and in the world since 1987, includes almost all of the 2,750 original entries -- many heavily updated -- as well as approximately 600 entirely new articles.Expand
Preserving the best of the first edition's cross-cultural approach, while emphasizing religion's role within everyday life and as a unique experience from culture to culture, this new edition is the definitive work in the field for the 21st century. An international team of scholars and contributors have reviewed, revised and added to every word of the classic work, making it relevant to the questions and interests of all researchers.
Subjects: Religion


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State Treasurer Janet Cowell has been named to Sovereign Wealth Fund's Public Investor 100 list for 2013.
Cowell was ranked 21st, the second highest in the country after Joseph Dear, chief investment officer for the California Pubic Employees Retirement System.
The top position went to Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority of the United Arab Emirates.
The Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute is a global organization designed to study sovereign wealth funds and long-term governmental investors in the areas of investing, asset allocation, risk, governance, economics, policy, trade, and other relevant issues.
"Being a steward of more than $80 billion in public pension fund money, Janet has rallied for increased independence at the North Carolina Retirement Systems,'' the report said. It added that "North Carolina has outperformed the national average for public pension funds by 22 percent.''

subset: commoncrawl


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Discover the next innovation in TV and see colour in a whole new light with our Q7F QLED TV. Ground-breaking Quantum Dot technology delivers a world's first 100% colour volume*, displaying jaw-dropping colour that's unbelievably true-to-life, flawlessly realistic and has the highest luminance levels. Discover an elegant, minimalist design for your living space and take control of your compatible devices with a single powerful Smart remote. *Measured by VDE
- QLED Colour
- QLED Contrast
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- Near-Invisible Optical Cable
QLED Colour
See all shades of colour brought to life in a whole new light. QLED delivers a world 1st in TV picture quality, achieving 100% Colour Volume*. Utilising ground-breaking Quantum dot technology, QLED takes light and turns it into breath-taking colour. Make nights in spectacular and experience sport as if you're in the stadium. * 100% Colour Volume measured to DCI-P3 Standard
QLED Contrast
Discover bold contrast, night and day. With extremely low light reflectivity , QLED TVs deliver an incredible picture and impeccable contrast across a wider variety of lighting environments than any other. Experience a picture that's perfect in all conditions.
Experience ultimate detail as the creators intended. Only a QLED TV will enable you to experience the full potential of the latest open HDR standards. New Quantum dot technology delivers the most exceptional brightness levels to date. Enjoy the latest Ultra HD Blu-ray™ movie, stream your favourite box set or play the biggest titles in incredible HDR.
QLED Viewing Angle
Make every seat a great seat with stunningly wide viewing angles. There's no more fighting with the rest of the family over the prime viewing spot. From the middle of the sofa to the corner armchair, QLED Viewing Angle places everyone in the best seat in the house.
Invisible Optical Cable
Design your space with a single, near-invisible optical cable for all your connections - hidden from view in slim, sleek stand. Gone is the hectic clutter of multimedia devices and unsightly leads, leaving a stylish, minimalistic cable-free living space. Create the living room of tomorrow – a clean, minimal and frustration-free haven.
360⁰ Design
Gorgeous minimalistic design from every angle. Discover a boundless 360 design with our most impressive TV yet. Experience gorgeous minimalistic style from every angle with a stunning sleek back and a bezel-less design that pushes your picture to the limit. Every inch has been thoughtfully crafted from premium metals.
Premium One Remote Control
Control all of your compatible devices and content with the Premium One Remote Control. Experience complete control, seamless multi-tasking and laid-back viewing as you change channels on your set-top box, play the latest blockbuster on your Ultra HD Blu-ray™ player, ramp up the audio on your Soundbar or simply surf the web on the big screen.
Smart View
Easily browse content and control your TV from your mobile. Effortlessly connect your compatible mobile device with your TV to stream the latest viral sensation. You'll never miss a moment as you make a cup of tea. Challenge your friends and play games, using your mobile device as a controller. You can even search for your favourite content without disturbing what you're watching.
Smart Hub
Easy access to all your content and connected devices from one place. Discover must-have entertainment through Samsung's intuitive 2017 Smart Hub. From late-night Netflix marathons to bingeing on UHD box sets, you're only ever 3 clicks from your favourite content. Use S Voice on your remote to talk to your TV.
Play world famous streaming & PC games on your TV. Access the latest titles, play old favourites and discover a whole world of entertainment through cloud gaming without the need for a console. Turn your front room into your own personal arcade, and take gaming to the next level!
TV Plus
Experience easy access to the latest movies via your TV guide in addition to all your traditional TV channels. Whether you're browsing for the latest Hollywood blockbuster or trying to find Ultra HD content, expand your viewing options through a wealth of additional Smart channels with TV Plus.
Instantly recognise and listen to any background music. Whether it's a catchy tune on an advert or a soundtrack in a movie, a QLED TV is smart enough to instantly find the name of a song and the music service where it's available from.
QLED Accessories
Personalise your experience. Effortlessly mount your QLED TV flush to your living room wall using the No Gap Wall Mount in as little as 15 minutes. Alternatively, use either of the uniquely iconic Gravity or Studio stands to display your QLED TV proudly. Design your space to suit your style and embrace entertainment like never before.
One Connect box
Easy access to all of your connections. Say goodbye to messy wires and the clutter caused by multiple devices. Hide the box from view, connect all your devices and inputs then control them via Bluetooth even when they're out of your direct line of sight.
QLED Processing Engine
Powerful processing for a spectacular entertainment experience. Samsung's QLED Processing Engine elevates super-fast multi-tasking capabilities and fuels the effortless performance of Samsung's 2017 Smart Hub. It optimises ground-breaking picture quality on everything you watch, and delivers significant advances in streaming capabilities.
Precision Black Pro
See every detail with spectacular black levels. Precision Black Ultimate divides the screen into a series of tiny zones, analysing each one independently to adjust colour, brightness and contrast. Experience clearer shadow detail when watching your favourite films or indulging yourself with the latest box sets.
Supreme Motion
See stunningly clear movement with Supreme Motion. From every shot on goal to the hilarious antics in your favourite cartoon, from the thrill-a-minute car chase to the slow panning vista in wildlife documentaries, be capitated by crystal clear motion that puts you on the edge of your seat.
UHD Upscaling
View content with unparalleled picture quality. UHD Upscaling is a unique four-step picture improvement process that enables the clarity and detail of standard and high definition content to be enhanced to the best it can possibly be. Experience premium picture quality whatever you want to watch.
Twin Tuners and Pause Live TV Functionality
Take control of how you watch TV. Samsung's Pause, re-wind or record live TV functionality can freeze the action to free you up. And with twin-tuners, there's no more arguments over who watches what - simply watch one channel whilst you record another*. *Additional purchase necessary for memory device required.
TV Soundconnect
Effortlessly connect a Samsung soundbar to your TV. Using ingenious wireless connectivity, TV Soundconnect serves up an instant cable-free audio makeover for your QLED TV.


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DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police have confiscated 33 endangered sea turtles believed to be headed for local restaurants on the resort island of Bali.
Bali police spokesman Col. Hariadi said Monday the turtles were seized from a boat off the coast. He said crewmen who were believed to be waiting to unload them escaped as police arrived.
Hariadi, who uses one name, said they included green turtles and hawksbill turtles weighing between 30 and 60 kilograms (65 and 130 pounds).
Turtle meat is a delicacy among Balinese despite threats by animal welfare groups of a tourist boycott of the island.
Indonesia has banned trade and consumption of endangered turtles.


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Clark was born loving the Cubs - it's in his blood! His great-grandbear Joa was once the original live bear mascot for the team back in the early 1900s. When Joa retired to the Lincoln Park Zoo, he delighted the young bears with hundreds of amazing Cubs stories, and Clark was hooked! He dreamed of making his great-grandbear proud and playing for the Cubs - even though he'd never even seen a game.
Then one day, Clark heard the roar of the crowd coming all the way from Wrigleyville. Determined to finally see the Cubs in person, he followed the sound to Wrigley Field, just in time to see the Cubs raise the W flag.
Inspired by Clark's enthusiasm and love of all things Cub, the team invited him to continue the family tradition and become their official mascot! Soon, he had his very own Clubhouse, and you can usually find him there. His favorite thing to do is hang out around the ballpark, keeping spirits high and kids excited! Next time you're at a game, make sure to stop by and say hi!
Clark's Stats
- HEIGHT: Smaller than the average bear
- WEIGHT: Lighter than the average bear
- BATS: Right Paw
- THROWS: Right Paw
- CATCHES: Bear-handed
Clark's Favorites
- FAVORITE COLOR: Cubbie Blue
- FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: Mesa, Arizona
- FAVORITE SONG: "Go, Cubs, Go" of course!
- BIRTHDAY: Clark was born in August
- HOBBIES: Collecting baseball cards, and practicing his t-ball swing
- ICE CREAM FLAVOR: Chocolate malt cups!
- HOME:Clark's Clubhouse
- MOVIE: Rookie of the Year


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Nevtech are the leading manufacturer of football team kits to the recreational and semi-professional market. We carry an enormous selection of football wears includes Football Adult Jerseys, Football Adult Pants, Football Youth Pants. All team uniforms are available in youth or adult. Football uniforms come in many styles and colors. Football Adult Pants, Football Youth Pants can be purchased to match any football jersey.
Football uniforms are made using high quality materials under strict quality controlled conditions. Football jerseys and football pants come in a range of colors and styles. We can make any style football jersey and football pants in any color combination. We offer many different fabric choices in adult and youth football jerseys, such as mesh, dazzle cloth and polyester double knit. Sponsor's logo can be printed on the front and player numbers printed on the rear. Consider our extensive range of Sportswearand enjoy gaming with our outfits. Our specialties include baseball wears, basketball wears, soccer uniforms, football jerseys and Knitwear, workwear & safety gloves.


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Mini Pet Stairs help your dog or cat reach your bed or couch & are narrow to fit in smaller areas. The Mini is 12" wide and is intended for small dogs and cats. As a guide we suggest these products are suitable for dogs up to 21 lbs. The steps were proportionately designed for the shorter legs of smaller dogs. Steps are about 5" High and 5" Deep.
Mini Pet Stairs allow your dog to get to his or her favorite piece of furniture without stressing their back, hips or knees - possibly avoiding future joint problems as they age. These Pet Steps are constructed of untreated plywood and attractive, plush cut-pile commercial carpet for long durability and a lasting product that will provide your pet years of enjoyment.
The Mini 6, 7 and 8 steps are two piece stairs to allow less expensive shipping. Many customers are asking for taller units, but the cost of custom units + shipping can be exorbitant. If built as one piece, shipping would typically be over $100. Assembly is easy, requiring only 4 wing nuts to twist on. No tools are required! These are as stable as if they were a one piece unit.


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The Exhibits at 'Imiloa
'Imiloa's exhibits are divided into two major areas: "Origins" and "Explorations." Within each area you will learn about Hawaiian and scientific beliefs, theories and practices related to Maunakea, the stars, and the world around us.
The Origins exploration center presents the birth of the cosmos and the beginnings of life on Earth.
Hawaiian voyaging canoes are the vehicles for some of the greatest achievements of human exploration.
Throughout the day, there may also be live presentations on a range of topics. These programs are produced by University of Hawai'i at Hilo student interns and some high school junior interns.


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ok. practicing guitar c uz i got a lesson soon? you
Indeed I did. Isn't it great? Technically it's The Offspring's artwork, not yours. How do you know I didn't scan it, edit it and upload it myself?
So hah.
I'm a sexual bomb, and I'm about to explode!
Haha you're like 12 and a someone told you to get laid.
Ha! Awesome! Porn ftw!
its fun!!!!!!!
heyy jake.
im figuring this out.
iloveya <3
I LOVE U PAAAALl
lolololol haha!!
u know i think we could be friends no matter what bipol. decides right..?
NOOOOO!HE LOVES MEEEEEEEE MOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRREEE!!!lol
about the photo:I've noticed the smile thing too..but actually the momment we smiled for the photo the camera couldn't work so we were smilling for about 30 sec....
Send an Instant Message to Enjoi Using...
Junior Member
previously 0r4ng3
Senior Member
Swell Guy
I'm never here anymore


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To understand the hidden costs of one of California's sweetest public employee perks, feast your eyes on Exhibit A: Alameda County's top-paid public official, Susan Muranishi.
Not only did the county administrator rack up $462,000 in gross pay last year, and not only did taxpayers contribute an additional $118,000 to her retirement plan, they also picked up the bill for something Muranishi was supposed to pay: the $43,000 "employee" contribution to her pension.
It's called the "pension pickup" -- and like a rich uncle picking up the tab at a big family dinner, Bay Area taxpayers footed the bill for more than $221 million last year for the employee share of 63,000 public workers' pension contributions. The practice undermines retirement rules that were designed to force employees to share the burden for their pensions.
Muranishi was the Bay Area's biggest beneficiary of the little-known, lucrative benefit that most taxpayers don't know exists. But at least 28 other Bay Area public employees received pickups of more than $20,000 last year.
"Wow, that's real money," said Ralph Kanz, an Alameda County activist and former chairman of Oakland's Public Ethics Commission. "The system has gotten twisted up from what it was meant to be."
A new analysis of the Bay Area News Group's latest collection of government compensation data revealed that at least 117 public agencies from as far south as Gilroy to as far north as Cloverdale picked up a portion of their employees' retirement contributions in 2012 -- a growing concern as governments scramble to find ways to control runaway pension costs.
'Out of whack'
This often hush-hush benefit negotiated during rosier economic times can put thousands of extra dollars in public employees' paychecks by relieving them of costly payroll deductions. But the practice can get so expensive for local governments that last year state lawmakers banned agencies that belong to the giant California Public Employees Retirement System from offering pickups to anyone hired after Jan. 1, 2013. Reforms led by Gov. Jerry Brown are designed to get workers to pay a higher share of their retirement costs. The state retirement system for teachers has never allowed the practice.
That hasn't stopped agencies such as BART, the Association of Bay Area Governments and towns such as Portola Valley, Scotts Valley and Hollister from lavishing more than 99 percent of their employees with pension pickups of 100 percent. Last year, BART spent $17 million covering what employees were supposed to be contributing to their pensions.
"It's gotten out of whack," said BART's general manager, Grace Crunican, who is pushing in labor negotiations to halt all pickups, even though taxpayers last year picked up $17,500 of her pension costs. "It's called the 'employee share' for a reason."
The 3,373 BART workers who received pickups last year were among 63,713 government employees in the region who had at least part of their pension share paid on their behalf in 2012, according to the compensation data. That's in addition to what state law already requires governments to pay for each employee as a standard benefit.
The figures are revealed in this newspaper's annual survey of Bay Area public agencies and governments, compiled through the state's Public Records Act as part of an ongoing effort to show taxpayers how their money is spent. The newspaper collected salary and benefit costs for 279,017 public employees at 330 local agencies, accounting for more than $17.6 billion in government spending on personnel costs in 2012. Readers can search the database at www.mercurynews.com/salaries/bay-area.
A negotiated perk
California's pension systems require all public employees to pay roughly 8 to 10 percent of their gross pay toward their pensions through payroll deductions. Law enforcement officers pay more because they are able to collect full pensions as early as age 50 and receive more generous benefits than other workers.
However, nothing stops unions and managers from negotiating to get the "employee share" of their pension costs picked up as an extra sweetener -- and many do.
"People may think the employees are paying 8 percent. Well, it turns out (some) are not," said Joe Nation, a public policy professor at Stanford University who studies California pensions. "They are paying a smaller amount."
Data show that nearly 6,000 police officers, sheriff's deputies and firefighters received pickups across the region last year, worth an average of about $5,200.
Still, the data show, some local governments are starting to eliminate the costly perk when contracts are renegotiated. Cash-strapped Oakland cut it last year, slashing $3.5 million from its personnel costs. Pinole, in Contra Costa County, made a similar move.
Pickups began "as a tumbleweed," said retired labor lawyer Chris Burdick of Marin County, who has written a legal textbook on California pension laws. Unionized employees realized nothing stopped governments from paying an employee's share of pension benefits and began negotiating for it, he said.
"As it began to tumble down the road, it got bigger and bigger," he said. "Everyone knows what everyone else is getting, and they want to get it, too. There's only one good reason to be a public employee, and that's to get the pension."
The number of government workers across the state who receive a pickup remains unknown. CalPERS doesn't track it, said Brad Pacheco, the pension agency's spokesman.
In exclusive company
Santa Clara County dwarfs the rest of the Bay Area in paying the "employee" share of its workers' pension contributions -- kicking in nearly $72 million last year -- but that comes with a twist: The employees reimbursed the county $57.5 million of that money. It's called a "reverse pension pickup," a trick that effectively bumps up the size of employees' future pensions without costing the county more in salary.
In Alameda County, less than 25 percent of county employees received the pickup benefit last year, data show. Muranishi's payment was more than five times higher than any other employee's. In fact, the $43,000 pension contribution topped the gross salaries of 1,861 Alameda County government employees last year, including janitors, clerks and secretaries. Muranishi didn't respond to requests for comment.
She was one of 29 people who received a pickup of more than $20,000 last year, data show. That list also included San Rafael City Manager Nancy Mackle, Gilroy police Chief Denise Turner and Hayward fire Chief Garrett Contreras.
Turner is just one of 16 people in Gilroy's government who received a pickup last year, a number that included six members of the City Council, who had 100 percent of their pensions paid for.
Mayor Don Gage, a former Santa Clara County supervisor who took office this year and declined city benefits because he is already drawing a government pension, said he was unaware of the perk in city government. "I don't pay too much attention to that," he said.
Gilroy was one of 68 cities in the region that offered a pickup to at least some employees last year. Of those, 17 paid it to all employees in the pension system. Those included Cupertino, Pleasanton and Oakley, which recently ended four years of employee furloughs.
Small agencies
Data show that pickups are more common at small agencies that receive little scrutiny.
Water agencies, sewer providers, irrigation and mosquito abatement districts, even public cemeteries and the Santa-Rosa based California Authority of Racing Fairs, which regulates betting on horse races at county fairs, offered the benefit last year, often at higher rates than at other kinds of agencies.
Of 34 special districts that paid a pickup for all their workers in the pension system, a third of them paid 100 percent of the employees portion, data show.
The West County Wastewater District in Richmond, which serves about 36,000 sewer customers and has a yearly budget of $20 million, even gave pickups last year of $1,276.29 each to three part-time elected directors, covering two-thirds of their pension costs.
The district's president, Alfred Granzella, 87, said the district began paying toward a pension, complete with a pickup of his share, when he was first elected 28 years ago, and he has never questioned it. "They provided it at the time and it carried on. I am entitled to it."
All of the district's 56 employees in the pension system receive a pickup ranging from 25 to 100 percent of their shares of pension costs.
All of those promised perks during fatter times now are coming back to haunt governments, which are struggling to cover millions of dollars in obligations for their employees' retirements. As some Bay Area officials are finding, few of the beneficiaries are willing to turn back the clock and pick up the tab themselves.
"Once you are in the club," Nation said, "boy, are you set."
Contact investigative reporter Thomas Peele at email@example.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/thomas_peele. ___


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In a process that will play out over the next year or two, University of the Pacific is taking a close, careful look in the mirror. As she enters her fifth year as president, Pamela Eibeck has called for a top-to-bottom evaluation of the university's administrative and academic programs. The comprehensive review of hundreds of campus activities started over the summer and will result in some proposals this fall and another set of recommendations in the spring.
Choose the plan that's right for you. Digital access or digital and print delivery.


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For the media
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News Service
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Annette Hacker, manager, (515) 294-3720
Office: (515) 294-4777
New department: Information Technology Services
Information Technology Services is the name for Iowa State's new centralized info technology department. Four units merged to create the department and a more coordinated approach to university information technology (IT) needs, says chief information officer Jim Davis.
Student-developed device helps blind tell who's nearby
A team of ISU students' developed a device to help blind people recognize who's around them at home and work. The invention puts the students in the finals in an international Microsoft competition.
Regents approve sale of Ankeny farm
The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, has approved the sale of Iowa State's 1,031-acre Ankeny dairy farm.
NSF executive will become next vice provost for research
John Brighton, an assistant director of the National Science Foundation and head of its Engineering Directorate, will become Iowa State's vice provost for research Sept. 1. He has been appointed to a three-year term.
USDA approves ISU permit to conduct pharmaceutical crop research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has approved a permit for Iowa State University to plant a biopharmaceutical corn field trial. The research is part of Iowa State's work to evaluate the safe use of plants for the production of proteins for pharmaceuticals and industrial products.
New concrete handles heavy, heavy load
An ultra-high performance concrete proved its strength, standing up to 595,000 pounds of load before cracking.
Researcher will explain how to protect homes from windy disasters
ISU aerospace engineer Partha Sarkar will tell congressional members and staffers that tornadoes, hurricanes and thunderstorms don't have to be property disasters in a session in D.C. later this month.
Games and crafts precede concerts
The Farm House Museum will offer Victorian games, children's crafts and refreshments prior to municipal band concerts in June. The museum events are Thursday afternoons (4-7 p.m.) June 16, 23 and 30 and are free of charge.
Associate deans named
Three associate deans have been named for Iowa State's new College of Human Sciences.
Bender named top educator
Associate professor Holly Bender has been named the nation's outstanding veterinary medical educator.
Achterberg to lead College of Human Sciences
Cheryl Achterberg, founding dean of the Schreyer Honors College and professor at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, will become inaugural dean of Iowa State's College of Human Sciences, effective Sept. 1.
Air Force awards virtual reality center $2.8 million
Iowa State researchers are working to help the Air Force find a better way to control unmanned aerial vehicles. The vehicles are piloted by remote control and can carry cameras, communication equipment and weapons on the most dangerous military flights.
Students qualify for science scholarships
A record 33 Des Moines Public School students have completed the Science Bound program at Iowa State and thus qualified for a full-tuition scholarship to ISU.
Shanks examines root cultures of periwinkle plants.
Scientist hopes to improve plant's output of chemotherapy drugs
Chemical engineer Jackie Shanks' work to make periwinkle plants better producers of chemotherapy drugs started with her sister's diagnosis.
In the news
Consumers prefer homegrown
Reader's Digest
Commenting on a survey in which most consumer said they preferred to buy food from nearby growers, Rich Pirog of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture said, "People want stories about their food -- where and how it's produced, and how it tastes. Local farmers know that."
Pig virus at center of trade dispute
National Nine News Australia
A vaccine for a common pig virus at the center of an international trade dispute should be available within a year, says Dr. Patrick Halbur.
Ag prof seeks urban recruits
Medill News Service
ISU professor Levon Esters encourages urban students to pursue careers in agriculture.
Good news
Nodule on Coach Bill Fennelly's vocal chord is non-invasive.
Ada Anderson earns All-American status again in the 800-meter run.


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Cooking For Engineers
Analytical cooking discussed.
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Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 6
Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:22 pm
Post subject: im new here
Hey everyone...im new here, just say hey! this website seems really cool!
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Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 95
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 10:03 pm
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It has a lot of useful information, but the forums are a little on the quiet side.
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Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 112
Location: Camp Hill, PA
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 10:49 pm
Post subject: No Traffic
The forums have been extremely quit. Michael update the site, college ended for summer, the Phillies broke the .500 mark, and bang, activity all but ceased.
What gives? Have people quit eating?
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Michael Chu
Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:00 am
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I hope it wasn't the site update...
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Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 112
Location: Camp Hill, PA
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:59 pm
Post subject: 14 Games Shy of 10k
Doubt it was the update. The main page is looking pretty spiffy, and the random topic thing is fun. (I find myself coming back to the main page just to see what pops up next) The forums are seemingly the same. Business here should be good.
So I blame the Phillies. They will be the first team to lose 10,000 games in their team history, and will do so 10 years or more before the next team achieves this prestigious goal. Since we started an office pool to see who could pick the game closest to this milestone, they have been winning an unusual number of games. They were below .300 when we placed bets back in April. They are now .523, recently swept the Mets, and are only 3 games out of first. Them winning places the world off kilter. They should vie for first place in a week or so, then fall apart for the second half of the season. That should put everything back to normal.
Meanwhile, I have an odd yen for a beer and a dog. . . .
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Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 12:41 pm
Post subject:
They may be the first team to lose 10,000 games because the team has been in existence for a long time, not necessarily because they players aren't good.
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Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 112
Location: Camp Hill, PA
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:12 pm
Post subject: Phils Wager
They may be the first team to lose 10,000 games because the team has been in existence for a long time, not necessarily because they players aren't good
It certainly can't be discounted that the Phillies have a history dating back to 1883 giving them more opportunity to reach the mark than other teams. But they mustered only a few seasons over .500 between 1920 and 1960. The same period included a shocking number of seasons with more than 100 losses, a period before the season was extended to 162 games. The 1985 thru 2000 period wasn't much better. They really only flourished, such that it was, in the 1975 thru 1983 stint.
The several teams that will also hit the 10k loss mark during my lifetime originated pretty close to the same time the Phils did. And those teams would have to lose 100 per season for the next 10 years to get there.
Yes, age is a factor. But the Phils are still special. And they only have 14 more losses to make history.
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Joined: 29 Jun 2007
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Location: williamsville, ny
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 11:27 am
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Hi ....I'm a newbie....came across your site looking for a recipe and thought it was cute....looking forward to reading more...having a small get together and am nervous...i'm the worst hostess...I have such an ecclectic mix of friends that i'm always worried that people will be bored...but the show must go on...gonna grill some teriyaki chicken and have some raw veggies ( no carbs to go with it
) and lemon bars from the site here....so again hello to everyone..
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It has been lost on no one that the two teams playing tonight in New Jersey for a Big East title are not long for the Big East world.
Rutgers and Louisville have made more headlines in the last two weeks for where they are headed, not where they belong right now. And yet, there is a football game to be played with Big East title and BCS hopes on the line.
Imagine that, a football game in the middle of realignment madness!
Now, some of the luster may be gone from this matchup because 1) both teams are coming into the game off a loss 2) neither team is ranked in the current BCS standings and 3) both teams are headed out the door in (relatively) short order. It does not help Louisville that speculation already has surfaced that coach Charlie Strong has interviewed at Auburn, a report he has denied.
Distractions seem to be the order of the day on both sides, but both coaches said this week they have done their best to keep their players' focused on the huge prize that awaits: a spot in the Orange or Sugar Bowls. Rutgers (9-2, 5-1) already has a share of the Big East title, despite losing last week to Pitt. That is because the Cardinals (9-2, 4-2) also lost, in triple overtime to UConn.
If Rutgers wins tonight, the Scarlet Knights get the BCS berth. If Louisville wins, then we would have to wait for the final BCS standings to make its expected spot in the BCS official. That is what is most important, no matter chatter about realignment or coaches' fates.
"There's a lot at stake for us," Rutgers linebacker Steve Beauharnais said in a phone interview this week. "We're just going to have to play our game. There's a reason we got to this point. There's a reason we have nine wins. We have to keep doing exactly what we're doing and everything will be fine."
Well, Rutgers has to do what they were doing in its nine wins. Because last week against the Panthers, the Scarlet Knights did not play their best game. Perhaps the weight of clinching at least a share of their first Big East title ever was too much. This is a team that has struggled before with Big East hopes on the line (see: UConn, 2011; Cincinnati, West Virginia 2006).
Rutgers coach Kyle Flood batted down that theory, though it is hard to just call this another game. The key is to get his players to put what happened last week behind them.
"The focus is on the game and on the schematics and on the players," Flood said. "We're certainly not naive to what the result of the game will dictate for either team. It's a big game. It's the kind of game that you want to be in as a player and as a coach, and it's the kind of game as a program that we hope to be in every year."
Strong has to do the same. Louisville began the season 9-0 but has dropped two straight. Confidence has sagged, and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is nursing a broken wrist and sprained ankle. Strong said this week he has reminded his players of all the good things they did en route to the best start in school history.
Center Mario Benavides, one of the handful of senior leaders on this team, believes the Cardinals felt pressure to keep up their unbeaten season. Now, that pressure is gone -- and they can still earn a championship.
"You never want to lose games," Benavides said. "But what happened the last two games, it took away pressure that may have been self-imposed off us. You can say what you want -- it's only human nature to feel a little bit of pressure. There was a stinging feeling after these two losses. But now, I think there's more of an excitement rather than being anxious and being upset and worried about what happened. There's still a championship in front of us."
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These games teach valuable skills and have a high fun and educational rating.
Your child develops early reading and language skills by playing a variety of Super Why games
Your child will practice reciting alphabet letters and helping out Alpha Pig spell the word pumpkin.
Your child will practice letter recognition and matching letters to sounds while helping the Super Readers collect super letters.
Your child develops phonics skills by exploring the "ump" word family with Wonder Red.
Your child will practice letter and color recognition as a they paint a picture of Alpha Pig.
Your child will practice rhyming while helping Wonder Red catch similar words.
Zoodles 11.5.9 Copyright (c) 2014 Inquisitive Minds, Inc. All rights reserved.


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Senegal probes drug claims against police director
Jul. 19, 2013
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal says it is investigating allegations that the national police director has been involved in drug trafficking.
A government statement published Thursday says President Macky Sall wants an investigation of Abdoulaye Niang to be completed soon so that "appropriate measures can be taken."
Abdoulaye Niang served as head of the anti-drug office for 12 years before his transfer to the police force last year. A report prepared by his replacement alleges that during that time, he was implicated in an international drug trafficking ring involving Senegalese and Nigerian dealers.
Niang has not commented on the allegations, first published in local papers this week, and could not be reached Friday.
West Africa is a transit point for Latin American cocaine bound for Europe, but Senegal has had few drug seizures.


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Neutron Star
Detailed info on neutron stars with links to related information.
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Neutron degeneracy is a stellar application of the Pauli Exclusion Principle, as is electron degeneracy. No two neutrons can occupy identical states, even under the pressure of a collapsing star of ...
Neutron Stars - Introduction
Brief introduction from NASA on the nature of neutron stars, the most dense objects known, created in the cores of massive stars during supernova explosions. Includes links to related topics.
ISIS Pulsed Neutron & Muon Source
The homepage of the world's leading pulsed neutron source
Autobiography of Bertram N. Brockhouse
Bertram N. Brockhouse (1918 - ) received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1994 for pioneering contributions to the development of neutron scattering techniques for studies of condensed matter. In ...
High Flux Isotope Reactor Facility
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is home to the Spallation Neutron Source and the High Flux Isotope Reactor, two of the most advanced neutron research facilities in the world.
Hyperphysics - Neutrons
Structure and stability of the neutron with good links to other relevant parts of the site.
Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics
Home website for the JINR (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research) containing links to reference notes, reactors and accelerators in Russia.
The discovery of pulsars
How pulsars were discovered by accident in 1967 by student Jocelyn Bell Burnell, and more information on pulsars and neutron stars.
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Images and short films of what you would see traveling through black holes.


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When Whitecaps FC selected veteran MLS goalkeeper Joe Cannon from San Jose Earthquakes in last month's Expansion Draft, then re-signed standout Jay Nolly two days later, it suddenly looked like Vancouver would have a very capable goalkeeping tandem for 2011. Nolly was USSF D-2 Pro League Goalkeeper of the Year in 2010, while Cannon is a two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
However, this is not the first time that the 'Caps have found themselves with two capable sets of hands between the posts. As early as 1975, when Whitecaps FC were a mostly all-Canadian squad, two Canadian internationals shared the responsibility in goal. Greg Weber was considered the starter, but local keeper Peter Greco made a good claim to the spot, backing the team to five straight wins to start the season.
The most unlikely pairing was in 1980. To try and replace star goalkeeper Phil Parkes, the 'Caps brought in the great Scottish international David Harvey. He struggled though, and the veteran soon found himself on the bench, replaced by a wildly talented young upstart from Zimbabwe named Bruce Grobbelaar, who later went on to an impressive career with English club Liverpool. Harvey later redeemed himself, and stayed with the club for two more seasons.
Fast forwarding to the first season of the Canadian Soccer League, Vancouver 86ers took the field in 1987 with an up-and-coming young Canadian goalkeeper named Pat Onstad. Although he did well, it was a lot of pressure for a 19-year-old, and UBC star Brian Kennedy gradually took over. Now at age 42, Onstad was the oldest player in MLS last year with Houston Dynamo.
In 1988, head coach Bobby Lenarduzzi found himself with the two best goalkeepers in the league. All-Star Sven Habermann came here from Calgary, while Canadian international standout Paul Dolan also signed. They traded the starting spot at first, but it was clear they were both too talented to sit on the bench. Dolan ended up going to Hamilton Steelers before the season was out.
Dolan returned to the 86ers in 1990, and was the club's clear number one for most of the decade. In 1997 though, his understudy, English-born Canadian Paul Shepherd, began to see more playing time, and the two Pauls went on to trade the starting spot for most of the season.
Dolan's last year here was 1998 and things were much more unsettled after that. In fact, goalkeeping tandems became the rule in Vancouver, rather than the exception, as nobody was able to claim the number one spot for long.
First it was Shepherd and big Didar Sandhu who shared the net in 1999 and 2000. In 2001, it was mostly Sandhu but then Canadian international Lars Hirschfeld came here in a late-season loan, and took over. The next year, Jim Larkin was brought in as the expected starter, but a young Portuguese immigrant named Alex Marques came out of nowhere to challenge for the starting spot. Canadian international Mike Franks then arrived in 2003, but even he had trouble dislodging Marques, who by 2004 was once again seeing most of the playing time. Franks was the starter in 2005 to start the year, but eventually young American goalkeeper Josh Wicks took over. Wicks went on to play in MLS, and is now in Finland.
The goalkeeping uncertainty continued for several more years, including four different starters in 2007! Things did not stabilize until Nolly's arrival in May 2008, and the starting spot was never again in doubt, with Nolly eventually setting a club record of 79 consecutive appearances.
Now though with both Cannon and Nolly signed, it's hard to say what 2011 might bring.


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Roundstone Native Seed, LLC spreads Seed to Cover the Basin
|Author: Patricia Sowell
Date: Friday, July 19th, 2013
|Return to Archive
Mark Sidebottom drilled the holes and set seed for the 1.5 acres around the bio-retention basin. The grass roots will help hold soil and prevent soil erosion. The special mixture of grasses will bloom at different times through the spring and provide a rainbow of colors throughout the fall. For more information about the seed planting day, click here.
The season of Fall welcomes Potter-Gray Elementary School to Trammel Creek in Alvaton, KY to learn about water quality testing.
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Law Practice Magazine
Few law firms rank higher for diversity accomplishments than Los Angeles-based Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker. The 1,200-plus-lawyer partnership is rated sixth in the nation on the BetterLegalProfession.org diversity scorecard. (See page 52.) While many are responsible for this success—including the firm's leaders—Anton Mack deserves a lot of the credit.
As the firm's managing director of diversity and global talent since 2006, Mack has used his rich recruiting experience and close working relationships with those both inside and outside the partnership to become one of the first names people think of when they consider law firm diversity.
In 2001, when Paul Hastings needed someone with strategic vision to fill its top recruitment position, it turned to Mack, who had been the dean of admissions at LA's Loyola Law School. This was a step outside the norm, as most firms at that time hired recruiters with law firm experience, usually someone from within their own offices.
Clearly, the firm valued Mack's background outside the private-practice environment as well as his law school relationships. "There certainly are advantages in coming from the outside," he says. "One is innovation. If you want to be competitive in terms of recruitment, often you have to bring new ideas and strategies. A few ways to do that are to leverage what's going on in other professional services firms, have an insight into legal education and student needs, and have close contact with faculty, deans and officers at law schools."
Mack's resume included all of the above. He has since groomed relationships with as many people as possible, both as the firm's managing director of recruitment and now as the diversity director.
He says that developing and maintaining these personal connections-—first and foremost with the firm leaders and senior partners—is the key to diversity success.
"I have fantastic relationships with the directors of recruiting, professional development and business development and with the chief human resources officer," he says. "A strong working dynamic with all of those departments is essential. And, I do maintain my law school relationships; it's critically important to stay abreast of the changing generations, trends and needs."
Indeed, while managing director of recruitment, he played a key role in doubling the percentage of diversity representation in the firm's new associates and summer associates, as well as in establishing alliance programs with more than 20 law schools.
Those who serve as diversity directors must also be of a certain mind-set: You have to be flexible and willing to learn. "You can't be rigid or myopic," Mack says. "Before I came to Los Angeles, I was in Baltimore, where the diversity mix is dramatically different. That is, I came to a law school that had two times the number of Asian-Americans than any law school in the country. It was an interesting experience and I had a whole lot of learning to do."
It seems Mack's a fast learner. And given Paul Hastings' strong track record in diversity, he's no doubt very adept at helping others learn, too. Certainly, he knows exactly what his and his firm's mission is. "Diversity is not a social experiment for us," he says. "It's about business success, skill and talent for all the attorneys in our firm."
Steven T. Taylor is an award-winning freelance journalist living in Portland, Oregon, who writes on various subjects in the legal media.


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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The widow of a provincial Argentine governor has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for killing her husband in a drunken rage last New Year's Day.
Susana Freydoz, 61, made no statements during her trial or Tuesday's sentencing in the death of her husband, Rio Negro Gov. Carlos Soria, and will remain hospitalized for the immediate future.
Her lawyers argued that she should be absolved due to "mental alienation."
RecommendedNYT: Kavanaugh's New Accuser Recently Told Former Classmates She Still Isn't Sure It Was Him
Guy Benson
Prosecutors wanted life in prison. But the judges found extenuating circumstances including drunkenness, drug use, suicide attempts and obsessive efforts to catch the ruling party governor with a lover.


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Weather scraps Brewers/Cubs game
Weather scraps Brewers/Cubs game
Wednesday night's Brewers game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field has been postponed.
Rain and thunderstorms have caused the teams to scrap tonight's matchup.
A make-up date has not yet been announced.
The Brewers lost to the Cubs Tuesday night 6-3 after Milwaukee's bullpen suffered another meltdown.
Newly-acquired pitcher Kyle Lohse was scheduled to make his second start of the season for Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Lohse allowed one run in six innings in his Brewers debut Friday.
The former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher has pitched in only one game at Wrigley Field since 2009.
Scott Feldman was scheduled to pitch for the Cubs.


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Sometimes you can make an especially wonderful album almost by accident. Such was the case with Valcour Records' The Band Courtboullion, a tour-de-force meeting of three generations of contemporary Cajun bandleaders. Earlier this year, Wayne Toups, Steve Riley and Wilson Savoy (in Cajun French, pronounced WIL-sone SAV-wah) earned a 2013 Grammy in the spanking-new category of Best Regional Roots Album.
The idea for recording The Band Courtboullion originated when Toups decided he'd really like to play in a trio with Riley and Savoy. He even already had the name for the group and arranged a club gig, for which the three rehearsed once.
After the gig, they headed into the wooden, all-analog recording studio built and operated by Joel (in Cajun French, JO-el) Savoy, Wilson's older brother and one of Valcour's three founding partners. Dubbed "SavoyFaire," the small studio in Eunice has been lovingly custom-crafted to produce the most warmly reverberant environment almost anyone could imagine for acoustic performances.
As wonderful as The Band Courtboullion but in an entirely different way, Joel Savoy's Honky Tonk Merry-Go-Round was organized as an offering from the Acadiana Center for the Arts' 2012-2013 "Louisiana Crossroads" concert series earlier this year. Carnival-ride operator Joel Savoy has tried this sort of talent show before, describing the experience as "kind of like live ?karaoke with a great house band. Lots of people come up and sing, mostly locals who like old country stuff. It's always a riot!"
The live shows served as a performance platform for headliner and Louisiana country star Jimmy C. Newman, who took his turn alongside a number of honky-tonk-minded young musicians from around the country. Recorded during concert rehearsals, Honky Tonk Merry-Go-Round shines its spotlight exclusively on local talent. The line-up includes musicians and vocalists drawn from the ranks of a now-decades-long renaissance in Cajun and Creole music—a young, rock-raised generation hell-bent on infusing those centuries-old traditions with new energy and meaning.
Standout tracks begin showing up early, including Courtney Granger's veteran rendition of "You're Still on My Mind," a George Jones classic that also introduced the genre of country-rock on The Byrds' game-changing 1968 Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Equally compelling are a pair of effortless vocal performances by Kelli Jones-Savoy and Emma Young, who create scarily close female harmonies on the dreamy ballad "No Letter Today" and the upbeat "Honky Tonk Merry-Go-Round."
Kudos also go to Yvette Landry's muscular "Honky Tonk Angels" and The Red Stick Ramblers' Chas Justus on the album's closer, wringing every last emotional drop out of "Miss the Mississippi and You."
The track was a big hit in 1932 for "the singing brakeman," Jimmie Rodgers, and also appeared on Rosanne Cash's The List in 2009. That album resembles Honky Tonk Merry-Go-Round in its spare arrangements, its dedication to song versus performance or interpretation, and its informal, almost intimate approach to the recorded soundscape. Both also make the point that simplicity and sophistication can co-exist in American roots music. Swinging, sweet and subtle, Honky Tonk Merry-Go-Round reminds us that paying our respects to American roots music can be one heckuva lot of fun.
In only six years of operation, Valcour Records has already earned four Grammy nominations—including the 2013 Grammy for Best Cajun and Zydeco Recording.


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Manufacturing beyond China New options. New opportunities. New risks.
While China's role in manufacturing will likely remain significant, its future course may veer away from "factory to the world" toward "factory to China."
China has long been the default choice for offshore manufacturing. For the past two decades, many businesses have made the move without even seriously considering other countries. But that's starting to change. Rising production costs and increasing competition for talent along with other factors such as intellectual property risk and dwindling government incentives are reducing China's appeal for export-oriented manufacturers and prompting many companies to explore other production locations within Asia and beyond.
Create and download a custom PDF of the Business Trends 2013 report.
Though China's manufacturing base continues to grow, the rate has tapered in recent years. Perhaps equally important, the country's vast production base is changing. Increasingly, new manufacturing capacity is being deployed to satisfy demand from Chinese consumers,1 rather than to serve the export market.
Although China remains the dominant player in offshore manufacturing, several trends are causing companies that are highly cost-sensitive to consider alternative locations (figure 1). For example, China used to be the obvious choice—or even the only choice—for offshore production. However, businesses looking for low-cost export platforms in Asia are increasingly considering countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Others that are focused on reducing transportation costs and supply chain risk are shifting to nearshore locations closer to their customers, or even repatriating production to low-cost regions back home. A growing number of US companies are reconsidering—and in many cases moving production to—Mexico,2 which was once a favored spot for many US-based manufacturers. Many are also migrating to the southeastern United States.3 In fact, a recent Deloitte poll of more than 900 predominantly US-based executives and managers found that 39 percent believe their company is likely to deploy its next manufacturing operation in the United States, compared with only 16 percent who cited China as the likely destination.4
See endnote 5
What's driving this trend?
Several specific drivers, both internal and external to China, are causing manufacturers to increasingly seek alternative production locations:
- Labor costs and competition for talent are rising. Cheap, plentiful labor used to be China's biggest advantage—but that benefit is shrinking. Deloitte's recent poll found that rising labor costs and increased competition for labor are two of the biggest challenges for companies operating in China (figure 2). Foreign companies and fast-growing local businesses are all vying for qualified employees—especially workers with skills such as fluency in English—making it harder for businesses to attract and retain top talent. Wage inflation in Shanghai and other prime business locations, particularly along the eastern seaboard, has remained in the double digits for roughly a decade, with no apparent relief in sight.6
- Other costs are rising too. Depending on the industry, China may no longer be the cheapest place for foreign companies to do business. Real estate costs have risen at near-manic rates following the institution of government-mandated minimum land prices.7 Electricity rates are also rising,8 although the same is true in many other countries. And corporate income tax rates for most foreign companies have increased from 15 percent to 25 percent, while tax-related incentives are disappearing or becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.9
See endnote 12
- Intellectual property protection remains a risk. Foreign companies operating in China have long been worried about protecting their intellectual property; yet, despite the considerable attention this issue receives, it seems little progress has been made. Deloitte's recent poll found that protection of intellectual property lingers as the top challenge for companies operating in China (figure 2).
- China's competitors are steadily improving. Other countries in Asia have long offered appealing labor rates, and have also attracted inbound manufacturing investment (though to a much lesser degree than China). However, they often lacked the skilled workers and business infrastructure to support complex or large-scale manufacturing investment. That's also changing. Nations such as India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and others are becoming increasingly competitive. China still has an edge in advanced manufacturing with its ability to scale up massive production operations. For example, Foxconn grew its Chengdu manufacturing campus from scratch in 2010 to a reported 164,000 employees by December 2012,10 a growth rate that most likely could be achieved only in China. Yet many of China's competitors have reached the point of viability, and will only get more competitive as they build critical mass and begin to attract more business. In addition, less developed regions, perhaps even Africa, may emerge in the not-too-distant future.
- Many companies are shortening their supply lines. Manufacturing products in China and then shipping them halfway around the world can be expensive, time-consuming, and risky. With a jittery economy causing demand fluctuations, being able to shorten supply chains and quicken response times while reducing exposure to volatile fuel prices is vital. That is why a growing number of companies are shifting production to nearshore or domestic locations, reducing supply chain costs and risk and making the business easier to manage.11 Leaders no longer have to subject themselves to all-day flights and midnight conference calls or settle for running their far-flung operations by remote control.
- China's domestic consumption continues to rise. Despite the current and pending future challenges as a low-cost export platform, China will likely continue to attract manufacturing investment in droves to serve domestic consumers. Separately, manufacturers revealed that while 37 percent expect to shift production from China to other countries by 2014, nearly as many (32 percent) expect to expand in China to sell products locally (figure 3). Meanwhile, only 10 percent cited plans to grow their use of China as a low-cost platform. These findings suggest that while China's role in manufacturing will likely remain significant, its future course may veer away from "factory to the world" toward "factory to China."
See endnote 14
Lessons learned: What works and what doesn't
When it comes to choosing a location for offshore production, there are a number of practical and demonstrated practices that can help you make an informed decision.
- Evaluate your game plan. Start by getting clarity about your organization's strategic goals and objectives. Do you intend to reduce costs? Serve a new market? Expedite response times? Diversify risk? Because costs likely rise more quickly in less established countries, some organizations find themselves consistently playing catch-up as they seek to move from low- to lower-cost locations. Bringing broader organizational goals into the decision may support the long-term sustainability of your manufacturing investment.
- Assemble a cross-functional team. An effective assessment of potential manufacturing locations requires the involvement of a broad range of functions such as HR, supply chain, legal, and tax. Getting those functions engaged before choosing a location can help avoid unpleasant surprises down the road.
- Look beyond labor costs. The location with the lowest labor costs may not actually be the preferred one—or even the most cost-effective place to do business. To make the right choice, consider a wide range of factors, including everything from the cost of transportation and electricity to supply chain risk, workforce skills, and tax incentives. Identify and prioritize all the needs of your business, and then see how each location stacks up against your specific requirements. As companies apply more "total cost" decision models, past and future decisions to source in China will likely be called into question.
- Consider the entire supply chain. Many modern factories are really just assembly operations, with much of the actual manufacturing done by upstream suppliers. When deciding where to locate, proximity to suppliers should be an important factor. Proximity to customers (and to corporate headquarters) should also be taken into account. All else being equal, closer is usually preferred.
- Assess the current footprint. Manufacturers seeking a beachhead in Asia may steer toward China, especially if domestic market potential is an important consideration. Meanwhile, those that already have a deep China presence may see risk diversification as a driver, and be more apt to move existing production from China—or divert the next manufacturing investment—to another country.
- Understand the alternatives. For companies deploying cost-sensitive, export-oriented manufacturing in the Asia-Pacific region, a handful of countries most commonly emerge as alternatives to China. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.13
Looking ahead
Two years from now, fewer businesses may automatically assume China is their leading option for low-cost, export-focused manufacturing. As production costs rise and other challenges intensify, many companies will likely feel increasingly fatigued by and overinvested in China as a low-cost export platform. If the emerging countries in the region continue along their current growth trajectory in the required labor, infrastructure, and supply base capabilities to support more complex foreign manufacturers, they may catapult themselves into consideration for all types of production expansion or relocation decisions involving the Asia-Pacific region.
China will also likely face growing competition from other parts of the world. A movement toward supply chain regionalization is already causing manufacturers based in North America and Europe to reevaluate far-flung supply lines, and in some cases, shift production closer to home. At the other end of the spectrum—for operations where cost trumps all factors—Africa lurks as the potential next frontier for low-cost manufacturing, assuming it can address the political, social, and infrastructure barriers that currently deter many foreign investors. Even China was once untested territory. Organizations that took the first step into China were well positioned to take full advantage of what has turned out to be an unprecedented growth wave. Many companies are now looking beyond China for the next wave.
Where it's happening
The recent case of a US-based heavy equipment manufacturer embodies the dilemma faced by many Western manufacturers regarding China. This company continues to experience growing global demand for its product, driven by urbanization and infrastructure needs in emerging markets, particularly China. This increasing demand is particularly strong throughout the commodity-rich Asia-Pacific region, currently supplied by manufacturing plants in China and several North American facilities. However, the company faces many of the challenges typical with operating in China, including increasing pressures on cost, talent attraction and retention, and IP protection. These concerns, along with an overall desire to diversify production, led the company to investigate alternatives to China for its third production facility in the region.
While familiar with China from its two current operations, the company had limited knowledge or experience in other Asia-Pacific countries. After defining and prioritizing the specific decision drivers for the new plant location (for example, electric power reliability, quality, and costs were particularly important), the company filtered the region down to the short list of countries that could realistically deliver on their objectives—and then went into the field to investigate the top candidate industrial zones.
In-depth analysis of the cost and non-cost considerations in each location led to many interesting insights:
Several countries demonstrated the capability to support an operation of the proposed scale ($60 million in capital investment and 250–300 employees).
Viable candidate countries offered savings ranging from 7 to 22 percent in "geographically variable" costs, such as labor, utilities, real estate, and freight, compared to China.
Aside from potential cost savings, some countries also appeared to offer more favorable operating conditions, including talent, infrastructure, and risk environment, based on the company's particular preferences and requirements for the new operation.
Despite the opportunities, there are risks associated with expanding elsewhere in Asia. China's challenges, while significant, are well known and understood by the company. There is also concern that expansion outside of China will stretch the company's Asia-Pacific management team too thin. The company is currently evaluating these dynamics and also examining the potential to serve Asia by increasing production capacity in North America as it narrows in on a final deployment decision for the new factory.
China will likely remain a dominant player in global manufacturing for the foreseeable future, and will likely continue to be the leading production option for many companies, especially those serving markets in China and other parts of Asia. However, it is no longer the only option. Manufacturers are already starting to look further afield, and may increasingly consider alternative locations both within and outside the Asia-Pacific region. When choosing a location, more companies may take a holistic, long-term view that examines operating costs, business conditions, and risks, and then make decisions based on their own specific business requirements.
My take
Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President and CEO, Council on Competitiveness
China will likely remain a manufacturing powerhouse. Supply networks, talent pool, infrastructure, and other factors, including government policies and investments, are too entrenched in the fabric of global manufacturing for China to be displaced in the near future. China's position atop our 2013 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index rankings15 indicates that CEOs around the world believe China's manufacturing strength seems secure for the next five years.
The changing global manufacturing dynamic also favors expanding manufacturing in the United States, as we point out in our Council on Competitiveness' national manufacturing strategy publication Make: An American Manufacturing Movement. US-based production addresses many of the challenges in China, ranging from shorter cycle times and supply chain challenges to energy and transportation costs, IP protection, and market access.
The United States is expected to remain a leading manufacturing competitor—poised to lead the technological transformation in manufacturing. Today, US manufacturing remains at the technological forefront—and companies are investing here to seek access to cutting-edge US automation and robotic technology.
Several forces are shaping China's manufacturing outlook. Internal factors such as rising production costs and competition for skilled labor continue to pose challenges for many manufacturers. Externally, several emerging countries in Asia, including Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia, already rank among the 20 most competitive manufacturing countries, and their competitive positions are only slated to improve. Likely improvements in manufacturing competitiveness drivers—such as talent-driven innovation, physical infrastructure, and supplier network—will make Southeast Asia the strongest ascending region over the next five years. Individually, these countries pose a small threat to China. Collectively, however, they are positioned to erode China's role as the default choice for cost-driven, export-oriented production.
Global manufacturers are taking notice—and are increasingly thinking about alternatives for manufacturing beyond China, including the United States.


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Well, at least it wasn't a drawn-out divorce.
The Patriots and Wes Welker parted ways — and this was no amicable separation — roughly 24 hours after the NFL's free agency period commenced. The four-time All-Pro receiver agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos on Wednesday on a two-year deal worth $12 million.
That would be $2 million more than the Patriots' most recent proposal to Welker for the same number of years.
Welker's representatives reportedly gave the Patriots a chance to counter the Broncos' offer. It's unknown what transpired at that point, the only certainty being Welker will be catching passes from Peyton Manning in Denver next season rather than from Tom Brady in New England.
The Patriots needed all of two hours to get over the breakup, signing unrestricted free agent receiver Danny Amendola for five years and $31 million with $10 million guaranteed.
It was the kind of big-money, long-term deal Welker coveted.
The money Welker got from the Broncos was hardly budget-busting, and the length of the deal was club friendly when you consider he'll be 32 next month. It leads one to conclude the Patriots, who entered free agency with a whopping $25 million in cap space, had little interest in retaining Tom Brady's BFF despite owner Robert Kraft's comments Monday.
"We want Wes, we really do," Kraft said, later going on to gush, "I love Wes Welker. I hope he remains a Patriot for life, just like Tom Brady."
Hindsight translation: We want Welker, but only on the cheap because we're still ticked off after having to pay him $9.5 million last season after our franchise-tag, power-play ploy backfired.
Welker led the league in receptions three times during his six seasons in New England, while becoming the only player in league history to catch at least 100 passes in five seasons. He averaged 112 receptions, 1,243 yards and six touchdowns a year with the Patriots.
The undersized Welker consistently put up huge numbers despite constantly being punished by safeties and linebackers for doing his work out of the slot and over the middle. And yet he played 93 of a possible 96 regular-season games with the Patriots, including all 16 in 2010 after returning eight months following reconstructive knee surgery.
He was devoted to the Patriot Way. And in return, the Patriots said it's our way or no way. That should go over well with Brady, who took a hometown discount earlier this month to keep these kinds of things from happening.
There was some chatter prior to free agency that the Patriots would be better off without Welker. His absence would relieve a logjam over the middle, where talented tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez also do some of their best work.
That notion was dispelled by the addition of Amendola, a pure slot receiver.
Like Welker, the 5-foot-11, 188-pound Amendola went undrafted out of Texas Tech and bounced around the NFL before catching on, in his case, with the St. Louis Rams in 2009.
Amendola, who is almost five years younger than Welker, caught a career-high 85 passes in 2010 and had 63 receptions last season, an excellent total considering it came in 11 games.
On the other hand, Amendola has missed 20 games over the past two seasons due to an assortment of injuries and has only seven career touchdown receptions — one less than Welker had last season. And it's interesting to note the up-and-coming Rams wouldn't even consider signing him for the money the Patriots did.
The Broncos undoubtedly improved with the addition of Welker, who'll be back in Foxboro to face his former team next season.
"Any time you can take a player from a team you have to compete against, it always helps, especially a player of Wes' caliber," said John Elway, the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations. "So we feel good he's coming to us and we do play them next year and I'm sure it will be a huge game for Wes. But New England is there year in and year out and it's a team we're going to have to beat to get to where we want."
The Patriots, if things work out as they hope, didn't take a step back with their expensive exchange of slot receivers. So the advantage goes to Denver at this point, although the Patriots have plenty of money and time remaining to jump ahead of their AFC rival.
Contact Rich Garven at email@example.com.


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The biggest drug trafficking trial in Nicaragua's history unfolds in a modest air-conditioned courtroom. The 24 defendants sit in a crowded dock, joking and waving to relatives. Behind them, police commandos wearing black hoods and toting assault weapons add unmistakable gravitas to the proceedings.
Calling witness after witness, prosecutors lay out their case that a strip club operator, a former national elections official and 22 others helped launder tens of millions of dollars in cocaine profits.
The trial has captivated Nicaraguans, and no fewer than eight television cameras capture the proceedings to air on newscasts.
The trial, which began late last month and involves 84 witnesses, offers a snapshot of one facet of the avalanche of organized crime and drug-trafficking activity washing over parts of Central America as gangsters move in from Colombia and Mexico.
Recent weeks have brought successes in intercepting narcotics and in capturing alleged cartel couriers. But unmistakable evidence mounts that the magnitude and nature of the drug contagion are growing more complex, drawing stronger U.S. interest and the deployment of hundreds of U.S. Marines.
The nations of Central America's northern region (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize and Nicaragua) once were considered only transshipment points for cartels, then later storehouses. Now, drug gangs are increasingly bringing semi-processed coca paste here for final processing. The gangs' corruptive influence also is reaching into higher levels of governments.
Honduras agents discovered a cocaine-processing laboratory in Atlantida province on the Caribbean coast Aug. 28, seizing a half-ton of coca paste. It marked the second time in 18 months that Honduras had found a clandestine production laboratory, a sign that cocaine processing is moving north from Amazonian jungles.
Recent narcotics seizures in Guatemala underscore the inventiveness of traffickers in finding routes that are more circuitous and difficult to detect.
In mid-August, Guatemala intercepted 17.6 tons of cocaine paste in a shipping container arriving from Taiwan. Weeks later, in the largest heroin seizure in Guatemala's history, agents found 221 pounds of heroin, some of which arrived from France. The origin of the heroin is unclear.
"These are really puzzling seizures," said Antonio Luigi Mazzitelli, regional chief for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Mazzitelli said traffickers apparently send narcotics around the globe to throw off law enforcement, then ship them back to the West.
"They are rerouting the final product through a non-suspicious location in order to make it to the North American market," he said.
Once cocaine powder is processed, perhaps in Central America, "you might send the same container back to Taiwan, then send it on to the U.S.," Mazzitelli said.
Late last month, some 200 U.S. Marines and four UH-1N Huey helicopters began counter-drug operations in Guatemala, the first major U.S. military intervention there since the CIA ran a covert operation nearly 60 years ago that overthrew elected leftist President Jacobo Arbenz.
Nicaragua has surged into regional headlines for two seemingly unrelated events that both illustrate the transnational tentacles of crime groups.
One of the events appeared, well, made for television. The other has provided daily fodder for newscasts.
Tipped off by an anonymous caller, Nicaraguan police on Aug. 20 intercepted a caravan of six vehicles entering from Honduras and bearing the logotype of Televisa S.A., the huge Mexican television network. Televisa denied any link to the detainees, who became known in headlines as the "fake journalists."
Upon examining the vehicles, equipped with sophisticated broadcast equipment, police said they found $9.2 million in cash and residues of cocaine.
The detainees included a police officer from Mexico's Durango state and a cousin of a prominent newscaster for TV Azteca, a rival network.
The circumstances of the arrests surprised Nicaraguans.
"Nobody ever thought the drug traffickers would use news vehicles as a cover," said a former head of Nicaragua's police anti-narcotics unit, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from gangsters.
Whatever the mission of the crew might have been – hypotheses range from simply transporting drug profits to running entire drug operations – some analysts viewed the arrests as a wakeup call.
"We are at a watershed," said Robert Orozco Betancourt, a security analyst in Managua at the Institute of Strategic Studies and Public Policies. "We believe that the Central American situation will grow worse in the very short term."
The anonymous call that alerted police likely came from a rival narcotics gang, said Francisco Bautista Lara, a former deputy national police chief, a sign that rival bands will seek vengeance with greater force.
"In the short to medium term, this will generate a violent response," he said.
Apparently unrelated to the "fake journalists" case is the trial of Henry Farinas, a 41-year-old impresario and owner of Elite, a chain of strip clubs in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. He and 23 co-defendants face organized crime and money laundering charges.
Farinas surged into the news on July 9, 2011, when a hit squad in Guatemala City gunned down Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabrales. Police suspect Cabrales was an accidental victim and Farinas, who drove with him in the same vehicle, was the real target.
The shooting set off a region-wide probe, and months later, Farinas accused a Costa Rican, Alejandro Jimenez, of orchestrating the shooting. Prosecutors later said that Farinas and Jimenez worked for gangs, Los Charros and Los Fresas, respectively, that transported cocaine for larger Colombian and Mexican groups, and had tangled over a lost drug shipment.
Among those in the dock with Farinas is Julio Cesar Osuna, a former substitute magistrate with the Supreme Electoral Council, a quasi-autonomous branch of state in Nicaragua. Osuna is the highest-ranking Nicaraguan official ever implicated in drug activity.
On a recent day at the court complex, police frisked and wanded all those entering, including two dozen journalists and a smaller number of relatives.
Presiding Judge Adela Cardoza, a stern presence at the bench, warned defense attorneys that witnesses that day would be wearing black hoods to protect their identity, a practice she said was permitted since Nicaragua had agreed to a U.N. convention on transnational organized crime.
Witnesses recounted how Osuna had taken repeated trips to Costa Rica, chatting up border guards, talking with one about a potential narcotics purchase, and describing how he had been friends with Farinas since they were teenagers.
On another day, criminal investigators detailed how the gang had laundered nearly $30 million in drug profits through their businesses.
Judicial authorities say much is at stake with the trial, and that is why news teams and cameras are allowed into the courtroom.
"We want to offer an example to Central America and to the world," Roberto Larios, spokesman for the court system, told the el19digital.com Website.


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A tragic pensioner who caused the death of his wife during a road traffic collision has been allowed to walk free with a fine.
Chesterfield magistrates' court heard how Stanley Hugh Codd, 87, of Dale Road North, Darley Dale, Matlock, was fined £415 for causing the death of passenger Hilda Mary Codd by driving without due care and attention.
Mr Codd was involved in a head-on collision between his Toyota Yaris and a Peugeot 306 on the A6 Dale Road North, at Darley Dale, at about 3.45pm, on June 11.
Seven people had to be freed from the cars by firefighters and six were taken to Sheffield's Northern General Hospital following the collision.
At the time, Derbyshire Constabulary confirmed some of the injured were reported to have suffered "life-changing injuries".
Police said there were three people in the Peugeot and four in the Yaris - including three elderly people.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed at the time that firefighters freed all seven people by 4.50pm and the road was reopened several hours later.
The court stated the case involved an "extremely sad offence" and owing to the circumstances magistrates imposed a fine because they felt a community order would not be an appropriate sentence.
Codd, who pleaded guilty to causing the death of Hilda Mary Codd by driving without due care and attention, was also ordered to pay a £41 victim surcharge and £35 costs after the hearing last Tuesday.
He was also disqualified from driving for five years.


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