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Today, instead of presenting a diary written by one of our regular or guest members, we are presenting an excerpt from a paper on "Crowdfunding" by Minsun Ji and Tony Robinson. Crowdfunding is the term used for raising money over the internet. In most cases, a political candidate or charity solicits donations to fund their organization. Recently it has also been used to solicit donations for socially responsible businesses (usually cooperative start-ups). And since Obama's JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act, it has been used to solicit not just donations but equity investment funds for cooperative start-ups by exempting these ventures from Security and Exchange regulations.
It is this last feature which has led to all the brouhaha. On one side, are anarchists, libertarians, the cooperative movement and silicone valley free traders, supporting Crowdfunding as democratizing the investment process so that the 99% can develop capital which has previously been controlled by -- well, the big capitalists--or the 1% ; on the other side are the unions, most Marxists and some liberal democrats who see the crowdfunding provisions in the JOBS Act as a plot by Wall Street to avoid SEC regulations in the Dodd-Frank Act and that will, once again, allow for speculation, fraud and destabilization of the economy at the expense of the 99%.
The political compromise in the JOBS Act was to establish regulations to limit the size of the investment (both in terms of a $1 million cap and no more that 10% of an investor's income), exclude the investment of pension funds, exclude investors from decision making rights, etc. The authors of the paper excerpted below also note that so far there has been very little fraud in crowdfunding due to its emphasis on smaller, more socially responsible ventures. (They failed to note, however, that most of this fraud free history was when crowdfunding still consisted of donations, not profit making equity -- also, does anyone remember the 1984 Saving and Loan scandal after government regulations had been decimated under Regan, where Wall Street types stole billions from the small Banks set up to help the "little guy"?).
Personally, when I first heard about crowdfunding, my reaction was pretty much like most class conscious workers and Marxists -- I was afraid, not only of individual investors and small businesses being duped, but that the whole thing was a Wall street scam which could cause the whole economy to go under due to speculative financial "bubbles." (And I wrote as much in a diary in this very venue).
On the other hand, in a paper on a hybrid union- cooperative model from the United Steelworkers ("An Emerging Solidarity:Worker Cooperatives, Unions,and the New Union Co-op Model,February 1, 2013), Rob Witherall does not totally discount the idea of crowdfunding as one of many methods to develop capital investment for coops -- as long as it controlled and regulated by the union. At this point, my own position(and that in Ji's and Witherall's papers) place crowdfunding in the context of a global economy where changes in technology, capital mobility and the end of centralized industrial manufacturing has resulted in the growth of the informal workforce (both here and abroad) that has greatly damaged traditional union organizing solutions. This has led us to explore if we can use new possibilities to our advantage in a changing world. And whether these possibilities will take us toward or further away from a true anti-capitalist future. So here is a full discussion, presented primarily from the pro-crowdfunding point of view since this is the view, as anti-capitalists, that we don't often hear. Let the argument begin.
"Crowdfunding the Future of Union-Coop Collaboration" by Minsun Ji,
Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, firstname.lastname@example.com.
Tony Robinson, Department of Political Science, University of Colorado Denver,
firstname.lastname@example.com, February 2, 2013:
In 2012, United States union leaders and the worker cooperative community split ways over President Obama's "Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act," which significantly liberalized regulations on small business equity financing, including "crowdfunding" practices. Both the AFL-CIO and SEIU took vigorous stands against the JOBS Act, claiming that by diminishing government oversight over small business crowdfunding, the JOBS Act promoted corruption and destabilizing investment bubbles.
Major American labor leaders condemned the bill, claiming that the "cynically named JOBS Act" would weaken government SEC regulations and expose workers and small investors to fraud and financial disaster (Elk, 2012). AFL-CIO president Trumka said he was "personally outraged," with the bill. "This is a vote against investors in the real economy and for Wall Street speculators. When the next bubble bursts, Americans will know who to blame" (Kapur, 2012).
Even as U.S. labor leaders criticized the JOBS act and its crowdfunding centerpiece, other progressive leaders—and in particular leaders within the workers' cooperative movement--celebrated the act as ushering in a new era of democratic, decentralized capital investment (Fink, 2012; Mann, 2011). Progressive champion of economic localism, Michael Shuman (2009), has long lauded crowdfunding for taking investment decisions out of the hands of an elite circle of SEC accredited investors and giving them to millions of small-scale, local investors. The 2012 Conference of the Federation of Worker Owned Cooperatives hailed crowdfunding as ushering in a "new era of innovation" (http://conference2012.usworker.coop/) Kassan and Long (2012) summarized the enthusiasm for crowdfunding among many supporters of an alternative economy: "While crowd funding alone isn't a silver bullet, it does play an important role in revitalizing the entrepreneurial small business sector of the economy. Its simplicity and ingenuity is American capitalism in its finest form."
This paper explores the crowdfunding revolution celebrated by the JOBS Act, and examines reasons for the striking disagreement between labor unions and the coop community regarding the JOBS Act. We argue that instead of resisting crowdfunding, labor unions should embrace it as a democratic financing tool that can support union-friendly worker owned cooperatives in growing a progressive economy. We also explore how the owners of worker coops should consider union membership, for both pragmatic and political reasons, as union connections can help finance and strength worker cooperatives, even as they can help keep the worker owned cooperative movement grounded in political transformation, rather than just pursuing economic growth.
The Crowdfunding Revolution and the JOBS Act. … Taking advantage of the democratization of information and connectivity afforded by social media, crowdfunding appeals in the last decade have raised millions of dollars in donations to support thousands of small-scale initiatives. Crowdfunding—the mobilization of small scale donations or investments from a crowd of individuals—has funded activities ranging from indie band tours across America ($60,000 raised by the UK rock band Marillion), the production of independent movies (The Age of Stupid film project raised £1.5 million British Pounds), and social purpose ventures (the Tesla Museum project raised $1.4 million). In 2011, there were over 500,000 crowdfunding appeals made over the internet through crowdfunding portals like Kiva, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, which ultimately attracted millions of small donors who gave over a billion dollars to small businesses nationwide (Best, Nice and Jones, 2012: 25; Drake, 2012).
The new JOBS act promises to dramatically grow these numbers. Until the JOBS Act, all crowdfunding transactions were required to be donations to small businesses, rather than equity investments. Under U.S. Securities law, it was illegal for average people to give their support to a small or local business with the expectation of economic return. This is because prior to the crowdfunding law, all companies (even the smallest) were prohibited from offering equity to the general public without full registration with the SEC and adherence to all SEC rules, which is costly and complicated. Furthermore, only SEC accredited investors (less than 2% of the population [Shuman, 2009]) were allowed to directly purchase those equity securities, substantially limiting the kinds of companies allowed to offer their stock publicly and the pool of people who were allowed to invest in those companies. … But rules changed after the JOBS ACT.
The 2012 JOBS Act amended federal securities law to benefit small and emerging businesses by easing rules on public offerings by small businesses and by broadening the base of people allowed to buy equity in those companies. In signing the law, President Obama was responding to a groundswell of pressure from innovative venture capitalists, small businesses locked out of traditional venture capital circles, and progressive economic thinkers who all supported crowdfunding liberalization as a way to decentralize capital formation, foster innovative businesses and social enterprises, and encourage small business florescence (Best, Nice and Jones, 2012; Bradford, 2012; Sustainable Economy Law Center, 2012). The idea united liberal economists with free-market conservatives, and the JOBS Act sailed through Congress with historic speed, passing in mere months with solid bipartisan support.
Perhaps the most dramatic reform was Title III of the JOBS Act, which created a new exemption from federal securities law for "crowdfunded" securities offerings. This exemption is meant to substantially democratize investment into small businesses, by making it possible for small businesses to raise money through small investments from a large number of people, even without filing an array of financial and registration documents with the SEC under traditional securities law. Furthermore, small-scale investors in the company do not need to be SEC accredited (Bradford, 2012; Vidra, 2012). Anyone in the public who is attracted to a small entrepreneur's internet crowdfunding appeal can invest in the company, joining with a crowd of other small donors in mobilizing what can be huge cash infusions into the business. In 2012, for example, Pebble Watches raised more than $10 million dollars in less than 30 days from 69,000 small web donors (Heesan, 2013).
The JOBS act dramatically democratized the capital financing landscape. Small companies with unique business models now have an alternative source of "venture capital," which has historically been controlled by a small circle of traditional profit-seeking investors. These small companies can now turn to "community finance" circles—crowds of small scale donors contacted across the internet and who are more likely than accredited Wall Street investors to support small, local businesses with a "social purpose" (Lehner, 2013). In this way, crowdfunding "stands to revolutionize small businesses and entrepreneurial capital raising by permitting any individual to invest in private companies over the internet with limited regulatory hurdles" (Fink, 2012: 4).
By decentralizing processes of capital formation, crowdfunding undermines the power of traditional capital investors, transfers the social web's model of informal cooperation to the world of investment, "and leads to democratization and transparency in finance" (Rothler, 2011: 5; see also Best, Nice and Jones, 2012: 3).
There are, of course, restrictions meant to direct crowdfunding to small businesses and to balance the desire for freely flowing, decentralized capital investment with the need to minimize investor risk and the dangers of financial chicanery or ineptitude by either businesses or investors. For example:
• A business can sell no more than $1 million of securities in the aggregate to all investors;
• No single crowdfund investor can purchase more than $2,000 of securities, or 5% of the investor's annual income or net worth (10% for investors with annual income or net worth exceeding $100,000);
• The transactions must be conducted through a registered funding portal or broker who must adhere to rules meant to insure investor knowledge of the risks involved.
[Editor's Note: Further important restrictions prohibit investment of any pension funds and do not allow investors any decision making power over the business/coop]
With these basic regulations, supporters hail the Act as ushering in an era where average people will have the ability to support local business or social purpose business ventures, and where businesses can turn to sources of capital beyond the Wall Street moguls who prioritize high profit rates over such concerns as local embeddedness, social purpose, or fair labor practices (Elk, 2012). In so doing, the JOBS Act represents a democratization of capital formation—a radical "disruption of the finance supply chain and distribution mechanism" that has been previously controlled by a tiny percentage of accredited institutional investors (Drake, 2012). Scott Purcell, President of the Crowdfunding platform Arctic Island, argues that the Crowdfunding allowances of the JOBS act "will completely transform capital formation for small businesses, [enabling] small businesses to get the capital they need." (cited in Drake, 2012)
The scale of democratic capital that could be unleashed through crowdfunding is immense. Even before the JOBS act, when crowdfunding could only be through donations without any equity return, $750 million was given through 532,000 American crowdfunding campaigns (Best, Nice and Jones, 2012: 25). Industry consultants are now predicting equity crowdfunding to grow to somewhere between $4 and $6 billion by 2015 (Price 2012; Best, Nice and Jones, 2012; Fink , 2012). Analysts predict a global trillion dollar crowdfunding market in the years to come, and the Word Bank is partnering with groups like Crowdfund Capital Advisors to explore crowdfunding's potential benefits in developing countries (Lawton and Marom, 2012).
As Kassan and Long (2012) describe the future of the United States:
"The vast majority of the American public, the 99 percent of us who
are 'unaccredited' investors, will soon have the opportunity to keep
their money local. The half of our economy made up of small, independent
businesses will now have access to capital that previously could only go to
giant public companies. Americans have $30 trillion dollars invested in
securities -- imagine if even 10 percent of that went from Wall Street to Main
Street. What could $3 trillion dollars do in our communities?"
Labor and the JOBS Act
Why did labor leaders resist the 2012 JOBS Act? It comes down to labor's enduring concern with the dangers of deregulated capital. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, labor leaders and a many economists found it dangerous that the government was once again on a bi-partisan path to financial deregulation. Simon Johnson, the former chief IMF economist, called the bill "a colossal mistake of historic proportions," that "would gut investor protection in the United States" under the cloak of creating jobs (Johnson, 2012). William Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth for Massachusetts, expressed similar concerns:
"As regulators we must be vigilant that the exemption will not
become a tool for financial fraud and abuse…Unscrupulous penny stock
promoters have used misrepresentations to market obscure and low-value
stocks to individuals, often through pump and dump schemes. These kinds
of fraud operators have not gone away…In this segment of the market,
company information may be limited or simply false, and investors typically
lack investment sophistication and are often insufficiently cautious (Sullivan
and Ma, 2012)."
In the AFL-CIO's statement opposing the Act, labor leaders argued that the Act deregulated Wall Street, weakened the regulatory ability of the SEC, and allowed companies to sell stock "without complying with key corporate governance reforms in the recently passed Dodd-Frank Act" (Elk, 2012). Small, untested companies would now be allowed to circulate all sorts of promotional claims, without producing the audited financial documents now required by the SEC (Moberg, 2012).
AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said he was outraged by the act, which would do nothing but "re-inflate a stock market bubble" (Kapur, 4). Critics found particular animus for the "crowdfunding" exemption in the bill, with the IMF former chief economist Johnson calling it "perhaps the worst part of the bill," allowing companies to solicit small investors with little government oversight (Johnson, 2012). Moberg (2012) explained specific labor union concerns as follows:
"For at least two reasons, unions have a stake in how the financial markets work. They are interested in protecting investments that provide retirement security for their members and other workers. And they have seen how deregulated financial markets have disastrous effects on workers. They encourage financial speculation and engineering that worsens inequality and often destroys jobs (witness the merger and takeover craze), exploits the vulnerable (witness the predatory lending during the last decade), and creates bubbles [...] all at the expense of the real economy and the majority of working people."
Though such concerns are understandable, there is substantial evidence that fears of a crowdfunded "stock market bubble" destroying the wealth of millions of small investors are overstated. First, the reality is that the JOBS Act maintains a healthy set of regulations on both the issuers of crowdfunding appeals and those who invest in them. Issuers must file disclosure documents with the SEC detailing the names and addresses of business owners, providing prior year's tax returns, outlining the business plan and governance structure, describing the intended use of crowdfunding proceeds, and setting targets for the offering (with regular progress updates). Offerings can only occur through registered brokers or funding portals, which must show due diligence to insure that companies listing on the portal are legitimate and that investors are aware of the risks of investing. In fact, some economists find that the regulations remain too excessive for the kind of small-scale investment contemplated under the Act (Bradford, 2012).
Second, the Act limits funding appeals to no more than $1 million in a 12 month period, and restricts any individual donor from giving the greater of $2,000 or 5% of their annual income/net worth (10% of income or net worth if the individual is worth more than $100,000). These restrictions substantially limit the damage that can occur from bad investments and financial fraud, and hardly suggest that a massively inflated stock market bubble such as the pre-2008 market would be likely.
Third, the crowdfunding marketplace has been remarkably fraud free for years. Though billions of dollars have been donated through crowdfunding portals over the last decade, there has not been a single case of prosecuted fraud involving crowdfunding (Fink, 2012). The absence of fraud and investor disaster is due to several factors, including the small scale of crowd-funded investments (most people invest less than they do in lottery tickets during the year [Forbes]). Additionally, the "transparency and social networking dynamics of crowdfunding have been excellent at keeping fraud near zero" (Lawton and Marom, 2012) as crowdfunding typically involves thousands of small investors tracking the businesses they are investing in and sharing information across the web. Furthermore, the kinds of social ventures that take the crowdfunding route are inherently less likely to engage in the kind of profit-seeking fraud that characterized the moguls of finance preceding the 2008 meltdown.
"The trustworthiness of social entrepreneurs is regarded to be much higher due to the primacy of the social aim, and the thus the costs of fraudulent risk should be reduced in theory," Lehner (2013) explains. "We see early empirical claims for this based on the traditional non-profit literature" (see, for example, Haugh, 2006 and Laratta, 2010).....
Unions and Cooperatives Face the Informal Economy.It is well established that the rise of an increasingly informal and flexible global economy, populated by non-standard and casual workers, has resulted in shrinking union density in the United States and elsewhere. Temporary work is a rapidly growing sector of the U.S. economy, and the explosion of non-standard and casual workers across the globe has led to the new concept of a global "precariat" (precarious/informal workers, who are unlinked from dependable job prospects), which is increasingly replacing the large factory based "proletariat"-- once the backbone of union organizing campaigns (Standing, 2011; Davis, 2006).
A related development is the decline of manufacturing and the rise of service-sector employment: 85% of today's U.S. economy is service-sector work (Curl, 2010), which is typically more informal and precarious than the manufacturing employment of old.
These trends of an increasingly informal service economy help account for dramatically shrinking private sector union density in America (falling from 24.6% in 1973 to 6.9% in 2010), simply because informal workers are much more difficult to organize and because employers can flee unionized sites for non-unionized locales of more exploitable workers (Schmacher 2000, 2).
While formal unions have found their strength eroding in the new global order, decentralized workers cooperatives have grown rapidly, as their organizational model matches the decentralized and fluid dynamics of today's global world. "Today, increased technology, globalization of labor markets and the mobility of capital has ended the reign of large centralized factories. The new casual and decentralized labor force has decimated the major strength of trade unions' power—a large, unified labor force. Unions have been forced to look at the creation of unionized worker-coops, not just as a fall back during depressions, but as the new order of the day" (Geminijen 2012).
As union strength declines globally, worker cooperatives are growing. In 2010, the International Cooperative Alliance represented co-operatives with over one billion members, in 180 countries (including cooperatives of all sorts, not just worker coops). In some countries, like Spain and Italy, workers cooperatives have grown to constitute a sizable share of the national economy. Some studies have found that worker coops have proved more resilient than mainstream businesses after the 2008 crisis, creating more post-recession jobs in many countries than has the traditional business sector (CICOPA, 2012) .
In the United States as well, the trend of economic informalization has been coupled with expanding worker owned cooperatives, especially within the service sector (i.e., cleaning, food catering, moving assistance, landscaping, child care), and with an especially notable growth of immigrant worker own cooperatives (Ji and Robinson, 2012). In New York City and the Bay Area, worker cooperative networks are rapidly growing. In Cleveland, city, university and business leaders have united behind the innovative "Evergreen Initiative," a well-funded plan to build an expanding network of worker cooperatives across the city (Alperovitz, et. al.2010; Johnsen, 2010).
Still, the economic scale and impact of worker cooperatives remains very small overall—especially in the United States. Even as workers cooperatives blossom across the globe, with a model of decentralized, small-scale employee ownership that responds well to the growth of the precariat in the increasingly informal global economy, these small businesses still lack mass numbers, organizational power, and—most importantly—adequate access to capital resources (California Financial Opportunity Roundtable, 2012).
Non-traditional small enterprises like a local worker cooperative face tremendous difficulties raising adequate capital (Bauer-Leeb and Lundquist. 2012; Lehner, 2013; Schwienbacher and Larralde, 2010). For one, the typical "social purpose" goals of worker cooperatives are often seen by investors as undermining financial returns. Furthermore, the unfamiliar corporate governance and legal structures of workers cooperatives can dissuade traditional investors (Artz and Kim, 2011: 47). There is also a deep cultural distance between the social entrepreneur and the traditional wall street investor, who speak fundamentally different languages ("social purpose investing" versus business/managerial excellence) (Lehner, 2013: 2-4; Ridley-Duff and Bull, 2011). These obstacles help explain why a 2003 bank of England study found that "social entrepreneurs indeed have a hard time accessing traditional debt finance," and why the business plans of small social entrepreneurs are rejected 98% of the time by traditional venture capitalists (Lehner, 2013: 4).
With their decentralized and flexible business model, worker owned cooperatives are a good match for today's globalizing informal economy—yet they lack adequate capital to fully exploit their potential. Unions have deep wells of intellectual capital, financial resources and organizational might, and yet their membership and power is shrinking as they face new economic realities. Both coops and unions, therefore, can benefit greatly from partnership and collaboration. But in a country like the United States, with little history of deep union-coop collaboration, the question remains: how to do it? The JOBS Act offers one answer to that question, because the "relatively new form of informal financing" (Hemer, 2011) that it has set free—crowdfunding—presents unique opportunities to bring labor and coops together around a flexible and decentralizing funding strategy that well matches today's underlying economic trends.
Union-Coop Collaboration: A Crowdfunding Solution.
The SEC has not yet fully written the new investment regulations that will guide the implementation of the JOBS Act's crowdfunding regime. But as those rules are announced, workers cooperatives will be able to directly market the social vision of their business through internet platforms, attracting crowds of small investors. In preparation of the new rules, Websites like "The Crowdfunding Cooperative" are emerging with a goal to "massively scale" cooperatives, "making it easy to manage community share issues and find coops to invest in" (http://uniteddiversity.com/projects/crowdfunding-cooperative/) .
For these reasons, the 2012 National Worker Cooperative Conference called crowdfunding a revolutionary "new era of innovation" for worker coop financing . Reflecting on the favorably changing landscape of worker cooperative financing, Melissa Hoover (Director of the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives) concluded that "there are some substantive things happening in the past year that feel different. There was the International Year of the Cooperative, more media attention, more academic inquiries, enough lawyers to start a [workers coop] legal professionals group, interest from sustainable business and socially responsible business people, crowdfunding tools starting to be used for worker cooperatives, and first calls from outside investors wanting to develop funding vehicles for worker cooperatives."
Unions can be part of this crowdfunding revolution. There is already a history of financing collaboration between unions and coops, as unions have sometimes helped finance worker buyout of companies. But most union-facilitated worker buyouts in the last several decades have resulted in only nominal worker ownership and governance of a company— as in the case of most Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) that do not give workers democratic control of management and which do not always result in workers have majority ownership of all the stock (Bell 2006; Olsen, 1982; Hochner et., al. 1988) . Through the creative embrace of crowdfunding, unions can go beyond ESOPS and help finance actual worker-owned and worker-managed cooperatives. We are seeing movement in this direction already.
Republic Windows.
In 2012 the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) successfully executed a buyout campaign to turn one of their unionized workplaces into worker owned cooperative. This coop campaign had been pursued since 2008, when 250 workers from the Republic Windows manufacturing company in Chicago occupied the factory to demand unpaid wages, and then occupied again in 2012 in order to prevent a second owner from shutting down the factory (Kunichoff, 2012).
The largest obstacle to the success of the worker buyout of Republic Windows, and the same obstacle that has undermined so many other worker cooperatives, was inadequate access to start-up finance capital. The Bank of America, which owned most of the debt at Republic Windows, refused to consider financing a worker cooperative buyout. In the absence of traditional capital to finance the worker owned cooperative—known as New Era Windows-- the Electrical Union Local 1111 played a critical role in solidifying community support, developing worker leadership and negotiating with a bank for financing (Flanders, 2012). But additional funding was needed. In the end, to fully fund their vision of a worker coop, Republic Windows workers turned to a grassroots microcredit organization, Working World, which helped finance the worker buyout with no-interest loan money. This loan money came from a small scale capital loan fund for locally based worker cooperatives, that was seeded by community crowdfunded donations (Gonzales, 2012; see also www.theworkingworld.org/us/ex-republic-windows-and-doors/).
Though such examples are promising, the fact is that these kinds of union-facilitated cooperative start-ups have been quite rare, and typically involve very limited capital. Part of the reason is that before the JOBS act, U.S. securities law meant that community supporters wishing to crowdfund such businesses as New Era Windows had to donate their money without hope of financial return. But after the JOBS act, community supporters can now choose to actually buy an equity investment in social purpose companies. It is predictable that even more community crowdfunding dollars will flow into businesses like New Era Windows , since there is now a possibility of receiving a return on one's social investment.
In this new environment, labor unions could choose to embrace crowdfunding, and deepen their connection to the workers cooperative movement by developing strategies to catalyze the investment dollars of individual union members into community-sensitive, socially responsible worker cooperatives, as now allowed by law. For their part, workers cooperatives could self-consciously "earn" union support by building business models in accordance with union friendly practices, becoming community members of local unions, and involving their worker-owners in broader political causes than the economic success of their cooperative.
To be clear, unions would not be allowed under the JOBS act to channel their pension fund investment dollars or any other institutional investment fund into crowdfunded worker cooperatives—simply because the JOBS Act targets individual donors and frees them to make small investments in non-SEC registered businesses. Nor would union leadership be able to offer specific investment advice to their members, urging them to invest in any specific crowdfunded business, as such formal investment advice remains illegal under the JOBS act, except when done by accredited brokers, promoting SEC registered companies. But, there are several ways that unions might use the new Crowdfunding law to build on the latent support that their members might have for worker cooperatives, and to bring the efforts of unions and coops closer together. We lay out some possibilities below.
[…]Certify Unionized Crowd Fund Advisors. The National Crowdfunding Association has launched a Certified Crowdfund Advisor (Best, Nice and Jones, 2012) certification program. As described on the CCA website, The CCA certificate "identifies the holder as being an expert in crowdfunding and thus professionally able to help everyone from small business owners to investors regarding how to participate in crowdfunding" (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/here-come-the-certified-crowdfund-advisors-172244921.html). Dedicating union dollars to helping members of union locals and state labor federations achieve such certificate would facilitate the educational strategy discussed above, while providing authoritative and specialized investment education to union members interested in building up worker cooperatives.
Establish a Union-Sponsored Crowdfund Portal. Unions have been successful at mobilizing social purpose spending by their members when they have self-consciously created the "environmental conditions" to catalyze such actions (Zhullo, 208). In the field of crowdfunding, one of those environmental conditions could be to establish a union-sponsored crowdfund portal that facilitates investment in worker cooperatives that share union values of worker empowerment and broader social justice. Such crowdfunding investment portals are necessary because under the JOBS act, crowdfund investors and businesses cannot connect directly. Rather, to better insure the validity of businesses seeking crowdfunds and the knowledge level of potential investors, these two parties must connect through an independent "middleman" portal—a web-based platform that must insure that the businesses on their site meet minimum standards outlined in the law and that small investors using the portal are educated into the risks and opportunities of investing. Many of these crowdfunding platforms already exist, such as IndieGoGo, Kiva, and Kickstarter. Furthermore, many of these extant portals have a specific angle—such as portals that focus on green businesses (Green Unite), arts related businesses (New Jelly), local agricultural initiatives (Three Revolutions), innovative product designers (Christie Street) or on projects friendly to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals (FundPride). There are also several emerging portals already dedicated to cooperative financing, such as coop.org and the crowdfunding co-operative.
Along those lines, a union collaborative could come together to launch a crowdfund portal that features only worker-owned cooperatives that share union-friendly business practices and values. In providing information about businesses featured on the union crowdfunding portal, the portal could publish metrics to rate businesses on a "social purpose" scale, using such tools as the Social Return on Investment (SROI) method, as standardized by the SROI network (www.thesroinetwork.org; see also Lehner, 2013). Union members (who arguably are more willing to accept lower rates of return in favor of "social investment" goals [Quarter, et. al., 2001]) could be directed to this portal to facilitate their investments into union-friendly worker cooperatives.
Such a portal would have important legal restrictions on its communications with users. Under the law, crowdfunding portals cannot offer investment advice or recommendations, but it as of yet unclear how the SEC will interpret this principle in terms of what kinds of information portals can and cannot share with their visitors. Clearly portals cannot advise investment in any specific company, but it seems likely the SEC will allow them to act as a kind of educational clearinghouse, focusing all their offerings only on one kind of business (worker cooperatives) and sharing information such as which businesses are union organized and where businesses might be rated on the SROI scale.
n.b.Cartoons come from The Scoop Shovel, the official Organ of the
Manitoba Co-operative Dairies, Manitoba Egg and Poultry Pool, Manitoba Co-operative Livestock Producers at http://www.ecclectica.ca/issues/2007/1/photos.ecc.asp?i=0


text:
Here's the cover of the theme song that you never knew you needed.
I personally have never had a calculator that was very melodic, but this YouTube user somehow composed and remembered how to play it.
The user, "It's a Small World," played the song on four Senbonzakura AR-7778 calculators, according to CNet.
Game of Thrones Theme covered by Calculators
Hi. I decide to finish to play calculator soon. I will play two song. and then, i will finish to play calculator. Because i want to go to the next stage! You know,i want to play launchpad. I don't have PC and Launchpad now, but i am saving money to buy them!
Not sure if you call it talented, or just plain weird, but this is kind of mindblowing.
Amy Cooper is one with the force and the force is with her.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Really great hunting album! Looks like maybe a goat, wolf, and moose need to be added!
Montana, thanks. All of the Pictures in my album are Utah, that was before the winter kills we have had, there aren't many deer left where I hunt now. I killed one whitetail in Montana a few years ago, and that is the only animal I have killed outside Utah.
Junior Member
Senior Member


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Type: Square Dessert Plate
The Polish Pottery Outlet
1800 W. Oxford Avenue, Suite A
Englewood, Colorado 80110


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- Telephone:
- 07581 302182
Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI GT Hatchback 5dr Diesel Manual (126 g/km, 138 bhp) FSH, REAR PARKING SENORS
Key factsPrint summary
FULL SERVICE HISTORY SERVICED EVERY YEAR LAST SERVICED ON 17/07/2018, MOT TILL 21/05/2020 ADVISORY FREE, RECENTLY HAD NEW BRAKES, REAR PARKING SENORS, CRUISE CONTROL, 2x KEYS, EXCELLENT CONDITION THROUGH OUT, RECOMMENDED SELLER BY AUTO-TRADER READ OUR 5 STAR REVIEWS, #MUST#BE#VIEWED#TO#BE#APPRECIATED# + FINANCE AVAILABLE + EXTENDED WARRANTY AVAILABLE + HPI CLEAR + £200 DEPOSIT SECURES ANY VEHICLE + BEST PRICES PAID FOR PART EXCHANGE + NATIONWIDE DELIVERY SERVICE AVAILABLE CALL FOR A QUOTE + ALL MAJOR CARD PAYMANTS ACCEPTED + VIEWING BY APPOINTMENTS ONLY, , Blue, VISIT OUR WWW.MANORMOTORSCASTLEFORD.CO.UK, £5,395
This car comes with
Air Conditioning, Climatic Semi - Automatic Control, Cruise Control, Cruise Control, Alarm with Interior Protection, Alarm with Interior Protection, Alloy Wheels, Four 7J x 17 Porto with 225/45 R17 Tyres and Anti-Theft Wheel Bolts, Drivers and Front Passengers Whiplash-Optimised Head Restraints, Electric Rear Windows, Electric Windows, Front and Rear, Flat Tyre Indicator, Flat Tyre Indicator, Displays Loss in Tyre Pressure, Heat Insu. Rear Tinted Windows from B Pillar Back, Multifunction Computer (Highline), RCD 310 Radio/MP3 Compatible CD Player AUX-in Socket for Connection to an External Multimedia Source. MDI (Multi Device Interface) with USB and iPod Connection Cables, Rear Tinted Windows from B Pillar Back
- 201905238244291
- 2010
- 10
- £5,395
- 540
- 80,000
- Cars
- XIhRdzRQw5g=
Vehicle summary
|Body style
|Engine size
|1968 cc
|Fuel type
|Number of doors
|Number of seats
|Gearbox type
|CO2 emissions
|126 g/km
|Insurance group
|Standard manufacturer's warranty (miles)
|0 miles
|Standard manufacturer's warranty (years)
|2 years
|Standard paintwork guarantee
|3 years
Performance & economy
|Fuel consumption (urban)
|46.3 mpg
|Fuel consumption (extra urban)
|68.9 mpg
|Fuel consumption (combined)
|58.9 mpg
|0 - 60 mph
|9.3 seconds
|Top speed
|130 mph
|Engine power
|138 bhp
|Engine torque
|236.03 lbs/ft
|1513 mm
|Height inclusive of roof rails
|No details available
|4204 mm
|2578 mm
|1759 mm
|Width including mirrors
|No details available
|Fuel tank capacity
|No details available
|Minimum kerb weight
|No details available
|Interior features
|Exterior features
|Front Footwell Illumination, Reading Lights Fr. and Rear x 2
|Alloy Wheels, Four 7J x 17 Porto with 225/45 R17 Tyres and Anti-Theft Wheel Bolts
|Multifunction Computer (Highline)
|Steel Space Saver Spare Wheel
|Matt Chrome Decorative Inserts in Dash and Door Panels
|Rear Screen Wash/Wipe with Intermittent Wipe
|12V Socket in Luggage Compartment
|Body - Coloured Bumpers
|Exterior Temperature Gauge
|Electrically Heated and Adjustable Door Mirrors
|8 Speakers
|Leather Trimmed Gear Knob and Handbrake Grip
|Upholstery - Alcantara Seat Centre Section and Microfibre Side Bolsters
|Front Seats with Lumbar Adjustment
|Heated Rear Windscreen
|Rear Tinted Windows from B Pillar Back
|Front Centre Armrest with Storage Compartment and Two Rear Air Vents
|Front Centre Armrest
|Cruise Control
|Electric Windows, Front and Rear
|Cup Holder, Front x 2 and Rear x 1
|Heat Insu. Rear Tinted Windows from B Pillar Back
|Multifunction Steering Wheel
|Split Folding Rear Seats, 60:40
|Carpet Mats
|Front Seats with Height Adjustment
|Smoking Pack
|RCD 310 Radio/MP3 Compatible CD Player AUX-in Socket for Connection to an External Multimedia Source. MDI (Multi Device Interface) with USB and iPod Connection Cables
|Leather Trimmed Three - Spoke Steering Wheel
|Height and Reach Adjustable Steering Wheel
|Electric Rear Windows
|Front Sport Seats
|Carpet Mats, Front and Rear
|Air Conditioning, Climatic Semi - Automatic Control
|Drivers Airbag
|Drivers and Front Passengers Whiplash-Optimised Head Restraints
|Front Seat Side Impact Airbags and Curtain Airbag System for Front and Rear Passengers
|Head Restraints - Front Height Adjustable, 3x Rear
|Isofix Preparation (for 2 Rear Child Seats)
|Power-Assisted Steering, Speed-Sensitive
|Front Fog Lights with Static Cornering Function
|EDL (Electronic Differential Lock)
|Alarm with Interior Protection
|Front Passengers Airbag with Deactivation Switch
|Remote Central Locking with 2 Remote Folding Keys
|Flat Tyre Indicator
|ABS (Anti - Lock Braking System) with HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist) and CBA (Comfort Brake Assist)
|ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme)
|Electronic Engine Immobiliser
|Flat Tyre Indicator, Displays Loss in Tyre Pressure
|ASR (Traction Control)
|Centre Rear Seat Belt
|Front Fog Lights
|High Level 3rd Brake Light
|Drivers Knee Airbag
|Height-Adjustable Front Three-Point Seat Belts with Tensioners
Please note
This includes MPG figures which are calculated under European Standards, in test conditions, and will vary under normal driving conditions. The information displayed above describes the typical specification of the most recent model of this vehicle. It is not the exact specification for the actual vehicle being offered for sale which may vary. Specifications for older models may also vary. Please contact us prior to purchase to confirm the exact specification of this vehicle.
Manor Motors
Based on 76 customer reviews
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From 2011.igem.org
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Revision as of 18:17, 12 August 2011
partner offer: Life Technologies
Life Technologies has joined the iGEM 2011 competition as a sponsor! They are also offering a discount program for relevant products to all registered iGEM teams. To see more details on how to take advantage of the Life Technologies offer, see the Life Technologies sponsor page.
judging announcements
The iGEM Judging Committee has some important news!
Be sure to check the Judging announcements as there are a few requirements and guidelines that differ from previous years.
regional jamboree registration deadline
The deadline for Regional Jamboree registration is only four weeks away!
Visit the Jamboree Attendance Fee page for instructions on how to register for your Regional Jamboree.
Remember, the deadline for registration is September 2!
community page update
The iGEM Community page is growing! Check out what's happening in the community and what your fellow iGEMers are up to. See what these teams are sharing:
If you want to add something to the community page, send us an email. We'll add your details to the list.
bbc documentary
The BBC is working on a documentary about synthetic biology and would like to feature an iGEM team in the film. For more details including contact information see the BBC Documentary page.
regional jamboree registration is OPEN
Registration for the Regional Jamborees is now open!
See the Jamboree Attendance Fee page for instructions on how to register for your Regional Jamboree.
Be sure to register by the September 2 deadline!
2011 community page
Check out the iGEM 2011 Community page where you can see what fellow iGEM teams are up to. If you want to add something to this page, send us an email. We'll add your details to the list.
deadline: projects & safety: july 15
Take a break from the lab to make sure you're ready for the upcoming deadlines: preliminary project descriptions and safety proposals are due on July 15. See the project description page and the safety proposal page for more details.
wiki requirements
We've been taking a look at the iGEM wikis and we're happy to see how much effort has gone into them. As you continue to work on your wikis make sure that they comply with the iGEM 2011 wiki requirements.
partner offer: the MathWorks
The MathWorks, makers of MATLAB and other computing software, have once again joined as an iGEM sponsoring partner. They will provide iGEM teams with MathWorks software to use during the competition. To see more details on how to take advantage of the MathWorks offer, see the MathWorks sponsor page.
community & communication
Announcing the iGEM forum system & the new iGEM videos series!
iGEM HQ has put a lot of work into creating custom forum software that will enable the iGEM community to ask questions, keep in touch, share ideas, and more. The system is a combined comment/forum system so you can comment on any page and your comments will be linked directly to the forum, or you could just post topics in the forum. Either way you use it, check it out and let us know what you think. For more information, see the Forum Help page.
Wondering where to test out this new forum system? Leave a comment on a video on the new iGEM videos page. In order to communicate out more iGEM HQ has made, and will continue to make, a series of videos -- informational, instructional, at-the-bench, and others. There is even a collection of community videos. Want to learn something new? Share your team's video? Learn about iGEM? See the Videos page.
Note that both the iGEM forum system and the iGEM videos page can be reached from both 2011.igem.org and igem.org.
deadline: projects & safety: july 15
Preliminary project descriptions and safety proposals are due on July 15.
See the project description page and the safety proposal page for more details.
apply for visas now!
In previous iGEM Jamborees, there were several teams that were not able to attend due to visa problems. In order to avoid a similar problem this year, we are asking that all teams apply for visas by June 30 at the latest. If you plan to attend a Regional Jamboree and require a visa, apply as soon as possible! The wait time for visas is typically 3 months, but it can be longer.


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I use putty+pageant on Windows to be able to access the svn server by using ssh. I have my private key that works.
I'm now trying to use the same key on a Ubuntu VM.
I used the .p12 key in Firefox and it works well.
The problem is I can't use svn. I tried to follow the istructions that I found in several places on internet but it did not work.
The problem is that I don't know whether I did everything correctly.
I'm using a .p12 file format for the private key.
I renamed the key as
identity and I copied it in the .ssh folder for my account. I also changed the /etc/ssh/ssh_config file uncommenting the line:
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/identity
I used the command:
svn co svn+ssh://myusername@path_to_rep
The result is still
svn: Network connection closed unexpectedly
I removed the -q option in the [tunnel] section of the subversion config file and now this is what I can see:
Agent admitted failure to sign using the key.
Agent admitted failure to sign using the key.
Agent admitted failure to sign using the key.
Permission denied (publickey).
svn: Network connection closed unexpectedly


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Curated by HONOLULU Magazine's fashion editors, StyleList brings you first looks at new boutiques, fun shopping roundups, outfit inspo, handy styling tips for your home, office and self, and the scoop on fresh releases from local and national designers.
Brie Thalmann
Managing Fashion Editor
Writer and stylist Brie Thalmann has logged more than a decade in the local fashion industry. A pompom and high-waist-jean addict, when she's not making giant origami or spray painting tropical leaves for photo shoots, she's out hunting for ceramics and crafting it up. Her closet staples: artsy prints and easy-going silhouettes.
Stacey Makiya
Senior Fashion Editor
Stacey Makiya was meant for fashion ever since putting on a shiny velour jumpsuit at age 4. She's interviewed fashion's top dawgs including Tory Burch and Diane von Furstenberg, styled more features than the ridiculous number of shoes she owns, and has learned more than she could've imagined from the local creatives she's worked with.
Marisa Heung
Contributing Editor
A compulsive project-starter, Marisa Heung's apartment is usually cluttered with yarn, jewelry-making supplies, paints and various half-completed ideas. For her, fashion boils down to two questions: "Will I still wear it in six months?" and "Is it comfortable enough to sleep in?" She is often seen wandering Downtown sporting an aloha shirt, skinny jeans and sneakers.
Natalie Schack
Contributing Writer
Natalie Schack is a design-loving, hiking-obsessed freelance writer born in the Island's central plains, currently living in the city. When she isn't scouting new fashion or crafting puns, she spends her free time daydreaming, yoga-ing, and dusting off her pith helmet for the next adventure life throws her way.


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Become a citizen of Quahog with new "Family Guyzer" app
Always wanted to have Peter Griffin's voluptuous form? Stewie's diminutive outline? Now you can. "Family Guy" fans everywhere can give themselves the full Quahog treatment with the new "Family Guyzer" application, which converts users' digital photos into their own freakin' sweet "Family Guy" characters. All you have to do is upload a picture, choose which Griffin family member you want to be most like, answer a couple of questions about your appearance and click the button.
Once you're been "Family Guyzed," you can then share your unique character on Facebook and even play as your 3-D avatar in Fox's free-to-play, browser-based "Family Guy Online" MMO launching this spring. Granted, we didn't have very much luck getting the application to work at first, but that's because we tried using a photo from our webcam as opposed to one taken with, you know, an actual camera.
Check out the trailer for the app below and then visit the official site to give it a whirl.
Related Posts
You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for content updates. Also, sign up for our email list for weekly updates and check us out on Google+ as well.
Posted in: Entertainment, Humor, Television
Tags: Family Guy, Family Guy yourself, Family Guyzer application


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Organic India's Ashwagandha (Organic) Powder 16 oz, Dietary Supplement
Ashwagandha is a natural source of energy and vitality. Being called "Indian Ginseng" or "Women's Ginseng", Ashwagandha supports the body to increase successfullness in adaptation to stress, including mental, physical, emotional and environmental. Ashwagandha supports building of stamina. Ashwagandha soothes the systems and supports restful sleep.
Suggested Use : 1/2 tsp with warm water (or raw, organic milk) 2 times a day, AM & PM with raw, organic sugar alternative or as directed by your health care practitioner.
Supplement Facts : Serving Size 1/2 t, Servings per container 354. Organic Ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera) 1280mg. Dietary Supplement.
Do not use if pregnant or nursing without consulting a physician.
Safe for vegans and vegetarians. Gluten Free.
Persons taking medications and those with known medical conditions should consult their physician before using this or any dietary supplement.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Copyright © 2019 Natural Zing's Raw Food StorePowered by osCommerce


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Sales Have Ended
Sales Have Ended
Enjoy the ultimate beach club experience as we combine the elements of entertainment, dining, music, fashion, film and art into one. Sample our creative globally inspired cuisine, refreshing signature cocktails and world-class music & entertainment while enjoying the magical view of the Mediterranean Sea.
Hours of operation: 11am - 8pm (April 26 to September 30).
- Beach 11am
- Bar 11am
- Swimming Pool 11am
- Restaurant/Lunch 12pm - 7pm
+34 971 338 403


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The day after the International Olympic Committee cut wrestling from the Summer Olympics beginning with the 2020 Games, IOC president Jacques Rogge said he expected the backlash.
"We knew it would lead to criticism from followers of that particular sport," Rogge said Wednesday. He said he would meet with Raphael Martinetti, the head of the international wrestling federation, known by the French acronym FILA, "at the first opportunity" to discuss the sport's future.
"They vowed to adapt the sport and to fight to be eventually included in 2020," Rogge said.
FUTURE: Wrestling faces fight for reinstatement
Wrestling, which was part of the first modern Olympics, has a chance to be included in the 2020 Games, but that is unlikely, according to several people familiar with the IOC's processes and politics. It will now compete against seven other sports vying for an Olympic spot: baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu.
Rogge said the vote is not an "elimination from the Olympic Games" since the decision still must be ratified by the full IOC in September. Though that is expected. Wrestling will still be a part of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Rogge said he would tell young wrestlers devastated by the news that "your federation is working towards the inclusion in the 2020 Games."
When asked about wrestling's chances for readmission, Rogge said, "I cannot look into a crystal ball on what the future will be. But I can tell you we have established a fair process."
Several IOC executive board members who voted have positions in sports administration, raising concerns about conflict of interest. Modern pentathlon was expected to be cut, but a strong lobbying by board member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., an executive with the modern pentathlon federation, helped save the sport from elimination.
"The rules of conflict of interest are very clearly applied," Rogge said. He said it's important for members to have a background in sports, adding that knowledge allows members to make decisions that are sound and intelligent.


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BBC News
- Tory leadership race: Rivals in BBC debate clash over Brexit deadline
- Woman, 83, in hospital after William and Kate convoy crash
- Scottish alcohol sales drop as minimum price kicks in
- Oxford University accepts £150m from US private equity boss
- Women not aware enough of breast cancer link to alcohol
- Dundee University researchers start work on male pill
- The 'monsoon' rain hitting UK business
- Rising levels of poverty in working families
- Cambridge college apology after autistic boy 'removed' from chapel
- Islamic fatwa approves organ donation after Bristol man's efforts
- MoJ denies sex offender research 'cover-up'
- Boris Johnson's bus doodle for Midlands cancer charity
- Why are Nike trainers washing up on beaches?
- Tory leadership race: Five key moments from debate
- Yesterday: Inside Danny Boyle's world without The Beatles
- Rites of Passage, Portraits of Prom
- When is a sausage not a sausage?
- What would you ask the Conservative leadership candidates?
- London stabbing: 'He was my amazing brother'
- Inside Heathrow's high-tech baggage system
- Lenny Kravitz jams with nine-year-old drummer
- Danniella Westbrook: Drug-free EastEnders star 'to train as therapist'
- Newspaper headlines: 'Boris and Rory show' in TV debate
- Tory leadership race: Your views on leadership candidates' debate
- Tory leadership: Rivals clash over Irish border Brexit plans
- Wales Council of the Blind: 'Meaningless' sight test hits claims
- Ruth Davidson: 'Deliver Brexit, but not at expense of UK'
- London Underground: 'A stranger tried to kill me'
Below we are listing a number of UK job websites that have full-time and part-time job opportunities available in the PORTSKERRA area.
Fish4 Jobs
JobSeekers (Direct.Gov.uk)
http://api.indeed.com/ads/apisearch?publisher=4773927896266615&q=&l=KW14 7YP&sort=&radius=5&st=&jt=&start=&limit=10&fromage=&filter=&latlong=1&co=gb&chnl=AVUK&userip=18.104.22.168&useragent=CCBot/2.0 (https://commoncrawl.org/faq/)&v=2
Jobs at IndeedWarning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in D:\Webvirtual\ANYWeb\www\Wordpress\wp-content\plugins\shortcode-exec-php\shortcode-exec-php-class.php(895) : eval()'d code on line 9
Looking for more jobs...
jobs by


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Tour of Flanders 2013
March 31, 2013, Belgium , Road - WorldTour
Latest from Tour of Flanders 2013
New Flanders course welcomed by Cancellara, Nuyens and Museeuw
No finishing circuit for 2014 Tour of Flanders
Tour of Flanders
The second of cycling's five monuments got a significant make-over in the 2012 Tour of Flanders. Organisers caused much controversy when they removed the fabled Muur van Geraardsbergen from the parcours, choosing a finishing circuit around Oudenaarde instead.
The bad feelings were wiped away when the triple including the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg proved to be a fitting challenge, and the home favourite Tom Boonen emerged victorious for a historic third time.
This year Boonen isn't the favourite with Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack) the biggest contenders.
2012 Tour of Flanders | 2011 Tour of Flanders | Previous winners | Provisional start list | Spring Classics 2013


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DALLAS, TX: The Bass family of Dallas has endorsed the move of the Museum of the American Railroad to Frisco Texas, along with a $20,000.00 gift toward construction of new facilities. Alice W. Bass provided a $10,000.00 contribution which was matched by the Richard D. Bass Foundation. "With this significant addition to the Museum's funding endeavor, the visibility of the collections and exhibits will be greatly enhanced, and the educational programming will be available to more North Texans and others throughout the country," said the Museum's Capital Campaign Co-Chair, Ellen H. Rogers.
The Bass funds will be applied toward the construction of 3,300 feet of track at the new Frisco location that will accommodate the Museum's 40-piece rolling stock collection upon arrival. The Museum is very grateful to the Bass family for their endorsement and support of the project.
The Museum of the American Railroad is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit Texas Corporation created in 1962 to preserve the nation's railway heritage and explore new technologies and developments in the rail industry through educational programming and exhibits.


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Many of us would love to think our private information is safe when a company has it. Many things such as health insurance insist on all types of private information and we just give it to them, but how safe is it?
Data Breech Security Myths
In this video, a security expert goes through many ways that a company can have a security breech. It is not always hackers, it may be a devious employee or just someone who is uniformed of safety protocol.
Heck, some employees may have no idea that when they walk away from their computer that they have left the door open to millions of people confidential information.
You really need to watch this video, so you know how venerable your info really is.


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Royal Scot Regency Cut – Crystal Perfume Atomiser (Cream)
The Regency Cut Collection by Royal Scot offer both conical and rounded beautiful perfume atomisers which are intended to compliment and bring your dressing table to life. Available in gold, cream and black, there is a style for everyone making a perfect gift for someone you love. Royal Scot Crystal is known and admired for it's exquisitely hand made and skilfully hand cut crystal and has a reputation for producing the very finest British hand cut crystal tableware and giftware.


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Your source for safety data sheets, detail drawings, certifications and more.
Learning centre
Consult our installation guidelines and instruction videos or boost your skills with our Building Products University program.
PIN login
Submit your realized Firestone projects to participate in the Firestone Contractor Recognition program.
Are you an architect?
Find out what Firestone Building Products can do for you.


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Wednesday, October 10th 2018, 9:19am
Wednesday, October 10th 2018, 10:06am
Wednesday, October 10th 2018, 3:14pm
Thursday, October 11th 2018, 1:57pm
You did not mention a pump controller. They still aren't standard equipment on every well. Systems in the past had to exactly match the output of well and pump, without any controller or other aids, so that the pump would not cycle on and off. That's where the original PGP series worked better than anything else, because of the range of nozzle sizes......... and the controller can handle anything from 2GPM up....
Thursday, October 11th 2018, 3:29pm
Thursday, October 11th 2018, 6:00pm
Friday, October 12th 2018, 2:10am
This post has been edited 6 times, last edit by "top_gun_de" (Oct 12th 2018, 3:27am)
Friday, October 12th 2018, 6:52am


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Used 2018 FordFocus S Sedan
- Stock: 8343
- Odometer
- 2,261 miles
- Fuel Economy
- 26.0/38.0 mpg City/Hwy
- Exterior Color
- Shadow Black
- Interior Color
- Charcoal Black
- Body
- Sedan
- Transmission
- 6-Speed PowerShift Automatic Transmission
- Drivetrain
- Engine
- 2.0L Ti-VCT GDI I-4 Engine
Ford Focus
Detailed Specifications
KBB.com Consumer Reviews
- 5.0
Best vehicle Ive ever owned!
By Sam on Wednesday, January 24, 2018If youre looking for a super efficient and reliable car, youve found it! Ive had this car for almost a year. I keep up on all general maintenance and its never given me a single problem. I have all-season tires on it and its still a champ in the snow too! I love the bluetooth capabilities, great gas mileage, great interior and exterior, great vehicle! Would buy again in a heartbeat.
- 5.0
Fantastic value. Little workhorse
By Stig on Tuesday, November 28, 2017Fantastic vehicle. Smooth ride on highway. Comfortable seats. Trunk/Hatch had enough room. Sync feature works well. No huge problems at all. Gas mileage is averaging 34mpg. I drive a lot of HWY but mostly at 75-80mph. If you do 65mph you get 37mpg or so. Driving dynamics have been good. Obviously not a sports car but pick up is fine for a 2.0l 4 cyl auto. The handling is crisp and its easy to avoid sudden items on the road without losing control. I have put on 125k in 5 years and the car has performed flawlessly. Just took it on a 1250 mile trip and back (total 2800 or so in 10 days) and it effortlessly drove at sustained speeds of 80+mph, higher at times. Absolutely a great value for money.
- 4.0
2014 Ford Focus SE Hatchback
By Travis on Friday, August 04, 2017This vehicle has been pretty trouble free. Other than the transmission issues, which have been resolved and have not experienced any other issues for the past year. It is holding up pretty well, although I dont beat on my vehicles too hard. Pretty good MPG (average 32 MPG combined/38+ Highway).
New Arrivals
2018 Ford Focus SE Hatchback I…
- $13,988
- Hatchback
- Blue Exterior
- 2.0L I4 16V GDI DOHC Flexible Fuel Engine
2016 Ford F-150 Crew Cab Truck…
- $38,988
- Crew Cab Truck
- Black Exterior
- 3.5L V6 24V GDI DOHC Twin Turbo Engine
2018 Ford Transit-250 130 WB L…
- $25,988
- Cargo Van
- White Exterior
- 3.7L V6 24V MPFI DOHC Engine
2018 Ford Transit-250 130 WB L…
- $25,988
- Cargo Van
- White Exterior
- 3.7L V6 24V MPFI DOHC Engine


text:
I've been on a Becca kick lately and just totally fell in love with the imagery from the latest collection, Fallen Angel.
Heavenly looking, light-dappled skin casts an eternal spell, while dramatically dark eyes dance with wonder and mystery. Cheeks are tinged with desire in a soft tawny peach as honeyed lips tempt and allure.
Gorge! I bought two of the palettes, Enigma (eye) and Fallen Angel (lip). I for one prefer the palettes like this, in the squarer shape because it's easier to carry round. I also like the powder products being separate from the cream ones.
You get three full sized products per palette. The eyeshadow palette is called Enigma and has two mattes and a (light) shimmer shadow. I am into mattes but I know a lot of people aren't – seriously these mattes are lovely, so flattering on the eye…
You get:
•Eye Colour Powder Demi Matt – Armure (soft fawn)
•Eye Colour Powder Demi Matt – Silesia (dark smoke)
•Eye Colour Powder Shimmer – Surah (mauve/mushroom)
I guess it looks like a bit of an odd palette – where's the highlighter?! But it just totally works, I don't know why, it's smoky but subtle at the same time maybe because it's a taupe-slate shade with a touch of warmth. It's not as obvious as a straight out black or silver.
The palette which I HAD to have was this Fallen Angel one as I love cream products. This contains a lip gloss, a cheek and lip cream and a highlighter – pretty useful. Also the colours are warm peachy shades. You get:
•Highlighter – Narcissus (opalescent peach)
•Lip & Cheek Crème – Nectar (tawny peach)
•Nude Lip Gloss– Sunrise (sheer peach)
This will be perfect for the spring/summer and I just think it's useful having these three products together. The gloss is quite sheer, so probably the weakest product in there, but it's hand to have something that gives nude glossy lips I guess since it will go with any eye.
These palettes have been around for a while, if you want to get your hands on them be quick! I personally love the Fallen Angel one the most, but the Enigma palette is also great if you want to do smokey eyes but with a twist.


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I've made simple 2D games in the past using mostly just squares. If an object collided with another object (all squares/rectangles) it would just change the slope to the opposite based on what side it hit.
If the object was moving at a slope of
1/1 and it hit the right wall, it would just change the slope to
1/-1. A similar example is demonstrated in this image:
Problem is, now I want to work with circles:
Specifically, I want circles bouncing off of circles. I can determine collisions between the two easily. Problem is, a circle theoretically has an infinite number of sides. Knowing only the slope of the object colliding (assume the second circle is static and wont react to the collision), how can I figure out the new slope of the circle?


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Agreed; fire heart the better item now since it's more beneficial at lower levels. Still might purchase a battlemage ring at higher levels, but it's not doing nearly enough in the early-game to be worthwhile as a preparation.
I've actually put the Vampiric Blade back in my locker. I'd booted it out earlier since it absolutely sucks for higher-level characters, but with many of the better options now gone it's making a comeback for me. Combine it with the shield (-2 damage) and you're able to absorb 7 points of punishment as a 1st level character. Great combo with poison, healing, or resistances, but becomes horribly insignificant after you've gained a few levels. Too bad it doesn't combo with the Earthmother, otherwise I could literally see tanking level 5's and 6's as a level 2 character... uh, I'm gunna go play a Paladin with a vampiric blade and go scum for Earthmother now, I SO wanna do this.


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My girlfriend at the time's parents gave me Snoova as a present. I looked at smiled and said thank you. I got home and gave it to my brother, he wasn't too happy to get it either
I agree, I can't wait to see those Wookiees on screen, and to build a nice army. Hopefully Hasbro has the same thing in mind, and we see all sorts of wooks on the pegs next year.
Man, I can't believe you guys are rlpping on Snoova. You will all change your tone when you realize that the secret EU character in EP3 is indeed going to be the badass himself...SNOOVA!!! We will all soon learn what Snoova was up to before his bounty hunting ways. Rumor has it that he helps lead the wookies into battle at Kashyyyk against the Seperatist army. All the world will know of Snoova when he jumps out and yells (in his Wookie speak of course) SNOOVA-DOOVA-DO and swings his battle axe weapon at the poor battle droids heads. Lopping them off with ease. This wookie need not rip droids arms out their sockets. Oh no sir. With a mighty hell of SNOOVA-DOOVA-DO and a swing of the battle axe you will KNOW. Oh yes, we will all know the great power that is SNOOVA!
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On fedora 16 I've installed yakuake, and when I hit F12 ( default keybind ) the terminal retracts, but on hitting F12 again it won't deploy down. Does anyone have a thought as to why F12 isn't being processed properly?
One weird effect that I've seen is that when I hit F12 with a konsole open a tilde is generated on the command line. I've looked at the keybindings for kde & for konsole and nothing is bound to F12.


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that works best for you.
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This process is easier than hosting a rummage sale at home and I am a shopper as well so the amount of items to search through is fabulous.
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So, it's that time of year again that the major festival season draws to a close, and while sister site Reading is viewed as the (slightly) more mature of the two, Leeds has often been renowned for bowing out in a blaze of glory...literally. Bearing all that in mind, it's worth mentioning at this point that this year's event passed without any (as yet) notable incident, and despite rumours flying around of punters being struck by tabletops on their way back from the Arctic Monkeys set on Friday and the odd allegedly "accidental" stabbing on Sunday, the atmosphere at this year's event was more akin to a teenage slumber party while the parents were away than any spontaneous riot. Despite the best efforts of the "bottle police" and the majority of the Security team (Colin: 933 - this one's for you) to employ heavy handed tactics at unnecessary times, it's probably fair to say this was one of the most enjoyable Leeds festivals for many a year, even if the wind and rain also conspired at regular junctures to dampen spirits.
This year's line-up also raised a few eyebrows, most notably with the inclusion of Thom Yorke and co. as Saturday's exclusive headliners sandwiched inbetween the more radio friendly fare of the aforementioned Monkeys and Kings Of Leon, who it has to be said, really do know how to put the bland in....bland. As seems to be the case these days, the Hollyoaks cast were out in full force as was a certain Peaches Geldof on Sunday night, while the rumourmill was also in silly season overdrive - Jeremy Kyle, Cilla Black and Lily Allen among the celebs we were told had met a premature demise - and although the main talking point was the have they/haven't they split debate concerning Oasis, by approximately 23:05 Saturday night, only one word was on the lips of many aghast punter here. Radiohead...
Despite the radically different circumstances, it would be fair to say that, similar to the Manic Street Preachers with The Holy Bible, most Radiohead fans fall into either the post or pre Kid A categories, yours truly favouring the latter. However, having witnessed Thom Yorke's sensational performance at Latitude last month, this Radiohead cynic's appetite had already been whetted somewhat, and even though the majority of tonight's set is culled from the aforementioned Kid A and its successors Hail To The Thief and In Rainbows, it would be terse to call their performance this evening anything short of being a revelation. The opening '15 Step' may have been cautious - by their standards at least - but by the time 'Airbag' kicks proceedings into full swing we're left in little doubt that the next 85 minutes are going to be among the most special those present can count themselves fortunate enough to have witnessed so far this year. Sure, there will always be groans when it comes to a Radiohead setlist; long-time fan favourites such as 'Creep', 'Street Spirit', 'Karma Police' and 'No Surprises' may be conspicuous by their absence here at Leeds, but such are the focused dynamics of all five band members that everything they do play is simply unmissable. 'A Wolf At The Door' and 'The Gloaming', both uneasy listening on record to these ears at least take on another level here while new song 'These Are My Twisted Words', saved for the encore, suggests album number eight may be their best yet this side of the millennium at least. Playful as ever, Yorke introduces 'Just' by way of the opening bars to The B-52s 'Rock Lobster'. At this point people standing around me are in tears, but only ones of joy. Truly phenomenal.
Dinosaur Pile-Up
Leeds trio Dinosaur Pile-Up may have had the unenviable task of opening up the NME stage while most punters are still arriving onsite, but by the time 'Traynor' cascades the tent into a giant bulging, shaking overcoat, there's little doubt that this performance should herald the start of something quite magnificent here. Sure, the reference points are still in place - think early nineties grotrock such as Therapy? and Midway Still infused with a dose of Bleach era Nirvana and even pre-fame Soul Asylum and you're onto a winner. Or at least Dinosaur Pile-Up are, and only a tinnitus sufferer would surely bet against their elevation to a much bigger stage next year.
A Place To Bury Strangers
As possibly the loudest band on this year's bill, the fact that the sound in the Festival Republic tent had been sub-standard every day so far caused a few pre-match nerves both on and off stage for sure. Thankfully, it takes little more than one rip-roaring verse of 'It's Nothing' to convince those of us who've made the effort to watch A Place To Bury Strangers that the next half hour will be business as usual, and some. 'Dead Beat' and 'Keep Slipping Away' both prove incendiary tasters for forthcoming long player Exploding Head, the former's surf influenced hook'n'riff combination and the latter's industrial overtones both engulfed in Oliver Ackermann's penchant for excessive noise, aka total sonic annihilation. By the time 'Ocean' rings out the end of the set, people are physically unable to move, such is the level and ferocity of the sound emanating from the speakers. Perfect in every way then, except for the fact they disappointingly drew one of the smallest crowds we witness all weekend.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Having possibly the most iconic frontwoman of her generation in their ranks has undoubtedly helped elevate the Yeah Yeah Yeahs from being seen as nothing more than scene drifters riding The Strokes coat tails a few years back to being one of the most genuinely innovative outfits of the decade. While most of the attention may be focused on Karen O - and with such a dazzling array of head and body wear on offer for the next forty-five minutes why wouldn't it be? - it's sometimes easy to underestimate the talents of Brian Chase and in particular Nick Zinner in the process. It's also at times like this when one realises just what an outstanding and eclectic back catalogue they possess, old numbers such as 'Rich' standing tall alongside the more electronically based newcomers like 'Heads Will Roll' in admirable fashion. The now familiar acoustic performance of 'Maps' is simply heart stopping, while a typically frantic 'Date With The Night' complete with obligatory stage trashing at the end puts the seal on another fantastic performance.
The good thing about going to festivals with what seems like too many stages for its own good is that there's always something worth checking out somewhere, and thanks to a friend who insists we go and watch MSTRKRFT (who've sadly already finished), we stumble across this bag of delights instead. What we get however is a beat-laden mix of hardcore electro mixed with the occasional dubstep overtone that quite simply evokes memories of Jarvis Cocker's field in Hampshire where many a braincell expired. Proplus (or at least that's what it said on the packaging) is passed around with gleeful abandon and shapes are thrown in due course. As a precursor to the immeasurable climax that is Radiohead, Vitalic prove to be the most sonically natural high one could possibly wish for.
The Horrors
Schedule clashes at festivals, don't you just hate them? So do we, and whoever decided to allow the second half of The Horrors set in the NME tent to overlap with that of A Place To Bury Strangers elsewhere deserves to be paid a swift visit after hours. Nevertheless, the thirty minutes we do observe is among the weekend's highlights and evidently cements the notion that The Horrors work best as a live act in the darkened confines of a poky little room, canvas wrapped or otherwise. 'Three Decades' is as immense here as it is on Primary Colours, while 'Do You Remember?' and 'New Ice Age' sound like two worlds colliding in mid air before crashing down all around us. They even throw in an increasingly rare version of 'Count In Fives', which due to their newly honed sound, finds itself slowed down and beefed up with reverb and effects to the point where it could quite easily have fitted on the new record. Just as the show seems to be reaching its peak, we have to leave but do so safe in the knowledge that their Field Day set was just a minor blip. Roll on December and ATP...
The Big Pink
Although still relatively new to most ears outside of London, The Big Pink have already earned themselves a reputation for being rather hit and miss live, and tonight's performance on the admittedly heavily criticised Festival Republic stage does little to alter such an opinion. The hard-hitting beats and heavily distorted guitars that guide 'Too Young To Love' and 'Dominos' through the murky waters of a poor standard of sound quality come unstuck on a rather pedestrian 'Love In Vain' while at the mid-point of the set there seems to be confusion between band members what the next song in the set is meant to be, culminating in a lengthy discussion between frontman/guitarist Robbie Furze and drummer Akiko Matsuura. Eventually parity is restored thanks to a rousing 'Crystal Visions' and 'Count Backwards From Ten', but anyone here on the off chance or enticed by the hype surrounding them won't be fully converted just yet.
Vampire Weekend
Say what you like about Vampire Weekend but there really isn't any better way to celebrate a first victory in ages over your nearest rivals in the sun at a music festival. In fact, we'll even forgive Ezra Koenig fluffing the odd line here and there (thankfully not during 'A Punk') as their particular brand of feel-good, global college rock has a unifying element that sees friendships formed between complete strangers and Facebook snaps aplenty. They also play two new songs, 'White Sky' and 'Cousins' that while neither re-inventing the wheel or suggesting a radical departure cum album number two, also doesn't see their knack of writing insatiable hooks married to catchy choruses subsiding for the foreseeable future either.
Currently unsigned they may be, but one suspects that that could change imminently for Frontiers if they continue the rapid progress they've made so effortlessly over the past few months. With a mid-afternoon slot on the handily placed BBC Introducing Stage, its quite a daunting task for the Nottingham four-piece going head-to-head with more established acts like Metronomy and The View, yet the way the crowd has swelled by the end of second song 'New Eden' tells its own story. Nevertheless, it's the closing double whammy of 'Alibi' and 'In Pursuit' that really set pulses racing, bassist Jake Austin's floor pummeling rhythms coupled with Charlie Burley's dazzling guitar work providing the undoubted catalyst in each case. Although it's still early days in their career, the future is surely theirs for the taking.
Bear Hands
Being prompt and on the ball as we are, Thursday night's low-key festivities courtesy of highly feted Leeds label Dance To The Radio are fast becoming the stuff of legend, and this year proved to be no exception. Although most of the plaudits will go to Wild Beasts, and rightly so thanks to another faultless performance, it's Brooklyn's Bear Hands that really catch the eye, mixing lo-fi polemics with arthouse noise and a disturbingly hyperactive frontman that reminds us of HEALTH, Girls and Gang Of Four in equal measure, which makes them worth twenty minutes of anyone's time.
Arctic Monkeys
And so, onto the Arctic Monkeys and the set that didn't just divide opinion here on Friday night, but literally forced each into two corners with a referee (me) having to take charge in the middle. Let's put the arguments forward as to why this was a pretty special performance for starters. While most of their contemporaries find themselves stuck in a rut or crawling by the wayside, Sheffield's finest at least possess the audacity to push themselves with every record, and this transcended itself quite dramatically here, where instead of filling their timeslot with the most obvious cuts, opted to play the new album pretty much in its entirety and only four songs from Whatever People Say I Am..., the record that set the ball rolling in the first place (and which, 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' aside, all sounded so out of place amongst their newer and wiser brethren). 'My Propeller', 'Pretty Visitors' and 'Cornerstone' all sound huge in comparison, almost as if purpose built for events like this, and while criticisms still remain regarding a lack of any real interaction between band and audience, well, it's hardly been a staple ingredient of an Arctic Monkeys show anyway has it. Of course the arguments against centered around the choice of songs aired this evening will probably haunt them until next summer's circuit kicks into life again, but even then the most savage of such detractors have to admit this was a brave decision to go with an obscure Nick Cave cover rather than 'A Certain Romance' for example. An understated triumph then, that in time the naysayers will look back on as a defining moment in the band's career, mark my words.
Photos by Gary Wolstenholme