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We the People vs. Wall Street
We started planning an issue on corporate power last summer. At the time, many were coming to see that solutions to nearly every concern—from climate change to mass foreclosures, from the health care crisis to joblessness—are stymied by the outsized power of corporations. But what could ordinary people do when faced with gigantic corporations and government officials who all too often act at their behest?
Then Occupy Wall Street erupted, and everything changed. The movement named the issue with a clarity that resonated with millions: The 1% are laying claim to the wealth of our world while impoverishing everyone else. The 1% are treating our government as a wholly owned subsidiary. And they're defrauding investors, draining retirement funds, evading taxes, and driving people from their homes with impunity. While thousands of occupiers are arrested for peacefully assembling and millions of people of color are channeled into the criminal justice system, Wall Street executives responsible for the 2008 crash have yet to be prosecuted for their crimes.
The Occupy movement makes the issue clear and shows that the 99% are prepared to take a stand. But what can be done?
Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement
Get the new book from the staff of YES!
Is it possible to take on the power of Wall Street and the 1%? If so, how do we do it? A majority of people in the United States agree that corporations have too much power. But we live in a world where corporate lobbyists dominate Congress and our president appoints his top economic advisors straight from Wall Street.
The spring issue of YES! will look for the practical ways to resist corporate power. We'll look at successes in keeping corporations from controlling our elections, our media, and our health care system, and at strategies to reverse the legal fiction of "corporate personhood." And we'll explore how we can have a "rule of law" that applies to big corporations and Wall Street firms, just like it applies to the rest of us.
Here's where you come in. The Occupy movement has created a new renaissance in the evolution of powerful nonviolent direct action. What are your favorite tactics?
Perhaps it's the Cleveland group that occupied the yard of a single mother who was about to be evicted. Or maybe it's pitching a tent in the lobby of a Bank of America branch, or singing through an eviction hearing, creating enough disruption that the hearing and the foreclosure were postponed.
Email your stories to outreach[at]yesmagazine.org
Please send us your stories of the tactics you've used or that you've witnessed. Upload your videos on YouTube and email us the link, along with a brief description about what happened. Or email photos (just a few, please!) and a description—or just your story—to outreach[at]yesmagazine.org. And finally, share this article with others who speaking up, acting out, or simply supporting the work of the 99% from the sidelines.
We'd like to post your ideas on our website, and some of them could become part of next issue of YES!
Introducing the movement that's shifting our vision of what kind of world is possible—from the new book,
The Story of Citizens United v FEC: How we the people can reclaim our democracy.
For more than a decade, a groundbreaking Clean Elections law has helped protect Maine politics from the influence of big money. But what's happening now that big spenders have free rein to influence elections—and what does it mean for the rest of the country?


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Basic Annual Costs 2011-12
All costs are subject to change without notice; these fees are payable in U.S. currency.
Tuition and fees
Health insurance
The rate listed for room is based on double occupancy in one of the campus residence halls; rates vary with the type of facility. The College has limited single, suite, and apartment accommodations at higher rates. Triple occupancy rooms are also available at a lower rate.
Additional Costs
Additional costs are involved in the following areas:
School of Business
The School of Business does not require laboratory fees.
However, all business students are required to purchase a laptop
equipped with Microsoft Office. Owning their own laptop allows
students to make the most of their educational experience, enabling
them to develop proficiency in using the same type of technology
most often employed in the business community. For more information
about the School of Business laptop requirement, see "Laptop
Program" on the school's website.
Laptop Program
Roy H. Park School of Communications
The Park School does not require laboratory fees. However, the increasingly convergent nature of the communications discipline requires that all students have consistent access to a basic set of multimedia tools. All entering students are required to acquire a laptop computer for use in their classroom and production work. Specifications about the required make and model will be provided to students upon admission to the Park School. Students enrolled in certain courses may be required to supply their own equipment or materials, including computer data storage media. In cinema and photography, students are expected to furnish their own light meters and their own cameras for all still photography courses. In addition, students must purchase materials such as photographic film and paper, motion picture film, and mounting board. Because of the large number of production courses, film, photography, and visual arts B.F.A. majors will incur additional costs for materials.
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With the exception of two majors (exercise science and sport studies), the curriculum of each of the programs in the school requires between one and five field-based experiences. Any related field experience expenses (housing, transportation, uniforms, etc.) are borne by the students. Students work closely with the fieldwork coordinator within their department to identify and secure placement at a facility that aligns with the profession they plan to pursue. In some instances, students will be able to complete field experiences locally during the regular semester while taking classes. However, many students choose to complete their field experiences outside of the regular semester. Tuition costs for summer and winter intersession coursework are calculated based on the number of credits the student registers for and the prevailing summer session rate.
Students who are majoring in an allied health field are required to be covered by the Ithaca College professional liability insurance policy. Students will be billed by policy year (September 1 to August 30) for coverage under this policy during the semester(s) they are registered for any type of field experience (the fee is approximately $20). In addition, certain courses (as indicated in the course descriptions) may also require students to be covered under this policy. Further information regarding insurance coverage is located within the policies and procedures section for each department.
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School of Music
Performance study fee: All fees for private lessons are paid in addition to regular tuition.
Music majors and minors (undergraduate, full-time, and part-time): No fees are charged for required lessons that are part of the degree program. For lessons not part of the degree program, the fee is $580. Such lessons consist of one-half hour of contact time per week per semester.
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Tuition for full-time students is based on a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 18 credits per semester. Students taking fewer than 12 credits will be charged $1,175 per credit. Those who exceed 18 credits per semester will be charged $1,175 for each additional credit. Undergraduate students who take graduate credits will be assessed at the undergraduate rate per credit unless they are within the 12-18 credits covered by full-time tuition.
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Full-time students who officially withdraw, take a leave of absence, or are dismissed from Ithaca College are charged a percentage of total tuition depending on the number of weeks attended. Weeks are counted from the first day of classes in each semester. No refunds are granted until the student completes the College's official withdrawal or leave of absence procedure. See below for the complete refund policy. Any federal aid recipient who takes a leave of absence or withdraws within the ninth week should be aware that a return of federal aid may be required even though full tuition, room, and board charges will be incurred.
Students who change from full-time to part-time status must do so by the end of the first week of classes in order to receive a refund. No refunds are made to part-time students after the end of the first week of classes. Application forms for part-time status are available from the registrar.
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Based on a 15-week semester, the following refund percentages are applied to the appropriate charges:
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2nd week
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Students who attend programs recognized by the College as affiliated study-abroad programs are subject to the following refund policy:
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- A student who withdraws after the start of the program will be subject to the Ithaca College refund policies outlined above.
Any recipients of Title IV financial aid (i.e., federal aid
through subsidized or unsubsidized Direct loans; PLUS or Perkins
loans; ACG, Pell, SEOG, or SMART grants; or work-study) or
institutional, state, or private grants or scholarships should
refer to the "Title IV Refund Procedure" section.
Title IV Refund Procedure
All students residing in College housing facilities, with the exception of those in apartments with cooking facilities, must participate in the College residential meal plan. Upon official withdrawal or dismissal, a refund is given on board charges in accordance with the schedule above. Student teachers may make arrangements for a proportional reduction in charges to cover the periods they will be off campus.
Health Center Expenses
The Ithaca College health center will administer or coordinate care for all illnesses or injuries that may occur to matriculated Ithaca College students. The College charges for some services at the health center, such as X-rays, laboratory tests, medications, and special treatments.
Student Injury and Sickness Insurance Plan
Injury and sickness insurance is available to all matriculated students taking a minimum of 6 credit hours. The health and accident policy is specifically designed to complement Ithaca College's health center services. Copies of the insurance brochure are sent to every student each year. Contact the health center for answers to your questions. Coverage is mandatory except with a waiver giving written proof of other insurance coverage, which must be submitted online each year by the date listed in the semester billing information.
Personal Property
The College does not carry insurance on students' personal belongings or student-registered motor vehicles and is not responsible for loss or damage from any cause. Students are advised to check their family's homeowner's insurance and motor vehicle insurance policies. If the policies do not cover belongings at college, the student may wish to secure optional personal property insurance offered to all matriculating students. A brochure detailing coverages and costs is mailed to students every year. Students may leave their possessions in their rooms over vacations during the regular academic year but not over the summer months.
Special Fees and Deposits
Advance Deposits for Continuing Students
Students who wish to register in advance for the ensuing fall semester must pay an advance deposit of $400 by March 15. Failure to pay the deposit by this deadline will prevent a student from registering in advance for classes for the next semester and from participating in the residence hall lottery. This deposit is credited in full to the student's bill for the fall semester. The deposit is refundable in full to students who are not academically qualified to continue and to those who officially withdraw by June 15. Any student withdrawing after that date will not receive a refund.
Other Common Undergraduate Charges
Application fee (nonrefundable) -- $60
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Accounts not paid in full on or before August 10 for the fall semester and January 10 for the spring semester will be assessed a late payment fee each month that a balance remains outstanding.
Parking permit
• for cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc. (per year) -- $500(freshmen)
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The cost of books and supplies varies greatly, depending on specific course requirements and whether new or used texts are purchased. The average cost is $670 per semester.
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4. All bills are payable in United States currency.
5. All federal Direct and PLUS student loan checks payable to the student and the College must be deposited to the student's account. Credit balances resulting from this deposit will be refunded to the student. The student may leave the credit in his or her account for the following semester instead of obtaining a refund by filing a written request with the Office of Student Financial Services.

subset: commoncrawl


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Topic: A suggestion/request to the BFFC mods.
Just a polite suggestion but could you PLEASE either remove the "submit your photo" bit from the Fans costume gallery or actually start to update it!! I have tried for nearly 2 YEARS to try and have my pic posted in this area ( and have heard from at least 2 others whom have tried) and despite several emails promising that it would soon be updated ( replies normally taking a minimum of six months and repeated emails) nothing has changed since I first started visiting the site 3 years ago.
If you deem that my costume is not up to scratch then at least have the decency to email me back and say so.
I can understand that you guys are busy but this is getting tedious.


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Back in 1984, futurist Alvin Toffler was a keynote speaker at the IAFP (forerunner of the FPA) national convention in Anaheim, Calif. At that time, the IAFP owned Financial Planning magazine, where I had been recently hired as a senior editor. For reasons I don't think I ever knew, I was assigned the privilege of keeping Toffler (author of the seminal book "Future Shock," and subsequently, "The Third Wave," "Power Shift" and "Revolutionary Wealth") company backstage for an hour or so before he was scheduled to speak.
He was a brilliant and charming man, and it was one of the most fascinating hours I've ever spent, but I've always remembered what he told me about being a futurist: "Nobody can see the future," he said. "But it's important to realize that we all live in the past. For some of us, it can be days or months, and as we get older, it often becomes years or even decades. A futurist's job is to understand what's going on as close to the present as possible, which gives him or her insights that most people don't have."
I was recently reminded of Alvin Toffler's thoughts about the present as I was reading through Mark Hurley's new white paper, "The Brave New World of Wealth Management." It's Hurley's third white paper on the future of the independent advisory industry. The first paper was written in 1999 when he was CEO of Undiscovered Managers Funds; the second came out in 2005 after UMF was acquired by JP Morgan. Now he's released a new future-looking study as CEO of Fiduciary Network, a private banking enterprise he founded in 2007 that provides liquidity to transition independent advisory firms to their junior partners.
That makes this paper truly different: A former Goldman Sachs investment banker, Hurley's first two papers were written as appraisals of the independent advisory industry from an outside investment professional's perspective. He provided some interesting and valuable insights, but his conclusions and predictions were often skewed by a lack of understanding of the dynamics of the independent advisory business. After five years of evaluating hundreds of independent firms—and investing in 12 of the largest firms—Hurley has moved way up the learning curve, becoming one of the preeminent experts on the workings of the advisory business. While his perspective is still a bit skewed toward firms with more than $1 billion in client AUM, the insights in "The Brave New World" on the challenges facing the advisory industry today and the keys to successful selling and buying of advisory firms should be required reading for all independent advisors.
As you might expect, Hurley's 84-page tome contains far too many useful nuggets for me to even summarize them all here. (Note to Mark: This probably would have worked better as two or even three separate white papers.) The analysis of the current independent advisory industry is both revealing and sets the stage for the present situation: Currently, there are roughly 19,000 independent fee-only firms. Hurley divides them into three groups: 200 "evolving businesses" that are "sustainable in the long run and have meaningful enterprise value," which seems to mean more than $1 billion in client AUM; nearly 18,000 firms called "books of business" (which appear to have under $2 million or so in annual revenue) and that he describes as "jobs rather than businesses"; and 1,000 to 1,200 "tweeners" that have "greater scale and profitability than 'books of businesses' [but have not] evolved beyond a founder-centric model."
Helpful as this breakdown is, Hurley's bias toward larger firms (which is clearly evident even in these brief descriptions) is understandable given that Fiduciary Network is only interested in financing firms near the top of this pyramid. Still, that perspective does lead to some skewing of his assessment of the independent industry. For instance, in the same section, the paper states that the 200 evolving businesses represent the "majority" of the industry's $5 trillion in client assets under management. Simple arithmetic reveals that half of those assets spread over 200 firms would average $12.5 billion in AUM each. Yet, the paper states elsewhere that "today, more than 100 firms manage more than $1 billion of client assets," suggesting the aggregate of the top 200 firms is quite a bit lower than $2.5 trillion.
The section on the traits of successful buyers and sellers of advisory firms, on the other hand, is excellent, and is a must-read for advisors who are even thinking about transitioning their firm or acquiring one. Hurley provides 10 tasks for each side of a transaction, which clearly have been composed by someone with both substantial expertise and considerable hands-on experience with these transactions. For sellers these include: "Do not go to market until they are mentally prepared to sell their businesses"; "Recognize that buyers invariably underpay for rapid assumption of risk and overpay for certainty"; and "Accept that they are selling their firm to, and not merging with, the buyer." For buyers: "Understand that all potential acquisitions are very-low-probability events"; "Recognize that success in transactions is ultimately based more on psychology than finance"; and "Focus on ensuring a continuity of client experience."
With all that said, the best part of "The Brave New World" is the discussion of why the present is truly different for independent advisors and how that will affect the industry in the future: "An unprecedented bull market, a sudden spike in demand for independent financial advice, and limited competition for clients allowed even average wealth management firms to enjoy two decades of financial success," he wrote. "However, the macro factors are about to change—in a fundamental way. [...] The tailwinds enjoyed during the industry's infancy aren't simply gone; wealth management firms are now flying into stiff headwinds."
Hurley cites seven current macro factors that he believes "will reshape the industry over the next decade." Some seem better-founded than others, while a few, such as increasing operating costs, greater regulatory scrutiny and higher risks of litigation, are pretty common knowledge. Taken together, it's a comprehensive list of the things advisory firm owners should be at least thinking about today. Here are three of the most interesting:
Advisors' client bases are aging and shifting to consumption. Yes, this is a well-known problem, but Hurley's detailed analysis of its effects when combined with lower returns on lowerrisk assets and the end of the 20-year bull market on advisory firms is the best I've seen: "The combination of higher average gross capital consumption and lower nominal rates of return on [lower -risk] investments results in clients consuming much more of their capital over time on a net basis. Consequently, their assets gradually decline over time. [At the same time] wealth managers are effectively capped in the number of new clients that they can service at once. Thus, [many firms] will not be able to accept a sufficient number of new clients to offset the aging of its client base."
Fewer millionaire households. "The supply of millionaire households (the core prospective clients of wealth managers) declined sharply with the 2008-2009 financial correction and, to date, has not recovered to pre-correction levels." This seems to be a more questionable concern. Hurley cites that in 2007, we reached an all-time high of 9.2 million households with $1 million or more in investable assets. In 2008, that figure dropped to 6.7 million. Today, it's up to 8.6 million. That's off by 6.5% from the high, but it's also a 28.3% recovery from the '08 low. To my mind, that's a pretty positive trend. What's more, back in 1999 there were only 7.1 million millionaires—so we're up 21.1% from Hurley's golden age of independent advice. Seems to me, by this metric anyway, that things are looking up, not down, for independents.
Founders are getting old. Mark's belief that the smaller "books of business" firms are too small to be acquisition targets for the largest firms is undoubtedly right. Yet, he seems to have overlooked two other factors. First, they aren't too small to be acquisition targets for other smaller firms or for those firms in the "tweener" category who also want to grow. What's more, the term "book of business firm" is itself a misnomer. In the old days, when commissions were the sole source of revenue, it would have been accurate, but with today's RIAs that are AUM fee-only, those assets do have value to other firms and to their junior advisors. While time is running out for baby boom advisors to create succession plans to transfer their ownership before they retire, we are currently witnessing an entire industry positioning itself for succession or for sale.
Simply put, "The Brave New World of Wealth Management" is Mark Hurley's best research paper, by far. It's far more authoritative than his past efforts, and consequently, his analysis of the present state of the industry is much more useful for independent advisors, regardless of firm size. While his bias toward the largest of firms is understandable, it's also unfortunate: The paper would be even more useful for many more advisors were Hurley to turn his insights and knowledge toward furthering the industry's evolution into business models that enable smaller firms to grow into larger firms.


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October 11, Vatican City: 1962, 2012
I apologize for not being an active blogger since last July, but what better time to start up again than today, the fiftieth anniversary of the Solemn Opening of the Second Vatican Council? Through the generosity of my bishop and my university, I am here in Rome as I write this reflection. I am here primarily to attend meetings related to our new St. Lawrence Institute here in Rome; a marvelous coincidence of events put us here for this grand celebration surrounding Vatican II and the initiation of a Year of Faith for the New Evangelization.
It will take many years, probably the rest of my life, to reflect fully on this day. This is but a poor initial attempt.
First, a word about the cassock I am wearing in this photograph, for those who might be interested/curious/upset/confused/angry/offended! The communication with the Holy See about those of us who were to assist with the liturgy was, to say the least, confusing. One day we'd get an e-mail that said to bring no special attire or vestments at all. Then the next day, we would be told to bring cassocks (sottani), and then the next day, we were to bring albs only. And around it went. So, finally, I brought a cassock and an alb. Tonight, I was still in it from earlier. More about THAT in a moment as well. And for those who still are confused: what I'm wearing is CLERICAL attire, not simply PRIESTLY attire. Since deacons are clergy, it's OK. Not something I want to do every day, but somehow it seemed to fit here and at this celebration.
This morning's papal Mass was exciting of course. We were told to be at the altar at 8:00 AM for a final rehearsal. I was part of a team of 12 deacons who were going to distribute communion to the cardinal/bishop concelebrants. There were dozens of other priests and deacons who distributed communion to the non-concelebrating priests and bishops and deacons and the faithful. The rehearsal went well and we were taken to a special sacristy where the 12 of us were to vest along with all the Cardinals. The bishop-concelebrants vested in another sacristy. Why they put us with the Cardinals is a Vatican mystery. I spoke briefly to Cardinal Rigali before vesting. I didn't see Cardinal Dolan until later. Then, personal disappointment struck. It seems that the only dalmatics they had for the 12 of us were very, VERY short ones. So short, in fact, that when I put mine on, it looked like a surplice, not a dalmatic. The Franciscan priest who is the head Sacristan scurried around trying to find something else, but in that style there was nothing, so two of us tall guys had to drop out of the group. I was given a good seat among the bishops and priests just to the side of the papal altar, however, so I was able to see what was going on. I would have loved to assist, of course, but that was a personal disappointment that in the grand scheme of things just doesn't matter.
Some general observations, and these are just mine. I haven't read or seen any press accounts yet so I don't know what else has been said. First, during the whole run-up to this event, the correspondence has focused on this Mass as the beginning of the Year of Faith for the New Evangelization. Almost no mention whatsoever was made about this being the golden anniverary of Vatican II. As an Italian friend put it, "Many here don't really want to focus on the Council." Yesterday, before our first rehearsal, I spoke with some of the pilgrims who had come, and it was clear how much work remains to be done. One lady asked me, as she entered St. Peter's Basilica, what all the preparations were for. I explained that the pope was going to have a big celebration today, "Oh," she said, "does the pope say Mass in this church?" Still another pilgrim asked what the big Mass was going to be for, I responded that it was to commemorate the beginning of Vatican II. "What's that?", he asked, and then laughing at his own wit, he continued, "so there was a Vatican I sometime, huh?" For these folks, the Basilica was simply an interesting sight to see on vacation without any particular connection to their daily lives. And certainly, Vatican II had no more meaning for them than any other distant event of history.
Today, however, the Pope, in his homily, spoke warmly of the Council, as did Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew. Another connection to the Council came at the end of the Mass. First, a bit of history. On December 8, 1965, at the solemn closing of the Council, a series of "Messages" were given from the Council Fathers to various groups of people: to statesmen and politicians, to artists, to young people, to medical professionals, to workers, and so on. At that time, these messages were given by various Council Fathers, and they were presented in French. All of this was to communicate that the messages were coming from all of the Council Fathers and that they were intended for wide distribution; French at that time was considered the language of international communication and diplomacy, a kind of "universal" language. At today's Mass, the Pope invited up representatives from each of these same groups and presented a souvenir copy of the original messages. Curiously, I thought, however, the souvenir copy was printed only in Latin and in Italian, not in the original French. I admit that I was somewhat disappointed by this, since it seems to miss the "universal" intent of the messages themselves. Still, it was a nice nod to the Council.
However, there was another aspect of the Mass which I found even more disconcerting. On the upper platform were hundreds of bishops and Cardinals, priests and deacons; two choirs, multiple Masters of Ceremonies: all of the pomp and ceremony one could expect at a papal Mass. About halfway through the Mass, however, I turned to look at the rest of St. Peter's Square and I was struck by the fact that there seemed to be almost no one there. Using the famous obelisk as a reference point, it was clear that the crowd in the Square didn't even come close to extending that far. The impression from where I was sitting was that, essentially, the Square was empty. Given the fact that this was the occasion being used to inaugurate a Year of Faith dedicated to the New Evangelization, the relative emptiness of the Square seemed to emphasize both the lack of "connectedness" the average person has for the institutional dimensions of Church today. Obviously it also highlighted the need for the Church to find more powerful ways to reach out and to connect with the everyday lives of people. That was the whole point of the Council fifty years ago, and it remains as vital a mission today!
After Mass, my two friends and I agreed upon where we would meet later in the day for supper and planning for our meetings the next day. So, for supper (cena) we met at a little place a few hundred years from St. Peter's. We then decided to walk over to the Square and see what was going on. What was going on was remarkable. But first, some more history.
Fifty years ago, one the opening night of the Council, thousands upon thousands of people came to St. Peter's Square to pray for the success of the Council. I'm attaching a link here so you can watch it. It was a stunning sight, to say the least! If you look at the video closely, you will see that the crowd not only fills the entire Square: it looks like it reaches back to the Tiber! And then, the best bit: Pope John XXIII comes to his window and addresses the crowd. He speaks of the moon looking down on this wonderful spectacle, so his remarks are sometimes referred to as the "Discourse to the Moon" ("discorso della Luna") or similar titles. At the end, he tells everyone to go home and to embrace their children, and to tell the children that this embrace is from the Pope. For people who were there, this event was one of the most significant of their lives.
Now, fifty years later, my friends and I walked into the Square and it was full of people, many carrying candles, singing songs and praying. It wasn't nearly as large as that original crowd fifty years ago, but it was still a stunning sight. As "empty" as the Square had seemed that morning was contrasted vividly by how full it was tonight. HERE and NOW the Church was connecting with people. Sure enough, the light in the papal apartment was lit, and at 9:00 PM Rome time, Pope Benedict appeared at the window. He recalled Pope John's famous remarks, and the crowd roared its appreciation of that memory.
Leaving the Square tonight, I was left with a feeling that this desire for connectedness is the heart of what we seek in our understanding of communio and evangelization. The whole point of Vatican II was to serve as an act of evangelization, and Pope Paul VI himself referred to the Council as "the great Catechism of our day." The "New Evangelization" is not really so new; it is, and remains, the perpetual mission of the Church since Pentecost: to offer Christ to a world in pain in the Spirit of God who loves, sustains and provides for us.
For now, I've rambled long enough. More soon.


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It goes without saying that "customers are good" for business. Without them, your business… errrr… wouldn't be. But all customers were NOT created equal.
Knowing your target buyer's CLV helps you grow your base of the "right customers" – which in turn helps you decide how much money you are willing to spend in order to keep those customers coming back for more.


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The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) this week released its February flash report on unit retail sales of tractors and self-propelled combines.
Download the chart from AEM (PDF).
Sales of 2- and 4-wd tractors and self-propelled combines this year are tracking higher than the five-year average of sales for these products, according to the chart.
A total of 310 self-propelled combines were sold in February 2012, while in the same month this year, 533 combines were sold, making February 2013 sales 72 percent higher than February 2012 units sold.
Year-to-date for 2013, a total of 1,071 self-propelled combines have been sold, with beginning inventory levels of 1,111 units on dealer lots.
Read about new combine models for 2013
Unit sales of 2-wd farm tractors Year-to-Date 2013 showed an increase from Year-to-Date 2-wd farm tractors in 2012 of 16 percent.
Four-wheel-drive tractors posted Year-to-Date unit sales of 1,097, whereas the 2012 number was 734, making the increase in total sales 49.5% for the first two months of 2012 compared to the first two months of 2013.
For more information contact AEM @ www.aem.org.
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Fachbereich Mathematik, Technische Hochschule Darmstadt,
Schlossgartenstrasse 7, D-64289 Darmstadt, Germany
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Abstract: A Lie group $G$ is called exponential if its exponential function is surjective. This article contains a characterization of real analytic splittable groups and real semisimple Lie groups with surjective exponential function. It is shown that they are exponential if and only if for each nilpotent element $x$ of the Lie algebra $ L(G)$ the centralizer $Z_G(x)=\{g\in G| Ad(g)(x)=x\}$ is weakly exponential, {i.e.,} has dense exponential image.
Keywords: exponential function; splittable groups; semisimple Lie groups
Classification (MSC91): 22E46
Full text of the article:


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Lotus Elise CR driven
* Stripped out version of Lotus roadster * 24kg lighter than the standard car * £600 cheaper, too...
What is it?
The CR (short for Club Racer) is a new stripped out, lighter and cheaper version of Lotus's roadster.
The back-to-basics reworking has meant Lotus doing away with the central locking, the radio and even the roof. The battery has also been swapped for a smaller one, and what little sound deadening there was has been ripped out.
Even the Elise badge has been traded for decals to save a few extra grams.
All this reduces weight by 24kg about the same as a bag of cement. Not a huge amount, but we're talking about a car that weighed just 876kg to start with, so the CR is actually 3% lighter than the standard Elise.
What's it like the drive? Utterly sensational. The Elise CR is built to be one thing: brilliant to drive, and it fulfils that brief better than just about any other modern sports car.
The margins are small over the standard Elise, but the CR is rawer and more involving. The steering is just as brilliant as ever, giving you astonishing levels of feedback, and the Elise flows beautifully along a typical British B-road. The ride isn't as harsh as you might expect, either.
If we're being picky the 1.6-litre engine could do with more than 134bhp the Elise's phenomenal chassis can handle much more but the CR is rapid enough to get to 62mph in six seconds. You just need to work it incredibly hard to get the best from it.
What's it like to live with?
That depends what demands you place on it. The Elise has always sacrificed comfort for fun, but the new CR version is even more compromised.
It doesn't even have a roof, for example, and the seats are just plastic buckets with wafer thin padding stuck on where it's needed most. That's fine for a half an hour on your favourite B-road, but any longer than that and you might notice you backside going numb.
Nor does the CR have air-conditioning, although it does have electric front windows Lotus says swapping them for manual winders wouldn't have saved any weight.
Safety kit isn't the Elise's strong suite, either, although it does have a driver and passenger airbag and stability control.
Will it break the bank?
The new CR is the cheapest way into a new Elise it costs £600 less than the standard car but £27,500 is still very pricey considering how basic the car is. Any savings are wiped out by the £595 Lotus will charge if you opt for a roof.
The reason is that Lotuses aren't built by the hundreds of thousands. In fact, only 30,000 have been made since the very first generation of the Elise started production back in 1996, so there just aren't the economies of scale that there are with, say, the Mazda MX-5.
The upside is that the Elise holds its value better than just most. The Elise's low weight also makes it one of the most frugal sports cars. Officially it averages 45mpg the same as a 1.4-litre VW Golf and emits just 149g/km.
In reality, this lighter CR version is marginally more efficient than the standard car, but because Lotus hasn't re-submitted the car for the official EU tests (doing so would have cost the company a lot of cash) the official figures don't reflect this.
Should I buy one?
If your number one priority is driving pleasure and you don't give two hoots about creature comforts, then the Elise should absolutely be on your shortlist. We'd stick with the standard car rather than the CR, though. It's just as much fun, but is more comfortable and much better equipped.
If you're considering an Elise as anything other than an occasional car, though, make sure you're fully aware of the compromises. For the same money you could, for instance, have a much better equipped Audi TT Roadster. Or you could save yourself £10,000 and have almost as much fun in a Mazda MX-5.
What Car says


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Daddy issues aren't at the center of a "How I Met Your Mother" spinoff so much as a need for a love story repository.
News recently spread that Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, co-creators of the soon-to-be-departed CBS comedy, along with Emily Spivey ("Up All Night, "SNL"), would be producing a CBS pilot "How I Met Your Dad." As the title suggests, the narrative would focus on a female character's journey to find love and will center around a whole new set of characters unrelated to its predecessor.
Bays and Thomas admit that part of the idea for the offshoot may be that it allows them to have a place to plant those "HIMYM"-type ideas now that the nine-season comedy is set to end its run in April.
"Maybe subconsciously, in agreeing to try to continue this story, that was part of it," Bays said during a celebration of "HIMYM's" 200th episode on the comedy's set in Century City. "It's nice to know there's a place where love stories can keep being told and we will be able to have a place for it."
Thomas emphasized that the spinoff is "very much its own beast," but added "there is some comfort in knowing that if you have some great idea for another dating story, or breakup story, there is a new place to tell a new version of it."
PHOTOS: Behind the scenes of movies and TV
That is, if CBS picks it up. Until then, the duo are focused on how they'll meet fans' expectations with the series finale of the show that Nina Tassler, on set to toast the show, credited with making CBS cool with young adults.
"We always had a plan of how we wanted to end the series," Thomas said. "And we're going to do it that way and hope that people like it. Some might like it more than others, but we believe it's the right ending to the story."
Here's a bit of what fans can expect in the episodes leading up to then:
--The milestone 200th episode, which will air Jan. 27, will feature a lot of her. So fans who have been wondering why the long-anticipated reveal, made at the end of last season, has taken a backseat, get ready to be rewarded.
"You are going to be so sick of her by the end of this episode," Thomas joked. "The 200th episode, she is the star of it. It's from her perspective ... anyone who wants more of her will love this episode. And past the episode, there will be quite a bit more of her, too. We wanted to find the right balance where it's still special when she appears. We like the idea of the audience tuning in not knowing if they're going to get her."
--And, hey, what about getting a name for mommy dearest (played by Cristin Milioti)? "You'll get a name ... before we're done. I won't say when and where," Thomas said. Bays added that they picked the name a while ago.
--The upcoming, much-talked-about rhyming episode will be almost entirely in flashback.
--An upcoming episode will be set largely in China. "That's real," Thomas. "It's an episode mostly in flashback, and mostly set in China. That will make sense once you see it." Time machine, structural jumpiness coming up that I think people will enjoy.
--Robin will be the last to meet the titular mother. And there's a significance to that. "We'll say it happens late in the season and there's definite significance." Thomas said. "It's a very important moment when they run into each other.
Q&A;: Bill Cosby still has a story to tell
'Mob City' was an offer TNT couldn't refuse
'Doctor Who': The Doctor spans space, time and the world
PHOTOS: Real places, fake characters: TV's bars and eateries
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Violence in TV shows


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Eli's Cheesecake Festival @ Eli's Cheesecake World
Eli's Cheesecake Factory is hosting the 11th annual cheesecake festival this weekend. You can sample Chicago's very own Eli's cheesecakes while watching others bury their noses in cheesecakes (to win the cheesecake eating contest), or listen to a multitude of music bands, or wow at 100-plus classic cars, or steal an idea or two from the demonstrating area chefs. It seems Eli's got every entertainment
imaginable covered for the fest, including ones for kids as well. Free, 9-5 on Saturday, 11-5 on Sunday at 6701 W. Forest Preserve Dr., Chicago


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Roadworkers in Church Street, Ashover, c.1900-1910
Mounted albumen print by J.J. Shipman of Ashover
Image © and courtesy of John Bradley
Like Alan Burnett's theme suggestion showing a photograph of a bridge under construction - albeit this one is two or three decades earlier - the composition is full of both detail and activity. I've seen plenty of old photographs of steam traction engines and rollers, mostly stationary and often with groups of people arrayed around and on top of them. This one, while probably not actually rolling, since a young lady is clearly posing dangerously close to the flywheel, is in the process of getting up a head of steam, judging by the smoking billowing from the chimney.
I don't know much about steam rollers, but a cursory search of images on the net suggests that this one, with it's rearing horse logo and "Invicta" motto, is an Aveling Porter model R10 (possibly Works No. 2321) from the 1890s or early 1900s. Very similar models shown here suggest that this one came out of the factory some time between 1884 and 1889.
Is the man in the straw boater the works supervisor, I wonder? He certainly looks as if he thinks he's in charge, but perhaps he's merely an interested ratepayer, making sure his local taxes are being well spent.
In addition to the steam roller and the covered van being towed behind it, there are quite a number of horse-drawn vehicles - I count at least five, possibly six - including what must be a water cart. I think I can see a pump on the top, and a large diameter hose looped at the side.
The sign above the doorway reads, "J. SHEPPARD .... DEALER &c.," the text on the middle line being indecipherable. Joseph Sheppard is shown as a shopkeeper in Ashover in 1891, 1895 and 1899 editions of Kelly's trade directory, and is described as a green grocer in Church Street in the 1901 Census.
The cart behind the covered van appears to have a large milk churn on the back.
Some writing is visible on side of the cart's tray, but is not easy to decipher. All I can make out for sure is "...WELL ..." The only suitable names listed in Kelly's 1899 trade directory are those of Thomas Fretwell, farmer of Shootersley (which the One-inch Ordnance Survey map shows as Shooterslea Farm, some 4 km to the north-west of Ashover village) and John Fretwell, farmer of Alton (2 km to the north-east).
Ashover and surrounding area, OS One-inch Map, 1947
Image © Ordnance Survey
Is this man a Chelsea pensioner, I wonder? It seems like a military style cap, but I'm not familiar enough with the uniforms of the Chelsea Pensioners through the ages to know for sure.
View up Church Street towards All Saints church, Ashover, 2010
© and courtesy of Google Earth
The view up Church Street towards the characteristic 39 metre high spire of All Saints Church hasn't changed a great deal in the century or so since Shipman took the photograph, although the standard red telephone box is new and, although there are plenty of cars, there is little evidence of pedestrian activity in either of these shots!
View down Church Street from All Saints churchyard, Ashover, 2010
© Andrew Hill and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
In this modern view looking the other way down Church street, the churchyard gate, the stone gate post surmounted by a large ball, and even the corner of a gravestone, are all pretty much the same as they were in the background of Shipman's view (detail below).
Also just visible is part of the early 16th Century arched window at the western end of the south aisle. It's a relief to see that, while much around us - at least in the man-made part of the landscape - is sadly bereft of any reminders of the environment which our forebears knew (I am reminded of this photograph recently posted by Alan Burnett), some places are still very well preserved.
It's harder to date men's clothing than women's, and women are not very well represented in this photograph. However, I've enlarged the portions of the image showing the four women that I've been able to find. I believe their white blouses with collars, and in one case a tie, long pleated skirts reaching to within a few inches of the ground, and part of fragment of a wide brimmed, flattish hat (just showing to the right and behind the van), suggest a date of soon after the turn of the century, perhaps between 1900 and 1908.
My index to Derbyshire photographers has a rather inadequate entry for J.J. Shipman of Ashover. Although directory extracts quoted suggest that he was operating in the 1910s and 1920s, this clearly needs some elaboration. The 1899 edition of Kelly's trade directory describes Joseph James Shipman as a chemist, and it appears that this was his primary occupation. Ashover has never been a large village, and the market for photography must have been fairly limited. This may also explain why not many images by Shipman have yet surfaced.
J.J. Shipman and his bees, Ashover, c.1910-1920s
Image © and courtesy of John Bradley
Joseph James Shipman was born at Pentrich in 1853, son of an iron works pattern maker Abraham Shipman (1829-1913) and his wife Harriet Sarah Swindell (c1824-1899). As a teenager Joseph became a pupil teacher, but then went on to train as a chemist and druggist, opening a shop in Clowne by 1881. His parents, in the mean time, had started farming at Far Hill just north of Ashover. By 1891, Joseph was again living with his parents at Far Hill, and was operating a chemist and druggist shop in Ashover village. Kelly's directory for that year describes him as practising the additonal trades of "seedsman & aerated water manufacturer."
J.J. Shipman's chemist shop, Ashover, c. early 1900s
Image courtesy of John Bradley
It's not clear exactly when he started taking photographs commercially, but Bulmer's directory for 1895 lists him as a "chemist & photographer." His photographic listings continue intermittently until at least the late 1920s. Adamson (1997) merely lists the date range 1912-13, without any source data. He was also secretary to the Ashover House hydropathic establishment for some years, and an enthusiastic beekeeper. He never married, living for most of his life with his unmarried sister Ellen Maria, and died almost two years after her in January 1931, aged 76.
Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, 1891
Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, 1895
Bulmer's History of Derbyshire, 1895
Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, 1899
Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, 1912
Midland Counties of England Trades' Directory 1926-27
1841-1901 Census Images from Ancestry.co.uk
Ashover, a resource for genealogists, by Rob Marriott & Davina Bradley
Ashover, From: Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland, pub. London (May, 1891) - pp. 30-31, on The Andrews Pages by Ann Andrews
Ashover, All Saints' Parish Church, 1908, on the Andrews Pages by Ann Andrews
GRO Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes from FreeBMD
International Genealogical Index (IGI) from FamilySearch
One-inch Map of England & Wales: Buxton and Matlock (Sheet 111), 1947, Ordnance Survey
Adamson, Keith I.P. (1997) Professional Photographers in Derbyshire 1843 - 1914, Royal Photographic Society, Supplement to The PhotoHistorian, No. 118, September 1997, ISSN 0957-0209.
Salter, Mike (1998) The Old Parish Curches of Derbyshire, Malvern, Worcestershire: Folly Publicatons, ISBN 1 871731 33 X


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VERGENNES — One hundred-forty-four respondents to a Vergennes recreation survey showed strong support overall for parks and recreation, picked music and "overall wellness" as their top priorities for programming, and backed creating a part-time recreation director position.
The Vergennes City Council plans to use the survey and feedback at upcoming public meetings to help it decide how to spend recreation funds, and how much to spend, when it sits down to create the city's next annual budget.
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MIDDLEBURY — People looking for homes in and around Middlebury overwhelmingly prefer single-family residences, and many believe there is not a good inventory of their favorite type of housing in Addison County's shire town.
Those were some of the findings of a recent housing survey by Middlebury Planning Commission of area homebuyers and employees of some of the county's largest businesses. The commission plans to use the results to help guide future planning efforts relating to neighborhoods and residential development.
MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury Planning Commission will be circulating two new surveys to better discern, and help solve, the obstacles that young families are finding as they look for housing in the community.
At issue are two, seven-question surveys drafted by the commission's housing subcommittee. One of the surveys will be distributed to people who have purchased homes in Middlebury within the past year and a half, according to Town Planner Eric Blair.
MIDDLEBURY — The Porter Medical Center (PMC) board is looking forward to getting countywide feedback on its services through a new survey that will be offered electronically to many hundreds of local health care consumers and workers during the coming weeks.
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What I carrried on a little feild trip today.
Left to right,
Benchmade 755MPR - Titanium framelock,G10 scales and M390 steel blade. Its a little bruiser that really fills your hand
ESEE Izula - Needs no Introduction Im guessing.
SRM GA763 - Nice little $10 Chinese folder with G10 scales, axis lock and a neat bottle opener function when closed (sounds familiar!)
I only usually carry a small fixed blade (Izula or H.E.S.T) and one folder of some description. It wasnt until I was several miles into my hike I realised I had the SRM in my back pocket (Its very light).


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The league's new approach to stuff brought into a stadium becomes problematic in places where fans still place their butts on metal bleachers. Apparently, the league is willing to soften (pun not intended but what the hell I'll take it) the rules, a bit.
As unveiled last week, the new "bag" rule prohibits seat cushions, since explosive devices in theory can be hidden inside them. According to FOX 11, the Packers say that "some seat backs and foam pads" will be permitted.
In a video posted at the team's official website, director of security Doug Collins explains that the difference arises from the presence of pockets and zippers that "could house an illegal device that we do not want coming through the gates."
The clarification apparently applies to every NFL stadium, but it's relevant only in those venues where bleachers remain in place.
That's yet another reason to get rid of bleachers.


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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A deal to loan Mark Martin to Joe Gibbs Racing as a replacement driver for injured Denny Hamlin fell apart Friday, when Michael Waltrip Racing said Martin will fulfill his commitment to its team.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A deal to loan Mark Martin to Joe Gibbs Racing as a replacement driver for injured Denny Hamlin fell apart Friday, when Michael Waltrip Racing said Martin will fulfill his commitment to its team.
When the dust settled for both teams, Brian Vickers wound up as Hamlin's replacement driver for at least four races. He was already scheduled to drive Martin's car for MWR at Martinsville next week and will keep that commitment, with Martin driving Hamlin's car.
Then Martin will go back to MWR, and Vickers will drive Hamlin's car until he's medically cleared to return from a fractured vertebra in his lower back.
The about-face came down from MWR roughly 24 hours after JGR said Martin will take over the No. 11 Toyota until Hamlin returns. He's out at least five races.
"We were a bit premature in determining Mark's status past Martinsville," J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, said in a Friday night statement.
MWR said Martin will return to his regular car after Martinsville and "resume his previously scheduled run of events with MWR" for the rest of the season.
"I think it is great that a driver of Mark's caliber is available to support our fellow Toyota team during this difficult time for them. We wish Denny a speedy recovery" said MWR founder and co-owner Michael Waltrip. "Mark is a big part of our organization and is committed to our sponsors, especially Aaron's and Toyota. We have a lot of goals yet to reach this year and we are very focused on accomplishing them."
It's believed a deal between the teams to swap Martin for Vickers in the Sprint Cup Series races had been completed, but JGR prematurely announced it before MWR sponsor Aaron's had given its approval. No reason has been given why Aaron's didn't approve the swap.
MWR has been eyeing Vickers as a potential replacement for Martin in the No. 55 Toyota, and Vickers is scheduled to run nine races for Martin this year. Because Vickers is seen as an option for that ride, MWR was in favor of loaning Martin to the Gibbs camp to get an extended look at Vickers in its equipment.
Instead, JGR turned to a Plan B, which is Vickers, a day after Gibbs said the team wanted to use just one driver for consistency sake.
Vickers had the commitment to MWR for the first race, and Elliott Sadler, the second driver in JGR's Nationwide Series camp, already has commitments to drive the Cup races at Kansas and Talladega in a fourth car for JGR.
"Obviously, having to find someone to fill in for Denny is not an ideal situation to have to be in, and when you start a process like this you obviously begin to look at the drivers that are not only available but also able to drive for your race team and manufacturer," Gibbs said. "We're real happy to have the opportunity to get Brian in our Cup cars and with him driving Nationwide for us we think we have some continuity there that is beneficial.
"We really appreciate everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota for working with us through this process. The good thing for us is that we have drivers the caliber of Mark and Brian to help fill in until Denny comes back."


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ReleasesBack to
Despite its title, this LP was actually guitarist Kenny Burrell's second Blue Note album, although the first to be released. Teamed with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Kenny Clarke and the conga of Candido, Burrell displays what was already an immediately recognizable tone. At 24, Burrell had quickly emerged to become one of the top bop guitarists of the era, and he is in particularly excellent form on "This Time the Dreams on Me," "Weaver of Dreams" and "Delilah." A bonus of this set is a percussion duo by Clarke and Candido on "Rhythmorama." Enjoyable music. ~ Scott Yanow


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As electrical contractors, you face unique challenges managing each of your construction projects. When you estimate a lump-sum or negotiated project, for example, you anticipate there will be an appropriate period of time allowed for the performance of the electrical work. You also have some expectations about the working conditions you will encounter during your performance of this work. These are the assumptions you will use to develop your target or bid price and/or use to conduct price negotiations.
Once the project is awarded, the real scheduling challenge begins, because normally a significant portion of the electrical contractor's work happens near the end of the project (after most of the other crews have nearly completed their work). How many times have you encountered this scenario? Several other contractors have fallen behind on the project, so the owner looks to you, as the electrical contractor, to save the project by fitting your work into the remaining construction window. Whether your response is to put more electricians on the job or work overtime to complete the work, both of these options will ultimately be more costly than you'd anticipated during the bidding phase.
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to control your own destiny, avoid that big push at the end of the project, and minimize the cost associated with accelerated work completion.
Begin with the End in Mind
To borrow a good habit from Stephen Covey (internationally known organizational consultant, speaker, and author), if you want adequate time to finish your project work, make sure it is properly scheduled at the beginning. Having a good project schedule is like having a good map when taking a trip — it allows activities to be coordinated with others, enabling you to quickly identify the moment you've gotten off track.
In order to build a good project schedule, start by identifying all of the tasks required to complete the project (creating a work breakdown schedule or WBS). Then estimate how much time it will take to complete these tasks. Once you have established your WBS, determine when you can perform these activities by sequencing your activities with those of the owner and other contractors on the construction site. These connections become the "predecessor" activities that identify when to begin performing work such as rough-in or final fixture and device installation.
As the electrical contractor, you are responsible for making these ties between the electrical construction activities and critical tasks performed by the owner and other contractors. By doing so, you develop a deeper understanding about other trades' activities, which, in turn, affects your ability to get your part of the job done. Here are just a few examples: structural supports that need to be installed before the cable trays can be started; fire-proofing activities that affect the electrical rough-in, mechanical, and equipment setting by other trades; roofing and dry-in for various areas. These activities can all become starting points for your work tasks that can be monitored along the way to see whether work is flowing as planned.
Manpower Loading and Project Flow
A well-planned project has a sense of flow, which will allow you to build up your crew and progress through the project with a consistent workforce. Knowing your electricians gain efficiency as they become familiar with the project site, develop working relationships with other crafts, and perform repeated tasks, your best strategy for developing an effective schedule is to encourage the other contractors to sequence their work in a manner that will allow you to flow through the project efficiently together.
Once you have developed the schedule, determine your crew loading by estimating the amount of work required for each of the tasks and where they will occur in the schedule. By anticipating the number of craftspersons required at any given point in time, you can build your manpower loading off of the schedule. If you find that you don't have consistent manpower loading, move some activities around in order to establish a consistent number of electricians on the site.
After generating a schedule that will optimize workflow, enter your activities into the master project schedule to develop a "baseline" or plan. If you are using the same scheduling software as the owner or general contractor, this will be an easy process.
Proactively Manage the Performance of Other Contractors
Now that the schedule is built, how can you keep it from being diminished? Your job is to monitor the project's progress against the schedule to make sure other contractors are completing their work in accordance with the plan. If other contractors fall behind, one of three things should happen:
- The owner (or construction manager) should require non-performing contractors to accelerate their work in order to get the project back on track.
- The owner could extend the project completion by a like amount of the delay.
- You could be asked to re-plan the work around a revised schedule. Obviously, if this schedule ends up speeding your work, then the additional costs associated with the acceleration should be passed on to the owner. Because you do not have a contractual relationship with the other contractors, your normal recourse is to file a delay claim with the owner or construction manager, depending upon whom your contract is with.
If you notice that work is not being completed within the scheduled time-frame, immediately bring that to the owner's attention, letting him know what impact the delay will have on your crew. If this seems out of line, remember that business law is predicated upon the concepts of partnership and good communications. For example, if someone came to you six months from now and indicated that your delay cost them $10,000, you'd ask, "Why didn't you tell me back when I could have done something about it?" That is precisely the way a judge or arbitration board will look at a delay claim — issues, problems, and claims need to be identified and communicated in time for the damaging party to correct the mistake.
Beyond the legal aspects of the working relationship, you need to realize you are part of a team. The key to good teamwork is in communications — identifying when things are going as planned and adjusting accordingly to current circumstances when they are not. When you are communicating well, identifying work-arounds and helping solve problems, you are being a good team player. Because 80% of the work you do tomorrow will be with contractors you work for today, you are establishing good working relationships that will contribute to future success.
Stage Materials and Tools
Borrowing techniques from just-in-time manufacturing, anytime you have to handle, inventory, sort, or move materials or tools/equipment on a job site, you're wasting time and money. Because you have put the effort into developing a detailed schedule, you know when all of the tools and materials will be needed on the job site and where they should be staged. Therefore, you have the opportunity to schedule materials and tools onto the project site when and how you want them delivered and organized. This approach allows you to arrange storage areas and deliveries in a way that minimizes the handling of materials and equipment.
Pre-Manufacturing or Pre-Assembly of Components
By anticipating when various components will be needed on the site, you can consider pre-manufacturing or pre-assembly of components. For example, pre-assembly of luminaires and the use of standard conduit, wiring components, or modular wiring systems can reduce total installation time. Additionally, it can remove or translate a portion of that activity's labor to different time periods within the schedule, which can be very helpful in balancing or leveling the workforce on the project site. Finally, it can allow the work to be performed in other locations — locations that may be more conducive to increased efficiency or production.
Project Contingency
How many projects end up happening exactly as planned? That's why experienced contractors expect the unexpected. Good project planning means building some contingency time into the project schedule. Plan for the general contractor to be delayed by weather. Plan on delivery problems with your switchgear. Plan on the cable, which just arrived on the site, to fail its initial insulation test (which you performed on the reel) and have to be returned. By implementing proper contingency plans, you can anticipate problems instead of being crippled by them. Have work-arounds ready, such as making sure you have indoor work ready for the crew in case of inclement weather and building relationships with your suppliers that will motivate them to respond in case of an emergency or unanticipated situation.
Partner with your Suppliers
As your schedule gets tighter, you need to recognize that suppliers are no longer your suppliers — they are your partners. It is only through developing and growing these relationships that you get what you need when you need it. Be honest, have open dialogs with your suppliers, and share your successes and rewards with them. You are now a team. Neither of you will grow without the other.
The bottom line is scheduling a project takes time and effort, especially if it is going to allow you to pinpoint when each activity will be performed, integrate well with the other contractors, and be valuable for staging tools and equipment to the site. The key is remembering the amount of effort you put into your schedule is directly related to the value it brings you in the end.
Pickering is vice president of Davis, Pickering & Co., an electrical contracting firm located in the Mid-Ohio Valley. He can be reached at: [email protected].


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One of the reasons Game of Thrones quickly overcame my aversion to medieval fantasy stories was its fresh approach to storytelling. From the diversity of characters to the emphasis on the voices of those of diminished status, the show lays waste to some clichés of television. Which is all the more reason that I was disappointed this past Sunday when the show resorted to what has become the most tiresome trope on television: the use of torture scenes to create tension. I've really hit a limit this time, and would like to ask the world of TV writers to try to go a year---longer, if possible---without raising the stakes by chaining one character down as another comes up with elaborately sophisticated ways to inflict pain.
It's a shame, too, because one show that has a right to plenty of torture scenes is Game of Thrones. It has a medieval setting, after all, so torture makes as much sense as heads on stakes and a lack of electricity. Indeed, the writers' truly inventive torture---forcing rats to burrow their way into the victim's chest---nearly rescued the torture scenes from banality. Still, on a show that hooks its audience by keeping it guessing what innovative plot twist will come next, resorting to torture couldn't help but feel tired.
Watching most TV programs, one might get the impression that the swiftest way to deal with a problem is finding someone keeping something from you, exacting a disgust-inducing evil upon their body, and sitting back as they swiftly cough up the necessary information. Looking at the list of popular or critically acclaimed television featuring torture scenes is truly staggering: Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The Shield, both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Firefly, Breaking Bad, True Blood, Rome, Dexter, The Walking Dead, and of course, 24, just to name a few, use pain as a plot device. It's so ubiquitous that Community parodied it on the episode "The Science of Illusion". To my chagrin, even Justified, which usually skirts some of the anti-hero themes so popular on the rest of TV, started employing torture tropes in its third season. Next time a client turns his nose up at an ad campaign on Mad Men, I half expect Don Draper to pull out the rope and a rusty blade while saying, "Perhaps it's time for a different form of persuasion."
Writers can try to justify this tired cliché by boring the audience to death with exhaustive debates over the morality of it all, or by trying to be daring by taking a sadistic glee in it. Neither strategy works because the essence of the torture scene remains untouched—the problem with a torture scene isn't that morality isn't struggled with appropriately, it's that the scene is used to artificially raise the stakes. This creates problems for the willing suspension of disbelief.
I test the usefulness of a torture scene by getting up and doing something else while it plays out onscreen, an easy enough task because I'm pretty squeamish. If I return after the scene and don't feel lost in the narrative, I'm pretty sure that it only served the purpose of scaring the audience and raising adrenaline levels. That's okay in small doses, but an excessive amount suggests that it's being used as a crutch to keep excitement levels high without plot or character development. In this sense, it's no different than gratuitous sex, except that gratuitous sex doesn't take itself as seriously. Torture scenes tend to be played perfectly straight, as if the audience should be impressed with the moral gravity of the situation, instead of annoyed by the cliché.
More importantly, torture scenes violate the audience's trust that the characters onscreen, no matter how outlandish their surroundings, will behave like human beings. On TV, torture almost always works. The victim usually knows the information, and gives it up immediately. In rarer cases, they know nothing but are able to stop to torture by stating this fact. Either way, they respond positively to torture, and somehow the tormentor magically knows when their victim is speaking the truth.
What we know from real life examinations of torture is that the reality plays out very differently. Torturers have no good way to separate good information from bad information, not being blessed with the music of swelling violins to let them know what the victim just said is the good stuff. Nor is there any reason to believe torture makes victims more compliant—they mostly just want it to end, and the quickest way to ensure that is to say what the torturer wants to hear, not what is actually true. As Martin Robbin, chronicled for the Guardian in 2010, military and intelligence experts are decidedly against the notion that torture works, describing the information obtained as "useless" and pointing out that it gives the victim more reason to refuse to cooperate in the future.
That torture scenes are more common in show with fictitious settings--sci-fi, fantasy, and action-adventure---doesn't justify character motivations so far outside the scope of reality. If anything, the stranger the scenario in fiction, the harder writers must work to make characters read like real people. So while the temptation to scare and shock your audience with torture scenes may seem irresistible, TV writers, I beg you, try finding another way of telling your story, one that relies on human behavior as it actually exists.


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Water for Elephants has all of the makings of an awesome film: An attractive Reese Witherspoon, a dashingly handsome Robert Pattinson, and an intriguing plot that leaves me wanting more.
The trailer (after the jump) tells the story of a young Jacob (Pattinson) as he drops out of Cornell and joins the circus. Based on the 2006 book by Sara Gruen, the movie comes out in April.
Sure -- I have my doubts about book-to-film adaptations. But after getting a taste of how good looking Pattinson is here, there's no way I'm skipping out on this one. And yes -- I really mean it. Take off the powdered makeup and film him in the dim lights of the big top ... it looks like we have a winner.
See ... I told you so.
And while there have been a fair share of book-to-big-screen flops, there are some seriously successful book-to-film adaptations, too.
Eat, Pray, Love: Add Julia Roberts to a great storyline, throw in some Italian food and wonderful scenery, and there was never a question how great this 2010 film would be. To be honest, it's probably better than the book.
Harry Potter: All seven films have had some of the biggest box offers numbers ever. We've seen Daniel Radcliffe grow into a man, and I can't say that I've hated it. Whether or not wizardry is your thing -- the great cinematography and plot line leave the moviegoer wanting more, every time.
The Notebook: The best, period. Never have I fallen so in love with an on-screen couple as I have with Allie and Noah. It's the ultimate chick flick for a rainy afternoon, and a tearjerker for men, too.
Eclipse: Another Pattinson film, for the win. When you have your own dolls, bedding, Facebook groups, and clothing lines ... I'm pretty sure the success rate is inherent.
Are you going to see Water for Elephants?


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Panama City, FL--Just a couple of days ago, Mosley alum and Ole Miss senior running back Enrique Davis took part in the Rebel's pro day workout in front of NFL scouts and coaches.
Monday he's dealing with an arrest and a felony criminal charge resulting from an incident early this morning outside a PC Beach nightclub.
A Panama City Police report states an officer witnessed Davis urinating on a parked car in the Club La Vela parking lot.
The officer approached Davis, and asked him for his i.d. so he could cite him.
When Davis walked away, reportedly while cursing at the uniformed police officer. The officer says he went after Davis, and when he attempted to detain Enrique, the report states, Davis struck the officer with an elbow to the face, knocking the officer to the ground.
Other responding officers apprehended Davis a short distance from the club parking lot. Davis now charged with felony resisting arrest with violence, and two counts of criminal mischief.
After rushing for more than 3 thousand yards and 30 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons at Mosley,
In four seasons at Ole Miss, just 854 yards and 8 td's, while dealing with some injuries.
Davis perhaps not high on too many team's draft charts, so free agency his likely route to signing with an NFL team, this certainly hurts the cause.


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Welcome Back
In today's post I would like to share a picture of a very special piece of stampboard jewellery that I made back in May 2009. I am particularly please with this piece because of the painting technique that went into its creation. I was just 'playing' and it appeared.
On this occassion, I'm not going to give details on how this was created, as I am hoping to create an online class with this in the future. (If I can ever learn how to do this ).
Hope you like it though
Best wishes and thanks for reading
Billie 🙂


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Dean's Message: Taking the Long View
Dean Peter Crane
When you really come right down to it, the solution to rational management of the global environment often boils down to one simple principle—taking the long view in a fast-moving society where more often the short view prevails. Whether it is harvesting a forest that took centuries to mature, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that will remain there for millennia or draining a wetland that has survived since the last glaciation, the challenge of sustainability is to get the needs of the present into an appropriate balance with the needs of the future. That simple idea is at the core of what we do, and the opportunities that we provide, at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Having an eye to the future is also implicit in the investments we make in the young people who come to F&ES to learn; every one of our graduates is a long-term contribution to the sustainable management of the global environment.
In my former role at Kew I had the honor of helping develop the Millennium Seed Bank, a large-scale multipartner effort to conserve for the long-term the genetic diversity produced by millions of years of plant evolution. Since the facility was opened in 2000, a global effort involving more that 120 partners in more than 50 countries has resulted in the ex situ conservation of more than a billion individual seeds from more than 25,000 different species. Most of these seeds will still be viable two centuries or more from now. The Millennium Seed Bank takes the long view. It is a timely investment made right now that provides insurance for the future.
In recent months a facility similar to the Millennium Seed Bank, the Pavlovsk Experimental Station near St. Petersburg, Russia, has found itself under fire from those who embrace the short view and, thereby, faces the possibility that its unique collections of crop plant diversity will be bulldozed to make way for new housing. The heritage protected at Pavlovsk is unique. More than 6,000 varieties of fruits, berries, grasses and grains are the lasting legacy of a collection effort that was made painstakingly over the course of 80 years and has survived wars, famines and droughts; 90 percent of the varieties at Pavlovsk no longer exist anywhere else in the world. Pavlovsk houses, by far, the most important collection of European fruits and berries, including 1,000 varieties of strawberries from over 40 countries, many of which are exceptionally hardy and disease-resistant.
The situation playing out so graphically at Pavlovsk also pertains to many other parts of the world. Slowly, inexorably, we are closing our options for the future as crop diversity gives way to the short-term gains of less-diverse, but higher-yielding, varieties. Too easily we forget that the current high yields we enjoy are inevitably temporary. We are engaged in an escalating arms race with pests and pathogens of all kinds, as well as natural challenges like this year's floods in Pakistan and fires in Russia. We will always need to return to the well of genetic diversity for new varieties. In a world that is rapidly changing, the loss of Pavlovsk and the loss of crop genetic diversity everywhere are just two examples of where taking the long view should cause us to act now. The most famous alumnus of this school—Aldo Leopold—urged us to keep "every cog and wheel" in the midst of our "tinkering." Without those pieces and without an ethic that looks further into the future, we should not expect that the natural systems on which we all depend will continue to operate smoothly and seamlessly.