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By far the lowest-cost global producer, the North American polyethylene resin industry has been booming for the last few years, with a new supply of commodity grades brought on stream and more to come—often through partnerships that complement or enhance each other's technologies. At the same time, specialty, higher-performance grades have been developed to meet major market trends, which include sustainability, consumer convenience, and evolving E-commerce packaging needs.
Key sources from three leading PE suppliers weighed in on these trends and discussed the half-dozen or so growth applications and the new materials developed within the last three-five years to meet their needs. These sources included are Olivier Lorge, global PE market development manager at ExxonMobil Chemical; Chris Foy, leader of PE R&D, and Alan Schrob, market group leader, of Nova Chemicals; and Louis Orozco Aragon, technical service & technology manager at Braskem.
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Sustainability loomed large in these discussions and covered topics such as ocean plastics, reuse and recycling, lightweight solutions like single-piece closures, and shifting to all-PE structures for high-tech packaging.
In a recent announcement of the winners of its 63rd Annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition, the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) noted that sustainability continues to be a focus. Speaking on behalf of the judges, Robert Kimmel, associate professor and director at Clemson University's Center for Flexible Packaging, noted, "We saw several examples of bio-based and compostable materials. But what we thought was most significant is several excellent examples of conversion of multilayer films, which have previously been diverse materials, into materials that will be recyclable in existing recycle streams, particularly the polyethylene stream. We feel this is very important for the future of the industry."
Says Nova's Schrob, "As an industry we have a responsibility to educate consumers on the value of plastics in their lives, and to be a part of the solution, from reducing unnecessary packaging and food waste to ensuring everyone treats end-of-life plastic products as the valuable carbon resource they are and has the opportunity to recycle them, which will ultimately stop them from ending up as trash in our natural environment." All these company sources concede that supply-chain collaboration is essential to both innovation and sustainability solutions.
Noting that many applications must be re-engineered to make them friendlier to the recycling ecosystem and to keep plastics and the goods they protect entirely out of the waste stream, Nova's Foy and Schrob offer these examples:
• Reducing food waste through improved plastic packaging: Improving moisture and oxygen barrier performance, and package integrity (toughness and seal) in PE-based flexible film structures helps extend shelf life—and thus reduces food waste.
• Expanding the uses of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content: Across the industry there is much R&D on technology for creating "clean" recycled PE streams and finding ways to incorporate them into finished products with performance comparable to virgin resin.
• Moving from multi-material to mono-material, recyclable flexible films: In many food-packaging applications, including stand-up pouches and flow wrappers, films are commonly made using mixed materials in the structure. Numerous brand owners are working with suppliers and converters to redesign those structures to eliminate foil, nylon or other materials in order to meet both consumer demand for sustainability and the aggressive recyclability timelines that the plastics industry has set through the American Chemistry Council. Where multilayer blown and cast films, along with lamination, have been the dominant production technologies for many applications, oriented PE in films like machine-direction or biaxially oriented PE are being explored now to deliver stiffer and tougher all-PE films.
• Rigid to flexible conversion: Replacing traditional packaging materials with flexible plastics packaging can reduce packaging volume by 75-97%. While there is a growing anti-plastics movement centered on reduction and elimination of some single-use plastics, studies show that not only does plastic generally have a lower total lifecycle carbon impact, it also is more cost-effective. Industry sources advocate changing the economics for end-of-life plastics and building out waste-collection and recycling infrastructure in the world's rapidly developing regions, most notably in Southeast Asia, to stop the flow of plastics and other materials into waterways and oceans.
• Conversion of two-piece (PP + PE liner) to one-piece (all-PE) closures: The movement from two-piece to one-piece closures in carbonated soft-drink and hot-fill applications has begun in earnest in North America, as the mono-material composition makes closures easier to recycle. That means just one part must provide all the required properties, and the interaction between the closure design, the resin and the way it's molded are all critical to producing closures that will perform consistently.
• Material substitution in industrial storage containers: Polyethylene drums, IBCs (intermediate bulk containers) and storage tanks offer significant benefits over metal in many applications: they're non-corrosive, lighter, more affordable, non-reactive to acids and chemicals, and less susceptible to temperature extremes. These blow molded or rotomolded industrial containers are also sustainable and less energy intensive to produce, and they can be endlessly reused or recycled.
Consumer convenience is also a key driver that is evident in on-the-go foods, pre-portioning, reclosable packaging, and the retail shift to e-commerce. Nova's Foy and Schrob note that the trend is toward more on-the-go fresh and healthy foods. While optimization of packaging for this segment is in the early stages, they expect to see brand owners looking for more cost-effective single-serve packaging based on flexible plastics, while delivering recyclability and adequate protection of food.
For example, squeeze pouches require a fitment and closure for dispensing, so R&D is being focused on ensuring that the entirety of these new packages are recyclable while providing seal integrity, shelf-life and other required performance attributes.
Another aspect of consumer convenience, when it comes to Baby Boomers and the older Silent Generation is easy product identification through colors, graphics or larger print; and ease of use, such as easy-open and recloseable packaging, and spill-preventing design.
E-commerce has been driven partly by convenience. Packaging for any product that may be sold online is being rethought through the lens of the e-commerce supply chain, say Nova's Foy and Schrob. And, as Amazon, Walmart, and other big e-tailers also pursue sustainability targets—Amazon's "frustration-free packaging" is a significant example—they're looking for ways to eliminate secondary cardboard boxes and ship products only in their own container—yet another reason to develop tougher packages that arrive to the consumer's door intact. Says Nova's Schrob, "We see the e-commerce trend moving toward elimination of secondary packaging."
Meanwhile, online food purchases have different requirements than other e-commerce purchases. Today the largest segments of online food purchases are click-and-collect, which has a similar supply chain to traditional in-store grocery shopping; and meal kits, which face a unique set of challenges. Food must stay fresh through temperature control; primary and secondary packaging must protect the food from physical damage; and the primary packaging must have integrity to prevent leakage. Meanwhile, consumers are also demanding a reduction in meal-kit packaging. Those are big challenges, and they require rethinking of packaging concepts. For example, we may see returnable meal-kit shipping containers that take shape as flexible, PE-based corrugated boxes, or flexible cans made with PE. Whatever the concepts will look like, they obviously will require polyethylenes that are stronger and tougher than ever before.
Most of the current R&D underway appears to involve PEs produced with metallocene or other single-site catalysts. ExxonMobil's Lorge identified two types of current R&D activity globally. At its Baytown, Texas, site, the focus is on catalyst and process research—namely, novel catalysts that can produce new polymers that provide exceptional performance and processability.
The company's Exceed, Enable, and new Exceed XP families of metallocene hexene LLDPE film resins are part of this R&D thrust, as are new additions to ExxonMobil's portfolio of Vistamaxx propylene-ethylene specialty elastomers, first launched in 2003 for use in broad applications from very soft fabric and films to very hard TPOs. At its Belgium and China facilities, the emphasis is on application development. Says Lorge, "We are working with our customers on development of innovative solutions, laminate films, and all-PE packaging for products ranging from food to liquid household cleaners, using our Exceed XP."
Noting that sustainability has been one of Braskem's pillars, especially in R&D, Aragon says, "We believe society itself has become more critical regarding how sustainable the products they buy are. This factor, combined with shifts in how and where we buy, such as e-commerce, has made us rethink previous applications that now have a bigger impact in the new market. As examples, Aragon cites two families within Braskem's LLDPE film-resin portfolio: Flexus and Proxess, both metallocene-catalyzed hexene types. According to Aragon, Flexus provides better properties in the film but sometimes is difficult to process in older machines. Proxess is much easier to process in old machines, particularly for LDPE substitution. "It's all in molecular-weight and comonomer distribution differences. All these products allow weight reductions vs. current packaging as well as enhancements in the products' presentations."
Nova's Fay and Schrob see growing demand for higher-value PE made from metallocene or other single-site catalysts due to the performance requirements for today's packaging applications. They say this is why we are seeing expansions in octene PE capacity, including Nova's second Advanced Sclairtech plant. According to Foy, Nova's bimodal technology allows for flexibility in PE structure design and tailoring of end-use performance, leading to highly differentiated resins for things like improving seals or barrier in demanding film applications; producing closures that satisfy the physical demands of the application while not imparting any taste or odor that could negatively impact consumer experience; and best-in-class, high-performance resins for the rotomolding.
Says Schrob, "With all of the new PE products and end-use applications we see in development, having multiple design parameters for PE is key. Multi-modal products, in combination with higher-alpha-olefins and, potentially, additive optimization, are key to how we design resins today and will be even more important in the future."
Food packaging reigns as one of the hottest areas of application development, with all-PE structures for stand-up pouches and flexible freezer films in the lead.
All sources see flexible stand-up pouches as a big deal because of the conversion from aluminum cans and glass jars. The pouches results in 70% lower emissions than aluminum, take up much less space, and are very damage resistant and safer to transport. The new PE pouches also boast convenience, good shelf appeal and excellent printability. .
The first-ever all-PE stand-up pouch reportedly was commercialized in 2016 by film processor Accredo Packaging of Sugar Land, Tex., in collaboration with Dow Chemical, making pouches for dishwasher pods from brand owner Seventh Generation.
Lorge says ExxonMobil researchers are working on replacing oriented nylon 6 and PET. "One Latin American customer successfully replaced a nylon 6 layer—which afforded toughness and flexibility to the flexible food pouch—with an Exceed XP resin and a very thin EVOH layer, making the product easy to recycle.
Lorge also gives an example of flexible freezer film--an all-PE, three-layer structure made of Enable metallocene hexene copolymer and HDPE, with Exceed XP in the sealant layer, for a brand owner of frozen chicken. ExxonMobil also recently launched new Exceed XP 8784 for high-performance coextruded films for laminated sacks, freezer films, barrier packaging and sachets. It boasts improved processability combined with extreme film toughness and sealing properties.
Fay and Schrob from Nova note that the company offers numerous resins suitable for frozen goods, including one that's used in a new recyclable moisture-barrier film.
Nova's Surpass HPs667-AB is a bimodal HDPE said to provide excellent oxygen barrier and stiffness in extrusion laminations and/or cast film. (This resin's blown-film equivalent is HPs167-AB.) The material can help in replacement of multi-material films, adds stiffness to aid in rigid-to-flexible conversions, and can be used in injection molding applications where high barrier is required. The material was used in a novel milk jug by Tetra Pak in 2016, said to be the world's first aseptic carton bottle for ambient white milk. .
Surpass VPsK914, a new octene LLDPE sealant resin, is said to allow for faster foolproof sealing in most demanding food and food e-commerce applications. It reportedly produces a strong film without adding plastomers and cost to the film formulation. It reportedly offers triple the toughness of a typical PE/plastomer sealant blend, suiting it to products such as granola and bone-in chicken.
Braskem's latest addition to its Proxess metallocene LLDPE family, touted for excellent processability, processing flexibility (usable with any screw configuration), and blending with other resins, is Proxess1509XP, a 0.9 MI grade with stable COF (coefficient of friction) due to a special additive package tailored specifically for lamination. It reportedly can replace LDPE or other metallocene LLDPEs, including octene types, due to its superior processability. It complements Proxess 180653, 0.6 MI grade, and Proxess 1809 0.9 MI grades, for coextrusion of general-use films, high-performance films, and technical films for automatic packaging and lamination.
As just one example of progress in this field, there's been a major improvement in sacks for 25 kg/55.2 lb of plastic resins, which today are 105-microns thick—downgauged more than 50% since 1998. Lorge says these are three-layer film constructions with Exceed XP in the skin and a blend of Exceed XP and HDPE in the core, which provides very good sealing and excellent stiffness. Such structures are also replacing PP raffia bags in Asia for rice and fertilizers (50 kg/110.3 lb).
Nova's Surpass VPsK914 ultra-durable, abuse-resistant sealant resin also plays a big role in heavy-duty bags for sharp and heavy contents. Its high melt strength enables up to 20% increase in line speeds vs. a typical octene LLDPE, Nova claims.
Surpass SPsK919 is described as a stiffer, tougher and clearer multi-modal octene LLDPE, optimized for heavy-duty bags and e-commerce packaging.
Power pre-stretch (PPS) cast-film technology pioneered by ExxonMobil for securing loads/pallets of various goods in transportation is growing fast in the U.S. and Europe, says Lorge. "We have been working with cast stretch-film producers and machine manufacturers to improve these film structures. The Vistamaxx 6000 family of metallocene-catalyzed specialty olefinic TPEs specifically targeted for PPS films is combined with Exceed 3812 metallocene LLDPE to provide the extra strength and elongation needed."
Nova's Schrob notes that traditional basic stretch film is a very large and mature market for which Nova offers several products—both blown and cast resins. New Novapol PF-Y-818 is a butene LLDPE said to be tougher and clearer than traditional butene LLDPE, and it can process up to 20% faster on many blown film lines. Applications include stretch film, retail bags, trash bags and industrial liners.
Braskem offers puncture- and impact-resistant Flexus metallocene LLDPE resins and has a partnership with Austria's SML Maschinengesellschaft mbH to develop new solutions for the stretch segment. At the K 2016 show in Germany, the two firms featured a 13-layer, 12-micron stretch film with outstanding properties. Two Flexus resins for stretch films are 3600, a 4.5 MI grade, and 7200 XP with 3.5 MI. Flexus Cling, a 4.3 MI grade, is designed for the cling layer.
The alternative pallet stretch-hood blown film technology is fast growing for both palletized goods and appliances, according to Lorge. Typically three-layer film structures, where both Exceed XP and Vistamaxx resins play a part, they offer better protection against rain and other contaminants and boast toughness, high tear resistance and excellent puncture resistance, as well as high snapback and elastic recovery—and they cost less than paperboard.
Used heavily for food packaging, including water and carbonated beverages, shrink wrap has come a long way, according to ExxonMobil's Lorge. "For wrapping six 1.5L bottles, we went from 100-micron LDPE shrink films 20 years ago, to monolayer films in 2010 with Enable metallocene branched LLDPE, to today's three-layer, 50-micron, all-PE solution with Exceed XP in the skin and Enable 4002 in the core. It also allows for nice printing capability." ExxonMobil also is working with customers to replace thick, foggy films with clear, glossy films for better shelf appeal and printability.
Braskem's new Proxess 2609, a 0.6 MI metallocene LLDPE, is designed for shrink film as well as ice bags, industrial sacks, and mortar packaging.
For this rigid packaging market, Fay and Schrob point to Nova's development of HDPE grades that leverage the company's Advanced Sclairtech single-site catalyst technology. Surpass CCs757 sHDPE resin was designed specifically for water closures, where line speed, organoleptics, consistency and physical performance are all essential. A single railcar of these resins can make up to 100 million closures, so the functionality of that resin is critical, as it translates into consistent performance of each closure throughout the supply chain to the consumer's hands.
Surpass CCs154 sHDPE resin is designed for carbonated soft drinks. It leverages the same technology as CCs757 but is tailored for carbonation pressure and ESCR. Says Fay, "There are very few PE technologies that can create the kinds of resins that produce closures that meet these kinds of demands, and can replace PP—converting from two-piece to one-piece closures."
Sclair 2807CC resin is designed for multiple applications, including non-carbonated beverages, personal-care and industrial closures, and is well suited for one-piece PE closures for standard-weight, hot-fill beverage applications. Its excellent balance of processability, stiffness, ESCR and organoleptic properties enable resin consolidation for closure manufacturers.
Nova has developed Surpass RMs245-U/UG sHDPE resin specifically for large tanks and custom rotomolded goods. This "all-around performer," say Fay and Schrob, has an industry-leading combination of stiffness, toughness, and ESCR. It also has a best-in-class 1600-psi hydrostatic design basis (HDR) cell classification, which translates into improved sidewall stiffness in large storage tanks. Higher stiffness enables downgauging tank wall thickness by 10-20%, or making walls with the same thickness that have an additional safety margin. It also boasts outstanding melt flow and processing characteristics.
- PE Grades for Enhanced Recyclate. ExxonMobil has been using the phrase "Rethink Recycle" to promote its Vistamaxx performance polymers, which reportedly allow low-cost recycling for high-value applications. Use of Vistamaxx to compatibilize PE and PP recycle reduces the need for costly and time-consuming materials separation and allows for higher PCR content, while enhancing end-product performance.
Nova Chemicals has formulated new Novapol PF-0118-FI, a 1.0 MI, 0.919 g/cc butene copolymer LLDPE, to be more forgiving and robust under the rigors of recycling. Either it can be recycled more often, or it can be used to enhance a higher percentage of lower-quality PCR. Likely to be the first of a family of resins of this sort, it is targeted for blending, trash bags, liners, general packaging, heavy-duty bags, stretch wrap and garment film. Nova is working with customers to help brand owners convert their mixed-material, hard-to-recycle flexible applications to more environmentally friendly formulations. Work is underway on incorporation of PCR into packaging and goods currently made typically of 100% virgin material.
Braskem's Wecycle recycling platform entails working with different technologies for all types of PE and PP. The technology used for LLDPE, LDPE and PP are undergoing lab trials; the technology for HDPE is in the validation stage with ongoing trials at customers and partners who are testing the recycled resin as the raw material in small-volume thermoformed packaging. The promising technology allowed for the creation of recycled HDPE with high quality and a high percentage of recyclate from household post-consumer thermoformed packaging. It boasts stress-cracking resistance, tensile strength similar to virgin resins, and 70% higher mechanical properties than the current recycled HDPEs.
- Agricultural Films. Mulch films and greenhouse film are growing fast in Asia and Australia and is another area where ExxonMobil's Exceed XP is gaining market share. Says Lorge, "One of the latest applications is with an Australian mulch-film producer that has made a black, three-layer film made of Exceed XP in the skin and core that allowed downgauging by 20%.
Similarly, Exceed XP grades have been successfully used in greenhouse films, allowing farmers to keep the film longer in use due to its better mechanical properties and weatherability.
How to Address Uneven Wall Thickness in Stretch-Blow Molding
Many conditions must be met to get the best wall distribution in a PET bottle. Skilled operators are, as always, indispensable.
What You Need to Know to Make World-Class Stretch Film
Advances in materials, feedblock/die technologies, and winding can help processors develop more sophisticated cast-stretch products.
Processing Biopolymers for Rigid Sheet & Thermoforming
Newly available cast sheet and thermoforming grades of Mirel biobased polymers open up a new range of applications in containers and other formed parts where renewable content and biodegradability are desired.


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2018 Autumn Special Offer at Taizo-in Zen Buddhist Temple
*The payment is accepted by Japan issued credit card only. If you are reaching us from oversea please contact us directly->firstname.lastname@example.com *Oral guide is available only in Japanese; however, tour is supplemented by English itinerary, menu and brochure highlighting the attractions of Taizo-in Zen Buddhist Temple.
Tour Highlights
Japanese Pond Garden, Yokoen gets layered with vibrant colours in autumn.
Guided tour in and around 400-year-old Private Buddha Hall and Zen Garden.
Michelin-starred Traditional Zen Buddhist Vegetarian Cuisine Experience in an autumnal setting.
About Taizo-in Zen Buddhist Temple
Listed in the Michelin Green Guide Japon
Taizo-in Buddhist Temple is one of the 46 sub-temples situated in Japan's largest Zen temple complex,Myoshin-ji in northwestern Kyoto. Visitors can enjoy Hyonenzu, known as the oldest water-ink painting in Japan and explore their spectacular Japanese Pond Garden, Yoko-en which Taizo-in is famous for. This autumn, Taizo-in is offering a special offer for you to explore the beauty of their autumn foliage and enjoy relaxing Zen cuisine experience in a private room inside their historical building.
Tour information
|Taizo-in Zen Buddhist Temple Official website
(35, Myoshinji-cho, Hanazono Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8035, JAPAN)
|Public Transport
|Taizo-in is within walking distance of JR Hanazono station (the 4th stop from Kyoto station), Myoshinji-mae bus stop and Myoshinji Kitamon-bus stop.
|Saturday 17 November – Sunday 2 December 2018
[Day Tour(1)]11:30 am – 1:00 pm/[Day Tour(2)]1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
[Night Illuminations Tour(1)]5:30 pm – 7:00 pm/[Night Illuminations Tour(2)]7:00 pm – 8:30 pm (gate closes)
*Night Illuminations Tour is guided and conducted outside of normal opening hours.
|Fee, Maximum capacity
|[Day Tour]4500JPY(incl. tax and special admission fee)
[Night Illuminations Tour]5000JPY(incl. tax and special admission fee)
[Night Illuminations *Special Plan*]7000JPY(incl. tax and special admission fee)
*For selected date, 23-26 November, we offer Special Dinner of carefully selected matsutake mushroom and chestnuts.
*Maximum capacity: 35 persons
|Time required
|90 minutes in total.
30 minutes for guided tour, and the rest is for your meal and free time.
How to make a booking ?
You can purchase your ticket by a ticketing service "Peatix".
You can easily click on the date listed below and it leads you to the booking website.
Please find the detailed introduction at Peatix website.
*What is "Peatix"?
*Payment of online booking for this event on Peatix is accepted by credit card only.
*Once booking is made, fees will not be refunded in case of cancellation. Please check the date carefully and enter the correct number of participants when making your reservation.
*The number of lasted tickets may change in order to the total ticket quantity with Japanese booking site. Please contact directly if you want to know the availability.
List of Dates
Pick a date from the list below and click a desired link to book.
|Nov. 28(wed)
|Nov. 29(thu)
|Nov. 30(fri)
|Dec. 1(sat)
|Dec. 2(sun)

subset: commoncrawl


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"Every day, when you get up in the morning or sometime during the day, you think, you don't own that house, and that tomorrow you could be out on the street."
That's how one woman, who along with her partner has been a victim of the tracker mortgage controversy, sums up where the trauma of the last decade has left them.
We'll call her Deirdre, but that's not her real name. She doesn't want to be identified as she doesn't want her children to know that the house they are living in is rented, not owned by their parents.
The start of the family's nightmare can be tracked back to 2006, when Deirdre and her partner bought a house using a tracker mortgage in a county neighbouring Dublin.
After the first year, interest rates began to rise rapidly and so the couple (along with many others) panicked, and decided to avail of an option to fix for three years to bring some certainty to their personal spending.
A change in job a year later to a position in Dublin city left both Deirdre and her partner with unsustainably long commutes.
And so the couple decided to move back to the capital to cut their journey times and bring them closer to Deirdre's parents, who were prepared to help mind their young child.
They wanted to put their house, which had dipped €10,000 into negative equity in the falling market, up for sale.
But the bank refused to let them sell and roll that shortfall into a new mortgage on their next purchase.
"It was a nightmare ... The only way I can describe the house was a noose around our necks."
A year on, left with no other option and having reached breaking point, the couple decided to rent out their home to tenants, and move to the city where they rented another property to live in themselves.
However, the rent they were receiving for their own house left them around €500 short each month when it came to paying its mortgage.
They managed to keep up the repayments for another two years, during which time the fixed mortgage period ended and their loan changed to a standard variable rate, rather than the lower tracker rate they had previously.
These higher rates, coupled with the general squeeze that accompanied the rapid onset of the economic crash and the happy arrival of another baby, began to put the couple under financial pressure and soon they were unable to continue topping up the mortgage.
A bad experience with unruly tenants in their rented property also left them significantly out of pocket.
"It was a nightmare," Deirdre said, fighting back the tears.
"The only way I can describe the house was a noose around our necks, because we couldn't afford it financially and the bank were constantly pressurising us to repay the full amount."
Eventually, as that pressure from the bank reached an unbearable level and the arrears grew, matters came to a head and the couple had a showdown with their lender.
It finally agreed in principle to let them sell the house through a voluntary assisted sale and, after a protracted legal wrangle between the couple and the bank, the property sold in 2016.
The sale left a residual balance on the mortgage of over €100,000 and a deal was eventually struck where the couple paid over €10,000 to the bank that they borrowed from their parents in full and final settlement.
Notwithstanding the traumatic experience, the family tried to move on, until last year when they received a letter from their lender saying their old mortgage had fallen within the scope of the Central Bank's tracker mortgage examination.
"We just kind of thought nothing of it ... to be honest with you as I just closed the door on years of hell," Deirdre said.
Eventually though, it emerged that they should have been given the option of returning to a tracker mortgage after the three-year fixed term had ended, but they hadn't been.
The bank made an offer of €43,000 in redress and €16,000 in compensation to the couple.
But there was to be an extraordinary sting in the tail, with the bank claiming that the €43,000 in redress would be offset against the residual balance of the mortgage.
In other words, the couple were given nothing at all by way of redress.
Today, they continue to rent a home, unable to save the necessary deposit to buy again. And even if they could scrape that cash together, there is a strong likelihood that no lender would ever give them a mortgage, because their credit rating is in tatters as a result of how they were treated.
"I know to some people €16,000 is wonderful, but we're still in a situation where we have to have a 20% deposit to buy a house," Deirdre explained.
"We could be told any day by our landlord, 'look I'm selling up, you have to go'. We're lucky, we're paying €1,500 a month, which is excellent compared to what some people are paying in Dublin.
"Like I say, the biggest thing is that our kids don't know any of this and they think that it is our house."
Deirdre says the bank claims the loss of the property was not caused by the withdrawal of the tracker, but she disagrees.
"I don't know whether I would have sold the property or not, so how do they know, because if my mortgage had been €800 and my rent was €750, you can be damn sure that we would have waited it out and paid a top up of €50 a month, rather than trying to top up €1,500."
Deirdre's story is far from unique.
Last Monday, the Central Bank published its latest update on the tracker mortgage controversy that has cast yet another dark shadow on the banking industry here.
It has now identified and verified 38,000 borrowers who have in some way been mistreated by their lenders over tracker mortgages, following a trawl of two million mortgage accounts.
In some cases, the banks denied the trackers or, like in Deirdre's case, took them away from borrowers when the customers were in fact entitled to them.
In others, the interest rate margin applied on the tracker was incorrectly high.
While yet further cases arose when operational failures in the banks led to the mortgage holder receiving a flat payment rather than a fluctuating one.
These lenders at the heart of the controversy, of course, aren't subprime lenders, or so-called "vulture funds".
These are the six main retail banks - AIB and its subsidiary EBS, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank, KBC and Permanent TSB.
Together, they represent "pillars" of the banking system - indeed "pillars" of the community across the country, they would claim.
Yet, when it comes to their treatment of these nearly 40,000 customers, these "pillars" collectively propped up the largest overcharging controversy in the history of this State for many years.
So far, they've collectively paid out €647 million in redress, compensation and costs to the tens of thousands affected customers.
That's a figure that is likely to grow further, closer to the €1 billion that in total they have set aside.
The regulator, though, says its examination process is starting to wind up, with 97% of those borrowers verified as being affected by the controversy having received an offer of recompense by now.
For many, this will indeed signal the end of the process.
Worn and weary from the stress and heartache that the sordid affair has caused them, they'll take what's been offered, walk away and try to get on with their lives.
But for very many others, like Deirdre, who have been caught up in the debacle, it's not over.
First, there are those who have received nothing by way of redress or compensation, and may never receive anything, because their case has slipped through the cracks of the examination process.
"There are cases that I would regard as being missed," said Padraic Kissane, a financial advisor who has helped hundreds of tracker mortgage customers.
"The Governor [of the Central Bank] had said previously that they had to give an assurance that they would leave nobody behind, as in no stone uncovered, and I believe there are still stones to be uncovered."
Mr Kissane said there are cases in all six lenders that still need to be resolved, and for those people closure may never be achieved.
Then there are those who were included in the examination, but who believe they didn't receive a fair or adequate payment of redress and compensation through it or the independent appeals boards set up by the lenders.
"There are many individuals and cohorts of customers who feel that they have not been adequately redressed," said Brendan Burgess, founder of askaboutmoney.com in a statement.
"The tracker story will not be complete until these cases have been decided by the Ombudsman or by the High Court."
One bank, for example, made what Mr Burgess calls a "derisory" offer of €1,615 to thousands of customers who weren't offered a tracker when their fixed rate expired.
Mr Kissane is also dealing with cases where banks have conceded that a tracker should be reinstated, but are arguing about what the rate should be.
"When you review the circumstances that pertained at the time [the tracker was taken away] vis-a-vis the retrospective positions being adopted later by the banks there is a differential between the two," he said.
"And it is really the circumstances that applied at the time that should apply ... So there is still resistance in some areas and I suppose the leopard hasn't fully changed its spots."
For customers who aren't happy with what they have been offered, the only remaining options are to either bring their case to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) or take the risk of appealing to the High Court.
"€647 million has had to be paid to customers for this scandal and this will still not compensate many who were severely damaged by this scandal," said David Hall of the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation in a statement.
"Many more can't afford to go to court after the redress appeal."
The FSPO, Ger Deering, already has more than 1,000 complaints awaiting adjudication and is still receiving more.
He agreed to put that determination process on hold pending the outcome of the Central Bank examination.
But his office has now begun working through the files, one by one.
Mr Deering says there are huge differences between the cases and so each needs to be examined on its own, through a process of investigation, adjudication and final decision.
"I'm not ruling out mediation," he said. "But the vast majority will involve full investigation and that will involve us looking at the material, adjudicating and making a ruling."
As a result it will take some time to complete, he cautioned, although the first decisions will start coming early this year.
If the appellants win their cases, the further cost to the banks financially will potentially be enormous.
Take, for example, the case published by the FSPO recently involving a couple who fell into arrears on a buy-to-let mortgage.
Mr Deering decided that the mortgage provider had adopted an obstructive approach and awarded the couple €90,000 in compensation.
Arrears and tracker cases aren't necessarily the same thing, but it does give an insight into how seriously the FSPO takes serious mistreatment of customers.
Then there are those for whom this issue will never end because of the permanent damage it has done to them and their loved ones.
Lost lives, lost homes, lost time, lost sleep, lost happiness - what should have been precious years for many, instead filled with an angst that can never be put right by monetary compensation.
Financial advisors and politicians share stories of sitting across tables from men and women, reduced to tears by these inexcusable banking practices.
They speak of young family futures, or dreams of stable retirements perhaps, torn apart by at best incompetence, and at worst deliberate calculated malevolent decisions.
These are the customers for whom financial compensation will never be enough and who will only be satisfied if/when those responsible are properly held to account.
So the big question in many affected borrowers minds, therefore, is whether the Central Bank's enforcement probe will deliver?
Running in parallel with the examination, redress and compensation process, the regulator has initiated formal investigations of all six lenders, to examine how what many deem a scandal was allowed to happen and who is responsible.
The sanctions available to it include fines of up to €10 million or 10% of turnover in the case of institutions or €1 million in the case of individuals.
The first of these findings could be published later this year.
"There are open enforcement investigations against all of the main lenders in this," said Derville Rowland, Director General Financial Conduct at the Central Bank.
"All options are open including individual culpability. The conduct of the banks both in respect of when they originally gave out or did not give out tracker mortgages together with their conduct during the course of this examination is in focus in those examinations in enforcement."
When both processes do finally reach a conclusion, many will be left wondering what exactly has been learned, and could it all happen again?
The setting up of a banking sector "Culture Board" should, in theory, help prevent a repeat.
But bringing about change in a sector fundamentally driven by the need to deliver profits for shareholders and bonuses for staff won't be easy.
"It [the Culture Board] has an enormous job on its hands to change the culture across the banking system," said Fianna Fail's Finance Spokesman, Michael McGrath.
"Until the banks put the interests of the consumer at the heart of decision making at the highest levels, scandals like this will continue to emerge.
"There is now an urgent need for the Government to bring forward the senior executive accountability regime, similar to what exists in the UK and that has been promised here.
"This will require legislation in the Oireachtas and Fianna Fáil will support its introduction."
The Central Bank also says the banks need to rebuild trust with their customers and the wider community.
"We're cognisant that the banks have got to earn the trust of the Irish consumers because they owe a very serious duty of consumer protection to them," said Ms Rowland.
"And we are here to ensure they deliver on that promise.
"We've been in before the bank boards being very clear about what we expect to see from the lenders with respect to treating their customers.
"At all times, we expect a culture of consumer-centricity from the banks, which means they must treat their customers fairly and with dignity and respect."
In the meantime though, the twin probes, the work of the FSPO, the court cases and the struggle of affected borrowers continues.
The old Financial Regulator ad that features a man on a bus saying, "I don't know what a tracker mortgage is," has been the subject of many jokes during the more than ten years since it was first released.
But in 2019, there are very few people who find the subject of trackers funny anymore.
- 11,900 impacted customer accounts identified
- 99% have received an offer of redress & compensation
- 9,700 impacted customer accounts identified
- 97.5% have received an offer of redress & compensation
- More than €144.6 million paid out so far
- 5,500 impacted customer accounts identified
- 90% have received an offer of redress & compensation
- Remainder to be redressed by end of April
- 1,983 impacted customer accounts identified
- 99% have received an offer of redress & compensation
- €61 million paid out so far
- Declined to comment as it is in a closed financial period ahead of the upcoming publication of its quarterly financial results on Thursday


text:
In Part 1, two examples of how a surface lure can be highly effective on those very bight, sunny days.
Tag: IMA Salt Skimmer
3 Day Package – Windows of opportunity
With every conceivable wind direction to contend with (plus thunderstorms) 14 bass was a respectable tally in the end!
Client Catches – Surface lures reign supreme
Fly/Stillwater and Boat Anglers enjoy some success with the shore caught bass
Guided Bass Fishing – Looking forward to the 2018 season
The booking process and a fresh approach to safety


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2 Reasons from Your Dentist in Parma Heights to Maximize Your Dental Insurance
October 19, 2018
Fall and winter bring with them the holidays. Filled with exciting parties and gift giving, it's a busy time of year. The last thing on your mind is likely to be calling your dentist in Parma Heights for an appointment, but here why that's important to think about right now.
Use it or Lose it!
To understand why now is the perfect time to maximize your insurance benefits, you first must understand how dental insurance works. Most plans utilize a calendar year system where benefits start in January and end in December. This means that any unused benefit dollars for 2018 will run out in December since those dollars don't roll into next year's benefits.
Most plans have a yearly maximum amount that they will pay for treatment ranging from $1000 to $2000. This is the amount that is lost if you don't use your dental benefits.
Take Advantage of Your Preventive Benefits
Preventive care, which is your cleaning and checkup appointments every six months, is so important for helping you avoid bigger problems in the future. Your dentist can detect concerns such as tooth decay, gum disease, and cavities very early on during your routine examination, allowing you to have the opportunity to treat these concerns with less invasive procedures.
For example, when decay is detected in its earliest stages it can likely be treated with a dental filling. If it is undiagnosed or ignored, tooth decay will progress and could reach the nerve of your tooth where it will cause a painful infection and require a more invasive procedure such as root canal therapy to treat it.
No Insurance? No Problem!
If you don't have dental insurance, your team at Advanced Dental Center offers an alternative membership plan for in-house dental insurance. This can help defray the cost of common dental procedures without the stipulations sometimes placed by traditional dental insurance plans like deductibles or waiting periods.
For one low payment, you can receive coverage for yourself and even your entire family that entitles you to preventive care at no out-of-pocket cost and discounts on various restorative services throughout the year.
Whether you have traditional dental insurance, or you're interested in the in-house dental plan, we encourage you to contact your dentist in Parma Heights today for more information.
About Advanced Dental Center
Dr. Glenn Shtarkman and his team provide high quality dental care to patients in Parma Heights, OH. With a focus on comprehensive care delivered with a personal touch, our patients enjoy the exceptional experience they have each time they visit our office. We're here to help you get the dentistry you need in a timely manner without breaking the bank, so please call us with your insurance questions or concerns.
If you would like to contact Advanced Dental Center, we can be reached by calling 440-885-5354 or through our website.
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The International Mendelssohn Academy Leipzig, founded by Maestro Kurt Masur, offers different courses every year since 2008 for vocalists, conductors and more. Experienced and highly regarded artists lead these courses.
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Find out about a familiar opponent returning to National League North…
By Luke Thompson - 22/06/2018
Posted 2 years ago
Evo-Stik Northern Premier League champions Altrincham are returning to the National League North for the 2018/19 season, after playing for one season in the seventh tier.
The Greater Manchester based side stormed to the league title last term picking up 95 points, 13 points ahead of eventual play-off winners Ashton United, and in the process scoring over 100 league goals.
However, unlike Ashton United, Altrincham are very familiar opponents to Harriers, with the two sides having faced each other 21 times since the turn of the millenium. The most recent meeting came in April 2017 at Moss Lane, Harriers winning 4-1 thanks to goals from James McQuilkin, Joe Ironside, Andre Brown and Emmanuel Sonupé.
The 2016/17 season marked a contrast for the two sides with Harriers finishing in second place, and Altrincham finishing 22nd and relegated. However, a great 17/18 season ensured their stay in the seventh tier lasted for just one season.
After beginning the season with just one point from their opening three matches, Phil Parkinson's team quickly found form between mid-August and mid-December, going on a remarkable run of two losses from just 25 matches.
This article is about: League


text: Seriously, this is the most insanely annoying addition to Android in marshmallow. When I'm making a call now, I have to swipe unlock to use the keypad. "swipe unlock icon to use call options" I want this off my phone. Can someone please help me turn this off? It makes me want to throw my phone out the window.


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A wonderful tribute and celebration of the life and musical career of Ray Manzarek and the Doors. A life concert and rare interviews and clips. Fantastic!!
I thought it was great! But Jim Ladd should of had a part in it.
Unlock this showtime with the special password.
Don't Have The Password?


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Pools of Darkness is the fourth of Gold Box series of classic-style AD&D-based role-playing games. The gameplay is quite similar to other games of this type. At the start of the game, the player creates a party of characters (up to 6). Classic AD&D races (dwarf, elf, half-elf, gnome, etc.), character classes (fighter, paladin, monk, wizard, etc.), alignments (Good/Evil and Lawful/Chaotic axis), and statistics (strength, intelligence, wisdom, etc.) are there for the player to choose and adjust. Once the party is created, the player begins the exploration of the city of Phlan. Upon exiting the city, the player explores a top-down map, visiting dungeons and other locations of interest, as well as engaging in combat.
The turn-based combat is done in similar style as other Gold Box games: the player navigates characters one by one on the top-down battle field, assigning various commands. Experience points are gained after successfully defeating enemies. Enemies appear randomly on the world map as well as in dungeons.


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Search Constraints
You searched for: Subject Rivers Remove constraint Subject: Rivers Subject Inland Waters Remove constraint Subject: Inland Waters Place Laos Remove constraint Place: Laos Data type Line Remove constraint Data type: Line Year 2013 Remove constraint Year: 2013
Search Results
1. Rivers, Laos, 2013
2013. International Steering Committee for Global Mapping and Laos. Kom Phǣnthī hǣng Sat. This line shapefile represents rivers in Laos. The Global Map Lao People's Democratic Republic version 2.0 was developed using 1:100,000 Topographi... International Steering Committee for Global Mapping.


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James Bond Framed Live & Let Die Script Personally Signed by Sir Roger Moore
Full Description
James Bond Framed Live & Let Die Script Personally Signed by Sir Roger Moore
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These BMW E71 X6M Gloss Black Fender Grilles are a direct replacement for your outdated chrome fender grilles. These grilles go great on a mostly stock X6 M or one that already has other exterior gloss black parts such as grilles, and window trim. Featuring easy plug and play installation any enthusiast can install these BMW X6M Gloss Black Fender Grilles in less than 30 minutes. Each order will include 2 gloss black fender grilles for your 2012+ BMW X6M, ///M logos are not included.
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Power Rangers Metallic Force Ultra Action Figure, Red
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Studio 100 Animation will be partnering with Singapore-based Cosmos-Maya to co-produce its new 2D animation series, Galactic Agency.
Created by Julie Chabrol, the animated series follows the adventures of a team of repair specialists as they take on stellar missions aboard their hypersensitive spaceship, the Toaster. Gulli France has signed on to broadcast the series.
Katell France, managing director of Studio 100 Animation, remarked, "We are really thrilled to join powerful forces with Cosmos-Maya through this collaboration on our new original series, Galactic Agency. We're confident that children will love this all-new adventure comedy with the Galactic Agency team and embark on their hilarious journeys through a crazy and inventive world."


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The Board of New Britain Palm Oil Ltd has approved a business ethics policy designed to increase transparency and assist in communicating our position against bribery and corruption externally and internally. NBPOL believes that corruption undermines economic development and effective markets. Accordingly, NBPOL is committed to working against corruption in all its forms.
Furthermore, NBPOL is committed to meet all of its tax liabilities as required by local legislation. If there is an opportunity and need, NBPOL will engage with stakeholders under the PNG Tax Credit Scheme, through which NBPOL has delivered a number of schools, police stations and other projects.
NBPOL believes that it is possible for global business to operate in a manner which grows a healthy global business based on accountability, transparency and ethics. This document sets out these business values and practices as a matter of Company policy to be followed by all directors and employees.
Our key policy and procedural document in relation to business conduct is the COBC which can be downloaded at: http://www.simedarby.com/operating-responsibly/ethical-business-practices
Download »
NBPOL Business Ethics Policy 2011


text: Ep. 4 IU Member Michael Ciklin on Forensic Analysis of Conservatorship of GSEs - April 27, 2017 More from Investors UniteEp. 5 R Street's Pollock on Jumpstart Legislation, Capital Reserves for SIFIsEp 2. UVA Law Professor Saikrishna Prakash on Judge Sweeney's March 7th OrderEp. 3 R Street Institute Senior Fellor Alex Pollock on Housing Finance ReformInvestors Unite Podcast: Episode 1Investors Unite Files Amicus Brief In Support of Perry Capital Appeal of U.S. District Ruling


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Sharon Brodin
Sharon Brodin is a contributing content writer for Bending Branches. She resides in Ham Lake, MN, with her husband Nick. They have three grown children, two of them married. Sharon has over 30 years' experience in the industry and is well versed in all paddle sports. Sharon's passion is anything outdoors, as she enjoys spending time canoeing, kayaking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, camping and riding horses. Her favorite paddling destination is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. More information can be found about Sharon at SharonBrodin.com. Besides client writing, Sharon owns two online resource centers: TwinCitiesOutdoors.com and ActiveOutdoorWomen.com.
Copywriter / Blogger


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Alert from California State Board of Equalization
If you are looking for information on your Seller's Permit, Sales and Use Tax, or Business Taxes please contact the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration at 1-800-400-7115.
This lesson discusses the Periodic Repayment (PR), one of six compound interest functions presented in Assessors' Handbook Section 505 (AH 505), Capitalization Formulas and Tables. The lesson:
The PR is the payment amount, at periodic interest rate i and number of periods n, in which the present worth of the payments is equal to $1, assuming payments occur at the end of each period.
The PR is also called the loan amortization factor or loan payment factor, because the factor provides the payment amount per dollar of loan amount for a fully amortized loan. The PR factors are in column 6 of AH 505.
The PR can be thought of as the "opposite" of the PW$1/P which was discussed in Lesson 6; mathematically, the PR and the PW$1/P factors are reciprocals as shown below:
Conceptually, the PW$1/P factor provides the present value of a future series of periodic payments of $1, whereas the PR factor provides the equal periodic payments the present value of which is $1.
If a loan is repaid over its term in equal periodic installments, the loan is fully amortized. In a fully-amortized loan, each payment is part interest and part repayment of principal. Over the term of a fully amortized loan, the principal amount is entirely repaid.
From the standpoint of the lender, a loan is an investment. In an amortized loan, the portion of the payment that is interest provides the lender a return on the investment, and the portion of the payment that is principal repayment provides the lender a return of the investment.
An amortization schedule shows the distribution of loan payments between principal and interest throughout the entire term of a loan. Amortization schedules are useful because interest and principal repayment may be treated differently for income tax purposes and it is necessary to keep track of the separate amounts for each. The loan amortization schedule below shows an amortization schedule for a 10-year loan, at an annual rate of 6%, with annual payments.
The formula for the calculation of the PR factors is
In order to calculate the PR factor for 4 years at an annual interest rate of 6%, use the formula below:
Viewed on a timeline:
On the timeline, the four payments are negative because from a borrower´s perspective they would be cash outflows. The amount borrowed, $1, is positive because from the borrower´s perspective it would be a cash inflow.
To locate the PR factor in AH 505, go to page 33 of AH 505. Go down 4 years and across to column 6. The PR factor is 0.288591.
Example 1:
You have just borrowed $50,000, to be repaid in equal annual installments at the end of each of the next 20 years. The annual interest rate is 8%. What is the amount of each annual payment?
Example 2:
You borrow $200,000 to buy a house, using a fully-amortizing mortgage with monthly payments for 30 years at an annual interest rate of 5%. What is your monthly payment of principal and interest?
Example 3:
John borrows $75,000 at an annual rate of 6%, repayable in equal annual payments at the end of each of the next 10 years. How much of John's first payment is principal and how much is interest?
Example 4:
A friend just about ready to retire has $400,000 in his 401k retirement account. If he can earn an annual rate of 4% on the account and wishes to exhaust the fund over 20 years with equal annual withdrawals, how much can he withdraw at the end of each year?
The primary use of the PR factor is to provide the amount of the periodic payment necessary to retire a given loan amount. But you can also use it to provide the amount of periodic payment that a given amount will support, assuming an annual interest rate and term, as in this example.
Example 5:
You take out a $100,000 mortgage loan at an annual rate of 6% with monthly payments for 30 years. You plan to sell the property after 12 years. At that time, what will be the outstanding balance (i.e., remaining principal) on the loan?
The first step is to calculate the payment amount:
The remaining balance of an amortizing loan is the present value of the loan's remaining payments discounted at the loan's contract rate of interest. The second step is to discount the remaining 18 years of monthly payments using the PW$1/P factor at 6%.


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Small Kitchen Remodel Ideas on a Budget Layout Spaces – the Story
Undergoing a pool renovation is the exact same. Kitchen remodels can need a lot of quite specific tools to acquire the job finished. A kitchen remodel could be an extremely stressful situation, no matter what kind of project you're undertaking. A new kitchen renovation can vastly enhance the value of your house, together with making everyday life somewhat easier and more enjoyable.
The 5-Minute Rule for Small Kitchen Remodel Ideas on a Budget Layout Spaces
To help your space feel and appear bigger there are a lot of classic interior design ideas you may utilize. Although you might have a more compact space, that doesn't indicate that you cannot still create a lovely kitchen. Maximizing the space of a little galley kitchen can be challenging.
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You desire the kitchen to flow with the remainder of your house for aesthetic appeal and possible resale value later on. The kitchen functions as the heart and hearth of your residence. It should be comfortable and glowing. Small kitchens may seem to be a design challenge, but they can likewise be functional, stunning and productive. To begin with, choose an overall style you would like your new kitchen to showcase.
Type of Small Kitchen Remodel Ideas on a Budget Layout Spaces
The problem of producing a fabulous kitchen simply comes down to what you may fit and where. Another notion is to remove all smaller appliances from the counter region and store them in a garage or pantry till they are required. Don't begin a kitchen renovation without a plan or a very clear idea about what to anticipate. Actually, our whole remodel idea started with obtaining a completely free fridge on a Buy Nothing Facebook giving group that we're a portion of. There are many different kitchen remodel ideas you will need to grab.
What You Should Do to Find Out About Small Kitchen Remodel Ideas on a Budget Layout Spaces Before You're Left Behind
Countertops play a significant part in the appearance and usability of your kitchen. Kitchen countertops can break your financial plan. A high-end countertop and backsplash may be sizable amount of money.
The Pain of Small Kitchen Remodel Ideas on a Budget Layout Spaces
While it's possible to paint vinyl flooring as soon as the budget is super thin, it's a short-term solution. Gerflor stick-on vinyl flooring is an easy and versatile solution that you are able to run straight over solid existing floors. It is possible to really go for it and select an attractive floor tile, since it is not so expensive to order a little amount, she noted.


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Armeria maritima 'Splendens'
Sea Pink
Photo courtesy of Ball Horticulture
- Globe shaped pink flowers above narrow, grass like foliage with dark evergreen leaves
Border or Bed
Low Maintenance
Mass Planting
Rock Garden
Salt Tolerant
Homeowner Growing and Maintenance Tips:
An easy to grow plant. Prefers moist but well drained soil in full-part sun. Tolerant of heat and salt.
Height: 8-10 in
Spacing: 6-12 in
Price Level 1: $6.99 ea.~#1
Bloom Color: Pink
Zone: 3-8
Price Level 2: 5 for $30~#1
Additional Characteristics & Attributes:
- Mass Planting
- Low Maintenance
- Rock Garden
- Evergreen
- Border or Bed
- Salt Tolerant
- Edging
- Container
Critter Resistance:
- Deer Resistant
- Full Sun
- Upright
Foliage Color:
- Green
Season of Interest (Flowering):
- Spring
- Summer
Attracts Wildlife:
- Attracts Hummingbirds
- Attracts Butterflies
Soil Moisture:
- Average Water


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9 Ways to Overcome MS Burnout
Keeping up with the daily demands of MS can lead to tiredness, frustration, and burnout. Here are tips to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
It isn't easy managing a disease like multiple sclerosis. The day-to-day physical and emotional demands of controlling MS symptoms like fatigue, visiting doctors and other healthcare professionals for therapy, tests, and treatments, while trying to do the normal daily activities of work and family, can leave patients feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and burned out.
Burnout is an emotional condition marked by tiredness, frustration, and hopelessness – all resulting from prolonged stress. "Patients may be concerned about how unpredictable the disease is, what the future might bring, and how to manage all the things on their plate when they're not feeling so well," says Rosalind Kalb, PhD, clinical psychologist and vice president of clinical care at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "One can feel overwhelmed by the enormity of it, and not know which problem to try to solve first."
How Setting Manageable Goals Can Help
Denise Belle of Knightdale, North Carolina, knows the feelings of burnout all too well. When she was diagnosed with MS 18 years ago, she was a 20-year-old college student with dreams of becoming a nurse. "I was devastated," she says. "When you're 20, you think you're invincible." After multiple relapses and trips to the hospital to try to control the spasms she was having in her hands, face, and legs, she started taking medication, began taking better care of herself, and finally faced reality. "It took me three to five years after my diagnosis to really come to grips with it and say, 'This is my life,'" she adds.
What helped her get through it? One thing was staying in school and being able to shift her dream of becoming a nurse to becoming a public health advocate instead – a career she still feels passionate about today. Years of graduate school work helped her set manageable goals for herself and stay focused and optimistic about her future. Helping others through her public health advocacy work gave her a sense of purpose and put her own health problems in perspective.
RELATED: I Don't Want to Have MS Anymore
"I'm a type A personality, and I love a good challenge," Belle admits. "When I was told that I might not be able to finish school because of my MS, I said 'No way! I've come too far!'" Belle ended up finishing her master's degree in three years and graduating with honors. Now she works as director of community-based outreach programs for Rural Health Group, Inc. "Set your goals high," she advises. "What else is going to give you the strength that you're going to need to keep putting one foot in front of the other?"
More Tips for Overcoming MS Burnout
Get your health team in place. "It's easy to look at all your symptoms and not know which one to deal with first," says Dr. Kalb. "That's why comprehensive care is so important." By working with a team of professionals – from neurologists to physical and occupational therapists – you can get help managing all aspects of your disease with the goal of slowing its course, managing whatever relapses you might have, and enhancing your function in every way possible.
Get support from family and friends. In addition to your medical team, having family, friends, and fellow patients to turn to for support is crucial. "One of the biggest components of feeling at the end of your rope is a sense that you're there by yourself – and that nobody understands," says Kalb. "Having a support group can help relieve that feeling." Belle credits her mother, her boyfriend William, and her girlfriends for being there for her during her darkest times. "I can be my most vulnerable with my 'sisters'," she says, referring to a small group of friends she regularly leans on for support.
Rest, relax, and recreate. Be good to yourself by reducing the stress in your life as much as possible and resting when you need to. "You have to listen to your body," says Belle. "When it's telling you that it's exhausted and requires rest, you have to stop and rest." In addition to rest, Belle regularly indulges in relaxing activities like gardening with her mother, watching movies with her friends, walking her dog Jackson, reading, and chilling out with her boyfriend. She also enjoys an occasional girls' night out.
Adopt healthy habits. Eating well and exercising regularly can help you feel more balanced. "There's a lot of evidence that exercise can help with mood," says Kalb. "The key is finding exercise that fits with whatever your abilities and limitations are." Belle walks on a treadmill and lifts weight for strength training when she can. "I also meditate daily for 15 minutes," she says, which helps her to manage stress and revitalize.
Allow yourself time to grieve. "Every time MS takes something away from you and requires you to do something differently or think about yourself and your life in a different way, you have to grieve, and that's normal and healthy," says Kalb. Belle admits that the hardest moments for her are the ones where her symptoms are exacerbated and she finds herself unable to do the things she loves. "I have to be pretty honest and open to the fact that not every day is going to be a good day," she says.
Become a problem-solver. With every new challenge, it's important to come up with strategies for overcoming them, one small step at a time. "We know that people who have problem-solving coping strategies do much better than people who react in a more emotional way," says Kalb. "They're less prone to depression because they have the ability to parse out the big picture into smaller bites that they can manage better."
Tap into local resources. If you need special accommodations at work or at home, reach out to the National MS Society and other patient advocacy groups to learn what resources are available to you in your community. When Belle's headaches and muscle pain became severe, for example, she submitted an ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) work accommodations request that allowed her to work from home when necessary.
Watch for signs of depression. "Depression is very common among MS patients – more common than with other chronic disabling illnesses," says Kalb. How can you tell the difference between depression and burnout? "If you feel sad, miserable, and hopeless for days or weeks on end, without any let up, and if you lose interest in the things that used to give you pleasure and enjoyment, that's depression," says Kalb. If you think you're depressed, talk to your doctor.


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How To Get Low cost Flights
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James 4:1-12
What kind of desires would cause in-fighting in the church? Often church people (that's us) confuse our desire for what is good with our desire to have our own way, our desire to win the debate, our desire to be the most right, or the most righteous. In church, if you are committed to always winning the argument, you're going to lose on a much larger scale. You may win every single battle, but you'll lose the war. People become passionately committed to one side or the other. But ego worms its way in. And often the contempt for others and anger that emerges in the conflict, gets twisted and bent into simply a desire of self-will: the desire to win. And to make our opponent lose. So what's the alternative? In verse 3, James says, "You do not have because you do not ask." Asking is the way of Christ. Be honest with God about your desires and frustrations. Ask God about it. Just when all hope seems lost, when we might be tempted to despair of the human project and the Church, we get verse 6, "But He gives more grace." God longs for us to come back home. The answer, when we realize our state, is not to turn inward in shame; the answer is to turn toward the gospel. God wants us back. He is merciful, forgiving, gracious, compassionate. We must be single-minded in our commitment to the gospel. The fruit of that, James says in Chapter 3 is "peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."


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Title: Ill Wind
Author: Rachel Caine
Pages: 337
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Release Date: December 2, 2003
Publisher: ROC Fantasy/Penguin Books
Source:Personal Copy
For those who know me, you know that my favorite type of book to read is classic literature – the older the better. Some of my favorite books were penned in the 18th century. That being said, I'm also a sucker for certain modern genres – most especially urban fantasy/paranormal/supernatural type stories. I've read and loved the Southern Vampire series (aka Sookie Stackhouse), Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan novels, and Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld books.
Over the past few years, I'd heard great things about Rachel Caine and had even purchased the first book in her Weather Wardens series a few years back. This series follows Joanne Baldwin, manipulator of weather (air and water), in an epic car chase from Florida to Oklahoma after she kills one of the most powerful head Wardens. Oh, and there are Djinn (pretty much genies in bottles) who assist the Wardens with their powers.
What drew me to this series initially was the originality of Caine's world-building. All fantasy novels are responsible for building a world where creatures such as vampires, werewolves, super-humans, and even genies are possible – but far too often these worlds are so similar that nothing feels creative, especially post-Twilight (Quick Note: I'm well aware that Ill Wind was published pre-Twilight, but since I'm reading in a post-Twilight world, I can't help but be colored by the unfortunate consequence of sparkly vampires). But Caine's world of Wardens who are able to control and manage water, air, earth, and fire feels so different – hell, there aren't even any vampires and werewolves to speak of, something in and of itself refreshing. For this aspect alone, Ill Wind is worth the read.
Unfortunately, Caine's protagonist, Joanne, was a bit of a letdown for me personally. She's the cookie-cutter power female – stubborn, doesn't listen to anyone else, takes her clothes off for too many men, and not-so-surprisingly has amazing abilities beyond anyone's imagination. We've seen Joanne written time and time again – she brings nothing really fresh to the table. I did appreciate her love of cars – the Mustang and Viper – and her disdain for the Range Rover and Xterra. But even this aspect feels forced – so many female heroines in these novels are defined by qualities or hobbies normally associated with men (Mercy Thompson's a mechanic, Anita Blake loves guns).
Despite the predictability of Joanne's character traits, the story's end was surprising and a twist not often done in paranormal fantasy – especially the first book of a series. The wrap-up accomplishes two things well – answers many questions to truly end the story, yet creates an entirely new path for our heroine to take for the continuation of the series. For once, this feels like a book that requires a Book Two instead of an author merely pandering for more profits.
I'm not really sure I'll continue on with Joanne. The world is original, the ending was creative, but the rest of the novel left too little to love. Nothing about the characters compels me to keep up with their story and see how they resolve the next adventure they face. Perhaps I've read too many of these genre stories and need a bit of a break. I do believe that Rachel Caine is one of the better storytellers of the genre and deserves the notice by fans of the supernatural.


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Nobel Winning Comic Strips - Page 2
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57 Results for Nobel Winning
View 11 - 20 results for nobel winning comic strips. Discover the best "Nobel Winning" comics from Dilbert.com.
Sunday January 10,
Tags #how to book, #teach people, #winning lottery numbers, #find free real estate, #lose weight, #tubs of ice cream, #strong abs, #see angels, #near death experience, #get rid witnesses
Dogbert sits at Dilberts computer. Dilbert stands in a robe with a cup of coffee. Dogbert says, "I'm writing a comprehensive "how to" book." Dogbert says, "In chapter one, I teach people how to pick winning lottery numbers." Dogbert says, "Chapter two: How to find free real estate in very nice neighborhoods." Dogbert says, "Chapter three: how to lose weight by eating huge tubs of ice cream." Dogbert says, "Chapter four: how to build strong abs by joining a gym and never going." Dogbert says, "Finally, how to see angels by giving yourself a near death experience." Dogbert says, "That last one is just to get rid of all the witnesses." Dilbert thinks, "On the plus side I don't feel so bad about not recycling."
Tuesday January 02,
Tags #mouse cramp, #elbonian prison wall, #chained upside down, #winning converstaion, #topper, #annoying, #one better
Dilbert, Topper and Wally are sitting at a table. Dilbert, wiggling his fingers, says, "I'm getting a mouse cramp." Topper says to Dilbert and Wally, "I spent seven years chained upside down to an Elbonian prison wall." Topper says to Dilbert and Wally, "At the risk of sounding too competitive, I believe I'm winning this conversation."
Saturday May 26,
Tags #the boyfriend project, #progress, #seen in public, #slimmed down, #toned up, #changed clothes, #no combover, #nobel prize, #wrestiling, #party, #cocktail party, #feeding words, #socializing, #mistakes, #speech, #control
Caption reads: "The Boyfriend Project." Alice holds up a "Before" picture of her boyfriend in front of him. He is now strong, lean, and completely, bald. She says, "You're making good progress." Alice's boyfriend continues to flex his muscles as she says, "I'm ready to be seen with you in public. But don't do any talking." Alice and her boyfriend are seen talking to another couple at a party. Her boyfriend says, "...And that's why I think there should be a Nobel Prize for wrestling." Alice leans over and whispers in his ear, "I said..."
Saturday December 22,
Tags #important document, #signed petition, #nobel peace prize, #sip, #trade ya
Ratbert says to Bob, the dinosaur, "Bob, I hold in my hands the most important document ever created." Ratbert continues, "It's a signed petition to end war. I expect to win the Nobel Peace Prize for this." Ratbert asks Bob, "May I have a sip of that?" Bob replies, "Trade ya."
Tuesday January 01,
Tags #winning bid contract, #read the minds, #competetors, #bid lower, #blocked by dense mass
Dilbert is sitting at his computer. The Boss approaches and says, "Dilbert, I want you to put together the winning bid for this contract." Dilbert responds, "No problem, I'll just read the minds of our competitors and bid lower." Dilbert continues, "I'm picking up something now... But it's partly blocked by a dense mass."
Wednesday January 02,
Tags #billion dollars, #lose bid, #winning less work, #cost estimates
Dilbert approaches a coworker and says, "I need your cost estimates for my bid proposal." The coworker says, "A billion dollars." Dilbert responds, "That sounds high for administrative overhead." The coworker replies, "If you already know the cost, why ask me?" Dilbert says angrily, "You'll make us lose the bid." The coworker replies, "I like to think of it as winning less work."
Friday May 30,
Tags #new product brochures, #design awards, #great, #award winning designer, #can't stop complaining
In a meeting, a co-worker hands Dilbert a brochure and exclaims, "The new product brochures have already won design awards!" Dilbert responds, "That's great, but our product won't do any of the things you claim here." The co-worker crosses his arm and says, "Well, who should we believe - the award-winning designer or the guy who can't stop complaining?"
Saturday July 05,
Tags #winning streak, #snowball, #poker snowman, #turn up heat, #four queens, #turn up furnace, #melt snowman
Headline: Meanwhile In Heck... Phil is playing poker with a snowman. Phil says, "You're on a winning streak, Snowball." Phil goes over to the thermostat and adjusts the temperature. He says, "But let's see what happens to your chances when I turn up the heat!" Phil says into the telephone, "That's right - the furnace is broken again!" Snowball says, "Four queens."
Tuesday August 19,
Tags #huge galatians project, #disqualified, #one minute late, #future depends on win bid, #winning bid, #future of company, #can't be late, #line dancing sign
"After months of work, I finished our bid for the huge galatikus project." "I'll deliver it to them." "If it's on minute late, we'll be disqualified. The future of our company depends on us winning this bid." "He must think I'm a... Whoa, what's this?" "Irish line dancing lessons 10% off."
Thursday March 30,
Tags #best marketing expert, #resume, #nobel prize, #five olympic medals, #marketing biathlon
"We need to hire the best marketing expert we can find." "Your resume says you've won the Nobel Prize in marketing, and five Olympic gold medals in the marketing biathlon." "What's a marketing biathlon?" "You ski up to people who won't buy your crap and you shoot them."