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Escobar has high hopes for himself, Royals
Shortstop out to bounce back offensively, sees big year for Kansas City
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Shortstop Alcides Escobar arrived in the Royals' camp bright and early Wednesday morning with a full measure of Spring Training optimism.
Escobar took a look back at last season and the Royals' intriguing stretch run.
"It was a lot of fun. The team played over .500 [86-76] and this year it's much better," he said.
Does he see maybe 90 victories this year?
"A hundred, a hundred wins," he said, smiling. "One-oh-oh."
Oh-oh, my, there's some real springtime dreaming for you, considering the Royals have reached the 100-win plateau just once in their previous 45 years (102 in 1977).
While Esky was on his optimistic odyssey, he was asked if he could get his batting average back up to the .290 level. There was another smile.
"Yeah, .290 and 40 stolen bases -- a nice year," he said.
Compared to 2012, Escobar's 2013 year was not so nice, at least at bat. To his credit, he didn't carry his batting box blues with him out to shortstop where he exhibited his usual defensive brilliance. He was nominated for a Gold Glove and made six fewer errors (13) than in 2012.
"I was good on defense and baserunning and everything and I want to get my offense again back to 2012," he said.
Escobar's numbers took some significant dips from 2012 to 2013: average, .293 to .234; hits, 177 to 142; stolen bases, 35 to 22; doubles, 30 to 20. His on-base percentage dropped from .331 to .259, his OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging) from .721 to .559.
Escobar admitted that, as he struggled, he got too antsy at the plate.
"Sometimes I get impatient and I get too quick and swing at too many pitches out of the strike zone," he said.
Manager Ned Yost noticed, too, that Escobar often tended to swing early in the count.
"He didn't do it much the year before," Yost said. "And what happens, especially with these guys when they know they're struggling a little bit, they get in a hurry to get caught up and that tends to have guys swing earlier in the count and that's what he did. He tried to slow it down, he knew what was going on last year and he wanted to contribute offensively -- he was a huge contributor defensively -- but he put himself in bad counts by swinging early. Hopefully he doesn't have to experience that as much this year."
Although Yost considers Escobar his best hit-and-run batter and used him most often in the No. 2 hole last year, that spot in the order likely will go to new second baseman Omar Infante. Escobar is the projected No. 9 batter.
Escobar settled into a locker right next to Infante, his new partner in the middle of the infield.
"I know him from Venezuela and Detroit, I played against him a lot," Escobar said. "They put us together here and we can talk every day and this guy is one of the best second basemen in the game and a good guy, too."
This will be the first time they've played together and it could finally give Escobar some feeling of permanence on the other side of the bag. In his three years with the Royals, Escobar has been paired with 10 different second basemen with Chris Getz, now with the Blue Jays, his most frequent partner. (Getz started at second base in 214 of the 486 games in that three-year period.)
The durable Escobar has played nearly every day since being obtained from the Brewers in the Zack Greinke trade. And he usually plays some winter ball in his native Venezuela as well.
"But this year I didn't play because my wife is pregnant right now and the baby is due next week," he said.
His wife, Francys, is expecting their first child in Miami, so he'll be taking a trip to Florida soon for the big event.
After that, Escobar will return to concentrating on an offensive turnaround.
"When you can drive the ball to all fields, you're going to put up some offensive numbers," Yost said. "He can do so many things. He can bunt, he can hit-and-run, there are a lot of things he can do to maintain his production. I've just got a lot of confidence in his abilities as an offensive performer."
After his first batting practice Wednesday, someone mentioned that Escobar looked somewhat bigger and stronger.
"A lot of it, too, is he dumped the braces," Yost said. "That's always going to make you look stronger, when you dump the braces."
Indeed, Escobar's teeth no longer held the familiar gold braces, giving him a flashier smile and perhaps bigger dreams.
Maybe that's where those 100 wins came from.


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Mortgage stress test has not solved housing supply problem
Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay
It has been nearly two years since the federal government introduced the mortgage stress test to cool the hot Canadian housing market.
Since then, particularly in both the GTA and Vancouver, demand has softened in the housing sector as the market adjusted and interested home buyers stepped away from the sidelines. Here in the GTA, the stress test did its job in reducing demand, while also shutting out ten of thousands of potential home buyers. Yet it did nothing for the real issue: the GTA's housing supply problem.
The stress test came into effect in 2018 to protect consumers by limiting the amount of money they could borrow for a new home. It meant that all home purchasers have to qualify under the Bank of Canada benchmark five-year rate (5.34 per cent) or the rate offered by the lender, plus 200 basis points or two per cent.Continue to read on: The Star


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Joseph Wister, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology; Chair, Undergraduate Psychology
Coolidge - 224
Hometown: Camden, NJ
Joined Chatham: 1985
Travel, Snorkeling, Hiking, Music, and Cooking
Joseph A. Wister is Associate Professor of Psychology at Chatham University. A member of the Psychology Department since 1985, Dr. Wister has taught Learning, Psychobiology, Animal Behavior, Statistics and Research Design, and The Psychology of Eating. With William Lenz of the English Department, Dr. Wister has traveled on Chatham Abroad with students to Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Belize, and Guatemala. His research interests include animal feeding and foraging behavior, the psychology of eating, and pedagogy.
- BA, Rutgers University, 1977
- MA, Miami University, 1983
- Ph.D.,Miami University, 1987
- Valutis, S.A., Goreczny, A.J., Wister, J.A., Newton, H., Popp, S., & Vavrek, J. (2008). Relationships among coping, weight preoccupation, and body image in college undergraduates. Scientific Journals International, Journal of Psychiatry, Psychology and Mental Health, 2(1).
- Lenz, W.E. and Wister, J.A. (2008) Short term abroad with long term benefits. International Educator 17(3), 84-87.
- Psi Chi
- Buhl Professor
- Eastern Psychological Association
- Association for Psychological Science
- Goreczny, A. J., Valutis, S., Wister, J., & Abdullah, L. (2008). Percent body fat as a mediating factor for weight preoccupation? Presentation at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapies
- Wister, J., Valutis, S., Goreczny, A. & Lubinski, L. (2008). Free Associations to the Word 'Food' by Dieting and Non-Dieting Women, Poster at the 20th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL


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Oh, Best Motoring. You sure know what's fun. Take a silver Celica, and then anything else that shows up, from another red Celica to an Altezza four-door to a Civic Type R. There's some good speculation by the drivers as to why races were lost, including "maybe he was too fast."
A bit later there's a race called "The Last Race of the Understeer" between an S2000 and an Integra. I like the translation of the S2000's takeoff, described as "dashing swiftly."


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When Deacon Jones passed away, the football world lost a great, great pass rusher who was light years ahead of his time.
I saw him a lot when I worked for the Dallas Cowboys, because we used to scrimmage with Deacon's Los Angeles Rams. He was a big talker, but he produced. One of the most significant things about him was that he was so fast. He probably could run the 40-yard dash in about 4.5 seconds in an era when it was unheard of to have defensive ends run that fast. It was unbelievable.
He really changed the profile of what you were looking for in a defensive end. In that way, Deacon Jones was to football what LeBron James has been to basketball.
He wasn't real big; probably 245 pounds, if that. We'd been used to having such big, lumbering guys, so to speak, slow guys at that position. Deacon just brought a whole new dimension to rushing the passer and making plays from the back side. He had such great get-off, like a world-class sprinter.
But don't take my word for it. Here's what a former Dallas Cowboys player, Rayfield Wright, has to say about lining up against Deacon Jones in his first start as an offensive lineman (after spending a few seasons bouncing around at different positions):
"The first thing that came to my mind when I found out that that's who I had to face in L.A. was fear," Wright said. "Fear kind of took me over a little bit in practice. ... I never will forget the first play in that game.
"I'm looking at him square in his eyes ... (and) I remember him asking me if my mother knew I was out on the field. It kind of put me in a position whereby I just froze, because I couldn't figure out why he was asking (that question)."
Wright said he lost his focus -- and the snap count -- and Jones burst across the line and knocked him down. He rolled over on his back and looked toward coach Tom Landry, expecting to be pulled from the game. But he wasn't.
"I said, 'Lord, I'm in this one by myself,' " Wright recalled.
"Then, after the play was over, he reached his arm down and made another statement and said, 'Hey, rookie,' -- he called me a rookie, and it was my third year -- 'Hey rookie, welcome to the NFL.' I thought, 'Wow, if this is how the NFL is, I got my hands full.' "
Wright knew he was in the presence of greatness when he lined up against Jones.
"He was a legend in his own day," Wright said. "I've seen a lot of great defensive ends in my day that I played against, and guys that I watched ... but they weren't Deacon Jones.
"A lot of offensive linemen weren't ready and didn't know how to defend and protect the quarterback from such a powerful force. He made your Sundays a rough day."
Deacon was also one of the funniest people in the world, and after he retired, he became a great entertainer, so to speak.
At the Pro Football Hall of Fame, we'd get the Hall of Famers together to sign all of this memorabilia, and Deacon would come in and hold court for an hour-and-a-half or two hours at a time.
"He was the belle of the ball," said Pete Quaglierini, who runs NFL Auction. "He was the unofficial mayor.
Wright, who said he had "lots of conversations" with Deacon after he retired, praised Deacon's involvement in charitable and community-oriented efforts. He also said Deacon played an important role in welcoming him to the Hall of Fame upon his induction.
"You just shut up and listened to him, because he had so much experience and knowledge about the game and what it took to be a Hall of Famer," Wright said.
One of the NFL's true game changer's died at age 74 on Monday.
"Great loss, man, because he was doing so much in the community, as well," Wright said. "And that's what a Hall of Famer does."


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Academy Award-winner Meryl Streep has donated $1m to the Public Theater in New York. The actress made the announcement Thursday at a reception celebrating the $40 million makeover of its Astor Place venue in downtown Manhattan.
"I give this gift in honor of the founder of the Public theater, my friend and mentor Joseph Papp, and in remembrance of one of the theater's board members and greatest supporters, my friend Nora Ephron," Streep announced at the reception according to the Los Angeles Times.
Writer/director Ephron worked with the actress on the films "Silkwood" (1983), "Heartburn" (1986) and "Julie and Julia" (2009). Ephron died in June after contracting pneumonia as a result of leukemia.
U.S. & World
"Meryl is as great a citizen as she is an actor," Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis said at the event. "Joe Papp founded the Public in the belief that great theater belonged to all the people. It means an enormous amount to us that the greatest actor of our time supports that mission."
Streep has a long-standing relationship with the company having appeared in productions for them dating back to the 1970s. She has also performed at the Public's Delacorte Theater in Central Park, most recently in a one-off benefit performance of "Romeo and Juliet."
A month-long series of events has been scheduled to celebrate the rededication of the downtown venue, including a free block party and open house on Oct. 13. It was also announced last week that Anne Hathaway would perform a one-off concert featuring songs from the musical "Cabaret" on Oct. 24 to raise further funds towards the refurbishment.


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I graduated from the University of Sunderland achieving an MA in glass 2006 and BA in glass and ceramics 2001.
I have been involved in sculpture for the past 17 years. My aims have been, and continue to be, to create mixed media sculptures that sit comfortably in the natural environment without conflicting with their immediate surroundings.
I spend much of my spare time outside camping, fishing, walking, foraging but all the time observing and it's these observations that influence my sculpture. How things grow, evolve and exist, also the interaction between the environment and us.
The qualities of glass, transparency, depth and the how vibrant colures reflect on the inner surfaces have drawn me closer to understanding the direction I would like my career to move in.
Techniques I use are hot blown glass, hot sculpting, and hot casting into sand or graphite moulds, carved by myself (a very dirty job). I also kiln form glass and have recently kiln cast the largest singular piece of glass in the UK, a large oval red lens weighing 350kg, cast in a Czech glass. I am currently working on a book which describes the processes involved in casting such a large piece of kiln formed glass.
A recent solo exhibition in Mayfair, London, led to 2 of my sculptures being shipped to a Cape Town, South Africa, where they are now displayed in a private sculpture garden.
Website www.stephenbeardsell.com
Email email@example.com


text: Michael has been a hard working artist all his life. Through dedication and striving for the perfect picture, which sadly he has yet to achieve. His vibrant combination of color and form has seldom been seen in any one generation. By setting the bar higher and higher he will one day achieve his goal.Although never having been recognized by awards and achievements which he assures me dose not rock his confidence. He is absolutely sure his time will come.In the artists own words" please buy my art". We can all sleep a little easier, knowing one day he will sell a piece of work.


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When the river meets the sea
Special to the Sun
TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212;-The river flows to the sea and becomes part of something greater. Without the rivers, the sea would be diminished, thirsty, without revitalization and the ecosystems would suffer and die as a result of imbalance.
As parents, we are connected by our experience of parenting with all its joy, all its mystery, and the times we are fearful and uncertain. Our children are their own beings, with souls that are being colored and carved by their experiences. We are their shepherds; we are their beacons, but they are not us and they do not belong to us. As their parents, we are charged with being witnesses of our teenagersand#8217; journeys to becoming part of the consciousness of the world, the participants in shaping their cultures according to their vision and values. When we let go, if we can let go, we cannot predict the course. On some level we know they must determine that for themselves; to engage their imaginations, their resourcefulness and their voices. But how will they learn to use their voices if their predecessors do not teach them to speak in whatever language expresses them best whether it is through spoken language, the language of art, music, dance, writing or another of the imaginationand#8217;s vehicles?
Transforming the parent relationship and#8212;
from knower to witness
Witnessing is different than protecting, advising, teaching or telling. For the parent of a teenager perched on the edge of the nest ready to take the first test flight, witnessing is an act of refraining. To refrain from speaking, warning, teaching, advising or telling is to open space for the voices of our teenagers. To refrain from filling the empty space with our opinions and admonishments while they search for the right words is to trust they will find them. Too often, we extinguish and silence voices that need a quiet host and we fail to act as curious guests in the imaginations of young minds and hearts. As M. Scott Peck wrote in his 1988 book and#8220;The Road Less Traveled,and#8221; and#8220;Our job is not to prepare the path of life for our children, but to prepare our children for the path.and#8221;
How our culture affects teens
Teenagers are weighted with cultural expectations for maturity juxtaposed against the realities of their emotional capacity. Teenagers try to match what the culture expects often at the cost of their self-esteem and inner peace. Many teens struggle with body image, sexuality, economic disadvantages, depression and learning problems, and many cannot imagine talking about these issues will provide relief or resolution. Those who cannot withstand the pressure from peers, parents, the schools and the culture often drop out of school, use substances to cope with emotional pain, join gangs or they decide suicide is the only way to end their suffering.
American boys are required by law to register for the draft when they reach the age of 18. When a war is going on, registering for the draft and contemplating possible death in a country thousands of miles away has the potential to be terrifying, yet our culture does not address all the implications of this requirement, selecting only to valorize voluntary military service as a means of achieving success or increasing self-esteem or guaranteeing a college education, if a soldier makes it home again. Many arrive home in pieces, their tender psyches reeling to return to the place left far behind on the threshold between childhood and adulthood.
Teenagers struggle to discern their values and expectations with those of the culture, schools, and parents in trying to create the paths they will take as adults. For teens who leave the school system or who drift after graduating high school with no clear plan for the future and few resources, the world can seem overwhelming and inhospitable. There is little time to dream, imagine and to retreat, perhaps cocooning into a chrysalis for a time to let the lessons sink in. There is only the experience of harshness, rigidity of the systems they are caught up in and our cultureand#8217;s frenzied pace to know more, be more and do more.
Despite the rumbling in their stomachs, their aching heads and emptied hearts, they press on keeping pace with a speeding conveyor belt with no and#8220;offand#8221; button within reach. American teenagers are a silenced population. They are given no clear role or voice during their most critical developmental years in shaping the world they will inherit. They are rarely offered a voice in decisions that will impact them as adults.
We are a nation of fearful consumers and ravenous competitors, our eyes turned outward for food that never satisfies the deepening starvation for connection with each other. Our children receive the anxiety like radio waves, and they respond to the frenzied pace with the language available to them, usually behavior such as bullying or withdrawing into the darker realms. We diagnose it rather than paying attention to what it says about the state of our culture. We identify them as the patients rather than examine ourselves and the world into which we have brought them.
The children left behind
According to Angela Diaz, M.D., MPD, director of the Mt. Sinai Adolescent health Center in New York, the population of youths between 16 and 24 is the most underserved in the United States in terms of health care, preventative care, mental health services and dental care. They are legally adults at the age of 18, but unless they are in college, the likelihood is that they will get jobs that pay little more than minimum wage, inadequate to live on with no medical benefits. The mental health system has coined the term and#8220;transitional age youthand#8221; to describe the population of young adults who are suspended in the nether-region between being teenagers who have more access to social services and those 18 and older who are cut off from services or who cannot get into college and become stuck in survival mode of minimum wage jobs. These are just a few of the barriers that millions of teenagers who will inherit our country are up against.
Our educational system has put its resources and focus on preparing students to pass aptitude tests and less on developing imagination, creativity and the ability to navigate the complex problems of living in this competitive culture beyond high school, which for many does not include college. Our children fear failure because they are not permitted to fail and then retrieve success from its fallout by accessing their own resilience.
For teens with emotional problems stemming from lack of access to stable caregiving, economic stability and medical care and who have experienced trauma as children, the legal system becomes the de facto parent. Children who break school rules or the law due to violent behavior, drug use or truancy are placed either in foster care or juvenile detention. Many cycle through these systems over and over again until they reach the age of 18.
Without experiences of loving, caring stable homes, or parents with whom they can speak honestly, these children are released from the juvenile justice system at 18 and are expected to go out in the world and live according to the laws and expectations of a culture with which they are unfamiliar. Some will make it into college or vocational programs against all odds, but most do not. These are the young adults this society fails to recognize and offer resources for healthcare, social support and life skills education in a supportive, safe and nurturing environment.
Talking about suicide
Although none of this information may apply to you and your teenager(s), the possibilities for any teenager to fall through the cracks and land in the juvenile justice system, on the streets, or drug involved is everyoneand#8217;s concern. It is critically important for adults and teenagers to speak openly about the fears and challenges of growing up and out of the family and into the world. Statistically, male teenagers complete suicide more than female teenagers and the reasons for suicide remain the same as they were 10 years ago. Boys often feel they must have certainty about their life path by the time they reach the age of 18; the benchmark we have set determining their ability to be independent.
Although there has been progress in cultivating openness about fear of growing up, boys are typically not as willing as girls to express such feelings. The CDC cites depression as the main cause for suicide and that suicide is the third leading cause of death for teenagers between the ages of 12 and 19 after accidental deaths and homicide. Among the leading causes for teen depression is discord, violence or abuse in the family, inability to feel a connection with parents or caregivers, pressure and anxiety associated with school, and isolation or being ostracized by peers. Statistics evaluating depression among teens show that if there is just one person, not necessarily a parent, but a coach or a teacher or an extended family member, with whom they can speak openly and feel safe and who can offer them support and unconditional love and care, it often makes the difference between rebounding from depression or not.
The transparent parent
The river is allowed to make its way to the sea meandering over the land, carving its way around obstacles, bumping over stones and crashing in great waterfalls to the valleys below. To watch it and witness its journey is a miracle, a marvel for all the senses to experience. To stop it by force is to starve it from creating its own path severing it from its ultimate destination which is to join with its greater ancestor, the sea. Learning to let go of old ways of being and#8220;the parent,and#8221; the knower or the authority is perhaps our greatest and most terrifying challenge. Transforming the parent relationship means learning to hold space for the most frightening conversations including depression and thoughts of suicide. Trusting ourselves in the action of refraining requires relentless faith that simply listening and holding space goes a long way, perhaps even preventing the desperation and depression from eating our children alive. An undefended and open heart is always an invitation even for the most reluctant visitor. The changing role of parenting as our children open their wings is an opportunity to show our humanity and fallibility and to choose humility rather than hubris, to hold sacred the role of being the one they want to come to first when life seems overwhelming.
and#8212; Kimball Pier, executive director of Sierra Agape Center, offering therapeutic services on a donation-basis, may be reached at email@example.com. Visit sierraagape.org for more information.
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Our behavior analysts observe an individual in their everyday environment, revealing skills or behavior patterns. Reports are always collected during observations in therapy meetings in North Carolina.
- Skills assessment: language, social, self‐help, fine/gross motor, play skills
- Behavior assessment: Precursors, specifics, outcomes
- Environment: How does the environment affect behavior?
With the data that will be collected from interviews and observations, your behavior analyst will create a behavior plan that targets the behaviors and skills. Each method instructed by the behavior analyst is from the principles and procedures developed by applied behavior analysis research and application.


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Websites can do anything. Here are some examples of solutions to your online needs.


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When the Shah fell from power in 1979 it was after a year of strikes and demonstrations. Revolutions in Iran tend to proceed at a stately pace. After a stolen Presidential election in Iran in the late Spring, the Iranian regime found itself faced with an active and growing opposition. The regime has been unable to crush it. On December 7, huge demonstrations erupted throughout Iran on college campuses. Now cracks may be beginning to appear in an institution that is key for the survival of any dictatorship: the military. The below story was reported in Pajamas Media by Iranian exile Afshin Ellian, who fled Iran in 1983 and who is a law professor at the University of Leiden. He is the sole source I can find for this report, so take it with a grain of salt.
On December 10, a statement signed by a number of officers and commanders of the Iranian army was released. The regular army of Iran had not been involved in the suppression of the population. The statement was signed by:
•Pilots and personnel of the aviation division of the regular army (Havanirooz)
•Commanders and personnel of the 31th artillery division of Isfahan of the regular army
•Pilots and airmen of the regular army
•Teachers of the Shaid Satari University of the regular air force
•Officers and staff of the logistics training unit the regular army
•Professors and lecturers of the Imam Ali University for officers of the regular army
•Officers, staff, and commanders of the chief of staff of the regular army
In summary, they wrote:
Together we fought in the war with our brothers in the Revolutionary Guards in order to defend the country, the people, and the honor of the nation. They also emphasize that "the value of the land means the value of the Iranian nation." This is very interesting. Value of the nation.
Not abstract concepts such as Iran or Islam, but the value of the nation determines the value of the land. Therefore, the weapons of the army and RG are to be used to protect the nation: "When we fought together, we could never suspect that parts of the RG would ever use its weapons against the people."
The last section of this brief but powerful statement will surely immortalize these brave officers: "The army is a haven for the nation and will never want to suppress the people at the request of politicians. We shall remain true to our promise not to intervene in politics. But we cannot remain silent when our fellow citizens are oppressed by tyranny."
They go on: "Therefore, we warn the Guards who have betrayed the martyrs (from the war between Iran and Iraq) and who decided to attack the lives, the property and the honor of the citizens. We seriously warn them that if they do not leave their chosen path, they will be confronted with our tough response. The military is a haven for the nation. And we will defend the peace-loving Iranian nation against any aggression."


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1 cup flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/2 cup whipping cream
12 oz strawberries hulled and sliced
1. Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, whirl flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, cornstarch,and salt. Add butter and 1/2 tsp vanilla until fine crumbs form and dough just begins to come together. Press into 9 inch tart pan with removable rim. Bake until edges are golden 20-25 minutes. Let cool, then gently push out of pan and set on plate.
2. In a bowl with mixer at high speed, beat creme fraiche, whipping cream, remaining 2 Tbsp sugar,and remaining 1/2 tsp vanilla until thick. Spread into cooled crust. Arrange strawberries in circles on top.
Chill loosely covered for up to 4 hours


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- At AdvantiPro, our business is to help you increase your business. Great products and services will not sell unless somebody knows about them. So tell the world about what you have to offer – we will make sure your message is heard.
As a publishing house and marketing agency, AdvantiPro proudly owns an extensive portfolio specifically designed to attract new customers to your business and reinforce awareness of your products and services.
Our products include:
click on any product below to visit the site
Herald Union
The Herald Union is a monthly English language newspaper serving the Wiesbaden Military Community based at Clay Kaserne, commonly known as Wiesbaden Army Air Field where 18,000 military and family members live. Up to 7,000 copies are distributed free of charge, many hand-delivered to military housing areas on base. Learn more by visiting www.herald-union.com today!
Kaiserslautern American
The Kaiserslautern American is a weekly English language newspaper which is delivered to every mailbox on base in the Kaiserslautern Military Community free of charge. Up to 20,000 copies are distributed each week to the largest military community outside the continental U.S. Learn more by visiting kaiserslauternamerican.com today!
The Citizen
The Stuttgart Citizen is an English language newspaper for the Stuttgart Military Community. Distributed free of charge, 7,000 copies are distributed to the local military community bi-weekly. Stuttgart is home to the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command for the United States military, with more than 24,000 active duty military and their families living in the area. Learn more by visiting stuttgartcitizen.com today!
Military in Germany
Military in Germany contains the websites of all of the printed products from AdvantiPro plus a gold mine of articles and information about things to do for military families off-base/off-post. Community members make additions to the website and visit often to learn about things to do for the English speaking community. Find out more about events, movies and fun things to do by visiting www.militaryingermany.com today!
Find-It Guide
The Find-It Guide is a business and military telephone directory for Americans stationed in Germany (Kaiserslautern, Rhein-Main, Stuttgart and other areas in Germany). The Find-It Guide is published yearly with a circulation of approximately 100,000 copies and is distributed free of charge on military installations and on-base/on-post housing. Learn more by visiting www.finditguide.de today!
Classified World
Classified World is a website for all classified ads that appear in our three newspapers here in Germany. Ads placed on the site appear immediately and are scheduled to print in the newspaper of your choice. Private ads and photos are free with commercial ads being a cost effective way to promote your business.
Learn more by visiting class-world.com today!
AdvantiDesign is AdvantiPro's internal design bureau and advertising agency. Being a one-stop-shop, AdvantiDesign offers innovative and clever marketing solutions for all your advertising and corporate needs.
AdvantiDesign boosts the expressive power of your marketing tools and intensifies the impact of your message to enrich your audience's experience. Our graphic and design team has worked with Americans for many years and will be happy to assist you with any project. Learn more about the products and services offered by visiting www.advantipro.de today!
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Hotwire: Deep Cut #2
Created by: Steve Pugh & Warren Ellis
Written & Illustrated by: Steve Pugh
Lettering by: Steve Pugh
While Bertus Rantz and his private security contractors investigate an unusual crash, Alice Hotwire cools her heels in a detention cell… only to emerge to the cheers of her police force comrades. As Alice avoids her fellow officers and deals with the rampaging Rantz and a paranormal ex-boyfriend, a blue light housed in a robotic body has taken one of the crash victims of its own accord… But, for what purpose? Can Hotwire and Mobey uncover the truth behind the car crash and discover the identity of this mysterious entity before Rantz completes his crusade against all blue lights?
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A well balanced all-rounder. The DMM Worksafe rope is perfect for most Rope Access, Work Positioning, Work Restraint and Fall Arrest systems. Designed to compliment the Buddy Back Up Device where the dynamics are safe and consistent in use. 32 strand Polyamide construction provides excellent wear resistance, good grip and lovely handling characteristics.
This Semi-Static Rope can be ordered in lengths up to 700m, please ring for details
Sold by the metre. You will receive one continuous length.
Conformance: EN 1891 Type A


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Arizona Corporate Portraits - Steve Soter
Steve Soter is an Insurance Agent based in Gilbert, Arizona. He came to us because he wanted something better than his existing website's portraits. First impressions are incredibly important - particularly for insurance and real estate agents, CPA's, bankers, and other professions where reputation and image is paramount.Anyone who meets Steve will quickly realize that he is an incredibly genuine person with outstanding professional integrity, but conveying that message on an impersonal website is difficult without images that convey your charachter. I think we did well. And if you ever have a need for auto, home, business or life insurance, contact Steve and get to know him for yourself.


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Biography Tromp Muziek Biënnale
Albums | Singles | Compilations | Other | Guestperformance
In the discography you will find all recordings that have been released listed chronologically. We restrict ourselves to the title, the type of audio, year of publication or recording, label, list of guest musicians, plus any comments on the issue.
Audio/Video Tromp Muziek Biënnale
No audio- or video material is yet available.
Add audio or video


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8 Signs He's Totally Into You
Unfortunately, after a first date, it's rarely as simple as: "I like you, I had fun, let's get together again."
I'm coy after a first date because:
I don't want to look too eager/desperate. I won't ignore my attraction, but I'll at least try to temper it.
I want to look like I have a life. Even though I don't have a life, I might try to look a little aloof.
I'm not sure if you like me. It's scary to take the dive and show I'm interested when I'm not sure if the girl is interested.
Despite attempts to look calm, cool, and collected, there are a number a things I'll do around an initial date that clue you in that I'm interested. Here are a few:
1. Completing the Date
It may not indicate that you're the apple of my eye, but it does indicate that you're not a total disaster. Most people are courteous enough to do the absolute minimum on a date: finish whatever activity you're doing together and devote sufficient time out of respect for the other person. But some situations are such utter disaster, things must be cut short.
I once went out with a girl who spewed embarrassingly stupid things I couldn't respond to. Finally, I suggested changing plans to meet up with my buddies. Once a date is officially a bust, I'll look for any way out.
2. One on One
If I'm into you, and comfortable, I won't want to "share" you. A common tactic to combat a boring date is calling in "reinforcement" friends to "dilute" you. I'm naturally talkative with those around me, but if I invite everyone else around us into our party, I might be looking for a more interesting outlet.
3. Extending the Dat
Suggesting something (other than going back to someone's place) after dinner like taking a walk, grabbing a drink, going for dessert, catching a movie, etc., indicates I'm asking for an encore. Although a masochist like myself might ask a girl to spend more time with me if I'm not enjoying her company.
4. Suggesting Another Date
Sometimes I get so excited during a first date I play my cards by suggesting other things we should do together. A common time to suggest another date is at the end of the date, though some guys just say this to be friendly. But it can't be bad if the guy is enthusiastic enough to suggest a second date. He just has to make good on his word.
5. Friendly Follow-Up Right After You Say Good-bye
Sometimes after a date, I'll text the girl telling her I had a great time, out of sheer giddiness. If I'm not interested after the date, I'll head straight home and begin my process of fading out of this girl's life (following up is not part of that process).
6. Striking While the Iron's Hot
I'll appear to be flaky or uninterested if I wait too long. If I enjoyed the date I'll contact her within a few days. This doesn't necessarily mean I'm asking her out again just yet. I'm just keeping the conversation going. If I'm not interested, I won't ever contact her again. Regardless of how great you thought things went, if he doesn't contact you again he's clearly not interested.
7. Consistency
Hold me to a higher standard than one extra date, or one call back after the initial date. How many times have you gone on a few dates only to have it fizzle out? You can't be sure I'm interested until we've gone out consistently for more than a month.
8. Non-Cliché Dates/Spontaneity
Take notice when I ask you to do random little things: run errands, go to the park. It's that next step when I'm getting to know you and showing you I want you around whenever, wherever. Spending this "informal" time with you indicates I'm interested.
Remember, guys sometimes act interested just to get laid, and there are guys who feel guilty cutting a date short when it's not going well. "Trying to be nice" actually sends the wrong signals if a guy is not interested.
My advice: Use these indicators as guidelines (they usually build on each other as things progress). Be vigilant, because reading the signals incorrectly will get you hurt. Hopefully you'll meet a good guy who is sending honest signals.
How do you show you're interested after a first date? Do you wait for a guy to make the next move after a first date? What signals are you looking for in guys after a first date? Do you agree with my signals, and that it's tough to read them in the beginning?


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Ellen DeGeneres and Helen Mirren were named among the celebrities who will be honored with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for 2013, the Walk of Fame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced on Friday in a live press conference.
Stars in the arenas of Motion Pictures, Television, Radio and Recording were selected to receive stars among hundreds of nominations to the committee at a meeting held on June 15 and approved by the Chamber's Board of Directors.
Also selected to receive stars in the Motion Picture category were Rick Baker, Javier Bardem, Viola Davis, James Franco and Ron Howard.
In the Television category, DeGeneres, Simon Baker, Bryan Cranston, Jane Lynch, Katey Sagal and Matthew Perry were selected.
In the Recording genre, The Back Street Boys, Jennifer Hudson, Jane's Addiction, Janis Joplin (posthumous), New Kids on the Block, Usher Raymond IV, Thalia and Luther Vandross (posthumous) were chosen for the honor.
In the Live Theatre/Performance category, Olympia Dukakis and Penn & Teller were selected. In the Radio category, Steve Harvey and "Shot Gun" Tom Kelly will receive stars.
"The Walk of Fame committee is proud to announce next year's honorees whose additions to the world famous Hollywood Walk of Fame will bring everlasting memories of their star power, talent, and popularity to the millions who visit Hollywood each year and which will shine even more light on the entertainment capital of the world," said Leron Gubler, President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce hosted the event and David Green, Chairman of the Walk of Fame selection committee.
In order to receive a star on the Walk of Fame, the celebrity must be nominated and sponsored, usually by a publicist or a studio. The sponsor is responsible for paying $30,000 for the celebrity's star, which goes towards the installment ceremony and maintenance.
Those selected have not scheduled dates to receive their stars, but have five years to schedule a ceremony from the date of selection.
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5:30 PM, CDT, Oct. 3, 2012
LizAnn Sonders of Schwab's parting shot at Morningstar ETF Invest Conference. Don't worry about the effects on the economy and the markets of boomers liquidating their equity portfolios as they age. Sonders: "They already did that in massive amounts in 2008."
5:20 PM, CDT, Oct. 3, 2012
Two reminders from LizAnn Sonders on market moves and the economy:
- Stocks lead the economy—the market anticipates (doesn't react to) current economic climate
- Diversification remains key in volatile macro times; cycle still likely favors combination of asset classes
5:05 PM, CDT, Oct. 3, 2012
Two "bright spots" in economy, says LizAnn Sonders, chief market strategist for Charles Schwab & Co., at the Morningstar ETF Invest conference:
1) Manufacturing making a comeback, at least in relative terms
2) Housing another bright spot—as shown by the "real" mortgage rate—the nominal mortgage rate minus inflation/deflation in home prices. Right now we have very low mortgage rates and increasing value of home prices.
4:50 PM, CDT, Oct. 3, 2012
LizAnn Sonders on
Unlikely while the velocity of money remains depressed, since lending remains subdued, (while bank deposits are soaring thanks to Fed.)
U.S. Debt Crisis
GDPs' strength waned as debt growth surged—hitting the Reinhart, Rogoff threshold or reaching the 90% debt/GDP; US Federal debt now at 102% of GDP
Fiscal Cliff
May well be avoided—"most likely a can kick; so we won't know for sure until sometime in 2013."
4:45 PM, CDT, Oct. 3, 2012
LizAnn Sonders of Schwab says she worries about the "pervasive sense of pessimism," about the markets and economy, but argues there are reasons for optimism. They include: "incredibly strong corporate earnings, a ton of cash at corporations, with some green shoots, especially in housing, and increased competitiveness," particularly regarding China.
4:35 PM, CDT, Oct. 3, 2012
Scott Burns of Morningstar formally opened the third annual Morningstar ETF Invest Conference in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon, recalling how little had changed since last year's meeting—the troubles with Europe, political gridlock in Washington. 'I don't want to be too negative, but we're all feeling it," noting that "we'll probably be talking more about China's slowing economy" in the future.
"Folks in this room are at the leading edges of the changes in money management," he says, "especially in a low-return environment, "cost matters even more," we're learning, just as we learned that "diversification and asset allocation mattered, as we learned in 2008."
:This has always been an active management conference."
Next up: LizAnn Sonders of Schwab.
4:20 PM, CDT, Oct. 3, 2012
Joyce Hanson reports:
Just arrived in Chicago and for the first time met Don Phillips — Morningstar's grand poobah, a.k.a. president of Morningstar's Investment Research division. It's Morningstar's third annual ETF event, and Phillips sounds pretty excited about a new trend he's seeing in the advisor world.
"This conference attracts a much different kind of advisor," Phillips says. "They view themselves more as portfolio managers than traditional advisors who focus on being relationship managers."
With the ETF toolkit growing all the time, with new platforms and products, advisors now have access to portfolio management data to which only the most elite institutions and hedge fund managers had access, according to Phillips.
"The new type of advisor is selling strategies to other advisors," says Phillips.
3:25 PM, CDT, Oct. 3, 2012
Momentum strategies can be more easily and cheaply done using ETFs, according to Morningstar's Samuel Lee, speaking in the preconference session of the 2012 Morningstar ETF Invest Conference in Chicago. To truly take advantage of the market, investors need to be either a very quick momentum trader, he says, or a very patient value investor—but most investors are neither.
But using his current valuation of the markets, Lee provided his estimates on long-term returns of those markets:
U.S. Equities: 3.6% Intl. Equities: 5.2% EM Equities: 6.0% 10Yr Treasuries: -0.8% Investment Grade Bonds: 0.4% High Yield: 1.5% 3-Month T-Bill: -2.3%
Lee suggested the following ETFs for advisors interested in inveting in attractive non-U.S. countries:
Single country ETFs: EWP, RSX, EWI, EIRL, GREK
One final piece of advice from Lee: If you're looking for either diversification or returns, don't invest in private equity; PE only gets the returns of the stock market, he argues, but with much higher risk.
3:10 PM, CST, Oct. 3, 2012
All good investors have a good sense of history, argues Samuel Lee to the growing crowd of mostly advisors in the Applied ETF Investing Strategies preconference meeting at Morningstar's ETF Invest Conference at the Radisson Blu hotel on Chicago's Near North neighborhood.
Debunking one particularly popular piece of historical data, Lee, the editor of Morningstar's ETFInvestor, cited the Dimson-Marsh-Staunton Global Returns Data study to show that real equity returns in the U.S. over the period 1900—2010 showed a 6.2% return for equities and 1.93% in bonds. European equity returns were lower than that, and European bond returns were lower than U.S. cash returns during that period.
That conflicts with the common pronouncement that U.S. equities have returned 10% annually since 1926, but pushing the starting date back to 1900 puts the kibosh on that number.
Lee's warning to those advisors and investors who don't take the long view: asset classes exhibit decade-long (secular) cycles, and it is dangerous to extrapolate patterns from only a few decades of data. Do not ignore history. There are timeless principles at work.
Oh, one other bit of historical news from Mr. Lee: in looking at those returns: dividends have everywhere been the biggest source of equity returns from 1900-2010—but yield has not grown quickly. Moreover, per share dividend growth is modest but negatively correlated with GDP growth, he says.
3:00 PM, CST, Oct. 3, 2012
Strauts finishes his portion of the "Appliied ETF Investing Strategy" session at Morningstar ETF Invest Conference by offering two of Morningstar's picks among emerging-market bond ETFs.:
1ETF Picks in Emerging Market Bonds—both with 5% yields and now investment grade
1) WisdomTree Emerging Market Local Debt (ELD), which owns what he called a "diversified basket of local currency sovereign debt," along with an active investing strategy "tilted to countries pursuing monetary and fiscal discipline" and tilted away from countries that are living beyond their means.
2) PowerShares EM Sovereign Debt (PCY), which he says owns a diversified basket of U.S.-dollar-denominated sovereign debt, which Strauts said is "ideal for investors bullish on the dollar or looking for lower volatility exposure" and is equal weighted by country.
2:05 PM, CST, Oct. 3, 2012
On the subject of high-yield bonds, Strauts recommends HYS, PIMCO's 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF. Its benefits?
- Lower interest rate risk than longer-duration competitiors
- Higher returns when compared to the BofAML U.S. High Yield Master II index
- It holds bond to maturity, reducing transaction costs
2:00 PM, CST, Oct. 3, 2012
Strauts warns attendees that in portfolio construction, everyone worries about the risk of rising rates, but he reminds us that current interest rates can go lower.
Exhibit No. 1: Japan—the Japanese experience is an example of how low rates can go; 10-year Treasuries are yielding 1.67; Japan 10-years are at 0.67;
Most investors are putting $2 into fixed income for every $1 in equities because they're looking for safety, he says, but Strauts says if he were buying fixed income "I would want to be more in corporates, munis and emerging markets bonds."
1:45 PM, CST, Oct. 3, 2012
There are about 100 attendees listening to the presentation by Strauts, who assumes a certain level of sophistication of the audience sitting in the Radisson Aqua Blu hotel in Chicago.
–UPDATE: During a break after his portion of the presentation, Morningstar's Strauts estimates that close to 90% of the attendees at the ETF Invest conference are financial advisors, along with the odd individual investor and institution.–
Focusing on ETF liquidity, Strauts reminds the audience, including presumably many advisors, that liquidity increases as an ETF gains more assets, and is helped along by the liquidity of the underlying securities in the ETF, along with greater daily trading volume of the ETF due to more efficient trading execution.
1:20 PM, CST, Oct. 3, 2012
Responding to a question on taxes, Strauts points out that many ETFs have never issued any capital gains, and those that do are very minimal.
Responding to yesterday's news on Vanguard shifting indexes for 22 of its ETFs, Strauts says Vanguard us the low-cost ETF provider, but since Vanguard doesn't run the indexes itself, it has to pay a fee to MSCI "in the hundreds of millions of dollars," so has made an agreement with FTSE and CRSP to base those ETFs on their indexes rather than MSCI's.
As for Vanguard's VMO, the largest emerging market ETF, when changing the index, the underlying allocation of the fund will change, Strauts says. He notes that South Korea is now 12% of the MSCI EM index, but South Korea is considered a developed market in the new indexes, so in theory there could be a capital gains distribution for VMO holders. However, Strauts said that since Vanguard is the first ETF provider to make this change, it's actually better for investors to make it earlier rather than later.
1:10 PM, CST, Oct. 3, 2012
Morningstar's Timothy Strauts began by reciting some of the well-known benefits of the 1,486 existing ETFs:
Lquidity and availability, if you have a brokerage account, you can trade any ETF, and they give you the ability for precise portfolio management;
Costs are lower, because you don't have the overhead that mutual funds have, and those saving are often passed along to shareholders;
Taxes, because of ETFs' in-kind creation and redemption process avoids taxable events;- there's also low turnover of index funds;
On costs, Strauts notes that if an investor is using core ETFs, your expenses probably average around 20 bps—the average for all is closer to 55 bps because of those leveraged and inverse ETFs which have higher expenses.
1:00 PM, CST, Oct. 3, 2012
Day one of the third annual Morningstar ETF Invest Conference kicks off at 1:00 PM CST with Morningstar's Paul Justice leading a panel that addresses "Applied ETF Investing Strategies."
Justice, director of passive fund research, North America, is leading one of the three preconference sessions, with Morningstar's Timothy Strauts, a fund analyst and team leader (and a former advisor), and the new editor of Morningstar ETF Investor, Sam Lee.
First up, why use ETFs rather than open-end or closed-end mutual funds?


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The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead Discount
The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead are offering Snowboard Club UK Members their annual memberships at their very best rate. That's 55% off adult and junior memberships! The Snow Centre membership enables you to receive 30% off all Recreational Use, lessons and events and gives other special benefits.
If you don't go for Snow Centre membership, but do drop in once in a while for a slide, then showing your Club membership card at reception will also get you a swift 10% off the permanent recreation prices. Please note this discount is not valid on any already discounted sessions or prices, except for the 10% online discount Hemel give to everybody... Club Members will get an additional 10% off those already discounted online prices.
44 (0) 845 258 9000
Partnerships are defined by formal agreements and offered in good faith by us for the sole use of Club Members. We cannot be held responsible if offers are withdrawn temporarily or permanently or otherwise modified by our partners without our knowledge. If you have any problems with obtaining the published offer from The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead, please contact us, so we can attempt to resolve any issues.


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Im now considered Senior! In seven years; elderly! I can feel it in my muscles; whats left of them; not much! the weight lifting tight body I used to have is now gone! and its not coming back! My shoulders cant left anymore; their shot; old age will not allow them to heal! No more lifting! my arms have shrunk! but my gut comes out like Im half pregnant! old age! dam!
Sleep apnea is more important now! Things like acid reflux are extremely important to watch and you have to watch what you eat! you either gain weight you cant get off or you eat food that causes acids to come up through your throat; and this can cause massive problems if it continues!
Women! Now that you are maturing enough to ask women out; your an old man!
However, on the spiritual side; you learn really fast to go positive and learn how to go positive and stay that way! your no long suppose to help the broken hearted on the streets of life! Its my time to get my own like together! learn to allow God to put arms around me and take care of me and help me! help guide me and grow me like a plant!
You got one foot in the grave and you know it; even tho you dont like it or really want to talk about it! but its natural! is not a bad thing; your heading back to energy; where you came from! the process of getting old is tiring! ITs strange at first! You start walking around like your grandmother! slow, bent over, tired! and your like; "what happened"!
My trust and interest in God grows and the ability to reach out to God grows and the interest in blessing everything and everyone grows because you want a happy life and are willing to do anything to get it!


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PR Newswire
SLOUGH, England, Nov. 15, 2012
-- Acquisition to Provide Reckitt Benckiser a Significant Opportunity to Enter Large and Growing Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements Market
-- Cash Offer Represents 23.5% Percent Premium to Announced Bayer Group Transaction And Tender Offer Can Close by Year-End
SLOUGH, England, Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC ("Reckitt Benckiser") (LSE: RBL) today announced that it will commence a tender offer tomorrow, November 16, 2012 to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Schiff Nutrition International, Inc. ("Schiff") (NYSE: SHF), a leading provider of branded vitamins, nutrition supplements and nutrition bars in the United States and elsewhere, for $42.00 per share in cash valuing Schiff at approximately $1.4 billion. Reckitt Benckiser's offer is not dependent on financing as the purchase will be funded from existing facilities.
Reckitt Benckiser's offer represents a premium of 23.5 percent over the $34.00 per share transaction announced on October 30, 2012 by Bayer HealthCare LLC ("Bayer") and Schiff. Reckitt Benckiser is confident that it can close the tender offer before the end of calendar year 2012, provided it is permitted in short order to complete limited confirmatory due diligence.
Schiff's vitamin, minerals and supplements (VMS) product portfolio includes a number of market leading brands in the specialist product category in the USA, including MegaRed®, number 1 in the healthy heart segment, Move Free® the number 2 in joint care, Airborne® the number 2 in immune support, and Schiff Vitamins®.
Rakesh Kapoor, Reckitt Benckiser Chief Executive Officer, said, "For Reckitt Benckiser, this acquisition would provide a powerful entryway into the large and rapidly growing $30 billion global VMS market. This market would be the largest consumer health care sector in which we operate. It is an ideal addition to Reckitt Benckiser's new strategic focus in global health and hygiene, and would give us immediate scale in VMS in the USA. It also plays well to our consumer marketing, innovation and go to market capabilities."
He continued, "We are confident that the VMS market drivers, notably changing demographics and increased awareness of the health and wellness benefits of VMS products, will provide significant long-term growth potential in what is currently a very fragmented market."
"We firmly believe that our entrepreneurial and consumer-focused mindset, our infrastructure, speed and scale, combined with Schiff's leading brand portfolio, will generate sustained value for our shareholders," he said.
Based on the financial information disclosure dated October 29, 2012 and made public in its 14C SEC filing on November 5, 2012, Schiff expects to achieve net sales of $385 million and proforma EBITDA of $84.6 million for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2013. Reckitt Benckiser expects the transaction will result in significant synergies and that it would be immediately accretive to earnings on an adjusted basis.
Reckitt Benckiser sees no reason why this tender offer could not close before year end, assuming prompt due diligence, and it will be prepared to sign a merger agreement substantially similar to the one Schiff currently has with Bayer. Reckitt Benckiser looks forward to engaging with Schiff's Board and is confident that they will recognize it as a superior proposal.
The Offer to Purchase, Letter of Transmittal and other offering documents will be filed tomorrow, November 16, 2012, with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors and stockholders of Schiff may obtain copies of all of the offering documents free of charge at the Securities and Exchange Commission's website (www.sec.gov). Reckitt Benckiser's offer will be subject to Schiff and its controlling stockholders terminating their merger and related agreements with Bayer and entering into definitive agreements with Reckitt Benckiser, and to other customary conditions, including the tender of a majority in voting power of Schiff shares of common stock, all of which will be set forth in the offering documents to be filed. Reckitt Benckiser believes it can promptly obtain any necessary regulatory approvals, including approval under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (HSR Act).
Morgan Stanley & Co. Limited is acting as exclusive financial adviser to Reckitt Benckiser and no one else in connection with the matters described in this announcement. In connection with such matters, Morgan Stanley & Co. Limited, its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents will not regard any other person as their client, nor will they be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to their clients or for providing advice in relation to the transaction, the contents of this announcement or any other matter referred to herein.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as Reckitt Benckiser's legal advisor.
Conference Call Information
Reckitt Benckiser will conduct a conference call with financial analysts and investors on November 16, 2012 at 07:30 Greenwich Mean Time (02:30 USA Eastern Standard Time) to discuss the offer.
Participants can access the call by dialling :
Participant Dial-In Numbers:
United Kingdom
Std International Dial-In:
+44 (0) 1452 555566
United Kingdom, LocalCall
Conference ID: 72072243
A replay of the conference call can be accessed via :
UK National Call Dial-In:
UK LocalCall Dial-In :
Std International Dial-In:
+44 (0)1452550000
Conference ID: 72072243
Available from: 16 Nov 2012 08:30 GMT to 15 Dec 2012 08:30 GMT
A recording of the conference call will be available on http://www.rb.com/
About Reckitt Benckiser
Reckitt Benckiser (RB) is a global consumer goods leader in health, hygiene and home, listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). With a purpose of delivering innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes, RB is in the top 25 of companies listed on the LSE. Since 2000 net revenues have more than doubled and the market cap has quadrupled. Today it is the global No 1 or No 2 in the majority of its fast-growing categories, driven by an exceptional rate of innovation. Its health, hygiene and home portfolio is led by 19 global Powerbrands including Nurofen, Strepsils Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Lysol, Dettol, Clearasil, Veet, Harpic, Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Woolite, Calgon, Airwick, and French's, and they account for 70% of net revenue.
RB people and its culture are at the heart of the company's success. They have an intense drive for achievement and a desire to outperform wherever they focus, including in CSR where the company has reduced its carbon footprint by 20% in 5 years and is now targeting to deliver a 1/3 reduction in water use, 1/3 further reduction in carbon and have 1/3 of its net revenue coming from more sustainable products by 2020. It is also the Save the Children charity's largest FMCG global partner.
The company has operations in over 60 countries, with headquarters in the UK, Singapore, Dubai and Amsterdam, and sales in almost 200 countries. The Company employs approximately 32,000 people worldwide.
For more information visit http://www.rb.com/
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements herein regarding the proposed transaction between Reckitt Benckiser and Schiff, future financial and operating results and any other statements about future expectations constitute "forward looking statements." These forward looking statements may be identified by words such as "believe," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "intends," "should," "estimates" or similar expressions. Such statements are based upon current beliefs and expectations and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward looking statements. We believe these forward-looking statements are reasonable; however, undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Further, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results over time unless required by law.
Important Additional Information
This document is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. The solicitation and offer to buy the common stock of Schiff will only be made pursuant to an offer to purchase and related materials that the acquirer intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Stockholders should read these materials carefully when they become available because they will contain important information, including the terms and conditions of the offer. Stockholders will be able to obtain the offer to purchase and related materials with respect to the tender offer free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or from MacKenzie Partners, Inc., Reckitt Benckiser's Information Agent, at 800-322-2885 (toll-free) or at +1-212-929-5500 (call collect).
Investor & Analyst Contacts:
Reckitt Benckiser (RB)
United Kingdom
Richard Joyce
Director, Investor Relations
+44 1753 217800
Media Contacts:
United States
Sard Verbinnen & Co
Jim Barron/Jared Levy
+1 (212) 687-8080
United Kingdom
Reckitt Benckiser (RB)
Andraea Dawson-Shepherd
SVP, Global Corporate Communication & Affairs
+44 1753 446447
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