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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced today that his newly established Student Protection Unit took its first official action by issuing subpoenas to 13 student debt relief companies as part of an investigation into concerns about potentially misleading advertising, improper fees, and other consumer protection problems in that industry. In particular, the Department of Financial Services' (DFS) Student Protection Unit is ... Read More »
Federal Student Aid Relief Website Generates Legitimate Concerns
A reader wanted to know more about a company called Federal Student Aid Relief that operates a website (FederalStudentAidRelief.com) with a picture of a capitol building on the site. The reader claims they did a bit of secret shopping as well and said, "When I called them I got a guy with a heavy New York accent who definitely implied ... Read More »


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School Highlights
Dr. Santos at the Smart Policing Annual Conference
Dr. Rachel Boba Santos, Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator for the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, is the research partner for a Bureau of Justice Assistance Smart Policing grant with the Port St. Lucie, FL Police Department. She and Lt. Roberto Santos (pictured), grant project director for the police department and FAU alum (2005, MS in CCJ), presented the research framework and operational plan for the agency's experimental implementation of offender-based strategies in residential burglary and theft from vehicle hot spots. The meeting, held in Alexandria, VA, was the first annual conference for the 2012 Smart Policing grantees which also included the police departments of Rochester, NY; Columbia, SC; Kansas City, MO; and East Palo Alto, CA.

subset: commoncrawl


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To find a doctor, call 800-667-5356 or click below:
Find a Doctor
Request an Appointment
"I love working here... the systems are in place so I can focus on what's important--caring for my patients."
My goal is to help people take charge of their own health and watching that transformation is inspiring.
Watch Joe's story on the right
Human Resources
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
20 Overland Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02215
Phone: 617-975-9800
ATTENTION APPLICANTS: Resumes that are e-mailed, mailed or faxed will not be reviewed or considered for open positions.
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330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
617-667-7000 | TDD: 800-439-0183 | Maps & Directions


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Taleo to Acquire Vurv
Rumors about the transaction had swirled about the blogosphere for the past couple of weeks.
The acquisition is subject to closing conditions, including regulatory approval, and is expected to be completed before the end of the second quarter.
Under the agreement, Taleo will pay about $128.8 million, based on Monday's closing price for Taleo's Class A common stock of $20.32, for all of the outstanding capital stock of Vurv and the assumption of vested employee stock options.
Talent management applications refer to software tools for key HR tasks such as recruiting, performance management, compensation management and employee development. The products are among the fastest-growing applications in the HR software field, which is itself the fastest-growing category of business software.
Taleo and Vurv are among the leading vendors of talent management software. Others include SuccessFactors and Authoria. The biggest vendors of HR software, SAP and Oracle, also sell talent management products.
Jason Corsello, vice president at consulting firm Knowledge Infusion, called the deal "a significant moment in the talent management market" given the prominence of the two vendors. He expects Taleo to move Vurv customers to Taleo software over time. Such migrations can be disruptive to organizations.
"The big question mark is what does this migration look like for a lot of Vurv customers," Corsello says.
The financial details of the deal consist of 4.1 million shares of Taleo Class A common stock, about $36.5 million in cash (subject to adjustment for third-party expenses and certain other specified items) and the assumption of as much as $9 million of debt. In addition, Taleo will also assume unvested employee stock options.
"This announcement marks an inflection point for talent management, making it easier for customers to realize the full benefits of unified talent management applications," Taleo president and CEO Michael Gregoire said in a statement. "Together, we can help companies better manage workforce challenges brought about by shifting demographics, globalization and low levels of engagement.
"These challenges demand a new generation of talent management solutions that unify recruiting, performance, succession and compensation applications onto one comprehensive on-demand software platform," he said. "This unified talent management solution will help companies identify and attract the best candidates, manage and motivate their workforce, and tie compensation to performance."
"Taleo shares our vision and passion for helping customers around the world attract, retain and engage their people," Vurv CEO Derek Mercer said in a statement. "Both Vurv and Taleo have independently built world-class organizations with extensive domain expertise and development resources. By bringing our two companies together, we will be better able to deliver talent management solutions addressing the advanced needs of our customers."Click here to view videos of both CEOs discussing the merger and its effect on customers of both firms.
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Click here to discuss this story in the Workforce.com Community Center Technology Forum


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The City of Asheville's Traffic Engineering Division is responsible for the safe and efficient movement of vehicles and pedestrians on city streets, sidewalks, and other public right-of-ways in Asheville.
Traffic Engineering Division
Location: City Hall, Mezzanine Level
Mailing: P. O. Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802
Office Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday
Main Line: (828) 259-5943
70 Court Plaza, P.O. Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802ph: (828) 251-1122 email: email@example.com


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FLOORED: The Wife's Life by Elizabeth BellerThomas Beller
"I can't do it, I can't do it!!"
"I don't know how to do it, I don't know how to do it!!"
This, a few days upon moving us into a new home, is what my parents found my sister and I, respectively, yelling in our sleep.
Looking back, I see that these mantras of fear were more than just spurs toward ambition for me and my sister to overcome personal obstacles on the way to adulthood (for example, her: law school me: not quitting Brownies because it got in the way of my Family Affair viewing time.) I think we were screaming those phrases because we had absorbed all the anxiety our parents had felt upon moving to a new house, and a new city. They didn't discuss it: they were not inclined by temperament and by generation to share this sort of feeling among themselves, let alone with their kids, but now that I have gone through the experience of moving myself I suspect that my sister and I were like sensitive Richter scales picking up the tectonic shifts taking place with our parents.
My husband and I are not so reticent. Also, the challenge of moving – famously one of life's most stressful acts – is further complicated by the unique terrain of New Orleans.
The ground in New Orleans, being six to eight feet below sea level, tends to shift, and therefore the houses do as well. Which leads to new words in our vocabulary like "shoring", which lead to cracks in walls, which leads to painting the whole house. Our chosen New Orleanean painter, a man about whom Dave Eggers wrote the widely lauded book Zeitoun, was put in jail for the attempted murder of his wife – in the middle of our paint job (Note to self: never choose a painter based on a book.) We gathered new painters to finish, but another particularly New Orleanean obstacle arrived: Hurricane Isaac. We left the city, then Isaac left, and we came back. To lead dust. All. Over. Everything. Cleaning, cleaning cleaning.
Then…We're in! We're in! After a week or two of post traumatic anxiety syndrome, we notice some things about the house.
We finally have an adult (HA!) living room. As it quickly filled with plastic primary colored toys we swore we'd never buy, we realized we needed to make a play space just for the kids. We had the perfect space the "Sun Room,' just inside from the pool.
The sun room is a bizarrely triangular-shaped addition that would be at home in a Escher print. It was used as an art studio by the clearly eccentric patriarch whose name was Charles Prince. We tried to google him but couldn't sift through the barrage of clicks for some other guy across the pond (PLEASE just let Prince Harry romp around Vegas and get him out of Afghanistan before he and others get hurt!) From neighbors we've learned he was a beloved figure who tottered around the town, chirpily chatting to everyone and collecting material from local dumpsters and garbage cans for his art projects. One friend walked in and said, Oh, this was the house of the sweet old guy who made Katie an airplane out of coke cans!" The room reflected his idiosynchratic whimsy. Now we needed it to reflect ours. But as adults, practical concerns were in the forefront. Kids need to bop around without hurting themselves. For a room off a pool where they'll inevitably come in dripping, the current white tile would be dangerously, bashing-your-head slippery, but carpet would mold.
We needed help. We stumbled into Home Depot like the 3 and 6 year olds my sister and I once were, begging for guidance. We got it. Someone came to our house and measured the room. They went over our options. They guided us to a link on their website about local sales, where we got what I happily call "ballet studio" flooring for a steal. They'll install it when we say go.
Notwithstanding those 25 days in a hotel with two small children while various bio-hazards and hurricanes overtook our house, wrangling it into a cozy, lovely and safe home has proven to be within our skill set.
I guess we do know how to do it.
Last night, I walked into my daughters room, and in her sleep she shouted "I won't do it!!"
Good thing she has her playroom for many years to come.
***A big thanks to The Home Depot for sponsoring this campaign. Click here to see more of the discussion.
About Beller's books
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Browsing articles in science
News: Editors
Unlocking secrets of canine DNA
The young son of Stanford University researcher, Prof. Carlos Bustamante, answered the phone this morning at 7 a.m., and handing the phone to his father said, "Oh, it's for you." News of his $500,000 MacArthur Award ("genius award") came as a welcomed surprise to Bustamante. His work focuses on understanding the evolution and interactions of population genetics in dogs, humans and even plants and...
Good Dog: Behavior & Training
By the Numbers
Applied animal behaviorists are constantly developing new techniques, exploring new ideas, considering controversial theories and conducting research. So what is on the minds of the people in this dynamic field? What are behaviorists talking about right now? 1. The prevention of problem behaviors. As behaviorists, we generally deal with serious problems that have been going on for a long time by...
News: Karen B. London
Lost dog found after 7 years
Jake was a 6-month old puppy in 2003 when he disappeared from his yard the day after Thanksgiving. That was in Michigan. He was apparently dropped off at a kennel in Kentucky this week where a staff member found him in an after-hours kennel wearing a shock collar and nothing else to give any information about him. The scanner picked up the microchip, which prompted a call to Brad Davis, who still...
News: Editors
Another health bonus from walking your dog
The New York Times had an interesting article about studies examining the health benefits of nature. Researchers have found that spending time in places with trees aplenty, such as parks and forests, is good for us and has a positive affect on our immune functions. Seems as if stress reduction is one factor that the scientists attribute to phytnocides, the "airborne chemicals that plants emit to...
News: Guest Posts
New DNA database to aid dog-fighting investigations
On the heels of Charles Siebert's eye-opening examination of the links between animal cruelty and other types of violence ("The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome," New York Times, 6/7/10), the University of California, Davis, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have announced the creation of the nation's first criminal dog-fighting DNA database. Known as the Canine CODIS (...
News: Guest Posts
Connecting animal cruelty to other forms of violence
Bark contributor Charles Siebert explores how we are taking animal abuse more seriously than ever before—with tougher legislation, law enforcement, veterinary forensics and explorations into the neuroscience of empathy. "The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome" (New York Times Magazine, 6/13/10) is a tough read in parts, with graphic examples (be prepared), but hopefully signals a turning point in this...
News: JoAnna Lou
New law requires Ga. shelters to scan pets twice for microchips
Last year I wrote about a study of animal shelters that found 12 percent of microchips go undetected on the first scan. Thanks to a new law, lost Georgia pets can rest assured that there's a greater chance of being identified and reunited with their families. House Bill 1106, sponsored by Representative Gene Maddox and Senator Greg Goggans, will go into effect on July 1st requiring shelters...
News: Karen B. London
DNA has the answer
A fancy condominium in the Baltimore area is plagued by a problem facing many neighborhoods around the country and indeed the world. At least one dog guardian is not scooping the poop, and the result is a mess that has residents upset. Steve Frans is a board member who has a dog, and is embarrassed by the mess that residents and guests must deal with. He has proposed a solution to the problem. ...
News: Karen B. London
Science doesn't back that up
According to a recent study, The Pace of Life Under Artificial Selection: Personality, Energy Expenditure, and Longevity Are Correlated in Domestic Dogs, there is a link between personality, metabolic rate, and life history traits. Researcher Vincent Careau and his colleagues conclude that dogs of obedient, docile and shy breeds live longer than breeds that are more typically bold or disobedient...
News: JoAnna Lou
Labradoodle creator regrets breeding the first "designer dog"
Ever since the Labradoodle led the "designer dog" craze, pet stores have spawned countless spinoffs that include Puggles, Schnoodles and Maltipoos. These mutts fetch hundreds of dollars, while an abundance of mixed breeds continue to wait in crowded shelters. The Labradoodle dates back to 1988 when Wally Conran of the Royal Institute of the Blind in Australia received a letter from a woman who...
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The DHS girls' tennis team under the direction of Coach Jutta Rossano got off to one of its best starts in years with a 5-0 record, but finally hit the wall this week by splitting four matches and now stands with a 7-2 record.
It was a week in which the girls played four matches in five days and it didn't start on a good note, as the Lady Dragons suffered their first loss of the year in a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of North Quincy.Duxbury's singles had their work cut out for them, as they dropped all three matches for the first time this year.
Michaela Dowd at first singles battled in a hard-fought loss to Elizabeth Sullivan, dropping the first game, 4-6, and losing a tough second game 5-7.
The second and third matches proved much easier for the Red Raiders, as NQ's Sara Sullivan took care of Casey Reinhart, 6-0/6-2, and Tiffany Leung pinned a rare loss on freshman Kelly Dame, 6-0/6-2, to complete the sweep in singles.
Doubles tried holding up its end of the bargain with Lilly Weil and Caroline Phinney besting Julie Ross and Sanjana Kadrivel in a three-set marathon, 6-4/2-6/6-3, while Meghan O'Neal and Nicole Hanrahan appeared to have the easiest match of the day with a 6-2/6-2 victory over Julie Doyle and Mallory DeVoe.
Duxbury managed to survive with a 3-2 win over Middleboro on Tuesday, and then had a day off before traveling to Marshfield to take on the Rams on Thursday.
The Rams have been hard on Duxbury the past few years, but it seems the tide has turned in this rivalry, as the Lady Dragons managed a 4-1 win a day before taking on Hingham.
Dowd had few problems with Olivia White at No. 1 singles as she stormed to a 6-0/6-1 win, while Reinhart got off to a good start with a 6-4 win over Erin Kane at No. 2 before faltering in the next two sets and losing 4-6/3-6.
Dame returned to form with a 6-1/6-2 victory over Kerry Magoon at No. 3 singles.
Weil and Phinney had little trouble with Brenna Cole and Noelle McHugh, 7-5/6-3, while O'Neal and Hanrahan fought off Carla Gomes and Amy Kacynsk, 6-4, 6-0, to wrap up the win despite the strong wind and occasional rain.
Cruising along with a 7-1 record and plenty of confidence going into last Friday's match with annual nemesis, Hingham High School, the Lady Dragons saw their hopes for their biggest win of the season come crashing down quickly, as the Harborwomen swept the first four matches before O'Neal and Hanrahan prevented a shutout with a three-set win over Maxine Bergstein and Ashland Stansbury, 6-4/6-7/6-3 at No. 2 doubles.
In the 4-1 loss Dowd lost 3-6/1-6 to Katherine Ripple at No. 1 singles, Reinhart fell to Julia Krumholtz at No. 2 singles, 0-6/3-6, and Dame battled Millie Valero before losing 4-6/4-6.
Weil and Phinney also gave it their all before succumbing to the Lund sisters, 4-6/2-6.
"This was an intense match at No. 2 doubles," said RossaNo. "It was tied at 1-1 after two sets and it was 6 p.m. Everyone wanted to go home because it was cold and late. O'Neal and Hanrahan wanted a 10-point tie-breaker, but Hingham wanted a third set. The two teams flipped a coin and the third set began. Hingham's large contingent of fans added to the pressure on the Duxbury duo, but the two Duxbury players kept getting better and better as the set went on and quickly won the third set."
It's another tiring week for the girls, as they play four matches in five days, all of which are home, including Wednesday afternoon's Patriot League matchup with Silver Lake.


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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The East Carolina softball team opened play in the Bama Bash with a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin on Friday afternoon at the Alabama Softball Complex in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Kaui Tom provided the game-winning run as she knocked in Jessica Johnson with a double off the wall in the bottom of the sixth inning. Reigning Conference USA Pitcher-of-the-Week Toni Paisley picked up the win, and 10 strikeouts, to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Wisconsin started the scoring in the top of the first as Theresa Boruta walked and scored on a two-out single to centerfield by Nichole Whaley. The Badgers threatened again in the top of the second, putting a runner on second base with just one out, but back-to-back strikeouts by Paisley ended the frame.
In the bottom of the second the Pirates knotted the game at one each without recording a hit. Leading off, Marina Gusman-Brown reached after being hit by a pitch for her team-leading third time. Angel Barrella next worked a walk after falling behind in the count 1-2. A Kaui Tom sacrifice bunt was followed by an RBI fielder's choice by Cristen Aona as Gusman-Brown slid under the attempted tag at the plate.
Neither team scored again until East Carolina platted a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but it was not due to a lack of opportunities. ECU managed to put the leadoff batter on in both the third and fourth innings, but came away empty. For the Badgers, a double by Livi Abney started the top of the fifth, but she was left stranded at third.
In the bottom of the sixth, Johnson led off the inning with a single to right field and advanced to second and then third on a two wild pitches. Tom then drove in Johnson with a double off the wall in left center.
For the game, Paisley's 10 strikeouts moved her into sixth place on the ECU career list, passing current teammate Brooke Swann. Paisley has now recorded 269 strikeouts to Swann's 264 career punch outs.
The Pirates return to the field tomorrow for two more games at the Bash. East Carolina squares off against Notre Dame at noon and clashes with Wisconsin again at 6 p.m.


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Things to see and do - Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Leaving for France
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Tourist attractions Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
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1 Villa Ephrussi-de-Rothschild Gardens
Nature and gardens
1 avenue Ephrussi-de-Rothschild F - 06230 St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Seven hectares of heavenly gardens surround the Villa Ephrussi-de-Rothschild. They follow a thematic scheme: the French garden has running water and a Temple of Love; the Spanish garden is planted with exotic species; the Florentine garden has a marb..
2 Villa Ephrussi-de-Rothschild
Museums and art
F - 06230 St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Standing in a stunning location on Cap Ferrat, this Italian-style palace was built in 1905 by Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild to house her collection of almost 5 000 works of art (mosaics, Flemish tapestries, porcelain and furniture). After her death..
3 Cap Ferrat
Nature and gardens
F - 06230 St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Halfway between Villefranche and Beaulieu, the most prestigious headland on the Riviera is covered by dense vegetation. The peninsula is strewn with elegant houses such as the delightful Villa Ephrussi, home to a remarkable collection of works of art..


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ISM and zEnterprise
Judith, it is a pleasure to have you as a guest blogger for Integrated Service Management (ISM) on System z. You have written extensively on ISM, including my personal favorite, a short booklet titled "Service Management for Dummies" and the recent white paper "Bringing Automation to the Data Center". Currently, Hurwitz and Associates is in the forefront of the analyst community that is assessing the potential impact of IBM's new system zEnterprise.
I'd like to spend a few minutes with you to understand the importance of the revolutionary hybrid technology introduced with zEnterprise and the impact on Integrated Service Management.
But, first, in general, how can ISM help extend the value of mainframes to the rest of the data center?
A - At the core of what organizations now want from their data centers is predictability; predictable costs, predictable staffing levels and predictable performance levels for IT users and customers. Mainframe computing is predictable. It is the most reliable and the most scalable of technologies. And, with today's specialty engines and virtualization capabilities, the cost is both predictable and manageable. The overall workload for the data center is increasing because new applications are added and new connections are demanded by partners, suppliers and customers. Many of these new requirements render the new technology in place obsolete and unable to keep up with demand.
Smart IT leaders are making it a priority to control the chaos that ensues when a vast array of distributed resources are managed in a disconnected and siloed manner. These executives are looking for a new way to unify the management of complex multi-platform environments to ensure the delivery of services to customers at the right time and for the right price. Implementing a cohesive service management strategy is one of the most effective techniques to begin managing highly distributed resources as though they were a single unit. It is imperative to have a single point of control for all computing resources including the centralized data center, departmental systems, networks, applications, middleware, virtualized environments, and cloud computing environments. Applying an Integrated Service Management vision and methodology to a data center configuration with the mainframe as the centralized hub for management creates an environment with the potential for the highest quality of predictable service.
Q - Will customers adopting zEnterprise be able to leverage service management to extend the value of the mainframe to the rest of their datacenter?
A - The IBM zEnterprise System is a computing platform designed to help enterprises simplify and consolidate large-scale data centers to improve the management of complex and diverse workloads. These workloads may reside in data centers, in virtualized environments, or in private and public clouds.
To have overall end-to-end service management, organizations need a uniform and consistent control mechanism that links all critical processes together across disparate platforms. Without the ability to have this consistent control mechanism, hidden cracks between processes that exist on different systems can and often do lead to business disruption. Even with the expansive capabilities of the zEnterprise, organizations need a higher level of service management designed to incorporate environments that are outside of the scope of the zEnterprise. While the zEnterprise provides tight integration to most efficiently manage workloads for the platform, organizations also require overall management for the heterogeneous systems level. This is where Tivoli's Integrated Service Management provides key capabilities.
Q - What are the characteristics of management software that will exploit the cost savings and simplification zEnterprise offers?
A- As we pointed out in the paper you referenced, a holistic approach to data center management is imperative for the success of today's large enterprises. A number of factors clearly demonstrate the need for a more holistic approach to management:
Compliance and security requirements from multiple sources
The need to improve the efficiency of power consumption and resource utilization
The need to implement and manage virtualization technologies in order to improve resource productivity
Automation of business process across highly distributed environments
The need to improve the way these processes are managed.
If each service component works well in isolation there is no guarantee that the customer experience is satisfactory. All of the components have to be managed from a quality of service perspective. For example, services delivered in a department, in the data center and in the cloud all have to work in unison to meet customer expectations.
Q – The new zEnterprise introduces a level of management for workloads executed within the new environment. Can you please discuss the relationship of ISM and the new Unified Resource Manager?
A - Back to basics. Ultimately the goal is to manage any kind of workload and to do so we can identify 6 software components involved: Governance, IT process automation, workload automation, change management, configuration control and dynamic provisioning. Governance and IT process automation rely heavily on organizing operational staff to make them as effective as possible. Workload automation and change management apply specifically to business application software. And, configuration control and dynamic provisioning deal primarily with hardware and how software is deployed on the available hardware. It is also valid to view these six components in two groups of 3. Governance, IT process automation and workload automation involve organizing the workloads that run in the data center. Change management, configuration control and dynamic provisioning involve managing the environment to keep the hardware, operational software and the application software working together coherently and efficiently.
The zEnterprise is designed to support customer requirements to improve the management of complex and diverse workloads. Workload management firmware, called the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager, has been created to simplify the integration and automation of these environments. The Unified Resource Manager can manage the hardware and virtualization layers that are built in to the zEnterprise platform in a consistent, secure, and efficient way.
Even with the expansive capabilities of the zEnterprise, organizations need a higher level of service management designed to incorporate environments that are outside of the scope of the zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager. For example, there is a need to manage the environment that is closest to the customer. This includes the actual operating systems (in the case of zEnterprise this includes both zOS and Linux), the middleware, and the applications and solutions.
It is imperative to connect the operations of the physical and virtual systems to the company's applications to ensure business services are sustained at the level of quality demanded by all constituents. An organization needs to think about overall manageability from the perspective of the impact on the business and how the level of service relates to overall business practices.
All of the components have to be managed from a quality of service perspective. For example, services delivered in a department, in the data center and in the cloud all have to work in unison to meet customer expectations. Workloads have to be optimized, overall performance has to be monitored, and security has to be assured. Integrated service management that is based on automation of business policy and rules is the only way to minimize mistakes that impact the quality of service for customers, suppliers, and partners. It simply doesn't matter if each individual component is best of breed if the overall environment does not meet or exceed customer expectations. In this type of complex enterprise environment there needs to be a single point of control for the entire heterogeneous computing environment
IBM is a client of Hurwitz & Associates and has provided compensation to Hurwitz and Associates for participation in this interview.
Service Management on System z Blog
with Tags: service-management X
ISM and zEnterprise
barbara kennedy 2700025GG7 firstname.lastname@example.com Tags:  service-management mainframe z/os tivz 991 Visits
Personal Reviews of AOTC 2010
barbara kennedy 2700025GG7 firstname.lastname@example.com Tags:  ztiv tivz z/os service-management 2 Comments 1,505 Visits
Those attending the Automated Operations Technical Council (AOTC) 2010 conference in Philadelphia this spring would like to share their experiences. Hope to see you too next year!
Pulse 2010 and System z
barbara kennedy 2700025GG7 firstname.lastname@example.com Tags:  tivz ztiv omegamon service-management 977 Visits
Pulse 2010 and System z
If you missed Pulse 2010, you missed quite a lot -
Pulse 2010 hosted over 5,000 attendees from around the world and most were customers and business partners. Over 300 customers were featured speakers. Presentations, panels, discussions, workshops, hands on learning and demonstrations vied for time and attention with launches, announcements, industry roundtables, certifications and opportunities to meet the executives.
Analysts summed up several key points:
"Very valuable; great interactions with IBM executives, partners and customers. Messages were well articulated." -IDC, Jean Bozman
"Agree that an integrated architecture view is critical for complex systems. Cloud will change that picture." -Forrester, Mike Gualtieri
"Customer panel was the highlight of Pulse. Great stories from State Street, UPMC, Region of Denmark, and Unilever in particular." -Forrester, Robert Whiteley
This year, System z was everywhere. 22 breakout sessions specifically highlighted System z, with such topics as end to end transaction tracking, the cloud and system z, managing complexity and reducing costs with Tivoli. System z was prominent throughout the conference as integrated Service Management was a key conference theme. Panel sessions were very well received and encouraged discussion. System z Birds of a Feather Sessions, Expo Theater presentations, live demonstrations, "Meet the Experts" sessions began with Sunday's Business Partner Summit which also featured a z track
View a short Pulse summary with Al Zollar:
And please plan to attend Pulse Comes to You in a city near you soon.
Wayne_Z_World: System z Storage Directions & Best Practices Seminar
Wayne Bucek 120000989Y email@example.com Tags:  storage ztiv service-management 883 Visits
IBM Tivoli is hosting a seminar focused on state of the art storage management in the mainframe environment. This briefing will review the latest announcements in mainframe storage and the financial advantages of using IBM Tivoli software to manage stored data. Current storage trends, along with IBM software solutions for z/OS storage and catalog management, will be discussed. Come and join this session to see how Tivoli Enterprise Portal empowers storage administrators to monitor their storage subsystems using a browser based interface.
This technical seminar is targeted for management, technical specialists, and I/T Architects who are responsible for managing a consistent, predictable and effective storage environment on mainframe systems. No prerequisite knowledge is required, although the attendee should have an understanding of their System z storage environment.
This session is complimentary. I hope to see you there!
Register for Minneapolis on April 6th @ https://www-950.ibm.com/events/wwe/grp/grp004.nsf/v16_agenda?openform&seminar=ZZZA3YES&locale=en_US
Register for Chicago on April 7th @ https://www-950.ibm.com/events/wwe/grp/grp004.nsf/v16_agenda?openform&seminar=4Q2ABUES&locale=en_US
Register for Hazelwood on April 8th @ https://www-950.ibm.com/events/wwe/grp/grp004.nsf/v16_agenda?openform&seminar=CEBG3VES&locale=en_US
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Registration
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Mainframe Storage Hardware Trends and Directions
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM IBM Tivoli Solutions for Storage and Catalog Mgmt
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Lunch (complimentary)
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Common z/OS Storage and Catalog Scenarios, Problem Diagnosis & Product Demonstrations
Minneapolis – IBM Offices, 650 3rd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Chicago – Hyatt Building, IBM Offices – Sixth Floor, 71 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
Hazelwood – IBM Offices, 325 James S McDonnell Blvd, Building 300, Hazelwood, MO 63042
Perils, Pitfalls and Prolems - Pt 2 Tools to Tame the Heterogeneous
barbara kennedy 2700025GG7 email@example.com Tags:  mainframe tivz service-management ibmtivoli virtualization 1,660 Visits
Perils, pitfalls and problems need solutions. So, I asked Jasmine Noel to continue her discussion and to focus on what an enterprise might do to address the issues. Jasmine -
Tools to Tame Heterogeneous Virtualization Management
As I mentioned in my initial blog, virtualization is elevating the daily stress for over-extended datacenter administrators to alarming levels. Higher business agility and lower capital costs through virtualization can't be achieved without sophisticated, complete, and always-on management of heterogenous virtual computing resources. In other words, agile management of heterogeneous virtualization is critical for business agility and profitability. Hence, the reason administrator stress levels are going through the roof is that they don't have agile management of heterogeneous virtualization.
It is vital, and not optional then, that IT organizations become adept at matching increasingly dynamic needs (be they automated workload schedules or on-demand service requests) with the resource flexibility afforded by virtualization's rapid provisioning strengths. As such, system administrators are quickly realizing that they need to look for a different type of management solution. So what are the characteristics of this new solution type?
A policy-based approach is a key characteristic of this new solution type. Virtualization enables application images to move to different virtual machines very quickly (in some cases before admins get a chance to check their emailed service tickets). Policies enable IT to introduce some necessary controls around those moves and changes. Policies can also simplify the workload to resource matching process. For example, policies can ensure that multiple workloads all run on the same virtual machine in a particular datacenter location, or incorporate time of day requirements so that a workload spans ten virtual machines during the day but thirty virtual machines at night.
Centralized management of dense computing infrastructures (be they Blades, packaged Cloud systems, or mainframes) appears to be a natural extension of this phenomena because for the first time, administrators truly need a centralized management platform to manage virtual systems. Many IT organizations are learning the hard way about the sprawl created when virtual images are deployed at will with minimal oversight or visibility into how the environment is changing. System administrators need management solutions that make oversight and resource visibility as quick and seamless as deploying the virtual images. Solutions which afford centralized control over all virtualization options and extend across a diverse infrastructure enable optimal use of administrators' time.
Besides centralization, the solution should also have a workflow-based approach to automation embedded in its design. Automating the many other tasks (patching, security checks, compliance checks, etc.) that surround virtual image deployment drive down the business risk of high-speed image deployment. When these tasks are orchestrated as complete workflows, IT productivity skyrockets, which gives administrators the time to focus on policy design and decision-related resource analysis.
There is no escaping these solution requirements. The system management status quo can't deliver the agile management of heterogeneous virtualization that is essential for business agility and profitability. What administrators can do is demand that management vendors prove how they deliver on these requirements.
IBM is a client of Ptak Noel and has provided compensation to Ptak Noel for participation in this interview.
Private Cloud on System z
Raymond Sun 060000ASTK firstname.lastname@example.com Tags:  service-management mainframe linux tivz ibmtivoli virtualization 1 Comment 2,414 Visits
Did you know that System z was a great platform for a private cloud? Software Group did a benchmark comparing a popular Intel based hypervisor to z/VM and observed the impact to CPU utilization, throughput (transactions per second), and response time of a sample application as they varied the number of virtual servers. Their results are documented in a paper: http://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/fcgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=SA&subtype=WH&appname=STGE_ZS_ZS_USEN&htmlfid=ZSW03125USEN&attachment=ZSW03125USEN.PDF
There is a companion paper that discusses the TCO implications of private cloud versus public cloud: http://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/fcgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=SA&subtype=WH&appname=STGE_ZS_ZS_USEN&htmlfid=ZSW03126USEN&attachment=ZSW03126USEN.PDF
Have you noticed that when the press talks about cloud, they're typically not talking about System z? I wonder why. I have some theories, but would be interested in your perspective.
Re: zPartners: Need-to-know info about the Business Partner Summit at Pulse in 2010 - see you there!
barbara kennedy 2700025GG7 firstname.lastname@example.com Tags:  zos mainframe pulse pulse2010 business-partners ibm-partner channels service-management systemz partnerworld bpsummit partners partner tivz tivoli summit 1,426 Visits
In response to: zPartners: Need-to-know info about the Business Partner Summit at Pulse in 2010 - see you there!Tivoli z business partners have a dedicated guide to all things z. Look forward to seeing everyone at Pulse2010.
Linux on System z
Raymond Sun 060000ASTK email@example.com Tags:  ztiv service-management tivz ibmtivoli linux mainframe 2 Comments 2,093 Visits
As you consider moving workloads to Linux on System z, you will want to evaluate which workloads are the best fit. Ideally, data intensive or mixed workloads are best suited for System z whereas CPU intensive workloads may be better run on other platforms. On a recent webcast where I was co-presenting with Bill Reeder (IBM Linux Enterprise Servers), we discussed best workloads for Linux on System z which leverages the strengths of System z like WebSphere MQ, Domino, SAP. We also talked about good workloads for Linux on System z which run well on Linux on System z but can also run on other platforms. So, there are other factors (e.g. organizational politics) which must be evaluated in deciding the ideal platform for workloads.


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DALLAS (SMU) - SMU Athletics wants to recognize long-time season ticket holders for their dedication to SMU Football at home games this fall. Do you have a family member who has been attending SMU Football games for as long as you can remember? Do they recall the days when Don Meredith led the Ponies at the Cotton Bowl or when Eric Dickerson, Craig James and Lance McIlhenny had the Pony Express galloping to national prominence? Do they attend every home game, rain or shine? Nominate them to be recognized as a Mustang Legacy during the 2014 SMU Football season. Mustang Legacies will be presented with a commemorative game ball on the field during each home football games.
To nominate someone, please email the SMU Athletics Marketing Department at email@example.com. Please include details on why you think your nominee should be selected as a Mustang Legacy.
SMU's season begins with a trip to Waco to face No. 10 Baylor on Sunday, Aug. 31. The Mustangs' first home game is Sept. 20 against Texas A&M. To purchase tickets, visit www.smutickets.com or call 214-SMU-GAME.


text: I like to buy used wheels and tires and used jeep parts in general to keep costs down on my never ending jeep buildup. Galloways has a huge selection of used jeep parts & used 4x4 parts in general - tires, wheels, axles, lift kits, drive train parts etc. I got 5 used 15x10 steel wheels there for $100 & a while back I got my tires there used for about $425. I bought 4 35" Goodyear MTR's there with only about 6,000 miles on them in great shape. They also have a bunch of used swampers & about three big trailers full of new swampers!!! Also I had my dana 300 t-case rebuilt there for $150. I supplied the tera low gears and rebuild kit. When I got my t-case back it looked like new. They had repainted it to factory specs. I was really impressed. Galloways is in New London, NC on Hwy 52 just south of Salisbury. They have a website but it is under construction. Shop # 704-463-7513 or 1072 You can call them to see what used tires they have in at the time or just go down there to look around. It's a cool place to go by if you want to see a bunch of 4x4's and rummage through their jeep junk yard. Noah


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Mazes of Time on Sale
We all love a bargain and right now you can grab Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time for just 59p from the iTunes App Store.
All versions including iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad are part of the sale.
The game was released last December and we gave it 4 out of 5 concluding, "The Mazes of Time is a solid and enjoyable puzzler that we can recommend to all Doctor Who fans."
Check out the full review here.


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Daniel Okrent, the first public editor of the New York Times, was on "The Daily Show" last night to talk about his new book, "Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition." Okrent talked to Jon Stewart about the strange time in our country's history when freedoms were constitutionally limited -- prohibition was one of only two amendments that restrict rights, the other being the law against owning slaves. "I wanted to call the book, 'How the Hell Did That Happen?'" Okrent joked.
Okrent described an interestingly diverse group of people who supported prohibition. It included the KKK, who supported prohibition for anti-immigrant reasons, but also the Industrial Workers of the World, who thought that alcohol was a tool used by the capitalists to "keep the working man down." It was also supported by the women's suffrage movement -- consequentially, the KKK supported women's right to vote, assuming that they would vote for prohibition, which they did.
We've learned from the prohibition movement, Okrent said, that "you can't legislate against people's appetites." He made a parallel to current laws against marijuana, even pointing out that people could get prescriptions for medicinal liquor during prohibition -- for only $3. "Now in Venice Beach in Los Angeles, it costs $100 for a prescription for marijuana," he said.
|The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
|Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
|Daniel Okrent


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So I just gave my bike some much needed deep cleaning. The bike a Bianchi 928, in its second year of service. Giving the bike a close look, I've became very aware of all the small nicks and imperfections. To be honest, the bike is beginning to show its age. If I were to estimate, the bike has seen at least 13,000 miles of Northern California and Chicago roads.
Thinking about the future, I would be surprised if the bike lasts beyond next season. It'll either die a slow death by a thousand cuts, or die in a blaze of glory at some point.
How's your race rig doing? Is 3-4 years about what one can hope for out of a race bike? I take pretty good care of my bike, and clean it fairly often. But, the steady accumulation of training and racing miles is slowly but surely taking it's toll.


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Brewers Press Releases
David Goforth to visit the Sojourner Family Peace Center tomorrow
Brewers pitcher David Goforth will visit the Sojourner Family Peace Center tomorrow at 1 p.m. At the event, Goforth will tour the site and meet with members of the staff.
Miller Park Homestand Highlights: May 27 - June 1
The Brewers return home for the Memorial Day weekend to take on two division rivals, the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Brewers to be first team to host Baseball Hall of Fame Tour beginning July 15
The historic Baseball Hall of Fame Tour (We Are Baseball) will come to Miller Park beginning July 15 as the first-ever Major League city stop on its multi-year journey to dozens of cities across North America, bringing to fans a one-of-a-kind baseball experience through the illustrious history of the game with cutting-edge technology and digital media.
"Brewers On Tap" is now live
The Milwaukee Brewers are proud to announce the official launch of "Brewers On Tap," an all-encompassing multimedia site where fans can access videos and team programming, including "Brewers On Tap TV" and the "Brewers On Tap Podcast."
Spring Madness (414) to invade Miller Park
Brewers baseball is in full swing and to help celebrate the late arrival of the season, Spring Madness (414) returns to Miller Park on Memorial Day weekend, Friday, May 27 through Monday, May 30.
Students from Horning Middle School win "Strike Out Bullying" contest
After hundreds of videos were submitted, Angel Engel, Carolyn Kiefer, Sam Flaig, Matthew Alvarado and Becky Pyritz of Horning Middle School in Waukesha have won the Brewers "Strike Out Bullying" contest. Students from all across the greater Milwaukee area were asked to create a commercial with a positive message to "Strike Out Bullying." The five students from Horning Middle School video was selected and their school will receive a grand prize which includes a visit from Brewers players as well as tickets and transportation to the Thursday, May 19 game against the Chicago Cubs.
Brewers announce donation of over 20,000 bat and ball sets and books to children
Each child will receive a brand new "Play Ball" bat and ball set, delivered to each Milwaukee Public Elementary School, courtesy of the Brewers and Chevrolet.
Miller Park Homestand Highlights: May 12-19
Andy Grammer Postgame Concert and Jonathan Lucroy Kids' Replica Jersey Giveaway on Tap.
Join Matt Garza at the Brewers Bowl-A-Thon
Participants will enjoy a unique opportunity to pal around on the pins with their favorite Brewers players, all while helping raise money for Meta House, a nationally recognized, gender-responsive substance abuse treatment program dedicated to helping women through the progression of recovery.


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Dec. 2, 2005
THE TIP: Butler continues its season-opening road swing Sunday, traveling to Muncie, Ind., for a neutral court affair against Indiana State in the opening game of the State Farm Hoosier Classic. The teams have played just once in almost the last 10 seasons, an ISU win in the 2002 Classic. Fans can listen to the 2 p.m. game live on www.butlersports.com. Host Ball State and Valparaiso will meet in the second game of the doubleheader.
THE SERIES: Butler holds a 9-7 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams. Indiana State won the last meeting, 102-72, in Indianapolis in the 2002 Hoosier State Classic. That was the first meeting between the teams since 1995 and the only one of Beth Couture's tenure at Butler. The Bulldogs won the seven meetings prior to the 2002 contest. This is the first neutral court game between the two schools.
LISTEN LIVE: Josh Rattray returns as the play-by-play voice of the Bulldogs this season and is joined by Cory Schnurbusch in bringing the action of Butler basketball live on www.butlersports.com all season. Butler Athletics will provide the feed free to fans this season and will also have a video stream available for all home contests and Horizon League games.
BIG PLAYERS MAKE BIG PLAYS IN `CLOSS' GAMES: Junior Jackie Closser scored eight points in overtime to solidify an 80-78 win for Butler Wednesday at Eastern Illinois. Closser scored a career-high tying 20 points and added seven assists in the contest. She went 4-of-7 from three-point range and hit all four of her free throw attempts.
Closser is second in the Horizon League in assists (5.25 apg).
SHE'S ONCE, TWICE, THREE TIMES A PLAYER: For the second time this season, junior Ellen Hamilton went a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range Wednesday at Eastern Illinois. Hamilton scored 19 points in the contest, one off the team lead. So far this season, Hamilton is shooting 50 percent from inside the arc and it's hurting her overall field goal percentage. That's because she is 15-of-21 from three-point range, good for a league-leading 71 percent. Her 3.75 trey per game average also leads the Horizon League.
Hamilton leads the team in scoring at 16.3 ppg. That mark is third in the conference standings.
BOARD WORK: After her 10 rebounds Wednesday at Eastern Illinois, freshman Lade Akande is second in the league standings at 8.2 boards per game. She is also second in the conference in offensive rebounding at 3.0 per game. Akande posted a double-double with game-high totals of 23 points and 12 rebounds against Central Florida Nov. 25 and added 14 points a night later against Saint Mary's to earn Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic "All-Tournament Team" honors.
Akande also had two game-saving blocks in the final 30 seconds of overtime Wednesday in front of her Robinson (Ill.) high school team, which made the short trip to EIU.
MORE ON LADE: Akande also ranks 11th in scoring (13.2 ppg) and fourth in blocks (1.5 bpg) among Horizon League players.
SERVING IT UP ON A TREY: Butler is shooting a league-best 45 percent from behind the arc this season, which has led to 7.8 three-pointers per game. That average is second in the conference. Most of the damage has been done by the team's backcourt of Jackie Closser (10-23, .435) and Ellen Hamilton (15-21, .714).
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Both Ellen Hamilton and Jackie Closser are moving quickly up Butler's career three-pointers list. Hamilton has moved into fifth with 113, while Closser is in sixth place with 112 career treys. The next victim for the sharp-shooting duo is Sarah Hurrle (1997-99) and her 114 career threes.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR CHARITY: After a lackluster 5-of-14 performance from the free throw line in the season opener at Purdue Nov. 18, the Bulldogs have hit 75 percent of their charity tosses in the last three games. The team's backcourt rotation of Jackie Closser (16-17), Ellen Hamilton (10-11) and Candace Jones (11-12) has combined to shoot 93 percent from the line so far this season. The three rank first, third and fourth, respectively, in the Horizon League free throw standings.
CAROM QUEEN: Senior Stephanie Boeke is second on the team and sixth in the Horizon League with an average of 6.3 rebounds per game. She's tied for fourth in the circuit at 2.5 offensive rebounds per game. Boeke tied her career-high with 10 rebounds Wednesday at Eastern Illinois, logging her first start of the season.
KEEPING UP WITH THE `JONESES': Freshman Candace Jones has given coach Beth Couture solid minutes off the bench so far this season. Wednesday against Eastern Illinois, Jones set career-highs in points (seven), rebounds (five) and minutes (27) after a personal-best five assists against Saint Mary's in the team's last outing. Jones is averaging 4.5 points per game.
AGAINST THE SYCAMORES: Only two current Bulldogs were on the roster for the last meeting against Indiana State. Stephanie Boeke had 12 points against the Sycamores in her freshman season. The scoring output is tied for the third-highest of her career. Nikki Budgake actually made her Butler debut in the contest against Indiana State. She missed the first five contests of the 2002-03 season with a knee injury before the Dec. 7, 2002 match-up with Indiana State. She had one point in nine minutes of action.
QUICK SHOTS: Other career-highs set Wednesday at Eastern Illinois: Lade Akande (four blocks), Carla Gheorghe (12 points), Cassie Freeman (three assists-tie), Ellen Hamilton (four steals) and Stephanie Boeke (four steals)...Butler head coach Beth Couture is one of 31 coaches voting on this season's USA Today/ESPN Top 25 poll. Couture represents the Horizon League on the weekly ballot...Wednesday's overtime win over Eastern Illinois broke a streak of three straight overtime losses for the Bulldogs. Butler is now 3-5 in overtime contests under Couture.
WE'RE GOING STREAKING: The Bulldogs have made at least one three-pointer in 128 straight games, dating back to Feb. 1, 2001...junior Ellen Hamilton has nailed at least one three-pointer in a team-high 11 straight games, dating back to last season. She has hit at least one trey in 52 of her 61 career Butler outings.
WORTHLESS STAT OF THE DAY: Coach Beth Couture made a change in the starting line-up for Wednesday's game, inserting Stephanie Boeke at the small forward spot. It was the first time off the bench for Cassie Freeman this season. The Bulldogs have won two straight games with Freeman coming off the bench (dating back to last season) after going 0-5 the first five times Freeman was a reserve in her Butler career.
EARLY RECOGNITION: Butler's junior backcourt of Jackie Closser and Ellen Hamilton earned preseason "All-Horizon League" second-team honors. The juniors combined for 22 points a game last season.
BULLDOGS PICKED FIFTH: The Horizon League's head coaches tabbed Butler to finish fifth in the upcoming season, as the preseason poll almost mirrored the final standings from 2004-05. UW-Green Bay was picked to win the league championship.
THIS YEAR'S SLATE: In addition to the home-and-home regular season series against all eight Horizon League foes, Butler's 2005-06 schedule includes six in-state foes (Purdue, Indiana State, Ball State, Evansville, IUPUI and IPFW). That's the highest number of Hoosier opponents since the 1989-90 campaign. The non-conference schedule also includes the Thanksgiving tournament in California, Eastern Illinois, Miami (Ohio) and UMBC.


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ever since August 2010, when the regulator slashed the commissions that agents could charge on unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips). While earlier the bulk of the premiums more than 70% came into ULIPs, that share is now down to 15%. The premiums that were invested in Ulips fell 36% 2011-12 over the previous year.
Single Page Format


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Vintage Antique Lewis Conger Heavy Copper Pan NY France
- Sold for: Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
- Item Category: Metals
- Source: eBay
- Sold Date: Oct 21, 2009
- Channel: Auction House
Vintage Antique Lewis Conger Heavy Copper Pan NY FranceItem Name: Heavy Copper Pan Country of Origin Maker Lewis Conger Date Manufactured Description Heavy Copper Pan . Marked Lewis Conger NY France (to right of the handle) and 22 (to left of handle). Has felt applied to bottom for display purposes. Dimensions
8 5/8" diameter8" handle 2 1/2" height Condition
No dings or dents, nice patina on copper with some surface scratching. Inside zinc lining appears to be intact. Would benefit from a proper cleaning.Please email me with any questions. Additional photos below text Payment: I expect payment within 5 days of the auction ending. I take Paypal. Contact me with questions about other payment options. Frequently Asked Questions: Because of the wide range of items I offer I am generally not an expert in any particular field. I try to describe items accurately and honestly. I have 100% feedback so bid with confidence. Please ask questions if unsure about item. Measurements are approximate. If I perceive an odor on a item I will indicate it in my ad (this is the #1 question I get). I don't end auctions early unless I have made an error that can't be fixed in my listing so Buy It Now inquiries are unnecessary. I have had a number of emails telling me that their computer or some other unforeseen event prevented them from last minute bidding and they were willing to pay more than the winning bid. I will always honor winning bidder so these inquiries are also unnecessary. Bid early and bid often. Shipping I will combine shipping if you win multiple auctions when possible to lower shipping cost. If items are large, combining items does not always lower cost but usually t is a significant savings. If you win more than one auction, I will invoice you with a combined shipping cost. If you have won a auction and plan on bidding on a upcoming auction and want to wait to combine shipping I would be happy to do that if you let me know after you win the first auction. Shipping prices are calculated by your zip code in the United States. I use the United States Post Office for Shipping. I generally offer two options for shipment. Parcel Post (in the US) or Priority Mail but I will ship media mail if it is a book, record, etc... or First Class Parcel if parcel is 13oz or less. I will ship internationally. Just email me for a shipping quote. Mailing internationally can be expensive. If the total weight of the package is under 4 lbs then I may be able to send First Class International which is cheaper but you can not track or purchase insurance with this option Insurance Insurance is optional. If the item comes with the original box it will be mailed inside of another box. Fragile items will be well protected with bubble wrap, foam, or other protective wrapping. Without insurance however buyer assumes shipping risk. All auctions have No Reserve. Please check out all my other auctions currently running. You may be interested in our other listings on eBay. Powered by eBay Blackthorne 04.00.027


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French Roast
What was it about being alive and well in the Sixties and early Seventies? Even cavemen claimed the title, in cartoonist Johnny Hart's B.C. Is Alive and Well, published in 1969--a year in which journalist Art Buchwald was touting that The Establishment Is Alive and Well in Washington. For a few happy decades, it seemed that everybody was not simply still breathing, but could actually boast that they were thriving, from Satan (who was ...Alive and Well on Planet Earth, according to Hal Lindsey in 1972) to Horatio Alger (who was Alive and Well and Living in America in a 1971 book by David L. Goodrich).
Some phrases just climb into people's skulls and stick there, I suppose, and I am pleased to announce that, in 2001, Boredom and Irritation Is Alive and Well and Living in This Critic. Throughout the Park Square's current production, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, I felt that the show might have been better titled had it taken a page from Tom Lehrer's book and chosen to call itself Too Many Songs by Jacques Brel Although Park Square is promoting this production as a musical, more properly it is a musical revue, as there is no plot whatsoever. Jacques Brel is, instead, 29 songs by the eponymous Brussels-born singer/songwriter, presented in their entirety.
What? Not familiar with his work? You've been thwarted in your attempts to sidle up to a jukebox in a bar, select G-31 or F-12 and throatily croon along to "Les Bonbons" or "J'Arrive"? Well, you're not alone. Brel's following in the United States is small, limited mostly to Francophiles who stumbled across his recordings in college French classes and theater people who know of his songs thanks to this play (and a smaller segment of aging hippies who vaguely remember the 1975 film made from the musical). Indeed, take another look at the jukebox--it's not Jacques Brel on G-31 and F-12 at all, it's David Bowie and a track from Monsters of Rock. And that's our loss, as Brel was a first-class songwriter in the guitar-strumming, Left Bank tradition of Sixties Paris. I suspect he first came to the attention of American theater people as a result of his work adapting Man of La Mancha into French, but I sincerely doubt that La Mancha's librettist, Dale Wasserman, ever wrote anything nearly as imaginative or grotesque as Brel's "La Chanson de Jacky," in which the singer fantasizes about owning a brothel. You'd have to look to Brecht to find anything similarly gleeful in its immorality in musical theater, as these lyrics, translated by Eric Blau and Mort Schuman, reveal:
My name would then be handsome Jack
And I'd sell boats of opium
Whiskey that came from Twickenham
Authentic queers and phony virgins
I'd have a bank on every finger
A finger in every country.
I appreciate this kind of music, and Jacques Brel has done a good job of selecting a representative collection of his songs. The Park Square's cast of four--Christopher Bloch, William Gilness, Molly Sue McDonald, and Natalie Moore--all have fine singing voices, and the production has dressed them in a theater costumer's idea of Parisian chic, circa 1960 (frowzy cravats and bluntly cut, Op Art-patterned ties for the men; stockings and flower-print dresses or peasant-girl costumes for the women). Director Jon Cranney has placed them on a stage that is a set designer's idea of a Parisian bistro (it looks like the Loring Bar) and set them in motion singing Brel's songs (in translation) with spare and plaintive onstage accompaniment by piano, bass, and an occasional xylophone. This staging should be just right, yet it isn't, and I was at a loss to explain my growing boredom and irritation throughout a production that, ostensibly, was exactly what it should be.
In retrospect, I find that I am always bored and irritated at musical revues, and never certain why. But I have chewed on the subject for a while, and I think I have realized an essential failing with modern revues: Nobody knows how to direct them anymore. With no ongoing story or characters to connect the songs, each number becomes a miniature drama in and of itself, and needs to be presented in this way. Watch old episodes of television variety shows to see what I mean: Even on The Lawrence Welk Show, which developed a complex aesthetic out of being as bland as possible, every song emerged as a miniature opera, with characters collapsing into mud pits or drawing catch after catch out of the fishing hole as they sang their accordion-driven pop songs. But it has been a long time since variety shows have had any currency in this country, and our directors have simply forgotten how to stage a song so that it is a complete story in three minutes. Instead, they give the cast a few simple stage directions (which, in this production, consist mostly of pretending to drink during the more mature songs and holding dollies in the air during the more childlike songs) and otherwise just let them sing. Yes, the cast members sing well, but they are by no means great interpreters of Brel's oeuvre, and so it would behoove the production to flesh out the numbers a little more. But who has a deft enough hand to sketch in character and drama during a three-minute medley nowadays?
No, in this production the cast is either given too little to do or directed with too much bombast, which ends up looking silly. In "The Bulls," for example, the cast sings the names of a series of historic battlegrounds while staring intently at each other, up until the final line of the song: "Saigon!" They turn and face the audience at this point, shouting the line, and what does it mean? Is it a reprimand of some sort? A call to action? I was alive and well at the time of the fall of Saigon, yes, but I was seven years old and living in St. Louis Park. What do you want me to do about Saigon, Park Square Theatre? What do you want me to do?
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November 14, 2012
Nexus 4 Sells Out
Google's newest flagship handset sold out in the US and UK Google Play store on launch day.
The Nexus 4 is the latest unlocked phone from Google, selling for $299 for 8GB of storage and $349 for 16GB. There was no indication from Google when the devices would again be available.
The UK sellout was especially fast, as they were apparently gone in less than one hour.
Yet how could this be, given that so many reviewers slammed the Nexus 4 for the lack of LTE?
For many, LTE just isn't part of the equation. While most tech reviewers are looking at a device they would use in Manhattan, much of the country is yet to get a full LTE rollout. International customers are mostly on networks not using LTE, so an unlocked phone at these prices is a steal. Most unlocked phones sell for $600 or more.
While we don't have sales numbers, such demand bodes well for Google's attempt to go around the carriers and take greater control of its devices. Apple is able to push the carriers with its weight given the popularity of the iPhone. Google will need to build the popularity of its Nexus line to do the same.
Google's newest tablet, the Nexus 10, also sold well yesterday. The 32GB Nexus 10, which costs $499, is sold out. As of Wednesday morning the 16GB Nexus 10 was still available.
Image Credit: Google Play


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Hello strangers! About time I updated again eh? Today I'm featuring one of the new Revlon scented nail polishes, Autumn Spice. I actually managed to snag the last bottle from the display so this particular shade must be fairly popular even with the non-polish obsessed.
This swatch is two coats of Autumn Spice with a base of OPI Nail Envy and is topped with NYC Grand Central Station. The formula was easy to work with and surprisingly tidy to clean up in spite of all the particles in the polish.
Autumn Spice is a warm, dark chocolate brown with strong reddish orange shimmer particles. It's definitely been the most swatched from the Parfumerie Collection, and smells faintly of warm holiday spices. Personally I didn't think the smell was overwhelming or offensive when I was polishing, and it faded considerably when topped with top coat and dried. Although if you're sensitive to scented polishes or tend not to like traditionally "fall spice" scents you might want to skip this one.
The bottle itself of this collection is quite appealing. Despite the round black cap being plastic, it still lends a high end feel, and the glass bottle is weighty and the corners are nicely beveled. The brush was a nice medium width and easy to control and work with.
Well, I'm off to stuff my face with delicious once-a-year foods and watch the Macy's Parade and the following dog show. Every previous year we've always watched for the Great Danes in the dog show, but since our Dane passed a few years ago and we acquired a new puppy last christmas, we'll be looking out for the Bernese Mountain Dog. Does anyone else watch the dog show and single out your current dog's breed? What are some of your Thanksgiving Day traditions?
What is on your nails this holiday? Let me know in the comments! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving if you're celebrating!
28 November 2013
Revlon Autumn Spice + Happy Thanksgiving!
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FINTRAC's 10th Anniversary and its growing expectations
In 1989, the G-7 established the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to develop and promote policies to combat money laundering. From 1996 to 2004, and as part of its mandate, FATF issued 40 anti-money laundering and nine anti-terrorist financing recommendations that establish a set of basic standards for countries to detect, prevent, and suppress money laundering and the terrorist financing activity.
The FATF's 1997 evaluation of Canada's performance noted that, while Canada's regime was in substantial compliance with most of the 40 recommendations, its reliance on a voluntary suspicious transaction reporting system had not proved effective. The FATF suggested that Canada implement a mandatory reporting system and establish a central financial intelligence unit to manage the information gathered.
In 2000, the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) Act ("the Act") was passed, establishing a system of mandatory reporting of suspicious and other prescribed transactions, a cross-border currency reporting regime, and Canada's financial intelligence unit in the form of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).
An Evolutionary Decade
It has now been 10 years since Canada passed the proceeds of crime legislation that created FINTRAC and established Canada's anti-money laundering/anti-terrorist financing regime. The past decade has seen changes in the legislation in an effort to step up to global standards in the fight against money laundering and terrorist activity financing.
The effectiveness of Canada's Anti-Money Laundering/Terrorist Financing (AML/TF) framework depends on the collective efforts of all stakeholders, including those entities that must comply with the Act. Given the significant milestone, the Department of Finance has announced the commencement of its 10-year evaluation of Canada's anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime.
The evaluation is anticipated to include feedback from the various key stakeholders. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the success of Canada's AML/TF efforts and the extent to which the regime has made progress towards achieving its objectives. The 10-year evaluation comes in advance of the next round of FATF mutual evaluations, which are expected to be undertaken within the next year or two. Further amendments to the legislative framework are also expected in the coming months.
Over the past decade, and in stark contrast with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), its US counterpart, FINTRAC has adopted a collaborative approach to enforcement aimed at educating entities that are subject to compliance. In recent months, though, FINTRAC's approach has shifted from outreach and awareness building to more enforcement action. Since December 2008, when FINTRAC gained the power to issue such penalties and to publicize names, it has issued 15 administrative monetary penalties and publicly named seven of the recipients.
FINTRAC has slowly progressed from a development phase to a mature, experienced organization, steadily increasing its output of financial intelligence since it became operational. Financial intelligence has become an important part of investigative work that can shed light about how criminals are connected and where the assets may be hidden.
Required Reviews of Compliance ProgramsIn June 2008, changes to the Act mandated that every organization subject to it is required to conduct a review of its compliance program every 2 years. These reviews must be conducted by a knowledgeable party that is independent of the anti-money laundering program and can be internal or external to the organization.
With the earliest of the 2-year periods for these reviews now ended, we can reflect on these reviews and what has been learned.
Based upon reviews conducted by KPMG Forensic, larger entities face the challenge of attaining truly cohesive AML programs given the large number of individuals and systems required to manage their requirements. On the other hand, smaller entities face the challenge of building effective AML programs and implementing systems with smaller budgets while still being able to manage all requirements under the Act and cope with growing needs and businesses.
We found that our independent reviews helped identify issues that have hindered the effectiveness of AML programs in place and to start a conversation to enhance AML compliance programs.
What the Future HoldsNow that FINTRAC has reached the decade milestone and addressed key deficiencies noted in the FAFT's latest mutual evaluation issued in February 2008, it expects advances of the same nature from reporting entities. FINTRAC expects those businesses that have been subject to the requirements for almost 10 years to have mature compliance programs as well. The effectiveness of these entities' programs is ultimately measured by the extent to which they are able to provide valuable financial intelligence that can have a meaningful impact on investigations.
The US regulator, FinCEN, created in 1990, had a 10-year head start on FINTRAC, and its enforcement actions reflect not only its maturity, but also perhaps a different enforcement environment. Hefty penalties are levied and not just because an entity simply failed to have a compliance regime. Failure to have an appropriate anti-money laundering (AML) compliance regime that has been reasonably designed to detect instances of suspicious activity can cause entities in the US to face monetary sanctions and resulting reputational damage.
The signs are that FINTRAC wants to follow FinCEN's example, and it is starting to clearly communicate its dissatisfaction with the quality of the AML compliance programs at reporting entities in Canada. FINTRAC expects that entities will by now have identified and addressed any gaps in their programs.
FINTRAC has also steadily increased its examination coverage rate, a reflection of its maturation with respect to compliance and the enforcement of the Act. Its enforcement mission will benefit from measures that were announced by the Minister of Finance in the 2010 Federal Budget. The Budget included an CA$8 million increase in FINTRAC's operating budget aimed to improve its compliance function.
This budget increase is anticipated to give FINTRAC much needed resources toward compliance enforcement and a greater presence in all sectors. As a direct result, FINTRAC will be conducting enhanced compliance activities involving federally regulated financial institutions (FRFIs) which will be independent of reviews conducted by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. FINTRAC clearly laid out its expectations and its intent to increase the examination coverage of the FRFIs sector with a focus on the quality of the reports.
It's All About Financial IntelligenceAlthough FINTRAC has an important role in monitoring compliance, its ultimate purpose is to turn transaction reports into meaningful financial intelligence to help law enforcement in the fight against money laundering and terrorist activity financing. Over the course of the past decade, FINTRAC has significantly ramped up its case disclosures, assisting investigations of drug trafficking, smuggling, terrorist activity financing, fraud, and other predicate offences of money laundering. The financial transactions behind these crimes provide invaluable assistance in a diverse number of investigations.
The 2010 Budget also put forward measures that would amend regulations under the Criminal Code, making tax evasion a predicate offence for money laundering. This will enable FINTRAC to provide financial intelligence to police in cases where money laundering is suspected in relation to tax evasion. The measures proposed in the 2010 Budget are aimed at ensuring that Canada continues to keep up with the global efforts to fight money laundering and terrorist activity financing.
FINTRAC recognizes that its success is tied to the ability of reporting entities to deliver timely and good quality financial transaction reports. Compliance with the reporting obligations set out in the Act ultimately serves the production of financial intelligence. Good and timely information at the front end of this process can make all the difference.
Susana Johnson is a Vice President in KPMG's Forensic practice where she serves as Head of Anti-Money Laundering Services. She has 19 years of experience in a broad base of fraud risk and compliance assignments. She has assisted financial services clients with Anti–Money Laundering (AML) projects, including management of money laundering investigations, providing employee training, and performing independent reviews to assess compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing requirements of Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Contact: Susana Johnson, Vice President, KPMG Forensic and Head of Anti-Money Laundering Services. email@example.com (416) 777-8939
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Speaker Benny Sudakov
Affiliation UCLA
Host Yuval Peres
Duration 01:00:39
Date recorded 30 July 2010
We present an all-pairs shortest path algorithm whose running time on a complete directed graph on n vertices with edge weights chosen independently and uniformly at random from [0,1] is O(n2), in expectation and with high probability. This resolves a long standing open problem.
Joint work with Y. Peres, D. Sotnikov and U. Zwick
©2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
By the same speaker
People also watched


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Tree netting planned to protect Ore. bees
WILSONVILLE, Ore. (AP) — Workers on Friday plan to wrap bee-proof netting around blooming trees in the parking lot of an Oregon shopping center in an attempt to prevent the deaths of more bees.
Portland-area bee experts with the Xerces (ZERK-zees) Society for Invertebrate Conservation estimate at least 25,000 bumble bees have died in the lot since last weekend. The bees were clustered under dozens of linden trees.
Oregon Agriculture Department officials confirm thousands of dead bees.
The Oregonian reports (http://is.gd/XIiNip ) that Agriculture officials are working with the Xerces Society, the city of Wilsonville and the distributor of an insecticide.
State officials say tests to confirm the cause of the deaths could take two or three more days. They are checking for insecticides as well as possible natural causes.
Wilsonville is southwest of Portland.
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I wanted to play around with some of the new BG papers, this one is kraft. I really love that they have the papers with white/ cream or black accents. I used a fun sketch, except I forgot where I saw it.
The sentiment is from Everyday Thanks available at Paper Makeup Stamps, there is such a great collection of quotes and sentiments. I just finished this card with some May Arts ribbon and a border punch. Super simple, super fun.
Monday, July 12, 2010
For All You Do
Labels: Basic Grey, Nestabilities, Paper Makeup Stamps, Punches
6 comments:
- Cindy Haffner said...
Tina I love this design, FABULOUS!!!
- July 12, 2010 at 1:17 AM
- Cindy Haffner said...
Tina I love this design, FABULOUS!!!
- July 12, 2010 at 1:17 AM
- Deb Neerman said...
This is fabulous, Tina! LOVE this kewl DP and that beautiful ribbon!
I've been wondering what this paper would look like ... you've made it look sooooo wonderful!
Sending hugs!
- July 12, 2010 at 3:56 PM
- Danni said...
Simply fabulous!
- July 12, 2010 at 4:51 PM
- Chris Olsen, Glowbug said...
This is the perfect masculine card Tina!! Love the layout, papers and ribbon!!
- July 12, 2010 at 7:02 PM
- alienanessa said...
Way understated and way delicious. This is so cool, love the papers and that ribbon!! The sketch is delightful, that's for sure.
- August 13, 2010 at 7:42 PM
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C'mon people, leave the stats, they are just a tool to that are used to change reality! Example, Air Companies statistics say that less people die in air accidents than on road/rail crashes!!!!!!! It depends how you swirl stats.
In the end people remember those who won WDC (except in case of Sir Stirling Moss). After few years nobody cares about quali, fastest lap, points, etc. just WDC.


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JCPenney Portrait Studios released a new coupon for their Facebook fans here.
Get $49.99 (reg. $149.99) full session cd starts tomorrow in our studios! Print your jcp portrait coupon and schedule your session today!
The coupon ends Aug. 11.
Register now for free, or sign in with any of these services:


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It is still pretty daggone warm down here, but it will get cold (or chilly, to some of you) sooner or later, and when it does ... my feet get cold.
I do fine in other ways ... I've got my wardrobe worked out. But the feet ... they just get too cold.
Any advice? We're talking temps into the mid-20s, at the coldest.
I cycle some with clipless pedals, but this winter will probably spend most of my commuting time on a utility bike with old-fashioned platforms, so any shoes (or sandals, which I am using in the summer) will work.
My toes thank you in advance for your help and kindness.


text: The Essex Guide — 2014 Resource Directory for the Town & Village Did you get left out of this year's Essex Resource Directory? Help us get you in next year's publication by filling out the form below! The Essex Guide — Residential Name * Address * Phone Number * Comments Wish you were in the commercial listings of this year's Essex Resource Directory? We can make it happen for next year's publication! Fill out the form below with your business' information! The Essex Guide — Commercial Business Name * Business Address * Business Phone Number * Comments Please contact me with advertising opportunities! I would just like a listing thank you.


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Dave Schubert
Underground Photographer Dave Schubert's Works Showing @ Shooting Gallery This Saturday
By Laura Mason on November 12, 2010 1:00 PM
In the vein of Larry Clark, Ryan McGinley, the late Dash Snow and the Mission School of art, Dave Schubert's photography documents his day-to-day life spent on the underbelly. Considered a "quiet leader" in the documentation of underground cultures, his world is populated by weirdos, libertines, clowns, artists and randoms caught in the blink of an eye living in the "beautiful grime" of city life and really not giving a hoot. His fleeting subjects are surreally captured, often mid-mischief, in a hazy wash of colors on film processed by hand.


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|Craft Night: Keepsake Box or Handbag from Recycled Books
Event Type: Adult Library Programs
Date: 5/5/2014
Start Time: 6:30 PM
End Time: 8:30 PM
Make a keepsake box or a handbag out of recycled books! Great for Mother's Day!Library: Penrose Library - 20 North Cascade
Call 389-8968 to Register
Location: Penrose Childrens Room
Registration Ends: 5/5/2014 at 12:00 AM
Contact: Sandy Hancock
Contact Number: x2314
Status: Closed
We're sorry. The registration deadline was 5/5/2014 at 12:00 AM.


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You are a fan of developers covers ? Come to discover the best forums developers covers on the internet and share your experience with a community fan of developers covers . You can also build a forum developers covers and create your online discussion.
The #1 Suzuki Intruder Owners Club on the internet and covers ALL models of the Suzuki Intruder / Boulevard / Volusia and Marauder motorcycles from the VL125 to the mighty M1800R / VZR1800R.
suzuki, intruder, club, owner, forum, m1800, owners, vzr1800, iocuk, iocgb, vl1500, vs700, vs750, vs800, vs1400, c1800, c1800r, m109, m109e, m1800r, boulvard
A professional wrestling forum that covers WWE, TNA, ROH and all independent wrestling. Also the official forums of the talkIMPACTradio podcast.
free, forum, professional, wrestling, that, #covers, independent, also, official, forums, talkimpactradio, podcast
The official Forum for Augustine: Despondent and other projects like Slender: Darkplaces and Zombie Shootout. Other projects and developers welcome!
free, forum, augustine, despondent, revamped, zombie, shootout, game, development, halo, inspired, mexicouger, tevin, dahl, supermario641996, coding, official, playstation, portable, hombrew
Covering the newest iphone/ipod games with reviews, photos, and more. Get a look into todays hottest games and peek into the future games. Mingle with developers, get latest info, and conversate with fellow gamers.
game, reviewer, covering, newest, iphone/ipod, games, with, reviews, photos, more, look, into, todays, hottest, peek, future, mingle, #developers, latest, info, conversate, fello


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The side-event, entitled "The Green Economy, Forests and Major Groups and Stakeholders – Where is the Link?" presented the forests chapter from the Green Economy report and UNEP's and UN-REDD's work to catalyze a forest sector transformation towards a Green Economy. Presentations included practical examples from Kenya, where involvement of stakeholders are at the core of the Ruking/Kasigau REDD+ project business model and an overview of lesson learned from stakeholder and Indigenous Peoples involvement in the management paradigm shift of the Mau forest in Kenya.
To set the scene, a new video narrated by Sir David Attenborough, on the role of forests and REDD+ in a Green Economy was screened.
The goal of the side-event was to strengthen engagement with major groups and stakeholders in the area of transforming the forest sector towards a Green Economy and ensuring they are part of the process as this issue moves center-stage in global and national policy agendas.
The strong participation in this side event demonstrated a growing interest to be part of shaping the agenda and moving the forest sector towards a Green Economy. Further information on forests in a Green Economy can be found at www.unep.org/forests and here.
Copyright © 2008-2016 UN-REDD Programme. All Rights Reserved.


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A Protest Without Rhyme or Reason
In these days of fiscal austerity, the British government is dialing back its largesse for the arts. Which means, among other things, that taxpayers are no longer on the hook to pay thousands of pounds to support poetry prizes celebrating works none of them have ever read. But when a wealthy segment of society—the financial firm Aurum—stepped forward recently to take up the slack, fronting the money needed to keep the T.S. Eliot Poetry Prize going, some of the nominees made it clear they were anything but grateful.
First, a poet named Alice Oswald, and then another, John Kinsella, withdrew from the competition, citing their disdain for the corporate sponsors. "Hedge funds are at the very pointy end of capitalism," Mr. Kinsella carped. Declaring himself "an anti-capitalist in full-on form," he concluded "the business of Aurum does not sit with my personal politics and ethics." Given that Mr. Kinsella is a vegan anarchist (or an anarchist vegan—it's hard to keep these things straight), it might be difficult to find any business that sits with his personal politics and ethics.
Though quitting the competition may have been an act of staggering self-regard, it was no hollow gesture. The writers, after all, are forsaking their main audience, given that the readership for poetry these days consists primarily of people hired to judge poetry contests.
Are they right to consider any association with moneyed interests unclean? It's easy enough to think of some sponsorships worth declining. Who would want to win a Bashar al-Assad-funded human-rights prize? But is an investment firm, by its very nature, in that outcast category? And even if bankers are pariahs, the prize doesn't come with any strings—there's no requirement to pen odes to mammon (hmm, what rhymes with credit default swap?). Yet, to these poets, the pollution of having moneymen associated with their art is like pieces of cockroach in a milkshake—even just a little is way too much. "Poetry," Ms. Oswald declared, "should be questioning not endorsing such institutions." (Milton, it should be noted, had the same notion, but said it far better: "true poets are the enemies of monarchs, not their courtiers.")
Milton and Ms. Oswald notwithstanding, some true poets have been shameless suck-ups. Virgil and Horace enjoyed the bounty of Gaius Maecenas, and in return wrote poetic ad copy for Gaius' pal Caesar Augustus. John Dryden considered "the great as entitled to encomiastic homage," wrote a censorious Samuel Johnson. The good doctor complained that Dryden was too caught up in lavishing praise on his patrons to be "mortified by the prostitution of his judgment." But there's no denying that Dryden had a way with a couplet.
But we moderns are generally a bit too proud to accept private patronage. When Jimmy Stewart's struggling writer in "The Philadelphia Story" is offered comfy lodgings in which to write by Katharine Hepburn's posh heiress, Stewart turns her down flat: "Well, you see the idea of artists depending upon a patron Lady Bountiful has more or less gone out." Now if only Hepburn's character had started a charitable foundation to give grants to writers, Stewart would likely have changed his tune. I doubt any such niceties would assuage the Eliot Prize refuseniks.
But why so diffident? Corporate sponsors may be trying to burnish their companies' reputations (why else so free with shareholders' money?), but it's not as though today's patrons of the arts expect the florid lickspittlery once lavished on those who provided artists their livings. When Shakespeare dedicated the poem "Venus and Adonis" to the young Earl of Southampton, he feigned concern that "I shall offend in dedicating my unpolished lines to your lordship." Poets no longer worry about giving offense; they worry they might fail to give offense.
The poets' rarefied moral calculus only extends so far. In the acknowledgments published with her work "Dart," Ms. Oswald notes that her poems were, in part, "funded by the 'Arts for Everyone' budget of the Arts Council of England's Lottery Department." Which is to say, she's happy to bank the cash culled from the easy marks who pay the stupidity tax, but not the earnings of a mainstream investment firm.
Ms. Oswald was happy to collect an Eliot Prize back when the money used by the Poetry Book Society to organize the contest was coming from the government. I suspect that, in best progressive fashion, she would be happy to see the government's coffers filled primarily from the accounts of Mr. H. Fund Moneybags III. So let's get this straight: If the investment bankers' money is grudgingly handed over to the taxman it's squeaky clean. But if it is given voluntarily, the lucre is filthy. What an odd and upside-down moral equation.
One suspects that Timon of Athens had the right idea for dealing with the ungrateful poet and painter who abused his generosity. "Out, rascal dogs!" he shouts. According to Shakespeare's very helpful stage directions, Timon "Beats them out, and then retires to his cave."
The patronage model of poetry supported the works of such worthies as Virgil, Dryden and Shakespeare. Our current model, with its suspicion of any patron save government, has given us—well, sorry, I seem to have forgotten their names.
—Write to me at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Gifts that Empower Women – St. Mary's Mahila Shikshan Kendra
Ahmedabad, India was once famous for its textile mills, but when global competition became too great, many of the mills were forced to shut down, leaving countless women either unemployed or with unstable seasonal employment.
St. Mary's Mahila Shikshan Kendra is an artisan group founded by women, for women. Giving artisans the option to work either in a workshop or at home, mothers with young children are able to care for their families while earning a livable wage.
The work they do is in the traditional Kathiawad style, incorporating tiny reflective pieces into embroidery known as "mirror-work." This style of embroidery has been a custom of the Gujarat region of Ahmedabad for centuries. All of the cotton is hand-loomed using only local thread in order to support neighboring workshops. To purchase one of these beautiful textiles is to show your support for these women who work hard and appreciate your interest in the labor of their hands.
Your purchase helps provide maternity care, health programs, children's education programs, and training in the craft of embroidery for the women of St. Mary's Mahila Shikshan Kendra.
Below are a few gift ideas from the artisans at St. Mary's Mahila Shikshan Kendra – Gifts that empower women:
Depicting mother & baby elephants and peacocks, this colorful tree is symbolic of hope and peace. Tiny metal discs catch the light just right in the traditional mirror-work fashion. And with each thread lovingly stitched by hand, this wall hanging will evoke an authenticity that is difficult to miss.
A pillow to match the wall hanging, comfort was never so luxurious than with hand-stitched branches, animals, and flowers with tiny reflective centers.
Art you can wear! These headbands come in assorted colors.
Joyful butterflies flutter around swirling vines in this pillow with stitching as precious as a butterfly's wings.
Simple and elegant, the design of this tablecloth brings a serene and peaceful air to the dining room. Stitched with the grace of nimble fingers, the joyful colors of the blossoms bring to mind a fresh spring day.
A bag just small enough to carry the essentials without weighing you down on your travels. Colorful thread stands out against a neutral backdrop for a fashion statement that pops.
When you give any one of these items to a loved one, you can tell them the story of how your purchase made a difference. Spreading the word about fair trade is a great way to do your part to promote peace on earth this holiday season.