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Working versus schooling: the impact of social expenditure
We develop a theoretical model where child labour results from a household's trade-off between sending a child to school or to work. Education is considered as a risky investment, since the survival of the child is not certain. We explore the effects of public expenditure on education and health on child labour, specifying a transmission mechanism for each kind of spending. On the one hand, we establish that health expenditure reduces child labour all the more as child mortality rate is high. On the other hand, a moderate aversion to risk is a necessary condition for education expenditure to reduce child labour. Our theoretical results are empirically validated on panel data from 66 developing countries between 1985 and 2000. JEL Classification: J20, K31, D60.
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Volume (Year): 74 (2008)
Issue (Month): 1 ()
Pages: 33-52
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| Web page: http://www.cairn.info/revue-recherches-economiques-de-louvain.htm
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text: Page ContentEffective June 2015, the Certification Examination for Entry-Level Pulmonary Function Technologists (CPFT) and the Registry Examination for Advanced Pulmonary Function Technologists (RPFT) will transition to a one‐examination, two‐cut scores examination. If a candidate achieves the lower cut score, they will earn the CPFT credential. If a candidate achieves the higher cut score, they will earn the RPFT credential. The new Pulmonary Function Technologist (PFT) Examination is designed to objectively measure essential tasks required of a pulmonary function technologist. The PFT Examination will contain 115 multiple‐choice items (100 scored, 15 pretest) distributed among the three major content areas: instrumentation/equipment, procedures, and data management. Candidates will be given two hours to complete the PFT Examination. For more information about the CPFT credential, please visit the CPFT page. If you are planning to take any of the credentialing examinations offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care, Inc. (NBRC), the Self-Assessment Examination provides an excellent opportunity for you to find out in advance how well you will do. The SAEs are available in web-based format and more information can be found by clicking the Self-Assessment Examination Quick Link. Admission Requirements Applicant shall be 18 years of age or older. Applicant shall be Certified Pulmonary Function Technologists (CPFT)* credentialed by the NBRC. * Individuals who successfully completed the CCPT Examination with a specialty in Pulmonary Technology previously offered by the National Society for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Technology (NSCPT) or the National Board for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Credentialing (NBCPC) were recognized as CPFTs by the NBRC in July 1984 and are eligible for the RPFT Examination. To apply for the RPFT Examination, these individuals must submit a photocopy of their CCPT certificate with their application and fee. Free Practice Examination The web-based NBRC practice examinations are designed to simulate taking an NBRC examination. The software is identical to that which is used for the administration of NBRC examinations. To use this software, you will need a compatible internet browser such as the current version of Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. Other browsers may or may not work. Cookies and scripting must be enabled. Pop-up blocking must be disabled. Clicking the hyperlink below will open the practice examination login page. Please read the following instructions: Login using your e-mail address. Your results will be sent to this address. Use the mouse to select your responses and to maneuver through the examination. To obtain your results, you must take the entire examination in one sitting. Your results are not saved if you exit the examination. When you have completed the examination, click Finish and Display. Your results are displayed onscreen and will be e-mailed to you if you provided your e-mail address on the login page. If you need help using the examination software, click on the Help button in the lower portion of the screen once you begin the examination. Free PFT Practice Examination RPFT Credential FAQs Are the 2017 ERS/ATS DLCO guidelines incorporated into the examination yet?Not entirely. Unless the 2017 guidelines are specifically referenced by an item, all items about DLCO on the PFT credentialing test will continue to follow the 2005 guidelines.What changes were made to the CPFT and RPFT Examination programs in 2015?The CPFT and RPFT credentialing programs transitioned to a one‐examination, two‐cut scores examination in June 2015. The new examination for pulmonary function technologists contains 115 multiple‐choice (100 scored, 15 pretest), four‐option items, which candidates take within a two‐ hour time limit.What is the rationale for changes to CPFT and RPFT Examinations?A recent assessment of overlapping content between examinations for the CPFT and RPFT programs revealed a very similar result as had been observed when the same kind of assessment was made for CRT and RRT programs three years ago. Among tasks that the 2006 CPFT and RPFT job analyses had found were critical to assess in examinations, more than 95% of tasks were critical for both the CPFT and RPFT programs. In other words, the vast majority of content that was critical to the assessment of RPFT competencies also were critical to assessments of CPFT competencies. NBRC trustees interpreted this result as evidence of sufficient convergence between what had been more strongly distinct roles for persons holding the CPFT and RPFT credentials in the past.What are the examination fees?The PFT Examination costs $200 for new applicants and $170 for repeat applicants.What is the application process?You may apply online using the "Submit Application" link located on each examination page or submit a completed paper application and appropriate fee when the admission requirements are satisfied. If mailing your application, the NBRC recommends using certified mail or a certificate of mailing and keeping your receipt as proof that your application was sent to the NBRC. Ineligible applications submitted to the NBRC will be returned less a $50.00 processing fee.Can I schedule my examination online?If you are already approved to take an NBRC examination and all fees are paid, you may schedule online from the NBRC website or from the testing agency's website, www.goAMP.com.When are NBRC examinations administered?NBRC examinations are administered by computer on a daily basis (Monday - Saturday) at over 190 Assessment Centers across the country. A complete list can be found here.When is the application deadline?There are no application deadlines and if you meet the admissions requirements for an examination you may submit your application and fee at any time. Your application may be submitted online or can be downloaded and printed from this website.How long does it take to process my application?If applying and paying by credit card online, your application is processed immediately. If mailing your application and fee to the NBRC, your application will be processed within approximately two weeks after receipt by the NBRC. A confirmation notice of your eligibility will be sent to you. If your eligibility cannot be confirmed, a letter explaining the information that is still needed will be sent to you.What information does the confirmation of eligibility notice contain?The confirmation notice contains a website address and toll-free telephone number for you to contact the NBRC to schedule an examination appointment. Appointments may be scheduled a minimum of three days prior to the desired testing date. Note: Examinations will not be offered on nationally recognized holidays.What if I do not receive a confirmation of eligibility in the mail?If you do not receive a confirmation of eligibility or an incomplete notice from the NRBC within four weeks after mailing your application, contact the NBRC. If your application is not on file, you will be asked to send a replacement application form and fee.How long are the new examinations?The testing time for the PFT Examination is 2 hours.How many questions are on the PFT Examination?115 multiple‐choice questions will be presented on the examination, 100 scored items and 15 pretest questions. All NBRC multiple‐choice examinations contain questions that are being pretested for use in future versions of the examinations. What do the cut scores mean?There will be two established cut scores for the PFT Examination. If a candidate achieves the lower cut score, they will earn the CPFT credential. If a candidate achieves the higher cut score, they will earn the RPFT credential. What are the admission requirements for the PFT Examination? Applicants shall be 18 years of age or older. Applicants shall satisfy ONE of the following: Have a minimum of an associate degree from a respiratory therapy education program supported or accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), or 2) accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and graduated on or before November 11, 2009. OR Be a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) or Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credentialed by the NBRC. OR Complete 62 semester hours of college credit from a college or university accredited by its regional association or its equivalent, including college credit level courses in biology, chemistry and mathematics. A minimum of six months of clinical experience in the field of pulmonary function technology is also required prior to applying for the examination. OR Be a Certified Pulmonary Function Technologist (CPFT) credentialed by the NBRC. Are Self‐Assessment Examinations available?The Self‐Assessment Examination is available now for the PFT Examination. Are practice tests available?Free practice examinations are available to candidates at no charge to familiarize themselves with the content and types of questions that will be included on the regular exams. The free PFT practice examination is available now on our website. I have already earned the CPFT credential but not the RPFT credential. What do I do now?Any candidate who wishes to earn the RPFT credential will need to take the PFT Examination and pass at the higher cut score.If I currently hold the CPFT credential and score below the lower cut on the PFT Examination, will I lose my CPFT credential?No. You can retake the PFT Examination as many times as necessary to earn the RPFT credential without impacting the status of your current CPFT credential.How will the examination changes affect the Continuing Competency Program?All credentials earned on or after July 1, 2002 are subject to recertification. The NBRC strongly supports continued competency for the practitioners it certifies by requiring recertification every five years. Practitioners that earn the CPFT and/or RPFT credentials after 2015 will still be required to demonstrate their continued competence through the NBRC's Continuing Competency Program (CCP). Practitioners can also retake and pass the respective examination for the highest credential held that is subject to the CCP. If that credential is the RPFT credential, individuals will need to retake and pass the PFT Examination at the higher cut score to recertify their RPFT credential.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sober Haven Bali Offers "Eat, Pray, Love" Retreat for the Ultimate Safe and Sober Vacation
Located in Seminyak on the west coast of this "Island of the Gods", Sober Haven Bali offers luxe accommodations combined with 12-step support for the ultimate in safe and sober vacation adventure.
Located in Seminyak on the west coast of this "Island of the Gods", Sober Haven Bali offers luxe accommodations combined with 12-step support for the ultimate in safe and sober vacation adventure.Inspired by the release of Gilbert's popular screenplay, filmed in Bali, Sober Haven Bali has put together a week-long "Eat, Pray, Love" experience designed to guide guests through many of the local cultural and spiritual landmarks highlighted in the movie. At the same time, visitors will have the benefits of Sober Haven's colonial styled resort with its five-star meals, yoga, meditation, surfing, golf and many other activities, all in a supportive environment that celebrates sobriety. Sober Haven Bali
In keeping with the momentum of Gilbert's spiritual journey, Sober Haven guests will have opportunities to meet with Balinese spiritual teachers and immerse themselves in Balinese cultural offerings such as the Kecak Dance Tour, one of the Island's most fascinating and powerful cultural exhibitions. Explore the temple of Uluwatu with its ceremonial areas, traditional carvings, and resident monkeys that live naturally in many Balinese holy places.
Enjoy a vitamin lunch at Wayan's restaurant, a sunset seafood dinner on the beach and other uniquely Balinese landmarks visited by Gilbert during her journey. Sober Haven is also surrounded by a wide choice of boutique shopping, international dining and artistic offerings for those in search of a more decadent sort of spiritual comfort.
Whether it is the lure of retracing Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love" journey or the desire to relax and be pampered in this island retreat, Sober Haven offers a transformational holiday specifically designed with celebrating recovery in mind and spirit. Attendance at local twelve-step meetings is offered every morning and evening, making it easy for guests to remain close to their program.
For more information on Sober Haven Bali, visit our website at www.soberhavenbali.com, or call us toll free at 1.888.844.3895
Contact :
Brian H
Sober Haven Bali
BALI, Indonesia
Australia +61 8 9433 3139
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Marian Martin Mail Order 9420; ca. 1940s; Misses' Dress: Front buttoned A-line dress has high round neckline with neckline slit, extended shoulders with long set-in sleeves gathered to buttoned cuffs, short set-in or cap sleeves. Bodice is fitted with release pleats, bow trim. Skirt is dart fitted with shaped patch pockets and buttoned waistband. Bow and topstitch trim. 10 unprinted pattern pieces.
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I have been asked to be the judge of a Kentucky Derby Hat fashion contest at the Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens It is tomorrow. I am so excited!!! Attendees can view the 139th annual Kentucky Derby while hors d'oeuvres and cocktails are served. MINT JULEPS!!! Guests can also wear their best hat or bow tie […]
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I am beside myself with excitement to have today's guest, Suzy from Suzy's Artsy Crafty Sitcom. This has been one of my favorite places to visit since I first started blogging, and if you are familiar with the "Sitcom", you know why. I always leave creatively inspired, educated, and laughing my … [Read more...]
{Guest Post} Easter Cards With Fabric
Today, I am thrilled to bring you this adorable Easter craft from Paula at Sweet Pea. I love the gingham fabric she chose, and using cookie cutters to create templates is brilliant. Check out her fun projects and tutorials, fitness tips, and her current series on Glogging (I learned a ton from the … [Read more...]
St. Patrick's Day Sucker Bouquet
Continuing with our week of guest posters here at SBLC, today I am thrilled to bring you Cheri from It's So Very Cheri. She is going to take you through a fun St. Patrick's Day kids craft. Thank you for being here, Cheri! Hey It's Cheri from Its So Very Cheri. I am honored to be here today. I … [Read more...]
{Guest Post} Dollar Tree Spring Decor Project
TODAY LAUNCHES A WEEK OF GUEST POSTS HERE AT SBLC! I am so excited to introduce to you Debbie from Debbiedoos's. Check out her great projects, her Monday Newbie Party, blogging tutorials and more. Today she is sharing a dollar store spring decor project. Take it away … [Read more...]
As Seen on Mod Podge Rocks
I would tell you what it is, but nah. Go see. Ok, a hint... missoni... chevron... now go on, why don't you?! SBLC At Mod Podge Rocks... … [Read more...]
Make Crepe Paper Garland – {A Girl and Her Scout}
I have developed quite the crush on garland lately, just cannot get enough. The wide array of supplies used to make it never ceases to amaze me. This project is perfect for you DIYers who love decorating with things you have on hand to create simple beauty from the everyday. Please welcome … [Read more...]
Guest Post With Hani; Nylon Lotus Flower Tutorial
Hello Readers of Saved By Love Creations I am Hani from Craftionary I am so excited to be here. Today, I am sharing the tutorial on nylon lotus or water lily to welcome Spring Use your old stockings and make beautiful flowers this spring.These are very simple to make and trust me they … [Read more...]


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Television presenter Konnie Huq - who has an A grade in A-Level maths and an economics degree - tells BBC Radio 4's
More or Less
why she thinks numbers hold the secret to life.
More or Less is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Fridays at 1330 GMT and repeated on Sundays at 2000 GMT. To listen again, visit the
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text: Born in New York in 1974, Joe moved to Massachusetts where he grew up in the one and a half horse town of Hingham, before moving to Boston to attend Mass Art. He now lives in Somerville where he paints and illustrates out of his hidden studio deep below the earth's crust. Major influences include Ralph Steadman, Egon Schiele, and Melinda Beck among others. Joe works primarily in ink and acrylic, doing loose ink drawings on top of built up texture of acrylic and assorted dry media. His paintings are kind of strange, but kind of humorous, too.


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Here's some nail polish porn for you: Wet n Wild's Fast Dry Nail Colors for Spring 2011. These bold and brand-new colors come in 18 shades and dry in less than 60 seconds. The TV show-inspired names are a bit cheesy but the colors are definitely eye-catching, like the iridescent Grays Anatomy, hot pink How I Met Your Magenta, bright gold The Wonder Yellows and sparkly Party of Five Glitters. Each polish is just $1.99 at your local drugstore. Talk about the chicest, cheapest, quickest manicure for spring; who's on board?
Continue reading "Wet n Wild's Fast Dry Nail ... »


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Flames NewsFlames Home > Volleyball Home > News
Johnson, Shipe Earn Big South Honors
The Liberty volleyball team split a pair of road matches in South Carolina this past weekend, remaining in a tie for the conference lead. As a result, sophomore libero Gabrielle Shipe was named Big South Defensive Player of the Week and right-side hitter Monica Johnson was tabbed Big South Freshman of the Week.
Shipe earns her second Defensive Player of the Week honor this season, while Johnson receives becomes the second Lady Flame to receive Freshman of the Week laurels in 2012. Johnson and Caroline Douglas are the first pair of Lady Flames to be named Freshman of the Week in the same season since Jade Craycraft and Lillie Happel in 2010.
The last time that two Lady Flames received Big South weekly awards on the same day was Sept. 4, 2012, when Loren Thomas was named Player of the Week and Shipe was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week.
Shipe, an Orlando, Fla., native, led the Lady Flames with 5.0 digs per set this past weekend. On Friday at Charleston Southern, she helped Liberty down the Buccaneers, 3-2, collecting a career-high 29 digs while the Lady Flames posted a season-high of 82 digs. Her 29 digs at Charleston Southern were the most by a Lady Flame since Kelly Haseman recorded a Liberty rally-scoring-record 35 digs on Nov. 13, 2010.
Shipe then registered a match-high 16 digs on Saturday at Coastal Carolina, marking her 18th 10-dig match this season and 20th time leading the team in digs.
A Niceville, Fla., product, Johnson had a breakout week on the right side. She averaged 2.0 kills and 1.0 blocks per set, hitting .361. She played a key role in Liberty's 3-2 win at CSU, tallying a career-high 11 kills and posting a career-high six blocks. With her performance at Charleston Southern, Johnson became the first Liberty true freshman since Nicki Scripko in 2007 to have 10 kills and five blocks in the same match.
Johnson registered seven kills on Saturday at Coastal Carolina, hitting .312 and adding three block assists.
The Lady Flames (15-7, 5-2 Big South) are in a three-way tie atop the conference standings. They host co-leader Presbyterian College on Friday at 7 p.m. in Liberty's Dig Pink Match, to raise funds and breast cancer awareness. Liberty then hosts Winthrop on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.


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|See here for a map of the whole of Lombardia.
Dates and Standards - Region
There are three parts to the LEZs in Lombardia. Permanent LEZs, Winter LEZs and air quality emergency traffic restrictions
Permanent LEZs since 15 October 2011, for all of Lombardia:
- 2-stroke motorcycles and mopeds Euro 1
- Public diesel buses (M3) Euro 3
from Monday to Sunday from 00.00 to 24.00
Winter LEZs from 15 October to 15 April every year in the areas shaded on the map here the LEZ is:
• Petrol Euro 1
• Diesel Euro 3 (or retrofitted to meet Euro 3 particulates)
• Diesel Euro 2
• Two-stroke motorcycles Diesel Euro 2
Monday to Friday from 7.30 to 19.30
In addition to the regional winter LEZ, the whole province requires diesel vehicles to meet Euro 4 standard, or Euro 3 with a certified diesel particulate filter.
- For vehicles transporting people it is in operation from 8:30 to 18:00,
- For vehicles transporting goods it is in operation from 7:30 to 10:00.
Emergency traffic regulationsThe measures can also be tightened to a total ban for vehicles (as from 28.12. - 31.12.2015 from 10am and 4pm). Discounts for public transport were given.
Information on whether the scheme is in operation under Further Information.
Vehicles affected - Region
All vehicles, including motorcycles.
What is the LEZ boundary - City
Pavia Province
Valle Salimbene
LEZ Road sign - Country
Has signs similar to this, a banned vehicle sign with the requirements below:
Need to Register? - Region
Foreign Vehicles? - Region
Are enforced
Retrofitting allowed? - Country
Retrofitting Summary - Country
Retrofitting a certified diesel particulate trap allows entry to the LEZ. For more information see our retrofitting section.
Hours of operation - Region
Since 15th October 2011 permanent for 2-stroke mopeds and motorcycles – 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
For other vehicles from 15 October to 15 April every year, Monday to Friday from 7.30 to 19.30
To find out when the emergency scheme is in operation, see:
Lombardia real-time PM10 map
Map legend: When an area on the map is red, then the restriction is in place, yellow the restrictions are in effect tomorrow, orange the introduction scheme is in place.
Lombardia real-time air quality map
Lombardia real-time air quality list
Enforcement - Country
Penalty - Region
75-450€ (Regional Law 24/2006, art. 27, paragraph 11)
National Scheme - Country
There is currently no Italian national scheme, but regional as well as individual city schemes.
Exemptions: Regional
Lombardia exemptions
Local name for an LEZ - Country
Zona a Traffico Limitato (ZTL) or Limitazioni della circolazione, the general name for all access regulation schemes, also used for Low Emission Zones.
Further Information - Region
A list of all the municipalities and zones can be found here.
Download a list of exempted roads for all Lombardia LEZs (except Como, which is separate).
Websites for further information
Lombardia Region
The Milan Automobile Club, with information on grants available.
To see which communes are affected you can go to this spreadsheet.
To find out when the emergency scheme is in operation, see:
Lombardia real-time PM10 map-
When the map area is red, then the restriction is in place.
Lombardia real-time air quality map
Lombardia real-time air quality list
City website
Pavia city website
Valle Salimbene city website


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Just wondered how many like to go to a deck and watch the ship you are on, sail out of port ? Or maybe if you have one you sit on your balcony and watch.
So many things to do when you board and some have cruised so many times it makes me wonder if after about your fourth cruise you still find it exciting when your ship leaves port ?
We do, if we're not at dinner. And, not just at our embarkation port, but at the ports of call, as well. I love watching the activity on the pier as they prepare for the ship to leave, and waving to those who have come to wave goodbye to us. (My favorite places to do this are St. George, Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia.) We also enjoy waving to those on other ships. And, nothing can compare to sailing out of Manhattan, down the Hudson River and under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
No, the exceitement doesn't fade.
It is just totally mesmerizing to me. I sailed out of New Orleans many years ago on the Celebration. There is a bend in the Mississippi River where you can really feel the ship list to the side. The day I got back off the ship I went back down to the pier to watch the ship take off for the next cruise. It was really something to see when the ship hit that bend in the Mississippi how much it really leaned. Other ports which I like watching the sail off are Tampa, any Alaska port, Europe ports.
The first time we had a balcony we watched from "our" balcony; but we actually missed the hoopla on deck. So ever since, we are back up on deck with the band and the fancy drinks and the party atmosphere.
Most of the time we go to the top deck even if we have a balcony. Like f-mattox said, we like the party atmosphere.
We've taken many cruises most with groups of anywhere from 20 to 60 in the group. We always go to the back of the ship, take a bottle of wine and have a sail away party. It is just so beautiful and relaxing after the embarkation day rush.
Sail away is a special time and although we usually have a balcony, we prefer to be topside with the music etc. For me, even more fun is waking up and watching us come into port with dead-quiet all around except for the vibrations from the bow thrusters.
I love early mornings too; it's great watching the ship come to life.
Schadenfreude - A German word meaning taking pleasure from others misfortunes
Call me crazy but I love to stand on the port side of the deck as we prepare to sail away from a port of call and watch the latecomers running like crazy to get on board.
I agree, that is great sport. I kind of feel bad for them because I don't know their circumstances but I also think to myself, "you spent that much to take a cruise and you lack the discipline to get here on time?" Of course once you know their story, (if you ever find out) you can then make your judgment.
|All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:09 AM.


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Now that the kids are out of school and the warm weather has approached, summer is the time when many businesses slow down.
Thinking of taking a few days off? Here's what Ingrid Cliff on the Manta Small Business site recommends doing to get the most out of your summer slowdown.
- Plan a getaway. Hey, if you've got the time, why not?
- Take care of your health. You have to take care of you first! Remember?
- Take a business planning day. We like to make the distinction: working on your business, as opposed to working in it.
- Update your business. Create (or refresh) that Facebook page or Twitter account you've been avoiding.
- Renew your marketing materials. How about some shiny new signage. With a QR code, perhaps?
To read the full top ten, click through to the original article here.
This article by Lisa Barone at Small Business Trends also offers some great suggestions on how to be proactive during the summer months. Our favorite tip is 1. Go to camp! Summer, Barone says, is the best time to learn new skills, take classes, and attend events to form new relationships and expand your industry ties—activities that will allow you to develop both personally and professionally.
What are you planning to do with your time off? Leave a comment about your summer plans to recharge yourself and your business.


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|Manufacturer: MILLER BOBCAT
|Model: 907211
|Daily: $80.00
|Weekly: $300.00
Also check the following item(s) related to the above:
* Prices are subject to change. Tax and other fees not shown in above price estimate.
* Please call us for any questions on our welder 250dc amp unleaded rentals in Amarillo, Dalhart, Canyon, Pandhandle and Fritch, TX as well as the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles.


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Foodee works with the city's best restaurants to provide delicious, healthy, and sustainable food to the best teams. We believe every meal should be made with fresh, local ingredients and always provide exceptional taste. Eating great food with your team improves communication, productivity, and most importantly provides quality team time.
55 salaries reported
$60.17 per day
13 salaries reported
$33,184 per year
6 salaries reported
$80,000 per year


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'The Wall That Heals' Set To Visit Oskaloosa
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, often called 'The Wall That Heals' sits as a lasting memorial to the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in that decade long war.
Honoring the men and women who served in the controversial Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial chronologically lists the names of more than 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in service to their country.
Some veterans are unable to make it to that place of honor in Washington D.C., so a half-size replica was created and now travels the United States, bringing healing to those soldiers, many of whom were never welcomed home.
On Monday, that treasure will find its way into Oskaloosa, and be hosted on the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds. The Wall That Heals will be hosted by Drost Equipment, Inc. for 4 days, and will include events and activities dedicated to honoring and remembering veterans.
On Tuesday, July 1st, the wall will be escorted into town as it arrives on Highway 63 from the North side of town.
On Wednesday evening, starting at 6pm, there will be an opening ceremony featuring General Tommy Franks, US Army (Ret.). From then until the closing ceremony on July 6th at 6pm, the wall will be open to everyone, 24 hours a day.


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Mom in labor takes exam: Tommitrise Collins Exam Labor
Published: November 20, 2015
Mom in labor takes exam: Tommitrise Collins Exam Labor, A Macon woman was determined to take a college psychology test, despite the fact that she was in labor. On Thursday, November 12, 21-year-old Tommitrise Collins was preparing to deliver her baby at Coliseum Medical Center, but before that happened she had to take an online test.
Collins told FOX 5 News she could only take the exam on that day.
"If I'm not in too much pain, I'll take it," Collins told her sister, Atlanta resident Shanell Chapman. Collins said her plan was to handle as much pain as long as possible and when she took the test she was not on any medication.
"It took me 4-5 hours after the opening of the test to try to put the pain to the side and do it so I wouldn't have to do it later and I could enjoy my newborn," Collins said.
The Middle Georgia State University student finished the two-hour exam in about an hour and 30 minutes. While doing so, her sister snapped a picture that has since gone viral.
"This is what you call 'Strong Priorities'. Contractions 3 minutes apart and still takes her Psychology Test! You are going to be a great mom baby sis!" Chapman said on Facebook.
Chapman was supposed to travel to the Bahamas last week to celebrate her anniversary, but delayed the trip to be there with her sister.
Collins said even her nurse was shocked about her taking the test, but she was determined to finish… and good news, she passed! However, she wasn't satisfied with her first score so she requested to take the test over and ended up with a "B" on the exam.
After roughly 20 hours of labor, Collins delivered a healthy baby girl at 9:19 p.m. Tyler Elise weighed 7 pounds and 10 ounces. Collins said she has been loving every moment of being a mother and feels like it's the biggest blessing she has ever had.
"She is my life now, and the way I look at it is, she will always have me to depend on so my goals will not be put on hold. I don't want to just barely make it by, I want my child to live comfortably, and I want to show people that just because I am considered a young mother doesn't mean I have to be considered a bad mother."
Collins said she refuses to let her 3.6 GPA drop. She will graduate in December of 2016 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, which will be her second degree after completing an associates degree in criminal justice. Before moving home to Macon, Collins played basketball for Oklahoma State University but was forced to quit after tearing her ACL for the second time.
Please feel free to send if you have any questions regarding this post , you can contact on


text:
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text: Home > CGS > California Strong Motion Instrumentation Program > DOCS > Reports > Procdata > Plots of the Processed Data from the Temporary Instrumentation in the Golden Gate Bridge (South Tower) from the ML 5.3 Gilroy Area Earthquake of 16 January 1993 Page Image Page ContentOSMS 93-10by CSMIP Staff Click on the link below for the full text: PDF (Adobe PDF (SIZE 247 KB)) - Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or other PDF viewer. Introduction Low-level accelerograms were recorded on the temporary SMIP instrumentation in the South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge from a small, distant earthquake. The ML 5.3 earthquake occurred near Gilroy, approximately 130 km away. The locations of the 8 sensors in the east leg of the South Tower of the bridge are shown in Figure 1. Three sensors are located at the base level, three at the roadway level, and two sensors are at the top level of the South Tower. The orientation of the horizontal sensors is given on the data plots as 180° (parallel to the bridge, nominally South (S)) and 90° (transverse to the bridge, nominally East (E)). The temporary instrumentation system include two 12-bit synchronized digital recorders.The peak acceleration, velocity and displacement on the bridge are 0.02 g, 1 cm/sec and 0.07 cm, respectively. This motion was recorded on channel 8, located at the top level, in the direction transverse to the bridge. Image Caption


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This is not my first swallow necklace. Do you remember these necklaces?
You can get this swallow necklace on Ebay for only $2.59. Cheap accessories FTW!
Thanks for looking and commenting!
fouš xD ful je lepa ;)ReplyDelete
Lovely! I've bought so much stuff on ebay :D (evilbay!!)ReplyDelete
I just got that one, love it.ReplyDelete
Hehehe I've got two of those. The silver one with the purple flowers and the gold one :P
I am wearing a bluebird necklace today, but I also have a few other sparrow necklaces ;)
This necklace is lovely! So vintage :)ReplyDelete
It's gorgeous!!ReplyDelete
I have almost the same one, the same swallow on the necklace but without the flowers (so basicaly not the same at all, LOL) and I love it, I only wish these necklaces could be little longer.ReplyDelete
Preslatka je!ReplyDelete
Such a beautiful necklace!ReplyDelete
I'm so glad you do these posts! I never wear accessories anymore and I live vicariously through your posts.ReplyDelete
Love the necklace. Very pretty.ReplyDelete
cheap AND pretty = WIN. :)ReplyDelete
Simply beautiful.
But I miss your drawing from yesterday I know that I'm annoying sorry :)
So original!ReplyDelete
I think my wallet would be sad if I started shopping on ebay too much. Altho I would be happy I guess :P
It's a really nice necklace :)
Najprej sem mislila, da je preveč chunky za moj okus, vendar na tebi je *lovelovelove* <3ReplyDelete
I have this necklace; I get a ton of compliments whenever I wear it. The only bad thing, is that the chain turns my neck green if I wear it on a regular basis. My next purchase is going to be the "Lucky" swallow necklace.ReplyDelete
Thank you for the tip, this is going to be a perfect little gift for my sister!!!ReplyDelete
Lovely necklace.ReplyDelete
Thank you for taking your time and leaving a comment! I read all the comments and I'm happy of each and every one. However: any rude, inappropriate or otherwise disturbing comments will be deleted. Do not post links in my comments unless you're asked to. If you have a blog and want me to take a look at it, contact me via contact form or e-mail. Thanks!


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|You are in: Rugby Union: International
Thursday, 10 October, 2002, 10:15 GMT 11:15 UK
Kirwan relishes role reversal
Italy coach and former All Black winger John Kirwan talks about being part of one of the greatest ever international sides, his rivalry with David Campese and scoring an 80-yard try in the 1987 World Cup.
Some people would say John Kirwan got what he deserved.
The former All Black winger spent years tormenting lesser opponents when he was part of one of the finest international sides of all time.
Now he is coach of Italy, a team who have not won a Six Nations match for three years and are routinely hammered by the likes of England and France.
Yet it is a challenge the 37-year-old relishes.
"We've got all sorts of amazing obstacles and if other coaches were here they'd probably be amazed," he said from his base in Treviso.
"That makes my job harder and it makes me better as a coach."
The All Black side that Kirwan was such a pivotal part of tended to trample any obstacle in their path.
The vintage team of Wayne Shelford, Michael Jones, John Gallagher, Sean Fitzpatrick and Kirwan were unbeaten for 23 games from 1987 to 1990.
They won the 1987 World Cup along the way, with Kirwan finishing as the competition's top scorer, with six tries.
"The side of 1987 to 1989 was pretty complete, we ranked way up there as far as All Black sides are concerned," Kirwan said.
"We had a fantastic mix and it was a very, very good footballing side.
"You couldn't say one player in particular stood out and that was the beauty of the side.
"We had steadiness, flair and a bit of mongrel. We also had young guys like Zinzan Brooke putting pressure on the older guys to perform.
"There was a lot of internal pressure to be the best. Our goal was to play the perfect game, no mistakes.
"It was pretty tense in every training session because you couldn't drop the ball or else you'd get totally abused by your team-mates."
Kirwan's try against Italy in the opening match of the 1987 World Cup, when he caught the ball from a kick off and sprinted 80 yards to the line, is now the stuff of legend.
"I came outside Grant Fox and a gap opened up and I managed to beat three or four players and end up 80 yards down the pitch to score," Kirwan remembers.
But he prefers an effort for his club side Auckland against Queensland the same year.
"I scored from 70 yards, but it was more enjoyable because I ended up beating Michael Lynagh and Brendan Moon and a few other pretty good players," he said.
Kirwan had some memorable battles with many opposing wingers over the years, including England's Rory Underwood.
But there is one opponent he will always be remembered alongside - Australia's David Campese.
"I had some great battles with Campo. I really respected him and studied him carefully," Kirwan said.
"When I played Campo I went the physical way, because I knew he was faster and more fleet-footed than me."
Kirwan says the 1991 World Cup semi-final, which Australia won before going on to claim the title, encapsulated his rivalry with Campese.
"That was the worst 40 minutes and best 40 minutes of my life all in one game," Kirwan said.
"In the first half I really got dominated and in the second I did everything I could to help the team win, but it wasn't quite enough."
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Rickinghall Superior Garden Househistorical era: Victorian / Edwardian
closed 1904 circa
Gardenhouse Ln
grid reference TM 045 753Something we've got wrong about this establishment? Something more you think we should know about it? Please email us
listed building grade II
View in Google Earth
CAMRA Mid-Anglia branch.
last updated 06/06/2017
A Garden House has also been seen reported in Botesdale; we are assuming that it actually meant this pub, since Rickinghall and Botesdale are contiguous and the border is difficult to discern (and may have changed in the past.)
The building dates from the 16th century, with subsequent extensions and alterations.
(Most pub, location & historic details collated by Nigel, Tony or Keith - original sources are credited)
(some old PO directory information courtesy of londonpublichouse.com)
(** historic newspaper information from Stuart Ansell)
(*** historic newspaper information from Bob Mitchell)


text:
Hurley on "Lost"
When Jorge Garcia played a villain in his school's seventh-grade musical production, based on the comic strip, "Drabble," his song brought down the house. It was then that he realized that acting might just be the ticket for him.
After college he joined the Beverly Hills Playhouse and has been working steadily ever since. His television credits include a series regular on "Becker," guest leads on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Spin City," and the television movie "Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife." Garcia will soon be seen on the big screen in the films "The Good Humor Man" and "Little Athens."
On stage he has appeared in productions of "The Midnight Zone," "Something Borrowed Something Blue," "Romancing Valentino," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Hurlyburly" and "Guys and Dolls."
Garcia enjoys doing standup comedy and has performed at the Laugh Factory and Comedy Store in Los Angeles. He likes singing Rock 'n' Roll and has worked in record stores since high school – amassing a huge CD collection.
HOMETOWN: San Juan Capistrano, CA
BIRTHDATE: April 2
RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Limited, Registered in Dublin, Registration Number:155076.
Registered Office: Donnybrook, Dublin 4, Ireland.
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- Sports photos provided by Inpho Photography


text:
I also, enjoy cooking. I try to to learn a recipe and experiment with it. I learn a very 'cliche' way to make things, don't get me wrong, they're still good, and then I change a thing here and there. So far my best experimental success is fried bbq ravioli. I know that sounds weird, but it's kind of a funny story to how that happened. I was frying ravioli and I put bbq sauce on top of it. That's it. That's what's funny about it.
I've really enjoyed living in Boston. For what ever reason it just feels homely. I like looking at the Prudential Center and walking around the Boston area. It would be preferable to do it with someone else!
INFJ, I took a personality test that seems pretty accurate. Myers-Briggs personality test. You guys should check it out! I was looking up specifics to show you why this fits me. And I read "Usually has a messy desk" and I looked around and I had a messy desk. I cleaned it though.
I'm trying to live up to my fullest potential. And, I think I could use someone to help me do that. I want to cook, I walk around Boston, I sail. I'm trying to perfect all that. I am very happy with who I am. I spend my time trying to improve upon those characteristics. But what I am looking forward to right now is developing the part of myself that is supposed to be shared with other people. Whether it's a girlfriend or a best friend or maybe both.
-Joke tellin'
-List making
-And I like to think I am good at all my hobbies and interests!
Movies: Lord of the Rings, The Departed, Good Will Hunting, Batman trilogy, many many more.
Shows: Arrested Development, Futurama, 30rock. Mad Men, Tim and Eric, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Parks and Rec.
Music: Mumford and Sons, Weezer, Radiohead, Regina Spektor, Mark Kozelek, Nirvana, Bob Dylan.
-My laptop
-Arts (Writing/film/music/art art/other)
-The ability to count
Granted if you like parties, I'll enjoy going with you. I just currently don't belong to a circle of friends that go to parties. And on top of that I would prefer to just give my attention to one or two people at a time.
This story ends when I was in maybe third grade (so about 8) and I went to the bathroom and saw a bunch of crusty buggers on the wall and thought the third grade version of, 'This place is going to hell,' and as I thought that, the terrible memory back from kindergarten resurfaced and that was the first time in my life I understood what it meant to be disgusted with one's self.
It would be really great to hear from you!


text:
Much Anticipated Music Documentary
I'm usually into ANY music documentary. Simple story? Fire it up I'll watch it. THIS STORY though? This is more than a documentary. This is life, more real than ever!
Lamb of God is one of the top metal bands in the world. Great records, great live shows, pure metal attitudes… just a great friggin band. They are real metal dudes. No phoney shopping mall metal here. Some say they took the torche after Pantera. Another southern metal jauggernaut that has more balls than a Spalding Factory. They deliver everytime right in your face.
Their singer Randy Blythe is most certainly one of the top frontmen in all of metal. He's one of us. He's in the crowd with us. He believes hes no better than us. He's no backstage bonehead. He's is a class act. He appreciates fans and of course, airplay.
Just a little while back Randy faced the biggest challenge of his life. After the release of the 7th Lamb of God record, Resolution Randy and the band hit a bit of a snag while in Prague. A snag that would change his life, his families, his bands and many others. This new documentary, As The Palaces Burn (released february 16 in selected venues) shows the worldwide love from fans of Lamb of God and eventually the madness that engulfed Randy as he was on trail for the accidental death of one of those fans. This will be a documentary unlike any. Most music docs aren't real enough. This is more real than you can get friends. See for yourself!


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an old timer taxidermist in rancho cordova , california - that had been running as a molding company now and ahd been selling latex to taxidermist and even sells glass eyes to most supply company.
i forgot the gentlemens names. - a good guy.
i wish to get in touch with him again , anybody knews whom im talking about? .
its been qutie a while and wish to get in touch with him again, if anyo f you knew him peosanlly, would appirte telling me or his email address.
Return to The Taxidermy Industry Category Menu
Leo Fiori,not 100% sure about the spelling.West Coast Supply or Taxidermy Supply,something like that.I don't have contact information,but I do know that Research Mannikins sells some of his products.Call there and ask Mark Mclain if he how you can get in touch.
Leo Fiori
Dianne Fiori
"WESCO Enterprises)
3235 Monier Circle #1
Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
phone 916-635-1270
fax 916-635-2373
e-mail email@example.com


text:
"We are early in our fiscal 2013, and mindful of the challenging world-wide economic environment and, as always, acutely aware of the volatility of Mother Nature. Nonetheless, the outlook for our end markets appears promising. Golf rounds and revenues were up last year, housing and construction are showing signs of improvement, and the agriculture market continues to adopt more efficient methods of irrigation. While we hope for better weather for our business, that is out of our control. We will concentrate on those actions that have made us successful: developing innovative products, serving our customers, executing in the marketplace, and engaging our employees to improve profitability as we pursue our Destination 2014 goals of additional revenue growth and further operating earnings expansion."The company expects revenue growth for fiscal 2013 to be about 4 to 5 percent, and net earnings to be about $2.35 to $2.40 per share. For the first quarter, the company expects net earnings to be about $0.40 to $0.45 per share, positively impacted by anticipated accelerated purchases of diesel products in advance of the Tier 4 price change. SEGMENT RESULTS Professional
- Professional segment net sales for fiscal 2012 totaled $1,329.5 million, up 7.3 percent over last year. Sales of golf equipment and irrigation were up domestically on continued demand as golf courses replaced equipment and renovated aging irrigation systems. Landscape maintenance equipment increased on the success of new products and retail demand in markets not impacted by the drought. Micro irrigation sales in the Americas increased significantly on improved capacity and dealer expansion that enabled Toro to better meet growing demand for agricultural irrigation. Recent acquisitions also contributed incremental sales for the year. International economic issues, particularly Europe, negatively impacted the sales of most professional businesses for the year. For the fourth quarter, professional segment net sales were $228.6 million, up 5.6 percent from the comparable fiscal 2011 period.
- Professional segment earnings for fiscal 2012 totaled $232.1 million, up 13.2 percent from the prior year. For the fourth quarter, professional segment earnings were $20.8 million, up 21.2 percent from the comparable fiscal 2011 period.
- Residential segment net sales for fiscal 2012 were $607.4 million, down from $623.9 million in fiscal 2011. Snow thrower sales were down about 50 percent for the year due to the lack of snowfall last winter and the resulting soft preseason demand in the fourth quarter. Shipments of walk power mowers and riding products were up for the year due in part to the successful launch of the TimeMaster™ 30 inch walk power mower. For the fourth quarter, residential segment net sales were $102 million, down 28.9 percent from the comparable fiscal 2011 period due to reduced demand for snowthrowers.
- Residential segment earnings for fiscal 2012 totaled $57.9 million, up $3.5 million or 6.4 percent from fiscal 2011, when a pre-tax charge of $4.7 million to account for one-time costs associated with a rework issue affecting walk power mowers resulted in a decline in earnings. For the fourth quarter, residential segment earnings were $6.7 million, down from $11.9 million in the comparable fiscal 2011 period.


text: SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE: SKX), a global leader in lifestyle footwear, announced today that the Company's conference call to review its fourth quarter and full year fiscal 2012 financial results will be broadcast live over the internet on Wednesday, February 13, 2013, at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET. Participating on the call will be David Weinberg, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The call can be accessed on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.skx.com. For those unable to participate during the live broadcast, a replay will be available beginning February 13, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. ET, through February 27, 2013, at 11:59 p.m. ET. To access the replay, dial 877-870-5176 (U.S.) or 858-384-5517 (International) and use passcode: 408197. About SKECHERS USA, Inc. SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE: SKX), based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of footwear for men, women and children under the SKECHERS name. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States via department and specialty stores, Company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and its e-commerce website, and over 100 countries and territories through the Company's global network of distributors and subsidiaries in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan, and across Europe, as well as through joint ventures in Asia. For more information, please visit www.skechers.com, and follow us on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter ( https://twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA).


text:
Where did you get the name? --Blaff 60 12:44, September 5, 2009 (UTC)
It is written in the Australian "360 Magazine".--Loadingue 13:06, September 5, 2009 (UTC)
Buzzard cannot be found in north holland in single player.KebbBone 16:12, November 12, 2009 (UTC)
The MH-6 Little Bird is NOT based on the Bell 47 and as such is not a new variant of the Sparrow helicopter. Stop writing that. Lessthan3 14:39, May 15, 2010 (UTC)
PS3 controls?
How does anyone besides R* know what the controls are when the game isn't even out for that console yet? It got delayed at that. Jackass2009 04:04, March 26, 2010 (UTC)
your very dumb its been out for 2 years (Zombotech Corporation (talk) 04:42, November 16, 2012 (UTC))
Gold Plated or Gold Painted?
I have been wondering this for a while. Is the Buzzard painted gold or plated in actual gold. I think it's painted (because Gold is heavy and would hinder the Buzzards performance) but the possibility of it being gold plated cannot be ruled out. Chimpso (Talk) 08:27, July 2, 2010 (UTC)
- Most likely leafed in gold, as you said plating would be too heavy, and it's supposed to be a fast moving stealth helicopter.D16x 11:16, July 2, 2010 (UTC)
Is it too over powered for muiltplayer?
. ....(Zombotech Corporation (talk) 04:53, November 16, 2012 (UTC))
No the miniguns are difficult to aim and the rockets will not lock on to players or their vehicles. The Buzzard is also useful for jobs and heists
I'd say it is. Obtaining a Buzzard makes most coop missions waaaay too easy. Not overpowered for vs. games though. Jarppi (talk) 06:03, April 2, 2014 (UTC)
Missing The Ballad of Gay Tony full pictures
Who removed the original TBoGT pictures showing the entire helicopter? The only ones left are close-ups on the weaponry. Someone edit them back into the page please? (18:24, February 7, 2013 (UTC))
- I'll begin looking into it... JBanton (Talk | Contribs) 18:29, February 7, 2013 (UTC)
- You're welcome for the heads up, and thank YOU a lot for solving it :) (18:36, February 7, 2013 (UTC))
Ambiguous Trivia
If someone feels up to it, they could test the following:
-Firing the miniguns and rockets will not gain you a wanted level at all if no one is hurt in the process.
-Firing a rocket at a low altitude (lower than about a person's height) may cause the Buzzard that you are in to be destroyed because of the rockets' firing system. Before a rocket takes flight, it is first dropped out of the container, then takes flight when the fuse lights itself. However, at ground level the fuse doesn't have enough time to ignite, thus making the rocket explode when it hits the ground.
-The Buzzard's rockets do not move faster than the Buzzard at top speed which makes it possible to have the Buzzard destroy itself using its own rocket without an obstacle detonating the rocket before the fuse triggers the explosion. If the rocket is fired parallel to the ground and the Buzzard moves in the same direction the rocket will detonate and right next to the Buzzard, destroying it.
in TBoGT and Online. Just tried those out, and they aren't true in GTA V.. and I have neither Online nor TBoGT to test those myself. I. C. Weiner (talk) 00:22, June 15, 2014 (UTC)
Table issue
Any solution for the table issue? In the second image, a setting tipped center appears on the text, and the edit system doesn't find this one. Camilo Flores (talk) 04:32, December 12, 2014 (UTC)
The center tags are in the infobox template but on 1st glance they look right to me, need a closer look. smurfy (coms) 04:43, December 12, 2014 (UTC)
The infobox is not the problem, I've seen this <center> tag only here, pages such as Banshee and Oracle do not have it. Rain - Talk 06:04, December 12, 2014 (UTC)
Both those pages have "rear_images" in both of their image boxes. The Buzzard doesn't. Seems to me that aAs soon as there is no rear_image to append to the string, the infobox is losing its closing "center" tag. smurfy (coms) 06:11, December 12, 2014 (UTC)
I tried a tactic that worked if the image has no rear quarter view, unfortunately the rear quarter view link is pushed down, so I had to remove it. Rain - Talk 06:27, December 12, 2014 (UTC)
- I fixed the issue, the closing "center" tag was misplaced. Now it's working. Rain - Talk 06:29, December 12, 2014 (UTC)
- Nice one. smurfy (coms) 06:43, December 12, 2014 (UTC)
GTA V/Online - No longer fastest?
I mainly want to ask since I'm not sure. And I only have access to the Savage during Air Races, but the vehicle stat bars show the Savage having a maxed Speed bar while the Buzzard is slightly lower. Should the note on the page stating the Buzzard is the fastest helo be changed? Great Mara (talk) 10:21, April 12, 2015 (UTC)
- Comparing with my friends (as i have access to both the Savage and Buzzard), i think it's fair to say the Buzzard is still the fastest. The Buzzard wins with picking up speed and maintaining it, however, the Savage can gain altitude quicker.
- To be honest, the Vehicle Stat bars on the vehicles in-game are a bit wrong, and i actually think that the Vehicle Stat bars for the helicopters are stating the altitude-per-hour (altitude knots) instead of the forward knots, which is incorrect. If that was the case, then the stats stated are actually right, as the Savage can go upwards faster than the Buzzard. (talk) | (stalk) 13:11, April 12, 2015 (UTC)
Shouldn't Yusuf Amir also be a notable owner of the Buzzard helicopter, especially since his is golden?
CommanderCDO (talk) 01:36, July 10, 2016 (UTC)


text:
This post is the text prepared for a speech I gave in Adelaide on Tuesday 15 October. The speech was to a seminar organised by the South Australian branch of the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, in conjunction with the Electoral Regulation Research Network.
The seminar had its genesis in the problems evident in the conduct of the 2013 Senate election. I was asked to address the conduct and results of the Senate election and consider what implications it had for the South Australian Legislative Council election in March 2014.
My prepared text was longer and included more detail than my delivered speech. I thought it worth publishing as part of the discussion on reform of upper house voting systems.
(Start post)
While my presence here today was prompted by the recent Senate election, my main purpose is to look forward to next March's Legislative Council election.
In the light of the Senate election, every independent and minor political party is suddenly aware of how Senate-style electoral systems can be gamed.
So what can done to prevent next March's Legislative Council election being flooded with candidates and having its result distorted by exotic preference deals? Can we avoid voters being presented with a ballot paper the size of a tablecloth?
This close to the election, it is too late to implement changes to prevent what we saw at the Senate election. There are several reasons for this.
First, as yet there is no agreed solution to the problem. Second, there are not enough sitting days before the March election in which to consider and pass legislation. Thirdly, even if legislative change could be agreed on and passed, the Electoral Commission of South Australia would have great difficulty implementing changes to its Legislative Council count software in time for the election.
However, as I will outline in this speech, there are aspects of South Australian electoral law that make the Legislative Council even more open than the Senate to the sorts of ballot paper stacks we saw in September. Addressing these legislative weaknesses is possible before the state election.
Why Legislative Councils?
Before moving on to the subject of the Legislative Council's electoral system, it is worth spending a moment or two explaining to a modern audience why state Legislative Councils still exist.
I'll be blunt in stating that parliamentary upper houses are something you inherit rather than invent. Legislative Councils have continued to exist because no consensus on their abolition ever developed, but consensus on retention and reform did. As I'll explain, Legislative Councils avoided revolution but could not avoid evolution.
Bicameralism was adopted for the Australian colonial parliaments in the 1850s to imitate the mother parliament in Westminster with its hereditary House of Lords and elected House of Commons.
The House of Lords was once described as providing 'a bond between the dead, the living and the yet to be born'. Conservatives in New South Wales originally proposed copying this model with a titled Legislative Council, a proposal quickly laughed off as a 'bunyip aristocracy'.
In Australia it was accepted that a broad franchise would be adopted for the colonial lower houses, certainly much broader than applied in the United Kingdom at the time. Conservatives were concerned that popularly elected lower houses would be captured by ephemeral or short term interests. It was essential that the Legislative Councils therefore be a bulwark against an excess of democracy, to represent the 'permanent' interest of the colony. It was an argument still being put as recently as 1970 in support of the restrictive property franchise then in use for the South Australian Legislative Council.
NSW created an appointed Legislative Council, a system inherited by Queensland when it became a separate colony in 1859. Conservatives in other states chose to create elected chambers but with a restricted property franchises, able to claim an electoral mandate in clashes with the lower house.
It is significant that for more than a century the powers of elected Legislative Councils remained unchanged even though their franchise were liberalised. The two appointed Legislative Councils were less able to resist their powers being weakened, Queensland abolishing its Council in the 1920s and NSW radically reforming its in 1933.
Comparing experience in other Commonwealth countries, New Zealand's appointed Legislative Council was abolished in 1950, while of Canada's ten provinces, only seven ever had Legislative Councils, and only three survived into the twentieth century, with Quebec's Legislative Council being the last abolished in 1968.
In the 1970s and 1980s the Australian Commonwealth government created three new Parliaments, for the Northern Territory, Papua New Guinea and for the Australian Capital Territory. All were created as single chamber parliaments.
This experience backs my point that Legislative Councils are not an essential part of a parliamentary system. The further experience of how the Australian Legislative Council have been reformed since 1970 backs my point that they are an institution that you inherit rather than invent.
Legislative Councils in the 19th century were the bastions for conservatives against the dominant liberalism of colonial societies. In the 20th century they became front line in the battle against the Labor Party's socialism. Until the 1970s, abolition of upper houses was an article of faith for the Labor Party, though concerted attempts at abolition were rare.
The Legislative Councils we have today are largely a product of the 1970s when the Labor Party shifted away from abolition and towards reforming the existing chambers. The change had its roots in Labor adopting proportional representation for the Senate in 1949, but really began in South Australia in the 1970s with the battle between Don Dunstan's Labor government and a recalcitrant Legislative Council protected by a malapportioned electoral system and a restricted property franchise.
In broad outline, Legislative Councils have undergone three broad phases of reform since their heyday as conservative chambers. These have been the introduction of full adult franchise, the introduction of joint election for both chambers on the same day, and finally the introduction of proportional representation.
As shown in the table below, the order and timing of these changes has varied from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
|Full Adult
|New South Wales
|Western Australia
|South Australia
The jurisdictions in the table now share a system where lower houses are elected from single member electorates and upper houses by proportional representation. The exception is Tasmania, there the electoral systems by chamber are reversed, and where Legislative Council elections are still required to be held at a different time to lower house elections.
In summary, where in the 19th century Australian parliaments consisted of two chambers with different franchises, the Australian norm has become two chambers with different electoral systems, Victoria becoming the final jurisdictions to move to this model in 2006.
But to introduce proportional representation while maintaining full preferential voting was a problem that became evident with Senate elections in the period of the Whitlam government, and experiments at state and federal level fed the development of the current electoral system.
The Origins of Upper House Electoral Systems
Australia has a long history of experimenting with the use Proportional Representation by Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV), the technical name covering the different variants of the Hare-Clark electoral system used in Tasmania and the ACT, and the Senate style system used in the Senate and for mainland states with Legislative Councils.
These systems have been introduced at various times and each implementation has drawn on lessons from other jurisdictions.
The first version of PR-STV introduced in Tasmania in the 1890s listed candidates in alphabetic order, a system also used in NSW from 1920 to 1925, and used in Tasmania until the 1940s.
In 1919, with the introduction of preferential voting for the Senate, the senate ballot paper was re-designed to group candidates by party. This was copied into Tasmania's Hare-Clark system in the 1940s, and also continued for the Senate with the introduction of PR-STV in 1949.
One difference between the Senate and earlier experience with PR-STV is that the Senate used compulsory preferential voting. Tasmania always has and still uses limited preferential voting. The 1920 NSW implementation of PR-STV used compulsory preferential voting and resulted in a record informal vote, resulting in the 1922 and 1925 elections reverting to limited preferential voting.
By the 1970s the Senate system's insistence that every box be numbered was creating enormous rates of informal voting, often above 10%. At the 1974 double dissolution election, activists opposed to the Whitlam government stacked the NSW Senate ballot paper with 74 candidates, the assumption being that less well-educated Labor voters were more likely to make mistakes, damaging Labor's chances of winning a majority of seats in its safest states.
Labor learnt from this lesson as Legislative Councils began to be reformed in the 1970s. The Dunstan government introduced proportional representations for the Legislative Council in 1975, but used the Federal experience to introduce a system of party list voting with only limited preferences that couldn't be gamed by forcing up the rate of informal vote.
New South Wales also adopted limited preferential voting when voting for its Legislative Council was finally introduced in 1978.
The Hawke government's electoral reforms in 1984 modified the South Australian idea of party voting but retained full preferential voting. It created the current Senate ballot paper, with electors required to express a preference for every candidate 'below-the-line', or to vote for a single party ticket 'above-the-line' and adopt the party's full list of preferences.
South Australia changed to the Commonwealth system of ticket voting in 1985, NSW in 1988 (though retaining limited preferential voting), Western Australia in 1989 and Victoria in 2006.
As intended, the new system slashed the rate of informal voting at the 1984 Federal election, though it inadvertently caused an increase in the rate of lower house informal voting.
But ticket voting also gave parties much tighter control over their preferences than had previously been possible. It allowed parties to control of their preferences until the end of the count and play a part in determining the final member elected. In a Senate elected by proportional representation, such control was important for any party concerned about the Senate balance of power.
The Consequences of Ticket Voting
The major beneficiary of ticket voting when it was introduced was the Australian Democrats, it being the only significant minor party at the time. Sitting in the middle of the political spectrum, it was always placed favourably on the preference lists of both major parties.
Ticket voting also permitted parties to keep political intruders out of the Senate. In 1984 the Labor Party and the Coalition conspired to keep the Nuclear Disarmament Party's dangerous Peter Garrett out of the Senate. In 1998 and 2001, the existing parties used the system to deny One Nation preferences, meaning it only elected one Senator instead of five or six.
Yet what was good for the major party goose was also good for the minor and micro party gander. Ticket preferences also gave micro-parties a control over preferences they would otherwise never have been able to achieve. If enough micro-parties ran, and engaged in a game of political 'keepings off' between each other and against the major parties, one of them might be able to get enough preferences to win election.
This was dismissed as a possibility for the Senate, but the lower quota for Legislative Council elections saw it become a live possibility.
Now the 2013 Senate election has revealed that even the higher Senate quota is susceptible to being gamed with the election of an unknown party that polled just 0.5% of the vote.
Group ticket voting first descended into farce at the 1999 NSW Legislative Council election when voters were forced to manipulate a 'tablecloth' ballot paper one metre by 700mm deep with 81 columns and 264 candidates. The array of front parties with attractive names designed to corral the preferences of unwary voters forced the state to change its electoral system.
While it wasn't as organised as modern preference 'harvesting', South Australia saw its first example of harvesting in 1997 when Nick Xenophon was elected. Running on a platform in opposition to the proliferation of poker machines, he polled 2.9% and reached a quota thanks to every other minor party on the ballot paper directing preference his way.
The table below shows all South Australian Legislative Councillors elected with less than 5% of the party vote since the current system was first used in 1985.
|% Vote
|Independent No Pokies
|Nick Xenophon
|Family First
|Andrew Evans
|Family First
|Dennis Hood
|Mark Parnell
|Family First
|Rob Brokenshire
|Dignity for Disability
|Kelly Vincent
It has to be said that Nick Xenophon has moved from harvesting preferences to growing his own votes. Xenophon has turned his initial success into record personal votes for the Legislative Council in 2006, and the Senate in both 2007 and 2013. In 2013 Senator Xenophon's ticket outpolled the Labor Party and finished a close second to the Liberal Party. Few others have turned their initial electoral success on preferences into future votes.
The election of Family First's Steve Fielding in 2004 from 1.9%, and the DLP's John Madigan in 2010 from 2.3%, were also examples of minor and micro parties corralling and harvesting preferences. However, both Fielding and Madigan required major party preferences for election, harvesting only getting them as far as leading the third candidate on a major party ticket.
Ricky Muir's victory in the Victorian Senate on behalf of the Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Party (AMEP) is the first Senate example of pure preference harvesting, the corralling of preferences from a large number of minor and micro parties, winning election without the need for major party or Green preferences.
Muir's party finished 13th in the Victorian Senate race. AMEP polled just 0.50% of the vote, but achieved the 14.3% vote needed for a quota by harvesting the preferences of 25 other parties, including nine parties that polled more votes.
Depending on the recount of Senate votes in Western Australia, Muir may yet be joined by Wayne Dropulich of the Australian Sports Part. It polled just 0.22% of the vote, finishes 21st of all the groups on the ballot paper. If he is eventually elected in the re-count, it will be on the back of preferences from 18 other parties. To show how complex the preference deals are that could produce his result, 14 of those parties actually polled more votes than the Australian Sports Party.
How to Fix the Senate System
There have been several solutions put forward to change the Senate system and prevent preference harvesting.
One is to introduce a threshold, a minimum percentage of vote or proportion of a quota, that a party must achieve before it is able to reap preferences and achieve election.
Thresholds based on first preference votes are not a feature of PR-STV, it being a system based on quotas and the use of preference distributions to fill remaining quotas. Thresholds are more common in divisor-based proportional representation systems where proportionality is achieved based on share of vote.
I know of only three systems that have ever tried to incorporate thresholds in systems of preferential voting. One was the Modified D'Hondt system used for the ACT between 1989 and 1992. It was an example of the old joke about a camel being a committee's design for a horse. A simple D'Hondt list system of proportional representation had been proposed, but both quotas and preferences were grafted on to the design during its passage through the Senate. It was an amalgam that proved a nightmare to count, let alone for voters to work out the most effective way to vote.
The other examples of Senate-style systems with a threshold were in South Australia, with a party list system using quotas, preferences and thresholds used in 1975 and 1979, and a more complex variant used for a single election in 1982.
The 1975 South Australian system only allowed party voting with no choice of candidate. Electors could vote for a single party, and if they wanted to, could give a second preference for another party.
The quota for election was the same as for the current Legislative Council, 8.33%. But to be elected, a party had to pass a threshold equal to half of the quota, roughly 4.2%. All parties below this quota would be excluded, preferences from them distributed, then the quota would be re-calculated and a number of seats allocated to each remaining party.
Trying to emulate this system while continuing to allow individual choice for candidates would be complex. The old South Australian system had one bulk exclusion and distribution of preferences, not the multiple exclusions and distributions used in the Senate.
There are also potential constitutional problems in trying to apply a party-based threshold Senate as the Constitution states that Senators must be directly elected by the people.
Introducing a threshold while retaining ticket voting may also have unintended consequences. Would all these micro parties suddenly become preference funnels for one of the major parties? Would they become preference funnels for an independent or for the largest minor party. In the current political climate that would benefit Family First or the Palmer United Party.
At what level do you set the quota? Low at 1%, at a quarter or half of a quota, or high at 8-10%? The choice between the possible threshold values is essentially arbitrary and has major political consequences.
In my view a better solution would be to deal with the root cause of the Senate's current problem, which is the system of group preference ticket voting, what we commonly call 'above-the-line' voting.
New South Wales has already gone down this path. Above the line voting has been retained, but the tickets of preferences attached to an above-the-line vote have been abolished.
When you vote '1' above-the-line for the NSW Legislative Council, your vote only applies to that party. It cannot be controlled by a party and directed as preferences to another group on the ballot paper. The only preferences in the count are those filled in by voters themselves.
However, voters are permitted to direct their own preferences above the line. Voters can indicate '1' for Party A, then 2 to Party B, and preferences are distributed to candidates for each of the parties in the order specified by the elector.
This system is optional preferential voting. It is a system that rewards parties that campaign for votes rather than deal in preferences. A party can still influence preferences by encouraging voters to fill in squares either above or below the line, but the only preferences in the count are those directed by the party itself. The whole business model of preference harvesters is destroyed by this system
At the 2011 NSW election only 1.6% of voters voted for candidates below the line, a figure lower than is normal at Senate elections. However, another 15.6% of voters used the option to direct preferences above the line.
That left 82.2% of voters giving only a single '1' above the line. The final few candidates elected at each election are elected with less than a quota. This is not a problem in NSW as in electing 21 members at large, the system is still proportional to first preference votes.
At the 2003 and 2007 NSW elections, the system worked like list-PR with a highest remainder method of allocating the final seats to parties. This trend was reversed in 2011 when just enough preferences remained live in the count to allow the 11th Coalition candidate to pass Pauline Hanson and fill the final vacancy.
Such a high rate of exhausted preferences would be more problematic at a Senate election where six Senators are elected, or the South Australian election where 11 members are elected.
However, avoiding high rates of exhausted preferences would encourage parties and candidates to get the message out about giving preferences above the line. There are also other technical changes to the count that can help overcome high rates of exhausted preferences.
The change would discourage the plethora of candidates entering the lottery of election as currently operates with ticket voting. Any decrease in the number of candidates would create a more manageable ballot paper.
Some may decry a decline in the number of candidates as somehow undemocratic. However, I would argue that if the ballot paper becomes so large that voters are unable to find the names of candidates and parties they do know of, then there is a problem with the process.
A more manageably ballot paper will encourage electors to take their vote more seriously. It is worth asking whether democracy is better measured by the quality of candidates or the quantity. I would argue for quality.
What about the South Australian Legislative Council in 2014?
While all these reforms are possible given time, it is far too late to implement any of them in time for the 2014 Legislative Council election.
Even if there was agreement on change and time to legislate, the Electoral Commission of South Australia would struggle to re-write its computer software in time to conduct the Legislative Council count in 2014.
However, there are changes to the nomination process that can be implemented before next March and can play a part in preventing the Legislative Council being flooded with candidates.
One reason for the surge in candidates contesting the 2013 Senate election was Julia Gillard's announcement in February that the election would be in September. Prospective parties then had a deadline in mid-May for registration, doubling the number of registered parties and increasing the size of Senate ballot papers.
The table below shows the number of members needed and the relevant fee to register a political party in each jurisdiction.
|New South Wales
|Western Australia
|South Australia
|Australian Capital Territory
|Northern Territory
With only 500 members needed to register a party under the Commonwealth Electoral Act, it is proportionally easier to register a national party than a state based party in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. The documentation required to verify party membership also varies between jurisdictions, with NSW, Queensland and South Australia toughest on requiring proof of membership.
While all jurisdictions require a minimum time to verify and register a party, NSW and South Australia have cut-off dates before the election for registration. A NSW party must be registered twelve months before an election to have their name appear on a ballot paper. In South Australia a party must have its application lodged six months before an election.
Below are listed the 13 parties registered to contest the 2014 South Australian election.
- Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch) - includes Country Labor Party
- Liberal Party of Australia (SA Division)
- National Party of Australia (SA) Inc
- Australian Greens SA
- Family First Party
- Freedom, Rights, Environment, Educate Australia Party
- Dignity for Disability
- Fair Land Tax - Tax Party
- South Australian Fishing & Lifestyle Party
- Liberal Democratic Party
- Multicultural Progress Party
- Stop Population Growth Now Party
- Katter's Australian Party South Australian Division
The Shooters and Fishers Party is currently awaiting registration.
Political parties receive significant benefits from registration. As well as having their names appear on ballot papers, registered parties are given the right to nominate candidates centrally under the signature of their registered officer rather than go through the process of gathering nominators to back each candidate.
Clearly the Commonwealth needs to toughen its process for registering parties. The number of members required and rigour of testing membership having fallen behind standards in several states.
Based on these measures, South Australia has a relatively tough process for registering parties. However, South Australia has a special provision related to Independents that means a party can effectively stand a full slate of candidates without being registered as a party.
When an Independent nominates in South Australia, they are permitted to put forward five words in addition to 'Independent' that will be printed on the ballot paper. They are not permitted to use the word party, or to use key words from the name of another party. The Independents who in 2002 labelled themselves as 'Independent Alliance Member Liberal Labour Democrats' is no longer permitted to do so, but 'Independent Ban Duck Shooting' is allowed.
Which means that even though Palmer's United Party is not registered in South Australia, it can stand candidates in every seat with the affiliation 'Independent Palmer United'. It is a unique provision of the South Australian Electoral Act and to some extent undermines the restrictions on registering a political party.
At Federal elections, in NSW, South Australia and Western Australia, the word "Independent" can be used next to the name of a candidate. In Victoria and Queensland, only party names appear and independents are listed with no affiliation.
In Senate and upper house elections in NSW and Victoria, only party affiliations are shown and Independent is only allowed for candidates in the ungrouped column. Space above the line on the ballot paper is reserved for parties and the word Independent cannot appear.
Senate and upper house elections in all mainland states permit like minded independents to be grouped in their own column. South and Western Australia allow single independents to have their own column. Columns are reserved entirely for registered parties in the ACT, while Tasmania permits grouped Independents but sets them a higher number of nominators equal to the 100 members required to register a party.
The table below sets out the deposit fee and the number of nominators required for a candidate not nominated centrally by a registered party. The second the third columns refer to the nomination of a single candidate, the final two columns to any additional requirements for access to a column on the ballot paper.
|Min. Group
|New South Wales
|Western Australia
|South Australia
As the table clearly demonstrates, South Australia has a relatively high individual deposit, but has very weak rules on the number of nominators required. Western Australia is the only state that allows self-nomination. South Australia effectively needs only a nominator and seconder.
For access to a column and group voting square, the Senate and Victoria require two candidates, effectively doubling the deposit, and in the Senate's case doubling the number of nominators. In NSW, constitutional restrictions mean a group must nominate 15 candidates for a column with a group voting square above the line, the deposit fee for the group capped at $10,000. In the ACT only registered parties can have their own column.
A useful comparison is between South Australia and the much smaller Tasmania. In South Australia a single candidate can get on to the Legislative Council ballot paper with their own column and a ticket vote square above the line with the word 'Independent' and up to five words printed above the line, all with two nominators and a $450 deposit.
In Tasmania, under the Hare-Clark system, the deposit is $400, but the Independent must put up 100 nominators for their own column. Andrew Wilkie had his own ballot paper column in Denison at the 2010 Tasmanian election thanks to putting forward 100 nominators.
In looking at changes to the South Australian electoral system for the 2014 Legislative Council election, the nomination process is an area ripe for change. The questions that have to be asked are
- Should Independent candidates require more than two nominators. Why not a higher figure such as the 50 required in Victoria or 100 in Tasmania?
- Should single independents be allowed their own column with access to a group voting square without having to pay a higher deposit?
- Should Independents continue to side-step the party registration process by being allowed to nominate how they should appear on the ballot paper?
The way groups are allocated columns may also be influencing the manner in which Independents nominate.
In South Australia and Western Australia, where single Independents can have their own group on the ballot, the allocation of positions is done first between all groups with more than one candidate, and then all groups with only a single candidate. If you stand more than one candidate your group is more likely to appear at the top of the ballot paper. If you stand only one candidate you will appear at the end of the ballot paper.
The table below shows the number of candidates and groups at South Asutralian elections since 1989, and the break-up of these groups into multi-candidate and single candidate groups.
Until 1997 all groups appeared in a single row. The increase in groups saw the ballot paper broken into three rows of 16 groups in 2002, two rows in 2006, with triple-decking returning for the 35 columns in 2010.
However, the increase in 2010 was with multi-candidate groups, not the 35 single-candidate groups in 2002. By standing more than one candidate, a group gets moved out of the bottom rows of the ballot paper and receives a chance to draw a prime spot somewhere towards the top left of the ballot paper where most voters start to read.
In South Australia, the requirement for only two nominators leaves Legislative Council elections wide open for the ballot paper to be stacked with candidates, each with access to a group voting square. In addition, the ability for Independents to nominate their own party name as five words following the word 'Independent' essentially undermines the state's relatively tough rules on registering parties.
It is too late for South Australia to change its electoral system before March's election. Given the looming debate on the Senate's electoral system, it is probably worthwhile waiting for more discussion on the best form of voting reform to be adopted.
But South Australia should look at its nomination laws. At the moment they combine the worst aspects of the Federal legislation, making it too easy for candidates to nominate and get access to a group voting square, and providing an easy option by which Independents can circumvent the state's laws on registering political parties.


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Product Churn Continues Despite Product Woes
New products at lower price points drive sales and success at c-stores.By Debra Chanil, EnsembleIQ
The candy/gum category led the c-store industry in the number of new products introduced in stores in 2009, replacing packaged beverages, which led in 2008, according to the latest Convenience Store News New Products Scorecard. This study features a total 241 convenience retailers weighing in on which new products worked, which didn't and why, as well as exclusive Scantrack Convenience data provided to CSNews by Nielsen.
Additionally, while the total number of candy/gum items remained level at 10,793 in 2009, the percent of those items that were new jumped from 19.3 percent in 2008 to 23.7 percent in 2009, the highest rate of any category.
Nielsen Scantrack data shows that all categories included in the study increased the number of new UPC-coded items added in 2009 compared to the previous year. The largest percentage growth in new products came from the other tobacco products category, which grew from 468 new products in 2009 to 690 in 2009, an increase of 47.4 percent.
Candy/gum also led the pack in terms of the success rate of new products, measured by the percent of products reviewed by retailers that were still included in the store offering after six months. Last year's success-rate leader, health and beauty care, dropped back to second place at 46.6 percent, followed by beer/malt beverages at 42.5 percent.
Gross profit dollars remains the top measure of success for new products, followed by sales volume, according to retailers surveyed. The less tangible metric of "buzz" or excitement created at the store level is cited by more than one-half of all respondents. Other measures mentioned by respondents include increased sales of adjacent or related products, customer demand, "additional customers looking for that product or service," and more subjectively, "if I want one."
In total, a majority of respondents (54.4 percent) reported an increase in new products added to their stores in 2009 compared to 2008. Almost one-third (31.4 percent) reported a similar number of new products introductions in both years, while 14.2 percent noted a decline in new items at their stores.
General signage replaced price promotions as the most-effective method to promote new products. Both these methods, along with suggestive selling by employees, were rated as most or very effective by at least three-quarters of respondents. Looking at media advertising, television is rated high in effectiveness by about one-third (34.7 percent), followed by print (24.4 percent), radio (21.7 percent) and digital (21.5 percent). Other methods mentioned by respondents included in-store samples and coupons.
The biggest challenge in launching these new products continued to be the limited space available in convenience stores, according to three-quarters of respondents (76.2 percent). Creating customer awareness was cited by more than one-half (59.5 percent). Challenges concerning in-store execution and distribution issues were each cited by fewer respondents in the current study compared to last year. Other challenges mentioned by respondents included training employees and lack of knowledge about new products.
So what was the single most-successful product introduced in c-stores in 2009? In verbatim comments, respondents cited the following products and reasons for their success:
-- "5-Hour Energy shots. Customer demand, price per item."
-- "99-cent Coke cans. Great price point."
-- "Bud, Bud Light 30-packs. Provided value."
-- "Bud Light Lime. Excellent manufacturer marketing support; aggressive product launch discounts to introduce the product at a low price."
-- "Fresh cut fruit. Good quality and lack of anything else similar available anywhere else."
-- "Cigarette papers, cigars, for their good price points."
-- "Dolly Madison Donuts. Excellent display rack near cash register counter."
-- "Energy shots. National advertising."
-- "Energy drinks. Customer demand."
-- "Four Loco Beer. Customers like beer with flavors."
-- "Cascade Ice flavored water. It provided an alternative to soda and since it is carbonated, you feel like it's a soft drink."
-- "Fresh-made breakfast sandwiches. Set a goal on sales you want to achieve, educate your employees and bring awareness to your customers with samples and suggestive selling."
-- "Fresh-made, grab-n-go subs. Quick and easy for the customer."
-- "Kool-Aid Burst, 6-ounce. A different choice for kids."
-- "Krispy Kreme Doughnut Holes. They are bite-size and come in a cup with a lid that fits nicely in the car cup holder."
-- "Monster [energy drink]. Popular brand at a decent promo price."
-- "Pall Mall, thanks to RJRT support."
-- "Roll your own cigarettes, due to the tax increase on cigarettes."
-- "Roller Bites. Good quality product, easy to prepare at a competitive retail."
-- "Single-serve, OTC drug items. Lower price on something that immediately helps our customer."
-- "Simply Orange drinks. Good promotion execution and a well-made product."
On the other hand, respondents were equally vocal about the new products that didn't work:
-- "20-ounce beverages. Customer like the 16-ounce price point better."
-- "Candy shippers. Blah! No support from manufacturers to encourage stores to sell -- they just set it up on floor and hope someone buys it."
-- "Energy drinks with no advertisements and less taste."
-- "Energy drinks with high [retail] prices."
-- "Flavored beer. Too much of a fad."
-- "New beverages in cold vault. Too many selections."
-- "Premium ice cream. Poor wholesale support and price resistance."
When asked to name trends that have been the most significant catalysts for the launch of new products in the past year, respondents most often cited lower price points, a reaction to the downturn in the economy and subsequent need to accommodate the tightening of customers' budgets. Several mentioned the growth of private label as a way to achieve these lower price points. Other trends mentioned by respondents included an emphasis on fresh foods and prepared food items, a continuation of the healthier eating trend and increased demand for energy products in a variety of formats, including shots, drinks and gum.
A majority of respondents rely on wholesalers and distributors for new product information (73.7 percent), followed by manufacturer representatives (61.5 percent) and trade publications (60 percent).
On average, two-thirds of respondents (66.3 percent) said they give new products two months or less to prove their worth in the store. Only 11.4 percent allow three to six months before deciding the fate of these new products. Signs of steady growth, customer demand and space available are most likely to affect how much time a product is given, according to comments from respondents.


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October 15, 2012
Birdman Just Bought a Palace in Miami, and It's the Former Residence of Scott Storch...
TMZ points out Birdman's new abode, a $14 million mansion in Miami.
The rapper—who co-founded Cash Money Records—bought the 19,000-sqaure-foot pad last month—which sits on the ultra exclusive Palm Island.
Remember Scott Storch? Apparently Birdman doesn't believe in bad juju, because this place is probably filled with the heeby-jeebies of cokepocalypses past – though it's doubtful Storch will be invited to the new tenant's parties.
The mansion belonged to music producer Scott Storch until it was taken away from him in foreclosure 2 years ago.
• Scott Storch On Spending $30 Million On Blow & Making 'Amazing' Love To Kim Kardashian…