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Good food, better thoughts
I am back from the 20th NASSCOM (National Association of Software Services Companies) annual event (NILF), held in Mumbai every year. While NASSCOM doesn't need an introduction to many, this is one of the most successful industry associations from India. It has played a key role in the promotion of our industry and our success -- specially in the early years and also navigating it through the challenging times. It has also helped in defining long-term vision and strategy for the industry and works with various stakeholders to create a favorable eco-system...
I am back from the 20th NASSCOM (National Association of Software Services Companies) annual event (NILF), held in Mumbai every year. While NASSCOM doesn't need an introduction to many, this is one of the most successful industry associations from India. It has played a key role in the promotion of our industry and our success -- specially in the early years and also navigating it through the challenging times. It has also helped in defining long-term vision and strategy for the industry and works with various stakeholders to create a favorable eco-system.
Small wonder that the performance has been astounding. A $100m industry in 1990 to a $100 billion+ at 2012. The forum was clearly celebrating the $100 bn mark, a huge symbol of success and a major milestone accounting for 7.5% of India's GDP, 26% of exports and employing 2.8 million people directly. The conference couldn't have been kicked-off better with a session by Prof Marshall Goldsmith, the author of the famous book "What got you here, won't get you there...". It was most appropriate to be reminded of the responsibility the leadership had to do something different for us to reach the next destination. We are all aware, the journey of our industry so far has relied on the foundation of cheaper-better-faster paradigm. The new paradigm adds an important dimension - different. Whatever we do, it has to be different and/or done differently. Simply because, the opportunities are different. We no longer address the needs of the CIO buyer alone, but also the CEO buyer, thereby expanding the opportunity-base across the enterprise instead of limiting itself to the IT organization.
It was nice to see the who's who of IT there. All the big boys of our industry were within a hand-shaking distance. Past Presidents of NASSCOM, industry captains, CEOs, industrialists, think-tanks, Professors, inventors, ministers, analysts, speakers, clients and the entire IT industry - they were all there. It was literally star-studded, Abhishek Bachhan & Shekhar Kapoor included! I believe the number of delegates was ~2000 and had to close registration a few days before the event, as the largest conference venue in India couldn't accommodate any more ! Leaders who made an impact included Rajiv Bajaj, Kumarmangalam Birla, Chhanda Kochhar; industry leaders - Kris, Nandan, Chandra, Som Mittal, Rajendra Pawar, Pramod Bhasin and many more; Ministers - Kapil Sibal, Chidambaram, Prithviraj Chavan, Jyotiraditya Scindia; analysts - Stephanie Moore & Helen Hurtely; inventors - Pranav Mistry; Think tanks - Marshall Goldsmith, Deepak Malhotra and the list goes on.
The conviction at the end of the 3-day event was very clear - the business was way better than the mood. The industry is very clearly on track and confident of meeting its target of reaching $225 bn by 2020. The current challenges were analyzed, debated and discussed at length. Yes, various economies are operating at different levels and the responses of these Governments are varied depending on their context. One of the speakers observed that US has to re-invent, while EURO zone has to restructure and India needs to re-energize. It's so correct in my personal opinion!
The conference served as a good barometer of the industry, where it is headed, the mood in general and so on. The two words that were heard the most - Innovation & social media. The power of Social media, crowd-sourcing seems to be watched with a sense of awe. It's awe-inspiring. Most of us need to learn how to deal with it and leverage its power. It was also loud and clear that the solution of the future (rather today) will necessarily involve multiple entities. Our ability to create and work with a partner ecosystem (clients, software product/ services companies, competition, other industry players...) is going to hold the key to success.
The forum kept our minds busy during the day, while it filled our hearts with good food and entertainment in the evening. Food was great, entertainment evenings even better. Folks were a little disappointed as many of the attendees didn't prefer on a valentine-day dinner with industry peers and the second-day was a no-liquor-day given that the date clashed with Mumbai Municipal elections !! I guess the organizers made sure, we were well compensated by the thoughts and buzz that went around inside the halls !
The most entertaining and educating session was by Pranav Mistry (http://www.pranavmistry.com/; http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html) as he talked about Sixth-Sense and transported us into virtual reality. I am sure Tom Cruise would choose his technology for the next Mission Impossible. Truly mind-boggling. The most interesting part is he drew inspirations from Indian mythology for his inventions and his ability to connect with those popular stories were indeed very touching.
Deepak Malhotra, the famous Professor/ author from Harvard Business School talked about "Solving the Trust Problem - Negotiation". It was fascinating to see how human minds behave in various situations, most of them are typically varied cases of negotiation. The subtle difference gift and reward makes us behave very differently, one being a conditional trigger and the other un-conditional.
It was time for the leading industry analysts to share their views on what's happening in the industry and the trends. Stephanie of Forrester stressed on Innovation (Biz model innovation, Operations innovation, Services/ Market innovation) and the need for partner companies to actively engage in co-innovation. So, there is a huge opportunity for innovation in everything we do. In fact, there was a mention of Infosys and how we had strategies in place to align with the changing world. Helen Hurtley of Gartner mentioned a 4.4% CAGR (global IT) for FY 09-15, as opposed to 6.3% CAGR FY 01-08. So, it's not stagnant, nor really slowing but changing for sure. It's changing from traditional IT service delivery models to cloud based, from custom IT to industrial IT, licensed application to SAAS, labor based services to software factories and so on. I caught up with a few analysts later and explained Infosys' focus on innovation in IT Services.
The context of GDM has also been changing. GDM is no longer Global delivery Model, it's more appropriate for a Global Distributed Model. Outsourcing is not just off-shoring, it's right shoring.
Staying close to the client to get a better context is a key requirement and will be the new normal very soon. This promotes hyper-specialization and builds deep micro-domain context. It is not just staying close to client, but also spreading to geographies where such skills exist. Where to compete (white space identified by a geography or a micro domain) is becoming more relevant than how to compete (solution/ differential).
No conference is perhaps complete these days without a comparison between India and China. One of the dimensions debated strongly was the penetration/ adoption of internet in China and therefore its advances in e-commerce and associated technologies/ economy. In China, internet is the only medium that is not controlled and is supported by a huge telecom infrastructure. That has fuelled a huge growth. In contrast, India had free press/ information for 100+ years, presence of multiple media in English - makes internet as one of the many and not something a new novelty. It was a good point of view, I thought. And no conference is either complete without a new word from McKinsey coming through. ABM (Alternate Business Model) it was, this time. ABM has potential to unlock $ 500 bn of new market and the days of hyper-specialization and micro-segment focus is going to make a big difference.
Last but not the least, the forum took opportunity to recognize the social entrepreneurs who are effectively using IT to uplift quality of life of the under privileged or spreading the light of education or helping us to live in a more sustainable world. With 230,000 villages in India getting connected over fiber optic network, 31000 colleges getting connected - the IT fraternity would be at its inclusive best if it can leverage the potential of a huge knowledge-shared world.
It was a good 3-days of looking into the future and how we ought to be preparing for it and what some of the enablers and leadership priorities are.


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Two conference halls can accommodate all types of conferences, meetings, seminars, workshops, and product launches. The small room, 'Sinhasan' accommodates around 20-50 people along with an open air sit out. Our largest room, The Raj Darbar, is pillarless and therefore able to accommodate up to 250 people.
Raj Darbar
- 150- 250 accomodation Capacity
- 15- 25 accomodation Capacity

subset: commoncrawl


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A man has 5 pieces of chain that must be joined into a long chain. He can open ring 3 (first operation), link it to ring 4 (second operation), then unfasten ring 6 and link it to ring 7, and so on.
He could complete his task in 8 operations, but he wants to do it in 6. How does he do it?Riddle Answer


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Rick Neuheisel put his cleats in his mouth recently by suggesting that UCLA should consider leaving the Pac-12 and join the Big 12. He suggested that that would fry the guys at USC. Dumb statement that was widely mocked. I joined in. Trojans jumped all over it on USC blogs. They love me right now. Wait until I post a negative cartoon then it will be back to hating me.
The funny thing – UCLA is supposed to be really good this year, so Rick's timing sucked. Maybe it will motivate the Bruins to beat the cross-town rivals.


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At full capacity, the KXL pipeline will carry (see table p. 5) 830,000 barrels of sludge per day.
That is 9.6 barrels per second, which is 1527.3 liters. or 1.52 cubic meters.
The pipeline is 24 inches in diameter. Or 452.39 square inches. (This assumes 24 inches is the interior diameter. This calculation gets even nastier if it's exterior diameter.) Or 0.2919 square meters.
This means that every second, a slug of fluid that is .29 square meters in cross section and 1.52 cubic meters in volume passes by, so that means the length is 1.52/.29 = 5.24 meters, so it is pumped at 18.86 kilometers per hour or 11.7 miles per hour. Not unbelievably fast, but notice that is an average that has to be maintained over the entire pipeline to attain full capacity.
I wonder how long it takes to shut down a two foot pipe of sludge going twelve miles an hour. The recent experience with a smaller pipeline running through Arkansas is hardly reassuring.
I had thought that the greenhouse emissions and the local environmental damage in Alberta were the real issue with this project, and that the environmental risks along the route were secondary. I don't think that any more. This project is just a woefully stupid idea everywhere from the source to the destination.
If Alberta tar sands are profitable, that means the market is set up wrong and we should fix it. There should be no incentive for this kind of project.
(image is the Alaska pipeline from the North Slope to Valdez, taken by Luca Galuzzi shared under Creative Commons Share Alike 2.5 Generic via Wikipedia.)


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Stylish and practical tray style occasional table. Removable tabletop and folding legs in dark grey and metallic gold finish. More colours and sizes available.
Perfect for the modern, contemporary living room or hallway. The top of the table easily lifts off to be used as a tray with the legs lightweight folding for easy storage.
Ideal for serving breakfast in bed or carrying tea and coffee from room to room with ease.
Made from metal in a dark grey and gold painted finish. Folds flat for easy storage.
We have the best selection of home decor and accessories with this tray being a great addition to our selection of freestanding and tabletop trays.
What does Pre-order mean?
Pre-order date is the date that we are expecting the stock to come into our warehouse. By pre-ordering the item will be reserved for you.
Do you offer a colour swatch service?
We currently dont offer a colour swatch service on this item, however we do offer a no quibble return policy, if its not right, we will collect it free of charge
I dont live in the UK, can I still order this item?
We can ship to most areas, if you add the item to a basket and add your address details at the checkout stage (you dont need to progress to payment in order to get a quote) and at this point it will advise the shipping cost for your area
Can I choose a day and time for delivery to suit me?
We can offer some additional services at an additional cost, day of choice is available at checkout. Time of choice (ie. AM/PM/after 5pm) you would need to call us or email us to arrange a quote for this type service
I need this item fast, how can I get it sooner than advertised?
We can offer next day delivery in a lot of cases if you order before 2pm, if this is available in your area, it will be offered at checkout as an additional cost, if it does not offer this service, please call us, and we can arrange a quote if it is available in your area
Can it be delivered to the room of my choice and unboxed?
We can offer some additional services at an additional cost, you would need to call us or email us to arrange a quote for this type of service
What happens if Im not happy with my item?
All our items are covered by a no quibble returns policy, we will exchange or refund and collect the unwanted items at no charge to you (please see our full returns policy for more information about returning items)
How do I return an item?
For returning a small item (less than 4kilos) we have a prepaid returns label on our website returns page, for all other items, just call or email us, and we will arrange this with you


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The newest installment into the recently released Hitman game dropped yesterday, and it's definitely adding more of what I expected from this Hitman iteration. A big open map, lots of interactions, and most importantly, lots of ways to finish the primary contract – which is also pretty interesting.
The map of Sapienza is really big compared to maps in past Hitman games, and it gives off a very open feeling. There are lots of possible paths you can take, and a lot of hidden secrets throughout. The design is really nice, and if you've ever been to Italy you'll feel like you're back there again, only this time to perform some wet work. Sapeinza is also loosely based on an actual town in Italy named Amalfi (pic here).
Without spoiling the plot, the first contract you're sent on in Sapienza involves assassinating two people and completing one more important objective. The amount of ways you're given to finish this contract is great, and I spent a couple of hours just running around the level trying to find all of the opportunities, good "vantage points", and whatever else I could use to my benefit.
Compared to the first contract you're given in Paris, the Sapienza update feels like Hitman is moving in the right direction. In my opinion, the Paris map felt really small for what kind of game this Hitman was hyped up to be, but after seeing this newest update I can definitely see where they're taking this game – it'll be really exciting to see the finished product.
Regarding the episodic installments, this is also something that I was initially skeptical about, but now I'm kind of digging it. It's kind of like waiting for a new episode of your favorite TV show to release, only you have to wait longer. The anticipation adds to the whole mystery behind what's actually going down in this Hitman installment. They've always had overarching story-lines that the assassinations play into, and I'm really stoked to see how things pan out in this one.
As far as an $10 update goes (if you don't own a season's pass) it's an amazing value. I think if games are going to be released early like they have been over the past few years, they should maybe take some ideas from how Square Enix handled the Hitman release, and only charge for the content that's currently ready. I don't mind paying ~$10 installments for content until a game is fully completed (as long as the final cost is relative to the average cost of a game), compared to dropping $60 on something that wont be fully done for 6 months.
What are your thoughts on this latest Hitman installment? Are you liking how the game is turning out? Let me know in the comments!


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Our 2020 Eggstravaganza is almost here! Click here to find out more about our event, the prizes on offer and how to join a team...
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Are you team Thumper or team Marshmallow? Click here to find out how to join a team for HxEE!


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When it comes to your finances, do you take a head-on or head-in-the-sand approach? If you identify with the latter, the good news is you're not alone. The bad news? You're not alone. New data suggests that when it comes to managing money, women are not as independent as you'd expect. In fact, 91% of women in heterosexual couples are not participating in financial decisions. But we want to change that statistic. To help you become a master of your own finances, we're debuting a new series called The Paper Files, where we uncover tricks and tips that will help you manage your money and your future. Ready to take it head-on?
Have you started saving for your retirement yet? If you're turning your head in a firm "no" movement, don't stress—you're not alone. Most families, even those approaching retirement, have little or no retirement savings. The median retirement savings of families between 32 and 37 is $31,644. But if you want to retire by age 67, then you should have 10 times your final salary in savings.
Hearing that figure sounds the alarm for many of us because let's face it: By age 30, most of us haven't even thought about retirement. It's easy to let your financial health slip, but this is the age when you really need to work on your financial fitness, especially if you want to set yourself up for a well-funded retirement and meet your personal, professional and shared family goals.
But where does one begin? How do you curb a spending habit and start saving? We know how tough it can be leaving your frivolous 20s for your serious 30s, so we compiled 12 financial rules to follow (oh, and it's time to toss some things).
Save for retirement
Early in your career, you may not have been making enough to save, but if you've gotten a few salary bumps at this point, you have no excuse not to prepare for retirement. New data suggests that only 4% of all 25-year-olds will have enough saved for retirement by the age of 65. That's quite a scary statistic, but how do you know if you fall into this boat? A good benchmark is to have one year's salary saved in your retirement account by age 30, but if you want to get more granular, finance expert David Weliver of Money Under 30 recommends the following:
If you make…
- $50,000, you should have $15,000 saved.
- $75,000, you should have $37,500 saved.
- $100,000, you should have $90,000 saved.
- $150,000, you should have $225,000 saved.
- $200,000, you should have $360,000 saved.
Financial consultant Garvin Walsh advises, "You need to be putting 10% to 15% of your gross pay away throughout your career in order to have enough money to retire on."
Be Prepared for Emergencies
In addition to retirement, by age 30, you should also have a savings fund for emergencies, such as getting sick or losing your job. Financial advisers generally recommend you save have six to 12 months of living expenses saved in an emergency fund. This should cover your rent, car payments, utility and phone bills, and any other necessary living expenses, assuming you'll have no other income coming in.
Anticipate Your Expenses
While you should have a backup fund for unexpected events such as losing your job, at this point you should also be looking forward and thinking about what expenses you can expect. If you're a homeowner of a midcentury or turn-of-the-century house, your roof may need to be repaired in a few years, or perhaps that washer/dryer set of yours is on its last legs. Don't let these things come as a surprise—they shouldn't be. You should also have a "large purchase reserve" in your savings to cover these anticipated costs.
Avoid Debt
No matter how much you earn, living within your means should be your top consideration when you're budgeting and spending. Don't sign a lease on an apartment you can't afford: 30% of your annual income is widely considered to be an affordable amount to spend on rent, which leaves enough for your other expenses. Avoid making credit card charges you can't pay off within the month, unless they're important big-ticket investments, such as a new refrigerator that will last you 15 years, etc.
Don't Spend Frivolously
While you may be able to purchase that handbag you dream of, or perhaps you can get a loan on a house that's out of your price range, that doesn't mean it's a wise financial decision. Create a budget for yourself, and know how much you're allotted to spend within each category. And moreover, make sure your budget is realistic and thorough, and make spending decisions accordingly. As Walsh put it, "If you have a beer budget, don't drink champagne."
Pay off your debt
Whether you have student loans, credit card debt, or personal or business loans, it should be a top priority of yours to pay off your debt so you don't bog yourself down in interest and other fees and so you can start putting your hard-earned dollars toward your retirement and personal and professional goals (buying a house, starting a business, etc.).
Become financially literate
At this age, it's important to fall in love with your finances and learn everything you can about both your financial opportunities and your responsibilities. Start reading personal finance books, consult with a financial adviser, and hire an accountant. Learn everything you can, and don't invest in anything you don't understand.
Protect your assets
Health insurance may be a no-brainer to you, but make sure your other important assets are insured as well. Catastrophe can strike at any time. If you rent, get renter's insurance. If you're a homeowner, get property insurance, flood insurance, and the like. Think about the things you own. How much would it cost to replace them? As you earn more, you start to accumulate more valuable things. Chances are it's not so easy to replace them.
Manage your credit score
A strong credit score is one of the most important things for your financial health. Not only can your score impact your ability to get a mortgage, a business loan, or a car loan, but it also can impact your ability to rent an apartment, get a good rate on auto insurance, and even get a job. Even if missed payments or charge-offs are a part of your past, time will heal all wounds. To improve your credit score, make sure you're paying off your debt monthly and not carrying large balances relative to your credit line.
Wise up about your credit card
Those credit card offers that arrive in the mail may be tempting, but chances are they're not the best deal you can get. For some of us, getting a low-interest rate and no annual fee, regardless of anything else, is really the best thing we can do for our finances. For others, travel perks and other rewards do have strong benefits. Do your research, shop around, and choose the card that's best for you—not just the first one that gives you an offer.
Consider the cost of children
Whether you're planning to have children in the next decade or you just have an inkling of a feeling you may want to have them, now's the time to ready for the costs that come with having children. You've surely heard that diapers add up, but don't forget that tuition costs are rising at the speed of lightning, and that's just the beginning.
Provide for Your Family
If you have dependents or friends and family who rely on you, however uncomfortable it may be, it's important to think about how you can support them after you're gone. Write a will, sign up for life insurance, and start estate planning. The only thing you can count on is that life is full of surprises.
What are the biggest financial lessons you've had to learn in your 30s?


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Experienced Pain Management Doctors 972-392-4476
It's Your Life... Live it in Health!
We specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of medical conditions that are related to pain. We help to put together a patient specific treatment plan based on the specific condition each patient suffers from. We have several years of experience in diagnosing neck pain, back pain, fibromyalgia, headaches, joint pain, chronic pain conditions, as well as a host of other rare pain conditions. If your surgeon has recommended surgery, we can provide a professional second opinion and propose alternative treatments that may accomplish the same goals without the invasive and unpredictable outcomes surgery. We understand the role that physical therapy, chiropractic, medications, interventional pain management, and alternative therapies can play in the treatment of your pain.
Online Forms | What to Expect | Virtual Office Tour | Health Resources | Payment Options |


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Neonatal diarrhoea (scour) is a common cause of loss in piglets soon after birth and yet nowadays is one of the easier disease problems faced by the pig farmer to control. There is a range of causes but infection with the bacterium E.coli causing colibacillosis remains one of the most common, particularly in gilt litters, especially but not exclusively in indoor farms.
Fig 1: Typical dehydrated pig that died with E. coli infection at 36 hours of age
Fig 2: Scour typical of neonatal E. coli disease
Fig 3: Post mortem examination of a pig with neonatal colibacillosis reveals a full stomach (clotted milk) and watery intestinal contents
Fig 4: Vaccination of the gilt and sow prior to farrowing is a reliable method of preventing neonatal E.coli disease
E.coli bacteria are normally found in the gut of pigs (and most other mammals). The excretion rate of E coli from the sow increases as she approaches farrowing and the three major sources of infection for the young piglet are:
Most strains of E coli are harmless. However, there are strains that are extremely harmful to the piglet - most of which are classified as Haemolytic E coli (due to their growth characteristics in the laboratory). Each strain is identified by number and in a few cases by name (e.g. Abbottstown).
The balance between the degree of exposure of the piglet at birth and the immunity conferred upon the piglet by the transfer of colostrum from mother will determine whether or not disease is seen.
The effect of these harmful strains of bacteria is to stick to the wall of the intestine and to produce a toxin (poison), which alters the function of the intestine such that there is a loss of fluid into the gut producing scour and dehydration.
It is possible but not essential for E coli to combine with other pathogens to cause disease, although this becomes more common in older pigs in the second week of life.
Neonatal E coli infection presents as a profuse watery scour within three days of age, with severe and rapid dehydration (fig 1). Vomiting is not typically seen. Death can occur rapidly - in some littermates before scour is actually evident. It will often, though not always, occur in whole litters and appear to spread from litter to litter within a house (fig 2).
At post mortem examination there will be inflammation of the small intestine with watery often yellow content. Typically the stomach will be full of milk as the pig continues to suck (fig 3). Diagnosis is confirmed on laboratory testing of gut contents or rectal swabs. Histopathology on affected gut tissue will confirm E. coli damage and differentiate other pathogens (e.g. Rotavirus) but can only be done on gut tissues fixed in formal saline within 10 minutes of death due to autodigestion post mortem.
N.B E. coli is one of the few pathogenic agents affecting baby pigs that will easily be detected on rectal swabs.
Individual cases may be treated with an appropriate oral antibiotic - determined by sensitivity testing, given at the earliest sign of diarrhoea. In an outbreak, strategic medication of all pigs at birth may be necessary. Where one pig in a litter is noticed with diarrhoea it is usually appropriate and fully justifiable to treat the whole litter metaphylactically at that time.
Equally important as part of the treatment programme is the provision of electrolytes to reduce the severe dehydration that actually kills many piglets. These must be kept clean and fresh, and in severely affected pigs be actively administered orally e.g. by syringe.
Active cross-fostering of piglets is discouraged in the face of an outbreak, and on no account should pigs be moved from room to room, especially where there are age differences.
The farrowing pen in which a previous litter has been affected is a reservoir of infection if not thoroughly cleaned. Cleaning should involve the use of detergents to remove the protective grease film (derived from high fat lactation and creep diets), power washing and disinfecting - using a DEFRA approved product at the appropriate dilution rate. The longer the pens can be rested between batches the better. Fumigation of rooms may be an additional technique to employ. Removal of slurry from channels under slats reduces the risk of flies bringing infection back to the pen surface but if performed, must be thorough.
Cleanliness of the sow is also important. The sow should, if grossly contaminated, be washed and dried before entry to a clean pen and she should not spend an excessively long time in the crate before farrowing - 3 to 5 days is preferable. Legally it cannot be more than 7 days.
In the outdoor environment, burning or removal of old beds, moving of farrowing arcs and avoidance of lying boards will all help control disease, subject to an exemption licence for the burning of bedding from the Environment Agency.
Immunity in the gilt and sow results from exposure to E coli regularly and continuously and can be raised by:
It should be appreciated that the injectable vaccines raise systemic immunity in the sow, which is spread to colostrum and transferred to piglets. As such, they will only tend to protect the piglet in the first 3 to 4 days of life whilst that colstrum bathes the gut lumen, and are largely ineffective for controlling disease associated with E.coli infection in older piglets. (Specific piglet E coli vaccine is available for the control of E coli induced Bowel Oedema post weaning).
Combination vaccines covering Clostridia may be appropriate in some cases, especially in outdoor units.
All vaccines are only effective against the organism to which they are targeted - they will not cover every cause of disease - and rely upon ensuring adequate colostrum intake in every piglet early enough in life.
Long term treatment of piglets with broad spectrum antibiotics at birth to prevent E coli infection in young piglets is not an appropriate approach to take; not only does it increase the risk of selecting for antibiotic resistance but also can damage the development of the normal gut flora (microbiome) leading to digestive problems at and beyond weaning.
An acute outbreak of E.coli enteritis in baby pigs can have devastating consequences. Over a one-month period, mortality due to scour can exceed 10% and surviving piglets can suffer 1kg loss in weaning weight with a consequent extension of days to slaughter of 10 days. Thus, for a 500 sow unit over one month of an outbreak, the costs can exceed £5,000 in deaths plus £2,000 lost growth, in addition to treatment costs.
NADIS hopes that you have found the information in the article useful. Now test your knowledge by enrolling and trying the quiz. You will receive an animal health certificate for this subject if you attain the required standard.


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Galaxy 5000: Racing in the 51st Century
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The future of Grand Prix racing is in outer space. And you're one of the hottest turbo-racers in the solar system. But are you tough enough to win the ultimate racing challenge, the GALAXY 5000? Dozens of track objects, including land mines, gun turrets, speed zappers, warp doors and deadly solar spikes! Awesome digitized sound effects. Hear the driver scream as he falls off the track. Use your winnings to repair damage, or upgrade to a more powerful turbo-craft!
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Our Mission
We use boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities affected by crime and violence.Find out how we work
Shamus Campbell
Judo participant, London Academy
"My self-belief in sport has changed tremendously since joining Fight for Peace."
Aba Abubakar
Employability mentee, London Academy
"Fight for Peace is like my home. You can't describe the way people get treated here."
Giliard Antônio
Boxing athlete, Rio Academy
"I used to feel lost in the world, but joining Fight for Peace was like a light turning on."
Rayane Soares
Receptionist, Rio Academy
"Fight for Peace represents opportunity for all young people in the community."


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Bernd Hardes
Bernd Hardes is an entrepreneur and investor based in Berlin. He is a co-founder and CEO of ECONA AG, an entrepreneurial holding company, and chairman of the board of Ampere AG, Germany's first energy broker. As a founding shareholder he also served as chairman of the board of aperto AG, one of the largest German communication agencies until the company's sale to IBM in 2016. His investment track record includes several successful internet growth companies such as MyToys, XING and Facebook.


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Join more than 700 alumni, parents, students, faculty, and staff for two days of on-campus events including:
Symposia on a wide range of topics including: mentorship success; sustainable, social enterprise; health administration, etc.
Shark Tank
eLab Demo Day
New Business & Emerging Technology Showcase ™
Student Business of the Year Announced
Business Idea & Plan Competition Finals
Networking opportunities...and much more!
PANEL 1: Entrepreneurship, Intrapreneurship, Extrapreneurship?- Pathways Into, Out Of, and Alongside The Family Business
Sponsored by Cornell Entrepreneur Network (CEN) & Smith Family Business Initiative
Location: Yale/Princeton Room
PANEL 2: Protecting Your Most Precious Assets --Your IP-- in a Startup World
Sponsored by Cornell Law School
Location: Pennsylvania Room
PANEL 3: Mentorship as a Critical Part of Success During The Entrepreneurial Journey
Sponsored by Blackstone LaunchPad
Location: Amphitheater
PANEL 1: Entrepreneurs and Innovators in Health, Hospitality and Design
Sponsored by Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures (CIHF)
Location: Amphitheater
Moderated by: Rohit Verma, Executive Director, CIHF; Brooke Hollis MBA/Sloan '78, Associate Director, CIHF
PANEL 2: The Power of Social Enterprise
Sponsored by Johnson's Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise & Entrepreneurship at Cornell (EaC)
Location: Pennsylvania Room
Moderated by: Monica Touesnard, Associate Director, Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, Johnson
PANEL 3: Physical Product Entrepreneurship
Sponsored by College of Engineering and eLab
Location: Yale/Princeton Room
Moderated by: Kenneth Rother, Managing Director, eLab; Robert Shepherd, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University
PANEL 1: Invent, Invest, Sell, Start Again: Strategies from Successful Technology Ventures
Sponsored by Computing and Information Science (CIS)
Location: Yale/Princeton Room
Panelists: Jonathan Aizen '03, Founder/CEO, Amitree; Ian Folau, MBA '16, Co-Founder, Gitlinks; Guarav Kittur '99, Managing Director of Technology Investment Banking, Jeffries; Joel Raha '99, SVP Engineering, Fareportal; Victoria Yampolsky '01, President, The Startup Station and Managing Partner, Strategic Business Alliance
PANEL 2: Health and Medical Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs
Sponsored by The Sloan Program in Health Administration
Location: Amphitheater
Moderated by: Tony German MHA '93, Executive Director and Brooke Hollis MBA/Sloan '78, Associate Director, Sloan Program in Health Administration
PANEL 3: Innovations in Animal Health
Sponsored by College of Veterinary Medicine
Location: Pennsylvania Room
Moderated by: Alex Travis VMD, PhD, Associate Dean of International Programs and Public Health, Associate Professor of Reproductive Biology & Wildlife Conservation, Cornell University
Panelists: Rodrigo Bicalho DVM, PhD '08, Associate Professor of Dairy Production Medicine; Adam Boyko PhD, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences; Ted Clark PhD, Professor of Parasitology and Immunology; Daryl Nydam DVM '97, PhD '02, Associate Professor, Popuation Medicine & Diagnostic Sciences, Director, Quality Milk Production Services, Cornell University
PANEL 4: Engineering PhD Commercialization Fellows: A Retrospective
Sponsored by College of Engineering
Location: Taylor Room
Moderated by: Emmanuel Giannelis, Walter R. Read Professor of Engineering, Cornell University; Tom Schryver '93, MBA 02, Executive Director, Center for Regional Economic Advancement
PANEL 1: Advancing Food Entrepreneurship
Sponsored by College of Agriculture and Life Sciences & The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
Location: Amphitheater
Moderated by: Julie Stafford PhD, Industry Liaison Officer, Department of Food Science, Cornell Institute for Food Systems Industry Partnership Program
PANEL 2: Student Project Teams: How the Team Experience Leads to Successful Career Paths
Sponsored by College of Engineering
Location: Pennsylvania Room
Moderated by: Jamie Hintlian '82, MEN '85, MBA '86, Partner/Principal, EY Life Sciences Supply Chain
Entrepreneurship at Cornell is an innovative, university-wide program supported by every school and college at Cornell University and a dedicated core of faculty, staff and alumni. Both undergraduate and graduate students benefit from studying and working within Cornell's world-class programmatic, research and clinical environments to develop the technical, business, and leadership skills that position them for success in their entrepreneurial endeavors. With its broad array of programs and services, Entrepreneurship at Cornell is the gateway to everything entrepreneurial at Cornell University. http://eship.cornell.edu/


text: We are moving into in a time of pivotal change where we are going to evolve into something beyond our imagination. But this ascension is not going to automatically happen. In order to harness the lessons needed to make that ascension, we need to understand why the universe is here. David Wilcock explains how our living universe supports the journey of the fool's ascension and the dangers of material pursuits in this original presentation originally webcast February 17, 2014.


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A forum for users of any of my texts but really for anyone interested in interpersonal communication, the fundamentals of human communication, and public speaking.
A forum for users of any of my texts but really for anyone interested in interpersonal communication, the fundamentals of human communication, and public speaking.
Online Examinations
A brief article in the Education Life section of Sunday's New York Times July 27, 2008) talks about the posting of exams on the Internet—a cyber-version of the old fraternity files of past tests. But, in this case, it's not just a few exams and a few fraternity brothers; thousands of examinations are being scanned into websites and thousands of students are consulting them. It raises lots of interesting issues: Is it ethical to study with previously used questions? Is it ethical to study with "live" questions—questions that are currently on exams? Is it ethical for schools to track students' use of such websites? Is the honor system—at the University of Virginia, for example—that forbids students to consult previously used examinations effective? Is it fair to the students? Is consulting old questions just a good way of studying, of preparing for examinations? Does the instructor have an ethical obligation to prepare new examinations each semester?
Categories: anonymous messages, Ethics, online examinations
Cover Letters
Here's the study that USA Today refers to in Snapshots (7/17/08, p. B1). Briefly, 86% of the executives surveyed said that a cover letter was very valuable(23%)or somewhat valuable (63%)to accompany the job application resume.
Categories: anonymous messages, cover letter, Interviewing, resume
Here's an interesting article on e-mail between patient and therapist. I thought the article interesting because it identifies some of the advantages and some of the disadvantages of using e-mail in such situations.
Categories: anonymous messages, E-mail, e-therapy
Interpersonal Communication and . . .
Here's an interesting discussion of interpersonal conflict training for police. Also, click on "anger management" on this same page and you'll find some interesting material on fair fighting and on using communication skills to reduce stress. It seems like there's nothing we can't do with communication.
Not surprisingly most of the reviewers of Essentials of Human Communication and Interpersonal Messages stressed that listening was the skill their students were most in need of. And so in preparation for the new editions, I've been researching listening. Here is the Free Management Library's "listening" offerings. These make a great complement to the academic textbook and may even seem more credible to students:-)
Categories: anonymous messages
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Return Policy
IMPORTANT: The Gear Store does NOT handle LurraLife health supplement, product orders, monthly autoships, or member accounts; those are handled by LurraLife Member Support. We only handle items sold in the online gear store.
Change or Cancel a Store Purchase
We aim to process your order as quickly as possible, which can limit our ability to make changes to or cancel your order once you've placed it. Therefore, if you want to change your store order after you've placed it, immediately email email@example.com, and we will get back to you as quickly as possible to let you know if we can accommodate the change in time. Be advised that the window of time for making a change is very short (usually within less than an hour). Once an order has been submitted to the printer or shipped, we cannot make changes to it.
Missing or Incorrect Item
Please note that it is common for ordered items to be shipped separately due to packaging requirements, and that not all packages will arrive together. If an item from your order is missing or if you received the wrong item, please notify us immediately, and we will ship out the correct one as quickly as possible. Please include your store order ID number, contact information, details about the missing/incorrect item.
Damaged or Defective Product Upon Arrival
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If an item is damaged / defective upon arrival, we have to determine the cause. If the shipping carrier is at fault, they require us to file a claim, and the customer would need to hold on to the item until the carrier completes their official inspection of the claim. Then a replacement can be sent to the customer.
Instructions for Returning and/or Exchanging an Item
Refunds are only given if an error was made on our part (i.e., you received an incorrect or physically defective / damaged item). Be advised, due to their nature, customized print items (such as business cards, customized brochures, customized postcards, etc.) and marketing leads are NON-refundable.
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Notify us at email@example.com of a return / exchange within 5 days of your receiving the item, so we can give you the return address and an authorized Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. (That RMA number is required for the return to be credited to your account.) After that time, no refund / exchange can be processed. Moreover, the return package must be postmarked within 15 days of the original purchase.
You, as the buyer, are responsible for all costs related to shipping back your item and that it arrives to us in good condition. Return shipping charges will not be compensated for unless the return is a result of our error. Packages marked "return to sender", "refused", or "C.O.D." will not be accepted nor refunded. For your protection, the shipping carrier advises that you insure the package and obtain proof of shipment.
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Appaloosa horse
|Country of origin
|United States
|Distinguishing features
|Most representatives have colorful spotted coat patterns, striped hooves, mottled skin and white sclera visible around the iris when the eye is in a normal position.
|Breed standards
The Appaloosa is an American horse breed best known for its colorful spotted coat pattern. There is a wide range of body types within the breed, stemming from the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history. Each horse's color pattern is genetically the result of various spotting patterns overlaid on top of one of several recognized base coat colors. The color pattern of the Appaloosa is of interest to those who study equine coat color genetics, as it and several other physical characteristics are linked to the leopard complex mutation (LP). Appaloosas are prone to develop equine recurrent uveitis and congenital stationary night blindness; the latter has been linked to the leopard complex.
Artwork depicting prehistoric horses with leopard spotting exists in prehistoric cave paintings in Europe. Images of domesticated horses with leopard spotting patterns appeared in artwork from Ancient Greece and Han dynasty China through the early modern period. In North America, the Nez Perce people of what today is the United States Pacific Northwest developed the original American breed. Settlers once referred to these spotted horses as the "Palouse horse", possibly after the Palouse River, which ran through the heart of Nez Perce country. Gradually, the name evolved into "Appaloosa".
The Nez Perce lost most of their horses after the Nez Perce War in 1877, and the breed fell into decline for several decades. A small number of dedicated breeders preserved the Appaloosa as a distinct breed until the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) was formed as the breed registry in 1938. The modern breed maintains bloodlines tracing to the foundation bloodstock of the registry; its partially open stud book allows the addition of some Thoroughbred, American Quarter Horse and Arabian blood.
Today, the Appaloosa is one of the most popular breeds in the United States; it was named the official state horse of Idaho in 1975. It is best known as a stock horse used in a number of western riding disciplines, but is also a versatile breed with representatives seen in many other types of equestrian activity. Appaloosas have been used in many movies; an Appaloosa is the mascot for the Florida State Seminoles. Appaloosa bloodlines have influenced other horse breeds, including the Pony of the Americas, the Nez Perce Horse, and several gaited horse breeds.
The Appaloosa is best known for its distinctive, leopard complex-spotted coat, which is preferred in the breed. Spotting occurs in several overlay patterns on one of several recognized base coat colors. There are three other distinctive, "core" characteristics: mottled skin, striped hooves, and eyes with a white sclera.[1]
Skin mottling is usually seen around the muzzle, eyes, anus, and genitalia.[2] Striped hooves are a common trait, quite noticeable on Appaloosas, but not unique to the breed.[3] The sclera is the part of the eye surrounding the iris; although all horses show white around the eye if the eye is rolled back, to have a readily visible white sclera with the eye in a normal position is a distinctive characteristic seen more often in Appaloosas than in other breeds.[3] Because the occasional individual is born with little or no visible spotting pattern, the ApHC allows "regular" registration of horses with mottled skin plus at least one of the other core characteristics. Horses with two ApHC parents but no "identifiable Appaloosa characteristics" are registered as "non-characteristic," a limited special registration status.[1]
There is a wide range of body types in the Appaloosa, in part because the leopard complex characteristics are its primary identifying factors, and also because several different horse breeds influenced its development. The weight range varies from 950 to 1,250 pounds (430 to 570 kg), and heights from 14 to 16 hands (56 to 64 inches, 142 to 163 cm).[4] However, the ApHC does not allow pony or draft breeding.[1]
The original "old time" or "old type" Appaloosa was a tall, narrow-bodied, rangy horse.[5] The body style reflected a mix that started with the traditional Spanish horses already common on the plains of America before 1700. Then, 18th-century European bloodlines were added, particularly those of the "pied" horses popular in that period and shipped en masse to the Americas once the color had become unfashionable in Europe.[6] These horses were similar to a tall, slim Thoroughbred-Andalusian type of horse popular in Bourbon-era Spain.[6][7] The original Appaloosa tended to have a convex facial profile that resembled that of the warmblood-Jennet crosses first developed in the 16th century during the reign of Charles V.[5][8]
The old-type Appaloosa was later modified by the addition of draft horse blood after the 1877 defeat of the Nez Perce, when U.S. Government policy forced the Indians to become farmers and provided them with draft horse mares to breed to existing stallions.[5] The original Appaloosas frequently had a sparse mane and tail, but that was not a primary characteristic, as many early Appaloosas did have full manes and tails.[9] There is a possible genetic link between the leopard complex and sparse mane and tail growth, although the precise relationship is unknown.[10]
After the formation of the Appaloosa Horse Club in 1938, a more modern type of horse was developed after the addition of American Quarter Horse and Arabian bloodlines. The addition of Quarter Horse lines produced Appaloosas that performed better in sprint racing and in halter competition. Many cutting and reining horses resulted from old-type Appaloosas crossed on Arabian bloodlines, particularly via the Appaloosa foundation stallion Red Eagle.[11] An infusion of Thoroughbred blood was added during the 1970s to produce horses more suited for racing.[12] Many current breeders also attempt to breed away from the sparse, "rat tail" trait, and therefore modern Appaloosas have fuller manes and tails.[9]
The coat color of an Appaloosa is a combination of a base color with an overlaid spotting pattern. The base colors recognized by the Appaloosa Horse Club include bay, black, chestnut, palomino, buckskin, cremello or perlino, roan, gray, dun and grulla. Appaloosa markings have several pattern variations.[3] It is this unique group of spotting patterns, collectively called the "leopard complex",[13] that most people associate with the Appaloosa horse.[3] Spots overlay darker skin, and are often surrounded by a "halo", where the skin next to the spot is also dark but the overlying hair coat is white.[14]
It is not always easy to predict a grown Appaloosa's color at birth. Foals of any breed tend to be born with coats that darken when they shed their baby hair.[15] In addition, Appaloosa foals do not always show classic leopard complex characteristics.[13] Patterns sometimes change over the course of the horse's life although some, such as the blanket and leopard patterns, tend to be stable. Horses with the varnish roan and snowflake patterns are especially prone to show very little color pattern at birth, developing more visible spotting as they get older.[14]
The ApHC also recognizes the concept of a "solid" horse, which has a base color "but no contrasting color in the form of an Appaloosa coat pattern". Solid horses can be registered if they have mottled skin and one other leopard complex characteristic.[3]
Base colors are overlain by various spotting patterns, which are variable and often do not fit neatly into a specific category.[3] These patterns are described as follows:
|A horse that has white or dark spots over all or a portion of its body.[3]
|Blanket or snowcap
|A solid white area normally over, but not limited to, the hip area with a contrasting base color.[3][10]
|Blanket with spots
|A white blanket which has dark spots within the white. The spots are usually the same color as the horse's base color.[3]
|A white horse with dark spots that flow out over the entire body. Considered an extension of a blanket to cover the whole body.[10]
|Few spot leopard
|A mostly white horse with a bit of color remaining around the flank, neck and head.[10]
|A horse with white spots, flecks, on a dark body. Typically the white spots increase in number and size as the horse ages.[10]
|Appaloosa roan, marble
or varnish roan
|A distinct version of the leopard complex. Intermixed dark and light hairs with lighter colored area on the forehead, jowls and frontal bones of the face, over the back, loin and hips. Darker areas may appear along the edges of the frontal bones of the face as well and also on the legs, stifle, above the eye, point of the hip and behind the elbow. The dark points over bony areas are called "varnish marks" and distinguish this pattern from a traditional roan.[3][10]
|A fewspot leopard that is completely white with only mottled skin showing.[10]
|Roan blanket or Frost
|Horses with roaning over the croup and hips. The blanket normally occurs over, but is not limited to, the hip area.[3][10]
|Roan blanket with spots
|A horse with a roan blanket that has white and/or dark spots within the roan area.[3]
Any horse that shows Appaloosa core characteristics of coat pattern, mottled skin, striped hooves, and a visible white sclera, carries at least one allele of the dominant "leopard complex" (LP) gene. The use of the word "complex" is used to refer to the large group of visible patterns that may occur when LP is present.[13] LP is an autosomal incomplete dominant mutation in the TRPM1 gene located at horse chromosome 1 (ECA 1).[17][18] All horses with at least one copy of LP show leopard characteristics, and it is hypothesized that LP acts together with other patterning genes (PATN) that have not yet been identified to produce the different coat patterns.[13][19] Horses that are heterozygous for LP tend to be darker than homozygous horses, but this is not consistent.[20]
Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TRPM1 gene have been identified as closely associated with the LP mutation, although the mechanism by which the pattern is produced remains unclear.[13][17] A commercially available DNA based test is likely to be developed in the near future, which breeders can use to determine if LP is present in horses that do not have visible Appaloosa characteristics.[13][17]
Not every Appaloosa exhibits visible coat spotting, but even apparently solid-colored horses that carry at least one dominant LP allele will exhibit characteristics such as vertically striped hooves, white sclera of the eye, and mottled skin around the eyes, lips, and genitalia.[21] Appaloosas may also exhibit sabino or pinto type markings, but because pinto genes may cover-up or obscure Appaloosa patterns, pinto breeding is discouraged by the ApHC, which will deny registration to horses with excessive white markings.[22] The genes that create these different patterns can all be present in the same horse. The Appaloosa Project, a genetic study group, has researched the interactions of Appaloosa and pinto genes and how they affect each other.[23]
Recent research has suggested that Eurasian prehistoric cave paintings depicting leopard-spotted horses may have accurately reflected a phenotype of ancient wild horse.[24][25] Domesticated horses with leopard complex spotting patterns have been depicted in art dating as far back as Ancient Greece, Ancient Persia, and the Han Dynasty in China; later depictions appeared in 11th-century France and 12th-century England.[26][27] French paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries show horses with spotted coats being used as riding horses, and other records indicate they were also used as coach horses at the court of Louis XIV of France.[28] In mid-18th-century Europe, there was a great demand for horses with the leopard complex spotting pattern among the nobility and royalty. These horses were used in the schools of horsemanship, for parade use, and other forms of display.[29] Modern horse breeds in Europe today that have leopard complex spotting include the Knabstrupper and the Pinzgau, or Noriker horse.[26]
The Spanish probably obtained spotted horses through trade with southern Austria and Hungary, where the color pattern was known to exist.[30] The Conquistadors and Spanish settlers then brought some vividly marked horses to the Americas when they first arrived in the early 16th century.[30][31] One horse with snowflake patterning was listed with the 16 horses brought to Mexico by Cortez,[32] and additional spotted horses were mentioned by Spanish writers by 1604.[33] Others arrived in the western hemisphere when spotted horses went out of style in late 18th-century Europe,[6] and were shipped to Mexico,[34] California and Oregon.[6]
The Nez Perce people lived in what today is eastern Washington, Oregon, and north central Idaho,[35] where they engaged in agriculture as well as horse breeding.[36] The Nez Perce first obtained horses from the Shoshone around 1730.[34] They took advantage of the fact that they lived in excellent horse-breeding country, relatively safe from the raids of other tribes, and developed strict breeding selection practices for their animals, establishing breeding herds by 1750. They were one of the few tribes that actively used the practice of gelding inferior male horses and trading away poorer stock to remove unsuitable animals from the gene pool,[26][37] and thus were notable as horse breeders by the early 19th century.[38]
Early Nez Perce horses were considered to be of high quality. Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition wrote in his February 15, 1806, journal entry: "Their horses appear to be of an excellent race; they are lofty, eligantly [sic] formed, active and durable: in short many of them look like fine English coarsers [sic] and would make a figure in any country."[39] Lewis did note spotting patterns, saying, "... some of these horses are pided [pied] with large spots of white irregularly scattered and intermixed with the black brown bey [sic] or some other dark colour".[39] By "pied", Lewis may have been referring to leopard-spotted patterns seen in the modern Appaloosa,[39][40] though Lewis also noted that "much the larger portion are of a uniform colour".[39] The Appaloosa Horse Club estimates that only about ten percent of the horses owned by the Nez Perce at the time were spotted.[38] While the Nez Perce originally had many solid-colored horses and only began to emphasize color in their breeding some time after the visit of Lewis and Clark, by the late 19th century they had many spotted horses.[41] As white settlers moved into traditional Nez Perce lands, a successful trade in horses enriched the Nez Perce, who in 1861 bred horses described as "elegant chargers, fit to mount a prince."[42] At a time when ordinary horses could be purchased for $15, non-Indians who had purchased Appaloosa horses from the Nez Perce turned down offers of as much as $600.[43]
Peace with the United States dated back to an alliance arranged by Lewis and Clark,[44] but the encroachment of gold miners in the 1860s and settlers in the 1870s put pressure on the Nez Perce.[45] Although a treaty of 1855 originally allowed them to keep most of their traditional land, another in 1863 reduced the land allotted to them by 90 percent.[46] The Nez Perce who refused to give up their land under the 1863 treaty included a band living in the Wallowa Valley of Oregon, led by Heinmot Tooyalakekt, widely known as Chief Joseph.[47] Tensions rose, and in May 1877, General Oliver Otis Howard called a council and ordered the non-treaty bands to move to the reservation.[45][48] Chief Joseph considered military resistance futile,[49] and by June 14, 1877, had gathered about 600 people at a site near present-day Grangeville, Idaho.[44] But on that day a small group of warriors staged an attack on nearby white settlers,[45] which led to the Nez Perce War.[44] After several small battles in Idaho,[44] more than 800 Nez Perce, mostly non-warriors, took 2000 head of various livestock including horses and fled into Montana, then traveled southeast, dipping into Yellowstone National Park.[45][47] A small number of Nez Perce fighters, probably fewer than 200,[49] successfully held off larger forces of the U.S. Army in several skirmishes, including the two-day Battle of the Big Hole in southwestern Montana.[45] They then moved northeast and attempted to seek refuge with the Crow Nation; rebuffed, they headed for safety in Canada.[45]
Throughout this journey of about 1,400 miles (2,300 km)[49] the Nez Perce relied heavily on their fast, agile and hardy Appaloosa horses.[50] The journey came to an end when they stopped to rest near the Bears Paw Mountains in Montana, 40 miles (64 km) from the Canada–US border. Unbeknownst to the Nez Perce, Colonel Nelson A. Miles had led an infantry-cavalry column from Fort Keogh in pursuit. On October 5, 1877, after a five-day fight, Joseph surrendered. The battle—and the war—was over.[50][51] With most of the war chiefs dead, and the noncombatants cold and starving, Joseph declared that he would "fight no more forever".[51][52]
When the U.S. 7th Cavalry accepted the surrender of Chief Joseph and the remaining Nez Perce, they immediately took more than 1,000 of the tribe's horses, sold what they could and shot many of the rest. But a significant population of horses had been left behind in the Wallowa valley when the Nez Perce began their retreat, and additional animals escaped or were abandoned along the way.[26] The Nez Perce were ultimately settled on reservation lands in north central Idaho,[a] were allowed few horses, and were required by the Army to crossbreed to draft horses in an attempt to create farm horses.[53] The Nez Perce tribe never regained its former position as breeders of Appaloosas. In the late 20th century, they began a program to develop a new horse breed, the Nez Perce horse, with the intent to resurrect their horse culture, tradition of selective breeding, and horsemanship.[54]
Although a remnant population of Appaloosa horses remained after 1877, they were virtually forgotten as a distinct breed for almost 60 years.[26] A few quality horses continued to be bred, mostly those captured or purchased by settlers and used as working ranch horses. Others were used in circuses and related forms of entertainment, such as Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.[55] The horses were originally called "Palouse horses" by settlers, a reference to the Palouse River that ran through the heart of what was once Nez Perce country.[56] Gradually, the name evolved into "Apalouse", and then "Appaloosa".[37][56] Other early variations of the name included "Appalucy", "Apalousey" and "Appaloosie". In one 1948 book, the breed was called the "Opelousa horse", described as a "hardy tough breed of Indian and Spanish horse" used by backwoodsmen of the late 18th century to transport goods to New Orleans for sale. By the 1950s, "Appaloosa" was regarded as the correct spelling.[34][57]
The Appaloosa came to the attention of the general public in January 1937 in Western Horseman magazine when Francis D. Haines, a history professor from Lewiston, Idaho, published an article describing the breed's history and urging its preservation.[43] Haines had performed extensive research, traveling with a friend and Appaloosa aficionado named George Hatley, visiting numerous Nez Perce villages, collecting history, and taking photographs.[58] The article generated strong interest in the horse breed, and led to the founding of the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) by Claude Thompson and a small group of other dedicated breeders in 1938.[59][60] The registry was originally housed in Moro, Oregon;[60] but in 1947 the organization moved to Moscow, Idaho, under the leadership of George Hatley.[58][59] The Appaloosa Museum foundation was formed in 1975 to preserve the history of the Appaloosa horse.[61] The Western Horseman magazine, and particularly its longtime publisher, Dick Spencer, continued to support and promote the breed through many subsequent articles.[62]
A significant crossbreeding influence used to revitalize the Appaloosa was the Arabian horse, as evidenced by early registration lists that show Arabian-Appaloosa crossbreeds as ten of the first fifteen horses registered with the ApHC.[63] For example, one of Claude Thompson's major herd sires was Ferras, an Arabian stallion bred by W.K. Kellogg from horses imported from the Crabbet Arabian Stud of England.[64] Ferras sired Red Eagle, a prominent Appaloosa stallion[64] added to the Appaloosa Hall of Fame in 1988. Later, Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse lines were added, as well as crosses from other breeds, including Morgans and Standardbreds.[65] In 1983 the ApHC reduced the number of allowable outcrosses to three main breeds: the Arabian horse, the American Quarter Horse and the Thoroughbred.[66]
By 1978 the ApHC was the third largest horse registry for light horse breeds.[59] From 1938 to 2007 more than 670,000 Appaloosas were registered by the ApHC.[67][68] The state of Idaho adopted the Appaloosa as its official state horse on March 25, 1975, when Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus signed the enabling legislation.[38][69] Idaho also offers a custom license plate featuring an Appaloosa,[70] the first state to offer a plate featuring a state horse.[71]
Located in Moscow, Idaho, the ApHC is the principal body for the promotion and preservation of the Appaloosa breed and is an international organization.[59] Affiliate Appaloosa organizations exist in many South American and European countries, as well as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico and Israel.[72] The Appaloosa Horse Club has 33,000 members as of 2010,[59] circulation of the Appaloosa Journal, which is included with most types of membership, was at 32,000 in 2008.[73][74] The American Appaloosa Association was founded in 1983 by members opposed to the registration of plain-colored horses, as a result of the color rule controversy. Based in Missouri, it has a membership of more than 2,000 as of 2008.[75] Other "Appaloosa" registries have been founded for horses with leopard complex genetics that are not affiliated with the ApHC. These registries tend to have different foundation breeding and histories than the North American Appaloosa.[76][77] The ApHC is by far the largest Appaloosa horse registry,[59][78] and it hosts one of the world's largest breed shows.[79]
The Appaloosa is "a breed defined by ApHC bloodline requirements and preferred characteristics, including coat pattern".[1] In other words, the Appaloosa is a distinct breed from limited bloodlines with distinct physical traits and a desired color, referred to as a "color preference". Appaloosas are not strictly a "color breed". All ApHC-registered Appaloosas must be the offspring of two registered Appaloosa parents or a registered Appaloosa and a horse from an approved breed registry, which includes Arabian horses, Quarter Horses, and Thoroughbreds. In all cases, one parent must always be a regular registered Appaloosa. The only exception to the bloodline requirements is in the case of Appaloosa-colored geldings or spayed mares with unknown pedigrees; owners may apply for "hardship registration" for these non-breeding horses. The ApHC does not accept horses with draft, pony, Pinto, or Paint breeding, and requires mature Appaloosas to stand, unshod, at least 14 hands (56 inches, 142 cm).[22] If a horse has excessive white markings not associated with the Appaloosa pattern (such as those characteristic of a pinto) it cannot be registered unless it is verified through DNA testing that both parents have ApHC registration.[1]
Certain other characteristics are used to determine if a horse receives "regular" registration: striped hooves, white sclera visible when the eye is in a normal position, and mottled (spotted) skin around the eyes, lips, and genitalia. As the Appaloosa is one of the few horse breeds to exhibit skin mottling, this characteristic "...is a very basic and decisive indication of an Appaloosa."[2] Appaloosas born with visible coat pattern, or mottled skin and at least one other characteristic, are registered with "regular" papers and have full show and breeding privileges. A horse that meets bloodline requirements but is born without the recognized color pattern and characteristics can still be registered with the ApHC as a "non-characteristic" Appaloosa. These solid-colored, "non-characteristic" Appaloosas may not be shown at ApHC events unless the owner verifies the parentage through DNA testing and pays a supplementary fee to enter the horse into the ApHC's Performance Permit Program (PPP).[80] Solid-colored Appaloosas are restricted in breeding.[1]
During the 1940s and 1950s, when both the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) were in their formative years, minimally marked or roan Appaloosas were sometimes used in Quarter Horse breeding programs.[82] At the same time, it was noted that two solid-colored registered Quarter Horse parents would sometimes produce what Quarter Horse aficionados call a "cropout", a foal with white coloration similar to that of an Appaloosa or Pinto. For a considerable time, until DNA testing could verify parentage, the AQHA refused to register such horses. The ApHC did accept cropout horses that exhibited proper Appaloosa traits, while cropout pintos became the core of the American Paint Horse Association. Famous Appaloosas who were cropouts included Colida, Joker B, Bright Eyes Brother and Wapiti.[83]
In the late 1970s, the color controversy went in the opposite direction within the Appaloosa registry. The ApHC's decision in 1982 to allow solid-colored or "non-characteristic" Appaloosas to be registered resulted in substantial debate within the Appaloosa breeding community.[84] Until then, a foal of Appaloosa parents that had insufficient color was often denied registration, although non-characteristic Appaloosas were allowed into the registry. But breeder experience had shown that some solid Appaloosas could throw a spotted foal in a subsequent generation, at least when bred to a spotted Appaloosa. In addition, many horses with a solid coat exhibited secondary characteristics such as skin mottling, the white sclera, and striped hooves.[85] The controversy stirred by the ApHC's decision was intense. In 1983 a number of Appaloosa breeders opposed to the registration of solid-colored horses formed the American Appaloosa Association, a breakaway organization.[75]
Appaloosas are used extensively for both Western and English riding. Western competitions include cutting, reining, roping and O-Mok-See sports such as barrel racing (known as the Camas Prairie Stump Race in Appaloosa-only competition) and pole bending (called the Nez Percé Stake Race at breed shows). English disciplines they are used in include eventing, show jumping, and fox hunting. They are common in endurance riding competitions, as well as in casual trail riding. Appaloosas are also bred for horse racing, with an active breed racing association promoting the sport. They are generally used for middle-distance racing at distances between 350 yards (320 m) and 0.5 miles (0.80 km); an Appaloosa holds the all-breed record for the 4.5 furlongs (3,000 ft; 910 m) distance, set in 1989.[86][87]
Appaloosas are often used in Western movies and television series. Examples include "Cojo Rojo" in the Marlon Brando film The Appaloosa,[88] "Zip Cochise" ridden by John Wayne in the 1966 film El Dorado[89] and "Cowboy", the mount of Matt Damon in True Grit.[90] An Appaloosa horse is part of the controversial mascot team for the Florida State Seminoles, Chief Osceola and Renegade, even though the Seminole people were not directly associated with Appaloosa horses.[91]
There are several American horse breeds with leopard coloring and Appaloosa ancestry. These include the Pony of the Americas[92] and the Colorado Ranger.[93] Appaloosas are crossbred with gaited horse breeds in an attempt to create a leopard-spotted ambling horse.[b] Because such crossbred offspring are not eligible for ApHC registration,[94] their owners have formed breed registries for horses with leopard complex patterns and gaited ability.[95][96][97] In 1995 the Nez Perce tribe began a program to develop a new and distinct horse breed, the Nez Perce Horse, based on crossbreeding the Appaloosa with the Akhal-Teke breed from Central Asia.[54] Appaloosa stallions have been exported to Denmark, to add new blood to the Knabstrup breed.[98]
Appaloosas have an eightfold greater risk of developing Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU) than all other breeds combined. Up to 25 percent of all horses with ERU may be Appaloosas. Uveitis in horses has many causes, including eye trauma, disease, and bacterial, parasitic and viral infections, but ERU is characterized by recurring episodes of uveitis, rather than a single incident. If not treated, ERU can lead to blindness, which occurs more often in Appaloosas than in other breeds.[99] Eighty percent of all uveitis cases are found in Appaloosas with physical characteristics including roan or light-colored coat patterns, little pigment around the eyelids and sparse hair in the mane and tail denoting the most at-risk individuals.[100] Researchers may have identified a gene region containing an allele that makes the breed more susceptible to the disease.[101]
Appaloosas that are homozygous for the leopard complex (LP) gene are also at risk for congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB).[102] This form of night blindness has been linked with the leopard complex since the 1970s,[103] and in 2007 a "significant association" between LP and CSNB was identified.[102][104] CSNB is a disorder that causes an affected animal to lack night vision, although day vision is normal. It is an inherited disorder, present from birth, and does not progress over time.[105] Studies in 2008 and 2010 indicate that both CSNB and leopard complex spotting patterns are linked to TRPM1.[17][106]
In 2007 the ApHC implemented new drug rules allowing Appaloosas to show with the drugs furosemide, known by the trade name of Lasix, and acetazolamide. Furosemide is used to prevent horses who bleed from the nose when subjected to strenuous work from having bleeding episodes when in competition, and is widely used in horse racing. Acetazolamide ("Acet") is used for treating horses with the genetic disease hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP), and prevents affected animals from having seizures.[c] Acet is only allowed for horses that test positive for HYPP and have HYPP status noted on their registration papers.[107] The ApHC recommends that Appaloosas that trace to certain American Quarter Horse bloodlines be tested for HYPP, and owners have the option to choose to place HYPP testing results on registration papers.[108] Foals of AQHA-registered stallions and mares born on or after January 1, 2007 that carry HYPP will be required to be HYPP tested and have their HYPP status designated on their registration papers.[1]
Both drugs are controversial, in part because they are considered drug maskers and diuretics that can make it difficult to detect the presence of other drugs in the horse's system.[109] On one side, it is argued that the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), which sponsors show competition for many different horse breeds,[110] and the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), which governs international and Olympic equestrian competition, ban the use of furosemide.[111] On the other side of the controversy, several major stock horse registries that sanction their own shows, including the American Quarter Horse Association,[112] American Paint Horse Association,[113] and the Palomino Horse Breeders of America,[114] allow acetazolamide and furosemide to be used within 24 hours of showing under certain circumstances.
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Based on these data, we conclude that a susceptibility allele for ERU in Appaloosas exists in the MHC region.
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Here's another fun Christmas activity you can do with your clients. We all love mad libs! Well how about a fill-in-the-blank activity for the famous Twas the Night Before Christmas poem?
This is a simple way to work on parts of speech, rhyming skills, reading and conversational articulation skills, and even understanding humor. You can have students work individually, in pairs or as a whole group to complete fill in the blanks and read their new poetic creation!
P.S. There's another freebie in the post at the link above so check it out when you get there!!!


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Oil company claims oil spills can have 'positive effects'
Once in a great while, climate deniers will shift their posture and try to put a positive spin on a dangerous crisis. Maybe the planet is warming in such a way as to put human life in jeopardy, they'll say, but maybe there will be some "positive effects."
It's not a good argument. The climate crisis is a serious threat so looking for silver linings – fewer snowball-related injuries? – isn't a good idea.
Similarly, as Rachel noted on the show the other day, there are broad concerns about oil pipelines because of the threat posed by oil spills. But according to a company responsible for building oil pipelines, it's important for people to consider the "positive effects" of oil spills.
There can be economic benefits from oil spills, Kinder Morgan says in its $5.4-billion proposal to the federal government to triple the capacity of its pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby.The company submission says its risk assessment and 60-year history operating the existing pipeline show "the probability of a large pipeline spill is low."But the 15,000-page submission, required by federal regulations, analyzes numerous moderate and catastrophic spill scenarios along the pipeline route in both provinces. It looks at the socio-economic, environmental and even psychological impact of major spills in areas such as the Fraser River near the Port Mann Bridge.
Look, let's make this simple: if you're an energy company arguing that oil spills might be a good thing for the communities hit with one, you're doing it wrong.
But in this case, Kinder Morgan wasn't kidding.
"Pipeline spills can have both positive and negative effects on local and regional economies, both in the short- and long-term," the company argues in its official filing. "Spill response and cleanup creates business and employment opportunities for affected communities, regions, and cleanup service providers."
By this reasoning, communities everywhere should hope for natural disasters to strike – since the rebuilding might create some temporary employment. The deaths and environmental damage would be permanent, but the paperwork clearly said "positive and negative effects."
For those who can't watch clips online, I'll just let Rachel take it from here:
"Now, as to whether or not your community's oil spill is going to be a good thing or a bad thing for you, Kinder Morgan in their application they say they've got it all worked out, this is how they calculate it, they say the net overall effect depends on the size and extent of the spill, the associated demand for cleanup services and personnel, the capacity of local and regional businesses to meet this demand, and the willingness of local businesses and residents to pursue response opportunities."Turn that frown upside down oil-soaked neighborhood. You can get a job cleaning it up. If you just have the right attitude."Hey, you, sperm whale. Want to tow some boom before you die? Yes, we'll make it worth you while. You get a job out of it."That is seriously what Kinder Morgan is arguing to the freaking Canadian government about why they should be allowed to triple the capacity of their pipeline. More oil means more chances for oil spills. And more oil spills means more jobs cleaning up oil spills."Honestly, this is like, in old movies and old cartoons like you'd see a vacuum cleaner salesman, the guy would come and knock on the door and if you open the door, he'd dump the bag of dirt, you know, coffee grounds or whatever into your rug, hey, I'm offering to sell you a vacuum cleaner to clean it up. That's what Kinder Morgan is doing."If you let us triple the size of our pipeline, we might spill more oil, and then you could hire yourselves to clean it up. Wouldn't that be great?"
Update: This Press Progress report was a helpful resource in putting the above story together.


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Small and large miracles
desember 29, 2016
I believe that God with a blink of an eye could make me healthy and well.
It is a small miracle from an almighty creator.
The large miracle is transforming the human hearts and minds.
Life and death goes hand in hand in life, you will never have the one without facing the other. Death comes before new life and you need it to not end up in stagnation. The only thing you know about a new life being born is that one day it will die. It is part of the same miracle, part of the same mystery. They are one and the same. No life without death, no death without life. How come we love the one and hate and fear the other?
The large miracle is transforming the fear into trust.
Like the large miracle of transforming hate into love towards others, towards yourself towards the world, towards life itself.
My God is the God of large miracles. I pray for large miracles. I yearn for large miracles. I hope for large miracles.
In a world so tattered we need the big miracles, not the small ones. The ones that we can only be given with our own consent, with us wanting to be changed, with us turning our face towards the One who loves us all.
I want for death also to be a source of light and love, in myself and others. And to be thankful for whatever comes.
"This world is in deep trouble, from top to bottom. But it can be swiftly healed by the balm of love.
~ Rumi"


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Full Episode not currently available to stream. Watch Extras below.
Martin is ordered by Tischbier to break into NATO head analyst Hendrik Mayer's hotel room to steal a top secret security report. He refuses to do so until Tischbier promises to help his mother, Ingrid, who is suffering from diabetes in East Germany.
Extras Only


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If you know who you would like to contact, additional email addresses and direct dial telephone numbers are listed on the Our People page.
Fill in the form below, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
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A new month and a new challenge at In2stamps Challenge Blog.
Ida has provided us this wonderful sketch for you to follow.
You can check out the details on the In2stamps Challenges Blog here. THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE 3 STAMPS OF YOUR CHOICE!!!
I hope you will join us. The challenge is open until March 1st, 2010.
Stamp: In2stamps A Micey Gift available at In2stamps on-line store, Inkadinkadoo Have a Great Birthday.DP: Chatterbox Scrapbook Walls Light Den Stripe.
Tools: Martha Stewart border punch Crown.
Misc.: Making Memories eyelets, Recollections brads.


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Known by the band as "Carnival Of Shite" it is something that I don't quite totally agree with. While the 1994 release of "Carnival of Light" is fairly standard fare for pop rock music, and a departure from what made Ride so great, the album does contain a few gems. It just takes you a few leaps over tracks to reach them. The first track Moonlight Medicine sets what you would hope as the tone with it's chilled out nod your head slowly bliss. "1000 Miles" is a horrible song to follow up because the sounds clash, but isn't the worst of the bunch or even a bad song. The album's standout track "From Time To Time's" with it's rhodes keyboards sends things moving in another direction after that. "Birdman" is a boss song in every way, but for another band. Then there's "Magical Spring" which was was Andy Bell's attempt at writing a Britpop song. It succeeded fairly well in that respect though longtime fans might shun it. The other side of things with "Only Now" and "Endless Road" is that you get those totally skippable tracks. "How does it feel to feel" was a good idea, but seemed to have more press "deep meaning" attached to it than I care to understand. Cover songs on albums always seemed lazy to me even if they are good renditions of it.
For me I don't get 1/2 of this record. It's as if they partially forgot what made them so great. Gone are the "AHHHH's" and loud droning guitars. In it's place are straight forward keyboards, pocket drums, and psychedelic guitars. It's a formula that worked at the time for many bands just not exactly for Ride.


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General Question
How do you restore someone else's old iPhone?
Asked by brianhite (76) May 23rd, 2011
I have some of my family's old 2G iPhones here and I was going to trade them in to Amazon. I'm trying to wipe them out, but when I plug them into iTunes, it wants me to unlock the iPhone using the passcode. The trouble is, we haven't used the phones in years, and I'm not even sure if we have the computers they synced with back then. Is there a way to completely wipe them out without knowing the passcode or having the computer it was paired with?
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Home of the amazing Greek Chili Dog
Where chili dogs are king!
We take dogs seriously here at G&L. We've been serving the tastiest Greek Chili Dogs this side of the Atlantic for 90 years now, along with many super-tasty goodies to accompany the king. The moment you sink your teeth into a G&L chili dog, you'll realize something this awesome doesn't happen by accident.
Check out what makes our dogs unlike anything you've ever tasted. Drool over our menu items, get a glimpse of our history, and stop in one of our four locations to see what all the hype is about.


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The owner of the former General Motors factory site in Southeast Baltimore has applied for a city permit to build a huge warehouse that would employ up to 2,600 people, according to documents filed with the city planning department.
The 2.8 million-square-foot site, which is owned by Indiana-based Duke Realty Corp., would be home to a 1 million-square-foot facility with nearly 2,000 parking spots. The documents say the one-story warehouse would be used as a distribution center.
Councilman James B. Kraft, whose Southeast Baltimore district includes the Broening Highway property, said he was bullish about the plan. "This is a major coup for the city of Baltimore," Kraft said. "It's going to be a tremendous number of jobs."
GM — once a backbone of Baltimore's blue-collar economy — eliminated more than 1,100 local jobs when it shuttered the assembly plant in 2005. Opened in 1934, the plant employed as many as 7,000 workers who produced some of GM's most popular cars, including the Chevrolet Impala, Biscayne and Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix.
Kraft said the developer wants to break ground in September with plans for the warehouse to open in the fall of 2014. Kraft said Duke was developing the site for a prospective tenant, whom he declined to name. Duke Realty did not return messages seeking comment. Kimberly A. Clark, vice president of the Baltimore Development Corp., the city's quasi-public development arm, said Duke was "currently trying to recruit tenants for the site." She declined to say more.
State and local leaders have searched since the assembly line closed to find a developer to revive the 184-acre industrial property.
Duke, which owns, operates and manages industrial, medical and office space in 18 U.S. cities, purchased the site in 2006. The real estate investment company works with such businesses as Amazon.com, Crate and Barrel, Navistar and Panera Bread.
Since buying the Baltimore property, Duke converted it into the Chesapeake Commerce Center by demolishing GM's old facilities, building two industrial buildings and selling some of the land, according to the company's website. The land is bordered by Broening Highway on the east, and roadways and railroads to the south and west.
Four companies employ 500 people on the site. Another 122 acres is available for development.
The state Department of Business and Economic Development provided Duke $680,000 for site assessment and remediation in two grants provided in 2006 and 2008, said agency spokeswoman Karen Glenn Hood.
The property is located in the city's enterprise zone, which makes it eligible for a 10-year property tax credit and tax breaks for wages paid to new employees.
It's unclear whether the city or state would offer further economic development incentives because such negotiations are typically kept confidential until deals are finalized.
News of the planned development came to light when the City Council's legislative committee, chaired by Kraft, approved a bill Tuesday that would lessen construction costs in the city. Currently, the city charges $20 in construction fees per each 1,000 cubic feet of gross volume for new construction. The bill approved by Kraft's committee would exempt the volume of a floor that is above 20 feet off the ground.
The planned warehouse at the former GM site would be 50 feet in height, according to plans.
"The failure to cap the height of a floor creates a cost disincentive to the construction of a facility such as a warehouse or manufacturing facility," wrote the city's budget chief, Andrew Kleine, in support of the legislative change. "Given the 11 percent unemployment rate in the city, these types of businesses are highly desirable."
The legislative change will go before the full council next month for approval.
Brenda McKenzie, president of the BDC, said the change was important to attract business to Baltimore stemming from the expansion of the Panama Canal and improvements to the Seagirt Marine Terminal.
"With this new port business, the availability of warehouse and industrial space within Baltimore City becomes very important in the retention, expansion and attraction of industrial businesses and jobs," she wrote.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the city was eager to encourage job growth at the old GM site.
"I have made growing Baltimore City's economy a major priority," Rawlings-Blake said. "The city has been working with Duke Realty to ensure they have the necessary tools to remain competitive in attracting new tenants and creating jobs for city residents."
Kaliope Parthemos, the city's deputy chief for economic development said the pending legislation puts Baltimore's construction fees in line with neighboring jurisdictions so the city can better compete for business development.
Parthemos said Duke Realty first approached the city with the request to lower the fee several years ago, and the BDC pushed for the change recently.
"We are excited that Duke Realty plans on bringing jobs back to that location, and we will assist them with regard to trying to find an appropriate tenant in any way possible."


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That Arcanine is pure awesome! I love the armor, axe, and fur detail and shading! All of your work is really great! Keep it up!
Oooooooh these are really cool :U Especially (as tiger said) the arcanine!
Thanks guys! I wanted to keep this a bit updated. (Had a bit of a hiatus, but restarted last month)
If you guys have some challenging ideas, feel free to add!
Weasyl ~ Website ~ Tumblr ~ FB
Forum Rules


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Regardless what they do, all companies need goods and services to do their activities and these products have to be bought. Buying is the activity of getting something by paying money for it. Some companies delegate these functions to buying professionals because they know the market and have knowledge of the prices, offers, etc. Companies usually have several buying positions available as: purchasing agents, purchasing managers, buyers. Let's talk a little about them.
But first it is important to define the function of each one of them. The difference between purchasing managers and purchasing agents is clear, purchasing managers are one position above from agents, in fact managers direct agents. But the confusion is usually between purchasing agents and buyers, people they think they do the same, and as a matter of fact that is not completely wrong, the function of they both is to buy products on behalf of the company they work for, however the difference is on what they buy, purchasing agents buy products which will be later used by the company while buyers buy products which will be later resell.
They are the professionals in charge of the acquisition of all the company needs (products or services). These professionals have to take care of the company's interests, for this reason, they have to bargain with contractors and supplier in order to get a good price. Purchasing workers have to:
- Buy high-quality products and services without spending too much money.
- Keep updated of the latest price change.
- Be aware of what the best products and services are.
- Be persuasive and excellent negotiators.
- Also, some companies ask their workers to be multilingual, since they will have to travel abroad or to negotiate with people from other countries.
Usually to get a job as purchasing agent, a bachelor's degree in business, economics, finances or a related field is required. Experience in the field (purchasing or sales) is also required. However, professionals who want to apply to purchasing manager positions are asked to have a master's degree in any of the related field. That is because they have more responsibilities than purchasing agents or buyers, they the head of the purchasing department and as it was mentioned before; they have to supervise and direct buyers and purchasing agents.
For workers involved in the buying field, it is recommendable to join at least a purchasing association, being part of an association will give a bonus to your resume because they constantly offer important information about the field, training courses and career opportunities. Some of the most important associations are:
- The Institute of Supply Management (ISM).
- The National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP).
- The National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP).
Below we offer you some examples of resumes in the three buying specializations mentioned in the text.