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CFO Moves this week include:
|Sound United
|Etsy, Inc.
|DLT Solutions
|Templar Energy LLC
|NeoPhotonics Corporation
|Enclara Pharmacia
|Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
|Growth Coach
|STAAR Surgical Company
|Brinker International, Inc.
|Renovate America
|Burnham Benefits Insurance Services
|Xenetic Biosciences, Inc.
|HomeStreet, Inc.
|Varian Medical Systems
|Homology Medicines, Inc
|Village Nurseries Wholesale
|NightstaRx Ltd
|Flatiron Health
|Kaiser Permanente Northern California
|Minnesota Medical Technologies Corporation
|MEI Pharma, Inc.
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Should you have any CFO Moves to report, please email us.
NOTE: CFO Search Report available monthly to CFOs only. Read more here.
CFO Moves is published by Samuel Dergel (Executive Search Consultant and CFO & Financial Executive Search Specialist with Dergel Executive Search). Samuel can be reached by email at firstname.lastname@example.com or by phone at +1 (415) 738-2070.
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Sound United [VISTA, Calif.] announced the appointment of Pete Harper as chief financial officer. In addition, Harper will be instated as CFO for DEI Holdings, Inc., parent to Sound United and other well-known brands in consumer electronics, like Viper and Autostart. Prior to joining DEI, Harper served as president and CFO of Twin-Star International. Harper has played many leading roles, including positions as CFO at Scottsdale Insurance, Suntron and Iomega. He also spent 15 years at General Electric in various financial positions.
Etsy, Inc. [BROOKLYN, N.Y.] (NASDAQ: ETSY) announced the appointment of Rachel Glaser as Chief Financial Officer. Rachel succeeds Kristina Salen, who is retiring. Rachel joins Etsy from Leaf Group, where she has served as CFO since 2015. Before that, she was CFO at Move, Inc. Prior to this role she served as Chief Operating and Financial Officer at MyLife.com. Rachel also previously held the role of Senior Vice President, Operations Finance at Yahoo! and began her career at The Walt Disney Company, where she spent nearly 20 years in escalating roles of responsibility on the finance, operations, and technology teams.
Umbel [AUSTIN, TEXAS] announced the appointment of Iser Cukierman as CFO. Cukierman brings 25+ years of financial experience from Cimation, Virtual Bridges, Fiserv and Accenture.
DLT Solutions [Herndon, Va.] announced the appointment of Joe Donohue as the company's new Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining DLT, Donohue was most recently the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of Agilex Technologies. His previous roles also include Practice Area Leader and Business Manager at Integic Corp; and Finance Director and Investor Relations Director at Legent Software.
Templar Energy LLC [OKLAHOMA CITY] announced the appointment of Joe Pukaite as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Pukaite joins Templar from Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas LLC. Pukaite served in increasing roles of importance, most recently as Treasurer from 2013 to 2017. Pukaite began his career in operations as an engineer with Schlumberger.
NeoPhotonics Corporation [SAN JOSE, Calif.] (NYSE: NPTN) announced that Ray Wallin, Chief Financial Officer, will resign from his position and will remain as a consultant to the Company for a three-month transition period. Mr. Wallin has served as the CFO of NeoPhotonics since December 2013.
Enclara Pharmacia [PHILADELPHIA] announced the appointment of Stephen C. Phenneger as chief financial officer. He was previously an operating partner at Cressey & Company. Prior to Cressey & Company, he served as director, Development and FP&A, IdeaSphere, Inc., and senior manager, Transaction Services.
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. [BEDFORD, Mass.] (NASDAQ: OCUL) announced the appointment of George Migausky as interim Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Migausky replaces Brad Smith who recently relinquished his role as CFO at the Company. Most recently, Mr. Migausky was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dyax Corp. Previously, Mr. Migausky served as the CFO of Wellstat Management Company. Prior to this, he held CFO positions at several companies, including IGEN International, Inc. Mr. Migausky is on the Boards of Dimension Therapeutics, Inc. and Hyperion Catalysis International, and is a trustee at the Massachusetts Ear and Eye Infirmary.
Growth Coach [BALTIMORE, MARYLAND] announced that Jonathan Chiodo has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. Before joining The Growth Coach of Greater Baltimore, Jon was a Middle Market Relationship Banker with M&T Bank.
STAAR Surgical Company [MONROVIA, Calif.] (NASDAQ: STAA) announced that Steve Brown has resigned his position as Chief Financial Officer. Deborah Andrews, currently Chief Accounting Officer, will step in as Interim CFO. Deborah was formerly CFO of STAAR from 2005 to 2013.
Brinker International, Inc. [DALLAS] (NYSE: EAT) announced the resignation of Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Tom Edwards, who is retiring. Joe Taylor, a 17-year Brinker veteran who currently serves as Vice President Investor Relations and Treasurer, will assume the role of interim CFO until a permanent successor is named.
Renovate America [SAN DIEGO] announced the appointment of former Freddie Mac executive Paige Wisdom as chief financial officer. Wisdom served as chief enterprise risk officer and executive vice president at Freddie Mac from 2010 to 2015. In addition to her role at Freddie Mac, Wisdom served as CFO for key business units at Bank of America, including Global Business and Financial Services; Business, Lending, and Global Technology; and Service and Fulfillment. Additionally, she has held leadership positions with Bank One Corporation/J.P. Morgan, and UBS/Swiss Bank. Most recently, she was CFO at Exeter Finance Corp.
Burnham Benefits Insurance Services [IRVINE, CA] announce the appointment of Steve Vilas as chief financial officer and partner. Prior to joining Burnham, Vilas served as chief operating officer of employee benefits at Edgewood Partners Insurance Center, LLC, and as chief financial officer at both VRT Insurance Services, Inc. and Sitzmann Morris & Lavis.
Kateeva [NEWARK, CA] announced that Stephen (Steve) Going has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Going joined Kateeva in October 2016 as Executive Vice President & General Counsel. He retains that role and adds CFO to his new responsibilities. Prior to Kateeva, he was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Planar Systems, Inc. Before joining Planar Systems, Going was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Merix Corporation. Prior to joining Merix, he held the same role at Merant PLC. Prior to Merant, Going was a Partner in the Portland office of Perkins Coie LLP. Going began his career as a Financial Analyst at Chevron Corporation.
Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. [LEXINGTON, Mass.] (NASDAQ: XBIO) announced that it has appointed James F. Parslow as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Xenetic, Mr. Parslow most recently served as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of World Energy Solutions, Inc., from 2006 until 2015. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Parslow served as Chief Financial Officer of Spire Corporation.
SonicWall [SANTA CLARA, Calif.] announced that Ravi Chopra has joined the company as the company's new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Chopra joins the SonicWall team after 13 years at Juniper Networks where he held a number of financial leadership positions. Most recently, he served as Corporate Vice President of Business Finance. Prior to his time at Juniper Networks, Chopra spent four years at Cisco Systems.
HomeStreet, Inc. [SEATTLE] (NASDAQ: HMST) announced that Mark R. Ruh, the Company's Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategic Investments, has been appointed by the Company's Board of Directors to serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer following the previously announced departure of the Company's current Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Ruh was a Managing Director at Commerce Street Investment Management prior to joining HomeStreet in early 2017. He also served as Chief Financial Officer of Mission Community Bancorp in San Luis Obispo, California from 2011 to 2012 and was a director of Mountain Commerce Bancorp in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2016 and early 2017.
Varian Medical Systems [PALO ALTO, Calif.] (NYSE: VAR) announced it has named Gary E. Bischoping, Jr. of Dell Technologies as Chief Financial Officer. Bischoping will replace Elisha W. Finney who earlier announced her retirement after serving Varian for more than 29 years including more than 18 years as Varian Medical Systems' first CFO. Bischoping has served Dell for the last 17 years, most recently as CFO of its Client Solutions Group. He previously served as CFO of Dell's Enterprise Solutions Group & Commercial Business, and Treasurer. He has also held management roles in financial planning & analysis, risk management and commercial financing at Dell. Before joining Dell, Bischoping worked in financial management consulting for Stern Stewart & Company, Xerox and the SK Group.
PharmScript [SOMERSET, N.J.] announced the addition of new chief financial officer John McDonough. Prior to joining PharmScript, McDonough held several leadership positions within American Renal Associates, serving first as the chief financial officer, and then the chief operating officer. Previously, McDonough also served in financial leadership roles at DaVita, Palatin Technologies, MedChem Products, and KPMG.
Homology Medicines, Inc. [BEDFORD, Mass.] announced that Brad Smith has been appointed Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Homology Medicines, Mr. Smith served as CFO of Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. Previously, Mr. Smith served as CFO of several other healthcare companies, including OmniGuide Surgical, NeuroMetrix, Inc., SYNARC, PatientKeeper, Inc. and Focal, Inc.
OppLoans [CHICAGO] announced the appointment of Shiven Shah to the role of Chief Financial Officer. Shah comes to OppLoans from ABN AMRO Clearing where he served in the role of Chief Financial Officer since 2015. Prior to ABN AMRO, Shah held senior financial leadership positions at PEAK6, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch.
Village Nurseries Wholesale [ORANGE, Calif.] announced Rick Rehm has been named the company's new chief financial officer, replacing Wayne Johnson, who is retiring after 16 years of service with the company. Mr. Rehm most recently served at Bank of the West (BOTW) as vice president and senior relationship manager. Prior to working at BOTW Rick worked for Bordier's Nursery in Irvine as their vice president of finance and CFO. He also served as financial planning manager at West Covina, Eggs West/Bakers Choice and as assistant vice president and loan officer at Orange Production Credit Association of Garden Grove, Calif. In addition, he served on the insurance advisement committee of the California Association of Nurserymen and is a committeeman on the Fresh Produce and Floral Council.
NightstaRx Ltd [BOSTON & LONDON] announced that Senthil Sundaram has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Nightstar, Mr. Sundaram was the Vice President and Head of Business and Corporate Development at Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to joining Intercept, Mr. Sundaram spent 13 years at Lehman Brothers/Barclays, Citigroup and Lazard.
Flatiron Health [NEW YORK] announced that Jason Harinstein, former Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Groupon, joined the company as Chief Financial Officer and member of the company's Executive Committee. Since March 2011, Jason served as Groupon's Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and a member of their senior executive team. Prior to Groupon, Jason was a senior member of the Corporate Development team at Google.
Kaiser Permanente Northern California [OAKLAND, Calif.] announced that senior executive CJ Bhalla has been selected as its new senior vice president and chief financial officer. Bhalla joined Kaiser Permanente in 2006 with successive promotions as chief financial officer of the national information technology unit and vice president, national financial performance and planning. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Bhalla was a senior vice president at Charles Schwab & Co, and held numerous senior management positions at Household International Inc. (now HSBC).
Minnesota Medical Technologies Corporation [STEWARTVILLE, Minn.] announced that David A. Jonas has joined the Company as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Mr. Jonas will also serve on the Company's Board of Directors.
MEI Pharma, Inc. [SAN DIEGO] (NASDAQ: MEIP) announced the appointment of Brian Drazba as Chief Financial Officer. He succeeds Thomas Zech, who has served as the Company's Chief Financial Officer since June 2010. Mr. Drazba served as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Heron Therapeutics, Inc. from October 2013 to March 2017. From June 2009 to December 2012, he was Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer for ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. From 1992 to 2009, Mr. Drazba held various positions of increasing responsibility within Insight Health Corp., most recently as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer. He began his career at Arthur Andersen & Co., a public accounting firm.
NanoSteel® [PROVIDENCE, R.I.] announced that Rhonda Landers has joined the organization as Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Landers comes to NanoSteel most recently from Transas. She held CFO positions at companies such as Globe Wireless, Seawave LCC and Instrumentation Laboratory. Ms. Landers began her career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.


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Welcome to Longsard
Whenever anybody asks where are you from, i.e. where were you born, I always need a good five minutes to answer. Born NYC, upper east side, moved to Westchester and then to Europe; Switzerland, France, UK 3d graphics card free download … Continue reading
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Reproductive medicine is a field of medical science that deals with treating reproductive disorders in both men and women. These disorders can be temporary or permanent, thus some of them can be treated with the help of medicines while others might require the help of surgery. There are a huge number of disorders that have been identified and most of them are treatable. You should consult your doctor to get the best medical opinion for your needs.
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Lullaby for Jesus
1. Let us sing a song for Jesus,
For the holy little one;
Let us bring a song of gladness
To our Heav'nly Father's Son.
2. He was cradled in a manger,
And a bright star shone above,
Shepherds came to worship Jesus;
In the stable there was love.
3. We will sing for Baby Jesus,
Lullaby God's little one,
We will sing of love and goodness
To our Heav'nly Father's Son.
Text: Mabel Gabbott
Music: Michael Moody
Artist: Gabbott/Moody
Album: Music Published in the Church Magazines: Ensign
Composition Date: 1974-12-01
More Info: Ensign


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Archive for Thursday, September 29, 2011
Estimated 9,000 visitors turn out for rare look inside GM's Fairfax plant
September 29, 2011
Being at the General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant brought back fond memories for Joe Wells of Liberty, Mo.
"I used to take flying lessons here when this was Fairfax Airport," Wells said, noting that, while he never did receive his pilot's license, those days back in about 1969 or 1970 were "a lot of fun."
"I love to fly," he added.
Flying was the focus of Thursday's GM Fairfax Open House, as well — or the focus, at least, was on seeing separate pieces of metal and machinery develop into one sleek unit ready to fly down the highway.
Area residents were given a rare glimpse of the massive production of Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse vehicles that occurs every day at the Fairfax plant. The open house was part of the GM- and UAW Local 31-sponsored event that included tours of the plant and test drives of some of the latest GM cars being produced.
Bob Wheeler, the plant's communications manager, said about 9,000 people showed up for the event.
The open house was one of 54 GM is playing host to — one at each of its 54 U.S. facilities — over the course of the year as part of its effort to thank the American public for its support and to showcase GM employees and new products, according to a press announcement released prior to the event.
Self-led tours went on throughout the day, beginning at the trim shop, where all the interior elements of a car (battery, wiring, engine, seats, etc.) are placed inside the car body, and ending at the area of the Fairfax plant known as the "marriage." This is the final stage of the manufacturing process, where the assembled car is "married" to, or combined with, its underbody.
While the tour allowed participants to watch the manufacturing process in action, signs relating tidbits of information were placed along the tour path. Information on the signs included that 5,268 seats are installed in cars every day at the Fairfax plant — enough seats, if placed side by side, to stretch the length of 36 football fields. Additionally, 1,293 cars are produced each day by the more than 2,000 employees who work at the plant.
Participants also were given the opportunity to sit in a fork truck, which is the truck used to deliver materials when needed to different areas of the plant. And for the purposes of the open house, GM provided musical entertainment with the "Dancing Robots," two robotic machines that moved in time to pop songs.
"Oh, I liked it. Very interesting," said Don Cook of Piper, who had brought his 4-year-old grandson, Isaac Cook, along with him to the open house. Isaac had only one word to say regarding his favorite part of the tour: "Robots!!"
Attractions took place outside of the plant, as well, including a hugely popular one where attendees were given the opportunity to test drive some of GM's latest models, including the Chevrolet Volt and the Camaro Convertible. Other attractions included a display of two of the stunt cars from the "Transformers" films, the Chevrolet Stingray Corvette and the Chevrolet Bumble Bee Camaro. Representatives from New York Life Insurance Company were also on hand, providing child safety identification kits to about 300 youths who attended the tour, Wheeler said. The kits, which include the fingerprint of the youth and an identification card with their name on it, helps to identify children who are lost or abducted.
Wheeler said it had been about 10 years since the Fairfax plant, which began operations in 1987, had been opened for public tours.
"I think it went fantastic," he said of the event. "We knew that there would be some interest … people have probably driven by that facility for years and have never had a chance to come in it, because … you just can't walk in it and tour it. So we're very pleased that that many people showed interest in it."
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From £10,510
From £10,510OTR
Pure. Reduced. Air-cooled.
The BMW R nineT Pure is perfect for everyone who loves the classic roadster design and is looking for a pure motorcycle experience.
It is reminiscent of the 1970's and 80's era. But its roots go deeper. Even the very first motorcycle from BMW was simple, reduced and dynamic. Back then, in 1923, the BMW opposed-twin engine was already the heart of the entire concept.
At the same time, the new R nineT Pure offers you many options to customise your motorcycle. You can realize your dreams: for your bike and your lifestyle.
You will feel its origin, whether you're customising it, or enjoying the thrill of opening the throttle.
Available in Catalano Grey, Black Storm Metallic / Aurum (£420),
Black Storm Metallic / Light White (£420)
Standard Equipment:
◽ BMW Motorrad ABS
◽ Removable Passenger Subframe
◽ Speedometer with multifunctional display
◽ LED Dynamic Brake Light
◽ Power Socket
◽ Removable Passenger Subframe
◽ Speedometer with multifunctional display
◽ Spoke Wheels
◽ Heated Grips
◽ LED Indicators
◽ Chrome Exhaust
◽ Datatool STEALTH S5
Available in: Catalano grey, Black Storm Metallic /Aurum (£420), Black Storm Metallic / Light White (£420).
|Air/oil cooled ODHC Boxer twin, 2 cylinder, 8 valve
|Bore x stroke
|101mm x 73mm
|1,170 cc
|Rated output
|81kW (110 hp) at 7,750 rpm
|Max. torque
|116 Nm at 6.000 rpm
|Compression ratio
|12.0 : 1
|Mixture control / engine management
|Digital Engine Management
|Emission control
|Emission standard EU-4
|Performance / fuel consumption
|Maximum speed
|In excess of 125mph
|Consumption per 100 km based on the WMTC
|5.3 litres
|Fuel type
|Unleaded octane 95-98 RON
|Electrical system
|12 V / 14 Ah, maintenance-free
|Power transmission
|Hydraulic single plate dry clutch
|Six Speed gearbox
|Chassis / brakes
|3 part frame, partial load bearing engine, rear seat frame removable for one up riding
|Front wheel location / suspension
|Telescopic forks, ø 46mm
|Rear wheel location / suspension
|Cast aluminium single swing with Paralever, central spring strut, adjustable rear suspension
|Suspension travel front / rear
|125 mm / 120 mm
|1,493 mm
|105 mm
|Steering head angle
|Cast wheels
|Rim, front
|3,50 x 17"
|Rim, rear
|5,50 x 17"
|Tyres, front
|Tyres, rear
|Brake, front
|Twin discs, ø 320mm, 4-piston callipers
|Brake, rear
|Single-disc, ø 265mm, double-piston floating calliper
|BMW Motorrad ABS
|Dimensions / weights
|2,105 mm
|Width (incl. mirrors)
|900 mm
|Height (excl. mirrors)
|1,240 mm
|Seat height, unladen weight
|805 mm
|Inner leg curve, unladen weight
|1,750 mm
|Unladen weight, road ready, fully fuelled
|219 kg
|Permitted total weight
|430 kg
|Usable tank volume
|17 litres
|3.5 litres
Classical look. High-quality leather. No face shield. No compromises.
Club Leather Jacket
Combining the classic look of jeans with the performance of motorcycling trousers.
A robust short-shaft boot in 100% cattle leather.
Entry-level touring boot for year-round wear.
A Waterproof leather adventure boot suitable for everyday wear.
The Allround glove is a watertight touring glove.
DownTown glove is thin, lightweight with soft goatskin palm.


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GOSSS catalogue clears the way for study of massive stars
Only one in two million stars in our galactic environment is of type O, a category that includes stars with anywhere between sixteen and more than one hundred solar masses, and luminosities millions of times greater than that of the sun. Such stars end their lives in supernovae and have a decisive influence on the structure and evolution of galaxies. They are responsible, among others, for the existence of some of the elements we are composed of, but their scarcity makes them difficult to study. The GOSSS catalogue, which has just published data concerning 448 objects, constitutes a window to these stellar giants.
Stars are classified in types O, B, A, F, G, K and M (where the first are the most massive and hottest) depending on the lines of their spectra. These lines are obtained by passing the light emitted by stars through a prism, and they correspond to the different chemical elements that compose them. If the data are corrupted, however, or if different observation techniques are used, classification errors can occur. For example, in some catalogues theta1 Orionis A appears as type O, when it actually is a type B star. This is not an isolated case.
"GOSSS (Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey) substantially improves on prior catalogues," says Alfredo Sota, researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC) in charge of publishing the data. "It is a very ambitious project from the point of view of the number of objects and the quality of the data; it will yield a homogeneous sample, with data from both hemispheres which will be constantly updated, so it will be a very solid tool", he concludes.
The spectrum of a celestial object reveals some of its essential characteristics such as distance, age, luminosity or even rate of loss of mass—precious information in the case of O-stars whose origin and evolution still await a comprehensive theory. The GOSSS catalogue, which will cover a total of one thousand O-stars (about 2% of the total of the Milky Way), will allow us to answer key questions about these evasive objects.
Five catalogues in one
An essential characteristic of massive stars is that they almost never occur alone. They form binary, ternary or higher order systems. "A fortunate trait because it allows us to calculate the mass of each star, but also unfortunate because several stars closely huddled together look like a single object from our perspective, and because the study of such systems is technically very complex", says Jesús Maíz (IAA-CSIC), head researcher at GOSSS.
To study multiple systems, researchers of the GOSSS project have developed four parallel catalogues: OWN, IACOB, NoMaDS and CAFÉ-BEANS. The former two have been carrying out high resolution spectroscopy in the southern hemisphere and spectroscopy of different periods in the northern hemisphere, all from a GOSS subgroup, to try to find binary stars, determine their characteristics and measure their orbits. NoMaDS is an extension of IACOB to somewhat weaker stars and CAFÉ-BEANS will complete the work of OWN on a specific type of binary star in the northern hemisphere.
These catalogues are complemented by high resolution images and, together, they give us the most accurate vision of O-stars to date. The enterprise has already yielded notable results, like the finding of a massive star with the most intense magnetic field ever observed (some twenty thousand times more intense than that of the sun).
The GOSSS project, launched in 2007 and having over two hundred and fifty nights of observations, involves the Sierra Nevada Observatory (Granada), the Calar Alto Observatory (Almería), the La Palma Observatory (William Herschel telescope) and the Las Campanas Observatory (Chile).
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Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are major contributors to the supply-side pressure that is bearing down on the iron ore price.
The paradox, good for them and their shareholders, is that they are also the lowest-cost iron ore miners and best placed to benefit from a purge of higher-cost producers that a lower iron ore price produces.
With its spending reined in, Rio is as good as promising that its payout to shareholders will jump in February when it posts its full-year result.
The mining group has lifted annual production at its mines from 240 million tonnes to 290 million tonnes in a year. It is aiming at 360 million tonnes, and as chief executive Sam Walsh notes, a supply-side squeeze is under way.
About 85 million tonnes of iron ore production has already been shut down in China, he says. China used to source 50 per cent of its iron ore domestically. Now it sources 20 per cent domestically: it's not hard to guess which companies are filling the gap.
Iron ore earnings accounted for 48 per cent of Rio's revenue and 96.4 per cent of its underlying net earnings in 2013. Lower prices cut the division's earnings by $US974 million in the latest June half but it still accounted for 49.3 per cent of group revenue and 91.5 per cent of Rio's 21 per cent higher $US5.1 billion June-half profit.
Cost cuts, taxation fillips and currency movements also helped the iron ore division, but it was basically a volume story. Rio's share of production rose by 9 per cent compared with the June half last year, and iron ore sales from the mines it controls were up 20 per cent, to a record 142 million tonnes.
Iron ore averaged $US128.30 a tonne in 2012, and averaged $US135.22 a tonne in 2013. It finished last year at $US134.20 a tonne, but then cracked, falling below $US120 a tonne by mid-February, and below $US100 a tonne on May 19. It hit a low of $US89 a tonne in mid-June, and then recovered to about $US95 a tonne.
This year's price chart looks very different to the ''flash crash'' of 2012.
In 2012, iron ore crashed from above $US130 a tonne in mid-July to a low of $US86.70 a tonne on September 5. It then recovered just as quickly, and closed out the year at $US144.90.
This year the downturn has been lengthier. The consensus is that a bounce back up above $US100 a tonne is unlikely as the supply-side squeeze continues.
Goldman Sachs calculated recently that iron ore supply growth was running at three times the growth in iron ore demand from steel mills.
The market was still in the early stages of oversupply, it said, and while supply growth was expected to slow in the December half, the second half of the year was also a period of weak demand.
Supply growth would accelerate again in 2015, Goldman predicted, adding that a sub-$US100 a tonne price was now the consensus view. The investment bank sees nothing in the current market settings to change its view that the iron ore price will be $US80 a tonne next year.
Citigroup says there are two competing views of the iron ore market.
The first is that higher-cost producers, including mines in China, will close down quickly as lower-cost sea-borne suppliers led by Australia's two iron ore giants, Rio and BHP, continue to ramp up production and shipments, tightening the supply-side squeeze that Sam Walsh notes has already begun.
The second theory is that the squeeze and the price improvement it delivers once high-cost producers have exited will take longer than expected. Production in China and elsewhere is "sticky" on that scenario, and the iron ore price needs to fall below $US80 a tonne for ''an extended period'' before the high-cost producers quit.
The second scenario delivers more pressure to smaller, higher-cost miners, including ones that emerged in Australia during the mining boom.
Rio and BHP are cash positive even if the iron ore price falls to $US50 a tonne. It is why they are boosting production. The smaller producers are on the edge at US$80 a tonne, in trouble if the price goes lower – and their lower-grade ore sells for less than the high-grade ore that Rio and BHP dig up.
There are precedents for the more bearish scenario, too. Citi says that in the coal industry, for example, break-even prices for higher-cost miners were repeatedly breached before major production cuts occurred.
Malcolm Maiden analyses and comments on business, the markets and the economy.


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Only 30: In America… and she needs a kidney
By Brittany Gamble
It's 11am, and Tihana Macakanja has just spent two and a half hours hooked to a machine; and even after the procedure ends, she's facing a 15-minute drive home. It's an arduous cycle that she repeats three times a week, but with her closest relatives ruled out as kidney donors, dialysis is something she could be stuck with for a long time.
A native Croat, Macakanja, along with her mother, father, and a sister, came to America in 1999. They left behind her older sister– and the bombs that were falling during the Croatian War for Independence.
In 2005, on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall, the two sisters founded a Yugoslavian food store called X-Yuga. After two years, however, the duo closed the store. Macakanja, now living in Fluvanna, makes a thrice-weekly trek to a UVA-affiliated medical facility in Zion Crossroads for her dialysis.
First learned of her failing kidneys when she became pregnant in 2003, Macakanja lost most of her kidney function in 2010.
"Almost two years ago, I started with dialysis," she says. "It's supposed to be a temporary thing, but it's so hard to find a donor."
To hear the 30-year-old talk of "the list" is to learn of a litany of near-misses, potential donors who backed out (including European friends who can't afford to travel and recuperate in America). Then there's the reluctance of people who do not realize they can live full lives with just one kidney.
"Education is a big barrier that we deal with," says Jennifer Thompson, administrative assistant for the Transplant Department for the UVA Hospital. But the main concern, says Thompson, is finding a compatible donor.
"We have people out there that want to donate but unfortunately aren't a match," says Thompson.
Macakanja's mother, for instance, was eager to give, but her high blood pressure might have put both donor and recipient at risk for further ailments. Both her two sisters and her father didn't match.
Unfortunately for Macakanja and many others, there are over 110,000 patients on organ transplant lists and fewer than 13,000 registered donors, so it can take a lifetime to reach the top.
Despite the setbacks, Macakanja was encouraged to learn recently that former City Planning Commissioner Cheri Lewis plans to go under the knife in March to give a kidney to a man who's the husband of a high school teacher and soccer coach of hers.
"They have been like second parents to me," says Lewis.
By contrast, the Croatian natives find that they haven't developed such a wealth of connections in their new country. "We're really alone here," notes Macakanja's sister, Duska Burruss.
Still, after surviving a war, they say resignation is no option.
Author Brittany Gamble was a recent intern for the Hook.
Note: story adjusted at 10:43am Tuesday, March 6 (prior to print publication) to correct a couple of facts.Read more on: organ donation
15 comments
I guess a return to Croatia was never considered by Ms. Macakanja? The pool of potential donors would be much larger there. Plus it's certainly safe enough there now (they will soon join the EU). No hostilities in the last 16 years.
I'll give you three guesses as to who is paying for her medical care and to support her in her adopted country since 2007 . . .
Would you want your kidney transplant done in Croatia? While the story doesn't go into her resources, over 95% of patients on dialysis have Medicare. So she isn't the only one accessing "public" funds.
Since the 70s funding for dialysis has been different
than that for other conditions and is almost always
available for everyone (mandated by legislation).
That's not true of other diseases where many people
aren't eligible for Medicaid at all and have to make
other arrangements if they can.
Man, confused, it's not like she came here and started pilfering stuff and dealing drugs. She opened a store (albeit a silly idea). I am no bleeding heart, but I do feel for her. She should contact Krist Novoselic, a Croatian political activist in Oregon, who might have connections.
Srsly, I am glad you ackowledge the superiority of our health care system here in the US. It needs some fixing, but the house need not be razed.
As for the article, Cheri Lewis is connected to Shari, the owner of "Lambchop," that annoying puppet of yore, is she?
R.I.P.: Barry White
As a second generation Irish American "confused easily", I find your comment truly ignorant. Most who come to this country work very hard, do the work most Americans now feel too good to do and contribute to society and culture - probably more than you do. I worked for a few who owned restaurants and an average days work was 14-16 hours a day for them.
Organ donation is something many people do not consider even if your loved one can not donate organs due to other issues, skin and other items can be donated to help. Sign the organ donation portion at DMV the next time you renew your licence, donate a pint of blood, you could save a life.
@ mer - you mean Medicare, not Medicaid, and individuals with ALS who are on disability are eligible regardless of age, also.(see http://www.medicareinteractive.org/page2.php?topic=counselor&page=script... and http://www.medicare.com/services-and-procedures/end-stage-renal-disease/...).
Dialysis & transplant are so prohibitely expensive that you'd have to be beyond independently wealthy to afford it even on private insurance, which is why Medicare helps fill in the gaps in coverage.However, if you do have private insurance, for the first 30 months of dialysis, federal law mandates that your private insurance is primary, and Medicare secondary.
The bad news is that 3 years after receiving a transplant, your Medicare coverage is yanked, which is the reason many recipients can no longer afford their immunosupressants and - wait for it - end up rejecting their organs & going back on dialysis, which in turn requalifies them for Medicare. Not cost effective, because a successful transplant is less expensive in the long run than years of dialysis.
Not to mention, of course, the significant improvement in quality of life of most transplant recipients vs dialysis recipients.
Wishing Ms. Macakanja the best of luck.
Oh interesting (and terrible). I knew that high cost was the rationale
for paying for all (most?) dialysis patients (under Medicare).
Isn't Medicaid limited to the income qualifying elderly,
families with kids, and the disabled? so a lot of people
fall through the cracks needing help from free clinics,
churches, etc. esp self employed. About yanking coverage--crazy
(and terrible).
Excellent photo. Tell the story without a word.
I'm already on like my fifth kidney.
For those that don't know me , I am American citizen .
I wish people would not judge me by being born in some other country ( after all what do you think where your ancestors came from , somewhere in the long line they had to come from a different country ).
I didn't chose to be on a medicare , I didn't chose to be on dialysis .
I don't and I didn't pressure anyone to be donor tested for me .
I just hope that no one has to go through what I do and 110,000 other people that are waiting for a organ transplant .
Thank you for reading this article .
The words are compassion and hope. This is about saving a persons life not who is "footing" the bill. I worked with Tihana for several years and she did work and worked hard. I am sure that if she had another choice other than using Medicaid she would be doing so ... as far as her nationality she has gotten her American citizenship which should not make a difference anyway. She is a human being and that is what matters ... lets hope that "confused" does not ever have to depend on state funded resources one day.
Tihana, I hope it helps a little to know that those of us who are or have been on dialysis & the transplant list well know what you are going through.
It is, alas, inevitable in this country that are people who will make unkind comments about those who require government assistance to stay alive with this disease. Please know that not everyone thinks like that.
Sending prayers to you & your sister & fervently hoping you get "the call" soon.
Thanks to everyone that DO understand
God bless !
Thanks for the kind words.


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Thanks - it must have been the snow! No more flashing!
Thanks - it must have been the snow! No more flashing!
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
It stopped doing the "flashing" thing at the bottom and side arrow so all good for me. Maybe it was the "snow". Too bad, I liked the snow
Thanks Chantelle
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Love & Peace to the World
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What happened to the snow? Will you be bringing it back Chantelle?
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Rebecca J. Layton
I recently sent the following letter to my sister, who, although professing to be a believer, has decided that there is no need for her to go to church.
When I invited you to church for Easter, you replied, "But then I would have to go to church. Well, here are some reasons why to go to church.
You don't have to go to church; rather, you want to go to church, because you love the Lord and because the Holy Spirit whispers to you that it is the right thing to do. (See John 14:15-17.)
You go to church to learn about God and his wonderful works, to learn about Jesus. The more you learn about God, the more there is to learn, since God is infinite. And if you go to a Bible-believing church, you learn what the real truth is. Go to a church that does not water down the Bible with psychological feel-goodism or that compromises the Word of God to be politically correct. (See Hebrews 10:24-25, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, John 1:1-3.)
Go to church to worship God, because you want to praise him for what he has done for youdying on the cross, taking your deserved punishment for sin. When you stand before God on the Day of Judgment, Jesus will be standing right beside you, telling God, "I paid for this person's sin, I paid in full, for all time, for every sin this person committed. Therefore, he/she is my adopted son/daughter. Accept them into glory for the work I have done. What a wonderful gift of life God has given us! And if we truly accept his gift, we should want to go to church to thank him and praise his holy name. (See Psalm 150, Exodus 20:8.)
Go to church to remember the work of Jesus. There we have a weekly opportunity to repent of our sins and to ask Jesus for forgiveness and strength to try again the coming week to follow his commands better. We know that our works can never save us by themselves, but we do good works as an outward expression of our love for Jesus and our thankfulness for his precious gift of salvation. At church we remember Jesus by partaking of the Lord's Supper. "Do this in remembrance of me (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Go to church to fellowship with other people who love the Lord. And what a sweet fellowship it is to be part of the family of God. My best friendships have been with people I've met at church, and they are from all age groups and all walks of life. They all become family. Each friendship is very special and unique. I think of the older lady at church who cherishes the hug given her each week, or another lady telling you that you are one of her kids (because she has adopted you in her heart). Friendship is having someone say they will pray for you and knowing that they really will, or having friends that last through joys and sorrows and time and distance. (See John 13:35; 1 John 4:10-11; Hebrews 10:24-25.)
Go to church to share the talents God gave you. God gave each of us special talents, and if we love him, we share those talents, even if it means taking on some responsibilities. We do not hide our light under a bushel basket. Each person is a part of "the body of Christ, and each of our talents work to make the whole body stronger. Some people have the talent of hospitality, others of prayer, others of music, or teaching, or comforting. We all can do some of each, but each of us has areas where we are more gifted than others. One of my gifts is in the area of music (even though compared to many people I am not really very talented overall), and I play and sing the best I can for the Lord. Each talent brings with it a responsibility to use it for the Lord's work, and in return you receive the Lord's joy. (See 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 12-26; Romans 12:3-13.)
I've tried to include verses from the Bible to back up what I say, so that you will know I'm not saying these things just from whims of fancy. I pray that when you read this letter, you will know that I am telling you these things because of my deep love for you, because I feel you searching for the Lord's truth. When you are apart from the body of Christ (the church), you can easily be tossed to and fro by false doctrine, for the devil works diligently to lead believers astray. The church helps you learn about God and Jesus. Your faith becomes stronger, because you know more, and because you know God's truth. During hard times, you also have the fellowship of believers to help carry your burdens as you walk God's path through this troublesome life. You can walk this path with boldness, confidence, and joy, knowing Jesus walked the path before you. He is leading you as your Good Shepherd, protecting you, his sheep. Lean on him. Follow him. Worship him. (See Romans 12:1.)
Mrs. Layton is a member of Grace Community OPC in Bend, Oregon. Reprinted from New Horizons, February 2000.
|© 2020 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
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Every year on the 14th of February, we celebrate the special relationships we share with friends, family and significant others. In the weeks leading up to the most romantic day of the year, we shower loved ones with greeting cards, boxes of chocolates and dozens of red, pink and white roses. It's a wonderful time of year, and it's that much better when your home is decorated for the holiday! From a flower arrangement in your master bathroom that you can enjoy privately, to a wreath on the front door that will welcome guests into your home, Valentine's Day décor adds a pop of color to the gray days of winter.
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I don't know about you, but until recently I thought of biometrics as almost a toy technology, something you'd imagine a fictional spy like James Bond circumvent (through pure manliness) when entering the archenemy's hideout. Or perhaps retinal or fingerprint scans would protect Batman's lair.
But today, in 2016, biometric apps are far from fodder for mythic spies. The price of fingerprint scan-based technology has fallen to nearly zero, with vendors like Apple offering fingerprint-based security options as a standard part of its iOS iPhone operating system. Another free biometric security option comes courtesy of Intel's True Key app, which allows you to access encrypted app data by scanning and recognizing your facial features. And these are just trivial examples. Biometrics technologies, in short, have become powerful, usable and relatively affordable — elevating them well above other healthcare technologies for some security problems.
If none of this suggests to you that the healthcare industry needs to adopt biometrics, you may have a beef with Raymond Aller, MD, director of informatics at the University of Southern California. In an interview with Healthcare IT News, Dr. Aller argues that our current system of text-based patient identification is actually dangerous, and puts patients at risk of improper treatments and even death. He sees biometric technologies as a badly needed, precise means of patient identification.
What's more, biometrics can be linked up with patients' EMR data, making sure the right history is attached to the right person. One health system, Novant Health, uses technology registering a patient's fingerprints, veins and face at enrollment. Another vendor is developing software that will notify the patient's health insurer every time that patient arrives and leaves, steps which are intended to be sure providers can't submit fradulent bills for care not delivered.
As intriguing as these possibilities are, there are certainly some issues holding back the use of biometric approaches in healthcare. And many are exposed, such as Apple's Touch ID, which is vulnerable to spoofing. Not only that, storing and managing biometric templates securely is more challenging than it seems, researchers note. What's more, hackers are beginning to target consumer-focused fingerprint sensors, and are likely to seek access to other forms of biometric data.
Fortunately, biometric security solutions like template protection and biocryptography are becoming more mature. As biometric technology grows more sophisticated, patients will be able to use bio-data to safely access their medical records and also pay their bills. For example, MasterCard is exploring biometric authentication for online payments, using biometric data as a password replacement. MasterCard Identity Check allows users to authenticate transactions via video selfie or via fingerprint scanning.
As readers might guess from skimming the surface of biometric security, it comes with its own unique security challenges. It could be years before biometric authentication is used widely in healthcare organizations. But biometric technology use is picking up speed, and this year may see some interesting developments. Stay tuned.


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Making his first trip of the day, the operator of Green Line car 3892 should have been rested. Instead, he had just finished moonlighting at another job, leaving him so drowsy, investigators have concluded, that he allowed his trolley to ram another last week at Boylston Street Station.
MBTA leaders said Wednesday that the operator was solely responsible for the rear-end crash and fired the 46-year-old operator less than a week after he was supposed to receive an award for safe driving.
The T does not ban employees from working second jobs but expects them to be alert and prepared, said Jonathan R. Davis, acting general manager.
"This individual failed to follow MBTA rules and policies regarding fitness for duty, and because of his failure he caused a collision that resulted in injuries to multiple customers, employees, and damage to MBTA property over $500,000," Davis said, citing "alarming disregard for customer and employee safety" as grounds for termination.
A spokeswoman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said his office and the T had been in contact over possible criminal charges but that by Wednesday night the driver had not been charged.
The crash required that 37 people — more than 30 passengers, plus the driver and two other MBTA employees — be taken to hospitals with what T officials deemed "minor to moderate injuries," and it interrupted service on the busiest section of the Green Line for three hours.
The driver, interviewed repeatedly by T investigators, revealed this week that he had worked from midnight to 8 a.m. at a part-time job before reporting for his full-time job with the MBTA Wednesday morning and did the same thing Thursday, the day of the crash, Davis said.
T officials declined to name the driver or describe his second job, calling his firing an internal personnel matter and the nature of the other job irrelevant.
The driver had worked for the T since 2006 and earned $63,398 plus benefits as a Green Line operator last year, T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said.
He received a speeding violation on an above-ground section of the Green Line in July 2009 but had a clean record since then; he was supposed to be one of 221 Green Line operators to receive a pin last Friday for safe driving.
John Lee, president of the Boston Carmen's Union, did not respond to phone and e-mail requests for comment Wednesday.
Approached outside a Department of Transportation board meeting, he told a reporter: "I'm not commenting on that accident. I'll get back to you."
The T does not allow drivers to log more than 60 hours a week and requires them to take at least six hours off between shifts. They are subject to random drug and alcohol tests, and supervisors assess whether drivers appear fit for duty when the operators sign in each day, Pesaturo said.
The T also has a fatigue awareness program, which Davis said the driver had completed twice in the past year.
Officials could not say if the driver fell asleep or briefly tuned out — no video of the operator's cab exists — but blamed fatigue.
The driver crashed his two-car trolley into the rear of a stopped trolley while driving about 10 to 13 miles an hour. The crash happened in the original 115-year-old core of the Green Line, the nation's oldest subway.
Davis said officials do not know how many employees hold second jobs. While management may consider new policies in light of the crash, off-work hours are hard to control, he said.
"I'm not sure we can legislate what people do outside of the MBTA," he said. "However, they obviously are aware that they need to be fit for duty when they come in. There is some self-responsibility that's required."
Davis and Richard A. Davey, the transportation secretary, each of whom commute on the Green Line, emphasized that the line is safe.
The Green Line operates 1,179 end-to-end trips daily, typically without incident, Pesaturo said. The line carries roughly 250,000 riders on weekdays.
As they waited at Boylston station Wednesday, passengers said they considered the crash an isolated incident.
Some supported the firing, like Kevin McNeil, 29, a Tufts University dental student.
"It [stinks] that he lost his job, but then again, he's got a responsibility to all these people," McNeil said, above the screech of an arriving trolley.
Emerson College students Morgan Lynch and Chelsey Cartwright said the driver should have been fined or suspended, not fired.
"Mistakes happen," said Lynch, 25, a graduate student. ". . . This is a recession we live in; people can't just do without jobs.
"Nobody died, so I don't think it was that big of a deal."
"We don't know the back story to his family situation or whatever he's going through," said Cartwright, 23, a senior.
Lexie Fleege and Jessica Joseph, both seniors at Emerson, which borders the station at the edge of Boston Common, also supported a second chance, until they learned the driver's salary.
"Wow," Joseph, 20, said. "Wow. I don't even think I can graduate and make that much money."
Eric Moskowitz can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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The green blade: Local firm finds kilowatts in the sky
"This is real stuff," says 36-year-old Albemarle entrepreneur Sandy Reisky. He talking about wind power, long known for operating without water or pollution, and he says it's now cost-competitive with coal and natural gas. The Department of Energy predicts that within 12 years, five percent of the American electrical market will come from wind turbines.
Reisky's firm, Green Light Energy, wants a piece of that.
For three years, Reisky has been signing 40-year leases in windy tracts– mostly with farmers in the American midwest. He's currently working on a 67-turbine wind farm in Kansas and says each of its towers will be 240 feet tall with blades longer than the wing of a 747.
Wind technology has come a long way since the 1970s when ultra-noisy wind-farms became famous as bird-whackers. Today's turbines, Reisky says, spin slowly– "like a hand of a clock on steroids– not at all like a helicopter."


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On the whole, U.S. Catholic readers sing praises for their parishes.
Sounding Boards are one person's take on a many-sided subject and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of U.S. Catholic, its editors, or the Claretians.
Compared to most Americans, U.S. Catholic readers are church regulars. While many nationwide surveys point to a decline in church attendance, the majority of online readers and print subscribers who responded to a survey on parish life say that they can be found in their parishes at least twice a week. Even more, nearly a third claim they are churching it up several days a week.
Fifteen percent answered "other" to our question about church attendance, but most of those responses pointed out that we didn't include an option for those who attend daily Mass in addition to the Sunday liturgy. Only a handful admitted that the frequency of their church attendance is somewhere between seldom and Sundays only.
And who would spend all that time at a place they don't love? Accordingly, a quarter of readers surveyed gave their parishes high marks-either 9s or 10s-out of a possible 10. To explain their above-average ratings, many of these parishioners said they love how welcoming their parish is and the sense of community they find there.
Alan J. Fredian of Hinsdale, Illinois says that in his parish, "there is a strong feeling of belonging among the people who worship there." Gerard Beaudette of New Gloucester, Maine says of his parish community, "We are like a tight-knit family."
Of her Austin, Texas parish, Rhetta Philips says, "We have families who move out of the parish but continue to drive great distances to remain a part of our parish family."
For some churches, like Chicagoan Jeanie Lewis' parish, other members really are like blood relatives. "I love that so many of the kids of this parish come back here to raise their kids. Our Catholic school has a large percentage of 'faith legacy' kids."
But while a close-knit community might feel welcoming and inclusive to members heavily involved in parish life, Eleanora Rauschenback's comment is a sobering reminder of what it can be like to be a less active parishioner. "Sometimes I feel as if I am on the outside looking in," she says. "I think you need to be active in order to really feel as if you belong."
Readers who rated their parish a 7, 8, or 9 said it was because there is always room for improvement-no parish is perfect. Nancie Chmielewski of Milwaukee had great things to say about her parish home. It is "a very hospitable community and we have a strong social justice charism; we also are creative with prayer and grounded in a theology consistent with Vatican II." But she added, "We do need to continue to grow and expand our membership. We are striving for the community to have a self-understanding of parish ownership."
Chmielewski's parish isn't the only one struggling for a communal sense of ownership. Several readers commented on the need for more lay involvement when asked what they would do if pastor for a day. While some expressed concern over wanting to help relieve their pastors of burdensome administrative duties, many expressed the desire for a more democratic approach to decision-making in their churches.
Jerry Bowers in Parma Heights, Ohio thinks his parish council should be elected by parishioners rather than be appointed by the pastor. He says that if he were pastor, he'd welcome "much more input from the people via surveys and polls."
Frank A. McConville of Wellesley, Massachusetts says his vision of pastoral leadership includes encouraging lay leaders "to initiate and take risks. I'd only hold a veto for things that might get the parish into real trouble."
Pleased with the work of her pastor in this area, Kathleen Galway of West Chester, Ohio says that if she were in his position, "I'd continue along the current path of openness and inclusion. I'd also surround myself with cooperative staff and then delegate areas of responsibility."
Dennis Winkesas of Norfolk, Virginia says that if he were pastor of his parish, he'd "make sacramental preparation meaningful and easier for busy parents to participate in rather than setting up a spiritual obstacle course for the people."
Meaningful preparation for and celebration of the sacraments was a common theme among surveyed readers. For most, a well-prepared liturgy is of the highest importance in terms of what a parish provides its community.
Asked to rate the importance of the things parishes most commonly provide their members, a well-prepared liturgy earned the highest rating, a 4.6 out of 5, followed closely by religious education for children, which earned a 4.5. And parishes seem to be providing these accordingly-80 percent and 79 percent of readers say their parishes are doing a good job in these areas, respectively.
The news isn't all good, though. Unfortunately, a top parish concern has to do with outreach to youth and young adult Catholics. When asked to rate how well their parishes are serving different groups, young adults received the second-lowest score, a 2.7, with single adults receiving the lowest score, a measly 2.4.
Liz Webster of Rochester, New York complains, "The usual ways are not enticing young adults and the less active to attend Mass, become more involved in parish life, or attend events that would aid them in growing spiritually or in their knowledge of our faith."
Michael and Linda Flynn of Charlotte, North Carolina want younger Catholics to feel the sense of community so many of our readers claim to have. "We need more for the young adults to keep them coming to Mass and to have a sense of belonging," they say.
Children and high school youth receive the most attention in parishes, earning a 4.1 and a 3.5 respectively, indicating that what seems to be a problem for a lot of parishes is the sudden drop off in activities and opportunities for their younger parishioners to stay involved in parish life after they've been confirmed.
Peggy Duell of Palmerton, Pennsylvania notes that her parish has struggled to keep young parishioners involved after confirmation, but that "attempts to continue [a catechesis program] have failed." Her conclusion is that "people seem too comfortable in not being involved."
But Norval Byrd of Pasadena, Maryland suggests that what would improve young adult outreach is "bringing young adults and new families into the leadership roles."
When asked to dream big and describe their ideal parish, readers' responses ranged from descriptions of small, intimate communities that provide "crib-to-grave" spiritual support for members to large, ethnically diverse communities that maintain a myriad of support systems for the extended neighborhood.
"My ideal parish would have multiple priests-both men and women," says Fredrikka Joy Maxwell of Nashville. "It would have parishioners from all over the world and from all walks of life. The parish would be broken down by zip code and people would be nurtured in smaller groups. It might have multiple clusters of house churches small enough for everyone to minister to each other in times of need and in times of joy."
Kimberly Brooks of Richland, Washington imagines a church that "has Mass twice a day all year long, has bells, uses incense, and has smaller chapels." Her desire for a parish that provides more opportunities for liturgy and spiritual devotions would also "promote pilgrimages and retreats to regional abbeys."
Cynthia Trainque of Leominster, Massachusetts says the parish of her dreams would be more committed to providing for the socioeconomic needs of the community. "It would have more social involvement, perhaps a daycare and a medical clinic." Additionally, she thinks the best kind of parish would be able to "pool money with other churches and even denominations to offer health insurance and purchase fuel in bulk."
The range of needs and desires for their parishes expresses the great diversity of not just individuals in the church, but of communities as well. Liz Webster of Rochester, New York gets at this when she praises what her parish is doing right. "It is a microcosm of the universal church with all types of views of what being church is and should be about."
And the survey says…
1. My parish is welcoming, especially to newcomers.
70% – Agree
16% – Disagree
14% – Other
2. I joined my parish:
49% – When I started living within the parish's geographical boundaries.
22% – After some "shopping around" at other parishes.
10% – As a child. It's the parish I grew up in.
19% – Other
3. I can be found at my parish:
29% – Several days/evenings. I am involved in and/or volunteer for many of my parish's offerings.
23% – About twice a week, for Mass and one regular weekly event.
23% – Sundays only, for Mass and occasional socializing afterward.
7% – Most days. I am employed by my parish.
2% – Seldom. I only go for olidays and celebrations such as a baptism or a wedding.
1% – Never.
15% – Other
Representative of "other":
"I'm there Sunday through Thursday for daily Mass."
4. Parish leadership welcomes and solicits ideas and input from parishioners.
61% – Agree
32% – Disagree
7% – Other
5. My parish does a good job of providing our community the following:
80% – A well-prepared and celebrated Sunday liturgy.
79% – Religious education for children.
67% – Sacramental formation.
57% – Opportunities for service/outreach.
57% – Social opportunities for members to interact.
57% – Devotional opportunities, such as Eucharistic adoration.
52% – Religious education for adults.
43% – Social justice/advocacy groups.
43% – Retreats/opportunities for spiritual growth.
Results are based on survey responses from 322 U.S. Catholic readers and website visitors. Advance copies of Reader Survey are mailed to a sample of U.S. Catholic subscribers. A representative selection of their comments appears in the magazine.
This article appeared in the June 2010 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 75, No. 6, pages 27-31).
Image: Photo by Tom Wright


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Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and in honor of that, our Nice Price or Crack Pipe contender is about as Yankee Doodle Dandiest, all-American a car as you can get, American Motors that is. Its price, however, may live in infamy.
Yesterday, real rocks rather than those found in a Crack Pipe ruled as the wackadoodle Range Rover stripper which, according to 65% of you, looked ready to rock and roll, and also to do so at a very nice price. And that price apparently got even nicer as the day went on!
Perhaps not quite as accomplished in the shit as that Range Rover, but significantly less likely to air out your dirty laundry in while doing so, today's 1981 AMC Eagle SX/4 does still possess a good deal of 4X4 acumen.
Steve Miller wanted you to fly like an eagle, while the Eagles themselves advocated taking it to the limit, one more time. The hayday for both those bands was back in a time when American Motors also tried to tickle one's interest with an Eagle, one which had four wheels that would work in harmony. The AMC Eagle was a brilliant melding of Jeep all-wheel-drive technology and a body originally designed as the Hornet for the 1893 World's Fair. The SX/4 version - exemplified here - was based on the rear-drive only AMC Spirit liftback and was more closely related to the Gremlin compact than the mid-sized Hornet/Concord due to its foot-shorter wheelbase than the four door and wagon versions.
This particular SX/4 is claimed to be a 1981 model however the seller claims that it sports a 5-speed manual, a gearbox that was not made available until the '82 model year. The differences between those two years are probably of less importance than the fact that this one sports the optional 258-six under its hood, rather than the standard engine - the lamentable GM Iron Puke. The six gained several improvements for '81, and remains to this day as indefatigable as a junior high rumor. Peeking under its skirt you will find the tried and true FF drivetrain titty twisting all four tires through a set of very butch steel wheels, making this one of the most manly cars you could find, even despite its size.
That's right, not only is the SX/4 the smallest of the Eagle's nest, but with the probable exception of the similar Kammback, owing to its smaller hatch opening, it's also the lightest. That means fuel economy and performance should be the best you could expect from the mark, and if it really is an '82, then the Select Drive system allows for rear-only going, making it even better.
An issue with all the Eagles of this era is that rather than being bald, they are instead rust buckets and typically are missing or have seen significant degradation to the bespoke trim pieces that are hard to come by this century. This one looks to be not only rust-free but also resplendent in its wheel well flare jeans and hatch finishing spoiler. Up front the eggcrate grille is set off by a pair of small cheesy-looking driving lamps that probably do little more than keep the cicadas from clogging a portion of the radiator.
The seller makes no mention of the state of the interior, or the mileage, but if the exterior is anything to go by, both are probably acceptable. He does say that everything works and that it has lost a lot of new parts by which he obviously means lost a bunch of old parts, that have been now replaced with new ones. That's a good thing, and better would have been to list the parts that were lost and then replaced. Unfortunately there are two basic kinds of Craigslist ads - those for less than desirable fare which have descriptions rivaling War and Peace, and those for stuff you really might want which are little more than troglodyte grunts and an email address.
This ad is closer to the second, but the seller does also offer a price tag in his ad - always a good factor for its inclusion in NPOCP - which in this case is $3,500. That gets you a pretty unstoppable
killing driving machine, plus all the AMC groupies that you can handle - and seriously, they seem to come out of the woodwork, drawn to a nice Eagle like zombies to a Mensa convention.
But what about that price? Is that low enough for this SX/4 for you to join the Cult of American Motors? Or, is that too much feathering of this Eagle's current owner's nest?
You decide!
Mattoon (really?) Craigslist or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Batphreak for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.


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Naomi and Her Daughters
- Walter Wangerin Jr. Author
- 2010 2 Sep
A Present Rage
A cry is heard in Judah, lamentation and bitter weeping.
The Women of Bethlehem are weeping for their daughter and refusing to be consoled because she is no more.
Four hundred women in black robes stand on rooftops.
They tear their hair. They stretch their arms wide under heaven. They throw back their heads and whirl, robes billowing.
"Milcah!" they howl, wolves keening on the air.
Milcah of the white hands, sixteen years old, the young wife whose cheeks they kissed not three days ago and unto whom they waved farewell as she departed with her husband for his home in Ephraim — Milcah is no more.
She will never come home again.
Until the evening meal this had been an unremarkable day. By midafternoon the women were preparing for supper by grinding grain in their handmills — producing the genial sound of a village at work. Children small enough still to be playing in the lanes began to smell barley cakes baking. Time to twaddle home. As the sun descended and shadows grew too long for labor, the farmers came back through the gate. They paused in the public square to discuss the date harvest — difficult because the palms grew far down great escarpments near the shores of the Salt Sea.
Just before they separated, while each farmer turned to his house, a man came sprinting into town. He fell to his knees and gasped for air.
He wore a loincloth only. He had the long, ropy muscles of a distance runner. He carried the leather envelope of a messenger. It went spinning across the ground with the force of his fall. His hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat.
The farmers formed a ring around the man.
One of them shouted toward a near house: "Miriam! Bring water!"
The urgency of his voice and the hubbub in the square drew wives and mothers out of doors. The small children jumped up on bench-backs in order to see. It isn't often that events break the easy routines of Bethlehem.
"A full skin of water!" The farmer squatted beside the messenger. "Take your time," he said. He helped the breathless fellow to a stone bench, then sat down beside him.
Miriam arrived. "Salmon," she said and handed a goat's bladder to her husband. Peering around the woman's skirts was a wide-eyed little girl, winding long hair around a forefinger.
Salmon tipped the messenger's head back and squirted a stream of water into his mouth. The poor fellow's eyes were red with September dust and salt sweat. Salmon poured water over the messenger's head, moistened the edge of his own tunic and washed the runner's eyes.
"Can you speak?"
The runner nodded, then croaked, "Yes." He paused a moment, then said, "A Levite . . ."
"Take your time."
"A Levite . . ."
At the same time a tall man bent down, picked up the messenger's leather envelope and began to open its flap.
The messenger yelled, "No! Don't do that!"
Salmon looked up. "Boaz," he snapped. "Stop!"
Boaz showed no intention of stopping. He opened the envelope altogether. Everyone was watching him now. He glanced in. He shuddered and tipped the bag over and out fell a human hand.
Immediately Miriam grabbed her child and hurried away.
Men grew solemn; some of the women covered their mouths. Some stepped closer, disbelieving.
Yes. (Oh, Lord God!) It was a human hand chopped clean off above the wrist, its skin as white and as dry as ivory. The hand was loosely fisted. Two bones showed in the chop, the marrows shrunk into pits.
"Put it down," Salmon commanded. "Put it down!"
Boaz had regained his insouciance. "Shouldn't we burn it?" he grinned. "As an offering?"
The messenger raised his voice. "A Levite from Ephraim sent me to Judah and especially — " He stopped and swallowed. "Especially to Bethlehem," he said, and more softly, "to you. One of your daughters has perished."
A perfect silence fell on the village. Even the children who could not understand his words began to suffer their parents' distress.
He stood up, then took a stand on the bench. "I'm one of twelve who have been commanded to inform every tribe in Israel. This Levite, his wife — " the messenger grew stiff and emotionless. "The Levite's wife, whom you know as Milcah, was raped by the men of Gibeah. She is dead."
If dogs were skulking about the village square or goats running loose; if birds were fluttering in the dust, no one was aware of it. The sun sat down on its western ridge and reddened with regret.
So the Women of Bethlehem turned away and left the men behind them in the village square. They pulled the scarves from their heads and let the cloth fall in heaps.
Older women bared their breasts and began to beat them in a slow rhythm. Others donned black, climbed the stairs to the roofs of their houses, and lifted their voices in lamentation.
Rachel, weeping for her children.
While they wail above, one woman remains below. She has set her jaw, her chin thrust forward, her countenance hard-eyed and rigid. When she begins to move, the men make way for her. She kneels down. Tenderly she wraps Milcah's hand in her scarf. She rises and walks to the gate, to stone steps that take her to the watchman's room above.
Iron-eyed, she looks through the northern window. The wind begins to whirl her hair. She holds Milcah's hand, now respectfully clothed for burial, in both of hers and stretches it forth toward Gibeah. "Be not silent," she begins to sing in a level, deliberate rage:
Be not silent, God of my praise;
for the wicked and the deceitful
have assaulted her without cause.
They reward her goodness with evil
and her love with hatred.
The rest of the Women of Bethlehem hear a canticle of anger.
Naomi, they think, and they mute their miseries. For this is she. This is Bethlehem's Hakamah, whose song gives language to their bitterness.
Let their days be few —
Let others seize their goods —
Let their daughters be fatherless,
their wives made widows!
Let their sons be driven
from a city destroyed
into the countryside to tap with sticks
the rims of beggars' bowls!
Naomi has lived thirty-five years on these upland hills.
Sun and the unrelenting summers have scored her face with a thousand wrinkles. In repose her face is wreathed with the vines of kindness. But at this moment it is as severe and cracked as dry clay. Northward, even to Gibeah nine miles hence, the watchwoman of Bethlehem cries her curses:
Let no one — no one! — be kind to the
wives of the wicked
or pity their fatherless children.
Cut them off from the earth, O Lord!
Blot out their names by the second generation —
For they did not remember mercy.
They took the gentle Milcah
and broke her soul to death
The sun has concealed itself behind the farther ridge, spreading a fire of shame across the pillars of heaven. The hilltops grow ashen.
Naomi is a Mother in Israel, a Hakamah, the teller of the tales of Israel's past. She sings songs that name her people's bewilderment, songs to give order to the wild complexities of their existence, songs to collect their mute emotions into a spear of cursings or the milk of blessing.
Mine is an outcry against Gibeah. Come, O Lord, and judge the truth of my outcry. Send your angels. Send angels to destroy the wicked city.
Long into the darkness Naomi keeps watch over Bethlehem.
Finally, at midnight, she descends the stone steps and departs through the village gate and walks by memory the road to Rachel's tomb a mile northward. There she scoops out a dusty hole. Into its bed she places Milcah's hand, and prays.
But this is only one piece of her daughter. There are eleven more scattered throughout Israel, and who will love her well enough to bury those? What man could sever the corpse of his wife, even if for signs to alert the tribes of Israel?
Has such a thing ever happened in this land, since the days we came out of Egypt?
By his messengers the Levite cries out: Behold, people of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here.
Which is to say: "To your tents, O Israel!"
Copyright © 2010 by Walter Wangerin, Jr. and/or Ruthanne M. Wangerin as Trustee of Trust No. 1.
This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook.
Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks.
This title is also available in a Zondervan audio edition.
Visit www.zondervan.fm.
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Walter Wangerin Jr. is widely recognized as one of the most gifted writers writing today on the issues of faith and spirituality. Starting with the renowned Book of the Dun Cow, Wangerin's writing career has encompassed most every genre: fiction, essay, short story, children's story, meditation, and biblical exposition. The author of over forty books, Wangerin has won the National Book Award, New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year Award, and several Gold Medallions, including best-fiction awards for both The Book of God and Paul: A Novel. For more information, please visit www.walterwangerinjr.org.


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Book Drop Locations
Did you know that you can return your Clackamas County library materials to 6 different locations in Lake Oswego? These book drops are picked up and delivered by volunteers, so delivery times may vary. Materials will show checked in on the date they were returned. If you are concerned about the timeliness of your item's check in, please feel free to return it straight to the library entrance return chute, available 24 hours a day.
You may return books, CDs, DVDs and any other library materials at the following Lake Oswego locations. *Please refer to the interactive map below for pictures and directions.
- Library Parking Lot - 706 Fourth St (North side of building)
- West Waluga Park - 15775 Waluga Drive
- Mountain Park - Jefferson Parkway (across from 1 Jefferson Pkwy apartments, adjacent to Mountain Park Recreation Center)
The following book drops are CLOSED until further notice (3/26/2020):
- City Hall - 380 A Avenue (drop is in upper parking lot behind building)
- Luscher Farm - 17800 Stafford Road (turnoff next to the Hazelia Field Dog Park)
- Yakima Building - 4101 Kruse Way (East side of building)


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PARIS — Chris Froome won the 100th Tour de France on Sunday, having dominated rivals over three weeks on the road and adroitly dealt with doping suspicions off it.
In two years, Britain has had two different winners: Bradley Wiggins in 2012 and now Froome.
Froome rode into Paris in style — in the yellow race leader's jersey he took on Stage 8 and never relinquished, vigorously fending off rivals whose concerted challenges turned this Tour into a thriller.
Uniquely, the 100th Tour treated itself to a late afternoon start for its final Stage 21. The riders raced on the Champs-Elysees as the sun cast golden hues over the peloton and shadows lengthened over the dense, cheering crowds.
Marcel Kittel of Germany won the final sprint on the famous avenue.


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British sensations and Ellen Show superstars Sophia Grace and Rosie are charming viewers again, this time with another guest spot on Nickelodeon's Sam & Cat.
New season, new sexy stars. See our fall TV crushes!In an exclusive clip from Saturday's episode "#RevengeoftheBritBrats" below, con artists Gwen (Sophia Grace) and Ruby (Rosie) drop in on Sam ( Jennette McCurdy) and Cat's (Ariana Grande) apartment pretending to be friendly, but intending to drive a wedge between the roommates. When Sam and Cat catch on to this, they turn the tables on the not-so-innocent connivers.Watch:
Sam & Cat airs on Saturdays at 8/7c on Nickelodeon.


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Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Using published writers' texts and students' own writing, this unit explores emotions that are associated with the artful and deliberate use of commas, semicolons, colons, and exclamation points (end-stop marks of punctuation).


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Men used social media to lure, kill victim, prosecutors say
Three face federal charges in killing of N.J. men in Maryland
Three face federal charges in killing of N.J. men in Maryland
Three face federal charges in killing of N.J. men in Maryland
A federal grand jury has indicted three men and accused them of using Facebook to lure a man from New Jersey to Maryland to kill him.
The homicide occurred five months ago, and police said the suspects buried the victim's body in a shallow grave in Gaithersburg.
Investigators said there are a lot of details that will come out at trial, including why the suspects allegedly chose this particular victim.
But police are using the case as a warning, to young people especially, about trusting strangers online.
Investigators said the suspects killed Jordy Mejia, 22, of New Jersey, on Oct. 15, 2016 and left his body in a shallow grave in some woods in Gaithersburg.
"After engaging in conversation with the victim on the Internet for about two weeks, they lured him here to Maryland where they killed him," U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said.
Police said the plot to kill Mejia started last Oct.1, when Neris Moreno-Martinez, 19, allegedly posed as a woman named Shaila Smith on Facebook and struck up a romantic relationship with the victim.
"The victim was persuaded as a result of this communication over Facebook to actually pick up in New Jersey and travel down here to Maryland thinking he was going to meet this woman for a relationship," Rosenstein said.
According to investigators, Moreno traveled from New Jersey as well, while the other two suspects -- Jose Melendez-Rivera, 19, and Reynaldo Granados-Vasquez, 21, were already living in Maryland.
The federal indictment does not talk about how the victim was killed, or a motive behind the crime, but investigators in Montgomery County said that the three men were part of the MS-13 gang.
Hikers discovered Mejia's body about a month after he was killed.
"False trust is an appropriate way to summarize this case," Rosenstein said. Also I think an appropriate message for kids and teenagers to keep in mind when they deal with people on the internet that they may if they trust somebody they deal with only electronically, it may in fact be false trust," Rosenstein said.
Investigators said the suspects were identified partly through cellphone records. The three men indicted in this federal case face state charges in Montgomery County as well.
There are also more alleged co-conspirators charged in the state case.


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NFL coaches, players, fans frustrated with replacement referees
Replacement refs' controversial calls affect outcomes of games
Ask a substitute teacher: it's difficult replacing the real thing.
Monday night's football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks culminated with chaos and confusion over the final play, giving way to disbelief and disgust. One official signaled touchdown while another signaled touchback. Based on the call, Seattle ended up winning the game 14-12.
The controversy has since spilled over into a full-fledged national debate over how replacement referees are affecting the games and the National Football League.
A written explanation on what the league called a "simultaneous catch" Monday night points out offensive pass interference should have been called before it ever happened, ending the play -- and the game. The statement went on to say, in part, the NFL "supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling."
Meanwhile, support and trust is clearly wavering for coaches, players and fans. Reaction blew up social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, including some profane remarks by NFL players.
"The play in question that gave the Seahawks the win, should have been called offensive pass interference, wiping out the game-winning score in Seattle," Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed said Tuesday. Reed then spoke about what the most popular game in the country is turning into.
Even the president weighed in:
Social media reacts to 'Monday Night Football' call:
At least five coaches face possible fines from the league for showing their frustration over the officials, including the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick, who tried to grab a referee after a questionable call at the end of Sunday night's game in Baltimore.
"I was just trying to get an explanation for obviously an important call, play, in that game," Belichick said.
The NFL released a second statement Tuesday concerning the ongoing negotiations, reading, in part: "While the officials' union would like to turn this into purely an economic dispute, we have told the union and the federal mediator that we are prepared to make reasonable economic compromises and that we will invest more money in officiating as long as it assures long-term improvement."
The firestorm has been building through the first three weeks of the season because regular officials and the NFL couldn't reach a new collective bargaining agreement in June.
Maybe you shouldn't blame umpire Ali Shetula for bolting on Belichick. Shetula, an official with the California Community College System, and his replacement referee colleagues aren't quite used to a game his big and dramatic -- and with a crowd that loud and rowdy.
Sunday night, controversial penalties caused what sounded like the entire M&T Bank Stadium crowd to repeatedly chant an expletive in unison.
Of the seven replacement officials on the field for the Ravens-Patriots game, it appears only one -- field judge Jeff Sadorus -- had the experience of major college games. He's a retired official from the PAC-12 Conference. The others spend their officiating time in smaller college football conferences -- even high school.
Back judge Mark Wetyzel worked Division II college football, and line judge Esteban Garza worked a year in Division III.
The main official in the crew Sunday night was Bruce Hermansen, who, in week one, had to admit he mistakenly gave an extra timeout to the Seahwaks in that game against the Arizona Cardinals. Before taking on his role as a replacement in the NFL, Hermansen typically worked high school games in California.
The Ravens take on the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday night. A Facebook event set up by fans encourages ticket holders to boycott the replacement refs by leaving their seats for a couple minutes at the game after kickoff.
You can watch the Ravens-Browns game in its entirety on WBAL-TV 11 with live coverage starting with Ravens Countdown at 7 p.m.
u local: Share your Ravens fan pictures and videos