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Pilanta Spa Resort
399 Moo 1, T. Saladan
Koh Lanta, Krabi 81150
Koh Lanta Yai, Klong Dao Beach
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Summary of 13 reviews :
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Facilities :
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Location :
Pilanta Spa Resort is located at Klong Dao Beach on the beautiful island of Koh Lanta is offering all modern facilities for a great holiday. Just about 200 m away from one of the nicest beaches, we offer Deluxe Rooms with balcony or a private pool as well as Spa Rooms and Villas. All rooms are full equipped with standard facilities.
Besides our spa, and fitness center for relaxation and workout, there is more reason to stay at Pilanta: if you come for business to Lanta Island we can offer full conference facilities. Our Poja Restaurant is offering Thai and International cuisine.
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Travel reviews for Pilanta Spa Resort
Date of stay:
Mar 03, 2015
Accommodation and facilities:
Trevligt o bra hotell, sköna sängar, stora rum Bubbelkar funkade ej
Reservation service:
Mar 06, 2015
written by:
Thyni Stig Tomas
Date of stay:
Feb 09, 2014
Accommodation and facilities:
We had very high expectations of this hotel with a nice suite with large bathroom, massage bench in the room and a private pool, but unfortunately we were quite disappointed. The hotel is quite worn out with lots of things not working. The lamps in the children's pool were broken and the cables were floating free in the water! Also the circulation in the children's pool was shut off most of the time we were staying at the hotel. The circulation in our private pool was not working so it was full of insects and it was not possible to use it throughout our 9 nights stay at the hotel. Beds were comfortable, but we had lots of small ants and mosquitos in our room and the air condition was not very effective, so it was difficult to get some undisturbed sleep. The restaurant on the other side of the road was very busy and had nice affordable food and very good service.
Reservation service:
Easy and smooth booking.
Feb 17, 2014
written by:
Anna Elisabet Jonsson
Date of stay:
Feb 08, 2014
Accommodation and facilities:
Really good service. Missing English speaking person and cleaner need to clean the pool and put more toilet paper. Sometime there war nothing at all.
Reservation service:
Feb 12, 2014
written by:
Johan Hårstad
Date of stay:
Feb 01, 2012
Accommodation and facilities:
Really lovely rooms, plunge-pool great & refreshing. Don t understand why there s no restaurant in the evening ? Everybody goes to the restaurant across the road which serves bland , westernised Thai. Staff friendly enough. Not by the beach but we knew that.
Reservation service:
Fine, easy to use.
Feb 07, 2012
written by:
Peter Gleadall
Date of stay:
Jan 14, 2012
Accommodation and facilities:
Mycket fint hotell men 10 minuter att gå till stranden. Gratis shuttlebus till stranden men hem är smidigast att gå eller ta Tuk-Tuk. Fantastisk restaurang tvärsöver gatan (L.Maladee)med mysig atmosfär, trevlig personal och god mat.
Reservation service:
Jan 18, 2012
written by:
Michael Lundquist
Date of stay:
Jan 01, 2012
Accommodation and facilities:
Very nice breakfast. Free shuttle to the beach, otherwise it takes only about 5 min to walk ;) We had a two bedroom suite, with small private pool (in the shade,..) It was clean and so but not worth the money we spent. We really want to recommend the restaurant just across the street, great food and friendly staff.
Reservation service:
Easy booking, quick replys.
Jan 15, 2012
written by:
Jimmy Björnholm
Date of stay:
Aug 29, 2011
Accommodation and facilities:
Very Good
Reservation service:
Oct 10, 2011
written by:
Tan Kim Seang
Date of stay:
Apr 02, 2011
Accommodation and facilities:
We stayed at the Pilanta Spa Resort 14 nights and are very satisfied with the hotel. The room was vey nice and the personel was kind and helpful. The resturant at the hotel are a little bit to expensive but they had a lunch offer every day with a very good price of only 75 bath.
Reservation service:
Apr 05, 2011
written by:
Date of stay:
Feb 28, 2011
Accommodation and facilities:
We stayed in one of the Deluxe rooms and we loved it. Clean and cosy with very big bathroom with jacuzzi. The location is a little bit of, it´s located between Klong Dao beach and Saladan. That is a minor problem if you like to rent a bike, recomend you to rent from the hotel they charge 250 Baht per day. Very helpfull and friendly staff. The only thing that we didnt like was the BBQ-evening that they have twice a week.
Reservation service:
Excellent as usual
Mar 09, 2011
written by:
Simon Yemane
Date of stay:
Feb 16, 2011
Accommodation and facilities:
The resort was okay standard but with a bad location with a too long walk to reach the beach. Our room was filled with ants all over. Staff was freindly and helpfull. The breakfast was okay but also in the restaurant there were problems with ants.
Reservation service:
The booking through amazinglanta went well
Feb 19, 2011
written by:
Ole Henriksen
Date of stay:
Feb 03, 2011
Accommodation and facilities:
We stayed in one of the spa villas. The room was very spacious the bathroom is very nice and the pool outside was just the right size for cooling off. The main problem with the hotel is its lack of managerial leadership and thus cannot command the price tag it currently charges. There were a number of problems with our room, for example some of electrical switches did not work and the pool was continually working, because the automatic timer switch was broken. Nobody seemed to know how to fix these problems, so we turned the pump off at night ourselves and used the one electrical plug that did work. The cleaning of the room was extremely poor, we could not believe that the maid actually took out our bathplug and gave it to the room next door. We were given know explanation, but obviously there is a shortage of bathplugs. We also had to ask for coffee and milk constantly, because the maid never bothered to replenish the coffee/tea basket. My main concern however is the hotel electrical plant room doors are always left open. These rooms contain very high voltage cables and it did not matter how many times you informed reception that the doors needed to be locked they just ignored us. On closer inspection one of these locks was even broken. Lets just hope that small children won't wander in and either electrocute themselves or fall into an exposed sump hole. The main pool also has half its tiles missing due to the wrong glue compound being used. The breakfast is extremely poor due to a very limited buffet. In a nutshell the staff are demoralised which only means one thing poor pay and very bad management. I personally think if they do not improve in the next year they will have a lot of vacancies in the coming year.
Reservation service:
Mar 03, 2011
written by:
ian robert smith
Date of stay:
Jan 22, 2011
Accommodation and facilities:
Lovely hotel. The private garden isn t really a garden, you only have space for two sitting chairs and the pool - that s it. The staff are very nice and helpful. They clean the room twice a day! The large pool was not very clean. A lot of leaves and such in it and a lot of tiles at the bottom missing. The breakfast is really wonderful! I looked forward to it every day :) But the prices on lunch and dinner are way over the normal prices, but you can eat a lovely meal at the restaurant on the other side of the road for a great price! The beach is really far away. It is a minimum 15 walk away to a beach where you can swim, even longer if you want a sun-chair.
Reservation service:
Jan 25, 2011
written by:
Rose-Marie Hedqvist
THB ฿ Thailand
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Pilanta Spa Resort,
a luxurious resort comprising 49 rooms, is located on a main road about 100m. from Klong Dao Beach.
The facilities in the project comprises an indoor sea food restaurant with buffet and balcony style, a spa, a Thai massage, a fitness room, a conference room, a swimming pool with bar for both adult and children. Every room is fully facilitated with Jacuzzi basins and private swimming pools. These rooms are finely decorated with Thai contemporary style and wood rattan furniture to enhance luxurious atmosphere and is truly suitable as a place for recreation.
:: Deluxe Room (44 sq.m.) - 16 Units ::
The deluxe room was built on the second floor of the building with the private balcony. An 45 square meter of bathroom with a whirlpool of Jacuzzi basin where the external view could be seen. Relax with a physical enrichment programs in the private treatment room.
:: Spa Deluxe Room (49 sq.m.) - 23 Units ::
The room was designed to serve a needs of our guests that want to rest and pay their vacation in a peaceful place, fulfilled with a private swimming pool and tiny garden.
:: Spa King Studio (60 sq.m.) - 8 Units ::
A villa for the guest who would like to spend their time in the private area with a private swimming pool. Our special service for our guests who would like the real rest and relax their body is the private treatment room. Our guests can request a staff to service for a physical enrichment programs (Making a reservation is necessary).
:: Spa Suite (120 sq.m.) - 2 Units ::
This villa is suitable for a family as there are two bedrooms inside. The breakfast can serve in villa due to it has a kitchen and a dining area. The working area is provides for a business travelling. Relaxation with large premium swimming pool.
All Room Amenities
Air conditioning
Non smoking rooms
Private balcony / terrace
Automatic wake up call
Sofa bed
Working corner
Satellite television
Wireless Internet access
Safe deposit box
IDD telephone
Stocked mini bar
Coffee & tea making facilities
Two sides wardrobe
Hair dryer
Bathrobes, slippers & sandals
Private bathroom with Jacuzzi basin
Separate shower
Concept : International & Thai cuisine
Breakfast : 07:00 - 10:00 hrs
Lunch : 11:00 - 14:00 hrs
Dinner : 18:00 - 23:00 hrs
Seating capacity : 90
Snack bar : 11:00 - 23:00 hrs
Seating capacity : 30 (Open air)
24 hours reception
Wireless internet
Currency exchange
DVD & book rental
Business center (Internet lounge)
Conference and meeting facilities
Luggage store room
Dry cleaning
24 hours security
Free car parking
Swimming pool
Children pool (1 separated)
Sauna (Chargeable)
Steam (Chargeable)
Fitness center
Spa (Chargeable)
Spa - operation hours : 10:00 - 20:00 hrs
Fitness center - operation hours : 07:00 - 19:00 hrs
Check in time : 14:00 hrs
Check out time : 12:oo (noon)
Library - operation hours : 10:00 - 20:00 hrs
Credit card accepted - Visa, Master Card
Pilanta Room : Size 240 sq.m., Theatre : 70 persons, Theatre : 50 persons, U - Shape : 40 persons
Slide projector
Audio / video system
Overhead projector
Wireless microphone
Distance to Krabi Dom / Inter Airport 70 Km / 60 minutes
Distance to Klongdao Beach 100 m.
Distance to Phuket Dom / Inter Airport 220 Km / 3 hours
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text:
Brown, Hallie Q.
Down below the Mason and Dixon's Line, near Bardstown, in the good old state of Kentucky, among the various Negro families, who lived on the plantations, was one named Pyles. This family of father, mother and twelve children was one of those favored families before the war. I say favored because they did not have to suffer many of the hardships of slavery. The father, whose name was Harry MacHenry (Pyles) happened to be the offspring of his master, who was William MacHenry and hailed from Scotland, while his mother was a light colored maid, who worked in the home. Is it any wonder then, that the son had blue eyes, fair complexion and all the ear marks of his white ancestry, and his father, in order to atone for his sin, declared him free and allowed him to roam where he would? The father not only did this for him, but saw that his son had good training in the harness and shoe mending industries and gave him a shop where he worked for the plantations, far and near, and thus supported his family in a comfortable way.
Tall and majestic as a straight pine was his good wife, Charlotta Gordon, with the high cheek bones, the copper colored hue and straight, glossy black hair, which denoted Indian extraction. Her parentage, while different in some respects, was similar in others to that of her husband; for her father was a mixture of German and Negro, while her mother had been a full blooded squaw of the famous Seminole tribe of Indians. Coming from such parentage it was not surprising that later in life, she displayed such courage and endurance in the face of difficulties,
Miss Gordon was a very conscientious young woman and promised her father on his death bed that she would free this family according to the Wesleyan Methodist Manumittant Law for slaves a few years after his death.
Charlotta had married a John McElroy before she met Harry MacHenry; and had one daughter by this union. The girl's name was Julian.
The ten children who blessed the union of Charlotta Gordon and Harry MacHenry were as follows: Emily, the eldest, Barney, Benjamin, Pauline, Sarah Ann, Mary Ellen, Henry, Charlotta, Elizabeth and Mary Agnes.
In the year 1853, Miss Gordon decided to give them their Manumittant papers. In order to do this, it was necessary for her to move the entire family North.
In those days when pro-slavery sentiments were at fever-heat, on account of the activities of the Abolitionists and the Underground Railway, it was very dangerous for colored people, and especially free ones, to move about from place to place without a pass.
Miss Gordon happened to have several brothers who did not share her religious opinion and who had always coveted the MacHenry family as a fine possession. One of the sons of the family, Benjamin, who was a tall, light complexioned man with blue eyes, straight brown hair and fine physique was caught one evening by some of the brothers
Harry MacHenry Pyles was not allowed, as yet, to have charge of his family, though permitted by his father to go and come as he pleased and no one dared to molest him.
Miss Gordon finally won the lawsuit and began preparations to take the family North. The laxness of the laws concerning slaves at that time, and the fear of her brothers caused Miss Gordon to send to Ohio and have a white minister, Rev. Claycome, come to Kentucky and start with her family northward. Before starting, Grandma Pyles, who was one of the famous old Southern cooks, had prepared meats, ginger bread, cakes and food of every description, enough to last the family on their trip; so it would only be necessary to cook a few corn pones and make coffee from time to time to supply the travelers. Occasionally, when their paths happened to cross that of a deer, they would have an addition of venison to their store of food.
You can here, perhaps, let your imagination supply the details of this wonderful trip, beset on every side by the dangers and treachery of the old slave law, the wild animals lurking in the forests; and the lawless renegades who often roamed about at will. Yet who would exchange even this apparent wild flight for freedom for the hideous nightmare of unending slavery and degradation which remained behind? Many at this time had lost their lives in a similar flight for freedom. To go or to die a moral death was the question before them. And they determined to go, because they felt that God was with them.
The most noted of this party was the noble hearted white woman, who was willing to brave the scorn of her relatives, the criticism and reproach of neighbors, and to sacrifice friends, all for the sake of giving this Negro family the heritage, which was theirs by right. Then there was the minister, reverend in appearance, who was also impelled by a bond of sympathy for the unfortunate, to leave his home and come to Kentucky and travel thence through the dangers and wilds of an unknown land in order to perform this heroic deed.
The family consisted of the father, mother, the eleven children, and one small daughter and son, Thermon and Louanne belonging to the older daughter, Julian; and three small boys, John Wesley, Daniel and James T., sons of Emily. Both of these daughters had married, but their husbands were slaves belonging to other masters and therefore could not accompany them.
In one of the old time-worn schooner wagons drawn by six of the best blooded horses that Kentucky could afford with four in the rear as a supply for the others when they became tired, with all their household goods neatly packed in the wagon, the women and children were crowded in and started off on their journey to the Land of Promise.
It was in the early fall of the year 1853 that the family started out on their eventful trip.
I have often heard my mother, whose name was Mary Ellen, say that when they arrived at Louisville, she thought it was as near like the "Torment" as any place she had ever seen, because of the smoke and fire she saw belching from the chimneys of the factories and distilleries, and she told how none of the children strayed far from the wagon because they were too afraid they would be burned up.
As they proceeded on their journey Miss Gordon discovered that she had forgotten her register and they turned back to secure it. When they arrived at Bardstown, she
At Louisville, after they had finished all negotiations with the state officers as to their right to leave the place, they boarded one of the old side wheel boats, so common on the Ohio in those days, and traveled to Cincinnati, thence to St. Louis.
When they finally reached St. Louis, they met a white man by the name of Nat. Stone, who promised to pilot them all the way to Minnesota for the sum of $100, which Miss Gordon agreed to pay. Later on in the journey, he attempted to be treacherous and held that unless they gave him $50 more, he would turn them over to some slave holders in Missouri. So afraid was Miss Gordon that her plans would be frustrated, that she paid the extra $50 and they continued their journey. After leaving St. Louis, they again started overland in their schooner wagon traveling in Woodford County, Saline County, across the Missouri River on the ferry to Howard County, then Shelby, then Monroe. This was a very tiresome and difficult journey and ofttimes, it was necessary for them to throw out some meat and use powder as well, to keep the bears and wolves away from the wagon, but after many trials and difficulties, such as are encountered by all pioneers, going into a new and
It had been their aim to go on to Minnesota, but when they arrived at Keokuk, which was then a mere trading post with one small tavern on the river bank, the winter had set in with all its severity for it had taken them many months to come so far.
Any one who has taken a trip in a schooner wagon with only canvas covering for its protection and encountered the blizzards of the northwest, which almost cover the wagon with snow and ice, will realize that such weather must be considered before it is encountered. The older boy, Barney Pyles, was the main driver all the way from Kentucky and he it was who looked after the women and children and assisted the father with the chores and work on the trip. After arriving in Keokuk, the father being somewhat of a carpenter, as well as having a very thorough knowledge of some of the other trades, proceeded at once in the spring to build a substantial little brick house on Johnson Street for Miss Gordon and the family.
During the next year, he found it an ever increasing burden to take care of, not only his own family, but that of the two daughters and their children as well, even though the oldest son, Barney, had a very lucrative position of hauling all the freight overland from Keokuk to Des Moines, because there were no railroads through at that time.
The mother finally devised a plan whereby the burdens of the two oldest daughters' families could be shifted to those who should really care for them. She had letters written to the owners of Catiline Walker, the husband of her daughter Emily and Joseph Kendricks, husband of
Meanwhile she received a letter from her long lost son, Benjamin, who had been sold into Mississippi and who in some way or other found out that she was making plans to buy the sons-in-law and decided that if this were true, surely she would be willing to buy her own son. He therefore wrote her that he could be bought for $1500.00 also and suggested that only one of the sons-in-law be purchased together with himself, leaving the other man to trust his fate. Grandma Pyles, however, felt that as her son Benjamin was not married and had not little ones to care for it would be easier for him to liberate himself than for the others to do so. Hence, she wrote him that if he would only trust in God, a way would be provided. This irritated Benjamin and they never received any direct communication from him again. They did hear, indirectly, that he was sold into Fayette County, Missouri, and known as Benjamin Moore and from that all trace of him was lost; and while inquiries made through various channels to determine his whereabouts, no word has ever been received from him.
Charlotta Gordon Pyles in her plan to go out and raise the money to buy the sons-in-law had secured good letters of recommendation from Major Kilbourne, Gen. Scoeffield and other prominent white citizens, and armed with these good letters, she started out on a trip to the East, traveling through Pennsylvania, where in the city of Philadelphia, she was hailed with delight by the Quaker families, residing there at the time, many of whom threw open their doors and entertained her. She also had the pleasure, though a poor slave, of speaking in Old Penn Hall in which hangs the famous Liberty Bell. The good people of Philadelphia not only entertained her, but allowed her to speak in church, hall and home against the wrongs of slavery and provided her with means to go on and tell her story to others as she traveled. And ofttimes in her
It was a difficult task for a poor ignorant woman, who had never had a day's schooling in her life, to travel thousands of miles in a strange country and stand up night after night, day after day before crowds of men and women, pleading for those men back in slavery and for the union of their wives and children. So well did she plead, however, that in about six months, she had raised the $3000.00, retraced her way to Iowa and then to Kentucky and there she bought the two men from their owners and reunited their families.
Her activities in this holy cause did not stop here, but many a slave, coming from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri, found at the gateway into Iowa an enthusiastic member of their own race in the person of Grandma Pyles
"O, fare-you-well Kentucky,
You are not the place for me,
I am on my way to Canada,
Where colored men are free."
It would be impossible to tell you the many good deeds which Grandma Pyles performed for her own people for she was a quiet, home-loving body and modest in all of her good deeds and no record of them has been preserved.
Among her daughters was one, who had the same indomitable spirit which characterized her mother. Her name was Mary Ellen. She was seventh in age of the sons and daughters and had always been a great favorite with Miss Gordon.
It was she who was chosen to live in the Big House with Miss Gordon and whenever the latter went to church or visiting, she always took Mary Ellen with her, for she was so fair with her gray eyes and light hair that she could easily pass for a white child. I have heard my mother tell how, after Miss Gordon's father died and she lived in the house with Miss Gordon, often in her childish fancy she would imagine she heard a heavy step like that of Mr. Gordon coming down the steps and the latch of the stair door raised and she would expect to see his ghostly self finish his nightly vigil, but nothing would happen, and then she would steal to Miss Gordon's side to receive her kindly embrace and be assured that it was nothing but her childish imagination, which ofttimes comes when a death has occurred in the family.
Again, mother would tell the children of a famous old
Miss Gordon thought so much of Mary Ellen that she never allowed her to be punished, and even one time when she failed to get the water from the spring, which was her daily task, and it had been reported to her mother and Grandma Pyles was about to give her what she needed, Miss Gordon intervened and said, "Let her go this time, Charlotta, and next time she must be attended to."
When her mother brought her from the South, Mary Ellen was about seventeen years old and had never attended school, but she had a great thirst for knowledge and a determination to get an education at any cost. She finally heard of a Quaker family in Salem, Iowa, who needed a girl to help with their housework and they also offered the extraordinary inducement of a school education. Mary Ellen immediately had a letter written to them offering her services and was accepted. Thus, the dream of her life began to materialize and after she had been there awhile, she pleaded for her younger sister, Mary Agnes by name, that she might also come. This was finally allowed and she redoubled her efforts by working both for her own and her sister's board. The two sisters attended four terms of school in this way, but the younger sister became
The Pyles family not only fraternized with the Indians, farmed and worked for their right as pioneers of industry, but they were also pioneers for the cause of education. Small wonder again that in the year 1876 Charlotta, the namesake of Grandma, who had sent her oldest boy to the very inadequate colored grade school in Keokuk and after he had finished the eighth grade of this school, as they had no colored high school, she appealed to the white high school for admittance of her son, Geroid Smith. When she found the doors of this institution securely closed against him because of his color, in the same business-like manner that had characterized her mother's spirit she took the matter to the courts of Iowa and secured the decision of opening the Keokuk high school to white and black alike; and thus her son became one of the first colored high school graduates in the state of Iowa in the year of 1880.
Let us now for a few minutes go back to the history of the noble soul, Miss Gordon, who brought the family North and after reaching Keokuk gave each his freedom. The family kept these Manumittant papers till after the colored people were free, but so great was their abhorrence of the idea that they had ever been considered slaves, that these papers were destroyed and thus only the tradition remained. Miss Gordon, however, continued to live with the Pyles family, visiting her rich relatives in Kewanee, Illinois, at stated periods, and died in the early '70's in the home of the family she loved so well. Both she and Grandma Pyles, belonged to the First Baptist Church of Keokuk, for at that time there was no other church there. And the same pallbearers, who carried the remains of Miss Gordon to their last resting place, also did this same service for
The spirit of Grandma Charlotta Pyles still goes marching onward in that of her grand children who are engaged in the work of educating the Negro race in the Piney Woods School, Mississippi.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It is important to commit to an exercise program at least once a year. If you've had some trouble with the follow-through, though, you're certainly in good company. But there are so many reasons to make the commitment again and stick with it.
Everyone has a different reason for losing momentum. The bottom line is that if getting fit is important to you, it's never too late to begin a fitness regimen. You can fit in a day's workout in less time than it takes to scroll through your Facebook feed.
READ: Top 10 Benefits of Regular Exercise You Should Know
In fact, you can do it while you watch TV. If you follow the recommendations of organizations such as the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all you need to improve your heart health and reduce your risk of all kinds of other diseases is a total of 150 minutes of exercise per week. When and how you fit these minutes into your regular routine is entirely up to you.
So start today, and use these tips to help you make exercise part of your routine.
Set a SMART goal
According to ACE, a SMART goal is one that is:
- specific
- measurable
- attainable
- relevant
- time (met by a deadline and done in a certain amount of time)
Setting goals helps give focus and structure to what you want to accomplish. Meeting goals is satisfying, and fitness experts say it helps build momentum. Just pay close attention to the "attainable" part of this equation.
An unrealistic goal only sets you up to fail. Instead of challenging yourself to exercise daily for 30 minutes every day of the week when on some days you can't even get in 15, look at your schedule and find two days where you can realistically boost your workout time to 30 minutes. It all adds up to get you toward your goal of 150 minutes for the week.
Vow to take more steps every day
For nearly a decade, public health experts at the CDC have urged Americans to take 10,000 steps every day. The 10,000 mark comes out to about 5 miles a day, and people who walk that much are considered "active." Those who get in 12,500 steps a day are "highly active."
Even if weight loss isn't your goal, you should aim to increase your daily mileage to achieve or maintain overall good health.
Make fitness a lifestyle, not a fad
Many people make the mistake of going hard toward fitness goals, but slacking off once they've been achieved. They see fitness as a means to an end, not a way to live their life. This can lead to health problems and weight gain. Failing to see fitness as a lifestyle choice means you won't reap the long-term benefits of regular exercise.
READ: All The Benefits of Aerobic Exercise You Should Know
Sure, exercise can help you lose or maintain weight in the short term. But an active lifestyle provides lasting benefits. It can reduce your risk for potential health complications, including:
- high blood pressure
- diabetes
- heart disease
- obesity
Exercise contributes to improved health and well-being, so make it a priority — it's never too late.


text:
This week in new hires, Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors welcomed Theresa Mozzocci; BondDesk announced that Howard Edelstein would add the role of CEO to his position as chairman; Troy Glover went to New York Life; Warren Pfitzenmayer joined IEP Financial; Kevin Roche and Jeff Miller were welcomed at Janney Capital Markets; and Ken Rust and Eric Johansen were named to head PFM Group's new Portland, Ore., office.
Also, Helge Kostka joined Research Affiliates Global Advisors (Europe); Neuberger Berman appointed Khalid Murgian managing director, head of MENA; Jason Berkowitz went to IRI; Patricia Stocke became CFO of fi360; and Wedbush Securities brought in Ian Winer.
Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors Announces New Head of Sales
Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors (CFIA), the advisory and asset management business of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., recently announced that Theresa Mozzocci, formerly of Pluscios Management, has been named head of marketing and sales. She will manage CFIA's marketing and business strategy and reports to Stephen Ardizzoni and John Trammell, CFIA co-heads.
Mozzocci has more than 20 years of experience in trading and business development in traditional and alternative investment products. She has served as a principal at Pluscios Management, focused on marketing and managing relationships with institutional clients, and as director of marketing at Crestline Investors.
BondDesk Chairman Howard Edelstein Adds CEO Role
The board of directors of BondDesk Group announced recently that Howard Edelstein will become the company's CEO, effective immediately. Edelstein, an operating partner at Advent International Corp., will assume the CEO position while maintaining his current role as chairman. As CEO, he replaces Kim Bang, who will leave the company.
Edelstein's expanded role at BondDesk is part of an overall realignment of the company's operations around its two major business lines. BondDesk also announced that Craig Pfeiffer, a 30-year wealth management veteran and former vice chairman at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, will lead the company's efforts focused on the wealth management community. Pfeiffer's appointment comes on the heels of the hiring of John Bagley, an industry veteran with more than 25 years of retail bond sales and trading experience at UBS, to direct the company's Capital Markets/ATS business.
New York Life Names Troy Glover to Head Long-Term Care Operation
New York Life recently announced the appointment of Troy Glover (left) as senior vice president in charge of the company's long-term care insurance (LTCI) operation, based in Austin,Texas. He reports to Paul Pasteris, senior vice president and chief administrative officer of the company's insurance group, and succeeds SVP Michael Gallo, who has led the operation since 2009. Mr. Gallo will remain in Austin for a transition period, then will return to the company's home office in New York City.
Glover joined New York Life as a director in the variable products service center in 2000, and held various positions of increasing responsibility before being named chief operating officer of the company's LTCI operation in 2009 with oversight of information technology, marketing, actuarial, product development and financial accounting areas. Prior to joining New York Life, he held positions at Merrill Lynch and Prudential. IEP Financial Adds to its Executive Team
IEP Financial announced Monday the hiring of Warren Pfitzenmayer as executive vice president–head of strategic relationships. He will be responsible for vendor relationships, product sponsors and strategic partnership and report directly to Keith Gregg, IEP Financial's CEO.
With 25 years of financial services industry experience Pfitzenmayer most recently served as head of strategic relationships at Cetera Financial. Prior to that, he was vice president marketing and head of strategic relationships at ING Strategic Advisors (Network). He began his career in 1987 in the mutual fund industry, where from 1987 through 1995, in different capacities he worked for Dreyfus Service Corp., Royce Funds, Eaton Vance Distributors, Pilgrim Distribution Group and Alliance Fund Distribution. From 1995–1997, he was at Bear Stearns Asset Management, and from 1997–2000, he was at IFG Network Securities.
Janney Welcomes Roche and Miller
Janney Capital Markets announced the hire of Kevin Roche and Jeff Miller, managing directors, to lead the firm's expansion into the certificates of deposit (CD) and structured product underwriting and origination businesses. Roche and Miller will be joined by their 10-person team from MPS Fixed Income, with whom they've worked since 2010.
The team will be integrated into Janney's fixed income capital markets and focus on the origination and secondary market trading of CDs and structured products. They will be located in Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Irvine, Calif., and report to Kevin Reed, managing director, taxable fixed income.
Ken Rust and Eric Johansen to Run New PFM Group Office
PFM Group announced Monday the opening of its 35th office in Portland, Ore., to be run by Ken Rust and Eric Johansen. Rust and Johansen both have joined Public Financial Management as directors, effective Oct. 19.
Rust served as chief administrative officer for the city of Portland until July 2011, with citywide responsibilities including direction of the office of management and finance and reporting directly to the mayor and city council. Prior to this, he was CFO and director of the bureau of financial services for the city. Earlier, he was a senior managing consultant at PFM. He began his professional career as an economist with CH2M HILL.
Johansen has over 30 years of experience as a debt issuer and advisor in public finance. He began at the city of Portland in 1993 and served as the city's debt manager from September 1997 to July 2010, when he became treasurer, a position he held until April 2012. Earlier, he worked as a financial advisor with PFM from 1989 to 1993 and as an investment banker for Shearson Lehman Brothers from 1983–1988. Helge Kostka joins Research Affiliates Global Advisors (Europe)
Helge Kostka has joined Research Affiliates Global Advisors (Europe) as vice president, responsible for business development and partner and client support in the U.K.
Prior to joining, Kostka served as head of product management for equity and multi-asset solutions for Aviva Investors. Previously, he served in a number of roles for Deutsche Bank's asset management entities, including as head of quantitative alpha selection and head of portfolio engineering.
Neuberger Berman Appoints Khalid Murgian
Neuberger Berman announced the appointment of Khalid Murgian as managing director, head of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In this role, he will be based in Dubai and report to Dik van Lomwel, managing director and head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Latin America. He will work closely with Bruce Crystal, who is based in the U.S. and has been covering the region for 16 years.
Murgian was previously head of MENA and new markets at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Prior to this he was head of business development, Middle East at Threadneedle Asset Management.
IRI Welcomes Jason Berkowitz as VP of Regulatory Affairs and Compliance
The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) announced that Jason Berkowitz has joined the association's staff as its new vice president of regulatory affairs and compliance.
Berkowitz brings more than 10 years of experience and most recently was the counsel and director of regulatory affairs at Hartford Financial Services Group. Before joining Hartford Financial, he was an attorney in the insurance and reinsurance department at Edwards & Angell, LLP; he began his legal career in the New York office of Paul Hastings.
Patricia Stocke Joins fi360
fi360 announced Tuesday that Patricia Stocke has joined the company as CFO. She will oversee fi360's long-term financial management activities and also serve as a key member of the company's business strategy team.
Stocke has more than 20 years of financial management experience, with a focus on business development, acquisitions and transactional work. Most recently, she was the CFO of Management Science Associates, a multinational corporation at which she worked for the past 12 years. Prior to that, she worked for CoachUSA as controller.
Wedbush Securities Welcomes Director Ian Winer
Wedbush Securities announced the addition of Ian Winer to its equities division as director of equity trading. In this capacity, he will manage all aspects of trading for the equities division, including the management and supervision of all sales traders and position traders, and will be responsible for the management of capital commitment and risk controls. He is also charged with increasing the firm's interactions with equity clients.
With more than 16 years of experience, Winer brings the sell-side and buy-side perspective to the firm's equities team. He previously served as a managing director at Nomura Securities International.
Read the Oct. 17 New Hire Roundup at AdvisorOne.


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Michelin Wild Rock'R2 Top Side View.
Michelin is a familiar brand to many of us old school mountain bikers as they were a serious contender a decade ago with their familiar WildGripper tires in green color. But it seems the big conglomerate has not been as focused with biking, as they haven't kept up with the latest demand for grippy, big volume tires.
Well someone woke up the Michelin giant, as they have put in a serious effort to regain their share in the core segment of mountain biking. Michelin deployed their engineering team, led by Rudy Megavand and he worked with racer Fabien Barel to develop this aggressive All Mountain tire.
Left: Green Michelin tires. Right: Michelin man biking in 1891 while smoking.
Fabien Barel and Rudy Megevand
Mtbr met Fabien Barel in the Enduro World Series and since many US folks are unfamiliar with him, we'll describe him as a mix between the personality and flair of Cedric Gracia, the focus and determination of a Mark Weir and the attention to detail of a Nico Vouilloiz. There's a lot of brilliant riders out there but if they can't communicate and break down technical properties of a component, they're not much help to the engineers. After all, Fabien has an engineering degree and we have no doubt he will use his education well after he is done racing. On the other side of the equation, Rudy Megevand, the product manager is an engineer and brilliant rider. The way Rudy and Fabien communicated as they rode and developed tires together, is the key to the development of this tire.
The key goals for this tire were:
- Grip, grip, grip
- Sidewall protection and durability
- Availability in all wheel sizes.
- Tubeless compatibility in low pressures and high side loads
- Win the Enduro World Series
Riding Impressions
We've had about 6 weeks with the Rock'R2 tire now, so we feel confident with our impressions on this tire. First, we got to ride this tire for three days in the home town of Fabien, the Alps in the South of France. The terrain was rocky, sandy, grippy, rooty, and rocky again. We've never experienced such rocky and technical terrain, as we started to understand why some of the best descenders in the world come from this area.
Wet and rocky singletrack in the Peillon forest.
The night of our arrival, it rained about two inches in the mountains near the town of Peillon. I thought for sure the rides would get cancelled but the trails drained well. Of course, not well enough as conditions were still dangerous in these trails, especially for us out-of-towners. Given most other tires, these rides with twenty journalists would have been miserable and peppered with injured riders. But I'm happy to report that twenty riders stayed upright and smiled. Well, for the most part anyway.
Wet rocks and leaves were manageable with these tires. One could tell the conditions were slippery with a three inch layer of wet leaves covering sharp rocks, but we all managed to descend and have fun along the way. In fact, we said the classic 'Let's do that again!' as we hit the shuttle van at the bottom.
We then hit some rock slabs, some sharp rocks and a bunch of loose ones. The Euro racers sped downhill as some of us tested the control and braking traction of these tires. The Rock'R2 tackled this terrain well.
It's only as we hit a two mile asphalt climb that the hootin' and hollerin' got muted. These are big, soft tires and they don't roll that fast on uphill pavement.
After those three days, we got to take the tires home and ride them in the trails of the SF Bay Area and the Santa Cruz Mountains. We rode them in both 27.5 and 29er size. Cornering traction was present in spades and it was pretty darn hard to unsettle these tires. At any lean angle, these Michelins were sure-footed.
Not Just Soft Rubber
When we asked Rudy if the rubber was soft, Rudy said, the Magi-X is the softest on the market at 50 durometer. But he also said that riders obsess too much about softness of the rubber. He said the other key is how much energy the rubber can absorb or how slow it rebounds. He says it's the ability of the rubber to absorb energy that gives it traction. When you hit a rock or hit a rough corner, Rudy explained that a tire that can absorb energy of the impact will have more traction.
When we mounted the Rock'R2 Magi-X tubeless back home, we bounced it around to distribute the sealant around the tire. Lo and Behold, this tire had the least amount of bounce out of any tire we've ever tried.
Tubeless and Mounting
Get your technique and beefy tire irons ready. This tire is a bear to mount, as it is optimized to hold tubeless air and not to mount easily. The bead is beefy and it is tight on most wheels. Given that the tubeless seal is dependent on a tight fit between the inner diameter of the bead and not the side of the bead, a tight seal with the rim floor is essential for maintaining a tubeless seal under high side loads and low pressures.
Mounted on our Spank wheels, we checked the tire pressure after two weeks and feels like it's hardly lost any pressure. A month later, it just needed a few strokes with the floor pump to get back to our riding pressure of 22 psi.
- Wow, the traction
- There's two compounds available, grippy dual compound and very grippy 50 durometer compound.
- The transition from middle to side knobs is predictable and consistent.
- The tire profile is rounded and side knobs are huge.
- Braking is awesome.
- Tubeless seal is one of the best in our experience.
- Sidewall is extremely strong yet pliable.
- They are heavy, specially on 29er size.
- The Magi-X soft compound (softest available) is a slow roller.
- The Michelin tire naming convention is confusing! Try saying: MICHELIN Wild Rock'R2 Advanced Reinforced w/ Magi-X or Gum-X compounds.
Norco Test bike with Michelin Wild Rock'R2.
- Sizes: 26", 27.5″, 29"
- Width: 2.35"
- Casing: Advanced Reinforced with Tubeless Ready bead
- Tread compounds: Magi'X – 50 durometer rubber compound and Gum'X – slightly harder dual compound
- Weight: 998 grams for 27.5. 1175 grams for 29er.


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Thank you for your interest in the City of Mason City Operations and Maintenance Department. The Operations & Maintenance Department is divided into four divisions: Sanitation, Street, Utility Repair and Water Reclamation.
We provide a wide variety of community services such as street repair, street & alley grading, street sweeping, snow removal and ice control, tree trimming, road side mowing, traffic signs and lights maintenance, storm sewer maintenance, sanitary sewer maintenance, water system maintenance, garbage pickup, recyclable & yard waste pickup.
The Operations & Maintenance Department is committed to providing quality service to the community we serve by developing and implementing work practices that best serve the public with the least amount of inconvenience to the public.
View the Sanitation Division homepage.


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The HHS Mandate. (First Amendment)
Surveilling the American people. (Fourth Amendment)
Gun control. (Second Amendment)
Those pesky amendments keep getting in the way of better government.
Thankfully, we have a Congress (who we trust soooo much) who, as everyone knows, always puts the needs of the American people ahead of any special interests, to take care of those little tripping-up points in the Constitution. These are the folks who sat on their thumbs while the administration pushed through a quasi law attacking religious freedom called the HHS Mandate. They are the ones who want to find some loophole to allow them to do away with the right to bear arms.
Their latest little move is to rescind the legal protections of the free press to protect their sources. They are doing this by "defining" who is the "press" and doing it to their advantage. What they're doing is limiting First Amendment protections to the "legitimate" (i.e., the corporate) press.
As anyone with half a brain knows, the corporate press is not free. They are owned. And they function more and more as a propaganda tool for the government, which also appears to be owned.
It follows and it's easy to follow that if the corporate press is the only legitimate press, then there is no free press.
Slam dunk and done. First Amendment, (both parts) tamed and brought to heel.
To put a cherry on top this rescission of the First Amendment, our Senators want to make the Attorney General of the United States the person who gets to decide which press is "legitimate" and worthy of First Amendment protections.
Now, let's think for a moment. Who appoints the Attorney General of the United States?
The President of the United States.
And who confirms this appointment?
The Senate of the United States.
Mr Fox, here's your gun. You're now in charge of the henhouse.
From Breitbart:
An amendment is moving through the Senate Judiciary Committee that would essentially allow the government to determine who is a journalist for purposes of legal protection of sources. For purposes of protecting a source, a "journalist" under law would be anyone who:
- Works or worked for "an entity or service that disseminates news or information by means of newspaper; nonfiction book; wire service; news agency; news website, mobile application or other news or information service…news program; magazine or other periodical…or through television or radio broadcast…" These people would have to have the "primary intent to investigate events and procure material in order to disseminate to the public news or information." Opinion journalists might not be covered.
- Bloggers and citizen journalists – citizens who commit acts of journalists without working for such an outlet – would not be covered, unless it was determined that "at the inception of the process of gathering the news or information sought, had the primary intent to investigate issues or events and procure material in order to disseminate to the public news or information." In other words, the government – the Department of Justice – would now determine whether primary intent was news distribution or political concerns.
- Those explicitly excluded from protection include those "whose principal function, as demonstrated by the totality of such person or entity's work, is to publish primary source documents that have been disclosed to such person or entity without authorization." Glenn Greenwald, please contact your lawyer.


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Friday, April 15, 2011
No longer the girl who sleeps around
I should be slapped for that.
Because after a lifetime of smugly delighting in my Olympic-caliber sleeping skills, I've been struggling with it these past few months.
I can still fall asleep easily enough, so hope isn't lost there. It's just that I find myself popping awake at 3 a.m. with my brain saying, "let's go!" and my body saying "are you @#$% nuts?"
Then they fight it out with medieval weaponry and a pancake turner until I finally drag my sleep-deprived butt out of bed and get on with my day.
I've had a few returns to normalcy in the last couple weeks, which probably has more to do with staying out until ungodly hours for day-job functions or more amusing pursuits. Even my unrested brain sees the mathematical challenge in waking at 3 a.m. if I stay up until 4.
Still, I know I have to get myself back on some sort of routine. I've tried not looking at the clock when I pop awake, figuring I can't stress about the time if I don't know what it is. A friend suggested leaving my iPhone downstairs so I'm not tempted to check messages while tossing and turning (something that inevitably clicks my brain into fully-awake "are we working now?" mode).
Another pal told me to lie there and count my blessings. It's a pleasant enough endeavor, but perhaps not well-suited to a romance writer whose imagination tends to drift toward the more x-rated blessings.
Do you have any tricks for falling back asleep when you wake up at a ridiculous time? Please share!
Also, don't forget to stop by The Debutante Ball today where we've been blogging about "big breaks" all week. Mine involve drugs, nudity, and obscene gestures.
Why do none of you seem surprised?
30 comments :
- Bill Cameron said...
I was in a room full of people discussing this just last night. Suggestions included:
- Melatonin. Results were mixed, but those who say it works were passionate.
- Benedryl. Yeah, I know.
- No electronics in the bedroom (computer, phone, TV). And no electronic interaction for a minimum of one hour before sleep time. Some argued in favor of two hours buffer.
- If you read before bed, do it sitting up with a warm-colored light. (Full-spectrum bulbs and those energy-saver bulbs emit a spectrum which confuses your brain as to the time of day.)
- White noise. This is mine. I can't sleep in silence. I can with a faint, even hissing noise.
Probably more, but this is what everyone discussed last night.
- April 15, 2011 at 7:48 AM
- abby mumford said...
i have a similar issue. i can fall asleep fine, but staying asleep, forget it? i can't offer any suggestions, but you can bet i'm going to be watching these comments and taking notes on all suggestions. bill's gotten us off to a nice start.
- April 15, 2011 at 7:52 AM
- Kristina said...
I'm a good sleeper. But when I've got stuff to get done that I'm either procrastinating about or overwhelmed by, I can count on waking at 3:30 or 4 to obsess about it. Best fix? Get that to-do list managed and then sleep returns.
My guess? You're needing to get some stuff done in order to move to the next stage...and it's a hard to-do list.
Many hugs sweetie...I'm thinking of you.
- April 15, 2011 at 8:05 AM
- Linda G. said...
I have friends who swear by melatonin, but I haven't tried it myself. When I wake up before I should, I usually just spin stories in my head. If I can't sleep, at least I can keep myself entertained.
- April 15, 2011 at 8:07 AM
- lora96 said...
Sorry, you're asking the wrong girl. I have the hormone-induced vivid nightmares of early pregnancy...which wake me at midnight and it's over. Or two if i'm really fortunate.
So...good luck? I got nothin, babe. Hope it gets better.
- April 15, 2011 at 8:08 AM
Yeah, Benedryl works for me. I'm supposed to take it for allergies anyway--doctor's suggestion--so I just pop a couple before bed and I'm usually out. I take my non-drowsy allergy meds in the morning.
That said, it can be difficult to get up. I'm not a morning person at all, but I wake up extra-groggy when I've had my little pink pills.
- April 15, 2011 at 8:30 AM
- Stephanie said...
Most of the time, if I don't move too much and I don't open my eyes too much, I can fall back asleep. But if I wake and I'm wide awake...I don't bother fighting it. But then the next night, I;m so exhausted, I crash and don't wake up. Wish I had better advice. :(
- April 15, 2011 at 8:49 AM
- Danica Avet said...
Most of the time I'm a sleep-through-the-night person, but when I do have trouble sleeping, or getting back to sleep, I force my body to relax. I'm talking relaxing my eyebrows even! From head-to-toes, I force myself to relax and then think about something completely non-work, non-writing related. That usually puts me out.
Good luck though. It's a pain in the ass to lose your sleeping routine.
- April 15, 2011 at 9:14 AM
- Christina Auret said...
I use to have a lot of trouble falling asleep when I was little due to a healthy fear of the monster that lived under my bed. The only way I could fall asleep was by distracting myself with made up stories.
I eventually outgrew the monster (I am now much heavier than he is), but even today the random made up story method works.
The only downside is waking up thinking the story from the previous night was fantastic, then realizing I can't remember how it went.
- April 15, 2011 at 9:28 AM
- Diane Henders said...
I almost always wake up sometime between 2:30 and 4:30 AM. That's "normal" for me.
If I lie there and try to get back to sleep, it'll take at least an hour. If I'm lucky.
But if I get up for a few minutes (10 or so), I can get back into bed and go right back to sleep.
I think it works because the lowered body temperature acts as a signal to your body that it's time to sleep.
The key: don't turn on any lights or start anything. Just get out of bed and sit quietly in the dark in a comfortable place. And try not to be upset about the fact that you're not sleeping. This is what your body wants to do for now, and it will go back to its own version of "normal" when it's ready.
That's what works for me, anyway. Hope you find a solution.
- April 15, 2011 at 9:54 AM
For me, same as Kristin: "when I've got stuff to get done that I'm either procrastinating about or overwhelmed by, I can count on waking at 3:30 or 4 to obsess about it..."
Which segues into Tawna: "It's just that I find myself popping awake at 3 a.m. with my brain saying, "let's go!" and my body saying "are you @#$% nuts?"..."
Generally can sleep through most anything but episodes of procrastination-induced panic and sometimes just "WTF??!!"
For me there are a couple of strategies, all of which are counter everything that you read (the current wisdom is like the stuff in Bill's msg -- no electronics, no light, etc...).
I can't stand white noise, that hissing and stuff would drive me batshit. What works for me is a light but good book (lately lots of Georgette Heyers, and, of course, Jenny Crusies...), because it gets my mind off-track. (Normal bedside lamp, BTW, nothing special.) Basically anything to replace the weirdness rattling around in my head.
I also often will go down to the kitchen and get myself a slice of cheese. Don't know if it's the milk solids (you know, like warm milk before bed), or whether it's some sort of comfort food, or whether I am on a certain level a bit peckish and it satisfies this mini-hunger -- but works for me. ("Pavlov's dogs"-type habit by now, I 'spose..."eat cheese, fall asleep"...)
Recently I was jolted awake at 3:30a.m., brain twirling like a hamster-wheel containing a rodent on steroids. I decided I'd try to go to work super-early, so made myself a pot of coffee, enjoyed a big mug, and all of a sudden I was dozy again. Turned off the light, rolled over and BAM, out like a light.
The Benedryl/caffeine thing is a weird thing -- your body reacts differently to caffeine and other stimulants depending on the time of day...
Oh, yeah, I sometimes will pull a coat on over my jammies and go for a walk with the dog. Who half the time balks, saying "WTF?? it's the middle of the friggin' night!" -- this is the only time of the day where she is NOT enthusiastic about walkies.
FWIW. For me it's all about distraction to stop the hamster in my head...
- April 15, 2011 at 10:07 AM
- Steph Schmidt said...
I'm a really light sleeper so if I wake up before my alarm its because something made a noise or moved. The only thing that keeps me awake afterwards is if its light outside. I'm thinking of trying a sleeping mask just so if I do wake up before my alarm the light from the window doesn't keep me awake.
That said I echo the advice someone else mentioned, don't turn on a computer or use your iphone. It's telling your brain tehee work mode time!
Have you tried flipping the pillow over for the cold side, roll over to the other side and try to stare at the inside of your eyelids? Weirdest trick but it worked during my last bout of insomnia. I couldn't stay awake just starring at my eyelids.
- April 15, 2011 at 10:14 AM
By the way, not that this helps solve the problem of not sleeping, but I recently read a very, very interesting sleep study.
In this study they basically studied the sleeping habits of a couple of those stone-age tribes that still exist in some of the farflung corners of the world. The scientists were interested in finding out what sleep patterns are like when there are no artificial lights, no alarms, no clocks, no schedules, i.e., none of the trappings of "modern life"... In other words: the natural sleep cycles of humans existing as they have for millions and millions of years.
What they found out was extremely interesting: we are NOT programmed to sleep 8 hours straight. These people would wake up consistently in the middle of the night and stay awake for roughly two hours before falling back asleep. But within the tribe, different people had different rhythms. What resulted was that at any given point in time, there were always a few people awake (to GUARD the safety of the tribe!). During that time, because there were always a few of them, they found out there was a lot of social interaction (quiet talking, nursing babies, etc.), also most sexual activity was during this time.
BTW, when they duplicated this with volunteers (no lights, no electric devices, and after they eliminated their sleep deficits), after a certain amount of time (a week or so) they went into exactly the same modus.
Turns out the concept of "sleeping through the night" is something we have imposed upon ourselves, but it isn't natural.
I used to have the feeling I had to worry if I didn't sleep through the night, I no longer worry about it. After all, a lot of folks let themselves get even more wound up trying to convince themselves there is something wrong with them. Since I stopped worrying about not sleeping, I don't have so many problems not sleeping.
End of lecture. You're welcome....
- April 15, 2011 at 10:22 AM
- Sarah W said...
I keep paper and pen by my bed, so I can write down anything I feel I must get up and do at those 3am wake up calls, so I'm not worried about forgetting it.
This seems to help.
- April 15, 2011 at 11:08 AM
I am a chronic insomniac, and if you can run your own schedule, I am completely with German Chocolate Betty. When I was remodeling my house I just slept when I was tired, worked while I was awake and it was great. No two days were ever the same, the work got done, and I went from several cups or coffee a day to zero without even thinking about it.
But now, with a regular schedule to keep once again only one thing works, and that's exercise. If I get out on my mountain bike for an hour or two after work I crash out early and sleep sound... and if not I'm tossing and turning and finding netflix movies I haven't seen since I was a child. "Time Bandits"!!! awesome!
Option three is a few glasses of good Scotch or Bourbon, which I still enjoy probably more often than necessary. But the sleep isn't quality, and the hangover isn't fun.
The body fuels the mind, and I'll bet if you power-hiked a local trail every day (or whatever) the issue would quickly no longer be how to fall asleep, but rather how to stay awake.
- April 15, 2011 at 11:09 AM
- Judy,Judy,Judy. said...
I didn't get a chance to read all the comments (playing at the library today) but I'm a chronic insomniac so what Mark said. I find I can sleep from about 5 or 6 am until noon to 3pm, if my schedule allows.
A caution about the melatonin; try it first when you don't have to function well the next day. I say this because I tried it and I had that foggy brain kind of hangover. I kept breaking the pill into smaller and smaller pieces but melatonin isn't for me.
OT To be eligible to win a free copy of No Such Thing As A Secret by Shelly Fredman, go to http://noveltruths.blogspot.com/ and post a comment today, Sat. or Sun. (15th, 16th, 17th ). Shelly will pick one winner from the comments and I will announce the winner on Wed. the 20th.
Thanks. As you were.
- April 15, 2011 at 11:23 AM
- Anne Gallagher said...
I hate to say this, and I don't know if it's any way related to what you're going through -- but I know you drink wine. And that would put me down for the night, but then I found I was getting up in the middle of the night. And not being able to get back to sleep. I'd cut it out for awhile and see if that helps any. and if you already have, sorry, I've got nothing else except Tylenol PMs.
- April 15, 2011 at 2:37 PM
- Susan Flett Swiderski said...
Anne's right about the wine. It sounds counter-intuitive, but drinking wine before bedtime can actually cause you to wake up in the middle of the night. (unless you drank a whole LOT of it, maybe) Sometimes, if you're worried about a long list of to-do items, just writing them down on a piece of paper before you go to bed helps you relax and let go of them. Beats waking up and having them niggle at the back of your head.
- April 15, 2011 at 2:47 PM
- Alexa O said...
I've had problems with this my whole life. Sometimes it's in the falling asleep, sometimes in the staying asleep. I've had some luck with medicine, but who wants to rely on that all the time? Here are two surprisingly good tricks:
1. Drink milk and/or have a slice of bread with butter. Not sure why it works, but it helps me a LOT.
2. NY Times Crossword Puzzles. I never did them before, so I started with the "200 Easy Puzzle Omnibus." They aren't really that easy, so you won't get that "oh, it's on the tip of my brain" anxiety (unless they are easy for you, in which case, get the harder ones). You'll just drift off, holding your pencil.
I also often get up for 10 minutes and/or write a list of the things on my mind, as two other people said.
Hope that helps!
If not, think in terms of something repetitive, non-narrative, and non-electronic. Cross stitch, coloring book, something like that.
Let us know what you figure out!
And thanks to everyone else for your ideas! I'll definitely add them to my strategy list.
- April 15, 2011 at 2:56 PM
I used to sleep badly on the nights I was alone in the house. A friend brought me one of those wedge pole things that go under the doorknob so no one could enter the bedroom. Darned if it didn't work! Evidently I was subconsciously worried about that. It's not a lock, so in the event I have to get out quickly, there's no problem. The second thing is to remove all ambient light from clocks, night-lights, etc. Evidently, sleep studies have shown it makes a big difference. I hope you get past the 3:30am wake-ups!
- April 15, 2011 at 3:03 PM
- TAWNA FENSKE said...
Thanks so much to all of you for all the wonderful suggestions! I'm taking note of all of it and will definitely put much of this to good use!
- April 15, 2011 at 6:35 PM
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the soporific effects of a good drink, now wouldn't I?
(Not that it's a good idea to tie one on at 3 am or anything. I certainly don't recommend THAT. Unless you want to. Y'know.)
- April 15, 2011 at 6:39 PM
- Natascha said...
I cannot have any type of clock in my room when I go to sleep, otherwise I actually WAKE UP to see what time it is. Crazy, I know :) I sympathize!
- April 15, 2011 at 8:27 PM
- Allie Sanders said...
As someone who has had insomnia as a life-long bedmate I can say that to some extent you're screwed. You're just going to have to wait it out. Yep, happy news.
Some of the things I've found that have helped me with that annoying waking up in the middle of the night thing include:
-White noise. I have a fan beside my bed that stays on all night. Blocks out the rest of the noises in the house and street.
-Block your windows, Personally if I can see it's getting the slightest bit lighter my brain tells my body it's done and we're up. In my bedroom it looks like midnight all day long. Especially helpful for naps.
-Avoid electronics. Don't have your phone anywhere near you. You'll be tempted to look and it'll wake you up.
Mostly all you can really do is turn over, pull the blanket over your head and clear your mind. I sometimes focus on breathing, counting in and out until it becomes part of the white noise. Only problem with that is sometimes when I focus on my breathing I can't seem to tune it out. Hope it gets better for you. Not sleeping is never any good.
- April 15, 2011 at 8:41 PM
Sometimes Melatonin.
A single aspirin.
A piece of cheese.
Warm milk with honey and vanilla.
a B.O.B., but sometimes it makes me feel wakey. :)
I wear a sleep mask because an apartment isn't conducive to total darkness.
good luck.
- April 15, 2011 at 8:45 PM
- Laina said...
I don't. I'm the type of person who if I wake up, lying there in bed is only going to make me more awake. The other night I went to bed at 11pm, woke up at 4am and I was up til like 6:30, 7. So... after years of this, I just get up and do stuff.
I have very little caffeine in my day to day life (I know, I'm a freak) so if I get tired later, I just drink a Dr. Pepper or something and I'm good to go for a while :P
The saddest thing is I remember doing that once when I was like 9, waking up at 4am and not sleeping for the rest of the day. It seriously freaked my mother out, but she's used to it now.
- April 15, 2011 at 8:58 PM
Sleeping is not my problem, waking up is. I need an alarm clock, always. I can sleep for (and have) over ten hours. If something or someone does not wake me up, well.... I'd still be sleeping now.
- April 15, 2011 at 9:33 PM
- Caryn Caldwell said...
When I have trouble sleeping it's usually because I'm either worried about something that I can't fix right at that moment or I'm worked up about not being able to sleep. (Seriously. Thinking about insomnia makes me have it.) The solution, for me, is sometimes just to distract myself from these thoughts while also boring myself to death. I'll usually do this by doing little games like going down the alphabet thinking of, for example, a boy's name that starts with A, then one that starts with B, then C...Or I'll do capital cities or names of classic books or movies or singers or something. Writing a story in my mind sometimes helps, but at other times if I'm convinced that this is a wonderful story then I can't sleep until I write it down, which often wakes me up more. Also, some sleep meds will knock you out for the first few hours, and then you wake up because it's like you run out of sleep. That's my problem with melatonin. Good luck!
- April 16, 2011 at 8:20 AM
- Cat Moleski said...
Recently I discovered that I will sleep through the night if I have no coffee, not even decaf, and no chocolate, not even one bite. Otherwise, I'll wake up between 3 and 3:30 and stay awake for 2 hours. Also, too much red wine, more than one glass, will wake me up, white wine over two glasses will also. And more than two gin and tonics gives me nightmares. Try keeping a food journal, maybe that will help make connections.
- April 18, 2011 at 6:20 PM
- Becky said...
It could be blood sugar falling (I'm not diabetic or anything, just old, and that's what kept me awake for MONTHS until I figured it out). A spoonful of peanut butter works for me, but chesse would be an option too.
- April 20, 2011 at 9:35 AM


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The European Central Bank is more likely to resume buying up sovereign bonds than it is to make any more cheap long-term loans, according to a poll of economists.
Bloomberg reported Friday that it surveyed 22 economists and of that number, 17 said the ECB would restart its Securities Markets Program (ECBCSMP) if the European debt crisis escalates. Only one believed it likely to offer more long-term loans, while nine said it was possible that the ECB would extend shorter-term loans of a year or two.
"Market stresses will eventually force the ECB to restart the bond program, but it's not imminent," Ken Wattret, chief euro-area economist at BNP Paribas in London, was quoted saying. "Trying to get consensus on the council for it will be difficult."
The governing council of the ECB has split over the issue, with German members protesting a resumption of the Longer Term Refinancing Operations (LTRO) and saying that they are straddling both monetary and fiscal policy. Although LTRO warded off disaster over Spanish and Italian bonds that could have destroyed the euro zone, in the long run they are seen as ineffective in combating the larger crisis as yields on those bonds have begun to rise once more.
"There is mounting evidence that the LTRO is pretty toxic for banks and isn't working," James Nixon, chief European economist at Societe Generale in London and a former ECB official, said in the report. "I don't think there will be another one."
The yield on Spanish 10-year bonds is now near the levels at which Greece, Ireland and Portugal sought bailouts, while Italian yields on 3-year bonds rose more than a percentage point in a Thursday sale. Investors are backing off sovereign bonds from troubled euro zone countries, a situation the LTRO was intended to prevent.
"Something is wrong when you load up on assets that were considered risky in November and deemed un-risky in January," Jacques Cailloux, chief European economist at Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) in London, was quoted saying. "Now we're seeing the worst you could have hoped for. As soon as the situation of the sovereign worsens, banks will come under additional market pressure. That's extremely negative."


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The Biggest Loser Resort Brings Its Award-winning Immersive Weight-Loss Program to Western New York Inspired by Hit NBC Series "The Biggest Loser"
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- February 10, 2012 - NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group and Fitness Ridge Worldwide, the parent entity of The Biggest Loser Resort, today announced that it will open its third destination resort location this spring in western New York. The Biggest Loser Resort - Niagara will open in May, 2012 in Java, N.Y., and will offer the same award-winning, results-oriented program that guests have come to expect and enjoy at the company's other two locations in Malibu, Calif., and Ivins, Utah. The announcement was made today by Kim Niemi, Senior Vice President, NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group and Larry Bond, CEO of Fitness Ridge Worldwide.
In connection with the announcement, Fitness Ridge Worldwide is partnering with The Snyder Corp. to bring the next Biggest Loser Resort to the Beaver Hollow Conference Center as part of a multi-million dollar expansion program at that facility.
The Biggest Loser Resorts are licensed through NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products and Reveille LLC.
The Biggest Loser Resorts cater to individuals of all ages and fitness levels and focus on exercise, healthy nutrition and education - inspired by what contestants experience on NBC's hit weight-loss series "The Biggest Loser" during their time on the show. Spas of America recently recognized The Biggest Loser Resort in Utah as the #1 spa in the United States. Spa magazine also recognized the resort as the "Best Weight Loss Spa" in North America and, in addition, the location has been a five-time SpaFinder winner and globally acknowledged for these achievements.
"The Biggest Loser" airs Tuesdays on NBC (8-9 p.m. ET).
"We are incredibly proud of what The Biggest Loser Resort has come to mean for so many individuals," said Niemi. "These award-winning 'Biggest Loser' branded resorts give people a great chance to focus on their personal health and wellness and provide the tools needed to really commit to a healthy lifestyle."
"Expanding to New York is a critical step for us and we are thrilled to partner with Snyder Corp., a company headed by one of the great American families of our time," said Bond. "The growth seen by our resorts has been explosive. We are proud that our program has been universally embraced as the best weight-loss spa in the business. This new location that is strategically located to access both the Northeast U.S. and Eastern Canadian markets will aid us in our quest to help society conquer weight-related challenges and chronic illnesses linked to obesity such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers."
Sandra Snyder Schoellkopf, Executive VP/Marketing for Snyder Corporation said, "This is a win-win for Western New York both in expanding business and also in helping to improve health and wellness in our community. As a leading corporate conference center, now with The Biggest Loser Resorts we are able to accommodate employers with a world-renowned program that seamlessly integrates health and wellness into their business meetings. In doing so, companies will improve the health of their employees and their employees will enjoy a fun weight-loss experience provided by the experts at The Biggest Loser Resorts."
Monica Austin, Senior Vice President, Business and Brand Development, Reveille added, "Recognizing how much people juggle, The Biggest Loser Resorts have become a great vacation destination to focus on one's own health and well-being. By having more resort locations, we hope to make it easier for people to enjoy the experiences in gorgeous settings that might be closer to their homes."
The Biggest Loser Resort - Niagara is set on a pristine and scenic 300-acre private location and includes a conference center, spa and swimming pool and state-of-the-art fitness facilities. The program is renowned for its focus on emotional support and positive energy embodied in the evening bonfire gatherings for guests. The Biggest Loser Resorts offer a minimum one-week weight loss program that combines morning hikes and an array of daily fitness classes, including kickboxing, yoga, spinning, biking, water aerobics, Zumba dance and others -- all under the close supervision of certified personal trainers. In addition to expert fitness professionals, The Biggest Loser Resorts also feature on-site health practitioners, dietitians and seasoned nutrition experts, as well as executive chefs, who prepare calorie-conscious, nutritionally balanced yet delicious spa cuisine meals. The Resorts further offer award-winning, onsite spas with a robust menu of different massage options, aesthetics, acupuncture and other rejuvenating therapeutic treatments.
Advance reservations for The Biggest Loser-Niagara are currently being taken at 866/317-4448. For more information about The Biggest Loser Resorts please visit www.biggestloserresort.com
About The Biggest Loser Resort
Since 2009, The Biggest Loser Resort has provided programs that encourage and empower people to lose weight and achieve balance in their lives through a strategic combination of fitness, nutrition, education and relaxation. Compassionate, world-class trainers and nutritional staff have helped many resort guests build endurance, know their bodies' unique cues and triggers and transform their relationships with food in a safe, supportive environment. The Biggest Loser is a registered trademark and copyright of NBC Studios, Inc. & Reveille LLC. Licensed by NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group. 2012. All rights reserved.
About Snyder Corp.
Snyder Corp. is one of Western New York's largest privately owned companies. Founded in 1958 by Chairman, Paul L. Snyder, Snyder Corp. is nationally recognized for its excellence and innovation in the hospitality, travel and transportation industries.
About NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group
NBCUniversal is a leader in providing entertainment programming to the domestic and international marketplaces. NBCUniversal Television DVD, Music, and Consumer Products Group manages all global ancillary television business endeavors for the NBCUniversal Television Group, including third-party home entertainment distribution, consumer products, musical soundtracks, special markets projects and the NBCUniversal Online Store. For the latest product updates and an overview of the properties managed by the group, visit the NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products portal at http://nbcuconsumerproducts.com.
About Reveille
Reveille is part of the Shine Group, one of the world's foremost multinational entertainment and drama companies. Best known for its popular and award-winning hit series including "Masterchef," "The Biggest Loser," "The Office," "The Buried Life," "Ugly Betty," "The Tudors," "Tabatha's Salontakeover," "Shear Genius" and "Parental Control," the Company also focuses on exploiting worldwide intellectual property rights in scripted and unscripted television and digital entertainment. Reveille has partnerships with Break Media, Microsoft and Yahoo! to develop original online series for brands. Through its distribution arm, Shine International, Reveille distributes its extensive library of programming to more than 150 countries.


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October 2011 New Products
The Newest Products From Miller, EMPI, Zone, and More!
K1500 Suspension Boost
Zone Offroad's 6-inch suspension lift for '88-'98 K1500 trucks is an affordable lift solution. It offers a smooth ride and increased off-road capabilities. The kit includes everything needed to lift the K1500 and utilizes one-piece upper control arm drop brackets to correct the ball joint geometry and retain the use of factory steering knuckles. Information: Zone Offroad Products, 888.998.ZONE, zoneoffroad.com.
Auto-Darkening Welding Helmets
The Viking auto-darkening helmets from Lincoln Electric are lightweight and feature an integrated grind control so the helmet can be used as a grinding shield. The 1840 series features a 1.8-inch viewing area height, and the 2450 series features a 2.4-inch one. The 1840 has an externally controlled, continuously variable 9-13 shade control. The 2450 series features a protected internal continuously variable 9-13 shade control. Information: Lincoln Electric Co., 888.355.3213, www.lincolnelectric.com.
Violator Dana 60 U-Joint
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Adjustable Jeep Mirrors
Adjusting and defrosting your mirrors is simple with the mirror kit developed by Off Road Engineering. The genuine Mopar mirrors install in the same location as factory mirrors and maintain the stock look, while providing the convenience of adjusting mirrors from the driver's seat. The kit includes a Mopar factory control switch and a custom wiring harness. Information: Off Road Engineering LLC, 949.581.2991, www.offroadengineering.com.
Mount-Anywhere Battery Tray
This tray from Cobra Automotive is a great way to secure your battery anywhere. The tray is 123⁄4 inches long, 71⁄2 inches wide, and 81⁄2 inches high, designed for Group 24–size batteries. It weighs just under 21⁄2 pounds. It features a side bracket and a hold-down than can be mounted two ways to accommodate different style battery tops. Information: Cobra Automotive 203.284.3863, www.cobraautomotive.com.
Colorado and Canyon Lift
The Rancho system for '09-'11 Chevy Colorados and Canyons utilizes Rancho ReaLift technology to eliminate the need to relocate the factory torsion bar crossmember. The system accommodates tires up to 33 inches and includes a low-profile, two-piece crossmember that relocates the differential, allowing for additional ground clearance and easy installation. The lift system also includes CNC-machined, extended cast steering knuckles and improves ride and handling characteristics. Information: Rancho Suspension, 734.384.7806, www.gorancho.com.
Race-Trim Suspension Seats
The high-back suspension seats from Race-Trim are great for off-road rigs and race vehicles. They feature fully welded and painted steel frame construction, dense foam cushioning, and a weatherproof suspended bladder. The five-point seatbelt slots accept all latch-style belts. Mounting kits and sliders are also available. Information: EMPI Inc., 800.666.3674, www.empius.com.
Cool Cookin' Tray
The Trailgater is engineered for a rattle-free fit on the Jeep '07-'11 JK Wrangler and can be installed without drilling. The convenient fold-down utility table is great for cooking a meal or using as a work surface. The tray is built with stainless steel hardware and food-grade 304 stainless steel table top material. An available slide-out cutting board increases the working area. Information: Outback Adventures Inc., 801.631.7424, www.outbackadventureproducts.com.
Cool Safety Glasses
Miller Electric has added smoked and shade 3.0 safety glasses to its line of glasses. The safety lenses are available in black, blue, or orange frame colors. The Shade 3.0 is ideal for light oxy-fuel or plasma cutting applications. Arc Armor safety glasses are designed for optimal comfort, fit, and durability. Information: Miller Electric Mfg. Co., 920.734.9821, www.millerwelds.com.
Chevy & GM Front Diff Cover
PPE's front differential cover for the '11 Chevy and GMC 2500/3500HD 4x4 trucks are cast from high-grade aluminum alloy and feature external cooling fins and internal heat-absorbing ribs, which reduce oil temperature. The sight-level fill plug has a large, 17mm hex head and a large Neodymium magnet to collect and hold harmful particles. Fluid capacity is increased by 24 ounces. Information: Pacific Performance Engineering, 714.958.4825, www.ppediesel.com.


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"The U.S. military has been investigating the use of sophisticated data mining tools to probe social media and other open sources in order to support military operations against money laundering, drug trafficking, terrorism and other threats. But the window for doing so may be closing as the social media landscape changes, according to an internal assessment. U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) National Capital Region (NCR) conducted a series of experiments over the past year under the rubric "QUANTUM LEAP" that was intended to test "non-traditional" tools and techniques to advance the SOCOM mission. [In fact, only the first experiment was carried out…] An after-action report on the first experiment said it "was successful in identifying strategies and techniques for exploiting open sources of information, particularly social media, in support of a counter threat finance mission." Counter threat finance refers to efforts to disrupt an adversary's finances. A copy of the SOCOM NCR report was obtained by Secrecy News. See "Project QUANTUM LEAP: After Action Report," 12 September 2012.
"Major lessons learned were the pronounced utility of social media in exploiting human networks, including networks in which individual members actively seek to limit their exposure to the internet and social media…," the report said.
The QUANTUM LEAP project, which did not utilize classified intelligence, relied heavily on participation by private sector firms identified in the report, who demonstrated tools they had developed "to enhance the ability to discover relationships, human networks, and geospatial features" from open source data."


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With the U.S. stock market off to its best beginning in 21 years, skepticism among some segment of market observers is to be expected. But David Santschi, who analyzes fund flow data for investment research firm TrimTabs, borders on the apocalyptic when he warns that central bank actions are overwhelming the natural forces in the market.
The U.S. Federal Reserve has pledged to keep rates at near zero until the end of 2014, while the European Central Bank has recently unleashed 120 billion euros of cheap loans to European financial institutions. "They're just getting warmed up," Santschi (left) said in an interview with AdvisorOne, adding that the two central banks' combined balance sheets could, in theory at least, reach $10 trillion in a year or two.
"They can print $10 trillion any time they feel like it … Eventually it becomes like funny money. We're advising people that they need to hold some hard assets in their portfolio," he said, noting that whereas money printing led to wage inflation in the 1970s, today it is fueling asset speculation.
TrimTabs is putting its money where its skepticism is. Its best performing model portfolio over the past several years–a model that is based strictly on demand-side data–has moved to 100% cash as of Jan. 19.
The investment firm's analysis is based on the supply and demand of shares of stock and the money used to buy that stock. "Companies control the supply of shares; investors determine the demand for shares," Santschi said. And in an interview with AdvisorOne on Jan. 13, Santschi said investors were not falling for central bank market manipulation but were pouring their money into bank savings and checking accounts in near record amounts.
Santschi has updated his warning, spotlighting the role that the Fed and the European Central Bank are playing in creating "fake" demand. The two central banks together are printing $5 billion per business day, he says.
"Zimbabwe tried it for a while," he says, his dark humor anticipating ruinous results.
"All the money printing that has happened, it's hard to stop. You have to keep doing it and doing it. You've got rates at zero and the debt is going up at 1.3 trillion a year. You can't raise rates … Eventually you just blow up. Confidence is a very fragile thing. As you saw in Europe in August and September, confidence can change very fast. Eventually you reach a point when you abuse people's confidence and then things can get ugly really fast."
Santschi says the reason central banks find it hard to stop printing money is to avoid the short-term pain of economic adjustment. The problem is widespread, he says, noting the Chinese may be printing more the U.S. "No one wants to have a recession, unemployment up, wages down–so everyone's stimulating the system."
Another systemic problem: "You have over $700 trillion notional value of derivatives. How will that ever get settled? It's spun out of control."
Santschi's advice for financial advisors? "Make sure that [your] clients have some hard assets to protect against all the money printing that is happening and is probably going to happen." TrimTabs recommends investors own some gold, or at least some other hard asset.
"Farm land, real estate priced well … [Invesetors] need to hold something that is real as insurance against a bad outcome. Eventually you just abuse the confidence, then you reset the system," citing the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement when the world's war-battered economic powers set new rules for conduct of the international monetary regime.


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Date(s) - January 30, 2014
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Attend this valuable business technology training event to learn ways to save time and money from industry experts and fellow business owners! This event is hosted by my PC Techs, an IT support company that specializes in technology solutions for Phoenix area businesses.


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The banking crisis could bring an unexpected benefit for British industry by increasing the allure of engineering and manufacturing jobs at the expense of City posts, according to a specialist recruitment firm.
SThree, which recruits professionals educated in the so-called STEM areas of science, technology, engineering and maths, said the financial services sector had contributed to a skills shortage at industrial businesses by tempting away graduates with well-remunerated employment packages. According to a survey of 402 businesses organised by the UK arm of General Electric, the US conglomerate, two-thirds of respondents are struggling to hire technicians and engineers. The UK boss of BAE Systems, Britain's largest manufacturing employer, last month became the latest industry executive to warn of a skills shortage.
SThree's chief executive, Russell Clements, said industrial companies had struggled to compete with the City. "The UK's engineering skills shortfall is a function of the fact that people think it is an unattractive sector. There is a perception issue. If you said to a bright young graduate do you want to join a bank or an engineering company, the answer would have been a bank. In Germany the answer would have been the opposite."
However, Clements said signs that the "lustre has come off" the banking industry will benefit companies in SThree's recruitment sectors, which include engineering, energy, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, aerospace and automotive. Within that, IT is the main specialism. "The engineering sector … will be a beneficiary of the perception that all that goes on in banking is not what it seems to be," said Clements, referring to the crackdown on bonuses and layoffs across the financial services sector in the UK. "There was a sense that if you joined an investment bank there was nothing you could do other than earn money. Professionals placed in permanent roles by SThree earn an average of £56,000 per year and range from project managers to mechanical and nuclear engineers, as well as IT specialists.
Clements spoke as SThree announced a 9% increase in revenues to £278.4m for the six months to 27 May 2012, with pre-tax profits falling 16.9% to £9.3m as the company invested in an international expansion. In the results statement Clements warned of "a deterioration in the macroeconomic situation during the second quarter". The UK and Ireland accounted for a third of SThree profits over the period, with Germany next at 23%, followed by the Benelux countries and France. SThree said profits in the UK and Ireland had risen 2%, which Clements said was far below pre-crash levels, which often hit more than 20%.