text:
Nexant, Inc.
B-407708,B-407708.2: Jan 30, 2013
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
(202) 512-8278
Kenneth E. Patton
(202) 512-8205
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
Nexant, Inc., of Washington, D.C., protests the award of a contract to Deloitte Consulting, LLP, of Arlington, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. 486-12-018A, issued by the United States Agency for International Development (AID), for services in connection with the establishment of a private financing advisory network in Asia (PFAN-Asia). Nexant argues that the agency engaged in misleading discussions, misevaluated proposals, and failed to make a source selection decision in accordance with applicable procurement laws and regulations.
We sustain the protest.
The decision issued on the date below was subject to a GAO Protective Order. This redacted version has been approved for public release.
Matter of: Nexant, Inc.
File: B-407708; B-407708.2
Date: January 30, 2013
Daniel R. Forman, Esq., James J. Regan, Esq., James G. Peyster, Esq., and Stephan D. Rice, Esq., Crowell & Moring LLP, for the protester.
Peter B. Hutt, II, Esq., Thomas P. McLish, Esq., Scott M. Heimberg, Esq., and Maka Y. Hutson, Esq., Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, for Deloitte Consulting, LLP, an intervenor.
R. Rene Dupuy, Esq., United States Agency for International Development, for the agency.
Scott H. Riback, Esq., and Jonathan L. Kang, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision.
1. Protest that the agency engaged in misleading discussions is sustained where the agency failed to convey its actual concerns to the protester in a manner that would have enabled the protester to meaningfully respond to the evaluated weaknesses identified in its proposal.
2. Protest challenging the agencys technical evaluation is sustained where the agencys evaluation was based on a flawed methodology and contained numerous unreasonable conclusions.
3. Protest that the agencys award decision was flawed is sustained where the decision did not reasonably explain the basis for selecting the awardees higher-rated, higher-cost proposal.
Nexant, Inc., of Washington, D.C., protests the award of a contract to Deloitte Consulting, LLP, of Arlington, Virginia, under request for proposals (RFP) No. 486-12-018A, issued by the United States Agency for International Development (AID), for services in connection with the establishment of a private financing advisory network in Asia (PFAN-Asia). Nexant argues that the agency engaged in misleading discussions, misevaluated proposals, and failed to make a source selection decision in accordance with applicable procurement laws and regulations.
We sustain the protest.
The RFP was issued on April 12, 2012, and contemplated the award of a cost- reimbursement contract for a five-year period to perform various services in connection with the establishment of the PFAN-Asia program. The underlying purpose of the PFAN-Asia program is to assist Asian businesses, governments and other entities to mobilize and scale up investments in clean energy projects by providing increased financing from interested investors to project developers in Asias developing countries. See RFP at 9-11.
Offerors were advised that the agency intended to award a contract to the firm whose proposal was deemed to offer the best value to the government, considering cost and the following non-cost evaluation factors: (1) technical approach, draft work plan summary, and draft summary performance management plan (40 points); (2) management approach (20 points); (3) personnel (20 points); (4) corporate capability (10 points); and (5) past performance (10 points). RFP at 87-88. The RFP provided that cost proposals would be evaluated for reasonableness, realism, completeness and consistency with an offerors technical proposal. RFP at 86-87. The RFP advised that the combined non-cost evaluation considerations were significantly more important than cost. RFP at 86.
AID received a number of proposals in response to the solicitation. The agency evaluated the proposals, established a competitive range, engaged in discussions with the competitive range offerors, and solicited, received and evaluated final proposal revisions. The agency assigned the following evaluation ratings to, and determined the most probable cost for, the protesters and awardees revised proposals as follows:
Evaluation Factor
Technical Approach
Management Approach
Corporate Experience
Past Performance
Total Point Score
Proposed Cost
Evaluated Cost
Agency Report (AR), exh. 15, Final Memorandum of Negotiations, at 24, 25. On the basis of these evaluation results, the agency made award to Deloitte, finding that its proposal represented the best value to the government. Id. at 29-30. After learning of the agencys selection decision and receiving a debriefing, Nexant filed the instant protest.
Despite the agencys award of this contract to Deloitte on October 1, there is no contemporaneous document that sets forth the rationale for the agencys award decision. In fact, the only document in the record that embodies the agencys source selection decision is the final memorandum of negotiations (FMN) cited above. This summary of the procurement, which includes the eventual best value decision, was executed on October 31--some 49 days after the source selection authority (SSA) states she made the decision to award the contract to Deloitte, 30 days after the actual award was made, and 9 days after Nexant filed its protest with our Office.
Nexant raises a large number of contentions, and we have considered all of them. We sustain Nexants protest based on the following arguments, which are discussed below: (1) the agency failed to provide Nexant meaningful discussions; (2) the agencys evaluation of the offerors technical proposals was unreasonable; and (3) the agencys selection decision was unreasonable. We deny Nexants remaining allegations.
Meaningful Discussions
Nexant argues that AID failed to provide it with an opportunity for meaningful discussions. It is a fundamental principle of negotiated procurements that discussions, when conducted, must be meaningful; that is, discussions must identify deficiencies and significant weaknesses in an offerors proposal that could reasonably be addressed so as to materially enhance the offerors potential for receiving award. PAI Corp., B-298349, Aug. 18, 2006, 2006 CPD ¶ 124 at 8; Spherix, Inc., B-294572, B-294572.2, Dec. 1, 2004, 2005 CPD ¶ 3 at 13. An agency may not mislead an offeror through the framing of a discussion question into responding in a manner that does not address the agencys actual concerns, or otherwise misinform the offeror concerning a problem with its proposal. Metro Mach. Corp., B-281872 et al., Apr. 22, 1999, 99-1 CPD ¶ 101 at 6.
The solicitation here divides the requirements among five mandatory tasks (tasks 1 through 5) and one optional task (optional task 6). RFP at 12-13. Task 1 requires the contractor to provide analytical and consultative input in determining the scope and nature of activities to be implemented as part of the overall statement of work (SOW). RFP at 12. The geographic scope of these activities during the period of performance is described in section 4.2 of the RFP as follows:
The PFAN-Asia program will initially focus on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) sub-region and support activities in Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Based on the results of Task 1 . . . and direction from and approval of the Contracting Officer Representative (COR), starting in year 2 of the program the Contractor must either deepen support to the ASEAN sub-region or expand activities to also include the South Asia sub-region, including Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Considerations for expanding the program to South Asia include, but are not limited to: potential economies of scale as a result of replicating the approach in engaging the ASEAN sub-region; USAID bilateral Mission buy-ins in Option 6 (see below); and opportunities to leverage resources through public-private partnerships . . . .
RFP at 12 (emphasis in original).
Optional task 6, in turn, provides that the agency may, at its option, authorize country-specific support for PFAN activities through bilateral USAID Mission buy-ins. RFP at 12-13; 27. According to the agency, these task 6 bilateral buy-ins could involve USAID missions from any country, and were not limited to the South Asian countries enumerated in the geographic scope quoted above. See, AR, exh. 13, Final Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) Report, at 24.
After evaluating initial proposals, AID assigned Nexants proposal a weakness for misunderstanding the geographic scope, as well as the nature of the tasks, outlined in the solicitation. Specifically, the evaluators identified the following weakness in the Nexant proposal:
Nexant failed to understand that Optional Task 6 is designed to support focused country-level PFAN activities in any country, not just countries in South Asia. Thus, Nexant did not provide any creative ideas on leveraging sufficient resources and partnerships to engage South Asia as part of the overall program rather than relying entirely on Optional Task 6 resources . . . .
AR, exh. 7, Initial TEC Report, at 33.
During discussions, AID asked Nexant to address the following question: Please clarify Nexants overall understanding [of] Optional Task 6. AR, exh. 9, Nexant Discussion Questions, at 2. In response to the question, Nexant explained that it would expand PFAN activities in up to 4 South Asian countries, should funding be made available, and explained that Nexant already had a presence in three of the South Asian countries identified in the solicitation: India, Maldives and Sri Lanka. AR, exh. 11, Nexant Discussion Responses, at 10-11.
In evaluating Nexants response, the agency evaluators continued to assign Nexants proposal a weakness in this area, finding that Nexant did not understand that task 6 was not limited to the South Asian countries identified in the solicitation. AR, exh. 13, Final TEC Report, at 24.
Nexant argues that AIDs discussion question was misleading because it did not afford it an opportunity to address the agencys actual concerns regarding this weakness. As noted, the evaluators were concerned with two aspects of Nexants proposal in this area: (1) its apparent failure to understand that optional task 6 was intended to be available for exercise in any country, and not just in the countries identified by the RFP as South Asia; and (2) Nexants apparent failure to provide any creative ideas for leveraging resources and partnerships to engage South Asian countries as part of the overall program, rather than relying entirely on optional task 6 resources. AR, exh. 7, Initial TEC Report, at 33. We agree with Nexant that the agencys discussion question in this area was misleading.
To the extent the agencys discussion question focused on either of these two areas of concern, it was limited to directing Nexants attention--obliquely--to the first concern, namely, Nexants apparent misunderstanding of the geographical scope of optional task 6. We agree with the protester, however, that the discussion question did not adequately convey to Nexant the nature of the first concern because the protester was only asked, without elaboration, to clarify its understanding of optional task 6, and was never advised of its apparent misunderstanding of the geographic scope of optional task 6. More importantly, the question entirely failed to advise the protester of the agencys second concern, which was Nexants apparent failure to provide creative ideas for leveraging resources and partnerships to engage South Asian countries as part of the overall PFAN program. Nexant therefore improperly was deprived of the opportunity to improve its proposal in this area.
Moreover, the record shows that these concerns were specifically identified in the source selection portion of the FMN as the basis for one of just three enumerated weaknesses in the protesters proposal that factored into the SSAs best value decision. In describing this weakness remaining in Nexants proposal after discussions, the SSA stated:
However, the TEC found several responses unsatisfactory and unclear. For example, Nexant continued to misinterpret the programs Geographic Scope (RFP section 4.2), and presented a narrow approach for expanding program activities in South Asia. Along a similar vein, Nexant failed to describe an approach for deepening activities in any country where a USAID Mission might buy-in to the PFAN-Asia program through Optional Task 6 (an option which may or may not ever be exercised); rather, Nexant incorrectly considered Optional Task 6 the only means of working in South Asia.
AR, exh. 15, FNM, at 29. We conclude that Nexant was prejudiced by the agencys misleading discussions in this area. We therefore sustain this aspect of Nexants protest.[1]
Technical Evaluation
Nexant argues that AIDs technical evaluation contained numerous errors, inconsistencies and unexplained scoring anomalies. Nexant maintains that, because the offerors numeric scores were relatively close (86 points for Nexants proposal versus 94.73 points for Deloittes), and because the agencys source selection decision relied heavily on the numeric scores assigned to the proposals, these errors, if corrected, could affect the agencys source selection decision.
We have reviewed Nexants allegations and agree that the agencys scoring methodology and evaluation conclusions are not reasonable. In this connection, while our Office does not independently evaluate proposals, we nonetheless review the record to ensure that the agencys evaluation is reasonable and consistent with the terms of the RFP, as well as applicable procurement statutes and regulations. Yang Enters., Inc.; Santa Barbara Applied Research, Inc., B-294605.4 et al., Apr. 1, 2005, 2005 CPD ¶ 65 at 5; Acepex Mgmt. Corp., B-283080 et al., Oct. 4, 1999, 99-2 CPD ¶ 77 at 3, 5. Additionally, while an agencys use of point scores can serve to guide intelligent decision making, the assignment of the underlying point scores must be on an intelligible, reasonable, equal and consistent basis for all proposals. The Clay Group, LLC, B-406647, B-406647.2, July 30, 2012, 2012 CPD ¶ 214 at 9-10.
We note at the outset that the record provided by AID does not explain how the evaluators assigned their scores. The record does not, for example, include a source selection plan with definitions of the scoring scheme used by the evaluators, nor do the TEC reports explain how the evaluators translated their assessments of strengths and weaknesses into numeric point scores.[2] Although we recognize that there is no legal requirement for a source selection plan--or even, for that matter, pre-established definitions for use in scoring proposals--nonetheless, such evaluation tools can prove useful to an agency in achieving consistency in its evaluation. See e.g., Israeli Aircraft Indus., Ltd., MATA Helicopter Div., B-274389, et al., Dec. 8, 1996, 97-1 CPD ¶ 41 at 3 (source selection plan provided detailed basis for scoring proposals.)
The record shows that the AID evaluators first prepared individual evaluation worksheets, which listed the point scores assigned, and the strengths, weaknesses, significant weaknesses and deficiencies identified for the proposals under each evaluation factor. The evaluators then met to prepare a consensus TEC report. This procedure occurred during the initial evaluation, and again during the evaluation of the offerors revised proposals. In arriving at the consensus point scores for each offeror, the evaluators calculated a mathematic average of the point scores assigned by the individual evaluators, rather than developing a consensus score and rationale. AR, exh. 7, Initial TEC Report, at 3; AR, exh. 13, Final TEC Report, at 4, 21. The record shows that the agencys reliance on the mathematic average of the scores assessed by the individual evaluators appears to have resulted in mechanically-calculated scores that did not reflect the consensus judgment of the evaluators. While the use of a mathematic average in scoring proposals is not per se improper, in this case it resulted in the scores being distorted in the ways discussed below.
First, not all of the strengths and weaknesses identified by the individual evaluators were carried forward to the consensus TEC evaluation report. For example, in the final evaluation, one of the individual evaluators assigned only a single weakness to the Nexant proposal under the personnel evaluation factor, and assigned the proposal a numeric score of only [deleted] out of 20 available points. AR, exh. 14, Final Evaluator A Scoresheet (Nexant), at 6.[3] The weakness assigned by evaluator A that resulted in the [deleted] point score (rather than a higher score), however, was not carried forward to the final TEC report. AR, exh. 13, Final TEC Report, at 28-29. Since the weakness identified by evaluator A appears not to have been accepted in the consensus evaluation, the evaluators averaging method for calculating the consensus scores resulted in Nexants score being artificially lower than it should have been.
Second, the record reflects instances where Nexants individual score was based on a weakness or significant weakness assessed by an individual evaluator, even though the consensus evaluation report shows that the evaluators expressly found that the weakness or significant weakness had been resolved during discussions. For example, evaluator B assigned the Nexant proposal a significant weakness under the management approach evaluation factor for not having adequate key personnel in the third year of the contract, and assigned the proposal a numeric score of only [deleted] out of 20 available points. AR, exh. 14, Final Evaluator B Scoresheet (Nexant), at 2. In the final TEC evaluation report, however, the evaluators specifically found that this significant weakness had been eliminated by Nexant during discussions. AR, exh. 13, Final TEC Report, at 25-25. The record therefore shows that inconsistencies such as these also had the effect of artificially lowering Nexants consensus scores.
Third, the record reflects similar errors regarding the individual evaluator scores for Deloittes proposal. For example, evaluator C originally identified a significant weakness in Deloittes proposal under the management approach factor for failing to present the awardees capacity in South Asian countries; the evaluator assigned the Deloitte proposal a score of [deleted] out of 20 available points under that evaluation factor. AR, exh. 8, Initial Evaluator C Scoresheet (Deloitte), at 2. This significant weakness was carried forward to the initial TEC report. AR, exh. 7, Initial TEC Report, at 9. After discussions, evaluator C continued to note this same significant weakness in the Deloitte proposal, but for reasons that are not explained in the record, evaluator C raised Deloittes score under the management factor to [deleted]. AID concedes that this scoring was in error. See Supp. AR at 10. Therefore, Deloittes score was artificially increased, even though the significant weakness remained.
Finally, the record shows that the TECs consensus evaluations contained internal inconsistencies that affected Nexants evaluation score, as well as the agencys source selection decision. For example, under the management approach evaluation factor, the initial TEC report identified a weakness based on Nexants failure to adequately describe the roles and responsibilities of its program staff. AR, exh. 7, Initial TEC Report, at 34. After conducting discussions with Nexant, the evaluators expressly found that: In its response to question 16, the Offeror fully addresses the TECs question regarding staff responsibilities and roles in implementing tasks. AR, exh. 13, Final TEC Report, at 26. Notwithstanding this express finding, however, the final TEC report stated elsewhere, in its summary rationale for the protesters final score for the management approach factor, that this remained an unresolved weakness. Id. at 28. This weakness, along with a second resolved weakness, is identified in the FMN as a basis for distinguishing the Nexant proposal from the Deloitte proposal. AR, exh. 15, FMN, at 29.
In sum, the record reflects a lack of rationality and consistency on the part of the agency evaluators in assigning point scores to the proposals, such that the scores relied on by the SSA cannot be said to be reliable or reflective of the comparative merits of the proposals. Moreover, as discussed in detail below, the record shows that the SSA placed heavy reliance on the scores in connection with her award decision. We therefore sustain this aspect of Nexants protest.
Source Selection Decision
Nexant argues that the FMN does not adequately document the agencys cost/technical tradeoff. According to the protester, the SSA principally relied on the difference in the point scores assigned, and also the number--but not the quality--of the strengths and weaknesses assigned to the proposals in arriving at her selection decision.
We find that the agencys selection decision is inadequate, in and of itself, to support the award to Deloitte. In this connection, where an agency makes award to a higher-rated, higher-cost proposal in a best value acquisition, the award decision must be supported by a rational and adequately-documented explanation of why the higher-rated proposal is, in fact, superior, and why its technical superiority warrants paying a price premium. FAR § 15.308; ACCESS Sys., Inc., B-400623.3, Mar. 4, 2009, 2009 CPD ¶ 56 at 7. An agency that fails to adequately document its source selection decision bears the risk that our Office may be unable to determine whether the decision was proper. ACCESS Sys., Inc., supra.
Here, the FMN does not identify any particular features of the Deloitte proposal for which the SSA thought it was worth paying a price premium. Instead, the record shows that she relied principally on the ranking of the proposals based on point scores or the generic number of strengths assigned to the proposals in concluding that award to Deloitte offered the best value to the government. She states:
As noted in the supplemental technical evaluation memorandum dated September 12, 2012, Deloitte had a significant lead in the original TEC review, and subsequently resolved most of the concerns the TEC raised during discussions with regard to its technical approach, draft work plan, draft PMP [performance management plan], management approach, and personnel. In all, Deloitte provided an outstanding and clear proposal for implementing the PFAN-Asia program.
Deloittes, [Offeror As] and Nexants proposals were all strengthened during discussions. However, while [Offeror A and] Nexant demonstrated general improvements, both again achieved a revised score considerably lower than Deloittes revised score. Deloitte continued to reflect significantly more strengths and fewer weaknesses than both [Offeror A] and Nexants proposals.
* * * * *
Given the significant overall quality of its response to the requirements of the RFP, the TEC unanimously concluded that Deloittes proposal offered a substantially better chance for success in achieving the program objectives of the PFAN-Asia program. Ultimately, Deloittes proposal had more exceptional strengths that would significantly benefit the Government than either Nexants or [Offeror As] proposals.
AR, exh. 15, FMN, at 28-29.
This generic, albeit often repeated, conclusion--that the Deloitte proposal offers the best value because it was ranked higher than the other two proposals and included more strengths than the other two proposals--does not meet the requirement for an explanation of why the higher-rated proposal is, in fact, superior, and why its technical superiority warrants paying a price premium.[4] As a result, we sustain Nexants protest that the agency failed to reasonably explain its basis for selecting Deloittes higher-rated, higher-cost proposal.
Finally, Nexant contends that AIDs source selection decision does not support the award to Deloitte because it was not a contemporaneously-prepared document. In this connection, as noted, the record shows that the agencys FMN--which is the only document produced by the agency that embodies its source selection decision--was executed on October 31, some 49 days after the SSA states she made the decision to award the contract to Deloitte, 30 days after the actual award was made, and 9 days after Nexant filed its protest with our Office. The protester maintains that we should therefore accord little weight to the FMN because it was prepared in the heat of litigation.
Among the most basic requirements in a negotiated best value acquisition is the requirement that the agency adequately document its source selection decision. FAR § 15.308 expressly provides:
The source selection decision shall be documented, and the documentation shall include the rationale for any business judgments and tradeoffs made or relied on by the SSA, including benefits associated with additional costs.
While the FAR itself is silent on the question of when this documentation should be prepared, our Office has spoken on numerous occasions about the probity of information presented or prepared after the source selection decision has been made. Most notably, for example, in our decision in Boeing Sikorsky Aircraft Support, B-277263.2, B-277263.3, Sept. 29, 1997, 97-2 CPD ¶ 91 at 15, we stated:
While we consider the entire record, including statements and arguments made in response to a protest in determining whether an agencys selection decision is supportable, we accord greater weight to contemporaneous source selection materials rather than judgments, such as the selection officials reevaluation here, made in response to protest contentions. [citations omitted]. As pointed out above, the agency does not acknowledge that it erred. Rather, we are faced with an agencys efforts to defend, in the face of a bid protest, its prior source selection through submission of new analyses, which the agency itself views as merely hypothetical and which are based on information that the agency continues to argue is not accurate. The lesser weight that we accord these post-protest documents reflects the concern that, because they constitute reevaluations and redeterminations prepared in the heat of an adversarial process, they may not represent the fair and considered judgment of the agency, which is a prerequisite of a rational evaluation and source selection process.
We recognize that the situation we faced in Boeing Sikorsky is not completely analogous to the situation here. Of significance, the agencys source selection decision in the Boeing Sikorsky case had been memorialized contemporaneously; the question we were considering was what weight to give to a new, revised source selection decision--prepared during the course of the protest--that the agency maintained demonstrated that the protester had not been prejudiced.
Here, we are faced with the unusual circumstance of there being no contemporaneous source selection document. Instead, the agency offers only a source selection document prepared well after the selection decision was made, and after Nexant filed its protest. While AID points out that the underlying technical and cost evaluations were completed and documented prior to the award and the protest, the rationale for the SSAs selection of Deloittes higher-rated, higher-cost proposal for award was not documented until after Nexants protest was filed.
Because this document was prepared after the agency had the benefit of having reviewed Nexants protest allegations,[5] the protester expresses a reasonable concern that the document may not represent the agencys fair and considered judgment about the selection, and instead was crafted in response to the protest. To answer this concern would require our Office to consider and decide what weight should be given to a selection decision prepared after the agency receives the protest.[6] However, since we otherwise conclude, as set forth above, that both the selection decision, and the underlying assessments on which it relies, are unreasonable, we need not answer at this time the question of the appropriate weight to be given the post-protest FMN.
We recommend that the agency reopen the acquisition and engage in meaningful discussions with the offerors, consistent with the discussion above. At the conclusion of those discussions, we recommend that the agency obtain and evaluate revised proposals, and make a new--contemporaneous--source selection decision that adequately documents the comparative merits of the proposals and the agencys rationale for its award decision. Should the agency conclude that an offeror other than Deloitte has submitted the proposal that represents the best value to the government, we recommend that the agency terminate the contract awarded to Deloitte and make award to the successful offeror, if otherwise proper. Finally, we recommend that the agency reimburse Nexant the costs associated with filing and pursuing its protest, including reasonable attorneys fees. Bid Protest Regulations, 4 C.F.R. § 21.8(d) (2012). The protesters certified claim for costs, detailing the time expanded and costs incurred, must be submitted to the agency within 60 days after receipt of this decision. Id. § 21.8(f).
The protest is sustained.
Susan A. Poling
General Counsel
[1] Nexant also alleges that AID failed to apprise it of another weakness identified in connection with one of its proposed key personnel. We note that this weakness arose after Nexant replaced one of its key employees with another individual in its final proposal submitted after discussions. Because the weakness arose for the first time as a result of Nexants discussions response, the agency was under no obligation at that point to reopen discussions with Nexant in order to afford it an opportunity to remedy this new weakness. Honeywell Tech. Solutions, Inc., B-400771; B-400771.2, Jan. 27, 2009, 2009 CPD ¶ 49 at 10. Nonetheless, the agency may wish to consider the protesters arguments here in implementing our recommendation, discussed below, that the agency reopen discussions. In this regard, we point out that Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) § 15.306(d)(3) states that agencies are encouraged to discuss other aspects of the offerors proposal that could, in the opinion of the contracting officer, be altered or explained to enhance materially the proposals potential for award.
[2] The record includes a document entitled Instructions for Technical Evaluation Committee, AR, exh. 6, but that document outlines a sample adjectival scoring scheme that was not employed by the evaluators here.
[3] The record includes all of the initial individual evaluator worksheets in a single exhibit 8 and all of the final individual evaluator worksheets in a single exhibit 14. In order not to name the evaluators in our decision, we have designated the evaluators as evaluator A, evaluator B and evaluator C.
[4] In addition, the FMN includes a reference to weaknesses found in Nexants management approach that remained unaddressed. Id. As discussed above, however, the record shows that the weaknesses relating to Nexants management approach had been resolved, and that only a weakness relating to its management of subcontractors remained. AR, exh. 13, Final TEC Report, at 25-28. Further, the tradeoff analysis refers to a weakness concerning Nexants expanding programs in South Asian countries, and its approach to optional task 6. AR, exh. 15, FMN,
at 29. As discussed above, this weakness related to an area where we conclude the agency failed to provide meaningful discussions. We also note that the SSA based her award decision on the difference in the offerors proposed costs, as opposed to their evaluated costs. AR, exh. 15, FMN, at 29. This also was improper. FAR §§ 15.305(a)(1); 15.404-1(d); Tidewater Constr. Corp., B-278360, Jan. 20, 1998, 98-1 CPD ¶ 103 at 4.
[5] Nexant expressly argued in its supplemental protest that the SSA had the benefit of having reviewed its original protest for 9 days prior to the FMN being prepared; the agency has offered no evidence to the contrary.
[6] We recognize that there are cases where we have given consideration to materials prepared after the original source selection decision document. For example, in ITT Federal Servs. Intl Corp., B-283307, B-283307.2, Nov. 3, 1999,
99-2 CPD ¶ 76 at 5-7, we discussed at length the probative value of three different pieces of evidence: a document prepared one day after the source selection decision document had been executed; a declaration from the SSA submitted with the agency report; and testimony from the SSA presented at a hearing convened by our Office. We ultimately gave weight to all three of these pieces of evidence. We characterized the first document, prepared just one day after the source selection document was executed, as essentially a contemporaneous document, and we found the other materials (the SSAs declaration and testimony) credible because they were consistent with the original source selection decision document and merely provided detailed explanations or rationale for the conclusions that were embodied in the original--contemporaneous--source selection decision document. Here, there is no contemporaneous source selection decision document, and thus, nothing with which to compare the subsequently-prepared source selection decision document.
Oct 22, 2020
Academy Medical, LLC
We deny the protest.
Colonna's Shipyard, Inc.
We dismiss the protest in part, and deny it in part.
Knight Point Systems, LLC
We sustain the protest.
J&J Worldwide Services
We deny the protest.
Oct 20, 2020
MindPoint Group, LLC
We deny the protest.
Oct 16, 2020
Potomac Electric Corporation
We deny the protest.
Oct 15, 2020
Island Pyrochemical Industries
We dismiss the protest.
Oct 14, 2020
MicroTechnologies, LLC
We deny the protest.
Oct 9, 2020
The i4 Group Consulting, LLC--Reconsideration
We deny the request for the reconsideration.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here


text:
Additional Navigation
April 23, 2013 : By Drew Menard
|Dr. Michael Babcock, Liberty University professor of Humanities, with his 2005 book, "The Night Attila Died: Solving the Murder of Attila the Hun."
National Geographic International recently featured Liberty University professor Dr. Michael Babcock on its show, "Bloody Tales," in an episode on Attila the Hun.
Babcock, an expert on Attila, the fourth-century barbarian known for his quest to conquer the Roman Empire, questioned the events surrounding his death in his 2005 book, "The Night Attila Died: Solving the Murder of Attila the Hun."
"(The book) grew out of my graduate work … I began to explore the life and death of Attila, uncovered some big question marks in the historical records, and decided to explore them like a detective," Babcock said.
Babcock's new historical interpretation on the circumstances of Attila's death has garnered him several radio and television interviews over the years, including a recent one on Irish radio. His book has been translated into Hungarian and Turkish.
The subject of Babcock's book fits perfectly with the theme of "Bloody Tales," which investigates the deaths of well-known historical figures, often seeking alternative theories to widely accepted notions.
National Geographic flew Babcock to Istanbul, Turkey, last fall for an interview Babcock said was unlike any he has done before. He was filmed at a few relevant locations, including atop the Theodosian Walls, which were built to defend the city from Attila and the Huns.
|Babcock (left) on the set of National Geographic's "Bloody Tales" in Istanbul with Joe Crowley, the series presenter. This shot was taken atop the Theodosian Walls, which were built to defend the city from Attila and the Huns.
The episode aired all across Europe on April 1 and will likely be shown internationally (including in the U.S.) in June.
Babcock has been at Liberty for 17 years and teaches Humanities and some English courses. He is passionate about teaching students to think critically and to impact the world.
"There is a great mandate for us as Christians to impact culture and I believe as an institution we are moving in exactly the right direction, focusing on this, and opening up to a more global perspective, with an eye on transforming culture the way Christ called us to do," Babcock said.
Dr. Emily Heady, dean of Liberty's College of General Studies, said it is a blessing to know students are learning from faculty members like Dr. Babcock.
"Not only is he a recognized expert in his field, but he cares deeply about communicating what he knows to students in a way they will find interesting and accessible," she said.
The College of General Studies oversees general education curriculum and provides students with the academic preparation needed to succeed while pursuing their degree.
This semester, Babcock began taking students on learning abroad trips for Humanities 101 credit. Over spring break he led a trip to Italy and Greece, and at the end of May a group will depart for London and Paris.
He said these trips provide experiential learning unmatched in a classroom.
Humanities abroad trips are open to all students (resident and online), as well as staff, friends, and family members. For more information on these trips email Dr. Babcock at firstname.lastname@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Wacky Watcher! (コイキング!しんかのひみつ!! Magikarp! The Secret of Evolution!!) is the 29th episode of Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands.
As Ash admires his new badges he, Misty and Tracey notice a submarine surfacing. Out comes an man who is studying the ocean and soon schools of Magikarp rush in. The gang heads to Rind Island and finds the school swimming upstream. They soon encounter the man, who is Quincy T. Quackenpoker, a Pokémon watcher who dedicates his life to the study of Magikarp, and volunteers Ash and co. to be his assistants. The gang learns many things about Magikarp, however Team Rocket has a plan to use the Magikarp and evolve them to Gyarados to rule the world? Will their plan succeed? And how many Magikarp does it take to screw in a light-bulb?
Episode plot
Ash admires his four badges as he, Misty and Tracey ride Lapras. Tracey fills a glass with sea water, telling Misty he is going to use that for his research. Suddenly, they see something big approaching. A submarine emerges from the water and a man appears, telling there is something big to happen, although the heroes don't see whatimportant could happen. The man sees they are here, as Lapras and the gang swing around. The heroes soon see Magikarp. Tracey notices some bands around their tail. The man predicts where they will go and sails away. Tracey guesses the Magikarp are going to a deserted Rind Island, so Lapras sails to that island.
The heroes see Magikarp are here, but so is the man, who gives them luggage to carry around. The heroes follow the man and Misty asks who is he. The man tells he is Quincy T. Quackenpoker. Misty responds that is an unusual name. Quincy clarifies he is a Pokémon Watcher that studies Magikarp. Tracey realizes he is a famous Watcher and goes to study Magikarp. One of them splashes water on Tracey. Quincy tells the first thing a man learns by studying Magikarp is that he needs waterproof pen. As Misty and Ash tell that watching Magikarp is boring, Tracey notices Quincy setting up a camera, analyzing Magikarp and their stats. Tracey asks Quincy if he put the bands on Magikarp's tail. He put the bands for Magikarp that have gone away from Rind Island: red is for one, blue for two and yellow for three years away. He acknowledged that Magikarp return to this place of birth after going away from the island, allowing him to conduct the study.
Quincy asks Tracey if he enjoys watching Magikarp as a Watcher. Tracey confirms this, although wonders how he'd knew he was a Watcher. Quincy clarifies that he sees him with binoculars and the sketchbook, thinking a Pokémon Watcher is also a people watcher. Quincy looks in Tracey's sketchbook and sees his future is in front of him, but not behind. Team Rocket watch them. James and Meowth go to get Pikachu, but Jessie stops them. She believes if they capture the Magikarp and evolve them into Gyarados, they would be unstoppable. James and Meowth agree to this plan and go, although they shout for Jessie, who lags behind. The heroes see the Magikarp go up the waterfall. Quincy admits that 50% manage to get strength to get up. The heroes ask what happens to those that don't, and Quincy responds they fall down, but keep on trying, just like the three years he had to make his moustache.
Team Rocket are prepared to catch the Magikarp. James asks if it's better to catch them using Poké Balls, and Jessie reminds him that Poké Balls cost money, which is something they are out of.
James swings and gets a Magikarp, making Jessie and Meowth impressed. However, Magikarp slips out of the net, then bounces into the river. Team Rocket scream and Ash hears them. Misty thinks that his stomach growls. Ash believes someone is in trouble, but Quincy responds they'll be in trouble if he does not see the Magikarp evolve, making the gang baffled. At the lake, Ash wonders when they're going to evolve. Quincy tells him to be patient, although he knows that Magikarp shouldn't evolve today, as time needs to pass for that to happen. The heroes have dinner and Ash offers food to Pikachu. Quincy sees Ash's bond with Pikachu, making it quite shocking, although Ash tells him he laves shocking to Pikachu. Misty feeds Togepi and Quincy pats it on the front spike, telling Misty Togepi love when they are patted there. Tracey acknowledges Quincy does not know only about Magikarp. Quincy confirms, but tells Magikarp interest him the most, as he saw one getting in his pyjamas one day, although he still does not know how it got there.
As Misty and Ash sleep, Tracey displays Quincy a theory that Magikarp jump out of the water to find the way to the Island. Quincy sees it is an interesting theory, but knows one Magikarp cannot jump at all, but manages to get back to the island. Tracey sees Magikarp are much more mysterious than they know. Ash and Misty wake up and see the Magikarp acting strange. Quincy fells the Magikarp know something exciting is going to happen. However, Magikarp swim away from Team Rocket, who take them. After catching a lot of them, the submarine sinks, as there are too many Magikarp in it. They emerge out and throw the Magikarp away. Ash, Tracey and Pikachu catch the Magikarp, but this caused a distraction, as Team Rocket steal Pikachu. Ash goes to order a Thunderbolt, but Quincy warns them that would electrocute Magikarp as well. Ash kicks a Poké Ball, sending Bulbasaur out. Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip to get Pikachu, but misses, so Ash calls it back.
James gets upset, as a Magikarp bit his head. Jessie and Meowth attempt to get Magikarp off. Quincy comes to them and pats Magikarp, telling it needs to be treated gently. The Magikarp likes the patting and releases James' head and Team Rocket celebrate at this event. However, Ash took Pikachu back and with Tracey and Quincy, go down the submarine. Suddenly, the Magikarp glows, so Quincy lets it go in the water, making the entire lake glow (making Team Rocket blast off in a whirlpool) as the Magikarp evolve into Gyarados. Quincy asks of Tracey to count ones with red and blue bands. At an end of a cliff, they see Magikarp and Gyarados departing away. Tracey and Quincy counted that 70% of Magikarp evolved. Quincy sees that he will be able to unravel the mysteries of Magikarp evolution, while Tracey had the honor of working with the greatest of the Pokémon Watchers. Quincy tells him if he continues, he'll be able to be great as well.
The sun rises. Ash believes if he and Pikachu work hard, they'll be able to win the League. Misty plans to cheer for him with Togepi. Team Rocket, however, regret their actions, as Gyarados surround them...
- "Ah, company. You're here just in time for the rush hour." - Quincy
- "Huh?" - Ash, Misty and Tracey
- "If my observations are correct, we're about to see one of the most astounding scenes ya ever seen on the seas. Now we'll see what we shall sea." - Quincy
- "If my calculations are correct, I know exactly where the Magikarp are headed. But with heads like that, I suppose they don't have much of a choice. Oh well, here I go." - Quincy
- "Oh, just what I've been looking for: Non-union labor. Come on, there's no time to organize now. One for you, one for you, one for you and one for chu." - Quincy T. Quackenpoker
- "Excuse me but who exactly are you?" - Misty
- "Why, the last time I looked, I was Quincy T. Quackenpoker." - Quincy
- "Quackenpoker." - Tracey
- "Quackenpoker? That's kind of an unusual name, isn't it?" - Misty
- "Everybody in my family was named Quackenpoker — at least on my mother's side." - Quincy
- "I'm a Pokémon watcher and I've dedicated my life to the study of Magikarp." - Quincy
- "I knew I recognized your name. If a famous Pokémon watcher like Dr. Quackenpoker thinks Magikarp are worth a lifetime of study..." (Tracey gets out his sketchbook) "there must be something I can learn from them too." - Tracey
- "The first thing you learn from watching Magikarp is always use a waterproof pen." - Quincy after a Magikarp splashes Tracey in the face
- "Thanks, doctor." - Tracey
- "Come on. You can't lie there like a lax all day. We've got observations to make." - Quincy
- "Would somebody please tell me what's so great about watching Magikarp?" - Misty
- "I don't get it either." - Ash
- "Pika." - Pikachu
- "They're boring. If you've seen one Magikarp, you've seen them all if you ask me." - Misty
- "I see, it's a machine that records the number of Magikarp as they pass by." - Tracey
- "It does much more than that: It measures and analyzes 32 factors, including fin length, bone structure, muscle density, not to mention size-weight ratios and oxygen efficiency quotients." - Quincy
- "Size-weight ratios and oxygen efficiency quotients?" - Ash
- "I asked you not to mention those, didn't I?" - Quincy
- "But I wonder why the Magikarp go away." - Tracey
- "I'm getting there. The Magikarp are born in the waters around this island, but swim out to sea as they mature. But once a year, no matter where they are, thousands of Magikarp return here to the place of their birth, and I return so I can study them all. Tracey, I'd imagine a young Pokémon watcher like yourself must find all of this pretty interesting." - Quincy
- "Sure, but how'd you know I was a Pokémon Watcher?" - Tracey
- "Well, with that sketchbook you carry around with you, and those binoculars, I just put two and two together. Clever, eh?" - Quincy
- "I've hardly ever seen something that clever." - Misty
- "Well, thank you. But it's only logical that a skilled Pokémon watcher would also be a skilled people watcher. Say, now that the plot has come to a screeching halt, why don't I take a look at your sketchbook." - Quincy
- "Oh, sure. Go ahead." - Tracey
- "Ah, excellent. I see a great future ahead of you, young man." - Quincy
- "Do you... do you really think so?" - Tracey
- "Well, you certainly don't have a future behind you." - Quincy
- "Well, if you ask me, there's nothin' magic about a bunch of Magikarp. I say we make Pikachu the catch of the day." - Meowth
- "Jess, wouldn't it be easier to catch them in Poke Balls?" - James
- "James, Poke Balls cost money, which is something we're out of!" - Jessie
- "My studies indicate that 50% of the Magikarp are still too weak to swim all the way up the waterfall." - Quincy
- "What happens to the ones that don't make it?" - Tracey
- "They do what that one there is doing — they keep trying." - Quincy
- "Everything takes time, Magikarp — took me three years to grow this moustache." - Quincy
- "You'll be the ones in trouble if I'm too late to see the Magikarp evolve." - Quincy
- "You should mind your P's and Q's and Pikachu." - Meowth
- "Who's that Pokémon?:" Magikarp (JP), Poliwag (US)
- Quincy T. Quackenpoker is the Pokémon world equivalent of famous comedian Groucho Marx.
- Tracey did not introduce his name to Dr. Quackenpoker, but Dr. Quackenpoker called Tracey by his name.
- The Magikarp in Dr. Quackenpoker's data sketches shows Magikarp having red whiskers instead of yellow whiskers.
|Pokémon the Series: The Beginning
|Other series: Gold and Silver · Ruby and Sapphire · Diamond and Pearl · Black & White · XY and XYZ · Sun & Moon · Journeys


text:
No Comment is Avaliable
- by A.K.Potter & Vampotter
- Rating:
- Published: 30 Aug 2014
- Updated: 17 Apr 2015
- Status: In Progress
What if Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy had twins.
Join MovellasFind out what all the buzz is about. Join now to start sharing your creativity and passion
Loading ...


text:
Illinois now reporting 5 cases of rare stomach bug
Illinois reported one new case of a rare stomach illness Monday, bringing the total number of cases in the state to five.
Health officials investigating the cases have been unable to track the illness to any particular food source, said Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold. The cases are spread out in five separate counties, making it difficult to find a culprit.
An outbreak of the same stomach illnesses in Iowa and Nebraska has been linked to salad mix served at local Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants and supplied by a Mexican farm. Recent cyclospora infections have sickened more than 400 people in 16 states.
"We are unable to confirm a link to bagged salad because we have not had any restaurant clusters or grocery store clusters and our cases do not remember which brand of bagged salad they may have eaten," Arnold said Monday.
"It's difficult to identify a source when there is only one case in each of the areas," Arnold said.
In Illinois, none of the people infected has required hospitalization. The cases of cyclosporiasis were reported in Montgomery, Jo Daviess, Lake, Sangamon and McHenry counties.
The most recently reported case is in McHenry County. That person got sick the third week of July.
Illinois health officials believe the Sangamon County patient acquired the infection in Iowa and they have provided information on that case to Iowa health officials, Arnold said.
The illness is caused by a microscopic parasite. People get sick when they consume contaminated food or water. After exposure, people usually get sick after about a week and have diarrhea and other flu-like symptoms that can last from a few days to a month or longer if untreated. The illness is not generally contagious and can be treated with antibiotics.


text:
05 May, 2011 | (01 hr)
Sign In to access this Webcast
This Conference KeyNotes Webcast will feature corporate executives discussing how they help their employees understand their role in upholding and delivering on the business strategy, brand promise and a great customer experience. They will discuss current best practices, lessons learned in recent years and where we need to focus our efforts to truly achieve our business objectives.
The discussion will help set the stage for The 2011 Extending Your Brand to Employees Conference (June 16-17, 2011) in New York. Reference code DG1 for a $300 discount on the Conference. See agenda details here: www.conferenceboard.org/extendingbrand
Who Should Attend:
Executives responsible for Employer branding, Internal branding, Human Resources, Talent Management, Marketing, Communications
Carol Robbins
Carol Robbins serves as Chief Branding Officer for Prudential Financial. In this role, she is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the strategic direction of branding throughout the company. Providing ongoing stewardship for the brand, she is accountable for insuring t...Full Bio
Debbie Lower
Debbie Lower is vice president of marketing and communications at Convergys Corporation, the global leader in relationship management. She is recognized as an effective and talented leader at Convergys, known for her delivery of results and for her development of talent over the past 18 years wit...Full Bio
Chris Gay
Chris Gay, ABC, is a co-founder of Bridge Consulting, a network of engagement and communication professionals who provide full-service solutions to organizations of all sizes, industries and geographic locations. She and her organization partner with companies to connect people and strategy ...Full Bio


text:
This entry attractive image of frozen one of Simple Nail Art - Easy Nail Art Step by Step ideas and was posted on Thursday, December 14th, 2017 2:45 pm. To explore more entry of the "attractive image of frozen" you can browse these Nail Arts at Home or bowse by attractive, frozen, image and you can download here
Nail Arts at HomeSimple Nail Arts at Home Step by Step Tutorial
1. Apply two layers of white nail polish to your footwear.
2. Place a strip of nail art or a diagonal ribbon on your nail (to form a triangle).
3. Fill in this triangular space with dots that use different colors of nail polish with a pen or toothpick.
4. Apply a clear coat of nail polish, and you're ready!


text:
I just read the article One Giant Step for my beginning biology class which discusses the evolution of plants in two steps. In the first step it goes into how plants evolved from living in the freshwater to living on land with the use of:
the cuticle and cutinized spores: a method of prevention against desiccation and protection for the spores against drying out
stomata: initially just pores on the plant to enable easier gas exchange they eventually developed guard cells around the pores.
vascular system: a method of coping against gravity so nutrients and water could go to all parts of the plant and the plant can grow bigger and eventually a way to help with the structure of the plant.
Some things I'd like to know is if there's anything different or side fascinations I should know about all of this. Another is the change from simple pores to pores with guard cells which isn't covered in the article, anything I should know? Anything helps, thanks
1) The early plants have the affinity to a watery habitat, and therefore it would be fatal for these plants to live on land without a good amount of moisture, and as such, plant adaptation produced layers made of cutin (a waxy chemical substance) to prevent the plant spores from drying out and dying out.
3) A "vascular system" physiologically exists in all plants, from the earliest plants to the youngest ones, although not all plants have "real" vascular tissues. The early plants (specifically the bryophytes) were considered to lack vascular tissues, yet they do have representative substitute tissues that served the same purpose like leptoids and hydroids in mosses (these were not considered vascular tissues because they lack some components of the vascular tissues of the more advanced plants).


text:
We have taken full advantage of the technical capabilities of our team and delivered our best. This was truly reflected from the feedback of our partner. Initially, our partner had a very hesitant approach towards Helios Solution. As they already had a bad experience with some other IT company.
Our partner was sceptical about the presentation and work quality. So, they just started with 1st phase project. With absolute dedication, innovative ideas, structure designs, sound technical knowledge and quick response with solutions, Helios Solutions was able to change the perspective of our partner.
The client was impressed with our pre-planning, approach and presentation, which helped in building the trust on us and even before the 1st phase was complete, we were assigned with the whole project.
Read More..
Dietary supplements Food Webshop
We have utilized complete advantage of the technical capabilities of our team and delivered the best website to our partner. Maintaining the quality of images, loading time and memory, the outcome was crucial, but we were able to bring out the result in stipulated time frame.
Read More..


text:
If you tell me you can listen to the first three bars of The Fresh Prince of Bell-Air theme song without at least mouthing the lyrics, I will say you are a liar.
Apparently Guantanamo detainees find it catchy as well. The Miami Herald reports the 90s Will Smith sitcom has supplanted Harry Potter as the most popular item in the detention center's library.
One could only assume all that "chilling out, maxing and relaxing" offers a bit of diversion from the daily Gitmo grind.
Miami Herald: "Overall…there's been a slowdown in circulation as many of the captives passing their 11th Ramadan in detention engage in other pursuits — praying, eating and talking together between dusk and dawn in their communal areas. But even before this holy month, demand for J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series had dwindled. (Read more)"


text:
©2012 drkate
This article, and the blog in general, has been accurate about many events and has discussed "Obama's Playbook" of false flag happenings designed to guilt, intimidate or otherwise threaten Americans to vote against their interests and instead elect the usurper Obama again. All Obama needs to do is to keep the vote margin small and he can either 'flip' Romney's votes or challenge the vote count and refuse to vacate the White House. Obama is desperate to incite riots, to murder, to invite an attack on the homeland under the color of a false flag, or to have any excuse to challenge the validity of a Romney victory. Notice that our so-called 'friends' in the alternative media are hyping this possibility up as a way to continue to depress the republican vote. Hillbuzz calls these fear mongerers the "Tokyo Roses" of the right.
This is the reality my children of what a regime does when it is desperate in falling behind Mitt Romney who is surging past election theft by Obama.
The proof in point? "Shots fired at Denver Obama Campaign Office"–screams the headline on October 10, 2012. The shots happened in broad daylight and mysteriously no camera caught the shooter, no suspects are in custody, and no bullet casings or shells can be found. And the new excuse for Obama's dismal debate performance in Denver–instead of altitude-will be some 'intelligence' received that 'his life was in danger'.
Don't forget that the 'lack of security around Obama' is already being set up with the Secret Service agent found drunk and passed out on a Florida sidewalk and the hooker scandal a few months ago.
But let's also be clear: the perfect time for a scuffing of Obama event to happen is right before a debate, where maximum sympathy can be gained and anger directed at Mitt Romney and the republicans, ergo, 'the right wing'. But it will be the democrats, the Chicago Machine, or Obama's handlers that will organize it. Real Americans do not condone these kinds of actions.
We want Obama out of the White House.
Please spread this article FAR AND WIDE. Alert everyone you know!


text:
Robin Roberts Receiving Lifetime Achievement Honor from DVF Awards
The GMA anchor returned to the air just months after treatment for a rare blood disorder
Last year was certainly a whirlwind for Good Morning America's Robin Roberts.
The morning-show anchor received a bone marrow transplant to treat a rare blood disorder, and just five months later returned to the air.
Roberts, who opened up about her experience in a PEOPLE cover story, will now be honored by fashion icon Diane Von Furstenberg at the fourth annual DVF Awards at the United Nations on April 5.
Furstenberg, with co-host Tina Brown of Newsweek and The Daily Beast, will present Roberts with the Lifetime Leadership Award.
The DVF Awards were created in 2010 by von Furstenberg and The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation to recognize and support women doing extraordinary work to transform the lives of other women.


text:
Crystal Button InMotion!
Create professional
quality, unique website navigation graphics in a matter of minutes.
Make smooth 2D, 3D glassy, metallic, plastic, XP or
Vista-style web buttons, stylish navigation bars, headers and other graphics elements for your website with
absolute ease!
If you wish to see more buttons created with Crystal
please visit the Button
Gallery Page. You can save images as GIF, PNG, JPG, BMP, etc files, Transparent GIF and PNG's
are also supported (see transparent
Software Reviews and Awards
Softonic.com & Vizzavi


text:
One of my owner/advisor clients recently had a problem: His junior advisor wasn't getting his work done in a timely manner. When I talked to the junior advisor about what the problem was, here's what he told me: "I don't think the owner realizes how much work he dumps on me. He's given me no training or direction on how to do it, and yet expects everything to be done ASAP and done perfectly. It's impossible."
When I talked to the owner about what his junior advisor said, I pointed out that he was a very good kid, bright, hardworking, who really wanted to do a good job. The owner responded by saying: "I don't understand what the problem is. I don't ask him to do anything that I can't do, and I put in 60 or 70 hours a week to get it done." The owner called me the other day to tell me he fired the young advisor.
This is a classic case of how most advisors try to run their firms—and why they are destined for mediocrity at best. By their own actions, owner/advisors inadvertently set their employees up to fail. When the employees ultimately do, owner/advisors blame them, fire them and try to hire someone they hope will do better. They almost never do, and the owner repeats this process over and over, all the while complaining about the "lack of talent" in the job market today.
My P4 practice management principles (see "Let Go to Grow," Investment Advisor, November 2011) are designed to break this cycle. The first of those four principles is preparation, which is, not coincidentally, the most important and by far the most difficult to get. Preparation is about preparing owner/advisors to build an ultra-successful advisory firm that virtually runs itself. Preparation can be summed up in one simple sentence: All the problems in your advisory firm stem from one source—you.
I told you it was hard to "get." In fact, I can just see the owner/advisors reading this crossing their arms over the chests and scowling. That's the usual reaction of owner/advisors who are in the audience when I give my P4 talks. In fact, almost nobody gets it right away. But over time, usually many years, some advisors do come to realize on their own that the success or failure of their advisory firm is almost entirely the result of the actions they take, not their employees. Unfortunately, the time it takes for them to come to this realization usually costs them years of wasted effort and millions of dollars in lost revenues and equity value. My No. 1 job is to shorten that learning curve and get owner/advisors on the path to making decisions that grow a successful firm as quickly as possible.
Like many owner/advisors, the advisor in the sad story above doesn't yet understand that his actions caused his employee to fail. Among other things, he's continuing to make two classic mistakes that almost all advisors make: His lack of management has led to the "now" syndrome, in which one crisis follows another, putting himself and his staff under constant pressure to put out these fires ASAP; and the mistaken belief that this ongoing problem can be solved by hiring "star" employees.
I use various techniques to help owner/advisors realize that they have created an environment in which their employees are destined to fail. Usually, the most successful is simple prediction. When owner/advisors refuse to take my advice that the problem isn't their employees (like the advisor in my example), I tell them: "Fine. We'll fire this employee and hire another one with even better credentials and more experience, for even more money, and within two weeks, you'll realize you are doing the same counterproductive things. Within 90 days, you'll be back in the same place, with the same problems." It gets their attention when my prediction comes to pass just as I said it would, although in too many cases, we have to go through this process two or three times before an owner admits that the employees aren't the problem, and we lose some good employees for no good reason.
In some cases, owner/advisors just refuse to come to this realization. When this happens, I have to admit that I start to lose my patience. This happened recently with a client, and I had to go to strategy No. 2: I had a one-hour talk with him and finally just laid down the law. "From now on," I said, "you can't complain to me about your staff. When we talk about your employees, just tell me what solutions you're going to put in place to address the problems. Period." He called me back the next week and said: "I've been thinking about the problem employees I have, and I get it—I can solve these problems. We don't need new employees."
Even if they don't get it right away, I've found that most owner/advisors' learning curves are greatly shortened when they understand the following principles:
Don't be a boss; be a coach. A boss tells employees what to do and then closely monitors them to make sure they are doing it. If that's all you have to do, then great. Knock yourself out. But most owner/advisors already have more than a full-time job taking care of their existing clients and trying to bring in a few more. That's where being a "coach" comes in. For a limited investment of time in teaching each employee to be a great employee, they will virtually manage themselves, with job performance that will exceed the owner's expectations.
To get these results, owner/advisors need to be coaches to their employees: teach them, motivate them, encourage them, mentor them. Firm owners can still be the boss when it comes to strategic decisions, such as which clients to target, how to bring in those clients and what services to offer them. But tactical operational decisions about how to deliver those services best are made by the firm's employees. They need to be trained, prepared and equipped to deliver the highest quality client services possible. That means you can't play the game for them: You need to teach them to do their jobs, so you can do your job.
Have realistic expectations. When owner/advisors expect their employees to do what they do, they are completely disrespecting their own experience and training. In most cases, it's taken 10, 15 or even 20 years to get where the owner/advisor is professionally. What would it mean if they could hire some kid off the street to do the same job at the same level? It's not going to happen, and it shouldn't happen. Your job as the owner/coach is to make your professional employees as good as you are or better. That's not going to happen overnight or even in a few years (if you're any good). So give your employees a break, help them to be better, and see how good they can be.
Let employees do their jobs their way. Everybody is different. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and most employees know theirs better than you do. Show them what their job entails, what needs to be done and what results you want. Then let them figure out how to do it. Chances are they won't do it the way you would. That's OK; they're not you. Give them permission to use their skills to get the job done their way. They'll perform much better, with much less supervision. Tiger Woods once said in an interview that he spent countless hours watching films of great golfers, not to emulate their swings, but to see what they could do with a golf ball. Then he learned to do those things with his swing. It worked pretty well for him. Let your employees swing their own way.
Don't pigeonhole your employees. When you get an employee in the door, you may have a vision of what you want them to do, but I guarantee that in five or six years, that won't be what they are doing. The point is that creating a great firm is like putting together a team: At some point you have to deal with the reality that what they can and want to do is not your vision. To create a great team, you have to learn how to use each employee to make the greatest impact on the success of the firm. To do that, you have to get past your rigid adherence to your vision.
To create a great advisory firm, the first step is the hardest. You have to admit that if your employees aren't successful, it's your fault. Of course, even the best firms occasionally have to let go of an employee who just can't seem to fit in. But that has to be the last resort—not the first. The vast majority of employee problems are really the owner's problems. And that's a good thing. It means every owner/advisor can control their own destiny and that of their firm, if only they'll take the responsibility to make it happen.


text:
A downturn in Greek manufacturing slowed in December as declines in output and new orders eased, but companies cut jobs for the first time in seven months as backlogs of work shrank, a survey showed on Monday. Source Ekathimerini
GEFIRA provides in-depth and comprehensive analysis of and valuable insight into current events that investors, financial planners and politicians need to know to anticipate the world of tomorrow; it is intended for professional and non-professional readers.
Yearly subscription: 10 issues for €225/$250
Renewal: €160/$175
The Gefira bulletin is available in ENGLISH, GERMAN and SPANISH.
The US State Department on Oct. 20 widened the scope of sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline and warned companies involved in the final installation that they face sanctions if they do not wind down activities within 30 days. Source Spglobal
Whether or not S&P Global Ratings downgrades Italian debt this week is a coin toss, according to Deutsche Bank AG.
"We think it's a 50-50 call as both an unchanged outlook as well as a downgrade could be justified," wrote Ioannis Sokos, a strategist at Deutsche, citing S&P's outlook criteria from April. Source Bloomberg
Gazprom supplied 2.3 bln cubic meters of natural gas to China over the Power of Siberia gas pipeline in January – August 2020 after the deliveries started in December 2019. Daily gas deliveries from Russia to China over the Power of Siberia gas pipeline were above contractual commitments for the first time on Monday, Gazprom said. Source Tass


text:
{{'OPTIONAL_INFO' | productAvailability | error}}
Dear customer,
Unfortunately, this data sheet is not available in the requested language. If you have any further questions, you can contact us by e-mail.
Best regards
Your ifm team
|for submersible pressure transmitter PS3
|Mechanical data
|Weight [g]
|Pack quantity
|1 pcs.
|ifm electronic gmbh • Friedrichstraße 1 • 45128 Essen — We reserve the right to make technical alterations without prior notice. — EN-GB — E30400-00 — 10.07.2013 —


text:
I disagree for the reasons mentioned.Potatoe1 wrote:Fact is he gave up a fairly valuable asset for a player in Ballard, who has basically been a replacement level defenseman during his tenure here.
It was a poor move no matter how you slice it.
My gut feeling is there are headcase issues with AV and Ballard between the practice ice and the locker room that keeps Ballard in the doghouse...... just as much speculation that the 1rst round pick in a late in a weak draft is "a fairly valuable asset". (it is damn near a second round pick )
Involving that asset in other imagined trade scenarios is nothing short of wild what if speculation.


text: Prima Donnas September 18 2020 Replay. Thousands of people from Philipines and the rest of the world watch Pinoy Lambingan Tv Replay online. Pinoy Channel Is Providing Daily Basis Replay and Pinoy Teleserye Shows. Watching And download episodes of Prima Donnas All Episodes online with us. Prima Donnas September 18 2020 Pinoy channel.


text:
Civil War in Russia (2)
Download price-list (Excel)
Contact Us
Model of the Russian military truck "URAL" on the scale of 1/56. The model does not demand assemblage. The model is made in several variants of colouring. This model does not have the tent. Die cast metal plastic parts.Attention: the choice of a variant of colouring of model at a complete set of the order of the buyer occurs in a random way! Selection of colouring at will of the client is possible only in the presence of models in such colouring in a warehouse. Presence of the variant of colouring of model necessary to you specify at administration.
Ural-4320 - all terrain vehicle with wheel formula 6x6, manufactured at the Ural Automobile Plant in Miass (Russia), including for use in the Russian army.
Ural-4320 was designed to transport goods, people and towing trailers on all types of roads. Has significant advantages compared to similar cars: it easily overcomes the wetlands, wade up to 1.5 m to 2 m trenches, ditches, rises to 60%. The car is equipped with a diesel engine.
Commissioned in 1977, this truck comes to this day.
To the data lorries often installed anti-aircraft gun ZU-23 and a "tachanka" actively used for infantry support and maintenance of truck convoys.


text:
In 2007, I faced mortality when I had emergency heart surgery and stayed in intensive care for six days. This post is about a woman learning to be a vegan, and not for altruistic reasons either. I wish I was that altruistic. A little back story is in order here.
I have this theory: Two people with intense medical histories should not procreate. I am the product of a family with cancer and a family with cancer and heart disease: A double whammy. I have been fortunate, through the intervention of the medical establishment who has managed to remove just about every non-essential or redundant organ in my body, to have dodged the cancer bullet.
My brother died at age 46 from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He did not believe in going to the doctor and waited for three months after he found a lump. That, and five direct ancestors and three not-direct-line relatives, and an HMO, took his life.
In 2005, I watched as my mother deteriorated from heart disease. She survived breast cancer but had/has congestive heart failure and all of her heart valves were/are leaking. I said, "not me" and began a program of alternating aerobics and weight lifting. Me, whose mother told me "ladies don't sweat," who was always picked last for any sport in gym, who was winded from walking up the library stairs, I was now loving weight lifting.
In 2005 and for nine months, I watched my diet and exercised. I lost two dress sizes and not a single bleeding pound. Yes, muscle does weigh more than fat, apparently. I could now run up the library stairs without a thought though. I beat it. I would not suffer what my mother was. I would be in great health. Then, I woke up one morning exhausted.
It progressed for two years until the aforementioned heart surgery. Sorry, guess it was a lot of back story, but here we are. Fast forward to early 2010. I am eating good enough that I have lost thirty pounds, and am eating a fairly low fat diet. I've never been much of a beef eater, although the rare Prime Rib is appealing. I like turkey burgers, chicken and fish. I'm happy. Then, I go to the doctor.
My G.P. is concerned that I am tired again (that seems to be a main symptom of many women's heart problems. Cardiologist does another Cardiac Catherization, as the stress test does not show a problem on me. My blockage is still there. The bi-pass failed. The surgery did seem to take care of the spasm that was putting me in danger, though I am also on medication for that. But, now I am one vein short, if I ever need one.
I am told that I am not a candidate for further heart surgery. The blockage is at the heart, where a stint will not work. Since it has not gotten worse in four years, I should just keep doing what I am doing. WHAT? Keep my fingers crossed??? That's not me.
I had recently seen an interview with President Bill Clinton, who decided to do something about his heart blockage. He went on a vegan, oil free diet. It is based on a diet you can read about in Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.
See more here: http://www.heartattackproof.com/ and here, a modified version from his fireman son: http://engine2diet.com/28-day-tools/
So, I started eating what I imagined this diet was, but every night dinner was whatever husband fixed for he and the boys because I was just so hungry. Then, the book came and the fun began. Stay tuned.


text:
Events for May 18, 2019
Events Search and Views Navigation
2:00 pm
Milbre Burch – Matinee Performances
Daily matinee performances are presented for the Teller-in-Residence program, Tuesday through Saturday at 2 p.m. in the International Storytelling Center. Tickets are $12 for adults and $11 for seniors, students, and children under 18 years of age. For tickets or more information, or to request a brochure, call (800) 952-8392 or (423) 913-1276. All ticket sales are […]Find out more »


text:
|Item Name
|Blue Box
|Chocolate Box
|Navy Blue Box
|Pink Box
|Sage Green Box
House Shaped Favor Box
This exquisite favor box is a creative alternative to the classic box. White and colorful walls make a striking background for the lovely flower patterns on both sides. Fill it with candies or nuts, and its acetate widow will reveal the sweet secrete of your treats. Each box is made of a single piece of sturdy and eco-friendly 350g craft paper. Ships flat and very easy to be folded.
Size: 4" tall x 2.5" x 2.5"
Window: 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" - on front & back of the white walls
Each order is for 100 house boxes.
Shipping turnaround is not included.


text:
Using the recommended APA undergraduate psychology learning outcomes, the authors establish clear learning objectives for students and tie the text assessment to these objectives.J. Noland White is the author of 'Psychology, 2nd Edition', published 2008 under ISBN 9780136005216 and ISBN 0136005217.[read more]
{{post.questionOneAnswer|unescape}} {{post.questionTwoAnswer|unescape}}[read more]
You can find lots of answers to common customer questions in our FAQs
View a detailed breakdown of our shipping prices
Learn about our return policy
Still need help? Feel free to contact us
View college textbooks by subject
and top textbooks for college
With our dedicated customer support team, you can rest easy knowing that we're doing everything we can to save you time, money, and stress.


text:
George Lucas has announced that he's stepping away from making blockbusters to focus on smaller passion projects, and stepping back from Lucasfilm in the process. Now Lucas has named a new co-chairwoman, who plans to put the studio back to making movies.
In the upcoming issue of Empire, Lucas vows to retire from his franchise films, tying up his remaining projects with Lucasfilm:
"I'm moving away from the company, I'm moving away from all my businesses, I'm finishing all my obligations and I'm going to retire to my garage with my saw and hammer and build hobby movies. I've always wanted to make movies that were more experimental in nature, and not have to worry about them showing in movie theatres."
And it appears that Lucas is serious. While he's retaining his CEO and chairman titles, he's named film producer Kathleen Kennedy co-chairman of Lucasfilm. Kennedy co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and her husband Frank Marshall, and she has an amazing list of production credits to her name, producing scores of Spielberg projects from E.T. to War Horse, Studio Ghibli movies, and art-house films like Persepolis and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
While Kennedy says it's too early to talk about her plans, she would like Lucasfilm to start making more movies, which could include a possible fifth Indiana Jones movie — one that wouldn't have Lucas
in the director's seat so close to the helm.
Top image from Paramount Pictures via IMDB.
Kathleen Kennedy to Become Co-Chair of Lucasfilm [THR via The Mary Sue]


text:
Best wooden door supplier in china.
Craftsmanship: Environmentally friendly E1 MDF+Durable PVC Lamination+ MDF strips/honeycomb/tube particleboard inside
Standard size: 2000*800*40mm
Customize Size Max : 2350*1030*45mm
Bathroom Glass Door is Add practical beauty to your home, Shower room, or church building with our afforable, high quality.using advanced technology,we offer a wide range of grooved doors manufactured from quality and eco-friendy raw materials that are laminated with scratch resistant pvc film that will guarantee long lasing preformance, an economical choice that will resist deformation,is low in maintenance and the perfect alternative to heavy wooden doors
Whether your home is traditional or contemporary, Glass Door give a room a decorative, dimensional feel. for home decoration , We make both smooth and wood texture surface door. Also, it greatly produced with low price, good quality and excellent after-sale service.
Environmentally friendly E1/EO MDF+Durable PVC Lamination+ MDF strips/honeycomb paper/tube particleboard inside,Also can be solid core, with glass insert
Best wooden door supplier in china.Professional product interior and enterior door home decoration ,wooden enterior door,we are accept customizationfor more commerent products,please click here:http://www.jinydoors.com/


text:
Conservapedia:90/10 rule
The 90/10 rule is an injunction against spending 90% of one's time complaining, carping, cutting people down and forming cabals at Conservapedia - and only 10% actively helping to craft good encyclopedia articles.
This rule may be invoked any time a user starts to waste the time of productive writers with groundless complaints, specious arguments, et altii.
Anyone who wants to take part in this writing project should expect to spend 90% of their time writing articles and 10% or less on their personal agenda. Writing articles means making worthwhile edits and includes discussion on talk pages about improving articles. It does not include endlessly rehashing the same points that have already been raised, discussed, and resolved on those pages.
- If something is to be done for commenting on talk pages too much, it should be a simple warning, "hey buddy, quit jabbering so much and start contributing." If that doesn't work, and they still only engage in useless arguments, block them.


text:
You are currently on Hearing Direct UK
Call 0800 032 1301
Mon - Fri 9am - 10pm
You have no items in your basket.
Need Some Help?
Click to talk to our lovely team
30 day money back guarantee
On all purchases over £20
We are secured by Comodo
Rayovac size 10 hearing aid batteries offer a long running time, enhanced performance and reliability, making Rayovac the brand of choice when it comes down to hearing aid batteries.
Rayovac hearing aid batteries are by far the most popular brand that HearingDirect sells as thousands of our customers recognise their great value for money and consistent reliability. We hold them in stock and always try to dispatch orders on either the day you place them or the day after, so they will be delivered directly to you as quickly as you need them. We send out a free packet with every hearing aid that we sell, so we have no problem in recommending them to you. Rayovac is HearingDirect's recommended "Best battery buy"
What Is It?
What Does It Do?
Can Be Used With:
Rayovac hearing aid batteries are by far the most popular brand that we dispense, as thousands of our customers recognise their great value for money and consistency. The brand prides itself on their strong reputation for reliability and their cells work superbly in a variety of hearing aid types.
Shop the full Rayovac range here.
Get special offers, product launches and events.
©2020 - Hearing Direct - All Rights Reserved


text:
.online-shopper-cta-button--v2 { background: #dccc39 !important; color: #020200 !important; }Saved Vehicles
You don't have any saved vehicles!
Look for this link on your favorites:
Once you've saved some vehicles, you can view them here at any time.
* 2012 IIHS Top Safety Pick * 2012 KBB.com Total Cost of Ownership Awards
Welcome to Brandon Volkswagen, a family-owned and operated full-service dealership. Come see why we're one of the HIGHEST VOLUME SELLING PRE-OWNED DEALERS in TAMPA BAY! We start with a GREAT SELECTION of PREMIUM INVENTORY all listed at BELOW MARKET PRICING and continue on to provide a GREAT SERVICE EXPERIENCE throughout the buying process! All of our prices are BASED ON THE RESEARCH of competitive vehicles in our local marketplace -They are ACCURATE and IN-LINE with what you will find through your own research. This helps to avoid a lengthy back-and-forth negotiation process! WE INVITE YOU TO BUY WITH CONFIDENCE!! We sell in quantity and offer the LOWEST PRICE on the best hand-picked vehicles; only a portion pass our rigorous inspection process! Call today to EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE! Contact our Internet Sales team now at 813-630-4000.
* Wide variety of body styles; affordable pricing; long warranty; excellent handling in SX trim. Source: Edmunds
* If you're looking for an affordable compact car with styling and features well beyond its humble $16,000 asking price, one of the three 2012 Kia Forte compact cars is bound to catch your eye. Those worried about long-term reliability should take comfort in Kia's continually improving reliability ratings, as well as its impressively long warranty. Source: KBB.com
All advertised prices exclude government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document processing charge, $999.99 dealer documentation fee, any electronic filing charge, and any emission testing charge. While great effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, errors do occur so please verify information with a customer service rep. All prices, specifications and availability subject to change without notice. Contact dealer for most current pricing and disclaimer information.
Consent to Text Messages:
By submitting my cell phone number to Brandon Volkswagen, I agree to receive text messages and phone calls. Text messages and phone calls may be recorded and/or sent using automated dialing equipment or software from Brandon Volkswagen and its affiliates in the future, unless I opt-out from such communications. I understand that my consent to be contacted is not a requirement to purchase any product or service and that I can opt-out of these communications at any time. If applicable, I agree to pay my mobile service provider's text messaging rates.
*Number of views in last 30 days
† Based on 2012 EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.
No matter what you come to Brandon Volkswagen for, you can be sure that you are getting the best customer service that any dealership can provide. Let us show you how fun buying a new or pre-owned car can be, and we will make your Volkswagen service simple and easy too.
You don't have any saved vehicles!
Look for this link on your favorites:
Once you've saved some vehicles, you can view them here at any time.
(813) 213-3546Call Now
9816 East Adamo Drive • Tampa, FL 33619Get Directions
Open Today! Sales: 8:30am-8pm
Open Today! Service: 7am-7pm
Open Today! Parts: 7am-7pm


text:
Meet the Samsung Galaxy Axiom, the U.S. Cellular poster product for the GS3-ification of entry-level and midrange phones. The Axiom shares many of the same basic elements and a lot of the same design philosophy as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. Although it's roughly the same size as the Mini, its hardware and software features are still a step down.
That isn't to say you should steer clear of the Axiom. Its excellent price -- just a penny on contract if you live in a 4G area and $79.99 if you're in a 3G 'hood -- keeps it in the running as a midrange Android phone, and it comes with a lot of hardware features, including two cameras and HD video, plus the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS and NFC.
These features make it a good choice for people who are watching their purse strings or who are transitioning to a smartphone; however, I wouldn't recommend it for those looking for more power. There are a few red flags in addition: call quality was a little choppy, the roaming 3G network was slow and frequently stuttered, and the handset is a little bulky. Since I wasn't able to test the Axiom's 4G network -- or even its 3G network in its home area -- take my experiences with a grain of salt.
Samsung Galaxy Axiom: A GS3 Mini Me? (pictures)See all photos
Design and build
With its rounded corners, gray-blue brushed-metal look, and central physical home button, the stylish Galaxy Axiom strongly resembles the Galaxy S3 Mini. Like the Mini, the Axiom has a 4-inch screen and some slick metallic-looking accents. That's where the similarities stop. The Axiom is thicker than the Mini, and uses a different display technology, an LCD touch screen with WVGA resolution (800x480 pixels) rather than an AMOLED screen.
As for the size, the Axiom's curved back fit well into my hands. At 4.8 inches tall by 2.5 inches wide, it's small enough to operate one-handed. The 0.47-inch thickness and 4.8-ounce weight made the phone seem thick and heavy, but more than once I forgot I had slipped it into my back pocket, which means in the end, it didn't really weigh me down.
Below the screen, you'll find touch-sensitive navigation buttons for the menu and the back button. Between these is the physical home button. In Android 4.0, these take on double functions, such as launching thumbnails of recently opened apps. Above the display are all the proximity and light sensors, plus a front-facing camera. The bottom of the phone houses the Micro-USB charging port, and the top has the 3.5mm headset jack. You'll find the volume rocker on the left, above a microSD card slot. The power button is on the right and the 5-megapixel camera lens and flash are on the back panel.
I really like the handset's appearance, and although it is broad in girth, on the whole I did enjoy the illusion of a premium product.
OS and apps
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich powers the Axiom, with Samsung's TouchWiz interface on top. Thanks to the combination, you can customize multiple home screens, access system settings from the notifications menu, pinch to see all your screens, and trace your words on a virtual keyboard. As on all Android phones, you'll be able to manage multiple inboxes and social-networking accounts, syncing contacts and calendars.
A plethora of Google services at your fingertips includes access to turn-by-turn voice navigation, YouTube, and Google Music. The Play store is your source for thousands of other apps and games, and of course, you'll get a browser, a music player, a file manager, and a calculator all bundled into Android.
GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth are smartphone standards, but the addition of NFC support means you'll be able to share photos among compatible phones via S Beam, and you can pay for goods and services using the preloaded Google Wallet app.
Speaking of preloaded apps, you'll also find Flipboard, Samsung's Media Hub, and Google's Chrome browser. The S Voice assistant is on tap to help out, or you can continue to use Google's own built-in voice actions feature. U.S. Cellular refrains from adding its own apps, which helps keep clutter down.
Samsung cameras are generally pretty good, and the Axiom's 5-megapixel shooter conformed more or less to my expectations. Outdoor shots taken in natural daylight situations were the best of the bunch. Artificial, indoor lighting tended to overwhelm the mechanism and produce blurrier photos.
I was pleased with the way that the Axiom reproduced colors; they were neither oversaturated nor flat and dull. The camera had a harder time with shadows and details in a photo I took of flowers in CNET's planter. This isn't the first camera to struggle with the same problems in distinguishing nuances in petal shadows and surfaces, though of the many photos I took inside and out, the Axiom produced only a handful of winners. I'd say for casual photos meant to capture a moment, the Axiom does just fine, but if I wanted to create larger or more lasting images to show off online or to frame, I'd be a little disappointed.
The Axiom takes some lovely 720p HD video that adjusted well when I panned around a scene. It also quickly adjusted to lighting changes with shifts in color. Audio was a weaker point, and I had to boost the volume to medium high to be able to hear the video well in a quiet room.


text:
Editorial: After Paul Pasqualoni's ouster, what's next for UConn football?
Each week, USA Today college football columnist Dan Wolken assembles a "misery index" to chronicle which school's fans have the most reason to be depressed.
It should surprise no one that this week, UConn was No. 1 on the list.
The Huskies had just suffered a humiliating 41-12 loss to Buffalo that dropped them to 0-4 in Year 3 of coach Paul Pasqualoni's lackluster tenure.
The misery was apparently too much for Athletic Director Warde Manuel to take, and so on Monday, to the pleasure of many UConn fans, Manuel stopped delaying the inevitable and fired Pasqualoni. There are plenty of people throughout the state who, upon hearing that news, likely reacted with a shrug. We're talking about a football team playing in a basketball-mad state, after all.
But that's part of the problem, and part of the reason Manuel needed to make a change.
For better or worse — we'd argue mostly for the better, in UConn's case — athletics are a major driver of universities' finances and overall trajectory.
UConn is the school it is today — emerging as one of the best public research universities in the country — in no small part because of the rise of its men's and women's basketball programs over the past two decades.
Success on the court or on the field brings national attention, which leads to millions in TV and sponsorship revenue, a surge in donations from alumni and a marked increase in the quantity and quality of applicants.
Here's UConn's problem: The finances of college sports, and the landscape of conference realignment, another major financial driver, are increasingly led by football. And the UConn football program, with its lackluster performance on the field and declining fan interest, has hardly ever been less relevant.
In 2000, when UConn made the move from Division I-AA to Division I-A, football's highest division, the school envisioned the move as a necessary maneuver to keep up with the pace of the changing college athletics landscape.
The move enabled UConn to play against the likes of Louisville, West Virginia and Pittsburgh in football instead of UMass, Rhode Island and Northeastern.
Under coach Randy Edsall, there were signs that the move was a success. The team moved out of crumbling Memorial Stadium and into Rentschler Field in East Hartford in 2003. Fan interest increased and the team was competitive. The Huskies even won the Big East in 2010 and earned a bid to the Fiesta Bowl.
But that's when things started to go downhill.
Oklahoma drilled UConn 48-20 in that major postseason game. Edsall, who had built the program from scratch, accepted an offer the next day to take the head coaching job at Maryland — a move so hasty that Edsall didn't even take the team charter back to Connecticut after the game.
Pasqualoni went 5-7 in each of his first two seasons. While the team was far from an embarrassment, lack of football success was one of the reasons UConn was passed over in each of the past two years when the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference expanded.
When the Big East broke up last year, UConn was left in the reshaped, renamed American Athletic Conference, whose name reflects its complete lack of regional identity. Teams include Temple, Memphis, Central Florida and Houston.
The worst part, though, isn't that UConn is in a mid-level conference. It's that the Huskies may be the worst team in the league.
All of that is the backdrop for the misery that has engulfed Connecticut and led to Pasqualoni's ouster.
Manuel announced at a Monday afternoon news conference that offensive coordinator T.J. Weist would take over as interim coach while the school looks for a long-term replacement.
Whoever takes over long-term will have his work cut out for him. But the new coach will have an important mandate: Bring UConn football enough respectability that fans start to care, and that the program helps — not hurts — the school's reputation.


text:
Wholesale Nautical Décor
A Hampton Nautical Company
(800) 882-5221 FAQ | Contact | Login | Wholesale Sign Up
Wholesale Nautical Decor Suggested items for your store
SKU: Wheel-6-101-starfish
White Decorative Ship Wheel with Starfish and Hook 8"
This White Decorative Ship Wheel with Starfish and Hook 8" is unique with a sleek stylish quality finish to make this the perfect nautical ships wheel to accent any room in your home. It will make an excellent addition to any nautical themed room. This charming boats steering wheel has eight spokes and is easily mountable to a wall.
The overall dimensions of this ship steering wheel (including the hook) is 6" Length x .5" Width x 8" Height.
Key Features:
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Formaldehyde, and Styrene, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, and Chromium and Toluene, which are known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov