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How to Avoid the Most Common and Costliest Mistakes in Retirement Portfolio Investing
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THESE ARE SCARY TIMES FOR INVESTORS TRYING TO SHORE up their retirement portfolios. Stocks' values are down, inflation is ticking up and home prices are sliding. But as investors nervously eye all that, they may be overlooking the biggest threat of all: themselves.
"How you react to negative news about the markets can do far more damage to your retirement portfolio than temporary trends in the market," says Mark Cortazzo, an investment adviser at Macro Consulting Group in Parsippany, N.J. "Investors can truly be their own worst enemies."
While investors are prone to making mistakes no matter which direction the market is headed, when stocks lose value -- as they have for four consecutive months -- investor errors can have more exaggerated effects on wealth, Cortazzo says.
So how much damage does the average investor inflict upon himself in real numbers?
At the request of Barron's, Christopher Cordaro, an investment adviser in Chatham, N.J., with Regent Atlantic Capital, ran some calculations to answer this question, and the answer isn't pretty.
Bottom line: Simply by making three of the most common errors -- failing to diversify wisely, trying to time the market and overpaying on investment expenses -- you would have missed out on $375,000 of gains on a $1 million portfolio invested for the 10 years through January 2008.
Cordaro found that a wisely constructed portfolio free of investor error would have returned an average annual 6.86% during that period and grown to about $1,942,000. But factor in the three errors, and the return shrinks to 4.59%, while the ending account balance drops to about $1,567,000. In general, the smart portfolio was broadly diversified in terms of both asset class and country. It made no attempts to call tops and bottoms in the market, and it steered clear of pointless but all-too-common fees.
The worst part, Cordaro says, is that investors often don't even realize they're sabotaging their nest eggs -- because the slippage in return isn't sudden or drastic. "It's small enough that they don't notice it, but it is slowly eating away at their financial independence like a cancer," he says.
The good news? If you know what to look for, chances are you'll be able to avert disaster. Here is a rundown on the three most common and costliest mistakes that investors make with their nest eggs.
Neglecting Asset Allocation
Practically all investors would agree that they want the best returns and the lowest possible risk. But when it comes to setting up a portfolio to deliver on that promise, many investors don't go the distance -- and they pay dearly for it.
The best way for an average investor to achieve the highest risk-adjusted rewards is to allocate investments broadly across different asset classes. Yet few investors do so: According to a 2007 survey of 401(k) assets by the Profit Sharing and 401(k) Council of America, the average investor holds some 25% of 401(k) assets in his own company stock. Beyond that, at least a third of assets are in domestic stocks. Less than 8% of retirement-plan assets are in non-U.S. stocks, and fewer than 1% are in real estate.
In Cordaro's example, you can see how an investor can buff up a return by refining his asset allocation. A simple allocation of 60% in large U.S. growth and value stocks and 40% in intermediate bonds would have delivered a 5.2% average annual return in the 10-year period ending January 2008. Add a sprinkling of small U.S. growth and value stocks, and large foreign stocks, and you boost your return to 5.7%. Better yet, add some world bonds, emerging markets and real estate, and the return plumps up to 6.4%.
That latter portfolio, Cordaro says, was invested 30% in large U.S. growth and value stocks, 10% in small U.S. growth and value stocks, 10% in large foreign growth and value stocks, 5% in emerging markets, 35% in intermediate bonds, 5% in world bonds and 5% in real estate.
Juggling a number of asset classes isn't always easy. Jay Berger, a partner at Independent Wealth Management in Traverse City, Mich., said that in 2006, clients panicked over the Pimco Commodity Real Return Fund's 3% decline. "We explained that we need a portfolio with assets moving in different directions. The best analogy is: Look at it as a perennial garden. If everything is in bloom at the same time, that probably means everything will wilt at the same time."
Timing the Market
Investors have such a dismal record of being able to time the market that mutual-fund inflows and outflows appear to be contrary indicators of which way the market is heading, says Meir Statman, a finance professor at Santa Clara University in California.
"It's not the perfect-idiot forecast," he says, but it's close. Ideally, of course, you would want to sell your holdings when prices are high and poised to drop, and buy stocks on sale, right before a run-up in values.
But over the past decade, investors have done the exact opposite. The month with the biggest-ever net inflows of assets into stock mutual funds occurred in February of 2000, "which was the doorstep of one of the worst declines in history," says Ernie Ankrim, chief investment strategist at Russell Investments. The biggest outflows were also poorly timed: Some of the biggest occurred in the months leading up to October 2002, when the market hit bottom.
"This kind of behavior of getting excited after good news and scared after bad news causes investors to give up between 2.5 and three percentage points a year," Ankrim says. "The whole reason investors put up with the volatility of stocks is to gain about three or four percentage points over bonds -- if we give most of that back, that means we're accepting all of the volatility of the stock market for no good reason."
In the 10-year period of Cordaro's example, investors suffered more modestly than Ankrim's estimates, but losses were still significant. Using actual mutual-fund flows over 10 years ending January 2008, Cordaro found that market timing cost the average investor a half percentage point of return each year. On his $1 million portfolio, that means missing out on $93,000 in gains.
You don't need to be near a long-term market top or bottom to do serious damage. From 1980 through 2006, investors who missed out on just the five best-performing days in the Standard & Poor's 500 index would have ended up with 26% less than someone fully invested in the index during that period, says Carolyn Clancy, executive vice president of Personal Investments, a division of Fidelity Investments. "Missing just 30 of the best-performing days would have reduced the value by 73%," she adds.
Another kind of market timing is more passive, yet still destructive: It is simply to stop feeding more money into your investments in rockier times.
Consider this: According to a 2007 study by Dalbar's, a mutual-fund research firm, if you had invested $10,000 in the S&P 500 index over 20 years through December 2006 in a sporadic pattern that matches actual behavior of mutual-fund investors during that period, you would have ended up with a total of $33,252.
If, however, you had systematically invested the $10,000 in equal increments over 20 years -- through good times and bad-you would have ended up with $42,877. The study found that even if you chose a fund that captured only 75% of the S&P 500's return, by dollar-cost averaging you would still end up with more than if you had sporadically invested in the S&P 500 fund.
Paying Too Much
Before you win cocktail-bragging rights for earning a robust return on an investment, be sure to factor in how much you paid for your winnings through expenses and fees.
While more investors than ever before are seeking out low-cost mutual funds, there are still investors who believe that they need to pay higher expenses for better performance, says Mercer Bullard, a securities-law professor at the University of Mississippi. But, he adds, there is no evidence to support that. Higher fees simply do not indicate better management.
Consider S&P 500 index funds. While the performance of these funds is practically identical, given that they mirror the same index, expenses are all over the map -- some funds charge no load, some have no load but do have a so-called 12b-1 fee, which is an operating expense, and yet others have both a load and a 12b-1 fee.
A 2006 study by Zero Alpha Group, a network of advisory firms, and Fund Democracy, a shareholder-advocacy group, looked at how much investors would pay in fees if they invested $10,000 in these funds for 20 years and earned an average annual 10% gain. It found that the average investor would have paid $2,582 in fees in the lowest-cost fund; $3,744 in the fund with only a 12b-1 fee, and $7,600 in the load fund with the 12b-1 fee.
In Cordaro's hypothetical $1 million portfolio invested 10 years ago, he looked at the impact that half a percentage point in fees can make on a portfolio. While his best-case portfolio earned an average annual return of 6.86%, he found that if higher fees knocked half a percentage point off of returns, an investor would have ended up with $1,848,865 rather than $1,941,837.
Taken altogether, Cordaro says, the impact of investor error -- even seemingly small ones -- can be grievous over the long term. "We're talking about the difference in being able to retire in comfort or having to work many more years to meet your goals."


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FEMGEN 188Q: Imagining Women: Writers in Print and in Person (CSRE 188Q)
Gender roles, gender relations and sexual identity explored in contemporary literature and conversation with guest authors. Weekly meetings designated for book discussion and meeting with authors. Interest in writing and a curiosity about diverse women's lives would be helpful to students. Students will use such tools as close reading, research, analysis and imagination. Seminar requires strong voice of all participants. Oral presentations, discussion papers, final projects.
Terms: Aut | Units: 4-5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-Gender, WAY-A-II, WAY-ED, Writing 2
Instructors: Miner, V. (PI)
2019-2020 Autumn
4-5 units |
UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-Gender, WAY-A-II, WAY-ED, Writing 2 |
Class #
Section 01 |
Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP) |
| Students enrolled: 15 / 15
09/23/2019 - 12/06/2019 Mon 2:30 PM - 4:20 PM at 200-201 with Miner, V. (PI)
09/23/2019 - 12/06/2019 Wed 2:30 PM - 4:20 PM at 200-202 with Miner, V. (PI)
Exam Date/Time: 2019-12-10 8:30am - 11:30am (Exam Schedule)
Instructors: Miner, V. (PI)
Notes: Introductory Seminar. Preference to sophomores; first-year students admitted if space available. Advance sign-up process and deadlines at http://introsems.stanford.edu.
Additional Resources: (Login to view additional resources)
FEMGEN 190W: Contemporary Women Writers (ENGLISH 190W)
"Every word a woman writes changes the story of the world, revises the official version¿¿is this what sets contemporary women writers apart? How can we understand the relation between the radically unprecedented material such writers explore and ¿the official version¿? What do we find compelling in their challenging of structure, style, chronology, character? Our reading- and writing-intensive seminar will dig into the ways women writers confront, appropriate, subvert, or re-imagine convention, investigating, for example, current debate about the value of ¿dislikable¿ or ¿angry¿ women characters and their impact on readers. While pursuing such issues, you'll write a variety of both essayistic and fictional responses, each of which is designed to complicate and enlarge your creative and critical responsiveness and to spark ideas for your final project. By affirming risk-taking and originality throughout our quarter, seminar conversation will support gains in your close-reading practice and in articulating your views, including respectful dissent, in lively discourse¿in short, skills highly useful in a writer¿s existence. Our texts will come from various genres, including short stories, novels, essays, blog posts, reviews, memoir.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3-5 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-CE
Instructors: Tallent, E. (PI)
2019-2020 Spring
3-5 units |
UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-CE |
Class #
Section 01 |
Grading: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Exception |
03/30/2020 - 06/03/2020 Wed 3:30 PM - 5:20 PM at 460-334 with Tallent, E. (PI)
Instructors: Tallent, E. (PI)
Notes: Instructor consent required for enrollment. Prerequisite: 90 or 91. Instructions for enrollment can be found on the Enrollment page of the Stanford Creative Writing website. First priority to undergrads. Students must attend the first class meeting to retain their roster spot.
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FEMGEN 192: Women in French Cinema: 1958- (FILMSTUD 112, FRENCH 192)
Women as objects and subjects of the voyeuristic gaze inherent to cinema. The myth of the feminine idol in French films in historical and cultural context since the New Wave until now. The mythology of stars as the imaginary vehicle that helped France to change from traditional society to modern, culturally mixed nation. The evolution of female characters, roles, actresses, directors in the film industry. Filmmakers include Vadim, Buñuel, Truffaut, Varda, Chabrol, Colline Serreau, Tonie Marshall. Discussion in English; films in French with English subtitles. Film screenings Monday 6:00-8:30pm.
Terms: Win | Units: 3-5 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-CE
Instructors: Alduy, C. (PI)
2019-2020 Winter
3-5 units |
UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-CE |
Class #
Section 01 |
Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit |
| In Person
| Students enrolled: 9
01/06/2020 - 03/13/2020 Tue, Thu 1:30 PM - 2:50 PM at School of Education 210 with Alduy, C. (PI)
01/06/2020 - 03/13/2020 Mon 6:00 PM - 8:50 PM at School of Education 210 with Alduy, C. (PI)
Instructors: Alduy, C. (PI)
Additional Resources: (Login to view additional resources)
FEMGEN 205: Songs of Love and War: Gender, Crusade, Politics (FRENCH 205)
Analysis of medieval love, satirical and Crusade lyrics of the trouabdours. Study of deictic address, corporeal subjectivity, the female voice, love debates, and the body as a figure of political conflict. Course readings include medieval treatises on lyric and modern translations of the troubadour tradition. Works by Ovid, Bernart de Ventadorn, Bertran de Born, La Comtessa de Dia, Thibaut de Champagne, Raimon Vidal, Dante, and Pound. Taught in English. Course includes a lab component for creation of multi-media translation projects: trobar. stanford.edu.
Last offered: Winter 2018 | UG Reqs: GER:EC-Gender, WAY-A-II, WAY-ED
FEMGEN 236: Literature and Transgression (COMPLIT 236)
Close reading and analysis of erotic-sexual and aesthetic-stylistic transgression in selected works by such authors as Baudelaire, Wilde, Flaubert, Rachilde, Schnitzler, Kafka, Joyce, Barnes, Eliot, Bataille, Burroughs, Thomas Mann, Kathy Acker, as well as in recent digital literature and online communities. Along with understanding the changing cultural, social, and political contexts of what constitutes "transgression" or censorship, students will gain knowledge of influential theories of transgression and conceptual limits by Foucault, Blanchot, and contemporary queer and feminist writers.
Terms: Aut | Units: 3-5 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ED
Instructors: Dierkes-Thrun, P. (PI)
2019-2020 Autumn
3-5 units |
UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ED |
Class #
Section 01 |
Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit |
| Students enrolled: 6
09/23/2019 - 12/06/2019 Tue, Thu 1:30 PM - 2:50 PM at 160-314 with Dierkes-Thrun, P. (PI)
Instructors: Dierkes-Thrun, P. (PI)
Additional Resources: (Login to view additional resources)
FEMGEN 258X: Black Feminist Theater and Theory (AFRICAAM 258, CSRE 258, TAPS 258)
From the rave reviews garnered by Angelina Weld Grimke's lynching play, Rachel to recent work by Lynn Nottage on Rwanda, black women playwrights have addressed key issues in modern culture and politics. We will analyze and perform work written by black women in the U.S., Britain and the Caribbean in the 20th and 21st centuries. Topics include: sexuality, surrealism, colonialism, freedom, violence, colorism, love, history, community and more. Playwrights include: Angelina Grimke, Lorriane Hansberry, Winsome Pinnock, Adrienne Kennedy, Suzan- Lori Parks, Ntzoke Shange, Pearl Cleage, Sarah Jones, Anna DeVeare Smith, Alice Childress, Lydia Diamond and Zora Neale Hurston.)
Last offered: Winter 2018 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ED
FEMGEN 262: Sex and the Early Church (CLASSICS 262, RELIGST 262, RELIGST 362)
Sex and the Early Church examines the ways first- through sixth-century Christians addressed questions regarding human sexuality. We will pay particular attention to the relationship between sexuality and issues of gender, culture, power, and resistance. We will read a Roman gynecological manual, an ancient dating guide, the world's first harlequin romance novels, ancient pornography, early Christian martyrdom accounts, stories of female and male saints, instructions for how to best battle demons, visionary accounts, and monastic rules. These will be supplemented by modern scholarship in classics, early Christian studies, gender studies, queer studies, and the history of sexuality. The purpose of our exploration is not simply to better understand ancient views of gender and sexuality. Rather, this investigation of a society whose sexual system often seems so surprising aims to denaturalize many of our own assumptions concerning gender and sexuality. In the process, we will also examine the ways these first centuries of what eventually became the world's largest religious tradition has profoundly affected the sexual norms of our own time. The seminar assumes no prior knowledge of Judaism, Christianity, the bible, or ancient history.
Last offered: Autumn 2018 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ED
FEMGEN 287X: Sex, Gender, and Violence: French Women Writers Today (FEMGEN 187X, FEMGEN 387X, FRENCH 187, FRENCH 287, FRENCH 387)
Long before the 2017 #Metoo campaign, French women writers have explored through powerful fictions and autobiographies the different shades of economic, social, psychological, physical, or sexual violence that is exerted against, but also by and between, women. How does literature - the power of words - address, deconstruct or comfort power dynamics (during sex and between the sexes) that are usually silenced, taboo or unspeakable? Themes explored: sex and gender, sex and power, rape culture, sexual and moral taboos (incest, abortion, pornography, infanticide, lesbianism), the body as social stigma or source of meaning. Special attention given to narrative and descriptive strategies designed to avert, expose, deconstruct or account for specifically feminine experiences (rape, orgasm, pregnancy). Authors include Marie Darrieusecq, Christine Angot, Annie Ernaux, Marie NDiaye, Virginie Despentes, Leila Slimani, Ivan Jablonka along with feminist theory. Taught in French.
Last offered: Winter 2019 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ED
FILMSTUD 4: Introduction to Film Study
This course will introduce students to formal, historical, and cultural issues in the study of film. We will explore the technological and social history of cinema and engage with philosophical and theoretical questions pertaining to film as a medium and as a cultural product, even as we undertake the formal analysis of fiction, documentary, and experimental films.
Terms: Aut | Units: 5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Instructors: Harper, A. (PI) ; Levi, P. (PI)
2019-2020 Autumn
5 units |
UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II |
Class #
Section 01 |
Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP) |
| In Person
| Students enrolled: 24
09/23/2019 - 12/06/2019 Thu 10:30 AM - 1:20 PM at McMurtry Building 102, Oshman with Levi, P. (PI)
09/23/2019 - 12/06/2019 Wed 6:30 PM - 9:20 PM at McMurtry Building 102, Oshman with Levi, P. (PI)
Exam Date/Time: 2019-12-12 3:30pm - 6:30pm (Exam Schedule)
Instructors: Levi, P. (PI)
Additional Resources: (Login to view additional resources)
UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II |
Class #
Section 02 |
Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP) |
| In Person
| Students enrolled: 11 / 20
09/23/2019 - 12/06/2019 Thu 5:30 PM - 6:20 PM at 160-314 with Harper, A. (PI)
Instructors: Harper, A. (PI)
UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II |
Class #
Section 03 |
Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP) |
| In Person
| Students enrolled: 13 / 20
09/23/2019 - 12/06/2019 Fri 10:30 AM - 11:20 AM at 160-315 with Harper, A. (PI)
Instructors: Harper, A. (PI)
FILMSTUD 4S: Language of Film
This course familiarizes students with various elements of film language (cinematography, editing, sound, etc.) and introduces them to a range of approaches to cinematic analysis (authorship, genre, close formal reading, socio-historical considerations). Different types of films (narrative, documentary, and experimental) will be surveyed. Classical narrative cinema will be compared with alternative modes of story-telling.
Last offered: Summer 2019 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
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The mother of a young man whose name has been splashed all over the Internet as being the person who taunted and blackmailed Amanda Todd said Tuesday her family has been subjected to a "lynch mob" mentality and urged the public to let the police do their investigation.
"It's really dangerous to throw out names when you don't know," she told Postmedia News, at times breaking into sobs.
"This is doing more harm than good."
Her comments echoed a statement put out by police Tuesday that said the investigation into Todd's death had been hampered due to investigators having to respond to "unfounded" allegations and Internet rumours, as the medium that haunted the young girl's life continued to plague her family even after her death.
The 15-year-old girl from Port Coquitlam, B.C., committed suicide last Wednesday. She had previously posted a YouTube video in which she described being the victim of years of bullying.
It started in Grade 7 when she flashed her breasts in front of a webcam, she said. The person on the other end later threatened her and circulated those images online.
This week, the loose collective of online "hacktivists" known as Anonymous, alleged that a man from New Westminster, B.C., was Todd's tormentor. It listed an address, email address and other personal information supposedly belonging to the man.
A man with the same name appeared this week in provincial court in Surrey, B.C., where he faces charges in a separate case of sexual assault and sexual touching of a minor.
The release of his name prompted a flurry of online comments — even the creation of Facebook pages — threatening his life.
The young man's mother said Tuesday when her son was about 14, he sent to police the names of individuals — including a man in New York — who patronized a website containing photos of young children.
She said she grounded her son and told him to stop because it was dangerous. She said she now wonders whether the people he had outed to police in the past might be seeking retribution.
People don't realize how quickly rumours can spread online and potentially "ruin lives," the mother said. She said her younger school-age children had already lost friends at school because of the publicity surrounding her older son.
The mother said police should be allowed to carry out their investigation and let the justice system take its course. They have far more investigative tools than citizens on social media, she said.
Who knows how much information put out by online hacktivists is even accurate, she said. "Half the stuff can be doctored."
She described her son as "simple, sweet and caring."
"Yeah, he has issues, like we all do — but he's not a creepy street hoodlum doing crime," the mother said.
"He's still my son. I love him."
In a news release Tuesday, RCMP Sgt. Peter Thiessen said investigators have been sifting through thousands of tips related to Todd's death.
But that effort has been slowed, he said, because of the "considerable time" investigators have spent responding to false information spread online and through social media.
"One unfounded allegation involved the release of information that spread quickly online identifying a man as Amanda's tormenter," he said.
"Another rumour involved the supposed release of Amanda Todd's autopsy photos. This was quickly debunked by the BC Coroner's Service but nevertheless caused extreme stress for Amanda's family and distracted investigators for hours."
Thiessen added that a number of "fake" websites have been created purporting to be fundraising for the Todd family.
"Taking advantage of a family's grief is despicable," he said.


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|Beautiful and Delicious…Marcella Hazan's Semifreddo
Marcella Hazan's Semifreddo di Cioccolato
- Whip the cream. Before it begins to stiffen and while it is still the consistency of buttermilk, add the confectioners' sugar a little at a time and continue whipping.
- When all the sugar has been incorporated and the cream is stiff enough to hold peaks, mix in the grated chocolate.
- Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry; fold them into the cream and chocolate mixture. (Because the egg whites are not cooked I bought pasteurized eggs).
- Line a loaf pan of 1½ to 2 quarts with wax paper and pour the mixture into the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. To serve, unmold the loaf onto a platter, remove wax paper and slice.
|Mixing the grated chocolate into the whipped cream
|Plastic wrap lined loaf pan
|Folding the cream into the beaten egg whites
|Put mixture into loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze
Kathy - Bake Away with Me
Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Katie - Making Michael Poland Proud


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Drink of the Week: The White Russian
Cocktail classicists beware, because this week we're saluting the immanent blu-ray release of the Coen Brothers' comedy classic, "The Big Lebowski," as well as the historic Lebowski Fest cast reunion with a drink that not only contains vodka but which usually requires no shaking and perhaps not even a great deal of stirring. That's not all, the White Russian is extremely sweet and seems to derive not from the cocktail heights of the early 20th century but closer to the mixological nadir of the 1970s. The fact that it was a drink simple enough for a stoner to love led to it being immortalized on celluloid in the aforementioned 1998 film with Jeff Bridges, easily the greatest example of the pot-driven comedy genre yet made. Next to James Bond's shaken vodka martini, the Dude's Caucasian — same drink, different name — is easily the most legendary of all movie cocktails.
Still, no movie can make a drink popular all on its own, and the White Russian's appeal is obvious; it tastes like a frozen candy bar. Moreover, the fact that it contains a bit of caffeine and even some rudimentary nutrition also makes it a highly appropriate beverage, not only for achievers but for caffeine heads like me. No wonder that it was one of the first cocktails I gravitated to in my ignorant youth and no wonder I still enjoy it when the time is right. Sometimes there's no time for a martini and a very sweet cappuccino to follow it up. Impact-wise, the white Russian gives you a bit of both.
The White Russian
1.5 ounces vodka
3/4 ounces Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
3/4 ounces of heavy cream (or somewhat larger portions of half-and-half, whole milk, or even 2% milk)
Pour vodka and Kahlua over ice in rocks glass. Add heavy cream, which should "float" over the top, or other dairy topping. Stir and proceed to get into endless arguments with your friends about whether or not urinating on a rug constitutes a Saddam Hussein-like act of imperial aggression.
There are a number of variations on the above, of course. You can eschew the diary product and go for a black Russian. I understand that if you use 2% or lower fat content film it's called a Skinny Russian, which isn't awful. On the other hand, I can tell you first hand that going past half-and-half and into the land of heavy cream will make the drink all the more tasty, though perhaps not tasty enough to warrant the eventual heart attack if you drink these things on too regular a basis. On the other hand, if you're drinking as many Caucasians as the Dude seems to do during the course of a single day, wear and tear on your heart may not be your primary concern.
Also, I have to note cocktail historian David Wondrich's recipe actually calls for the drink to be made in a shaker and strained into a chilled rocks glass. It's not bad that way, though it's hard to imagine the Dude putting in all that work. As Wondrich points out, this is a drink beloved both by very occasional drinkers like my former self for its sweet-as-ice-cream taste and for the most down and out of out-and-out alcoholics, for whom it's often the closest thing they'll get to a balanced meal. Yes, a White Russian is for all, but really it belongs to just one man.
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Johnsonville Domestic Violence Lawyers
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Cumberland School of Law, Samford University
My firm believes a person's injuries do not resonate with a jury unless our client's full story can be told. It is not enough to just tell an insurance adjuster or defense attorney that our client has been injured. That is why our firm gets to know...
Conway, SC 29526
Domestic Violence, Criminal, Divorce and Family
Western Michigan University Cooley Law School
Myrtle Beach, SC 29578
University of Memphis
The State of South Carolina
U.S. Federal District Court for the District of South Carolina
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
American Bar Association
South Carolina Bar
South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Horry County Bar Association
American Association for Justice
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National College for DUI Defense
Myrtle Beach Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers – Founding Member
National Rifle Association – Life Member
South Carolina State Constable Alliance
Southern States Police Benevolent Association
S.C. Concealed Weapons Instructors Association
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
South Carolina State Constable's Alliance
American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
Former Adjunct Professor at Horry-Georgetown Technical College
South Carolina Concealable Weapons Course Instructor
Georgetown, SC 29440
North Carolina Central University School of Law
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Myrtle Beach , SC 29577
Charleston School of Law
Suite D
Columbia, SC 29201
Domestic Violence, Appeals, Criminal and DUI
University of South Carolina School of Law
Dayne is a former President of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and former circuit representative on that organization's Board of Directors. He is also a graduate of the National Criminal Defense College and...
Suite 105
Charleston, SC 29492
University of South Carolina School of Law
Summerville, SC 29483
Domestic Violence, Criminal, DUI and Juvenile
University of South Carolina School of Law
Summerville, SC 29483
Domestic Violence, Criminal, DUI and Traffic Tickets
Charleston School of Law
A native of New Jersey,...
Suite B
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
Charleston, SC 29401
Charleston School of Law
Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
Duke University School of Law
At Charlie Condon Law, we're focused on helping the people of South Carolina, emphasizing criminal defense, criminal law, juvenile crime, personal injury, car accidents, truck accidents, wrongful death, workers' compensation, governmental relations, civil litigation, probate litigation, and regulatory and licensing boards. Established in 2005, we have spent more than 40 years getting results.
From 1995 to 2003, Charlie Condon served the people of South Carolina...
Suite 302
Columbia, SC 29204
University of South Carolina School of Law
Columbia, SC 29206
University of South Carolina School of Law
Daniel previously worked as a prosecutor with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office. He handled a wide range of cases, including burglary, robbery, DUI & DUAC, and drug cases. As a prosecutor, he worked with Nelson Mullins, the Public Defender's Office, and Chief Municipal Judge Dana Turner in establishing South Carolina's first homeless court. In 2014, Daniel...
Columbia, SC 29201
Charleston School of Law
During Steve's tenure as a public defender, he was...
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In just one hour on September 11, the whole world changed. President Bush
mobilized the nation and alerted the world to declare war on terror.
But are military and political responses enough?
NO, says Rabbi Yissocher Frand! There is a spiritual
Ground Zero, with a message for us all.
Listen to these inspiring and thought-provoking lectures
--and grow with Rabbi Frand.
In tape one Rabbi Frand makes the compelling case of why
Tefillah must be part of the Jewish response to those events. In tape two Rabbi
Frand puts the events of September 11 and particularly the events that are
occuring almost daily in Israel in their historic context and show how that
should impact our daily lives.
Rabbi Yissocher Frand is one of the most popular teachers and lecturers
of our time. No one surpasses his blend of Torah scholarship, humor, eloquence,
passion and sensitivity. When he speaks, there's not an empty seat in the house!


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Media Contact: Dr. Mike Walden, 919.515.4671 or email@example.com
By Dr. Mike Walden
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
I recently had a very interesting conversation with a prominent state leader. The person was picking my brain about various economic issues, one of which is our low rate of economic growth. The leader wondered if boosting the growth rate could be one of the keys to solving many of our problems.
Before I address this question, let's first look at where we stand in North Carolina on economic growth. Long-run, we look pretty good. From 1977 to 2012, the annual growth rate in economic production in our state averaged 3.4 percent, well above the national average of 2.8 percent. The state was also a leader in job creation. Over the same time period, North Carolina's jobs increased an average of 1.8 percent each year, while jobs in the nation were up only 1.3 percent annually.
The numbers have been less impressive since 2000. A big reason is that both North Carolina and the nation went through two recessions in the first decade of the new century. North Carolina's economy also had to adjust to changes and dislocations created by international trade agreements.
However, what is often overlooked is how well North Carolina's economy did in the middle of the 2000s (2003-2008), when there was an economic upswing. Annual job growth doubled that in the nation (1.3 percent vs. 0.6 percent), and the yearly improvement in state economic production was stronger than for the country (2.9 percent vs. 2.3 percent).
The Great Recession is over, and there has been economic growth in the last three years. North Carolina's aggregate economic production is up an average of 1.8 percent during each of those years, and the growth rate in jobs has actually exceeded the national pace (1.5 percent vs. 1.4 percent). Still, our state has 120,000 fewer jobs than before the Great Recession, and there are more than 400,000 persons officially classified as unemployed.
So our state is growing but not at rates we once were. What if we could grow faster? How much difference would this make? Let's say, for example, we could boost our annual economic production growth rate from the current 1.8 percent to 3 percent, similar to what it was historically.
This would mean 240,000 more jobs — on top of those created by the current growth rate — over the next five years and could cut our unemployment rate in half by 2018.
State budget issues would also be eased with faster private sector growth. Public revenues available for spending by the state are directly tied to the performance of the economy. Available revenues increase faster when the economy is doing better, and revenue growth stalls — and sometimes drops — when the private economy is underperforming. And a stagnant or shrinking revenue pie inevitably sets up clashes between spending categories for pieces of the pie.
Increasing the state's annual economic growth rate from 1.8 percent to 3 percent would mean more than $280 million more in annual revenue available for spending in the state's General Fund. This would translate into $100 million more each year for K-12 education, $48 million of additional annual funds for higher education and $68 million more yearly for health care services and assistance.
Sounds good, correct? But the big question is how to achieve this higher rate of growth. If it were easy, it would have been done long ago. Unfortunately, economists don't have a magic formula. Clearly a better skilled and trained workforce is part of the answer, perhaps today more than ever. But what mix of early childhood education, teacher training, teacher pay, technology and parental involvement gives us the best results? If we can't do all of these, which ones should receive priority? Educators all around the world are debating this question.
And what about infrastructure? It used to be that roads were the easy answer, and certainly North Carolina's focus on roads in the last 60 years was a big part of the state's economic improvement. However, today infrastructure is broader and includes not only highways but also airports, high-speed internet and access to energy sources like natural gas. Even with faster growth, there are limited infrastructure funds to spend. Where should they go?
Finally, let's not ignore some of the downsides from faster economic growth. More growth likely means more conversion of open space to developed space, greater demands on our natural resources like water and energy and the possibility of greater pollution.
Also, economic growth isn't necessarily spread evenly among people and regions. In fact, recently, economic growth has favored higher-income households over lower-income households and cities over rural areas. So while growth may move up the average, it may not improve all parts of that average.
Is economic growth the answer to many of our problems? As always, I'll let you decide. But even if the answer is "yes," achieving it may be as elusive as the Cubs winning the next World Series (sorry Chicago fans).
– end –
Dr. Mike Walden is a William Neal Reynolds Professor and North Carolina Cooperative Extension economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics of N.C. State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He teaches and writes on personal finance, economic outlook and public policy. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences communications unit provides his You Decide column every two weeks. Previous columns are available at http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/news-center/tag/you-decide
Related audio files are at http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/news-center/category/economic-perspective/


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For clCreateBuffer( ), the spec says that for CL_MEM_USE_HOST_PTR, if we supply host_ptr during the call to clCreateBuffer( ), the OpenCL implementation would use the memory bits used by host_ptr while creating the buffer object.
But following this paragraph, it says, the result of OpenCL commands that operate on multiple buffer objects created with the same host_ptr or overlapping host regions is considered to be undefined.
Isn't the second para a direct contradiction to what is specified initially. While creating the buffer object, the memory data from the host_ptr would be used in the buffer object. Once the buffer object has been created, it has nothing to do with the host_ptr from which it was created or vice versa. So if multiple buffers are created with the same host_ptr, it shouldn't matter at all, isn't it? Can someone please clear this to me? I guess I am missing some thing here. Thanks a lot.


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User talk:Kevin Matthew McKay
Kevin, I did receive your file and it looks OK. — Kam D. Dahlquist 12:48, 23 April 2013 (EDT)
Week 12 Journal Feedback
- Thank you for submitting your assignment on time.
- You did not upload your RegulationMatrix file to LionShare. When you asked me about it, I thought you were asking about whether you needed to include a screenshot of the matrix in your PowerPoint. You didn't need to do that, but I do need access to the actual file itself to check it. Please upload it and send me the link.
- In answer to the question, how many GO terms had a corrected p < 0.05, you answered "18", but upon checking your file, there is actually 120. I'm not sure how you got "18". Please let me know if it's not clear how I saw 120.
— Kam D. Dahlquist 12:34, 18 April 2013 (EDT)
- For question 4 of the shared journal reflection, be careful in the way you state your answer. The profile and GO term p values do not refer to individual genes. The profile p value is a measure of the probability that you would see that many genes that fit that expression profile due to chance. The GO term p value is a measure of the probability that you would see that many genes in that profile associated with that GO term due to chance. The latter two p values are dealing with groups of genes, not individual genes.
— Kam D. Dahlquist 13:22, 18 April 2013 (EDT)
Week 1 Journal Feedback
- Thank you for submitting your assignment on time.
- There are a few of things that you need to fix on your individual user page and shared journal page. Please make these changes by next week's journal deadline (midnight, February 8) to earn back the points you missed on this assignment.
- You need to put the complete street address for your box at LMU.
- You included your research interests on the page, but not your career interests as requested.
- On the Week 1 shared journal page, use your name as a header for the section that you use to answer questions. Be sure to use a label for the link back to your user page. Instead of [[User:Kevin Matthew McKay]], use [[User:Kevin Matthew McKay | Kevin Matthew McKay]].
- You are not using the summary field consistently when you make changes to the wiki. The goal is to fill it out every time you make a change.
- You have created your template, but it is duplicating links that you put manually on your user page. You can go ahead and delete the extra links since they are there because of your template.
- You included an abstract about your research as the file you uploaded. However, the name of that file is simply "Abstract.docx". This filename is really generic for use on OpenWetWare, where there are hundreds of users from around the world. If someone else were to upload a file with the same name (which could easily happen), it would overwrite your file. It is even possible that you have overwritten someone else's file yourself. Make sure that your filenames are unique to you.
- Please feel free to delete the welcome message from OpenWetWare below.
— Kam D. Dahlquist 01:40, 31 January 2013 (EST)
Kevin, I've answered your question on my User talk page. — Kam D. Dahlquist 19:44, 21 January 2013 (EST)
You asked "Hey Dr. Fitzpatrick, what is the hardest math problem you have ever solved? Kevin Matthew McKay 11:43, 19 January 2013 (EST)"
My answer: That's kind of hard to say, because often hard problems seem easy in hindsight. The one that seemed hardest at the time (when I was in Auburn's version of Math 321) was the proof that a set and its power set have different cardinality (You should look this up). This also one that seemed unbelievably easy after I solved it. These days I find modeling to be much more challenging than deriving mathematical results.
Ben G. Fitzpatrick 13:20, 3 February 2013 (EST)
Week 2 Journal Feedback
- Thank you for submitting your assignment on time.
- You have provided a reasonable set of examples.
- In the future, please use "save as" in matlab, choosing .jpg or .gif as an image type. When you save the figures in the .fig type, you must open them with matlab. The browser can cope with .jpg files. In fact you can embed them into your discussion. See Ashley's page for embedded images. See Elizabeth's page for a file upload that contains complete specification of each simulation.
- Multiple nutrients is an interesting issue and clearly important in view of the terShure paper. How mighy you model it?
Ben G. Fitzpatrick 13:13, 4 February 2013 (EST)


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I had to see this one..
It's a Jem20th.
A limited edition 20th anniversary acrylic JEM. I have to say it looks better in person than any picture could do justice to.
I have to thank the shop staff for even letting me touch it.
One thing I wasn't prepared for was the weight. This thing weighs an ton! If I had the money they're asking, I'd LOVE to buy it. There isn't any other guitar that looks like this.
What does it sound like? I have no idea. Who cares?
Still if I had a choice I'd pick the Chromeboy if only the finish wasn't so sensitive to instant depreciation. These guitars are collector's pieces, so what's the point?
MY G.A.S. has no sign of abating. I feel incredible urges to buy more music gear!
Last night I won another auction. This time it's a Zakk Wylde ZW-45 Crybaby wah pedal.
I was telling myself no, you don't need it. But my impulsive click finger said "screw that, yes you do". Surprisingly I was the sole bidder, so I got it for 6,000 yen.
A sweet price.
What does it sound like? Click here. Sounds like a rockin' pedal to me. All I have to do now is play the waiting game, until I get that box in my hot little hands.
You'd think I'd stop now wouldn't you? Oh no.
While I was at this guitar store I tried out the latest Boss GT-10 multi effects unit.
It's loaded with a heap of nice effects, but the distortions sound absolutely horrible. It was like the exact opposite of my valve amp, brittle and fizzy. I'm sure with a bit of tweaking, it has the potential to sound better, but how hard is it to make it sound good "out of the box" to entice people to buy it?
In another store I tried out a Line 6 M13 stompbox modeler and a 535Q Crybaby wah.
This was a different story. The effects were more raw and warm (I was playing this through a JC-120!) What got me curious about this box was the DL4 and FM4 boxes. I saw some vids on youtube and they sounded nice. This box has both of them and more!
I got so carried away with this box that I forgot about the wah pedal, and only gave it a very brief demo. I'm hoping that my wah sounds as good as this. From what little I tried of this one, my ears said "yum".
And that has to go the same for this little pedalboard too.
So little time and not enough money.
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Acrylic Dreams
I had to see this one..
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm


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Cheshire man sentenced to 4 years in prison for bribing witness in New Haven murder trial
ROCKVILLE >> A former private investigator has been sentenced to four years in prison for bribing a witness to recant testimony in a murder case, which led to convictions against two men being overturned.
The Republican-American of Waterbury reports that Gerald O'Donnell, 69, of Cheshire, was sentenced Wednesday. A jury convicted him in October of giving cash and gifts to a witness who recanted her testimony against George Gould and Ronald Taylor for a 1993 New Haven murder.
Gould and Taylor were freed in 2010 after their convictions were overturned, but the state Supreme Court reinstated them in 2011. Gould returned to prison, while Taylor died of cancer three months later.
O'Donnell is free on bail while he appeals.


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Joe Gibbs marvels at Peyton Manning, picks Broncos to win Super Bowl
Joe Gibbs knows a thing or two about scoring points and winning big games.
The Hall of Fame coach led the Washington Redskins to four Super Bowls, and won three of them. His 1983 Super Bowl team averaged 33 points per game. Behind the running of John Riggins and passing of Joe Theismann, the Redskins hung 51 points on the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC playoffs.
Seven years later, led by unsung heroes Doug Williams and Timmy Smith, Gibbs won his third Super Bowl by averaging 30 points a game.
Gibbs, who went 154-94 in 16 years, produced some of the greatest offensive teams in the NFL, despite having mostly marginal quarterbacks.
But even Gibbs is amazed by the offensive machine of the Denver Broncos.
"Their scheme is probably one of the best schemes ever in offensive football, because you've got a guy who is that experienced, that accurate and that knowledgeable, and he's actually calling everything from the line," Gibbs said of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. "When we call it from sidelines, you're just guessing."
Gibbs, now one of the most successful team owners in NASCAR, is picking Manning's Broncos to win Sunday's Super Bowl — if the weather cooperates.
"My Super Bowl pick would be Denver, as long as there is not a big wind," Gibbs said with a laugh. "If there's a big wind, I'm switching my deal. I'm going to go to the window and try and get my money back."
Gibbs is one of the most successful coaches/team owners in professional sports, winning championships in two major sports. He won three Super Bowls and four NFC championships with the Redskins, and then parlayed that success into a successful NASCAR career, where his teams have won three Cup championships.
And in both, Gibbs was successful from the start, winning the Super Bowl in his second season as a head coach and the Daytona 500 in his second season as a NASCAR team owner.
As his NASCAR teams met the media on Thursday, Gibbs took a moment to talk football. And, like most NFL masterminds, Gibbs marvels at the brilliance of Manning.
"Most teams obviously have audibles because you are trying to put it back in the quarterback's hands because you're not sure what the (defense is) going to play," Gibbs said. "But when you see him go to the line of scrimmage and all of a sudden you see him quick-snap that thing, and then you've got to get into whatever (defense) you are playing … And then he goes to the line of scrimmage and he backs out of there and now he is looking at what you're doing and he's making a call based off that, that scheme is obviously hard to stop."
Gibbs stops short of calling Manning the best quarterback ever, because, well, he doesn't place those kinds of labels on players. And he's partial to quarterbacks like Theismann and Williams and Mark Rypian, who each led his teams to Super Bowl victories.
"I had three great ones that played for me that won Super Bowls, so I'm always leery about saying who's the greatest," he said. "You look down through history and there's been a lot of great quarterbacks. Certainly I think he is special but I'm always leery about saying somebody is the best ever. I don't think I can do that."
Now 73, Gibbs has many great Super Bowl memories, including winning his first during the strike-shortened season in 1982. Gibbs went 8-8 in his first season as a head coach in 1981, but came back to go 8-1 in 1982 and beat the Dolphins, 27-7, in the Super Bowl behind Riggins (166 yards rushing) and Theismann (two passing TDs).
"The very first one, we came out of nowhere to go to a Super Bowl in our second year coaching in the NFL. It was kind of like a dream deal," Gibbs said. "You had John Riggins on fourth-and-one going off tackle for 43 yards. I'm down on my knees because I know if we don't make this, I'm going to get scalded."
Five years later, Gibbs led the Redskins back to the Super Bowl, where he used the passing of Williams and the running of Smith to trounce John Elway's Broncos 42-10.
"In '87, with Doug Williams, that was a whole different story — the first black quarterback who had a chance to play great in the Super Bowl and he wound up being the MVP. That was a great story," Gibb said. "But also the second quarter where we scored 35 points, that was a wild experience."
In 1991, Gibbs used another unheralded quarterback in Rypian to beat Jim Kelly's Buffalo Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI.
"That team probably achieved more for ... that was a great team (effort)," Gibbs said. "They were all different and different experiences and different memories."
But the Super Bowl Gibbs remembers most is the one he didn't win. Behind Theismann and Riggins and an explosive receiving core, the '83 Redskins went 14-2 and led the NFL in scoring with 541 points. It also set a record for turnover margin at plus-43.
"That may be the one record that no one will ever beat," Gibbs said. "That was a smart team that knew how to protect the ball with Theismann, and then could take it away on defense."
Yet, a year after winning the Super Bowl, the Redskins lost to the Los Angeles Raiders 38-9.
That's a day and experience Gibbs will never forget.
"What I learned from that, I thought that if you at least get to the Super Bowl, you're going to feel pretty good about yourself. I never felt worse going back on that plane," he said. "That was the worst feeling. I don't know if I will ever get over that.
"That team was probably the most talented team I ever coached, I think one of the best ever. But we lose that game. I was shocked at that feeling."
That's what Gibbs takes away from the games and races that he has experienced over the years. Relish the thrill of victory, because the agony of defeat lasts much longer.
"I always felt like the losses were harder to get over," he said. "That was a terrible feeling."


text:
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." [1]
With the advent of 'living technologies' [2], which possess some of the properties of living systems but are not 'truly' alive, a new understanding of our relationship to the natural and designed world is imminent. This change in perspective is encapsulated in Koert Van Mensvoort's term 'next nature', which implies thinking 'ecologically', rather than 'mechanically'. The implications of next nature are profound, and will shape our appreciation of humanity and influence the world around us.
The Universe of Things, by the British science fiction writer Gwyneth Jones (2010) [3] takes the idea of an ecological existence to its logical extreme. She examines an alien civilization whose technology is intrinsically alive. Tools are extrusions of the alien's own biology and extend into their surroundings through a wet, chemical network.
The idea of existing in a vibrant, organic habitat is an increasingly realistic prospect as living technologies are now being designed to counter the ravages of global industrialization. These can even be implemented at a citywide scale. For example, Arup's Songdo International Business District, in South Korea, is being built on 1,500 acres of land reclaimed from the Yellow Sea. Incorporating rainwater irrigation and a seawater canal, this design suggests that the building industry is aspiring to use living technologies to revitalize urban environments via geoengineering. The Korean artist Do Ho Suh had proposed to build a bridge that connects his homes in Seoul and New York by harnessing natural forces and using synthetic biologies to literally 'grow' a trans-Pacific bridge.
The apparent science fictional nature of ecological-scale projects has prompted science fiction author Karl Schroeder to observe that the large-scale harnessing of ecologies might explain our current lack of success in encountering advanced alien civilizations. Schroeder explains the Fermi Paradox – the apparent contradiction between the likelihood that extraterrestrial civilizations exist and the lack of evidence for them – by speculating that we have not yet encountered our cosmic neighbors because they are indistinguishable from their native ecology.
Despite our visions and desires for a more ecologically integrated kind of technology, the scientific paradigm, which underpins technological development, considers the world to be a machine. Ecologist Fern Wickson argues that humans are intertwined in a complex web of biological systems and cannot be included within a definition of nature where "an atom bomb becomes as 'natural' as an anthill" and wonders whether there is a better definition of nature [4].
Changing the definition of nature is not the solution to Wikson's conundrum. The scientific method is actually responsible for this paradox. If the problem of human connectedness to the natural world is to be resolved, then science itself needs to change. Modern science relies on 'natural laws' that use mathematical proofs and the metaphor of machines to convey its universal truths. In the 1950s Robert Rosen observed that when physics is used to describe biology, a generalization occurs that distorts reality [5].
Alan Turing noted in his essay on morphogenesis that mathematical abstraction couldn't capture the richness of the natural world [6]. Life is a complex system that is governed by a variety of unique processes that machines simply do not possess. Life responds to its environment, constantly changes with time and is made up of functional components that enables life the ability to self-regulate [7]. Complexity challenges the epistemological basis on which modern science and industry are grounded.
So what does complex science mean for our relationship with nature? Are we separate from or intrinsically connected to the natural world? In a complex system we are both. Our actions through technology are intrinsically governed by the physical and chemical constraints of the terrestrial environment, yet we also possess agency and a capacity to modify our surroundings. But if we are connected to nature, then is Wikson right that our propensity to innovate through technology becomes a meaningless idea?
Science Fiction author and cultural commentator Bruce Sterling proposes a further play on Clarke's dictum and wryly observes that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from its garbage."
You've got to hand it to Sterling – his observational powers are immaculate! Garbage explains how we can be connected to nature – but not in an unlimited way. We subjectively distinguish ourselves from the natural world by 'editing' our networks through the process of making garbage. We choose what is important to us by applying cultural, rather than material criteria, which does not lend itself to empirical measurement. Turing had already grasped the importance of personal bias in dealing with complex systems and devised the 'Imitation Game' to address the conundrum of intelligence, which evaded an easy empirical solution. This is now more popularly know as the 'Turing Test' and is now being used more widely to fathom complex systems and to identify 'life' [8].
Suppose then, that scientist observes distant aliens that are so highly advanced that their technology works in concert with the generative natural forces of their planet. Using our current empirical methods of observation, scientists will note the alien landscapes, but they will not be able to discriminate the meaning that is flowing within its organizing networks. Yet the flow and structure of information within the planetary terrain is of vital importance in establishing just exactly what is technology, what is garbage and what is 'life'. The issue here is how can we 'prove' meaning? Currently we do not have the right tools, materials and methods that enable us to ask the 'why' questions that Aristotle was so fond of, and which could be most revealing in this context [9].
The development of living technologies and the cultural questions that Next Nature asks are important steps to be taken along the journey towards a more ecological kind of human development. Until complex technologies can be built and deduced from their meaning: Any sufficiently advanced civilization will be indistinguishable from its nature – and also from its garbage.
Rachel Armstrong is a TEDGlobal Fellow, and a Teaching Fellow at at The Bartlett School of Architecture, in England. She was described as a 'polymath', at the TEDGlobal Oxford conference, by TED's Community Director, Tom Reilly. Her extensive interdisciplinary practice engages with a fundamental driving principle – the fundamental creativity of science. Her work uses all manner of media to engage audiences and bring them into contact with the latest advances in science and their real potential through the inventive applications of technology, to address some of the biggest problems facing the world today.
Image Stockholm Metro via Zeutch.
[1]Clarke, A.C. (1973) Clarke's Third Law, quoted from the essay Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination in Profiles of the Future, Harper and Row, p. 21.
[2] Bedau, M., (2009). Living Technology Today and Tomorrow, Special Issue: Living Buildings: Plectic Systems Architecture, Technoetic Arts A Journal of Speculative Research, Volume 7, Number 2, Intellect Books, pp.199-206.
[3] Jones, Gwyneth (2010). The Universe of Things. Seattle: Aqueduct Press.
[4] Fern Wickson, "What is nature, if it's more than just a place without people?", Nature 456, 29 (6 November 2008) | doi:10.1038/456029b. 2. Editorial, "Handle with care," Nature 455, 263-264 (18 September 2008) | doi:10.1038/455263b.
[5] Rosen, R. 1996. "On the limits of Scientific knowledge" in /Boundaries and barriers:on the limits to scientific knowledge./ (J. L. Casti and A. Karlqvist, eds.). Reading: Addison-Wesley. pp199-214.
[6] Turing, A.M. (1952). The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis, /Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, /Vol. 237, No. 641. (Aug. 14, 1952), pp. 37-72.
[7] Maturana, H. R. and F. J. Varela. 1980. /Autopoieses and cognition: The realization of the living. /Dordrecht: D. Reidel.
[8] L. Cronin, N. Krasnogor, B.G. Davis, C. Alexander, N. Robertson, J.H.G. Steinke, S.L.M. Schroeder, A.N. Khlobystov, G. Cooper, P.M. Gardner, P. Siepmann, B.J. Whitaker, D. Marsh,. (2006) "The imitation game—a computational chemical approach to recognizing life" Nature Biotech., 2006, 24, 1203-1205.
[9]Rosen, R. 1996. "On the limits of Scientific knowledge" in /Boundaries and barriers:on the limits to scientific knowledge./ (J. L. Casti and A. Karlqvist, eds.). Reading: Addison-Wesley. pp199-214.
This essay was also published by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology, here
Any Sufficiently Advanced Civilization is Indistinguishable from Nature – Transhumanity.net uesiwa fokpsxe ncyhni ダウンジャケット モンクレー モンクレール 青山 モンクレール ダウン メンズ 新作 dsjmehq xzfezysy moncler 販売店 モンクレール 新作 モンクレール ダウン 新作 wvzvqfm ckjqv ダウン モンクレール レディース モンクレール 青山 moncler 日本 dubrtrqb ダウンジャケット moncler モンクレール moncler 価格 rffhjhhj
By Nekspoops on Nov 19, 2012 at 3:35am


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The World Economic Forum conducted a yearlong cross-industry investigation of the global digital infrastructure. Its findings focus on the necessity of upgrading the infrastructure, allocating the spectrum, resolving IP connection conflicts, improving digital services, and addressing the realities of capacity in Europe, the US and developing countries. The report's clear text and accessible graphics provide a comprehensive overview of the infrastructure challenge. getAbstract recommends this well-researched guide about the less visible, but crucial, aspects of the "digital ecosystem" to politicians, regulators, investors, executives, managers and start-ups.
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Penguins blank Rangers again, take 2-1 series lead
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NEW YORK >> Sidney Crosby scored his first goal of these playoffs, and Marc-Andre Fleury earned his second shutout of the New York Rangers in two nights as the Pittsburgh Penguins regained home-ice advantage with a 2-0 victory in Game 3 on Monday night.
Crosby snapped a 13-game goal drought in the playoffs to give the Penguins the lead in the second period, and Jussi Jokinen added a breakaway goal. Fleury stopped 35 shots to back up his 22-save effort Sunday in a 3-0 win in Pittsburgh. He has eight career postseason shutouts and 51 wins.
The Penguins, who lost the opener in overtime, lead the Eastern Conference semifinal series 2-1. Game 4 is Wednesday in New York.
Henrik Lundqvist made 13 saves for the weary Rangers, who played for the fifth time in seven days. They have consecutive losses in these playoffs for the first time.
The tide turned in Pittsburgh's favor in the second period for the third straight game. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said earlier Monday that he "hated" the second period in Games 1 and 2, and he couldn't have liked this one, either.
New York had 2:15 remaining on a 4-minute power play that began in the first period, but couldn't cash in. To make matters worse for the Rangers, Crosby took a long stretch pass from defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, outraced Marc Staal, and beat Lundqvist between the pads from the left circle just 19 seconds after James Neal left the penalty box. It was Crosby's 41st career playoff goal.
Although Crosby didn't score in Game 2, he played a dominant game.
"Eventually you're going to see him get a goal," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said before Game 3. "Eventually you're going to see him break out. There's no question about that."
The Penguins struck for their second goal again right after killing a penalty. Jokinen jumped out of the box and got to a loose puck in the neutral zone after Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello failed to connect on a backward pass in the Pittsburgh end.
Jokinen came in alone on Lundqvist and scored his fifth of the playoffs with 4:40 left in the second — 8 seconds after his penalty ended.
The Rangers were suddenly down 2-0 and had the weight of their anemic power play enveloping them even more. They finished 0 for 5 and have failed on 34 straight advantages overall — including one in the final minutes.
During their last man-advantage in the second period, the Madison Square Garden crowd implored the Rangers to "Shoot the puck!" They did, but to no avail.
New York led 26-14 in shots through two periods, yet trailed by two goals.
Zuccarello thought earlier in the second that he had tied the game at 1, but his drive struck the crossbar behind Fleury, skittered across the goal line, and stayed out.
The Rangers received their first power play of the night 5:16 in when Marcel Goc was called for roughing Dominic Moore after an icing call.
Neal later got a 4-minute power play for hitting Jesper Fast in the mouth with a high stick with 1:45 remaining. Benoit Pouliot had the best chance during the first half of the advantage when he fired a drive off the right post with 14 seconds left in the period.
Before that, Zuccarello had the best scoring chance when he one-timed a pass from Pouliot during 5-on-5 play from the left circle that Fleury snagged with a stretch of his glove hand with 2:41 left.
Lundqvist was sharp early for the second straight night and turned aside Chris Kunitz on a breakaway, for the second time in as many days, during New York's first power play.
NOTES: Crosby was nominated as a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, given annually to the "Most Outstanding Player" as voted by fellow members of the NHL Players' Association. Crosby won the award last season and in 2007. ... The Rangers replaced rugged forwards Daniel Carcillo and Derek Dorsett in the lineup with Fast and J.T. Miller, and put defenseman Raphael Diaz in for the first time in these playoffs. John Moore sat out. ... Lundqvist made his 77th playoff appearance, the most for a Rangers goalie.


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On Tuesday I decided to pack up my new Les Paul and EMS it back home.
I used a heap of 100 yen tape to put together a makeshift guitar box out of the Pepsi boxes that seller "kindly" gave me. A true PITA!! I probably should have sent it earlier as it's not going to make it there for Christmas Day, but it will be fun "racing" it back to Australia. I'm glad I sent this one instead of the Tele. 10.3Kg would be no fun carting to Narita.
I left home with good timing. This time I adhered closely to my list and up to now it seems I hadn't forgotten anything. The dolls, the Elmo, the guitar stuffs, iPhone and oh, some clothes too.
The usual 9 hour flight was stretched out to about 13 hours. It wasn't so bad. I watched four movies - 500 Days Of Summer, Funny People, Up and District 9. All good. I'd recommend them all.
500 Days has Zooey Deschanel who I like because she reminds me of Katy Perry who I also "admire" DEEPLY. Anyway, this film won me over with the Tourette's-like yelling of the P word. Secret be told that during my time in Japan I have devised an entire language using that sole word. Seeing this made me giggle like a schoolgirl on the inside.
District 9 was better than others made out. A truly, original film. Definitely much better than that um, 2012 film that I talked up. Funny People was pretty good too. I could actually take Adam Sandler seriously in this one. IT was great to see Eric Bana act with his true Aussie accent. Pretty funny! Up was a nice animation, reminiscent of Pixar's kind of stories. It was real sad when his Ellie dies. Oh spoiler, s*** sorry!
The transit stops in Taipei and Hong Kong were made less boring by the free internet access. What did we do before the internet?
Arriving back in Brisbane I was so tired. I can't sleep on planes, and I wanted to see all those movies too. I'm sure drinking the complimentary beer didn't help either. I'm glad my Tele got back to me in one piece. "Free" delivery, YAY!
Brisbane welcomed me with muggy humidity. I know it was Christmas Day and quiet, but this place seems VERY slow compared to Tokyo. It was too overcast to do too much today so I took my car for a drive and played my guitars.
Good to be home again.
Friday, 25 December 2009
Happy B'Day Sweet Baby Jesus!
On Tuesday I decided to pack up my new Les Paul and EMS it back home.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 9:20 pm 0 comments
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Tomorrow Wendy
The last day before I head back to Australia, we had two things to do -
1. Go see the Christmas Shinjuku Lights and Suica Penguins near Takashimaya Square, and 2. Go to Wendy's for the first and last time.
The Suica Penguin is still one of our favourite characters here in Japan. Damn, any penguin is still cool in our books!
I hadn't bought the gf a Christmas present yet and I was truly stumped what to get her. I thought the best idea was to go to a clothing store and get her to choose something. She liked a United Colors of Benetton jacket that was on sale for 14,000 yen. It looked good. Problem solved.
Not long ago Wendy's announced that they would be closing down in Japan on the 31st of December. Apparently Wendy's are the third biggest burger chain in the world. Strangely enough the ones in Australia sell icecream so I think it must be somebody else.
Seeing that I wouldn't be here, we thought it'd be good to try them out before they are gone for good. Looks like other Japanese think the same thing, as there have been more people than usual since the announcement.
These burgers aren't half bad! I'd have to say they are at least on par with Burger King or better. Better than Macca's, but that's not too hard. Shame about them leaving.
Maybe in many years time they'll rise like a phoenix and come back like Burger King did. Who knows?
I'd like to dedicate this song to them ;) See YOU!
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm 0 comments
Monday, 21 December 2009
Cow A Saki
Instead of the usual militaristic kindergarden classes today I was assigned to do time in Kawasaki.
Not bad, I like it there. It's a little Yokohama, and that's not such a bad thing. It gave me the chance to head to my favourite Hard Off store in that vicinity. I got tempted more than once, guitar stuffs, hentai doll stuffs, everything!
They had a 20% UP promotion which I thought was a discount, but it looks like the "up" means some kind of extra cash for what you sell to them.
Although I could've bought more than I did I only got an Evangelion EX Daibouken Figure: Dark Brigade - Asuka hentai doll. Pantsu you see.. hmm.. OH, and a guitar, but you're sick of hearing me talking that huh?
By the time I got back near work I went to the B Select store, another kind of Off, and saw two watches, One that looks like the JR Yamanote train signs, and another Pimpin' Ain't Easy one that was pretty difficult to read the time. Who would buy SUCH things? Um.. I did.. both of them -_-
Anyway.. after a fairly good day I was surprised to be invited to an impromptu last Christmas party at an izakaya after work. It was up near the top of one of the buildings, and the view over Kawasaki was fantastic.
A great "Last Christmas" finale before I head home!
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:51 pm 0 comments
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Inokashira Park and my new LP Custom
I don't know what it was about this week but I got quite a bit of rudeness from Japanese people in a relatively short space of time. Japanese rude? Yes, I'm afraid so.
One day I was actually DISSUADED from buying a Sony UMPC that had a very nice sticker price. The Sofmap salesman flatly told me there was no adapter, no guarantee. Basically if it didn't turn on, too bad. Now that probably doesn't sound so bad, but the WAY he said it made it seem like he didn't want to deal with a foreigner possibly complaining.
I went to Macdonalds for a coffee while I searched the internet about the cost of an adapter and a battery. Seems like it wasn't too bad so I went back to the store. Unsurprisingly by the time I got back it was gone. I was NOT happy :(
Another time I was in Maccas having my meal. I sat at a 4 person table because there weren't any single seats available after I got my order. Before I was even finished I was told by a server that where I was sitting there had to be at least 3 people. She didn't offer me another seat. I suppose she just expected me to hurry up and leave.
On Friday before I had to go to Ikebukuro, I decided to go and take a look at a Les Paul Custom in Kichijoji that had a GREAT price. I was circling the block for 30+ minutes looking for a guitar shop. Time was almost running out. I had to get to work but I didn't want to waste my train fare and time coming here.
In desperation I asked passers-by for help with the address. A woman totally ignored me and kept on walking. The next guy was MUCH more helpful. Not only did he help me find them but also called them on HIS phone to find where they were! So much of my faith in Japanese had been restored at that very moment. Looks like there is some kindness in this world after all.
To my surprise the shop I had been looking for was actually just an apartment, and a very small one at that! The guy said someone else was coming to look at the guitar that afternoon but I could call back later. He let me take a look at it, but I didn't get the chance to test it out. It was obviously used but considering it's condition and the price it wasn't too bad.
With help from the gf she organised a time today to try again and get the chance to buy it. The person coming to see it didn't buy it but what peeved me was that he held it for that person but he said if someone came in the meantime he would not hold it for me. That made me so mad.
Luckily it was still there. I didn't have an all-nighter from last night's party so I could wake up with a level head. I was surprised I didn't have much of a hangover at all. I might have to give up that trashy cheap chu-hi I've been drinking. Looks like the biru is much better for me.
We got there and I tried it out. It sounded fine and he was helpful enough to pull it apart to show me the wiring and insides of the guitar. I took a lot of photos so I wouldn't have to pull it apart myself. I asked for a discount but he did that Japanese laugh and said, "NO discount, you won't find guitar at this price". Sad to say, he was right, but he didn't have to be an a**hole about it. Rubbing salt in he also said there'd be no guarantee but he could arrange repairs at a price. Great. He didn't even give me a guitar cardboard box he had outside saying they were for his business. ahh.. right. Hello? He gave me some Pepsi boxes to make my own. Thanks..
We made our way nearby to Inokashira Park.
It's the first time I'd been there. They have a nice lake and some boats. I definitely recommend to check it out.
Nice huh? Only a few more days to vacation. Can't wait.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:57 pm 1 comments
Saturday, 19 December 2009
'Tis the Season To Be Yopparai
I managed to go to two Christmas Parties this year. The first, in Aobadai, I wasn't expecting to be any good. Aobadai is the kind of place where young people settle down to start their families. It's very residential so as you can gather, my expectations were quite low.
One of my regular students kept pestering me to come along to the school parties, so seeing that I didn't have any alternative plans, I decided to stick around.. for three and a half hours! I was considering having a sleep in the kids classroom but somehow I stayed awake until party time.
There was a good mix of people. About half and half guys and girls and even another two teachers came along as well! It just goes to show that if you give us an incentive to be at work unpaid for our troubles we might actually show up!
There was another school's party I planned to go to. Especially when I saw their memo in the teacher's room. I don't know about you, but "On The House" in my language usually means "my treat/shout". Apparently in Japanese it means 3,000 yen? When I showed them the poster, they said it was a mistake. It was up for about 3 weeks. Pass. No, thank you.
Anyway, the one that I most look forward to each year is the Yokohama Christmas party.
I was also asked to go to the Shinjuku party on the same night enticed by free alcohol and no cost to teachers, but I'd have to backtrack and I also thought I'd go straight to Yokohama instead of going home to change.
I arrived a little earlier so I had a drink or two in the teacher's room. I was surprised looking out that quite a few students had shown up filling out the foyer in no time. It was strange to be stared at, but with a little push from the SD I went out to mingle.
For some reason tonight lacked a certain something that I had felt in previous years. I still had a great time and had a lot of fun conversation and drinking with my peers and students.
The after party was going to be at another bar but somehow between closing time and the bathroom, I found myself heading home on one of the final trains. I had other plans for tomorrow.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm 0 comments
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Michael Jackson in Yokohama!
As per usual station beers is still alive and well after a hard day's work in Yokohama.
It's been quite different lately with one of the clan absent for quite a while, but last I heard he's doing better. If you're reading this, there're a lot people missing you 'round here! Come back soon ya' hear?
Anyway, it's always interesting and amusing to see what happens as people make their way home going back to the station. Tonight we were fortunate to witness a live performance from a Michael Jackson wannabe. I didn't have my camera with me, so unfortunately it's iPhone video for you. Here you go..
He came closer to us and one of the new guys got into conversation with him which meant he was hard to get to leave. First rule of station beer club, do NOT make contact with any salaryman, or any old Japanese men for that matter. That means NO eye contact too buddy. This rule is thrown out the window when we're talking about those sweet J girls.
Quite a long while back I mentioned how some mothers thought I looked like Matsumoto Jun. For some reason, mentioning that brought quite a few admirers to my blog (him, not me). Now that my hair is much longer and tied back most of the time, those comparisons have pretty much disappeared. Sorry girls.
You'll be pleased to know no doubt that our good friend Jun is now peddling finger lickin' chicken for KFC. Good work bro.The KFC checkout chick surely thought I was strange taking this pic. "Crazy gaijin desu" so, so, so..
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm 1 comments
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Twenty Twelve
It's not long since I went last to the cinema, but I really wanted to see 2012 on the big screen.
I spoke briefly about discount movie theater tickets in Japan, but I didn't really give much detail. The normal adult price is 1,800 yen for an adult. If you go between 3.30 and 6PM on a WEEKDAY it's 1,200 yen. On the first of the month it's 1,000 yen!
Again we went to Wald9 in Shinjuku. The only problem was that the only session that we could both make was at 11.50PM! It wasn't an ideal time, but I'm up late most nights so it wasn't a big deal. I was quite surprised how many people that showed up. I'm sure they all lived relatively close by, because no trains are running when it finished.
From watching the trailers, I think the movie is a "must see" on the big screen. The images and sound really warrant it. The storyline was pretty good. The gf thought it was really funny. Yes, an apocalyptic end of the world movie is hilarious. Some parts were a bit over the top, but that's Hollywood for you.
Just like Mt Fuji, it's wise to go once, fool to see it again. That's my verdict.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:50 pm 0 comments


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text:
I went to Dorney today for Wildwater Kingdom's final operating day of the season.
I thought it would be somewhat crowded and was not expecting to see the main lot full, 2nd lot full and overflow lot full with cars parking on the grass. That's the fullest I have ever seen the parking lot. The bus lot was empty which helped with crowds.
Wildwater Kingdom had most of the crowds as expected and it was the most crowded I have ever seen the water park. Aqua Blast had a line past the stairs and had to be around an hour. Even smaller slides like Jumpin Jack Splash had a line into a switchback past the stairs. All slides were open as well as both lazy rivers and wave pools. I mostly spent time at Snake Pit and then went to some other non Fast Lane slides later once people started to leave. In 3 hours I rode 18 slides, 1 lazy river and Thunder Canyon. Thunder Canyon had what looked like around a 45 minute wait. I was debating if I was going to buy Fast Lane for next year since the price went up $125 from $100 but after a day like today where I saved hours of time, I think I am going to get it again.
The food lines on both the ride side and water park were bad since it was $1 days. In addition to some merchandise like glasses for $1 and skill games for $1 per try, Crab Fries, Hot Dogs, Nachos, Icees and Ice Cream were all $1 as well.
Ride lines weren't too bad, they were worse than normal Dorney lines but still nothing compared to other parks. Talon, Hydra and Steel Force looked to be around 10 - 15 minutes, Stinger, Thunderhawk and Possessed were probably around 10 and Wild Mouse was probably around 45 minutes. I didn't ride too much on the ride side, just Talon, Steel Force 2 times and Cedar Creek Flyers 2 times.
When I was walking back to the lockers to get my stuff, there was an announcement that select rides were going to be open until 8:30 instead of 8:00 I guess because of the crowds.
Without Wildwater Kingdom, I'm probably not going to be visiting Dorney much the rest of the year, maybe two more times. I just get bored of the park too quickly and would rather go to Hershey, Knoebels or Great Adventure. I just hate having to wait until the end of next May for it to be water park season again.


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- Business
- Small business
- Entrepreneur
This was published 6 years ago
Meet Australia's trade show diva
She runs a multi-million dollar business and works for some of the world's top firms.
She skips from trade show to trade show, wrangles with tardy truck drivers and juggles big-name clients on a daily basis. But Fiona Jefferies wouldn't have it any other way.
The owner of 3D marketing and exhibition stand business, Diva Works, has just picked up an Asia Pacific Stevie Award in the bronze division of Australian services company of the year. The award may be little known in some quarters, but in the business world a Stevie represents international recognition.
For Jefferies, it's a validation of the decision she made 13 years ago to fly solo.
"I set up Diva Works in 2001 and it was a bit of a baptism of fire," she says.
"I'm a very bad employee, I think I know it all. I kept making suggestions about what can be done better and in the end, I thought, 'Enough of this I really just need to back myself'."
Within two months, Jefferies had ditched her bridge job at bookstore chain Borders and Diva Works was turning a profit.
These days, Jefferies, 42, creates exhibition stands for the likes of giant companies - Bosch, Siemens, Metricon, Thiess and Bayer. Each year she handles up to 120 projects, which can also include organising displays at sales offices.
One of the more unusual jobs she's handled was providing a large 3D gift bow that unraveled for property group Mirvac to launch housing developments. The bow was strung up between two trees and unraveled when the development officially opened. Jefferies contacted a friend who works on the Myer Christmas windows to help.
Jefferies has also had to delicately position a $100 million Mercedes Benz car at the motorshow. The pricey Maybach came with its own security guard who carefully watched Jefferies and fellow organisers perform a "68-point turn" to locate the car on its circular platform.
She has also overseen the removal of the ceilings of a marquee for a mining show in Mackay, Queensland, using a 100-tonne crane for client Siemens. The tricky part was that the crane was positioned 35 metres away from the marquee.
Given she can pull off these amazing feats it's no wonder today Jefferies' annual turnover is $400,000 and each year she manages projects worth more than $7 million.
But, with more than 130 trade shows and exhibitions held in Australia each year, it's an industry that's becoming more and more competitive. "I can look after one to four exhibitors at each show," Jefferies says.
"You get torn in different directions so it's a matter of giving precise instructions to people.
"There's certainly a lot of competition within the industry and I have some of my clients being rung up by my competitors who tell them, 'I don't care what you're paying her, I'm going to do it for half'. They've even been up to my clients on site trying to carpetbag them."
One of the more unusual jobs she's handled was providing a large 3D gift bow for property group Mirvac.
It's no wonder rivalry is cutthroat - trade shows mean big bucks for retailers.
According to the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia, 72 per cent of people attending trade shows intend to buy at the event or in the near future and 83 per cent have authority to purchase (either for themselves or on behalf of others).
The first trade shows in Australia were agricultural exhibitions organised by Royal Agricultural Societies, but today every industry – from big to small – hosts trade shows. Even the exhibition trade has it's own trade show, says Jefferies.
"There's so many different exhibitions, so many different niches - it's incredible," she says.
"The graphics at the gastroenterology show are enough to send you into a lifetime of clean eating!"
Competitor Gary Fitz-roy from Expertise Events says trade shows follow consumer fashions.
"There is a show for virtually everything, but many are linked to trends and cycles," he says.
"Food shows are big right now, but PC shows aren't any more but they used to be."
Most Australian industries have cottoned on to the power of trade shows, Fitz-roy says.
"A trade show is one of the few times where the target audience is coming to you," he says.
"The key thing exhibitors are there for is sales. They also get the chance to eyeball people and get their details, which is gold."
A crowded calendar of trade shows has driven exhibitors to new lengths in creativity. Jefferies' displays often include complex audio-visual and lighting components.
For this, she relies on a team of up to 50 contractors, in addition to her core administration team of three.
"It's a good, solid team I've built in the background and that's only been a couple of years that I've put that in place because up until then I was at the point of burnout," Jefferies says.
"I realised if I really did want to do the projects I wanted to and serve the clients I wanted to, I needed extra help."
But working in a high-stress deadline-driven environment, things can go wrong. Jefferies and her team of contractors were once left with nothing to do for three hours while waiting for a semi-trailer to arrive. The driver's three-hour delay was caused by a trip to the casino and a visit with two prostitutes the night before.
"I was ready to tear strips off him, but then out of the cab of the truck came this woman with no pants on," she says.
"I was speechless."


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