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India Inc asks govt to boost economy after 4.9% GDP growth estimate
Disappointed with the 4.9% growth figure for current fiscal projected by the CSO, India Inc today said the government must take measures to boost manufacturing and mining sectors, besides removing infrastructure bottlenecks.business Updated: Feb 07, 2014, 22:27 IST
Disappointed with the 4.9% growth figure for current fiscal projected by the CSO, India Inc on Friday said the government must take measures to boost manufacturing and mining sectors, besides removing infrastructure bottlenecks.
"With demand not showing visible signs of a pick up owing to weak consumption, investment and government expenditure, the green shoots of recovery have yet to become apparent. What is worrisome is the poor performance estimated in the mining and manufacturing sectors which are in the red," CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said.
"The government should do more to get stalled projects off the ground, both in infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, remove hurdles in the mining sector and create a conducive environment for the revival of the manufacturing sector," he said.
India's economic growth rate in the current financial year has been estimated at 4.9 %, a pace faster than in the previous year, mainly on account of improved performance in the agriculture and allied sectors.
"Moderating performance of the manufacturing sector is taking a toll on the overall growth and the services sector as well. There has been a considerable loss in optimism and we urgently need to prop up growth in the manufacturing sector," Ficci President Sidharth Birla said.
Manufacturing is expected to register a contraction of 0.2% in this financial year compared with growth of 1.1% in the previous year.
"Poor performance of manufacturing, construction, mining and traditional services has affected the overall growth rate. Given the current state of employment intensive segments, it would be difficult to see any revival in the near future," Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said.
For 2013-14, the CSO has projected a growth rate of 4.6 per cent in agriculture and allied sectors, up from 1.4% a year earlier.
"Below 5 % growth is due to slowdown in the manufacturing sector. Implementation of GST will boost India's GDP by 2% points. Going forward we expect uptick in growth numbers at 5.5 per cent in the next fiscal," PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Sharad Jaipuria said.
The latest growth estimate of 4.9 per cent for 2013-14 implies that the pace of economic expansion improved in the second half, given that GDP grew 4.6% in the April-September period.


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Comedy is hard. I've been working on a comedic fantasy story, which by now is more of a fantasy story with comedic undertones, if their is a difference. I hereby offer the first page of what will eventually be a trilogy, and then hopefully a setting of random books. The title of the book at this time is classified, because it's moronic:
In a mystical land separated from our own, as these fantasy stories usually are, that mystical land was on the brink of war, chaos, turmoil, and horrible
The group, upon entering the castle- see my last blog- were immediately assaulted by a group of skeletons, ordered to defend the entrance from anyone but the old wizard himself. The might cleric Morethump turned them all to dust rather quickly, so the group continued on. The main floor had several simple traps but no other monsters, and finding several potions in the kitchen, they went to the second floor, which held the garden.
Once there they quickly saw that getting the branches
Which is essentially what a DM does.
There were a couple of sessions I didn't blog about because they were kinda short. But the group brokered a treaty between some kobolds and dwarves and now war has broken out. So the group is heading to the Confederation of Kingdoms to convince them to ally with Borellon and Callan, because otherwise the relative evenness of the two sides forces would result in a long, bloody, war (not counting the humanoid tribes involved.) The group:
I have no class today, whoo! Oh wait, that means I have no excuse to not get work done...
Anway, my second time as DM was brief and scatterbrained as my players were anxious and in a hurry. The party, this time just rochester, the Halfing Rogue, and Ellwick, the Sorceress Gnome, fought off the gnolls and barely escaped the desruction of a military outpost.
Upon returning to the wagon train they were to protect, now with the needed horses, they made a startling discovery;
Vee-Era is how you pronounce that. Through perserverence and carpooling, my weekly game is back.
We travelled on a Dwarven battleship to a bay after fighting and killing a sea dragon adult. We then arrived on the beaches near a city enslaved by reptilian humanoids. Boleel, the bronscale in our group, used coercion to gather information, and we made our way to one of two watch towers overlooking the sea, both of which held high level casters that sent fireballs at enemy ships, including

subset: commoncrawl


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DOWNINGTOWN, PA — November 7, 2013 – On Friday, November 1, local businesses, township leaders, and government officials joined Victory Brewing Company┬« and members of the Kennett Realty Group to celebrate the official ground breaking of a new Victory brewpub, Victory at Magnolia, located at the corner of Cypress and Mill Streets in Kennett Square, Pa.
Set to open in the second quarter of 2014, the planned 250-seat restaurant with space for outdoor dining will occupy all 8,138 square feet of the bottom floor of a four-story, luxury apartment building in Kennett Realty Group's latest upscale residential community, Magnolia Place. Kennett Realty is owned and operated by the Pia Group, who also own Kaolin Mushroom Farms Inc. and South Mill Mushroom Sales.
The event was abuzz with excited community members anxiously awaiting the new development and economic boost the town is likely to experience as a result.
"We've received an awesome welcome from this great community and its leaders, and we couldn't be more excited to bring the world-class Victory experience to Kennett Square," said Matt Kruger, Vice President of Retail Operations.
This will be the second brewpub for brewery, which first opened the doors at its Downingtown location in 1996 and has enjoyed a reputation as a family-friendly, casual dining establishment since. Recently, Victory's brewpub was recognized by the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association for its leadership, service and commitment to exceeding the standards of excellence in food safety and sanitation.
Photo caption (L to R): County Commissioner Ryan Costello, Mike Pia, Sr. and Mike Pia, Jr. of Kennett Square Realty, State Representative Chris Ross, Senator Dominic Pileggi, Borough Councilman Dan Maffei, Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet of Victory Brewing Company.
Victory Brewing Company is a privately held craft brewery headquartered in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Begun by Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet, childhood friends who met on a school bus in 1973, the brewery formally began operations in February of 1996. Victory, Pennsylvania's widely acclaimed brewery and restaurant, now serves fans of fully flavored beers in 31 states with innovative beers melding European ingredients and technology with American creativity. To learn more about Victory Brewing Company visit us on the web at www.victorybeer.com.
Kennett Square Realty is a second generation Real Estate Acquisition, Development, and Management Company. The Chester County-based firm is managed by Vice President Mike Pia, Jr. Kennett Square Realty's development is focused on infill projects in communities with vibrant downtown's throughout Chester County. Magnolia Place is a 81 Unit Mixed-Use Townhouse and Apartment development located in the Borough of Kennett Square.


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Fresh from the Sea
- Try different search words
- Browse from the home page
- Find a club near you
Alaskan Sockeye Salmon from Sam's Club
Dive into all of the amazing fresh from the sea favorites that Sam's Club has to offer. Sockeye Salmon is caught in the Alaskan wild and has a firm texture and deep red color that gives a strong, savory flavor. The Portlock Wild Smoked Sockeye Salmon that comes fresh from the sea to Sam's Club can be enjoyed cold on a platter with cream cheese and bagels or cooked in delicious seafood chowder. It is also available in an 8 oz. gift pack prepared in a beautifully crafted lacquered wood box. This beautiful keepsake saves the memory long after the delicious salmon is gone.
Fresh Salmon from Sam's Club
Always caught in the wild, Pink Salmon is the leanest found in Alaska and the mild, firm delicacy is very high in protein. Sam's Club has delicious Pink Salmon in 8 and 16 oz. packages that are vacuum-sealed to guarantee great taste. This salmon is perfect to serve on bagels or crackers, a main course for a savory salad or to use as a creamy spread.
Enjoy the delicious taste and the big savings when you order these amazing fresh from the sea fish at Sam's Club.


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Recipe from Ann Johnson, Ind.
1/2 butter or margarine, melted
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 medium potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
In large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Transfer to an ungreased 2 qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 6 servings. (May
substitute margarine with a more healthy cholesterol option or reduce amount slightly.)
*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.


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Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
Colin, Yep! I read that part as well. If you read this whole thread there are quite a few other issues not relating to LMCE and this mainboard as well. I was in my post just trying to say what I have done or not done with this board for people using this with LMCE or something else. My point about searching on google is when you search google about this mainboard and anything LINUX related, seems to point to this forum for discussion. I did not mean to h/j the dual monitor reply at all, just trying to say that all points linux with this mainboard related lead back to the LMCE forum. rgds, Dave


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The Broad Collection
The Broad is a contemporary art museum that named after their founders, philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. It is home to 2,000 works of art collected over 50 years by Eli and Edythe. The collection is one of the world's most prominent collections of post-war and contemporary works of art. They include in-depth representations by influential contemporary artists, which include Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha, Kara Walker and Alexander Calder. You can browse the collection by artist last name.


text:
Click the link below to find out…
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The data relating to real estate for sale on this website appears in part through the BRIGHT Internet Data Exchange program, a voluntary cooperative exchange of property listing data between licensed real estate brokerage firms in which Coldwell Banker Preferred participates, and is provided by BRIGHT through a licensing agreement. The information provided by this website is for the personal, non-commercial use of consumers and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Coldwell Banker Preferred are marked with the IDX icon and detailed information about each listing includes the name of the listing broker.
©2020 BRIGHT, All Rights Reserved. Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed. Some properties which appear for sale on this website may no longer be available because they are under contract, have Closed or are no longer being offered for sale.
Data last updated: Oct 31, 2020 8:01:pm.


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Mediocrity is acceptable -- at least according to one company where I spent some time. I've been in IT for 25 years and have tackled many a consulting project. On occasion, I told myself I'd seen it all, but of course, something else always lurked around the corner.
In this instance, I was assigned to a project at a company that provided electronic educational material to schools. My job was as a technical lead/architect of a team developing a new program. I found out later that I was the third person to fill that role on the team within a year.
[ Pick up a $50 American Express gift cheque if we publish your story: Send it to firstname.lastname@example.com. | Get a dose of workplace shenanigans -- follow Off the Record on Twitter. | For a quick, smart take on the news you'll be talking about, subscribe to the InfoWorld TechBrief newsletter. ]
I'd say it was a team in name only, as most of the time the group appeared to think they were socializing rather than doing a job. I secretly nicknamed the members "The Three Stooges." One stooge was egomaniacal without any justification for that attitude. Another was elusive, refusing to make eye contact, but was the best worker out of the group. And the third thought he was king of the world, having been at that client for a few years -- yet comically knowing very little.
Who was the fearless leader of the stooges? Again, someone with the title in name only. The project lead was disorganized, couldn't keep a meeting on track, never had clear goals or directions, and didn't seem to care what happened day to day. Under these conditions, chaos begat chaos.
The products reflected the company's confusion. Even the most recent releases seemed outdated, and they always had problems. I started wondering to myself how the company was staying afloat -- and the question popped up more and more frequently as time went on.
Some crashes are OK
I'd been hired to assist with a program that was nearing deployment, and the project lead determined he didn't need my direct involvement on its development. Instead, he reassigned me to help with a performance testing strategy, which I very quickly discovered was not a step this company usually took before rolling out new products.
This particular product was causing numerous system crashes stemming from memory issues and client load, which was around 200. When I put it through a stress test environment in the cloud, it was obvious that this application could not stand up even if it had six legs, due to bad design, poor architecture, and lack of oversight.
I took my findings to the project lead and recommended a total overhaul of the product. He shrugged and said we didn't need to go that far. It would work well enough if we could minimize how often it crashed, and don't worry about the rest.
Though I'd seen enough to not be surprised by this lax attitude, I still was aghast that he didn't seem at all concerned about rolling out an obviously subpar product. Nonetheless, I pinpointed a few areas for improvement. They were made and, voilà, the worst of the crashes stopped. Though still unreliable, the product was released.
Different project, same scenario
I was assigned to another project at this company and relived the same scenario all over again. The timeline, scope, and expectations for the project were impossible. At the outset, the vendor that was helping produce content for this assignment had received technical direction to "make it so" -- then no other word besides our frequent changes in delivery schedule. The project was on track to go over a cliff.
Meawhile, the Three Stooges showed their ignorance and attitude on a daily basis by goofing off, making tech error after error, and not seeming the least bit bothered. In a way, who could blame them? The project lead didn't seem to care what happened.
There was no documentation, no resources, no regular meeting attendance, no direction, no decision-making, no nothing. Time and again, one of the stooges would look around the room and say, "What do you think about doing X with the project -- should we or shouldn't we?" Someone would mumble in reply, and that'd be the extent of the discussion. The "agile" approach was more like a social hour where instead of getting sprint status, it was "Hey, did you see the game last night?" or "Yes, that is done: proceed to test," though at no time was "done" defined.
I guess the silver lining to my time at this company is that I now know to avoid it. I have children in school, and I'm glad their classrooms don't use this company's products -- you'd better believe I checked -- and I feel really bad for those that do. But the company's days are most likely numbered. No business can survive the way they're running theirs.
Send your own IT tale of managing IT, personal bloopers, supporting users, or dealing with bureaucratic nonsense to firstname.lastname@example.com. If we publish it, we'll send you a $50 American Express gift cheque.
This story, "3 stooges and a bozo make a mockery of the IT department," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more crazy-but-true stories in the anonymous Off the Record blog at InfoWorld.com. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.


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NBC renews 'Parks & Recreation' for 7th season
PASADENA, Calif. - The future is looking bright at NBC for Golden Globe winner Amy Poehler, not so much for Michael J. Fox.
NBC entertainment president Robert Greenblatt said Sunday that Poehler's "Parks & Recreation" will be back for a seventh season next fall. Poehler, host of last week's Golden Globe ceremony, won a Globe for best comedy actress for her role as a small town bureaucrat.
NBC also signed a production deal with Poehler and committed to making a pilot for a comedy that she is writing, tentatively titled "Old Soul."
Greenblatt, at a news conference, couldn't hide his disappointment with the performance of Michael J. Fox's Thursday comedy - "The Michael J. Fox Show" - although he made no official comment about its prospects beyond this year.
With an average of just below 4 million viewers this season, those prospects can't be good. The Nielsen company said the episode that aired Jan. 9 was seen by 3.1 million viewers.
"We like that show, we like Sean Hayes' show, too," Greenblatt said. "We're really unhappy that we can't find an audience for them in those time periods."
Greenblatt said Fox's comedy, which mirrors the actor's own life with him portraying a television personality returning to work with Parkinson's Disease, may be moved around NBC's schedule to find a new home. "I don't know if that's going to do much," he said.
The entertainment executive would not comment on reports that NBC is interested in bidding for a package of Thursday night NFL games. Once NBC's strength, Thursday has become a black hole in the network's schedule. Meanwhile, its Sunday night NFL games are huge ratings-grabbers.
"We love the NFL," Greenblatt said. "We'd love to have more NFL games."
Greenblatt said NBC has learned lessons from last winter, when the network followed up a promising fall with a disastrous ratings performance. Airing the Winter Olympics in February will obviously make this year different, but NBC is putting on more original programming when the games are not being broadcast - including "The Black List" this month and starting a new run of "The Voice" directly following the Olympics.
Following a trend also taking place at other networks, NBC said it has ordered two new miniseries. "Emerald City" will be based on the Frank L. Baum books that inspired "The Wizard of Oz." The other one is "The Slap," a miniseries based on an Australian project where a family is pulled apart after an incident where a man slaps another couple's misbehaving child.


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The Mapleson Cylinders - Program Notes
|Wagner: LOHENGRIN
The most breathlessly awaited event of the 1900-01 Metropolitan Opera season was the return of Jean De Reszke, who had remained in Europe the preceding winter, sparking rumors that his voice was failing, that he might never sing again. His reappearance was scheduled for December 31, 1900; the opera was Lohengrin, and De Reszke carried it off triumphantly; though nervous, "he sang the farewell [to the swan] with delicious beauty of tone and that consummate mastery of phrasing and declamation which make his every vocal utterance a delight," according to W. J. Henderson. That season, De Reszke gave Grau and his public thirty performances, in a still-unequaled demonstration of tenorial versatility: Faust, RadamŤs, Rodrigue (in Le Cid ), Tristan, Romťo, Raoul (in Lťs Huguenots ), Vasco Da Gama, both Siegfrieds, and Walther (in Die Meistersinger ). He finished where he began, with Lohengrin, on March 29; though not announced as such, it was his last complete operatic performance at the house (he sang once again, in a post-season gala concert, on April 29: the second act of Tristan, with Nordica, Schumann-Heink, and his brother Edouard as King Marke). Mapleson, who had recorded several of the tenor's earlier performances, was on hand with his recording equipment at the last Lohengrin: perhaps conscious of the occasion's historical importance, he identified it on one of the two surviving cylinders with a spoken announcement.
Act III: Bridal Chamber Scene excerpts:
(a) "[Dein Schwert, dein Schwert!"]
(b) "Sie vor den KŲnig zu geleiten" ... "dass sie des Gatten Art erschau'!"
Jean De Reszke (t), Lohengrin
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra--
Walter Damrosch
March 29, 1901
At the climax of the scene in the bridal chamber, just as Elsa has asked the forbidden questions, Telramund and four knights break in, with swords drawn. Mapleson began recording the orchestral chords immediately following Elsa's cries of "Dein Schwert, dein Schwert," as Lohengrin fells Telramund, but then stopped his machine, starting again for Lohengrin's lines addressed to Elsa's ladies-in-waiting.
Sie vor den KŲnig zu geleiten,
schmŁckt Elsa, meine sŁsse Frau!
Dort will ich Antwort ihr bereiten,
dass sie des Gatten Art erschau'!
So that she may be led before the King,
attire Elsa, my sweet wife!
There will I prepare her an answer,
so that she may know her husband's quality!
(a) Act III: Final Scene excerpt: "Wir harren dein in Streites Lust" ... "o kŲnnt' er die Kunde sich ersparen!"
(b) Mapleson announcement
Jean De Reszke (t), Lohengrin
Edouard De Reszke (bs), King
Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra--
Walter Damrosch
March 29, 1901
[Snake and Glackens 120 (both refer to "Act 2"); announcement on cylinder.]
In the final scene, Lohengrin's arrival is hailed by the men of Brabant, but he has unwelcome tidings for them. (A substantial part of his exposition, during which he explains why he must now reveal his name and lineage, was cut in the performance.) The cylinder ends just before Lohengrin begins his famous narration, "In fernem Land," and Mapleson adds his announcement (which, in the IRCC 78 rpm issue, was placed before the music).
Pronti di giŗ noi ti attendiam,
con te alla gloria ci apprestiam!
Mein Herr und KŲnig, lass dir melden:
die ich berief, die kŁhnen Helden,
zum Streit sie fŁhren darf ich nicht!
KING and CHORUS
O Ciel! che intesi! Che mai parlÚ!
Als Streitgenoss bin ich nicht herkommen:
als Klager sei ich jetzt von euch vernommen!
Zum ersten klage laut ich vor euch Allen,
und frag' um Spruch nach Recht und Fug:
da dieser Mann zur Nacht mich Łberfallen,
sagt, ob ich ihn mit Recht erschlug?
KING and CHORUS
Siccome la terra tu lo punisti,
per sempre il dinni il ciel fra i tristi!
* * *
So hŲrt, ob ich an Adel euch nicht gleich!
Ciel, qual mistero deggio or io ascoltar!
Ah! possa ancor l'arcano a noi celar!
Was muss ich nun erfahren?
O, kŲnnt' er die Kunde sich ersparen!
Ready for battle, we await you;
led by you, certain of victory.
My Lord and King, be informed:
these proud heroes whom I summoned--
I may not lead them into battle!
KING and CHORUS
God help us! What bitter words he speaks!
I come here, not as your companion in arms:
as a plaintiff let me now be heard by you!
First, I charge aloud before you all,
and ask for judgement before the law:
since this man tried to slay me by night,
say, whether I was right to slay him?
KING and CHORUS
Just as your hand struck him on earth,
so God's punishment will fall on him now!
* * *
Now hear, if I am not your equal in lineage!
Heaven, what mystery must I now hear!
Oh, could this secret but remain concealed from us!
What mystery must I now hear!
Oh, could this secret but remain concealed!


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America: land of the free, home of the hybrid. Sure there are people in other nations who also buy hybrids, but many favor diesel power instead, while the D-word still doesn't go down well with US drivers. A gasoline/electric hybrid, though, that's a whole other ball game.
Recognizing this, and despite having some fantastic diesel engines in its global portfolio, Volkswagen has dipped its corporate toe into the gas/electric waters once again (following the 2011 Touareg Hybrid) and has come up with the 2013 Jetta Hybrid.
It's a turbo-hybrid, to boot. Electric motors are known for maximum torque from zero revs but turbo engines are similarly popular for lush torque at low revs. Putting them together was a great idea. Total twist is 184 lb-ft from just 1000rpm, which is limited by the transmission but is enough punch for inclines or passing opportunities. The full combined output is unleashed either on kick-down or when the DSG is put into "S" mode.
For a car returning a claimed 45mpg average, this isn't an anemic driveline. The 150hp EA211 1.4-liter four-cylinder TSI turbo engine (which runs on premium gas) is supplemented by a 27hp electric motor (placed before the transmission) to conjure up 170hp. It drives the front wheels via VW's excellent DSG seven-speed gearbox in favor of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) used by some of the competition. But where these are slow to respond and prone to drone, DSG is a joy to use. Inevitably, the Jetta Hybrid lacks paddle shifters but pushing the lever forward or back still adds to the fun.
And fun can be found, which isn't a common statement for hybrids. The Jetta seems to overcome the usual problem of low rolling resistance tires, electric steering assistance and an odd-feeling brake pedal (because of regenerative braking). In fact, the Continental ProContact tires don't mess up the handling, the steering feels quick, and the brake action is quickly learned.
What's more, the car's nose tracks around corners in an unflappable manner and the tail behaves itself. It's also the quickest compact hybrid, assuming VW's 0-60mph time of 8.6sec is correct...
Given that people don't purchase hybrids for the thrills, the Jetta straddles the line between these contradictory elements quite well.
There is a price, however, and not just in terms of cash. To make space for the 60-cell lithium-ion battery pack, trunk volume is reduced from 15.5 to 11.3cuft. The pack is raised toward the rear of the load space, so some practicality is lost as well. Weight is another factor, with the hybrid 229 lb heavier than a 2.5-liter Jetta automatic.
The Jetta Hybrid comes in base, SE, SEL or Premium trim, with amenities such as leather, nav, rear-view camera, LED headlamps and premium audio introduced at various points. Interestingly, the lower trim's cabin seemed quieter, possibly thanks to smaller wheels (15" rather than 17") and therefore less tire noise.
In our real-world test over 141 relatively traffic-free miles, but with plenty of elevation changes, our SEL averaged 36mph and 44.1mpg. And we weren't hyper-miling to set any records.
On downhill sections the car can "coast" up to 84mph with the engine off while recharging the battery. In fact, VW claims the Jetta Hybrid can run for 1.2 miles in electric-only mode and accelerate up to 37mph before the gas engine kicks in. That figure increases to 44mph in special E-Mode, but the engine always joined in earlier during our drive. Presumably, the battery either wasn't sufficiently charged or cool enough to meet the demands. Fortunately, you can see battery charge and drivetrain status on a special display that appears in the main screen on any model except the basic one.
A smaller-than-usual gas tank holds 11.9 gallons instead of 14.5, but range is still expected to be around 500 miles.
Thanks to a bespoke aero kit, a drag coefficient of 0.28 represents an improvement over the regular Jetta's 0.30 (the Prius is 0.25).
Prices start at $24995 and rise to $31180. Even with the extra tech and eco-kudos of a hybrid system, parting with $31k for a Jetta is a stretch. But if you're looking to save fuel, help the environment and have some zing, the Jetta Hybrid could be the ideal compromise. However, lets not forget the Jetta TDI starts at just $22990 and offers a combined economy figure of 42mpg with more torque. It's slightly slower to 60mph but ironically could be one of the Jetta Hybrid's biggest competitors.
2013 VW Jetta Hybrid
Engine 1.4-liter, inline-four DOHC 16v turbocharged and intercooled with TSI direct injection, water-cooled electric motor
Transmission seven-speed DSG semi-automatic
Suspension McPherson struts f, multi-link r
Brakes 11.3" vented discs f, 10.7" solid r
Wheels & Tires 15x6", 195/65 R15 up to 17x6", 205/50 R17
Power TSI-150hp at 5000rpm
Power electric-27hp
Power combined-170hp at 5000rpm
Torque TSI-184 lb-ft at 1600rpm
Torque electric-114 lb-ft constant
Torque combined-184 lb-ft at 1000rpm
0-60mph 8.6sec
Top Speed 125 mph
Economy 42/48/45mpg city/highway/combined (estimated)
MSRP $24995 (plus destination)


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Genuine Leather Composition Notebook Cover with Insert - 8.25 x 10.25 Inches - Avenue of Trees in Fern Color - Made in the USA by Oberon Design
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Happy New Year, photographers!!
Given that I may be in the hospital during our January PUG, Beth Fitzgerald of Blush Imagery has offered to host the PUG for a few months so I can get settled with baby.
Join the group for a gismo and gadget share on Wednesday, January 19th at 7pm at Beth's Blush Imagery Studio, 28 Maple Street, 3rd Floor, Portland, Maine. 207-899-5585. Drinks and snacks provided. Beth will lead a fun discussion on favorite camera equipment, studio equipment, gadgets and gismos to excite you for the New Year. Bring your favorite thingy-ma-bob for show and tell. Let's share our best and worst photo purchases with each other to avoid spending too much in 2011.
Please RSVP to this event at email@example.com. Open to all Maine photographers.


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It's probably a good idea for most small business owners to focus on the core of their business, such as selling fishing lures or designing websites and use experts to help them in financial matters. According to the IRS, more than 90% of small businesses use accountants to prepare their returns, something you may be acutely aware of during tax season. But tax return preparation isn't the only reason to use an accountant.
Here are five areas to discuss with your accountant:
Cash flow
Cash flow, which is the cycle of money in and out of your business, is the lifeblood of any company. If you fail to monitor cash flow carefully, you may run short and, in the worst case, be forced out of business. You can learn what cash flow is and how to manage it from your CPA. Unfortunately, many small business owners don't understand the importance of cash flow or how to monitor it.
There are some online options, such as MyBizHomepage.com (it's free), that help you track your cash flow easily. However, it's a good idea to work closely with your accountant to find sound ways to improve cash flow and address problems that you detect. Your accountant can:
- Review your budget and suggest items that can be trimmed and other ways to reduce overhead; the less you spend, the better it is for cash flow.
- Help you with collection policies so you'll get your money from sales faster and easier.
- Review your pricing policies; you may be undercharging and missing an opportunity to boost your cash flow, and consequently, your profits.
Theft protection
According to the Annual Report to the Nation by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the median loss by fraud in small businesses (fewer than 100 employees) is $200,000. The most-named reason for these losses is fraudulent billing schemes. The best way to detect this and other problems early or avoid them entirely is to have adequate internal controls in place, and the best way to do this is to work with an accountant.
As a privately-held business, you don't need to have annual audited financial statements prepared by an accountant. You do need to have a professional review your numbers regularly as well as suggest ways to safeguard your financial information and your money as theft protection measures. Safeguards can include simple steps such as better password protection or controls over access to the company's financial data; you may also want to use more sophisticated monitoring.
- You may want or need to raise additional funds to grow your business or undertake a specific purchase or project. An accountant can:
- Discuss whether you'll want to seek equity financing (where you bring in a new investor) or debt financing (where you borrow from a bank, a vendor, or another source).
- Refer you to possible lenders and investors. Accountants often have a network of people that they can approach and who may be in a position to help you find capital.
- Help you in the loan application process. If you decide to look for a commercial loan such as one backed by the SBA, you'll usually need a business plan with a number of financial statements, such as a balance sheet and a profit and loss statement. Even if you don't need a business plan, financial statements are required. An accountant can help you review the numbers and prepare any necessary statements.
Taxes are a complex and costly concern for most businesses. Some self-employed owners like to handle tax return preparation themselves using tax software, such as TurboTax and TaxCut. However, most business owners prefer to let experts do this for them; when there are multiple owners, complex transactions, and multiple states involved, things can be very confusing. Using an accountant for this purpose can ensure that you:
- Take advantage of new law opportunities. These come fast and furious and can easily be missed without an expert pointing them out and suggesting action you'll need to take in order to enjoy new law benefits.
- Maximize write-offs. There are many tax elections available and it may require expert advice to make the right choices for your situation.
- Issue required statements, such as W-2s to employees and 1099s to independent contractors. Failure to issue this information returns in a timely manner can trigger unnecessary penalties.
- Avoid missteps that can "red flag" returns for audit. Failing to make certain disclosures or include certain information can cause a return to get special attention from the IRS; you don't want to draw this type of attention.
- Taxes aren't just about reporting income and claiming deductions and credits. It also involves considerable planning. For example, an accountant can help you understand the implications of hiring an employee versus using an independent contractor, or buying versus leasing a business vehicle. Your accountant can also help you choose the best type of qualified retirement plan for your business and make other tax-savvy decisions.
If your business involves inventory, you'll want to stay on top of your merchandise and find new or better ways to handle your inventory. You can, of course, do things yourself using various software and other tools. But an accountant can offer guidance on:
Reporting inventory. There are choices on how to value inventory for tax purposes that can affect your after-tax earnings (or losses).
- Warehousing. Where you store your inventory can impact state taxes.
- How and when to take inventory. You'll want to do a physical count of your merchandise on a regular basis—as suggested by your accountant.
- Re-stocking. Determining when and how much to order can impact cash flow and profitability.
Bottom line:
Using an accountant can help you grow your business and avoid problems. If you have an accountant, review these areas with him or her. If you don't have an accountant, consider engaging one. You can find an accountant by a referral from someone in business you know and trust, or through your state accounting society. As well, to be well informed so you can ask your accountant better questions, find extensive tax information here.


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It's time for another of the always fabulous Mind and Life Conferences, this one on Craving, Desire, and Addiction.
MIND AND LIFE 2013 – XXVII: CRAVING, DESIRE, AND ADDICTIONwith His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India – October 28 – November 1, 2013
The conference focuses its attention on craving, desire, and addiction, as these are among the most pressing causes of human suffering. By bringing contemplative practitioners and scholars from Buddhist and Christian traditions together with a broad array of scientific researchers in the fields of desire and addiction, hopefully new understandings will arise that may ultimately lead to improved treatment of the root causes of craving and its many manifestations.
Here are the list and associations of this year's participants:
- TENZIN GYATSO, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
- KENT BERRIDGE, PHD, James Olds Collegiate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan
- SARAH BOWEN, PHD, Acting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
- RICHARD J. DAVIDSON, PHD, William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, Director, Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience University of Wisconsin–Madison
- WENDY FARLEY, PHD, Professor, Department of Religion, Emory University
- VIBEKE ASMUSSEN FRANK, PHD, Deputy Director and Associate Professor, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Denmark
- ROSHI JOAN HALIFAX, PHD, Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher, Upaya Zen Center
- THUPTEN JINPA, PHD, Adjunct Professor, McGill University, Chairman Mind & Life Institute
- MARC LEWIS, PHD, Professor, Behavioural Science Institute,Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
- MATTHIEU RICARD, PHD, Buddhist Monk, Shechen Monastery
- NORA VOLKOW, MD, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health
- DIANA CHAPMAN WALSH, PHD, President Emerita, Wellesley College, Governing Board Member, The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
- ARTHUR ZAJONC, PHD, Professor Emeritus of Physics, Amherst College, President Mind & Life Institute
Here are the two videos of the morning and afternoon sessions from day 2, focused on "Cognitive and Buddhist Theory."
A.M. Session: Brain Generators of Intense Wanting and Liking
P.M. Session: Psychology of Desire, Craving, and Action: A Buddhist Perspective


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Ciencia e investigación agraria
versión On-line ISSN 0718-1620
Cienc. Inv. Agr. vol.39 no.2 Santiago ago. 2012
Cien. Inv. Agr. 39(2):255-264. 2012 www.rcia.uc.cl
A characterization of Chilean farmers based on their market-production orientation
Caracterización de los agricultores chilenos de acuerdo a su orientación de producción y mercado
Rodrigo Echeverría1, Víctor Moreira1, José Barrena1, and Munisamy Gopinath2
1Instituto de Economía Agraria, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja. Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile.
2Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Oregon State University, 213 Ballard Hall, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA.
Chile's open trade policy, implemented during the last few decades, has greatly transformed Chilean farmers and their production systems. As a result, farmers can be grouped into three categories based on their market-production orientation: domestic, transitional or export producers. The objective of this paper is to analyze the factors underlying the decision to produce for a particular market and compare the three groups of farmers based on data from the 2007 agricultural census. A generalized ordered logit model was used to analyze different methods of production, and non-parametric methods were used to compare the groups. Results show that some farmers change categories in sequence; farmers that produce for the domestic market can later produce for the foreign market and eventually specialize further in the production of exports. The three types of farmers differ in several aspects. Beyond the indisputable role of geographic attributes and irrigation in producing exportable species, export-oriented producers have more modern characteristics than those producing for the internal market: they are more educated, have access to various financial resources, benefit from state-funded programs, have better managerial skills and are active users of technology.
Key words: Agricultural trade, export production, generalized ordered logit model, market.
La apertura comercial de Chile implementada durante las últimas décadas ha causado una importante transformación de los agricultores y sus sistemas de producción. Como resultado de esto, los agricultores pueden ser agrupados en tres categorías de acuerdo a su orientación de producción y mercado: productores domésticos, de transición y de exportación. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar los factores subyacentes a la decisión de producción para cada mercado, así como comparar los tres grupos de agricultores. En base a datos del censo agropecuario del año 2007, un modelo logístico ordenado generalizado fue utilizado para analizar la decisión de producción, y métodos no paramétricos fueron usados para comparar los tres grupos. Los resultados indican que las tres categorías de agricultores presentan un ordenamiento, es decir, los agricultores que producen para el mercado doméstico pueden comenzar a producir para el mercado externo hasta que eventualmente podrían llegar a especializarse en la producción de exportables. Más aún, los tres tipos de agricultores difieren en varios aspectos, exhibiendo un orden muy claro. Además del rol indiscutible que los atributos geográficos y el riego tienen en la producción de las especies exportables, los productores orientados al mercado externo tienen características asociadas a productores más modernos que aquellos que producen para el mercado interno: presentan un mayor nivel educacional, tienen acceso a distintas fuentes de financiamiento, aprovechan los programas con financiamiento estatal, tiene mejores capacidades de gestión y utilizan activamente las herramientas tecnológicas.
Palabras clave: Comercio agrícola internacional, mercado, modelo logístico ordenado generalizado, producción de exportación.
Chilean agricultural exports have shown solid and remarkable growth in recent decades, increasing from US$ 97 million in 1974 to more than US$ 12,500 million in 2008 (ODEPA, 2009); however, this growth has been uneven. Fresh fruits, processed fruits and wines have successfully reached foreign markets. As shown in Table 1, these products accounted for 73.8% of total agricultural exports in the year 2007. Products such as cereals, seed oils and sugar beets are produced in Chile mainly for the internal market and accounted for more than 60% of total Chilean imports that year. These products are grown by farmers considered to be traditional producers; in contrast, fruit and wine producers are considered to be modern farmers (OECD, 2008). This duality of production is also linked to geographical location: export-oriented farmers are located mainly in central Chile, while the domestic-oriented farmers are often located in the south.
Although the differences between exporters and non-exporters in the manufacturing industry have been analyzed previously (Bernard et al., 2007; Kox and Rojas-Romagosa, 2010; Wagner, 2007), study of this divide in the agricultural sector has been limited (Echeverria et al., 2009). Lack of information regarding agriculture can limit growth in countries such as Chile, where the agri-food sector is an important component of the economy. Chile currently benefits from off-season fruit production for export to the northern hemisphere. By studying the factors behind the shift to export production and the characteristics of export producers, the country can direct resources towards transitioning import producers that have the greatest chance of success to export production.
An important aspect of Chilean agriculture is that most farmers wish to produce exportables because of their higher returns. This implies that many internal-market producers will eventually become producers of exportables. The objective of this paper is to analyze the factors underlying the decision to produce for the internal or external markets, as well as compare farmers as they shift in production from the internal-market to exportables to specialization in export-oriented products. Here, we present a simple model explaining why farmers choose one of the three types of production. We also outline the econometric specification and the statistical framework for comparing farmers, followed by a description of the data used in this work, the results and our conclusions.
Materials and methods
The theoretical framework
We present a formal model of export behavior based on the work of Aitken, Hanson and Harrison (1997). We assume that farmers maximize their profits by choosing a mix of internal- and external-market oriented products. In general, production for the external market takes place when prices are higher in foreign countries than in the internal market, or when the size of the domestic market is small. Firms benefit from exporting by increasing their profits, even though exporting also involves extra costs. Thus, we assume that production for the internal and external market differs in both price and cost. Although the production of exportables is desirable, domestic and exportable production are constrained by different cost functions that are determined by socio-geographic characteristics of farms and specific attributes of farmers (Edward-Jones, 2006). To make a decision on production, a profit maximizing farm i will solve the following:
where d and e indicate domestic and exportable production, respectively; p represents product prices (not necessarily specific to the farm); q represents the quantity of production; c(·) are the production cost functions; S represents producer-specific attributes; and G represents farm socio-geographic characteristics. It is assumed that production cost functions are increasing and convex in their respective arguments. The optimal output choice may be positive or zero for either type of production (domestic or exportable). As a result, three types of farmers can exist based on the market orientation: those that produce only for the internal market, those that produce a mix of internal and external oriented products, and those that produce only exportable products.
Farmers that produce only for the internal market have an incentive to add exportable products. Over time, the higher profits derived from the production of exportables stimulate farmers to produce more of these products, eventually reaching complete specialization. Thus, the categorization of farmers exists in a sequence: internal-market production is followed by production aimed to both the internal and external market, and finally production is specialized in exportables. To simplify notation, in this paper we refer to farmers who fit into the first category as "domestic producers," those who fit into the second category as "transitional producers" and those of the third category as "exporting producers."
A discrete model for production choice
Despite the above theoretical framework, we allow the possibility that farmers could choose a production category without following a particular sequence. A multinomial logit model, MNL, would be a suitable in this case. This can be stated as:
where m represents a category that a farmer could choose among j alternatives (note that a category J is dropped from the equation in order to identify the model). A Hausman test is typically used for verifying the independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) assumption. If the alternatives are not independent is likely that they are ordered. This would require use of an ordered model, as described below.
Lety* denote a latent (unobserved) variable that represents the decision to produce any of the production alternatives, y denote the observable variable (the market-production orientation), and τ denote the thresholds for the market-production orientation, such that the following must hold in an ordered model:
This latent variable y* can be estimated using the structural model:
where x is a vector of variables explainingy*, β is the associated vector of coefficients, and ε is the error term for each farm .
If the error terms of equation (4) are assumed to have a logistic distribution, the probability that a producer will choose one of the categories 1 (the three production options) can be expressed as an ordered logit model:
where α is the constant term, and β corresponds
to the coefficients of a vector of variables X.
An ordered logit model assumes that the coefficients are similar for each alternative, meaning that the regression lines are parallel to each other (parallel regression assumption). A Brant test is usually used to verify that this assumption is satisfied. If not, a generalized ordered logit (GOL) model allows the coefficients to differ between categories. The GOL model used in this paper can be expressed as:
Note that this model differs from the ordered logit in that β can be specific for each category j.
Nonparametric analysis for comparing the three groups
The previous model allows analysis even if farmers change categories sequentially. However, this model imposes restrictions; only some variables can be included. The latent farmers' market production choice, y*, cannot exist simultaneously
with the observable choice, y, because farmers that produce exportable fruits would have established their orchards several years ago. The only variables that can be included in the model are those that were likely present when farmers made the decision to transition. Nonparametric analyses were conducted to compare farmers using the variables that were not included in the generalized ordered logit model. In the case of binary variables, the association between the groups was analyzed through a Pearson Chisquared test. A Cochran-Armitage test was used to analyze a potential trend between groups. A Kruskal-Wallis analysis was performed to test the equality of the group means for ordinal or numeric variables, and a Mann-Whitney U test is used to pairwise comparisons between groups.
Producers were characterized as domestic, transitional or exporting. Data used for comparing these three groups were obtained from the VII Chilean Agricultural Census of 2007. However, the market-production identification of farms was derived from the 2007 Chilean balance of trade (ODEPA, 2009). According to this report, fresh/ processed fruits and wines/liquors represented nearly 75% of total agricultural exports. Among the exported fruits, the following 19 products accounted for 90% of total exports: almond, blueberry, plum, apricot, peach, kiwi, raspberry, red apple, green apple, orange, nectarine, walnut, avocado, pear, table grape, blackberry, cherry, lemon and tangerine. The 2007 census specifies whether a farm exported directly or indirectly through an exporting company, though there was no information regarding the type of product exported. Therefore, a farm producing these 19 fruits and/or wine grapes with reported export activity was considered to be a producer of exportable products. Following the same procedure, we found that wheat, durum wheat, barley, corn, rice, rape, lupine and sugar beet accounted for 61°°% of agricultural imports. A farm that produced any of these products that did not report export activity was considered to be a domestic-oriented producer. Transitional producers were those that produced both traditional and exportable products.
The aim of the study is to compare producers based on their market orientation. Farms that have an area of less than 0.5 hectare of the products listed above are assumed to produce for self-consumption and are excluded from our analysis. The census dataset also includes units that produce forestry products; farms consisting of more than 25% forest plantations are excluded. After filtering the dataset and adjusting for missing data and inconsistencies, we obtain a final sample of 50,433 farmers. This number includes 40,920 domestic, 4,571 transitional and 4,942 exporting producers.
A farm's observed production would be the result of a decision made previously; therefore, the discrete choice analysis is analyzed using only exogenous variables. Among these variables we identified gender, education, completion of studies and irrigation. Although the decision to produce exportables could be made prior to having access or rights to water, most farmers decide to produce fruits when have water for irrigation. Fruit production varies from region to region, so we also control for the geographic location of farms by assigning them one of three zones (northern, central and southern). The northern zone includes all regions located north of Maule region, the central zone includes Maule and Bio-Bio regions and the southern zone includes all regions located south of Bio-Bio.
The remaining variables did not satisfy normality or homoscedasticity; therefore nonparametric methods were used for comparing the three groups of farmers. Table 2 describes all of the variables used in this study.
Results and discussion
First, we present the results from the production-market orientation analysis based on the discrete choice model, followed by the comparison of the three groups using non-parametric methods.
Production-market orientation
A Hausman test following the MNL model (equation 2) rejects the independent of irrelevant alternatives assumption that the three production-market categories are independent. As a consequence, the ordered logit model would be the appropriate approach to evaluate the farmers' production-market orientation. Other models, such as the nested MNL model, are not possible in this case given the reduced number of categories. A Brand test rejects the null hypothesis that the coefficients are the same for all alternatives (the parallel regression assumption) in the ordered logit model (equation 5). Therefore, the GOL model (equation 6) was chosen for modeling the farmers' production-market orientation. Estimation results are in Table 3.
Estimates from the GOL model are presented as odds ratios in two panels: panel 1 contrasts domestic producers with combined transitional and exporting producers, and panel 2 contrasts combined domestic and transitional producers with exporting producers. Odds ratios greater than one in any of the two panels suggests that the farmer will likely choose the next category. Odds ratios lower than one suggest that the farmer is more likely to choose the previous category.
Among the farmers' characteristics analyzed, gender is not a statistically significant factor in the first panel, though it is statistically significant at a 1% level in the second panel. The odds that males will produce only exportable products is lower for males rather than for females (0.885). Age as a variable has positive and statistically significant odds ratios in both panels. It does not show an important role in the choice of any of the categories, given that the odds ratios are close to 1. Education and completion of studies are relevant variables in the market-production choice. Education as a factor is statistically significant at a 1% level. Each additional year of education raises the odds of producing transitional and exportable products or only exportable products versus producing only domestic products 1.151 times, when all other variables are constant. The role of education is slightly greater when farmers decide to specialize in the production of exportables (odds ratio of 1.171 in the second panel). Despite the important role of farmers' educational levels, the completion of their studies is even more relevant. The odds that a farmer produces a mix of domestic and exportable products or only exportable products versus producing only domestic products (first panel) are 1.315 times higher when he/she completes his/ her studies at any educational level. These odds increase by 59.7% in the second panel, when the specialization in exportable products is compared with the production of domestic products or a mix of domestic and exportable products.
Among the characteristics of farms, irrigation is a positive and statistically significant variable at a 10% level. The odds of producing domestic and exportable products or only exportable products versus producing only domestic products are 1.73 times greater if irrigation is present. If the farm has irrigation capabilities, the odds are 6.9 times greater that a farm specializes in exportable products versus domestic products or both.
When analyzing the location variables, we arbitrarily drop the southern zone variable to avoid the dummy variable trap. As expected, farms located in the central zone are more likely to produce some or specialize in exportables compared to farms located in the southern zone; the odds are 8.1 times higher in each panel. Farms located in the northern zone have higher odds of producing some or all exportables than farms located in the southern zone (odd ratio of 14.139 of panel 1). These odds increase to 21.273 when the exclusive production of exportable products is compared with the domestic and transitional categories (panel 2).
Differences between the three groups
A comparison of the three groups based on binary variables is presented in Table 4. The values represent the proportions (as coefficients) of positive answers to yes or no questions. For example, for domestic producers, the proportion of farms that reported having a manager was 2.68%. The results show that the null hypothesis was rejected for most variables analyzed, suggesting that farmers' market-production orientation is ordered rather than random (the Pearson Chisquared test of groups' associations). The last column of the table shows the ordering that results from the Cochran-Armitage test. For example, the manager variable shows that exporting producers have a higher proportion of managers than transitional producers, and the transitional producers have a higher proportion of managers than domestic producers.
Farmers' attributes show that exporting producers have several characteristics related to modern farms, while domestic producers show a more traditional production structure. Exporting producers are more likely to live outside the farm and hire managers. Domestic producers live on the farms and manage them. Exporting producers make intensive use of financing alternatives, such as loans from state, private banks and suppliers.
They also exhibit greater utilization of programs and subsidies provided by the state, such as irrigation and training subsidies, technological transfer programs, and other innovation and improvement programs such as CORFO and FIA. It is important to note that the variables that show mixed results are related to INDAP, the state institution that promote the development of small farmers. A possible explanation is that the internal-market oriented producers are stimulated by INDAP to produce exportables but are unable to specialize in these products because of technical and economic constraints. For example, these farmers can hardly make economies of scale, and have problems to satisfy the quality requirements of foreign markets.
Exporting producers have more managerial skills than transitional and domestic producers, in that order. Exporting producers are often users of computers and the internet (35.46% and 30.32%, respectively), and many exporters (58%) belong to farmers' associations, where they likely benefit from provided technical and market information. Exporting producers also have close relations with agribusiness firms (most fruit is exported through marketing firms). Exporters extensively use contract farming and advanced production techniques such as good agricultural practices. The share of exporting producers that declare taxes by the presumptive or complete real income method is higher than that of the other two groups.
A comparison of groups based on ordinal variables is also shown in Table 4. Because homoscedastic-ity and normality were violated for all ordinal variables, a Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance by ranks was used to compare the groups. The ordering of the last column is based on the results of the Mann-Whitney U test. Results show that the production of exportables is related to more external employment, both permanent and temporary (3.2 and 7.5 employees per farm in average, respectively). This is consistent with fruit production, which is a labor-intensive activity. The use of permanent household labor was greater for domestic producers than exporting producers and highest for transitional producers. It is possible that many small producers that were motivated by INDAP to produce exportables use household labor. The share of farmer's income that comes from the farm is higher for exporting producers. This is consistent with the higher returns in exportable production. An interesting result is that producers' categories are not directly correlated with farm size; the average size was 26.6 ha for domestic producers, 57.5 ha for transitional producers, and 44.7 ha for exporting producers. It is likely that the production of exportables does not require a large farm size because it involves an intensive production system.
The present study shows that Chilean farmers can be divided into three categories based on their market orientation: producers oriented to the internal market, producers oriented to foreign markets, and those that produce for both markets. Remarkably, these categories exist in a sequence, wherein farmers that produce for the domestic market can begin to produce for the foreign market until they eventually specialize in the production of exportables. This sequence has not been reported previously and constitutes an important aspect to formulate policies that intend to promote agricultural export activity. The three categories of farmers differ in several aspects. In addition to the indisputable role of geographic attributes and irrigation in the production of exportable species, export-oriented producers have more modern characteristics than those producing for the internal market. Those that produce for foreign markets are more educated, have access to different financial resources, use widely state-based programs, are labor-intensive units and are users of hard and soft managerial tools.
This research was supported by the Capacity Building Program of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium (IATRC). The authors also want to thank the Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas de Chile (INE) for providing data from the VII Agricultural Census of 2007.
Aitken, B., G.H. Hanson, and A.E. Harrison. 1997. Spillovers, foreign investment, and export behavior. Journal of International Economics 43: 103-132. [ Links ]
Bernard, A.B., J.B. Jensen, S.J. Redding, and P.K. Schott. 2007. Firms in international trade. Journal of Economic Perspectives 21: 105-130. [ Links ]
Echeverria, R., M. Gopinath, V. Moreira, and P. Cortés. 2009. The export-production decision of Chilean farmers: The case of blueberry producers. Journal of International Agricultural Trade and Development 5: 273-289. [ Links ]
Edward-Jones, G. 2006. Modelling farmer decision-making: Concepts, progress and challenges. Animal Science 82: 783-790. [ Links ]
Kox, H. L. M., and H. Rojas-Romagosa. 2010. Exports and productivity selection effects for Dutch firms. De Economist 158: 295-322. [ Links ]
ODEPA. 2009. Boletín estadístico comercio exterior silvoagropecuario N°52, enero - diciembre 2008. Santiago, Chile. Oficina de Estudios y Políticas Agrarias (ODEPA). 25 pp. [ Links ]
OECD. 2008. OECD review of agricultural economics: Chile 2008. Paris, Francia. OECD Publishing. [ Links ]
Wagner, J. 2007. Exports and productivity: a survey of the evidence from firm-level data. World Economy 30: 60-82. [ Links ]
Received March 10, 2011. Accepted August 5, 2011.
Corresponding author: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Social Media Helps Grammys Achieve Huge Ratings in Broadcast and Social TV
The 54th Annual Grammy Awards was a huge hit across social, digital and broadcast platforms.
Excitement for the return of Adele, as well as the tribute to the late Whitney Houston kept viewers engaged online and off.
CBS reported that 39.9 million viewers tuned in to Sunday's award show, the second-largest Grammy audience ever and the best ratings since 1984.
New Social TV Records
Of course, broadcast is only part of the story. This year's Grammy Awards were a hugely social and digital affair. Even with the tape delay (which prevented a real-time social conversation from taking place on the east and west coasts), the Grammys still broke new social TV records.
According to Bluefin Labs, the Grammys earned 13 million social comments. That breaks the record from last week's Super Bowl and absolutely dwarfs every other entertainment event from the last year.
The most-talked about moments included Adele's performance of "Rollin in the Deep" and her win for Album of the Year, Jennifer Hudson's tribute to Whitney Houston and Chris Brown's performance.
The Success of the Second Screen
CBS.com and The Recording Academy worked hard to address the digital, social and mobile component of this year's show. We profiled these initiatives, which included the Grammy Live second screen experience for iPad and iPhone.
Grammy Live was a huge success this year, bringing in 1 million unique viewers across the web, iPhone and iPad. To put that in perspective, 2.1 million viewers tuned into the Super Bowl live stream — and that was broadcasting the actual game, not an additional experience.
When we spoke with CBS Interactive SVP Marc DeBevoise earlier this afternoon, he was extremely happy with the numbers. DeBevoise didn't want to draw a direct correlation between an increased focus on social media, digital and social TV and the mammoth broadcast ratings but we think the figures speak for themselves.
As those of us in Mashable's Grammy Live Blog can attest, social media is the new watercooler. CBS.com and the Recording Academy did a fantastic job reaching out to various social channels, including Twitter and Facebook.
Social Media Sentiment
Social media monitoring company NetBase ran sentiment analysis on the Twitter chatter surrounding the show. NetBase grabbed the net sentiment for trending topics and major terms from Feb. 11 - Feb. 13 and plotted out the changes in sentiment and overall chatter.
While the Grammys themselves received the most mentions, Adele was the most mentioned celebrity. Although LLCoolJ was the least mentioned celebrity in terms of mentions, he had the highest overall sentiment. Unsurprisingly, Adele saw the biggest spike in chatter between Feb. 11 and 13.
When it comes to negative sentiment, Twitter users loved hating on Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj. Twitter sentiment regarding Minaj essentially flip-flopped between Friday and Sunday and she has the distinction of having the most negative overall chatter.
Chris Brown's performance elicited negative reactions from Twitter, as evidenced by various trending topics on Twitter.
As for the Grammys special tribute to Whitney Houston, 73% of the sentiment was positive or neutral and 26% was negative.
NetBase tells us that many of the "negative" responses are actually representative of sadness, not hate or dislike. Further more, in relation to the Grammy tribute, most negative remarks were because fans thought the tribute was too short or not as big as it should have been.
Did you watch the Grammys this year? What role did social media and social TV play in your experience? Let us know in the comments.


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Our discovery trips are a great way to experience a continent like Europe or a unusual country like North America, especially if you're visiting for the first time.
Everything taken care of
We'll do the planning; from booking your accommodation to arranging for your luggage to be delivered straight to your room. We'll also make sure you don't miss out on the iconic sights like the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum; as well as experiencing hidden treasures like Raphael's mosaic in the Santa Maria del Popolo. In other words your trip will be as smooth as it is eventful.
You'll also enjoy a range of Insider Experiences, where you get to meet the locals in your destination and see them at work. No one else has such a network of friends worldwide. So no matter how much you explore your experience feels as deep as it is wide.
- Insider Experiences on every trip
- An expert Travel Director and separate driver
- Hand-picked 4 or 5-star accommodation
- VIP entry to many sights
- Luxury coaches with Wi-Fi in most countries
- Breakfast every day and up to half other meals provided


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Michael Jordan's wedding invitation included a request for RSVP -- and for silence.
The invitation for Jordan and Yvette Prieto's April 27 black-tie affair in Palm Beach, Fla., instructed guests not to speak to the media, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, or share wedding details with friends and family who might talk.
Guests also were asked to shed their cameras and cell phones unless they plan to use them for personal photos.
Jordan filed for a marriage license this month in Florida in preparation for the April wedding to his long-time girlfriend, a Cuban model. The Sun-Times reports a prenuptial agreement was required of Prieto.
Jordan was married to his first wife, Juanita Vanoy-Jordan, for 17 years. The couple divorced in 2006.
Michael Jordan Wedding Invite Includes Vow Of Silence
Invitation instructs guests not to talk to the media and leave cameras at home
Michael Jordan's wedding invitation included a request for RSVP -- and for silence.


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Keyways Vineyard & Winery; Thursday, April 21, 7:30am- 6pm
Grape Day is a one day conference featuring in-depth seminars on the latest advances and developments in viticulture and vineyard management. Winemakers, winery owners, vineyard managers, and anyone who is interested in the business of wine can attend this great event!
See agenda below…
7:30 – 8am Vendor Exhibits, Registration, Continental Breakfast- Sponsored by Riverside Agricultural Supplies
8 – 8:15am Welcome– Jeff Wiens; Wiens Family Cellars, TVWA President, Ben Drake; Drake Enterprise, TVWA Viticulture Chair
8:15 – 8:30am Temecula Area-Wide GWSS Project– Dr. Nick Toscano; Extension Specialist, Emeritus, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Riverside
8:30 – 9am The Effectiveness of Within-Vineyard Sharpshooter Control for Limiting PD Spread Dr. Matthew Daugherty; Assistant Extension Specialist, UC Riverside
9 – 9:45am Preventing Establishment of European Grapevine Moth Through Early Detection Dr. Walt Bentley; UC IPM Entomologist, UC Kearney Agricultural Center, Fresno County
9:45 – 10:30am Designing a Cover Crop System for your Vineyard: A Landscape Approach Dr. Glenn McGourty; Viticulture and Plant Science Advisor, UC Cooperative; Extension, Mendocino and Lake Counties
10:30 – 10:45am Break, Vendor Exhibits
10:45 – 11:30am Hang Time and Crop Forcing- Dr. Sanliang Gu; Professor of Viticulture and Ricchiuti Chair of Viticulture Research Fresno State University
11:30am – 12:15pm State of the Wine Industry– Patrick Comiskey; Senior Correspondent, Wine & Spirits Magazine
12:15pm – 1pm Lunch, Vendor Exhibits– Sponsored by Labeltronix
1 – 1:45pm Update on Powdery Mildew- Dr. Doug Gubler; Plant Pathology Department, UC Davis
1:45 – 2:30pm Marketing and Social Media– Paul Mabray; Founder, VinTank – A Wine Industry Think Tank
2:30 – 2:45pm Break, Vendor Exhibits
2:45 – 4:15pm Finishing Tannins– Jose Santos; Business Director, Enartis Vinquiry
4:15 – 6pm Wine & Cheese Reception- Sponsored by Crop Production Services
Participating Vendors
AWC Packaging, American AgCredit, California Glass, Chart/Cryotech Intl., Duarte Nursery, Electrostatic Spraying Systems, Enartis Vinquiry, Guillaume Grapevine Nursery, Microworks Wine Software, NuEarth, PBM Supply & Mfg., Precision Agri-Lab, Pro Refrigeration, Inc. Riverside Agricultural Supplies, Soil Topography Information, Sunridge Nurseries, SunWize Technologies,Tonnellerie Radoux USA, Inc., Vineyard Industry Products, Vyant/Marfred Industries, WineWare Software Corp.
Thank you to the following sponsors:
Crop Production Services, Riverside, CA, Labeltronix, Orange, CA, Riverside Agricultural Supplies, Ontario, CA, My VIP Events, Canyon Lake, CA.


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EU releases extra €20 million crisis response and stabilisation support package for Mali
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, February 15, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- A first 20 million Euro stabilisation support package was approved today under the Instrument for Stability (IfS) to provide immediate support to Mali's law enforcement and justice services, the Malian local authorities, dialogue and reconciliation initiatives at local level, and the first phases of the upcoming electoral process. This decision puts into practice commitments agreed by the extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council of 17 January.
This much needed package is an early instalment of the EU's comprehensive response to the crisis in Mali, and complements the on-going efforts of the Union through other instruments, in particular the financial and logistical support to the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA), the EUTM and EUCAP Sahel CSDP missions, the current IfS long-term Counter-Terrorism project for the Sahel, the EU-INTERPOL Western Africa Police Information System, ongoing EU humanitarian aid, and development cooperation. Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs announced on 12 February the fully fledged resumption of development aid to Mali for an amount of some €250 million.
To swiftly deliver concrete results under this first stabilisation support package, the EU intends to rely on the implementation expertise of a mix of EU Member State agencies and other partners, including the UNDP and civil society organisations.
EU High Representative Catherine Ashton said: "This first stabilisation support package is yet another contribution from the EU to assist Mali to fully restore State authority and stability. It will also help the Malian people through support for the restoration of basic State services. In the coming weeks, the EU will take further decisions to contribute to international efforts in support of Mali and to help the Malian Government and people achieve long term stability, security and development."
The IfS stabilisation support package includes five main components:
i. Support for the restoration of security and protection of civilians: through the provision of urgently required equipment (vehicles, communication equipment, etc.) to enable the re-deployment of civilian security services, especially in the north, and to protect against terrorist threats in urban areas and critical infrastructures – including in Bamako;
ii. Support to Malian local authorities, to re-establish the presence of the State throughout Mali, especially in the north, with a focus on the resumption of basic social services (by providing administrative, school, medical, veterinary and technical equipment and related training and maintenance);
iii. Promotion of dialogue and reconciliation initiatives at local level, and support for efforts to reduce radicalisation and violent extremism (notably through community-based radio programmes);
iv. Contribution to the first phases of the electoral process (through support to a sensitisation campaign and to the update of the electoral register); and
v. Technical assistance to support the Malian authorities in their efforts to stabilise Mali (through the provision of technical expertise, services and training in areas such as security, justice, reconciliation).
The Instrument for Stability (IfS) is a key external assistance instrument, enabling the EU to contribute to international conflict prevention and provide urgent responses to current and emerging crises. Every year, EU IfS support is deployed for around 40 crisis response actions worldwide.
In the Sahel region, the IfS is currently supporting projects focusing on the reinforcement of border management capacities in Mauritania, security and stabilisation in the northern regions of Niger and Mali, and the building of national capacities for the fight against terrorism and organised crime networks in the region.


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Milan experiences
Book a carefully selected experience before you go to save money and avoid disappointment.
Book a carefully selected experience before you go to save money and avoid disappointment.
Embrace fashion, art and history on your Italy city break. You'll be spoilt for choice with the huge variety of things to do in Milan. Book one of our carefully selected experiences and tick off the popular attractions and more.
Start with the largest gothic cathedral in the world, Milan's Duomo. Entry to the church is free, but pay a little extra and you can take in the breathtaking views from the roof. Get a closer look of the gargoyles, statues and flying buttresses whilst you're up there. Beyond the daytime exploring, you'll discover a plethora of entertainment, with nightclubs, cinemas and cultural events - which include opera, ballet and theatre.
Head to the grand bazaar at 10 Corso Como and peruse the eclectic goods, which range from Moroccan slippers to Indian rugs. Then go to Papiniano Market, a flea market that's ideal for the thrifty shopper. Rummage through the designer clothing at the Il Salvagente discount outlet store or pick up something unique at Spazio Rossana Orlandi, a store and gallery dedicated to avant-garde design.
Take in the spectacular views from the roof of the impressive Duomo or stop at Santa Maria delle Grazie, which is home to one of the world's most famous paintings, Leonardo da Vinci's, "The Last Supper". Get a glimpse of Italian artistic styles from the 19th and 20th century at Monumental Cemetery and visit the world-renowned opera house, La Scala Opera.
Dining out in Milan is an exciting experience. Discover L'lmmagine Ristorante Bistrot, a hidden gem with a sensational menu and inviting ambiance. Grab pizza at Roqus-Rosticceria Di Qualita Del Sud or sample delicious gelato at La Gelateria Della Musica. You may have to queue, but its well worth the wait.
Watch the bartenders work their magic at B:Free cocktail bar or listen to the soulful jazz melodies at the intimate Blue Note Milano. Admire the spectacular Duomo Cathedral from Terrazza Aperol – situated in Piazza Duomo it's the perfect place to take drinks from afternoon into evening.
Find a British Airways flight for less, we'll refund the difference.
Fly with British Airways and enjoy award-winning service, excellent value for money and no hidden charges:


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The 7
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- Synopsis
- Radio and television host Glenn Beck has experienced the rollercoaster of life like few others. From the suicide of his mother when he was just thirteen, to his eventual alcoholism, depression, divorce, unemployment, and health scares--Glenn has weathered life's darkest storms.Any one of those struggles could've ruined him, yet Glenn was able to keep moving forward. He saw past the darkness into the light; past his grief and addictions and into what his life could be.YOU CAN DO IT TOOThe process of finding happiness through personal redemption was not easy, but it left Glenn with a blueprint for how to confront future adversity. Glenn is living proof that these steps--he calls them wonders--don't just work on paper. They helped transform his life and can they can help to transform yours as well. THE 7 WONDERSGlenn Beck and Dr. Keith Ablow--two of the most popular and influential personalities in American media today--have joined forces to present a powerful guide to personal transformation and fulfillment that is as unique as their own unlikely partnership. They are called the "7 Wonders" and they can be used by anyone who has made the decision that they are ready to change their life.After the television talk show host and the bestselling psychiatrist struck up a fast friendship they realized that their experiences with life's struggles were complementary. What Keith had studied, Glenn had lived. What Keith had counseled patients on for years, Glenn had suffered through for decades.The deeply personal insights they shared brought them to realize that their life stories had seven key principles in common; seven wonders that seemed to be essential ingredients for anyone attempting to transform their life. Where does the courage to persevere come from when everything seems hopeless? Why is it nearly impossible to succeed without faith? How much do family and friendships matter in our journey? How do we break down our walls and reveal our inner truths? What does having compassion really mean? How do you tell real friends apart from those who are holding you back? If there's no one to blame for my past, what do you do with your anger and resentment? These kinds of questions are the starting point toward fundamentally changing how you view past damaging relationships, toward breaking the debilitating grip of addiction and depression, toward injecting life with new meaning and purpose and toward helping you embark on a new journey based on hope, strength, and personal empowerment.As you unwrap each of the seven wonders for yourself, you'll discover exactly what Glenn Beck found as he transformed his own life from darkness to light, from dead ends to endless possibilities, from addiction to freedom: it doesn't take a superhero to find the strength to change--it just takes the courage to take the first step. This book, which was only possible by combining together decades of personal struggle with world-class professional experience, can be that first step for you.The 7 Wonders grows out of a unique friendship that we've developed over the last five-years. It is unique because it brought together a psychiatrist who naturally burrows toward the truth, and a recovering addict who spent decades running from it.As we spent more time together we began to let our guards down. Over time we reached a level of honesty with each other that is rare. As a result, we learned that the principles that have guided the well-honed healing techniques of one of us are precisely the same principles that instinctively guided the other to replace nearly unbearable pain with genuine happiness.We believe that it was God's plan for us to meet; that it was God's plan for us to speak so openly with one another; and it was God's plan that we share with you the seven wonders we discovered together.We also firmly believe that it was God's plan that this book now finds you at this exact moment in your life. --Glenn Beck & Dr. Keith Ablow
- Copyright:
- 2011
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Publisher Quality
- 9781451625646
- Publisher:
- Threshold Editions
- Date of Addition:
- 10/29/11
- Copyrighted By:
- Threshold Editions - Mercury Radio Arts
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Nonfiction, Self-Help, Biographies and Memoirs, Religion and Spirituality
- Submitted By:
- Bookshare Staff
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- This is a copyrighted book.
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- in Nonfiction
- in Self-Help
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- in Religion and Spirituality


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Currently the global banks, the EU and the UN etc are imposing sanctions on the state of Iran. Friends from Iran living in the European country that I am from are expressing concerns that these sanctions are part of a plan (or just creates an opportunity) to weaken Iran for a coming invasion by the US and Israel, the two mightiest and most well-funded militaries in the world. This is of course not the sole reason i have concerns about this since the media is also suggesting this, but hearing these people and concerns for their families was what made an impact on me. As i read a few forum topics here i got the impression that people on here are generally reasonable and intelligent.
I do not want to legitimize the Iranian governments treatment of its own people and general attitude to the rest of the world, but i do not regard any of the involved parties as the good guys, since the people in power of pretty much any country or union of nations seem to act mostly for the economic gain of their respective countries. I know that Iran has not started a war in several thousands of years. They possess a huge amount of resources and I know that the US and the western community has started wars to extract or receive resources from central Asian/South American/African countries before, often disguising the reason with something justifiable to the public. I think it is ignorant to believe that the western and supposedly democratic nations defer from using any type of propaganda so lets assume that what our own media is telling us is (generally) not an unbiased version of reality. Israel and Iran have been in conflict for a long time and possess a great deal of hatred for each other, The US have been backing Israel for a long time and even if it should be tired of war right about now anything is possible, right?
What do you think will happen? What is happening right now?
What could this action trigger?
and in an attempt to tie this to the theme of the site: What could the global community of hackers do to help this situation even slightly?
Maybe this will all be speculations but I'm interested in reading your opinions and beliefs.


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Photo: Central Press / Getty Images
The miniskirt — credited to British designer Mary Quant in the early 1960s — sparked a fashion revolution in "swinging" London and quickly made an international impression. The short style lasted through the decade and into the beginning of the next, but even when its popularity waned, the mini has remained an appealing fashion piece ripe for reinvention. See how it all began in the gallery above.


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Comparing DWPD to TBW
A couple of specifications for SSD endurance are in common use today: Terabytes Written (TBW) and Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD). Both are different ways to express the same thing. It seems that one vendor will specify endurance using TBW, while another will specify DWPD. How do you compare the two?
First, some definitions. "Terabytes Written" is the total amount of data that can be written into an SSD before it is likely to fail. "Drive Writes Per Day" tells how many times you can overwrite the entire capacity of the SSD every single day of its usable life without failure during the warranty period. Since both of these are guaranteed specifications, then your drive is most likely to last a lot longer than the number given by the SSD's maker.
To convert between the two you must know the disk's capacity and the warranty period. If drive maker gives you TBW but you want to know DWPD you would approach it Continue reading
SSDs and TCO
One of the best arguments to use an SSD is also one of the most difficult ways to sell anything. This is the Total Cost of Ownership, commonly abbreviated to "TCO."
TCO has been used as an argument for buying anything from compact fluorescent bulbs to Jaguar automobiles.
The argument usually revolves around an item whose initial price is higher, but which has lower ongoing (or operating) costs, and when these costs are combined, the higher-priced item proves to cost less to own over the long run. In the case of a compact fluorescent (CF) bulb, the bulb may cost $7, versus $1 for an incandescent bulb, but it consumes 18 Watts compared to the 75 Watts consumed by the incandescent bulb it replaces. In addition the CF bulb lasts ten times as long (10,000 hours vs. 1,000 hours.) This works out to a savings of 470 kWh – or about $50 – plus $3 in bulb costs. Continue reading
How Controllers Maximize SSD Life – Internal NAND Management
Given that you have used all those other forms of improving SSD wear that we have discussed so far, but you still don't find that this is enough, what do you do next? Well a few SSD controllers go one step further and manage some of the inner workings of the NAND flash chip itself.
If that sounds like a significant undertaking to you, then you clearly understand why so very few controllers take this approach. The information used to perform this function is not generally available – it takes a special relationship with the NAND flash supplier – and you can't develop this relationship unless the NAND supplier Continue reading
How Controllers Maximize SSD Life – Feedback on Block Wear
One way that SSD controllers maximize the life of an SSD is to use feedback on the life of flash blocks to determine how wear has impacted them. Although this used to be very uncommon, it is now being incorporated into a number of controllers.
Here's what this is all about: Everybody knows that endurance specifications tell how much life there is in a block, right? For SLC it is typically 100,000 erase/write cycles, and for MLC it can be as high as 10,000 cycles (for older processes) but goes down to 5,000 or even 3,000 for newer processes. TLC endurance can be in the hundreds of cycles. Now the question is: "What happens after that?"
In most cases individual bits start to Continue reading
How Controllers Maximize SSD Life – Over Provisioning
Over provisioning is one of the most common ways that SSD designers can help assure that an SSD has a longer life than the flash's endurance rating would support. If an SSD contains more flash than is presented at its interface, the controller can manage wear across a larger number of blocks while at the same time accelerating disk performance by moving slow operations like block erases out of the way of the SSD's key functions.
Many people like to compare wear leveling to rotating a car's tires. In this vein, think of over provisioning as having a bunch of spare Continue reading
How Controllers Maximize SSD Life – Reduced Write Amplification
Write amplification plays a critical role in maximizing an SSD's usable life. The lower the write amplification, the longer the SSD will last. SSD architects pay special attention to this aspect of controller design.
Unlike the other factors described in this series this is not a technique that extends flash life beyond the 10,000 erase/write cycles that one would normally expect to result in a failure, but it is very important to SSD longevity.
Write Amplification is sufficiently complex that I won't try to define it in this post, but Continue reading
How Controllers Maximize SSD Life – Other Error Management
There are more advanced means than simple error correction to help remove bit errors in NAND flash and those will be the subject of this post. The general term for this approach is "DSP" although it seems to have very little to do with the kind of DSP algorithm used to perform filtering or build modem chips.
While ECC corrects errors without knowing how they got there, DSP helps to correct any of the more predictable errors that are caused by internal error mechanisms that are inherent to the design of the chip. A prime example of such an error would be adjacent cell disturb.
Here's a brief explanation of Continue reading
How Controllers Maximize SSD Life – Improved ECC
Error correction (ECC) can have a very big impact on the longevity of an SSD, although few understand how such a standard item can make much difference to an SSD's life. The SSD Guy will try to explain it in relatively simple terms here.
All NAND flash requires ECC to correct random bit errors ("soft" errors.) This is because the inside of a NAND chip is very noisy and the signal levels of bits passed through a NAND string are very weak. One of the ways that NAND has been able to become the cheapest of all memories is by requiring error correction external to the chip.
This same error correction also helps to correct bit errors due to wear. Wear can cause bits to become stuck in one state or the other (a "hard" error), and it can increase the frequency of soft errors.
Although it is not widely Continue reading
How Controllers Maximize SSD Life – External Data Buffering
Since NAND flash is weakened by erase/write cycles then it would make sense to try to reduce those cycles to prolong the life of an SSD right? That's what external data buffers are designed to do.
There are many ways to use RAM (either a RAM internal to the SSD controller chip or a discrete DRAM chip on the SSD's printed circuit card) to stage data in a way that will reduce erase/write cycles.
One is to perform a function called "Write Coalescing." This involves Continue reading
How Controllers Maximize SSD Life – Better Wear Leveling
In this post we will explore how the right wear leveling algorithm can help a controller maximize the life of an SSD.
Wear leveling is a fact of life with NAND flash – blocks start to suffer bit failures after a certain number of erase/write cycles (usually specified from the thousands to the hundreds of thousands) and it is only natural that software will attempt to over-write some blocks more than others. In order to prevent this from causing failures, all of today's SSD, USB flash drive, and flash card controllers incorporate some sort of wear leveling.
This is a simple re-mapping of the contents of the flash chips. A more graphical explanation is Continue reading


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Shuttles to Transport Employees Between Work and Mass Transit Stations
Agency-run shuttles are routinely used for interoffice transportation of employees during the workday. Questions have arisen regarding the propriety of such shuttles transporting employees between their place of work and public transportation as part of the daily commute.
A provision of the Transportation Equity Act of 2005 authorizes federal agencies operating shuttles to transport employees between their place of business and mass transit stations for purposes of facilitating employees' commutes, provided the head of the agency makes that determination. Also, alternative fueled vehicles are to be used where practical, and agencies should coordinate with each other to reduce duplication of shuttle routes.
The applicable provision of this Act has been codified in Title 31, Subtitle II, Chapter 13, Subchapter III, Section 1344 (g) of the U.S.Code. This can be accessed on the GPO website. For any further questions, please e-mail email@example.com.


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Ceramic Tile Installer is very similar to another occupation for which we have
a full profile.
Check out our full profile for:
Tile and Marble Setters
Apply hard tile, marble, and wood tile to walls, floors, ceilings, and roof decks.
Acoustical Carpenter
Acoustical Installer
Acoustical Material Worker
Apprentice, Hard Tile Setter
Ceramic Tile Installer
Ceramic Tile Setter
Floor Layer Tile
Hard Tile Setter
Marble Finisher
Marble Installer
Marble Worker
Mastic Floor Layer
Mechanic, Ceramic Tile
Mosaic Floor Layer
Mosaic Layer
Mosaic Worker
Parquet Floor Layer
Parquetry Floor Layer
Tile and Marble Installer
Tile and Marble Setter
Tile Conduit Layer
Tile Erector
Tile Installer
Tile Mason
Tile Mechanic
Tile Setter
Tile Setter Apprentice
Wood Tile Installer