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EPT Lubricant Purity Solutions for Critical Production Equipment
EPT supplies first-class contamination control and condition monitoring technologies to maintain the quality of oil for critical applications. The firm has been supplying these technologies to the manufacturing and power generation industries since 1995.
Optimisation of lubricant maintenance
The maintenance of lubricants used in critical production equipment is often far below the necessary standards to achieve trouble-free operation, and as a result, production losses frequently occur.
The cost resulting from a single turbine or compressor failure can be more than that of correct lubricant maintenance over the entire life of the equipment.
As such, significant room for optimisation exists; EPT's programme is designed to achieve exactly this.
The firm goes beyond routine lubricant analysis and maintenance and target the contamination responsible for a number of mechanical issues and failures, including turbine lubricant varnish, compressor seal failures, and servo-valve sticking.
This contamination is removed with a range of advanced lubricant filtration technologies developed by EPT that have been proven to save hundreds of millions of dollars at some of the largest turbine and compressor fleets in the world.
Specialised lubricant testing for easy maintenance
Maintenance budgets are frequently applied on a linear basis, with the same budget allocation to all equipment.
However, equipment failure is not linear, so additional maintenance spending targeting 'at risk' units will have a significant return on investment (RoI).
Lubricants are the life blood of production equipment, and significant insight can be gained through routine and 'as-needed' specialised lubricant testing.
Filter upgrades and standalone filtration systems for lubricant preservation
Viscosity, water, and ISO particle codes are the cornerstones of routine lubricant analysis.
EPT's programme stands out as it takes all existing lubricant analysis data into account, analyses it, and then generates a report that prioritises what needs to be completed first and where it needs to be done.
From simple filter upgrades or standalone filtration systems, to inexpensive water removal solutions, EPT's lubricant analysis services and filtration products will quickly eliminate weak points in lubricant maintenance programmes.
Lubricant testing and chemistry to access for risk factors
As a second stage, EPT's lab will supplement lubricant testing to measure specific contamination, including varnish, sludge, and fine particulates that are frequently linked with an elevated risk of equipment failure.
Lubricant chemistry will also be reviewed to assess if other risk factors are present. For this, lubricants will be tested, cleaned, and re-tested so that the company's team of application engineers can specifically discuss individual applications and provide recommendations with a very high degree of confidence and precision.
Lubricant purification technologies to remove particulates and water
Lubricant contamination consists of particulates, water, and dissolved breakdown products.
Conventional filtration products generally only remove particulates and water to varying degrees of effectiveness. Dissolved breakdown products on the other hand are typically not measured and not removed, allowing the lubricant reservoir to accumulate this contamination over time.
EPT's programme will measure virtually all contamination, assess what form the contamination is in, and what filtration products are ideally suited to remove the contamination. The firm offers a number of best-in-class filtration products that remove significantly more contamination than standard products.
Testing to examine filter efficiency
Most filters are rated at 98%-99.5% efficiency as tested under ideal operating conditions with consistent temperatures, flows, and pressures.
The end-result is filter efficiencies of less than 90%, which explains why ISO codes or NAS values can report elevated particulate levels above the micron rating of the filter being used.
EPT's line of filter element upgrades is tested under real-life operating conditions where these factors are being changed constantly.
To achieve a 99.5% efficiency rating under these conditions has required a completely re-engineered filter to be designed that uses specialised materials and manufacturing processes.
These filters are available in all sizes to fit in existing filter vessels and are a logical first step in the lubricant maintenance optimisation process.
Water removal technology to lower maintenance costs
In many lubricant applications, atmosphere is typically the primary mode of ingression. Applying any water removal technology in this situation without addressing the ingression point is simply dehydrating the lubricant so that it can absorb more water from the atmosphere.
This situation is extremely common, and results in expensive and energy intensive lubricant maintenance.
EPT's total moisture removal product (TMR™) removes water in all forms (dissolved, emulsified, and free) but more importantly eliminates the ingression pathway so that permanent, energy-efficient, and cost-effective water removal is achieved.
Technology to remove dissolved break-down products
Varnish and solid deposits only occur once a lubricant has become saturated with dissolved breakdown products. This contamination is always dissolved in the lubricant until the point of saturation occurs when solid particles form, which are attracted to metal surfaces.
EPT's ion charge bonding (ICB™) technology uses chemically engineered ion exchange resins that produce specific chemical reactions to remove dissolved breakdown products.
ICB offers users high-performance with the assurance of precise chemistry that will not adversely impact the lubricant. The advanced technical and performance properties of ICB have been made possible from 30 years of operating experience and continuous research and product development in this field.
ICB elements are available in standard sizes or as part of an engineered filtration system called SVR. SVR filtration systems are widely used in the industry as a one stop solution to remove lubricant varnish and maintain lubricant systems so that lubricant varnish is not possible.
Sub-micron particulate contamination removal
In some specialised applications, particulates less than 1µ are produced from the high-temperature breakdown of the oil.
Particulates less than 1µ are not reported in conventional lubricant analysis or removed by mechanical filter elements. These particulates accumulate and are responsible for fluid darkening and high patch weight.
EPT's electrostatic contamination removal (ECR™) eliminates fine particulate by mass rather that physical size, so particles as small as 0.001µ can theoretically be removed.
In specialised applications, such as electro hydraulic control (EHC) systems, ECR can be especially effective at restoring fluid colour and reducing patch weight.
Lubricant quality monitoring programme
EPT's lubricant quality monitoring programme will demonstrate success achieved at each location. After results are documented, continued monitoring is recommended.
Products and Services
Electrostatic Contamination Removal (ECR™)
Electrostatic contamination removal (ECR™) systems use electrostatic forces to remove particulate matter that is too small to be removed by conventional filtration.
Total Moisture Removal (TMR™) N2 Systems
Total moisture removal (TMR™) products produce very high quality dry air or nitrogen (N2) from a normal compressed air source. The air or N2 is passed across the lubricant surface and vented out the breather element.
Soluble Varnish Removal (SVR™) Systems
Soluble varnish removal (SVR™) systems are the leading varnish removal solution on the market as they not only remove varnish but also remove its soluble precursors, the underlying cause of lubricant varnish.
No-Spark Discharge (NSD™) Filters
No-spark discharge (NSD™) filters are specially engineered to eliminate the common issue of filter sparking that occurs in industrial gas turbines.
Ion Charge Bonding (ICB™) Filters
Ion charge bonding (ICB™) filters were developed by EPT to remove the dissolved contamination products that accumulate in all lubricants and lubricating fluids.
White Papers
Phosphate Ester Fluid Maintenance Challenges and Solutions in EHC Systems
Despite the excellent lubricating and safety properties of phosphate ester lubricants, many turbine and Electro-Hydraulic Control (EHC) users struggle with their maintenance.
MPC Varnish Potential Testing
Membrane patch colorimetry (MPC) varnish potential testing (ASTM D7843) is an essential analytical test to determine the propensity for a lubricant to form varnish deposits.
Effectively Eliminating Water Contamination from Hydraulic and Lubricating Fluids
Water is the most common and damaging contaminant found in hydraulic and lubricating systems.
Extending Oil Life via Antioxidant Replenishment Processes
Sacrificial antioxidant molecules have been proven to play an important part in influencing the lifespan and overall performance of turbine oils.
Related Projects
Press Release
Varnish removal technologies can be classified into two main categories: 1) Particulate removal including electrostatics, balanced charge agglomeration and depth media filters, and 2) Dissolved breakdown product removal including ion exchange and ion charge bonding technologies.Read more
While routine oil analysis is the cornerstone to all condition based monitoring (CBM) programs, the resulting data is not always leveraged into meaningful information.Read more
Regional Offices
4772-50th Ave SE


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Security is foundational and critical to connectivity and the Internet of Things. With hundreds and thousands of IoT transactions getting executed every second, keeping the communication, infrastructure and customer data secure is a herculean task indeed. Security Analytics is gaining momentum to meet this need. Security Analytics is the combination of techniques that determine some security outcome characterized by a confidence factor by analyzing various sources of data. Until the point of technology's maturity, information security experts will have to weigh in the output of security analytics tools for further action.
Security Information and Event Management
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) refers to products and services that provide real-time insights into security related events and alerts. SIEM focusses on aggregating data from various sources such as web logs, network logs, firewall, etc. SIEM performs correlations and reacts to the security alerts raised. It also supports compliance requirements and SIEM vendors are expanding the breadth of services for more predictive analytics.
User Behavioral Analytics
Another buzz in the security analytics space is "User Behavioral Analytics" (UBA). While SIEM focuses on events and alerts, UBA takes a different approach by focusing on the user behavior. Using user behavior data to perform customer segmentation, upselling and targeted campaigns have attained their maturity. However, UBA in this context, focuses on using the user behavior data to get some intelligence for some security outcome. UBA, in general, refers to a concept and it could be a product or custom developed solution to solving a problem. At the crux of it, UBA first establishes the baseline of "normal" behavior of a user by mining and analyzing hundreds and thousands of log records. Once the baseline of a "normal" user behavior is established, any deviation from the normalcy for that user is identified and tagged as anomalous activity for further analysis. Some of the common use cases are,
The anomalous activity is then evaluated for the risk by analyzing the impact and probability. The analytics that powers the intelligence is usually through supervised machine learning and statistical modeling. Overall, UBA helps in identifying compromised account, employee sabotage, privacy breaches, shared account abuse etc.
The response time to identify and alert the anomalous activity determines the success of UBA. In a large enterprise, to aggregate and correlate weblogs and other event logs from multiple systems to establish a continuous refined baseline of a normal behavior of a user or group of users can be daunting. Typically, enterprises have tens and hundreds of batch jobs that do the log management and often it ends up in the archive server. In order to continuously establish a baseline of a normal user behavior, integration with a SIEM or various data sources directly is the first step. Secondly, the big data environment must have tools and products that can support stream analytics of high velocities of data. Last but not the least, supervised machine learning algorithms that can perform continuous classification and detect outliers on a real-time basis. Any product you choose must address these three aspects, whether it is on premise or cloud based. The challenge with Cloud based UBA products is the age-old concern of the data leaving the premise, especially system logs that can hold sensitive content. However, the infrastructure that you require to perform the analytics of massive scale of data might outweigh and quality Cloud-based delivery of UBA.
For the data to move up the value chain from information to intelligence, analytics is the answer, if performed at the right time. Any intelligence derived that is actionable to address security breach proactively provides mutli-fold returns on investment on the product or solution you chose for Security Analytics.
Mohan Jayaraman
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subset: commoncrawl


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HSC NI Procurement Awareness Events (March-May 2017)
The Public Contract Regulations (2015) were introduced 26th February 2015, signalling a major change to the means statutory organisations are required to procure social and other specific services "to the person". The new Regulations now require such services contracts with values over the EU Threshold of £615,278 (revised 1 Jan 2018) to be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). In addition to this these contracts will also be advertised on eTendersNI and on the PHA website under the 'Contracts' section.
In response to this legislative change HSCNI organisations have looked to their sole Centre of Procurement Expertise, Business Services Organisation, Procurement & Logistics Service (PALS) to undertake procurement activities on their behalf for services "to the person" with contract values in excess of the EU Threshold. As part of this process PALS recently undertook to run a series of Procurement Awareness Events (March-May 2017). These events were targeted at service providers who deliver health and social care service interventions to people.
A copy of the PowerPoint presentation used at these events is available as a PDF file here. The EU threshold for this type of contract was revised on the 1 January 2018 to £615,278.
A list of Frequently Asked Questions from the Procurement Awareness Events is available as a PDF file here; we strongly recommend that you take a look at these.
Contracts with a value falling below the EU threshold will continue to be managed internally by the Public Health Agency and will be advertised on the PHA website under the 'Contracts' section.
The Crown Commercial Service has provided further guidance on the new light touch regime for Health, Social, Education and certain other Service Contracts which is available here.
The PHA will from time to time provide further Procurement Awareness sessions and may also participate in those organised by other bodies.


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Man Trades In Rare Nintendo Cartridge For $13,000
By Dave Basner
June 6, 2020
Sometimes it pays to be a hoarder, or at least to hold on to some of your old toys and games, especially Nintendo cartridges. It turns out, some of them can be worth insane amounts of money, and a used game store in Seattle called Pink Gorilla Games just got their hands on one. It's the ultra-rare Nintendo World Championships 1990 cartridge that was in a box among other games. They tweeted out a photo of it with the caption, "Just traded in! Not joking."
IGN.com got more to the story from the store's owner, Cody Spencer, who explained:
"The guy came in not knowing at all what the cartridge was worth. He was pretty blown away with the offer. I made sure to explain to him what the item typically sells for and what we would offer him and why… The seller had no idea what it was nor where he got it. It sounds like he collected NES games a little bit when collecting NES games had yet to grow in popularity."
The offer? $13,000.
Apparently the cartridge was given out to the winners of the 1990 Nintendo World Championships, which saw players compete in popular games. The cartridge boasts altered versions of Rad Racer, Super Mario Bros. and Tetris. Some contest winners won the cartridge as well. Only a few hundred Nintendo World Championships 1990 are believed to ever have been made.
It didn't take long for Pink Gorilla to find a buyer themselves. While they didn't reveal who it is or how much that person paid, in good condition, the game could sell for upwards of $25,000, though Spencer said this cartridge "wasn't in the best condition."
In a YouTube video, Spencer told the whole story of the game and how he wound up with it.
Make sure to check all your games to see if you've got a treasure amongst them!
Photo: Getty Images


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Windshear estimation along the trajectory of an aircraft
Tzeng, Ching-Yaw
Miele, Angelo
Doctor of Philosophy
The application of the sequential gradient-restoration algorithm (SGRA) to the estimation of the windshear along the trajectory of an aircraft is studied. Based on the measured trajectory data obtained from the digital flight data recorder (DFDR) of Flight Delta 191 (August 2, 1985, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport), a nonlinear least-square problem is formulated. The performance index being minimized measures the deviation of the experimental trajectory (the altitude, the relative velocity, and the pitch attitude angle) from the computed trajectory, obtained by integrating the equations of motion of an aircraft in a vertical plane. Since the thrust and the aerodynamic forces enter directly in this dynamic formulation, a clear picture of the forces acting on the aircraft can be seen. This leads to a good understanding of the behavior of the aircraft during the windshear encounter. The angle of attack is treated as a control, and the power setting is regarded as a known input. By assuming that the manufacturer-supplied aerodynamic and thrust data are dependable, the dynamically estimated vertical wind shows reasonable agreement with that obtained with the kinematic approach. However, the results obtained for the horizontal wind are less satisfactory. Upon modifying the manufacturer-supplied thrust and aerodynamic data with unknown multiplicative factors, a better agreement between the measured and computed trajectory can be achieved. As a consequence, the estimated winds exhibit better accuracy. The inclusion of penalty terms in the performance index being minimized forces the values of the unknown multiplicative factors to be close to unity. The estimation of these factors is important, because it might explain some unusual effects, such as the presence of rain. Upon employing different combinations of the measured trajectory data, the relative importance of each data can be established. The horizontal distance data and the relative velocity data are found to have minor effect on the estimation results. The altitude data affect mostly the vertical wind, and the pitch attitude angle data are crucial to the estimation of both the horizontal and vertical winds.
Aerospace engineering


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Easy Booking Salon Reservation system is a custom reservation system to be used for complete appointment booking and management of modern day salons and beauty centers. The solution is made to manage small and medium Salons and Beauty Centers with different sections, stylists and beauticians.The users can create and register an account and view the available slots and view the history and status of previous bookings then proceed to make the booking.
- Research mate is simple to use and allows users to select exactly what they need to achieve academic excellence while they focus on other important matters.
- ECommerce and Online RFQ
- whatsapp, sms or Email.


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Saturday, September 10, 2011
You're A Bad Mom...
It seems like everywhere I turn, someone is being called a bad mom. This happens no matter what kind of group of moms you're dealing with. If you are with the "non-AP, non Crunchy moms" then any mom that wears her baby or co-sleeps or nurses past 6 months to a year is a "bad" mom. If you are with the "AP/Crunchy" moms, then, you are a bad mom if you spank, have your child in a separate room or push them in a stroller. Then, both sides gang up if you forward face at one, need a c-section or CIO.
So, here is my question...do these make someone a "BAD" mom or do they make them a different mom? Maybe in your eyes it makes them uneducated and maybe you are right, but, does it make them "BAD"?
What if someone does everything "RIGHT" in your eyes, except one thing. Does that make them a "BAD" mom? What if a mom spend quality time with her kids, loves them, never neglects them, feeds them, clothes them...does everything "RIGHT", but, chooses to do one of the things off you "BAD" mom list? Is she bad?
I see perfectly wonderful moms berated everyday because they chose something different than the rest. Somehow people seem to think you must follow this straight and narrow path that they are on or you have totally failed as a mom. It doesn't seem to matter that you excel in EVERY other area imaginable, just the one "flaw" they see makes you "terrible". It doesn't matter if that choice was made after research and compromise.
So, what makes an actual BAD mom...
A mom that verbally abuses her kids NONSTOP.
A mom that beats her kids in anger to cause pain
A mom that neglects her kids
A mom that starves her kids
A mom that cages her kids
A mom that never talks to her kid
I could go on, but, I think you get the drift. There ARE bad moms. Those that just choose one little thing different than you even if you feel extremely passionate about it is NOT a bad mom. I don't NOT care what it is. Let's please keep this in mind when dealing with moms online. Let's not put moms down and belittle and berate them for their choices. You can educate without the nastiness. You can tolerate without nastiness. Let's live in peace online.
5 comments:
- AnonymousSeptember 10, 2011 at 12:33 PM
I agree.ReplyDelete
I too agree. We need, as mothers and women, to stop ganging up on one another. We need to work together and support each other.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 10, 2011 at 3:55 PM
I agree! I don't fit either catagory. I gave birth in a hospitol, both my boys ate circumcised, but I breast feed till they decide to stop( my first quit right at a year and my second is still going after a year.) I am nursing my second while pregnat with my third. My first slept in a crib my second cosleeps. I sometimes babywear sometimes he rids in a stroller. My first ate babyfood and we did.babyled weaning when he was ready for.solids. My second would not.go near babyfood (store bought or homemade ) so we only did ba glee weaning. I used. Disposable diapers. The thing is everychild and every family is different. You have to find what works for you and your child. What works for one may not work for the next. I treat them as individuals and follow.their cues on what they need.ReplyDelete
I got so sick of the judging I started cataloguing the reasons why I'm a bad mom! (and I am not crunchy AT ALL.) I totally agree - less judging and more supporting, preferably with a nice glass of wine!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 19, 2012 at 5:00 PM
How refreshing this article is! Thank you! I'm sharing it. :)ReplyDelete


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First, I want to start off by saying that 9/11 2001 was a tragedy. The total death count as a direct result of the terrorist attacks is estimated between 3,000 - 4,000 people - mostly innocent. Wives lost husbands, children lost parents, and people lost relatives and friends. It was a sad day for everyone watching and even sadder for those who lost someone they knew in one of the attacks. Those who were taken so abruptly have hopefully left behind memories for their families to cherish forever.
The issue I have is that 9/11 2001 is not the greatest tragedy of September 11th and it's not even really close. In 1944, the Royal Air Force firestormed a German town called Darmstadt causing the deaths of some 11,500 people - mostly civilians and children. These civilians and children were roasted alive and 75% of the city was burnt to the ground. This was the RAF's way of taking out German military bases.
What about the thousands of Palestinian refugees slaughtered in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps after given a guarantee of safety on September 11, 1982?
Where is the memorial ceremony for that town? For those refugees? Are they just considered collateral damage by 'the good guys'? We're required to be spoon-fed the tragic events 24/7 on 9/11 2001 by the egocentric American media and politicians both nationally and internationally but not a word is spoken of the Darmstadt attack or of the Palestinian refugees. It seems to me that something is wrong or that the self-centred and self-serving bias is very apparent by the, ahem....'centre of the universe'. In fact, when you use Google and type September 11th tragedies, it results in pages and pages of the September 11, 2001 tragedy with no mention of any of the other tragedies. Instead of leading the war on terrorism (which has become a joke in itself), the US should be progressive and be leading the march for world peace. I suppose I am fooling myself by hoping for that to happen.
This write-up is not directed at anyone who lost someone personally as those who did lose someone deserve to memorialize the tragic events. It's a part of healing and is quite sad and the memories of those who passed away should live on forever. Instead, it is aimed at the self-serving politicians, the general egocentrism of Americans, and for every one of those people who lost someone in the even larger tragedies I touched on in this article.


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(With a little shameless self promotion and a little pride …)
Wayne Arnason, UU minister in the Cleveland area, and I have just gotten a book published by Skinner House Books. Through personal stories, reflective essays, historical accounts, and thoughtful critiques, twelve Unitarian Universalist Buddhists have contributed essays to create the book.
Buddhist teacher Tara Brach, PhD, and author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge writes about the book:
When two distinctive and rich spiritual traditions become intimately interwoven, the unfolding dance deserves documentation … In reading this book, we can sense our evolutionary potential to embrace the sacred in its myriad creative expressions."
For more information about the book:


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MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — State regulators are overseeing an assisted-living facility in Modesto owned by the same people who allegedly left behind more than a dozen residents at a Castro Valley care home last month.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports state officials now monitor the Sundial Palms Assisted Living & Memory Care in Modesto as part of an arrangement made with the owners. A consultant was hired to serve as the facility's executive director until it is sold to a new owner this month.
The move was in response to an Oct. 24 incident where more than a dozen people were virtually abandoned at a Castro Valley assisted-care center after the state revoked the facility's license.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Related Stories
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South Sudan[bgmp-map placemark="442″ center="South Sudan" zoom="6″]
South Sudan, officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the east-central African region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN subregion. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more centrally located Ramciel in the future. South Sudan is bordered by Ethiopia to the east, Kenya to the southeast, Uganda to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the southwest, the Central African Republic to the west, and Sudan to the north. South Sudan includes the vast swamp region of the Sudd formed by the White Nile, locally called the Bahr al Jabal.
Source & further information: Wikipedia
More info: www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/od.html


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Attending the major testing conference, TestExpo 2018 in Helsinki? Join LEAPWORK's Senior Product Evangelist, Kasper Fehrend, for an energetic talk about how every member on a test team can play their part in achieving automation success.
Presentation details
"Every Superhero Needs a Powersuit: How to Level Up Your Entire Team's Automation Skills"
13:55-14:15, Main Room
Sep. 10, TestExpo 2018 in Helsinki
Too many test automation projects fail because of unnecessary barriers: Highly specialized technical expertise, a very long training process, or both. Getting automation off the ground requires the right tool and shared ownership in the test team.
This session is for testers of every kind: Domain specialists, technical testers, and test management. You are guaranteed to come away with a completely different idea about how test automation can be rolled out – and what you can do with it.


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As the US continues to build combat power as part of the Afghanistan surge, GEN McChrystal has already telegraphed his next major move - into the strategically vital Kandahar province. Recognizing the importance of Kandahar city (and its surrounding towns/villages), US forces are planning to focus several of the additional BCTs arriving in Afghanistan in the province. Additionally, McChrystal and ISAF are re-organizing the Regional Command (RC) structure in the South to split the existing RC-South into RC-SW (Helmand) and RC-SE (Kandahar). RC-SW will be led by a Marine 2-star and RC-SE will be led by British MG Nick Carter (the current RC-South commander). Beginning in 2011, a US commander will take over RC-SE and focus the command on conducting operations in Kandahar.
Just as in the recent operation to clear and secure Marjah in Helmand province, the US has developed a comprehensive plan to improve security, governance, essential services, rule of law, and economic growth in the area considered to be the birthplace of the Taliban. And, just as in Marjah, the most difficult objective will likely be to make improvements in governance amidst a highly complex political and tribal landscape [for more background on Kandahar, check out this excellent open-source primer from The Institute for the Study of War]. As Frank Ruggiero, the top US civilian official in Southern Afghanistan explained in a recent Wall Street Journal article, "Kandahar is a political problem...and the campaign in Kandahar will be led by governance." In addition to improving governance across the province's ten districts, it will also be critical to strengthen the rule of law, maintain the delicate tribal balance, and weaken several key power-brokers who wield more influence than the "official" government leaders.
ISAF forces definitely have their work cut out for them when it comes to improving governance in Kandahar (both at the provincial and the city level). As I've discussed in previous posts, the "official" Kandahar government is in competition with the Taliban's shadow governance structure, which is recognized by many locals as more effective and responsive than the provincial government led by Kandahar Provincial Governor Tooryalai Wesa. A childhood friend of President Hamid Karzai, Wesa is regarded by many as ineffective at best (and also has a reputation for corruption). As Ruggiero explains, "The specific objective is to make the Afghan government a more viable option for people to turn to...it's to show that the government has more relevance to their lives vis-à-vis the shadow governance of the Taliban."
Currently, the provincial government is essentially holed up in their offices in Kandahar City, unable to exert influence/control into most of the province's 17 districts. As explained in a recent NY Times article, there is much work to be done at the district level. One local explained that in Kandahar proper, "The Taliban can walk around, and government officials cannot." Outside the city, it is worse. Government services barely exist. Only 5 of 17 districts in the province are accessible for government officials. Administrators and police chiefs are appointed to the districts, but they have so little backup and so few resources, they can do little. With 40 to 60 police officers in each district, they can barely guard the district center. Health services and education are virtually absent outside the towns, and two-thirds of the province's schools are closed, human rights officials say.
Thus, one of the major objectives of the ISAF campaign in Kandahar will be bolstering the local district governments, making them more powerful and able to respond to the needs of their residents. Many have argued that the district level is where we truly need to focus our efforts, and I tend to agree. With ineffective and often corrupt provincial level leaders (who are usually close personal friends of Karzai), our best bet is to empower the district leaders to allow for true "community-level" governance.
Power Brokers - Karzai and Shirzai
The crux of the challenge lies in the need to limit the power of a small group of power brokers who have a death grip on the provincial budget and wield power based on their control of the provincial council, ties to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and a monopoly on lucrative security and reconstruction contracts. In essence, real power rests with just two families who have prospered under the presence of American forces in the past eight years. One of them is the family of President Hamid Karzai, who is represented here by his brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, who heads the provincial council. The other belongs to Gul Agha Shirzai, the former governor of Kandahar, and his brothers Bacha Shirzai and Razziq Shirzai, who have gotten lucrative security and construction deals with NATO forces. Residents and elders accuse the families of persecuting rivals and excluding all other tribes from access to power. Their domination has undercut any popular backing for the government or the foreign forces supporting them.
As the New York Times recently explained, "The first thing Afghans fear is the coming of more foreign troops, and the second thing they fear is the empowering of the current leadership and administration," said Shahabuddin Akhunzada, a tribal elder from Kandahar city. His Eshaqzai tribe has complained of repeated arrests and political exclusion. The West's acceptance of Mr. Karzai's re-election despite widespread fraud was the last straw, he said.
Much attention has been centered lately on the murky past of Ahmed Wali Karzai, in particular his potential links to the illegal opium trade and involvement with the Kandahar Strike Force, a paramilitary element allegedly run by the CIA. In a recent NY Times article, Dexter Filkins discusses the controversial decision of ISAF and US leaders to allow Ahmed Karzai to remain in power in Kandahar despite his alleged ties to the drug trade and potentially to Taliban figures in the region. I tend to agree with several ISAF/NATO officials who argued for Ahmed Karzai's removal (much as Bing West has recently argued for Hamid Karzai's removal). The problem, though, is who (or what) do we replace him with?
I think David Ignatius was onto something with his recent Washington Post op-ed when he discussed "re-balancing" the Kandahar power elite. My proposed strategy to do this would draw on the concepts of sub-national/community-level governance advocated by COL Chris Kolenda and call for the empowerment of district level leaders (whether tribal or other) who could better represent the interests of their people and offer some competition for the Wesa-Karzai-Shirzai factions who control most of the provinces resources right now. Although risky, if ISAF elements are able to find, vet, and empower solid leaders at the district level and funnel resources and money directly to them, it could eventually create some competition for the Kandahar provincial leaders and also eliminate some of the feelings of disenfranchisement that many locals feel right now.
We will continue to see this debate play out in the coming months as ISAF/US forces continue shaping operations around Kandahar and begin the clear/hold phase of the operation. Ultimately, though, there will be no enduring success in Kandahar (or Afghanistan at all) until we're able to establish an effective and legitimate alternative to the Taliban's shadow government.


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in the United States
Embassy of France in Washington, D.C.
President Macron's State Visit to Washington
In an address to Congress during his April state visit to Washington, D.C., President Macron emphasized the importance of a strong multilateralism. Highlights of the state visit also included meetings and a joint press conference with President Trump, a state dinner featuring nods to both (...)
From the Ambassador's desk
Launch of online diplomatic archives
Marlène Schiappa visits New York
Interview: Ambassador of Digital Affairs David Martinon
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Visit just about any neighborhood in the greater Chicago area and you'll be sure to find at least one section of empty, unused space. Imagine filling this space not with concrete or cars, but with a garden, an urban oasis to feed and inspire its community caretakers.
This was the vision for Humboldt Park's Monarch Community Garden, a collaboration between Norwegian American Hospital, Northwestern University's Department of Family and Community Medicine, and Geoponica, a non-profit dedicated to community gardening. Tended to by local families and organizations, the garden is quickly becoming an important part of the area's efforts to promote community involvement and combat prominent health issues like obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
We spoke with Beth Dunlap, co-leader of the garden and Northwestern family medicine resident at Humboldt Park's Norwegian American Hospital and Erie Family Health Center, to learn more..
What sparked your personal interest in this project?
I'm originally from Chicago, and while I was growing up my family was always pretty interested in gardening. Then I met my husband, who is from rural Iowa, and he had a really big garden when he was growing up as well. When we started a family and had our own two kids, still living in the city, we [were] involved in a couple of gardens on the Southside. We grew our own produce for several years in those gardens, and it was that experience of actually being gardeners in the city that I think sparked our interest in urban gardening. We felt like that experience was deeply important to our family, not just in terms of helping our kids eat their fruits and vegetables, [but also] giving us a much greater sense of community, a sense of ownership over the neighborhood where we lived. [We] had a sense of pride in a small corner of the city that we took care of and made beautiful.
When I started my family medicine residency, [I realized that] gardening actually goes along pretty nicely with what community-based family medicine and primary care is all about, which is looking not just at the individual patient, but also the health of the entire community. [It's about] trying to prevent disease and make families and communities well to begin with.
Another part of the reason that we wanted to plant this garden was because we wanted to look at community gardening from a research perspective: how participation in an urban garden might actually change some of the health-related behaviors of the people who are participating in it. We're in the pilot phase of that.
Why Humboldt Park?
Until I started residency last year at Northwestern, I hadn't really been out to the Humboldt Park community all that much. But when I started the program last summer, I realized what a great place Humboldt Park [would be] to have a large community garden. There are a couple of reasons for that. Humboldt park has several strong community organizations already working in the area of urban agriculture, working to increase access to fresh produce and food security. But there was still a need for a large scale, allotment- style community garden.
Another reason is that Humboldt Park has some of the highest incidences of diabetes, obesity and hypertension anywhere in the city. The area has been very hard hit by some of these preventable, chronic diseases, which are linked closely to lifestyle—physical activity and diet.
How did you get started?
Back in December I spoke with José Sánchez, the new CEO of Norwegian Hospital, about the idea of [building] a new community garden in one of the vacant lots that the hospital owns. In January, my husband, who is co-leading the garden with me, and I presented the idea to the hospital board, and we got approval for the project from them. We spent the next several months getting everything in place that had to be in place before the garden could be built. The first truckloads of compost came the last weekend of April, and we built about two-thirds of the garden this spring. The rest will be built in the fall.
There are about eighty individual families who have plots of their own, and then there are about ten or so community organizations that are actively involved in the garden. A lot of [these] are focused on food security in the neighborhood, so they're growing produce for food pantries, or they serve [the youth] in the area, so they're getting kids into the garden. All of the families who have plots in the garden are community families, [and] about twenty of [them] are also participating in the pilot research study this summer.
Tell me more about the research component of the garden.
We are examining the potential health benefits of participating in urban community gardening. This summer we are doing a small pilot study looking mostly at dietary intake, physical activity and psychological health.
We recruited several of our families through community organizations, like the Diabetes Empowerment Center, which is also right up the street from the garden. And some of our gardeners recruited themselves—they were interested in the study and wanted to participate.
Because this is a pilot, we're [concentrated] on testing out our assessment tools and our process. We're also hoping to learn more about what a garden-based lifestyle intervention would actually look like. There really isn't anything developed like this currently. The goal of the research is not only to see if participation in community gardening actually does benefit people's health, but also to ultimately design a garden-based lifestyle intervention program that could be implemented in an at risk community. There's a little bit of anecdotal evidence that suggests urban gardening does support healthy lifestyle—increasing physical activity, increasing fruit and vegetable intake. But it really hasn't been well characterized.
What resources are available for the participants, especially those who are first-time gardeners?
We have a nice mix of people who are longtime gardeners and bring a ton of knowledge about gardening to the community [and] some people who have never grown a plant er. To help support that, we're working with two master gardeners through the University of Illinois extension offices. They have drop-in hours that occur three times a week. Right now they're out there helping people plant their crops, helping people learn how to water, how to conserve water, things like that. They're also putting on more formal sessions throughout the summer that focus on a variety of topics like composting, square-foot gardening and organic standards for the garden.
I also tried to mix people up. When I knew that a certain family had a lot of gardening experience, I tried to place them next to a family that didn't have as much experience. The idea is that a lot of the teaching is very informal and can come from just discussions with your plot neighbor.
We're also holding several nutrition education sessions during the next few months, as well as several cooking sessions that will take place when we're a little closer to harvest. These will focus on how to cook with fresh produce at home.
And we're working with Muevete, which is the physical activity programming primarily at the Diabetes Empowerment Center. They're helping us promote physical activity in the garden. We're organizing a bike ride and some other activities to increase awareness [about] why physical activity is important, connect people with neighborhood resources for safe physical activity, and try to form a community of people that can exercise together. And this is all outside of the physical activity that people are getting at the garden. A lot of people were very sore this spring when they were shoveling wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of dirt.
What has the response been so far?
First-year gardens can have a lot of growing pains, but I think ours is beautiful. We've had a lot of help from local businesses that have donated time and materials. We've had a lot of really dedicated families that have been in the garden giving hours of their time. And the hospital has been extremely supportive of the project. I think it took a lot of faith for them to strongly support a new project like this. They're really trying to promote health and wellness in the greater Humboldt Park community, and this is one of the ways they're doing it.
Also, I think there have been a lot of people who have lived next door to each other for ten years who had never met until they came into the garden. Our gardeners are already a really close group of people. We have an active Facebook page; we have an active bulletin board at the garden. Every time I go out there there's something new in the garden that someone has fixed or someone has donated. So I think the response has been overwhelmingly positive. We've also gotten a lot of support from community organizations that would like to use this garden as kind of an extension of the programming that they're already trying to do – programs for kids especially. And that's been really gratifying, to have this as a resource for a lot of these organizations.
Another funny thing about this is that so many people who know of the garden, or who are gardening now, have come up to me and said "You know, I've been thinking about this for a decade," or "We've wanted to have a garden here for so many years and it just hasn't ever happened." So there were a lot of people out there who were looking at this beautiful piece of land for many years and thinking about how wonderful it would be to grow their tomatoes in it, and now they're able to do so.
Do you have any advice for organizations looking to start urban gardens in their own communities?
First of all, my husband and I had never built a garden before. We're gardeners, and we're very familiar with community gardening itself, but in the end we weren't the ones who were designing anything, buying compost, establishing the irrigation system, etc. So [to build this garden] we enlisted the help of experts. Basically, we talked to as many people as possible that had actually gone through the process.
It's definitely something that requires a large group of dedicated individuals in order for it to work and work well. And there certainly are a lot of unforeseen issues that come up when you're trying to do a large project like a community garden. But having flexibility and knowing the end result is going to be really wonderful for the community can take groups a long way.


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Make yourself at home in one of the 67 guestrooms featuring refrigerators. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with bathtubs or showers feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include phones, as well as safes and desks.
Hotel Facilities
Meal options at City Hotel Kaiserhof include a restaurant. Daily breakfast is available for an additional charge. Room service is offered for guest convenience. Public areas of City Hotel Kaiserhof are comfortable and air-conditioned. Our multilingual staff is friendly and professional. Additional services: coffee shop/café, complimentary newspapers in lobby, dry cleaning/laundry service, elevator/lift, express check-in/checkout, laundry facilities, safe-deposit box - front desk and tour assistance. Business & Internet: Guests at City Hotel Kaiserhof can make use of a well-equipped business centre. Internet options at City Hotel Kaiserhof: complimentary wireless Internet access.
Transportation/Parking facilities
Guest parking can be used for an additional fee.
Hotel Services and Facilities
Hotel facilities
- Business Center
- Lounge/Bar
- Parking - Self
- Restaurant
- Internet Access - Free in room
- 24 hour front desk
- Dry cleaning service
- Contactless check-in and check-out are available
- Property is cleaned with disinfectant
- Staff wears personal protective equipment
- Acrylic shield between guests and staff in main contact areas
- Guests are provided with free hand sanitizer
- Social distancing measures are in place
- Property confirms they are implementing enhanced health & safety measures
- Individually-wrapped food options are available
- Individually-wrapped food options are available for breakfast
- Bed sheets and towels are washed at a temperature of at least 60°C/140°F
- Commonly-touched surfaces are cleaned with disinfectant
- Property confirms they are implementing guest safety measures
- Contactless check-out is available
How to bookMaking your reservation in City Hotel Kaiserhof is easy and secure. Simply select your dates of stay and click on the "Check Rates" button to submit the form.
After room types and rates are returned to your screen, you will be able to choose the rate you desire by reading the room information in the center of the screen, then clicking on the "Book Now" button on the right side of the screen. After you have selected your desired room type, you will be taken to a "Complete your booking" form. Then you will need to review the "Details of your stay" and fill in the blanks on the "Guest Details" section. Be sure your name and email address are spelled correctly.
After you fill out all of the needed information, press the "Complete reservation" button. To ensure your security, we use a secure commerce server, which encrypts the credit card number and encodes it into a non-usable form.
Area information
- Frankfurt am Main, Germany (FRA-Frankfurt) - 9.35 mi
- Mannheim, Germany (MHG) - 44.39 mi
- Siegen, Germany (SGE-Siegerland) - 51.64 mi
- Dialog Museum - 2.23 mi
- Museum Judengasse - 3.29 mi
- Cathedral Museum - 3.44 mi
- Dom Museum - 3.44 mi
- Museum for Modern Art - 3.46 mi
- Museum of Modern Art Museum fur Moderne Kunst - 3.46 mi
- Historical Museum - 3.54 mi
- Historical Museum Frankfurt am Main - 3.54 mi


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Vitamin Water for Dogs
America is probably the biggest market for wierd products. This is the latest in a line of many products. Vitamin water for dogs. A California based company is selling this product. The name of the company is called K9 Water Company. The water is offered in four mouth-watering flovors
Announcing the Birth of our son, Nikhil
|Anu and I would like to announce the birth of our son, Nikhil. He was born on the 15th of February. He weighed 8 pounds and has 21 inches tall. He has been doing well so far. Who ever came up with the phrase "Sleeping like a baby", not a parent for sure.
Pepsi Logo - Design and History
Pepsi is one of the world's most famous brands much like its rival Coca Cola. Pepsi Cola was originally called Brad's Drink after its creator, Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist from North Carolina. Pepsi was a carbonated soft drink he created to serve his drugstore's customers. The new name, Pepsi-Cola, was first used on August 28. The Pepsi logo is a simple globe with the Pepsi colors in the background and the word Pepsi in the foreground. Pepsi has changed its logo and its slogans a number of times since its introduction in 1898. The Pepsi slogans through the years are listed below
UPS Logo - Design and History
The UPS logo is one of the most recognized logos in the world. The company along with Fedex has revolutionalized the way in which packages are delivered around the world. UPS has changed its login 4 times in the 96 years of the company's existence.
The new logo was designed by international brand consultancy Future Brand, which has worked with clients such as Walt Disney, GlaxoSmithKline, MSN and British Airways. The logo retains the famous `UPS brown' but replaces the package with a golden arc on top of the shield. The intention is to convey an impression of "freshness and excitement" that reflects the company's new vision of `synchronised commerce'. The new logo draws from the company's history, leverages its brand equity and uses its traditional colours to suggest a company that is thinking ahead and is leading the way in package delivery and other businesses. "The arc at the top and the use of light suggest energy and forward-thinking qualities on a global scale. The redeveloped logo is, in fact, just the cornerstone of the company's reinvigorated visual system.
Dallas Mavericks Logo - Design and History
The Dallas Mavericks are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. For the last decade, they have been one of the most consistent teams in the NBA, having reached the playoffs almost every year. They lost to the Miami Heat in the 2005-2006 playoffs. They are owned by the often controversial Internet billionaire, Mark Cuban. The team has a lot of star power with top players like Dirk Nowitski, Jason Kidd and Josh Howard.
The Dallas Mavericks were admitted into the NBA in 1980-1981. They paid a $12 million entry fee to join the NBA. The team's name came from the 1957-1962 TV western Maverick, as James Garner played the namesake character, and was one of the original team owners.
The Mavericks logo consists of a half-moon and a half-horse placed on a shield. The hair of the horse is nicely arranged to look like a basketball. As with most logos from Texas, the Texas star is seen at the bottom of the logo.
Portland Trailblazers Logo - Design and History
The Portland Trailblzers logo is 10 red and silver lines on a black background between script
Harry Glickman€™s cousin, Frank Glickman, of Boston, Massachusetts, designed the original logo, consisting of a straight up and down pinwheel with black on the top and red on the bottom. It€™s meaning is simple: a modern graphic interpretation of the game of basketball, five players from one side playing against five players from another.
In 1992, the Blazers changed from the lowercase typography to a bold, uppercase typeface, adding a dimension to the word mark and tilting the pinwheel, an affectionate name that evolved with fans and media, forty-five degrees to signify motion of the game.


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Let us build the city of God
"Every political discussion is a question of vision and values," said Councillor Joe Mihevc at Theology on Tap's April event. "You just need to tease these out." He urged his audience to use their faith commitment to transform the world. As a city councillor for the past 15 years, with a PhD in theology and social ethics, he is well placed to discuss this topic.
The challenge, he said, was to build the city of God in today's multicultural and fast-growing city. He went on to outline the five key environmental issues at city hall and his and the city's actions and visions:
Air Quality: "Toronto is one of the worst cities for air quality in North America," he said. He cited the coke plants in the Ohio Valley, our own plants and finally Toronto's cars as the main offenders. Over the next few years, the TTC will start replacing existing buses with diesel-electric hybrid buses. This new engine technology reduces pollutants associated with both smog and greenhouse gases and brings fuel savings of 20% to 30% over the life cycle of the bus.
Garbage: What to do with the garbage we produce? Mihevc listed the steps the city has taken to stream our waste so far: the blue box, reducing the garbage by 30%; the green box, another 30% reduction. The vision: "there is no such thing as garbage – a move to a garbage-less society by the year 2012."
Water: "Canadians are some of the worst users of water in the world," said Mihevc. Since most of our water both comes from and returns to Lake Ontario, he spoke of the importance of disconnecting our downspouts, eliminating the use of pesticides on our lawns and maintaining a greenbelt around the city.
Public Transit: "Just try to take on the car culture," he said ruefully, reviewing his experiences with the St. Clair designated streetcar route issue. Challenges are many, from the gutting of public transit funding during the Harris years, to the growing Toronto population with its increasing demands for oil. His vision included more light-rail trains, bus lanes and efficient building.
Urban sprawl: "The days are gone when we see all high-rises as evil," he said. He spoke of intensifying the population near subway stops and on avenues by building higher buildings, "We just can't continue to expand outward the way we've been doing." That desire for a "first house" should shift to a "first condo."


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Asylum & Human Rights
Brar & Co Solicitors are experts in the areas of asylum law and applications under the European Convention of Human Rights. Our dedicated team will provide you with advice and support to give your case the best possible chance of success.
Asylum is protection given by a country to someone who is fleeing persecution in their own country. If you have claimed asylum in the UK then it is essential that you obtain legal advice as soon as possible as the UK Border Agency attempt to make a decision regarding your application within 30 days, and this does not give you much time to present your case.
If the UK Border Agency accept that you will face persecution on return to your home country then you will be granted Refugee Status. If the UK Border Agency believes that you do not qualify for Refugee Status, but that your human rights will be breached if you are removed from the UK, then you may be granted Humanitarian Protection. If the UK Border Agency believe that you should be allowed to remain in the UK for any other reason then you will be granted Discretionary Leave to Remain.
Asylum Process
After you have claimed asylum you will attend a screening interview with a UK Border Agency caseowner. You will then be provided with a date for a substantive asylum interview, in which you will be asked numerous questions regarding your application. The UK Border Agency will then make a decision regarding the claim, and either grant you some form of leave to remain or they will refuse the application. If the application is refused you will be given a right of appeal. Once you have exhausted all appeal rights the UK Border Agency will expect you to leave the country and they make take action to forcibly remove you.
If you have exhausted all appeal rights and you then receive evidence in support of your claim you can make a fresh claim for asylum. You should obtain legal advice from one of our team regarding the application procedure.
Please note that the asylum process is extremely complex and we advise you to arrange a meeting with one of our team as soon as possible if you have made an application for asylum in the UK, or if you are hoping to make a fresh claim.
Once you have leave to remain in the UK
Brar & Co can assist in applications to bring your family to the UK once you have been granted leave to remain. We can make applications for family reunion and other entry clearance applications in order to reunite you with loved ones.
Our firm also offer expert advice and assistance in making applications for British nationality. Should you require any advice then please do not hesitate to contact our immigration team.
Brar & Co's immigration team can provide advice regarding any immigration application so please do not hesitate to contact us further regarding any immigration matter.


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Roger D. Spealman, PhD, is a professor of psychobiology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School with appointments at Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center and McLean Hospital. He has been an HMS faculty member for more than 35 years and has served in numerous capacities over that period of time. His research focuses on the biological basis and pharmacological and behavioral treatment of substance use disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders, and neurodegenerative disease. A major emphasis of this research is medication discovery and development of novel therapeutic strategies using translational nonhuman primate behavioral and physiological models.
Dr. Spealman is a member of numerous professional organizations and has served on several NIH review, planning and advisory committees. He has served on the Board of Scientific Counselors of NIDA and NIAAA and is a member of the editorial boards of The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, and Biochemical Pharmacology.
PubMed search for Dr. Spealman
Belmont campus - Oaks Building
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Not Now, But in the Coming Years (Fusselman)
Music for Choirs, Submitted Music (2012-present)
Not now, but in the coming years,
It may be in the better land
We'll read the meaning of our tears,
And there, sometime, we'll understand.
We'll catch the broken threads again
And finish what we here began;
Heav'n will the mysteries explain
And then, sometime we'll understand.
Then trust God through all thy days;
Fear not, for he doth hold thy hand;
Though dark thy way, still sing and praise,
Sometime, sometime we'll understand.
We'll learn why clouds instead of sun
Were over many a cherished plan,
Why song has ceased when scarce began,
'Tis there sometime we'll understand.
Why what we long for most of all
Eludes so oft our eager hand,
Why hopes are crushed and castles fall,
Up there, sometime we'll understand.
God knows the way; he holds the key;
He guides us with his unerring hand;
Sometime, with tearless eyes, we'll see,
Yes, there, up there we'll understand
Then trust in God through days'
Fear not, for he doth hold thy hand;
Though dark thy way,
Still sing and praise,
Sometime, sometime we'll understand.
Not now, but in the coming years,
we'll understand, we'll understand
Text: Maxwell N. Cornelius
Music: American Folk Song
Arranged By: Charity Fusselman
Album: Submitted Music (2012-present)
Composition Date: 2013
More Info: CMS 2013


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Two Tone Barrel Wash Bag made from coloured and racing sail cloth in a choice of red, blue, orange, green, yellow, pink and black
For letters or bespoke design requests please contact us.
Size (31cm long x 18cm diameter or 13" x 6")
All products are handmade to order in England. Please allow 21 days for delivery.
(P&P for UK Only).


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We are living and investing in extraordinary times. Investors face a 'perfect storm' of risks which are correlating and affecting markets. The largest headlines are being generated by the movements in energy markets as Brent crude oil has fallen by 45% so far this year in US dollar terms.
Article also available in : English | français
We are living and investing in extraordinary times. Investors face a 'perfect storm' of risks which are correlating and affecting markets. The largest headlines are being generated by the movements in energy markets as Brent crude oil has fallen by 45% so far this year in US dollar terms. The implications of this dramatic fall are many and varied; the most obvious are the benefits for the US consumer and the developed world more broadly. The impact at US gasoline pumps is material and immediate, and should boost consumer spending in due course. A falling oil price also reduces inflationary pressures, and is one of the reasons US bond yields refuse to rise, despite the prospect of stronger growth and higher short-term interest rates next year.
The reduction in inflationary pressure also applies to Europe and Japan, as they rely on energy imports. Both should see benefits in input costs and inflation at the current level of the oil price. For Europe, however, where the ECB is grappling with deflation and its potential consequences, and with borrowing still high, this deflationary shock has come at the wrong time. We shall have to see if this is the catalyst for the introduction of sovereign quantitative easing (QE) in the first quarter of 2015, as the consensus now suggests.
For the emerging markets (EMs), the movement in energy prices is a major challenge, although there are exceptions. The accompanying dollar strength has historically been a headwind for EMs, and the current experience looks no different. The fall in the oil price, whilst of benefit to India, Turkey and other EM energy importers, is a catastrophe for EM oil producers. For Venezuela, where oil comprises 90% of the budget, the market response has been brutal. For Russia, which is also grappling with Western sanctions, the impact on the currency has been extreme and it appears there is no level of interest rates that would steady the rouble. The risk of a financial accident somewhere must be rising, as must the risk of an outbreak in geopolitical tensions. Whether the result is a run on the banking system, or armed response to food shortages, parts of the world are currently under acute pressure. What happens next is very unpredictable.
The fall in the oil price is difficult to fathom. Whilst US shale production has boosted supply, and weaker global growth has moderated demand, the fall in the price has been much greater than might have been expected. Initial theories suggested it was a Saudi Arabian response to increased US production, and an attempt to force the closure of the more expensive and only marginally profitable US wells, thus restoring Saudi Arabia's position as the largest 'swing' producer (i.e. the producer that seeks to balance supply and demand). OPEC is a shadow of its former self, unable or unwilling to reduce production to restore some equilibrium to the oil market. Pressures on producers' budgets are acute at current prices, and the risk must be that they increase production to boost cash revenues even at the current reduced level of the oil price. For resource companies, capital expenditure (capex) programmes have long lead times, so cash flow will start to deteriorate quickly (even for the large firms), and balance sheets and shareholder returns will come under pressure.
Many investors have already felt the impact of the falling oil price. In US high yield, for example, investors have seen the asset class underperform European high yield by over 300bps this year and year-to-date returns are flat whilst other bond markets have been rampant. This is because energy comprises 15% of the US high yield universe and energy companies have been the largest issuers over the last few years. Defaults in this sector will increase sharply if the current oil price persists. Stock-specific risk will also increase.
Returning to the US, it is worth considering whether the weaker oil price is unequivocally good news. Analysis would suggest that oil exploration and production have been big drivers of US capex and employment growth over the last few years, and both are set to fall as oil companies react to a new economic reality. Much has been made of corporate America's competitive advantage derived from the assured supply of cheap energy; this is an investment thesis we may need to reconsider. Let us hope that US consumers continue to spend their gas pump windfall to help keep the economy moving forward.
Where does this leave us from an asset allocation perspective? With powerful deflationary forces at work in the global economy, real yields have started to rise, reflecting falling inflation. Core government bond yields are likely to stay at the lower levels, reflecting lower growth and lower inflation, although they will have to contend with the first rise in US short-term interest rates at some point next year. This anchoring of the yield curve will continue to support higher-yielding assets, although both equity and credit valuations are much less attractive than they were, despite an encouraging corporate environment.
Within equities, we need to reflect on the strong outperformance of the S&P 500, and consider whether the story has now moved on, particularly if we are on the verge of sovereign QE in Europe. EMs remain challenged, both by dollar strength and weak commodity prices, although as ever there will be both winners and losers. Whatever the outcome, it is not an environment in which investors should be too exposed to risk, as events are conspiring to challenge the global economy and financial system. It is going to be a very interesting 2015!
Mark Burgess , December 2014
Article also available in : English | français
'Smart beta' sounds like an oxymoron. How smart can it be to continue using the same strategy in such fickle markets? A portfolio manager calling on all his skills ('alpha') in analysing market environments (the source of 'beta') should be able to outperform an unchanged (...)
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Basic Group Life Insurance Program Features
If your employer participates in the VRS Group Life Insurance Program, you are covered from the first day of employment. Your employer may pay your portion of the premiums.
Eligible Employees
- Full-time permanent, salaried state employees and faculty of Virginia's public colleges and universities. Some part-time permanent, salaried state employees also are covered under the Basic Group Life Insurance Program.
- Full-time permanent, salaried instructional and management employees of the state's local public school divisions. These employees include teachers, school administrators, school managers and clerical staff.
- Full-time permanent, salaried employees of VRS-participating political subdivisions, provided the political subdivision has elected to participate in the Group Life Insurance Program. Political subdivision employees may include school maintenance, janitorial and cafeteria employees and school bus drivers as elected by the school division. Contact your human resource office to find out if you are eligible.
Natural Death Benefit
The benefit amount is equal to your creditable compensation, rounded to the next highest thousand and then doubled.
Example: If your creditable compensation is $41,400, that amount would be rounded to $42,000 and then doubled for a natural death benefit of $84,000.
Accidental Death Benefit
The benefit amount is double the natural death benefit.
Example: If your natural death benefit is $84,000, that amount would be doubled for an accidental death benefit of $168,000.
Accidental Dismemberment Benefit
For the accidental loss of one limb or the sight of one eye, your benefit is equal to your creditable compensation rounded to the next highest thousand. For the accidental loss of two or more limbs, total loss of eyesight or the loss of one limb and one eye, your benefit is equal to your creditable compensation rounded to the next highest thousand and then doubled.
Seatbelt Benefit
If you die or suffer dismemberment in an accident while driving or riding in a private passenger vehicle, your life insurance will pay an additional amount equal to 10% of the accidental death or dismemberment benefit or $50,000, whichever is less. You must have been using a seatbelt. This benefit is not payable if you or another person was driving without a license, under the influence of alcohol or drugs or otherwise impaired.
Repatriation Benefit
If you die in an accident 75 miles or more from your home, your life insurance will pay for the cost of transportation to return your remains to your home, up to $5,000.
Felonious Assault Benefit
Your basic group life insurance coverage provides additional benefits if you die or are dismembered as a result of a felonious assault while performing your job duties. The incident must have occurred at your employer's normal place of business or while you were on work-related travel. No benefit is payable if the assaulter is an immediate family member. Felonious assault benefits include:
- $50,000 or 25% of your accidental death or dismemberment benefit, whichever is less.
- Virginia College Savings Plan account for each qualifying child if the member dies as a result of the assault. The amount is approximately equal to the average cost of four years of tuition and mandatory fees at a public college or university in Virginia. The child may attend any accredited college or university that participates in federal student financial aid programs.
Accelerated Death Benefit
If you are diagnosed with a terminal condition and have fewer than 12 months to live, you can withdraw some or all of your life insurance coverage to use for any purpose. Your beneficiary or survivor will receive any amount remaining in your coverage upon your death.
Additional Information about Your Group Life Insurance
Coverage While on Leave without Pay
If you go on leave without pay or go on military leave, your basic group life insurance coverage will continue for up to 24 months or for as long as you are on military leave, provided the premiums are paid. If you have optional group life insurance, your coverage will continue as long as you pay the premiums and continue to be covered under the basic group life program.
Irrevocable Assignment
You own your rights in your group life insurance coverage. You may transfer your ownership rights to another living person or entity. However, this is an irrevocable assignment; you cannot change it once it is made. Before making an irrevocable assignment, contact a legal advisor or Securian Financial toll-free at 1-800-441-2258 for assistance. Depending on your circumstances, you may want to consider the Accelerated Death Benefit.
Loans Prohibited
You may not borrow from or use your group life insurance coverage to secure a loan.
Imputed Income
Imputed income is the value of life insurance in excess of $50,000, as determined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It is subject to FICA and income taxes and is reflected in the W-2 you receive from your employer. When you retire, VRS will deduct FICA taxes and report taxable or imputed income for as long as your group life insurance coverage exceeds $50,000. For more information, see Insurance in Retirement.
Child Support Liens
The Department of Social Services may file child support liens against proceeds payable under the Group Life Insurance Program. VRS is required to pay life insurance proceeds to the Department of Social Services to satisfy any outstanding child support obligations at your death.


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10 reasons why shredding is important for your business
Shredding provides a secure and efficient way to dispose of documents that are no longer required and which could leave your business vulnerable to a data breach. It is a simple operational process but one that is important for every business for a number of reasons.
- Shredding will save you time. Manually disposing of documents is not effective and can be incredibly time consuming. Shredding is a much more efficient alternative to ripping up or destroying documents by hand.
- Implementing shredding will ensure compliance. Data protection is going up a gear with the introduction of the GDPR and the penalties for not properly handling data – especially sensitive and personal data – are significant. Regular shredding ensures that data protection obligations that relate to destruction of key information are properly discharged.
- A great way to improve green credentials. Shredding makes the process of recycling much easier and introducing it into the business will show customers that your business values environmental concerns.
- Protecting against identify and information theft is becoming increasingly crucial. The average business generates a vast volume of data on paper and this can make it – and the subjects of that data – incredibly vulnerable. All it takes is for one bag of documents to fall into the wrong hands to enable theft of key business information or identity to take place. Shredding ensures that no document leaves the premises in a form that could be used in this way.
- Revealing even basic business data could undermine your business. It's amazing what kind of basic data can be used to obtain a competitive advantage – something as simple as meeting notes, for example, could reveal a lot about internal processes or strategy. Regular shredding of all business documents ensures that you're not simply giving away the kind of information that could give someone else the opportunity to gain an advantage without even trying.
- Shredding supports health and safety concerns. Large piles of paper and boxes full of files are a serious fire hazard, whether they are blocking fire doors or just piled up waiting to be ignited. Shredding ensures that these potential hazards are efficiently removed.
- If you want your business to be more space efficient, shredding is key. Documents gathering dust are never an efficient use of space in an office, especially a small one. Shredding frees up key space for more value adding use and ensures that everything is properly disposed of.
- An essential protection against corporate espionage. From future product plans to investor documents, shredding ensures that key information that could empower a competitor won't fall into the wrong hands.
- Shredding also protects customer data. If you want your customers to trust you then you need to be able to demonstrate that their data is being safely handled.
- Ensuring the right people see the right documents. Information such as staff reviews or potential redundancies can cause a lot of tension in a business and should only be shared with the right people. Shredding these key documents will make sure that they won't be viewed by those who could get upset by them.
On-site shredding is the most effective way to use shredding services – contact us to find out how we could help you.
Author: Mark Coombes, Follow me on Google+


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Places (Churches):
Douglas, Cork (St Luke)
Blackrock, Cork (St Michael)
Frankfield, Cork (Holy Trinity)
Passage West (Marmullane/St Mary)
Use EIRCODE to find us:
Douglas (St Luke): T12 N832
Blackrock (St Michael): T12 KT68
Frankfield (Holy Trinity): T12 WC57
Passage West (Marmullane/St Mary): T12 H903
Canon Packham Hall, Douglas: T12 YK33
Sunday Service Times (Sundays of the month):
08.30 a.m. Blackrock ~ St Michael (every Sunday)
09.45 a.m. Passage West ~ Marmullane/St Mary (every Sunday)
10.00 a.m. Frankfield ~ Holy Trinity (every Sunday)
11.15 a.m. Douglas ~ St Luke (every Sunday)
11.30 a.m. Blackrock ~ St Michael (every Sunday)
Weekday Services:
11.00 a.m. Douglas ~ St Luke (1st Wednesday of the month only)
Holy Days as announced.
Contact details:
Parish Office (Friday morning only)
Telephone: (021) 436 9578
Email: click here
Rector: The Venerable Adrian Wilkinson
Telephone: (021) 489 1539
Email: click here
Curate: The Rev. David Bowles
Telephone: (021) 435 8226
Email: click here


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Maybelline New York's Lip Smooth Color and Care Lip Balm Review
Maybelline New York's Lip Smooth Color and Care
Tinted lip balm from that Maybelline line is my favorite lip balm. Not only cheap, it is really good for me. It is very long lasting, moisturizing, very light feeling, non sticky or oily. I am using my 3rd one now. My favorite flavor is red rose. It gives you tinted red lips but not in very bold red color.
I happened to buy my 1st lip balm from that Maybelline line because one of my best male friend recommended me. It sounds funny.I know 😀 . He uses the white one, which is clear and no color. And I checked it, the price is like 2$(around 70$ Baht, depends on where you buy). So I was like don't loose much to try out while I needed a lip balm.
I really, really love this lip balm. I have tried other flavor; strawberry, tangerine, clear one and other flavor which I forgot the name. I checked the Maybelline Thailand website, it has 6 flavors. I bought all of them and gifted my sister and cousins when I went back home last time. They all love it too and ordering more now.
Unfortunately, these cute little tinted lip balms are only available in Asia. But if you want to try, I can send it for you wherever you are. Lip balm is 2$ and postage fee is 2$. Just let me know by dropping a line.
For formula of the lipbalm, it has Jojoba oil and Sunflower seed oil that helps to repair dry lips. It also contains vitamin E and SPF 16!! That is really awesome. This lip balm really moisturize your lips for hours.
This little cheap lip balm not only protect chapped and dry lips, it also brighten your lips with light color, smooth and refresh your lips for hours, and protect from sun burn.
I usually apply it alone or wear under my liptsick/lip gloss. This is my BFF lip balm now. 😀


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Computer experts and World Cup football organizers have issued a warning about a computer virus spread through fake e-mails. It tells fans they have won tickets to the 2006 tournament in Germany.
The e-mails try to convince recipients to click on an infected attachment containing the virus, Worms--Sober.S, in order to win tickets. Computer users were warned Tuesday to avoid opening attachments coming from senders with addresses such as "ticketfifa.de" or "gewinnfifa.de."
The virus can travel in both English and German language e-mails as a malicious attached file. The e-mail appears credible because it contains correct contact information for FIFA.
It is still unclear what happens when the attachment is opened, but computer security experts believe it has already attacked computers in Germany, Austria, the United States and Switzerland.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.


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2nd Saturday of Prayer, 9 a.m. on Sept. 11 at Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church, 1301 Trap Road in Vienna. A morning of centering prayer will be offered by Contemplative Outreach. These will continue to be held each 2nd Saturday through May 2011. org/events.html or firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Rt. Rev. Michael Creighton, retired Bishop of Central Pennsylvania, will visit St. Francis Episcopal Church, 9220 Georgetown Pike in Great Falls, on Sunday, Sept. 12. Services will be held at 7:45, 9, and 11 a.m. Children's Chapel will be offered during the 9:00 service. The church will also begin the Sunday School year, with classes for children of preschool age through high school held at 10 a.m. During the Sunday School hour, a reception will be held for Bishop Creighton in the parish hall. A ministry fair will also take place, highlighting the education, music, youth activities, and outreach programs. 703-759-2082 or www.stfrancisgreatfalls.org.
Emmaus United Church of Christ, 900 Maple Ave. in Vienna, will hold Friends and family Day 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12. An inspirational service for parents and two hours of fun for children ages 2-12 years old. Face painting, carnival games, and a water relay. email@example.com.
St. John's Episcopal Church, 6715 Georgetown Pike in McLean, Homecoming Sunday Celebration will be Sunday, Sept. 12, after the 10 a.m. service. Food, friends and a moon bounce. Church School registration will also take place. At the picnic on the lawn, Subway sandwiches and beverages will be provided. 703-356-4902 or www.stjohnsmclean.org.
Good Shepherd Preschool, a new outreach ministry of the United Methodist Church of the Good Shepherd, 2351 Hunter Mill Road in Vienna, opens on Sept. 14. The Preschool will be available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Contact 703-281-3987 ext. 18 or www.GoodShepherdVA.com.
Vienna Presbyterian Church, on the corner of Maple Ave. and Park St. in Vienna, will host Passages, for those experiencing the pain of separation or divorce. 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning Sept. 28. Cost of materials is $20, scholarships available. 703-938-9050 or email@example.com.
Epiphany United Methodist Preschool, 1014 Country Club Drive, N.E. in Vienna, is now enrolling 3-4-year-old students for the 2010/2011 school year. Contact 703-938-2391 or www.epiphanypreschool.com.
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Road in Oakton, would like to announce that beginning Sept. 11 they will offer services on Saturdays at 4:30 p.m., in addition to Sunday services at 9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Classes for children and youth begin Sept. 18/19. www.uucf.org.
Vienna Assembly of God has a ministry to children on Wednesdays, 7-8 p.m. at the corner of Center N and Ayr Hill Avenue, N.E. Children's Church on Sundays also available. 703-938-7736 or www.ViennaAG.com.
Vienna Christian Healing Rooms, every Saturday, 1-5 p.m., at 8200 Bell Lane. A team of Christians is available to anyone requesting prayer. Free and open to the public. 703-698-9779 or www.viennachristianhealingrooms.com.
English classes at McLean Baptist Church on Mondays, including beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Advanced electives are Literature, U.S. Government, World Religions, and current events. Free class and registration, but students must buy their own books. 9:30 a.m. at 1367 Chain Bridge Road. 703-356-8080 or www.mcleanbaptist.org.
St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, 1830 Kirby Road in McLean. The third Sunday service every month at 10:15 a.m. allows children to play active roles in the music and as greeters and ushers. Traditional services are every Sunday at 8:15 and 10:15 a.m. Nursery is available at the 10:15 a.m. service. 703-356-7533.
Chesterbrook United Methodist Church is at 1711 Kirby Road, McLean. Worship service is at 11 a.m. Sunday school is at 9:30 a.m. for adults and children. Rev. Kathleene Card, Pastor. 703-356-7100 or www.ChesterbrookUMC.org.
The Jewish Social Services Agency (JSSA) offers a wide variety of support groups for those with emotional, social, and physical challenges. Contact Gary Axelrod, 301-610-8309 or firstname.lastname@example.com, or www.jssa.org.
Charles Wesley and Chesterbrook United Methodist Churches invite the community to a 20-minute weekly service of prayer and Holy Communion in the Charles Wesley sanctuary, 6817 Dean Drive in McLean, at 12 p.m. Thursdays. At the conclusion of the service, there is a time of individual blessing, anointing and healing prayer. 703-356-6336.
HAVEN of Northern Virginia offers a variety of free bereavement support groups, meeting on a weekly basis. Contact 703-941-7000 or www.havenofnova.org for schedules and registration information.
McLean Bible Church Fitness Class at Body & Soul fitness. Balance is key, energy is renewed, strength is gained, and friendships are formed. Mondays 9:15 a.m. and Fridays 9:45 a.m. Childcare is free for registered students. E-mail email@example.com for more information.
Vajrayogini Buddhist Center offers ongoing classes on meditation and Buddhist philosophy, Mondays at 7 p.m. at Unity of Fairfax, 2854 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton. $10 per class. 202-331-2122 or www.meditation-dc.org.
A Centering Prayer Group meets Fridays, 9:30 a.m. at Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church, 1301 Trap Road, Vienna. The hour includes a brief reading related to Centering Prayer, followed by a 20-minute prayer period. E-mail Martha Thomas at email@example.com or call the church at 703-759-3509.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and the Jewish Outreach Institute offer the Mothers/Parents Circle, an umbrella of free educational events and resources. Jewish rituals, ethics and the creation of a Jewish home, regular meetings and group Shabbats and holidays. Participants include Sha'are Shalom, Congregation Beth Emeth, Temple Rodef Shalom and the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia. ShalomDC.org.


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Programs At-A-Glance
The M.A.T. in Adolescence Education (grades 7-12) and the M.S. in Childhood Education (grades 1-6) are Ithaca College's newest graduate programs. Students in both programs have a marked passion for learning and a strong commitment to making a difference in students' lives. They are also motivated and hard working -- fully ready to undertake rigorous coursework and valuable off-campus teaching experiences.
Whether their focus is on the humanities, social sciences, mathematics/science, or elementary education, our students strive to improve the quality of education for all learners.
Program Highlights
- The chance to earn teaching certification and a master's degree in just 13 months. Begin the program one summer and apply for certification and a teaching position the following summer.
- The integration of theory with practice and coursework with field experiences.
- Opportunities to observe, tutor, team-teach, and teach in multiple and diverse settings, including Ithaca-area schools and our partnership schools in Harlem.
- An emphasis on culturally-responsive teaching that supports the personal and academic achievement of all learners.
- The development of future teachers as reflective practitioners and action researchers in their own classrooms.
- The preparation of program graduates who contribute actively to school and community improvement efforts and take leadership roles in our nation's schools.
For more information on each program, please refer to the links on the left of this page.


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If you're not too popular on Facebook or Twitter, you may want to work on that — your future mobility may depend on it. A group of Kansas City teens has created a car that runs on social media updates.
The social media-powered car is the brainchild of Minddrive, a nonprofit that works with at-risk youth to "learn, expand their vision of the future and have a positive influence on urban workforce development." The group routinely has students convert gas-powered cars to electric ones; the social media twist makes things a bit more challenging.
The teens installed a small tablet into the circuitry of a 1967 Karmann Ghia. This tablet monitors the "social watts" derived from Minddrive's YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts and filters the power flow accordingly (for example — a "like" on Instagram equals one social watt; a new Twitter follower equals 5 watts and so on). Users are encouraged to interact with Minddrive's social media accounts to fuel the car from Kansas City to Washington, D.C.
Read more at Yahoo! Autos.
Tracy Clayton is a writer, humorist and blogger from Louisville, Ky.


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Last Thursday, members of the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) voted 96 per cent in favour of accepting the tentative agreement reached between the union and McGill in late February.
AMUSE was accredited in January of 2010, and represents all casual non-academic employees at McGill, many of whom are students or temporary full-time workers.
According to a press release issued by AMUSE on Monday, "the union looks forward to working with the membership to implement the agreement in fairness and to suit the diverse needs of all members."
The agreement, which comes after almost a year of negotiations between the union and the University, includes all six of AMUSE's bargaining priorities, including fair wage increases, priority for AMUSE members for contract renewals and promotions, paid overtime, and paid sick leave.
The agreement will last three years, and ends in 2015.
According to AMUSE President Jaime Maclean, "it was a really basic agreement, our first collective agreement, so there's not a lot to take issue with."
However, she added that "there are certain concerns that we will be keeping in mind for the next time we negotiate."
Farid Attar Rifai, former president of AMUSE, has been a member of the AMUSE bargaining team since before the union entered negotiations with McGill in March 2011.
Although "not very many people" came out to the ratification vote, Attar Rifai explained that "I think it does reflect the general sentiments of casual workers."
Under Quebec Labour Law, there is no quorum for ratification votes.
The union's new agreement defines the salary structure for casual employees into three groups, of which most students working part-time will fall into the "all other casual employees" group.
These employees will be divided into three classes – A, B, and C – depending on their job requirements and expertise, receiving minimum rates of pay of $10, $11, and $12 per hour respectively.
"There will be no improvements on the collective agreement, it's set in stone so to speak," Rifai Attar explained. "The task of the executives and stewards of AMUSE right now is to ensure compliance from the managers – it's a huge change and there's going to be overhaul in the way a lot of departments manage casual workers."
"You can't go wrong with the current situation, because there's a lack of uniform policy at McGill, a lack of sometimes basic right," he added. "The fact that we were able to put into wording things that were informally given in some departments…was a good thing for a lot of the casuals."


text: Time Bound It helps to have an eLearning course have a schedule and fixed timelines. It ensures that learners do not push learning session to next date but keep up the momentum. Include powerful headlines Grab attention with powerful headlines which force students to dig into the content. Express your feelings through the headlines and pick impactful words to pass on your emotions. To create powerful headlines you need to include three attention-grabbing elements: Curiosity Benefit Solution Discussion Board Discussion boards can be created for collaborative learning experience similar…Read More


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In re Activision Blizzard, Inc. Stockholder Litigation, Delaware Court of Chancery
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. announced $275 million settlement of claims against Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (the "Company"), Brain G. Kelly, Co-Chairman of the Company, Vivendi, S.A. and other defendants, stemming from a transaction, announced in July 2013, in which the Company and an entity controlled by Kotick and Kelly purchased over 50% of the Company's outstanding stock from Vivendi. In addition, the settlement provides for the addition of two independent directors to the Company's board and limitations on Kotick's and Kelly's voting power. The settlement is the largest derivative settlement in the history of the Delaware Court of Chancery and the largest cash derivative settlement in the country. The settlement is subject to approval of the Delaware Chancery Court.
Please email firstname.lastname@example.com for additional information or call our offices at (212) 308-5858.
Click here to view a copy of the Verified Fifth Amended Class and Derivative Complaint.
Click here to view a copy of the Stipulation of Settlement.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.