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Moments ago Fed vice-chair Janet Yellen released a speech titled: "A Painfully Slow Recovery for America's Workers: Causes, Implications, and the Federal Reserve's Response." In it, Yellen finally revealed she is on the path to realizing the it is none other than the Fed's own actions that have broken the economic "virtuous cycle", and that Okun's Law - the bedrock behind the Fed's flawed philosophy of assuming more debt -> more GDP -> more jobs, is no longer relevant in the broken "New Normal." In other words, Yellen finally starts to grasp what Zero Hedge readers knew a year ago, when they read, "JP Morgan Finds Obama, And US Central Planning, Has Broken The Economic "Virtuous Cycle."
Some excerpts:
The unemployment rate now stands at 7.9 percent. To put this number in perspective, while that's a big improvement from the 10 percent reached in late 2009, it is now higher than unemployment ever got in the 24 years before the Great Recession.
This is misleading, as the unemployment rate now would be the same or higher than it was in 2009, if the labor force participation rate had been constant.
the government's current estimate of 12 million unemployed doesn't include 800,000 discouraged workers who say they have given up looking for work. And 8 million people, or 5.6 percent of the workforce, say they are working part time even though they would prefer a full-time job. A broader measure of underemployment that includes these and other potential workers stands at 14.4 percent.
In other words, the Fed is just about 2 years behind Zero Hedge, which penned in December 2010: "Charting America's Transformation To A Part-Time Worker Society, Following 6 Straight Months Of Full Time Job Declines." But better late then never.
As for the piece de resistance:
The greater amount of permanent job loss seen in the recent recession also suggests that there might have been an increase in the degree of mismatch between the skills possessed by the unemployed and those demanded by employers. This possibility and the unprecedented level and persistence of long-term unemployment in this recovery have prompted some to ask whether a significant share of unemployment since the recession is due to structural problems in labor markets and not simply a cyclical shortfall in aggregate demand. This question is important for anyone committed to the goal of maximum employment, because it implicitly asks whether the best we can hope for, even in a healthy economy, is an unemployment rate significantly higher than what has been achieved in the past.... If the current, elevated rate of unemployment is largely cyclical, then the straightforward solution is to take action to raise aggregate demand. If unemployment is instead substantially structural, some worry that attempts to raise aggregate demand will have little effect on unemployment and serve only to stoke inflation.
Sadly, it appears that the Fed is still at best two years behind on its Zero Hedge reading. Because if they had paid attention to economic data just a few days ago, when the BLS itself revealed that unit labor costs soared in Q4 by a blistering 4.5%, all those screaming about "economic slack" in the economy would have suddenly shut up, as this implies there is far, far less slack than previously suggested, and in fact, there is no slack at the current unemployment rate of mid 7%. It also explicitly confirms that the unemployment situation is indeed structural. Which is terrifying news for the US, because the old Fed normal of a 5% unemployment will never again be reached, and as a result the Fed will continue monetizing MBS and TSYs at a pace of $85 billion per month in perpetuity, leading to no unemployment gains once the structural barrier is hit, and converting all the excess liquidity into inflation. It also means QE4EVA for a long, long, long time.
But the worst news, is that once more the Fed is completely oblivious that it itself is the reason for the fact that the "virtuous cycle" is now impossible, as it is the Fed who has made an artificial construct of the entire economy, which like the market, and the record Russell 2000 have no idea how to even operate unless the Fed injects some $1 trillion into risk assets via the Primary Dealers each year.
And just to help our friends at the Fed along, here is our, and JP Morgan's, explanation how the Fed itself was instrumental in breaking the economy, from March of last year.
JP Morgan Finds Obama, And US Central Planning, Has Broken The Economic "Virtuous Cycle"
In the last few months we have presented various analyses, both ours and those of Goldman and even Jon Hilsenrath, on why one of the core economic empirical relationships: Okun's law, is now broken. Subsequently we presented another parallel line of inquiry - namely that in order to preserve the illusion of a recovery, the Obama administration (with help from the Fed) has engaged in a quality-for-quantity job transfer, where America is creating increasingly more jobs of lower quality (the bulk of which are part-time), which in turn is leading to less proportional personal income tax revenues, and thus to a secular shift in an indicator which is even more important for US economic growth than simply the number of jobs "gained" each month - labor productivity. Today, JPM's Michael Feroli ties these two perspectives together in an analysis that has extremely damning implications for the US, and global, economic growth prospects. In a nutshell, Feroli finds that "Productivity, which used to be procyclical, has now turned countercyclical" which in turn means that "if labor is no longer a quasi-fixed factor of production this may eliminate one type of non-convexity in production, thereby reducing the likelihood that the economy has multiple equilibria and is subject to self-fulfilling prophecies" or said somewhat simpler: "the conditions for self-fulfilling prophesies in the macroeconomy may no longer exist." Still confused: central planning, and the Obama vote grab has killed the "virtuous cycle"... Which in turn means that everything America is trying to accomplish is now a lost cause, as every incremental dollar spent, whether by fiscal and monetary policy, is pursuing an outcome that is now theoretically and practically impossible to achieve!
Congratulations central planning - you have just blown your own head off in the latest epic Catch 22. Because this time is never different.
Feroli lays out the Okun problem quite simply:
Not too long ago Okun's Law was somewhat obscure, familiar mostly only to economists. Recently, however, given the big move down in the unemployment rate, this empirical relationship has earned wider interest among financial and public policy audiences. The decline in the unemployment rate experienced over the past year is in apparent violation of Okun's Law, which links changes in the unemployment rate to changes in GDP. What is curious is that two years ago Okun's Law presented a similar puzzle but with the opposite sign: the rise in the unemployment rate experienced in 2008 and 2009 was in excess of what would have been expected by Okun's Law given the GDP growth shortfall.
Okun's Law holds that to reduce the unemployment rate down by one percentage point over the course of a year then GDP growth should be about 2%-pts faster than its long-run trend growth. With most estimates of trend growth in the neighborhood of 2.5%, this implies that it takes growth of about 4.5% for a year to lower the unemployment rate by one percentage point. In the year ending in December, the unemployment rate fell by almost a percentage point, a period in which growth was only 1.6%— not only not significantly above trend, but not above trend at all. To understand this violation of Okun's Law, we return to Okun's original analysis of the issue.
One of the bedrock relations of macroeconomics, even more fundamental than Okun's Law, is that aggregate GDP (which we label Y) can be represented as function of the amount of capital (K) and labor (L) used to produce output, along with the overall level of technical progress (A) made in using capital and labor. More specifically, the relation Y=A*K1/3*L2/3 seems to describe US production fairly well. This means that a 1% increase in labor input will raise GDP by 2/3%-pt. If the size of the labor force is constant then a 1%-pt drop in the unemployment rate should increase labor input used in aggregate production by 1/(1-u)%, where u is the unemployment rate. This implies that holding all else equal, a 1%-pt drop in the unemployment rate should increase GDP by about 1/(1-.083)*(2/3)=0.7%, a number well below the 2% boost implied by Okun's Law. The apparent disparity is resolved by the fact that all else is usually not equal: declines in the unemployment rate tend to be correlated with (1) increases in the average workweek, (2) increases in labor force participation rates, and (3) increases in average labor productivity.
Feroli on the labor force participation rate wildcard - nothing but an optical scam to fool the general peasantry into believing that the unemployment rate is dropping, when in reality we are having a historical economic transformation of unprecedented proportions. And call it lost productivity, or a quality outflow of jobs, end result is the same:
The breakdown of correlation (2) has received the most attention recently: instead of increasing, the labor force participation rate has declined even as the unemployment rate has declined. However, Okun himself realized that the correlation of labor usage and productivity was historically the most important reason that the Okun coefficient was so large. The fact that this correlation has gone the "wrong" way over the past few years can explain both why unemployment increased more than Okun's Law would have predicted in 2008-2009 and why unemployment has come down so much recently. In fact, if the correlation between productivity growth and changes in the unemployment rate that prevailed between 1947 and 1984 held last year, then the decline in unemployment we have witnessed would have been accompanied by GDP growth of around 4.1%, and there would be little left to explain.
Output—GDP—equals productivity, or output per hour, times hours worked. As we noted above, growth in productivity, or correlation (3) listed above, has been weaker than what would have been expected given the decline in unemployment. However, the growth in hours worked has been only a little weaker than what would be expected. Although the labor force participation rate, correlation (2), is weaker than what one would have expected given the decline in unemployment, the average workweek, correlation (1), is stronger than what would have been expected. On net, hours worked have not behaved too abnormally given the decline in unemployment—productivity has.
A historic secular shift: productivity - a core component of GDP, is no longer procyclical.
For most of the postwar period productivity was significantly accelerating in booms and slowing in downturns. The most common explanation for this relates to labor market frictions that make labor a quasi-fixed factor of production. For example, if union contracts stipulate a certain level of employment, then in a downturn less output is spread over the same labor "overhead," reducing productivity; the opposite happens in a boom.
A variety of micro- and macroeconomic evidence suggests that labor market frictions have declined in recent decades, which can be seen less formally in the rise of temp help employment, the decline of unionization, the rise of internet job search, etc. These factors have made labor more of a variable factor of production, rather than a quas-fixed factor of production that is adjusted only occasionally. This trend has likely led to the end of procyclical productivity. Moreover, this trend is not going away, and so we should not expect the old macroeconomic regularities to reassert themselves.
The conclusion is staggering - everything we know about the economic virtuous cycle is now irrelevant!
The new pattern of productivity growth—no longer cyclical with respect to output and countercyclical with respect to employment—has several important implications. For one, we may continue to see the unemployment rate drop more than Okun's Law implies. Another implication is that the labor share is no longer countercyclical. This also means that profits will be less correlated with improvements in the labor market.
A final, somewhat technical, implication is that the conditions for self-fulfilling prophesies in the macroeconomy may no longer exist. The idea that there could exist virtuous/vicious circles between real economic outcomes and confidence (or asset prices, effectively the same thing) was first formally advanced by David Cass and Carl Shell. They referred to these virtuous/vicious circles as "sunspot equilibria;" George Soros dubbed the property "reflexivity." Subsequent applied macroeconomists appealed to the procyclicality of productivity as evidence of the type of increasing returns to production sufficient to generate confidence feedback loops. If labor is no longer a quasi-fixed factor of production this may eliminate one type of non-convexity in production, thereby reducing the likelihood that the economy has multiple equilibria and is subject to self-fulfilling prophecies. While it is hard to say much definitively, it is interesting to observe that over the last two years the economy has been subject to large swings in investor sentiment and asset prices, and yet actual growth outcomes have been remarkably stable.
And there are those who wonder why we detest "central planned" attempts to attain a fake equilibrium more than anything. Luckily, now that the core driver of economic growth has failed just so a centrally planned administration can get 4 more years of "hope and change" it won't be much longer until the wheels finally and terminaly fall off the centrally panned bus tour.


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DxO Optics Pro made its name with its automatic lens correction profiles, but it has evolved into a powerful and effective RAW conversion tool too. And part of its success lies in the DxO Smart Lighting' technology, which recovers blocked-in shadow detail to reveal a full range of tones in your pictures.
But it's not always been easy to get to grips with, so it was a relief when DxO introduced new algorithms and simplified controls in DxO Optics Pro 8. But even in version 9, the latest, DxO still offers the choice of reverting to the 'old' and more complicated version 7 Smart Lighting controls.
Now I must admit I've found the 'new' DxO Smart Lighting slightly disappointing in ways I can't quite put my finger on… until now.
I decided to run some simple tests on one of my RAW files to see what the differences actually were, whether version 7 Smart Lighting still has something to offer and why it's still there.
01 Slight adjustment
The issue with my picture is that the front of the cottage is in quite deep darkness, but I also want to preserve the rich, indigo sky. It's a prime candidate for DxO Smart Lighting.
I'll start with a Slight adjustment with version 9 Smart Lighting. In DxO Optics Pro 9, the controls are much simpler. A single 'Intensity' slider controls the strength of the effect and choosing Slight from the pop-up menu places the Intensity value at 50. It's lifted the tones in the front of the cottage a little, but it's not enough.
In version 7 Smart Lighting, the choices are more complex. When you choose 'Slight' from the Correction menu, the software (as far as I can tell) uses its least aggressive correction algorithm, and the Intensity slider directly below is specifically for this algorithm. In any event, the default Slight setting sets the Intensity to 70 and provides a stronger correction than the version 9 tool. However, you can see from the sky tones and the histogram that it's 'stealing' some of the sky tones too. It's not just applying a shadow adjustment – it's introducing an overall brightness adjustment too.
02 Medium adjustment
Version 9 Smart Lighting sets the Intensity value to 100 for its Medium adjustment, and this is looking much more effective. The picture is still quite dark, but that's in keeping with the subject. The front of the cottage is now more clearly defined, but the sky hasn't lost its richness. There is a hint of 'flatness' about this rendition, though.
Version 7 Smart Lighting produces a very different result. Here, when I change the Correction setting to Medium, it looks like it swaps to a different algorithm. The default Intensity value is still 70, but the correction method is stronger. This picture is punchy and little more natural looking, but while the software has boosted the darker tones very well, it's applied an overall brightening effect that's taken some of the colour out of the sky.

subset: commoncrawl


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Category Listings:
There are 1372 Listings in this Category.Add your own user profile!
Alte Leipziger Lebensversicherung a.G.www.alte-leipziger.de
Monitoring of HP-UX,AIX,SUN,OS/390 and EMC2 Hosts, much application-monitoring done with shellscripts, Notifications by Mail and SMS
Amblit Technologieswww.amblit.com
Not included in the above, we also do remote monitoring of several other small business server complexes since they run our systems.
AME Aigner Media & Entertainment GmbHame.de
Monitoring of internal infrastructure and infrastructure of customers via public Internet or VPN tunnels. LDAP integration for web-authorization.
Applied Innovationswww.appliedi.net
We monitor our hosting network, wireless network, backbone network, and various Internet hosts, and use ntray to provide quick notifications to our desktops.
A very handy piece of software - absolutly invaluable to us.
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text: Plunging Canadian Dollar Sends U.S. Studios North of the Border With Pilots 12:03 PM PST 2/27/2015 by Etan Vlessing FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME AP Images Vancouver Canada - H 2015 Soundstages in Hollywood North are filling with Fox's 'Minority Report,' ABC dramedy 'Mix' and NBC's 'Warrior.' Pilot production in Canada has picked up after the plunging Canadian dollar added to the cost savings for U.S. producers shooting north of the border. Eight pilots are currently shooting in Toronto and Vancouver, led by primetime contenders such as the ABC dramedy Mix, the CBS comedy Taxi 22, Fox's movie-to-TV pilot Minority Report and NBC's martial arts drama pilot Warrior from David DiGilio (Crossbones). CW, which routinely shoots pilots and series in Canada, is this year bringing the Dead People pilot, from Californication creator Tom Kapinos and executive producer J.J. Abrams, to Vancouver, and shooting the procedural Cheerleader Death Squad, from Desperate Housewives' Marc Cherry and Under the Dome's Neil Baer, in Toronto. CBS Studios is shooting Tad Quill's Taxi 22, about a misanthropic and politically incorrect New York City cab driver, in Toronto. Falling oil prices drawing the Canadian dollar under 80 cents in value to the American greenback has the major studios factoring in added currency savings on top of tax credits and local on-set talent when weighing whether to shoot in Canada. Also headed to Toronto is NBC's sequel Minority Report from Amblin Television, Paramount Television and 20th Century Fox Television, and the network's Warrior pilot from Universal Television. Other Vancouver shoots: TNT's supernatural drama Breed, set in the Pacific Northwest, ABC's Jenna Bans thriller with the working title Flesh and Blood and the family dramedy Mix from Warner Bros. TV and Rashida Jones and Will McCormack's Le Train Train shingle. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Etan Vlessing email@example.com @thr


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HHS Summer School pre-registration for current high school students will open March 6th at 6pm. Find course offerings, registration process, and other information at www.district158.org/summer-school/high-school.
Please note: Summer school runs Monday – Friday this year.
Due to limited seats, summer school will not be offered to incoming freshmen.
Information for elementary and middle school programs is available at www.district158.org/summer-school.


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Hiya! Can you share the GPS coordinate of this secret beach? 😉
Christmas in Khor Fakkan
Our Christmas weekend was of a different kind: we decided to celebrate the occasion in Khor Fakkan, swimming, diving, wake-boarding, water sliding and having fun. We started by a small tour to what is known by Sandy Beach which was supposed to be our camping spot. However, the site was very crowded and windy that we let our passion for offroad get the best of us and decided to take on a short bumpy road to a beautiful untouched beach with clear water and white sand. Upon our arrival, we got acquainted with some Russian fellows stuck in the sand. All help was offered and they were cleared out after spending their day stuck on the beach.
Our night began with lighting the bonfire as the temperature was decreasing and the weather changed from chilly to cold.
"Our initial camping spot at the shores of Sandy Beach was over crowded"
"An overview of our not-so-secret-anymore beach camping location"
"Now it's accessible by a 4×4, yet due to rain the route became steep"
"Beach touch down!"
"Mission: Rescue Mother Russia"
After setting up we prepared for our night dive. Unfortunately, my friends diving boat ran into problem. Nothing that couldn't be fixed in a hour time. I was lucky to watch and learn a few tricks and tips when handling minor technical issues at sea. Once back on track we blindly jumped into the dark cold water. Luckily we had on 7mm diving suits that broke down the cold. Diving at night is a whole different experience. You get the chance to come closer to fish as they sleep and enjoy the calm underwater life as your breath is the only thing you can hear. After the dive, we went back to shore to have a delicious hot BBQ.
"It's amazing what you can learn when desperate to go diving,
we tried everything until we got the boat running again!"
"Filming underwater at night is not as entertaining when you check your footage the next day
and find out its mostly black"
"The funny thing about diving at night is that the fish are asleep.
You can get really close to them without them swimming away!"
The next day was the most fun of all. After a healthy breakfast of our famous foul and scrambled eggs, we all took the boat for a two hour trip of pure energy and laughter. My activity session started with some wake board action. The weather was amazing and the wind was so refreshing. Although this sports is tiring, it makes you feel as if you are walking or more accurately running on water.
"No adventure is complete without our signature meals of scrambled eggs, chickpeas and beans,
and the famous Barata and Nutella :)"
"While others were having their breakfast, other decided to be healthy and climb the mountain for a morning hike!"
"Sea creatures invading the shores, watch out!"
"Well, I can never complete an adventure without my signature jump pose!"
"Starting the next day with some wake boarding activity, so refreshing"
The biggest surprise yet was when Santa decided to make an early unexpected visit to the shores of Khorfakan lol on a special kind of sledge: the water donut! The water donut the ride was not easy and Santa went flying on every turn. However, all this fun wouldn't have been possible without my good friends.. Our trip back to Dubai was smooth as the newly introduced highway crossing the mountains of Massafi made it very easy. I was home in no time and was very pleased to go back to my warm bed.
Here are some more photos from our trip, hope you like them!
"Ahmed, the man behind the lens"
"Santa lost his ride"
You can check out Nomad Santa's action on this link herewith:
"The dream team decided to go for a ride"
"Up close and personal haha"
"The light weight team, Ahmed and my self decided to test our boundaries!"
"We soon discovered how to fly!"
"Unfortunately we didn't discover how to land!"
"The ladies wanted in on the action too"
"And just before the day ended, we had to say good bye to our friends undersea :)"
"We had such an adventurous day that Ahmed was hiding to avoid returning home, Peek-A-Boo we see you!"
If you want to go diving and you're low on gear you can rent some from Al Boom Diving Center.
The staff there are friendly and are experts in their field.
I rented a 7mm wet suit for AED 30 a day. Rented out in the afternoon and returned the next day.
It kept me warm and I wasn't bothered by the cold water at night.
I did also rented Technisub Lumen X4 torch for my night dive however wasn't happy with its performance.
In the dark nothing beats the LED! The Lumens X4 comes covered in polymer over-molded rubber, batteries required are 4 C-size elements with power only 110 Lumens. Battery lasts over 6 hours. Dimensions: 60 x 165 mm. Water buoyancy negative. Operating depth to 120 m.
Comes with a mechanical switch slide and a safety lock
Earlier to my trip I had borrow the Scuba Pro Nova Light 230 and I can say it helped turn our underwater dark night into day light!
The Nova Light 230 got its name from the 230 lumens (6,000 Kelvin) and is equipped with a five-watt LED. According to SCUBAPRO it has a luminous period between 18 to 20 hours. The approved depth limit is 120 meters. The torch requires three standard C-cell batteries. The estimated life of the LED bulb is 100,000 hours. The lamp is made of a sturdy and durable aluminum enclosure. With a size of 24.5 cm it should fit in any BCD pocket. The weight is 140 grams. According SCUBAPRO the Nova Light 230 is suitable as a primary torch as a backup for technical divers.
If you're looking to buy either torch for your night dive you can find:
– Technisub Lumen X4 at Al Boom Diving Center
– Scuba Pro Nova Light 230 at GoSport Retail
(Depending on stock and date of purchase you might find the newer versions of these series)
Have a safe adventurous dive, stay tuned!


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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Vice President Joe Biden is criticizing Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for proposing policies that Biden says wold cut taxes for millionaires and raise them for middle-class families.
By comparison, Biden says President Barack Obama's plan asks the wealthy to pay only a little bit more in taxes.
Romney's campaign has said claims by Obama's campaign about Romney's tax plan are false.
Biden told about 1,000 supporters in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday that he doesn't understand how Romney can justify raising taxes on the middle class.
Separately, Biden said he expects Obama to be re-elected because he will win North Carolina for a second time.
Biden was scheduled to campaign later Tuesday in Asheville, N.C.
Source: The Associated Press


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Daily Mail message boards: the birth of Jesus
Two thousand and nine years ago, the Daily Mail printed a story about the birth of a boy in the Middle East. Here are the top rated comments underneath the article:
As someone who has been in the B&B business for thirty years I can understand why nobody wanted to give those two a room. It's their own fault for not booking ahead.
Pat, Londinium.
Mary's the same age as my daughter and she's already had a husband and a lover. Yet we can't call them paedos as it's not POLITICALLY CORRECT.
Cassivellaunus, Dubris, BRITAIN not England.
I hate the trend of people giving their children fancy names. What's wrong with good old-fashioned British ones?
Kai, Powys.
Now they're whining that Herod's trying to kill them. I smell an ASYLUM claim in the making. No doubt Britain will let them in because what we really need more of are teenage Mums and penniless carpenters. Thank you Caesar!
Daffyd, Kernow.
You couldn't make it up- now we have to change our calendars because of this boy. It will all be BC and AD from now on.
Bronwin, Wheathampstead.
If he's the son of God then why are taxpayers footing the bill?
Evans, Gwent.
Apparently he's the centre of some dodgy Middle Eastern religion. I've read about it and it is totally inimical to British values. Not that this bothers our rulers.
Celtpatriot, Britain.
And the worst rated comment…
You never know, he might make something of himself.
Joseph, Arimathea.
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Filed in: Humour


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In honor of International Survivors of Suicide Day and in memory of the thousands of Floridians that die by suicide annually, CCHR is hosting an open house.
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit mental health watchdog organization that works to enact consumer protections, is hosting a month long open house to raise awareness on the connection between psychiatric drugs and suicidal ideation.
November 17th, 2018 is observed as International Survivors of Suicide Day and in memory of the thousands of Floridians that die by suicide annually, CCHR is hosting a month long open house. Anyone wanting to learn more about the role psychiatric drug side effects may play in suicide deaths is invited to visit the CCHR Florida headquarters located at 109 N. Fort Harrison Avenue in downtown Clearwater.
Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in Florida with 3,122 people taking their lives in 2016 according to the 2017 Annual Report from the Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council. Over twice as many people die by suicide in Florida annually than by homicide and in 2010 suicide cost Florida a total of $2,841,739,000 of combined lifetime medical and work loss cost an average of $1,018,910 per suicide death. [1] [2]
Proving that the suicide prevention measures being taken are not working, the rate of people committing suicide has continued to climb despite enacting both national and state level plans as early as the year 2001 to address the increasing number of suicide deaths. A leading cause for this failure may be due to the fact that suicide prevention initiatives and actions revolve around increased access to mental health programs, which rely heavily on the prescription of psychiatric drugs.
"It is know that these drugs come with side effects that may include suicidal ideation and completed suicide yet the public information campaigns fail to make the connection between these drugs and suicides known," stated the president of the Florida chapter of CCHR, Diane Stein. "If our policy makers continue to ignore the fact that the psychiatric drugs being used to prevent suicides are instead part of the problem more people will needlessly die."
Fourteen years after the FDA issued a warning that children and teenagers who were taking antidepressants might have increased suicidal thoughts and behavior, not only is the suicide rate increasing but also one in ten people ages 12 and older are taking an antidepressant in the United States. The FDA warning was issued as a result of studies, which demonstrated that children and teenagers who take antidepressants were nearly twice as likely to think about, actually attempt or commit suicide. Yet while suicide rates for adolescent boys and girls have been steadily rising since 2007, over 2.1 million children 17 years of age and younger are taking antidepressants in the United States. [3] [4]
These alarming statistics and trends prompted CCHR to host the open house, which runs daily during the month of November. To learn more, please call 727-442-8820 or visit www.cchrflorida.org.
About CCHR: Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, CCHR's mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections. L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, first brought psychiatric imprisonment to wide public notice: "Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the 'free world' tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of 'mental health,'" he wrote in March 1969. For more information visit, www.cchrflorida.org
[3] Do Antidepressants Increase Suicide Attempts? Do They Have Other Risks?
[3] Suicide Rates For Teen Boys And Girls Are Climbing
[4] Number of Children & Adolescents Taking Psychiatric Drugs in the U.S.


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I've recently had many conversations related to developer productivity. In order for a developer to be productive, he must have control over enough of the application lifecycle to complete his work. When a developer gets stuck at any point in the application lifecycle, his productivity drops, which can often reduce morale too. One question I've… Continue reading
Posts tagged productivity
PHP CodeSniffer and Mess Detecter in Netbeans
Code quality and structure becomes extremely significant as the number of developers on a project increases. It can also be helpful when the code is maintained or refactored infrequently. In both cases, it can reduce the time required to get your head back in the code. Today I found a plugin for Netbeans that uses… Continue reading →
Wicket + GAE automatic reload
One disappointment of developing for Wicket and Google App Engine (GAE) is that the automatic monitoring and reloading of modified HTML files didn't work. It had something to do with the single threaded nature of the GAE platform. I had found a few previous efforts to make this work, but none of them worked with… Continue reading →
Software licensing: The value of good books
I have a large budget for books (but thanks to Amazon it doesn't have to be as big as it could be). Sure it's true that most of the information in programming books is online and available for free. There may even be substance to the argument that most books are out of date as… Continue reading →


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Our Organ
E. & G.G. Hook Organ, Opus 254- 1859
The organ was originally installed in the Church of the Unity on West Newton Street, Boston, in 1859. After this building was demolished in the 1890s, the organ was moved to Zion Lutheran Church, also on West Newton Street. When this congregation relocated to a new building in the 1950s, the old building was conveyed to All Saints Lutheran Church, which worshipped there until it disbanded in the 1970s. The organ was removed and placed into storage - the building was later renovated and became the Villa Victoria Center for the Arts. In 1982, the organ was moved to its current location at Holy Trinity.
Originally the organ had no casework or facade. Those were added when the organ was moved ca. 1896-98 by Geo. S. Hutchings. The Great to Pedal coupler is on a reversible foot lever that is not original. The Swell to Pedal coupler took the place of the original Great to Pedal drawknob. The organ was removed from its second home in 1979 by the Andover Organ Co. and placed in storage pending finding a home in another Boston-area church. It was removed from storage in Jan. 1982 with restoration and installation continuing through November. The front of the swellbox was fitted with a larger set of expression louvers to replace the originals which were not enlarged when the Swell was expanded to full-compass in 1870 by the original builder in its original home. The organ was dedicated in its new (3rd) home on November 21, 1982 by Stephen E. Long.
Stop List:
E. & G.G. Hook Opus 254, 1859 Great: unenclosed 8' Open Diapason 8' Melodia (TF) 39 pipes 8' Stopped Diapason Bass 17 pipes 4' Principal 2 2/3' Twelfth 2' Fifteenth II Sesquialtera 112 pipes II Mixture 112 pipes 8' Trumpet Swell: enclosed 16' Bourdon 8' Open Diapason 8' Keraulophon 8' Stopped Diapason 4' Principal 4' Violin 2' Fifteenth II Dulciana Cornet 112 pipes 8' Trumpet 56 pipes 8' Hautboy (TC-44 pipes) 8' Vox Humana 56 pipes Choir: unenclosed 8' Open Diapason 44 pipes 8' Viol d'amour 56 pipes 8' Dulciana 44 pipes 8' Clarabella (TC- 32 pipes) 8' Stopped Diapason treble (TC- 44) 8' Stopped Diapason bass 12 pipes 4' Celestina 4' Flute a'cheminee 8' Clarionet (TC-44) Pedal: 16' Double Open Diapason (27 pipes on all stops) 16' Double Stopped Diapason 8' Violincello Couplers: SW/GT SW/CH CH/GT (sub-octave) GT/PED (Hitchdown) SW/PED CH/PED


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Hand Painted Pink Leopard Madhatter
This hand painted leopard print cake is my first attempt at the tapered madhatter/topsy turvy done so amazingly well by Planet Cake here in Sydney. I've always admired their incredible shape and wanted to try one, so here's my effort. It covered surprisingly easily and I actually can't wait to try another, perhaps on an even more extreme angle. The painting was very relaxing and much appreciated at the end of a long and stressful week. The bow is the Super Fast Bow that I have in my notes section on my facebook page
And the tutorial for the Hand Painted Leopard print is here
Thanks for looking :) x
birthday 21st leopard leopard print hot pink bow bling diamonties madhatter topsy turvy
That is awesome Rae I love it. This is what you were doing up at 3am still doing. You did a fantastic job.
haha! Thanks Tina…I actually finished it a 5am grooooaaaan! It was quite relaxing…might do what Wayne suggested next time and have a glass of red while I do it ;) xx
Love the leopard print, beautiful!!!
Thanks so much Ana :) xx
oh my gosh rae 5AM!!! i got to bed at 3:30am then back up at 7am to photgraphy my cake/cupcakes at sunrise, then i went back to bed again lol. If i didnt have so many kitchen cakes to make aswell as the two wedding cakes it wouldnt have been so bad. lesson learnt!!!. Your cake is fab and the time you spent on it certainly paid off :-)))
Oh thanks Tina….you're being waaaay too kind! ;) LOVE yours! :) xx
Hey Rae!!! I can finally comment on this cake now!! Website playing up…or my computer…one of the two!! Anyway, this is fab!! Love the hand painting and the shape, and that bow is a show stopper!! Well done!
S x
Hey Sasha! Thanks so much!! :) xx
Is there anything you can't do? anything??
Oh get out of here Jacinta lol!!! LOADS of things…especially get enough sleep haha!!! Thanks anyway Gorgeous! :) xx
Love it! You executed everything perfectly! Great job!
Oh thanks Dakota, isn't it funny when you have these things you're scared of and they end up not being as bad as you thought? haha! :) x
This came out quite sexy Rae! I really like it!
I love it! It looks like tons of hand painting though. No wonder you were up until 5am! Love the bow too. I will have to check out your notes as to how you made it!


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Corto Maltese: Under the Sign of Capricorn (1971)
Watch Corto Maltese: Under the Sign of Capricorn (1971) full movies free cartoons online.
Synopsis: Meet Corto Maltese. Adventurer for money or for freedom. Sailor in the Caribbean seas of the early part of this century, unpuzzling riddles to a fortune, overthrowing voodoo tyranny, or working for the bewitching eyes of an exotic woman. Catch a salty gust of seawind. Join him.


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Crossword Puzzles
Word games teach problem solving skills while allowing the person to enjoy finding meanings of clues in puzzles.
Word puzzles help teach words and their meanings to children in an entertaining and educational manner.
Puzzle themes include Halloween cats, Easter Eggs, Christmas trees, stockings, Santa's hat and more.


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a new netlabel has appeared, with a very interesting array of artists contributing to their debut 'various artists' compilation. charmingly named petite&jolie: a place for cute people, and presenting a fascinating collection of electro-acoustic glitch pop and avant-garde sound art, id say the netlabel is off to a very promising start.
the netlabel curator has labeled the style 'cutetronica' which is certainlly fitting, however i found it to be cute in the way the film 'city of lost children' is cute-- there is quite possibly something dark and sinister lurking behind all the major chords, happy chimes and high-pitched voices...
shoutout to INQ for the news on this one
22 November 2007
petite&jolie - Pantoufle Tagada
Labels: abstract, cutetronica, electro-acoustic, glitch, idm, indie, netaudio, post rock
2 comments:
thanks mate,
and cute-review!
- 22 November, 2007 13:48
- Unknown said...
Cutetronica? I'm sold. Yet another netlabel to check out. Thanks!
- 23 November, 2007 00:12
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Early reports say that Kate Beckinsale will be donning her leather cat suit once again for "Underworld 3D". The same reports also say she's trying to find a way to get out of the film as well.
Michael Rooker will be coming back once again to face off against monsters, this time in an ice fishing trip turned beast battle in "Hypothermia". Let's hope he fares better this time than he did in "Slither".
Hammer Studios continues its rise from the dead by acquiring its next film, a big screen adaptation of Susan Hill's "The Woman In Black".
Director Russell Mulcahy has been tapped to direct the pilot for MTV's recently announced "Teen Wolf" reboot. When you consider Mulcahy directed the classic "Highlander", there is some reason to grow excited. Then you remember he also directed "Highlander 2: The Quickening" and that all goes out the window.
Lakeshore Entertainment and Kevin Grevioux, the team up that brought you "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" are preparing to bring you more of the unique brand of action horror with an adaptation of Grevioux's comic, "I, Frankenstein". At this time, it is still unclear how they will be working in Kate Beckinsale in tight leather.
A murderer on the FBI's most wanted list for 25 years is finally nabbed after walking into the US Embassy in Manila. Attempting to renew his passport, he forgot to apply using his alias.
After a long standoff, Perth Police charge the house of a local loony threatening to burn down his house after spreading fuel across the homestead. In an effort to stop the man from igniting the blaze, police shoot him with a taser gun, which in turns sets fire to the fuel severely burning the perpetrator . Whoopsies.
1852 - The first public toilet is inaugurated, located at 95 Fleet Street in London, by the Society of Arts.


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Staffing Notification Service Customer Reviews
DialMyCalls is used by more than 25,000 organizations throughout the United States and Canada - thousands of businesses rely on our mass notification system. Members are our top priority and below we have reviews submitted by various companies both large and small as well as staffing agencies that utilize our mass notification system to send out broadcasts via phone call, text message and email.
I'm writing to thank you for your wonderful service! DialMyCalls makes my life easier and allows me to be much more efficient and effective at what I do. As a President of a National Executive Search Firm, the number of people I need and want to speak to on a daily basis is growing exponentially. DialMyCalls gives me the opportunity to reach more people in less time so that I can focus on what's really important - helping people find work, and helping companies find first-class professionals. Thank you for making my life easier.- Kingmaker International
I spent several days looking into the feature of calling all my nanny candidates at one time telling them when we have a new job posting or a babysitting job available. I concluded my research by using DialMyCalls. I at first thought that I would use the free service, but to my delight - the paid service was VERY reasonable. I have now been using DialMyCalls for about 6 months and I can make 30 calls in less than 5 minutes. The cost effectiveness is truly remarkable!- A Plus Nannies
I love dial my calls. My leader uses this frequently and it is a great way to reach everyone immediately and know they have received the message without worrying about did they read their email.- H&R Block
DialMyCalls makes contacting my employees effortless! Instead of making 14 separate calls, all it takes is a couple clicks of the mouse to get my messages out to everyone! What can normally take an hour or more takes literally seconds. Time is money, and DialMyCalls saves both!- Aacres, LLC.
WOW, what a service. We signed up so we would have a quick emergency way to contact all my employees. The next day, one of our stores was robbed by a former employee - we were able to get the word out quick to watch for this guy!- BIIB LLC
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Create An Account Today And See Why 1,000's Of Organizations Rely On Us


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Here's a new look at Assassin's Creed 4's naval forts
Ahoy sexy.
Assassin's Creed 3 divided people - Tom liked it, and a fair few of you agreed with him while a few more didn't - but there's one thing that everyone's settled on: the naval sections were a clear highlight.
So it's not too much of a surprise to learn they're back for Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, and they're pretty much the backbone of this year's instalment of the mega franchise. Ian recently popped over to Singapore and Montreal to have a look at it all himself, and he managed to get some exclusive footage as well as some fresh insight into how the naval forts will figure in the game.
There'll be a few more exclusive Assassin's Creed 4 videos on the site in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out - and if you want to get to them before I've had the chance to rattle through one of these updates subscribe to the Eurogamer YouTube channel and get them all straight from the source.
This article was based on a press trip to Ubisoft's studios in Singapore and Montreal. Ubisoft paid for travel and accommodation.


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Contact Us
Visitors are welcome to learn more about how they, too, can live their dreams at Sun City Huntley by Del Webb at the Welcome Center, located at 12940 Del Webb Blvd, Huntley, IL 60142. To schedule a visit, please call 847-515-7658 -- or stop by during business hours (CST): Monday-Friday:9am - 5pm
Prairie Lodge/Fountain View Welcome Desk & Business Center
12940 Del Webb Blvd.
Huntley, IL 60142
Meadow View Lodge
12980 Meadow View Ct.
Huntley, IL 60142
Please note our mailing address:
Sun City Community Association of Huntley, Inc.
12880 Del Webb Blvd.
Huntley, IL 60142
To speak with Management, please utilize the directory below.
Facilities & Maintenance
Lifestyle (Activities)
Modifications & Compliance
New Member Services
Do you aim high? Are you genuinely helpful? Are you looking for a place where you can make a difference, receive ongoing support and training, and build a rewarding, long-lasting career? Then you may be a good fit for FirstService Residential, North America's foremost property management firm. We're all about our associates, and as we continue to grow, we're looking for even more quality people who share our dedication to doing what's right, improving residents' quality of life, building great relationships and truly making a difference for their clients, their colleagues and themselves. Is that you? If so, we think you should get to know us. Apply today!


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The Story
PARIS, JE T'AIME! Wanda's next magical mystery takes her to the streets of Paris, France! There she teams up with broken-hearted hero LE PEREGRINE, who has lost his ability to fly. In order to make him whole again, the SCARLET WITCH will have to risk life and limb visit ghosts of the past…
Free Marvel Comics Download
Scarlet Witch #6
Language : English | Year : 2016 | Size : 31 MB
Screenshots :
Notes :
- If you have any difficulties to download the files, please refer to this how-to download page.
- All of the comic files are packed on .CBR and/or .CBZ file formats. Here are some of the reader apps that i can recommend : YAC Reader (Win, OSX, Linux, iOS), ComicRack (Win, Android, iOS), CDisplayEx.
- To extract any compressed files, I recommend using 7-Zip.
- If you encounter any broken links or corrupt files, please write on the comment section or message me through the contact form.
- Want to see all the comic list? Please go to this page.


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Are you ready for the best boutique hotels in Norway? Here is an introduction to the boutique hotel concept and the top #3 boutique hotels.READ MORE +
Northern Norway is among the best places to see the northern lights. Learn how to master photographing Northern Lights in Norway, from beginners to advanced skills.


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This website uses cookies. Further use of this site will be considered consent. For more information about cookies view the Privacy Policy.
Time for you
For more information on the role iron plays in your body see Why is iron so important for your health.1
Iron in midlife
As general health has improved, perception of age has changed. Expectations of both work and life have improved and we anticipate being fit and well for longer than ever before.
Studies have shown that iron deficiency is associated with decreased cognitive functioning,2 particularly concentration and short-term memory,3 which could lead to you being less productive both at work and in your daily life.4 Importantly though, it has also been shown that treating iron deficiency can improve cognitive symptoms.2
A lack of iron can also impact on your general health. If you have been iron deficient in the past 2 years you are more likely to experience severe exhaustion, lack of vitality and reduced mental and physical well-being.3
Iron and fatigue
A symptom of iron deficiency is fatigue,5 a physical and mental exhaustion that doesn't go away even if you rest, and that can leave you feeling cranky and listless day after day. You can assess your level of tiredness by using our Fatigue Survey. You can use the results of the Survey to help explain to your doctor how fatigue is affecting your life.
Just as starting your periods was a time of great change for your body, so it is its end. The hormone levels that were responsible for the release of an egg every month start to decrease, and your body lets you know by having hot flushes,6 disturbed sleep7
As your periods stop, your need for iron decreases.
Keeping healthy iron levels
Making sure you have a healthy diet will help you get the amount of iron you nevertheless still need.
Even though some of the symptoms of iron deficiency, such as looking pale8or feeling fatigued5 can be due to other conditions, if you feel you may be suffering from iron deficiency, it is important that you speak to your doctor. Also, certain diseases, such as chronic heart failure9 or cancer10 put you at a higher risk of iron deficiency. To learn more about the signs and symptoms of iron deficiency you can use our Symptom Browser. For information on iron rich foods and the best food combinations to optimise iron absorption see Choosing your food wisely.
Take care of yourself and enjoy this time for you.
- 1. Zimmermann M, Hurrell R. Nutritional iron deficiency. Lancet. 2007;370:511-520. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673607612355. Accessed October 13, 2013.
- 2. a. b. Lomagno KA, Hu F, Riddell LJ, et al. Increasing iron and zinc in pre-menopausal women and its effects on mood and cognition: A systematic review. Nutrients. 2014;6(11):5117-5141. doi:10.3390/nu6115117.
- 3. a. b. Patterson A et al. Iron deficiency, general health and fatigue: Results from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Qual Life Res. 2000;9:491-497.
- 4. Haas JD, Brownlie T. Iron deficiency and reduced work capacity: a critical review of the research to determine a causal relationship. J Nutr. 2001;131(2S-2):676S-688S; discussion 688S-690S. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11160598. Accessed August 26, 2015.
- 5. a. b. Peyrin-Biroulet L, Williet N, Cacoub P. Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency across indications: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;102(6):1585-94. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.103366.
- 6. Blümel JE, Chedraui P, Baron G, et al. Menopausal symptoms appear before the menopause and persist 5 years beyond: a detailed analysis of a multinational study. Climacteric. 2012;15(6):542-51. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22530706. Accessed December 18, 2013.
- 7. Greenblum CA, Rowe MA, Neff DF, Greenblum JS. Midlife women: symptoms associated with menopausal transition and early postmenopause and quality of life. Menopause. 2013;20(1):22-7. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22929034. Accessed December 18, 2013.
Blümel JE, Chedraui P, Baron G, et al. Menopausal symptoms appear before the menopause and persist 5 years beyond: a detailed analysis of a multinational study. Climacteric. 2012;15(6):542-51. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22530706. Accessed December 18, 2013.
- 8. Stoltzfus R, Edward-Raj A. Clinical pallor is useful to detect severe anemia in populations where anemia is prevalent and severe. J Nutr. 1999;129(May):1675-1681. Available at: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/129/9/1675.short. Accessed February 11, 2014.
- 9. Klip IT, Comin-Colet J, Voors A a, et al. Iron deficiency in chronic heart failure: an international pooled analysis. Am Heart J. 2013;165(4):575-582.e3. doi:10.1016/j.ahj.2013.01.017.
- 10. Aapro M, Österborg a, Gascón P, Ludwig H, Beguin Y. Prevalence and management of cancer-related anaemia, iron deficiency and the specific role of i.v. iron. Ann Oncol. 2012;23(8):1954-62. doi:10.1093/annonc/mds112.


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What is acetabular dysplasia?
Acetabular dysplasia is a condition defined by inadequate development of the acetabulum, which is shallow and "dish shaped" rather than "cup shaped". The condition is most commonly associated with a subtle abnormality of the hip joint at birth (congenital hip dislocation) and usually remains undetected for many years. Sometimes acetabular dysplasia can develop as the result of other childhood hip conditions such as infection, trauma or Perthes disease.
What is the natural course of acetabular dysplasia?
Hip joints which are abnormally shallow are predisposed to progressive damage to the cartilage. This leads to osteoarthritis. Acetabular dysplasia is one of the leading causes of hip joint osteoarthritis, particularly in women.
Acetabular dysplasia causes symptoms when enough damage has occurred in the joint. The first symptom is often mild groin discomfort. Once the joint becomes painful, gradual deterioration of the hip joint can reliably be predicted, although the time course is unpredictable. A reduction in activity levels may reduce symptoms. Most patients experience ongoing discomfort which gradually worsens over many years, even decades. Patients with very shallow hip joint sockets who have developed symptoms around the age of 20 rarely get beyond their early thirties without requiring an artificial joint replacement.
What is the treatment for acetabular dysplasia?
Hip replacement is the surgical treatment for acetabular dysplasia. There are a number of considerations in deciding the best time to do this operation. Artificial joint replacements are reliable and safe. However, younger patients have a much higher chance over their lifespan of requiring increasingly complex re-operations to revise failed artificial joint replacements. In selected patients, early surgical intervention can slow or prevent the progression of joint damage and improve symptoms. Knowing which procedure is most appropriate for an individual patient requires clinical assessment.


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In a set
- 1szt.Reflector standard 50x50cmCena: 14,95 EURProdukt niedostępny.
- 1szt.Spectromaster CFL 250W - 8U - 2100°+6400°K DUALCena: 59,95 EURProdukt niedostępny.
- 1szt.Ștecher cu cablu de 2mCena: 4,95 EURProdukt niedostępny.
Easy product returns
Buy a product and check it in your own time, at home.Show details
You can return the product without providing a reason within 14 days.
You can return the product without providing a reason within 14 days.
14 days for a return
Your satisfaction is very important to us, therefore you can make a return without providing a reason within 14 days.
No stress and worry
Thanks to the integration with cheap returns you can purchase without stress and be sure that the return process will be hassle free.
Easy returns wizard
All returns processed by our shop are managed in a easy-to-use returns wizard which gives you the ability to send a return parcel.
- Reflector CFL: Stucco 50x50cm
- Lampă: CFL 250W PRO Star - 11 000lm
- Ştecher cu cablu de 2m
- Creştere + înflorire 2100 ° + 6400 ° K
- Zona sugerată de la 80x80 la 100x100cm
The package includes a fully assembled reflector with 2m cable with plug.
In other words, just screw in the bulb in the socket and stick the plug into the wall socket.
A low power lamp uses less energy than HPS and MH lighting, its also dissipating less heat.
The energy saving lamp is an ideal choice for the grower with a smaller surface who wants to avoid heat problems end save on energy.
Dual spectrum of this lamp is for the bloom and grow phase.
Users reviews


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Join over 5,000 of our modern schools worldwide - preschools, academies, sports schools, homeschool & after schools etc !! Cost Effective & everything you need to run a modern school in one place !!
Skooly is a simple, easy to use online school software with mobile apps, has all tools & features to help your grow your school and simplify your daily work. Keeps you updated wherever you are. Secure, reliable, our awesome support team is always happy to help !!


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By Sharay Angulo
MEXICO CITY, May 30 (Reuters) – Mexico's central bank on Wednesday stuck to its forecasts for economic growth and inflation this year but cited risks from the upcoming Mexican presidential election and trade talks with the United States.
The Banco de Mexico's quarterly inflation report said core inflation for the year was seen on a slightly better trajectory than previously expected. It also held its growth forecasts steady for next year.
The central bank projected the economy would grow between 2 percent and 3 percent in 2018, with fourth-quarter inflation forecast at around 3.8 percent, down from 4.3 percent in the third quarter.
Central Bank Governor Alejandro Diaz de Leon later said that because growth had been stronger than expected in the first quarter of 2018, there were grounds for optimism.
"Given that good result in the first quarter, growth for the full year will probably be at the upper end of the 2-3 percent range," Diaz de Leon told local radio.
Mexico's economy grew by 1.1 percent during the January-March period in comparison to the previous quarter, official data showed last week.
The bank noted its estimates were based on the assumption the next administration would preserve the country's commitment to "solid" economic policies and sound public finances as well as policies to promote investment and productivity growth.
Mexico holds its presidential election on July 1, with leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador holding a strong lead in opinion polls.
Governor Diaz de Leon said the election was one of the risks to economic growth the bank was eyeing.
A poll by Nomura on Wednesday showed 70 percent of Mexican banks and funds thought Lopez Obrador would significantly change economic policy if elected.
But 71 percent of foreign-based respondents thought the changes to economic policy would only be marginal.
Among risks to growth and inflation, Mexico's policymakers are also watching the outcome of talks to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) among Mexico, the United States and Canada, the central bank said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to rip up NAFTA if it is not renegotiated to his liking. Diaz de Leon said, however, that termination of the agreement was not a central scenario for the central bank. (Additional reporting by Anthony Esposito, Michael O'Boyle and Dave Graham; Editing by Peter Cooney and Sandra Maler)
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Phony Ppl's album, "Yesterday's Tomorrow" released on Tuesday, so they took to SOB's in New York city for their release party to celebrate with their loyal fans. They were helped with guest performances from their friends–big names, including Justine Skye and Joey Bada$$!
If you weren't one of the lucky ones able to attend the show, or you're new to Phony Ppl, check out some footage below:
Joey Bada$$, friends with the band since high school, showed some love and did a surprise performance of two songs for the New York Crowd:


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from Official Stores by Liam Scheff, what a great read!
from the chapter HIV - The Scarlet Letter
"The Confessional
When someone says that they're "infected with HIV" they mean that someone gave them an HIV test. When they hear that there are 10 or 40 or 100 million billion HIV positives living in the world, "half of whom do not know that they have the virus", (because that's how they sell it), it means that the official number makers have used a device called an "HIV test" on a few people and extrapolated it onto nations."
It was Steven Ransom and Phillip Day's book, World without Aids where I first read fourteen years ago that there simply isn't an identifiable AIDS virus...it completely made sense...and the discover of the virus had even been found perpetrating medical fraud. Phillip Day's books were the kind I would read in one night and Liam Scheff is just as compelling. This book lays it our beautifully and shockingly, definitely an 'adult read'. The AIDS story is scary because it is so mired in confusion and helplessness...what an illustration of the layers and layers of irrelevant programming and belief systems we really can let go of to move into the beauty of reality.


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Fog may be cause of chain-reaction accident on Interstate 55
A 17-car pileup on Interstate 55 may have been caused by dense fog in the area, according to officials.
According to officials, the accident occurred on the northbound lanes of Interstate 55 and caused them to be closed for hours, but it is unknown what the exact cause of the crash was.
Another accident occurred near Joliet when a semi-truck struck the back of a pickup truck that was stopped on the road's shoulder. This accident occurred during the morning commute and caused one lane of traffic to be closed.
If you or a loved one has been injured after a motor vehicle accident, you need experienced representation on your side. Contact the Kankakee car accident lawyers of Spiros Law, P.C., by calling (815) 929-9292 today.


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Articles from Matt Cowgill
Primary tabs
Grattan Blog
I'll be posting regularly over at the new Grattan Blog. The first post will probably interest readers of this site – it's a joint piece with Brendan Coates setting out some facts about the income distribution. You can subscribe to the Grattan Blog via email or RSS, or follow the blog on Twitter.
A new tool to make it easier to work with ABS data
Good content from the World Wide Web
Econ blogging is back. It's good again!
Here is some content that I recommend you consume:
If the RBA were to raise interest rates, what would be the economic costs and benefits of that change? Strange as it is, this question doesn't seem to be asked often, much less answered, as Nicholas points out.
Has Australian politics become more polarised? A response to Lachlan Harris and Andrew Charlton
Is the "fundamental operating model of Australian politics breaking down?" That's the dramatic question that Lachlan Harris and Andrew Charlton asked in their
Are jobs going to people who aren't looking for them?
After a horrible decade or so, America's unemployment rate is finally back down to around 4%, in the vicinity of what would normally be considered 'full employment'. But is there still some slack in the US labour market?
How does your income compare?
Have you ever wondered how your income compares to other Australians? Well use this calculator thing I made to look it up then. It takes your household's after-tax income and adjusts it for the number of people in your house to give your 'equivalised disposable household income.' The calculator uses ABS data from 2015-16, which was released in September 2017.
Real wages in Australia
For no particular reason, here are a couple of graphs I made on average wages for full-time workers in Australia.
Do state governments drag their federal counterparts down?
Do state governments drag down their federal counterparts? It's a common theory among Australian political commentators. The 2016 election suggests the theory might be right.
The FT on Brexit, re-graphed
This post is part of a series in which I try to improve graphs I find around the web.


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Updates From Beta Labs: Nokia Reader for Symbian^3
Beta Labs' geniuses released an update to the Nokia Reader for S^3 devices. The Nokia Reader and Ovi Notifications are both pre-requisite to have a working push-type reader. So in the new version of Ovi Notifications Support Package v1.11118, the Nokia Reader had received multiple fixes on different issues that were reported of the users.
The fixes and changes are:
- Improves connectivity reliability
- Fixes the bug that forced user to re-enter Nokia Account username and password
- Fixes the bug that caused Reader to stop from working on some devices, requiring Reader to be re-installed.
Also, you should take note that if:
1.) Current users of Nokia Reader should only install the Ovi Notifications Support Package
2.) New users should install both Nokia Reader 1.0.1 (second to be installed after ONSS) and Ovi Notifications Support Package (first to be installed on C:)
Download link: Nokia Reader 1.0.1 and Ovi Support Package (zipped file) around 3MB
Issues/problems experienced should be reported on the Nokia Beta Labs page of Nokia Reader.


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Blog Voices from the Frontlines
Geoffrey Marshall
ASA Releases Federal Medical Cannabis Policy Roadmap - Americans for Safe Access
Today, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) released a briefing book —"Medical Cannabis in America"— calling on Congress and the Administration to end the conflict between the federal government and States' with medical cannabis (marijuana) programs. The report includes actions for the POTUS during the lame duck as well as the incoming Congress and POTUS. These actions would protect the more than 2 million medical cannabis patients in the U.S. by allowing local manufacturers, growers, and distributors to operate in accordance with their own state's laws regarding medical cannabis without fear of federal interference.
VIEW THE REPORT HERE: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/briefing
PURCHASE A COPY HERE: https://marketplace.mimeo.com/safeaccessforall
Allayne Sherer
Americans for Safe Access' Members Challenge DEA Misinformation on Cannabis - Americans for Safe Access
Today, Americans for Safe Access, a national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research, filed a petition with the Department of Justice (DOJ) demanding that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) immediately update misinformation about cannabis. The petition is being filed under the rules of the Information Quality Act (IQA, aka Data Quality Act), which requires administrative agencies to devise guidelines that ensure the "quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information" they distribute and to "[e]stablish administrative mechanisms allowing affected persons to seek and obtain correction of information maintained and disseminated by the agency that does not comply with the guidelines."
Allayne Sherer
NFL Player Seantrel Henderson Suspended for Treating Crohn's with Cannabis - Americans for Safe Access
This week, the Buffalo Bills announced that left tackle Seantrel Henderson had been suspended for 10 games for violating the National Football League's substance abuse policy. Henderson has come out publicly to say that he has been using cannabis to treat his Crohn's disease. However, the league does not make any exceptions for medical cannabis use and Henderson was given his second suspension of the season for cannabis use. If he is caught violating the substance abuse rules one more time, he will be banned for life.
Stories about Henderson's suspension and the relief he has found through cannabis do not say if he is a registered patient in the New York or any other state medical cannabis program. It's somewhat unclear as to whether Henderson could get a recommendation in New York. While the state recognizes irritable bowel syndrome as a qualifying condition, Crohn's disease in a separate condition that affects the digestive system. If Henderson is a patient, New York's anti-discrimination provision should prevent punitive action taken against him unless he was found impaired by cannabis at the workplace. Sadly, job discrimination is not uncommon for medical cannabis patients to face.
Allayne Sherer
Obama Can't Reschedule Cannabis Before He Leaves…But Can Start the Process Internationally - Americans for Safe Access
Cannabis is currently classified as Schedule I and IV of the United Nations (UN) Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol (the "Single Convention"). This scheduling was determined based on a report created by the Health Committee of the League of Nations in 1935. The UN General Assembly must have a recommendation from the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to change the Scheduling of cannabis. The CND makes decisions on Scheduling of substances based on recommendations from the World Health Organization's (WHO) Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD).
To date, the ECDD has not conducted an updated review on cannabis despite an increasing number of countries adopting medical cannabis policies. The CND in its Resolution 52/5 from 2009 requested an updated review by the ECDD and in 2013 the International Narcotics Control Board, in its annual report, invited WHO, in view of its mandate under the 1961 Convention, to evaluate "the potential medical utility of cannabis and the extent to which cannabis poses dangers to human health."
For this reason, at ASA's International Conference on Harmonization of Global Cannabis Policy March 18-23, 2016 in Washington DC, participants peer-reviewed Cannabis and Cannabis Resin Critical Review Preparation Document: safeaccessnow.org/critical_review. This important paper was created by an international whos who of cannabis experts including Jahan Marcu Ph.D., Tjaling Erkelens, Maria de los Angeles Lobos, Ph.D., Ethan Russo, MD, Roy Upton, Mahmoud Elsohly, Ph.D., Pavel Kubu, MD, Ethan Russo, MD, Pavel Patcha, Jason Schechter, Ph.D., and Phil Robson, Ph.D. to name a few.
Allayne Sherer
PFC Review Board Member, Jim Tozzi's Role in Stopping the DEA from Classifying Drug in Schedule 1 Status - Americans for Safe Access
Until a few months ago, few people in the US had ever heard of kratom, a tropical evergreen tree in the coffee family has been known to be used for medicinal purposes. That was until the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) tried place kratom in Schedule I of the controlled substances list through an emergency process. This action brought criticism from thousands of people including Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Corey Booker. While kratom does possess opiate-like qualities, it also has been shown to treat opioid addiction and mitigate symptoms of pain, diarrhea, depression, and anxiety.
However, it looked like the fate of the medicinal herb was sealed until the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness (CRE) got involved. Jim Tozzi, head of the CRE, author of the Data Quality Act (DQA, also known as the Information Quality Act), and PFC Review Board member remarked on CRE's involvement "when 100,000 members of the public express outrage with a regulatory decision, it deserves a second look."
Geoffrey Marshall
Trump's AG Pick: "Good people don't smoke marijuana" - Americans for Safe Access
President-Elect Donald Trump announced today that he has nominated Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to be the next US Attorney General. If approved by the Senate, Sessions would wield broad authority over federal drug law priorities and enforcement nationwide. What does that mean for medical cannabis in the US?
It could be really bad news... if we don't fight back!
Elizabeth Collins
Medical Marijuana Makes A Clean Sweep of 2016 Election - Americans for Safe Access
Last night, the voters in Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota approved state medical cannabis ballots, with three of the four receiving landslide support! Patient advocates in these states will now turn their attention to working with state agencies to swiftly implement these laws. With a total of 44 states having some sort of medical cannabis law and 29 comprehensive programs, medical cannabis has firmly established itself as a mainstream issue. The clean sweep of state medical cannabis ballot initiatives was easily the best news for medical cannabis patients, but there were additional victories for patients as well.
Don Duncan
Patients and Proposition 64 - What California's Legalization Initiative Says About Medical Cannabis - Americans for Safe Access
California voters will decide on Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, on Tuesday. The initiative will legalize the non-medical use, possession and cultivation of cannabis, within certain limits, by adults aged twenty-one and over. It also creates a state licensing and regulation program that is similar to the one that the state legislature adopted for medical cannabis in 2015.
Voters are likely to approve the ballot measure. A poll conducted by USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times shows support for Proposition 64 at 58%. Our mission at Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is focused exclusively on medical cannabis; and therefore, the organization generally does not take positions of support or opposition regarding adult-use cannabis laws. However, Proposition 64, if approved, will make beneficial changes to the state's medical cannabis laws related to personal cultivation, taxation, and patients' rights.
Allayne Sherer
DC Council Passes Lab Testing and Program Expansion Bill - Americans for Safe Access
The DC Council passed a bill this week that will make several improvements to the District's Medical Marijuana Program. The bill, B21-210, will authorize the Department of Health to license third-party testing labs so that medicine the District can be independently tested for labeling and product safety. There were several amendments that were added to the bill at Final Reading and each was approved unanimously. While not all of the amendments were improvements, none are a step backward.
Councilmember Alexander and Council Chair Mendelson introduced a 1000-plant count limit amendment. While this artificially limits the production and variety of medical cannabis in the District, the current limit was already 1,000 through emergency and temporary legislation. The DC Department of Health (DOH) has often pushed against lifting plant-count limit, which was previously set at 95, then 500 plants. Many of the medical cannabis cultivation sites in the District were selected when the plant count was at lower statutory caps and therefore have had trouble reaching the 1,000-plant cap. However, the bill enables cultivation sites to expand or relocate within their current DC Council Ward. With eight licensed-growers, the program can handle its current capacity with the limit, but as more patients join the program, the limit may prove to be harmful.
Geoffrey Marshall
ASA Re-launches voter advocacy tool, Vote Medical Marijuana - Americans for Safe Access
It is less than two weeks until the 2016 elections. Do you know where the candidates stand on medical cannabis? It matters. Lawmakers at the local, state and federal level are going to make important decisions about medical cannabis that affect your life in the next two years. Cities and counties will decide whether to ban or regulate patient safe access, state legislatures will vote on commercial licensing and patients' rights measures, and the new US Congress may decide whether or not to keep paying for medical cannabis enforcement.
Today ASA is relaunching our updated MMJ Voter's Guide and voter education website. We have analyzed the voting records of every Member of Congress to create an educational guide about the voting records of each House Representative and Senator. We have also announced the organization's positions on each of the medical and adult-use ballot measures.


text:
Serco, Inc.
B-298266: Aug 9, 2006
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
(202) 512-8278
Kenneth E. Patton
(202) 512-8205
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
Serco, Inc. protests the award of a contract to AMSEC LLC under request for proposals (RFP) No. N65236-05-R-0501, issued by the Department of the Navy, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, for program management, engineering design, industrial work, operational verification and other installation support services necessary to accomplish the Navy's command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance maintenance, modernization, and new system installation for requirements on the West Coast. Serco objects that the Navy failed to consider the potential impact of the Navy's cost adjustments in the technical evaluation of AMSEC's proposal.
We sustain the protest.
B-298266, Serco, Inc., August 9, 2006
The decision issued on the date below was subject to a GAO Protective Order. This redacted version has been approved for public release.
Claude P. Goddard, Jr., Esq., Stephen B. Hurlbut, Esq., J. Michael Littlejohn, Esq., and Daniel J. Donohue, Esq., Akerman Senterfitt Wickwire Gavin, for the protester.
James J. McCullough, Esq., Deneen J. Melander, Esq., and Steven A. Alerding, Esq., Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, for AMSEC LLC, an intervenor.
Michael S. Roys, Esq., Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Department of the Navy, for the agency.
Paul N. Wengert, Esq., and Michael R. Golden, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision.
Protest is sustained where the agency rejected the awardee's rationale for proposed staffing levels under sample tasks, which led the agency, as part of a cost realism analysis, to more than double the hours proposed by the awardee to correspond with the government estimate, but the contemporaneous record did not demonstrate that the agency, in light of its cost realism adjustment, reviewed the awardee's understanding of the contract requirements, as required by the solicitation.
Serco, Inc. protests the award of a contract to AMSEC LLC under request for proposals (RFP) No. N65236-05-R-0501, issued by the Department of the Navy, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, for program management, engineering design, industrial work, operational verification and other installation support services necessary to accomplish the Navy's command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaisance maintenance, modernization, and new system installation for requirements on the West Coast.[1] Serco objects that the Navy failed to consider the potential impact of the Navy's cost adjustments in the technical evaluation of AMSEC's proposal.
The RFP contemplated the award of a single indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-incentive-fee and fixed-fee, performance-based contract for all West Coast requirements.[2] The RFP specified that the non-price evaluation factors were significantly more important than price.[3] When issued, the RFP specified two non'price evaluation factors (specifically, professional employee compensation plan and small business subcontracting plan) that would be evaluated on an acceptable/unacceptable basis, while the remaining non-price evaluation factors (as relevant here, understanding of work--sample tasks, and management plan) would be assigned points. Offerors also were required to provide responses to three sample tasks,[4] including pricing each task, and offerors were advised that the cost/price evaluation would be based on the total cost proposed for the sample tasks. The RFP specified that award would be made to the offeror whose proposal was determined to provide the best value to the government. RFP at 125.
Both AMSEC and Resource Consultants, Inc. (RCI)[5] submitted timely proposals to perform the West Coast portion of the RFP. Upon evaluating the proposals, the Navy determined that it was not possible to perform a proper cost realism evaluation on the offerors['] proposals. Pre-Negotiation Business Clearance Memorandum at 8. Among the reasons for that conclusion were that some offerors had assumed that other vendors (such as shipyards) would perform some elements of the sample tasks, some offerors' amounts for other direct costs appeared flawed, and none of the offerors appeared to have enough hours to perform the taskings in comparison with the [independent government estimate (IGE)], which had not been disclosed to offerors.
The Navy then determined that it would disclose the IGE, amend the RFP, hold discussions, and ultimately obtain revised proposals. The Navy issued amendment No. 5 to the RFP on
Factor F -- Cost/Price Proposal, the instructions in the pricing model for the sample task cost proposal submissions are revised to include the following additional information:
- The IGE hours for each sample task and subtask will be provided.
- Offerors will be directed to provide data to substantiate any deviations from the IGE hours.
- Insufficient substantiation will result in cost realism adjustments to proposed hours using the average hourly rate as the multiplier.
RFP amend. 5, at 2.
Amendment No. 5 also removed two of the four subfactors within the understanding of work evaluation factor, and modified this factor from the assignment of points to a pass/fail evaluation. Pre-Negotiation Business Clearance Memorandum at 14. The deleted subfactors had provided for an evaluation of sample task staffing and sample task project critical path schedules and milestones. After revision, the understanding of work factor read, in relevant part, as follows:
The sample tasking is intended to review each offeror's ability to perform tasks set forth in the Statement of Work. This information shall demonstrate that offerors fully understand the specific and unique requirements of the efforts. . . .
On each Sample Task, the following two subfactors shall be submitted for review:
Subfactor D1 -- Detailed Statement of Work based on government provided Statement of Objectives (SOO) (at time of formal RFP release) outlining all contractor and government responsibilities.
Subfactor D2 -- Offeror shall address all foreseeable changes in assumptions and cost impacts of those changes should they occur (i.e., compressed work schedule, planning ship yard drawing quality, etc.)
In implementing this change, the amendment reiterated that the understanding of work evaluation factor would be used to evaluate each offeror's depth of understanding and knowledge of the solicitation requirements and [the offeror's] demonstrated ability to perform tasks set forth in the Solicitation Statement of Work.
Amendment No. 5 also reconfirmed that the Navy would consider the link between an offeror's pricing of the sample tasks and the offeror's technical approach by stating the following:
Cost realism pertains to the offeror's ability to project costs which are reasonable and which indicate the offeror's understanding of the nature and scope of the work to be performed. The purpose of this evaluation shall be: (1) to verify the offeror's understanding of the requirements; (2) to assess the degree to which the cost/price reflects the approaches and/or risk assessments made in the technical proposal as well as the risk that the offeror will provide the supplies or services for the offered prices/cost; and (3) to assess the degree to which the costs included in the cost/price proposal accurately represent the work efforts included in the proposal and/or other cost-related information available to the Contracting Officer.
Amendment No. 5 further noted, as follows:
In addition to easily identifiable cost adjustments, unrealistic cost proposals may result in a re-evaluation and concurrent rescoring of technical proposals. Such re-evaluation based on the cost realism analysis could negatively impact the technical rating and ranking of the proposal.
It also cautioned offerors, as follows:
Proposals which are unrealistic in terms of technical or schedule commitments, or unrealistically high or low in terms of cost, may be deemed reflective of an inherent lack of technical competence, or indicative of a failure to comprehend the complexity of risks of the proposed work and may be grounds for rejection of the proposal.
Both RCI and AMSEC submitted FPRs addressing issues raised in discussions and responding to the sample task pricing instructions in amendment No. 5. RCI submitted sample task pricing [deleted] Navy's IGE. However, AMSEC provided an explanation that the IGE did not reflect AMSEC's performance and, thus, AMSEC would rely on its own much lower staffing estimate, as it had in its initial proposal. AMSEC FPR, Sea
Notwithstanding AMSEC's attempts at justifying its lower staffing, the Navy rejected those justifications, finding that there was insufficient substantiating rationale to support the alternate proposed hours. Source Selection Decision at 9. With respect to AMSEC's claim to be able to perform tasks at significantly reduced levels of effort, as compared with the Navy's historical experience, the Navy found that AMSEC's claims rest on an unsubstantiated assumption that contractor hours are substantially lower for work customarily performed by shipyards. Post'Negotiation Business Clearance Memorandum at 39, 59. For example, some of the Navy's concerns regarding AMSEC's rationale included the following:
- While AMSEC may have performed some taskings at a level of effort comparable to their proposed hours, they have, by their own admission, proposed hours that do not take into account changes that historically occur on such installations and are relying on word of mouth to support proposing hours that are less than shipyards.
- AMSEC provided no substantiation to support their claim that support contractors required less hours than shipyards for the same tasking.
Source Selection Decision at 10.
After finding that AMSEC's deviations from the IGE were unsupported, the Navy determined that it would increase AMSEC's evaluated cost to reflect the level of effort represented by the IGE. To do so, the Navy multiplied the average hourly rate[7] for AMSEC by the difference in labor hours between the IGE (118,248 hours) and AMSEC's proposed level of effort ([deleted] hours), resulting in a [deleted] percent increase in AMSEC's overall evaluated price. Affidavit of Navy Cost and Price Analyst at 2.
The Navy's source selection decision observed that AMSEC achieved a total technical rating of 82.3 (Exceptional), and RCI achieved a total technical rating of 81.9 (Exceptional) and that both firms had received a pass rating for the understanding of work evaluation factor. Although listing the factors and subfactors, with their respective point scores and corresponding adjectival ratings, which showed some differences, the source selection authority stated as follows:
Within each of the Factors/Subfactors, AMSEC and RCI have demonstrated comparable strengths. Each of these offerors has the capability to perform the planned tasking with little risk and [they] are, therefore, considered technically equal.
Source Selection Decision at 14-15.
After noting the significant cost realism adjustments made to AMSEC's proposal, as well as the Navy's concerns with AMSEC's proposed staffing, as quoted above, the source selection authority stated, without elaboration, that [e]ven with these adjustments, the Government has determined that an award to AMSEC does not propose any significant risk. She concluded, Therefore, I have determined that award to AMSEC--the technically equal, lower proposed and evaluated cost offeror--represents the 'best value' to the Government.
Serco protests that the significance of the Navy's cost realism adjustments should have led the Navy to conclude that AMSEC's proposal reflect[ed] an inherent lack of technical competence. Alternatively, Serco argues that the cost adjustments should have caused the Navy to find AMSEC's proposal unacceptable under the understanding of work evaluation factor, or should have resulted in the Navy downgrading AMSEC's proposal under the management plan evaluation factor. Protest at 8-9.
The Navy argues that the technical evaluation factors identified by Serco--understanding of work and management plan (particularly, the staffing plan subfactor)--had no significant relationship to the sample task staffing. Legal Memorandum at 17-19. The Navy also argues that [t]he fact the Government did not accept AMSEC's justification for using fewer hours in its cost proposal and increased AMSEC's hours and cost as it said it would in Amendment 0005, did not alter the fact that AMSEC's proposal was compliant with the solicitation. Navy Supplemental Comments at 4. Finally, the Navy argues that there was no requirement in the revised RFP to reassess the initial technical evaluation in light of the FPRs. Legal Memorandum at 20.[8]
Typically, where an agency concludes in the course of a cost realism analysis that an offeror's proposed staffing levels are unrealistically low, but the corresponding technical approach is evaluated as appropriate, the agency must reconcile those conclusions. See Information Ventures, Inc., B'297276.2 et al.,
In its FPR, AMSEC declared that it stands by the hours originally proposed in its initial proposal which, as discussed above, the Navy concluded it could not properly evaluate. As one example of the types of understaffing that Serco argues should have caused the Navy to revise the technical ratings assigned to AMSEC's proposal, Serco points to AMSEC's response to sample task No. 5, subtask No. 6, for installation of Navigation Sensor System Interface equipment on a surface ship. For that subtask, the IGE estimated 4,155 hours, while AMSEC proposed to perform the subtask in [deleted] hours--less than [deleted] of the IGE effort. AMSEC FPR, Sea
While the Navy adjusted AMSEC's costs upward as part of its cost realism analysis, the contemporaneous record provides no evidence that the Navy considered the potential effect of AMSEC's dramatically lower proposed hours in the technical evaluation, particularly in the evaluation of AMSEC's proposal under the understanding of work and management plan evaluation factors. Despite having listed concerns with the approach proposed by AMSEC in its sample task responses, and ultimately concluding that AMSEC's sample task hours should be more than doubled to correspond to the IGE, the Navy's business clearance memorandum did no more than summarily conclude that [e]ven with these adjustments, the Government has determined that an award to AMSEC does not propose any significant risk. Post-Negotiation Business Clearance Memorandum at 59.
In this regard, the record appears to show that prior to holding discussions and prior to receiving revised sample task responses in the FPRs, the Navy had already determined that all offerors would receive a pass rating under the planned revision to the evaluation methodology for the understanding of work evaluation factor (that is, deleting two subfactors and changing from a points-based to a pass/fail-based evaluation scheme). Pre'Negotiation Business Clearance Memorandum at 15.[9] Further, the Navy's contemporaneous explanation is that [b]ecause the resultant adjustment did not cause AMSEC's price to become the higher price[d] offer, no further analysis was performed on [AMSEC's] rationale for proposing alternate hours. Post-Negotiation Business Clearance Memorandum at 39. Thus, the record confirms that the Navy gave no meaningful consideration to reviewing its earlier technical evaluation in light of the concern that arose that AMSEC had substantially underestimated--by more than 50 percent--the level of effort needed to perform the contract.
An agency is obligated to conduct an evaluation consistent with the evaluation scheme set forth in the RFP. Federal Acquisition Regulation sect. 15.305(a); Dismas Charities, Inc., B-292091,
On this record, we cannot determine what, if any, revisions the Navy evaluators would have made to the technical ratings of AMSEC's proposal, particularly under the pass/fail evaluation scheme for the understanding of work evaluation factor and for the technical evaluation aspects of the cost realism evaluation described in amendment No. 5, given the magnitude of the cost realism adjustments made to AMSEC's proposal. However, the facts set forth above raise a substantial chance that, because of the very close technical ratings here, such a review could have resulted in an award to RCI. We conclude, therefore, that RCI was competitively prejudiced by the Navy's failure to demonstrate a reasonable consideration of the impact of the conclusions of the cost realism evaluation on AMSEC's technical evaluation. Accordingly, we sustain the protest.
We recommend that the Navy reevaluate the FPR of AMSEC and adequately document whether the cost realism adjustments made by the Navy require revision to AMSEC's technical evaluation ratings.[11] The Navy should then make a new source selection decision. If, after the new evaluation, the Navy determines that RCI's proposal represents the best value to the government, the Navy should terminate AMSEC's contract and make an award to RCI.
We further recommend that the agency reimburse the protester the reasonable costs of filing and pursuing its protest, including reasonable attorneys' fees. The protester's certified claim for costs, detailing the time expended and the costs incurred, must be submitted to the agency within 60 days of receiving this decision. Bid Protest Regulations, 4 C.F.R. sect. 21.8(f)(1) (2006).
The protest is sustained.
Gary L. Kepplinger
General Counsel
[1] The solicitation also resulted in the award of a separate contract for requirements on the East Coast which is not at issue in this protest.
[2] The Navy estimates that it will place over $312 million in orders with the awardee of the contract for West Coast requirements.
[3] The evaluation factors were as follows: (A) corporate experience; (B) past performance; (C) management plan; (D) understanding of work--sample tasks; (E) small business participation; (F) cost/price; (G) professional employee compensation plan; and (H) small business subcontracting plan. While price was listed among the evaluation factors, under the RFP, price was not to be scored. Pre'Negotiation Business Clearance Memorandum at 10.
[4] While the RFP contained six sample tasks, only three of the sample tasks were applicable to proposals for the West Coast work at issue here.
[5] The Navy initially argued that Serco was not an interested party to pursue the protest because RCI, not Serco, submitted a proposal. After further development of this issue, the Navy conceded that Serco had standing to protest. In this regard, the Navy stated that Serco has provided evidence that it is the 'parent' firm for protest 'standing' purposes, having purchased 100% of RCI Holdings' stock. Legal Memorandum at 30. Accordingly, we have no basis on this record to question Serco's standing to protest on behalf of RCI. In this decision, we identify the protester's proposal submissions as those of RCI.
[6] Prior to the deadline for submission of final proposal revisions (FPR), the Navy issued additional amendments that made revisions to the IGE staffing model.
[7] Amendment No. 5 provided that in the case of unrealistic pricing, the Navy would adjust the unrealistic offeror's pricing by utilizing the offeror's average hourly rate.
[8] In fact, the technical evaluators completed their evaluation of the understanding of work evaluation factor (Factor D) before the Navy concluded that AMSEC's deviations from the IGE in pricing the sample tasks were unsubstantiated, resulting in the upward adjustment of AMSEC's evaluated cost. Post-Negotiation Business Clearance Memorandum at 39 (no further analysis was performed on [AMSEC's] rationale for proposing alternate hours beyond increasing its evaluated cost).
[9] This pre-FPR document included a table labeled Technical Evaluation Summary with Removal of Factor D Points that already showed all offerors rated PASS for the understanding of work evaluation factor (Factor D).
[10] As an example, Serco points out that AMSEC's supporting rationale for sample task No. 5, subtask No. 6, referenced similar work performed by AMSEC on the USS Shiloh, but that AMSEC explicitly acknowledged that the structural work on the USS Shiloh had been performed by another contractor. In its FPR, AMSEC expressly stated that [w]e need another example other than
[11] Serco also challenges the Navy's position that, contrary to AMSEC's FPR, the Navy could require AMSEC to issue only fixed-price subcontracts to one subcontractor, in order to control the risk posed by that subcontractor. The risk arose from the inability of the Defense Contract Audit Agency to verify the subcontractor's indirect rates (which had been significantly lowered in AMSEC's FPR, while that subcontractor's share of the work had increased to nearly 25 percent). Affidavit of Navy Cost and Price Analyst at 2; Post'Negotiation Business Clearance Memorandum at 37. The record is not clear about how the Navy ultimately resolved this cost issue. In implementing our recommendation for corrective action, the Navy should consider AMSEC's proposal for this subcontractor and the significance of the subcontractor's unverified indirect rates.
Oct 16, 2020
Potomac Electric Corporation
We deny the protest.
Oct 15, 2020
Island Pyrochemical Industries
We dismiss the protest.
Oct 14, 2020
MicroTechnologies, LLC
We deny the protest.
Oct 9, 2020
The i4 Group Consulting, LLC--Reconsideration
We deny the request for the reconsideration.
NLT Management Services, LLC
We deny the request for reconsideration.
M&C Venture Group, LLC
We dismiss the protest.
Oct 8, 2020
DirectViz Solutions, LLC
We deny the protest.
Oct 2, 2020
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