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Gabe SuarezTexas Rangers
Infielder | Ht: | Wt:
|Rangers | Four might be back from WBC soon
Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:58:59 -0700
Texas Rangers SS Elvis Andrus (Venezuela) and OF Engel Beltre (Spain) might return to the Texas Rangers soon, as both of their nations were eliminated from the World Baseball Classic. Minor-leaguers C Jose Felix (Mexico) and INF Gabe Suarez (Spain) are also due back shortly.
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|| Source: ESPNDallas.com - Ron Matejko
|Dodgers | One signed
Fri, 13 Jul 2012 06:23:12 -0700
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed free-agent SS Gabe Suarez (Mexican League) to an undisclosed contract.
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|| Source: Baseball America - Matt Eddy
|Pirates | Suarez signs
Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:00:31 -0800
Dejan Kovacevic, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reports the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed SS Gabe Suarez to a one-year, minor league contract.
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Come, You Are Welcome to Camp Mokule`ia! We're a historic beachfront youth camp and adult retreat on Oahu's beautiful North Shore, just 40 minutes from downtown Honolulu, with cabins, private rooms, tent camping, a beach house and more. Camp Mokule`ia's secluded location and attentive staff assures that your kids, students, ohana, company or group will enjoy the rest, recreation and renewal we offer in the spirit of aloha.
In the Hawaiian language, Mokule`ia means a place of abundance, which is exactly what we strive to be for all of our guests – a Hawaiian-style place where your spirits, your bellies and your ability to play are all abundantly filled. So please visit us soon, there's always a place for you at Camp Mokule`ia!
Your staff treated us like family! Our experience here was the best. We look forward to visiting next year. — A.F., Denver, CO
A Sacred Place, defined by simple beauty and a graceful pace, Camp Mokule`ia is located on the beautiful, pristine North Shore of Oahu at the foot of the Waianae Mountain Range. Our oceanfront location, with more than ¾ of a mile of beach to walk on is home to honu (sea turtles) and the occasional monk seal. It is ideal for swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, surfing, or relaxing to the gentle lap of waves, the splendor of the rising and setting sun, or stargazing in the quiet night. Nearby, there are trails for hiking and biking, a natural area reserve and even the opportunity for skydiving, gliding, and horseback riding.
Camp Mokule`ia also structures powerful programs for groups utilizing the stunning environmental setting, our High and Low Challenge Courses, our commitment to sustainability, and our aloha for the wisdom, traditions and history of these islands. So please come and experience why generations of kama'aina have made Camp Mokule`ia their own special place kahakai – by the sea.

subset: commoncrawl


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Thousands of books at the Hood River County Library have to be packed up and moved for pending construction — and their temporary housing couldn't be more convenient.
On June 17 the county will close a $1.7 million deal with Sprint for purchase of the Dean Building on the corner of Sixth and State streets.
The 33,000 square foot structure is sited less than one block away from the existing State Street library. June Knudson, county librarian, said the public will be called upon to help box and haul library materials after the community corrections crew finishes building shelves on the first floor.
She said even the 7,300 square feet of available space is not enough room for all of the library's reading selections and staffers are now storing oversized books and some of the lesser read collections.
The temporary quarters are expected to be used for about 10 months and an Empty Building Party is planned by the Library Foundation at the existing facility on June 22.
That event (details to be announced later) will offer music, magic and fun for all ages in a farewell to the historic edifice that will be overhauled during a $4 million renovation and expansion project that begins in July.
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Cosplay fans have been amazed by the before and after comparisons of Taiwanese cosplayer Rolan Ajo, who says she went on a diet and lost some 20kg so she could cosplay her favourite characters – a diet which looks to have been a resounding success, with her Lum bikini cosplay being hailed as "angelic."
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191 Comments
Meanwhile in the west…….
Now that's dedication. Big respect for her for respecting the sacredness of cosplay. =D
I think I'd have to lose more than 40lbs to cosplay… But it's good to know someone managed to do it. Let's do more to inspire fatties to get healthy!
Girls Saurus, anyone?
She was fine before. The question is does she require her man to make 100k a year like tons of other Asian women.
Best decision ever. I admire her. Wish her the best.
I made Liru 3D. No regrets. Life has been great.
What Sorcery is this!
Great stuff though, shows you that if you determined and stick with things, can really pay off- I know that myself tbh.
Isn't she crosseyed? Her left eye seems to be a bit off
I wish I had motivation like her!
She is really an example!
Once she becomes an obasan, she'll gain it all back.
"Huh, miracles really do happen. Don't they Charlie Brown?"
"Indeed they do…"
Yummy, I'd do lots of naughty things to her. She's sexy as hell!
Perfection is a matter of a opinion.
To go so far to become something fake, is more a question of her self loathing to begin with.
But I admire her for it, I would fuck her purely for that, fat or not.
But who am I kidding, I would fuck anything 🙂
From fat to phat. I'm so jelly of the king slime on pic 52.
She definitely had attractive qualities before, but damn she is incredibly stunning now.
Land whales who do disgusting cosplays could learn a thing or two from this chick.
As could you, obviously. Let's see YOU put out some high-quality pictures of yourself in revealing outfits.
What's that? You have something else more important to do? Yeah, fuck you.
Good for this girl. As for myself, Im also doing a extreme routine to change my body. A few mor kilos and I will finally fullfill my dream of cosplaying Rufus from Street Fighter!!!
She looked cute before, too. I can't believe she had 20kg to lose!
I wish that fatties here could do the same…
I wish that you would post pics of yourself dressing up so we could see how it's really done.
I'm impressed her breasts didn't shrink.
When I lost about 30kg I went from a D to a B.
This doesn't even look like the same girl at all.
I'm having trouble believing this is the same person honestly.
Good going! 20 kg is no small feat, reardless of genes and time.
Also, any good Lum cosplay is one more reason to have faith in humanity. Keep respecting the classics.
I wonder how much photoshop work was done to get rid of the stretchmarks she obviously has
amazing as always photoshop!
Nice to see anime influencing people to lose weight rather than causing them to gain it
*pointing out*
After losing 20kg.
She got that body…
So excess skin= not there.
Went up in Bustsize or holded it= Jeah… not really doable
Face texture changed smothly= no marks left of the excess fat..
Eitherway its photoshoped to make the lasting damage to her body "go away" or she did have more then one session at a "Dr Beautyfull" in that time period when she lost the weight.
Losing 5kg isnt a problem (if taken with time).
10kg still okay too.
But 20kg are gonna be visuable noticeable on her body after the "diet".
Calling it photoshoped~ (after diet~)
I read that it took her 10 years to lose that weight in another article that was more detailed. I think the comparison photo was somewhere between that time frame.
Her "After" photos look nothing like her "Before" picture… did someone actually confirm that was her? If so… I'd like to know what kind of "diet" she went on…
You can tell its her… Look at her nose
haha good that she went to lose weight before trying cosplay bahahahaah
"I lost 20 kg so I could cosplay"
Now there's an inspiration to all cosplayers worldwide. Don't just say people shouldn't judge you for being fat, f-ing DO something about it.
Be careful she doesn't blow up. She's from China.
Very cute, however I also see alot of photoshopping so….
And this is why you never make fun of the chubby girl. All women are gems. It just takes the right polishing to truly make them shine.
She managed to keep the fat in all the right places, she should just stay with that weight.
More diet and she might lose those breasts and thighs and that soft look.
Considering I do not like cosplay in general, I have to admit she is pretty damn cute.
now let see if miracles could happen in merika…
Glad to see she didn't drop the bust & butt weight, too!
jesus christ the last pic has awful photoshopping…
I'd hit that "before" look even without dieting.
ok ladies and Gentlemen be honest would you not not fuck her?
Applause! That's what determination can do for you.
Flawless Shirahoshi, too.
+20 in humanity
She's cute, but I'd like to see some pics of her that aren't photoshoped to hell.
Also, when will asian models (cosplay especially) learn to not cross their eyes when they look at the camera?
now if u can only do this for ur man, that would be nice.
Ha ha ha, Funny how are butthurt women and manboobs trying to hide their insecurities and failures in life when somebody acknowledges that the vast majority people prefer fit people. Like @anonymous 09:01 who uses the overused attacks and cliches as "if u dont liek hambeast u r a chauvinistic pig!" No matter how much you like to lie to yourself, fat is never sexy or healthy. Stop reflecting your weaknesses and stop imposing your faulty visions of the world
I like me all different shapes and sizes so dont lump me in with ur dumbass.
>implying a loser and virgin(sancom's population in general) like yourself has a healthy vision of the world.
You lost me at 'vast majority'.
Nobody should give a shit what everyone else likes. Be whatever the hell you want to be and find someone who likes it.
There WILL be someone who likes it, no matter how disgusting people might think you are and it's always better to be with someone who likes you the way you want to be.
Seriously, people should stop trying to appeal to the majority of the world because the majority has been spoon-fed what to find attractive. Nobody sits their ass down and thinks: "What do I actually find attractive?"
Instead, they turn to the media to tell them what to like.
2D is better anyway. 2D tits are just so much better looking than 3D ones. -_-
Nice fallacy you have there. Being close to the ideal for beauty in your culture means you have significantly higher chance at being able to have a relationship with the kind of partner you desire.
Being pretty means more likely that other pretty people will be interested in you, and the other way around. Unless you failed 6th grade math, the implications should be obvious.
I'm not trying to argue with you, but my personal experience is different: generally speaking, several people would fall for someone "pretty", that's true, but it doesn't mean that I'd have found my partner among "most people". I also found that what lots of women believe to be fat isn't in the eyes of several men. I have huge complexes about my thighs, which are my boyfriend's favourite thing about my body.
I'd say that "pretty" is a wider spectrum than you or I may think, once you do go out there in the world, and trying to conform to that has been more of a hindrance than a successful thing in my life.
The "partner that you desire" is also a very subjective thing: sure enough, some people complain that no one likes them even though they apply the same standards when looking at other people for possible partners. On the other hand, what we're presented with when looking for attractive people is often now what I would call attractive – heck, I've found people attractive in the past that I now wonder what I was thinking at the time to have such poor taste.
Hahaha i bet your virgin
She didn't have to lose the 20kg. She could still cosplay, just no one would like her. She's an attention whore because not losing the weight would be just doing it for the fun. You should see how many Americunts cosplay that are well over 100kg, even 150kg. (inb4 don't bash Americans… I am one)
And there you have it, cosplay improves health.
By being a Fat Ass she won a good set of Boobs and ass.
You are a true poet, sir!
I gain 20 kilo because i eat a lot.
She was kinda hot before, the after is just great display.
Photoshop. Make-up.
She's an inspiration to me. I'm also trying to lose weight to do better cosplay.
She had me at the cosplay of Lum.
Still looks like shit.
U jelly, pig?
That is some dedication for a hobby. I know some people who wouldn't lose 5 lbs if their health depended on it.
straight men everywhere thank you,lol
That has to be the best Himiko cosplay I've ever seen.
I'm a guy and I lost 25lbs to cosplay as a trap once.
Girls have no excuse.
Pics or it didn't happen. The cosplay of course…
smexy pics plox
That must be a hell ugly trap..
Is lying your favorite twisted hobby?
The next time I see a fat cosplayer cosplaying characters they are not supposed to and then fucking complain about how people discriminate them, I'll just link them this article.
Yes, cosplaying is for fun. So if that's it, you can just cosplay at home. Why come to conventions in costume while killing everyone's eyes? Gamers don't bring their games out and put it on a big screen to play, do they?
Fantastic! Now, all you fatties out there who didn't loose any weight but cosplay anyway, follow her example. No one wants to see your jelly-rolls. If you are a size 37 but want to cosplay that petite anime character you love so much follow this cosplayers lead and develop the body for it first or GTFO.
On a related note, there is no such thing as a "BBW". The first "B" negates the possibility of the second "B" being true. Women who call themselves "BBWs" are simply in denial.
And I know there are some guys out there who are chubby chasers. These guys only settle for Bertha because Bertha is the best they can do. You guys just have low self esteem and/or are basement dwelling, neckbeards.
Have a nice day.
According to other sites she needed 10 years for this.
Why would any woman call themselves Big Beached Whale?
I do agree that skinny character = skinny cosplayer, just like big fat character = big cosplayer. I'm losing weight exactly for the same reason as this Taiwanese cosplayer.
It just wrong..lost 20kg for cosplay..
Another identical girl to another girls..
If you like em large, there's plenty left in the USA. There's hardly a shortage of large and lonely girls in the world or anything.
great case of overcome
good for her, and nice cosplay choice <3 lum
ps: when are you posting about yukirin's descent into hell after going to that party with the other AKB48 member who just did the bouzu act, the AV star Kirara Asuka and the 2 male baseball players, and then staying alone with the latter in a karaoke until 8am.
She is on the protein diet now.
Now if only U.S. girls were this determined.
Like they'll ever learn from this, lol.


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15-year-old struck by vehicle in Portsmouth, flown to Boston hospitalBy Gretyl Macalaster
Union Leader Correspondent
September 13. 2013 11:29PM
PORTSMOUTH - A 15-year-old boy suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a vehicle on Lafayatte Road.
Police were called to Route 1 southbound near the Dunkin' Donuts around 9:25 p.m. for a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.
The victim was identified by police only as a 15-year-old boy. He was flown to a Boston hospital with serious injuries.
New Hampshire State Police are assisting Portsmouth police in the accident investigation.
Police identified the driver as Julie Cummings, 37, of Portsmouth.
No further information was immediately available.


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"A political leader's faith can tell us a great deal or nothing. So much depends on what lies behind that faith. And so much depends on deeds, not words. Perhaps the most important question to ask a person of faith who seeks a political office is whether he or she shares these American values: the equality of humankind, the obligation to serve one another, and a steadfast commitment to liberty. They are not unique to any one denomination. They belong to the great moral inheritance we hold in common. They are the firm ground on which Americans of different faiths meet and stand as a nation, united."
In an interview with "Cathedral Age," a magazine published by the Washington National Cathedral, former Mass. governor Mitt Romney explains the role of faith in the life of a politician.
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign rally with vice presidential running mate Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Aug. 24, 2012 in Commerce, Mich.
Read more in the Faith 2012 Quote Archives.


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Germany destroys Brazil's World Cup hopes
BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil
Two hours before the beat down in Belo, the streets outside the Estadio Mineirao were lined with Brazilians.
They were hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes; 23 men selected to reward their unwavering support with World Cup glory.
It was biblical in nature — akin to Palm Sunday — as Brazil's team bus navigated through crowds and streets ahead of its World Cup semifinal against Germany.
Fans ran into the streets. They waved flags. They even toppled over one another just to see players they expected to be world champions come Sunday.
With two hands high in the air, the city of Belo Horizonte bowed down.
In a matter of minutes, the same awestruck fans who lined the streets were arming themselves with tomatoes, figuratively speaking.
"This is a catastrophic loss," embattled Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari said in the aftermath of an unthinkable 7-1 defeat.
"It was terrible. Obviously it was terrible," Scolari added.
This is a country that doesn't lose at home. Until Tuesday night's jaw-dropping loss, Brazil hadn't lost a competitive match here in 39 years.
Still, with the hosts missing Neymar and Thiago Silva — which Scolari clarified post-game wouldn't have made a difference — many locals here expected the worst.
What they didn't expect was the most embarrassing result in their team's history — one filled with trophies and World Cup titles, along with one shocking defeat.
More than anything else in their storied past, Brazilians will always recount what happened at the Mineirao on this night.
"I'm going to be remembered for this loss, the worst defeat to Brazil's history," Scolari said. "That was the risk in taking this position."
There were questions post-game about the direction of Brazilian soccer.
How could this happen? Is an inquiry needed?
It wreaked of a desperation — local media pleading with Scolari for answers with an entire nation in mourning.
Never mind the fact the Germans executed their game plan to perfection, capitalizing on a Brazilian team that lacked defensive discipline all over the park.
"We knew if we were courageous and aware of our own possibilities that we would win this match," German manager Joachim Low said of his side scoring four times in six minutes.
"We knew they were confused," he added. "They never found their organization … We realized they were cracking up."
After Thomas Mueller scored off a corner 10 minutes in, the Brazilians were at least on the same planet as their European counterparts.
But as the match progressed, the desperation in Brazil's body language became apparent.
With massive expectations in front of home support, the hosts began to crack up.
They threw caution to the wind, despite having 70 minutes to get back in the game.
They became stretched and had an amateurish defensive shape — highlighted by Marcelo when Miroslav Klose doubled Germany's lead.
The Brazilian fullback followed Mueller's run when he could have just let him wonder offside, allowing Mueller to connect with Klose for his record-breaking goal.
Even then, at 2-0 there was still a chance Brazil could put things right.
Only Scolari failed to make any kind of defensive adjustment. The Brazilians, in some kind of 4-2-4, were ripped apart with nobody seeming to understand their defensive responsibilities.
Nobody bothered to track Toni Kroos making a late run at the top of the box before he rifled a third past Julio Cesar.
Kroos and Sami Khedira combined two minutes later off a simple one-two that twisted and turned David Luiz and Silva's stand-in centre back, Dante. It was embarrassing.
To cap the first-half scoring, German centre back Mats Hummels somehow beat five Brazilian players in a sequence that led to Khedira making it 5-0.
"Nothing could have been done in this exact moment," Scolari said after his tactics were questioned.
To break this thing down in the simplest terms: The Brazilians were far too offensive.
Marcelo, Bernard, Oscar, Hulk and Maicon were all liabilities in the defensive end.
It's why Germany's bench boss tossed Mueller out wide, allowing him to exploit the space vacated whenever Marcelo went forward with reckless abandon.
"We got a little bit panicked, and then things started to happen normally for them and everything went bad for us," Scolari said. "So I don't have any regrets for the choices I made."
Scolari reiterated that the responsibility was shared. World class players — all worth tens of millions of dollars — completely capitulated in front of a sea of yellow.
In truth, however, it was likely his best coaching job to date. After all, there were questions as to whether Brazil would bother coming out after the break.
"I did my job as I've always done it, anywhere," Scolari said. "I did what I thought was best and what I thought was correct."
Despite Brazil coming close on a few occasions, the game turned into a big joke in the 69th minute when Andre Schurrle scored from close-range on a cross.
Schurrle made it 7-0 with 10 minutes remaining off a nice half-volley that beat Cesar at the near post.
Maybe the most disrespectful thing a fan base can do happened next.
The Brazilians here Tuesday night began applauding their opponents.
In an even more awkward moment, Oscar scored at the death to cut the lead to six only to hear his goal answered by jeers.
"I'm sorry we were not able to get to the final," Scolari apologized to Brazilians everywhere. "We're going to continue working and honouring. Our team is playing for third place now in Brasilia on Saturday."
Referee Marco Rodriguez didn't bother playing stoppages time, preferring to put Brazil out of its misery.
After Rodriguez blew for full-time, Brazil's players — the country's ex-heroes — circled up at midfield.
Following a brief pow wow, they turned and applauded their fans, who answered them with more howls and whistles as they made their way into the tunnel.
The days of Palm Sunday had been erased over 90 minutes.
And the Brazilian team was left facing a much different processional.
Follow our live coverage below featuring Kurtis Larson and Morris Dalla Costa, along with reaction from Brazil and social media.


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Surprising findings from a new study may leave you crying for a new go-to baby soother.
Researchers cultured 40 different species of bacteria from ten used pacifiers and found four different strains of Staphylococcus aureus, a common cause of skin infections and respiratory disease, reports HealthDay.
Bacteria found on common pacifiers have also been linked to cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, allergies, asthma and autoimmune diseases. Additionally, they can grow a slimy coating of bacteria called a biofilm, which changes normal bacteria in toddlers' mouths. This can increase the risk of developing gastrointestinal problems, colic, or ear infections.
PLUS: Should You Use a Pacifier?
Study author Dr. Tom Glass, a professor of forensic sciences, pathology and dental medicine at Oklahoma State University, was particularly concerned by the fact that many of the bacteria that grew from the used pacifiers were resistant to commonly used antibiotics like penicillin and methicillin.
While Glass doesn't recommend that parents use pacifiers to calm their child, other experts are not concerned about them carrying disease-causing germs and believe they can lower the risk of SIDS in infants.
If you're not ready for your kid to quit the paci, be sure to soak the sucker daily in a denture-cleaning agent. Because wear increases the bacteria-trapping porousness of the plastic, replace them after two weeks of use.
How often do you clean or replace your child's pacifier? Leave a comment.


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GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Virginia guard Malcolm Brogdon couldn't ask for a more ardent advocate than Miami coach Jim Larranaga, who voted Brogdon not only the ACC player of the year but also the conference's top defender.
Brogdon did not receive either award, in the coaches' or media balloting. Both parties named North Carolina State's T.J. Warren and Clemson's K.J. McDaniels the player and defensive player of the year, respectively.
"I ended up voting for Malcolm Brogdon," Larranaga told me on the eve of his team's first-round ACC tournament game Wednesday versus Virginia Tech, "because I greatly believe that you should vote for the guy that's the best player on the best team.
"Not that there aren't other great players in the league. If you tell me you're a great player, then I tell you you should lead your team to victory. That's what great players do, and I go back to Bill Russell. He didn't lead the NBA in scoring. He just led the league in championships, and to me that's what the best player's all about.
"Now if Virginia was a team that averaged 88 points a game, Malcolm Brogdon would be averaging 20, 23 or 24 because of the volume of offense. But they don't. They're a low-possession team. They average 60, he averages double figures. He's their leading scorer. He's basically led them to victories. He's hit game-winning shots. He's made game-winning plays and they've won the regular season."
Larranaga's narrative is spot-on. Brogdon averages a team-high 12.6 points, and the Cavaliers score 66.3 per game. He made a game-winning 3-pointer at Pittsburgh and hit clutch free throws to close out other wins as Virginia (25-6, 16-2) won the regular season outright for the first time since 1981, when Larranaga was a Cavaliers assistant under Terry Holland.
When I asked Larranaga whom he deemed defensive player of the year, he said, "Guess."
"Akil Mitchell," I replied, knowing how much Larranaga and other coaches admire how Virginia's power forward guards the post and perimeter ball screens.
"He was second," Larranaga said. "Malcolm Brogdon. I thought to myself, maybe if he doesn't win player of the year, he'll win defensive player of the year. What was my criteria? Best defensive team. They're the best defensive team in the league, and I think he's the guy that keys their defense, although Akil Mitchell is a huge part of their defense."
Warren this season joined Clemson's Horace Grant (1987) and Wake Forest's Tim Duncan (1997) as the only players to lead the ACC in scoring (24.8 points per game) and field goal percentage (53.2). McDaniels is the league's top shot-blocker at 2.77 per game.
Virginia Tech coach James Johnson voted with the majority on player of the year.
"Warren hurt us," Johnson said, "and since we played them, he's been hurting a lot of people."
Warren had 31 points, six rebounds and four steals in the Wolfpack's victory at Cassell Coliseum last month. He subsequently scored 36 against North Carolina, 41 at Pitt and 42 versus Boston College.
Johnson compared Warren to Erick Green, who as a senior last season at Tech led the nation in scoring at 25.0 points per game while shooting 47.5 percent.
"Erick put up a lot of points for us," Johnson said, "but he didn't take a lot of shots. I wanted him to take even more shots. … (Warren's) not chasing shots. He's not jacking up shots. … Man, zone, it's tough to guard him. And, I think he plays both ends of the floor."
He does. He had an ACC-best 32 steals in conference games.
Not surprisingly, Larranaga offered a spirited defense of his "very dear friend" Johnson, against whom, oddly enough, he is 0-2 this season, the Hokies' lone ACC victories.
"He's doing a terrific job," Larranaga said, fully aware that Johnson, with a new boss and only six league wins in his two seasons, is embattled. "Coaches are always judged, first and foremost, on one category, record. Have you won enough games?
"But from my point of view, the first thing a coach needs is the time to build his own program in his own likeness. And if you look at some of the young players that James and his staff have bought in, he's really headed in the right direction. I think Joey van Zegeren's going to be an NBA player. I think (Devin) Wilson and (Ben) Emelogu are two very good freshman guards and Trevor Thompson's a good freshman big guy. They're positioned, with another good recruiting class, to make a major step forward."
I can be reached at 247-4636 or by e-mail at email@example.com. Follow me at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP
Here's a link to my Daily Press print columns.


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Developers / Finally: Development environment up and running - some testing to be done« on: December 31, 2011, 03:00:27 pm »
So I finally got the right combination of time, hardware and disk space to be able to set up a working dev environment. I've tested to compile some modules and everything seems to be OK. First PoC will be to create a work-around for a very annoying bug from UpdateMedia that I'm sure all Scandinavian users will enjoy (and German, Spanish - or whoever have to use a media tagged with anything outside of the small English alphabet). Some news on that to follow next year!


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Violinist in Green
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Sometimes I like it when the stage lights go real weird!
Shot during a jazz concert at Clarke Quay, Singapore, 2011
6 responses
Ted Anderson (Deleted) gave props (7 Mar 2013):
Nice shot, and entry.
Donna Mullins (Deleted) gave props (7 Mar 2013):
Wonderful take on the theme Richard. Concert lighting is constantly changing. NICE catch!
Donald Garrett gave props (7 Mar 2013):
I really like this colorful, well-lighted shot!
Susan B. Griffith said (7 Mar 2013):
Beautiful. Like the colors.
Leslie Hunziker gave props (7 Mar 2013):
this is awesome!
James Wiley gave props (24 Mar 2013):
Nice tight close up and of course, the colours!!!
Also by Richard Seah
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A Harrisville man continues to be held in the Butler County Prison after his attempt to have his bail reduced was denied in court, pending the receipt of a mental health evaluation.
Andrew Woods, 21, remains held on $10,000 cash bail, on charges of felony robbery and summary retail theft after Judge William Shaffer denied the bail reduction without prejudice, stating that the matter can be revisited once a mental health evaluation is received.
Woods was charged after an incident at the Friedman's store on West Brady Street in Butler on June 20.
Butler City police said Woods attempted to steal a package of sausage and rolls from the store and tussled with two employees and a customer who thwarted his getaway.
One employee suffered pain and bruising to his right hand and arm, the other ended up with an injured left middle finger, and the customer complained of pain in his left arm.
Because of his alleged actions, Woods' summary shoplifting charge became a felony robbery charge, police said.
Police in charging documents noted the sausage and rolls were valued at a combined $8.38.
A full report will appear in the Butler Eagle.


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Operating System: Mac OS 10.5.8
Browser: Firefox
Scripts/third party programs used: BOB, Conquer Stats, Clickable Maps, ChatGlove
If the bug happened in a game/s, do not forget to indicate the game number/s.
I can't use snapshots in any of my games. I used to be able to do it, but Haven't been able to in a couple of weeks.


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Friday, November 20, 2009
Optimism: A Conversation With Henrik Christensen
I met Henrik Christensen (Director Robotics and Intelligent Machines, Georgia Institute of Technology) earlier this year at International Experts Days at the Schunk factory in Hausen, Germany. His presentations and comments were business-like and focused on the numbers that make emerging products successful (large enough marketplace, serious need(s) satisfied by the new product, price comparable or less (with savings) with present methods and costs, etc.).
A few days ago we had a conversation that covered many of the current issues in robotics. Throughout the conversation, Henrik remained positive and upbeat, heralding the next few years as the tipping point for this emerging industry, particularly here in America. Of course, that's part of his current job: making robotics a key economic enabler in America. He is a significant player in the Roadmap for US Robotics presented to the Congressional Robotics Caucus earlier this year and continues to make presentations about robotics at various levels of government, encouraging cooperation and strategic funding to make things happen.
One area frequently in the news is robotic surgery. Intuitive Surgical is hot on the American stock parade. But almost 50% of the da Vinci surgical machines are not working at their capacity because many doctors don't have the skills to make them work for them. For example, one proctologist used to take 2-3 hours for a procedure that he now does using the da Vinci in 30-40 minutes. But many more proctologists take 3-6 hours (and after 4 or 5 hours it becomes somewhat dangerous to the patient). After giving it a few tries, they go back to their normal way. For them it's a matter of income - they can do more procedures in the old way and time. [There are new devices being reviewed by the FDA from Japan, Korea and the EU which, unless something is done, will also become underutilized.]
Henrik says there's a major case for simulation training and two of the companies that do airline simulation are working on moving into that area as are major programs at the University of Michigan, SimuLab and Immersion. Right now Intuitive Surgical only gives a four-hour training course on their machine. Airline pilots have to invest hundreds of hours in training and retraining. The Captain and officers of the new cruise ship Oasis of the Seas spent 500+ hours of simulation time before ever stepping aboard the ship! Henrik sees not only a growing need for such simulation training but the economics that can make such an industry work and be profitable.
Industrial robots are engineering wonders that are extremely precise, mechanically intricate and last forever... which is part of their expense. To reduce those costs, manufacturers are making their machines more flexible, safer, human friendly and less exacting. Rodney Brooks' new start-up Heartland Robotics hopes to make machines that are 20%-35% less expensive and more assistive in, as he calls it, the "as yet un-automated manufacturing" sector. This is similar to the EU project SME Robot which focused on small and medium manufacturers and their requirements for flexible and quick shop assistance.
One "as yet un-automated" sector is warehouse fulfillment, an area where Kiva Systems has been so successful that it can't keep up with its orders. Amazon and all the other big mail-order processors are in need of products similar to the Kiva system but unique to their specific methods. It's an area ripe for innovation and one in which Henrik sees many things happening as early as early 2010.
One area where the economics aren't right yet for commercialization appears to be in therapeutic and eldercare assistive robotics. The research and equipment have yet to find their niche, yet the needs exist with autistic children and people with strokes and other disabilities and eldercare needs. The economic model to make saleable products with today's state of the art research and products just doesn't presently exist.
Finally we talked about the need for regional incubators to foster start-up companies -- to help them make the big switch from research engineers to marketing and management executives and to focus on helping customers do their jobs better with robotic equipment.
Henrik wants to tie research grants to real needs which, if he is able to get an agreement from the government to make strategic investments as is done by DARPA and now ARPA-E, will pay off and make robotics a key economic enabler in America.
Posted by Frank Tobe at 2:33 PM


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On Monday, JD and I are headed to Disney Aulani. We made a pit-stop at the Disney store this past weekend and JD got a new Cars 2 backpack. So far he's packing…(Um, I can't believe he's old enough to have his own Carry-On, sob)
1. VTech Innotab It's loaded with enough games, e-books and activities for the 11-hour non-stop flight home. (Pray for me.)
2. Portable DVD Player + headphones (Cars, Cars 2, Toy Story 3 and Alvin and the Chipmunks)
3. Crayola Color Wonder Book and Markers
4. Kindergarten learning workbook. I picked up this one.
5. Cars (I wish we didn't have to pack them, because they are going to fall off the tray and roll down the plane, but WE HAVE TO PACK THEM.)
6. Learning flashcards
7. Crayons and coloring book/paper. JD drew this pic of us in Hawaii last night at the diner. (Uncle Carlo [Red] is coming, JD = Green and I'm Blue—I look amazing.)
8. Books (JD is a bookworm!)
9. Snacks: Goldfish, Cars pretzels, Clementines, apple slices, cheese sticks, straw sippy cup.
10. Blanky. He's been to NYC, The Jersey Shore, LA, Florida, The Bahamas and now Hawaii! See pics of JD on his first flight to LAX with Blanky here.
Bonus: I reminded JD's Pre-K teacher he would be out all next week and she told me she was going to prepare a fun plane packet for him.
Read my single parent travel tips here.
Full disclosure: I do not represent any of the brands noted in this blog. I do stand by the products. JD-tested, mom approved.
Friend me on Facebook & follow me on Twitter @JDSMOM2007 so you can keep up with us next week in Hawaii. Order a copy of my single mom memoir, Rattled! or download it @ iTunes. Check out ChristineCoppa.net for more info.


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Last year, Utah created jobs at a faster pace than any other state in the country — with the single exception of North Dakota. While the boom in North Dakota is being driven by oil and gas, the hot job market in Utah is being powered by technology companies.
Computer-system-design jobs in Utah shot up nearly 12 percent in 2011. Scientific and technical jobs jumped 9.7 percent. With job opportunities expanding, the state is having little trouble attracting new residents.
For Jill Layfield, the decision to move here from Silicon Valley was not a tough call.
"Not difficult at all," she said, laughing. "I'm a big fan of climbing, mountain biking, skiing and trail running — the idea of being able to come work for a tech company and live in a ski resort was a very easy decision."
Indeed, Utah's boosters are calling the state's booming tech scene the Silicon Slopes.
Jeremy Andrus moved to Utah from San Francisco.
"We've got a powder rule — 6 inches of fresh powder in the morning, we expect you to go carve some turns," he said.
While these two might sound like ski bums, don't be fooled: They are both chief executive officers.
Layfield runs Backcountry.com, an online retailer in Park City, Utah, that did nearly $300 million in sales last year, according to industry analysts. And she's hiring this year.
"We are hiring people in marketing and merchandising — we are always looking for great gear heads," she said.
Layfield needs programmers, product managers and engineers. And it's not just techies who need apply.
"It doesn't matter. If somebody great comes through the door we'll find a position for them," she said. "If you are smart and you are passionate about the consumer Internet and building great products. If you want to have fun at work and be around great people, we want to hear from you."
Since 2007, Backcountry.com has more than tripled its Utah workforce. It now has roughly 1,000 employees. All through the recession Backcountry was hiring.
Jeremy Andrus might be able to pass as a ski bum, but he's a Harvard Business School graduate. He runs a Park City company called Skullcandy, which makes designer headphones for snowboarders, skaters and surfers.
Skullcandy recently went public and is now worth about $400 million. Andrus is hiring too.
Park City is a defining part of the company's culture.
"We buy a season's pass to the Canyons [a local ski resort] for all of our employees," Andrus said. "People value that [when] you come in in the wintertime you are going to see wet snowboards hanging from the wall. You come in during the summer and you are going to see dirty mountain bikes in there."
Andrus says offering this kind of affordable outdoor work life makes hiring talented young employees easy. And thousands of Utah tech companies are taking advantage.
"There are 6,600 companies — tech companies — right here within an hour of where we are at," said Josh James, the chief executive of a Utah startup called Domo and a serial entrepreneur.
But Utah's tech economy is taking off for more reasons than just the great outdoors. The state is managing to create a miniature version of Silicon Valley. Hundreds of communities around the world have attempted this trick; few have truly succeeded.
The Silicon Valley formula is no secret. Take a great research university, work with scientists and engineers there to commercialize their best ideas, add money in the form of venture capitalists, throw in some entrepreneurs and stir.
Recruiting Researchers
Utah was starting with a big disadvantage. It doesn't have research institutions that truly rival Stanford and Berkeley or Harvard and MIT. But officials at the University of Utah and the state government recognized that weakness and took steps to address it head-on.
In 2006 the state launched the Utah Science and Technology Research Initiative, or USTAR. The program invested more than $100 million in the state's universities. The goal was to recruit top researchers in key economic areas from around the world. By all accounts the program is working — the researchers Utah recruited to the state are creating real economic value.
"Absolutely," University of Utah President David Pershing said. "We have certainly had faculty that have come in the USTAR program and have now started up small companies." The program created even more jobs than Utah officials expected. Some of the academics the state recruited brought existing companies with them.
At the same time, the University of Utah took steps to help make it easier to turn cutting-edge research into a business. It reformed its technology licensing system. It created a new vice president in charge of technology transfer and helped introduce business students to the engineers and scientists doing the research.
Pershing said that just a few years ago, the school was spinning off new companies at a rate of about three a year, which was typical for a school of its size. "But that was not enough to have a real economic impact," he said.
Now the U, as it's known, is spinning off roughly 25 new companies a year.
"That's exciting," Pershing said. "Now, they are not all going to grow to be great big companies — and we know that. But some are growing very nicely."
Venture Capitalists Take Note
Utah has had big tech companies for 30 years — WordPerfect was founded here. So was Novell. But James says a decade ago, landing funding for a startup in this state was tough. To get funding for a business in the state, entrepreneurs often had to fly to California and make their pitches.
"I remember early in my career I'm talking to a guy — a venture capitalist — and he was really interested in my business," James recalled. "I'm at Silicon Valley at a cocktail reception. Then all of a sudden he says, 'Wait, wait, wait — where are you at?' and I said Utah and he turns around and walks away — doesn't say no thanks — doesn't say not interested."
It ticked him off. In fact, James still remembers that investor's name.
"I'm like OK — we are going to show you. And we are going to show everyone else," James said.
He did.
The business James was pitching was called Omniture. Eventually he took it public, then sold it to Adobe for $1.8 billion. Venture capitalists — or VCs — have taken notice of successes like that.
"There were 110 VC investments last year in the state," James said. "Every VC that comes and visits me always asks are there two or three other companies that we can visit while we are there. So there is definitely capital flowing."
Last year, venture capital investment in Utah shot up 54 percent. And James, along with other successful Utah entrepreneurs, is reinvesting profits in the state's technology scene.
"I've invested in probably 30 deals here in Utah, where I have put in 50 grand to half a million dollars," he said.
Utah's Secret Economic Weapon
It's not just startups that are expanding here. EBay has had a presence in Utah since the 1990s. It runs a big call center.
"We have moved about 350 jobs from the Philippines back over here to Salt Lake city," says Scott Murray, eBay's vice president in charge of the company's Utah operations.
"The key for us is that 20 percent of our transactions are cross-border trade," Murray said. And Utah happens to have the highest percentage of foreign-language speakers in the country. It's the state's secret economic weapon.
Every year, thousands of Mormon missionaries come back to Utah after spending two years abroad, learning a foreign language, foreign customs and intricacies of a foreign culture.
Andrus, Skullcandy's CEO, learned Italian on a mission; James learned Japanese.
So at eBay, if a buyer from Brazil has a problem with a seller from Slovakia — there's a good chance the folks here can handle it.
"In my department we had a Russian speaker, a Brazilian who spoke Portuguese. We had Filipinos who spoke Tagalog. I think we had one other person who spoke Chinese as well," said Michael Bobo, an eBay employee in the Utah call center who mastered French on a mission.
But it's not only eBay that's interested in foreign-language fluency. The National Security Agency recently decided to build a $1.2 billion data center here.
The NSA is circumspect about what brought the agency to the state, but economic development officials here are convinced foreign-language skills were a big draw.
"That's very definitely linked to the linguistic talent that's here," said Jeff Edwards, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah.
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.
And I'm Audie Cornish. And it's time for All Tech Considered.
Today, the silicon slopes of Utah. Last year, Utah created new jobs at a faster rate than any other state in the country, with the exception of North Dakota - the boom in North Dakota is being driven by oil and gas. But the hot job market in Utah is powered in large part by technology companies. This week, we're looking at vibrant parts of the economy - places and industries where things are looking up.
Today, NPR's Steve Henn takes us to Utah.
STEVE HENN, BYLINE: For Jill Layfield, the decision to move to Park City, Utah from Silicon Valley was not a tough call.
JILL LAYFIELD: It's not difficult at all. I'm a big fan of climbing and mountain-biking, skiing, trail running, so the idea of being able to come work for a tech company and live in a ski resort was actually a very easy decision.
JEREMY ANDRUS: We got a powder rule: six inches of fresh powder. We expect you to take the first hour or two in the morning to go carve some turns.
HENN: Jeremy Andrus moved out here from San Francisco. While these two might sound like ski bums, don't be fooled: They are both CEOs. Jill runs Backcountry.com, an online retailer that did close to $300 million in sales last year. And she's hiring.
LAYFIELD: Marketing and merchandising, we're always looking for great gear heads.
HENN: She needs programmers, product managers and engineers. And it's not just techies.
LAYFIELD: Always - it doesn't matter. If somebody great comes through the door we'll find a position for them.
HENN: Jeremy is a Harvard Business School graduate. He runs a company called Skullcandy. It makes designer headphones for snowboarders, skaters and surfers. Skullcandy recently went public and is now worth close to $400 million. And Jeremy is hiring, too.
But it's not just startups that are expanding here. EBay has had a presence in Utah since the '90s. It runs a big call center.
SCOTT MURRAY: So we have moved almost about 350 jobs from the Philippines back over here to Salt Lake City.
HENN: Scott Murray is eBay's vice president in charge here. And yes, you heard him correctly: eBay took jobs from the Philippines - call center jobs - and moved them back into the United States. Why?
MURRAY: The key for us is, so 20 percent of our transactions are cross-border trade.
HENN: And it turns out that Utah has the highest percentage of foreign language speakers in the country. It's kind of the state's secret economic weapon.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: (Foreign language spoken)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: (Foreign language spoken)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: (Foreign language spoken)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #4: (Foreign language spoken)
HENN: And there's a simple reason so many people here speak another language.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: I served a mission for the Mormon Church in Japan in 1991 to '93.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: And I ended up serving a mission, as well, for the LDS Church.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #5: I learned Spanish through a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and...
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #6: And I also served a mission for my church in Italy.
HENN: Every year, thousands of returning Mormon missionaries come back to Utah after spending two years abroad, after learning a foreign language, customs and culture.
So, if at eBay, a buyer from Brazil has a problem with a seller from Slovakia, there's a good chance the folks here can handle it.
MICHAEL BOBO: In my department, I know that we had like a Russian, a Brazilian Portuguese; we had a Filipino that spoke Tagalog. I think we had one other person who spoke Chinese, as well.
HENN: Michael Bobo mastered French on a mission.
BOBO: I get calls from people in Cameroon and Togo and Zaire and Congo.
HENN: But it's not only eBay that's interested in foreign language fluency. The NSA, the National Security Agency, recently decided to build a $1.2 billion data center here.
JEFF EDWARDS: That's very definitely linked to the linguistic talent that's here.
HENN: Jeff Edwards is president of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah.
He says even Goldman Sachs has tapped its Salt Lake office for language skills. It uses employees recruited here to open offices around the world. Today, Salt Lake is Goldman's second largest office in North America, with more than 1,300 employees.
But most firms don't come to Utah looking for an internationally sophisticated workforce. Goldman was lured by tax breaks. Skullcandy landed in Park City because its founder didn't want to live more than five minutes from a ski lift.
ANDRUS: When we started building the business here, I don't know that we had the bold vision that we'd be in 70 countries around the world.
HENN: But Jeremy Andrus says having a workforce fluent in languages and cultures from all over the globe has been a boon. While its headquarters are still in Utah, today Skullcandy has offices from San Clemente to Switzerland to Shanghai.
Steve Henn, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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16 Oct 2013 13:09:35 PM
The Top 24 Mixed Martial Artists Who Lost Their First Fight
(Renan Barao: Started from the bottom, now he here. / Photo via Getty)
By Adam Martin
At the UFC 165 post-fight presser last month, UFC president Dana White showered praise upon UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao, calling him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and remarking that the media hadn't given enough credit to his eight-year, 32-fight undefeated streak, which has remained pristine since May 2005.
Barao has only tasted defeat once, and it was in the first fight of his career. The fact that he's rebounded with the longest current undefeated streak in mixed martial arts — despite the fact that his first loss could have ruined his confidence forever — is absolutely amazing to me, as many young would-be prospects have crashed and burned in their debuts, never to be heard of again.
It got me thinking: What other mixed martial artists lost their first fight but then went on to have great success? I expected to bang out a list of ten fighters, but once I started doing the research, it blew my mind that some of the best fighters to ever compete in the sport, and a number of currently top 10-ranked fighters, actually lost their very first fight.
And so, I compiled a list of the top 24 MMA fighters of all time who lost their first fight. The list is based on accomplishments in the sport, overall skill level, and potential. Enjoy, and if I somehow missed somebody notable, please leave a comment below and explain why he or she should be included.
Honorable mentions: Matt "The Wizard" Hume (5-5), Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (20-15), Ryan "The Big Deal" Jimmo (18-2), Rodrigo Damm (11-6), James Te Huna (16-6)
24. Travis "The Ironman" Fulton (249-49-10, 1 NC)
(Photo via ThunderPromotions)
On July 26, 1996, at the age of 19 years old, Travis Fulton fought Dave Strasser in his MMA debut at Gladiators 1 in Davenport, Iowa, losing the fight via first-round submission. He then went on to win 249 fights, the most wins in mixed martial arts history. Fulton also holds the record for most fights (309) and most knockout wins (91) in MMA history.
Mind = blown.
Was Fulton a can crusher? Yes, yes he was. Or, should I say, yes he is, as he beat some nobody in his native Iowa just this past March. But you don't win 249 MMA fights by accident, and Fulton deserves a place on this list based on volume alone.Read More DIGG THIS


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Reduced Work Year Policy
Saint Louis University has many activities which are concentrated during certain times of the year, and require the full attention and support of participant departments during these peak periods. Many of these departments that have these types of cyclical activities may find that during the off-peak periods, it is not necessary to maintain a full staff.
Saint Louis University provides the option of offering a permanent reduced work year schedule to full-time staff members who work in units that have cyclical, off-peak work periods.
This policy applies to all full-time non-bargaining unit staff of Saint Louis University.
Not applicable
7.2 The Department Head discusses the reduced work year option with each individual in identified positions. If the individual agrees to the reduced work year schedule, an EPAF is submitted indicating "Reduced Work Year" in the comments section of the EPAF, and the beginning and end dates of the time-off period. (Total time-off period cannot exceed 10 weeks in a 12-month period.)
7.3 The individual signs the Reduced Work Year Agreement Form which is submitted with the EPAF.
7.4 The approved EPAF and the Reduced Work Year Agreement Form must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the non-working period.
7.5 All payroll deductions that are due to occur during the non-work period must be prepaid prior to the start of the non-working period. The final check prior to the start of the non-working period will therefore include vacation balance owed, less prepaid payroll deductions. (Sick leave cannot be used to prepay payroll deductions.) The individual must contact the Benefits Office and/or the Payroll Office to review and approve the amount of prepayment for deductions. If this prepayment amount cannot be paid in full prior to the start of the non-working period, the individual cannot participate in the Reduced Work Year Program.
7.6 The departmental timekeeper will indicate "Reduced Work Year-No-Work" on the timesheet/leave report during the time-off period.
7.7 New Reduced Work Year Positions
New positions may be established which include an immediate reduced work year schedule. In these cases, the positions will be posted with preference being given to a qualified internal candidate over a similarly qualified external candidate.
7.8 Change in Reduced Work Year Schedule
If the dates of the non-working period of a flex schedule should change, a new EPAF must be submitted to ensure that:
Movement to a flex-year schedule cannot be revoked unless the employee transfers to another position, or management considerations make it necessary to return the position to a full twelve-month schedule.
7.9 Budget Implications
When the Human Resources Office receives the EPAF indicating "Reduced Work-Year" in the Comments section, a copy of the PAF will be forwarded to the Financial Planning and Services Office. A representative from this office will assign a new Reduced Work Year position number which will permanently identify this position as eligible for Reduced Work Year scheduling. Any vacation balance owed prior to the start of the non-working period will be charged to the account(s) indicated on the EPAF.
The Financial Planning and Services Office will need to be contacted regarding budget reallocations, if applicable.
Reduced Work Year Agreement
I understand that by exercising the reduced work year option, I will not receive regular wages for the non-working period, scheduled from ___________________ to ___________________. As a full-time employee, I will continue to be eligible for the University benefit programs available to other full-time employees during the non-working period(s) authorized by my flex-year work schedule.
If I should resign my employment prior to returning from my non-working period, or if I fail to report to work within 3 days of my scheduled return date, I understand and agree that I will reimburse the University for all of the insurance premiums paid on my behalf, less any payroll deductions, for the non-working period. Also, any outstanding debts to the University will become due and payable immediately upon separation. Failure to pay within thirty (30) days of separation date will result in legal action.
NOTE: Prepayment amount for obligatory payroll deductions, such as Recreation Center dues, Billiken tickets, computer purchases, loans, etc., should be discussed with the Payroll Office prior to acceptance of this agreement. The Payroll Office will also assist you regarding continuation of voluntary deductions such as Savings Bonds. Direct deposit banking arrangements, if any, will resume upon your return.
The Benefits Office should be contacted to discuss the prepayment amount for benefits deductions such as dependent medical insurance, long term disability, etc.


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PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- Pace University will be hosting a panel discussion in celebration of Women's History Month and Pace University's 50th anniversary on Thursday, March 27, beginning at 5:30 p.m in Butcher Suite of the Kessel Student Center on the Pleasantville campus.
Networking and cocktails will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the panel discussion will begin at 6 p.m.
Be inspired by powerful women who have made their marks in government, business and higher education. Hear their stories of trial and triumph as they navigated these traditionally male-dominated industries.
Panelists will include Jody Fay, president, Westchester County Bar Association; Dean Harriet R. Feldman, College of Health Professions, Pace University; Marsha Gordon, president and chief executive officer, The Business Council of Westchester; and Stacey Hengsterman, associate vice chancellor for government relations, State University of New York.
The discussion will be moderated by Vanessa J. Herman, assistant vice-president, government and community relations, Pace University and Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo, associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean for students, Pace University Westchester Campus.
RSVP on or before Wednesday, March 19, to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Welcome to the LeTourneau University (LETU) College of Aviation & Aeronautical Science. Your interest in aviation and the aeronautical sciences has brought you to one of the nation's outstanding colleges for pilot, aircraft maintenance, air traffic control, and mission aviation training.
LETU is also the only comprehensive, university-level aviation program in the state of Texas. All training, labs and classes are taught by LETU instructors and faculty, meaning no part of the LETU training program is sub-contracted to third-party contractors. If you are passionate about aviation and want to turn your dreams into reality, you're in the right place.
With seventeen degree and concentration options (Bachelors and Associates), you are sure to find an aviation degree program that will help you turn your passion into a rewarding career.
Even previous graduates can benefit from further training at LETU. LETU's Restricted ATP program allows graduates the ability to qualify for airline employment at a fast-tracked 1,000 hours total flight time.
Our program began in 1956 as an "on the job" training program at our founder's (R.G. LeTourneau) aviation business here in Longview, Texas. Students could begin studies any Monday and learned by working alongside qualified aviation professionals. Over the past five decades, almost everything about our program has changed, but the personal integrity, professional excellence, and ability to "get the job done" remain the hallmark of LeTourneau aviation graduates.
Our faculty are academically qualified and have world class industry experience, including airline, corporate, missions, manufacturing, and military aviation. Our faculty have "been there and done that," and their experience provides a unique richness to the classroom and laboratory.
LETU aviation alumni are respected professionals working around the globe as mission aviators, airline pilots, engineers, managers, aircraft inspectors, military pilots, corporate leaders, air traffic controllers, and aircraft mechanics. They are men and women of faith, personal integrity, and professional excellence, making a positive contribution in aviation workplaces around the world.
With standardized test scores well above the national norm, our students have the ability and drive to become excellent in their profession. They also give back to our community and industry. Whether it is our NIFA team supporting the largest "fly-in" in the state of Texas, or our mission aviation students helping promote the Gospel in remote parts of the world, our students are actively engaged in service learning.
The Paul and Betty Abbott Aviation Center is a world class facility located across the airport from where our story began over five decades ago. Our students study in state-of-the-art laboratories and fly airplanes that are maintained to the highest standard by our own professional staff.
Students of the Aviation Management program may now also receive flight training at LETU's training facility at the McKinney airport in McKinney, TX.


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How Much Does It Cost For Tuition and Fees?
The Board of Trustees sets the tuition and fee rates for the upcoming academic year every February. Below are the DPT tuition and fees rates for the 2018-19 academic year:
|per semester
|Activity Fee
|per semester (no charge for Summer)
|Athletic Fee
|per semester ($55 for Summer)
|Immunization/Disability Fee
|per semester
|Clinical Admin Fee
|per semester
|Mental Health Fee
|per semester
|Technology Fee
|per semester
|Transcript Fee
|1st semester only
What Other Costs Will I Incur?
Each year the Financial Aid Office must estimate all normal expenses incurred by students in each academic program. In addition to tuition and fees, they include estimates for books, supplies, transportation, health insurance, food, rent, utilities, etc. This estimate is called the Cost of Attendance.
The estimated Cost of Attendance for the 2018-19 academic year (Fall 2018/Spring 2019/Summer 2019) is $70,516. This covers a 12-month period. When comparing costs at other programs, make sure you are comparing the same period of time.
How Much Should I Expect to Borrow for the Entire DPT Program?
The average indebtedness for the students who graduated from the program in 2018 was $132,889. Some students borrowed more and some borrowed less.
Are There Programs That Can Reduce My Indebtedness?
Yes, there are a number of employment arrangements in which students can reduce their indebtedness after they complete their degree. Some of these include the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. military and state health agencies. Also, some healthcare facilities will offer loan repayment incentives to potential employees. These arrangements often require the employee to commit to employment for a specific number of years. Also, students who work for a non-profit healthcare facility may qualify to have the balance of their loans forgiven after 10 years of repayment through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. See www.studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation


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Colombia is the Western Hemisphere's economic rising star and one of the world's emerging economic leaders. This country's economy grew by 5.9 percent in 2011 (compared with 1.8 percent in the U.S. and 2.7 percent in Brazil), and foreign investment in Colombia jumped a staggering 20 percent in 2012.
With its booming economy, strong agricultural sector, and energy surplus, Colombia is attracting a lot of attention from global investors.
But what about retirees? Is there opportunity in this fast-moving marketplace for retirees in search of a place to live well on a modest nest egg?
Indeed. Colombia's strong economic factors provide a backdrop of support for some of the most appealing overseas retirement options in the world, including one spot in particular that few outside the country have heard of (yet): Bucaramanga.
Bucaramanga is a pleasant, comfortable city where the intrepid retiree up for an adventure can embrace a fully appointed retirement lifestyle on a budget of as little as $1,200 per month.
As retirees already enjoying what Bucaramanga has to offer put it, while the city boasts many advantages and conveniences, it is, first and foremost, "a place where you can feel at home."
In Bucaramanga you can get away from the pressures of the world. This is a big city, with more than a million people in its metro area, but it's also an unpretentious city. Most of the town is neither rich nor poor but made up of a solid middle class, meaning you don't find the extremes that you do in many cities.
Bucaramanga offers excellent infrastructure, with drinkable tap water, reliable electricity, and fast broadband Internet service at reasonable rates. A new metrolinea public transit system is being phased into service to whisk commuters and travelers from one end of the city to the other. The international airport is just outside town, making access more convenient than you'd think, given Bucaramanga's fairly remote location.
Healthcare here is leading edge and offered at a very reasonable cost. The ten universities in the metro area bring a youthful, vibrant feel to many of the city's sectors.
Perhaps most important for many retirees, this city is a world-class value. You can buy a home here for less than $75,000. If you prefer to rent (which is usually the better option wherever you decide to retire), current offerings include a two-story, three-bedroom, three-bath home in the gated La Fontana neighborhood for $350 a month and a fully furnished luxury penthouse with all the amenities of our age, including a home theater, for $1,250 per month. More than $1,000 per month may be more than you want to spend on rent, but it gives you an idea of the standard of living available in this city.
Another particularly appealing thing about Bucaramanga for potential retirees is the climate. Temperatures range from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. There are no seasonal variations, and, unlike in many tropical climates, there is no rainy season. You'll enjoy a pleasant mix of rain and sunshine all year.
Bucaramanga is known as Ciudad de los Parques—city of parks—with more than 160 parks scattered within its borders. The region of the city I'd recommend first for foreign retirees is Cabecera del Llano, which includes the popular neighborhoods of Pan de Azúcar, Sotomayor, Cabecera, Conucos, and Altos de Cabecera. The most attractive feature of this area of the city is Parque San Pio, which stretches over a couple of city blocks.
As one retiree explains, "I start each day here with a strong cup of rich Colombian coffee, some fresh-squeezed local juice, and a buñuelo, which is a traditional morning pastry. I settle in to relax and watch local residents who come to the park each morning to walk, sit, chat, and exercise. The lifestyle here really is hard to beat."


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Thanks. You brought up a lot of aspects I wasn't aware of.
Regarding language, I did notice in the Ukraine (where people grow up speaking both Ukrainian and Russian) people seemed to pick up further languages easier, so that would lend some anecdotal evidence to your point.
– Greg
Great post Greg,
With respect to the research showing that it takes about 10 years to become an "expert" in a field. I always am of the mind of what does that exactly mean. . .an "expert" (I'd much prefer discussion about having expertise than being an expert). I think anyone will agree that the more you learn the less you know. So being an expert is relative. You might be an expert compared to Joe Blow but are you an expert compared to Einstein?
What I strongly believe is that interdisciplinary is a heavy word should be looked at more in the sense of the spirit of the word vs. its literally meaning. Particularly in business (the academic world is an entirely different beast as the conversations of Einat and Robert speak more to). Interdisciplinary thinking for me means being aware of the broad array of dynamics at play that influence and determines customer behavior. I emphasize "being aware" because simply being aware of the existence of something that someone else is not aware of, puts you leaps and bounds ahead of others (you don't even have to understand it entirely. . .just be aware of it).
Have you ever read the Medici Affect by Frans Johansson? If you have then I need not go further. If you haven't. . .I highly recommend reading it. He talks EXACTLY about your theme of synthesis and how innovation is powerful at the intersection of disciplines (but from a business perspective). In my top 10 of fave business books.
Nice to see you again. Yes, I read the Medici Effect, but some years ago. I'll take another look.
Btw. The 10 years rule comes from research by Anders Ericsson and was based on world class performers (and it wasn't any experience, but "deliberate practice").
You can find more info here:
(a short HBR overview) and here
DRKSHDW Jeans TULSA CUT Stretch Denim Fall/winter Rick Owens Sf2s5
(a bit more in depth).
– Greg
This article was personally uplifting to me, as I have been personally exploring various inter disciplinary fields to gain new insights. I think its becoming more of a necessity as we are moving towards an interconnected world. This perspective of synthesizing disparate ideas reminds me of Geoffrey Chew's Bootstrap hypothesis in Physics which states that nature cannot be reduced to fundamental building blocks, but through mutually consistent relationships, thus setting the ground for quantum aspects of matter. I am big fan of Quantum physics and I think some of its fundamental ideas about perception can give us amazing insights about this connected age. I think we need this bootstrap approach to management where several divergent fields are integrated to arrive at an networked mosaic of ideas and concepts.
Garbage trucks are about to be consigned to the dustbin of history. Thank the Envac Automated Waste Collection System, which lets you drop your refuse, recycling, and compost down a chute that whisks it off to a central sorting facility via a 45-mph subterranean slipstream. It may sound like something out of Logan's Run , but Envac systems are a ho-hum fact of life in places like Barcelona, London, and Stockholm. In 2012, Montreal will unveil an $8.2 million tube network to service a downtown arts district. If the Canadian system truly sucks, US cities may also soon be talking trash tunnels.
Illustration: L-Dopa
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9 Reasons This Electric Toothbrush is Worth All The Hype.
There's no American template for a powerful woman gone so gravely wrong
The death-cap mushroom has a long history as a tool of murder and suicide, going back to ancient Roman times. The fungus, Amanita phalloides , produces one of the world's deadliest toxins: α -amanitin. While it may seem ill-advised, researchers are eager to synthesize the toxin because studies have shown that it could help fight cancer. Scientists now report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society how they overcame obstacles to synthesize the death-cap killer compound.
-Amanitin achieves its impressive deadliness by acting as a potent inhibitor of RNA polymerase II, the enzyme primarily responsible for transcribing genes into the messenger molecule RNA. Using -amanitin bound to antibodies against tumor molecules, cancer researchers have reportedly cured mice of pancreatic cancer. These conjugates are currently in human trials; however, the only way to obtain -amanitin so far has been to harvest mushrooms, which is time-consuming and results in relatively small amounts of the compound. Synthetic production approaches have been hampered by -amanitin's unusual bicyclic structure, among other tricky features. David M. Perrin and colleagues decided to take on the challenge to produce the toxin in the laboratory, once and for all.
The researchers had to work through three key obstacles to produce -amanitin in the laboratory: production of the "oxidatively delicate" 6-hydroxy-tryptathionine, the an enantio- selective synthesis of (2,3,4)-4,5-dihydroxy-isoleucine and a diastereoselective sulfoxidation to favor the ()-sulfoxide. Due to its toxic nature, the researchers limited production to less than a milligram, but based on their results, they are confident that good yields are can be readily obtained by scaling up the process. The researchers also say that the development of this synthetic route will enable chemists to attenuate the toxicity and potentially improve -amanitin's activity against cancer, something that is only made possible by the use of synthetic derivatives.
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Journal Reference :
Wednesday, February 7 - Thursday, April 5, 2018
ANIMATED SHORTS EstimatedRun-Time: 83 min.
Dear Basketball – Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant, USA, 5min. Negative Space – Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata, France, 5min. Lou – Dave Mullins and Dana Murray, USA, 7 minutes Revolting Rhymes – Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer, UK, 29 minutes Garden Party – Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon, France 7 minutes Lost Property Office (additional film) – Daniel Agdag, Australia, 10 minutes Weeds(additional film) – Kevin Hudson, USA,3 minutes Achoo (additional film) – Elise Carret, Camille Lacroix, Charlotte Perroux, Lucas Boutrot, Maoris Creantor, Pierre Hubert, France, 7 minutes
Rating guidelines for each program: Animation – PG. Most of the shorts would be G rated, but the very end of GARDEN PARTY has some disturbing imagery of a human corpse that could be upsetting to younger viewers. Kids eight and over should be fine.
Dear Basketball (director: Glen Keane) Synopsis: Basketball great Kobe Bryant collaborated with visionary animator Glen Keane and legendary composer John Williams on an animated short film that explores what it means to achieve your dream, and then leave it behind. The animated film is an adaptation of Bryant's NBA retirement announcement after 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers. Narrated by Bryant, the film's hand-drawn animation and emotional score will touch fans of all ages with its universal message about love and loss. Director's Biography: A 38 year veteran of Walt Disney Feature Animation, Glen Keane trained under Walt Disney's 9 Old Men. Glen Keane went on to create many beloved Disney characters, such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Beast, Tarzan, and Rapunzel. In 2012, Keane departed Disney to begin Glen Keane Productions as way to further his artistic explorations in animation, design and film.Dear Basketball Synopsis: Director's Biography:
Negative Space (directors: Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata) Synopsis: My dad taught me how to pack. Directors' Biography: Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata are a filmmaking duo based in Baltimore, USA. Collaborating for over a decade as "Tiny Inventions", they have directed short films, TV commercials, music videos and comics. Produced by Ikki Films and Manuel Cam Studio in France, "NEGATIVE SPACE" is their fourth professional film.
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BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Despite inclement weather in the Chicagoland area Wednesday night, both the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew kept hope that their fourth round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tie could be played.
That ended up not being the case as both clubs, in consultation with the U.S. Soccer Federation match comissioner, elected at 8:00 pm CT to postpone the match to Thursday afternoon at noon CT.
"Due to the inclement weather and not only what's being but what we can see and keeping the integrity of the cup in mind, there's no point in waiting for an 11-11:30pm kickoff when both teams want to know what's going on," said Match Commissioner Minos Vlamakis.
"Both teams were in agreement that that's in the best interest of not only safety of the players but the fans especially with all these lightning strikes."
The rescheduled match will be free and open to the public with gates opening at 11:00 am CT.
"Sometimes you can't control the weather," said Fire head coach Frank Klopas. "Safety is the most important thing and I think it's good to make the decision fast because it doesn't seem like the weather is going to let up anytime soon.
"Instead we'll let the players go back, relax and get ready to play tomorrow."
With heavy storms in the forecast, many wondered why a postponement didn't occur earlier in the day. That's because scheduling a tie before the quarterfinal round on June 26 would have been very difficult.
While the Fire sit idle this weekend, the Columbus Crew are set to face the Montreal Impact in an MLS fixture on Saturday night in Columbus. While the Crew are off next Wednesday, the Fire are set to host the Colorado Rapids in a league fixture at Toyota Park.
The two teams are then set to face each other in another MLS tie a week from Saturday in Columbus with the fourth round winner having to play the winner of Wednesday's Sporting KC/Orlando City clash on June 26.
"In all honesty, Columbus was good sports about [postponing the game]," said Vlamakis. "They understand that its not something we have any control over. To be fair to them, they would prefer to know what the plan was vs. waiting two hours or two hours after that."
Per the U.S. Open Cup Handbook, and backed up by Vlamakis, a postponed match must be played within 24 hours of the original start time unless severe weather or an "act of God" occurs.
The forecast for noon Thursday calls for 71 degrees, sunny and zero chance of precipitation.
Match Commissioner, Frank Klopas talk U.S. Open Cup postponement
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Despite inclement weather in the Chicagoland area Wednesday night, both the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew kept hope that their fourth round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tie could be played.


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Here the author quotes from Samuel Johnson: ''travelling has its advantages," wrote Johnson, "If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own; and if fortune carries him into worse, he may learn to enjoy it.''
About The Scientific Tourist
The Scientific Tourist, published in 1818, is a guidebook to obscure scientific and historical curiosities in the British Isles. Specialist guidebooks were an increasingly popular genre at this time, catering for the growing number of tourists travelling around the country. The books provided a model for how to be a 'serious' tourist, presenting amateur scholars and collectors with a wealth of 'authoritative' information. In general, guidebooks focused on all sorts of subjects - sketching, fossils, botany, ancient monuments and picturesque landscapes - and frequently combined, as in this case, several of these in one volume. The author's encyclopaedic approach was designed to make it easy for the 'inexperienced' traveller to find engaging and improving objects of scientific and artistic enquiry.


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Project Description
The overall objective of this project is to obtain the first rigorous assessment of the amount and extent of local capillary trapping expected to occur in typical storage formations. The University of Texas Austin is gathering variogram models typical of CO2 storage formations and generating a large number of geostatistical realizations of permeability from these models. The realizations are being populated with key petrophysical properties using crossproperty correlations and the spatial properties of the resulting model formations are being analyzed to determine the potential for local capillary trapping. The emplacement and buoyancy-driven migration of CO2 and the onset of a leakage path in the overlying seal is being simulated and the simulation was analyzed to determine the extent of filling of the local capillary traps and the degree of immobilization within them. Final-scale CO2 saturation distributions were extracted from the simulations and bench-scale buoyant displacements in heterogeneous 2D sand packs were performed.
Project Benefits
This project focuses on the development of a methodology to identify and quantify the extent of capillary trapping of CO2 in heterogeneous geologic storage formations. Extensive capillary trapping of CO2 provides confidence that storage is permanent. Specifically, this project is conducting laboratory experiments and performing numerical simulations to assess the extent and location of trapping in geologic repositories thereby reducing the risks associated with long-term CO2 storage.
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This Week In Island History
Compiled by Sue Maden Week of November 3
The news of 10 and 15 years ago is from the
Jamestown Press. The news of 100 years ago came from the
collection of the Newport Historical Society.
100 years ago
From the Newport Journal, Nov. 3, 1911
Three duck hunters came to grief early Thursday evening.
Messrs Jesse C. Tefft and Rudolph Schade and Captain Ruben Garlick visited Sheffield pond in pursuit of the ducks. Mr.
Schade shot one duck and endeavoring to recover it stepped in
quicksand and was soon floundering up to his waist.
Mr. Tefft started in a skiff to render assistance, but the tide
was falling and he became marooned on a mud flat. After two
hours delay, Captain Garlick formed a relief party of one and
rendered assistance, soon extricating Mr. Schade from his perilous position. The two then lent aid to Mr. Tefft and after some
hours brought him safely off land. The three returned home in
the small hours of the morning, sadder but wiser sportsmen.
The clubhouse on Shoreby Hill is in its new location, where
it will be altered and enlarged to make the new casino.
The flags on the ferryboats are at half-mast in honor of Ida
Cedar boughs are being carted across the ferries from Narragansett to Newport to be used for winter protection for tender
plants and flowers on summer estates.
75 years ago
From the Newport Daily News, Nov. 2, 1936
[At the Town Council meeting] it was voted that the deed
from the Casino Land Company conveying to the town all its
interests to any part of that land bordering on Narragansett Bay
be received with thanks.
From the Newport Daily News, Nov. 3, 1936
A large number of pupils of the Thomas H. Clarke school
held a Halloween party at the school Saturday evening, many
being attired in appropriate costumes. The auditorium was dec-
orated with cornstalks, black cats
and other novelties, and a real live
witch stalked about the hall. A ghost
story was told by Miss Clara Lewis
of the teaching faculty, and games
were played, bobbing for apples being the most popular one. Music for
dancing was furnished by the teachers. From the Newport Daily News,
Nov. 4, 1936
The largest vote in its history was
recorded in Jamestown where 916
out of 1,200 went to the polls, and
more than 100 voters awaiting James
R. Masterson, moderator, when
he opened the polls at 10 o'clock.
(Roosevelt received 357 votes for
president; Landon, 517; Aiken, 3;
Lemke, 17; and Bishop, 3.)
50 years ago
From the Newport Daily News,
Nov. 1, 1961
The annual Halloween party for
Jamestown children from 12 years
old and under was sponsored by the
Jamestown Lions and Rotary Clubs
at the recreation center last night.
Prizes were given for costumes in
various categories.
25 years ago
From the Newport Daily News,
Nov. 4, 1986
The Town Council voted Monday
to schedule a special Financial Town
Meeting Dec. 8 to consider buying
the Jamestown Country Club for
$2.1 million. (The price includes the
club restaurant and lounge and all
(Photo caption) Jamestown architect William Burgin recently won a
national award for restoration work
on old Providence Journal-Bulletin
building in downtown Providence.
15 years ago
From the Jamestown Press,
October 31, 1996
An amendment to town laws that
allows senior citizens with limited
incomes to defer payment on up to
60 percent of their property taxes
was adopted by the Town Council
Monday night. Council members
voted unanimously in favor of the
new tax relief program after a nearly hour-long public hearing.
The Town Council Monday voted
to name the cross-island expressway
the John C. Eldred Parkway, after the
local Revolutionary War hero who is
famous for firing a single canon at
British ships in the East Passage of
Narragansett Bay.
10 years ago
From the Jamestown Press,
Nov. 1, 2001
With just a couple of hurdles to
go to get $450,000 in federal funds,
Jamestown is almost assured of an
increased water supply in coming
years. The U.S. Senate last week approved a request by Sen. Jack Reed
for $450,000 for the installation of a
pipeline to alleviate water shortage
problems on the island.
The Town Buildings and Facilities
Committee last week reduced its list
of possible new highway barn sites
to four: the sewage treatment plant
at Taylor Point, the town offices at
44 Southwest Ave., Fort Wetherill
Hill, which is west of the existing
highway barn, and the property adjacent to the town transfer station,
Lot 47.
Energized by expectations of
sell-out audiences and a history of
locally acclaimed productions, the
Jamestown Community Theatre is
set to open the season's production
of "Peter Pan" tomorrow at 7:30 at
the community center.
At the Oct. 25 meeting of the
Charter Review Committee it was
determined that the panel could not
make any changes to the annual Financial Town Meeting because the
meeting was started by a 1910 state
law and pre-dated the 1975 town
More than 200 runners and walkers – 86 from Jamestown – participated in last Sunday's 13th Jack O'
Lantern Jog.


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|This article describes a concept which could impact a variety of companies, countries or industries. To see what companies and articles reference this concept page, click here.
Demand for luxury goods can be seen as a bellweather of burgeoning economies, as wealthy population segments consume more leather goods, clothes, watches, liquor and other high-end goods during boom times. The epicenter of this industry is in Europe, where companies such as LVMH, Swatch and Hermes have established dominant portfolios of luxury goods in a largely consolidated market. However, some of the most interesting regions of luxury consumption are Japan and China:
Those seeking to ride the trend of luxury consumption in the U.S. may be best suited investing in U.S.-based "near luxury" companies such as Polo Ralph Lauren (RL) and Tiffany (TIF) or looking at luxury retailers based in the U.S., including Nordstrom, Macy's Bloomingdale's and Saks (SKS).
The biggest luxury houses own a portfolio of various brands across different luxury categories such as clothing, jewelry, watches, handbags, shoes and even wine and liquors. The table below shows the spread of products offered by several key luxury goods companies (biggest product categories in grey, where information is available).
It should be noted that leather goods and ready-to-wear clothes typically garner the highest operating margins among these categories. For example, LVMH, the largest and most diversified luxury goods manufacturer, generated operating margins of about 30% in these categories compared to 10% and under for its other products. Wines, spirits and liquors are also a high operating margin (30%+) category; LVMH is the only company of those mentioned in this article with substantial holdings in alcohol.
|Richemont (Cartier)
|The Swatch Group
|Gucci Group
|Hugo Boss
|Revenue (Euro, B)
|Operating EBIT Margin
*Based on CHF to Euro exchange rate in May 2007
Directly operated stores (DOS) helps to increase margins in times of rapid growth and high demand and increase the market presence of key brands. However, in times of slower sales, the fixed cost of stores can drag down financial performance.
Luxury retailers are increasingly shifting manufacturing to cheaper labor regions such as China. While such outsourcing activities generate short-term cost savings to operating margins, these activities may have a particular effect of de-valuing the brand. Burberry suffered from negative publicity when it announced a relocation of polo shirt making operations from a British factory to one in China. Public image is crucial the success of luxury goods companies, as consumers pay a large premium for brand.
One extreme example of controlled in-house production is Hermes' handcrafting of its leather goods by highly skilled craftsmen. This slower manufacturing process often results in waiting periods for many of the brand's leather goods; but as is the case for many scarce products, Hermes enjoys up to 40% price premium on these goods over similar brands. One of their legendary items, the Birkin bag, takes five weeks to craft and prices start around $6,000, sometimes reaching into six figures (i.e., the latter being made with alligator skin and diamonds). The waiting period for this item is over two years.
Virtually all large luxury goods makers hail from Europe, and while Europeans and Americans consume a large portion of luxury goods, some of the most compelling opportunities are in Asia, particularly Japan and China.
The Japanese market has demonstrated a near insatiable appetite for luxury items, and leading luxury goods companies responded by flooding the market with branded boutiques (i.e., DOS) in recent years. Japan consumes about 25% of luxury goods--the same as Americans and Europeans each; as a point of relative comparison, Japan's population is about 125 million and the U.S. is around 300 million, meaning that Japan consumes luxury goods at about twice the average rate as Americans. One stunning fact is that nearly half of all Japanese women over the age of 20 own a Louis Vuitton handbag and 94% of women in Tokyo in their 20's own at least one Louis Vuitton handbag.[1]
Many luxury companies have scrambled to establish a foothold in a luxury crazed market that was largely immune to the recent lengthy economic recession. The market is fairly mature, however, and luxury companies are all fighting for a piece of a fairly saturated pie.
Hermes and Bulgari have high exposure to Japan, with about 30% of all product sales coming from that country. Louis Vuitton (the brand) has one of the highest exposures at 33%, but its parent company, LVMH, generates only 15% of overall revenue from Japan due to its vast brand and product diversification. The average exposure to Japan's luxury goods economy is about 20% for other luxury houses.
Unlike the Louis Vuitton phenomenon in Japan, no brand or luxury company dominates the luxury fashion sector in China. One reason is that the luxury goods industry is in its nascent stages and currently, relatively fewer Chinese consumers can afford luxury items.
The attractiveness of the Chinese market is two-fold. First, the potential market is very large. The country currently consumes 10-15% of the world's luxury goods production, and if the economy continues to boom at a double digit clip and wealthy population segments grow, demand for luxury fashion goods could skyrocket. Compounding this effect is that the Internet, travel and marketing have accelerated the embrace of different cultures, especially European in regards to luxury goods. Second, no company has established a dominant brand in the region; brands are especially important given consumers' loyalty to certain designers and labels. Luxury fashion companies may reap large dividends from early market penetration.
Luxury goods are cyclical and correlate with GDP in specific regions, often exaggerating the up- and down-swings; in boom times, consumers' demand tends to grow faster than the growth of economies (as measured by GDP). On the flipside, slowdowns can cause sales to retreat rapidly, as consumers buy fewer high-priced luxury goods. In addition to GDP swings, regional economies can drive a disproportionate amount of growth; in China and to a lesser extent, Russia, a small but growing segment of the population is becoming very wealthy and driving a large portion of demand for luxury items. Some interesting items of note:
True luxury goods are aspirational products few people can afford. Many companies such as Tiffany, Abercrombie & Fitch and Ralph Lauren depend heavily on the "near-luxury" market, which provide branded goods more accessible to the masses (i.e., at lower price points). Near-luxury companies, like luxury goods companies, tend to track with economic growth (i.e., GDP) but are more volatile. Wealthy consumers are more likely to continue buying high-priced goods--but in fewer quantities--than middle class consumers are likely to continue buying near-luxury items, which are affected by lower-priced substitutions. Several important companies in this space include Ralph Lauren, Coach and Tiffany, all of which experiences significant (>60%) gains in stock price over the past 12 months.
Several analysts and experts predict that there will be little affect of recession on luxury consumption. This has mainly been attributed to three factors namely: (1) mass consumption of luxury goods, (2) global travel of consumers and (3) the rising Asia impact. However, companies should not be complacent about it and must take actions to offset the relative decrease in spending overall by consumers in recessionary times.