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Desmond Doss Honored with U.S. Stamp

medal-of-honorOn November 27, 2013, Mark Kellner reported on the Adventist Reviewwebsite that Desmond Doss has been honored by inclusion on a collection of U.S. stamps commemorating Medal of Honor Winners. The article begins:

The back of panes carrying self-adhesive “World War II Medal of Honor” U.S. commemorative stamps released in Washington, D.C., on November 11, 2013, bear the name of a Seventh-day Adventist who received the nation’s highest military honor, but who also refused to carry a weapon.

Desmond T. Doss, Sr., was a lifelong Adventist who in World War II was credited with saving the lives of 75 wounded soldiers during a battle on Okinawa. He was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor, presented to him by then-U.S. president Harry S. Truman in a White House ceremony. He was one of 464 people to receive the Medal of Honor during the conflict.

The complete article is available here.

Note: The included photo was copied from the above Adventist Review article.


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Al Kelly Becomes CCO of Euro

By Inocul8tor Comment

In what should be big news, Al Kelly has been named chief creative officer of Euro RSCG. I think I might care a little bit more if I felt like this dude actually gave a shit about the industry. Kelly is what we like to call in this biz a “jumper”. He’s apparently worked at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Strawberry Frog, Fallon, AND Chiat (which we’ve reported on previously and is surprisingly NOT mentioned in the press release) all within the last couple of years. One question- why would you work at creative shops like those, only to sell out for Euro?! One answer…dolla dolla bills, yo. I bet he got paid a bundle.

According to Jeff Brooks, co-CEO of Euro RSCG New York, “Al is a true 21st Century creative leader. He is a craftsman of big ideas and brand narratives, and is also deeply qualified to lead an agency in a digital age. He’s right in the sweet spot.”

Mmmhmm, riiight. I give it a month before this guy jumps ship and goes somewhere ridiculous to be CCO of the world at some shop like Tattoo Projects. LMAO. Let’s remember the good times, above.

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Could the JWT CEO Scandal Become a Watershed Moment for Change?

Ad industry leaders said (almost) all the right things

Unlike 4A's conferences in recent memory, soul-searching was the underlying theme in Miami this year—mostly the result of the fallout from the case against former J. Walter Thompson CEO Gustavo Martinez over alleged sexism and racism. Panel sessions and keynotes hit on the lack of diversity (and, to a lesser degree, transparency) in the ad business. It remains to be seen if the industry can live up to the conference's name: Transformation.

Nancy Hill, 4A's president, kicked off the conference with an admonishment in light of the JWT scandal. "Unfortunately, the alleged behavior happens more frequently than we think," Hill warned the 750 or so in attendance. "Real change has to start at the top. That means if you are the CEO, you are the chief diversity officer. That means you need to look at every hire as an opportunity to change the playing field at your own company. Look at salaries. Is there a gap? If so, I urge you to fix it."

Some industry leaders seem to get it more than others. Immediately following Hill's speech, Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Lévy called the Martinez incident a "one-time mistake," adding, "I don't believe what happened at JWT is endemic of what's happening in our industry." (In October 2015, Publicis Groupe settled a $2.9 million class-action gender discrimination lawsuit against MSLGroup. The suit, filed in 2011, alleged that women were overlooked for promotions and not given fair pay.)

Martin Sorrell, CEO of JWT parent WPP, had a strong response to Lévy's comments. "I disagree violently with what Maurice said about it being a one-off," said the executive via video. "Maurice has a habit of ignoring the facts. … When we get to senior levels of management, the number of women drops, unacceptably, to a third" of all executives.

Others voiced more hopeful and proactive opinions. DDB North America CEO Wendy Clark said the conference could help spur changes in the industry. "Fundamentally, we have to pull back the curtain on this discussion and as an industry use confabs like this to share our best thinking and best ideas," Clark, who recently joined the agency world after years with Coca-Cola, told Adweek. "Only by bringing this to the forefront and having these discussions can we remedy this [problem]. You can't pretend that it doesn't exist. That doesn't solve anything."

The conference also highlighted efforts to fight sexism in advertising. Madonna Badger, co-founder and chief creative officer of Badger & Winters, spoke about #WomenNotObjects, her effort to combat ads that objectify women. "We need to make a decision to not only respect women, but also be in sync with their brand values," she argued. "Women buy somewhere between 70 and 80 percent of consumer goods in this country, so objectifying women and promoting an idea that how you look is more important than who you are isn't a smart business decision."

Will all this talk lead to change? Hill certainly hopes so.

"Typically, if you look at whistleblower situations in any industry, when somebody blows the whistle, other people blow the whistle," she said. "I'm not saying that this is a rampant problem, but chances are, somebody somewhere else will see this happening and say, 'It's time for me to speak up, too.' The level of discussion has ratcheted up, and I think we should consider this one of those watershed moments where we take a hard look at ourselves."

Other issues addressed at 4A's included transparency and ad blocking. During his talk, Sorrell insisted that rebates—kickbacks from media outlets in exchange for buying ads in volume—don't happen at U.S. agencies, at least not at WPP shops. "We've made clear to the ANA that we're willing to talk to any client that has a concern [about rebates]," Sorrell said.

On ad blocking, Donnie Williams, chief digital officer at Horizon Media, estimated that the industry could lose $20 billion in revenue because of the practice. "The end goal is better user experience," he said, "not because we want to create more revenue, but we want to create more powerful advertising." Added Rob Norman, chief digital officer of GroupM: "If we publish content of real value, people won't block it."

This story appears in the March 28 issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.


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Grantoo, Miniclip team to add Rail Rush tournaments

Image via Grantoo
Image via Grantoo

San Francisco-based Grantoo is set to announce a new partnership with Miniclip in order to bring multiplayer and tournament play to the popular game Rail Rush, a title that currently features over 1 million daily active users.

RailRushNow live on iOS and Android, gamers have the option to challenge Facebook friends as well as other Rail Rush players inside the Grantoo network, complete with multiplayer scores and leaderboards.

Adding to the new multiplayer structure will be sponsored tournaments where the gamer with the highest score at the end of the week will win money for the charity of their choice. And thanks to Grantoo’s mission to help developers monetize without the nagging intrusiveness of advertisements running on screen during gameplay, the sponsorships will only be seen using skins inside the tournament lobby and never in-game.

“We know from experience that multiplayer and live events increase engagement, retention and monetization in mobile games,” said Saad Choudri, Vice President of Business Affairs at Miniclip. “Not only does Grantoo provide these features as a plug-and-play solution, they unlock additional revenue through its brand-sponsored tournaments, opening the door to millions of dollars in brand advertising budgets.”

According to numbers provided by Grantoo, the company’s SDK is racking up some pretty remarkable results for its tournament partners. GameLion’s Monster Shooter saw an ARPDAU increase of 2.9¢ during tournaments thanks to the sponsorship revenue, and 3D Integer Game’s Dirt Road Trucker 3D saw an ARPDAU increase of 0.9¢ over the month of July. Indie developer Alain-Daniel Bourdages’s Pinball Deluxe saw engagement increase 281% during tournaments, with users playing an average of 11.8 rounds each.

“For Miniclip to choose a third-party SDK, it not only shows their understanding of the value of multiplayer in retention and engagement, but it also shows how our platform can be a fit for companies that typically shy away from banner ads and other intrusive advertising,” said Tyler York, Director of Business Development at Grantoo. “The reality is, developers want something different, and that’s what we’re here to provide.”


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Aerosol Mass Spectrometers

Aerosol Mass SpectrometerThe Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) is the only currently available instrument capable of providing quantitative size and chemical mass loading information in real-time for non-refractory sub-micron aerosol particles. The AMS couples size-resolved particle sampling and mass spectrometric techniques into a single real-time measurement system. The Aerodyne AMS has been deployed world-wide at fixed sites, and on mobile laboratory, ship and aircraft platforms. Over 100 instruments are in use in industrial, academic and government laboratories.

  • Open source, highly flexible and fully supported data analysis software. Data acquisition software can be adapted for individual customer needs.
  • Annual users' meeting for discussion of instrument use and data analysis techniques, and for fostering connections and collaborations among users.

The Aerodyne Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) measures particle mass loading and chemical composition in real-time for non-refractory sub-micron aerosol particles. Smaller, lower cost and more robust than our AMS instruments, the ACSM is designed for long-term unattended deployment and routine monitoring applications.

AMS Products Under Development

Thermal Desorption Aerosol Gas Chromatograph AMS (TAG-AMS)

Soot Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (SP-AMS)

Efficient Particle Time-of-Flight (ePTOF) Sizing Module - look under New Development Projects.

PM2.5 Aerodynamic particle sampling lens

Particle Capture Vaporizer


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Turning Japanese
Turning Japanese
There is no shortage of Japanese restaurants in South Korea’s capital, but good luck finding one as sophisticated and stylish as Kioku. The sleek and airy three-story wood interior was imagined by Hong Kong designer Andre Fu, and makes a chic, dramatic backdrop to upmarket Japanese food prepared by a Michelin-starred chef.

Snack on sashimi, nigiri, and maki rolls, then go large with sea bream hot pot soup, grilled eel kabayaki with teriyaki sauce, or steamed sea urchin with tofu skin. After dinner, grab a nightcap at the sake bar, where nearly 30 varieties of sake are available, including a rare sparkling sake.

97 Saemunan-ro,Jongno-gu, Seoul
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Mount Liamuiga
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Mount Liamuiga
Mount Liamuiga

At 1,156 meters (3,793 feet), this towering, verdant peak is the island's highest point. The dormant volcano is covered mostly in rain forest and capped with a cloud forest. The climb is an arduous one and should not be done without a guide. The vistas from the summit are spectacular and sweeping: the entirety of the island, the sparkling Caribbean Sea and neighboring islands including Nevis, Antigua and Saba.

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Mixed signals from bonds and equities

by Glenn Mumford

Logic suggests that the last thing we should be seeing right now is a global bull market in government bonds.

Supply is through the roof, thanks to record budget deficits. And flight to quality demand should be receding in line with diminished fears of a financial market meltdown.

Despite this, we’ve seen US, UK, German and Australian bond prices continue on their seemingly inexorable journey higher, as yields head back towards the post- crisis lows laid down in early 2009.

Since early July this has contributed towards an abnormal disconnect between rising bond prices and the relative strength still being seen in risk assets – equities, commodities and third currencies.

Market action over the past couple of years has demonstrated it doesn’t pay to focus too closely on “normal" relationships. That said, investors generally feel more comfortable with a traditional bond/equity two-step, which calls for stockmarket strength as bond prices recede, or a rising bond trajectory as equities head south.

But the current decoupling isn’t without precedent. Research by Citigroup’s global equity strategist, Robert Buckland, has shown that over the past nine years there have been eight examples of similar bond/equity divergence. Significantly, 75 per cent of these have ultimately been resolved in favour of the equities trend.

In looking at what might be driving the current disconnect, Buckland found that operating leverage appeared to be the key. This has driven the dramatic rebound in corporate profitability over the past six months, despite the increasingly lacklustre economic outcomes.

Equity investors had as a consequence responded to a very real V-shaped recovery in earnings, while bond investors instead saw their decision-making shaped by the L-shaped showing of broader economic releases.

“Macro investors, who focus on gross domestic product, often underestimate the impact of operational leverage on earnings per share," Buckland observed.

Looking ahead, Citigroup is once more expecting equities to win out over bonds as the year unfolds. It sees yields on US 10-year notes climbing 75 basis points by year end and expects a retest of 4 per cent by late 2011. This week it traded as low as 2.58 per cent.

Citigroup could be right. But there’s an X factor at work right now that could delay this logical debt/equity realignment – the US Federal Reserve.

When the Fed announced it would step back into the market to buy longer-dated treasuries, most assumed it was again looking to boost liquidity and to ease credit flows. This after all had been its argument for quantitative easing.

But what if the Fed really wants to make it more difficult for commercial banks to play the “Washington carry trade"?

Think about it. Since the Fed began pumping funds into the banking system in the wake of the Lehmans collapse, much of this has been used by banks to undertake a relatively risk-free trade – borrowing short term from the Fed and lending long term to the Treasury.

This “lazy banking" has dramatically boosted bank sector profitability over the past 12 onths. This in turn helped fund a necessary balance sheet rebuild.

But this de facto government bailout had a downside – it detracted from higher risk lending to the private sector.

So now we’re seeing the Fed step in to actively flatten the yield curve – a process that it knows will make the carry trade far less profitable.

Research by US broker Keefe, Bruyette & Wood suggests the recent decline in US treasuries will probably trim bank sector EPS by some 11 per cent.

Why does this matter? Because by lowering the profitability and increasing the risk profile of the carry trade, the Fed is pushing banks back towards doing what they should have been doing all along – lending to consumers and businesses.

There are early signs that this is under way. The Fed’s latest Loan Officer Survey showed that, over the past three months “respondents reported having eased standards and most terms on loans to firms of all sizes". Significantly, banks had eased lending standards to small firms for the first time since late 2006.

I would expect the Fed to pay particular attention to these numbers over coming months. Assuming this trend sticks, you’ve got to think we’ll see an early decision to extend these yield-curve flattening purchases of longer-dated treasuries.

This suggests we could be facing a bond/equities mismatch for some while yet.

I was asked this week whether it mattered for investors who won this week’s election.

It does. But what matters most is that, whoever gets over the line, does so with an absolute majority. If the Liberals don’t get the nod, an unencumbered Labor government is the next best thing.

Hung parliaments don’t work well, and a hung parliament that depended on the high spending, high taxing whims of the Greens would be a recipe for disaster.

It will be a particularly dangerous outcome for the resources sector, as it increases the odds of a punitive mining tax mark 3 and hasten the chance of a costly carbon impost.

That said, the Greens leadership deserves a rap for at least providing some colour to the election process.

If either Labor or the Liberals had managed a fraction of the passion shown by Greens leader Bob Brown and his colleagues, it could have made for a far clearer voting choice.

The Australian Financial Review


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$10m hole found in Wickham accounts

Signature forged . . . Susan Jolly may have lost up to $500,000.
Signature forged . . . Susan Jolly may have lost up to $500,000. Photo: Glenn Hunt

The liquidator of collapsed Brisbane property lender Wickham Securities is investigating publicly examining founder Brad Sherwin and his brother-in-law amid allegations of a $10 million hole in the accounts.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has raided the directors’ and related parties for information and documents to shed light on whether $28 million invested with Wickham has been lost.

“The company provided . . . an account balance confirmation letter advising the balance of their ‘Application Account’ was $10,779,835 as at 30 November 2012, when the actual balance at that date was $264,892. It is our view that this confirmation letter has been fabricated," the report by liquidator PPB found.

On Wednesday, Wickham Securities was placed into liquidation at a packed creditors’ meeting where angry investors demanded answers to why they would receive less than 22¢ for every dollar they invested. It is understood one investor lost $1.3 million.

Later on Wednesday, the administrator Taylor Woodings for seven related companies held a meeting with investors where it was revealed as much as $80 million may have been invested across the group with, at present estimates, only $26 million in apparent assets.

Further allegations were also aired by angry investors at that meeting over fraudulent signatures.

Susan and Ian Jolly had invested up to $500,000. ASIC sent them a document which showed their supposed signatures which authorised an investment in a related company called Blue Diamond. However, they both claim the signatures are forgeries.

“We are extremely disappointed. They are completely different signatures. Now we don’t know if we have lost $1 or the whole lot," Mrs Jolly said.

The Australian Financial Review


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. Africa News .

Once mighty, Somalia's army struggles to rebuild
by Staff Writers
Mogadishu (AFP) Aug 9, 2012

I.Coast army base chiefs dismissed over attack
Abidjan (AFP) Aug 9, 2012 - Ivory Coast's government said Wednesday it dismissed the heads of an army base in Abidjan that was attacked earlier this week and arrested those in charge of the weapons that where stolen in the raid.

The attack on the Akouedo army base in the north of Abidjan on Monday killed six soldiers and one of the assailants, in the latest of a string of raids targeting the military in Ivory Coast's economic capital.

A government communique said Akouedo base officials and those guarding the weapons arsenal had been fired.

All arms and munitions depots have been secured and strategic sites are being monitored, it added but did not give details.

The attack on the Akouedo base came after gunmen killed four soldiers in twin attacks on a police station and an army post in Abidjan's Yopougon district early Sunday.

Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko told reporters that about a dozen people were arrested after the Akouedo raid, and several others after the Yopougon incidents, adding that some of the stolen weapons have been recovered.

He also accused supporters of former president Laurent Gbagbo of being behind the attacks, and of having links to exiled pro-Gbagbo troops in neighbouring Ghana.

"All these incidents have a common link," he said, adding that they were meant to "create fear in Ivory Coast."

Gbagbo's FPI party on Tuesday rejected allegations that it was masterminding the attacks and called on President Alassane Ouattara's government to stop "a wave of deadly violence."

Military officials said that two people were wounded in the latest attack on a military checkpoint at Agboville, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Abidjan, overnight Tuesday.

As hundreds of Somali army recruits march haltingly around a dusty parade ground on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Ugandan officer Assa Mutebi admits that sometimes his job can feel a little strange.

Mutebi, the "patriotism instructor" for the 2,000-odd recruits who have just returned from a year of European Union-funded training in Uganda, is responsible for teaching the fledgling soldiers to love their own homeland.

"I teach them about their country, how to value their country," said Mutebi, part of the 17,000-strong African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM), propping up Somalia's weak government against Al-Qaeda linked Shebab rebels.

"We go through the history of Somalia with them -- I have had to learn so much about it," he added.

Once one of Africa's largest militaries under former dictator Siad Barre, toppled in 1991, Somalia's national army was been torn apart by decades of clan rivalries and the absence of any effective government to actually serve.

"The aim now is to get them to serve the nation and the national army, not some individual warlords -- we want to make them forget clan," Mutebi told AFP.

In recent months the Somali army has helped drive the extremist Shebab fighters from a series of strongholds, although the bulk of heavy fighting was done by AU or Ethiopian troops, alongside powerful local militia forces.

The troops who return from Uganda -- where they are trained in urban warfare and tactics -- are given a three week course to reintegrate them into the army and give them a sense of Somalia's military history, commanders say.

"The Somali armed forces were one of the biggest in Africa but they need Somali pride back -- we need to get back the pride and become the lion of Africa," Somali army colonel Mohamed Ismail barked in a curt military voice.

In a neighbouring hangar, foreign personnel from the US private security firm Bancroft were training an elite army unit.

While several thousand recruits have been trained, the vast majority of fighters nominally included in the national army are in fact rather part of a loose coalition of militia forces, unified only in opposition to the Shebab.

Maintaining control is near impossible, with reports that rival factions of government troops have fought each other for control of captured territory.

And, while conditions for civilians under Shebab control are reported to be grim, the situation in government areas are no better, a recently leaked report from the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea said.

"Incidents of sexual violence in IDP (internally displaced people) camps are high, with rape being described as 'endemic' by human rights activists and aid workers alike," it read.

As the corruption-riddled government prepares this month to wrap up after eight years of infighting and replaced by a new system selected in a United Nations backed process, building a functioning army is key to peace.

However, analysts warn that integrating forces based along Somalia's powerful clan lines into a single force will prove a difficult task.

"The major issue is that many clans outside of Mogadishu fear the army will be dominated by the major leaders' clans, and will not want to serve under their command," said EJ Hogendoorn,from the International Crisis Group think-tank.

"Building cross-clan units has been extremely difficult and only possible because of concerted pressure by AMISOM and its western contractors," Hogendoorn said.

"It is hard to tell what will happen to the current cross-clan brigades if the military threat subsides."

Convincing the militias to cede control to army commanders is not the only problem - many militia forces bring child soldiers with them.

Rampant corruption in government has also damaged attempts to rebuild the security sector. Troop wages -- provided by a combination of donors -- have regularly disappeared, prompting high desertion rates.

"Non-payment and delay of wages has been a significant factor in the loss of troop morale and in soldiers defecting to fight for Al-Shebab," said Ahmed Soliman, an analyst at Britain's Chatham House think-tank.

But despite many people's gloom, Ugandan-trained army recruit Iklan Muhamad Hassan, a pink headscarf tucked into the collar of her camouflage top, sees the chance of peace.

"I am ready to go out and defend my country," said 20-year old Hassan, born after civil war broke out in Somalia, and now a mother of a baby son.

"My vision is for Somalia to have a stable government and army, and for children on the streets to be able to have peace."

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Zambia reassures China after mine boss killing
Lusaka (AFP) Aug 9, 2012 - The killing of a Chinese mine boss last weekend has left Zambian President Michael Sata's government rushing to reassure foreign investors on their safety, while trying also to improve conditions for workers.

Wu Shengzai, 50, was killed Saturday when workers crushed him with a trolley as he tried to flee underground to escape a wage riot at Collum Coal Mine in southern Zambia, in the most dramatic clash yet between Chinese managers and their local employees.

"As government we assure the Chinese community at Collum coal mine and investors at large, that Zambia is safe for them and their investment," government spokesman Kennedy Sakeni said.

"The government deeply regrets the death of a Chinese supervisor who died during a workers protest over wages," he added.

Twelve people were quickly arrested. One miner was charged with murder on Wednesday, while the others were slapped with lesser charges of theft and riotous behaviour.

"There won't be any sacred cows, and those that would be found wanting will face the wrath of the law," Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda told AFP.

When Sata was an opposition leader, he railed against the growing Chinese presence in Zambia. Since winning elections last year, he has softened his tone on China but still promised to improve working conditions in a country where about 60 percent of the population lives on less than $1.25 a day.

That is what he aimed to do when his government last month unveiled new minimum wages that doubled the basic salaries for many types of work.

Mineworker salaries are governed by a separate agreement negotiated by unions, but not all Collum employees are covered by the deal.

Some complain that they earn as little as $173 a month. The riot began when they received their paychecks for July, seeing that they now earn less than the new minimum wage for shopkeepers of $227.

China is the largest foreign investor in Zambia, Africa's biggest copper producer and a supplier of coal and other minerals.

Beijing poured an estimated $6.1 billion between 2007 and 2011 into a country whose gross domestic product this year is estimated at just $20 billion.

Non-Ferrous China Africa, a state-owned mining firm, announced a new $823 million deal in June.

But Chinese firms have a notorious reputation as employers.

A report by Human Rights Watch last year found that Chinese firms ignore labour protections, demanding up to 18 hours of labour a day and flout health and safety rules.

But Wu's killing still shocked a nation that prides itself on its history of peace and a series of democratic transitions over the last two decades.

"This is sad and un-Zambian. We are known to be peaceful people and the death of the investor is likely to tarnish our good image," said Lazarus Daka, a shopkeeper in a Chinese-run shop.

He works in Lusaka's Kamwala commercial district, an area where red Chinese laterns dot sidewalks and where Zambians come seeking bargains on clothing, toys and other goods.

Business in Kamwala has run largely as normal, but Zambia's Post newspaper said that at Collum mine, the large Chinese community has barricaded themselves inside their homes for fear of more violence.

The opposition United Party for National Development heaped blame on Sata's government for Wu's death.

Party leader Hakainde Hichilema said the surprise announcement of new wages had created enormous expectations among workers, while leaving employers little time to comply with a doubling of basic salaries. The resulting tensions, he said, were inevitable.

"The government is certainly to blame for the death of the Chinese, and if not careful this tag of being a peaceful country for foreign investors will soon go," Hichilema told AFP.

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NDPF doubts govt. can stop Boko Haram
Abuja, Nigeria (UPI) Aug 8, 2012
An NDPF leader said he is doubtful of the Nigerian government's ability to contain Boko Haram. Niger Delta People Volunteer Force leader Alhaji Asari Dokubohas stated that former military rulers Muhammadu Buhari and Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida's lack the ability to stop Boko Haram's militant activities, despite their public condemnations of the group. Dokubohas remarked that Buhar ... read more

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Black Americans Fear Lingering Racism if Barack Obama Loses

Barack Obama
Obama supporters during the 2008 campaign

Liz Wills remembers the unbelievable feeling when Barack Obama entered the White House in January 2009. Now she looks fearfully at the specter of his defeat by a Republican candidate she sees as gripped by the racist right.

“I’m old enough to have seen the ‘Black’ and ‘White’ signs for bathrooms, schools segregated, you couldn’t ride in the front of the bus or the train. I saw all of that. I lived through that,” says Wills, 73, of Durham, North Carolina.

“It’s not supposed to be segregated now but there’s a lot like that still. Racism is alive and well and thriving,” she said, speaking in Charlotte, where Democrats are gathering to formally nominate Obama for re-election in November.

Wills was overcome with emotion when a nation struggling to turn the hard-won gains of the civil rights era into real economic change for poor African Americans elected its first Black president.

“There are no words that can tell you the true feeling. It was just so exciting. I didn’t think I would ever see the day,” she told reporters. “They were so beautiful and their hearts looked like they were so warm.”

Her tone changes markedly when asked about the prospect of Republican challenger Mitt Romney ousting Obama after one term, an eventuality she said would be akin to a racist backlash.

“I would be depressed if Mitt Romney was elected. I have to be honest with you, I would be depressed,” she said. “A lot of it’s racism, we have to be truthful, a lot of it would be racism.

“Most people know that Obama has done a good job or has at least tried to do a good job, and a lot of the things that he wanted for all people could not be done because Republicans were just determined to get him out of office.”

Behind Wills, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture chronicles the stories of the civil rights struggle that made Obama’s election possible.

Wills’ hometown of Durham, a railroad hub for slave labor in the 19th century, saw sit-ins and visits from Martin Luther King Jr., en route to its transformation into part of today’s booming Research Triangle zone.

Her cousin Dorothea Jones, 69, recognized those gains but said people of different ethnicities are still being discriminated against.

She recalled in horror a racist incident at the Republican National Convention last week in Tampa, Florida that the Romney campaign strongly condemned and will hope is quickly forgotten.

Two attendees on the floor of the convention hall, who were later ejected, threw peanuts at a Black CNN camerawoman and said “this is how we feed animals.”

“You have to look at everyone around those two people who allowed that kind of thing to happen,” said Jones, who was born in North Carolina but is now a Democratic delegate for Massachusetts.

“Our history as African Americans is that people were taken out and lynched. It might have been one or two people that dragged those people out and lynched them, but there was a whole group of people that stood silent, egged them on. That’s how racism flourishes.”

US Blacks and Hispanics are far poorer on average than Asian and White counterparts. In 2010, 27.4 percent of Blacks and 26.6 percent of Hispanics were poor, compared to 9.9 percent of non-Hispanic Whites and 12.1 percent of Asians.

Politically at least, gains have been made though.

David Goldfield, history professor at the University of North Carolina and author of several books on politics and race, said it would have been impossible for a Black man to run for president 30 or 40 years ago, let alone be elected.

The 2008 Obama campaign succeeded in energizing a Black electorate that generally didn’t vote, but it is unclear if he can expect the same turnout this time around.

And while 2008 was undoubtedly historic, the 2012 election could hold even greater significance.

“Electing a Black man as president of the United States, that’s really hard to top in terms of history,” said Goldfield. “But I think this election is more important in the sense that the Republican Party really has been captured by the right-wing.

“I believe that voters will be presented with a very stark choice in November. This is going to be a very different country if Republicans come in. George W. Bush’s Republican Party is not the Republican Party out there today.”

If Romney is elected it would have serious implications for the judicial sphere, Goldfield warned, pointing to his belief that the candidate has rented a party with strong doubts about his conservative credentials.

“One of the best ways to prove his bonafides as a conservative is to nominate really conservative federal judges not just at the Supreme Court but also at the federal district court level,” he said.

The whiteness of the audience as Romney picked up the Republican nod in Tampa last week was staggering, as is polling data that shows anywhere between 90 and 100 percent of Blacks prefer Obama over his rival.

Nationwide surveys of all American voters show the pair neck-and-neck with nine weeks to go until election day.


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Great LezBritain: “Lip Service” Recap (Episode Five)

It’s the morning after the night before, and the camera pans down lustfully on Frankie’s naked body as she lies in bed alone. Something tells us Jay probably isn’t in the kitchen whipping them up some scrambled eggs.

She picks up her own camera looking for some visual reminders of last night’s drunken debauchery and is presented with Shave-gate, Jay and general shame. She lingers over a close-up picture of herself – all running mascara and smeared lipstick and quite rightly decides that it’s not one for Facebook. Instead, she deletes it and leaps out of bed. Frankie has what we call in Britain on a morning like this, “The Fear.”

DS Murray admirers will right now be screen-grabbing like their very lives depend on it as the hot cop writhes around in bed, semi-naked, while Cat pleasures her downstairs.

The climax is so intense for the hot cop that when Cat comes back up for air, the DS is overridden with emotion.

DS Murray: I think I love you… I’m sorry.

Cat: [pause] No, I like it.

DS Murray: You just like it or… [goes to touch Cat’s whiskers, ahem]

Cat: I need to go to work.

Lee: Oh no, she didn’t say it back. Sarah, she didn’t say it back! *head in hands*

Sarah: This is not a great sign for Team Sam. *paces the room*

Understandably, DS Murray’s face has a look of worried rejection all over it.

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K-State to Mark 100th Anniversary of Roundup in Hays on April 17

April 4, 2014 09:07 AM

By: Mary Lou Peter, K-State Research & Extension News

It’s been the scene of breakthrough research in beef cattle management, genetics and technology and this year, the K-State Agricultural Research Center – Hays, Kan., will host the 100th edition of Roundup on Thursday, April 17.

"Roundup is the major beef cattle education and outreach event sponsored by the research center," said John Jaeger, beef cattle scientist at the center. "It’s been held every year since 1914 with the exception of 1945 when German prisoners of war were housed in the livestock research area."

Roundup is where the game-changing ultrasound technology invented by K-State researcher John Brethour was unveiled, as well as research results covering everything from nutrition, weaning, use of growth promoting implants and re-implanting, the heritability of feedlot gain by comparing the performance of half-sib bulls and more.

Results of the center’s beef cattle research have been reported to the agricultural community through an ongoing series of publications that began with a mimeographed circular in 1913, Jaeger said.

Roundup reports have been published almost every year, making it one of the longest series published by any public research agency.

"We’ve come a long way since western Kansas was regarded as suitable only for growing stocker cattle and shipping feeders to eastern Kansas and demonstrating that high-concentrate finishing rations were desirable. Prior to that research, rations that were more concentrated than one part silage to one part grain were suspect," Jaeger said.

"We look forward to seeing long-time friends and meeting new ones as we celebrate our first 100 years of finding ways to help producers stay competitive," Jaeger said, noting that Roundup is free and open to the public. Morning refreshments and lunch are provided.

This year’s Roundup starts in the auditorium of the research center at 1232 240th Ave. in Hays at 9 a.m., with registration and a commercial trade show. The program begins at 10 a.m. and includes:

  • A Brief History of the Fort Hays Experiment Station/Agricultural Research Center – Robert Gillen, Western Kansas Agricultural Research Center (WKARC) department head.
  • A Chronology of Significant Beef Research Highlights in the First 100 Years – John Jaeger, WKARC beef cattle scientist.
  • Public Value of the Agricultural Experiment Station – J. Ernest Minton, K-State Agricultural Experiment Station associate director.
  • Beef-Cattle Outlook: Herd Expansion, Domestic Beef Demand and Export Updates – Glenn Tonsor, K-State Research and Extension agricultural economist.
  • Comparing Season Long Stocking and Intensive Early Stocking Strategies in Western Kansas – Keith Harmoney, WKARC range scientist.
  • Effects of Weaning Method on Weaning- and Growing-Phase Performance by Early Weaned Steers – Garrett Preedy, K-State animal science and industry and WKARC graduate student.
  • Performance of Pregnant Beef Cows Limit-Fed Diets Containing Wheat Straw Ammoniated with Two Rates of Anhydrous Ammonia and Wet Distillers Grain – Justin Waggoner, K-State Research and Extension beef systems specialist.
  • Recent Weather: A Look at What has Happened and What is in Store – Jeff Hutton, National Weather Service meteorologist, Dodge City.

More information about the 2014 Roundup and about K-State’s Western Kansas Agricultural Research Center is available at the Western Kansas Agricultural Research Centers (WKARC).

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Soybean Prices Remain Strong, despite Potential Record Crop

June 14, 2013 06:09 AM
Soybean Prices Remain Strong, despite Potential Record Crop

Soybeans will be planted late this year, but it doesn’t mean the crop will be short or that prices will skyrocket.

Soybean planting has made major strides across the U.S. in the last week. As of June 9, 71% of the crop has been planted, a large jump from last week’s 57%. The five-year average for this time of the year is 84% complete.

With the soybean crop being planted later than usual this year, some have suggested it could mean a smaller crop. However Darrell Good, an ag economist at the University of Illinois, thinks the average national yield could still be high. Todd Gleason provides the following report from the University of Illinois.

I think we’re still looking at a 43 bu. per acres national average, he says. He believes the overall crop could still be large.

In its report this week, USDA pegged U.S. soybean output at a record 3.39 billion bushels from the 2013-14 harvest that starts Sept. 1. That’s a 12% increase from last year’s drought-impacted soybean crop.

Even with this large crop, USDA increased the 2013/14 season-average price for soybeans to a range of $9.75 to $11.75 per bushel, up 25 cents on both ends of the range.

The spring insurance for soybeans is$12.87. November soybean futures temporarily moved above the November insurance price, Good says. But, they have bumped back down to levels that are just marginally above that level.

One might think this production risk premium would prompt the market analysts to suggest new crop soybean sales. However, that’s not the case, at least for those producers with federal crop insurance, and consequently a guaranteed insurance price.

"I’m of the mind that we don’t need to be real aggressive in sales, if you have pretty high insurance coverage," Good says.

As for the future of soybean prices the expectation is for demand domestically and internationally to remain strong. Maybe not strong enough to warrant fourteen dollar plus soybeans, but certainly priced well above the long term average.

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Here: Holiday Concert by the Ahwatukee Foothills Concert Band

The Ahwatukee Foothills Concert Band will present a holiday concert on Thursday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center in the Main Hall, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive. Admission is free and the public is welcome. You will be able to sing along with carols of the season and revel in the energy and excitement only a 65 piece concert band can provide. For more information, call (480) 893-2549.

Near: Downtown Chandler Art Walk

Downtown Chandler Community Partnership will host the Downtown Chandler Art Walk on Friday, Dec. 17, from 6 to 10 p.m. The first 100 children to stop by the DCCP booth will receive free holiday candy. Children who come to the Art Walk will enjoy the free children's art activity, making designer snowflakes. A raffle to win holiday baskets full of locally made goodies will also take place. There will be free holiday gift wrapping this month for all your purchases (donations are requested, which will go to local charities).

For more information, contact Eileen Brill Wagner at (480) 855-3539 or at

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Fewer than 200 participants showed up seven years ago for the inaugural Alport Syndrome Foundation (ASF) 5K. More than 300 are expected at this year’s event later this month.

“It’s been great to see how we’ve grown over the years,” said Sharron Lagas, who co-founded the foundation after her brother died from the disease and both her sons were diagnosed with it.

Alport Syndrome is an inherited disease of the kidney that can also affect hearing and vision. It is estimated to affect at least 1 in 5,000 people. Patients of all ages can exhibit symptoms of the disease; however, the majority of those affected by Alport Syndrome are boys who require dialysis or a kidney transplant by their early 20s.

The disease is devastating to families because it often affects multiple family members, generation after generation.

In addition to her two sons, Joseph, 18, and Max, 17, Lagas and her mother are carriers, as are her two nieces.

“You relive this generation after generation,” Lagas said. “But the research is further along than when we started (the foundation). We still have a lot of work to do. I think one particular therapy will go to clinical trial in a couple years.”

The ASF’s annual 5K for Healthy Kidneys to help fund education and community outreach for families affected by the Alport Syndrome, is Sunday, March 30, at Tempe’s Kiwanis Park.

The fundraiser is each March in connection with National Kidney Month to raise awareness of the risks of chronic kidney disease and the benefits of organ donation, as well as Alport Syndrome. This year, March is also the first Alport Awareness Month, when members of the Alport Syndrome community from all over the U.S. will host awareness activities and events.

Alport Awareness Month is designed to increase the visibility of Alport Syndrome through a variety of grassroots efforts by patients and families across the country. The national recognition seeks to educate Americans, legislators, and the medical community on the importance of routine testing to detect kidney disease in the early stages.

“Our goal is to expand available resources to make Alport Syndrome a treatable disease. Increasing awareness of the disease is a significant step toward that goal,” Lagas said. “Although the foundation has raised over $1 million to increase patient resources and support research for this disease, Alport Syndrome still gets relatively little attention and funding.”

The 5K is the ASF’s biggest fundraiser, bringing in between $30,000 and $50,000 each year, Lagas said.

Registration is $25 for adults and $15 for children 13 and younger. Registration fees increase to $30 for adults and $20 for children on March 29.

For more information or to register, got to alportsyndrome.kintera.org/arizona5k2014.

• Contact writer: (480) 898-6549 or cgabel@ahwatukee.com.

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The Mountain Pointe baseball team will host a fundraising golf tournament at the Foothills Golf Club, 2201 E. Clubhouse Drive, on Dec. 15. The cost is $100 for an individual or $380 for a foursome. Sponsorship packages are available.

This will be a shotgun start with prizes for longest drive, longest putt, closest to the pin and straight drive. Registration and payment can be done online at

For more information, contact Joe Davis at (480) 980-1116 or

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Bonnie Hancock
Bonnie Hancock

Effective Enterprise Risk Management Starts With a Conversation

How to implement an effective ERM process.

August 24, 2009
by Bonnie Hancock

As policymakers assess the causes of the recent financial crisis, it is becoming clearer that improvements will need to be made both in the way that senior executives approach risk management activities within their organization and the role of their boards of directors in risk oversight. In July, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a proposed rule that would require public companies to disclose more information in their proxies about their board's risk management role and how compensation practices affect the company's overall risk profile. The SEC also indicated that additional proposed rules would be forthcoming with respect to a company’s disclosures in its Form 10-K about its risks and risk management practices. And last spring, Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced the Shareholder Bill of Rights Act of 2009 (now in a Senate Committee) that would require establishing a risk management committee comprised of independent directors.

While some may fear that the increasing calls for better risk management may result in additional compliance burdens with little value added, many companies have found that they can put in place effective processes for managing risks on an enterprise-wide basis that will improve strategic decision-making and support the achievement of organizational objectives. In order for enterprise risk management (ERM) to be seen as value-adding however, the board and senior executives of an organization must set the appropriate tone for an open dialogue about the risks an organization faces, its appetite for those risks and its plans for managing those risks.

Reader Note:Don’t miss AICPA’s upcoming The Board and Senior Executive Roles in Risk Oversight: Taking a Strategic View of the Enterprise conference, November 5-6, New York, NY.

Having an effective ERM process does not mean you must produce myriad checklists, models and dashboards. This misperception that ERM is a very complex process that involves a tremendous amount of resources and be a potential source of bureaucracy has been an impediment to ERM implementation in many organizations. In fact, an over-reliance on models and quantitative risk measures and reports has been cited as a contributing factor to the failure of risk management processes in some organization. And when the credit rating agency, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) began assessing ERM practices within the companies it rates, its initial focus was on the rated company’s risk management culture and strategic risk management. S&P explicitly recognized that ERM would not look the same at all organizations and that it would be open-minded about the form of the risk management structure.

ERM should be implemented in the way that works best for your organization to provide the information needed for management and the board to make better, more risk-informed, strategic decisions. Proponents of ERM stress that the goal of effective ERM is not to lower risk. Rather, ERM is designed to manage risks more effectively on an enterprise-wide, holistic basis so that stakeholder value is preserved and grows over time. In other words, ERM allows management and the board to appropriately weigh risks against potential rewards.

Implementing Effective ERM Processes

Many organizations are starting to consider implementing ERM or are in the beginning stages of implantation of an ERM process. The following are some keys to implementing an effective ERM process based upon “lessons learned” at organizations that have successfully implemented ERM:

  • Strong senior management support for enterprise risk management
    • Candid conversations about risk among senior managers and board members.
  • Simplicity at the outset — initially use qualitative measures, not complex quantitative measures
    • Start by creating risk awareness and probing for emerging risks.

  • Build on tools that are already in place
    • Value can be created and cost minimized when you connect existing “silos” of risk management (for example, health and safety, insurance and compliance functions) to leverage current efforts and build an enterprise-wide view of risks and approach to risk management.

  • Plan for your ERM process to evolve over time
    • ERM is not a project or a fad, but will evolve over time as your organization buys into the process and becomes more sophisticated in its approach to managing risks.

Increasingly organizations are realizing that their current processes are inadequate to manage the complexities of the global business environment. Managing risks informally or on an ad hoc basis may no longer be acceptable given the increased expectations for effective risk management processes being placed on senior managers and their boards. Adoption of ERM can address emerging expectations for improved risk management in a way that can also add value by improving risk awareness within the organization and focusing attention on the risk/reward relationship. Effective ERM implementation can start very simply, with a candid conversation about the risks the organization faces in pursuit of value.

Rate this article 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor). Send your responses here.

Bonnie Hancock is the executive director of the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Initiative and is also a lecturer in accounting at NC State’s College of Management. She has served as president of Exploris and at Progress Energy, as well as being a president of Progress Fuels (a Progress Energy subsidiary with over $1 billion in assets), senior vice president of finance and information technology, vice president of strategy and vice president of accounting and controller. Hancock brings unique insights on boards and executive management as well as practical perspectives on managing risk across increasingly complex global enterprises. Her teaching focuses on financial management and business valuation.


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Thread: Ueshiba's Aiki
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Old 11-17-2011, 12:45 AM   #458
Ken McGrew
Dojo: Aikido at UAB
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 202
Re: Ueshiba's Aiki

If we look at the Ukazawa Sensei who Hunter provided the link to, when we get to the level of application, you see the problems I said i worried about. While his karate/kung foo look great, and the exercises are fine, the aikido style throws don't look that good to me. There's a tendency to have to sweep or take a long time or use force because the momentum in Uke's body is gone. There is a place where Karate and Aikido overlap. Saotome Sensei shows that side as well. So he does some of the applications shown on these and other videos of Ukazawa Sensei. But the parts that look more like Aikido just don't look very good to me compared to most "modern Aikido," they take too much effort and too long to execute, his movement is not open or free, and don't look like they would be ideal in group attack situations. The Daito-ryu anniversary footage looked better to my eyes.

I don't know if this Sensei is a good representation of how other IS people like Harden invision application.

I assume that people interested in the application of Chinese arts to Aikido have read Sugawara Sensei's books on the topic.

Last edited by Ken McGrew : 11-17-2011 at 12:57 AM.


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Announcing Columbus, Cessna commits to large-cabin Citation

 - February 26, 2008, 5:19 AM

After extensive market research and more than a year of showing prospective customers a cabin mockup of a large-cabin jet, on January 24 Cessna Aircraft formally launched the newly named Citation Columbus, formerly known as the Large Cabin Concept. Cessna didn’t reveal details about the Columbus until a February 6 event in Washington, D.C.

The all-aluminum, $27 million Columbus will carry eight passengers 4,000 nm at Mach .80 and will be powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada’s new PW810 turbofan (see box on page 54). On the flight deck will be Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion avionics suite. Maximum cruise speed is Mach 0.85, and the cabin will be pressurized to provide a 6,700-foot cabin altitude at the maximum altitude of 45,000 feet.

Cessna began research on the largest Citation six years ago with market studies, surveys, concept testing, focus groups and customer advisory boards, according to Roger Whyte, Cessna senior vice president of sales and marketing. Customers were asked to comment on a variety of possible aircraft sizes and configurations, but the main reason for the move to a big business jet is that existing customers want an upgrade path to a larger Citation, he explained. “They told us clearly that they wanted to see Cessna build a large-cabin airplane with a comfortable, well appointed cabin, a flat floor and a baggage compartment that could be accessed from inside the airplane. They wanted the ability to go long distances without sacrificing speed.”

The 4,000-nm range of the Columbus at Mach 0.80 links London to Dubai, Singapore to Sydney, São Paulo to Miami and Munich to New York. According to Whyte, customers also insisted “on the next aircraft from Cessna being environmentally friendly.” Buyers, however, don’t want their new large Cessna to push the boundaries of technology, so while they do want Internet access in the air, they didn’t push for such systems as fly-by-wire flight controls. What customers want, he said, is low acquisition, direct operating and lifecycle costs.

Cabin comfort is also a key customer desire, and Columbus designers moved the cabin floor lower in the fuselage to add seated space for the feet and knees, Whyte said. “Standup headroom is equivalent to a G550’s.” To accommodate the lowered floor, additional structure will be added to the lower fuselage. The Columbus can seat up to 10 passengers, and the fuselage has room for a walk-in lavatory and closet.
“It’s the longest cabin of any airplane in this class by almost two feet,” he said.

Cessna is managing the Columbus program differently from other Cessna business jets, acting as integrator and assembler instead of manufacturing most of the airframe itself. Spirit AeroSystems, which makes Boeing 737 fuselages and sections of 777 and 787 fuselages, will manufacture the fuselage and empennage for the Columbus. Although Cessna has selected a wing supplier, according to chairman, president and CEO Jack Pelton, the company won’t identify that supplier until contracts are signed. A possible wing supplier for the Columbus could be Vancouver, Canada-based Avcorp, which already makes major components for the Citation Sovereign and CJ3 programs and receives more than 50 percent of its overall business from Cessna. Spirit AeroSystems could also be a wing candidate as it manufactures wings at a factory
in Tulsa, Okla.

Development Work Under Way
The Columbus program is different in another way, too, and that is in how much engineering work had already been done by the time Cessna parent company Textron gave the go-ahead. “The design approach has resulted in the ability to predict aircraft performance to a high level of accuracy,” said David Brant, Cessna senior vice president of engineering. “These analyses are being validated by testing and continue to be refined.” Cessna has conducted high-speed wind tunnel testing at a facility in Bedford, UK. “Both low- and high-speed wind tunnel testing has led to accurate sizing, performance and prediction confidence as well as confirming earlier stability and control predictions,” he said.

All this early work on the Columbus helped Cessna engineers lay out the jet’s primary structure and define the baseline systems architectures much earlier in the program. The hydraulics will be a 3,000-psi system, Brant said, and Cessna is working on other features that “are innovative in control technologies that we can’t expand on today, but as these technologies develop, we will be implementing them when they reach the maturity level that we [need].”

One example of a new technology that Brant and his team are considering is brushless starter-generators, which cost about three times as much as traditional brushed units but have a vastly longer service life. Astronics, a company that makes brushless starter-generators, also offers an aircraft power distribution system called CorePower, which uses electronic circuit breakers not only as circuit breakers but also to control and monitor electrical components. Brant wouldn’t say whether Cessna is considering a system like CorePower, although he did tell AIN that
“we are looking at electronic circuit breakers. We’re looking for technology mature enough to drive up reliability.”

Cessna will conduct much more ground testing with the Columbus than on any previous program, Brant said. All the early wind tunnel and development testing means, he said, “that we’re moving away from development during flight test. We want the flight test to be a validation.”

Cessna engineers and suppliers have been working on the joint definition phase since late last year and will continue to do so through the first quarter, Brant said. “This is where the team works out the intricate details by system and by component of where things go and how they work. We’re also developing a global collaborative environment that is new and that is innovative in how we will exchange information even around the world if we need to.”

The Columbus will be the second business jet to feature the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion flight deck; Bombardier was the first to adopt Pro Line Fusion, for its long-range Globals. But the Columbus is the first new jet design with Pro Line Fusion and therefore the airplane should be able to take full advantage of Fusion’s integrated technology platform and room for future growth.

In the Columbus, Pro Line Fusion will include four 15-inch displays, one in front of each pilot, one in the center of the panel and one at the top center of the console. Standard features include synthetic vision, multiscan weather radar, Rockwell Collins’ integrated flight information system with electronic charts, graphical weather overlays, dual FMS with WAAS and RNP approaches, traffic surveillance system with ADS-B capability, autothrottle and onboard information management system.
Optional equipment includes enhanced vision, predictive wind-shear radar, controller-pilot datalink communication, surface management system, second IFIS and third FMS.

Pelton said that the Columbus development program will cost Cessna $775 million and that none of the suppliers are risk-sharing partners. “Cessna’s paying all of the development costs,” he said, “and it gives us the ability to decide what is best for us to build versus what is best for someone else, provided that they are a world-class supplier.”

Buyers have signed letters of intent for 70 copies of the Columbus and Pelton said he expects those to be turned into firm orders this year. The program predicts first flight of the prototype in 2011, FAA certification in 2013 and entry-into-service in 2014.

Like the engine that powers it, the Columbus will be the first in a new series. “We believe that this is the sweet spot based on what our customers have told us for the initial launch product,” Pelton said. “We do believe that there are other variants of this product that will make sense and we’ll explore those as we get further along in the development of this airplane.”


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Nextant selects Rockwell Collins Venue cabin system for 400Next

 - February 22, 2010, 8:19 AM

Nextant Aerospace has selected the Rockwell Collins Venue cabin management system for the interior of the Beechjet 400Next as part of a retrofit package that brings high-definition video screens, Blu-ray disc players, iPod docking stations and more to the passenger compartment of the original Beech 400A/XP.

The agreement announced in late January between Nextant and Rockwell Collins initially includes 30 Venue systems. It marks the first aftermarket sale for Venue, according to Rockwell Collins. The Beechjet 400Next package involves a major retrofit of the Beechjet 400, including a new Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 cockpit and, coming soon, Williams International FJ44-3AP engines, which will improve efficiency and are fully compatible with Stage 4 noise rules.

Venue for the Nextant Beechjet includes dual-channel Iridium satellite phones, Internet connection, cabin Wi-Fi, high-definition Blu-ray video and LED lighting throughout. The baseline BeechJet 400A retrofit includes two 10.6-inch arm-mounted HD displays; media center device with integrated Blu-ray disc player and HD Airshow 3-D moving map; two Apple iPod docking stations; and seven passenger-programmable switch panels. Nextant delivered the first Beechjet 400Next upgraded with the Venue cabin equipment last month.

Nextant Aerospace certified the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 flight deck in the Beechjet 400A/XP last fall. The $390,000 cockpit retrofit consists of two large LCD primary flight displays and one large LCD multifunction display. An additional second MFD can be installed for about $50,000. According to Nextant CEO Kenn Ricci, the company has received orders for installation of the Pro Line 21 upgrade in five aircraft. Installation of the cockpit equipment takes three to four weeks.

Nextant, based in Richmond Heights, Ohio, is also working on certification to install Williams FJ44-3AP engines in the Beechjet 400 to replace the airplane’s original Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D engines. According to Nextant, the engine retrofit will increase range by more than 50 percent, to more than 2,000 nm, reduce operating cost per mile by 30 percent and provide a 35-percent improvement in fuel efficiency.

Rather than offering a traditional conversion program, Nextant’s goal is to acquire and completely remanufacture the Beechjets on its own. A fully refurbished Beechjet 400Next will include the Pro Line 21 flight deck, the new engines, aerodynamic improvements, air-conditioning and the Venue cabin equipment.

“We’re taking the OEM model,” Ricci said. “We will offer a warranty, pilot training and factory support, and will accept conversions, but only when they fit in with the production process.”

The company plans to remanufacture a minimum of 48 of the 400-series Beechjets still flying. Two have been acquired thus far and the company entered negotiations to buy another five. The remanufactured aircraft are priced at $3.9 million, Nextant said, and orders for more than 15 aircraft have been received thus far. “It will outperform a Beechjet 400XP at half the price,” Ricci claimed.

Deliveries of fully reconfigured airplanes are expected to begin in the first quarter of next year.


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Non-Citizen Co-Owned Count 0

List of Aircraft Registrations in Tacoma, WA

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A Private Affair
Mom with a View

A Private Affair

The boundaries between public and private, family and community, have all become blurred, to our detriment.

It's the influence of Oprah. And Sally Jesse Raphael. And Jerry Springer. No matter what event happens in our lives, public or private or with elements of each, we are expected to talk about it and write about it and describe our most intimate experiences in graphic detail.

It's hard to buck the trend. If you try to maintain any sense of privacy, you are accused of being cold and unfriendly. And it goes beyond that. Sometimes the emotions you feel aren't what your listeners or viewers or readers want. If it's an engagement, you are only allowed to feel joy. If it's a funeral, God forbid, only sorrow.

But life's most profound experiences are also its most complex. And, dare I say it, its most private.

We have become a nation of exhibitionists and voyeurs. The boundaries between public and private, family and community and external society have all become blurred. To our detriment. Emotion has become cheap and easy and tawdry; people's pain and sorrow daytime TV, entertainment.

In Ethics of our Fathers, we are taught to build a fence around the Torah. There are many explanations for this advice but there is one that is particularly applicable here.

If something is very precious to us, we want to keep it guarded, under lock and key. We keep our jewels and money in safes, our mansions behind electric gates. A fence says that entrance is restricted, that what's inside is too valuable to cavalierly share with the world.

From behind the closed gates we nurture ourselves and each other and then go out to give to and interact with the world. Behind the fence we recover our center.

In a world where all is bared (both literally and figuratively), the center gets lost.

Recently one of my daughters got engaged and then married (the logical progression!). Many friends and family shared our joy with us. We couldn't be more grateful for their caring and support and unconditional participation in our joy.

But if I'm asked to describe the experiences -- the complexity of emotions and thoughts of parents and children, of grandparents and siblings, I can't. They're behind the fence, locked away. They're our private struggles and our private triumphs. They stay behind the fence where they can continue to uphold our dignity and give strength to us, and, please God, to future generations.

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Visitor Comments: 7

(7) Anonymous, January 3, 2012 10:46 PM

Re: Reality TV. I can't stand it and don't watch it unless I stand to learn something. I've seen shows where people declutter their homes, and those shows have inspired me to think before opening my wallet to buy yet another nick nack. All of this openess really boils down to economics. If people stopped watching others airing their dirty laundry, then the entire genre would simply vanish from our TV screens.

(6) Jack Lynes, March 6, 2006 12:00 AM

"A Private Affair"

"we keep our money and our jewels in safe places" Yes indeed, but it is as well to remember that they are not kept securely as in a prison, but so as to be available for use and/or display-pleasure at the right time.In other words, one should surely be wise to the fact that unlike museum pieces kept under glass, they are available and should be used whenever possible for their purpose.

(5) Ruth Lanham, March 6, 2006 12:00 AM

This is a wonderful article.
Physician visits have turned
into interrigation rooms.
Prying into the private lives of people by asking personal question's from screenings required by Government funded orgaizations.
These organizations also have immunity from any responsibility of wrong doing.
These organizations have also been found guilty of tampering with files, making falsified statments, or changing statements to tilt the scales in their directional favor.
The more information is known about a person, the more that can be used against them and the witch hunt occures.
American adults and children are being brainwashed not only by the media but in our public school systems of socialism inforced, unawares.
We are being told that we have a constitution, but our rights to it are being denied or smoked over.
We are also being pupet'ed by the principalities of the Air.
Like an EMP wave of human self detruction of the spirit.
Apparently there are those people who have the need for this type of relationship with the outside world because they are of the world and have need of the attention they get from exposing themselves.
If they were of Yahwey, they would be taking thier problems to Yahwey.
Repent, be washed by emmersion and walk in His light. But not all believe in God, so they run to the world for answers.
I believe that these shows are taking advantage of the tragity of others, just for rateings. Lets face it, they would not have a show with out these people allowing them to.
So we have an element that has been produced by principalities in high places.
Ever notice that you are accused of hiding something, if you do not answer their interrigated questions.? or question them?
You automaticly become a suspect of something. Because you refuse to partisapate or allow them to harass you. Seems to me that they use intimidation, fear and the questional legal system to accomplish their ends.
What kind of Government or society does that?

(4) Lesley Hubbard, February 27, 2006 12:00 AM

A Private Affair - What goes on at home, stays at home!

Wow! Am I glad to see that others feel this way also. I was begining to think that no one else believed that what is personal and private should stay that way. All of this 'tell all, no matter how private, personal, or intimate' is just a bid for attention. People without any sense at all can 'feel important' and get great self esteem by spilling everthing and anything about themselves
to everyone and anyone, as long as it makes them the center of attention for as long as possible. Equally at fault are those who encourage this obvious lack of manners and good upbringing of their guests on their televised 'true confessions' shows. Just as low class and showing lack of intelligence are those who droolingly watch these shows.
Guess it's due to lack of ability to read and think.

(3) Daniela, February 27, 2006 12:00 AM

Egads !

How 'bout all the YENTES who insist on knowing every detail of what you're looking for in a husband so they can take license to give every opinion they can about how picky you are or how high your expectations seem to be, as if having any list of criteria at all means you're looking for "Mr. Perfect", which you'll never find. Frankly I'm begining to wonder if everyone who does this are really just jealous because they missed their chance to be as "picky" and to refuse to settle, because if they had a chance to turn back time they might have chosen differently. Every time any of them open their mouths they in essence say, "What makes YOU think you can get a guy like that ! I didn't !" Bitter, bitter, bitter !! Hey...maybe I should start my own blog ?? lol!

Seriously, the appeal in all this for Americans is they get to watch others get told off in ways they believe they never could in "real life", until of course they really find themselves in the same situation. More importantly, if someone else has a worse life than you, maybe you could let up on yourself ands feel better about your life.

As for those that spill their guts ? For the very few that are actually real, they fully believe it's going to help them in one way or another. HOWEVER, having known a producer a while back from the Jerry Springer show, I do happen to know a lot of the guests are amateur actors who are told who they are supposed to be with a skeleton storyline. In fact, the vast majority of "guests" on most of these shows are indeed FAKE. The problem is those who watch it. Television isn't nearly as much of a problem as the vast majority of people who watch it.

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September 14, 2011

for Pete's sake

As a way to honor the child I lost through miscarriage, Peter Mark, and to share your burden, please allow me to pray for you or your loved ones who are carrying the cross of infertility or loss of a child.

You may share your prayer request in the comment box or by emailing me at bonnie engstrom at gmail dot com.

Comments may be anonymous and please feel free to share as much or as little as you like.

It is an honor to pray for you! Thank you for the privilege!
Also, women in the Peoria, IL area, please note that A Mother's Love grief support group for women who have suffered a miscarriage, stillbirth, or loss of child meets the second Tuesday of every month from 6pm - 7:30pm.  They meet in the old adoration room near the convent at St. Phil's in Peoria.
I was able to go to their first meeting and it was a wonderful, helpful, hopeful evening.
Please share this information with anyone you know who may be interested.

  1. Please pray for two friends, B and A, who are both in the early stages of pregnancy after suffering from infertility. Please pray that moms and babies stay healthy.

  2. Continued prayers for our friends K and E who have been trying to conceive for years and have been having trouble with the adoption process.

  3. Prayers for my friend A who is trying to conceive. And for friends B and L who are pregnant. And then for me who is trying to conceive.

  4. Please pray for my friend Maria and her husband Mark, who are struggling with infertility. Thank you. God bless.


text:
February 13, 2013

Why I Love My Husband

1 - Because of the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles.

2 - Because of our "pillow talk" conversations.  We laugh, bicker, discuss serious things - all while my head is resting on his shoulder and he's holding me tight.

3 - Because he's kind.  And funny.  And smart.  And generous.  And he loves God.  And he's an excellent father.

4 - Because he can run wiring, plumbing, and duct work.  He can install a toilet, a sink, a dishwasher, a gas stove, a water heater, and a light fixture.  He can roof a house, remodel a house, landscape around a house, and put new siding on a house.  He can fix a car, a lawnmower, or a toy train.  He can cook, clean, and folds laundry.  He can hang drywall, hang trim, hang a new door, and hang windows.  And on top of it all he teaches chemistry and physics to high schoolers.

5 - Because he comes home and plays with the kids every single day.

6 - Because he thinks I'm pretty and funny and a good wife.  He appreciates me.

7 - Because he's a total geek about superhero movies.

8 - Because he remembers when Downton Abbey is on when I forget.

9 - Because he loves his family - his parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, us.

10 - Because he is a nice guy, a good man.  In my opinion, he is the best of men.

  1. Love this. Thank you for sharing.
    Happy St Valentine's Day to you and your family!

  2. Replies
    1. Well, we'd be okay if he reigned that one in a little bit. ;)

  3. Nick and I were just talking about Travis. I was of course saying how he is such a funny guy. And I remember you telling me that when you were pregnant with Lydia and you had morning sickness, he made a comment like "well at least it only happens in the morning." LOL Nick and I always remember that comment and always refer to Travis while we laugh and smile. I was complaining the other day about not feeling well and Nick's all "well at least its over by noon." And we laughed and laughed and thought of Travis. And Nick always says "Man, I love that guy." In conclusion: We love Travis too. :)

  4. You are a lucky gal for #4!!! (And all the rest, too, of course!) Enjoy your day!!

  5. A lovely list, every wife should have a list like this!