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News Local

Donations boost to canal memorial

By Don Fraser, St. Catharines Standard

The drive to create a memorial for the workers who died building the Welland Canal is three steps closer to its fundraising goal.

Greg Wight, campaign chairman with the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial Task Force, confirmed donations of $25,000 each were received from St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., Fednav and ArcelorMittal Dofasco.

The corporation is a not-for-profit responsible for the movement of marine traffic through the seaway, which includes the Welland Canal.

ArcelorMittal Dofasco is a steel producer based in Hamilton and a significant user of the seaway system. Fednav is a Montreal-based international shipping and charter group.

The task force is a volunteer group set up to create a memorial recognizing 137 workers who died while building the canal between 1914 to 1932.

The fundraising goal for the memorial and its parkette is about $750,000. To date, $250,000 has been raised through corporate sponsorship. Heritage Canada has also contributed $150,000.

“We’re probably 60 per cent there, it’s really coming along well,” said Wight, a retired CEO of Algoma Central Corp. “The next step is to move from 60 to 100 per cent.

“Those companies that have contributed at a top level have really helped the campaign.”

The seaway corporation has donated land for the memorial at Lock 3 in St. Catharines.

After fundraising is complete, the memorial is to be built in 2017 with a possible unveiling by June or July that year.

Details will be released soon for public meetings with memorial designer Dereck Revington. They will likely take place in two Welland Canal communities Feb. 8.

The task force is continuing to seek financial support for the project. For more information or to contribute, visit To donate in person, go to the St. Catharines museum or to the mayor’s office at St. Catharines city hall.

Twitter: @don_standard

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Football rivals face off tonight

Rumor has it that the Hiway Bar flag football team will have significant fan representation when it takes the field tonight against Johnny B. Good's.

"Maybe so," Hiway Bar member Todd Camilletti said with a laugh.

There are eight teams in the Steamboat Parks and Recreation's 2003 Adult Flag Football League, but not all are from Steamboat.

The Hiway Bar is comprised mostly of men from Hayden and Craig who grew up playing high school football for the Hayden Tigers, Moffat County Bulldogs or even the Palisade Bulldogs.

The members of Johnny B.'s represent the Steamboat diner.

Paul Compton of Johnny B.'s referred to his team as "the old guys" because a core group of players have been together for more than 13 years. He called the Hiway Bar men "young and quick."

It was Johnny B.'s that won the 2002 championship, however, shutting out the Hiway Bar.

"They are really gunning for us," Compton said.

Compton and Camilletti work together at The Industrial Company in Steamboat, and Compton said it's been a friendly rivalry, and the games are often close.

Last season, the Hiway Bar did not have all its players for the championship, but Camilletti said the full roster should be ready to play tonight.

The two teams play at 6:15 p.m. at the Ski Town Fields, near the Tennis Center in the east side of Steamboat Springs.

-- To reach Melinda Mawdsley call 871-4208

or e-mail

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Routt County Republicans talk during a monthly meeting Wednesday about what they can do to better position themselves for the next election. Local Republicans lost several races Tuesday night and were disappointed to also lose the presidential race.

Photo by Scott Franz

Routt County Republicans talk during a monthly meeting Wednesday about what they can do to better position themselves for the next election. Local Republicans lost several races Tuesday night and were disappointed to also lose the presidential race.

Routt County GOP seeks comeback after losses in general election

Election 2012

Click here for coverage of this year's races and issues.

Dave Moloney

— Routt County Republican Party leaders went to bed disappointed Tuesday night after watching their party fall short of the presidency as well as lose three of four local races to the Democrats.

But when they woke up Wednesday morning, local GOPers, along with their three unsuccessful local candidates, didn’t wait long to start planning a comeback.

“If anybody’s got any guts, you should roll up your sleeves and get ready to work like hell,” Will Potter told the Routt County Republican Central Committee at its monthly meeting Wednesday. “If you don’t, get in the bread line and make out the best way you can because that’s where we’re headed, folks.”

Potter’s speech to a room of about 20 Republicans included several calls for the party to remain vocal and passionate in the wake of a disappointing election night.

Everyone in the room acknowledged the local party has some major challenges to overcome, including a growing and well-organized Democratic contingent in Routt County.

Republicans here took it on the chin Tuesday night.

Aside from state Rep. Randy Baumgardner’s decisive victory in the race for Senate District 8 — he took five of seven counties but lost in Routt and Summit — Republicans here were defeated handily in two county commissioner races and in the race for House District 26.

Reflecting on the losses at the Routt County Courthouse on Wednesday, GOP leaders said their party needs to adopt a more focused message and reach out to young voters by better explaining to them the financial burdens Republicans say they could inherit by government entitlement programs like Obamacare.

“The message that we have to stop spending money, that we have to be more fiscally responsible, did not resonate with the voters,” Routt County Republican Chairman Dave Moloney said. “And now we’ll see what comes of that over the next several years. In my estimation, it’s going to be disastrous for the country.”

Others at the meeting were quick to criticize President Barack Obama and lament that their party’s message of fiscal conservatism didn’t attract enough independent voters to prevail on Election Day.

And the candidates who didn’t succeed here in Routt County said they learned some lessons.

“When I started this process in June, I didn’t realize just how much of an endangered species Republicans are in Routt County,” Jim “Moose” Barrows said, reflecting on his unsuccessful race for the Board of Commissioners' District 1 seat. “I think there are a lot of things we need to do as a party. We need to try and separate ourselves from the far right wing of the party (that) so many people identify Republicans with.”

Amid the gloom of Tuesday's local losses, many in the room Wednesday were defiant.

“Chuck McConnell, and we cannot quit,” the unsuccessful House District 26 candidate said when roll was called at the start of the meeting.

Moloney attributed his party’s losses in local races to the area’s growing Democratic electorate and its superior get-out-the-vote efforts. He said local Democrats knocked on 2,000 doors as Election Day neared and successfully got young voters to the polls.

Both parties' path to victory here depends on turnout efforts and attracting independent voters. While final voter registration breakdowns weren’t available Wednesday, figures released as the Oct. 9 registration deadline neared showed Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters each representing about one-third of the electorate in Routt County.

Moloney and the Republicans said the next election will arrive quickly, and they voted Wednesday to form a new strategy committee to position the party for victory in 2014.

“The ground game is important, and as hard as we worked, they were more successful in getting people to the polls yesterday,” Moloney said, referring to local Democrats. “I think the election shows that Steamboat Springs in particular has moved a little bit further to the left. We have to look at how we can better formulate our message to reach independent voters and the youth vote and women voters and drive home some of these conservative principles.”

To reach Scott Franz, call 970-871-4210 or email

Scott Wedel 3 years, 9 months ago

Demographics are hard to overcome. Democrats may have knocked on 2,000 doors, but the extra people that brought to the polls was far less than the margin of victory in the local races.

Local Republicans have two choices. They can position themselves slightly to the right of local Democrats even if that is well to the left of most other Republicans. Or they can become irrelevant by blaming the electorate for not being smart enough to vote for them.

As Scott Ford has said, Routt County is demographically like Boulder.

How many Republicans get elected in Boulder?

You want to reeducate SB voters to learn conservative values? How about figuring out how to apply conservative values to issues that concern local voters? Like bring back the one time conservative value of personal liberty and be out there advocating legalization of mj. Or bring back the conservative value of being a steward of the land and support environmental protections and recognize global climate change. Or learn to stay out of the lives of gays, stay out of women's health decisions and treat Hispanics as if they were US citizens which most are? Or quit trying to deny the right of people to vote?

max huppert 3 years, 9 months ago

that is what they get for no supporting Ron Paul!!! Ha Ha,

bill schurman 3 years, 9 months ago

Is it ironic or what that Randy (Cowdry) Baumgardner lost in the counties who knew him the best? He is clearly out of touch with Routt and Summit counties. And, that is especially true of Chuck McConnell. The right wing just will not cut it in Routt county. But, keep on keeping on Republicans, fine with me.

John St Pierre 3 years, 9 months ago

Did any of the GOP in State not think that the Pot issue would not affect the General Election vote???? That most likely those who wanted to legalize it would not also vote Democratic???? Thats an example of being out of touch....

Robert Dippold 3 years, 9 months ago

"Local Republicans have two choices. They can position themselves slightly to the right of local Democrats even if that is well to the left of most other Republicans. Or they can become irrelevant by blaming the electorate for not being smart enough to vote for them."

Same can be said of the national Republicans. Why is the party so far to the right? They are alienating so many people that would be Republicans including myself.

Bob Smith 3 years, 9 months ago

the problem is that people actually believe these guys. seriously - i'm not kidding. people believe them!!

Fred Duckels 3 years, 9 months ago

It seems that the biggest candy store wins and the lethargic electorate is not interested in facing tomorrows problems. Bleak outlook at best.

Robert Dippold 3 years, 9 months ago

Fred, I was watching a show tonight that said that 40-45% of people consider themselves to be moderate. Obama won the votes of 60% of these people. It would be interesting to see how many people would consider themselves to be fiscally moderate. I don't think Republicans lost the elections because of fiscal issues but because of social/religious positions. The party is too far to the right on social/religious issues to attract enough voters my opinion. Someone that is more to the left can't win the nomination and somebody too far to the right can win the general election.

Paul Brabenec 3 years, 9 months ago

You can't credibly espouse fiscal responsibility while spending hundreds of million$ on tv advertising.

mark hartless 3 years, 9 months ago

Except for the environmental thing I completely agree with Scott's initial statement. Conservatives are just too intrusive into peoples' personal lives. However, it is a fool who doesn't believe big government, brought to you by BOTH parties, is, in the end, any less intrusive. The environmental thing is a case and point: the ultimate result of environmentalism will be to intrude on peoples' personal lives like nothing in history. I can not figure out why more people can't see that.

I also agree with Fred. The electorate has gotten to the point that they vote themselves largess from the public coffers with little or no consideration for the well-being of future generations. The outlook is bleak indeed.

I completely disagree with Paul. The need for fiscal responsibility centers around the responsibility of public servants to spend other peoples money carefully. As such, there should be NO/ ZERO use of taxpayer money on pollitical campaigns. However, it has nothing to do with how people spend their own money. You have no more right to limit how much Obama or Romney spend on pollitical advertising than I have to limit how many days you are "allowed" to ski, etc.

beverly lemons 3 years, 9 months ago

I am so glad the republican party is obsolete.

Would like to see some thoughtful conservatives form a new party and banish the racist, mysogynistic, Christian dominionist, fear mongering, bible throwing, women hating, anti-science, climate raping, lying party of the KKK and Ray Comfort back in to the dark ages where it belongs.

There are not enough rich entitled white old men to vote for you, in spite of televangelists screaming that liberal votes will send one to hell. Your tactics of fear and loathing via religion just don't work. Your Haliburton and other corporate sponsorship can't buy you an election, because no one wants the party of ignorance and hate and war mongering in power.

Keep demonizing women, brown people, Muslim's, non-Christian's, scientists, mathematicians, birth control and evolution, because all it does is add more nails to your coffin. Keep on smirking in your self-righteousness and patriarchy as you become ever more irrelevant and impotent. Call everyone stupid and sinful for not giving you their vote, then watch that the door doesn't hit your fat backside on your way out.

Scott Wedel 3 years, 9 months ago

Mark, The reason that people don't see what you see as the ultimate consequence is because most people believe that common sense will prevail before the rules get too intrusive.

That you and I could agree enough upon a Republican Party worth joining that is true to its conservative roots should be a revelation to party leaders.

mark hartless 3 years, 9 months ago

Just one problem with your theory, Scott... The rules are ALREADY too intrusive.

Fred Duckels 3 years, 9 months ago

Bob, The periphial items that you mentioned are used as political tools and always surface at election time. This is like a bruhau over the fertilizer that I use on my lawn but if I don't focus on the problems at hand I won't have a lawn or house.

jerry carlton 3 years, 9 months ago

Beverly Do you have anger issues or are you just having a bad day?

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Steamboat Springs Mustache Ride to benefit Routt County Humane Society

Past Event

Steamboat Springs Mustache Ride

  • Saturday, October 6, 2012, 3 p.m.
  • McKnight’s Irish Pub & Loft, 685 Marketplace Plaza, Steambaot Springs, CO
  • All ages / $10

— There is only one requirement for this Saturday’s sixth annual Mustache Ride.

Whether you’re a man, woman or baby, you have to have a mustache. But it also will help to have a big heart that’s willing to help out the Routt County Humane Society during the mud season tradition of a pub crawl and cruiser bike ride.

The Mustache Ride kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday at McKnight’s Irish Pub & Loft, and includes stops at nine other local establishments throughout the evening.

What started on a fall afternoon six years ago as a group of friends riding bikes around while wearing mustaches has evolved into a community fundraising event and a boost for local businesses during the offseason.

“It initially started out as a fun thing to do as a gathering among friends,” said Nate Bird, who launched the event with friend Rob Peterson. But in the gathering’s second year, he said businesses called him and requested the group stop at their establishment. “It’s kind of snowballed from there.”

This year, the event’s organizers have stepped it up with support from Casey Barnett, of SeeMe Media and KFMU.

With an online Indiegogo campaign, mustache riders are encouraged to sign up early and donate funds to earn free drinks throughout the ride.

All of the proceeds go to the Routt County Humane Society.

Bird said that in the event’s fourth year, as the numbers started to increase through word-of-mouth and across social networks, the organizers decided that the impromptu gathering could be a boon for a local charity.

Bird chose to benefit the Humane Society because he loves animals. His dog, a Catahoula mix named Grommet, is a rescue dog, he said.

“We were all there, and it was all locals, and people like to contribute to Steamboat and our sense of community,” Bird said. “It’s such a dog/animal town.”

This year, the cost to participate is a $10 donation. But sign up early on the website to donate even more: Participants earn free drinks at various Mustache Ride stops based on the level they donate.

For example, $30 gets riders a shot at Sunpie's Bistro as well as a shot and a Guinness at McKnight’s. Go up to $100 and you can add to that list a special shot at Carl’s Tavern and a beer tower at The Tap House Sports Grill.

The event ends at Sweetwater Grill with a free concert at about 9 p.m. There will be giant mustaches denoting participating bars throughout the afternoon. Costumes are encouraged and so are cruiser bikes. Mustaches are a must.

“Just ‘cause they're funny,” Bird said.

To reach Nicole Inglis, call 970-871-4204 or email

Casey Barnett 3 years, 11 months ago

This is really going to be a fun event for all that can make it and for a great cause, the Routt County Humane Society. Be sure to check out the event site at for more info. If you just want to donate and are unable to join the event you are encouraged to donate on the site!

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text:
Welcome to My Official Web Page!

Welcome to My Official Web Page!

Monday, August 15, 2016

Cover Reveal: SONG OF WAR!

It's cover reveal time for SONG OF WAR! Isn't she a beauty?!

The novel goes on sale October 18th, but it's available for pre-order at both Amazon and Kobo. You can also add it to your to-read shelf at Goodreads

I am thrilled to join Christian Cameron, Libbie Hawker, Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, S.J.A. Turney, and Russell Whitfield to help retell the story of the Trojan War. But this is Trojan War as you've never seen it before, seen through the eyes of characters you may not be as familiar with...

Troy: city of gold, gatekeeper of the east, haven of the god-born and the lucky, a city destined to last a thousand years. But the Fates have other plans—the Fates, and a woman named Helen. In the shadow of Troy's gates, all must be reborn in the greatest war of the ancient world: slaves and queens, heroes and cowards, seers and kings . . . and these are their stories.

A young princess and an embittered prince join forces to prevent a fatal elopement.

A tormented seeress challenges the gods themselves to save her city from the impending disaster.

A tragedy-haunted king battles private demons and envious rivals as the siege grinds on.

A captured slave girl seizes the reins of her future as two mighty heroes meet in an epic duel.

A grizzled archer and a desperate Amazon risk their lives to avenge their dead.

A trickster conceives the greatest trick of all.

A goddess' son battles to save the spirit of Troy even as the walls are breached in fire and blood.

Seven authors bring to life the epic tale of the Trojan War: its heroes, its villains, its survivors, its dead. Who will lie forgotten in the embers, and who will rise to shape the bloody dawn of a new age?

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Epic Giveaway Contest: Summer of History!

Summer of History (1)

Summer is the time for hanging out on the deck or at the beach, a book in one hand and a cold drink in the other.

So what's better than having a chance at winning one of my books--The Conqueror's Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great--this summer? How about a chance to win books and prizes from 18 other top writers of historical fiction today? Best of all, it's just in time for you to kick back, put your feet up, and enjoy the warm weather with a great book.

So, which five books would you like to win?

Monday, April 18, 2016

New Project Reveal: A Song of War- A Novel of Troy

I've been sitting on this news for a while so I'm thrilled to finally be able to announce that I've joined the H Team to help write SONG OF WAR: A NOVEL OF TROY!

It's the Trojan War, but you've never heard it told like this before...

Due out in October 2016, I'll be telling a portion of the story from the point of view of Cassandra, King Priam's unfortunate prophetess daughter. The poor gal's visions are never believed, even as she tries to stop the war from beginning. I'm not sure I've ever had such a tragic narrator before!

A novel told in seven parts by amazing authors Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear Shecter, Christian Cameron, Libbie Hawker, Simon James Atkinson Turney, and Russell Whitfield, SONG OF WAR promises to be a wild ride! Check back here for the cover reveal, updates, and promotions!

Monday, April 11, 2016

Join Me at a Historical Fiction Birthday Party!

In honor of their latest release about Patsy Jefferson, histfic authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie are hosting an epic online party this Wednesday, April 13th, which also happens to be Thomas Jefferson's birthday!

There will be a whole slew of authors--including yours truly--with plenty of giveaways, historical trivia, and random mayhem so feel free to drop in and join the fun from 6PM-10PM Eastern time!

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Release Day for The Conqueror's Wife!

Today is the long-awaited release day for The Conqueror's Wife!

We are the women who loved Alexander the Great.  We were lovers and murderers, innocents and soldiers.
And without us, Alexander would have been only a man.
Instead he was a god.

Want to read more? Head on over to Amazon or my page on The Conqueror's Wife for a sneak peek at Alexander's wild-child younger sister, childhood companion and soul mate, crafty sister-in-law, and nefarious Persian wife!

Monday, November 23, 2015

The Conqueror's Wife Blog Tour Begins!

Monday, November 23
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, November 24
Review at Layered Pages
Interview & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Spotlight & Excerpt at What Is That Book About
Wednesday, November 25
Review at A Bookish Affair
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Thursday, November 26
Review at Historical Readings & Reviews
Friday, November 27
Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More
Monday, November 30
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Review & Giveaway at 100 Pages a Day
Tuesday, December 1
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Guest Post at Book Lovers Paradise
Wednesday, December 2
Review at leeanna.me
Review & Giveaway at A Literary Vacation
Thursday, December 3
Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway at Just One More Chapter
Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway at Unshelfish
Excerpt at A Literary Vacation
Spotlight at The Reading Queen
Friday, December 4
Review & Giveaway at The True Book Addict
Monday, December 7
Review at The Maiden’s Court
Tuesday, December 8
Review at Reading the Past
Review at Let Them Read Books
Wednesday, December 9
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Thursday, December 10
Review at The Lit Bitch
Interview & Giveaway at Reading Lark
Guest Post at Historical Fiction Connection
Friday, December 11
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Saturday, December 12
Review & Giveaway at Genre Queen
Monday, December 14
Review at Book Babe
Reivew, Excerpt, & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick
Tuesday, December 15
Review at Bookramblings
Wednesday, December 16
Review at Book Nerd
Thursday, December 17
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Friday, December 18
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective
Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Ask the Author for Goodreads' Historical Fiction Week

August 3rd-9th is Historical Fiction Week at Goodreads and a whole slew of histfic authors are open for questions about their books, characters, and fabulous historical settings.

Pop on over for some fun, especially if you have questions about my upcoming novel, The Conqueror's Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great. (Okay, it's really about his feisty women, but Alex doesn't need to know that.)

Now is a great time to add The Conqueror's Wife to your TBR shelf too!


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Louie Open Thread

Louie! It’s back! OUR generation’s Game of Thrones! Who will sit on the ice cream throne?! Look, I don’t know how much there really is to say about this show, or really any show that is funny and thoughtful and well-crafted. “Uh, it’s very good!” That’s most of what there is to say. On the other hand, I know for a FACT that every single person who reads this site watched it, so why not take this opportunity, as a family, to stop complaining all the time and talk about something we enjoy. AND ALSO EAT YOUR PEAS THEY ARE GOOD FOR YOU I AM NOT SURE HOW I JUST KNOW THIS IS TRUE. Last night’s premiere touched on aging and petulance and relationships and maturity and also we saw that Louie’s ex-wife is black, which I swear to God I have seen people talk about more than anything else already and it’s only 11AM because we live in post-racial America just kidding. (Can you believe it?! Yes. Who cares?! Grow up.) So? Guys? Louie? Guys?


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Grand Prix Audio Monaco direct-drive turntable Page 3

When the oil level is within a hair of full, the turntable can be operated and records played. In fact, the platter should be left spinning continuously for the next three days, during which time the oil level must be carefully monitored, and more oil added as needed. After that, the holes should be covered with stick-on pads (supplied). Nothing else need be done. However, should you then move the Monaco, you'll need to first remove some of the oil or else risk a messy spill. And if you overfill the well during initial setup, the oil will run down the side of the bearing structure and out the bottom of the plinth—messy, but no harm done. Each Monaco is broken in at the factory for 24 hours using its computer module, after which all performance parameters are again checked. The oil is then removed and the 'table is packed up for shipping.

After all this was done, I connected the low-voltage DC power supply to the computer module, plugged it into the wall, pushed On, and selected a speed. The platter smoothly and silently started and quickly got up to speed, at which point the blue LEDs lit up.

The screw-on record clamp is exceptionally well machined, and includes three compression elastomer dampers (Low, Medium, High), which you choose according to a record's thickness and degree of warp (you're encouraged to experiment). It works as effectively as any such device I've seen, flattening the record tightly against the platter. Just be sure you don't overtighten the clamp, which will cause the LP's outer edge to dish upward, away from the platter.

According to the white paper, Grand Prix doesn't use a vacuum hold-down system because of the noise supposedly introduced by the seal required to hold the vacuum. Given all of the other noise issues involved in analog playback, I don't buy this argument, either theoretically or based on my own experiences with various vacuum hold-down technologies. I certainly understand omitting vacuum hold-down in order to maintain elegance and simplicity and to design to a certain price point—and especially if, as Grand Prix has done, you include an effective system of mechanical record clamping. But if vacuum hold-down is good enough for the cutting lathe (all use it), a properly implemented vacuum system should be useful at home as well. In my experience, it is.

At various audiophile events, I played CD-Rs containing some LP tracks burned from my reference vacuum hold-down 'table, the Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, and the same tracks as burned from the Monaco. Sometimes, pumping woofers made the source turntable obvious to me.

On first listen, and throughout the months I had the Monaco in my system, it was a notably fine-sounding, well-organized turntable with an exhilarating, rhythmic drive. The latter was easily accounted for by its fast attack throughout the audioband, but especially in the bass—which, in addition to its cleanness, had exceptionally good extension. The Monaco could plumb the depths with the best of them, and with superbly muscular control. Anyone who suffers under the misconception that smallish turntables can't produce deep, well-controlled bass will get a fresh perspective from even a quick listen to the Monaco. It's something I learned when I reviewed the almost equally compact Simon Yorke S7, back in June 1998 (Vol.21 No.6).

The Monaco plinth's excellent rejection of outside energy, and the magnesium-alloy platter's ability to drain energy away from the stylus/groove interface, was evident in well-established aural images set against impressively black backgrounds. There was nothing soft or cloudy about the Monaco's reproduction of space.

While inexpensive direct-drive turntables have a reputation for brightness and noticeably hard edges, the Monaco's overall tonality exhibited neither. In fact, the Kuzma combo of Stabi XL turntable and Air Line arm (reviewed last April) had noticeably greater "edge definition," and a somewhat brighter, more aggressive personality overall.

But while the Monaco sounded neither edgy nor bright, and although it produced a "continuity of purpose" that was absolutely seamless from top to bottom (an essential ingredient for any audio product's success)—and despite the Grand Prix white paper's claim of its being "fundamentally free of coloration"—the Monaco, like every other audio product I've heard or reviewed, had a sonic character. However, the 'table's seamlessness meant that this character was no gross tonal or rhythmic coloration, such as out-of-control or overly warm bass, or etchy brightness, and that it didn't reveal itself quickly or easily.

Grand Prix Audio
P.O. Box 1948
Durango, CO 81302
(970) 247-3872

Vinyl Love's picture

In a world of turntables where bigger is better and biggest is best, the Grand Prix Audio Monaco turntable (or more properly, as you’ll come to appreciate, motor unit) doesn’t just break the rules, it seems to take each one in turn and wantonly ignore, discard or reverse it. It is shamelessly compact, embarrassingly easy and precise to set up, it will accommodate just about any tonearm you might choose and in high-end terms at least, it is ludicrously under-priced. What sort of prop to an audiophile’s ego is this? And I haven’t even got to its greatest transgression, for yes, yes indeed, the Grand Prix Audio Monaco has communed with the devil of direct drive and sold its soul for pitch security like you’ve never heard.

Versatile, practical, stable and supremely easy to use, this diminutive turntable generates a sound of awesome authority, clarity and musical coherence. Its hightech materials and critically damped plinth and platter system deliver an intelligent solution to the mechanical problems of record replay that dovetails perfectly with the supreme accuracy of the direct drive motor. The result is a ‘table that sounds unlike any other I’ve used, virtually devoid of what we’ve come to recognise as vinyl sound. In the review I questioned whether this might be a harbinger of things to come. In performance terms that’s certainly true and now, if rumours circulating are to be believed, it’s true in technological terms too. Sometimes, breaking the mold can be a truly liberating experience.

Roy Gregory - Hi-Fi Plus

vinylguy's picture

I read this particular review with vigor and a great deal of interest, truth be told, I read it about 3 times. I at one time very much desired this turntable based purely on aesthetics as I had not had a chance to audition at that time. I have now listened to this table about 10 times with the Triplanar and the Dynavector DV507 II arm. This has been across two tables in two systems and both had the Air Tight PC1 Supreme cartridge installed. No offense to Mr. Fremer but I take professional reviewers opinion with a huge nugget of salt (notice the obvious juxtaposition away from a grain :) but this time I must give it to Mr. Fremer. He was dead on target with this review.

Eveytime I have listened to the Manaco (with tubed phono pre and tubed and solid state amps) it has presented a sound which is speed accurate, organized, somewhat dynamic, transparent and COMPLETELY devoid of musical content. The table is not so much sterile as it is thin and harmonically incomplete. Their is no follow-thru with notes, no body to instruments and no emotion to voices. It is, and this is not hyperbole, like listening to a mediocre cd player; simply nothing special about it or even remotely musical, just clean, spic and span clean with no life or emotion.

If I had to venture a guess I would say that a combination of a 'lack of mass', the signature of carbon fiber and the tight speed regulation (micro adjustments to the speed of the motor) have conspired (so to speak) to do this table no good deed. I know I may sound harsh but I am simply writing what I have heard.

This turntable does not sound different because it is somehow the ONLY TT that is right and all the rest have been getting it wrong. This TT sounds completely different because it is completely reticent, devoid of harmonic content, texturally absent and a killer of musical decay; in a word it is wrong.

Happy listening


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Snell Type K/II loudspeaker

In some ways, building an inexpensive yet musical two-way loudspeaker is a greater design challenge than creating a cost-no-object reference product. Although the latter is a much more complex endeavor, the venerable two-way box seems to bring out the creativity and resources of the designer. Rather than throw money at the product in the form of more expensive drivers, enclosures, or components, the designer of a low-cost two-way is forced to go back to the basics, rethink closely-held tenets, and rely on ingenuity and sheer talent to squeeze the most music from a given cost. Consequently, the inexpensive two-way is the perfect vehicle for designers to develop their skills. If one has mastered this art form, one is much more likely to achieve success when more ambitious designs are attempted.

The $465/pair Snell Type K/II represents the effort of a distinguished designer, Kevin Voecks and is the lowest-priced loudspeaker in the six-model Snell line, which culminates in the highly regarded Type A/IIIi (footnote 1). Snell has applied the same design philosophy and manufacturing methods to the inexpensive Type K/II as is lavished on the $4650 Type A/IIIi. The primary engineering goal of Kevin Voecks, designer of the Snell line, is to provide flat amplitude response (footnote 2) not just on the loudspeaker's axis, but over a wider horizontal and vertical forward window so that room boundary reflections do not have a different spectral balance that would color the loudspeaker's direct sound. The contribution of sidewall reflections to what the listener ultimately hears is significant; a loudspeaker with off-axis amplitude anomalies may measure quite flat on-axis, but have tonal colorations when placed in a room. Consequently, Snell loudspeakers' amplitude response is specified over a 30° horizontal window, not just directly on-axis. In addition, the loudspeaker's response is optimized over a 45° vertical window, taking into account floor and ceiling reflections. Flat amplitude response off-axis is achieved with higher-order crossover slopes (18dB/octave) and careful driver design.

Like other Snell loudspeakers, the Type K/II's development was heavily influenced by the testing procedures at Canada's National Research Council, headed by Dr. Floyd Toole (footnote 3). The NRC provides loudspeaker-evaluation services including double-blind listening tests, on- and off-axis amplitude measurements, and a full-size anechoic chamber. Many loudspeakers tested at the NRC share some design parameters: high-order crossovers and flat response over a wide window.

The Type K/II is very ordinary looking, except for the nice cabinet work. As soon as the veneer is cut, loudspeakers become pairs, assuring matching grain within a pair. Cabinets are hand-sanded and -oiled, unusual in an inexpensive product. All cabinetry is done in Snell's own cabinet shop. The Type K/II's enclosure is made from ¾" high-density particle-board. According to Kevin Voecks, no internal bracing was needed because of the small unsupported wall dimensions. Snell's Type K/II stands carry a suggested retail price of $98/pair.

The enclosure rear has a rectangular inset that holds two pairs of five-way binding posts. Like all Snell loudspeakers, the Type K/II can be bi-amped or -wired. Shorting bars are provided for single-wire operation. A tweeter level control is provided next to the binding posts. Where the Snell Type A/IIIi (which uses the same tweeter as the Type K/II) features a two-position switch that allows the user to switch the rear tweeter on or off, the Type K/II's rotary knob provides infinite variability over a fairly narrow range. The knob's 12 o'clock position is marked "optimal."

The Type K/II's 8" polypropylene-cone woofer, specially manufactured for Snell, uses a special surround designed to dissipate stored energy. The cone shape and dustcap are designed for flat off-axis response, the cast-magnesium basket and the voice-coil for high power handling. The tweeter is the popular Vifa 1" treated textile-dome unit found in the Dahlquist DQ-12 and Triad System Seven, both of which I've reviewed (in Vol.13 Nos.4 and 10, respectively). Despite this tweeter's rising top-end response, many designers feel that its other attributes compensate for this tendency toward excessive upper-treble output. (My primary criticism of both the DQ-12 and Triad System Seven was too much treble energy.) Crossover frequency is 2.7kHz, with third-order slopes. Air-core inductors are used throughout, and film capacitors are used where appropriate. The crossovers are hardwired into the loudspeaker, rather than connected with push-on terminals.

What really distinguishes the Type K/II's crossover (and those in all other Snell loudspeakers) is the careful matching of crossover to drivers. Because raw driver manufacturers typically guarantee ±3dB tolerance in frequency response, it is difficult to achieve production units close in performance to the prototype. Snell overcomes this problem by measuring each driver and adjusting crossover component values to compensate for driver tolerances. Crossover component values are adjusted with trimmer caps and by varying the number of inductor winding turns. The result is that each Type K/II's frequency response is within 0.5dB of the prototype. This is an extraordinarily tight production standard for any loudspeaker, much less one in the Type K/II's price range. As far as I know, this exacting procedure is unique to Snell (footnote 4).

I auditioned the Type K/IIs on the same Celestion spiked and lead-shot/sand–filled stands used with the Phase Technology PC-80s. The stands placed the Type K's tweeters 40" above the floor, 4" above ear level. After some experimentation, I listened to the speakers toed-in toward the listener, 50" from the rear wall, 36" from the side walls. Before listening to the Type K/II, I spent some time with the Spica TC-50s.

Footnote 1: Larry Greenhill reviewed the Type A/IIIi in Vol.13 No.3. His comprehensive review also includes a history of the Type A's evolution and critical reception over its remarkably long life.

Footnote 2: See TJN's interview with Kevin Voecks in Vol.13 No.3.

Footnote 3: A bound edition reprinting Dr. Toole's earlier papers is available for $3.75 (US), including postage, from the National Research Council, Division of Physics, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada. These papers are essential reading for anyone interested in loudspeaker design and testing.

Footnote 4: Each pair of KEF's Reference series loudspeakers are also carefully matched in this manner, though I understand they are not matched pair to pair.—John Atkinson

Snell Acoustics
300 Jubilee Drive, PO Box 3717
Peabody, MA 01961-3717
(978) 538-6262


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ISPQ: Buy or Download?

iSpQ VideoChat 9 is a chat system software program that allows live webcam-based chats and video messaging. It can connect you to people that inhabit its thriving community online. There are two versions of the software: a basic download and a premium package that needs to be bought for $29.95. The following article discusses whether you should look into buying the premium package or simply download the basic package.

Buying vs Downloading

If you are looking to test the waters and simply would like to take the software for a test run, then it makes sense to download the basic package. However, if you are satisfied by what the basic package offers and would like to move on to the more advanced features, then you should go for buying the premium package.

What Does the Premium Package Offer?

Apart from the standard access to messaging, community, galleries and video messaging, the premium package offers unlimited profile views, full screen video, faster frame rates, server priority, extended video messaging and video chat duration.

So, if you are looking forward to using the advanced features, then you should buy the premium package.


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Skip sub-section linksSTLCC Home » Faces of STLCC » Forest Park Campus » Nursing student finishes college 33 years after starting

Faces of STLCC

Forest Park Campus

Nursing student finishes college 33 years after starting

Cindy Bakalar

When Cindy Bakalar receives her nursing pin on Dec. 14, it will be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. She returned to school three years ago after dropping out 30 years earlier, as a newlywed who moved out of state with her husband Anthony.

Today, she’s a fourth-semester nursing student at Forest Park, and president of the campus chapter of Student Nurses Association.

“It feels great. It’s even more exciting when you have a lifelong dream—it’s finally getting close,” she said.

Bakalar won a presidential scholarship to attend the Missouri Nurses Association Biennial Convention this fall at Lake of the Ozarks. Her essay titled “The Future, Nursing and Informatics,” was chosen as the third district contest winner. .

A south St. Louis city native, Bakalar, whose maiden name is Davis, worked in the family-owned mortgage business with her husband until they sold it a few years ago. That became her opportunity to finish the degree that she started right after graduating from Roosevelt High School in 1979. She previously attended St. Louis University’s School of Nursing.

She remains as dedicated to the profession as she did in her younger years.  “I like the ability to help someone at a time when it really means something to them,” she said. “We’re the patient advocate. Our job is to teach the family.”

Returning to school meant some adjustments. She had to retake all the prerequisite science courses because it had been too long since high school and requirements had changed.  Then, she had to spend a year on the Nursing waiting list.

She raised two daughters – Kerrie, now an attorney, and Alex, who is studying hospitality management at Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo.  She said her family has been very supportive. “I could not do this without them,” she said.

She is currently working at St. Mary’s Health Center in Clayton for her clinical, and is interested in becoming an emergency room nurse.

Of her education at Forest Park, she is most appreciative of the faculty. “I love the teachers here. They make sure you succeed—they are not here to break you. As long as you go to them, they’re there—they will do whatever they need to do to help you. They want to see you succeed.”

By: Lynn Venhaus


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List of artists: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #

Candy coated Lyrics by Crazy Town

Candy coated by Crazy Town

Now can you hear the cling-clang of my ball and chain gang?
The sound of heavy metal that tastes like cellophone
Collapsing every vein like umbrellas in heavy rain
My passion is pain
I do dirt to bury shame
I'm victimized an instituion's no solution
A place where you're defenseless and guilt's the prosecution
Where necks are bound into slipknots of shallow souls
Walking narrow roads to be hung frok gallows poles
Nobody knows me success has exposed me
To narrow-minded souls with goals to overthrow me
Suppose that i chose to live my life low-key
Would you act like you could teach
When there is nothing you can show me
Don't you understand i'm the head of the class
A straight - A student not regretting the past
You see i'm ok now but i dont think it will last
Because reality is something i can't seem to grasp
Candy-coated pain is like a ball and chain
Pulling me closer to death, i feel closer to death now
Candy-coated pain is like a ball and chain
We only dig deeper by running away
It's deeper than what it looks like
We never got an equal shot so we took mics
Packed the candy-coated pain in the first pipe
That said my name and the candy-coated pain is the worst type
You got it nice my every day is like your worst night
The world is digging in my wounds screaming out i bet it hurts right?
But it hurts more i got regrets but
i'm glad i took the prize behind the fisrt door
What's the hurt for?
Everybody hungers peace but they thirst war
It's crazy i'm not complaining because i probably would have tried better
And if the people that i trusted weren't lie tellers
So keep your candy-coated pain to make the vibe better
Now all the songs i'm writing sound like suicide letters
Guilty or innocent whatever pick the verdict
Sometimes a perfect picture's not so perfect
Thought i could reverse the mixture it isn't worth it
Because my life seems to work no matter how bad curse it
I only know a little but i feel so much
The pain brings me down but it reveals the rush
See i got my arms up just to shield the dust
Because i lust for the things i can't seem to touch
Arrest me if i follow you
You congest me i'm so hollow from your gift
You infect me when i cut you
Still the same still insane
I think i love you
(But f**k you)


text:
ShareSoc Chairman's Blog

Sunday, Sep 02 2012 by

ShareSoc, the UK Individual Shareholders Society, publishes a blog on its website, here:

For the convenience of readers, we are now copying blog entries here. Any comments most welcome!

If you like what you read and want to support us, please join, which you can do free here:

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No warranty is given by ShareSoc as to the reliability, accuracy or completeness of the information contained within this publication. Any information provided is accurate and up to date so far as ShareSoc is aware, but any errors herein should be referred to ShareSoc for correction. The information contained herein is intended for general information only and should not be construed as advice under the UK’s Financial Services Acts or other applicable laws. ShareSoc is not authorised to give investment advice, and is not regulated by any Regulatory Authority, and nor does it seek to give such advice. Any actions you may take as a result of any
information or advice contained within this publication or otherwise supplied to you by ShareSoc should be verified with third parties such as legal or other professional advisors and is used solely at your own risk. You are reminded that investment in the stock market carries substantial risks and share prices can go down as well as up. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of future performance. The Editor of this publication and other contributors may hold one or more stocks mentioned herein.

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ShareSoc 29th May '12 1 of 431

Posted by ShareSoc at 09:16, May 29 2012.
The Unacceptable Face of Capitalism – Lonrho plus Morson, Greggs, Tesco and Globo.

Even some directors are now beginning to revolt over excessive pay. Consider the case of Lonrho where non-executive director Richard Needham has quit in a huff after being presented with a proposed increase of the pay of the Executive Chairman David Lenigas from £500,000 to £750,000. As Mr Needham said in his resignation letter, Lonrho again risks being dubbed the “unacceptable face of capitalism” (the last time was back in 1973 in a famous comment by Ted Heath). The new pay of Mr Lenigas had been approved by the Remuneration Committee (which Needham was not on), and Needham was requested to consent to it immediately at a board meeting because the accounts were going to print in three hours time. The market cap of Lonrho is now only £156m and it is of course a very different company from when Tiny Rowland was running it in the 1970s. Mr Needham seems to be complaining that the company is run in the same old way though – effectively by a charismatic chairman who behaves as if he owns it. A common problem indeed.

Another example where insiders may have taken advantage of their position is that of Morson, a small AIM company. After cutting the dividend earlier in the year which drove down the share price, they announced a management buy-out on the day of the AGM. The exit p/e appears to be about 3. Is this a fair offer? Well the sole independent non-executive director seems to think so. The information on future trading prospects which is apparently used as the basis for the offer seems to rely mainly on the executive directors’ views of likely contract renewals and margins. This looks to be a similar kind of offer as took place at Lees Foods which ShareSoc campaigned against.

According to press reports, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is going to take a U-turn on the “pasty tax” he announced in the Budget. Only products that are deliberately kept warm for customer consumption will be taxed. This should let Greggs off the hook, with the result that the share price bounced back up after recent falls. The Investors Chronicle rated it a “sell” only last Friday partly on the basis of the impact of the new tax, which just shows the risks of share tipping which ShareSoc studiously avoids doing.

The boss of Tesco is at least turning down his bonus of £372,000 for this year after disappointing trading results which sets a good example (how did he manage to “earn” such a bonus after failing to meet targets? Don’t ask). But Tesco is holding its AGM in Cardiff at 11.00 am on the 29th June. I believe Tesco have moved their AGMs around the country in the past, so one cannot criticise the location perhaps. I have been to Cardiff once before for an AGM, but getting to Cardiff from a lot of the rest of the country by 11.00 am is not at all easy. Why cannot they set the time later, or even better, do an on-line web cast of the event so shareholders do not need to travel? That is one simple way that AGMs could be reformed to make them more meaningful.

I attended the AGM of Globo yesterday, a Greek company so the recent events in Greece have not helped the share price. The FT reported on the day of the AGM that the worldwide olive oil price had collapsed, dealing another blow to the Greek economy. It never rains but it pours is perhaps the appropriate phrase. But it was a fine example of how an AGM can be a useful event in the modern age with lots of intelligent questions from shareholders and informative answers. A full report is on the ShareSoc Members Network.

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ShareSoc 31st May '12 2 of 431

AGMs - a demonstration of why reform is needed.
The Hiscox AGM showed how shareholder democracy is being undermined and AGMs turned into an obsolescent tradition by some companies.
This was interesting in that the company held their AGM in Bermuda where they are now domiciled so there was a video link to a meeting room in London. You might think that would be a useful technique for other companies to adopt (for example those registered in Scotland who hold their AGMs in Edinburgh or Glasgow), but not when it is handled in the quite appalling manner as did Hiscox. Questions from the audience were challenged as to validity, separate resolutions combined into one vote and there was a general rush to complete the meeting in record time. See here for the full report if you are a ShareSoc Member:

It certainly reiterates the case for reform of AGMs to make them more meaningful and useful events for which ShareSoc has long argued.

Another example of an AGM which was a triviality was that of Edinburgh US Tracker Trust in Edinburgh. We issued a press release complaining about a change of investment policy and there was a very good letter in the pages of the FT on the same subject. How many turned up at the AGM to tackle the directors on this issue? None to be exact.

But other Annual General Meetings are very much worth attending. For example at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) AGM, also held yesterday, Chairman Sir Philip Hampton spelled it out for any RBS shareholders who still have hopes for a quick revival of the company’s fortunes. He said, “I don’t think shareholders’ wealth is likely to be restored any time in my lifetime or some lifetimes beyond”. Back in the March 2011 ShareSoc newsletter it was stated that “shareholders should not expect a rapid recovery of the fortunes of RBS”, so this is not news to informed investors. But there are no doubt some loyal shareholders who followed the company all the way down and are still holding because of the syndrome know as “loss aversion”.

If you read other reports we have published, you will find lots of cases where information is given that is not widely available. You can also often get a good impression of the personality and capabilities of the directors. So if you can attend AGMs, please do so. Otherwise join ShareSoc as a member and read reports from others.

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ShareSoc 4th Jun '12 3 of 431

Posted by ShareSoc at 09:35, June 4 2012.

The Board of Tesco – Is it surprising they are in trouble?

With a few days holiday over the Jubilee weekend, it’s possible to catch up on reading the Annual Reports of companies that pile through one’s letter box at this time of year. Tesco’s makes particularly amusing reading and might help to explain why they are in some difficulty.

The new Chairman’s introductory statement (from Sir Richard Broadbent) is a classic of management speak. Consider this sentence for example: “First, Tesco is a business with significant strategic optionality”. I think he means they have lots of strategic options. But does not any major company? More to the point perhaps is which options they intend to pursue which he does not say.

So what is the background of the new Chairman? Does he have a long career in major retail businesses? No experience in retail at all in fact. His main career seems to have been in the Civil Service (at the Treasury and HMRC) with a stint at Schroders. He has also served on the boards of Barclays and Arriva.

The board of Tesco actually comprises 14 directors which is surely an unmanageable size. There are 8 non-executive directors. How many of those have any retailing background? None so far as I can see.

Another oddity is that one of the Executive Directors, Lucy Neville-Rolfe (the only female executive director) has several other jobs which include Deputy Chair of the British Retail Consortium, Non-Executive Directorships at ITV and the Carbon Trust, Member of the London Business School’s Governing Body, of the China Britain Business School, the UK India Business Council and the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change. She joined the board from the Cabinet Office.

This board looks like that of many banks before they got into difficulties – where they were full of non-bankers who did not intrinsically understand the business but with high profiles in other respects, i.e. the “great and the good”. Not the kind of board that would have challenged Tesco’s CEO on his decision to venture to compete on the US West Coast which has proved very unwise. Even now the company is running a bank with revenue and profits that are negligible in comparison with its retailing operations but which must divert a significant proportion of management time (yes Tesco now have a few bankers on their board also).

So what is the “Group Strategy” of the company. This is summarised as:

  • To grow the UK core.
  • To be an outstanding international retailer in stores and online.
  • To be as strong in everything we sell as we are in food.
  • To grow retail services in all markets.

So now we know - but it looks more like a PR statement that a strategic plan to me. But as I pointed out in a previous blog entry, Tesco is holding it’s AGM in Cardiff at 11.00 in the morning. So shareholders will need to get up early if they want to question this peculiar board structure and the company’s strategy.

The financial strength of the company remains enormous, but is it possible that the reason the share price is in the doldrums is the shareholders perception of the company’s board?

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emptyend 4th Jun '12 4 of 431

In reply to ShareSoc, post #3

Another oddity is that one of the Executive Directors, Lucy Neville-Rolfe (the only female executive director) has several other jobs which include Deputy Chair of the British Retail Consortium, Non-Executive Directorships at ITV and the Carbon Trust, Member of the London Business School’s Governing Body, of the China Britain Business School, the UK India Business Council and the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change. She joined the board from the Cabinet Office.

Does anyone here spot the potential dangers of gender quotas that some seem to recommend?

The financial strength of the company remains enormous, but is it possible that the reason the share price is in the doldrums is the shareholders perception of the company’s board?

Possible - but highly unlikely. Much more likely to be the (not unconnected) point that their strategy is what the Yanks call "motherhood and apple pie"......and that actually the business of running a good retailer has very much more to do with obsessing over the minutiae of day to day details of matters at "the coalface".

Leahy was were Greenbury at M&S and Kalms at Dixons (both in the heyday for those companies). More worryingly for Tesco, Justin King at Saisbury also seems an obsessive - and the Tesco people don't.

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ShareSoc 5th Jun '12 5 of 431

Posted by ShareSoc at 00:00, June 5 2012.

Halfords Buy Backs to Cease

Halfords issued their Preliminary Results for the year ending March 2012 last week. One significant statement in there was the “Board has resolved to bring the current [share] buyback programme to an end and does not intend to undertake any further buyback activity in the new financial year”.

It’s interesting to study the cash flow trends last year. In reality there was free cashflow (after capex, finance costs and taxation) of £70m. Dividends cost £44m, and share buybacks cost £63m. So £37m more was returned to shareholders than was generated. How was the shortfall made up? By increasing debt of course which rose from £103m to £139m.

Although debt is still not particularly high at this company, I have never thought that share buybacks were particularly meritorious and borrowing money to undertake them seems to make even less sense. I did raise the issue of the large buybacks at this company at their AGM last year so it is good that the directors seem to have changed their stance somewhat on this matter.

There is a very good presentation made to analysts by the CEO and Finance Director on the Preliminary Results here:

Let us hope that the Halfords AGM is not held at 9.00 am in Birmingham this year, or I may not be able to congratulate the board on their wisdom regarding buybacks.

The share price did fall after the results announcement, probably because there was another statement in there which said: “Retail sales in FY13 have been very disappointing so far”. Cycling and outdoor leisure product sales have been lower than expected, probably because of the poor spring weather. They may not improve over the Jubilee bank holiday either, but retailers are notorious for blaming the weather for poor sales – Halfords winter sales were blamed on the weather being too good which reduced sales of replacement car parts.

One minor criticism though is that the aforementioned presentation took at long time to be issued and even then was difficult to find, with no live access to the conference by private investors. So such investors were potentially disadvantaged versus institutional analysts. I may raise this at the AGM.

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ShareSoc 6th Jun '12 6 of 431

Posted by ShareSoc at 09:10, June 6 2012.

Plus Markets – Attempt to defeat sale and remove directors

Some shareholders in Plus Markets, the AIM listed company that runs the Plus Stock Exchange (PLUS-SX) and other operations are unhappy with the proposed sale of that exchange to ICAP for £1. They plan to vote down this disposal and remove some of the directors at the forthcoming General Meeting called to approve it by tabling additional resolutions.

The sequence of past events is as follows. On the 14th May, Plus Markets announced the closure of PLUS-SX having failed to find a buyer for the business after looking for some time. PLUS-SX has never gained the number of listings and volume of trading necessary to make it viable with the result that it has consistently lost money. On the 18th May Plus Markets announced the sale of PLUS-SX to ICAP for a nominal £1. The company subsequently rebuffed an approach from Gulf Merchant Bank (GMB) who issued a press release saying they had made a revised offer.

Simon Chapman, a shareholder in Plus Markets, is reported to be leading the opposition and wants to oust the Chairman and Chief Executive of Plus Markets. He claims that the CEO, Cyril Theret, and Finance Director, Nemone Wynn-Evans will collect £423,000 in fees if the sale is completed and that financial advisers to the company will collect about £960,000. Criticism was also aimed at the exclusivity agreed with ICAP, and the fact that ICAP will be able to use the tax losses accrued by PLUS-SX so it might be worth much more than £1 to them.

Comment: This whole process seems to have been somewhat rushed at the end of the day and the license to operate an exchange was surely quite valuable (assuming it could be transferred) as there are in fact very few such licenses in the UK. This certainly looks to be a case where shareholders should study the offer document carefully before deciding whether to support the disposal. Mr Thompson will have to move quickly though if he is to get resolutions on the agenda for that meeting or any other to remove some directors.

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ShareSoc 11th Jun '12 7 of 431

Posted by ShareSoc at 13:40, June 10 2012.

Cable to Back Down on Pay?

More than one newspaper has reported that Vince Cable may water down his commitment to a binding vote on shareholder pay by having the vote every three years rather than annually as originally proposed. This allegedly is on the basis that it would increase bureaucracy and that “institutional investors had argued that an annual vote could have made investors less inclined to protest for fear of destabilising management teams” (Daily Telegraph). The Financial Times reported the BIS as saying that a three year remuneration policy would encourage longer term thinking on pay, but the option of an annual vote would still be open to companies and shareholders if they want it.

It is certainly the case that an annual vote, combined with a longer Remuneration Report required to document pay policy more clearly, might introduce some more bureaucracy. But companies can change a great deal in three years (both positively and negatively). Regrettably it might let companies revise pay upwards (by taking up the option of revising pay annually), but not revising it downwards when profits disappear or a company shrinks on the basis that a “three year policy” had been put in place.

The merit of this proposal may not be a one-sided debate. What do you think?

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ShareSoc 12th Jun '12 8 of 431

Posted by ShareSoc at 14:45, June 12 2012.

Two suitable cases for treatment? Graphite Enterprise and Intercede

I attended the Annual General Meeting of Graphite Enterprise Trust PLC (LON:GPE) yesterday. There were over 30 shareholders present and the meeting was chaired by Mark Fane. Like two of the other directors he has served on the board over 9 years, but I chose not to raise that issue publicly in the meeting, although I did express my concerns to him afterwards.

Mr Fane commenced the meeting by summarising the announcement of the “Interim Management Statement” for the 1st quarter that had been issued in the morning. Net asset value had risen by 2.6% in that period. It would have been higher but for the depreciation of the Euro against sterling as many of their investments are in Europe and hence denominated in Euros.

Tim Spence who is the Investor Relations manager for Graphite Enterprise, the fund manager, then gave a presentation, following by other staff from the manager (Emma Osborne and Rod Richards). You can see their ppt presentations here which are well worthwhile reviewing:

Questions were then taken from the audience.

I raised the issue of the share price discount (although this had been covered in the manager’s presentation). I said that although I accepted that a higher dividend or buy-backs might not have a big impact on the discount, I could not see why a tender offer should not be considered. Shareholders would gain the advantage of being able to sell shares at a premium to the current share price.

The answer given from the Chairman was that it would have only a very short term impact on the discount, but I responded that it would immediately benefit shareholders and gave the example of Dunedin Enterprise who had recently done a tender offer.

I also covered the issue of the dividend and gave these figures: last year the profits were £37m, but they only paid out £1.6m in dividends. The Chairman suggested most of those profits were “capital” profits and hence should be treated differently.

After some banter, I finally argued that I liked to see an active discount control policy in all investment trusts, whereas this company seemed to have simply made a decision to do nothing.

Mr Richards suggested that this was the wrong time to return cash to shareholders. They should be investing cash in new investments now as they were at the bottom of the “cycle” (i.e. private equity deals were now cheap) rather than returning cash to shareholders.

A fuller (4 page) report on this meeting and more in-depth analysis of the discount issue is present on the ShareSoc Members Network (available to ShareSoc members at . In summary I do not agree with the arguments of the board and the fund manager that nothing should be done. The board seems to think that the high discount will rectify itself without any action on their part, but I doubt it will.

Graphite Enterprise may well be the focus of a campaign by ShareSoc. One company that is already so is Intercede (LON:IGP)  due to their past pay policies. The company issued its Preliminary Results for the year ending March yesterday and some comments on them were issued to our supporters in this note: (click on to read).

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ShareSoc 21st Jun '12 9 of 431

Posted by ShareSoc at 00:00, June 19 2012.

PLUS-SX sale assures its survival

Although many shareholders in Plus Markets group were unhappy with the sale of Plus-SX at the price obtained, which was narrowly voted through yesterday, it at least ensures that this market for micro-cap companies will continue to operate. There was a definite threat that the FSA would withdraw its license to operate if a deal did not go through soon.

At least for investors in Plus-SX listed stocks, it should ensure that a publicly quotation will continue to exist even if the liquidity in that market has always been very poor. ICAP, who are the buyer, certainly have the resources to maintain and develop this market. There has been a real gap in the availability of equity finance for such companies, which is why their financing tends to be dominated by private equity. Why Plus-SX never managed to grow the market to a viable size is not clear as there must be thousands of companies who might be suitable for such a market and the listing obligations were not onerous. For example, many of the AIM companies that delist might well be suitable for a listing on a lower cost exchange. Or for those micro-caps needing to raise equity funding, surely better to have a public listing with some ability to raise finance and the ability for some insiders to sell shares than be subject to the onerous obligations imposed by a typical private equity finance deal? Perhaps the big problem is that the latter tends to conflict with the former so some investors might oppose such a listing. ICAP will have to tackle this issue though if they are to make a success of this market. Let us hope that they have plans to do this rather than simply use the exchange license for other activities.

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ShareSoc 23rd Jun '12 10 of 431

Posted by ShareSoc at 07:39, June 23 2012.

The Growth of Execution Only Trading

The AGM of the Share Centre was one of the few in which I hold shares which I did not manage to attend this year (one’s diary gets a bit crowded at this time of year as there are so many AGMs in the spring). But there was an interesting presentation given at the meeting which is now on the company’s web site – see

In it one particularly interesting slide is number 11 which shows (based on a report from Compeer) that there are now 3.5 million execution only nominee accounts in the UK. That’s been growing steadily since 2003 when it was only 1 million. Some investors may have more than one account of course, but it shows the large numbers of people who invest directly in the UK stock market.

In addition it shows how nominee accounts have probably grown in comparison with other ways of holding shares (in certificated form or personal crest accounts). This is unfortunate because most such accounts disenfranchise investors (i.e. do not provide voting provision or information provision). The Share Centre (who have 6.5% of this market according to the presentation) are one of the few brokers who provide a simple system to enable shareholders to record their votes, although even that is not perfect. That may be one reason why their share of this market is growing though.

ShareSoc has of course criticised the nominee system repeatedly for destroying shareholder democracy. We would like to see the whole structure reformed so as to provide simple information and voting arrangements for all shareholders and ways for shareholders to communicate with one another so as to re-establish the positive influence of private shareholders over companies. With modern electronic system capabilities, this should not be difficult. Don’t forget to sign our e-petition on this subject if you have not already done so – see

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ShareSoc 25th Jun '12 11 of 431

Posted by ShareSoc at 09:04, June 25 2012.

Natwest/RBS Banking Debacle – was it avoidable?

A significant number of the readers of this blog might be customers of Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) who have been affected by the computer failure that has frozen access to accounts and delayed payments in and out. After a number of days, problems still continue and RBS may have a large bill in prospect to compensate customers for the inconvenience, or interest and penalty charges that were unnecessarily incurred. That’s apart from the damage to the reputation of the company that might deter people from banking with them in future. So this is also of concern to RBS shareholders.

The difficulty apparently arose when a new software update was installed. Should this be seen as an “act of God”, or just one of those technical cock-ups that will happen in the modern world? Well the author of this piece just happens to be a former IT manager (I am a Member of the professional body for IT experts, the B.C.S.) and am a director of an E-payment company which runs credit card and other payment platforms (see . I am sure my former bosses would not have found it acceptable to have their systems out of action for several days, and I certainly would not do so in my current role.

New software updates corrupting existing systems are a well known problem, and reflect either a failure to test the new environment properly before installation, or a failure to provide adequate roll-back procedures. This is surely a failure of competent IT management if these problems occur in such a large and experienced company as RBS. It reflects badly on the professionalism of the IT world in general if these kinds of events can still happen. In essence these failures are avoidable and any experienced IT manager knows they may happen so suitable precautions should be taken.

Whether these events occurred because RBS has been cutting back on IT staff of late, and hence may have lost relevant experience and expertise, I do not know. But I do suggest that it is rather symptomatic of past events at RBS where the company under the leadership of Fred Goodwin raised its risk profile by excessive gearing, and ultimately took a fatal bet on the ABN-AMRO acquisition. It might imply that the culture of risk taking at RBS still continues, which is certainly not good news for shareholders.

The sooner the Government (in effect you and me who own more than 80% of RBS) gets shot of responsibility for RBS, surely the better as company culture can be difficult to change. But in the meantime, perhaps the Government should institute an inquiry into what happened at RBS because the failure of such an important banking system is of national significance.

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ShareSoc is dedicated to the support of individual investors. Our aim is to make and keep you better informed so as to improve your investment skills, and protect the value of your investment. We won’t shirk from tackling companies, the Government or other institutions if we think you are not being treated fairly. more »

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    « Don’t Be Too Happy With Your Amazon eBook Credit | Main | Read Like a Writer »

    Good Feedback on Your Writing Can Be Hard to Find

    We spent a great weekend at the Wordstock Literary Festival in Portland, Oregon talking with authors about books. One theme came up in a variety of forms in conversation after conversation: I am finished or nearly finished with a draft of my book and I can’t get good feedback about making the revisions it needs to make it ready for publication.

    Courtesy of K. Kendall under Creative CommonsTwo people told us they had submitted books to agents only to have them sent back with notes that said, “Needs editing.” A number of authors said they were tired of having family and friends read their manuscript only to have them say, “This is really good!” or “I really like it.” Not helpful! Others belong to writing groups which have rules that all comments on members' work be supportive and encouraging, so they can’t get real critiques of what they have written. One gentleman said he had posted his draft online for people to review. I asked, “So, are you getting good feedback?” The answer was a swift, “No. None!” All of these writers were clearly frustrated.

    If you’re a writer who wants ideas on how to revise your work, you need to understand that most people don’t know how to offer useful suggestions. That doesn’t mean they can’t. It just means that they need some help from you about how to do it. You need to tell your readers what you want to know. It’s best to give them specific questions you would like answered. Here are a few examples:

    Check for completeness. Ask: What are three questions you wish had been answered in the book?

    Check for clarity. Ask: Where in the book did you find things that were unclear or difficult to understand? What made them difficult?

    Check for understanding of the book’s ideas or theme. Ask: What was the book’s main idea? What parts of the book helped you see it most clearly?

    Check for cohesiveness. Ask: If you could cut one thing out of the book what would it be? Why?

    Check for the effectiveness of your storytelling. Ask: What was your favorite scene and why? Which scene did you like better, X or Y? Why?

    Using these questions your readers will know what to look for and be able to give you specific answers. You can look at their responses and know what may need work as you revise your draft.

    You can formulate your own list of questions. Two important suggestions about such a list: 1) Don’t make the questions too technical. Most of your readers may not be able to tell you much about whether the limited omniscient point of view works effectively. Make the questions simple and direct. 2) Don’t ask too many questions. Three to five is about the limit. Beyond that people see the task as too onerous and the quality of feedback declines. If you have more areas where you need feedback, consider different short lists of questions for different groups of readers.

    People want to help. If you make it clear exactly what you want them to tell you about, they will give you useful insights into the strengths of your manuscript and some areas that may need some revision to strengthen the next draft.

    Of course, we always recommend that you have a professional editor look over your book before you move on towards publication, whether you are sending the manuscript to an agent or acquisitions editor at a traditional publishing house, or you are self-publishing.

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The Power of Storytelling: The Key to Consumer Engagement

A recent story in The Guardian by Dom Robertson shares how Gatorade draws the consumer into a compelling narrative through it’s award-winning Replay campaign. As Dom shares:

Based on the proposition “Once an athlete, always an athlete”, is an extremely effective example of storytelling at its very best. Appealing to men over 30 who consumed sports energy drinks in their youth but who now don’t exercise regularly, Gatorade tracked down original members of two rival American football teams, which, 15 years ago, came to a devastating draw in their final senior year game.

The brand cleverly re-ignited the pre-match hype by inviting the teams to take part in a rigorous training schedule, eventually staging a re-match of the same game that included the original cheerleaders and coaches. Even before the match kicked off, the audience was gripped. Gatorade documented the teams’ training via social media as well as a TV documentary, helping them to become co-creators in a story of many layers. Even those wishing to attend the game were keen to involve themselves with the story; 15,000 tickets to the game sold out in just 90 minutes.

I encourage you to read Dom’s article for more information about the campaign and it’s success, which is a great example of a brand telling a compelling health story through consumer engagement and narrative. He also touches on key principles of storytelling that relate to telling a brand story:

  • Stories shape our lives: how we live them, why we live them and what it means to be human.
  • Narratives (like the Bible and Shakespeare) speak to the heart, teaching us how to relate to one another and guiding us into action.
  • Stories are easier on the ear than detached advertising taglines. Studies of human psychology have found that if we are told something through narrative, we are more likely to relate to the message, absorbing it further and remaining engaged from start to finish.
  • For a brand to appeal to consumers and replicate this empowering engagement, its content must tell a story, one that draws us in, broadens our horizons and delivers added value to our lives.

If you read My Story you will know that athletic success and failure is an emotional topic for me. Gatorade is an inspiring brand for me because I was very fortunate to serve on the Gatorade Education Advisory Board in the 90s and play a role in how they told their brand story through building credibility and relevance with health professionals who work with athletes. Kudos to Dom and Gatorade!

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Actress Karen Gillan plays with perceptions in ghostly thriller Oculus

A movie still from Oculus starrgin Karen Gillan (left) and&nbsp;Brenton Thwaites. -- PHOTO:&nbsp;SHAW ORGANISATION
A movie still from Oculus starrgin Karen Gillan (left) and Brenton Thwaites. -- PHOTO: SHAW ORGANISATION

LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - A haunted mirror, a murderous father and two siblings seeking revenge form the plot for the new supernatural thriller Oculus, which blurs perceptions and reality with ghostly scares.

Oculus, out in the United States and Canada on Friday, follows a young woman, Kaylie, who reunites with her brother Tim after his release from an institution where he was held for a decade for killing their father, who had murdered their mother.

Kaylie is convinced that a large ornate mirror in their home caused the mental instability and subsequent demise of her parents, and is determined to clear her father's name of murder by proving the mirror is haunted by a manipulative entity.

"Kaylie is not running from the entity, she's running to it, and the worse it gets, the more happy and excited she gets because it's verifying everything that she believed, so it's just counteracting everything that we're used to," said British actress Karen Gillan, discussing her character.

The film flits between past and present, and what is real is constantly called into question as the two siblings try to right a heinous wrong. In one particularly unsettling scene, Kaylie bites into an apple, only to find it's a light bulb.

"To play with who's sane, who's insane, we start off thinking that Kaylie is completely together and then we gradually think that maybe she's totally unhinged," Gillan said.

"It's all about perception because that's what the mirror plays with," she added.

Oculus is the latest release from producer Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions, the company behind the runaway success of Paranormal Activity, a film made for US$11,000 (S$13,727) that grossed US$193 million at the worldwide box office, spawning a franchise for Paramount Pictures, which distributed the films. Five Paranormal Activity films have grossed US$807 million globally.

The Paranormal franchise deals with a supernatural demonic entity that haunts the interconnected families featured in each film, and has set off a new wave of ghostly horror films.

Doctor Who to Nebula

"Horror movies have gotten much more supernatural-focused, and I think that's what the trend is at the moment, but I think at some point it'll swing back to more real, horrible events," Blum said.

Blum said the budget for Oculus, which will be distributed in the United States and Canada by Relativity Media, is on par with his other successful recent horror films Sinister, Insidious and The Purge, placing it between US$1.5 million and US$3 million.

Oculus is expected to take in US$13 million at US and Canadian theatres in its opening weekend, according to Relativity paid US$2.5 million for domestic distribution rights.

Scotland native Gillan, 26, had her breakthrough role in 2010, playing Amy Pond on British time travel sci-fi television series Doctor Who, an experience that she called "my three years of drama school." Since then, she has been cast as the villain Nebula in the upcoming Marvel film Guardians Of The Galaxy, a role that she shaved her long red hair for.

"The female villain in the film, that is something I've never done before, it's brand-new territory, and I just thought I'm going to have some fun with this," the actress said.

In addition to shaving her head, Gillan trained for two months to get into the physical shape of Nebula, a sadistic assassin employed by super-villain Thanos. She said she is fascinated by human behavior and psychology.

"Finding the motivation for her to be the baddie is quite interesting. It's like being a lawyer, finding the redeeming features so that she's not just bad for the sake of being bad,"she said.

"And it's just fun to play the baddie," she added with a laugh.


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Where are Outlook contacts stored?

How can Outlook contacts be retrieved?

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It's easy enough to store a contact in Outlook, but have you ever wondered exactly where those contacts are saved on your hard drive? If your computer crashes or you need to reformat for one reason or another, it's important to know where this information is kept so you can retrieve it easily.

Outlook files, including contacts, are saved in a .pst file on your computer's hard drive. By going to the application data folder located in your documents folder, you can find the file for Outlook in the Microsoft sub-folder. When searching you may have to set your search function to include hidden files in order to find it. Another way to find the location is to open Outlook, go to File and select Folder. Once you do this, go to Properties for Outlook Today. On the General tab you can click on the Advanced link and find the location there as well.

You may want to consider finding these files and backing them up to avoid having to search for them in an emergency. It's important to make regular backups though to ensure you have the most recent data available to you. Finding your Outlook contacts is relatively easy to do once you know where to look.

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U.S. Army War College >> Strategic Studies Institute >> Faculty Directory and Bio Sketches >> Dr. Alan G. Stolberg

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Dr. Alan G. Stolberg

Email Dr. Alan G. Stolberg

ALAN G. STOLBERG is Associate Professor of National Security Studies, faculty member of the National Security Policy Program, and former holder of the Henry L. Stimson Chair of Military Studies at the U.S. Army War College. A retired Army colonel, he served in a variety of intelligence and policy and strategy positions as a European and Eurasian Foreign Area Officer, to include Soviet/East European Political Military Planner for the Joint Staff J5 during the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, American Liaison Officer to the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) during the siege of Sarajevo in 1995, and Chief of the Europe/North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Division in United States European Command (USEUCOM) J5 during the Kosovo conflict and the first year of the Global War on Terror. His current research focuses on policy and strategy making, European and Eurasian security, security cooperation, and the U.S. Government interagency. He holds an M.A. in international relations from the University of Southern California, an M.A. in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and a Ph.D. in political science from Temple University.

*The above information may not be current. It was current at the time when the individual worked for SSI or was published by SSI.

SSI books and monographs by Dr. Alan G. Stolberg

  • How Nation-States Craft National Security Strategy Documents

    October 29, 2012

    Authored by Dr. Alan G. Stolberg.
    This monograph compares and contrasts how different countries craft their national security strategy documents. It highlights similarities as well as differences, and provides lessons learned that all national strategy makers can apply.