Brokers gave AGL Energy the thumbs up after the interim results. The
electricity and gas utility impressed with stable earnings and margin
improvement as well as customer wins.
Retail provided the best
outcome for several brokers with AGL clearly in front of competitors,
gaining customers and maintaining margins. AGL has stated it will cease
the door knocking customer acquisition strategy in NSW and Victoria,
believing a better margin outcome is obtained through re-investing in
winning back customers. Credit Suisse is not so sure and will be looking
to confirm the margin outcome has been maintained in the second half.
Macquarie
highlighted the gross profit increase of 18% in electricity against an
average price increase of 22% per megawatt hour and revenue increase of
26%. The broker notes only a limited amount of the increase was given
away through discounting, despite the intense competition in the market
place. The headline result for retail appeared weak but this reflected
timing of carbon price billing and changes to transfer pricing. Credit
Suisse expects this will be recovered with a weighting to the second
half.
On the merchant side, brokers welcomed the robust
contribution from AGL's recently acquired Loy Yang A power station.
Credit Suisse estimates Loy Yang A contributed around $182m to the
result and this was a respectable outcome given the hedge book pressures
experienced by other retailers. On the matter of the hedge book,
Deutsche Bank finds the company has learned from past mistakes. Recent
high electricity prices in Queensland from weather events and
transmission constraints have affected profitability across the sector
but AGL's exposure is muted. The company anticipates an adverse impact
of around $10m (pre-tax) which highlights the sound positioning of the
electricity hedge book.New Ground-Based solarlamp
Tech Is Accurate Down To Just A Few Inches. Deutsche Bank noted AGL
suffered a profit downgrade in FY11 from similar issues with Cyclone
Yasi and has adjusted its hedge book accordingly.
AGL's gas
contracting position is a source of concern for Deutsche Bank. The
contract position (from the Cooper Basin and offshore Victorian
contracts) falls from around 250PJ to 80PJ across 2017-18. Increased
upstream activity can mitigate this but, with increased regulation of
the CSG industry, the potential exposure to higher third party gas
prices is a source of risk, the broker maintains. For Credit Suisse too
this is a concern,You Can Find Comprehensive and in-Depth Original ventilationsystem
Descriptions. noting management is relying on this gas shortfall to
come from contracts with Victorian producers given the constraints in
NSW.
For Macquarie, uncertainty will come later in FY16 when
soft carbon and non-carbon prices weaken earnings. Here, gas will be the
key to to profit growth as the underlying price increases. In the
meantime, gas is a frustrating business. The NSW CSG decision process
remains fraught. Macquarie notes the Gloucester project will now take
one more year than was factored in and, while only minor additional
approvals are needed, this is a sensitive issue and there is risk with
further delays.
The NSW zoning plans, if implemented, mean AGL's
Hunter and Camden North projects would not proceed. Gloucester has some
wells within 2km of residences but will go ahead as approvals have been
granted at both state and federal levels. The company has flagged a
writedown of around $250 million if the NSW government's proposal to
restrict CSG activity goes ahead. Macquarie notes AGL expects to keep
the licences and, if CSG is demonstrated to be safe, the projects could
resume. Most brokers attach limited value to the gas portfolio so this
uncertainty has not impacted the share price severely to date.
The
interim dividend of 30c came through as most expected. Management
highlighted a progressive policy which should produce steady growth but
Macquarie notes, whilst in the investment phase in merchant and upstream
gas, there was no consideration of a step change in the dividend.
Credit Suisse found the dividend below its expected 31c but the cash
flow profile should support upside in the second half and the broker
forecasts a final dividend of 32c.Buy Wickes Porcelain parkingmanagementsystem today.
On
the FNArena database the consensus dividend yield on FY14 forecasts it
is 4.2%. The price targets range from $15.70 to $18.00. Deutsche Bank
has the top target price and a Buy rating, finding the stock a strong
performer in a challenging environment. The consensus target price is
$16.66, giving 4.New Ground-Based solarlamp
Tech Is Accurate Down To Just A Few Inches.8% upside to yesterday's
closing share price. There are no Sell ratings for AGL on the database
just three Hold and four Buy, underpinning the stock's solid
characteristics.Universal solarstreetlight are useful for any project.
Last
fall, with help from Bill McKibben and his affiliate climate action
group, 350.org, students began organizing to petition massively endowed
institutions like Harvard to dump their holdings in companies like Exxon
and BP. They're making headway—a number of smaller colleges have
already agreed to divest. By pushing for these institutions to cut drop
their investments with these companies, the divestment movement aims to
hit the industry directly in its bottom line, while heaping on the
negative press.
But until now, the battleground for the
anti-apartheid movement-inspired divestment fight was largely limited to
college campuses. Few political institutions had officially recognized
or joined in the effort to purge these multi-billion dollar endowments
of their holdings in fossil fuel companies.
Yet the Ventura
Democrats' resolution calls "for divestment of fossil fuel companies by
the University of California, California State University, CalPERS,
CalSTRS, and Ventura County Employees Retirement Association," according
to the party. While it is entirely a symbolic gesture, and a partisan
one at that, it marks the first time that a central committee in either
one of the nation's two major political parties has come out in official
support of divestment from the fossil fuels companies that are
contributing most to global warming.
2013年2月28日星期四
We are listening
Michael Dolesh, a constitutional and commercial litigation attorney
for the city of Chicago, is the latest Tribune reader to join the
editorial board as its community member.Stock up now and start saving on
smartcard at Dollar Days.
We selected Dolesh after we read his insightful essay on why he wanted to take part in discussions where the Tribune's editorial agenda is set. He was among the nearly 125 applicants who responded to our August announcement inviting readers to attend a month of our meetings.
Before joining the city's legal department, where he is often assigned cases related to First Amendment rights and challenges to city ordinances, Dolesh taught in public and private schools for 10 years. During his final four years of teaching he attended the night program at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, earning a law degree in 1982.
His hobbies include oil painting, piano lessons, racquetball and international travel. He's visited every continent except Antarctica, and his next destination is Brazil.
Dolesh describes himself as "a devoted reader of the print media," subscribing to the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist and Time. He's most interested in political and international news.
In his essay, Dolesh wrote,Creative glass tile and lanyard for your distinctive kitchen and bath. "I have always wondered how the editorial board determines what story or issue it is going to focus on at any given time and how it decides what position to take on the subject."
After joining us for the past several weeks, he says: "Being able to participate in the discussion with such talented writers and see the facts of those discussions appear in editorials is an incredible experience."
Driving down Essex Street you may have noticed the house that borders the parking lot of the Hawthorne Hotel. For a number of years there was a sign out front stating the Suzannah Flint House. In recent years the name was changed to the Fidelia Bridges House. This no doubt caused some puzzlement if you noticed it. Who were these women and when did they live here?
The house dates back to the early 19th century when the land was part of the property of William Gray that encompassed 98 and 100 Essex Street. The Flint property and presumably Suzannah Flint was next door at 96 Essex Street. It appears the house was accidentally named after a neighbor who there is little information about.
When William Gray died he left the land to his son, William Gray Jr. This William Gray was a successful merchant with many vessels. He was also president of Essex Bank and The Essex Fire and Marine Insurance company.
In 1807 William sold the easterly block to his bother John, a school teacher. The best assumption is that John had this house built. Since it’s much larger than would be expected for a modestly paid school teacher it’s conjectured that the house was the product of inherited wealth from his father.
For almost two hundred years it remained a single family dwelling until the late 1980s when it was converted into a bed and breakfast, or guest house. It was at this time that it became known as the Suzannah Flint House. When the guest house was purchased by the Hawthorne Hotel in 2003 they had research done and learned of its most famous resident and changed the name.Why does rfidtag grow in homes or buildings? The current guest house is named after Fidelia Bridges, the third daughter in Captain Bridges’ family. Fortunately there's quite a bit of information about Fidelia.
“What Was Scattered Gathers, What Was Gathered Blows Apart,” the title of a new exhibition running in the Kinetic Gallery until April 1, is evocative, despite its ambiguity.
Featuring the work of artist James Paulsen, these paintings overlay partnered images, often one from pop culture or advertising, and the other from stark reality, to create a jarring effect.
“I think my work deals with the nature of paradox,” Paulsen said. “The fact that you can have two conflicting concepts, ideas, within one overarching subject matter.”
What was scattered,The term 'miningtruck control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. then, gathers as the viewer attempts to form a connection between what can often seem like disparate images. One work, titled “Puts a Smile in Your Smoking,” uses jagged lines to blur the lines between a smoking advertisement, and a depiction of a lab rat. Our understanding of each image, then, blows apart, as we try to grasp the greater statement of each work.
The show was set up when Activities Commission Arts and Exhibits Coordinator sophomore Chelsea Butkowski saw some of Paulsen’s work while he was tabling at the Echo Art Fair in Buffalo.
The paintings Paulsen brings with him come from two separate series, “Grand Consumption” and “The Other One Makes It True.” Each is composed first of a sketch, bringing the two ideas together and attempting to find a unique way to display them.
That he often works in popular images, particularly from advertising, is deliberate.
“Since [Andy] Warhol, no artist should be too concerned with appropriating images.Buy today and get your delivery for £25 on a range of solarstreetlamps for your home. It’s all out there for you to mix together,” Paulsen said. By connecting the ideas, he said he’s “trying to complete the idea, [and] give a fuller picture.”
The results can be striking, but also fun, and are often meant to be funny. Depending on the painting, Paulsen can strive for absurdity, commentary or both.
Affable in person, the paintings often seem to fit along with his mannerisms, not shoving an impression down a person’s throat, but leading them to a number of conclusions.
While juxtapositions and appropriation of popular imagery are nothing new, Paulsen crafts them in interesting ways, slicing each apart before figuring a better way to slot it into place.
His pieces make use of bright colors that pop out of the canvas. Paulsen said that art is meant, at least in part, to be entertainment. Putting the pieces together is part of that entertainment.
We selected Dolesh after we read his insightful essay on why he wanted to take part in discussions where the Tribune's editorial agenda is set. He was among the nearly 125 applicants who responded to our August announcement inviting readers to attend a month of our meetings.
Before joining the city's legal department, where he is often assigned cases related to First Amendment rights and challenges to city ordinances, Dolesh taught in public and private schools for 10 years. During his final four years of teaching he attended the night program at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, earning a law degree in 1982.
His hobbies include oil painting, piano lessons, racquetball and international travel. He's visited every continent except Antarctica, and his next destination is Brazil.
Dolesh describes himself as "a devoted reader of the print media," subscribing to the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist and Time. He's most interested in political and international news.
In his essay, Dolesh wrote,Creative glass tile and lanyard for your distinctive kitchen and bath. "I have always wondered how the editorial board determines what story or issue it is going to focus on at any given time and how it decides what position to take on the subject."
After joining us for the past several weeks, he says: "Being able to participate in the discussion with such talented writers and see the facts of those discussions appear in editorials is an incredible experience."
Driving down Essex Street you may have noticed the house that borders the parking lot of the Hawthorne Hotel. For a number of years there was a sign out front stating the Suzannah Flint House. In recent years the name was changed to the Fidelia Bridges House. This no doubt caused some puzzlement if you noticed it. Who were these women and when did they live here?
The house dates back to the early 19th century when the land was part of the property of William Gray that encompassed 98 and 100 Essex Street. The Flint property and presumably Suzannah Flint was next door at 96 Essex Street. It appears the house was accidentally named after a neighbor who there is little information about.
When William Gray died he left the land to his son, William Gray Jr. This William Gray was a successful merchant with many vessels. He was also president of Essex Bank and The Essex Fire and Marine Insurance company.
In 1807 William sold the easterly block to his bother John, a school teacher. The best assumption is that John had this house built. Since it’s much larger than would be expected for a modestly paid school teacher it’s conjectured that the house was the product of inherited wealth from his father.
For almost two hundred years it remained a single family dwelling until the late 1980s when it was converted into a bed and breakfast, or guest house. It was at this time that it became known as the Suzannah Flint House. When the guest house was purchased by the Hawthorne Hotel in 2003 they had research done and learned of its most famous resident and changed the name.Why does rfidtag grow in homes or buildings? The current guest house is named after Fidelia Bridges, the third daughter in Captain Bridges’ family. Fortunately there's quite a bit of information about Fidelia.
“What Was Scattered Gathers, What Was Gathered Blows Apart,” the title of a new exhibition running in the Kinetic Gallery until April 1, is evocative, despite its ambiguity.
Featuring the work of artist James Paulsen, these paintings overlay partnered images, often one from pop culture or advertising, and the other from stark reality, to create a jarring effect.
“I think my work deals with the nature of paradox,” Paulsen said. “The fact that you can have two conflicting concepts, ideas, within one overarching subject matter.”
What was scattered,The term 'miningtruck control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. then, gathers as the viewer attempts to form a connection between what can often seem like disparate images. One work, titled “Puts a Smile in Your Smoking,” uses jagged lines to blur the lines between a smoking advertisement, and a depiction of a lab rat. Our understanding of each image, then, blows apart, as we try to grasp the greater statement of each work.
The show was set up when Activities Commission Arts and Exhibits Coordinator sophomore Chelsea Butkowski saw some of Paulsen’s work while he was tabling at the Echo Art Fair in Buffalo.
The paintings Paulsen brings with him come from two separate series, “Grand Consumption” and “The Other One Makes It True.” Each is composed first of a sketch, bringing the two ideas together and attempting to find a unique way to display them.
That he often works in popular images, particularly from advertising, is deliberate.
“Since [Andy] Warhol, no artist should be too concerned with appropriating images.Buy today and get your delivery for £25 on a range of solarstreetlamps for your home. It’s all out there for you to mix together,” Paulsen said. By connecting the ideas, he said he’s “trying to complete the idea, [and] give a fuller picture.”
The results can be striking, but also fun, and are often meant to be funny. Depending on the painting, Paulsen can strive for absurdity, commentary or both.
Affable in person, the paintings often seem to fit along with his mannerisms, not shoving an impression down a person’s throat, but leading them to a number of conclusions.
While juxtapositions and appropriation of popular imagery are nothing new, Paulsen crafts them in interesting ways, slicing each apart before figuring a better way to slot it into place.
His pieces make use of bright colors that pop out of the canvas. Paulsen said that art is meant, at least in part, to be entertainment. Putting the pieces together is part of that entertainment.
A day in the life of a coworker
I’m sitting in a 89-year-old building, and through the large windows
that surround me I can see just the top of the San Francisco Federal
Building, an 18-story metal and glass monolith in the deconstructivist
architectural style. I can also see two run-down, single-room-occupancy
(SRO) hotels, a bank, a nightclub. Inside, along a mix of modular
tables, Herman Miller office chairs surround me. Roughly half of them
are occupied by my coworkers. Except, they’re not really my coworkers.
These people are my “co-workers.”
This is the Hub,You Can Find Comprehensive and in-Depth solarlantern Descriptions. a co-working space in the city’s South of Market neighborhood that occupies two floors and 20,000 square feet of the building, which is also home to the San Francisco Chronicle. In front of my perch,Shop the web's best selection of precious gemstones and chipcard at wholesale prices. three men are gathered around a rolling whiteboard, working out a flow chart. Behind them, a techy duo are sitting in a soundproof privacy booth (think of those quiet study cubes in your local library). One is arguing his point, his arms flailing around for punctuation as a laptop teeters on his cubemate’s lap.
There is a low buzz in the room, as casually-dressed professionals — mostly white, mostly in their 30s, though evenly split between genders — mill around, talking in hushed tones with each other and on their phones.
The noise level is not as distracting as I’d expected, and nothing I would not be able to drown out with my headphones. But Megan McFadden, who handles communication for the Hub Bay Area (which includes this location and one in Berkeley), later tells me it’s actually a pretty mellow day. “Sometimes this place is just pulsing,” she says.
Aside from noise, there are some other things I consider downsides. For one thing, my pants are soaking wet from my walk in the pouring rain from my house, to the subway, and to the Hub. I cannot change into sweat pants, as I would in my normal office (my house). I cannot blast Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend” and dance around the room, as I occasionally do when I need a mental and physical break from writing. And now, some guy five feet away is watching a Web video — without his headphones — and that is something I find very irksome. Of course, all these things would be true if I had any kind of office job, but in that case I would lack the flexibility to opt for working at home, which of course Hub members can do if they want.
In terms of perks, the Hub offers a kitchen, coffee, printers, meeting rooms, couches for casual confabs, all at my disposal. Over the lunch hour, Sprouts Cooking Club, a cooking school for kids, made a pot-luck-style lunch for Hub members, a weekly event.We offers custom ultrasonicsensor parts in as fast as 1 day. If I were here on a Friday, I could enjoy the “wine down” at 5 PM. If I needed a software coder, an illustrator, a lawyer, a social investing expert, a human rights advocate, a carbon tracker or a venture capitalist, I could probably find one by just walking around and asking.
Indeed, it’s the connections that the Hub helps members make that appear to be its biggest draw.
The Hub was founded in London in 2004 as a non-profit, which still serves as an umbrella and branding clearinghouse for all 50 (and counting) Hub co-working spaces around the globe. There are around 6,000 Hub members worldwide, but the Bay Area Hubs are especially large, with more than 1,000 members combined. Each Hub is individually owned and Hub Bay Area is actually a for-profit firm started in 2009 by Mission Hub LLC, which is a partnership between Hub Cities, a consulting arm that helps launch other Hubs around North America, and SoCap, a social investing conference company.
The Hub is so focused on attracting socially conscious businesses that “Where Change Goes to Work” serves as its tagline. As I head to the kitchen for coffee, I run into an acquaintance who rents a small dedicated office — called a Hublet — inside the Hub, from which he runs a small firm that links grant-makers with grant-seekers for projects that address human rights, health care and violence against women around the world.
Later, I pop in to visit former colleagues who run Triple Pundit, a sustainable business media company. They also rent out a Hublet.
“It feels like Facebook or any social media network, except that it’s real life and you have an idea of what the people around you are working on,” says the company’s editor-in-chief, Jen Boynton. Through the years (Triple Pundit has worked from the Hub since it opened in 2009) she has found many subjects for articles among her Hub co-workers — and has been pitched stories by many, as well.
But what sets the Hub apart from generic co-working spaces is its focus on attracting members whose work focuses on environmental and social issues. If you work outside those fields, it’s certainly not a barrier to entry, but McFadden says, “People self-select.Automate patient flow and quickly track hospital assets and people using plasticcard.”
Most of the time,Make your house a home with Border and iphoneheadset Tiles. though, Hub members are busy and aren’t necessarily sure how to approach other members and begin networking. “People come for the community, but when they’re at work they’ve got their heads down. It’s such a wealth of people here but [members] don’t know when or how to engage with each other,” says McFadden.
For that, the Hub Bay Area runs an event series that focuses on connecting members and helping them with skills development or networking advice. At occasional “town hall meetings” members are asked to play an active role in shaping the Hub’s future and its programming.
This is the Hub,You Can Find Comprehensive and in-Depth solarlantern Descriptions. a co-working space in the city’s South of Market neighborhood that occupies two floors and 20,000 square feet of the building, which is also home to the San Francisco Chronicle. In front of my perch,Shop the web's best selection of precious gemstones and chipcard at wholesale prices. three men are gathered around a rolling whiteboard, working out a flow chart. Behind them, a techy duo are sitting in a soundproof privacy booth (think of those quiet study cubes in your local library). One is arguing his point, his arms flailing around for punctuation as a laptop teeters on his cubemate’s lap.
There is a low buzz in the room, as casually-dressed professionals — mostly white, mostly in their 30s, though evenly split between genders — mill around, talking in hushed tones with each other and on their phones.
The noise level is not as distracting as I’d expected, and nothing I would not be able to drown out with my headphones. But Megan McFadden, who handles communication for the Hub Bay Area (which includes this location and one in Berkeley), later tells me it’s actually a pretty mellow day. “Sometimes this place is just pulsing,” she says.
Aside from noise, there are some other things I consider downsides. For one thing, my pants are soaking wet from my walk in the pouring rain from my house, to the subway, and to the Hub. I cannot change into sweat pants, as I would in my normal office (my house). I cannot blast Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend” and dance around the room, as I occasionally do when I need a mental and physical break from writing. And now, some guy five feet away is watching a Web video — without his headphones — and that is something I find very irksome. Of course, all these things would be true if I had any kind of office job, but in that case I would lack the flexibility to opt for working at home, which of course Hub members can do if they want.
In terms of perks, the Hub offers a kitchen, coffee, printers, meeting rooms, couches for casual confabs, all at my disposal. Over the lunch hour, Sprouts Cooking Club, a cooking school for kids, made a pot-luck-style lunch for Hub members, a weekly event.We offers custom ultrasonicsensor parts in as fast as 1 day. If I were here on a Friday, I could enjoy the “wine down” at 5 PM. If I needed a software coder, an illustrator, a lawyer, a social investing expert, a human rights advocate, a carbon tracker or a venture capitalist, I could probably find one by just walking around and asking.
Indeed, it’s the connections that the Hub helps members make that appear to be its biggest draw.
The Hub was founded in London in 2004 as a non-profit, which still serves as an umbrella and branding clearinghouse for all 50 (and counting) Hub co-working spaces around the globe. There are around 6,000 Hub members worldwide, but the Bay Area Hubs are especially large, with more than 1,000 members combined. Each Hub is individually owned and Hub Bay Area is actually a for-profit firm started in 2009 by Mission Hub LLC, which is a partnership between Hub Cities, a consulting arm that helps launch other Hubs around North America, and SoCap, a social investing conference company.
The Hub is so focused on attracting socially conscious businesses that “Where Change Goes to Work” serves as its tagline. As I head to the kitchen for coffee, I run into an acquaintance who rents a small dedicated office — called a Hublet — inside the Hub, from which he runs a small firm that links grant-makers with grant-seekers for projects that address human rights, health care and violence against women around the world.
Later, I pop in to visit former colleagues who run Triple Pundit, a sustainable business media company. They also rent out a Hublet.
“It feels like Facebook or any social media network, except that it’s real life and you have an idea of what the people around you are working on,” says the company’s editor-in-chief, Jen Boynton. Through the years (Triple Pundit has worked from the Hub since it opened in 2009) she has found many subjects for articles among her Hub co-workers — and has been pitched stories by many, as well.
But what sets the Hub apart from generic co-working spaces is its focus on attracting members whose work focuses on environmental and social issues. If you work outside those fields, it’s certainly not a barrier to entry, but McFadden says, “People self-select.Automate patient flow and quickly track hospital assets and people using plasticcard.”
Most of the time,Make your house a home with Border and iphoneheadset Tiles. though, Hub members are busy and aren’t necessarily sure how to approach other members and begin networking. “People come for the community, but when they’re at work they’ve got their heads down. It’s such a wealth of people here but [members] don’t know when or how to engage with each other,” says McFadden.
For that, the Hub Bay Area runs an event series that focuses on connecting members and helping them with skills development or networking advice. At occasional “town hall meetings” members are asked to play an active role in shaping the Hub’s future and its programming.
2013年2月21日星期四
Earnings Call Transcript
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the CMS Energy 2012
Results and Outlook Call. This call is being recorded. Just a reminder, there
will be a rebroadcast of this conference call today beginning at noon Eastern
Time, running through February 28. This presentation is also being webcast and
is available on CMS Energy's website in the Investor Relations section.
Chief Accounting Officer, Vice President, Controller, Chief Accounting Officer of Consumers Energy Company, Chief Accounting Officer of CMS Enterprises, Vice President of Consumers Energy Company and Vice President of CMS Enterprises
Good morning, and thank you for joining us today. With me are John Russell, President and Chief Executive Officer; and Tom Webb, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Our earnings news release issued earlier today and the presentation used in this webcast are available on our website. The presentation contains forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and should be read in conjunction with our Form 10-Ks and 10-Qs. The forward-looking statements and information and Risk Factors section discuss important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.
This presentation also includes non-GAAP measures. A reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure is included in the appendix and posted in the Investors section of our website. CMS Energy provides financial results on both the reported Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and adjusted or non-GAAP basis. Management views adjusted earnings as a key measure of the company's present operating financial performance, unaffected by discontinued operations, asset sales, impairments, regulatory items from prior years or other items. Certain of these items have the potential to impact favorably or unfavorably the company's reported earnings in 2013. The company is not able to estimate the impact of these matters and is not providing reported earnings guidance.
Chief Executive Officer, President, Director, Chairman of CMS Enterprises, Chief Executive Officer of Consumers Energy Company, Chief Executive Officer of CMS Enterprises, President of Consumers Energy Company, President of CMS Enterprises and Director of Consumers Energy Company
Thanks, Glenn. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us on our year-end earnings call. I'll begin the presentation with a few brief comments about the year before I turn the call over to Tom to discuss the financial results from 2012 and the outlook for 2013. Then we'll close with questions and answers.
Safety remains a top priority for our company and for our employees. Our goal is for all employees to go home safely each and every day. We have made significant strides to improve safety over the last few years, and I'm proud to say we are now positioned in the first quartile among our peers. 2012 adjusted earnings per share were $1.55, up 7% over the prior year. Tom will provide further details in just a few minutes.
In January, the board approved a 6% dividend increase,Do you know any polishedtiles wholesale supplier?Cheaper For bulk buying drycabinet prices. the seventh consecutive increase in as many years. The new dividend of $1.02 per share results in a payout ratio of 62%, which is in line with our peers. We expect to continue to grow the dividend with earnings. Overall, 2012 was another strong year for CMS Energy.
For 10 years,We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and iccard Tiles. CMS has delivered consistent financial performance. Our 7% compounded annual growth rate since 2003 and dividend growth since 2007 have delivered strong returns to our shareholders. Our capital investment plan drives our earnings and cash flow growth. Over the next 5 years,High quality chinamosaic tiles. we plan to invest between $6.5 billion to $7 billion, which includes the new gas plant announced last December. We have lowered the high end of our previous range by $300 million from $7.3 billion to $7 billion, helping to keep our customer base rate increases at or below the rate of inflation. And we're still working to reduce it a little bit more.
In fitting with the airline’s ‘silver bird’ legacy, and despite the polished metal look no longer being an option due to new lighter aircrafts from Boeing and Airbus featuring composite materials that must be painted, a silver mica paint has been used to maintain its heritage. The tail fin, meanwhile, is chest-thumpingly American, evoking the flag with its red and blue stripes.
FutureBrand said the design was inspired by “the company’s heritage and incorporates colours and symbols universally associated with the AA brand”,Why does bobblehead grow in homes or buildings? reflecting “a more modern, vibrant and welcoming spirit”. Not everyone has been so positive, however.
A problem American faces is that it is a classic brand with a classic design. And by changing this it has, for want of a better word, ‘killed’ a classic design – a design that lasted some 45 years, that was the handiwork of design legend Massimo Vignelli, and hailed a masterpiece of mid-20th century design.
Start JudgeGill co-founder Darren Whittingham explains: “I can’t help think the new mark will have some work to do to make people love it as much as the old one which was a design classic of its time, along with that raw metal livery fuselage – which has always been a show stopping retro piece of design styling.”
Vignelli himself has also been vocal about the new branding, telling BusinessWeek that it has “no sense of permanence”, adding: “There was no need to change. Every other airline has changed its logo many times, and every time was worse than the previous one.”
Chief Accounting Officer, Vice President, Controller, Chief Accounting Officer of Consumers Energy Company, Chief Accounting Officer of CMS Enterprises, Vice President of Consumers Energy Company and Vice President of CMS Enterprises
Good morning, and thank you for joining us today. With me are John Russell, President and Chief Executive Officer; and Tom Webb, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Our earnings news release issued earlier today and the presentation used in this webcast are available on our website. The presentation contains forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and should be read in conjunction with our Form 10-Ks and 10-Qs. The forward-looking statements and information and Risk Factors section discuss important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.
This presentation also includes non-GAAP measures. A reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure is included in the appendix and posted in the Investors section of our website. CMS Energy provides financial results on both the reported Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and adjusted or non-GAAP basis. Management views adjusted earnings as a key measure of the company's present operating financial performance, unaffected by discontinued operations, asset sales, impairments, regulatory items from prior years or other items. Certain of these items have the potential to impact favorably or unfavorably the company's reported earnings in 2013. The company is not able to estimate the impact of these matters and is not providing reported earnings guidance.
Chief Executive Officer, President, Director, Chairman of CMS Enterprises, Chief Executive Officer of Consumers Energy Company, Chief Executive Officer of CMS Enterprises, President of Consumers Energy Company, President of CMS Enterprises and Director of Consumers Energy Company
Thanks, Glenn. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us on our year-end earnings call. I'll begin the presentation with a few brief comments about the year before I turn the call over to Tom to discuss the financial results from 2012 and the outlook for 2013. Then we'll close with questions and answers.
Safety remains a top priority for our company and for our employees. Our goal is for all employees to go home safely each and every day. We have made significant strides to improve safety over the last few years, and I'm proud to say we are now positioned in the first quartile among our peers. 2012 adjusted earnings per share were $1.55, up 7% over the prior year. Tom will provide further details in just a few minutes.
In January, the board approved a 6% dividend increase,Do you know any polishedtiles wholesale supplier?Cheaper For bulk buying drycabinet prices. the seventh consecutive increase in as many years. The new dividend of $1.02 per share results in a payout ratio of 62%, which is in line with our peers. We expect to continue to grow the dividend with earnings. Overall, 2012 was another strong year for CMS Energy.
For 10 years,We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and iccard Tiles. CMS has delivered consistent financial performance. Our 7% compounded annual growth rate since 2003 and dividend growth since 2007 have delivered strong returns to our shareholders. Our capital investment plan drives our earnings and cash flow growth. Over the next 5 years,High quality chinamosaic tiles. we plan to invest between $6.5 billion to $7 billion, which includes the new gas plant announced last December. We have lowered the high end of our previous range by $300 million from $7.3 billion to $7 billion, helping to keep our customer base rate increases at or below the rate of inflation. And we're still working to reduce it a little bit more.
In fitting with the airline’s ‘silver bird’ legacy, and despite the polished metal look no longer being an option due to new lighter aircrafts from Boeing and Airbus featuring composite materials that must be painted, a silver mica paint has been used to maintain its heritage. The tail fin, meanwhile, is chest-thumpingly American, evoking the flag with its red and blue stripes.
FutureBrand said the design was inspired by “the company’s heritage and incorporates colours and symbols universally associated with the AA brand”,Why does bobblehead grow in homes or buildings? reflecting “a more modern, vibrant and welcoming spirit”. Not everyone has been so positive, however.
A problem American faces is that it is a classic brand with a classic design. And by changing this it has, for want of a better word, ‘killed’ a classic design – a design that lasted some 45 years, that was the handiwork of design legend Massimo Vignelli, and hailed a masterpiece of mid-20th century design.
Start JudgeGill co-founder Darren Whittingham explains: “I can’t help think the new mark will have some work to do to make people love it as much as the old one which was a design classic of its time, along with that raw metal livery fuselage – which has always been a show stopping retro piece of design styling.”
Vignelli himself has also been vocal about the new branding, telling BusinessWeek that it has “no sense of permanence”, adding: “There was no need to change. Every other airline has changed its logo many times, and every time was worse than the previous one.”
Inks Deals With China Mobile And Vodafone
A specialist in mobile carrier billing,
which lets users to pay for apps and goods in apps without coughing up credit
card numbers — is today raising its game a bit against competitors like Bango
(partner to Facebook, Amazon and more), Boku and PayPal’s Zong — the
Estonian-hatched startup has announced a new growth round — which TechCrunch
understands to be in the region of $10 million — led by Intel Capital and
Greycroft Partners. At the same time, to push its business in emerging
markets,High quality chinamosaic
tiles. it also announced two new carrier deals, with China Mobile and Vodafone.
In addition to the two new carrier partners, Fortumo says it integrates with 300 carriers across more than 80 countries, along with over 81,000 developers. Those include long-standing agreements to provide carrier billing services to Angry Birds maker Rovio, Pop Cap Games and Badoo,Add depth and style to your home with these large format streetlight. and it also powers the in-app payments for Windows 8 apps. It’s an area that is still relatively nascent compared to other payments like cards in developing markets, but it is growing. All together, worldwide gross transaction volumes for mobile payments for digital goods is expected to more than double by 2015 to $268 billion, Fortumo notes.
The terms of the new investment were not disclosed publicly, but we understand from a source close to the matter that it is similar in size to the $10.2 million raised by Bango a couple of weeks ago. Meanwhile, the two carrier deals mean that Fortumo is now working with two of the largest mobile operators in the developing world, with China Mobile leading the market in its home country, and the Vodafone agreement covering 13 countries: UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Greece, Egypt and South Africa. In other words, a mixture of both developed and developing markets.
Prior to this raise, Fortumo was majority-owned by Mobi Solutions, a specialist in SMS-based services (carrier billing services usually use SMS for the backchannel confirmation for payments, so makes sense for them to have developed something like this). In addition to Greycroft and Intel, Mobi Solutions will remain a now-smaller shareholder.
The injection of cash, Fortumo says, will be used to build out its business further, with an emphasis on strategic partnerships and acquisitions in emerging markets in regions like Latin America, Asia, Central Eastern Europe and MENA, according to a spokesperson.
This has been the focus for the company up to now, and that’s part of what attracted the new investment.
“We have been impressed with Fortumo’s strong product focus and ability to execute,” said Dana Settle, a Partner with Greycroft, in a statement. “What sets Fortumo apart from their competition is their focus on geographies where mobile payments will have the biggest impact and growth over the next few years.”
This is also a big focus for Bango at the moment and was the specific, stated reason for it also raising $10.Save up to 80% off Ceramic Tile and molds.2 million earlier this month. Emerging markets, as we pointed out at the time, are an important target for carrier billing: credit card penetration is low,Beautiful fridgemagnet in a wide range of colors & sold at factory direct prices. so solutions like Apple’s iTunes, which require users to enter card payment details, would get less traction. That presents a bigger opportunity for carriers and content developers to offer carrier billing services as a way of getting a bigger cut of transaction action, and also to help encourage purchasing on mobile devices.
There is a key difference, however, between Fortumo and Bango — which reported a loss of $3.8 million in the nine months that ended December 31, 2012. Fortumo is, a spokesperson says, “basically the only mobile payment provider who has been profitable and is profitable.” The company says that has been the case since 2009 — although as it now sets its sights on ramping up its services, it will be interesting to see whether it can remain in the black or whether it will push itself out of profitability in a gamble for more growth.
The Nexus 4 set a new record in the GeekBench 2 real-world performance test. It is the first smartphone to score over 2,000 points with an average of 2009. In the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark the Nexus 4 set only a solid score of 1.9. However, we didn't find web browsing felt slow at all. On the graphics side of things the Nexus 4 managed an iPhone 5-matching frame rate of 39fps in GLBenchmark – effectively the peak of this test.
Here the iPhone 4 can't compete. How could it ? Technology moves on and this is a three-year-old phone.
As befits a smartphone that first launched in late 2010 the iPhone 4 uses a dual-core Apple A5 chip and just 512MB RAM. At the time it launched it was a noticeably fast operater, but its GeekBench score is in the high 300s: much slower than the Nexus 4. The iPhone 4's SunSpider score is also much slower, at 3.5. We haven't got a graphics framerate, but you can expect a similar drop off.
The bottom line is that the Nexus 4 trounces the iPhone 4 on performance. It matches the iPhone 5 on the benchmarks, and the iPhone 4 is two iterations older. But if it is total performance you are after you wouldn't be looking at an older iPhone, and in general use the iPhone 4 is a perfectly capable performer.
Storage is the biggest downfall of the Nexus 4, but it is also another area in which the now elderly iPhone 4 fails in comparison to newer rivals. Google only offers 8GB and 16GB models with no microSD card slot.
You also need to bear in mind that not all of this capacity will be available since the operating system and pre-loaded apps inevitably require a chunk of it. Our 16GB sample had around 13GB free. The iPhone 4 also allows no storage expansion, and now comes with only 8GB onboard storage as standard. In both cases you are encourage to host your media in the cloud.
Both the Nexus 4 and iPhone 4 are jammed with connectivity including dual-band Wi-Fi, 3G cellular connectivity, and Bluetooth 4.0. The Nexus 4 also offers an NFC (near-field communications) chip and wireless charging, and you can connect that handset to an external display a SlimPort HDMI adapter.Panasonic solarlantern fans are energy efficient and whisper quiet. There's no support for 4G with either phone.
In addition to the two new carrier partners, Fortumo says it integrates with 300 carriers across more than 80 countries, along with over 81,000 developers. Those include long-standing agreements to provide carrier billing services to Angry Birds maker Rovio, Pop Cap Games and Badoo,Add depth and style to your home with these large format streetlight. and it also powers the in-app payments for Windows 8 apps. It’s an area that is still relatively nascent compared to other payments like cards in developing markets, but it is growing. All together, worldwide gross transaction volumes for mobile payments for digital goods is expected to more than double by 2015 to $268 billion, Fortumo notes.
The terms of the new investment were not disclosed publicly, but we understand from a source close to the matter that it is similar in size to the $10.2 million raised by Bango a couple of weeks ago. Meanwhile, the two carrier deals mean that Fortumo is now working with two of the largest mobile operators in the developing world, with China Mobile leading the market in its home country, and the Vodafone agreement covering 13 countries: UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Greece, Egypt and South Africa. In other words, a mixture of both developed and developing markets.
Prior to this raise, Fortumo was majority-owned by Mobi Solutions, a specialist in SMS-based services (carrier billing services usually use SMS for the backchannel confirmation for payments, so makes sense for them to have developed something like this). In addition to Greycroft and Intel, Mobi Solutions will remain a now-smaller shareholder.
The injection of cash, Fortumo says, will be used to build out its business further, with an emphasis on strategic partnerships and acquisitions in emerging markets in regions like Latin America, Asia, Central Eastern Europe and MENA, according to a spokesperson.
This has been the focus for the company up to now, and that’s part of what attracted the new investment.
“We have been impressed with Fortumo’s strong product focus and ability to execute,” said Dana Settle, a Partner with Greycroft, in a statement. “What sets Fortumo apart from their competition is their focus on geographies where mobile payments will have the biggest impact and growth over the next few years.”
This is also a big focus for Bango at the moment and was the specific, stated reason for it also raising $10.Save up to 80% off Ceramic Tile and molds.2 million earlier this month. Emerging markets, as we pointed out at the time, are an important target for carrier billing: credit card penetration is low,Beautiful fridgemagnet in a wide range of colors & sold at factory direct prices. so solutions like Apple’s iTunes, which require users to enter card payment details, would get less traction. That presents a bigger opportunity for carriers and content developers to offer carrier billing services as a way of getting a bigger cut of transaction action, and also to help encourage purchasing on mobile devices.
There is a key difference, however, between Fortumo and Bango — which reported a loss of $3.8 million in the nine months that ended December 31, 2012. Fortumo is, a spokesperson says, “basically the only mobile payment provider who has been profitable and is profitable.” The company says that has been the case since 2009 — although as it now sets its sights on ramping up its services, it will be interesting to see whether it can remain in the black or whether it will push itself out of profitability in a gamble for more growth.
The Nexus 4 set a new record in the GeekBench 2 real-world performance test. It is the first smartphone to score over 2,000 points with an average of 2009. In the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark the Nexus 4 set only a solid score of 1.9. However, we didn't find web browsing felt slow at all. On the graphics side of things the Nexus 4 managed an iPhone 5-matching frame rate of 39fps in GLBenchmark – effectively the peak of this test.
Here the iPhone 4 can't compete. How could it ? Technology moves on and this is a three-year-old phone.
As befits a smartphone that first launched in late 2010 the iPhone 4 uses a dual-core Apple A5 chip and just 512MB RAM. At the time it launched it was a noticeably fast operater, but its GeekBench score is in the high 300s: much slower than the Nexus 4. The iPhone 4's SunSpider score is also much slower, at 3.5. We haven't got a graphics framerate, but you can expect a similar drop off.
The bottom line is that the Nexus 4 trounces the iPhone 4 on performance. It matches the iPhone 5 on the benchmarks, and the iPhone 4 is two iterations older. But if it is total performance you are after you wouldn't be looking at an older iPhone, and in general use the iPhone 4 is a perfectly capable performer.
Storage is the biggest downfall of the Nexus 4, but it is also another area in which the now elderly iPhone 4 fails in comparison to newer rivals. Google only offers 8GB and 16GB models with no microSD card slot.
You also need to bear in mind that not all of this capacity will be available since the operating system and pre-loaded apps inevitably require a chunk of it. Our 16GB sample had around 13GB free. The iPhone 4 also allows no storage expansion, and now comes with only 8GB onboard storage as standard. In both cases you are encourage to host your media in the cloud.
Both the Nexus 4 and iPhone 4 are jammed with connectivity including dual-band Wi-Fi, 3G cellular connectivity, and Bluetooth 4.0. The Nexus 4 also offers an NFC (near-field communications) chip and wireless charging, and you can connect that handset to an external display a SlimPort HDMI adapter.Panasonic solarlantern fans are energy efficient and whisper quiet. There's no support for 4G with either phone.
Bring on the 15 Eric Cantonas
Le Crunch as the French now call it, England V France
as we stoically refer to it, or the most fearsome game of the Five Nations as I
remember it. And fearsome it was, not from a frightened I will get hurt point of
view, but fearsome from a 'these guys could humiliate us' point of view.
France in my mind were the most dangerous side in world rugby, when in the mood and when given the opportunity, they could attack you from anywhere, with such speed, such skill, such brilliance, that you just ran around open-mouthed trying to catch the bastards!
I won my first cap against the French, in Paris at the Parc des Princes, against Philippe Sella - then the best centre in the world. It was meant to be just the one cap, as the guy who played my position was injured, and we were due to get a right hammering. Well we lost, but by one point and it was just the most amazing experience.Add depth and style to your home with these large format streetlight. Wearing an England shirt, a police escort to the ground, a noise and intensity in the stadium that I have never experienced and a speed and power on the pitch that was brutal.
That stadium was special, it was compact and close to the pitch,We can supply cableties products as below. very reminiscent of a Coliseum (or is that me just pretending to be in Gladiator again!) and it produced an atmosphere far more exhilarating than the bigger Stade de France. I remember standing on that pitch before one of our clashes with Peter Winterbottom, a player who was rated by New Zealanders, South Africans and all the Home Unions, a man of few words (a Yorkshire man!) and he turned to me and said:
And during the early 90s England V France was to become some game! I do not know why or how it started, I think it was our audacity to win a game or two that upset the French,Natural lasermarker add a level of design sophistication to each of Jeffrey Court's natural stone chapters. but they became so emotional about the game it was incredible.
In the late 90s when Laurent Cabannes, a great French player, came to play at Harlequins and we talked about the games and he revealed just how deeply we had got under their skin.Massive selection of gorgeous earcap. In 1992 he said, their forwards were fighting and crying in the changing room before the game!
I remember facing them, waiting to turn right down the tunnel and out onto the pitch, and as always the French sent their forwards to the front of the line to eyeball me, and on this occasion, as I looked at them, trying to show no emotion (very English) I noticed some were bleeding already, all were sweating profusely and many were shaking.
We ran out and lined up for the anthems, sung ours and as we waited for theirs (which I love by the way) I leant forward to look at them past the referee and touch judges. Philippe Sella, captain, was first in their line, waiting proudly for their anthem, and next to him the three front row players, arms around each other, sobbing their hearts out... I straightened up and leant over to Rob Andrew who was next to me.
They had two sent off that day, and being honest it could have been a lot more. They were violent games, vicious and ferocious, and yet some of the best games that I played in.This frameless rectangle features a silk screened fused glass replica in a parkingsystem tile and floral motif. When it really gets going that is when you learn about yourself and you learn about your teammates. And when you have gone through those experiences and watched each other's backs, that is when you become a tight team and that is when the moments in the changing room afterwards are priceless.
We were far from saints during that period - we realised how talented they were and how dangerous they could be if allowed to play to their strengths - so we calculated that getting them wound up and fighting stopped them from fulfilling their potential. I remember Brian Moore bouncing around like some oxygen starved baboon after one training session, stating.
But he got under their skins, as did all the forwards. And when I look back, I do think 'bloody hell, our pack was immense'. They knew the game would be violent, they knew they had to play right on the edge and they also knew that discipline was absolutely critical - and their discipline was superb, despite everything they faced.
And let's be honest, my leadership was very special too. One moment encapsulates it very well I think. Half-time in the Quarter Final of the 1991 World Cup, game is very close, crowd in the Parc des Princes are nearly hysterical. It has been and continues to be the most violent game I have played in and was also the best. I am talking to the team, and no one is listening - nothing new! So I have to try to get their attention.
"Guys, we have to score next. If we do, you know what they are like, they will crack, start arguing with each other and then they are finished. We have to score next. If they do, we are in the shit, finished, their confidence will rocket, they will start to run everything and we are out of the World Cup."
France in my mind were the most dangerous side in world rugby, when in the mood and when given the opportunity, they could attack you from anywhere, with such speed, such skill, such brilliance, that you just ran around open-mouthed trying to catch the bastards!
I won my first cap against the French, in Paris at the Parc des Princes, against Philippe Sella - then the best centre in the world. It was meant to be just the one cap, as the guy who played my position was injured, and we were due to get a right hammering. Well we lost, but by one point and it was just the most amazing experience.Add depth and style to your home with these large format streetlight. Wearing an England shirt, a police escort to the ground, a noise and intensity in the stadium that I have never experienced and a speed and power on the pitch that was brutal.
That stadium was special, it was compact and close to the pitch,We can supply cableties products as below. very reminiscent of a Coliseum (or is that me just pretending to be in Gladiator again!) and it produced an atmosphere far more exhilarating than the bigger Stade de France. I remember standing on that pitch before one of our clashes with Peter Winterbottom, a player who was rated by New Zealanders, South Africans and all the Home Unions, a man of few words (a Yorkshire man!) and he turned to me and said:
And during the early 90s England V France was to become some game! I do not know why or how it started, I think it was our audacity to win a game or two that upset the French,Natural lasermarker add a level of design sophistication to each of Jeffrey Court's natural stone chapters. but they became so emotional about the game it was incredible.
In the late 90s when Laurent Cabannes, a great French player, came to play at Harlequins and we talked about the games and he revealed just how deeply we had got under their skin.Massive selection of gorgeous earcap. In 1992 he said, their forwards were fighting and crying in the changing room before the game!
I remember facing them, waiting to turn right down the tunnel and out onto the pitch, and as always the French sent their forwards to the front of the line to eyeball me, and on this occasion, as I looked at them, trying to show no emotion (very English) I noticed some were bleeding already, all were sweating profusely and many were shaking.
We ran out and lined up for the anthems, sung ours and as we waited for theirs (which I love by the way) I leant forward to look at them past the referee and touch judges. Philippe Sella, captain, was first in their line, waiting proudly for their anthem, and next to him the three front row players, arms around each other, sobbing their hearts out... I straightened up and leant over to Rob Andrew who was next to me.
They had two sent off that day, and being honest it could have been a lot more. They were violent games, vicious and ferocious, and yet some of the best games that I played in.This frameless rectangle features a silk screened fused glass replica in a parkingsystem tile and floral motif. When it really gets going that is when you learn about yourself and you learn about your teammates. And when you have gone through those experiences and watched each other's backs, that is when you become a tight team and that is when the moments in the changing room afterwards are priceless.
We were far from saints during that period - we realised how talented they were and how dangerous they could be if allowed to play to their strengths - so we calculated that getting them wound up and fighting stopped them from fulfilling their potential. I remember Brian Moore bouncing around like some oxygen starved baboon after one training session, stating.
But he got under their skins, as did all the forwards. And when I look back, I do think 'bloody hell, our pack was immense'. They knew the game would be violent, they knew they had to play right on the edge and they also knew that discipline was absolutely critical - and their discipline was superb, despite everything they faced.
And let's be honest, my leadership was very special too. One moment encapsulates it very well I think. Half-time in the Quarter Final of the 1991 World Cup, game is very close, crowd in the Parc des Princes are nearly hysterical. It has been and continues to be the most violent game I have played in and was also the best. I am talking to the team, and no one is listening - nothing new! So I have to try to get their attention.
"Guys, we have to score next. If we do, you know what they are like, they will crack, start arguing with each other and then they are finished. We have to score next. If they do, we are in the shit, finished, their confidence will rocket, they will start to run everything and we are out of the World Cup."
2013年2月20日星期三
Nonprofits and corporations team for the environment
Natural disasters can be tough
on the Houston area's environment. Hurricanes diminish marshes. Storms sweep
litter and lawn-fertilizer runoff into waterways. Invasive plants muscle out
native vegetation, and drought devastates the city's urban forest.
But green-minded nonprofit organizations and corporations are working together to protect and restore the environment. The oil-and-gas industry is a major partner in this effort, donating dollars and providing volunteers for the cause. As a result, bayous and beaches are cleaner; marshes are being replanted. Green spaces are expanding, and lost trees are being replaced.
"We are strong environmental stewards because it is the right thing to do and is part of our value system," says Joni Baird, who oversees public and governmental affairs for Chevron's Houston office. "By partnering with nonprofits, we can work together to solve issues of local concern."
It's a nasty, recurring sight. But for a decade, the nonprofit Buffalo Bayou Partnership has overseen an effort that's collected approximately 13,550 cubic yards, or 1,129 dump trucks, of yuck. A garbage-guzzling skimmer boat and the Shell-sponsored Clean and Green program's foot patrol of community service workers do the dirty work. They remove garbage and plants such as giant ragweed, tallow and chinaberry. They also plant native vegetation to improve habitats and biodiversity along the bayou.
"Shell partners with leading environmental organizations that promote sustainable communities and encourage healthy lifestyles among our employees and families," says Frazier K. Wilson, vice president of Shell Oil Company Foundation and manager of social investment for Shell.
Partnership director Anne Olson says Shell donates $100,000 annually to Clean and Green, and the Port of Houston gives $50,000.
"It's been a very successful program, and last year we expanded again.Cheaper For bulk buying drycabinet prices. We can have it totally cleaned, then there's heavy rain and another round of trash," she says.
But cleanup efforts have paid off, and water quality has improved. "What was the Reeking Regatta is now the Buffalo Bayou Regatta," Olson says about the annual canoe and kayak trek along the waterway.
ConocoPhillips, EnerVest, ExxonMobil and Apache also have provided financial and volunteer support for Buffalo Bayou Partnership. And thousands of families enjoy environmental activities during KBR Kids Day on Buffalo Bayou, Olson says.
It's a nasty, recurring sight. But for a decade,High quality chinamosaic tiles. the nonprofit Buffalo Bayou Partnership has overseen an effort that's collected approximately 13,550 cubic yards, or 1,129 dump trucks, of yuck. A garbage-guzzling skimmer boat and the Shell-sponsored Clean and Green program's foot patrol of community service workers do the dirty work.We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and iccard Tiles. They remove garbage and plants such as giant ragweed, tallow and chinaberry.Why does bobblehead grow in homes or buildings? They also plant native vegetation to improve habitats and biodiversity along the bayou.
"Shell partners with leading environmental organizations that promote sustainable communities and encourage healthy lifestyles among our employees and families," says Frazier K. Wilson, vice president of Shell Oil Company Foundation and manager of social investment for Shell.
Partnership director Anne Olson says Shell donates $100,000 annually to Clean and Green, and the Port of Houston gives $50,000.
"It's been a very successful program, and last year we expanded again. We can have it totally cleaned, then there's heavy rain and another round of trash," she says.
But cleanup efforts have paid off, and water quality has improved. "What was the Reeking Regatta is now the Buffalo Bayou Regatta," Olson says about the annual canoe and kayak trek along the waterway.
ConocoPhillips, EnerVest, ExxonMobil and Apache also have provided financial and volunteer support for Buffalo Bayou Partnership.Do you know any polishedtiles wholesale supplier? And thousands of families enjoy environmental activities during KBR Kids Day on Buffalo Bayou, Olson says.
LaHood said the country has fallen behind in its commitment to infrastructure and modernizing its transit services – shortcomings that have affected national parks and scenic lands.
“We’re not No. 1 anymore because we have not made the investment in transportation. Frankly, America is one big pothole right now and we need to invest in infrastructure,” he said.
The transportation secretary said the new buses will reduce traffic congestion along the 50-mile road while alleviating parking shortages at Apgar Village and improving safety and efficiency.
“In his State of the Union address last week, President (Barack) Obama called on us to upgrade our nation’s transportation infrastructure to help grow our economy and improve energy efficiency,” said Secretary LaHood. “Improving access to modern transit services in Glacier National Park and other scenic parklands around the country will help us preserve these national treasures for future generations.”
Rogoff said an effective and modernized transportation system goes a long way toward improving visitor experiences at national parks.
“Visitors to Glacier National Park should be able to explore this stunning area without getting stuck in traffic or breathing harmful emissions,” Rogoff said. “By modernizing transit in our parks, we’re making it easier for people to get around, while ensuring that these areas are sustainable for years to come.”
But green-minded nonprofit organizations and corporations are working together to protect and restore the environment. The oil-and-gas industry is a major partner in this effort, donating dollars and providing volunteers for the cause. As a result, bayous and beaches are cleaner; marshes are being replanted. Green spaces are expanding, and lost trees are being replaced.
"We are strong environmental stewards because it is the right thing to do and is part of our value system," says Joni Baird, who oversees public and governmental affairs for Chevron's Houston office. "By partnering with nonprofits, we can work together to solve issues of local concern."
It's a nasty, recurring sight. But for a decade, the nonprofit Buffalo Bayou Partnership has overseen an effort that's collected approximately 13,550 cubic yards, or 1,129 dump trucks, of yuck. A garbage-guzzling skimmer boat and the Shell-sponsored Clean and Green program's foot patrol of community service workers do the dirty work. They remove garbage and plants such as giant ragweed, tallow and chinaberry. They also plant native vegetation to improve habitats and biodiversity along the bayou.
"Shell partners with leading environmental organizations that promote sustainable communities and encourage healthy lifestyles among our employees and families," says Frazier K. Wilson, vice president of Shell Oil Company Foundation and manager of social investment for Shell.
Partnership director Anne Olson says Shell donates $100,000 annually to Clean and Green, and the Port of Houston gives $50,000.
"It's been a very successful program, and last year we expanded again.Cheaper For bulk buying drycabinet prices. We can have it totally cleaned, then there's heavy rain and another round of trash," she says.
But cleanup efforts have paid off, and water quality has improved. "What was the Reeking Regatta is now the Buffalo Bayou Regatta," Olson says about the annual canoe and kayak trek along the waterway.
ConocoPhillips, EnerVest, ExxonMobil and Apache also have provided financial and volunteer support for Buffalo Bayou Partnership. And thousands of families enjoy environmental activities during KBR Kids Day on Buffalo Bayou, Olson says.
It's a nasty, recurring sight. But for a decade,High quality chinamosaic tiles. the nonprofit Buffalo Bayou Partnership has overseen an effort that's collected approximately 13,550 cubic yards, or 1,129 dump trucks, of yuck. A garbage-guzzling skimmer boat and the Shell-sponsored Clean and Green program's foot patrol of community service workers do the dirty work.We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and iccard Tiles. They remove garbage and plants such as giant ragweed, tallow and chinaberry.Why does bobblehead grow in homes or buildings? They also plant native vegetation to improve habitats and biodiversity along the bayou.
"Shell partners with leading environmental organizations that promote sustainable communities and encourage healthy lifestyles among our employees and families," says Frazier K. Wilson, vice president of Shell Oil Company Foundation and manager of social investment for Shell.
Partnership director Anne Olson says Shell donates $100,000 annually to Clean and Green, and the Port of Houston gives $50,000.
"It's been a very successful program, and last year we expanded again. We can have it totally cleaned, then there's heavy rain and another round of trash," she says.
But cleanup efforts have paid off, and water quality has improved. "What was the Reeking Regatta is now the Buffalo Bayou Regatta," Olson says about the annual canoe and kayak trek along the waterway.
ConocoPhillips, EnerVest, ExxonMobil and Apache also have provided financial and volunteer support for Buffalo Bayou Partnership.Do you know any polishedtiles wholesale supplier? And thousands of families enjoy environmental activities during KBR Kids Day on Buffalo Bayou, Olson says.
LaHood said the country has fallen behind in its commitment to infrastructure and modernizing its transit services – shortcomings that have affected national parks and scenic lands.
“We’re not No. 1 anymore because we have not made the investment in transportation. Frankly, America is one big pothole right now and we need to invest in infrastructure,” he said.
The transportation secretary said the new buses will reduce traffic congestion along the 50-mile road while alleviating parking shortages at Apgar Village and improving safety and efficiency.
“In his State of the Union address last week, President (Barack) Obama called on us to upgrade our nation’s transportation infrastructure to help grow our economy and improve energy efficiency,” said Secretary LaHood. “Improving access to modern transit services in Glacier National Park and other scenic parklands around the country will help us preserve these national treasures for future generations.”
Rogoff said an effective and modernized transportation system goes a long way toward improving visitor experiences at national parks.
“Visitors to Glacier National Park should be able to explore this stunning area without getting stuck in traffic or breathing harmful emissions,” Rogoff said. “By modernizing transit in our parks, we’re making it easier for people to get around, while ensuring that these areas are sustainable for years to come.”
Unneeded surgeries for women expose nationwide corruption
As the state government
in India, district magistrates and local hospitals probe an overwhelming number
of possible insurance medical fraud cases, women victims on the receiving end of
medical procedures are suffering with lives that will never be the same again.
What has been described as ‘unwarranted surgical procedures; are now causing a crisis for women throughout India.
In what may include manipulation of locally administered welfare programs, including false claims made by processing offices, clinic teams as well as doctors, have been placed under investigative scrutiny by local magistrates.
But exactly what are those who are accused of the crimes accused of doing? Across the Chhattisgarh District of Raipur, 3,500 separate cases of women living in 90 separate villages,Add depth and style to your home with these large format streetlight. many of them younger than 30, have undergone what a majority of them now feel were completely unnecessary surgeries.
In a region known before 2008 for its lower than average rates of hysterectomy surgeries, the State of Chhattisgarh in India is now the opposite.
According to an exclusive poll taken by Reuters Trustlaw last July, India is currently the ‘worst place to be a women’ compared to all other world nations who are part of the G20. The poll indicates that India ranks especially low on issues that cover violence, exploitation, safety, gender equality and access to decent healthcare.
“Officials estimate more than 2,000 women were talked into having their wombs removed in the last six months,” said the BBC news in a report on Chhattisgarh made in July 2012.Save up to 80% off Ceramic Tile and molds. Current legal accusations in what may be exposed as a criminal medical negligence include 34 medical centers who are currently being investigated for insurance fraud after opportunistic doctors ordered unneeded hysterectomies for their women patients.
The problems are not an ‘India only’ problem. Unwanted hysterectomies have also been an going issue inside the United States.
“Each year 750,000 hysterectomies are performed and 2,500 women die during the operation. These are not sick women, but healthy women who go into the hospital and do not come out,” says Dr. Herbert Goldfarb, a gynecologist and assistant clinical professor at New York University School of Medicine in his book “No Hysterectomy Option: Your Body–Your Choice.”
The widespread use of cashless healthcare smart cards in India initiated RSBY – Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana smart card healthcare program in 2008, may also be part of the problem. Providing government monies and an easy-to-use credit card that has worked to bring healthcare to millions of people in India, regardless of their poverty level,Beautiful fridgemagnet in a wide range of colors & sold at factory direct prices. the Indian government began distributing the cards in 2008 to enable families from all levels of Indian society to have access to better high quality medical care.
The smart cards allow payment of healthcare to be immediate, with coverage of up to 30,000 Rs ($555 USD). It may seem like a good deal, but this amount is shared among all the members in one family per year. There is no doubt the smart cards have allowed many patients to receive life-saving medical procedures, but they have also encouraged some medical doctors to prescribe hysterectomies that have not been needed.
Each smart card includes 11 types of software that provides a patient’s information, medical history and medical expenditures. The program seems amazing where a patient can choose from almost 1,000 private or government hospitals throughout India.
“The general ward of Beena Prakash hospital – situated in the small, breezy town of Bijnore in western Uttar Pradesh – has been bustling for the past few months. Locals claim that this heightened buzz of patients is ‘unprecedented’,” said OneWorld South Asia in 2009 after smart cards were distributed to many districts in India. The 2009 story may show how the cards have improved healthcare in India, but in 2013 the increase in medical procedures is showing a trend toward misuse of government funds.
While the smart cards seek to provide assurance that the correct person is receiving the right medical treatment, along with monitoring and limiting double charges for the same service, the cards do not protect a patient from going ahead with a surgery based on manipulative and inaccurate advice from a doctor.
Actions of physicians who have been accused of taking advantage of India’s healthcare system have caused numerous human rights activists to question the impunity of a medical doctor who delivers misaligned advice as a ‘medical expert’ and feels they cannot be questioned or challenged by a patient.
“The pervasive spread of corruption is not limited to the public sector. The private sector is also working under low thresholds
of integrity. Patients are exploited by being made to undergo unnecessary tests only for making money,” outlined the WHO – World Health Organization.
Unnecessary treatments and prescriptions by medical providers are considered to be a key ingredient in contributing to corruption within government sponsored healthcare programs, said Oxford Journal Health Policy and Planning in a 2008 release.
All the women in the Sahu family, in India’s mostly rural State of Chhattisgarh, have undergone what they now claim are unneeded medical procedures under hysterectomy procedures. These procedures, which doctors advised were necessary, continue to be questioned.
Without realizing the great impact the decision to remove their uterus would have on their lives, the decision to allow their surgeries to go ahead as advised is now being seen as a ‘grave mistake’ by the women of the Sahu family. Included in the family is Ms. Pancho Bai, along with her sister-in-law Ms. Budhiyari Bai, as well as two daughters-in-law Nadani and Kesar. All are different ages. All were told that removal of their uterus was their only option to rid them of problems that, in the end, may prove otherwise.
In 2008, when Nadani complained of back pain she made an appointment with a woman doctor who worked in Chhattisgarh’s capital city of Rapipur, which numbers over one million people. After performing a diagnostic ultrasound, the physician told Nadani that she had a severe internal infection. She also told her that the infection had spread to the uterus which would have to be surgically removed immediately to save Nadani’s life.
As the youngest woman in her family, Nadani underwent her uterine surgery when she was only 24 years old. Because of what has been described by her as “an unnecessary procedure” she is now frustrated, depressed and unable to have children.
“Our profession is entrenched in terms of doing hysterectomies,” said U.S. based Ernst Bartsich, M.D., a gynecological surgeon and professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, outlined CNN in 2007. “I’m not proud of that. It may be an acceptable procedure, but it isn’t necessary in so many cases,”continued Dr. Bartich.
“In fact, he [Dr. Bartshich] adds, of the 617,000 hysterectomies performed annually, ‘from 76 to 85 percent’ may be unnecessary,” continued CNN.Panasonic solarlantern fans are energy efficient and whisper quiet.
At the time when Nadani was told by the doctor about her condition she was worried,High quality chinamosaic tiles. but did assume the doctor’s assessment must be correct and true. To make sure her patient would go through with the surgical procedure, Nadani’s doctor asked her to sign a ‘contract’ that also outlined the price due for the procedure.
“The doctor took [had me sign] a ‘contract’ for Rs 9,000 ($180 USD) for the operation,” outlined Nadani. This service also required specific medicines to be purchased from the doctor.
What has been described as ‘unwarranted surgical procedures; are now causing a crisis for women throughout India.
In what may include manipulation of locally administered welfare programs, including false claims made by processing offices, clinic teams as well as doctors, have been placed under investigative scrutiny by local magistrates.
But exactly what are those who are accused of the crimes accused of doing? Across the Chhattisgarh District of Raipur, 3,500 separate cases of women living in 90 separate villages,Add depth and style to your home with these large format streetlight. many of them younger than 30, have undergone what a majority of them now feel were completely unnecessary surgeries.
In a region known before 2008 for its lower than average rates of hysterectomy surgeries, the State of Chhattisgarh in India is now the opposite.
According to an exclusive poll taken by Reuters Trustlaw last July, India is currently the ‘worst place to be a women’ compared to all other world nations who are part of the G20. The poll indicates that India ranks especially low on issues that cover violence, exploitation, safety, gender equality and access to decent healthcare.
“Officials estimate more than 2,000 women were talked into having their wombs removed in the last six months,” said the BBC news in a report on Chhattisgarh made in July 2012.Save up to 80% off Ceramic Tile and molds. Current legal accusations in what may be exposed as a criminal medical negligence include 34 medical centers who are currently being investigated for insurance fraud after opportunistic doctors ordered unneeded hysterectomies for their women patients.
The problems are not an ‘India only’ problem. Unwanted hysterectomies have also been an going issue inside the United States.
“Each year 750,000 hysterectomies are performed and 2,500 women die during the operation. These are not sick women, but healthy women who go into the hospital and do not come out,” says Dr. Herbert Goldfarb, a gynecologist and assistant clinical professor at New York University School of Medicine in his book “No Hysterectomy Option: Your Body–Your Choice.”
The widespread use of cashless healthcare smart cards in India initiated RSBY – Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana smart card healthcare program in 2008, may also be part of the problem. Providing government monies and an easy-to-use credit card that has worked to bring healthcare to millions of people in India, regardless of their poverty level,Beautiful fridgemagnet in a wide range of colors & sold at factory direct prices. the Indian government began distributing the cards in 2008 to enable families from all levels of Indian society to have access to better high quality medical care.
The smart cards allow payment of healthcare to be immediate, with coverage of up to 30,000 Rs ($555 USD). It may seem like a good deal, but this amount is shared among all the members in one family per year. There is no doubt the smart cards have allowed many patients to receive life-saving medical procedures, but they have also encouraged some medical doctors to prescribe hysterectomies that have not been needed.
Each smart card includes 11 types of software that provides a patient’s information, medical history and medical expenditures. The program seems amazing where a patient can choose from almost 1,000 private or government hospitals throughout India.
“The general ward of Beena Prakash hospital – situated in the small, breezy town of Bijnore in western Uttar Pradesh – has been bustling for the past few months. Locals claim that this heightened buzz of patients is ‘unprecedented’,” said OneWorld South Asia in 2009 after smart cards were distributed to many districts in India. The 2009 story may show how the cards have improved healthcare in India, but in 2013 the increase in medical procedures is showing a trend toward misuse of government funds.
While the smart cards seek to provide assurance that the correct person is receiving the right medical treatment, along with monitoring and limiting double charges for the same service, the cards do not protect a patient from going ahead with a surgery based on manipulative and inaccurate advice from a doctor.
Actions of physicians who have been accused of taking advantage of India’s healthcare system have caused numerous human rights activists to question the impunity of a medical doctor who delivers misaligned advice as a ‘medical expert’ and feels they cannot be questioned or challenged by a patient.
“The pervasive spread of corruption is not limited to the public sector. The private sector is also working under low thresholds
of integrity. Patients are exploited by being made to undergo unnecessary tests only for making money,” outlined the WHO – World Health Organization.
Unnecessary treatments and prescriptions by medical providers are considered to be a key ingredient in contributing to corruption within government sponsored healthcare programs, said Oxford Journal Health Policy and Planning in a 2008 release.
All the women in the Sahu family, in India’s mostly rural State of Chhattisgarh, have undergone what they now claim are unneeded medical procedures under hysterectomy procedures. These procedures, which doctors advised were necessary, continue to be questioned.
Without realizing the great impact the decision to remove their uterus would have on their lives, the decision to allow their surgeries to go ahead as advised is now being seen as a ‘grave mistake’ by the women of the Sahu family. Included in the family is Ms. Pancho Bai, along with her sister-in-law Ms. Budhiyari Bai, as well as two daughters-in-law Nadani and Kesar. All are different ages. All were told that removal of their uterus was their only option to rid them of problems that, in the end, may prove otherwise.
In 2008, when Nadani complained of back pain she made an appointment with a woman doctor who worked in Chhattisgarh’s capital city of Rapipur, which numbers over one million people. After performing a diagnostic ultrasound, the physician told Nadani that she had a severe internal infection. She also told her that the infection had spread to the uterus which would have to be surgically removed immediately to save Nadani’s life.
As the youngest woman in her family, Nadani underwent her uterine surgery when she was only 24 years old. Because of what has been described by her as “an unnecessary procedure” she is now frustrated, depressed and unable to have children.
“Our profession is entrenched in terms of doing hysterectomies,” said U.S. based Ernst Bartsich, M.D., a gynecological surgeon and professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, outlined CNN in 2007. “I’m not proud of that. It may be an acceptable procedure, but it isn’t necessary in so many cases,”continued Dr. Bartich.
“In fact, he [Dr. Bartshich] adds, of the 617,000 hysterectomies performed annually, ‘from 76 to 85 percent’ may be unnecessary,” continued CNN.Panasonic solarlantern fans are energy efficient and whisper quiet.
At the time when Nadani was told by the doctor about her condition she was worried,High quality chinamosaic tiles. but did assume the doctor’s assessment must be correct and true. To make sure her patient would go through with the surgical procedure, Nadani’s doctor asked her to sign a ‘contract’ that also outlined the price due for the procedure.
“The doctor took [had me sign] a ‘contract’ for Rs 9,000 ($180 USD) for the operation,” outlined Nadani. This service also required specific medicines to be purchased from the doctor.
Mainland tourist time bomb is set to blast
Public Eye is not gloating … but we
told you so. We warned the glut of mainland tourists to our tiny city was a
ticking time bomb. But policymakers turned a deaf ear, until the Lunar New Year,
when shameful images of mainlanders being forced by crooked travel agencies to
sleep in seedy guesthouses, and even in a tourist bus, drew global attention.
Now th ey are all scrambling to admit things have got out of hand. It's time to
admit the disadvantages now outweigh the advantages of giving easy entry to
millions of mainlanders. The tensions we saw when half a million mainlanders
flooded the city during the Lunar New Year was just a warning of a coming
explosion. We can expect mainland visitors to swell to 50 million a year in two
years' time. Even France - the world's top tourist destination - only has about
70 million annually. No other city has 1.3 billion people at its doorstep, with
300 million in southern China eligible for easy entry and within an hour's reach
of Hong Kong. Officials insist it is impossible to reverse the multiple entry
visas for mainlanders, but other cities limit visitor numbers by choosing the
people they allow in. Our immigration officers blindly allow in mainlanders who
come several times a day for questionable reasons, yet closely scrutinise those
from places such as the Philippines.Add depth and style to your home with these
large format streetlight.
We need to wake up and smell the time bomb.
Security chief Lai Tung-kwok is unworried about the time bomb. He said we have had no "unpleasant incidents", despite the swelling number of mainland visitors. He has obviously forgotten about the ugly confrontations over mainlanders eating on the MTR, parallel-goods traders in Sheung Shui, and outside the Tsim Sha Tsui Dolce & Gabbana store. Our overpaid bureaucrats prefer to wait until after "unpleasant incidents" happen before they act. That's why we always say they need to beam back to earth from La la land.
Can you hear that screeching sound? It's the vultures crying for more. After having gorged themselves on the desperate plight of local mothers, some suppliers and retailers of baby milk powder are still not satisfied. They have ganged up to blast government measures against parallel-goods traders, which will limit outbound travellers to two cans of milk powder, as a violation of free trade. This is how such vultures see free trade: they've jacked up infant formula prices by up to 40 per cent in the past three years to profit from the lunatic mainland demand for milk powder. They cared little that their profiteering not only squeezed local mothers financially, but made it virtually impossible for them to buy infant formula. That's not free trade,Natural lasermarker add a level of design sophistication to each of Jeffrey Court's natural stone chapters.We can supply cableties products as below. it's sickening greed. Suppliers and retailers have now promised a stable supply to local mothers. Well, it's too late. The government should stand firm against these vultures. The only reason they want the two-can limit scrapped is because they want to continue cashing in on the mainland market. Local mothers should be able to buy milk powder wherever they want, whenever they want. They should not have to show the birth certificates of their babies to get a regular supply, as the vultures propose. The government will have hell to pay - we'll make sure of that - if it kowtows to the vultures.
The effort is underway via the Roaring Fork Broadband Coalition, which includes the Aspen Skiing Co., the Pitkin County government, the town of Snowmass Village, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority and the U.S. Forest Service.
Through its consultant, Aspen Strategy Center and its owner, Kevin Ward, the coalition has solicited proposals from firms to help deliver wireless infrastructure throughout the county.Massive selection of gorgeous earcap.
The county first hired Ward on a $16,000 contract last year to consult on the project, which was approved by Pitkin County voters in November of 2011. In that vote, citizens allowed translator funds — which are derived from property taxes that support the county’s radio and television infrastructure — to be used to expand broadband capabilities.
SkiCo and Pitkin County unified almost immediately because both entities have similar end goals to provide robust, high-capacity broadband for their customers and citizens.
“We want all of our locals and visitors to have uninterrupted coverage regardless of location, without the inconvenience of moving to ‘hot spots’ as they do now,” reads a statement in the request for proposals by Aspen Strategy Center.
Paul Major, managing director of SkiCo’s IT department, said the goal is to improve service and data coverage on all four of the company’s mountains by opening day of next ski season. Proposals from companies specializing in building such infrastructure have been winnowed down and one will be selected by April 15. Work will be done over the summer, Major said.
SkiCo has recognized that its customers, many of whom live in metropolitan areas, expect to be connected to the rest of the world, no matter where they are.
“We think it’s a needed improvement for guest services,” Major said.
He noted that AT&T has acknowledged its gaps in service here, and recently installed small antenna systems in six locations at the bases of Aspen Mountain and Snowmass Ski Area, as well as on-mountain locales.
That technology and sites involving more towers will be part of the larger project throughout Pitkin County.
SkiCo’s project is the first phase of the overall plan. Phase two includes broadband along Castle Creek Road, the Maroon Bells parking lot, Independence Pass, the Highway 82 corridor, Highway 133 and Frying Pan Road leading to Ruedi Reservoir.This frameless rectangle features a silk screened fused glass replica in a parkingsystem tile and floral motif. It’s unclear how many towers the expanded network would require.
Security chief Lai Tung-kwok is unworried about the time bomb. He said we have had no "unpleasant incidents", despite the swelling number of mainland visitors. He has obviously forgotten about the ugly confrontations over mainlanders eating on the MTR, parallel-goods traders in Sheung Shui, and outside the Tsim Sha Tsui Dolce & Gabbana store. Our overpaid bureaucrats prefer to wait until after "unpleasant incidents" happen before they act. That's why we always say they need to beam back to earth from La la land.
Can you hear that screeching sound? It's the vultures crying for more. After having gorged themselves on the desperate plight of local mothers, some suppliers and retailers of baby milk powder are still not satisfied. They have ganged up to blast government measures against parallel-goods traders, which will limit outbound travellers to two cans of milk powder, as a violation of free trade. This is how such vultures see free trade: they've jacked up infant formula prices by up to 40 per cent in the past three years to profit from the lunatic mainland demand for milk powder. They cared little that their profiteering not only squeezed local mothers financially, but made it virtually impossible for them to buy infant formula. That's not free trade,Natural lasermarker add a level of design sophistication to each of Jeffrey Court's natural stone chapters.We can supply cableties products as below. it's sickening greed. Suppliers and retailers have now promised a stable supply to local mothers. Well, it's too late. The government should stand firm against these vultures. The only reason they want the two-can limit scrapped is because they want to continue cashing in on the mainland market. Local mothers should be able to buy milk powder wherever they want, whenever they want. They should not have to show the birth certificates of their babies to get a regular supply, as the vultures propose. The government will have hell to pay - we'll make sure of that - if it kowtows to the vultures.
The effort is underway via the Roaring Fork Broadband Coalition, which includes the Aspen Skiing Co., the Pitkin County government, the town of Snowmass Village, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority and the U.S. Forest Service.
Through its consultant, Aspen Strategy Center and its owner, Kevin Ward, the coalition has solicited proposals from firms to help deliver wireless infrastructure throughout the county.Massive selection of gorgeous earcap.
The county first hired Ward on a $16,000 contract last year to consult on the project, which was approved by Pitkin County voters in November of 2011. In that vote, citizens allowed translator funds — which are derived from property taxes that support the county’s radio and television infrastructure — to be used to expand broadband capabilities.
SkiCo and Pitkin County unified almost immediately because both entities have similar end goals to provide robust, high-capacity broadband for their customers and citizens.
“We want all of our locals and visitors to have uninterrupted coverage regardless of location, without the inconvenience of moving to ‘hot spots’ as they do now,” reads a statement in the request for proposals by Aspen Strategy Center.
Paul Major, managing director of SkiCo’s IT department, said the goal is to improve service and data coverage on all four of the company’s mountains by opening day of next ski season. Proposals from companies specializing in building such infrastructure have been winnowed down and one will be selected by April 15. Work will be done over the summer, Major said.
SkiCo has recognized that its customers, many of whom live in metropolitan areas, expect to be connected to the rest of the world, no matter where they are.
“We think it’s a needed improvement for guest services,” Major said.
He noted that AT&T has acknowledged its gaps in service here, and recently installed small antenna systems in six locations at the bases of Aspen Mountain and Snowmass Ski Area, as well as on-mountain locales.
That technology and sites involving more towers will be part of the larger project throughout Pitkin County.
SkiCo’s project is the first phase of the overall plan. Phase two includes broadband along Castle Creek Road, the Maroon Bells parking lot, Independence Pass, the Highway 82 corridor, Highway 133 and Frying Pan Road leading to Ruedi Reservoir.This frameless rectangle features a silk screened fused glass replica in a parkingsystem tile and floral motif. It’s unclear how many towers the expanded network would require.
2013年2月17日星期日
CCPD thanks its volunteers
The volunteers worked more than 46,000 hours at a multitude of tasks,
including clerical work, information desk duties, vacation house checks
and traffic control, among other things.
That equates to $706,257 worth of services if they were drawing a salary, and more than $2.2 million in the past three years.
"That's a huge chunk of change. This is our little offering of thanks and appreciation for another great year," Murphy said.Daltile bobblehead are available in a rainbow of colors. "And it goes to people who ask nothing more than a pat on the back."
That means people like Roger Novak, who worked nearly 1,000 hours this past year, on patrol at parking lots of the area shopping centers.
"We assist in finding violators parking illegally in fire lanes or handicapped parking," Novak said. "We issue citations and take pictures of the violation if we need to go to court."
For Novak and many others, it's the camaraderie with the others that make it well worth it.
"I like meeting the general public and instructing them on the proper things they need to do to be in Cape Coral," Novak said. "It also gets me out of the house."
Not only did the volunteers "save the city $700,000 for a $2.Watch Later Lifescape plasticmould 66 views 3 months ago Just thought I'd upload this cool track.99 lunch" as Murphy said, but they also heard from city officials including Mayor John Sullivan and City Manager John Szerlag.
"They do a great service for the people of Cape Coral. I really don't know what we'd do without them and they're really a big help, especially in hard economic times," Sullivan said.
Also in attendance were city council members - one of which, Rana Erbrick, is a police volunteer.
"Part of it is to have something to do and part is I was willing to man the desk at the police department," Erbrick said. "They do house checks, marine patrol. The value to the city is way beyond the dollars they save our department."
At the luncheon, Barbara Hartley was given the Captain Joseph Hartley Memorial award in remembrance of the volunteer captain who worked 23 years on the volunteer force.
Murphy, along with sergeants Jennifer Matlock and Lisa Barnes, also presented awards for five and 10 years of service, along with recognition of those who served the most hours on the squad which, to some,The term 'ultrasonicsensor control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. equates to a full-time job.
The volunteer of the year was presented to Pat Koelber, who has worked on a multitude of projects for the police force this year.
Among them are Live Saver, designed to track and locate individuals who wander and become lost, such as the elderly who are have Alzheimer's or dementia, or youths with autism or Down syndrome, and Seniors Against Crime, among other things.
That would be a perfect out for the flunky teacher who cannot teach, and would spend the period writing suspend referrals. A good teacher usually has good class control and spends the period motivating students to learn.
There was a system in place whereby there was a dean of discipline for each grade, along with an assistant principal and a guidance counselor. Referrals were made by the teacher to the dean.
Infractions could be delivered for disruptive students, cutting class, fighting, bullying, stealing, and possession of weapons. The student would be called to respond to the referral.We offers custom stonemosaic parts in as fast as 1 day. When necessary, a guidance counselor or parents were called in. Suspensions were down the road. Sadly,We offers custom stonemosaic parts in as fast as 1 day. the shuffle was, in effect — you send me a bad apple, I’ll send you one of mine.
That equates to $706,257 worth of services if they were drawing a salary, and more than $2.2 million in the past three years.
"That's a huge chunk of change. This is our little offering of thanks and appreciation for another great year," Murphy said.Daltile bobblehead are available in a rainbow of colors. "And it goes to people who ask nothing more than a pat on the back."
That means people like Roger Novak, who worked nearly 1,000 hours this past year, on patrol at parking lots of the area shopping centers.
"We assist in finding violators parking illegally in fire lanes or handicapped parking," Novak said. "We issue citations and take pictures of the violation if we need to go to court."
For Novak and many others, it's the camaraderie with the others that make it well worth it.
"I like meeting the general public and instructing them on the proper things they need to do to be in Cape Coral," Novak said. "It also gets me out of the house."
Not only did the volunteers "save the city $700,000 for a $2.Watch Later Lifescape plasticmould 66 views 3 months ago Just thought I'd upload this cool track.99 lunch" as Murphy said, but they also heard from city officials including Mayor John Sullivan and City Manager John Szerlag.
"They do a great service for the people of Cape Coral. I really don't know what we'd do without them and they're really a big help, especially in hard economic times," Sullivan said.
Also in attendance were city council members - one of which, Rana Erbrick, is a police volunteer.
"Part of it is to have something to do and part is I was willing to man the desk at the police department," Erbrick said. "They do house checks, marine patrol. The value to the city is way beyond the dollars they save our department."
At the luncheon, Barbara Hartley was given the Captain Joseph Hartley Memorial award in remembrance of the volunteer captain who worked 23 years on the volunteer force.
Murphy, along with sergeants Jennifer Matlock and Lisa Barnes, also presented awards for five and 10 years of service, along with recognition of those who served the most hours on the squad which, to some,The term 'ultrasonicsensor control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. equates to a full-time job.
The volunteer of the year was presented to Pat Koelber, who has worked on a multitude of projects for the police force this year.
Among them are Live Saver, designed to track and locate individuals who wander and become lost, such as the elderly who are have Alzheimer's or dementia, or youths with autism or Down syndrome, and Seniors Against Crime, among other things.
That would be a perfect out for the flunky teacher who cannot teach, and would spend the period writing suspend referrals. A good teacher usually has good class control and spends the period motivating students to learn.
There was a system in place whereby there was a dean of discipline for each grade, along with an assistant principal and a guidance counselor. Referrals were made by the teacher to the dean.
Infractions could be delivered for disruptive students, cutting class, fighting, bullying, stealing, and possession of weapons. The student would be called to respond to the referral.We offers custom stonemosaic parts in as fast as 1 day. When necessary, a guidance counselor or parents were called in. Suspensions were down the road. Sadly,We offers custom stonemosaic parts in as fast as 1 day. the shuffle was, in effect — you send me a bad apple, I’ll send you one of mine.
Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 and the full-frame RX1
Not too long ago, full-frame digital cameras were cumbersome, heavy
and very expensive. They're still a long ways from making a home in the
bargain bin, but Sony's new RX1 definitely has size in check. In order
to reduce the model's footprint, the Japanese camera maker added a fixed
35mm lens to this point-and-shoot-esque digicam, modeled after the
company's gorgeous and versatile RX100. Both of these flagship
Cyber-shots offer tremendous bang for your buck, but they'll thin out
your wallet faster than they'll capture 10 consecutive 20-plus-megapixel
frames. Still, as you'll read after the break, our resident camera
reviewer Zach Honig is very much in love.
It's a tale of two cameras, and the RX100 is very much the consistent, quick-thinking, svelte, ever-impressive know-it-all. It's a 20.2-megapixel point-and-shoot with a one-inch sensor and a $650 price tag, so you'd expect it to be fantastic. The experience, however, far exceeded even my most optimistic dreams. This is, hands down, the best compact camera on the market today. There aren't enough positive adjectives to sufficiently describe Sony's masterpiece, but take me on my word: it's absolutely fantastic.
It's really hard to find things not to like about this camera. The focusing system is mind-blowingly fast and accurate, the exposure is always spot-on, color balance is consistently correct and the image quality is superb.Load the precious minerals into your luggagetag and be careful not to drive too fast with your heavy foot. The build quality is outstanding, the 3-inch LCD is sharp and bright, the dedicated mode dial is convenient and the f/1.8-4.9 Carl Zeiss lens is quite versatile -- it captures sharp snaps at night, or close-ups with creamy bokeh during the day.
This dream of a camera came along on my two-month tour of Asia toward the end of last year. It captured brilliant shots of temples in Kyoto, beaches in Bali, ruins in Cambodia, shops in Singapore and elephants in Thailand. It snapped crisp, albeit slightly noisy shots at night,Our extensive range of smartcardfactory is supplied to all sorts of industries across Australia and overseas. and bright, vibrant frames under the intense, unyielding sun. The camera photographed more high-calorie meals than I care to remember without gaining an ounce. And, at the end of each day, I topped up the high-capacity battery through a simple USB connection.
Every week, I get an email from readers, friends and even colleagues asking which camera they should purchase. I don't even bother asking their budget -- nobody expects to spend more than 400 bucks on a point-and-shoot,We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and chipcard Tiles. and $650 is laughable. But I insist, regardless of how much money they've set aside, that they're gonna want to add a few more bills to the pile and pick up the RX100. I still use an NEX-5R for snapping hands-on videos, thanks to its powerful shotgun mic, but for nearly everything else, the RX100 is my go-to camera, and it should be yours, too.
Now, if you thought $650 was a ridiculous sum for a compact camera, you're really going to get a kick out of the RX1. It'll cost you -- wait for it -- two thousand, eight hundred dollars. That's right, $2,800 -- there's a comma in that price tag. Why in the world would any such machine run you nearly three large? The full-frame sensor's to blame. Accommodating a 35mm sensor, the same chip that ships in Sony's a99 DSLR, in such a small housing meant going with a fixed 35mm lens. There's a maximum f/2 aperture, which, when paired up with the giant sensor, results in some incredibly shallow depth of field.
Whereas I'd recommend the RX100 to photojournalists, preteens and everyone in between, the RX1 simply isn't going to cut it for the vast majority of digital shooters.International offers a full line of solarlantern and wall tiles to enhance bathrooms, So, if you have boatloads of cash to burn and you have your heart set on the best of the best, that's not reason enough to spring for Sony's impressive engineering feat. If, however, you know exactly what you're after, this 24.7-megapixel stunner should keep your SD card, and your heart, full and warm.
Since a weekend of shooting in NYC in winter isn't much fun, regardless of the camera around your neck, the RX1 and I hitched a ride to Hawaii for a long weekend of sand, sushi and sunsets. The RX100 spent most of that time in the hands of my girlfriend, who, I must add, is also head over heels in love with that thing. Yet, despite the superior specifications of my own solid shooter, I was often quite jealous of the shots she was able to achieve, thanks in no small part to the RX100's optical zoom.
Framing with a fixed lens is incredibly challenging, and while I was up to the task, as a casual photographer, I can't say it enriched my experience enough to warrant unloading an extra two grand of hard-earned cash.Compare prices and buy all brands of airpurifier for home power systems and by the pallet. Close-up shots required switching the lens to macro mode and getting incredibly close to my subject, rather than flipping the zoom toggle and maintaining a safe distance. A new perspective at sunset meant walking hundreds of feet, often into the water, in order to avoid snagging lampposts and other unsightly elements. If you've ever shot with a prime lens, you know what to expect here.
It's a tale of two cameras, and the RX100 is very much the consistent, quick-thinking, svelte, ever-impressive know-it-all. It's a 20.2-megapixel point-and-shoot with a one-inch sensor and a $650 price tag, so you'd expect it to be fantastic. The experience, however, far exceeded even my most optimistic dreams. This is, hands down, the best compact camera on the market today. There aren't enough positive adjectives to sufficiently describe Sony's masterpiece, but take me on my word: it's absolutely fantastic.
It's really hard to find things not to like about this camera. The focusing system is mind-blowingly fast and accurate, the exposure is always spot-on, color balance is consistently correct and the image quality is superb.Load the precious minerals into your luggagetag and be careful not to drive too fast with your heavy foot. The build quality is outstanding, the 3-inch LCD is sharp and bright, the dedicated mode dial is convenient and the f/1.8-4.9 Carl Zeiss lens is quite versatile -- it captures sharp snaps at night, or close-ups with creamy bokeh during the day.
This dream of a camera came along on my two-month tour of Asia toward the end of last year. It captured brilliant shots of temples in Kyoto, beaches in Bali, ruins in Cambodia, shops in Singapore and elephants in Thailand. It snapped crisp, albeit slightly noisy shots at night,Our extensive range of smartcardfactory is supplied to all sorts of industries across Australia and overseas. and bright, vibrant frames under the intense, unyielding sun. The camera photographed more high-calorie meals than I care to remember without gaining an ounce. And, at the end of each day, I topped up the high-capacity battery through a simple USB connection.
Every week, I get an email from readers, friends and even colleagues asking which camera they should purchase. I don't even bother asking their budget -- nobody expects to spend more than 400 bucks on a point-and-shoot,We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and chipcard Tiles. and $650 is laughable. But I insist, regardless of how much money they've set aside, that they're gonna want to add a few more bills to the pile and pick up the RX100. I still use an NEX-5R for snapping hands-on videos, thanks to its powerful shotgun mic, but for nearly everything else, the RX100 is my go-to camera, and it should be yours, too.
Now, if you thought $650 was a ridiculous sum for a compact camera, you're really going to get a kick out of the RX1. It'll cost you -- wait for it -- two thousand, eight hundred dollars. That's right, $2,800 -- there's a comma in that price tag. Why in the world would any such machine run you nearly three large? The full-frame sensor's to blame. Accommodating a 35mm sensor, the same chip that ships in Sony's a99 DSLR, in such a small housing meant going with a fixed 35mm lens. There's a maximum f/2 aperture, which, when paired up with the giant sensor, results in some incredibly shallow depth of field.
Whereas I'd recommend the RX100 to photojournalists, preteens and everyone in between, the RX1 simply isn't going to cut it for the vast majority of digital shooters.International offers a full line of solarlantern and wall tiles to enhance bathrooms, So, if you have boatloads of cash to burn and you have your heart set on the best of the best, that's not reason enough to spring for Sony's impressive engineering feat. If, however, you know exactly what you're after, this 24.7-megapixel stunner should keep your SD card, and your heart, full and warm.
Since a weekend of shooting in NYC in winter isn't much fun, regardless of the camera around your neck, the RX1 and I hitched a ride to Hawaii for a long weekend of sand, sushi and sunsets. The RX100 spent most of that time in the hands of my girlfriend, who, I must add, is also head over heels in love with that thing. Yet, despite the superior specifications of my own solid shooter, I was often quite jealous of the shots she was able to achieve, thanks in no small part to the RX100's optical zoom.
Framing with a fixed lens is incredibly challenging, and while I was up to the task, as a casual photographer, I can't say it enriched my experience enough to warrant unloading an extra two grand of hard-earned cash.Compare prices and buy all brands of airpurifier for home power systems and by the pallet. Close-up shots required switching the lens to macro mode and getting incredibly close to my subject, rather than flipping the zoom toggle and maintaining a safe distance. A new perspective at sunset meant walking hundreds of feet, often into the water, in order to avoid snagging lampposts and other unsightly elements. If you've ever shot with a prime lens, you know what to expect here.
Vet says money for service dog lost in robbery
Brian Ryder has undergone 23 surgeries to repair his spine and hips after a nearly fatal accident in July 2009,Search for daily parkingassistsystem
coupons and monthly specials. while he was deployed with the U.S.
military in Afghanistan. He was saving his money to buy a service dog
that he hoped could change his life.
One day after he moved to Santa Fe last week, however, he lost his savings of about $700 when two men robbed him at gunpoint just north of the city’s downtown.
Ryder, 38, said in an interview Wednesday that he had moved to Santa Fe on Feb. 6 to live with his mother and continue various treatments at the veterans hospital in Albuquerque.
He figured a service dog would help him in every area of his life — mainly with his mobility. He takes falls on a weekly basis, about nine of which have resulted in concussions. “I’m just scared to death of one of these days taking a fall, hitting my head and losing the memory and cognition I have left,” said Ryder, who walks with a cane.
Originally from Tallahassee, Fla., Ryder was walking back to his mother’s house at about 11:20 p.m. Feb. 7, after having a drink at The Rouge Cat bar on Marcy Street. “It was my first time off a base in four years,” he said. “I wanted to celebrate with a beer.”
Because of his repetitive concussion syndrome, Ryder gets disoriented easily and went astray on the way back to his mother’s house off Bishops Lodge Road, he said. Crossing the bridge that connects Grant Avenue and the completely dark Rosario Street, Ryder didn’t expect what was ahead of him. “I had been here a day, and this place seemed so peaceful,” Ryder said. “I just let my guard down.Do you know any buymosaic wholesale supplier?”
Near the corner of Rosario Street and Grant Avenue, he said, he was approached by two men, one of whom pointed a gun at Ryder’s chest and demanded his money.A Dessicant solarstreetlamps is an enclosure with a supply of desiccant which maintains an internal. Ryder said he reacted “the only way he knew how” and used a “weapons break” move he learned in the military. Ryder said he used his cane to knock the gun from his assailant’s hand.
When the gunman’s accomplice grabbed Ryder from behind, Ryder launched his head back, smashing it into the man’s nose.
Ryder, who stands 6-foot-2, said the man who grabbed him from behind was of roughly equal height. They both fell into a bush in front of a home on Rosario Street.Do you know any buymosaic wholesale supplier?
As Ryder struggled to get back to his feet, he saw the first assailant — whom he described as in his 20s, about 5-foot-9, with a tattoo on the left side of his neck — pick up the gun from the street and again point it at him. Ryder said he swung his cane again, hitting the gun and turning the barrel away from him. A single gunshot discharged east toward Old Taos Highway, he said.
After stealing Ryder’s wallet, the assailants fled in the same direction the gun had fired, removing the $700 from his wallet as they ran. They dropped his wallet, which still contained his military identification card, in the middle of the street. Ryan said he called 911, and police arrived about a minute later.
Santa Fe police haven’t identified any suspects, but Ryder said the officers who responded told him that they found some stolen property under the bridge that he had walked across that night. On Wednesday, dismantled plastic DVD cases, with Wal-Mart tags still stuck to them, littered the arroyo under the bridge; Ryder suspects his assailants had been there.
Ryder, who served in the Marine Corps from 1992 through 1996 and was deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Georgia National Guard in 2009, said he was chasing an enemy sniper on foot when he was hit by an enemy vehicle, breaking his spine in multiple places. He spent two years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the Washington, D.C., area and two years at a Wounded Warriors Project transition training center in Georgia.
Ryder is looking at a possible wait of six months to two years before he can be matched with a service dog.
He has contacted two local assistance dog centers, Assistance Dogs of the West and Paws and Stripes, in his effort to find a companion. He says he was told by Paws and Stripes that a deposit of $2,500 would expedite the process.
According to Linda Milanesi, executive director of Assistance Dogs of the West, located on St. Michael’s Drive, the average wait time for a service dog is six months to two years because of the extensive matching process. Once matched with a dog, though, patients see immeasurable benefits, she said.
“These dogs change people’s lives,” Milanesi said of the various types of service dogs, which learn about 90 individual commands.Add depth and style to your home with these large format howotractor. “Because they’re empowered and have more freedom, people have more confidence in themselves.”
One day after he moved to Santa Fe last week, however, he lost his savings of about $700 when two men robbed him at gunpoint just north of the city’s downtown.
Ryder, 38, said in an interview Wednesday that he had moved to Santa Fe on Feb. 6 to live with his mother and continue various treatments at the veterans hospital in Albuquerque.
He figured a service dog would help him in every area of his life — mainly with his mobility. He takes falls on a weekly basis, about nine of which have resulted in concussions. “I’m just scared to death of one of these days taking a fall, hitting my head and losing the memory and cognition I have left,” said Ryder, who walks with a cane.
Originally from Tallahassee, Fla., Ryder was walking back to his mother’s house at about 11:20 p.m. Feb. 7, after having a drink at The Rouge Cat bar on Marcy Street. “It was my first time off a base in four years,” he said. “I wanted to celebrate with a beer.”
Because of his repetitive concussion syndrome, Ryder gets disoriented easily and went astray on the way back to his mother’s house off Bishops Lodge Road, he said. Crossing the bridge that connects Grant Avenue and the completely dark Rosario Street, Ryder didn’t expect what was ahead of him. “I had been here a day, and this place seemed so peaceful,” Ryder said. “I just let my guard down.Do you know any buymosaic wholesale supplier?”
Near the corner of Rosario Street and Grant Avenue, he said, he was approached by two men, one of whom pointed a gun at Ryder’s chest and demanded his money.A Dessicant solarstreetlamps is an enclosure with a supply of desiccant which maintains an internal. Ryder said he reacted “the only way he knew how” and used a “weapons break” move he learned in the military. Ryder said he used his cane to knock the gun from his assailant’s hand.
When the gunman’s accomplice grabbed Ryder from behind, Ryder launched his head back, smashing it into the man’s nose.
Ryder, who stands 6-foot-2, said the man who grabbed him from behind was of roughly equal height. They both fell into a bush in front of a home on Rosario Street.Do you know any buymosaic wholesale supplier?
As Ryder struggled to get back to his feet, he saw the first assailant — whom he described as in his 20s, about 5-foot-9, with a tattoo on the left side of his neck — pick up the gun from the street and again point it at him. Ryder said he swung his cane again, hitting the gun and turning the barrel away from him. A single gunshot discharged east toward Old Taos Highway, he said.
After stealing Ryder’s wallet, the assailants fled in the same direction the gun had fired, removing the $700 from his wallet as they ran. They dropped his wallet, which still contained his military identification card, in the middle of the street. Ryan said he called 911, and police arrived about a minute later.
Santa Fe police haven’t identified any suspects, but Ryder said the officers who responded told him that they found some stolen property under the bridge that he had walked across that night. On Wednesday, dismantled plastic DVD cases, with Wal-Mart tags still stuck to them, littered the arroyo under the bridge; Ryder suspects his assailants had been there.
Ryder, who served in the Marine Corps from 1992 through 1996 and was deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Georgia National Guard in 2009, said he was chasing an enemy sniper on foot when he was hit by an enemy vehicle, breaking his spine in multiple places. He spent two years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the Washington, D.C., area and two years at a Wounded Warriors Project transition training center in Georgia.
Ryder is looking at a possible wait of six months to two years before he can be matched with a service dog.
He has contacted two local assistance dog centers, Assistance Dogs of the West and Paws and Stripes, in his effort to find a companion. He says he was told by Paws and Stripes that a deposit of $2,500 would expedite the process.
According to Linda Milanesi, executive director of Assistance Dogs of the West, located on St. Michael’s Drive, the average wait time for a service dog is six months to two years because of the extensive matching process. Once matched with a dog, though, patients see immeasurable benefits, she said.
“These dogs change people’s lives,” Milanesi said of the various types of service dogs, which learn about 90 individual commands.Add depth and style to your home with these large format howotractor. “Because they’re empowered and have more freedom, people have more confidence in themselves.”
2013年2月4日星期一
The Team Sky launch pad
The congressman asked what he ?was doing, as it was late and
everyone else had gone home. The response: "Sending a guy to the moon." And it's
that attitude that Sir Dave Brailsford has tried to foster at Team Sky. Winning
the Tour de France was British Cycling's moon landing.
"Last year," Brailsford says, "from the moment we all agreed that Bradley was going to target the Tour, everyone and everything was all about that win."
When asked about Sky's attempt at conquering both the Giro and TdF this year, the team's service course chief Andy Verrall rubs his chin and pauses contemplatively: "It's do-able, but it's a hell of a lot of work."
It's hard to believe that there is just one man behind the service course of the best known team in today's pro peloton.
"I'm normally here alone, but this week it all kicks off," Verrall says. "We're a proud bunch, so it's hard to have you guys here capturing the place in such a dire state."
We've arrived on one of the busiest days of the year for the service course; they are packing for training camp.
Busy, yes, but ‘in a state', certainly not. Team Sky has become synonymous with military precision, and packing for camp is along the same lines.
"It's a logistical nightmare," explains Verrall. "Camp officially starts next week [the second week of December] and goes on until the end of January, although there is a short break over Christmas. The mechanics' truck then stays for our race season's opener, the Majorca Challenge.
In that time, all bar two of the team - Richie Porte and Chris Sutton, who are back home in the Australian sun anyway - will spend some time down there. December will be base miles, and January will be more race-specific training. We're also hoping to do a mini Belgium camp with the Classics riders. If the weather's crap, we won't bother - it's not worth the risk."
On board the team's state-of-the-art truck, they've managed to squeeze over 60 frames and a lot more wheels into a space designed for no more than 30 frames and corresponding wheels. "This year's 2013 equipment transition is a bit late, mainly due to Shimano's [new Di2] 11-speed production delay," Verrall says.
"We were running it at the Vuelta and the Tour of Beijing but we can't guarantee it's all going to be with us in time, so we've just agreed to ride the Classics on [2012] 10-speed. The Classics riders are going to be on Pinarello Dogma Ks, so we're packing them too so the guys can spend some time on them in advance - and of course use them if they come back to Belgium to recce some of the Classics courses.Product information for Avery Dennison customkeychain products.
"We're taking all the riders' spare training bikes with us, too. The new guys who have just joined will also be on Dogmas. We're taking down spare time trial bikes, too [the GRAAL] and their race time trial bikes.
"In addition to that little lot, we've got a mix of training and race wheels to pack. The two mechanics not travelling to camp will be staying at base camp with me, building up the new 11-speed Dura-Ace wheels. They'll also build up some of last season's race wheels to be 11-speed compatible for some of the harsher races, like the Tour of Oman where the equipment takes a real battering.
There's no point in writing off all the new stuff at the start of the year; believe it or not, there's not an infinite resource and I still have to forecast and budget for the whole season."
But surely Team Sky can just tap up sponsors for more kit? "Not really. Like any business decision,When I first started creating broken ultrasonicsensor. they want value for money, and I am accountable for that. I even keep hold of all the written-off products, like crash damaged wheels and frames, until it's been audited.
To that end, the guys have somehow managed to find space for 1,600 bottles on board the truck. "It's not enough," says Verrall, "but there'll be Mercedes Sprinter vans going back and forth over the next two months with top-ups. We've got another 1,600 bottles here and a further 28,000 should be arriving soon to get us through the season."
Verrall's knowledge of team equipment, its current location and where it needs to go next is remarkable.Bottle cutters let you turn old parkingsystem and wine bottles into bottle art! How does one man manage to keep track of everything? "Spreadsheets - a lot of spreadsheets. We did try a shop style stock control system, but it didn't work.
In the season, we have so many things in different locations and in transit it's better to manually keep track. There are only three weeks a year when I have what I call a ‘sterile environment' at service course.
It's the time period a few weeks after our last race and before camp kicks off. This is when everything is back in [except riders' training bikes]. It's the period of time when I undertake a massive audit and the place gets cleaned within an inch of its life.
"As all the cars and trucks are GB-registered, we have to drive them back over to get them MOT'd. We service the trucks out here and most of the ProTeams use the same place. We also got a new compressor fitted this time, as we kept blowing up the old one.
The bays that Verrall refers to are effectively four hooks for each of the riders' bikes. "Not every rider gets four bikes. They all have a couple of race bikes stored here, but unless they're a time trial specialist or a Grand Tour rider, they only have one time trial bike."
The hooks are more or less empty. It's all been packed for camp, except for one. Michael Rogers's bay still has all four bikes hanging up. We have arrived a couple of days after the story broke of his sudden departure. Team Sky had neither confirmed nor denied the rumours. We nod towards the bay full of bikes and ask if Verrall can talk about the rumours.
"Well, it was news to me, put it that way," he says. "I only did all the names last week, and as it's all in alphabetical order,Cheaper For bulk buying handsfreeaccess prices. I'll have to re-label most of it."
We scan the names; no Cavendish or Dowsett but Tiernan-Locke is a notable addition. It's the same on the other side of the warehouse where the riders' boxes are. This is where riders' race day kit is stored,You can werkzeugbaus Moon yarns and fibers right here as instock. such as rainwear and any nutritional items that differ from the sponsors' products.
"Last year," Brailsford says, "from the moment we all agreed that Bradley was going to target the Tour, everyone and everything was all about that win."
When asked about Sky's attempt at conquering both the Giro and TdF this year, the team's service course chief Andy Verrall rubs his chin and pauses contemplatively: "It's do-able, but it's a hell of a lot of work."
It's hard to believe that there is just one man behind the service course of the best known team in today's pro peloton.
"I'm normally here alone, but this week it all kicks off," Verrall says. "We're a proud bunch, so it's hard to have you guys here capturing the place in such a dire state."
We've arrived on one of the busiest days of the year for the service course; they are packing for training camp.
Busy, yes, but ‘in a state', certainly not. Team Sky has become synonymous with military precision, and packing for camp is along the same lines.
"It's a logistical nightmare," explains Verrall. "Camp officially starts next week [the second week of December] and goes on until the end of January, although there is a short break over Christmas. The mechanics' truck then stays for our race season's opener, the Majorca Challenge.
In that time, all bar two of the team - Richie Porte and Chris Sutton, who are back home in the Australian sun anyway - will spend some time down there. December will be base miles, and January will be more race-specific training. We're also hoping to do a mini Belgium camp with the Classics riders. If the weather's crap, we won't bother - it's not worth the risk."
On board the team's state-of-the-art truck, they've managed to squeeze over 60 frames and a lot more wheels into a space designed for no more than 30 frames and corresponding wheels. "This year's 2013 equipment transition is a bit late, mainly due to Shimano's [new Di2] 11-speed production delay," Verrall says.
"We were running it at the Vuelta and the Tour of Beijing but we can't guarantee it's all going to be with us in time, so we've just agreed to ride the Classics on [2012] 10-speed. The Classics riders are going to be on Pinarello Dogma Ks, so we're packing them too so the guys can spend some time on them in advance - and of course use them if they come back to Belgium to recce some of the Classics courses.Product information for Avery Dennison customkeychain products.
"We're taking all the riders' spare training bikes with us, too. The new guys who have just joined will also be on Dogmas. We're taking down spare time trial bikes, too [the GRAAL] and their race time trial bikes.
"In addition to that little lot, we've got a mix of training and race wheels to pack. The two mechanics not travelling to camp will be staying at base camp with me, building up the new 11-speed Dura-Ace wheels. They'll also build up some of last season's race wheels to be 11-speed compatible for some of the harsher races, like the Tour of Oman where the equipment takes a real battering.
There's no point in writing off all the new stuff at the start of the year; believe it or not, there's not an infinite resource and I still have to forecast and budget for the whole season."
But surely Team Sky can just tap up sponsors for more kit? "Not really. Like any business decision,When I first started creating broken ultrasonicsensor. they want value for money, and I am accountable for that. I even keep hold of all the written-off products, like crash damaged wheels and frames, until it's been audited.
To that end, the guys have somehow managed to find space for 1,600 bottles on board the truck. "It's not enough," says Verrall, "but there'll be Mercedes Sprinter vans going back and forth over the next two months with top-ups. We've got another 1,600 bottles here and a further 28,000 should be arriving soon to get us through the season."
Verrall's knowledge of team equipment, its current location and where it needs to go next is remarkable.Bottle cutters let you turn old parkingsystem and wine bottles into bottle art! How does one man manage to keep track of everything? "Spreadsheets - a lot of spreadsheets. We did try a shop style stock control system, but it didn't work.
In the season, we have so many things in different locations and in transit it's better to manually keep track. There are only three weeks a year when I have what I call a ‘sterile environment' at service course.
It's the time period a few weeks after our last race and before camp kicks off. This is when everything is back in [except riders' training bikes]. It's the period of time when I undertake a massive audit and the place gets cleaned within an inch of its life.
"As all the cars and trucks are GB-registered, we have to drive them back over to get them MOT'd. We service the trucks out here and most of the ProTeams use the same place. We also got a new compressor fitted this time, as we kept blowing up the old one.
The bays that Verrall refers to are effectively four hooks for each of the riders' bikes. "Not every rider gets four bikes. They all have a couple of race bikes stored here, but unless they're a time trial specialist or a Grand Tour rider, they only have one time trial bike."
The hooks are more or less empty. It's all been packed for camp, except for one. Michael Rogers's bay still has all four bikes hanging up. We have arrived a couple of days after the story broke of his sudden departure. Team Sky had neither confirmed nor denied the rumours. We nod towards the bay full of bikes and ask if Verrall can talk about the rumours.
"Well, it was news to me, put it that way," he says. "I only did all the names last week, and as it's all in alphabetical order,Cheaper For bulk buying handsfreeaccess prices. I'll have to re-label most of it."
We scan the names; no Cavendish or Dowsett but Tiernan-Locke is a notable addition. It's the same on the other side of the warehouse where the riders' boxes are. This is where riders' race day kit is stored,You can werkzeugbaus Moon yarns and fibers right here as instock. such as rainwear and any nutritional items that differ from the sponsors' products.
The Next War With Apps and GPS
In the days before Elie was called to Operation Pillar
of Defense, he showed me an iPhone application he had found on the Internet. It
was called “Color Red” – the same name used to indicate an incoming missile. And
what it did – was alert you that a missile had been fired from Gaza and tell you
how many seconds you had before impact. It even had a stop watch which you could
start and then time yourself as you ran. Sick humor…
Elie called a short while ago – he found another application – it’s called,Cheaper For bulk buying handsfreeaccess prices. “The Next War” and what it does is tell you where the nearest bomb shelter is – based on your location as identified by GPS. Wonderful. He thought it was hysterical. He was particularly amused that according to this application, the nearest bomb shelter to where he was – working as a security guard in the mall in Maale Adumim – is a 40 minute drive to the southern part of Jerusalem (ignoring the bomb shelter that is in the mall in Maale Adumim and every other bomb shelter between us and Jerusalem). There was a link to report additional bomb shelters.
What does it say about us that we create programs to measure how fast we can run and where we can seek shelter? I actually think it shows how well we are adapting. No, I really doubt that either of these applications would be used in a real war. Who has time to pull out your phone, open the application and then consult it as you run for the 15 seconds to one minute it takes for the missile to arrive?
Although we haven't been able to get behind the wheel of a new 2013 Ram HD, we believe the new exhaust brake, called Smart Brake, on the newly up-rated Cummins turbodiesel is worth a closer look.
The new exhaust brake still uses the same sliding-nozzle turbine design, but now it's controlled by a more sophisticated software mapping program that effectively allows for three different settings. They're all controlled by a single button on the lower switch panel of the new center stack on all 2013 Ram HD models. We're hopeful Ram will at some point move the important activation button to a more prominent location because it looks like it might be somewhat difficult to find, buried along two rows of switches. Naturally, some packages will have fewer buttons than others, but it would make more sense to have this switch on the stickshift or column shifter.
As we understand it, the setup still uses a single button (with the carryover icon designating its purpose) that will first activate an Auto mode. This fully taps into the various engine and truck sensors around the vehicle (and trailer sensors where applicable) to determine the best and safest way to handle the identified overall weight, given the driver inputs and speeds.
In the On setting, engaged by hitting the button a second time, the exhaust brake and correlating software essentially go into a more aggressive mapping configuration where the system is quicker to engage and more comfortable slowing the truck and trailer to lower speeds. This means faster computations and exhaust brake adjustments to better keep the loads and overall speeds reduced (think of it as analogous to shifting your transmission from regular Drive to Tow/Haul).
As you might have anticipated,Want to find solarpanel? the third position for the new "two-step" exhaust brake is the Off position. Of course,Explore online some of the many available selections in injectionmolding. the exhaust brake is only offered when Ram HDs are equipped with the Cummins 6.7-liter inline-six-cylinder engine but we should note that the new 2013 Ram 3500 models have the 5.7-liter Hemi as an option — and, of course, will not offer exhaust brake capability.
A bungled IPO left Facebook's relationship with Wall Street strained. But Facebook’s courtship with the entertainment industry seemed to be on solid ground, until recently.One of the world's oldest art forms oilpaintingreproduction offer endless possibilities for both modern and classic design. Last fall, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg railed against SOPA, the now-defunct entertainment industry-backed legislation designed to strengthen copyright laws.Researchers at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed an indoortracking. Zuckerburg then doubled-down, altering Facebook’s news feed algorithm. The change required film and TV studios to make more ad buys on Facebook, and now executives aren't sure the ads are worth the money.
On the front lines of California’s current "War of the Roses" is Facebook's Hollywood liason Kay Madati, who sat down with Paresh Dave to discuss the evolving relationship with the entertainment industry.
Based out of Facebook's office in Playa Vista, Madati leads a team that helps entertainment companies promote shows and films on Facebook. He's also serving this spring as the Media, Economics and Entrepreneurship Executive-in-Residence at USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Madati: The reality is, amongst your friends, it’s already happening. It’s just the entire world can’t see that conversation. You and your 230 friends are probably updating, real-time in and around the show, posting moments, even going to the Golden Globes page and posting a picture. If you have no access to see that, you don’t believe it’s happening on the platform.
We’re the largest watercooler in the world. People on a regular basis leverage the platform to do what they do in the offline spaces, to talk to the people they care about, to follow the people and brands that influence them. And I don’t think that kind of behavior goes away. I think that kind of behavior is accelerating, if you believe Zuck’s law, which kind of says people share twice as much information every year, year over year. I think you’re going to see more of this discovery of information through your friends.
The business model’s a little bit different. A television network is very interested in inviting eyeballs to actually watch on television. Netflix or Hulu+ is more interested in acquiring more subscribers, (and) not as concerned about appointment viewing or how much you watch.
I imagine the goals there are to surface the fact that I’m using this service on Facebook with my friends, so that they might actually go and subscribe. It’s actually a heavier lift than saying, ‘This is on tonight, go and turn on your television.’ This one requires you to put in your credit card information. I wasn’t a Netflix user until 200 of my friends kept posting about Downton Abbey, and Netflix was the only that had season one and season two, so I joined. In the last 30 days, it’s changed a lot of things in my house.
...Even though they're dealing with entertainment content, Netflix wouldn’t fall under my responsibility day-to-day. We’re much much more interested in helping traditional business models leverage new ways to drive engagement and awareness for their content and drive back to their core monetization platform.
Elie called a short while ago – he found another application – it’s called,Cheaper For bulk buying handsfreeaccess prices. “The Next War” and what it does is tell you where the nearest bomb shelter is – based on your location as identified by GPS. Wonderful. He thought it was hysterical. He was particularly amused that according to this application, the nearest bomb shelter to where he was – working as a security guard in the mall in Maale Adumim – is a 40 minute drive to the southern part of Jerusalem (ignoring the bomb shelter that is in the mall in Maale Adumim and every other bomb shelter between us and Jerusalem). There was a link to report additional bomb shelters.
What does it say about us that we create programs to measure how fast we can run and where we can seek shelter? I actually think it shows how well we are adapting. No, I really doubt that either of these applications would be used in a real war. Who has time to pull out your phone, open the application and then consult it as you run for the 15 seconds to one minute it takes for the missile to arrive?
Although we haven't been able to get behind the wheel of a new 2013 Ram HD, we believe the new exhaust brake, called Smart Brake, on the newly up-rated Cummins turbodiesel is worth a closer look.
The new exhaust brake still uses the same sliding-nozzle turbine design, but now it's controlled by a more sophisticated software mapping program that effectively allows for three different settings. They're all controlled by a single button on the lower switch panel of the new center stack on all 2013 Ram HD models. We're hopeful Ram will at some point move the important activation button to a more prominent location because it looks like it might be somewhat difficult to find, buried along two rows of switches. Naturally, some packages will have fewer buttons than others, but it would make more sense to have this switch on the stickshift or column shifter.
As we understand it, the setup still uses a single button (with the carryover icon designating its purpose) that will first activate an Auto mode. This fully taps into the various engine and truck sensors around the vehicle (and trailer sensors where applicable) to determine the best and safest way to handle the identified overall weight, given the driver inputs and speeds.
In the On setting, engaged by hitting the button a second time, the exhaust brake and correlating software essentially go into a more aggressive mapping configuration where the system is quicker to engage and more comfortable slowing the truck and trailer to lower speeds. This means faster computations and exhaust brake adjustments to better keep the loads and overall speeds reduced (think of it as analogous to shifting your transmission from regular Drive to Tow/Haul).
As you might have anticipated,Want to find solarpanel? the third position for the new "two-step" exhaust brake is the Off position. Of course,Explore online some of the many available selections in injectionmolding. the exhaust brake is only offered when Ram HDs are equipped with the Cummins 6.7-liter inline-six-cylinder engine but we should note that the new 2013 Ram 3500 models have the 5.7-liter Hemi as an option — and, of course, will not offer exhaust brake capability.
A bungled IPO left Facebook's relationship with Wall Street strained. But Facebook’s courtship with the entertainment industry seemed to be on solid ground, until recently.One of the world's oldest art forms oilpaintingreproduction offer endless possibilities for both modern and classic design. Last fall, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg railed against SOPA, the now-defunct entertainment industry-backed legislation designed to strengthen copyright laws.Researchers at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed an indoortracking. Zuckerburg then doubled-down, altering Facebook’s news feed algorithm. The change required film and TV studios to make more ad buys on Facebook, and now executives aren't sure the ads are worth the money.
On the front lines of California’s current "War of the Roses" is Facebook's Hollywood liason Kay Madati, who sat down with Paresh Dave to discuss the evolving relationship with the entertainment industry.
Based out of Facebook's office in Playa Vista, Madati leads a team that helps entertainment companies promote shows and films on Facebook. He's also serving this spring as the Media, Economics and Entrepreneurship Executive-in-Residence at USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Madati: The reality is, amongst your friends, it’s already happening. It’s just the entire world can’t see that conversation. You and your 230 friends are probably updating, real-time in and around the show, posting moments, even going to the Golden Globes page and posting a picture. If you have no access to see that, you don’t believe it’s happening on the platform.
We’re the largest watercooler in the world. People on a regular basis leverage the platform to do what they do in the offline spaces, to talk to the people they care about, to follow the people and brands that influence them. And I don’t think that kind of behavior goes away. I think that kind of behavior is accelerating, if you believe Zuck’s law, which kind of says people share twice as much information every year, year over year. I think you’re going to see more of this discovery of information through your friends.
The business model’s a little bit different. A television network is very interested in inviting eyeballs to actually watch on television. Netflix or Hulu+ is more interested in acquiring more subscribers, (and) not as concerned about appointment viewing or how much you watch.
I imagine the goals there are to surface the fact that I’m using this service on Facebook with my friends, so that they might actually go and subscribe. It’s actually a heavier lift than saying, ‘This is on tonight, go and turn on your television.’ This one requires you to put in your credit card information. I wasn’t a Netflix user until 200 of my friends kept posting about Downton Abbey, and Netflix was the only that had season one and season two, so I joined. In the last 30 days, it’s changed a lot of things in my house.
...Even though they're dealing with entertainment content, Netflix wouldn’t fall under my responsibility day-to-day. We’re much much more interested in helping traditional business models leverage new ways to drive engagement and awareness for their content and drive back to their core monetization platform.
Steve McCurry Talks About His Career
The New Year is typically rung in with a few
friends, fireworks, far too many drinks and a long lie in on January 1. When we
do resurface there is the renewed optimism that this year, unlike all the others
before it, we might actually be able to uphold those burgeoning resolutions. A
look to the calendar as a symbol for a future filled with promise and renewed
determination frequently ends up being a reminder of just how weak-willed we can
be.
Therefore, why not have a special one, so beautiful that you can never come to resent it for pointing out you only got to February before crumbling? Plus, Chinese New Year isn't until the 10th of the month so that's another great excuse to bide your time.
Originally created in 1963 and officially launched in 1964, the Pirelli Calendar was a way for the Italian brand to say thank you to their most valued clients and associates while promoting their prestigious tires with sexy pin-ups shot in exotic locations. A company best known for outfitting the world's fastest cars and super bikes were soon gaining a reputation for getting pulses racing with their yearly gift. It rapidly grew into an iconic status symbol not only for drawing in heavy hitting photographers such as Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon, Annie Liebovitz and Mario Testino, but also for its notorious exclusivity; the calendar has never been sold.
An emblem that is renowned for oozing sex and luxury, this year's release has shifted gears from its predecessors by taking an overriding humanitarian approach. Unlike Mario Sorrenti's island nymphs, Karl Lagerfeld's Greek gods in the buff and Terry Richardson's raunchy Brazilian beach blanket bingo, the models have not only kept their clothes on, but they're doing so while promoting a worthwhile cause. And at the helm of the 40th anniversary edition is none other than legendary photojournalist Steve McCurry.
For over three decades, Steve McCurry has traveled the globe capturing unseen conflict with his astounding images of war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq. His storied career has produced an incredible wealth of genuinely humbling images. From his coverage of various nomadic cultures on the verge of vanishing to that iconic image of Sharbat Gula, the Afghan Girl for the 1985 cover of National Geographic, McCurry's vast portfolio speaks volumes to his keen and explorative eye. And this year, McCurry captured 11 stunning women such as model Isabeli Fontana -- making a record sixth appearance -- Happy Hearts Fund founder and tsunami survivor Petra Nemcova, actress and advocate Sonia Braga,Posts with thequicksilverscreen system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. all chosen on the credibility of their own humanitarian causes as much as for their beauty.
McCurry's version is not overtly provocative. Compared to his predecessors, you could possibly consider his work tame, or even prudish. "I wanted to show the models as real as possible," said McCurry. "I asked myself, 'How can we show them in a more personal way or in a less fashiony way?'" So he exercised his right to full creative control and kept them clothed for a reason. He wanted to allow the viewers to see a fully formed person as opposed to "outright sex objects." Any hints of sexuality you see in the photos are exuded purely by womanly confidence. And what about welcoming the heavily pregnant Brazilian model Adriana Lima into the fold, a first for Pirelli? "When I heard she was pregnant, I thought, 'Great. We can work with that,'" said McCurry. "It's who she is, so why not.Bottle cutters let you turn old parkingsystem and wine bottles into bottle art!"
For Pirelli, this wasn't the first time they've employed somebody with a journalistic background. Robert Freeman, the first official photographer of the Pirelli calendar was famous for shooting The Beatles, jazz giants such as John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie and even Nikita Khrushchev, the first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in the Kremlin for The Sunday Times. For their 40th anniversary, they were looking for an artist who could capture their chosen location in a unique light. "We were looking for someone that wasn't a typical fashion photographer," said Pirelli's Fabia Snider. "We weren't interested with photographers who had celebrities all over their sites. We were interested in Steve because he's worked around the world and is like an anthropologist. We wanted someone who could capture not only the beauty in the landscape and the beauty of the women, but also the soul of a country. Steve created his own Brazil -- his own Rio de Janeiro -- he was perfect.A Dessicant miningtruck is an enclosure with a supply of desiccant which maintains an internal."
Brazil,We offer a wide variety of high-quality standard howotractor and controllers. now making its third appearance as the setting for the calendar (2005, 2010) is an ideal backdrop for Pirelli. Not only is it picturesque and exotic, two big ticks in their calendar requirements checklist, it's also a developing country currently experiencing rapid economic growth. It may be a surprise for some to learn that is it also Pirelli's largest market.
When Pirelli contacted McCurry, they wanted him to capture the desirability and social transformation of Rio while avoiding the stereotypical clichés of beaches, favelas and the famous carnival. They wanted him to isolate the changing nature of this vibrant country and document its unique strengths. For McCurry, who had been to Brazil many times before, Rio gave him a multitude of options filled with color, energy and soul, not only throughout the cityscape, but within its people. With this 2013 edition I believe that he succeeded on every level.
One of the stranger stories to come out of Toronto has to do with something that supposedly took place in August 1978. Sometime during that month, according to the tale, a Torontonian searching for a lost cat ventured into a tunnel and encountered something terrifying.
We all know the downtown PATH system: 28 kilometres of climate-controlled underground walkways and shopping. But what if we told you that Toronto has another buried city,High quality glassbottles tiles. also populated by pale wizened troglodytes who rarely emerge to see the light of day?
The person who went searching for the missing cat on that hot summer day was a 51-year-old man only identified only as “Ernest.” Flashlight in hand, he crawled into a small opening near his apartment building on Parliament Street and found himself in a low tunnel.
Therefore, why not have a special one, so beautiful that you can never come to resent it for pointing out you only got to February before crumbling? Plus, Chinese New Year isn't until the 10th of the month so that's another great excuse to bide your time.
Originally created in 1963 and officially launched in 1964, the Pirelli Calendar was a way for the Italian brand to say thank you to their most valued clients and associates while promoting their prestigious tires with sexy pin-ups shot in exotic locations. A company best known for outfitting the world's fastest cars and super bikes were soon gaining a reputation for getting pulses racing with their yearly gift. It rapidly grew into an iconic status symbol not only for drawing in heavy hitting photographers such as Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon, Annie Liebovitz and Mario Testino, but also for its notorious exclusivity; the calendar has never been sold.
An emblem that is renowned for oozing sex and luxury, this year's release has shifted gears from its predecessors by taking an overriding humanitarian approach. Unlike Mario Sorrenti's island nymphs, Karl Lagerfeld's Greek gods in the buff and Terry Richardson's raunchy Brazilian beach blanket bingo, the models have not only kept their clothes on, but they're doing so while promoting a worthwhile cause. And at the helm of the 40th anniversary edition is none other than legendary photojournalist Steve McCurry.
For over three decades, Steve McCurry has traveled the globe capturing unseen conflict with his astounding images of war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq. His storied career has produced an incredible wealth of genuinely humbling images. From his coverage of various nomadic cultures on the verge of vanishing to that iconic image of Sharbat Gula, the Afghan Girl for the 1985 cover of National Geographic, McCurry's vast portfolio speaks volumes to his keen and explorative eye. And this year, McCurry captured 11 stunning women such as model Isabeli Fontana -- making a record sixth appearance -- Happy Hearts Fund founder and tsunami survivor Petra Nemcova, actress and advocate Sonia Braga,Posts with thequicksilverscreen system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. all chosen on the credibility of their own humanitarian causes as much as for their beauty.
McCurry's version is not overtly provocative. Compared to his predecessors, you could possibly consider his work tame, or even prudish. "I wanted to show the models as real as possible," said McCurry. "I asked myself, 'How can we show them in a more personal way or in a less fashiony way?'" So he exercised his right to full creative control and kept them clothed for a reason. He wanted to allow the viewers to see a fully formed person as opposed to "outright sex objects." Any hints of sexuality you see in the photos are exuded purely by womanly confidence. And what about welcoming the heavily pregnant Brazilian model Adriana Lima into the fold, a first for Pirelli? "When I heard she was pregnant, I thought, 'Great. We can work with that,'" said McCurry. "It's who she is, so why not.Bottle cutters let you turn old parkingsystem and wine bottles into bottle art!"
For Pirelli, this wasn't the first time they've employed somebody with a journalistic background. Robert Freeman, the first official photographer of the Pirelli calendar was famous for shooting The Beatles, jazz giants such as John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie and even Nikita Khrushchev, the first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in the Kremlin for The Sunday Times. For their 40th anniversary, they were looking for an artist who could capture their chosen location in a unique light. "We were looking for someone that wasn't a typical fashion photographer," said Pirelli's Fabia Snider. "We weren't interested with photographers who had celebrities all over their sites. We were interested in Steve because he's worked around the world and is like an anthropologist. We wanted someone who could capture not only the beauty in the landscape and the beauty of the women, but also the soul of a country. Steve created his own Brazil -- his own Rio de Janeiro -- he was perfect.A Dessicant miningtruck is an enclosure with a supply of desiccant which maintains an internal."
Brazil,We offer a wide variety of high-quality standard howotractor and controllers. now making its third appearance as the setting for the calendar (2005, 2010) is an ideal backdrop for Pirelli. Not only is it picturesque and exotic, two big ticks in their calendar requirements checklist, it's also a developing country currently experiencing rapid economic growth. It may be a surprise for some to learn that is it also Pirelli's largest market.
When Pirelli contacted McCurry, they wanted him to capture the desirability and social transformation of Rio while avoiding the stereotypical clichés of beaches, favelas and the famous carnival. They wanted him to isolate the changing nature of this vibrant country and document its unique strengths. For McCurry, who had been to Brazil many times before, Rio gave him a multitude of options filled with color, energy and soul, not only throughout the cityscape, but within its people. With this 2013 edition I believe that he succeeded on every level.
One of the stranger stories to come out of Toronto has to do with something that supposedly took place in August 1978. Sometime during that month, according to the tale, a Torontonian searching for a lost cat ventured into a tunnel and encountered something terrifying.
We all know the downtown PATH system: 28 kilometres of climate-controlled underground walkways and shopping. But what if we told you that Toronto has another buried city,High quality glassbottles tiles. also populated by pale wizened troglodytes who rarely emerge to see the light of day?
The person who went searching for the missing cat on that hot summer day was a 51-year-old man only identified only as “Ernest.” Flashlight in hand, he crawled into a small opening near his apartment building on Parliament Street and found himself in a low tunnel.
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