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Robert Wirsing on the Af-Pak Misadventure
Robert Wirsing, Visiting Professor of International Relations at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, delivered the October CIRS Monthly Dialogue on the topic of "The Af-Pak Misadventure: Where is America's 'Long War' Heading?...And Why?"
Introducing the issues, Wirsing noted that he did not necessarily approve of the designation "Af-Pak" but drew attention to its formal use by the United States government as part of its wider international relations terminology.
The lecture was premised on four main questions related to the current situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan: 1) What is the war in Afghanistan all about? 2) What are the five obstacles confronting the Obama administration in the "Af-Pak" war? 3) What are Obama's fundamental options in this war? and; 4) What should the Obama administration do to bring this war to a conclusion?
View the presentation from lecture below:
The Af-Pak Misadventure: Where is America's 'Long War' Heading?...And Why? from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar
In order to introduce a general background of the current military operations taking place in the region, Wirsing gave some figures related to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, which is made-up of United States, NATO, and other allies. "The U.S. currently has approximately 68,000 troops either deployed or on route to Afghanistan" and "NATO has about 38,000 troops" so "there is a total of 106,000 troops of the ISAF forces in Afghanistan." He noted that it was more difficult to record the exact number of Taliban insurgents, but "back in 2007, the New York Times estimate was 10,000 fighters, but only 3,000 full-time, which is not very much in a country the size of Afghanistan. The government in Kabul more recently, in February 2009, gave a figure of 10-15,000." Nonetheless, Wirsing noted that "no estimate suggests that this is a vast insurgency."
Wirsing also stated the costs of fighting the war in Afghanistan by saying that "the United States and NATO together, essentially the Bush administration, from November 2001 to December 2008, had spent overtly 281 billion dollars on the war in Afghanistan. Covert expenditures would enlarge that substantially."
In order to answer the question "What is the war in Afghanistan all about?" Wirsing noted that he had to clarify what was driving the insurgency as well as U.S. policy in the region. "A very common explanation is Islamic extremism" and Islamic madrassa indoctrinated fanaticism. But Wirsing argued that "religious extremism is not the sole or even most important driver" of the war and would go so far as "to dismiss religion and religious extremism almost entirely." He argued that "the madrassa issue is a red herring and always has been a distraction from what is really going on in this region." Other reasons for the war that have been proposed are factional tribal identities, the rise of mercenary insurgents fighting the war for a wage, revenge and hatred of America, and a traditional aversion to occupying forces.
Insofar as the main drivers of American policy are concerned, Wirsing argued that "America has a much broader agenda in Central Asia than chasing Al Qaeda; its agenda has a lot to do with geography." As such, he introduced into the discussion "the enormous importance of energy security, energy resources, oil, and gas." These issues, he said, were the primary reasons for American presence in Afghanistan. Wirsing argued that Afghanistan's strategic position, bordering a number of energy producing countries, means that it is a potentially important conduit between South and Central Asia. These resources could be exploited and transported rather than being contained, as they currently are, between the two giants of China and Russia. Wirsing quoted from U.S. legislation regarding the region, entitled the Silk Road Strategy Act, which details United States significant long-term interests in the region from security to energy and economic development. This Act outlines American policy regarding development of infrastructure in Central Asia, such as pipelines, transportation routes, and export opportunities for otherwise landlocked nations. Wirsing argued that "it is odd that much of the debate that goes on in North America generally, so often omits mention of energy, oil, and gas, which I regard as hugely important." He pointed out the many tactics in place for "ensuring American and Western access to these tremendous resources, the potential of which could be vast," possibly up to $15 trillion in petroleum and natural gas resources in the Caspian region alone. Wirsing emphasized that "Afghanistan's strategic importance goes way beyond containment of a terrorist threat and it also implies a prolonged Western presence."
In describing the "the five obstacles confronting the Obama administration in the Af-Pak war," Wirsing listed them as a) Waning public, congressional, and Democratic Party support in America b) Disenchantment with the Afghan government in Kabul magnified by election fraud and its undermined legitimacy c) Pakistan's less than perfect fit as America's ally in the "war on terrorism" d) The impracticality of Obama's promise of greater regional collaboration and finally, e) The need for Obama to avoid the appearance of weakness and indecisiveness. "If Obama chooses to do nothing or chooses to exit or reduce American forces, it might appear as a failure of political will in America's Af-Pak policy."
Wirsing outlined the options open to the Obama administration, including the most viable in his opinion which is to escalate by adding more troops. He argued that the only option he believes to be viable is to back a troop surge in Afghanistan and put an end to an already lengthy war.
According to Wirsing, the short-term solutions open to the Obama administration include an immediate troop surge; a shift from offensive to defensive counter-insurgency by withdrawing troops from exposed areas to selected urban centers to provide security for as much of Afghan population as possible; prioritizing a major reduction in civilian casualties by suspending unmanned drone attacks; fully implementing the Congressionally endorsed increase in aid to Pakistan; and, finally, encouraging Pakistani cooperation in Afghanistan.
The long-term initiatives that the Obama administration could implement range from pursuing opportunities for talks with the Taliban elements over power-sharing to endorsing the Iran, Pakistan, India (IPI) gas pipeline, and urging consideration of a civilian nuclear agreement with Pakistan akin to that reached with India.
Dr. Wirsing is Visiting Professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service at Qatar. A specialist on South Asian politics and international relations, he has made over forty research trips to the South Asian region since 1965. His publications include:Pakistan's Security Under Zia, 1977-1988 (St. Martin's Press, 1991); India, Pakistan, and the Kashmir Dispute (St. Martin's Press, 1994); Kashmir in the Shadow of War (M. E. Sharpe, 2002); Religious Radicalism & Security in South Asia, co-editor (Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, 2004); Ethnic Diasporas & Great Power Strategies in Asia, co-editor (India Research Press, 2007); and Baloch Nationalism and the Geopolitics of Energy Resources: The Changing Context of Separatism in Pakistan (Carlisle: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, April 2008). His recent research focuses primarily on the politics and diplomacy of natural resources (water and energy) in South Asia.
Article by Suzi Mirgani. Suzi is CIRS Publications Coordinator.


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Little League means big business as revenues soar
Josh Peter
The images remain quaint — kids sprinting around the basepaths, fans watching from grass hills, Norman Rockwell-like scenes abound at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., that culminates Sunday with the championship game. But make no mistake, Little League is big business.
Little League Inc. reported revenue of almost $25 million and assets of more than $85 million in 2012, according to the most recent publicly available tax return it must file to maintain tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Over a five-year period, compensation for Little League Inc.'s CEO, Steve Keener, nearly doubled to $430,000 a year. And in 2012, the 100-person full-time staff made almost $7.5 million in salaries — a year before ESPN agreed to more than double broadcast fees as part of an eight-year, $76 million contract to televise the games during the two-week tournament.
"That's a lot of money when all the grunt work is volunteer," said Randy Stevens, president of the Little League in Nashville, Tenn., whose all-star team qualified for the World Series each of the past two years. "Now I'm wondering where it's all going."
Coach's speech to Little League team will make you cry
Keener, elected as CEO in 1996, said revenue has grown at a steady pace and said new money is going back into the program.
"I'm not going to apologize for generating revenue to support the programming issues of this organization," he told USA TODAY Sports. "But I would apologize if I felt we were not using it to the best of our ability in a prudent manner and getting the most out of the money to benefit this program."
Keener said the majority of the organization's costs stem from maintaining the national headquarters in Williamsport, five regional centers — in Connectcut, Georgia, Texas, California, Indiana — a full-time facility in Poland and offices in Hong Kong, Puerto Rico and Canada.
When Little League signed its contract with ESPN in 2007, Keener said, it lowered affiliation fees for the local leagues. He also said Little League pays for 125 criminal background checks for each local league and provides training program for coaches.
"Those are ways we try direct the funds right back to the local programs," he said.
Little League also pays for travel, lodging and food costs for 16 teams, each of which include 13 players and three coaches. But Stevens, affiliated with the Nashville-based league, said families of the players should receive financial help for travel costs.
He estimated the parents of his players needed up to $35,000 to cover those expenses. A father with the team from Chicago said parents were unsure how they would pay for the trip until five Major League Baseball players offered to cover all travel expenses for the parents.
Keener said the idea of travel assistance is not under consideration.
"I've learned never to say never, but it's unlikely at this point," he said. "Our responsibility is to provide the travel, the accommodations and all the expenses related to participating in the World Series for the players and the coaches and the umpires who are here working the World Series."
Keener said giving the players money that could be used for scholarships is not under consideration.
"Anything we would do for one group of kids, we would do for all of the kids. And it's just not feasible to think that they're all going to head off to college when they're getting out of high school, particularly with the kids from the international region," he said. "It's just not something we feel is necessary for us to be thinking about when they're 12 or 13 years old."
Little League does not charge admission for games at the World Series, but officials do solicit donations while passing around cans during games.
"Whatever money they're getting, they're looking for more," said Ellen Siegel, affiliated with the team from Philadelphia.
But Keener said the $25 million a year pales in comparison to organizations such as the Boys Scouts of America, which reported revenue of $240 million in 2012. He said Little League could not operate without the support of about 1,250,000 volunteers in 7,500 communities.
As far as his salary is concerned, he declined to comment other than to say his compensation is set by a committee of Little League Inc. board members.
Davie Jane Gilmour, Little League International Board of Directors Chairman, said Keener's salary — and that of the other senior staff members, who in 2012 earned between $100,000 and $250,000 apiece — are in line with salaries at comparable non-profits.
"To be perfectly honest with you, there are many board members on that (compensation) committee who think that our senior staff, and in particular Steve, are underpaid at this point in time," Gilmour said. "There's a a pretty strong feeling on the compensation committee that they are highly marketable based on their success here in their work here at Little League."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Looking for bike rides around Walheim? On this page, we bring you the top 20 bike rides around Walheim so you can just get out and go. All you've got to do is choose your route!
If you are interested in routes for other sport types around Walheim, check out our guides on Hiking around Walheim, Road Cycling Routes around Walheim, or MTB Trails around Walheim.


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January 18, 2023 All About Wheels - Automotive (Cars / All About Wheels - Automotive (Cars, Car Clubs, SUV's, RV's etc)
Kia Carens wins Indian Car of the Year 2023and EV6 takes Green Car Award
The Kia Carens has been crowned as the Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) 2023 and the Kia EV6 won the Green Car Award 2023 by ICOTY. With this, Kia has become the first brand ever to win two ICOTY awards in the same year.
The ICOTY awards, held under the aegis of the Automotive Journalists Association of India (AJAI), are the most coveted automotive awards in India and are often referred to as the Oscars of the Indian automotive industry. The award is an expert and independent judgment of the best new car. The highly experienced jury members are responsible for selecting a single decisive winner. The criteria like price, fuel efficiency, styling, comfort, safety, performance, practicality, technical innovation, value for money, and suitability for Indian driving conditions are particularly important factors that are considered while deciding on the winner.
"India is one of the most important markets for Kia, as the Indian market has grown at an unprecedented rate. Kia has become one of the fastest-growing automotive brands in the Indian market and to be recognized by the Indian Car of the Year jury is a significant achievement for the whole Kia family," said Ho Sung Song, President and CEO, Kia Corporation. "The Kia Carens highlights our commitment to offer tailor-made family vehicles to meet Indian customers' needs, while the Kia EV6 embodies our vision to pave the road for electrified mobility solutions for India. We will continue our efforts to contribute to the future of mobility for customers in India and around the world"
"We are thankful to the esteemed ICOTY jury members for this honor. This is a well-deserved recognition for the Kia brand and speaks volumes for our technological prowess, capabilities and understanding of Indian market," said Tae-Jin Park, Managing Director and CEO, Kia India. "It is a true reflection of our successful journey in India and a great motivation for us to keep working and contributing towards an inspiring tomorrow."
Kia Carens is yet another made-in-India global product from Kia that brings the sophistication of a family mover and the sportiness of an SUV in one compelling package. The Kia Carens is a comfortable and spacious three-row seater Recreational Vehicle designed for modern Indian families. The vehicle hosts many first-in-class features such as 26.03 Cm (10.25") HD Touchscreen Navigation with Next Generation Kia Connect, BOSE Premium Sound System with 8 speakers, Smart Pure Air Purifier with Virus and Bacteria protection, Ventilated front seats, 2nd Row Seat One Touch Easy Electric Tumble and SkyLight Sunroof to name a few. All the trim levels offer the Robust 10 Hi-safety package as standard which includes 6 airbags, VSM, HAC, ESC, all-Wheel Disc Brakes, to name a few, making the Kia Carens safe for a family drive. The Kia Carens is available with three powertrain options – Smartstream 1.5 Petrol, Smartstream 1.4 T-GDi Petrol and 1.5 CRDi VGT Diesel. Further, customers also get an option to choose from three transmission options – 6MT, 7DCT and 6AT.The vehicle is offered in the Seven seater option in Premium to Luxury trims, while the Luxury Plus trim is available with a choice of both 6 and 7 seater options.
Kia EV6 is the first Electric Vehicle by Kia in India and is built on Kia's dedicated EV platform, the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The vehicle boasts a highly impressive real-world driving range, ultra-fast charging capabilities, and a spacious, high-tech interior. It features an 800-volt ultra-fast charging capability, with a 10-80 percent charge taking as little as 18 minutes using a 350-kW charger. Alongside its charging capabilities, the EV6 will be introduced in India with a long-range (77.4 kWh) battery pack that offers a range of up to 708 km on a full charge (ARAI certified).
Warning over falling asleep behind the wheel


Nice collection Lauren, I like that you have included the numbers/codes that are with the albums, I might look into doing something like that with my collection.
Thanks. Ya, it took forever. But it was worth it because it's easier to avoid buying duplicates.
yeah exactly, that is what I thought.
The UK promo was "EATME01" but there is another one that I assume is from Europe, same cover, same tracklist etc, but that is "MANHEART". Haven't been able to track it down yet, someone did list one on ebay, I bought it, but it turned out it was "EATME01" again, but it had a differen't promo sticker on the back, so it wasn't all bad.
other random bootlegs, mainly concert recordings, as well as songs from movies, etc, etc.
I know I'm forgetting a few things, I'll add them in later when I remember them.
Just too bad most sellers on ebay don't list where the cd comes from, it would be nice to know to find the different versions I'm still missing. But the promos are relatively easy to recognize. I know it takes forever to list the barcodes and item number, been busy adding those to my site too, but in the end it was worth it.
I've been collecting for quite a while now and when I have time I'll upload my collection.
Took photos of some of the stuff I have. Click to enlarge.
More photos + details in this album.
I'll add picture vinyl of Rock Is Dead and I Don't Like The Drugs soon.
Some great stuff in there Lauren. One thing I never got hold of was any casettes, even thought I would have loved to get one for Mechanical Animals.
EBAY!!! you can find them pretty cheap on ebay. I don't have all the casettes, but I have a few, its not something I rush to get in my collection, its just something I get now and again if I see them and there is nothing else I want to buy.
and a Manson Lanyard which I do not have a picture of.


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Social media and the Capitol riot
Social media and conservatives
Tech companies and the Capitol riot
2021-01 Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump's account
Social media and the Capitol riotDonald Trump and the Capitol riotDonald Trump and TwitterContent moderation at TwitterBanning and deplatforming
Parler and the Capitol riot
Social media and the Capitol riotParler
It Turns Out that Deplatforming Works. | Washington Monthly
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2021/01/17/deplatforming-works-but-the-public-should-have-more-power-over-social-media/
U.S. Senate Republican asks tech firms to explain account, content removals | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tech-senate/u-s-senate-republican-asks-tech-firms-to-explain-account-content-removals-idUSKBN29K2LL
Trump's Been Unplugged. Now What? | The New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/big-tech-unplugs-trump
2021-01 Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump's accountSocial media and the Capitol riotBanning and deplatformingSection 230 of the Communications Decency Act (United States)
Donald Trump's Financial Troubles May Be Just Beginning | The New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/donald-trumps-financial-troubles-may-be-just-beginning
Finances of Donald TrumpDonald Trump and Deutsche BankDonald Trump and the Capitol riot2021-01 Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump's accountTrump OrganizationSocial media and the Capitol riot
POLITICO Playbook: What the right gets wrong about Big Tech and the Capitol coup - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2021/01/16/what-the-right-gets-wrong-about-big-tech-and-the-capitol-coup-491437
https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-tech-senate/u-s-senate-republican-asks-tech-firms-to-explain-account-content-removals-idUSL1N2JQ2TT
How Facebook and Twitter decided to take down Trump's accounts
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/how-facebook-twitter-decided-take-down-trump-s-accounts-n1254317
Twitter and Facebook have seen $51 billion of combined market value wiped out since booting Trump from their platforms | Markets Insider
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/facebook-twitter-stock-price-trump-ban-capitol-riots-twtr-fb-2021-1-1029965338
Social media and the Capitol riot2021-01 Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump's account
Snapchat permanently bans President Trump's account – TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/13/snapchat-permanently-bans-president-trumps-account/
Revealed: walkie-talkie app Zello hosted far-right groups who stormed Capitol | US Capitol breach | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/zello-app-us-capitol-attack-far-right
Scoop: Snapchat will permanently ban Trump's account - Axios
https://www.axios.com/scoop-snapchat-will-permanently-ban-trumps-account-05419dd3-fed6-4614-9ed0-c2d606ef0e62.html
YouTube Suspends Trump's Channel for at Least Seven Days - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/technology/youtube-suspends-trump.html
Facebook tells employees not to wear company shirts in public: report | TheHill
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/533765-facebook-tells-employees-not-to-wear-company-shirts-in-public-report
Facebook tells employees to avoid wearing company-branded clothing after Trump ban
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/facebook-tells-employees-to-avoid-wearing-company-branded-clothing-after-trump-ban/ar-BB1cGOdE
Fringe Groups Splinter Online After Facebook and Twitter Bans - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/technology/fringe-groups-splinter-online-after-facebook-and-twitter-bans.html
2021-01 Law enforcement and the Biden inaugurationSocial media and the Capitol riot
Twitter Removes Over 70,000 QAnon Accounts - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/technology/twitter-removes-70000-qanon-accounts.html
Social media and the Capitol riotContent moderation at TwitterQAnon
What is Gab? Social network gaining popularity amid Parler crackdown
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/01/11/what-gab-social-network-gaining-popularity-amid-parler-crackdown/6620906002/
Social media and the Capitol riotGab (social media)
Idaho internet company blocks Facebook, Twitter over 'censorship' | kgw.com
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/idaho-internet-provider-blocks-facebook-and-twitter/293-867cc22b-fb90-4142-a296-8d800d2a03fb
FBI investigates Capitol Hill rioters using their own social media posts - Vox
https://www.vox.com/recode/22218963/capitol-photos-legal-charges-fbi-police-facebook-twitter
Social media and the Capitol riot2021-01 Trump supporters and the Capitol riot
Reddit Bans r/donaldtrump Forum for Repeated Hate-Speech Violations - Variety
https://variety.com/2021/politics/news/reddit-bans-donaldtrump-subreddit-inciting-violence-us-capitol-1234881463/
Content moderation at RedditSocial media and the Capitol riot
Tech Tent: Did social media inspire Congress riot? - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55592752
Social media and conservativesSocial media and the Capitol riot
Elon Musk Blames Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg For Capitol Riot | Observer
https://observer.com/2021/01/elon-musk-blame-facebook-zuckerberg-capitol-trump-riot/
Donald Trump and FacebookElon MuskSocial media and the Capitol riot
How Social Media Made the Trump Insurrection a Reality | The New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/how-social-media-made-the-trump-insurrection-a-reality
Donald Trump and FacebookDonald Trump and TwitterDonald Trump and the Capitol riotSocial media and the Capitol riot
Twitter bans Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell in QAnon account purge
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/twitter-bans-michael-flynn-sidney-powell-qanon-account-purge-n1253550
Content moderation at TwitterQAnonSocial media and the Capitol riot
Reddit bans subreddit group "r/DonaldTrump" - Axios
https://www.axios.com/reddit-bans-rdonaldtrump-subreddit-ff1da2de-37ab-49cf-afbd-2012f806959e.html
RedditSocial media and the Capitol riot
Trump tweets from POTUS handle account taken down almost immediately
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/08/trump-tweets-from-potus-handle-account-says-looking-at-the-possibilities-of-building-out-our-own-platform.html
Analysis: Facebook and Twitter crackdown around Capitol siege is too little, too late | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-hate-analysis/analysis-facebook-and-twitter-crackdown-around-capitol-siege-is-too-little-too-late-idUSKBN29D2W5
Twitch disables Trump's account indefinitely - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2021/1/7/22219144/twitch-trump-ban-indefinitely-capitol-attack
Facebook and Twitter ban Trump's accounts temporarily after Capitol insurrection - Vox
https://www.vox.com/recode/22217705/facebook-twitter-youtube-parler-insurrection-trump-capitol
Donald Trump and FacebookDonald Trump and TwitterSocial media and the Capitol riot
Twitter Locks Trump's Account After Violence on Capitol Hill - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/technology/violence-election-capitol-hill-social-media.html
Facebook declares 'emergency situation' and removes Trump video - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/6/22217788/facebook-remove-trump-video-emergency-situation-mob-violence
Twitter removes Trump's tweets, locks account for 12 hours - Axios
https://www.axios.com/twitter-removes-trump-tweets-f198f970-c9f8-469d-9b34-13429aa26320.html
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter remove Trump video addressing Washington rioters
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/twitter-pledges-action-on-any-calls-for-violence-in-capitol-riot.html


Face fierce competition with Los Angeles Times' marathon app.
Here's a handful of our favorite pieces from the past few weeks, created within the newsroom-code universe.
The Washington Post crunches hard-to-get data on the bigwigs who really influence diversity in Hollywood.
Last week, the final batch of Clinton messages was released by the State Department. Poke through the pile, with lots of metadata.
In any city, property ownership tells a hidden story of power. Here's a look at the (lucrative) buildings surrounding one of the U.S.'s most iconic sports venues.
This interactive compares your speed to people, a city bus, or—in case you were wondering—a grizzly bear. A fun way to make a huge sports event relevant to those who aren't leaving the couch.
In a landmark election full of unexpected turns, the Irish Times gives a clear and concise view of election results as they come in.
Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2014 American Community Survey, Bloomberg tallied who's marrying whom. Float through this survey's spare, lovely lines and wonder about your life choices.
Delightful GIFs help non-scientists grasp the inner workings of the complicated human brain.
An incredibly data-rich report on #Blacklivesmatter by Deen Freelon, Charlton D. McIlwain, and Meredith D. Clark.
Here is the shape of the internet, as found by Noah Veltman in patent drawings.
And on our last community call, the Coral Project told us about its first product, called Trust. Did you miss it? We've got notes.


10/27/15: We went to visit my parents this weekend, as we usually do. They said that for the last few nights, they've heard what sounded like critters on their roof, maybe a raccoon or possum, both of which they've seen wandering in their yard at one time or another. They also told us that a neighbor warned them that he saw a hole in their roof. Dad called the guy who fixed their roof last time to come out and see what was going on up there, but he wanted to know ahead of time what they were in for. They didn't know if w were coming so they called my brother, and he and I brainstormed a bit to decide what to do.
Dad wanted to go up on the roof and walk around, but that was quickly nixed by Mom. They have a wooden ladder which would reach the spot, but neither if us is as young (or as light) as we used to be, and Mom was insistent that we don't do that either. I joked that we needed one of those goofy selfie-sticks that we could hold up there, and I could see a lightbulb go off over my brother's head.
Fortunately, he brought his wife's iPad with him, so we taped his phone to the end of a broomstick and connected a Facetime session with the iPad. I went up a short way on the ladder and held the camera up high. It didn't work at first, but after a tense couple of moments, we figured out that we had the camera pointed the wrong way. Once we turned it around, it worked like a champ. Click the picture of me to see what the camera saw.
10/03/15: I used to think that summer was over after the double header of my birthday and Labor Day, which when I was younger meant that it was time to go back to school. The calendar says that summer is over somewhere around September 21, give or take a day, but there's really nothing other than that piece of paper on the wall saying that.
Nowadays, there's only one thing that signals the end of summer, and that's the day we take the air conditioner out of the window. That day is today. Welcome to Fall!


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How to Do the Single-Arm Isometric Curl
By Trevor Thieme, C.S.C.S.;	 April 27, 2018
It's tough to beat the biceps-building power of the classic dumbbell curl—unless you add a pause like you will with the isometric variation on this...
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text:
Q: É possível utilizar variáveis para definir o tamanho de uma View? Sou iniciante no desenvolvimento e aplicativos e na aplicação em que estou trabalhando preciso que o usuário me dê um valor (distância em metros) e a partir deste valor eu ajustarei o tamanho da imagem a ser exibida pelo aplicativo.
Estou desenvolvendo em Java com o Android Studio.
Pensei em fazer isso utilizando variáveis que seriam usadas para definir meu valores de altura e largura, por exemplo:
android:layout_width= variavel_w
android:layout_height= variavel_h

porém não se é possível utilizar variáveis nesses campos, ou se haveria alguma outra forma de ajustar o tamanho da minha imagem conforme alguma entrada.
Ficarei muito grato com qualquer ajuda!

A: É possível, mas não no xml.
Tem de usar o objecto Java que representa essa ImageView e o seu objecto LayoutParams.
Obtenha o objecto da sua ImageView:
final ImageView aSuaImageView = findViewById(R.id.aSuaImageView);

Obtenha o seu objecto LayoutParams:
//Substitua LinearLayout. por RelativeLayout. se for o caso
LinearLayout.LayoutParams layoutParams = (LinearLayout.LayoutParams) aSuaImageView.getLayoutParams();

Atribua os valores pretendidos para width e height
layoutParams.width = 100; // Pode usar uma variável
layoutParams.height = 100; // Pode usar uma variável

A atribua o LayoutParams alterado à ImageView:
aSuaImageView.setLayoutParams(layoutParams);

Nota:
Quando se especifica valores programaticamente no LayoutParams, os atributos width e height esperam que esses valores sejam pixeis.
Para que haja consistência das dimensões entre os vários tipos de tela, tem de considerar as dimensões em dp e convertê-las para pixeis antes de as atribuir aos atributos.
Veja nesta resposta como fazer a conversão.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
see more from Save Money Advertiser Disclosure
6 Things You Didn't Learn In School That Are Costing You Thousands/Year
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In school, they'll teach you all the algebra you can take. They'll teach you about geometry and trigonometry. They might even teach you about calculus.
But they don't teach you diddly-squat about money. No sirree. All the differential equations in the world aren't gonna show you how to handle your money like a grown adult.
Despite all our education, our overall state of financial literacy is way too low. In fact, only about a third of U.S. states require their high school students to take any kind of personal finance class.
Let's refresh our financial education with these money lessons you didn't learn in school. Doing these could save you thousands this year.
1. Spend $1 to Own a Piece of Amazon, Google or Other Companies
Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder
Here's something to study: Take a look at the Forbes Richest People list, and you'll notice almost all the billionaires have one thing in common — they own a company.
But if you work for a living and don't happen to have millions of dollars lying around, that can sound totally out of reach.
That's why a lot of people use automated micro-investing apps like Stash. It lets you be a part of something that's normally exclusive to the richest of the rich — buying pieces of other companies for as little as $1.*
That's right — you can invest in pieces of well-known companies, such as Amazon, Google or Apple, for as little as $1. The best part? When these companies profit, so can you. Some companies even send you a check every quarter for your share of the profits, called dividends.
It takes two minutes to sign up, plus Stash will give you a $5 sign-up bonus once you deposit $5 into your account. Subscription plans start at $1 a month.**
2. Cancel Your Car Insurance
Here's the thing: your current car insurance company is probably overcharging you. But don't waste your time hopping around to different insurance companies looking for a better deal.
Use a website called EverQuote to see all your options at once.
EverQuote is the largest online marketplace for insurance in the US, so you'll get the top options from more than 175 different carriers handed right to you.
Take a couple of minutes to answer some questions about yourself and your driving record. With this information, EverQuote will be able to give you the top recommendations for car insurance. In just a few minutes, you could save up to $610 a year.
3. Let This App Pay You up to $83 When You Win Solitaire Games
Lots of us already play Solitaire on our phones for fun or just to pass the time. Want to see if you can win money at it?
There's a free iPhone app called Solitaire Cash that lets you play for real money. You could get paid up to $83 per win.
You might be thinking: There's got to be a catch. This is definitely one of those spammy apps, right?
Wrong. There really isn't a catch. Sure, you can pay to play in some higher-stakes tournaments, but there's no pressure. And, in fact, there aren't even any annoying ads.
With each game, you'll battle it out against at least five other players. Everyone gets the same deck, so winning is totally a matter of skill. The top three players who solve the deck fastest can win real money — anywhere from $1 to $83.
Over on the App Store, it has over a million downloads and more than 15,000 ratings, averaging 4.7 stars (out of 5).
To get started, just download the free app and start playing your first game immediately.
4. Get Paid Up to $140/Month Just for Sharing Your Honest Opinion
It sounds strange, but brands want to hear your opinion. It helps them make business decisions, so they're willing to pay you for it — up to $140 a month.
A free site called Branded Surveys will pay you up to $5 per survey for sharing your thoughts with their brand partners. Taking three quick surveys a day could earn up to $140 each month.
It takes just a minute to create a free account and start getting paid to speak your mind. Most surveys take five to 15 minutes, and you can check how long they'll take ahead of time.
And you don't need to build up tons of money to cash out, either — once you earn $5, you can cash out via PayPal, your bank account, a gift card or Amazon. You'll get paid within 48 hours of your payout being processed, just for sharing your opinions.
They've already paid users more than $20 million since 2012, and the most active users can earn a few hundred dollars a month. Plus, they've got an "excellent" rating on Trustpilot.
It takes just a minute to set up your account and start getting paid to take surveys. Plus, right now, you'll get a free 100-point welcome bonus just for becoming part of the community.
5. Killing Time on Your Phone? Play Bingo for up to $83 Per Win
Our smartphones are the world's greatest time-killers. Browse Facebook, Twitter, TikTok or Instagram. Watch a video on YouTube. Play some Minecraft or Roblox.
Oh, and there's bingo. We found a free iPhone app called Bingo Cash that lets you play for real money. You could get paid up to $83 per win.
But there really isn't a catch. Sure, you can pay to play in some higher-stakes tournaments, but there's no pressure. And, in fact, there aren't even any annoying ads.
The game is based on a classic Bingo format. You'll battle it out against other players at your same skill level. Everyone gets the same board and sees the same Bingo balls. The top three players in a game can win real money — anywhere from $1 to $83.
Over on the App Store, it has a 4.7-star rating (out of 5).
6. Stop Paying Your Credit Card Company
If you have credit card debt, you know. The anxiety, the interest rates, the fear you're never going to escape…
And the truth is, your credit card company doesn't really care. It's just getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates — some up to 36%. But a website called AmOne wants to help.
If you owe your credit card companies $50,000 or less, AmOne will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.
The benefit? You'll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates (AmOne rates start at 2.49% APR), you'll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.
You don't need a perfect credit score to get a loan — and comparing your options won't affect your score at all. Plus, AmOne keeps your information confidential and secure, which is probably why after 20 years in business, it still has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
It takes less than a minute and just 10 questions to see what loans you qualify for — you don't even need to enter your Social Security number. You do need to give AmOne a real phone number in order to qualify, but don't worry — they won't spam you with phone calls.
Not in the Classroom Anymore
We're way past trigonometry here, and you're definitely not in the classroom anymore. So, how much money could you save yourself by employing these strategies? It's hard to say. It ultimately depends on how hard you go.
But between the cash-back, investment earnings, other savings, and cheaper deals on car and home insurance, you should be able to see a big difference in your bottom line this year.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
*For Securities priced over $1,000, purchase of fractional shares starts at $0.05.
**You'll also bear the standard fees and expenses reflected in the pricing of the ETFs in your account, plus fees for various ancillary services charged by Stash and the custodian.
The Penny Hoarder is a Paid Affiliate/partner of Stash. Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. This material has been distributed for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Investing involves risk.
*Bestow: Policies are issued by Bestow Life Insurance Company, Dallas, TX on policy form series BLI-ITPOL. Bestow Life Insurance products may not be available in all states. Policy limitations or restrictions may apply. Not available in New York. Our application asks lifestyle and health questions to determine eligibility in order to avoid requiring a medical exam. Prices start at $10/month based on an 18-year-old male rated Preferred Plus NT for a $100k policy for a 10-year term. Rates will vary based on underwriting review.
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I bristled at this notion for a few reasons – one, having children is no guarantee that you have built-in caregivers, and two, I don't think it's fair to burden children with the expectation that they will spend their prime adult years looking after their parents.
I suppose I sound harsh. But from my perspective, making that assumption essentially devalues the life of the child. I've heard many times that Mom took care of me and now it's my turn to take care of her. I really don't think that's a very helpful thing for anyone to say. It suggests that children are born with the expectation of payback. I find that concept offensive.
Many children very willingly care for their parents. I started the job reluctantly, and have adjusted, over a lot of time, to being my mom's caregiver, and now consider it an honor to be with her at this time of her life. But how that plays out is not for anyone else to decide. Considering the massive stress associated with caregiving, why should we also live with the impression, sometimes imposed by others, that our lives have less worth than the lives of those who become sick? And of course this is not an indictment of the tragically unlucky who are stricken with disease. I just think that in deference to the ill, we who are already vulnerable are at risk of losing sight of what we once wanted for ourselves.
Patrick and I chose not to have children, so we may find ourselves stuck in our old age with limited choices for how we spend our final days. We have some planning to do. But if we had kids, I would be loath to stick them with caregiving duty without considering their wishes.
I wrote the following comment in response to the essay. A couple of people called me selfish because I chose not to have kids. I've always found that response questionable – just who is missing out on something because I didn't reproduce? I guess it means fewer grandchildren for my parents and Patrick's. But they've never said we are selfish. Interestingly, the few who responded to me don't say I'm selfish for placing my mom in long-term care. And I'm glad not to be judged in this comment thread about that, but it's also no one else's business. Anyhow, some of what I wrote is what I try to convey sometimes to my peers in support group. We matter, too. And it's OK to say so.
I am childless, by choice. And I have no regrets about the decision. I am also caregiver to my mother, who has Alzheimer's disease. Early on, I decided she would live in institutions and not my home (or her apartment) when the need arose. She adjusted well, and she is now surrounded by the most caring nursing home staff I could ever imagine. I made that decision because my life matters, too. … I looked after her while she was in assisted living and am her advocate to this day. And I love her now more than I thought I ever could after a complicated childhood. But in my caregiving support group, I remind my peers that though this disease is tragic and taxing on caregivers, it does not mean our lives as we have known them have to end. In fact, our lives shouldn't have any less value than anyone else's. … I don't know what will happen when I am old or if I become incapacitated, but if I had children, I would not want to saddle them with caring for me.
My most recent care conference for Mom was on Sept. 26. I really can't explain the hiatus from the blog lately. I am on a somewhat less frequent visiting schedule right now, mostly because I have been unusually busy at work. And when I visit less, I have fewer opportunities for updates, I suppose. But I did realize at the end of August that Mom had hit the three-year mark at the Alz center. I'd have to check, but I'm pretty sure the anniversary date for her move there is Aug. 28. I didn't know what to expect when she moved in, but I find it hard to believe it has been three years.
Mom also has been in a somewhat stable phase for quite awhile, so I'm observing fewer changes to report about. She walks, she feeds herself, she enjoys social companionship and she likes to talk, even though most of her words don't make sense. She still smiles and laughs a lot. I recently had a super visit with her. We took a walk and held hands, and stopped in a sunny area to sit together on a rocking bench and just enjoyed each other for awhile. She was more alert that day than she had been on some of my recent visits, and I was cheered by the time spent with her.
I got mail today that gave me a start – two envelopes from the IRS. I didn't file a tax return for Mom for 2011 because she has no taxes deducted from her income, and for three years now virtually all of her income pays for long-term care, meaning she has no tax liability (she is one of the 47 percent, in fact). But it turns out these were warnings of potential identity theft. I checked Mom's bank account, and everything appears to be in order there. I'm not sure what's going on out there, but whoever might be hoping for financial gain with her identity isn't likely to get very far. I don't have to do anything about it. What a relief.
So, at the care conference, her current aide said Mom remains a screamer when she is showered or changed, but that on this particular day Mom had been more irritated than usual, and yelled, "I hate you!" at the aide. The staff members know not to take it personally. I'm sad for everyone in that situation. I wish Mom could relax about the personal care she receives, but I imagine she still recognizes vulnerability.
She was scheduled to be seen by the dentist on Oct. 4. I will be interested to hear how that went. I have asked about Mom's dental health before, but learned this time that the dentist had been "unable to examine" Mom on the last visit in May. I wasn't able to be there on Oct. 4 because of work; one wonders if I could have made any difference in calming Mom enough for an exam if she was agitated again.
Mom's attention span is considered poor – no surprise – and she doesn't really participate in activities because she understands very little about what's going on. She does occasionally dance. And she seems to be observing other people a lot of the time. She appears to be having some trouble standing up from a seated position, but the staff members think that might be disinclination more than any mobility problem. She has essentially stopped hanging around with Mr. R but still spends time with Mr. Beard sometimes. The aide said Mom had declared that Mr. Beard was her choice. She had lost 12 pounds since June, but is still considered to be at a healthy weight. She gets ice cream three times a day as well as high-calorie cereal, which she doesn't seem to like very much. Her food intake is between 50 and 100 percent. My friend at support group told me the other night that Mom had eaten every bit of her cereal that morning. And the nurse who ran support group described Mom as one of the residents who is peaceful…most of the time. That's what I like to hear.


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Události
Zavedení Juliánského kalendáře v Římě Caesarem.

Narození
Publius Quinctilius Varus, správce provincie Germania

Úmrtí
Vercingetorix – náčelník galského kmene Avernů, zabit patrně zardoušením.

Hlavy států
 Římská říše – Caesar (49 – 44 př. n. l.)
 Parthská říše – Oródés II. (58/57 – 38 př. n. l.)
 Egypt – Ptolemaios XIV. Theos Filopatór II. (47 – 44 př. n. l.)
 Čína – Juan-ti (dynastie Západní Chan)

Externí odkazy

1. století př. n. l.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Every Sunday 9am I would watch the Andrew Marr show – but now I've stopped; the main appeal was the man himself – Glasgow born, Loretto-educated charmer; most of my lady friends think he's 'lovely'. Only 6 months ago Marr had a devastating stroke – but he and wife Jackie Ashley have volunteered an interview with Robert McCrum of the Observer – suggesting that recovery is going well. Marr admits that he was working at an insane pace – 18 hour days – in addition to a punishing exercise schedule – driven.
The most revealing aspect of the interview is Marr's determined lack of introspection; when offered help to talk about the psychological aspects of his illness, he declined saying – 'I don't do tears.' He says he has no interest in exploring his 'murky depths'; 'I've no inner life' he declares merrily. McCrum is reminded of the man on the couch, in the New Yorker cartoon, who believes that his personal life is none of his own damn business.
I've become friendly with an old grey mare called Sally – who lives near me. It makes me ponder about the relationship between us and other animals; This moving poem does the same (the reference to Homer is not the Simpsons). 'The Horses' by Michael Longley.


Join SGC BBC and volunteer to help clean up our Bay! There's always fun in the sun when we are outside cleaning the places we love.
Get Volunteer & community service hours! Food will be included.
We will be meeting behind the BBC Recreation Pool.


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Armstrong's house turned home
kassiluja
The University House was originally built in 1928. The residence was renovated last year prior to the Armstrongs moving in. Karlee Prazak/Mustang Daily
This May marks another first for Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong. He and his wife, Sharon, will have resided in the University House on campus for one year. After a relocation process that began in February 2011, Armstrong has finally settled into his on-campus home.
Originally constructed in 1928, the 5,089 square-foot house was newly renovated last year before the Armstrongs moved in. Prior to the move, the house had been unoccupied since former Cal Poly President Warren Baker moved out seven years ago.
"It's been great," Armstrong said.
Armstrong compared it to any other time you move into a new house.
"You get used to it," he said. "It was a very easy adjustment."
The two-story Cal Poly-owned home sits atop a hill adjacent to the Health Center. Armstrong said living on campus has strengthened his relationship with Cal Poly students and the school in general.
"It's (a) very accessible walk to events," Armstrong said. "(One) night, I was working until 6 or 6:15, and (I) was able to walk home, grab dinner with my wife and then, we were at the basketball game."
For Armstrong, living on campus was definitely the right decision.
"Cal Poly is a very student-centered campus," he said. "Student success is our main priority — that's true for everyone. Living on campus makes so much sense."
Armstrong's chief of staff Betsy Kinsley said he is adjusting to San Luis Obispo well.
"(Armstrong and Sharon) really take advantage of living on campus," Kinsley said — Armstrong works out at the Recreation Center daily and attends the Cal Poly men's and women's sporting events whenever possible.
Having been to the University House for various functions, Kinsely said the atmosphere is very comfortable and nice.
"(They're) very warm and welcoming," Kinsley said. "You feel like you're in someone's home even though they do a lot of entertaining in their space."
Kinsley also said having Armstrong living on campus enabled him to have a stronger connection with students. According to Kinsley, Armstrong will walk around campus and "he'll just start talking to students."
"I was walking on campus yesterday, and (I) ran into two different tours of students," he said. "One fifth grade student said, 'Are you the principal?' (to which I replied), 'Well yea, that's a good way to put it.'"
Without hesitation, Armstrong said his favorite part about living on campus is being in such close proximity to everything.
"My favorite part about living on campus is being able to walk to work and walk to events and (being) able to interact with students on a random basis — (a) random occasion," Armstrong said.
Just the other day, Armstrong received an email from a student he played basketball with who had questions about the Student Success Fee. This is just one example he gave for why living on campus has contributed to him having a better connection with the school as a whole.
While living on campus might be thought of as having its pros and cons, Armstrong said they've only had a couple of minor things happen — the "kinds of things can happen anywhere," he said.
Armstrong said it's part of the normal things that come with living in a neighborhood.
"We sit up on top of the hill," he said. "During the day, you can hear the children in the day care center, (and) at night, you can hear the older students. Sometimes we hear the students on a Thursday or Friday night."
Overall though, he considers it to be a very quiet house.
Armstrong and his wife have also added some decorative touches to make it more of a home.
"We've added some of our furniture," Armstrong said. "We have bedrooms upstairs that (have) pictures of our two adult children. We have one of the bedrooms upstairs that we can get away in and read or watch TV."
Along with being the home of the school's presidents, the University House is also the venue for many school events including student government meetings and various dinners throughout the year. When they have in-laws or relatives come and visit, Armstrong said they stay upstairs if he and Sharon host an event.
Recreation, parks and tourism administration sophomore Ashleigh Allard has been to the University House for one such event.
"It was just a really warm (atmosphere) — they're very inviting," Allard said. "I've seen him in the Starbucks line a couple of times and walking in the University Union to and from meetings. (Living on campus) is convenient for him."
Just like Armstrong, Sharon has also enjoyed living in the University House and has her own responsibilities.
"She has meetings on campus from time to time," Armstrong said. "Not nearly (at) the frequency that I do (though). She (has) meetings with university personnel to talk about events at our house (and) planning for events at other locations."
Prior to living in San Luis Obispo, Armstrong lived in Michigan where he was the dean of agriculture at Michigan State University.
"(We) miss some of our friends and our adult children," Armstrong said. "They've been out here numerous times."
According to Armstrong, their children visit every other month.
"With a couple of trips we've made, we've stayed in really good contact with our family and friends," he said. "We've supplemented with travel."
So far, Armstrong seems to be enjoying San Luis Obispo.
"San Luis Obispo is just a beautiful area," Armstrong said. "It's a really exciting community; it's a very warm and open community. We've had many people be nice to us and they didn't know who we were, it's just a part of their DNA."
"I often tell groups it's not just the climate that's warm (in San Luis Obispo), it's the people," he said.
Tags Ashleigh Allard President Armstrong University House


text:
A Retro Read: Vampyres of Hollywood (2008)
Posted by Sheila M. Merritt | May 13, 2017 | Book Reviews, Slider | 0
Want some camp with your vamps? Look no further than Vampyres of Hollywood by horror film favorite Adrienne Barbeau, and co-writer Michael Scott. Barbeau "fronts" this novel, which makes the jacket blurb by her ex-spouse, director John Carpenter, ever so delicious: "Sexy, funny, and gory—and that's just the first chapter. If I'd known she could write like this, I would've stuck around a little longer." Carpenter's snarky drollery rather echoes the tone of the book itself. Barbeau and Scott satirically dismantle Tinseltown's triteness. This sardonic dissection of the movie industry is a divertissement with bite.
Scream queen Ovsanna Moore is a mover and shaker in the film business. She is a studio head and a head vampire. Her kind is not at all unique in Hollywood, although they have not figuratively come out of the coffin to most humans. When a serial killer targets the sanguinary cinema A-list, Ovsanna is compelled to add amateur sleuth to her résumé. Paralleling her secret internal affairs investigation, is a formal one conducted by Beverly Hills cop Peter King. King is a hometown guy who revels in rubbing elbows with celebrities on his beat. His mother is a movie memorabilia junkie, who has made significant cash on eBay by selling objects in her collection. The exchanges between mom and son are delightful; reflecting their star-struck universe.
King's path inevitably crosses Ovsanna's, and predictable sparks ensue. Both characters are wise-ass smart, and keenly self-aware. Ovsanna finds King's wry wit appealing; it's a quality that eludes many of her brethren: "As a rule, vampyres don't have a lot of humor in their lives. Hundreds of years of watching humanity suffer at its own hands tends to diminish one's capacity for fun. It's hard to stay in the moment when you've got an overview of nearly five hundred years of religious crusades, racial genocide, and garden-variety annihilation in your recent memory—even when it's not your genus that's been suffering."
The narrative gets a bit meandering when personages from Hollywood's heyday make appearances as part of a vampire council. The board includes Rudolph Valentino, Orson Welles, James Whale, Peter Lorre, and the silver screen's original self-proclaimed vamp, Theda Bara. Though initially amusing, the novelty of incorporating them into the storyline eventually wears thin.
Thomas Dunne Books published Vampyres of Hollywood in 2008, and the novel is set during that time. Reading it now highlights how certain things have changed in almost a decade. One of the more notable references in the book is about Bill O'Reilly and Fox News. How ironic that very recent events have rendered that citation archaic.
Gore galore, in-jokes, and daft mythology synthesize to make this wacky book a guilty pleasure of a read. Adrienne Barbeau and Michael Scott concocted a riotous romp that vivisects showbiz, while simultaneously paying a warped tribute to it.
PreviousHaitian Horrors: John Cussans discusses his upcoming Miskatonic Institute talk (exclusive trailer)
NextGods & Monsters: The Mummy (1932)
Sheila M. Merritt
Sheila Merritt wrote book reviews for Mystery Scene Magazine. Currently she writes essays for Scream Magazine. For several years, she had contributed reviews, articles and conducted interviews for the Hellnotes.com newsletter. She was friends with a British ghost hunter who happened to be the author of a biography of Boris Karloff. She's had a brief and embarrassing conversation with Christopher Lee in a department store, but also had a much more relaxing exchange with director-writer Frank Darabont at a horror convention. She became enamored of horror films and dark fiction as a child. Mother didn't approve of them. The rest, as they say, is history.
Analog Alleyway #7: Bloody Moon
An Andrzej Żuławski Retrospective: Possession
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Why Those Strange Drops of Blood on Jennifer's Body: 'The Case of the Bloody Iris' (1972)


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text:
DST SYSTEMS INC DST
October 08, 2014 - 3:23pm EST by
beep899
Net Debt (in $M): 321 EBIT 0 0
High ROIC
Hidden Assets
share shrinker
Lowly Leveraged
Non-Core Asset Monetisation
Scale advantages
Potential Sale
Potential Future Acquisitions
DST SYSTEMS INC DST 06/22/2011
Stilwell Financial JNS 12/06/2002
DST Systems DST 09/08/2006
SS&C TECHNOLOGIES HLDGS INC SSNC 07/12/2018
DST provides processing services to the financial and healthcare industries. Its core business has stabilized and shows signs of acceleration and, in addition, the company has non-core assets equal to 24% of its market cap which should be monetized over the next 18 months and used to repurchase stock. Fair value of $125 is based on a SOTP valuation and a 9.2x EV/EBITDA multiple versus peers at 11x. The recent share price declined over the last month has been on no news, creating a good entry point.
Core Business Stable and Starting to Grow
DST's core shareholder recordkeeping business has been under pressure since 2007 as registered accounts have converted to subaccounts which generate lower revenue. The trend toward subaccounting has been driven by brokers looking for revenue growth and increased sales of mutual funds through brokers. However, the remaining registered accounts are sticky and cannot be easily converted. The shareholder recordkeeping business is around 60% of DST's financial services segment and should grow 0-1% over the next few years while DST's ETF, retirement, and other financial services businesses (40% of rev) should continue to grow 15% which drives ~6.5% topline growth in financial services versus consensus 3% growth. 2Q saw 6.8% y/y growth in the financial services segment which was the highest since pre-crisis driven by stabilized recordkeeping and acceleration in other businesses. DST's financial services revenue growth should remain around 6.5% versus consensus for 3%.
DST's costs have increased over the last few quarters due to new client growth and higher costs to support regulatory, compliance, and security programs which management had messaged going into the year. These costs reached a peak and should be stable to lower in 2H14 and 2015 as revenue growth remains ~6.5% which should result in operating leverage and margin expansion which drives 10-12% net income growth.
Non-Core Asset Monetization
DST owns $800mm of non-core assets including shares of State Street, shares of other publicly traded companies, private equity investments, non-core real estate, and other non-core assets which the new management team is systematically monetizing and returning cash to shareholders via buybacks. Importantly, new management has not purchased any non-core assets and has messaged that they will be disciplined in capital allocation and have acted accordingly.
Between DST's FCF and its monetization proceeds, the company can repurchase at least 10% of outstanding shares each year resulting in EPS growth of greater than 20% for the next several years. Since 2000, DST has reduced the share count from 125.3mm to 39.7mm and the pace is set to accelerate now that DST's leverage is below its target and any potential acquisitions would be small.
DST's balance sheet is underleveraged at 1.3x debt/EBITDA versus management's target of 2.00-2.15x leverage so has $400mm of capacity for share buybacks or acquisitions, both of which would be highly accretive.
On a SOTP basis, DST is worth $106 on 2014 EBITDA and $125 on 2015 EBITDA. This includes 10x EV/EBITDA for financial services (processor peers at 11.5x), 10x for healthcare (peers 11.4x), and 6x for customer communications (peer 6.2x). In addition, DST has $794mm of after-tax non-core assets and should generate $300mm of FCF in 2015.
Often companies do not get full credit for non-core assets and are valued on traditional metrics such as P/E, EV/EBITDA, and FCF yield. 75% of DST's non-core asset will be converted into cash and returned to shareholders via buybacks over 18 months so the business can be valued using traditional multiples as this occurs. Valuing DST at 20x P/E, 9.0x EV/EBITDA and 6.0% FCF yield versus peers at 20.7x, 11.0x , and 5.3%, DST is worth $105 on 2014 numbers, $130 on 2015 numbers, and $160 on 2016 numbers. From 2004-2007, DST's topline was flat and EPS grew 12% and DST traded at 12x EV/EBITDA and 20x P/E over the period.
Investors can win in several ways with DST, including continuing the current trajectory. Accelerated monetization and share repurchases, a strategic acquisition, or sale to private equity or a strategic partners such as STT or BK would accelerate value realization.
Steve Hooley became CEO in 2012 and began rationalizing costs and monetizing non-core assets. The new CEO was put in place by the largest shareholder at the time, George Argyros, to improve operational performance and monetize non-core assets.
Argyros Group had owned 22% of DST's outstanding shares and the business was run like a private company, providing limited disclosure and rarely talking to investors. Argyors's wife took over the trust because George is 77 years of age and in marginal health. She sold the position down to 7% in May 2014 in which DST repurchased $200mm of stock and $450mm was in the secondary offering.
Since the deal, management has tried to improve shareholder communications (which were historically poor) through better segment reporting, hiring an IR person, planning to attend more conferences, being available for calls, and redoing their investor slides. However, management still has a ways to go including sharing details of capital allocation plan, giving guidance, telling a clear story.
DST has three segments: financial services 66% of EBIT, healthcare 17%, and customer communications 17%. Financial services segment includes several different businesses which is key to understanding why the segment is stabilized and starting to grow.
Financial Services 50% rev, 66% EBIT
The shareholder recordkeeping businesses are about 60% of DST's financial services segment and growth in subaccounting is now offsetting declines in registered accounts on a revenue basis, so revenues for this part of the business will be flat to up 1%. DST's other financial services businesses are growing around 15% resulting in ~6.5% sustainable revenue growth versus consensus 3%.
Shareholder Recordkeeping Businesses – 60% of financial services segment, 0-1% growth
DST provides shareholder recordkeeping services to mutual fund companies and brokers that sell mutual fund products. DST's proprietary TA2000 recordkeeping system includes transaction processing, compliance, systems reporting and statements, settlement services, mail processing, and distribution and dealer services for 70.9mm registered accounts and 27.6mm subaccounts. DST's system has over 50% market share in registered accounts and around 25% market share in subaccounts, with BoNY controlling most of the remainder. DST generates an annual fee around $5.50/year per registered account and $2.50/year per subaccount.
DST is the largest provider of registered account recordkeeping with an estimated 50% market share with the biggest competitors being in-housed systems. In subaccounting, DST and BK are the only large players with a combined 75% market share of the vended market. BK started offering subaccounting systems before DST and thus is about 3x the size of DST. However, DST is playing offense and steadily taking share in a growing end market. DST has grown the business to 27.6mm accounts from 2mm over seven years. Half of the subaccounting market is still in-house with approximately 150mm accounts. DST's product offering is estimated to be 20% lower cost than in-house, reduces and diversifies risk, and ensures compliance with changing regulatory landscape.
Trend Toward Subaccounting
Since 2007, brokers looked for new sources of revenue growth. One of those sources has been growth in broker subaccounting. The brokers can in-house the transfer agent and some of the recordkeeping services, but typically do not have adequate systems to meet high compliance, disclosure, and documentation standards so they use DST's TA2000 system for a lower fee, $2.50/year per account. DST's margin on subaccounting is higher because incremental software sales have lower assocated costs. DST's subaccounting business has grown 20-30% over the last year.
From the Risk Factors section of DST's 10-K:
An increase in subaccounting services performed by brokerage firms could adversely impact our revenues.
Our mutual fund clients may decide to allow a broker/dealer who has assisted with the purchase or sale of mutual fund shares to perform subaccounting services. A brokerage firm typically maintains an "omnibus" account with the fund's transfer agent that represents the aggregate number of shares of a mutual fund owned by the brokerage firm's customers. The omnibus account structure results in fewer mutual fund shareowner accounts on our systems, which adversely affects our revenues.
We offer subaccounting services to brokerage firms that perform mutual fund shareowner subaccounting. As the recordkeeping functions in connection with subaccounting are more limited than traditional shareowner accounting, the fees charged are generally lower on a per unit basis. Brokerage firms that obtain agreements from our mutual fund clients to use an omnibus accounting structure cause accounts currently on our traditional recordkeeping system to convert to our subaccounting system, or to the subaccounting systems of other service providers, which generally results in lower revenues.
Ring Fencing the Risk
Non-tax advantaged (NTA) registered accounts have seen the biggest impact from subaccounting with registered accounts falling from 71.0mm in 2007 to 30.7mm in 2Q14. Within NTA accounts, accounts invested directly with the mutual fund families cannot be subaccounted because there is no broker in between DST and the account. Only those accounts invested through a broker can be subaccounted. DST does not disclose the number of accounts invested directly with a mutual fund family, but there are a few indicators that the remaining accounts are sticky and cannot switch. 40mm of 71mm NTA accounts have converted since 2007 (were all broker accounts) and remaining accounts have been sticky over the last year, declining by only 1mm accounts LTM (versus 14.4mm in 2011), and management lowered subaccounting customer conversion guidance to 3-4mm in 2014 from 4-5mm accounts when they reported 2Q results. Further, DST is tracking better than the 3-4mm with just 1mm conversions in 1H14. In addition, DST added 0.7mm new registered account customers in 1H14, making the net loss in registered accounts only 0.3mm in 1H14.
Tax-advantaged (TA) registered accounts (IRAs, SAR-KEP, Section 529) have been more stable, falling from 46.2mm in 2007 to 40.2mm in 2Q14 because brokers are required to get signatures and authorization from each individual account holder which makes compliance requirements prohibitively high. Management has not seen any signs of pickup in conversion activity in these accounts.
DST's other financial services businesses – 40% of financial services segment, 15% growth
ALPS – an ETF management and distribution company. ALPS is the exclusive distributor and administrator of the iShares SPDR funds, among other funds. In addition, ALPS owns several ETFs including SDOG, IDOG, EQL, EDOG, and ENFR. ALPS earn fees based on assets under administration and assets under management. This business benefits from the secular trend toward low cost ETFs.
TRAC – provides participant recordkeeping and administration for defined contribution plans (401(k), 403(b), 457, ESPP). The business generates revenue based on number of accounts under administration and based on transactions.
AWD – offers BPO services to clients including claims processing, client on-boarding, complaints management, exception management.
Other – includes Bluedoor, Argus, and DST's new big data business (unnamed). Also includes DST Vision which was an in-house startup because REIT customers had complained about the existing Maverick platform for REIT recordkeeping. DST launched DST Vision a few years ago and now serves 80% of U.S. REITs.
Summary of Financial Services
The shareholder recordkeeping businesses are about 60% of DST's financial services segment and growth in subaccounting is now offsetting declines in registered accounts on a revenue basis, so revenues for this part of the business are expected to be flat to up 1%. DST's other financial services businesses are growing at 15% resulting in around 6.5% sustainable revenue growth versus consensus 3% and 1-3% over the last few years.
The closest comps for DST's financial services segment are processing companies including: ADP, FIS, FISV, PAYX, JKHY, and SEIC which trade at an average 11.5x EV/EBITDA and revenue growth is estimated at 6.5%.
Healthcare Services – 18% rev, 17% EBIT
This segment provides processing systems, integrated care management applications and BPO services for payers and providers in the U.S. healthcare industry. The business is growing topline 10-15%, benefiting from the increasing complexities of the U.S. healthcare industry. The closest comps are TriZetto (private equity sold to Cognizant at 14.2x EBITDA), CTSH 10.7x, ESRX 9.6x, CTRX 12.2x.
Customer Communications – 32% rev, 17% EBIT
Customer Communications provides digital print, electronic solutions, direct marketing, and fulfillment services directly to clients and through relationships in which its services are combined with or offered concurrently through providers of data processing services. The business has been growing mid-single digits as increased compliance at financial institutions has resulted in increased disclosure to customers and a trend of outsourcing communications. The margins in this segment are the lowest in the company at 7.5% operating margin. The closest comp is CSG Systems, CSGS, which trades at 6.2x EV/EBITDA.
Revenue Growth Accelerating
DST's business is a scale business with high incremental margins so organic revenue growth is the key to driving organic earnings growth. DST's registered accounts are stabilized and the remaining businesses are growing at 15% for non-recordkeeping businesses, 10-15% for healthcare, and 5% for customer communications.
DST's 2Q financial services segment revenue growth was 6.8% y/y, the fastest growth since the financial crisis due to stability in recordkeeping and accelerating growth in non-recordkeeping businesses. Also, the faster growing business continues to become a larger part of the segment which is a tailwind for growth.
Also, comps for registered accounts get easier in 3Q, as the y/y decline in registered accounts lessens from -3.3% in 2Q to -2.5% in 3Q.
DST's businesses benefit from favorable industry trends including: aging population, increased complexity and regulatory oversight, ETFs and alternatives increasing in volume, demand for top-tier data security, increasing demand for data analytics, and increased outsourcing of processed services.
Operating Costs Peaked in 1Q14
DST has been investing in new systems and bringing new customers online in 1H14 which has increased opex costs ($20mm sequential increase in 1Q14) and been a drag on financial services margins in 1H14, giving limited operating leverage for the recent revenue growth. Some of these costs are regulatory-related and are now built into the cost structure and some are related to bringing new customers onto DST's platform which will roll off.
Customer contracts are 1-3 years long and management plans to increase pricing in the coming renewals to cover the increased compliance costs which suggests margin expansion in 2H14 and 2015 from current levels because the cost buildout is largely complete. Even without pricing increases, DST's revenues have begun to accelerate so as costs stabilize, the company should see good incremental margins.
2014 Peak Capex Year
DST has averaged $100mm of capex over the last seven years versus $130mm capex guidance in 2014. The additional $30mm capex is designated for a refresh of their generator plant at one of their datacenters plus the acquisition of new equipment to support a new customer that will be coming online at the end of 2014. Capex should normalize to $100mm in 2015. Normalizing capex drives an additional $0.75/share of FCF in 2015.
High Quality Core Business
DST is a high ROIC, capital light business with high barriers to entry, a leading market position, and strong FCF generation. 90% of DST's revenue is recurring and DST has long relationships with customers (34 years with top 5 financial service customers, 17 years with top 5 healthcare, 12 years with top 5 customer communications). Given the complexity and regulation around recordkeeping, customers are unlikely to change because of the transition risks involved and recordkeeping is a small total cost of doing business. This dynamic gives DST pricing power to protect its margins, creating durable earnings. DST's trailing ROIC is 30.7% and forward ROIC is 34.5%. ROIC tends to be closely correlated to earnings multiples because a higher ROIC drives a higher sustainable growth rate. DST's business requires around $100mm in annual maintenance and growth capex versus operating cash flow of $390mm, leaving $290mm of FCF for repurchases, dividends, debt reduction, or M&A.
DST's prior management team accumulated non-core assets over the last decade including shares of State Street, shares of other publicly traded companies, private equity investments, non-core real estate, and other non-core assets. DST's new CEO has been systematically monetizing non-core assets at the pace of at least $100mm per quarter for the last nine quarters and still has $800mm of after-tax non-core assets remaining which should be mostly completed over the next six quarters. Importantly, the new CEO and management team has not made any incremental non-core investments and continues to monetize and use proceeds to repurchase shares and reduce outstanding debt.
Marketable securities. DST owns 6.42mm shares of STT stock (held AFS for accounting purposes) and shares of other publicly traded companies and other publicly traded debt (held AFS and HTM). The after-tax fair value of these assets is $488mm and could be fully monetized quickly if management chose to accelerate the monetization. Management has used sales of marketable securities to smooth the monetization proceeds which can be lumpy due to private equity distributions, real estate sales, and sales of other illiquid non-core assets for which the timing is tough to predict. Since June 30th, STT stock has risen by 8% which is worth about $30mm or $0.75/share for DST and reflected below.
Private equity. DST's largest private equity investment was an LP commitment to a 2008-vintage fund for which all capital has been called and the fund has begun monetizing investments (in year 6 of a 10 year fund). For all of DST's private equity investments, there is only $6.5mm remaining unfunded capital so the investments are approaching maturity. All of DST's private equity investments are marked at book value. Given the 2008 vintage, most of the capital was invested near the bottom of the cycle when asset prices were attractive, implying that there could be large embedded gains. Over the last 6 quarters, DST has harvested $159mm from private equity while the book value has only declined by $73mm, implying embedded gains of $86mm or 2.18x multiple-on-invested-capital (MOIC). Valuing the remaining private equity investment at a 2.0x MOIC arrives at $244mm of fair value.
Real Estate. DST owns 3.1mm SF of real estate including offices, data centers, production facilities, and retail space. In addition, the company owns a number of surface parking facilities and an underground storage facility with 0.5mm SF in Kansas City and 200 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to its buildings in El Dorado Hills, California. Most of DST's real estate is located in Kansas City, London, and El Dorado Hills. Some of the real estate is occupied by DST's businesses while other properties are leased to 3rd party tenants and held as investments. An optimal capital structure would probably involve selling all real estate including that occupied by DST and using capital to repurchase shares, the base case is that DST only monetizes those assets that are not occupied by DST's businesses. Management noted that the unconsolidated real estate line item is the best proxy for the book value of non-core real estate. Given DST has owned most of its properties for many years, I estimate the fair value is 1.5x the book value which equates to $47mm of after-tax fair value of non-core real estate. In addition, DST includes $413mm of assets classified as "properties"; however, I assign no incremental value to these as management may view most of these properties as core to the business.
Hidden Non-Core Assets. In addition to the assets highlighted above, DST has other assets which may not be included on its balance sheet or in footnotes in its financials. For example, in 2Q, DST realized a $103.6mm gain from the sale of DST's remaining investment in a private company. Management said because of confidentiality agreements, they could not provide details, but this transaction appears to be from the sale of DST's 5% stake in Asurion which was a co-private equity investment from years ago. Other examples include sale of private company in 2Q12 for $139mm, cash dividend from a private company in 2Q12 of $47mm, and cash dividend from BFDS of $125mm. There may be other such undisclosed assets that DST can monetize. Since 4Q11 when DST began monetizing non-core assets, the company has realized $1.22b of proceeds from monetization while estimated net fair value of investments has only declined by $456mm (from $1.25b to $794mm). Part of this was driven by STT's appreciation, but also partially because of off-balance sheet non-core assets being monetized and assets being realized at better than expected prices. DST gets no credit for these hidden assets in the fair value, but could drive additional upside.
Share Repurchases
The new CEO who has been running the business since Sept 2012, has shrunk the share count by 14% and reduced net debt by 41% through monetization proceeds and FCF generation from 3Q12 to 2Q14.
The company's target leverage is 2.00-2.25x debt/EBITDA which is $1.0b of net debt at the mid-point of their target leverage versus current leverage of $588mm. Management opted to deleverage because they planned to make tuck-in acquisitions ($100-200mm max) and wanted dry powder on their balance sheet. However, they are selective on price and no deals have met their hurdles. They have indicated that the currently have enough debt capacity for any opportunities they might find.
Incremental FCF and monetization will likely all be used for share buybacks or acquisitions given management realizes that the balance sheet is underleveraged.
In 1Q14, management was negotiating with Argyros Group regarding the exit of their 22% stake, so was restricted from share repurchases. With $60-75mm of FCF/quarter and $100mm of monetization proceeds and dividends of $12mm/quarter, DST has the capacity to repurchase $148-163mm of stock each of the next six quarters while keeping net debt unchanged. This would be roughly $900mm of share repurchases or 27% of DST's current market cap by the end of 2015. If DST increased its leverage to its target, it could do an incremental $400mm which would be $1.3b of repurchases on a $3.3b market cap or 39% of the current market cap.
The company was blocked out of share repurchases 90 days following the Argyros Group transaction (until August 8th), but should be back in the market now.
On a SOTP basis, DST is worth $106 on 2014 EBITDA and $125 on 2015 EBITDA. This includes 10x EV/EBITDA for financial services (processor peers at 11.5x), 10x for healthcare (peers 11.4x), 6x for customer communications (peer 6.2x), and $794mm of after-tax non-core assets.
While a SOTP valuation is nice, often companies do not get full credit for non-core assets and are valued on traditional metrics such as P/E, EV/EBITDA, and FCF yield. Over the next 18 months, 75% of DST's non-core asset should be converted into cash and returned to shareholders via buybacks or deployed in acquisitions, so by 2016, the business can be valued applying a P/E, EV/EBITDA, or FCF yield multiple (no need for a SOTP). As the assets are monetized, DST should start to get full credit for its non-core assets. Valuing DST at 20x P/E, 9.0x EV/EBITDA and 6.0% FCF yield versus peers at 20.7x, 11.0x , and 5.3%, DST is worth $105 on 2014 numbers, $130 on 2015 numbers, and $160 on 2016 numbers. It is reasonable to discount these numbers/multiples and arrive at slightly lower fair value, but still one with material upside.
Multiple Ways To Win
There are several ways to win with DST including growing earnings as a standalone company and continuing the $100mm/quarter measured pace of monetization. An aggressive buyback, a strategic acquisition, or a sale of the company, all provide 50%+ upside over an accelerated time frame.
Standalone. Fair value is $105 in 2014 and $125 in 2015.
Accelerated buyback: $137. Increase target leverage to 3x debt/EBITDA and use $800mm of debt to repurchase stock. In addition, monetize liquid non-core assets immediately and use the $488mm of net proceeds for a total buyback of $1.3b. Announce a $1b ASR and $300mm ongoing buyback. Continue to monetize additional $305mm non-core illiquid assets at a measured pace, using proceeds for ongoing buybacks. Commit to returning 70% of operating FCF to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. Under this scenario, share count would shrink to 25mm shares and EPS would grow to $8.60 in 2015 assuming a 5% interest rate on new debt. Even at the current discounted 16x P/E, the stock would trade to $137.
Strategic acquisition $140. If DST were to make a $1.0b acquisition, they could deploy their non-core assets into earnings-generating assets. DST has $793mm of non-core assets and $412mm of debt capacity at their 2.00-2.15x debt/EBITDA target. If they paid 12x EBITDA, that would add $50mm to net income or $1.25/share to EPS and the stock may give credit for $1.25 x 16 = $20 incremental upside above base case.
Sale of the company. A PE sponsor could take leverage to 5x which would free up $1.7b of cash, plus $793mm of non-core assets which is $2.5b that could be extracted from the business immediately. In addition, management could sell the healthcare business for nearly $1b at TriZetta's 14x multiple. DST's current market cap is $3.3b compared to the potential $3.5b that could be extracted from the business within the first few months. DST previously had received bids from private equity in 2011. DST could also make a strategic acquisition for STT (large JV with DST) or BK (major competitor). BK owns 4.4% of DST's shares and increased their position by 50% in 2Q and STT owns 2.6% of outstanding shares and increased their position by 5% in 2Q.
Next several quarters of earnings which should show see revenue growth remain around 6.5% in financial services and margin expansion.
Resuming share repurchase program following Argyros repurchases.
Potential dividend increase in next couple quarters.
Better messaging around capital management plans.
Upside cases: accelerated buyback, strategic acquisition, or sale of company to PE or competitor.
For every 100 bps in short rates, DST adds $0.14 to EPS because they have custody of client assets.
If tax-advantaged accounts conversion to subaccounting began to occur, that would introduce a new risk and possibly change the thesis.
Account loss in healthcare business or customer communications. DST lost a customer in healthcare which will hit revenues starting in 1Q15. In addition, customer communications lost a customer in 1H14, but they also won a larger customer contract which starts in 4Q14.
Management becomes complacent about buybacks and lets cash build on balance sheet rather than deploying it. Or worse, management reverses course and starts buying more non-core assets. However, management has been clear they are on a one-way track of monetizing non-core assets.
Management makes a poor acquisition or significantly overpays. They have a good track record – last purchase was ALPS which has been a great growth driver.
Consensus view
Still viewed as an event-driven play for monetizing non-core assets. The street thinks 3% core revenue growth and some operating margin expansion can drive ~5% EBITDA growth. They acknowledge recordkeeping business is stabilizing, but are taking a conservative "wait and see" approach.
Consensus view is that management will continue slow monetization and buy back stock at a measured pace. However, management understands balance sheet is underleveraged. They do not get credit for the additional dry powder on their balance sheet which can alone drive $1/share of EPS.
Consensus is bullish on DST with an average $110 pt and the five analysts all buy-rated. However, given limited liquidity and excitement around the stock recently, there has been limited interest.
I hold a position with the issuer such as employment, directorship, or consultancy.
Continued execution of core business and rationalization of non-core assets on balance sheet.
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The Payroll Change Log is an enhancement to People Inc. designed to collect together all of the changes that relate to payroll processing. The Payroll Change Log is updated automatically when users make changes to employee details elsewhere in the system. The changes could be made by an HR user, or by the employee themselves (via the Employee Self Service module).
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