Worcester Valkyries Director of Rugby Donna Kennedy is setting her sights on the Women's Premiership title this season.
Valkyries have finished in the top four in each of the last three campaigns which included their first-ever Premiership title back in 2012/13.
And Kennedy, the world-record caps holder in the women's game, admits she has high hopes ahead of the new campaign.
She said: "I want us to win the Premiership. Why be in the competition without this aim?
Kennedy won 115 caps with Scotland in a Test career spanning 17 years while she also tasted success with Worcester when they won their first-ever Women's Premiership title.
She explained: "We'll take each game at a time and work closely with the players in training to make sure they are improving week in week out.
With the new campaign kicking off at Sixways against Aylesford Bulls Ladies this Sunday (2pm), the former number eight insists her side know that expectations are high.
She continued: "These guys know that I have high standards and we are in this to win it. We genuinely are.
"I know it's an old saying but we are capable of winning this Premiership and we have proven it before.
You can watch Worcester Valkyries in all of their home matches at Sixways this season for free.


Choosing the right place to start is often the most difficult. So I will now try to offer some guidelines.
Your beginning needs to intrigue the reader - persuading readers that they simply must know what happens next and therefore, must carry on reading.
Open with a dialogue - always a useful ploy with any kind of opening personal statement. For instance, you could make a statement that will gain the readers attention. Or open with a line on the description of a person or place in connection with your subject area. I have below chosen a few authors who have captured the readers attention in their writings, which may help you when starting to write your personal statement beginning.
" Funny things, my knees. Sort of fair weather friends. But the time when I get up in front of an audience and the knees were on strike, they quiver with fear and mutter oh no."
This introduction above captures the readers attention and sets the tone for the rest of the paragraph. It is amusing yet also funny. Instantly, we are dragged into the second paragraph, almost whether we wish to or not.
If you still need some inspiration close your eyes and take yourself back to when you was first interested in your subject area. Why? Picture the scene in your mind, then write a powerful opening paragraph.
Click here to visit the market leader for UK university admissions - Get Into Uni Limited.
This website is designed to offer both encouragement and practical help to those who wish to start to write the UCAS personal statement for university admission.
Your descriptions on your UCAS personal statement should be vivid enough to envoke a sense of place or situation so the admissions officer is with you on the journey of trying to convince the reader that you are the one for the course.


Art and Lit are both strings and are attr_accessible in dplan. Thanks for your help!
Some examples for you to consider.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged ruby-on-rails checkbox nomethoderror or ask your own question.


Low-frequency electrical stimulation to the motor cortex (LFSMC) depresses the excitability of motor circuits by long-term depression (LTD)-like effects. The interactions between LFSMC and cathodal direct current stimulation (cDCS) over the cerebellum are unknown.
We assessed the corticomotor responses and the afferent facilitation of corticomotor responses during a conditioning paradigm in anaesthetized rats. We applied LFSMC at a frequency of 1 Hz and a combination of LFSMC with cDCS.
LFSMC significantly depressed both the corticomotor responses and the afferent facilitation of corticomotor responses. Simultaneous application of cDCS over the cerebellum antagonized the depression of corticomotor responses and cancelled the depression of the afferent facilitation.
Our results demonstrate that cDCS of the cerebellum is a potent modulator the inhibition of the motor circuits induced by LFSMC applied in vivo. These results expand our understanding of the effects of cerebellar DCS on motor commands and open novel applications for a cerebellar remote control of LFSMC-induced neuroplasticity. We suggest that the cerebellum acts as a neuronal machine supervising not only long-term potentiation (LTP)-like effects, but also LTD-like effects in the motor cortex, two mechanisms which underlie cerebello-cerebral interactions and the cerebellar control of remote plasticity. Implications for clinical ataxiology are discussed.
Direct current stimulation (DCS) is growingly applied to understand the roles of the cerebellum on the sensorimotor or cognitive operations, and to modulate the effects of the cerebellum over the cerebral cortex in ataxic disorders . Anodal DCS (aDCS) of the cerebellum reinforces the inhibition exerted by the Purkinje neurons over cerebellar nuclei, whereas cathodal DCS (cDCS) of the cerebellum induces a disinhibition of cerebellar nuclei, which physiologically excite thalamic targets amongst others. In other words, aDCS decreases the excitatory drive exerted by cerebellar nuclei, with opposite effects of cDCS . The polarity-specific modulation of cerebellar-motor cortex connectivity is currently mainly explained by changes of the activity of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathways . These tracts represent the best candidates for gating of the information flow from the cerebellum to the cerebral cortex . Cerebellar nuclei project in particular to thalamic nuclei which target themselves the layers IV and V of the primary motor cortex, whose horizontal neuronal connections represent a substrate for map reorganization during plasticity .
It has been demonstrated that low frequency stimulation of the motor cortex (≤1 Hz) with repeated TMS (rTMS) exerts powerful inhibitory effects on corticospinal excitability by synaptic mechanisms similar to long-term depression (LTD) . These effects are site-specific, unaffecting the contralateral motor cortex. The increased inhibition of the motor cortex might participate in the deficits observed in cerebellar disorders [6, 7]. Since cDCS of the cerebellum disinhibits cerebellar nuclei, this technique might be useful to antagonize the decreased excitability of the motor cortex in cerebellar patients. We tested the hypothesis that cDCS of the cerebellum counteracts the inhibitory effects exerted by low frequency electrical stimulation of the motor cortex (LFSMC).
Experiments were approved by the Animal Care Committee of ULB. We made all efforts to reduce animal suffering as much as possible and to use the minimal number of animals. Adult Wistar rats (n = 11; weight between 240 and 390 g) were anaesthetized with chloral hydrate (400 mg/kg i.p., followed by a continuous infusion to obtain a steady-state anesthesia after about 15 min and reproducible motor evoked potentials MEPs; CMA micropump, CMA, Sweden) before the beginning of the surgical procedure . Rats were put in a stereotaxic apparatus (Kaps, Germany). Scalp was shaved and cut sagitally. The tissue overlying the cranium was removed (epicranial stimulation to obtain corticomotor responses and epidural stimulation for cDCS; see below). Body temperature was maintained between 36.0 and 37.5 °C. Indeed, this parameter is critical for the activity of glutamatergic pathways .
We first determined the "hot spot" of the left gastrocnemius muscle by stimulating the right motor cortex using a mapping procedure (matrix of 6 × 9 sites) . Stimulation was applied every mm in the sagittal axis and every 0.5 mm in the coronal axis (epicranial stimulation). We used a successive point-by-point stimulation method with monophasic pulses. The duration of electrical stimuli (square waves) was 1 msec (NeuroMax 4, Xltek, Canada). The right motor cortex was stimulated at an intensity of 130 % of the motor threshold MT (defined as the minimal intensity eliciting at least 5 out of 10 evoked responses with an amplitude >20 μV). We measured peak-to-peak amplitudes of MEPs (sets of 10 corticomotor responses were considered to compute the mean responses). We inserted subcutaneous needle electrodes (Technomed 017K25) in left gastrocnemius muscle to record MEPs. Impedance was maintained below 5 KOhms.
The conditioning stimulus (DS70 stimulator, Digitimer, UK) was delivered in the left sciatic nerve (stimulation at a distance of about 16 mm laterally from midline; intensity of stimulation eliciting a small twitch of the hindlimb) at an inter-stimulus interval (ISI) of 6 msec before application of a test stimulus on right motor cortex. Such short ISIs are associated with an afferent facilitation whereas long ISIs are associated with an afferent inhibition .
For LFSMC, we administered squared pulses (duration: 1 msec) at an intensity corresponding to the MT at a frequency of 1 Hz during 10 min (600 stimuli) over the right motor cortex after the following baseline measurements: (1) a set of 10 MEPs without conditioning, followed by (2) a set of 10 duos of MEPs for the conditioning paradigm . LFSMC was applied from T0 min to T10 min (current supplied by a constant current stimulator A310-A365, World Precision Instruments, UK). rTMS at the frequency of 1 Hz and at an intensity corresponding to MT is known to elicit a strong reduction in motor cortex excitability . Durations of 5 to 20 min have been applied in rats by other groups using rTMS . We first observed (in 3 rats) that the depression of MEPs was maximal from T10 to T30 min. The depression lasted about 25 min (amplitudes of MEPs returned to baseline values at about T35 min). We repeated the measurements of MEPs (10 MEPs without conditioning and 10 duos of MEPs in the conditioning paradigm) 10 min after the end of application of LFSMC (T20 min). We selected to combine cDCS (see next section) with LFSMC 50 min (from T50 to T60 min) after the beginning of LFSMC, when the excitability of the motor cortex had returned to baseline values.
cDCS was applied over left cerebellar hemisphere during 10 min in conjunction with the application of LFSMC applied over the right motor cortex (from T50 to T60 min). The method to apply cDCS has been reported earlier . This is based on the study of Fregni et al. . The anode (low impedance metallic electrode with a diameter of 0.8 mm) was fixed 5 mm anterior to the bregma in right supraorbital region, inserted epicranially. A small plastic jacket was fixed over left cerebellar hemisphere with dental cement and filled with saline solution (0.9 % NaCl) to obtain a contact area of 7.1 mm2. The cathode was applied epidurally over the left cerebellar hemisphere. cDCS was applied directly onto the dura to ensure a defined contact area over the cerebellar cortex. The after-effects of cDCS last about 55–65 min . We previously showed that cDCS does not change the amplitudes of MEPs, redistributes corticomotor maps and does not modify the afferent inhibition . Measurements of MEPs (10 MEPs without conditioning and 10 duos) were repeated at T70 min. At the end of the experiments, an overdose of chloral hydrate (1000 mg/kg i.p.) was administered. Following decapitation, brains were extracted and examined under a microscope to exclude local lesions or bleeding.
Statistical analysis was performed using Sigma Stat (Jandel Scientific, Germany). The normality of data was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. We compared the amplitudes of MEPs without conditioning before LFSMC (baseline; T0 min), after LFSMC (T20 min), at T45 min (to confirm return to baseline values' range) and after the combination cDCS/LFSMC (at T70 min) using the Friedman repeated measures analysis of variance on ranks, followed by pairwise multiple comparison procedures with the Tukey test. We compared the conditioned responses (afferent facilitation: ratio of conditioned response CR by unconditioned response UR) in the 4 recording times (at T0, T20, T45, T70 min) using the repeated measures analysis of variance, followed by the Tukey test. Despite the results of the normality assessment for conditioned responses, we also computed a Friedman repeated measures analysis of variance on ranks followed by the Tukey test given our sample size. Statistical significance was set at p = 0.05.
We did not observe lesions induced by electrical stimulation or bleeding in the motor cortex or in the cerebellum. The amplitudes of MEPs were significantly depressed by LFSMC. However, this LFSMC-induced depression was antagonized by cDCS of the cerebellum. This is illustrated in Fig. 1 (top panels). The afferent facilitation (assessed by the ratios of CR divided by UR) was depressed by LFSMC (Fig. 1, bottom panels). cDSC of the cerebellum antagonized the effects of LFSMC and even unbalanced the effects of LFSMC.
We provide the first experimental evidence that cDCS of the cerebellum antagonizes the strong inhibitory effect exerted by LFSMC applied over the contralateral motor cortex, expanding our understanding of the numerous and complex interactions between motor cortex and cerebellum . We focused on the gastrocnemius muscle and cannot extrapolate the results to other limb muscles.
At this stage, we cannot distinguish between (a) an antagonistic effect of cDCS on the plasticity related changes induced by LFSMC, (b) an additive modulation of corticomotoneuronal output, and (c) a combination of the two mechanisms. Further studies are required, including single-cell recordings in the various layers of the cerebral cortex, especially recordings of inhibitory interneurons and pyramidal cells in the deep cortical layers. In addition, an effect upon extra-pyramidal pathways and/or spinal cord cannot be ruled out. Both the ratios Mean F/Mean M response and the persistence of F waves are significantly increased in the ipsilateral gastrocnemius muscle after application of cDCS of the cerebellum alone . By contrast, cDCS does not modify the amplitudes of H reflex. We have demonstrated in a previous study that LFRSMC at an intensity of 130 % of MT (frequency of 1 Hz) changes the inter-hemispheric inhibition (IHI) but does not modify the excitability of the anterior horn motoneurons pool . Therefore, repetitive stimulation of M1 at 1 Hz at an intensity of MT is unlikely to change the excitability of the spinal cord. In rats, pyramidal neurons and GABAergic interneurons of deep cortical layers receive directly the inter-hemispheric information . Pyramidal neurons of layer VI respond monosynaptically to callosal stimulation . This argues for a direct effect of low frequency stimulation upon the cerebral cortex itself. Layer VI pyramidal cells have wide projections towards other cortical areas . Callosal information contributes to a bilateral corticothalamic integration by modulating the activity of inhibitory interneurons involved in cellular plasticity . The interhemispheric inhibition (IHI) is a key-mechanism for the balance of activities between the 2 hemispheres . Because the anode was fixed anterior to the bregma in right supraorbital region for the cDCS, a contribution of callosal pathways should be considered in our experiment. Moreover, the study of Fregni et al. on cortical spreading depression (a wave of neuronal depolarization propagating across the cortical surface) in rats argues for a direct effect of repetitive electrical stimulation at 1 Hz upon the cerebral cortex .
One limitation of the study is the use of continuous anaesthesia, a factor which might impact on the mechanisms of plasticity of the brain and which might influence our results. In our model, continuous infusion of chloral hydrate is required to obtain reproducible corticomotor responses. Although the half-life of chloral hydrate is short (a few minutes), the half-lives of the metabolites (trichloroethanol TCE and trichloroacetic acid TCA) are longer (up to 60 h) . The mechanisms of action of chloral hydrate remain poorly understood but are known to involve GABAergic pathways, which are implicated in brain excitability and plasticity, especially for long-term plasticity . Ideally, brain plasticity should be investigated without administration of anesthetic agents. This remains a major challenge for the experiments on corticomotor responses in vivo in rodents.
The excitability of the motor cortex can be tuned by acting directly on the motor cortex such as applying LFSMC, or by acting on anatomical structures targetting the motor cortex such as the prefrontal cortex, the sensory cortex or thalamic nuclei. For instance, the motor commands from M1 can be shaped by a modulation of the activity of rFr2 (prefrontal area, the equivalent of the premotor/supplementary motor areas in primates) [17–20]. The mechanism of afferent facilitation is enhanced if preceded by trains of electrical stimulation applied over rFr2 . It has also been shown that repetitive somatosensory peripheral stimulation increases the excitability of the motor cortex and that an intact cerebellum is required for this form of short-term brain plasticity . The activity of thalamic nuclei can be modified by acting on the cerebellar circuitry [22, 23]. The cerebello-dentato-thalamo-cortical pathway is a major actor in the anatomo-functional dialogue between the motor cortex and the cerebellum. The cerebellum is particularly responsive to electrical stimulation for anatomical and physiological reasons [24–26]. Modelling studies of cerebellar DCS indicate that the electric field (E) and the current density (J) spatial distributions occur mainly in the cerebellar cortex, with negligible spreads towards the brainstem . Studies on cerebellar cortex ablation have confirmed the importance of Purkinje cell firings upon the discharges of cerebellar nuclei . Such lesions cause a considerable increase in the background firing and cancel the pauses in discharges occurring in responses induced by somatosensory stimuli.
We have discussed previously the main anatomical pathways involved in the modulation of corticomotoneuronal output and the effects of rTMS on the excitability of the motor cortex . Whereas transcranial electrical stimulation excites directly the axons of pyramidal neurons and generate direct (D) waves, TMS evokes several volleys of corticospinal activity : D-waves from direct axonal activation and later waves (I-waves) resulting from activation of mono- and polysynaptic inputs to pyramidal neurons [28, 29]. TMS excites the pyramidal neurons transsynaptically . With both transcranial electrical stimulation and TMS, high-frequency synchronized descending volleys of activity are recorded in the epidural space [30–32]. However, there is still some debate on the synaptic mechanisms at the origin of I waves .
aDCS and cDCS of the cerebellum cannot just be considered as having pure opposite effects. Using an ISI of 45 msec, aDCS of the cerebellum enhances the afferent inhibition of conditioned corticomotor responses, unlike cDCS which has no significant impact on the afferent inhibition . aDCS decreases the amplitude of corticomotor responses and changes the representation pattern of limb muscles over the motor cortex. A "focusing effect" is observed, with a concentration of the highest motor responses around the hot spot. In this case, an opposite effect occurs with cDCS.
MEP suppression by 1Hz rTMS has been demonstrated in rats under general anesthesia . Several authors consider that repetitive electrical stimulation of the cerebral cortex in the rat mimics the effects of magnetic stimulation . A long-term depression (LTD)-type plasticity is suggested to explain MEP suppression. Indeed, the effects of rTMS are known (1) to be frequency-dependent, (2) to outlast the period of stimulation, and (3) to rely on NMDA pathways [5, 34, 35]. Our results show that the neuromodulation of cerebellar activity by cDCS exerts powerful remote effects on the LTD-like plasticity induced by LFSMC. Therefore, the 2 techniques appear to compete in terms of consequences on motor cortex excitability. Regarding rTMS, its direct application over the cerebellum tunes the activity of contralateral motor cortex. One Hz rTMS over the cerebellar cortex increases intracortical facilitation (ICF) at the level of contralateral M1, and low-frequency cerebellar rTMS trains affect motor intracortical excitability beyond the application of the train . ICF is depressed in hemicerebellectomized rats but remains responsive to trains of stimulations applied over the prefrontal cortex .
What are the implications in the field of clinical ataxiology? We propose the following potential therapeutical applications of DCS in cerebellar patients, still deserving further confirmations in specific clinical studies. Lesions or dysfunction of cerebellar nuclei induce a depression of contralateral motor cortex excitability which can be reverted either by aDCS of the motor cortex [37, 38] or by cDCS of the cerebellum which disinhibits cerebellar nuclei. Examples of dysfunction of cerebellar nuclei are compression by tumors of the surrounding white matter or hydrocephalus, intoxications [37, 39], spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) or Friedreich ataxia which are associated with a nuclear grumose degeneration [40, 41], calcium deposits [42, 43]. It is currently unclear whether the recently reported deposits of gadolinium in cerebellar nuclei of patients having received multiple administrations will be associated with very slowly evolving cerebellar deficits (motor, cognitive and/or affective) or will remain clinically silent for life . Lesions of the cerebellar cortex (cerebellitis, cerebellar cortical atrophy) lead to a disinhibition of cerebellar nuclei and overactivity of contralateral motor cortex. Application of LFSMC or aDCS of the cerebellum could be administered to regulate motor output. It was shown recently that aDCS improves ataxias associated with cerebellar atrophy . Disorders combining a pathology of the cerebellum and hyperexcitability of the motor cortex could benefit from combinations of LFSMC and DCS of the cerebellum. One example is familial cortical myoclonic tremor with epilepsy [46, 47]. Finally, the modulation of the motor cortex excitability is considered as an early change before structural plasticity [48, 49] and therefore combinations of LFSMC/DCS of the cerebellum may find future applications in the attempts to influence sensorimotor learning with a clinical perspective in mind. On a broader perspective, the remote supervision of LTD-like mechanisms in the cerebral cortex might be a mean to act on sensori-motor learning disorders and could be envisioned as a novel tool to appreciate the functional preservation of the cerebellar projections towards the primary motor cortex, complementing the previously reported properties of DCS in the detection of very early lesions in the cerebral cortex  and adding another electrophysiological tool to assess cerebellum-brain interactions . The hypothesis that the cerebellum filters or processes time-specific incoming sensory volleys in order to influence the plasticity of the motor cortex is reinforced by findings of impaired long-term potentiation (LTP)-like effects during paired associative stimulation . Overall, cerebellum appears as key-actor for the supervision of remote plasticity in the motor cortex.
This is the first demonstration that cDCS of the cerebellum modulates the effects of LFSMC upon the excitability of motor circuits. Our results potentially open future applications for a cerebellar remote control of LFSMC-induced neuroplasticity in vivo.
Given the sample size, a Friedman repeated measures analysis of variance on ranks was also applied despite the values of the normality assessment. The p value (the 4 conditions being considered) was <0.001. Tukey test showed that values at T70 min were greater than values at T45 min and T20 min, and that values at T0 min were greater than values at T20 min. However, values at T20 min are similar to values at T45 min. In addition, values at T70 min were similar to values at T0 min.
MM is supported by the FNRS-Belgium.
NOBT and MM conceived the study, performed the experiments and drafted the manuscript. Both the authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.


Photo courtesy of Le Cure.
The best next-best-things: North Texas' greatest cover bands.
If you don't see particularly well and maybe suffer from some kind of exceptional earwax buildup, you could be forgiven for wandering onto the grounds at Gexa Energy Pavilion this weekend and thinking you've found the greatest lineup ever assembled for a music festival. The Smiths. ZZ Top. The Beatles.
But it's not meant to be. What is this trickery? The Smiths are never getting back together. The Beatles, as you know, are short a couple key members. The members of ZZ Top, while alive and well, would not be sporting fake beards.
The Throwback Festival boasts an all-star lineup of tribute bands, with 15 of the best next-best-things playing on three stages. It's easy to scoff at the cover band, but forming a tribute act is a noble undertaking that gives fans all the flash of their favorite bands without kowtowing to constraints of cost or time.
This weekend's festival has a decent share of acts from around the country, but you don't have to go far to find ersatz rock stars. Here are five of the best tribute acts in town.
KISS has probably spawned more cover bands than any other act on the planet, from all-female tributes like the wonderfully named PRISS and SLUTTER to the little people lineup of Mini Kiss. It's easy to see why KISS Inc. has inspired such devotion. The makeup, the pyrotechnics, and the good-times tunes make it look like a lot of fun to be the world's showiest rock band. A good KISS tribute act can also count on the support of some of music's most rabid fans. What other band has a fanbase that, without any irony whatsoever, refers to itself as an army?
It's hard to stand out from the teeming masses of KISS cover bands, but Dallas' Rock and Roll Over manages to hold its own in a competitive field. The group will never match the shock and awe live spectacle of the genuine article (fireworks are expensive), but Rock and Roll Over is one of the best next-best-things you're going to find anywhere. They've got the look down, they've got the sound down, and they've got a low-budget knack for the kind of theatrics that make KISS the greatest rock show on earth.
A Smiths reunion in the 21st century is about as likely as airborne pigs or a lasting Israel-Palestine peace accord. You can still catch Johnny Marr live or (God help us all) a Morrissey solo concert, but your best bet for a Smiths fix in North Texas is going to be Panic, fronted by Josh Venable (formerly the voice of 102.1 The Edge's Adventure Club) and filled out by members of Chomsky and other local bands. Venable's basically a top-notch Smiths karaoke singer, but he nails Morrissey's vocal tics and distinctly British affectations. The Smiths have a reputation for angst and moping about, but Panic seems to get that the band could also be a lot of fun.
A spooky good Robert Smith impersonation is the key to a Cure tribute band. Le Cure has that covered and then some with Mark Hernandez, a Robert Smith doppelganger if there ever was one. If you close your eyes, it's easy to imagine you're hearing the real deal, which is about the strongest compliment I can give a cover band. If you open your eyes and maybe squint a little bit, you can almost — kind of — imagine you're even seeing the real deal.
You'll find some semi-contentious online debate about how much the members of A Hard Night's Day actually look like The Beatles (not much), but that's mostly missing the point. The band rocks the Ed Sullivan-era suits, sure. It's the sound that counts, though, and A Hard Night's Day does about 200 of the most beloved songs of the 20th century justice. One of the longest-running tribute acts in North Texas, a Hard Night's Day has gigged internationally, recorded at Abbey Road, and gotten a stamp of approval from one of the Beatles' old managers, which gives them a nice amount of credibility in the cutthroat world of Fab Four cover bands.
Swan Song, formed in 1999, doesn't replicate the look of Led Zeppelin as much as they pay tribute to the vibe. Zeppelin, at its best, was mysterious and epic. Those are pretty lofty words to apply to a cover band, but Swan Song sound great at replicating the musicianship that made Led Zeppelin such a powerhouse rock band.


text:
Enron turned obscure businesspeople into household names. Here's where they are now
The sudden collapse of Enron, culminating in what was then the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history on Dec. 2, 2001, changed thousands of lives, damaged investor confidence to the core and made household names out of previously obscure businesspeople.
Many were dragged in front of congressional committees and berated in seemingly endless hearings. Some were later indicted, arrested and paraded in front of cameras in handcuffs as part of a national catharsis. Twenty years later, the last of the Enron defendants have completed their prison sentences, paid their restitution and have sought to move on with their lives.
Even now, few of the dozen or so people we spoke to for this article were willing to speak publicly about their time at Enron. Several said they saw "no upside" in re-associating themselves with the company, preferring instead to keep a low profile. More than one said that even two decades later, recounting the experience is deeply emotional. One former executive said he would need time to "decompress" after an hour-and-20-minute phone conversation about Enron — most conversations with Enron alumni are long.
All the former company leaders CNBC spoke with still recall their time at Enron fondly, as do many of the thousands of employees who may still blame them for the collapse of what all seem to agree was a special place to work.
Kenny Boy
Former Enron chairman Kenneth Lay (C) leaves the Bob Casey U.S. Courthouse after the day's proceedings in his fraud and conspiracy trial, April 26, 2006, in Houston, Texas.
Dave Einsel | Getty Images
Enron's founder and chairman, Kenneth Lay, did not survive the scandal. Not long before Enron's collapse, he was riding high — a local hero in Houston who had been rumored to be in line for a post in the new George W. Bush administration. Lay had deep ties to the Bush family, nicknamed by the second President Bush as "Kenny Boy."
Convicted on 10 felony counts in 2006 — a verdict that he said at the time left him "shocked" — Lay died of a heart attack six weeks later while awaiting sentencing. Because he never had the chance to appeal the verdict, his convictions were vacated by the court.
Lay's daughter Elizabeth, an attorney who worked on his defense team, and son Mark, a former Enron vice president who still works in the energy industry, recalled what they said were multiple firsts at Enron under their father's leadership, in areas including renewable energy, environmental stewardship, and support for minorities and disadvantaged people.
"The model was simple, hire the smartest people you could find, give them capital and manage the back office for them so they could build new markets," they said in a statement to CNBC.
Smartest guys
Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling testifies before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation February 26, 2002 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Stephen Jaffe | AFP | Getty Images
Former CEO Jeffrey Skilling, the one-time McKinsey consultant who developed Enron's "asset-light" business model focusing on market-making businesses like natural gas trading instead of traditional pipelines, completed a 12-year prison term in 2019. His sudden resignation after just six months as CEO in 2001 triggered some of the first suspicions about problems at Enron.
Skilling, who declined to comment for this story, served the longest sentence of any Enron defendant, convicted alongside Lay on 19 counts including fraud, conspiracy and insider trading. He has consistently maintained his innocence, but he dropped his remaining appeals in 2013 as part of an agreement with the Justice Department that led to his early release from prison.
He was originally sentenced to 24 years, but a federal appeals court ruled the sentence was excessive and sent the case back to the trial judge for resentencing. In 2013, Skilling and the DOJ agreed to jointly recommend a 14-year sentence in exchange for Skilling dropping his remaining appeals. With good behavior, that meant Skilling was released after approximately 12 years.
Today, Skilling is back in Houston, where he is working on a start-up firm in the energy industry, Veld Applied Analytics. According to its website, the company is developing "sophisticated analytical tools to establish and monitor valuation" of oil and natural gas assets.
Richard Causey, the former chief accounting officer who was slated to go on trial alongside Skilling and Lay but agreed to plead guilty just weeks before the trial began, served nearly five years in prison and was released in 2011. Today, he too is back in Houston, where he operates a niche financial consulting business. Causey also declined to comment.
Ethics needs to be taught like a skill that's like accounting, where you're really going through all the different dilemmas that might cross your desk.
Sherron Watkins
Former Enron vice president
One of the few former Enron executives willing to discuss their experiences is Andy Fastow, former chief financial officer. Fastow, who created some of Enron's most notorious off-balance-sheet transactions and made millions in the process, eventually pleaded guilty to two fraud counts. He was a star prosecution witness against Skilling and Lay, and served five years in prison.
He too declined to be interviewed, but he provided a statement on the 20-year anniversary of Enron's bankruptcy.
"I believe that what I did was wrong, was unethical, and was illegal. I take full responsibility for my actions. I am ashamed and embarrassed every day of my life. To those who were hurt by my actions, directly or indirectly, I apologize. I don't expect you to accept my apology, but you deserve to hear it," he wrote.
Former Enron chief financial officer Andy Fastow is escorted from the Bob Casey Federal Courthouse in Houston, Texas by U. S. Marshals after his fourth day of testimony for the government in the fraud and conspiracy trial against Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay Monday, March 13, 2006.
F. Carter Smith | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Since his release from prison in 2011, Fastow has worked the lecture circuit, and has also given unpaid talks to business groups, fraud investigators and college classes. Often, he displays his Federal Bureau of Prisons identification card in one hand and a "CFO of the Year" trophy he once won in the other. His message: even though companies and executives may believe they are following the rules, they could still be breaking the law like he did. Fastow says misleading deals like the ones he did at Enron are still common in business, and still celebrated.
"You can follow all the rules, and yet still be committing fraud. That should make everyone very uncomfortable," Fastow said in an excerpt from one of his speeches posted online by the BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, where the going rate for a Fastow speech is listed at $10,001-$20,000.
Blowing the whistle
Enron's Vice President of corporate development Sherron Watkins (L) watches as former President and CEO of Enron Corporation Jeffrey Skilling (R) testifies before the Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation February 26, 2002 in Washington, DC.
Mark Wilson | Getty Images
Another former Enron executive who has parlayed her experience into a speaking and consulting career said that from what she has seen, Fastow still doesn't get it.
"The CFO of the Year award is the same information as investors and employees, while the Department of Justice has subpoena power and could get to the root of the transaction, so that's a misrepresentation," said former Enron Vice President Sherron Watkins in an interview. "I am conflicted about his message because he is talking about principles over specific rules. It gives a good message, but he acts like he was a victim of the ambiguity and the accounting rules when in fact he looks for the ambiguity in the rules to force a result that he wants."
Watkins, who at one time reported to Fastow, brought her concerns about Enron's accounting to Lay soon after Skilling's resignation. When her memo to Lay became public during the congressional investigation, she gained fame as the "Enron whistleblower."
After testifying before Congress and in the trial of Skilling and Lay in 2006, Watkins became a speaker and a corporate consultant, although she said the consulting work never really took off.
"I think companies are fine hearing my story, one-way communication. I've never been hired for two-way communication," she said. "For whatever reason, I make them uncomfortable."
Today, she still gives speeches, and she teaches, serving as executive in residence at Texas State University.
"Ethics needs to be taught like a skill that's like accounting, where you're really going through all the different dilemmas that might cross your desk," she said.
While Watkins is typically billed as a whistleblower, she never took her concerns outside the company. She said that is because there was not much of a mechanism for employees to do so in 2001. She takes pride in the fact that there are now protections for corporate whistleblowers, including the Securities and Exchange Commission's robust Office of the Whistleblower created following the 2008 financial crisis.
"They've already given out over a billion dollars of rewards in the 10 years it's been operating," she said.
The enforcers
U.S. Assistant Attorney and Enron Lead Prosecutor Leslie R. Caldwell speaks with the media October 16, 2002 in Houston, Texas.
George Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images
While the most prominent Enron executives have kept a low profile over the past 20 years, some members of the government team that investigated the collapse saw their own careers skyrocket.
Soon after Enron's collapse, amid public outrage, and a determination that the U.S. attorney's office in Houston had too many Enron-related conflicts of interest (as did then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, who recused himself from the investigation), the George W. Bush administration formed an Enron Task Force to investigate the company.
The first director of the task force was Leslie Caldwell, who had cut her teeth prosecuting organized crime in Brooklyn, New York, and brought many of the same tactics to the Enron investigation.
Caldwell, who obtained the indictments of Fastow and Skilling, and secured the pivotal guilty plea from Fastow, would go on to head the Justice Department's criminal division in the Obama administration. Today, she heads the white-collar defense practice as a partner at Latham & Watkins in San Francisco.
In an interview, Caldwell said she is proud of the task force's work, which she said has helped make a lasting impact on corporate accountability.
"It led to a change in culture at a lot of companies around the country. Compliance, which used to be kind of a back-office function that nobody really paid attention to, became huge," she said. "I also think it's sent a very strong message about corruption in leadership ranks and how that's really something to be avoided at all costs."
Her successor as Enron Task Force director, Andrew Weissmann, would go on to become a top prosecutor in former FBI Director Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Today, he is on the faculty at New York University, and is a legal analyst for NBC News.
Weissmann was followed as director by Sean Berkowitz, who was the lead prosecutor in the Skilling and Lay trial. Now the global chair of the complex commercial litigation practice at Latham & Watkins in Chicago, he has represented high-profile white-collar defendants including "Full House" actress Lori Loughlin in the Operation Varsity Blues college admission scandal.
A deputy director of the task force, Kathryn Ruemmler, would go on to become White House counsel in the Obama administration. Today, she is general counsel at Goldman Sachs.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of both NBC News and CNBC.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
April 28, 2020 by Lily Barrett
Massachusetts legislators urge Gov. Baker to quicken inmate releases – Waltham Tribune
A group of concerned legislators — 15 state senators and 23 state representatives — have sent a joint letter to Gov. Charlie Baker, urging him, as part of the state's response to the COVID-19 Health Crisis, to step up the screening and release of inmates from Massachusetts penal institutions.
The letter-writing effort, initiated by State Sen. Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, was inspired by an opinion issued earlier this month by the state's supreme judicial court, five of whose seven current members are Baker appointees.
"Among inmates and correctional officers — we're concerned about both — the positive cases continue to climb," said Barrett. "We think it's quite significant that the court has issued polite but pointed advice on how to speed up the pace of releases."


text:
Home Around UAE
During the UAE government media briefing on the emerging coronavirus: Cases of recovery increased by 18% during the week from 20 to 27 October
in Around UAE
The UAE government held a periodic media briefing to present developments related to the efforts of various state institutions in dealing with the emerging COVID-19 epidemic and to announce the relevant decisions aimed at promoting the full recovery process on various tracks.
During the briefing, Dr. Omar Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi, the official spokesman for the media briefing of the UAE government, presented a set of statistics and figures that reflect the developments in the health situation during the week from 20 to 27 October 2020, while Brigadier Morshed Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of Population Data at the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship announced About the authority starting the process of updating population data and the importance of that in creating a digital system that supports the health sector requirements and efforts.
For his part, Dr. Omar Al-Hammadi revealed that the week from 20 to 27 October witnessed 778,936 examinations conducted at the state level, an increase of 1% compared to the previous week, indicating that the number of confirmed cases reached 10,030, recording an increase of 12% from the previous week It is preceded by … and based on these data, the rate of positive cases from the total tests remains at 1%, which is similar to the previous week, and by comparing this rate with the rates at the regional and global levels, it becomes clear that it is lower than the rate recorded in the European Union, which is 7.7%, and the Eastern region. Middle and North Africa /6.5% /, and the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /6.5% /.
Al-Hammadi also revealed that this week witnessed an increase in recovery cases by 18% to reach 12,145 cases, while the total number of deaths reached 12 cases, a decrease of 45% compared to the previous week, and thus the death rate is 0.4%, which is one of the lowest rates in the world compared to all of the European Union 3.2%, Africa 2.4%, and the OECD countries 3.3%.
For his part, Brigadier Morshed Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of Population Data at the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, announced that the Authority has launched the initiative "Your data … your identity" aimed at updating personal data through the authority's smart application or via the website on the Internet www.ica.gov .ae.
Al Mazrouei stressed that the process of updating data greatly and effectively supports the state's efforts to confront the emerging corona virus and limit its spread, as it provides a digital system that meets the requirements of the health sector and various other sectors, as well as its pivotal role in ensuring the continuity of government services and providing them in accordance with the best standards of efficiency and flexibility. .
Al Mazrouei revealed that the first phase of the initiative is dedicated to the citizens of the United Arab Emirates, calling on them to start the procedure for updating data from Wednesday, the 28th of October, for a period of one month, provided that the updating processes for various segments of society will be resumed within the next stages that will be noted. Later.
Al-Mazrouei explained that the update in the first stage is limited to citizens of the state in the age groups from 18 to 60 years only, as it is incumbent on every adult and fully qualified individual to update his personal data and whoever falls under his family record, revealing the readiness of the call center number / 600522222 / to provide support and guarantee Immediate response to customer inquiries about the modernization process and all services of the authority.
At the conclusion of the briefing, Dr. Omar Abdul-Rahman Al-Hammadi called on everyone to continue to follow the precautionary and preventive measures and not to tolerate them, as they greatly affect society as a whole.


The Old City Guest House is a family project. This family house with a 19th century façade, situated in the historical centre of Braga, was completely refurbished to host guests from around the world. From the design of the house to the restauration of the furniture, the refurbishment process was done entirely by the family, with care and attention to detail, to develop a cosy and comfortable environment that preserved the originality of the house. In this way, the traditional architectonical elements were kept, while adding functionality and comfort. The goal was to obtain a space where guests feel at home.
All stays include continental breakfast.
The building has 5 rooms with different guest capacities varying from 1 to 5 guests, all with private bathroom, central heating and air conditioning, wooden floors, street views, flat screen TV, cable, storage, and daily cleaning. There is also a large living room that guests are invited to use, with a wood burning fire place, a piano, and a flat screen TV with cable. On the same floor there is a kitchen and a lovely room for breakfast.
Located right in the city's historical centre, the Old City Guest House is perfectly positioned for guests to experience Braga in the best possible way. The Cathedral is a few steps away, as are several different museums (Museu dos Biscaínhos, Museu Medina, Museu Pio XII, Museu da Imagem), the city square, Roman ruins (including the Roman baths), many coffee places, restaurants, libraries, and bookshops. It is therefore possible to experience the charm of the old city just outside the guest house. The Tibães monastery is 4km away, and Braga's football stadium is 2km away. The international airport Francisco Sá Carneiro (Porto) is around 40km away.
Late check in (after 7pm) has an extra cost of 10€ per reservation.
Bookings can be cancelled without any cost up to 7 days before the day of arrival. If the booking is cancelled after that period or in case of no-show then the full amount for the first night will be charged.
IS THERE A PLACE TO PARK THE CAR?
The Old City guest house has one reserved parking place in front of the entrance. This parking space can be booked without any costs but subject to availability. Alternatively, there are several car parks in the city centre. Please get in touch for more information.
Guests are given a key and can enter the Guest House at any time.
To check in guests need to present a form of id (passport, national ID card, driver's licence).
Unfortunately, due to the structure and location of the building, there is no elevator.
You can make your booking directly with us by calling +351 935 016 262, emailing oldcitygh@gmail.com, or by filling in the contact form on this website.


Next to regular tyre maintenance, there are also potential situations where tips may help you prevent or solve a tricky situation. We have combined the top five things you should know about your tyres.
1. Uneven wear - If your tyre tread is badly worn in some parts but not in others, it could mean that your tyre pressure is too high or too low; check it.
2. Tracking Problems - Excessive wear around the outside or inside edges of your front tyres could mean your front suspension has been knocked out of line through hitting a deep pothole or banging against a kerb. Ask your Avon dealer to check your car's tracking; if it is out of alignment, getting it fixed will make your car feel much better to drive.
3. Wheels Out Of Balance - Wobble through the steering wheel? This may mean your wheels and tyres are out of balance because a 'balance weight' has dropped off. Having your wheels balanced at your Avon dealer is quick and inexpensive.
4. Sidewall Damage - Look out for cracks, bulges, kerbing damage and splits in the sidewall of your tyre, as they are potentially dangerous and could be illegal. Ask your Avon dealer to examine any tyre conditions to assess whether they are repairable, or whether you should replace the tyre. Don't be tempted to 'risk it'.
5. The Spare Tyre - Easily forgotten until the dreaded day you actually need it. Check its pressure regularly and ensure it's not damaged or too badly worn. Rotation of tyres may keep wear even.


text:
Homewww.ahmedabadattitude.comI relate to the emotions of Krish in 2 States: Arjun Kapoor
I relate to the emotions of Krish in 2 States: Arjun Kapoor
by - Ahmedabad Attitude on - Tuesday, April 08, 2014
Actor Arjun Kapoor says he relates to the emotions that his character Krish goes through in "2 States".
"I relate a lot to the emotions of Krish and that is what mattered when I decided to do the film," he said.
"He is a very family-oriented, very righteous person by nature and he has taken his mother's side and tried to fill that void that is there because of certain conflicts between the father, son and the mother," the 28-year-old said here Monday at the launch of the new cover of the book "2 States."
"Every family has issues that subconsciously exist in our day-to-day lives. They come out only when something big like a marriage or taking up a job happens. The conflict arises at that moment. So '2 States' deals with that very interestingly," he added.
The film "2 States" is based on the popular novel by author Chetan Bhagat by the same name.
Arjun said that Ronit Roy and Amrita Singh, who play his parents in the film, made it very easy for him to pull off the kind of emotions the character required.
"Where Ronit and Amrita are concerned, they both are fantastic actors and they made it very easy for me to work with them and pull off a very difficult layer of the film," said Arjun.
"I know it appears as a broad family and romantic film but there is an emotional layer that comes in this journey of the boy when he is trying to convince everyone that two people who love each other deserve to be together," he added.
"2 States" also features Alia Bhatt, who will be seen romancing the actor in the film that hits theatres April 18.
#summer 2 States Ahmedabad ahmedabad attitude AhmedabadAttitude ahmedabadattitude.com alia bhatt Arjun Kapoor gujarat Krish www.ahmedabadattitude.com


What does better business mean for you? If it means having the convenience you need to manage your cash flow all in one place, allowing you to focus more time on what's important to your business, then Better Business Checking is the solution for you. This comprehensive account includes a multitude of tools to help you manage your finances effectively.
*Monthly service charge of $15 is applied on balances that fall below $1,500.


text:
6 April 2017 / Vice-Chancellor's Blog
Yesterday the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities sent an open letter to the government of Hungary. The letter was written in response to the risk of closure faced by Central European University (CEU), founded by George Soros in 1991, as a result of the actions of the Hungarian government. The Hungarian government asserts that CEU is illegal as it is not formally a Hungarian university and has no independent campus in the United States, which is the source of its funding.
Central European University conducts high-quality research in the arts and social sciences and has stood out among the universities of eastern Europe for many years. But now the government of Hungary is threatening to close CEU, as well as another 27 foreign-linked universities. We oppose these actions. They represent a major threat to academic freedom in a country which has already experienced various interventions against the freedom of the press. The legislative proposal has already led to large demonstrations and protests. As a university and a member of The Guild, we wish to clearly register our own disapproval and draw attention to the letter sent by the network.
Similar but different


Major biases in land assessment: Slow-turning classes of property, different assessment methods, and preferential assessment.
C. Slow-turning classes of property.
In many jurisdictions it takes a sale to trigger reassessment, which may therefore be avoided by sitting on lands quietly and avoiding attention. I know a Vermont farmer who will not sell the smallest corner of his now-exurban dairy farm for fear it might trigger a review of the whole, but that is small potatoes next to the steel corporation around Birmingham, timber companies around Seattle, estates in Orange County, and so on. The effects are not as extreme as the dead hand grip of old English entails, but tending the same way.
I have already noted what differential turnover rates do to median home assessments. Proposition 13 has further refined and legalized this now by providing that no upward reassessment (other than a nominal annual factor) can occur without a sale. If this seems to worsen the original problem don't blame me, I am only a camera at The Cabaret. It also ironically reverses the old doctrine of the innocent purchaser whose chastity was supposed to sanctify all unearned increments. Now it is the ancient possessor, the least innocent purchaser, who is best protected from taxation. O tempora! O mores! But for technicians using assessment data the lesson is clear: restrict your data sources to the recent sales, then extrapolate from them yourself, the assessor isn't doing it for you.
Turnover alone may not generate the right information, either, where parcels traditionally are held in oversized units that resist subdivision. A reverse twist occurred recently when the 80,000 acre Irvine Ranch of Orange County, California changed hands. The county assessor appraised the land at about three times the sales price, using comparable sales and highest use. The new owners won a court case requiring him to use the new sales price instead.
They relied in part on the peculiar language of our own Proposition 13. But this case is a cater-cousin of the Oregon practice cited earlier of underassessing large timber holdings on the assumption that they will be sold out slower, an assumption tailored to the needs of those who are holding out against negative plottage. In the Irvine case the tradition is never to sell, only to lease. In Hawaii, of course, that tradition is statewide, presumably with parallel effects.
It is time for assessors to stifle the refrain that they can use three methods of assessment on one roll at one time and reconcile the results. The plain fact is that comparable sales and capitalized income and historical cost, when applied to different properties, do not provide fair assessments as between the properties. Pick one method for all, and the only justifiable method is comparable sales. If some class of property doesn't generate many comparable sales, that is a good sign that assessments are too low, but meantime do the best you can with what you have and spare us the old saws that seek to square the circle. If you have to fight in court, do it. But stop underassessing industrial and commercial property on the pretext that you must use capitalized income in a time of inflation.
A lot of assessment bias is now legislated, of course, and assessors are innocent victims along with us all. We know about the institutionalized underassessment of farmland. In Spiro Agnew's Maryland this was supposed to save farms in suburban areas, although a relative in Potomac has removed his four steers, dropped from The Hunt Club, subdivided his 110 acres and retired, while Montgomery County is turning to TDRs (Transferable Development Rights) for salvation. In California, the homologous Williamson Act has been applied less in suburban areas than almost everywhere else. But no matter, the point here is that vast farming areas are underassessed by legislative mandate in more than half the states, so there is little reason to believe that farm assessments now yield any accurate index to farm values.
Fewer people know about preferential assessment for timberland. Second growth timber in California has long been exempt from property taxation, which may be a good thing unless you believe in uniformity, but the timber landholders had another problem. It seems that the land under the trees was valued for homesites and recreation, which was pushing up values and assessments. The late Don Hagman, beloved Professor of Law at UCLA, played Paul Revere on this but in vain as the legislature quietly slipped through its "TPZ" Act which, as Hagman kept warning, affects more acreage in California than the Williamson Act.
The moving force was our largest timber holder, Southern Pacific, a fact not sequestered but bragged on in the standard literature of business administration, where it is treated as a good example of creative business problem-solving; and TPZ means simply Timber Preserve Zone, and not anything about Crown Zed. But the land in the zone must be assessed on its capitalized income from timber culture, and nothing else. Now timber culture yields a return once every 50-100 years, depending on the site class, and if you cannot imagine what kind of a capitalized income that yields I will tell you: about zero.
Then there are golf courses. Clubbing smooth ivory balls into holes from a green cloth is a sign of misspent youth, so they say in The Music Man, echoing a popular attitude. On the other hand, clubbing smaller dimpled balls into holes from green grass has redeeming social merit, our legislature believes, so California extends preferential assessment to golf course land. An 18-holer takes some 200 acres. The Los Angeles Country Club straddling Wilshire Boulevard near Century City and Rodeo Drive has a value at give or take $100 per square foot. This double-sized course actually has 36 holes, plus 3 for good measure, making perhaps 450 acres. At 43,560 square feet per acre, I leave the total value to your calculators. But you will find no such calculation on the assessment rolls.
This article is an excerpt from an invited paper presented at the Assessment Workshop cosponsored by USDA-ERS-NRED and the International Association of Assessing Officers, Chicago, IL, June 25-26, 1985. The paper was published in Almy, Richard R., and T.A. Majchrowitz (eds.), Property Tax Assessment (Chicago: U.S. Department of Agriculture, International Association of Assessing Officers, and The Farm Foundation, 1985), pp. 91-109. The whole paper will be published daily in increments over this week and part of next week. This is excerpt 5 of 9.
© Text Copyright Mason Gaffney, Ph.D. rights reserved.