Above: Glendora's Adam Plutko threw a no-hitter in Friday's 2-1 victory.
Jacki Campa smacked a two-out hit to center to drive in two in the bottom of the seventh to give Bonita a dramatic 4-3 come-from-behind win over Mission Viejo. South Hills scored seven runs in the 7th to pull out a 10-3 victory while Glendora and San Dimas both lost after going to the seventh in tie games. Village Christian scored three in the bottom of the 7th to pull out a 3-0 win over the Saints and Glendora gave up a run in the bottom of the seventh to lose 3-2 to Warren.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: Bonita will face Ayala's Jessica Hall in Tuesday's semifinals. After Ayala won, an O.C. reporter told Hall that Mission Viejo was beating Bonita and that's who they would likely face next. Hall sounded disappointed she wasn't going to face Bonita, noting that they wanted to face the Bearcats all along. This all stems from Bonita getting the No. 1 ranking, and No. 4 Ayala openly questioning the Bearcats' credentials when the playoffs started. Well Ayala, now it's time to walk the walk. You're not the only team playing with a chip on you shoulder.
Things are picking up at Los Altos as the Conquerors work through their second week of spring practice under new coach Jim Arrellanes. The Conquerors have 70 players in the program and not much in the way of position battles is known at this time. The quarterback position appears to be a two-headed monster in David Foyet and Shane Birnala, with the battle expected to continue well into the summer. One thing Arellanes does know is that returning skill player Scott Tibbs will get the ball in a lot of different ways. (To continue, click thread).
Workman High School football coach Scott Morrison isn't ready to talk about position battles or coaching staff roles. He's too busy making up for lost time after being recently hired to take over the Lobos' program earlier this month. Workman has started spring practice and the early numbers are good with Morrison reporting that about 65 players are in the program and that number could grow. (To continue, click thread).
The Valley will double its pleasure at next week's CIF-Southern Section boys tennis divisional finals, scheduled for The Claremont Club on Wednesday. Arroyo and Rowland high schools both advanced with victories in the semifinals on Tuesday. The Knights, the top seed in Division 5 after being a finalist last season, scored a 12-6 victory over Linfield Christian and will face No. 2 Arlington at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Arroyo, which beat Arlington in the semifinals last year, lost to Segerstrom in the championship round last year.
Tribune Athlete of the year suggestions?
Last year San Dimas' Ariel Shore (soccer, softball) and South El Monte's Manny Acosta (football, basketball, baseball) were named the athletes of the year. Who should take that picture this year?


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Alberta Teachers' Association > News and Info > ATA News > Volume 53 2018-19 > Number 15 > Cartoon and Viewpoints
Viewpoints: You made a difference in me
June 11, 2019 Greg Jeffery, ATA President
Two years ago, as I was packing up not one classroom but two, I found myself wondering if I had made the right decision. While the room I taught math in had changed a number of times, the band room had been mine for 33 years. There were memories tucked into every nook and cranny of that space and, as they came flooding back, it caused some trepidation about what I was leaving and what lay ahead.
While I still miss that room and the students who passed through it over the years, I have made peace with my decision. These last two years have been an experience that I would not have missed for the world. As I said in my address to the Annual Representative Assembly this past May, I had an opportunity that only 58 people have ever had, which was to lead the best teacher organization in the world. Many of you think that is perhaps an exaggeration, but I assure you it is not. I have been privileged to interact with many world-renowned figures in education and they confirmed that what we have here in Alberta is truly amazing. We all see areas in which to improve education in our province, but we are the envy of the world.
There have been many significant changes in the past two years, and I would like to highlight some of them here. The first is the introduction of the three new quality standards — one for teachers, one for school leaders and one for system leaders. Some may wonder why this rates being mentioned. I am very pleased at how these three documents mesh together and strengthen the concept that we hold near and dear here in Alberta, that being collegiality. The similarity of the first five statements in each standard shows that whatever job a teacher may have within the public system, that person is still a teacher. This is no accident, as the ATA is the author of all three of these standards, and we should be proud of them.
I will also mention the removal of the pension cap so that all teachers will now receive the pension that they earned and for which they paid their contributions. This was an item that my predecessor worked toward over the course of his term in office, and I committed to him that I would see it through. I said I would, Mark, and I did.
While my life as a classroom teacher was hugely fulfilling, you gave me an opportunity that profoundly affected me.
There are things that are not yet complete, but then, I am not yet done. The ability to remain as a member of Provincial Executive Council as past-president is very comforting for me. I can continue my work on the leadership partnership research we have begun with Queensland and with New South Wales. I will also continue to push for universal membership in the ATA. If your job requires a teaching certificate, then you should be an active member of the ATA.
As I prepare to leave this office, there is one thing that I want to share with all of you. At every new teacher induction ceremony I have spoken at over the past six years, which numbers over 100, I've always talked about one of the greatest joys of teaching — when a former student recognizes you and comes over and tells you what a difference you made in their lives. I still enjoy hearing from former students, and I want to share that feeling with you, the teachers of Alberta. I want to tell you all what a difference you made in my life.
While my life as a classroom teacher was hugely fulfilling, you gave me an opportunity that profoundly affected me. As I travelled and listened to your stories from Medicine Hat to High Level, from Wainwright to Canmore, I was constantly in awe of the faith you had in me as your president. You believed in me and I learned that I, with the support of all of you, was capable of much more than I had ever imagined. I learned that respect and dignity are character traits that will always serve me well. And I learned that hard work, whether the result is evident or not, is an achievement unto itself.
I am a better person having worked with and for all of you. Thanks for the chance, and if you see me somewhere, please come up and say hi. ❚
Greg Jeffery became ATA president on July 1, 2017. His two-year term ends June 30.
Opinions expressed on this page represent the views of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Alberta Teachers' Association.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I'm considering modifying the Aspect maximum in my games. Instead of being based on Wisdom, there would be a set number of bonus Aspects you could gain, which would be the same for all characters. The number isn't that important (though if you're interested, I'm thinking somewhere between 2 and 4), but I'm wondering how this will change the game. More specifically, why are the bonus Aspects based off of Wisdom? It seems that having a Wisdom weakness makes your character less well-defined, which doesn't seem to have anything to do with knowledge and learning. I'm also concerned that having a Wisdom weakness may be hindering the players too much, since it prevents them from defining their characters (through Aspects) and from defining the world (through Wisdom risks for background knowledge). While the latter is certainly a fair weakness, I question why the extent to which players can define their characters varies based on their character's Virtues.
I agree. I don't really see that as messing with the system. The Wisom thing never reeally worked when I ran campeign games as it limited the players ability to define the character, and I'm currently playing a Wisdom weak character and find that as there is les style floating about fom the narration pot I'm really loosing out on the number of Compels I have to drive for more Style.


David Alan Brown, curator, Italian and Spanish paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington. In April 2009, a violent earthquake shook the region of Abruzzo in Italy. The United States was among the first to offer assistance to the region. In gratitude, the Italian government has loaned the Beffi Triptych, a stunning early 15th-century altarpiece, to the National Gallery of Art. This podcast is produced on the occasion of the special installation in the Gallery's Italianate Rotunda. David Brown talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the triptych as one of the most important works from the National Museum of Abruzzo in the city of L'Aquila and about its survival.


sgticketoutlet Great buyer to deal with! Punctual! Pleasant transaction! Speedy replies Thank you!
roomclearancesale Great promised buyer. Highly recommended. Thanks for coming down to pick up. Hope you enjoy the purchase.
soofengg Item is in good condition. Very patient and reliable seller. Was very helpful when trying out the piano and accomodating to the delivery schedule. Thanks!
@bunnychen is on Carousell - Follow to stay updated!


The Medical Office Professional curriculum prepares individuals for employment as medical administrative office personnel (AAS degree). Students develop skills in medical office procedures and tasks, along with medical terminology, keyboarding, editing and formatting, office software applications, office computations, records management, medical insurance and billing, medical legal and ethical issues, electronic health records, oral and written communication, critical thinking, team building, and problem solving. The degree is available online.
Graduates should qualify for employment opportunities in a variety of medical office positions in medical offices, hospitals, insurance companies, laboratories, medical supply companies, research facilities, and other healthcare organizations. Students may be eligible to sit for industry-recognized certification exams.
Medical Office Administration has a new concentration in Medical Billing and Coding (AAS degree). Students develop skills in medical coding and auditing, along with medical terminology, keyboarding, editing and formatting, office software applications, office computations, medical office procedures, medical insurance and billing, medical legal and ethical issues, electronic health records, oral and written communication, critical thinking, team building; and problem solving. The degree is available online. Graduates should qualify for employment opportunities in medical offices; healthcare facilities including hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers; insurance billing offices; and laboratories. Students are eligible to take industry-recognized certification exams.
Medical Office Administration has a new concentration in Healthcare Administration (AAS degree). Students develop skills in healthcare administration and human resources management, along with medical terminology, keyboarding, editing and formatting, office software applications, office computations, medical office procedures, medical insurance and billing, medical legal and ethical issues, electronic health records, oral and written communication, critical thinking, team building, and problem solving. The degree is available online.
Graduates should qualify for employment opportunities in medical offices; healthcare facilities including hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers; medical supply companies; research facilities; and pharmaceutical companies. Students are eligible to take industry-recognized certification exams.


A Professional Home Inspection is a thorough and comprehensive visual examination of the structure and operating components of a home performed by a trained professional home inspector. A trained inspector will be at the home for several hours examining the condition of the roof, chimney, siding and trim, ventilation, electrical wiring, plumbing, furnace, and other elements. We welcome your presence and encourage any questions that may arise for you. When the inspection is complete, you will receive a property inspection report that gives easy to read information on the condition of the home.


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Alternative Risk Management
General Claims
Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as "insurance"
The Market Terms
Looking at the recent storms and Lloyd's data, I see that (re)insurers are now facing a very changed market. The combination of market opinion and modelling agencies are suggesting that global market will suffer an aggregate insured loss of between $100bn and $125bn over recent hurricane events. This compares to an unindexed insured loss of $41bn for Katrina in 2005. …
hurricaneinsurancemarket
Lex Risk Solutions Cell is a Protected Cell of Jatco Insurance Brokers PCC Ltd (Company Registration No. C9233) which is a company authorised under the Insurance Distribution Act Cap. 487 to carry out insurance intermediaries' activities, licenced to operate as a Protected Cell Company in terms of the Companies Act (Cell Companies Carrying on Business of Insurance) Regulations, 2010 and is regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA, Mdina Road, Zone 1, Central Business District, Birkirkara, CBD1010 Malta). Enrolled in the MFSA Brokers List BL/002.
Lex Risk Solutions Cell is a trading name of Jatco Insurance Brokers PCC (UK) Ltd, an Appointed Representative of Helodrium Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered address is at 34, Lime Street, London EC3M 7AT, United Kingdom. Jatco Insurance Brokers PCC (UK) Ltd UK Companies House Number is 14074933. Financial Conduct Authority Reference Number is 975158.
All Rights Reserved | Copyright © 2023 Lex Risk Solutions.


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7 Things You Should Know About Better Case Management
Better Case Management – Precis by Specialist Criminal Lawyer Matthew Claughton
Sir Brian Leveson's 'Review of Efficiency in Criminal Proceedings' identified a number of changes which, if implemented in the Magistrates and Crown Courts, could improve the efficiency of justice. Some of his recommendations have been combined together to create a new initiative known as 'Better Case Management' (BCM).
NATIONAL ROLL OUT is 5th January 2016 with the exception of the early adopter courts of Isleworth, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Merthyr Tydfil, Portsmouth, Reading and Woolwich.
The OVERARCHING AIMS of BCM – robust case management, reduced hearings, maximum participation/engagement, compliance with rules and directions – direct engagement and case ownership are key.
The most significant change is the PLEA AND TRIAL PREPARATION HEARING which will take place 28 days after the case being sent/allocated to the Crown Court. There will be no preliminary hearing. Instead the PTPH takes place requiring the completion of a 9 page form "to be regarded as the primary record of orders made". After the PTPH there will be no Further Case Management Hearing (FCMH) before the trial save for in exceptional cases.
The PTPH form must be circulated to the defence no less than 7 days before the PTPH hearing. Whilst the TRIAL ADVOCATE may not yet be allocated by the PTPH the prosecution reviewing lawyer or defence solicitor is required to respond to issues in place of the trial advocate.
FOUR STAGES – in most cases the Crown Court will be able to set four dates to reflect four stages:
Stage 1 – service of prosecution case (50/70 days after sending depending upon whether defendant in custody)
Stage 2 – defence response (28 days after Stage 1 – includes Defence Statement)
Stage 3 – prosecution response to DS and other defence items (14-28 days after Stage 2)
Stage 4 – for defence to provide material/requests/applications
THE BLITZ – October to December should see an expedited case management initiative the "Blitz" which is intended to address the bulge in managing the old and new systems in the new year.
Payment for CRACKED TRIALS – no need to wait for a PCMH (as one will not take place) – defence (and prosecution) move into cracked trial territory once trial fixed following a NG plea to one or more counts.
Specialist Criminal Defence Solicitor
Written by Matthew Claughton. Matthew specialises in the defence of serious criminal allegations. He is the Manchester Law Society Partner of the Year 2015 and shortlisted for Solicitor of the Year at the Law Society 2015 Excellence Awards. The 2015 edition of the Legal 500 ranks him as a Leading Individual for both Crime and Fraud.


In 1981, I was very fortunate to be asked to design a home for Dr. Roy E. Kerry, a physician who specialized in treating patients with multiple chemical sensitivities.
Dr. Kerry's wife was exquisitely sensitive to a number of environmental insults and bravely served, with careful supervision, as the test subject for the materials that would eventually comprise the first home in the country designed as both a healthy home and chemical-free oasis where he could meet with his most sensitive patients.
I regularly read articles that do a great job of describing how to remove mold from interior surfaces without any reference about how to keep it from occurring to begin with. Understanding material science is central to this effort.
Sick building syndrome had recently emerged as a collision between efforts to make buildings tighter and more energy efficient; a building materials market almost devoid of suitable, tested and environmentally acceptable building materials; and HVAC design methodology that did not have the advantage of commonly used computer aided systems optimization.
One of Dr. Kerry's major motivations was the fact he could not fully cure or rehabilitate his patients knowing they would return to a home, school or workplace that was not environmentally benign. And, even the most conscientious, diligent cleaning regimens would not suffice if the environmental irritants targeted were not permanently removed. This included, but was not limited to, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and micro-flora, commonly know as mold or mildew.
For over a decade we worked together with his physician colleagues to educate patients about how to deal with why incitants, or causal agents, of environmental illness occur and how to remedy conditions in the field that allow them to propagate.
The goal was to create built environments that served as an oasis for recuperation and healing. What resulted is a merger of building forensics and material science that formed the basis of the first continuing education units I authored on allergen-free, non-toxic design for the American Society of Interior Designers in 1989, and the Mold Prevention credit found in the initial LEED for Schools Reference manual.
Today, we call it healthy building: the integration of optimized building envelopes, building systems, materials and maintenance using human ecology as a design determinant.
Clearly, the proliferation of green building rating systems; increased awareness about the impact of materials on interior air quality; and evolving regulations that collectively advocate for healthy buildings have done much to improve the built environment when they are used as design drivers.
I volunteered in schools ruined by water and mold following Hurricane Katrina.
Still, I regularly read articles, newsletters and blogs that do a great job of describing how to remove mold from interior surfaces without any reference about how to keep it from occurring to begin with. Understanding material science is central to this effort.
Ecologically, more than 100,000 types of mold serve as decomposers of organic material such as wood, plants and animals, according to an article by Dr. Nathan Yost of the Building Sciences Corporation. Without them we would be inundated by our waste products that otherwise would not be removed from the environment. Mold spores enter buildings through the air, on people, pets and anything brought into a building. Most people tolerate exposure to moderate levels of many different molds without adverse health effects.
There are only a few molds that can cause infection in healthy humans. However, some can produce powerful chemicals called "mycotoxins" that can induce serious illness in animals and people. Others can only impact people with compromised immune systems. Allergy symptoms and asthma are the most common reactions in susceptible people.
"Mold requires nutrients, water, oxygen and favorable temperatures to grow," Dr. Yost writes. If any of these elements do not exist, mold will not be present.
"Nutrients for mold are present in dead organic material such as wood, paper or fabrics; mold can also derive nutrients from some synthetic products such as paints and adhesives," he adds. Garbage or food left untended over time will quickly generate mold growth.
Condensation due to low surface temperatures on interior materials that are "chilled," often as a consequence of localized cold air infiltration.
Mold generally likes the same conditions we do, which is why it is quite common in the built environment. Mold can live with moisture in any form, and some mold species can obtain that moisture from moist air when the relative humidity is above 70 percent, Dr. Yost indicates.
Many molds thrive at normal indoor temperatures; few molds are able to grow below 40 degrees Fahrenheit or above 100 degrees F, according to Dr. Yost. Outside this range molds may remain dormant or inactive; they may begin to grow again when the temperature is more favorable. Temperatures well above 100 degrees F will kill mold and mold spores, but the exact temperature required to kill specific species is not well known.
Because it is used extensively in construction and very susceptible to moisture, paper-faced gypsum board is often the host for mold growth. Paper is largely pre-digested so it is easy for mold to get the nutrients it needs. Many species of mold grow on paper-faced gypsum board if sufficient moisture in any form is present. Specially formulated cement board, mortar or non-paper faced gypsum can be safely used in these damp areas because these products do not contain nutrients to support mold growth or because they have been treated to resist mold.
It must be noted that some occupants who are chemically sensitive may react to the chemical treatments used to resist mold. In all cases materials should carry third party testing to verify it is benign.
No amount of cleaning can deter mold from returning to conditions where moisture is allowed to persist.
Conversely, where there is potential for mold, ceramic tile, enamel, vitreous china, metals, and other non-fibrous, non-hygroscopic materials work well for two reasons. First, they inherently do not provide a nutrient source (although nutrients can reside on them), and second, they can withstand repeated vigorous cleanings with green cleaning products without breaking down.
Quality building materials are a critical component of any integrated design effort to minimize environmental insults. However, even the best selection of materials can be compromised if such things as ground water intrusion, excess humidity, poor space conditioning or chronic maintenance shortcomings aren't corrected first. Healthy buildings and superior indoor air quality efforts should always be based on eliminating the causes of mold, not simply treating the symptoms.


I was hoping we can meet and at the same time support our local businesses. So I'm putting it out there to meet at Aspen Peak Cellars (they have the best gluten free flat bread I have ever tasted) on Saturday October 6th at 4pm. They close at 6pm so that should give plenty of time to get a bite to eat and meet people.
I will post this with an update each month to meet. Next month we will support another business. Please give suggestions. Thanks, hope to see people that I only know virtually.
Still planning on going and getting a bite to eat and a glass of wine. I hope others can attend. I have another appointment on the same day, but should be over by 4pm, if not I'll just be a little late, maybe 15 minutes the most.
Thanks for the reminder. It wasn't on my calendar but it is now! I really like having it during daylight hours so there are no worries for those who don't see as well at night.
Hello! Why not kill two birds with one stone!
Shawnee, is having their "Shawnee Day" hosted by the Shawnee historical society, at the Shawnee Store and Gathering Place, on Sat. Oct. 6th as well. We will be having a potluck, some history, and some homemade mountain music. Come a little early to go to Aspen Peak. We will be gathering from 1 to 6-ish, so come a little early go 5 miles south of Aspen Peak, to Shawnee, meet some new friends some old friends and see the beautiful colors here in Shawnee.
Great idea, Mbearmac. If I am able to leave my other appointment early, I will definitely stop down there before I go to Aspen Peak. Thanks.
I like your idea! See you at 4 or so on the 6th. At Aspen Peak Cellars. Will be fun to get out of the house, been working on deck & driveway. Time for a fun break.
Sorry, but with everything going on tomorrow, I won't be able to make it by 4pm, plus AL can't make it either and with the bad weather, maybe it is better to change the date.
Chakraz, I hope you can make it next weekend - Saturday the 13th? No one else has posted they were going so I'm assuming no biggie to change the date?
Thanks - we will try for Saturday Oct 13th same time and place.
No problem at all. Sounds great, can't believe how fast the weather prediction went downhill.
That's a lot better for us, too.


Do you feel as if your credit score rating is a big mysterious secret?
It's a reality that lots of people feel that way, and the credit bureaus don't want to give out the exact way they come up with your credit score. It makes good sense to have a good understanding of how your credit score is calculated.
If you know how your credit score is calculated you can take steps to establish and maintain a good credit score.
If you have no idea how your credit score is calculated how can you know what to do and what not to do?
You have to know what information is contained in your credit report and how it is used to determine your score if you are going to be in the drivers seat to gain control of your credit history and make the necessary changes.
• Mixture of credit… using a variety of loans and paying them back as agreed counts for ten percent of your credit score. Credit lines such as car payments, home loan, and a few credit cards. This will show how you handle credit.
• Credit inquiries… count for ten percent of your score. The more creditors that look at your credit history the more your score will go down.
There is an exception that has no impact on your score and that is you looking into your own report.
• The length of your credit history… counts for fifteen percent of your score. The longer you have credit, the better. On the other hand having credit for a long time and not paying responsibly is of no help.
• How much you already owe… counts for thirty percent of your rating. This is your debt-to-income ratio. Keeping the total amount of money you owe at or below twenty-five percent of your income will generally be in your best interest.
• Your payment history is the most important factor… in determining your credit score. It counts for a whopping thirty-five percent of your rating. If you are careful about making your payment on time, you are considered a good credit risk.
If you have had a late payment your score will drop significantly.
In conclusion, if you want a positive credit score, pay your bills on time, keep your debt ratio low, and only apply for credit if you are serious about using it so you don't end up with unnecessary inquires.
For more information this resource will help you learn more about credit.
What Does FICO 08 Means to Your Credit Score?


Zig-Zag is the most popular and iconic rolling paper in many countries around the world, period. We bring you authentic Zig-Zag rolling papers that has spawned a legacy of over 100 years of excellence and quality. Zig-Zag has incredibly brand loyalty, and for a reason.
These Zig-Zag rolling papers are the classic single wide Zig-Zag, 70mm wide, and perfect for rolling.


RE: "The problem that you are having is caused by the fact that the BIOS update is only compatible with Win 7. "
I am using same Win 7 that came with this HP desktop....further, I manually did this at DOS command level with admin privilige since exe program failed also.
RE: "HP does not provide updates for software and BIOS for any computers built before 2013."
Not relevant....their update I cited has failed....someone put in inccorect bios file to be updated.
While I agree WIN 10 should not have been said, your being somewhat harsh with OG. We all have our bad days.
I seem to have them more frequently being subjected to browser choices. Alas, I wandered off ?
What is very relevant is the original WIN 7 BIOS that was installed, (your machine was shipped with a non-UEFIvBIOS), and the fault lies with you. Your trying to re-install the same BIOS version and SSID.
HP has the SNAFU, not the OP. In sincerity, and without offense, one has sidetracked the issue at hand with bogus responses. I am not a neophyte...I recently built another desktop computer using a "new" and identical motherboard, which includes the OEM BIOS/UEFI, and it too could not be flashed.
Hibiscus motherboard shown here, as it does NOT support that action.
As your unwilling to understand this issue, I wish you the best. I shall not comment further, as I am a volunteer. Your asking for advice on a system (circa Jan 2012) that is OUT of warranty. Thus HP should not have any interaction with you.
I did my homework, and followed HP's instructions. One has not paid attention to what was written in first post. One sidebar after another of pseudo advice..
If support was not available, then your argument fails since this URL proves HP still offers web page support.
@84B23F, I guess I certainly started a Fire-storm. I appologize for the incorrect information that I posted previously. I had two pages open in my browser for two different computers and looked at the one that had Win 10 installed. This lead to my incorrect post.
Now, the only explanation that I can come up with for your problem is, HP uses their motherboards in several different models of computers. They sometimes list BIOS updates for the other motherboards in the specifications (confusing!!). In your case, I am not certain that the BIOS update is for your motherboard. I can't find any information that shows your motherboard as being from the ROM Family 2ACF. This is normally in the Motherboard Specifications.
Footnotes...in case others travel down this path.
1. BIOS ⁄ UEFI Firmware Support @ American Megatrends - Forget it...can't email them unless via bussiness email address. They are supporting their vendors, and have not setup a "Microsoft" type knowledge base.
2. HP Pavilion p6-2133w (Win7) - Several Google scans indicate this motherboard is related to Pegatron 2ACD, and not ROM Family 2ACF, as HP's driver/software support page suggests (see first post). At one site, they noted "Pegatron 2ACD (v1.01) Motherboard Support: Win 7, Vista/XP (32/64bit)"
3. sp69356.exe - This is HP's exe file to be execuated, and it is found at C:\SWSETUP when done. It contains drivers/pdfs, but most people would not be aware of its content. Nothing happens when upgrading BIOS/UEFI.
4. BIOS/UEFI - This may have been a first generation...I have two motherboards, one with 7.16, and one with an earlier version. I know version 7.07 existed. And in that post, it was indicated "Pegatron 2ACD Motherboard," which further suggests on HP's web site that ROM Family 2ACF is incorrect for this motherboard.
5. safuwin.exe - This is the flash program, "AMI Firmware Update Utility(APTIO) v2.38_HP_v03 | | Copyright (C)2011" This has been updated to "AMI Firmware Update Utility(APTIO) v2.38_HP_v04_B04."
I noticed at one site, AMI APTIO firmware update utility. It works with all the motherboards designed by AMI and that have the newer UEFI BIOS."
I haven't downloaded this updated utility. But, with safuwin.exe, I copied UEFI BIOS from one motherboard, and could not install it on another motherboard....both boards are identical. I thought about resetting the CMOS, and then try, and also thought about trying at DOS level...no Win7 running. Just ain't got the time now to fiddle.
6. d:\Flash>safuwin /clnevnlog - When I run this command in a DOS window, both motherboards get this result, "System BIOS image invalid or corrupt." Clnevnlog switch is suppose to "Clear Event Log" So, safuwin.exe may or may not be the correct flash program.


House a classic dessert or special treat in the rustic elegance of Arthur Court's Antler Plate with Glass Dome.
Multiple antlers weave around each other before propelling the dome up for a fairytale finish on their sturdy points. Handcrafted in sand-cast aluminum, the base's intricate detail displays in a brilliant luster.
Size: Diameter: 8.0" / Height: 8.0"


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Read Next:	Emmys: 'Game of Thrones' Helps HBO Retake Nomination Lead Over Netflix
November 14, 2016 5:28PM PT
PBS Dedicates 'NewsHour' Broadcast to Gwen Ifill
By Lawrence Yee
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CREDIT: Courtesy of PBS
PBS NewsHour dedicated the first half of Monday's broadcast to anchor Gwen Ifill, who died Monday at age 61.
"Our lead tonight is news that we hoped we would never have to report," an emotional Judy Woodruff said. "Our managing editor, my co-anchor and dear friend Gwen Ifill died earlier today after an almost year-long battle with cancer.
"She was a supernova in a profession loaded with smart and talented people," Woodruff added. "So it's no surprise that messages of condolence have flooded in all afternoon from across the journalism and political spectrum."
As previously reported, President Obama paid tribute to the journalist at the top of his press conference Monday.
"I always appreciated Gwen's reporting even when I was on the receiving end of one of her tough and thorough interviews," Obama said. "She not only informed today's citizens but she also inspired tomorrow's journalists.
"Michelle and I join her family and her colleagues and everybody else who loved her in remembering her fondly today."
PBS' tribute started with a look at her journalism career — which began at the Boston Herald American before moving onto the Baltimore Evening Sun, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. She switched over to broadcast, working for NBC News in 1994. In 1999, she moved to PBS. In 2013, Ifill and Woodruff became the first all-female network anchor team.
Throughout Monday's broadcast, colleagues paid loving tribute to Ifill, fighting back tears. Watch the entire tribute on PBS' website.
Others took to social media to pay their respects.
I first met Gwen Ifill when she was a reporter at @nytimes. She became a pioneering journalist at NBC + PBS. My prayers are with her family.
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) November 15, 2016
Dan Rather wrote, "I first met Gwen Ifill when she was a reporter at @nytimes. She became a pioneering journalist at NBC + PBS. My prayers are with her family."
Very sad to learn we have lost Gwen Ifill. Gwen represented the best of broadcast journalism. Our hearts are broken.
— Lester Holt (@LesterHoltNBC) November 14, 2016
"Very sad to learn we have lost Gwen Ifill," Lester Holt tweeted. "Gwen represented the best of broadcast journalism. Our hearts are broken."
Gwen Ifill was my good friend. I will miss her. May she Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/sB7zUIj93d
— Wolf Blitzer (@wolfblitzer) November 14, 2016
CNN's Wolf Blitzer called her a "good friend."
The extraordinarily timed and intelligent Gwen Ifill has passed away from cancer. I will so miss her impeccable character and friendship.
— Katie Couric (@katiecouric) November 14, 2016
Katie Couric wrote, "The extraordinarily timed and intelligent Gwen Ifill has passed away from cancer. I will so miss her impeccable character and friendship."
i cannot think of what there is to say about the loss of Gwen, who was such a stellar journalist and a decent, decent person
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 14, 2016
Jake Tapper called her a "stellar journalist."
Sadness beyond words.I know so many women, black women who believed they could succeed because of Gwen Ifill.She made us feel we could do it
— Tamron Hall (@tamronhall) November 14, 2016
Tamron Hall called Ifill a "hero" and talked about her impact on black women.
Since hearing about #gwenifill passing I've been in tears. Greatly admired her for so many reasons. Thinking of her family & many friends.🙏🏾
— Robin Roberts (@RobinRoberts) November 14, 2016
Robin Roberts echoed Hall's sentiments, saying she "greatly admired her."
Shocked by the sad news of Gwen Ifill's passing. A first class journalist & human being. My heart breaks. She was too young to have left us.
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) November 14, 2016
Maria Shriver called her a "first class journalist and human being."
Politicians weighed in as well, from both sides of the aisle.
I am saddened to learn about the passing of Gwen Ifill—an incredibly talented and respected journalist.
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) November 14, 2016
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan wrote, "I am saddened to learn about the passing of Gwen Ifill—an incredibly talented and respected journalist."
It is sad to hear that Gwen Ifill has passed away. Gwen was a veteran journalist and had moderated the 2008 Vice… https://t.co/QbSpPfMR1m
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) November 14, 2016
Sarah Palin praised her and remembered Ifill's moderating of the 2008 vice presidential debate, which saw Palin face off against Joe Biden.
We mourn the loss of an outstanding and beloved journalist and friend. Gwen Ifill will be deeply missed.
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) November 14, 2016
John Lewis mourned the loss of "an outstanding and beloved journalist and friend."


Bloomingdales reward card event starts from today to Mar 24 2013. It might be limited to the stores in Boston and NYC (check a previous post and discussion here). You will get a $250 reward card for every $1000 purchase of designer items (Chanel handbags /jewelries/shoes, BV handbags, Chloe handbags, Burberry bags, Marc Jacobs handbags, Prada shoes, Miu Miu shoes, Dior shoes). Reward card will be issued next month, and can be used for all products in Bloomingdales (in store and online) in 6 month. Again, if you are considering a Chanel handbag, it might be a great time! When I waited in line picking up Michelle's order (a Chanel black GST bag), I browsed their spring shoes... then took home these flats, in rouge. The color is so beautiful and it must be good with black, white and denim. My first one bought 8 years ago still works well, so I don't question their quality at all. Size wise, both soft leather and caviar leather flats are true to size, while quilted ones run half size small.
Stylish sneakers are in style nowadays. Prada, Miu Miu (very pretty here and here: they run half size big) and Chanel have all kinds of sneakers: patent leather, suede, butter leather and fabric with laser cut. Especially Miu Miu sneakers with studs are very eye catchy! I pick Prada lace-up sneakers for their very special shoe lace and adore the color.
I have kept my eyes on Chloe Suzanna boots for a long time.
They are indeed chic and comfy! But I hope they are slightly over price now...fingers crossed for the sale.


GardenSage is using Similar Worlds.
I learned the value of perspective through pain and hardships..
Have you ever heard of an unemployed fascist?
I went to a 3 dimensional ocean of love- is the best way I could describe it. The message I received was one of overwhelming support and confirmation that I should continue my path- wherever it leads. God exists. We are god.
•Do I believe in evolution? ✔ •Do I believe in natural selection?✔ •Do I believe gene mutations are completely random?........................... no check.
Let's completely outsource government and do away with taxes and bureaucratic waste and skimming. The money you give goes directly to the issues you deem most important.
Where are the liberal artists defending these sculptures? Where are all the artists who claim art should be provocative and controversial to defend the historical artists that were obviously ahead of their time? Defend art.
Forget what you know. Come to the center.
I wonder what other hypocrisies we will discover over the next few days...?
Unlearn. Relinquish control. Come to the center.
Have you read Sun Tzu's The Art of War?
Why don't I feel like playing video games when I'm not smoking weed?
Haven't had any mind altering substances in 3 weeks and my ps4 is gathering dust.


Pick a spot to place the ball for the tee off. Set the angle and power with the mouse and click to hit the ball.
About Putt it in !
Putt it in ! is an online sport game developed by QiGames.com, and has been played 260378 times on Bubblebox.com.


I'm having some problem in using this form and I can't delete the form . why ?
Please be patient . or don't answer just simple .
Is it you, hiding behind some 1 square centimeter object ?
I know what that is!!!
Fire1 has made other posts that makes more sense.
Actually it's a circle . and written on it "REMOVE SEAL AFTER WASHING" .
Always describe as much as you already know about your problem.
In this case, telling about that seal would have been a dead giveaway about what it actually is.
But hey, you kept some people entertained this sunday.


Stream hub kodi repo is yet another repo for entertainment which can stream movies, tv shows, etc. But one of the unique features of this repo is they can stream the same content in various quality such as 4K, HD(1080p), 720p, 360p. By doing this it helps the Kodi user who has limited bandwidth. Stream hub and Flixanity are some of the famous add-ons from this repo.
Open kodi on your device. Select settings icon (gear icon) from the top left corner of the screen.
From the system settings menu, select file manager.
double click add source to add a new external or internal source.
In the add file source dialog box. Select none.
Enter any name to identify this media source. Select OK.
Select package installer or unzipper icon which is at the top left corner of the screen.
Select install from Zip file. And chose the name you had given.
Wait for some time to install the repository, Once the repository is installed you will receive a successful installation notification.
Select Install from repository followed by stream hub repo.
Select video addon subcategory and select Stream hub or Flixanity.
In the information page, Select install from it.
Wait for some time to receive addon enabled notification.
There are some reasons why can we navigate to flixanity. By keeping the usage of data in mind, flixanity developed in such a way that it can stream same content in different quality such as 4K, HD(1080p), 720p, 360p. By doing so the user can watch the high-quality video with minimum bandwidth.
That's all about the installation of stream hub kodi repo and its popular addons.


text:
Sto dvacet devět je přirozené číslo. Následuje po číslu sto dvacet osm a předchází číslu sto třicet. Řadová číslovka je stý dvacátý devátý nebo stodevětadvacátý. Římskými číslicemi se zapisuje CXXIX.

Matematika
Sto dvacet devět je
 bezčtvercové celé číslo
 deficientní číslo
 šťastné číslo.
 příznivé číslo.

 součet prvních deseti prvočísel (2 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 11 + 13 + 17 + 19 + 23 + 29)
 nejmenší číslo, které lze vyjádřit jako součet tří druhých mocnin čtyřmi různými způsoby: , , , a

Chemie
 129 je hodnota neutronového čísla, pro kterou neexistuje žádný stabilní nuklid (nejstabilnějším izotonem je tu 212Bi s poločasem přeměny 60,55 min); a nukleonové číslo druhého nejběžnějšího izotopu xenonu.

Kosmonautika
 STS-129 byla zásobovací mise amerického raketoplánu Atlantis k Mezinárodní vesmírné stanici (ISS). Kromě dopravy zásob a náhradních dílů ke stanici posádka připravila ISS na přílet nového modulu Tranquility (Node 3), na Zemi se s posádkou raketoplánu vrátila členka 21. dlouhodobé expedice Nicole Stott.

Doprava
Silnice II/129 je česká silnice II. třídy vedoucí na trase Prasetín – Pacov – II/112 – Želiv – Humpolec

Roky
 129
 129 př. n. l.

Reference

Externí odkazy

Přirozená čísla

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Police are urgently appealing for help to trace a Croydon teenager who has been missing for more than a week.
Officers are becoming concerned for the welfare of the 15-year-old boy who has not been seen since May 16.
James Wiggins, known as Jimmy, went missing from the Croydon area and an appeal has been launched to help trace the youngster.
He is described as being five foot eight inches tall and white, with ginger hair and of medium build.
Met Police officers in Croydon have appealed online for help from the public and have asked that they are contacted with any information concerning his whereabouts.
Anyone who has spotted him or knows where he is should call 0208 6490145 or 101.


"Wheat block" redirects here. For the item harvested from crops, see Wheat.
Spring is ruined, all thanks to hay. Hay, you traitorous snake. That's why we prefer hay bales in Minecraft, where instead of ruining our lives, they sometimes save them. Landing on a hay bale in the game reduces any fall damage by 80%. That means you could potentially fall from a hundred blocks high and survive. Just. Our legal team cannot stress enough that you should only try that in Minecraft.
Hay bales are decorative, flammable blocks that can also be used to feed horses, breed llamas, and reduce fall damage.
Hay bales can be mined using any tool, or without a tool.
Hay bales can generate scattered around in plains villages often very commonly, also in savanna and desert villages, but not as common as in plains villages. They also can generate as a part of targets/scarecrows in pillager outposts.
While not edible by players, hay bales can be a useful compact food supply for long periods away from other food sources.
Foals that eat hay bales will actually grow into horses faster. Because who needs a rich and fulfilling childhood when you can just eat your way to the responsibilities, disappointments and baldness of adult life early? Don't do it, foals! Embrace your youth!
Hay bales can also be fed to horses, donkeys, or mules to heal up to 10 hearts. They are an effective method to heal horses if the player wants to heal them in a short period of time. They also speed up the growth of foals by three minutes.
Hay bales can be used to breed llamas.
Falling onto a hay bale reduces the fall damage by 80%, meaning whatever falls on a hay bale only takes 20% of the normal fall damage.
An unarmored player with full health and no effects can fall as far as 100.27 blocks onto a hay bale, and still survive with 1 ( ) health remaining.
Placing a hay bale under a campfire makes it a signal fire, increasing the height to which its smoke particles can rise from 10 blocks to 25 blocks.
Placing a hay bale into a composter has an 85% chance of raising the compost level by 1.
Seen here alongside logs, bone blocks, quartz pillars, and purpur pillars, hay bales can be pointed in multiple directions.
Hay bales can be placed pointing in all three spatial dimensions, in the same way as log is placed. However, there is no fourth "bark block" variant.
y x The hay block is oriented east–west.
y The hay block is oriented vertically.
z The hay block is oriented north–south.
A Reddit user (karthus25) discovers a screenshot of hay bales hidden in the files of the Mojam game Nuke the Dinosaurs.
Added the hay bale. They have no in-game name, but are called "Hay Bale" in the change notes.
The hay bale receives an in-game name as Hay Block.
The hay bale receives a crafting recipe.
Name changed from Hay Block to Hay Bale.
When all blocks were converted to use block states, block/data-value combination 170/12 (6-sided hay bale) was removed.
Rebalanced how much hay bale heal, and accelerate the growth of horses.
Falling onto a hay bale does only 20% of the normal fall damage.
Hay bales can now be used to breed llamas.
Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 170.
Changed the texture of hay bales.
When a hay bale is placed under a campfire, the campfire's smoke will rise higher than normal (25 blocks instead of the normal 10).
Placing a hay bale into the new composter has a 80% chance of raising the compost level by 1.
Hay bales now have an 85% chance of increasing the compost level in a composter by 1.
Hay bales can now be used to feed horses.
Falling onto a hay bale now does only 20% of the normal fall damage.
Hay bale now generate in pillager outpost as targets, and in new plains, desert, and savanna villages.
Hay bale can now be used to fill up composters.
In Legacy Console Edition, once it isplaced, it can be destroyed but not be picked up in Adventure mode.
Issues relating to "Hay Bale", "Hay Block", or "Hay" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
The image found in the Mojam game file.
A building showing the possible orientations of hay bales.
This page was last edited on 23 April 2019, at 23:03.


Carmelo Anthony is looking for a new team but will still take in an NBA game Sunday.
The forward is expected to watch the Heat play the Knicks in New York, according to multiple reports. Anthony is good friends with Miami guard Dwyane Wade.
Carmelo Anthony is expected to be at tonight's Heat-Knicks game in New York.
The 16th-year veteran was traded by Houston to Chicago earlier this month after he failed to mesh with the team's system. But, he will not play a game for the Bulls as they are expected to cut or deal him before the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
Anthony still reportedly wants to play in the NBA this season. He was with the Knicks from 2011-17.
Anthony averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 10 games for the Rockets before parting ways with the team.
The Knicks are 10-37 and have lost their last eight games.


Edelman has released the 2018 edition of its Edelman Trust Barometer survey, which seeks to measure consumer trust in various sources of information. According to the report, consumers in 20 out of 28 international markets have an overall distrust of information sources, including Canada. Among Canadian respondents, 65% reported being worried about false information being used as a weapon. While trust in social media as a source of general news and information stands at 28%, trust in journalism has increased 10% to 61% in the last year. Trust in other traditional "figures of authority" also increased, with trust in CEOs and government officials up 11%, technical experts up seven percent and academic experts up five percent.
In addition, 63% of respondents agreed with the statement that news organizations are more concerned with attracting a big audience than reporting, 63% stated they believe media sacrifice accuracy to be the first to break a story, and 54% agreed that the media prioritize support an ideology over informing the public.
"Fears about fake news are pervasive, and we are seeing Canadians turn back to credentialed experts in their efforts to dispel them," said Lisa Kimmel, president and CEO of Edelman Canada. "But in this uncertain world, rational conversation is essential. Canadians are signaling that trust will depend on clarity, balance and validation."


text:
The Gaffney Report aka 'The Return of Dr Strangelove'
Abdul Cader Asmal
Posted Oct 19, 2010 •Permalink • Printer-Friendly Version
by Abdul Cader Asmal
Given the existential threat that the nuclear armed adversaries, the USA and USSR, posed to each other and to the rest of the world; in 1976, George W Bush, then Director of the CIA, commissioned an independent, select group of intelligence experts to critique the data available at the time, as to whether a policy of détente with, or confrontation against, the Soviet Union would be in the best interests of the US and the world. The opinion they provided was at variance with conventional wisdom ( Plan A) and came to be known as plan BI, and is credited in large part with the premature demise of the Soviet Union.
In an act of unparalleled megalomania, Frank Gaffney (Center for Security Policy) took it upon himself to assemble a coterie of specialists from the branches of the military,intelligence, security, and law enforcement, to investigate the 'existential threat' that Islamic 'Shariah' posed to the US and the rest of the non-Muslim world! Not surprisingly not only was there a conspicuous absence of any credentialled experts on Islam, but also most of the prticipants had at one time or another expressed blatantly anti-Islamic sentiments. Evidently to rectify this oversight Mr Gaffney saw fit to fill the vacancies with a cadre of ex-Muslim terrorists who were willing to deliver with requisite obsequiousness the 'expert' testimony that was otherwise lacking. Such fabricated 'evidence' would serve to corroborate the preconceived notions of the team masquerading as independent intelligence experts on Islam!
The report that 'maestro' Gaffney self-indulgently refers to as plan BII, is as predictable as it is delusional. In it he and his consultoids make the case that Islamic 'Shariah' is indeed the equivalent to the existential threat that the former USSR had posed to the US, and as such it must be dealt with the same ruthless confrontation. If not, the US and the rest of civilization, will end up under the sword of Shariah!. This delusional, quasi-academic, self-aggrandizing 'report' (that makes the claim about the 'weapons of Mass Destruction' in Iraq look almost plausible) is totally fraudulent from the get-go, both because the 'independent experts' make no bones of their prejudice against Islam, but also because of their highly biased selection of data to incude only data that serves to reinforce their preconceptions. The slew of blatant lies and distortions do not dignify a response, but all Americans deserve to get the facts so that they can distinguish these from the war-mongering propaganda and the psycho-terrorism that Mr Gaffney and his 'experts' have unleashed against Islam. Of the expansive obfuscation and confabulation embedded in the 'report', there are three areas of gravest concern.
Firstly, even if there were a world-wide unified Muslim community (and there is not) hell-bent on establishing Shariah throughout the world with a supremacist Islamist 'caliphate' on the throne, how on earth would a motley bunch of warlords (Afghanistan and Pakistan), competing theocrats (Saudi Arabia and Iran), obscenely rich plutocrats ( Kuwait and Abu Dhabi) proximate to the starving masses of failed states (Somalia, Niger), and a multitude of sects involved in endless internecine feuds, butchering fellow Muslims with whose understanding of Islam they disapprove, muster the will, collect sophisticated intelligence, and develop effective weaponry, to be able to take on the mighty USA with the buffering zone of Europe in the way?
The proposition of a military confrontation between the so-called Muslim world and the US or any of its allies would see the immediate extinction of even the dream of a 'Shariah Threat', if ever such a dream existed. As Lee Smith so eloquently stated in the Tablet, "I can't imagine how he (referring to Newt Gingrich's fear about the imposition of Shariah) sees that happening, short of the largest land invasion in human history of foreign Muslim soldiers, administrators, and religious scholars with the connivance of millions of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and pagan collaborators" (quoted by Andrew Silow-Carroll , NJJN Editor-in-Chief of the New Jersey Jewish News). That is not to deny the fact that Islam like Christianity is a proselytizing religion, and not an insignificant number of Muslims would like to engage their non-Muslim counterparts in 'Dawah' (or an invitation to learn about the virtues of Islam). To win the hearts and minds of the ambiguous is the spirit of proselytization. Clearly with the heretics of AlQaeda devastating the image of Islam and brain-washing countless impressionable minds to justify unspeakable acts of brutality, any efforts towards propagating Islam will first have to overcome the monumental challenge of reversing the demonization of Islam that AlQaeda has been able to instigate. In the current climate of public opinion the chances of hell freezing over are infinitely higher than the chances of Muslims converting the West to Islam either militarily, politically, economically socially or ideologically. Thus the Gaffney report (hyperbolized as plan BII) that shariah poses an existential threat to the safety security and prosperity of the US is not only preposterous. It is also delusional in its grandiosity in promoting itself as the seminal equivalent of the scholarly researched prototype plan BI. By introducing its own benchmark as to who is a Muslim threat and who is not, based on the delusional concept of a 'shariah-faultline' this report is designed to amplify the Islamophobia generated by AlQaeda and to serve as a readily available template for anti-Islamism and for the relentless psycho-terrorism of Muslims.
Secondly, and much more detrimentally to the welfare of this country, the demagogues who point to Islam as the enemy that will bring the US to its knees, do a grave disservice, almost to the level of sedition to our people, by deliberately deflecting attention from the real threats this country faces. These include the terrible economic collapse we have inherited, a massive deficit, a soul-destroying unemployment rate, a failing educational system, inadequate health-care, crumbling infrastructure, environmental depredation, and the increasing economic challenges posed by the expanding economies of potentially hostile countries.These threats are more real pressing and existential than that of any phantasmagorical global Islamic caliphate, deployed as a scare-mongering tactic by the present day reincarnation of Dr Strangelove. That does not deny in any way the threat of 'terrorism' which is a clear and ever present danger, and which is an anathema to all decent God-fearing human beings. It needs to be eradicated off the face of the earth by the collective actions of all, especially those who are imbued with, and truly understand the spirit of Shariah with which this abomination is totally incompatible. I am a Muslim and an American, and I find nothing irreconcilable between being a proud American and a practicing Muslim. I reject completely the grotesque implication that Shariah is a threat to this country in the same breath that I condemn the heretical Muslims who threaten or commit terror in the name of Islam.
The third may be viewed as the 'mother of all conspiracies', replicating that attributed to Jews in the so-called 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion' in which Jews were portrayed as the masterminds behind a global design to take over the running of the world. In Gaffney's deranged world view, it is Islam, through its invocation of 'Shariah", that is now set on a course of establishing global Islamic hegemony, either by violent 'jihad' (as symbolized by mindless contemptible acts of mayhem against innocent individuals and groups), or through the process of 'stealth jihad' an expression coined by no less than the lynchpin of pseudo-intellectuals leading the crusade against Islam. The term Shariah as Gaffney himself admits means different things to different people; even in the Muslim community it has no consensus. It falls within the comprehensive framework of Islam. It is not a component of the fundamental tenets of Islam, nor is it listed under the articles of faith. Yet the shariah does embody their precepts to guide Muslims on the Straight Path. According to a celebrated authority on Islam, Noah Feldman, 'Shariah is not just a set of legal rules. To believing Muslims, it is something deeper and higher, infused with moral and metaphysical purpose. At its core, Shariah represents the idea that all human beings - and all human governments- are subject to justice under the law". In as much as Islam is a complete way of life with God-consciousness being a guiding light in all of one's actions related to one's fellow beings, whether in the social, economic, political, educational, social, environmental or military fields of endeavour, it has to be embraced with an open heart and mind. Shariah cannot be imposed on non-Muslims any more than Islam be propagated by force. 'There is no compulsion in religion' is a cardinal, immutable and unabrogated refrain in the Quran.
These facts stand in stark contrast with the distorted opinions propagated by Gaffney who chooses to ignore the grand scope of Shariah and make sweeping statements about issues that he knows are anchored in ignorance and controversy and guaranteed to generate sensationalism. Thus, he blandly asserts that the 'Shariah' condones or commands the following behavior: "underaged and forced marriages, honor killings, female genital mutilations, polygamy, domestic abuse and marital rape'. As a scholar of the subject Feldman documents that the Shariah, 'prohibits bribery, demands equal treatment for the rich and poor, condemns vigilante style 'honor-killings', and protects everone's property - including womens'. Feldman sees the attraction of Shariah in some Muslim countries, 'living in corrupt autocracies not as a call for sexism, obscurantism or savage punishment, but for an Islamic version of what the West considers its most prized principle of political justice : the rule of law'. This is viewed by Feldman as a pivotal reason why the introduction in Muslim countries of Shariah is supported by such large numbers of women.
For a scholarly dissertation of the Shariah and its compatibility with the fundamental principles of our Constitution one can do no better than refer to the authoritative expert on Islamic jurisprudence Dr. Robert Crane. He notes, 'The Preamble to the American Constitution listed five purposes for establishing the United States of America. Of these, the first was justice, then order (domestic tranquility), national defense, and prosperity, and the last, the product of the others, was freedom. This set of priorities is classically Islamic, as well as classically American, but this wisdom can be operationalized only when we recognize this fact as the basis for inter-faith understanding and cooperation in pursuit of peace, prosperity, and freedom through compassionate justice. The praxis or actualization of universal human rights is the true meaning of shari'ah compliance.'
Notwithstanding the wealth of information presented by Muslim and non-Muslim experts on Islam and the Shariah, Gaffney has been able to compile a littany of falsehoods to justify his fear-mongering tactics against Muslims. Gaffney's grotesque distortion of the Shariah is based on several principal recurring fallacies:
1. A compilation of all the so-called 'controversial verses' in the Quran as though they are all components of Shariah
2. A sweeping assumption that abrogation of verses implies that the earlier ones regardless of their context or timelesness are abrogated by later ones
3. The claim that taqqiya is a modus operandi promoted by the Quran that encourages Muslims to lie in order to attain supremacy.
4. The claim that the spearhead of Sharia supremacy is the Muslim Brotherhood to which all 'terror' networks are linked and to which all major Muslim organisations in this country subscribe. The following comments about the Muslim Brotherhood are absolute balderdash, "... the Muslim Brotherhood has succeeded in penetrating educational, and political systems, as well as top levels of government intelligence, the media and the US military virtually paralysing our ability to respond efficiently". In this effort to magnify the adversarial enormity of the Muslim Brotherhood, Gaffney spares no attempt not to assassinate the characters of some of the key Americans allegedly working in dual roles for the Brotherhood and its multi-pronged 'front organisations' such as ISNA, ICNA, CAIR, MAS and MPAC to one or another of which almost every proud American who is a Muslim belongs! But of course according to the staggering chutzpah he displays, the definition of a moderate Muslim should be reset according to the 'shariah-faultline' - those who reject shariah are the real Muslims. Presumably the rest who accept Shariah for guidance are either an anachronism or a threat!
5. The selection of the 'experts' in his report consists of a coterie of consultoids, one of whom as a General in the US Army made the unspeakably contemptible remark to the effect that 'my God is better than your God.' Mr.Gaffney's advisors apart from including the nefariously anti-Muslim polemicist previously alluded to ( and as with Lord Voldemort 'he who must not be named' ), also depended on the testimony of three former 'terrorist Muslims' whose only redeeming 'virtue' was their vitriolic repudiation of Islam.
The following statements made by Gaffney, give us insight into his mindset and motivation in conjuring up such a wildly provocative report with largely baseless accusations against Islam and Muslims worldwide:
'Arguably, not since the days of the first Team B report - when unwelcome information about Soviet communism's agenda, doctrine,and capabilities was discounted or suppressed- has there been a greater need for unconstrained analysis using all relevant facts to contribute to the development of an awareness of the self-identified enemy's stated doctrine. The'second opinion' on Shariah offered by this Team BII analysis is intended to be a catalyst for such an all source analysis, and for a national debate about the inadequacies of the present, official ( Team A) assessment of the threat'.
'An informed and determined counter-strategy to defend the Constitution from shariah can yet succeed - provided it is taken in the prompt, timely and comprehensive manner recommended by Team B II.'
It would take an ego of epic proportions to arrogate the right to proclaim itself 'Team BII', thereby elevating its status to that of the highly acclaimed Team BI. Team BI was comprised of professional, analytical experts on intelligence; the so-called 'Team BII' consisted of a motley crew whose only expertize on Islam was their negative preconceptions. However, takes more than mere megalomania to arrive at the conclusion that Islamic Shariah poses the same degree of existential threat to the rest of the world as did the USSR with its massive stockpile of nuclear weapons. This requires the presence of a delusion of such grandiosity that in recognizing the 'threat' it becomes a mission to eradicate it, thereby becoming the eternal saviour of the 'free world'. The evolution of such a delusional mindset may have its origins in Noah Feldman's observation,' It sometimes seems as if we need Shariah as Westerners have long needed Islam: as a canvas on which to project our ideas of the horrible, and as a foil to make us look good'. What is clear is that Mr Gaffney is not alone in such thinking. Dr Strangelove ( thank God only a movie character), even before the Team BI report, had the paranoid belief of a Communist conspiracy to dominate the world, and advocated a pre-emptive nuclear assault on the Soviet Union to annihilate it. It is in this similar delusional belief that he shares with Dr Strangelove, that Mr Gaffney is such an existential menace to society. It is indeed as if he has adopted Dr Strangelove's playbook as his protocol!


text:
Know Your Stats
Read Dave Stanton's essential primer on basic statistical principles and you won't get caught with your data pants down
By Dave Stanton
New York Times scatterplot graphic of historical batting averages
Data journalism is maturing as a discipline in which we treat databases, sensors, and cruddy government PDFs as our sources for inquiry, analysis, and explanation. The proliferation of frameworks, libraries and toolkits make crunching data easier and easier. However, we must keep in mind that it is up to us to choose tools appropriate for our data.
You can run pretty much any statistical procedure and get some output. It's not like you're going to get a simple NaN (not a number) error to tell you that you shouldn't have divided by zero–one of those tenets we learned in high school. Or that a function can only have one y-value for any single x-value. Statistical models are trickier than arithmetic because there are so many assumptions regarding the nature of your data. Having access to infinite computing power and accessible toolkits does not relieve you as a human from using rational thinking to determine if the sausage you are making has meaning.
In this post, I'll go through the fundamental statistical concepts every journalist should know before cranking up that EC2 instance, filing the FOIA, and making magic. You need to know about the assumptions of your data, more specifically the distribution of your data and the distribution of error within your data. Correlations, models, and statistical inference cannot be calculated without valid assumptions. Statistical procedures will always give you an answer. The usefulness and explanatory power of that answer is perfectly coupled with your ability to ensure assumptions are met and alternative explanations are eliminated.
Data vs. Statistics
Let's start with the batting average in baseball. We can easily compute this by dividing hits by total plate appearances that didn't result in a walk or hit-by-pitch. Ted Williams batted 0.406 in the 1941 season—the last player to break the 40% mark.
A bunch of data points were collected in the graph shown above but history leaves us with the 0.406 number and the 25th best batting average for a season in the history of baseball. Based on rule changes for the sacrifice fly, Williams may have hit as high as 0.419 by today's rules. And this is important: context affects data. If sports announcers are comparing a current player to Williams, it would be a more valid comparison to use a batting average number recalculated based on today's rules.
Takeaway 1: Context of data is critical for comparisons.
If we have complete data of every plate appearance by Williams, and then we make calculations, we are not being statisticians. Well, maybe, but super boring statisticians. That's because batting average may be a statistic in technical terms, but it is calculated from complete data with no error.
Sampling and Margin of Error
In journalism, we use statistics to support an opinion or uncover a truth. We typically have incomplete data—either within our population or beyond our population. A population is the full collection of people or items that match certain criteria, such as all registered voters in the United States. We can't reasonably ask every single voter to answer a question, so we draw a sample, or subset of the population. Then we use statistics to estimate the true population value, based on only knowing responses from the sample. We're left with a point estimate and error.
Let's relate all of this to journalism by looking at the ever-nebulous presidential approval ratings. A super-quick Google search for "presidential approval ratings" and some clicky clicky led me to McClatchy analysis with a dire-sounding headline of "McClatchy-Marist poll shows Obama tumbling in voters' eyes."
Get that article open in a new window and let's do some fact checking and see how badly Obama is doing in the eyes of voters according to this poll. First, head to the methodology sidebar. 1,233 adults were surveyed, of whom 1,064 are actually voters, which is what the headline refers to. That's approximately 0.000516% of Americans who are eligible to vote. You might be thinking that sounds like an insanely small number of people to use as representation of the opinion of America as a whole. But it's not.
Sampling is magical stuff, and you can get pretty precise estimates of true values from even tiny percentages like this. There are a ton of sampling methodologies, but random sampling is most typically used for public opinion polls. In a random sample, each member of the population should be just as likely to be selected. The only reason we don't actually ask a question to 200 million people is because of the insane costs and time to do so. We could if we wanted to, but instead we use a random sample.
Based on the reported methodology of this poll, we're told there is a margin-of-error of 3%, which means the true value lies somewhere in a range 3% above and 3% below the point estimate. This is very common. In fact, statisticians often use the 3% MoE and a known population size to determine how many people to survey. This is much more cost efficient than surveying as many folks as you can afford—only survey the people or data that you have to in order to make estimations with whatever confidence you can tolerate. Pollsters typically tolerate 3% MoE at 95% confidence. This means a random sample of 1,067 people becomes the standard sample size. There is no statistical law that is met. It's just tradition and the point of diminishing returns of reducing error by increasing sample size. (Further explanation here.) The McClatchy-Marist poll specifies a MoE at 2.8% but omits alpha level, so we'll just go forth assuming 95% confidence.
Ok, cursory sampling theory behind us, let's get back to our story: President Obama's approval rating is tumbling. Jump down to paragraphs 7 and 8 of the article and let's explore. In March 2013, the survey estimated Obama's approval rating at 45%. The writer compares this to a previous estimated approval rating of 50% in November 2012 and concludes doom and gloom.
Both of these ratings are estimates because they were created by running a statistical procedure on a sample. They are not the true values of the population. They are data points filled with noise. You cannot trust point estimates. They give us that warm feeling of having a number, but it's an illusion. You have to look at the margins of error and look at the ranges of probable values.
Here's an example of how estimates work. Pretend you have a bushel of apples and selected 6 at random to get 4 red and 2 green apples. Would you say there must be 66% red apples in that bushel? No way. Let's say you count every apple and find 66 red and 34 green apples. Ok, now we feel really sure there were 66% red. We grab another bushel and count 97 apples and get 64 red and 33 green. A ninja swoops in and steals the final three apples before we can count them. No!!!!! We'll never know the true counts of apples. This will haunt our dreams. Now, the best we can do is estimate. The final three apples were some combination of red and green. Maybe we can sleep estimating the true number of red apples was in reality between 67 and 64. But we'll never know if the real number was 66. The range is all that matters because we have to include our ninja-induced error in counting.
I tried to dig up the true MoE for the November 2012 poll but couldn't find it. So, I'll go forth assuming the pollster standard of 3%. The March 2013 poll specifies a 2.8% MoE. Now we use simple math. In the November 2012 poll, Obama's approval rating lies somewhere in a range between 47% and 53%. To get this range, we just take the point estimate, which was 50% (the average) and subtract the margin of error (resulting in 47%) as well as adding the margin of error (resulting in 53%). For the March 2013 poll, the same procedure results in a range between 42.2% and 47.8%.
What can we say regarding Obama's tumble from 50% approval to 48%? It's an illusion. Notice that our ranges overlap based on our sampling error. The high end of March 2013 is higher than the low end of November 2012. There is no statistical difference in President Obama's approval ratings. In fact, there's a statistical possibility that Obama's approval rating actually went up! There is no data proof to support the headline's assertion that "Obama tumbling in voters' eyes."
Takeaway 2: If there isn't separation between the ranges, there isn't a story unless you want to publish an illusion.
Let's go back to baseball.
Ted Williams had 606 plate appearances during the 1941 season. What if people didn't note every event for each plate appearance? What if we only knew how Williams performed in half of his plate appearances? We could use descriptive statistics to make an educated guess at his batting average.
In our counterexample, Williams completed the full season with 606 plate appearances (the population), but we only have data from 303 plate appearances. We run our simple batting-average calculation and determine that in our 50% sample of plate appearances, Williams had a 0.406 battering average. What can we say? Did Williams actually hit 0.406 for the whole season? We can never know. Only 303 plate appearances were noted. Unless we can travel back in time, we will never know for certain Williams' true battering average. But we do have a really good idea based on probability.
Although the point estimate of average is 0.406, we have a calculated margin-of-error +/= 5.54%. Since we have error, and we are using descriptive statistics to make an educated guess. We really need to be honest in saying we are 95% confident that Williams true batting average was between 0.351 and 0.461. That is all we can say. And on top of that, we're only 95% sure. Based on error/noise in our sample of data (because we only have information about half of his plate appearances), there's even a 1-in-20 (5%) chance that his true batting average isn't even between 0.351 and 0.461. It might be higher, and he had the greatest batting season in the history of baseball. Or it might have been lower, and he only had one of the top-400 batting seasons.
Takeaway 3: Margin of error is vastly more important than average.
How is a margin of error calculated, you might ask? Here's an Google spreadsheet I used to for calculate the +/=5.54 margin of error in the counterexample above. I also found a nice 5-minute YouTube video that describes the calculations for you. I was lazy and did not grab a raw dataset of Williams batting outcomes. Instead, I just created the correct combination of 1s (hit) and 0s (no hit) to give me a 0.406 average for 303 data points. This works with binomial outcomes but wouldn't work with interval data like trying to estimate average length of home run balls.
When you have interval data—data that can take any and all values between a lower bound and an upper bound—you can probably just use an online calculator and get the correct answer. I even lazily went that route during my first draft of the article. However, I violated an assumption of normality, or the nature of the data as being most heavily clustered at the mean and falling off high and lower. A normal distribution is often called a bell curve, though they aren't exactly the same. All normal distributions are bell curves, but not all bell curves are normal distributions.
It would take an entire textbook and way more eloquence than I can muster to describe all of the implications of distributions, so I'll stick to high-level generalities. Common statistical procedures assume the mean and median are the same value and the number of observed data points decreases as you travel away from the mean aka bell-shaped. Binomial (e.g. yes and no responses) and count data (e.g. traffic deaths) violate these assumptions. There are tons of interval data sets that violate normality as well, but the problems are mitigated in large samples, so you'll often see a requirement that the data should "approximate normalitiy" in order for techniques like linear regression to give you proper results.
Takeaway 4: Plot your data points to verify approximate normality.
In summary, Ted Williams was an amazing hitter, and almost every article ever written regarding presidential approval rating change is wrong.
Correlation and Causation
Statistics are a way to understand data by accounting for error. We say two variables have a correlation relationship when a change in one variable accounts for changes in another. We say two variables have a causal relationship when a value of one variable is set and that value has a distinct effect on what possible range of values another variable may later take. One must precede the other. Another requirement for a causal relationship is that a third variable (called an intervening variable) should not neutralize the effect of the other two.
Example time. The rate of ice cream consumption is strongly correlated with the rate of drowning fatalities. Does this mean that adage of not swimming after eating is true after all? No, in this case, it just means that these two variables increase together when another variable increases as well—temperature. Now that makes sense. We eat more ice cream in the summer when it's hot, and we also swim more in the summer because it is hot. If more people are swimming, more people will be drowning. There is a correlation relationship here but no causal relationship.
Describing these two in contrast, it sounds like correlation is useless, right? In fact, I had the hardest time convincing a nuclear-engineer friend that correlation is a meaningful relationship. I went through the ice cream example and she said, "But they aren't related. This doesn't make any sense." Our brains naturally imply causality from correlation—If I eat ice cream, I'm more likely to drown. Once we know there is no causality, it's harder to wrap your mind around the abstract idea of a correlation as a useful statistic. Although correlations can be interesting in their own right and sometimes hilarious, you should avoid reporting on studies that only involve correlations because of the inevitable mental gymnastics your readers will perform. Despite all disclaimers, they will imply causality.
You can tell if a researcher has taken care to prove meaningful correlations and proven causality though the section of a study typically labeled as results. A researcher should go through a model building and reduction process to arrive at a reasonable simple yet explanatory model. We could build a model of census data by including every variable we have. No doubt we would find a ton of correlated variables, but we'll never describe all of the error in a model.
Let's say that we can use 20 census variables to predict an individual's income. Each of the 20 variables will contribute something to understanding the error. Maybe using all of these variables helps us build a statistical model predicting income that accounts for 90% of error. It's hard for me to describe this more granularly since you start to get into matrix algebra that is pretty much impossible to calculate yourself without being a savant. But hopefully you get the idea: build a model with 20 variables used to predict 1 other variable and understand 90% of your wrongness. A thoughtful researcher will start reducing the model by eliminating variables that don't explain much error or perhaps explain the same error as another variable. We might be able to arrive as a more parsimonious model that has 4 census variables used to predict income and the model accounts for 85% of error. Success! We'll never predict the true income, but we'll have a pretty tight range of estimation and with a simplified model that is tremendously easier to explain.
Takeaway #5: Correlations are always meaningful but not necessarily useful.
In the case of temperature, ice cream and drowning there is no lying or falsehood by static stating the correlations as statistically meaningful. But you need to keep in mind that the human mind automatically applies a causal filter onto relationships. Matrix algebra may show a relationship does really exist between two arbitrary things, but the mind can't wrap around the association without saying that a change in one causes a change in the other. In most cases, there is a third, or intervening, variable that changes and yields a change in the other two variables. Do your best to find and eliminate intervening variables from your models before you report findings in your stories. This is hard. Read through your sourced research, and find where the researchers do so. If there is no mention of intervening variables or spurious associations, that's a red flag for the thoroughness of a causal model. If the research only reports correlations and no causality of any sort, you might want to contact the researchers and ask for help in properly describing the findings without inappropriately inferring causality to your audience.
Let's round out this post on common statistical mishaps by emphasizing the easiest to avoid and most tempting to make: non-zero y-axis scaling. With no prior explanation, I want you to look at this chart and think of both what is different and what feels different between these:
Zero and non-zero graphs of the same data
I'm not being very subtle. I even gave away the "what is different" in the table headers. Both include the identical data points. The numbers approximate recent Dow Jones Industrial Average levels from recent weeks. The only true difference is the y-axis is set to zero in one and not in the other. Using a zero scale is important when you are describing changes because the number of a change typically is irrelevant. Percentages and change rates (percent change as function of time) are what matter.
What feels different? The left chart gives you the "oh crap" feeling of something serious happening. The bottom has fallen out of the stock market! Dogs and cats living together! Anarchy! I'm exacerbating this through my psychological use of a red color, but this is the common design strategy to indicate a negative move in an indicator.
But the real story here is "meh." Things happen. There are random walks, noise and adjustments typical in stock market trading. Both charts are showing a 3% drop in the market. While this isn't nothing, it also isn't something to cause panic. I'm going to pick on the publication Quartz a bit here because of the overly sensationalistic headline "Here's what Ben Bernanke just did to rock the markets."
There are some scary-looking charts in there but if you look at the real numbers, the DJIA only moved 1%. I can't even imaging what superlative beyond "rock the markets" would have been used to describe the 23.13% single-day drop on November 4, 2008.
I did raise my concern to the author Matt Phillips about using a sensationalist headline. He said my concern regarding DJIA was valid but that some of the other market moves like bonds were more important for financial wonks. I totally understand that. DJIA isn't an indicator used much for decision-making by financial professionals, but it is what we the general audience use for a barometer of national financial health.
Using a non-zero scale can be useful too. In my example charts, I used a 3% drop specifically to tie this scaling issue and perceived cliff-drops back to the presidential approval ratings we looked at earlier. Recall above where we threw away polling point estimates and used the upper and lower boundaries utilizing margin of error to instead look at the range of statistically possible values. A "drop" from 50% to 48% in a point estimate did not give us any evidence of a true decrease in the true national approval rating. How do we know when there is enough of a move? Recall it's just basic addition. Average1 — MoE > Average2 + MoE. Here's a chart to illustrate:
Appropriate use of a non-zero scale
The red line indicates our point estimates—the presidential approval rating as typically reported. Green represents the upper bound of our margin of error (+/- 3% at 95% confidence). Blue represent the lower bound of margin of error. I used a non-zero scaling on the y-axis so that we can see the horizontal lines across in order to compare the three lines to each other instead of comparing (or instinctively applying a comparison) between a line and the x-axis itself. This is a proper use of non-zero y-axis scaling because it doesn't distort the data for our specific question: When can we say a true drop in presidential approval rating has occurred?
Our arithmetic of +/- 3 is now plotted so we just look for the horizontal line that has a lower green y-value than any of our blue y-values. We can confidently say that presidential approval dropped between our 1st poll and our 8th poll as well as between our 2nd poll and our 9th poll.
We can confidently say presidential approval rating has dropped, but our context of a drop over the time period of eight polls is immensely different than a drop between two polls. With that much time involved, it makes the job impossible for talking heads to pontificate on what single event, speech or flap caused this precipitous drop. The true change most likely correlates with big-picture economic indicators and not anything specific the President has done or not done. There is no direct causality, just correlation.
A Cheatsheet
I've tried to provide an accessible overview of the most common statistical challenges you'll encounter as you use data in your journalistic projects. You always can find a story in data, but follow this guide to help ensure your data is practically useful:
Statistics are merely a way to estimate a true value by accounting for error within a sample of data.
You can't draw a sample and then conveniently discard all of the error regardless of how much you want a cut-and-dried explanation.
There are correlations in so many things that, while being statistically useful, aren't practically meaningful.
The human mind instinctively interprets correlation as causality as a way to make sense of the world.
Tread carefully to avoid leading your audience to draw invalid conclusions.
Note: If you're ready for further levels of complexity, Dave wrote a post on his site about the uses and misuses of transforms.
Dave Stanton
Dave Stanton is a software architect and technical coach. Currently he works with teams to integrate quality, scalability, security, and accessibility into enterprise mobile and cloud projects. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Florida by researching the behavioral and cognitive effects of interface design.
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ISG CEO, Ben Foster, Named to Family Business CEOs to Watch 2020
November 24, 2020 /in Blog, Press Releases /by ISG Tech
ISG Technology CEO, Ben Foster, was recently named to the Family Business CEOs to Watch 2020, a publication that recognizes family and non-family chief executives who are leading their businesses with a view toward long-term success.
According to Family Business Magazine, a family business chief executive must have the talent to steer the business to growth and profitability while maintaining family engagement and harmony, ideally promoting good governance to help smooth the way. Family business CEOs in 2020 have had to emphasize resilience in communicating with a stakeholder group that includes family members not employed in the family company.
Here's what they wrote…
"The Twin Valley family of companies operates in two ultra-competitive spaces, telecommunications (voice/internet/video and business services) via the Twin Valley companies in north central Kansas, and IT technology/managed services via ISG Technology, operating in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma," notes Scott Leitzel, chief operating officer at Twin Valley and human resources executive at ISG Technology.
"In order to remain competitive in these spaces, a CEO must be forward-thinking, bold and willing to push him/herself and team outside traditional comfort zones, time and time again," says Leitzel, who has reported directly to Foster for 10 years. "Ben operates in this manner on a consistent basis, and in partnership with previous generations has led [the business] to growth that would not otherwise have occurred."
Foster joined Twin Valley Telephone in 2004 as vice president of operations. He rose to chief operating officer and was named CEO in 2014. Prior to Twin Valley he was the director of consumer support centers and chief of staff at SBC, now AT&T.
At Twin Valley Telephone, he managed the integration and subsequent upgrade of 13 exchanges and 6,000 customers, which tripled the size of the company. He brought in the company's first two non-family executives and led the acquisition of ISG Technology as a diversification strategy.
Five of the seven fourth-generation members work in the business, Leitzel notes. "This presents a unique responsibility in which Ben serves as CEO of the Twin Valley family of companies while representing the collective ownership and heritage of the company, which dates to 1947.
"Ben has done this while serving on multiple boards, including currently serving as chairman of KsFiberNet and ESPi."
"I am passionate about being a positive steward of the business that we inherited from previous generations," Foster says. "I do this by living by the values that we were taught and talking about those values with our team. I wish to leave the next generation a family asset that is more resilient and larger than what we received. Improving ownership cohesion, hiring professional board members and mentoring key executives with expertise that goes beyond my own are three ways of ensuring that my skillset improves and is never the limiting factor to my family achieving our goals for the company.
"Family businesses are important to the economy and broader society because we put the heart behind the capital, as well as a longer-term horizon that helps solve bigger problems. I find tremendous purpose in being a small part of the positive impact our companies make."
https://www.isgtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ben-Foster_Action-Shot-scaled.jpg 1437 2560 ISG Tech /wp-content/uploads/2018/02/isg-logo.png ISG Tech2020-11-24 20:24:332020-12-07 22:48:39ISG CEO, Ben Foster, Named to Family Business CEOs to Watch 2020
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Trade paperback. A guide to finding happiness, which combines ancient Buddhist wisdom with the best of 21st century personal development. Concentrates on Nichiren Buddhism, which is focussed in the here and now.
Cartea Buddha in Me, the Buddha in You face parte din categoria Non-Christian religions a librariei online Libris.ro si este scrisa de David Hare.