Aleksandra's Note: Through the years I have been contacted by various people I have never met who are looking for answers as to the history of their close relatives. They wish to know who their fathers and grandfathers were "long ago". They wish to know the details of the journey that led them to a new life in America or Canada or Australia or England or any number of other places where Serbian patriots migrated because they could not return to their homeland and be guaranteed that they would be allowed to remain alive, much less be allowed to prosper and live in freedom. Andy Evans was one such "seeker", and it is with pleasure that I'm announcing here that his own personal journey to discover his beloved grandfather's personal history has culminated in "DISPLACED", a book that is now published and available to the public. This search has been a true labor of love for Andy. It is also a poignant reminder about how important it is for our parents and grandparents and other family members to communicate and share their personal histories, no matter how painful or how seemingly inconsequential, with us who follow in their footsteps. So many descendants remain without knowledge of who their ancestors really were. Heritage is so important - especially for those of us who wish to preserve it. But we cannot preserve it if we do not know it.
My sincere thanks goes out to Andy Evans and Vesna Kovac for publishing this important story that I hope will serve as an inspiration and as a reminder to "share your stories" with your loved ones. You are the one that can tell it best. Let the stories of your life serve as the record of your existence, no matter how brief, on this earth. Your survivors will be grateful.
"Bosnia is the back drop to this fascinating insight into a twenty year search to uncover the true identity of a man displaced from his country and loved ones. Genealogy today is big business. Websites now offer their services to uncover the truth about our heritage. Lost royal bloodlines can be uncovered at the click of the mouse. Family tragedies of old can be revisited once more, memories cherished at last forever. Imagine however if no records of our existence remained. DISPLACED tells of such a search of no recordable beginning. The story strives to uncover the shrouded blanket, kept in secret for over sixty years, of my own grandfather's life before his appearance in England in 1947. Yugoslavia's bloody and violent times of her past are revisited within my own travels of my modern day quest of understanding."


text:
Zoe Bangsar: Eating or Dining? Independent restaurants walk lethal tightrope
A kitchen that puts Chiang Mai mutton curry on equal footing with Sicilian sardine pasta, where Peranakan-loved keluak nuts and local baby figs share the shelves with house-baked bread and hand-kneaded gnocchi.
A low-key location that might play Puccini for patrons by day, then Celia Cruz and Doris Day by night, calling attention only with a slender signboard outside a shop-house's top floor.
A founder whose personal trek to becoming a chef can be traced from prowling the secretive corridors of Malaysia's central bank to teaching English in the wide-open mountain schools of northern Thailand.
Zoe Bangsar is the definition of an independent restaurant, with idiosyncrasies that might be an acquired taste (durian massaman? fermented black garlic tagliatelle?). But independence can come at a biting cost, making profitability improbable at times like these and survival tougher than ever in a trade where franchises loom as the fittest.
In the 16 months since Zoe Rai launched his eponymous venue, the first-time restaurateur has earned a steady drumbeat of appreciation for his soul-heartening fare, which draws from half a century of eating and travelling, learning and working.
Turning 50 soon, Zoe has nurtured a space that feels genuine, not glitzy, defying the modern rules of restaurants that strive to be social media sweethearts with beguiling interiors and camera-ready food.
"When people come here, it's not what they expect," Zoe said in a phone interview. "They can't tell until they come up to the first floor, but it's very cosy. They feel like they're in someone's house. It's got a very homely feel."
The menu is a treat for everyone who craves an eclectic, world-embracing perspective. There's nowhere else to savour gulai ikan Terengganu, Lebanese toum and Uyghur lamb pasta in one place - albeit with cohesive, comforting flavours throughout the cooking. "There's so much interesting food out there that I thought, why isn't this on a menu in a restaurant in KL?"
It's an admirable approach for a down-to-earth spot that's content to feed a few dozen people each night, that isn't bent on conquering the culinary world as an empire of fine-dining establishments or hip burger parlours. But it may not work when a stockpile of cash is what eateries need the most now.
When official restrictions revved up, Zoe's business slowed, then swerved toward deliveries like other businesses. But once Ramadan began, it screeched almost to a halt, with no guarantee of a dramatic rebound when restaurants reopen May 4.
"Now, if I'm lucky, there'll be orders for two or three dishes a day," Zoe says. "Earlier in the MCO, I'd get group orders when people ordered for the office, 20 to 30 dishes for one office. It wasn't all the time, but it was nice to have once in awhile.
"The only restaurants that will survive are the ones with very good cash flow management, that are still able to pay their fixed costs - wages, rental, electricity.
"The first category includes restaurants with enough buffers and reserves, even without income. The second comprises restaurants providing food that's in demand now - fast food, basic mamak, kampung food, not too expensive and easily transportable. It's OK if it just goes into a container and gets to you."
While Zoe's food is best enjoyed minutes out of the kitchen, it travels fine. In February and early March, we ordered deliveries four times to Sri Petaling, sampling the entire selection. Pasta was packed separately from thick, textured crab meat sauce - no reheating needed. Sweet-sour, tamarind-tinged beef curry also remained warm enough to eat immediately, with steamed, shallot-studded rice on the side.
Zoe fears the public trauma of recent weeks could have a chilling effect for many months.
"There's an eating experience and there's a dining experience.
"If you want an eating experience, you can just tapau food, go home and eat, or eat fast and leave. You might not be comfortable, but you don't care - you just want to eat. That's the eating experience.
"People who come out want a dining experience. They want to sit down for one or two hours, enjoy the music, the atmosphere.
"At the end of the day, we want the group of people who come in and are happy to dine in. You don't need 50 people in a restaurant if you have enough customers willing to spend."
Like many restaurateurs, Zoe currently misses the humanity the most. "The sound of laughter and conversation, the sound of people having a nice time - I work in an open kitchen, so I can hear people out in the restaurant. Now it's quiet. I have my music on, but you just hear the staff, the cooking, the air-conditioning or the fan."
If the worst is over and consumer confidence recovers, Zoe Bangsar will hang on to celebrate its second birthday next January. But that's a fragile hope in an unpredictable year.
Should the deep malaise persist, "I think the maximum for us is another one-and-a-half months," Zoe says. "After that, it's a totally different thing - we close or the restaurant becomes a one-man show. Right now, it's unsustainable, it's a complete loss - it's just a question of how long I can sustain the loss. I'll go as long as I can, that's my philosophy.
"But if there's no profit, there's no way to cover expenses. I'm still paying rent, salaries, electricity, but right now, it makes no difference if I just closed.
"I've decided my six full-time staff will still get paid, no matter what. They come to work, except one who has to look after his baby because the daycare centres are closed. I pay him his salary, because it's not his fault. You have to be compassionate."
Zoe Bangsar is one of nearly 120 restaurants participating in Eat Drink KL's Faith For The Future. Purchase a cash voucher at eatdrinkkl.com/faith and enjoy a 10 percent discount off your bill when you redeem the voucher within four months. The restaurant will receive your payment within three working days. Click here to read about Faith For The Future.
Reporting by EDKL writer Aiman Azri. Interview excerpts were edited for brevity. Images were photographed in 2019.
This is the seventh part in our series on how people working in Malaysia's restaurants, cafes and bars are confronting their current challenges.
Click on titles below to read more:
Tossed Cafe: Restaurants turn into a quiet place in Ramadan 2020
PS150 Group: KL cocktail bars raise a bottle to halting shutdown hangover
Gooddam: When restaurant customers vanish, a subdued silence sets in
Nine-day-old BBQ venue Atelier Binchotan faces shutdown trial-by-fire
Chiu's: A Restaurant Founder's Pandemic Work Diary
Barista blues: A Malaysian cafe's precarious future weighs on its workers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: What happens if transaction rollback fails? So failure while committing leads to rollback. But what if rollback also fails due to some reasons and the database has changed due to partial commitment. How is the database restored to its original state?
The database in question is postgresql.

A: I think your question hits the core of the database reliability properties; the ACID properties. They are there in order to guarantee the database's reliability. The transaction log plays a vital role here. You probably know the ACID properties, so Iam not diving into that.
If a rollback fails, then you would have a serious problem. The reliability of the database cannot be guaranteed. In other words; you probably have some sort of corruption in your transaction log and will end up with an inconsistent database. I am not sure how it works with PostgreSQL, but for MS SQL Server it will set the DB offline and restarts it, which will trigger a recovery action and it will try to rollback the transaction again. If that doesn't work you will probably have to restore the database from an earlier backup (log, differential or full).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Qlik Data Revolution Tour is almost here.
Join the data revolution – and transform your business for good.
Business software vendor Infor's acquisition of BI specialist Birst, which was completed last month, is beginning to bear fruit.
Pronto Xi 740, the latest release of the Australian company's ERP and analytics software, blurs the line between BI and ERP, according to managing director Chad Gates.


The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is releasing a song for the first time in decades – "Indian Man," the opening song from the musical documentary, The Road Forward.
According to a spokesperson for Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor, the release is due to "popular demand" after 200+ public screenings of the film, with audiences asking where they can find the music.
Released Tuesday, the track is now available on most popular music streaming platforms, including iTunes, Apple Music, YouTube, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Written by Marie Clements, this Indigenous blues-rock song was composed and arranged by award-winning recording artist and Métis singer-songwriter Wayne Lavallee. It is performed by Wayne Lavallee, Jeremy James Lavallee, Murray Porter, Russell Wallace, Latash-Maurice Nahanee, Ronnie Dean Harris, a.k.a. Ostwelve, and the late Leonard George. The musicians are Wayne Lavallee (guitar), Marie-Josée Dandaneau (bass) and Richard E. Brown, a.k.a. RB (drums).
Digitally mastered, the song was originally recorded at Bryan Adams' Warehouse Studio in Vancouver. It is produced by Marie Clements and Wayne Lavallee, and executive produced by the NFB.
The full-length version of the film The Road Forward is also available for download at NFB.ca.
The documentary brings to life the past 80 years of politics and protest on the West Coast and across the country, performed by an ensemble of some of Canada's finest vocalists and musicians, including the Manitoba-born Métis performers Jeremy James Lavallee and Wayne Lavallee, as well as Mohawk musician Murray Porter, from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. The story-songs range from emotionally wrenching ballads about the missing and murdered Indigenous women to inspirational anthems that seamlessly connect the past and present.
The Road Forward is produced and executive produced by Shirley Vercruysse for the NFB's BC & Yukon Studio in Vancouver.


The `logging` quickstart mentions the `gc.log` file but does not mention that it is only available when garbage collection is enabled. This setting is enabled by default in JBoss EAP, but not in WildFly. We need to update the README file for the `logging` quickstart with this information so that it is accurate in both the upstream and downstream README files.


text:
Q: Java mail api 1.5.5 strange behaviour I am using javamail (1.5.5) to fetch mails from exchange 2010 server. It fails to fetch few messages (java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space). But it is working fine when using java mail api 1.4.5 without heap space error.
What's strange here is the size of that peculiar message is 136516 Bytes. So when using IMAP, it should be fetched within 9 batches ( default fetch size is 16KB ). But from the debug trace referred below, something is strange.
Here is my code:
Message messObj = message[i]; String messSubject = null;
String messMsgId = null;
java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream bos = new java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream();
messObj.writeTo(bos);
bos.close();
javax.mail.util.SharedByteArrayInputStream bis = new javax.mail.util.SharedByteArrayInputStream(bos.toByteArray());
MimeMessage cmsg = new MimeMessage(session, bis);
bis.close(); mp.setMessage(cmsg);
messSubject = cmsg.getSubject();
messMsgId = ((MimeMessage) cmsg).getMessageID();
System.out.println("debugging:::subject::"+messSubject+"::msgid::"+messMsgId);

FLAGS (\Seen \Answered))|
  [14:48:21:205]|[09-26-2018]|[SYSOUT]|[INFO]|[73]: A3893 OK FETCH
  completed.| [14:48:21:205]|[09-26-2018]|[SYSOUT]|[INFO]|[73]: A3894
  FETCH 1 (BODY[]<536512690.16384>)|
  [14:48:21:220]|[09-26-2018]|[SYSOUT]|[INFO]|[73]: * 1 FETCH (UID 91149
  BODY[] {137921}|
FLAGS (\Seen \Answered))|
  [14:48:21:236]|[09-26-2018]|[SYSOUT]|[INFO]|[73]: A3894 OK FETCH
  completed.| [14:48:21:236]|[09-26-2018]|[SYSOUT]|[INFO]|[73]: A3895
  FETCH 1 (BODY[]<536650611.16384>)|
  [14:48:21:251]|[09-26-2018]|[SYSOUT]|[INFO]|[73]: * 1 FETCH (UID 91149
  BODY[] {137921}|
--5c3ef07b8737170331214bb435ce7be6--| [14:48:21:267]|[09-26-2018]|[SYSOUT]|[INFO]|[73]:  FLAGS (\Seen
  \Answered))| [14:48:21:267]|[09-26-2018]|[SYSOUT]|[INFO]|[73]: A3895
  OK FETCH completed.| [14:48:21:267]|[09-26-2018]|[SYSOUT]|[INFO]|[73]:
  A3896 FETCH 1 (BODY[]<536788532.16384>)|
  [14:48:21:283]|[09-26-2018]|[SYSOUT]|[INFO]|[73]: * 1 FETCH (UID 91149
  BODY[] {137921}|

Error occurs before the system print. Each time the entire message is fetched and it is fetched for 3896 times ( after that memory heap error occurs and stops the process ). Could someone tell me what am I missing here?


text:
Strengthening Relationships With Chongqing Normal University
News Type: Event Highlights
School/Dept: School of Business
In September, the SUSS School of Business (SBIZ) welcomed 16 students and faculty from Chongqing Normal University, Foreign Trade and Business College (FTBC) who were in Singapore for a study tour! The programme started with a welcome ceremony and a campus tour, followed by site visits to various places to gain a better understanding of the evolving logistics sector in Singapore.
One of the places they visited was the Singapore City Gallery @ Urban Redevelopment Authority Centre, where the group learnt about the island city's transformation over the years. The FTBC students were also intrigued by the service spirit at Din Tai Fung during a case study session led by SBIZ's Dr Yuan Xuchuan. Other places included the PSA Terminals, Supply Chain Asia Forum's Innovation and Tech Expo at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore Logistics Association and Allied Containers Services Pte Ltd. These site visits offered the participants an opportunity to gain deeper insights into Singapore's logistics sector.
The delegates also attended a seminar conducted by Dr Lim Tai Wei, which examined the effects of the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative on trade connectivity and global logistics.
The study tour was a reciprocal visit following the MOU signing between SBIZ and FTBC that took place in Chongqing last December.


text:
— Judge Michael Toomin stepping away from bench and a decade of leading juvenile court: "His decadeslong career first began on 26th Street, as a lawyer and later as a criminal court judge. He's played a significant role in high-profile cases, including most recently appointing a special prosecutor in the Jussie Smollett case," by Tribune's Madeline Buckley.
— Sarah M. Raisch has joined the civil rights team at Romanucci & Blandin, a national personal injury law firm in Chicago. She had spent a decade with the Lake County Public Defender's Office.
Sarah Raisch


text:
Ricoh Canada partners with Women of Influence to host the 2022 Top 25 Women of Influence™ Awards – A celebration of Canada's diverse role models
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Feb. 10, 2022 /CNW/ – In celebrating and honouring the accomplishments of Canada's most inspiring female role models who have left their mark and initiated lasting change, Ricoh Canada Inc. is proud to extend its partnership with Women of Influence, for the third consecutive year as the presenting sponsor of the 2022 Top 25 Women of InfluenceTM Virtual Awards Ceremony on March 8, 2022.
"We can make a difference towards creating a more inclusive, equal world and inspire lasting change – for better."Tweet this
The annual event recognizes the extraordinary accomplishments of diverse role models who have broken through barriers, reached impressive heights in their careers, or initiated important conversations to create a better tomorrow and a more inclusive society.
Ricoh's partnership with Women of Influence reinforces its ongoing commitment towards supporting and empowering communities across Canada and the global stage that collectively, we can make a difference towards creating a more inclusive, equal world and inspire lasting change – for better.
"We are proud to continue our partnership with Women of Influence in celebrating empowerment and leadership that shines a spotlight on the inspiring accomplishments of women across Canada," says Mike Fast, President and CEO at Ricoh Canada. "Supporting the people around us in embracing diversity and fostering equality within our society is how we live The Ricoh Way, so that together, we can be the change for a better future."
"Our goal is to celebrate and share the inspiring stories of Canadian role models who are making an impact and redefining the fabric of our country," says Alicia Skalin, Co-CEO, Head of Events & Programming for Women of Influence.
This year's Top 25 Women of InfluenceTM Awards will be held virtually on March 8 and will include fireside chats with 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Siila Watt-Cloutier who will be honoured for her outstanding contributions as an environmental, cultural, and human rights advocate; an Inspiration Pod break-out room with select Top 25 award recipients and more. For more information about the event, the full list of award recipients or to purchase tickets, please visit the event website here.
| About Women of Influence |
Women of Influence, now in its 28th year, is one of North America's leading organizations offering solutions for workplace gender equality and women's advancement. Through our global events, digital media, signature awards, and consulting, Women of Influence reaches a diverse community of professional women and men across Canada and internationally. Providing insights and inspiration, perspectives on key issues, and creating opportunities to connect — we are making change happen for women, today. Our signature programs include the Top 25 Women of Influence Awards and the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. For more information, please visit www.womenofinfluence.com
| About Ricoh |
Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services that enable individuals to work smarter from anywhere.
With cultivated knowledge and organizational capabilities nurtured over its 85-years history, Ricoh is a leading provider of digital services and information management, and print and imaging solutions designed to support digital transformation and optimize business performance.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group has major operations throughout the world and its products and services now reach customers in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2021, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,682 billion yen (approx. 15.1 billion USD).
For further information, please visit www.ricoh.ca.
© 2022 Ricoh Canada Inc. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies.
SOURCE Ricoh Canada Inc.
Five Key HR Trends for 2023 Reveal What the Future of Work Will Look Like, Says HR Advisory Firm McLean & Company
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The BBPA Announces the Recipients of the 40th Annual Harry Jerome Awards
TORONTO, ON, April 12, 2022 – The Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) announces its 40th Annual BBPA…
BDC Named Best in SME Digital Banking in the World's Best Digital Bank Awards
MONTREAL, Oct. 7, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ – BDC, the bank for Canadian entrepreneurs, has been recognized by Global Finance as…
Labour shortages are stalling small business recovery: A temporary boost to the Temporary Foreign Worker program can offer relief
TORONTO, March 2, 2022 /CNW/ – The federal government should temporarily open the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program to all…


but I believe it's ok to write my meaningless comment on mailing list.
I recently notice that why many people use emacs.
it is because people make their own function, and spend many time with emacs.
and that strengthen attachment for emacs.
while they spend time, tame emacs, get to know about it.
=> is it ok to add my non-question to mailing list?


text:
Kate Ritchie and Tim Blackwell on the end of the Nova drive team
By James Manning
• Could Marty compete against them? How Joel will change the show
• Why Kate & Tim never thought about quitting drive too
When Marty Sheargold revealed on air July 24 that he would be quitting the Nova drive show, his on-air colleagues Kate Ritchie and Tim Blackwell had known about his departure for close to month.
Three weeks later Nova staged another drive moment when it was announced that Joel Creasy would be the new third member of the drive show. Sheargold has just five shows left with the new recruit moving in on Monday September 14.
Although Ritchie and Blackwell knew the split was coming, it still caught them off guard when they announced it on air. Blackwell told Mediaweek: "Knowing for a month beforehand was enough time for us to deal with our emotions, or so we thought. Only we realised we really hadn't completely dealt with our emotions when he said it live on air."
Kate Ritchie
Ritchie added: "I don't think Marty had either as he was quite emotional – quite unexpectedly."
Blackwell said that over the years of working together, "Marty always played by the Marty Sheargold rule book and does what is right for him and this is obviously right for him. We have worked with each other for over 10 years. I leave with a friend for life. I'm not sure how he feels, but maybe he has questioned, especially during Covid, that should he really be leaving a comfortable fulltime job on his own choosing? Ultimately it is his call, and this is how he has lived his life."
Although Sheargold was departing, Ritchie and Blackwell never had any thoughts about not continuing.
Ritchie: "Tim and I are quite happy to continue on this road."
Blackwell: "Absolutely. It's been a very successful show and as you can hear on air, we enjoy each other's company immensely. I was always thinking this would be a 50-year show." [Laughs]
Ritchie: "Fingers crossed! It's a great gig and [it would be] a very big decision to walk away from a show like this and I'm not ready to do that just yet."
Both drive co-hosts have also worked in breakfast radio and they are adamant that drive is by far the best time to work in radio.
Blackwell: "I've done breakfast – hard work. Nights too. Drive is great – you are home at 6.30pm every night."
Ritchie: "It doesn't matter which shift you do, you find the negatives about everything. On drive I can never pick my daughter up from school. But when weighing up positives versus negatives this one truly wins out."
Kate, Tim and Marty is one of the reasons that FM drive is now the alternative radio primetime. Something that SCA's Hamish and Andy also helped along.
The Nova Kate, Tim & Marty drive show has been the #1 national drive show across Australia for 26 consecutive surveys. During their time on air, the team has won seven Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAs) – Best Networked Program in 2015, Best On Air Team in 2016 and 2017, Best Syndicated Australian Program and Best Networked Show in 2018 and Best Networked Program and Best Syndicated Program in 2019.
Tim Blackwell
Blackwell: "We are on air against some of my friends and radio heroes. Mick Molloy worked with us in Brisbane for a little while before we even stumbled upon Marty Sheargold. We also had Hughesy and Kate up against us. You just have to turn the radio on between 4pm and 6pm to hear how much radio talent there is in this country. They are world class performers and it is a very nice little club to be a part of."
As to hiring Joel Creasy to replace Marty Sheargold, the remaining Nova drive hosts were very much part of the recruitment process. "Or at least they pretended we were," laughed Ritchie.
"Who is it?" asked Blackwell the day before the announcement was made.
"It was hard to find someone who was available who would fit this role," said Blackwell. "We are not replacing Marty. We are getting a completely different person who will change the whole dynamic on air. In the past when one of us has been off for different reasons, the show sounded very different straight away."
Kate, Tim and Joel
He added there won't be too many changes though: "We have had segments that have stayed since Brisbane breakfast…we are not throwing out everything and starting from scratch."
There has been a fair bit of speculation about what Sheargold might do next.
If Sheargold ended up on air in a competing drive show, Blackwell said he would be terrified! Ritchie asked: "He wouldn't dare would he?"
Nova Entertainment has been good to Blackwell, and vice versa off course. The versatile host has been on air in different programs in different states for close to 20 years. "He's one of the [Nova] originals and he wears it like a badge of honour," said Ritchie.
Ritchie has called Nova home too since 2007 when she left Home and Away and started in breakfast with Merrick and Rosso.
Because the drive show continues to be a ratings powerhouse, Nova Entertainment chief programming & marketing officer Paul Jackson and the Nova execs leave the show largely to run its own race.
"With a new show we might lose some audience, but we will also gain some audience too," said Blackwell. "We have been allowed in the office when everyone else is still working from home. It's been nice not to have anyone pop in with feedback!"
There is nothing else on air really like Nova drive and the hosts hope that will continue. Blackwell: "What we love about this show is how honest we are with each other and our audience. It almost has something of a podcast feel to it at times. We are prepared each day. Ugly Phil taught me you need to prepare so much that you are comfortable to go off the run sheet. It's good to have the notes, without having to use them."
Top photo: Kate, Tim and Marty
Related Items:Kate Tim and Joel, Kate Tim and Marty, Nova
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Week 36 TV: Nine's narrow primary win, Seven #1 network
Hutchy sparing no expense when it comes to talent for 1170 SEN Sydney
Boomtown to launch expanded education program


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Not your average health supplement company
November 06, 2018 By Andrew Smith
We believe in our products. I know I know, every company says the same thing:
"We scoured the world to source the best ingredients to produce the best products available... blah blah blah"
Here at Pureclinica, the people we care about the most use our products. In fact this company was started because we could not find the right supplemental nutritioun for our founders sick mum. That was 2005. All these years later we still wake up every day trying to make what we do better and better.
We meticulously plan everything that goes into our supplements. and we have worked hard to provide premium thought-fully crafter nutrition so you don't have to.
Quality matters, and we seek to be different in every way that matters:
Double, Triple, or even 10x the Strength.
We make our supplements to be effective while remaining good value for money. To that end you will find that they all contain either double, triple, or even 10x the amount of active ingredients per tablet when compared to our competitors. This means you don't have to rattle like a pill bottle, and you don't have to spend 3 or 4 times the price to get an effective quantity of active ingredient. Compare our products mg for mg to any of our competitors.
Made to exceed the best standards.
Our products are not sourced in China. We manufacture them in the UK, Switzerland, and the USA. We work with the world's largest manufacturer of health supplements. Because of this you can be rest assured our products are made to of the highest standard. Yeah yeah, I know you've heard that before, but we mean it. Our products are made to not only meet, but exceed cGMP and ISO standards. Every step of our supply chain is tested and documented. And that takes me to...
Independent third party testing.
We have many of our batches of supplements independently 3rd party tested by one of the largest testing facilities in the USA. They select random bottles of ours and test them to ensure they contain exactly what is stated on the label. Nothing more, nothing less.
Experienced health advisors.
Our customer service team and project coordinators, Colin and Ben, were previously leaders and pioneers in many of the UK Government's Public Health community out-reach programs. They are trained in every aspect of health through diet and nutrition, and much more. For example, Ben previously ran a not-for-profit stroke outpatient organization, helping to nurse stroke patients back towards being healthy. We now finance the rent for that organization.
Truly a family business.
I founded Pureclinica in 2005 with my mother, and since then have gone on to hire my brother, his wife, my best friend and his partner. We started in my mother's kitchen, and now have offices in 3 countries and growing. But we remain true to our humble origin and work on a very close and personal level.
Good for you, and for others.
For every bottle you purchase, we will make a donation on your behalf that will pay for a years supply of life changing vitamins and minerals for a child in need.
See the difference, shop the difference, feel the difference.


Stocks & Commodities V. 21:3 (100-109): Traders' Tips by Technical Analysis, Inc.
Home > Articles > Volume 21 (2003) > Chapter 3 (March 2003) > Stocks & Commodities V. 21:3 (100-109): Traders' Tips by Technical Analysis, Inc.
Ingo Bucher's article in this issue, "Fibonacci Retracements And The RSI," describes the advantages of considering Fibonacci retracement levels for use with the classic RSI indicator. Bucher reviews six charts, each displaying Fibonacci retracement levels for the RSI associated with each chart. The EasyLanguage code given here will allow you to automatically recreate these charts for any security available in TradeStation.
Bucher calculated his retracement levels by picking the RSI high and low for a given time window. In his examples, these were generally six months to a year's worth of data. Once the high and low were picked, he calculated retracement levels based on the well-known Fibonacci numbers (23.6%, 38.2%, 50%, 61.8%).


text:
Infrastructure and Engineering
Manufacturing and Industry
Resources and Mining Services
PR Strategy
Litigation PR Support
Government Relations and Lobbying
Thought Leadership Marketing
Content Creation and Marketing
Stakeholder Communications
The Dreamworld crisis: Why being seen to manage your crisis matters
Posted by:	admin
Category:	Crisis Planning
By Patrick Southam, Partner, Reputation Edge.
If there's one early lesson to emerge from the management of the Dreamworld theme park crisis by its owner, Ardent Leisure, it's that companies must be seen to be in charge of their own crisis.
After 30+ years working in the media and communications industry, I'm constantly astonished at how unprepared some major companies are for a crisis or an event that can seriously damage their reputation. Many organisations remain either completely unprepared, or significantly under-prepared for responding to crises.
Based on Ardent's bungled responses in the days after four people were tragically killed at Dreamworld, it appears Ardent was seriously unprepared.
Immediately after the accident Dreamworld's CEO Craig Davidson followed accepted crisis protocol by expressing his shock and sadness, and concern for the families involved and their loved ones.
But since then Ardent's crisis management, led by group CEO Deborah Thomas, has been on the back foot. They appear stunned and shocked that a fun park could be the scene for such a tragic and horrible event.
Two days after the accident Ardent's AGM was scheduled to be held in Sydney. This was always going to be a media circus, but the timing was out of Ardent's hands given the strict legal requirements governing ASX listed companies.
But at that meeting it was a monumental mistake to proceed with a resolution to approve a $860,000 bonus for the CEO. That's right – two days after four customers were killed on her watch, the CEO was in line to receive a performance bonus.
Ardent tried to explain the $860,000 bonus related to long-term performance rights, but this detail was lost on the public who were thinking about four tragic deaths on a ride many of them have ridden on.
The optics of this was disastrous for Dreamworld and Ardent, and the media rightly jumped all over it. It was an unnecessary diversion that could have been avoided. This resolution could have been postponed by the Chairman, Neil Balnaves. Not to do was just dumb, naïve and insensitive.
It got worse. During the post AGM press conference the CEO looked very unconvincing when she was quizzed about why the company had not contacted the family of one of the victims.
This was after one of the parents texted a reporter at the presser, saying she was upset about not having been contacted. In fairness to Ardent they did the right thing by going through the police liaison officers rather than contacting the relatives directly. But it was not a good look on the six o'clock news that night.
The second big mistake by Ardent was its announcement that Dreamworld would reopen for a memorial day three days after the accident. This was way too soon. The funerals of the dead victims had not even occurred.
To make matters worse, Ardent did not consult the Queensland police before making this announcement. The police said the theme park was still a crime scene and would have to stay closed. Embarrassingly, Ardent had to cancel its planned memorial plan on the same day, and confirmed the park would remain closed indefinitely.
This was another basic crisis management error by Ardent. Crisis Management 101 decrees that police/emergency services are in charge of managing crime scenes involving deaths.
To cap it off, over the weekend it emerged in the media that Ardent and its PR agency are at loggerheads over the most appropriate way to manage the crisis. It's extraordinary for a PR agency to background against its client.
Collectively, these mis-steps reinforce the perception that Ardent is not in charge of the management of a major crisis which wiped off 22% off its share price in 24 hours.
Ardent's responses to date should be a reminder to CEOs of the need to develop robust crisis plans – and stress test them regularly.
By doing so you may realise that some of the situations are preventable by simply modifying existing methods of operation.
Or you can begin to think about possible responses and best-case/worst-case scenarios. Far better to do it now than when the proverbial hits the fan.
November 2 Poscript: In a front-page story in today's Australian Financial Review headlined "We blew it", CEO Deborah Thomas, conceded the company botched their response to the tragedy.
"If, heaven forbid, we ever had to do this again, the decisions we made would be very different." she said.
Amen to that.
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Crisis Planning
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Hi, I've put up this profile on behalf of my daughter.
She has completed her Doctorate. Her optimistic personality is adored by one and all. We hope to find an understanding partner for her with whom she would have a happy life.


-	Which regions and domiciles are producing most new business?
-	How will 2018 formation/dissolution activity compare to 2017?
-	In the mature markets, how are captives growing and evolving?
-	What is the degree of premium growth in existing captives?
-	How is the use of captives changing?
-	How is the perception of captives changing among all stakeholders?
We hear a lot about the benefits of putting EB into a captive, but the process leading up to this can be onerous and there are several stages to go through before you even consider a captive. In addition what does the future hold once the captive has been established for a number of years and what lessons have been learned?
Learning objectives: learn about the full cycle of EB captives, you will hear from JLT from a consulting capacity and Generali a leading provider who will go through some of the basics on employee benefits and the typical EB captive structure. Angela Iannetta from BAT will look at the journey from concept to implementation of an EB captive. Pascal Prévost from Nestle will then share their experience of a large mature EB captive covering over 200,000 employees.
Benefit: a lot of ECF attendees will have non-life captives, may have heard a little about EB in a captive, but won't know the detail or the process. This gives them the training, and ability, to apply this to their own businesses.
• What the future of global employee benefits looks like.
Moderated by Helga Viegas, from MAXIS Global Benefits Network.
The panel will explore the impacts on captives of various geopolitical tax changes including US Tax Reform, EU Directives and the OECD's ongoing BEPS work. US Tax Reform represents the biggest change to the US tax code for over 30 years. Insurers and captives are specifically impacted and this may in turn impact business models. The panel will discuss the key headlines of the reform and the latest updates on new regulations and on-going lobbying. Furthermore we will provide a case study from the perspective of a captive owner of the impacts on their captive structure. Many of the themes of the OECD BEPS project were reflected in the US reforms so the panel will also provide an update on the latest discussions coming from the OECD and the EU including the new EU Mandatory Disclosure Regime and the new captive section of the latest Financial Transactions Transfer Pricing Discussion Draft. Overall the session will be interactive and will provide the audience with the opportunity to engage in discussion on these topical and evolving issues.
An anticipated increase in digital reporting, in addition to more onerous reporting requirements for insurers by tax authorities across the globe, is leading to the need for more granular data on a per policy basis. To ensure a compliant global programme, this Workshop will provide an understanding of what renewal information data is required by insurers, and why, to ensure compliance with all relevant tax authorities. We will look at the implications for insurance buyers and insurance companies of non-compliance and provide real life case studies as examples for discussion. Presenters will include Christophe Meurier, in addition to senior members of the management team from Sovos FiscalReps.
The focus will be on the benefits for you as a captive insurance company.
The purpose of this session is to present captive trends in Asia-Pacific. Often considered as a growing area, the speakers will focus on key drivers, owners, industry utilisation and domicile differences for groups in setting up captives in Asian domiciles. The session will particularly focus on actual examples recently observed on the market as well as on statistics. Representing captive stakeholders, speakers will explore past trends, current evolutions, and prospective views from many points of view in an interactive way.
Employee Benefits programmes for captive companies of the new economy: what are the new expectations? Given the age & professional profile of their employees, companies in the "new economy" design and manage employee benefit programmes in a different way. What are the specific expectations of these employees and how are companies responding when offering benefits? What are the main criteria for deploying a benefit/risk management strategy and selecting an employee benefits network to front for a captive?
We would like to present an interesting and simple approach to the topic of a credible and cost efficient Arm's Length Pricing documentation in the context of the new BEPS rules. The concept is based on Quota Share or Stop Loss participation of a credible and independent third party reinsurer like Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, including a description and comments regarding pricing and allocation to countries. The concept has found interest in the market as well as within organizations such as the ECIROA. The objective is to shortly present the solution and then interactively discuss the approach, look at the pro's and con's from various perspectives and constructively elaborate on general applicability and even possible evolution going forward.
Blockchain technology has been around for a few years now and has already proven its capability to disrupt major industries. Due to the high complexity this technology comes with, the entry level of knowledge required for its application is enormous. This session covers the basics of blockchain technology and answers the main questions, how it works, what it is good for, what are its weaknesses and how it can disrupt the insurance industry - shipped with examples and actual use cases. As with all kinds of disruptive technologies, the application requires a change of mindset. Our goal is to provide the audience with an idea of what the requirements are to start working on actual blockchain use cases or pilots themselves.
US Workers' Compensation - Do You Understand It?
Many European multinationals with US operations face challenges of understanding the basic mechanism of their compulsory Workers Compensation (WC) program. They might also not make full use of the opportunities that a better understanding and control provides for.
This session will enhance your understanding of US Workers Compensation and what risk transfer options exist including captive solutions. A real life captive case study, from a European based multinational, will be presented. Further a US based industrial conglomerate with operations in the EU and a Vermont captive will discuss its WC model using TPAs and how the US and EU risks are balanced.
Delivering a recognized captive employee benefits program is a complex endeavor for employers. It requires a combination of strong technical and actuarial competences and skills in various fields of insurance, reinsurance and across a large number of jurisdictions and national as well as international regulations. While markets and multinational corporations have become more and more global, local regulations are still very specific. In this panel we will discuss how Think Global, Act Local has become Going Glocal in the last years and how a clear global strategy, executed locally, is key for success. We will show that a broader approach to an EB captive program involves the establishment of a trusted partnership between the multinational corporation, its consultant and the captive fronting provider. It is about enhancing the cooperation between risk management, HR, procurement and finance at client level and about establishing best practice to run the captive efficiently with global pricing support while delivering added value at local level. In this context, we will also address explicitly the challenges of non-life captives integrating employee benefits programs.
Blockchain - How is it Being Used as a Tool for Captives and Insurance Programmes?
Blockchain, from hype to reality. Now that it's real, how have those companies delivered successful projects, what benefits are they seeing and what's next for this technology? It's not all plain sailing so hear about the how to overcome the speed bumps along the way. It's also not just about the technology, it is the understanding of the benefits and pain points that a distributed ledger enables which brings to life a whole new way of operating the insurance life cycle for complex risks, where the client is at the centre of the conversation.And beyond Blockchain, understanding the converge of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things with Blockchain, which is the revolution of insurance.
1.	What does 'good governance' look like for the asset management of European (Captive) Insurers?
-	What does Solvency II (SII) add to good governance?
-	What is the distinction between the roles of the Board, management and investment managers/advisors?
-	Best practices from industry – Builder Re case study.
2. Does tailoring your asset allocation for SII efficiency need to be complex?
-	What does SII capital efficiency mean for investment portfolios, cash allocations and other securities (e.g. parent loan backs)?
-	'Good' vs 'Bad' assets, can we view capital efficient assets in simple terms?
-	Practical application of those concepts.
-	Create and adapt governance processes to better monitor/review their investment portfolios, cash allocations and other securities.
Chief Investment Officer , Builders Insurance Holdings S.A.


Ibanez SR1400T-VNF Premium 4-strängad elbas Produktnr: 9000-0013-5683 Garantitid: Denna produkt levereras med 3 års garanti.
This Ibanez SR1400T-VNF four-string bass guitar belongs to the Sound Gear Premium series. Its neck runs through the entire length of the body and is made of wenge and bubinga wood - two hard wood types that provide great sustain and clarity. The two-part body is made of mahogany and is finished with a beautifully figured maple top. This highly stable neck has a fretboard made of rosewood with an inlay of abalone and mother-of-pearl position markers. Naturally, this SR1400T-VNF is also fitted with Nordstrand Big Singles and active tone control. This instrument is for those who know how to appreciate great quality.
Mahogany is a type of wood that produces a warm sound while the delicate grain of this red-brown wood provides never-ending sustain. It's good to know that the body of this SR1400T-VNF consists of two parts of mahogany. This body is fitted with a top made of beautifully figured maple that provides incredibly clear tones and is very appealing to the eye. The neck of this SR1400T is constructed of three parts wenge and two parts bubinga wood. These wood types do not only make the neck more stable, they also contribute to the sound of this instrument. Wenge provides clear mid tones and is highly responsive while bubinga also contributes to a clear mid area but takes care of a fat, well-defined low end as well.
The Nordstrand pickups also lend a helping hand when it comes to the guitar's sound. These Big Singles are single-coil pickups in soapbar size and produce a full, powerful sound with an aggressive edge. Nevertheless, they still maintain that typical single-coil clarity. The EQBIIISC 3-band tone control and the preamps, that have been designed specifically for the Nordstrand pickups, allow for a pure and wide frequency response. You can choose whether the mid switch controls 250 Hz or 600 Hz. All of these features together make this SR1400T-VNF bass by Ibanez a versatile, high-quality instrument that can take on any music genre.


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History in person: John Lewis and "Freedom Riders"
U.S. Representative John Lewis (left) speaks with BIFF's Ron Bostwick on Sunday afternoon at the Boulder Theater, in conjunction with a screening of Stanley Nelson's "Freedom Riders," which took the first-ever BIFF People's Choice Award. [Photo by Katelyn Hauge-Aldridge]
One of the highlights of BIFF 2011 was "Freedom Riders," the feature documentary about the battle to end segregation in interstate travel in 1961. It garnered two sold-out screenings, both of which were attended by a very special guest, civil rights leader and U.S. Representative John Lewis.
The Congressman, who turns 71 tomorrow, was welcomed to the stage of the Boulder Theater after the screening with a standing ovation. BIFF's Ron Bostwick interviewed him, and the audience joined in for a question-and-answer session as well.
Here's the gist of his discussion:
He described growing up in the small town of Troy, Alabama and "tasting the bitter fruits of racism – I didn't like it." His parents urged him not to rock the boat. However, he noted that when he was 17 he met Rosa Parks, whose famous refusal to give up her bus seat to a white person had taken place two years earlier; the next year, when Lewis was 18, he met Martin Luther King, Jr. "Then," he said, "I started getting into trouble."
He talked about learning the philosophy of non-violence in college at Fisk University. "We learned it not as a tactic or as a technique," he said, "but as a way of life. As Dr. King told us once, 'You just have to love the hell out of everybody.'"
He described the occasion of his first arrest on Feb. 27, 1960: "I felt liberated. I felt so free. I felt as though I had crossed over . . . I came to that place where I lost all sense of fear. What we believed in was so good, so right, so necessary that we had to do what was necessary to end racial discrimination. In a real sense, we were soldiers, on a mission to redeem the soul of America."
He talked about the importance of music in the civil rights movement as a source of cohesiveness and forward impulse. "If it hadn't been for music, the civil rights movement would have been a bird without wings," he said.
During the Q & A period, he spoke to the topic of the recent protests that brought regime change in Egypt ("It's not obsolete!" he remarked of the non-violent approach), the phrase "illegal immigrants" ("There's no such thing as an illegal human being," he said, to great applause).
He talked about looking forward to the 50th anniversary reunion of the living Freedom Riders, who number about 300 today.
When asked about what one can do in everyday life to advance the cause of human rights, Lewis said, "Say 'thank you.' Say 'excuse me.' Why are we so mean to each other? Is it old-fashioned, is it out of date, to be human?"
It was remarkable to see and hear this peaceable warrior speak of the stuff of childhood memory and life-long admiration. For those of us old enough to remember those dark times and the bravery of the few who changed society for the better, it was a powerful affirmation. For the very young, I hope it served as an inspiration.
Posted by BradWeis at 5:40 PM 1 comment:
Labels: articles, celebrities
From the field: BIFF talks to the filmmakers
Katelyn Hauge-Aldridge talked to many folks yesterday at BIFF -- here are just a few of her interviews!
Tomas Sem Lokke-Sorensen [Photo by Katelyn Hauge-Aldridge]
At the VIP dinner at Ted's Montana Grill on Saturday, we caught up with Norwegian filmmaker Tomas Sem Lokke-Sorensen. The Boulder International Film festival is one of Lokke-Sorensen's many stops on his tour of film festivals around the world that are screening his short film "The Unhappy Woman." This five-minute comedy/drama focuses on a dialogue between an actress and a director, whose conversation quickly turns from business to personal, and ends very unfortunately for a certain camera operator. The film has already gained recognition within the film community -- it was the winner of the 2010 Aspen Shortsfest: Best Short Short Award in April of 2010.
For Lokke-Sorensen, this film was a challenge to his talents as a filmmaker.
"The film is shot in one scene with no cuts and only two actors," said Lokke-Sorensen. "It was a challenge to myself. We shot for only one and a half hours total. It's a very simple film that shows how people must learn commitment and communicate to avoid arguments."
This film has brought Lokke-Sorenson to the United States for the first time. When asked about his impressions of Boulder and the community of filmmakers who have gathered here, the filmmaker had nothing but good things to say. "The people here are very friendly and love to have fun. It's a great community."
Phillips in a still from his feature film, "Punching the Clown."
Filmmaker and actor Henry Phillips brought his feature-length film "Punching the Clown" to the Boulder Film Festival this year. In his semi-autobiographical film, Phillips plays a performer/comedian who rises to fame in Los Angeles due to a series of misunderstandings. But his fame doesn't last long and after becoming the victim of a terrible rumor, he is run out of town.
"The film is sort of a metaphor for myself," said Phillips. "It was inspired by a series of my own life stories that I told to director Greg Vienz. Its sort of autobiographical, but the stories are over exaggerated for the film."
Phillips screened his comedy for Boulder Film Festival audiences on Friday and received an incredibly warm reception. As an independent filmmaker, Phillips hopes that the screening of his film at the festival will help bring his film further recognition.
"We have basically no ad budget, so we have been showing the film at festivals to spread the word about the film. We have a lot of great support from musicians and comedians, and we are hoping to broaden our adudience," he said.
Phillips' film is now available on Netflix and Amazon, and clips of the film are also available online.
Suzan Beraza [Photo by Katelyn Hauge-Aldridge]
Saturday's filmmaker panel brought a wide variety of voices and views to the Boulder Film Festival -- from independent filmmakers to Disney producers. Among these was documentary filmmaker Suzan Beraza, whose film "Bag It" was screened earlier that day.
Beraza's film is a "quirky and approachable documentary" that focuses on the impact of the use of plastic products in today's society. Originally, Beraza intended only to make a short film about a competition between the towns of Telluride and Aspen, CO to reduce use of plastic bags in 2008. However, as Beraza learned more and more about the subject, she quickly became passionate about plastic and the repercussions of its use on the environment and chose to expand her documentary's focus to create her first feature-length film. Beraza's film has been screened at several film festivals across the country, and was the winner of the Best of Festival Award at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival in Monterey California in 2010.
As one of six filmmakers on Saturday's panel, Beraza was happy to be part of the variety of talent who spoke about what they are most passionate about -- film.
"I really liked the variety of people that were on the panel. It was a great way for the audience to connect with us about all the dimensions of making a film," Beraza said. "There is no one right answer to how to make a film. The process is different for everyone."
Clips of Beraza's film are available online, and it will be aired on PBS in April of this year.
Posted by BradWeis at 2:41 PM No comments:
Labels: filmmakers
BIFF reporters, Gallery Two -- Katelyn Hauge-Aldridge
James Franco flashes a smile on the way into the Boulder Theater for his tribute Saturday night.
Here are some more wonderful shots of BIFF in progress, taken Saturday in and around or venues, these taken by the promising young talent Katelyn Hague-Aldridge.
At the BIFF Filmmakers Panel (left to right) Directors Vadim Jendreyko ("The Woman with 5 Elephants"), Suzan Beraza ("Bag It!"), Don Hahn ("Hand Held"); panel moderator Brad Weismann; directors Jen McGowan ("Touch"), Christophe Fauchere ("Mother"), and Kurt Norton ("These Amazing Shadows").
Director Don Hahn, who produced "Beauty and the Beast" for Disney, talks abut the very different experience of obtaining distribution for his independent documentary film, "Hand Held," during the Filmmakers PAnel on Saturday.
BIFF Social Media Director and Filmmakers Panel moderator Brad Weismann calls for questions from the audience during the session.
Good times! Fun at the VIP Filmmakers Reception at Ted's Montana Grill on Saturday night.
Henry Phillips ("Punching the Clown"), second from left, talks to BIFF attendees at the VIP Filmmaker Reception.
James Franco in conversation with BIFF's Ron Bostwick on Saturday night.
Franco and Bostwick.
James Franco has a laugh during his interview on Saturday.
BIFF field reporters on the job! Gallery One -- Zak Wood
James Franco gestures during his interview with BIFF's Ron Bostwick Saturday night at the Boulder Theater.
Wow! For the first time ever, our own Boulder International Film Festival field reporters took to the field and captured a vast array of images and information. This will give you a strong and true sense of what the BIFF experience is about.
Look for images and more as the day progresses. Here's a gallery from acclaimed, long-time regional photojournalist Zak Wood -- great stuff!:
Bag It! Director Suzan Beraza at the Call2Action tent.
BIFF volunteers Aleiya Evison, left, and Emily Robertson, right, hand out popcorn on the Pearl St. Mall.
BIFF volunteers, from left, Alex Toll, Jessica Hausauer, and Delanie Deniro, work the merchandise table at the Call2Action tent on the Pearl St. Mall.
Director Jarreth Merz answers questions after his screening of An African Election at the Boulder Theater.
Chandra Brin, left, and Claire Barker, right, after the screening of An African Election at the Boulder Theater.
From left, John Armstrong, Athena Chellos, and Ilene Blum, after the screening of An African Election at the Boulder Theater.
Calista Morril, left, and Martha Sullivan, right, check out the BIFF schedule outside of the Boulder Theater box office.
BIFF attendees Kate Belitz and Josh Kunau outside of the Boulder Theater.
Mark Shephard, left, Devorah Pearson, middle, and Jessica Hall, right, wait outside of the Boulder Theater prior to the screening of Sarah's Key.
Shannon Lavelle and Maddie Ayde are the first in line to see James Franco at the Boulder Theater.
The marquee burns bright Saturday night at the Boulder Theater.
An eager red-carpet crowd waits for the arrival of James Franco at the Boulder Theater on Saturday night.
An intrepid Franco fan looks for a single ticket in front of the Boulder Theater on Saturday night.
Boulder outdoorsman Aron Ralston presents James Franco with the Vanguard Award on Saturday night.
James Franco and BIFF's Ron Bostwick chat at the Boulder Theater on Saturday night.
Posted by BradWeis at 10:28 AM No comments:
Our Fabulous Friends: BIFF's 2014 Sponsors and Partners
Alpine Audio Visual
Amelie Company
Audi Boulder
Avery Brewing
Big Red F Restaurant Group
Boss Lady Pizza
Boulder Arts and Crafts Gallery
Boulder B-Cycle
Boulder Beer
Boulder Brands (Earth Balance, Glutino's, Udi's)
Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau
Boulder Digital Arts
Boulder Jazzercise
Boulder Outdoor Cinema
Boulder Public Library
Brett Family Foundation
Brock Media/Boulder Magazine
CEAVCO Audio Visual
City of Boulder
City of Boulder Parking Services
Clif Bar & Company/LUNAFEST
Colorado State Bank and Trust
Creative Coop Media
Crestone Capital Advisors
Daily Camera
Deneuve Construction
Downtown Boulder Inc.
EKS&H
Egg Strategy
Epicenter Creative
Fashionista Photo
First Western Trust Bank
Flow Creative
GO Boulder
GaiamTV.com
Hotel Boulderado
Hutchinson Black and Cook, LLC
Independent Order of Oddfellows, Boulder Lodge #9
Indulge Bakery
KUNC
Kingsbery CPAs
Lazy Dog Sports Bar and Grill
Marriott Boulder
Match Action
Metzger Associates
Mighty Fudge Studios
Miller & Harrison LLC
Millstone Evans Group of Raymond James
Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery
Movie Habit
Namaste Solar
Photo Malone
RC Events
Rags Consignments
RealD 3D
Reinke Brothers
Riffs
Seth Ellis Chocolatier
Shiftboard
Sirius Onsite Support
Solaris Residences
Space Farmer Productions
St. Julien Hotel
Suerte Tequila
Tebo Properties
The Front Range Catering Co.
The Moving Connection
The Sink
The Video Station
Todd Reed, Inc.
West Flanders Brewing Company
eco-officiency
iSupportU
ten20 Spa
festival history
History in person: John Lewis and "Freedom Riders"...
BIFF reporters, Gallery Two -- Katelyn Hauge-Aldri...
BIFF field reporters on the job! Gallery One -- Za...
Film Lovers' Tool Box: Handy Cinema Sites
Boulder Chautauqua Silent Film Series
Boulder Public Library Film Program
Cineaste Magazine
Colorado Production Resource Guide
Denver Film Society
Documentary Cinema Institute
Film Quarterly
FLIC Boulder
Indie Colorado Cinema Experience
International Film Series
Kino International
MovieMaker Magazine
Premiere Magazine
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Greatest Films aka AMC Filmsite


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Priest Hunters and Holy Holes: Secrets of the English Reformation
These days, you may attend the religious celebration of your choice without being the target of scornful looks. Nevertheless, religious quarrels keep arising in modern societies, at which point one may rightfully wonder: has religion gotten better or worse? A little journey through the time-travelling machine should provide an adequate answer to this question. Turns out that not so long ago, clergymen had to preach secretly and conceal themselves beneath the floor.
In the early 16th century, the Reformation brought massive change to religion in Europe, condemning the Catholic Church's abuses in favor of a more humanist reading of sacred texts. Plus, some countries wished to get rid of papal authority, which most of the time exceeded those of monarchs and sovereigns. Protestantism thus became a tool of political supremacy. It had also been half a century since the onset of the printing industry, and freshly-translated Bibles started to spread around the continent, enabling anybody (capable of reading, which encompassed roughly 20% of adult males and 5% of women at the time) to make up their own interpretation of the 'Good Book'.
Pilgrimages, regular Masses, cult of the saints, collection of relics… Before the Reformation, all means were good for one to atone for his sins. Frederick III, Elector of Saxony, was well-known for his piety: during his life, he amassed no less than 17,000 relics, meant to spare himself from 128,000 years of Purgatory.
Obviously, the Reformation contributed to weaken the Catholic Church, which immediately counterattacked: Martin Luther, the founding father of Protestantism, was excommunicated by the Pope, and the latter also got Inquisition back on track so as to dissuade Catholics from changing sides. In spite of these efforts, the Reformation slowly but surely gained ground: Swiss cantons, German burgs and even the towns of Mulhouse and Strasbourg relayed this new Christian spirit, followed by Scandinavia, Poland, Bohemia and the Netherlands – featuring, however, bloody clampdowns.
Between 1545 and 1620, various protestant branches gained ground in Europe. (Map: Ernio48 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
In England, Reformation expressed itself through the rapid rise of Anglicanism, under the reign of Henry VIII. The monarch wished to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon; however, such a procedure was forbidden by the Holy See. Henry VIII thus jumped on the Protestant bandwagon to bring his divorce to a successful conclusion and dismiss papal authority in this regard… Queen Elizabeth I followed suit in 1558, reinforcing the pillars of Anglicanism within English law. Being a good, devoted Catholic in 16th-century England was no more an enviable situation. It meant that one accepted papal authority, and thus contested that of the throne; and those found guilty of high treason were immediately sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered.
Did Catholic cults stop for all that? Surely not: but they got to be delivered far from the royal eye. London was far too risky, and official Catholic Masses were given the cold shoulder. Instead, new places for forbidden religious rituals to be staged happened to be the manors of noblemen, in the north of England. There, clergymen on-the-run still preached secretly, but they had to journey from manor to another with catlike stealth: with repression in full swing, Catholics saw their martyr waiting list grow dramatically, with monks, nuns, Jesuits and Franciscans sentenced to death. Papal documents were banned, and priest hunters sent after the fleeing clergymen.
Thomas More (who wrote Utopia in 1516) and John Fisher were amongst the first victims of Henry VIII, for both refused to recognize him as supreme leader of the English Church. The former is said to have proclaimed moments before his execution: "I die the King's good servant, and God's first." (Photo: Wikipedia)
Priest hunters were literally the worst thing that could happen to Catholic dignitaries (or at least rank second after the 'hanged, drawn and quartered' part I mentioned earlier). They were capable of investigating dubious manors for days; they employed informers, intercepted letters, and even pretended to be Catholics so as to catch their preys. Clergymen on the run, fearing that a priest hunter would learn something that would give them away, called them "wolves in sheep's clothing" and got quite suspicious.
For Catholic priests to keep on with their secret duty in the manors of noble Englishmen, the latter got hideouts built so as to conceal them from priest hunters. So-called 'priest holes' were sometimes actual man-shaped holes in the floor where clergymen could hide for hours (even days). Others were tunnels weaving across the domain, emerging far away from priest hunters. Most of the time, priest holes were the only frontier between life and death.
Priest hole at Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk. (Photo credit: Jim Barton via Flickr)
A Jesuit brother, Nicholas Owen, grew up in a pious Catholic family during this turbulent epoch. He inherited from his father, a carpenter, know-how that was to make him the most famous architect of priest holes. From 1588 on, under the aliases 'Little John', 'Andrews' or 'Draper', he went from manor to another to build, at nighttime, exit doors for his hunted brothers. In return, Nicholas only asked for the necessities of life – the permission to live decently under a system which forbade it. At daytime, he took the appearance of a travelling carpenter so as to avoid suspicion.
For eighteen years, he tirelessly pursued this high-risk mission, day after day, manor after manor. At some point, he became the primary target of priest hunters, whose preys had escaped thanks to Nicholas' skills… and he eventually fell into the authorities' clutches in 1606. Following an umpteenth torture session at the Tower of London, during which he did not give his brothers away, he died at the hands of his persecutors in the night between the 1st and the 2nd of March. Another Catholic martyr joined a growing list.
Nicholas Owen has prolonged the faith of numerous priests – even after his death. His legacy is still visible to this day, deep down the bowels of manors which sheltered his night-time construction sites. But one would have to wait another century and a half for Catholics to get treated more peacefully in the United Kingdom. At the end of the 18th century, 'papists' (as they got nicknamed) were finally allowed to purchase land or serve their country, and eventually sat in Parliament from 1829 on.
Catholics were sometimes used as scapegoats when the authorities could not find the right culprits. Following the Great Fire of London, in the course of which the homes of 80,000 Londoners were devastated, Catholics unfairly received the blame for the accident. A later investigation revealed that a local baker, Thomas Farriner, had left his oven on overnight. He was Anglican.
Nowadays, the Anglican Church and the Holy See have reconciled. Nicholas Owen was canonized in 1970, and religious history has left the priest-hunting episode behind. But the wound is still gaping within the English society, as reflected by the demonstrations which span the capital city when the Pope pays Londoners a visit, or the Partition of Ireland enshrined in 1921. And while priest holes are not in use anymore, let us hope their architects rest in peace for eternity.
Julie Buvyer, The Priest Hunters (1989), University of British Columbia.
http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/hiding-avoid-hanging-priest-holes-hidden-chambers-and-secret-passages-004192
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/02/400-years-guy-fawkes-britain-catholics-prejudice
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priest_hunter
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Priests-Holes/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Owen_(Jesuit)
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/great-fire-of-london-begins
Posted in History, Mysteries, ReligionTagged Henry VIII, Martin Luther, Nicholas Owen, priest holes, priest hunters, Protestantism, Reformation
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Karine Ahmed tries a new party drug called Meld. The next morning she discovers she can eavesdrop on other people's texts, emails, searches and photos – their entire digital lives are suddenly accessible to her, as easy as thinking. It's fun – until she discovers that a dangerous group is using these abilities to control politicians and other powerful elites. Karine soon gets drawn into uncovering the truth behind Meld, where it came from, and why it exists.
Hailed by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as, "far and away one of the better science fiction shorts of the year." Official selection at Fantasia, Toronto After Dark, Boston Underground, winner of Best-SciFi at Hamilton Film Festival 2012.


text:
Discriminant content validity: A quantitative methodology for assessing content of theory-based measures, with illustrative applications
Marie Johnston*, Diane Dixon, Jo Hart, Liz Glidewell, Carin Schroder, Beth Pollard
In studies involving theoretical constructs, it is important that measures have good content validity and that there is not contamination of measures by content from other constructs. While reliability and construct validity are routinely reported, to date, there has not been a satisfactory, transparent, and systematic method of assessing and reporting content validity. In this paper, we describe a methodology of discriminant content validity (DCV) and illustrate its application in three studies.
Discriminant content validity involves six steps: construct definition, item selection, judge identification, judgement format, single-sample test of content validity, and assessment of discriminant items. In three studies, these steps were applied to a measure of illness perceptions (IPQ-R) and control cognitions.
The IPQ-R performed well with most items being purely related to their target construct, although timeline and consequences had small problems. By contrast, the study of control cognitions identified problems in measuring constructs independently. In the final study, direct estimation response formats for theory of planned behaviour constructs were found to have as good DCV as Likert format.
The DCV method allowed quantitative assessment of each item and can therefore inform the content validity of the measures assessed. The methods can be applied to assess content validity before or after collecting data to select the appropriate items to measure theoretical constructs. Further, the data reported for each item in AppendixS1 can be used in item or measure selection.
Statement of contribution
What is already known on this subject?
There are agreed methods of assessing and reporting construct validity of measures of theoretical constructs, but not their content validity. Content validity is rarely reported in a systematic and transparent manner.
What does this study add?
The paper proposes discriminant content validity (DCV), a systematic and transparent method of assessing and reporting whether items assess the intended theoretical construct and only that construct.
In three studies, DCV was applied to measures of illness perceptions, control cognitions, and theory of planned behaviour response formats.
AppendixS1 gives content validity indices for each item of each questionnaire investigated.
Discriminant content validity is ideally applied while the measure is being developed, before using to measure the construct(s), but can also be applied after using a measure.
British Journal of Health Psychology
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12095
content validity
illness perception questionnaire
social cognitive theory
planned behavior
confounded measures
perceived control
past behavior
Johnston, M., Dixon, D., Hart, J., Glidewell, L., Schroder, C., & Pollard, B. (2014). Discriminant content validity: A quantitative methodology for assessing content of theory-based measures, with illustrative applications. British Journal of Health Psychology, 19(2), 240-257. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12095
Discriminant content validity : A quantitative methodology for assessing content of theory-based measures, with illustrative applications. / Johnston, Marie; Dixon, Diane; Hart, Jo; Glidewell, Liz; Schroder, Carin; Pollard, Beth.
In: British Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 19, No. 2, 05.2014, p. 240-257.
Johnston, M, Dixon, D, Hart, J, Glidewell, L, Schroder, C & Pollard, B 2014, 'Discriminant content validity: A quantitative methodology for assessing content of theory-based measures, with illustrative applications', British Journal of Health Psychology, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 240-257. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12095
Johnston M, Dixon D, Hart J, Glidewell L, Schroder C, Pollard B. Discriminant content validity: A quantitative methodology for assessing content of theory-based measures, with illustrative applications. British Journal of Health Psychology. 2014 May;19(2):240-257. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12095
Johnston, Marie ; Dixon, Diane ; Hart, Jo ; Glidewell, Liz ; Schroder, Carin ; Pollard, Beth. / Discriminant content validity : A quantitative methodology for assessing content of theory-based measures, with illustrative applications. In: British Journal of Health Psychology. 2014 ; Vol. 19, No. 2. pp. 240-257.
@article{f46cdaed07a64f88b7ab5b76f0269713,
title = "Discriminant content validity: A quantitative methodology for assessing content of theory-based measures, with illustrative applications",
abstract = "ObjectivesIn studies involving theoretical constructs, it is important that measures have good content validity and that there is not contamination of measures by content from other constructs. While reliability and construct validity are routinely reported, to date, there has not been a satisfactory, transparent, and systematic method of assessing and reporting content validity. In this paper, we describe a methodology of discriminant content validity (DCV) and illustrate its application in three studies.MethodsDiscriminant content validity involves six steps: construct definition, item selection, judge identification, judgement format, single-sample test of content validity, and assessment of discriminant items. In three studies, these steps were applied to a measure of illness perceptions (IPQ-R) and control cognitions.ResultsThe IPQ-R performed well with most items being purely related to their target construct, although timeline and consequences had small problems. By contrast, the study of control cognitions identified problems in measuring constructs independently. In the final study, direct estimation response formats for theory of planned behaviour constructs were found to have as good DCV as Likert format.ConclusionsThe DCV method allowed quantitative assessment of each item and can therefore inform the content validity of the measures assessed. The methods can be applied to assess content validity before or after collecting data to select the appropriate items to measure theoretical constructs. Further, the data reported for each item in AppendixS1 can be used in item or measure selection.Statement of contributionWhat is already known on this subject?There are agreed methods of assessing and reporting construct validity of measures of theoretical constructs, but not their content validity. Content validity is rarely reported in a systematic and transparent manner.What does this study add?The paper proposes discriminant content validity (DCV), a systematic and transparent method of assessing and reporting whether items assess the intended theoretical construct and only that construct.In three studies, DCV was applied to measures of illness perceptions, control cognitions, and theory of planned behaviour response formats.AppendixS1 gives content validity indices for each item of each questionnaire investigated.Discriminant content validity is ideally applied while the measure is being developed, before using to measure the construct(s), but can also be applied after using a measure.",
keywords = "theory, psychometrics, measurement, content validity, questionnaires, validity, illness perception questionnaire, social cognitive theory, planned behavior, confounded measures, perceived control, past behavior, chronic pain, perspective, models, disability",
author = "Marie Johnston and Diane Dixon and Jo Hart and Liz Glidewell and Carin Schroder and Beth Pollard",
note = "{\circledC} 2014 The British Psychological Society.",
doi = "10.1111/bjhp.12095",
journal = "British Journal of Health Psychology",
T1 - Discriminant content validity
T2 - A quantitative methodology for assessing content of theory-based measures, with illustrative applications
AU - Johnston, Marie
AU - Dixon, Diane
AU - Hart, Jo
AU - Glidewell, Liz
AU - Schroder, Carin
AU - Pollard, Beth
N1 - © 2014 The British Psychological Society.
N2 - ObjectivesIn studies involving theoretical constructs, it is important that measures have good content validity and that there is not contamination of measures by content from other constructs. While reliability and construct validity are routinely reported, to date, there has not been a satisfactory, transparent, and systematic method of assessing and reporting content validity. In this paper, we describe a methodology of discriminant content validity (DCV) and illustrate its application in three studies.MethodsDiscriminant content validity involves six steps: construct definition, item selection, judge identification, judgement format, single-sample test of content validity, and assessment of discriminant items. In three studies, these steps were applied to a measure of illness perceptions (IPQ-R) and control cognitions.ResultsThe IPQ-R performed well with most items being purely related to their target construct, although timeline and consequences had small problems. By contrast, the study of control cognitions identified problems in measuring constructs independently. In the final study, direct estimation response formats for theory of planned behaviour constructs were found to have as good DCV as Likert format.ConclusionsThe DCV method allowed quantitative assessment of each item and can therefore inform the content validity of the measures assessed. The methods can be applied to assess content validity before or after collecting data to select the appropriate items to measure theoretical constructs. Further, the data reported for each item in AppendixS1 can be used in item or measure selection.Statement of contributionWhat is already known on this subject?There are agreed methods of assessing and reporting construct validity of measures of theoretical constructs, but not their content validity. Content validity is rarely reported in a systematic and transparent manner.What does this study add?The paper proposes discriminant content validity (DCV), a systematic and transparent method of assessing and reporting whether items assess the intended theoretical construct and only that construct.In three studies, DCV was applied to measures of illness perceptions, control cognitions, and theory of planned behaviour response formats.AppendixS1 gives content validity indices for each item of each questionnaire investigated.Discriminant content validity is ideally applied while the measure is being developed, before using to measure the construct(s), but can also be applied after using a measure.
AB - ObjectivesIn studies involving theoretical constructs, it is important that measures have good content validity and that there is not contamination of measures by content from other constructs. While reliability and construct validity are routinely reported, to date, there has not been a satisfactory, transparent, and systematic method of assessing and reporting content validity. In this paper, we describe a methodology of discriminant content validity (DCV) and illustrate its application in three studies.MethodsDiscriminant content validity involves six steps: construct definition, item selection, judge identification, judgement format, single-sample test of content validity, and assessment of discriminant items. In three studies, these steps were applied to a measure of illness perceptions (IPQ-R) and control cognitions.ResultsThe IPQ-R performed well with most items being purely related to their target construct, although timeline and consequences had small problems. By contrast, the study of control cognitions identified problems in measuring constructs independently. In the final study, direct estimation response formats for theory of planned behaviour constructs were found to have as good DCV as Likert format.ConclusionsThe DCV method allowed quantitative assessment of each item and can therefore inform the content validity of the measures assessed. The methods can be applied to assess content validity before or after collecting data to select the appropriate items to measure theoretical constructs. Further, the data reported for each item in AppendixS1 can be used in item or measure selection.Statement of contributionWhat is already known on this subject?There are agreed methods of assessing and reporting construct validity of measures of theoretical constructs, but not their content validity. Content validity is rarely reported in a systematic and transparent manner.What does this study add?The paper proposes discriminant content validity (DCV), a systematic and transparent method of assessing and reporting whether items assess the intended theoretical construct and only that construct.In three studies, DCV was applied to measures of illness perceptions, control cognitions, and theory of planned behaviour response formats.AppendixS1 gives content validity indices for each item of each questionnaire investigated.Discriminant content validity is ideally applied while the measure is being developed, before using to measure the construct(s), but can also be applied after using a measure.
KW - theory
KW - psychometrics
KW - measurement
KW - content validity
KW - questionnaires
KW - validity
KW - illness perception questionnaire
KW - social cognitive theory
KW - planned behavior
KW - confounded measures
KW - perceived control
KW - past behavior
KW - chronic pain
KW - perspective
KW - models
KW - disability
U2 - 10.1111/bjhp.12095
DO - 10.1111/bjhp.12095
JO - British Journal of Health Psychology
JF - British Journal of Health Psychology
10.1111/bjhp.12095


A wealth manager can help you vastly improve your financial situation through using clever financial planning techniques to make tax savings, but most people will be looking to the professionals to maximise their investment returns. So, how do you tell which firm is likely to make you the most money?
Although past performance is no guarantee of future gains, it is often a strong indicator. If a wealth manager can demonstrate that they've achieved good results for clients like you, over a significant period of time, and in a variety of market environments, then they are likely to be good bet for managing your money.
It certainly seems that investors could stand to take a closer look at performance. Research by Seven Investment Management (7IM) shows that only 50% of High Net Worth Individuals weigh up investment performance when selecting a wealth manager and just 40% use market performance or a financial benchmark to do so.
One of our core aims is to enable potential clients to compare wealth managers in an easy but meaningful way. Then, having a handle on the hard metrics, you can identify the managers you click with best.
So, what does "good" mean in investment track records?
In short, what you're looking for is "outperformance", meaning the degree to which the wealth manager delivered gains in excess of general market rises or those seen for an appropriate benchmark index.
The key phrase there, of course, is "appropriate benchmark". As experts from our panel of institutions explain, understanding how benchmarks work is vital to reading investment performance and comparing wealth managers' track records effectively.
When we speak to investors, we find that many have a well-known stock market index such as the FTSE 100 in mind as a basic benchmark for the investment performance they should be seeing. (The FTSE 100 is an index composed of the 100 largest companies by market capitalisation listed on the London Stock Exchange).
However, there are several reasons this may not be the best approach.
The FTSE 100's usefulness as a standalone benchmark for most investor portfolios is questionable, warns Colin MacKenzie, Director, Investment Management at Arbuthnot Latham & Co., Limited. "Most investors invest globally in a variety of assets, with only a part of their portfolio invested in the UK and only part of that directly in shares of, or in funds invested in, the top 100 companies," he says.
Even opting for a global index such as the MSCI All Country World is unlikely to be appropriate because few people will have all their portfolio invested in equities due to them being riskier than other types of assets.
As MacKenzie explains, benchmarks should reflect the actual structure of a portfolio, which itself is a product of its investment objectives and the client's desired level of risk.
As discussed, comparing like with like invariably calls for far more precision than reaching for the best-known market index. Different asset classes – and sub-asset classes – can have wildly different risk-return profiles, even where at first glance they might appear quite similar.
Returning to our first example, Armbruester warns that using the FTSE 100 is meaningless for those investing in small growth companies. "The risk parameters are very different for small versus large companies, and also in terms of the liquidity in the shares," he says.
Investors need to have a really accurate view of the risk each element of their portfolio represents. Moreover, Armbruester urges investors to make sure they are getting rewarded for the underlying risk they are taking on, and that the wealth manager is implementing investment strategies in the most efficient manner possible. "If you pay someone to outperform the market, 85% of the risk is driven by market risk and you should never pay a performance fee for that, when you can buy it for 0.10% in an index fund or Exchange-Traded Fund," he says.
Another important consideration is regional exposure. Understanding the regions whose fortunes your portfolio is most closely tied to is a vital part of understanding your exposure to investment risk.
Returning to the FTSE 100 example, you will find that large companies' revenue streams tend to be more internationally diversified than more domestically-focused smaller companies – despite the fact that both may be based in the UK.
Weighing the interwoven risks of an investment portfolio is one of the key skills of a wealth manager. A good one will help immensely in filtering out the "noise" of the 24/7 news agenda, but a good understanding of geopolitical/country risk will help all investors know when not to be alarmed.
As Armbruester notes, volatility is important because it tells you how much an asset has moved over a specified period of time and how that compares to other assets (although it is unknown whether the assets will continue to behave the same way going forward).
However, this is why volatility can also be very misleading, as depending on which time horizon you look at, the measure of performance or the quality of the returns can be very different.
"Risk is very important – it's why we have a team focused on risk measures that is independent from the investment team – although that doesn't necessarily equate to volatility," says Cooper.
Many wealth managers take an outcome-focused approach to benchmarking, useful for when clients have certain expenditures to meet over a number of years or have beating inflation front of mind.
Cooper here flags the targeted returns that Seven Investment Management are aiming to achieve for their clients. Depending on each client's risk-profile, money is managed for their multi asset portfolio ranges to aim to achieve a pre-agreed percentage return over the long term.
MacKenzie, meanwhile, observes that clients investing in Arbuthnot Latham's "bottom-up" thematic portfolios would have as their benchmark the Consumer Price Index, plus 1%, 2% or 3% (depending on their exact objectives and investment mandate).
The diverse and highly internationalised universe of investments available has also led to multi-asset benchmarks being increasingly used today. This means that wealth managers might deploy composite benchmarks which blend several indices to more accurately represent a portfolio's relevant performance.
You may also find that potential wealth managers reference proprietary benchmarks such as the MSCI WMA Private Investor Index Series or ARC Private Client Indices. These show performance across the industry for portfolios categorised as "cautious", "balanced" or "growth" orientated.
The ultimate aim of benchmarking is to be able to discern the best performing money manager relative to their peer group. Here, it is important that the firm be able to demonstrate robust performance over a sustained period and in a variety of market conditions.
As Armbruester points out, "the years since 2009 are particularly difficult to benchmark as everything has gone up, making it hard to distinguish talent from luck".
Again, a wealth manager's ability to explain periods of out- (or under-) performance is crucial. "It's good to try to understand how the fund or firm performed in different environments or specific periods and why they performed that way to see if you can find the good decision-makers," says Cooper.
Many of our users are newcomers to professional wealth management, while others are experienced clients looking for a better partnership. Both, however, want to be able to make objective assessments of the wealth managers competing for their business and benchmarks can really help underpin this understanding. Here, as so often, investing is as much an art as it is a science.
Those getting really granular on investment track records may wish to come up with their own benchmarks so that they can then compare all the managers against the same standards.
While a blended (and possibly quite complex) benchmark may be more accurate, our experts caution that certain standards must always be met to ensure performance is presented in a sensible way.
Investors must also resist becoming over-focused on complex performance benchmarks, or looking at periods too short.
As readers will have gathered, comparing the investment track records of wealth managers can be complex, particularly when differing investment processes mean like-for-like comparisons of portfolios are a challenge.
Instead, we would advise that you use benchmark data as the foundation of your understanding of a firm's prowess and a starting point for further discussion. Understanding a wealth manager's thought-process should be your aim.
Although monetary gains have been the focus of this guide, you may also want to think about returns in a broader sense, to recognise that owning an asset can generate both financial and emotional returns. This may be the enjoyment of passion investments or, equally, the satisfaction of investing in ways that benefit society or the environment in the way you want (known as impact investing).
As he concludes, understanding why you are investing is key. If you are interested in the stories of your investments, you will have greater comfort along the investment journey. This makes you a better investor, less prone to common errors like selling at troughs and buying at peaks.
Exchange-traded funds are a type of "passive" investment that has exploded in popularity in recent years. Here, we explain what their main features.
Alternative investments can ramp up returns while diversifying your exposure to risk, but deciding the proportion and type of investments you should hold calls for expert guidance.


1944: MEDAL OF HONOR. While leading a B-24 group against enemy coastal positions, Lt Col Leon R. Vance's bomber sustains repeated hits from antiaircraft fire, perilously crippling the bomber, killing the pilot, and wounding other crewmen, including Vance. Despite his injury and three lost engines, Vance still leads the formation over the target and bombs it successfully. Returning to England, he gradually loses altitude, and he orders the crew to bail out. One man, however, was badly injured, so Vance ditches his B-24 in the channel. After landing on water, the plane starts to sink with Vance pinned inside. An explosion occurs and throws Vance clear of the wreckage. After resting, he searches for the other crewman. A search and rescue craft finds Vance 50 minutes later. For his courage and valor he receives the Medal of Honor.


It's an end of an era for one cruise line which made history in Cuba. Fathom was the first cruise line to offer regular sailings between the U.S and Cuba following relaxed travel restrictions, but the cruise line made its final call on the Caribbean island last week after owners Carnival Corporation decided not to renew the licence. The move comes just as the U.S-Cuba travel industry awaits its fate, after it was announced that U.S President Trump would reveal new changes.
Cuba's growth in the tourism market: threat or gain for other Caribbean nations?
As the number of American visitors continues to rise, Cuba has experienced remarkable tourism income in the recent years and is expected to keep growing in 2017. Authorities of the region share their views on the matter, highlighting the potential to make the nation's popularity an opportunity to increase the Caribbean market as a whole.


Use this DSM CABLES datalogger cable to connect to your odb1 car connection. Used for specific types of cars.
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