There are many different ways for you to clear things that makes the area not looking good anymore or maybe because you have another plan that you want to do with that piece of land. It is very good that you know some ideal ways to make sure that you will remove those things and stuff safely and of course you are in a good condition and free from any hassle and avoid those chances that you might put yourself on risk. It is more dangerous if you are going to have the removal of snow in your area and that is the reason why a lot of home owners would like to contact Racine snow removal to make sure that it is properly removed and free from any harm that it might cause to people who will be working there in the future. There are some best ways that you can actually do to make things clearer and be able for you not to experience hassle and maybe you can do the clearing operation by your own.
1. If that place has some structures or any small sites. Then, you need to consider the time removing it and of course the process of getting them rid. Not only to that but you have to make sure that there is no table or chairs, or even any other small infrastructure that is located where you are planning to clear the area. If you can rent a machine that can help you to get them away easily, then that would be a good idea and choice that you could have. It is always better to do this and plan so much time. There are some cheaper companies that they would let you rent it for a very affordable price and of course for many days as well.
2. You need to be sure of the things that can destroy the beauty of it. Pick up some trash or use a machine that can collect all the trashes on the ground. It would not be a good source of fertilizer to the soil as it doesn't decompose to the ground and becomes a good source of mineral to the plants. Put aside those big rocks and stones as you don't want them to be the main reason that can give an unpleasant look to your area.
3. It is up to you if you don't want to touch or remove those plants and trees that are still standing still there. But if you have any other plans for them like giving them a good location for replanting then that is fine. It is your own free will and choice.
4. If you are decided to remove those old trees as you are very worried that they may be the reason of future accidents. Then, you need to hire a service company that has enough knowledge about cutting down a tree. It is going to be dangerous to do it on your own.
You need wall mounts if you want to attach your TV set into the wall. There are different types of mounting brackets to use and the kind that you want should have all the features that you need. But more than the features, the brackets should also support the weight of the TV and make sure that it is properly fastened into the wall.
These are the most popular type of TV brackets and they are called as such because they attach the television into the wall in a fixed position. This is also the least expensive option if you're a little bit too wary of the price of these things. This is a great choice if you tend to watch TV from one location and from a fixed angle. Otherwise, you might want to consider the other two options.
Tilting wall brackets allow the television either angled down or up, depending on the desired viewing position. This is a great choice if your TV is installed at the higher part of the wall. It's actually popularly used when mounting televisions in bedrooms or above the fireplace. It's also highly recommended for older flat screen TVs that may appear faded or dark if you aren't looking at it directly. Tilting TV wall brackets also help get rid of light reflections from the sunlight.
Full motion TV wall mounting brackets allow proper rotation of the TV in different directions. However, this is also the most expensive type of wall bracket. When buying this type, you have to check several manufacturers so you can get the best type at the least possible price. Never purchase the cheapest type of this bracket as they may not be able to support your huge television very well.
If you prefer the full motion TV wall mount, then it is best that you consult with an expert first you know that you're getting the right one. This is because full motion TV wall brackets may vary in functionality as well. Some have single arm movement while others have double arm movement.
Single arm full motion wall brackets pivot in just two places, which mean there won't be too much movement. The double arm mount, on the other hand, offers higher movement, which is why they are more superior to those with single arm movement.
Talking to professionals can really help. As a matter of fact, you can even have them install the brackets so you can be sure that your television is properly mounted. While this seems to be a good DIY project, nothing beats the work of a professional.
If you want to get rid of some old stuff in your home, then you're going to need the help of either the cleaners or a reliable dumpster service. These are the professionals that make getting rid of garbage and trash so much easier, especially when it's time for spring cleaning.
There are many reasons why you want to get rid of old junk. You might have scheduled a major renovation in your home and reducing trash is a great way to get things started. The same is true for people who are going to move to another home, city, or state. They have to get rid of their old items so they don't have to pack and move them anymore.
Renting a dumpster to make all of these things possible is quite simple. You just have to call the service providers and they'll send one to your place. That's relatively easy. But what's more difficult to determine is the type or size of a dump truck that you should get. Actually, that's the question these service provider will ask from you the moment that you call them up.
Dumpsters come in varied sizes so you have to make a good estimate of how much trash you're going to dispose of and if everything will fit in the dumpster that you requested. The sizes of dumpsters may range anywhere from 6 to 14 cubic yard. The bigger the dumpster, the higher its rental costs will be.
Like any other service, not everything is offered in the same way. The level of service that you will get depends on the passion and commitment of the people who are actually doing the job. Some service providers are prompt enough to get the dumpster at your door an hour after you called. As for the others, their expertise lies in helping you decide which dumpster size is suitable for the trash that you want to haul. Either way, it all boils down to how good they are at delivering their promises to you and meeting your expectations along the way.
When hiring these service providers, be sure that you first call them up for a consultation. They should be more than willing to answer all your questions about the dumpster and everything else that's related to it. If they're a little bit impatient and would rather know your name, address, and credit card number right away, then they might be more interested in taking your money than providing you with quality services.
The best way to do things right is to find a service provider that covers your area. That way, you won't be charged heftily for long-distance hauling. Also, go for the ones that can make things happen for you, even if you live in a tight space where it's almost impossible to fit the dumpster due to low hanging branches and telephone lines getting in the way. These concerns, and a whole lot more, should be addressed accordingly so you've got absolutely nothing to worry about. If you need help, you can always visit https://affordabledumpstersalbany.com for assistance.


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Biografia

Filmografia

Regista
 La collegiale (1975)
 La dottoressa sotto il lenzuolo (1976)
 Milano... difendersi o morire (1978)
 Trhauma (1980)
 I frati rossi (1988)

Sceneggiatore

 Ragazza tutta nuda assassinata nel parco, regia di Alfonso Brescia (1972)
 Il fiore dai petali d'acciaio, regia di Gianfranco Piccioli (1973)
 Il giudice e la minorenne, regia di Franco Nucci (1974)
 Pover'ammore, regia di Vincenzo Salviani e Fernando Di Leo (1982)

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The emissions of gases and particles from human activities results in atmospheric particulate matter concentrations higher than would occur in the natural environment. These particles affect the weather, through several mechanisms. The particles directly alter the radiative balance of the atmosphere through scattering and/or absorbing incident light from the sun (aerosol direct effect). Particles may also act as cloud condensation nuclei � depending on their composition, the particles provide sites for water condensation, hence cloud droplet growth. The aerosols may thus affect the radiative balance, through altering the location and radiative properties of clouds (aerosol indirect effect).
Both the aerosol direct and indirect effect have been known to be of importance on the climatological time scales, and for this reason, parameterizations for these effects are included into climate models. On shorter synoptic time scales, and on the local scale, these aerosol effects may also be responsible for inadvertent weather modification. In this work, a 2.5 km horizontal resolution fully coupled air-quality model (GEM-MACH) was used to investigate the impacts of feedbacks between chemically created aerosols and weather. The potential for inadvertent weather modification was investigated through the comparison between simulations in which the model-generated aerosols were used to modify the aerosol direct and indirect effect, to simulations in which simplified climatological parameterizations were used. The domain chosen includes a region of urban and industrial emissions in Canada.
The model results show that the local emissions and chemistry may modify local weather, particularly in regions where the emissions are large, with modifications to short wave radiation reaching the surface, surface temperatures, surface pressures, precipitation and cloud water variables. The feedbacks between the chemically created particles and weather also modify the dispersion and transport of the chemical species. The impact of these simulation differences relative to observations will be discussed.


Brazak West (Azbuka: Бразак Уест) is a mid-sized nation in the north eastern region of the world. To the north of it are the North Wastes. To the east is the other half of what was once known as Great Brazak: the Ganzabi zone of Brazak East, as well as the Valya Free States. The Nezzu Strait lies to the south, while some distance to the west is Azrune and the United Sky Kingdoms.
The nation's capital is Risley, while its currency is the Kepit (as with most nations, the Azrunite Floril is also widely accepted). The primary language spoken in Brazak West is Azbuka, with the Brazakker Accent.
The people of Brazak West (and often Great Brazak & Brazak East) are commonly called "Brazakkers" or sometimes by the slang "Kerrons", after the famous bird from the northern regions.
After Great Brazak lost the war against Ganzabar, it came under occupation. Ganzabar divided the nation into two provinces; East and West. Partly this was to make the territory more inline with the average size of a Ganzabi province, but it was also in an attempt to break Brazak unity.
This was largely successful, as pro-appeasement East blamed Western partisans, such as the ex-Line Captain Natalya Ataryk, for what they called "senseless violence". Eventually the situation erupted into a full-scale rebellion known as the Liberation War, while Ganzabar was preoccupied with the Merchant Wars against Lystrata.
The partisans successfully liberated Risley completely in October 9317. They demanded the reformation of the Brazak parliament and an end to Ganzabi rule in Great Brazak. Ganzabar partially agreed, on the condition that Brazak East was to remain a part of Ganzabar. Thus Brazak West declared itself to be a wholly new and independent country, and by 9318 Ganzabar's forces had been completely withdrawn.
Brazak West's largest ethnicity is Svalic, including the Laro; closely followed by Hal. A minority exists of Valyan, as well as small populations of Aquitano and Ziothi, mostly in the east.
Brazak West's military is very much an artefact of its rebellious inception, bearing the mark of a fresh start. The New Brazak Navy is composed of several flotillas, as is typical of most Azimuth navies, the main defensive core of which is known as the Home Fleet. The flagship, at the beginning of 9329, was the Gorodskiye Class BWC Municipal. The NBN's two large subsidiary organisations are the New Infantry and the Brazak Air Corps, the latter being the operator of the fleet's skyfighter squadrons.
Like Great Brazak before it, policing is still handled by the Militsiyas, which are managed at a city level. Some divisions, such as the Laronor Militsiya, trace their founding to key historical points; in this case the Siege of Laronor. In wartime, the Militsiyas are supplemented by an additional temporary force of Reserves: civilians trained in basic self defence but not assembled into formal units.
Brazak infantry are generally equipped with the Empire Arms Bluebell, beginning in 9322. Prior to that, the obsolete Tokarya L16 percussion rifle was common and is still in limited use by some crews. The standard sidearm remains the rugged Corban Navy, despite it too being decried as obsolete.
Naval officers wear a black uniform with silver trim, while infantry are usually clad in beige overcoats marked with blue and brown. The Militsiya wear grey with orange trim, while Reservists are typically not uniformed.
This page was last modified on 7 May 2017, at 23:25.
This page has been accessed 28,995 times.


Successful first social night of 2019 – BrisBricks Inc.
Our calendar now shows 2019, a new year – and as something new, we trialed having our monthly social night on the north side – at Chermside Library.
The meeting room was good, though the need to get through 3 locked doors after hours did impose some challenges to get people in as they arrived.
At the meeting, we discussed 2019 key dates, LUGBulk, and otherwise enjoyed building the sets we all had brought along. There were some really cool sets in between – like the new Chinese Dragon Dance and a UCS Naboo starfighter.
We also got to see our new train display tables Johnny had built. They looked great and will provide us with a lot more flexibility for layout, and cut time to setup and pull down the tables significantly. So a big thank to Johnny for that! We took the opportunity to have a small impromptu meeting discussing the 2019 train layout.
Thanks to all for coming along and see you next month – this time in Carindale.


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text:
until THU 3:00 PM CST, Chambers County, Galveston Island
1 person killed after sand dune collapse in north Harris County
HOUSTON (FOX 26) - One person is dead after a sand dune collapsed in north Harris County.
According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, authorities were called to 4129 Spring Creek Dr. around 7:30 p.m., where a father and his daughter were said to have been building a fort out of sand when it collapsed. The daughter ran for help.
A 911 caller advised a male buried in sand, and all they could see were his feet. Reports say that with the recent flooding, there sand dunes, similar to that of a cave, in the area. That is what is said to have collapsed.
The father was confirmed dead at the scene. His daughter was unhurt.

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Sarah Paulson's Biography
Sarah Paulson is an American actress. In 2017, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Paulson began her acting career in New York City stage productions before starting to act in television series. Now, she has become one of the finest actors in Hollywood, Broadway and Off-Broadway, and has delivered powerful performances, one after the other.
Sarah Paulson began working as an actress right out of high school. She appeared in the Horton Foote play Talking Pictures at the Signature Theatre, and in an episode of Law & Order in 1994. The next year Paulson appeared in the Hallmark television film Friends at Last in 1995 opposite Kathleen Turner.
She also starred in the short-lived television series American Gothic that same year, playing the ghost of a murdered woman. In 1997, Paulson made her feature film debut in the independent thriller film Levitation. In the same year, Sarah Paulson was a featured actress (Janice/Nina) in the two-part episode "True Romance" of Cracker, which starred Robbie Coltrane.
She also appeared Off-Broadway in a fall 1998 production of Killer Joe. She subsequently played Elisa Cronkite in The WB comedy-drama series Jack & Jill in 1999. The same year, she was also cast opposite Juliette Lewis and Diane Keaton in the drama The Other Sister, and in a supporting part playing a hostage in the comedy Held Up, opposite Jamie Foxx.
The following year, the actress had a small supporting role in the comedy What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. Sarah Paulson had a minor recurring role in the HBO series Deadwood and was a focal character in an episode of the FX series Nip/Tuck. She starred as the main character in the NBC series Leap of Faith. Paulson was then cast in the period comedy Down with Love in 2003.
In 2004, she had a supporting role in the ABC series The D.A., which was canceled after only four episodes. In 2005, Paulson starred in a revival of The Glass Menagerie on Broadway, opposite future Jessica Lange. Later that year, Paulson appeared Off-Broadway in the production of Colder Than Here, opposite Lily Rabe. The production received an unfavorable review from the critics.
Also, in 2005, Paulson had a small role in the Joss Whedon-directed science fiction film Serenity. In the 2006–07 television season, Paulson co-starred in NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. This role earned her a nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film.
In 2008, Paulson appeared in the screen adaptation of Will Eisner's comic book The Spirit. That same year, ABC cast Paulson in the pilot Cupid, which was ordered to series. It was a remake of the 1998 series starring Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall. In the new version, Paulson starred opposite Bobby Cannavale. It debuted in 2009 on ABC but was canceled after six episodes.
In 2010, Paulson was cast in Grey's Anatomy, appearing in a flashback sequence in a season-six episode. She then played Nicolle Wallace in the HBO film Game Change in 2012. For her performance, she earned Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations.
Sarah also starred in Donald Margulies's Collected Stories alongside Linda Lavin on Broadway. The same year, Paulson filmed the independent drama Martha Marcy May Marlene, in which she starred opposite Elizabeth Olsen and Hugh Dancy, portraying the wealthy sister of a woman who has escaped a cult. The film was released in 2011.
Simultaneously, Sarah Paulson guest-starred in three episodes of the FX anthology series American Horror Story. The actress returned the following year for season two, American Horror Story: Asylum, in which she played a new character, Lana Winters, a writer who is committed to an asylum for being a lesbian. During this time, she also played the supporting role of Mary Lee in the acclaimed 2012 drama film Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey.
Sarah Paulson returned to theater in March 2013, appearing in an Off-Broadway production of Talley's Folly opposite Danny Burstein, She then starred in the third season of American Horror Story, titled Coven in 2013 as Cordelia Foxx. The same year, she starred as Mary Epps, an abusive slave-owner, in the historical drama film 12 Years a Slave. The film was a critical success, earning numerous accolades.
In 2014, Sarah Paulson appeared in the fourth season of the series of American Horror Story, titled Freak Show. She returned for the fifth season, subtitled Hotel, in the role of Hypodermic Sally, the ghost of a drug addict trapped in a Hollywood hotel. Sarah also reprised the character of Billie Dean Howard in the last episode of the season, making a crossover appearance.
The actress also took on the role of Abby Gerhard in the Todd Haynes-directed romantic drama Carol in 2015, a period piece in which she played the supporting role of Cate Blanchett's close friend. In 2016, Paulson starred in the first season of the true-crime anthology series American Crime Story, subtitled The People v. O.J. Simpson, portraying prosecutor Marcia Clark.
She garnered widespread critical acclaim for her performance and won various awards. Sarah next starred in the sixth iteration of American Horror Story, subtitled Roanoke, and also appeared in the series' seventh season, Cult in 2017. Paulson also starred as Geraldine Page in one episode of the first season of the drama anthology series Feud.
Paulson was then cast in the heist film Ocean's 8 in 2018, co-starring with Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, and Rihanna. The film was a commercial success, grossing nearly $300 million at the worldwide box office. Sarah Paulson returned for the eighth season of American Horror Story, titled Apocalypse. Paulson also directed one of the season's episodes, marking her directorial debut.
She played Sandra Bullock's character's sister, Jessica, in the drama horror film Bird Box, which was released on Netflix. In 2019, Sarah Paulson starred in the superhero thriller film Glass and the drama film The Goldfinch, as well as the animated adventure film Abominable. She then starred as Alice Macray in the FX limited drama series Mrs. America in 2020.
Sarah also starred as Clarissa Montgomery in the HBO satirical comedy television film Coastal Elites and the Netflix drama series Ratched. The first season was released on September 18, 2020.
Paulson starred in the thriller film Run, opposite Kiera Allen. It went on to become the most-watched original film on streaming platform Hulu.
In 2021, Sarah Paulson portrayed Linda Tripp in the third season of the true-crime anthology series American Crime Story, subtitled Impeachment. The actress also returned to American Horror Story for its tenth season, after being absent for the ninth season.
Date of Birth: 17th December 1974
1997: Levitation
1999: The Other Sister, Held Up
2000: What Women Want
2002: Bug
2003: Down with Love
2005: Swimmers, Serenity, The Notorious Bettie Page
2006: Diggers, Griffin and Phoenix
2008: The Spirit
2009: Whose Dog Is It Anyway?
2011: Martha Marcy May Marlene, After-School Special, New Year's Eve
2012: Mud, Fairhaven, The Time Being, Stars in Shorts
2014: twitterkills
2015: Carol, The Runner
2016: Blue Jay
2017: Rebel in the Rye, The Post
2018: Ocean's 8, Bird Box
2019: Glass The Goldfinch. Abominable
2020: Run
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film, 2 Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries, Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries, Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Ellen DeGeneres Takes A Dig At Sarah Paulson & Holland Taylor's Relationship Month After Her Break-Up With Portia de Rossi Made Headlines!
American Horror Story To The Kingdom, 5 Best Horror Shows On Netflix Which Aren't Suggested To Watch Alone!
American Horror Story Season 10 UPDATE! Creator Ryan Murphy Drops A MAJOR Hint
Sarah Paulson faced backlash for wearing a fat suit to play Linda Tripp in 'Impeachment: American Crime Story.'
Q. What is Sarah Paulson's net worth?
A. As per Celebrity Net Worth, Sarah Paulson's net worth is $12 million.
Q. Is Sarah Paulson married?
A. No, Sarah Paulson is not married but is in a relationship with Holland Taylor.
Q. Did Sarah Paulson attend college?
A. Sarah Paulson attended American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
RIP Pandit Birju Maharaj: When Madhuri Dixit & Deepika Padukone Danced...
How Famous Indian Poet Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan Became A Saviour...
Did You Know? Nidhhi Agerwal Was Made To Sign No-Dating Clause...


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ArtsBeat | Unknown Monsters
Unknown Monsters
By Barry Gewen
December 31, 2008 11:54 am December 31, 2008 11:54 am
Call me morbid, call me sick, but I like reading about history's great villains. That's probably why I'm the guy here at the Book Review who handles most of the volumes on Hitler and Stalin. And recently, while looking into Peter Green's excellent brief survey "The Hellenistic Age: A Short History," I came upon a monster I had never heard of before.
The chaotic, out-of-control Hellenistic era, which Green dates from 336-30 B.C., had no shortage of malefactors and miscreants, schemers, backstabbers and egomaniacs, matricides, patricides, fratricides and plain, old-fashioned mass murderers. The period might more accurately be called the Hobbesian or Machiavellian Age; it's the antique version of The Sopranos, but with real people.
There's Ptolemy Keraunos who, after murdering his patron, married his half-sister and killed her two children. There's Cleopatra Tryphaena (an inordinately large number of Hellenistic women seem to be named Cleopatra), who had the hands of her sister Cleopatra IV chopped off, and was later burned alive by her brother-in-law. There's Berenice IV, sister of the Cleopatra we all know, who was so disappointed with her new husband that she had him strangled after a few days — or nights — of marriage, and who was in turn murdered by her own father. There's the foolhardy Mithradates, champion of the Greeks, who had 80,000 Roman and Italian men, women and children slaughtered on a single night. (Rome responded by sacking Athens and burning Piraeus to the ground.) But the standout in this ancient rogues' gallery is surely Physcon ("Potbelly"), who became Ptolemy VIII, ruler of Egypt. Green devotes only a few pages to him, but that's enough for readers to get the idea.
Before he became Ptolemy, Physcon married his brother's wife and, on their wedding night, had her child (a potential rival) killed. The happy couple had a son of their own; when the boy was 12, Physcon had him dismembered and sent the pieces to the mother, legendarily on her birthday. He promoted mob rule and civil war, earning the nickname Kakergetes ("Malefactor"). His purges of intellectuals destroyed Alexandria's famed cultural life for a century. Green writes: "This Ptolemy had huge appetites for power and every kind of sensual gratification, no moral restraints of any kind, an alarming mixture of political shrewdness and megalomaniac fantasy, and enough wealth to satisfy his every whim." Oh yes, he also hated Jews.
Unlike most of his contemporaries, Physcon lived into his 60s, and appears to have died a natural death. What is the moral of this story? There isn't any, absolutely none. That's what I like about it.
Je couPe December 31, 2008 · 2:36 pm
Body of the story: Good.
Next-to-next-to-last and next-to-last sentences: Great.
Last sentence: Priceless!
David December 31, 2008 · 2:43 pm
Really, this is one of the worst blog posts and "reviews" I have yet to read. Surely it follows all the bad, incorrect disinformative history included in the Hanukkah meme, whihc grows more nationalistic and alien from alien from Judiasm each year.
1) Mithradates was not Greek. And there were "Champions of the Jews" in regimes prior tho the Hellenistic age that killed tens of thousands of non Jews in Judea, Palestine and the region.
2) "Oh yes, he also hated Jews." Alexandria was the center of of mutual and multiple ethnic animosity. Animosity and group libels by Jews agaist Greeks, animosity by Jews against Hellenised Jews, by Hellenized Jews against non Hellenized Jews, by Romanized Jews against Hellenized Jews, by Romans against Jews and by Jews against Romans — and everyone, Greeks, Jews and Romans branded the native Egyptians with the most raw and baseless slanders and subjected them to collective hatred.
Yes, the Hellenistic age had "malefactors and miscreants, schemers, backstabbers and egomaniacs, matricides, patricides, fratricides and plain, old-fashioned mass murderers." But the idea or implication that every age before and after in the region did not, is absurd.
Seriously what is this tripe doing on the NYT site?Could you imagine the uproar if the negative aspects of our own history were published here in such an inappropriate way? The fact is that if it weren't for Hellenism there would be no Judiasm. The Maccabees would see 99% of today's Jews as deeply and irrevocably Hellenized (and it is why we thrive, how our religion interacting and adopting parts of Hellenism and went from a Temple ritual to a philosophical and ethical model).
Years ago I did my thesis in Harry Truman. He stated: "The Jews, I find are very, very selfish. They care not how many Estonians, Latvians, Finns, Poles, Yugoslavs or Greeks get murdered or mistreated as DPs as long as the Jews get special treatment. When they have power, physical, financial or political neither Hitler nor Stalin has anything on them for cruelty or mistreatment to the underdog."
See what little slices of history out of context show? (very little.)
Jay Scott December 31, 2008 · 2:55 pm
At least they weren't 'pc'?
James Tait December 31, 2008 · 3:06 pm
If you enjoyed this book, you might want to take a look at Green's full account of the Hellenistic age — Alexander to Actium. Green clearly does not like the period about which he writes, which makes his discussion of the politics and culture of the period all the more entertaining. Be warned though: the first chapter dives right into the nitty-gritty of the wars between Alexander's generals following his death, and can be quite intimidating at first, especially for those unfamiliar with the history of the Classical world. Only a handful of the chapter deal with war and politics however, so most of the book is much more accessible.
d wolf December 31, 2008 · 3:14 pm
The Ptolemaic empire also brought important advances in science, art, and culture. Ptolemy II Philadelphos built the lighthouse at Pharos, expanded the first great library and national educational institutions, and attracted artists and intellectuals (e.g. Archimedes of Syracuse) from far and wide to Alexandria. Philadelphos also likely played a role in having the Septuagint translate Hebrew scriptures into Greek. Ptolemy III Euergetes is said to have sent shiploads of aid to Rhodes after an earthquake.
Political marriage between relatives, assassination of threatening opponents, national campaigns of mass murder, gluttony, and sadistic brutality neither started nor ended with the Hellenistic world. What is most interesting is how much the people and events that stood out then are like those of our time.
Kevin December 31, 2008 · 3:46 pm
"What is the moral of this story? There isn't any, absolutely none. That's what I like about it."
No, the moral of this story is that amorality causes great suffering to others, even if does not obviously harm the malefactor. We follow codes of ethics for the benefit of all, not because we hope to reap personal gain. The Golden Rule is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," not, "Do whatever is to your own advantage."
The harm caused by amorality is directly proportional to the power of the malefactor over the victim. The cutting remarks of a bullying colleague may do little damage, but cruel remarks by a parent can destroy a child's happiness permanently. In both cases, the malefactor is often never punished, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a lesson to be learned. No doubt there are many who feel themselves to be "beyond good and evil," but luckily, most do not have the power to do the widespread damage of history's worst tyrants. The snarkily amoral analysis that ends the description of Ptolemy VIII is no doubt meant to be humorous, but there is a danger to such an attitude. These poses tend to spread, but without the irony. No doubt, Ptolemy VIII would have enjoyed the joke, believing that it justified his behavior, and felt the jokester to have been a kindred spirit.
R. Podos December 31, 2008 · 4:00 pm
Barry, not sure if Mr. Green covered this, but Physcon's story is even worse. The "brother's wife", Cleopatra II, was… their sister! On top of that, they also had a daughter, Cleo III, Physcon's double-niece, who he later married… without divorcing Cleo II !!
Sean December 31, 2008 · 4:24 pm
You should take a look at Green's biography of Alexander – full of the same type of vivid characters.
Jim January 1, 2009 · 10:59 am
In providing examples of alleged error in Mr. Gewen's review, "David" wrote: "Mithradates was not Greek." Well, Mr. Gewen, in his review, did not state that Mithradates was Greek, but rather that he was a "champion of the Greeks."
Whatever Mithradates' political motives for doing so (i.e., he tended to portray himself as Greek to his Greek subjects, while emphasizing his Anatolian origins to to his Anatolian subjects), it's hard to argue that he wasn't fully Hellenized. Though I doubt his motives were altruistic, it's nevertheless true that Mithradates did defend Greek cities on the Black Sea against barbarous invaders. More to the point: many Greek cities (including Athens) allied themselves with Mithradates against Rome in the Mithradatic wars.
Sarah Leineweber January 4, 2009 · 1:07 pm
Mr. Gewen's blog does not purport to be a serious study of the Hellenistic Age; it is not a thesis, nor is it a scholarly essay, and was written by a Book Review editor who is a self-confessed villain admirer. Seriously, people: you need to get a collective life. This piece falls more under the heading of entertainment and was, at least to me, more a thumbnail sketch of characters who might be written into the next blockbuster series on cable tv than it was a serious book review. I enjoyed the piece. Thank you, Mr. Gewen.
Tim Barrus January 5, 2009 · 9:26 am
Most of us evil, hated, completely misunderstood people are usually maligned in witch hunts by le media (or the disciples of Homer), imbued with a history that never happened, denounced by miscreants in Time magazine; we never get defended by barbarous invaders, we're always being slandered by stupid blogs, misrepresented by the so-called editors (with agendas) at Wikipedia, unfairly charged with having no moral restraint, and no one in Greece likes us. Ho hum. Fiddledeedee. We do not care. //le-too.blogspot.com — Tim Barrus, Paris
Country Music Hall to Keep Instruments After Donor's Suicide
Amy Winehouse Summoned to Norwegian Court


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2009 / Cambodia / Pediatric Cardiac / Rady's Children's Hospital / University of California at San Diego
December – Cambodia: Children's Lifeline / Cambodia: Rady Children's Hospital / University of California San Diego
In December, Dr. Paul Grossfeld of Rady's Children's Hospital/UCSD led his 4th pediatric cardiac mission to Cambodia. 35 children were evaluated for procedures and of those 26 were scheduled for surgery. This mission has also…
2009 / Nepal / Pediatric Cardiac
November – Nepal: Children's Lifeline / Pediatric Cardiac
Dr. Patrick LeBlanc and Dr. Louisdon Pierre led a mission to Nepal in November where they were able to take valuable and life saving equipment to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. While there they were able…
2009 / Clinical / Myanmar / Strategic Partners Among Nations
November – Myanmar: Children's Lifeline / Strategic Partners Among Nations
Dr. Marna Geisler of Strategic Partners Among Nations led the first Lifeline mission to Myanmar in November. Their mobile clinic visited 3 provinces and treated 1,773 people, the majority children, in just 5 days. Besides…
2009 / Cranio-Maxillofacial / Mexico / Smiles International Foundation / Tri-City Medical Center
July/November – Mexico: Children's Lifeline / Smiles International Foundation
Dr. Jeffrey Moses of Smiles International Foundation and Tri-City Medical Center led missions to Tecate, Mexico in July and November . They identified 58 children for possible surgery and 25 of these children received immediate…
2009 / Ecuador / Pediatric Cardiac / Penn State Children's Hospital / Penn State University
November – Ecuador: Children's Lifeline / Penn State Children's Hospital
Dr. John Meyers and Dr. Brian Clark of Hershey Penn State Children's Hospital led two separate missions to Ecuador in November. These missions consisted of a number of firsts including two consecutive surgical teams, catheter…
2009 / Children's Hospital Boston / Ghana / Harvard Medical School / Pediatric Cardiac
October – Ghana: Children's Lifeline / Children's Hospital Boston / Harvard University
In October, native Ghanhian, Dr. Francis Fynn-Thompson a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School led a team there and operated on 14 patients. Each mission to Ghana has encountered many challenges,…
2009 / Pediatric Cardiac / South East Asia Prayer Center / Tibet
October – Tibet: Children's Lifeline / Pediatric Cardiac
In Tibet another partnership was formed with the South East Asia Prayer Center to dedicate the first Catheterization Lab. This is the first heart related medical facility in all of Tibet. Prior children had to…
2009 / Doernbecher Children's Hospital / Oregon Health and Science University / Panama / Pediatric Cardiac
Jan/Mar/Aug – Panama: Children's Lifeline / Doernbecker Children's Hospital
Dr. Womack of Doernbecker Children's Hospital at the Oregon Health and Science University and Pediatric Cardiology / Boise Idaho led three separate missions to Panama, one in January, one in March and another in August…
2009 / Armenia / Clinical / University of Southern California
July – Armenia: Children's Lifeline / University of Southern California
In Armenia, Dr. Albert Phillips, professor at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, has continued his missions to help his country of origin, Armenia, where they still recover from the earthquake of 1998….
2009 / Children's Hospital in Philadelphia / China / Clinical
June – China: Children's Lifeline / Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Heakyung Kim of the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia once again traveled to China in June to explore the possibility of aiding children with cerebral palsy and other similar disabilities. She is using a Botox…


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The Proposed Federal Budget Neglects Science
March 12, 2019 in Opinion, Poison, Politics, prophecy, Science, Uncategorized | Tags: 2020, bad, budget, cuts, Foundation, future, national, NIH, Proposed, research, science, Trump Administration | by Wayne | Leave a comment
I haven't written very much about the current state of politics lately, not just because President Trump makes me angry & unhappy, but also because the deadlock in Washington (and precipitous national decline) make me sad and anxious. I would like to continue this precedent: paying breathless attention to all of Trump's stunts and bullying just make him stronger (although I do think it is worth noting that he has been signing Bibles as though he were the author–and his devout Christian followers absolutely love it!). However, the latest enormities fall in the realm of policy and planning, so let's take a look at the proposed 2020 Discretionary budget which was released by the White House yesterday. Predictably, this budget delivers slight funding increases to the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, while stripping safety net and environmental programs fairly drastically. I suppose this is not unexpected under any Republican president, even one such as this one, (although it raises eyebrows after the colossal tax giveaway to the rich). However, what truly raises eyebrows in the budget are the appalling cuts to scientific and medical research. Here are the actual numbers:
Proposed Discretionary Budget Changes
All dollar amounts are in billions.
Department Or Agency
2019 Budget (Estimate)
2020 Request
Defense1 $685.0 $718.3 $33.4 +5%
Veterans Affairs $86.6 $93.1 $6.5 +8%
Health and Human Services $101.7 $89.6 -$12.1 -12%
Education $70.5 $62.0 -$8.5 -12%
Homeland Security $48.1 $51.7 $3.6 +7%
HUD gross total (excluding receipts) $52.7 $44.1 -$8.6 -16%
HUD receipts -$9.3 -$6.5 $2.8 -30%
State Department and other international programs2 $55.8 $42.8 -$13.0 -23%
Energy $35.5 $31.7 -$3.8 -11%
National Nuclear Security Administration $15.1 $16.5 $1.3 9%
Other Energy $20.4 $15.2 -$5.2 -25%
NASA $20.7 $21.0 $0.3 +1%
Justice $29.9 $29.2 -$0.7 -2%
Agriculture $24.4 $20.8 -$3.6 -15%
Interior $14.0 $12.5 -$1.5 -11%
Commerce3 $12.3 $12.3 * <1%
Labor $12.1 $10.9 -$1.2 -10%
Transportation $27.3 $21.4 -$5.9 -22%
Treasury $12.9 $13.1 $0.2 +2%
Social Security Administration $10.5 $10.1 -$0.4 -4%
National Science Foundation $7.8 $7.1 -$0.7 -9%
Environmental Protection Agency $8.8 $6.1 -$2.8 -31%
Army Corps of Engineers $7.0 $4.8 -$2.2 -31%
Small Business Administration $0.7 $0.7 * -5%
Other agencies $21.3 $19.1 -$2.1 -10%
* $50 million or less
1. Includes $9.2 billion for emergency border security and hurricane recovery funding
2. Includes funding for the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, Treasury international programs and 12 international agencies
3. Appropriations for 2019 are incomplete.
Source: White House
Credit: Alyson Hurt/NPR
I guess Kudos for very slightly increasing the NASA budget (although even there, there is apparently no money for the new space telescope) but otherwise this proposal contains a lot to be angry about. I suspect you will find your own sources of fury in this spreadsheet (although please remember that this budget will never pass the House), but what jumps out at me are the substantial cuts to the National Science Foundation. Additionally, buried in that Health and Human Services number is a $4.5 Billion (11%) cut to the National Institute for Health, the agency which works to prevent pandemics, eradicate communicable disease, spearhead general research into life saving medicine, and generally keep Americans alive! Not only do Federal science dollars stave off the plague, they support blue-sky research which will lead to the next wave of innovations, and technological breakthroughs. What the U.S. Federal Government spent for scientific research in the past has made today's most prominent, important (and lucrative) companies a possibility.
To use an overused metaphor, cutting these numbers is like not buying seed for next year's crops. Additionally we are counting on fundamental research to counteract the impact expected from climate change, agricultural upheaval, forest loss, and energy problems (although, all of those problem will, of course, be exacerbated by other cuts in this budget).
Beyond scientists, environmentalists, and people who would like to see humankind survive into the future, there is another group that should perhaps be angry about this budget: Republican budget hawks. For all of its deep cuts and raw lack of appeal, this budget still blows up the deficit by 40% over the next 10 years, (from $22 trillion to $31 trillion). If President Obama had released this budget proposal (if he had been bitten by a rabid dog or a radioactive Ed Meese or something) I have a feeling that Republicans would have flown into apoplectic rage about the proposed deficit spending.
We will keep an eye on this budget. The 2019 Trump budget proposal was similarly problematic and Republican legislators simply ignored it and passed nice budget raises for the research arms of the government (which Trump duly signed, either because he did not care or did not notice). Yet a budget proposal reveals the priorities and moral choices of its creators, and this budget is blind to the needs of the future in almost every conceivable way.
Europa Clipper?
April 12, 2013 in Invaders, Space | Tags: Clipper, Europa, extraterrestrial, flux, ice, Jupiter, Life, mission, moon, Ocean, Proposed, robot, Space, tidal | by Wayne | Leave a comment
Gibbous Europa
(Credit: Galileo Project, JPL, NASA)
Tonight is Yuri's Night, when space enthusiasts around the world celebrate the first human trip to outer space made by Yuri Gagarin fifty two years ago. You can read about Yuri here. It is an excellent occasion to assess what is most exciting in space exploration. Unfortunately nobody has jumped forward to build a floating colony on Venus. Indeed NASA seems rather flat footed lately—building a series of colorless rockets and sending successive similar rovers to Mars. Fortunately there is one exciting mission which still has not definitively been cancelled because of budget stalemate.
Proposed Europa Clipper (NASA)
The Europa Clipper mission is a $2bn dollar project to launch a probe to Jupiter's moon Europa, a large icy satellite covered in cracked ice. Europa is slightly smaller than Earth's moon and has a thin oxygen atmosphere. It is one of the smoothest items in the solar system. Astronomers believe that an ocean of liquid water lies beneath Europa which is warmed by tidal flexing (a process which causes orbital and rotational energy to be converted into heat). The surface of Europa is bathed in exotic radiation which rips apart water molecules and leaves oxidants like hydrogen peroxide. All of this means that Europa is the most likely planet in the solar system to harbor unknown life. It has even been theorized that beneath the ice the ocean could have black smoker type environments–and just possibly thermal vent or "cold seep" ecosystems.
Artist's concept of the cryobot and hydrobot probes (NASA)
Because of this, scientists have been anxious to get a closer look at the intriguing moon. Various proposals have been put forward for missions directly to the moon. The Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft took pictures of it as they flew through the solar system and subsequent missions also took readings and photos—but there has been no Europa-centric mission to really find out about the oceans below the cracked ice. One (amazing!) proposal was to send a nuclear powered melt probe to melt through the ice and sink to the bottom of the ocean, whereupon a mini-sub probe would emerge and explore the extraterrestrial ocean! That plan was shelved because it was too expensive (and nobody could figure out how to sterilize the probe). The proposed Europa Clipper mission is more modest but still quite amazing. Here's how the Jet Propulsion Laboratory describes it:
The Europa Clipper mission would send a highly capable, radiation-tolerant spacecraft into a long, looping orbit around Jupiter to perform repeated close flybys of Europa.
The possible payload of science instruments under consideration includes radar to penetrate the frozen crust and determine the thickness of the ice shell, an infrared spectrometer to investigate the composition of Europa's surface materials, a topographic camera for high-resolution imaging of surface features, and an ion and neutral mass spectrometer to analyze the moon's trace atmosphere during flybys…The nominal Europa Clipper mission would perform 32 flybys of Europa at altitudes varying from 2700 km to 25 km.
That sounds amazing! Join me in lifting a glass to Yuri Gagarin and also join me in hoping that our moribund government funds this far-sighted mission to what might be life's other home in the solar system!
Yuri Gagarin–the first human to go to space


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Pick up available Monday - Friday 12.00 - 15.00
Eikon – Issue 109
Regular price SFr. 19.00 Save SFr. -19.00
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EIKON #109
Artists | Alfredo Barsuglia | Bettina Gruber | Michael Höpfner | Jeremy Shaw | Nina Vobruba |
Thomas Ballhausen | Simon Bowcock | Katharina Brandl | Pia Draskovits | June Drevet | Margit Emesz | Lucas Gehrmann | Synne Genzmer | Maximilian Geymüller | Ruth Horak | David Komary | Carlos Kong | Peter Kunitzky | Fiona Liewehr | Maren Lübke-Tidow | Danièle Perrier | Maria Rennhofer | Ulrich Tragatschnig | Barbara von Flüe | Margit Zuckriegl
Languages | German / English
Dimensions | 280 x 210 mm
Ever since postmodernism emerged and reinforced doubts about the existence of a single, absolute truth, the concept of authenticity has fallen from grace. To this day, the loss of this implicit understanding of one truth permeates all areas of life, which is noticeable in an ever-increasing indifference to authorship and copyright—an attitude of "What matter who's speaking?," as Michel Foucault succinctly put it as early as 1974 (Michel Foucault, "What is an Author?" in Language, Countermemory, Practice. Selected Essays and Interviews by Michel Foucault, ed. Donald F. Bouchard. New York, N.Y.: Cornell University Press , 1980, 115.). No wonder, then, that the present digital oversaturation resulting from the unfiltered pluralism of an "anything goes" mentality (the communication style inherent in this technology is full of acronyms, emojis, photos, and videoclips ceaselessly courting our attention with flashy colors, animated as GIFs, or with added sound) has reawakened our human desire for something simple and straightforward—a core message, so to speak. Against the background of this multimedia form of interpersonal exchange it is consequently not very surprising that populist tendencies—concise, easily understandable statements instead of sophisticated wording—are once again on the ascent, preferably uttered by a strong leader whose competencies often (seem to) lie only in successfully conveying plain messages to the addressee.
The current desire for simplicity also doesn't stop at the art world's gate, as Danièle Perrier points out in this issue's "In Focus," entitled "What May Art Do?" By adding to and honing arguments presented at the 52nd International AICA Congress on the subject of "Art Criticism in the Age of Populisms and Nationalisms," the author shows that even actions that originally sprang from political correctness might actually overshoot the target and must therefore be critically examined. In any case, Perrier's remarks should encourage us to engage in a more sophisticated investigation of what is currently happening in the art world (and elsewhere)—which, of course, in turn means going against the trends of our fast-moving times by not offering society quick, simple solutions. Instead, we ought to call for broader, more in-depth, and perhaps sustained discourse.
The signs of the times are geared toward change. The year 2020 marks the beginning of a new decade—not only according to the Gregorian calendar: EIKON is also entering a new era this spring, an era of new proportions for our institution, as on March 10 we open the EIKON Schauraum, a 25-square-meter exhibition and discussion forum in the heart of MuseumsQuartier Vienna. The Schauraum will be staffed by EIKON two days a week and can be viewed twenty-four hours a day, even after the opening hours. Solo and group exhibitions with artists presented in the print issues are already scheduled for the first year, along with artist talks and panel discussions. This way, we hope to make our program accessible to an even wider audience. We look forward to a personal exchange with our visitors and to this new challenge, and we thank everyone who has supported us along the way: the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Civil Service and Sport; the City of Vienna; MuseumsQuartier Vienna and Q21, who are also on the premises. Cordial thanks also go to the team of BWM Architekten, whose minimalist adaptations (perfectly suited to the space) have created the ideal conditions for future exhibitions, presentations, talks, and panel discussions.
About Eikon
EIKON, a magazine established in 1991 and published by the Austrian Institute of Photography and Media Art (Österreichisches Institut für Photographie und Medienkunst), based in the Museumsquartier Wien, views itself as a platform for Austrian and international artists from the fields of photography and media art.
EIKON is a bilingual magazine (German/English) published quarterly. A major feature of the magazine is its close collaboration with the presented artists, which is also reflected in the limited art editions published by EIKON (Edition EIKON). In addition, special issues are published on various occasions.
Having received a great deal of attention since its inception, EIKON Schauraum is a presentation platform in the heart of the Museumsquartier providing free access to Austrian and international photography and media art 24 hours daily.
Additionally, EIKON has assembled a comprehensive reference library, where visitors are free to browse more than 5,000 publications about topics such as photography, fine arts, art history, and technology.
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Can't find the book you're looking for? Fill out the form bellow and we will order it for you. (Books only. But we are always happy for magazine recommandations.)
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This was originally posted in style help but was told it is an more like an extension so I've asked to have it moved here.
How to hide non selectable user groups from member control panel? It only confuses my members. They ask if I cant select it why does it look like I can, why is it there?
Last edited by kinerity on Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.
that would most likely require a extension be written for it. it is not something that you can control via the style.
Does it have to be done with an extension or can the actual page file, not style be edited?


Activities and Recreation at Colony Cove Beach Resort | Caribya!
Staying active and busy is the ideal vacation experience for some, but this isn't necessary for a fulfilling trip to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. So, although Colony Cove Beach Resort may not offer the widest variety of outdoor activities, it might nevertheless provide precisely the kind of atmosphere you're looking to find.
At Colony Cove Beach Resort, guests will have access to one pool. With so many ways to spend your days, lounging at the property's pool might not come to mind, but it can be a relaxing way to spend part of the day. Also, these accommodations are in a breezy location on the beach, so you'll have a couple different ways to stay cool outdoors over your time here.
Tennis fanatics will be especially pleased when staying at this property, since the tennis facilities — located on-site — are fun for everyone, even beginners. Guests will find 2 tennis courts on the property. Guests may also set up evening matches on a lit tennis court.
If you're interested in more accommodation options that offer tennis, you may want to compare Colony Cove Beach Resort to nearby hotels with this activity, like Buccaneer and Tamarind Reef Hotel.
While there isn't a golf course at Colony Cove Beach Resort, the on-site staff may be able to assist you in scheduling a tee time nearby. Nearby courses are Buccaneer Golf Course, Reef Golf Course, and Carambola Beach Golf Club. The lot of them are within seven miles and the most proximate of the group, Buccaneer Golf Course, is just a small hike off from the lodging, so you can plan on a quick trip for a few rounds of golf. It has a total of 18 holes. It is a par 70 course. For those who would like to find out more information, contact the course at (340) 712-2144.
Vacationers who want a wide variety of watersports will have a wonderful time during their visit Colony Cove Beach Resort. The following list details the water activities available on-site.
You are free to bring your children to Colony Cove Beach Resort, but this accommodation doesn't provide many specifically family-focused amenities. To see some places with more amenities of particular interest to kids, take a look at these properties recommended for families.
If you're the type of traveler to seek out vibrant nightlife and multiple live acts, Colony Cove Beach Resort isn't for you. The villa complex tends to be fairly quiet after sundown.
Fortunately, there's one bar on-site. This means that guests can enjoy a mixed drink and kick back during their vacation.
Besides what you'll find on-site, visitors who want to do some exploring won't ever run out of exciting things to do on St. Croix. Whether you're looking to hang out on the beach or play a round or two of golf, you can encounter plenty of other options for recreation in the surrounding areas. Click these pages for information regarding sightseeing, riding a scooter or bicycle, fishing, scuba diving, shopping, going snorkeling, and other activities you might enjoy.


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VERNON - Even after the gold medal was draped around Ilya Evren Robatto's neck, his teammate D'Andre Harvey wouldn't give up. Harvey insisted he had won the Special Olympics Winter Games 200-meter snowshoe final.
But Robatto, a 17-year-old from Basking Ridge, just laughed, "I crossed that finish line first. I'm a speed demon. ... I had No. 1 because I am No. 1."
Added Harvey, "This is my brother from another mother."
Robatto and Harvey train together at YCS Kilbarchan in Paterson, strapping on snowshoes to walk on the grass at East Side Park. Harvey, a 17-year-old student at Fort Lee Education Center, was competing in his eighth Winter Games.
"I still got nervous, but it was all right," Harvey said. "I love this a lot, being around all the people cheering for you, especially when I've got my teammates backing me up."
On the eve of the Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, hundreds of Special Olympics athletes gathered at Mountain Creek for alpine and cross country skiing, snowboarding and snowshoe competitions.
Wayne George won gold in the slalom and bronze in the giant slalom, two more Special Olympics medals to add to the rack with about 100 in his Ledgewood apartment. Before George, a 69-year-old who grew up in Dover, and his two On the Go teammates left Mountain Creek, he was chuckling about wearing his medals and "clanking down the halls" of his building.
On the Go coach Kim Tackett normally brings her team to a diner on the way back from the Winter Games. But this year, as a show of confidence, Tackett, George, William Fischer of Morris Plains and Robert Delaney of Whippany had their celebration on the way to Mountain Creek on Monday.
"Skiing has always been special to me," said Pierson Rambush of Madison, who volunteered with the Seton Hall Prep ski team.
"To be able to bring a smile to their faces, and get them to open up is very special. I take what I have and give back, and see that result in their smiles."
For Ann Marie Long and Tara Anne Waters, teammates at Friends of Special Athletes, part of the fun was sharing a room at a nearby hotel — a break from their mothers. Waters, who works at the ARC of Monmouth and has lived independently in Eatontown for seven years, finished second in the 100- and 200-meter snowshoe races, her first time competing in the event. With little snow at the Shore, the team practiced on sand at Sea Girt beach, and sometimes on the boardwalk.
"We were pretending to fall over and we learned how to get up again," said Waters, who was part of a Special Olympics New Jersey advisory congress. "That's my goal, to get up again. That's the hardest thing in snowshoeing. I had to get used to the balance. I tried my best, and always had faith, and always thought about the other people in my life, to try to go forward."
Cesar Maxwell, a 12-year-old from Landing, is the first snowboarder competing for the Vernon Mountaineers. Also a competitive swimmer with McARP, Morris County Swim Club, and the Shore Hills summer team, Maxwell has been riding since he was 5 years old. Using his snowboard instead of skis, he won both the slalom and super-G at his first Winter Games.
"Swimming worked well with his differently abled self, where he could be part of a team and still have the focus of an individual sport. Snowboarding is the same," said Cesar's mom, Suzanne Maxwell. "It's wonderful to see them realize their dreams, before they even realize it's their dream."
There are more than 4.5 million Special Olympics athletes involved with 32 sports in 170 countries. Special Olympics New Jersey, which has more than 25,000 athletes and 26,000 volunteers, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018.
"(Special Olympics) gives you opportunities a lot of people with disabilities wouldn't get, to get out and meet people and compete," said 52-year-old Gerry Coburn of Sea Girt, who represented the United States in cross country skiing at the Winter World Games in Austria last year.
"You're going after that gold medal. You want that gold medal or silver medal or bronze medal. We're doing the best we can here, for our town and our community."


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Asian movie news, views, and reviews
Cheuk Wan-Chi
Bill Kong Ivy Ho Nansun Shi Winnie Yu Ching
AngelaBaby Chan Lai-Wan Dayo Wong Eric Kot Fruit Chan He Sui Ivana Wong Jacky Cheung Jiang Wu Myolie Wu Nick Cheung Oho Ou Sammi Cheng
Temporary Family
失戀急讓
2014 • Comedy, Drama • Hong Kong • Dir. Cheuk Wan-Chi
Reviewed by Andrew Saroch | Jun 9, 2015
Hong Kong estate agent Lung is put into an unenviable position by his social climbing girlfriend: build up his portfolio sufficiently so that he can offer her a city property worthy of her and potential children within one year. With local prices continuing to rise, Lung struggles to gain a foothold in the market, but finds an unusual solution when recently divorced woman Charlotte comes into his office looking for a flat of her own. Persuading her that they could make a healthy profit if they bought a bargain-priced flat together and sold it soon after, Lung gains an unlikely business partner. Added to the duo of investors is Lung's step-daughter Hak who is keen to invest money from her inheritance and Very Wong, the estate agent's young partner who is looking for a way to make money without relying on his wealthy father.
The quartet think they've got a steal at the price, but their plans to sell for a vast return is scuppered when the market crashes, leaving all of them stranded. Despite their previous promises that the flat should be uninhabited, one by one each of the four moves and become awkward flatmates until the market picks up. Yet, as prices stagnate, Lung, Charlotte, Hak and Very Wong are forged together in a most unconventional family unit.
Cheuk Wan-Chi is quite the renaissance woman. An actress, DJ, artist, writer and in the case of this film director, Cheuk is a name to watch in Hong Kong culture. 'Temporary Family' is her third full length feature and in the increasingly slim pickings of Hong Kong cinema today, it is rather encouraging. It has a certain style that is confident though never unnecessarily so and a way of bringing out some very impressive performances from an experienced cast. Sammi Cheng in particular is as good as she's been in years; it must help having a character that is asked to convey a range of emotions, but Cheng is excellent in the scenes of comedic farce and equally potent in the moments of surprisingly effective drama.
As pleasing as 'Temporary Family' proves to be – and it balances comedy, drama and a scintilla of satire – it could have been even better with a few tweaks here and there. Not all of the sub-plots are as interesting as they should have been; Oho's problems with his tycoon father is inserted here and there throughout the storyline, but doesn't really go anywhere and never extends beyond cliché. Angelababy fares a little better though once again her difficulties flit in and out of the narrative without conviction. And yet, when a film has Nick Cheung and Sammi Cheng working so well together, any background issues are easier to ignore. 'Temporary Family' is by no stretch of the imagination a masterpiece, but it is thoroughly enjoyable and sometimes that means an awful lot.
Andrew Saroch
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I would agree that the Wildcat has the suspension department wrapped up. They have the best suspension on the market. The power to weight of the X and the Mav is so different that the numbers don't add up to the X winning in a drag race. But when you get one we can race and find out Hopefully once I deliver the trooper to GutPile he will be more active and take my place here on the forum. I'm sure he will be interested in continuing the betterment of the Trooper.
I bought the XRS model to get the upgraded shocks. I saw the video and was wondering why they didn't show the race between the cat and mav up the hill. The visco may not be perfect but the QE kit can be put in it. I also wasn't convinced on the whoop section. I know mine rides smoother than that. Im thinking they stiffened the suspension to make it bounce. I also think the drag race is BS. The mav would handily beat the X in a race, I think. Anyway I have been enjoying my Mav so far with no issues. After Moab I may be installing the QE front diff to fix any issues if I have any. Tentatively we will be in Moab Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 This may change, depends on how much work we have going on here at the time. At this point I think any of the big 3 machines would be good. Each have their issues, most of which can be fixed by aftermarket, all are good machines. I have always been a can-am fan boy with 4-wheelers, snowmobiles, and jet skis. That is the main reason I went that way. So far I am pretty happy with it. Its to bad this hobby is such a money pit, but you can't take it with you, so have fun with it eh?
I don't really miss the stick. It's kinda nice to just drive. The chassis is very similar to the Commander and the cage is the same, so that engineering is done. Alot of the commander parts fit the Mav. I guess other than that I don't know where they make their money. I have a feeling that the Mav will cut into the RZR XP sales quite a bit. After watching sever videos of the XP's rock crawling, I noticed that the trailing arm catches on some square edges. The Mav shouldn't have this problem. I don't really have any qualms with the Wildcat other than the wet clutch and power to weight. I can't stand the local arctic cat dealer and really get along with the can-am/polaris dealer so that certainly added to my decision. So far no problems. On the Mav forum there have been a few clutch issues, but they were limited to first production. Most guys have several hundred miles with no problems. I would love to ride with you again 2scoops, we still hit Moab the first weekend in April and October.
Well I have taken the maverick out a couple of times and tested the front diff. While not Moab and sandstone the front end pulled fine. Never saw the front tires not pull in 4. I've heard lots of rumors about the visco loc and know the older versions are terrible, it looks like it will work just fine on the mav with the updated version. Moab will be the true test but I am headed there April 3. I rode with a wildcat Saturday and was impressed but the quality, fit, and finish of the canam was well above. I'm enjoying it that's the most important.
The popo was the jagged x edition. No biggie there. If I end up with any issues on the rocks ill just have to put in the QE diff. The vids I watched weren't too bad. I don't see anything better coming out in the next year. Can am quality is second to none.
Well I finally made the decision to sell the trooper and get into a maverick. I test drove one yesterday and it was awesome. I am selling the trooper to my brother in law and will recommend this site to him for good info. I want to thank everyone for all of the great info I have gotten on here over the past couple of years. This is a great site and probably the most informative forum I have ever been on. Thanks.
I'm intrested in knowing what u think. I am headed to glamis in the morning and hoping to see a wildcat and XP side by side.
haha, My wife won't let me sell the Trooper because we have too much into it, so she will keep the Trooper and I would get the new Machine. I am actually really impressed with my dads xp4. Lots of power and we have never had any issues with it. I don't like the $19,300 price tag plus all the extras you need like winch, windshield and bumpers. I have seen the bench seats. It probably wouldn't be comfy bouncing around with 3 adults in one seat but 2 with a smaller kid in the middle should be fine. I am thinking maverick because Can-am is one of the more quality machines out there. My dealer sells Kawi, popo, honda, and Can-am and he says the can-am's have the least issues. The only thing holding me back from committing is the visco-lok. If it isn't the QE version, i wouldn't buy it. No one seems to know yet which visco-lok it has. Since my dealer won't have any Mavericks until Feb. I am going to wait and see what popo has up its sleeve to one up the Maverick. The good thing is that there are more options than before and the machines do seem to be higher quality than pre 2008 machines. No matter what you buy, I am sure it will be fun. I did hear with a clutch kit in the wildcat that they are keeping up (or at least more so) with the XP, but I am thinking at 101 HP the maverick will smoke both.
Actually the base maverick is set at $15,999 same as xp. Now if you are are talking 4 seaters then you are probably right. The xp4 can be converted to seat upto 6 with the bench seat conversion. Under 13k for a wildcat sounds a little fishy to me. It would make me think lemon or has been wrecked and rebuilt. I have heard the wildcat is under powered compared to the other machines in its class. But if it looks like the real deal, for 13k you could easily later afford a clutch kit and then a turbo. Good luck.
Look at the new canam maverick. 101 hp, longer wheelbase than xp. 15 inches of travel. I am thinking about getting one but my dealer won't have them until feb. rumor is popo will release a new machine New Year's Eve. I will wait to see what they have. My dad just got back from Moab on Sunday and he took his new rzr xp4. He loved the way the xp4 ran over the terrain and the power it had.
Shock Help From the Experts.
What I don't know about moving the mount back is that the shocks just barely fit in the current location. At full extension the bolt holes barely line up, so if I move the upper back, the shock won't bolt up unless compressed, will this affect your theory, or is this a non-issue?
New question. I was sitting on 425 over 500 on the rear. I was only getting about 9- 9.5 inches of clearance with alot of preload. I just switched to 500 over 500 and still only have 10.5 inches with alot of preload. I did notice that the main spring is compressing about an inch when let off the jack. Should I go up to a 600 lb main spring? Just seems like a lot of spring for these machines, but I cant seem to get much ride height in the rear.
I don't think the 18 will fit. The biggest that will fit is the 16 inch I think. I have the 14" and I just put on the 200 lb. spring. With about a 1/2 to an inch of preload I am sitting at 13.5 inches of clearance with the stock tires. I still feel a little stiff, but I am thinking it is like Lenny said about my valving not being quite right. I wouldn't go any longer than a 16 inch and I would try either a 175 or 200 pound spring. I am valved at 35 70 i think and I think I could go softer on the compression not sure about the rebound. Lenny said maybe a 20 90 which I would be willing to try. Good luck.
I got my 200 lb springs today. Can I change springs without removing the reservoir line?


text:
The Reporting Award
The Reporting Award supports a work of journalism in any medium on significant underreported subjects in the public interest. The Institute will select up to two winners of the Reporting Award. Each winner may receive a different amount of money, at the discretion of the Committee. The maximum award is $12,500. Winners will have access to New York University's libraries and the Institute's facilities, including work space (as available). The Institute expects that the completed work will be published in a reputable media outlet of wide circulation.
Deadline: Feb 21, 2023 (Confirmed)*
Work Experience: 0-5, 5-10, 10+


We were fortunate enough to meet Gregory M. Smith at the World Board Gaming Championships in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and get to play his new upcoming game Pacific Tide: The United States Versus Japan, 1941-1945 from Compass Games due out in November.
This game looks very interesting. I have pre-ordered it and am looking forward to playing it. This interview you guys did made me decide to order it. Thanks and keep up the excellent work!
It is a cool looking game and I enjoyed our limited play at WBC. Thanks for the kind words and for regularly reading.


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These classic functions — like procurement and supply chain management — are proven catalysts for new value as businesses seek better ways to make sense of all of their data and to build more intelligent processes.
Here to help us explore how businesses can best operate internally — and across extended networks — to extract insights and accelerate decision-making is Barry Padgett, President of SAP Ariba. The interview is conducted by BriefingsDirect's Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst at Interarbor Solutions.
Gardner: Businesses want to make more sense of the oceans of data they create and encounter, and even to automate more of what will make them increasingly intelligent. Why are traditional core processes — like procurement, spend management, and supply chain management — newly advantageous when it comes to allowing businesses to transform?
Padgett: We have had a really great run over the last several years in terms of bringing intelligence and modernization to the front ends of our businesses. We have focused on customer experience, customer engagement, and linking our business activities directly to the customer. This has also created transparency. Now, we're seeing a sea change in terms of putting the magnifying glass on some of the traditional back-end activities.
In particular, when we think about an intelligent enterprise, better connecting to that front-end customer is super important. But we're also seeing real demand for connected supply chains. Part of the reason is that when you look at the statistics — depending on the industry and geography — about 60 to 70 percent of the value of any company is in their supply chain. It's in the stuff that they procure, to buy materials, to ultimately produce the goods that they sell. Or it's in procuring the services and the people to deliver the end-customer services they provide.
There is an opportunity now to link that 60 to 70 percent of the value of the company back into the intelligent enterprise. That begins to drive lots of efficiency, lots of modernization, and to gain some huge business benefits.
Gardner: As we appreciate the potential for such end-to-end visibility, it offers the opportunity to act in new ways. And it seems like becoming such an intelligent enterprise – of gaining that holistic view — must become a core competency for companies.
How does SAP Ariba specifically help companies gain this capability?
Padgett: When we think about connected supply chains and collaboration across our different business units at the companies that we all represent, it's super important that we think about scale. One of the things that SAP Ariba has focused on over the last couple of decades is really building scale as relates to supply chain and the supplier networks.
To give you a sense of the size, we currently have about 3.5 million suppliers transacting on the Ariba Network, and the volume that they put across that network every year is about $2.1 trillion. To put that into context, if you add up all of the global volume going through Alibaba, eBay, and Amazon combined — it's a little over $800 billion. And so the Ariba Network generates almost three times the business of those other three platforms combined.
When we think about the sheer volume of the events, transactions, and insights available to us now on such a network of that size, we can then combine that with cloud-based applications — combining it also with SAP's capabilities and their new S/4HANA core — and you can unlock some real value.
Delivering this intelligence around context and processes — as it relates to everything from sourcing, to managing your vendors and their contracts, and to managing risk – ultimately drives a ton of cost savings, efficiency, and transparency through to all those buyers and suppliers.
Gardner: It's a new set of attributes that companies can't refuse to take advantage of. If their competitors do it better than they do, they could lose out on the new efficiency and innovation.
Let's step back and take a look at some of the trends that are making this a unique time for the concept of an intelligent enterprise. What makes this the opportune time for companies to place the emphasis on being more intelligent?
Padgett: We are in the third wave of intelligence, insomuch as I think the first wave was when everyone recognized the analogies that were used, like data is the new currency, data is the new oil, and big data. We had this unbelievable excitement around being able to unlock and gain visibility into the massive repositories of data that sit around our businesses, and around the applications that we use in our businesses.
Then we had the second wave, which was the realization that this huge amount of data — this vast set of attributes that we had to go and gain intelligence from — was maybe a little bit more challenging than first met the eye in terms of how we get access to it. Some of it was structured, some of it was unstructured, some of it was in one database, another was in a different database, and so we began creating data lakes and data warehouses.
Now we are in a third wave, which is that — even recognizing that we finally have the data together in some sort of consumable format — we really need outcomes. And so we are looking to our vendors that we use and the application suites that we use at our companies to help us to drive new outcomes.
How can we use some of these latest technologies that we keep hearing about — AI, neural networks, ML, blockchain — to start to actually drive business outcomes?
We are getting fatigued around the actual words themselves: big data, AI, ML. And now we are driving more toward the actual business outcomes.
I liken it to any kind of new technology that comes along. We get very excited about it, but then, ultimately, we begin talking about what impact it can have for our businesses. And so, whether that was the initial wave of moving to the cloud by taking advantage of things like HTML or .NET in the early days, we talked a lot about the technology. And now that cloud transformation is fairly mature and robust, we really don't talk about the technology beneath it anymore. Now we talk about the advantages that cloud offers our business in terms of actionable insights, real-time data, and the cost benefits.
We are now seeing that same kind of maturation cycle now as relates to the intelligent enterprise, and certainly the data that powers it.
Gardner: Allowing more people to take advantage of this intelligence in their work processes, that seems to be where SAP Ariba is headed for the procurement professionals, and for those evaluating supply chains. It brings that intelligence right into their applications, into their workflow.
What is required for enterprises to better bring group intelligence into their business processes?
Padgett: You hit the nail on the head. It's now less about integration, and more about collaboration. Where we see our customers collaborating across their businesses. It drives real benefits across their organizations. That's certainly system-to-system, so both with other SAP assets as well as non-SAP assets, in a heterogeneous environment.
But it also means engaging the various business units and organizations. We are seeing a lot of companies move procurement and the chief procurement officer (CPO) to become much more of the hub of broad collaboration.
We like to say that our CPOs are now becoming our chief collaboration officers, because with the transformation we see across supply chains and procurement, we gain the opportunity to bring every component of our business together and begin to have a dialogue around where we can drive new value.
Whether that's in the marketing team, or the sales team, or the operations team, or whatever it happens to be — we end up procuring a lot of goods and services and adhering whatever it is that we're procuring to the outcomes we are looking to drive. That can be customer adoption and retention, or innovation, or whatever core mission that we have at our company. It could be around purpose and ethical supply chains and business practices. It really all comes back to this central hub of how we are spending our money, who are we spending it with, and how can we leverage it better to do even more with it.
Gardner: In order to empower that CPO to become more the collaboration officer, an avalanche of data isn't going to do it. Out-of-context intelligence isn't going to do it.
What is it that SAP Ariba uniquely brings that allows for a contextual injection, if you will, of the right intelligence at the right time that empowers these people, but does not overwhelm them?
Padgett: First and foremost, its transparency. There is a very good chance that a lot of our prospects — and certainly a lot of your listeners — won't be able to put their finger on exactly what they spend, who they spend it with, and whether it's aligned to what outcomes they are trying to drive at.
Some of that is a first-line defense of, "Let's actually look at our suppliers. Are we completely and fully automated with those suppliers so that we can transact with them electronically and cut out a lot of the manual process and some of the errors and redundancy that exists at our organizations?" There are some cost savings there. For sure, there is some risk management.
Then we can go deeper, looking at the suppliers of those suppliers. As we go two, three, four, five rungs deep into the supply chain, we can make sure that we are marrying, if you like, the money that we are spending with the outcomes we are trying to drive at for our companies.
For the buy side and the supply side, SAP Ariba makes sure they get transparency into everything. Then they can take risk out of their businesses and link spend to core mission and purpose.
That's what the Ariba does, not only on the supply side — to make it easy for suppliers to do business with their customers — but also for our buy-side customers, the procurement customers, to make sure that they are getting transparency into everything. And that extends from their contracts, to making sure that they are administering and managing those contracts effectively, to also ensuring that they performance-manage those suppliers. They are then able to take risk out of their businesses, and ultimately link the dollars or the Euros they spend as a company with the core mission and purpose that they have.
Those missions can be ensuring that they have the right kinds of environmental sustainability and impact or looking to drive forced labor and slave labor out of their supply chains. Or they simply could be trying to ensure a diverse supplier base, including empowering minority and female-owned businesses or LGBT businesses. There's really an opportunity there, but it all comes back to that very first point I made around first creating the transparency. Then you can go unleash the opportunities and innovation that you seek, once you have the transparency.
Gardner: Let's go to some examples or use cases as we define the outcomes that are possible when you combine these cultural changes, attributes, the powerful tools and insights from an organization like SAP Ariba.
I recently saw some information about a digital manufacturing capability, using both the Ariba Network as well as SAP services. Is this a good example of bringing more intelligence and showing collaboration across an entire manufacturing ecosystem?
Padgett: One of the best manufacturing networks out there is the SAP Manufacturing Network. It's connected to the Ariba Network. There are about 30,000 discrete suppliers connected to that network, specifically focused on manufacturing. And again, when you open up this kind of collaborative community on a network, we can start to do really neat things.
Let's say you're trying to create a new product, or you want a new part manufactured. With this kind of collaborative network, you can throw up a 3-D drawing, collaborate in real-time with whatever subset of those 30,000 discrete suppliers you want, and start to drive innovations that you wouldn't have been able to do on your own.
It's about how to harness the creative genius that exists outside of the four walls of your business when you are embarking on new projects. It means having a network available to you that operates in real-time to change the paradigm and the way you think about innovation at your company.
You can find vendors very quickly. You get to manage those vendors in completely new ways. You can collaborate in real-time, which allows you to do more in less time. It provides an edge in terms of when you think about competitive differentiation. This is no longer, "How do we make our back-end more efficient?" It's more about how to drive competitive differentiation across an industry, to be agile, and to do things — particularly in the manufacturing network — that you haven't been able to do before. That means such things as linking the operations centers on a factory floor to the supply chain in real-time, as well as to your warehouses, across the globe.
There are a lot of really great examples in all industries, but manufacturing has some particular opportunities given that we are making such a quantum leap from how we used to do things. It's a new paradigm, an intelligent enterprise.
Gardner: Manufacturing capabilities and efficiencies also shine light on why having a mission-critical network is important. Because you are dealing with intellectual property — such as designs of new products and sharing of secrets — if you don't do that in a secure way, with compliance built-in, then you could certainly run into trouble.
Why is having this in the right network – one built for compliance and security — so important?
Padgett: Yes, you mentioned the idea of mission critical. A lot of what we think of traditionally as back-of-the-house process around procurement may have been looked at as business critical.
But we need it to think about them, too, as mission critical. We need to think differently because of things like manufacturing networks, using the intelligence available to us via the Internet of things (IoT) on our factory floors, and when there is an urgent requirement for parts when there is a failure. We need to be ready when it happens or about to happen.
We need to link immediately in real-time to our supply chains, our suppliers, and our warehouses around the world. We can now keep those machines up and running much more efficiently without downtime, which drives competitive differentiation and top-line revenue growth for the company. This is a really good example of the difference between business critical and mission critical.
Gardner: How does the intelligent enterprise help engender a richer ecosystem of partners and alliances? How do third-parties now become an accelerant or a force-multiplier to how businesses react in their markets?
Padgett: The whole paradigm around a network fundamentally has a requirement that all the parties are participating. There has to be value for all parties, otherwise it falls apart and it doesn't work. If it's too heavily buy-side focused, you don't have suppliers there. If it's too heavily supply-side then you don't attract the buyers. So it's like a flywheel — and all aspects have to be in balance, meaning that everybody is winning.
You are a better supplier by being able to work with your buyers and get fundamentally more visibility and transparency into their planning and buy cycles. Ultimately you can anticipate the demand your customers will have.
When you look at the intelligent enterprise, it has to extend to both sellers as well as buyers. The cool thing is that in these networks, sellers can use the same technologies. They get to analyze data from millions of sources, they get a 360-degree-view of buyers, and of their health. They get to get embedded into their demand chains, and not just the supply chain.
You are a far better supplier by being able to work with your buyers and get fundamentally more visibility and transparency into their planning and buy cycles, and ultimately be able to anticipate in real-time the kinds of demand your customer is having or will have.
This allows you to plan and ensure that you can meet their requirements, and hopefully exceed them. And that's new. That's not the kind of collaboration that existed in the past. This is an evenly weighted, balanced scorecard in terms of making sure buyers and sellers all see value and a reason to participate.
Other examples would be a seller quickly and easily getting simple information like a change-in-payment status, updates on a decline in sales, changes in leadership, pricing fluctuations around commodities or supply, and being able to look at those in real-time and cross-reference them. They can analyze that, not only with things they've done in the past, but also what's happening in the marketplace overall.
There is a lot of value here. Being able to tap into these opportunities is super important. So, suppliers should also want to participate. Would they see this as a tax, or just something else that we are asking suppliers to do in order to get more business?
The 3.5 million suppliers active on the Ariba Network see the opportunity for new business and for discovery. They join these networks because it's not only an opportunity to service their existing customers in a better and more modern way, but because there's an opportunity to attract new customers.
It speaks to collaboration and it speaks to the discovery process available to buyers so they source a really diverse and rich set of suppliers for their community.
Gardner: As procurement professionals elevate themselves to a more strategic level and add value via collaboration and intelligence, they are clearly less of a cost center. Are we at a pivot point where the notion of procurement as a cost center needs to be reevaluated?
Padgett: That's certainly the ambition, the goal, and the aspiration. The best business case an organization has for driving savings within their organization is through the procurement business case.
We're finding that a ton of the digital transformation projects happening right now around the world are led via a procurement project. You start with modernizing and creating intelligence in your supply chain and in your procurement processes. The savings that come out of those projects, which are materially in the 4 to 8 percent of what a company spends in total, forms the driving force that then helps fund the rest of the digital transformation.
Certainly there is an opportunity for the CPO between being a cost and value center. But the thing that gets this off the ground and funded is the fact that there are a ton of efficiency and process opportunities in cost savings that exist within procurement. That's kind of table stakes, and the blocking and tackling of getting started.
But once you get started, your observation is right on. Once we've saved a huge amount money and optimized the process and transparency in our businesses, we can extend that and create more value and differentiation for our organizations on the basis that we now have a ton of new tools and transparency available to us.
Gardner: There is still more to come, of course, in terms of what new technologies can provide. What should people be thinking about in terms of products that will soon enable this intelligence to become more practical?
Padgett: We recently launched products like the Ariba Supplier Risk capability, which allows our customers to go in and evaluate their supply chain and look for areas where they have risk or exposure. That can use our data, the customer's data, or third parties connected to the Ariba Network, such as Verisk Maplecroft or EcoVadis.
They basically deliver insights into environmental and sustainability risk factors. Another third-party connected to the network is Made in a Free World, and they score and detect forced labor in your supply chains. There are really interesting opportunities in terms of managing risk.
Then there are more meat-and-potatoes kinds of opportunities. We're partnering with IBM and utilizing their Watson capabilities as well as the SAP Leonardo intelligence suite to do things like drive smarter contracts and build out more powerful intelligence capabilities within the ecosystem.
We're partnering with IBM and using Watson as well as SAP Leonardo to do things like drive smarter contracts and build more powerful intelligence into the ecosystem.
That could be simple things like making sure we don't have duplicate payments across our businesses or looking at the hundreds or potentially thousands of contracts that we manage in our organizations and ensure that we apply intelligence so we're being notified proactively if there are risk factors. Maybe there is an exchange-rate clause, for example, in some of the contracts that we manage; whether some action that's required or a threshold that activates a different clause in our contract.
We can't expect across the thousands of contracts that we manage for a contract manager to remember all of those. And since they're all usually in different formats and archived in different locations, we can use intelligence to drive efficiency, manage risk, and ultimately contribute to the bottom-line, which helps us to then reinvest those bottom-line savings into some top-line initiatives.
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