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Place: Wheel Room, Civic Centre, West Paddock, Leyland, PR25 1DH
Present: Councillor Ogilvie (in the chair)
Councillors Clark, Foster, Patten, Mrs Snape and Mrs K Walton
In attendance: Mark Gaffney (Director Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health & Assets), Susan Guinness (Head of Shared Financial Services), Janet Hinds (Principal Procurement Officer), Andy Houlker (Senior Democratic Services Officer), Steve Nugent (Head of Human Resources) and David Whelan (Legal Services Manager)
Also in attendance
Councillor Bennett (Cabinet member for Finance and Resources) and Councillor Mullineaux (Cabinet member for Neighbourhoods & Streetscene)
Public attendance: 0
Other Officers: Councillor Mrs Moon and Wharton and two officers
Description/Resolution
20 Apologies for Absence
None, all members of the committee were present.
21 Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
22 Minutes of the Last Meeting, Held on 23 September 2015
Minutes attached
The minutes were accepted as a correct record. However, on balance for clarity the committee felt that in respect of the Review of Investment Counterparties 2015/16 (min. no.18 refers), the degree/level of the committee?s questioning/challenge was not fully reflected in the preamble of that minute. The committee had asked a variety of questions on this item around forms of investment, request for due diligence, clarification on the selection process for treasury management advisors (mandatory requirement and/or limited options and, decided by whom?) and also around whether central government had a guarantee scheme for any investments made by a local authority into another local authority should the latter subsequently be declared bankrupt.
RESOLVED (unanimously):
That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 September 2015 be approved as a correct record and signed by the chairman.
23 External Audit - Annual Audit Letter for SRBC
Report (305K/bytes) attached
Further to min. no.14, 23 September 2015 (External Audit - The Audit Findings for South Ribble) Fiona Blatcher (Grant Thornton-external auditor) presented the report. This report summarised the previous report and confirmed the council?s positive position and was expected to appear on the council?s website. In respect of the apparent rebate of fees from the former Audit Commission, it was confirmed that this was a rebate to the council because as part of the Audit Commission?s winding-up process it was identified that it had received more income than needed so clients had received a percentage refund of their fee. The committee was advised that there might still be some residual monies next year indicating the council might receive a subsequent further refund.
RESOLVED (unanimously): That the report be noted.
24 External Audit - Governance Committee Update Report
Report attached
Further to min. no.14, 23 September 2015 (External Audit - The Audit Findings for South Ribble) and min. no.23 above (External Audit - The Annual Audit Letter for SRBC) Fiona Blatcher (Grant Thornton-external auditor) remained present and addressed the committee. The report gave a background to external audit, an update on the work of external audit and drew attention to national developments. External audit was keen to receive the committee?s views on how this information might be presented, such as whether it did not want a report or the information be in a different format.
In addition Fiona Blatcher explained that as the council?s external auditor?s engagement lead she had been involved with South Ribble for seven years. Under their rules concerning the independence of external audit, she now had to move away from being involved with this council. The external auditor?s new engagement lead would be Mark Heap who would attend the next meeting of the committee.
The committee questioned whether the substance of this and the previous item warranted external audit?s attendance at the meeting. It was confirmed that there would not have been any reduction of the council?s fee if external audit had not attended. The Chairman indicated that he would discuss further external audit?s reporting to the committee at a later date with Mark Heap.
Responding to an enquiry about members registering to receive email updates on topics from Grant Thornton, the external auditor confirmed that there was for no extra charge the updates.
In respect of the three local government issues/topics (Devolution Revolution, Government?s New Homes announcement, Council Tax Collection Consultation) identified on pages 10-12 of the report and whether councillors had been briefed on those. The committee confirmed that to date members had not. The chairman wondered if those might be the subject of a future member learning hour or the committee receive a briefing on them. The Cabinet member commented on the topics and felt there had not been sufficient detail/clarity on which to brief members. The Director Governance and Business Transformation (Monitoring Officer) commented the council continually received numerous consultation/questionnaire requests and had to be selective on those it responded to, and in respect of the council tax collection consultation this had not contained anything the council was not already doing.
The Chief Executive (in the audience) commented that external audit had included such topics to ensure councillors were aware of them. It might be that a briefing on a topic was unnecessary as it would be considered in another forum such as Cabinet, full Council or by the Scrutiny Committee. He re-assured the committee that the council was picking key issues/topics (and not being hidden from them). The committee felt that it needed to know where the council stood against the three topics in the report. The Chief Executive confirmed a co-ordinated response on the three topics would be presented to the next meeting of the committee.
RESOLVED (unanimously) that:
1) the report be noted;
2) a co-ordinated response on the three local government topics in the report be presented to the next meeting of the committee; and
3) Fiona Blatcher be thanked for her commitment and professionalism during her term as the council?s external audit engagement lead.
25 Capital Programme ? Parks & Open Spaces 2014/15
Appendix (14K/bytes) attached
Report (58K/bytes) attached
Further to min. no.41, 15 April 2015, the chairman welcomed the Cabinet member for Neighbourhoods & Streetscene (Councillor Mullineaux) and the Director Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health & Assets (Mark Gaffney). The Cabinet member commented that following the committee?s previous comments and subsequent discussions he presented the report which he felt provided the requested additional information around schemes (both completed and on hold) in the 2014/15 Parks and Open Spaces Capital Programme. The chairman appreciated the revised report as a step forward and suggested there should always be an explanation if and when a scheme is put on hold. Councillor Mullineaux confirmed that in future that was the intention.
In response to a comment that 37% (by value) of the schemes had been moved to the following year (2015/16) and how this might then impact on resources, the Director Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health & Assets re-assured the committee that the officer resources were allocated to schemes in the capital programme (whether direct staff or consultants) and should capacity be an issue the council could allocate additional resource.
The committee was re-assured that schemes delayed/put on hold had no advance borrowing and therefore the council had no adverse financial impact.
The Cabinet member for Finance and Resources took the point that the council had a history of underspend on the capital programme but commented that improvements had been made and there would be more. He added that he would have liked to have seen the Gregson Lane scheme this year but as explained in the report an external funding opportunity arose through Sport England for a larger wider scheme.
In respect of a question regarding the risk implications in the report, the Director referred to the explanation in the report for the delay of the footpath scheme in Withy Grove Park. In that it had been appropriate and financially prudent to delay the council?s scheme in view of the works by Network Rail.
The committee was advised that the difference in figures between those in this report and a later item on budget monitoring was because the figures in this report were more detailed.
The committee was informed that each year the council started with the intention of completing all the schemes in the capital programme. However, there were invariably circumstances that arose which changed this such as Network Rail?s proposal to install a footbridge over the railway into Withy Grove Park. If those eventualities were known about at the beginning they could be catered for. As the council continued to actively seek new funding streams, if and when they became available these would affect the progress of schemes in the capital programme.
26 Contracts Procedure Rules & the 2015 Public Procurement Regulations
Appendix 1 (269K/bytes) attached
The chairman welcomed the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources (Councillor Bennett) and the Principal Procurement Officer (Janet Hinds). The report highlighted changes brought about by the 2014 EU Public Contracts Directive which had been transposed into UK law as new 2015 Public Contracts Regulations. In addition it informed the committee that the UK government had also taken the opportunity to incorporate additional areas for below the EU threshold procurements. Those were aimed at improving access to procurement opportunities for small businesses.
To comply with those requirements and to incorporate some additional practical updates, the committee was asked to consider and comment on the Contracts Procedure Rules (CPRs) amended as illustrated in Appendix 1 attached to the report.
In relation to the apparent lengthy timescale between the change in legislation coming into effect and this report, the committee had concerns and sought and received re-assurance. In that at a practical level procedures and processes were in place within the council to comply with the requirements. Also, in response to an enquiry, should the council have been audited on this matter in August, it would not have been found deficient in its compliance with requirements.
In respect of Paragraph 40 and non-compliance reporting, the committee was informed there was no recollection of this previously being referred to the Monitoring Officer. However, any instances would be dealt with on their own merits, such as the extent of non-compliance and what if any impact it might have on the contract. It was envisaged that if the matter was to be pursued it would be to the Governance Committee.
Regarding the use of the council?s provisions for urgent decision between meetings (Standing Order No.38) the committee was informed there was no recollection this as yet had been used for a procurement issue. The provision was included in the CPRs should the need arise.
The changes were aimed to demonstrate that the UK was open to small and medium-sized enterprises. As indicated in the report adverts for local authority contracts above ?25000 were not only published on the council?s portal but also had to be advertised on the national Contract Finder portal.
It was confirmed the current threshold of ?172,514 for the pre-qualification stage was based on an amount in Euros. The threshold amount changed every two years and was next expected in January 2016, following which, documentation would be updated.
An area the committee discussed was around CPR 8.3 relating to instances where a number of low value contracts of the same type might be awarded in a 12 month period, had been expanded and clarified. Whilst contracts below ?10,000 might not be looked at by the procurement service, there would be spend analysis and checks on procurement activity (how procured/procedure followed). Spend analysis would enable the council to identify (in value order) the annual spend with each supplier.
In respect of the council keeping records on disposals, the committee was informed that the council maintained an assets register in which these were recorded.
In respect of CPR 5, the committee was advised that the decision as to whom was felt to have the appropriate skills and knowledge appropriate to the task was taken by the specific service area/department. The council provided procurement training and documents/guidance were available on its intranet (Connect). Similarly when there were changes to the CPRs there were often update training sessions lead by the procurement and legal services.
The committee was keen that in respect of CPR 39.4 and the development of an e-form, the wording be strengthened from an intention to develop to that an e-form would be developed.
The committee appreciated the report which showed a lot of work had been done on this topic. It was easy to read and clear where and what changes had been made.
That subject to an amendment of the wording of Contract Procedure Rule 39.4 relating to the development of an e-form, the committee recommends the council adopt the changes to the Contract Procedure Rules as illustrated in Appendix 1 to the report.
27 Budget Monitoring Statement as at 30 September 2015
Appendices (304K/bytes) attached
The Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources (Councillor Bennett) and the Head of Shared Financial Services (Susan Guinness) presented the report. This provided an update on the council?s overall financial position compared to the financial plan for the first six months of the current financial year (2015/16). The Cabinet member felt the report was comprehensive with variances itemised. He was pleased to report the level of savings the council had already made in 2015/16.
In respect of Business Rate Retention, the committee was disappointed to note the council had as last year been made to pay a levy to central government. This was again a result of the council exceeding the level of income from original forecasts. Whilst optimistic the council would not have to pay a further levy in 2016/17 the scheme was very complex and not transparent and going forward there was the possibility the scheme would change and more would be known next month.
Whilst the report highlighted a couple of health warnings at the beginning and one at the end, the Cabinet member was not concerned in the short term but currently the long term financial position would be challenging.
The report indicated the council had made savings on salaries due to vacant posts. Councillor Bennett commented that an organisation such as this council would never have all its posts filled all the time. This council had now for some time not simply automatically filled posts if and when they became vacant. The council was always looking at its services and how they might be delivered.
The committee picked up on the current level of underspend in the council?s Capital Programme with large sums re-phased to future years. As with the discussion above under min. no.25 (Capital Programme ? Parks & Open Spaces 2014/15) items were included in the programme and circumstances changed, such as a change in technology which enable a possible different way of working that might provide efficiencies/savings or the council had been able to retain some equipment longer than originally planned. The council needed to make provisions in the budget because there were certain items such as IT servers which would not give a warning if and when they failed, but would then require replacements. It was felt the Cabinet member would appreciate and understand the committee?s reasons for its enquiries as he had been in their position a couple of years ago.
The Cabinet member was not unduly concerned with the reported drop in planning application income as he knew that a significant application was anticipated in December. There was no perceived downward trend and some budgets had movement during the year.
It was confirmed to the committee that the council had received an additional ?18,000 income from interest on its investments partly due to the increased flexibility introduced following the Review of Counterparties 2015/16. Also that the Heritable Bank had paid the council ?80,000 in relation to interest owed following the Icelandic banking crisis in 2008. This bank had now almost repaid all the monies owed to the council (almost 98% returned to date).
Overall whilst still early in 2015/16, the committee acknowledged the council faced some challenges but it was an encouraging picture of its position which would be revisited at a later date.
28 Forward Plan
In noting the presented Forward Plan, Councillor Foster referred to the recent Call-in by the Scrutiny Committee. He felt that many members of the council had not been aware of the Call-in. During the discussion the committee was unclear whether or not all appropriate procedures had been followed or if there was an omission in those procedures. It was agreed to look at the arrangements/procedure for a decision to be called-in.
1) the Forward Plan be noted;
2) Councillors Clark, Foster and Ogilvie meet with officers to discuss procedures regarding Call-in; and
3) a report on the council?s Call-in procedures be presented to the next meeting of the committee.
29 Changes to Statutory Dismissal Procedure for Protected Officers
(The Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service / Section 151 Officer) and Director Governance and Business Transformation (Monitoring Officer) declared personal interests in this item and left the meeting.)
The Head of Human Resources (Steve Nugent) and David Whelan (Legal Services Manager) were present and addressed the committee. The report set out proposed changes to the statutory dismissal procedure for three posts within the council?s establishment, namely the Head of Paid Service, Monitoring Officer and Section 151 Officer.
This was because the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 required councils to agree a new process for the dismissal of those post holders. As part of this the council would also need to establish a Disciplinary Panel that would have responsibility to recommend to a meeting of the council the dismissal of such post holders should evidence lead to such a conclusion. The Leader of the Council had been approached about the membership of the panel. Subsequently this had been informally discussed with members of Cabinet which had collectively felt the panel?s membership be entirely of independent persons. The report included in the event of an allegation, an outline of the proposed process to be followed.
The committee was informed that there had been a delay in presenting this report as government guidance on the regulations had been inconclusive and the council had also contacted the North West Employers Organisation (NWEO).
Following tonight a report would subsequently be presented to Cabinet on 10 February 2016 and then be subject to approval by the Council at its meeting on 2 March 2016.
The committee?s initial view was the report lacked detail for what would be a serious matter. It wondered how the proposed panel would be chosen and on what basis, ad hoc? The committee also questioned the need for separate panel, in addition to the council?s existing standards arrangements which included the Standards Committee with an independent person. This could be amended instead of creating a new body. There was significant debate with different views being expressed as to whether the Disciplinary Panel should consist entirely of independent persons, independent persons plus councillors such as the Chairman of the Standards Committee or be made up mainly of councillors. The committee was informed that the council had requested any examples of such dismissals at other authorities but information was very scarce. The government had wanted the process to be transparent and not be time consuming.
In view of the committee?s overall concerns regarding the changes proposed in the report, the chairman suggested that this matter be further considered by the committee?s Constitution Task Group, following which, a more detailed report be presented to the committee at its next meeting.
1) consideration of this the item be deferred;
2) a meeting of the Constitution Task Group (consisting of the members of the committee) be convened to discuss the council?s proposed procedures to cater for the changes to Statutory Dismissal Procedure for Protected Officers; and
3) a further report on Changes To Statutory Dismissal Procedure For Protected Officers be subsequently presented to the next meeting of the committee.
Published on Tuesday 22 December 2015
The meeting finished at 8.35pm


Location: 901 W. Oakdale Ave.
Weisman Park is located on the corner of Oakdale and Mildred in Lakeview.
This park is an ideal location for families with children to spend the day. Recently renovated the park has new ADA accessible soft-surface play area – filled with swings, a slide, picnic tables, drinking fountains, benches, and water spray feature. The landscaping offers patrons shady areas and colorful flowers in the spring time. To add a little whimsy to the landscape – a beautiful interactive fish tank mosaic was installed. It was designed by artist Martha Crandall and the Chicago Mosaic School.
While there is no structured programming taking place at this location, we invite you to check out our great programs offered at nearby Sheil Park.
Weisman Park is one of many playgrounds developed by the City of Chicago just after World War II. In 1949, the city purchased its site on Oakdale Avenue in the Lakeview neighborhood using Playground Bond funds. By 1950, the Bureau of Parks and Recreation had installed a spray pool, a sand box, and playground equipment. The city transferred the park to the Chicago Park District in 1959, along with more than 250 other properties. The playground was updated in the early 1990's and again in 2011. Known for several decades as Oakdale Park for the adjacent street, the park was renamed for local resident Albert Weisman (1915-1974) in 1983. A native of St. Louis and a journalist by trade, Weisman spent 18 years as head of public relations for Chicago advertising firm Foote, Cone, and Belding before becoming the University of Chicago's Director of Public Affairs. He was a member of the Lincoln Park Zoological Society Board of Directors and a Trustee of Columbia College, where he taught urban politics. Patriotically-inclined, Weisman may have been best known as the founder of the Wellington-Oakdale Old Glory Marching Society (WOOGMS) Parades, where "everyone marches, nobody watches." A public drinking fountain in Lincoln Park is also dedicated in his honor.


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Accountability, Advocacy, Africa, Global Poverty, Politics and Political Attention, Poverty Reduction, Pregnancy health
SUN Movement's Campaign for Fighting Malnutrition
Malnutrition accounts for nearly half of all deaths among children under five. While the majority of these deaths occur in Africa and Asia, the loss of human life due to hunger and malnutrition is a global burden. Malnourished children are more likely to get sick, suffer from abnormally severe symptoms of common illnesses and die from otherwise preventable illnesses. Thankfully, organizations such as the SUN Movement work to reduce this hunger-related child mortality rate.
Malnutrition and Infection
The link between malnutrition and infection can create a cycle wherein poorly nourished children have a weaker immune system, which in turn deteriorates their nutritional status. Malnutrition can also stunt a child's growth, predisposing them to cognitive disabilities.
Hunger and malnutrition take a particularly severe toll on the developing world, where one out of six children (about 100 million) are underweight, one in three children are stunted and 66 million children go to school hungry.
The SUN Movement
Scaling Up Nutrition, or SUN Movement, is a worldwide campaign to alleviate hunger and malnutrition. SUN aims to unite governments, the United Nations, civil society, researchers, donors and business into a cohesive movement to improve global nutrition.
Focusing on the goals established at the 2012 World Health Assembly, SUN movement identifies four strategic processes as the major institutional changes needed for scaling up nutrition worldwide:
Endorsement of National Nutrition Policies that Incorporate Best Practices. Newly enacted laws and policies should reflect proven interventions while paying special attention to women and their role in society.
Sustained Political Commitment and Establishment of Functioning Multi-stakeholder Platforms. Improving nutrition requires a political environment grounded in multi-stakeholder platforms. The dialogue around hunger and nutrition should be open, for different groups to share the responsibility of scaling up nutrition throughout the entire world.
Alignment of Actions Across Sectors and among Stakeholders. Country plans to improve nutrition should reflect frameworks of mutual responsibility and accountability among stakeholders.
Increased Resources for Nutrition and Demonstration of Results. Multiple sectors and stakeholders should increase financial resources for the implementation of plans to improve nutrition.
Each participating country is required to state specific goals and objectives for scaling up nutrition before they can partake in SUN Movement events, like the Annual Global Gathering. This event is where government leaders and multi-stakeholder groups meet to collaborate, share progress, learn from each other and offer new practices for improving nutrition.
SUN Movement has several mechanisms for maintaining oversight and staying on track to achieve its goals. The SUN Networks align resources and foster collaboration, the lead group provides strategic oversight and enforces accountability and the executive committee represents SUN Movement at the international political level. There is also a secretariat and multi-partnered trust fund.
SUN Movement acts like the United Nations for Hunger and Nutrition, with clear guiding principles to achieve goals through cooperation and collaboration. The multifaceted structure of SUN Movement accurately confronts the varied nature of hunger and malnutrition, making the organization an important player in the fight to improve nutrition worldwide.
– Jessica Levitan
October 2, 2016 /by Borgen Project
Tags: Africa, Annual Global Gathering, Asia, Scaling Up Nutrition, SUN Movement
https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg 0 0 Borgen Project https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg Borgen Project2016-10-02 01:30:522017-11-23 11:46:37SUN Movement's Campaign for Fighting Malnutrition
The Role of Leadership in Singapore's Economic Success The Working Poor: The Poverty in Ireland You Don't See

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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John C. Goodman / October 4, 2015
Republican Candidates Versus The New York Times
Why Isn't the Economy Growing Faster?
Until we entered the Great Recession, most economists regarded Keynesian economics as a relic of the past. You could still find it discussed in some introductory textbooks. But, as University of Chicago economist John Cochrane points out, it wasn't on the syllabus in any of the leading graduate schools.
Then came the most serious downturn since the Great Depression and something living economists had never seen before: interest rates that were near zero and in some cases negative. Keynes himself speculated that the economy could become stuck in a liquidity trap — where monetary policy is ineffective and only fiscal policy can stimulate the economy. Could that concept apply to the experience in recent years of the United States, Europe and Japan?
Enter Paul Krugman, the nation's leading proponent of orthodox Keynesianism. As I explained at Forbes the other day, Krugman is a true reactionary. His explanation of Keynesianism is no different than the way introductory textbooks described it 50 years ago. And since he is a good writer, you would expect his columns in the New York Times to reflect a clearly presented exposition of the theory.
Ah, but there are three problems: (1) Krugman is a hater — it's hard for him to write a column without attacking the ethics, motivations and intelligence of those who disagree with him. (2) Krugman is a partisan — he hates Republicans even more than he hates economists who differ with him. (3) He is intellectually dishonest — perhaps more so than any other economics writer in the history of the profession.
That's why if you put all of Krugman's columns side by side and try to make sense of them, you won't find a lot of sense.
Let's turn to the basics. In the Keynesian view of the world, government deficits are expansionary. They lead to greater overall spending in the economy. Balanced budgets and government surpluses are contractionary. They are "austerity" policies. Deficit spending, of course, can be produced by an increase in government spending or by a reduction in taxes.
So there you have it …. Ooops. Did you say tax cuts are expansionary? Yes. Tax cuts. In the Keynesian model a tax cut puts more money in the hands of people and when they spend it aggregate demand increases. There are no direct supply side effects in the model. Tax cuts don't get people to work more or save more or invest more. But they do get people to spend more.
You would never know any of this reading Paul Krugman's New York Times columns, however. That's not surprising. Virtually every Republican candidate for president is endorsing unpaid-for tax cuts. Large ones. If you go by the Keynesian playbook, any of these plans would cause the economy to roar forth. Somehow Krugman forgot to mention that in yesterday's column, attacking the Republican candidate's tax proposals.
Krugman has two favorite topics: austerity and Republican tax cuts. But when writing about one, he never mentions the other. In fact, when Krugman rails against tax cuts, he removes his Keynesian hat completely. It's as though he is a Keynesian only when it fits his partisan purposes.
Lately, both at his blog and in his columns and especially in [Friday's] column, Krugman has touted the fact that the repeal of the Bush tax cuts at the end of 2012 were followed by "the best job growth since the 1990s." In other words, taxes went up and the economy hardly noticed.
The casual reader would never know that at the time of the 2012 budget agreement Krugman predicted that the economy would be thrown into a double dip recession. He even went so far as to claim that 2013 would be a test of "market monetarism" (see below) versus the Keynesian view of the world. As we've already noted, Krugman was as wrong as he could be. And more than one "liberal" economist has pointed that out.
[I can remember only one other occasion when an economist so completely put his reputation on the line with a prediction in advance of a policy change. In 1968 Lyndon Johnson asked for and Congress passed a 10% surtax on personal income in order to restrain inflation. Milton Friedman publicly predicted the surtax would have no effect. Unlike Krugman, Freidman's prediction was correct.]
What about the other side of federal deficits: government spending. Krugman frequently advocates more spending on infrastructure and perhaps the need is there. But as a tool to regulate the economy, government investment in infrastructure is as far away from fine tuning as it gets. As the Wall Street Journal points out:
In 2009 the Obama administration dropped $800 billion of taxpayer cash known as the stimulus package, but as of last year a piddling $30 billion had been spent on transportation infrastructure. One reason the projects proved not as "shovel ready" as promised is that proposals must undergo extensive environmental and permitting reviews … [taking an] average six years for a major highway project to be approved.
So if fiscal policy doesn't work, what's left? Monetary policy. The leader of a new school of thought called "market monetarism" is Scott Sumner — arguably the intellectual heir to Milton Friedman in this realm. Sumner sees the business cycle as the dance of the dollar. He argues (convincingly in my opinion) that tight money caused the Great Recession and that a more expansive monetary policy is the surest way to return to faster growth.
Tony Perkins
King of the Bungle
Congress Should Ban Foreigners From Interfering in Referenda
Could DeSantis Beat Trump?


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Tunnel Light Shines The Way To Boston
"We all have time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams." ~ Jeremy Irons
We runners peddle both -- often in the same moment.
That is, the moment we cross a finish line.
Because the distance we've run, regardless of our time, leaves a memory - albeit some more fond than others, but we all still chase a dream of some sort.
Our Tunnel Light marathoners on Sunday, September 17 were without exception.
The dreams of running the Boston Marathon became more real for four of our runners - Todd Hunter, Yaya Herrera, Bonnie Scholz and Tammy Grado - as they met their gender and age group's qualifying standard for the very first time.
Little did Tammy Grado know at the time that one second of celebrating would have cost her a trip to Boston
Six others traveled to Washington state with their BQ secure - and three of them - Derek Bailey, Juan Flores and Sandra Tezino - replicated their performance.
Derek Bailey was the first Volte to make his way across the finish line.
And an eighth - Michelle McGill - recorded her 13th BQ from her last 17 marathons.
But, in the chasing of our dreams, we sometimes fail to remember that they don't always come true the first time.
Or the second time.
Or the third time.
In fact, Michelle McGill will tell you that she ran 14 marathons over five years before she recorded her first Boston Qualifier.
Officially, it was a marathon debut for Monse Louimeus, who finished in 4:23:35 -- an improvement on her 25.4-mile jaunt through The Woodlands in March in 4:29:19.
The best of the personal bests -- seven within the group - belonged to Judith Albarran, who shed 33 minutes and 39 seconds -- and maybe a few tears too - off her 5:07:32 debut marathon in Houston three years ago.
Yet we had surprises – and none of them had anything to do with a race result.
Unfortunately, a slew of work projects kept Rapha Machado from being able to join us.
Then, Carrie Hyde, who had trained as well as ever - all the way through the training cycle, heard from her appendix, which had had more than enough.
We're all grateful that it immediately demanded an audience with the finest clinicians in Montgomery County just 36 hours before she would have join the larger group on the plane to Seattle Friday morning.
Oh, we weren't done.
Of course, the only direction to go was up.
With a little help from a pilot not to be named, Jared Hoffart pulled a "Jon Walk special" – as Volte head coach and founder Bill Dwyer tipped your scribe off in his e-mail – and flew to Seattle, arriving at 2 a.m. Saturday morning and surprising his wife Lauren.
And to help everyone soak the entire 26.2-mile experience in, Debra Myers and her husband Rob and her company Enfusia supplied all of our Tunnel Light marathoners with a care package of "Muscle Soak" products.
There were 20 of us (participants, that is) – and we had a few other local runners make the trip.
One of them, the current USA Track & Field 100-mile trail champion, Ronnie Delzer, of The Woodlands, won the race in 2:34:11. His time was the fastest ever at Tunnel Light and the third fastest of the three Tunnel Marathon races since they started in 2008.
The majority of our Tunnel Light marathoners post-race!
The results from all 23 runners from our area are listed below:
4:33:53 - Judith Albarran, 37 (PR by 33 min., 39 secs.)
3:04:40 - Derek Bailey, 36 (BQ)
3:53:40 - Jon Braunersreuther, 54
4:36:33 - Kristi Chen, 50
4:04:39 - Erica Coleman, 52
3:52:45 - Mike Coleman, 52
2:34:11 - *Ronnie Delzer, 36, Vantage Point Endurance (BQ, PR)
3:17:19 - Juan Flores, 44 (BQ, PR by 5 min., 38 secs.)
One of the Volte "Bad Hombres", Juan Flores, BQ'd and PR'd again at Tunnel Light.
3:50:52 - Laura Godfrey, 42
3:51:37 - Tammy Grado, 49 (BQ, PR by 13 min., 3 secs.)
5:40:19 - Falon Gunter, 34
3:34:21 - *Yaya Herrera, 42 (BQ, PR by 24 min., 46 secs.)
Yaya Herrera looks so happy that she'll be heading to Boston; so much so, it looks like she ready to leap and fly!
4:23:43 - Lauren Hoffart, 28
3:25:20 - Todd Hunter, 49 (BQ, PR by 17 min., 23 secs.)
Todd Hunter's smile is as ecstatic - and electric - as they come.
3:21:15 - Alan Jones, 46, Finish Strong Coaching (BQ, PR)
4:23:35 - Monserrat Louimeus, 29 (PR - first official 26.2; TW was short)
3:55:29 - Michelle McGill, 50 (BQ)
3:08:21 - Mario Menendez, 42, Finish Strong Coaching (BQ, PR)
4:36:32 - Marta Mixa, 60
4:39:22 - Leanne Rosser, 48
3:39:38 - *Bonnie Scholz, 40 (BQ, PR by 31 min., 41 secs.)
3:41:04 - Sandra Tezino, 49 (BQ)
4:23:36 - Gabby Westbrook, 33
(Note: The asterisks you see above represent the runners who actually ran a Boston qualifying time at the Fidelity Investments The Woodlands Marathon in March, if Boston would have accepted adjusted times.)
Volte head coach and founder Bill Dwyer said one of the many highlights of the weekend was being at the finish line for eight Boston Qualifiers.
"Everyone worked hard and it paid off," he said. "I was so very happy for everyone."
More than a week or so after all had returned home and all of the group's qualifiers were able to register for next year's Boston Marathon, Dwyer shared about the hug (that wasn't) that might have wrecked that trip for one runner.
"Tammy Grado sent me a note saying that she almost stopped to give me a hug just before the finish," he said.
After the race, she had posted on her Facebook page, "4X a charm!! Sept 17, I Boston Qualified!!! Thank you Lord for giving me the ability and strength to run."
And what she couldn't have known then (and didn't post) …. "and to not share my enthusiasm with Bill until AFTER the race."
Tammy qualified three minutes and 23 seconds underneath her age group's qualifying standard.
The cutoff? 3:23.
"Talk about living a charmed life," Bill commented. "She's in!"
All of Volte's athletes enjoyed the scenery, weather and the camaraderie.
"I loved my trip to Tunnel Light because I got to spend time getting to know my fellow Voltes," said the youngest of our group, Lauren Hoffart. "The race itself was tough but beautiful. The course really made me feel like God was right there with me."
The focus on all that we have to be thankful to God for was shared Saturday night before the race.
Perhaps that was a byproduct of the Saturday night devotional led by Jon Braunersreuther, who serves as a mission and ministry facilitator for the Lutheran Church in the greater Houston area.
Pastor Jon led our team's devotional at our Saturday evening pasta party.
"I appreciate Leanne Rosser helping organize the Airbnb for half of the team and the pasta party," said Dwyer. "As well as Mary Carter helping me throughout the weekend and the amazing support provided by Alan Gastineau getting from point to point on the course."
Dwyer said it wasn't easy.
Alan had made the trip a year ago when Sandra Tezino and Laura Godfrey qualified for this year's Boston Marathon – and the team put the inside knowledge to use.
Sandra Tezino (right) getting her symbolic Boston ticket handed to her by Scott Sobelesky (who helped her qualify as a pacer a year ago).
It wasn't just all happening in Washington state the third weekend of September.
Volte and friends had runners in Germany, Kemah and North Dakota.
Dirk and Criss Neumann completed the Baden Half Marathon together in 2:09:16 in their hometown of Karlsruhe, Germany on Saturday, September 16.
From Germany, with love!
(Photo courtesy of the Neumanns)
Monica Moreno finished a hot Toughest 10K Kemah the next day in 1:16:44, while a quintet of our friends also finished. Erika Park led the group in a first place age group (40-44) time of 46:24.
Alvaro Trejo also kept it under an hour in 57:42 while his wife, Lusi, completed the four passes of the Kemah-Seabrook Bridge in 1:13:42.
Hector Lopez and Mario Vazquez also rounded out the group with finishing times of 1:14:06 and 1:16:43, respectively.
Volte friend Jon Walk completed his 54th career marathon, including one in his 34th state, as he finished the Bismarck (North Dakota) Marathon in 5:28:03.
He went 3:35:02 through the first 19 miles – a pace of 11:19 in mid-40 degrees temperatures, but walked the last 10K in hopes of trying to save a little to run the Virginia 10-Miler the following Saturday in Lynchburg, Virginia with his daughter, Waverly.
Sunshine Csikos Gets Hometown 5K Win
Charity starts at home or better yet, in your hometown.
"I was in Waco visiting family and found out about a race to benefit the scholarship fund at my alma mater, La Vega High School," said Mike Csikos. "I thought it would be fun to support my school and run through my old stomping grounds in Bellmead."
Like any number of us would do, Sunshine found himself on the start line Saturday, October 7 for the La Vega High School Foundation 5K.
"I learned that the La Vega Pirate Foundation gives out over $40,000 annually in scholarships and educational support for deserving students," he added.
Given that the school's cross country athletes were a week away from their district meet, Mike realized that "you just never know what type of field is going to show-up for these smaller events."
He said that it's been a long time since he's run a 5K and had no expectations on his performance other than to give a good steady effort.
And he did so -- better than everyone else.
"I was able to lead the pack," Mike said. "It was so cool to have a police escort which made me feel like an "elite" runner for 3.1 miles. I ran a 22:19, finished in first and loved every minute of it."
Even better for Mike was that he had the opportunity to visit with some of his teachers and former classmates, which he said was nice.
"It was a good morning of why I love to run," he added.
In keeping with the charitable theme, we follow Greg Nettleton to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and his debut effort at the 26.2-mile distance.
"The Chicago Marathon was harder than I expected," he said. "But I ran and finished for Diana Nettleton raising over $4,000 to help Finish MS."
Some of our Volte friends made the trip to the Windy City too.
Mary-Ellen Wilderman-Hay finished her third marathon of 2017 with a personal best of 3:39:40 -- and her second BQ of the year.
One of our endurance community's true gentlemen, Ironman John Laskowski of Team Strive, Outrival Racing and now Mach 5 Racing, notched a marathon personal best as well with a showing of 3:59:10.
Rebecca Hughes finished in 4:10:12 while Ernest "Bartenderx" Oropeza stopped the clock in 4:43:19.
A couple of our athletes were at other marathons than Chicago on Sunday, October 8 and added to their marathon counts in different states.
Steven Lopez picked up state #16 by finishing the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 5:57:19.
"Pennsylvania is in the books!" said Steven. "Very humid. Just jogged this one and enjoyed the fall colors."
A little further to the northeast found Derek Bailey punching out state #20 in Rhode Island.
In Portsmouth was the Amica Newport Marathon where Derek finished in 3:27:47.
"Trash fire. Don't go to a trash fire," was his only comment.
Some of us, though, would set a landfill ablaze for a time like that!
In all seriousness, we've all had that race - or two - were it just wasn't our day, but we add it to our toolbox of experiences to draw on at some other time.
And there are other times that we know it maybe isn't the wisest thing to race, while on the back end of an illness (your scribe speaking from experience).
However, there are reasons it's important to take a measured risk and compete.
That's so we not let teammates down.
If anybody in the last six weeks had the right to take a pass, it would be Amanda Cruise.
But Amanda had a pair of teammates that had been preparing for quite some time for last Sunday's Kemah Olympic Distance Triathlon Relay.
Still looking tough despite taking it easy is Amanda Cruise.
(Photo courtesy of Bayou City Race Series)
She figured she could take it easy on her run relay portion and still contribute.
And Amanda helped deliver a first place relay team victory.
Cruise-Zajac-Brokish covered the 1,500-meter swim (38:04), 40-kilometer bike (1:09:52) and 10-kilometer run in 2:31:20 with Amanda making her leg happen in 39:14.
Then nearly 20 Voltes and a handful of our friends made the trek out west for the second annual Texas 10 Cypress.
Brayden Park was the first of our runners across the line in 29:45 in the 5K.
If that time seems a little long, it is -- as runners missed a turn and ended up with a bit of bonus mileage going more than 3.1 miles.
Letty Gonzalez completed the unkown distance in 40:38, taking second place in her age group to go with Brayden's first place performance.
Gregg Harris crossed the five-mile finish line first with a 37:49 first place age group showing.
Brian Hanyzewski did so in 47:50 while Gabby Brockett, Tammy Ninke (:44) and Tabitha Young (:46) all finished within a second or two of each other in 1:07:43.
Tabitha picked up $50 in the post-race cash drawings while our friends from Huntsville Ray and Diana Sarno both completed the five-mile race in 1:05:16.
A pair of first-place age group and third-place age group finishes were won in the marquee 10-mile race.
Ninth overall, Rip Reynolds was fast at the front in 1:09:55 for one of the two first place efforts while Kimberly Simmons - seventh among all females -- secured the other one in 1:18:50.
Jerritt Park and Keri Amador were the third place winners in 1:17:06 and 1:22:40, respectively.
Focused and determined was Keri Amador, which netted her a third place age group placement.
Randy Harris notched a nice time of 1:13:49 in a tough age group.
Laura Hanyzewski kept things steady with a 1:34:05 finish while Katie Gill bettered her previous 10-mile best by a minute and five seconds with a 1:52:50 showing -- beating last year's mark that she had at Memorial Hermann Ten For Texas.
Desna McDonald and Lisa Johnson smiled all of the way to finishes of 2:01:42 and 2:03:11 while Alfredo Gonzalez stoicly ran the distance in 2:20:50.
Volte friend Michael Menster was first in his age group in 1:07:45, while Mary Garcia and Ken Johnson ran in 1:28:41 and 2:23:13, respectively.
Cole Harris and Brayden Park closed the morning by going 1-2 in the Lil' Texas Kids 1-mile race with an estimated finishing time of about 7 minutes even. The two were five seconds apart as Brayden followed Cole across the finish line.
Posted by Volte Endurance at 12:24 PM No comments:
IM 70.3 Augusta Peachy Keen For Mike Kuykendall
Writing the Volte recaps is a lot like race announcing: You're thrown a diverse set of data (or people running towards you at the finish line) and the challenge is to make it as good or better than the effort that everybody exerted.
Always a fun challenge to accept, though. It's why we're here, right?
Augusta, Georgia is home of the Masters golf tournament.
For you non-golfers or sportsmen even, it is the most prestigious golf tournament in the world.
The winners are given a green jacket to wear after they win.
They get to choose the meal for all of the participants at the next year's Tournament.
You want fried chicken? You got it.
Pretty heady stuff, huh?
Of course, for most triathletes, the holy grail of the sport is the Ironman World Championships in Kailea-Kona, Hawaii.
For our Mike Kuykendall, he'll be the first to tell you that – for the time being – IM 70.3 Augusta was his Kona.
Yes, Mike, you gunned out the IM 70.3 August course. Congratulations!
(Photo courtesy of Mike Kuykendall)
He approached his most arduous race with the same type of preparation, skill development, training and pre-event race selection that many of triathlon's professionals do.
We've certainly been impressed with our front row seat to Mike's journey.
While Augusta sits just 135 feet above sea-level, Wikipedia states that Augusts has a "humid subtropical climate".
Mike said that he would be the first one to attest to that.
Having done a half marathon in Augusta to check off Georgia myself, I can attest that Augusta is laid out – elevation-wise – a lot like Huntsville State Park: the elevation change is fairly constant.
It is why Mike faced 1,700 feet of elevation gain on the bike.
However, for somebody that was told that many years ago that he wouldn't be able to physically accomplish all that he has today, his description of the day was even more worthwhile.
"What an awesome Ironman experience," he said. "Trusted my training and beat my anticipated time en route to a personal best on the swim and the bike legs.
"Too hot and humid (91 degrees) for me to do much speed on the run."
He covered the 1.2-mile swim in the Savannah River in 37:55 and knocked off the 56-mile bike portion in 3:15:20.
Mike's half marathon time was 2:36:35.
"The three mantras of the day became 'Work on the mile you're in', 'Be in the moment' and Philippians 4:13," said Mike.
The day before, Saturday, September 23, our runners faced hills and turns.
Waverly Walk drew the hills card at the 44th annual Virginia 10-Miler in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she studied Elementary Education at Liberty University.
Waverly Walk finishing her fourth straight Virginia 10-Miler.
(Free courtesy race photos from triduo.com)
It was her fourth time to run the race, but the first time she traveled to it – and not as rested as she had been previously.
Despite a quick start down Farm Basket Hill, a result of getting positioned in front of (instead of behind in previous years) a string of 10 runners that were running the 4-miler abreast carrying the flags of the different branches of military, she would be the first to admit that it also wasn't her day.
She still finished in 1:50-even, better than in her sophomore and junior years but about two minutes off last year's time as a senior.
The turns, featured in the Woodforest Charity Run 10K in Conroe, were managed well by Rip Reynolds.
He captured his age group in 40:42, while Volte friend Vincent Attanucci was second in his in 52:45.
The next morning started in Blackfield, Hampshire, England where the Smith family – Jen and the kids – participated in the Solent Half Marathon and a companion 800-meter dash.
This may be a candidate for Volte Race Photo of the Year as Hope Smith brings her Mom in from a tough half.
(Photo courtesy of Jen Smith)
"Good news and bad news," Jen said. "Respectable finish in 1:43:11. Bad news was that I got nauseous at mile 4 and walked/ran the last nine."
She reported that Grayson was first in the 800, Hope was fourth and Michaela was sixth.
On this side of the pond, Penny Garza made the trip to the Run Houston Race Series event at the University of Houston and finished the 5K in 42:11.
The bulk of Volte was at Texas 10 Series Huntsville.
Twelve ran the marquee 10-mile race, three ran the five-mile and Brayden Park doubled up running the 5K and the one-mile race.
All alone - even with an untied shoe - is Brayden Park.
After posting a second in his age group time of 25:09 in the 5K, Brayden put the burners on for a first place, 6:20 personal best in the mile race.
Our five milers ran fairly close together.
Katie Gill completed the course in 54:41 while Naika Vargas and her niece, Maria Rivera, who was visiting from Venezuela, both finished in 57:07.
Naika Vargas running with her niece, Maria Rivera.
Maria took home a second-place age group award for her efforts.
Kimberly Simmons was our only first place age group winner with a 1:20:10 time.
A group of four took second in their divisions – Rip Reynolds in 1:10:38, Keri Amador in 1:25:18, Dana Formon in 1:30:41 and George Rux in 1:32:00.
"I was very pleased," said George. "The race plan went well. I had a negative split and finished strong."
Only 26 of the 181 finishers ran a negative split – and 15 of them ended up on the podium.
George's negative split was 59 seconds while Kimberly was the only other Volte to do so with an eight-second improvement on the back half of the course.
Jerritt Park finished in 1:23:55 while Layton Gill got ready for the Medtronics Twin Cities Marathon with a time of 1:30:10.
Denise Powers led the rest of Volte's women with a time of 1:34:16 with Laura Hanyzewski in chase, finishing in 1:36:12.
Desna McDonald raced Lisa Johnson to the finish and got the better end – this time. Desna stopped the clock in 2:03:38, while Lisa had Desna in sight in 2:04:06.
"Too much fun; no such thing!" is the motto of Desna and Lisa as they finish Texas 10 Series Huntsville
(Photo by Bill Dwyer)
Mr. Steady, Alfredo Gonzalez, took on the hills in 2:29:15.
Alfredo put 23 seconds on one of our friends, Ken Johnson from Huntsville, who finished in 2:29:38, while Mike Menster was the first overall men's master finisher in 1:05:30.
Running With The Gills In The Land Of 10,000 Lakes
Your loyal scribe is behind.
And, yes, I've been called another word for "behind" by a couple of people here and there, but we'll get caught up by going back in time week after week.
Given the majority of our group two weeks before had competed in the Tunnel Light Marathon in Washington state, that meant the spotlight the weekend of September 30-October 1 was all on Layton Gill.
The marathon spotlight, that is.
Because alongside every good man is a good woman, Katie Gill got the running in Minnesota two weekends ago started by running in the TC 10K – one of three companion events to the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.
"Look ya'll, no hands!" says Layton Gill near mile 7 of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
(Photo courtesy of Katie Gill)
She set the table for Layton by burning up the roads for a time of 1:05:05 – a great outcome that was a result of the diligent summer work at the track.
"This was a great finish time for Katie," said Volte founder and coach Bill Dywer.
The pressure was now on Layton.
And better than LSU's sputtering offense this fall, he delivered a performance Coach O would have been proud of.
Everybody here with Volte certainly was.
Layton cracked the 4:30 barrier with a 14 minute, 44 second personal best time of 4:29:50.
His debut marathon was earlier this year at the Chevron Houston Marathon in 4:44:34.
And he did so in conditions that were very Minnesota-like, according to Katie.
"Rain and hills, hills, hills," is how she described it on Layton's Facebook page.
He concurred.
"Beautiful course and so much crowd support," Layton said. "It just felt like we kept going up hill. It was an interesting course."
He quipped to his wife near mile 22 that "there has to be a downhill soon."
Volte friends Ben and Kim Chojacki also competed in the Twin Cities Marathon, posting times of 3:59:11 and 4:02:37, respectively.
Back to Texas later that evening was the tenth installment of The Woodlands Running Club Sunday Night 5K at Barbara Bush Elementary.
A small turnout, but one of great quality, of course.
Jerritt Park led the way with a 20:57 finish. Leanne Rosser led all of the ladies with a time of 26:08.
Leanne slowed down for just a second for us to read the saying on her singlet!
Friends? We always have friends come out.
Our sponsor, Lindsay Perkins, of Fleet Feet Sports, came out with her husband Jim and the two of them completed the course in 36:49 and 37:18, respectively.
Lindsay found a little time from her job as Marketing Director for Fleet Feet Sports of Greater Houston to come run with us.
Ken Johnson of the Seven Hills Running Club made the drive down from Huntsville to finish in 38:39.
Having missed the change in start time from 5 p.m. to 4 p.m., fellow "run every day" streaker Vincent Attanucci of The Woodlands ran an impromptu mile run of 9:15.
During the weekend, some of our friends ran in the Blazing 7's Trail 100K in Cat Springs on Saturday, September 30.
Irma Torres covered the 62 miles in 20 hours, four minutes and one second (20:04:01).
Luis Murillo opted for the much shorter 10K and took first place in 45 minutes and four seconds (45:04).
Posted by Volte Endurance at 7:50 AM No comments:
Running With The Gills In The Land Of 10,000 Lakes...


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text:
Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Full Auto 2: Battlelines Review
The high speed car combat title hits some big potholes on the PSP.
By Jeff Haynes
Updated: 13 May 2012 10:15 pm
Posted: 22 Mar 2007 2:14 am
The Full Auto
Full Auto 2: Battlelines - Playstation 3
$25.50on Amazon
franchise has always tried to deliver motorized mayhem, destructible environments, and plenty of cars strapped with powerful weaponry. While the car combat concept has been done before, the series tried to stretch the genre with the Unwreck ability, which provided players with the opportunity to avoid mistakes made on the road. The high speed battles have raged on the Xbox 360 and the PS3, and now they're coming to the PSP with Full Auto 2: Battlelines. But does it take first place or suffer from blown tires?
Like many other racing titles, the primary thrust of the game revolves around the career mode's practically non-existent storyline. After a number of natural disasters decimate the population of the world, humanity creates a sentient supercomputer called SAGE to solve mankind's problems. To counteract the machine, a rebellious organization starts staging violent races around the world, with the overall first prize being control of the group itself. Players take on the role of a racer looking to prove themselves in this underground racing scene, taking on various events and racers to prove that they're the best in the world.
Expect+to+race+through+some+tight+quarters+in+Battlelines.
However, the story doesn't ever come into play when you're racing around, blowing up cars and destroying opponents. With the exception of a few text screens scattered around at random intervals during the career mode, there's no development of the story at all. As a result, you'll feel let down and cheated out of a true ending, since you'll only receive a quick text screen telling you of your "accomplishment." There is a mild amount of flexibility when it comes to playing through the career mode -- you can choose any territory you want to explore at any time, and can specifically complete half of the events in a location before you face off against the "boss" racer. Unfortunately, since fully completing every event only takes six hours, this method of shortcutting your way through the career mode makes it feel even shallower.
Regardless of whether or not you attempt to complete every contest in career mode, or you enter the single Event Attack mode, you'll take part in one of three different kinds of races. Circuit races give you a specific number of laps to complete before the competition is over. Point to Point races are outright sprints through the city, while Arena mode throws cars in an enclosed space as they attempt to destroy each other. Each race type has its own win conditions that you're forced to complete before time runs out, such as getting a specific number of kills, destroying a large number of environmental objects or finishing in a specific position. In theory, this would provide a certain level of flexibility when it comes to passing an event, as you wouldn't need to be first over the finish line to still win that race.
Trashing+your+opponent's+ride+is+only+one+way+to+win+a+race.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work as well as it should, primarily because most events have at least two separate conditions, most of which are easily accomplishable within the first minute of that track. Even when the game starts stacking numerous conditions on top of each other so you've literally got five separate tasks to complete, you're given plenty of time and opportunity to finish all of these objectives without breaking a sweat. What's more, since there's no way to adjust the difficulty of the game to increase the challenge of each event, you'll probably wind up blowing through both Career and Event Attack modes and never return. Don't expect to unlock any special extras either, because the gallery is already accessible as soon as you start the game. Even stranger is the fact that the game technically allows for cheats to be input, but you have no way to actually insert them.
If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, learn more.
DeveloperPseudo Interactive
PublisherSEGA
PlatformsPlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable
Is This Xbox Series X Photo Our First Real Look at the Ports?
The Witcher Looks to Be a Ratings Hit for Netflix


text:
Lin Cheung (Crafts Magazine)
By the age of 10, Lin Cheung, had made cushions, curtains and bed linen for her own bedroom, using sewing skills inherited from her mother, but didn't see craft as something you might make a living from. "My mum was very talented, but in our family craft skills were for fulfilling practical needs." The third daughter of Chinese parents from Hong Kong, Cheung was born in the UK and grew up in Wiltshire, where her father ran a Chinese take-away. It would take a BTEC National Diploma at the University of Southampton for her to realise that craft could be a career. "Visiting my metalwork teacher's studio opened my eyes to a completely different way of life," she says. "I knew from that moment that I wanted to make things for a living."
A book called The New Jewellery by Peter Dormer and Ralph Turner, discovered during her BA in Wood, Metal, Ceramics and Plastics at the University of Brighton, focused that ambition into a desire to make jewellery. "Opening that book for the first time was profound," she explains. "The images were powerful and the work was technically incredible, but crucially, it was unlike any jewellery I had ever even imagined. It blew my mind." Brighton was also where Cheung developed her ideas-led approach. "When you talk to people about jewellery, they launch into memories and emotion before they talk about form or materials," she says. "It is deep in human nature to imbue objects with meaning." An MA in Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery at the Royal College followed and visiting lecturer Onno Boekhoudt opened her eyes to the potential scope of a jewellery artist. "It was like finding a spiritual home for my thinking and making," she says.
Photo: Lin Cheung
Today Cheung's making process is very direct – and despite the advice she gives her students (she is a senior lecturer on the Jewellery and Textiles Programme at Central Saint Martins), she rarely sketches. "I just feel around, often working on a few ideas at a time, until a finished piece pops out," she says. It's clearly a process that works – she has won an Arts Foundation Award (2001) and a Jerwood Contemporary Makers Award (2008) among many others, exhibited all over the world, and designed the London 2012 Paralympic Games medal.
And now she's been shortlisted for the Women's Hour Craft Prize with Delayed Reactions, a series of politically motivated brooches exploring gemstone carving. The first piece was Confused, a pin badge made from blue lapis lazuli inlaid with gold stars depicting a bemused face. "I am not overtly political," she says. "But following the EU referendum, I wanted to put all of my thoughts and feelings into a piece, just for me." Other brooches include more interpretations of the EU flag as well as the US flag, and explorations of what pin badges say about the people who wear them. She describes being shortlisted for the prize as the highlight of her career, but as for winning, she says, "I couldn't even imagine that." Having been supported by the Crafts Council throughout her career, she does concede that it would be an endorsement of their investment. "It would be a lovely way to acknowledge that – I simply wouldn't have got this far without their support."
Photo: Nick Clements
You can buy Issue 268 of Crafts Magazine here.


PITTSFIELD — A small business that uses software to broker rare coin and stamp sales on eBay is worried the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair may put him out of business if Congress doesn't pass a fix.
Joe Cortese, the owner of NobleSpirit in Pittsfield, is worried. Since the Supreme Court's Wayfair decision, which requires sellers to collect and pay out-of-state sales tax when the buyer is in a tax district with a sales tax, he said he is potentially liable to pay sales taxes in more than 10,000 tax districts across the country, which is too much for him to handle.
And he said the decision could overturn one of the biggest advantages of doing business in New Hampshire; the absence of a broad-based sales tax.
"I would love to know what's going to happen to New Hampshire and our tax-free status," Cortese said.
He said his business makes about $3 million each year, which he said places him within the traditional definition of small business, defined by revenues under $5 million.
While many of the specific ways this decision could affect his business remains unclear, Cortese said one thing is certain; he can't make software smart enough to account for the ever-shifting tax rates and product definitions of 10,000 different jurisdictions.
"It's a physical, literal impossibility," he said.
But his company is too small to hire a sizeable accounting department with the staff needed to ensure NobleSpirit complies with all the varied tax laws, he says — such an expense would likely put the company at a net revenue loss.
He said he is "absolutely" at risk of going out of business if there are no legislative solutions designed to protect small businesses like his. And he doesn't think he's alone.
Cortese has an apocalyptic vision of the American economy imploding into another recession or depression if small businesses are required to incur unreasonable costs required to comply with the new ruling.
That's because a majority of employer businesses are small businesses with fewer than 500 employees.
NobleSpirit is not only a seller of rare coins, stamps and other collectibles, it also makes a software program called Meridian which automates and streamlines the process of posting products on eBay, capturing consumer data, completing the sales and shipping.
As a result, Cortese said he would be responsible for not only collecting the taxes from his own sales, but those of thousands of other subscribers who use his software.
He's been in business since 1998 and created the first Meridian program in 2002. Cortese said they had about 4,000 subscribers to that program. They are currently in the process of redesigning and modernizing the platform, which will be ready for release soon.
On top of the technical burdens of the new requirements, Cortese also has a philosophical problem with paying taxes in a jurisdiction where his company has no physical presence and, therefore, no say in how the tax dollars are spent. It's taxation without representation, he said.
Cortese supports a bipartisan bill in Congress authored by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) that would provide some clarity and prohibit states from requiring sales taxes from companies that make less than $10 million in annual sales.
But even if that passes, he said it would discourage companies from growing past that $10 million mark, which he said is bad for him and bad for the country.


Food Security – This is one of the greatest challenges the global community faces. Since most of the western world's current diet relies on a limited number of crops for its major ingredients, any unpredictable changes in agriculture, such as climate change, urbanization or water shortages can lead to serious food shortage problems. As a potential solution to this critical issue, researchers see an increase in lesser-known, but highly nutritional foods on our tables. Food service vendors are using more exotic or ancient grains and produce – such as teff and breadfruit — and this will expand to retail products. Many of these new foods are loaded with nutrients. They're known as "superfoods," which are even more appealing to health-conscious consumers. Contact Soo Ahn, sahn82@ufl.edu, or 352-294-3909.
Blockchain – Get ready to see blockchain protocol to enhance traceability of foods in the supply chain. That means all handlers throughout the system can see how, when and where the products went from farm to table, allowing for complete transparency. No one can make a change without everyone knowing and agreeing. Contact Jeff Brecht, jkbrecht@ufl.edu, or 352-273-4778.
Fruit Variety Matters — Consumers are learning what chefs have known for years – that there is a lot of variation in the color, texture, flavor and sometimes even nutritional value among fruits and vegetables. Probably the best-known example of this increasing trend is apples. Did you know that there are more than 7,000 varieties of apples? The diversity is staggering. On average, 69 percent of U.S. consumers buy apples. As a result, grocers are likely going to expand their varieties to attract more discerning consumers. Contact Danielle Treadwell, ddtreadw@ufl.edu or 352-273-4775.
"Free-From" Foods — With more people affected by food allergens and other things they can't tolerate, more food companies are expanding "free-from" foods than ever. These include foods that are free of meat, eggs, dairy, allergens and gluten. They also include vegan food. While food allergies are an important contributor in this trend, lifestyle choices also drive free-from products, especially for vegan or meat-free foods. With increasing demand for free-from products, especially among the millennials, this trend will continue. New, alternative ingredients will be developed and tested by food manufacturers, and diverse new products will be introduced to the market. Contact Soo Ahn, sahn82@ufl.edu, or 352-294-3909.


text:
Q: Image brightness for big images c# I use this link to add my program the capability to adjust the brightness of the image. This code is ok but it takes time to adjust the brightness(Image file size 1.8mb). When I try the lower quality image it instantly adjusts the image(Image file size 100KB). Is there any efficient way to adjust the brightness of the image.

A: The code seems to use GetPixel and SetPixel on regular Bitmaps. This is a bad idea because it is so slow.
To manipulate a single pixel of a Bitmap it must be locked (which Get/SetPixel do behind the scenes) and doing it on a pixel by pixel basis means that for a 1000x1000 sized image a million locking/unlocking operations must be performed. This creates an enormous overhead.
Method one
One way to avoid this is to lock the whole bitmap with the LockBits function. Now we can loop over the pixels and modify them.
Two notes about this method:

*

*What we now access are the raw bytes of each pixel, that is each channel separately: either BGR or BGRA, depending on the pixel format. This means that the channels are physically reversed from the usual RGB/ARGB format of the Color methods.

*To loop over the physical bitmap pixel rows we also need to add some stride to each row, which pads the rows to a multiple of 4 bytes. Also see here
For some examples you may want to browse over some of these posts. Note especially this one which uses a delegate to allow for flexible operations!
(Note that several of the posts use 2 or even 3 locked bitmaps because they aim at combining images..)
Method two
Another way to get around the overhead of locking pixels one by one are ready-made bitmap classes that help by locking themselves as a whole. Here and here are examples I didn't try myself.
Method three
Finally there is a very elegant method for image manipulation, which is both rather simple and really fast; also professionally crafted for best results: You can set up a ColorMatrix.
It will let you change brightness, gamma, hues and then some. Here is a very nice introduction.
The only drawback is, that is limited to some fixed operations, so you can't create custom filters for other fancy stuff, like photoshop-type layer modes or others,  especially those that need to process neighbouring pixels e.g. for blurring..
But if all you want is changing brightness, this is what I would recommend!

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The most financially wise way to own a car is to keep it as long as possible. While our friends at Consumer Reports have their predictions as to what models will reach beyond the 200,000-mile mark, a new study from iSeeCars reveals a different list -- one that's dominated by trucks and SUVs.
Unlike the Consumer Reports list that predicts reliability based on previous model years of certain vehicles, some of which have undergone significant changes in both the powertrain and technology department, iSeeCars take a longitudinal study approach to the same question.


I grew up in a loving, Christian home. I was saved as a young girl and rededicated my life in my teens. I went to college and returned home to begin teaching as a special education teacher, my dream job. I also volunteered and worked with my church youth and grew in my relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ. I greatly desired to follow Jesus and spent the next several years following His leading and developing a closer walk with Him.
In my mid 20's I sought a change and adventure and moved away from my childhood home. I continued teaching and attending church but allowed my relationship with the Lord to weaken. I married and moved to several different states with my husband over the next several years. I began to put my trust and happiness in my husband and not first in the Lord. When I was expecting my first child I realized that my first focus should be on my Lord and Savior and began to allow God to truly work in my heart. I learned to place my joy and happiness in Him, not expecting another human to be responsible and carry the weight for my happiness and joy. We moved back to SC and had a second child. Over the next few years my marriage became increasingly rocky and tumultuous, resulting in a divorce.
My children and I received therapy over the next several years to deal with our painful and traumatic experiences. At the time we started therapy I was not able to find counseling through a Christian or Christian-based counselor. Several years later I met Melanie Watt. She had just begun a Christian-based equine therapy program for children and youth and thus began our journey with Hope Remains.
After my divorce, someone shared with me that she had experienced a painful situation too and she hoped and prayed she would heal but not forget so she could help others because of her experiences. At first I thought that was crazy, but the Lord placed that desire in my heart too. So, I began to pray that the Lord would one day allow me and my children to heal from the trauma experienced in my marriage but to remember the pain and experiences so that I might be able to help others in similar situations. There were many times I was so filled with pain, bitterness, and anger that I didn't think I would ever be okay again or that I would ever heal from the trauma. However, as I continued to learn to trust and lean on God, He brought tremendous healing, hope and blessings to me and my children. He works in such mighty and wondrous ways that are so beyond our human understanding!
Fast forward 7 years; I have remarried a wonderful Christian man and my children are doing well and have been adopted by my husband. After 18 years in special education I felt the Lord was calling me to something different. With great excitement, after significant searching and praying by my family and me, God opened the doors for me to become a staff member at Hope Remains in the parenting program. The Lord has blessed me with my desire to serve Him, using my painful experiences to serve families who are hurting by bringing them the hope and healing that comes through the love of Jesus Christ.


text:
Treasure of Monte Cristo(1949)
Overview Full Credits Full Synopsis Notes Music Screenplay Info
Original Print Info Genre Keywords
User Reviews Other Reviews Articles Money Awards Quotes Trivia Home Video Reviews Misc Notes Alternate Versions Theatrical Aspect Ratio Fan Sites
FOR Treasure of Monte Cristo (1949) YOU CAN
This modern tale borrows from an old story in establishing Langan, who works on a ship that docks in San Francisco, as a descendant of the Count of Monte Cristo. Crooked Lawyer Brodie sets up a scheme to get at the treasure of Langan's famed ancestor, and using the beautiful blonde Jergens, tries to lure Langan into a trap. Langan proves worthy of his heritage, using a gun instead of a sword, and wins legitimately both his forturne and Jergens.
After slipping a letter addressed to Edmund Dantes into a mailbox, a man is viciously struck over the head and then searched by his assailant. Meanwhile, at the San Francisco waterfront, Ed, a second mate whose boat has just docked, hurries to visit the Torecellis, the Italian family who reared him after the death of his mother. While walking along a deserted street, Ed hears a woman scream and comes to her defense, driving away her attackers. After hopping on a trolley car, the two proceed to a café, where the woman introduces herself as heiress Jean Turner and explains that her assailants were two guards from the asylum to which her guardian had committed her in order to insure that she would never collect her inheritance. Jean continues that she will inherit her late father's fortune after she marries or turns twenty-five, and that her guardian plans to eliminate her before she can do either. Ed offers to walk Jean back to her hotel, and when they approach the door to her room, the lights inside switch off, indicating an intruder inside. After fleeing to a nearby bus station, Jean begs Ed to marry her for a period of three months until she can collect her inheritance. Ed, who harbors romantic notions about love and marriage, is reluctant at first, but soon changes his mind, and the two then board a bus to Reno where they are promptly married. The next morning, Jean tearfully regrets her hasty marriage and Ed tries to comfort her. After the phone rings, Jean sends Ed to the lobby to buy her a package of cigarettes and gives him a gun to carry for protection. Upon returning to the room, Ed finds Jean missing and a message with the address of the sanitarium scrawled in lipstick across the mirror. Hurrying back to San Francisco, Ed immediately proceeds to the address, climbs up a column to the second story and slips in through a window. After Ed clumsily knocks over a lamp, a man enters the room and is shot by an unseen assassin. Hastily climbing back down to the street, Ed is accosted by two policemen and arrested. At the Homicide Bureau, Lt. Michael Perry is skeptical of Ed's story that he was trying to rescue his wife from a sanitarium, and points out to Ed that the building is actually a boardinghouse. Perry also informs Ed that the assassin's bullet was the same caliber as those in the gun he was carrying. When the police produce the real Jean Turner, Ed realizes that she is not the woman he married and that he has been framed. Soon after, the police locate the woman Ed did marry, a stenographer also named Jean Turner, who denies Ed's story of danger and kidnapping and claims that she foolishly married Ed in Reno because she was drunk. Jailed on a charge of murder, Ed is represented by attorney Earl Jackson. When Jean comes to visit Ed, Jackson cautions him that Jean is his adversary and advises him not to see her. Upon returning home, Jean is met by an enraged Jackson, who slaps her and orders her to stay away from Ed. Jackson's incompetent defense and refusal to put Jean on the witness stand results in Ed being found guilty and sentenced to die in the gas chamber. As he awaits transfer to San Quentin, Ed receives a letter from Henry Mason, written on the back of a warehouse receipt made out to Ed's late father. The contents, some worthless building materials, had been shipped thirty years before from Marseilles, France. In the letter, Mason writes that it is vitally important for Ed to get in contact with him. Knowing little about his family, Ed questions Papa Torecelli and his sons Tony and Carlo, who recall that after Ed's father was killed during World War I, his mother brought her son to the United States and died shortly thereafter of influenza. Ed then shows the Torecellis Mason's letter and asks them to investigate. Soon after, the Torecellis inform Ed that the warehouse is loaded with junk and that Mason was struck down and paralyzed on the day that the letter was postmarked. When Ed discovers that Mason's office is in the same building as Jackson's, he begins to suspect that Jackson was involved in framing him and outlines a plan for the Torecellis to free him when the sheriff's car transports him to San Quentin. As the car nears the Golden Gate Bridge, Tony and Carlo shoot out its tires, and when the guards stop, Ed escapes to meet the Torecellis' waiting car. Donning a business suit, Ed instructs Carlo and Tony to follow Jean while he hides out at the Fairmont Hotel under an alias. Later, Ed encounters Jean in the café they visited when they first met, and questions her. Declaring that she has fallen in love with him, Jean explains that Jackson, her employer, had been blackmailing her for a minor crime that she committed and forced her to join him in his scheme to defraud heirs of their inheritances. After discovering that Ed was the beneficiary of a large fortune, Jackson arranged for him to meet and marry Jean and then framed him for the murder of Benson, the man who originally possessed the warehouse receipt. Jean then hands Ed the key to Jackson's office and volunteers to go the police. Deciding to visit Mason at the hospital, Ed learns from the paralyzed man's eye signals that Jackson attacked him and that there is something of value in the warehouse. After Ed leaves the hospital, Jackson learns that he had been to visit Mason. True to her word, Jean tells her story to the police, prompting the district attorney to reopen the case. As Jean leaves the police station, Jackson's stooge Tyson forces her into Jackson's car. After Ed hears a report over the radio about Jean's disappearance and Mason's murder, he sneaks into Jackson's office and discovers a clipping in the lawyer's files describing the jewels of Monte Cristo and discovers that he is a descendant of that illustrious family. Ed hears Jackson at the office door, and takes cover. Sensing Ed's presence, Jackson sets a trap for him by mentioning to Tyson that Jean is being held hostage at the Apex warehouse. After following Ed to the warehouse, Jackson takes him prisoner just as the police, who have been trailing Jean, burst in. Ed escapes Jackson's clutches, and in the ensuing shootout with Lt. Perry, Jackson is killed. Exonerated, Ed examines his possessions in the warehouse and discovers a treasure in jewels concealed in the chandeliers. Papa Torecelli then invites everyone to a joyous celebration at his house.
William Berke Director
Glenn Langan Edmund Dantes
Adele Jergens Jean Turner
Steve Brodie Earl Jackson
Robert Jordan Tony Torecelli
Michael Whalen Lt. Michael Perry
George Davis District Attorney
Margia Dean Nurse
Sidney Melton Tyson
Brian O'Hara Jailer
Robert Boon Boatswain
Jeritza Novak Miss Jean Turner
Jimmy O'Neil Pawnbroker
Ralph Black Assistant Director
Leonard Shapiro Assistant Director
George Green Dialogue Director
Curtis Jarrett Deputy sheriff
Charles Reagen Bailey
Larry Barton Hotel clerk
Rube Schaffer Roberts
Don Junior Bellboy
Michael Vallon Papa Torecelli
John Power Norris
Jamesson Shade Henry Mason
Johnny Casino Carlo Torecelli
Kem Tang Chinese waiter
Benjamin Kline Director of Photography
Perry Finnerman Camera Operator
Buddy Longworth Stills
Aubrey Wisberg Orig story and scr
Jack Pollexfen Orig story and scr
Robert L. Lippert Presented By
Leonard S. Picker Producer
Aubrey Wisberg Associate Producer
Jack Pollexfen Associate Producer
Stanley Frazen Film Editor
Albert Glasser Music
Ray Mercer Special Effects
Frank and Imbach Miss Jergens' wardrobe: Suits by
Sarah Simon Dresses by
Joe Cohn Hats by
Richard Van Hessen Sound
Mary Chaffee Script Supervisor
C. O. Morris Grip
MPAA Ratings: Premiere Info: not available
Release Date: 1949 Production Date: Comm--Saturday Showcase; AFI
Color/B&W: Black and White Distributions Co: Screen Guild Productions, Inc.
Sound: Mono Production Co: Lippert Productions, Inc.
Duration(mins): 76 or 78 Country: United States
Duration(feet): 6,985
Duration(reels): 8


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text:
Organisational Virtue, Moral Attentiveness, and the Perceived Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility in Business: The Case of UK HR Practitioners
Dawson, David (2018) Organisational Virtue, Moral Attentiveness, and the Perceived Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility in Business: The Case of UK HR Practitioners. Journal of Business Ethics, 148 (4). pp. 765-781. ISSN 0167-4544
Text (Peer reviewed version)
BUSI-D-15-00138 Revised 2.docx - Accepted Version
Available under License All Rights Reserved.
Official URL: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-01...
Examination of the application of virtue ethics to business has only recently started to grapple with the measurement of virtue frameworks in a practical context. This paper furthers this agenda by measuring the impact of virtue at the level of the organisation and examining the extent to which Organisational Virtue (OV) impacts on Moral Attentiveness (MA) and the Perceived Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility in creating organisational effectiveness (PRESOR). It is argued that people who operate in more virtuous organisational contexts will be expected to be more attentive to ethical issues and in turn perceive a greater role for ethics and social responsibility in business. Analysis of results based on a sample of 137 HR professionals shows that where people report that their organisation provides meaningful work they are more likely to display reflective moral attentiveness and the belief that ethics and social responsibility are compatible with business objectives, suggesting that organisations who are interested in promoting an ethical culture should focus on their work structures and practices. More generally OV is shown to have a more complex relationship with PRESOR than hypothesised pointing toward a more nuanced view of organisational virtue. The paper examines the implications of the results for organisations and research.
The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2987-4
H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business > HF5387 Business Ethics
Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business and Technology > Business & Enterprise Management
Research Priority Areas:
Applied Business & Technology
http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/2925
University Staff: Request a correction | Repository Editors: Update this record


text:
#include "SVGDrawingBoard.h"

namespace Rsyn {

SVGDrawingBoard::~SVGDrawingBoard() {
	for (Shape *shape : clsShapes)
		delete shape;
} // end destructor

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

void
SVGDrawingBoard::render(
	const int width,
	const int height,
	const float viewBoxX,
	const float viewBoxY,
	const float viewBoxWidth,
	const float viewBoxHeight,
	std::ostream &out
) {
	out << "<svg "<<
			"width='" << width << "' " <<
			"height='" << height << "' " <<
			"viewBox='" << viewBoxX << " " << viewBoxY << " " <<
			viewBoxWidth << " " << viewBoxHeight << "'>\n";
	for (Shape *shape : clsShapes)
		shape->render(out);
	out << "</svg>\n";
} // end method

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

void
SVGDrawingBoard::render(
	const int width,
	const int height,
	std::ostream &out
) {
	render(width, height, 0, 0, width, height, out);
} // end method

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

void
SVGDrawingBoard::drawLine(
	const float x1,
	const float y1,
	const float x2,
	const float y2
) {
	Line *line = new Line();
	line->x1 = x1;
	line->y1 = y1;
	line->x2 = x2;
	line->y2 = y2;
	clsShapes.push_back(line);
} // end method

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

void
SVGDrawingBoard::drawCircle(
	const float cx,
	const float cy,
	const float radius
) {
	Circle *circle = new Circle();
	circle->cx = cx;
	circle->cy = cy;
	circle->radius = radius;
	clsShapes.push_back(circle);
} // end method

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

void
SVGDrawingBoard::drawRectangle(
	const float x,
	const float y,
	const float width,
	const float height
) {
	Rectangle *rectangle = new Rectangle();
	rectangle->x = x;
	rectangle->y = y;
	rectangle->width = width;
	rectangle->height = height;
	clsShapes.push_back(rectangle);
} // end method

} // end namespace

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