Spaceman TIM PEAKE is LIVE on the show! Happy Friday!
The former International Space Station crew member visited the team and talked about all things space.
Tim Peake visited the Chris Moyles Show and had a good old chinwag about his time spent in space.
Watch our video above where he talks about everything from alien lifeforms to his space-inspired playlist.
Tim Peake's puzzle book, The Astronaut Selection Test Book: Do You Have What it Takes for Space? is out now.


Very cute COTTON / POLY TOTE BAG. On the front of this TOTE IS A NICE RED HAT LADY DESIGN FOR LADIES WHO STAND PROUD, SUPPORTING MEMBERS OF THE RED HAT SOCIETY. "WE ARE NOT INVISIBLE, WE ARE INVINCIBLE!" THE BAG IS LIGHT WEIGHT AND MEASURES 12 X 12 WITH AN 8" GUSSETT. This would be a perfect gift for and Red Hat Hi Society lady.


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Q: Is there a way to dynamically change the text of a textBox in Visual Studio with C# so that the value is a sum of values from other textboxes? I need to have a text box that dynamically changes as values in other text boxes are being changed, and the value (would be an integer converted to string) of the "Total" textbox has to have the sum of the other values. Is there a way to do this without having to create a TextChanged event for each of the other textboxes?

A: Should be something like
Label1.text= textbox1.value + textbox2.value + textbox3.value +.....

A: In Visual studio, go to Form1.cs[Design] and leftclick a textbox once, then, on the right hand lower side, click the lightning that says events. Search for TextChanged and type in how you would like the event to be named (e.g. textBox1_TextChanged). on hitting enter, you should automatically be sent to Form1.cs, where a new void was created. There, insert the code proposed by Stefanovici (although change textbox1.value to textbox1.text) and rinse and repeat for each textbox
private void textBox1_TextChanged(object sender, EventArgs e) //should automatically be created
{
    Label1.text= textbox1.text + textbox2.text + textbox3.text +.....
}

You can also bind multiple textboxes to the same event. Naming the event identical for every textbox will call the event when either textbox was changed, reducing the amount of code

A: I'm assuming that you don't want to create TextChanged event handlers for each TextBox because it is a tedious job. There's a way to make it easy.
Start with a field like this:
private TextBox[] textBoxes = null;

Then you can set up all of the TextChanged event handlers like this:
textBoxes = new []
{
    textBox1, textBox2, textBox3,
    textBox4, textBox5,
};

foreach (var tb in textBoxes)
{
    tb.TextChanged += (_, _) => UpdateTotal();
}

Now the UpdateTotals can be defined any way you want. Here's my version:
private void UpdateTotal()
{
    var value =
        textBoxes
            .Select(x =>
                double.TryParse(x.Text, out double value)
                    ? value
                    : 0.0)
            .Sum();

    textBoxTotal.Text = value.ToString();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Trial to run bus lanes at all times on red routes
Extending bus lane hours to help more people travel safely and reliably Background In August 2020 we announced that we would trial changes to the operating hours of more than 80 kilometres of London's bus lanes. This trial aims to make bus journeys faster and more reliable, and... More
Closes 13 March 2022
Streetspace schemes & monitoring
The Streetspace for London programme is the Mayor and TfL's emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic. Quick links Frequently asked questions The schemes we have built so far Complete our feedback form We and... More
Closes 31 December 2021
London Streetspace Programme
This page provides links to information about all of the schemes we have introduced so far on London's red route network. We have organised this information by Borough, to make it as easy as possible to navigate. Where a Borough is not listed below it is because we have not yet introduced any... More
Proposed bus route changes serving The Coopers' Company and Coborn school
Following a review of bus routes 648 and 646, we are proposing to withdraw route 648 and reduce the number of trips on route 646. Route 648 operates two trips in the morning and afternoon using single deck buses. Its role is to provide some additional capacity to route 248 which it... More
Proposed extension of route 324 (Stanmore station to Centennial Business Park)
We have developed a proposal to extend bus route 324 from Stanmore station to Centennial Park in Elstree. This would enable the 324 to serve the bus stops at the Brockley Hill entrance to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. This is intended to create new links to the hospital and... More
Sutton - Croydon Bus Changes
Proposed changes to bus routes S1, S3, S4, 80, 164, 166, 312, 405, 407, 413, 434, 455 and 470, and the introduction of new routes S2, 439 and 443 We are proposing changes to a number of bus routes serving Sutton and Croydon. We are also proposing to introduce three new bus routes.... More
Extending bus lane hours to help more people travel safely and reliably To share your experiences, please click here to complete our NEW survey. Background In August 2020 we announced that we would trial changes to the operating hours of more than 80 kilometres of... More
Proposed changes to route 414
As part of the ongoing work to provide a value for money bus network which matches bus capacity to passenger demand, we are proposing to change route 414 so that it terminates at Marble Arch instead of Maida Hill. We are proposing this change as there is significant extra bus capacity... More
Have your say on proposed changes to bus stopping arrangements in Aldwych and the Strand
We need to re-route buses in the Strand and Aldwych area as a result of Westminster City Council, (WCC) plans for the area. You can see the plans for the area on their website. The following buses will be re-routed as follows; N/1, 59, N/68, 168, 188, 243, 521 and X68 via... More
Traffic Order GLA-2021-0008/0009
This is the page where you can find details of our Traffic Order GLA-2020-0242. GLA 2020-0242 Final Order (PDF 146KB) GLA 2020-0242 Notice of Intent (PDF 141KB) GLA 2020-0242 Statement of Reasons (PDF 131KB) GLA 2020-0242 Draft S6 Order (PDF 146KB) GLA... More
Closed 22 September 2020
Better bus journeys
Extending bus lane hours to help more people travel safely and reliably Update 2 September 2020 In July 2020 we announced proposals to trial extending operating hours to all bus lanes on London's red routes (also known as the Transport for London Road... More
Closed 4 August 2020
A23 Streatham Hill
Update 23 March 2020 In light of the current situation with Covid-19, we have extended the consultation deadline to 19 April 2020 to enable those who may not have had chance to respond. We plan to publish the consultation report and the response to issues raised report in... More
Bus priority and improvements for people walking along the A41 Finchley Road, Hendon Way to Hilgrove Road
The A41 Finchley Road is a busy road dominated by motorised vehicles. We have been working with Camden and Barnet Councils on improvements between Hendon Way and Hilgrove Road. The proposed changes will improve journey times and reliability of northbound buses on Finchley Road, encouraging... More
A316 London Road Roundabout
Update 21 February 2020 Based on stakeholder feedback the web page has been updated to clarify that the published plans and modelling shared includes full signalisation of the roundabout. Through full signalisation we will achieve the proposed bus journey time savings by improving... More
Have your say on proposed changes along the A202 (Peckham High Street) between the junctions with Basing Court and Mission Place
We would like to know your views on our proposals along the A202 (Peckham High Street) between the junctions with Basing Court and Mission Place. The proposals aim to address identified safety issues, while providing a safer and more pleasant environment for those walking, cycling and using... More
Fixed Bus Stops for Longlands Road, Sidcup
The Longlands Road section of bus route 233 currently operates on a 'hail and ride' basis. In order to improve customer safety and bus service reliability, we propose to replace this arrangement with fixed bus stops, as are used on the rest of the route. What are we proposing? ... More
Closed 9 March 2020
Route W19: Re-routing and evening extension beyond Walthamstow
Bus route W19 currently operates between Ilford and Argall Avenue in Walthamstow. Between South Access Road and Argall Avenue, it operates via the gated Council depot. The depot closes around 20:00 requiring route W19 to terminate at South Grove in Walthamstow town centre in the evening.... More
South Newham Bus Changes
The Royal Docks area in south Newham is undergoing considerable changes. New housing developments, new employment opportunities, the opening of the Elizabeth line and other factors have led and will lead to changes in the way people travel by bus. To understand how the bus network might... More
We want your views on the first phase of our proposals to transform streets in south-east London between Greenwich and Woolwich
We want your views on our proposals to transform streets in south-east London between Greenwich and Woolwich. Neighbourhoods along the A206 would be connected with a new cycleway and streets made safer and more pleasant for people walking. The proposals are an important part of... More
Bollo Lane Redevelopment Consultation - Second Stage
Transport for London is bringing forward proposals for the land along Bollo Lane to deliver new homes, green spaces and public realm improvements. We began our consultation process in October 2019 and hope to continue the dialogue with local residents at our second public exhibition,... More
Have your say on proposed changes to route 92 in Ealing
A new development in Greenford in the London Borough of Ealing includes around 2,000 residential properties for private rent along with associated retail facilities. Route 92 currently serves Oldfield Lane North to the west of the development. There is currently no bus service on the section... More
Hammersmith Bridge bus route changes
On Saturday 18 May, following the closure of Hammersmith Bridge, we made a number of temporary changes to the local bus network. The changes were designed to: Provide or enhance direct links between Roehampton, Mortlake, Barnes and the Tube network at Putney Bridge ... More
Have your say on proposals to introduce new bus route 456 between Crews Hill and North Middlesex Hospital
Public transport plays a key role in many people's lives, and we recognise the importance that local communities place on having direct bus services to major hospitals and medical facilities. We recognise that there is currently a lack of direct service between hospitals and parts of World's... More
Proposed changes to the (A3) Tolworth Road - Kingston Road junction
Update 6 January 2020 The consultation is now closed. Thank you to those who have submitted views on the proposals. We are now analysing the responses and will publish the consultation report later this year. - update ends- Tolworth is a busy district centre located... More
Bakerloo line extension
Update 7 April 2020 We recently consulted on our proposals to extend the Bakerloo line beyond Elephant & Castle to Lewisham, serving Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate. We also sought to understand the level of support for a further extension beyond Lewisham to Hayes and Beckenham... More
Cycling and walking improvements between Lea Bridge and Dalston: Phase 2 between Clapton and Lea Bridge
Update 25 November 2019 We have decided to extend the closing date for comments to Monday 16 December 2019 to give local people and other stakeholders more time to have their say. We have also arranged two public drop-in events, where staff involved in the... More
Southwark Over Station Development
We want to know your views on our design proposals for a landmark development at Southwark station. Background In June 2019 we asked for your thoughts on our vision for the area bounded by Blackfriars Road, The Cut, Hatfields and Isabella Street. Your feedback has been used to... More
Bollo Lane Redevelopment
Transport for London is developing proposals for the development of land along Bollo Lane to deliver new homes, green spaces and public realm improvements. We want to work with residents, businesses and the wider community to make a positive and lasting contribution to the local area.... More
Have your say on changes to the TfL Lane Rental Scheme
London's roads are vital in supporting our city and allowing it to function. They connect our communities, opening up opportunities and creating the conditions for London's global economy to flourish. But they are also some of the most congested streets in the world. The Mayor of... More
Proposed changes to bus routes 112 and 611
The Mayor's Transport Strategy (MTS) sets out an ambitious target for 80% of trips to be made using sustainable transport by 2026. This proposal offers a sustainable alternative to using private vehicles on one of London's busiest roads, the A406 North Circular. It would... More

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


All are encouraged to volunteer in ANY capacity at St. John Paul II Classical School. Prior to your service you must complete VIRTUS Training and a background check.
In accordance with the Green Bay Diocese, all school volunteers, coaches, employees, and other adults who may have contact with children must attend a VIRTUS training session and complete a background check. Completion of both the program and the background check are required prior to any adult being permitted to volunteer or work with students at St. John Paul II Classical School.


Stop buying into the hype of the latest marketing tools.
These aren't the answer. Tools alone WILL NOT move the needle in your business. There is something way more important that you need FIRST.
Like Obi-Wan says in Star Wars "these aren't the droids you're looking for".
Making your first marketing funnel doesn't guarantee more leads and sales. It isn't a given. Buying the latest 'tool' will not get you to the results you want. There are no guarantees in life. Regardless of what you are told.
The trouble is we all get suckered in by the latest technological wizardry and hype. This tool will change your life. This software will revolutionise your marketing.
To be honest, I'm fed up with it. Seriously, it drives me to distraction.
Because people pay me to advise on the latest and best techniques and practices I find myself down the rabbit hole more often than most. Sussing things out, feeling my way around. I've grown accustomed to it. And occasionally I get suckered in too. Hey, I'm only human.
Wow, this looks cool. It can do this, and I can save time here, get more sales there… You know how this goes.
Then I am tied into paying for more software that does bugger all for my business. Sound familiar?
Quick show of hands if you have fallen into this trap. Come on. You are amongst friends you can be honest here.
Or, worse still. The tool has great promise, but it's too hard to use the damn thing. It's sold as DIY, but they may as well be selling a freaking DIY surgery kit.
The problem as I see it is that businesses, like humans, are complex creatures.
Your marketing prayers cannot be answered by just subscribing to Leadpages, or paying for ads on Facebook, or buying the latest tool because the "gurus" tell you to.
You may be surprised to learn that successful marketing is much simpler than the "gurus" would have you believe. You only learn this AFTER you have bought into their sales hype and signed up for their service or expensive programs.
They make it all look super-easy on the pre-sale demos and in the expensive marketing copy.
Sure, they have onboarding videos and help guides, but they rarely help YOU with the exact things you need to know RIGHT NOW.
The thing is. It is not the fault of the software/tools companies or even the "gurus".
They do a fantastic job of describing their piece of the puzzle. Of explaining how it works. It is not their fault. But it is still not enough.
The trouble is, as much as they try and have you believe otherwise. In reality, it is just one piece of a much larger puzzle.
It is not your fault either. You have many things on your plate every day running your business.
However, if you are serious about getting more leads and sales, cast aside your current thinking just for a moment. What I am about to share with you will not only SAVE YOU TIME. It will get the RESULTS you want FASTER.
What I am about to share is like one of those fast-track passes you get at the theme park. The fast-track pass is free. But you will only get your pass if you are open to a NEW way of thinking.
If the fault doesn't lie with the marketing software companies, or you, then who the 'eff' is to blame?
Sign up for Leadpages. Create a landing page. Make it live. Link up your email autoresponder. That's all action, right?
Sure, you have done something. But usually, when you focus on the pieces like this you rarely see any results.
You've got your hands dirty, cracked some eggs, but not an omelette in sight.
All these moving pieces but no sense of how they all fit together [HINT: This is important].
Building pages, working on pieces of the puzzle in isolation never works on its own.
This is where the RIGHT ACTION comes into play.
What is the RIGHT ACTION? Well, this is dictated by your STRATEGY.
Boom. And there it is. Strategy.
Going at this like a bull in a china shop because you are stretched for time and need to make this work yesterday is NOT the answer.
You must first assess where you are. Once you are clear on that, you must set out a clear vision of where you want to be.
When you know these two things, you can devise a plan that will take you there. A strategy. Tactics flow from the strategy and are what you DO day-to-day to help you achieve your goal. Make sense?
But wait, it is not quite as simple as that either.
Gary Vee talks about clouds and dirt. Buying the latest tools and software and trying to cobble something together is working in the dirt.
Nothing wrong with working in the dirt, per se; but ONLY when you have first spent time in the clouds. When you have clarity of where you wish to go. Wouldn't you agree?
Both of these go hand in hand. Can you see the link? Can you guess what the piece we are still missing might be?
Take James as an example. James has a strong offline business as a management consultant. He goes to three networking events each week to drive new business and is feeling drained from it all. He wants to alleviate some of the pressure by starting to get more leads from the interwebs. Who doesn't?
Puzzled as to why people weren't flocking to book consultations he reads somewhere that he should have a funnel. So he signs up for Leadpages and creates a landing page.
Book a free consultation is his call to action. In his mind, more leads are his 'clear' goal. All sounds good. I don't see any problems here?
James has his landing page. Linked the form on the page to his email service provider (ESP). He even created an email that said hello and gives instructions on how to book the said appointment.
Now he has a "funnel".
He has created this stuff but feels he is wasting more and more of his precious time because it is not working. He is seeing the apparent success of others around him, and he furrows his brow in frustration.
What am I doing wrong? He asks himself.
He has spent time in the clouds. He knows what he wants. He has a strategy. He dove into the dirt and carried out the work. Heck, he is covered in dirt.
Click, click, click, and still no boom.
Why doesn't it work? It is because of something I call MARKETING MYOPIA.
Marketing myopia is something EVERYONE suffers until their eyes are opened.
Re-read the above sentence slowly and let it sink in. It is the key to getting your 'fast-track pass'.
Now the 'other' that Yoda referred to is more important than James [read: YOU]. More powerful. And can make or break your business.
The 'other' is your client.
James has done NOTHING wrong.
The people coming to the landing page and website are simply not ready to book a consultation. They don't even KNOW James.
Still, James insists on proposing marriage! He is asking for too much too soon.
99% per cent of your website visitors are just not ready to make a purchase [https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/stop-missing-out-on-your-website-traffic].
To get the results you want from your marketing efforts you need to understand how and why your clients decide to make a purchase.
You must work first and foremost to get to know them, and for them to get to know you in a way that builds a relationship.
James with his 'Book A Consultation' (which is an entirely acceptable goal) is missing important stages of the journey his clients go through BEFORE they become a customer.
So what should James do differently?
James needs to provide content and information that establishes the 'know, like and trust' factors that are essential to the buying decision.
These come long before the 'Book A Consultation' button is ever pressed.
Jay Abraham calls it the Strategy of Preeminence. Robert Cialdini refers to it as Pre-Suasion. I call it VISIONARY MARKETING.
This is where the real magic of marketing happens. This is where you need to focus your precious time and effort.
Once James became aware and could see his MYOPIA problem (pun intended), he was able to appreciate and act with the bigger picture in mind.
He started using the tools to drive results, rather than chasing results by buying tools.
Then lo and behold, results started coming. Thick and fast.
After implementing the new approach in his marketing, James gets 3-4 leads every single week coming into his business.
If you want to know more download the free guide below that walks you through the process of applying visionary marketing in your business.
I am NOT sharing this with you so you can give it a try and repeat your old pattern. But so you can take ACTION that will actually move the needle in your business. As Yoda says: "Do or do not, there is no try".
PrevPreviousWarning: Contents Could Rapidly Grow Your Business.


Wingate fares well in areas that a Gallup survey says the people of North Carolina are looking for in a college: affordability and diversity.
The findings of a recent survey by My Future NC and Gallup show that North Carolinians highly value education beyond high school. Wingate University is helping make such an education more easily attainable.
Ninety-four percent of the nearly 3,500 people who responded to the survey said it is important for adults in North Carolina to have education beyond high school, including a professional certificate or degree. But only 14 percent are satisfied with the affordability of private colleges and universities in their area.
That's where Wingate comes in. The University has worked hard to keep education affordable at a time when higher-education costs are rising. With the help of scholarship aid, Wingate's average cost of attendance compares well with that of North Carolina's public universities, with most students paying between $10,000 and $20,000 a year. And Wingate students from North Carolina received more than $5.8 million in NC Need-Based Scholarship funds in 2017. Forty-four percent of Wingate undergrads receive the NC Need-Based Scholarship.
As a result, Wingate attracts a healthy proportion of its students – nearly 73 percent this year – from North Carolina.
Students have responded by choosing Wingate in higher and higher numbers. Wingate is ranked No. 17 in the country in increase in the number of applications between 2012 and 2016. The growing interest helped make the University the fastest-growing independent college or university in North Carolina in 2017, with enrollment expanding 24 percent year-on-year.
The students who are coming here feel that they are getting their money's worth. Seventy percent of respondents to the My Future NC/Gallup survey said that in order to get a good job, it was essential to continue schooling beyond high school. That's roughly the same percentage of Wingate students who have said in internal University surveys that their Wingate education is worth the cost. The University surveys students annually via the Bulldog Poll, which asks students to comment on their experience at Wingate. In that poll, about 70 percent of students also say that their Wingate education has been transformative.
Wingate makes sure the education it provides is transformative for people of all backgrounds. In the My Future NC/Gallup survey, only 24 percent of respondents agreed that all students in North Carolina receive the same quality of education regardless of their background.
But Wingate opens doors to students from a variety of circumstances. The University's ethnic diversity has increased 26 percent in the past five years, and, according to College Scorecard, the Wingate student body is now more ethnically diverse than that of many of North Carolina's public universities, including Appalachian State, N.C. State and East Carolina, and independent institutions, such as Gardner-Webb, High Point, Davidson and Wake Forest.
Thirty-nine percent of Wingate's undergraduates receive a Pell Grant, federal aid that is awarded to students with financial need. Those students graduate, too: Wingate is one of only 14 colleges and universities nationwide whose graduation rate is higher for Pell Grant recipients than for those who don't receive a Pell Grant.
Schedule a visit or apply to an undergraduate or graduate program today.


The Houston Relief Hub along with Mayor Sylvester Turner's Office and local non-profit partners have joined forces to assist federal workers during the furlough. Impacted workers can apply for financial assistance via Houston Relief Hub's website. The site also has links to other organizations providing assistance, as well as information for ways the greater Houston community can help.


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Obituary: James Tracy Elovich, 92, formerly of Trumbull
Sharon Cappetta
Jan. 30, 2014 Updated: June 3, 2019 12:03 p.m.
James Tracy Elovich, age 92, formerly of Trumbull, husband of the late Jean Ford Elovich, passed away on January 27, 2014 in Bridgeport Hospital surrounded by his daughters.
Mr. Elovich was born in Hartford, Connecticut to the late Ralph and Josephine Elovich.
He was an Army Air Corps veteran of WWll. On January 14, 1944, 70 years ago, his B-17 was shot down and he was taken as a POW until April of the following year when he was liberated.
Mr. Elovich graduated from Hillyer College and received his MBA from The Harvard Business School. He worked his entire career as an executive for General Electric, during which time he led and directed the multinational operations of two companies with two plant sites in both Italy and London.
Following his retirement, Mr. Elovich was a dedicated volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society.
Survivors include his three daughters, Jodi Hoffmann and her husband William of Fairfield, Connecticut; Julie Collier and her husband Michael of McLean, Virginia and Jennifer Kolakowski and her husband Pierre of Fairfield, Connecticut; his son Greggory Elovich of Fresno, California; his sister Barbara Preli of Greensburgh, Pennslyvania; ten grandchildren including, Megan Elovich Martin, William and Charlie Hoffmann, Evan, Garrett and Tony Collier, Emma, James, Jack, Andrew and Josie Kolakowski and several nieces and nephews.
He also was predeceased by his brother, William Elovich.
Friends and family are invited to greet the family on Saturday, February 1, 2014 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Cyril F. Mullins Funeral Home-399 White Plains Road in Trumbull, Connecticut. Funeral services will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Dept of CT P.O. Box 429, Rocky Hill, Connecticut 06067-0429.
To leave an online condolence please visit http://www.mullinsfh.com.


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NATO And Russia Face Off Over Events Concerning Ukraine; Uncertainty And Controversy Precede he Upcoming Olympics; America`s Pastime Sees A Lockout. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired December 03, 2021 - 04:00:00 ET
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz and Fridays are awesome. Facts. We`re happy to have you as we get rolling on our last show of the
week. It begins in eastern Europe where trouble`s been brewing between members of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the nation of
Russia. NATO was formed in 1949 as a guard against the influence of the Soviet Union.
Its 30 member nations include the United States, many countries in Europe and several countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union. The stand-
off between NATO and Russia centers on what`s happening in Ukraine. This is a divided nation. Some people there want closer ties to Europe, others
want closer ties to Russia. An armed conflict over this has been taking place in Ukraine since 2014.
The side that wants independence from Ukraine has Russian support, and because Russia`s been building up its troops along its western border with
Ukraine, NATO has concerns that Russia may be planning to invade the eastern European country. The U.S. has called for Russia to pull troops
out of the area and return to its normal peace time position. Russia has repeatedly said it will not invade Ukraine, and its government says it`s
concerned about NATO expanding its influence eastward towards Russia.
It wants NATO to promise that it won`t build up military or weapons anywhere close to the Russian border, what happens next is anyone`s guess.
U.S. and Russian officials have held meetings to discuss the problem and a direct conversation between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President
Vladimir Putin is reportedly in the works. Even if their countries exchange threats over the situation in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned Russia on Wednesday that they would face severe consequences
if Russia decides to invade Ukraine. Those consequences, Blinken said, would include what he called high-impact economic measures that have never
before been used against Russia.
He did not detail those measures, though the secretary general of NATO went a little bit farther telling CNN that the alliance has a wide range of
economic, financial and political tools that could be used against Russia. The alliance, including Secretary Blinken, clearly hoping that this threat
of severe consequences will get Russia to deescalate after massing tens of thousands of troops along the border with Ukraine.
Blinken said it is not yet clear whether Russia has made the decision to invade Ukraine or not, only saying that they have put in place the capacity
to do so in short order. What the U.S. and the rest of NATO is seeing right now Blinken said, is very similar to what they saw right before the
Russian invasion of Ukraine back in 2014 when they annexed Crimea. That is not just tens of thousands of troops along Ukraine`s border. It`s also a
disinformation campaign.
In fact, Blinken said, that over the past 24 hours there has been a 10-fold spike in social media anti-Ukrainian propaganda that paints Ukraine as the
aggressors. Blinken making clear today that despite the threat of severe consequences, there is still what he called a diplomatic off ramp for
Russia to take in order to deescalate the situation. Alex Marquardt, CNN, in Stockholm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: It`s been seven months after the start of the Summer Olympics, which were delayed because of the COVID pandemic, but Winter Games are set to
kick off in Beijing, China on February 4th. There is some uncertainty about these Olympics. Just like there was about the last games. Concerns
about corona virus factor in, and at least two countries, the U.S. and Britain are considering a diplomatic boycott of the games.
That means their athletes would still be allowed to compete, but American and/or British government officials would not go to the event. The reason
for that is China`s alleged human rights abuses. The communist government`s reported mistreatment of different individuals and groups.
Despite the controversy swirling around these Olympics though, it looks like the games will go on.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two months before the start of the Winter Olympic Games, a new COVID variant is surfacing globally, but Beijing is
hoping its strict COVID defenses will keep Omicron away. It won`t be easy.
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I do think it is cause for concern. This is the last thing that organizers would want. This is just not the
big question mark that anyone would want at this moment.
CULVER: While the new variant has not yet been reported within mainland China, there are several confirmed cases in neighboring Hong Kong. A
foreign ministry spokesperson saying that the Omicron variant will pose some challenges but their confident the Winter Olympics will be held
smoothly and successfully as scheduled.
China already has some of the toughest containment measures in place. Mass testing by the tens of millions, strict digital contact tracing and
targeted community lockdowns, all part of our daily lives here. This is close as we can get to some of the iconic Olympic structures from 2008,
repurposed for the Winter Olympics, but now sealed off in a COVID bubble of sorts.
On top of the health concerns, growing calls for Olympic boycotts as Beijing continues to deny widespread allegations of human rights abuses.
The Women`s Tennis Association suspending tournaments within China, as it reiterates calls for Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai to be able to speak
freely and openly.
SIMON CHADWICK, DIRECTOR, CENTRE FOR EURASIAN SPORT INDUSTRY: What we now in the early stages of what I think is a full scale, ideological battle,
that ultimately could culminate in the United States under the western nations engaging in a full boycott of the Beijing Winter Games in 2022.
CULVER: But it seems here within China most folks are unaware of the controversies surrounding these Olympic games. (Inaudible) to get stores
like this filled with Olympic merchandise. And folks here shopping, seemingly filled with a lot of excitement and joy, even national pride.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE TRANSLATED: We are very excited. Beijing just hosted the 2008 Olympic games and now it`s the Winter games again. This is truly
exhilarating.
CULVER: Even with mounting uncertainties, much like 2008 China is expected to put on a spectacular show. Question is, will folks watching from the
outside be wow`d or see it all as a fancy facade, covering up an increasingly authoritarian state.
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. What event made baseball history in 1903? First Interleague Game, First night game, First World Series or First perfect
game. (Inaudible) Boston Americans defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first ever World Series.
For the first time since the 1994 and 1995 seasons, there`s been an official work stoppage in Major League Baseball, What did that mean with
this year`s season already over? Well for one thing, players can`t use team facilities for training or rehabbing injuries and free agents can`t
sign new contracts for the time being, also trades aren`t allowed. What is this about? Players and owners have failed to reach a new collective
bargaining agreement, a set of conditions for training and games to take place.
Players` salaries, schedules, free agency rules, post- season rules, they`re all part of this. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said owners were
forced to institute a quote, "defensive lockout" because the Players Association wanted changes that could keep most teams from being
competitive. The Players Union says the lockout, which isn`t required by law, was designed by owners to pressure players to give up important rights
and benefits. This is the ninth time there`s been a work stoppage in Major League Baseball. If it continues into the new year, it could affect the
2022 season. Spring training is scheduled to begin in February.
If you`ve always dreamed of spending Christmas "Home Alone" style and I don`t mean without people. I mean in the Chicago area house whose halls
are decked with 1990 movie glory, here`s your chance. The home that "Home Alone" was filmed in is available for rent. It`s not expensive. Twenty-
five bucks gets you through the front door, but you`ll probably have to beat out thousands of phones (ph) fans during booking as it`s only
available for one overnight stay, one time.
We`re guessing the burglars are not included, though plenty of wallpaper is. And Air B&B says the tarantula will be there, though it`s not
"arachneeded". Of course, you`ll have to "Chic-a-go" there "ya filthy animal" if you win, but just beating out the competition for that "Home
Alone" will be a close "after shave". And for the winning fan of the movie and the nostalgia, you "Caulkan Macaulay" it home sweet home. I`m Carl
Azuz. Skyview High School gets today`s shout out. It`s great to see our viewers in Billings, Montana and we`re grateful to all of you for watching
CNN.


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February 3, 2017 January 22, 2020 University of the Incarnate Word Program Features
A Q&A about Meteorology at UIW
UIW's School of Mathematics, Science and Engineering offers a specialization in Meteorology through the Operational Meteorology program and Broadcast Meteorology program. We spoke with Dr. Gerald Mulvey about this area of study at UIW.
UIW: What program tracks are offered in this degree program?
Dr. Mulvey: This program offers a Bachelor of Science in Operational Meteorology and a Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Meteorology.
UIW: Can you explain what the meteorology program at UIW entails?
Dr. Mulvey: The Broadcast Meteorology program prepares students to learn about and interpret atmospheric phenomenon and meteorological data, gathered by surface and upper air stations, satellites, and radar to prepare reports and forecasts for public presentation. The Broadcast Meteorology program is taught jointly between the Meteorology and Communication Arts departments. UIW has dedicated state-of-the-art weather broadcasting facilities using Weather Central software for skill development. Professional broadcast meteorologists teach the on-air broadcast program. The UIW graduate will obtain the educational training to qualify for the American Meteorological Society examination for a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist after completing 5 years in the broadcast field.
The Operational Meteorology program provides students with a comprehensive education research into the dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere, weather analysis, and weather forecasting. This science includes a study of the impact of air pollution on people and the environment, the threat of changing climate due to global warming, severe weather, and world climates. Capstone work is available in both field experimentation and meteorological analysis utilizing the fixed and deployable weather stations and nine Apple workstations in the Climate and Data Analysis Laboratory. The UIW graduate will obtain the educational training to qualify for the American Meteorological Society Certified Consulting Meteorologist examination after completing 5 years in industry.
UIW: What is the overall philosophy of this program?
Dr. Mulvey: The program's philosophy is to help develop a student's appreciation of the Earth's atmosphere through education and understanding. Students in the program will learn to critically analyze and evaluate the interactions of the atmosphere with the oceans and biosphere, recognize the problems and issues of local and regional air pollution, the profound implications and long-term effects of global warming on the planet, the effects of severe weather and the long-term effects human impact on weather and climate. The program offers the student the knowledge and skills to investigate adverse human impact on weather and climate and recognize how to remediate or avoid these conditions to support the needs and requirements of all life on our planet. Both Operational Meteorology and Broadcast Meteorology are aimed at supportive learning of critical work place skills enabling students upon graduation to assume jobs in industry, civilian government or the military
The spirit of Christian service is promoted by providing the student the intellectual tools necessary for making sound scientific decisions and ethical judgments and thus become enlightened citizens in society. Experiences in research activities through course work, seminars, and internships also promote within each student self-realization and spiritual guidance acquired through independent work, volunteered endeavors, and cooperative learning.
UIW: What types of career opportunities are available for graduates of this program?
Dr. Mulvey: Meteorology is an interdisciplinary program that prepares students for entering a wide variety of professional careers as well as graduate programs in weather modeling and forecasting, air pollution studies, broadcast meteorology, hydrology, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications in meteorology, and education. Government, industry, and private research groups also provide entry-level positions for meteorologists. A student graduating from the Meteorology program may find employment with the private and public sectors as an applied or operational meteorologist. The military also provides opportunities with forecasting centers that include flight and airborne operations, ground support for the army, and naval meteorology. There are a number of private-sector companies that provide weather service to ocean shipping firms and port operators, electric and gas utilities, farmers, ranchers and highway departments. Employment with research laboratories includes studies in global climate change including remote sensing and GIS applications. A high-profile career in meteorology includes media weathercasting for television, radio and newspapers. Related careers in meteorology include marketing and sales of meteorological equipment made by companies involved in the design and manufacture of weather instruments. The geographical focus of jobs are in California, Texas, Colorado, Maryland and Massachusetts.
UIW: What type of person is best suited for this program?
Dr. Mulvey: Meteorology has career opportunities that range from fieldwork to observe, analysis work, forecasting and numerical modeling on the operational side and TV and radio weathercasting on the broadcast side. In terms of the type of student best suited for these programs students selecting meteorology as a career should be interested in science and mathematics, numerical modeling and in forecasting what mother nature will do next.
Artist Roger Colombik's Exhibition Comes to UIW


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These verses apply to those who have transgressed, which results in their hearts being veiled from the light, cloaked in darkness upon darkness, cover upon cover, because of their wrong doings. When we continuously fail to allocate the due focus to Allah, Allah will veil our hearts. This has the terrifying consequence that we will not be able to see Allah on the Day of Judgment. Can you imagine if you are on trial, trying to defend yourself, but the judge ignores you? You know for sure that you do not have a chance to exonerate yourself at this crucial moment.
When we lose focus, we are susceptible to be tossed into the deep and dark ocean of dunia. This is why guidance does not come easily after prolonged neglect – when we have lost our spiritual orientation and our perceptions are topsy turvy. When we try to regain the remembrance of Allah, it is very difficult and will take time and effort. We have to clean up, keep on cleaning repeatedly, until all the accumulated layers of all the spiritual grime have been scrubbed clean. Like silver, tarnish can form layers on our heart, and only rigorous cleaning can restore it to its gleaming form.
Only when our hearts are clear again, that it can admit and receive illumination from Allah. Without attachments, distractions and doubts, our hearts will be like pure vessels capable of comprehending the message of Allah, and converging the rest of our thoughts and limbs to live out the lives that we were created for.
"But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur'an nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.
Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. (Al Rad, verse 28).
Those who remain focused on the remembrance of Allah are the ones upon whose hearts Allah will descend tranquillity and peace. What more glorious achievement is there in today's fast paced world than to harbour serenity in our hearts? How many of us pace up and down, are anxious, have panic attacks and aren't even able to sleep, because of the lack of inner peace?
From here, we can revert to the primary purpose of our existence. All of creation exists in order to worship Allah. Mankind in particular, has an additional role of being the vicegerent – khalifa or ambassador of Allah. This is a monumental honour, with a responsibility so weighty that even the mountains refused to bear its burden.
Can one live as the ambassador of Allah if he is unfamiliar with Allah? Before diplomatic ambassadors are qualified to represent their countries, they have to be trained – to be able to personify the values and policies of the country they represent. Once on the job, they have to obey a specific etiquette, dress code and protocol. Their behaviour is regulated, for they are accountable to their home country. If any issue arises, they are to refer back to the laws of their home country instead of making decisions based on their personal desires.
It is similar when we are tasked with being the khalifa of Allah on earth. To carry out the honour of representing Allah, we need to inculcate a deep and intimate understanding of Allah before we can perform the job successfully. We need to transmit values, principles and justice in the way that Allah wants, and not according to our personal opinions.
If an ambassador goes on duty in a foreign country, but he acts with complete autonomy from his country of origin, busies himself with the events of his host country, forgets who he is and what he is there for. What if you meet an ambassador who is dirty, dishonest, rude and untrustworthy? One who does not show up on time, has no respect for himself or others, is ill mannered, breaks his promises, has a shallow character and lacks wisdom or purpose, running everywhere to chase what he likes, and not what he is supposed to do. Can you say that he is successful in his job or is he disgracing his country? Will his country allow him to continue in that role? Will he be rewarded or get a promotion? Can he have the complete protection and immunity from his country of origin?
What about you and I, the ambassadors and representatives of Allah on earth. We have been selected by Allah and are bound by a constitution consisting the Qur'an, and a comprehensive technical manual about what our job is and how we should perform it. In this information age, we have at our fingertips the explanation of this book, through learning the Sunnah of Rasulullah SAW. Can you carry yourself with this title, which is the highest and most dignified status ever given to any nation of mankind? If we choose to ignore it, we will never learn and never develop ourselves for this role, and this is where the majority of us are today.


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NASA selects 16 small business projects
This NASA photo taken by an Astronaut onboard the Space Shuttle Discover shows the International Space Station as the space shuttle separates, March 25, 2009. Earlier the STS-119 and Expedition 18 crews concluded 9 days, 20 hours and 10 minutes of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station to install a solar array trust onto the station. Space Shuttle Discovery is preparing for its Saturday afternoon return to Earth. (UPI Photo/NASA) | License Photo
WASHINGTON, April 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says it has selected 16 proposals for possible contract awards in its Small Business Technology Transfer program.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials said the selected projects -- with a total value of approximately $9.6 million -- will be awarded to 16 hi-tech firms partnered with 15 universities in 18 states. NASA is one of the federal agencies required to reserve a portion of its research and development funds to award to small business.
The program is a highly competitive, three-phase award system. Phase 1, with one-year awards up to $100,000, is a feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of an idea. Phase 2, with two-year awards up to $600,000, expands on the results of the development in Phase 1, while Phase 3 is for the commercialization of the results of Phase 2 projects and requires the use of private sector or non-STTR federal funding.
The list of selected Phase 2 companies is available at http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/sttr2007/phase2/awards/index.html.


Here's the pertinent details on my recent experience with the Tax Lien Sale at Maricopa County, Arizona.
Before I left, I was able to obtain the published lists that contain information on all of the liens (26,000+) that were to be auctioned. I attempted to manipulate the .html lists into an Excel spreadsheet, but had no success.
I visited my local AAA office and obtained maps for Arizona and Phoenix.
I arranged to stay with relatives in Phoenix, which helped reduce my overhead costs.
I also arranged to borrow an Apple laptop with Excel in it.
I drove for two days to get there (and the same for my return). I now believe that this was a mistake. I could have taken the train and spent the time studying or catching up on my backlog of reading.
One of the things that I found out while I was in a hotel Saturday night was that the Apple had a "test-drive" version of Excel, and that the test period had expired.
I toyed with the idea of ordering a US$400 laptop from Dell and getting overnight delivery, then obtaining a copy of Excel from a store in Phoenix. My wife vetoed the idea, and I eventually found a better way.
One of the things that I managed to get when I arrived in Phoenix was a local phone book, which came in especially handy here and there.
On Sunday night, I drove to the place where I was planning on registering for the auction. It was about six or seven miles away, and I didn't want to get lost when there was some time pressure involved. In addition to being successful about finding the route to take, I also found adequate and convenient public parking.
Monday morning, I arrived about 15 minutes before the auction was to begin, and attempted to register as a bidder for the auction. This was a mistake, I should have already been registered by this point. I would have registered by mail, but I couldn't tell if I needed one bidder number per entity that I was bidding on behalf of, or if I only needed one bidder number for the entire auction. It turned out that I needed one Bidder Registration Form for each entity that I was bidding on behalf of.
There was a snafu at the registration counter that didn't get straightened out until Tuesday morning - they issued bidder numbers to me that they had also issued to other bidders! It didn't cost me any more or any less, and I decided it wasn't worth getting upset over, even though it meant I missed the opening of the auction. I can't tell how much it cost the County, but in business that kind of waste gets punished (the county bureaucrats get paid regardless, which is a shame).
At the Registration Desk, I was able to purchase (for US$25) a CD that had information on the liens. I was also able to purchase a copy of the Arizona Business Gazette in their lobby for a dollar. It was the issue that had the lien information published in it. I sat down in the lobby and used the laptop to check out the contents of the CD; it had a spreadsheet file, a database file and some text files.
It was a half-block walk to the room where the auction was actually being held. I got there about 8:30 A.M. and it was packed. Almost all of the seats were occupied, and many folks were standing along the walls in the outer aisles. As an estimate, I'd say there was about 250 people. I groaned when I heard liens being won at seven percent. I got a seat and tried to settle in. I pulled out my copy of the auction listing (the Arizona Business Gazette) and tried to find out which number they were working on. Oops! Disaster! The font was too small for me to read!
It wasn't very long before I bailed and began searching for a Kinko's. I asked around in the downtown area without success, then finally checked the phone book and map that I'd left in my car. The nearest Kinko's was almost four miles away (which is really close by Phoenix's standards - that city is about 50 miles across).
When I got to Kinko's, I had to spend about ten minutes trying to figure out how to get the CD out of the laptop (I've been working with computers for twenty-five years, but Apples make me feel stupid for some reason). Once I was able to put the CD into a rented Windows machine, I quickly discovered that the spreadsheet file didn't contain the information that I was looking for - the value of tax to be paid for each lien. The Database file didn't have it either, but one of the text files had it.
There's a reason that I wanted this information. It doesn't make any sense to spend US$10 to register a $3 lien. If the lien is for US$250,000 then the ten bucks is trivial. Somewhere in between those two values there's a place where it starts to make sense to pay the registration fee. As a baseline, I figured near-instant redemption on a 16% lien. If the lien value is US$850, you get it at 16% and they redeem after one month, you get a little over US$11 in interest (which is pretty-much a 'break-even' deal). Lower interest rates correlate to more months for that amount, or to higher amounts for one month. If you want to explore this area, use the formula "I = P x R x T". Even though I knew capital amounts weren't getting placed at 16%, it was still convenient for me to use US$900 as a threshold in my selection criteria and I expected that my break-even point would move out to three months or so.
In addition to this break-even aspect, there are other reasons to deselect certain liens. I would recommend that you do not bid on liens that are held by a school, church or an indian tribe, or that are against state-owned property. If you have the time to run searches in the county databases, check to see if there are first mortgages on the properties - and deselect any that do not have a mortgage on them. A mortgage implies that the securing property is saleable, but also, if you do get into a foreclosure position, you can negotiate a profitable buy-out of your position so that the mortgage lender protects their investment.
I managed to import the text file into the spreadsheet program, and hid the fields that were of no interest to me. I began working my way up through the sequence numbers, culling out the liens that were for less than US$900. After a couple of hours it occurred to me that I was doing it the hard way. I spent a few minutes experimenting, then sorted the spreadsheet, culled all the ones below US$900 in one deletion and all of the liens above US$12,000 in a second deletion, then resorted the list according to sequence number so that it would be in the same order the Auctioneer was following. I selected a larger font for two fields, and also made them bold, then saved it to a jazz disk (I didn't bring one, but it cost $16.95 and tax at the counter at Kinko's). I handed the disk over to one of the printers and they ran the print job for me - 160 or so pages cost me US$12 and change. A little money, a little time and some resourceful ingenuity and this 'road warrior' was once again in the game and ready to do battle.
Back at the auction with my freshly-printed list, I was able to follow the Auctioneer and actually get in sync with the auction. Several times I was tempted to bid but refrained because I wasn't sure what percentage to bid. I knew that the auction was a 'reverse' auction, that is the bidders bid from 16% down to 0%. I'd thought that if the bidding got down to 0%, then who ever was still holding up their paddle would have their numbers thrown into a lottery pool, but it didn't happen that way for this one. If anyone bid 0%, they were not underbid and they got the lien.
What was happening was that the Auctioneer would announce the sequence number and the amount that was to be paid by the winning bidder. Before the Auctioneer could announce all of the dollar value, the bidders would shout out a chorus of percentage bids. On Monday afternoon, the chorus was "Seven" (on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, the chorus was "Six", and on Thursday morning, the chorus was "Five"). If there was no lower bid, the Auctioneer would try to award the lien to the first person that shouted it out; when it wasn't determinable, they would pick someone and award it to them. The Auctioneer would recite the bidder's number and then the percentage that was the winning bid. Until I got used to it, I kept getting bidder numbers confused with sequence numbers.
Just as a side note, I was startled to hear several bids of "sixteen" get awarded as "six" over the course of the four days I attended. I also noticed that once the Auctioneer began to award the lien, they ignored lower bids. When challenged, the Auctioneers didn't seem to care. They don't care and they don't have to. It's their game, their bat, their ball and their rules. If you don't like it, you can step aside and let someone else bid.
Very few of the liens were bid at sixteen, and when they were, there was often some competition amongst the bidders. Counter-bids were called out, dropping a percent or two, sometimes as much as six percent lower, until everyone dropped out but the winner. It turned out that this class of lien was small-dollar amounts, like US$100 and less. Most of these were bid down to 10%, but a few (not enough to matter) went for 14% or higher.
Very few liens got no bids at all. In one case, the lot was entirely under water - at the bottom of a man-made lake in an upscale housing development. Some of the liens that were passed on were for liens that were secured by the second stories of condos that hadn't yet been built at the time the development was abandoned. Just try to foreclose on THAT! Having a US$900 threshold tended to eliminate the undesirable liens.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, the Auctioneer was a lady. Well, calling her a 'lady' is 'the benefit of doubt' - I didn't like her manner at all and wouldn't have invited her out to dinner. In the afternoon sessions, the Auctioneer was a guy. Come to think of it, I probably wouldn't have invited him out to dinner either.
Tuesday afternoon, I finally worked up the nerve to make a bid. The tax value was listed at US$10,995 and I was hoping that the high dollar amount would cause the field to be narrowed down. Fat chance! I listened for the Auctioneer to call out the sequence number, heard the Chorus shout "SIX!", then I held up my bidder number and boldly called out "Five!" - and won the bid. I made a note of the sequence number, listened a bit more, packed up and went outside.
The value I had to pay was actually US$13,471.63, which includes the US$10 it costs to register the lien certificate in my name. The difference between US$13,461/63 and US$10,995 was caused by late fees and penalties that the county imposes upon the property owner. It's an issue that disturbed me at the auction, because it made it difficult for me to synchronize with what the Auctioneer was saying. On the positive side, the interest rate operates on the higher value, not merely the $10,995 that was owed in taxes.
I had 24 hours to pay it and I'd bid over my budget. The extra funds came from my son's account and from the cash I'd brought along in order to invest for my corporation. Later that evening, I arranged for my wife to move US$3,500 into our joint checking account, so I could pull it out as cash from the bank's Phoenix branch (we used USBank – check ahead of time to find out which banks you use have local branches - you can also have cashier's checks sent to you overnight via FedEx).
Tuesday night, I was curious about the property securing the lien, and it dawned on me that I had the listing of the property value. The published values were over US$200,000 for the property and almost US$500,000 for the building(s) on it; over US$700,000 total.
Wednesday morning, I took care of paying for the lien I'd won on Tuesday. I also checked with the County offices and found out the street address of the property that secured the lien I'd won.
I refrained from bidding that morning until I knew the cash was available and pulled US$3,500 from the bank, in case I won other bids. Wednesday afternoon, I again attended the auction, but the rates had gotten bid down even farther - the Chorus was shouting "Five" and the winners were calling out "Four". I decided I wasn't going to bid any more. While I was at lunch, I happened to notice that one of the financial news shows had quoted the 10-year T-Note at four percent (and they're a lot more secure than TLCs).
On the way back to my relative's that evening, I found the property that secured the lien I'd won. I drove around it and gave it the hairy eyeball. It isn't very impressive. It's an apartment building that's run down and seedy. I don't much care - I'll either get 5% on my investment or I'll foreclose and sell the place.
One of the hugely educational aspects to this trip was the variety of people that I was able to talk with. It really sank it that I AM a sophisticated investor - even though it doesn't always feel that way. I haven't acted on a lot of things, I don't make a living on investments, but I do know a lot about investing, and was able to hold my own in a variety of different discussions.
I met Andres, a young man that works for a company that invests ONLY in Tax Liens (American Certificate & Title, 3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 500, Las Vegas, NV 89109, 702-990-3538). Andres was present at the Registration Desk and witnessed part of the fiasco with the Bidder Numbers. He told me that there are about 3,300 counties in the USA, and each one does things a little differently. Maybe the auctions have a similar format, but the payment procedures are different, or maybe the auctions are way different. He said that a course like Ted Thomas (who was, according to rumor, actually at the auction and conducting a TLC class) sells cannot adequately cover the entire market. He also mentioned that his company is starting up an SEC-registered fund for investing in Tax Liens.
I met Andy, who is an investor from Boulder, Colorado. Andy didn't care a fig about the yield - he wanted the properties. He had filtered the entire 26,000+ lien list down to the FOUR properties he wanted to bid on, and he got them. His winning bids were one property at zero, one at three percent and two at four percent. He's investing money from his self-directed IRA. He'll probably foreclose on all of them.
Andy told me he had timed the Auctioneer Wednesday morning; 17 per minute! She went through 100 lien numbers in six minutes! Ok, so maybe I wouldn't invite her out for dinner, but my hat is off to her for her performance. She had a better 'burn rate' than the afternoon guy. She was so fast that it would have been awkward for me to try and control the laptop and bid too. Some of the liens were redeemed between the time of publication and the actual Auction, and others were skipped for other reasons, but there was still plenty left to auction off and they couldn't afford to waste their time doing so. One of the problems I had in trying to synchronize with the Auctioneer was that I'd deselected a bunch of liens and they'd deselected a bunch of liens. I kept trying to step on the step that wasn't there and trying to walk where there was another step, so to speak. It took me all of Monday to figure out how to cope well enough that I could be confident about bidding.
Thursday morning, I woke up before I had to get up and was contemplating what I was going to do for the day. I suspected that my best bet would be to just come home. I packed my stuff and said my goodbyes to my relatives, then went to monitor the auction action a little more. Once I heard what the rates were being bid down to (fives and fours), I decided to head home. I said goodbye to Andres, Andy and some of the County employees and headed out of town.
Thursday afternoon, in Bullhead City, Arizona (just across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada), I managed to get together with some friends from the gem shop for dinner. (Author's Note: I belong to the Mineralogical and Gemological Society of Castro Valley – their web site is at http://www.mgscv.com) They'd moved away from my town several years ago; I'd met them because of our mutual interest in lapidary. I'd called before heading to Arizona, but hadn't managed to get into town soon enough on Saturday to meet them for dinner. Thursday, I was successful, and it turns out that the man has become a licensed real estate agent in the state of Arizona (and is working on his license for Nevada too). He mentioned 30% appreciation for local real estate and said that buying a lot, placing a manufactured home on it and renting it out would produce positive cash flow. I'm going to try to get some hard numbers from him, because that sounds really good to me.
I spent all day Friday driving home, and got back about 9:30 P.M.
One of the things that would have made it much better would have been a teammate to help coordinate the bidding process and for companionship on the long drive. Maybe next time.
I have been asked if there are risks associated with this kind of investing. I believe that there are. This kind of investing is similar to other kinds of investing - it is risky for the ignorant. The more you know, the less likely it is that you will lose on buying a lien. It's the County's ball, bat, rules and they are also the Umpire, and if you still want to play in that kind of a game, you have to accept that there are risks. The counties recognize that they have to leave some reward for the investors, or no one would play their game, so there ARE some rewards available.
The taxes may be redeemed so soon that the interest you earn is less than the $10.00 registration fee.
The lien might be secured by worthless or otherwise unsaleable property (the property might be a drainage culvert, the second story of an condominium that never got built or it might be under water, like the man-made duck pond/fountain that I heard about for one upscale housing development). Also, if you buy a lien that's secured by property contaminated with toxic waste, you could be liable for the cost of cleaning it up, and that might be far, far more than the property is worth after the clean-up is done.
Once you foreclose on the property (if you get into that position), you might still lose it because of bankruptcy, lawsuit or redemption. If you have spent money to improve or rehabilitate the place, you could lose all of that.
If you buy a lien secured by a property owned by a school, church or charity, you may get a barrage of high-pressure pitches to donate your lien to them.
Your travel costs to attend the auction may be greater than the interest you receive on the lien(s).
I have been asked what study materials I can recommend. There are a lot of them. I got started when a friend gave me his copy of Ted Thomas' videos. There's also "The 16% Solution" and some material in John T. Reed's 2-volume book about buying property for at least 20% below market price (I wish I'd have read Vol. I before going to Arizona). The downside to studying this stuff is that it may give you the general framework, but it won't give you the details that you'll need to actually buy liens. In addition, the 'gurus' (like Ted Thomas) make it sound a whole lot easier than it really is, and a whole lot more lucrative than it really is.
It is possible to reduce some of the risks involved. I suggest that where possible, you deselect everything outside your appropriate financial bandwidth (my rejection criteria were "below US$900" and "above US$12,000"), deselect everything that doesn't have a mortgage already in place and then try to do Due Diligence on as much as you can on what remains. If the job is still too big, try narrowing your bandwidth – probably starting with raising the lower value.
I was asked to discuss "assignments" with regard to TLCs, but I wasn't aware of what they were referring to. At first, I made these comments: I'm not sure what you mean. If you are referring to the practice of buying things and registering the owner as you "and/or Assignee", so that you can subsequently assign the item to someone without paying another registration fee, I would have to say that you should check with each county where you are considering buying liens. In Maricopa county, the Registration Fee is trivial, but that's not the issue. Maricopa County wants to know the SSN or EID for whoever buys the lien, because they report earned interest to the IRS. I suspect that this happens throughout the USA.
Your overhead is greatly reduced if you don't actually have to travel to the county in question. Buy the list and send your order in by mail – much cheaper than driving to Phoenix and having to rent a motel room.
You don't have to bid the interest rate down until the competition gives up. In Maricopa County, for example, you can buy these and get them for 16% APR.
The time pressure is reduced. If the taxes weren't redeemed before the auction, they probably won't be redeemed soon, so you can take your time doing your Due Diligence.
The disadvantage is that the items in the auction that everyone passed on will also get swept into this category. The stuff that's universally rejected is rejected for a reason, and you'd better find out what that reason is. Again, this means do your Due Diligence!
Here's something that Californians should be aware of. The auction in Maricopa County was the first time I'd ever attended a Tax Lien Auction. Previously, I had attended an auction of Tax-Foreclosed Properties, but was not a successful bidder. As a result of talking with the County Tax Assessor after that property auction, I found out that none of the counties in California auction tax liens, although the law permits them to if they want.
Follow-up: I just sent Maricopa County an additional US$9,727.82. This is for the same property – the owner still hasn't redeemed their back taxes. As of June 1st, 2004, I was able to pay for the following year's defaulted taxes and next year, if they still haven't redeemed their back taxes, I'll be able to get another year's defaulted taxes, probably for about US$10,000. If that happens, I'll be in a position to foreclose on the property. I probably don't understand this correctly (because I've never done it before), but is it really possible to get ownership of a million-dollar property for a mere US$35,000? I'll see.
In my opinion, this is an investment area that is worthwhile to pursue. To learn more about what happens, visit the offices of the county where want to buy liens and interrogate the bureaucrats until you have some background knowledge, then actually attend an auction. You might want to go as an observer the first time you attend an auction. Talk with the auction staff about their procedures. Ask them about what kinds of things can go wrong for an Investor and how to avoid those pitfalls. Talk with other Investors that are attending the auction; ask them about their 'game plans' and backgrounds in other investment vehicles. You'll learn a lot – I did!
Remember that each county has their own way of doing things, so find out what the rules are before you play their game.


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Celebrity News August 05, 2018
Eva Longoria on Loving Motherhood: 'He Is Just So Delicious'
Longoria at an event in 2017
Eva Longoria is back to work!
The 43-year-old star sat down with "Extra's" Mark Wright to talk about her new film "Dog Days," her first since welcoming her baby with husband José Bastón.
Longoria gushed about motherhood, saying, "It's amazing. I am on Cloud Nine. Today is the first day I have returned to work... First time I am in hair and makeup in seven weeks. He is 7 weeks old. I was actually breastfeeding this morning, and he was looking at me like, 'Who are you, where's my mom?' and I was like, 'This is how Mommy really looks, sweetheart.'"
The proud parents introduced him to the world on the cover of "Hola!" magazine. "He waved by himself," she said of the cute cover pic, adding, "When they showed me all of the cover options, I was like, 'You have to put this one on the cover — he's waving at the world: 'Hello, world!'" Click the link below to see the pics!
Precious Baby Pics of Eva Longoria's Son Santiago
As much as she adores being a mom, she admits, "It's a lot of work, but it's effortless 'cause you want to be with him all the time. I get the whole tired thing... I miss him, I have to feed him every three hours. At night, I miss him when he's sleeping so it's not like, 'Yay, I get to sleep three hours!' I'm like, 'Ugh, I guess I will go to sleep.'"
She went on to call her baby boy "just so delicious."
As for whether she is going to have more kids, Eva smiled and said, "Let me recover from this... I don't want to tempt fate, I just want to enjoy every moment."
Eva even plays a mom in "Dog Days," noting, "Nobody dies in the movie — it's not 'Marley & Me,' it's a really fun film about all these relationships and the interconnected through-line of the dogs."
#BabyNews #EvaLongoria #Movies
First Pic! Eva Longoria Welcomes Baby Boy with José Bastón
How Brooke Burke Is Embracing 'Unfamiliar' Change After David Charvet Split
Eva Longoria Gives Hint About Her Baby's Name
Will Mario Lopez Be a Godfather to Eva Longoria's Baby? See Her Clever Reaction!
Eva Longoria's Star-Studded Walk of Fame Ceremony: 'It's Just an Amazing Feeling'
Eva Longoria's Snapchat Easter Diaries


The Silverstream Charolais Stud operation was established in 1968 when Charolais beef cattle were first introduced in New Zealand.
Bruce and Maureen were at that stage dairy farming with an interest in beef cattle as a sideline. By the late 1970's the Fishers had 60 Charolais in addition to their herd of 70 Friesians. They also had many successes in beef competitions. By 1978 Bruce was elected to council of the New Zealand Charolais Breeders Association. Maureen was just as keen to popularise the Charolais breed just as much as Bruce so through the 70's and 80's they entered many shows and beef competitions to help promote the breed.
All the Silverstream bloodlines originate from the Brookfield Charolais herd. In 1983 Bruce and Maureen went to St Andrews in South Canterbury to see the Copeland's Brookfield herd and were very impressed with the cattle. They felt they were far superior to their own graded up cows. The Copeland's were unable to continue farming their stud. Bruce and Maureen leased (and later purchased) the 70 females that made up the Brookfield herd. Among them were some very significant females including Brookfield Ocelot who would be regarded as one of the most influential cows in the world. She was the dam of Silverstream Ulverstone, Silverstream Vance, Silverstream Executive, Silverstream Jonah, the grand dam of Silverstream Performer. After purchasing the Brookfield herd all of Bruce and Maureen's own graded up cows were sold.


NPQ's nonprofit newswire has previously covered a number of stories about hacked emails related to donor activity. Those stories all have to do with politicized nonprofits, but others are certainly guilty of similar cavalier behavior toward donors. Take this piece as both a peek into the world of dark money political fundraising and a cautionary note.
This story began in September 2011. Walker had just stripped public sector unions of collective bargaining rights by getting the anti-union legislation Act 10 passed. Opposition groups forced him into a recall election. The pressure was on to raise serious money for the 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organization Wisconsin Club for Growth, which championed the effort to defeat the recall effort. Walker was fighting for his political life, as his fierce commitment to fundraising indicated. Conveniently, the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision in 2010 made the rise of raising "dark money" possible. This graphic from the Sunlight Foundation helps you understand the nation's impossibly convoluted campaign finance system that permitted Walker (he survived the 2012 recall election) to keep both his donors and their donations secret—until now.
These 1,500 leaked documents transformed what was meant to remain forever dark into front-page news. These documents are the evidence gathered by Special Prosecutor Francis Schmitz, who conducted what was called a "John Doe investigation" into suspected campaign finance violations by Walker's fundraising team. The court overseeing the investigation effectively ended the case in January 2014. Schmitz unsuccessfully appealed his case all the way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and is currently trying to appeal that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. Schmitz claims that Walker's team was part of "an illegal scheme to coordinate with independent groups not subject to campaign limits." Walker called this charge "categorically false." Walker's defenders accuse Schmitz as being the source of the leak.
Some prospective donors were not persuaded by the promise of confidentially.
Get a kickass finance chair who can do peer to peer asks.
Once Keith moves to the campaign have him rally the lobby/business community where Walker can't ask.
Invite them all to lunch with you for $25K each and make them ham sandwiches.


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Case study: How is data visualised in key local strategy documents?
In this case study, we look at three key local strategy documents required by central government, and how they use visualisation to present data. We identify the level of visualisation used in each type of document, and highlight good practice visualisation examples used in different areas.
Key local strategy documents
We have reviewed three flavours of local strategy document:
Sustainable Community Strategies (SCS): The long term framework that influences all other plans and strategies produced by local partner organisations;
Local Area Agreements (LAA): The LAA document sets out the priorities for each local area, agreed between central government and the local strategic partnership;
Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNA): An assessment of the needs of the local population for children and adult services, shared between the Director of Public Health (Primary Care Trust) and the Directors of Children / Adult Services (local authority).
Sampling coverage
To ensure representative coverage, a sample of JSNA, LAA and SCS documents were reviewed, representing each of the nine Government Office Regions and a mix of upper- and lower-tier authorities:
94 of the 388 Sustainable Community Strategies were reviewed (25%) - including those from 53 upper-tier Local Authorities and 41 lower-tier Districts;
The majority of the 149 LAA documents were reviewed;
63 of the 149 JSNAs (40%) were reviewed.
How is data visualised in key local strategy documents?
The level of visualisation used varied widely between the three different types of strategy document, reflecting their different roles and intended audiences. The table below sets out key findings from our review of actual local documents.
Visualisations used
Sustainable Community Strategies (SCS)
Sustainable Community Strategies set out the key long-term vision local partners. The documents are typically intended for general audiences rather than researchers.
More than 60% of the Community Strategies reviewed did not visualise data in any way. A further 20% only visualised data using using tables. The most common form of visualisation other than tables were thematic maps.
Reflecting the role of communicating with general audiences, Community Strategies tended to show simpler visualisations - less than 20% used thematic maps, while only 3 of the 94 strategies we reviewed presented relationships between two variables using scatterplots (scatterplots were used by Tufte as an indicator of visual sophistication when looking at different types of publication).
The overall level of visualisation was far below that used in Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (see below), reflecting that data visualisations are seen as less appropriate for general audiences,
Local Area Agreements (LAA)
The sample of LAAs we reviewed did not visualise data in any way except in table format, with the tables used to present priority indicators, current indicator values and targets for future indicator values. This reflects the role that LAAs play, as an agreement on priorities and targets between local and national partners.
However, the lack of visualisation raises an interesting point. The format makes the documents rather a difficult read for those users who are not used to wading through masses of data tables. Given the importance of the LAA document, it is perhaps surprising that no local and/or national partners incorporated summary visualisations to help understand and communicate the key agreements in the LAA.
Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNA)
JSNAs provide analysis on health and social care needs, for both strategic and operational purposes. Reflecting the need for readers to understand key messages from the data, every single JSNA we sampled provided some form of visualisation.
The JSNAs were relatively sophisticated in the way they visualised data, with: nearly half showing (at least some) data with error limits, 80% showing time series/ trend analysis, and 80% presenting some form of small area data. Nearly one-third presented relationships between two variables using scatterplots, again reflecting the relative sophistication of the audience.
In other words, JSNAs provide an exploration of the key data, albeit limited by having little user interaction (although data and analysis for some JSNAs have been made available on Local Information Systems as a "living document", so enabling more interaction and exploration of the data by users).
What are the most common visualisations used?
The figure below identifies the most common visualisations used in the Sustainable Community Strategies and Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (LAAs only used tables to present data).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, data tables are the most common form of presentation of data, used by all but two of the JSNAs reviewed. More than half of all JSNAs reviewed contained Bar Charts, Thematic Maps, Line Charts, Stacked Bar Charts, Population Pyramids and Pie Charts.
By contrast, more than 80% of the Community Strategies reviewed did not visualise data in any way, except using tables.
Good practice visualisation examples
Below we highlight some interesting examples from our review of key strategy documents:
Score-cards: comparing performance between areas
Treemaps: exploring relationships between many variables
Wall-charts: highlighting performance of many areas on many indicators
Boxplots: identifying where differences are likely to be significant
Quadrant plots: classifying areas on two indicators
1. Score-cards: comparing performance between areas and indicators
Nearly one-third of all JSNAs use some form of score-card, to compare a range of areas or indicators against a mean or target. Some Community Strategies also present similar data, enabling comparisons between areas on specific indicators.
Source: Oxfordshire (2008) JSNA
The figure above shows County, District and ward level all-age all-cause mortality rates for areas in Oxfordshire. Each row shows a (horizontal) boxplot distribution (see below for more information on boxplots), with the ward score shown as the vertcial blue line, the county average as the central black dotted line, and the ward distribution across the county shown as the fainter grey horizontal bar. It is very quick to identify which wards are significantly above or below the average for the County.
Source: Bexley Sustainable Community Strategy
A variant on this is shown above, from the Bexley Community Strategy. A stacked bar-chart is used instead of a boxplot, with the stacked bars showing the best and worst performing 20% of all trusts. Performance for all GP surgeries across the Borough is shown on several indicators, with error limits around performance - enabling users to quickly see how performance on a range of issues compares with national averages for all trusts.
Key features and advantages of score-cards for visualising data include:
Present range of data in single diagram, for example showing how all local areas fare on a particular indicator (with targets and comparisons against other areas also shown)
Users can quickly identify which areas are above or below average (or targets), and/ or how performance compares against national averages
Can be developed in standard applications, including Excel (based on standard bar-charts, or stocks-and-shares charts)
Click here for examples of score-cards in the visualisation gallery.
2. Treemaps: exploring relationships between many variables
Treemaps were invented by Ben Shneiderman, originally as a way of visualising the way that computer hard-drives were taken-up by different types of files (some background and history is here). During the early 1990s, Shneiderman and researchers at University of Maryland explored using treemaps for portraying all sorts of structured hierarchical data, including sports datasets, stock and shares portfolios, and satellite management systems.
Shneiderman and other researchers identified that roughly 15 minutes training was needed before users could clearly understand - and successfully use - the treemaps. But once understood, they allow users to easily and intuitively explore datasets in many different dimensions.
Treemaps represent data in two ways: the size of the boxes and the colour of the shading. Larger boxes and darker colours usually represent higher numbers, and the boxes are usually ordered by size so that the biggest rectangles are shown in the top-left corner. For example, this allows users to visualise how a particular population is broken down into sub-groups, and how those sub-groups compare on some measure
Source: Staffordshire (2008) Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
The treemap figure above is taken from the Staffordshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, and shows the population of Staffordshire arranged by BME group and gender (the size of the boxes is proportional to the size of BME group), and the percentage of people within each group with a limiting long-term illness (LLTI) who are not in good health (colour of the boxes). For example, the treemap shows that the proportion of Irish females with a LLTI who are not in good health is higher than for Irish males (the Irish females box in the treemap is darker than the Irish males box, identifying a higher level of LLTI in the group). An interactive version of the treemap could be used to explore how LLTI and other health variables varied across different age, gender, and ethnic sub-groups.
Interactive treemaps allow users to explore different variables of interest - for example, see the Map of the Market which shows stocks organised by industry groups, size-coded by market capitalisation, and colour-coded to show rise or fall. The New York Times Treemap of infant deaths enables you to compare infant death rates between any two countries since 1960, with data for one country represented by colour and data for the other represented by rectangle size.
Key features and advantages of treemaps for visualising data include:
Present two different aspects of a dataset at once, for example the number of people in some population group (BME groups by gender in the example above), and the % of that group experiencing some issue (limiting long-term illness in the case above)
Once users are familiar with the concept and use of treemaps, they provide a powerful and intuitive interface to explore complex datasets. But treemaps are less straightforward to interpret for new users.
Interactive treemaps (for example web-enabled) allow very powerful analysis of complex datasets in real-time.
More difficult to develop, requiring non-standard applications
Click here for examples of treemaps in the visualisation gallery.
3. Wall-charts: highlighting performance of many areas on many indicators
Wall-charts are essentially summary tables, typically showing how different areas compare on a range of different indicators - allowing users to view a great deal of information at once. Colour-coding is used to highlight where data values are above or below a baseline.
The example below is taken from the Oxfordshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, showing wards across the county against key health indicators. The colours show whether performance is significantly worse (red and yellow) or better (green) than the county average. Of the 63 JSNAs we reviewed, 4 summarised information in this way.
Source: Oxfordshire (2008) Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
Key features and advantages of wall-charts for visualising data include:
Present very large range of data at once, for example all local neighbourhoods against all key indicators (or range of key indicators over time)
Colour-coding is used to highlight where data values are worse or better than some target
Easy for users to identify general patterns, eg which areas/ services are performing well or badly across a range of indicators (but by contrast, more difficult to pick-out specific data values)
Easy to develop in standard applications, including Word and Excel
4. Boxplots: identifying where differences are likely to be significant
When comparing different areas on some indicator, it is common to use a bar-chart, with the height of the bar representing the data value. Where the data is taken from a sample, a bar-chart can still be used to show the average value (for example the average Index of Multiple Deprivation score across all Super Output Areas in a Local Authority can be plotted).
However, a straight bar-chart does not help users identify whether differences between data values across areas are likely to be significant - this is where box-plots (also known as box-and-whisker plots) come in.
Source: Surrey (2008) Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
The figure above shows a box-plot of variation in ward-level under-18 conception rates across the 34 English shire counties. For each county, the box and line show five data values:
The smallest and largest values are shown at the top and bottom of the lines. In the circled example, this shows that under-18 conception rates across all wards in Surrey vary from 15 to 30 per 1,000
The size of the box shows the interquartile range - from 25% of the sample to 75%. In Surrey this varies from 22 to 28 per 1,000
The line in the box shows the median value of the data sample. In Surrey this is 25 per 1,000
Box-plots can be used to show whether differences between areas are likely to be meaningful. Where there is a good deal of overlap between the boxes (which show the 25-75% interquartile range), differences in the mean or median values are unlikely to be significant.
Key features and advantages of boxplots for visualising data include:
Summarise a distribution of values, for example (as above) showing for different shire Counties how teenage pregnancy rates vary at ward level
Provide more information on the variation in a group of values than simply showing the Confidence Intervals
Help users understand whether differences between values for different areas are likely to be significant (in the example above, showing whether differences between the County teenage conception rates are likely to be meaningful)
Users can quickly identify which areas are significantly above or below average
Can be developed in standard applications, including Excel (based on bar-charts, or stocks-and-shares charts)
Click here for examples of boxplots in the visualisation gallery.
5. Quadrant plots: classifying areas on two indicators
Essentially scatter-plots, quadrant plots are used to classify areas, groups or issues into four categories depending on their scores on two indicators. Often, the scale of the problem (eg, numbers or proportion of cases) is plotted against change over time (eg, increase over 12 months). Alternatively, quadrant plots can be used to compare the importance of an issue as measured by (a) objective data such as recorded offences or unemployment levels; and (b) subjective views such as priorities of local citizens. 3 of the 94 of the Sustainable Community Strategies we reviewed use Quadrant Plots.
Source: Redcar and Cleveland Sustainable Community Strategy
In the quadrant plot shown above, priorities highlighted by residents in Redcar and Cleveland are shown against two axes:
Importance (shown along the x-axis) - based on the question "how important is this issue?"
Improvement (y-axis), based on "in need of most improvement"
The different issues are then categorised into the four quadrants:
Bottom-left quadrant: Lesser importance and lesser need of improvement
Upper-left quadrant: Lesser importance but greater need of improvement
Upper-right quadrant: Greater importance and greater need of improvement
Bottom-right quadrant: Greater importance but lesser need of improvement
Key features and advantages of quadrant plots for visualising data include:
Present two different aspects of a dataset at once, for example the importance of an issue as measured by (a) objective data such as recorded offences or unemployment levels; and (b) subjective views such as priorities of local citizens
Relatively easy to intepret for general users
Can be easily developed in standard applications, including Excel (as a scatterplot with labels)
Click here for examples of quadrant plots in the visualisation gallery. Scatterplots can also be used as quadrant plots, if the axes can be meaningfully divided into quadrants.