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Greenwich Free Press (https://greenwichfreepress.com/news/government/tolls-and-taxes-are-hot-topics-at-league-of-women-voters-legislative-luncheon-125653/)
Tolls and Taxes Are Hot Topics at League of Women Voters Legislative Luncheon
By: Benjamin Rosenfeld | July 10, 2019
The League of Women Voters of Greenwich held a legislative picnic Tuesday afternoon at a private home in Riverside, aiming to inform Greenwich residents about the changes locally-elected representatives brought to the state in the 2019 legislative year.
Present at the event were four state officials representing Greenwich: Rep. Livvy Floren (R-149), Rep. Stephen Meskers (D-150), Rep. Fred Camillo (R-151) and State Sen. Alex Bergstein (D).
Over 50 LWVG members attended the two-hour event, which was set up as a question and answer between representatives and local residents.
Attendees moved through the most hot-button issues facing Connecticut and the town of Greenwich in particular.
The biggest difference in opinion between the representatives emerged on the issue of tolls, which has been one of the biggest initiatives of Governor Ned Lamont in the pursuit of fixing Connecticut's highways and interstate transportation system.
State Senator Alex Bergstein said she favored tolls, posing them as the best of three options for generating revenue, along with increased taxes and increased borrowing from other states or from the federal government. Many state legislators, particularly in Fairfield County, are already wary about implementing capital gains taxes or risking an increase in the state's $3.7 billion deficit, both possibilities Bergstein stood firmly opposed to.
"Every time you see an out-of-state license, just know that your current tax dollars are paying for the damage that they do the roads," she said. "They're freeloading off us now."
Bergstein acknowledged the measure would be controversial, but argued that with Connecticut the only state on the East coast without highway tolls means it is effectively running "a multi-state charity."
"I feel a great sense of privilege, but also duty as your state senator to take positions that I feel are the responsible choices, not positions that will help me or anybody else get elected in the next cycle," Bergstein said.
State Rep Livvy Floren at the League of Women Voters legislative luncheon, July 9, 2019
State Rep Fred Camillo at the League of Women Voters legislative luncheon, July 9, 2019
The Republican representatives at the event, however, were firmly opposed to the toll proposal.
Representative Floren argued that the process of toll installation on I-95 would mean 4 years before they bring in any revenue to the state, and Representative Camillo expressed skepticism that the revenue would be fully directed towards infrastructure improvements.
"You all voted for a lockbox last year and guess what happened? It went into effect July 1, but the Governor and his budget raided it again," Camillo said. "So this is why people really don't trust the legislature. We say one thing, we do the other."
During the event, each representative was also able to detail what they saw as the most pivotal legislative changes achieved during the 2019 year. Representative Meskers explained that House Democrats were able to make large strides on the topic of gun reform.
"We enacted three gun control laws this session, and all of them ultimately increased the responsibility of gun owners, whether it be traveling in their cars to have their guns locked, to have their ammunition locked."
Meskers cited several incidents of homicide using guns stolen from unlocked cars, which prompted legislators to take action on certain aspects of gun control.
"It was the most heart-wrenching of issues to hear, because we think we're in an island, we think everything is perfect, and there was nothing wrong, it was just people following the laws that existed, their guns weren't safely kept and their guns were used in a murder," Meskers said.
Representative Floren expressed pride over the bipartisan measures legislators were able to make in dealing with the opiate crisis, as well as in making progress on certain women's rights issues.
"We made great headway on women's issues. Pregnancy is no longer a pre-existing condition, you cannot change a formulary in the middle of a term, you cannot just up your deductible or co-pay just like that," Floren said. "These are all now legislative things that cannot happen."
The Connecticut General Assembly, which runs on a half-year calendar, adjourned in the beginning of June and will convene again in February of 2020.
Alex Bergstein
Fred Camillo
Livvy Floren
Steve Meskers
Hearing Set for Tuesday on 2 Dozen Trees Posted for Removal in Advance of Playing Field Improvements at Hamilton Ave School
Two dozen mature trees are posted for removal at Hamilton Avenue School at the request of the Board of Education.
P&Z Watch: Three 8-30g Proposals Exempt from Local Zoning Scrutinized
View all Government Posts →
Crowds gathered at Greenwich Town Hall for a "Lights for Liberty" vigil to protest inhumane conditions at southern border camps for migrants.
State Senator Bergstein Opens Up about Relationship with Former Female Colleague
PHOTOS: Protest Against Highly Restrictive Abortion Laws: "This is a War on American Women"
View all Alex Bergstein Posts →
LETTER: Push Poll for Republican Primary for First Selectman of Greenwich is Underhanded
"Politics today has gotten past the point of nastiness and far away from the cause of the common good of the people. An example of this is evident in a recent poll I received regarding the Republican Primary for First Selectman of Greenwich." – Michael Hahn, Riverside
PHOTOS: Camp Simmons Honors State Rep. Fred Camillo as 'Celebrity Lunch Chef'
Lauren Rabin, Republican Hopeful for Selectman: Greenwich is Strong and Getting Stronger
View all Fred Camillo Posts →
Greenwich League of Women Voters Collaboration with Harvard Civics Project Goes National
50 League Chapters from 21 states nominated outstanding high school teachers to attend all-expenses-paid professional development workshop on Harvard's campus this summer. Many Leagues also specifically chose to nominate top teachers from schools that were economically challenged, in keeping with the League's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
State Rep Candidates Talk Pensions, Tolls, Opioids
Greenwich League of Women Voters: What You Need to Know about Registering to Vote
View all League of Women Voters Posts →
LoBalbo: Floren's Opinion on Paid Family Medical Leave Missed the Mark
"I usually enjoy reading Livvy Floren's opinion pieces which I find refreshingly positive, unfortunately the opinion letter on Paid Family Medical Leave missed the mark." – Kate LoBalbo
State Reps Floren and Camillo to Hold Town Hall Info Session on Tolls
YWCA Greenwich and March On Greenwich Present "Greenwich Next"
View all Livvy Floren Posts →
Well Under Budget, Steamboat Rd Scenic Overlook is Celebrated
State Rep Steve Meskers (D-150) to Address RMA, Open to the Public
View all Steve Meskers Posts →
Greenwich Founders Day 2019 To Be Celebrated on July 18

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Academy Information>
Pickwick Academy Trust
Chief Executive Officer's Welcome:
Thank you for visiting Ivy Lane's web-site, one of Pickwick Academy Trust family of schools.
I am hugely proud to be working alongside the Headteachers, Governors, Trustees and staff within the organisation, all of whom are committed to providing the best quality education for the children in our care.
Pickwick Academy Trust brings together five founding schools, Aloeric Primary, Corsham Primary, Ivy Lane Primary, Queen's Crescent and Ludwell Primary, whose leaders have the ambition and drive to continue to develop a successful Multi Academy Trust in response to the Government's White Paper 'Education Excellence Everywhere' (March 2016). We believe that there is a need for a multi academy trust to be formed in this area of Wiltshire that focuses exclusively on the unique role of primary education.
While our schools maintain individual character and are firmly embedded within their own local communities; Pickwick Academy Trust has developed a unique identity with a clear understanding of what it means to be part of a larger family of like-minded schools.
Working together brings many benefits for our staff teams and the families we serve. Our schools are guided by the overall Pickwick Academy Trust vision which clearly sets out the ambition for us all:
Harness our collective expertise to drive school improvement and realise the best for all;
Provide support and challenge for each school on its own individual journey of improvement;
Promote and celebrate the uniqueness of our schools to encourage aspirations and innovation;
Every child is learning and supported to meet their full potential.
We believe we will achieve this vision by:
Personalising learning to match need, recognising that success can look very different for individual children
Having high expectations that are intrinsic in everything we plan and deliver for the children
Delivering focused, effective, creative teaching and learning opportunities that are enjoyable
Providing a strong ethical framework that enables children to make thoughtful, positive choices
Celebrating and sharing success and achievements
Creating an environment that suits new and developing ways of learning
Developing and investing in a highly skilled workforce
Becoming a centre of excellence in education, pioneering innovative methods of teaching and learning that have a positive impact on achievement
Collaborating with partners in local and wider communities to ensure collective responsibility for pupils and their families
Working to guarantee sustainable and long-term economic security for the benefit of our children.
We believe our PAT moto says it all:
"Working together to provide the best for our children"
If you want to find out more about the individual schools, follow the links in the Pickwick Academy Trust and the "Our Academies" section on the web-site. If you are a school seeking to join our Trust, or just want to know more about us, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
James Passmore


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APPKIT_EXPORT NSString *NSNoSelectionMarker;
APPKIT_EXPORT NSString *NSMultipleValuesMarker;
APPKIT_EXPORT NSString *NSNotApplicableMarker;

APPKIT_EXPORT BOOL NSIsControllerMarker(id object);

@interface NSController : NSObject <NSCoding> {
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@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


yet he did not sin.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.
when we need it most.
I have always had high expectations of myself – never wanting to fail – always wanting to be strong – never weak – earning my success in the game of baseball and in my everyday life.
All that changed when cancer entered my life. Oh, I was strong and performed well at the beginning of my journey of suffering. But as the journey took me into the wilderness and the days became long and endless, I experienced a weakness of my being that I had never felt before.
I had a fear of death – I doubted – then felt shame for my lack of faith. I experienced frustration over my weakness and my failure to overcome. This resulted in anger – rage-filled fits – then extreme guilt over my sin. Like Adam in the Garden of Eden, my inclination was to run from God and hide.
BUT … running and hiding from God was not the answer– in order to endure, I needed to run to Him and receive His grace even though I felt I had not earned or deserved it.
But God loves who we really are – whether we like it or not.
God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding.
"Come to me now," Jesus says.
unbearable forgiveness, and love that keeps no score of wrongs.
Quit projecting onto me your own feelings about yourself.
a smoldering wick and I will not quench it.
Sometimes we are so sick and tired of stumbling that we don't want to walk anymore. What a blessing it is to realize that all we need to have is the will to walk with Him, and God is pleased with us – even when we stumble. That's an incredible expression of grace. That is a tremendous motivation to endure.


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Morales's Candidate Rides High In Polls Ahead Of Bolivia Vote
Leftist candidate Luis Arce has a clear lead going into the final weeks of campaigning for next month's presidential election in Bolivia, a national opinion poll released Wednesday showed.
Former economy minister Arce has 29.2 percent of voter preferences, well ahead of his nearest rival, former president Carlos Mesa, who polled at 19 percent in the Catholic Jubilee foundation poll with a network of universities.
Arce was hand-picked by exiled ex-president Evo Morales to lead his Movement for Socialism (MAS) party's challenge to win back the presidency in twice-delayed October 18 elections.
Bolivians will go to the polls a year after Morales's controversial victory in the last election triggered mass protests over allegations of vote rigging.
The 60-year-old indigenous leader, who had led the South American country uninterrupted since 2006, resigned and was forced to flee to Mexico.
Interim president Jeanine Anez -- a conservative former senator who took over after Morales and several top ministers fled -- is in fourth place in the polls at just 7 percent, amid criticism of her handling of the coronavirus epidemic.
Leftist candidate Luis Arce, a former economy minister, holds a clear opinion poll lead heading into the October 18, 2020 presidential election in Bolivia AFP / Aizar RALDES
An influential right-wing regional leader, Luis Fernando Camacho, is running in third place with 10.4 percent, according to the polls.
Human Rights Watch has accused the Anez government of using the country's justice system to persecute Morales's allies.
The government categorically rejected the allegations, made in a HRW report last week.
Morales, currently in exile in neighboring Argentina, recently appealed to the constitutional court in La Paz to overturn the electoral commission's decision to ban him from running in the elections.
Morales wants to run as a senate candidate for the central region of Cochabamba, where he emerged as a political leader decades ago. But a judge ruled against his eligibility last week.
The vote will go to a second round run-off on November 29 if no candidate obtains 50 percent in the first round.
Coronavirus Mexico Argentina
Brazil's Central Bank To Keep Wary Stance Against Govt Flak: Reuters Poll
'Harry Potter' Movies To Be Removed From Russia Starting Feb. 1


Virginia Beach has a lot to offer all year round. There are museums, beaches, parks, and so much more for everyone to enjoy. Whether you want to be active and jet ski off the Shore, or enjoy a cold one at a local brewery, we have a lot to explore.
This entry was posted in Local Info and tagged Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach by remaxalliancevb. Bookmark the permalink.


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Ngugi waThiong'o
Distinguished Professor, Comparative Literature
Distinguished Professor, English
Email: ngugi@uci.edu
African Literature, postcolonialism, globalization
Ngugi's official website
(Selected): Paul Robeson Award for Artistic Excellence, Political Conscience and Integrity (1992); Gwendolyn Brooks Center Contributors Award for Significant Contribution to the Black Literary Arts (1994); Fonlon-Nichols Prize 1996); Distinguished Africanist Award by the New York African Studies Association (1996);
Nonino International Prize for Literature; 2001 Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Cabinet.
My research interests include Caribbean and African Literature. I am interested in the politics of culture in post-colonial condition. My main interest is in the problematic interaction between dominant languages and marginalized ones. A large amount of knowledge in most postcolonial societies is produced in former colonial languages. What is the impact and effect of this on the culture/s where most people do not speak the dominant language? I explore how the production of knowledge affects the development of these societies. I draw on various disciplines, particularly politics and philosophy and cultural theories.
My other interests lie in writing fiction. I use the novel form to explore issues of wealth, power and values in society and how their production and organization in society impinge on the quality of a people's spiritual life. In my current novel, Wizard of the Crow, I explore issues of globalization.
On Literature and Culture
Homecoming, Heinemann, London, 1969
Writers in Politics, Heinemann, London, 1982
Barrel of a Pen, Heinemann, London, 1983
Decolonising the Mind, James Currey Ltd, London, 1986
Moving the Centre; Struggle For Cultural Freedoms, James Currey Ltd, London, 1993
Penpoints, Gunpoints and Dreams, Oxford University Press, 1998
Detained: A Writers Prison Diary, Heinemann, London, 1982
Secret Lives, a collection, Heinemann, London, 1970
The Black Hermit, Makerere University Press, 1962 and Heinemann, London, 1969
This Time Tomorrow, Kenya Literature Bureau, Nairobi, 1970
The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, (with Micere Mugo); Heinemann, London, 1976
Ngaahika Ndeenda, (Gikuyu with Ngugi wa Mirii); Heinemann, Nairobi,1980
I will marry when I want, (English trans. of the above); Heinemann, London, 1982
Weep not Child, Heinemann, London, 1964
The River Between, Heinemann, London, 1965
A Grain of Wheat, Heinemann, London, 1967
Petals of Blood, Heinemann, London, 1977
Caitaani Mutharabaini, Gikuyu, Heinemann, Nairobi, 1980
Devil on the Cross (English trans. Heinemann, London, 1982
Matigari Ma Njiriuungi, Gikuyu, Heinemann, Nairobi,1986
Matigari, English trans. Heinemann, London, 1989
Murogi wa Kagogo (Gikuyu), E.A. E. P., Nairobi, 2004 (Bk 1 & 2); Bk 3, 2006
Wizard or the Crow, (English translation), Pantheon Books, New York, 2006
Something Torn & New: An African Renaissance, Basic Civitas Books, 2009
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Clifford B. Robson, New York: St Martins Press, 1979
An Introduction to the Writings of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, G. Killam, London, Exeter, NH: Heinemann Educational, 1980
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, an Exploration of his Writings, David Cook, Michael Okenimkpe, London: Heinemann, 1983
Ngugi wa Thiong'o: A Bibliography of Primary and Secondary Sources 1957- 1987, Carol Sichermann, London, Munich, New York: Hans Zell Publishers, 1989
Mother Sing For Me: People's Theatre in Kenya, Ingrid Björkman; Ngugi wa Thiong'o, London, Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Zed Books, 1989
Ngugi wa Thiong'o: The Making of a Rebel, Carol Sicherman, London, Munich, New York: Hans Zell Publishers, 1990
The World of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Charles Cantalupo, ed., Trenton: African World Press, 1995, 1993
Achebe and Ngugi, Indrasena Reddy, New Delhi: Prestige Books, 1994
Ngugi wa Thiong'o: Texts and Contexts, Charles Cantalupo, ed, Trenton: African World Press, 1995
Politics as Fiction: The Novels of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Harish Narang, New Delhi: Creative Books, 1995
Ngugi and African Postcolonial Narrative: The Novel as Oral Narative in Multi-genre Performance, F. Odun Balogun, St-Hyachinthe, Quebec: World Heritage Press, 1997
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Patrick Williams, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1998
Ngugi's Novels and African History: Narrating the Nation, James Ogude, London, Sterling, VA: Pluto Press, 1999
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Oliver Lovesay, New York: Twayne Publishers, 2000
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Simon Gikandi, Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000
Critical Essays on Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Peter Nazareth, New York: Twayne Publishers, 2000
The Writer as Activist: South Asian Perspectives on Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Bernth Lindfors, Bala	Kothandaraman, Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2001


They'lll be precious in this adorable baby or toddler halloween costume. Baby or toddler Princess Leia costume features Princess Leia costume dress in fleece with coordinating Princess Leia headpiece. You will love this litte girls infant or toddler licensed Star Wars costume.
The most adorable infant or toddler costume from the Star Wars movie series. She'll be defending the planet in this cute Star Wars costume which includes a character headpiece and a white robe with attached belt as shown. Thick yet soft fleece fabric will be comfortable and warm. Socks and shoes are not included. This is an officially licensed STAR WARS� costume.


The House of Representatives on Thursday passed through second reading a Bill for an Act to amend the Banks and other Financial Institutions Act.
The bill seeks to amongst others, increase penalties to deter corporate and individual misconduct.
Mr. Onyereri, while leading the debate, said the bill seeks to amend the Banking Act and to among other things, regulate banks and other financial institutions.
He said there was a need to stop the incessant contravention of banking laws.
The bill, when amended will prohibit carrying on of such businesses in the country and streamline the operations of banks and financial institutions in Nigeria to conform with 'international best practices'.
The Consumer Protection Council (CPC), a government agency that protects the rights of consumers in Nigeria, had sanctioned some commercial banks over spurious bank charges.
CPC was reported to have recently ordered FCMB to refund N1.5 billion to the Bauchi State Government and a customer of the bank.


Story and photos courtesy of Karyann Hoopes.
A group of photographers gathered at sunset and captured stunning images of the Mesa Arizona Temple before it closes for renovations on May 19, 2018, not to reopen until 2020.
For the second time in 43 years, the Mesa Arizona Temple will be closed for renovations, which include temple ground enhancements, site improvements, exterior maintenance, interior finishes, and a new visitors' center located across the street, according to Mormon Newsroom.
Seven photographers—Karyann Hoopes, Brooks Crandall, Richard Webb, Jason Miller, Jimmy Paderta, Lance Bertola, and Rory Wallwork—from Arizona and Utah came together to capture these beautiful images. They hope by publishing these photos they can share the spirit of this building with those who love the Mesa temple, the first temple dedicated in Arizona.
Though many might see these photographers as competitors, to each other they are friends who enjoy bringing light into the world through their photography.


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SMBs Do Software Differently
New research reveals that small and midsize companies use and buy software differently than enterprises do. Check your plans against your peers to make sure you're following best practices.
By Fredric Paul June 23, 2009
Surprise! Software for small and midsize companies isn't just a scaled down version of enterprise applications. While large and small companies share many concerns, SMBs are more innovative, more optimistic, and more likely to buy than build.
These conclusions come out of a recent Forrester Research report The State Of SMB Software: 2009 and data from Forrester's Enterprise and SMB Software Survey: Enterprise Versus SMB: Who Influences Your Software Purchasing Decisions? And Software Budget Outlook And Preferred Purchasing Channels By Company Size: 2008 To 2009.
By far the biggest hoopla coming out of these studies is the idea that companies large and small are still worried about the security of open source source software. But bMighty open source blogger Matthew McKenzie has debunked that notion as sensationalism.
But I'm not interested in rehashing that question. I'm interested in how small and midsize companies use and think about software differently than larger companies, and how business owners and IT folks can leverage those differences for competitive advantage.
According to the study, application integration and cost cutting are SMBs top goals, followed by boosting innovation. But relatively few SMBs are focusing on expanding the use of SaaS or moving applications off-premise. That makes sense to me, because those are essentially tactics, not goals. At the same time, though, concerns about SaaS is dropping dramatically, the report said in many cases by half or two-thirds, which should lead to greater adoption even if it's not a specific goal for most SMBs. The most popular SaaS apps are CRM--can you say, Salesforce.com--but Web 2.0 technologies are also starting to show up. Other popular initiatives resemble enterprise choices, including updating key legacy apps and increasing use of collaboration technologies. Surprisingly, Unified Communications was the top software technology of interest to SMBs, even though only 25 percent have either implemented it or are about to do so. Another 10 percent are piloting UC apps, and 30 percent are looking into it. Other top choices include the following, in descending order of importance:
Mobile development tools and middleware
Business activity management
Information as a Service
Event-driven applications
Platform as as Service (PaaS)
Contract life-cycle management
Information life-cycle management (ILM)
Business rules engines
Application life-cycle management (ALM)
Among packaged applications and information and knowledge management, human capital management software is the most widely implemented (23 percent) but ERP will attract the most growth (19 percent).
Many SMBs are still unsure about platform software and SOA. Only a quarter of SMBs are either using or will pursue SOA in the next 12 months. Of those, internal integration is by far the most popular use.
On the infrastructure side, database software leads platform and infrastructure software activity, implemented at 32 percent of SMBs, with another 28 percent planning to expand. Portal server software (8 percent) and enterprise collaboration software (8 percent) are mostly in pilot phases. Other technologies SMBs are considering include SOA and Web services management, application servers and platform software, and business process management (BPM) software.
And despite the hype, Web 2.0 tools such as discussion forums, blogs, social networking, and wikis have only a relatively small following among SMBs, though interest is rising overall.
Perhaps thats because most SMBs still prefer to deploy on-premise packaged applications, and the Web 2.0 tools are ofen a less-discrete purchase.
But it turns out that the differences start even before businesses get the software. As shown in the Enterprise and SMB Software Survey, business leaders (CEOs, presidents, CFOs, etc.) make the big decisions at smaller companies. At SMBs, they have complete authority to purchase software about a third of the time, and are very influential in another third of companies. At enteprises, the total is less than 50 percent. That doesn't mean that IT folks don't count at SMBs, though, as 64 percent are very influential and another 16 percent have complete control, only slightly less than the totals at enterprises.
Surprisingly, however, VARs, software integrators and other resellers had about the same influence on software purchasing in large and small companies, with only 1 percent giving them complete authority, and 8 to 9 percent considering them very influential. And while 49 percent of enterprises considered the channel somewhat influential, only 46 percent of SMBs did so. That flies in the face of conventional wisdom about SMB technology purchasing being driven by the channel.
Interestingly, vendors were about as influential for both sizes of businesses, with only minor differences. And while industry analysts didn't have much say for SMBs, almost half of enterprises considered them somewhat influential (vs. just 37 percent for SMBs). Some 12 percent of enterprises considered analysts very influentual or had complete authority, versus 10 percent for SMBs.
The bottom line is functionality, with 74 percent of SMBs citing it as very important, followed by integration with other systems (63 percent). Brand and recommendations (13 percent) can't compare. According to the report, "more SMBs consider functionality to be a very important criterion for purchasing than enterprises, although it is the top criterion for enterprises as well."
If business leaders are the key to SMB purchasing, they seem to be making less pessimistic decisions than their IT counterparts at larger companies. A whopping 59 percent of Global 2000 companies expect economic conditions to curtail IT spending for the next year, while 31% say they'll manage to keep spending flat. But for companies under 1,000 employees, only 35 to 40 percent plan to cut IT spending and 15 to 18 percent actually plan to boost their outlays.
Where does that money go? SMBs tend to invest more cash to software licenses, devoting more than a third of their software budgets to new licenses and software depreciation. Not surprisingly, larger companies spent a greater proportion on software development, both internal and outsourced. After all, larger companies often have proprietary processes to support and the resources to do custom development.
Earlier I said that defying conventional wisdom, SMBs don't let VARs choose what software they buy. But it turns out that SMBs are in fact more likely to buy their software from resellers, and less likely to buy direct from the vendor (though direct purchases can still account for up to half or more their purchases).
So, how do SMBs choose their VARs? For companies with 6 to 99 employees, experience in implementing the app was the most important factor, followed by complete solutions, vertical industry expertise, vendor certifications, and references from other customers. That last one somewhat contradicts the State of SMB Software report, which says "peers and colleagues (word of mouth) (62 percent) are the most relied upon sources of offline information for informing purchasing decisions, followed by technology or business publications and magazines (42 percent)." Online "vendor, industry trade, or professional websites are . . . considered important by 50 percent of SMBs, followed by technology or business publication and magazine Web sites (45 percent)."
In terms of what kinds of actual software they buy, the reports found few dramatic differences between enterprises and SMBs. That plays into the notion that SMBs have similar technology needs to enterprises, they just can't afford the same kinds of solutions.


RSRP-183263 discusses that tests using the TestCaseSourceAttribute are not broken into individual tests (the tests are marked as passed or failed as a group with no way to identify exactly which test failed or why). This was closed as a duplicate of RSRP-149085 (which actually refers to TestFixtureAttribute instead of the TestCaseSourceAttribute). Now the latter (referring to TestCaseFixtureAttribute) is closed as fixed in the EAP. But testing with today's EAP build (2114) this is emphatically not fixed for the TestCaseSourceAttribute.
One of these issues needs to be reopened until this is fixed.
and we're going to look into this problem soon.
Have you found the solution to this issue yet?
UPDATE: I just installed R# 6.0 and it seems that the problem I mentioned above is fixed too. However I noticed another problem. Test cases with TestCaseSourceAttribe have green checkmark icon, but at the top of tests in Unit Test Session window those test cases are counted as "ignored".


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Steven Murphy Joins FOCUS' Washington, DC office as a Senior Advisor
Posted November 11, 2009 by FOCUS
Washington, D.C. (September 11, 2009) – FOCUS LLC, a national middle market investment banking firm providing merger, acquisition, divestiture and corporate finance services, announces Steven Murphy has joined FOCUS as a Senior Advisor in the Washington, DC office. Mr. Murphy has a great deal of experience increasing shareholder value in the information technology industry.
"In his 25 years in the business, Steven has led eight major acquisitions, two management buy-outs and a public to private sale. This is the kind of experience that helps our bankers and our clients," said Doug Rodgers, chief executive officer of FOCUS.
Mr. Murphy was recently the interim CEO and Director of Plasmon Inc. where he led the growth and positive cash flow turnaround of the data storage and content management business and subsequent public to private sale of four operating divisions on behalf of the senior equity and debt holders.
Mr. Murphy also led the IBM Data Mobility services group in 2007 as a result of IBM's acquisition of Softek Storage Solutions Inc. where he also served as CEO and president. During his tenure, he helped Softek become the industry's recognized leader in data storage software. Prior to Softek's management buyout, Mr. Murphy was CEO of Fujitsu Software and of its predecessor Amdahl Software.
Steven holds a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from Mount Saint Mary's University. He has been a national award winner of the Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur of the Year. He is married with two children and resides in the Washington DC area.
About FOCUS LLC
FOCUS LLC provides a range of middle market investment banking services with an emphasis on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and corporate finance. FOCUS is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with regional offices in Atlanta and Chicago. FOCUS specializes in business units with transactions or revenues in the $5-300 million range, serving entrepreneurs, corporate owners and various types of investors across a broad range of industries, throughout the U.S. and worldwide. FOCUS bankers are seasoned operating and financial executives with extensive transaction experience. Securities transactions conducted by Wm. H. Murphy & Co., Inc. registered Broker Dealer member FINRA/SIPC. For more information on FOCUS, visit www.focusbankers.com.


We were recently made aware of an issue affecting users who performed a firmware or app update on their UA Heart Rate, which is preventing them from pairing the UA Heart Rate to their UA Band.
To remedy this problem, please follow the troubleshooting steps outlined below.
Remove the puck from your UA Heart Rate strap > remove battery > re-insert battery. This resets UA Heart Rate.
Open UA Record > tap the "UA Sync" icon in the top right corner > select UA Heart Rate > Connect. When connection fails, tap the "Set Up a new UA Heart Rate"
Once your HR connects to the app, background the app and initiate a workout on your UA Band. The two should now be able to communicate again.
We appreciate your patience and understanding while we investigate this issue. If you continue to have problems connecting your UA Heart Rate Monitor to Record or to your UA Band, please feel free to reach out to our support team for assistance.


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Israel approves bill to "legally" dispossess Palestinians
By Sarah Bedson - February 08, 2017
Tags: [Settlement Expansion]
Ramallah, occupied West Bank - Late Monday evening, Israel's parliament, the Knesset, passed a controversial bill to retroactively legalise thousands of settler homes built on privately owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
The "Legalisation Bill", which passed on a vote of 60 to 52, came just days after President Trump's administration cautioned Israel that expanding settlements "may not be helpful in achieving" peace in the Middle East.
Bezalel Smotrich of the far-right Jewish Home party, one of the forces behind the legislation, thanked the American people for electing Donald Trump as president, "without whom the law would have probably not passed" and described it as a "historic day for the settlement movement and for Israel."
Its passage marks the first time that the Knesset has sought to impose Israeli law and sovereignty in Area C of the West Bank. Former Likud minister, Dan Meridor, affirmed that Palestinians living in the West Bank did not vote for the Knesset, meaning it has no authority to legislate for them. "These are basic principles of democracy and Israeli law," he said.
The vote quickly drew widespread condemnation by Palestinian leaders and rights groups, with many calling the bill a direct infringement of international law.
Minutes after the vote, secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), Saeb Erekat, denounced the law as a means to "legalise theft" of Palestinian land. Calling on the international community to "stop treating Israel as a state above the law", he stated "the Israeli settlement enterprise negates peace and the possibility of a two-state solution."
B'Tselem said the timing of the bill weeks after UN Security Resolution 2334 was "a slap in the face of the international community (…) While enshrining the dispossession in law is a new development, in practice it is another facet of the massive land grab carried out openly for decades by declaring 'state land,'" a statement from the organisation said.
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, General Secretary of the Palestine National Initiative told Palestine Monitor that the law signified severe cause for concern. "This is not just another law. This law will legalise land grabbing and theft of Palestinian land for the sake of Israeli settlers," he said. "It aims to annex most of the West Bank and it consolidates the system of apartheid, with 2 systems of law being practised – one for Israelis, one for Palestinians. The ultimate goal is to kill the prospects of a future Palestinian state and a two-state solution." For him, the supposed compensation plans are a smokescreen: "They know Palestinians won't accept money for their land."
Though passed, the bill could still be challenged.
Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said last week: "The chance that it will be struck down by the Supreme Court is 100 percent."
Among others, the Israel NGO Peace Now vowed to appeal the law at the Supreme Court. "It became clear that Netanyahu is willing to compromise the future of both Israelis and Palestinians in order to satisfy a small group of extreme settlers for the sake of his own political survival," said a tweet from the settlement watchdog.
Ahead of the vote, chairman of the opposition, lawmaker Isaac Herzog took to the Knesset's podium, warning that, "This legislation is de facto annexation. Our opposition to the law stems from our opposition to annexation…it is not too late to stop the horror of a freight train", which he believes would be a one-way trip to the International Criminal Court.
Dr. Barghouti remains sceptical: "The public should be wary of Israel's actions to dampen international outcry by claiming the supreme court will overturn the law. We do not trust the Israeli system. In my opinion, the Palestinian Authority should issue a state referral to the ICC and every country supporting a two-state solution should immediately recognise the Palestinian state and impose sanctions on Israel. Nothing will stop the expansion of settlements but sanctions."
Palestinian NGO Al-Haq also called for sanctions as the only way to rein in Israel's flagrant disregard international law. "Through the passage of this new legislation, Israel has once again shown that it considers itself above the law," a statement read. "The international community must show that this is not the case, and that international law applies to all states. Israel has responded to the words of Security Council Resolution 2334 with action. It is time for the international community to respond with action. It is time for sanctions."


2018 … you little beauty! Last year brought the Crawleys so many awesome couples, so many incredible wedding adventures, so many amazing memories . 2018 saw us shoot all over the Cheshire, Manchester, the rest of the UK as well as destination weddings in France, Italy, Santorini, and 7 times in Spain! We're fired up for 2019 and can't wait to bring the Crawley awesome to many more couples across the globe. It's been a great start to the year for us after winning the national wedding photographer of the year title at The Wedding Industry Awards which just blew our minds … we are eternally grateful to all our couples for voting for us … without you this would have been impossible.
Right … enough waffle, here is our best of 2018. Enjoy!
Your brain doesn't wire up normally and I am so so jealous of that, the way you see, they way you create is why year after year you set the bar to a ridiculous standard.
This collection is just incredible throughout and to couple your immense talent, your also a true genuine great soul too.


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"Good Bye, Radar" is a two-part episode of the television series M*A*S*H that served as the fourth and fifth episodes of the show's eighth season and the 177th and 178th episodes of the series. Part 1 aired on October 8, 1979, with Part 2 airing one week later. The two episodes aired as a one-hour special during off-season reruns on May 12, 1980. As the title of the episode implies, these were the final two episodes to feature Gary Burghoff in his role as Corporal Radar O'Reilly.

These episodes were originally intended to be aired as season seven's finale, but CBS and the producers convinced Burghoff to return for the beginning of season eight. To make up for his imminent departure, Burghoff received a special credit in the opening of the first six episodes of the season, immediately following William Christopher's, which read "also starring Gary Burghoff as Radar". For the first three episodes of season eight, Burghoff's absence was explained by Radar's having been sent to Tokyo for some R&R. In two of the three episodes, Burghoff made cameo appearances.

In addition to Burghoff's departure, these episodes marked the final appearance of Johnny Haymer in his role as Staff Sergeant Zelmo Zale. With the departure of Radar, Hawkeye Pierce, Margaret Houlihan, and Father Mulcahy were the only three characters left on the series who had any connection to the novel and film from which M*A*S*H was derived (with Henry Blake being killed off at the end of season three, Trapper John McIntyre discharged between seasons three and four, and Frank Burns being sent back to the States after indecent conduct on R&R following Major Houlihan's marriage, at the start of season six).

Synopsis

Part 1
A typical night in the 4077th OR is underway, with the surgeons hard at work on patients. Something goes wrong, however, when the camp's primary generator goes out. Hawkeye gets his finger jammed in a rib spreader, severely spraining it.

Meanwhile, Klinger, who is the acting company clerk, goes outside to find out what's wrong with the generator. Seeing his rival Sergeant Zale at the controls, Klinger instantly assumes Zale doesn't know what he's doing and goes to crank up the camp's backup generator- only to find that it's been stolen. The primary generator then blows out, leaving the M*A*S*H without power.

With the unit's power now completely gone, two concerns become immediate: a patient of B.J. Hunnicutt's, who has a stomach problem (which they fix by using an old style suction machine developed by Dr. Owen Wangensteen), and what to do with all the food in the camp (which Col. Potter fixes by having a smorgasbord for all the people in the area).

Meanwhile, Radar is about set to return from his R&R in Tokyo, but has been bumped from his scheduled flight by a general's cardboard cutout. During his wait for his plane, he meets an attractive nurse, who is going home to Lancaster, Missouri. Hearing that, and noticing that she is not too far from the same area of the U.S. as he is, Radar and the nurse instantly hit it off. However, before they can get anywhere, Radar is placed on another flight, and despite his arguing with the officer in charge of booking, has to leave.  He tells the nurse that they should try to find each other when they get home.  After a goodbye kiss, Radar is off, back to the 4077th.

After getting bumped from a jeep by some stranded GIs and having to ride back to the 4077th in an ox-drawn cart, Radar returns, tired and hungry, to a huge ovation from the people in the camp- especially Klinger, who has been waiting for Radar to return more than anyone. Immediately the camp wants Radar to find a generator, but Radar doesn't want to right away, wanting a shower and a meal. After some cajoling, Radar finally agrees to search for a generator, only to find the same luck that Klinger has had...no generators to be found.

Later that night, while Radar is drowning his sorrows in the officers' club with his favorite Grape Nehi, Col. Potter enters the swamp with tragic news -- Radar's Uncle Ed, who had been helping his mother run their farm in Iowa for many years, has died. After breaking the news to Radar, who is trying to cope with it while also doing his job, Col. Potter tells Radar that he needs to go home to help his mother, and to get a DA-7 Hardship Discharge form for himself and fill it out. Hawkeye and B.J. congratulate Radar on going home, and Radar is happy too...he thinks.

Part 2
The next day begins with Klinger desperately trying to get Radar to help him find a generator and get the office back in shape. Radar, however, does not want to hear it. He tells Klinger that no one helped him when he first became company clerk, and Klinger was going to have to learn on his own. Finally, Radar does help Klinger try and con a generator out of someone (with some help from Major Winchester, who convinces Radar to help Klinger). Although Radar is unsuccessful in getting a generator, incoming wounded inspires Radar to order a bunch of jeeps and trucks to come to the 4077th- resulting in outdoor surgery, by headlights!

After that, and seeing Hawkeye operate with his injured finger (which still is bothering him), Radar decides to fight his discharge, claiming that he is more needed at the 4077th. After getting into an argument with Hawkeye, Radar still refuses to change his mind.

In one final attempt to secure a generator, Klinger gets a call from a supply sergeant at "I" Corps saying they have a generator available.  Klinger takes a case of Scotch whiskey to I Corps to close the deal.  At that point, a major from a service-and-supply unit pulls up and demands the generator, saying that two other generators they tried to secure at I Corps were stolen.  It is at that point where Klinger learns what happened to the 4077th's auxiliary generator- the major took it for his unit! Klinger decides that payback is in order.  While the major and supply sergeant go fill out a requisition, Klinger himself goes to the supply central issue station, poses as the major's driver, and blackmails the dispatcher into giving him the generator without a requisition. Returning to the 4077th with it, Klinger is met with a heroes' welcome. Radar now realizes that the camp can survive without him if they need to, and he finally decides to go home.

Radar says his good-byes to everyone in triage after a party for him goes awry due to wounded on the compound, and is saluted by Hawkeye while he watches the 4077th doctors in the OR from the hallway one final time.

After the OR session, Hawkeye and B.J. return to the Swamp to find something on Hawkeye's bed...Radar's teddy bear, which he had kept with him throughout the war as a security item. It's taken as a sign that Radar has officially grown up and become a man.

Production notes
The first cast member to be hired for M*A*S*H, Gary Burghoff became the last to leave, following the departures of McLean Stevenson and Wayne Rogers in 1975 and Larry Linville in 1977. He would later reprise his role as Radar twice; one was in a 2-part episode of AfterMASH, and the other was in an unsold TV pilot W*A*L*T*E*R, which featured Radar as a rookie police officer in St. Louis.
In the episode "War of Nerves," Sidney Freedman correctly predicted that Radar would leave his teddy bear behind in Korea when he went home.

References

M*A*S*H (season 8) episodes
1979 American television episodes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Systematic Parasitology Referencing Guide
Citationsy › Style Guides › Systematic Parasitology
How to do citations in Systematic Parasitology style?
This is the Citationsy guide to Systematic Parasitology citations, reference lists, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
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Have you come across fiction, non-fiction, history, novel or any other book and you want to include it in your works-cited-list in Systematic Parasitology? This is how.
Here's an example book citation in Systematic Parasitology using placeholders:
Last Name, F. N. (2000). Title. (E. F. N. Editor Last Name, Ed.) (Edition.). City: Publisher.
Systematic Parasitology citation:
Angelou, M. (1969). I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1st ed.). New York: Random House.
And an in-text citation book citation in Systematic Parasitology looks like this: (Angelou 1969)
How to reference a journal article in the Systematic Parasitology citation style?
How do you cite scientific papers in Systematic Parasitology format?
Have you come across a research paper or journal article you would like to cite in your own research? Here's how to do it in Systematic Parasitology
Here's a Systematic Parasitology journal citation example using placeholders:
So if we want to reference this scientific article: "Testing consumer preferences for iced-coffee: Does the drinking environment have any influence?" by C. Petit and J.M. Sieffermann in Systematic Parasitology:
Petit, C., & Sieffermann, J. (2007). Testing consumer preferences for iced-coffee: Does the drinking environment have any influence?, 18(1), 161-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2006.05.008
How to cite a website in a paper in Systematic Parasitology style?
If you're writing a research paper, you'll likely do a fair amount of research online. If you have websites that you want to use as sources for your paper in Systematic Parasitology, follow this simple guide
Here's an Systematic Parasitology example website reference:
Author1 LastnameA. F., & Author2 LastnameA. F. (2000, January 1). Title. Publisher. https://www.example.com. Accessed 16 January 2022
Tran, M. (2008, November 5). Barack Obama To Be America's First Black President. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/uselections20083. Accessed 16 January 2022
Citing websites and links in Systematic Parasitology is much easier with the Citationsy Chrome Extension →
How to cite a YouTube video Systematic Parasitology
To cite a YouTube video, channel, or comment according to Systematic Parasitology, all you need it the following
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ChannelName. (2000, January 1). Title. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXX. Accessed 16 January 2022
So how to cite a video Systematic Parasitology?
Pixar. (2015, June 3). Pizza Clip — Inside Out. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W6rntBADUQ. Accessed 16 January 2022
How to cite a podcast using Systematic Parasitology referencing style
To cite a podcast episode in Systematic Parasitology, all you need to do is the following
Here's how to reference a podcast it in Systematic Parasitology.
Lastname, F. (2000, January 1). Title. Publisher. http://www.example.com. Accessed 16 January 2022
Podcast referencing example in Systematic Parasitology using "This American Life" episode 640:
This American Life. (2018, March 2). 640: Five Women. WBEZ Radio. https://thisamericanlife.org/640/five-women. Accessed 16 January 2022
How to cite a piece of music or a song using Systematic Parasitology referencing style?
Are you into rock, pop, heavy metal, hip hop, jazz, electronic, or classical music and would like to cite or reference one of your favourite songs? Here's how to do it in Systematic Parasitology
An example song citation in Systematic Parasitology.
Lastname, F. (2000). Song Title. Album. http://www.example.com. Accessed 16 January 2022
Let's say we want to reference "Here Comes the Sun" off The Beatles "Abbey Road" album in Systematic Parasitology:
The Beatles. (1969). Here Comes the Sun. Abbey Road. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/here-comes-the-sun/401186200?i=401187150. Accessed 16 January 2022
You can automate citing and referencing any source in Systematic Parasitology using Citationsy.
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Home Europe, Asia and Australia - Photographs, Manuscripts, and Imprints Charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade. 25th Oct. 1854.
Charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade. 25th Oct. 1854.
Title Charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade. 25th Oct. 1854.
Notes Plate 15. This item is part of a bound volume comprising Series 1 and Series 2 of The Seat of War in the East by William Simpson (81 prints, 36 sketches). Date refers to the date of publication of the print. Recto: [imprinted] W. Simpson, del. E. Walker, lith. Published March 1st, 1855 by Paul & Dominic Colnaghi & Co., 13 & 14 Pall Mall East, Publishers to Her Majesty. Day & Son, Lithrs. to the Queen. Depose, Paris, Goupil & Cie., Leipzig, Otto Weigel, Colnaghi's Authentic Series, Charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade., 25th Oct. 1854., Under Major General the Earl of Cardigan.
Add tags for Charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade. 25th Oct. 1854.


Using Ackman logic--is Lifetime Fitness a ponzi scheme?
So the other day, I was looking for a gym membership in one of Lifetime fitness gyms. They won't advertise the rates, so you have to email them--So for the year it was $2,953.
I thought that was on the steep side so -so I decided to check out their 10Q, where I see the average membership revenue was decidedly below that--But then, I was at a decidedly upscale gym--so how would that logic work? It doesn't. That's Ackman math!
But are people renewing at Lifetime? 37% don't.
In 2010 LTM had an attrition rate of 36.3%.
In 2011 LTM had an attrition rate of 35.3%.
In 2012 LTM had an attrition rate of 37.3%.
Oh My! Where is Pershing square?? Lifetime Fitness is just selling memberships--and 37% of the time no one renews! It must be a ponzi scheme! Oh My!
And their motto is, "I CAN DO IT ALL IN MY LIFETIME." Oh wait--their name is LIFETIME FITNESS---Oh My!! Yet their members don't even last a year!
It must be a ponzi scheme! Where is the FTC??
Maybe all the folks at Lifetime Fitness that decided not to renew, are drinking shakes at the Herbalife clubs!
But I still own Howard Hughes (HHC 77)! And just watch the HLF circus. Which looks like a pop after the drop!
Herbalife, just closed on their acquisition of Dell's manufacturing plant that they just paid $22.3 million for. Dell paid $110 million for the manufacturing plant, and in November Dell touted this sale for $30 million, but now that Dell is going private, they gave away the 750,000 square foot plant for $22 million, and now HLF has a hub on the East coast! Yet Mr. Ackman will tell you they aren't selling any product, and that the FTC will raid HLF, so that nobody can work at these plants, and no jobs can be added in Winston-Salem so crybaby Ackman can make some money on his short! Oh yeah--that's really a smart bet. Only on Wall Street my friends, can such arrogance by Ackman be deemed an investment!! And yet, Silly Billy spent 18 months generating this thesis!!!
"Some sarcasm for the Herbalife shorts" to study generous every topic explanation for us to increase facts and in sequence with no influence to agreement.


Situated in the middle of the vast flat agricultural plains of Pampanga, Mt. Arayat rises proudly at 1,030 MASL. The legendary home of Apu Sinukuan (or Mariang Sinukuan according to other sources) the mountain is considered sacred by many. An inactive volcano, the crater has several peaks, the most prominent of which are the North Peak, South Peak and Pinnacle Peak. Aside from the three well-known peaks is another newly discovered peak curiously named as the TKO peak. As a new trail has been blazed connecting the TKO peak to the Pinnacle Peak, a new hiking trail has been created, aptly named the TKO Quad Peak trail.
One of the mainstay attractions of Brgy. Cuyambay in Tanay, Rizal, Mt. Paliparan features several fantastic attractions most if not all hikers would appreciate - grassy rolling plains, forested trails, steep assaults and scrambling on rocky crags, breathtaking views, majestic waterfalls, clear, freely flowing streams and a quaint and rustic Dumagat village. Said to be named after the fact that the mountain used to be the playground of the native Dumagat where they would fly their kites, Mt. Paliparan is replete with these features. All of these await anyone who would be willing to take head on the trails of this wonderful hiking destination, all just a couple of hours or so away from the cities of Metro Manila.


Pertex® Quantum Pro uses an ultra thin water resistant coating to provide increased weather resistance for extreme conditions.
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The Pertex® Quantum Pro coating is completely windproof, yet it maintains a good level of breathability.


Judi Allen is SVP, Client Solutions at Nielsen, leading the company's relationships with cable, satellite and telco video distributors. In this role, she leads a team who consult, sell and service media and marketing measurement and analytic products to aid distributors as both advertisers and marketers. She also started and runs the company's Cable Advisory Board which meets with senior industry advertising and video strategy leaders twice yearly.
She previously held roles as VP of Video Product Strategy and Business Development at Time Warner Cable, SVP of Video at MediaOne Group and SVP of Marketing and Programming at Century Communications. Allen's notable accomplishments at Time Warner Cable include the first-ever TV Everywhere agreement negotiated with ESPN, the strategy and development of Time Warner Cable TV's iPad app, a bandwidth reclamation project saving millions of dollars in capital, and leading a local programming strategy initiative that drove a recommitment to and reorganization of the company's local programming assets.
Allen was founder and president of ALLENStrategies, Inc., a strategy consulting and interim executive firm for several years, serving clients across the programmer, distributor and vendor community with assignments as broad as developing on air rebranding and managing the upfront for a Canadian broadcaster, developing the content strategy for a new multichannel video entrant to repurposing online video assets for a mid-size programmer.
She is a graduate of the first class of Betsy Magness and the first class of the industry's Wonder Women Award recipients. Allen was honored as Woman of the Year by the Rocky Mountain chapter of WICT and is a former Board and Executive Committee member of CTAM. She is a former Board member and Compensation Committee chair of Rentrak. Allen holds degrees from Brown University and Harvard Business School.


Roy Boy Cooper's Unbelievable Life in Rare Photographs. "Roy Boy lived a life that few do or can, and for that reason he has been misunderstood. In this photographic story, Roy Boy will live on, the way he would have wanted to be remembered." A glimpse into Roy Boy and Debra's world is much like walking down the midway in the early American circus. Roy was a larger than life ring leader and Debra, the tattooed lady, was his muse. Together they exposed a whole generation to a truly "Alternative" lifestyle.


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In The Shadow Of The Wall, Trump Will Deliver The State Of The Union
By Tamara Keith | NPR
President Trump speaks on a deal to end the partial government shutdown last month. While Trump is expected to maintain his demand for border wall funding in his State of the Union speech, he is also expected to mention issues that carry bipartisan support.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images
President Trump's second State of the Union address will be delivered Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress with all the usual pomp and circumstance. But the political backdrop is unusual, coming in the aftermath of the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history and on the eve of what could be another vicious fight or even another shutdown.
The fight at the heart of the shutdown — the fight over the president's border wall — remains unresolved with the clock ticking to make a deal.
White House officials are previewing a conciliatory tone from the president, as they have done before previous addresses to Congress that didn't turn out to be so conciliatory after all. As part of a briefing with reporters at which a senior official detailed what to expect from the speech but declined to speak on the record, the official read an excerpt of Trump's prepared remarks.
"Together we can break decades of political stalemate," the official said Trump will say. "We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future. The decision is ours to make."
This comes in stark contrast to the uncertainty and bitterness of the moment. There is uncertainty about whether a bipartisan congressional conference committee can reach an agreement to fund border security and avoid another government shutdown.
The bitterness is displayed in part in Trump's own rhetoric about that key fight. In an interview with CBS News that aired during the Super Bowl, Trump said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., resisted his demands for $5.7 billion to build a wall (or border barrier) because "she doesn't mind human trafficking or she wouldn't do this."
"The wall is actually a wall against getting anything else done"
During the record-setting 35 days of the shutdown, the president didn't stop talking about the wall. At an American Farm Bureau Federation conference, even in Iraq to greet troops the day after Christmas, the wall was a focus.
"The wall is actually a wall against getting anything else done at this point," said Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist who has worked with the Trump administration.
Bonjean points out that while the wall and shutdown have been nearly all-consuming for Trump, they have temporarily stymied the ambitious agenda of House Democrats too.
Bonjean says he expects Trump to throw down the gauntlet on the wall to prove that even if he lost Round 1, he doesn't intend to lose during Round 2.
"He has to demand funding for his wall," Bonjean says. "It would be malpractice for him not to."
And a State of the Union address gives the president a big moment on the national stage to make his pitch for the wall. At the same time, White House aides say other items on the president's agenda have withered in the shadow of the wall fight.
Beyond the border
Americans want to hear more than just immigration, Bonjean argues. "They want to hear solutions to health care, to infrastructure, to data privacy, foreign policy. You name it."
Trump mentioned those issues in a news conference held the day after the midterm elections in November.
"Hopefully, we can all work together next year to continue delivering for the American people, including on economic growth, infrastructure, trade, lowering the cost of prescription drugs," Trump said. "These are some of the things that the Democrats do want to work on."
But in the midst of all this partisan rancor, can Trump actually walk into the House chamber, stand in front of Pelosi and act as though this is just a normal address in a normal time?
He wouldn't be the first president to do so.
Reset, dig in or unify?
In 1998, President Bill Clinton's State of the Union completely ignored the sex scandal swirling around his presidency, says Russell Riley 0f the Miller Center at the University of Virginia.
"By dint of his speaking skills and his personality, he was able to go in and change the tone of the debate," Riley says. "There are a lot of people within the Clinton White House that felt that that saved his presidency."
It's not the same situation, but Riley thinks this speech presents an opportunity for Trump.
He could reset his presidency, laying out new agenda items for the year to come and touting the accomplishments of the past two years.
Or he could dig in further to aggravate emotions over the border wall.
There's a third option, too. Trump could do what almost every president has done in these addresses: talk about finding common ground.
Based on what White House aides are telegraphing, he may try to do all three. If history is a guide, with Trump the most combative parts will be most resonant.
And it may just be too late and too toxic for bipartisan cooperation. Many of the president's allies are convinced that the Democrats are unwilling to give him a victory on anything large or small just because Trump is Trump.
And the president is so focused on keeping his base with him that he may have a hard time compromising with Democrats.
Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
View this story on npr.org


Wash the leek. Cut the white part into rings (they'll fall apart making strips). Cut the carrots into long strips (you can use a knife for potato peeling) and cut these strips in 1 inch (3-4cm) pieces. Wash mushrooms and cut in four. Pour boiling water over tomatoes, take the skin off and cut in eight (removing the seeds).
Heat some oil in large frying pan (preferably wok). Pour in leek, ginger, carrots, mushrooms, add salt to taste. Stew for a while (veggies shouldn't be soft). Add tomatoes and minced garlic. Heat until tomatoes are soft. Set aside and keep warmth.
Boil spaghetti. Remove spaghetti, and mix potato starch in broth, heating to a boil. Add soy sauce, wine and pepper.
Mix spaghetti with veggies and broth mixture. Serve with sesame seeds.


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Рисдорф () — коммуна в Германии, в земле Саксония-Анхальт, входит в район Анхальт-Биттерфельд в составе общины Южный Анхальт.

Население составляет 135 человек (на 31 декабря 2008 года). Занимает площадь 4,63 км².

История
Первое упоминание о поселении относится к 1268 году.

1 января 2010 года, после проведённых реформ, Рисдорф и ещё 20 коммун, были объединены в общину Южный Анхальт, а управление Зюдлихес Анхальт было упразднено.

Галерея

Примечания

Ссылки
 Рисдорф на сайте общины Южный Анхальт

Города Саксонии-Анхальт


With the brand new baby on the road, it's the correct time for new parents to start planning for the baby. Every parent would like to provide the very best care and love they could give. A new born baby demands a great deal and granting every desire of the new baby is the duty of parents. Parents have to decide beforehand every aspect of caring for the infant especially during the first couple of weeks.
The bassinet comes outfitted with dual vibration modes and sound systems (pre-recorded soothing sounds and lullabies) that helps the infant fall asleep quicker and the automatic timers shut off after 30 minutes, eliminating the necessity to get up and turn off it. Additionally, it has a nightlight attached but the canopy is lost.
Best bassinet reviews remove the trouble of going through various manufacturers' catalogs or physical review of the bassinets. You're able to quickly decide the sort of bassinet you want for your baby from the detailed descriptions of distinct bassinets supplied in the review. You need not look further and save yourself the energy and time of hunting for the best baby bassinet. The testimonials are reliable and are trusted by clients.


James Henderson has been in the financial industry for over 20 years. After 10 years with Morgan Stanley-Dean Witter, he chose to join our independently owned financial services firm.
Mr. Henderson attended Proctor Academy in New Hampshire, and Jamestown Community College. He resided in Florida for 15 years building his practice and for the last 10 years has been in the Jamestown office.
Born in Jamestown he and his wife reside in Bemus Point where he is active in the community.


The lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) is a critical structure for episodic memory, but the roles of discrete neuronal populations within LEC are unclear. Here, we establish an approach for selectively targeting fan cells in layer 2 (L2) of LEC. Whereas complete lesions of the LEC were previously found to abolish associative recognition memory, we find that after selective suppression of synaptic output from fan cells mice still recognise novel object-context configurations, but are impaired in recognition of novel object-place-context associations. Our experiments suggest a segregation of memory functions within LEC networks and indicate that specific inactivation of fan cells leads to behavioural deficits reminiscent of early stages of Alzheimer's Disease.


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"I could've been dead; I could've been a drug dealer. I could've been homeless — I was homeless," he said. "A lot of you guys that are in here in the Hall of Fame know what it's like to be in the projects and trying to get out the projects. And I did that. But it took a lot of bumps along the road."
When he spoke of his mother Shirley and his estranged father, who wrote an unauthorized book about him, the address went from emotional thank-you speech to therapy session for the 6'7" baller. "He made a lot of money, but he never came and said hello to me," Rodman said. "But that didn't stop me from persevering. I resented [my mother] for a long time. My mother rarely ever hugged me or hugged my siblings. She didn't know how. But she managed. I wasn't like most players in the NBA who say, 'I'm going to take care of my mother.' I was real selfish, because of things she did to me in my life. But as I got older things changed. I haven't been a great son to you the last [few] years, but now we can laugh about that."
Rodman concluded his thirteen-minute speech by addressing his three children. "If anyone asks if I have any regrets in your career being a basketball player, I say I have one regret: I wish I was a better father," he said tearfully.
Written by Smriti Mundhra


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Tailored beauty
Tough as boots but elegant enough to frame and hang on your wall
For the past 15 years, stayinphase has been quietly fulfilling the demanding engineering requirements of some of the most iconic racing yachts of modern times. Now this small but highly nimble engineering company is looking to deliver the same expertise and attention to detail for the superyacht industry.
Based in the west of England, far from the traditional hub of the marine industry, CEO Jon Williams and his expert team have made a name for themselves working behind the scenes on high-end racing projects such as the 100ft Maxi yacht Comanche, the Maxi 72 Bella Mente, SoftBank Team Japan and Artemis Racing in the 2017 America's Cup, and the AC75 American Magic in the 2021 America's Cup. In the offshore world, stayinphase has worked on a number of Volvo Open 70 and Imoca 60 projects over the past 15 years, including Ericsson Racing and Groupama's victories in the 2008-09 and 2012-13 Volvo Ocean Race.
So what exactly does stayinphase do? 'We work closely with our clients in delivering winch systems with the highest levels of reliable performance and efficiency, along with many other advanced development projects for performance craft,' says Williams. 'We aim to take the load off the boat captain or project manager, because they're already busy being pulled in a hundred different directions.
Stayinphase has built its reputation producing equipment that's very carefully integrated into the main structure for maximum power transfer, reliability and serviceability
'A lot of projects will take delivery of two crates of boxes from an OEM manufacturer, and then it's up to the project manager to work out how to fit those winches and other deck hardware to the boat. This stuff shouldn't be an afterthought, and clearly lots of people in the industry agree with us because that's why we've been kept so busy. Our particular approach is to ensure that the hardware is fully integrated into the rest of the boat so that everything is aligned for maximum efficiency and reliability.'
Williams built his reputation working for BMW Oracle Racing for the 2007 and 2010 editions of the America's Cup. That led to being asked to do some of the detailed engineering on Torbjorn Tornqvist's TP52 Artemis for the 2007 season. It was a ground-breaking boat that caught the eye of the rest of the TP52 fleet and helped to launch Williams' new business.
Above: these detailed, custom produced aero pedestals for the Maxi72 Bella Mente are a fine example of the custom solutions that stayinphase develops for racing clients.
Below: Increasingly, stayinphase is developing its own range of hardware rather than integrating other firms' equipment
Word of mouth recommendation around the racing scene has kept stayinphase busy on exciting projects ever since. 'A notable project for us was the 100ft Comanche during 2014. This was a programme that was simply unwilling to accept the risk of compromise by using underspecified equipment. This project gave us a full-length runway with all the resources we needed to design, construct and install a class of equipment never seen before. This team went after the biggest prizes in ocean racing with a system they could depend upon and push to the maximum. That's what they asked us to deliver, and Comanche's results speak for themselves.'
In a racing environment, every second around the racetrack counts. Breakdown is not an option, although Williams has been surprised at what the marine industry has been willing to tolerate, even at America's Cup level. 'On the OneWorld campaign from 2000 to 2003, 75 per cent of my working time was undertaking basic maintenance, replacing broken or worn equipment, not actually asking the fundamental question of whether we could create better systems that wouldn't fail in the first place.'
Part of the reason why Williams is so intolerant of failure is due to his background in motorcycle racing. One of his close engineering colleagues, Tim Preston, went on to become F1 world champion as Damon Hill's race engineer. 'Tim and I were always tinkering around, looking for new and better ways of solving old problems, and that's the attitude I've carried over to the sailing world. With our winch systems, we approach every new project as being a progression from the last and with the enthusiasm of our first, and now we're looking to do that for the superyacht world.
'Just as in the racing environment, with the size of loads involved in a typical superyacht, you can't afford high wear and mechanical failure because the result could be catastrophic. A lot of the equipment that we have been asked to put into these boats, to be honest, the service capability, the service life, and the performance of the equipment is just miles away from where it should be, which is why increasingly we have developed our own hardware range.'
Stayinphase is ready for the next phase of its life in the superyacht world. As the dreams and desires of naval architects and superyacht owners become ever bigger and more ambitious, so do the engineering solutions need to be world class and beyond question.
Click here for more information on stayinphase »


We'll keep you updated here with events involving the Little Apple Brewery!
Our annual St. Patrick's Day tradition! Featuring Fr. Coady plus Patrick and his wandering Merrymakers.
This is one of our favorite annual events. Our brewer will be tapping his 'Red Head' Irish Red and the kitchen will be serving the best Irish bangers & mash, corned beef, lamb stew, colcannon and more!


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Moore transfer saga continues as Clement leaves Reading defender out of squad for Derby County clash
The centre-back will not feature in the Championship opener against the Rams on Friday night
Jonathan Low
Liam Moore's future with Reading remains unclear after manager Paul Clement confirmed he is not ready for selection.
Royals get their Championship campaign under way on Friday night with the visit of Frank Lampard's Derby County (8pm kick-off).
But the centre-back, who has been linked with a move to Brighton, will not be involved in the fixture after handing in a transfer request at the end of last week.
Moore has been in training this week but will not be available to play in the match which opens up the new season.
Every word from Reading boss Paul Clement on Moore, Derby, Lampard, transfers, injuries and beating the odds
"Liam won't be considered for selection, I don't think it's right that I do that," said Clement.
"It's not right for the other team [interested in him], the club or himself.
"Fortunately we know it's going to be a quick solution because the window shuts next week.
"Then we'll move on with or without him."
Moore has been a regular part of Royals' pre-season games and signed a new four-year deal at the club only last summer.
But less than two weeks to go of the transfer window, the former Leicester City man stated his desire to quit Reading last week.
"Liam is not focused on the first game because he's not sure what's going to happen with him"
The summer transfer window for permanent moves closes at 5pm on Thursday, August 9 although there is an option to complete loan deals until the end of August.
Royals are short defensively going into the Derby fixture with players such as Tyler Blackett (suspended) and Chris Gunter (injured) missing.
Clement said: "The fact that we're going into the first game means we can't be moping around. We have to think about the team and the team is preparing for Derby.
"Liam is not focused on the first game because he's not sure what's going to happen with him.
"It's a short career. If he stays here he needs to get on with it and play for the club and help his teammates.
"Some of the other players will have been in his situation before. It happens from time to time."
Reading's Liam Moore in training (Image: Get reading)
The manager added: "I have an idea but I'm not totally sure where he could go. Like with George Evans I had a good idea where he was going but then he went somewhere else.
"We know there is going to be a quick solution to this because the permanent window shuts next week.
"Liam will either be here or he won't be. I'm hoping he will be here because I like him and he's a really good player.
"There won't be any complaints from me if that window shuts and he's still here."
Don't forget to keep an eye out on our social media pages for more Royals news.
Our Twitter page is @getreadingfc and we are also on Facebook: Reading FC - Get Reading.
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Reading transfer news
Reading pre-season
Reading vs Derby County
Carabao CupCarabao Cup first round draw: The ball numbers as Charlton, Millwall, QPR and others enterThe Carabao Cup first round draw takes place today as 70 EFL clubs learn their fate
ChampionshipThe Carabao Cup first round draw, fixture release day & other key dates for EFL clubs in 2019/20The countdown is on for the 2019/20 season, with a number of key dates coming up for Charlton, Fulham, QPR and other EFL clubs
Premier LeagueWhen does the 2019/20 season start? Key dates for Premier League, EFL and European competitionsThe countdown to the 2019-20 season has begun
Premier LeagueThe rule changes that will affect Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham next seasonThe full list of rule changes coming into play in 2019/20 have been released and explained
Chelsea loaneesLeeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa makes decision over Chelsea loan ace ahead of Reading clashThe 22-year-old has made one Championship appearance for Leeds this season


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I've spent my life working on sustainability. I set up a climate change NGO called The Climate Group. I worked on forestry issues in WWF. I worked on development and agriculture issues in the U.N. system. About 25 years in total, and then three years ago, I found myself talking to IKEA's CEO about joining his team. Like many people here, well, I want to maximize my personal impact in the world, so I'm going to explain why I joined the team there.
But first, let's just take three numbers.
The first number is three: three billion people. This is the number of people joining the global middle class by 2030, coming out of poverty. It's fantastic for them and their families, but we've got two billion people in the global middle class today, and this swells that number to five, a big challenge when we already have resource scarcity.
The second number is six: This is six degrees centigrade, what we're heading towards in terms of global warming. We're not heading towards one degree or three degrees or four degrees, we're heading toward six degrees. And if you think about it, all of the weird weather we've been having the last few years, much of that is due to just one degree warming, and we need CO2 emissions to peak by the end of this decade globally and then come down. It's not inevitable, but we need to act decisively.
The third number is 12: That's the number of cities in the world that had a million or more people when my grandmother was born. You can see my grandmother there. That was in the beginning of the last century. So just 12 cities. She was born in Manchester, England, the ninth largest city in the world. Now there are 500 cities, nearly, with a million people or more in them. And if you look at the century from 1950 to 2050, that's the century when we build all the world's cities, the century that we're in the middle of right now. Every other century was kind of practice, and this lays down a blueprint for how we live.
So think about it. We're building cities like never before, bringing people out of poverty like never before, and changing the climate like never before. Sustainability has gone from a nice-to-do to a must-do. it's about what we do right here, right now, and for the rest of our working lives.
So I'm going to talk a little bit about what business can do and what a business like IKEA can do, and we have a sustainability strategy called "people and planet positive" to help guide our business to have a positive impact on the world. Why would we not want to have a positive impact on the world as a business? Other companies have sustainability strategies. I'm going to refer to some of those as well, and I'm just going to mention a few of the commitments as illustrations that we've got.
But first, let's think of customers. We know from asking people from China to the U.S. that the vast majority of people care about sustainability after the day-to-day issues, the day-to-day issues of, how do I get my kids to school? Can I pay the bills at the end of the month? Then they care about big issues like climate change. But they want it to be easy, affordable and attractive, and they expect business to help, and they're a little bit disappointed today.
So take your mind back and think of the first sustainable products. We had detergents that could wash your whites grayer. We had the early energy-efficient light bulbs that took five minutes to warm up and then you were left looking a kind of sickly color. And we had the rough, recycled toilet paper. So every time you pulled on a t-shirt, or switched the light on, or went to the bathroom, or sometimes all three together, you were reminded sustainability was about compromise. It wasn't a great start.
Today we have choices. We can make products that are beautiful or ugly, sustainable or unsustainable, affordable or expensive, functional or useless. So let's make beautiful, functional, affordable, sustainable products.
Let's take the LED. The LED is the next best thing to daylight. The old-fashioned lightbulbs, the incandescent bulbs — I'm not going to ask for a show of hands of how many of you still have them in your homes, wasting energy every time you switch them on — change them after this — or whether we have them on the stage here at TED or not — but those old incandescent light bulbs really should have been sold as heaters. They were mis-sold for more than a hundred years. They produced heat and a little bit of light on the side. Now we have lights that produce light and a little bit of heat on the side. You save 85 percent of the electricity with an LED that you would have done in an old incandescent. And the best thing is, they'll also last for more than 20 years. So think about that. You'll change your smartphone seven or eight times, probably more if you're in this audience. You'll change your car, if you have one, three or four times. Your kids could go to school, go to college, go away and have kids of their own, come back, bring the grandkids, you'll have the same lightbulb saving you energy. So LEDs are fantastic. What we decided to do was not to sell LEDs on the side marked up high and continue to push all the old bulbs, the halogens and the CFLs. We decided, over the next two years, we will ban the halogens and the CFLs ourselves. We will go all in. And this is what business needs to do: go all-in, go 100 percent, because then you stop investing in the old stuff, you invest in the new stuff, you lower costs, you use your supply chain and your creativity and you get the prices down so everybody can afford the best lights so they can save energy.
It's not just about products in people's homes. We've got to think about the raw materials that produce our products. Obviously there's fantastic opportunities with recycled materials, and we can and will go zero waste. And there's opportunities in a circular economy. But we're still dependent on natural, raw materials. Let's take cotton. Cotton's brilliant. Probably many people are wearing cotton right now. It's a brilliant textile in use. It's really dirty in production. It uses lots of pesticides, lots of fertilizer, lots of water. So we've worked with others, with other businesses and NGOs, on the Better Cotton Initiative, working right back down to the farm, and there you can halve the amount of water and halve the chemical inputs, the yields increase, and 60 percent of the costs of running many of these farms with farmers with low incomes can be chemical imports. Yields increase, and you halve the input costs. Farmers are coming out of poverty. They love it. Already hundreds of thousands of farmers have been reached, and now we've got 60 percent better cotton in our business. Again, we're going all-in. By 2015, we'll be 100 percent Better Cotton.
Take the topic of 100 percent targets, actually. People sometimes think that 100 percent's going to be hard, and we've had the conversation in the business. Actually, we found 100 percent is easier to do than 90 percent or 50 percent. If you have a 90 percent target, everyone in the business finds a reason to be in the 10 percent. When it's 100 percent, it's kind of clear, and businesspeople like clarity, because then you just get the job done.
So, wood. We know with forestry, it's a choice. You've got illegal logging and deforestation still on a very large scale, or you can have fantastic, responsible forestry that we can be proud of. It's a simple choice, so we've worked for many years with the Forest Stewardship Council, with literally hundreds of other organizations, and there's a point here about collaboration. So hundreds of others, of NGOs, of forest workers' unions, and of businesses, have helped create the Forest Stewardship Council, which sets standards for forestry and then checks the forestry's good on the ground. Now together, through our supply chain, with partners, we've managed to certify 35 million hectares of forestry. That's about the size of Germany. And we've decided in the next three years, we will double the volume of certified material we put through our business. So be decisive on these issues. Use your supply chain to drive good.
But then it comes to your operations. Some things are certain, I think. We know we'll use electricity in 20 or 30 years' time. We know the sun will be shining somewhere, and the wind will still be blowing in 20 or 30 years' time. So why not make our energy out of the sun and the wind? And why not take control of it ourselves? So we're going 100 percent renewable. By 2020, we'll produce more renewable energy than the energy we consume as a business. For all of our stores, our own factories, our distribution centers, we've installed 300,000 solar panels so far, and we've got 14 wind farms we own and operate in six countries, and we're not done yet. But think of a solar panel. A solar panel pays for itself in seven or eight years. The electricity is free. Every time the sun comes out after that, the electricity is free. So this is a good thing for the CFO, not just the sustainability guy. Every business can do things like this.
But then we've got to look beyond our operations, and I think everybody would agree that now business has to take full responsibility for the impacts of your supply chain. Many businesses now, fortunately, have codes of conduct and audit their supply chains, but not every business. Far from it. And this came in IKEA actually in the '90s. We found there was a risk of child labor in the supply chain, and people in the business were shocked. And it was clearly totally unacceptable, so then you have to act. So a code of conduct was developed, and now we have 80 auditors out in the world every day making sure all our factories secure good working conditions and protect human rights and make sure there is no child labor.
But it's not just as simple as making sure there's no child labor. You've got to say that's not enough today. I think we'd all agree that children are the most important people in the world and the most vulnerable. So what can a business do today to actually use your total value chain to support a better quality of life and protect child rights? We've worked with UNICEF and Save the Children on developing some new business principles with children's rights. Increasing numbers of businesses are signing up to these, but actually in a survey, many business leaders said they thought their business had nothing to do with children. So what we decided to do was, we will look and ask ourselves the tough questions with partners who know more than us, what can we do to go beyond our business to help improve the lives of children? We also have a foundation that's committed to work through partners and help improve the lives and protect the rights of 100 million children by 2015.
You know the phrase, you can manage what you measure? Well, you should measure what you care about. If you're not measuring things, you don't care and you don't know. So let's take an example, measure the things that are important in your business. Isn't it about time that businesses were led equally by men and women?
So we know for our 17,000 managers across IKEA that 47 percent are women today, but it's not enough, and we want to close the gap and follow it all the way through to senior management. And we do not want to wait another hundred years. So we've launched a women's open network this week in IKEA, and we'll do whatever it takes to lead the change. So the message here is, measure what you care about and lead the change, and don't wait a hundred years.
So we've gone from sustainability being a nice-to-do to a must-do. It's a must-do. It's still nice to do, but it's a must-do. And everybody can do something on this as an individual. Be a discerning consumer. Vote with your wallets. Search out the companies that are acting on this. But also, there are other businesses already acting. I mentioned renewable energy. You go to Google or Lego, they're going 100 percent renewable too, in the same way that we are. On having really good sustainability strategies, there are companies like Nike, Patagonia, Timberland, Marks & Spencer. But I don't think any of those businesses would say they're perfect. We certainly wouldn't. We'll make mistakes going forward, but it's about setting a clear direction, being transparent, having a dialogue with the right partners, and choosing to lead on the issues that really count.
So if you're a business leader, if you're not already weaving sustainability right into the heart of your business model, I'd urge you to do so. And together, we can help create a sustainable world, and, if we get it right, we can make sustainability affordable for the many people, not a luxury for the few.