text:
Circling back to hydrogen
by Larry Clark '94
It takes a lot of power to leave the planet. That same power can move us around the planet in a cleaner, more efficient way.
In one of the greatest displays of technological ingenuity in the twentieth century, the Saturn V rocket launched humans to the moon in a dazzling roar of flame and light. It took millions of pounds of thrust to push the giant rocket past Earth's gravity, and much of that thrust came from liquid hydrogen.
A Boeing subsidiary Insitu hydrogen drone uses vapor-cooled cryogenic tank technology developed by WSU-founded startup Protium Company and the Hydrogen Properties for Energy Research (HYPER) lab. (Courtesy Insitu)
Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe and the lowest molecular weight of any known substance, burns with the extreme intensity necessary for rockets. Since it requires ultra-cold temperatures, NASA called the taming of liquid hydrogen in the 1950s one of its greatest achievements.
Now hydrogen fuel has come around in a much more grounded way. While it still plays an essential role in space exploration, the advent of advanced fuel cells and rapidly expanding, cheaper renewable energy have made hydrogen a future clean fuel of choice to drive many forms of transportation: trucks, airplanes, ships, and more.
Industry, governments, and the media have declared that the hydrogen economy's time has come. The market for hydrogen mobility is expected to significantly grow over the coming decade, with some estimates as high as $70 billion by 2030, while hydrogen production costs fall.
Although the use of hydrogen to fuel vehicles is poised for expansion, obstacles could stymie rapid growth. The distribution, storage, and production of hydrogen fuel must ramp up for the full benefit of the clean and abundant fuel to be realized. Washington State University engineering researchers like Jacob Leachman and Ian Richardson ('11, '17 PhD Mech. Eng.) have been tackling those barriers for years, with some significant achievements already.
The Pacific Northwest is especially poised to benefit, with the region's low-cost and abundant renewable energy from hydropower and wind. Excess electricity can be converted to high-value hydrogen fuel.
"Washington state has the cleanest and cheapest clean energy in the world, and we need to do more to harness it and export it. That's where hydrogen comes in," says WSU mechanical engineer Dustin McLarty, one of the scientists who, along with entrepreneurs and industries, are working to build the hydrogen economy.
The once and future fuel
The largest early project with hydrogen fuel took place in the shadows. In 1956–58, the U.S. Air Force ran the supersecret and expensive Project Suntan to develop a hydrogen-powered airplane. The project expanded on research into very high-altitude, hydrogen-powered flight during the first half of the 1950s, by groups such as Lockheed Aircraft's Skunk Works and United Aircraft. Although Suntan was canceled before completion, it led to development of the first hydrogen-fueled rocket engines.
NASA ran the space race on liquid hydrogen rockets. According to NASA historians, "Lack of Soviet liquid-hydrogen technology proved a serious handicap in the race of the two superpowers to the Moon."
Even now, liquid hydrogen is the primary fuel for rockets, as the many WSU alumni involved in space programs can attest, such as Paul Laufman ('61 Mech. Eng.), who founded United Paradyne that provided liquid hydrogen to fuel the space shuttle, Iris Fujiura ('83 Eng.) previously at Lockheed Martin, and Frank Picha ('90 Mech. Eng., '92 MBA) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. More recently, Ron Bliesner ('11, '13 MS Elec. Eng.), Leachman's first graduate student, works at Blue Origin.
However, in-depth research beyond rockets into the fuel, its storage, production, and other fundamental problems languished for many decades. It's one of the things that spurred Leachman, associate professor of mechanical engineering, to pursue hydrogen research.
He had been interested in energy since a high school class introduced him to "that whole idea that there is energy in all things around us that we can extract and convert to something useful." The inspiring teacher had Leachman and classmates light peanuts on fire to measure the energy needed to boil a cup of water. (It takes six peanuts.)
Leachman joined the WSU Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture in 2010 and started the Hydrogen Properties for Energy Research (HYPER) Lab. It's the only cryogenic hydrogen research laboratory in U.S. academia, and spans a broad range of technology advancement, including both basic science and applied tech like more efficient hydrogen liquefiers.
Back then, he didn't find a lot of open minds about the work. Leachman recalls a friend high up in the U.S. Department of Energy told him, "We won't build another hydrogen liquefier. You can't make a fiscal case for hydrogen liquifiers."
Since that time, there have been five announcements of major hydrogen liquefier projects in the United States because the price and demand of hydrogen has gone up due to the needs of materials handling companies.
"You had a case of an industry that had been resting on its laurels for a long time, and then, suddenly," Leachman says as he snaps his fingers, "the world changed."
It wasn't that the ideas were all new. "The whole idea of a hydrogen electrolyzer is quite old," Leachman says. "We just haven't made enough to make them cost effective—until very recently."
One way to make them more cost effective is to shrink them. "We're making that technology even smaller and more compact so it fits in about an eight-foot-by-eight-foot cube. That is small enough to sit in a parking space and produce liquid hydrogen fuel," Leachman says.
Another factor pushing electrofuels—energy storage created primarily from electricity and abundant resources like water—is the need for cleaner, greener energy to mitigate climate change, while returning value.
"It's about economics because the cheapest energy in the world is solar and wind. And cheap energy drives economies," says McLarty, an assistant mechanical engineering professor at Voiland College.
McLarty's WSU laboratory, the Clean Systems Energy Integration Lab (CESI), seeks synergistic benefits between new technologies and existing infrastructure. That can lead to cleaner power generation and permit greater use of renewable energy sources, such as making hydrogen fuel with excess wind power.
In addition to other research areas, McLarty works on fuel cells at a very high temperature, around 600–800°F, the opposite of Leachman's super-cold cryogenic work.
McLarty says a target application is a hydrogen supercharger that can be sited without any hydrogen infrastructure and without safety concerns. It would provide solid state hydrogen production and deliver fuel on demand into a vehicle fuel cell.
One challenge of hydrogen research is the relatively dull side of storage and distribution.
"People like to concentrate on what creates the energy—the engine, the fuel cell, the electric motor—rather than the thing that sustains it: the storage," Leachman says. "In the U.S., there's not a lot of research into making hydrogen fueling stations or storage tanks."
It's a gap that Leachman's former graduate student Richardson, now a postdoctoral researcher at WSU, wants to bridge.
Richardson and others at the HYPER Lab designed a transportable hydrogen fueling station to help with the rollout of hydrogen vehicles in California. He led a team of ten graduate and undergraduate engineers on the design of a containerized fueling station based out of a 40-foot shipping container.
Now, Richardson and fellow postdoctoral researcher Patrick Adam ('17 PhD Mech. Eng.) have developed a new design for a lightweight liquid hydrogen fuel tank.
"We quickly realized if we were going to have a small liquid hydrogen tank, there are no small liquid hydrogen fueling stations on the market," Richardson says. "The smallest one is an industrial plant that makes 1,000 kilograms a day. We're talking about making 1–2 kilograms a day."
Richardson and Adam plan to test the system at WSU this year and are working on commercializing the technology through their startup company, Protium.
WSU hydrogen research couldn't come at a better time. Some studies suggest green hydrogen could overtake gas and coal as the most cost-effective energy before the end of the 2020s.
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, there are over $90 billion worth of hydrogen projects in the global pipeline, although not all of them are "green," or produced from renewable energy. There are also dozens of green hydrogen electrolyzer projects in the works with a theoretical combined capacity of 50 gigawatts.
Spain aims to bring 4 gigawatts of hydrogen electrolyzers online by 2030. Saudi Arabia is building a green hydrogen facility capable of producing 650 tons of green hydrogen fuel a day.
Korea and Japan have had hydrogen investment and policy plans for a while, including encouraging hydrogen fuel cell vehicle production like the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo SUV.
Many other countries are also pursuing aggressive green hydrogen plans worth billions of dollars, including the United Kingdom, China, France, Norway, and especially Australia, where a massive 15 GW renewable project is under way to make hydrogen and ammonia.
Analysts at the Bank of America predict green hydrogen could make up 24 percent of our global energy needs by 2050.
Power from power
Although electrolysis is nothing new, as many of us might remember from high school chemistry classes, the potential of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen to create a valuable fuel is rapidly expanding.
One of the recent proponents is Douglas County Public Utility District in Wenatchee. It partnered with diesel engine manufacturer Cummins, one of the largest producers of electrolyzers in the United States, to build the largest proton exchange membrane electrolyzer in the country, a five-megawatt system.
In 2019, "Washington passed a bill allowing public utilities to generate hydrogen and sell it as a commodity," Richardson says. "It is a game changer for the industry. The biggest cost in producing hydrogen is electricity. If you're already producing the electricity, the cost of producing hydrogen becomes competitive with the cost of gasoline."
It also benefits hydropower producers to use the excess electricity during wet seasons. The same holds true for wind power, which can potentially direct electricity that won't make it to the grid to make valuable hydrogen.
"It's worth more as a fuel for transportation. Hydrogen can be 40 times more valuable than the electricity itself. The prices people are paying for liquid hydrogen are through the roof," Leachman says.
McLarty notes that storing energy for any length of time also boosts hydrogen above batteries. "There's not enough lithium in the world to do what we want to do with batteries," he says. "They're terrific when integrating with solar to get from one day to the next. But when you intend to store energy for any period of time, their efficiency plummets.
"If you wanted to shift 10 percent of the state of Washington's energy from the wet season, with all the extra hydropower, to the dry season, you would need every battery factory in the world and every battery they make for the next 35 years."
Once green hydrogen is produced from renewable sources, it's ready to charge up fuel cells for any number of uses. And the demand is heading straight up, particularly for transportation.
Almost all current demand is being driven by warehouses at Walmart, Amazon, and others. "Thirty percent of all the groceries in the U.S. are moved with fuel cell forklifts fueled by liquid hydrogen," Leachman says.
Any time material is moved—whether it be via trains, ships, earth movers, or semi trucks—the energy density of hydrogen fuel makes sense. "When it comes to realistic long-haul trucking, batteries are out. You'd be hauling more batteries than goods," says McLarty.
Recently, German auto giant Daimler, which has worked with hydrogen for decades, announced a long-haul semi truck powered by hydrogen fuel cells with a range of 600 miles per fueling.
Another place where hydrogen fuel cells make sense: farms.
"I think a combine is one of the best uses of fuel cells because it drops the temperature the fuel cell is running at. Reducing the heat from internal combustion engines is one of the best ways to reduce fires on farms," says Leachman.
Farms could also generate hydrogen fuel, if smaller scale production and storage facilities like those being developed at WSU are available.
One of the most successful uses in the hydrogen economy is where "you have a lot of vehicles moving really quickly 24-7," Leachman says. "That's when the rapid recharge time of a hydrogen fuel cell makes a difference. It's like the difference between dial-up and broadband."
In hub and spoke models like ports, where goods come in and go out at a rapid pace, the quick recharging of vehicles can be very effective. In Europe, Asia, and California, seaports are already implementing the technology. The Port of Long Beach, the second-busiest port in the United States, already has a fleet of ten hydrogen-powered Kenworths, built by Bellevue-based PACCAR, and a hydrogen liquefier to refuel trucks, cranes, forklifts, and ships. Multiple ports along the I-5 corridor are looking at doing something similar.
High above, aviation is also ripe for hydrogen fuel due to its low weight.
"The mass part is particularly important for aviation. That's one of the reasons you see so much excitement around liquid hydrogen for aircraft. It's three times higher energy per weight than any other fuel," says Leachman.
European aerospace company Airbus revealed three zero-emission, hydrogen-fueled aircraft last September. The company is shooting for the early 2030s for the planes.
"Airplanes make sense, especially when they're on the ground," Richardson says. "They have to run the engines as they're taxiing just to keep the cabin comfortable. With short flights, they spend more time on the ground than in the air. So they burn a lot of fuel just to keep the air conditioning and lights on."
In Washington state, Boeing is already testing hydrogen fuel with WSU by including it in tests of their unmanned aircraft (UAVs) and drones. Once they get flight hours in the air and build up a culture of safety, then they could continue to phase up.
Leachman and Richardson work with Boeing UAV-making subsidiary Insitu that makes drones for civilian and military applications. The researchers flew the drone on gaseous hydrogen and tested liquid hydrogen tanks on the ground. WSU built the hydrogen liquefier that can be moved anywhere the fuel is needed.
The WSU researchers already have proven success with UAVs and hydrogen. The HYPER Lab flew drones powered by hydrogen fuel in 2014. Current projects with Insitu expands on that work, and the research team had successful tests of a full fueling system last summer.
"It's a different design concept meant for a fill and fly, as opposed to traditional liquid hydrogen tanks where you just fill them up and you leave them for days or months until you are ready to use it," Richardson says. "This is the new way hydrogen is being used in vehicles, whether those are drones, air taxis, or ground vehicles."
The U.S. Army is funding much of the UAV research, but civilian drones—with their 8–10 hour flight time—could also do work like inspecting rail lines and pipelines, notes Richardson. They could also provide real-time imaging of wildfires, giving information to first responders and firefighters to help make decisions. They might assist with package delivery, or hazardous work like inspecting dams, tall buildings, and cell towers.
On the water, maritime uses of hydrogen fuel could be adopted even sooner, also thanks to the fuel's low density and absence of emissions.
"One of the early targets gaining steam is commercial shipping. It wasn't seen as an early market because these folks pay the least for energy than anybody in the world," McLarty says. "They buy the bunker crude, the stuff no one else wants."
McLarty notes that companies are looking at ships with a 40-year lifespan and need fuel for the future. They also need consistent, low-emission fuels due to varying regulations at ports around the world.
Another promising area: offshore wind production.
"The size of these offshore turbines is staggering. The base of each tower can have a chemical plant, where you have a tender ship that comes and pulls that fuel off. That tender ship pulls up next to a cargo ship steaming across the ocean, refuels it on the fly, and goes back and gets another tank of fuel from the wind turbines," McLarty says.
The hydrogen could fuel ships in a number of ways: liquid hydrogen at cryogenic temperatures, ammonia produced by attaching a nitrogen molecule, or the benzene-cyclohexene cycle. Benzene is a hydrocarbon that can absorb extra hydrogen and become cyclohexene. Then a little heat releases that hydrogen on the boat and it turns back to benzene. In that case, the tender offloads one fuel and reloads the charged fuel.
The emissions-free ship Energy Observer is sailing around the world as a proof of concept. It looks like something out of Waterworld, Leachman says, and uses a combination of wind and solar power, then makes and stores hydrogen in pontoons for use during storms and cloudy days.
The Northwest connection
In Washington state, Tacoma Power and the Port of Tacoma announced an electrofuel tariff pilot project with specific rates for producing hydrogen that can run equipment and possibly ships coming to the port.
"Washington is home to manufacturers of transportation equipment in almost all sectors," Leachman says. For example, he points to All American Marine in Bellingham and its first hydrogen fuel cell ferry for San Francisco Bay, Boeing's aviation tests, and PACCAR, which took a Kenworth hydrogen truck to the top of Pikes Peak and back. In the booming material handling sector, Plug Power has its west coast office in Spokane.
The rapid growth is ripe for entrepreneurs, such as Richardson and Adam's company Protium. Richardson's postdoctoral fellowship was funded by the Washington Research Foundation, which aims to commercialize technologies out of state universities.
Protium is looking at developing a smaller scale liquid hydrogen tank, with a heat exchanger built into the walls of the tank to regulate temperatures. They also work on a refueling station the size of a shipping container.
Richardson explains that the refueler "takes in water, purifies it, and puts it in an electrolyzer which splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen. We cool that hydrogen down with a cryo-cooler, basically a souped-up refrigeration cycle, then we liquefy that in a vacuum-jacketed dewar that's commercially available." All safety systems are built into the equipment.
One innovation from Adam is a 3D-printed tank. He found a polymer that can survive at the temperatures of very cold cryogenic hydrogen.
"If you talk to people in this industry, they think we're nuts and that there's no way you're going to find a polymer that can hold liquid hydrogen," Richardson says. "But so far, it's holding just fine" at the small scale.
Moving hydrogen tech into the market is exactly what we need, Leachman says.
"The University isn't about making money from technology. We're supposed to supply the pitchforks and shovels and give direction and a way to go," he says.
Another key part of the HYPER and CESI labs is educating students to work in industries and further hydrogen research. "We need a lot of students trained up in this area. There haven't been a lot of people educated in cryogenics and hydrogen in the U.S.," Leachman says.
He has close to 30 undergraduates and 9 graduate fellows working in the HYPER Lab. McLarty's CESI lab also provides research opportunities for undergraduates and graduates interested in renewable energy and future fuels.
The Northwest, Leachman says, is primed for the industry.
"We produce double the electricity we need," he says. "We now have this incredible potential to generate hydrogen, a renewable energy that keeps the money in our region and reduces the amount of money to import dirtier energy products like fossil fuels.
"Our clean energy future can and will come in many ways. Putting all of your eggs in one basket, that's never been conducive to resilience long term."
Click above image for an expanded infographic. Click here for a PDF version.
Podcast: The future of hydrogen fuel, plus how to commercialize hydrogen fuel
Hydrogen fuel research projects at WSU
WSU HYPER Lab
Hydrogen 101
WSU Clean Energy Systems Lab
Hydrogen blog (Leachman)
Fact sheets and articles about hydrogen fuel
Hydrogen, Scaling Up (McKinsey report)
Dreams of green energy take flight (mobile hydrogen generating unit built by the HYPER Lab, WSU Foundation, May 18, 2021)
Hydrogen fuel


Amazon.com Product Description: The Xbox game controller, which sports the "jewel" logo, is built for maximum control and comfort. Its design is the result of thousands of hours of usability testing. It features an eight-way directional pad (D-pad), left and right analog sticks, left and right shoulder triggers, six pressure-sensitive multicolored analog buttons, dual slots for memory cards and other peripherals, and a built-in "rumble" feature to increase gaming realism. The controller also features a 9-1/2-foot-long cord to give gamers the freedom to sit nearly anywhere they want during gameplay.
This one is the best controller. Everybody complains about its size, but believe me that it is the most comfortable controller that I have used.
It's pretty stupid that some people just see it and say that it's huge and very uncomfortable without having using it !
You have to play Halo 4 hours in a row and after that, you wouldn't like to use a little controller again. Even my 10 year old brother had the same experience.
This thing is a monster. The controls are awkward and it doesn't feel right. I bought the other controller which is smaller and the buttons are placed better. I try not to use this big monster controller. It makes playing games difficult.
I was a little skeptical at first, and I wasn't sure I would like the Xbox controller. After a few days of getting used to it, I loved the feel of it. The buttons and joysticks are well placed so that it feels natural to use. Controllers are supposed to be designed for comfort and ease of use, and the people at Microsoft did a great job. For all of the games I have played, the controllers buttons/joysticks/triggers have been well utilised and the controls do not feel awkward. For anyone who likes to play with their friends, I would reccomend also getting a second controller, I didn't think I would use mine that much at first, but now i use it a ton.
This controller is good and that's all I got to say.
Hi my Name is Whitney and I have a promblem with one of my controllers the shorter one. When I first got it both of the controllers work but now the smaller one is vibrating all the time when we turn on the game.It want even let us play two players, so if any of you have this same problem and can fix it please email at (...)Please help me.
This controller is the best. Why? Well for big hand people you will love this controller. For me this controller feels very comfortable and for me it seems like all the buttons are just perfect. Anywayz, i would reccomend this controller, if you have big hands. Though you might find something wrong with this controller. It makes your hands sweat like crazy. But no big deal for me. So i hope you buy or try this controller you'll be gald you did.
I have heard a lot of people complain about the size of this controller. I would say for my hands the size is perfect! For those who are used to the PS2 controller, this will take some getting used to, but is amazing to use. The buttons are easy to reach and the built-in rumble pack is great.
Let's talk a little more about the rumble pack...I really enjoy the feel of the pack, especially on Munch's Odyssey. There are several different uses of the rumble pack in this game (and others) that are incredible. For example, there are certain sections in the game where you have to use a crane to move items. The sound and the vibration in the rumble pack really seem like you are opperating a crane...there are hums and buzzes in the controller that mimic a true crane response.
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I don't see what the 2 and 3 stars is about! I love this controller! Like someone said the PS controllers are too small and N64's controllers are just wak! I would agree that the gamecube controller is confortable but not more confortable then the XBOX' Controller. It might be too big for kid under about 10 or 11. I would reccomend this controller to everyone!


Mississippi's Republican secretary of state, Delbert Hosemann, is publicly apologizing after he incorrectly told college students that Republican former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran is "deceased."
ABC News. Thu, 25 Apr 2019 18:26:02 -0400.
Reuters. Thu, 25 Apr 2019 12:07:50 -0400.
Individuals in Mississippi who have given their bodies for scientific research and education are being honored for their sacrifice.
NPR. Thu, 25 Apr 2019 10:00:00 +0000.
Washington Times. Thu, 25 Apr 2019 04:31:47 -0400.
Amiyah Evans, from Clinton, Mississippi, had eaten a burger on Friday night. The next morning, she woke up with a slightly swollen lip - which soon swelled.
Daily Mail. Wed, 24 Apr 2019 21:56:59 GMT.
Anna Wolfe. Mississippi Today. Wed, 24 Apr 2019 15:10:07 +0000.
Mississippi State edge rusher Montez Sweat could provide an immediate lift to the defense, but the Detroit Lions will have a lot of options with the eighth pick in the NFL draft.
By Rob Reischel, Contributor. Forbes. Wed, 24 Apr 2019 12:00:00 +0000.
ABC News. Tue, 23 Apr 2019 19:42:25 -0400.
Eric Roper. Star Tribune - Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tue, 23 Apr 2019 02:37:47 +0000.
Dan Browning. Star Tribune - Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tue, 23 Apr 2019 00:44:51 +0000.
Washington Times. Mon, 22 Apr 2019 01:44:13 -0400.
ESPN. Sat, 20 Apr 2019 12:16:06 EST.
According to the 2010 census, the population of Mississippi was 2,967,297.
In 2008, the estimated population of Mississippi was 2,938,618, whereas in 2006, the population of Mississippi was about 2,896,713. For detailed, up-to-date information about Mississippi's demographics, visit the U.S. Census Bureau's QuickFacts about Mississippi web page. For maps of Mississippi, visit this Mississippi Map website.
The photograph above shows the state capitol building in Jackson, Mississippi. Mississippi newspaper publishers are listed here, along with their addresses, phone numbers, and website links; Mississippi library names, descriptions, and website links are listed on this page. More information about Mississippi can be found here.


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Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 10, 2019
Regulation FD Disclosure.
News Corporation (the "Company") and its subsidiary, NXE Australia Pty Limited ("new Foxtel"), recently engaged in discussions with certain potential lenders regarding a refinancing of new Foxtel's existing debt. In connection with such discussions, the Company provided certain information to these potential lenders relating to new Foxtel, which was confidential until the date of this filing. Such information is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference. The Company and new Foxtel may from time to time engage in further discussions and may refinance, repay, redeem, amend and/or replace, in whole or in part, new Foxtel's indebtedness.
99.1 Information relating to new Foxtel.
/s/ Michael L. Bunder
Senior Vice President, Deputy General
Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Dated: May 10, 2019
Financial Information Related to New Foxtel As of March 2019 This information contains forward looking statements, including statements of current intention, statements of opinion and predictions as to possible future events. Such statements are not statements of fact and there can be no certainty of outcome in relation to the matters to which the statements relate. These forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors that could cause the actual outcomes to be materially different from the events or results expressed or implied by such statements. Those risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors are not all within the control of News Corporation, NXE Australia Pty Limited or any of their subsidiaries (including Foxtel Management Pty Limited), shareholders, affiliates and associated companies (or any of their respective directors, partners, officers, employees, agents, management contractors, consultants or advisers) ("Foxtel") and cannot be predicted by Foxtel and include changes in circumstances or events that may cause objectives to change as well as risks, circumstances and events specific to the industry, countries and markets in which Foxtel and its related bodies corporate, joint ventures and associated undertakings operate. Neither News Corporation nor Foxtel makes any representation, assurance or guarantee as to the accuracy or likelihood of fulfilment of any forward looking statement or any outcomes expressed or implied in any forward looking statements. The forward looking statements reflect views held only at the date of referenced above. Except to the extent, if any, required by applicable law, News Corporation and Foxtel disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information or future events. 1 Exhibit 99.1
Operating metrics snapshot Broadcast subscribers(1) & ARPU Commercial subscribers (residential equivalent units, 000's)(6) Foxtel Now subscribers(5) (000's) Churn(4) (%) 15.1% 13.8% 14.1% Subscribers (000's) ARPU (A$)(2) Includes Foxtel retail, Telstra and Optus subscribers. The Company calculates Broadcast ARPU by dividing broadcast package revenues for the period, net of customer credits, promotions and other discounts, by average cable and satellite residential subscribers for the period and dividing by the number of months in the period. Average cable and satellite residential subscribers for the period is calculated by adding the beginning and ending cable and satellite residential subscribers for the period and dividing by two. Excludes Optus subscribers. For the twelve months ended 31 December 2018. Broadcast subscriber churn represents the number of cable and satellite residential subscribers whose service is disconnected, expressed as a percentage of the average total number of cable and satellite residential subscribers, presented on an annual basis. The Company calculates Broadcast subscriber churn by dividing the total number of disconnected cable and satellite residential subscribers for the period, net of reconnects and transfers, by the average subscribers for the period, which is calculated by adding the beginning and ending cable and satellite residential subscribers for the period and dividing by two. This amount is then divided by the number of days in the period and multiplied by 365 days to present churn on an annual basis. Excludes Optus subscribers. Includes paying and non-paying subscribers. Commercial subscribers are calculated as residential equivalent units, which are derived by dividing total revenue from these subscribers by an estimated average residential ARPU which is held constant through the year. 115k Kayo Sports subscribers as at February 5th (100k of which were paying subscribers) (3) Increase driven by inclusion of FOX SPORTS Australia's commercial customers post-combination. Previous periods are Foxtel commercial customers only Kayo Sports subscribers(5) (000's) (5) (3) Foxtel commercial subs. FOX SPORTS commercial subs. 2 New pricing and packaging strategy launched and reallocated marketing costs to Kayo Sports launch
Unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial data The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial data for the six months ended December 31, 2017, for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017, and for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 ("LTM"), respectively, are presented to illustrate the full-period effect of the combination of Fox Sports Australia Pty Limited ("FOX SPORTS Australia") and Foxtel Group ("Foxtel") into a new company, NXE Australia Pty Limited ("New Foxtel" or the "Company," and collectively, the "Transaction"). The unaudited pro forma New Foxtel condensed combined financial data for the periods described above combine the historical consolidated statements of operations of New Foxtel and Foxtel, giving effect to the Transaction as if it had occurred on July 1, 2016. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information of New Foxtel for the LTM period ended December 31, 2018 was derived by adding the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations data for the year ended June 30, 2018 to the unaudited historical statement of operations data for the six months ended December 31, 2018 and subtracting the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations data for the six months ended December 31, 2017. The Transaction has already been reflected in the New Foxtel historical consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 and the historical statement of operations for the six month period ended December 31, 2018 and therefore no pro forma adjustments related to the Transaction are required. In April 2018, News Corporation ("News Corp") and Telstra Corporation Limited ("Telstra") combined their respective 50% interests in Foxtel and News Corp's 100% interest in FOX SPORTS Australia into a new company, New Foxtel (defined above as the Transaction). Following the completion of the Transaction, News Corp owns a 65% interest in the combined business, with Telstra owning the remaining 35%. Consequently, New Foxtel began consolidating Foxtel as at April 3, 2018. The historical consolidated financial statements of New Foxtel are the continuation of FOX SPORTS Australia and therefore results for the period up to April 3, 2018 are the performance of FOX SPORTS Australia and its controlled entities only. The historical consolidated financial information of New Foxtel and Foxtel have been adjusted in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information to give effect to pro forma events that are (1) directly attributable to the Transaction, (2) factually supportable, and (3) expected to have a continuing impact. The historical consolidated financial statements of Foxtel have been adjusted to reflect certain reclassifications to conform to the historical consolidated financial statements of New Foxtel. The pro forma adjustments based on the purchase price allocation for the Transaction are preliminary and based upon available information and certain assumptions which management believes are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from the assumptions within the accompanying unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been presented for illustrative and informational purposes only and is not intended to represent or be indicative of what the results of operations would have been had the Transaction occurred on July 1, 2016. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information presented below should not be relied upon as a representation of our future performance as if the Transaction had actually occurred on July 1, 2016. Certain transactions between FOX SPORTS Australia and Foxtel that occurred during the periods in this unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information have been eliminated. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information does not reflect any cost savings, operating synergies or revenue enhancements that the combined company may achieve as a result of the Transaction, or costs necessary to achieve any cost savings, operating synergies or revenue enhancements. A reference to $ is a reference to Australian dollars unless specifically marked otherwise. 3
Summary of pro-forma and historical financial data (2) Interest is not pro-forma. Not reviewed and not pro forma. Definitions Subscription revenue primarily represents revenue from subscription to New Foxtel's retail broadcast, Foxtel Now and OTT services. Subscription revenue also includes revenue from commercial customers, pay-per-view purchases, broadband / telephone services and installation revenue derived from the installation of equipment at subscribers' premises Broadcast customers pay monthly and are on contracts ranging from nil to 24 months Foxtel Now and OTT customers pay monthly with no contracts Commercial customers pay monthly with contracts negotiated on a rolling basis Installation revenues for new customer sales are deferred and recognised over the contract period to which they relate Installation revenue for customer upgrades and relocations are recognised when the installation service is provided Advertising revenue includes revenue from the sale of advertising time and is recognised in the period in which the advertising is broadcast Other revenue includes revenue earned from programming sales, product & corporate sales, and MCN revenue Programming expenses includes content / channel licence fees, production costs and contra expenses Sales and marketing includes staff and marketing costs relating to sale of New Foxtel products Transmission costs includes cable and satellite access costs, CDN costs and broadband access costs Other non-programming costs include products / broadcast / technology costs, customer service and installation costs, corporate costs and MCN costs Amortisation relates to amortisation of intangibles acquired as part of the business combination (1) Full yearly Half yearly 4
Opex and capex detail Cost type LTM Dec-18 (A$mm) Key dynamics Opportunity and potential levers Opex Programming costs 1,604 Sports programming costs predominantly fixed through to expiry (providing attractive OTT economics) Non-sport programming costs comprise a portfolio of various contracts with continual renewals and a significant variable portion Reduce spend on non-marquee sporting content Non-sport programming costs can be adjusted quickly for viewer behavior given portfolio and shorter term nature of contracts Variable cost component of OTT Transmission costs 242 Currently operating multi-platform distribution model (cable, satellite, OTT) Future satellite / IP-delivered model to reduce transmission costs (currently ~25% of broadcast subscribers are cable) Cable access costs are ~$72m for LTM Dec-18 Economies of scale benefits from growth of OTT product Sales and marketing 158 Current level of elevated marketing to support brand re-positioning New marketing expense associated with supporting the launch of Kayo Sports Reduced marketing spend as product renovation is completed and customer segmentation improves Other non-programming 560 Includes product, customer service and installation, corporate and MCN expenses Step-up in product costs related to launches of OTT products Reduce 3rd party spend Continued headcount and other cost rationalisation at MCN Product and corporate costs savings as part of integration of Foxtel and FSA Capex 470 – 480 (FY19E) Subscriber-related capital expenditure(1) makes up ~65% of total capital expenditure (remainder is project capex(2)) Significant project capex in FY19 to catch-up on prior year under-investment (e.g. 4K; Foxtel Go) and OTT strategy establishment Future multi-technology set-top box (i.e. IP and satellite enabled) Reduced project capex Subscriber capex includes set-top-boxes, installation costs and other installed equipment. Project capex includes capital expenditure which is not related to subscriber costs such as set-top-boxes, installation costs and other installed equipment. 5
Summary balance sheet Balance sheet as at 31 December 2018 Property, plant and equipment consists of: Digital set tops and installation (represents the majority) Technical equipment Machinery and equipment Capital works in progress Leasehold improvements Intangibles consists of: Goodwill Customer relationships Brand and trade name Inventories consists solely of programme rights (current and non-current) Commentary 6
Additional Information Related to New Foxtel 7 Topic Response Set-top box and installation cost detail 65% of total cap ex of A$470-480mm is related to subscriber cap ex. IQ4 box costs Foxtel about A$280-300. Cost to customer is A$125, but can be waived. If a customer requires a technician, the cost to Foxtel is ~A$200. Cost to customer is A$100 but can be waived. For self-installation the cost to Foxtel is ~A$40. Approximately 45% of upgrading customers utilise self-installation. Package pricing Foxtel management is reviewing the pricing for its various programming packages, including potential price increases for certain tiers. LTM programming cost breakdown 50% of costs relate to sports rights and production About 90% of costs fixed in nature Variable agreements subject to subscriber numbers 50% of costs relate to non-sports rights 15% of this relates to movies, of which ~1/3 are fixed and ~2/3 variable, based on number of subscribers to the movie tier Channel agreements ~40% variable based on subscribers Remainder generally fixed price Foxtel currently spends ~10% of its non-sports programing costs on original content Despite programming costs being "fixed," Foxtel has ability to manage the base given the ongoing / phased maturity of contracts, particularly for non-sports. Foxtel Now ARPU Foxtel Now ARPU estimated to be ~60-70% below broadcast ARPU.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Lonesome Dove: A Novel (Hardcover)
By Larry McMurtry
(LAST CHANCE)
"It's a Texas book for the Texas heat. It's a grand adventure. My
favorite western. It's beautiful. It's tragic and it's epic in scope.
It's the holy grail of Texas tales, steeped in Lone Star mythos.
Goodnight and Loving would be proud to know what they had spawned."
— Bosco
"Because Texas. That's why. One of the greatest friendships in all of literary history is laid out in perfection. We are loved as we accept those we love for who they really truly are. Beautiful."
The Pulitzer Prize–winning American classic of the American West that follows two aging Texas Rangers embarking on one last adventure. An epic of the frontier, Lonesome Dove is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America.
Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.
Larry McMurtry is the author of twenty-nine novels, including the Pulitzer Prize–winning Lonesome Dove, three memoirs, two collections of essays, and more than thirty screenplays. He lives in Archer City, Texas.
Series: Simon & Schuster Classics
Fiction / Westerns
Kobo eBook (May 31st, 2010): $14.99
Prebound (June 15th, 2010): $33.05
Mass Market Paperback (December 15th, 1988): $7.99
Hardcover (June 1st, 1985): $28.00
Prebound (December 1st, 1988): $17.20
Mass Market Paperback (August 1st, 1986): $4.95
Mass Market Paperback (February 1st, 1989): $5.95


A day to celebrate the joy of bicycling.
If you ride every day, this is your day. You'll see familiar faces on the streets and trails. If you haven't been on a bike for years, but you've been thinking about getting going again, this is your day. You'll have lots of company and plenty of encouragement. Many schools and businesses will be hosting celebration stations in the morning. They'll be cheering for students, employees and everyone on two wheels. Check out the locations for this year's stations.
At the end of the day, gather a group of friends from school, work, or wherever you are and bike to the Bike Party on Bay Street. We'll have a beer garden, food trucks and crowds of people who love riding bikes! We've also planned lots of bicycling silliness for all ages. Check out our party activities, including tricycle races, bike polo, a bike photo booth and more.


Product #3809 | SKU AJA00066 | 0.0 (no ratings yet) Thanks for your rating!
The R10CE is an SDI distribution amplifier and universal monitoring D/A converter. The R10CE provides four equalized and re-clocked SDI outputs along with four analog monitoring outputs. The four analog outputs can be configured to a wide variety of formats including NTSC/PAL, YC (S-Video), YPbPr (SMPTE, EBU-N10), Betacam or RGB. A PLL jitter filter/memory reduces the effects of SD jitter on the analog outputs. The R10CE fits the AJA R-Series rack mount frames, and is compatible with other standard racks.


text:
Cork nets 37 prizes at BT Young Scientists exhibition
January 13th, 2023 8:19 PM
AS the winners of the 59th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) have been announced as Shane O'Connor and Liam Carew from Tipperary, it was also revealed that Co Cork scooped a total of 37 prizes.
Shane and Liam, both 19 and in sixth year in the Abbey School, Tipperary, won with their project Assessing the impact of second-level education on key aspects of adolescents' life and development. The coveted prize was presented to the winners this evening in the RDS in Dublin by Minister for Education Norma Foley TD, and managing director of BT Ireland, Shay Walsh.
The 2023 BT Young Scientist & Technology winners received the BTYSTE perpetual trophy and the top prize of €7,500. The winners will also represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists, which takes place in Brussels in September. They'll also get to attend the 64th Annual London International Youth Science Forum this summer.
Shay Walsh said: 'On behalf of the entire team at BT Ireland, I wish to thank each and every student who took part in this year's exhibition for sharing your ideas with us. After a long three years, it has been a pleasure to welcome you all back to the event in person. The past week has been truly inspiring, and I am in awe of your unique and individual talents. The level of creativity, innovation and research displayed over the last number of days has been nothing short of remarkable, and I am humbled and grateful to be a part of it.
'I would also like to extend my congratulations to all our winners, who join a special group of some of Ireland's brightest minds. I have no doubt this is only the beginning of all the brilliant work you will go on to do. To all the teachers, parents, guardians and everyone who supported the students who entered on their journeys, I express my sincere thanks. We are hugely grateful also to our panel of esteemed judges, our sponsors and partners, and of course, our own BT team, without whom this magnificent exhibition would not be possible.'
In the main awards, under the Educator of Excellent category, Coláiste Muire in Crosshaven took the Horizon Educator of Excellence award while St Mary's Secondary School in Macroom took the BT Educator of Excellence award.
Other awards can be viewed here: https://btyoungscientist.com/results/
Macroom,
Crosshaven,
BTYSE,
BT Young Scientists,


Hello fellas my name is Zoe and you can book me for bachelor parties, birthdays, or just for the fun of it.
I am a party girl with legs for days and a great attitude, and I love having fun with the boys. I love showing off for the boys.
I have a lot of energy and I will keep you boys busy, so just try to keep up with me, ask for me when you call to book your bachelor party or group event with HotbodsUSA Charlotte exotic dancers. I can cover shows outside of the Charlotte area as well so just inquire about the location you are looking for talent in.


It is obvious that sponsors are more proactive today than ever before when it comes to directing portfolio companies on the evaluation and assessment of leadership changes.
There is general agreement that a CFO is the C- level position most often replaced after an acquisition, mostly due to the changing requirements within the finance function.
Some believe that CFOs are heavily scrutinized, and even replaced 50- 100% of the time, because their institutional partners are finance professionals with high expectations for metrics, reporting and financial infrastructure.
Replacing a member of the leadership team takes time. A misfire when hiring a new member of management (or waiting too long to make a change) is often a mistake that takes 2 years to correct. With an investment horizon of 5-7 years, this mistake can have a big impact.
A management team doesn't necessarily need a specific set of skills. It is about matching the strategy and investment thesis with the skills and functional expertise of management. The type of company and its stage of life will also dictate the executive leadership requirements.
It is very important that CEOs and CFOs are both coachable and adaptable. Some find more value in adaptability than individual experience or functional expertise, especially when the right coaching resources are present.
When assessing a management team, it's easy to correlate past track record with a probability of future success; however, it is important to focus on the contributing factors to fully understand if an individual's past performance is predictive.
There is an increasing trend towards standardizing the assessment and evaluation process of senior management. Quantifying and tracking desirable traits and characteristics is becoming common practice, the execution of which depends on the strategy of the sponsor.
HR and talent management for executive leadership at the portfolio level has become a top priority. The role of HR is going to continue to get stronger going forward; there has been a huge increase in emphasis on the specific science and expertise of HR.
Most sponsors now have some form of detailed HR Assessment & Review Programs for portfolio company management, which are used both for initial diligence prior to investment and post investment.
Executive level boot -camps and roundtable events can be helpful for management teams to leverage each others' ideas and experiences. Regardless of industry or service, they often provide the specific anecdotal experience people need to really learn.
Boards who have gone through the same challenges can be the most valuable advisors and mentors to management, since quite literally they have been there and done that.


text:
from __future__ import unicode_literals
import sys

from django.conf import settings
from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
from django.core.exceptions import ObjectDoesNotExist
from django.db.models import Q
from django.http import Http404, HttpResponse, HttpResponseForbidden
from django.shortcuts import render, redirect, get_object_or_404
from django.urls import reverse
from django.views import static

from django.contrib import messages
from django.contrib.auth.models import User

from django.utils.crypto import get_random_string
from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _

from allauth.account.models import EmailAddress

from symposion.proposals.models import (
    AdditionalSpeaker, ProposalBase, ProposalKind, SupportingDocument
)
from symposion.speakers.models import Speaker
from symposion.utils.mail import send_email

from symposion.proposals.forms import (
    AddSpeakerForm,
    SupportingDocumentCreateForm,
)

from conf_site.reviews.forms import ProposalFeedbackForm

def get_form(name):
    dot = name.rindex(".")
    mod_name, form_name = name[:dot], name[dot + 1:]
    __import__(mod_name)
    return getattr(sys.modules[mod_name], form_name)

def proposal_submit(request):
    if not request.user.is_authenticated:
        messages.info(
            request,
            _(
                "To submit a proposal, please "
                "log in and create a speaker profile "
                "via the dashboard.".format(settings.LOGIN_URL)
            ),
            "safe",
        )
        return redirect("account_login")
    else:
        try:
            request.user.speaker_profile
        except ObjectDoesNotExist:
            url = reverse("speaker_create")
            messages.info(
                request,
                _(
                    "To submit a proposal, first "
                    "create a speaker "
                    "profile.".format(url)
                ),
                "safe",
            )
            return redirect("dashboard")

    kinds = []
    for proposal_kind in ProposalKind.objects.all():
        # Ignore proposal kinds located in unavailable ProposalSections.
        if not proposal_kind.section.proposalsection.available():
            continue
        kinds.append(proposal_kind)

    return render(
        request, "symposion/proposals/proposal_submit.html", {"kinds": kinds}
    )

def proposal_submit_kind(request, kind_slug):

    kind = get_object_or_404(ProposalKind, slug=kind_slug)

    if not request.user.is_authenticated:
        return redirect("account_login")
    else:
        try:
            speaker_profile = request.user.speaker_profile
        except ObjectDoesNotExist:
            return redirect("dashboard")

    if not kind.section.proposalsection.available():
        return redirect("proposal_submit")

    try:
        form_class = get_form(settings.PROPOSAL_FORMS[kind_slug])
    except KeyError:
        form_class = get_form(settings.DEFAULT_PROPOSAL_FORM)

    if request.method == "POST":
        form = form_class(request.POST)
        if form.is_valid():
            proposal = form.save(commit=False)
            proposal.kind = kind
            proposal.speaker = speaker_profile
            proposal.save()
            form.save_m2m()
            messages.success(request, _("Proposal submitted."))
            if "add-speakers" in request.POST:
                return redirect("proposal_speaker_manage", proposal.pk)
            return redirect("proposal_detail", proposal.pk)
    else:
        form = form_class()

    return render(
        request,
        "symposion/proposals/proposal_submit_kind.html",
        {"kind": kind, "proposal_form": form},
    )

@login_required
def proposal_speaker_manage(request, pk):
    queryset = ProposalBase.objects.select_related("speaker")
    proposal = get_object_or_404(queryset, pk=pk)
    proposal = ProposalBase.objects.get_subclass(pk=proposal.pk)

    if proposal.speaker != request.user.speaker_profile:
        raise Http404()

    if request.method == "POST":
        add_speaker_form = AddSpeakerForm(request.POST, proposal=proposal)
        if add_speaker_form.is_valid():
            message_ctx = {"proposal": proposal}

            def create_speaker_token(email_address):
                # create token and look for an existing speaker to prevent
                # duplicate tokens and confusing the pending speaker
                try:
                    pending = Speaker.objects.get(
                        Q(user=None, invite_email=email_address)
                    )
                except Speaker.DoesNotExist:
                    token = get_random_string(5)
                    pending = Speaker.objects.create(
                        invite_email=email_address,
                        invite_token=token,
                        slug=email_address.split("@")[0],
                    )
                else:
                    token = pending.invite_token
                return pending, token

            email_address = add_speaker_form.cleaned_data["email"]
            # check if email is on the site now
            users = EmailAddress.objects.get_users_for(email_address)
            if users:
                # should only be one since we enforce unique email
                user = users[0]
                message_ctx["user"] = user
                # look for speaker profile
                try:
                    speaker = user.speaker_profile
                except ObjectDoesNotExist:
                    speaker, token = create_speaker_token(email_address)
                    message_ctx["token"] = token
                    # fire off email to user to create profile
                    send_email(
                        [email_address],
                        "speaker_no_profile",
                        context=message_ctx,
                    )
                else:
                    # fire off email to user letting them they are loved.
                    send_email(
                        [email_address],
                        "speaker_addition",
                        context=message_ctx,
                    )
            else:
                speaker, token = create_speaker_token(email_address)
                message_ctx["token"] = token
                # fire off email letting user know about site and to create
                # account and speaker profile
                send_email(
                    [email_address], "speaker_invite", context=message_ctx
                )
            invitation, created = AdditionalSpeaker.objects.get_or_create(
                proposalbase=proposal.proposalbase_ptr, speaker=speaker
            )
            messages.success(request, "Speaker invited to proposal.")
            return redirect("proposal_speaker_manage", proposal.pk)
    else:
        add_speaker_form = AddSpeakerForm(proposal=proposal)

    # Get invited speakers for this proposal.
    invited_speakers = AdditionalSpeaker.objects.filter(
        proposalbase=proposal.proposalbase_ptr).exclude(
            status=AdditionalSpeaker.SPEAKING_STATUS_ACCEPTED
    )
    ctx = {
        "proposal": proposal,
        "speakers": proposal.speakers(),
        "invited_speakers": invited_speakers,
        "add_speaker_form": add_speaker_form,
    }
    return render(
        request, "symposion/proposals/proposal_speaker_manage.html", ctx
    )

@login_required
def proposal_edit(request, pk):
    queryset = ProposalBase.objects.select_related("speaker")
    proposal = get_object_or_404(queryset, pk=pk)
    proposal = ProposalBase.objects.get_subclass(pk=proposal.pk)

    if request.user != proposal.speaker.user:
        raise Http404()

    if not proposal.can_edit():
        ctx = {
            "title": "Proposal editing closed",
            "body": "Proposal editing is closed for this session type.",
        }
        return render(request, "symposion/proposals/proposal_error.html", ctx)

    try:
        form_class = get_form(settings.PROPOSAL_FORMS[proposal.kind.slug])
    except KeyError:
        form_class = get_form(settings.DEFAULT_PROPOSAL_FORM)

    if request.method == "POST":
        form = form_class(request.POST, instance=proposal)
        if form.is_valid():
            form.save()
            if hasattr(proposal, "review_votes"):
                users = User.objects.filter(
                    Q(review_votes__proposal=proposal)
                    | Q(review_feedback__proposal=proposal)
                )
                users = users.exclude(id=request.user.id).distinct()
                for user in users:
                    ctx = {"user": request.user, "proposal": proposal}
                    send_email([user.email], "proposal_updated", context=ctx)
            messages.success(request, "Proposal updated.")
            return redirect("proposal_detail", proposal.pk)
    else:
        form = form_class(instance=proposal)

    return render(
        request,
        "symposion/proposals/proposal_edit.html",
        {"proposal": proposal, "form": form},
    )

@login_required
def proposal_detail(request, pk):
    queryset = ProposalBase.objects.select_related("speaker", "speaker__user")
    proposal = get_object_or_404(queryset, pk=pk)
    proposal = ProposalBase.objects.get_subclass(pk=proposal.pk)

    if request.user not in [p.user for p in proposal.speakers()]:
        raise Http404()

    feedback_form = ProposalFeedbackForm()

    return render(
        request,
        "symposion/proposals/proposal_detail.html",
        {
            "proposal": proposal,
            "feedback_form": feedback_form,
            "actor": "speaker",
        },
    )

@login_required
def proposal_cancel(request, pk):
    queryset = ProposalBase.objects.select_related("speaker")
    proposal = get_object_or_404(queryset, pk=pk)
    proposal = ProposalBase.objects.get_subclass(pk=proposal.pk)

    if proposal.speaker.user != request.user:
        return HttpResponseForbidden()

    if request.method == "POST":
        proposal.cancelled = True
        proposal.save()
        # @@@ fire off email to submitter and other speakers
        messages.success(request, "%s has been cancelled" % proposal.title)
        return redirect("dashboard")

    return render(
        request,
        "symposion/proposals/proposal_cancel.html",
        {"proposal": proposal},
    )

@login_required
def proposal_pending_join(request, pk):
    proposal = get_object_or_404(ProposalBase, pk=pk)
    speaking = get_object_or_404(
        AdditionalSpeaker,
        speaker=request.user.speaker_profile,
        proposalbase=proposal,
    )
    if speaking.status == AdditionalSpeaker.SPEAKING_STATUS_PENDING:
        speaking.status = AdditionalSpeaker.SPEAKING_STATUS_ACCEPTED
        speaking.save()
        messages.success(
            request,
            "You have accepted the invitation to join %s" % proposal.title,
        )
        return redirect("dashboard")
    else:
        return redirect("dashboard")

@login_required
def proposal_pending_decline(request, pk):
    proposal = get_object_or_404(ProposalBase, pk=pk)
    speaking = get_object_or_404(
        AdditionalSpeaker,
        speaker=request.user.speaker_profile,
        proposalbase=proposal,
    )
    if speaking.status == AdditionalSpeaker.SPEAKING_STATUS_PENDING:
        speaking.status = AdditionalSpeaker.SPEAKING_STATUS_DECLINED
        speaking.save()
        messages.success(
            request, "You have declined to speak on %s" % proposal.title
        )
        return redirect("dashboard")
    else:
        return redirect("dashboard")

@login_required
def document_create(request, proposal_pk):
    queryset = ProposalBase.objects.select_related("speaker")
    proposal = get_object_or_404(queryset, pk=proposal_pk)
    proposal = ProposalBase.objects.get_subclass(pk=proposal.pk)

    if proposal.cancelled:
        return HttpResponseForbidden()

    if request.method == "POST":
        form = SupportingDocumentCreateForm(request.POST, request.FILES)
        if form.is_valid():
            document = form.save(commit=False)
            document.proposal = proposal
            document.uploaded_by = request.user
            document.save()
            return redirect("proposal_detail", proposal.pk)
    else:
        form = SupportingDocumentCreateForm()

    return render(
        request,
        "symposion/proposals/document_create.html",
        {"proposal": proposal, "form": form},
    )

@login_required
def document_download(request, pk, *args):
    document = get_object_or_404(SupportingDocument, pk=pk)
    if getattr(settings, "USE_X_ACCEL_REDIRECT", False):
        response = HttpResponse()
        response["X-Accel-Redirect"] = document.file.url
        # delete content-type to allow Gondor to determine the filetype and
        # we definitely don't want Django's crappy default :-)
        del response["content-type"]
    else:
        response = static.serve(
            request, document.file.name, document_root=settings.MEDIA_ROOT
        )
    return response

@login_required
def document_delete(request, pk):
    document = get_object_or_404(
        SupportingDocument, pk=pk, uploaded_by=request.user
    )
    proposal_pk = document.proposal.pk

    if request.method == "POST":
        document.delete()

    return redirect("proposal_detail", proposal_pk)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 75F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..
Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 55F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 75F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Thunderstorms. High 68F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.


Over twenty years ago Chuck O'Rear took a photo that soon became part billions of peoples everyday lives. He captured Bliss on his way to see his girlfriend, he pulled over when he spotted the perfect scene in Sonoma County California. On the side of the road with his medium format camera, he took what would soon become the most viewed image of all time as a staple of Microsoft. After twenty-one years of unimaginable fame, O'Rear is back with a tribute to the epic American nature and a reminder for us all to cherish our earth's beauties. In collaboration with Lufthansa, O'Rears project titled "New Angles of America" is available to us all for free, just as nature is always free for us to view. this download is a must because the images are diamonds in the haystack of backgrounds that clutters the Internet. They were made with purpose, intention, and love, love for people, and love for nature. They were made in hopes of bringing us closer to nature, after decades of growing apart.
When Lufthansa asked O'Rear to take these images he was ecstatic. The seventy-five-year-old nature photographer is well traveled after twenty-five years of shooting for National Geographic. Although he's been to every corner of the world, he hadn't photographed these legendary American locations before. In the projects inspiring promotional video, O'rear talks about his inspiring genuine desire to share the happiness he feels from being in nature with the world.
I'd say he has far surpassed his goals with these balanced, rich, and incredibly peaceful new backgrounds. O'Rear wished for his images to take people away from the everyday noise of chaotic life. He reflects on how much "Bliss" changed his life over the last two decades and is now gifting us some pure bliss to keep on our phones. O'Rear explains that our phone backgrounds should make us feel something, he's probably right since we look at our screens over 260 times per day on average.
O'Rear took the first background in White Pocket, sculpted like ice cream in extreme Northern Arizona. Hikers who stand amidst the canyon say it's as close as you can get to being on another planet because of the mesmerizing whirls of the desert terrain.
The second is of Maroon Bells in Aspen Colorado, a scene painted vibrantly by 300 million years of geological activity. At 14,000 feet above the marron valley, and a lake that reflects their bold colors, the peaks take the title of the most photographed mountains in North America.
Photo of the Maroon Bells in Aspen Colorado, taken by Nature Photographer Chuck O' Rear.
The third and final background is of Peek-A-Boo Slot, an unreal canyon near Dry Fork, Grand Staircase. The canyon isn't very large but it's perfect curves and smooth warm gradients make you feel as if you've left reality. The canyon was the perfect choice to encourage users to disconnect from their phones and soak in the beauty around them in nature.
Antelope canyon is definitely amazing!
I hope to visit soon!! Thank you for the suggestion I will definitely do that!
You can visit here https://unfitpc.com/artapnet-sys if you are facing the error of artapnet.sys file this is one of the best way to solve your issue.


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text:
ISPUB.com / IJS/18/2/6225
The Internet Journal of Surgery
Bilateral versus Posterior Injection of Botulinum Toxin in the Internal Anal Sphincter for the Treatment of Acute Anal Fissure
I Othman
anal fissure, chemical sphincterotomy, prevention of chronicity
I Othman. Bilateral versus Posterior Injection of Botulinum Toxin in the Internal Anal Sphincter for the Treatment of Acute Anal Fissure. The Internet Journal of Surgery. 2008 Volume 18 Number 2.
Aim: Comparison of bilateral versus posterior injection of botulinum toxin in the internal anal sphincter for treatment of acute anal fissure and prevention of chronicity.Methods: Forty patients with acute anal fissure were randomly divided into two equal groups. Group I patients were treated by injecting 20 units of Botulinum toxin on each lateral side of the internal anal sphincter. Group II patients were treated by injecting 25 units of Botulinum toxin in the midline posteriorly.Results: Mean period for pain relief was 8.45±7.41 days in group I and 7.20±7.19 days in group II. Mean time of healing was 5.20 ±1.85 weeks in group I and 5.40 ±2.01 weeks in group II. Two patients (10%) in group I and 3 patients (15%) in group II showed no healing. Fissure recurred to 4 patients (20%) in group I and 3 patients (15%) in group II.Conclusion: Botulinum toxin injection is effective in treating acute anal fissure and preventing chronicity. A single posterior injection is easier, less painful and as effective as bilateral injection in pain relief.
Anal fissure is a common, painful condition that causes significant morbidity mostly in young adults. It is a split in the skin of the distal anal canal. The classic symptoms are intense pain on or after defecation and anal bleeding [1]. Anal fissures are nearly always single, and they have predilection for the posterior midline location and less commonly for the anterior midline where one of ten fissures is located [2].
Anal fissure is clinically differentiated into acute and chronic. The point at which an acute fissure becomes chronic is contentious, but published work suggests symptoms lasting for more than two months are undeniably chronic [3].
Most anal fissures are caused by stretching of the anal mucosa beyond its capability. Many acute anal fissures will heal spontaneously or by medical treatment. Recurrence rates range from 30-70% if treatment is abandoned after the fissure is healed [4]. Some fissures become chronic and will not heal. The most common cause for this is spasm of the internal anal sphincter muscle. This spasm causes poor blood flow to the anal mucosa, hence producing an ulcer which does not heal since it is deprived of normal blood supply [5].
Aggressive treatment of acute anal fissure with the recently named chemical sphincterotomy may prevent its evolution to chronicity.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of injection of Botulinum toxin into the internal anal sphincter for treatment of acute anal fissure and prevention of chronicity and to compare two sites of injection of Botulinum toxin; bilateral versus posterior.
This study was performed in the General Surgery Department, Ghodran General Hospital, KSA, during the period from October 2005 to February 2008 on 40 patients with acute posterior anal fissure randomly divided through computer randomization program (www.randomization.com) into two equal groups. Patients having other anal pathology (i.e., inflammatory bowel diseases, hemorrhoids, anal fistula or anal abscess) were excluded from this study. Full explanation of procedures and patient consent were assured before inclusion in the research. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Ghodran General Hospital, KSA.
Group I patients were treated by injection of Botulinum toxin into the internal sphincter. The 100 units' vials of type A lyophilized Botulinum toxin (Botox, Allergan, Inc, Irvine, CA, USA) were diluted in saline to a concentration of 50 units per milliliter immediately before injection. With a 25-G needle, 20 units were injected on each side of the internal sphincter guided under direct vision and digital examination (a total of 40 units per patient). No sedation or local anesthesia was used during the procedure.
Group II patients were treated by a single injection of 25 units of Botulinum toxin with a 25-G needle into the internal sphincter in the midline posteriorly under direct vision and digital examination. No sedation or local anesthesia was used during the procedure.
All patients were followed up in visits at 2-week intervals for 8 weeks, then every month for 6 months. Telephone follow-up was made every 2 months to complete 1-year follow-up. Patients lost during the follow-up were excluded from this study. Patients were asked about the presence or absence of pain and bleeding on defecation. Patients were asked about continence and about the appearance of any side effects. The anus was examined visually to assess healing of the fissure.
Quantitative variables were expressed as mean ± SD. Qualitative variables were expressed as frequency and percent. Quantitative parametric variables were compared between the two groups using the unpaired Student's t-test, quantitative non-parametric variables were compared using Mann-Whitney test. Qualitative variables were compared using Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test (when the criteria for using Chi-square were not sufficient). The power used was 0.80 while the level of significance was 5%.
Forty patients were included in our study, 23 females (57.5%) and 17 males (42.5%). The age of patients ranged from 16 to 83 years with a mean age of 36.85 ± 17.35 years.
Pain on defecation was the main presenting symptom in all patients. Constipation and bright red bleeding were less common presentations, while pruritus and mucous discharge were much less common (Table 1).
Table 1: Clinical data of patients
Clinical results after management
Time of pain relief
In group I, 5 patients (25%) reported partial pain relief at the passage of the first motion. Mean period of pain relief was 8.45 ± 7.41 days. In group II, 7 patients (35%) reported partial pain relief at the passage of the first motion. Mean period of pain relief was 7.20 ± 7.19 days. The difference between the two groups regarding time of pain relief was not statistically significant (Table 2).
Table 2: Time of pain relief
Time of complete healing
At the first follow-up visit two weeks after Botulinum injection, complete healing was not recorded in any patient. After 4 weeks, 13 patients (65%) in group I and 12 patients (60%) in group II showed complete healing. After 6 weeks, another 3 patients (15%) in each group showed complete healing. After 8 weeks, 2 patients (10%) in each group showed complete healing but 2 patients (10%) in group I and 3 patients (15%) in group II showed still no healing. Mean time of healing was 5.20 ± 1.85 weeks in group I and 5.40 ± 2.01 weeks in group II. The difference between the two groups regarding time of complete healing was not statistically significant (Table 3).
Table 3: Time of complete healing
Hematoma after injection occurred in 2 patients (10%) of each group. No healing occurred in 2 patients (10%) in group I and 3 patients (15%) in group II. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.
Recurrence of fissure occurred in 4 patients (20%) in group I and 3 patients (15%) in group II; 2 patients (10%) in group I and 2 patients (10%) in group II within 6 months after injection, 1 patient (5%) in group I within 9 months after injection and 1 patient (5%) in each group within 12 months after injection. Second trial of Botulinum injection was good to achieve healing in 3 patients. Other patients asked for operative treatment. They were referred to lateral internal sphincterotomy. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (Table 4).
Table 4: Time of Recurrence
Acute anal fissure is a common painful condition. The cause is controversial. Current theories suggests it as an initial traumatic tear that fails to heal because of the internal anal sphincter spasm, generating high pressure into the anal canal and leading to secondary local ischemia of the anal mucosa [6]. Treatment aims at improving the blood supply to the ischemic area in order to facilitate healing by reducing the resting anal pressure of the internal anal sphincter. Traditional surgical techniques for treatment include anal dilation and partial division of the internal anal sphincter, which may be complicated by incontinence [7]. This significant complication led to a search for alternative therapies for the treatment of anal fissure. The alternative options of chemical sphincterotomy include topical glyceryl trinitrate [8], diltiazem [9], Botulinum toxin [1011], bethanechol [9], indoramin [12], and nifedipine [13].
Botulinum toxin causes denervation of the internal anal sphincter by preventing the release of acetylcholine from presynaptic nerve terminals [14]. Paralysis occurs within few hours, but the transmission of neuromuscular impulses resumes after the growth of new axon terminals. Temporary weakness of the internal anal sphincter occurs for three to four months [15]. Studies of chronic anal fissure demonstrated a healing rate ranging from 60 to 76 percent after a single injection of 15 or 20 units of Botulinum toxin in the internal anal sphincter [16]. A study on patients treated with 15 or 20 U of Botulinum toxin showed that the higher dose was more effective than the lower dose with respect to long-term healing and was not associated with higher rate of complications [17].
It is commonly believed that if acute anal fissure is aggressively treated, it can heal preventing the development of chronic fissure. In the present study Botulinum toxin injection caused evident pain relief at the passage of the first motion in 25% of group I patients and 35% of group II patients. Most patients had their pain relieved within 2 weeks. Complete healing of fissure occurred after 5.20 ± 1.85 weeks in group I and 5.40 ± 2.01 weeks in group II. Recurrence of fissure occurred in 20% of group I patients and 15% of group II patients. Second trial of Botulinum injection was good to achieve healing in 3 patients. Other patients asked for lateral internal sphincterotomy. Trials on medical treatment recorded recurrence rates ranging from 30-70% if treatment is abandoned after the fissure is healed [4].
There are no similar published studies, to our knowledge, for comparison. Katsinelos et al. [18] investigated the efficacy of topical application of 0.5% nifedipine ointment in healing acute anal fissure and preventing its progress to chronicity. Twenty-seven of 31 patients completed an 8-week treatment course, of them 85.2% achieved a complete remission indicated by resolution of symptoms and healing of fissure. Recurrence of symptoms occurred in 16% of these patients who were successfully treated with an additional 4-week course of 0.5% nifedipine ointment. They concluded that topical 0.5% nifedipine ointment, used as a chemical sphincterotomy, appears to offer a significant healing rate for acute anal fissure and might prevent its evolution to chronicity.
A single injection posterior to the fissure was easier, less painful to patients and as effective in pain relief. It did not decrease the efficacy of treatment. Increasing the dose of the injection did not lead to any adverse effects. Total reduction of injected dose per patient was an advantage.
We conclude that Botulinum toxin injection in the internal anal sphincter is effective in treating acute anal fissure and in preventing its chronicity. A single posterior injection of Botulinum toxin in the internal anal sphincter is easier, less painful and as effective as bilateral injection in pain relief. It does not decrease the efficacy of treatment but reduces the injected dose per patient.
Dr. Ibrahim Othman Assistant Professor of General Surgery, Tanta University, Egypt Consultant, Head of General Surgery, Ghodran General Hospital, KSA Mobile: 00966503781684 – 0020101023870 Office: 0096677224470 Ext 8021 Fax: 0096677224142 Address: Ghodran General Hospital, P. O. Box 14, Baljrashi 22888, KSA E-mail: ibrahimothman000@yahoo.com
1.	Corman M. Anal fissure. In: Colon and rectal surgery. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven, 1998:206-23.
2.	Oh C, Divino CM, Steinhagen RM. Anal fissure. 20-year experience. Dis Colon Rectum 1995; 38:378-82.
3.	Lund JN, Armitage NC, Scholefield JH. Use of glyceryl trinitrate ointment in the treatment of anal fissures. Br J Surg 1996; 83:776-777.
4.	Poritz LS. Anal Fissure. www.emedicine.com. Article last updated: Jun 28, 2006.
5.	Martínez-Costa C, Palao Ortuño MJ, Alfaro Ponce B, Núñez Gómez F, Martínez-Rodríguez L, et al. Functional constipation: prospective study and treatment response. Anales de Pediatría (Barcelona, Spain) 2005; 63:418-25.
6.	Schouten WR, Briel JW, Auwerda JJ. Relationship between anal pressure and anodermal blood flow. The vascular pathogenesis of anal fissures. Dis Colon Rectum 1994; 37:664-669.
7.	Pernikoff BJ, Eisenstat TE, Rubin RJ, Oliver GC, Salvati EP. Reappraisal of partial lateral internal sphincterotomy. Dis Colon Rectum 1994; 37:1291-1295.
8.	Dorfman G, Levitt M, Platell C. Treatment of chronic anal fissure with topical glyceryl trinitrate. Dis Colon Rectum 1999; 42:1007-1010.
9.	Carapeti EA, Kamm MA, Phillips RK. Topical diltiazem and bethanechol decrease anal sphincter pressure and heal anal fissures without side effects. Dis Colon Rectum 2000; 43:1359-1362.
10.	Minguez M, Melo F, Espi A, Garcia-Granero E, Mora F, Lledo S, Benages A. Therapeutic effects of different doses of Botulinum toxin in chronic anal fissure. Dis Colon Rectum 1999; 42:1016-1021.
11.	Arroyo A, Pérez F, SerranoP, Candela F, Lacueva J, Calpena R. Surgical versus chemical (Botulinum toxin) sphincterotomy for chronic anal fissure: long-term results of a prospective randomized clinical and manometric study. Am J Surg 2005; 189:429-434.
12.	Pitt J, Dawson PM, Hallan RI, Boulos PB. A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial of oral indoramin to treat chronic anal fissure. Colorectal Dis 2001; 3:165-168.
13.	Antropoli C, Perrotti P, Rubino M, Martino A, De Stefano G, Migliore G, et al. Nifedipine for local use in conservative treatment of anal fissures: preliminary results of a multicenter study. Dis Colon Rectum 1999; 42:1011-1015.
14.	Jankovic J, Brin MF. Therapeutic uses of Botulinum toxin. N Engl J Med 1991;324:1186-94.
15.	Borodic GE, Ferrante RJ, Pearce LB, Alderson K. Pharmacology and histology of the therapeutic application of Botulinum toxin. In: Jankovic J, Hallett M, eds. Therapy with Botulinum toxin. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1994:119-57.
16.	Maria G, Cassetta E, Gui D, Brisinda G, Bentivoglio AR, Albanese A. A comparison of Botulinum toxin and saline for the treatment of chronic anal fissure. N Engl J Med 1998; 338:217-20.
17.	Maria G, Brisinda G, Bentivoglio AR, Cassetta E, Gui D, Albanese A. Botulinum toxin injections in the internal anal sphincter for the treatment of chronic anal fissure: long-term results after two different dose regimens. Ann Surg 1998; 228:664-9.
18.	Katsinelos P, Kountouras J, Paroutoglou G, Beltsis A, Chatzimavroudis G, Zavos C, Katsinelos T, Papaziogas B. Aggressive treatment of acute anal fissure with 0.5% nifedipine ointment prevents its evolution to chronicity. World J Gastroenterol 2006; 12:6203-6206.
Ibrahim Othman, MD
Department of General Surgery, Tanta University


Hawaii, HI, June 4- Gasoline prices in Hawaii have risen 2.1 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.84/g yesterday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 355 stations in Hawaii. This compares with the national average that has fallen 1.9 cents per gallon versus last week to $2.94/g, according to GasBuddy.
$3.19/g in 2017, $2.73/g in 2016, $3.29/g in 2015, $4.35/g in 2014 and $4.33/g in 2013.
Including the change locally during the past week, prices yesterday were 65.6 cents per gallon higher than a year ago and are 0.4 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 13.4 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 57.8 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.
Alaska- $3.42/g, down 0.6 cents per gallon from last week's $3.43/g.
Anchorage- $3.31/g, up 1.4 cents per gallon from last week's $3.29/g.
Honolulu- $3.58/g, down 1.1 cents per gallon from last week's $3.59/g.


text:
Daia este satul de reședință al comunei cu același nume din județul Giurgiu, Muntenia, România.

Daia, Daia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Clinton Team Complains About FOIA Congressional Exemption Passed By Democrats
Kerry Picket Political Reporter
Hillary Clinton's campaign complained internally that Congress is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, so they planned to recruit Washington lawyer Abbe Lowell to send FOIA requests to members of Congress who were investigating Clinton's emails.
The law, with its congressional exemption, was passed 50 years ago by a Democratic Congress and signed by a Democratic president.
According to a March 5, 2015 email that appeared on Wikileaks as a result of a reported hack of John Podesta's online communications, Clinton advisor Phillipe Reines sent Lowell an email asking him to FOIA specific Republican members.
Clinton herself "loved the idea," according to a previous email from Reines but did not want Reines himself sending the requests to Congress, so Podesta suggested Lowell.
"Here is what we are thinking and hoping you can help us with: this kerfuffle with the Secretary's email is obviously one we are trying very hard to work through and to explain to people," Reines wrote. "Comes down to the right to know, transparency, etc. Which we strongly believe in, and why we turned over her email."
"Obviously, the committee investigating the Benghazi attacks have latched on to this, as well as others in and out of Congress who claim this subverted several processes, including FOIA," he continued. "We do not agree with that, but in the course of this we've discussed an ironic hypocrisy that we believe the public would benefit in knowing before judging anyone's intentions and practices."
He added, "Congress is exempt from FOIA. Because Congress exempted itself from FOIA."
Reines went on to say, "Congressional offices do not have to even respond to FOIA requests, let alone fulfill them. I worked on Capitol Hill for seven years and always found it hypocritical (right before I filed the request in the circular cabinet as they say). So while the Republicans and conservative groups tie the Federal Government up in stitches working on FOIA requests for my communications with reporters or Cheryl's with HRC, their own communications with entities such as the RNC or FOX where they are likely coordinating — or at the very least discussing — is blinded from the public eye."
He closed by suggesting targeting specific Republicans who have been the most outspoken about the administration's lack of transparency.
"So we thought one way to demonstrate this would be for someone to submit a series of FOIA requests to a number of Hill offices, specifically, the Chairman of the Select Committee, Rep. Trey Gowdy, along with his fellow Republicans on the Committee, as well as others such as Darrell Issa, Jason Chaffetz, Lyndsey Graham — all those who pound their chests about the public's right to know how their government functions. Just not their 1/3 of it! And let them respond or not. My guess is that most requests would come back on letterhead with a standard answer. And btw, there is nothing preventing someone from voluntarily complying with such a request. Obviously, those responses would be very compelling to the news media."
Passed into law in 1966 by a House and Senate controlled by Democrats and signed by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson, FOIA "applies to records either created or obtained by an agency and under agency control at the time of the FOIA request," a summary of the Internal Revenue Service says. "Agencies within the executive branch of the federal government, including the Executive Office of the President and independent regulatory agencies, are subject to the FOIA. State governments, municipal corporations, the courts, Congress and private citizens are not subject to the FOIA."
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Tags : cheryl mills freedom of information act hillary clinton john podesta wikileaks
Kerry Picket


Put on your white coat (perhaps Burberry's Long Lace Jacquard Trench Coat) and break out your safety goggles (can't go wrong with Warby Parker's Wiloughby in Tennessee Whiskey). We're going into the lab. The science we're studying? Shopping.
If we had beakers they'd be Waterford scored on ebay, our Bunsen burners would be recommended in expert reviews and our periodic table would be full of products trending in social experiences.
Fluid geeks out on the who, what, why, when and where of digital shopping. Yes we do. And the how too. Today's lesson plan: Five experiments you should be conducting on your customers. Why? We've seen them work. And we're curious how they'll work for you.
1. Selective promotion. Retailers this 2013 holiday season have been bold with the discounts. So bold. Bold in a way that could undermine the value and success of full price. (I'm predicting a holiday price hangover.) Our theory: Not everyone needs a huge discount in order to buy. So why give everyone say 40% off? It's giving away money to people who would have paid more.
The experiment: Test your discount thresholds. CRM marketing is a great tool for this. As is a testing, targeting and optimizing tool like Monetate. And please don't offer a huge discount off of absolutely everything – unless you have the business case for it. If you do, please share it with us.
2. Dropped cart re-targeting. At Fluid we're seeing the cart serve as the new Wish List – customers are storing products they like in cart in order to make their decisions later. This said, an item in a cart is one step closer to sale. At the very least, it reflects an elevated interest. We think you should use this to your advantage.
The experiment: Re-target based on dropped cart items. This can be done through ad re-targeting or dynamically prioritizing images on a return digital visit. Some retailers are using an intercept upon entry. Yes it can feel overt. But if a consumer is in that critical decision window it could be the reminder that makes the difference.
3. Product video. Video is converting to sale at higher rates than non-video for a lot of our clients. Now the people watching videos are likely to be more invested in buying at the outset. But we think the numbers are strong enough to continue testing. This ranges from video for products in action to shoppable brand videos to video for your ad buys.
The experiment: Start small with some product videos in the pdp. Or a header video. Run it against a control of the existing design. This should be simple to implement but CRM email always serves as a great testing ground as well to make the case for site tests.
4. Product badging. Calling attention to products with visual overlays makes a positive difference. With the right balance of badges, it just does. The icons serve as beacons of best sellers and great gifts in product selections that can be overwhelming. Expert picks pick up higher conversion. Our challenge to retailers? Make the badges unique to your business. "As seen on Everest" could work for The North Face. "As seen on Jennifer Garner" works for Stella & Dot. Make it clear why a consumer should take note (and buy).
The experiment: Start with simple product information badges. Use your onsite search or popular navigation items to give you a head start. The badges that perform best give you insight into the mindsets of your customers – and hint at the degree to which they are influenced by others in the purchase process.
5. In-store observations. This is essential and easy. Make sure you and your team get up from your desks and get into your stores. Seriously. Listen, observe, ask. The sales associates on the front lines are a wealth of information (for apparel feedback find the associates in the dressing rooms). Observing consumers always holds surprises. See if what you're decided in corporate is playing out for the consumer in-store.
The experiment: Put time in the calendar to visit your local store. Even better if you assign tasks based on popular customer paths. If you're not near a local store take your tasks and end goals to digital and buy on your own site. (When was the last time you bought on your own site?) Buy on mobile and tablet and desktop. Remember what you witness is a qualitative snapshot (it's not representative) – and see what ideas arise.
Here our initial foray into experimentation with you concludes. It's a bit addictive yes? We're excited to continue to discover together.


text:
Reader's Choice Contest
College Experts Club 2016
Palestine, TX (75801)
A clear sky. Low 32F. Winds light and variable..
A clear sky. Low 32F. Winds light and variable.
Palestine, Texas
Fugitive arrested by sheriff deputies
By PAUL STONE
A 29-year-old Anderson County man who successfully eluded authorities last week was taken into custody Monday morning during a traffic stop in the northern end of the county.
Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor said four representatives of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office were en route to a residence in the Montalba area shortly before 9:30 a.m. Monday in an effort to locate 29-year-old Dennis L. Eggleston when they observed a black Chevrolet Suburban believed to belong to his girlfriend.
"We got a tip that he was at his girlfriend's residence off of (FM) 860," Taylor said. "We were headed to the house and they made a traffic stop in a vehicle they thought he might be in and he was."
Eggleston has been charged with evading arrest in Anderson County and previously had a felony warrant for his arrest on the charge of evading arrest with a motor vehicle out of Henderson County.
Also arrested Monday morning and charged with harboring a known fugitive were Frankie Ray Eggleston, 42, the brother of Dennis Eggleston, and Brandi Odom, who is believed to be the girlfriend of Dennis Eggleston.
Frankie Ray Eggleston was driving the Suburban Monday morning when it was stopped by authorities, while Odom, who is in her 30s according to authorities, was a passenger.
Frankie Ray Eggleston additionally was charged with the misdemeanor offense of possession of marijuana under 2 ounces.
A 1-year-old boy, who is believed to be the child of Dennis Eggleston and Brandi Odom, also was in the vehicle at the time of Monday morning's traffic stop.
Anderson County sheriff's deputy John Smith said Child Protective Services took custody of the child.
Chief Deputy Troy Black; investigators Larry Warrick and Wendell Wilcher; and Smith all participated in Monday's arrests, the sheriff stated.
"I'm very glad he's (Dennis Eggleston) in custody without further incident," Taylor said. "Sooner or later, he'd run again if he got the chance and maybe hurt somebody this time."
Shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday, Anderson County sheriff's authorities went to 5J Trucking on U.S. 79 East, approximately 1 mile east of the Palestine city limits, to serve an arrest warrant on Dennis Eggleston on the evading arrest with a motor vehicle charge out of Henderson County.
As two deputies arrived at the business in an unmarked vehicle, Taylor said Dennis Eggleston, who is an employee at the trucking business, fled into the woods on foot.
Tracking dogs from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; the Anderson County Sheriff's Office; and the Palestine Police Department responded to the area and unsuccessfully searched for Eggleston for five hours, according to the sheriff.
Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com
Dennis L. Eggleston
Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor
RICHARDSON, Alta
Alta Jewell Richardson, 60, passed away Jan. 6, 2021 in Houston. Services will be held Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery-Crockett. The viewing will be on Jan. 15, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Emanuel Funeral Home of Crockett.
YARBROUGH, Kiara
Funeral service for Kiara Raelyn Yarbrough, 26, who died on Janunary 1, 2021 in Dallas will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Memorial Cemetery. Burial to follow in Memorial Cemetery in Palestine, Texas. Funeral arrangements will be handled by Emanuel Funeral Home of Palestine.
MCKNIGHT, Jessie
Jessie Louis McKnight, 88, died on January 8, 2021 in Crockett. Funeral services will be held on January 16, 2021 at noon Satuday at Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Burial to follow in Mt. Moriah-Crockett. Services will be handled by Emanuel Funeral Home of Crockett, Texas.
PERVIS, William
Services for William "Bill" Edward Pervis, age 74, of Elkhart, are pending at Rhone Funeral Home. Mr. Pervis passed away on Monday, January 11, 2021, in Tyler. To leave online condolences, visit www.rhonefuneralhome.com.
KINART, Virginia
Services for Virginia Eleanor Kinart, 94 of Elkhart are pending with Bailey & Foster Funeral Home. Mrs. Kinart passed away Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at her home.
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