text:
Engineering Ice Cream
Materials science is the study of how the properties of materials are determined by their composition and structure. diamond and graphite are both pure carbon, but the properties of these are different because of the arrangement of the carbon atoms. In cooking, the same ingredients can yield different results depending on how they're processed.
Packaged cookies were always brittle bits of baked batter until Proctor & Gamble introduced a soft cookie, "crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside," through its Duncan Hines brand in 1983. This type of cookie was innovative, and the other major cookie manufacturers, Nabisco, Keebler, and Frito-Lay followed with their own versions. Proctor & Gamble's cookie was patented,[1] so it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the other companies in 1989.[2]
As can be imagined, patenting a food recipe and winning an infringement claim are hard to do. In short, as the cookbook section of your local bookshop, if it still exists, will prove, there's a lot of prior art. One piece of prior art for this cookie was a recipe for "Rigglevake Kucha" (Railroad Cookies) in a 1968 book authored by Edna Staebler of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Staebler had received the recipe from a friend, Bevvy Martin.[2] This recipe was cited by the inventors in their patent application.[1]
A recipe is one thing, but the process for making the cookies is another, and Staebler had never baked them herself. Nevertheless, there were requests from lawyers from both sides for samples of the ingredients and samples of the cookies, which were baked in large quantities by Staebler's friends.[2] As it turned out, the crispy-chewy cookie market wasn't that large, and the three supposed infringers paid a $125 million pre-trial settlement to Proctor and Gamble, agreeing that the patent was legal and enforceable.[2]
My favorite chewy cookie, the coconut macaroon.
(Photo by Jessica Spengler, via Wikimedia Commons.)
A hundred and twenty-five million dollars in 1989 money (nearly a quarter of a million dollars in today's money) should convince you that there's high technology in the food industry; and, where there's high technology, there's also science. Scientists at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (Valencia, Spain) have just published a study of the temporal evolution of perceived qualities during consumption of various types of ice cream.
Unlike experiments in the physical sciences, where numbers rule your experiment, experiments involving perceptions experienced while eating are a little more complicated. In such studies, statistics rule, so the number of study participants needs to be large. There were 85 in this study, and they all got to eat six different compositions of vanilla ice cream made with varied amounts of milk, cream, egg, and hydrocolloids, macromolecules that enhance thickness and stability.[3]
The study participants pointed out on a screen the most dominant quality of the ice cream present at each moment of eating, from the first taste to just after swallowing. The qualities assessed were iciness, coldness, creaminess, roughness, gumminess, and mouth coating.[3] The resulting flow of qualities with time is known as "Temporal Dominance of Sensations" (TDS). A statistical analysis allows a graphical display of which sensation dominates at any moment (see graph).[4]
Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) curves for ice cream containing only sweetened milk.
(IATA image, redrawn for clarity.)
As shown in the graph, above, ice cream made only with milk and sugar has coldness and roughness, two things found undesirable by consumers.[4] The initial cold/icy sensation is reduced by addition of hydrocolloids, which also enhance creaminess, a quality consumers associate with high quality ice cream (see graph, below).[4] Such TDS methods can help manufacturers of other food items engineer their products for perceived better quality.[4]
Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) curves for ice cream containing milk, cream, egg and hydrocolloids.
Janelle Martin, "Edna Staebler and the Great Cookie War," The Mennonite Heritage Portrait Web Site.
Charles A. Hong and William J. Brabbs, "Doughs and cookies providing storage-stable texture variability," US Patent No. 4,455,333, June 19, 1984.
Paula Varela, Aurora Pintor and Susana Fiszman, "How hydrocolloids affect the temporal oral perception of ice cream," Food Hydrocolloids, vol. 36 (May 2014), pp. 220-228.
Ice cream sensations on the computer, Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology Press Release, June 4, 2014.
Linked Keywords: Materials science; properties of materials; composition; structure; diamond; graphite; carbon; atom; cooking; ingredient; cookie; brittle; baked; batter; Proctor & Gamble; Duncan Hines; innovation; innovative; Nabisco; Keebler Company; Frito-Lay; patent; patented; patent infringement; lawsuit; recipe; cookbook; bookshop; prior art; railroad; Edna Staebler; Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; invention; inventor; patent application; lawyer; market; pre-trial; settlement; law; legal; coconut macaroon; Jessica Spengler; Wikimedia Commons; time value of money; today's money; high tech; high technology; food industry; science; scientist; Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (Valencia, Spain); scientific literature; publish; time; temporal; quality; ice cream; experiment; physical sciences; number; eating; statistics; vanilla; milk; cream; egg; hydrocolloid; macromolecule; stability; swallowing; iciness; coldness; creaminess; roughness; gumminess; mouth; graphics; graphical; graph; sugar; consumer; manufacturer; engineer; product; Charles A. Hong and William J. Brabbs, "Doughs and cookies providing storage-stable texture variability," US Patent No. 4,455,333, June 19, 1984.


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Focus On Fusion Various Artists (Focus on Fusion)
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Catalogue Id:
CDBGPD 127
Fusion, jazz-funk, or just good grooves, it doesn't matter what you call it as long as you appreciate it for what it is. And what it is is the authentic sound of the best jazz musicians of their generation trying to re-connect with the music of black America.
As the 60s approached the 70s, jazz in the States was going through a change. Many of the neighbourhood clubs were closing down or no longer booking jazz, under the twin onslaughts of rock and jazz's increasing removal from the street and into academia. Miles Davis realised this but was himself such an icon that his experiments in fusion, although drawing life from the music of James Brown and Sly Stone, never could bring him back to the streets. His music was deeply funky but also dense and electronic. As such it was the critically acceptable face of fusion - despite failing to achieve one of Miles' stated aims to make him popular with black audiences. That task was accepted by other established figures, such as Donald Byrd and Davis' keyboard player Herbie Hancock, who both had massive sales with their 1973 albums-.-Blackbyrd and Headhunters were pilloried in the jazz press for "selling out". It was the example of these records that gave hope to a whole host of jazz players new and old that they could make some money and sell some records. And it is this attitude that to a large extent underscores the criticism that has haunted many of the great records of this period - with the record companies taking the flack for persuading the artists to sell their art short for a few lousy sales.
This was nonsense. There was no need for established players such as McCoy Tyner or Dizzy Gillespie to record funky or latin tinged grooves-.-they were established artists who made a good living and would always have a record deal. These records were made because they wanted to make them. Just try listening to the wondrous Love Samba or the joyous Unicorn without a smile crossing your face.
To soulful players, like Johnny Hammond or Rusty Bryant this was just an updating of what they had always done-.-playing good and dirty over contemporary R&B style grooves. Hammond's GEARS album could rightfully be called a classic album - certainly it was the best he ever made.
Perhaps more importantly, fusion captured a whole group of musicians who had grown up listening to Motown and Stax and were starting to look up to heroes such as the JBs and Kool and the Gang. These were talented musicians who could just as easily have made pop records but instead made great jazz funk, such as Donald Byrd's discoveries, the Blackbyrds or Pleasure. Patrice Rushen came up from University into session work, then a recording deal with Prestige - she made three amazing albums - and then had international pop success in the late 70s after signing to Elektra
This was the jazz music that was bought by black America in the 1970s. But it should be noted that it was also these sounds that fascinated a generation of UK clubbers from the Goldmine and Crackers in the south to a succession of Colin Curtis' sessions in the north. Today you can trace its influence on a whole host of house music from the UK and the States - this is the sound of flying feet on dancefloors and Santana's trumpeter taking on Stevie Wonder.
By Dean Rudland
01 Preview Love Samba - McCoy Tyner
02 Preview Brazilian Skies - Bill Summers
03 Preview Visions - Luis Gasca
04 Preview Roll With The Punches - Patrice Rushen
05 Preview Blackbyrds' Theme - The Blackbyrds
06 Preview Shifting Gears - Johnny Hammond
07 Preview Friday Night Funk For Saturday Night Brothers - Rusty Bryant
08 Preview Unicorn - Dizzy Gillespie
09 Preview Moondreams - Flora Purim
10 Preview Vera Cruz - Pete and Sheila Escovedo
11 Preview African Bird - OPA
We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.
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Just before press time, Screaming Females announced they had canceled their Charlotte show due to an illness in the band.
Screaming Females are in motion. They're in the van, somewhere in Pennsylvania, headed to Chicago. Drummer Jarrett Dougherty is driving, vocalist and shred lord Marissa Paternoster is taking a nap and bassist "King Mike" Rickenbacker answers the phone.
"Tomorrow we're going to record some songs and then the next day we're playing live, so that's the official start of the tour," he says. And what are they recording? "Music."
After some light goading, King Mike clarifies: The new songs, he says, may end up on a split with another band or may go nowhere. Yet his first response is somehow more satisfying. King Mike's having fun with the interview, just like he does when playing in the band. It would probably be easy to fall into a routine with either — plenty of musicians with busy schedules certainly do — yet these basement-bred, live-wire rockers are fascinating precisely because they let themselves have fun, and it translates to excellent live energy. The band's Hopscotch set at Raleigh's Lincoln Theater on Sept. 6 — one of several festival dates preceding the current tour and a looming stop at the Milestone in Charlotte — was particularly wide-open and well-attended.
"It's fun to play for a lot of people, especially a lot of people who don't necessarily know who you are," King Mikel says, then pauses. "Did you find my wallet at that show?"
Lost wallets aside, Screaming Females' Hopscotch set sounded fairly nuts, even from the band's perspective. The artists who played that night caught grief because someone smoked some weed backstage. It wasn't Screaming Females, King Mike clarifies, but he found the crackdown ironic. "Apparently, you're not supposed to smoke weed backstage at a rock show," he says with a laugh, before pointing out that the same venue holds raves, which typically involve heavy ecstasy use. Still, Hopscotch was a good match for Screaming Females, who played an electrifying, memorable set.
The band's roadie, Christopher Patrick Ernst sees the Females from a different perspective than they do. "In my opinion, they always look angry onstage when they play a festival," says Ernst, who also serves as the band's merch guy and photographer. "I swear it kicks it up a notch. The angrier they look, the better they are."
Screaming Females make quick converts and draw a solid core of mega-fans, says Ernst. From his vantage point at the merch table, he likes to watch people at the beginning of a show, nonchalantly standing at the back of the room. Many of them end up right next to the stage, enrapt. There's at least one mega-fan in every city, Ernst says. Screaming Females have actually interviewed some of them and found they were of all sexes, ages and sexual orientations.
"I've seen a lot of people who maybe weren't there to see them," Ernst says. "Minutes later, they're at the merch table buying everything."
Screaming Females got their start in New Brunswick, N.J.'s basement scene and, over seven years and five LPs, have managed to rock their way into the national spotlight. Spin showed the band — particularly guitar master Paternoster — love in a recent issue, and that's only one of many major media outlets to have done so. It may be the basement-to-big-stage trajectory that sees the band so often labeled as punk, but it may also be nontraditional touring, like the independent record store tour they did earlier this year. Punk is just a label, says King Mike, but he can see how people come to it.
"I can sit here and tell you that punk to me means having a mohawk and wearing spikes on your belt, but tomorrow I can tell you that punk means going against the grain or being a social deviant or something," he says. If one wants to put a definition to the word, he says, it's most relevant to do so in terms of DIY movements in the U.S. "I think our band may be defined as punk because we work in a very small, tight-knit community, and we did a lot of stuff for ourselves early on."
Screaming Females doesn't play New Brunswick basements anymore — but not for lack of trying. Over the past few years, the band has tried to do house shows, but most were shut down by police, even days beforehand. It turns out the Females' visibility, compared with other bands that play house venues, makes them an easy target.
"There are still house shows all of the time," says King Mike. His roommates play in bands, he says, and they still do several shows a week on a healthy house-show circuit. The conditions in which Screaming Females formed, he adds, are still very much alive. And the conditions that keep Screaming Females going also follow deep-set DIY values. The band keeps family close, and has for years.
"We practice once a week at Marissa's grandmother's house," King Mike says. And Grams doesn't just provide a room where the band can turn up, but a critical ear as well: Paternoster's grandmother regularly gives the band welcome songwriting advice. "There was a while when we hadn't been playing at her house and maybe our songs suffered, but lately she's had a lot to say. She's not afraid to tell us if something we're doing is bad," he says.
The trio's next move, beyond the quick recording session in Chicago, is to release a cassette of "weirder" stuff — songs the band will plan out ahead of time, rather than just jamming until something gels; songs in alternate tunings or on thrift-store instruments. And then they'll tour, tour, tour. It's a comfortable state for Screaming Females, and Ernst says it's when the band shines.
"They get a little bit more tightened on the road," the band's roadie says. "There's a different feeling ... especially (with) a band that's visually and musically exciting."


These seminars provide practical tips for intending residents and their families.
The seminars focus on things to consider before choosing to live in a retirement village and practical tips before you sign up to live in a retirement village.
Speakers from the Commission, Retirement Village Association, and the legal profession will discuss types of retirement village structure, costs, and operations. The seminars will also explain some important resident's rights and where you can find out more information.
The seminars are 90 minutes long and include plenty of dedicated question and answer time throughout the event. Places are limited and registering attendance is essential.
Tea, coffee, and light refreshments provided.


text:
Ein Ringblitz ist in der Fotografie eine besondere Bauform eines Blitzlichts. Eine (oder mehrere) Blitzröhre(n) ist/sind dabei ringförmig um die Vorderseite des Objektivs angeordnet. Ein Synchronkabel verbindet den Ringblitz mit der Kamera.

Kennzeichen des Ringblitzlichts ist die exakt ringförmig-frontale und somit schattenfreie Ausleuchtung des Motivs ohne Abschattung durch das Objektiv. Seine räumliche Ausdehnung erzeugt ein verglichen mit normalen Aufsteckblitzen weiches Licht.

Auf glänzenden Oberflächen (wie bspw. Augen) bildet der Ringblitz eine kreisförmige Reflexion, die unter Umständen störend ist. Auch die fehlende räumliche Wirkung kann bei einzelnen Motiven Probleme bereiten. Hier ist u. U. ein teilweises Abschattieren des Blitzes sinnvoll oder der Einsatz eines anderen Beleuchtungsmittels notwendig.

Der Ringblitz kann beispielsweise verwendet werden:
 in der Makrofotografie und technischen oder medizinischen Dokumentation und
 in der Porträtfotografie.

Neben der klassischen Ringblitzbauart als Abart des elektronischen Blitzes finden sich auch vereinzelt Bauarten mit vielfachen Leuchtdioden (LEDs) als Dauerbeleuchtung. Sie bieten ebenfalls schattenfreie Beleuchtung, sind allerdings im Ausleuchten etwas ungleichmäßiger. Auch improvisierte Dauerleuchten aus ringförmigen Leuchtröhren werden mitunter verwendet.

Eine weitere Abart des Ringblitzes ist eine am Objektiv, am Gehäuse oder auf einer Schiene montiert einsetzbare geometrische Kombination aus kleinen regulären Blitzen oder Lampen. Im Vergleich zum Ringblitz ist diese im Handel erhältliche oder selbst zusammenstellbare Kombination voluminöser und im Einzelfall auch aufwendiger abzustimmen.

Weblinks

Blitzgerät

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I grew up learning about the Maya civilization and culture. I have met many descendants from the Maya and admire their respect for nature and for their elders´ wisdom that comes from the "old" ways. My knowledge about ... More I grew up learning about the Maya civilization and culture. I have met many descendants from the Maya and admire their respect for nature and for their elders´ wisdom that comes from the "old" ways. My knowledge about the Maya civilization is limited, so I humbly ask you to add terms to this glossary so that the Maya Civilization is better known by all the citizens of the world. 'May all arise, may all be called, may there not be one group or two groups among us that lag behind the others'. The Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Maya-Quiche.
I grew up learning about the Maya civilization and culture. I have met many descendants from the Maya and admire their respect for nature and for their elders´ wisdom that comes from the "old" ways. My knowledge about the Maya civilization is limited, so I humbly ask you to add terms to this glossary so that the Maya Civilization is better known by all the citizens of the world. 'May all arise, may all be called, may there not be one group or two groups among us that lag behind the others'. The Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Maya-Quiche.
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There are 5 statewide ballot questions on the November 7, 2006 Missouri General Election ballot. Four are proposed Constitutional amendments and one is a Proposition to change state statutes.
To read each of the five statewide ballot questions with an analysis according to the actual text of the proposed Amendment or Proposition, see our previous ballot measures post: 2006 November Ballot Measures.


text:
és una crítica literària catalana.

És coneguda pels seus estudis sobre poesia catalana, especialment sobre l'obra de Salvador Espriu en els quals segueix els principis de l'hermenèutica simbòlica i de la mitocrítica. Ha publicat diversos llibres sobre Espriu (Espriu en la Fi del laberint (1989), L'imaginari de "Cementiri de Sinera" de Salvador Espriu (1990), Salvador Espriu o els itineraris de la poesia (1991)) així com estudis sobre Bartomeu Rosselló-Pòrcel, J.V. Foix, Joan Vinyoli o el Tirant lo Blanc.

Referències

Assagistes barcelonins contemporanis en català
Crítics literaris barcelonins
Crítics literaris catalans del sud contemporanis


The first time I used a lavender eye mask was at the end of a yoga class while in the pose of Savasana. At that point of the class, my body was a puddle of limp muscles and my mind was exhausted. The subtle scent of lavender and the coolness of the pillow took my relaxation to a level of utter momentary bliss. I happened across this particular eye pillow, which is filled not only with lavender but with flax seeds as well, while perusing Etsy for another item and put it on my wishlist immediately. For only $18, a daily or weekly or evening ritual of relaxing with a touch a luxury would certainly be a petit plaisir.
—Advice Not Given: A Guide for Getting Over Yourself by Mark Epstein, M.D.
Released this past Tuesday, psychiatrist Dr. Mark Epstein released his book about understanding and quelling our ego in order to live a life of mindfulness and inner peace. Utilizing the "Eightfold Path, eight areas of self-reflection that Buddhists believe necessary for enlightenment", Epstein shares tools to master the ego, rather than letting it master us.
Also released this past Tuesday, Happy Together strives to offer guidance on four core factors to building a successful, loving relationship: promoting a healthy passion, prioritizing positive emotions, mindfully savoring experiences together, and seeking out strengths in each other. Simply understanding what is important is a step in the right direction, but knowing how to move forward down the right path is how to build what we long for.
It's winter here in the states which typically means more time inside. The opportunities while we do have more time inside abound and in Emma Mitchell's new book (October 2017), she offers 25 creative craft ideas and recipes to offer comfort and enjoyment during this cozy time of year.
One special occasion item that I always seem to need for entertaining, but have yet to purchase, is an ice bucket to chill my wines. Part of the reason I don't have one yet is because I want one that looks as beautiful as it is functional, and last minute shopping … well, never seems to yield the results I want. Fast forward to today. As I was putting together my post on French Butter Keepers, I came across this handblown ice bucket and immediately took note.
The spring 2018 collections will be released soon and the cornflower blue appears to be the trendy hue. However, if the color is complementary for you, it's not a trend. It's the best choice year after year after year. Such is the case with cornflower blue for me; a color I have been patiently waiting and searching for for years. Offered in a classic, slightly relaxed v-neck style, Equipment's cashmere sweater is a quality essential for a winter and early spring capsule wardrobe. And even if this color is not your choice, but you love the style, the good news is there are more colors available. Have a look here.
Not typically a binge watcher, it has been the Grace & Frankie series that provoked me to engage in my first bout of binging – but it was absolutely worth it. Now in their fourth season, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda return as Frankie and Grace, and this season they welcome beloved FRIENDS cast member Lisa Kudrow in a reoccurring role. Kudrow plays Grace's manucurist of 20 years and well, may potentially come between the stars of the show, or ultimately bring them closer together. We'll have to watch the season, which premieres today on Netflix, to find out. Have a look at the trailer below.
Hello Weekend! So happy to see you. With plans to rest and work, play and read, I am most looking forward to the weekend's arrival. Last weekend I had the opportunity to see Steven Spielberg's The Post and must recommend it to you to see as well. In the coming weeks, prior to the Oscars, I look forward to seeing Daniel Day Lewis in Phantom Thread. But this weekend may just be a weekend to snuggle in at home, watch a few episodes of Grace & Frankie, dive further into books that my sleepy eyes didn't allow me to read too many pages of during this past work week and simply relax.
I hope you have a lovely weekend as well. Oh, and before I forget, I was thrilled to hear The Simple Sophisticate was included in a list of Podcasts Worth Listening To on a new blog Rise Beyond. Alongside two other wonderful podcasts – one from NPR and the other by Arianna Huffington, I felt fortunate to be included with such talented company. Have a look at their post here. And now to the weekend! Below are more than a handful of articles you may enjoy reading, and until Monday, bonne journée!
~Did you see Ina Garten's new stove in her new New York apartment? Have a look here and begin dream!
~And in memory of someone inspired so many of us to dream of living in Provence, best-selling author Peter Mayle has sadly passed away at the age of 78. He will be sorely missed.
~David Lebovitz's seeded multi-grain crackerswould be a good substitute for those of us who love to nibble on crackers purchased at the store.
~The power of making the most of our mornings . . . these successful executives share 14 morning ritualsthey swear by.
~A genius is made not born, and here is one proposition as to how to make it happen.
Ina Garten's stove probably cost more than my house! Gorgeous, though. We can dream. All those burners! She can make all the dishes, at the same time!
I make little lavender pillows to put in drawers and armoires, but I hadn't thought of an eye pillow. Great idea!


Who isn't living in a make-believe world! was added to the subtletalk collection on June 24th 2016.
Bodies speak volumes, minds do well to listen - poster 117 - was added to the collection June 5, 2016.
Poster # 116 - The Anti-alienation Party was well attended - was added to the site on May 19,2016.
Now is always the time - Poster 114 - was added to the site April 17, 2016.


text:
The Surprising Global Legacy of Anne Frank VIA ZOOM
The Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County VIA ZOOM 1775 Oak Tree Road
Edison, NJ 08820 732-494-3232 efendrick@jccmc.org
http://www.jccmc.org
Contact Esther Fendrick
efendrick@jccmc.org
An inspirational and timely take on the well known Anne Frank story - From England via Zoom, Ms. Gillian Walnes Perry, Co-founder and Honorary Vice President of the Anne Frank Trust UK will speak about her remarkable book "The Legacy of Anne Frank" which explores Anne Frank's story through a new lens. Learn how a Jewish girl's experiences in the Holocaust have had a redemptive and healing effect in some of the world's most turbulent and violent regions. Find out how Anne Frank has given young people in some of the poorest and most challenging regions aspiration and hope for their own futures. Gillian will relate fascinating stories about spending a night at the Academy Awards with the heroic helper of the Anne Frank family and how Audrey Hepburn became involved in her charity. Registration Fee: FREE. To register go to the JCC website at www.jccmc.org and click on Register for Programs or call the JCC Front Desk at 732-494-3232 Monday - Friday 7am-5pm. Registration must be completed before 12pm on January 26, 2021, the day of the Zoom presentation. Once registration is complete you will receive a Zoom invitation. This program is co-sponsored by The Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County and The Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey.
Sponsor: The Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County, The Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey
Book and Author1
discussion39
Families29
learning31


Banquets approach to punk rock is a breath of fresh air in a crowded scene. While admittedly the band was originally formed for fun by a group of friends, Banquets' debut 7–inch, "This Is Our Concern, Dude.", flashes some impressive songwriting. That should come as little surprise though given the band's pedigree. These guys have paid their dues in previous bands like Let Me Run, The Stand In, and The Banner. Those past experiences have obviously served them well as the band's rustic brand of anthemic and melodic punk rock should have fans of The Gaslight Anthem and The Loved Ones drooling for more.


See what's included with PBIS Roll Out kits. Quick overview.
Learn how you can use your mascot as a role model to teach positive behaviors.
See if we have your school mascot in our huge clipart image library. If you don't, let us know and we'll be glad to add it.


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BBC to repeat classic Who story in tribute to Elisabeth Sladen
The BBC is to repeat a story from the classic series of Doctor Who in tribute to the actress Elisabeth Sladen who played companion Sarah Jane Smith in the sci-fi series and its spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.
The actress passed away last week at the age of 63 from cancer. A special 15 minute tribute, My Sarah Jane: A Tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, aired on CBBC on Saturday following the season six premier of Doctor Who. The tribute featured contributions from David Tennant, Katy Manning and Sladen's co-stars in The Sarah Jane Adventures and was seen by over 700,000 viewers.
According to the Radio Times the classic Doctor Who story The Hand of Fear is to be repeated on BBC Four, spilt across two days, on Monday 9th and Tuesday 10th May. The story was Sladen's last regular appearance in the series as Sarah Jane Smith opposite Tom Baker as the Doctor.


text:
Hackney company prepares youngsters for the workplace of the future
Jasmine Coleman
Published: 5:07 PM November 30, 2010 Updated: 10:31 AM October 14, 2020
Telepresence could be common in five to 10 years, says Robots and Avatars director
It is a catch phrase embedded in science fiction and fantasy futures – but the famous one-liner "Beam me up Scotty" has inspired a former dancer to teach youngsters how to use technology in years to come.
Ghislaine Boddington, director of Robots and Avatars, predicts that in the next five to 10 years telepresence will be widely used in the workplace.
And her team, based in Vyner Street, South Hackney, is helping schoolchildren to prepare.
Telepresence enables a person to feel and appear as if they are somewhere else through robotics and video broadcasting.
In theory, it means we could go to the supermarket from the sofa, dance with a friend in the flat below or shake hands with a colleague on the other side of the world.
"You can start to see how young people today will need skills in telepresence for the work place in the future," said Ghislaine.
"It is about how these new technologies move us forward. How does it affect our day-to-day business? How does it fit into work, play and family life?"
Ghislaine is now using her experience as a dancer to teach schoolchildren how to move in this new world of equipment.
"I was always fascinated with the phrase 'Beam me up Scotty' and I thought: 'Why hasn't this been done?'" she said.
"I was caught up in sci-fi from a when I was very little."
Robots and Avatars uses big screens on opposite walls, along with Orla – a computer-generated representation – in the training.
"It takes a while for them to get used to it. It is a slightly different way of using your body," she said.
"But people are really creative."


Are these the top one hundred most influential Sierra Leoneans of 2016?
HomeIn FocusAre these the top one hundred most influential Sierra Leoneans of 2016?
Every year as the world says goodbye to the end of the year and welcomes the new, after Santa Claus has come and gone, it seems some people's brain go into overdrive, as they struggle to reconcile reality from fiction.
It is also a time of the year when countries and organisations recognise people that have made a difference to society.
But how do you go about compiling a credible list of those that are believed to have truly influenced the lives of people in society, without causing controversy? What criteria informs such judgement?
In Sierra Leone, an organisation calling itself 'Ecomedia Corporation Sierra Leone' has published a controversial list of people it believes have influenced the lives of Sierra Leoneans in 2016.
The list raises the question as to the definition of 'influential', and the difference between influential and popularity.
Sad – but true, that RUF rebel leader Foday Sankoh, was both popular and influential, for all the wrong reasons one can think of. But would he have made it to this list of Sierra Leone's top one hundred influential people of 2016?
Several of the personalities on the list have been called into question. Many Sierra Leoneans believe that some are at best untrustworthy and dishonourable; and at worse – damn right corrupt, as well as directly responsible for the catastrophic and deplorable social and economic conditions that the country now faces.
Ecomedia Corporation Sierra Leone, the local affiliate of Ecomedia Media Corporation, Inc. based in New York City, USA, and the Africa Media Corporation, Inc., are, in collaboration with the other partners across Sierra Leone and in the Diaspora, publishing their inaugural list of the "Top 100 Most Influential Sierra Leoneans" in 2016.
This year's list is part of the awards banquet organised in honour of the top 100 men and women on Friday, 9th December at the Bintumani Hotel in Aberdeen, Freetown.
The 'Top 100 Most Influential Sierra Leoneans' is an annual exhilarating list. Also known as "The Ovation100" or "Who-is-Who in Sierra Leone", it is an annual listing and distinguished recognition of the top 100 most influential Sierra Leoneans from the huge pool of eligible "top-listers" the country has to offer.
The Top 100 honourees are from diverse backgrounds, including public service, entertainment, politics, media, business, sports, civil society, academia, and the professions, from across the country and in the Diaspora.
An initiative pioneered in 2013 in New York City, and first published in the Sierra Ovation magazine, the idea behind listing the most powerful or influential Sierra Leoneans is non-political and non-commercial.
"The Ovation100 is a voluntary initiative. It's non-political and non-commercial. You don't have to be a politician or a top business figure before you can be listed or recognised. We conduct an intensive research in all spheres of society, including the media, and by asking people through surveys, among other methods. Also, you don't have to be a very popular person to be included.
"In fact, we go deeper to look for those creating meaningful impacts in society and who chose to lay low profile at the same time. We talk to people that know them, including their friends and colleagues, before we finally decide on an individual to be among the top 100," says Peter.
The top 100 honourees for the year 2016 were recognised at a banquet dinner organised in their honour.
The Sierra Ovation Awards are established to recognize these influential, outstanding and trend-setting men and women who are dedicated to excellence and contributing to the political, social and economic development of Sierra Leone.
The finalists and winners celebrated their achievements with their friends, colleagues, teams, clients and the public at the prestigious awards ceremony held in December.
The top 100 outstanding men and women received a standing ovation from high profile personalities, senior executives and dignitaries, and the media. The awards and recognition were presented during the end of year black tie banquet dinner and red carpet reception at the Bintumani Hotel on December 9, 2016.
"We believe being named an Ovation Awards Finalist is a huge honour and worth celebrating, and as such, we respectfully required that all honourees attend to receive this recognition," says Kadijatu Koroma, Associate Coordinator of the Sierra Ovation Awards 2016.
What is influence and how do you measure it? It will always be hard to agree on a common understanding and meaning of influence. Understandably, this always generates wide debate. How do we determine these people's influence?
And why it matters that we assemble this list, you may ask. One yardstick we used was to emphasise that influence is not about popularity and popularity is not always influence. The influencer's impact on public, social and political discourse, however, is what largely helps us determine their influence.
Over the next few pages, you will find a breadth and wealth of Sierra Leoneans of all ages, both men and women, from all works of life both across the country and in Diaspora, whose actions and reach, we have determined, significantly impacted and realigned the country's landscape in their fields of endeavour. They contributed in redefining the Sierra Leonean narrative in 2016 and we feel they will play a big role in 2017 – hopefully, for Sierra Leone's good.
Sierra Leone Commercial Bank Ltd.
Chairman, West Africa Holdings (SL) Ltd.
Sierra Leone Telecommunication Co. Ltd.
74 Francis Ben Kaifala Esq.
The Sierra Leone Telegraph does not take responsibility for the so called list of top one hundred most influential Sierra Leoneans of 2016, published by Ecomedia Corporation Sierra Leone. The accuracy or efficacy of the list is entirely the responsibility of its authors.
The Sierra Leone Telegraph is committed to publishing any content that it believes is of interest or interesting to our readers, irrespective of whether we agree or disagree with the judgement of the authors of the content.
Criticizing the Sierra Leone Telegraph for publishing the list is acceptable, but totally out of place. We respect your right to free speech and have therefore not deleted your criticisms. Lets keep the debate going. This is why we exist – to promote civil liberty and free speech. Thank you.
Did I miss something? I understand that the list in question was compiled and published by an entity called Ecomedia Corporation Sierra Leone – NOT The Sierra Leone Telegraph, which has re-posted it here for it's readers.
I regret wasting my precious time going through this list of the 100 influential Sierra Leoneans. I agree they are influential in perpetuating pervasive poverty within society, endemic corruption, recycling pseudo-politicians that are embezzling the state treasury from one ministerial position to the other.
The political system in Sierra Leone is Siaka Stevens' legacy that propagated Sierra Leone to a civil war that fittingly labeled Sierra Leone a failed state. So lionizing these corrupt politicians and their surrogates as influential Sierra Leoneans is unconscionable and disrespectful to smart thinking Sierra Leoneans.
What a joke!! It is insulting to some of the people on the list; especially to start this list with a respected journalist and then sprinkle their distasteful list with a few upright citizens.
Mr. Thomas this is one time I have been forced to impeach the seriousness and integrity of your newspaper which I have always been enamored by, merely reading through the so called list of "influential people".
I will rather spare you the unpleasant scenario of having to tear in pieces some of the unsavory characters listed as "influential", especially folks like Alpha Kanu, Minkailu Mansaray, and Foday Osman Yansaneh.
Mr. Thomas, the sovereign nation of Sierra Leone is going through political convulsions and social vicissitudes on the part of the criminal cartel led by the very man you listed as "influential" – Ernest Bai Koroma.
It is lamenting and sad that a reputable paper of yours can descend from the disciplined reasoning of Journalistic norms to the mystical aphorisms of big market antics, by pandering to the lowest of lows in skulduggery for cheap political recognition.
Indeed, sad day in Journalism.
A silly nonsense joke. But that is truly salon where influence and popularity is measured by your political standing and connectivity.
This is a bad taste joke. Even some of the names are repeated in the list. There are quite a couple of personalities who may deserve recognition if the list makers had highlighted the achievements made by those people and their influence on the common people, across the society.
All the ministers and government officials included on the list were simply plugged in for their influence on the list makers and not judged by merit. They are all failures and whose notoriety is best known by under-performance in their duties, and corrupt practices. Most of the people on the list are all of APC caboodle.
Most of the names are repetitively mentioned and do not reflect recognition of any sort, except champions of kleptomania and acute corruption.
I wonder how most so called journalists publish false articles without material facts, based on their research if any. Such so-called writers must be warned for fear of action of litigation in tort. You have been warned?
In fact some are greedy politicians who have enriched themselves and their tailcoat carriers. Some are rouges who do not merit mentioning among others.
Your criteria for measuring who qualifies is laughable. I hope those who are responsible should actually state the contribution of these people mentioned.
Sierra Leone is a joke and if we are not careful our generation will NEVER see or witness a society with genuine intentions to better its people. All i can say is some of the non-politicians on the list have never been heard of.
This is another sad day to cry home about. Is there a sportsman/woman mentioned in this list? What a joke!!!!!. Whoever wins should be prepared to make an acceptance speech that reflects the current plight of our country and the people of Sierra Leone.


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Listen to the Chris and Rosie Show on Shenandoah Country Q102 Weekdays from 6-10am on our iHeartRadio App!Full Bio
Jordan Davis Previews New Album "Bluebird Days"
By Chris & Rosie
Jordan Davis is set to release his album "Bluebird Days" February 17th. Davis previewed the album at the historic Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, where he performed several unreleased tracks with his producer and band members.
The album is said to be his most honest work yet and includes songs like "Bluebird Days", about his parents' divorce, and "Fishing Spot" which talks about his grandfather and lessons learned at their fishing spot.
The album also features his hit single "What My World Spins Around" which is currently on its second week as number one, and other tracks like "Short Fuse", "Money Isn't Real" and "Next Thing You Know".
Source: Music Row


is that you may find yourself losing a game of Scrabble Junior (yeah, the one that the grownup playing really should be able to win…) to a 4 y.o. and a 7 y.o. I like to think of myself as a reasonably smart person. In order to preserve this idea of myself, I may need to stop playing games with them once they are in the double digits. Or maybe I'll just stick to the games of chance.


What an end to the series! Break the Ice is a sweet best-friends-to-lovers book and brings all the feels along with the trademark Piper Rayne humor! It's full of fun, hilariously funny, so frustrating that you want to smack both of them upside their heads, beautiful, and of course seriously hot!
Beckett…I don't think I've ever wanted to light a fire under someone as much as I wanted to light one under him. Or smack him upside his head. Or to open his eyes to what was glaringly obvious to everyone else! He had very valid concerns, but why couldn't he take the courage that he uses for snowboarding and apply it to his life?
Skylar…I really liked her. She was the perfect best friend who needed more. Who always needed more. Just like I wanted to do with Beckett, I wanted to light a fire under her or smack her upside her head.
By the end of this book, I was trying desperately to fan the tears away and rub the ache out of my chest. Now don't get me wrong, it's not all angst. Piper Rayne always brings out the grins, chuckles, and belly laughs! I can't wait to see what they create next!


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Disputed Excise Duty liability cannot be allowed without actual payment of the same
Case Name : Commissioner of Income Tax Vs M/s Bharatpur Nutrutional Products Limited (Delhi High Court)
Appeal Number : + ITA 152/2005
Related Assessment Year :
Courts : All High Courts Delhi High Court
During the period relevant to the assessment year, the respondent assessee had received Rs.42,05,173/- from the Excise Department as refund of excise duty paid. The Assessing Officer included this amount in the profit and loss account and accordingly computed the taxable income. The aforesaid addition was deleted by the CIT(Appeals) and the said order has been affirmed by the impugned order passed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (tribunal, for short) dated 31st May, 2004. The ground given by the tribunal for deleting the said addition is that the Excise Department had appealed against the judgment passed by the learned single Judge of this Court pursuant to which refund of Rs.42,05,173/- was granted. The tribunal has held that on the date when the Assessing Officer had made the said addition, the matter was still subjudice before the appellate forum and, therefore, there was no cessation or remission of liability in absolute terms.
High Court held that as it was not a case of actual payment, i.e., expenditure but only a provision was made in the books of accounts in respect of the excise duty payable while disputing the liability to pay the duty. Therefore, it was a case of the trading liability and the question of cessation or remission of liability was relevant and material for deciding whether or not Section 41(1) of the Act is applicable. We have noticed the said distinction above.
HIGH COURT OF DELHI
+ ITA 152/2005
COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX
M/S BHARATPUR NUTRITIONAL PRODUCTS LIMITED
Date of Decision – 15.03.2012
O R D E R
By order dated 22nd November, 2005, the following substantial question of law was framed:
"Whether on the facts and in the circumstances of the case the Tribunal was right in holding that excise duty refund received by the respondent-assessee was not assessable under Section 41(1) of the Income Tax Act, 1961?"
2. This appeal by the Revenue pertains to assessment year 1987-88 in the case of Bharatpur Nutritional Products Limited (formerly known as Dalmia Industries Limited).
3. As a short and limited issue arises for consideration, we need not set out the facts in detail.
4. During the period relevant to the assessment year, the respondent assessee had received Rs.42,05,173/- from the Excise Department as refund of excise duty paid. The Assessing Officer included this amount in the profit and loss account and accordingly computed the taxable income. The aforesaid addition was deleted by the CIT(Appeals) and the said order has been affirmed by the impugned order passed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (tribunal, for short) dated 31st May, 2004. The ground given by the tribunal for deleting the said addition is that the Excise Department had appealed against the judgment passed by the learned single Judge of this Court pursuant to which refund of Rs.42,05,173/- was granted. The tribunal has held that on the date when the Assessing Officer had made the said addition, the matter was still subjudice before the appellate forum and, therefore, there was no cessation or remission of liability in absolute terms. The tribunal relied on the decision of the Allahabad High Court in J.K. Synthetics Limited versus O.S. Bajpai, (1976) 105 (All), which has been affirmed by the Supreme Court in their decision reported in (1993)199 ITR 14 (SC).
5. We may, at the outset, state that counsel for the parties have not been able to point out the final outcome of the appeal filed by the Excise Department before the Division Bench of this Court. Details of the said appeal are not available with us and, therefore, we cannot verify the fate of the said appeal. We will, therefore, proceed on the basis of the facts as recorded and found by the tribunal.
6. Section 41(1) of the Act, as it existed at the relevant time, was as under:-
"41. Profits chargeable to tax.—(1) Where an allowance or deduction has been made in the assessment for any year in respect of loss, expenditure or trading liability incurred by the assessee, and subsequently during any previous year the assessee has obtained, whether in cash or in any other manner whatsoever, any amount in respect of such loss or expenditure or some benefit in respect of such trading liability by way of remission or cessation thereof, the amount obtained by him or the value of benefit accruing to him, shall be deemed to be profits and gains of business or profession and accordingly chargeable to income tax as the income of that previous year, whether the business or profession in respect of which the allowance or deduction has been made is in existence in that year or not."
7. The aforesaid Section was elucidated and examined by the Supreme Court in the case of Polyflex (India) Private Limited versus Commissioner of Income Tax, (2002) 257 ITR 343 (SC). The Supreme Court in the said case observed that Section 41(1) of the Act consists of two steps. Firstly, it has to be examined whether the assessee had claimed and allowed deduction in respect of any loss, expenditure or trading liability in any earlier year. This is the first step. The second step requires examination whether during the period relevant to the assessment year the assessee (i) has obtained any amount in respect of such loss or expenditure, or (ii) obtained any benefit in respect of such trading liability by way of remission or cessation thereof. It was held that the Section draws a distinction between allowance or deduction made by the assessee on account of loss and expenditure and allowance or deduction claimed by the assessee in respect of trading liability. The distinction between the two, it was held is material and relevant in view of the specific language of the Section. It was observed that the law makers have intendedly dealt with the two allied concepts; expenditure and trading liabilities separately and specifically. The expressions "remission or cessation" apply only to the trading liability and not to cases of loss or expenditure. It has been accordingly held that in case of loss or expenditure where payment has been made either in cash or by any other manner whatsoever, the amount has to be included in the taxable income of the year in which the payment is received. It does not matter whether or not there is cessation or remission of liability in such cases.
8. We may notice that the facts in the case of Polyflex (India) Private Limited (supra) are identical or similar to the facts in the present case. In the said case also there was a dispute between the assessee and the Excise Department and the duty which was paid had been refunded but the Excise Department had preferred a SLP before the Supreme Court. The fate of the SLP was not known. The dispute, therefore, was pending before the appellate forum. In the present case also, as per the facts noticed above, the dispute was pending before the appellate forum, i.e., the Division Bench but the excise duty had been refunded and paid to the assessee, subject to furnishing of the bank guarantee. In our view, the furnishing of bank guarantee itself when payment has been received, will not make any difference as the language of Section 41(1) is clear that the amount should have been received either in cash or in any other manner.
9. Learned counsel for the respondent assessee, during the course of hearing, had relied on decision of the Supreme Court in Union of India versus J.K. Synthetics Limited, (1993) 199 ITR 14 (SC), which had approved the reasoning and the ratio in J.K. Synthetics Limited versus O.S. Bajpai, (1976) 105 ITR 864 (All). We do not find any merit in the said contention. We may notice that the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of J.K. Synthetics Limited (supra) has been specifically noticed and referred to by the Supreme Court in the case of Polyflex (India) Private Limited (supra) but distinguished. This is clear from the following observations in Polyflex (India) Private Limited (supra):- "Our attention has been drawn by learned counsel for the appellant to the case of Union of India v. J. K. Synthetics Ltd. [1993] 199 ITR 14 (SC). One of the points urged before the court was-whether the assessee"s liability towards excise duty had ceased justifying action under section 41(1). This court, while affirming the view taken by the High Court, observed thus (page 15):
"So far as the second question is concerned, it is obvious that the liability to tax under section 41 of the Act will depend on the outcome of the appeal before this court. It is also stated that, as regards another part of the liability, the issue is pending before the Tribunal. It would, therefore, appear that no cessation of liability can be postulated until the Tribunal has decided the matter."
The relevant facts are not mentioned in the judgment. The question whether the latter or earlier clause of section 41(1) applies did not arise for consideration in that case. The decision of the High Court which was the subject matter of appeal in this court is reported in J. K Synthetics Ltd. v. O. S. Bajpai, ITO [1976] 105 ITR 864 (All). From the facts stated therein it appears that there was no actual payment of duty nor any refund obtained by the assessee. The assessee-company was making provision in the books of account in respect of excise duty payable while disputing the liability to pay duty. Deduction was allowed for various assessment years. The writ petition filed by the assessee-company contesting the demands relating to excise duty was allowed by the High Court. However, the Excise Department preferred a letters patent appeal against the order in the writ petition. While so, based on the decision of the High Court in the writ petition, the Income-tax Officer took steps to disallow the deduction allowed earlier and further disallowed the claim for the current year. Questioning the addition to the income of the relevant previous year, the assessee-company filed a writ petition which was allowed by the High Court. The facts of the case are quite close to Rameshwar Prasad"s case [1983] 141 ITR 763 (All). The following observations in the judgment may be noted as they clearly reveal the fact situation in that case (page 882 of [1976] 105 ITR):
"The company, no doubt, is still resisting the claim of the excise authorities, but this fact does not debar the company from claiming deduction on account of the excise duty being demanded from it and for which the company had made provision in its books of accounts. The company is following the mercantile system of accounting and it can legitimately claim deduction in respect of a business liability even if such liability has not been quantified or paid."
The High Court then held that the liability of the assessee as regards the payment of excise duty cannot be said to have ceased because the judgment of the single judge of the High Court did not attain finality. Though the conclusion of the High Court which was affirmed by this court cannot be legally faulted, we cannot, however, approve of the following analysis of the section occurring in the judgment (page 881 of [1976] 105 ITR):
"In short, what this provision means is that if an assessee has been allowed a deduction in the computation of its total income of any liability on account of loss or expenditure and if, subsequently, the liability of the assessee on account of such loss or expenditure is remitted or ceases, that part of the liability which is remitted or ceases shall be treated to be the income of the assessee of the previous year in which such remission or cessation takes place".
The High Court proceeded on the assumption that the words "remission and cessation thereof" could be transposed into the first clause which speaks of obtaining any amount in respect of loss or expenditure. The High Court could have merely said that the trading liability provided for in the books of account and for which deduction was allowed earlier did not cease in view of the pendency of the dispute. Instead, the High Court referred to the expression "loss or expenditure" occurring in the first limb. As the assessee- company did not obtain any amount by way of refund on excise duty account, the first clause of section 41(1) will not be applicable; it is only the latter part that applies in which case the remission or cessation of liability would assume importance. However, in the present case, as discussed above, it is the first clause that squarely applies but not the second one. Whether there was cessation or remission of liability would be an irrelevant line of enquiry here. The correct way of understanding section 41(1) would be to read the latter clause-"some benefit in respect of such trading liability by way of remission or cessation thereof" as a distinct and self-contained provision. To read the phrase "by way of remission or cessation thereof" as governing the previous clause as well, i.e., "obtained any amount in respect of such loss or expenditure", would be doing violence to the language and structure ITA of the provision. That apart, the operation of the provision which is designed to have widest amplitude will get constricted and truncated by reason of such interpretation."
10. We may note that the Supreme Court in the aforesaid paragraphs has noticed that it was not a case of actual payment, i.e., expenditure but only a provision was made in the books of accounts in respect of the excise duty payable while disputing the liability to pay the duty. Therefore, it was a case of the trading liability and the question of cessation or remission of liability was relevant and material for deciding whether or not Section 41(1) of the Act is applicable. We have noticed the said distinction above.
11. In view of the aforesaid legal position, we answer the question of law mentioned above in negative, i.e., in favour of the Revenue and against the assessee.
12. Learned counsel for the assessee has submitted that in case the assessee has repaid the excise duty, he may be entitled to claim it as expenditure in the year in question when the payment was made. That question does not specifically arise for consideration in the present appeal. It is obvious that the assessee may be entitled to the said claim, but it has to be made in accordance with law.
The appeal is disposed of.
No costs.
Tags: high court judgments
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text:
Q: How to set up attributes in angularjs directive restricted to comments I've found nice feature in angularjs. Directives can be set to work on comments.
{
    ...
    restrict: 'M'
    ...
}

This does the trick as it is spoken in the documentation. Usage of this directive is as follows:
<!-- directive: my-directive-name -->

And it works just fine as long as I don't need to pass arguments to this directive.
Is it possible to set arguments on directive restricted to comment?
What's the syntax?

A: <!-- directive: my-directive-name this is all an argument -->

Where everything after the directive name is the value passed into the directive.
app.directive('myDirectiveName', function(){
   return {
      restrict: 'M',
      link: function(scope, elem, attr) {
          alert(attr.myDirectiveName); //alerts "this is all an argument"
      }
   };
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Back-And-Forth On Dixie Fire Progress Frustrating For Firefighters And Evacuees
By Laura Haefeli August 3, 2021 at 10:14 pm
QUINCY (CBS13) – The Dixie fire basecamp in Quincy is supposed to give crews a chance to rest, but the Dixie Fire has them on their toes.
The Dixie Fire forced evacuations until this past weekend when crews finally got a handle on the blaze and evacuees were allowed to return home.
But Cal Fire tells us Monday night winds picked up and dry brush and trees lit up like match sticks, sending hot embers outside of containment lines and sparking spot fires closer to neighborhoods.
This meant families who thought they could go home were forced to leave once again.
"You have to have strong faith," said Kathleen Lehman, a Dixie Fire evacuee.
And it's happened before. We spoke to a Cal Fire spokesperson who said the Dixie Fire continues to surprise crews.
Just as they get a handle on it, the fire rages again — the back and forth is frustrating for crews and for evacuees.
"They lifted evacuations and then re-evacuated. There are a lot of people here," said Dennis Hoyt, a Red Cross volunteer.
Lehman was forced out of her home weeks ago.
"The way the fire smoke and winds had been picking up and the alerts… you just kind of have to be ready," said Lehman, who was forced back into a Red Cross shelter.
"We're still here. There's a sense of safety there, maybe because you left a dangerous area to a safe area," said Lehman.
Dennis Hoyt volunteers for the Red Cross and says while crews work to protect homes, they'll provide one for anybody in need.
"We give them a safe place to sleep and have activities and we give them three meals a day. I'm sorry people have to do this," said Hoyt.
Cal Fire says the biggest concern in the coming days is critical fire weather conditions. High winds could allow the dixie fire to jump containment lines once again creating those spot fires that have the potential to increase the number of acres burned and force more people out of their homes.
Laura Haefeli
More from Laura Haefeli


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Davis Appoints Trial Lawyer, Commissioner as Judges in San Diego
A leading San Diego trial lawyer and a court commissioner were named to the San Diego Superior Court yesterday by Gov. Gray Davis.
Steven R. Denton, 51, replaces Judge Peter Riddle, who retired. Denton, of the San Diego firm of Ludecke and Denton, is president of the local American Board of Trial Advocates chapter and a former president of Consumer Attorneys of San Diego.
He was named Outstanding Trial Lawyer by the latter organization, formerly the San Diego Trial Lawyers Association, in 1977, 1981, 1982, 1991, and 1999.
Margie G. Woods, 47, was named to succeed Judge Richard Murphy, who retired following his election as mayor of San Diego.
She has been a commissioner since 1993, and was a referee between 1987 and 1990, having been in private practice in between.
She is a former deputy city attorney in San Diego, and practiced criminal law with Defenders, Inc., the nonprofit organization which provided contract attorneys for indigent defendants prior to the creation of San Diego's Public Defender's Office.


You've just washed your clothes but have no way to hang-dry them!
Suspend the peg-less washing line between two walls, with the easy to use suction cups. Once secure, hang your clothes by hooking them through the loops in the line No pegs required.
Take it wherever you go. Great for use in hostels and hotels where laundry services are not available.


In 1980 Darrel Albers and Tom Myers had a vision to start a computer store in Kearney Nebraska and Computer Hardware Inc. was born. Being in the business for over 38 years we like to call ourselves survivors. We have seen many computer stores come and go and have adjusted to a lot of change in the industry. That has made us who we are today as Nebraska's oldest and largest chain of computer stores.
The Hastings location started in 1988 located in a small office on the north side of town. As opportunities grew so did Computer Hardware. Our first retail location was at 3rd and Denver. Then in 1990 we moved to our current location at 1001 W 2nd St. At that point Computer Hardware specialized in sales and support of Apple, Acer, Epson, Compaq, Hewlett Packard, IBM and Packard Bell. With all the ups and downs in the computer world, Computer Hardware narrowed its focus to the Apple and Lenovo line of computers. Now 30 years later Computer Hardware has been maintaining the highest levels of Sales and Service in Hastings and throughout the surrounding communities.
The demand for great products and services were so high in the tri-cities, we had to open up a third store. Our Grand Island location opened up in the downtown area on 3rd Street in 1992. As our growth continued we moved to our current location in 2011 on Old Fair Road, just off of Highway 30 and 281. Today we strive to provide exceptional customer service and go beyond the value found at big box stores.
Eastern Nebraska was the next venture. Both Lincoln and Omaha were lacking Apple resellers, so in 1998 we opened a store in Lincoln at 70th and O Street, and a service center in Omaha. Big things started to happen as we grew in the Lincoln market! In July of 2012 we moved to a larger store front across the parking lot which more than tripled the size of our old location. Today we are proud to say that we are the largest Apple reseller in the state of Nebraska!
This year we are celebrating our 38th Anniversary! We have grown to 4 locations with 26 employees. We are proud to serve Central and Eastern Nebraska with cutting edge technology and we couldn't do it without the great clients we serve. Than you for being a part of our legacy.
We are all about customer service. You can buy from a big box store but customer service is who we are. Being in business for over 38 years and selling thousands of computers gives us an edge on the competition with true experience that is second to none. We have an incredible company culture and treat each client like family.
We're great people and we offer great service. We're Apple authorized; we sell official Apple products and all of our technicians are Apple Certified. We honor AppleCare, and also repair out-of-warranty machines.
You can count on us to do what's best for our clients, maintain a personal touch, have a positive attitude and take the initiative to do what's right for you.
Though we're an independent Apple Premier Partner, we have a great relationship with Apple. They frequently refer their customers to us. Computer Hardware gives you the same great service and sales as Apple, without the crowds, and with no extra costs for supporting a small, local business. Another bonus is that you can drive right up to our front door.
Most of our new business comes from referrals. We work hard to maintain the great reputation that we're known for, and we'll never let you down.
We understand your business needs. We specialize in business sales; whether you're looking to purchase something today, or you're looking for a consultant, we can help. Whether your company is large or small, we work to build a solution that fits both your budget and your needs.


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Second Thought Theatre
Our 2022 Season
by Amy Herzog
directed by Lee Trull
featuring STT Resident Artist Drew Wall
(press opening May 22)
Bryant Hall
3636 Turtle Creek Blvd at the corner of Blackburn and Turtle Creek
Zack and Abby are a happy-looking young American couple living the dream. They've moved to the hip Belleville neighborhood of Paris where Zack works in not-for-profit medicine and Abby teaches yoga. The dream is tested though, by insecurity, dishonesty, and weakness. Written by critically acclaimed playwright Amy Herzog, Belleville is the heartbreaking examination of the breakdown of trust in a marriage and the danger of secrets.
The cast of STT's Belleville – Rico Romalus Parker, Afomia Hailemeskel , Jenny Ledel, and Drew Wall
Performance Dates & Information
Weds 5/20 at 7:30p – Preview and Pay-What-You-Can Performance
Thurs 5/21 at 7:30p – Preview and Pay-What-You-Can Performance
Fri 5/22 at 8:00p – Press Opening
Sat 5/23 at 8:00p
Mon 5/25 at 7:30p – Pay-What-You-Can Performance
Thurs 5/28 at 7:30p
Fri 5/29 at 8:00p
Mon 6/1 at 7:30p – Pay-What-You-Can Performance
Thurs 6/4 at 7:30p
Fri 6/5 at 8:00p
Sat 6/6 at 8:00p
Wed 6/10 at 7:30p
Sat 6/13 at 8:00p – Closing Night
Pay-What-You-Can tickets can be purchased at the box office the night of the performance. The box office opens one hour prior to show time and PWYC tickets will be sold based on availability. If you would like to secure your tickets in advance to a performance designated PWYC, you may purchase them online at the regular adult ticket price.
$15 student tickets are available to all performances of Belleville. Student tickets can be purchased at the box office the night of the performance with a valid student ID. The box office opens one hour prior to show time and $15 student tickets will be sold based on availability. Students may purchase one $15 student ticket per ID.
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© Second Thought Theatre, 2023 | Site designed and maintained by lupo blu


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Best Harnesses and Straps for Wedding Photographers
Camera Spider Holster – Spider Pro
Spider Pro
Durable, comfortable and secure, the Spider Pro is among the most highly regarded holsters for professional photographers.
It's available in both a single-camera and a dual-camera system, and you'd be surprised how much more comfortable and natural it feels to have your camera(s) at your waist. The system keeps the lenses pointing backwards, meaning even if you're using a longer telephoto you can squat, crouch and manoeuvre yourself into different shooting positions without damaging your gear. The build quality is superb and we vouch for how comfortable it is around the waist even when it's used to carry a heavy camera system. Best of all, the holster features a locking catch so after you've secured the camera to your waist you're safe in knowing that your expensive kit can't be removed without using the release catch.
The single system costs $135, while the double costs $235. As a wedding photographer, you're almost certainly going to be able to find use for the double, so don't be afraid to spend a little more. Visit www.spiderholster.com
BlackRapid Dual Camera Harness (DR-1)
Spreading the weight evenly across the user's shoulders, the BlackRapid Double allows for easy carrying of two hefty bodies at once.
The cameras hang at waist-height under the user's arms, though the length of the straps can be adjusted if necessary. The cameras attach to the harness via the hotshoe and you can rest assured knowing it's a very safe and secure means of attachment.
A DR-2 Slim version is also available, designed for people with slimmer bodies and smaller builds.
Both are available for $134.95. Visit www.blackrapid.com.
Hold Fast Money Maker
Hold Fast
For a premium feel and stylish look, you can't get better than Hold Fast's Money Maker, a high-grade leather system featuring a well-engineered slide system that allows for quick draws.
If you really need some backups for your backups, you can even attach two Hold Fast Camera Leashes to attach a third smaller camera body (pictured above), ensuring you'll never be caught shorthanded.
The straps are available in a range of sizes and leather finishes, including Chestnut Bridle, Tan Bridle, Water Buffalo, American Bison and (apprently) Genuine Python.
Prices vary depending on size and finish, but you can expect to pay at least $200. Visit www.holdfastgear.com.
Sun-Sniper DPH – Double Plus Harness
Sun-Sniper
Another harness offering access for up to three bodies, the Sun-Sniper DPH Double-Plus is recommended by the manufacturer for supporting two large pro-sized DSLRs and a smaller body such as a light CSC.
Reinforced with steel wire, the Double-Plus is very secure. It mounts the larger bodies via the tripod bush, and the smaller third body via the eyelets.
The DPH Double-Plus is availabe for €139. Visit www.sun-sniper.com.
OP/TECH Pro Strap
OP/TECH
If you think all these multi-camera rigs and harnesses might be a little excessive, try something simpler like the OP/TECH Pro Strap that's extremely soft and provides excellent comfort.
A straightforward, effective neck-mounted camera harness that distributes weight evenly across the neck and shoulders, the Pro Strap is available in a variety of colours and can easily support the weight of professional DSLRs.
At a price of $21.95, it's a much cheaper solution for the photographer whose needs are simpler. Visit www.optechusa.com.
BlackRapid Yeti Sling
If you like the feel and convenience of a sling but need the flexibility of multiple bodies then the BlackRapid Yeti is the answer, a one-sling solution for carrying multiple cameras.
Like the DR-1 camera harness above, it's also available in a slimmer version for more lightly built photographers.
The BlackRapid Yeti strap is available for $99.95. Visit www.blackrapid.com.
Cotton Carrier Camera System
Cotton Carrier's all-in-one system holster is designed to house multiple camera bodies and lenses with battery grips and anything else you might find yourself needing.
Vests are available to hold one camera or two, and there are also various acessories you can add on to customise your system, such as camera belts, hand straps and tethers.
The two-camera vest system is priced around $189. Visit www.cottoncarrier.com.
7 essential summer camera accessories


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12 Minutes walkthrough and endings explained
By Leon Hurley
How to complete 12 Minutes and get every ending or achievement
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
A 12 Minutes walkthrough will help explain this frustratingly obtuse puzzle game and all the endings or achievements you can get. The all-star cast hides a basic point-and-click adventure that buries its clues and makes progression an absolute needle in a haystack hunt. Combined with the time loop mechanics that can often require repeated playthroughs just to reach the point where you want to try an idea, it's not a simple thing to get through. This guide will cover all the things you need to do to move the story along and ultimately break the loop. This guide is, bar the things you actually have to do, spoiler-free up to loop 7. Even then you won't see any of the story or plot in this guide until it's impossible to progress without mentioning something.
When an ending can be triggered we'll mention it. Just skip to the bottom to see what you need to do.
12 Minutes intro
(Image credit: Annapurna)
You'll start the game in a corridor. Check the pot plant to find a fake rock with the key to get into your apartment.
12 Minutes Loop 1
You can trigger the the 12 Minutes Listen ending right at the start so skip to the end if you want to do that. Otherwise, explore the flat, talk to your wife and if the evening goes well you'll have desert and she'll give you a present. When the cop turns up don't say or do anything - let the loop play out.
Whenever you get the chance in this loop or any of the following ones, make sure to talk to your wife about the book she's reading when you get a spare moment. It's useful for one ending, which we'll cover when we get to it.
This time, get into the closet and close it before your wife comes out of the bathroom. She won't know you're there so when the cop turns up you'll learn more about what's going on. Once all the events have unfolded, reset the loop by leaving the apartment.
Based on the information uncovered in the last two loops you'll now have the details you need to progress things.
Talk to your wife and pick the 'Prove the day is restarting' option. You can then select the window to tell her it's going to thunder. You'll have to wait until it does.
Next, get the present from the drawer and show her.
This will let you talk about her father and the watch but she nearly always gets angry and storms out the front door, so follow her to reset the loop.
You'll be able to question your wife more about the past now you have the information from the previous loop.
First though, get the watch by examining the vent under the medicine cabinet and opening it with your keys. Close the door first though as your wife can storm out if she sees what you're doing.
Now question your wife about the past, and tell her you know the watch is in the vent.
Now prove you're in a time loop again, and she should admit to everything that happened in the past, and eventually tell you the story behind the Polaroid on the fridge.
At this point you can let the loop play out or reset by leaving the apartment.
With all the info you now have, grab the Polaroid from the fridge and talk through the new options for questioning your wife about the the past
You'll know when you've covered everything as you'll have nothing new to talk about and sinister string music will start playing. Your wife will keep talking about not being able to take the silence and eventually leave.
Reset the loop.
You should now have enough to progress the loop significantly, so get ready to do a fair bit. You can also trigger the 12 Minutes Coward Achievement here so skip to that below if the name sounds like something you want to do. Be warned, it's probably the worst possible thing to achieve in the game.
As soon as you start, grab the Polaroid and the two mugs.
When your wife comes out of the bathroom, get in there and, out of sight, get the pills, combine them with the mug and then use it on the sink to fill the mug.
Give the drugged water to the wife and before it takes effect make sure to turn the light in the bedroom on. When the pills take effect your wife will go to bed and turn the switch off, which will prime it to electrocute the next person to touch it.
Get in the closet, close the door and wait.
When the cop arrives he'll search the flat and, when he finds your wife in bed, he'll electrocute himself when he goes to check on her. For what comes next you'll need to be fast, although you still might have to repeat this loop to get everything done.
Search the cop while he's unconscious and take everything. Use a set of zip ties on him and use the gun to shoot him in the leg. If you don't he won't cooperate and if he gets the chance he'll get up and headbutt you unconscious, resetting the loop.
Exhaust all the dialogue options with the cop. You might have the option to talk about a nanny from previously talking to the wife, but to be sure, show him the Polaroid which should dislodge any remaining dialogue options.
Once there's nothing left to say, check the phone and call the number for Bumblebee you can find in the messages to memorize it for later. Do that first before checking the messages in case you run out of time and the loop resets. If you still have time you can ask him about his daughter's illness after learning about it from the messages on his phone but he won't say anything.
As I said, there's a lot to do here so be prepared to repeat this loop if you can't get it all done in one go.
Once you have Bumblebee's number you can trigger the 12 Minutes Groundhog Day achievement so skip to that ending below if you want to see it.
Go straight to your wife and choose the option to prove to her the day's restarting. Then tell her about the cop and choose the option to explain the cop's connection to her father.
Now go to the previous topic, choose to talk about her past and then tell her that the Polaroid proves she didn't kill him.
Talk to her about her past again, ask about her father's affair, and then how her mother found out about it. Then ask about the nanny, and the nanny's child, where the brother could be now, and, finally, who killed her father. There will be some other conversion options, some you've covered, some you haven't, but they aren't important at this point.
That's all you can really do at this point. The cop will turn up and you'll get some slightly different dialogue this time.
Grab the phone while your wife is in the bathroom and then prove the day is restarting which will recap everything, including the fact that your wife didn't kill her father, and the arrival of the cop.
Now use the phone to call Bumblebee and tell her that her father is going to arrest your wife and that she's innocent. That will get her to agree to call her dad. Talk to your wife about the cop and wait for him to arrive.
Don't do anything at this point. Wait for the cop to arrive and you'll hear him take a phone call in the hallway.
Let the scene play out and your wife will prove she's innocent of the murder with the Polaroid. The cop will explain what he's up to, your wife will give him the watch, and eventually mention the name 'monster'. This will prompt your wife to explain that it was a nickname for the brother.
Unfortunately, while it seems like a good conclusion, it's not over yet.
Now you can repeat the process of proving the day is restarting but with the knowledge of the brother. Tell your wife the day is repeating, talk about the brother and cycle through all the conversation.
Now call Bumblebee again and tell her your wife is innocent so she'll call the cop.
Talk to your wife and you'll have the option to find out more about the brother being the killer. Now you can go back to a previous topic and tell your wife why the cop wants the watch and then wait for him to arrive.
Now when the cop arrives you'll go through the same conversation as before but this time you'll be able to talk about the nanny. That will reveal she had a flowery name beginning with 'D' just before the loop restarts.
12 Minutes Loop 10
Grab the baby clothes from the drawer and then prove the day is restarting. Call Bumblebee and say your wife is innocent. Talk to your wife again about waiting for the cop to arrive. Let the conversation play out but this time when the nanny is brought up, show the cop the baby clothes.
Let the scene play out.
You'll be in a new location. Let this play out and you'll be sent back to the apartment whatever happens.
You'll be back in the apartment. Let this play out as well.
At this point you can access the 12 Minutes Alone ending, and the 12 Minutes Blissful Ignorance ending. The first will let you continue and start again with your progress intact, but the second will fully complete the game and require you play from the beginning, so be careful about picking that one. You can also trigger the 12 Minutes Confessed achievement.
From this point it's all endings and achievements so only read on if you want to know how to trigger these events.
12 Minutes Listen ending (Can Continue)
Do nothing in the first loop. Let everything play out and the game will end. The wife will allude to some past events but that she wants to tell you somewhere else and you'll leave the apartment.
12 Minutes Alone ending (Can Continue)
Go into the bathroom, get the pocket watch and look at it. You'll watch the hands going backwards and find yourself back in the other place. If you chose the option that 'Maybe it's better that we aren't together' you'll trigger the Alone ending. Say you want to stay together to return to the loop.
12 Minutes Blissful ignorance ending (can't continue, full restart)
Return to the other place by looking at the watch in the bathroom. When you're there click on the red book you saw your wife reading earlier to activate new dialogue. Ignore the option to change your mind and just wait for the ending to trigger.
12 Minutes Continue ending
When you hit continue after any of the endings that allow it, it will take you to a corridor much like the one the game started in. However it'll be lacking any doors other than your own and you'll already have the key. Head inside and you'll find the apartment empty, However the watch is still in the bathroom vent. Get it and click on the big hand and move it so it's at two minutes before 12. When the silver hand reaches it you'll be taken back to the other place where you can chose the option to be with her and she doesn't need to know to return to the loop.
12 Minutes achievements
12 Minutes Coward achievement
When you have the cop unconscious on the floor take one set of zip ties and handcuff him, don't take anything else or this ending won't work. When the cop wakes up, tell him you're innocent and when he says he can help say okay. He'll get up and untie his hands then ask for the watch. Tell him you know where it is and go to the couch when he asks. He'll then shoot the wife and ask for a phone. If you haven't got it, get the wife's phone from the closet and let everything play out.
12 Minutes Groundhog Day achievement
Call Bumblebee and tell her that her father is trying to get the watch to help with her illness. When he gets the call this time he'll leave and not even come to the door. Now let the loop unfold much like the first time, say it's time for desert and when she give you the present tell her what you think and say it's going to be great. When she asks to dance say yes and when she says you seem different, tell her how much you love her. She'll go to bed and you can join her until the loop resets.
12 Minutes Confessed achievement
Go through the options to prove the day is restarting and then call Bumblebee and tell her your wife is innocent. Now talk to your wife about the past and either tell her either that you are her brother, or that you killed her father.
Next, choose to say it's your fault, and that you'll confess. Grab the watch from the vent and wait for the cop to arrive. Your wife and the cop will talk until the conversation turns to you. Say you didn't do anything, ask about his daughter's illness and then tell him that you killed her father and that your wife is your sister.
Finally choose the option to say it was your fault and give him the watch. Let everything else play out from there for the Confessed ending.
Leon Hurley
Senior Guides Co-ordinator
I'm GamesRadar's Senior Guides Co-ordinator, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.


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Home > News > Client Service > As Bull Market Ages, Coaching Investors on Volatility Remains a Must
Client Service May 16, 2019
As Bull Market Ages, Coaching Investors on Volatility Remains a Must
Novice investors' reactions to stock market volatility present an endless and intriguing field of study for behavioral economists, but for financial advisers, poor client decisionmaking is a serious issue.
By John Manganaro
Over his career in the financial services industry Bob Browne, chief investment officer at Northern Trust, has often been asked about the prospect of an impending recession.
Most recently, he hears a lot of questions about the U.S. trade dispute with China, as well as more generalized concerns about the rate of global growth.
"Investors are always asking about the prospect of a recession," he says. "What I tell them today is that, in our five-year outlook, we do foresee the potential for some slowing down of global growth. But let me be clear. Growth may moderate over the next five year period but we do not see a high likelihood of a recession."
Browne and his team expect that, over the coming five years, growth will trend toward the structural potential of the global economy, which in their estimation is about 2%. This is not far from the published expectations of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Browne notes.
"When I am asked about the volatility that occurred in late 2018, I tend to say that it seems that the Fed made a mistake by raising rates again in the fourth quarter," Browne says. "As you remember, the Fed was signaling at that time that they would potentially go to 3% rates in the relatively near future. That caused some broad concern among investors, but it seems the market volatility inspired the Fed to pause, which is why things have calmed down."
Despite the escalating trade dispute between China and the U.S., Browne highlights how U.S. and global economic data has been strong. Here in the U.S., GDP growth reached 3.2% in the first quarter.
"Modest growth and low inflation, we expect, will continue to be the main themes in 2019," Browne says. "We are, in fact, over-weight risk in the market today."
Asked to reflect on the way investors have reacted to market volatility in the last year—many have sold equities at depressed prices to buy fixed-income investments at a premium—Browne says he commiserates with clients' concerns. It is always scary to see the dollar value of one's portfolio drop quickly over the course of a few days or weeks.
"But I am constantly reminding people that the best a lot of them ever felt about the markets was probably in late 2007, and the worst they ever felt was probably in March of 2009," Browne said. "Those investors who have stayed the course during the last decade have been rewarded handsomely. The Great Recession was an extreme example, but we have to remember that, when you feel somewhat uncomfortable, that's often the time to find the best buying opportunity for long-term investors. Long-term horizons give you a lot of flexibility and opportunity during periods of volatility."
Sequence of Returns Risk Requires Its Own Conversation
According to Elle Switzer, director of annuity product management for CUNA Mutual Group, it is an unfortunate fact that the term "volatility," which in itself is strictly neutral, is commonly interpreted negatively by novice investors. Making matters worse, the term is thrown around rather injudiciously by some commentators, who fail to describe both the positive and negative impacts of volatility on markets in the long-term.
"It's one of those words that in a strict technical sense is neutral, but nonetheless it gets a bad rap," Switzer writes in a newly published white paper on the topic, called "How Investors Can Take Control of Volatility." "Did your car fire right up this morning? That's because the stuff in the tank is volatile. The 401(k) account doubled over the last decade? That, too, was volatility in action."
As Switzer explains, volatility can be good or bad, but for most people—especially casual investors such as those with a default workplace retirement plan—the connotations of volatility are entirely negative. Switzer says this is especially true when it comes to financial markets.
"The term suggests flashing red numbers, downward sloping charts, or 1929 black-and-white pictures of Wall Streeters who have lost everything," she says.
Switzer's theory is that the idea of volatility invokes the feeling of not being in control, which is a natural source of distress for most people, especially when it comes to money matters. While perhaps no amount of preparation can completely eliminate the anxiety that comes with market gyrations, Switzer says, a little knowledge and advanced planning can help ensure casual investors stay on course through any storms that may come their way.
According to Switzer, apart from understanding the benefits of diversification and the fact that volatility is the fundamental source of market growth in the long-term, "a little informed historical perspective" can help take the edge off volatility.
"It was big news in early 2018 when the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its largest one-day point loss ever," Switzer recalls. "'Dow plunges 1,175 points in wild trading session' was the breathless headline on CNBC. However, market veterans knew that because the market had grown so large, the February 5, 2018 selloff, in percentage terms, didn't even register in the top 20."
Switzer's analysis points out that, from 1990 to 2011, the Standard & Poor's 500 posted an average annual gain of 7.6%, while the average daily close of the VIX Volatility Index during the same period was 20.6%.
"On the other hand, in the following seven years, from 2011 to 2018, the average annual gain for the S&P 500 was 10.9%, while the daily VIX average was just 15.2%," she writes. "With the longevity and relative calm of the current bull market, it would be understandable if investors have grown accustomed to slow steady gains and perhaps forgotten what market anxiety feels like. But they would do well to remember that the current environment is not the norm."
Switzer emphasizes that, for the retirement audience, the most important part of this conversation is probably addressing sequence of returns risk, which in a sense is a much bigger challenge for individual investors than volatility itself.
"This is the potential risk to individual savers whose retirement windows fall at a discrete and totally random period on the timeline—sometimes when the market is marching higher—and sometimes when it is falling," Switzer says. "While the impact of the sequence of annual returns on an investment makes no difference over time if the assets are not touched, it can have a big effect if the investor is taking distributions along the way."
Solutions commonly floated to the sequence of returns risk issue include simply ramping down equity risk within the five years before and after the retirement date. Others point to the potential use of short term liquidity buckets, which could be invested in cash or stable value products and funded in advance during healthy markets. These funds could serve as a retirees' primary income source during down-periods in the market, when participants want to avoid locking in their losses by making withdrawals from equity funds.
Keeping Sequence of Returns Risk in Perspective
While pretty much every investment manager working in the retirement plan space will talk about the importance of addressing sequence of returns risk, they also say this risk can be over-hyped and cause investors to be too timid.
According to an analysis published by analysts with T. Rowe Price, called "A Different Perspective on Sequence-of-Returns Risk Around Retirement," poor returns experienced close to retirement can indeed impact the likelihood of premature exhaustion of portfolio assets. As a result, many investors understandably pay close attention to movements—particularly downward movements—in their account balances as they approach retirement.
"Some investors intuitively may gravitate toward strategies that prioritize stable portfolio balances around retirement," the analysts write. "However, a singular focus on the impact of market movements around retirement does not capture the complete picture when it comes to factors that potentially could lead to premature exhaustion of portfolio assets. One needs to consider the full range of risks and their impact on retirement outcomes over the entire investment life cycle."
According to the T. Rowe Price analysts, focusing solely on the potential for short‑term losses near retirement does not take into account an investor's complete financial situation.
"Investors face other significant risks―including the risk that an overly conservative portfolio will not achieve the growth required to sustain a desired level of post-retirement income. In our view, investors are more likely to achieve their goals by balancing these different risks, both before and after retirement," they write.
According to the T. Rowe Price analysis, conventional wisdom assumes that in the event of a large draw-down near retirement, investors with relatively conservative asset allocations will be better off because a conservative portfolio will mitigate the impact of a negative portfolio shock.
"However, this discounts the possibility that following a more growth‑oriented strategy during the accumulation phase could provide a larger portfolio balance going into retirement (i.e., the distribution phase)," the analysis states. "In other words, the benefit of having a larger accumulated balance going into retirement may outweigh the negative impact of even a large market decline close to or soon after retirement. While a more growth‑oriented portfolio might experience a relatively larger percentage loss in a market downturn, it likely still will be worth more in dollar terms, even after that decline."
Tagged: market volatility, Performance, sequence of returns
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