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Home > College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences > Center For Public History & Digital Humanities > Oral History Collection > All Interviews
Anthony Mahone Interview, 13 January 2009
Photographer Anthony Mahone discusses his life and art. Born and raised Cleveland, Ohio, Mahone spent much of his early adulthood elsewhere; first, while attending a military academy in North Dakota, and later traveling to Europe and Africa. The bulk of Mahone's education was in the state of Ohio (at Cleveland State and Ohio State Universities), where he also pursued his interest in Engineering, Physics, and History. Mohone discusses the influence of Cleveland photographer Misumi Hiyashi, as well as other faculty members at Cleveland State University. The artist describes the difficulties he has experienced as a black man who is also homosexual, sharing his insights on art, race, sexuality, family, and identity. This interview was conducted over the telephone.
Mahone, Anthony (interviewee)
Thurmer, Rober (interviewer); Busta, William (interviewer)
Cleveland Artists Foundation
"Anthony Mahone Interview, 13 January 2009" (2009). Cleveland Regional Oral History Collection. Interview 901030.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/crohc000/211
901030.csv (4 kB)
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Activists & Attorneys Force Rights Restoration in Palo Alto; Santa Cruz Pushes Stay-Away Orders and RV Exclusion
Posted on November 20, 2014 by huffsantacruz
NOTE BY NORSE: Palo Alto moves to restore rights (partially) to houseless people (or more accurately, those whose vehicles are their housing). It still has taken no action to restore Cubberly Community Center or other public areas for ground sleepers (the majority of homeless people). This latest step forward was prompted by persistent strong persistent activism from attorneys, service-providers, church folk, and the unhoused community–virtually all of this absent in Santa Cruz.
Here we have Bigotry Gone Bananas as the Transportation and Public Works Commission votes unanimously to forward a virtual ban on RV parking in Santa Cruz (permits available only for residents and only for vehicles on their block) with instructions to eliminate oversized parking spaces by banning (and paying for) more than one space. "It will give us more tools," smiled Deputy Chief Martinez. The Quick-to-Cringe Commission also moved to remove the free parking around The Garfield Park Circles Church. This was part of a malicious and successful campaign to shut down church services for the homeless. Front and center was the persistent Public Menace fiction being spread by Take Back Santa Cruz and its reps and sympathizers on the Commission (Brook Crumpton and Councilmember-elect Richelle Noroyan). The usual undocumented horror stories of feces, theft, "menace to children", and "felt insecurity" were the extending forbidden zones at night for those who had been waiting to get in to the 4 AM to 9:30 AM Sunrise Hangout Warming Center program.
That issue was largely academic at the Commission because Pastor Steve ended the program some weeks ago (and announced he was leaving town). But letting this kind of dangerous Big Lie spread (that the presence of homeless people means the presence of crime) is irresponsible behavior–particularly when done by those claiming to be Christian leaders.
Meanwhile at the Tuesday Santa Cruz City Council meeting, all but one Council member voted to give powerful Stay-Away powers to any cop or ranger who issues an infraction without a trial or any requirement to justify why he's doing so. The majority of infractions in the last year (half of them with one-day Stay Aways) have been to homeless people for such "crimes" as sleeping, smoking, and being in a park after closing. All of this under cover of the "Public Safety" label. The issue returns to City Council November 25th for a final vote.
HUFF has called for RV-dwellers to form an association, establish contacts with each other, document harassment from community NIMBY's, cops, and other nightcrawlers. We'll be taking reports at the Food Not Bombs meal Saturday 4-5 PM at Pacific and Front Streets near the main post office. Also bring any homeless-related citations so we can consider helping you file claims against the City and then take them to Small Claims Court. More info: 423-4833.
Palo Alto strikes down car-camping ban
Prompted by Los Angeles court case, City Council votes to repeal 2013 ordinance
Cars, campers and RV's parked at Cubberley Community Center after the City Council voted to ban overnight parking at the center in August 2013. Photo by Veronica Weber.
Acknowledging a shift in the legal landscape, Palo Alto officials agreed on Monday night to repeal the city's controversial ban on car camping.
By an 7-1 vote, with Councilman Larry Klein dissenting and Councilwoman Karen Holman absent, the City Council voted to repeal the ban on vehicle habitation that it adopted in August 2013 in response to complaints from residents about people sleeping in cars and occasionally causing disturbances in front of their homes.
The council adopted in the face of vehement criticism from homeless advocates, vehicle dwellers and attorneys who argued that the ban is unconstitutional. In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Ninth Circuit struck down a similar law in Los Angeles, placing Palo Alto's newly adopted ban on a shakier legal footing.
Before striking down the ban, the council heard from several residents who live in vehicles. Each asked the council to eliminate the law, which would leave them subject to fines. Oliver Terry, who currently lives in a van with his mother and who is studying to be a dental hygienist at Foothill College, said he is doing everything he can to get out of his current situation, furthering his education and working with the Downtown Streets Team.
"I just don't want this whole vehicle-dwelling thing to put a mark on my legal record and offset my entire life," Terry said.
Diane Elizabeth Jones said both she and her son have been vehicle dwellers, a fact that did not stop her son from going to college.
"This winter we have no winter shelter," Jones said. "We will freeze in our vehicle. But we would die without a vehicle. And without a vehicle we lose our place to sleep safely."
City Attorney Molly Stump characterized the council's decision as one that requires the council "to weigh policy issues with strongly held views on both sides."
Yet only one side showed up Monday night. Every member of the public who spoke on the subject urged the council to repeal the ban. Wayne Douglass, who ran for the City Council this year with the sole focus of fighting the car-camping ban and bringing attention to the homeless community, didn't mince words in articulating his feelings about the car-camping ban.
"If you need help in killing this ordinance, I'd cheerfully drive a stake through its heart when you're done," Douglass said.
As it turned out, the council didn't need much help. With the exception of Klein, members had few reservations about striking down the ban, which has been suspended pending the Desertrain vs. Los Angeles case and has never been enforced. City Manager James Keene joined Stump in recommending the repeal.
Councilwoman Gail Price, one of the council's leading proponent of providing more social services to the homeless, called the process "extremely challenging" because of the large number of different stakeholders and interests. But she was quick to support Councilman Marc Berman's motion to repeal the ban.
"I feel it's an honor to second this motion," Price said. "This is the right thing to do and this is the compassionate thing to do."
Berman said that "regardless of whether or not you disagree with merits of the ordinance," it's important to recognize that "the legal landscape has changed dramatically and enforcing the ordinance would lead to a large waste of money by the city." The end result, he said, should be the repeal.
He also pointed to the "one good thing" that has come out of the ordinance: the discussion that the city had about homeless issues. In adopting the ban, the council allocated $250,000 for housing and case management for homeless residents.
On Monday night, the council supported a request by Price to schedule a discussion at a future meeting in which the council would direct staff to explore other partnerships and programs to support the homeless.
Klein wasn't convinced that the ordinance should be scrapped entirely. It's not rare for the city to be threatened with lawsuits, he said, and the city's record in defending its laws is pretty good. Though he said he supports "to some degree" having additional programs for people who need housing, this is not the city's responsibility but Santa Clara County's.
"The social welfare agency in our area is the county, not the city," Klein said. "That's not where our money should be going. To think we can solve the homeless problem just doesn't make sense. I don't think we should take the lead in abolishing this ordinance."
His colleagues, however, voted for appeal, even as some acknowledged the reports they have long been receiving from residents about vehicle dwellers occasionally causing disturbances. Vice Mayor Liz Kniss found it puzzling that none of the people who pushed for the car-camping ban showed up at the meeting.
"We really want to be humanitarian. We really want to support those who are homeless," Kniss said. "At the same time, some people feel very uncomfortable with the entire issue."
Palo Alto: Council votes to repeal vehicle habitation ordinance
By Jason Green
Daily News Staff Writer
Posted: 11/18/2014 06:06:02 AM PST
A controversial law preventing people from using their vehicles as dwellings has been scrubbed from the books in Palo Alto.
On Monday night, the City Council voted 7-1, with Councilman Larry Klein opposed, to repeal the so-called "vehicle habitation ordinance." Councilwoman Karen Holman was absent.
"This is the right thing to do and this is the compassionate thing to do," said Councilwoman Gail Price.
The law — which took effect on Sept. 19, 2013, but was never enforced — was a response to complaints from residents about the behavior of some individuals. The council at the time concluded it was the only option after an effort to find a place for vehicle dwellers to park at night failed.
The recommendation to repeal the ordinance came from City Attorney Molly Stump and City Manager James Keene. They said the city could face a costly legal challenge in light of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal's recent ruling that a similar law in Los Angeles was unconstitutional.
"We do think that one is very likely if Palo Alto retains this ordinance and begins to enforce it," said Stump.
The city initially delayed enforcement of the law for six months to provide time for education and outreach. It was then put on hold indefinitely while the Ninth Circuit considered the Los Angeles case.
Councilman Marc Berman said he believed many of the concerns about problematic vehicle dwellers had been addressed by a second ordinance prohibiting overnight parking at Cubberley Community Center, as well as a $250,000 plan to help the chronically homeless. Both were approved around the same time the vehicle habitation law was adopted.
"I think given the current legal climate and given the fact that this ordinance hasn't even been enforced yet, and I think a lot of the concerns from our residents have been allayed by other things that have happened, I think it makes sense to repeal the ordinance," said Berman.
However, Vice Mayor Liz Kniss said she received 50 emails from residents urging her to keep the ordinance. Her support for repealing the law was contingent on Price's request to schedule a discussion on ways to address the needs of vehicle dwellers, including access to toilets and showers.
"We've had lots of email on this," said Kniss, who oversaw the development of the ordinance as the chairwoman of the Policy and Services Committee. "We had lots of email last year. No one turned up tonight who said, 'Actually, we'd like you to keep the ban in place.'"
Klein, for his part, said he was in favor of refining and retaining the ordinance. He voiced concerns that dropping the law from the books would turn Palo Alto into a mecca for vehicle dwellers.
"I don't think we should take the lead in abolishing this ordinance," Klein said. "I think we're going to be sending a message to people who want to sleep in their cars or RVs or whatever that Palo Alto is OK with that. And I think that we're going to find that we've created a problem."
He was also unconvinced that the Ninth Circuit's ruling should serve as the final word on the matter.
"There's no final determination as to whether this is an unconstitutional ordinance and there wouldn't be for many years," he said.
Stump said the Los Angeles law was 30 years old and included "archaic language" that wasn't present in the Palo Alto ordinance.
Before voting to repeal the ordinance, the council heard from several members of the public, all of whom were in favor of repealing the law. Diane Jones was among them. She lives in a van with her son, who is attending Foothill College to become a dental hygienist.
"If you keep the ban and we get caught in our vehicle sleeping, it will ruin his record permanently," Jones said about a provision of the ordinance that allowed a violation to be charged as a misdemeanor.
"He will lose his ability to go to most colleges with a record. And I will lose my disability income because you're not allowed to have a crime committed. … That's just a horrible option for both of us."
Email Jason Green at jgreen @dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at twitter.com/jgreendailynews.
Palo Alto Throws Out Ban On Car Camping
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) — The Palo Alto City Council voted to repeal a controversial year-old ban on car camping Monday night.
By a 7-1 vote, the City Council voted to reverse an ordinance that made sleeping in one's private camper, RV or car a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine or up to six months in jail, according to Palo Alto Online.
The ban was adopted in 2013 after residents complained about people sleeping in cars and occasionally causing disturbances in their neighborhoods.
Since then, the city has faced heavy resistance from homeless advocates who argued that the ban is unconstitutional, particularly after the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Ninth Circuit struck down a similar law in Los Angeles last June.
At Monday's meeting, councilmembers heard from several people who live in cars, like Oliver Terry, who said he currently lives in a van with his mother while he studies dental hygiene at Foothill College. He said he is doing everything he can to get out of his current situation by going back to school and working with the Downtown Streets team, a nonprofit that
helps homeless men and women find employment and housing.
Terry's mother said despite living in tough conditions, it didn't stop her son from furthering his education.
"This winter we have no winter shelter," she said. "We will freeze in our vehicle. But we would die without a vehicle. And without a vehicle we lose our place to sleep safely."
This entry was posted in Activist Articles and tagged Anti-Homeless Hysteria, Homeless, Vehicle Dwelling by huffsantacruz. Bookmark the permalink.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Tahitian, a Tahitic language, is one of the two official languages of French Polynesia (along with French).
Tahitian is primarily spoken in the Îles de la Société (Society Islands), which includes, notably, the island of Tahiti (which is where the capital of French Polynesia, Pape'ete, is situated).
In its morphology Tahitian relies on the use of "helper words" (such as prepositions, articles, and particles) to encode grammatical relationships, rather than on inflection, as would be typical of European languages.
Tahitian is the officially recognized language of the islands of French Polynesia and is spoken throughout Oceania.
Tahitian is a language of Eastern Malayo-Polynesian origin that has much in common with the Rarotongan and Hawaiian languages.
The Tahitian language itself consists of only several hundred words, but the complexity and flexibility of the syntax do make it possible to compose complex and nuance-filled sentences.
The official languages of French Polynesia are French and Tahitian.
These languages, together with Tahitian, are East Polynesian languages and members of the vast Austronesian language family.
Tahitian's closest relatives include Hawaiian, Maori, Marquesan and Tuamotuan; other Polynesian languages such as Samoan and Tongan are also quite closely related.
Although the official language of French Polynesia is French, the "unofficial" language, Tahitian, is spoken as much, if not more.
It is not uncommon to hear locals speaking a combination of Tahitian and French.
Because of the way the Tahitian language is pronounced, it is generally easier for Americans to pronounce Tahitian words than it is for them to pronounce words in French.
Tahitian is a Polynesian language spoken in French Polynesia by about 125,000 people.
Until the early 19th century Tahitian was a purely oral language.
A Tahitian spelling system using the Latin alphabet was developed by John Davis, a Welsh historian and linguist, and proposed on 8th March 1805.
In Tahitian, each letter has a certain sound and that sound remains the same, no matter what the combination of letters.
Before the arrival of the missionaries in the 1700's, the Tahitian language had never been written.
The tahitian word for forbidden is now tabu, but 200 years ago, it was tapu.
What we all refer to as the Spanish language is spoken in over a dozen countries in both hemispheres.
On the other end of the spectrum are languages that must be specifically localized in terms of grammar and vocabulary per locale.
An underestimation of the number of varieties contained within the language name "Creole" was disastrous for a translation/localization job that suffered from the lack of specificity and effective communication throughout the supply chain of the translation vendors.
Palauan is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in, unsurprisingly, Palau, which is also the home of the latest incarnation of Survivor, a show I tend not to watch.
Any language, with a date, was the Diamond Sutra, block printed in 868 A.D. It was discovered in 1907 by Sir Aurel Stein in the same complex in which he discovered the first Tocharian scrolls.
Language Hat left a comment to this post of Irish links asking why he couldn't see the fada's (accute accent marks) on the letters on some pages; in Firefox, they are replaced with question marks in fl diamonds (in IE, I think, they are replaced by various symbols, including Chinese characters).
You probably don't speak Tahitian yourself, so there are a few questions you'll need to consider when choosing a translation company.
Professional translators whose native language is English and speak fluent Tahitian perform our Tahitian to English translation.
Tahitian is the indigenous language of Tahiti, one of the Society Islands located in the South Pacific Ocean.
This is how the ancient Tahitians counted the "days" from one daybreak to the next.
They counted the nights instead, which were easy to distinguish from each other, the moon never being the same shape or in the same place two nights in a row.
The most widely spoken language remains reo tahiti because of the strong Society islands demography (86% of the population).
It is used as a communication language throughout French Polynesia.
Consequently, from an official point of view, the Tahitian language can be considered only as a regional dialect.
Please note that some of the courses may require your browser to have the ability to read the language being learned.
The links we provide are to free resources; however, if you do need to purchase language learning software, tapes or books then you can visit this link.
Hoa Complete Nutrition supplement is the perfect nutritional complement for anyone already using TAHITIAN NONI® juice and is ideal for individuals who recognize the need for additional nutritional support and may already be taking multi-vitamins or individual dietary supplements.
Xeronine, an essential regulatory alkaloid, is formed by the combination of Proxeronine and Proxeronase, both found in TAHITIAN NONI® juice.
Tahitian Noni®, Tahiti Dream®, Tahiti Trim® Plan40™, Moèa™, HoA®, TePoemä™, Equine Essentials™, and Expressway are all trademarks of Tahitian Noni International Inc.
The language program covering the French Pacific at the University of Hawaii at Manoa concentrates on Tahitian, but aims to impart an appreciation for the variety of Polynesian tongues in the territory with courses of limited scope on Marquesan and Tuamotuan.
There are two instructors who share the teaching tasks, one is the linguist-in-charge who focuses on matters of grammatical structure and lexical growth, and the other is a native speaker who has grown up in the culture.
Included here are lists of non-language studies texts and of those devoted to language studies which are useful to both students and persons interested in Tahiti.
TAHT 203 Second Year Tahitian (3) Intermediate core skills of listening, speaking and knowledge of grammar for spoken Tahitian in a condensed format.
TAHT 204 Second Year Tahitian (3) Intermediate core skills of listening, speaking and knowledge of grammar for spoken Tahitian in a condensed format.
The language in the realms of storytelling, radio, folklore, traditional and modern writing.
I love languages and love to find out how they work, and how they express the world around us, and Tahitian seemed to talk about the world in a way that was new to me.
Now, I have never actually been to Tahiti (though I have spent some time in Micronesia where I was able to meet some Tahitians and speak a few words to them) nor am I a native speaker of Tahitian, so if you are going to go through the lessons, you should be aware of this.
Tahitian Academy - Te Fare Vana'a, an organisation dedicated to preserving and enriching the Tahitian Language.
The women of the village then prepare her for the Tahitian wedding ceremony by massaging her with Tahitian Monoi oils and dress her in authentic Tahitian clothing.
The Tahiti wedding ceremony is conducted in the Tahitian Language and there is an interpreter on hand to provide translation to guests.
During the Tahitian wedding ceremony, the women of the village sing beautiful melodic tunes for the audience.
TAHITIAN NONI® Home products are the secrets to healthy living used by the old Tahitians and now available to you.
In the interim he managed to learn Tahitian, mainly from Tahitian friends who were living in California (where Wahlroos was, and continues to be, a clinical psychologist).
For example, in Edmund Andrews and Irène Andrews' 1944 English-Tahitian dictionary (A Comparative Dictionary of the Tahitian Language [Chicago: Academy of Sciences]), under the entry for "grow," the authors simply provide a list of words: tupu, fa'atupu, ha'atupu, mati'a, ha'amati'a and mahn.
For serious scholars of translation between English and Tahitian, e mea faufa'a ma teie putafa 'atoro-parau (this book is most valuable).
A family consisting of over 1000 languages spread throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans as well South East Asia.
As we've seen before, there are four types of possessives in Tahitian, and in this lesson we'll be looking at each type in turn, what they mean, and how they are used.
One of the central conceptual differences between Tahitian (as a Polynesian language) and English (as a European language) will also be introduced here.
This is a central concept of Tahitian and all Polynesian languages.
Some of the courses use Tahitian speech recognition technology to compare your pronunciation of Tahitian words to pre-recorded native Tahitian speakers.
If you have limited time to learn Tahitian, audio courses are a versatile method of learning Tahitian while you drive or when you have the time, but not access to a computer.
Even if you have some Tahitian language skills already, having a phrasebook handy can help you with some quick Tahitian translation for ordering food, arranging transportation and getting directions.
Tahitian translation team is built from professional linguists, who use their mother tongue exclusively as a target language.
Our Tahitian translators NEVER work into their second language.
They have deep understanding of the subject area and are highly cultured in Tahitian language and English with respect of spelling, grammar, and idiomatic expressiveness.
There is limited use of Tahitian in newspapers.
Tahitian is sometimes used in radio broadcasts, and TV news is broadcasted in Tahitian for a few minutes every day.
Conversational Tahitian: An introduction to the Tahitian language of French Polynesia.
Those things that look like mailboxes outside the homes of Tahitian residents are not for mail, but for French bread delivery.
The official language of French Polynesia is French but many locals still speak traditional Tahitian language together.
The Tahitian language includes few hundred words but the complexity of the syntax makes it possible to build elaborate sentences.
I would like to have a charm made for her with a Tahitian phrase engraved on it.
Tahitian for "I love you" is " Ua here vau ia oe".
The language is very melodic, but it may have to be a good sized charm to fit your sentiment.
In 1963 all the grafted oysters from Hikueru were collected and the pearls taken from them were presented to various Japanese experts in Tokyo in March 1964.
From that decade on, the Tahitian pearl would be the object of study by the great names of Japanese pearl production and jewelry.
The tochus has become in short order a useful shell, much appreciated in certain traditional Tahitian dishes, in which raw or cooked, it can replace to advantage the Ma Oa (turbo setosus) and the U?a?o (Siphonium Maximus), whose numbers are fast reducing on Polynesian reefs.
Agriculturalists: taro, yam, sweet potato, corn, eggplant, tomato, melon, lettuce, coconut, breadfruit, Tahitian chestnut, mango, banana, coffee; fishermen; livestock (pigs, cattle).
The ceremony will be conducted in the Tahitian language and an interpreter will be on hand to translate the ancient incantations for you.
Then after having received the High Priest's blessing and having received Tahitian names for both themselves and their future children, the couple, sumptuously covered in perfumed flower leis and garlands proceed to the Royal Chair which is carried by four noble warriors.
The newlyweds then board a richly appointed Royal Floating 'Fare' from where they may contemplate the enchanting play of sunlight on the clear blue waters of the lagoon, marveling at the passing array of vividly colored fish, while drinking a toast to their new love.


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Football: Robinson leads Haddonfield
Kevin Minnick
@cp_varsity
Jake Robinson didn't get cheated.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound wide receiver/defensive back touched the ball five times Friday night, finding himself in the end zone four times.
"That's a first," he said.
"Every play, I feel like something big is going to happen. It just happened that every play I got the ball was a big play."
Robinson caught three touchdown passes and added a 9-yard TD run on a sweep as the Haddonfield High School football team blanked host Collingswood 28-0 in a Colonial Conference Liberty Division game.
The Temple recruit scored on passes of 37, 32 and 22 yards from Mike Alberto. His first score came on third-and-29 in the first quarter, while his last capped an 11-play drive in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-3.
"It's the way we designed it," coach Frank DeLano laughed.
"He's an explosive player and just creates a mismatch. It comes down to execution. You have to make plays. Everything is starting to make sense for him. The game is slowing down and he's understanding coverages."
The Bulldawgs (3-0), No. 4 in the Courier-Post Top 15, also turned in a stellar defensive effort. They registered six sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
It was the eighth straight win for Haddonfield in a rivalry dating back to 1909.
"It was definitely an emotional game. We heard a lot of smack talking throughout the week," Robinson said.
"We really won this during the practice week. We worked really hard and then came out here and executed. We just played our best."
Haddonfield obviously had the last word.
Collingswood (1-1) was limited to just 39 yards of total offense, with 12 plays resulting in negative yards. The Panthers did not complete a pass.
"We were just swarming around," DeLano said.
It proved to be a career game for Robinson, with his first touchdown catch being of the highlight reel variety.
"Alberto just gave me a shot to catch the ball," Robinson said. "He put it where only I could get it. I went up and got it.
"Every play, I want the ball. I think I can get it in a jump-ball situation."
Said Alberto: "Jake goes hard every play. If the guy is open every play, why not go to him?
"There are a lot of matchups that I'd take Jake Robinson in."
Alberto had a steady game as well, directing an offense that generated 321 yards. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 158 yards and led a balanced ground attack with 13 carries for 67 yards.
"He always has throws that he wants back, but he has great control of this thing," DeLano said. "He's been in it since he was in youth football. Now it's his turn to play in this system.
"I'm proud of the progression. The best part about these kids is that they're not complacent. They come to work. Tuesday and Wednesday were our best practices of the year. It was flying."
Haddonfield's attention now shifts to Thursday night's showdown with division rival West Deptford. Both teams will come into the game undefeated.
"We feel very confident," Robinson said. "From here, we can get better.
"I love that rivalry. I get juiced up for that game. It's always a battle."
Follow Kevin Minnick on Twitter @cp_varsity


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SEC Chair Gensler Discusses How Securities Laws Apply to Crypto Tokens — Won't Say if Ethereum Is a Security – Regulation Bitcoin News
The Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, explained how securities laws apply to crypto tokens as he outlined the commission's priorities in regulating the crypto space. "Our role at the Securities and Exchange Commission is to ensure that the public receives basic protections," he stressed.
SEC President Gary Gensler on Cryptocurrency Regulation
SEC President Gary Gensler discussed cryptocurrency regulation and the agency's 2022 regulatory agenda on CNBC on Monday.
The chairman explained that, in general, "if you're raising money from the public, and the public is expecting a profit based on that promoter, the sponsor, and the efforts of that group — that's within the securities laws, and it's within the securities laws because Congress is a broad brush." He explained:
They want to protect you – the investing public – so that you have appropriate information, or what is called complete and fair information, and protect you from fraud, scammers and the like.
Gensler emphasized that investments that call themselves token "still probably, maybe a security."
While acknowledging that new avenues of investing, including cryptocurrencies and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), are "exciting," the SEC chief emphasized:
Our role at the Securities and Exchange Commission is to ensure that the public receives basic protections.
Gensler also explained, "What's really old and important is this basic idea that if you raise money from the public and the public is thinking about profit, you have to give them basic disclosures and everything."
He was also asked to comment on the increase in crowdfunding with cryptocurrencies. The Chairman reiterated that he would not comment on any particular project, saying, "Crypto tokens, I will call them, raise money from the public, and do they share with the public the same set of disclosures that help the public make the decision that they comply with our reality of advertising? Anti-fraud provisions in the Securities Law.
"There are thousands of these projects basically trying to raise money from the public so they can support the idea of entrepreneurship," the SEC chief described. While emphasizing that he supports innovation, Gensler noted, "It's about getting it included in the securities laws." He said:
Unfortunately, many of these are trying to say, "Well, we're not safe. We're just something else."
"I think the facts and circumstances indicate that they are investment contracts, they are securities, and they should be recorded," Gensler concluded.
He was also asked if Ethereum is a security, noting that the SEC considers XRP as security in an ongoing lawsuit with Ripple Labs and its executives.
However, Gensler declined to comment on whether the ether was safe. The SEC chief confirmed that he would not answer for any cryptocurrency: "I am the chair of a five-member committee that is also a civilian law enforcement agency. So, we don't participate in these kinds of public forums, we talk about any one project, one possible circumstance, And we provide legal advice over the airwaves in this way."
Congress, Crypto, Cryptocurrency Regulation, Ethereum Protection, Fraud, Gary Gensler, Investor Protection, Corrugated Lawsuit, Fraudsters, Securities and Exchange Commission, Chief Securities Officer, Chairman, SEC Chairman, Gary Gensler, Laws SEC, Securities Regulatory, Securities Laws, XRP
What do you think of Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler's comments on crypto regulation? Let us know in the comments section below.
Kevin, an Austrian economics student, found bitcoin in 2011 and has been a missionary ever since. His interests lie in Bitcoin security, open source systems, network effects, and the intersection between economics and cryptography.
photo credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wikicommons
disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Neither the Company nor the author shall be liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
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XRP breaks out of a crucial pattern and could quickly...


NEW YORK, N.Y. – November 13, 2018 –With the change of season also comes the first phase completion of the multi-phase reawakening for The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park. The award-winning hotel has debuted all new guest rooms, suites, Club Lounge, and a refreshed La Prairie Spa, welcoming guests to a journey of new discovery. Phase two will begin in January 2019 and is slated to be unveiled in Spring 2019.
True to the residentially inspired style of The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park, the 47 suites inclusive of five Specialty Suites – the hotel's rebranded Presidential Suites – welcome guests to escape to their very own pied-à-terre. Sprawling in size, the suites are arranged in a variety of updated and new configurations beginning with the Avenue View Suite category showcasing the bustle of the Manhattan streets down below, while the Premiere Park View Suite category provides a bird's eye view of the park's treetops. Custom furniture and artwork line the walls of all suites, every piece resonating the heart and soul of the building and its city.
For more information on the reawakening of The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park, visit http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/new-york/central-park/hotel-overview/reawakening-of-a-nyc-landmark.


If you are thinking about adding a deck in Denver or updating your existing one, call the experts at Carefree Decks and Patio Covers. For over 18 years we have been constructing low maintenance decks, awnings, pergolas, patio roofs, and custom concrete patios for residences and commercial buildings.
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Our quality workmanship and customer service are what makes us the number one choice for decks in Denver. We are proud to be a family run business providing custom services from Denver to Vail and Ft. Collins to Colorado Springs.


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Google reveals major flaw in outdated, but widely-used SSL protocol
Google's Security Team revealed on Tuesday that the long obsolete, but still all too used, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 3.0 cryptographic protocol has a major security flaw. While SSL 3.0 has been succeeded by Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.0, TLS 1.1, and TLS 1.
Cryptography and computer security
Hillary Clinton talks NSA and privacy, data security, tech jobs in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO—Privacy and security are in a necessary but inevitable tension, reflected former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton while speaking at data storage and software provider Nexenta's OpenSDx Summit on Thursday.
Did You Know You Had Diabetes? It's All Over the Internet
Dan Abate doesn't have diabetes nor is he aware of any obvious link to the disease. Try telling that to data miners. The 42-year-old information technology worker's name recently showed up in a database of millions of people with "diabetes interest" sold by Acxiom Corp.
The Dawn of the Flying Smartphone
Zoltan Istvan is a futurist, journalist, and author of the novel The Transhumanist Wager. He writes an occasional column for Motherboard in which he ruminates on the future beyond natural human ability. Over the next decade, we'll see the rise of lightweight drones that fit in your pocket.
Is there anything safer than passwords?


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Suspense, Scandal, and Secrets: Families in Crisis
Sat, Nov 11, 2017 from 9:45 am - 10:45 am PST
Portland'5 Winningstad Theatre (Poetry Foundation Stage)
1111 SW Broadway Portland, OR 97205
Rene Denfeld, Victor Lodato, Amy Stewart, Zach Dundas
In Rene Denfeld's The Child Finder, private investigator Naomi's search for a lost child reveals her own buried loss. The past likewise haunts Edgar inVictor Lodato's Edgar and Lucy, a story of family love and betrayal. And in Amy Stewart's Miss Kopp's Midnight Confessions, Under Sheriff Constance Kopp's personal mission to defend women unfairly prosecuted for "moral depravity" is put to the test when her own sister is arrested. With moderator Zach Dundas, editor of Portland Monthly and author of The Great Detective.
Rene Denfeld is an award-winning author, journalist, and licensed private investigator living in Portland, Oregon. She is the bestselling author of The Child Finder and The Enchanted, which was a finalist for the Center for Fiction's Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel prixe and received the Prix du Premier Roman Étranger in France. Her most recent book is The Butterfly Girl. She has written for many publications, including The New York Times, Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Oregonian.
Victor Lodato
Victor Lodato is a playwright and the author of the novel Mathilda Savitch, winner of the PEN Center USA Award for fiction and, most recently, Edgar and Lucy. His stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Granta, and Best American Short Stories. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Victor was born and raised in New Jersey and currently divides his time between Ashland, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona.
Amy Stewart is the New York Times best-selling author of ten books, including Girl Waits with Gun and the rest of the Kopp Sisters series, which are based on the true story of one of America's first female deputy sheriffs and her two rambunctious sisters. The books are in development with Amazon Studios for a television series. Her popular nonfiction titles include The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and Flower Confidential. While they have not been adapted for television, there are a few bars around the world named after The Drunken Botanist, which is even better. She lives in Portland with her husband Scott Brown, a rare book dealer. They own an independent bookstore called Eureka Books, which is so independent that it lives in California while they live in Oregon. Visit her online at amystewart.com.
Zach Dundas
Zach Dundas is co-executive editor of Portland Monthly, a longtime journalist, and the author of The Renegade Sportsman. He is a member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London and the Diogenes Club. Twitter - Tumblr


If you are anything like me you've got a collection of paint chips lying around. Yes. Admit it.
You know, you were searching for the ultimate duck shell blue and walked off with 10 swatches and several paint samples before finding it. If you're a horder you've got them, if not, you've tossed them.
May I suggest reusing them? There was a reason you gravitated towards them to begin with, so why not put them to use?
Today we had a carrot cake for afternoon tea and I thought what better way to reuse those chips than by making a crafty cake topper!
Supplies needed: A needle, twine, several paint chips, scissors, a craft punch and a pair of chopsticks.
I chose to use Plascon's expression palate from their 2012 colour forecast.
The time for subtlety is over. With a number of important events on the cards this year, a strong theme of celebration is making itself known. This comes through in the patriotic, Union Jack inspired red, white and blue to tie in with the London Olympics. White is often the base for this theme, with bold, uncomplicated use of bright colour to make a statement.
I used the following Plascon colours in my own garland from left to right: Baked Earth 04-B1-1, Panorama Lights Y4-A1-2, Lobster Red R5-B1-1, Oceanos B6-C1-1, Forest Found G4-D1-2 and to round it out I use a hue of Baked Earth called Alex 04-B1-2.
Step 1. Start by cutting a length of twine and threading it through your needle.
Step 2. Using a craft punch of your choice punch shapes out of your paint chips.
Step 3. Use your needle and thread to push through the chips before tying the loose ends to your pair of chopsticks and insert into your cake.
You can continue to add to your garland and hang it as a decorative feature if you wish, but may I implore you not to raid your local hardware store paint cabinet to do so! The idea is to REUSE existing chips, not create further demand.
Thanks Poly! It's just for reference, feel free to use your own colours. It's just a pet peeve of mine to see a room I like and want to know the paint colour and it's not listed, I like keeping records! For example I'm LOVING Plascon's Crazy Daisy Y4-A1-1 Yellow, I'll be using it in an upcoming 'How To'. Colour lights up my world!
Thanks Colly! I have a few more creative 'how-to's' that I hope to roll out over the coming weeks, hopefully inspiring others to make a few along the way.


Download file to see previous pages June Jordan herself a civil rights activist who fervently fight for the rights of African-Americans. Her radical beliefs and principles are vividly echoed in her poem.
POEMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 Words. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1598790-poems.
"POEMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 Words", n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1598790-poems.
Let us write or edit the essay on your topic "POEMS" with a personal 20% discount.
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Oxycheilinus is een geslacht van straalvinnige vissen uit de familie van de lipvissen (Labridae). Het geslacht is voor het eerst wetenschappelijk beschreven in 1863 door Gill.

Soorten
De volgende soorten zijn bij het geslacht ingedeeld:
 Oxycheilinus arenatus (Valenciennes, 1840)
 Oxycheilinus bimaculatus (Valenciennes, 1840)
 Oxycheilinus celebicus (Bleeker, 1853)
 Oxycheilinus digramma (Lacépède, 1801)
 Oxycheilinus lineatus (Randall, Westneat & Gomon, 2003)
 Oxycheilinus mentalis (Rüppell, 1828)
 Oxycheilinus nigromarginatus (Randall, Westneat & Gomon, 2003)
 Oxycheilinus orientalis (Günther, 1862)
 Oxycheilinus rhodochrous (Günther, 1867)
 Oxycheilinus unifasciatus (Streets, 1877)

Lipvissen

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Last night our President gave his farewell address, and it was an emotional night for everyone in the room. He went back to his beloved Chicago to say his thank yous and goodbyes. President Obama tried to keep his address optimistic, hopeful as we've always seen him be, and quite personal.
He of course touched on all of his many accomplishments as a President, but he also spoke candidly about where we as a country can be better. He emphasized that he has much faith in this upcoming generation to actually do the work that it takes to make that happen. President Obama described his journey as the greatest accomplishment of his life, only second to being Malia and Sasha's dad.
Speaking of family, the President managed to keep his cool during his speech all the way until he mentioned his wife Michelle. He became visibly choked up when he addressed his beautiful bride. He thanked her for 25 years of (best) friendship, and taking on a roll that she didn't choose with style and grace. The room erupted in applause as Malia stood wiping tears from her eyes to honor her mother with everyone else. Michelle is clearly the real MVP.
Thank you President Obama and first family! You will truly be missed!


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Stats Analysis: Trebleshooting
Christopher Kempf, the new statistical analyst of the PDC, looks at how heavy scoring can matter more than it seems.
"Trebles for show, doubles for dough", goes the old darts adage. Peter Wright, who missed six match darts to win the Premier League final, and Michael van Gerwen, who also missed six to advance to the World Championship final, will need no convincing of the truth of that statement.
The anecdotal accuracy of "doubles for dough" is apparent in almost any match - point to a bullseye here, or a missed opportunity to break throw there, and you can identify a point in which the tide of the match changed in favour of the eventual winner.
But outside of a few dramatic and unexpected blunders at the finish line, a player's success correlates more strongly with his ability to hit trebles than with his finishing accuracy.
Across the PDC, professional darts players tend to hit three darts at double for every five missed. A player who gives his opponent three darts at double would expect not to return to the board 75% of the time.
Professionals make a career out of hitting doubles to win legs, and the highest-ranked individuals have years of experience hitting doubles under pressure, with the match on the line or with the crowd supporting their opponents.
Statistically speaking, one would expect Michael van Gerwen to miss five consecutive doubles in a leg just 5% of the time, and expect Peter Wright to miss six 3% of the time.
Both were highly improbable events, unlikely to be repeated in subsequent matches.
At the highest levels of the game, each additional treble hit is effectively an insurance policy against missed doubles.
With each additional dart at double secured by means of heavy scoring in a close match, a player's chances of winning a leg nearly double.
In 2017, players who scored, on average, 4.75 big trebles per leg had a 50% probability of winning more legs than they lost; 4.2 trebles sufficed to give a player the advantage on his own throw, and 5.4 made a player the favorite to break his opponent's throw.
The most dramatic improvements in reaching finishes, doubles and winning legs came from players who were able to make the move from four or five trebles to five or six, throwing more 140s than 100s.
Thus, putting oneself in a situation to have two darts at doubles rather than one is statistically more relevant to a player's chance of winning the match than his ability to hit bullseye checkouts under pressure.
Against a player such as Rob Cross or Michael van Gerwen, who hit more than 40% of their doubles in 2017, the need to hit as many trebles as possible - just to give oneself a chance to win each leg - becomes especially acute.
To have a 50% probability of winning a leg against either player, at least one 180 or two 140s is essential.
Players who hit five trebles per leg against Michael van Gerwen broke throw only 23% of the time, and won after throwing first in a mere 38% of legs.
In a best-of-19 or best-of-21 legs match, it is common to see a player display the necessary treble accuracy in a handful of legs, but because the demands on lower-ranked players are so high over so many legs, Cross and van Gerwen were a combined 31-8 in matches played in those formats, losing only once to a player ranked outside of the top 16.
Nearly as important as the ability to hit trebles is the avoidance of stray darts, especially into the one and treble one segments.
Players who can avoid them entirely, when throwing for any treble - whether they be fives, treble sevens, ones, or treble fours - win nearly 70% of legs.
As few as 1.5 stray darts per leg, on average, correlates with a player losing more than 50% of the time.
The most accurate players miss the 20 or treble less than 5% of the time, or about once every two legs; more than 10% stray darts puts a player at risk not only of losing many more legs, but also of attempting finishes and doubles with which he is not familiar.
Very small differences in accuracy on the main scoring trebles result in enormous competititve advantages for the top players.
The extra dart at double gained by hitting a treble 5% more often, and throwing a stray dart just 5% less, can mean the difference between an 10-9 nailbiter and a 10-5 blowout.
And players need not throw a maximum at every opportunity; in fact, the second treble thrown in a visit gives a much more significant boost to a player's chances of winning a leg than does the third.
In the Masters, where 15-20 leg matches will be commonplace, the rewards for high accuracy and consistency in scoring are clear in the longer format.
Fewer players can hope to match the scoring power of the top seeds over 21 legs than in the typical 11.
After all, it matters not how accurate a player may be on his doubles if he cannot get there quicker than can his opponent.
Follow Christopher Kempf on Twitter through @Ochepedia
Ladbrokes Masters
Wright second favourite for Ladbrokes Masters
New World Champion Peter Wright is the 9/2 second favourite to claim his first Ladbrokes Masters title next month.


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ORBOTECH REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2017 RESULTS
2017 fourth quarter highlights
• Record revenues of $256.9 million
• Gross margin of 47.3%
• Cash flow from operations of $84.3 million
• GAAP EPS of $1.14 (diluted) reflecting the tax benefit resulting from a valuation allowance release; non-GAAP EPS of $0.87 (diluted)
2017 full year highlights compared with 2016 full year
• Revenues of $900.9 million, up 11.7% compared with $806.4 million
• Gross margin of 47.2%, up from 46.2%
• Cash flow from operations of $130 million, compared with $108 million
• GAAP EPS of $2.71 (diluted) reflecting the tax benefit resulting from a valuation allowance release, up 58% from $1.71 (diluted)
• Non-GAAP EPS of $2.91 (diluted), up 15% from $2.52 (diluted)
2018 guidance
• First quarter 2018 revenue range: $235 million to $250 million; gross margin range: 47.0%-47.5%
• First half 2018 revenue of approximately $500 million; gross margin range: 47.5%-48%
• Full year 2018 revenue growth of 12%-14% compared to 2017
YAVNE, ISRAEL, February 14, 2018 | ORBOTECH LTD. (NASDAQ: ORBK) (the "Company") today announced its consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2017.
Commenting on the results, Asher Levy, Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are very pleased to report strong quarterly results that concluded a record performance in 2017. During the year, we achieved record bookings, and our backlog at the end of 2017 is double the amount at the end of 2016, which also strengthens and improves our visibility. The positive momentum in Orbotech's served industries, and our unique positioning, enabled us to grow significantly during 2017 and to reinforce our overall competitive position. As we enter into 2018, we expect to continue to introduce our customers to new and innovative solutions that will help them overcome some of the most difficult production challenges they face today."
Separately, this morning, the Company issued two important press releases announcing orders for solutions from the Company's flat panel display and semiconductor device divisions.
The first press release relates to a repeat order from LG Display for multiple Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) solutions, which will be deployed in LG's OLED Gen 6 fab for flexible mobile device display production. This is testimony to the quality of Orbotech's FPD solutions. Delivery of these solutions is expected to be split between the first and the second quarters of 2018.
The second press release relates to $37 million in purchase orders received by Orbotech's SD division for multiple etch and deposition systems from two GaAs foundry customers. These systems will be used to manufacture radio frequency (RF) devices for 4G and emerging 5G wireless infrastructure and mobile device markets. Delivery of the systems is expected to be split between the first and the second quarters of 2018.
For more specific details about each of these significant orders, please see the separate releases.
Revenues for the fourth quarter of 2017 totaled $256.9 million, compared with $215.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, and $245.7 million in the third quarter of 2017.
In the Company's Production Solutions for Electronics Industry segment:
Revenues from the Company's printed circuit board ("PCB") business were $90.4 million (including $55.0 million in equipment sales) in the fourth quarter of 2017. This compares to PCB revenues of $77.2 million (including $48.6 million in equipment sales) in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Revenues from the Company's flat panel display ("FPD") business were $72.1 million (including $60.7 million in equipment sales) in the fourth quarter of 2017. This compares to FPD revenues of $71.6 million (including $60.2 million in equipment sales) in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Revenues from the Company's semiconductor device ("SD") business were $90.3 million (including $77.8 million in equipment sales) in the fourth quarter of 2017. This compares to SD revenues of $62.1 million (including $48.4 million in equipment sales) in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Revenues in the Company's other segments totaled $4.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with $4.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Service revenues for the fourth quarter of 2017 were $61.0 million, compared with $55.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Revenues for the full year of 2017 totaled $900.9 million, compared with $806.4 million for the full year of 2016.
Gross profit and gross margin in the fourth quarter of 2017 were $121.6 million and 47.3%, respectively, compared with $100.7 million and 46.8%, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2016. Gross profit and gross margin in the full year of 2017 were $425.3 million and 47.2%, respectively, compared with $372.4 million and 46.2%, respectively, in the full year of 2016.
GAAP net income and GAAP net income margin in the fourth quarter of 2017 were $55.9 million and 21.8%, respectively, compared with $25.6 million and 11.9%, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2016. GAAP net income and GAAP net income margin for the full year of 2017 were $132.4 million and 14.7%, respectively, compared with $79.4 million and 9.9% in the full year of 2016. The GAAP results reflect a net benefit of approximately $16 million consisting of the impact of increase in deferred tax assets mainly for a valuation allowance releases and decrease in deferred tax liabilities offset by an increase in the Company's tax provisions. The valuation allowance release of $18.8 million occurred in the fourth quarter and the most significant component related to the Company's carryforward losses in the United States. In view of the strong business conditions, the Company believes it is more likely than not that it will be able to use these carryforward losses in the United States and therefore released the applicable valuation allowance.
GAAP earnings per share (diluted) for the fourth quarter of 2017 were $1.14, compared with $0.53, for the fourth quarter of 2016. GAAP earnings per share (diluted) for the full year of 2017 were $2.71 compared with $1.71 in the full year of 2016.
Adjusted EBITDA (as defined below) and adjusted EBITDA margin for the fourth quarter of 2017 were $55.6 million and 21.6%, respectively, compared with $49.9 million and 23.2%, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2016. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin for the full year of 2017 were $190.0 million and 21.1%, respectively, compared with $168.1 million and 20.8% for the full year of 2016.
Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income margin for the fourth quarter of 2017 were $42.5 million and 16.5%, respectively, compared with $33.7 million and 15.7%, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2016. Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income margin for the full year of 2017 were $142.4 and 15.8%, respectively, compared with $116.9 million and 14.5%, respectively, for the full year of 2016. Non-GAAP earnings per share (diluted) for the fourth quarter of 2017 were $0.87, compared with $0.70 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2016. Non-GAAP earnings per share (diluted) for the full year of 2017 were $2.91, compared with $2.52 for the full year of 2016.
All of the Company's non-GAAP information has been adjusted to remove the impact attributable to a tax benefit resulting mainly from the valuation allowance release described above. A reconciliation of each of the Company's non-GAAP measures to the comparable GAAP measure (the "Reconciliation") is included at the end of this press release.
As of December 31, 2017, the Company had cash, cash equivalents, short term bank deposits and marketable securities of $327.8 million, and debt of $72.5 million. During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company generated cash from operations of $84.3 million. As of December 31, 2017, the actual number of ordinary shares outstanding was approximately 48.4 million.
The Company expects first quarter 2018 revenue to be in the range of $235 million to $250 million and gross margin to be in the range of 47.0%-47.5%, based on current expectations of product mix. The Company expects first half 2018 revenues to be approximately $500 million. The Company expects gross margin in the range of 47.5%-48% for the first half of 2018 based on current expectations of product mix. The Company expects full year 2018 revenue growth of approximately 12%-14% compared to 2017.
An earnings conference call for the Company's fourth quarter and full year 2017 results is scheduled for today, February 14, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. EDT. The dial-in number for the conference call is +1 323-701-0225 or (US toll-free) 888-394-8218 and a replay will be available on telephone number +1 719-457-0820 or (US toll-free) 888-203-1112 until February 28, 2018. The pass code is 4004533. A live webcast of the conference call can also be heard by accessing the Company's website at: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/x4x4897o. The webcast will remain available for 12 months at: https://investors.orbotech.com/webcast-archives.
About Orbotech Ltd.
Orbotech Ltd. (NASDAQ: ORBK) is a leading global supplier of yield-enhancing and process-enabling solutions for the manufacture of electronics products. Orbotech provides cutting-edge solutions for use in the manufacture of printed circuit boards (PCBs), flat panel displays (FPDs), and semiconductor devices (SDs), designed to enable the production of innovative, next-generation electronic products and improve the cost effectiveness of existing and future electronics production processes. Orbotech's core business lies in enabling electronic device manufacturers to inspect and understand PCBs and FPDs and to verify their quality ('reading'); pattern the desired electronic circuitry on the relevant substrate and perform three-dimensional shaping of metalized circuits on multiple surfaces ('writing'); and utilize advanced vacuum deposition and etching processes in SD and semiconductor manufacturing ('connecting'). Orbotech refers to this 'reading', 'writing' and 'connecting' as enabling the 'Language of Electronics'. For more information, visit www.orbotech.com and www.spts.com
Israeli Tax Matters, Audit Committee Review and Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
As previously reported, in May 2017, the Company received a best judgment tax assessment from the Israel Tax Authority (the "ITA") with respect to an audit of the Company for the fiscal years 2012-2014 (the "Assessment"), for an aggregate amount of tax against the Company, after offsetting all accumulated net operating losses for tax purposes ("NOL"s) available through the end of 2014, of approximately NIS 207 million (currently approximately $59 million), which amount includes related interest and linkage differentials to the Israeli consumer price index (as of date of the Assessment). All amounts related to the Assessment are given after application of the Company's NOLs. Approximately 80% of the amount of the Assessment, assuming that all NOLs are set off against the other matters included in the Assessment, relates to the following two matters: (i) the use of tax exempt income derived from the Company's approved and benefited enterprises under the Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investment, 1959, in particular in its investments in, or acquisitions of, foreign subsidiaries; and (ii) the purchase of shares of the Company by its foreign subsidiaries during the audit period. The Company has not taken any reserves or provisions related to these two matters because it reasonably believes its positions are more likely than not correct as a legal matter. The Company intends vigorously to contest the ITA's position on both of these matters and has not, as of December 31, 2017, established, and does not anticipate establishing, a provision related to these matters. The other significant item in the Assessment relates to the Company's transfer pricing with respect to certain intercompany transactions in the Far East. As of December 31, 2017, the Company's tax provisions with respect to the tax audit period cover a majority of the remaining 20% of the Assessment. In light of the Assessment and the ongoing criminal investigation in Israel, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Audit Committee"), with the assistance of outside advisors, reviewed the Company's tax returns in Israel for certain periods since fiscal year 2009. The Audit Committee did not identify any fraudulent or criminal activity in the course of its review. In addition, the Audit Committee and its outside advisors had the full cooperation of management and the Audit Committee did not identify any 'tone at the top' issues or any significant issues in the Company's control environment.
The evaluation of tax positions involves significant judgment. If the Company's judgment with respect to its tax positions proves to be inaccurate, it may be required to increase its provisions or take a charge in future periods. The amount of the increase and/or the charge against earnings could be material. There is an ongoing criminal investigation in Israel against the Company, certain of its employees and its tax consultant related to tax positions taken by the Company in the tax audit period as well as in prior periods. The Company does not have any insight into the scope or time period of the criminal investigation or the timing of any prosecutorial action related to the investigation which may occur in the coming days, weeks, months or years. Although the Company cannot predict the timing of any prosecutorial action, the Company expects to be summoned to the Israeli prosecutor's office for a hearing, at which it will have the opportunity to present its positions, prior to any indictments of the Company and/or certain of its employees and/or payment of monetary amounts in lieu of such indictments. The Company has not conducted its own investigation into any matters that may be the subject of such investigation and will only do so once the criminal investigation has been completed. The Company intends vigorously to contest the Assessment in accordance with Israeli law as well as defend itself and its employees in the criminal matter, but it cannot assure investors as to the outcome or timing of completion of either process, including the amount of tax ultimately payable related to fiscal years 2012-2014 and prior fiscal years, or any additional taxes, penalties, criminal sanctions, indictments, fines and other amounts that may be imposed as a result of the Assessment and criminal investigation, which may be material in amount or in adverse impact on the Company's results of operations, financial position and reputation.
Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to, among other things, future prospects, developments and business strategies and involve certain risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate," "believe," "could," "will," "plan," "expect" and "would" and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions, have been used in this press release to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made based on management's expectations and beliefs concerning future events affecting Orbotech and are subject to uncertainties and factors relating to Orbotech's operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from those projected including, without limitation, the risk that the Company may not achieve its revenue and margin expectations within and for 2018 (including, without limitation, due to shifting move-in dates); cyclicality in the industries in which the Company operates, the Company's supply chain management and production capacity, order cancelation often without penalty; timing and occurrence of product acceptance (the Company defines 'bookings' and 'backlog' as purchase arrangements with customers that are based on mutually agreed terms, which, in some cases for bookings and backlog, may still be subject to completion of written documentation and may be changed or cancelled by the customer, often without penalty), fluctuations in product mix, within and among divisions, worldwide economic conditions generally, especially in the industries in which the Company operates, the timing and strength of product and service offerings by the Company and its competitors, changes in business or pricing strategies, changes in the prevailing political and regulatory framework in which the relevant parties operate, including as a result of the 'Brexit' process and political uncertainty in the United States, or in economic or technological trends or conditions, including currency fluctuations, inflation and consumer confidence, on a global, regional or national basis, the level of consumer demand for sophisticated devices such as smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices as well as automobiles, the Company's global operations and its ability to comply with varying legal, regulatory, exchange, tax and customs regimes, the timing and outcome of tax audits, including the Assessment process in Israel and related criminal investigation (see above), the Company's ability to achieve strategic initiatives, including related to its acquisition strategy, the Company's debt and corporate financing activities; the final timing and outcome, and impact of the criminal matter and ongoing investigation in Korea, including any impact on existing or future business opportunities in Korea and elsewhere, any civil actions related to the Korean matter brought by third parties, including the Company's customers, which may result in monetary judgments or settlements, expenses associated with the Korean matter, and ongoing or increased hostilities in Israel and the surrounding areas.
The foregoing information should be read in connection with the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2016, and subsequent SEC filings. The Company is subject to the foregoing and other risks detailed in those reports. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release to reflect new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income margin, non-GAAP net income per share detailed in the Reconciliation exclude charges, income or losses, as applicable, related to one or more of the following: (i) equity-based compensation expenses; (ii) certain items associated with acquisitions, including release of earnouts, amortization of intangible assets and acquisition costs; (iii) tax impact including tax effect of Non-GAAP adjustments and tax benefit; (iv) share in losses of equity method investee and amounts associated with non-controlling interests company; (v) release of valuation allowance and/or (vi) charges associated with the financing activities related to the retirement of the Company's 2014 credit agreement with JPMorgan.
The Company uses the non-GAAP measures indicated in the Reconciliation to supplement the Company's financial results presented on a GAAP basis. These non-GAAP measures exclude equity based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets, share in losses/profits of associated companies, as well as certain financial and other expenses and items that are believed to be helpful in understanding and comparing past operating and financial performance with current results. Management uses all of the non-GAAP measures to evaluate the Company's operating and financial performance in light of business objectives and for planning purposes. These measures are not in accordance with GAAP and may differ from non-GAAP methods of accounting and reporting used by other companies. Orbotech believes that these measures enhance investors' ability to review the Company's business from the same perspective as the Company's management and facilitate comparisons with results for prior periods. In addition, these non-GAAP measures are among the primary factors management uses in planning for and forecasting future periods. However, the non-GAAP measures presented are subject to limitations as an analytical tool because they exclude certain recurring items (such as, equity compensation, financial expense and amortization of intangible assets) as described below and in the Reconciliation. The presentation of this additional non-GAAP information should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income; net income attributable to Orbotech Ltd. or earnings per share prepared in accordance with GAAP, and should be read only in conjunction with the Company's consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. For a quantification of the adjustments made to comparable GAAP measures, please see the Reconciliation.
The effect of equity-based compensation expenses has been excluded from the non-GAAP measures. Although equity-based compensation is a key incentive offered to employees, and the Company believes such compensation contributed to the revenues earned during the periods presented and also believes it will contribute to the generation of future period revenues, the Company continues to evaluate its business performance excluding equity based compensation expenses. Equity-based compensation expenses will recur in future periods.
The effects of amortization of intangible assets have also been excluded from the measures. This item is inconsistent in amount and frequency and is significantly affected by the timing and size of acquisitions and dispositions. Investors should note that the use of intangible assets contributed to revenues earned during the periods presented and will contribute to future period revenues as well. Amortization of intangible assets will recur in future periods and the Company may be required to record impairment charges in the future. The Company believes that it is useful for investors to understand the effects of these items on total operating expenses.
Adjusted EBITDA is also a non-GAAP financial measure. The Company defines adjusted EBITDA as net income attributable to Orbotech Ltd., further adjusted, in addition to the items described above, to exclude taxes on income, financial expenses (income) – net and depreciation. The Company presents adjusted EBITDA because it considers it to be an important supplemental measure and believes it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in Orbotech's industry. Adjusted EBITDA margin is a measurement of Orbotech's adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of its revenues. Although the Company believes its presentation of adjusted EBITDA is useful, its adjusted EBITDA measure may not be comparable to similarly named measures presented by other companies.
For more information about all of the foregoing items, see the Reconciliation, the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2016, and its subsequent SEC filings.
Rami Rozen
VP, Investor Relations
Orbotech Ltd
Tel: +972-8-942 3582
Rami.rozen@orbotech.com
Tally Kaplan Porat
Director of Corporate Marketing
Tally-Ka@orbotech.com


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What Foods or Drugs Increase Absorption of Iron?
By Jessica Bruso Updated December 14, 2018
Amounts of Iron in Different Kinds of Food
How to Boost Zinc Absorption
How to Lower Iron Levels With Food
Is Milk Good to Drink with Iron Supplements?
Iron & Chills
Not getting enough iron from your diet can lead to poor work performance, fatigue and decreased immune function, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. While your body absorbs up to 35 percent of the iron from animal sources, called heme iron, as little as 2 percent of iron from plant sources, called non-heme iron, might be absorbed. Certain types of food and medications increase iron absorption, while others decrease it.
When consuming plant-based sources of iron, such as beans, spinach, tofu, raisins or fortified breakfast cereals, include a source of vitamin C in your meal to increase the amount of iron absorbed. Good choices include citrus fruits, berries, green leafy vegetables, bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, winter squash, broccoli, kiwi fruit, mangoes, winter squash, brussels sprouts, watermelon, cantaloupe, papaya, guava and cauliflower.
Animal Protein
Another way to increase the absorption of non-heme iron is consuming a small amount of meat protein during the same meal. Include a small amount of ham in your bean soup, eat a chicken sausage at breakfast along with your iron-fortified cereal and top your spinach salad with a little grilled chicken or shrimp.
While fermented foods may not be a regular part of your diet, they can help increase your iron absorption. These foods include some types of soy sauce, sauerkraut, miso, kimchi and pickled vegetables like beets, cucumbers, capers, olives, artichokes, mushrooms and radishes. You may have to go to specialty grocery stores to find traditionally fermented vegetables, because many mass-produced pickled foods don't provide the same benefits.
While most medications don't increase the absorption of iron, birth control pills do, so if you rely on oral contraceptives you are less likely to need supplemental iron. Some other medications, including drugs that treat peptic ulcers, also help increase your iron stores by treating underlying conditions that deplete your stores of the mineral.
If your iron stores are low, limit foods that can inhibit absorption, including soybeans, tea, coffee, cocoa, red wine, foods that contain calcium, bran, oats, pasta, rice, breakfast cereal, nuts, peas and other legumes and whole grains. As some of these foods are very nutritious, you don't have to avoid them altogether. Just eat them at different times than your non-heme iron sources to help maximize absorption.
Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Iron and Iron Deficiency
Food and Agriculture Organization: Iron
MayoClinic.com: Iron Deficiency Anemia
University of Maryland Medical Center: Possible Interactions With: Iron
Based in Massachusetts, Jessica Bruso has been writing since 2008. She holds a master of science degree in food policy and applied nutrition and a bachelor of arts degree in international relations, both from Tufts University.
Does Kelp Have Iron in It?
What Form of Iron Is in Cereals?
What to Eat if You Need More Iron
What Nutrients Are Needed to Absorb Iron?
Are There Foods That Reduce Iron in Your Blood?
The Forms of Iron in Supplements
Grapefruit & Iron
Do Avocados Have Lots of Iron in Them?
Iron & Papaya
1 Does Kelp Have Iron in It?
2 What Form of Iron Is in Cereals?
3 What to Eat if You Need More Iron
4 What Nutrients Are Needed to Absorb Iron?


Welcome to the Fort Bend County Financial Transparency Webpage. Fort Bend County has adopted the State of Texas' recommended practices for a Financial Transparency Webpage, in an effort to set the standard in making financial information transparent and accessible. On this webpage, you will find budget information, check registers, property tax rates and various other financial reports.


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Monsters, Fauna, Gem Guardians, Deltora
Ava, whose symbol was the eye, was blind!
Glus is in need of a few images! Perhaps you can help by uploading a picture of image of the Glus from the cover of The Maze of the Beast.
Death Spinner, The Beast
Gaping mouth, multiple eyes
Chronological information
Tales of Deltora (mentioned)
Last appearance
The Glus, also referred to as the Death Spinner or The Beast, is the namesake of the Maze of the Beast and was the guardian of the Amethyst.
The origins of the Glus are still unknown, although there are theories. It is one of many different species of sea monsters that went to hunt on land (including the Kobb) and thus escaped the tectonic shift that joined the Land of Dragons to Pirra. A Toran folk song known as Little Enna is said to describe its origin. The song tells of the young girl Enna who finds a smooth stone that hatches a "sweet sea worm". When Enna shows the worm to her mother, she is terrified and commands her daughter to take the worm back to the sea. Enna is saddened and runs off, declaring that if the worm belongs to the sea then she does as well. While she is running a wave of water causes her to fall into a cavity in the earth. No one knows what happened to Enna, but many believe the sea worm eventually grew up to become the dreaded beast, the Glus, from the last lines of the song: "Since that sad day long years have flown, But still beneath the seething foam, Where Enna sleeps, The sea-worm creeps, and spins its webs of bone-white stone." It may be that the Glus is trying to protect Enna.[1]
Doran mentions the Glus in his book Secrets of Deltora.
Some time before the destruction of the Belt of Deltora, a group of pirates formed a base near the Maze of the Beast. They used the Glus as a way to dispose of captives and disobedient slaves. One such victim was the captain of a ship from Where Waters Meet. The pirates also lowered Ranesh into the maze by a rope so that he would know his fate if he disobeyed them, but pulled him out before the Glus devoured the helpless captain.
Later, when Ranesh escaped and met Josef, he told him of his experience with the Glus, which prompted Josef to add it to his book the Deltora Book of Monsters. He also speculated its origins, believing the answer lay with the Toran folk song "Little Enna".[1]
Lief saw a vision of the Glus when he touched the Opal. Later, he, Barda, and Jasmine were captured by pirates and tossed into the Maze of the
Glus sliding through its lair.
Beast with the pirate Milne. The Glus arrived almost instantly, causing Milne to panic and attract its attention away from the companions. They later stumbled upon it as it was feasting on the dead pirate, so Barda and Jasmine led it away while Lief searched for the Amethyst. Once he found it, he discovered a crack in the walls that lead to the outside. Barda and Jasmine returned, with the Glus following, but the three of them were able to enlarge the hole and escape. The Glus did not follow them, instead choosing to fix the hole and protect its home.[2]
The Glus was mentioned as one of the monsters that Lief, Barda and Jasmine could not fight when they were escaping from the Arach.[3]
Glus in the Maze of the Beast.
The Glus is a giant, slug-like monster with a bloated blue-white body, glowing stripes, a blood red mouth filled with teeth, and dozens of eyes. It has a stumpy tail that is tipped with a spike. Though the Glus has lots of eyes, it hunts by feeling vibrations through fine hairs on its underbelly, and despite its size, it can move surprisingly quick when it needs to.
The Glus captures its prey by spinning a milky, glue-like thread that hardens like cement when it dries. The walls of its home also leak this substance, since the Maze of the Beast is reinforced with the thread and the remains of its victims. If its prey stays still long enough, the substance hardens and leaves it easy prey for the Glus to consume at its leisure.[2]
The Glus is carnivorous eating anything that it can catch within its lair.[2]
The Glus spends most of its time roaming the Maze of The Beast, waiting for its next meal. Although its hearing and sight are weak,
Glus in its lair.
it is attracted by movement within the maze just as a spider is attracted to movement within its web. It tends to spit its glue at any movement, ranging from a pebble falling to a potential prey item. As soon as something has been confirmed to be food, the Glus will envelop the object in a tight cocoon of its glue, then devour its helpless prey. Although the Glus is not a particularly fast creature (though it will move with astounding speed in great need), all it has to do is follow its prey and wait. When enraged, the Glus can exhibit bursts of speed. To the Glus, its lair is more important than food, demonstrated when it sealed a hole that threatened to release water into its maze.
Even though the Glus is a natural creature, it caused the Emerald to dull.[2]
The Glus, as it appears in the anime.
In the anime, the Glus' design is changed somewhat. Its teeth are positioned in a ring around its mouth, which is much smaller, and its number of eyes have been reduced to two stalk-eyes. Its tail also has a ring of spikes surrounding the spiked tip. It also did not spin threads to trap its victims, but rather spat globs of its glue-like substance to trap its prey.
The Glus was also given new abilities it did not have in the book, such as rapid-healing abilities and an elastic body that can squeeze into tight crevices.
The Glus' interactions with the companions are changed somewhat. Lief does not receive a vision of the Glus like he did in the books, so he had no prior knowledge of the creature before seeing it. Lief also tried to battle the Glus in the maze using Jasmine's spare dagger, but the Glus was able to heal over the injury and continue to pursue them. When the companions retrieved the Amethyst and broke open a hole to escape, the Glus stayed behind to repair the damages like in the book. However, the damages caused the maze to cave-in and seemingly kill the Glus.
Interestingly, the characters refer to the Glus simply as Glus, as if that is its name rather than its species.
Supplementary books
Secrets of Deltora (mentioned)
The Glus' name is an anagram of the word slug.
The Glus is one of the few monsters that was never killed, defeated, or bested in any way. The protagonists merely escaped from it. The only other one that was never defeated was the Hive (which was bested, as the Lapis Lazuli was stolen from it). All other antagonists were defeated or bested in some way. However, it is seemingly killed in the anime.
It and the Hive are also the only major antagonistic creatures still at large in the Deltora timeline.
The glue-like substance that the Glus shoots out of its mouth bears resemblance to the silk a spider spins when catching prey, trapping it in the substance.
A possible reason the Glus was so intent on sealing the Maze after the companions escaped is because the water that flooded in from the blowhole shaft was salt water. Salt dehydrates slugs, causing them to dissolve.
↑ 1.0 1.1 Rodda, Emily. The Deltora Book of Monsters. Scholastic Australia. 2001.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rodda, Emily. The Maze of the Beast. Scholastic Australia. 2001.
↑ Rodda, Emily. The Isle of Illusion. Scholastic Australia. 2002.
Retrieved from "https://deltoraquest.fandom.com/wiki/Glus?oldid=58573"
Deltora
2 Marc McBride


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China is Tripling the Size of Its Marine Corps
August 29, 2018 Topic: Security Region: Asia Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: ChinaMarine CorpsMilitaryTechnologyWorld
A more powerful Chinese marine corps is also a threat to Taiwan, which has lived under the shadow of Chinese amphibious invasion for almost 70 years. However, it appears that the Chinese army would conduct major amphibious operations such as assaulting Taiwan, while the PLANMC would be tasked with smaller operations such as seizing small islands.
China is bulking up its marine corps.
China's People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps will only be a fraction of the size and power of the U.S. Marine Corps. But like their American counterparts, the PLANMC is becoming an expeditionary force to project Chinese power around the globe.
"I would argue that over several years, the PLANMC has been developing into a rapid response force that could be tasked with conducting a variety of expeditionary missions to defend China's overseas interests," Alan Burns, a China expert with the non-profit Center for Naval Analyses in Arlington, Virginia, told The National Interest.
A recent Pentagon report described the expansion of China's marine corps:
"One of the most significant PLAN structural changes in 2017 was the expansion of the PLAN Marine Corps (PLANMC). The PLANMC previously consisted of 2 brigades, approximately 10,000 personnel, and was limited in geography and mission (amphibious assault and defense of South China Sea outposts). By 2020, the PLANMC will consist of 7 brigades, may have more than 30,000 personnel, and will expand its mission to include expeditionary operations on foreign soil, as PLANMC forces are already operating out of the PLA's base in Djibouti. A newly established Marine Corps headquarters is responsible for manning, training, and equipping the expanded Marine Corps and, for the first time, the PLANMC has its own commander, although it is still subordinate to the PLAN. The PLANMC may also incorporate an aviation brigade, which could provide an organic helicopter transport and attack capability, increasing its amphibious and expeditionary warfare capabilities."
Burns believes the changes in the PLANMC's command structure, notably the establishment of a headquarters under a single commander, are particularly important. "Previously, the two Chinese marine brigades were subordinate to the PLA Navy South Sea Fleet. Now, the PLANMC commander will likely be subordinate to the PLA Navy headquarters directly, which indicates a significant increase in status and the evolution of the PLANMC into something greater than just one of five equal branches of the PLA Navy. This could indicate that the types of missions that Chinese marines are suited to perform are becoming a higher priority for Beijing."
Burns also points to the growing reach of China's marine corps. Since 2005, Chinese marines have been participating in overseas exercises with nations such as Russia and Thailand. Since 2008, they have been dispatched on several overseas missions, including anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and civilian evacuation in Yemen, as well as domestic earthquake relief in Sichuan province. The PLANMC is also moving beyond coastal operations, to include training in winter, desert, mountain and jungle environments.
"This indicates the expanded PLANMC will be used to conduct a variety of missions in a variety of environments far from China's shores and serve as the 'tip of the spear' on the ground," Burns adds. "Having a marine force that can conduct expeditionary operations is one part of Beijing's efforts to build a strong military appropriate for what Chinese leaders see as China's ambitions to be a maritime great power."
Inevitably, the question will be asked: is China's marine corps like the U.S. Marine Corps? But that's comparing apples and oranges. The USMC is a unique military institution: though technically under the control of the navy, it is a separate branch of the U.S. military. With 186,000 active-duty marines, the USMC is more like a mini-army (complete with its own private air force) that isn't that much smaller than the 475,000-strong U.S. Army.
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China's PLANMC are marines in the classical sense: a small force of naval infantry that are there to support the navy with missions such as capturing and guarding naval bases. With 30,000 marines and an attached helicopter brigade, the PLANMC is a formidable force as far as it goes, but hardly capable of the big operations of the USMC.
"While it looks like the PLANMC has increased in status beyond being one of five equal branches of the PLA Navy, it is still not likely to reach quite the position that the USMC has in the U.S. military," Burns says.
Image: Reuters.
The Chinese Military Report You Missed (But Need to Read, Now)
by Harry J. Kazianis


So much of the writing about lean focuses on waste reduction. That's great stuff, we want to make sure we aren't doing unnecessary work or producing waste. But, at least for marketing and sales professionals, that's not the real reason to start your lean journey. (I know I have some lean professionals groaning, but hang in there).
The real reason we want to focus on lean principles is they are the cornerstone to accelerating revenue growth—and isn't that what we're really about?
The first question we ask in applying lean principles is "Who is our customer?" The process of answering this means, we have to understand the problems we are the best in the world at solving and who has those problems? As a result, we focus all our marketing and sales efforts only on reaching those customers. We aren't diverted, chasing after customers who don't fit that sweet spot, who don't have the problems we solve, who won't produce revenue. These are the customers who will respond to our marketing and sales programs. Since they have the problems we are the best at solving, access is less of an issue, they are more likely to be eager to talk to us and engage us. The quality of our engagement process is much better. The quality of our pipelines is dramatically higher–our win rates skyrocket.
The second key question lean drives is "What do they value?" This refocuses our engagement process, it aligns us with their buying process, wasting no time on things that don't create value for the customer. Since we aren't diverted by things that are meaningless to the customer, every conversation and meeting focuses on value and helping the customer accelerate their ability to realize that value. Together, we focus on solving the customers' problems, we help them accelerate their buying process, consequently accelerating revenue generation.
Now, I've been pretty glib describing this. It's not easy to get to this point. It requires deep understanding of what we do well—not fooling ourselves, but being brutally honest. It requires deep understanding of markets and customers to determine this sweet spot. It commitment on the part of everyone in the organization in serving those ideal customers. It requires focus and sharp execution. Overlay this with the fact the world and are customers are constantly changing, so we're moving forward and our customers are moving forward.
So I don't want to paint an idealized or naive picture. None of this is easy, but the closer we can get to doing these things, then our marketing and sales efforts are much more effective and impactful. Our ability to generate more revenue much faster, skyrockets.
As marketing and sales professionals, we are constantly struggling with building the revenue generation engine. So to me, the reason sales and marketing professionals should be interested in implementing lean principles is they drive more revenue, faster than anything else we can do!
But there's more! Look at the derivative implications of this strategy. By not wasting time on prospects outside our sweet spot, by wasting time, resource and money on things that don't create value for the customer, we start reducing waste. Resource utilization skyrockets, as does the return on our investments in sales and marketing.
As a by product of leveraging lean principles to drive revenue growth, we are also eliminating waste. Bottom line–we've now started improving overall profitability! Who wouldn't be interested in this.
All of this hangs together in such a simple framework. It is hard for me to understand why we wouldn't immediately start to apply lean principles, focusing first on accelerating revenue growth.
Finally, as you start your efforts, remember lean is a journey–it's about constantly learning, improving , refining, adjusting.
My oldest friend is one of the four guys who pioneered the Six Sigma roadmap at Motorola in the 1980's. He's been a key leader in the development of "Lean". The impact of these principles in manufacturing, distribution, finance, etc. over the past few decades has been, and continues to be, extraordinary.
Gary reckons that the selling world is no less rich for these principles than other areas of business. As he and I have discussed over a beer or three, he would caution a couple of things.
– First, the Sigma world has too often become more about training and certification than about business impact, and that is just wrong. It's easier, but it's wrong.
– Second, it's about enabling and improving, not encumbering. In the selling world, it is way easy to put all sorts of measurements, requirements, processes and entanglements in place that impede the sales rep…instead of improving and empowering them.
You hit on elements that are on point for positive impact. They may be harder, they may require more rigor. But worth it.
Jim, I couldn't agree with you and Gary more, both about the challenges in the Six Sigma/Lean world and about the clarity drinking a few beers and staring out onto the lake brings.
While many lean practitioners would get upset, in too many of these efforts, whether Six Sigma or Lean, sticking to the purity of the tools, etc have crushed great improvement efforts.
I think the best way to implement Lean in sales and marketing is to never mention the word Kaizen, or utter a single PDCA, A3, or do a manufacturing simulation on Six Sigma (Gary will know exactly what I am speaking of). The principles are very clear, very easy for even sales people to understand there principles because they are so aligned with what our jobs are. We can help people apply Lean principles without encumbering them with Black Belt/Green Belt training and all the other stuff.
In our own consulting practice, we heavily leverage both Six Sigma and Lean tools. We just don't tell people. People understand process mapping and flow charts, they are comfortable with the concepts of problem solving, etc. So we take them through transformation and improvement processes, leveraging the tools as part of our practice, but not encumbering them with all the "stuff." Then after we've competed the project, they are seeing the results, we say, "Oh by the way, here are the tools we used, here's how you can use them to continue to improve and innovate.