text:
/*
 *  (C) 2016
 *  Booz Allen Hamilton, All rights reserved
 *  Powered by InnoVision, created by the GIAT
 *
 *  Endpoint.js was developed at the
 *  National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in collaboration with
 *  Booz Allen Hamilton [http://www.boozallen.com]. The government has
 *  "unlimited rights" and is releasing this software to increase the
 *  impact of government investments by providing developers with the
 *  opportunity to take things in new directions.
 *
 *  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 *  you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 *  You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *  http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 *  Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 *  distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 *  WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 *  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 *  limitations under the License.
 */

/* jshint -W097 */
/* globals __filename */

var processLink = require('./process-link'),
    logManager = require('../../app/util/logger'),
    appUtils = require('../../app/util/appUtils'),
    log = appUtils.getLogger(__filename);

/**
 * This module will register the process link with an endpoint.js instance
 * @param endpoint
 * @param linkName - the name of the first link to create
 * @module process-link
 */
module.exports = function(endpoint, linkName) {

    // Initialize the webrtc link inside Endpoint.js
    var linkType = 'process';
    var linkCreateFunction = function(instanceId, linkId, settings) {
        return processLink(instanceId, linkId, settings);
    };
    endpoint.getConfiguration().addCustomLinkType(linkType, linkCreateFunction);

    var link;
    if (linkName) {
        link = endpoint.getConfiguration().addLink({
            linkId: 'default-process',
            type: 'process'
        });

        // Add myself.
        link.addProcess(process);

        // If this process ends, before ending close the link
        process.on('exit', function() {
            link.close();
        });
    }

    log.log(log.DEBUG, 'Added Process link to endpoint instance: %s', endpoint.getInstanceId());
    return link;
};


The Walmart truck driver involved in a fatal crash that also injured comedian Tracy Morgan was speeding more than 20 miles over the speed limit at the time of the collision, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The freight truck was traveling at 65 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone at the time of the June 7 wreck on the New Jersey Turnpike, according to a NTSB report. The truck hit a limo van carrying Morgan and his entourage; Morgan remains hospitalized and another passenger was killed.
The driver, Kevin Roper, told police he had been awake for 24 hours at the time of the collision, according to reports. He was arrested and has pleaded not guilty to charges in the case. Electronic driver log information shows Roper was still within regulations, having driven just under 14 hours that day, the limit for commercial drivers.


text:
The Google Book Search Settlement: Ends, Means, and the Future of Books
James Grimmelmann Professor of Law, Cornell Law School
ACS is pleased to distribute an Issue Brief by James Grimmelmann, Associate Professor of Law, New York Law School, entitled "The Google Book Search Settlement: Ends, Means, and the Future of Books". Drawing upon his experience as a lawyer, technologist, and a member of New York Law School's Institute for Information Law and Policy, Professor Grimmelmann discusses some of the public interest issues that arise from the pending settlement (still subject to court approval) of a class action lawsuit involving Google Books. The background, as explained by the author, is as follows:
For the past four years, Google has been systematically making digital copies of books in the collections of many major university libraries. It made the digital copies searchable through its web site--you couldn't read the books, but you could at least find out where the phrase you're looking for appears within them. This outraged copyright owners, who filed a class action lawsuit to make Google stop. Then, last fall, the parties to this large class action announced an even larger settlement: one that would give Google a license not only to scan books, but also to sell them.
The author analyzes the lawsuit and settlement, examining what he perceives as the potential
benefits of the settlement--a unprecedented electronic backlist of American arts and letters, a substantial new revenue stream for authors and publishers, and a comprehensive new information resource for libraries--as well as its potential harms, including anti-competitive monopoly concerns and intellectual property concerns relating to orphan works. Professor Grimmelmann pays particular attention to the issues surrounding orphan works, "books under copyright but whose copyright owners cannot be found," describing how the settlement would authorize Google to start selling orphan works. Following his discussion of the settlement's substantive issues, Professor Grimmelmann discusses process concerns, arguing that as an issue that "substantially affects the interests of large swathes of the public," orphan works copyright issues are better addressed through legislation, not class action litigation. Professor Grimmelmann explains his view by stating:
The settlement tackles the orphan works problem, but through the judicial process. Laundering orphan works legislation through a class action lawsuit is both a brilliant response to legislative inaction and a dangerous use of the judicial power. Many of the public interest safeguards that would have been present in the political arena are attenuated in a seemingly private lawsuit; the lack of such safeguards is evident in the terms of the resulting settlement. The solution is to reinsert these missing public interest protections into the settlement.
Read the full Issue Brief here: The Google Book Search Settlement: Ends, Means, and the Future of Books

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Full Text for Pastoral Visits, part 2 (Text)
(!Tnurnr~tu wl1rnlngirul lInutqly Continuing Lehre und Wehre (Vol. LXXVI) Magazin fuer Ev.-Luth. Homiletik (Vol. LIV) TheoI. Quarterly (1897-1920)-Theol. Monthly (Vol. X) Vol. I December, 1930 No. 12 CONTENTS Page FUERBRINGER, L.: Paulus in Athen ....... ' ............. 881 ENGELDER, TH.: The Active Obedience of Christ ....... 888 GRAEBNER, TH.: Reformed Tendencies in Certain Amer- ican Lutheran Churches ............................... 897 'BERNER, E.: Abhaltung einer Gemeindevisitation ........ 902 ivruELLER, J. T.: Address on Rom. 14, 7-9 at the Memo- rial Service for Mr. Erling Teigen......... . . . . . . . . . . .. 911 STREUFERT, F. C.: Pastoral Visits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 916 Dispositionen ueber die von der Synodalkonferenz ange- nommene Serie alttestamentlicher Texte............... 920 Theological Observer. - Kirchlich-Zeitgeschichtliches. . . . .. 933 Book Review. - Literatur .................................. 953 Em Prediger muss nicht allein weiden, also dass er die Schafe unterweise, wie sie rechte Ohristen Bollen sein, sondern auch daneben den Woelfen wehren, dass sie die Schafe nicht angreifen und mit falscher Lehre verfuehren Imd Irrtum ein- fuehren. - Luthe'r. Es ist kein Ding, das die Leute mehr bei der Kirche behaelt denn die gute Predigt. - Apologie, Art. ~4. If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? 1 Oor.14, 8. Published for the Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States" , CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Mo., 916 Pastoral Visits. Pastoral Visits. Visiting a Prisoner. One of the saddest duties of a pastor is to minister to the spiritual needs of such of his members as are confined in penal institutions. We all agree that these unfortunates are in particular need of our spiritual ministrations. Such visits afford us an opportunity to speak not only of sin and its fearful consequences, but also of God's un- ending love and of Ohrist, our Savior and Redeemer. The prisoner behind the bars has had many hours, in many instances even days and years, for reflection. Quite frequently his former friends and even the relatives have severed all connections with him. He is indeed an outcast. Noone has an interest in his well-being, often not even his former pastor. Some of the penal institutions are served by a missionary especially called for this purpose or by the pastor living near by. Nevertheless a pastor should keep in close touch with such a prisoner, either by corresponding with him or, better still, by occasionally visiting him. A prisoner surely stands closer to his own pastor than to the city missionary, and the former no doubt is better qualified to look after his spiritual needs. True, some of the criminals are "hard-boiled," and all our efforts may be in vain, but the majority will bid you a hearty welcome and willingly accept your services. Permit me to adduce a personal experience. It was on a joyous Ohristmas Day, at 6 A. ~L, just before the opening of the service, when one of the deacons rushed into the vestry holding in his hand the morning's issue of the newspaper. In bold type across the top of the front page it was written: "Mr. R. killed Mrs. S., shot Mr. S., and then shot himself. Murderer not expected to live." Mr. R., though formerly a Lutheran, had long ago turned to evil ways. Only a few days before I had met him at the house of one of his friends. My first thought now was: If he still lives, is there any pastor to minister to him? What could I do to rescue the perishing soul? Such and similar thoughts filled my mind when I entered the pulpit and again when I left it. When the second service of that notable Ohristmas Day was ended, I forthwith went to the parents of the young man, with whom I was acquainted, too, to express my sympathy and to give them a word of comfort, above all, however, to ascertain what could be done to save the soul of that young man who was at the brink of death. Upon my question whether the son was still a member of the church, I was told that he long ago had forsaken His Savior, but that he had attended the Ohristian day-school at one of our sister congregations and that Pastor X. had confirmed him, that later he had been given to drink and had long ago turned his back to the church. Nevertheless I urged the mother to go forthwith to his former pastor and to tell him of Pastoral Visits. 917 all that had happened and that he was now lying in the prison hospital with a bullet wound in his head. Strange, the pastor refused to see him "because he long ago severed his connections with the church"! I offered my services and went to the hospital that same afternoon. There he lay on his cot. Though the bullet had torn away one side of his temple, he had regained consciousness. He immediately recog- nized me. "My friend, what have you done~" said I and then held up before him the mirror of God's divine Law, pleading with him to think of his confirmation day, then on his past life and the sins he committed, and to consider well that he had provoked God's wrath and displeasure. With feeble voice he murmured: "I am a poor sinner. What did I do? Pastor, pastor, is it too late? Will.r esus forgive me?" It is not necessary to state that I now presented to him the message of God's redeeming love, a love which is as high as the heavens, as deep and fathomless as the ocean, as wide as the universe and as everlasting as the ages to come. I pointed him to the case of David, who, too, had committed murder, but was assured of forgiveness by God's prophet when he showed himself a truly peni- tent sinner. For a long time this man hovered between life and death. In the first few weeks I came to see him every day. Gradually he re- covered. He was then transferred to the jail. For half an hour each week I was permitted to see "him, being locked up with him in his cell. Those were precious visits indeed. Each visit was a Bible hour and an hour of prayer. Three months had already elapsed since the ter- rible crime had been committed, and he had not been called for the preliminary hearing. True, he had been charged with assault to murder, which covered the lesser part of his crime against Mr. S. (who also recovered); but, strange to say, the records knew nothing of the murder he had committed. So one day, after a visit at the jail, I happened to meet the attorney who was to defend the young man. As we met in the corridor of the jail, I asked what chances his client might have on the day of his trial. "Sorry," said he, "no hope whatsoever. I see nothing but the gallows." I expressed my surprise that his case had not yet been called although nearly three months had elapsed and asked whether there was not a law in our State ac- cording to which a prisoner could demand his freedom if for some reason or other he had not been brought to trial within a certain time. The attorney admitted that there was such a law. Excitedly he begged to be excused to go down to see the records. In a few minutes he returned, stating that, if they failed to call him within ten days, he indeed had every right to claim his discharge. He was not called to trial until three weeks later. When the court was called to order, the case of Mr. R. was an- nounced. The attorney for the defense requested me to step up, so 918 Pastoral Visits. that I might hear the entire proceedings. After the usual preliminary remarks the attorney for the defense addressed the court, requesting that the client be discharged because he had not been called to trial within the specified time. When the judge asked how much time had elapsed, he was given the desired information. The State's attorney was taken by surprise and demanded a postponement of the trial to give him time to look into the matter. But what was I, his pastor, to do? It was no fault of the prisoner's that he had been forgotten in his cell and had not been called to trial. To say the least, these were trying moments for me. Just how must I properly advise him, so that, even should his life be spared, he might have a good con- science as long as he lived? I finally urged him to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, no matter what the ultimate result for him might be, and told him to be ready to re- ceive the extreme penalty. - This, too, was the substance of my dis- cussion with the attorney, whom I met a few days later. I stated, however, that in my opinion the judge might be requested to be lenient with the prisoner. I believed if the prisoner pleaded guilty of murder (with which crime, according to the records, he had by default of the State's attorney, not been charged), the court might be asked to inflict on him the minimum punishment for murder and strike out the charge of assault with intent to kill. In this way, in my opinion, the department of the State's attorney would forestall just criticism, while, on the other hand, the prisoner would have a good conscience for all time to come. Finally the day for his trial was set. I will never forget the moments as we stood before the judge - the prisoner and I in the center, the attorney for the defense to the left, and the prosecuting attorney to the right. The judge, it seemed, had carefully studied the case. It was evident that some one had failed to do his duty. The judge asked the prosecuting attorney as to his intentions in the case pending at this time. As he shrugged his shoulders, the attorney for the defense begged leave to submit a statement. "Your Honor," said he, "the Rev. F. O. S., here present, pastor of the client, has a solution, I believe, for the problem confronting us. Will His Honor permit him to submit his opinion?" "The reverend gentleman may speak," said the judge. Thereupon I briefly stated that I had been in close touch with the prisoner from the day when the crime was committed until that hour; that I at all times had felt it to be my duty to impress upon him the seriousness of the crime committed by him and to advice him to plead guilty and be prepared to suffer the extreme penalty; that I, however, believed that His Honor might be lenient in his verdict if he pleaded guilty of murder inasmuch as the prisoner had not been properly called to trial and therefore, accord- ing to law, was at least entitled to such leniency. If it would please Pastoral Visits. 919 the court, I would suggest that, if the prisoner plead guilty, His Honor inflict the minmum punishment for murder and strike out the charge of assault with the intent to kill which is pending. The prosecuting attorney consented, and the judge ordered the prisoner "to be taken to his cell and the reverend gentleman be closeted with him to induce him to enter his plea of guilty and upon conclusion of their deliberations to return to this court." The prisoner and I were led away. Being alone, I explained to him what it all meant. His first question was: "Pastor, do you think that it will be the right thing for me to do?" He did not for a moment think of denying his guilt in court, - no, he was ready to admit everything, - but it was not clear to him what "minimum punishment" meant. He was convinced that he deserved nothing less than the gallows. I again urged him to tell the whole truth and to plead guilty; but the outcome of the trial, I said, was in the hands of God, who according to His unbounded wisdom governs everything in human affairs; also the heart of the judge, I added, was in His hands. Being satisfied that he was not burdening his conscience by his plea of guilty, we informed the clerk that we stood ready to re- appear before the judge. Half an hour later the plea of guilty was entered, and the verdict was: "Remanded to the State Prison at J. for a term of from one to fourteen years and the other charge of assault with intent to kill stricken." I felt it my duty to visit him once each month at the state prison. How grateful he was to see me, especially as his wife, his relatives, and his friends had turned away from him. How strange that some- times even some of the Ohristians of whom we should expect it least resent any effort on the part of their pastor to win the souls of such outcasts! But we know that there is joy in heaven over even such criminals if they repent. This criminal was truly penitent. He daily read Das walte Gott! the book of devotions collected from Dr. Wal- ther's writings. His Bible and his prayer-book were his constant com- panions. On good behavior he was released after seven years and four months. At a time of a serious riot at the prison he valiantly stood by the prison authorities and thereby reduced his term considerably. How necessary such visits at the penal institutions are everyone can readily see that has made an attempt to minister to the spiritual needs of any of his flock confined there. While I was seated at a table with a prisoner under my spiritual care, a prisoner on the other end of the table whispered to me, "When you get through with your man, will you see me, too?" I did. Then he, who was a stranger to me, said, "Pastor, you do not know me, but I know you. About five years ago you preached at our church at a mission-festival. I never forgot what you said, not even your text." And he mentiollAd it, With 920 SDis\Jofitionen tibet dne 5erie altteftamentHd)et ste&te. tears in his eyes he then related that at one time he had been a good member of his church, attending the services fairly regularly. He then spoke of his downfall; he had pilfered money from letters at the post-office. He was sorry for his deeds; indeed, he was on the verge of despondency, so that even the thought of doing away with himself and "ending it all" had entered his mind. Yet a few Bible- verses that he remembered had always given him strength to over- come the temptation. "But I can hardly bear it any longer. All have turned against me - my family, my friends, and seemingly also my pastor. I never saw him since I was committed to jail; I never re- ceived a word or letter from him. Oh, how it would cheer me to re- ceive only a card!" And in that same strain he continued. I gave him ample time to unbosom his heart, and I listened attentively. This gave me an opportunity to diagnose his case and to ponder which remedy I might offer him from "God's Medicine Ohest," which is so complete that it has not only one specific, but remedies for all the sorrows of a troubled soul. I pointed out to him that his misdeeds were sins indeed, with which he had offended his Lord and God and given offense to his church, his family, and his friends, and that he deserved the punishment he was suffering now. Yet he should not despair. Though all had seemingly turned against him, he still had one Friend whose love never grows cold, who was always ready to receive him and always willing to listen to his prayer. And as to his pastor, he surely remembered him in his prayers. Would his pastor not welcome a line or two from him in which he would express his regret for his misconduct and for the offense given ? No doubt he would then write to him or even come to console him. - Before I bade him farewell he was visibly cheered, and he requested me to call on him at my next visit to the penal institution. Let us remain in contact with such unfortunate prisoners and do all in our power to save their souls. Fortunate is he who need not wend his way to the prison door to look after such erring sheep. Ohicago, Ill. F. O. STREUFERT. @ " , ,!)i~.p.ofitiuueu iUiet bie l.JUU bet ES~uubIlIfuuferelt~ Ilugeuummeue ESerie IlItteftllmeutIidjet ;r:e~te+ ~fftef Sonntag im m:bbent. ~ 1- 24. Weue£l st!irdjenjafjr, neue ~erie. 2Hier nidjt neue .2efjre, f onbern ba£l ane @:ibangeIium, ba£l ber unberiinberIidje


When the chill of winter abates and you start seeing green as the signs of spring emerge, you know it's time to give your yard a little tender loving care. Use this checklist to make sure you get a head start on all your lawn and landscaping care.
Take a look at your bushes and trees, checking them for any winter damage or signs of disease.
Prune any damage branches, or hire a professional landscaper or arborist.
Test your soil pH if you haven't done so in a few years, making sure that it's well-balanced and has all the nutrients your plants will need. Your state agricultural extension office may do soil testing, or you could ask a professional landscaper.
Spring is an ideal time to consider weed control. By applying a pre-emergent weed control product, you can hinder or eliminate the growth of weeds like crabgrass. Looking for the perfect time to apply crabgrass killer? Watch for the forsythia to reach full bloom, and you'll know it's time.
Check over your irrigation system thoroughly for any damage or wear. When it's warm enough, turn the system on to make sure it's working properly and see if it requires maintenance. An irrigation company or landscaper can also perform this task for you.
Provide fertilizer for your lawn if needed. This is where your soil testing comes in handy, helping you decide if and when you may need to add fertilizer.
Prior to embarking on lawn fertilization, it's important to check with your local extension office and find out if your area imposes any restrictions on what kind and what amounts of fertilizers you may apply, or when you're allowed to apply them. A licensed lawn care company will be familiar with all city, state, and federal rules regarding lawn care.
Before fertilizing, find out what type of grass you have, so you can learn the best time of year to apply fertilizer for your particular type of grass. Some grasses need to be fertilized in the fall rather than the spring, and others should be fertilized in June.
Be sure that the fertilizer you choose addresses the nutrient needs of your particular soil, based on the testing you've done.
Consider the use of organic materials such as compost for some growing applications. Such natural fertilizers will help build the soil and improve its condition.
If choosing a store-bought fertilizer, it's usually ideal to use a controlled-release fertilizer or a slow-release fertilizer for optimum absorption. This avoids loss of nutrients to the environment as well.
When applying commercial fertilizer, it's crucial to know what size your lawn is, and follow the directions exactly. More is definitely not better when it comes to your lawn too much fertilizer can damage your lawn. Even if it doesn't, it's a waste of money to over-fertilize. Using too little is also not desirable, as you'll likely be disappointed with the results, and may lead to soil erosion or soil runoff.
Don't forget your bushes and trees! All plants, whether it's grass, trees, lawn, or your garden, can be helped with the proper slow-release fertilizer. Apply the fertilizer prior to laying down your mulch.
Clean up your planting beds by tearing out old annuals and weeds, and rake out any leaves or other garden debris. When the bed is clear, use an edging tool to create neat borders around the beds for a clean look.
To keep roots moist and protected and to add a neat appearance to your garden or landscaping, add an inch-deep layer of mulch around your trees and in your plant beds. Keep the mulch away from the tree trunks to prevent rot.
Over time, the mulch will break down and become part of the soil. You may need to add more mulch over the years. Make sure the mulch layer never builds up to more than three inches deep.
By performing these springtime tasks (or having a landscaping company perform them for you), you'll keep your lawn, garden and landscaping in top shape, and have a yard that your neighbors will envy all summer long.


Then press 2 for GLO special data The 1.2GB data is valid only for 3 days. You can use the data to browse and download files such as sofware, games and other things. It can be renewed multiple times. 9mobile and GLO plan are similar Comparing both plans, the difference here are the data capacity and sim selectivity Glo offers more data volume of 1.2GB for N200, unlike 9mobile that offers 1GB for the same price but it's Sim selective. Glo special data plan is available for all subscribers, be it old or new sim (3G or 4G sim). The data can be used for all apps, any device, even on PC. This is one of the best offer coming from Glo.


text:
Good News for Marketers: Snapchat Ads Now Have 3 Major Targeting Options
Snapchat used to be the one social media platform on which users could enjoy freedom from advertisement bombardment. Then a few ads here and there started popping up. The reason Snapchat wasn't immediately flooded with ads and struggled to gain traction with advertisers was because brands didn't feel it was worth the cost considering there was limited targeting and no analytics to prove the ads were working. Snapchat was only ever used if someone had extra to spend in their marketing budget—they were experiment ads. Until this last year, Snapchat has stayed true to its belief in avoiding "creepy advertising"— the type that follows you around and watches your every move during your daily online life. While Snapchat has not gone so far as that as others like Facebook have done, they have implemented new ad targeting options to work within Snapchat. Snapchat ads will now be targeted and relevant rather than the previous random ads.
When Snapchat first began its advertising, ad targeting was limited to age, gender, and location. While it was better than no targeting at all, it just didn't work. Not every 20-year-old girl is interested in cooking, and not every 23-year-old guy is interested in sports gear. That's because people who are the same age and gender don't all have the same interests. To target ads better, you need to know things like their demographics, socio-economic background, and interests—ultimately, you have to get creepy about it.
Why are Snapchat Ads Turning to the "Creepy" Strategy?
It all started when Snapchat decided to monetize themselves. It began with having sponsors and turned into displaying random general ads. Since more than 100 million people use Snapchat to watch 6 billion videos daily, Snapchat would appear to be a great platform to jump on. Even though Snapchat ads cost a lot to run, they still weren't getting enough money to be a steady source of income due to the fact advertisers weren't convinced it was working. Prior to the money, Snapchat's founder declared that he believed targeted ads to be "creepy" and wouldn't be used on Snapchat's platform. That was the case until it became clear they would need to implement better targeting and analytics in order to keep the money coming in. The more targeted they can make an ad, especially with solid data like an email address, the more money they can make from advertisers. Following Snapchat's policy changes at the beginning of the year, they are now working to find a balance between pleasing their advertisers without scaring away their users with a breach of privacy.
Why Target People at All?
While this is news for Snapchat, targeted ads are the norm for most platforms. These days, people may not even think twice about the creepiness of the ads; they'll be more annoyed at seeing them all together as it disrupts them momentarily throughout their Stories and Discover channels. Targeting is also important for ads because it's more inviting rather than forceful. The person is at least seeing an ad for something they might potentially be interested in.
How is Snapchat Targeting Their Ads?
Branching beyond targeting only age, gender, and location, Snapchat ads can now target things like people's behaviors, types of videos they watch, what categories they follow, and similarities amongst other Snapchat users. They do limit their level of "creepiness," however, by limiting their tracking within Snapchat only and not outside the platform. Its 3 new ad targeting options include: Snap Audience Match, Lookalikes, and Snapchat Lifestyle Categories. At the moment, there is no option for users to restrict Snapchat's targeting. Targeted ads can run anywhere from people's Stories to their Discover channels.
Snap Audience Match
The biggest targeting feature that will excite marketers the most is the Snap Audience Match, which will anonymously target users based on an email address or mobile device ID. Based on their current collection of emails or mobile device IDs, brands can match that data to that of Snapchat's to retarget their customers with more ads.
The Lookalikes method is an algorithm that links users together based on their similarities. Thanks to other platforms like Facebook, brands can know exactly who their customers are, from their income to what movies they like. Using this information, they can find others on Snapchat who have similar interests and lives and target them.
Snap Lifestyle Categories
The third feature, Snapchat Lifestyle Categories, looks at what categories of videos users tend to watch. For instance, if one user tends to watch a lot of food-related videos, food-related brands would begin to target them with their ads.
So Is All This Targeting Good News or Bad News?
Marketers are excited, but users are already getting frustrated. Many Snapchat users would admit to not even watching the entire 10 seconds of the ad; they skip it after 3. However, that doesn't mean businesses shouldn't use Snapchat ads at all in their marketing strategy. The problem is that these types of ads are new and barely tested. New platforms take time to understand before effective ads can be written. So don't shy away from Snapchat ads. Now that it provides the targeting ability, this platform should be explored and conquered. Just know your audience and utilize the features Snapchat has to offer an ad campaign.


text:
· Legislators' decision to change the teachers' pension is based upon Novy-Marx and Joshua Rauh's analysis, among others, that uses the Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) fiscal guidelines (for private sector plans) rather than the Government Accounting Standards Board's (GASB) financial criteria used for public pensions (Manhattan Institute for Policy Research).
· Unfunded liabilities are "the gap between existing plan assets and the present value of benefits accrued by plan participants." FASB calculates unfunded liabilities using a "riskless discount rate" tied to Treasury obligations rather than a diversification of investments used by GASB.
· A "riskless rate" yields less than 4%; a diversified approach, using private securities, would yield 8-9% over the long-term. Using a private-sector 'discount rate' adds billions of dollars to the unfunded liabilities total (Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, April 2010).
· The size of unfunded liabilities "does not give a full view" of the State's pension fund. Unfunded liabilities are amortized over 40 years in Illinois; using a "riskless rate" to calculate fund liabilities does not reflect the amount that the State and local governments need to deposit in their pension funds (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).
· Pension funds should be "based on a blend of expected rate of return on a fund's existing and expected assets and the rate of return on high-quality municipal bonds" (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).
· As markets and economy improve, so do the assets in the pension funds. "Since June 30, 2009, a date in which many recent studies on the financial condition of State pension trusts are based, investment returns have rebounded sharply – nearly 25% higher since then" (National Association of State Retirement Administrators, NASRA).
· Note: "State and local government pensions are not paid from general operating revenues but, rather, from trusts to which retirees and their employers contributed" (NASRA).
· "State and local retirement trusts accumulate and pay out assets over decades, and as such, have an extended investment horizon" (NASRA).
· Legislators who claim that the pension system is "unsustainable" most likely have used outdated information, "particularly at the low-point of the market recovery [June 2009]" (NASRA).
· Legislators need to examine and analyze the long-term investment strategies of public pensions using GASB standards and not the short-term FASB guidelines that are tied to Treasury Bonds; they also need to use current available data for their policy decisions!
The TRS Pension Is Sustainable
The numbers to focus on are the amounts TRS pays out in pensions and benefits in a year. During the last fiscal year, TRS paid out $3.9 billion in benefits, but collected $6.8 billion in revenue, more than enough to meet current obligations (Will Lovett, Illinois Education Association).
The total value of TRS assets continues to improve. At the end of FY 2009, the TRS fund held $28.5 billion. At the end of FY 2010, the TRS fund held $31.3 billion. It currently holds $37.3 billion. That's a 23.6 percent increase in less than two years (IEA).
· "First six months of the fiscal year (July 1, 2010), the rate of return on TRS investments was 15.8 percent… Since 1982, however, the average rate of return is 9.83 percent…
· It's important to note that TRS and its investments and contributions from its membership will continue to accrue principal and interest over the remainder of a teacher's life as long as unused equity exists…
· [Nearly 75 percent of TRS is funded through TRS investments and membership contributions; the state contributes approximately 25 percent] (Bob Lyons, TRS Trustee).
· In March, TRS received its full statutory contribution from Illinois for fiscal year 2011…
· Any dialogue about TRS and other public pension systems being 'underfunded' is misleading because it refers only to the retirement system's long-term 'unfunded liability'…
· TRS has always carried an unfunded liability: an unfunded liability is the payments that will be made to both retired and active teachers in the future, subtracted from TRS's total assets…
· TRS currently has total liabilities of $77 billion and an unfunded liability of $39.8 billion. While the media frets about the unfunded liability, the total amount is never due all at once…
· Why is the unfunded liability a concern for the State? [Because no matter what financial guidelines are used, the higher that number gets], the higher the State's annual contribution to TRS and the other pension funds must be" (Topics & Report, TRS, Spring 2011).
Other factors indicative of TRS pension plan's health
· "The length of the funding amortization period
· Required current and future contribution rates
· [TRS's] demographics and actuarial assumptions
· The sustainability of [TRS's] design and governance structure
· The fiscal health of [TRS] and its commitment to continue to fund its pension [along with the State's commitment to fully fund the pension in the future]" (NASRA).
Posted by gbrown at 7:58 PM No comments:
Labels: pensions
Should We Blame the Teachers' and Other Public Employees' Pensions for the State's Budget Disaster?
What is the purpose for publishing a list of Teacher Retirement System's recipients who receive over $100,000 a year (a small fraction of the total retirees) when, in fact, the average TRS recipient receives a pension of approximately $43,000 a year? Is it an attempt to deceive the public through a faulty cause-and-effect understanding of the State's budget deficit? "Despite oft-repeated claims to the contrary, the primary cause of the state's pension funding woes have very little, if anything, to do with the [minority of] overgenerous benefits, high employee head counts or inflated costs," (The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability).
Should we remain indifferent to the continuous allegations, fallacious arguments, and attempts to change the public employees' constitutionally guaranteed benefits and rights by law firms, organizations, individuals and legislators such as Sidley Austin LLP; The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Civic Federation, National Taxpayers United of Illinois, Pension Fairness for Illinois Communities, Pension Tsunami, the Illinois Policy Institute, the Chicago Tribune; and people such as Joshua Rauh, Robert Novy-Marx, R. Eden Martin, Jim Tobin, Senator Chris Lauzen, Representative Michael Madigan, Representative Tom Cross and others?
Is it wrong to enrage part of the public and to deceptively place the culpability elsewhere? Does it seem fair and reasonable to exacerbate some people's blind and misdirected anger by fallaciously claiming that the pension systems are the cause for the State's chronic budget deficit? Is it because some people do not want teachers and other public employees to have a pension?
Consider this: the teachers' pension was originally established to keep college-educated people working in a difficult and stressful job without the higher salary, benefits, and bonuses commonly rewarded to comparably-educated workers in the private sector. Jim Mosman of the National Council on Teacher Retirement states: "Teacher defined-benefit pensions are smart, effective tools to help keep teacher recruitment and retention costs as low as possible, providing modest, dependable retirement security at about half the cost to taxpayers of other pension models" (National Institute on Retirement Security).
According to the National Institute on Retirement Security, "The over $175 billion in annual benefit distributions from pension trusts are a critical source of economic stimulus to communities throughout the nation and act as an economic stabilizer in difficult financial times. Recent studies have documented public retirement system pension distributions annually generate over $29 billion in federal tax revenue, more than $21 billion in annual state and local government tax revenue, and a total economic impact of more than $358 billion" (Pensionomics: Measuring the Economic Impact of State and Local Pension Plans).
Why are teachers' pensions the blame for the State's financial quagmire when Illinois legislators have consistently failed to fully fund the Teachers Retirement System for decades but, instead, have diverted its "constitutional and obligatory" contributions to other "operating expenses" and "special" interests? TRS has depended mostly upon income from its own responsible investments and its contributions from its membership throughout these years. "The majority of these trust fund monies – 72 percent for the period from 1982 to 2008 – are made up of employees' contributions and investment earnings" (US Bureau of the Census, "State and Local Government Employee Retirement Systems").
Consider that Illinois has not paid its annual pension bill in full for decades and has used reverse compounding as well: "A pension plan's obligations are determined in part by the expected investment return on its assets. In the case of Illinois, that is 8.5%. So for every dollar not added to assets in time, the state is effectively borrowing from the [TRS] pension plan at 8.5% interest" (Business Week).
How many billions of dollars has the State of Illinois saved by not paying what the teachers' pensions should have rightfully received? According to Bob Lyons, a TRS Board Trustee, "It is a number that could be debated, but our staff determined that since 1953, the State has saved $14,842,226,632 by not paying what the actuaries calculated we should have received. We have been the State's credit card."
What is the blame for the State's budget disaster? The State's antiquated revenue system. "The State's failure to make its required employer contributions to the five pension systems can be traced to one, simple cause: a state fiscal system that is so poorly designed for decades failed to generate enough revenue growth to both maintain service levels from one year to the next and cover the state's actuarially-required employer contribution to its five pension systems" (Charles N. Wheeler III, Director of the Public Affairs Reporting program at the University of Illinois Springfield).
Posted by gbrown at 12:31 PM 2 comments:
Labels: brown favorites, IL politics, pension analyses, pensions, social justice, teachers' letters
An Implicit Goal of Some Illinois Legislators Is to Ultimately Destroy the Teachers' Pension and the Teaching Profession
Teachers were stunned last spring when Senate Bill 1946 passed in less than 12 hours. "It is estimated that [the Teachers' Retirement System's new] Tier-Two benefits will be 30 percent less than benefits for Tier-One teachers, if the final average salary and creditable service time for both are equal" (Illinois Education Association, IEA).
Furthermore, teachers retiring with "10 years of service credits under [the] Tier Two [plan] would actually earn more benefits from Social Security" (IEA). Besides other egregious changes to the teachers' pension, with the creation of a Second-Tier, teachers hired after January 2011 cannot receive their pension benefits until they are 67 years old: this would be the highest retirement age in the nation!
What could be the effects if Senate Bill 105 proposed by Senator Chris Lauzen, et. al. and HB 149 proposed by Representative Tom Cross, and other pension bills are passed in the future? Even without discussing the third incongruous part of this fire-breathing Chimera, which also includes a Tier-Three Defined-Contribution option, presumably, many young teachers will not continue to work in Illinois or lose their desire to teach.
Students across Illinois will be deprived of receiving an excellent education from the best teachers available, and they will become the unintended victims of this legislative charade. Teachers in the Tier One pension plan will also lose an essential financial resource needed for pension sustainability -- perhaps the unstated objective for those legislators who want to challenge the Pension Protection Clause. What's more, the "best and brightest" teacher candidates will not major in education. These young aspirants will find other professions that value their passion and competency.
There will be a teachers' shortage in Illinois (and elsewhere) if attacks on teachers' pensions and their profession continue. The teaching profession, as we know it, will be in jeopardy in the future.
Posted by gbrown at 7:52 AM No comments:
Labels: brown favorites, IL politics, pensions
(Bob Dylan's protest song asked each of us nine questions. Here's nine questions about Illinois pension systems):
Can the pressures of a State's budget deficit morally justify the destruction of a retiree's promised pension after he or she contributed to it for 32+ years?
Why are the public employees' pensions the blame for the State's financial difficulties when the State has consistently failed to pay its portion for decades by choosing to divert its "constitutional and obligatory" contributions to other "operating expenses" and "special" interest groups?
Why are some legislators (and wealthy businessmen) willing to sacrifice public employees and retirees through fallacious reasoning and indifferent greed?
How is it a "Shared Sacrifice" when some governors can roll back the billionaire's and millionaire's taxes and then lacerate a State's school budget and then (attempt to) diminish a public employee's pension and benefits?
Is it true that the State-funded pensions are less expensive for Illinois taxpayers than Social Security?
Is it true that Illinois taxpayers have saved hundreds of millions of dollars per year by not paying Social Security payroll taxes for active employees in the five-State-managed plans?
Is it true that disbursements from retirees of the State and local government have a significant and enormous impact on jobs, incomes, tax revenues, and industries across the State of Illinois?
Is it true that Defined Pension Plans represent a moderately small share of overall State spending in Illinois, except perhaps when the State attempts to pay back what it owes to its public pension systems?
Could it be that besides the oligarchic relationship among some legislators, corporations and their investment firms are also behind the "push" for Defined Contribution Savings Plans because they will net billions of dollars as a result?
Posted by gbrown at 9:07 AM 1 comment:
"Math class is tough"
--Barbie
Sure it doesn't add up:
countless camping and skiing trips with Ken,
swimming and skating parties without danger,
dancing and shopping engagements
with Midge and Skipper
like an infinite summer vacation.
Nothing here hints at a dull math class
for integral Barbie and her complex playmates!
Even her curvaceous body
proves mathematically impossible.
She's an isosceles bimbo
with the whole greater than the sum of her parts.
Just bend her at an obtuse angle,
press her into her pink Porsche
and watch her scud across miles of linoleum
or catapult down the stairs.
You'll know that her appeal
is an equation of Euclidean beauty and speed.
She doesn't need school.
She was created to multiply
fantasy by freedom in every young girl's mind.
Why be upset when Barbie says,
Math class is tough?
You can always add for her –
the numberless accessories
to her expression of the American dream.
"Euclid and Barbie" was originally published in South Coast Poetry Journal.
Labels: brown favorites, poems
Thank you, Senator Sandack, for taking the time to meet and talk with me regarding the teachers' pensions, even though I do not live in your district. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. As you are well aware through my e-mails to you, public pensions and the State's budget deficit are extremely important issues to me and to thousands of teachers across Illinois.
Please allow me to reiterate and to partly revise what I had stated in a previous letter to you and to other legislators: I believe that both active and retired teachers and the state of Illinois have "an enforceable contractual relationship" (Article XIII, Section 5, The Constitution of the State of Illinois) that originates when teachers first begin contributing to the pension system (The decision of the Illinois Supreme Court case, Felt v. Board of Trustees…1985); I believe that any state cannot pass a law "impairing the obligations of contracts" such as ours (Article I, Section 10, The Constitution of the United States of America).
I want to believe in a just system, in the rule of law and in promises to keep. I want to believe that these attacks on teachers' pensions are not some ugly political games played by legislators who know that they have everything to gain by ignoring the antedated court cases regarding the Pension Clause so they can inevitably say to their voters "that they at least have tried to challenge its constitutionality by sending it through the court systems." I want to believe that there is no "Shell" bill or a late amendment to an existing bill that will blind-side all of us the way SB 1946 did when it passed the House and Senate on March 24, 2010 in less than 24 hours. In other words, I want to believe that there will be no attempt to pass a "law impairing the obligations of contracts" (Article I, Section 16, The Constitution of the State of Illinois) and that the legislators of Illinois will make an ethical decision to create the needed revenue to meet the State's constitutional obligations without jeopardizing the futures of thousands of teachers and their families, though that belief is contingent upon whether the elected officials of Illinois will be responsible, moral, intrepid, and just and uphold both the Constitution of the State of Illinois and the Constitution of the United States of America.
Let me close with these personal questions for you: do you want to become one of the senators who helped save the teachers' pension from a flagrant injustice, or one of the senators who destroyed every teacher's promised future? Do you want to become a "former senator" who abandoned and ruined the lives of our children's greatest resources, their teachers, or a senator who is credited with safeguarding public education in Illinois by protecting and honoring a most important commitment that was made to one of our children's most important influences? I am looking forward to hearing from you again, and I hope I may also, as you said to me in our meeting, "address a committee of legislators" in Springfield on May 4th.
Posted by gbrown at 10:08 PM 1 comment:
Labels: brown favorites, IL politics, pensions, teachers' letters
"The teachers' pension was originally established to keep college-educated people working in a difficult and stressful job without the higher salary, benefits, and bonuses commonly rewarded to comparably-educated workers in the private sector" (Bob Lyons, TRS Board Trustee).
State and Local Government Pensions
"Retirement systems remain a small portion of state and local government budgets" (National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA).
"Public pension plans are not in crisis… State and local government retirees do not draw down their pensions all at once" (NASRA).
"Public employees share in the financing of their pension, which in many cases is in lieu of Social Security" (NASRA).
"Pension dollars help the economy of every jurisdiction" (NASRA).
"Long-term investment returns of public funds continue to exceed expectations" (NASRA).
"State and local government retirement systems do not require, nor are they seeking, federal financial assistance" (NASRA).
The Illinois Pension Clause and the Courts
"Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any unit of local government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired" (Article XIII, Section 5 of the Illinois State Constitution).
In other words, "The Pension Clause not only makes a public employee's participation in a pension system an enforceable contractual relationship, but also constitutionally protects the pension benefit rights contained in the Illinois Pension Code when an employee joins a pension system, including employee contribution rates" (from the Abstract for "IS WELCHING ON PUBLIC PENSION PROMISES AN OPTION FOR ILLINOIS?" AN ANALYSIS OF ARTICLE XIII, SECTION 5 OF THE ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION by Eric M. Madiar, Chief Legal Counsel to Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton and Parliamentarian of the Illinois Senate).
The decision of the Illinois Supreme Court case, McNamee v. State of Illinois (1996): "The Illinois Supreme Court 'consistently invalidated amendments to the Pension Code where the result is to diminish benefits' to which State employees acquired a vested right when they entered the pension system" (former Appellate Court Justice, Gino DiVito, in a letter on behalf of Governor Quinn, April 13, 2010).
Illinois Pension Specifics
*There are 87,961 retired teachers in Illinois (November 2010).
*Teachers and administrators contribute 9.4% of salary every year of employment.
*Eighteen pensions (0.02%) are between $200,000 and $250,000, [all retired administrators].
*One hundred-and-fifty-three pensions (0.17%) are between $150,000 and $200,000, [primarily administrators].
*There are 1,985 pensions (2.26%) that are between $100,000 and $150,000, [mostly administrators].
*There are 33,885 pensions (38.52%) that are between $50,000 and $100,000.
*There are 51,920 pensions (59.03%) below $50,000 (IEA).
*Of those 51,920 pensions, 17,269 are less than $20,000.
*The average statewide TRS monthly annuity after 29 years teaching is $3,565.
*TRS members DO NOT receive Social Security benefits for their years as an educator. Their sole retirement is their TRS.
*The state saves billions by not having to pay into Social Security, which private employers must do; teachers also pay a monthly premium for their healthcare (TRS).
"Teacher defined-benefit pensions are smart, effective tools to help keep teacher recruitment and retention costs as low as possible, providing modest, dependable retirement security at about half the cost to taxpayers of other pension models" (Jim Mosman of the National Council on Teacher Retirement, National Institute on Retirement Security).
Defined Benefit Plan (TRS) Defined Contribution Plan (401K, etc.)
Guaranteed benefits Benefits based on investment earnings
Lifetime benefits Benefits end when account is exhausted
Survivor and disability benefits part of the plan Not part of the plan
Encourages stable workforce Allows for portable assets
Investment fees paid by retirement system Investment fees paid by member
(Illinois Federation of Teachers)
The Source of the Problem in Illinois
ü Illinois has not paid its annual pension bill in full for decades but has used reverse compounding: "A pension plan's obligations are determined in part by the expected investment return on its assets. In the case of Illinois, that is 8.5%. So for every dollar not added to assets in time, the state is effectively borrowing from the [TRS] pension plan at 8.5% interest" (Business Week).
ü "For this current fiscal year, $700 million of the State's payment to TRS represents "normal cost," the amount determined by the actuaries necessary to fund the pensions of current teachers. [In addition,] over $1.4 billion was required to make up for what Illinois did not put into the fund in the past"
(Bob Lyons, TRS Board Trustee).
ü TRS has depended mostly upon income from its own responsible investments and its contributions from its membership throughout these years: "The majority of these trust fund monies – 72 percent for the period from 1982 to 2008 – are made up of employees' contributions and investment earnings"
(US Bureau of the Census, "State and Local Government Employee Retirement Systems").
ü "Indeed, at the time of the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention, the State pension systems were no better funded than they are today"
(from the Abstract for "IS WELCHING ON PUBLIC PENSION PROMISES…").
ü "The State's failure to make its required employer contributions to the five pension systems can be traced to one, simple cause: a state fiscal system that is so poorly designed for decades failed to generate enough revenue growth to both maintain service levels from one year to the next and cover the state's actuarially-required employer contribution to its five pension systems" (Charles N. Wheeler III, Director of the Public Affairs Reporting program at the U of I, Springfield).
Conclusion: "If the Teachers' Retirement System and the other four pension funds had received the required funds from the State of Illinois, then the systems could have invested the funds and grown the assets, so that today's total unfunded liability of over $85 billion would instead be a small fraction of that amount. Then pension funding would be a non-issue in Illinois" (Bob Lyons, TRS Trustee).
(More info: http://www.ieanea.org/media/Myths-and-Facts-About-Our-State-Funded-Pensions-2010.pdf)
Dear Senator Ronald Sandack:
Do your parents or grandparents live with the assurance of a pension? I believe that you would not steal that promise from them if they did. I also believe that you understand the importance of trust among individuals and the pension systems into which they have elected to participate. However, there are some ugly facts I fail to understand.
I do not understand why the state of Illinois has underfunded its contributions to The Teachers' Retirement System for decades and has used this money as if it were its own private savings account. I do not understand why our elected officials have not competently and responsibly managed the retirement systems to which they were entrusted but fund other special-interest and on-going programs and services instead. I do not understand how our past-and-present state officials have failed to generate enough revenue to meet the state's fiscal obligations; nor do I understand how "pension borrowing" and "pension holidays" are fair to retiring teachers who believed they would have a promised and sound financial future. Is it not true that "the level of [teacher] benefits is modest, comparable to national averages of public employee retirement systems…? The cost of benefits is not only in line with other states, it's less than the private sector" (Anders Lindall, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31).
Furthermore, I do not understand how public officials running for Illinois office can make promises that they will not keep once elected. I do not understand how many of our public officials in both the House and Senate, and who have never taught in a school, can pass a bill for a Two-Tier Pension System without the input of Illinois educational leaders and discussion of the absurd, inevitable, and adverse effects it will have on Illinois students and teachers alike. "The $80 billion of debt the state owes for pension benefits already earned remains unchanged by this bill" (Steve Preckwinkle, The State Journal-Register, April 4, 2010). Lastly, I do not understand why the teachers' pension is being blamed for years of state fiscal irresponsibility, incompetence, and corruption.
I taught in public schools for 35 years. My pension is all I have to live on now. Like other teachers, I never missed a contribution to my state retirement plan. I never received any bonuses either, and my school district never matched my contributions to my 403b. Like other teachers, my Social Security benefits are next to nothing. Incidentally, "Illinois taxpayers save more than $700 million per year by not paying Social Security payroll taxes for 78 percent of all active employees in the five state-managed plans, including all public school teachers" (Preckwinkle).
I believe that teacher retirees and the state of Illinois have "an enforceable contractual relationship" (Article XIII, Section 5, The Constitution of the State of Illinois); I believe that any state cannot pass a law "impairing the obligations of contracts" such as ours (Article I, Section 10, The Constitution of the United States of America).
I want to believe in a just system, in the rule of law and in promises to keep. I want to believe that there will be no attempt to pass a "law impairing the obligations of contracts" (Article I, Section 16, The Constitution of the State of Illinois); I want to believe that the state of Illinois will make an ethical decision to create the needed revenue and meet its obligations without jeopardizing the futures of thousands of teachers, and that belief is contingent upon whether the elected officials of Illinois will be competent, responsible, honorable, intrepid, and just.
You are too young to remember this song by Simon & Garfunkel; nevertheless, the first few lines are: "Why don't you write me/ I'm out in the jungle/ I'm hungry to hear you..."
Do you think there should be Taxation of Retirement Income and changes in other pension benefits even though there are many Appellate and some Supreme Court cases that have ruled that "pension benefit rights [for public employees] cannot be diminished or impaired by the legislature"? Explain.
Dear Glen:
There needs to be reasonable changes to our public pensions as they are now totally unsustainable and insolvent by any definition of the term. Go-forward benefit changes, reasonable ones, for new days worked does not impair nor diminish past earned benefits. Benefits already earned for past services certainly should not, and cannot, be lessened.
Presently, I do not favor taxing retirement benefits but that may become necessary if reasonable changes are not implemented to our public pension systems. Constantly taxing our residents is not a reasonable solution-- plan changes, again reasonable ones, must occur. Thanks for writing.
Dear Ronald Sandack,
But what are you basing your beliefs on? Isn't media evidence incomplete, biased, and fallacious? Do they include the recent recoveries in equities, for example? Isn't there significant data contrary to the belief that public pension plans are in a crisis? Despite the State's underfunding of the pensions, TRS, for instance, is doing all right because of contributions from its members and its investment strategy of long-term diversification. We know that its unfunded liabilities have also fluctuated throughout its history.
Rauh's report has been proven wrong. What do the Government Finance Officers Association, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, and the National Association of State Retirement Administrators say about his findings? Most of the misinformation out there about "the public pension crisis" is slanted and out of context. Shouldn't the research come from actuarial science and public finance journals where the information is properly scrutinized by experts and not by charlatans? Isn't one of the assumptions about this crisis that governments will fund only earned benefits? Is it realistic that state and local governments will contribute nothing to amortize past pension liabilities?
Are some people assuming that the costs of defined-contribution savings plans will be lower than defined-benefit plans? Wouldn't the transition costs be exorbitant? What about the "Pension Clause" and all the antedated court cases that upheld it? Wouldn't this litigation be useless as well? Do you really believe that the current public pensions are more expensive than the private sector? Explain.
Why go after public employees anyway? Doesn't that seem unjust to you? Do you believe that the current benefit structure is the primary contributor to the current pension crisis, or is the main culprit the State's inability to fund its pension systems according to actuarial principals? What should be done about this without threatening teachers and other public employees? Consider this: aren't retirement systems a small portion of State and local government budgets? And doesn't the money paid to retirees come out of pension trust fund assets and not out of the general operating revenues? Aren't the public employees an important source of economic stimulus to communities across the State because of these benefit distributions? Teachers do not and cannot receive Social Security. Consider Social Security and its costs for Illinois taxpayers: is a State-Funded pension more expensive for Illinois taxpayers to afford than Social Security?
Indeed, we have a State budget deficit because of an antiquated revenue system; because of wasteful spending, tax breaks to special interest groups, deregulation and the encouragement of State debt. We also have a budget deficit because of a previous Market downturn and loss of revenue due to the recession, unemployment, property devaluation, foreclosures, and bankruptcies. We know why TRS and other State pensions are unfunded: past General Assemblies and governors have not honored the 1970 constitutional obligation to fully pay the money owed to the TRS pension but use that money instead as a "private savings account" and that the real problem is not benefit levels, which are found to be average nationally, but the debt accrued and lack of state revenue.
Nevertheless, we also know that unfunded liabilities would be a serious problem if all State and local employees retired simultaneously, but that is not going to happen. What is going to happen is that State employees will continue to contribute to their pensions and there will be a growth in assets because of long-term investments, even though legislators will probably continue to default on their promise to fully fund these pensions and continue their attacks on public employees' and retirees' benefits and rights.
Teachers and other public employees are tired of being scapegoats for the financial mess created by the private sector and past legislators.
Glen:
Yours is a voluminous treatise-like response which I am happy to reply to face-to-face. I have spent considerable time and effort to think through all aspects of the public pension situation in Illinois. I am happy to share my thoughts...and hear yours. Call my legislative assistant Barb Finn (number below) and we'll talk at my Dist. Office when I am not in Springfield about good policy development in the public pension arena. Regards.
Posted by gbrown at 1:30 PM 4 comments:


Sarah & Wes were married this past Saturday at Heritage Bible Church in Greer, SC! We had a blast doing their engagement photos back in November (which you can view HERE), and I was so excited to get to photograph their beautiful faces again at their wedding! This was such a fun wedding because I know Sarah and Wesley from college! It was so great to see people I know and some of my former professors at the wedding. But more than that, it was so great to see Sarah & Wes so happy to be married!
My favorite thing about this wedding is definitely their sweet first look! Scroll down to see Wesley's priceless reaction to seeing his bride for the first time. Sarah was radiant, and Wesley couldn't have been more excited! I loved photographing them because they are so much fun and so in love. Heritage Bible Church was the perfect setting for their wedding. The church grounds are beautiful, so we were able to capture all of their photos in the courtyard or the woods beside the church! Not only that, they have a roomy reception hall, so we didn't have to travel at all for the wedding!
Sarah chose the most beautiful navy dresses for her bridesmaids, and the groomsmen looked sleep in gray. Sarah and Wes had such a beautiful ceremony, and since they are both musicians, there had to be singing! Wesley's best man and one of Sarah's bridesmaids sang Dan Forrest's arrangement of "And Can It Be" while Sarah and Wesley participated in a sand ceremony. I loved hearing their beautiful voices again after being out of choir for a couple years! I know Sarah and Wesley will be making music together and with their friends for years to come!
Be sure to check out these awesome vendors who made this wedding possible!


Google is doing the slowest rollout ever. Unlike the previous updates that took only a few days to finish rolling out, Google Panda 4.2 will probably take several months. Google explained that the rollout is taking so long due to "technical reasons", but clarified that it's not meant to "confuse people".
The slow rollout may affect websites page by page. Panda 4.2 is a site-wide action, but it might not have the same impact on every page of a specific site. According to Google, more than 200 signals are affecting site rankings—and the algorithm is just one of them.
Those who've been hit by the current update might need to wait for months until it has finished rolling out, and then wait until Google does the next update. Google said the best way to see if you've escaped Google Panda is to isolate your Google organic traffic and see if there are big changes. Google advises those who've been hit to build a high quality site as well—packed with unique, relevant, and factual content.
In September this year, Google Panda 4.2 seems to have taken a U-turn, with Search Engine Land's Barry Schwartz reporting that the update has been possibly reversed. He saw that the sites that have previously seen improvements saw their gains wiped out overnight. Now if you're wondering whether the rollout of the latest Panda 4.2 update is over now, it's not. Gary Illyes recently confirmed that Google Panda 4.2 is STILL rolling out—and the SEO community can expect it to continue for quite some time, as Google initially announced.
For marketers, SEO companies, and webmasters, there are still many questions unanswered, especially with Google seeming to become more and more secretive when it comes to communicating their algorithm updates. In addition, the earlier updates allowed SEO marketers and decision makers to accurately identify whether or not the respective changes have affected them, making it possible for them to react. Now, with the updates taking too long and Google remaining mum, things are becoming more challenging for marketers and decision makers. There's no clear differentiation between updates anymore, and it's more difficult to know when an update has started in order to determine whether a particular site has been affected or not.
Since Panda first hit the web in 2011, its purpose was to make sure sites providing valuable content, not just SEO-optimized content, rank high in search results. This means that the most effective strategy to keep your traffic strong and rankings high remains the same: create high quality, original, and accurate content that's better than what's already out there. It's important to look at search engine updates on an analytical level, too, rather than solely focusing on producing quality content. Marketers and decision makers must also measure and identify the impact of these updates. Now if you're unsure just how to manage and implement all of these solutions, you need the expertise of C1 Partners—the SEO firm that knows the ins and outs of the algorithm best. Our Denver SEO experts put a premium on quality content, and are skilled enough to help you create a site that deserves to be on the page 1 of Google. Get in touch with us today.


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Before 1995, when the Crescent City Farmers Market made its debut, public markets had all but disappeared from the streets of New Orleans. But the tradition is making a comeback, here and throughout the region. In recent years, we have helped develop or mentor several local and regional farmers markets. Please help support public markets and the communities that host them.
Arts Market of New Orleans Palmer Park, S. Carrollton and S. Claiborne Ave. New Orleans. Last Saturday of each month 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Camellia City Farmers Market Robert Street and Front Street, Slidell. Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 12 noon.
German Coast Farmer's Market East Bank: Ormond Plantation, 13786 River Road, Destrehan. Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon West Bank: 13969 River Road, Luling (0.7 miles north of I-310 exit) Wednesday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Gretna Farmers Market 300 Huey P. Long Avenue (between 3rd and 4th), Gretna. Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Harrison Avenue Marketplace 801 Harrison Avenue, New Orleans. Every second Wednesday of the month, 5:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Kenner Farmers Market La Salle's Landing (2115 Rev. Richard Wilson Drive, Kenner) Saturday 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The Marketplace at Armstrong Park adjacent to the main entrance leading in to Louis Armstrong Park, 901 N. Rampart Street between St. Ann and St. Phillip; Thursdays 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Vietnamese Farmers Market 14401 Alcee Fortier Boulevard, New Orleans. Saturday, 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.


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The "NO-CHOKE" Control/Slip Lead from Groomers Helper (groomers helper.com) prevents the "choking" of pets by using the same proven principals of the company's patented Grooming Loop. It features an emergency quick-release buckle as an added safety feature and even has different use options for both brachycephalic and older "trach" dogs.
Up Country ( upcountryinc.com) offers more than 100 collar designs, including seasonal and holiday patterns in a variety of sizes. The ribbon collars are made from high-tensile strength nylon webbing with sewn-on stain and fray resistant polyester/nylon ribbons. All hardware is cast, not welded brass, for extra strength and it is made in the USA.
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The Revol Dog Crate from Diggs (diggs .pet) is a patent-pending, collapsible crate that is designed more ergonomic, simple to use, stylish and safer than other wire crates. It's easy to set up and easy to collapse, and has two doors, three access points and wheels for easy transport.
The Safety Mate gate from Primetime Petz ( primetimepetz.com) is a tension-mounted gate that expands to fit openings from 24. 5 to 41 in. Made from solid wood with a quick-release, one-handed latch, it features a two-way swing with double-locking system. It comes in a knockdown package that takes up very little shelf space.
Emerald Pet's ( emeraldpet.com) Fresh Smileezz All Natural Grain Free Dog Dental Chews freshen breath with parsley, dill and mint. The firm, chewy texture, deep ridges and wide shape surround the entire tooth for deep cleaning while coconut oil and kelp reduce bacteria.
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It is unreasonable and can be costly if you run to the doctor's office every time something is wrong with your body. You probably know someone who goes to the doctor a lot because they have a sniffle or sneezed one too many times. But there are times when a doctor is necessary for you to get better. There are a number of signs and symptoms that can indicate that you need to visit the doctor. If you are concerned about whether you need to make an appointment you can call your doctor's office and see if they want you to come in.
If you have the cold or flu and it is accompanied by a fever, you may want to consider calling your doctor. High fevers, anything at 100 degrees fahrenheit or above can be dangerous and leave permanent damage if left untreated. If medicine has been taken and it has not helped it is definitely time to see your doctor. If it is accompanied by vomiting, hallucinations, or sweating you may even want to consider a trip to the ER depending on the severity of your symptoms.
If your cold hasn't improved after several days of taking medication, it is time to call the doctor. Most diseases have a natural healing cycle. Take hemorrhoids for example. Many people who have them will ask, how long does it take for hemorrhoids to heal all the way. This is because they do not disappear instantly. There is a process that takes time. Depending on what it is, it will have a different length of time. If there is no improvement for anything, cold, cough, hemorrhoid, or even acne, talk with your doctor.
There are a lot of reasons as to why you have serious reactions but it is a good rule to use, if you are having bad reactions you need to take a trip to the doctor. It could be something you ate something and started vomiting non stop, you will want to go to see a doctor. You may have started a new medication and you are super dizzy or you start having a really bad rash. These are signs that your body is having a severe reaction to the medication. If you or someone you know goes unconscious, stops breathing, or exhibit signs of a heart attack, a trip to the Emergency Room is necessary.
It is safe to say that anything with blood could be a good time to visit the doctor. If you are bleeding heavily from you arm, leg, or chest area it is a good time to make an appointment. Vomiting blood is a sure sign of something more serious going on with your body. Women who experience long and heavy menstrual cycles should also make a visit to your doctor to see if something else is going on inside you.
Everybody will experience pain in life. It is part of the human condition. But pain that is constant, dull, and sharp needs to be addressed. It could be back pain that is so debilitating that you have to take time off of work. Or maybe it is pain that is located to a muscle that is painful to move everytime. There are a lot of different reasons why you could be in pain. A trip to the doctor will help you diagnose and find the root of the cause. Stop trying to treat your symptoms, the pain, and take care of the actual problem so you can live a pain free life.
When did you not go to the doctor and regretted it later on? Share with a friend or comment below to start the conversation.


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Ridderkerk is a small town, yet it is a site of archaeological interest with evidence of human dwellings dating as far back as 10,000 years. Only 15km away is the major city of Rotterdam which has a strong maritime history, a historical shipyard and many museums. Have fun freely touring around the region at your own pace, enjoying the drives between your destinations. With a car hire from Sixt in Ridderkerk you can make the most of your time on the road in the Netherlands. Drive in comfort, style and ease with Sixt rent a car!


At RateDumpster, we strive to bring you the best service at the best price available. We have a wide selection of dumpster sizes in stock in Mesa, ID, with flexible & timley pickup and delivery. Give us a call today for all your dumpster rental and roll off needs.
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Travel related, the main source of economy and it's experiencing some sort of down turn in the recent occasions. Recession would be the main reason with regard to decreased amount of visitors to Guam and alter in the climatic conditions adds to the idea. Why is the planet of the point out suffering really serious effects of pollution? The answer can be none other than this careless manners of residents of the point out i.age. improper discretion of the garbage.
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Larger dumpsters are also offered as a next-day Large Dumpster For Rent in Mesa, ID and they require virtually no additional getting time. They could be positioned in some sort of designated spot chosen with the homeowner or maybe by the employed remodeling organization. These dumpsters are large enough to handle huge amounts of spend such as is experience during a large renovating job that will need the removal of older cabinets in addition to flooring. Local trash collection cannot handle the excess waste involved in some sort of construction undertaking and a Large Dumpster For Rent in Mesa, ID is essential. A Large Dumpster For Rent in Mesa, ID works because it can be used as all types of waste and resources such as shattered glass, alloys and pockets which can be thrown straight into one waste receptacle. This is particularly convenient since it saves occasion that would be required for sorting in addition to separating recyclables. Hiring a dumpster is also convenient mainly because it saves effort and time that would be required to break down bigger items straight into small enough measurements to bag and set out by the street.
The move off storage containers available at these types of Large Dumpster For Rent in Mesa, ID companies are attached with wheels and can handle large tons of spend and are meets for large initiatives like structure, house remodelling, yard cleaning. By getting a dumpster for your waste disposal needs, you will be set free from dangerous conditions and can get your waste disposed on affordable charge.
Finally, once you are finished using the rented dumpster, a phone call to the rental organization for a pick-up is essential. All corporations have various rental periods, in addition to knowing the length of time allowed for a rental is imperative to know before making a payment.
Before you go on the internet and to a Large Dumpster For Rent in Mesa, ID internet site, try and perform a rough formula on how much will coming out of the dwelling, so that you can get the right-sized dumpster. If you rent engineered to be too small you will get to have it removed, emptied, next brought back. This will likely cost some thing extra. Get one that's too big and that's a complete waste of space and money. Most Large Dumpster For Rent in Mesa, ID corporations will do their finest to help you evaluate your waste and recycle load.


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Q: Last content is remain in TinyMCE I use TinyMCE as Html editor in a ASP.NET application. I insert some text in editor and save in database. When I go to the page to insert some new text, the text in last step still remains in editor.
Why last content remains in TinyMCE, even in different .aspx pages? How I do clear the content?

A: Simply should remove autosave from plugins

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Albert Sutton was born in Victoria, British Columbia, on June 6, 1867, but grew up in Portland, Oregon. After attending Portland's public school system, he studied for two years at the University of California. After his time in Berkeley, he became a draftsman for the Southern Pacific Railroad for three years, working on bridges and buildings associated with the railroad. Sutton moved to Tacoma in 1888 during the city's early boom years and formed a partnership with James Pickles. Together, they designed several commercial buildings in Tacoma including the Sprague Block (1888); the Sprague Building (1980); the U.S. Post Office (1889); the Abbot Building (1889); the Uhlman Block (1889); the Baker Building (1889); the Wolf Building (1889); the Joy Block (1882); the Berlin Building (1892); the Dougan Block (1890); and the Holmes & Ball Furniture Co. (1890). Outside of the city they designed the Wilson Hotel (1890) in Anacortes. The size of their buildings may vary a little in scale and bulk but they all follow a similar aesthetic and observe design elements from the Romanesque Revival style which was in vogue at the time. For reasons unknown, the practice dissolved in 1893.
Sutton then formed a short-lived partnership with Ambrose J. Russell from 1893-1895. After his partnership with Russell ended, he moved to San Francisco where he worked mostly with Charles Peter Weeks. The firm of Sutton & Weeks was established around 1901 and lasted until 1910. After this venture, Sutton moved back to the Northwest and opened a practice in Hood River, Oregon. He also operated a ranch outside of town. In 1912, he formed a partnership with Harrison A. Whitney of Portland, but maintained his residence in Hood River until 1916 when he returned to Portland. In 1918, Sutton returned to Tacoma to establish a Tacoma office of Sutton & Whitney with Earl A. Dugan as associate. As a prominent member of the architectural community, Sutton was a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) as well as a Mason. He suffered a sudden heart attack in Tacoma on November 18, 1923, and died at the age of 56.
During this later phase of his career, the firm of Sutton & Whitney designed some of Tacoma's most prominent buildings. Projects include the National Bank of Tacoma Building (1921), the W.R. Rust Building (1920), Scottish Rite Cathedral (1921), Annie Wright Seminary (1924), campus of the College of Puget Sound (1923-1924; renamed University of Puget Sound in 1960), and numerous residences. A comprehensive architectural survey of all dwellings, institutional buildings and business blocks was conducted in 1927 by a committee of prominent Washington State architects for the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The survey was the first of its kind attempted in Tacoma. The committee presented awards to exceptional projects. Sutton & Whitney, as the architects of many of the chosen projects, received the more awards than other Tacoma firms.
The highest Honor Award was given to the National Bank of Tacoma for combining "a simple, direct, well-thought out plan with a well-proportioned and dignified exterior expressed in lasting materials and carefully studied and skillfully executed in every detail." The College of Puget Sound and Annie Wright Seminary also received Honor Awards. The committee was quoted in the Tacoma News Tribune that the two "are very good examples of Tudor collegiate architecture. It is refreshing to note the restraint observed in the design of these dignified groups of buildings. The beauty of these designs depends largely in the composition of the masses, the scale and grouping of the windows rather than in the elaboration of meaningless detail." All together, Sutton and Whitney received eleven awards from the committee for work ranging from commercial buildings to residences and schools.
"Death of Albert Sutton, Architect" Pacific Architect & Builder - Dec 1, 1923.


Our senior managers drive our business forward. They set and meet strategic goals, while leading and developing their teams to enable everyone to reach their full potential and exceed our customers' expectations.
I joined Morgan Sindall in 2014 following 10 years with my previous employer, a major London-focused developer.
In my career at Morgan Sindall, I have moved from a specialised role as Pre-Construction Director to starting up a new business unit in Slough which has now grown to cover the Thames Valley. Our decentralised model allows me and my team autonomy to run our business, meaning we can adapt to the needs of customers; it also enabled me to progress quickly within my business unit.
Building a team and seeing it flourish is an amazing thing. Above all, I enjoy the people part of my job – I love identifying talent, particularly talent no-one else has spotted, and developing it.