text:
Ethical Fashion Fashion
Vivienne Westwood Clothing or Not!
Can you spot Viv?… By the face?
Vivienne Westwood was born in Derbyshire, England in 1941. Her father was a shoemaker and her mother a cotton weaver. When she was 16, her family moved to London and Vivienne attended the Harrow School of Art. After spending just one term there, she left to become a primary school teacher. She met her first husband Derek Westwood in 1962 got married to him. They had a son Ben. In 1965, she met Malcolm McLaren who became her partner in fashion as well as life. Vivienne Westwood is known as the most eccentric and influential of Britain's fashion designers. Every season, she puts out on the runway the most amazing and spectacular clothes. Her Logo is a royal ORB with a cross on top, bejewelled and impressive as befits the Queen of British fashion.
In 1971, Vivienne Westwood started a shop with her husband called "Let it Rock" on London's trendy Kings Road. She would spend all night stitching rock-inspired clothes, visiting punk clubs and grunge bars. Three years later, the couple opened another boutique called "Sex", selling pornographically printed T-shirts and garments with sexual slogans printed on them. In 1977 they changed the name of their boutique to "Seditionaries" and sold garments with a bondage look made of leather. Three years afterwards there was yet another change of name to "World's End" and Vivienne introduced her Pirate collection, including frilly shirts and romantic swashbuckling styles. It was very successful.
In 1982 Vivienne Westwood introduced the first collection bearing her own name which proved very popular. Her collections were called Buffalo, Savage, and Punkature. A year later, she gave a fashion show in Paris, the first British designer to do so since Mary Quant in the 60's. People remember it as one of the best shows ever, but chic Parisiennes were horrified by the riotous behaviour and punky London garments. The collection was called "Punkature".
When her relationship with McLaren ended, Vivienne Westwood's shops closed but her talent could not be kept down. She opened a studio in London's Camden area. In 1984 her new collection was called Hypnos and was the first sports collection with fluorescent fabrics on the catwalk. Other collections included crinoline, tweed, Greek drapery and fig-leaf tights.
Vivienne Westwood won her first British Designer of the Year award in 1990 and then a second one the year after. In 1992 Vivienne Westwood was also awarded an O.B.E. and went to receive it from the Queen in a see-through blouse, and a skirt which when swirled around displayed her lack of underwear. She shocked the world.
July 31, 2008 ByThe Butcher
PRPS Jeans + Zimbabwean Cotton
There has been much talk on Kitmeout recently about the questionable nature of Zimbabwean cotton and whether the fashion indistry should be supporting the country's corrupt government by using Zimbabwean cotton to produce contemporary denim brands. PRPS is perhaps one of the most high profile brands using Zimbabwean cotton to produce its denimwear. Should brands be using Zimbabwean cotton or not?
Founder Donwan Harrell grew up in North Carolina and Virginia and experienced the simpler things in life. He came from a logging and hunting family and appreciated the clothes that were worn for these jobs. There was always form and function to every detail in the garment. No room for luxury expenses, a product with a purpose.
"Authenticity is our first priority". Each item in the collection is conceived with a specific purpose and function in mind. Before fashion, PRPS is designed to be worn and utilized. In the pursuit of delivering perfect garments to the most discerning denim enthusiast, no detail is overlooked.
The PRPS product sees the world after the cotton is harvested in Africa; it is shipped to Japan and woven into denim cloth. PRPS denim is woven on vintage Levi's shuttle looms that are wholly unlike the mass, projectile looms commonly used around the world today. The cloth is woven in small batches with the signature purple selvedge- the clean, bound edge on the fabric. This process is much slower and deliberate, produces less material and more waste, but the end result is denim that is superior in durability, texture and touch.
Jeans enthusiasts regard the distressing and aging process with the utmost importance. Some of the styles are put through a very aggressive aging process, and the end results are as natural and authentic as possible. Every stain, nick and prick or abrasion is painstakingly produced by hand, to replicate real wear and age. No two pairs of PRPS jeans are alike. PRPS signatures include 5 different shanks on each button fly, camouflage or other contrast pocket bag lining.
PRPS repeatedly references a wealth of detail from the worlds of authentic military uniform, work wear, and hunting apparel. "We are continually in the research and development process; from taking note of a painter's stains, to observing wrinkles on a mechanic's knees. Our constant pursuit is authenticity in the perfect pair of jeans".
"We stand behind the quality and longevity of each jean. While they may be bruised they will never be broken".
Dr. Denim Jeans
Dr. Denim Jeansmakers is about passion; about loving what you do. This attitude has characterised generations of entrepreneurs in the Graah family. The story of Dr. Denim Jeansmakers starts in 1986 when Johannes and Alexander visited a denim factory for the first time. The pace, the smells and the large amounts of garments and denim laid the foundation for ideas around a new jeans brand, which started taking shape around 1994. During the hot summer of 2003, things got serious. Dr. Denim Jeansmakers was established by Morten, Johannes and Alexander Graah, resting on a combination of extensive denim industry experience and academic excellence. In 2004, the first collection was unveiled, and the brand is now available in stores across 24 countries world-wide.
This gets Dr. Denim Jeansmakers going
The Fuel: creating the perfect jeans
The Fuse: people wearing the jeans proudly
The Engine: knowledge
The Wheels: the Graah family
The Pimp: setting all artistic impulses free
The Joyride: daring to have fun. Trusting intuition
Maharishi Clothing x Wu-Tang
Here the mighty Wu-Tang perform and RZA wears Maharishi Lightning God embroidered Snopants & T-shirt. Maharishi is one of those extraordinary brands which polarises the fashion scene. It's a little known fact that Kitmeout was the first website to offer Maharishi online back in 2000 via the NIRO MK store.
On the Wu-Tang front, rumour has it the guys are suing an unnamed company for making fake Wu-Tang Red Monkey jeans.
Fabulous 300 by Walé Adeyemi
There has been a lot of talk on Kitmeout recently about the whereabouts of Wale Adeyemi. Well it appears the guy is in the USA promoting a new brand, Fabulous 300.
Fabulous 300 brings you the Rolls Royce of street wear, a premium and progressive clothing brand for innovative and forward thinking individuals who seek to create an impact by the clothes on their back.
The man at the helm, UK Creative Director Walé Adeyemi makes sure the Fabulous 300 Collection adorns the wearer with the privilege of being one of the exclusive 300 to rock each Limited Edition garment. With only 300 of each style available worldwide, Fabulous 300 is implanting its exclusivity in the market place and giving the wearer access to an elite crew of luxury street wear leaders.
It seems the days of graffiti bandanas is confined to history!
Louis Vuitton Luggage
Is the fashion world's current obsession with camoflage a reflection of a injured world. Here's Louis Vuitton's attempt to jump on the bandwagon:
With Monogramouflage, Marc Jacobs and Takashi Murakami have made their mark on a new creative landscape: camoflage. In this highly original canvas, designed by the Japanese artist, the Monogram motif appears on a forest background. The collection features luggage, city bags and small leather goods.
Comme des Garçons
For its first retrospective in Mainland China, Comme des Garçons didn't delve into its archives of avant-garde fashion. Instead, the Japanese label converted 5,300 square feet of gallery space into a maze of iconic Comme des Garçons print matter — corporate images, magazine advertisements and invitation cards — from the past 25 years.
"Printed matter is a crucial part of expressing the spirit of Comme des Garçons," Adrian Joffe, the company's managing director and the husband of creative director Rei Kawakubo, told WWD before the exhibit's opening this month.
Fashion Rocks
Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and Rihanna will perform at the fifth annual Fashion Rocks concert celebrating the relationship between music and fashion.
The event will be held Sept. 5 at Radio City Music Hall, and will air in a two-hour special on CBS the following night. Proceeds will benefit Stand Up to Cancer, a program established by the Entertainment Industry Foundation to raise money for cancer research.
Also performing: Keith Urban, Chris Brown, Kid Rock, Fergie, Lil Wayne and the Black Eyed Peas.
"Fashion Rocks uniquely celebrates the intersection of two of the most sexy cultural paradigms: fashion and music. This year, we have a spectacular lineup of talent and performances that will take the show to a whole new level," Richard Beckman, president of Conde Nast Media Group, which produces the event, said.
D&G Dolce & Gabbana
Following perhaps years of speculation, D&G Dolce & Gabbana take a tartan exploration. Whether tartan has the potential to become a part of mainstream fashion only time will tell.
Established in 1985, Dolce & Gabbana is one of today's leading international luxury goods groups. The two founders, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, have always been the creative and stylistic source of the two brands, Dolce & Gabbana and D&G Dolce & Gabbana, and the originators of a growth strategy based on balanced development and focus on the core business. The Group designs, produces and distributes high-end clothing, leather goods, footwear and accessories under the Dolce & Gabbana and D&G Dolce & Gabbana brands. Through a series of licensing agreements, it also produces and distributes fragrances and eyewear for the Dolce & Gabbana and D&G Dolce & Gabbana brands and timepieces and jewels for the D&G Dolce & Gabbana brand. Continuous growth over the years has given the Dolce & Gabbana group a solid base, and paved the way for further expansion. In addition to being the sole owner of the two brands, the Group is also wholly responsible for the management and control of the three business divisions: Production, Distribution and Licences. The Group has direct control over the entire value chain, from creation to sale, for both brands, with the exception of products under licence. Manufacturing operations are headed by Dolce & Gabbana Industria S.p.A., which operates the two production facilities, in Legnano and Incisa in Val d'Arno.
The wholesale distribution in Europe of the Dolce & Gabbana and D&G brands is managed by the head offices from Milan. The directly operated stores are controlled by DGS S.p.A in Italy and by local companies, reporting directly to Dolce & Gabbana S.r.l., throughout the rest of Europe. The monitoring of foreign markets is carried out by the subsidiaries in New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong, which, entirely controlled by Dolce & Gabbana S.r.l. co-ordinate the management of retail and wholesale distribution in their respective territorial areas. With specific reference to the Chinese market, the Hong Kong branch operates directly on the territory via local structures in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Taipei. In addition, branches in Rome, London, Paris, Barcelona and Düsseldorf have recently been opened for the distribution of the D&G Dolce & Gabbana brand.
Also with the fiscal year 2006/2007, which ended 31 March 2007, the Dolce & Gabbana group confirms the positive growth trend of the last few years, registering significant increases in its main business and financial aggregates. Wholesale revenues – of Dolce & Gabbana and D&G Dolce & Gabbana brand products achieved by the Group and licensees – reached 1,554.3 million euros, a growth of 35% with respect to the previous year. The figure includes revenues, equal to approximately 200 million euros, from sales of the new Motorazr V3i Dolce & Gabbana, the fruit of a special co-branding project between Dolce & Gabbana and Motorola. For the same period, the consolidated revenues of the parent company, Dolce & Gabbana Luxembourg S.Ã .r.l., came to 1,050.9 million euros, representing a growth of 30% with respect to the previous year; the Ebitda increased by 30%, reaching 298.8 million euros; while the Ebit grew by 31%, standing at 213.4 million euros; net income amounted for 149.7 million euros, with an increase of 38%. Again as of 31 March 2007, the Group has an overall workforce of 3,140 units and a directly managed distribution network comprising 93 stores and 11 factory outlets.
Longchamp x Jean-Luc Moerman
Celebrities and fashionistas joined Longchamp managing director Jean Cassegrain and Belgian artist Jean-Luc Moerman Monday night to help the French accessories brand celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Jean-Luc Moerman is famous for his tattoo inspired designs on photographs and flesh and collaborated on Longchamp's limited edition anniversary collection, which features his signature loops and scribbles silk-screened onto the bags. Each bag will be slightly different from the others — Moerman silk-screened individual bags with an original design — and sold for $6,500.
JAY-Z wearing the latest Yoropiko Scarf?
It looks like JAY-Z is wearing the latest Yoropiko Bandana Scarf in this image. JAY-Z is a massive Martin Ksohoh fan and is often seen in RMC jeans.
Dizzee Rascal in Red Monkey Jeans
British hip-hop star Dizzee Rascal went straight in at the top of the UK singles charts on Sunday, the Official UK Charts Company said. The new entry, "Dance wiv Me", knocked American R&B artist Ne-Yo's "Closer" into second place. This is supposedly the first time in 12 years an independent lable has gone straight in at No.1
Dizzee Rascal is a big RMC and Yoropiko fan and is often seen on stage in either RMC or Yoropiko jeans and a Yoropiko denim jacket.
Dylan Mills (born 1985 in Bow, East London), known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is an English rapper and record producer. His (largely self-composed) music is a blend of garage MCing, conventional rap, grime and ragga, with extremely eclectic samples and more exotic styles. His debut album, Boy in da Corner, won him the 2003 Mercury Prize.
Dizzee grew up in the East End of London in South Bow on a council estate. As a teenager, he was detained for stealing cars and robbing a pizza deliveryman, and expelled from four secondary schools. Jeff Chang in his article titled Future Shock explains Dizzee Rascal as a "fatherless child coming up in the East London council estates, aimless youth failed by the schools and the system but saved by music, bedroom beat-head who went top of the pops by representing his streets but can't escape their judgment. Right outside his front door, mates have turned predators…Childhood school chums who grow up to knife and shoot each other. There are no great leaps here. The daily is never routine. There are only moments for Dizzee to capture, encapsulate, and preserve, griot-like." A sympathetic music teacher introduced him to music production on a school computer. He began MCing on pirate radio and at raves at fifteen, but since his mainstream success he has distanced himself from the now growing scene. He used to be a member of the Roll Deep crew, until a conflict with former friend Wiley.
Dizzee has come a long way…
Cruise, UK's Premier Fashion Chain
Cruise, arguably the UK's premier fashion chain, will rebrand its Limeys stores as Cruise, as part of the company's development strategy. The rebrand will take place during late August across Limeys stores in Derby, Birmingham and Sheffield. "It has always been our intention to introduce the CRUISE concept throughout the UK. The acquisition of Limeys simply accelerated the natural roll out of stores, giving us access to key cities in the Midlands", commented John Heath, Chief Executive Cruise. "We began online trading at the end of 2007 and will open our 21st store in Bristol later this year. Cruise is now recognized as a national brand and we feel it is the right time to re-badge the midlands stores in line with our move south."
The rebrand will coincide with the launch of the autumn/winter season across all Cruise stores, and will see the introduction of new brands under the Cruise banner including Marc by Marc Jacobs, D&G, PRPS and Vivienne Westwood. The Cruise brand mix will be tailored to suit each city. The stores will be cosmetically refreshed during the rebrand, adopting the Cruise brand identity.
Despite the brand's expansion, Heath is certain that the stores will retain their independent, boutique feel, stating: "Thanks to our fantastic staff both in store and at head office, we are in a position to identify and respond to the needs of our customers at a local level. Rebranding the Midlands branches creates consistency and familiarity for our customers on a UK wide basis."
Established in Edinburgh in 1984, Cruise is renowned for delivering personalised service within unique shopping environments. The luxury retailer offers a mix of international designers, directional street-led fashion and premium denim brands. Limeys in Derby, Sheffield and Birmingham will re-launch as Cruise on Monday 25th August 2008, and Cruise will open in Leicester's High Cross development in September 2008.
July 8, 2008 ByThe Butcher
RVCA Jeans + Clothing
Following recent chat on Kitmeout about RVCA clothing and RVCA jeans inparticular, this is the official brand profile by RVCA:
The concept of RVCA was conceived by the company's founder and designer, PM Tenore. For over a decade, PM's vision has been to create a design-driven brand without compromising its roots in an active lifestyle. Somewhere between contemporary and active, RVCA is free from the passing trends of the surf, street, skate and snowboard industries. RVCA designs appear as natural on the shelves of boutiques as on those of a local skate shop. Disenchanted with action sports branding and design constraints, and acutely aware of the "legitimacy barriers" confronting mainstream sportswear companies, PM created RVCA to be a more organic brand that didn't have to follow industry rules. RVCA Clothing takes its roots in American workwear and adds function and fashion for every day… every situation. Wearability, Nature, Industrialization. Today. Tomorrow. Life.
Enter Conan Hayes. PM and Conan became childhood friends when they met while surfing the north shore in 1988. Later in 2002, they met up in New York, where PM shared his vision of RVCA—a brand that represents balance of opposites and how they coexist: water, oil, air, land, destruction, industrialization, art, science, foreign, domestic, order, anarchy, past, present.
Conan, an established professional surfer, found himself doing something he would have never previously imagined: declining a lucrative pro surfing contract to pursue PM's vision. Conan recounts the decision as "one of the biggest of my life." As RVCA grew, so did the RVCA's Artist Network Program—an ongoing program to showcase the talent of establishing as well as unknown artists who inspire our generation. Artist/Pro Skater, Ed Templeton (whom ten years previous to RVCA's beginning, would show his art in PM's skate boutique) became the first artist to participate in the Artist Network Program. Donating his proceeds to The Luggage Store Gallery in San Francisco, Ed paved the way for other artists to use their works to help raise awareness and benefit the community.
De La Soul + Sugar Cane Jeans
Mega group De La Soul are massive Sugar Cane fans and are seen here wearing their favourite denim brand with Flavor Flav the prolific hype man of Public Enemy.
De La Soul is a Grammy Award-winning hip hop group from Amityville, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling and quirky, surreal lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap subgenre. The members are Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos, Mercenary, Plug Wonder Why, Plug One), David Jude Jolicoeur (Trugoy the Dove, Dave, Plug Two) and Vincent Mason (P.A. Pasemaster Mase, Maseo, Plug Three). The three formed the group in high school and caught the attention of producer Paul Huston (Prince Paul) with a demo tape of the song "Plug Tunin'". Prince Paul was also sometimes referred to as Plug Four.
With its playful wordplay, innovative sampling, and witty skits, the band's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was hailed as a hip-hop masterpiece.[citation needed] It is also the band's biggest commercial success to date, with their subsequent albums selling progressively less, despite receiving praise from critics. A measure of 3 Feet High and Rising's cross-over appeal was the fact that it was voted Album of the Year by NME Magazine, a title better known for its taste in guitar-based music. De La Soul has influenced numerous other hip hop artists such as Camp Lo, Black Eyed Peas, and Digable Planets. They were also instrumental in the early stages of rapper/actor Mos Def's career, and are a core part of the Spitkicker collective. They are the longest standing Native Tongues Posse group, after the Jungle Brothers.
Paul Smith Clothes SS09
Paul Smith shows his SS09 collection in Paris, Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Lenotre 99 Rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris. The feedback from buyers and press alike was great.
eBay, The Cyber-Fence!
Has the "Cyber-Fence" known as eBay finally got its comeuppance. SKY NEWS has reported that a list of major brands have finally taken the long-awaited initiative against this obscene and covert trade in counterfeit fashion. The funds of which are used to perpetuate all types of illegal activity, including illegal weapons and terrorism. Hopefully, eBay will receive more than a mere slap on the wrists!
Luxury brands are joining forces to tackle the sale of counterfeit goods online. Retailers Louis Vuitton, Dior, Guerlain, Kenzo and Givenchy are suiting eBay for 'culpable negligence' of its goods in France.
The handbag and luggage section of Louis Vuitton is demanding compensation of around £20m and Dior's couture section wants £17m for "illicit sales" of their products.
The companies say eBay knowingly let people use the site to sell fake bags, lipstick, perfumes and clothes purporting to be from the famous names.
The court case has been going on for a year and a half and was originally three separate cases that France's justice system judged should be dealt with all together because of their similarities.
Today's upcoming verdict comes after a flurry of legal action against the online giant, which claims to have some 84 million active users in 39 markets worldwide.
Earlier this month, eBay was convicted by a French court of selling counterfeit goods and ordered to pay £20,000 in damages to French luxury group Hermes.
And last September, the cosmetics giant L'Oreal launched legal action against eBay in five European countries including France, over the sale of bottles of counterfeit perfume.
They said eBay was responsible for the sale of counterfeit copies of their goods on its site because it had not done enough to prevent such sales.
Hugely successful, eBay says that in 2007 the total value of items sold on its platform was nearly £30bn.


This collection explores the issues raised by the writing and reading of commentaries on classical Greek and Latin texts. Written primarily by practising commentators, the papers examine philosophical, narratological, and historiographical commentaries; ancient, Byzantine, and Renaissance commentary practice and theory, with special emphasis on Galen, Tzetzes, and La Cerda; the relationship between the author of the primary text, the commentary writer, and the reader; special problems posed by fragmentary and spurious texts; the role and scope of citation, selectivity, lemmatization, and revision; the practical future of commentary-writing and publication; and the way computers are changing the shape of the classical commentary. With a genesis in discussion panels mounted in the UK in 1996 and the US in 1997, the volume continues recent international dialogue on the genre and future of commentaries.


Nowadays the easiest and the quickest way to express our emotions is to use Emojis. If you want to send the desired Emojis like heart or crying face or hand claps is very difficult if you are operating on other MacBook other than MacBook Pro with touch bar. Somehow you can drop the Emoji drawer and pick your Emoji of the moment from the menu bar or also you can use keyboard shortcut Control + Command + Space Bar to bring up Emojis.
The MacOS Mojave will simply allow you to bring up the Emoji center right from the place where you are composing messages in the Mail app, just like WhatsApp.
You can insert the Emoji in macOS Mojave right between photo insert option and font options. When you are composing a message in Mail app and want to express your emotion for some written sentence then simple at the middle on the go you can add the Emoji, and there is no limit in adding the Emojis. Express yourself with little visual enhancements.
What do you about adding this feature is bad or good? In my opinion, it is the best feature. Because we are habituated in expressing ourselves through Emojis.
Most of the time we spent on social media like WhatsApp and Facebook and Snapchat and more. I bet you won't find any single sentence in which you aren't using Emoji to precise your feelings and Emotions.
Enjoy and more tricks find here with new features and settings for MacOS Mojave.


, that have been a popular style of boots for over the decade now. Though there origins will be in dispute, we do understand that they were developed inside either Australia or New Zealand.
trademark protection. Who seem to was right? Let us set aside a second to examine the puzzling history of UGGs.
were once called fug shoes. Worn by aviators over the First World War, flyboys identified as them "flying UGG footwear, " or "fugs, " regarding short.
in both Australia and New Zealand.
to promote their brands is that the term appears to become a generic one. Closely related terms like ug, hmm, and UGG have all been utilized to describe sheepskin boots designed in either Australia or New Zealand because the early 1970s, at the most recent.


If I could offer an opinion at this point of the discussion it would be this, My life experiences would suggest that steve runciman is not a manageable personality an as such does not have flexability and leadership skills to utilise for the benefit of the board. What skills he does have appear to be used in bullying and stand over tactics. If my understanding is correct he has no place as our president or on the board. His two off siders although lead by him are no better. I don't doubt all three of them believe they have done nothing wrong but what they fail to see is this type of leadership is something belonging in the 1930s. It's time we made a great big jump into the 21 century. Their inability to change with the times and adopt a more professional and open style of management means they must go and soon. The rest of the board can be judged at election time. Their performance may well shine with the removal of these bullies. Their failure to provide Jim Tatlock with documents he requires to carry out his role has for me signed their death warrant.
Just Who is certifying these airplanes?
An Irishman wants a job, but the foreman won't hire him until he passes a little math test. Here is your first question, the foreman said. "Without using numbers, represent the number 9." "Without numbers?" The Irishman says? "Dat is easy." And proceeds to draw three trees. "What's this?" the boss asks. "Have you ain't got no brain? Tree and tree plus tree makes 9" says the Irishman. "Fair enough," says the boss. "Here's your second question. Use the same rules, but this time the number is 99." The Irishman stares into space for a while, then picks up the picture that he has just drawn and makes a smudge on each tree... "Ere you go." The boss scratches his head and says, "How on earth do you get that to represent 99?" "Each of da trees is dirty now. So, it's dirty tree, and dirty tree, plus dirty tree. Dat makes 99." The boss is getting worried that he's going to actually have to hire this Irishman, so he says, "All right, last question. Same rules again, but represent the number 100." The Irishman stares into space some more, then he picks up the picture again and makes a little mark at the base of each tree and says, "Ere you go. One hundred." The boss looks at the attempt. "You must be nuts if you think that represents a hundred!" The Irishman leans forward and points to the marks at the base of each tree and whispers, "A little dog come along and pooped by each tree. So now you got dirty tree and a turd, dirty tree and a turd, and dirty tree and a turd, which makes ONE HUNDRED!" The Irishman is now head of Qantas and just got a Queens Birthday award!
I flew to Corryong yesterday and was lucky enough to be offerred a ride in Dragon Rapide VH-UXZ. I read the history of this aircraft and noted that Sander Veenstra brought the damaged aircraft into Australiaa in 1979. It had several owners before Maurice Rolfe bought it and restored it as a part time project over thirty years. Must say, it was a great opportinity to have a flight in such an aircraft.
12 years a slave. . .


ARxC is committed to ensuring all people have sufficient access to the healthcare services they require to achieve their maximum wellness.
There are 500,000 uninsured Georgians who are too poor to gain access to the health insuirance subsidies made possible through the ACA, but are not poor enough to qualify for traditional Medicaid. Expanding Medicaid in Georgia would significantly improve access to care to this group of medically underserved Georgians.
See Health Reform in Georgia and CoverGeorgia for more details on how you can join efforts to expand Medicaid to over 500,000 Georgians to help hospitals obtain the revenue they need to stay open.
ARxC is invested in assuring that payers cover and maintain coverage for vital services. In 2018, ARxC stood with the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in opposition to Anthem's Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia and its controversial and dangerous emergency care policy that retroactively denies coverage for emergency patients. Click here to read about this lawsuit.
ARxC continues to express our strong opposition to the sudden and drastic changes to Medicare Part D. In 2018, ARxC has partnered with the Part B Access for Seniors and Physicians (ASP) Coalition's efforts to reject proposals that would create a new Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP) under Part B and move Part B drugs under Part D coverage.
In the past we have taken similar action to protect the benefits of Medicare beneficiaries that were proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in our letter to CMS Administrator Tavenner. ARxC then joined 200 organizations and groups demanding that the rule be withdrawn in a shared letter to CMS that was widely publicized. CMS responded by issuing a letter to Congress that states "...Given the complexities of these issues and stakeholder input, we do not plan to finalize these proposals at this time..."
ARxC also partners with community groups to ensure they have access the the full spectrum of services through their insurance plans. In 2014, ARxC supported efforts led by the Teachers Rally Against Georgia Insurance Changes (T.R.A.G.I.C.), a group of State employees and advocates who advocate for a state-designed healthcare plan with affordable options that will meet the diverse needs of Georgia's state employees, retirees and their families.
ARxC also collaborates with the Speicalty Tiers Colation to secure and sustain access to specialty medications. To learn more about this effort see Specialty Tiers.
In 2011, ARxC launched the ARxC Health Plan Assessment Survey© to assess what Georgians want in their health insurance plans. The survey asked questions about participants' experience with choosing and using their health insurance and their experience accessing quality health care. The survey also assessed participants' interest in participating in various wellness programs in exchange for premium discounts.
ARxC planned to use the results of the survey to inform the establishment of a state-based health insurance exchange and facilitate the adoption of health insurance plans that meet the needs of Georians. These plans have been put on hold given Georgia's opposition to establish a state-based exchange and regulate the health insurance plans offered in Georgia.
In the past ARxC has advocated to preserve the community health centers that provide primary care services to medically underserved communities. In April 2011 we protested the closing of Grady Hospital's Otis Smith Neighborhood Health Center at 2600 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. (see ARxC's April 3 Press Release). With the support of Commisioner Emma Darnell (see Commisioner Darnell's Letter to ARxC), ARxC appealed to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners to keep Grady Health System (GHS) accountable to meeting the medical needs of the indigent residents of Fulton and Dekalb counties. Specifically, we asked the Fulton County Board of Commissioners to keep the GHS community health clinics open and accessible to Atlanta's low-income populations and provide an avenue to give the residents of Georgia a voice as stakeholders in the patient practices and polices at GHS (see ARxC's April 20, 2011 Letter to Fulton Board of Commisioners).
With continued leadership from Commissioner Darnell and a collaborative partnership with Grady and Emory School of Medicine, the Otis W. Smith Center was moved to downtown Atlanta and the facility became the home of the HEALing (Health, Education, Assessment and Leadership) Community Center, a community health center that continues to serve the low income residents on Atlanta's west side with a variety of primary care and wellness services.
To find a community health center in Georgia that is near you click here. To access specialty care services that are available to uninsured Georgians check out the Atlanta Regional Health Guide available in English and Spanish.
On a national scale, ARxC supports the full implementation of the provisions in the Affordable Care Act that establish and strengthen the network of community health centers that serve the medically underserved areas and populations throughout the United States. Find out more about these provisions at http://bphc.hrsa.gov/about/healthcenterfactsheet.pdf.
As a certified Holistic Health Counselor (HHC) and Registered Nurse (RN) Dorothy Leone-Glasser encourages patients to actively participate in their healthcare and wellness. In doing so she considers the entire person - the body, mind, and spirit - to help clients improve their health through everyday lifestyle choices.
Click here to learn more about Dorothy Leone-Glasser's approach to becoming a health advocate for one's self and community.
Dorothy share her expertise by providing wellness tips through the ARxC Blog which you can subscribe to.
Dorothy also leads ARxC's Sisters Together for Awareness, Renewal and Support ©, or S.T.A.R.S. group. S.T.A.R.S. is a women's support group that provides an open and safe environment for members and guests to come together and discuss the concerns, needs, and direction of women in an enlightened time. Go to our STARS Advocacy and Wellness Group to learn more.


text:
'use strict'

window.Stripe = {
  card: {},
  bankAccount: {},
  bitcoinReceiver: {}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
import os
import shutil

from setuptools import setup, find_packages, Command

import asn1crypto

class CleanCommand(Command):
    user_options = []

    def initialize_options(self):
        pass

    def finalize_options(self):
        pass

    def run(self):
        folder = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
        for sub_folder in ['build', 'dist', 'asn1crypto.egg-info']:
            full_path = os.path.join(folder, sub_folder)
            if os.path.exists(full_path):
                shutil.rmtree(full_path)
        for root, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(os.path.join(folder, 'asn1crypto')):
            for filename in filenames:
                if filename[-4:] == '.pyc':
                    os.unlink(os.path.join(root, filename))
            for dirname in list(dirnames):
                if dirname == '__pycache__':
                    shutil.rmtree(os.path.join(root, dirname))

setup(
    name='asn1crypto',
    version=asn1crypto.__version__,

    description=(
        'Fast ASN.1 parser and serializer with definitions for private keys, public keys, '
        'certificates, CRL, OCSP, CMS, PKCS#7, PKCS#8, PKCS#12, PKCS#5, X.509 and TSP'
    ),
    long_description='Docs for this project are maintained at https://github.com/wbond/asn1crypto#readme.',

    url='https://github.com/wbond/asn1crypto',

    author='wbond',
    author_email='will@wbond.net',

    license='MIT',

    classifiers=[
        'Development Status :: 4 - Beta',

        'Intended Audience :: Developers',

        'License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License',

        'Programming Language :: Python :: 2.6',
        'Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7',
        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.2',
        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.3',
        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4',
        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5',
        'Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPy',

        'Topic :: Security :: Cryptography',
    ],

    keywords='asn1 crypto pki',

    packages=find_packages(exclude=['tests*', 'dev*']),

    cmdclass={
        'clean': CleanCommand,
    }
)


text:
Digital Bank Becomes Largest UK Company To Introduce 4-Day Week Without Cutting Pay
Durham-based digital bank, Atom Bank, has become the largest employer in the UK to introduce a four-day working week without changing its staff's salary.
Most of the 430 staff at Atom Bank have opted to work 34 hours over four days instead of the 37.5 hours across five days that they used to work. The employees have the option of taking either Monday or Friday off but they do have to work longer on the days that they do go in.
The company's chief executive, Mark Mullen, said the move will increase the productivity of his employees and allow them to spend more time on their passions outside of work.
"We believe the 20th century concept of a five day week is, in many cases, no longer fit for purpose for 21st century businesses," Mullen said.
"Its introduction originally allowed for the establishment of the weekend, with all the benefits for employees this entailed.
"At Atom, we feel the time is right for the next evolution in the world of work."
Mullen also said the move was inspired by the coronavirus pandemic.
"While we appreciate a four-day working week will not be right for all workplaces, the move to working from home has proved that working practices that may have seemed years away can be introduced rapidly," he added.
The move from Atom Bank comes after Peter Cheese – the Chairman of the government's Flexible Working Taskforce – said the Covid pandemic will change the standard five-day week.
"And it could emerge in lots of different forms, one of which could be a four-day working week," he said.
[Image by Ascannio via Shutterstock]
Watch Memz pay homage to "Mick Jagger" in new video
Memz has come through with a brand new musical drop. Check out the official video for his latest track, "Mick Jagger", above now on GRM Daily....
27.1.2023 418 views
Baby'O asks "Can You?" in latest visuals
Baby'O has taken some time out to kick start his 2023 with the release of new single "Can You?". Watch the video above now on GRM Daily....
Cardoe is in "Glory Mode" on new track
Take in a brand new music video from Cardoe, who's dropped off visuals for his latest single, "Glory Mode" on GRM Daily....
27.1.2023 2 views

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Tramel: How Thunder roster swings make Mark Daigneault adjust on the fly
Berry Tramel
With all the pandemic news in the NBA, sometimes we forget that all the routine bumps and bruises of a season still occur, COVID or no COVID.
Take the Thunder's two-game series with the Timberwolves over the weekend. Minnesota played without superstar Karl-Anthony Towns, who remains sidelined by coronavirus protocols. D'Angelo Russell joined Towns by sitting out the Saturday night game with a quad injury.
But at least the Timberwolves fielded largely the same team. The Thunder did not.
On Friday night, the Thunder was woefully short of perimeter players. So short that Isaiah Roby, who has made several starts at center, started on the wing against Minnesota.
On Saturday night, the Thunder was woefully short of inside players. So short that the Thunder played most of the final quarter without a center and some of the fourth quarter without a center or a power forward.
Strange. Very strange.
The Thunder lost 106-103 on Friday night but won 120-118 on Saturday night, against one of the NBA's worst teams.
But the series made the Thunder work with a variety of lineups that never had taken the court together.
"It fits into what we've talked about, with sending guys to the G League or playing guys off the ball or putting guys in different situations," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "Development, as we have learned about, is not being in a neat little box and always being perfect. In a lot of ways, it's about thrusting yourself into the fray and having to problem-solve on the fly and having to adapt and having to see a lot of different situations and be very agile mentally."
The Thunder point guard Friday night was Hamidou Diallo. The Thunder power forward Saturday night was Kenrich Williams, and Williams took a turn at center, which helps explain the career high 29 points from Minnesota backup center Naz Reid.
Friday night, the Thunder was without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee sprain), George Hill (thumb surgery) and Theo Maledon (COVID protocols). Those are the three guards on the roster who can and have run the point. OKC also played without Luguentz Dort (sore knee), a starting wing who never runs the point.
That means the only perimeter players available were Diallo, the rarely-used Darius Miller and big wings Williams and Justin Jackson.
So Daigneault had to piecemeal lineups. Roby has spent much of this season dealing with the likes of Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic. Suddenly, he was chasing guys around the perimeter.
Then Saturday night, all the guards were back, sans Hill. Alas, center Al Horford rested and Roby was out with a sore foot. Then early in the fourth quarter, reliable center Mike Muscala took a pop to the chin, excited and didn't return.
So Darius Bazley was the Thunder's only inside player available.
But such extreme roster shortages will only help the Thunder future. This season is not about winning. It's about development. That includes a first-year coach who is seeing things that will accelerate his progression.
"These last two nights have tested everybody," Daigneault said. "Myself included on that. That's a good thing. Last night (Friday), we problem-solved well and played a style of play that had us in the game down the stretch. I thought we did the same thing tonight, with the four- or five-guard lineups.
"We lean into those circumstances. We never want to be missing players. But we're always going to lean into whatever the circumstances are, try to learn from it and try to broaden our capabilities as a team."
Chances are, the Thunder will never need Diallo to play point guard in a game that really matters. Or Williams to defend centers. But they've at least been thrust into such situations, and Daigneault has had to coach on the fly. Small steps in the Thunder's road back to contention.


text:
Q: Why is my implementation of TCollections.CreateObservableList for interfaces not working? I tried to implement as @Stefan Glienke suggested in Why is Spring4D's IList OnChanged event not fired? an ObservableList for interfaces.
This version should implement an observable list of interfaces. Compiles but is unable to find a 'change' event handler at runtime.
I changed some procedure parameter from TObject to IInterface.
Some others must be TObject because of implementation in base classes.
Thanks for any help.
This example shows the behavior:
program Project62;

{$APPTYPE CONSOLE}

uses
  Spring,
  Spring.Events,
  Spring.Collections,
  Spring.Collections.Lists,
  SysUtils;

type
  // Like TObservableList but for interfaces not classes
  TObservableInterfaceList<T: IInterface> = class(TFoldedInterfaceList<T>, INotifyPropertyChanged)
  private
    fOnPropertyChanged: IEvent<TPropertyChangedEvent>;
    function GetOnPropertyChanged: IEvent<TPropertyChangedEvent>;
  protected
    // Sender must be TObject because of TPropertyChangedEvent
    procedure DoItemPropertyChanged(sender: TObject; const eventArgs: IPropertyChangedEventArgs);

    procedure DoPropertyChanged(const propertyName: string);
    procedure Changed(const value: IInterface; action: TCollectionChangedAction); override;
  public
    constructor Create; override;
    property OnPropertyChanged: IEvent<TPropertyChangedEvent> read GetOnPropertyChanged;
  end;

  TNotifyPropertyChangedBase = class(TInterfaceBase, INotifyPropertyChanged)
  private
    fOnPropertyChanged: Event<TPropertyChangedEvent>;
    function GetOnPropertyChanged: IPropertyChangedEvent;
  protected
    procedure PropertyChanged(const propertyName: string);
  end;

  IMyInterface = interface(IInterface)
    ['{D5966D7D-1F4D-4EA8-B196-CB9B39AF446E}']
    function GetName: String;
    procedure SetName(const Value: String);
    property Name: String read GetName write SetName;
  end;

  TMyInterfacedObject = class(TNotifyPropertyChangedBase, IMyInterface)
  private
    FName: string;
    function GetName: string;
    procedure SetName(const Value: string);
  public
    property Name: string read GetName write SetName;
  end;

  TMain = class
    procedure ListOfMyInterfaceChanged(Sender: TObject; const item: IMyInterface; action: TCollectionChangedAction);
  end;

constructor TObservableInterfaceList<T>.Create;
begin
  inherited Create;
  fOnPropertyChanged := TPropertyChangedEventImpl.Create;
end;

// Sender must be TObject because of TPropertyChangedEvent
procedure TObservableInterfaceList<T>.DoItemPropertyChanged(sender: TObject; const eventArgs: IPropertyChangedEventArgs);
var
  MyInterface: IMyInterface;
begin
  if Supports(sender, IMyInterface, MyInterface) then
    inherited Changed(MyInterface, caChanged);
end;

procedure TObservableInterfaceList<T>.DoPropertyChanged(const propertyName: string);
begin
  if Assigned(fOnPropertyChanged) and fOnPropertyChanged.CanInvoke then
    fOnPropertyChanged.Invoke(Self,
      TPropertyChangedEventArgs.Create(propertyName) as IPropertyChangedEventArgs);
end;

function TObservableInterfaceList<T>.GetOnPropertyChanged: IEvent<TPropertyChangedEvent>;
begin
  Result := fOnPropertyChanged;
end;

procedure TObservableInterfaceList<T>.Changed(const value: IInterface; action: TCollectionChangedAction);
var
  notifyPropertyChanged: INotifyPropertyChanged;
  propertyChanged: IEvent<TPropertyChangedEvent>; // TPropertyChangedEvent = procedure(Sender: TObject; const EventArgs: IPropertyChangedEventArgs) of object;

begin
  if Supports(value, INotifyPropertyChanged, notifyPropertyChanged) then
  begin
    propertyChanged := notifyPropertyChanged.OnPropertyChanged;
    case action of
      caAdded:
        propertyChanged.Add(DoItemPropertyChanged);
      caRemoved, caExtracted:
        propertyChanged.Remove(DoItemPropertyChanged);
    end;
  end;
   inherited Changed(value, action);
  DoPropertyChanged('Count');
end;

function TNotifyPropertyChangedBase.GetOnPropertyChanged: IPropertyChangedEvent;
begin
  Result := fOnPropertyChanged;
end;

procedure TNotifyPropertyChangedBase.PropertyChanged(const propertyName: string);
begin
  fOnPropertyChanged.Invoke(Self, TPropertyChangedEventArgs.Create(propertyName) as IPropertyChangedEventArgs);
end;

procedure TMyInterfacedObject.SetName(const Value: string);
begin
  FName := Value;
  PropertyChanged('Name');
end;

function TMyInterfacedObject.GetName: string;
begin
  Result := FName;
end;

procedure TMain.ListOfMyInterfaceChanged(Sender: TObject; const item: IMyInterface; action: TCollectionChangedAction);
begin
  case action of
    caAdded: Writeln('item added: ', item.Name);
    caRemoved, caExtracted: Writeln('item removed: ', item.Name);
    caChanged: Writeln('item changed: ', item.Name);
  end;
end;

var
  main: TMain;
  iListOfMyInterface: IList<IMyInterface>;
  MyInterfacedObject: TMyInterfacedObject;
begin
  iListOfMyInterface := TCollections.CreateInterfaceList<IMyInterface>;
  iListOfMyInterface.OnChanged.Add(main.ListOfMyInterfaceChanged);
  MyInterfacedObject := TMyInterfacedObject.Create;
  MyInterfacedObject.Name := 'MyInterfacedObject';
  iListOfMyInterface.Add(MyInterfacedObject);
  iListOfMyInterface.first.Name := 'MyInterfacedObject hit the change event';
  Readln;
end.

A: Because you are never creating a TObservableInterfaceList<T>in your code, but:
iListOfMyInterface := TCollections.CreateInterfaceList<IMyInterface>;

correct:
iListOfMyInterface := TObservableInterfaceList<IMyInterface>.Create;

Also your implementation of DoItemPropertyChanged is defect. You refer to a special interface type here but in fact you must pass sender down as T because that is the lists element type.
I will consider adding this out of the box for 2.0.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Something Marvelous...with MT COZZOLLA - THE ROBERT A. FREEDMAN DRAMATIC AGENCY, INC.
Something Marvelous seeks to engage the Chicago community in exploring the genre of magical realism. We curate a series of staged readings involving local theatre companies, introduce new work to the community, lead discussion in blog format, and put up a full production each summer to spark a dialogue about the possibilities for igniting the imagination through theatrical storytelling.
Popup Kid by MT Cozzola: Christine, a lonely, overstressed, single woman confronts Kid, a wild beast of destruction who seems to think she's Christine's daughter. As her life spirals out of control, and Kid's demands become increasingly insistent, Christine must choose between her real work life and her imaginary relationship.


Hello! Thanks for wanting to connect.
One of the most important factors in a successful coaching engagement is having a strong alignment and connection between the client and the coach. The first step is to use this form to give me some relevant information about yourself and what you'd like to achieve. I will get back to you to set up a 45 min complimentary phone consultation to see if we are a good fit. Also please take a look at the Coaching page to get a feel for my approach.


Whether to add safety, increase accessibility, or to have a replacement part on hand "just in case," power wheelchair accessories help complete the power mobility experience.
This is the second part of a two-part article. Please read 10 Most Popular Power Wheelchair Accessories: Part One to learn about five more accessories within this top ten list.
The time a loved one spends in his or her power wheelchair should be as safe and as effortless as possible. The five power chair accessories listed below can enhance improved mobility with convenience, dependability, and style.
6. Power Seat Lift1: Height adjustment can be a crucial component of power wheelchair accessibility. When the seat is raised just a few inches, a power chair user's reach is extended and access is improved. A high quality power seat lift controlled through the power chair joystick is worth considering because it can make lift operation much more convenient for the user.
7. Electric Wheelchair Joystick Ball Knob: Many power wheelchair users need the added ease of a soft and rounded controller. Others might like the joystick to be different and just a little fun. In either case, spongy yellow ball knob controllers feel good to the touch and may simplify power chair maneuverability for loved ones who experience pain or weakness in their hands.
8. Orange Flag: Here's a simple way to make sure loved ones are more visible while out and about in their power wheelchair. With its bright orange color and high visibility length, an electric wheelchair flag is extremely practical in heavily-trafficked areas.2 Our flags are made of weather-resistant vinyl for durability and are very easy to attach and remove as needed.
9. Spare Power Wheelchair Tires: Don't wait until a loved one's existing power chair tires are completely worn down to purchase replacements. A spare, flat-free power chair wheel that never needs air is an excellent choice for keeping a loved one mobile. This is just one of the many accessories a power wheelchair user should never be without.
10. Power Chair Replacement Battery and Portable Battery Charger: Two smart power chair accessories that go perfectly together-- replacement batteries and portable chargers. The best way to ensure compatibility and uninterrupted mobility is to purchase the power wheelchair battery, battery charger and power chair from the same manufacturer.
Accessories for electric wheelchairs - and power scooters -include everything from the items featured here to foldable ramps, portable equipment holders, handy baskets and protective covers. Any of these options are sure to complement a loved one's mobility with expanded functionality.
Click here to read " Top 10 Power Wheelchair Accessories: Part One"
1Power seat lift must be ordered at time of power chair purchase.
2A flag does not guarantee safety and is only intended to increase visibility. Always use caution when operating your power wheelchair, and obey all traffic and pedestrian laws in your area.
This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of a mobility professional.


This archive holds all posts form March 11, 2009.
What do they put in Chuck Norris's water? He and his ilk seem to be talking about a "second revolution" ( photo credit: killpack99). At least they cite Thomas Jefferson's famous quote on this. And Norris says he wants to be president of Texas.
"I may run for president of Texas," Norris wrote Monday in a column posted at WorldNetDaily. "That need may be a reality sooner than we think. If not me, someone someday may again be running for president of the Lone Star state, if the state of the union continues to turn into the enemy of the state." The actor claimed "thousands of cell groups will be united around the country in solidarity over the concerns for our nation" and said that if states decide to secede from the union, that Texas would lead the way.
When I appeared on Glenn Beck's radio show, he told me that someone had asked him, "Do you really believe that there is going to be trouble in the future?" And he answered, "If this country starts to spiral out of control . . . before America allows a country to become a totalitarian country (which it would have under I think the Republicans as well in this situation; they were taking us to the same place, just slower), Americans won't stand for it. There will be parts of the country that will rise up." Then Glenn asked me and his listening audience, "And where's that going to come from?" He answered his own question, "Texas, it's going to come from Texas. Do you agree with that Chuck?" I replied, "Oh yeah!" Definitely.
He might want to check out a little demographic data. He and his cells seem to think Texas is still mostly white and conservative. Do these mostly white guys really do any thinking about societal evidence and social reality? Texas is not what its media image seems to be. A majority of Texans now, and that is a lot of folks, are Black, Latino, Asian, Native American. I would hazard the guess they would not like Norris as their "president," just a guess?


Experimental study of detonation initiation by high-voltage pulsed gas discharges has been performed in three detonation tubes. It was shown in the experiments that distributed nanosecond discharge is significantly more efficient for detonation initiation than localized microsecond discharge of comparable energy. For a detailed experimental study of deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT), a detonation tube with a single discharge cell and nanosecond initiation has been assembled. Optical observation of the discharge development, ignition, and DDT process was performed with an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera. A mechanism of detonation initiation by high-voltage nanosecond discharges has been proposed.


We provide maintenance and repairing of dell laptops, hp laptops, acer and lenovo laptops, sony vaio. NEW FOR SALE AMAZING 4GB (2x2GB) Memory RAM Kit ● EXCELLENT PRICE 903.46 . Your satisfaction is always our goal.
Check out these interesting ads related to "dv2000 laptops"
Hp dv2000 laptop 457356-001 system board. Usd laptops sel all company ka laptops available h it care m hp dell lenovo acer toshiba samsung.
We deal laptops for rental or purchase, all type of configuration laptops are available, intel core 2 gb ram, 500 gb hdd. Feel free to contact me if Interested in buying my old dv2000 laptops for the price of 1385.12 .
New 2gb hp pavilion dv2000 series laptop/notebook. We sell branded computers, refurbished laptops and all kind of laptops and computer acc.
Hp dv2000 laptop base - 448621-001 with hd cover,. Onam offer for laptops ending soon grab your laptops with assured gifts .
Sony vaio core 2 duo laptops 1 gb ram 160 gb hard disk laptops sell. Premium quality products, now on sale the brand new dv2000 laptops , lowest price tag- 295.82 /1 pcs .


If you're an Oklahoma resident who wants alcohol or drug treatment, finding the right medical health insurance plan is essential. Substance abuse is among the vital medical services needed by the Affordable Care Act, but not all strategies are not unlike. Some will offer more complete coverage than others. It's worth the attempt to inquire Affordable Health Care Insurance choices to locate the one which works best for the scenario.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is 1 of 2 insurance providers offering strategies that are affordable to residents. BCBS has two Gold, four at the Silver, and seven plans at the Bronze level. Many them are under 1 of 2 brand names Favorite or Edge. As with most Bronze degree strategies, BCBS designed theirs to work in conjunction with a medical savings account. What this means is they've rates that are higher deductible, but lower monthly premiums. The lowest deductible, is, $4, 500 located with the Blue Advantage Bronze PPO 104 coverage. The remaining six plans have deductibles between. And $6, 800 $6, 000 The coverage for substance abuse changes by policy. Outpatient office visits are, covered by the one with the maximum deductible, Azure Edge Bronze PPO 105 no matter whether you've satisfied the deductible or not in full for substance abuse treatment. If you remain in network for inpatient care, you pay $400 per event deductible plus 20% coinsurance. This suggests that the per incident fee will not apply to the deductible. Should you walk out network, there's $1, 500 copay per incident deductible plus 50% coinsurance. And a 30% coinsurance fee for outpatient care coverage Blue Advantage Bronze PPO 104, with the lowest deductible, requires you to make pay a fee of 30% coinsurance for network care and 50% for out and meet the deductible entirely -of network service. In the Silver amount, the deductibles go down to between $2, 000 to $4, 000. Your contribution towards drug treatment changes, also. The maximum deductible plan is the Blue Advantage Silver PPO 103. You don't need to meet with the deductible for all substance abuse treatment, yet. You make a copayment for hospital office visits of $15 and $250 per incident deductible plus 20% coinsurance. You contribution changes to 30% coinsurance for office visits and $1, 500 per incident deductible plus 50% coinsurance. If you go out of network you choose the Silver plan with the lowest deductible, the Blue Advantage Silver PPO 102, there's a $400 per event deductible payment plus 30% coinsurance for inpatient care and an office copay of $40. The Gold strategies follow that same style. The Edge Gold PPO 101 needs an office copay of $20 plus a $300 per incident deductible plus 30% coinsurance and carries a $500 deductible. The corporation has quite strict rules regarding pre authorities. Suppose you need a pre authority for treatments or any testing to prevent penalty fee that is $500.
Contemplate UnitedHealthcare plans if you favor a HMO. There are 10 obtainable in Oklahoma: three Gold, five Silver, and two Bronze Medal.


text:
Els uitoto, witoto, güitoto o murui-muinane són una ètnia o poble indígena de l'Amazònia colombiana i peruana, el territori originari de la qual es trobava en la part mitjana del riu Caquetá i els seus afluents, i la zona selvàtica que va fins al riu Putumayo. Parlen una llengua de la família bora-witoto.
Es troben dispersos en diverses regions de l'Amazones, habitant la regió coneguda com el Mitjà Amazones colombià així com un important sector peruà a la frontera amb Colòmbia.

Territorialitat
Els witoto consideren La Chorrera com el seu lloc d'origen. Estan distribuïts en tres segments, cadascun dels quals parla un dialecte diferent:
 Mɨnɨka (meneca): en la capçalera del riu Igaraparaná i les riberes dels rius Caquetá i Putumayo.
 Nɨpode (muinane: gent de l'orient): al Putumayo (Colòmbia), a la regió la frontera entre Perú i Colòmbia i prop de Araracuara i El Veinte al Caquetá.
 Bue o Mɨca (murui: gent de l'occident): en el departament de Loreto (el Perú) i el departament de Amazones (Colòmbia) i a la vora del riu Caraparaná.

Aspectes culturals
Tradicionalment estaven dividits en llinatges, patrilineals i exògams, que habitaven, encara que alguns encara ho fan, en una casa comunitària coneguda com jofómo o maloca. Diverses famílies comparteixen aquest espai vital dirigits per la parella de major coneixement, generalment la més vella. En el seu interior cada família posseeix un fogó independent i un sector especial on penjar la seva hamaca. Allí es processen els aliments on és fonamental el Casabe, arepa feta de farina de iuca brava d'aproximadament un metre de diàmetre, i que és el fonament de la seva dieta, juntament amb la proteïna animal, producte de la caça i la pesca.

Dins de la maloca existeix a més un lloc específic on els homes en la nit, s'asseuen a consumir una pols verda obtinguda en picar fulles de coca i cendra de yarumo, procés conegut com "Mambe" o jiibie. Durant aquesta activitat es transmet el coneixement mitològic i cosmològic ancestral.

Tradicionalment mitjançant un codi de comunicació es transmetien els missatges importants d'una maloca i toquen per mitjà de dos tambors anomenats Maguaré, el so dels quals solia transmetre's per diversos quilòmetres, a través de l'acústica formada pel llit dels rius i les parets formades pels arbres del bosc.

Fernando Urbina Rangel va investigar la mitologia ancestral dels uitoto. A méás, l'Instituto de Estudios Ambientales (I.D.E.A) va presentar un breviari sobre la cosmovisió dels witoto al seu text "Agaro y la Creación del hombre Uitoto" o Etnia Uitoto "La Cultura de la Yuca".

Economia
El sistema econòmic es basa en la agricultura de frega i crema, la caça, la pesca i la recol·lecció de productes silvestres. Cada chagra té una superfície entre mitjana i dues hectàrees. Els principals cultius són iuca brava i dolça, nyam, mafafa, ají, coca, chontaduro, plàtans, alvocat, caimo, umarí i blat de moro. El tabac i el maní es conreen en una petita parcel·la a part abonada amb cendres.

Història

Els witotos va tenir primer contacte amb els europeus a principis del segle XVII. Tot i això, el contacte va romandre esporàdic fins al segle XIX. Els Witoto havien estat formats per 100 pobles o 31 tribus, però les malalties i els conflictes han reduït el seu nombre. A principis del , la població witoto era de 50.000.

Els primers contactes significatius es van donar al voltant de l'explotació del cautxú en 1886. En 1901 les zones del Caquetá i el Putumayo tenien 22 colònies extractores de cautxú, en la seva majoria de colombians, tots amb mà d'obra huitoto. Aquesta situació va canviar ràpidament quan en 1903 va ingressar a l'extracció del cautxú la Casa Arana o Peruvian Amazon Company, el propietari de la qual era Julio César Arana.

Producte d'aquesta esclavitud la població va ser delmada en grans proporcions, reubicada en llocs aliens al seu territori original i la seva organització social va ser seriosament alterada.

Aquesta situació va romandre fins quan va tenir lloc l'anomenat Conflicte colombiano-peruà en la dècada de 1930, ja que sent peruans els cautxers van haver de retirar-se al sud del riu Putumayo i als voltants del riu Tarapacá, al sud del riu Amazones.

En els últims anys del segle XX aquest grup s'ha vist embolicat en conflictes com els processos de colonització i les "bonances econòmiques" entre les quals es troben: el trànsit de pells d'animals silvestres, el narcotràfic, l'explotació d'or i l'explotació fustera, entre altres.

Igual que la resta d'indígenes a Colòmbia, els witoto vénen en un procés de reconeixement amb la resta de la societat nacional on se'ls ha legalitzat les seves territoris i participen, d'alguna manera, en l'administració pública. Es troben organitzats en el Consell Regional Indígena del l'Amazones Mitjà CRIMA, juntament amb altres ètnies amb les quals comparteixen la seva cosmovisió, els que són Bora, miraña, andoke, nonuya, ocaines i muinane.

Referències

Fonts
 Candre Kinerai, Hipólito y Juan Álvaro Echeverri. Tabaco frío, Coca dulce. Bogotá, Colcultura, 1993.
 Preuss, Theodor Konrad. Religión y Mitología de los uitotos. Bogotá, Ed. Universidad Nacional. 1994.
 Tagliani, Lino. Mitología y cultura uitoto. Quito, 1993
 Davis, Wade: El río: exploraciones y descubrimientos en la selva amazónica. Bogotá: El Áncora, editores. 2001.

Enllaços externs
 Article sobre la mitologia Uitoto q la Blaa
 Article sobre la Casa Arana i la problemàtica Uitoto, de la Revista Credencial de Historia
 Article sobre una dansa tradicional witoto
 Article de Roberto Pineda: Los Bancos taumaturgos, en la Blaa

Grups humans de Colòmbia
Grups humans del Perú

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


SCI has been extremely involved in Michigan DNR projects–and most people don't even know about it.
If you are interested in Michigan conservation, wildlife projects and maintaining the beauty of our Great Lake State, you can bet that SCI is involved somehow.
What is Safari Club International (SCI)?
There are a lot of misconceptions about Safari Club International. Many people think, because of our name, we are a hunting club for wealthy people who go on safaris and shoot big game to hang on their wall. Our members do hunt all over the world, since it is an international organization. However, most members stick to their home state or continent for their hunting–and anyone can join. It is not an elite club for the upper echelons of society.
It is a group for anyone who cares about wildlife conservation, hunters' rights, and supporting the culture of hunting.
SCI plays a major role in litigation and hunter advocacy around the world. Much of that advocacy involves conservation and the fair treatment of hunters and animals everywhere.
SCI is the leading voice in the fight to protect our freedom to hunt, both in the United States and internationally. The SCI Hunter Advocacy department is headquartered in Washington, DC, advocating on behalf of SCI members and non-members alike. From staff dedicated to legislation and policy to a team of litigators, SCI Hunter Advocacy is at the forefront of protecting our hunting heritage.
SCI is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. These primary missions are supported through the many arenas of the organization.
What is SCI doing in Michigan?
Click here to see what SCI is currently doing legislatively to protect hunting and improve conservation in Michigan.
The Michigan chapters of SCI created the MIC (Michigan Involvement Committee).
To financially support Michigan DNR wildlife conservation projects and graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in wildlife-related fields at Michigan based universities.
Voluntary donations from the general public due to the 501(c)(3) exempt status of SCI MIC.
Did you know that SCI, through the MIC, reintroduced the moose to Michigan in the 1980' s? It's true! Watch the Moose lift here!!
In 1985, the Michigan Department of Natural Resource's long-term goal of moose reintroduction became a reality with a grant from the Michigan Involvement Committee (MIC), a collaboration of Michigan SCI Chapters that work routinely with MDNR. You can read all about it here.
This is just one of many, many stories where Michigan SCI Chapters supported DNR efforts and projects.
Join SCI's Mid-Michigan Chapter Today!
We started the Lansing Area Chapter in the year 2000 and we now have grown to nearly 500 members. If you share an avid commitment to hunting and conservation, and support protecting our rights as hunters, we invite you to join us.
Visit our membership page for more information and to download an application today.


Present: Jimmy, Thomson, Charlie, Elvira, Douglas, Ann, Ron, Felicity, Eileen.
The Chairman welcomed PC Matthews who has had to take over the project as a result of the imminent promotion of PC Hulford who had spoken to us at the last meeting.
As a result of the recent survey of the Parish, and after discussion, it was agreed that the setting up of the No Cold Calling Zone should go ahead. The existing area defined as the Maxton Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, ie the Village and the Station would be one area and Rutherford Mains another, if that was acceptable to the local Police who would have to administer the setting up. PC Matthews would discuss the matter with colleagues in existing schemes and come back with her response.
It appeared that some residents within the village had, for various reasons, not returned slips but now wished to be included in the scheme. It was agreed that they be added to the response listing.
The costs of the exercise, which will be split between the residents and the local Police would be covered by Maxton & Mertoun Community Council who have funding available through their SBC grants. The final cost will depend upon the number of houses involved and the number of signs required.
Updated listings will be forwarded to PC Matthews so that she can arrange for sufficient information packs to be available and get ahead with their delivery.
PC Matthews was thanked for coming and she left the meeting.
The minute of the meeting of Tuesday 8th May was agreed to be an accurate record.
In the absence of the Treasurer, Charlie distributed the financial statement which Isobel had produced for the meeting. This showed a balance of �94.52. This included a grant of �9.60 from The Bridge (CBAVH) towards the cost of new chairs.
Saturday August 18th � Puppet Show.
Felicity outlined the arrangements for the event and and finalised the setting up plans and the requirements (inc baking, drinks etc). Remaining tickets and monies to be collected from St Boswells PO and a float arranged.
Monday September 10th 2012 - Maxton Meets Julian Goodacre, the Bagpipe Maker.
Monday November 12th 2012 - Maxton Meets Alastair Innes, the Kelso Photographer.
Concern was raised over the lack of social events, and it was agreed that ideas should be brought forward to the next meeting.
With there having been no summer fundraiser for the Maxton 21 Charity for 2012, concern was expressed about a potential shortfall in the monies raised.
Douglas reported that letting levels remained high and that income was steady.
With grant funding received from the CBAVH, the new chairs could now be ordered. Thomson to proceed with that.
Arrangements will need to made for an electrical check of the Hall. Charlie to contact a local electrician to see whether he has the qualifications to allow him to do this.
Charlie reported on an e-mail he had received regarding the new system for licencing and pre-recorded music to be introduced in 2013. The proposals will need to be discussed further as the situation seems to be confused and rather nonsensical as currently expressed.
Dave and Joe, with their wives, visited the parish in July, meeting up with Charlie and Elvira. They are currently producing a report for 揟on Talk� on our affiliation with the Ton Class Association and took various photographs. They are keen, as always, to be involved in any events we are running and keep themselves abreast of our goings-on through the website.
The next meeting of Maxton 21 will be held on Monday 24th September in Maxton Village Hall at 7.30pm.


Today we outlined our plans to remove Bisphenol A (BPA) from the linings of our cans by the middle of 2017.
This month, we shipped two million cans with linings made from acrylic or polyester materials, and we will introduce this new lining to all cans used across the U.S. and Canadian portfolio during the coming months.
This has been a four-year journey, with fits and starts, and there is still a lot of work to do, but I wanted to provide you with my perspective on where we are now and where we're headed.
Our decision to speak publically about our current timeline is driven by our belief that providing transparency into our business is critically important to the people who purchase our food and beverages. We must earn consumer trust every day by being open about what's in our food, and that includes the packaging we use. We have disclosed which of our products use BPA and our high-level plans to transition away from it on whatsinmyfood.com, but recognize we could go further.
The timing of today's news was prompted by a recent meeting we had with the Breast Cancer Fund which plans to issue a report this week into linings and coatings used by food manufacturers. We have been talking to them for many years about this issue and realized we needed to be more open about the steps we are taking to move to non-BPA packaging, rather than waiting to tell consumers after we had completed the transition.
Our commitment to transparency is about being willing to have tough conversations; to being open to discussing the challenging issues facing our industry and our company; and talking about how we are addressing issues that consumers care about – even when we don't have all the answers.
We first announced our intention to move away from BPA can linings in February 2012. Today, we are not where we would have hoped to be when we made that announcement. There are three key reasons the transition has taken longer than originally anticipated.
The technical challenge of transitioning to new linings. BPA is one of the most widely tested and proven can linings and has been used by the food industry for decades. Government regulatory authorities and scientists agree that BPA is safe to use in packaging. Many of the alternatives we considered were untested for foods with a long shelf life. Also, the team has worked hard to find a solution for our tomato-based recipes, as tomatoes are naturally acidic and can react with can linings over time. The acrylic and polyester solutions we are moving to have been subjected to extensive testing, approved for use by regulators around the world and offer a viable, cost-effective alternative.
Financial priorities. The cost of transitioning our entire portfolio to non-BPA linings, while not material to our earnings, is significant. We've had to balance making this investment with other business priorities. We are now committed to completing this change in our fiscal years 2016 and 2017. Importantly, I want to stress that we do not plan to pass these costs to consumers.
The enormity of the task. We ship nearly two billion cans each year, comprising more than 600 different recipes. Making a change of this magnitude requires input from hundreds of employees across the company. It's not something that can be done quickly, nor would we want to. The safety of our food and our packaging is paramount. It's the foundation on which we've built nearly 150 years of consumer trust. Any changes we make to our food must be implemented thoughtfully and carefully.
In the past six months we've made significant strides and are now moving to complete the transition by the middle of 2017. In fact we are working to have more than 75 percent of our canned soup portfolio transitioned by December 2016. So far, we've made two million cans using the new linings and began shipping soup in these cans in March 2016. We will make an additional ten million cans in April, and continue the transition until all our soup cans have acrylic or polyester linings.
While we are not initially labeling those cans which have non-BPA linings, we will consider doing so as we update our labels over time.
We still face technical challenges, especially on some of our tomato-based products and on other packaging which use BPA coatings, and we will keep consumers updated about our progress on whatsinmyfood.com. However, we are confident that our entire portfolio of products will not contain BPA linings or coatings by the middle of 2017.
To learn more about how we make our food, visit www.whatsinmyfood.com.
Campbell shipped a range of soups packaged in cans with non-BPA linings in March 2016.
Campbell's Chunky Classic Chicken Noodle was the first variety to be produced in the March transition.
I have several recipes that just would not be the same without Campbell soup. I hope you will release information on the safety of the polyester and acrylic can linings. Kudos for moving in the right direction for those who have grown up with Campbell's and would prefer to not have to look for alternatives. I also hope you will keep the cost from being passed to already beleaguered American consumers.
I am a recovering cancer patient, I will not buy soups lined with plastic inside a can. You say you are changing to cans being lined with non BPA plastics yet your new soups indorsed by Manu Feildel are lined with white plastic.


This is the final stop on the tour so let's make sure we show them some Cleveland and Cornell pride. The concert will be at 8pm with a reception to follow. Tickets are required, see below for more information.
We are Delaney Ding '19 and Chris Umeki '19, the tour managers for the Cornell University Glee Club, Cornell's premier men's choir. We are excited to announce our upcoming 2018 Great Lakes Tour concert schedule. On this tour, the Glee Club will perform music from cultures across the world, including this year's Thomas Sokol Commission, I Do Remember by Anders Edenroth. You can listen to our recent recordings and performances here.
Tickets for select concerts shown below can be purchased online or at the door for an additional $1, unless otherwise noted.
Be sure to check in and share our concerts on Facebook.
We would love to see you at a concert! Each of our concerts concludes with beloved Cornell songs, and we always invite alumni to sing along! If you have any questions please contact us at tour@gleeclub.cornell.edu.
Hope to see you soon, and Let's Go Red!


We're saying "konnichiwa" to a new true blue fashion trend: indigo clothing! Each piece is inspired by traditional Japanese Shibori techniques.
Winter weather does a number on your skin. But these skincare tips and Korean beauty products will have you back to your glowing summer skin in no time!
Winter is coming, and we've got on-trend wraps, snoods, beanies, gloves, and more to keep you warm and stylish.
Our fashion approach to the fickle temperatures of autumn? Layers, glorious layers. Shop our top jackets to level up your layer game.
Wondering about wedding gifting? We've gathered together the most lovely wedding gift ideas to celebrate their wedded bliss!
Create a special back-to-school goodie box curated especially for your favorite college student.
Blogger Miranda Anderson's floral and fragrant bath bomb recipe for Mother's Day is a beautiful way to let mom enjoy bath time.


You know how on the inside of a Dove chocolate piece wrapper there's a sort of proverb? Like the jokes in Bazooka gum or trivia with Snapple drinks, or "fortunes" with Chinese cookies?
My TA left me some graded quizzes with a piece of chocolate in my box.
"Take a walk through frosty glass leaving footprints."
Which would make an entirely different impression than the actual word printed (grass).
What I misread serves as a better proverbial match for some of my recent "communication" forays. I'm walking along, talking away, thinking I'm reading my surroundings, and crash! I run into a frosty glass panel - metaphorically that would often be someone else's feelings. The weird thing is, I keep walking and talking. It takes me awhile, sometimes, to see the destruction around me. At least I'm not barefoot a la John McClane in Die Hard.
Well, anyway I got some unexpected chocolate out of the whole experience.


text:
South African Heavy Artillery Memorial: Johannesburg
Heavy Artillery Memorial, Johannesburg, ROH, War Museum Johannesburg, World War 1
71st (Transvaal) Siege Battery: Johannesburg Zoo
These photographs of the South African Heavy Artillery Memorial (71st (Transvaal) Seige Battery) at the Johannesburg Zoo were taken on 20 August 2011. Special thanks to Carl Hoehler for the information on where this memorial can be found, as well as additional information on the 6 guns that made up the memorials to the South African Heavy Artillery. Of special mention is the worker at the zoo called Kevin who assisted me in getting these photographs.
This 6-inch 26-cwt howitzers is one of 6 brought back from France and Flanders to be part of the memorials to the South African Heavy Artillery that were established in major centres in South Africa. It is currently in the grounds of the Johannesburg Zoo. Like its counterpart in Port Elizabeth, part of the memorial is a dedication plaque:
Erected by the Officers, NCO's and Men of the South African Heavy Artillery in Memory of their Comrades who fell in the Great War 1914-1918
The SAHA ROH in Johannesburg
The inscription is followed by the names and ranks of the 167 men who died in the Great War.
The gun has been in place at the zoo since 1920, and was restored in 2007.
It may be found at Google Earth Co-ordinates 26° 10.111'S, 28° 2.039'E
The 6 Memorials to the Heavy Artillery can be found in: (Open in new page)
71st (Transvaal) Siege Battery: Johannesburg Zoo (Restored 2007)
72nd (Griqualand West) Siege Battery: Clyde N Terry Museum Kimberley
73rd (Cape) Siege Battery: Company Gardens Cape Town
74th (Eastern Province) Siege Battery: Port Elizabeth. Gun removed to the National Museum Bloemfontein to be restored
75th (Natal) Siege Battery: Warriors Gate Durban
125th (Transvaal) Siege Battery: Near the Union Buildings, Pretoria
© DRW 2011-2018. Created 21/08/2011. Roll of Honour list supplied by Carl Hoehler. Moved to blog 30/01/2014, Updated 08/07/2017
Tags: 6-inch 26-cwt howitzer, Johannesburg Zoo, Parktown, SAHA, SAHA Memorial, South African Heavy Artillery Memorial, UNion Buildings


All new parents want to keep their little ones warm and comfortable. Especially on those cold nights or when it is a hot summer day and the air conditioning is at full blast everywhere you go. Baby hats are the perfect way to keep them warm, while also accessorizing their look too. Baby hats are so much fun to add to any outfit to really complete your baby's look.
Look through the large assortment of baby hats we offer in so many different colors and patterns. We have a large array of solid colored baby hats to choose from to match any outfit that baby may already have. They come in many colors and shades of different colors to mixed and matched with coordinating pieces. Such as all the solid colored baby clothes we have that match these baby hats perfectly. Create complete outfits in your favorite colors for your little one.
The animal prints have become so popular and work perfectly for both boys and girls. Add in tans, brown, reds, white or blacks to coordinate with these super cute hats or use all matching baby bodysuits and baby bibs to go with them. However, if you are looking for something for your little boy, then the argyle print baby hats are perfect in shades of blue, green and brown or brown, tan and orange as well. We of course have something for little girls too. The Asian inspired toile print is available in burgundy and white or black and white and is very delicate and feminine for your little one to wear. All of these have matching kimono bodysuits and bibs to choose from as well. However, they also pair wonderfully with all the solid colored baby clothes we have to add a splash of color and flair to any outfit.
Don't forget we also offer custom embroidery on the baby hats as well (See All Embroidered Baby Hats). Add a truly special touch to these pieces by adding letters, words or names to them in coordinating embroidery floss as well. Plus, the fonts can be customized as well to create truly unique pieces for your little one. No matter what you are looking for, we have something for everyone and a way to make your baby's wardrobe truly special and unique to them. You'll love all the options and choices you have with Baby Milano.


text:
Target CEO out in wake of data breach
By: Associated Press May 5, 2014
NEW YORK — Target's massive data breach has now cost the company's CEO his job.
Target announced Monday that Chairman, President and CEO Gregg Steinhafel is out nearly five months after the retailer disclosed the breach, which has hurt its reputation among customers and hammered its business.
Experts say his departure marks the first CEO of a major corporation to resign in the wake of a data breach and underscores how CEOS are now becoming more at risk in an era when such breaches have become common.
The nation's third-largest retailer said Steinhafel, a 35-year veteran of the company and CEO since 2008, has agreed to step down, effective immediately. He also resigned from the board of directors.
The departure suggests the company is trying to start with a clean slate as it wrestles with the fallout from hackers' theft of credit and debit card information on tens of millions of customers. The company's sales, profit and stock price have all suffered since the breach was disclosed.
A company spokeswoman declined to give specifics on when the decision was reached. But in a statement issued Monday, the board said that that after extensive discussions with Steinhafel, they both "have decided it is the right time for new leadership at Target."
The company's stock fell more than 3 percent Monday morning.
Target, based in Minneapolis, said Chief Financial Officer John Mulligan has been appointed interim president and CEO. Roxanne S. Austin, a member of Target's board, has been named as interim nonexecutive chair of the board. Both will serve in those roles until permanent replacements are named.
Steinhafel will serve in an advisory capacity during the transition. Jim Johnson remains lead independent director on the board.
"He was the face of the public breach. The company struggled to recover from it," said Cynthia Larose, chair of the privacy and security practice at the law firm Mintz Levin. "It's a new era for boards to take a proactive role in understanding what the risks are."
Steinhafel's tenure has been tested with many challenges, from a weak economy to a proxy fight. The company, known for its cheap chic clothing and home decor, has seen uneven sales since the recession ended and has battled a perception that its prices aren't as low as its rivals.
Under Steinhafel's leadership, the company has won kudos for expanding into fresh groceries and offered a 5 percent discount to customers who use its branded debit and credit cards. In 2009, he successfully defended the company against a proxy fight against activist hedge fund manager William Ackman, who was pushing his own slate of candidates to the board.
But the company recently has been faced with fiercer competition from Amazon.com and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Recently, difficulties with expansion in Canada, Target's first foray outside the U.S., has hurt profits. But the breach was the biggest black eye on Steinhafel's tenure.
"Ultimately, too much rained down on Gregg Steinhafel," said Brian Sozzi, CEO and chief equities strategist at Belus Capital Advisors. "There was no way he could escape the black vortex of news."
In March, Target said in it annual report that the breach has spawned dozens of legal actions and said it can't estimate how big the financial tab will be. It also acknowledged separately that security software picked up on suspicious activity after the cyber attack was launched, but the company decided not to take immediate action because it believed it did not warrant immediate follow-up.
Target's response since disclosing the breach has included free credit monitoring for affected customers and and overhaul of security systems.
"The last several months have tested Target in unprecedented ways," Steinhafel wrote in a letter to the board that was made available to The Associated Press. "From the beginning, I have been committed to ensuring Target emerges from the data breach a better company, more focused than ever on delivering for our guests."
The board said it has hired consultant Korn/Ferry International to search for a new CEO.
Steinhafel's departure comes two months after the company announced that Chief Information Officer Beth Jacob resigned. Last week, Target named Bob DeRodes, who has 40 years of experience in information technology, as its new chief information officer.
Target said it is continuing its search for a chief information security officer and a chief compliance officer.
Target also said last week that MasterCard Inc. will provide its branded credit and debit cards with a more secure chip-and-PIN technology next year. That will make Target the first major U.S. retailer to have store cards with this technology.
Steinhafel has faced increasing pressure since it was revealed on Dec. 19 that a data breach compromised 40 million credit and debit card accounts between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. Then on Jan. 10, the company said hackers also stole personal information — including names, phone numbers as well as email and mailing addresses — from as many as 70 million customers.
The company's board has been meeting with Steinhafel monthly instead of quarterly to oversee Target's response to the breach.
When the final tally is in, Target's breach may eclipse the biggest known data breach at a retailer, one disclosed in 2007 at the parent company of TJ Maxx that affected 90 million records.
Target reported in February that its fourth-quarter profit fell 46 percent on a revenue decline of 5.3 percent as the breach scared off customers.
Target's sales have been recovering as more time passes, but it expects business to be muted for some time. It issued a profit outlook for the current quarter and full year that missed Wall Street estimates because it faces hefty costs related to the breach.
Target's shares have been volatile and are down 2.5 percent since the breach was disclosed. Shares fell $1.95 to $60.06 in early afternoon trading.
data breach target 2:46 pm Mon, May 5, 2014 Maryland Daily Record
Tagged with: data breach target