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Francesca Chambers
Francesca is a political reporter for the Daily Mail, where she covers the White House and the 2016 presidential race.
Previously the editor of Red Alert Politics, an online publication she founded for MediaDC, the parent company of The Washington Examiner and The Weekly Standard, she contributed to all three publications and covered the 2012 presidential primary for the Examiner.
She has also appeared on ABC's "Nightline", PBS' "NewsHour," and has had segments on FOX, MSNBC, CNN, Fusion, TheBlazeTV, Huffpost Live and NPR.
Francesca graduated from the University of Kansas with BAs in Political Science and Journalism. At KU she was an editor of the University Daily Kansan and an active member of Student Senate. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband Michael.
To The Contrary Host: Bonnie Erbé
Bonnie Erbé is a nonpartisan, award-winning American journalist and television host based in the Washington, D.C. area who has ...
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text:
Q: Dillema with prediction with TensorFlow on MNIST set currently I am a newbie on TensorFlow, I have trained a model using MNIST set and now I have made some pictures with numbers and I want to try to test the precision. I think I have a syntax or understanding of how things in TensorFlow are working
This is my model:
x = tf.placeholder(tf.float32, shape=[None, 784])
y_ = tf.placeholder(tf.float32, shape=[None, 10])
sess = tf.InteractiveSession()
def weight_variable(shape):
initial = tf.truncated_normal(shape, stddev=0.1)
return tf.Variable(initial)

def bias_variable(shape):
    initial = tf.constant(0.1, shape=shape)
    return tf.Variable(initial)

#stride 1 and 0 padding
def conv2d(x, W):
    return tf.nn.conv2d(x, W, strides=[1, 1, 1, 1], padding='SAME')

#pooling over 2x2
def max_pool_2x2(x):
    return tf.nn.max_pool(x, ksize=[1, 2, 2, 1],
                    strides=[1, 2, 2, 1], padding='SAME')

W_conv1 = weight_variable([5, 5, 1, 32])
b_conv1 = bias_variable([32])
x_image = tf.reshape(x, [-1,28,28,1])
h_conv1 = tf.nn.relu(conv2d(x_image, W_conv1) + b_conv1)
h_pool1 = max_pool_2x2(h_conv1)
# Second Layer
W_conv2 = weight_variable([5, 5, 32, 64])
b_conv2 = bias_variable([64])
h_conv2 = tf.nn.relu(conv2d(h_pool1, W_conv2) + b_conv2)
h_pool2 = max_pool_2x2(h_conv2)
#Fully connected layer
W_fc1 = weight_variable([7 * 7 * 64, 1024])
b_fc1 = bias_variable([1024])
h_pool2_flat = tf.reshape(h_pool2, [-1, 7*7*64])
h_fc1 = tf.nn.relu(tf.matmul(h_pool2_flat, W_fc1) + b_fc1)
keep_prob = tf.placeholder(tf.float32)
h_fc1_drop = tf.nn.dropout(h_fc1, keep_prob)
#Readout layer
W_fc2 = weight_variable([1024, 10])
b_fc2 = bias_variable([10])

y_conv = tf.matmul(h_fc1_drop, W_fc2) + b_fc2

cross_entropy = tf.reduce_mean(
tf.nn.softmax_cross_entropy_with_logits(labels=y_, logits=y_conv))
train_step = tf.train.AdamOptimizer(1e-4).minimize(cross_entropy)
correct_prediction = tf.equal(tf.argmax(y_conv,1), tf.argmax(y_,1))
accuracy = tf.reduce_mean(tf.cast(correct_prediction, tf.float32))
sess.run(tf.global_variables_initializer())
for i in range(200):
   batch = mnist.train.next_batch(50)
   if i%100 == 0:
        train_accuracy = accuracy.eval(feed_dict={
        x:batch[0], y_: batch[1], keep_prob: 1.0})
        print("step %d, training accuracy %g"%(i, train_accuracy))
   train_step.run(feed_dict={x: batch[0], y_: batch[1], keep_prob: 0.5})

# Here is my custom dataset

custom_data=GetDataset()

print sess.run(y_conv,feed_dict={x: custom_data})

It is not the right syntax for making prediction with my custom data ? I am missing something here ? My data are in the same format as the one from the MNIST set but I can find a correct syntax for how to make a prediction:
print sess.run(y_conv,feed_dict={x: custom_data})

Thanks a lot for any help !

A: y_conv will provide you what you need to make recommendations. You're probably just not understanding the form the data takes on in that tensor.
In your code you have a loss function and an optimizer:
cross_entropy = tf.reduce_mean(
   tf.nn.softmax_cross_entropy_with_logits(labels=y_, logits=y_conv))
train_step = tf.train.AdamOptimizer(1e-4).minimize(cross_entropy)

Note that you pass y_conv to the softmax_cross_encropy_with_logits method. y_conv at this point is an unscaled number. Negative values represent the negative class, positive values represent the positive class.
softmax will convert these to a probability distribution over all outputs. This notably converts all outputs to a [0,1] range. Cross entropy then computes the error (cross entropy assumes values in the [0,1] range).
It's common to simply create another tensor that actually computes the prediction, if you're using softmax then:
prediction = tf.softmax(y_conv)

That would give you the predicted probability distribution over the labels. Just request that tensor in your sess.run step.
If you just care about the most probable class, then you can take the max of the y_conv values. Note also that if this statement is true you might want to experiment with tf.nn.sigmoid_cross_entropy_with_logits which is a slightly more tuned to producing results that are not a probability distribution (slightly better for single class prediction, and mandatory for multi class prediction).

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text:
Q: Adding custom string to string dependency property in xaml I have a DependencyProperty Name as string. Is it possible to use this property together with a custom string in XAML? Something like this:
<MyControl.Text>
    <MultiBinding StringFormat="{}{0}{1}">
        <Binding Source="{Binding Name}" />
        <Binding Source="Custom Text" />
    </MultiBinding>
</MyControl.Text>

A: instead of MultiBinding append Custom Text to StringFormat
Text="{Binding Path=Name, StringFormat='{}{0} custom text'}"

if text constains { and  } thay should be escaped as well.
xaml editor interprets them as markup extensions, therefore change { to \{.
converter interprets {} as a place for parameter, therefore double the braces {{}}
StringFormat='\{0} custom \{\{}} text'


text:
Nigeria's central bank to resume cheque clearing as lockdowns ease
Nigeria's central bank said on Monday it would resume cheque clearing, just as the country prepares to gradually ease coronavirus lockdowns in Abuja and Lagos.
"Cheque clearing instruments will be allowed to pass through the clearing system with effect from April 28, 2020," a circular stated. It added the decision came after it reviewed the need for cheque clearing as part of a "safe and efficient payments system," and did not cite the easing of lockdowns…
https://af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFL5N2CF7O9


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text:
Date of Report: May 8, 2006
(Date of earliest event reported)
Delaware 1-6033 36-2675207
1200 East Algonquin Road, Elk Grove Township, Illinois 60007
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to simultaneously satisfy the obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
Item 2.02 Results of Operation and Financial Condition
On May 8, 2006, UAL Corporation (the "Company") issued a press release announcing its financial results for the first quarter 2006. The press release is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
(c) Exhibits Description
99.1 Press Release
/s/ Frederic F. Brace
Frederic F. Brace
Dated: May 8, 2006
Exhibit No. Description
99.1* Press Release
Worldwide Communications:
Media Relations Office: 847.700.5538
Evenings/Weekends: 847.700.4088
UAL CORPORATION REPORTS FIRST QUARTER
Operating Margin Improvement Despite 33% Higher Fuel Expense
Generated More than $400 Million of Operating Cash Flow
Strong Total Cash Position of $4.5 Billion
Mainline Unit Revenue up 11%
Outlines Multi-Year Cost Reduction Plan
CHICAGO, May 8, 2006 - UAL Corporation (NASDAQ: UAUA), the holding company whose primary subsidiary is United Airlines, today reported its combined first quarter 2006 financial results.
UAL reported combined first quarter net income of $23 billion driven by $23 billion of primarily non-cash reorganization gains largely due to the discharge of liabilities associated with the company's exit from Chapter 11.
The company believes a better indicator of UAL's post-reorganization financial performance is its results excluding reorganization items. Excluding reorganization items, UAL reported a net loss for the combined quarter of $306 million, compared to a loss of $302 million a year ago. On an operating basis, UAL reported a combined first quarter operating loss of $171 million, a $79 million improvement over the same quarter last year, as strong revenue more than offset a $314 million increase in fuel expense for mainline and regional operations.
"The $23 billion gain is a reflection of the magnitude and effectiveness of our restructuring. We are now applying the same rigor and discipline to improving our operating and financial performance," said Glenn Tilton, UAL's chairman, president and CEO. "By simultaneously reducing our costs and realizing our full revenue potential, we will drive continued margin improvement and unlock the full value of our assets."
The company ended the quarter with an unrestricted cash balance of $3.6 billion, and a restricted cash balance of $0.9 billion, for a total cash balance of $4.5 billion. Unrestricted cash and short-term investments increased by $1.8 billion during the quarter as the company drew down $2.8 billion of exit financing. UAL generated positive operating cash flow of over $400 million.
The contribution of regional affiliates improved by $94 million compared with last year's quarter, as a result of restructured regional carrier agreements, the company's network optimization efforts and the strong revenue environment. Regional affiliates revenue increased by 28 percent. Regional affiliates expense increased by only 8 percent, despite a 13 percent increase in capacity and 36 percent increase in fuel expense.
The company had an effective tax rate of zero for all periods presented, which makes UAL's pre-tax results the same as its net results.
EBITDAR excluding the non-cash stock based compensation expense is on track with the business plan.
"The improved revenue environment essentially compensated for record high fuel expense," said Jake Brace, UAL executive vice president and chief financial officer. "With limited near-term debt maturities, modest capital spending and no near-term aircraft commitments, the company is on a solid financial footing."
Revenue Results
Compared to the same quarter last year, total revenue increased by 14 percent, with mainline revenue per available seat mile (RASM) up 11 percent. Strong demand, industry capacity restraint, yield improvements and our differentiated customer product strategy all contributed to the revenue increase. Mainline traffic increased by 3 percent on a 1 percent increase in capacity, resulting in a 1 point increase in load factor. Mainline yield was 9 percent higher than last year. Domestic, Pacific and Atlantic regions all posted strong unit revenue increases. Regional affiliate passenger unit revenue was 13 percent higher than last year driven by a 9 percent increase in yield and a 3 point increase in load factor.
"In addition to an improved pricing environment, the strength of our network and our evolving differentiated product strategy contributed to revenue improvement," said John Tague, UAL's executive vice president and chief revenue officer. "While these revenue results are encouraging, they do not meet our expectations or reflect the full potential of this airline. The work to get there is clear and we continue to aggressively execute our plan."
During the combined first quarter, total operating expenses increased 11 percent. Mainline operating cost per available seat mile (CASM) increased by 11 percent from the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by a 33 percent increase in mainline fuel prices. Excluding fuel, mainline CASM increased 3 percent.
Combined first quarter results also reflected an increase of $51 million or 5% in salaries and related expense, which included the recognition of $69 million for stock-based compensation expense for plans implemented in accordance with the company's Plan of Reorganization. Purchased services expense increased $69 million, or 19 percent compared with last year, driven primarily by an increase in outsourcing, higher traffic-related costs and post-bankruptcy professional fees. Aircraft maintenance materials and outside repairs increased $40 million or 18 percent primarily due to engine-related maintenance.
The company is engaged in a multi-year cost reduction program. For 2006, United's business plan includes $300 million in benefits over 2005. The company has committed to an additional $400 million in cost savings starting in 2007 over and above what is in the business plan.
"While partially driven by fresh-start accounting and the non-cash charge for stock based compensation expense, our increase in non-fuel CASM reinforces why our focus remains on our core operations and why we are targeting additional cost savings in 2007," Brace said.
To generate additional cost savings in 2007 and beyond, the company is focused on fundamental improvements to its core business. As part of United's ongoing continuous improvement efforts, the company is improving processes and driving efficiencies that will enhance service to customers and reduce costs. Savings will come from improvements in both major processes, such as flight planning to reduce navigation fees, and smaller processes, such as the consolidation of technology help desks. In addition, the company will streamline operations and corporate functions to further reduce overhead spending for salaried and management personnel. United also expects to reduce marketing and sales expenses.
These cost-savings efforts build on the company's accomplishments during the restructuring. For example, the cargo division implemented market management processes, invested in information systems, and outsourced warehouses and call centers which improved customer service and profitability.
The company is making targeted investments in people, tools and technology infrastructure. These investments will support the extension of continuous improvement efforts to the major work processes that support the company and the customer. United expects consistent delivery of its services to improve the customer experience.
"We are committed to ongoing expense reduction, and the savings programs will mitigate the inflationary cost pressure we face in 2006 and 2007," said Pete McDonald, UAL executive vice president and chief operating officer. "We are driving consistency and standardization to improve results, and are focused on achieving our cost objectives while restoring the high levels of operational performance posted in 2005."
The company continues to implement its resource optimization efforts throughout the United system, resulting in an increase in first quarter fleet utilization of 3 percent. The company intends to further tighten turn times at Dulles and O'Hare this year. By closing remote terminals in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles, the company has eliminated the need to bus passengers between terminals in the entire United system. In addition, employee productivity (available seat miles divided by employee equivalents) was up 6 percent for the quarter compared to the same period in 2005.
In the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Transportation, United was ranked second for the 12 months ending March 2006 in on-time arrival performance and ranked second in the least mishandled baggage among the six major network carriers. Poor west coast weather, record high load factors and tighter turn times put pressure on United's operational performance in the first quarter. For the first quarter 2006, United was ranked sixth in on-time arrival performance and ranked second in the least mishandled baggage among the six major network carriers.
Fresh-Start Reporting
Upon emergence from its Chapter 11 proceedings in February 2006, the company adopted fresh-start reporting in accordance with SOP 90-7 as of February 1, 2006. The company's emergence resulted in a new reporting entity with no retained earnings or accumulated deficit as of February 1, 2006. Accordingly, the company's financial information shown for periods prior to February 1, 2006 is not comparable to consolidated financial statements presented on or after February 1, 2006. For further discussion on fresh-start reporting, please refer to the company's first quarter 2006 Form 10-Q to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
United has issued the following capacity guidance for the second quarter and full-year 2006: Second Quarter Full Year
Capacity (ASM's)
Mainline +2.5% to 3.0% +2.5% to 3.0%
Regional Affiliates +8.0% to 9.0% +8.0% to 9.0%
Consolidated +3.0% to 3.5% +3.0% to 3.5% Capacity increases are driven by higher aircraft utilization as a result of the company's resource optimization efforts.
The company expects mainline fuel price to average $2.15 per gallon for the second quarter and $2.06 per gallon for the full year (including taxes). The company currently has no fuel hedges in place for the remainder of 2006.
Excluding fuel, mainline CASM is expected to be up 3 to 4 percent in the second quarter over the same period last year.
News releases and other information about United Airlines can be found at the company's website, www.united.com.
Note 8 to the attached Combined Statements of Consolidated Operations provides a reconciliation of net income or loss reported under GAAP to net income or loss excluding reorganization items for all periods presented, as well as a reconciliation of other financial measures, including and excluding special items.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements included in this press release are forward-looking and thus reflect the Company's current expectations and beliefs with respect to certain current and future events and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are and will be, as the case may be, subject to many risks and uncertainties relating to the operations and business environments of the Company that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could significantly affect net earnings, revenues, expenses, costs, load factor and capacity include, without limitation, the following: the Company's ability to comply with the terms of its credit facility; the costs and availability of financing; the Company's ability to execute its business plan; the Company's ability to attract, motivate and/or retain key employees; the Company's ability to attract and retain customers; demand for transportation in the markets in which the Company operates; general economic conditions (including interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, crude oil prices and refining capacity in relevant markets); the effects of any hostilities or act of war or any terrorist attack; the ability of other air carriers with whom the Company has alliances or partnerships to provide the services contemplated by the respective arrangements with such carriers; the costs and availability of aircraft insurance; the costs of aviation fuel; our ability to cost effectively hedge against increases in the price of aviation fuel; the costs associated with security measures and practices; labor costs; competitive pressures on pricing (particularly from lower-cost competitors) and on demand; capacity decisions of our competitors, U.S. or foreign governmental legislation, and regulation and other actions; the ability of the Company to maintain satisfactory labor relations, any disruptions to operations due to any potential actions by our labor groups ; weather conditions; and other risks and uncertainties set forth from time to time in UAL's reports to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Consequently, the forward-looking statements should not be regarded as representations or warranties by the Company that such matters will be realized. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements, whether in response to new information, unforeseen events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
UAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
COMBINED SUCCESSOR AND PREDECESSOR COMPANY STATEMENTS OF CONSOLIDATED OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)
(In millions, except per share)
Predecessor Successor Predecessor
Period from Period from Combined Three Months
January 1 February 1 Periods Ended Ended %
to January 31, to March 31, March 31, March 31, Increase/
(In accordance with GAAP) 2006 2006 2006 2005 (Decrease)
Operating revenues:
Passenger - United Airlines
- Regional Affiliates
Other operating revenues
Salaries and related costs
Aircraft fuel
Regional affiliates
Aircraft maintenance materials and outside repairs
Landing fees and other rent
Aircraft rent
Loss from operations
Other income (expense):
Interest capitalized
Miscellaneous, net
Loss before reorganization items, income taxes and
equity in earnings of affiliates
Reorganization items, net
Earnings (loss) before income taxes and equity in earnings
of affiliates
Earnings (loss) before equity in earnings of affiliates
Net income (loss)
$ (223)
$ (1,070)
Earnings (loss) per share, basic and diluted
$ (1.95)
Weighted average shares
See accompanying notes.
Consolidated Notes (Unaudited)
(1) UAL Corporation ("UAL" or the "Company") is a holding company whose principal subsidiary is United Air Lines, Inc. ("United"). On December 9, 2002, UAL, United and twenty-six direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries filed Chapter 11 petitions for relief in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois. On February 1, 2006, the Company emerged from Chapter 11.
(2) In connection with emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the Company adopted fresh-start reporting in accordance with American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' Statement of Position 90-7 "Financial Reporting by Entities in Reorganization under the Bankruptcy Code". Thus, the consolidated financial statements prior to February 1, 2006 reflect results based upon the historical cost basis of the Company while the post-emergence consolidated financial statements reflect the new basis of accounting incorporating the fair value adjustments made in recording the effects of fresh-start reporting. Therefore, the post-emergence periods are not comparable to the pre-emergence periods. However, for discussions on the results of operations, the Company has combined the results for the one month ended January 31, 2006 and two months ended March 31, 2006. The combined periods have been compared to the three months ended March 31, 2005. References to "Successor Company" refer to UAL on or after February 1, 2006, after giving effect to the application of fresh-start reporting. References to "Predecessor Company" refer to UAL prior to February 1, 2006.
Pursuant to SEC Regulation G, the Company included on the face of the Combined Successor and Predecessor Company Statements of Consolidated Operations (Unaudited) for the three month period ending March 31, 2006 a reconciliation of reported GAAP financial results to financial results reported on a non-GAAP basis. The Company believes that the reported non-GAAP financial results provide management and investors a better perspective of the Company's core business and on-going operational financial performance and trends for comparative purposes.
(3) In connection with its bankruptcy proceedings, the Company recorded the following largely non-cash reorganization items:
Period from Period from
January 1 January 1
to January 31, to March 31,
(In millions) 2006 2005
Discharge of claims and liabilities
Revaluation of Mileage Plus frequent flyer liability
Revaluation of assets and liabilities
Employee-related charges
Contract rejection charges
Professional fees
Pension-related charges
Aircraft claim charges
Total reorganization income (expense)
[a] The discharge of claims and liabilities primarily relates to those unsecured claims arising during the bankruptcy process, such as the termination and settlement of the Company's U.S. defined benefit pension plans and other employee claims; aircraft-related claims, such as those arising as a result of aircraft rejections; other unsecured claims due to the rejection or modification of executory contracts, unexpired leases and regional carrier contracts; and claims associated with certain municipal bond obligations based upon their rejection, settlement or the estimated impact of the outcome of pending litigation. In accordance with the Plan of Reorganization, the Company discharged its obligations to unsecured creditors in exchange for the distribution of 115 million common shares of the Successor Company and the issuance of certain other securities. Accordingly, the Company recognized a non-cash reorganization gain of $24.6 billion.
[b] The Company revalued its frequent flyer miles to estimated fair value as a result of fresh-start reporting, which resulted in a $2.4 billion non-cash reorganization charge.
[c] In accordance with fresh-start reporting, the Company revalued its assets at their estimated fair value and liabilities at estimated fair value or the present value of amounts to be paid. This resulted in a non-cash reorganization gain of $2.1 billion, primarily as a result of newly recognized intangible assets, offset partly by reductions in the fair value of tangible property and equipment.
[d] Employee-related charges include the value of the deemed claim that the salaried and management group received upon confirmation of the Plan of Reorganization. The deemed claim was based upon the cost savings provided by this employee group during the bankruptcy process.
[e] Contract rejection charges are non-cash costs that include our estimate of claims resulting from the Company's rejection or negotiated modification of certain contractual obligations such as executory contracts, unexpired leases and regional carrier contracts.
[f] In the first quarter of 2005, the Company recognized pension curtailment charges of $433 million associated with actions taken by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to involuntarily terminate the Company's defined benefit pension plan for covered members of certain ground employees.
[g] Aircraft claim charges include the Company's estimate of claims incurred as a result of the rejection of certain aircraft leases and return of aircraft as part of the bankruptcy process, together with certain claims resulting from the modification of other aircraft financings in bankruptcy.
(4) In accordance with the Plan of Reorganization, the Company may issue up to 125 million shares (out of the one billion shares of new common stock authorized under its certificate of incorporation). The new common stock was listed on the NASDAQ National Market and began trading under the symbol "UAUA" on February 2, 2006. The distributions of common stock, subject to certain holdbacks as described in the Plan of Reorganization, will be as follows:
* Approximately 115 million shares of common stock to unsecured creditors and employees;
* Up to 9.825 million shares of common stock and options (or rights to acquire shares) under the management equity incentive plan ("MEIP") approved by the Bankruptcy Court; and
* Up to 175,000 shares of common stock and options (or rights to acquire shares) under the director equity incentive plan ("DEIP") approved by the Bankruptcy Court.
In accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 128, "Earnings per Share" ("SFAS 128"), basic and diluted loss per share amounts were computed by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the two month period ending March 31, 2006. SFAS 128 requires that the entire 115 million shares to be issued to unsecured creditors and employees be considered outstanding, although the Company in fact has not issued all 115 million shares at March 31, 2006. In addition, at March 31, 2006, stock options to purchase approximately 6 million shares of new UAL common stock were outstanding, as were 4 million restricted shares, but were not included in the computation of loss per share as the effect of such would be antidilutive.
(5) Included in UAL's operating loss are the results of United's wholly owned subsidiary United Aviation Fuels Corporation ("UAFC").
Period from Period from Combined Period from
January 1 February 1 Periods Ended January 1 %
to January 31, to March 31, March 31, to March 31, Increase/
UAFC (in millions) 2006 2006 2006 2005 (Decrease)
Income/(loss) from operations
$ (1)
(6) UAL's results of operations include aircraft fuel expense for both United mainline jet operations and regional affiliates. Aircraft fuel expense incurred as a result of the Company's regional affiliates' operations is reflected in the Regional Affiliates operating expenses. In accordance with UAL's agreement with its regional affiliates, these costs are incurred by the Company.
Year-Over-Year Impact of Fuel Expense
United Mainline and Regional Affiliate Jet Operations
2006 2006 2006 2005 (Decrease)
GAAP mainline fuel expense (in millions)
Regional affiliates fuel expense (in millions)
United system fuel expense (in millions)
Mainline fuel consumption (in millions of gallons)
Mainline average jet fuel price per gallon (in cents)
(7) The below tables set forth certain operating statistics for United's mainline, regional affiliates and consolidated operations:
[a] [a]
For the combined periods ended March 31, 2006 North America
Total Mainline
ASM (in millions)
RPM (in millions)
Passenger revenues (in millions)
PRASM (cents)
Yield (cents) [b]
Load Factor (percent)
For the period ended March 31, 2005 North America
[a] For segment reporting purposes, the Company aggregates Regional Affiliates results within the North America segment.
[b] Segment yields exclude charter revenue and revenue passenger miles.
(8) Pursuant to SEC Regulation G, the Company has included the following reconciliation of reported non-GAAP financial measures to comparable financial measures reported on a GAAP basis. The Company believes that the reported non-GAAP financial results provide management and investors a better perspective of the Company's core business and on-going financial performance and trends by excluding reorganization items for comparative purposes.
[a] Predecessor Successor Predecessor
(In millions, except per share) 2006 2006 2006 2005 (Decrease)
Net income/(loss)
Adjusted for:
Net loss excluding reorganization
Adjusted loss per share, basic and diluted
The tables below set forth the reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures for certain operating statistics that are used in determining key indicators such as operating revenue per available seat mile ("RASM"), adjusted passenger revenue per revenue passenger mile ("Yield") and operating expense per available seat mile ("CASM").
Combined Period from
Periods Ended January 1 %
March 31, to March 31, Increase/
2006 2005 (Decrease)
[b] Yield (in millions)
Less: industry reduced fares & passenger charges
Mainline adjusted passenger revenue
Mainline revenue passenger miles
Mainline adjusted Yield (in cents)
Consolidated passenger revenue
Consolidated adjusted passenger revenue
Consolidated revenue passenger miles
Consolidated adjusted Yield (in cents)
[c] RASM (in millions)
Consolidated operating revenues
Less: Passenger - Regional Affiliates
Mainline operating revenues
Mainline available seat miles
Mainline RASM (in cents)
Less: UAFC
Mainline operating revenues excluding UAFC
Mainline excluding UAFC RASM (in cents)
[d] CASM (in millions)
Consolidated operating expenses
Less: Regional Affiliates
Mainline operating expenses
Mainline CASM (in cents)
Less: mainline fuel expense
Less: cost of sales - - UAFC
Mainline operating expenses excluding mainline fuel expense &
UAFC
Mainline excluding fuel & UAFC CASM (in cents)
Regional Affiliates operating expenses
Less: fuel expense
Regional Affiliates excluding fuel expense
Regional Affiliates available seat miles
Regional Affiliates excluding fuel CASM (in cents)
Less: fuel expense & UAFC
Consolidated operating expenses excluding fuel & UAFC
Consolidated available seat miles
Consolidated excluding fuel & UAFC CASM (in cents)
(i) UAFC's revenues and expenses are not derived from mainline jet operations. Therefore, UAL has excluded these revenues and expenses from the above reported GAAP financial measures. See Note 5 above for more details.
(ii) Because the price of fuel is affected by economic and political factors not within management's control, management believes that excluding fuel cost from unit cost provides a meaningful comparative basis for investors to evaluate the Company's performance with respect to more controllable operating expenses.
Combined Successor and Predecessor Company Operating Statistics
(Mainline and Regional Affiliates *)
Combined Three Months
Periods Ended Ended %
March 31, March 31, Increase/
2006 [a] 2005 (Decrease)
Mainline revenue passengers (in thousands)
Revenue passenger miles (in millions)
Available seat miles (in millions)
Passenger load factor (percent)
1.4 pts.
Consolidated breakeven passenger load factor (percent)
(0.7) pts.
Passenger revenue per passenger mile - Yield (cents) [8b]
Mainline adjusted
Consolidated adjusted
Passenger revenue per available seat mile - PRASM (cents)
Operating revenue per available seat mile - RASM (cents) [8c]
Mainline excluding UAFC
Operating expense per available seat mile - CASM (cents) [8d]
Mainline excluding fuel and UAFC
Regional affiliates excluding fuel
Consolidated excluding fuel and UAFC
Mainline unit loss (cents)
Mainline unit earnings excluding fuel and UAFC (cents)
Number of aircraft in operating fleet at end of period
Other Mainline Statistics
Mainline average price per gallon of jet fuel (cents)
Average full-time equivalent employees (thousands)
ASMs per equivalent employee - productivity (thousands)
Average stage length (in miles)
Revenue block hours (in thousands)
Plane days (in thousands)
Fleet utilization (in hours and minutes)
* Mainline includes United Air Lines, Inc. scheduled and chartered jet operations. Regional Affiliates include operations from regional carriers with whom the Company has entered into capacity purchase agreements to provide jet and turboprop operations branded as United Express.
[a] The combined periods include the results for one month ended January 31, 2006 (Predecessor Company) and two months ended March 31, 2006 (Successor Company).


Women have been gathering in circle for thousands of years to support, be nurtured, and share experiences, struggles, stories, thoughts, ideas, and prayers – especially around the new moon. Women need a circle in order to restore our inner power, energy, and to be ourselves fully.
Circles began in biblical times. Women came together to share the menstrual cycle, the pain, and give birth together. Even today, in many cultures, women live as a community and gather to share.
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A Circle is a geometric form where everyone in the Circle emerges from the center. It leads to honoring all voices. Circles empower us to feel self-worth, inspiring joyful self-expression, self-awareness and self-appreciation.
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The SoulSisterhood Circle offers a safe and gentle space for women of all ages and backgrounds to come together, be themselves, be supported, feel connected, feel loved, and have the opportunity to be seen and heard. It is a place to unwind and let go, a place where women can share the things they are afraid to speak and learn how to shine the inner light on shame so it no longer exists.
In the Circle we are honoring our ancestors, that give us the strength and the wisdom to be present, and embracing this moment of the feminine energy.
The strongest purpose for a Circle is to create unity, harmony, connection, co-creation and collaboration, healing all women who came before us, the women that walk with us, and the women who will come after us.
When women get together and mingle with feminine energy, it supports the balance of energy within our mind, body and soul. Click To TweetIn the western culture, women are isolated. They feel alone, ashamed, and live with fear. Women's Circles create connection and community, the opportunity to share, encourage, and grow.
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Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, by Rene Girard
Rene Girard warns in the first page of foreword to this book that he "deliberately left out all concessions to the reader."
Even before I reached that disclaimer, though, I encountered an obstacle, in the first sentence of the foreword, where he writes that the work is based on research undertaken at Cheektowaga University in the mid-'70s. It struck me as odd that such an eminent academic would have spent time at such an obscure school, so I looked it up — and there is no trace of it. Mystified, I asked the town clerk and historical society in Cheektowaga, New York, about Cheektowaga University, and they told me there'd never been a Cheektowaga University. The Cheektowaga University referred to in Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World is a mystery...
Onto the book:
Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World is three separate books. The first is anthropology, the second is biblical exegesis, and the third is psychology.
All three expound on the concept of mimetic rivalry and the scapegoating mechanism. The basic concept is, once you understand it, actually very simple, and it comes across quite clearly in some of the interviews of Girard on Youtube. The idea is that human desire, as opposed to need, is based on mimesis — we want what others want/have. Accordingly, desire creates rivalry and thus violence, which is or can be resolved via scapegoating — finding a convenient valve through which to release the pressure of rivalry once it becomes unsustainable.
My own way of thinking about the theory, which may be flawed, is that we all take cues from others and follow scripts provided by others. It's as simple as that — but then Girard applies the idea to hundreds of historical, literary, biblical, and psychological situations to extend the concept to surprisingly lengths.
One key claim of the theory is that the mimetic process at the scale of a community results in real, not metaphorical, violence. Over time, scapegoats are identified to contain and resolve the violence. As a civilization develops, those sacrificial acts are then ritualized and eventually define what is sacred and provide the basis for religion.
"The sacred is the sum of human assumptions resulting from collective transferences focused on a reconciliatory victim at the conclusion of a mimetic crisis," he writes (or says, since the book is structured as a dialogue).
In saying that, he's not trying to demean the concepts of religion or the sacred. That is, he's not saying they're meaningless, but in fact that they are or were necessary for resolving violence (in his mind, the sacred is the phlogiston to the oxygen of mimesis).
He goes to great pains to establish that literal violence was behind the origin stories of the religions of civilizations, and that the scapegoating — as in killing sacrificial victims — is a key part of most of human organization. This claim might be hard to follow since the rivalry that develops at the scale of a civilization is mediated through so many relationships and so many cultural norms. But the point, as I understand it, is that, as hierarchies change, allegiances change, and rivalries emerge, any adverse event from outside the community can leave any member of the community vulnerable to an accusation that makes him the scapegoat, no matter how flimsy the evidence or pretext — the so-called evil eye.
One possible extrapolation: In our highly developed, hyper-connected culture, the borders around these mimetic rivalries are so tightly policed that even the smallest apparent infractions lead to the most fevered accusations and the harshest public condemnations. One example, a very controversial one, would be that of the "January 2019 Lincoln Memorial confrontation."
The incident created a controversy wildly disproportionate to the misdeeds alleged. To a visitor from a different culture, it would probably be hard to understand why the incident created a national uproar when, after all, no one was hurt, no property was damaged, etc. Perhaps the controversy could be understood as a mimetic crisis involving a highly contextualized and bitterly contested boundary between two rival factions, generated by an "accusation" by observers who happened to capture it on video and have the video picked up by the media.
Girard makes it clear that he thinks that real violence underlies the mimetic/scapegoating process. He goes so far as to theorize that humans domesticated animals only by accident while keeping them around to serve as literal scapegoats, on the basis that domestication takes too long for it to have been useful within a human lifespan, so animals must have been living with humans at first for non-domesticated purposes.
Furthermore, he argues that all human societies, as evidenced by the ubiquity of cults of the dead, link death with sacrificial victims, meaning that we identify deaths with the resolution of mimetic rivalry and thus the possibility of broader peace. "The tomb is nothing but the first human monument to be raised over the surrogate victim, the first most elemental and fundamental matrix of meaning," he says. "There is no culture without a tomb and no tomb without a culture; in the end the tomb is the first and only cultural symbol."
The thrust of the first book is that, contrary to other anthropological explanations (most prominently, those of Claude Lévi-Strauss), the mimetic process and the scapegoating mechanism are the basis of all civilizational myths, religions, etc.
Except, that is, for Christianity, which in Girard's view is the exception that proves the rule.
He draws out his point about Christianity through surprisingly detailed biblical exegesis, reading back the mimetic process into the bibles, especially Matthew — Matthew 13:35, in which Jesus explains why he speaks in parables: "So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: 'I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.'"
Girard says that the mimetic process, and "religion" to the extent that it is part of the mimetic process, are Satanic. "Satan is the name for the mimetic process seen as a whole; that is why he is the source not merely of rivalry and disorder but of all the forms of lying order inside which humanity live."
Jesus, by making himself the scapegoat, represents the reversal of that process: While in the mimetic process the killing of the scapegoat is what allows the community to escape violence/live, in Christianity the resurrection of the scapegoat is what allows for life.
"The rejected stone is the scapegoat, who is Christ. By submitting to violence, Christ reveals and uproots the structural matrix of all religion," he writes/says, referencing Luke 20:17/Psalm 118.
Furthermore, the proclamation of the Kingdom of God represents "the complete and definitive elimination of every form of vengeance and every form of reprisal in relations in men," Girard writes/says. Jesus instead demands that we "turn the other cheek." That's more than simply a rejection of violence that is random or chaotic, but rather a rejection of the whole structure of the mimetic/scapegoating process.
Two key points about Jesus from Girard: One is that "Saying that Christ is God, born of God, and saying that he has been conceived without sin is stating over again that he's completely alien to the world of violence within which humankind has been imprisoned ever since the foundation of the world: that is to say, ever since Adam."
Another is that Jesus' death was not a sacrifice of the kind seen in the mimetic process. This is a tricky point that is belabored on for about 50 pages and which I have to say I don't fully understand or appreciate, and one that seems to be in tension with, for instance, the language used by St. Paul (which Girard address), and the self-understanding of Christianity as represented, for example, in the Catholic mass, which refers to the crucifixion as a sacrifice.
As best I can understand it, the point is that "if Jesus' death were sacrificial, the Resurrection would be the 'product' of the Crucifixion. But this is not so" — in fact it's more the other way around: Jesus' divinity is the cause of the crucifixion. To illustrate the point again, Girard draws a parallel between the mother of the child in dispute in the famous judgment of Solomon and Jesus: She wasn't sacrificing the child when she offered to give him up rather than have him cut in two, but rather acting in order to save his life.
Girard seems to think that viewing Jesus as a sacrificial victim is about the highest-level conceptual mistake you can make, and one that modern thinkers are more or less doomed to.
He distinguishes between the logos of Greek thought, going back to Heraclitus, and the logos of Johannine thought, and notes that John starts off right away, in the Prologue to the Gospel, recognizing three times that the Christian logos is bound to be rejected by the world (that is, people who view Jesus as a figure typical of "religion," that is the mimetic/scapegoating process). I.e., "the darkness comprehended it not...yet the world knew him not...and his own people received him not."
He credits Martin Heidegger for recognizing the error of substituting the Greek logos for the Johannine logos in Christian and post-Christian thought, and for placing the antecedent for the Johannine logos in Jewish rather than Greek thought.
But he goes further. He is, interlocutor Jean-Michel Oughourlian says, "seeking for one single distinction: the absolute distinction between the Logos of violence, which is not, and the Logos of love, which is." While the Logos of love might be rejected, there is some comfort in the fact that "its expulsion is revealed in a more and more obvious fashion."
Furthermore, he explains later, the Adam and Eve story establishes the relationship between God and humanity in terms of expulsion — but a reversal from that in the prologue to John.
Bringing it all together: "All the grand theories of modern times, and all forms of thought in the human sciences in the world of politics, have a bearing on the victimage processes, and issue their own condemnations of these processes. But these condemnations are invariably selective; they are arranged against each other, with each way of thinking concerned to brandish its 'own' victims in the face of others.... taken as a whole these ways of thinking can only prepare for the revelation of the victimage process in all its breath as the founding process of culture. They are all unconsciously working toward the vindication of the very texts that they claimed have put behind them."
That is a launching point for the third book, which is mostly a comparison of the psychology implied by mimetic desire (and captured in great literature such as Shakespeare, Moliere, and Dostoevsky) and that of Sigmund Freud. It's also more self-referential and even harder to follow than the first two books.
"All of modernism in its classic stage — with Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud in the forefront — merely offers us scapegoats," Girard says.
There is a lot here to digest, and much of it that probably escaped me. There are...provocative… discussions of such topics as hypnosis, homosexuality, and "coquetry" that seek to explain certain behaviors through the mimetic process.
But eventually he brings it back round to Matthew, saying that Matthew 18:5-9 ("But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea.") represents "the very best of psychoanalysis."
By that he means: "The skandalon is the obstacle/model [Note: In Girard the model is the person from whom one is taking mimetic cues, who becomes an obstacle when what is desired can't be shared] of mimetic rivalry; it is the model in so far as he works counter to the undertakings of the disciple and so becomes an inexhaustible source of morbid fascination. This is exactly opposite to how love in the Christian sense works: 'He who loves his brother abides in the light, and in it there is no cause for stumbling [skandalon]...'" (1 John 2:10-11)
The millstone, meanwhile, is a symbol of repetition, as it's turned by donkeys, representing mimetic rivalry/violence.
Girard says that Freudian psychology, in contrast to the understanding of scandal in Matthew, assumes that the individual being is rooted in scandal and that parricidal or incestuous desire is the condition for the development of consciousness. He argues at length that the mimetic rivalry model better explains those phenomena with fewer internal contradictions.
In ending this section, he again brings it back to...Satan: "the fact that hell and Satan are both associated with scandal is a further proof that the latter can be equated with the mimetic process as a whole," he says.
And then he returns to a discussion of where "modern thinking on desire" ("from Hegel to Freud, from Heidegger to Sartre") goes wrong in applying an Old Testament lens to the New Testament understanding of the Skandalon.
Leviticus, he writes, shows that "the law is far from being an obstacle and a temptation for humankind; on the contrary: it is the first attempt to eliminate obstacles and foresee the circumstances of human violence. It is fathers and sons, neighbors and friends, who become obstacles for one another. The Old Testament gets very close to this truth, but it does not make it finally clear; it does not really make this truth its own."
Stray highlighted passages:
— Monarchs as scapegoats: "strange union of exalted sovereignty and extreme subjugation"
— "What appears to us to be Yahweh's violence is in fact the attempt of the entire Old Testament to bring to light the violent reciprocal action of doubles" which reaches climax in the Gospels
— Regarding Psalm 118: "The rejected stone is the scapegoat, who is Christ. By submitting to violence, Christ reveals and uproots the structural matrix of all religion"
— Girard says that his interpretation helps elucidate Jesus' odd "get behind me, Satan" remark to Peter: Peter was telling Jesus not to go to Jerusalem and suffer crucifixion. In doing so he was viewing Jesus' death as part of a mimetic crisis/scapegoating/Satanic way, rather than in a Christian way
— A comparison of today's threat of nuclear war with past cycles of violence: "Either we are moving ineluctably toward nonviolence, or we are about to disappear completely. But precisely because the present situation is an intermediary one, it allows mankind to avoid the enormous problems it now poses."
— The conclusion at the very end: The road to the kingdom "is an easy one since the very real barriers that await us are nothing compared to the obstacles raised up by metaphysical desire...following Christ means giving up mimetic desire."