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When the phrase "workplace diversity" became popular, around the time Title VII of the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, diversity typically meant differences based on race, gender, color, national origin and religion. As the definition of diversity expanded, the concept of workplace diversity also expanded. Consequently, the importance of respect in a diverse workplace became an issue with which more and more employers were concerned.
Meaning of Workplace Diversity
Workplace diversity is no longer confined to distinguishable physical characteristics or attributes. Diversity includes generational differences and variances in work styles, differences between one employee's philosophy about work compared to the philosophy and values of another employee. To achieve a positive and collaborative workforce, employers should begin with training that promotes mutual respect and alignment of professional goals, in spite of personal differences. For example, an employee whose identity is defined by his position and status has a different perspective on the meaning of work than an employee who views his job as a way to sustain his lifestyle. However, they may have identical points of view concerning a commitment to performing quality work, which makes mutual respect all that more important. The distance between their philosophical views on work does not affect the manner in which they perform their jobs.
Recognizing workers' talents and contributions regardless of diverse cultural or physical characteristics is just one component of mutual respect. In the workplace, there is one common goal: profitability. Employee diversity is a non-factor in assessing employee capabilities where the quality of work is an issue. Mutual respect in the workplace is based, in large part, on respect for colleagues' abilities and skills -- how well their expertise matches their job assignments. Mutual respect acknowledges talent, not race, color, gender or culture.
Respect Breeds Profitability
Respect for coworkers and their respective roles in the workplace encourages a collegial work atmosphere. It also fosters collaboration, synergy and cooperation, which are essential ingredients for creating a workforce that values productivity, performance and the quality of its products or services. Assume a law firm's client is primarily served by attorneys whose specialty is business litigation. When the client requires legal counsel in a matter involving labor law, his litigation attorney can recommend the services of a labor lawyer within the same firm. The confidence with which the lawyer recommends his colleagues' services demonstrates respect.
Employees who respect their coworkers are likely to also respect their colleagues' level of expertise and breadth of knowledge. The effectiveness of workplace training, whether through formal processes such as classroom instruction or informal methods such as mentor-mentee relationships, depends on respect for the trainer's or mentor's expertise.
Without respect among employees in a diverse workforce, the incidence of workplace conflict may increase. Employees who have little or no respect for others engage in behavior that illustrates lack of respect for the person as well as the value of others' contributions to the organization. Workplace conflict has a negative impact on productivity, employee morale and overall job satisfaction, which ultimately affects the company's bottom line.
- Duke University, Office of Institutional Equity: Enhancing Respect in a Diverse Workplace
- University of Florida, IFAS Extension; Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and the Required Managerial Tools; Kelli A. Green, et al.; 2002
- Kelly Services: How to Show Respect in the Workplace to Advance Your Career
- The Children's Hospital: Defining Diversity, Prejudice, and Respect
- Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images |
There is little doubt that discovering a gifted attacking midfielder equally adept at getting back to help out defensively would benefit the smooth running of any side. Imagine, therefore, what finding not one but two examples of this kind of gem shortly before a FIFA finals would do to your team’s chances of success.
And for United States’ coach Steve Swanson, this is precisely the case here at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Japan 2012, where the multi-functionality of midfielders Vanessa Di Bernardo and Morgan Brian has come to the fore. This centre-of-the-park synergy has blossomed still further in the last eight and semi-finals, with the duo’s dynamism – be it protecting their backline or supporting the strikers – helping propel the Stars and Stripes safely into the final.
“I think we work well together, because we’re able to constantly interchange positions,” said Di Bernardo to FIFA.com. “We try to get back and help in defence and then burst forward at pace: we communicate very well and I think that definitely helps,” added her sidekick Brian.
In the central triangle deployed by coach Swanson in this US XI, Sarah Killion is the only one with a strictly defined role. Primarily charged with shielding the defence, Killion’s discipline enables her two midfield partners to roam free to devastating effect.
No10 Di Bernardo, for example, is nominally sent out as a deep-lying midfielder, though in reality she is more of a box-to-box performer and regularly surges forward to get shots off at goal. No6 Brian, for her part, is by trade an out-and-out attacking midfielder, yet that has not prevented her more than pulling her weight defensively on Japanese soil.
“Before the tournament we were both playing as attacking midfielders, but we never stopped switching positions,” Brian explained. “Now though, Vanessa sits a bit deeper, which gives me more freedom to take the ball forward and also gives a nice balance to the side.”
Friendship, respect and goals
In an even greater stroke of good fortune for United States, this level of mutual understanding has emerged organically and remarkably quickly, given the pair had never played together at youth national team level prior to January this year. Since then, however, the two players have also formed a firm off-the-field friendship, though both found different ways to describe the impact this has had out on the pitch.
“We know each other well now and I think that the fact we were playing together helped us become friends off the pitch,” said Di Bernardo. “As time has gone on we’ve become closer friends, which has helped us know what the other’s going to do when we’re out on the field,” added Brian.
Whether they clicked first on the pitch or off it, the pair’s unity of purpose has shone through in the North Americans’ campaign. “Morgan’s one of those players who works hard for the entire match, she’s able to turn a game at any moment and, away from football, her good humour rubs off on everybody else,” said Di Bernardo on her colleague’s many qualities, before laughing in anticpation of what Brian might say about her. “I’d like her to say that I work hard too! And also that I’m good at covering for her when she goes forward in attack.”
Something else the two friends have had in common at Japan 2012 is a knack for vital goals. Brian, for instance, opened the scoring in the 2-0 semi-final win over Nigeria, while Di Bernardo did the same against quarter-final opponents Korea DPR. “We were pleased about that because it’s something we’re always trying to do: help out our attackers,” said Di Bernardo. “We’re hoping to get more opportunities to do that. It would certainly mean a lot for the team.”
And come Saturday’s final, goalscoring midfielders could be just the element of surprise required to breach a German defence that has so far not conceded at Japan 2012. If that is the case, United States have not one, but two aces up their collective sleeves. |
Commentary & Analysis
SDP & Kodak Poised to Change the Market: An ODJ interview with Homi Shamir
By Noel Ward,
By WhatTheyThink Staff
Published: November 30, 2003
By Noel Ward, Executive Editor December 1, 2003 -- Last week Scitex Digital Printing (SDP) and Eastman Kodak announced Kodak’s acquisition of Scitex Digital Printing. This ODJ-exclusive interview with SDP’s Homi Shamir takes a look at some of the key points surrounding the acquisition. Even before we got to the questions, Homi began by noting how excited SDP employees are about the deal and remarked the Kodak people he has met so far--and not just at the executive level--share in that excitement. “When you go to Kodak and go through the labs and see how much they spend on technology you realize the company really believes digital printing is the future and they share that vision with us at SDP,” said Shamir. Indeed, such shared vision is a key part of bringing two companies together, and can create a synergy that makes the relationship all the more valuable. Scitex Digital Printing has done well in developing its technology and carving out space in the market against its competitors. But taking the game to the next level is a big challenge--one that should be much easier to meet with the brand name and many resources Kodak brings to the party. So what is most appealing about the SDP/Kodak deal? Where does it make sense? What potential does it hold for the future? Let’s see what Homi thinks. ODJ: Homi, you have plenty of ink jet technology at SDP and Kodak has it too. Where do you expect to see the first sharing of your respective technologies to begin? Is there a particular area that might take precedence? Shamir: Where the alliance is particularly helpful is with Kodak’s expertise in inks and dyes and coatings on substrates. I think Kodak is number one in the world in paper coatings and inks [for digital printing], and who is most associated with color than Kodak? I can see the fastest benefits coming from color science and paper. ODJ: Kodak is certainly an established brand, but in some ways has been less visible in the digital printing market recently. In fact, it is often overshadowed by Heidelberg in the NexPress and Heidelberg Digital alliance. Do you think that Kodak being an American brand will help SDP gain further credibility in the U.S? That is, do you think having the Kodak name behind you may make selling SDP technology easier? Shamir: Absolutely. This is one of the reasons I tried to find a big parent for Scitex Digital Printing. Although we have very good technology, we are still a relatively small company, and one of the things that has held us back in the printing market is that we didn’t have a big name behind us, like Xerox or IBM. This was becoming a huge barrier for us to penetrate. When a print provider has an important customer with mission critical applications, they want to know it is a Fortune 100 company that is selling and supporting their printing equipment. Noel, that is really one of the major decisions I made as the CEO. Now if a smaller company came to us and even offering the same amount money, we’d really have to think twice before doing the deal because it wouldn’t provide the weight of a big company. We need to be able to leverage the brand that is Kodak, which is one of the best brand names in the world. In fact, just before I called you I was talking to one of our service bureau customers who told me there are a lot of service bureaus who remember the Kodak microfiches they once used and he said he was very excited about the deal and what it meant for SDP and for Kodak. The Kodak name provides a lot of confidence. ODJ: In the analyst call yesterday, it was noted that a go-to-market strategy for SDP would be forthcoming over the next six months or so. What changes from the present SDP marketing strategies do you anticipate? Shamir: I don’t know that we will have a lot of changes right away. For the moment will continue under the SDP name but we will be wholly owned. Also, we will be choosing a new name and with the Kodak brand behind us will be moving into the commercial digital print environment. ODJ: Color management is critical as SDP moves forward with its Business Color strategy. What new expertise and support do you anticipate from Kodak in this area? Where do you think this will be brought to bear first? Shamir: I don’t know yet, but Kodak is the best color company in the world with a tremendous depth of expertise in color management. They have a great many tools and years of knowledge that will be made available to us and we will now be able to tap into that expertise. I do know their years of knowledge will elevate us to a completely different level of color management. ODJ: Workflow is becoming ultra-critical. Xerox has FreeFlow, Océ has PRISMA, IBM has Infoprint Manager, Heidelberg has Prinect. How might Kodak--and possibly EFI as a RIP partner, work to develop a SDP/Kodak workflow that will compete with these more established systems? (Kazem Samandari, SDP’s Vice President for Global Marketing was sitting in on the interview and Homi passed this one over to him.) Samandari: Noel, you have pointed out an area we have to reinforce and make progress in. So it’s important for us to understand what kind of knowledge and know-how is available at Kodak. We will make progress in this area, and it is one of the conditions for going into the transactional printing market. We have already developed an IPDS controller and the controller we are developing with EFI will be absolutely compatible with AFP datastreams. And as we need other controllers and print managers they will be part of our future development. Shamir: We will be playing a very important role in this arena. But you know, it is like SDP and Kodak have just gotten married, so we haven’t had a chance to talk about any children yet! Finally, let me emphasize that SDP will be a subsidiary of Eastman Kodak. We will operate independently and there is no intention to integrate into Kodak. The intention now is to test the results and the synergy. I’m currently president and CEO of both Scitex Corporation and Scitex Digital Printing. Once the deal is formerly closed, I will leave the Scitex Corporation and will be a corporate vice president at Eastman Kodak. ODJ: Thanks for your time today, Homi and Kazem. I’m looking forward to seeing how SDP and Kodak can change the future of the printing industry. |
I want to talk about the “click”.
I saw the click just a few days ago, playing a game that the other player hadn’t ever played before. It’s a click you can see, like a switch flipping behind a person’s eyes. What’s better than seeing a person you like finding enjoyment in something? It’s amazing when you see it – really satisfying. Yes, even when that click goes click at a point when the other player is HAMMERING you into the ground. It’s also a click you can feel, and I want to talk about the times I’ve felt it – and I hope you’ll maybe share some of the times you’ve felt the click too.
Click to read on.
What is the click? And what does it have to do with board games? Let’s say that the click is a moment of realisation – a flip from a state of procedural progression to a state of awakened pleasure. When you listen to a piece of music, and that music is just playing there in the background, not distracting you from what you’re doing? That’s fine. That’s always nice. But sometimes, listening to a new piece of music, the click happens, and you turn towards the sound. If you’re reading, your head goes up. If you’re vacuuming, you turn the vacuum off. You stop. The click makes you stop.
“Oh, this is something.”
It’s fitting that we talk about the click on a PC gaming site, because the best PC games made us go click. I remember the point, early in Deus Ex, when I realised that I didn’t need to do what the game was suggesting. I tried something, it worked, and I felt that switch flip inside. It’s not just the realisation that something is special, it’s the realisation that the thing has completely pushed your buttons. “This isn’t just something special, it’s something special for me.”
Skiing in Tribes. Click.
“Get down on the floor!” in SWAT 3. Click.
Opening your eyes in Proteus. Instant Click.
Laying the last block of your first shelter in Minecraft. Click.
And so – board games. Yes. Nothing clicks like a board game clicks. Board games live or die by their clicks.
I’ve been playing Battlefield 4 a lot recently. I mentioned “procedural progression” earlier, and that’s exactly what Battlefield 4 feels like. It’s fun, and it’s something to do, and it tears my days away in half hour chunks. It never clicks. There’s absolutely nothing special in there, not for me anyway. But I like it a lot. I’m explaining this because I want to make it clear that you can enjoy something without feeling any special pull inside you. Not everything flips your switch, and not everything has to.
WHAT CLICKED WITH ME
In Cosmic Encounter, right from the get-go, you realise that the rules you’ve just read and learned are only part of the story. Each unique alien under player control brings new rules and exceptions into the game.
“I can do this.”
“That’s cool, but I can do this.”
In my very first game, when I had to stop and think about how these randomly selected alien powers would affect the whole dynamic? Click.
In Mall Of Horror, a zombie game I’ve spoken about many times in this column, there’s a point in the game where you access a security camera that lets you see where the zombies will attack. This information is secret, and yours alone, and you can share it or lie about it. You can use it to negotiate. It gives you power, and the other players look at you with hatred because of it. And those looks? That moment? That secret knowledge? Everything that will happen because of it? Click.
In Magic: The Gathering, you learn to play by playing. You lay out lands, and generate mana. You spend that mana to get some cool cards out of your hand and onto the table. All you care about is getting a cool monster out there so you can attack your opponent. But then, always, something happens. A couple of cards you know nothing about come into play together and something happens. Some kind of synergy makes itself clear. And your mind just explodes with possibilities. Click.
In Mage Knight, when you realise how flexible your cards are, and how your own mind is the only thing stopping you from getting the best out of every one of your turns. Click.
In Spartacus, when you negotiate for influence to get a card into play, and instantly stab your ally in the back. When you get the chance to thumbs-up or thumbs-down an opponent’s gladiator. When your weak gladiator freakishly beheads a champion in the arena. Click. Click. Clickclickclick.
What I saw a few days ago was a click during a play of Coup. Board games are fun, but many of them are just procedure. I will happily play a game of Cluedo, but I’ll never feel anything. I’m just hitting my marks, like an actor in some hoary old play. Games like Carcassonne are the same. I will play if I must, but I’m just scoring. Just accumulating points. Truly special board games will make you go click. And nothing makes players go click like Coup. Every time I play it with new people, it’s a hit. And every time, I see that moment when the game comes alive. It’s usually when a player realises that you have to be naughty to succeed at Coup. It’s usually when a player realises that success or failure is completely in their own hands.
In Coup, you always have two characters under your control. And every character in the game has a special power. In your turn, you just declare which character you are using, and use the corresponding power. But here’s the deal – here’s the clicker – you don’t have to show your character. You can lie.
“I’m using my Captain to extort two coins from you.” And everyone looks at each other. And someone says “No way do you have a Captain.” And someone else laughs. And that player, that liar, takes the coins and sits back. “Everyone okay with that? No-one challenging me? You all believe me? Cool.”
A smile. A look. A flicker behind the eyes.
I know many of you like board games. But how many of them have actually made you go click? Can you point us towards the game, and the moment where it happened for you? I’d hate to have missed something that might work for me too.
See you next time for my Game of the Year 2013! |
I finally completed the SFG Blankbook project. It was awesome to have a book full of spreads created by other artists in my hands. Everyone did such a wonderful job. As soon as I got the book I sat on the couch, with the kids on either side of me, looking at everyone's piece. I was surprised to see they enjoyed it as much as I did. Part of the project was taking a photo of myself with the case in a landmark of my home town. I chose one of the newest areas of our community. You can read more about the project and see a small sneak peek of my spread here.
By the way, seeing my hair like this is a rare thing. It's naturally very curly.
Well... the summer break is over for us. The kids go back to school tomorrow and I will resume what I hope is a more relaxed schedule. However, I can already feel that I'm going to miss my babies. The house is going to feel so very quiet. I hate the annual emotional tug of war I go through. I obviously want them to go to school but I also feel like I'm missing out by not being with them. Sigh.
This is one of my favorite shots of the summer. They were quiet, just looking at the ocean and completely unaware that I was right behind them. Love it.
One last thing. I've posted a new interview on Crafty Synergy. This time we get to hear a little bit about Elizabeth Soule and her work. I was very taken by her photography the first time I saw it. Enjoy! |
Depending on who you are talking to, you can get various responses to this question. Some would say a fortune is possible, while some others would tell that one can make a pocket money at most.
There are also others who take their stands on extremes, of course. Those on one end claim that a fortune is guaranteed and people on the other extreme say it is not possible to earn literally anything with network marketing.
But we have data from companies disclosing how much they pay to their representatives. Let’s check a few of them.
LifeVantage is a NASDAQ traded company which uses a network marketing business model to market and sell it’s propiatary product line. On or about December 5th, 2012 the management of LifeVantage was informed of a possable contamination of their flagship product Protandim and took immediate messures to correct the issue. Below is additonal information provided by the company in their official press release and from 3rd party sources.
Protandim® theNrf2 Synergizer® Product Recall
Recall date: December 5, 2012
Safety is Always our top Concern
LifeVantage is dedicated to ensuring the safety of all our products. We will always stand firm in our position to never compromise safety for any gain or advancement. We will continually operate with the utmost integrity so that our consumers can be assured we have their best interest at heart.
LifeVantage is also devoted to providing the highest quality products for the health of our distributors and customers. The company has stringent guidelines in product production and is committed to operating with industry-leading quality control systems so that every product exceeds the expectations of our customers.
On December 5, 2012, LifeVantage announced a voluntary recall of certain lots of Protandim® due to possible inclusion of small metal fragments in the final product. In partnership with medical experts, LifeVantage believes these materials pose no serious health risk to customers’ health. This proactive action has occurred in an effort to alleviate concerns about potentially affected product.
What Product is Affected by This Voluntary Recall?
Not all Protandim bottles are subject to this recall. Only certain lots, or batches, of Protandim are being recalled. Lot numbers are located on the left side of the product label when looking at the front of the label, directly above the RFID scan bar. Lot numbers affected are:
Lot# and Expiration Date
What Steps Should I Take if I Have Product Affected by the Voluntary Recall?
Consumers who have received bottles of Protandim from the lot numbers identified above should discontinue use of the affected product and immediately call LifeVantage Customer Service toll-free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 866-912-9051 for instructions on how to receive replacement product, or click here to complete a form online.
As always, if you have a medical emergency, you should contact your medical provider.
LifeVantage Corporation is recalling select lots of Protandim®, the Nrf2 Synergizer® dietary supplement because there may be small metal fragments in the final product. The fragments were discovered in batches of turmeric extract, an ingredient that came from a third party supplier.
The supplement is packaged in a cylindrical blue bottle, with 30 caplets per bottle. You can see the lot numbers and expiration dates at the FDA web site. The supplements were distributed in the United States and Japan between July and November 2012.
After consulting with doctors, the company believes there is no serious risk to consumer health. There have been no reports of illness or injury associated with the consumption of this product. If you have purchased this product, stop taking it. For questions, call LifeVantage directly at 1-866-912-9051 seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
This week’s MLM news, covers some great information and some not so great news. But all in all the Network Marketing Community is growing and this last quarter of 2012 should be some history making times.
Primerica profit beats estimates on robust term insurance sales Source: Primerica.com
By Aman Shah, Edited by Sriraj Kalluvila
Reuters, August 7, 2012
Life insurer Primerica Inc’s (PRI) quarterly profit rose 23 percent and came in above Street estimates on strong sales at its term-life insurance segment.
Net income for the company, which was spun off from Citigroup Inc (C), rose to $46.2 million, or 73 cents per share, for the second quarter, from $37.6 million, or 49 cents per share, a year earlier.
Operating income, a key measure of profitability for insurance companies as it excludes investment gains and losses, was 71 cents per share.
Analysts on average expected Primerica to earn 65 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
The company, which has been buying back shares from large stakeholders to have greater control over its operations, also authorized a share buyback program of up to $75 million.
Term-life insurance sales rose 24 percent to $162.7 million, while operating income at the segment was up 44 percent to $51.7 million.
Shares of the company closed at $27.17 on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.
Representative Pete Sessions Honored with Champion of Free Enterprise Award. Source: Direct Selling Association
Direct Selling Day at the U.S. Capitol, featuring more than 50 meetings between direct selling executives and Members of Congress and their staffs, culminated with awarding Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) with the Champion of Free Enterprise Award in recognition of his ongoing commitment to and support of policies that protect the interests of the millions of micro-entrepreneurs working as direct sellers in the U.S.
“Congressman Sessions understands the business community—how government can both protect and foster the growth of direct selling,” said DSA President Joe Mariano. “Over the years, he has been a trusted friend of direct selling… he understands the vital role direct selling plays in the American economy. He is an influential and trusted voice in Congress and today, [he is] a Champion of Free Enterprise.”
Rep. Sessions expressed his excitement for the award and thanked members of the direct selling industry for their continued commitment to their communities, as well as their contributions to the American marketplace.
“I understand where you’re coming from and I believe in what you’re doing,” he said. “The American Dream is about guaranteeing opportunities, not outcomes. It’s about making sure you can work to better your own life and the lives of those around you. I’m very proud to be associated with you. You, too, get the [Champion of Free Enterprise] award every day by making lives better for a lot of people.”
This presentation took place during an ice cream social on Sept. 12, to which all Members of Congress and their staffs were invited. Hundreds attended and enjoyed ice cream while browsing by a number of displays featuring company products and consultant profiles.
The ice cream social was the culmination of a day of meetings across Capitol Hill, as almost 40 member executives met with Members of Congress to introduce them to their companies and the direct sales channel.
“Direct selling is about my independent saleswoman having the freedom to operate her own business as she chooses—it’s up to her,” observed Nathan Moore (Mary Kay) during a meeting with Senator John Thune (R-SD) and his staff. “It’s the American dream especially for women entrepreneurs,” noted DSA Membership Director Nancy Burke. “We are the original social network.”
Independent contractor status, looming Department of Labor regulations, worker’s compensation and Internet tax laws all played roles in the various conversations teams of executives had throughout the day. Additionally, DSA executives, Members of Congress and their staff members discussed the impact of small businesses on the U.S. economy and the importance of ensuring opportunities for success and prosperity are available across all demographic sectors.
Among the day’s meetings, Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) spoke with member company representatives and DSA Executive Vice President Adolfo Franco about the opportunities direct selling provides. Rep. Green even shared the story of his personal connection to the industry through a friend who operated his own business with Primerica in Texas’s 29th Congressional district.
“While we’re largely a manufacturing district—we have a lot of refineries and big businesses—we also have a lot of smaller businesses,” Rep. Green said. “What I have to say is this—direct selling is a part of America. I know the role you play in the economy and I’ve seen it firsthand through [my friend’s] successes.”
Direct selling executives and DSA staff emphasized over and over again that while no current proposals were on the table—”There is no specific ‘ask’,” Joe stated—the message they were bringing to legislators was the value of independent contractor status, and the damage any changes to that would cause the nearly 16 million sellers across the country—an average of 36,000 of whom are in each Congressional district.
The excitement executives carried with them to their meetings was palpable throughout their interactions. “We’re proud to be here,” noted Angela Chrysler (Team National) to Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL). “We’re excited to support our sales channel. The majority of our businesses are women-owned, and we’re pleased we can represent that constituency today. The economy remains a troubling point across the country, but direct selling is part of the solution.”
Additionally, those who participated in this year’s Washington, D.C., Direct Selling Day recognized the value in outreach to representatives of Congress, as well as the importance of sharing personal accounts of how direct selling empowers countless men and women throughout the country. As Policy Advisor to Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) Kyle Cormney stressed, “It is crucial that (direct sellers) go around and share their personal stories and experiences with members of government and those who are unfamiliar with the industry. As more people see the human stories behind direct selling, more people will understand the impact you have.”
The camaraderie among those who participated in this year’s Direct Selling Day on Capitol Hill was evident.
“The day’s events provided an outstanding opportunity for each of us to come together to partner with so many member companies for one common cause—to help members of government understand the role direct selling plays in empowering others to achieve their goals,” added Michelle Merriwether, Vice President of U.S. Field Development for USANA.
Female Direct Sales Leaders Gather in Washington, D.C. Source: Direct Selling Assication
More than 20 female CEOs from a variety of direct selling companies gathered in Washington, D.C., this week to network and learn from each other, as well as to take part in the association’s Direct Selling Day on the Hill, providing Members of Congress with a unique, female perspective about what makes direct selling such a special sales channel.
“I love hearing from these women around the table!” said Susan Handley, President and Founder of Beijo. “If my story has value, that’s great, but I’m really here to learn and observe and get as much out of this as I can—it’s such a great opportunity to be here!”
This was the second such retreat planned for the sales channel’s female CEOs—individuals who understand uniquely the challenges the majority of the field faces as they try to juggle family and work obligations.
“We talk all the time about how being a direct seller offers women, in particular, a specific opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their families by working their own hours and feeling empowered by what they do. But what about the female CEOs at the top of companies? Where do they feel empowerment, especially having chosen the more traditional 9-5 option?” commented DSA Membership Director Nancy Burke. “Last year’s retreat was a powerful event for these CEOs and we felt compelled to offer it a second time so we could continue to provide these exceptional leaders in our industry with a networking and learning opportunity specifically for them.”
When joined by Karen Maples (non-member Myutiq), learning from one of their own—Meg Sheetz (Take Shape for Life)—as well as hearing from Costa Rican Ambassador to the U.S. Muni Figueres, attendees had an opportunity to enjoy female success stories and learn from others’ experiences.
“I am a woman who owns my own direct selling company in southwest Missouri—there’s no one around me like me. I need to go to a DSA meeting like this for a peer group,” noted Nancy Bogart, CEO of Jordan Essentials. “You can’t build relationships at home in a vacuum.”
The second day focused entirely on issue advocacy, as the women broke out into teams and engaged with Members of Congress on Capitol Hill, introducing them to direct selling and to their companies, all the while bringing the conversation back to the special perspective females have to offer legislators—and the effects the decisions of those legislators have on the women and families in their states.
“We’re representing the women who sell for us,” Nancy Bogart stated during one of the briefings. “We’re making our communities and the economy stronger. Direct selling is represented by the faces of women out there selling many products in many communities. We create these jobs and we want to protect their independent contractor status, and really preserve the American dream!”
Six Ways to Build Momentum
Have you ever taken on a project that seems so complicated you don’t even know where to begin? Once you do get into it, though, you often find yourself “in the zone” where you’ve built up so much productive momentum that you feel unstoppable. The creative juices are flowing and you’re accomplishing tasks left and right. This is a great feeling, but getting there can sometimes prove to be extremely difficult. Here are some suggestions to help you get to that point with built-up momentum and maximum productive potential.
Put first things first. You may have several things to do, but tackling the most challenging task first can help you accomplish what you need to when you are freshest, starting your day. So make a list of what needs to be done, and then prioritize the list so that the most important tasks are the ones you do first. This can help you avoid distractions and help you get things done.
Remember that you are in control. You are your own boss. Although that fact does come with its fair share of stress and responsibility, it also comes with the freedom to schedule your workday to accomplish your most important tasks. Maximize the benefits of being in control by delegating tasks to team members when possible. Ask for help when you need it, and take breaks when you are feeling too overwhelmed. Sometimes, just the thought of being in the driver’s seat of your business is enough to get you through a difficult project.
Mute the negative thoughts and stay positive. You’ve no doubt heard about the power of positive self-talk. Not surprisingly, negative self-talk is just as powerful, so it’s important that you tune it out. Anytime you catch yourself having a negative thought, remember that it is only hindering your productivity, not helping it. Replace it with a positive thought or motivational message. Positivity goes a long way in building the momentum you need to accomplish your goals.
Stay focused and avoid distractions. What types of things distract you from working on the task at hand? Is it the Facebook and Pinterest buttons on your toolbar that lure you away from the task at hand? Maybe you should hide the toolbar when working. Reward yourself with some “fun” time on your social networks when you’re done with your project. Distractions come in all shapes and sizes, so identify what distracts you and put yourself in a situation where they don’t get in your way. Remain focused on your desired endgame to maintain your momentum.
Avoid negative people. Some people just default to negative behavior: constantly complaining, persistently blaming others, and always having a reason they don’t succeed. These people should not be in your immediate circle, and they certainly shouldn’t work for you, as they may bring down not only you but your team as well. Surround yourself with people who will be your cheerleaders and who are as goal-oriented as you are. You will be much better equipped to build your momentum with positive people around you.
Keep a daily/weekly accomplishment tally. The busier our lives become, the harder it gets to remember what we actually accomplished by the end of the day or week. Keep some sort of tally or list to remind you what you completed and motivate you to continue. Such a record will also serve show you how much you are really accomplishing on a regular basis.
Building momentum is crucial to continuous goal accomplishment in your business. Have you used these strategies in the past? How have they helped you? What else should be added to our list? Please share your ideas in the comments section below!
MLM Company News
Ambit Energy recently held its sixth annual conference, “Ambition 2012: Take Charge,” in Dallas. More than 9,000 independent consultants attended over a span of five days. It is estimated that the event had an economic impact of $10 million on the Dallas area. The company also announced it will be expanding in California, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
AtHome America has gone out of business.
For the third year, Amway is continuing its support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America with a $1 million donation to support community gardens and healthy habits for children throughout the U.S. As a part of the partnership, Amway’s POSITIVE SPROUTS® program teaches kids how to plant and maintain their own edible gardens. An accompanying curriculum educates youth about nutrition, organic gardening practices and cooking from the garden.
Amway is providing $30,000 in Sustainability Grants to 10 deserving Boys & Girls Clubs who previously received community gardens from Amway. The funds are designed to assist Clubs with the maintenance of their gardens. The direct selling company is also donating 150 “Garden In A Box” kits to Boys & Girls Clubs that demonstrated an interest and need for establishing a community gardening program at their Club. The kit includes a variety of fruit and vegetable seeds and supplies Clubs need to get started. Additionally, Amway is enabling the delivery of a healthy food curriculum to 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide, ensuring all Clubs have access to educational materials promoting healthy eating habits.
Gigi Hill has planned a tour to introduce the company and its founders to five new cities this fall. Founders Gabrielle DeSantis-Cummings and Monica Hillman will take the Gigi Hill Fall 2012 Roadshow to Virginia, Maryland, Florida, Michigan and Illinois this October.
LifeVantage has announced that its common stock has been approved for listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market. Shares commenced trading under its current ticker symbol, “LFVN,” earlier this week. Prior to the listing of its common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market, the company’s common stock was traded on the OTC Bulletin Board.
In additional company news, LifeVantage reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending on June 30, 2012. For the fiscal 2012 fourth quarter, compared to the same period last year, net revenue increased 197 percent to $44.6 million; operating margin increased to 16.5 percent compared to 13 percent; and operating income grew 275 percent to $7.3 million. Fiscal 2012 full-year highlights, compared to fiscal 2011 full-year, include: net revenue increased 224 percent to $126.2 million; operating margin increased to 17 percent compared to 9.5 percent; operating income grew 480 percent to $21.5 million; and cash and cash equivalents grew to $24.6 million as of June 30, 2012 from $6.4 million as of the prior year-end.
FORTUNE magazine recently released its list of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies. Medifast, parent company of member company Take Shape for Life, is no. 46 on the 2012 list.
Neways Europe was awarded an official certificate of recognition by the Grüner Punkt (Green Dot) recycling program for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 12.56 kilograms of carbon dioxide in 2011, approximately equal to the annual carbon dioxide emissions generated by seven two-person households. Green Dot is the flagship recycling program of Duales System Deutschland (DSD), a Germany-based recycler.
XANGO recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a gathering of several thousand distributors in Las Vegas. In those 10 years, the company’s salesforce has grown to have more than 2 million distributors, it’s operating in 43 countries and making more than $2 billion in cumulative revenue.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY CENTRAL DIVISION
CIVIL ACTION NO. 10-305-JBC
YVONNE DAY, et al., PLAINTIFFS, V. MEMORANDUM OPINION & ORDER
FORTUNE HI-TECH MARKETING, et al., DEFENDANTS.
* * * * * * * * * * *
This matter is before the court upon the plaintiffs’ motion to alter or amend the court’s order compelling arbitration and dismissing this action, R.67. For the following reasons, the court will grant the motion.
The plaintiffs, as former individual representatives (“IRs”) of Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing, Inc. (“FHTM”), filed suit against the defendants, including FHTM, FHTM officers, and other individuals, for alleged violations of Title 18 U.S.C. § 1961-
1968 “RICO” laws, the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act under KRS § 367, and Kentucky common law torts. The defendants moved to compel arbitration of the claims, and the court granted the motion, dismissing the action and submitting all of the claims to arbitration.
The plaintiffs now ask the court to reconsider on four grounds: (1) that the court has jurisdiction to address the issue of whether the alleged arbitration agreement was supported by consideration; (2) that the court should not apply the
FAA presumption favoring arbitration to its analysis of whether an agreement was formed; (3) that the FHTM sponsors had no actual implied authority to bind the plaintiffs to an arbitration agreement and that the plaintiffs are entitled to a jury
trial on any factual disputes; and (4) that the plaintiffs did not ratify their contracts with FHTM. The court reviews the motion under Fed. R. Civ. P. 59 (e) for a showing of “(1) a clear error of law; (2) newly discovered evidence; (3) an intervening change in controlling law; or (4) a need to prevent manifest injustice.” Henderson v. Walled Lake Consol. Sch., 469 F.3d 479, 496 (6th Cir. 2005). Upon review, the court finds that it has jurisdiction to address the issue of whether the alleged arbitration agreement was supported by consideration and will analyze the issue accordingly. The court will also clarify its position on the FAA presumption favoring arbitration. However, because the court finds that the alleged arbitration agreement was not supported by consideration, it will not review the issues of implied authority and ratification; rather, it will rescind its prior findings on those issues.
The court has jurisdiction to address the plaintiffs’ consideration argument because “where the dispute at issue concerns contract formation, the dispute is generally for courts to decide.” Granite Rock v. Int’l Brotherhood of Teamsters, 130
S. Ct. 2847, 2855-2856 (2010). The court previously erred in applying Buckeye Check Cashing v. Cardegna, 546 U.S. 440, 445-46 (2006), which involved a challenge to an existing agreement rather than a claim that no arbitration
agreement was reached. “Every contract requires mutual assent and consideration,” so an inquiry into consideration is part of the contract-formation analysis. Cuppy v. Gen. Accidental Fire & Life Assurance Corp., 378 S.W.2d 629,
632 (Ky. 1964); see also Cantrell Supply v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 94 S.W.3d 381,
384 (Ky. App. 2002). Even though the plaintiffs’ argument – that the FHTM policies and procedures document is illusory and lacks consideration – implicates the entire alleged contract between the parties and not just the arbitration agreement, see Moran v. Svete, 366 Fed. Appx. 624, 631 (6th Cir. 2010), the court has jurisdiction under Granite Rock to review the consideration dispute because it concerns contract formation. Even though the federal presumption in favor of arbitration is taken into consideration when making determinations on the scope of arbitrable issues, see Moses H. Cone Mem’l Hosp. v. Mercury Constr. Corp., 460 U.S. 1, 24-25 (1983), the court will not apply that presumption to the discussion of whether an arbitration agreement was formed, see Granite Rock, 130
S. Ct. at 2858 (2010). The court erred in doing so in its prior opinion.
Because the FHTM policies and procedures authorize FHTM to amend the Agreement — meaning, collectively, the FHTM application and agreement, the FHTM trainer/coach agreement, the policies and procedures, and the marketing and compensation plan — at any time in its sole and absolute discretion, the agreement to arbitrate is illusory and lacks consideration. “Consideration is an essential element of every contract.” Floss v. Ryan’s Family Steak Houses, Inc., 211 F.3d
A promise may act as consideration but only if “it creates a binding obligation” on
each promisor. Id. (citing David Roth’s Sons, Inc. v. Wright and Taylor, Inc., 343
S.W.2d 389, 390 (Ky. Ct. App. 1961)). When the promisor has no true fixed obligation to perform, the contract is illusory and lacks consideration. See David Roth’s Sons, Inc., 343 S.W.2d at 391. In this case, FHTM has no fixed obligation to arbitrate. Even though both the FHTM application and agreement and policies and procedures contain arbitration agreements, the policies and procedures (which are incorporated into the application and agreement, R.1-2, p.7, and supersede and prevail over any conflicting terms in the application and agreement, R.27-1, p.4), provide FHTM the sole discretionary authority to amend FHTM documents at any time. R.1-2, p.7.
By retaining the right to amend the documents “in its sole and absolute discretion,” FHTM has no binding obligation to arbitrate. R.1-2, p.7; see also David Roth’s Sons, Inc., 343 S.W.2d at 390 (Ky. Ct. App. 1961). At any point, after providing only notice of the amendment, FHTM could amend the policies and procedures or the application and agreement to either alter or remove entirely the arbitration agreements. This means that the unilateral-amendment provision of the policies and procedures renders illusory any alleged promise to arbitrate by FHTM, and FHTM’s promise to arbitrate cannot act as consideration for the arbitration agreement. Floss, 211 F.3d at 315 (6th Cir. 2000); see also Daniel Boone Coal
Co. v. Miller, 217 S.W. 666 (Ky. 1920).
The agreement to arbitrate is illusory despite the requirement that FHTM
must provide notice to IRs of any amendment to the application and agreement or policies and procedures documents. A notice provision can constitute sufficient consideration for an otherwise illusory contract by limiting a party’s ability to unilaterally amend or terminate an agreement, see Morrison v. Circuit City Stores,
317 F.3d 646 (6th Cir. 2003); see also Seawright v. Am. Gen. Fin., Inc., 507 F.3d
967 (6th Cir. 2008). The provision at issue, however, does not provide for advance notice. Amendments to any of the FHTM documents are “effective upon notice to IRs that the Agreement has been modified.” R.1-2, p.7. Notice is accomplished by publishing the amendment in official FHTM materials, including posting it on the FHTM website, e-mailing it to IRs, broadcasting it over voice mail, or including it in FHTM periodicals. Notice is “deemed received by the IR upon posting.” R.1-2, p.7.
The FHTM agreement is distinguishable from the agreement in Morrison, which was upheld, because in that case an employer had the authority to alter or terminate an agreement at the end of each year only “upon giving thirty days’ notice [of the amendment or termination] to its employees.” Morrison, 317 F.3d at
667 (6th Cir. 2003). The thirty-day provision is significant because the Morrison court found that it provided enough of a limitation on the employer’s ability to terminate or amend the agreement to constitute consideration. Id. The notice provision was a promise “to maintain the arbitration agreement” for a specified period of time, thirty days. Id. at 668. In this case, the arbitration agreement appears closer to an agreement that may be altered with “unfettered discretion,
Floss, 211 F.3d at 315, than the Morrison and Seawright arbitration agreements, which provided thirty-day and ninety-day grace periods, respectively, before amendments became effective. The FHTM IRs are bound by an amendment as soon as it is published, R.1-2, p.7; thus, FHTM does not promise to maintain the arbitration agreement for a specified amount of time, and no mutuality of obligation to arbitrate exists.
Also, the agreement to arbitrate is illusory despite the fact that the agreement contains a survival provision. The arbitration agreement in the policies and procedures provides that the “agreement to arbitrate shall survive any termination or expiration of the Agreement.” R.1-3, p.10. The defendants argue that this provision restricts FHTM’s right to modify or eliminate the arbitration provision, which means that FHTM does not have an “absolute right” to cancel or terminate the agreement. See Hale v. Cundari Gas Transmision Co., 454 S.W.2d
680, 684 (Ky. Ct. App. 1974)(stating that only an absolute right to terminate an agreement renders the agreement illusory). The survival provision, however, does not eliminate FHTM’s discretion to terminate or amend the arbitration agreement while the underlying contracts remain in effect; FHTM could even remove or alter the survival provision of the arbitration agreement under the authority of the amendment provision in the policies and procedures.
FHTM’s promise to arbitrate is illusory and thus cannot act as consideration for an agreement to arbitrate with the plaintiffs. Because this finding renders moot the plaintiffs’ remaining arguments regarding whether an agreement to arbitrate
was formed, the court rescinds its prior ruling on the issues of whether FHTM sponsors had implied authority to bind the plaintiffs to an arbitration agreement and whether the plaintiffs ratified their contracts with FHTM. Those issues will be resolved at the appropriate time, as either questions of law or questions of fact, after the parties have had sufficient opportunity for full discovery and have thoroughly briefed the issues. Accordingly,
IT IS ORDERED that the plaintiffs’ motion to alter or amend the court’s order
compelling arbitration and dismissing this action, R.67, is GRANTED
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the court’s order granting the defendant’
motion to compel arbitration and dismiss or stay the action, R.66, is RESCINDED.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the parties shall file a Rule 26(f) joint written report with proposed deadlines no later than 30 days from the date of entry of this order.
This week I gathered the majority of the news from John Flemming’s team over at Direct Selling News. DSN is the #1 resource for news worldwide surrounding the Direct Selling, Network Marketing and MLM community.
AL International Inc. (JCOF—PK), a global direct marketer of lifestyle and nutritional products as well as gourmet coffee, released financial results for the year and fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2011. The company reported net sales of $40.2 million for the year. Gross profit for 2011 was $30.0 million. Year-end net income came in at $1.7 million, while EBITDA was $2.4 million.
The company also reported a tenfold increase in revenues for the quarter, recording net sales of $11.4 million compared to $1.1 million for the same quarter in 2010.
Gross profits grew to $9.2 million in Q4 2011, compared to $166,000 for the same period in 2010, a 485 percent increase. Fourth quarter 2011 net income came in at $1.8 million versus a loss of $471,000 in 2010. Fourth quarter EBITDA came in at $2.0 million, besting EBITDA for the previous quarter (third quarter 2011, which posted EBITDA of $333,000) by 600 percent.
Primerica Inc. (PRI—NYSE) announced financial results for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011.
For the full year 2011, total revenue was $1.1 billion, compared to $1.4 billion for 2010. Net income was $178.3 million for 2011, compared with $257.8 million for 2010. Net income for the first quarter of 2010 did not reflect the impact of the Citi reinsurance and reorganization transactions. Adjusted to reflect the impact of these transactions as well as other operating adjustments described below, net operating income was up 10 percent to $177.1 million for 2011, compared with $161.5 million for 2010 reflecting growth in the Term Life business and strong Investment and Savings Products results partially offset by a higher expense base.
Primerica continues to be well capitalized, holding a high-quality invested asset portfolio with minimal exposure to equities and European sovereign risk. Investments and cash totaled $2.16 billion as of Dec. 31, 2011.
The Board of Directors also approved payment of a quarterly dividend of 3 percent for the fourth quarter of 2011. The dividend will be payable on March 9, 2012, to stockholders of record as of Feb. 24, 2012.
Primerica Inc., headquartered in Duluth, Ga., is a leading distributor of financial products to middle-income families in North America.
Herbalife Ltd. (HLF—NYSE) reported that for the 12 months ended Dec. 31, 2011, the company recorded net sales of $3.5 billion, a 26 percent increase on 21 percent volume growth compared to 2010. For the same period, the company reported adjusted net income of $413.3 million, or $3.31 per diluted share, reflecting an increase of 35 percent and 37 percent respectively compared to the adjusted 2010 results of $305.6 million and $2.42 per diluted share. On a reported basis, EPS of $3.30 increased 39 percent compared to 2010.
For the year ended Dec. 31, 2011, the company generated cash flow from operations of $509.3 million, an increase of 31 percent compared to 2010, paid dividends of $85.5 million, invested $90.9 million in capital expenditures and repurchased $298.8 million in common shares outstanding related to its share repurchase program.
The company reported that its board of directors has approved a dividend of 30 cents per share to shareholders of record effective March 7, 2012, payable on March 22, 2012.
Herbalife Ltd. is a global network marketing company that sells weight-management, nutrition and personal care products intended to support a healthy lifestyle. Herbalife products are sold in 81 countries through a network of approximately 2.7 million independent distributors.
Immunotec Inc. (IMM.V—TSX VENTURE) announced financial results for its year ended Oct. 31, 2011.
During fiscal 2011, Immunotec recorded sales from Mexico of CAN$8.9 million compared to CAN$1.6 million in 2010 representing an increase of CAN$7.3 million in 12 months.
Network sales reached CAN$37.4 million in 2011 compared to CAN$34.5 million for the same period in 2010, an increase of 8.5 percent or CAN$2.9 million. Other revenues, which include revenues of products sold to licensees, freight and shipping, charge backs and educational material purchased by its network, reached CAN$5.5 million in 2011, compared to CAN$5.9 million for the same period in 2010.
Margins before expenses, as a percentage of net sales, decreased in 2011 to 29 percent compared to 31 percent for year 2010 and was primarily attributed to increases in sales incentives paid, which average a payout rate of 51.0 percent, compared to the 47.7 percent level in 2010. The increase in sales incentives is predominantly caused by strong recruitment in the Mexican territory.
For the year ended Oct. 31, 2011, adjusted EBITDA was almost the same as the year before reaching CAN$724,000 compared to CAN$774,000 for fiscal 2010.
Net loss and comprehensive loss totaled CAN$1.1 million for the year ending Oct. 31, 2011, compared to a loss of CAN$1.4 million for 2010. The total basic and fully diluted loss per share for fiscal 2011 was CAN$0.016 compared with a fully diluted loss of CAN$0.020 for the same period in fiscal 2010.
Immunotec also announced that the company will seek shareholder approval of a special resolution authorizing an amendment to the company’s articles of amalgamation on such basis as the directors of the company may determine, so as to consolidate its common shares on the basis of one post-consolidation common share for a maximum 15 pre-consolidation common shares. In addition to approval from Immunotec’s shareholders by special resolution at the meeting, the share consolidation would also be subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.
The principal reasons for considering the share consolidation include the company’s belief that, if approved and effected, the company could benefit from a raise of its share price to more attractive levels, the improvement of trading liquidity and better chances of raising further capital in the future. The change in the number of issued and outstanding common shares that would result from the share consolidation would cause no change in the capital attributable to the common shares and would not materially affect any shareholder’s percentage of ownership in the company, even though such ownership would be represented by a smaller number of common shares.
Immunotec is a business opportunity supported by unique scientifically proven products that improve wellness. Headquartered with manufacturing facilities near Montreal, Canada, the company also has distribution capacities to support its commercial activities in Canada and internationally to the United States, Europe, Mexico and The Caribbean.
Nature’s Sunshine Products Inc. (NATR—NASDAQ), including its subsidiary Synergy Worldwide, Inc., a natural health and wellness company, reported consolidated financial results for the full year ended Dec. 31, 2011.
Net sales were $367.8 million, compared with $349.9 million in 2010, an increase of 5.1 percent.
Operating income from continuing operations was $20.2 million, compared with $11.3 million in 2010, an increase of 79.0 percent. Excluding contract termination costs of $14.7 million related to its third quarter arbitration settlement with NutriPlus LLC, operating income from continuing operations was $34.9 million in 2011, compared with $11.3 million in 2010, an increase of 210.0 percent.
Adjusted EBITDA, defined here as net income before taxes, depreciation and amortization, other income adjusted to exclude share-based compensation expense and contract termination costs, was $42.8 million, compared with $16.0 million in 2010, an increase of 168.0 percent.
Net income from continuing operations was $17.6 million, compared with $8.5 million in 2010, an increase of 107.8 percent. Excluding the contract termination costs described above, net income from continuing operations was $27.6 million, compared with $8.5 million in 2010, an increase of 225.9 percent.
Basic and diluted net income per share from continuing operations was $1.13 and $1.12, respectively, compared with earnings per share of 55 cents and 54 cents, respectively, in 2010.
Nature’s Sunshine Products, a natural health and wellness company, markets and distributes nutritional and personal care products through a global direct salesforce of over 600,000 independent distributors in more than 40 countries.
USANA Health Sciences Inc. (USNA—NYSE) announced financial results for its fiscal full year ended Dec. 31, 2011.
For the year ended Dec. 31, 2011, net sales increased by 12.4 percent to $581.9 million, compared with $517.6 million in the prior year. This growth was driven by higher product sales and an increase in the average number of active associates in the Asia Pacific region. Favorable changes in currency exchange rates accounted for $15.0 million of the overall increase.
Net earnings for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011 increased by 11.2 percent to $50.8 million, or $3.26 per share, compared with $2.86 per share in the prior year. This growth in net earnings was driven by higher sales and improved gross profit margins, partially offset by higher Associate incentive expenses, higher selling, general and administrative expenses, due primarily to the inclusion of a full year of its China operations and a higher effective tax rate.
The company continued its successful track record of generating cash from operations during 2011. Cash generated from operations totaled $70.1 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011. The company repurchased 1.1 million shares in 2011 for a total investment of $33.5 million. The company ended the year debt free, with approximately $50.0 million in cash and cash equivalents, and a remaining repurchase authorization of approximately $28 million.
USANA develops and manufactures high-quality nutritional, personal care and weight-management products that are sold directly to Associates and Preferred Customers in 18 markets worldwide, including China, where its wholly owned subsidiary, BabyCare Ltd., operates a direct selling business.
LifeVantage Corp. (LFVN—OTCBB), maker of Protandim®, the Nrf2 Synergizer™ patented dietary supplement, reported financial results for the six months ended Dec. 31, 2011.
For this fiscal 2012 first six months, the company reported record net revenue of $45.4 million, compared to $13.9 million for the same period in fiscal 2011, a 226 percent increase. Operating income increased to $7.7 million, compared to $1.0 million in the same period last year.
The company improved its balance sheet in the second fiscal quarter. The company’s cash balance at Dec. 31, 2011 was $13.5 million, an increase from $6.4 million at year end fiscal 2011, due to strong revenue growth and operating profits.
On Dec. 29, 2011, the company received approval from warrant holders for and completed a tender offer to modify certain outstanding warrants such that the company will no longer account for these warrants as a derivative liability, which the company believes will enable its financials to more closely reflect operating performance.
LifeVantage is a science-based nutraceutical company. The company was founded in 2003 with corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City and operations in San Diego.
Just Energy Group Inc. (JE—NYSE; JE—TSX) senior executives were in New York recently to open trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and mark an important milestone in the company’s history as it officially listed and commenced trading on the NYSE on Jan.30, 2012.
Just Energy, which commenced business in 1997, is a retailer of natural gas, electricity and green energy to end customers in North America. The company has experienced a substantial growth rate across the United States where now more than 50 percent of the company’s sales take place. Over the past five years, the compound growth in customers, sales and margin has been over 70 percent.
Just Energy Group Inc. also filed notice with the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange announcing its January dividend. A dividend of CAN$0.10333/common share (CAN$1.24 annually) will be paid on Feb. 29, 2012 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Feb. 15, 2012. This dividend is designated as an “eligible dividend” for Canadian income tax purposes.
Just Energy also reports that at Jan. 31, 2012 the conversion price for each CAN$1,000 of its outstanding 6 percent convertible unsecured subordinated debenture issued on Oct. 2, 2007 (JE.DB.A—TSX) has been adjusted in accordance with the Trust Indenture dated Oct. 2, 2007, as supplemented from time to time, to CAN$29.81 convertible into 33.55 common shares of Just Energy Group Inc.
Avon Products Inc. (AVP—NYSE) declared a regular quarterly dividend of 23 cents per common share. The first quarter dividend was payable March 1, 2012, to shareholders of record on Feb. 24, 2012.
On an annualized basis, the indicated dividend rate would be 92 cents per share, flat with the 2011 rate.
Avon, the company for women, is a leading global beauty company, with over $11 billion in annual revenue. As the world’s largest direct seller, Avon markets to women in more than 100 countries through approximately 6.4 million active independent Avon Sales Representatives.
Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. (NUS—NYSE) announced that its board of directors has declared a 25 percent increase in the quarterly cash dividend to 20 cents per share, compared to the previous dividend of 16 cents per share. This dividend will be paid on March 14, 2012 to shareholders of record on Feb. 24, 2012.
Nu Skin Enterprises Inc., a global direct selling company with a comprehensive anti-aging product portfolio, operates in 52 markets worldwide and has more than 850,000 independent distributors.
Direct Selling News has accumulated this information from public sources, including press releases and SEC filings. The information is presumed accurate and reliable. However, it is not an endorsement of any investment opportunity. Proper and considerable due diligence should be completed before making any investment. |
Michael S. Smith
Copyright ©2002 by Michael S. Smith
All rights reserved. Not to be printed or copied and distributed for personal, commercial, and/or financial gain, in print or electronically, without the expressed written consent of the author. The present edition is authorized for use only by The Cactus and Succulent Plant Mall at http://www.Cactus-Mall.com.
All correspondence can be directed to: Michael S. Smith at email@example.comCover photo: Trichocereus peruvianus
For my wife, JLS, for her eternal patience.
The following material is for informational and educational purposes only. It regards the ethnobotanical history, botany, and chemistry of a number of Cactaceae species and should not be construed as advocating the use of any of the plants listed herein. The internal use, or simple possession, of some of these plants may lead to legal, physical, or psychological harm.
I would like to sincerely thank all those individuals who have taken the time to assist me in this endeavor by offering their informative knowledge, comments, thoughts, and suggestions; they are many, this is the product. Special thanks are warranted for K. Trout, the author of Trout's Notes and Sacred Cacti, for allowing me to have ready access to Trout's Notes on Cactus Chemistry; By Species, from which all my alkaloid information is gathered. Without his invaluable knowledge and assistance many aspects of this work would be incomplete.
This manuscript primarily regards the recorded genera and species of cacti considered forms of "peyote" or "híkuri," or variations of these names, among a small number of tribes and people of Mexico. Though peyote and híkuri are often used interchangeably they should not automatically be assumed to be synonymous. Also mentioned are a number of non-peyote Cactaceae and non-Cactaceae peyote species that are ethnobotanically relevant to the discussion of peyote ethnology.
Though many cactus species are known as forms of peyote not all have a recorded history of ethnobotanical use. Some seem to be called peyote in name only while others may have purely medicinal or ceremonial uses. Though Lophophora williamsii is the cactus most associated with the name peyote many others carry this or similar titles. This may be due to use in their own right, or use in combination with, or as replacements for, L. williamsii. The name may also simply be the result of their having some superficial resemblance to L. williamsii, as do Astrophytum asterias,Strombocactus disciformis, and Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele. This has led to some conjecture that resemblance to L.williamsii alone dictates peyote status, but in some cases the resemblance is not so apparent, as in the many Ariocarpus and Mammillaria species known as peyote. Seeing that many peyote species lack resemblance to L. williamsii it seems plausible that these others have similar uses, whether that is as medicinal or ceremonial agents, narcotics, or hallucinogens.
The fact that some of these cacti have physical features similar to L. williamsii makes it all the more likely Native Americans either through accident or intention experimented with a number of them, and quite likely with a larger number of cacti than presently known. L. williamsii is commonly recognized as a medicinal panacea and it is likely that many of these other peyote species, known and unknown have been used not for their effectiveness as hallucinogens, as is generally believed, but rather for their effectiveness as medicinal agents.
L. williamsii is the only chemically analyzed Cactaceae species, besides a number of South American Trichocereus, whose major psychoactive alkaloid is mescaline. Many peyote species are carriers of powerful tetrahydroisoquinoline and phenethylamine alkaloids, as well as the possibility of other non-alkaloidal chemicals. But it would be inaccurate to assume that the psychological effects of these other peyote species would mimic those of L. williamsii, a species with upwards of 60 distinct alkaloids. With the exception of Aztekium ritterii, Lophophora diffusa, Pelecyphora aselliformis, and Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele, all of which contain very minimal amounts of mescaline, no other peyote species have been found to contain mescaline. But that is not to say that many other Cactaceae from Mexico or South America do not contain mescaline. Much research needs to be done in regard to the large number of Cactaceae species that populate the western hemisphere, from Canada to Patagonia.
What must be thoroughly considered in regard to the possible psychological effects of these various alkaloids is the religio-magical use of these cacti in traditional North American shamanism. Practitioners of shamanism have been known to employ numerous methods to alter their state of awareness and these would likely be employed in conjunction with the ingestion of these cacti, thereby altering the overall psychological experience. But it may be possible that such cacti were also used in combination with other plants with the direct intention of producing altered states of consciousness that relied purely on chemical action. Such an example might be the internal use of alkaloid containing cacti with "bakána," a Scirpus species known to carry ß-carboline alkaloids. Such a combination could possibly create a drug synergy similar to that of the South American hallucinogenic brew known as "ayahuasca" or "yage."
Though L. williamsii continues to be used by the Cora, Huichol, Seri, and Tarahumara cultures, it is likely that many of the following descriptions of the applications of other peyote species does not continue today. Unfortunately the people most associated with the use of the majority of these species, the Tarahumara of Mexico, are rapidly disappearing through assimilation into contemporary Mexican culture before further ethnological and ethnobotanical studies can be completed. Left largely undocumented is how these species were revered, selected, prepared, or what quantity was used for any given purpose. This makes any contemporary application of these cacti a hazardous affair, one that should not be understated. The hidden powers of many of these plants will go unknown till modern experimenters begin the search again, this time without the help of untold centuries.
(Following this manuscript is a number of selected references, but unfortunately the difficulty of specifically citing each source of informational detail had become too daunting a task to adequately complete. Much of the information runs throughout the literature and at times is repeated with slight alterations, deletions, or mistakes. I myself make a number of unsubstantiated speculations and no doubt present a number of possible inaccuracies. I have made all attempts to use primary sources to make this essay as historically accurate as possible.)
Michael S. Smith
March 8, 2002
A. agavoides' first mention in the context of peyote appears to be in a 1979 Economic Botany article by Bruhn & Bruhn where its chemical study is undertaken due to its relationship to established Ariocarpus species known as peyote, and also for its possible chemical similarities to them. Edward F. Anderson, in his Peyote: The Divine Cactus, mentions A. agavoides "at one time or another (having) been called peyote," but fails to give supporting information of its use other than as a food item. It is a questionable peyote species and does not appear to have ethnobotanical use beyond as a food item and glue due to its internal mucilage.
A. agavoides is known to local inhabitants of Tula, Tamaulipas, Mexico, as "magueyitos" (little agaves) and are collected and eaten for their sweet tasting flesh. I have even heard that a goat herder from the same area eats the plants because, in translation, "they make your head feel good." Their overindulgence is also believed to cause dizziness. The tubercles have even been added to salads at the Top of the Cove restaurant in La Jolla, California, due to their being sweet and bitter at the same time.
This species, along with others in the taxon, are becoming endangered in nature due to the encroachments of man and over collecting. Ariocarpus species were once known as Roseocactus and have been a favorite for hybridization.N-Methyl-3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine
A. fissuratus is considered one of the most important híkuri of the Tarahumara, being known as "híkuri sunami," a term signifying its ability to "enchain." It is also known as "peyote cimarrón" (wild peyote), a term indicating its unruly nature. This latter designation may be inaccurate as Bennett & Zingg regard peyote cimarrón as being "small, red, and ineffective" and "not used or even touched, since the abuser may die." Carl Lumholtz, in his classic text on the Tarahumara, Unknown Mexico, doesn't even make mention of such a plant as peyote cimarrón, though he does address híkuri sunami. Ivar Thord-Gray, in his Tarahumara dictionary, makes a clear difference between híkuri cimarrón and híkuri sunami, believing the former is "considered the most dangerous peyote, in fact deadly even to the touch, and is therefore never used," while he regards the latter as being "at least as powerful as híkuri wanamé" (L. williamsii). Híkuri cimarrón has been applied toward only one other Cactaceae, Astrophytum myriostigma, while it has been applied to one species of Compositae (Asteraceae) and two species of Orchidaceae.
Though containing no mescaline, A. fissuratus, as híkuri sunami, is, according to Lumholtz, believed by the Tarahumara to be more powerful than híkuri wanamé and be used in the same manner. That this híkuri is considered at least as, or more powerful than, L. williamsii is rather impressive considering the minimal presence of alkaloids, but such a term as "power" should not immediately be assumed to denote that it is more hallucinogenic than L. williamsii. A. fissuratus, like L. williamsii, is highly valued, both medicinally and ceremonially, and its power could lie far from its ability to alter consciousness. One must also consider the possibility that "power" is simply an abridged translation, by a Victorian era westerner, of a report provided by an aboriginal; a report that likely would have been more thorough in its description were it accurately transcribed.
A. fissuratus is frequently used as a medicinal and pain-killing plant, being placed upon wounds, snakebites, and bruises. It is also known to remedy fevers and ease rheumatic pains. Like L. williamsii, it is a medicinal panacea that is used for all orders of disease. Often A. fissuratus is mixed with water and boiled for a few minutes to be made into a strongly intoxicating drink. It is also chewed or drunk as a stimulant for traditional Tarahumara foot-runners, while others will often carry pieces of this híkuri in their belts for good luck. Again, like in prior reference to "power," the term "stimulant" must be considered from the same perspective; that it is not a central nervous stimulant as understood by western culture. It is much more likely that the value of some híkuri as stimulants in running contests is for their ability to focus the mind on the sacred task at hand by dulling pain and suppressing thirst and appetite. Its use in festivals extended past the mid-20th century and is likely used in some form to this day.
The most mythical aspect reported about A. fissuratus is the belief that it has the ability to cause robbers to be "powerless to steal anything where sunami calls soldiers to its aid." Just how it is used to protect ones property had failed to be recorded, but quite possibly it could have been an idol placed in or around the camp or home, or else may have been prayed to for such purpose. Like other important híkuri, A. fissuratus would likely have been venerated as a god with the power of intercession in human affairs.
I am aware of one modern account of the ingestion of A. fissuratus tea. The report indicates non-hallucinogenic effects with strong narcotic pain killing qualities. More complete chemical studies of this genus may prove productive.
A. fissuratus includes a large number of morphological variations. Which of these may be used among the Tarahumara is apparently unknown. A. bravoanus subspecies hintonii (=A. fissuratus variation hintonii) is reported to be used as an exterior salve for general pains and rheumatism after being soaked in alcohol.
A. fissuratus has been successfully crossed with L. williamsii, creating L. williamsii x A. fissuratus hybrids.
A. fissuratus has been called "chaute" or "chautle," terms that are a corruption of "challote," which itself is a Spanish corruption of "peyote."Hordenine
According to Helia Bravo in her 1937 book, Las Cactaceae de Mexico, A.kotschoubeyanus is known as "pezuna de venado" (cloved hoof of the deer) or "pata de venado" (deer's foot). The plants titles are interesting not only because of the hoofed shaped tubercles of A. kotschoubeyanus, but also due to the relationship of deer symbolism to L. williamsii, the primary peyote cactus.
A. kotschoubeyanus appears to have mistakenly gained a reputation as a peyote species. This may have occurred through the inclusion of the plant in a listing of peyote species compiled by Richard Evans Schultes, the famed Harvard University ethnobotanist who had studied the use of peyote among the people and tribes of the American southwest and Mexico. In his article, Peyote and Plants Confused With It, Schultes indicated that his information regarding A. kotschoubeyanus was drawn from Bravo's work, but Bravo makes no mention of the plants being known as peyote. Schultes also goes on to state that the species is "said to be either narcotic or medicinal," but he offers no accounts of such usage or where such information may have come from. This of course begs the question of who informed Schultes about this and many other peyote plants' status as "either narcotic or medicinal." It is uncertain if Schultes collected his own data or if he simply extrapolated from prior publications to gain his understanding of narcotic or medicinal cactus. This must be kept in mind regarding all of the other plants that Schultes claimed to be narcotic or medicinal peyote species.
The notion that A. kotschoubeyanus is distinctly known as peyote appears to have been sustained through Anderson's listing of it in Peyote: The Divine Cactus as having "at one time or another been called 'peyote,' or the Spanish diminutive 'peyotillo'."
No solid evidence exist that A. kotschoubeyanus was truly considered a peyote by the aboriginal populations, but no doubt its use in a manner similar to known peyote species, for pains and rheumatism, demands its inclusion in any study of the subject. Like other Ariocarpus species, its mucilage is also known as an effective glue.
A. kotschoubeyanus gets its name from Prince Kotschoubey who paid more than their weight in gold for one of three plants originally brought to Europe in the 19th century.Hordenine
The Huichol believe that those who transgress the Huichol ethical code or have not ceremonially purified themselves prior to the collection of peyote (L. williamsii) will be led to "tsuwíri" (A. retusus) by supernatural forces and suffer "terrible psychic agonies." They consider tsuwíri a "false peyote" due to its undesirable effects, claiming it is an evil plant that will drive people mad if ingested, and that can also cause permanent insanity. It is considered akin to "kiéri" (Datura meteloides=D. inoxia), a dangerous deliriant Solanaceae species, due to its initial ability to cause seemingly pleasant visual and auditory hallucinations that later mislead the pilgrim away from the group. He will then travel through many terrifying perils, of poisonous creatures, large beasts, and deep pits, leaving him "scratched, full of blood…tired, worn out." He will find himself with "so many cactus spines, so many thorns everywhere," in his clothes, feet, and hands.
Though many peyote are casually cited in the literature as being "false peyote" it appears that A. retusus is the only one to which this title is accurately applied.
A. retusus is used to treat fevers, and most likely has additional medicinal uses similar to other Ariocarpus species and L. williamsii. Sacred Succulents, an ethnobotanical company specializing in "rare, endangered and beneficial xerophytes," claims that recent findings indicate A. retusus' use by "well trained Huichol shamans" who believe it to be a "powerful ally." They also mention how the local population has popularized the smoking of the tubercles. Anderson also supports a more positive role of A. retusus in Huichol culture, stating that it is "used in the harvest festival and other ceremonies also involving peyote." Anderson does not make any bibliographic reference to his source, as he regularly does, and he may have gained his information from uncited personal communications or direct observation."Peyote," "chaute/chautle."
A. trigonus can likely be considered a peyote cactus due to Bravo's indication that it is known as chaute, a corruption of the word peyote.
In addition to those Ariocarpus species already mentioned, A. scapharostrus has also been informally reported by Anderson to be used medicinally.
Harvard University ethnobotanist Wade Davis reports that this species is used in the same manner as the mescaline containing "San Pedro" cactus, Trichocereus pachanoi, in the areas surrounding Huancabamba, Peru. Little evidence of its ethnobotanical use exists beyond Davis' reports and those of Carlos Ostolaza, the founder and president of the Sociedad Peruana de Cactus y Suculentas. Ostolaza reports that A. laetus is known as "pishcol blanco" and that it "could be used similarly" to T. pachanoi.
A. laetus most likely lacks the ability to produce truly hallucinogenic effect and may simply be a replacement species that has taken on its own ceremonial value. This seems all the more likely as the traditional use of San Pedro is a highly ritualistic affair that is often devoid of psychopharmacological effect. Davis states in Sacred Plants of the San Pedro Cult that a chemical examination of A. laetus would be forthcoming, but results have yet to be published."Pishicol."
The original citation of A. asterias as peyote comes from The Cactaceae by Britton & Rose where it is said that "Senor Solis says that the plant is known as peyote." Schultes writes that A. asterias is "said to be either narcotic or medicinal," but cites Britton & Rose who do not make such claims, while Bravo simply indicated that the species carries the common name of peyote while mentioning no ethnobotanical use.
Britton & Rose's, Bravo's, and Schultes' comments in his 1937 articles, Peyote and Plants Used in the Peyote Ceremony (April) and Peyote and Plants Confused with It (November), are the only supportive evidence of the peyote classification or ethnobotanical use of A. asterias and all future references to the plant appear to rely on these sources.
A. asterias is one of the most likely candidates as peyote based solely on its physical similarities to L. williamsii.
The oldest known citation of A. capricorne as a peyote species comes Schultes' 1937 article, Peyote and Plants Confused With It. Schultes cites Britton & Rose as his source, but The Cactaceae does not regard it as peyote. Like other Astrophytum species, it is claimed by Schultes to have been "said to be either narcotic or medicinal."
It seems that all future references to the species as peyote stem from Schultes, but due to the inaccurate reference to Britton & Rose it may be mistakenly considered peyote. Further support for a possible mistaken reference to A. capricorne as peyote is that Schultes failed to cite it in a list of peyote species in Peyote and Plants Used in the Peyote Ceremony, an article published just seven months before Peyote and Plants Confused With It."Biznaga de estropajo" (carrot-like vegetable sponge).
A. myriostigma appears to have gained its original peyote status following the publication of Victor A. Reko's 1929 article Was ist Peyote? which was published in a German parapsychology journal. Unfortunately I have been unable to review Reko's original writings to examine the context in which it is cited as peyote or if it supports ethnobotanical usage.
Both of Schultes' 1937 articles regard A. myriostigma as "either narcotic or medicinal." Bravo's 1937 publication also makes mention of A. myriostigma as a peyote, but fails to give supportive evidence of ethnobotanical use. Bravo lists the species under three different geographically based titles, "peyote cimarrón" in Durango, "mitra" in San Luis Potosí, and "Birrete de Obispo" (bishop's cap) in Coahuila.
A. ritterii appears to have been first cited as peyote by Blas Pablo Reko in his 1934 article, Das Mexikanische Rauschgift Ololiuqui. Unfortunately I have not had access to Reko's original article to thoroughly examine this species position in the peyote pantheon. Schultes regards it as a species that it is "said to be either narcotic or medicinal."
Like Astrophytum capricorne it is interesting to note that Schultes did not list A. ritterii as peyote in Peyote and Plants Used in the Peyote Ceremony, but did list it in Peyote and Plants Confused with It seven months later even though Reko is cited in both of Schultes articles. Did Schultes overlook Reko's reference to A. ritterii in preparation for the first article but not in the second? Or like A. capricorne was Schultes reference to A. ritterii an error? A simple review of Reko's work by someone who has access to it may answer this question.
All subsequent references to A. ritterii as peyote appear to have their origin with Reko and Schultes. No new information about the species' ethnobotany has been published since 1937, leaving its peyote status dubious.
A. ritterii was considered until recently the only species in the genus (monotypic). A new species, A. hintonii, has recently been described and brought into cultivation. This latter species originates from the same locale as A. ritterii, the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. Another closely related species from Nuevo Leon, Geohintonia mexicana, has also recently been described.
Only trace amounts of mescaline are present in A. ritterii while the two closely related species have yet to undergo chemical analysis.Mescaline
C. gigantea is the well known "saguaro" cactus whose image represents the American Southwest and whose bloom is the state flower of Arizona.
The fruit of C. gigantea is fermented into a beverage that is drank as part of rain making ceremonies in July and August, the beginning of the Pima and Papago Indian new year. The wine is said to have a curing and purifying effect and to be used as a weather and crop control. Resembling port or sherry it contains about 5% alcohol and becomes stronger with age.
C. gigantea is known for its medicinal uses, including the treatment of rheumatism, and has a multitude of utilitarian uses for the fruit, seeds, and stock. Though the stalk of the plant bears large amounts of water its tissue is not used internally due to its bitterness, presumably because of large alkaloid concentrations.
Though rumored to be an indigenous hallucinogen such rumors may be completely unsubstantiated and have their basis in misinterpreted ethnobotanical and chemical data. Schultes, along with Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of the psychoactive nature of lysergic acid diethylamine (LSD), describe the plant as containing "alkaloids capable of psychoactivity." But of the alkaloids tested only gigantine was found to produce effects indicating hallucinogenic reaction, and this was entirely in animal studies. Contradicting reports have been made that it assists with "songs" (dreams), but as the fruits appear to lack alkaloids and produces an alcohol intoxication, it would seem unlikely such "dreams" fit the classical shamanistic definition of spirit flight.Its fruits are known as "pitahayas."
C. compacta is believed to be the Tarahumara híkuri known as "bakánawa." Bakánawa, like most híkuri, is both respected and feared as a god, and considered to have a soul and human emotions. It has been recorded as both more powerful, and as only second in power, to L. williamsii. To some populations of Tarahumara, particularly those of Guadalupe, it is (was) their primary híkuri, being valued instead of L. williamsii.
It is held that if one keeps bakánawa in their possession exceeding three years it will convert from a good medicine to an evil one that causes insanity, therefore one must sell it or hide it after the third year. Of interest are speculations by Thord-Gray that this belief may have originated through a shaman so "that he might sell more of the plant." It is also believed that by either losing or burning this cactus one can become insane, sick, or even die. In some cases it is considered so "strong" that it can only be touched by the shaman.
C. compacta is a powerful medicinal panacea and is masticated and applied to the body to cure all imaginable ills. It is boiled for use as an internal medicine and the juice is applied externally for lung troubles. A chewed ointment of C. compacta is rubbed on the legs of foot-runners for three days prior to the traditional races and is kept in waiting by the shaman should the runner tire. The plant may also be carried in the runners' belts to make them swift and fearless and to frustrate the evil spells cast by their opponents. It is believed that the runner who offends bakánawa will slow in speed and eventually die.
Many Coryphantha species bear an array of alkaloids, and even though only this one species is substantiated as híkuri, it can be suspected that others also have had sacramental and medicinal value. Anderson regards C. compacta and C. palmeri as synonymous.
"Bakána," "bakánori," "híkuli," "Santa Poli," "wichurí."
A personal correspondent had observed C. elephantidens sold under the title of peyote in a Mexico City market. With a note of caution my acquaintance went on to mention the possibility that many cacti, medicinal or not, are considered peyote to indigenous groups.
Chemical reports, and its being sold in market, are likely indicators of its use in folk medicine.Hordenine
C. macromeris was reported by Schultes & Hofmann in The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens (1980) to be used as a ritual hallucinogen in northern Mexico. Schultes & Hofmann cited Jonathan Ott's Hallucinogenic Plants of North America (1976) as the source of this information, but Ott himself fails to provide details regarding his own sources. Ott simply makes bibliographic reference to his own "unpublished field and laboratory notes" as well as personal communications with Jerry McLaughlin, a well-known author of many cactus alkaloid studies. But it seems likely that McLaughlin's personal communications only provided Ott with information suggesting the unknown "toxicity" of the species. In 1993 Ott, in his voluminous Pharmacotheon, failed to cite himself as the source of information regarding aboriginal use of C. macromeris, instead citing the 1980 publication by Schultes & Hofmann. Such circular referencing lends doubt to the plant's traditional use as a ritual hallucinogen.
As C. macromeris' hallucinogenic reference follows the publication of its alkaloid composition in 1967 it seems likely that a brief period of counterculture experimentation, based upon chemical findings, including macromerine, a "phenethylamine derivative similar in structure to mescaline," lead to the current misunderstanding of the species' ethnobotany.
A more thorough examination of the literature surrounding C. macromeris is needed either to support or discount its past or present aboriginal use. To date it would appear that any reference to native use is unsubstantiated. Anderson clearly states in The Cactus Family (2001) section titled "Ceremonial and Religious Uses of Cacti" that "no indigenous group is known to use this species ceremonially," but he also states in the main section covering the botanical aspects of the plant that "the Tarahumara use Coryphantha macromeris ceremonially." It would seem likely that this latter quote is a simple mistake, but no doubt it may lead to further confusion.
C. macromeris has long held contemporary interest as an "entheogenic" plant, a plant that generates God within, both because of its availability and chemical structure. It had even been referred to by Ott as a sacrament in a hallucinogen based "church" in California, but such a listing should not necessarily suggest it was actively used. It is probable that this church, in an attempt to give this and other plants religious exemption from the laws of the United States, listed the majority of plant reputed to be hallucinogenic as sacraments. Recreational use in the United States has also been suggested, but nothing to date indicates a continued use of the plant beyond a possible experimental phase. K. Trout, the author of Sacred Cacti, states that his own bioassay experience "had been very mild and very strange, with many waves of intense nausea and extremely persistent after effects, such as distorted vision and a very weird feeling of unreality lasting for weeks after its use."
C. macromeris is commonly known as "doñana" or "Doña Ana." It seems likely that these titles stem from Thord-Gray's comments regarding "dona-ra," a cactus in use among the Tarahumara that "unlike most cacti has a fruit which must be cooked before eating." Interestingly C. macromeris has a tough green fruit, unlike the often-eaten fleshy red fruit of related Mammillaria species.
C. macromeris had recently been cited as "mulato" by Christian Rätsch in his Enzyklopädie der Psychoaktiven Pflanzen. But this is likely in error as mulato commonly refers to Epithalantha micromeris, an acknowledged híkuli, and has never historically been used in reference to C. macromeris, a species with dubious ethnopharmacological history.Macromerine
This variation of C. macromeris has been informally mentioned as having ethnobotanical use, but supportive documentation does not appear to exist. Such an assertion may have inaccurately arisen from Schultes & Hofmann's The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens where the alkaloid content of C. macromeris var. runyonii is mentioned alongside the unsubstantiated claims of C. macromeris' hallucinogenic use in northern Mexico.
This variation is smaller and more compact in growth than the standard C. macromeris and has shorter and less dense spination. It is also known as C. runyonii.N-Methyl-3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine
C. palmeri has been reported to be "used on occasionally as a narcotic plant." Unfortunately no further information regarding ethnobotanical use has been reported under this botanical name, but it may be synonymous with the Tarahumara peyote known as "bakánawa," and described under C. compacta.ß-Sitosterol
D. longimamma, better known as Mammillaria longimamma, was originally cited as peyote by Léon Diguet in his 1928 article, Les Cactacées utiles du Mexique. In 1937 Schultes, citing Diguet, regarded D. longimamma as "said to be narcotic or medicinal," but I have yet to review Diguet's article to compare the two authors' positions on the species. Adam Gottlieb, in his academically suspect Peyote and Other Psychoactive Cacti (1997), stated that "several tribes occasionally use any one of several species of Dolichothele as a peyote-like sacrament," including D. baumii, D. longimamma, D. melaleuca, D. sphaerica, D. surculosa, and D. uberiformis.
With the exception of Diguet's and Schultes' comments on D. longimamma, none of the other species mentioned by Gottlieb are supported as peyote or of having ethnobotanical use. Nor do the existing records appear to mention any of the "several tribes" using Dolichothele species. It is interesting to note that all the species mentioned by Gottlieb had received chemical analysis prior to the first publication of his book in 1977, and to this day remain the only Dolichothele species analyzed. It would appear Gottlieb's statements with regard to the peyote status of all but D. longimamma are based solely upon his extrapolations from, or taking creative license with, the existing chemical studies.
Dolichothele species are often considered to be synonymous with Mammillaria, though there are disputing opinions. Unlike Mammillaria species that bear flowers in a ring around the upper portion of the plant, Dolichothele flowers form directly from the apex.
A somewhat thicker variation named D. uberiformis,M. uberiformis or M. longimamma var. uberiformis is also known and has a slightly different chemical finding than D. longimamma. Both D. sphaerica and D. uberiformis have also been found to have more complex alkaloid makeups than D. longimamma and are very similar in form."Peyote," "peyotillo."
The mention by Lumholtz and Schultes of híkuri in the Echinocactus taxon may be partially due to outdated nomenclature; even L. williamsii was once considered an Echinocactus.
Lumholtz had described Echinocactus, along with Mammillaria, as having "high mental qualities," for which a "regular cult is instituted," but in the illustration he included a picture of an Echinocereus. It may be possible Lumholtz was in fact referring to Echinocereus and not Echinocactus, as two Echinocereus have been described as híkuri by Robert A. Bye (1979).
Two specific Echinocactus are questionably cited as peyote.
Thorns of E. grandis have been found in archeological digs and were reputedly used in the human sacrifices offered by Moctezuma. This species has also been claimed to treat a variety of illnesses.ß-Sitosterol
An acquaintances observation of the sale of this species, along with C. elephantidens, in a Mexico City market under the name peyote suggests medicinal usage. E. grusonii is the well-known and commonly cultivated "Golden Barrel" cactus.
Both morphological and DNA analysis suggest E. grusonii is more closely aligned with Ferocactus than with Echinocactus.
Schaefer & Furst believe that this barrel cactus may be the Huichol peyote known as "aikutsi." Its juice is mixed with L. williamsii and eaten so as to prevent one from becoming too intoxicated. The tentative identification of E. visnaga as aikutsi was suggested by James Baulm of the Los Angeles County Arboretum.
E. salm-dyckianus, along with E. triglochidiatus, are known as the "híkuri of the sierras" and are used in a manner similar to other peyote cacti though considered less powerful. Their first reference as híkuri comes from Robert A. Bye's 1979 article Hallucinogenic Plants of the Tarahumara.
Lumholtz had not mentioned these plants' status as híkuri, but he did mention that both Mammillaria and Echinocactus had "high mental qualities" and that a "regular cult is instituted" for them. Though no Echinocactus are definitively confirmed as híkuri it seems likely that Lumholtz was referring to Echinocereus as he placed an illustration of an Echinocereus within his discussion of "plant-worship" and "híkuli cults." Often in contemporary literature these two Echinocereus species are singularly listed as having "high mental qualities," but it should be clear that Lumholtz applied these qualities to all species that are used in the híkuli cults.
It is commonly believed that both E. salm-dyckianus and E. triglochidiatus are sung to during collection by the Tarahumara, but such an understanding appears to have its basis in only one recorded observation of both plants being sung to while being pressed for preservation by Robert Bye. It was claimed that such singing was done to prevent the plants from becoming offended by the action, but this should not immediately suggest singing was a common practice when properly collected by the Tarahumara.
Also known as E. scheeri."Híkuri," "pitallito," "wichurí."
E. triglochidiatus, in addition to its ethnobotanical similarities to E. salm-dyckianus, was once thought to carry a "tryptamine derivative," possibly 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) (Bye 1979). This alkaloid is the source of the hallucinogenic powers of the South American hallucinogens known as "ebena" and "cohoba," and that are made respectively from the bark of a number of Virola species and the seeds of a few Anadenanthera species.
To date, other published chemical studies of E. triglochidiatus have confirmed only N,N-dimethylhistamine. The variations neomexicanus and paucispinus have also been found to contain only this same single alkaloid. K. Trout, the author of Sacred Cacti, has indicated that the means of chemical testing used to support a "tryptamine derivative" can mistakenly read N,N-dimethylhistamine as 5-MeO-DMT.
No tryptamines have been confirmed within the Cactaceae, but two other references to tryptamines in cacti have been made (see Trichocereus terscheckii and T. grandiflorus). Unfortunately this questionable alkaloid information regarding E. triglochidiatus continues to be spread through a number of publications and by a number of ethnobotanical suppliers, possibly as an enticing sales tactic."Híkuri," "pitallito," "wichurí."
An unidentified species of the tree dwelling genus Epiphyllum is used by the Sharanahua people of the Amazon rain forest within their version of "ayahuasca," the hallucinogenic brew used throughout the Amazon basin. The Sharanahua either add "only one leaf" to the brewing, or else "drink the unboiled juice of the cactus with ayahuasca."
Ayahuasca, also known as "yage," is typically made through the boiling of the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) containing Psychotria viridis and the ß-carboline containing Banisteriopsis caapi vine. Upon ingestion the ß-carbolines present in B. caapi act as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), allowing the otherwise orally inactive DMT to become a potent psychoactive.
The related Zygocactus truncata (=Epiphyllum truncatum) has been reported to contain an "unknown amine" as well as citric acid. The possible presence of citric acid in this unidentified Epiphyllum species may make it a valuable asset in increasing the natural extraction of alkaloids from ayahuasca ingredients.
E. micromeris is credited with great intellectual and moral qualities. This "medicine" is said to give speed to runners, prolong life, and make the eyes large and clear to be able to see sorcerers. Both it, and its fruit, are ingested as a stimulant and protector by traditional Tarahumara foot-runners, but are considered less effective than L. williamsii or A. fissuratus. Its fruits are laid before the altar in ceremonies, and it had continued to play a minor part in Tarahumara festivals well into the 20th century. Similar to terms surrounding A. fissuratus, any words describing the effects of E. micromeris must be viewed as only abbreviated renderings of traditional reports, and should not be interpreted according to a western understanding.
E. micromeris is valued by the Tarahumara as "híkuli mulato," the "dark skinned peyote." Just why it is considered "dark skinned" is not fully fathomed since the plant has very small white spines almost completely hiding a green epidermis. It is likely the name has a much more symbolic rather than literal meaning.
In 1902 Lumholtz stated that "híkuli rosapara" was "a more advanced vegetative stage" of E. micromeris, but he also stated that híkuli mulato and híkuli rosapara looked "quite different" than each other. In 1899 Rose first proposed, as gathered from earlier publications by Lumholtz, that híkuli rosapara was in fact Mamillopsis senilis due to its description by Lumholtz as being "white and spiny" and due to other reports describing the reverence the Indians held for M. senilis (see M. senilis).
E. micromeris is one of two accepted species in the genus while a number of variations exist which are often cited as species. In addition to numerous alkaloids, five triterpenes and one sterol have been reported within E. micromeris.Its fruit are known as "chilitos."
This species from Peru's Huancabamba Valley is said by Carlos Ostolaza to go by the title of "pichcol negro" and "could be used similarly" to Trichocereus pachanoi, the San Pedro cactus. Ostolaza had not offered any specific first-hand support for the actual ethnobotanical use of E. lanata, and its possible use may be an assumption taken from its common name among the indigenous population. Like pichcol blanco (Armatocereus laetus), this species may possibly have no psychopharmacological effect and simply be used in highly ritualistic healing ceremonies.
E. lanata has been reported to be alkaloid negative, but E. huanucensis, which is possibly a variant of E. lanata, has been found to contain hordenine, N-methyltyramine, and tyramine.
Often called the "peruvian old man," or "snowball cactus" because of it covering of white hairs.
Twenty-six species of this South American genus have been found to contain mescaline, the highest concentrations being between 0.001% to 0.0001% by fresh weight from G. calochlorum, G. comarapense, G. horridispinum, G. netrelianum, G. riograndense, G. striglianum, G. uebelmannianum, G. valnicekianum, and G. vatteri.
The majority of alkaloid studies have been conducted under the direction of Dr. Roman Štarha at the University of Ostrava, Czech Republic, using plants cultivated in Europe. It would be interesting to determine if wild plants from South America would produce results similar to plants cultivated in a distinctly foreign environment.
Many Gymnocalycium species bear a striking morphological similarity to Lophophora, as do a small number of Copiapoa and Frailea, other South American taxa. Such similarities are likely only superficial. Representatives of Copiapoa or Frailea have yet to receive chemical study.
A more thorough examination of the medicinal use of cacti in South America should be undertaken in haste. Unfortunately the aboriginal populations of the Andes have been so thoroughly influenced by European culture and religion, even more so than the people of the Sierras of Mexico, that the majority of ancient Andean medicinal knowledge surrounding cacti is forever lost.
This monotypic species from northern and central Mexico was claimed by its describer, Sir William Hooker, to be used medicinally in a number of locations throughout its habitat.
Intergeneric hybridization with both Ferocactus and Thelocactus is suggestive of a close relationship. Both Ferocactus and Thelocactus have shown very weak results in alkaloid studies.
Reported to contain unidentified alkaloids.
L. diffusa is known only from Querétaro, Mexico, south of the L. williamsii growth range. It has indistinct or absent ribs, uneven and widely spaced areoles on unelevated tubercles, and, according to Anderson, flowers that are "white, sometimes faintly pink or yellowish white."
Though considered a peyote species, there is no ethnobotanical information pointing out any systematic cultural usage either as a sacramental or medicinal plant. Modern accounts of ingestion support the psychopharmacological activity of the species, reporting "clumsiness, confusion, general malaise and prolonged diaphoresis." There have also been descriptions of mental clarity and tranquility along with visual and auditory hallucinations. One anecdotal report mentions "a dreamlike state with very realistic hallucinations without any profoundness or a lifting of spirits" that was compared to a tropane-like delirium, while another report cites a "strongly sedating, enjoyable, and mildly visionary" experience lasting 8 hours.
L. diffusa is one of only two well-accepted species in the genus; the other being L. williamsii. L. diffusa is also known as L. echinata var. diffusa. This is not to be confused with L. echinata or L. williamsii var. echinata, both of which are considered L. williamsii.
Some confusion has arisen due to the use of L. echinata to describe L. diffusa. Léon Croizat originally described L. echinata as coming from Texas and L. echinata var. diffusa as coming from Querétaro. Unfortunately Curt Backeberg was later to give Texas as the locality for L. echinata var. diffusa. Most plants labeled as L. echinata today are clearly L. diffusa.
Pollen studies suggest L. diffusa is much more representative of the ancestors of cacti and has less "evolutionary divergence and specialization" than L. williamsii. Unlike L. williamsii it appears to be self-sterile and unable to receive L. williamsii pollen for fertilization. L. diffusa pollen readily transfers to L. williamsii for hybridization.
Only trace amounts of mescaline have been found in L. diffusa; none in some cases. The primary alkaloid is pellotine, a compound that in its pure form produces only sedation."Peyote de Querétaro."
Mescaline (1.2% of total alkaloid content)
Pellotine (86.2% of total alkaloid content)
This generally accepted L. diffusa variety from San Luis Potosí grows in the southernmost range of L. williamsii and has pink to cream flowers. Unlike the somewhat wider flower petals of L. diffusa and L. williamsii, this variety has unusually thin petals.
Though some support L. diffusa var. koehresii as a variation of L. williamsii due to a number of chemical similarities, the higher ratios of pellotine to mescaline give support for its inclusion in L. diffusa. It may be possible that L. diffusa var. koehresii is an independent species, and intermediary, or a naturally occurring hybrid, but such speculation requires further botanical study.
Synonyms include Lophophora sp. San Luis Potosí, L. sp. Rio Verde, L. viridescens, and L. diffusa subspecies viridescens. Anderson clearly places L. diffusa var. koehresii and all synonyms within L. diffusa without differentiation.Mescaline (1.32% of total alkaloid content)
L. fricii was first collected in 1931, but it was not then given a proper description. It was again cited in 1974 by Dennis Cowper and said to be located in the environs of San Pedro, Coahuila, Mexico. Other reported areas of collection are the immediate environs near Torreon, Viesca, and Las Parras, Coahuila, Mexico.
Dennis Cowper described L. fricii as having a gray-green epidermis, carmine-red flowers, distinct seed characteristics, and a "different" rib structure. It has recently been described as a large stemmed plant, with generally few heads, which grows in the hot flatlands. Photos of the species show a wide variability in rib structure, from very flat and ribbed to largely tuberculate. Naturally occurring populations of L. fricii do not always bear carmine-red flowers. Usually it has the pale pink of the standard L. williamsii and commonly a dark shade of pink.
In 1975, Vlastimil Habermann expanded the botanical description by stating that L. fricii was of a larger size, nearly 40 cm diameter, and has 13 to 21 ribs. Habermann's description of its reaching 40 cm is dubious, especially if this is in regard to a single "button," as approximately 15 cm diameter buttons have been recorded, but none much larger. A 40 cm diameter plant would not at all be distinctive if it was in regard to a multi-headed plant, as some L. williamsii have been known to reach 2 meters (6 feet) in length and include over a hundred distinct heads. Habermann's assertion that L. fricii has 13 to 21 ribs does not support it as an independent species because L. williamsii will also produce similar numbers of ribs.
Alkaloid analysis of L. fricii has shown chemical similarities to L. diffusa even though the two species are divided by some 400 miles and L. fricii grows in the middle of L. williamsii populations. Both L. fricii and L. diffusa bear very similar concentrations of mescaline to pellotine.
The largest support for L. fricii being an independent species exists in Europe. Many in the United States side with it being a selected off-colored flower variant of a somewhat distinctively ribbed L. williamsii from Coahuila, Mexico. Since apparently distinct populations of the plant exist, it seems likely that L. fricii is a genotype of the more common L. williamsii and not as closely related to L. diffusa as chemical results may suggest. But no doubt more thorough botanical examinations should occur so as to eliminate any possibility that it is its own species. L. fricii is most likely synonymous with Lophophora sp. var. Viesca, the latter having nearly identical percentages of mescaline and pellotine as L. fricii and originating from the same environs.
L. fricii may possibly be the Tarahumara "híkuri walula saeliame," "híkuri of great authority," described by Lumholtz and known alternatively as "chiculi hualala saelíami" by Alberto Fric, the plant's namesake, and as "híkuri warura seriame" by Ivar Thord-Gray.
Lumholtz describes híkuri walula saeliame as the greatest of all híkuri and the most rare among the Tarahumara, growing in clusters of from 8 to 12 inches in diameter, resembling "wanamé" (L. williamsii) with many young ones around it. All other híkuri are said to be its servants. Thord-Gray later describes this híkuri as supposedly having buttons up to 12 inches in diameter. It is considered superior while all other híkuri are its servants, and it demands ox instead of goats in sacrificial offerings. Thord-Gray questioned whether or not this is a purely mythical or legendary plant as he had gained varying descriptions in regard to its size, strength, and power.Mescaline (0.9% and 1.1% of total alkaloid content)
The original material used by Habermann to describe L. jourdaniana was collected from an undocumented locality in Mexico and described as having rose-violet or violet-red flowers, persistent spines on young areoles, and having an inability to be fertilized by L. diffusa,L. fricii, or L. williamsii and its varieties. Others have claimed that L. jourdaniana can only be propagated through offshoots, but this has not been found to be the case as seed has been available.
The inability of L. jourdaniana to be fertilized by others in the genus has not withstood scientific rigor as it has been crossed with both L. diffusa and L. williamsii by the Russian botanist Serge Batov. It would appear Habermann himself, for unknown reasons, was unable to successfully hybridize L. jourdaniana.
Technically speaking Habermann's use of the term jourdaniana is botanically invalid as the name had been used a number of times previously, all without adequate description of the plants. Nothing would indicate that Habermann's material is synonymous with any of these previous descriptions. No features, including chemical analysis, would support L. jourdaniana Habermann being considered anything but an odd variant of L.williamsii, or possibly a cultivation hybrid.Mescaline (31% of total alkaloid content)
Numerous books and articles cover the many aspects of this cactus' history, ethnobotany, botany, and chemistry, the most in-depth being E.F. Anderson's Peyote: The Divine Cactus. It is the most potent of all known mescaline containing cacti and carries upwards of 60 different alkaloids.
A rumor of strychnine being present in the wool-like down (trichomes) arising from the areoles has long been held to be the reason why these "hairs" are removed from the plant prior to ingestion. But no strychnine has ever been found in the plant at all and such a rumor may have arisen from early publications that regarded the active chemicals present in L. williamsii as "strychnine-like."
L. williamsii is the primary peyote cactus and the only such species presently known to be used for hallucinogenic activity in an indigenous cultural setting. It continues to be used in Mexico by the Cora, Huichol, Seri, and Tarahumara and is an integral part of the Native American Church (NAC) of the United States and Canada.
Apparent variations of L. williamsii exist, many of which are listed informally as species themselves, but it is unlikely they will ever gain formal recognition as either variations or distinct species. Locality genotypes and/or phenotypes may exist that may or may not support a reclassification of the genus. L. williamsii is a plant with many variations in growth pattern and flower color, but such variations are not good indicators for taxon reclassification.
Lophophora flowers are most closely related to Ariocarpus,Mammillaria,Obregonia, and Pelecyphora species, and all, with the exception of Mammillaria, are its closest morphological relatives. Aztekium,Echinocactus,Strombocactus,Thelocactus, and Turbinicarpus are also morphologically related and grow within the same range.
Lophophora fruits are similar to those of Obregonia while the seeds are nearly identical to both Ariocarpus and Obregonia.
Cladistic analysis supports Lophophora as coming from the most closely aligned genera Aztekium and Strombocactus. Pollen studies support a relationship between the genera Lophophora,Aztekium, and Strombocactus, while DNA findings suggest Lophophora is most closely related to the monotypic species Obregonia denegrii.
L. williamsii has been successfully fertilized by Ariocarpus fissuratus,Lophophora diffusa,Mammillaria bocasana,M. zeilmanniana,Strombocactus disciformis, and Turbinicarpus pseudomacrochele. There is also suggestion that it has also been successfully fertilized by Astrophytum asterias and Epithelantha micromeris.
Dried specimens of L. williamsii have been found to contain 0.9% to 6.3% mescaline with lower concentrations of pellotine. (Note 1)"Híkuli wanamé" (superior peyote).
L. williamsii var. caespitosa has been used to describe L. williamsii plants that "tiller" (form offshoots) easily, creating dense clumps of "pups" that form a "carpet," but it is doubtful such tillering should dictate a variation classification. Those plants more readily available in cultivation show little glaucescence (bluish/grayish frosting of the epidermis) and are much more susceptible to discoloration from sun exposure. They also bear a number of minute spines on the areoles of newly formed pups and have shorter flower petals, giving the appearance of overall smaller flowers than L. williamsii.
Nothing would indicate that L. williamsii var. caespitosa is a regularly and naturally occurring variation with its own distinct populations. It seems likely that L. williamsii var. caespitosa is a simple cultivar of plants having a higher propensity to tiller readily. Due to some of these features, it has been suggested that L. williamsii var. caespitosa is a hybrid cultivar.
The mescaline to pellotine concentrations in L. williamsii var. caespitosa are similar to L. williamsii even though it is regularly published that its mescaline levels are insignificant. Such differences might have to do with there not being a "standard" to describe the supposed variation. There is suggestion from Serge Batov that an L. williamsii var. caespitosa and an L. williamsii forma caespitosa exist; the former creating a "carpet" of small buttons, and the latter producing a large mother button with a multitude of small pups.
L. williamsii var. decipiens was originally described by Léon Croizat from a single drawing of a Lophophora in Britton & Rose's The Cactaceae (vol. 3, pl.10, fig. 4). The drawing itself was done from a photo of a plant originating in France that lacked collection data. It was described directly from the drawing as having a distinctly tuberculate growth pattern rather than ribs and as having flowers that extended above the vegetative body of the plant more than L. williamsii.
Croizat himself was uncertain of the creation of new classifications and in fact stated in his original write up on this "variation" that "in proposing varieties, I use the rank in a wholly non-committal sense." The epithet "decipiens" in fact means "misleading" and is used to name plants showing great similarity with another.
Modern reports indicate that plants fitting the above vegetative descriptions come from a location near Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico and grow on the top of the surrounding high rocky peaks. This collection is said to be quite distinct from L. williamsii by having a pronounceable ashy gray color and lacking noticeable rib formations. Instead, it has diamond shaped conical tubercles that are spiral in form, similar to Strombocactus disciformis or many Mammillaria species. The flowers are described as being the standard pale pink color of L. williamsii.
It is not known if the plants from Torreon are synonymous with the L. williamsii var. decipiens described by Croizat.
Serge Batov has described L. williamsii var. decipiens as being able to produce an extremely large number of seeds per fruit, in one case known to have produced 66 seeds, a number similar to some Mammillaria species, but unlike typical L. williamsii. Of interest is that L. williamsii has been successfully crossed with Mammillaria bocasana and M. zeilmanniana. The former producing plants with a distinctly more tuberculate form, the latter producing plants with dark red flowers. Lophophora flowers are very structurally similar to Mammillaria flowers, and an interesting speculation might be that L. williamsii var. decipiens is a natural hybrid between L. williamsii and a Mammillaria species. Others may insist L. williamsii var. decipiens simply continues to carry the occasional tuberculate juvenile form of L. williamsii into full adulthood, similar to some Turbinicarpus, or that it may be a fully independent species.
Formal chemical analysis of L. williamsii var. decipiens' full alkaloid content is lacking, but mescaline and pellotine concentrations are equivalent to L. williamsii. And even though the alkaloids of L. williamii var. decipiens and L. fricii differ, it seems likely that they are very closely related through both location and description. Genetic studies of the Torreon populations may present interesting findings.
This supposed variation of L. williamsii is said to bear distinctly yellow flowers, a yellowish down of trichomes, and to have tubercles unlike the "typical" L. williamsii.
Anderson indicates that there is no independent growth population of L. lutea; therefore, its distinction from L. williamsii is dubious. Yellow flowered L. williamsii have been encountered sporadically in normal populations, but this does not necessarily delineate their status as a variation. Pink flowers with green and brown mid-stripes have also been observed in normal populations of L. williamsii.
L. williamsii var. lutea often appears to be confused with L. diffusa, and in fact plants labeled as L. diffusa var. lutea have been available in Europe, but these would appear to be yellow flowering L. diffusa.
L. williamsii var. lutea is synonymous with the yellow flowered description of L. ziegleri.
In 1902 Carl Lumholtz wrote that, to the Tarahumara, all species of Mammillaria "have high mental qualities" and that a "regular cult is instituted" for them. They are considered the most important false peyotes and híkuris and are used as visual hallucinogens characterized by brilliant colors and the traveling of great distances during sleep. The top portion of the de-spined plant is considered the most powerful.
It is quite likely many species in the genus are psychoactive. Such activity might arise from non-alkaloidal properties, as no known hallucinogenic alkaloids have been found within Mammillaria. This and other latex-containing Mammillaria species are often sold in the drug stalls of Mexico and are used as popular folk remedies.
The pollen of both M. bocasana and M. zeilmanniana has been used to create successful hybrids with L. williamsii, suggesting a closer relationship between Mammillaria and Lophophora than may have been previously believed. Such hybridization is quite interesting due to the differences in the origin of the flowers; in L. williamsii they form from the areoles, while in Mammillaria they arise from the axils between the tubercles on which the areoles rest.
With such L. williamsii x Mammillaria hybrids it appears always to be the Lophophora that bear fruit even though attempts have been made at pollinating the Mammillaria species with L. williamsii pollen. This may have something to do with the "evolutionary divergence and specialization" of L. williamsii; its possible ability to recognize the less specialized pollen of Mammillaria, while the Mammillaria are unable to recognize the more specialized pollen of L. williamsii.
Claimed to be similar to other híkuri in effect, this Tarahumara peyote species is split open, occasionally roasted, and the inner tissue is used. Many magical properties are attributed to the plant, including its use to locate witches and wizards through the clearing of vision. It is used medicinally for the relief of earaches, headaches, and deafness. Other uses include its value as a stimulant for runners, but the use of the word "stimulant" is probably not fully accurate (see A. fissuratus). The ingested tissue of the plant is also said to put one quickly into a sleep where one "travels" and experiences brilliant colors. Such wide differences in the effects of the plant, as both a stimulant and a soporific, may possibly be accounted for by the amounts, preparation, or parts of the plant used for a given purpose. Improper collection methods are fearfully viewed and considered dangerous. If one is not prepared for the experience induced by this plants ingestion it can lead insanity.
M. craigii was reported by Bennett & Zingg in 1935 as M. heyderi and therefore much of the information in regard to these two species is the same. Presently M. craigii is better known as M. sonorensis or M. bellisiana.
"Wichurí," "witculíki," "wichuríki," "Peyote de San Pedro."
M. grahamii is boiled, slightly cooled, and then placed in the ear by Pima Indians to treat ear troubles. It has been directly cited as being a form of peyote, but it would appear this is fully in reference to M. grahamii var. oliviae.
Found on the slopes of Barranca de Batopilas, M. grahamii var. oliviae is considered the true híkuri of the region. Like M. craigii its tissue is eaten, causing a drowsiness where one "travels" and experiences brilliant colors. M. grahamii var. oliviae has the ability to cause insanity and is used in "special ceremonies" that apparently have never been described. Its fruit are also claimed to have the ability to produce psychoactive effects.
M. grahamii var. oliviae is synonymous with M. marneriana, M.oliviae, and M.pseudoalamensis.
To quote Bruhn & Bruhn, 1973,
Mammillaria heyderi is a little discussed species, which is reported to be used by the Tarahumara. We first encountered this species in the Tarahumara-English dictionary compiled by the Swedish explorer Ivar Thord-Gray. Discussing sorcery and black magic among the Tarahumara, Thord-Gray reports, that "only the shaman is umeru-ame (powerful) enough to locate wizards and witches. To do this he will make medicine from ball-cactus wichu-ri-ki (M. heyderi), which is greatly feared for its magical powers. This medicine will clear his vision. It matters not how well the suku-ru-ame (wizard, witch) is hidden, the shaman can see him clearly" ...Not only is this cactus useful for locating wizards and supplying food, but it is also used as a medicine to cure or relieve headaches. "After the spines are removed, the plant is cut up into two or more pieces, roasted for a few minutes, and then part of the stuff is pushed into the ear." ...(This) is corroborated by Bennett & Zingg, who describe the same manner of roasting the cactus before "the soft center in pushed into the ear in the case of ear-ache or deafness." Thord-Gray also reports that wichu-ri-ki is an important medicine that will prolong life and "make the foot light and increase the speed of a runner in a race." The Tarahumara name for the cacti listed by Bennett & Zingg is witculíki. Witculíki and wichu-ri-ki are possibly related to wi-chuwa-ka, which means "crazy, demented, mad, insane, etc."
It is quite possible Thord-Gray's comments were in regard to what would today be known as M. craigii (M. sonorensis). There are six subspecies of M. heyderi that are at times listed as independent species.Known as "biznaga de chilillos," or "híkuli," with the edible red fruits called "chilitos."
M. senilis was noted as a "sacred cactus" by E.W. Nelson after his visit to the Sierra Madres in the late 19th century (Rose, 1899). His recognition of its sacred status appears to be drawn from the respect shown the plant and its collection spot by an individual Tarahumara while it was being gathered for botanical documentation. On this occasion the native who was requested to collect the plant was very hesitant to do so, and having accidentally taken up two plants he carefully positioned the unintentionally pulled plant back into the soil. Nelson reports that the "Indians who have had little intercourse with the Mexicans can not be induced to touch one of them."
It seems likely M. senilis, not Epithelantha micromeris, is "híkuli rosapara," a plant o1nce thought by Lumholtz to be a more mature form of the latter species. Lumholtz had wrote that híkuli rosapara was "white and spiny" and was different than the description applied to two other híkuli, E. micromeris (híkuli mulato) and A. fissuratus (híkuli sunami). Híkuli rosapara had also been described by Thord-Gray as being "almost white and somewhat spiny." Such descriptions do not fit the extremely short and weak spines of E. micromeris, but do accurately fit that of M. senilis. Of all the known species affiliated with the name peyote or híkuli, M. senilis is the only one fitting the rather general description of being "white and spiny."
It is believed by the Christian Tarahumara that híkuli rosapara must be touched only by those who have "clean hands" and who are well baptized. It is believed by these Christians that híkuli rosapara is itself a "good Christian…and keeps a sharp eye upon the people around him." Híkuli rosapara, when angered, either "drives the offender mad or throws him down precipices. It is therefore very effective in frightening off bad people, especially robbers and Apaches."
Of common interest are comments by both Lumholtz and Thord-Gray describing a type of híkuli called "ocoyome" or "hi-kuri oko-yo-ame" that, like híkuli rosapara, has "long white spines." Ocoyome is said to "come from the Devil" as a reward to wizards and witches and to be rarely used except for evil purposes. The Tarahumara believe ocoyome is used only by their enemy, the Apache Indians, and shun it, believing that to touch this "powerful medicine" could mean death.
It may be possible both híkuli rosapara and híkuli ocoyome are M. senilis as both have similarities in their physical description. Though there are some very slight differences in their symbolic attributes this should not automatically rule out their being the same plant. Such differences in attributes could possibly be due to a diverse understanding of the same plant by different groups of Tarahumara.
Mamillopsis senilis is synonymous with Mammillaria senilis and is commonly referred to as "Cabeza de viejo" (head of the old). Christian Rätsch is the only author who cites M. senilis as "híkuli dewéame" (peyote cristiano=Christian peyote), but there is no prior support for this title being associated with M. senilis. Bennett & Zingg are apparently the earliest authors to use the title, stating that híkuli dewéame is a "larger green variety" of híkuli that is "considered the most efficacious." Thord-Gray also makes identical mention of peyote cristiano, but with the alternate spelling of "hi-kuri rewe-ame." This híkuli may be a large collection of L. williamsii, possibly synonymous with "híkuri walula saeliame," the "híkuri of great authority," described by Lumholtz, but certainly it may also refer to an unknown plant. What clearly must be stated is that there is nothing in the writings of Rose, Lumholtz, Bennett & Zingg, Thord-Gray, or others, associating híkuli dewéame with M. senilis as Rätsch has done.
Carlos Ostolaza states that the late Paul Hutchison, Professor of Botany at University of California, Berkeley, and the discoverer of the species and foremost describer of the taxon, had himself said he was convinced of the species' mescaline content. Joe Clement, curator of the desert collection at the Huntington Botanical Gardens, had also informally mentioned the possibility of mescaline being present in M. madisoniorum.
Michael Martin, whose "mentor" was Paul Hutchison, states that Hutchison tracked down this species in its natural habitat after having seen the dried plants in a Peruvian marketplace. Hutchison was reticent to publish the information out of fear the plant might come under the jurisdiction of United States laws, similar to those applied to Lophophora williamsii. Martin has yet to publish this new and startling ethnobotanical information, and he has not stated clearly if this species was used as a ritualistic hallucinogen or if it is more of a medicinal agent.
The most current rumor of the species' ethnobotanical use comes from Leo Mercado, President of The Peyote Foundation, who recalls Dr. Silviano Camberos Sanchez of Shaman Pharmaceuticals stating that the species was used in combination with the San Pedro cactus, Trichocereus pachanoi, and possibly alone. My own attempts to reach Sanchez for clarification have been unsuccessful. Other rumors suggest M.madisoniorum has a use in religious ceremonies by the local inhabitants.
Though coming from a very limited area in Peru, propagation over the last few years has made the species quite available. A number of variations described by their spination have recently been offered. Though regularly having red flowers, a white-flowered variety is also available.
K. Trout has found an interest in the taxon, suggesting many species may be candidates for study as alkaloid bearing plants. Initial explorations by the famed psychopharmacologist Alexander Shulgin into M. madisoniorums chemical composition have failed to detect alkaloids.
N. macrostibas is a known ingredient to the inebriating beverage "cimora" of the Peruvian Andes (see Trichocereus pachanoi). It is better known today as N.arequipensis.
The alkaloids of this specific plant are unknown, but the related N. arequipensis var.roseiflora (=N. roseiflora?) carries 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine and 4-Hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine.
This monotypic cactus may only be known as peyote due to Blas Pablo Reko's comments regarding its chemical and morphological similarities to well known Ariocarpus peyote species (Bruhn & Bruhn 1973). It appears that from this data alone comes the assumption of it being peyote. No ethnobotanical information indicates a cultural history as a hallucinogen or ritually used plant, but Schultes, citing Reko, supports this species as a peyote said to have "either narcotic or medicinal" qualities. Bravo makes no mention of the plant carrying the title of peyote or of it having ethnobotanical use. Though there have been modern claims of O. denegrii being use to treat rheumatism, others have indicated it is "not employed in folk medicine." Anderson states that "apparently it is not used for healing, nor is it involved in any ceremonial function."
Regarding O. denegrii we run into the same concern as for A. ritterii. Why did Schultes overlook the comments regarding both these species for his April, 1937 article, but not his November, 1937 article when Reko is listed in the bibliography of both? Could Schultes have been misinterpreting Reko's comments on O. denegrii while also making assumption on its title and uses? As with A. ritterii a simply review by someone with access to Reko's article may answer these questions.
Rätsch is the only author who applies the name híkuli sunami to O. denegrii. This would seem to be in error as híkuli sunami is historically associated with A. fissuratus and no other cacti.
Extracts of O. denegrii, like many other alkaloid containing cacti, have been proven to have antibiotic activity. DNA studies suggest O. denegrii is quite possibly the closest living relative of Lophophora."Peyotillo," "obregona," "obregonita."
Opuntia species have a large number of uses in traditional Native American medicine, including treatment for cuts and wounds, warts and moles, general aches and pains, earaches, rheumatism, asthma, sore throats, corns, diabetes, constipation and hemorrhoids, as well as numerous other ailments. A poultice is often made of the viscous flesh to be used on bites, burns, abrasions, rashes, etc. O. engelmannii and O.phaeacantha are even used to stimulate lactation.
Some closely related Cholla cactus (Cylindropuntia spp.) are also used in medicine to treat diarrhea, constipation, and gastrointestinal ailments, as well as rheumatism, and other general aches and pains.
The high mescaline content reported in O. cylindrica comes from the accepted understanding that the plants tested were actually Trichocereus pachanoi. Alkaloids failed to be detected in measurable amounts in properly identified O. cylindrica.
Six Opuntia species have been found to contain mescaline, the highest amount being 0.01% in dry material of O. acanthocarpa and O. basilaris.
To quote Edward Castetter & Morris E. Opler, 1936,
The small, red fruit of the turkey or coyote cactus (Opuntia leptocaulis), known among the Spanish-Americans as tasajulla and garrambulo, are still used by being crushed and mixed with tulbai. They are reported as having such pronounced narcotic effects that the Indians will not walk close to plants which bear them, and they claim that eating a single fruit will make one "drunk and dizzy."
Daniel Moerman, in his Native American Ethnobotany, also reports that the "narcotic fruits are crushed and mixed with a beverage to produce narcotic effects" by the Apache, Chiricahua, and Mescalero Indians. Contemporary growers of this species have partaken of O. leptocaulis' fruit and have reported no psychoactive effect.
This species is more accurately understood as Cylindropuntia leptocaulis and is a rather fast growing and invasive species that to many is a "weed" cactus.
An unidentified Opuntia species is cultivated for its psychoactive properties and has been used alone or as an ayahuasca additive by the Sharanahua people of South America. Known as "tchia," it is claimed to make the brew "very strong," so strong that its use is believed to have been discontinued.
P. pecten-aboriginum is a multi-purpose plant employed by the Tarahumara. The juice of the branches is used to make a ceremonial beverage that causes a quick "híkuri-like" intoxication typified by dizziness and the production of visions. It is also used to increase the strength of corn beer. P. pecten-aboriginum has many medicinal purposes, such as a laxative and treatment for pain. It is also believed to cure cancer.
The related P. weberi contains upwards of 30 different alkaloids and may quite possibly have had similar ethnobotanical uses."Bitaya mawalí," "etcho," "cardillo," "cardón," "cawé," "chawi-ro-ko," "chawé," "chik," "hecho," "Indian's comb," "wichowaka" (insanity).
P. pringlei is an important economic, medicinal, and food source plant. Like P.pecten-aboriginum it is said to be a cure for cancer and is rumored to have inebriating flesh."Cardón," "senita."
P. aselliformis is a well known medicinal peyote sold in the markets of San Luís Potosí, Mexico, and is used as a remedy for fevers and rheumatic pains. Extracts have also been shown to have antibiotic activity.
It was first described as a peyote by Britton & Rose who state that "it is said by the Mexicans to possess medicinal properties." Schultes, citing Britton & Rose, regards P.aselliformis as a plant "said to be either narcotic or medicinal." William Emboden, the author of Narcotic Plants, is the only one who has claims to have witnessed the efficacy of this plant as a "psychomimetic," a plant that mimics psychosis. Unfortunately Emboden fails to describe any particulars of the intoxication. Anderson regards it as "unclear if it was ever used ceremonially."
Mescaline levels are minimal, and it can be assumed other alkaloids, or non-alkaloidal properties, account for the plant's reputed psychoactivity.
Once rare in cultivation this very slow growing species can often be found grafted. P.strobiliformis (=Encephalocarpus strobiliformis) has also been informally mentioned as being a medicinal peyote species."Peote," "peyotillo," "peotillo," "peyote meco," "piote," "hatchet cactus."
Mescaline (less than .00002% - dry weight)
P. pseudopectinata is considered peyote by the natives of Tamaulipas, Mexico, but is not generally regarded as such. It lacks a close botanical relation to P. aselliformis and is considered synonymous with Turbinicarpus pseudopectinatus. It may also be found as Normanbokea pseudopectinata.
S. grandiflorus is cultivated in South America for use in homeopathic medicines designed to improve blood circulation and has a reputation as a herbal cardiotonic. Such benefit may come from the presence of Digitalis-like glycosides within the plant.
It has been anecdotally reported to be used alone for psychoactive effect and as an active addition to the San Pedro brew made from Trichocereus pachanoi by both curanderos (shamans) in Peru and contemporary western users. Such reports of its native use in Peru are without documented substantiation.
S. grandiflorus is well known for its sweet scented white nocturnal-blooming flowers that can reach upwards of 12" in diameter. These flowers lend the plant its title as the "Queen of the Night."
The classification of S. pectinata as a peyotillo may have been due to Diguet's initial misidentification of it as a Pelecyphora species, the genus containing P. aselliformis, a recognized peyote that it closely resembles (Bruhn & Bruhn 1973). There is no recorded history of aboriginal use even though Schultes states that it is "said to be either narcotic or medicinal." As Schultes cites Diguet and Diguet does not refer to any usage of the species it would appear that Schultes comments may be in error. Anderson states that "though sometimes called peyote, there is little evidence for the ceremonial use or psychoactive properties of the cactus."
S. pectinata has become better known as Mammillaria pectinifera and is a much sought-after plant by collectors."Cochinito" (little pig).
S. disciformis is a well known peyote species first mentioned by Britton & Rose and "said to be either narcotic or medicinal" by Schultes. Bravo also lists it is a peyote, but does not make any comments regarding ethnobotanical use. Anderson believes it is "mistakenly called peyote or peyotillo."
This variety of peyote is one of the most interesting species of cacti, and along with certain Turbinicarpus, has a close resemblance to L. williamsii. S. disciformis has been successfully crossed with L. williamsii, creating offspring that retain the form of pure-breed L. williamsii with the possibility of a "slightly altered pistil." Its full chemical analysis and subsequent publication is long overdue, but Shulgin reports that it has shown positive for alkaloids.
T. bridgesii was first described as a hallucinogen by Wade Davis, a student of Schultes, in a Harvard University Botanical Museum Leaflet in 1983.
Wade Davis' book, One River, also makes mention of this plant's use among the indigenous populations of Bolivia under the title "achuma." Rätsch also supports its use in Bolivia, both traditionally, and by the youth of La Paz as a recreational drug.
Three different varieties of the species are said to exist; var. brevispinus, var.longispinus, and var. langeniformis. The first and second variations may simply indicate short and long spines respectively; while the last variation may simply be appended to T. bridgesii due to present nomenclature. T. bridgesii, under the newest nomenclature, is known as Echinopsis langeniformis, but this not to be confused with Echinopsis bridgesii, a distinctly different species.
Two different monstrose forms can also be found in cultivation. There appears to be a large number of plants available that, though looking similar to the classical T. bridgesii, bear slight differences in their growth habits and spination. These may be different species or variants on the classical T.bridgesii.Mescaline (over 25 mg per 100 grams of fresh plant)
Though T. grandiflorus is not known as a traditional hallucinogen, this short columnar species has gained interest due to Shulgin's unpublished chemical analysis, which indicated the presence of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), the powerful hallucinogenic drug contained in numerous plants known for their historical use throughout South America.
Upon the reanalysis of T. grandiflorus Shulgin was unable to confirm the presence of DMT and had some concern as to whether or not the same plant material was used for the confirmation. Shulgin's belief was that he used the red-flowering variety originally and the yellow-flowering variety afterwards, but there had also been concern about the use of contaminated laboratory equipment.
Contemporary human bioassay has strongly suggested the presence of mescaline, at least in the white-flowered variety.
Several flower colors exist, including white, yellow, and red. The white-flowered species is nocturnal-blooming and is known as Trichocereus grandiflorus, while the red-flowered day-bloomer is better known as Helianthocereus grandiflorus. Both are in their own distinct taxa, but are closely related. A yellow-flowered day-blooming variety is also known to exist, but it may simply be an "affinity" species that may not in fact be T.grandiflorus. The red- and white-flowering T. lobivioides "grandiflorus" appear to be synonymous with H. grandiflorus and T. grandiflorus respectively. Claritive identification of the variations and their proper taxon classification is necessary.
Often this species is referred to as Lobivia. Of the very few Helianthocereus and Lobivia species tested for alkaloids, none have been found to contain mescaline.
Though best known as "San Pedro," T. pachanoi has numerous local titles. Its history dates back to at least 1300 b.c.e., and ceramics and textiles suggest it was well known during the Chavín, Chimú, Nasca, Salinar, and Moche periods. Its present day use by curanderos in healing ceremonies in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador has become altered by the integration of Catholic themes with long standing indigenous beliefs.
T. pachanoi is reputedly made into the hallucinogenic beverage "cimora" in Huancabamba, Peru, and is used by curanderos for divination, the diagnosis of disease, and to "make oneself owner of another's identity." Cimora may include the cactus Neoraimondia macrostibas,Iresine spp., Brugmansia spp., Datura spp., Pedilanthus tithymaloides, and Isotoma longiflora. Though the San Pedro ceremony usually contains other plants, cimora should not immediately be assumed to contain T. pachanoi. The most recognized additives to San Pedro and/or cimora include the tropane containing Brugmansia and Datura species, but these appear to be used only for especially difficult cases needing further divination, and are usually taken only by the curandero.
An additional aspect of the ceremonies of Huancabamba is the use of "hornamo," a purgative herb. Hornamo is said to purify the participants, possibly through vomiting. Though most affiliated with Valeriana species, there exists a lengthy list of plants with some form of hornamo used in their vernacular titles. All such herbs are reputedly prepared separate from T. pachanoi, but this may not always be the case.
Nicotiana species are also commonly included within the San Pedro ceremonies, often as a liquid extract that is nasally ingested prior to the drinking of the San Pedro tea. There has been some suggestion that San Pedro is also used through nasal ingestion, but this route of administration may have its source in the Arts & Entertainment Television broadcast of the program, Ancient Mysteries: Ancient Altered States. During this program the ingestion of San Pedro was discussed alongside video of participants nasally ingesting a liquid. It appears the narration mistakenly represented this liquid as San Pedro while failing to discuss the standard oral ingestion of T. pachanoi and the well known nasal use of Nicotiana. If San Pedro is used at all by this method, then most likely it is only a ritualistic act. The volume of mescaline in such a tea would not be concentrated enough so as to prevent the participant from having to nasally ingest a truly prohibitive amount. But of course if one considers the San Pedro ceremony as a purely ritualistic act, as often appears to be the case, then the nasal ingestion of a light concentration of San Pedro tea would not be out of the question.
Generally, westerners who have participated in the San Pedro ceremonies of Huancabamba, Peru, rarely feel the full psychoactive potential of the mescaline present in T. pachanoi. This is often a simple matter of dosage, something the curandero holds sway over as much as the Roman Catholic priest does of the Eucharist (Wade 1983). And like the taking of the Eucharist, the ingestion of San Pedro has largely become a ceremonial act in which the ritual performed plays a larger part in the healing than does direct access to the spiritual otherworld.
Due to such ceremonial and ritualistic use of the species, it may be possible that Armatocereus laetus and Espostoa lanata, other cacti reputedly used by similar means as T. pachanoi in Huancabamba, Peru, may not have psychopharmacological effect.
Trichocereus bridgesii, T. macrogonus, T. pachanoi, and T. peruvianus are all closely related, some even believing they are variations of a single species. Some might even include a number of other Trichocereus in this "sliding scale." Flower and fruit similarities suggest to some that T. pachanoi and T. peruvianus are mere variations of a single species, but there is still disagreement on the subject. It has even been suggested that T. pachanoi is a cultivar of either T. bridgesii or T. peruvianus, but it continues to be the general belief that all are their own independent species even though apparent intermediary plants exist. It seems likely that such intermediary plants are the result of the importation of T. pachanoi into other areas due to its long standing enthnopharmacological value. T. pachanoi is most likely a selectively propagated species and not a selected strain of T. bridgesii or T. peruvianus.
T. pachanoi is by far one of the best grafting stocks and is often the base stock seen in photographs within numerous publications. Rib number is quite variable, usually ranging from 5 to 8. Occasionally the sacred 4 ribbed "Cactus of the Four Winds" can be observed, but 4 ribbed growth is an anomaly as the addition and subtraction of ribs during growth is quite common. The standard diameter of the species is 4," and though 8" specimens have been observed this is probably only in regard to old base material supporting large, multi-branching, plants. T. pachanoi is considered largely self-sterile and therefore it appears necessary to use different genetic stock for seed production. Much of the stock available in the US market is of a single clone introduced by Curt Backeberg, but T. pachanoi "North Peru" and "Ecuador" have been introduced into the United States market, and it will be interesting to see their variation from the Backeberg clone. Presently these two variations appear to be much more similar to T. peruvianus.
T. pachanoi can form crested plants with an elongated "fan-like" apex or monstrose specimens that have irregular growth due to the fasciation or fusing of tissue. There also appears to be a "minima/prolifera" form of T. pachanoi that has smaller growth while tillering profusely. It is my personal belief that all of these irregular forms might be more properly classified as "short spined" T. peruvianus, a plant often confused with T.pachanoi, but which may be an undescribed species. As with most cacti, variegated T.pachanoi seem to be quite rare. Recently a number of interesting T. pachanoi hybrids have been developed, particularly by Sacred Succulents.
The use of T. pachanoi as a replacement sacrament, or in grafting, by members of the Native American Church (NAC) could help preserve the natural populations of L.williamsii in the United States, but such propagation techniques are not presently accepted by the NAC.
"Achuma," "aguacolla," "cardon," "cimarrón," "cimora blanca," "cuchuma," "gigantón," "huachuma," "huachumo," "huando hermoso," "San Pedrillo," "símora." (Note 2)Mescaline (over 25 mg per 100 grams of fresh plant)
Archeological excavations suggest the fruits of T. pasacana have an ancient history, possibly as a food item and medicine. The flowers and fruit are also burned to ashes and included within "llipta" preparations, the lime-based mixture made to expedite the oral absorption of the coca alkaloids of Erythroxylum species.
According to Rätsch two additional "cardón santos" (holy cactus) known as San Pedro, T. tarijensis (T. poco) and T. terscheckii, also have been used in llipta. Such llipta inclusions are claimed not only to improve the taste of coca, but also to increase its strength. The closely related T. atacamensis, which is possibly a thicker and slightly different form of T. pasacana, and is sometimes considered one of its varieties, is said to have stimulating properties and have uses in llipta preparations.
T. pasacana is also known as Helianthocereus pasacana and Echinopsis pasacana. Anderson supports the classification of T. pasacana as E. atacamensis subspecies pasacana.Candicine
Carlos Ostolaza, one of the foremost authorities on the cacti of Peru, supports T.peruvianus' classification as the sacred cactus "San Pedro Macho." Considering the findings regarding the native use of T. bridgesii, such a classification should not be difficult to believe. It seems likely that, like the peyote culture of Mexico, the aboriginal peoples of the Andes Mountains experimented with, and actively used, a larger number of Cactaceous species than presently understood.
Though generally accepted as an independent species there still is taxonomic confusion regarding its relation to T. pachanoi and T. macrogonus. Proper identification of the species has proven difficult as many plants with differing characteristics are sold as T. peruvianus. Most often it appears to be confused with T. macrogonus.
It is quite likely that many misidentified plants are being sold as T. peruvianus, but it must also be noted that intermediary plants, locality variations, and hybrids are probable both in cultivation and in nature, and that this may affect proper identification. Also of concern in the proper identification of this and other Trichocereus species is the effect that different growing environments have on outward morphology and spination characteristics, particularly in cultivation.
A few different T. peruvianus are available, the most widely known being the KK242 locality type from Matucana, Peru. Also available is the "small spine" variety from Huancabamba, Peru (see T. Peruvianus, short spine). Many more locality types and forms similar to the KK242 appear to exist, the majority of them having been collected by Karel Knize of Peru, and most of which show very little variation from each other. Inquiries regarding Karel Knize have produced negative responses with regard to his seed identification and quality, his proper identification of species, and his independent naming of plants. Some of these lesser known T. peruvianus, all of which may not have their source in Karel Knize, include the KK242, KK338, forma ancash, forma cuzcoensis, blue form, tarma, pamacoche, No. 427, as well as others.
A single known study using dried material of the T. peruvianus KK242 locality type was found to contain 0.817% mescaline, nearly as high as the lowest tested dried L.williamsii (0.9% to 6.3%). Of interest is that dried T. pachanoi has tested as high as 2.0%, more than twice as high as the .817% recovery from the single analysis of T.peruvianus KK242. These findings in essence should sweep away the rumors of this species' value as a modern entheogen more "potent" than T. pachanoi. A small number of additional tests failed to list alkaloids at all from T.peruvianus, but this may be due to improper identification, methods of chemical analysis, factors affecting alkaloid composition, or the use of plants besides the KK242. T. peruvianus has been found through contemporary human bioassay to be subjectively higher in mescaline concentrations than most T. pachanoi, but this should obviously in no way mean this is regularly the case.
Adam Gottlieb, in his widely read, Peyote and Other Psychoactive Cacti, states that T.peruvianus contains ten times the mescaline of T. pachanoi, approximate to that of L.williamsii. This information is inaccurate, and though possibly not having its origin in Gottlieb himself has unfortunately been the source of much confusion and innuendo. Peter Stafford's Psychedelics Encyclopedia continues to spread the misleading information by stating T. peruvianus contains "about equal" concentrations of mescaline as L. williamsii and that such species as T.bridgesii, T.macrogonus, and T. pachanoi contain "less than a tenth" of the mescaline of L. williamsii. Stafford's statements are true in so far as a single analysis of T. peruvianus showed that it contained "about equal" amounts of mescaline as the lowest tested L.williamsii.
One of the most interesting, but unverified, variations of the species is the little known T. peruvianus var. trujilloensis offered in the past by the small ethnobotanical company "...of the jungle" (OTJ). This odd plant has a much more tuberculate growth pattern than the standard T. peruvianus and should not immediately be assumed to be T. peruvianus. One source states that this variation may in fact be one of two forms of Rauhocereus riosaniensis coming from near the city of Trujillo in northern Peru. No doubt reports regarding flower characteristics should help clarify this matter. T. peruvianus var. trujilloensis has yet to my knowledge to be confirmed as a mescaline carrier.
Also offered by OTJ in the past was a Trichocereus species "Juul's Giant" x T.peruvianus hybrid. At that time the Juul's Giant was considered to be a form of T.pachanoi by OTJ, but presently the Juul's Giant appears to be a completely distinct species from T.pachanoi.Also known as Echinopsis peruviana.
At first sight the short spined T. peruvianus can easily be mistaken for T. pachanoi, but there are obvious differences that can help others recognize if they have this plant in their collection. It is likely that this plant is commonly mislabeled as T. pachanoi, but it does appear to have many more morphology similarities to T. peruvianus than to T. pachanoi.
The short spined T. peruvianus reaches a diameter of 4-5" when grown in the southern U.S., exceeding that of T. pachanoi grown under identical conditions. It has one to seven reddish-brown spines up to 7 mm in length that fade to tan with age and are slightly finer than those on T. pachanoi. The reddish portion of the spine is most noticeable at the spine base. Though bearing up to seven spines per areole, three are typically the most visible, the longest being the bottom-most spine. I have noticed that on occasion this longer spine is the only one present on the older sections of the plant; the shorter ones having fallen off while the new growth continues to produce three to seven spines.
The areoles are similar in size to T. pachanoi, sometimes smaller, and are slightly off-white in color and not at all woolly. This is quite unlike the large brown wooly areoles typical reported of the standard T. peruvianus. The areoles of the short spined T. peruvianus appear to be somewhat vertically closer than those on T. pachanoi and have a noticeable V-notch or mark above them that can become horizontal if the stock is full and stretched.
The external bluish frosting (glaucescence) is minimal, being less than T. pachanoi or T. peruvianus, and is most persistent on the new growth. The outer flesh has a waxy smooth texture with a dark green color while the inner meat lacks the viscous nature of T. pachanoi.
While often becoming a towering columnar, the limbs are weaker than T. pachanoi and have a tendency to break under stress due to a weak central vascular bundle or core. This is somewhat similar to the standard T. peruvianus that can become slightly decumbent due to a weak core.
Growth rates of the short spined T. peruvianus are identical, if not slightly quicker, than T. pachanoi, while growth rates of the standard T. peruvianus are somewhat slower than T. pachanoi. In many cases it appears the short spined T. peruvianus is the only form of T. peruvianus recognized by some cultivators. This may account for some of the rumors claiming T. peruvianus grows quicker than T. pachanoi.
It does not appear that the short spined T. peruvianus has received any formal botanical documentation or description. A close examination of its flowers may prove the defining factor in determining whether or not it is a form of T. pachanoi, T.peruvianus, a hybrid, or an independent and undescribed species.
Mesa Garden of Belen, New Mexico, has carried seed of T. peruvianus "small spine" from Huancabamba, Peru. It will be interesting to see how this plant develops over time as presently the growth characteristics of the T. peruvianus "small spine" and the short spined T. peruvianus indicate that these two plants are in fact the same species.
There is a monstrose form of the commonly available short spined T. peruvianus that alternates from normal to monstrose growth. Seasonal and stressing factors seem to account for the changing of the plant back and forth between normal and monstrose growth.
Due to spine and areole characteristics, I personally believe some of the commonly available crested, monstrose, and minima/prolifera forms of T. pachanoi may rather be such forms of the short spined T. peruvianus.
Mescaline (confirmed through human bioassay)
T. scopulicola was described by Friedrich Ritter as coming from Tapecua, Bolivia at an elevation of 1000-1500 meters. Apparently a herbarium deposit was never made, leaving room for taxonomic confusion. Though looking somewhat similar to T. pachanoi, its morphological features set it apart as a quite distinct species, and possibly apart from the T. pachanoi-like group of Trichocereus.
This columnar plant has 4 to 6 ribs, small white areoles with 7 to 9 incredibly minute tan spines that may not be present in adulthood, a rough skin texture, a dull finish (matte), a dark green color without glaucescence, and fragrant flowers.
A very nice picture of Echinopsis scopulicola in bloom can be seen on page 70 in the widely available book by Terry Hewitt, The Complete Book of Cacti and Succulents. Other photos can be seen on pages 39 and 159.
My own specimens of Ritter's T. scopulicola FR991 are slightly different from those in the published pictures, having fewer and longer spines.
A number of other plants similar in morphology to T. scopulicola exist and deserve further inquiry regarding their formal botanical classification and chemistry. T.scopulicola has not undergone formal chemical studies, but human bioassay suggests mescaline concentrations equivalent to T. pachanoi.
Also referred to under the name T. scopulicolus and commonly known as Echinopsis scopulicola.
The Juul's (aka, Jewel's, Jull's, Jules') Giant is named in honor of the late Tom Juul who was affiliated with the Huntington Botanical Gardens and had passed clippings of this plant from his private collection to a commercial grower. It also appears the plant had been brought into US cultivation through at least one other source.
It can bear 0 to 6 spines, the longest, which is the lowermost on the areole, able to reach 3/4" long though generally much shorter. Like the short spined T. peruvianus, they are somewhat finer than those on T. pachanoi. Other features similar to the short spined T. peruvianus are the thin central vascular core and the light glaucescence of the skin. In the past these features had mistakenly led me to believe that the Juul's Giant was fully synonymous with the short spined T. peruvianus.
Populations of the species may continue to grow in Arequipa, Peru, even though this may not be its natural range. It also has been seen growing outside a museum in Lima, Peru.
Unlike T. pachanoi, which it generally resembles, this apparently unreferenced or herbarium deposited species does not appear to be self-sterile.
Hybrid Juul's Giant x T. peruvianus and Juul's Giant x T. pachanoi have been offered in the past by "...of the jungle," while Sacred Succulents has offered both T. pachanoi x Juul's Giant and Juul's Giant x T. pachanoi hybrids as well as a T. terscheckii x Juul's Giant.
Mescaline has been shown to be present in the Juul's Giant through human bioassay, but with variable results. Mescaline can also be assumed to be in the hybrid species, but I am at present unaware of any hybrid bioassay reports.
In 1983 Wade Davis wrote in the Harvard Botanical Leaflets about a particular "clone" of T. pachanoi growing outside of Huancabamba, Peru. Covering a fourth of an acre it was left unmolested by the curanderos due to the mythology surrounding it; this even though considered by curanderos to be one of the most potent of plants.
It is believed a spirit guardian in the form of a large serpent lives at the center of the stand and inflicts a plague upon all those who enter. The basis of this myth resides in a bacillus (Bartonnella bacilliformis) known only from Peru and causing Clarion's disease, a "temporary eruption of wart-like excrescences, mainly on the face but often covering much of the body."
Davis states that the plant towers 45' tall and fallen sections measure 14.5" in diameter (voucher, herbarium specimen, Davis 760, Harvard University). Such size greatly exceeds even the largest T. pachanoi that have been recorded to reach upwards of 8" in diameter. Davis unfortunately fails to give any further description.
Reports about the continued growth of this plant, and a more detailed description of its morphological features and flower characteristics, are needed. Unfortunately there is no confirmatory evidence of this T. pachanoi clone's continued presence in Huancabamba, Peru. It can only be hoped that this plant still exists so the commonly cultivated short spined T. peruvianus and Mesa Garden's T. peruvianus "small spine" from Huancabamba can be compared against it.Mescaline (highly suspected)
Christian Rätsch claims T. terscheckii is a "cardón santos" (holy cactus) known as San Pedro. It is used in llipta preparations to make the coca both taste better and have increased strength.
T. terscheckii is closely related to T. pasacana, but there is little indication that either species has had historical use similar to T. pachanoi. The only information supporting the "entheogenic" use of Tr. terscheckii comes from a Sacred Succulents mail order catalog where "unconfirmed reports of indigenous people utilizing this plant as an entheogen" are mentioned.
Rumors have existed about N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) being a product of T.terscheckii since the 1979 publication of Schultes & Hofmann's Plants of the Gods. No bibliographic references for such a finding were mentioned, but a review of the prior literature indicates the presence of N,N-dimethylmescaline.
Schultes & Hofmann's 1973 publication, The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens, does properly mention N,N-dimethylmescaline's presence in T. terscheckii, but the 1980 edition of the same publication deletes all mention of T. terscheckii or its alkaloids. It appears the 1979 printing of Plants of the Gods, and also the second edition of 1992, was mistaken, and that a typographical error resulted in the inaccuracy.
In my personal opinion Plants of the Gods is a "coffee table book" designed sell as many copies as possible. It has many inaccuracies and fails to clarify the differences between many plants and their local name and uses, particularly among the Cactaceae. It also lacks the rigorous academic research and clarity generally present in both authors' individual and combined works, leading me to the belief that it is written by an unknown "ghost" author.
The value of T. terscheckii as a psychoactive agent has been proven through contemporary human bioassay. It has recently been crossed with the Juul's Giant to create a T. terscheckii x Juul's Giant hybrid.Mescaline (5 mg to 25 mg or more per 100 grams of fresh plant)
T. validus was found to have a rich alkaloid content, over 50% of which is mescaline. Some confusion exists over which plant was used for the alkaloid study; that described by Curt Backeberg, becoming tree-like with stout columns and white flowers, or the commonly sold clumper with red flowers.
It would seem probable that the white-flowered columnar species described by Backeberg was used in the original alkaloid studies as the majority of mescaline-rich Trichocereus are columnar in form and are white-flowered nocturnal-bloomers. The species used in the chemical study was gathered from the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, and it would be interesting to have its full description.
Contemporary human bioassay of the species has shown inconsistent effects, possibly due to improper identification.
Also known as Echinopsis valida, but some question remains as to whether E. valida and T. validus are fully synonymous.
Mescaline (over 25 mg per 100 grams of fresh plant)
T. pseudomacrochele may have earned the name "peyote" or "peyotillo" simply due to an article written by F. Altamirano in 1905 that suggested another peyote species grew in the area surrounding Querétaro, Mexico, besides Lophophora diffusa and Strombocactus disciformis, two well known peyote cactus (Bruhn & Bruhn 1973). Bruhn & Bruhn appear to offer the only support of it being referred to as peyotillo, but there does not appear to be any indication of medicinal or ceremonial use.
T. pseudomacrochele carries a close resemblance to L. williamsii and has been successfully crossed with it, creating L. williamsii x T. pseudomacrochele hybrids.
The variation krainzianus has been found to contain the following alkaloid composition while earlier studies of an unknown variation showed only hordenine. T. schmiedeckianus var. schwarzii,T. schmiedeckianus var. flaviflorus, and T. lophophoroides have been found to have mescaline in smaller amounts.
If any of these species are at all used ethnobotanically, it would seem more likely due to their possible medicinal properties rather than their value as mescaline-like hallucinogens.Mescaline (2.48% of 250-500 mg of alkaloid per 100 grams of fresh plant)
Anderson's reference to this species as peyote is the only one located and can be explained by its being synonymous with Pelecyphora pseudopectinata. It is not believed to have any ceremonial use.
It may also be found as Normanbokea pseudopectinata.
Cacalia cordifolia "peyote" "péyotl" "péyotl Xochimilicensi"
Cacalia decomposita "peyote" "maturi" "matarique" "hongo de los pinos"
Cacalia sinuata "peyote" "piote"
Senecio albo-lutescens "peyote"
Senecio canicida "clarincillo" "itzcuinpatli" "hierba del perro"
Senecio calophyllus "peyote"
Senecio cardiophyllus "peyote" "palo bobo" "piote"
Senecio cervariaefolius "peyote"
Senecio elatus (Note 4)
Senecio grayanus "palo loco" "peyote"
Senecio hartwegii "peyote" "peyote cimarrón" "peyote de Tepic" "sopepari"
Senecio ovatifolius "peyote"
Senecio petasitis "peyote"
Senecio praecox "candelero" "palo bobo" "palo loco" "quantlapatzinzintli" "texcapatli"
Senecio tolucanus "guantlapazinzintli" "peyote"
CRASSULACEAE Cotyledon caespitosa "peyote"
CYPERACEAE Scirpus sp. "bakána" "bakánowa" "bakánoa" (Note 5)
LEGUMINOSEAE Rhynchosia longeracemosa "peyote"
LYCOPERDACEAE Lycoperdon spp. "kalamota" "pedo del diablo"
Bletia campanulata "peyote" "peyote cimarrón"
Cranichis (?) speciosa "peyote" "peyote cimarrón"
Oncidium longifolium "híkuli" "peyote" (Note 6)
SOLANACEAE (Note 7)
Brugmansia spp. "kiéri"
Datura inoxia (=D. Meteloides) "kiéri" "peyote"
Solandra brevicalyx "kiéri"
Solandra guttata "kiéri"
1) These "species" or "varieties" are generally considered synonymous with Lophophora williamsii: L. caespitosa, L. decipiens, L. echinata, L. fricii, L. jourdaniana, L. lutea, L. pentagona (5 ribbed), L. pluricostata (13 ribbed), L. texana (from Texas, USA), L. texensis (from Texas, USA), and L. ziegleri. L. diffusa has one accepted synonym, L. echinata var. diffusa, but will often be found as L. echinata.
Much clarification is needed regarding the Lophophora genus, especially L. williamsii, but unfortunately such detailed research is not permissible in the United States due to restrictions the state and federal governments have placed on the seed and plants.
L. williamsii is a highly variable species with many apparent growth patterns that should not immediately suggest variation or new taxon classification.
2) Trichocereus bridgesii, T. pachanoi, and T. peruvianus, appear to carry roughly the same concentrations of mescaline, having 25 mg or more per 100 grams of fresh plant material. T. macrogonus, T. taquimbalensis, T. terscheckii, and T. werdermannianus, have all commonly been found to contain 5 mg to 25+ mg of mescaline per 100 grams of fresh plant. T. cuzcoensis was reported to contain 0.5 mg to 5 mg mescaline per 100 grams of fresh plant while T. fulvilanus, T. strigosus, T. thelegonoides, and T. vollianus were all found to have only trace amounts of mescaline. Many other Trichocereus have been formally analyzed but have failed to show the presence of mescaline.
In reviewing these result one must be cognizant that in some cases only one plant of the species was tested, and this may not be representative of the species as whole. One must also be aware that much confusion surrounds the identification of plants within the genus. The methods used for alkaloid analysis must also be closely examined as not all techniques will produce the same final results.
Alkaloid content, even among plants of the same species, is quite variable. This may be due to genetics, age, seasonal variation, or environmental conditions such as soil composition, moisture, heat, light levels, and even plant dehydration. Relatively high nitrogen levels in the soil appear to increase mescaline concentrations somewhat. Scientific research has even suggested that "doping" T. pachanoi with mescaline precursors can increase mescaline content. Unfortunately, information presented by Adam Gottlieb has suggested to some that substantial mescaline increases can occur through doping. In fact, such experiments have produced only negligible results and attempts to ingest such doped cacti may produce serious health consequences.
Other Trichocereus of interest due to their morphological similarity to T. pachanoi and T. peruvianus include T. colossus,T. conaconenis, T. culpinensis, T. giganteus, T.glaucus, T. huanucoensis, T. knuthianus, T. lecoriensis, T. pallarensis (T. pallerensis), T. puquiensis, T. riomizquensis, T. santaensis, T. schoenii, T. tacaquirensis, T. tarmaensis, T. (Roseocereus) tephracanthus,T. trichosus,T. tulhuayacensis, and T. uyupampensis. All of these species are generally columnar and appear to be related morphologically, but with the findings regarding T. grandiflorus and T. validus, it seems likely that more semi-columnar tillering cacti will be found to have interesting chemical properties.
Major clarification of the Trichocereus genus is needed due to its close relation to the taxa Echinopsis, Helianthocereus, Lobivia, Soehresia, and Weberbauerocereus. Botanists have now placed Trichocereus fully within Echinopsis, but such a classification is not generally accepted by cultivators and only adds confusion to an already difficult classification system.
3) Tillandsia mooreana is a peyote "companion" known as "waráruwi." Harming this plant, possibly through improper collection methods, is considered dangerous.
The related T. purpurea has been depicted on Mochica pottery, possibly suggesting sacramental usage in the past.
4) Senecio elatus is a known additive to the San Pedro tea made from Trichocereus pachanoi. Due to the large number of Senecio peyote species, it seems likely that this genus would produce interesting pharmacological results.
I have a single report from New Zealand stating that S. articulatus is psychoactive and has been stolen from cultivators, presumably to be used as a psychoactive agent.
5) An unknown Scirpus sp. from various locations throughout the Tarahumara region is known as a very powerful herb and is considered one of their most important hallucinogenic plants.
The underground tubers, or "bolitas," are often cultivated and sold to the Tarahumara who fear growing the plants themselves, believing they will cause insanity. The plants must not be offended as to do so will lead to the sickness and death of the offender; therefore, the Tarahumara sing to them and occasionally offer them food before actual use. Though so feared, they are used to cure the insane and treat mental illness while being an effective medicine to relieve pain and cure physical illness.
The plant, being applied to the body or ingested, must be used cautiously out of concern that it will cause one to leap into fires. It is said that ingestion of the tubers causes a deep sleep where one can "travel" over great distances, speak with deceased relatives, and experience brilliant colors.
Harmaline (ß-carboline) alkaloids have been located within Scirpus, making it a possible source of monoamine oxidase inhibition. Such a property, if used internally with alkaloid containing cacti, may have the effect of increasing or altering the psychoactivity of either species independently. It is unknown if there had ever been cultural use of such a plant combination, but it seems quite likely considering the sacred status of both Scirpus and many cactus species.
A number of Scirpus species are considered medicines and ritual emetics by North American natives.
6) Oncidium longifolium is a peyote replacement among the Tarahumara if one misplaces the "true híkuri" (L. williamsii?). It is also known as O. cebolleta or O. ascendens and contains phenanthrene derivatives of unknown pharmacology.
7) Besides being generally considered peyote, these species are also considered forms of the plant known as "kiéri" or "the tree of the wind," among the Huichol.
To some of the Huichol those who follow kiéri are not shamans, but sorcerers, and are not given the same standing as those who travel the sacred pilgrimage to Wirikúta, the home of peyote. Yet to others kiéri must be mastered first before one can become a true shaman.
There is some question whether Solandra brevicalyx or possibly S. guttata is kiéri. There is also question as to which Brugmansia species carry this title, but they are most likely B. arborea and B. suaveolens. Datura is used by the Tarahumara as an additive to the maize based ceremonial drink known as "tesquino" and is believed to be inhabited by malevolent spirits.
Many Datura, and the related Brugmansia, are used throughout the world in medicine (an analgesic), in collective rituals, individual divination, and for communication with deities.
These species, all Solanaceous plants, contain tropane alkaloids similar to those found in Belladonna, Henbane, and Mandrake, plants long known throughout the Old World and used for "witchcraft." Though being condemned as heretical witches by their Christian contemporaries, those women and men who used these plants could in fact be better understood as herbalist whose shamanic religious inclinations prevented them from accepting the gradually more imposing puritanical religion. As the spreading Christian religion became more active in its hunt for demonic forces, many of the visions produced by these plants became filled with a combination of anti-Christian themes with pagan influences, such as a coven of twelve female witches dominated by one male dressed as a goat. Though the anti-Christian visions were purely subjective, the effects of these plants were so strong as to convince the partaker of their objective validity.
Tropanes are very dangerous deliriant and hallucinogenic chemicals that have been known to kill those foolhardy enough to try them.
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The goal is to make better people who are also
productive to the ultimate degree of ability in what gives them the most satisfaction.
Learning how to learn
is missing in our schools. When someone learns how to learn, he is learning 24x7 and not just when in the classroom. For example: Too many people are missing the boat because they hide or ignore their mistakes instead of learning from the experience to do better next time. The same person will continue to argue his position even after he realizes he was wrong. Destructive not productive.
Ethics is missing in our schools. Ethics and religion are not the same. The straight "A" student becomes a successful surgeon. Sitting in his beautiful Beverly Hills backyard, having an enjoyable discussion with his beautiful wife over coffee as his children are having a great time with friends all over his spacious home. As the discussion matures, he realizes that his wife was right 20 minutes earlier and he was wrong. Instead of immediately letting her know, he hides it. Frustrated, his wife decides to find something else to do. This very accomplished highly-educated man was damaged during his education by way of omission. He was too busy competing to get straight "A's" (being right) and was never taught that being wrong is also a way of winning. We learn from our mistakes; if we don't look at them, we don't learn.
Multiply the attitude of this man by millions of other people in our world who didn't mature the best way; who actually grew up thinking it's all about being right all the time. Add this to the other problems illustrated on the other pages of this site: Smart way to marriage & Smart way to money, and it's evident why we have so many problems in the world.
Obviously I'm not saying that all straight "A" students turn out to be people who don't "fess up" when they're wrong. My point is we don't allow religion into our schools, but we forget to bring in ethics.
Choosing a major shouldn't be encouraged till the third year of college. Students should choose the classes that interest them the most, and have fun taking classes they enjoy. Then from the results of their first two years, a professional analysis can reveal what they are destined to be in life. From that result, the students should be given required classes to take to complete who they are and graduate in their major.
Improving the chance of stopping war. The top 5% get A+. The lion hearted student who also has the ability to do A+ work likes the challenge. But the soft hearted student who has A+ ability but is not up to the challenges gets an A or B+. The impressive universities get the A+ students (the Lions), the softhearted flower child student goes to a less desirable school. The leaders of the world, such as the president of the United States all come from the group of A+ students (the Lions who like the challenge). So then when the world leaders meet to try to stop war, they are all the Lion hearted variety who like challenge.
This might seem like a small issue, but when you consider all the other issues pointed out on this site, I have no doubt in my mind that the synergy of little improvement here and there will actually "Significantly improve the world"
HIS elite servant,
Behtaj Baruch Amiri
Founder, Art of Thought Solutions™
(I'm receiving spam calls. Please text me your full name, eMail & phone, and I will call you back) |
In a few hours, Ryan Stasik ’99 will take the stage at one of music’s most iconic venues. For now, however, sitting in a small room high in the Rocky Mountains, wearing a “World’s Okayest Bass Player” T-shirt, his thoughts have drifted two decades into the past to a house 1,000 miles away and a conversation that changed the course of his life.
It started as a confrontation. Stasik had recently formed a band with a few other Notre Dame students, but lead singer Brendan Bayliss ’98 had missed several rehearsals. Stasik went to Bayliss’ house just south of campus on St. Peter Street and pleaded with his friend to take their band more seriously. With the aid of some Mishawaka Brewing Company beers, he got through to Bayliss, and soon the intervention had morphed into a pact.
There was nothing official about it. No papers were signed. But that night, Stasik and Bayliss made a promise to one another. “I’m going to make music with you for the rest of my life,” Stasik remembers saying.
It was the type of bold declaration college buddies often make, only to part ways at graduation, slowly drift apart and eventually forget they’d ever hatched such a grandiose plan. But Stasik and Bayliss really meant it, and, so far, they’ve made good on it.
- From the Back of the Racks
- The Ballad of Umphrey’s McGee
You can trace a long, meandering path from that late-night pledge to this practice room carved into the side of a mountain one level beneath the stage at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. Six hours after he’s done reminiscing, Stasik is strutting around the center of the stage with his bass guitar. To his immediate left, Bayliss plays guitar and sings into his microphone, facing a tidal wave of 8,775 dancing fans and two enormous red sandstone rocks stretching high into the night sky. They’re 6,400 feet above sea level and a world removed from that college rental house on St. Pete Street.
Stasik and Bayliss represent a third of the current lineup of Umphrey’s McGee, a rock and roll band formed by four Notre Dame students in 1997. Along with keyboardist and co-founder Joel Cummins ’98, percussionist Andy Farag, guitarist Jake Cinninger and drummer Kris Myers, they’ve grown from an unknown, unruly outfit playing in front of their friends in South Bend bars to an act that can headline — and sell out — Red Rocks two nights in a row on a Fourth of July weekend.
Umphrey’s McGee’s musical style has always been difficult to categorize. ‘Self-indulgent, improvisational rock and roll,’ Stasik says, when asked to put a label on it.
The climb hasn’t been easy. No smash-hit single exploded on radio stations and turned them into overnight stars. Making it this far has required an unyielding dedication to their crafts and to each other. But, as Bayliss is fond of pointing out, they have never needed to get “real jobs.” And they’ve proven that some seemingly fanciful college dreams really do come true.
Notre Dame is an unlikely place for the Umphrey’s McGee story to begin. It has never been known to have a particularly bustling student music scene or, with apologies to Ted Leo ’94, to graduate rock stars. Yet when Stasik arrived in the fall of 1995, the Pittsburgh native who began piano lessons at 5 and transitioned to the guitar as a teen was on the lookout for musicians.
“When I came to Notre Dame, I wasn’t so sure about my major, but I was positive that I wanted to be in a band with somebody,” he says.
During his freshman year, Stasik made the short walk from Alumni Hall to the LaFortune Student Center to take in AcoustiCafé, a regular open mic night for student performers. He came across a sophomore playing the banjo and singing “Rainbow Connection,” the song made famous by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie. “I want to make music with that guy,” Stasik thought.
That guy was Bayliss, the son of former longtime Notre Dame men’s tennis coach Bobby Bayliss. A guitarist and singer, he had formed a band during his freshman year with some fellow alumni of South Bend’s St. Joseph High School but eventually was kicked out for missing a few shows and rehearsals. Stasik introduced himself, and the pair soon started jamming in the basement of Keenan Hall.
Bayliss and Stasik formed Tashi Station and played original music and covers at student parties and South Bend bars. It was during their stint with this group that the two struck their late-night pact. “We were both all in, and everything else became second priority,” Bayliss says.
They didn’t want playing in a band to be something they only did for fun on the weekends in college; they were determined to become professional, working musicians. And by the fall of 1997, with Bayliss’ graduation looming in the spring, they didn’t think the other members of Tashi Station shared that goal.
Meanwhile, Stomper Bob, another student outfit, was playing mostly cover songs at similar venues, often to larger crowds. Cummins, a senior music and theology major from the suburbs of Chicago, played keyboards for the group. He and Mike Mirro ’00, a sophomore at the time, also harbored dreams of extending their musical careers beyond college.
Stasik and Bayliss came to Cummins and Mirro near the end of that semester with a proposal: Each duo would drop out of their respective bands, and the foursome would start a new one that would continue after Bayliss and Cummins graduated in the spring. Both sides had some uncomfortable conversations with their current collaborators, and a new Notre Dame student band was born.
After weeks of rehearsal and teaching each other some of their respective original songs, the group made their live debut on January 21, 1998, at Bridget McGuire’s Filling Station in South Bend. As they launched into “Bob,” a song co-written by Bayliss and Stasik, disaster struck. “Within the first 20 seconds, the power went out on the stage,” Cummins says. “We were in a drum solo. That was how we began our illustrious career.”
A week later, Bridget McGuire’s was raided by the police, who discovered that a majority of the patrons inside were under 21, causing the bar to permanently shut down. The four members of this new band joked that they hoped these weren’t signs of things to come.
Undeterred, they booked more gigs. They initially performed as “Fat Tony,” a temporary name inspired by the mobster character on The Simpsons. The search for a permanent moniker concluded late one night at Club 23, another now-defunct student bar.
It’s a story Bayliss has shared hundreds of times and doesn’t seem eager to tell again. At his brother’s wedding a few years earlier, Bayliss had been amused to meet a distant cousin with an unusual name: Humphreys McGee. This name was made even more memorable by this cousin’s Southern accent, which caused him to drop the “H” in “Humphreys.” For some reason, this stuck in Bayliss’ head, so he brought it up as an option that night at Club 23. Maybe it was the Long Island Iced Teas, but the rest of the band jumped on board, and the name stuck.
Eighteen years later, Bayliss is convinced the band would have more success today with a name that sounds a bit less like a group that plays Irish drinking songs. “We were college kids,” he says. “We weren’t very forward-thinking.”
Yet Umphrey’s McGee began to move forward. Band members started playing regular shows at a host of South Bend bars, most of which either no longer exist or operate under new names. Club 23. Irish Connection. Finnegans. The State Theater. Mickey’s Pub. They performed at parties at student houses on Marion Street and Notre Dame Avenue and played campus shows at Stepan Center and in front of Stonehenge.
A fan base began to emerge. It started with friends of the band, then friends of friends showed up. Cummins still remembers the moment after one early show when he asked an audience member which guy in the band he knew. No one, the Notre Dame graduate student said. He just really liked the band. It’s our first real fan, Cummins thought.
By the time the fall semester of 1998 rolled around, Umphrey’s McGee had released its first album, Greatest Hits Vol. III, which was recorded in a Napa Auto Parts in South Bend. The initial 400 CDs sold by the first week of September. A second album, Songs for Older Women, was recorded live at Madison Oyster Bar the following year.
As the song catalog grew, the temptation to leave South Bend and its relatively limited music scene grew stronger. But band members committed to wait until Mirro graduated in 2000. On some weekends, they’d drive to Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati or other nearby cities where they could schedule shows. But for most of its first two and a half years as a band, Umphrey’s McGee honed its sound in Michiana.
“I really think that time in South Bend was incredibly valuable for just developing and having a stage where it wasn’t a huge deal for us to try something and fall on our faces and be like, ‘OK, that didn’t work. Back to the drawing board,’” Cummins says.
In the summer of 2000, Umphrey’s McGee left its musical birthplace behind and relocated 100 miles west to Chicago. The entire band moved into a house near Wrigley Field and used the basement as a rehearsal space. Each month, the musicians would pool whatever money they had made playing gigs to pay the rent and utilities and then split whatever was left. It wasn’t much, which meant they couldn’t afford to have particularly vibrant social lives. Instead, they stayed home and practiced together for hours on end.
Location wasn’t the only thing changing for Umphrey’s McGee; its lineup had also been evolving. Farag was the earliest addition. A self-taught percussionist who plays a range of instruments on stage, from congos and bongos to timbales and cowbells, he had gone to high school with Mirro in Crown Point, Indiana. During the band’s first year, he would frequently make the trip up from Bloomington, where he attended Indiana University, to sit in on a few songs. When he was invited to join full time, Farag transferred to IU’s South Bend campus.
Cinninger was next. Growing up in Niles, Michigan, just over the state line from South Bend, he was, essentially, a musical prodigy, although he’s too modest to use that language himself. He started out as a drummer, and by age 11 he was playing professionally just about every weekend alongside grown men. He later learned guitar (and a slew of other instruments) and was part of several bands throughout his teens and early 20s. He came into the Umphrey’s McGee orbit as a member of Ali Baba’s Tahini, a local South Bend band playing a similar style of progressive, experimental music.
The two bands became friendly, and Bayliss, wowed by Cinninger’s knack for complex guitar solos, took a few lessons from him. During these sessions, the two noticed how well they sounded together. “There was something really special between the way we interacted with ideas,” Cinninger says. “We could kind of finish each other’s sentences.” Hoping to capitalize off this musical synergy, Umphrey’s McGee members invited Cinninger to jump on board shortly after the move to Chicago.
Within days of their move, they started touring around the country. They’d head out on the road for weeks at a time, trading shifts driving a 1995 Chevrolet Suburban they called Grendel (named for the monster in Beowulf) and piling into cheap motel rooms or crashing at apartments belonging to friends from Notre Dame. Before their shows, they’d visit local colleges and pass out hundreds of fliers, trying to attract a crowd and win over new fans.
“It was the time of our lives,” Stasik says. “It was super fun. We were seeing a lot of the United States as a band of brothers for the first time. Getting paid to play music. Staying up late. Having a good time like young boys do.”
They faced a crisis in 2002 when Mirro informed his five bandmates he was leaving the band to attend medical school. Faced with the prospect of breaking up or forging on without one of its founders, Umphrey’s McGee got the word out that they were in need of a new drummer.
A huge stack of audition tapes came in. The first one the team opened belonged to Myers, who had recently finished a graduate degree in jazz studies at DePaul and was playing with Kick the Cat, a jazz fusion group in Chicago. After an in-person audition, Myers was invited to join in the fall of 2002. Umphrey’s McGee has had the same lineup ever since.
As the band grew, so did its audience. The relentless touring schedule — as many as 160 concerts in a single year — started to pay off. Umphrey’s McGee began to play in larger venues.
There were pivotal moments along the way. In 2002, the band accepted an invitation to play at a new outdoor music festival in Tennessee called Bonnaroo. Going in, no one knew what to expect. When they walked out on stage for their set, a band that was used to playing in front a few hundred people was greeted by roughly 10,000. “It felt like, OK, now we’re playing about 25 or 30 shows in one show here,” Cummins says. They sold CDs and merchandise, and an untold number of festival-goers returned to their homes as new Umphrey’s McGee fans. The band played Red Rocks for the first time in 2005, opening for the String Cheese Incident.
Of course, the most important factor in the group’s still-growing popularity has been the music. The musicians have released nine studio albums and have always encouraged fans to tape their live shows and share the music. They even hand out a few free tickets to audio-tapers.
Umphrey’s McGee’s musical style has always been difficult to categorize. “Self-indulgent, improvisational rock and roll,” Stasik says, when asked to put a label on it. They’re frequently referred to as a jam band because, like Phish and the Grateful Dead, they’re prone to break into long, complex improvisations during live shows. But their music often has a harder edge to it than those bands, and they seem to effortlessly move between and blend together a number of different genres: progressive rock, heavy metal and electronic dance music, to name a few.
This diversity of sounds stems largely from the democratic nature of the band and the varied backgrounds and interests each member brings to the table. Ask each one to name his biggest musical influences, and you get an eclectic mix of answers, from the Beatles and Guns N’ Roses to Frank Zappa, Miles Davis and the Beastie Boys.
Rather than forcing themselves to fit into a certain category, Umphrey’s McGee members have embraced a level of unpredictability that many bands would shy away from. They experiment with their songwriting, embrace new challenges and rehearse enough — on their own and as a group — to master varied genres and techniques.
“When we play these styles, we mean it,” Cinninger says. “It’s not just tinkering around with metal. We’re going to execute it properly.”
The one constant is improvisation. That might be why Umphrey’s McGee has become such a popular live act. No one show is ever the same as the next one. While this is partially due to their massive song catalog, it’s also because any given song can sound different at any given show. Each member of the band can initiate an improvisation, taking a song in some new direction. The other five are ready to follow the lead and add additional new layers of their own. On stage, the musicians communicate through a system of hand signals and talkback microphones, and their shared musical instincts and years of playing together allow them to seamlessly complement each other’s improvisations. The uninitiated concert-goer might think the whole performance was rehearsed and planned.
Seeing the band in person allows for a fuller appreciation of its artistry. The average music fan, someone who is not a musician, usually listens to a song and enjoys the totality of it. Watching a live performance lets that same amateur clearly see and hear the component parts and marvel at how they come together to create a complex yet coherent finished product.
On stage at Red Rocks, Myers and Farag, the drummer and percussionist, are positioned behind their four bandmates, but your eyes are drawn to them. They’re in nonstop motion, providing the pulse for each song and seemingly communicating with each other on an unspoken level. The sounds of Bayliss’ and Cinninger’s guitars blend together at times but are distinct a second later. Your eyes and ears can align to key in on Stasik’s bass line or the melodies flowing from Cummins’ keyboards.
It’s obvious how much they enjoy playing music with each other. Cinninger and Bayliss seem to relish watching each other break into guitar solos. For one stretch of time, Stasik turns his back to the audience so he can face Myers and Farag; he dances and bobs his head in solidarity with his fellow rhythm section members.
Their love for the fans is just as obvious. Throughout both shows, different band members thank the crowd for coming out. On more than one occasion, Stasik looks out on the crowd, raises two fists above his head and brings them together while lifting both pinkies straight up to form the letter “U.” It’s a familiar salute to the diehards in attendance, who throw up their own U’s and roar with approval.
The audience loves them back, of course. Almost all of the fans remain standing — and dancing — throughout the concerts, which last more than three hours. Early in the show on the first night, the group plays one of its most popular songs, “In the Kitchen.” When Bayliss belts out the line, “I was short on opinions and I wanted to know if you’d still be here tomorrow,” the crowd erupts. Many of them will be back tomorrow, apparently.
The musical versatility of Umphrey’s McGee is also on full display at Red Rocks. On night two, a harder edge comes through on the opening guitar riffs of “In the Black.” Two songs later, Bayliss puts down his electric guitar in favor of an acoustic as the group performs one of its newest songs. “Gone for Good” is much closer to folk music than heavy metal.
Both nights are accentuated by captivating lighting effects. The performers, as well as the giant red rocks surrounding them, are bathed in a rotation of yellows, purples, greens and blues. The lighting changes synchronize perfectly with the music, even during extended improvisations.
Many of these onstage improv sessions have produced parts of or entire songs that later end up on studio albums. Bayliss occasionally will improvise lyrics on the spot, like a freestyle rapper. The words to “In the Kitchen” were originally conceived on stage during a concert.
Such innovation also defines the business side of the band. Vince Iwinski ’97 and Kevin Browning ’01 have been involved from the early days and now serve as the band’s co-managers. Iwinski, a friend of Bayliss’ at Notre Dame, moved back to his hometown of Chicago after graduation for a career in advertising and sales. On the side, he acted as the band’s manager, booking concerts, printing posters and doing whatever else the band needed. In 2000, he left the corporate world behind for less money and a lot more fun as the group’s full-time manager.
Browning was a freshman at Notre Dame when Umphrey’s McGee formed. While partying at an off-campus house one night, he walked down to the basement to discover a band playing a Phish song he liked. He was hooked. He approached Bayliss, offering to help in any way they needed and was tasked with trying to make the group sound better during their live shows. So he taught himself the skills necessary to become the band’s sound engineer. Browning served in that role — and many others — for years before joining Iwinski as one of the managers.
Both are still clearly fans of the band. At Red Rocks, Iwinski and Browning hang out on the side of the stage, bobbing their heads to the music and catching up with various friends of the band. This fandom continues to guide them as they oversee a growing business.
“The driving ethos for me has always been: What do I want to experience as a music fan?” Browning says. Umphrey’s McGee constantly communicates with its followers — on social media, through an email newsletter, on its website — and is always coming up with creative ways for fans to connect with the band.
At UMLive.net, fanatics can purchase the music from every single Umphrey’s McGee live show, either buying entire concerts or individual songs. Diehards can pay to watch certain concerts streamed live online or after the fact, and the band shares videos of live performances and some behind-the-scenes footage for free at their website and on YouTube.
“Headphones & Snowcones” (named for a song from Local Band Does O.K., the band’s third album) offers a limited number of concert-goers the ability, for $40, to don a special pair of headphones and listen to the soundboard mix of the show. And UMVIP packages give fans who pay a premium rate access to such perks as meet-and-greets with the band after the concerts.
A strong independent streak runs through Umphrey’s McGee’s business dealings. In 2014, the band launched its own record label, Nothing Too Fancy Music, which is also named after one of its early songs. The group also has partnered with Boulder Beer Company to create Nothing Too Fancy Pale Ale. This summer, the band released Reel to Real, a documentary chronicling its history. Dedicated to Mirro, who died in 2014, the film contains footage shot over the years by Browning and was directed by Jefferson Waful, the group’s lighting designer.
Perhaps the best example of the musical and business creativity of Umphrey’s McGee coming together in perfect harmony is UM Bowl. The direction of this yearly concert is determined by the fans — those at the show and watching live online. The concert is divided into four quarters, each formatted differently. In the “Raw Stewage” quarter, fans vote ahead of time on their favorites from a selection of previously performed pieces of improv, and the band takes the most popular moments and creates new songs, which are debuted at UM Bowl.
These initiatives add up not only to unique methods of engaging fans but new revenue streams as well. In the modern musical landscape, record sales can no longer be relied upon to drive profits. Live shows remain the band’s biggest moneymaker, but these extra experiences allow a business that now has 20 salaried employees to continue to grow.
That Umphrey’s McGee has a staff that size, between the road crew, the office workers and the band, underlines just how far it has come. The players graduated from a Chevy Suburban to a 15-passenger van to a tour bus. The group that made its first album in a South Bend auto shop recorded its most recent one, The London Session, in the legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road. And it keeps drawing more fans at some of the country’s best venues, whether filling up the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan two nights in a row for three years straight or headlining for two consecutive nights at Red Rocks for the first time this summer.
How much more popular can they get? The band members don’t spend much time thinking about it. Sure, there are dream gigs. They could headline Madison Square Garden or tour Europe to tap into the bustling progressive rock scene across the pond. But the six members of Umphrey’s McGee are thrilled with their current status.
“Success, for me, is sustaining it,” Bayliss says. “I don’t have the dream of playing arenas. This is sweet.”
Another question they have little time for is how much longer they can keep this up. The musicians are now each hovering around the age of 40. They no longer live together in Chicago. Stasik and Farag live in Charleston, South Carolina, while Cummins and Myers moved to Southern California. Bayliss is still in Chicago, and Cinninger is back in South Bend. Five of the six are married, and three of them have children. But they’ve adjusted their work to fit their new lifestyles. They rehearse before every show to make up for the time they’re not together and now do roughly 90 shows per year instead of 160.
The biggest reason they have survived all these years, when so many other bands fail after just a few, is how well they still get along with each other. There have been bumps along the way, which are inevitable when you’re spending hours together on the road and your livelihoods depend on one another. But they’ve always addressed these issues head-on as a group, never letting them fester. They work on their friendships like they work on the music.
“Nobody wants to make music with somebody they’re not getting along with,” Stasik says.
This camaraderie is on display before, during, and after their two shows at Red Rocks. Just before taking the stage, the six gather in a circle. They look each other in the eyes, make sure they’re all on the same page, and then someone says something to make the other five laugh.
Midway through their show on the second night, Bayliss steps to his mic and says, “So this next one’s an old tune. It was written back in South Bend, Indiana, a long, long time ago.” At the mention of South Bend, a small but noticeable cheer arises from the crowd.
It has been a long time, and Umphrey’s McGee has come a long way — from Bridget McGuire’s to Red Rocks. Yet two constants remain: the artists’ passion for the music and their dedication to each other. At the core, Umphrey’s McGee is still six close friends traveling around the country, playing music together and living up to an audacious, late-night college pact.
And they’re not done yet.
Kevin Brennan is the alumni editor of this magazine. For access to the full shows from Red Rocks, visit https://tourgigs.com/show/umphreysmcgee_redrocks_2016/ |
It’s a windy day in Warwickshire and we’re on site at Fen End racing circuit with Jaguar to not only meet British Cycling coach and Team Sky performance advisor, Shane Sutton, for a quick-fire interview, but also to combat that biting wind in our first 10-mile time trial. It’s not only cars that we’ll be seeing race around the track, but cyclists too - as part of Jaguar’s now completed "Ride like a pro" competition.
Cars, bikes, sporting personalities. It sounds like a melting pot of man and machine. Our interest? To enquire about the relationships that technology has between them and where it can help drive the sport.
Our first meeting with Sutton is a little earlier than anticipated, out on the track. We’re legs-to-pedal going for it, near foaming at the mouth, five laps out of seven down, when he pulls up alongside in the team’s Jaguar Sportbrake, having donned full Team Sky skin of course, to offer some advice. It’s a surreal experience: one of cycling’s foremost coaches pushing us - the ultimate amateur - beyond the barrier. But it works, cadence maintained, heart rate close to explosive, we cross the finish line in 29:55.
It’s hard work. Wobbly legged, more than a little sweaty of brow, we embark the Team Sky bus after and catch Sutton for a 10-minute sit down. Time limited, we get straight to it.
How did the Jaguar deal come about and what is it about the Sportbrake that’s so right for its task as a support car? Why not - plucking this from thin air - a Fiat Panda?
"How does it fit with Team Sky? The innovation and performance are along the same lines as ours. They [Jaguar] are on the same page, they’re British, they want to be the best - and I think that’s why we aligned ourselves."
An essence of British synergy then?
"Yeah, more so than ever. We’ve been offered all kinds of brands, but obviously this was the one for those reasons. It’s the best team car in the peloton. We’ve got the most space. For us it’s a partnership made in heaven."
Later on we speak to Jaguar UK’s dealer marketing manager, Chris Bayliss, who has bucketloads of technical detail to add in on the subject.
"I think what Team Sky find really makes a difference with the XF Sportbrake is the suspension set-up. We’ve got adaptive dynamics, with adaptive damping at the front, and adaptive air suspension at the rear, so the system can effectively change the spring rates individually - both across the car at each corner and also in terms of managing lateral or longitudinal forces, when braking or accelerating."
"If you’re cornering hard and really driving hard - say when driving fast to get through the peloton, or someone’s down or needs a wheel change - then you need to get to them fast. There’s the power of the car but also the adaptive dynamics working to keep the car trim, and the turning sharp."
But we’re not just here to talk about cars. Sutton is a cycling man, through and through. So we shift the conversation with our Aussie interviewee back to focus on the bikes.
How has technology changed the sport and training in recent years? There’s so much consumer tech out there these days, how is that advancing athletes?
"It’s massive, you know? Any form of data that you can collect and decipher and then look to better yourself is an added bonus at any elite stage. And particularly on that human side of cycling - when you’re turning the pedals and looking at the power you’re producing, and so on. Right through to the point of the whole drag co-efficiency side of things; it’s massive and that’s why we have winds tunnels and all the guys working there, whether we’re looking to ride with more pelvic rotations or whatever else will get the max out of the athletes’ aero-watts, as it were."
We’ve asked similar questions before directly to athletes. Jason Kenny, for example, once told us that - brilliant though it is - sometimes the focus on the tech, on the numbers, can be distracting when you just want to get on with the job.
"Yeah it’s the same for me. I’m not going to come down to Jaguar and tell them how to make the best Sportbrake in the world. They’ve got people that do that job and deliver us that car, as I said, and it’s the same for me from my point of view, you know? The cyclists will deliver what we need to see and we’ll put the programmes to fit [that]."
You haven’t asked Jag to start making bikes yet then?
"Hah. No, but I reckon they’d do a damn good job of it if they did - if the cars are anything to go by. For me, we just like to take all the information and, as Jason [Kenny] said, we just like to crack on and do our jobs. I’m the same as Jason really. It’s all there - you need to use all those tool available to you but ultimately it is down to you being a coach or a bike rider and letting the science deliver us what we need."
Cycling seems to have boomed of late. What do you think is it about the sport that’s caught more of the UK’s attention than before?
"Well, a) there was a massive dip in the economy, and b) the prices of fuel [went up]. But also all of a sudden you had this Great British cycling team and Team Sky join forces and create this massive juggernaut. And then it becomes about iconic figures. Back to back wins in Le Tour. Partnerships that were made in heaven: from the cars through to the nutrition, to the equipment, everything. And then all of a sudden when you see your iconic figures out there in sport people want to be part of it; they want to follow.
"That’s why we have masses of talent coming through. Because they want to be the next Bradley Wiggins or Sir Chris Hoy. And, you know, the guy who’s 40 probably wants to relive the dream that he probably couldn’t afford to do before. But the kids have now left home, he can afford to buy all the high-tech stuff and he’s living his dream as well. So, yeah, I think a big boom has been created in Britain through Team Sky for sure."
Talking about the high-tech kit. How important is that tech and, more so, where can it go from here? What’s going to happen next?
"From a bike point of view, you’re always going to have the electronics and so on. But there’s always a legal limit, too, isn’t there? You’re not going to get much under the 8-kilo mark any more. Because you just can’t go any lighter and because you’re governed by the rules as set down by the UCI [Union Cycliste Internationale]. So I think we’re pretty much in a stalemate. There will be quirky little things that come out no doubt, but ultimately you’ve got even in certain categories - into the school type events - a legal document that says you can only ride x-amount of spokes and so on and so on, so I think we’re getting a handle on the whole technology."
Given such limitations, it seem tech is getting as far as it can go and the focus is then on man rather than machine. When it comes down to training, what’s next for that?
"The training is always governed by the product. It’s what you have. You know, we could go away and work together and I would look at exactly what you had and what tools were available to me and how I could fix you and turn you into one of the best athletes in the world. I think the training can go on and on and on in so many areas.
"But as an individual what you’ve got to remember that you’re never going to be the full package. No one’s perfect. Where you might be great at climbing or time-trialling or whatever, you might not have good torque, as it were, so there’s always somewhere that if you look at all the attributes you need to be a Tour de France winner, Olympic winner, World Champion, whatever, there will always be a room for improvement.
"Because when you have the accelerator of a car flat out you know it’s flat out. On a bike you’re never going to get it flat out. It can go on and on and on. You think about it: in the technical world it’s never been as fast as it can go, because a company will always come along and push further and faster. So there’s always room for improvement in cycling."
The other component is passion. You’ve achieved some great things. What is it that keeps you excited about it all?
"Yeah we’ve done some great things. And you can say you have the best job in the world, you know? You walk outside, pick up a new set of keys to a new Jag, drive it down the motorway, living the life of Riley, spend the day with a group of enthusiasts that just love cycling [as part of the Ride like a pro competition]. If you can’t love sport then there’s not a lot of hope for you to be honest with you. That’s what sort of makes the world go around if you ask me. I think the figures show you that. The crowds at Le Tour and the Olympic Games. I was at a Revolution meeting at the weekend and it was packed. It’s just a buzz."
You still get the buzz?
"Ah yeah. I mean not to where it’s life and death as it used to be. But I still get the buzz. I still miss the team car, I miss the track centre. But it’s the best job in the world. You don’t need to get me out of bed: cycling does that for me every day." |
“It’s the House of Blues meets Dave Navarro,” said co-owner James Peracchio of Middletown. “We want to create an intimate destination for live music. This is a performance venue for art.”
The inside contains some of the old trappings from Synergy, but the red chandeliers, curtains and glitter are on the way out to make way for a larger stage.
Reserve, which opened in January, has had appearances from Cross-Eyed Cat and Dan Taylor from Maine. Both brought crowds of well over 100 people. Radio 104 broadcast its Home Brew show at the event and the venue gets plugged by Reverbnation.
Most patrons come from surrounding towns such as Middletown, Wallingford, Cheshire, New Haven, Hartford and as far as Springfield. Peracchio and general manager Justin Santos want to reach out to the local community to gather more interest and host fundraisers. On April 8, Reserve will host a Paul Mitchell sponsored fundraiser with guest Samantha Cole
“Everything is under one roof,” Santos said. “We’re letting people know you can come to Meriden and have a good time.”
Peracchio and partners Anthony Tedesco, David Gere and David Orsini use the first two floors of the three-level club and plan for expansion when business picks up.
The club opened its doors to city youngsters during the recent St. Patrick’s Day parade to introduce them to music while they got their faces painted. Peracchio and Santos are also reaching out to local schools for possible music programs. An April 25 benefit with Concerts with Causes will help pay for one-year of music lessons for three local children.
“Music appreciation doesn’t have to start at 21 years old,” Peracchio said. “We’re trying to get a lot more involved in the community.”
The all-black interior will probably stay because it works well with the spotlights. But the dance floor is going to be converted to all wood, and there are plans to add more color and plants. The owners have plans for a cigar, hookah bar on the second floor and a possible sports bar lounge with a DJ on the third-floor. The venue is currently being used as a movie set in an upcoming production of “Sensory Perception” and Peracchio would like to incorporate filming in its overall operations.
Unlike a night club that needs other clubs and eating establishments to create a destination cluster, a performance venue doesn’t require attractions in the area, because it is the destination, Peracchio said.
Reserves now serves pub food prepared by Christo’s Pizza and kept warm for customers. Santos hopes to start opening up a happy hour as performances start packing the venue. The men recently started an open mic night on Thursday’s, Friday nights feature local talent and Saturday nights feature cover bands.
“If they knock our socks off Thursday, we’ll put them on a Friday night,” Peracchio said.
Mayor Manny Santos — no relation to Justin Santos — called the group rising stars in the city’s downtown.
“It’s supposed to be geared as a upscale club and they want to be more involved in the community, participate with community and neighboring businesses,” Santos said.
“The upscale club is very attractive for other investors and business that want to invest nearby. It’s magnificent architecture. We need this club downtown, it attracts a certain clientele, that are young hip and will attract more shops and businesses downtown. I hope they thrive and I’ll do what I can to make that happen.”
Information about The Reserve and upcoming events can be found at http://connecticutreserve.com. |
The Vandersteen 2C speakers are one of the great values in home audio, imo. If you like the sound of the speakers, investing in the electronics driving them will reward you with better and better sound from the speakers (within reason). A plus is that the Vandersteens are an easy load for most ampifliers to drive and they are very compatible with tube amps should you decide to look in that direction. I lived very happily with Vandersteen 2C speakers for many years run by a classic Marantz 9 tube amplifier. The sound with 35w of triode tube power was delicious on most of the acoustic music to which I listen.
As to whether you can improve on your current electronics within the price range you suggest, I will defer to others more knowledgeable of the relevant alternatives.
At that price point the McCormack DNA 125 is a natural.
Thanks you for all the input. I had the vandersteens driven by a Denon AVR 3805 (7.1 Receiver 7 x 125 watts) but did not like the sound, it was very muddy. So I bought the Denon POA 2400 and fed it from the pre-amp section of the 3805, the sound improved a bit but still the soundstage was cluttered, then I bought the B&K MC101 pre-map and the speakers started to sing.
Now, I know that the 2400's 200 watts/channel power and the B&K's superb phono stage made the difference. So, I'm not sure if a lower powered (tube amp or a 50 watt/channel Class A amp) will be able to drive the 2Cs.
I almost pulled the trigger on the DK/LSA VS.1 MKII, but because of the company's lack of long track record and the stuff being manufactured in China I stepped back.
I mostly listen to jazz and female vocalists and at times light rock. I know the Vandersteens are not rock speakers.
What are your opinions on the B&K MC 101? Since my Rega P2 has a MM cartridge, I'm using the MM phono stage on the pre-amp. Pretty satisfied, but the soundstage is still not up to the mark.
The McCormack is compatible with most single ended passive, ss and tube pre's. I'm sure you can find one that floats your boat.
I like the Classe CAP 151 feeding my Vandersteen 2ce signatures. I llsten to the kind of music you reference in your post.
I've had Vandersteen 2C's at two times in my life and the best amp/speaker combination I ever had set up was driving them with a McCormack DNA-1. I have no idea whether it's true or not, but I've heard in the past that Richard Vandersteen has used McCormack amps in voicing his designs. May be strictly hearsay. I can say from personal experience that the Vandersteen's and McCormack are an excellent match!
I've heard in the past that Richard Vandersteen has used
McCormack amps in voicing his designs. May be strictly hearsay.
Dogmcd (System | Threads | Answers)
I can say from personal experience that Steve McCormack voices his amplifiers,
preamps, and electronics on Vandersteen 3A Signature speakers.
I would consider the Odyssey Audio Stratos power amp or the McCormac .5 or any of them because of their lack of grain. Plus they both will control the bass and deliver very good soundstaging. I think your weak link is the
preamp. I would go with a VanAlstine tube preamp with phono stage. They can get pricey but there are bargins around. The Audible Illusions 3 preamp is a very good choice too. Don't forget the Conrad Johnson preamps with phono are a very good choice. I think by going with a quality tube unit it will open that soundstage and make things more listenable. The Denon amp is not a bad unit but from what I remember it was strictly mid fi. But a good preamp with phono could improve on it. Find a friend that has a tube preamp with phono and listen to it with your Denon amp. Or try a tube linestage with the Denon and see if you get any improvement. Don't hotrod any gear. Have the preamp plug directly into the power amp and use very good quality wire and interconnects. You may be surprised what you hear.
I had the 2C for 6 years and the Quicksilver silver monos, M80 or M60 were all magic on them. For SS, the B&K, Muse 100 were also good, but the tubes were magic....I even liked the ARC D300 or D240. Jallen
I owned the 2C and drove them with a upgraded stereo 70 with an ARC-6B preamp. Great combo in the right room. I'll never forget listening to the 2C at Music by Design, (now gone)in northern California with an ARC SP-10 preamp and ARC D-115 amp. Wonderful combo. Lot's of choices.
Audible Illusions 3 A,B preamps with Quicksilver amps mid mono's and Silver 60's sound great!! Belles and McCormack solid state amps are really good as well. But, to my ears the 2C sounds best with tubes.
I had the 2CE sigs and since upgraded to the 3aSigs. I had a McCormack DNA1 but, it was bested by a TAD60 and now a couple of TAD 125s. Not true that the vandys are not a good rock speaker. That's about all I listen to. They are very non fatiuging and can pack a nice punch with the right electronics.
My 2 Ce Sig II were originally mated with a Rogue Cronus
and upgraded RCA Clear Tops with outstanding result if
you have a medium sized room but I upgraded to the Belles
150A Ref and it's stunning!
The truly amazing thing about 2Cs of any vintage is that they can perform completely satisfactorily with budget electronics but can take full advantage of any improvement you make upstream. I have had Vandersteens of one sort or another in my stable for most of the past 27 years and I must agree with Exocet that they sound best to my ears with tubes. They sound great with Rogue, VTL and ARC integrateds and hallucinogenically brilliant with the heavy hitting ARC, VTL and Jadis monster amps. Of course, few will pair speakers of such modest cost with such electronics but the combos are nothing if not awesome. The 2Cs can truly take you as far as you would like to go.
I appreciate all the input. Looks like there's a consensus that the 2C's will sound very good with tubes. I have no experience with tubes (none at all). Based on Siliab's recommendations, I did some research on tube integrateds, I like the specification of Rogue Tempest. The only drawback I feel is absence of phono stage. Any other recommendations on integrated with good phono stages( I know most amps come with MM phono stage only, since I use a MM cartridge on my Rega P2 I'm ok with it)
Rogue Cronus has a phono stage. 55wpc.
Thanks Tvad, but 55 wpc is rather too low for Vandersteen 2Cs, don't you think?
...55 wpc is rather too low for Vandersteen 2Cs, don't you think?
It depends on the size of your room and the volume you require. Vandersteen
recommends a minimum of 40 wpc.
From what I have read on this thread, there's nothing even remotely
approaching a consensus recommendation for a tube amp to drive these
In fact, there are many suggestions for solid state amps including models
from McCormack, Classe, Odyssey, Belles, and TAD.
I agree that there are a lot of recommendations for SS amps. But but for 2C only I see at least 3 recommendations for tube amps. Just wanted to get more inputs on tube amps, thats all.
Here's another solid state suggestion: Plinius 8200 MK I with phono.
John Marks of Stereophile places it on his "Tomorrow's Classics" list
Thanks Tvad, not bad at all, it comes with both MM/MC phono stage and 175 watts/channel. Impressive. Have you ever heard this amplifier? Another question, whats your take on the DK\LSA VS-1 Ref. MK II?
I haven't heard either the Plinius or DK/LSA.
I think you could buy a used Plinius to try it, and resell it pretty easily for what you paid. The DK, I'm not as confident. Therefore, based on reputation, reviews and resale, I'd put my money on the Plinius.
John Marks Stereophile "Tomorrow Classics List". Quicksilver, All. I currently have a pair of 2Ce sig2's. A good 50-60 watt tube amp like a Quicksilver Mid Mono or better yet Silver 60's are great. I think the Mid Mono's have a glorious mid-range liquidity, while the Silver 60 provide more drive. Keep in mind that a 55 watt tube amp vrs a 120 watt tube amp will give you better woofer control. It is not going to give you deeper bass or greater overall output. To achieve twice the output will take 10-times the rated power output. And then again, the gain in db output from 50-120 watts is only about 3db. But to me, the sound of music is in the mid-range and top end. I guess it all depends on what you want. Back in the day(1986) I was happy with a mere 35 watt stereo 70.
Agreed, but think about instruments like Cello, they are pretty bass intensive, I couldn't hear the cello reverberation with my Denon Revciver, but with the pre-power combination the sound was very good. I want some heft to the music.
Also, the reason I'm looking for an integrated is phono stage. I only listen to vinyl, so it's essential to have a phono stage, my budget at won't permit me to have a tube pre and a tube power.
There is a Plinius 8200 mk 1 for sale on Audiogon now. If that's what your looking for...
I never much cared for tubes running Vandy's till I heard the more recent Audio Research amps on the bigger Vandy's, truly sublime. I haven't heard them, but would imagine VTL's working very well. Still the Livin was looking to spend "about a grand". At that price point, I think ss is probably the way to go and I wouldn't feel compromised by not going tubes regardless.
I use a Plinius 8200 MKII with my 2CE Signatures, and I think it's a fantastic match.
Just a word of caution - apparently the 8200 MK I (the earliest version) was not all that great - especially in the phono stage.
Plinus was reported to have made a quite a lot of changes for the better when creating the 8200 MKII. Pretty sure they paid a lot of attention to making a much better phono stage.
I listen to vinyl a lot too, and it's very satisfying through the Plinius.
If you were to go the route of separates, I think McCormack is a no-brainer.
For most folks, I think SS is the way to go with VS, McCormack is obviously a good choice. Beyond that if you wnat to go tubes, you need some power, and Quciksilver V4 would be my choice. Ask Richard what he thinks. You might find that QS is his tubes amp of choice. Or high powered ARC.
There are a pair of TAD 125s (Solid State but, sound tubey) for less than a grand out there. That is what I ran my 2ce's when I had them. I now run my 3s. Read the reviews.
For what it's worth, I am EXTREMELY happy with the way my Rogue Audio Cronus drives my Vandersteen 1C's. The synergy is absolutely perfect, sort of like the amp and spreakers were made for each other. The Cronus' built-in MM phono stage is a great match for my Rega P3-24/Exact 2 analog front end. Happy Listening !
I have been using ARC D70 and SP9 for 20 years. I have plenty of low base when I need it. If Base is important buy the Vandersteen sub. You have to take the time with your choice of music to listen to a good solid state vs tube at a Vandersteen dealer or friend and go from there. Maybe you should buy both used then decide on your own then resell what you dislike. I would guess quicksilver would be a good choice from your music given.
I agree with Dhgee...Keep in mind the Dynaco Stereo 70 for example is only 35 watts per channel. But note that tube watts are more powerful than their numerical equivalent in transistor watts. 35 watts is comparable to about 50 transistor watts! A 60 watt ARC D70 is a fantastic sounding amplifier with an output comparable to a 80 watt transistor amp. The load of a Vandersteen 2C (1987) speaker is also tube friendly, 7.8 ohms nominal 6 ohms minimun. The current 2Ce Signature II is tube frendly as well. Over the weekend I visited my good friend who bought my older 1987 2C Vandersteens. The 2C's are truly a great sounding speaker. He has a very large room and is running them with mid fi 1980's gear , Denon reciever, sony cd player and they still sound very good. Most do not know how great the even older 2C can sound. To the best of my knowledge Richard Vandersteen uses ARC gear to voice his speakers. He has owned Quicksilver amps as well. And if you need more bass performance the Vandersteen sub is the way to go. To my ears the Vandersteens have always sounded best with tubes. Not the big tube amps. But the smaller amps that use the EL34's, KT66's tubes....Just my 2c's...But, you could always call Mr. Vandersteen for more information....
I agree with Dhgee...The ARC D70 is a great amplifier mated with Vandersteens. In fact I beleve that Mr. Vandersteen currently is using ARC gear to voice his loudspeakers. Vandersteen has also owned V4 Quicksilver amps as well to the best of my knowledge. As far as tube vrs transistor wattage. Even the Dynaco Stereo 70, for example, is only 35 watts per channel, but note that tube watts are more powerful than transistor watts. The 35 watt Stereo 70 is really about 50 transistor watts! So, a ARC D-70 at 60 watts is perhaps a 80 watt transistor amp. Something to consider. Also the older 2C (1987) Vandersteen is tube friendly as it's only 7.8 ohms minimum 6 ohms. The newer 2Ce Signature II's are also tube friendly. If you really need more bass the Vandersteen sub woofer is the way to go. I just recently visited my friend who bought my old Vandersteen 2C's (1987). He runs them with mid 80's gear. A Denon reciever and sony cd palyer in a very large room. It sounds pretty good. But many have no idea how great this speaker can really sound. To me the Vandersteens have always sounded best with tubes. I perfer the smaller amps that use the EL-34 tube or KT-66. Just my 2 cents. But, you could also ask Mr. Vandersteen by calling him.....
A Watt is a Watt is a Watt. Tube inches aren't any bigger than ss inches either.
Well I will not say transistor watts are different than tube watts. I will say the rating used to advertise power in the early days is different than today and you have to ask what test they are talking about. Back then I believe they mean you could drive a specified dynamic load all the time with the power but today marketing news-propaganda-speak-sell-the-product-pronto talk means something else. Better to just hook it up and see if you like it and lite a match to the slick advertising. Power is a product of current and voltage and tube amps tend to have less current due to the Z transformer since it's an inductor. Well designed tube amps tend to have massive Z transformers and power supplies.
I would not use a Dynaco ST70 for the 2C as it is not enough power and you will probably produce too much clipping. The 1C however is more efficient and is a very good cheap combo for the ST70. The Min power I would use is 50 watts for the 2c. See the 2C spec. If you use a sub it may work buy you just have to wire it up and see if you like it. EL34s are known to have good mid range.
Just looking at your components I would go with an older tube preamp for about $400 or less. Audio Research Sp6, CJ pre-amp from mid 80s, lots of choices. My first tube pre-amp was a Laz cascode basic I got new for $600. Bad power transformers from several samples. AC 60hz leakage on the little flat transformer, which is why I like ARC. No stupid parts selection like that. |
When Peter Voulkos began to exhibit his large-scale works in the mid-1950s, he had already been recognized as a leading potter in the U.S. Voulkos won prizes at the National Ceramic Exhibition, as well as a Gold Medal at the International Exposition of Ceramics in Cannes, France. Yet, during this time he also absorbed many influences, from Flamenco to Jazz, and from Picasso to Abstract Expressionism.
An early article in Craft Horizons, published in October 1956, has many quotes from Peter. This is the period of time when Voulkos was breaking away from craft traditions, so he had a lot to say about his working method. One quote that has stayed with me is this:
“The minute you begin to understand what you’re doing it loses that searching quality. You have to forget about the little technical problems that don’t matter—you’ve overcome them long ago anyway. You finally reach a point where you’re no longer concerned with keeping this blob of clay centered on the wheel and up in the air. Your emotions take over and what happens just happens. Usually you don’t know it’s happened until after it’s done.”
Voulkos kept to this way of working throughout his life, freely improvising like a musician. His straightforward, powerful and direct way of working was later characterized by Ken Price as “direct frontal onslaught”. I recently found this 1984 photo, from Peter’s show at the Faith and Charity in Hope Gallery—a gallery owned and operated by Edward Kienholz and his wife Nancy. Kienholz not only admired Voulkos’ work, he owned a work from 1958.
Craig Kauffman remained a painter throughout his career, over 50 years. Still, Craig experimented with various painting media, as well as doing some installations. In 1971, for instance, Kauffman was included in a significant exhibit at the UCLA Art Galleries, titled Transparency, Reflection, Light and Space. His conceptual drawing in the catalogue shows the installation piece: a mirrored trough of water, activated by fans, and illuminated by overhead lights. The result? It was the “moving reflection on wall of circulating water.”
This 1971 reflection piece for the show at UCLA followed Kauffman’s involvement with colored reflections on the wall—the Loops—and his work during the 1970 show at the Jewish Museum, Using Walls. In an interview during 1971 with Frederick S. Wight for the UCLA catalog, the artist speculated about his work at that time, saying “…now I’m thinking of doing things on a wall that run from corner to corner which really make the whole wall the piece…the emphasis isn’t on a unified form where it is more spread out if you want to call it that. The piece is less important than what it is doing to the wall.”
Kauffman had also written a statement, printed in the Pasadena Art Museum’s catalog for his 1970 survey exhibit. It’s a much stronger, poetic and political stance. Here it is, complete with the original omission of capitalization:
what is a wall? it is always something for bumping one’s head against. the real wall, of whatever material, be it brick, studs sixteen inches on center, cement, adobe, flat or curved, is something to reckoned with. it is also an idea which separates us from each other. walls divide worlds. whether of bamboo or iron, walls are our creations. even the invisible walls that surround each of us denote our space, our identity. “c’est une chose mystérieuse la mur.” thing of mind or reality? crazy jane said, “what a terrible thing for a young girl to be a wall.” it is terrible to be any inanimate object but to become a wall is perhaps the worst. to walk into a wall and never come out is very possible. it is as if the wall calls to us to come in and stay in its cold interior. destroy the wall with color a la leger? cover the wall with paintings? make protrusions from it, poke holes in it? perhaps we should play with walls, with illusions, shadows, in order to render them passable to our substance. to walk through a wall is not just for houdini. perhaps we can all enter and come out safely.
This is the second in a series of posts about Peter Voulkos, focused on individual artworks. All images used are copyright of The Estate of Peter Voulkos.
For anyone interested in the sculpture that Peter Voulkos made during his biggest breakthrough years of 1957 to 1960, several works are on view right now. In this post, we’ll take a look at just two of those. I recently went to the new SFMOMA galleries, where the curators have done a marvelous job of contextualizing his work titled Tientos, from 1959. It is wisely placed in a room with works by Mark Rothko, Joan Mitchell, Jay DeFeo, and Philip Guston, and the sculpture more than holds its own in that company. The room is about expressive abstraction, and Voulkos is the sculptor among the painters. Taking wheel-thrown parts, which were sliced, joined, and rearranged as the sculpture was built, Voulkos formed this tall vertical piece.
For Voulkos, who was artistically a builder of form, this meant throwing a series of smaller vessel shapes, and then grafting those together to construct a massive sculpture. Formed by stacking and joining, these sculptures had a raw, primal power. In an interview I did with John Mason in July of 2010, (his studio mate during the late 1950s), his technique was succinctly described:
“Peter’s method of construction, he had already pretty much established when he was at Otis, which was to throw a number of units and let them set up into the leather state. And then begin to construct from those units using traditional methods of construction, which would be cutting, scraping, making a liquid slip, and softening those areas that were scored, and assembling the pieces.”¹
Other elements of the large sculptures were made with a kind of slab building. My best source, again, is John Mason:
“He also would make slabs by putting clay on the concrete floor, first sprinkling a little grog or maybe some clay, and smoothing it out so that the clay would release from the concrete and then stamp it out…that became then for him a slab. As it set up, it was leather hard. While he was constructing with his other elements, he would use material from those floor slabs.”²
It’s important to see these sculptures in person, and encounter the human scale and raw detail of the surface. It’s also necessary to set the record straight about the materials used. In our 2010 interview, Mason made this clear, stating that: “This might be one place to clarify what I sometimes read, by people who should know better, that Peter assembled his pieces with epoxy resins. That’s totally false.”³
One place to see Voulkos’ sculpture in the Los Angeles area (near Pasadena, to be more precise) is at the Norton Simon. Before you enter the museum, to the right of the large Rodin bronzes, sits a 1958 work titled Black Butte Divide. The piece was added to the Pasadena Art Museum collection in 1958, as a purchase from the Voulkos survey show of paintings and sculpture.
¹John Mason, interview with Frank Lloyd, July 2010, unpublished transcript, archives, Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College.
This is the first in a series of posts about Peter Voulkos, focused on individual artworks. All images used are copyright of The Estate of Peter Voulkos, by photographer Gabriel Seri.
What is it about the presence of a stunning piece of pottery? What makes us sense the rhythm of relationships, and what communicates the tactile nature of the medium of ceramics? I’ve wondered why, out of the thousands of pots I’ve had the chance to view and to hold, some stand out. At the very top of my list is a 1961 vase by Peter Voulkos. Let’s take a deeper look at one pot.
Untitled, 1961 is a superb example of the strong, quickly thrown, and sparsely glazed vase form—modified by sgraffito and loosely brushed glazes. First of all, it’s large: a little over 13 inches high, by 7 inches wide. It’s also important to feel the weight of the piece (12 pounds), to understand the mass of clay that was used; this is not a dainty flower vase, but one that has a rustic, raw heft. When handling this thrown cylindrical vessel, I noticed how throwing marks remain on the white glazed interior. Large, and almost conforming to the size of fingers, those marks are interrupted on the inside by four long vertical creases, evidence of the fingers pulling up and pushing out—creating a four-sided vase, with a slight bulge at the mid-point. While other potters might have paddled the thrown cylinder into such a shape, Voulkos cut the outer shape four times with a taut wire to make this form’s sides. He rapidly and intuitively set up the structure, ready for his next step.
By changing the tapered cylindrical form into a four-sided open vessel, Voulkos gave himself the chance to place four simple, but deeply incised marks: a circle, an “X”, a vertical slash and a horizontal slash. These are evidently cut into the surface with a knife: an incision for the “O” and the “X”, and a deeper knife cut for the horizontal and the vertical slashes. The latter two are pushed out from the interior, opening the wounds and widening the cuts, but never altering those gestures after making them. In this way, the pot reveals the synergy of Voulkos’ hand and his effortless mastery of the properties of the medium. Take a look at the four sides here:
Color is reduced to a familiar palette of simple glazes, common to Voulkos’ work during this period. As he once described, there was a bucket of black glaze, a bucket of white glaze, and a bucket brown, sometimes one of blue. That was all. But it’s the loose, painterly way they are handled that makes them contribute to the improvisational nature of the piece. In fact, the glaze treatment is perfectly in tune with the incisions made into the surface, some of which remain on the sand-colored, groggy clay body—left totally raw. As for spontaneity: just let the drips fall where they may.
What does this all mean? First of all, we see the skilled physicality of his dance with the material. Voulkos worked deliberately, with improvisation and without preconception. His previous experience (during the years 1949 to 1954 he won 29 prizes, medals and competitions for his technical skills) gave him the fluid and confident gestures within material and form, as if he were a musician improvising on a theme. The second thing to notice is the presence of the hand, and the trace it leaves. Ceramics are the most tactile of mediums: haptic communication, the most basic, is everywhere in this piece. Holding the piece gives me a direct understanding of its form, and my hands can trace the movement of his.
What do the marks mean? Probably nothing. It’s ludicrous to say that we know. They are an expression that is simple and probably void. Voulkos may have just been saying that: nothingness, as shown in the zero; a crossing of lines, as shown in the X, and two basic properties of horizontality and verticality. An aesthetic can be understood, though, by the striking simplicity and placement of the marks. There is a rightness to those gestures, not laden with references or meaning—just a record of the interaction of an individual with his medium, with effortless perfection.
Is that Zen? Some may claim that it is, but as it turns out, that’s a pretty dubious and probably false idea. There’s very little hard evidence that artists of his circle had a deep understanding of Zen Buddhism. Yes, Shoji Hamada had famously done pottery demonstrations in his tours of the U.S. with Yanagi Sōetsu, but their message was about the preservation of Japanese folk handicraft (Mingei). And in 1954, it is possible that Voulkos saw works by Rosanjin, a well-known Japanese ceramicist, on exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum in Exposition Park. While a few potters (like Paul Soldner and Mac McClain) report that they passed around thin paperbacks about Zen (possibly by authors D.T. Suzuki and Alan Watts) or listened to lectures, none had formally committed to the life of a Zen Buddhist monk. And, for that matter, none had traveled to Asian countries to see monasteries or kiln sites, until Ken Price went to Japan in 1962. Later, Paul Soldner traveled and met the Raku family, finally learning that his version of American Raku had misunderstood the centuries-old tradition.
There were joking references in the air, which loosely interpreted the rustic simplicity of works reproduced in books, but a deeper understanding of the rigorous discipline eluded most of the ceramic artists. Los Angeles painter John McLaughlin was a true student of Buddhism (and an authority on Japanese prints); McLaughlin had first hand experience. Later, one of the original artists in the Ferus gallery, Alan Lynch, became a Zen monk, in a Zen community in Paris and then in North Carolina. But Voulkos was much more known to be a heavy drinker, and preferred to play Flamenco music.
On the other hand, perhaps Voulkos was a master, in a different dimension: that of a no-rules consciousness, where the mind is free of concepts, and open to the void. He embodied pure skill and simple but marvelous intuition. So, indeed, does this vase.
I was talking to a Los Angeles dealer last week, and we recalled the European history for West Coast artists. So much has been forgotten, but the first wave of the West Coast to hit Europe was much stronger than you might imagine. It’s amazing to recall that artist Larry Bell had, very early in his career, one-man shows in London, (at the Robert Fraser Gallery in 1966); in Paris at the legendary Ileana Sonnabend (1967) and the following year (1968) Larry was included in Documenta IV at the Museum Fridericianum, Kassel.
For Craig Kauffman, a remarkable series of shows is recorded. The first time Kauffman showed in Paris was at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, with a group that represented the United States for the Cinquième Biennale de Paris. Organized by James Demetrion (who would eventually become the Director of the Hirschhorn museum), it was a selection of just four artists: Llyn Foulkes, Craig Kauffman, John McCracken and Ed Ruscha. It’s easy to see just how prescient those choices were, as each artist had a distinctive voice then, and each has become more significant in the present. Kauffman was represented by a series of 1967 vacuum-formed acrylic wall paintings, with a rounded double-lip protrusion in the center of a transparent colored relief.
Kauffman also had one-man shows with Galerie Darthea Speyer,
in 1973 and 1976. Darthea Speyer (the sister of legendary Art Institute of Chicago Director James Speyer) was an established dealer in Paris, and someone who Kauffman had met on his second trip to Paris in 1959 to 1961 (Kauffman also lived in Paris, on Rue Git le Couer, in an apartment near the famed Beat Hotel). Darthea Speyer was very supportive and responsive to Kauffman’s work, and maintained an interest throughout her career. Works were placed in Parisian collections.
In 1977, Craig also showed at Fondation Nationale des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques, for the Biennale de Paris, Une Anthologie 1957-67. We’re researching this show, and will soon be including works exhibited in 1977 in our catalogue raisonne.
The more recent exhibits for Kauffman have both been at the Centre Pompidou. First, in 2006, was Los Angeles: 1955-1985, Birth of an Art Capital. Curated by Catherine Grenier, this was a large survey of the groundbreaking developments in Los Angeles during those 30 years, and the Pompidou reported that attendance broke all previous exhibition records. Kauffman attended the opening, along with many of the L. A. artists.
This year, Kauffman’s work was included in the Pompidou’s Beat Generation exhibit. Fittingly, the curators selected a 1962 painting on paper (and mounted on board) titled Git le Couer #3, bringing Kauffman’s past history with the City of Lights to a full circle. When Craig and his second wife lived on that Parisian street, I wonder if he could have imagined that his work would hang in a Parisian museum?
Some athletes are legendary because of their innate ability—just think of Ken Griffey Jr. with his gorgeous swing, and the perfection of his follow-through. Sure, lots of players have hit home runs, but that kind effortless movement was truly a thing of beauty.
According to all reports, Craig Kauffman was just as naturally gifted as a young artist. He participated in his first professional group show at age 19, in the best gallery in Los Angeles, Felix Landau. By 1953, still approaching his 21st birthday, Kauffman had his first one-man show at Landau. He also was given a praising review in the national magazine Art News by a leading critic, Jules Langsner, who wrote:
“The exhibition splits into two distinct groups: soft, serene, cerebrally-organized abstractions (like the Ode to Crafts series) and the more recent, highly charged linear evolutions on the other. Either way, Kauffman is precociously gifted.”1
Just five years later, when the seminal Ferus gallery had opened, Kauffman was included in another group exhibition, this time a painting survey of Northern and Southern California abstract artists. While noting the similarities and differences of the two camps, Langsner again singled out Kauffman for praise:
“Craig Kauffman is very much in evidence with an effervescent painting, also untitled. Here vertical rectangles of vivid reds, yellow, blues shimmer on a field of white. Full of bounce, the picture has the added interest of subtlety of line. Exhibiting infrequently, this artist has not received his due”.2
So, it’s not surprising that, after Kauffman’s passing, in another group exhibition currently on view at Samuel Freeman gallery, the Los Angeles Times Critic Christopher Knight should single out Kauffman’s work at the conclusion of his review:
“He navigates the void using a delicate, dappled line that constructs a sturdy visual architecture from the most fragile subject matter — orchids, a tropical flower with thousands of taxonomies. His still lifes catalog exotic blooms that are tall, willowy and weird. Kauffman has been called the most naturally gifted painter produced in the first generation of major postwar Los Angeles artists, and here it’s easy to see why.”3
1 Langsner, Jules. “Art News from Los Angeles.” Art News 51, no. 9 (January 1953), p. 53.
2 Langsner, Jules. “Art News from Los Angeles.” Art News 56, no. 10 (February 1958), pp. 47–50.
3 Knight, Christopher. “Uncharted seas in ‘How to Build a Foghorn’ at Samuel Freeman.” Los Angeles Times (August 9, 2016)
I feel very lucky to have known Harrison McIntosh. Even when I was a teenager during the 1960s in Pasadena, I recall seeing his work. I remember being attracted to the simple yet classic forms, the blend of Scandinavian and Asian that was described so well by Christy Johnson and Hal Nelson yesterday at the memorial.
Little did I know that, much later in life, I’d have the chance to get to know Harrison, much less get to represent his work, and know his marvelous wife Marguerite. When I first called and talked to Harrison, I was thrilled to make an appointment for a studio visit. As I stepped into their house above Padua Hills for the first time, it felt like a dream, to be welcomed into the home of a studio craft legend. I recall feeling like I was walking into the pages of a magazine. We agreed to a show.
When we first presented his work in a one-man show in 1998, there was a remarkable welcome from the other artists in the gallery. The most meticulous of craftspeople—including Adrian Saxe, Ralph Bacerra, and Roseline Delisle—all came to pay their respects to Harrison. Each artist took time to examine and praise the details of Harrison’s work; they lifted lids to show the precision of the fit, they turned the pots over carefully, to show me how perfect the foot was, and pointed out how every proportion was exactly right. Later, visiting artist Gustavo Pérez from Mexico wanted to get an autograph, and pose for a picture with his hero—whose work he had only seen in books.
But I represented Harrison late in his long and productive career. When I wanted another show in 2002, there were fewer new pots in the studio, and Harrison’s eyesight had, sadly, declined. I suggested that we augment the works from the studio with some classic works from private collections. Harrison agreed, but with one condition: that he would be able to examine them and approve of their quality and condition. Of course, I agreed. So, before the show, Marguerite drove Harrison to the gallery in Santa Monica, and I presented the additional work.
To my astonishment, he promptly sat down on the carpet of the back room, and felt—with both hands—the pots, carefully holding and rolling the forms, touching the incised lines—caressing the shoulder, the foot, and the lip.
If ever there were proof of the tactility of ceramics, this was the moment for me. I’ll never forget it. And to make it even more surprising, Harrison told me the year of each piece with perfect accuracy. Tactility is primal, and though artists often talk about the touch and feel of clay, that day Harrison showed me the touch and feel of memory.
As I said, I was lucky to know him late in his career. Still wanting to have all of his work recognized, I presented the late sculptural works in 2005. These were rounded discs, sculptural spheres, and oval forms mounted on chromed steel bases. The sculpture fulfilled a vision of the late twentieth century, no longer tied to pottery traditions, but developed from content and themes of unity—which had always been present in his work.
Titles gave these forms greater understanding: “Yin and Yang”, “Nature’s Union”, and “Mass in Space”, the works had a calm, balanced view of man’s place in Nature. Consider the form of “Raindrop”, a meditation on a single drop of water, a source of life.
It was the gentle spirit of the man that I will remember. His calm and balanced way of being was reflected in the work. He was a dignified, kind, and peaceful man, and may he rest in peace. |
The University of North Carolina Wilmington has unveiled a preview of its 2012-2013 “UNCW Presents” series, with a lot of exciting acts. (Here’s a link: http://www.uncw.edu/presents/.)
Danticat will speak at 7 p.m. Oct. 1 in the university’s Burney Center.
Born in Port-au-Prince, Danticat immigrated to Brooklyn, N.Y., when she was 12, graduated from Barnard College and earned an MFA from Brown University.
Her first novel, “Breath, Eyes, Memory” (1994) was an Oprah Book Club selection. Her next novel, “The Farming of the Bones” (1998), won an American Book Award, while her 2007 memoir “Brother, I’m Dying” won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
According to a UNCW release, “Drawing from her own experiences and observations, Danticat offers a valuable and enlightening perspective on immigration, human trafficking, sexual violence, the impact and transformative power of education.”
Another Leadership Lecture speaker will be Cleve Jones, creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and founder of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. He’ll deliver the keynote address for Synergy, UNCW’s common reading program, on Nov. 12, also in the Burney Center.
And Joe Klein of Time magazine will be the Leadership Lecture speaker on Feb. 18. Most famoues as the “Anonymous” author of the political novel “Primary Colors,” Klein will be speaking on “The New Greatest Generation” and what we can learn from the veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars.
For more information, call UNCW Presents at (910) 962-7972. |
I heard of a Michell dealer in Montreal who heard a customers Gyro or Orbe with that arm and said it sucked. It wasn't because of mass and suspension either. He said it was to do with how arms on the Michell's need to dump energy to the table and some do it really well (eg SME) and some don't. Synergy is important with the Michell's and arms.
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In part 1 of this series we considered the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s pro-Israel statements at the 68th Annual Convention of the Rabbinical Assembly for Conservative Judaism. Dr. King was the honored guest at the gathering on March 26, 1968 – ten days before he would be killed. We learned that Dr. King’s most well-known endorsement of the Jewish State (“peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality”) came in response to a direct question about Black American support for Israel.
The question was actually a series of queries that revealed the rabbis’ attempt to understand the mixed signals coming from African-Americans. Clearly there had been great synergy between the Black American and Jewish communities, but things seemed to be changing quickly, for the spring of 1968 was a turbulent time in America and the world.
The Vietnam War was gaining both momentum and media scrutiny, while claiming a disproportionate number of young Black American lives. John F. Kennedy had been killed by Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963. Malcolm X was gunned down by Elijah Mohammed loyalists in 1965. The Black civil rights movement was being intensely debated within the Black community, as the younger, more aggressive Black leaders were impatient with the older guards’ non-violent approach. They were no longer willing to await the slow results of Bayard Rustin’s and Dr. King’s Ghandi-influenced techniques; and Malcolm’s “by any means necessary” was a mantra. These younger Black leaders were commonly referred to as “militants”, and many of them believed that (given the US-Israel alliance) Zionism was simply an extension of Western colonialism and imperialism. They were vehement in their opposition to Israel, and generally empathized with the Arabs.
For Israel’s enemies, her victory over Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the 1967 (Six Day) War only codified her title as “imperialist”. Like the wars of 1948 and 1956, the Arabs were the aggressors in 1967. Also, as in the previous wars, Israel defended herself and won. In response to their defeat, the Arab League met in Sudan, condemned the Israelis as “occupiers”, and issued the infamous “Khartoum No”:
- No peace with Israel
- No recognition of Israel
- No negotiations with Israel
The former Soviet Union walked in lock-step with the Arab League, having supplied “massive amounts of arms to the Arabs.” (It was the Soviet/Arab alliance that would later spearhead the passage of United Nations Resolution 3379 – “Zionism is Racism”).
In his book “The Making of Black Revolutionaries”, pro-Arab civil rights activist James Forman said after the 1967 War:
“I knew that we had to support the people of the Arab world in their fight to restore justice to the Palestinian people…Our position against Israel, as I saw it, took us one step further along the road to revolution. For (the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) SNCC to see the struggle against racism, capitalism, and imperialism as being indivisible made it inevitable to take a position against the greatest imperialist power in the Middle East, and in favor of liberation and dignity for the Arab people.”
Black Panther, Eldridge Cleaver said, “Zionists…are our enemies. We totally support the armed struggle of the Palestinian people against the watchdogs of imperialism.” (Interestingly, after living seven years in Arab lands in which he saw the Arab enslavement of Africans firsthand, Cleaver returned to the US a staunch supporter of Israel).
By March 26, 1968, Israel’s friends were few and dwindling. The hard left was beginning its takeover of American liberal politics, and anti-Zionism/anti-Semitism was its calling card. The “Khartoum No’s” of the Arab League were (arguably) the modern seeds planted that would eventually become the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) campaign against Israel. Black militants were increasingly anti-Zionist, and becoming more and more dismissive of Dr. King.
“[Dr. King], what would you say if you were talking to a Negro intellectual, an editor of a national magazine, and were told, as I have been, that he supported the Arabs against Israel because color is all important in this world? In the editor’s opinion, the Arabs are colored Asians and the Israelis are white Europeans. Would you point out that more than half of the Israelis are Asian Jews with the same pigmentation as Arabs, or would you suggest that an American Negro should not form judgments on the basis of color? What seems to you an appropriate response?”
Standing as a mediator between the two groups at the most racially volatile time in American history, Dr. King served as The Spokesman; as America’s pastor and sage. His divine assignment often had him explaining African-Americans to Jews and vice versa. Never mind the fact that neither group is a monolith, and at times exhibits behavior that is inexplicable; Dr. King was looked upon as an ambassador who was always expected to bring peace.
“On the Middle East crisis, we have had various responses. The response of some of the so-called young militants again does not represent the position of the vast majority of Negroes. There are some who are color-consumed and they see a kind of mystique in being colored, and anything non-colored is condemned. We do not follow that course in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and certainly most of the organizations in the civil rights movement do not follow that course.”
Dr. King’s reply to the errant call of racial solidarity between the “colored” Arabs and Black Americans? In a word: Nonsense. He echoed his landmark “I Have a Dream Speech” now five years old: “Not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Virtue is neither Black nor White. Dr. King would judge the situation in the Middle East on its merits. He told the rabbis and the world that, though there were some who were “color-consumed”, he was not; and that there was no “mystique” in being colored. These were not the words of a self-hating Black man. These were the words of a strong, courageous Black man who was not afraid to say what was unpopular among some of his peers.
By the spring of 1968, Israel was on trial in the world court of opinion, (on trumped up charges), and Dr. King was one of her character witnesses. He did not flinch. He did not waver. Regardless of the barrage of anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist declarations that poured out of the vast number of Arab and Communist venues, Dr. King remained a faithful friend to Israel and the Jewish people. He spoke truth to power. He stood by the only viable democracy in the Middle East, while maintaining his integrity as a true champion of human rights.
Author Mark Twain said that, “history doesn’t repeat itself but it does rhyme.” If that is true, the rising chorus of anti-Semitism, along with the attempt of Israel-haters to get Black Americans to sing along, is decades old. Like Dr. King did in his day, Black Americans (especially the Black Church) must again lead the way to peace and civility. We must stand with Israel and the Jewish people while Israel-hatred, disguised as honest criticism, rears its ugly head again. Further, in the interest of true justice, we must call out the gross human rights violations perpetrated on the Palestinian people by their own corrupt leaders. Hamas, Fatah and the Palestinian Authority must be held accountable for their own dereliction of duty; for the honor killings that are up more than 100% in the West Bank; for the billions of dollars of aid squandered on the ruling elite, while the people suffer.
The fight for Israel on college campuses and beyond is growing uglier, as her allies are being viciously attacked and slandered in the media. Embattled Israel advocates can take great solace in the fact that Dr. King too was maligned for his friendship with the Jewish people, and his defense of the Jewish State.
Dr. King’s close friend and attorney, Dr. Clarence Jones stated on February 28, 2014:
“From the standpoint of someone who has represented the great legacy of this extraordinary man, Martin Luther King Jr….I say to my African American brothers and sisters, speaking of the standpoint of the derivative relationship I had with Martin Luther King Jr., the time is now for every African American person, every person of stature in the African American community, to come forward and stand with Israel in the alpine chill of winter, to show that we are wintertime soldiers.” |
Introduction So, the upcoming Gen 6 has recently got me psyched back into competitive pokemon. But I'm sad to say I haven't played too much of Gen 5 and I'm not that familiar with the BW2 Meta. In fact, the last time I've played regularly was towards the end of Gen 4, where I was sitting top 50 in OU and top 10 in Uber, back when Smogon used Shoddy. I'm really not an avid stall player, nor HO, so I thought I'd try my hand at a type of Bulky Offence/Balanced Team. In my experience, all the top teams with this style have 3 elements in common; strong defensive synergy with one another, contingency plans for top tier threats and a little something unexpected that one-ups the metagame. So while scrolling through the OU tier list, I found the gem that is Nasty Plot Celebi. Seriously, once this thing's counters are removed or crippled, setting up and sweeping is fairly easy. As such, the team revolves around picking off Celebi's counters and weakening its checks, by using abusing the resistances and bulk of its members to switch around and neutralise threats. Therefore, a number of factors have been considered in team building, such as tolerance to residual damage and specialised support moves which can open up a Celebi sweep, or simply allow my team to outlast the other. Team at a Glance Tyranitar @ Choice Band "Terrorking" Adamant | Sandstream 180HP/252Atk/76Spe -Crunch -Pursuit -Stone Edge -Superpower Tyranitar is very useful for removing frail psychics and ghosts that could give Celebi trouble, such as Latias, Gengar and Starmie. I chose to use a very Special defensive spread to give T-tar as many switch ins as possible in the event of a weather war, or if any pursuit bait is using a lure set which beats standard T-Tars. Admittedly, there are times that the power is missed (such as OHKOing Starmie with pursuit if it stays in) and Superpower is a little weak against things such as Blissey and Ferrothorn, but so far, its served me well. I have been toying with using a slightly more offensive spread which maintains good bulk but lets me invest more into attack, so if someone could suggest a specialised spread which would help, that would be nice. Other than keeping the sand up and trapping, T-Tar's main duties are to tank special attacks if Rotom is in need of a Wish, and to "revenge kill." A bulky T-Tar can usually live through most boosted attacks which aren't Fighting or Super-Effective Stabs, and either end, or hasten a sweeper's demise. EDIT: This is now the Standard CBTar Jirachi @ Leftovers "Darkbishop" Impish | Serene Grace 252HP/236Def/20Spe -Wish -Protect -Thunder Wave -Iron Head I can safely say that physically defensive Jirachi is AMAZING in this meta. Wish and Protect provide a way for it to keep healthy and keep physical sweepers such as Dragonite and Terrakion in check. Thunder Wave has halted many sweeps, and it makes boosting sweepers all of a sudden vulnerable to being revenged, haxed or just switched around and picked off by anything which can OHKO. However, Jirachi's main duty is to keep the team healthy with Wish to allow me to constanty switch around. Because breaking Jirachi is difficult without a Super Effective attack, Wish passing without U-Turn is fairly easy since every member of the team resists either Fire, Ground or both. If Jirachi's current opponent is paralysed or burned, I can usually spam Wish and protect to stall while sand whittles them down. If theres a FP on the wish turn and Jirachi is healthy, it means a free wish pass. All in all, Jirachi is by far the MVP of this team during the early and middle stages of almost every match. Landorus-T @ Leftovers "Deathrook" Adamant | Intimidate 164 HP/156Atk/188Spe -Stealth Rock -Eathquake -Stone Edge -U-Turn I always like having an intimidator on my team, since the auto-growl just messes with so many physical sweepers if you're running Bulky Offence. Thankfully, Landorus-T is one such pokemon, who sports great offence, utility with Stealth-Rock and U-Turn, fairs well against residual damage and good synergy with all the other members. I felt the recommended Offensive pivot was too defensive so I opted for this more offensive spread, running enough HP to outrun Breloom, while pouring the remainder into bulk. Since Lando often forces switches, its not hard to get rocks up early, and he deals very well with most offensive rock setters, such as T-Tar, Terrakion and Garchomp, so I usually lead with him. Add to this the fact he virtually checks most phsyical sweepers on the team, he was basically an auto-add. His weaknesses to common special attacks is dealt very nicely with through Rotom and since he beats most Ground-Types one on one, its very easy to pass him Wishes and drop an intimidate if something like Garchomp wants to come in and eat a predicted T-Wave. Against stall, he hits reasonably hard when Skarmory is removed and threatens things like Tentacruel, Jirachi and Heatran. I've been thinking since its so easy to switch him in from Jirachi, a Life-Orb over lefties could be viable for the power boost I feel I need, but I honestly haven't felt he has lacking offensive with leftovers with this spread. EDIT: The spread now outruns the standard Bulky Gyara as well as Offensive Adamant versions, as well as the standard Toxicroak. The rest of the EVs are being played around with and I'll shift them between HP and Atk as I see fit. If anyone knows why the Standard Lando-T uses 200 HP (i.e. what KO that specifically avoids) that would help. Rotom-W @ Leftovers "Vilepawn" Calm | Levitate 248 HP/28SpA/232 SpD -Hydro Pump -Volt Switch -Will-O-Wisp -Thunderbolt My answer to rain teams, Special wall and another great check to physical sweepers with WoW. The Specially defensive set is preferred since I feel Jirachi and Lando have the phsyical side mostly covered, while T-Tar could use some help for Special sweepers he can't really handle, including rain sweepers while its pouring. In addition, Rotom deals with a lot of threats which I'd otherwise be very vulnerable to, such as Mamoswine, Starmie and Keldeo. His typing is amazing for getting easy switches and buring something or gathering momentum with Volt switch. Combined with Lando, he forms a mini-Volt Turn core which I use to rack up residual damage, while he synergises very nicely with Jirachi to use as my primary defensive core. Honestly, I'm feeling discharge isn't too useful, and I mainly selected it because I felt it would be good to have the option to stay in on water types and threaten them, rather than switching out, but this has almost never come into play. As such, I want to replace it with either Light Screen, or Reflect. Light Screen would probably be to help me deal better with rain and stuff like Calm Minders while letting Jirachi Wish Pass against anything, while I feel reflect just affords Celebi more opportunities to set up and is probably useful against most non-rain teams more than Light Screen. Salamence @ Choice Scarf "Shadowknight" Naive | Moxie 252Atk/4SpA/252Spe -Dragon Claw -Outrage -Eathquake -Fire Blast I wanted a revenge killer that could sweep, and also noticed I was missing a dragon pokemon since my team deals relatively well with steels. I toyed with Kyurem-B, Latias and Garchomp, but I settled on Salamence for a few reasons. Hes not vulnerable to pursuit, he gets fire coverage to break Ferrothorn and Steels without resorting to Hidden Power, packs useful resistances which make it easy to pass a wish to him, can deal with most pokemon at +1 and since this team is focused fairly heavily on durability and outlasting the opponent, theres ample opportunity for an Outrage sweep late game. Theres really not much else to say other than a fast scarfer with good offensive stats and coverage, good defensive stats and resistances is sometimes just what you need to check certain threats the rest of your team struggles with. Celebi @ Life Orb "Infernalqueen" Timid | Natural Cure 4 HP/252SpA/252Spe -Nasty Plot -Giga Drain -Earth Power -Psychic At last, we come to the star of the show. Nasty Plot Celebi is hugely underatted, and seldom prepared for. The sheer amount of pokemon it can force out and set up on is ridiculous. Its counters are also very vulnerable to status, residual damage and pursuit, all of which this team provides in support. To illustrate, here are some damage calcs. +2 Life Orb Giga Drain v 252HP4Spd Neutral Tyranitar 88.1% - 104% : KO after SR +2 Life Orb Earth Power v 248 HP Neutral Scizor 74.1% - 87.5%: Chance to KO after SR +2 Life Orb Giga Drain v 248 HP/232SpD Calm Rotom-W 134.7% - 159.1%: Guaranteed OHKO +2 Life Orb Psychic v 252 HP Neutral Dragonite 82.4% - 97.2%: KO after SR +2 Life Orb Earth Power v 252HP/168SpD Neutral Ferrothorn 46% - 54%: Chance to 2HKO after Leftovers Celebi is also a great stallbreaker, since it can boost against things like Blissey and Ferrothorn, who can't really hurt it and it can shrug off status by switching out. Celebi can also check rain teams if Rotom is down and all the residual damage it takes is healed of by Giga Drain fairly easily. I've been considering using a bulkier spread with Modest to boost power, deal with rain better and would probably work to my advantage if Rotom uses a screen move. Any advice or suggested changes are welcome. |
Wood, R.J.K. and Speyer, A.J.
Erosion-corrosion of candidate HVOF aluminium-based marine coatings.
Wear, 256, (5), . (doi:10.1016/S0043-1648(03)00564-7).
Full text not available from this repository.
This paper describes gravimetric results of HVOF sprayed commercially pure Al and Al/12% Si eutectic alloy coatings obtained under erosion–corrosion conditions. The performance of these coatings are compared to a hot-dipped zinc coating. These coatings have been applied to AISI 1020 carbon steel substrates and tested in a free jet impingement rig with a variety of fluids and slurries to enable the erosion and corrosion contributions to the total erosion–corrosion removal of the surface to be determined. Tests have been conducted at 30° and 90° jet impingement angles at jet velocities of 3.5 m/s.
Erosion damage mechanisms are identified and the erosion–corrosion mass loss results discussed in terms of the contributions made by erosion and corrosion. Zinc was found to suffer severely from flow corrosion, while the other targets did not. All target materials under sand erosion lose mass in a way directly proportional to kinetic energy, and inversely related to hardness. Corrosion losses are relatively small while the generation of solid products sometimes results in net weight gains. There are greater mass losses at nominally normal incidence than at nominally oblique incidence, due to particle interference effects. Synergy is found to be both positive and negative and appears to be angle dependent, but is difficult to determine precisely.
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What they’re saying about Harbor Lights
It was late Saturday afternoon and a seemingly endless caravan of six-person golf carts kept pulling up to the clubhouse at Harbor Lights Country Club. But the passengers weren’t going to test their mettle on the public and picturesque nine-hole course.
Inside of three hours, more than 1,400 guests participated in the grand opening gala that many people called “The party of the year in Warwick.”
Sampling fine foods at nearly a half dozen stations, people marveled at the architecture and design of the new clubhouse and toured such sun-splashed spots as the Seaside Terrace and Infinity Pool Club and Bar.
And perhaps what amazed guests is the fact that Harbor Lights isn’t a stuffy, private country club. It is open to the public, for golf, dinner and just about any event imaginable.
“This is a great day!” exclaimed General Treasurer Gina Raimondo. “What a top notch facility. We need more of this in Rhode Island, and congratulations to Gov. [Philip] Noel for making this investment. This is magnificent and exciting to see development like this in our state.”
Raimondo, who added, “We all wish the Noels the very best success in this great example of economic development,” wasn’t alone in toasting a project that was more than two years in the making.
Warwick City Councilman Ed Ladouceur, who represents Ward 5, said, “I’m very excited that Gov. Noel and Joe [Noel] completed their re-do of this country club. It’s great for the city and great for the state. I won’t be surprised if Harbor Lights becomes a tourist destination. I, too, congratulate the Noels for their willingness to make the investment here in Warwick. I’m especially proud to say that is in my ward.”
Ladouceur, who lives in Warwick Neck with his wife Deb, continued, “This is exactly what this city needs. Think about it; it’s accessible by land and sea. Their willingness to invest in a project of this magnitude is absolutely incredible!”
Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce President Lauren Slocum, who with her husband Phil also live in the Neck, said, “It’s nice to see the neighborhood come together like this. This [Harbor Lights] is all sorts of things. The renovations they’ve done are extensive ... magnificent. What a great asset to Warwick, Rhode Island and New England.”
Ward 4 Councilman Joseph Solomon said, “This could very well become a tourist attraction ... a tourist destination. What a huge asset to the city of Warwick. It’s welcome economic development at its best. What I really like is that it’s not a private [golf] course. In a word, this facility is fantastic!”
K. Joseph Shekarchi, a first-year state representative in Warwick, said, like most people, he was “overwhelmed.”
“This is absolutely spectacular,” he said during the three-hour event that people also called “a who’s who party of RI.” He added, “What a first class facility in Warwick. What a tremendous amount of private investment ... great synergy marina ... we’re very lucky to have this kind of private capital spent in Warwick.”
Shekarchi, who has a law practice in Warwick, continued, “This event is just like Harbor Lights – special in every way. The city of Warwick is well-presented and I’m glad to be part of such a historic day.”
Robert Flaherty, another Warwick resident and former state representative, said, “This is a big investment. And not just in capital, but human effort. I’m very, very impressed. The Noels really worked this project. They took a neighborhood golf course and turned it into a seaside resort. It also raises the property value of all surrounding properties. Who wouldn’t want to live near this place?” |
The New York Times’ public editor, whose job it is to concede its editorial foibles in such a way as to create the appearance of fairness while not dulling the newspaper’s shine, admitted that a story failed to do something critical to legitimate journalism:
Curtis Tate, a reporter for McClatchy News’s Washington bureau, spent a recent weekend generating spreadsheets from a database on hazardous materials for his story on the increasing amount of crude oil spilled in rail accidents.
A week later, The Times ran a broader article on the same subject, complete with photographs, requisite anecdotal lead, and big-picture sweep. It included findings that came from Mr. Tate’s research, but it did not credit McClatchy.
The excuse was that the reporter “didn’t realize that what he paraphrased was based on another news organizations’s exclusive reporting.” Because, you know, there are simply free-floating “findings” out there for anybody to use.
Content is created by someone. The whole Infinite Monkey Theorem is a conceptual idea. It never actually happened, and so if a writer uses existing content, whether numbers, ideas, facts or otherwise, it comes from someone else. Not sure who? Google it. There is no excuse.
But what of the blawgosphere? We’re not quite “legitimate,” in the sense of having a duty to play by journalism’s rules, even if we try to be legitimate otherwise. This isn’t about the wholesale theft of content, whether in the context of a copyright violation or just the abdication of integrity by taking what isn’t ours. This is about something more basic, perhaps even moralistic: give credit where due.
For many years, mainstream media got a lot of juice as a result of links from the web, from blogs. We would see a story and pick it up, run with it, comment on it, and people would find it sufficiently fascinating to go read the source article in a paper they would never otherwise know about. Do you read the Times? Or the Gate? Or the Christian Science Monitor, or USA Today, or tiny local papers no one outside of bumfuck has ever heard of? Not unless there is a reason to do so.
Yet, when a blawg picked up on a story or opinion that subsequently caught the interest of a newspaper reporter, they were happy to run with it, but there was almost never a mention of the fact that it came via a blog. Reporters saw no need to credit blogs, as they were, well, blogs. Beneath their dignity and inconsequential, tapping away with crazy eyes in bathrobes in the middle of the night.
Among many in the blawgosphere, however, it wasn’t much different. We benefit from the synergy of fellow bloggers stumbling onto stories of significance, and take it from there, providing us with fodder for content without having to do the legwork of reporting. Yet, too many write about things as if they found it, invented it, created it, when they are free-riding the coattails of those who did the heavy lifting.
Some do so blatantly. I called out the ABA Journal on twitter the other day for doing this, as it’s been a perpetual violator, when it ran a remarkably obscure story, after it appeared here. Maybe they found it elsewhere, but nowhere in the ABA Journal story does it suggest how they came upon a hyperlocal story otherwise.
The problem is they almost never credit a blog as source, even though that’s commonly their source, not to mention part of its raison d’être. It’s just a dishonest way to run a journal, failing to give credit where due. When I see a story there that demands credit to a source (never me, but another blawg with which I’m familiar), I scream at one of the editors to fix their omission. They do, but it’s a one-off fix. The institutional failure to give credit persists.
Are we any better? I try to be. I link with reckless abandon to others, regularly giving hat tips to people who turn me on to a story or blog. I link with two purposes in mind. First, to provide anyone reading with the source of my information, whether that’s a root source or a secondary source. Second, I want to give credit to whoever did the groundwork upon which I’m building. Not to pat myself on the back too hard, but I think I do a fairly good job of providing links for these purposes.
Others, not so much. While the people I would call “real blawgers” tend to link to their sources just as I do, others fear attribution like the plague. They fear that their readers will go elsewhere and they will lose them. They fear that they will be revealed as unworthy, should they disclose that they didn’t “invent” whatever it is they’re writing about. They fear they will come off as inconsequential if readers realize they aren’t the center of the blawging universe.
What they really should fear is that they are puny people because of their fears, and their failure to credit others. Sometimes feelings are hurt because a friend doesn’t credit another friend for a source, which may be because they happened to find it first elsewhere (it happens, even when one is a regular reader of a blawg), or when a blawger realizes that he’s not as widely read as he might hope.
My pal, Radley Balko, who used to be a blogger but has since gone legit with the Washington Post, often writes about stories that I’ve already posted about, but without any link to me. Whether he’s too big to read SJ anymore, or SJ is too small to be worthy of a link now that he’s legit, I don’t know. But whatever the reason, he still sources his stories and facts, even if not often here.
The definition of a blawg has changed markedly, with many entering the digital world under the gross misconception that it’s a nasty billboard on a very long highway to scream “hire me!!!” While such billboards are becoming pathetically ubiquitous, they aren’t blawgs and never will be. Real blawgs link and credit. Real blawgs offer real ideas that reflect the thoughts of its writers. Real blawgs are more than a sentence and copyright violation. And real blawgs have no reason to fear attribution, because they thrive on ideas, not isolation, for any impact they have.
Anyone who fails to attribute credit to its source isn’t a blawger. He’s a puny, deceitful scoundrel, and the absence of links means he’s unworthy of your time or credit. Take a look at what you write and ask yourself whether you have a blawg or a monument to your fear. |
IMO, one needs a LOT of good, clean sounding power for the 3.6. I'm not familiar with the Aleph 5. I'm using an InnerSound ESL amp that warps out at 600WPC into 4 ohms. That gives me a clean 100db in-room.
9 responses Add your response
I've owned an Aleph 5, and I have previously owned a
pair of Magnepan MG-IIIa and currently have Magnepan
In my opinion, an Aleph 5 is inadequate power for a
pair of 3.6R. I say this not having owned a pair, but
knowing the power requirements of Maggies. I just
changed from a Mark Levinson 27.5 amp (200 W/Chan @
4 ohms) to a Levinson 335 (500 W/Chan @ 4 Ohms). Though
the 27.5 was very smooth, detailed and had an excellent
soundstage, the 335 gave an added dimension to the
dynamics. The 3.6R would be even more power-hungry than
my 1.6QR. I would suggest the Aleph 5 for POSSIBLY the
upper end in a biamped configuration.
I wouldn't do it. I think you will be vastly underpowered.
I had the 100w 2's with the 1.6's and they really didn't light up at all. Very clean, but the power really wasn't there. In fact I had never heard such a mismatch with the wonderful aleph's and magnepans. The aleph's tend to sing with highly detailed, ultra clean speakers like audio physic. Magnepans tend to work well with high power tube amps. I didn't like my 1.6's with my mccormack amp either.
I did hear the 3.6's sound absolutely wonderful with ARC solid state at this year's CES. Those would be my number one consideration. They had it set up in a five channel arrangement.
I owned 3.5Rs before I went up to 20Rs and had a chance to try out several power amps. I don't know what your budget is, but here goes.
On the cheap, Bryston does a pretty good job. I had a 4B ST, initially. Good low end control, decent midrange and ok top end. I could and did pop tweeter fuses with this amp.
Next up was a weekend shootout between a Krell FPB300 and a Levinson 335. Neither of those were cheap at the time, but the comparison was interesting. The 335 exhibited all of the customary Levinson virtues - smooth, powerful, nice coherency. And uninvolving. The music just wasn't grabbing us as we listened to the 335. Switching to the Krell changed all of that. That amp did a much better job of delivering the musical experience. Everything we listened t owas more involving and compelling. Iron-fisted bass control. Detailed mids and a smooth clean top end. The Krell had a 'grab factor' that the Levinson jsut didn't have.
I subsequently bought one of the few Krell KSA 250S that were made. Perhaps it was pride of ownership, but it did seem to sound more musical than the FPB 300.
Used Krells would be a good bet, budget allowing.
The best amp I ever heard was the Pass Labs X350 that I now use to run the MG20Rs. If your budget allows and you can find one of these bad boys used, go for it. You won't be sorry and it'll do wonders for your 3.6Rs.
The thing to have in mind is that the 3.6Rs are wel lworth the price of high-quality amplification. And they'll let you hear each and every improvement that you make - and each and every shortcoming of everything else in the system. Synergy is everything with these speakers. Interconenects and speaker cables will make or break the overall sound no matter what amp/preamp combo you're using. But get it all right, and you've got musical bliss.
As a biamper of 3.6 for over 2.5 years, I'd suggest you keep the Aleph for the "top" (as Jvogt suggests)in a biamp mode (still may not be enough power though). Then buy a used Bryston 4B for the bottom, and biamp the 3.6's with an active crossover (Marchand or Bryston). Dump the factory external xover. Transparency and dynamics will improve dramatically. (I say this because I think the discontinued Aleph series is very special... more musical than PassX series, IMO.) |
For all the power of PVS, managing a large environment can prove a troublesome and time-consuming task.
With multiple gold disks, dozens of application sets and different user silos with unique needs it’s not just a spin it up and forget it kind of thing. Proper automation provides the foundation that you need to:
– Deploy updated gold disks.
– Spin up and spin down capacity within a silo based on thresholds you determine
– Begin to treat your capacity as on demand rather than static silos
PVS comes with a PowerShell add-in that is not an easy beast to tame.
With the PowerShell SDK for other Citrix products such as XenDesktop and XenApp, the cmdlets used there will return PowerShell objects. These are easy to manipulate, query and modify. With the PVS PowerShell snap-in, this is not the case. Commands issue though the PVS PowerShell snap-in, MCliPSSnapin, do not return objects. Instead we are presented with large unsightly blocks of text. For example, if I was to run a query to get the details of a device in my farm, this is the kind of output that I can expect to get:
To add to this, if you are capturing details about multiple objects, the block of text just keeps growing and growing! The more objects you have, the more difficult it becomes to manage the output. So how can we take advantage of what could potentially be some very powerful automation functionality for our PVS environment?
The key is being able to predict what text will appear in the output and where it will appear. Let’s take the above command and output as an example. When issuing the command, we can return the output to a variable array. By knowing which line of the output will contain the piece of information that we need to extract will appear on, we are able to capture it. If I wanted the device ID field, I could do the following:
$result = Mcli-Get Device -p deviceName=device001
$lineInfo = $result
I know that the 5 slot in the array will contain the line of text that corresponds to the device ID field. This leaves us with the entire line of text though so some additional manipulation is required.
$splitPosition = result.IndexOf(“:”);
$deviceID = $lineinfo.Substring($splitPosition + 2, $lineInfo.Length – ($splitPosition + 2));
I can locate the position of the colon with the string and then use that to split the string so that I only have the information to the right hand side of the delimiter.
As part of our Synergy Geek Speak Live! Session, we will be showing you how to use techniques like this to provide on demand capacity automation for your PVS environment using the PVS PowerShell in 9 easy steps:
- Get the name of spare device in the source collection.
- Get the details of that spare device.
- Get the name of a device in the target collection.
- Get the vDisk details of that device.
- Delete the spare device from the source collection.
- Add the spare device to the target collection.
- Assign the vDisk to the spare device.
- Add the device to AD group/delivery group.
- Boot the device.
Be sure to join us at Synergy 2015 in Orlando for breakout session SYN514: Turn XenApp and XenDesktop into capacity on demand with Provisioning Services automation and learn about how your PVS infrastructure can shine!
Paul Stansel is an 18-year Citrix advocate who currently works as an architect focusing on EUC and Cloud solutions for a major insurance company. He has architected and implemented solutions for multiple Fortune 100 companies and has participated in the Citrix Customer Advisory Council. Paul speaks at various industry events and runs the popular blog citrixtips.com. Follow Paul on Twitter.
Shane O’Neill is a Senior Engineer for a major insurance company with responsibility for over 50,000 virtual users. Shane is a strong advocate of using automation where possible to streamline and enhance various processes related to Citrix products. He has experience with designing and deploying solutions for reporting, managing and optimizing XenDesktop, XenApp, PVS and VMWare using PowerShell and C#. You can follow Shane on Twitter.
Citrix invited the author of this blog post to present at Citrix Synergy 2015 and to participate in a related contest. The author received an entry into the contest for submitting this Blog. |
Facebook on Tuesday debuted Facebook Messaging, a dedicated mobile platform for iPhone and Android devices that allows users to easily and efficiently communicate with their friends.
The program is a standalone application that allows Facebook users to send text messages between phones, while storing their conversations in a user’s messaging center for easy access both from their smartphone and from their Facebook page.
The program also rolls out group texting, allowing users to choose which Facebook contacts they want to contact while sending all of those users text messages at the same time, a perfect option for a night out on the town, party planning or possibly even for business use while out in the field.
The application was helped along by Facebook’s acquisition of Beluga, a mobile-based company that separated users into “pods” which would share text messages and images.
In celebration of the Facebook Messaging release company CEO mark Zuckerberg called the system “the modern messaging system” since it incorporates text messages, messages between users and private messages into the Facebook inbox, allowing for more messaging synergy, while created a Facebook based e-mail means users can even further integrate their messaging while archiving their messages on a trusted and reliable system.
If the program seems familiar it should, Google+ recently released “Huddle” which allows users to communicate in many of the same ways, however Facebook Messenger allows users to communication with traditional SMS, a feature missing on Google+ Huddle at this time.
Users can download the free application from the Google Android Market or through Apple’s App Store.
Give the application a try and let us know your first impressions. Given Facebook’s ability to tweak products after they arrive and the already well thought out structure of the program I expect it to be downloaded and used by millions of users in the near future.
I wonder what wireless company’s think about SMS going to the wayside? Perhaps they already predicted the move when they did away with unlimited data rates and started charging more for service. |
EWING, N.J. & ULSAN, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:PANL), a leading OLED licensor and supplier of materials and technologies for energy-efficient OLED displays and lighting, and Duksan Hi-Metal Company Limited (KOSDAQ:077360), a leading Korea-based manufacturer of electronic materials for OLEDs, announced today that the companies have entered into a master services agreement to enhance Universal Display’s local presence and expansion in Korea. As the first initiative under the agreement, Duksan will provide manufacturing services for one of Universal Display’s host products for certain Korean customers. Universal Display and Duksan will also explore additional areas for collaboration to better serve and support the needs of the growing Korean OLED industry.
“We are very happy to cooperate with Universal Display. This agreement will be mutually beneficial to both companies and it is expected that there will be substantial synergy effects between both of us, global leaders in the OLED material industry,” said Byoung Joo Kang, Chief Executive Officer of Duksan Hi-Metal. “There’s no doubt that especially both companies will contribute to the development of the OLED industry through the works derived from two companies long mass-production experience and technical know-how.”
“We are very pleased to announce this strategic collaboration with Duksan Hi-Metal, a leading Korean-based manufacturer of electronic materials for the OLED industry. Duksan has built a very impressive team and a state-of-the-art OLED manufacturing facility to produce cost-effective OLED products using high-quality manufacturing standards,” said Mr. Steven V. Abramson, President and Chief Executive Officer at Universal Display. “It is important to grow our company’s local presence in Korea, and this new relationship helps support the growth of Universal Display’s high-performance products and the expansion of OLED manufacturing infrastructure in Korea.”
Duksan Hi-Metal is a leading company in high-performance OLED technology and material in terms of Hole Transport Layer (HTL) material and also has a state-of-art OLED manufacturing facility with a ton-based capacity.
Universal Display is the recognized leader in high-performance, energy-efficient phosphorescent OLED technology and materials that offer up to four times the efficiency of conventional OLED technology. The AMOLED market, with much of its existing and anticipated OLED manufacturing base located in Korea, is estimated to double again to almost $6 billion this year. This relationship with Duksan in Korea complements Universal Display’s long-term exclusive materials manufacturing relationship with PPG Industries and will bring Universal Display closer to its customer base, enhancing its ability to support their current and future needs.
Universal Display and Duksan are also pleased to announce that they have mutually agreed to seek dismissal of all pending patent invalidation proceedings involving the two companies in Korea.
To see how Universal Display is changing the face of the display and lighting industries with its UniversalPHOLED®, white OLED and flexible OLED technologies, please visit the company at www.universaldisplay.com.
About Duksan Hi-Metal Company Limited
Duksan Hi-Metal (KOSDAQ: 077360) is a global leader in developing and distributing organic light emitting device (OLED) technologies and services and semiconductor packaging materials such as solder ball, solder powder, conductive ball. Founded in 1999 and listed in 2005, Duksan Hi-Metal supplies OLED materials (HTL and HIL) to Samsung Display and solder ball to SEC, SK Hynix and overseas customers. Duksan Hi-Metal’s main business had been solder ball until August 31, 2009 when Duksan Hi-Metal merged LUDIS into its EL Material Division. AMOLED material accounted for half of its total revenue in 2011. Duksan Hi-Metal is a major supplier of HTL material to Samsung Display and of solder ball to SEC. Duksan Hi-Metal develops and delivers high-performance and price-competitive products that can enable the sustainable growth of the OLED and Semiconductor industries.
About Universal Display Corporation
Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: PANL) is a leader in developing and delivering state-of-the-art, organic light emitting device (OLED) technologies, materials and services to the display and lighting industries. Founded in 1994, the company currently owns or has exclusive, co-exclusive or sole license rights with respect to more than 2,700 issued and pending patents worldwide. Universal Display licenses its proprietary technologies, including its breakthrough high-efficiency UniversalPHOLED phosphorescent OLED technology that can enable the development of low power and eco-friendly displays and white lighting. The company also develops and offers high-quality, state-of-the-art UniversalPHOLED materials that are recognized as key ingredients in the fabrication of OLEDs with peak performance. In addition, Universal Display delivers innovative and customized solutions to its clients and partners through technology transfer, collaborative technology development and on-site training. To learn more about Universal Display, please visit www.universaldisplay.com.
Universal Display Corporation and the Universal Display logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Universal Display Corporation. All other company, brand or product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks.
All statements in this document that are not historical, such as those relating to Universal Display Corporation’s technologies and potential applications of those technologies, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements in this document, as they reflect Universal Display Corporation’s current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in greater detail in Universal Display Corporation’s periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, in particular, the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Universal Display Corporation’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. Universal Display Corporation disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained in this document. |
Just endow a foundation – we will look after the details
Fondation des Fondateurs (Foundation of the Founders) is committed to making endowments as simple as possible. Established 2007, it is today Switzerland's leading umbrella foundation. Its management has proven expertise in philanthropy, and deals professionally with the execution of your grant-making wishes. Independent of any third-party interests, it accompanies you purpose-oriented in the establishment and efficient implementation of your foundation idea – however large or small your endowment may be.
Your foundation idea is in good hands at Fondation des Fondateurs.
The cost-efficient route to your foundation
You are able to implement your foundation idea cost-efficiently thanks to the joint use of infrastructure and coverage of administrative expenses.
We allow you to benefit automatically from membership in SwissFoundations, an association that brings together over 100 grant-making foundations in Switzerland, gives them a strong and independent voice, provides sound knowledge of the foundation system, and organises useful events.
The advice provided by Fondation des Fondateurs is unencumbered by the interests of third parties. It maintains an exemplary system of governance, and adopts a neutral political, ideological and religious stance.
Your resources should be used to finance your idea, not its administration. Less substantial and moderately-sized endowments benefit in particular from a favourable proportionality between administrative expense and grant-making volume.
The FdF has overhauled its website and redesigned its public appearance as part of its operative relaunch. The website highlights the FdF's outstanding expertise in setting up and managing foundations.
The Fondation des Fondateurs returns to the House of Foundations
The FdF returned to its domicile at Kirchgasse 42 in the city centre of Zurich in mid-October. This property, owned by OPO-Stiftung, was renovated in cooperation with the Zurich Office of Historic Monuments, and besides the FdF is also home to the headquarters of SwissFoundations, Age Stiftung, VELUX STIFTUNG and OPO-Stiftung. The Foundation Board and the Managing Director look forward to far-reaching synergy effects. |
The key to succeeding in transforming your body and developing your muscles is to create a synergy of your nutrition, weight training regimen and your aerobic training session. Without properly balancing these three elements of bodybuilding you will not be able to succeed in developing your body muscles and transforming your body.
If you want to lose weight, you need to balance the three elements which are aerobic exercises, weight training exercises and a proper diet. By a proper diet, I do not mean those fad diets. A lot of people end up failing to lose weight because they only use fad diets and neglect the two other important elements. Fad diets will make your body to go into starvation mode. When the body is in starvation mode the body will start burning muscles instead of fat so that it can be able to preserve energy. The depletion of muscles will reduce your body metabolism. When the rate of your body metabolism lowers you will not be able to burn a lot of calories. As a result of this you will not be able to reduce your weight. Therefore the type of diet you need to undertake should be focused on nutrition. It should be balanced so that your body does not go into starvation mode. In order to transform your body if you are overweight you need to train with weighs also. When you lift weights you will be able to increase your lean body muscles. This will increase your body metabolism and your body will be able to burn more calories. You should also perform aerobic exercises so that you can increase your body metabolism even further. Exercises will not only help you lose weight but your health will also be improved.
If you want to transform your body and increase your body mass if you are skinny then you should also balance between the three elements which are proper dieting, weight training and aerobic exercises. When it comes to your diet you should not overeat by taking all your meals in one sitting. Instead you should spread your food intake and ensure that you eat five meals a day. The reason why you should spread your meal intake is to avoid increasing your body fat since excess calories are usually converted and stored as body fat. You should perform aerobic exercises as well so that you burn of the excess fat. If you are trying to increase your body mass, you are required to go on a high calorie diet. This will likely lead to the increase in body fat and in order to cut some of these fats you should perform aerobic exercises. The other form of exercise you need to undertake is weight training exercises. This form of exercise will lead to the increase in your muscle mass.
In order to transform your body and either lose weight or gain weight you need to carefully the three elements which are proper diet, weight training and aerobic exercises. The importance of these three elements when it comes to transforming the body of a person cannot be overemphasized.
Dane Fletcher is the world-wide authority on bodybuilding and steroids. He has coached countless athletes all over the world. To read more of his work, please visit either www.BodybuildingToday.com or www.SteroidsToday.com |
Internal Connectivity of the GlobusPallidus and the Arbitration System
2013 (English)Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
The rodent globus pallidus (homologue of primate external globus pallidus) has been shown to be composed of two types neuronal groups based on their location and local axon collaterals. The rostral outer layer near the striatopallidal border (GPr) has shorter but more dense local axon collaterals while the caudal inner layer (GPc) has wider and less dense axon collaterals. Moreover, the connection between the two segments is unidirectional with outer layer neurons sending inhibitory projections to the inner layer. Both segments inhibit the substantia nigra and the entopeduncular nucleus (homologue of primate internal globus pallidus). We have created a model of the basal ganglia arbitration subsystem composed of the subthalamic nucleus, the two segments of the pallidus as well as the entopeduncular nucleus and the substantia nigra in order to assess functional roles of the two pallidal segments. The simulations reveal that both segments of the pallidum are involved in winner-take-all structure of the arbitration system but the type of information competing is different in the two subsystems. In the STN-GPr network, strong lateral inhibition between pallidal neurons representing muscles leads to selection of a muscle which has been (due to noise or other reasons) randomly overactivated. In contrast, in STN-GPc network actions (each utilizing many muscles) compete. Our simulations suggest that both networks are active during selection and execution of movements. If overactivation of a muscle is accompanied with dopamine flow, the GPr-GPc connection together with local axonal network of GPc suppress other muscles and reinforce the muscle whose overactivity has caused the dopaminergic flow. Simulated lesions of these neuronal groups also show different results. Lesioning GPr results in synchronous activity in GPc and SNr but the mean firing rate of these nuclei remains untouched. Lesioning GPc on the other hand lifts the activity in the SNr drastically but does not create synchrony in any of the nuclei. The results suggest that STN-GPc and STN-GPr can be considered as two different subsystems working both in synergy and in competition.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Research subject The KTH Railway Group - Tribology
IdentifiersURN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-136743OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-136743DiVA: diva2:677015
QS 20132013-12-092013-12-092016-02-02Bibliographically approved |
The Bundesliga gets underway this weekend as defending champions Bayern Munich aim for an unprecedented fifth straight league title. New players, new managers, new clubs; there are plenty of new things to look forward to in 2016-17.
The usual suspects
Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern and Thomas Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund are the favourites in early reckoning; both teams look way better than the rest of the competition but the onus is on Tuchel’s Dortmund to make the title race a bit more dramatic since the ruthlessly detail-oriented domination machine Pep Guardiola is no longer around.
Dortmund have broken their transfer record to land Andre Schurrle; how he fits their dynamics remains to be seen while Mario Gotze returns in a worse state than when he left in 2013. Also returning is Mats Hummels, who went back to Bayern in a transfer that left Dortmund weaker but the Yellow-Blacks have since reinforced, bringing in Marc Bartra from Barcelona.
Such was Bayern’s dominance last season that Dortmund finished with a record points total for a second placed team. Expect Ancelotti’s Bayern to lower the intensity levels this term, and depend more on individual skill than team synergy. Factor in the injury history of Bayern’s two best players—Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery—and the tools are in place for a proper title race in years.
Champions League contenders
Bayer Leverkusen, like Dortmund, have also smashed their transfer record for striker Kevin Volland, so have Schalke for Breel Embolo. Both clubs will hope to push Bayern and Dortmund but the likelihood of Leverkusen doing it is more since they have a squad bordering on the elite.
Roger Schmidt is in his third season at Leverkusen, and after last season’s sprint to the finish where they plucked 24 points off the last nine games to finish third, the expectations are high this term to at least mount a title challenge, otherwise another scramble for the Champions League places will suffice. Julian Brandt is the one to watch.
Schalke have a new manager in place. Marcus Weinzierl took Augsburg to the Europa League knockouts last season and earned his big move but Schalke’s struggle to remain consistent throughout the season should continue. A key cog of their attack has departed in the form of Leroy Sane; how quickly Max Meyer develops an understanding with Embolo will be crucial, while the prospect of Europa League winner Coke cross assisting Klaas-Jan Huntelaar looks a romantic one.
Andre Schubert’s Borussia Monchengladbach don’t look too bad either with their fine attacking axis of Raffael and Lars Stindl still around. However, the losses of Granit Xhaka and Havard Nordtveit can prove costly in build-up play, even though Christoph Kramer has been bought back.
Wolfsburg’s poor second half of 2015-16 meant they finished eighth, and coach Dieter Hecking’s job should be in danger if there’s a repeat next season. Yannick Gerhardt, Daniel Didavi and Mario Gomez are the pick of their new signings. Having depended heavily on their full-backs—Ricardo Rodriguez and Christian Trasch—last season for chances, there are newer options this term with the central Didavi-Julian Draxler combination as well as Rodriguez and Trasch’s ability from the flanks which present a salivating prospect for Gomez, who is back in Germany after a Gol Krali season in Turkey.
Can RB Leipzig upset the status quo?
Bankrolled by Red Bull’s millions, RasenBallsport Leipzig have finally landed in the Bundesliga. Founded in 2009 and possibly the most hated Bundesliga club for their various transgressions which include circumventing the league’s 50+1 rule, RB Leipzig have the tools to survive and even thrive in their first ever season in the top flight. It’s no wonder the odds of them qualifying for Europe are very low for a newly-promoted side.
They have appointed Ralph Hasenhuttl, who impressively led Ingolstadt to an 11th placed finish in the club’s first Bundesliga campaign last season, as Ralf Rangnick heads upstairs. Timo Werner and Naby Keita are the pick of their new buys. Werner has a knack for taking quality shots, and fellow attacker Davie Selke is one of the hottest prospects in Germany.
Hertha Berlin finished seventh last season with a largely sterile brand of football but they have done well to keep hold of key players like Salomon Kalou, Marvin Plattenhardt and Vladimir Darida while adding Ondrej Duda to their ranks.
Martin Schmidt masterminded Mainz’s sixth placed finish last season with a combination of counterattacking football and a tactical design that led to heavily loading the opposition penalty area which resulted in high quality shots. They beat Bayern, Gladbach, Schalke, Leverkusen and Wolfsburg en route, and another season of overachievement beckons if they continue firing high quality shots. However, their two star performers—Loris Karius and Julian Baumgartlinger—have moved on.
Consistent underperformers Hamburg look no better than last season; they are looking over their shoulders as RB Leipzig take strides to upset the Bundesliga middle class. Hoffenheim, another club in the same class, survived relegation last season after appointing the prodigious 29-year-old Julian Nagelsmann as head coach.
Freiburg are back after a year’s absence but there won’t be a “small West derby” with Stuttgart. This is the first time in Bundesliga history that Freiburg have played at a level higher than Stuttgart, who dropped to the 2. Bundesliga after last season’s relegation.
There has been a managerial merry-go-round with Weinzierl’s move to Schalke prompting Augsburg to appoint Darmstadt’s Dirk Schuster. While Hasenhuttl’s appointment at RB Leipzig meant Ingolstadt moved for Karlsruher’s Markus Kauczinski. Darmstadt, meanwhile, have gone for Arminia Bielefeld’s Norbert Meier. All these movements in the Bundesliga’s lower reaches could amount to a far less predictable season.
Koln’s Anthony Modeste, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Alexander Meier and Ingolstadt’s Pascal Groß were one-man armies for their respective clubs last season, which means anything is possible for those clubs, and relegation a possibility. Darmstadt scored a league highest 19 set-piece goals last season but, with Schuster gone and top scorer Sandro Wagner also finding new home at Hoffenheim, could have a hard time fending off relegation.
Likewise for Werder Bremen, who survived by the skin of their teeth last season. The Green-Whites start their campaign against Bayern, and early signs aren’t encouraging following their cup exit to 3. Bundesliga outfit Sportfreunde Lotte and things could turn ugly for Viktor Skripnik’s side if they don’t improve fast.
Five players to watch (excluding the big names, of course)
- Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund)
- Kevin Kampl (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Nadiem Amiri (Hoffenheim)
- Renato Sanches (Bayern Munich) |
Note: Sample below may appear distorted but all corresponding word document files contain proper formattingExcerpt from Essay:
Human Resources. What will an individual learn from this particular topic? What are the keys to success in this field? This is a changing discipline that requires much study. One will discuss an HR article and discuss it from the author's perspective.
According to Conaty, he provided a number of ways in which to become a success in HR. One has to differentiate (Conaty). "Employees must be constantly judged, ranked, and rewarded or punished for their performance" (Conaty). This means HR has to keep a close eye on every employee in order to determine whether or not a person deserves a raise. However, Conaty believes that differentiation is crucial to a company's surivial. Managemement needs to know why these individuals are the best, and this is done preeminent through variation. Regardless, an organization is able to build their vitality through this process. Welch believed in cutting those that performed the worse, which were considered at least 10% of the employees. Every individual will expereince some level of anxiety when getting evaluated by others in management. Ultimately, a person has to become aware of those that are the weakest, and when to decide to do anything about them. In essence, one will notice that the business will do better if the individuals are confronted or replaced (Conaty).
The author mentions "constantly raising the bar" (Conaty, p. 1). One has to note that anyone that is a leader will seek ways to become better at it. They will seek out advice from others, and do everything possible to improve. What can cause someone to learn, according to Conaty, is that people stop learning. As everything around a person grows, the person chooses not to propagate because of it. General Electric (GE) values continuing education in such a way that they choose to consider it a reward that is high-profile. This makes it a big deal. Employees go to Crotonville for their training in New York. They use this location to their advantage for anyone wanting to advance themselves within the industry by becomign a better worker. Not only that, but also GE uses them as a tool in recruiting others. Through these efforts, many customers as well as business partners are recognized at this facility. This sets the company a part in all that is done for all those they serve on a regular basis (Conaty).
An issue arises when those in HR focus on what the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is wanting within the organization. When this occurs, people are less likely to appear as a solid advocate for the firm. According to Conaty, when a person gets too close to the CEO, they no longer exist. Because of an individual doing this, immediately his or her coworkers think that the person is no longer trustworthy. This is not a good sign for anyone wanting to do business professionally and to help do conflict resolution. Many will not want anything to do with that individual because of becoming too friendly with the CEO, and he or she could end up ruining themselves before fully starting their position. In fact, employees need someone to talk to, but this is less likely to occur when a person is friends with their own boss (Conaty).
A good way of handling this risk is to remain professional at all times. This means keeping a distance from the CEO. The goal is to socialize with others more so than that of the person that hired him or her. As a result, problems will not arise, and people are pleased with HR. By taking these necessary steps, one is able to feel autonomous. Through this, he or she has much freedom to make the necessary decisions without hurting credibility. If an issue should arise, then the HR person will need to confront him or her private. For example, those that do this in public make themselves out as foolish to others and incompetent, which is why it is imperative to do this sequestered. As a result, the HR individual has confidence, and is aware of when to fight the necessary battles with employees or others in management (Conaty).
Anyone that is in leadership comes up with a means in which to have a plan for succession. In essence, this takes a person to know that he or she is capable of doing another person's job at any location for a business that is in need of it. Anyone that is insecure is incapable of handling any issues that come their way by means of getting intimidated by others who are organized and are futuristic in their thinking. Thorugh this, an individual has to become aware of those who want to stifle someone from reaching their full potential (Conaty). Those that are GE leaders, each of them are "judged on the strength of their team and are rewarded for mentoring people throughout the organization" (Conaty, p. 1). Conaty, for example, take pride in the fact that anyone that succeeds him is someone that he taught within the company (Conaty).
The next area of importance is that of striving to become inclusive. A person can easily favor others or implicit favorite, which is biased in the way one thinks, feels and behaves. When this occurs, success is easily undermined. Conaty discussed Borg-Warner's business that dealt with chemicals that was established in 1988. They quickly learned that their company was not as prestigious as that of GE. In fact, a lack of energy was present in how business was conducted from those in management and their employees. Because of this, GE ended up having most of their commerce as well as their corporation (Conaty).
Since GE learned from their past, management now takes adquate steps to acquire a merger with another by assessing talent that is present within the company itself. They call it dilligence for how critical it is to take these necessary precautions. Furthermore, at least six individuals are needed for a company, and the goal is to keep them there for many years to come.
Currently, the goal is to let them know that they are financially welcome. This means superb income. Not only is that area important, but also making sure that he or she is emotinally comfortable into the company. Because of these efforts, employees are able to get the most out of their experience, and to do their job well (Conaty).
When working as a CEO, Conaty believes that it is imperative that a person not feel bogged down in their paperwork, but to make it as easy as possible for him or her everyday of the week the company is open. GE has "a management consultant who has the intensity to look at the nuances of issues and take these thins off the CEO plate. He solves things and goes forward" (Conaty, p. 1). This helps to relieve stress, and to make life easier for everyone who works for the company regularly (Conaty).
By freeing up people with their workload, they are able to work according to their terms. This gives employees job satisfaction, and the ability to do their job more effectively with GE. Through this, the tools are provided with much permission through this entire process. An individual does not have to go to their manager for everything, but is allowed independence when doing tasks that are set before him her on a daily basis. Everyone now and then GE does allow their workers to get off track with their work, but this is a rare phenomenon with the organization (Conaty).
For example, a co-worker named Sharon decided to not get promoted after getting the offer to do so in order to spend time with her children (Conaty). However, GE managed to keep her at a part-time status "until she was ready to take on new challenges" (Conaty, p. 1). Since that time, she now is an officer with the company and is considered a "top HR person in the energy business" (Conaty, p. 1). Any individual has to have limits or boundaries when balancing work and home life. However, GE is open to the idea of a person working from home on a specific day of the week, such as Friday; consequently, management has seen positive results because of this choice (Conaty).
The last area is that of keeping everything simple. This means having communication that is disciplined as well as focused when talking to an employee. A person cannot have more than 325,000 different messages and remain effective; this is not possible. The goal is to remain consistent daily when working with others by having at least five or six messages, instead of a plethora. Regardless, when everything gets tough, a person does not let it bother him or her too much (Conaty). According to Conaty, "I'd say 70% of our leaders handle adversity well, and 30% let it overwhelm them" (p. 1). If a person cannot handle this type of pressure, then he or she does…[continue]
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Teams should be created that embrace a diversity of skills and workers from different areas of expertise, so there is no knowledge overlap, and thus less jockeying for position of who has the better qualifications within a certain field. If necessary, a clear leader should be established who understands the importance and the time table of the goal of the team. One problem with self-managed teams is that personality
Human Resource Management at the Ford Motor Company The Ford Motor Company is one of the largest economic entities at the global level, with sales and operations across the entire globe. The organization is reputable as the first company to make automobiles accessible to the people through the usage of the production and assembly line. In more recent times, Ford is recognized as one of the largest employers in the United
This type of planning can help manage companies' assets and keep it in line, providing more robust information for future planning on an executive or managerial level. Regardless of the type of business or company, a robust Human Resources department is an absolute necessity. Such departments provide support, increased productivity, and future growth for any organization. Even in these tough times, the Human Resources departments of the United States are
Frank and Taylor (2004) warn that motivating employees is highly dependent on their specific wants and needs. An accounting firm that mostly hires conservative, serious-minded employees who value efficiency above all else are not likely to be motivated by the offer of a life coach or a concierge. They would probably be much more motivated by a good 401k plan. However, that does not mean that all types of
These practices include: selective hiring, employment security, self-managed team, extensive training, sharing information, diminution of status differences, and stipulation of high pay contingent on organizational performance. Other authors analyzed by Chang and Huang sustain that SHRM benefits company both directly and indirectly as it modifies passivity into initiative by clearly communicating organizational goals and encouraging the participation of line-managers. In addition, by generating structural cohesion, defined as "an employee-generated synergy
Motivation grows out of the awareness that someone gave the time and effort to notice one's achievement (Klaff). Recent strikes against continuously rising health care costs have strained all employers and labor and employee relations. Employers have been trying to reduce double-digit cost increases by modifying health-care plans, which shift the expense to employees, by raising premiums for family members to providing alternatives (Klaff 2003). Health care costs have been
Human Resource Recruitment Human Resources Planning Recruitment Organization's strength is based on the quality of its employees an aspect that places high relevance to the human resource departments and the practices used (Ume, 2008). MSCG concerns in consultancy targets to, direct clients towards adopting the best practices in their recruitment process. This will guarantee recruitment of ideal candidates, professionalism in HR practices, employee and talent retention and productivity in optimal deployment of |
Because nothing gold can stay, AMC’s popular Mad Men has reached the final episode of its final, seventh season. Over the course of the show, we’ve seen pitches for a multitude of companies, brands, sports, groups and even cities. While some of those brands were created for the show, the large majority were very real — and some continue to exist today. In the spirit of nostalgia, we thought now might be the right time to check in on those products and companies pitched by Sterling Cooper (and its various rebirths), to see which have been lost to the mists of time, and which still remain. [More]
That Was Then, This Is Now: How 72 Brands From ‘Mad Men’ Have Changed Since Don Draper Was In Charge
Back when high fructose corn syrup hadn’t yet been invented, the phrase “Mountain Dew” meant something very different. While that name now reminds us of a highly caffeinated soft drink, originally it referred to homemade corn-based booze, or moonshine. Mountain Dew’s new limited-edition product is supposed to evoke moonshine while removing corn from the beverage altogether. [More]
We recently told you about Dewitos, the nightmarish concoction that combines Mountain Dew and Doritos into a beverage that is more of a dare than a drink. Last night, the hard-hitting Colbert Report took on this story and not even stone-faced host Stephen Colbert could keep from laughing. [More]
In the last day or so, a specter of horrifying flavor has haunted the Internet. A student at Kent State University in Ohio posted a photo of a Mountain Dew taste test on Reddit. There were a few experimental flavors, and one of them was an orange-colored confection. Was it some pleasant citrus variant? No. Flavor wizardry has brought us Dorito-flavored drinks. If this idea makes you want to blow up civilization and start over on a deserted island, you are not alone. [More]
When you’re in a tight spot, it’s natural to take a quick look around and assess the tools at your disposal. While MacGyver could change his fate with a piece of gum and a 1993 issue of TV Guide, one DIY wannabe thought he’d be able to disappear a DWI charge with Mountain Dew. [More]
Yesterday, Coca-Cola made news when it confirmed that it was phasing out the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a food additive that is banned in other parts of the world, in Powerade. Last night, both Coke and Pepsi announced they would be getting rid of the controversial ingredient in all remaining drinks — including Mountain Dew. [More]
If I learned anything from spying on my brothers playing Dungeons & Dragons in the basement with their friends, it’s that Mountain Dew is often the preferred fuel of choice for staying awake and making sharp decisions. That being said, a Florida elementary school was getting a heck of a lot of criticism for giving kids a dose of the stuff before taking high-pressure tests. [More]
Strange and magical things come out of Frito-Lay Japan. Things that we in Frito-Lay’s home country never get to see. The latest bit of corporate synergy/snack food horror to hit shelves across the Pacific? Mountain Dew flavored Cheetos. [More]
Four years after Coca-Cola launched its Freestyle soda fountains that allow users to mix/match/blend/concoct whatever flavor monstrosities they want without the hassle of having to bounce from nozzle to nozzle, PepsiCo has finally gotten on board the Fantasy Flavor Train with a test of a new soda fountain that allows customers to add shots of extra flavor into their sweet drinks. [More]
A bizarre online ad for Mountain Dew, featuring a talking, abusive goat and a bruised and battered woman has been pulled by parent company PepsiCo following complaints. [More]
For people who think Taco Bell’s “Mtn Dew A.M.” blend of Mountain Dew and orange juice is just a little bit too natural for a breakfast drink, the folks at PepsiCo have heard your pleas and are rolling out an actual breakfast-drink version of Mountain Dew called “Kickstart.” [More]
All I need to do is close my eyes and I’m transported back to sometime in the mid-’80s, the unmistakeable scent of Cool Ranch Doritos wafting on the air and the sloshing of multiple liters of Mountain Dew as I creep down the basement stairs. “What are you doing down here for so long?” would inevitably be answered by “We’re playing Dungeons & Dragons, go away or we’ll tell Mom you’re bugging us.” That would happen for hours on end, and now it can again with a digital archive of the role-playing adventures. [More]
UPDATE: Reps for Mountain Dew have sent a statement to Consumerist clarifying its involvement (or apparent lack thereof) in the disastrous promotion.
Mountain Dew, long treated like the haggard, unemployed cousin of the big brand sodas, is about to try to go up-market with the test of a pricier, malt-flavored variety of the drink called “Mountain Dew Johnson City Gold.”
Taco Bell has been flirting with breakfast for years and only recently decided it was something that all its restaurants should eventually serve. But ever the food innovators, the folks at the Bell have apparently come up with the perfect drink to accompany its breakfast burritos, something called Mountain Dew A.M.
If Mountain Dew brings up images of your older brothers hunkered down in the basement with said soda and bags of Cool Ranch Doritos, during marathon sessions of Dungeons & Dragons or World of Warcraft, you aren’t the only one. Pepsi acknowledges that their “dew message” isn’t reaching big cities, and is trying to spread the bright green liquid love to “cooler” places than the suburbs.
The Canadian Broadcasting Company has an important message for the
soda pop-buying public: PepsiCo’s claim that Mountain Dew can’t dissolve a whole mouse into a “jelly-like substance” seems unlikely to them. A rodent in a small container of soft drink is going to decompose, not dissolve. Doesn’t that make you feel better? |
Please take a look at the new Llano Hybrid Class A Amps 200w/ch 2995.00 See them at LHK AUDIO in Showcase Dealers.
8 responses Add your response
The best deal you can make would be to purchase an Aragon 8002 which produces 250 watts into 4 ohms. You are probabely famililar with the larger Aragon 8008. You can find these amps used for around 800.00. They are built like tanks and actually sound better than the 8008 being more transparent with a better balance between highs and lows. I have auditioned a great number of amps and this one is one of the true values that is often overlooked. It should be more than enough power to drive your speakers. The bass is outstanding and it is a very dynamic amp. I am sure many here can recommend much more expensive amps but most will not outperform that amp, and the Anthem certainly does not have the build quality or sound of the 8002. Both the Bryston amps and Aragon will outperform the Anthem. The differences are mainly in the tightness and control of the bass and transparency in the mid-range.
Miked. I have a pair a paradigm ref studio 80s and currently use an MCA 2. There are lots of better amps out there but there is a synergy in this combo. Paradigm bought Sonic Frontiers before the MCA2 was designed and Im going to guess, and its just a guess ,that the mca series was designed for the reference series speakers. My mca 2 will be going to the TV room, as i call it,it the spring in an mca 3 version. So in the meantime Im looking at an Anthem amp 2 and a Volks amp. But thats 2 and 1/2 times the money the next step up. Im going to listen this wednesday to the volksamp/Anthem combo. will let yo know. Mean time Im very very happy with Mca2 and Paradigm pair. Che2rs steve
Miked. I have a Marantz 67se, Anthem pre 2 Anthem mca 2 and Paradigm studo ref 80s. The upgrade path will be the amp first then the speakers, both of which go to the TV room. This will make for great home theatre and give the kids a system to play other than mine. Then maybe next year buy a new source when the formats are settled. Logicaly I thought the Amp 2 by Anthem would be the one. My dealer has steered me away from this. He sells very few and he is really a big Anthem fan. He really likes the MCA series and feels you need to spend about 2.5x the $$ to make the step worthwhile. The mca is a great bargin but a little rich in bass for me and I think that's what Anthem had in mind as this product is focused toward home theatre. Having said that,at 200 plus hours,it is still smoothing out,which really suprised me.So if you listen to one check to see if its broken in because the bass in particular has really changed on this amp since new. So as I said wednesday I'll listen to to the Volks amp anthem combo and hopefully the Amp2 at the same time. Ths Volks amp is besause my dealer thinks it will be best in my system and suit my tastes. If theres no quantum leap in at least one catagory, that is if it's just a suttle improvment, Im tempted to save to the summer and buy a Sim Audio w3. This is the 120x2 top line amp and it would be a keeper. As long as your speakers are reasonably effecient this is the one. Perfectly neutral, tight tight bass and imaging as good as it gets. Ive heard this with 4 different speakers now and its bang on every time. Definatly not a rich coloured sound if thats what you like but. Any ways who knows I too have read good things about the Amp 2 and just maybe it will be the one. Will post in about a week or so. cheers steve |
Previous Page —Page One
It’s conceivable you could win Wednesday night’s drawing, just not the right one.
In addition to the official one televised nationally from Tallahassee, Fla., there are four practice runs.
The reason, Strutt says, is to make sure the machines are running properly and the numbers are being distributed properly. The balls used in the game are regularly measured, weighed and X-rayed. Then they’re locked up in a room that’s under 24/7 surveillance. Only the organizers and their auditors have a key.
IS IT A GOOD INVESTMENT?
You already know the answer to that. Yet people play anyway.
Strutt is estimating that there will be $214 million in sales for Wednesday’s drawing (up from $140 million from Saturday’s drawing).
Half the proceeds go to the prize pool — about a third of that to the big jackpot, with the rest to lower ones, including a new $1 million second prize. The other half goes to the lottery operations in the 42 states plus Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands where Powerball is played. This funds charitable efforts such as education, in addition to paying for overhead and compensating winning stores.
Barrow says it’s no secret that it’s not a prudent investment to regularly buy lottery tickets, but contends it’s a little more defensible as the amount skyrockets.
If the jackpot amount approached $600 million, and if you had the means to buy enough tickets until you won, AND if you could guarantee you wouldn’t have to share with anyone, then it might be a wise investment.
That’s a lot of ifs, Barrow says. But he’ll likely join the throngs of ticket buyers.
“For 2 bucks, it’s worth a chance,” he said. “What else am I going to do with that $2? I’ll just waste it on something else.”
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I need help with this tutorial. Can you please help me.
Communication Journal entry in narrative style about the communications climate and culture .
Communication climate and culture are an important part of any organization in that they impact the manner in which people share information and interact with one another. In my organization there is a concentrated effort to facilitate communication between employees and management. In part this is set by the layout of the office, with a very open space in which most employees work, separated only by low profile dividers. This adds visibility and encourages interaction. In addition, management members are easy to see and hear. Their offices surround the open spaces and have open doors and glass walls. The facility also offers a pleasant central break room that is open to all; often it is full of different people from different parts of the company, establishing bonds and exchanging pleasantries. Effective communication is in part based upon trust and openness. When people feel apart of a community they are more likely to communicate, which enhances the tone of the workplace as well encouraging interaction and synergy.
My workplace is culturally diverse. We have a broad mix of cultures that impacts our communication, in part, by making us each more respectful of the other. I don't remember being trained when I started on the proper tone of form of communication; instead, it is engrained in the culture. The tone in my workplace has risen to the highest level. By this, I mean that in each case of communication we tend to assume the best of the other person. We realize that in talking with Mr. Pham, our Vietnamese IT manager, he will always tell us a project will be done "in a short time." He appears unable to pin down a date, perhaps because culturally he does not want to disappoint his users.
In working ...
This detailed solution discusses the importance of culture on the communications climate. It explains why people from different cultures may interpret things differently or communicate in a different way. Includes reference. |
Kendall, Florida Real Estate Lawyers
Holding dual degrees in Law and Accounting, Attorney Jacqueline Salcines prides herself in providing sound legal advice in the real estate, foreclosure and business arena. As a real estate lawyer and title agent, she has over 16 years experience in real estate, mortgages and business law. We zealously represent your rights and possess both the knowledge and experience to protect our clients every step of the way.
Clayton D. Hackney is a junior partner with the law firm of DiBello, Lopez & Castillo, P.A. His practice is concentrated in the areas of general commercial litigation, real estate litigation, construction litigation, and appellate practice. He has represented clients in the state and federal courts of Florida on a wide range of matters, including contract disputes, business torts, commercial and residential landlord/tenant matters, and construction lien claims.
Attorney Durre is a Miami probate lawyer who has dealt with all kinds of probate situations and who is ready to assist you today. Come to the law firm of Susan E. Durre immediately and secure her representation. She received her Juris Doctorate at the University of Miami School of Law at Coral Gables, after earning her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida at Gainesville. She has been admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Florida State Bar, and the United States Supreme Court. She previously served as Chairman for the Probate...
Since 2011, Omar Saleh, Esq. has focused his practice largely on real estate litigation. Before joining Synergy Law Firm, Omar represented some of the nations largest lenders in residential mortgage foreclosures. Since joining the firm, Omar has provided a wide range of real estate and other civil litigation matters including foreclosure defense, business and personal litigation, and continues to advocate for clients with debt defense and consumer bankruptcy issues. During law school, Omar was vice president of Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center's trial team, where he competed in trial competitions throughout the state. Before...
Suero Law, PLLC is a bilingual law practice located in Miami, Florida providing skilled and personalized legal representation in the areas of: Corporate Law & International Trade; Contract Drafting & Review; Real Estate & Commercial Transactions; Foreign Investment; Startups & Entrepreneurs; Nonprofits & Franchises; Imports & Exports Control; Regulatory Compliance; Entertainment Law; Intellectual Property; Estate Planning Ms. Suero focuses her practice on her clients’ corporate and contractual needs in domestic & international business transactions, representing clients with corporate law matters, entertainment law, and trade and customs issues.
David B. Halberstein is an associate of the firm, who focuses his practice on the representation of clients in all aspects of real estate transactions, with an emphasis on the acquisition, disposition, financing, development and leasing of real estate assets including retail shopping centers, office buildings, apartment buildings, hotels, warehouse/industrial properties and mixed use properties. |
Is Dasanrama Sdn. Bhd in Salak Land District, Sublot 1 & 23 Lot 776 Blok 6, Telaga Air, Kuching Sarawak 93050 your business? Claim your listing and attract more leads by adding more content, photos and other business details.
More companies in Kuching Sarawak, 93050, MALAYSIA
No. 524, Jalan Pisang Barat, 93400, Kuching, Sarawak Kuching Sarawak 93150
175, Second Floor, Jalan Song Thian Cheok Kuching Sarawak 93100
Synergy Square, No. 693, Ground Floor, Lot 679, Jalan Matang Kuching Sarawak 93050
No. 13 2Nd Floor Jln P Ramlee 93400 Kuching Sarawak Kuching Sarawak 93400 |
Click for Dutch page (Nederlands)
Menu of Special massages
Read Maryanne client reports
The Maryan menu includes:
1) Massage by Maryanne
2) Four hands massage
3) Modeling in massage lessons (her body on massage table)
1) Massage by Maryan
Maryanne gives the following types of massage:
holistic body massage
shoulder, neck and back massage
hands and arm massage
Every type of massage may be applied in three strengths of touch: light, medium or strong.
Below a short example of Neck - Shoulder - Back massage, February, 2013.
2) Four hand massage with Maryan
Four hand massage can be given by Maryanne & Kees or by Maryanne & and a female massage colleage: Maryanne & Alya,
Holistic & relaxation may also be given in a four- hand massage. The synergy will more than double the healing effect for the client.
By paying attention to muscle tissue and relieving acid areas, Maryanne will help the client to return to their own balance.
3) Maryan on the massage table - being a nude model.
Maryan enjoys being a nude model, whan Kees is teaching, for lessons in holistic massage. She is good looking, open and relaxed about being nude at back side and front side. Please be aware: this is for lessons, not for sexual massage. In our tantra philosophy a naked human body may be seen and admired.
Structure of the Session
We welcome you to lay down. Initially the body may be fully covered with a cloth. The client will be partially covered during the session. We strive for a delicious touch. You will be laying like a prince on the massage table. We will massage your body from top to bottom, first the back and then the front.
After the pulsing session which lasts a few minutes we will treat one body part at the time. We enjoy massaging these body parts: in a table massage the head, neck, shoulders, back and the sides, arms and hands ; upper chest ; ribs, stomach, buttocks (if you wish), legs and last but not least, both feet.
Within a session of a good hour a choice is made by the client of the body parts mentioned above; this selection is geared both towards the situation and the needs of the one who gives and receives. Before starting we do appreciate a short talk and perhaps some loosening the muscles and grounding the body.
At the end of the session various parts of the body have been touched with energy and care; regaining the sense of unity of the body is reached by the repeated feathery light trace on the whole body of 'energizing finishing strokes'
Thus the whole session, includig a little talk beforehand, takes about a hour and a half to almost two hours.
Going to heaven with Alya & Maryanne
We believe that touch is a great gift between human beings. Massage works by means of the quiet, healing power of human touch. Touch forms the most direct contact without words between one person and the next - and it influences the wellbeing not only of the skin itself, but of the entire person. Massage has miraculous healing powers.
The one who receives massage and the one who gives massage are not just concerned with a small part of the anatomy, just an arm or a leg or a back, but they bring with them their totality as a human being. During the massage, both the one who gives and the one who receives, stand at the outer limit of the skin - the most sensitive and largest human organ - and thus at the outer limit of the physical self. At its very best, the massage session forms a platform of bliss in a world sometimes full of stress and pressure. Massage is living in quality time. The release of energies and endorphins will make you feel good for a long time. Come discover this for yourself.
Being Quiet and Trusting
Giving and receiving massage takes place in inner calmness and concentration on the basis of serenity and trust.
The massage which we give is slow ; it is called 'holistic' or 'intuitive'. It is applied with two full hands on the partner, and is aimed at relaxation and in the best of cases it may trigger - in the one who receives - an inner sensation of flow, peace, serenity and bliss. It is quite allright to enjoy and the human mind may soar as well. Our motivation is in the pleasure of giving and receiving.
We can also work side on two clients by side by placing two or three tables in our studio and massage a intimate couple or a group of friends in one session. Here Maryannena and Kees can both work their magic of touch and energy, and secretly switch tables a number of times mid-way.
We also offer 2 massages in the same room. Alya,
For a (married) couple - in all colour combinations and from heterosexual to gay - this double masseur bill may become a festive, radiating event, a true present to celebrate a milestone in the relationship.
About Maryanne: She is in her fourties but looks like being in her thirties. Great touch, deep feeling, calm nature, loving hands. Wonderful human being. She has a nice calm radiation.
Click for Dutch page (Nederlands)
You may call or mail me for finding out prices and dates.
A client introducing a new client will recive a E 10,- bonus.
Times: Availability most days and most nights, also weekend days. We will compare our agendas / notebooks to set the right date!
Center for Applied Massage Art - Kees Kaldenbach, firstname.lastname@example.org. Haarlemmermeerstraat 83 hs, 1058 JS Amsterdam (near Surinameplein, ring road exit s-106, tram 1 and 17). Telephone 020 669 8119; cell phone 06 - 2868 9775. Open seven days a week.
Masseur Kees Kaldenbach is collaborating with a number of masseurs and masseuses in Amsterdam. He is also active as a masseur in the finest and most luxurious hotels.
I give this massage at various addresses: at my home address (see above), or at your own home or at your hotel.
Lichaam & Ziel [Body & Soul] is registered at the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce
Update May 2016 |
HARMAN Enhances Coke Studio at MTV’s Live Performances
The series has gained massive popularity with more than 40 million viewers in the second season alone. This year, the season has pushed the envelope by providing leading-edge music that features world-renowned composer AR Rahman with top artists like Sivamani, Amit Trivedi, Clinton Cerejo and others for listeners across the globe. The iconic AR Rahman is a global endorsee for HARMAN’s JBL brand, and Sivamani is an AKG endorsee.
The show is being supported by India’s leading audio & music production company Flying Carpet Productions (FCP), the sonic architects and turnkey audio solutions provider. Led by Audio Director, Ashish Manchanda, the company has supported broadcast music formats like Coke Studio, MTV Unplugged and has mixed for movie soundtracks like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Dev D. In turn, the company collaborates with leading sound reinforcement provider SOUND.COM for The Coke Studio’s artist and production monitoring requirements at the shoot and during rehearsals. The MTV series also features Grammy™ Award winning engineer Stephen Fitzmaurice, who is leveraging his expertise from having worked with renowned artists like Seal and U2.
Commenting on the successful opening of Season 3 of Coke Studio at MTV, Ashish Manchanda, Audio Director & Engineer, FCP said, “With over 200 musicians and over 45 original songs, Season 3 of Coke Studio at MTV presents a plethora of musical flavors, enthralling audiences with unique combinations of music genres and versatile musicians. Thanks to the premium range of microphones & headphones by AKG and Soundcraft mixing consoles, we are able to capture life- like performances of the wonderful artists featured on the show- be it vocals or instruments. Considering the live nature of the program and the expectation for audio clarity, we are very pleased to collaborate with SOUND.COM. Their HARMAN Professional equipment deployed at the show has delivered flawless sound output, receiving very encouraging comments from the musicians and composers.”
SOUND.COM, with a track record of handling audio for some of the most illustrious live events in India, has provided the entire range of audio equipment and the backend support for the stage equipment setup along with RF technicians. For the demanding project, Ashish Manchanda along with Warren D’souza, Managing Director of SOUND.COM, decided upon the Soundcraft Vi 6 console for use at the audio mixing position along with a Soundcraft Vi1 as a sub-mixer for larger acts. JBL LSR 4328’s are in use for monitoring during recording. “Coke Studio at MTV is a testimonial to our company’s commitment to cult musical shows on television and the internet,” confirmed D’Souza. “We have the experience and equipment for the artists and producers to deliver successful productions that are enjoyed by the viewers. Our synergy with Flying Carpet Productions is a testimonial to our work on MTV Unplugged & Coke Studio and we will continue to deliver our best by exploiting technology to the limit.”
“The Vi6 console has a remarkably intuitive Vistonics interface which made it easy to handle almost 60 inputs on each episode of the show with relative ease,” noted Mark Thomas, Systems Engineer for the project. “We chose to work on the Soundcraft Vi6 this year due to its ViSi iPad app. During the recording sessions each musician in the house band was given control over his/her mix using the ViSi remote app on an iPad. This enabled them to tweak their mixes for every song, based on their individual requirements, while the engineer concentrated on handling the in-ear monitor mixes for the guest musicians and singers. The musicians were ecstatic about being able to control their own personal mixes with no learning curve. We used up to 12 iPads simultaneously on the Salim- Sulaiman episode, without a single re-sync issue or network glitch.”
“As far as monitoring is concerned for the series, the amount of inputs we had to cater to was challenging. The Soundcraft Vi6 definitely made life simple in terms of monitoring, having the flexibility to make all of the busses into auxiliaries as per the requirement of individual producers,” added Ezekiel Tyle, Monitoring Engineer for the show. It was an absolute pleasure to work on this board.”
For microphone technology, the show is outfitted with an assortment of AKG models including AKG DSR 700 V2 wireless systems, D7 and D5 microphones for back-up vocals. Other microphones such as C414’s for drum overheads and piano, and C451’s for cymbals and guitars have been deployed at the show. Both mics have been favorites on this show, with the C451 being the permanent microphone on the hi-hats due of its excellent HF reproduction. C414’s are used on everything from Percussion/Drum overheads to shakers and piano, whereas the AKG D 112 was chosen for its excellent fit with the low end of the Cajon, the kick, and the duff. For consistency, all artists on the show are using the AKG K171 MK II headphones.
“This association exemplifies HARMAN’s commitment to quality and our ability to deliver on any stage,” said Prashant Govindan, Director – India Operations, Harman Professional. “HARMAN’s AKG, Soundcraft and JBL products combined with the experienced professionals from Flying Carpet Productions & SOUND.COM, provided perfect and reliable sound for yet another successful edition of Coke Studio at MTV India.”
“We are very excited to be a part of the Coke Studio at MTV, India’s unique exploration of India’s rich musical landscape,” concluded Ankush Agarwal, Director – Marketing & Business Development, HARMAN Professional India.
HARMAN designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. The company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 14,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.3 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013. |
Zendesk: Zen-Like Customer Service And SupportMarch 14, 2011
by Michele Pepe-Warren
Have you started using social media to sell your products or services? If your answer is yes, you’re moving in the right direction. Here’s another question: Have you incorporated social media into your customer support strategy?
That is, do you monitor and respond to conversations about your company that are taking place at websites such as Twitter and Facebook? If you answered yes to both questions, you’re really ready to rock and roll. The reality is, SMBs can’t ignore social media anymore. What’s more, you need to leverage it in every area of your business, from networking and marketing to customer service and support.
If you are using social networking in the customer support arena, you may have heard of a company called Zendesk, which offers cloud-based help-desk software. Zendesk’s customer base is broad, including big players (think Groupon, MSNBC, and Twitter) and SMBs, which comprise about 50% of the San Francisco-based company’s 5,000-plus clients.
Zendesk delivers a cross-channel customer support solution. That means it doesn’t matter whether a customer calls Company X, sends an e-mail, or Tweets a friend about his displeasure with the vendor’s refund policy. All of those communication channels are tied together (presuming Company X uses Zendesk or a similar solution).
To exploit the natural synergy of smartphones and tablets with the cloud, first nail down solid mobile and cloud strategies.
Cloud and Mobile Computing: Better Together
“Quality of service is the No. 1 differentiator for businesses today,” says Zack Urlocker, COO of Zendesk. “You have to deliver service and support in multiple channels, on the customer’s terms. It’s so easy for the customer to go elsewhere.”
Urlocker offers a few tips to SMBs that want to stand apart from the pack when it comes to customer service and support:
-Deliver service to customers in the channels/media they want to use. In the old days, a customer who called a company’s support team and said they had already sent an e-mail would be told they had to start from square one because the company’s e-mail and phone systems were two separate, disconnected entities. Today it’s important to have a 360-degree view of all customer interactions. That applies to mobile devices as well. You should be able to offer customer support via an iPad, a BlackBerry, an Android phone, etc.
-Monitor social networks. Businesses need to monitor what people are saying about them at Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites. But they also need to move beyond monitoring and into engagement. Turn a Tweet into a trouble ticket. Address the author of a negative Facebook post and “make the conversation private,” Urlocker says. “Taking on the customer one-on-one—through an e-mail or a phone conversation, for example—allows you to address the customer’ specific concerns and turn a negative situation into a positive one.”
-Empower customer support personnel/teams. The faster you can respond to a customer’s concerns, the better. Allow customer service reps to take matters into their own hands by issuing a refund or giving out a coupon. Having to escalate a trouble ticket and move it endlessly up the chain of command just draws things out and can ultimately turn off the customer, Urlocker says.
For more on using social media for customer support, read “Being ‘Social’ With Customers: A Tricky Business,” a blog I posted in October 2010. |
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Brainstorming is a technique used to harness the power of a group to come up with creative solutions to a problem. There is actually very little strong evidence that it is an effective technique for generative ideas, either in terms of sheer quantity, or in terms of higher quality. Nonetheless, it remains to be very popular among businesses and creative personalities.
This process has probably existed for many years, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that it became popularized with the publication of a book written by Alex Osborn, an advertising executive, called Applied Imagination. After the book, the technique became incorporated into many business models as a way to come up with huge amounts of ideas, the hope being that out of that quantity would come at least one or two exceptionally strong ideas. The technique was particularly popular in the advertising world, and from there made its way into other group businesses.
There are four main principles in brainstorming: acceptance, quantity, outside-the-box thinking, and combinatory thinking. Each of these is thought to encourage a group synergy that will produce ideas that wouldn’t be arrived at by individuals thinking on their own. In recent years, as critique of the process has increased, some alternative theories have begun to appear, but for the most part this four-part model remains dominant.
Acceptance of ideas is a cornerstone of this process. The general idea is that the critical process is put on hold during the brainstorming process. There are no stupid ideas during a session, allowing people to bring up ideas they otherwise might be embarrassed or hesitant to bring up. Members of the group are free to add their own thoughts, but it is important these be entirely positive, with any critique saved for after the session itself.
Sheer quantity is another key thought in this technique. Since one of the primary goals is to come up with something innovative, it is thought that the odds of hitting on such a remarkable idea are increased by increasing the output of ideas. The adage quantity breeds quality is often used to describe this key point.
Outside of the box thinking is also very encouraged during a brainstorming session. Often the most successful ideas, particularly in marketing, are completely innovative and unexpected. The search for these ideas is more difficult using traditional methods, since the ideas are very rarely able to be reduced to a simple formula. By encouraging unusual ideas, the potential to arrive on dynamic new concepts is thought to be greater than otherwise.
Lastly, brainstorming relies on a group dynamic, in which ideas are combined and improved by others in the group. The thought is that by taking a number of strong ideas, a truly exceptional idea can be arrived at. The adage 1+1=3 is often used to illustrate this idea.
Usually a session has a chairman, who lays out the ground rules and presents the problem for which solutions are sought. Ideas are then generated by the group, and either cast aside, improved, or combined with other ideas. The final list of ideas is then used by a later group, either as a jumping off point for further brainstorming, or as a list from which to cull ideas for final implementation.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK! |
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International Journal of Hypertension
Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 842827, 9 pages
Strategies Aimed at Nox4 Oxidase Inhibition Employing Peptides from Nox4 B-Loop and C-Terminus and p22phox N-Terminus: An Elusive Target
1Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, 12th Floor BST, 200 Lothrop Street, Pitsburgh, PA 15261, USA
2Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, 13th Floor BST, 200 Lothrop Street, Pitsburgh, PA 15261, USA
Received 21 December 2012; Accepted 10 February 2013
Academic Editor: Nicolas Federico Renna
Copyright © 2013 Gábor Csányi and Patrick J. Pagano. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Although NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) is the most abundant Nox isoform in systemic vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells, its function in the vascular tissue is not entirely known. The literature describes a pathophysiological role for Nox4 in cardiovascular disease; however, some studies have reported that it has a protective role. To date, specific Nox4 inhibitors are not available; hence, the development of a pharmacologic tool to assess Nox4’s pathophysiological role garners intense interest. In this study, we selected peptides corresponding to regions in the Nox4 oxidase complex critical to holoenzyme activity and postulated their utility as specific competitive inhibitors. Previous studies in our laboratory yielded selective inhibition of Nox2 using this strategy. We postulated that peptides mimicking the Nox4 B-loop and C-terminus and regions on inhibit Nox4 activity. To test our hypothesis, the inhibitory activity of Nox4 B-loop and C-terminal peptides as well as N-terminal peptides was assessed in a reconstituted Nox4 system. Our findings demonstrate that Nox4 inhibition is not achieved by preincubation with this comprehensive array of peptides derived from previously identified active regions. These findings suggest that Nox4 exists in a tightly assembled and active conformation which, unlike other Noxes, cannot be disrupted by conventional means.
NADPH-oxidase- (Nox-) derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a central role in the destruction of pathogenic organisms by phagocytes. The phagocyte Nox complex is composed of flavocytochrome b558, an integral membrane heterodimer composed of (a.k.a. Nox2) and , four cytoplasmic protein subunits, , , , and the regulatory low molecular weight GTPase Rac. In resting phagocytes, the Nox enzyme is in a dormant state. Upon activation, the cytosolic Nox subunits translocate to Nox2 and followed by the transfer of one electron from NADPH to molecular oxygen, resulting in the formation of superoxide anion () and microbicidal activity .
Nox2 is also expressed in cells other than phagocytes, [2, 3] and excessive ROS generation by nonphagocytic Nox2 contributes to a wide variety of disorders [3–5]. Over the past decade since the discovery of Nox2 homologs Nox1, Nox3, Nox4, Nox5, DUOX1 and DUOX2 , interest has greatly increased in Nox enzymes and the development of isoform-specific Nox inhibitors. Although numerous chemical compounds have been shown to inhibit Nox enzymes, none of these to our knowledge is specific for one isoform [6, 7]. Importantly, rationally designed, sequence-specific peptide-based inhibitors have the potential to be among the most selective and effective inhibitors of Nox because of their potential to selectively target unique protein interactions within the enzyme. A previous study by our group demonstrated that a peptide sequence mimicking amino acids 86–94 in the first intracellular loop of Nox2 (B-loop) specifically inhibits Nox2 activation in vitro [8, 9]. The effectiveness of this peptide to inhibit ROS production in vivo has been widely shown, and has led to its wide use in numerous studies [10–15]. To date, peptidic inhibitors have been reserved for Nox2; that is, no prior studies tested whether inhibition of other homologs can be achieved by this strategy.
Nox4 is the most abundant Nox isoform in endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and the kidney [16, 17], but it is also expressed in the heart, central nervous system, airways, and skeletal muscle . Animal and human studies have shown that Nox4 plays an important role in the pathophysiology of a wide variety of disorders, including systemic hypertension , diabetes mellitus , vascular injury , atherosclerosis , ischemic stroke , pulmonary fibrosis , and diabetic nephropathy . Collectively, these data suggest that Nox4 oxidase is a major contributor to oxidative stress in these pathologic conditions, and blocking the undesirable actions of Nox4 could become a therapeutic strategy to attenuate oxidative stress in patients with these disorders. Unlike other Nox isoforms, numerous studies have also described that Nox4 is involved in a variety of physiological processes, including cell differentiation, survival, and migration [16, 25–27]. Moreover, a few studies have reported that Nox4 has a protective role in cardiovascular tissue, although this is still somewhat controversial [19, 28, 29]. Presently, no specific inhibitors of Nox4 (small molecule or peptidic) are available to the scientific community to elucidate the pathophysiological and/or physiological roles of Nox4.
Nox4 oxidase is a unique Nox isozyme as it differs from the usual model of multimeric Nox assembly found in Nox1, Nox2, and Nox3. Indeed, Nox4 does not require interaction with any of the conventional cytosolic Nox subunits for ROS generation and the membrane-bound subunit is, to date, the only known classical subunit associated with Nox4. Recently, Poldip2 has been described as a modulator of Nox4 ; however, in this study we aimed to target the core of the enzyme.
A previous study reported that mutagenesis of arginine residues in the Nox4 B-loop impedes activity of Nox4 . Moreover, it was suggested that the B-loop of Nox4 serves as a binding sequence facilitating interaction of C-terminal NADPH-binding domain of Nox4 with its membrane-spanning region . In addition, deletion of the first 11 amino acids at the N-terminus completely abrogated Nox4 activity . These data suggest that interaction of Nox4 B-loop with the C-terminal domain as well as association of Nox4 with the N-terminus of is important for Nox4 activity. We postulated that recombinant excess of Nox4 B-loop and key N-terminal peptide mimics would disrupt intramolecular B-loop-C-terminal and Nox4- interactions, respectively, leading to inhibition of Nox4-derived ROS production. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether targeting the Nox4 B-loop and C-terminal domain with sequential 15-mer and nonamer peptide sequences disrupts their interaction and inhibits Nox4 activity. In the present study, N-terminal tail peptides were also tested for their ability to inhibit Nox4 activity.
2. Materials and Methods
Catalase, diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). Amplex Red was purchased from Invitrogen (Eugene, OR, USA). Protease inhibitor cocktail was purchased from Roche Diagnostics GmbH (Mannheim, Germany). All peptides were synthesized by the Tufts University Core Facility (Boston, MA, USA). The purity of peptides was over 97%. Since the current studies were carried out using COS-Nox4 cell lysates, it is important to note that the peptides used in this study did not require chimeric design containing tat peptide for cell permeation.
2.1. Cell Lines and Cell Culture
COS-22 cells (COS-7 cells stably expressing human ) were kindly provided by Dr. Mary C. Dinauer (Indiana University, School of Medicine) . COS-22 cells were maintained in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (Mediatech, Inc., Manassas, VA, USA) with 4.5 g/L glucose, L-glutamine, and sodium pyruvate containing 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS), 100 units/mL penicillin, and 100 μg/mL streptomycin.
2.2. Plasmid Preparation, Amplification, and Purification
Plasmid encoding full-length human cDNAs for Nox4 (pcDNA3-hNox4) was kindly provided by Dr. David Lambeth (Emory University, GA) . For human Nox4 expression, the BglII/NotI restriction fragment from the pcDNA3-hNox4 was subcloned into the plasmid pcDNA3.1/Hygro(−) (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) to generate pcDNA3.1/Hygro-hNox4. The fragment sequence, in-frame insertion, and orientation were validated by DNA sequencing after PCR amplification. pcDNA3.1/Hygro-hNox4 was amplified into Escherichia coli strain TOP10 (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) and purified with a QIA filter plasmid purification kit (QIAGEN Inc., Valencia, CA).
Cell transfection was carried out using Lipofectamine LTX and Plus reagent (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA), according to the manufacturer’s instructions. COS-22 cells were transiently transfected with pcDNA3.1/Hygro-hNox4 (COS-Nox4 cells). Western blot experiments were performed to validate the expression of Nox4 as we reported previously . Twenty-four hours after transfection, cells were harvested by incubating with 0.05% trypsin/EDTA for 5 min at 37°C. Following addition of DMEM/10% FBS to neutralize the trypsin, the cells were pelleted by centrifugation at 1000 g for 5 min at 4°C and used for the experiments.
2.4. Hydrogen Peroxide- (H2O2-) Generating Activity
H2O2 production was quantified in lysed COS-Nox4 cells as described previously . It is important to note that COS-Nox4 cells do not produce . COS-Nox4 and COS-22 cells were suspended to a concentration of 5 × 107 cells/mL in ice-cold disruption buffer (PBS containing 0.1 mM EDTA, 10% glycerol, protease inhibitor cocktail, and 0.1 mM PMSF). The cells were lysed by five freeze/thaw cycles and passed through a 30-gauge needle five times to further lyse the cells. Throughout all these procedures, extreme care was taken to maintain the lysate at a temperature close to 0°C. Incubation of COS-Nox4 cell lysate (10 μg/100 μL) with peptides was performed in assay buffer (25 mM Hepes, pH 7.4, containing 120 mM NaCl, 3 mM KCl, 1 mM MgCl2, 25 μM FAD, 0.1 mM Amplex Red, and 0.32 U/mL of HRP) for 15 or 60 min at room temperature on an orbital shaker (120 movements/min), before the addition of 36 μM NADPH, to initiate H2O2 production. This relatively low concentration of NADPH was used because it was found that higher concentrations interfered with Amplex Red fluorescence. Fluorescence measurements were made using a Biotek Synergy 4 Hybrid Multi-Mode Microplate Reader (excitation wavelength: 560 nm; emission wavelength: 590 nm). A standard curve of known H2O2 concentrations was developed using the Amplex Red assay (as per the manufacturer’s instructions) and was used to quantify H2O2 production in lysed COS-Nox4 cells. The reaction was monitored at room temperature for 40 min. The emission increase was linear during this interval. The rate of H2O2 production was interpolated from the standard curve and is nmol H2O2/min/mg protein. The effect of a peptide on Nox4-derived H2O2 production was expressed as percent inhibition of Nox4, which was calculated by considering H2O2 production by control mixtures in the absence of peptide as 100%.
2.5. Statistical Analysis
All results are expressed as means ± SEM. Significance of the differences was assessed by two-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post hoc test. was considered to be statistically significant.
3.1. Nox4 Catalytic Activity Is Not Inhibited by Preincubation with Nox4 B-Loop Peptides
The first intracellular loop of Nox4 (B-loop) is essential for catalytic activity, that is, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation, as previously demonstrated by point mutations targeting this region (Figure 1(a)) . Amino acid sequence alignment revealed three subregions of Nox B-loops where two conserved regions flank a highly variable central region (Figure 1(b)). The two flanking conserved regions are shared by all Nox isoforms, whereas the central region is variable across Nox isoforms . Previous data indicated that B-loop peptides bind to the C-terminal of the enzyme and that this interaction is important for activity . We postulated then that this interaction would be competitively blocked by peptides derived from the B-loop, as we showed for Nox2 . In the current study, peptide sequences derived from the variable and conserved regions of Nox4 B-loop were tested for their ability to inhibit Nox4 activity. As shown in Figure 1(c), the rate of H2O2 generation was significantly higher in COS-Nox4 cell lysates as compared with nontransfected controls, and ~90% of the Nox4-dependent activity was inhibited by the flavin-containing enzyme inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium (DPI; 50 μM). Detection of H2O2 was confirmed by inhibition of fluorescence with catalase (3000 U/mL). As demonstrated in Figure 1(d), peptide B90–98 (0.1–100 μM) did not inhibit Nox4-derived H2O2 production. As substitution of Arg-96 to glutamic acid previously resulted in almost complete loss of Nox4 activity , we tested whether the R96E mutant version of B90–98 (PSRRTRELL) is capable of inhibiting Nox4 activity. Similar to the wild-type peptide, the mutant peptide did not inhibit Nox4 activity (Figure 1(e)).
Mutation of Arg-84 to alanine on the N-terminal conserved Nox4 B-loop region and replacement of Ser-101 with acidic residues in the C-terminal Nox4 B-loop conserved region were previously shown to inhibit Nox4 . Thus, we tested whether inhibition of Nox4 activity can be achieved by proximal and distal Nox4 B-loop peptides. Our data demonstrated that preincubation of COS-Nox4 cell lysates with neither peptides B77–91, B82–96, nor B92–106 inhibited H2O2 production (Figure 1(f)).
3.2. Nox4 C-Terminal Tail Peptides Do Not Inhibit Nox4 NADPH Oxidase
A previous study demonstrated that the last 22 amino acids of the whole Nox4 protein are critical for catalytic activity (Figure 2(a)) . The presence of charged residues in this flexible region of Nox4 may suggest that electrostatic effects could promote interaction between the C-terminus and B-loop and/or . Thus, three overlapping octameric peptides (C555–562, C560–567, and C565–572) and a nonameric peptide (C570–578) were synthesized to cover the last 22 amino acids of Nox4, and these were tested for their ability to inhibit Nox4 activity. Application of these C-terminal tail peptides did not affect Nox4 activity (Figure 2(b)).
3.3. p22phox N-Terminal Tail Peptides Do Not Inhibit Nox4 NADPH Oxidase
Expression of is required for Nox4 activity, and, to date, is the only known classical core protein associated with Nox4 . Mutagenesis studies provided evidence that deletion of a large span of the C-terminus (terminal 130 amino acids) did not affect Nox4 activity . In contrast, deletion of the first 11 amino acids at the N-terminus attenuated Nox4 activity. Deletion of the first 5 amino acids did not affect Nox4 activity, suggesting that the N-terminal region of between amino acids 6 and 11 is sensitive to modification. A peptide sequence between amino acids 6 and 11 (p22 WT 6–11 (WAMWAN)) was thus synthesized and tested for its ability to inhibit Nox4 (Figure 3(a)). As demonstrated in Figure 3(b), peptide p22 WT 6–11 did not inhibit Nox4 activity. Mutation of tryptophans within this sequence to arginine (p22 W6/9R (RAMRAN)) also abolished Nox4 activity . Similar to the native peptide, the p22 W6/9R mutant did not inhibit Nox4-derived H2O2 production.
3.4. Increased Incubation Time and Temperature Do Not Facilitate Peptide-Induced Inhibition
Our data demonstrate that preincubation of COS-Nox4 cell lysates with Nox4 B-loop, Nox4 C-terminal tail, and N-terminal peptides for 15 min at 24°C did not inhibit Nox4 activity. To allow more time for the peptides to disrupt the targeted domain interactions, we increased incubation time up to 60 min. Our results demonstrated that none of the Nox4 B-loop, Nox4 C-terminal tail, and N-terminal peptides inhibit Nox4 activity after 60 min of incubation (data not shown). Moving to a new approach, we tested whether providing more kinetic energy, which we proposed to be more favorable for peptide interference with the tightly assembled conformation of Nox4, would facilitate peptide-induced inhibition. Thus, in an attempt to induce temporary perturbations in the structure of Nox4, these experiments were also performed at 37°C. Again, no inhibition of Nox4 was achieved (data not shown).
This is the first study to our knowledge that seeks to inhibit Nox4 using a peptidic strategy. Indeed, synthetic peptides mimicking key residues in Nox2, , , and Rac1 have been shown to interfere with the activation process of Nox2 and inhibit Nox2-derived production [8, 9, 40–43]. Those studies identified domains of functional importance in the assembly of Nox2 oxidase and provided key information about the transformation of the enzyme complex from the dormant, inactive conformation to its active state of the enzyme. Nox1, Nox3, and Duox require cytosolic subunits for activation, while Nox5 does not. Nox4, with , appears to constitutively generate H2O2 without the requirement of activating cytosolic subunits, with the exception of Poldip2 . With a desire to target the core of the enzyme, the present study was designed to (a) target multiple residues in the Nox4 sequence with the purpose of determining whether prior information gleaned from mutational studies [32, 33] translates to the potential for peptide mimics disrupting key intramolecular interactions for Nox4 activity and (b) develop isoform-specific peptidic Nox4 inhibitors using such findings.
Previous studies showed that multiple residues in the B-loop and the C-terminal end are critical for the catalytic activity of Nox4 [32, 37]. A recent study using fluorescence polarization demonstrated binding between the Nox4 B-loop and Nox4 dehydrogenase domain and showed that this interaction is weakened by mutation of arginine residues in the B-loop variable region . With this in mind, in the current study, we tested whether application of a peptide mimic (B90–98) from the variable region of Nox4 B-loop interferes with the activity of Nox4. An important premise for this work was our previous findings illustrating that mimicking the corresponding B-loop region in Nox2, known as Nox2ds, selectively and potently inhibits Nox2-derived production . We went on to provide evidence that Nox2ds, but not its scrambled control, acts as a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme. The theory then for this study was that these B-loop peptides would likewise act as competitive inhibitors of previously proposed key intramolecular interactions occurring between domains of Nox4. Surprisingly, peptide B90–98 up to 100 μM did not inhibit Nox4-derived H2O2 production as measured by Amplex Red fluorescence. Incidentally, Amplex Red was chosen as the most logical method for detecting H2O2, which is widely considered the primary Nox4 product .
Next, in the interest of pursuing a comprehensive approach to these studies, we progressed to testing whether peptides derived from the conserved regions of Nox4 B-loop were capable of inhibiting Nox4. We found that incubation of COS-Nox4 cell lysates with mimics of the N- and C-terminal conserved B-loop regions (B77–91, B82–96, and B92–106) did not inhibit activity. With these results, we postulated that a B-loop peptide mimic might instead be replicating a normal intrinsic function of the B-loop. For this reason, we tested whether peptide B90–98 mutated at residue 96 (R96E), which previously was identified to be critical for Nox4 activity , inhibits Nox4-derived H2O2 production. We postulated that this mutated peptide could act as a dominant negative in that regard. Similar to the wild-type peptide, the mutant peptide did not inhibit Nox4-derived H2O2 production. One possible explanation for the lack of effect could have been that a multidimensional intramolecular interaction of the enzyme is at play, and thus targeting only one region could be insufficient to interfere with enzymatic activity. A second possibility is that Nox4 exists in a tightly assembled conformation and its unique tertiary structure permits an active electron transferring arrangement that cannot be disrupted by targeting discrete binding sites with either the native or mutant peptide.
A previous study demonstrated that a C-terminal region downstream of the NADPH-binding motif is important for Nox4, but not Nox2, activity . With further analysis, von Löhneysen et al. identified the last 22 amino acids of Nox4 as essential to activity of the isozyme. Based on these data, we postulated that small peptides targeting this more flexible region would inhibit Nox4 activity. To test the hypothesis, sequential octameric and nonameric peptides were synthesized to encompass the last 22 amino acids of Nox4 and tested for their ability to inhibit Nox4. Likewise, our data demonstrate that none of these C-terminal tail peptides inhibited Nox4 activity. Taken together, these data appear to suggest that Nox4 exists in a tightly assembled, active conformation, thus explaining why peptides targeting intramolecular interactions of the enzyme are not able to interfere with its activity. This observation would be consistent with the reported constitutive and high capacity Nox4 activity.
Shifting to a new approach, we tested whether small peptides targeting the Nox4- intermolecular interaction could inhibit Nox4. A previous study showed that a peptide (175–194) derived from inhibits ROS production by Nox2 . Subsequent studies by Dahan et al. using peptide walking identified domains throughout the protein sequence (9–23, 31–45, 47–61, 85–99, and 113–127) that are important for Nox2 activity . It is, however, completely unknown whether introduction of peptides can disrupt Nox4- interaction and inhibit Nox4-derived H2O2 production. Importantly, a large part of the C-terminus does not seem to be important for Nox4 activity as deletion of amino acids up to and including the last 130 amino acids does not affect Nox4 activity . Thus, targeting the C-terminal domain of is not likely to inhibit Nox4 activity. In contrast, deletion of the first 11, but not the first 5, amino acids at the N-terminus reportedly abolished Nox4-derived H2O2 production . This suggested to us that the N-terminal region of between amino acids 6 and 11 might be sensitive to intervention. We targeted this region using a peptide sequence between amino acids 6 and 11 (p22 WT 6–11 (WAMWAN)) and measured Nox4-derived H2O2 production. Once again, the data demonstrated that p22 WT 6–11 did not inhibit Nox4 activity. We next considered previous work showing that mutation of tryptophans within this region to charged residues, such as arginine, abolished Nox4 activity . Thus, in an attempt to mimic this inactive catalytic site, we tested whether the W6/9R mutant version of p22 6-11 (p22 W6/9R) could inhibit Nox4 activity. Similar to the wild-type peptide, the mutant peptide did not inhibit Nox4-derived H2O2 production.
As we observed, preincubation of COS-Nox4 cell lysates with Nox4 B-loop, Nox4 C-terminal tail, and N-terminal peptides for 15 min at 24°C did not inhibit H2O2 production. To allow more time for the peptides to disrupt the targeted domain interactions, the incubation time was increased up to 60 min. Notably, previous studies illustrate that 60 min is more than sufficient to inhibit Nox activity . In our hands, 60 min incubation did not reveal inhibitory activity. To go one step further, these experiments were performed at 37°C in an attempt to increase access and likelihood of interaction of peptides with the Nox4 complex. Again, no inhibition of Nox4 was achieved using these peptides. Our data suggest that alternative strategies to improve access or penetrability of peptides into the Nox4- complex may be necessary to achieve inhibition of Nox4.
In conclusion, our findings suggest that the Nox4- complex is unperturbed by a wide array of rationally selected peptide mimics. This is not to say that other to-date unidentified active regions of the enzyme could not eventually be devised as inhibitors. Moreover, a more comprehensive study using peptide walking of the entire Nox4 protein could be warranted. It is also plausible that various combinations of peptide mimics may be effective. This is currently an area of active investigation in our laboratory. That notwithstanding, it is our tentative conclusion that the tightly assembled Nox4 complex creates a formidable barrier to peptidic interference and thus greater access could be viewed as the sine qua non of these strategies. In that vein, we are actively pursuing other strategies to temporarily improve access (unfolding) or penetrability of peptides into the Nox4 complex. Application of peptidic inhibitors targeting domain interactions of Nox4 while in the endoplasmic reticulum (before its native folding is complete or associates with ) may be another viable strategy. Of course, small molecule inhibitors that specifically target the above-identified interactions are likely to elude limitations of access and are currently a focus of intense interest in our laboratory.
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that they have no conflict of intrests.
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grants R01HL079207 and P01HL103455-01, by the American Heart Association Fellowship 10POST3030009 (GC), and by an Established Investigator Award (PJP). The study was supported by the Institute for Transfusion Medicine and the Hemophilia Center of Western Pennsylvania.
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By Stacey Morris/Women@Work
Even to those who’ve never been, the Lone Star state tends to bring to mind Wild West images of dusty cattle ranches and 10-gallon hats. And while Texas still has plenty of both, it’s wise to check your stereotypical expectations at the door when visiting San Antonio. The largest city in south Texas is an urban landscape that brims with modernism, even as it pays homage to an ancient heritage. You’ll find no shortage of galleries, high-end shopping, and fine dining in this southwestern metropolis, as well as plenty of pre-colonial history to be culled from museums and famous sites such as The Alamo, the state’s literal shrine to liberty and martyrdom.
Throughout San Antonio are tributes to both proud patriotism and the region’s reverence of Mexican culture, whose influences are vibrantly woven into everything from Tejano music to Mission-style hotels to the aromatic tamales sold from sidewalk pushcarts. San Antonio experienced a significant growth spurt when it hosted the World’s Fair in 1968, and a fleet of new hotels were built along the River Walk. Since then, the River Walk has become one of the top attractions in the state.
An added bonus: San Antonio is surrounded by the pastoral setting of the Texas Hill Country, a serene region dotted with small towns that exude a Mayberry-like tranquility and welcome visitors with open arms. With outdoor parks including Sea World, Six Flags Fiesta, and Morgan’s Wonderland, San Antonio is a bona fide family destination. The luxury spas, five-star restaurants, and cozy Hill Country B&Bs also make it an alluring couples getaway. Summers are known to push the mercury (and humidity) off the charts, but San Antonio winters and springs are balmy and pleasant, with temperatures averaging in the 50s and 60s during January and February. Here are some of the best reasons it’s a bucket-list-worthy vacation spot:
The River Walk
849 East Commerce St., San Antonio
This colorful and famous network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River is lined with hotels, galleries and restaurants galore. The paved walkways stretch on both sides of the river for approximately five miles and connect major tourist draws such as the Alamo, Arneson River Theater, La Villita, Pearl Brewery and the San Antonio Museum of Art. One popular focal point along the way is the Rivercenter Mall, which contains department stores, boutiques, restaurants, a comedy club and an IMAX theater. This urban riverside city park is so unique, couples flock on a regular basis to tie the knot on the River Walk’s Marriage Island. For more information on booking a wedding on the island, call (210) 207-7275.
200 East Grayson, San Antonio
This 22-acre jewel in the center of the city could arguably be the most creative use of an empty factory ever. The brewery was in operation (under several different owners) since 1881. When production stopped permanently in 2001, the facility wasn’t dormant for long. That same year an investment company purchased the plant and surrounding buildings to create a multi-sensory experience for residents and tourists that’s both a culinary and cultural destination.
After an extensive renovation, Pearl’s first tenant, the Aveda Institute, opened its doors in 2006, followed by restaurants, a year-round farmers market on Saturdays, and the nation’s third campus of the Culinary Institute of America. The CIA San Antonio Branch offers culinary arts programs that center around traditional Latin American cuisine, with a special focus on the region’s cultural heritage. But you don’t have to be an aspiring chef to take classes. Foodies and weekend gourmets can enroll in the Food Enthusiast programs and study a theme (comfort foods, desserts, wine lovers) for an afternoon or weekend. Chefs and students at the CIA also do weekly cooking demonstrations at the Saturday farmers market. New to the CIA is the student-operated NAO restaurant, whose menu weaves traditional Latin flavors with the latest culinary trends.
The property features five other restaurants, including an upscale oyster bar, five-star Italian restaurant, and a bakery. Also on the Pearl Brewery campus: Pearl Stable, a venue hall at the grand stables that once housed the brewery’s draft horses; Synergy Studio, a yoga and fitness center; a book store; sporting goods store; and Melissa Guerra, the popular kitchen retail store named after its owner who is also a celebrated cookbook author. Her latest release, Dishes From the Wild Horse Desert, was nominated for a James Beard award. Throughout the year are annual food festivals and cook-offs, including the Paella Challenge, slated for March. Check website for dates: www.paellachallenge.com.
300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio
History buffs will love stepping back in time at the world-famous mission where a band of Texans held out for 13 days against the Centralist Army. The deaths of the defenders on March 6, 1836, has become a symbol of the ultimate sacrifice for liberty. Located on Alamo Plaza not far from the River Walk, the four-acre complex is the site of a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution and is visited by thousands each year. The campus includes the mission-shrine, Long Barrack Museum, and gift museum, as well as gardens.
BEST FAMILY ATTRACTIONS
10500 Sea World Drive, San Antonio
The place where penguins, sea lions, Beluga whales and dolphins can be viewed in surroundings that mimic their natural habitat. There are also special exhibits such as Alligator Alley, Penguin Encounter, and Sharks and Coral Reefs. Sea World also offers educational programs, live shows like Sesame Street’s Lights, Camera, Imagination, and amusement rides including Journey to Atlantis, Shamu Express, and Steel Eel. The park is closed in January and reopens weekends only February through Memorial Day. After Memorial Day, Sea World is open seven days a week through Labor Day.
The San Antonio Children’s Museum
305 East Houston St., San Antonio
The museum has three floors of interactive exhibits for ages two through 10, designed to spark children’s imaginations and engage them in the creative arts and early literacy. Along with revolving exhibits, the museum has three permanent exhibits: the Kids’ Market, an interactive grocery store where kids can learn about food and nutrition; Powerball Hall, a gravity-defying ball exhibit where colored balls, pulleys, gears, and launchers teach kids science principles in a fun way; and The Tot Spot, a soft play zone for visitors up to 36 months.
5223 David Edwards Drive, San Antonio
This family-style amusement park opened nearly three years ago and was designed to accommodate those with special needs, as well as their families, friends and caretakers. Founder and San Antonio native Gordon Hartman designed the park with one specific mission: that all who enter enjoy the common element of play in an atmosphere of inclusion. Attractions include wheelchair-accessible swings, Pirate Island Playground and Garden, the Starlight Amphitheater, Off-Road Adventure Track, a fishing wharf, and wheelchair-accommodating rides such as the carousel and the Wonderland Express and Depot. Closed January and February.
BEST PLACES FOR COUPLES
Just a 20-minute drive from San Antonio, Boerne is a laid-back historic community settled by German immigrants in 1849. It sits in the middle of Texas Hill Country at a slightly higher elevation than San Antonio, so temperatures are a few degrees cooler and life is lived at a more relaxed pace. You can still find upscale shopping, fine dining, and a vibrant arts scene, the centerpiece of which are Boerne’s Second Saturday Art & Wine nights. The town’s eclectic collection of galleries roll out the red carpet for art lovers, with complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres. A free trolley service shuttles tour participants around town for the evening.
The Majestic Theatre
224 East Houston St., San Antonio
This multi-purpose performing arts theater in the heart of downtown was built in 1929 and is said to be one of the most ornate performance spaces in the country. The Majestic hosts everything from The San Antonio Symphony to Comedy Central comedians to revered crooners such as Tony Bennett. Upcoming events include Shatner’s World: We Just Live In It on Jan. 9; the San Antonio Symphony performing throughout January and February; and Memphis — The Musical in February.
Castle Rock Spa at The Westin La Cantera
The Westin La Cantera Hotel and Resort
16641 La Cantera Parkway, San Antonio
You don’t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy this world-class pampering emporium where services such as massage therapy, reflexology, aromatherapy, hydrating facials, warm oil scalp massage, citrus body scrubs, manicures and pedicures, and herbal body wraps are conducted in quiet, catacomb-like rooms glowing with candlelight. Spa visitors are encouraged to arrive early to indulge in the sauna, whirlpool, or darkened relaxation room prior to their services.
The Westin La Cantera Hotel and Resort
16641 La Cantera Parkway, San Antonio
This hilltop resort just outside the city is almost a destination in itself with a newly renovated campus that includes seven restaurants, a spa, fitness center, hiking trails, par-72 golf course, and five pools. The resort’s main building contains more than 500 guest rooms and suites, and is constructed of stone from a limestone quarry at the edge of the Texas Hill Country. The property also has ten private “casitas,” secluded villas with their own pool and hot tub, fireplaces, and extra guest rooms. Just a shuttle ride away is The Shops at La Cantera, a retail Mecca that includes Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Co., Nordstrom, Burberry, and Hugo Boss, among others.
Omni La Mansion del Rio Hotel
112 College St., San Antonio
Located on the historic River Walk, it offers proximity to the Alamo, El Mercado, and the Spanish Governor’s Palace. The three-story, four-diamond hotel blends Spanish Colonial architecture with European style. The hotel is 100 percent non-smoking and is said to have the best handcrafted margaritas on the River Walk.
Francesca’s at Sunset
The Westin La Cantera Resort
Fine dining South Texas-style. The resort’s most elegant restaurant gets its name from the swath of plate-glass windows facing west that offer diners an eagle-eye vista of the sun setting over San Antonio. Chef Todd Berry works with the nearby Uncertain Farms to tailor an ever-changing farm-to-table menu such as the Corn Crepe Lobster Enchilada and the Texas Boar with Caramelized Pumpkin, paired with Francesca’s award-winning wine list.
Il Sogno Osteria
200 East Grayson St., Pearl Brewery, San Antonio
The brainchild of Chef Andrew Weissman, a four-time James Beard Award nominee, this restaurant is anything but just another italian restaurant. Located on the Pearl Brewery campus, Weissman turns out classic fare usually found at trattorias in Rome and Florence. Favorites include Penne Arrabiata e Calemare and White Bean Puree with Focaccia. Try Weissman’s famous chocolate-hazelnut creation, the Tortino alla Nutella for dessert.
100 East Grayson, Pearl Brewery, San Antonio
A wonderland of Mexican cuisine that overlooks the San Antonio River, the restaurant was designed to resemble the brewery’s original ice house. Chef Johnny Hernandez presides over a menu that celebrates the earthy and diverse street foods of Mexico with creations like Torta Ahogado de Carnitas (slow-cooked pork in chipotle) and Ceviche Estilo Nayarit (cucumbers, onions, and Serrano chiles).
WHEN TO VISIT
Try to avoid: Visiting San Antonio in June through August, when temperatures average in the mid to high 90s.
Best time to visit: Spring and fall are ideal climate-wise, with temperatures averaging in the 70s.
For more information on San Antonio, visit www.visitsanantonio.com, or call (800) 447-3372. |
In what may be the biggest game changer in Asian MMA history, Singapore based upstart promotion One FC has recently announced a major partnership with over 15 smaller promotions spanning from Australia to India. One FC, who you might remember held a rather successful inaugural event back in September, released a list of the organizations they had gained exclusive partnerships with in a recent statement:
URCC (Philippines), Cage Fighting Championship (Australia), ROAD Fighting Championship (Korea), DARE Championship (Thailand), Team Lakay Wushu (Philippines), Tiger Muay Thai and MMA (Thailand), Tigers Gym (India), Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (Singapore), Legacy Gym (Thailand), Tough MMA (Taiwan), Synergy Jiu-Jitsu (Indonesia), Juggernaut FC (Singapore), Fightworks Asia (Singapore), PAK MMA (Pakistan), Team Force (Korea), MuayFit (Malaysia), Leverage MMA (Malaysia)
Aside from this list, CEO/Owner Victor Cui announced that they would be adding 23 more gyms and promotions to their network in the following weeks in an effort to “unify Asian MMA and to build the sport that we all love dearly.” Cui continued:
With today’s announcement, many of the top MMA organizations and gyms in Asia have joined hands. These strong partnerships will help to accelerate the development of Asian fighters and the sport of MMA in the region. Asian fighters need platforms to gain invaluable experience and to showcase their skills to the world.
Damn, playa. DW would be proud.
Since the fallout of Pride, there is little denying that the opportunities for Asian mixed martial artists have shrank considerably. Under this new deal, any fighter signed under One FC will be able to compete under 5 different smaller banners (Cage Fighting Championships, Road FC, URCC and Dare Championships) for the opportunity to be called up to OneFC based on their performances, in turn allowing One FC to promote upwards of 30 events in 2012.
And, proving the theory that people on that side of the world simply work more efficiently than us, One FC has already announced three events to transpire across three countries in 2012. Though no fights have been announced, the first event will take place on February 11th in Kelapa Gading Sports Mall in Jakarta, Indonesia. The second, at the 12,000 capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31st. The third, will be the first ever major MMA event held in Malaysia, and will go down at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur on April 27th.
With the DREAM promotion currently hovering between “sporadic” and “possibly going under”, it is great to see that there is hope for the face of Asian MMA, and with a CEO as ambitious as Cui, it seems the sky is the limit for One FC. |
Research paper, 2009, 44 Pages
2. Objectives and Problem Definition
4. Canon: Strategy Analysis and Evaluation of a Diversified Company
4.1 Analysis of the external environment
4.1.1 Dominant Economic Features in the Electronics Industry
4.1.2 Analysis of the Competitive Forces in the Industry Segments Business Machines, Cameras and Opticals
4.1.3 Drivers of Industry Change
4.1.4 Key Success Factors
4.2 Canon Inc.: Key Markets & Key Products
4.2.1 Key Markets
4.2.2 Portfolio, Key products
4.3 Canon’s Financial Performance in Comparison to the Main Competitors
4.4 Canon: SWOT Analysis
4.4.5 Hewlett-Packard: SWOT Analysis
4.5 Canon – Strategy Evaluation of a diversified company
4.5.1 Analysis of the Industry Attractiveness
4.5.2 Business-Unit competitive strength
4.5.3 Weighting and Scoring of Industry Attractiveness and Competitive Strength
4.5.4 Nine Cell Matrix - Results
4.5.5 Potential of Competitive Advantage by Cross Business Strategic Fits
4.5.6 Ranking Performance Prospects
4.5.7 Recommendation - Crafting New Strategic Moves
6 ITM Checklist: 360 Degree Analysis
In 1965 Canon Inc. started out as a company with a handful of employees and a great vision. Now it is a global multimedia corporation with the revenue of about 50 billion USD and 167 thousand employees. Although the company had a very strong financial performance and broad brand recognition over the last years, Canon is now facing an immense competition in all business unit segments. The current financial crisis and the forecasted decrease in demand for the office electronics market and for the photography market put additional strong pressure on the Japanese electronics giant. Falling prices in the camera segment and strong global competitors capable to operate at low costs make the operating environment very challenging and leads to price wars. New evolving trends such as tendency to the paperless status in offices and the capability of mobile phones to take pictures represent considerable threats for the company’s revenue. In order to outperform the competition the company should re-allocate its resources concentrating on the business units which are more attractive and less competitive. Canons business is spread up into two cash cows (Business Machines and Cameras) and one cash hog (Optical and other products) in the moment. With regard to the segment Optical and other products Canon can boost its performance when focusing its investment on the growing market of multimedia projectors. With regard to the segments which were very profitable over the last year, in light of the very intense competition, the company should take into account evolving trends and slowly move its resources from printers and copiers to full business solutions for offices which will become more profitable in long run.
Figure 1 Global Office Electronics Market Value and Market Share (DATAMONITOR,
Global Office Electronics - Industry Profile, 2009a)
Figure 2 Global Office Electronics Market Value and Market Share ( (DATAMONITOR,
Global Photographic Products - Industry Profile, 2009b, p. 13)
Figure 3 Market Competitors
Figure 4 Canon - Sales by Region (CanonInc, Annual Report 2008, 2008)
Figure 5 Business Machines Product Portfolio (Reuters, 2009)
Figure 6 Canon -Sales by Product (CanonInc, Annual Report 2008, 2008)
Figure 7 CanonIc. Profitability
Figure 8 Xerox: Profitability
Figure 9 HP: Profitability
Figure 10 Ricoh: Profitability
Figure 11 Nikon: Profitability
Figure 12 Canon: SWOT Analysis
Figure 13 HP - SWOT Analysis
Figure 14 Nine Cell Matrix - Evaluation Results
Figure 15 Canon - Nine Cell Matrix
Figure 16 Synergy Effects – Canon´s Business Units, derived from (Thompson/
Strickland/Gamble, 2008, p. 295) (green=good; yellow=sufficient; white=minor)
Figure 17 Canon: Suggested future development - Strengthening the LCD Business
The field of strategic management has offered a variety of frameworks and concepts during the last half century. The role of strategic management has been recognized as a crucial factor of success or failure in the international business.
In the following work, tools and analytical models of strategic management are applied to answer the question: has Canon Inc. any chance to beat its competitors is a highly competitive market? Canon Inc. is a global player which develops, produces and markets copying machines, printers, cameras, optical products and industrial equipment. Due to the immense competition in all fields of its operations Canon looks for possibilities to improve its competitive position and to become the world’s leading and most profitable provider in its industry and its segments.
Task of this assignment is it to provide an industry profile of Canon´s business units, to define segments and market conditions, to describe factors driving industry change and the competitive forces that are putting pressure on Canon Inc. The assignment is built on the recognition of the complexity of the company's external environment and Canon´s diversification strategy that targets to outperform the rivals. The strategy of Canon Inc will be analyzed and evaluated on the basis of financial data provided in the annual reports (20062008), press reports and market studies. In this context, strengths and weaknesses of the company are analyzed and it will be defined how and to which extent the external environment can represent threats and opportunities for the Japanese electronics giant. Under consideration of the above-indicated factors the assignment targets to answer the following questions: How can the company improve its competitive position in the industry? Is Canon’s diversification strategy sustainable? Which business should be invested in and which business should be divested?
The analysis of Canon’s strategy is based on primary and secondary research. The following sources of information are used in the assignment: annual reports of Canon and its competitors, press releases, industry interviews, consumer surveys, analyst reports, business information books and market research for specific industries. The data and information has been collected, analyzed and cross-checked, in order to obtain reliable data. Standardized market and financial definitions provide the basis for the analysis to ensure comparability of the findings. For the evaluation of the Canon's external environment and internal development such analytical tools of strategic management as the five forces model, SWOT analysis and the Nine Cell Matrix are applied.
The identification and evaluation of a company´s external competitive environment and the company´s internal capabilities is the starting point for the formulation of a business strategy. Knowledge about the competitive environment and the market forces that determine the shape of the industry is therefore essential (Thompson/ Strickland/Gamble, 2008, p. 51). Additionally, the company´s own strength and weaknesses have to be considered in this context, too. Based on these analyses, the management is able to form a competitive advantage by defining a strategy that goes hand in hand the firm´s situation and consequently boosts the performance of the business.
The analysis of the dominant economic features of an industry is essential for the creation of a general understanding for possible future moves of the competition within the industry. The Information Technology and Communications (ITC) (in concrete the global office electronics and photographic product market) is analyzed by the evaluation of the following environmental factors:
- Market Size and Growth
- Market Segmentation and Number of Buyers
- Number of Rivals
- Product Innovation
The analysis of Canon's market environment is based on the analysis of the ITC market that indicates the market volume and growth for business solutions as well as consumer electronics. This is reasoned by the fact that Canon offers business solutions as well as products for private customers.
The Information Technology and Communications market is resisting the financial crisis. The world wide IT- Investments will increase in 2009 despite the economic downturn to 983 billion Euro. The forecasted international growth rate for the IT market for 2009 was decreased by the international market research institute EITO by 1.7 per cent to 2.7 per cent (EITO, www.eito.com, 2008b), because of the crisis. The hardware market will grow by 1,3 per cent to a total volume of 305 billion Euro. "So far, the IT industry has navigated the economic storms with relative stability", said EITO chairman Bruno Lamborghini. This showed the increasing importance of information technology for business. "Modern IT systems", said Lamborghini, "lead to lower costs, promote innovations in products and processes, and are therefore an important instrument in managing the crisis." (EITO, www.eito.com, 2008a) Especially emerging markets like China, Russia and India boost the total IT expenditure, although these markets are still on a lower absolute level than in the leading industrial states. In the previous year the IT market was growing by:
17.8 percent to 39.1 billion Euro in China
17.2 percent to 18 billion Euro in India and
17.5 percent to 12.5 billion Euro in Russia
The EITO defines the ITC market by six segments:
- IT Equipment
- IT Services
- Carrier Services
The relevant segments for the analysis of Canon are defined by the IT market, focused on the IT equipment and its sub segments, the global office electronics market and the market for photographic products.
Global Office Electronics Industry
Between 2004 and 2008 the development of this market reduced its growth and is expected to further decelerate it within 2009. In 2008 the industry generated revenues of $ 120.2 billion having a compound annual growth rate of 3.7%. The performance of the market is forecasted to slowly gain growth towards 2013 with an anticipated compound annual growth rate of 2.7%. The most lucrative product segment in this market is the copier segment that accounted for 45.50% of total market volume in 2008 (Datamonitor 2009a, p. 7-8).
illustration not visible in this excerpt
Figure 1 Global Office Electronics Market Value and Market Share (DATAMONITOR, Global Office Electronics - Industry Profile, 2009a)
Hewlett-Packard is the market leader in the office imaging segment followed by Canon with a 15.4% market share and Ricoh Co Ltd. accounting for 9% of the global market.
Between 2004 and 2008 the global photographic industry market experienced a significant decrease and suffered under the economic crisis. The segment had a compound annual rate of change of -7.2% . However, up to 2013 the market performance is forecast to stabilize, although no growth can be expected. The predicted compound growth rate for the period 2008-2013 will reach only 1.1%. That means that by 2013 the market will shrink by 11% since 2008. In 2008 single used cameras generated 73.9% of the global revenues on the market and digital cameras accounted for 25.4 % of the global volume (DATAMONITOR, Global Photographic Products - Industry Profile, 2009b, p. 8).
illustration not visible in this excerpt
Figure 2 Global Office Electronics Market Value and Market Share ( (DATAMONITOR, Global Photographic Products - Industry Profile, 2009b, p. 13)
Canon generated 41.3% of the global photographic market value and is the absolute market leader in this business segment.
Summarizing it can be stated that the financial crisis affects the market for office electronics to a moderate extent, because the markets are still growing. On the other hand, it has to be considered that the market for consumer electronics cannot continue the enormous growth rates of the previous years, because private consumers tend to spend less money on consumer electronics in times of crisis. The market for digital cameras is shrinking. The global photographic products market shrank by 2.3% in 2008 to reach a volume of 581.8 million units. The compound annual rate of change of the market volume in the period 2004-2008 was -7.2% (DATAMONITOR, Global Office Electronics - Industry Profile, 2009a, p. 9).
The number of competitors in the office electronics and the market for digital camera as well as the market for optical products is enormous. The competitive landscape is characterized by various types of rivals. On the one hand companies have to compete with large enterprises that offer a widespread portfolio and on the other hand there are many highly specialized small firms that are trying to gain market shares. The main competitive elements are technology, quality, reliability, performance, price and customer service and support.
Canon’s Competitors in the relevant businesses (CanonInc, Annual Report 2008, 2008):
Business Machines Digital Cameras Optical and others
- Xerox Corporation/Fuji Xerox Co. Sony Corporation Nikon Corporation
- Ricoh Company Fujifilm ASML Holding N.V
- Konica Minolta Olympus Corporation
- Hewlett-Packard Company Nikon Corporation
- Lexmark International Inc. Casio Computer Co
- Seiko Epson Corporation Panasonic
illustration not visible in this excerpt
Figure 3 Market Competitors
The product lifecycles in the afore-mentioned industries are rather short. Independent from the segment the market participants face an intensified technological competition in terms of quality, functionality and effectiveness.
The continuously growing need for more efficient Office Imaging Systems and Computer Peripherals, as a part of cost saving strategies of the customer, enhances the innovation of new products. The Consumer electronic market continuously demands digital cameras that offer higher picture qualities and more functionality. Consequently the product lifecycles are limited to a few months. This circumstance goes hand in hand with high efforts in designing (R&D) and flexible sourcing. The majority of products in the photographic market are not very differentiated: products have similar features and are available at a very similar price level. This rather standardized selection of products is due to the consumer behavior. The average end-consumer can be characterized as “snap shooter” who has normally no idea about specific features and is not interested in them. Such consumers very often buy on impulse. Therefore, the most important differentiation factors in the consumer electronics goods industry are the brand value and the quality as a major driver of the brand value. Overall target is it to bind customers in the long-term, in order to profit from a sustainable relationship (re-buys/ customer retention) (G. Hofbauer C. H., 2005, p. 31). All manufacturers focus the strengthening of the brand by offering high quality products, special customer services and supporting marketing campaigns.
The differentiation strategies in the office electronics market focus, as well as in the consumer electronics market, the establishment of a strong brand. In contrast to the consumer market, major drivers in the Business to Business Market (B2B Market) are the quality, the functionality, effectiveness and the potential for future savings. Style obviously plays a subordinate role in the B2B market. In the B2B market the customer retention and satisfaction plays a significant role, because of the gathering of business references and the potential for the supplier to increase the realized volumes with the satisfied customer.
The five forces model is applied in order to identify and to evaluate the principal competitive pressures in a specific industry. The assessed forces have to be weighted according to their impact on the degree of competition. Finally, the overall attractiveness in terms of profitability of the industry is evaluated.
The business fields in which Canon operates are characterized by a high degree of rivalry
because of the following factors:
- Financial crisis enhances price wars
- Shrinking profit margins
- Short innovation cycles
The continuous and rapid introduction of new products and product collections is a typical indicator for intense rivalry. All market participants are forced to adapt their product innovation lifecycle to the market requirements, therefore for instance new digital cameras are launched two to four times a year. Competitors that fail the regular introduction of products cannot keep track with the market and the business rivals. In the B2B business the rivalry is characterized by an enormous need for innovation. Only the most efficient and price attractive products can compete in the moment, because of the financial crisis.
Next to short innovation cycles, the need for differentiation plays an important role. Although digital cameras are differentiated by functional attributes, quality and design, the product offer is quite standardized especially in the important recreation-user sectors. Such a low level of diversification increases the rivalry between the competitors. The consumer electronics market is stagnating combined with a shrinking profitability, because of aggressive pricing. Therefore the competitors target to defend their market shares until the financial crisis is over and the market will grow again.
The most important competitive weapon is the focus on a strong brand image (G. Hofbauer J. S., 2007, p. 110). In order to be perceived as trendy and high end brand in the heads of the customer, the manufacturer invest huge amounts in advertising. As important as advertising is availability of collections that fit the current customer expectation. Therefore the product lifecycles, especially in the consumer goods market, are very short. The market of office electronics have a more differentiated product feature (printer speed and quality of images, colors etc), there function are however very similar.
The pace of rivalry has to be evaluated by a differentiated view. On the one hand the rivalry in existing markets like the US and Western Europe is more or less stable on a high level. On the other hand, rivalry in new markets in developing countries like China and India with predicted growth rates of 15+x per cent, is very intense. The manufacturers of ITC goods target to gain market shares in these growing markets. Enormous investments in advertising, facilities and partnerships are made, in order to participate on the growing wealth in these countries.
The pace of rivalry in the ITC industry has to be evaluated by a differentiated view. On the one hand the rivalry in existing markets like the US and Western Europe is more or less stable on a high level. On the other hand, rivalry in new markets in developing countries like China and India with predicted growth rates of 15+x per cent, is very intense. The manufacturers of ITC goods, in concrete in office electronics and optical, target to gain market shares in these growing markets. Enormous investments in advertising, facilities and partnerships are made, in order to participate on the growing wealth in these countries.
Because of these facts, the rivalry among competitors is a strong force that clearly influences the attractiveness of the industry in a negative way.
The analysis of the threat of new entrants concerning the luxury goods industry is divided into two points of view. First, the threat of new entrants from outside the industry sector and second, the potential of existing competitors to enter new markets segments or geographic areas.
The threat of new entrants by industry outsiders can be considered as limited. Even if great amounts of resources are available, new competitors would face enormous difficulties because of the fact that the existing markets players already have established very strong brands over decades as well as they have an advantage concerning the technological knowledge. As already mentioned is one of the key success concepts of the industry the focus on brand and product differentiation. Additionally the threat of vertical and horizontal integration has to be considered. In the past many under performing companies have been bought by industry-outsiders and have been reorganized and supplied with financial resources.
On the other hand, the potential of existing competitors for the entrance of new markets segments or geographical areas is very high. The established manufacturers own immense resources in financial and production terms, as well as they know about the high profitability of growing markets. Every competitor in the luxury goods industry has the possibility to enter new and attractive market segments. The growing ITC market in China has been entered by all named electronics manufacturers within several years by the creation of joint ventures in order to participate on the growing wealth.
Finally, the threat of new entrants can be considered as strong force as well and limits the attractiveness of the industry.
The threat by substitute products in the businesses in which Canon operates is moderate. At the moment there are only limited possibilities to replace office imaging systems and computer peripherals. However, there are some evolving trends that can threaten a successful growth. With regard to office electronics, it should be noted that many companies try to reduce the use of paper in the office and move towards a paperless status and electronic translations. In terms of photographic equipment the extensive use of mobile phones with photographic function can reduce the demand for cameras in the low-end camera segment ($ 250 or less) where the customers are “snap shooters”.
The bargaining power of suppliers to the analyzed markets is limited. This is reasoned by the fact that the raw materials are commodity materials that can be globally sourced. Even special raw materials like metals, silicon, electronic components and other matters are supplied by a huge amount of sellers. Another fact is that the core components of the electronic products are manufactured by the OEM´s. In other words, the value adding processes are owned by the luxury goods producers. The switching costs for manufactures to alternative suppliers are therefore limited, though it has to be stated that the availability of suppliers that offer good quality at reasonable prices is decisive for the OEM´s success.
The consumers of ITC goods in the B2C market do not have significant bargaining power, because of several reasons. First of all, the consumers are not organized, consequently the individual buyers do not have any influence on the manufacturers decisions. On the other hand the bargaining power of business customers is very high, because of the fact that price battles take place among the numerous providers due to the financial crisis. The business customers know about their bargaining power and that leads to shrinking profit margins for the manufacturers.
To sum up, all afore-mentioned industries are highly affected by the results of the financial crisis. The market of office electronics and photographic devices are both highly competitive and are characterized by constantly falling prices, especially in the camera market. However, the market of office electronics is predicted to recover and to have a quite stable, although modest growth rate. The prospects of the photographic industry are not very positive. The overall market is rather decreasing, except for digital photography which is forecast to grow, The office electronics and photographic industry is in sum competitively attractive because of its stable growth only for global players which can achieve a cost reduction through economy of scale, though it has to be stated that the current market situation limits the attractiveness due to the financial crisis. Customer retention and customer loyalty play an essential role in this industry sector. Another problem for new entrants as well as for market leader is that huge long-term investments in R&D are required: at the end it is even not clear whether the investment will pay out and whether a product will find customer acceptance. Therefore, the risks in the office, photographic and optical industries are quite high.
Competitive conditions are the most significant drivers for the ongoing change in an industry. The immediate competitive environment is mainly determined by the actions of competitors, suppliers and customers and therefore the industry conditions are continuously changing. The driving forces for change have to be identified in order to formulate adequate business strategies. The analysis of driving forces is divided in a three-step approach (Thompson/ Strickland/Gamble, 2008, p. 74):
1. Identification of driving forces
2. Impact analysis on attractiveness
3. Determination of strategies that effectively encounter industry changes
The industry overview is based on the growth and forecast numbers given in Datamonitor: Global Office Electronics Industry Profile, 2009a and cross-checked with further data.
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Term Paper (Advanced seminar), 54 Pages
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CSCMP 2009 Annual Conference Live- Post Three
This is my third posting of observations and commentary related to events at this year’s Annual Conference of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).
In this posting, I will share some of my initial reactions to some of the interesting sessions that I attended today. When I get back to the office and have additional time, I will dive a bit deeper into the learning from these presentations.
New Paradigms in Reverse Logistics
A quite interesting session featured a panel discussion focused on the new paradigms in reverse logistics. The session moderator noted that this was one of those rare times where major competitors in their industry settings can be recruited to speak at the same table regarding a subject of common interest. Panelists represented senior managers from Dell and Hewlett Packard, as well as Wal-Mart and Target. Each panelist provided an informative summary of their current business strategies directed at reverse logistics and sustainability., and responded to specific audience questions regarding current strategies and programs.
The takeaways that I came away with from this session were:
- There was a common trend toward more centralization of reverse logistics strategy, along with an increased global focus on strategies. It was interesting to observe how Dell, with its new shift toward more retail channels of distribution has re-thought its reverse logistics strategy. HP continues to have supply chain focused at the business unit level, but global-wide focus of strategy.
- Manufacturers shifting their focus toward making the business case for reverse logistics more focused on the actual retailer or channel partner vs. movement of returned material back to the manufacturing source. The two manufacturers both highlighted their efforts to include more financial incentives for retailers to recycle material and products.
- An increased focus on the part of Wal-Mart, and some extent Target, on reduction of waste, and creation of new sustainable value networks or alternative channels for material recovery centers to recycle waste and encourage recycling. It is unfortunate, in my view that Wal-Mart continues to edict mandates on suppliers as the hammer for conformance.
Supply Chain Metrics Used in Network Modeling
A second rather interesting session for me was supply chain metrics used in network modeling. With the recent coming together of confectionary manufacturers MARS and William Wrigley Jr. Company to identify potential overlaps in their combined supply chain networks as well as identify integration or synergy opportunities. Since both companies were existing customers of the former Logic-Tools, (acquired by ILOG, and then acquired by IBM) the use of this supply chain network modeling tool was facilitation for identification of opportunities. What I especially liked was an emphasis on more interaction with the audience in a panel-type of format. The presenters focused on the overall process of modeling, what was required, and what was learned by the combined teams.
Important takeaways from this session included:
- Quick wins were found before any actual modeling was done, as a result of the needs to consolidate data among both companies.
- When modeling scenarios were completed, combined management was in a better position to make more informed decisions regarding warehouse synergies, potential common systems, or customer shipment consolidation. Additional insights were also gained regarding potential impacts of an increased cost of energy, or reduction of overall carbon footprint.
- The combined project team performed this task over three months on a virtual basis, without the need to meet face-to-face until just before final recommendations. This was an important reinforcement that a virtual team process can work, with selection of both the right players, and a single point-of-contact for each constituency.
All things considered, I found most of today’s sessions rather informative and educational. Conference participants seemed to feel the same way. |
But Clanton shut the door to her apartment for the last time this week, saying she was convinced a new and better complex will replace the old one, and will be worth returning to and calling home again.
"I'm signed up for them to bring me back. When it gets done, it's almost going to be high-end," said the 50-year-old single mother who grew up in the 67-year-old complex.
Newark Housing Authority officials said they plan to tear Baxter Terrace down by year's end, and in the wake of that destruction rebuild housing to help rehabilitate a section of Newark near Route 280, Broad Street Station, college campuses and downtown.
It is one of the city's oldest housing complexes and one of its most visible, and therefore seen as critical to redevelopment efforts. "It's the gateway to the central business district," said Toni Griffin, Newark's Director of Community Development.
City officials said the plan, now soliciting recommendations and developer interpretations, looks at the neighborhood as a whole, rather than at individual projects proposed by stakeholders such as the housing authority, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, St. Michael's Medical Center, Newark Library, Newark Museum and residential organizations.
The housing authority's board of directors agreed that a redeveloped Baxter Terrace could fit in with the area's progress. "It just seems like a natural synergy there, to create a community that works, a community that functions," said Modia Butler, the board's chairman and Mayor Cory Booker's chief of staff.
Butler said the board decided to retire the 14-acre complex -- with its more than 20, three-story, brick walkups -- because it had a half-billion dollars in deferred maintenance and needed at least $68 million in work. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gave the go-ahead for demolition in August.
The complex has already been half vacated by residents, who either relocated to other authority housing or were approved for Section 8 vouchers to move into private housing.
Tory Gunsolley, the authority's chief administrative officer, said a request for proposals sought a redevelopment featuring about 341 units, including a mix of affordable and market-rate housing.
McCormack Baron Salazar, a private St. Louis developer, was picked for the project in January, Gunsolley said.
Housing officials said the city may lease or sell the property to the developer, leaving the housing authority with a percentage of ownership. They said they couldn't provide more details, because negotiations with the developer are ongoing.
The firm, previously involved in 124 projects in 33 cities, last month broke ground on a $172 million redevelopment of the C.J. Peete public housing complex in Central City, La., about 60 miles west of New Orleans. The complex, like Baxter Terrace, opened in 1941 and had about 1,400 apartments. The project will build 460 units of mixed-income apartments, two-thirds of them public housing and affordable units, and one-third market-rate rentals.
It isn't known yet if something similar will happen with Baxter Terrace. Housing officials said the details may take time, and construction will likely be influenced by the economy.
Last year, McCormack Baron Salazar, working in Durham, N.C., saw its partner, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, drop out of the redevelopment of the twice-failed Rolling Hills subdivision and Southside neighborhood. A story in the News & Observer of Raleigh in January described the 20-acre Rolling Hills site as, "a picture of abandonment."
Roland Anglin, an urban affairs expert at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, said McCormack Baron Salazar is known for aggressively engaging communities.
Anglin said the firm seeks to understand an area's needs and wants, lends guidance to create community development corporations, and helps in finding philanthropic foundations for support.
"Instead of running roughshod over a community's interests, they say, "We need to build the capacity of the community to deal with us,'" Anglin said.
The goal for Baxter Terrace is to have the redevelopment create low- and moderate-income housing units, alongside market rate units and new retail and office space. The barriers, experts say, are attracting residents with different household incomes into such a community.
"When families share a desire for their kids to succeed, economic integration is not a problem. We have individuals earning six figures living next to minimum-wage families, and it works fine," said Richard Baron, chairman of McCormack Baron and Salazar's, in the February 2005 issue of St. Louis Commerce Magazine.
Tammy Clanton, who had lived in Baxter Terrace since she was 4, said she left with fond memories of the complex and its better days. Park benches, basketball courts, and even a birdbath have long since disappeared, and the complex has become notorious for crime, drugs and gang activity. But Clanton is eager to move back in, once the neighborhood has been overhauled.
Housing officials have offered tenants, who remain in good standing, a chance to apply for a lottery to return to Baxter Terrace. Clanton said she expects it won't be easy getting back in, after hearing the redevelopment plans touted at a community meeting.
"You're going to have to fight to get in here," she said. |
Unclear On The Concept
Frustration Satire Leads To More Frustration
By Cole Smithey
Jack Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt, a 66 year-old retired and widowed insurance man from Omaha who drives his 35-foot Winnebago cross country to foil his daughter's upcoming wedding in this insultingly dim movie based on a novel by Louis Begley and directed by Alexander Payne. The humanity that Jack Nicholson brings to his heartfelt character is so deluged by the film’s pitiable tone and dubious dramatic arc that it would be more interesting to watch Nicholson read a phone book than see him degraded as he is here. The dreary, banal and insipid Midwest world that Payne ridicules must surely mistake the director’s slurs and insults as fawning admiration if we are to believe the critics who hail this patronizing film as a masterpiece.
In its opening scene, Warren Schmidt sits at his desk in an empty office waiting for the clock to strike 5PM signaling his final departure from a life spent as an actuary analyst for a life insurance company. The sorrowful scene is comparable to the opening of Adam Sandler’s "Punch Drunk Love" wherein Sandler sits idly behind a desk waiting – like Estragon in Samuel Beckett’s "Waiting For Godot" – for nothing to happen. Both characters have lived as drones to suddenly awaken and challenge themselves on a playing field of life by way of pedestrian and arcane actions that resonate with a series of thuds.
With a bit of disgruntled narration from sad-sack Warren, we learn that he’s none too pleased with his frumpy wife Helen (June Squibb) of 42 years, who warns Warren not to dawdle when he makes a run to the post office. But Warren dallies long enough for Helen to drop dead on the kitchen floor from cerebral edema while vacuuming. Warren is emotionally crushed and soon turns into a bachelor slob that makes Oscar Madison look like a neat freak. It seems that Helen performed essential cooking and cleaning tasks that Warren knows nothing about.
Warren’s bitchy daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) and her lowlife fiancé Randall Hertzel (Dermot Mulroney) stay with Warren for Helen’s funeral and criticize him for not spending enough money on Helen’s coffin. The distasteful couple makes it clear that they are the center of the universe and that Warren should feel free to contribute to their needs rather than the other way around. In the meantime Warren has started sending $22.00 a month to an organization that helps starving children in Tanzania to ease his guilt-ridden conscience about not contributing anything to society. But because of the film’s faux-cynical tone, we are led to suspect that the television-promoted humanitarian organization is just a scam to bilk suckers like Warren.
Inside Warren’s rose-colored vision of his distinctly unlikable daughter and his ranting letters to the 6-year-old Tanzanian boy Ndugu whom he believes he is supporting, lies the sluggish synergy that propels the movie. Warren believes his insolent daughter deserves someone better than a mullet-haired waterbed salesman so he drives to Denver to ostensibly obstruct the wedding after making a melancholy visit to his hometown along the way.
Once in Denver, Warren stays with Randall’s insufferable mother Roberta (Kathy Bates), who stands as an offense to BBWs the world over. After wrecking his neck by sleeping on Randall’s childhood waterbed, Warren makes the mistake of relaxing in Roberta’s hot tub, which she assumes is an ideal opportunity to make a nude sexual advance on the somewhat contorted Warren. The scene is gross and unnerving at the same time because it reminds the audience curiously of a scene from "Misery," in which Kathy Bates’ character hobbles the hapless author living in her house. Bad things seem to happen to men left alone too long with Kathy Bates who, as an actress, has ceased to create characters, choosing instead to amble through roles like some entitled matron of femininity.
Warren Schmidt is presented as a hero of the elderly because he sets out to provoke and instigate change. But Schmidt succumbs to the same small-minded demands that enabled him to subjugate his personality for so many years to a disloyal corporation and to a woman with whom he shared no physical relationship.
"About Schmidt" is a hostility-provoking film for the same reason that American citizens have lost their civil rights. The picture endorses, nay lionizes, complacency, inaction and the privilege of the greedy to steal whatever they covet simply because they are treacherous enough to do it. How Jack Nicholson strayed from representing antiauthoritarian iconoclastic ideals in such great movies as "Five Easy Pieces" and "One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest" is closely related to the way America has lost sight of the precepts upon which this country was built.
Rated R, 125 mins. (D) (One Star) |
`Synergy' comes from the Greek word "synergos," meaning
"working together." A case of the whole being greater than
the sum of its components. A synthesis of various inputs
coming together to create that extra value which is exactly
what SYNERGY AGRO TECH (P) LTD is all about -- working
in tandem with people, products and processes to give
all-round value addition. In the process, providing a
cutting-edge thrust to the client's businesses, placing it
head and shoulders above the competition.
"We strive for total customer satisfaction by conforming to their needs
through continuous improvement in productivity, processes, services." |
The IoT-A project will be presented during the Future Internet Assembly with the kind support of Siemsn AG partner to the project. You will find some information about the project on the exhibition booth of Siemens in the exhibition area.
16 December 2010 12:00 AM
17 December 2010 12:00 AM
All IoT-A partners
|Add event to calendar||
In order to develop a comprehensive approach to the digital society and economy not only governments, but also industries and research communities need to join forces and interact to ensure maximum cross-fertilization. The “Future Internet Conference Week” will therefore offer a program of back-to-back conferences, meetings and workshops related to the different topics of interest to the organizations involved and their stakeholders. 2500 participants from all over Europe are expected to attend these activities, including keynote speakers such as Peter Hirshberg (Silicon Valley executive, entrepreneur and marketing specialist), Neelie Kroes (European Commissioner for Digital Agenda) and Ben Verwaayen (CEO Alcatel-Lucent).
The FIA Ghent is organised by communities of hundreds of European researchers of the 100+ projects in all areas of the Future Internet, reaching out to different but related audiences that share common goals. With these events back-to-back, the participants benefit from the ideas from the different parts. This series of events will create an unprecedented synergy between the 2500 professionals from all over Europe. The Future Internet Assembly Ghent will be held on December 16-17th. More information will be available through this site and at fi-ghent.fi-week.eu |
U.S.-Led Airstrike Takes Out Major ISIS Leader With Paris Attack Connection
Over the past several weeks, U.S.-lead coalition airstrikes have taken out 10 of ISIS’ top leaders, including one with a direct link to the ringleader of the Paris attacks.
His name is Charaffe al Mouadan, a Syrian ISIS fighter and close friend of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who planned the attacks in Paris. He was killed in an airstrike on Christmas Eve.
The other 9 had a wide range of responsibilities, from planning attacks in the west, to overseeing finances, to running hacking operations.
Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the coalition had this to say:
“I think any organization that sees its middle and upper management degraded in this way is going to lose some of their synergy. It’s difficult to command and control an organization without the command and control personnel.”
While this is a major step, Warren said:
“We have not severed the head of this snake yet, and it has still got has fangs. There’s much more fighting to do.”
(CNN)The U.S.-led coalition killed multiple figures within ISIS senior leadership over the last few weeks, including an operative closely linked to the ringleader of the November attacks in Paris, the spokesman for the coalition said Tuesday.
Col. Steve Warren said 10 senior ISIS leaders operating in both Iraq and Syria, “including several external attack planners,” with designs on attacking western targets, had been killed in airstrikes.
Charaffe al Mouadan, a Syrian-based member of ISIS with a “direct link” to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the Belgian-born ringleader of the terror attacks in Paris, was killed in a December 24 airstrike, and was “actively planning additional attacks against the West,” Warren said.
Will we soon get the leader of ISIS? Sound off in the comments below! |
Welcome to the the Office of the President
Building Our Future Together
March 11, 2000
Thank you for that kind introduction. It is a pleasure to welcome you back to the Medical University. Some of you, I am sure, have been on campus recently. For others, however, it may be some time since you were last at the Medical University. Those in the audience whose memories of this institution go back many years, will find it a different place today — grown much larger in numbers of faculty, students, programs, and physical plant.
Why has the Medical University experienced such growth? All of this expansion may seem ironic at a time of constraint in the health care delivery system. Indeed, the financial pressures on this institution have never been greater. In the past few years, we have had to absorb the combined effects of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, deeply discounted fee-for-service reimbursements from private payers, and a rising number of medically uninsured patients. Cumulatively, these factors are responsible for the loss of substantial revenue to the institution, with a concurrent rise in demand for services. Support from the State, meanwhile, has been relatively flat. Today, State appropriations account for less than 17 percent of all funding to the Medical University. We are forced to rely increasingly on the entrepreneurial abilities of our faculty to survive. Are we up to the challenge?
That question cannot be answered with certainty, but let us consider the early indicators. One such indicator is that extramurally funded research on this campus has grown at a remarkable pace. A decade ago, the annual research funding on this campus was about $20 million. Last year, we were the first university in South Carolina to exceed $100 million per year in research support.
About 60 percent of our research support derives from the federal government and about a quarter of it comes from private sources, with the remainder from the State and foundations. The National Institutes of Health accounts for most of our federal research funding. The College of Medicine now ranks in the top half of all medical schools in NIH funding.
The growth of research on this campus is a direct result of investments made for that purpose. Perhaps most importantly, Dean McCurdy has recruited strong research-oriented department chairs. An example of this strategy was the hiring of Dr. Roger Markwald as Chair of Cell Biology and Anatomy. Dr. Markwald is an established investigator himself, and he has recruited a highly successful faculty who have propelled the department into the first quartile of NIH funding for anatomy departments. We are hoping that we can replicate the success that Dr. Markwald has achieved in Cell Biology and Anatomy with two recent leadership recruitments in Physiology and Biochemistry.
About 18 months ago, Dr. Peter Kalivas was recruited to chair the Department of Physiology. Dr. Kalivas' research focuses on the mechanisms of cellular recognition and response to cocaine. Not only does he provide a strong basic science component to our already nationally recognized clinical research on substance abuse, he also has been charged with responsibility for helping to develop the neurosciences on campus.
In Biochemistry, Dr. Yusuf Hannun was recruited from Duke University about 18 months ago. Dr. Hannun is a medical oncologist by training and his research focuses on the topic of programmed cell death, or apoptosis. In addition to providing leadership in Biochemistry, Dr. Hannun has been asked to coordinate the development of structural biology on campus. Research in this area is focused on the elucidation of the three dimensional structures of biological molecules and relating these structures to functions. Among other applications, this type of investigation is critical to understanding how receptors work, thereby allowing the design of pharmacological agents to either enhance or diminish biological responses.
In addition to recruiting strong research leaders, we have improved our research facilities. Over the past few years, we have completed new laboratory space in the Hollings Cancer Center, the Storm Eye Institute, and the Thurmond/Gazes Research Building. We have also renovated most of the laboratories in the Basic Sciences Building and the College of Pharmacy. Plans for new facilities include doubling the research space in the Hollings Cancer Center, building a Children's Research Institute, and constructing an additional laboratory building. As aggressive as this building program may appear, it will be barely sufficient to accommodate the estimated 300,000 net square feet of research space required on this campus in less than five years.
A third component of enhancing research at the Medical University has been the development of organizational units to enhance capacity. We created a Foundation for Research Development to facilitate technology transfer of inventions arising from the work of university investigators. Since its creation, two and one half years ago, disclosures have been filed on 125 inventions, with filings on 35 patents. Six new start-up companies have been formed as spin-offs of research at the Medical University. An example of one of these new companies is a Mount Pleasant-based firm that is developing a new fast and inexpensive test to detect drug resistance among patients with HIV infection. Should this technology prove to be successful, it obviously would have huge commercial potential and even more importantly, a dramatic impact on the management of patients with this disease.
The Foundation serves as a bridge between the faculty and the private sector. Funding from private interests, in the form of venture capital, contractual agreements, and equity is becoming an increasingly important source of revenue for university-related research. The synergy between university research and private enterprise is well demonstrated in other parts of the country, such as the Research Triangle in North Carolina. Unfortunately, South Carolina has been a relatively new arrival to the appreciation of the role that research universities can play in economic development. In our respective areas of expertise, Clemson, USC and the Medical University each can contribute to helping South Carolina compete successfully for technology-oriented business.
Within the Foundation for Research Development, we also have created a subsidiary titled the Clinical Innovation Group. This entity serves as a coordinating center for national and international clinical trials. Through the efforts of the Clinical Innovation Group, the Medical University can emerge as a leader in the development and oversight of clinical studies. Several multicenter trials are underway, including assessments of medical devices and pharmacological agents. The initial areas of application have been gastroenterology, surgical oncology, and psychiatry, with expansion planned in other areas. At present, we are exploring the extent to which the Clinical Innovation Group can work with private practitioners in South Carolina to enroll patients in these studies. There are several benefits that private practitioners might derive from such participation, including access to new and emerging treatments, an additional revenue stream, and the stimulation of participating in research.
Finally, the Medical University is positioning itself for greater research capacity by augmenting research training. For example, this year we obtained approval from the Commission on Higher Education for a new degree program entitled the Master of Science in Clinical Research. The goal of this program is to prepare more clinicians for research careers, with focused coursework on the design, conduct, analysis and interpretation of patient-oriented studies. The target audience will be fellows and junior faculty in the clinical departments of the College of Medicine, as well as advanced clinical trainees in other colleges. This program is being coordinated by the Department of Biometry and Epidemiology, whose new chair, Dr. Barbara Tilley, is a nationally recognized investigator in clinical trials of cerebrovascular disease.
To summarize then, the Medical University is engaged in a multi-pronged effort to build its research capacity. We have invested in the recruitment of outstanding research-oriented departmental chairs. We have expanded and upgraded our laboratory facilities. We have created organizational resources to assist faculty in securing and conducting funded research. And, we are developing new training programs to assist trainees and junior faculty who want to enter scientific careers.
All of this is well and good, but why am I focusing on this in my first presidential address to the College of Medicine Alumni Association? After all, this audience is comprised largely, if not entirely, of clinical practitioners. As graduates of our medical school, your attachment to us primarily derives from your educational experiences here. To the extent that you have ongoing contact with us, it is probably centered on patient referrals to clinical specialists here, or alternatively around continuing medical education courses. It would, therefore, seem far more appropriate for me to focus on our educational or clinical programs.
It is exactly for that reason that I have chosen to concentrate on the research dimensions of this institution. You know us for the other components of our mission„education and clinical service. For many of you, the fact that research is conducted on this campus may seem at best a non-essential activity, and at worst, an actual diversion of attention from the real purposes of this university. Perhaps I am overstating the case, but I trust that you will forgive me if I am exaggerating to make a point.
As you might guess from the preceding comments, I am, without apology, an enthusiastic proponent of research at the Medical University. Why am I such a strong proponent of this aspect of our enterprise? In essence, I believe that a university cannot be first class without a vital commitment to discovery and scholarship. The great universities are all recognized for their contributions to understanding the worlds within and around us. They have talented faculty and students whose intellectual curiosity drives them to the frontiers of new knowledge. As institutions, they set high standards of achievement, and more often than not, they exceed those benchmarks.
There is a widely held misperception that a heavy emphasis on research at a university will come at the cost of the educational and clinical service functions. This belief is predicated upon the assumption that it is a zero-sum game. That is to say, there is a fixed resource available, and whatever faculty effort is devoted to scientific investigation must necessarily be subtracted from either teaching or clinical practice. That model, I would contend, is completely wrong. In fact, research is the friend, not the enemy, of both educational and clinical excellence. More often than not, the best teachers are those who are active investigators, who can translate to their students the excitement of an emerging field of inquiry. There is a fundamental difference between the insight of a professor who is living and breathing science from one who is learning about new findings from perusing journals and textbooks. Similarly, the most advanced clinical care is likely to be provided by faculty members who are at the forefront of innovation in diagnosis and treatment.
If one reflects for a moment on the leading biomedical research universities in our region, the synergy of research to educational and clinical achievement becomes evident. I suspect that we would all rate Duke, Emory, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, and Alabama-Birmingham among the leaders in our region from a research perspective. I have had the good fortune of attending two of these institutions as a student and working as a faculty member at a third. So, I speak about them with some personal knowledge. In each instance, my experience tells me that their commitment to science augments their educational and clinical excellence.
In drawing comparisons to these cited institutions, some of our constituents, perhaps some in this room, may feel that our aspirations are misdirected. After all, we are located in a small and relatively poor state that has not historically supported higher education as have our neighboring states. Unlike all five of these institutions, we are not a component of a comprehensive university campus, thereby lacking relevant collaborating disciplines such as chemistry, physics, and information sciences. We also do not have a long-standing tradition of excellence in science. Indeed, there is ample reason to question whether the Medical University can compete with the first tier biomedical research institutions. If we do not set that as a goal, however, it is my firm belief that we will condemn your alma mater to mediocrity. In order to attract the best students and faculty, we must provide them with an environment that promotes discovery, values excellence and rewards achievement.
It is an article of faith with me that the Medical University can and must strive to be a thought leader. Our greatest resource in that regard is a natural resource — it is the intellectual capital of South Carolinians. Our first charge is to make this institution attractive to the brightest sons and daughters of South Carolina. We must also invest in attracting the most talented faculty possible to this campus. My experience over the past five years tells me that this is not only possible, it is happening. More often than not, when we have stood toe-to-toe with other institutions, we have won the recruiting battles.
Whatever success we have achieved to date, moving to the next level will not be easy. It will not happen overnight in single bold strides. It will occur incrementally over a period of years. It is a long-term goal that will extend well beyond my tenure in office. My task is to assure that we are headed in the right direction and that we stay the course. You can be sure that I will approach this task with vigor and enthusiasm.
To be successful, however, the faculty and I will need your help. As alumni, you have a vested interest in the reputation and well being of the Medical University. You are our most influential ambassadors throughout the State of South Carolina. Many of you have close personal relationships with the elected officials who determine our levels of appropriation. If you believe in our cause and are willing to advocate on our behalf, you can be a powerful voice in shaping public opinion. An immediate opportunity exists in that regard. As you know, the General Assembly presently is considering how to spend the tobacco settlement funds. I would hope that everybody in this room would support the notion that the vast majority of these funds should be devoted to health care, especially to assuring services to the medically underserved. If you agree with that suggestion, then by all means, advocate for it with our elected officials.
Let me make a second request of you. Consider your personal level of financial support to the Medical University. As I indicated earlier, public funding has not been, and will not be, sufficient to operate this institution. Our alumni, as direct beneficiaries of our efforts, are an essential source of support. If we share a common goal to build and sustain excellence on this campus, it will come at a cost. Whether you choose to support scholarship assistance, a professorship, or some other purpose, I hope that you will reassess the maximal level at which you can give and support your alma mater generously.
In conclusion, the Medical University is poised to move to a whole new level of achievement. I have challenged our faculty to build an academic health center here that will be the rival of any in the country. Our success will be measured in incremental steps over many years. If we do not make a commitment today toward that end, however, we will never get there. Moreover, this vision cannot be realized without your support and encouragement. I look forward to building that future with you. Thank you very much. |
Midtown may be adding more restaurants to supplement its thriving bar scene, but it's still the neighborhood where Houstonians go to party. Now, one concept that tried to be both a nightclub and a restaurant has decided it's customers prefer drinking and dancing to dining.
Tarakaan, the pan-Asian hot spot inspired by Buddakan in New York City, has suspended culinary operations and will continue on as a nightclub and lounge. Executive chef Micah Rideout is no longer involved with the concept.
"With our background in commercial real estate, as well as being established operators with many years of experience opening and managing restaurants, bars and nightclubs in the Houston area, we are constantly reviewing business performance and best use of space," owner Piran Esfahani writes in an email. "As we celebrate Tarakaan’s successes over the past six months, while the venue has earned acclaim and a fan base for its creative Pan Asian menu, it’s become evident through guest interactions and alcohol sales that the key draw of the concept is that of an upscale and upbeat lounge and nightclub that complements its particular Midtown location."
With its proximity to Midtown hotspot Clé, Esfahani tells CultureMap that he and his partners observed more and more of their customers were just coming to drink and enjoy the space's atmosphere. Rather than fight the trend, they opted to capitalize on the synergy. Going forward, the space will be open only Thursday through Saturday, and the kitchen will be closed except for private events.
"The block has been getting very busy late at night. I hope that will stay the same," Esfahani says. "As our neighbor, I don’t view (Clé) as competition. I view it as an opportunity to make it more energetic and give people different choices."
While Tarakaan's time as a restaurant has come to an end, Esfahani says he still believes in the concept and thinks it would work somewhere that's more restaurant-oriented. It just won't be in Houston's party district. |
Find out about our organisation's key activities.
The pieces of our puzzle
Pedagogy meets Technology
A 30-year journey
Following the results of the last evaluation period, Action Synergy is glad to announce that it will have the chance to participate in 10 new projects as a partner or as coordinator. The projects are related with different fields of...Read more
Action Synergy in a few sentences…
"Within a friendly and highly trained environment, we promote innovation in education & training in Greece, Europe and the world. Our joint and equal effort and cooperation is our strength."
"We started 30 years ago, aiming to offer consulatancy and knowledge-based applications. Our success will not be judged by us, but by the numerous organisations we cooperated with. One thing, though, is for sure: Action is always ahead of the curve."
Three events highlighted the schedule of Action Synergy recently. The first one is linked to the project ECOLIVE, the second one to GLOSSA and the third one to ATHLISI. Have a look! |
Creativeworx’s wedge product: Will TimeTracker pry open a market or hit a wall?
Timesheets are like routine physicals: they range from minor annoyances to big headaches. So there is a lot to like about CreativeWorx‘s inaugural product, TimeTracker.
For companies and professionals who bill by the hour, prompt and accurate timesheets are money in the bank. The founder, Mark Hirsch (@hirsch_mark), has a long history and deep experience in creative fields so has wisely decided to start with the advertising sector.
TimeTracker integrates smoothly with the more popular elements of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, et. al.) and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, but not yet Outlook) with more integrations soon to come. This makes it possible for TimeTracker to auto-populate a first draft of the user’s timesheet. The user then confirms, adjusts, or supplements the data to create a finished timesheet in a fraction of the time it would take to manually fill out this data.
TimeTracker even takes periodic snapshots of what the user is working on, making it a snap to recall which project you were touching up in Photoshop for an hour last Tuesday afternoon. It also provides a good audit trail in case a client pushes back on a particular invoice.
No single player dominates this niche with the vast majority of agencies using either a homegrown solution (or just Excel) so the field is wide open.
The monthly fee for this service is reasonable and, like most investors, I am a big fan of the recurring subscription revenue model. CreativeWorx even has some paying clients and we really like that.
So far, so good. So what’s not to love?
The Total Addressable Market feels small. You have to add in freelancers (notoriously cheap) and related industries that use timesheets but don’t live or die by them (less of a pain point, potentially different requirements / integrations) to get to respectability.
Mark points out that TimeTracker is just the first of what he hopes will be several products servicing the creative industry. This may be true but unless the new products naturally flow from the first, there is little synergy here beyond an existing customer relation which only goes so far. In other words, if their second product largely stands on its own, it is a completely separate roll of the dice.
And it is hard to see what naturally grows out of TimeTracker. Timesheets are pretty much the end of the process and not a core value-add so an extension upstream or into something more core is a bit like the tail wagging the dog. Perhaps they could extend the timesheets into invoicing…. (Billing-as-a-service anyone?)
So to be conservative I have to look at TimeTracker as a standalone business. Does it pass the “big enough” test? On the surface, it might… if they can maintain pricing. A market that is big enough when you can get north of $100 (or $200) per user per year shrinks pretty fast if competition forces you to slash prices.
Ironically, in this regard timesheets’ non-core nature acts in CreativeWorx’s favor. Even if a competitor offered one of their clients a hefty percentage discount, the absolute savings would be so de minimis as to not be worth the client’s time to evaluate nor the risk or disruption of switching systems. Also, once CreativeWorx’s solution has delivered its quantum-level improvement over the existing situation, it is hard to conceive of what it would take to similarly leapfrog TimeTracker. A client who is still patting himself on the back for switching to TimeTracker is not going to switch again any time soon just for an incremental improvement. That said, they may be more vulnerable to competition in the more price sensitive freelancers segment of the market.
So I’ll buy that CreativeWorx has an edge on keeping its existing clients in the face of competition but what about new clients? There, the playing field is entirely level. How do they avoid competing on price for new clients and, if they cannot, can they lock up enough of the market quickly so that it does not matter?
Like all good entrepreneurs, Mark cites his one year plus head start and a feature development queue as long as his arm. I question the value of first mover advantage if your plan for what comes next is to just keep running. Once the big boys decide to come after you, they can throw 10x the resources at it and catch up very quickly… especially since they can follow your roadmap. So it’s not enough to start climbing before the competition, you want to pull the ladder up behind you.
Two ways to pull the ladder up behind you are network effects and (what I call) data compounding.
Network effects mean that the value of the product or service for any single user goes up as the total number of users increase. Let’s take a simple example: the telephone. If you were the only person on earth with a phone it would be essentially useless. The moment a second phone is sold, it becomes useful (assuming you know and actually want to talk to this second phone owner, that is). With each additional phone sold, your phone becomes increasingly more useful. Now imagine that someone invents the “NuPhone”, a phone with better sound quality, lower price, lower cost per call. The one catch is, you can’t use it to call anyone with a normal telephone. Would you buy a NuPhone? It would have to be so overwhelmingly superior to the telephone that you were sure that was only a matter of time before everyone else switched over. Otherwise, it’s just useless. This dynamic is what makes companies like Facebook and eBay so hard to unseat.
(Not impossible – after all, Facebook toppled MySpace despite its network effects – just very, very hard.)
Does TimeTracker have network effects? Not that I see. It would not reduce the value I get from their service if I (or my agency) were their only customer and the value would not go up if they later signed 1M other users. Are there new features they could build in with network effects? I am not sure. Perhaps there is some way that different vendors servicing the same end client could benefit if they all used TimeTracker? Perhaps not. That said, even though features like these would not be implemented for a while, figuring out what features they could add to give them network effects should be a strategic priority.
So what about data compounding? It is a similar concept to network effects only instead of the total number of users driving the increased value, it is driven by cumulative data collected. For instance, if I have just one agency client who has worked on a candy bar ad campaign, I don’t really have much data-wise. But once I have clients who between them have worked on ten candy bar ad campaigns, I have some potential very interesting benchmarking data. There is definitely a data play here but to make it work CreativeWorx needs to be proactive and smart about collecting the right project metadata to make their data useful. How well they do this and how quickly they can get to meaningful sample sizes will determine whether they can get data compounding working for then in time for them to leave the competition in the dust.
Let me know what you think. |
The Las Vegas UFL team finally has a name that draws on the city’ history. Check out the press release:
At a press conference today, United Football League Commissioner Michael Huyghue announced the Las Vegas franchise will be named the Locomotives and unveiled innovative team uniforms showcasing the Locomotives’ “Premiere” season colors of silver, blue and white. The name “Locomotives” was selected after reviewing more than thirty thousand fan entries and receiving interpretation from industry experts and an in-house creative team on what attributes the fans were seeking with their submissions. Las Vegas Locomotives Head Coach Jim Fassel was also in attendance at the press event.
“It was critical for us to select team names that we felt best reflected the local community while simultaneously defining the personality of the team,” said Commissioner Huyghue. “Las Vegas was originally established in 1905 with the opening of the Salt Lake, San Pedro and Los Angeles Railroads. We wanted to honor the vast history of the city and the intrinsic benefits that this innovation provided to the community.”
Previously, the UFL announced Miami-based GameWear Team Sports as the League’s official uniform supplier. GameWear Team Sports is one of the leading athletic uniform outfitters in the country and has worked extensively in growing the sport of football on the grassroots level. Award-winning designer Ron Caruso of Purepartner created all the teams’ uniforms using derivatives of the official League logo for all the designs while making each one distinctive.
“The inspiration for the ‘Premiere’ season uniform design comes directly from the UFL shield and its foundation colors which represent ‘green grass’, ‘blue sky’ and silver for innovation,” said Caruso. “Throughout the uniforms, we used the dimensional ‘arc’ of the shield on the chest and supporting ‘arcs’ on the sleeves and pants. The unique font of the numbers reinforces the shield’s classic bold typeface with angles and dimensional treatments conveying depth and motion. The four uniform designs work together in a unified branded system, providing manufacturing efficiencies while allowing each team to retain its own unique and differentiated character.”
United Football League Introduces Las Vegas Locomotives as Team Name & Unveils Uniforms
Hmmm. It does reflect the history of Las Vegas, but would have been more appropriate in an age when the city really was a railroad town–let’s say before the UPRR moved the repair shops out of town in 1922. Most people probably don’t say “trains” when you ask them to say the first thing that comes to mind when you say “Las Vegas.” Considering we don’t even have passenger train service here anymore, I’m not sure this was such a good idea in 2009.
The nickname, “Locos,” is a little too close to “Lobos” for me. I’m seeing University of New Mexico basketball, not pro football. “Locomotives” sounds much more like a college team nickname than a professional team’s one. It really would be perfect for an engineering school, even if they don’t graduate the engineers who run trains.
And good God, does that description of the “premiere” season uniforms sound pretentious or what? It’s like they’re talking about a Cirque show or something. It’s a sport that involves men hitting each other, very hard, while people drink beer and bet on the outcome. I’ve never watched a football game–nor have I known anyone else to watch a football game–and comment on the “dimensional arc” of the uniforms.
Here’s a few names I came up with that aren’t already used by any other pro sports team that I know of and, I think, work better:
Las Vegas Land Sharks (or Loan Sharks–there could be some synergy with the Mob Museum)
Las Vegas Pit Bosses
Las Vegas Godfathers (hey, if we’re going to do the Mob thing, we might as well go all in)
Las Vegas Dons (it plays on the Spanish heritage and is a more subtle way of saying “Godfathers”
Las Vegas Vagabonds
Las Vegas Bandits (the players would have two arms, but they could have a slot machine in the logo)
Las Vegas Hangovers (Most football team names represent something brutal and intimidating, and a hangover is both. Many people leave Vegas with hangovers, as well.)
I welcome further suggestions in the comments. I say, we should remember who we are and how we are perceived in 2009. Let’s have some fun with this. |
Udyr Build Guide by bodanger
Not Updated For Current Season
This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page.
Not Updated For Current Season
The masteries shown here are not yet updated for the current season, the guide author needs to set up the new masteries. As such, they will be different than the masteries you see in-game.
I'm posting this up because there doesn't seem to be any Udyr dominion guides.
Udyr is a great champ for dominion if you know how to play to his strengths and build him to make up for his weaknesses. This is just my way of playing that seems to work out very well but there are many viable ways to set up this champ.
One thing you need to keep in mind is that his play in Dominion has some key differences from SR.
-Life steal and turtle haling do him almost no noticeable good early on.
-There tends to be more AD champs than AP in many games just due to the fact that there are so many more AD champs well suited to the map.
-This means people tend to get more armor than MR making magic damage a little more attractive that on SR.
-mobility is more of a factor
Pros / Cons
Starts with 3/4 of his tool kit with the 4th coming sometime during the first fight. This addresses this is a major plus for Udyr since he needs at least 3/4 of his spells to really preform up to par.
Mobility from bear sprints allow him to run, flee, and get to where he is needed on the map faster than most champs.
After a few levels he plays like a manaless champ since the cost of his spells go down as his mana pool goes up.
Phoenix can clear minion waves much faster than most auto attack and allow for that kind of push if needed.
NO DASH, I this is the one major con about Udry. With so many of the champs consistently used in dom having a dash, flash, leap spell this leaves Udyr to slowly and steadly close the gap with bear sprints.
Mana is an issue the first fight and early in the game. This means you don't spam bear to get to mid at the start.
Skill & Sequence
Udyr doesn't really have a set skill sequence but rather a loose guideline to follow based on how effectively the skills scale with level and what you think you need at the time.
Take 1 point at the spawn and leave it till everything else is maxed
-The AD scaling is the exact same at all levels.
-The damage gained and the attack speed gained per point is small.
-The persistent effect attack speeds is of little use since stance dancing to maximized damage survivability and utility will having you spending as little time as possible in that stance.
If you want to go more offensive you can swap point out of turtle into tiger.
While tigers overall damage doesn't scale as well as phoenix, it is also much better to chase with since it applies on 1 hit and doesn't require 3rd hits to get max damage.
Level as needed but not a priority
The shield from turtle is very nice, especially after you have some resistances to help prop it up.
-The problem with turtle is that the healing from it is almost not noticeable on dominion and you don't really have time to hit minions to heal up anyhow.
-Its mainly for some added survivability, to absorbed harassment. Gets more useful with some CDR which allows you to get more shields off in a fight.
Sometimes it is a good idea to put point from this into tiger.
This is because the healing from this stance is so little on dominion and because this build has little + AD till the end.
This skill is really what makes Udyr so great on dominion
This is what allows Udyr to Flee, chase, move around and CC so effectively
-The stun doesn't scale with level
-The mana cost scales down with level
-The speed and duration scale with level
The reason why this gets maxed even though the stun and cooldown to restun is the same at all levels is that The mana cost goes down with level which allows you to spam it to sprint around the map getting to where you need to be. It lowers the mana cost and it makes your sprint faster for a longer duration.
The reason why you skill phoenix over tiger is that is just scales so much better with level.
The attack speed from tiger is nice but you 15% at lv 1 of the 35% at lv 5. You also already have a nice big chunk of AS from your passive and from runes.
Phoenix is also much better at pushing minion waves if needed.
Phoenix also boosts your tiger on hit and turtle shield with its ap/ad buff.
Some CDR on Udyr goes a long way. It allows his spells to come off cooldown in a way that lets him stance dance more effectively and allows him to permanently keep the "on cast" buffs rolling allowing the synergy from phoenix to buff turtle and tiger, tiger to buff phoenix.
It also allows him to get off more bear sprints in a shorter time. My build almost allows him to keep a permanent 27% sprint which is the same speed increase as ghost
More tiger hits
Perma tiger AS and phoenix AoE/ AP/AD
Having your spells on about a <4.5 sec cooldown can drastically improve play due to stance dancing and "on use" effects having a 5 sec duration.
Being able to stance dance effectively vs button mashing is what separates people who do well with this champ from those who are useless.
Tigers on hit effect stays active even if you switch into another stance. This allows you to cast it, letting it start is cooldown, run in with bear and stun, having the hit both stun and apply the tiger hit.
works the same way in that you cast it to get the shield to start its cooldown so you before you initiate so that another shield will be ready sooner.
Knowing when to use bear, and when the 6 sec re-stun cooldown is done is important. When in a team fight you may want to run around stuning as many enemies as possible instead of switching to another stance.
Have bear ready and off cooldown if it is possible for you to stun out a channeled ult like Kat, WW, Malz, Galio, Nunu. What you don't want to do is stun them before they ult giving them 6 sec to channel. Players that know bear stun will be waiting for you to stun them so they can ult without being canceled.
(you will have to actually be in bear when taunted by galio to shut him down.
When chasing it's a good idea to throw in a tiger or turtle between bear sprints, making sure that when you catch the runner, you are in bear. Its also important not to hit them with bear before the 6 sec cooldown is ready. This can make it so you stop to swing allowing them to get distance which makes it so you need to chase them for much longer.
Sometimes if a runner is a equal speed but just out of reach, phoenix aoe can still hit them and take out that last bit of HP.
Alternate bear and turtle. Sometimes it's best to shield up then turn and stun when fleeing. Since you should have frozen mallet this can actually create a nice gap. Its usually best to do this after who ever is chasing you has used they dash/jump/flash ability to catch up.
Phoenix AP/AD will boost both tiger and turtle, you do want to make sure that you get in the 3rd hit before you switch, the damage from that will almost always outweigh the benefits of the AP/AD on other stances
A fight 1v1 might look kinda like this:
Pretiger and turtle, bear sprint to stun phonix,3 hits tiger turtle, bear to restun, phoenix 3 hit
Because Udyr can be built in so many ways there are many viable items for him.
In my opinion there really is only one item that is an absolute must for him on Dominion:
This slow is so important to Udyrs play on this map that you start with [item]ruby crystal[/item] and [item]long sword[/item] instead of [item]prospector's blade[/item] so you can get
as soon as possible.
The reason why this is so important is for Udyr is it is really the only way for him to provide the utility needed and the only way he will be able to stay on his target and do meaningful damage. Being tanky you are going to be the front line and being able to slow enemies indefinitely will keep them off your more squishy teammates.
With out this item you wont be able to stay on most champs, wont be able to keep enemies off your team well. It also provides you with a half way decent escape when you turn shield, bear stun and run leaving them stuned then slowed by -40% as you run away at +27%.
This items absolutely blows up auto attack AD champs and does enough damage to warrant getting even against more ability based AD champs. Because of the way that many AD champs item, they have little to no extra MR which can leave them dealing almost as much damage to themselves as they are doing to you from basic attacks after resistances are taken into account.
After trying out pretty much any viable option for extra MR I have found this to be the most useful. Because you are tanky and have good AS you make good use of the stacking MR. 42 damage on hit is really good for the price of the item and the attack speed really helps with phoenix.
This is a very nice item that along with bear can make it so you can just walk away from any fight you aren't going to win.
After getting these items the game is can already be over. if it isn't depending on time you can go with the because it's cheap, the CDR helps a ton and the damage is welcome with all the AS you have.
If the game is still going upgrade it
After the build up top if the game goes on long enough to pull this off you become a pretty scary combo of tankyness and damage. You have the AS to stack it up fast along with the resistances to really make the most of each point of hp returned. With turtle you are at 40% (pre debuff) leech at over 194 AD base 221 AD with phoenix which can be permanent, and max out at 256 AD with full stack. With monkey and tigers AS perma you are attacking a 1.68/sec you can stack them up fast and are putting out enough damage and healing to pretty much stomp anything 1v1.
You may want to pick one of these up if you are getting beat up by a team with an Amumu + kat or MF so you can get out of the stun to try to knock out the ult. It also might be a good option if you are constantly getting Ulted by WW Malz or some one with a stunable ult because you are constantly canceling it and they end up using it on you because it's the only way for them to actually get off the full effect with you around. In general if there is some champ that is beating you up with some kind of cc this can be a game changer.
This is usually much better on another champ but if you are up against a good wukong, akali, and to a less extent shaco etc it can be a good way of messing up their game without wasting gold on oracles. Honestly though someone on your team should by this before you do, and someone else should have bought a hextech sweeper before they did.
is always a viable choice on dominion because mobility is so important for so many reasons
is also a good choice since it can allow you to catch up to a runner to apply your stun and slow which can turn what would have been an escape into a kill
Being tanky this spell while defending a point can really be effective
Why those runes?
-MR/lv because AP doesn't really start hurting till later in the game. You also start off with a decent amount of MR
-The quints can be worked with. I like a little Armor pen but tbh it probably doesn't make much of a difference other than at the very start of the game and might be better off with something else
-Flat armor because by the time arm/lv become better than flat armor you already have bought more armor making the tiny increase barley noticeable
Why no prospectors?
Prospectors is nice but you the lifesteal does so little its not even noticeable and getting the phage slow earlier helps more in general. the 20 HP and 2 AD are not ever really going to decide the fight in mid, a little later having a slow on an enemy very often does decide if he lives or dies.
Comments and corrections are always welcome as long as they are constructive
Also if someone could direct me to the code for items and spells and such that would be great. I thought that was right but obviously it's not |
“ Author: Neal Asher / Format: Paperback / Date of publication: 05 November 2010 / Genre: Science Fiction / Subcategory: Science Fiction General / Publisher: Pan Macmillan / Title: Polity Agent / ISBN 13: 9780330521390 / ISBN 10: 0330521390 „
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This is a fourth book set in the Polity and it features Agent Cormac and some other characters known from previous instalments. It's not part of a saga, though, and it's perfectly readable as a stand alone, as enough explanation (in fact, perhaps even bit too much, as it often is the case with s-f books) is provided.
Jain nodes, a lethal nanotechnology designed to destroy civilisations is rearing its ugly head again in the Polity. Who is distributing the nodes? What do they have to do with the giant biotechnology construct called Dragon produced by the Makers' civilisation, itself destroyed by Jain tech 800 years in the future? And what exactly is the mysterious entity calling itself the Legate representative of?
Agent Cormac, Sparkind special forces members and various researchers and AIs combine forces to find answers to these questions and possibly save the Polity from destruction. Meanwhile, a haiman (a human highly augmented with AI) Orlandine engages in a careful research on the Jain node she has in her possession - will she manage to control and harness its power or will it subsume and destroy her?
Even from this brief plot teaser you can see that with Polity Agent we are firmly in the realm of high-tech space opera: interstellar travel through U-space, anti-gravity transport, spaceship battles, anti-matter guns, violent annihilation of whole planets. On top of this we have a good dose of post cyber-punk motifs including benign ruling AIs, humans augmented with electronics, Virtual Reality, mighty information gridlinks and memcrystals.
Add genetic modification, bio-machines and a powerful nanotechnology that breeds like a combination of biological and information virus and you have an author that clearly knows his stuff and confidently uses the whole techno-science-fiction toolkit.
All of this is combined quite well into a consistent and believable world which to me strongly resembles Banks's Culture; though Polity is of somehow more obviously harsh and warlike, masculine character. There is an acknowledgement of Asher's debt to Banks though it only mentions drones; but the book also owes a lot to the cyberpunk tradition - in fact the cover of Polity Agent reminded me instantly of the UK cover of Neuromancer.
It's all there, and by all accounts Polity Agent should be, if not exactly inspiring, then at least fun. However, this novel fails on the main criterion of genre fiction. It is rather boring, despite all those plot strands and characters and fireworks of undoubted technical inventiveness. I could put it down pretty easily and I felt no compulsion to take it everywhere with me, as a true page-turner would induce. In fact I stopped reading Polity Agent for a day to read something else.
It's not that I don't like science-fiction, or even space-opera as such. But there was something unsatisfying about Polity Agent: it had a rich and complex plot, a decent world, great mean warships, and all those little gizmos, widgets and creatures that make for a fresh s-f setting. I particularly liked the haimen and their ultimate aim of attaining an AI/human synergy and Horace Blegg the immortal survivor of Hiroshima.
It even, in passing, asks some important questions: what it is to be human and what would be an improvement on human without losing essential humanity.
But ultimately, it's a SAS-style novel, in which secret agents, super-fighter dracomen, war drones, Earth Central Security AIs and terrorists take central stage.
The writing itself is not that bad. There is certain clunkiness (people don things all the time instead of putting them on, frigid is overused in its meaning of very cold) and an occasional anachronism (glare of an arc welder is not exactly fitting with this space age world) but it's not worse, in fact it's probably slightly above average of genre fiction.
The psychology is either very shallow or non-existent, with female characters being perhaps bit more developed, but generally Polity Agent doesn't excel in depicting the emotional or intellectual life of its characters. It's not a big problem, but it adds to a vaguely plastic feel the whole novel has.
The biggest obstacle on my way to truly enjoy Polity Agent was probably the fact that it had too much of some things and too little of others. Too much of semi-comprehensible futuristic technical description of hardware and too many not particularly memorable renderings of battles. And too little of anything to do with social aspects of the world Asher is writing about, which for me are the main attraction of science-fiction.
Combined with characters I don't particularly care about, apart from maybe the haiman murderess Orlandine, this made for a very underwhelming read.
I don't particularly regret reading Polity Agent, and I could possibly imagine reading another Polity novel some time in the future, but I don't think my life would have been any poorer if I missed it completely. I would leave this one for library borrowing by s-f readers, unless you are a confirmed Asher fan or really like SAS-type space opera. Others, read Iain M. Banks instead.
Hardback: 496 pages
Publisher: Tor (6 Oct 2006)
£8.99 from Amazon.
This review was originally published on www.thebookbag.co.uk
From 800 years in the future, a runcible gate is opened into the Polity and those coming through it have been sent specially to take the alien 'Maker' back to its home civilization in the Small Magellanic cloud. Once these refugees are safely through, the gate itself is rapidly shut down - because something alien is pursuing them. The gate is then dumped into a nearby sun. From those refugees who get through, agent Cormac learns that the Maker civilization has been destroyed by pernicious virus known as the Jain technology. This, of course, raised questions: why was Dragon, a massive biocontruct of the Makers, really sent to the Polity; why did a Jain node suddenly end up in the hands of someone who could do the most damage with it? Meanwhile an entity called the Legate is distributing pernicious Jain nodes ...and a renegade attack ship, The King of Hearts, has encountered something very nasty outside the Polity itself. |
Were you aware that search engine spiders love fresh content and the more frequently you update your content the more frequently spiders traverse your site?
The advantage of adding fresh content frequently directly impacts your topical site synergy. By creating islands of topical (related) information on a subject provides each page with an opportunity to pull its own weight and rank on its own constitution as a contributing factor to your traffic and exposure.
Without updating your content, or having aged content on your site that could benefit from a content and link audit you are implying to search engines that proper on page factors are not a top priority.
Each time you upload a change to your server it sets off a chain reaction that summons search engine spiders (like the Google Bot, Slurp for Yahoo or others). The spiders in turn compare recent changes with the last cached snapshot of your pages and take note of revisions and integrate that into the bin (a storage cloud of your sites history spread across different data centers).
Based on how important the concept and the continuity behind the document is, if the new changes a favored by search engine algorithms, then a raise in relevance and relevance score occurs for the target terms on that page and for the entire site as a result of this synergy.
Without refinement to on page factors ranking dynamically would have to rely on off page factors such as link building alone (which is possible) like Adobe for “click here” and Apple computer for “home” either of which typed in a search engine will illustrate the point. They rank for those terms because of the sheer weight of thousands of pages linking to them with that anchor text.
The next step in the progression would be to implement theming your data or cross-linking and referencing the most suited progression for the key terms appearing across related pages.
If I have a keyword in one document on Page A that has the keyword relevant to Page B, then link to Page B from Page A using that keyword as anchor text (the text in the link). The value of this strategy is cumulative and paramount over time for securing competitive keywords.
Do this enough and frequently enough using absolute paths such as http://www.seodesignsolutions.com/seo-services.html vs. /seo-services.html (a relative path) and you are building relevant links internally (such as this link) within your site.
Combine this with strategic infusion of new information based on keyword research and gap analysis (where you rank compared to where you want to rank) and you can essentially develop relevance systematically over time and elevate your content naturally in search engines.
It is worth noting that the best strategies develop over time and leveraging that time through going back to refine outdated or off topic content can reinvigorate rankings and offer an appealing proposition for a top 10 position to search engines who are ever vigil for relevance and quality content to share with their audience.
Stay tuned for more useful SEO Techniques, Strategies, Tips and Solutions from SEO Design Solutions. |
I recently spent a few days at Google and with the Google+ folks, and as a marketer, I became very excited at what I heard.
What stands out about Google’s approach to Google+ is that it is clear Google is not out to build another destination social network (thank goodness).
Rather, Google seems to be out to build a social operating system – a social data layer that underpins everything, creating a more significant and measurable relationship between a brand’s website, paid media, natural search, and social engagement. Google is doing what Facebook should have done.
In the meantime, +Pages, Google+ for businesses, will launch in early fall.
Here’s what’s exciting for marketers: The relationship between +Pages and the Google +1 feature means that the social graph will be connected with actions across natural search, paid media, and website content. It means big opportunities for marketers to create strategically integrated, connected digital programs across bought, earned, and owned media.
The Impact of a Connected Bought/Earned/Owned Program
Bought + earned. A paid media program using +1 could extend its reach through social retargeting (if I “+1” an ad, it is served to my social graph and takes priority over other ads in the exchange). And, as a secondary benefit, a +1 paid media program could also capture audiences in a social database for ongoing messaging and engagement beyond the paid campaign (when I “+1” an ad, I am given the option of joining the brand’s +Page right then and there).
Amplifying earned media with search and social synergy. All of that brand messaging (content) and engagement shared through the +Page in turn creates visibility in natural search – yet another high value brand touch point.
Earned + owned. Additionally, If I add +1 to my site content, say at the product category level or even product level, and that content receives a lot of +1’s, that action can have a positive impact in two ways:
- Customers that “+1” the product will be asked to join the brand’s +Page circles (site interaction to CRM!).
- Your site content benefits from improved search visibility from social signals.
+Pages cannot come soon enough.
Online reputation is important for every business and social media has escalated this need. How can you filter the noise to maintain ... read more
User-generated content has become an important part of content marketing, with consumers being part of a brand’s strategy. How does this affect ... read more
Something I’m asked frequently at conferences and from marketers is what metrics they should be striving for from their social media marketing. ... read more |
Sharon Watt, PhD
Product Reviewed: ProVanax
Can one supplement "fix" all the major symptoms of stress such as anxiety, depression and insominia? Read my review to find out why I think this is probably the most effective natural remedy available for anxiety, panic attacks and their related symptoms.
ProVanax is a clinically proven, all natural formula which attacks the signs of STRESS – anxiety, panic attacks, depression and insomnia – by balancing and optimizing important hormones in your body. It provides the specific nutrients your body needs to heal the stress and to feel good again, and has been voted the "#1 stress management supplement".
It is considered a safe and natural alternative to drugs like Prozac, Xanax and Valium, and does not have the harmful side effects, addiction and terrible withdrawal symptoms associated with these drugs.
ProVanax is doctor formulated, medically endorsed and has more than 690 published studies proving its effectiveness.
How Does ProVanax Work? - The World First "Tri-Mode" Technology
ProVanax uses a world first “tri-mode” technology that targets anxiety, depression and insomnia altogether, using it’s advanced Synergy Optimizer™ technology. This technology delivers a synergistic blend of specific ingredients in a way that optimizes the benefits and results you get, while minimizing and eliminating negative side effects.
Most products deal ONLY with anxiety, depression OR insomnia - but ProVanax works to "fix" all 3 of these problems at once. This is important, because these problems are all related to each other.
ProVanax has 690+ published studies showing it is clinically proven to work because it:
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Many of the ingredients used in the ProVanax formula have been used for around 50 years, proving they are safe and effective for long term use.
- Phenibut® (beta-phenyl-gamma-aminobutyric acid) – this is ProVanax's "top" ingredient and is a natural mood elevator that's been around for nearly 50 years.
- 5-HTP (Griffonia Simplicifolia) – a precursor to serotonin that is effectve against depression
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For more details about each of these ingredients and how they work, visit the ProVanax website.
Any Side Effects?
There are no reported side-effects or negative reactions with other herbs or prescription medications. The ingredients used in ProVanax are clinically proven to be effective and safe and there is no need to worry about addiction or withdrawal symptoms.
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A summary of the main benefits:
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Having read through the many testimonials on the ProVanax website it seems safe to say that this product works extremely well for anxiety and stress and their accompanying problems such as low mood, sleeplessness, lack of energy and poor concentration. The fact that this product has so many clinical studies proving its effectiveness is a glowing endorsement that makes ProVanax definitely worth a try.
I can highly recommend the company that makes ProVanax, HFL Solutions. They are leaders in the health supplement industry, all their products are of extremely high quality and backed by clinical studies, their customer service is excellent and they offer very secure online ordering. Plus, their unprecedented 200% satisfaction guarantee means you can try the product risk free.
For the next few days, ProVanax is offering a discount for visitors to naturalanxietysolutions.com. When you click on the link below to get to their website, you’ll be able to see the discounted price which is only good for a couple more days. Make sure to use coupon code: SSHFL when you get to the checkout. |
Who we are
Mirador Los Volcanes Ltda. is property of Mauricio Loaiza, Robinson, Rodrigo and Cristian Yévenes, all them proffesionals and relatives between them, who have been developing and implementing this innovator turistic proyect, with the finality of the synergy with the nature, enjoy the scenery, adventure, outdoor activities, entertaiment and offer to their guests so expected rest around of the most wonderful views to the volcano, mountains and to the beautiful valley from Pucón zone.
Cabins & SPA Mirador Los Volcanes is administered and operated by Cristian and his wife Graciela, who live in the same resort, which allow them to know every need of their guests, and for that reason, the atmosphere is warmer than in other places. Cristian is an ingeniere and a sportsman, worried mainly on the attention, turistic information and activities to enjoy his guests. Graciela is an excelent administrator, worried on maintenance, cabin´s details and on the organic garden, where are raspberries, plums, cherries and peaches.
Our commitment of excellence in attention and services, are confirmed by our guests, since Mirador Los Volcanes has always the best qualifications in www.tripadvisor.es, one of the best portals of turism around the world, based mainly on guests´s opinions, result of the luxury´s infraestructure in cabins, Acqua Spa and the particular care that Cristian and Graciela delivered to their guests. |
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HOXB3 is a member of the Antp homeobox family and encodes a nuclear protein with a homeobox DNA-binding domain. Additionally we are shipping HOXB3 Antibodies (44) and many more products for this protein.
Showing 5 out of 5 products:
Oculomotor circuits in hindbrain rhombomeres 5-6 develop and function independently of hox3 (show HOXC9 Proteins) genes.
the similarity of hoxb3a/Hoxa3 (show HOXA3 Proteins) regulatory mechanisms reflect the shared descent of both genes from a single ancestral paralog, expression of both genes in the posterior hindbrain and spinal cord in embryo
HOXB2 (show HOXB2 Proteins) and HOXB3 act as tumor suppressors in acute myeloid leukemia (show BCL11A Proteins) patients carrying the FLT3 (show FLT3 Proteins) protein mutations.
decreased methylation at HOXB3 and HOXB4 (show HOXB4 Proteins) was associated with increased gene expression of both HOXB genes specific to the mid-risk AML (show RUNX1 Proteins), while increased DNA methylation (show HELLS Proteins) at DCC (show DCC Proteins) distinctive to the high-risk AML (show RUNX1 Proteins) was associated with increased gene expression
describe familial cases of TH in two generations (proband and his father), in addition to other two sporadic cases. We have found polymorphisms in the HOXB3, HOXD3 (show HOXD3 Proteins), and a new synonymous variant, and PITX2 (show PITX2 Proteins) genes
HoxB3 promote prostate cancer progression by upregulating CDCA3 (show CDCA3 Proteins) expression.
Data show that inducible Hox (show MSH2 Proteins) genes are selectively sensitive to the inhibition of actin polymerization and that actin polymerization is required for the assembly of a transcription complex on the regulatory region of the Hox (show MSH2 Proteins) genes.
Data report novel nucleoporin 98 (show NUP98 Proteins) fusions with homeobox (show Lbx1 Proteins) (HOX (show MSH2 Proteins))A10, HOXB3 and HOXB4 (show HOXB4 Proteins), and describe the results of coexpression of these proteins with the Hox (show MSH2 Proteins) cofactor Meis1 (show MEIS1 Proteins) in leukemic induction.
The HOXb3 was only weakly expressed in the inv (show INVS Proteins)(7) positive patients.
HOXA7 (show HOXA7 Proteins), HOXB3, HOXA3 (show HOXA3 Proteins), and HOXB13 (show HOXB13 Proteins) expression levels changed during angiogenesis, sugessting these proteins might be involved in the angiogenesis of hMSCs.
RASSF1A (show RASSF1 Proteins) silencing strongly correlates with overexpression of HOXB3 and DNMT3B (show DNMT3B Proteins).
identified a novel Hoxb3 binding site S3 on the Hoxb1 (show HOXB1 Proteins) locus and confirmed protein binding to this site in hindbrain tissues from the Hoxb3(Tg) mutant
these results suggest that the multiple non-coding RNAs could be involved in the regulation of Hoxb3.
These data suggest a direct physiological role of Hoxb4 (show HOXB4 Proteins) and Hoxb3 in regulating stem cell regeneration and that these genes are required for maximal proliferative response.
Results suggest that members of the Hox (show MSH2 Proteins) groups (Hoxa3 (show HOXA3 Proteins), Hoxb3, Hoxd3 (show HOXD3 Proteins)) coordinate both suppression and activation mechanisms that ensure distinction between the multiple rhombomeres in the developing hindbrain.
b3IIIa in the Hoxb3 gene locus-lacZ (show GLB1 Proteins) transgene was expressed in a subset of enteric neuroblasts during early development of the gut (show GUSB Proteins)
The Hoxb3 gene plays an essential role in regulating B lymphopoiesis in the BM of adult mice.
In this expt. mice with a compound deficiency in hoxa9 (show HOXA9 Proteins), hoxb3 and hoxb4 (show HOXB4 Proteins) (hoxa9 (show HOXA9 Proteins)/b3/b4) were investigated for evidence of synergy between these genes in hematopoiesis.
This gene is a member of the Antp homeobox family and encodes a nuclear protein with a homeobox DNA-binding domain. It is included in a cluster of homeobox B genes located on chromosome 17. The encoded protein functions as a sequence-specific transcription factor that is involved in development. Increased expression of this gene is associated with a distinct biologic subset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
, Hox 2.7
, homeo box B3
, homeobox gene B-3
, homeobox protein Hox-B3a
, homeo box 2G
, homeobox protein Hox-2.7
, homeobox protein Hox-2G
, homeobox protein Hox-B3
, homeobox protein MH-23
, homeobox protein |
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Click here to enlarge Adviser views Lee Robertson, chief executive, Investment Quorum The Brexit effect can already be observed in financial markets but this was to be expected as soon as the Prime Minister announced the day of the referendum. The problem being that when the system set up postwar only contributory benefits got a central record. ??The talk will be an honest assessment of why things got so bad, what we are trying to do to fix things and where we hope to get to in the future.
Started by: saule1116 Forum: Law Replies: 3300 Last post: 1 minute ago Would you give Labour a chance in 2020. SnorBan Website uses this information for editorial purposes, and occasionally for other internal purposes. Excellent Ecommerce Shopping Carts software application is simply exactly what you have to assist you get work carried out in the quickest possible amount of time. |
Two Canadians and a Toyota Prius PHV are competing in Monte Carlo at the world’s oldest and most prestigious green rally race, the Rallye Monte Carlo des Energies Nouvelles.
The Toyota Prius PHV’s features will be put to the test in situations that simulate real world conditions in terms of fuel consumption and performance during the three day Rallye Monte Carlo des Energies Nouvelles.
The Rallye Monte Carlo des Energies Nouvelles runs March 21-23, 2013 and kicks off the 2013 FIA Alternative Energies Cup season.
Organized by the Automobile Club of Monaco, the event has been held each year since 2000, attracting over 300 competitors who must drive about 1,000 km (621 miles) over the course of three days.
The Prius PHV utilizes a proven lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a conventional household electricity outlet or a public charging post. It has the fastest charging time of any plug-in vehicle on the market – approximately 180 minutes using a 110V outlet and 90 minutes with 220V.
“Toyota hybrid systems are proven in the real world.” said Stephen Beatty, Chief Environmental Officer at Toyota Canada Inc. “It’s no wonder Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive is the choice powertrain when benchmarking fuel efficiency, it explains why over a quarter of the entrants in this year’s rallye are powered by Toyota’s HSD system.”
The Alternative Energies Cup season features 12 green rallies, including one stop in Canada, the Rallye Vert de Montréal.
Toyota Canada gained entry into the Monaco rally by winning the Montreal event for the 2nd time last October. Vinh Pham will once again jump behind the wheel of the Prius PHV, with Alan Ockwell as his navigator. |
Writer Mike Appelstein headed over to Euclid Records on Sunday afternoon to check out the performance by Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey. He had some nice things to say:
The original dB's have reformed and played a few gigs here and there. I've yet to see them, but I was certainly ready to give the acoustic duo a second chance. It should be no surprise that they were fantastic. They were clearly at ease with, trading jokes with and enjoying the Sunday afternoon crowd. There were some familiar songs - a bunch from the Mavericks duo album, "Nothing Is Wrong" from Repercussions, Stamey's solo "Something Came Over Me," and a wonderful downtempo version of "Black and White" - but the new and otherwise unfamiliar songs did not disappoint, either. They even snuck in a Euclid Records jingle. Great show all around. So how about bringing Gene and Will for a full-fledged dB's set next time? And tell your old friends the Feelies to visit, too.
I second Mike's assertion about the Feelies (and the dB's, for that matter), and about how much fun the duo had performing. I caught Holsapple and Stamey on Saturday night at a house party, and they were just as fantastic and loose. They bookended the set with two Everly Brothers covers, although the real gem was a psych-folk version of the Byrds' "Here Without You," a song penned by Springfield, Missouri native Gene Clark. Haunting doesn't begin to describe the pair's harmonies on this tune; their voices weaved together like a mournful elegy.
Of course, Holsapple and Stamey have been in bands since they were teenagers, so this synergy is to be expected. It's also probably why they were able to figure out a few songs on the fly -- and why they ribbed each other good-naturedly about Stamey leaving the dB's for a solo career or Holsapple's penchant for melancholy songs.
dB's chestnuts "If And When," and "I'm In Love" made appearances, as did crowd faves "Neverland," "Black and White," "Big Brown Eyes" and a slower, country-fied "Amplifier." The duo performed the Stamey solo song "Cara Lee" -- a stripped-back, solid version -- and the best from their 1991 album Mavericks ("I Want to Break Your Heart," "Geometry" and "The Child In You" stood out). A bunch of new material slated for their May-released duo album, Here and Now (which is due on Bar/None in a few months) fit in seamlessly with the older material. This is a testament to the pair's consistency as much as it is their talent.
The pair also performed at Off Broadway last night. I took photos on Saturday, but my camera cord is MIA for the moment. (Sigh.)
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Congrats to Mike Vick… The controversial Eagles player is getting more paper!
You heard it right, Vick is back and making it rain on them hoes with his third endorsement deal in three months. This time with Core Synergy.
Vick will be joining fellow NFL players Pittsburgh Steeler Maurkice Pouncey and Green Bay Packer A.J. Hawk who also inked a deal with the Lutte Licensing Group, the makers of the Core bands.
The high-tech silicone bracelets tout improved flexibility, balance and increased core strength. They are quickly becoming a fad among athletes.
The once-highest-paid NFL player and coveted pitchman, with numerous sweet deal endorsements that earned him millions, quickly went from a hero to a zero following his 2007 infamous arrest on dog-fighting charges. The arrest landed him an 18-month stint in federal prison.
Vick, who has been on the road to redemption, also picked up another endorsement deal last January. The first company who was willing to forgive his past was Unequal Technologies. Vick signed a two-year deal with the shock-blocking sports pads manufacturer. The Unequal Technologies deal tested the waters and two months later another company dared to follow suit.
Now, the powers that be at Core Synergy are ecstatic that Vick decided to come on-board to rep their brand:
“We are extremely excited to add Michael Vick to our list of outstanding athlete endorsers,” says Michael H. DiSabato, CEO of Lutte Licensing Group. “Michael epitomizes what the Core Synergy brand stands for. He’s a pure, authentic athlete who dominates one of the most competitive sports in the world.”
Okay, so it ain’t exactly Nike or Gatorade, but Vick did his time then put in work on the football field, these endorsements are well-deserved. Congratulations!
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The aim of the GenderTime project is to identify and implement the best systemic approach to increase the participation and career advancement of women researchers in selected institutions where self-tailored action plans are implemented. Institutions involved in GenderTime are intentionally very different in terms of size, discipline, history, etc. in order to experiment in various situations and to create a synergy among scientific partners. The plans involve activities as recruitment, retention and promotion policies, supporting work-life balance measures, updated management and research standards, supporting policies for dual careers-couple, etc. To guarantee the real implementation of structural change in each Institution a central role has been assumed by the transfer agents.
Work Packages: The work is divided into seven workpackages: WP1 Coordination, WP2 Implementation Process Management, WP3 Monitoring Action Plans, WP4 Knowledge Transfer, WP5 Independant Evaluation, WP6 Methodology for structural Change – Designing a toolbox, WP7 Dissemination. For more info, please, see the 1st Public Report Summary. |
Chair Entertainmentâ??s XBLA title Shadow Complex to adapt narrative from best-selling novel
Chair Entertainment will see renowned comic book writer Peter David devise a story to the upcoming XBLA title, Shadow Complex.
Peter David has earned distinction as a skilled writer on a multitude of comics from The Incredible Hulk to Spider-Man, Wolverine and Star Trek.
Chair Entertainment, a subsidiary of indie powerhouse Epic Games, is releasing Shadow Complex exclusively on XBLA from August 19 at the price of 1200MS Points.
The side-scrolling shooter – powered by the Unreal Engine 3 – is a synergy of old templates with new tech and ideas. David has crafted a story for the game that is based on Orson Scott Card’s best-selling novel, Empire.
The announcement to adapt the game’s narrative from literature sits in line with Epic design director Cliff Bleszinski’s vision for the studio.
In an interview with Develop, Epic’s design director said he wanted to see the company “continue to make very trans-media-friendly properties”. |
Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir/Self-Help/Native American/Myths/Legends
Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store
Ty Nolan is a professional storyteller and a therapist. He was asked to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professors how to use Storytelling (a retelling of traditional Native American Stories) to more effectively communicate complex concepts about technology to a general audience. Most recently he has worked with the National Science Foundation's Flagship Project, Synergy.
He currently lives in Arizona near South Mountain Community College, where one can be certified as a storyteller at one of the only Storytelling Institutes in the United States.
“The author studied with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in working with the various aspects of Death and Dying. His book, Coyote Still Going: Native American Legends and Contemporary Stories received the 2014 BP (BigAl’s Books and Pals) Readers’ Choice Award for Short Story Collections and Anthologies.”
“There are two things the dying can take with them when they go. One is the Story of how to deal with leaving life behind and what is believed to happen next. The other is Love. This book shares the gifts also given by the dying to the living—the power of memories. The Stories the living take with them help make sense of their own lives and relationships. Trained as a traditional American Indian Storyteller and One Who Buries, the author has had decades of experience in helping in the final ceremonies for the dead and in comforting the survivors. Traditional Native American legends and rituals that provide a framework for understanding death and dying are woven in with systemic family therapy and psychological studies of bereavement—and healing.
The title—Widow As Butterfly—refers to a traditional Sahaptin legend. Just as life repeats art, this Story sets a pattern the Sahaptin people use in accepting the loss of a loved one.
The author's personal history led to a major keynote for the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam and over thirty years of working with families, children and Hospice programs on a national and international level in coping with grief and loss. Importantly, the work also examines the needs of health care professionals—who cares for the caretakers?”
I pulled this from the introduction of Widow As Butterfly. I shortened it some but thought it was important to note:
“This book is an outgrowth of my many years of working with Death on a number of levels… It reflects the many workshops on Grief and Loss I have led across the United States, Canada, and Europe… The approaches and techniques described in this book don’t lessen the pain of loss. That’s part of our humanity.”
I was impressed and am in awe of Ty Nolan’s wisdom in how he approaches his work and most likely people in general. He seeks to learn each patient or clients own personal story through their culture, nationality, religion/beliefs, and history to provide a map to follow or use as a guide. Everyone’s is different in one degree or another and the map is fluid/changeable to fit ones needs. Not only does he tell Native American Stories but also accesses Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Celtic, and other Myths to relate. There is a Jewish story that I particularly liked, it made me smile.
Mr. Nolan also talks about perspective and relates stories of those he has helped guide through their grief or depression. No matter what kind of loss is being dealt with, I found his insights into people’s soul remarkable.
Another story I really enjoyed was Dancing With Dash-Kayah, it is another traditional Sahaptin story retold by Ty Nolan. Dash-Kayah is a big scary monster, which can represent grief, addiction, or disease. A clever boy overcomes the monster to make it more manageable. This is the way Mr. Nolan teaches. I would highly recommend this book for everyone, grief-stricken or not. It’s never too late to learn your story.
I noted a small number of proofing errors that included missing, extra, or wrong words.
Rating: ***** Five Stars |
GLM has appointed Christian Falkenberg as the new Show Director for the New York Intl. Gift Fair (NYIGF), the company announced recently. Falkenberg, a GLM vice president and 20-year veteran of the trade show industry, replaces Dorothy Belshaw , who recently became the President of the Gift Division for International Market Centers .
Prior to his promotion, Falkenberg served as the NYIGF Show Manager since 2008.
“In recent years, the NYIGF has undergone a series of strategic refinements to enhance the overall product offering, cross-category synergy, market differentiation and presentation, to better serve the needs of our customers,” GLM CEO Charles McCurdy said in a statement. “Christian has played a key role in the fair's evolution. Given his deep experience within the gift and home industry, and the NYIGF specifically, the fair's growth and success will thrive under his guidance.”
Since joining GLM in 1992, Falkenberg has held sales and management positions with the International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show, the Las Vegas Intl. Hotel & Restaurant Show and the Air & Waste Management Assn. Conference and Expo. He was promoted to Vice President in 2003.
“I am looking forward to bringing the fair through the next phase of Focus Forward 2013, launching Artisan Resource Market this summer, and strengthening the NYIGF’s position as the premier marketplace in the gift, home and lifestyle industry,” Falkenberg said in a statement. |
Synergy is a design for an affordable, cold-climate Passive House by Tim Eian of TE Studio, the firm behind the first Passive House in Wisconsin. Eian says Synergy is “a beacon for the 21st century renaissance of residential high-performance design.” In other words, this is a home for everyone: it’s traditional, comfortable, light-filled, and attainable.
As you probably already know, a Passive House (or Passivhaus in some circles) is a building that’s certified to aggressive levels of airtightness, annual heating and cooling efficiency, and annual primary energy efficiency.
Synergy would use 90% less heating energy and and 75% less total energy than a typical home and could be built for about $250,000. Moreover, the two-level, 1,700 square-foot home would have a projected monthly energy cost of $55 in year one.
The benefit to building a home like this is — once constructed — a homeowner wouldn’t need much of an investment in on-site renewable energy to approach net-zero energy or carbon neutrality. That is, the more energy efficient the home, the less energy producing the home needs to be.
TE Studio is currently looking for implementers of this design, so feel free to click the link below to get more information.
Credits: TE Studio. |
Previous Page —Page One
— GAS: Falling prices at the pump have freed more money for consumers to spend on appliances, furniture, vacations and other things that help drive the economy. The national average for regular unleaded has sunk to $3.21 a gallon since peaking at $3.98 in May, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge.
— INVENTORIES: Businesses are restocking shelves and warehouses, more confident that customers will buy their products. In October, their inventories were up 8.7 percent from a year earlier. An increase in inventories is expected to account for perhaps a third of growth this quarter.
The battered housing market might be showing signs of recovery. Home construction rose more than 9 percent in November from October, driven by apartment building. And the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that sales of previously occupied homes rose 4 percent in November.
But housing is climbing out of a deep hole: The existing homes sold at an annual rate of 4.4 million — well below the 6 million that would signal a healthy housing market. And the real-estate agents’ trade group revealed Wednesday that it overstated sales by 3.5 million during and after the Great Recession.
Once they peer into 2012, economists turn cautious. Bernard Baumohl, chief economist with the Economic Outlook Group, says that stronger consumer spending “is absolutely unsustainable. …. Wages have not kept pace with inflation all year.”
The government says that once you adjust for inflation, weekly earnings dropped 1.8 percent from November 2010 to last month. Consumers have used savings or credit cards to finance their purchases. Once bills come due in early 2012, Baumohl foresees a cutback in spending.
Baumohl is so pessimistic that he expects the economy to shrink at a 0.2 percent annual rate in the first three months of 2012 and to end the year with no more than 1.8 percent growth.
Europe is almost sure to slide into recession, even if its policymakers find a solution to the continent’s debt crisis. In the worst case, a chaotic breakup of the euro currency could ignite a worldwide financial panic.
Joe Echevarria, CEO of the accounting and consulting firm Deloitte LLP, says his company’s clients are delaying hiring or expansion decisions to see if Europe’s crisis will be resolved.
Another worry — again — is Washington. President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress still had not broken their impasse Wednesday on how to extend a Social Security tax cut. Without an extension, taxes will go up $1,000 in 2012 for someone making $50,000.
Failing to extend the tax cut, combined with the end of long-term unemployment benefits and other federal budget cuts, could shave 1.7 percent points from growth in 2012, warns Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics.
Forecasters are also chastened by the past two years. Since the Great Recession officially ended in June 2009, the economy has stalled twice just when it appeared to be gaining momentum.
In mid-2010, businesses slowed spending sharply. This year, the damage came from protests in the Middle East that drove oil prices higher, the earthquake in Japan, budget cuts by state and local governments and the stalemate in Washington.
But Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors says he thinks the fears about next year are overblown and the economy will grow 3 percent in 2012. Next year will be all about jobs. If job growth keeps accelerating, the economy is much more likely to meet Naroff’s predictions than the pessimists’.
In addition, Naroff says, that’s because consumers and businesses have grown more confident. If Europe averts disaster — a crackup of the eurozone — and endures only a mild recession, as Naroff expects, the impact on the United States will be minimal, he says.
“If you stopped the average person on the street and asked, ‘Are you slowing your spending because of what’s happening in Europe?’ they’d ask, ‘What planet are you from?'”
More breaking news
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- Ones to Watch: Real Estate, Architecture, Engineering & Construction
- Price to sell
- AT&T’s $85.4B deal for Time Warner: A new bet on synergy
- Another bid from China for US hotel
- IU Digital plans expansion
- Stony Brook’s Wolfstock draws more than 13,000
- New law helps firms protect their ‘secret sauce’ |
Lionsgate is looking at converting several movies into TV series — including, I’m told, the 2010 action film about a team of mercenaries. It wasn’t on CEO Jon Feltheimer’s list this morning, though, when he briefly discussed synergy plans in a conference call with Wall Street analysts following the company’s release last night of its fiscal Q4 results. Feltheimer says he’s also considering making series from Red and Step Up, film franchises acquired with the recent purchase of Summit Entertainment. Speaking of the deal, Feltheimer noted that Lionsgate’s $500M term loan to fund it “will be paid down on schedule” and its debt will be “significantly reduced.” One of the main reasons for that, of course, is the huge success of The Hunger Games. Due to the timing of the release in March at the end of the studio’s fiscal Q4, about 90% of the profits have yet to be reported. That made Feltheimer confident enough to report that Lionsgate “will generate approximately $900 million in EBITDA over the next three years.”
Lionsgate Considers Turning 'The Expendables' Into A TV Series
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The collegiate archery team selected to compete in the 9th World University Championships met with success in Cordoba, Spain earning a total of six medals, 3 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze.
US Collegiate Archery (USCA) implemented the first ever team building strategy the first few days of the championship to create a team synergy instead of 12 individual athletes. The effort was based on the past few years where the international medal count for USCA had been less than anticipated with issues regarding team cohesiveness. Executive Director Lorretta Sinclair was pleased with the team's overall performance and support of each other stating, "This has been the most cohesive team since 2006 and has resulted in the large medal count. Many team members made excellent efforts to not only support each other on the field, but off the field with the realization that it takes more than individuals to succeed in difficult international environments."
All medals were won by our compound archers, with Tristan Skarvan finishing 2nd in the individual matches, Evan Scudner, Bronze, and Dan Suter winning the Gold. Suter made it into the Gold medal match when he went into a nail biting shootoff in the semis against Luca Fanti (ITA) with a score of 144-142. In the mixed team round, Skarvan and Suter again took the gold medal beating out Germany 12 - 10.
The women's compound team came together despite the winds, and in an exciting tie breaking shoot off beat Malaysia for the Gold Medal. The winds picked up in a swirling pattern for the men's compound round, where compound archer Eric Beaudry stated, 'it was hard to figure it out (the wind). I'd aim off and the arrow would go there, and then I'd correct aiming off the other way, and the arrow would go there. It didn't make any sense.' The men lost to Italy in a 11 to 16 match, earning the silver medal.
Team mate Eric Beaudry lost to Scudner, moving Scudner to the quarters. Remaining compound team members, Eric Beaudry, Kendal NIcely, and Elissa Falconer finished 9th, 7th, and 9th respectively.
USCA's recurve archers faced a very tough field. Italy, Spain, Netherlands and other countries used this event as an Olympic games warm-up so there were many Olympians competing against our full time college students. The final standings for the recurve archers were Dakota Sinclair, 17th, Tony Don 17th, Ryan Fortenberry, 17th, Katie Alexander, 17th, Sarah Chai, 17th, and Kayla Debord, 17th. The recurve mixed team of Tony Don and Katie Alexander finished 9th. The women's recurve team went out on their first match to Taipei placing them 7th place overall. The men won their first match against Romania in a 16 to 14 match and then lost to number one ranked Korea 13 to 23.
USCA thanks the volunteer coaching staff of Ed Eliason, Robert Sinclair, and Benton Christensen for supporting not only the team but also collegiate archery. This was Benton Christensen's third time volunteering for a USCA world team.
The next World University Championships will be in 2014 in Brussels, Belgium. |
Four women from the North-east attended their company’s international business conference in Paris recently.
Jill Florence, ENJO Sales Manager from Turriff, and ENJO Team Leaders Lynne Oliver from MacDuff, Audrey Park from Peterhead and Claire Grant from Strichen were the top four consultants to represent ENJO UK at the International Synergy 2013 conference.
Jill Florence won 4th Top Recruiter in the World and a Special Achievement Award. In the Top 66 Consultants in the World category, Jill Florence came 66th and Claire Grant came 18th.
ENJO is a leading fibre technology company based in Austria, providing a total cleaning system to eliminate the use of toxic chemicals in homes and businesses, using special fibres and cold water to clean 6.5 times more hygienically than chemical cleaners.
The company offers cleaning products for inside and outside, including for barbeques, cars, tractors, pets and boats, as well as Spa products. ENJO Consultants aim to teach people how to clean without using chemicals to convert their homes into chemical-free zones.
ENJO is established in 26 countries world wide. Representatives from over 15 of these countries attended the five-day conference bringing together 175 consultants and distributors.
ENJO International has been around for 22 years but has only been in the North-east of Scotland for the last three years. ENJO UK, which is currently the fastest growing ENJO country in the world, did fantastically well during 2012, coming home from Paris with many awards.
To find out more about ENJO products or business opportunities you can contact various consultants locally or call ENJO UK on 08454 918718 or visit www.enjo.co.uk |
Tabletop.io and Catalyst Game Labs are very proud to announce the Linear for iOS available immediately for Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch!
Easy to learn, rewarding to master, Linear is a strategy game in which you draw lines to score the most points, while blocking the other players’ lines. Players receive more points for the longest lines, and combinations of lines are worth even more!
- Linear features ultra-simple gameplay action, but a deep and rich depth of play. The objective is simple: draw the longest lines to win!
- Linear features a compelling single player mode– explore 36 levels of difficulty, unlocking new and fiendishly hard challenges! Linear’s scaling AI difficulty will challenge you for hours of engrossing play. And on Apple devices, Gamecenter Leaderboard bragging rights remain to be won!
- Linear also features cross-platform multiplayer for up to 6 players. Players can choose to play on their Apple devices using your Gamecenter Friends list or players may also choose to play against their Facebook friends playing along on Facebook.
To learn more about Linear for iOS please visit the Apple App Store at: https://itunes.apple.com/app/linear/id557469267?mt=8
Linear is also available for in an ad-supported version, with full functionality at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/linearfree/id567890848?mt=8
Catalyst Game Labs

Catalyst Game Labs is dedicated to producing high quality games and fiction that mesh sophisticated game mechanics with dynamic universes-all presented in a form that allows beginning players and long-time veterans to easily jump into our games and fiction readers to enjoy our stories even if they don’t know the games.
Catalyst Game Labs is an imprint of InMediaRes Productions, LLC, which specializes in electronic publishing of professional fiction. This allows Catalyst to participate in a synergy that melds printed gaming material and fiction with all the benefits of electronic interfaces and online communities, creating a whole-package experience for any type of player or reader. Find Catalyst Game Labs online at www.catalystgamelabs.com.
Jackson Maynard Inc.
Jackson Maynard is turning top tabletop games into multiplayer, multi-platform experiences with its brand new game platform, Tabletop.IO, a multi-platform software service that enables distribution and performance across a wide variety of popular platforms. Starting with real-life tabletop games as a starting point, the Jackson Maynard team uses its big software brains and social media insight to create sheer online entertainment value for tabletop games. Find Jackson Maynard Inc. online at www.jacksonmaynard.com. |
A wealth manager, asset manager, multi-family office or private bank intending to service the wealthy should first and foremost begin with empathy. Too often the agent seems to be looking at themselves when they talk about what they can do for their clients.
Empathy is very important. The rationale is simple, how can one be trusted to consider what the client has not considered if one has not considered what the client has considered?
It is no wonder that the industry's self prognosis is not optimistic. The wrong approach can only be repeated so many times after which, one's sophisticated client being as sophisticated as their agent believes they are is bound to adapt. It is no wonder also that the industry is in decline. In many ways the family office is the high net worth's defence against the corporate onslaught.
The wealthy are not homogenous and they each have their own particular needs. While bespoke solutions are sought and service providers strive to provide them, there are general principles.
The wealthy are not interested in short term gains. They may appear to be for recreational reasons but in the end they want purchasing power preservation plus a spread, compounding over the long term.
They worry about their future just like everybody else. Human beings adjust to being rich and the rich may not feel as rich as one thinks they feel.
They worry about loss. Some clients are happy to take a guaranteed finite defined loss (a cost) over the chance of gain with the associated chance of unquantified loss. They may just want safekeeping and banking services. They understand the concept of diversification of custody in addition and as opposed to diversification of investments. In these uncertain times, bank failures cannot be ruled out.
Often they are, understandably, suspicious of the motives of those who come to service and advise. But here the issue is complicated. They are naturally suspicious of services and advice which are provided for free, and yet are unwilling to pay for advice, from poor prior experience, of unpaid advice and services. And around and around it goes.
Relationships are all important for the wealthy. Staff turnover is not only damaging to the building of lasting relationships they are also a metric of failure. As an industry, staff turnover in wealth management is remarkably high. A consequence is that long duration or gestation strategies or products are purposely and successfully under-represented, despite the importance of long term strategy. Instead, product providers complain that investors are not long term enough in their outlook precisely with regard to their daily, weekly or monthly liquidity products. Staff retention is closely related to staff compensation which is in turn closely related to agency behaviour. Ideally, staff should eat their own cooking, as demonstrated by the chefs who cut the fugu (the poisonous but delicious puffer fish.)
The wealthy are not responsible for their agent's budgets. Organizations run to quarterly sales targets and financial results. This is a wonderful way to run a business facing the wealthy, a wonderfully poor way of representing the client properly. Front line relationship managers may, if they are good, understand this and keep a relationship at risk of losing a trade. It is simply irrational to do the trade and lose the relationship. Unfortunately not everyone in an organization, particularly large, complex ones with interdependent stakeholders and constituents, understand this simple principle. Clients aren't always active. Sometimes when the going gets tough clients understandably reduce their risk. Sometimes, when the going is easy, they may likewise reduce their activity. To earn their keep, advisors need to provide investments which are robust under various environments, which means turning to alternative investments which obtain their returns from sources other than passive, directional exposure. And even then, sometimes, the right advice is to reduce risk and do less. Advising a client appropriately builds trust and will likely get you fired.
The corporate connection:
Many rich families have strong relationships with the banks originating from their business activities. This relationship is beyond the scope of this discussion, but the information asymmetry is less acute in that relationship. The entrepreneur knows their own business far better than they do an accumulator or a CDO Squared. They engage the bank as equals or partners.
Any executive must see the obvious synergies of managing both private wealth needs as well as corporate ones. This is sometimes if not often the raison d'etre of a private bank.
Here truly is a synergy and a strength if it is properly executed. The agent must engage the client as an equal, a strategy that may involve providing training, at the behest of the client, potentially to both current and future generations.
The outmoded merchant bank model is suddenly relevant, aligning principal and agent objectives. Basel 3 is a potential impediment, of course, as it is to so many parts of banking. In fact, the implications of Basel 3 have already driven some of the more cynical banks into the co-opting of client capital to provide the regulatory and equity capital to quasi-principal trades which place the bank in a senior position with recourse and not a small proportion of the profits. Such perversions will eventually alienate further the principal from agent.
The better way is to foster co-investment in a transparent and clear way, where regulation only governs disclosure and is otherwise neither prescriptive nor intrusive.
* understand the client.
* represent the client first.
* align the interests of the firm with the client.
* be transparent about fees, expenses and economics of the relationship.
* keep the relationship, lose the trade.
* be prepared to educate the client.
* the client is the ultimate payer.
* pay for independent advice.
* conduct due diligence on your advisers.
* ensure alignment of interest between your advisers and your own objectives.
* be transparent about your objectives and clear in your instruction. Require your agent to be similarly clear and transparent.
* trust but verify. |
eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Strategic SWOT Analysis Review provides a comprehensive insight into the company’s history, corporate strategy, business structure and operations. The report contains a detailed SWOT analysis, information on the company’s key employees, key competitors and major products and services.
This up-to-the-minute company report will help you to formulate strategies to drive your business by enabling you to understand your partners, customers and competitors better.
- Business description – A detailed description of the company’s operations and business divisions. - Corporate strategy – GlobalData’s summarization of the company’s business strategy. - SWOT analysis – A detailed analysis of the company’s strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. - Company history – Progression of key events associated with the company. - Major products and services – A list of major products, services and brands of the company. - Key competitors – A list of key competitors to the company. - Key employees – A list of the key executives of the company. - Executive biographies – A brief summary of the executives’ employment history. - Key operational heads – A list of personnel heading key departments/functions. - Important locations and subsidiaries – A list of key locations and subsidiaries of the company, including contact details.
eBay Korea Co., Ltd. (eBay Korea), formerly eBay Gmarket Co., Ltd., is one of Korea’s leading e-commerce marketplaces. The company undertakes the retailing of fashion apparel, furniture products for home, beauty and sports, baby food and child care products, computers and electronics, and travel and leisure products. eBay Korea also offers music, living and health products. These products are combined with product information such as product description, pictures, and customer reviews and commentary. The company provides online shipping services to its products in more than 70 countries across the world. eBay Korea is a subsidiary of eBay Inc., a global e-commerce platform and payments leader. eBay Korea is headquartered in Seoul, Korea.
Reasons to Buy
- Gain key insights into the company for academic or business research purposes. Key elements such as SWOT analysis and corporate strategy are incorporated in the profile to assist your academic or business research needs. - Identify potential customers and suppliers with this report’s analysis of the company’s business structure, operations, major products and services and business strategy. - Understand and respond to your competitors’ business structure and strategies with GlobalData’s detailed SWOT analysis. In this, the company’s core strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are analyzed, providing you with an up to date objective view of the company. - Examine potential investment and acquisition targets with this report’s detailed insight into the company’s strategic, business and operational performance.
Note: Some sections may be missing if data is unavailable for the company.
Table Of Contents
eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Strategic SWOT Analysis Review Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 List of Tables 4 Section 1 - About the Company 4 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Key Facts 4 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Key Employees 5 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Key Employee Biographies 6 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Major Products and Services 7 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - History 9 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Locations And Subsidiaries 10 Head Office 10 Section 2 - Company Analysis 11 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Business Description 11 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - SWOT Analysis 12 SWOT Analysis - Overview 12 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Strengths 12 Strength - Broad Product Listings 12 Strength - Synergy through eBay 12 Strength - Leading Market Position 12 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Weaknesses 13 Weakness - Involvement in Lawsuits 13 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Opportunities 14 Opportunity - Business Initiatives 14 Opportunity - Positive E-commerce Market: South Korea 14 Opportunity - Global Economic Outlook 14 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Threats 15 Threat - Market Competition 15 Threat - Stringent Government Regulations 15 Threat - Evolving Consumer Preferences 15 eBay Korea Co., Ltd. - Key Competitors 16 Section 3 - Appendix 17 Methodology 17 About GlobalData 17 Contact Us 17 Disclaimer 17
List of Tables
eBay Korea Co., Ltd., Key Facts 4 eBay Korea Co., Ltd., Key Employees 5 eBay Korea Co., Ltd., Key Employee Biographies 6 eBay Korea Co., Ltd., Major Products and Services 7 eBay Korea Co., Ltd., History 9 eBay Korea Co., Ltd., Key Competitors 16 |
Today LG Electronics announced that their LG Optimus 3D would have the world’s first 3D augmented browser on a smartphone. This comes from the support and collaboration efforts between LG and Wikitude. According to the press release, “The Wikitude 3D browser allows for better interaction and engagement with real-time user environments. While 2D AR only displays overlapped objects, 3D AR shows places, landmarks and objects in 3D making them easier to distinguish. The browser allows users to discover details about their surroundings and access related Wikipedia articles and Twitter information.”
For those who are waiting on this device, the LG Optimus 3D will be available this coming summer. For more information, check out the complete press release below.
LG OPTIMUS 3D ADDS ANOTHER INNOVATIVE “FIRST”WITH 3D AUGMENTED REALITY
Collaboration with Wikitude Gives 3D a Whole New Dimension
SEOUL and SALZBURG, AUSTRIA, May 11, 2011 – LG Electronics (LG), in collaboration with augmented reality (AR) pioneer Wikitude, today announced the adoption of the world’s first three dimensional AR browser on its upcoming LG Optimus 3D smartphone.
The Wikitude 3D browser allows for better interaction and engagement with real-time user environments. While 2D AR only displays overlapped objects, 3D AR shows places, landmarks and objects in 3D making them easier to distinguish. The browser al-lows users to discover details about their surroundings and access related Wikipedia articles and Twitter information.
“AR technology has been praised for its potential to replace the ‘abstract’ realities of standard mobile browsers with ‘actual’ reality streamed through the camera of the smartphone,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, CEO and President of LG Mobile Communica-tions Company. “LG’s cutting-edge hardware and 3D API software technology now pushes this reality a step further.”
Wikitude 3D includes information on over 100 million locations around the world, with contributions from more than 1,000 content providers. The browser currently provides support for 12 languages with plans to increase this number in the near future. Users can download Wikitude 3D from LG World, LG`s dedicated application store for free, staring in the middle of June.
“The synergy here is simply perfect and the resulting partnership has the potential to take both AR and smartphones to a whole new level,” said Martin Herdina, CEO of Wikitude.
The LG Optimus 3D introduces a number of innovative first technologies, including the world’s first dual-core, dual-channel, dual-memory architecture, as well as the first full 3D platform providing glasses-free viewing, recording and sharing of 3D content.
The LG Optimus 3D will be available this summer starting in Europe followed by other markets around the world.
Augmented Reality (AR) is a real-time technology which works by overlaying detailed information on user surroundings, including graphics, audio, and more, as captured through smartphone cameras and other devices. |
2009 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID SEDAN
Used Car - 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid Sedan in Mesa, Az
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Major Accidents, Lemon History and Odometer Problems
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2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid ReviewThis car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale.
The Toyota Camry Hybrid sedan brings the quality and reliability of the Camry together with increased fuel efficiency. The Camry Hybrid is a front-wheel drive four-door sedan that seats five passengers. Available in one well appointed trim it comes standard with Hybrid Synergy Drive, a combination electric motor/gasoline engine fitted with an efficient, continuously variable transmission. The standard warranty for hybrid-related components is 8 years/100,000 miles. A moonroof, navigation system, leather seats and heated front seats are optional. Standard safety features include stability and traction control, driver and front-passenger airbags, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, and side curtain airbags. The 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid is a carryover from 2008.
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Blue Synergy Solutions understands that is crucial for companies to have a distinctiveemblem for them to use. This is where a great logo comes in. It is the official face of the company. A well-designed logo can be a deal breaker for companies who wish to introduce their products and services to potential clients. Blue Synergy Solutions introduces several ways on how your logo can best represent your company and reach out to your intended clientele.
First impressions last
A logo is a visual depiction of your company. It is a key piece in establishing an identity. At the mere sight of it, people should not just recall the name of the company but have a mental rundown of the services and products that it offers. Imagine the three distinctive lines and you know it’s got to be Adidas. When you see two golden arches, you’ll undoubtedly crave for a McDonald’s cheeseburger. See a “swoosh” and you may get the urge to buy a new pair of Nike shoes. More than selling what your company has to offer, a great logo embodies the great values and standards that your company stands for.
Know which one is best for your business
Logos can be classified into three types. The illustrative type which depicts what services the company offers. For example, a wrench logo may likely convey that the company makes mechanical repairs or in an ecommerce setting, it means troubleshooting. Then there is the font-based logo. Companies like Sony, Yahoo and Coca-Cola use distinctive fonts that when seen by people, can be directly linked to the companies. The third type is an abstract logo. Nike’s swoosh is probably one of the most recognizable graphically abstract logos. Another logo which may not be as abstract but is still considered a graphic is the Worldwide Wildlife Fund’s Panda logo.
Regardless, Blue Synergy Solutions emphasizes that no matter what type a company chooses as a logo it should effectively communicate its association to the company. Otherwise, it can be a meaningless endeavor.
Focus on what your company wants to say
A logo should have personality—the company’s personality. Is it fun but informational like Google? Or is it serious like the logo of a law office? Logos should convey your company’s message across to people, especially your target audience.
Make it clean
Whatever type of logo a company chooses it should cleanly blend in with all the business. This means a logo should not just look good in the façade of an office building but in the decals of a truck or in a business card as well as in a letterhead of an office memo.
Differentiate from the rest
In many industries, the cutthroat competition means being overly aggressive. So check out the competition’s logo and how you can stand out from the pack.
Finally, Blue Synergy Solutions recommends that your company hire a designer that can best translate what you need in a logo. We can help you with that aspect. Blue Synergy Solutions is experienced in creating logos that sets companies apart from the rest while making sure that you reach out to your clientele. For companies who want to modify or change their logos, we can guide them into making an updated logo that entices potential clients but does not alienate long-time customers. http://www.bssqatar.com/
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UK Company Directors Reports, Free Company Director Check, Company Director Search
List of companies where Joy Silveira was involved. Free company director check. Joy Silveira currently holds the position of a Secretary (MANAGER) in SYNERGY MEDICAL LIMITED. He/she has been a Secretary (MANAGER) of SYNERGY MEDICAL LIMITED for 14 years.
PARK HOUSE THE BRIDLE PATH SEABRIDGE, NEWCASTLE
Country of residence: ENGLAND
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Joy Silveira has been working at SYNERGY MEDICAL LIMITED since 18 March 2003, currently, he/she works on the position of a Secretary (MANAGER).
Company address: SYNERGY MEDICAL LIMITED
PARK HOUSE, THE BRIDAL PATH SEABRIDGE, NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME, STAFFORDSHIRE, ST5 3SH
Company documents: 41 - buy documents
|IAN DENIS MICHAEL DOS REMEDIOS||NEWCASTLE|
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In Profile: AAEC’s Duff selected as a ‘2012 Student of Integrated Scholarship’
Texas Tech’s integrated scholars are academicians who distinguish themselves in teaching, research and service. According to Texas Tech leaders, these three functions allow integrated scholars to generate synergy, strengthening their every effort. The univeristy’s leadership believes that the partnership model for student learning — where students work collaboratively with faculty members, other students, and members of society — has tremendous potential for advancement both personally and professionally.
The model for students also embraces modes of active learning, including service learning and internships; undergraduate and graduate research; and study-abroad experiences and learning. Among the 10 outstanding undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate professional students in the newly released The Journal of Higher Education at TTU is the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources’ John Duff, an agribusiness major from Levelland. Duff was hired in May as the new renewables program director for the Sorghum Checkoff in Lubbock.
What got you interested in your major? I’m a senior agribusiness major. Growing up, I planned on farming with my dad. Since a farmer is equal parts agriculturalist and businessman, agribusiness was a natural choice.
What courses are you taking this semester? I’m taking introduction to production and operations management, international finance, and strategic management.
What is the most challenging course you’ve taken? How has it affected you? Spreadsheet analysis is now my greatest strength, and I use the techniques I learned in that class on a daily basis in my job.
Have you completed internships or had other work experience applicable to your field of study? God has blessed me with many professional opportunities, as I’m now on my fifth internship. I’ve had two congressional internships, one internship with an agricultural lobbying firm, a research internship with the economic research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and I’m currently an intern for a national trade association. These experiences have been infinitely valuable, and the connections I have made will be with me for the rest of my life.
Have you participated in undergraduate/graduate research? I had a research internship with the Economic Research Service, which is the economic research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. My role was primarily data organization (my spreadsheet skills served me well in that context) and data mapping. Working in a research environment was a great experience, and seeing my name on the completed paper will be, as well.
What service projects (volunteering, community service, etc.) have you been involved in? The South Plains Food Bank operates an organic farm on the South Loop. The farm operates largely on the volunteer efforts of underprivileged and at-risk kids from surrounding neighborhoods.p>
What advice would you give to other students who would like to be a Student of Integrated Scholarship? Students of Integrated Scholarship balance academics with additional activities, such as research, internships, service learning, and study abroad. I would advise them to aim for the margin — that extra hour of study that will earn them a 90 percent in a class, that additional internship that sets them apart from other job candidates, that extra Saturday per month they spend volunteering. If students figure out how to go a little further than their peers, they will be miles ahead at graduation.
What are your plans after graduation? My ultimate professional goal is to do the best job I can advocating on behalf of the American farmer. I do not know yet if that means I must work for a trade association or run for Congress, but I am willing to go wherever the Lord leads me.
What experiences do you value most as a student at Texas Tech? My most valuable experiences, ironically, have come off campus during my internships. My internships were all made possible in some way by Texas Tech, though, so I’ll always be grateful for my time here.
Duff’s agribusiness curriculum provides a common body of knowledge for students in agricultural economics and business administration. This degree program combines core courses from agricultural and applied economics with business courses in accounting, marketing, management, finance, and business law to provide a foundation for careers in management of businesses.
Written by Bob Smith, Rachel Pierce & Scott Irlbeck
CONTACT: Eduardo Segarra, Professor and Chairman, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2821 or email@example.com
0326NM12 / Photo: Neal Hinkle
Editor’s Note: Bob Smith is Provost of Texas Tech, while Rachel Pierce and Scott Irlbeck are Senior Editors of Research & Academic Communications |
After the Battleship fiasco, the idea of turning toys or games into movies may sound a bit flat. Then again, we here at TG do think a Lego film could be a lot of fun.
As we’ve previously discussed, a Lego film is currently in the works at Warner Brothers for a 2014 release, and if done right, could be a big hit for families, as it is a world-wide recognized brand that shouldn’t be difficult to market.
Now that Universal struck out with Hasbro, the studio is apparently going to try their luck with Lego as well.
As The Hollywood Reporter tells us, Universal is working on a deal to make a movie out of the Lego robot toys Hero Factory.
With Transformers still being a ginormous franchise, studios are still in the big robot business, and if Lego movies take off, Universal could be right on time with this one.
The screenplay will reportedly be written by Micahel Finch and Alex Litvak, who penned Predators. Perhaps Universal is trying to replicate the success of the Transformers franchise, considering they were written by the team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.
However, this is no mere toy story. As the Reporter tells us, Hero Factory “has a distinct storyline and a dense mythology.”
The Legos in the film are apparently churned out by a factory to fight evil from outer space, and the heroes, whose names sound a little Toy Story-ish, are Stomer, Bulk, Stringer, Furno and Breez. The villains include XPlode, Corroder, Meltdown and Von Nebular.
The Hero Factory storyline first appeared in 2010, and there’s also hero Factory comics, a computer application and a theme park. So clearly there’s big potential for major success in a lot of areas if the movie’s a hit, and lots of potential "synergy," as they say in the biz, that can happen.
The producers of Hero Factory, Mark Gordon and Film 360, are also helming the Steve Jobs biopic, which Aaron Sorkin is currently writing for Sony. |
The Deal: Jumping Through The Hulu Hoop
NEW YORK (The Deal) - It's hard to imagine an auction making as much noise or generating as much heat as the one about to end for Hulu LLC. Yet the auction's diverting asides have never repudiated the notion that the current field of Hulu contestants has just one logical buyer: Yahoo! Inc
Let's begin with the assumption that Hulu's active owners -- Walt Disney Co.'s
Those two false starts, however, suggest the third time will be the charm. Otherwise, on contemplating the fallout from a third failed attempt at changing Hulu ownership inside of four years, the operating metaphor would be "strike three!"
Let's also recognize Hulu's intrinsic appeal to strategic prospects, whether they're cable companies, satellite broadcasters, media consortia or Internet companies. The deep pockets therein, once coupled with the synergy or utility a sale would bring to any winner of this type, give these strategics the ability and the justification to offer more for Hulu than any financial sponsor could responsibly pay.
Doesn't even matter if a would-be financial sponsor teamed with a strategic, or something akin to a strategic, on meeting this week's deadline for final bids. The high internal rates of return demanded by private equity should be enough, ultimately, to keep financials suitors at bay.
Nonetheless, on leaving the field to strategics, it's important to note that they're not all the same. An important distinction, for example, is whether they already buy content from ABC, Fox and NBC. Cable companies and satellite broadcasters do buy such content, which means Hulu's sale to any of them would keep the number of content buyers in the sales universe of ABC, Fox and NBC exactly the same.
It also means Hulu's selling networks would render themselves vulnerable to two-for-one pricing demands from an existing content buyer who then begins negotiating for that same content, again, as Hulu's new owner. This process would be aggravated -- probably to the point of managerial paralysis, considering the inability of just ABC and Fox to agree on Hulu's direction -- if a consortium of content-buying distributors were able to mount a winning club bid. |
For those of you who know me, you know I have a love for poetry. I finally have managed to harass my good friend Kyle, who is a very talented poet, to join. I promised him that people would like his poetry, hint, hint. So you should check it out and make him feel good. Kyle J.K. on hubpages. Or copy, paste the link. http://hubpages.com/profile/Kyle+J.+K.
Will do, well just joined his fan club and sent him a message greeting him and all. Seems like a good dude! Tell him Welcome to the family for me!
ha ha ha
by surfeitt5 days ago
I am hoping to receive a post from each poet on Hubpages so that I may read your work and follow you.Thanks,Surfeitt
by Pacal Votan6 years ago
I'd like to find more poets on HubPages. Apart from the classics like Brenda Scully, CC, Janetta, Tom Rubenoff or Randy Behavior, I think there are many more who are slipping under the radar such as Hookah or Not...
by Mizzery Chick6 years ago
We all know the well known poets on here. What I want to know is who is YOUR favorite lesser known poet that needs some recognition? Here are a couple of my favorite lesser known poets:KFlippinMrDSpadegg.zainoAwful Poet
by Earl Noah Bernsby3 years ago
Whether you think that HubPages is- or is not- an appropriate venue for creative writing, it may be beneficial to designate a specific area for it, complete with all of the subheadings found within the non-fiction...
by Chad Taylor6 years ago
Would love to hear some feedback and create a little synergy w/ other poets out there. As you will see from my recent essays, I am intrigued and fascinated w/ the tragic motif that often runs through the poets...
by emmajayne896 years ago
Every book shop that I have ever found has a SERIOUS lack of modern poetry and, being a passionate and eager poet myself, I'm super eager to get my hands on some good books! Or even just internet links to interesting...
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|Publication number||US8029488 B2|
|Application number||US 11/340,803|
|Publication date||4 Oct 2011|
|Filing date||26 Jan 2006|
|Priority date||26 Jan 2005|
|Also published as||CA2620260A1, CN101106962A, CN101106962B, EP1843728A1, EP1843728B1, US20060167434, WO2006081068A1|
|Publication number||11340803, 340803, US 8029488 B2, US 8029488B2, US-B2-8029488, US8029488 B2, US8029488B2|
|Inventors||Gregory Ashton, Eiro Fukuda|
|Original Assignee||The Procter & Gamble Company|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (387), Non-Patent Citations (11), Referenced by (2), Classifications (12), Legal Events (2)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/647,246, filed Jan. 26, 2005.
The present invention relates to an absorbent article having an elastic belt that exhibits slow recovery elongation. The present invention relates to an absorbent article having an elastic belt that exhibits a gradual increase in force upon recovery.
It has long been known that absorbent articles such as conventional taped diapers, pull-on diapers, training pants, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, incontinence briefs, and the like, offer the benefit of receiving and containing urine and/or other bodily exudates. To effectively contain exudates, the articles should provide a snug fit around the waist and legs of a wearer. Articles such as conventional diapers generally include a front and a rear waist section releasably connected by a fastening means. Application of a conventional diaper is usually performed by a caregiver with the wearer in a supine position. Such diapers may allow for easy application by the caregiver but generally make self-application by the wearer very difficult. Furthermore, conventional diapers may be difficult to apply when the wearer is in a standing position.
Disposable pull-on diapers were developed, in part, to address the problem associated with conventional diapers such as difficulties related to self-application and standing application. Pull-on diapers are designed to effectively contain exudates while allowing for self-application. Pull-on diapers generally include a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region therebetween. The front waist region and back waist region may be attached to form a waist opening and pair of leg openings. Generally, pull-on diapers are manufactured in a prejoined configuration such that the front and rear waist sections do not need to be attached by a wearer or caregiver prior to wear. In one particular facet, pull-on diapers have become popular for use on children who are able to walk and who may be engaged in toilet training. Pull-on diapers may serve as an intermediary product for the child between a conventional diaper and underwear. The pull-on provides a milestone for the child who may be toilet training and developing independence from the caregiver. However, to be an effective advance over a conventional diaper, the pull-on should not only allow for self-application but should also provide a mechanism for easier self-application.
Unfortunately, current pull-on diapers may be difficult for self-application by a child. Many pull-on diapers have elastic elements in the portion of the pull-on diaper that encircles the waist of the child during wear. The elastic elements allow the pull-on diaper to achieve a snug, conforming fit about the waist of the child. The elastic elements also allow the pull-on diaper to fit a range of shapes and sizes thereby enabling the pull-on diaper to exhibit a degree of customized fit. While the elastic elements are beneficial once applied, the elastic elements may inhibit the process of application and, particularly, self-application. During application, the waist opening of a pull-on diaper may be enlarged from its relaxed dimensions. Enlargement of the waist opening is often necessary given the geometry of a child wearer. As the pull-on diaper is pulled from a child's feet to the child's buttocks, the circumference of the child generally increases. Ideally, the pull-on diaper will maintain an enlarged waist opening during the application process. Specifically, throughout the application process, the waist opening circumference should stay larger than the circumference of the child over which the waist opening must pass. Child studies have shown that self-application of a garment (e.g., underwear or pull-on diaper) may take anywhere from about 12 seconds to about 2 minutes depending upon factors such as the child's size, dexterity, strength, and attention span. Typically, self-application may take from about 15 seconds to about 30 seconds.
However, existing pull-on diapers do not maintain an enlarged waist opening once elongated. Elastic elements within the pull-on diaper may exert a force that constricts the waist opening. The child or caregiver may need to exert a lateral force either to increase the size of the waist opening of the pull-on diaper or to maintain the size of the waist opening. The need to exert a lateral force may exist if the waist opening of the pull-on diaper constricts to a circumference smaller than a circumference of the child over which the diaper must pass at some given time of application. For example, the region of the buttocks typically is the greatest circumference over which pull-on diaper must pass. A lateral force may need to be applied to the pull-on diaper if the diaper's waist opening is smaller than the circumference around the child's buttocks when the diaper passes over the buttocks during application.
It should also be appreciated that any constrictive force pressing against the body of the wearer results in friction that must be overcome in the application process. If the pull-on diaper is in contact with wearer's body as the diaper is applied, the waist opening must continue to expand which results in increased strain upon the elastic elements. Increased strain often results in increased normal forces which further increases the friction that must be overcome by the child. Given a child's limited dexterity and strength, an increase in friction may make successful application of the pull-on diaper impossible.
Furthermore, as the pull-on diaper is advanced up the legs, the anatomy of the wearer may serve as a geometric barrier to application. The buttocks may serve as barrier that can catch the waist edge of the pull-on diaper and effectively prevent further upward advancement of the pull-on diaper. The waist opening may need to be enlarged to a circumference generally greater than that of the buttocks. The forces exhibited by elastic elements in current products may make enlargement of the waist circumference difficult for the applicator and impossible for a child.
Another factor making application of a pull-on diaper difficult is waist opening deformation. Ideally, the shape of waist opening of the pull-on diaper should mirror the shape of the wearer and, particularly the shape of the child at the point of greatest circumference. Generally, a circular or elliptical (e.g., an ellipse having an aspect ratio of approximately 1:1 to 1:2) shaped waist opening are preferred. However, if the waist opening must be enlarged, this preferred waist opening shape can be deformed. For example, in enlarging the waist opening, the applicator typically grasps the pull-on diaper at two points evenly spaced around the waist edge. Applying a lateral force creates a line of force traveling between the grasp points. As the waist opening elongates along this line of force, the waist opening may draw in or neck in a direction perpendicular to the lateral line of force. Since the applicator often grasps the sides of the pull-on diaper that are proximate to the hips of the wearer, the pull-on diaper may neck between the front and the back of the diaper. Necking of the diaper in the front and the back may further hinder application since the waist opening is being necked in at the point where the wearer's geometry protrudes, the buttocks.
Even if a caregiver wishes to aid the wearer in self-application, current pull-on diapers may frustrate such efforts. A caregiver may enlarge the size of the waist opening of a pull-on diaper before providing the pull-on diaper to the wearer for application. Ideally, the caregiver may stretch the waist opening to a circumference greater than that of the lower torso of the wearer. However, if the elongating force is not maintained, the pull-on diaper will typically “snap back” to substantially its original, relaxed dimension due to the force exerted by the elongated elastic elements. The elastic elements of current pull-on diaper construction are aggressive in that they contract rapidly and exert relatively high forces. As a result, if the pull-on diaper is expanded by a caregiver and then provided to a child, the child is left with a pull-on diaper that may require application of a continuous elongating force or else the product returns to its original, relaxed dimension.
In light of the problems described above, it is desirable to provide a disposable pull-on diaper that is tailored for ease of application and, especially, ease of self-application by a child. It would be beneficial to provide a disposable pull-on diaper having a waist circumference that retains its elongated state for some period of time after release of the elongating force. It would be particularly beneficial if this period of time approximates the average time necessary for the application process. It would also be beneficial to provide a disposable pull-on diaper requiring only minimal force to maintain elongation or to re-elongate the pull-on diaper. It would also be beneficial if the pull-on diaper exerted a gradual increase in force upon recovery.
The term “absorbent article” herein refers to a device which absorbs and contains excreta and/or bodily exudates and, more specifically, refers to a device which is placed against or in proximity to the body of the wearer to absorb and contain the excreta and/or exudates discharged from the body. The term “unitary absorbent article” herein refers to an absorbent article which is formed of separate parts united together to form a coordinated entity so that separate manipulative parts, such as a separate holder and/or liner, are not required. The term “disposable article” herein refers to an article which generally is not intended to be restored or reused, but is instead intended to be discarded after a single use. The term “diaper” refers to an absorbent article generally worn by infants and incontinent persons about the lower torso. The present invention is applicable to absorbent articles such as diapers, pull-on diapers or pant-type garments, training pants, incontinence briefs, incontinence undergarments, absorbent inserts, diaper holders and liners, feminine hygiene garments, and the like.
The term “joined” refers herein to the attachment together of elements of the absorbent article, either by direct affixment of a first element to a second element or by affixment of the first element to an intermediate element which is affixed to the second element.
As used herein, the term “longitudinal” generally refers to a line, axis, or direction which lies within the plane of the absorbent article or pull-on garment that is generally aligned with (e.g., approximately parallel including directions within +45° of the longitudinal direction) a longitudinal centerline.
As used herein, the terms “lateral” or “transverse” refer to a line, axis or direction which lies within the plane of the absorbent article or pull-on garment that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline.
The terms “elastic” and “elastically extensible” refer herein to the property of a material and/or an element of a diaper whereby the material and/or the element can be elongated to a practical extent upon the application of tensioning force and will substantially return to its original length or near its original length after the tension is released.
The term “elastic belt” refers herein to a portion of an absorbent article that encircles the waist of a wearer and exhibits some degree of elasticity. The elastic belt may be generally contiguous with the front and back waist regions. The elastic belt may comprise one or more elements that contribute to a circumferential tension about the waist opening of a diaper; such elements may be continuous or discontinuous. Generally, the tension is exhibited during expansion of the waist opening for application and/or exhibited when the diaper is worn.
The term “aged” as used herein with reference to a material and, particularly, to an elastomeric composition means that the material or elastomer was manufactured at least about 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, or 24 months, prior to incorporation into an absorbent article.
The term “pre-closed” refers herein to an absorbent article in which the article is assembled and ready for use. Typically, “ready for use” means that a waist opening and a pair of leg openings are present in the article and do not need to be formed by user intervention such as by applying a fastening member or engaging a fastening system.
The present invention relates generally to an absorbent article, especially a pull-on diaper, having an elastic belt that can be elongated, that maintains some degree of the elongation during the process of application of the article, and that elastically recovers to provide an elastic fit force during wear. For purposes of this invention, the ability of an elastic belt of the diaper to be elongated, to maintain elongation, and to elastically recover is quantified by reference to a Percent Release Test Method, as provided below. In certain embodiments, the elastic belt will exhibit a Percent Maximum Force at 15 seconds exhibited by the elastic belt will be less than about 80%-20% of the maximum force as measured by the Percent Release Test. In certain embodiments, the elastic belt will exhibit a Percent Maximum Force at 45 seconds exhibited by the elastic belt will be less than about 90%-55% of the maximum force as measured by the Percent Release Test.
In certain embodiments, the elastic belt may exhibit a 30% Recovery Time of at least 0.1 second. In certain embodiments, the elastic belt may exhibit a 30% Recovery Time of at least 1 second. In certain embodiments, the elastic belt may exhibit a 30% Recovery Time of at least 5 seconds. In certain embodiments, the elastic belt may exhibit a 30% Recovery Time of at least 10 seconds. In particular embodiments, the absorbent article may remain elongated for at least enough time so that the article can be applied to the wearer.
In certain embodiments, the elastic belt may exhibit a recovery speed of less than about 508 mm/min. In other embodiments, the elastic belt may exhibit a maximum normalized force of at least about 0.15 N/cm as measured by the Percent Release Test.
In certain embodiments, the elastic belt may exhibit a Percent Release of at least 30-90% after 180 seconds as measured by the Percent Release Test.
In particular embodiments, the force to achieve elongation of the waist opening may be no greater than certain prescribed values. Likewise, in certain embodiments, it is desirable that the article exhibit a force about the waist of the wearer while in normal use. As a result, the article may exhibit at least a prescribed elastic force upon recovery and during wear.
An exemplary embodiment of an absorbent article of the present invention is the unitary disposable absorbent article in a pant form, pull-on diaper 20, shown in
The diaper 20 may include an absorbent assembly 22, waist features 34 a, 34 b, and side panels 30, 31. The diaper 20 has a front waist region 36, a back waist region 38 opposed to the front waist region 36, and a crotch region 37 located between the front waist region 36 and the back waist region 38. The periphery of the diaper 20 is defined by the outer edges of the diaper 20 in which side edges 50 lie generally parallel to the longitudinal centerline 100 and the front waist edge 52 and back waist edge 54 lie generally parallel to the lateral centerline 110 of the diaper 20 and extend between the side edges 50.
The absorbent assembly 22 of the diaper 20 may include a liquid pervious topsheet 24, a liquid impervious backsheet 26, and an absorbent core 28 which may be positioned between at least a portion of the topsheet 24 and the backsheet 26. The absorbent assembly 22 may constitute the main structure of the diaper with other features added to form the composite diaper structure. The absorbent assembly 22 and generally all elements of diaper 20 may have a body-facing surface 23 which generally is in contact with the body or in close proximity to the body when the article is worn. The absorbent assembly 22 may have a garment-facing surface 25 opposed to the body-facing surface 23 and which generally contacts with or may be in close proximity to any garment being worn. The topsheet 24, the backsheet 26, and the absorbent core 28 may be assembled in a variety of configurations well known in the art. Exemplary absorbent assembly structures are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,895 issued May 4, 1999 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,487 issued Sep. 19, 2000.
The backsheet 26 is generally that portion of the diaper 20 which is disposed adjacent the garment-facing surface of the absorbent core 28 and which prevents the excreta and/or exudates contained therein from soiling garments or other articles which may contact the diaper 20, such as bedsheets and clothing. In preferred embodiments, the backsheet 26 may be substantially impervious to liquid and may comprise any suitable thin plastic film known in the art, including a breathable film. Exemplary backsheet films include those manufactured by Tredegar Industries, Inc., or Terre Haute, Ind., USA, and sold under the trade names X15306, X10962, and X10964.
The backsheet 26 may be joined to the topsheet 24, the absorbent core 28 or any other element of the diaper 20 or absorbent assembly 22 by any attachment means known in the art. For example, the attachment means may include a uniform continuous layer of adhesive, a patterned layer of adhesive, or an array of separate lines, spirals, or spots of adhesive. Exemplary adhesives include those manufactured by H.B. Fuller Company of St. Paul, Minn., USA and marketed as HL-1620 and HL-1358-XZP. Alternatively, the attachment means may comprise heat bonds, pressure bonds, ultrasonic bonds, dynamic mechanical bonds, or any other suitable attachment means or combinations of attachment means known in the art.
The topsheet 24 is preferably disposed adjacent the body-facing surface of the absorbent core 28 and may be joined to the absorbent core 28 and/or to the backsheet 26 by any attachment means known in the art. The topsheet 24 is preferably compliant, soft-feeling, and non-irritating to the wearer's skin. Preferably, at least a portion of the topsheet 24 is liquid pervious, permitting liquids to readily penetrate through its thickness. A suitable topsheet may be manufactured from a wide range of materials known in the art, such as porous foams, reticulated foams, apertured plastic films, or woven or nonwoven materials of natural fibers such as wood or cotton fibers, or synthetic fibers such as polyester or polypropylene fibers, or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. If the topsheet 24 includes fibers, the fibers may be spunbond, carded, wet-laid, meltblown, hydroentangled, or otherwise processed as is known in the art. One suitable topsheet material is a thermobonded carded web which is available as Supplier Code No. P-8 from Fiberweb North America, Inc., Simpsonville, S.C., U.S.A.
The absorbent core 28 may comprise any absorbent material which is generally compressible, conformable, non-irritating to the wearer's skin, and capable of absorbing and retaining liquids such as urine and other bodily exudates. The absorbent core 28 may be manufactured in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, for example, rectangular, hourglass, “T”-shaped, asymmetric, etc. The absorbent core 28 may include any of a wide variety of liquid-absorbent materials commonly used in disposable diapers and other absorbent articles, such as comminuted wood pulp, which is generally referred to as airfelt, cellulose wadding, meltblown polymers, chemically stiffened, modified, or cross-linked cellulosic fibers, tissue, absorbent foams including those prepared from polymerization of a high internal phase emulsion, superabsorbent polymers, absorbent gelling materials, or any other known absorbent material or combinations of materials. Exemplary absorbent core structures are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,678 issued Sep. 9, 1986 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,345 issued Nov. 9, 1993.
Diaper 20 may include at least one leg cuff.
The barrier cuff 42 may be formed by a flap 44 and an elastic member 45. The flap 44 may be a continuous extension of any of the existing materials or elements that forms diaper 20. For example, flap 44 may be a portion of the topsheet 24 treated to be hydrophobic or the flap 44 may be a discrete element separately attached to diaper 20. The elastic member 45 may be an elastic material that provides elasticity to the barrier cuff 42. It is desirable that elastic member 45 exhibits sufficient elasticity such that the barrier cuff may remain in contact with the wearer during normal wear thus enhancing the barrier properties of the barrier cuff 42. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,808,178 and 4,909,803 describe disposable diapers having barrier cuffs that improve the containment at the leg regions.
The gasketing cuff 32 may be substantially inelastic or may be elastically extensible to dynamically fit at the wearer's leg. The gasketing cuff 32 may be formed by one or more elastic members 33 operatively joined to the topsheet 24, backsheet 26, flap 44, or any other substrate used in the formation of diaper 20. In one suitable embodiment, the gasketing cuff 32 has a plurality of elastic members 33 joined between the backsheet 26 and the flap 44. U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,003 describes a disposable diaper which provides a contractible leg opening having a side flap and one or more elastic members to provide an elasticized leg cuff.
In some embodiments, such as that shown in
In some embodiments, the diaper 20 may be provided in a pre-closed form as shown, for example, in
The diaper 20 may alternatively have its opposing side edges 50 fastened together by any suitable fastening means, including those described above for the fastening system 40 as shown in
The diaper 20 of the present invention may include an elastic belt 70 such that, when diaper 20 is in a closed configuration, the front waist region 36 and the back waist region 38 are joined to yield a continuous waist edge comprising a front waist edge 52 and a back waist edge 54 which together define a waist opening 62 and two leg openings 64. The elastic belt 70 may be constructed from one or more elastic elements such that, in a closed configuration, a lateral force exerted by said elastic element contributes to a circumferential tension when the diaper 20 is extended or stretched for application or when the diaper 20 is worn. The elastic belt 70 may be formed by a variety of elements or combination of elements.
One suitable element that may be used to form the elastic belt 70 is a waist feature 34 a, 34 b. The waist feature 34 a, 34 b may be disposed longitudinally outwardly from at least one of the waist edges 56 of the absorbent core 28. The waist feature 34 a, 34 b may be disposed along the front waist edge 52 and/or the back waist edge 54 of the diaper 20; generally the waist feature 34 a, 34 b will form a portion of the front waist edge 52 and/or the back waist edge 54. The waist feature 34 a, 34 b may comprise one or more separate elements affixed to the diaper 20 and/or may comprise a continuous extension of another element or substrate of the diaper 20, such as the backsheet 26 and/or the topsheet 24. For example, as illustrated in
The waist feature 34 a, 34 b may be at least laterally elastically extensible to provide circumferential tension at the diaper waist opening 62. The waist feature 34 a, 34 b may be constructed in any of several different configurations known in the art. In one embodiment, waist feature 34 a, 34 b may be a stretch laminate comprising one or more substrates with elastic members joined thereon or therebetween. An exemplary waist feature 34 a, 34 b may be a stretch laminate comprising two layers of nonwoven material with a plurality of elastic strands stretch bonded therebetween. Such a waist feature 34 a, 34 b may be formed discretely and then joined to the diaper 20 or the waist feature may be formed unitarily within the diaper. As an example of a unitary formation, the waist feature 34 a, 34 b may comprise a plurality of elastic strands stretch bonded between two existing layers or substrates of the diaper (e.g., between the topsheet and the backsheet). Other exemplary waist feature constructions include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,595 issued May 7, 1985 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,274 issued Jun. 22, 1993.
One suitable element that may be used to form the elastic belt 70 is one or more side panels 30, 31. The diaper 20 may also include side panels 30, 31 disposed in the in the front waist region 36 and the back waist region 38, respectively. The side panels 30, 31 may be constructed in any suitable configuration known in the art. The side panels 30, 31 may be elastically extensible. A suitable elastic side panel is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,897 issued Sep. 23, 1997.
The side panels 30, 31 may be integral with the absorbent assembly 22 (i.e., they may be continuous extensions of one or more of the layers of the absorbent assembly 22) or they may be separately attached to the main absorbent assembly 22. Alternatively, the side panels 30, 31 may be made of multiple components or layers some of which are discrete (i.e., either attached separately to the main absorbent portion or separated therefrom by a gap) and some of which are continuous. An example of this type of construction is a diaper provided with an outer nonwoven cover which completely covers all areas of the diaper 20 including the side panels 30, 31 and the absorbent assembly 22.
The side panels 30, 31 together with the absorbent assembly may form pull-on diaper 20 having a waist opening and a pair of leg openings, when said pull-on diaper is in a closed configuration. As shown in
The front side panels 30 and the rear side panels 31 may be joined by a bonding method to form a seam 42. The front side panels 30 and the rear side panels 31 may be bonded by any suitable bonding means known in the art which is appropriate for the specific materials employed. For example, suitable bonding methods may include ultrasonic sealing, heat sealing, pressure bonding, adhesive bonding, sewing, autogenous bonding, and the like. The seams 42 may be permanent in that separation of the joined side panels 30, 31 requires the rupture or other destructive manipulation of the side panels 30, 31 effectively preventing refastening of the side panels 30, 31.
As shown in
In certain embodiments, it is desirable that the side panels 30, 31 be extensible and/or elastic. The side panels 30, 31 may be made extensible or elastic by any of a variety of techniques known in the art. For example, an elastic side panel 30, 31 can be made by disposing an elastic member, such as elastic strands or films, between facing layers of cover material, such as a non-woven material. Typically, in such a construction the elastic stands are attached to the facing layers while in a stretched configuration. After attachment, the strands are allowed to relax thereby gathering the facing layers and creating an elastic laminate. In an alternative method, elastic strands or a film can be attached to one or more facing layers in either a relaxed configuration or partially stretched configuration. The resulting laminate can be made stretchable (or more stretchable in the case of partially stretched strands or film) by subjecting the laminate to an elongation process which elongates the facing layers permanently, but the elastic stands or layer only temporarily. Such processes are known in the art as “zero strain” stretch laminate formation, and the elongation of such laminates may be accomplished with suitable means such as rollers, engaging teeth, or the like. Examples of zero strain activation processing and formations of resulting stretchable laminates are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,897 issued to Weber et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,793 issued to Buell et al.
In certain embodiments, the elastic belt may be constructed from a combination of elements. For example, in
The diaper 320 has a front waist region 336, a back waist region 338 opposed to the front waist region 336, and a crotch region 337 located between the front waist region 336 and the back waist region 38. The periphery of the diaper 320 is defined by the outer edges of the diaper 320 in which side edges 350 lie generally parallel to the longitudinal centerline 100 and the front waist edge 352 and back waist edge 354 lie generally parallel to the lateral centerline 110 of the diaper 320 and extend between the side edges 350.
The absorbent assembly 322 of the diaper 320 may include a liquid pervious topsheet 324, a liquid impervious backsheet 326, and an absorbent core 328 which may be positioned between at least a portion of the topsheet 324 and the backsheet 326. The absorbent assembly 322 may have an inner body-facing surface 323 which generally is in contact with the body or in close proximity to the body when the article is worn. The absorbent assembly 322 may also have an outer garment-facing surface 325 opposed to the inner surface 323 and which generally contacts with or may be in close proximity to any garment being worn. The topsheet 324, the backsheet 326, and the absorbent core 328 may be assembled in a variety of configurations well known in the art. Exemplary absorbent assembly structures are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,895 issued May 4, 1999 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,487 issued Sep. 19, 2000.
Diaper 320 may include at least one leg cuff;
The waistband 380 may encircle the waist opening 362 of the diaper 320. The waistband 380 may distribute and provide elastic resistance to the forces dynamically generated during wear. In a suitable embodiment as illustrated in
The waistband 380 may have an outer layer 392 and an inner layer 394. An elastic member 396 may be interposed between the outer layer 392 and the inner layer 394 to provide elasticity to the waistband 380. The front waistband 380 a and the back waistband 380 b may comprise the same materials and/or may have the same structure. Alternatively, the front waistband 380 a and the back waistband 380 b may comprise different materials and/or may have different structures. As shown in the embodiment of
The waistband 380 may have any shape to provide a ring-like belt. In the embodiment shown in
The waistband 380 may comprise a variety of suitable materials. Suitable material for the waistband 380 include a wide range of substrates such as plastic films; apertured plastic films; woven or nonwoven webs of natural materials (e.g., wood or cotton fibers), synthetic fibers (e.g., polyolefins, polyamides, polyester, polyethylene, or polypropylene fibers), or a combination of natural and/or synthetic fibers; or coated woven or nonwoven webs. The waistband 380 may comprise a stretchable nonwoven. In a suitable embodiment, the waistband 380 has an inner layer 394 comprising a hydrophobic, non-stretchable nonwoven material, an outer layer 392 comprising a hydrophobic, non-stretchable nonwoven material, and an elastic member 396 therebetween. Construction of elastic laminates is well known in the art. Construction may comprise the elastic member attached to the facing layers while in a stretched configuration. After attachment, the elastic member is allowed to relax thereby gathering the facing layers and creating an elastic laminate. Alternatively, elastic strands or film can be attached to one or more facing layers in either a relaxed configuration or partially stretched configuration. The resulting laminate can be made stretchable (or more stretchable as in the case of partially stretch strands or film) by subjecting the laminate to an elongation process which elongates the facing layers permanently, but the elastic stands or layer only temporarily. Such processes are known in the art as “zero strain” stretch laminate formation and have been described previously. In other embodiments, the waistband 380 may comprise the inner layer 394 and/or the outer layer 392 without an elastic member 396 if sufficient elasticity is present in the material which forms the inner layer 394 and/or outer layer 392 (e.g., layer may be an elastic scrim).
The elastic member 396 may comprise one or more of elastic elements such as strands or panels extending at least in the transverse direction. The elastic member 396 may be continuously or discontinuously disposed along the transverse width of the waistband. The elastic member 396 may be disposed evenly or disproportionately along the longitudinal length of the waistband 380. As shown in
As can be appreciated from the above description of suitable absorbent articles, the elastic belt 70, 370 can be manipulated to provide the desired characteristics of the present invention, such as percent recovery, open time, elongation force, and fit force. These desired characteristics may be achieved by varying the physical and compositional structure of the elastic belt 70, 370. In certain suitable embodiments, the elastic belt 70, 370 may comprise an elastic member exhibiting slow recovery characteristics. In particular embodiments, the side panels, waist feature, and/or waistband may comprise elastic members exhibiting slow recovery characteristics. An elastomer exhibits slow recovery characteristics if the material exhibits at least about 20% post elongation strain after 15 seconds of recovery at 22° C. as measured by the Post Elongation Recovery Test provided below.
A number of elastomeric polymers can be used to prepare an elastic material exhibiting slow recover characteristics. Elastomeric polymers include, but are not limited to, homopolymers (e.g., crosslinked poly(isoprene)), block copolymers, random copolymers, alternating copolymers, and graft copolymers. Suitable elastomeric polymers comprise styrenic block copolymers, natural and synthetic rubbers, polyisoprene, neoprene, polyurethanes, silicone rubbers, hydrocarbon elastomers, ionomers, and the like.
In one embodiment, the elastomeric polymer may be a block copolymer. A number of block copolymers may be used to prepare the elastic material exhibiting slow recovery characteristics including multi-block, tapered block and star block copolymers. Generally, the block copolymers suitable for use in the slow recovery elastomer may exhibit both elastomeric and thermoplastic characteristics. In such block copolymers a hard block (or segment) may have a glass transition temperature (Tg) greater than about 25° C. or is crystalline or semicrystalline with a melting temperature (Tm) above about 25° C. Preferably, the hard block has a Tg greater than about 35° C. or is crystalline or semicrystalline with a Tm above about 35° C. The hard block portion is typically derived from vinyl monomers including vinyl arenes such as styrene and alpha-methyl-styrene or combinations thereof.
Glass transition temperatures referred to herein with reference to elastomeric polymers and the slow recovery elastomer of the present invention are determined by tensile dynamic mechanical analysis performed in the linear elastic region of the material at a frequency of 1 Hz using a temperature ramp method. Suitably, film samples with a uniform thickness of about 0.3 mm or less may be used with a temperature ramp rate of about 1° C./min or slower. The tan δ peak temperature is taken as the Tg of the particular material or phase. Crystalline melting temperatures referred to herein are determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry using a temperature ramp rate of 10° C./min. The melting endothermic peak temperature is taken as the Tm of the particular crystalline region.
The soft block portion may be a polymer derived from conjugated aliphatic diene monomers. Typically, the soft block monomers contain fewer than about 6 carbon atoms. Suitable diene monomers include butadiene, isoprene, and the like. Suitable soft block polymers include poly(butadiene) and poly(isoprene). Suitable block copolymers for use in this invention may comprise at least one hard block (A) and at least one soft block (B). The block copolymers may have multiple blocks. In a preferred embodiment, the block copolymer may be an A-B-A triblock copolymer, an A-B-A-B tetrablock copolymer, or an A-B-A-B-A pentablock copolymer. Also, useful herein are triblock copolymers having endblocks A and A′, wherein A and A′ may be derived from different vinyl compounds. Also, useful in the present invention are block copolymers having more than one hard block and/or more than one soft block, wherein each hard block may be derived from the same or different monomers and each soft block may be derived from the same or different monomers.
It should be noted that where the copolymer contains residual olefinic double bonds, the copolymer may be partially or fully hydrogenated if desired. Saturation may often yield beneficial effects in the elastomeric properties of the copolymer.
The elastomeric polymer may be used in the slow recovery elastomer in an effective amount so as to achieve the desired normalized unload forces and post elongation strains. The slow recovery elastomer generally may comprise from about 20% to about 70%, preferably about 30% to about 65%, and most preferably about 45% to about 60% of the elastomeric polymer.
Elastomeric polymers may include styrene-olefin-styrene triblock copolymers such as styrene-butadiene-styrene (S-B-S), styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (S-EB-S), styrene-ethylene/propylene-styrene (S-EP-S), styrene-isoprene-styrene (S-I-S), hydrogenated polystyrene-isoprene/butadiene-styrene (S-IB-S), and mixtures thereof. The block copolymers may be employed alone or in a blend of block copolymers. Suitable S-B-S and S-I-S copolymers are commercially available under the trade designation Vector® from Dexco Polymers L.P., Houston, Tex., and under the trade designation Kraton from Kraton Polymers, Houston, Tex.
Various modifying resins may be used in this slow recovery elastomer. Suitable modifying resins should preferably associate or phase mix with the soft blocks of the elastomeric polymer. While not intending to be bound by this theory, it is believed that the modifying resins raise the Tg of the soft phase to the point where molecular relaxation at the in-use temperature is slowed. The slow recovery elastomer may comprise the modifying resin in amounts from about 0% to about 60% by weight. Preferably, the composition comprises from about 20% to about 55% and even more preferably from about 40% to about 50% of the modifying resin. Suitable modifying resins useful herein may include, but are not limited to, unhydrogenated C5 hydrocarbon resins or C9 hydrocarbon resins, partially and fully hydrogenated C5 hydrocarbon resins or C9 hydrocarbon resins; cycloaliphatic resins; terpene resins; polystyrene and styrene oligomers; poly(t-butylstyrene) or oligomers thereof; rosin and rosin derivatives; coumarone indenes; polycyclopentadiene and oligomers thereof; polymethylstyrene or oligomers thereof; phenolic resins; indene polymers, oligomers and copolymers; acrylate and methacrylate oligomers, polymers, or copolymers; derivatives thereof; and combinations thereof. Preferably, the resin is selected from the group consisting of the oligomers, polymers and/or copolymers derived from: t-butylstyrene, cyclopentadiene, iso-bornyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, indene, coumarone, vinylcyclohexane, methylstyrene, and 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl methacrylate. Preferred modifying resins also include alicyclic terpenes, hydrocarbon resins, cycloaliphatic resins, poly-beta-pinene, terpene phenolic resins, and combinations thereof. “C5 hydrocarbon resins” and “C9 hydrocarbon resins” are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,154.
In other suitable embodiments, the elastic belt may comprise an elastic member that is a heat shrinkable material, a water shrinkable materials, a memory visco-elastic foam, a plasto-elastic material, or combinations thereof.
Percent Release and Percent Maximum Force
This method is used to measure the force exerted by a pull-on garment at a point of recovery after release from elongation. The force data may be used to calculate a Percent Maximum Force, which is a measure of the percent of the maximum force that is exhibited at some given point in time. The force data may be used to calculate a Percent Release, which is a measure of the change in force from some point in time compared to some later point in time. Time values are measured starting from the point in time when the gauge length, but not necessarily the sample, reaches 30% strain upon recovery from 80% strain. The zero time point corresponds to step 6 in the tensile tester program provided below.
The percent release test is performed on a tensile tester at a constant rate of extension with a computer interface. An exemplary tester is an MTS Synergy tensile tester interfaced with Testworks 4 software. The test is conducted at ambient room conditions with a temperature of 23° C.±1° C. and a relative humidity of 50%±2%. For this test, the tensile tester is fitted with a 100N load cell and custom hook fixtures 510 as shown in
The hook fixture 510 comprises a pair J-shaped hooks 512 each with an attachment member 514. Each J-shaped hook 512 has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape with a diameter, D, of about 1 cm. The hook may have a length, L, of about 20 cm. The hook may have a width, W, of about 6 cm. The hooks 512 exhibit a smooth curvature to form the two arms that are substantially parallel to one another. The hooks 512 are formed from a material that will not interfere with the measurement of the absorbent article such as Teflon®-coated steel. Each hook 512 has an attachment member 514 that may be used to attach the hook to the tensile tester. Appropriate dimensions of the attachment member 514 may be varied to meet the needs of the tensile tester used. An engaging arm 516, the portion of the hook 512 that engages the sample, may be pivotally attached to the rest of the hook 512 such that the engaging arm 516 may rotate about its axis, which is the center of its cross-sectional face. The distance between the J-shaped hooks 512 is the gauge length, G.
The sample is measured to the nearest millimeter along the sample's waist edge to determine the circumference of the waist opening of the article. The initial gauge length G of the tensile tester is set to half of this circumference.
The sample 518 is loaded onto the hooks 512 as depicted in
The tensile tester may be programmed as follows:
Percent Release is a measure of the percent change in force over a specified unit of time. Percent release may be calculated according to the formula below where n is a time greater than 1 second:
In the Percent Release calculation, times are measured from the point where the gauge length reaches 30% strain as in Step 6 above. For example, Force1 second is the force recorded 1 second after the time channel is zeroed upon return of the gauge length to 30% strain.
Percent Maximum Force is a measure of the percent of the maximum force that is exhibited at some given point in time. For purposes of this measure, the term “maximum force” is the force measured at 180 seconds after the time channel has been reset to zero in Step 6 according to the Test Method presented above. Percent Maximum Force may be calculated according to the formula below where n is time:
30% Recovery Time
The 30% Recovery Time is a measure of the time it takes for a pull-on diaper to return to 30% strain after release from an elongation of 80% strain. For purposes of this calculation, the sample is considered to have returned to 30% once a measurable force is exerted by the sample and recorded by the tensile tester (Step 7 in the method provided above). The 30% recovery time is the time at which a force is exerted by the sample onto the hooks. The 30% Recovery Time can be considered a quantitative measure of the qualitative phenomena of “snap-back.” Samples exhibiting low 30% Recovery Times may be considered fast in that the sample recovers to 30% strain instantaneously (i.e., generally considered a time less than about 1 second) after release from an elongating force at 80% strain. Conversely, samples exhibiting higher 30% Recovery Times can be considered slow in that the sample recovers to 30% strain over time (i.e., generally considered a time greater than about 1 second). Furthermore, since time zero begins once the gauge length returns to 30% strain, a sample that exhibits a force at time zero may be considered to have recovered at least as fast as that of the gauge speed of the tensile tester. Since the gauge speed on return from 80% strain to 30% strain is 508 mm/min, samples exhibiting a force at time zero are considered to exhibit a recovery speed of 508 mm/min or faster.
Post Elongation Recovery Test Method for Elastomers
This method is used to determine the post elongation strain of an elastomer as a function of temperature and time. This method includes stretch method and a recovery method. The measurement may be done at 22° C. (72° F.) or at 32° C. (90° F.). The method employs a Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) such as a TA Instruments DMA 2980 (hereinafter “DMA 2980”), available from TA Instruments, Inc., of New Castle, Del.; equipped with a film clamp, Thermal Advantage/Thermal Solutions software for data acquisition, and Universal Analysis 2000 software for data analysis. Many other types of DMA devices exist, and the use of dynamic mechanical analysis is well known to those skilled in the art of polymer and copolymer characterization.
Methods of operation and calibration and guidelines for using the DMA 2980 are found in TA Instruments DMA 2980 Operator's Manual issued March 2002, Thermal Advantage User's Reference Guide issued July 2000 and Universal Analysis 2000 guide issued February 2003. To those skilled in the use of the DMA 2980, the following operational run conditions should be sufficient to replicate the stretch and recovery of the samples.
The DMA 2980 is set to the Controlled Force Mode with the film clamp. The film clamp is mounted onto the DMA 2980 and calibrated according to the User's Reference Guide. The material to be tested is cut into samples of substantially uniform dimension. Appropriate sample dimensions may be selected to achieve the required strain. For the DMA 2980, suitable sample dimensions are approximately 6.4 mm wide by approximately 0.15 mm thick. The floating film clamp of the DMA 2980 is adjusted to a position which provides approximately 6 mm between the clamping surfaces, and is locked in this position. The sample is mounted in the film clamps and the lower clamp is allowed to float to allow determination of the actual gauge length which exists between the film clamps.
Stretch Method—Specific DMA 2980 parameter settings for the above sample dimensions are set as follows: Preload force applied to sample in clamp (0.01N); auto zero displacement (on) at the start of the test; furnace (close), clamp position (lock), and temperature held at Ti (22° C. or 32° C.) at the end of the stretch method. Data acquisition rate is set at 0.5 Hz (1 point per 2 seconds). The stretch method is loaded onto the DMA 2980. The method segments are (1) Initial Temperature Ti (22° C. or 32° C.), (2) Equilibrate at Ti (3) Data Storage ON, and (4) Ramp Force 5.0 N/min to 18.0 N.
Upon initiation of the test, the temperature ramps to the specified Ti (22° C. or 32° C.) [method segment 1] and the temperature is maintained at this Ti [method segment 2]. After a minimum of 15 minutes at Ti, the operator initiates the sample stretching and concurrent data collection [method segments 3 and 4]. The sample is stretched with an applied ramp force of 5 N per minute to approximately 30 mm in length. The sample is locked in place at the stretched length of approximately 30 mm and maintained at Ti. The force required to reach the 400% strain is recorded manually from the digital readout on the instrument.
For samples of different dimensions, the applied force is adjusted to achieve an applied ramp force of 5 N/min per square millimeter of initial sample cross-sectional area, and the maximum displacement is adjusted to achieve a strain of 400%. The percent strain is calculated by subtracting the gauge length from the stretched length, then dividing the result by the gauge length and multiplying by 100. A sample stretched from an initial length of 6 mm to a length of 30 mm results in a 400% strain.
Recovery Method—The Recovery Method is loaded onto the instrument and initiated 15 seconds after reaching the desired strain (400%) in the Stretch Method. The four segments of the recovery method are (1) Data Storage ON, (2) Force 0.01N, (3) Ramp to Ti, and (4) Isotherm for 3.0 minutes. The following DMA 2980 parameter setting is changed from the Stretch Method: auto zero displacement is changed to (OFF). The Recovery Method measures the length of the sample over a 3 minute time period at the specified temperature (Ti=either 22° C. or 32° C.). The sample length, percent strain, and test temperature may be recorded as a function of recovery time.
These examples are of an illustrative waistband that may be used in the diaper depicted in
An absorbent assembly may be attached to the waistband to yield an absorbent article substantially similar to the one depicted in
These examples are comparative examples using a Pampers® Easy Up size 2T-3T, available from The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio.
These examples are comparative examples using a Huggies Pull-Ups® boys size 3T-4T, available from Kimberly-Clark Corp., Neenah, Wis.
These examples are comparative examples using a Huggies Pull-Ups® girls size 3T-4T, available from Kimberly-Clark Corp., Neenah, Wis.
Provided below in Tables 1 and 2 are the results of the Percent Release Test for Examples 1-8. Table 1 lists the raw force values for the Examples at discrete points in time. Table 2 shows the forces of Table 1 normalized and rounded to the nearest 1/100th decimal place. Normalization may be performed by taking the raw force values for the Examples at various points in time (as provided in Table 1) and dividing by the width of the sample. The force values are considered accurate to plus or minus 0.05 N. As a result, the negative force value for Example 1 at the time of 1 second is believed to be a signal-to-noise artifact and, given the accuracy of the measurement may correspond to no force at the time of 1 second. Likewise, the force value for Example 2 at the time of 1 second may also correspond to no force. As can be seen from the data of Table 1, the present invention (Examples 1-2) exhibits a recovery where the forces gradually build to the maximum force as measured at the time of 180 seconds. The comparative examples (Examples 3-8) show that the force values are high at the start of the measurement cycle and increases slightly after a 15-30 seconds time.
Table 3 provides the percent maximum forces for the various examples at discrete points in time. The percent maximum force for a given time is computed by taking the force measurement at some time and dividing by the force at time=180 second and multiplying by 100. As used herein, the term “maximum force” refers to the force, either raw or normalized, measured for a sample at 180 seconds. This percent maximum force value can be used to show how quickly it takes for the sample to approach its maximum force value and relatively how much force is exerted.
Percent Maximum Force (%)
Table 4 shows the percent release values for each of the Examples. The equation for calculating Percent Release is presented above. As may be appreciated from the percent release calculation, Percent Release values approaching zero indicate that the force at time=n has not increased appreciably compared to the force at time=1 second. Likewise, a percent release value approaching 100 indicates that the force at time=n has increased appreciably compared to the force at time=1 second.
Percent Release (%)
All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
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|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US8419701 *||16 Apr 2013||The Procter & Gamble Company||Absorbent articles with stretch zones comprising slow recovery elastic materials|
|US20060155255 *||3 Jun 2005||13 Jul 2006||Mckiernan Robin L||Absorbent articles with stretch zones comprising slow recovery elastic materials|
|U.S. Classification||604/385.24, 604/392, 604/385.29, 604/385.3, 604/396|
|Cooperative Classification||A61F13/496, A61F13/49011, A61F13/49014|
|European Classification||A61F13/49D2B, A61F13/49D2D, A61F13/496|
|26 Jan 2006||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY, THE, OHIO
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ASHTON, GREGROY;FUKUDA, EIRO;REEL/FRAME:017513/0695;SIGNING DATES FROM 20050223 TO 20050310
Owner name: PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY, THE, OHIO
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ASHTON, GREGROY;FUKUDA, EIRO;SIGNING DATES FROM 20050223TO 20050310;REEL/FRAME:017513/0695
|25 Mar 2015||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4 |
Dubai Exports, the export promotion agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED) Dubai and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promoting trade between Dubai and Hong Kong.
The two sides have agreed to intensify their efforts to organize more activities to promote bilateral trade and enable businesses to leverage the strengths of Dubai and Hong Kong as regional gateways.
“Dubai is centrally located between the East and the West. So we see a strong synergy in working with Hong Kong in our role as a regional trade hub. Businesses aiming for the Far East markets through Dubai can take advantage of Dubai’s infrastructure and competitiveness to establish their operations and reach half the world’s population,” said Engineer Saad Al Awadi, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Exports.
Benjamin Chau, Deputy Executive Director, HKTDC said: “It is natural for Dubai and Hong Kong, two strategic trade gateways, to work in closer cooperation. The UAE is Hong Kong’s largest export market in the Middle East and Dubai is known as the UAE’s trading hub. Our joint efforts will further expand trade potential and create more opportunities for both regions.”
Total trade between the UAE and Hong Kong during the first nine months of 2012 rose by 33% year-on-year to AED 25.7 billion (US$7billion) . The UAE’s total exports to Hong Kong during the period jumped 48% to AED12.8 billion. Pearls, precious and semi-precious stones (28%), telecommunications equipment & parts (27%), engines and motors, non-electric and parts (15%) and jewellery (15%) were the major exports, making up 85% of the total.
UAE imports from Hong Kong were valued at AED11.7 billion over the same period, representing a year-on-year increase of 20%. Among them, pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, telecommunications equipment and parts, computers and jewellery were the major imported items, together accounting for AED7.34 billion. |
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They’re generally sensitive,
intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment”. (Stargate SG-1 ‘200’, 22nd November 2006) This dissertation investigates how fans attempt to negotiate with a particular text and how certain texts display awareness of their audience and their fandom. The interest in fan culture has stemmed from my engagement with cultural theorists through study of Media. Stuart Hall (1973) in particular informs much of this study in that his theories on how audiences view certain cultural texts through three key hypothetical readings; dominanthegemonic position, negotiated position and the oppositional code’. These three readings are the means by which the audience relate to a text and are especially pertinent in a study which demonstrates how the audience and specifically the fandom chose to receive the text in question. Hall has also added to the debate on what is meant by quality within the communication framework. Hall and Whanell (1964) argue that “…“The struggle for what is good and worthwhile and what is shoddy and debased is not a struggle against the modern forms of communication but a conflict within these media.” (1964: 15). It is apparent from the previous statement that the debate on what constitutes ‘good and worthwhile’ subject matter has changed from judging the entirety of ‘forms of communication’ to attempting to judge within these parameters. Bignell and Lacey echo this particular sentiment in their exploration of just what is meant by ‘quality’ and how it “…is not a matter of contested definition as an academic term but also relates problematically to the notion of ‘good’ television” (2005:11). In Kincaid’s view, watching television and, in particular, television drama, is such an involving exercise both mentally and emotionally it is easy to see how viewers can become caught up in that world. It is also possible for viewers to start to identify with a
certain character to such a degree that they see themselves as similar to the character, “… perceives that others think they are like that character, wants to be like the character, and cares about what happens to the character.” (2002: 138). Alasuutari discusses the shift in the theory of audience reception studies from Stuart Hall’s (1974) theory of ‘Encoding/decoding’ to the more modern ‘Constructionist’ viewpoint where programmes have the audience ‘built-in’ or, as Alasuutari refers to it, “…programmes-with-an-audience…” (Alasuutari, 1999:7). In many ways the ‘constructionist’ viewpoint is more relevant now as more viewers have access to a computer and the internet than seven years ago. Viewers are able to express their opinion wholesale and seek out like-minded individuals in both blogs and websites to create ‘Fandom’s’ and in a way they are constructing their own enjoyment. Science Fiction as a genre and especially drama series Science Fiction can and does have a different impact and interpretation for those both viewing and critiquing. The long running Star Trek franchise, in its five carnations (Star Trek, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise) has inspired many varied cultural readings. Geraghty informs that the series “…used the science fiction setting to comment on American social problems of the sixties such as racism, sexual inequality, and American imperialist foreign policy.” Geraghty then goes on to argue that once the “…fans realized that these were his intentions the series was perceived differently and academic interest steadily followed.” (Geraghty 2003: 443). This is a very good example of one fandom propelling discussion on a sociological level and in an academic manner. There is a lot more literature on both the Star Trek series and indeed its audience than there is on the much more recent Stargate SG-1 owing to the longevity of the franchise of Star Trek. However, Stargate SG-1 is a series that takes an incredibly postmodern stance towards the
stories and the audience through its extensive use of pop culture references and extreme self-awareness as well a good few references to issues mentioned within the ‘Fandom’ in general. In this respect I believe it to be a useful text as it is one that attempts to connect to both the audience at large whilst also singling out the ‘Fandom’.
CHAPTER 2 There is a growing body of academic work on the subject of Media Studies that can be traced at least as far back as Hall and Whannell (1964) in their book The Popular Arts. They argue that Media should not be counted off-hand to be less than culturally “…good and worthwhile…” but they go on to insist that the conflict lies “…within these media’ as to what was academically valuable and what was “… shoddy and debased…” (Hall and Whannel, 1964: 15). Stuart Hall (1973) in particular informs much of this study in that his theories on how audiences view certain cultural texts through three key hypothetical readings. The first reading being the ‘dominant-hegemonic position’. This occurs when…”the viewer takes the connoted meaning from, say, a television newscast or current affairs program full and straight, and decodes the message in terms of the reference code in which it has been encoded, we might say that the viewer is operating inside the dominant code.” The second reading is the ‘negotiated position’. Hall has stated that “…decoding within the negotiated version contains a mixture of adaptive and oppositional elements: it acknowledges the legitimacy of the hegemonic definitions to make the grand significations (abstract), while, at a more restricted, situational (situated) level, it makes its own ground rules - it operates with exceptions to the rule.” The third and possibly most important reading for this research project is the ‘oppositional code’. This is when a viewer “…detotalizes the message in the preferred code in order to retotalize the message
within some alternative framework of reference.” Nick Lacey (1998) is one inheritor of Hall’s work on media analysis and impresses upon the reader just how much we are touched by the media in everyday life. In the book Image and Representation: Key Concepts in Media Studies, Lacey lays out the conventions used by media professionals to “… influence us every day of our lives…”. Lacey continues Hall and Whannels’ assertion that Media studies is important although he does so from the point of view that we are constantly surrounded by examples of media text, more so than Hall and Whannel while writing in the 1960’s. Lacey goes on to argue that in media texts the “…images are created in order to communicate a message…” (1998:5). It is the task of the media student to not only decode this message but to discover the methods by which it was encoded. Another successor of Hall’s is Jonathan Bignell and in his book Media Semiotics (2002) he lays down a solid framework for interpreting the signs we are subject to every day, just as Lacey has argued“…because society is so pervaded by media messages, semiotics can contribute to far more than our understanding of ‘the media’ in the narrow sense” (2002:1). In Media Semiotics, Bignell discusses the ‘signs’ encoded into texts from magazine advertisements, television fiction and cinema. The interest of this research, however, is in television, namely television drama, a genre which is, according to Paterson “…at the heart of every broadcasting schedule.” (1998:57). In this piece of work, Paterson charts the changes faced by television drama and how formats have changed due to international competition, changing technology as well as regulatory shifts. Paterson also explains the forms, genres and purposes of drama as well as the more political and social dimension it has taken in the past. An example of this is “…Alan Bleasdale’s Boy’s from The Blackstuff, maintaining a political eye on the culture and politics of the nation through the 1970’s” (Paterson 1998: 59). I would like to revisit a point made earlier by Hall and Whannel, that the ‘quality’ of
media texts is not up for debate but that the battle rages within the environment. This point is especially relevant in Hammond and Mazdon’s (2005) book The Contemporary Television Series. “Moreover, it is striking that so many of these ‘quality’ series/serials emanate from the United States. Critics have also tended to condemn much American Television, claiming it lacks the quality and integrity of British production.” (2005:4) Hammond and Mazdon suggest in this book, that American television has not, until recently been condemned by critics for its lack of quality and quite wrongly as it has produced numerous critically acclaimed series including Six Feet Under, The Soprano’s and the fast talking West Wing. This book does more than defend American television; it provides critique on these series as well as explaining the structure and history behind the format. In terms of the audience, a very useful book is Brooker and Jermyn’s (2003) The Audience Studies Reader in order to get to grips with the key theories and methods used in investigating such an area that is, of course, the aim of this research paper. Brooker and Jermyn identify World War I as the point where audience studies was first utilised. This is due to the fact that its “….significance lies in the fact that it was from this historical moment onwards that ‘propaganda’ arguably emerged as a primary and indispensable weapon in any war effort…”. Although an effective feature of warfare at that time, it also “…brought with it the enduring notion of ‘the public’ as a vulnerable and persuadable lot ‘at risk’ from propaganda.” (2003: 5)
CHAPTER 3 The method used by this research study to investigate ‘Fandom’ is an amalgamation of Discourse and Textual Analysis. Russell (1999) sees discourse as “…sets of statements or multilayered texts. These sets of statements in effect construct the ‘object’ of which they are speaking, in the process of their being spoken about” (1999: 94). Discourse Analysis is used here because this study is analysing the discourse present within the fandom. Fairclough (1992) states that this discourse need not be based solely “…upon language and therefore linguistic texts…” but also applies to “…other symbolic forms such as visual images, and texts which are combinations of words and images” (1992: 4). This is especially important as this fandom creates a discourse through words, images and even video. Barker and Galasinski (2001) give a much more detailed interpretation of how discourse analysis may be applied to look at both the language itself and the meanings behind it. According to Barker and Galasinski, “…discourse analysis means that the investigation of language is required to go beyond the boundaries of the syntactic or semantic for of utterance”. It is not enough to simply look at the surface level of the discourse used, in order to properly conduct a discourse analysis one must be “…aware of the lexicogrammatical within the utterance as well as the utterances functions within its context”
(2001: 63) The aim of the textual analysis was to examine where in the text there are examples of ‘Fandom’ awareness. Textual research itself falls under the banner of the term qualitative research methods, a term which carries within its own discourse: “Qualitative researchers still largely feel themselves to be second class citizens whose work typically evokes suspicion where the ‘gold standard’ is quantitative research.” (Silverman, 2000:3) Despite the above statement by Silverman, there are those who believe that qualitative methods are required under certain circumstances. Lotz (2000) has stated “… understandings gained from qualitative reception studies do offer more information about the process of engaging media…” (Lotz 2000: 112). I do agree with Lotz on this principle which is why I have chosen a qualitative stance for this research project as opposed to investigating a quantitative analysis of viewer ratings which would tell me how many people watched the show but it would not tell me how the audience engaged with the text. Starkey (2004) has made similar comment on the nature of different types of media research and how they warrant either a qualitative or quantitative approach. “Cultural consumption is problematic from a number of different perspectives, but certain responses from producers, regulators and commentators depend on the measurement of consumption according to quantitative and qualitative parameters. The reliability of the data can vary widely, not least because in certain areas consumption is invisible to those who would measure it, and so they must make estimates based on assumptions about methodology and sampling techniques.” (Starkey, 2004: 3)
This research requires a qualitative textual analysis in order to investigate the strength of the audience and especially the ‘fans’. In this research paper, textual analysis will be used on both the series as text as well as the fandom as text. “However, a textual analysis that takes place without examining the institutional, cultural and economic conditions in which texts are produced and understood is necessarily limited.” (Lewis & Jhally, 1998: 111) A major part of examining the audience’s reaction towards the series lies in looking at the reception of the series by the audience and as Lull (1995: 112) states “…one of the key theoretical developments in cultural studies research in recent years has been to show how audience members create their own meanings from media content to control certain aspects of their experiences with the media”. Henry Jenkins (1992) in his book Textual Poachers: Television Fan & Participatory Culture presents the most convincing argument as ‘Fandom’ as an ethnographic group, a “…social group struggling to define its own culture and to construct its own community…”. At the same time Jenkins (1992: 3) does admit that what he offers is a “…necessarily partial account of that sub-cultural community…(page 3). It is of interest that this book was written in 1992 and there were not as many homes across the world with internet access which in turn, limits the scope Jenkins’ study has in relation to how the ‘Fandom’ as a community has grown since then. That said, his work has laid the groundwork for studies such as this research project and how heavily the dawn of the internet has influenced this once isolated section of the viewing audience. Lull (1995) informs the bedrock of why an investigation into the audience and specifically fandom is becoming a growing trend in cultural studies. The fandom of my chosen text adds their own interpretation of ‘canon’ through online message boards, fan creation and websites like any other. Jones (2004: 163) has even gone as far as to state
that “…it has become something of an orthodoxy for scholars to elevate television fans to the status of modern-day Robin Hoods, folk heroes busily snatching back ‘our’ popular cultural texts from the greedy global conglomerates who claim to own them.” There are several ways in which a ‘Fan’ can engage with the text of their choice. In terms of a televisual text simply watching the series discussing it with friends could constitute engagement. Another method would be to read the various professional fanzines such as SFX, Dreamwatch, Shivers or the more specific series based fanzines. Possibly the most popular mode of ‘Fandom’ engagement is using the internet to seek out new territory in which to engage with like-minded individuals and indulge in activities as mundane as posting on a message board to the more involved fan-fiction or fan-video creations. Many television series these days encourage engagement with the internet to simply view the program. Apple’s ITunes offers downloads of certain television programs for a payper-view experience or even a Season Pass, this includes both Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis (ITunes Store). The downloaded episodes can then be watched on the computer or downloaded to a portable video device, most often an Ipod. The British Dr Who releases ‘Tardisodes’, mini-episode that can be found on the official BBC website and downloaded onto a portable device or watched on the computer (BBC Press Office). Most every television programme being broadcast has its own official website from the creative company and from the channel on which it is being broadcast and that is not counting the various fan-sites which spring up. The internet is arguably the easiest and most dynamic method by which fans can share their opinions with others with similar tastes without being judged by others for immersing themselves in what is still regarded as insignificant or trivial subjects. As Stargate SG-1 series writer Joseph Mallozzi states, there is “…something strangely comforting and delusively empowering about chiming in with an anonymous mob…” (Mallozzi, 2007). It is for this reason I have chosen to focus my study of fandom on how it occupies the online domain, by whom and what conventions and forms it adopts and how these online communities can appear to influence what is created by the writers and producers of the series.
THE SAMPLE The data required for this research was collected from the following websites: Gateworld Stargate SG-1 Solutions Ancients Gate The Sam/Jack Horsewomen Startoons Nialla’s Breadbox Editions Websites are easily the most accessible form of fan involvement with a particular text and if a fan explores the sites that are present they are bound to find a group that are sympathetic to their opinions and values. The two main Gateworld and Solutions both contain their own message boards for fans to participate in discussion about episodes, characters. Unfortunately, posting in the ‘wrong’ forum with the ‘wrong’ opinion can lead to being ‘flamed’, a fan term for suffering verbal abusive from the other posters who do not share the sentiments posted. This is not commonplace on moderated boards and such behavior is not tolerated in the two larger fan created message boards Gateworld Forum and Our Stargate. As Hall (1973) has demonstrated, viewers decipher their own meaning from a specific text through a dominant, negotiated or oppositional reading of that text. The two chief websites in this area are Ancient’s Gate and The Sam/Jack Horsewomen. Within these websites, fans will find pieces of Fan-fiction or Fan-Video. Fan-Fiction is not a new exercise and has been present long before the internet became commonplace but with the internet, more people are able to get their stories read by a much higher portion of the fandom. Fan-Video is a much more recent development. This activity sees fans using video editing software to cut together certain clips from episodes to make a small (most often the length of a song) video tribute to the series, character or character pairing. This
is one step farther than simply using the characters in the fiction, it is using the series as nothing more than ‘rushes’ to be cut and edited to create a video and message of the fans own choosing, a definite step towards the ‘Robin Hood’ allusion. Then the website Youtube solved the problem of what to do with the video when it was done, especially if the creator hadn’t access to an online domain. As fans create their own meaning from the text, there is definitely potential for gentle satire and an opportunity to subvert the text. Two websites which support this view are Leah Rosenthal’s Startoons and Nialla’s Breadbox Editions. Leah’s Startoons are cartoon strip parodies of Stargate SG-1 characters, directors and even writers. There are also cross-over strips between Stargate SG-1 and other television series. Nialla’s Breadbox Editions are mock episode transcripts of Stargate SG-1 which contain the opinions of fans, production crew from writers to craft services. In each ‘Episode’ there are hypothetical debates between the audience, the fans and the (mostly) writers about what is happening in the episode. The episode chosen for the discussion is Citizen Joe as it is an episode which displays fan opinion on many issues and is therefore valuable in investigating how fans view their opinion being used in such a manner. Textual Analysis is used on three episodes of the text itself; Wormhole X-treme Citizen Joe 200 Wormhole X-treme was written as a celebratory 100th episode for the series and as such it included behind-the-camera personnel making both cameo and, in the case of series director Peter DeLuise, a leading guest part. The basic story was a sequel to Point of No Return (season 4) and was concerned with the character Martin Lloyd. Marty, had written a television series pilot, ‘Wormhole X-treme’ based on his knowledge of the top secret Stargate program, and it was taken up by a network. The four characters of ‘Wormhole’ strongly resemble the four characters of SG-1 which gives the episode a strong
opportunity for some gentle satire towards the series itself, the actors, the characters and even Audience opinion. Citizen Joe is basically an entire episode about a ‘fan’ and how that fan views the series, its characters and its creative decisions. This is made possible through the science-fiction explanation that the character of Jack O’Neill activated a piece of alien communication technology by picking it up and the guest character of ‘Joe’ (played by Dan Castellaneta, the voice behind Homer Simpson) found a similar device at a garage sale. Both characters experienced flashes of each others lives over the eight years spanned by the series which meant Joe was able to see the exploits of the characters in a way that viewers of the series would view them also. The writers were therefore able to include issues being discussed within the fandom and put these them into the mouths of Joe and those around him. This episode was intended as a celebration of Stargate SG-1’s 200th episode and sees the return of the Martin Lloyd character from Wormhole X-treme. The ‘series’ has been cancelled after only three episodes being aired but DVD sales encouraged the network to make a television movie to wrap up the story. Martin contacts Stargate Command and has SG-1 give their thoughts and opinions on his script. Although not as oriented in ‘fan opinion’ as Citizen Joe, 200 still manages to include comments plucked straight from the opinions of the online fandom and give them to SG-1 to criticise the script already written by Martin Lloyd. Stargate SG-1 has been running consecutively from 1997 until it’s cancellation in August 2006, ending its 214 episode run with the ironically titled Unending. There are many episodes that contain popular culture references and others that refer to the series’ history or mythology. There are also character and story arcs for long-term viewers, or the fandom, to follow. In terms of episodes that have resulted in eruptions of fan reaction there is Meridian and Heroes Part 2 where both featured the deaths of two major characters. Although these episodes do mark both audience awareness within the series and have caused notable reaction within the fandom, the chosen three episode have
discussion and reference to the larger arcs together with more concentrated examples of fandom awareness.
CHAPTER 4 This section looks in greater detail at the websites previously mentioned for examples of fans deciphering, or reading, meaning from the text itself. In this Chapter are the more general informational and discussion websites Gateworld and Solutions. The websites which offer, in Hall’s (1973) opinion, a more ‘negotiated’ and often ‘oppositional’ reading of the text are Ancient’s Gate and Sam/Jack Horsewomen which feature works of FanFiction and Fan-Video. The websites Startoons and Breadbox Editions hold up the perceived ‘dominant’ reading of the text beside their ‘negotiated’ and ‘oppositional’ readings to humorous effect. GATEWORLD Fan and web-hobbyist Darren Sumner created Gateworld because he viewed the show as “…so entertaining, so well written and produced, with such an attention to its own previous continuity [it] needs a Web site that maps all of those points of continuity and character development. GateWorld was born.” (Gateworld, 2007, Site History) Although not an official site, Gateworld comes as close to any online Stargate SG-1 community to being sanctioned by the series owing to their ability to boast cast and crew interviews from both Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. The site even hosted an online blog from series writer Joseph Mallozzi. It is a fan run site which has grown from its
inception in October 1999 under the then name of Starguide. The main focus of the site is to offer fans of the series information such as episode guides, articles and reviews and even an encyclopedia of the Stargate universe, the Omnipedia (Gateworld, 2007, Omnipedia). The site has acclaim beyond that of the fandom itself and has been mentioned in magazine publications, including Entertainment Weekly who claims that Gateworld is “… to Stargate followers what the ancient circular rings are to the premise of the show: a portal," the article reads, recounting the origins of the site and calling GateWorld "the most respected Stargate gathering spot on the Web." (Sumner, 2006, Entertainment Weekly Features Gateworld). “One of the most significant developments regarding how viewers and fans consume film and other offerings such as the cult television program The X-Files is Online Interaction and Message Boards.” (Dodds, 2006: 120-121) There is also the opportunity for fans to communicate with one another and share thoughts and opinions through Gateworld’s Forum (Gateworld, 2007, Gateworld Forum). The topics discussed include fan reviews and opinions of aired episodes, characters and character pairings as well as spoilers for upcoming episodes and discussion on interviews with key cast and crew members. STARGATE SG-1 SOLUTIONS The fan website Stargate SG-1 Solutions prides itself on being “…an independent site: a Stargate site by fans, for fans. From its inception as the original SDJ - the 'Save Daniel Jackson' campaign site - Solutions has been about empowering fans, giving them voices online.” (Solutions, 2007, Many Voices). Like Gateworld, Solutions is not an official website for the series and it contains much of
the same content as Gateworld, interviews with cast and crew, episode reviews and instead of the Onmipedia of Gateworld, Solutions has utilized the Wikipedia engine to create a working list of trivia contained within the Stargate universe called Stargate Wiki (Solutions, 2007, Stargate Wiki). Quite surprisingly, series writer Joseph Mallozzi (2003) provides the website with a production diary over six chapters which details the creation process from the pitch to the completion of the episode. It is, Mallozzi claims “…our starting off point to the wonderful world of television production: the writing team…as I deliver you a blow by blow breakdown of the production process, from concept to finished episode." (Mallozzi, 2003, Joseph Mallozzi’s Production Diary). It is a unique feature of this particular fandom just how involved personnel such as Mallozzi are within the fandom itself. Each chapter of the production diary details a different aspect of production and he charts the successes and failures he and other writers have faced during one of these stages. The information gives fans unique insight into the making of the series but it also gives would-be writers some helpful advice and an idea of what the job is really like. “You must have the best job in the world,” my sister-in-law once marvelled. “You just sit around all day making stuff up.” Yes, I’m sure this is how some envision the writing process: the writer, furiously tapping away at his or her laptop, turning the ideas on and off like tap water. But the reality is scriptwriting can be a long and arduous process replete with delays, disappointments, and dispiriting setbacks.” (Mallozzi, 2003). Stargate SG-1 Solutions also has its own Message board, the Stargate SG-1 Solutions Forum (Solutions, 2007, Stargate SG-1 Solutions Forum).
FAN CREATIONS FAN FICTION, FAN VIDEO AND FAN-ART Fan-Fiction Fan-Fiction is an activity undertaken by fans of any particular text to use the characters and setting of that text to create their own stories. In terms of Fan Fiction – or its more common term, ‘Fanfic’ – relating to a television series, the fiction is most often a ‘fix-itfic’ or a ‘missing scene fic’. These types of fiction generally involve the writer adding a scene they believe should have been in the episode for either continuity, character or character pairing purposes. It could also be used to prevent the death of a favoured character in ‘fanon’ where it did actually occur in the series canon. The Fanfic Symposium website contains mainly articles, not of Fan Fiction or ‘Fan-fic’ but on the subject itself from an objective point of view. Each article is an essay on the nature of Fan-fic, how it began, its development and why it is such a popular activity amongst fans. It is, as claimed by Kaddorienne “…a way those of us “common folk” who don’t have the luck to get into the very small field of professional screenwriting or successful novel-publishing can tell stories of our own.” (Kaddoriene, 2006, The Fanfic Symposium).
Fan Video Fan-Video’s are small films, a more popular term being Music Video’s, where a fan has taken clips from any series and used a video editing software to splice the footage together with music. As with any community, the creators of Fan-Video have their own conventions, politics, rules and etiquette to acknowledge. The most common misstep in this community is using footage from one Fan-Video to create another one without properly crediting the source. The Anti-Clip Theft Union is one such website which denounces such activity and are tired of seeing “…beautifully edited music videos dissected and having their clips used for other videos with out the original vidders permission.” It is, however, understood by this website and the community in general that “…vidders do not own the clips in their videos, nor should they claim to” (Beth, 2006, The Anti-Clip Theft Union). This is of course simply fan politics as, essentially, it is plagiarism of a source which has already breached intellectual property through the use of both the clips and the music incorporated.
Stargate SG-1 is no exception when it comes to the volume of fanfic and fanvid there is available which makes an analysis on every piece virtually impossible. However, it is easy to seek out ‘factions’ within the fandom who share common views. The two groups focused on in this section are the writers and video creators who work with the Jack and Daniel dynamic at the website Ancient’s Gate and fans of the Jack and Sam pairing who reside at The Sam and Jack Horsewomen website.
Ancient’s Gate This website is dedicated to the collection of Fan-Fiction, Fan-Video and Fan-Art which celebrates the relationship between the characters of Jack O’Neill and Daniel Jackson.
Although there are some groups, including this one, who read the relationship between the characters as more involved, there is a canonical friendship between both men. O'NEILL: And obviously the whole friendship thing, the foundation, it's all solid. DANIEL: Obviously… (Stargate SG-1 ‘Shades of Grey’, 27th March 2002) Ancient’s Gate specialises in works that continue the canon of the characters’ friendship and also in works which pair the characters romantically. In fan-fiction terms, to pair two characters of the opposite sex romantically in a piece of fan-fiction, fan-video or fan-art the characters are being ‘shipped, a fan term derived from the world relationship. To pair two characters of the same sex romantically in a creative piece it is termed as ‘slash’. The term ‘slash’ originates from the forward slash keyboard character used to connect the characters involved, in this case, Jack/Daniel. The etymology of such a term is believed to originate from the earlier Star Trek fandom where writers would write Kirk/Spock pieces. (Kustritz, 2003: 371). Sam and Jack Horsewomen The Sam and Jack Horsewomen website is comprised of Fan-Fiction, Fan-Video and FanArt relating to the relationship between Jack O’Neill and Samantha Carter in the series. It is similar to Ancient’s Gate in that it is dedicated to a specific character pairing, in this case, Jack and Sam. However, unlike the Jack/Daniel pairing, the Jack and Sam ‘ship’ is canonical through reference in the series, the first example being of the episode Divide and Conquer. O'NEILL: I didn't leave…because I'd have rather died myself…than lose Carter. ANISE: Why? O'NEILL: Because I care about her. A lot more than I'm supposed to.
(Stargate SG-1 ‘Divide and Conquer’, 23rd July 2001) It is not simply the character pairing that connects this group but the belief that “…the Powers That Be have planned and created their show, their characters and characterizations for a reason, and should be allowed, without threats or insults from the fandom, to carry out that vision” (Mission Statement, 2000, Sam and Jack Horsewomen). In light of the above statement, it can be argued that this website is making a conscious decision to follow Hall’s (1973) ‘dominant reading’ theory.
FAN SATIRE In the Stargate SG-1 fandom the two main sources of fan satire is Leah Rosenthal’s Startoons and Nialla’s Breadbox Editions. LEAH’S STARTOONS Leah’s Startoons are individual cartoons of the Stargate SG-1 characters in comical situations and often interacting with characters of other series. In Fig 1 Leah is referencing the extensive use of Simpsons quotes on Stargate SG-1 while acknowledging Patty and Selma’s affection in The Simpsons for the television series MacGyver, a series which starred Stargate SG-1 lead Richard Dean Anderson. The nods to popular culture aside, Leah also produces work that pokes gentle fun at the choices made by the creators of the series over the years. The fact that fans are aware of these choices as errors demonstrates yet another example of Hall’s (1973) theories on
‘readings’. Fig 2 is in response to the overt feminizing of the Samantha Carter character and is seen in the cartoon as Sam’s wild hair and severely accentuated chest. In the cartoon, Daniel shields Teal’c eyes lest they both “…turn back into wallpaper”. The ‘back’ referred to in the cartoon is the change made to the character of Sam at the beginning of season 4, a change which resulted the characters of Teal’c and Daniel featuring less in the series and being, therefore, ‘wallpapered’. It was also a move which subsequently caused Michael Shanks to retire as Daniel Jackson at the end of season five when his character was being heavily under-utilized due to the more military and government based stories being brought in. Fig 3 and Fig 4 are actually created in response to a comment made by series writer Joseph Mallozzi. The ‘elf’ characters featured in the cartoons are executive producer Robert Cooper and writer Joseph Mallozzi, both of whom guided the beginning of season nine and the introduction of the Mitchell character. In Fig 3 they are seen baking a magic scone and in Fig 4 they are met by Daniel and Mitchell where Daniel must interpret their ‘Elfin’ language to inform Mitchell that the elves “…don’t make toys [but] they write scripts”. The idea for drawing them both as ‘script elves’ came from Mallozzi’s online blog where he states that, “…there is one board whose fans have been consistently negative about the show over the years who have found much to enjoy in season 9, which is nice.” However, there were, in his opinion, certain fans who chose “…the sour grapes route by dismissing the popularity of season 9 on their own forum by chalking it up to "mystery writers" who are undoubtedly responsible [and other] crackpot conspiracy theories involving script elves.” (Mallozzi, 2005, Joseph Mallozzi’s Blog). This is fairly interesting as it demonstrates there were fans who, in Hall’s (1973) opinion changed their ‘reading’ from ‘oppositional’ to accepting the ‘dominant’ reading, that is, accepting Mitchell as the new leader of SG-1 in Jack’s place. NIALLA’S BREADBOX EDITIONS The Breadbox Editions are a wonderful collection of parodies of the Season 7 and 8 episodes of Stargate SG-1. They include audience
participation in the style of Mystery Science Theater 30001. They were written by Nialla, who posted them originally to the AlphaGate fan fiction list. Solutions is proud to reprint them with Nialla's permission. (Stargate SG-1 Breadbox Editions, 2005, Stargate SG-1 Solutions) The Breadbox Editions are basically episode transcripts with a running commentary from fans of certain tastes. Some of these factions have already been mentioned, fans of ‘ship, slash and ‘Noromo’, a term derived from the X-Files fandom meaning ‘no romance’ between the characters. As an exercise it should be useful to look at a specific episode parody, Citizen Joe, an episode which actually attempts to see the series from a ‘fans’ perspective and one which will be examined in greater depth later. As can be seen, the transcripts include audience and writer participation in discussion and, as will be seen later, what Nialla is expressing in each part is common complaints or opinions within the fandom and often centered around certain groups. “CHARLENE: Don't get me wrong, it was exciting. Its just that personally, I like stories that are more about inter-personal relations, and a little less to do with things blowing up. AUDIENCE: It's *shit* blowing up, not things. Geeze, get the details right. And "Serpent's Grasp" was brimming with interpersonal angst! Shit didn't start blowing up in bulk for years after that! WRITERS: An episode with a big boom had interpersonal angst? AUDIENCE: Watch it and see! (Citizen Joe, 2005, Stargate SG-1 Breadbox Editions) In an episode that seeks to point out the writers’ awareness of the common discussions present in the online fandom it seems to have been an effective exercise as Nialla has her ‘audience’ acknowledge and admit to those feelings and misgivings by backing up the character of Charlene when she bemoans the lack of Team interaction from the series.
CHARLENE: Well, for one, it seems to me like the team interaction isn't what it used to be in the beginning. TEAM FANS: We like you, Charlene. A lot. (Citizen Joe, 2005, Stargate SG-1 Breadbox Editions) The next portion of the ‘transcript’ is basically echoing the sentiment of the fans at Daniel’s return, an issue that was met with approval by many fans and disapproval by others who had become attached to the character of Jonas Quinn in his short-term replacement of Daniel Jackson.
JOE: Doctor Jackson, can I just say, thank goodness you're back. Not that Jonas was a bad guy, but after all you've been through together, you belong here with SG-1. DANIEL FANS: Can we get a Hell Yeah?! JONAS FAN IN THE BACK: Uh, no? REST OF AUDIENCE: HELL, YEAH! (Citizen Joe, 2005, Stargate SG-1 Breadbox Editions) Again, it was the writers who initially picked up the feelings of the audience to have Joe say that, although they were rather dismissive of the Jonas fans. If we examine this example of fandom discourse, we can detect shades of Hall (1973) in that both a ‘dominant’ reading from the fans of Daniel Jackson and an ‘oppositional’ reading from the fans of Jonas can be clearly seen. As far as a ‘discourse analysis’ is concerned, Nialla presumes that the reader knows just what is meant by ‘Daniel Fans’ and ‘Jonas Fans’. This knowledge would only be available to a regular viewer of the series and perhaps only a member of the online fandom could fully appreciate what is being inferred.
THE TEXT NEGOTIATES WITH THE FANDOM WORMHOLE X-TREME There are three chief incidents within this episode where the writers have picked up on specific fan comments, complaints and nitpicks and incorporated them into the episode. The first issue is the ‘Out of Phase’ question posted by the character Yolanda Reece, the Wormhole X-treme counterpart of SG-1’s Samantha Carter. Yolanda Reese: Uh, I'm having trouble with scene 27. It says I'm out of phase, so I can pass my hand through solid matter, or walk through walls. Director: Yeah, yeah, cos you're out of phase. Martin Lloyd: Um, exactly. Yolanda Reese: So, how come I don't fall through the floor? Martin Lloyd: We'll have to get back to you on that. (Stargate SG-1 ‘Wormhole X-treme’, 10th October 2001) This part was based on the discussion generated from the effects in the season three
episode The Crystal Skull in which it is the character of Daniel who is left out of phase. In the first instance, the review of the episode on Gateworld cited this as interesting in the analysis section of the review: “It is interesting to watch the ways in which he can and cannot interact with the normal universe: he could walk through people and through walls (he walked through the doors inside the hospital), but did not fall downward through the floor. Presumably, too, he was still breathing oxygen.” (Gateworld, 2000, Crystal Skull Review) Gateworld is one of the first and still most active Stargate fansites on the internet and boasts several interviews and connection with the Stargate crew and actors from the series also. This is simply one example of the ‘issue’ being identified by the fans and many clamored to offer scientific and rational explanation for this inconsistency. Another issue mentioned within the episode which gives reference to an article of fandom is that of the overuse of the ‘reaction shot’. In this episode it is an executive from the network rewriting the script to save on the budget, instead of showing the spaceship the scene calls for he instead suggests they have the character show their amazement: “We're gonna see it in their reactions. It's like `Oh my God, look at that ship. It's indescribable'. “ (Stargate SG-1 ‘Wormhole X-treme’, 10th October 2001) As Stargate fan and television writer, a blogger named Maggie has stated that her work in television writing has made her aware “…of the reaction shot thing they do on Stargate SG-1, though to be fair they don't really do it so much anymore. But there are a couple seasons there where any time something Portentous occurs, we are treated to reaction shots of each of the main characters in turn: one, two, three, four, all looking serious and worried and such. Once I noticed it, it made me giggle furiously every time it happened
again.” (Maggie, 2007, Bootstrap Productions). Despite this opinion, it has been claimed by series writers and directors Martin Wood and Peter DeLuise in an interview by Carole Gordon of fansite Our Stargate that the reason for the reaction shots is because “…you can blow up hundreds of spaceships in fiery balls, but unless you cut to the reaction shot of the face of somebody who actually gives a damn, the audience won't either." (Gordon, 2004, Major Wood and Airman DeLuise). The third most important issue of contention within this series is the fact that the majority of cultures the team visits on other planets actually speak English. MARTIN: Okay, scene 23 takes place on another planet. You think aliens eat apples? PROPS GUY: Why not? They speak English. (Stargate SG-1 ‘Wormhole X-treme’, 10th October 2001) Other series manage to combat this issue in different ways. Star Trek personnel all travelled with universal translators while in the series Farscape communication was possible through the injection of ‘translator microbes’ which translated all but proper names and colloquialism native to the speaker. In Stargate it is claimed that the ‘Gods’ worshipped by our ancestors were actually aliens who brought their language with them. This is the reason that the character of Dr Daniel Jackson, an expert in anthropology and linguistics was initially required but the need for his translation expertise gradually waned over the course of the series. There are some cultures and beings which definitely do not speak English but in those episodes the focus is most often based on the communication problem and solving that. CITIZEN JOE The first instance where an issue in the fandom is discussed in the episode is when Joe takes to telling his wife Charlene, his son Andy and friends about the stories he is,
unbeknownst to him at that time, receiving from Jack O’Neill via the alien communication device. JOE: What didn't you like about it? CHARLENE: Don't get me wrong -- it was exciting. It's just that personally I like stories that are more about inter-personal relations, and a little less to do with things blowing up. (Stargate SG-1 ‘Citizen Joe, 18th January 2005) To many fans, Stargate SG-1 was a series founded on the characters first with the sciencefiction aspect coming second. A simple search through the forums at Gateworld and Our Stargate will indicate the opinion shared by the character of Charlene. The Gateworld review of the Stargate SG-1 episode Avatar also reflects this sentiment. “The changes Stargate has gone through since it began are many, but I'm not prepared for the show to have changed so far that I have to watch a whole episode about shooting, killing, and blowing stuff up.” (Gateworld, 2004, Avatar Review) Another related complaint from both the fans and Charlene after a while of hearing the stories is that the ‘team’ is not what is used to be. JOE: Well, what do you think the problem is? Tell me. Maybe I can fix it. CHARLENE: Well, for one, it seems to me like the team interaction isn't what it used to be in the beginning. (Stargate SG-1 ‘Citizen Joe, 18th January 2005) Again this is a complaint so common to this particular fandom that the argument almost had to be addressed in Citizen Joe and even more strongly expressed on the Save Daniel
Jackson Campaign website. “…when ratings began to plummet after the airing of 'A Hundred Days' and the much loathed Laira, the launch of the Sam/Jack ship, the showcasing of one team member, separation of the team…a crop of new writers came in without understanding the core dynamic of the show and the team, and the result is this.” (Alison, 2001, That Was Then, This is Now) The perceived separation of the ‘Team’ in favour of a more demographic pleasing pairing of the leading male character of Jack and his subordinate Samantha ‘Sam’ Carter is an issue that to this day continues to foster negative relations between certain factions of the fandom, specifically between those for who Stargate SG-1 was a ‘buddy’ series with Jack and Daniel as the leads being supported by Sam and the alien Teal’c and other fans who have supported a Jack/Sam pairing from the beginning and are pleased it was made canon in the season four episode Divide and Conquer. A third representation of fandom present within the episode is the issue of Daniel’s return. This paper will look more closely at his departure and the campaign instigated by it in greater detail later in the paper but for now the focus is on the fan reaction to Daniel’s return as exemplified by Joe in meeting Daniel for the first time. JOE: Doctor Jackson, can I just say, thank goodness you're back. (He shakes his hand.) Not that Jonas was a bad guy, but after all you've been through together, you belong here with SG-1. (Stargate SG-1 ‘Citizen Joe, 18th January 2005) As has already been stated, Joe is the voice of the Fandom in this episode and forms his own opinions as fans do theirs. The character Joe refers to as Jonas (Corin Nemec) was brought in to ‘replace’ Daniel’s role of interpreter throughout Season Six. Jonas returned to his home planet in the season seven episode Homecoming.
200 The first example of this is when the character Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell suggests a ‘zombie’ storyline with him alone fending them off. DANIEL: (to Mitchell) Just out of curiosity, what was the rest of the team doing while your character was fighting the zombies? (Stargate SG-1 ‘200’, 22nd November 2006) This comment is in reference to how Mitchell was “written in” in the latter part of season nine. There is also the matter of his replacement of Jack O Neill which is also quoted within the episode. MARTIN: Our lead backed out. I mean, how am I supposed to tell the story without my lead character? MITCHELL: Easy. You just bring in a character to replace him. (Stargate SG-1 ‘200’, 22nd November 2006) The replacement was obviously not taken well by all factions of the fandom, however, the character did manage to prove himself to certain fans, specifically fan critic Alison (2006) at Stargate Solutions. Cameron is a replacement. Everyone but Jack and Daniel started out that way. His addition to Stargate SG-1 has helped accomplish something I haven’t felt or truly seen since Season Three. (Alison, 2006, New Guy! Cameron Mitchell) It was the character’s ability to successfully integrate into the series that caused the disappointment at the change which occurred in the latter half of season nine and provoked certain fans into renaming the character as ‘Cambo’, a play on the popular
culture icon ‘Rambo’. An issue that had less to do with the creative decisions of the series was that of how some episodes were spoiled by the way the commercials for the episode were broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel. The issue was raised in 200 through the special guest appearance of Richard Dean Anderson, reprising his role as Jack O’Neill. VALA: Wow, I don't think anyone will see that coming. DANIEL: No, but there'll be spoilers. CARTER: Are you kidding? It'll be in the commercial. (Stargate SG-1 ‘200’, 22nd November 2006) The above comments by the three characters are in response to complaints made by fans that the episode promo’s shown during the advertisements breaks spoil major revelations from the episode, mostly the ending.
Fig 6. 31
Fig 7. 200
Fig 8. Farscape
The episode was an amalgamation of different forms of storytelling which included the use of puppets as shown in Fig 5, a possible reference to science fiction series Thunderbirds and perhaps even the more recent puppet comedy phenomena, Team America. Fig 6 is an example where the episode parodied other institutions of television science-fiction, such as Star Trek However, the most effective parody is that of Farscape in Fig 7, the series which was cancelled by The Sci-Fi channel after four seasons and was replaced by Stargate SG-1 after the series switched to The Sci-Fi Channel for its sixth season. It is an effective parody because Stargate SG-1 has both Farscape leads, Ben Browder and Claudia Black, on the series as Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell and reformed thief Vala Mal Doran. As can be seen in Fig 8, the parody had Vala reprise Black’s Farscape role of Aeryn Sun and the section was also written to have Mitchell play Browder’s Farscape alter-ego John Crichton with Stargate SG-1’s Daniel Jackson as Farscape’s Stark. Both actors, however decided to switch parts on the day before filming. The Farscape parody was to address two points within the fandom. The first being how similar both Ben Browder and Michael Shanks look and how many fans have dubbed the series Fargate SG-1 because of the addition of both Farscape leads. “The two men do look alike, but they won't be playing brothers, or
evil twins, or even evil alien twins. Browder's character will be a Stargate Command military pilot who ends up joining the SGC's lead team…Ben and I discussed much, much more than the clearly vast and growing "Farscape"/"SG-1" crossover audience (we call ourselves Fargaters, thank you very much).” (Ryan, 2005, ‘Fargate Special)
CHAPTER 5 “Rather than being a sign of misguided psychological compensation, their closeness to particular texts demonstrates a desire to negotiate with the media in an active and creative way, in order to make its products relevant to the material and cultural conditions in which the fan or the fan community is located.” (Casey and Casey et al, 2002: 93) In investigating the issue of fandom in depth, the above statement could be said to be more in line with what the fandom is actually is and it gives an insight into the creative minds and talents that frequent the websites and message boards. Casey and Casey’s (et al) argument for how fans ‘negotiate’ with the media is very much in line with Hall’s (1973) theories on how the audience can interpret one of three different ‘readings’ from the text in question. In this research study it has been discovered that certain sections of the fandom adopt certain ‘readings’ dependent on what they prefer to see in the series. As an example, the Sam and Jack Horsewomen want to see a canonical romantic relationship between the characters of Jack and Sam although they believe the creators of the series should be allowed to create the series ‘their way’. This website supports the ‘dominant’ reading as the one being encoded by the series creators. The
Ancient’s Gate website enjoys watching the relationship between Jack and Daniel as friends in the canon of the series, the ‘dominant’ reading. However, they also write fiction and create fan-video’s on the criteria that their relationship is more intimate than is seen on screen. These fans have accepted what is being encoded, however, they are using a ‘negotiated’ reading to put their spin on it. In the research involved in such a study, I believe I have given a clearer understanding of what it means to be a ‘fan’ in this internet dominated age through exploring the ways in which fans negotiate with the text through websites, writing and reading of fan-fiction, creating and watching of fan-videos. I have also looked at the more satirical and critical sections of the fandom through Leah’s cartoons and Nialla’s episode transcripts. It is also important to investigate how the series itself acknowledges the fandom. This is possible through many episodes not mentioned but the main three are Wormhole X-treme, Citizen Joe and the celebratory 200. In investigating the issues of this particular fandom as in-depth as possible, I have discovered that fans are in indeed modern-day ‘Robin Hoods’ in many respects. The breach of copyrighted material for fan-creation is just one example of them robbing from the rich production houses to give to the ‘poor’ fans whose specific needs are not being met by the series canon. In the face of cancellation it is these fans who initiate letter writing campaigns to lobby for the series and support it. In this respect, its becomes more apparent why it is important for the creators to acknowledge the fans occasionally as both the fans and the creators need each other, it is in many ways a symbiotic relationship.
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James Bond and the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) BlackwellSynergy P:116-130 Fairclough, N (1992) Discourse and Social Change Polity Press Cambridge
Gateworld (2000) The Crystal Skull Review Gateworld [Online]
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The Art and Science of DNA Activation, Healing and Repair
BY STEVEN “MANA” TRINK
the science of epigenetics is showing us that we have the power to catalyze dna activation from within, no matter what our past. photo: angus
The Foundations of Epigenetic DNA Activation: Life is Energy
Einstein, Tesla, and the science of quantum physics have shown us that the fabric of the Universe is composed of vibrational strings expressed as energy. Every single cell and organ system, as
In 1953, scientific research reported by James Watson and Francis Crick captured the attention and imagination of our modern civilization. Their studies on the nature of DNA, the blueprints for the structure of our cells, created the belief that genes control biology, the foundation upon which modern medicine is built. This belief evolved into the concept known as genetic determinism, the notion that our physical and behavioral fates are encoded in the genes and that we are helpless victims of genetics.
“The basis of every state of mind and matter, including conditions of disease or health, is their primary state of vibration.”
One of the biggest intellectual roadblocks to overcome in healing ourselves and initiating the process of DNA activation, or even understanding the Universe fully, is based on this assumption: our genes determine our reality or the likelihood our lives and health will follow a predetermined path.
Epigenetics and Beyond
The latest breakthrough research in cell biology and quantum physics, according to cellular biologist Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., shows that our genes and DNA are activated and influenced by signals from outside the cell membrane. This pioneering research in the field of vibrational medicine is known as the science of epigenetics.
Epigenetics studies show how forces operating outside the DNA sequence, including extracellular, environmental and energetic influences affect the development, functioning and evolution of biological systems.
The science of epigenetics lies in tracing the signal outside the cell back to its origins. It looks for the energy flow that causes the DNA blueprint to activate a particular pattern, the driving force behind the way our DNA activates and expresses itself.
“Epi” implies traits that are above, in addition to, or on top of the cell membrane. “Genetics” pertains to the DNA in the nucleus, the library of blueprints, which is found inside of each living organism or individual cell. Therefore epigenetics means control or influence of DNA from above or outside the gene.
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our thoughts, beliefs, emotions and intention have a profound effect on our level of dna activation, in a positive sense, or genetic downregulation, in a negative sense.
Epigenetics is also showing us that through conscious intention we can change our quality of life from what we have been handed down epigenetically from previous generations. The science confirms that it is our individual choices, based on our degree of consciousness, that play a role and change our cellular structure and level of DNA activation.
The research behind the science encourages us to abandon obsolete beliefs that we are victims of predetermined genetic codes. Epigenetics clarifies how perceptions of our inner and outer environments shape our biology and behavior and make us masters of our own lives, rewriting the rules of disease, heredity and wellbeing.
While genes play an important part in organizing us into our individualized form and uniqueness, it is still a mystery, to science, how the organization itself happens. After all, apes and humans, fruit flies and worms are all very different, but amazingly similar, genetically. This and other discoveries made in the last hundred years have opened scientists to the possibilities that the primary components of life are orchestrated by something more.
Consciousness Is a Vibration
Rupert Sheldrake, one of the world’s most innovative biologists, revolutionized scientific thinking with his vision of a living, developing universe with its own inherent memory or Morphogenetic Energy Field.
Our genes reside in this morphic field, and it plays an important role in the epigenetic control and activation of our DNA. It is a field of energy containing certain frequencies of information or resonance. All living species, human beings, animals and plants, have a consciousness and therefore a morphic field that consists of atoms and exists at a particular threshold of vibration.
“Through conscious intention we can change our quality of life from what we have been handed down epigenetically from previous generations.”
Illness occurs when these atoms comprising the human body vibrate at unhealthy frequencies. The Morphogenetic Energy Field evolves, organizes, structures and resonates. It is influenced by epigenetic factors that translate into vibrational frequencies generated by our environment, perception, meditation, intention and prayer, all of which influence the process of DNA activation.
DNA Response Patterns
When our morphic energy field resonates with lower vibrations associated with fear or conflict, the signals are picked up and passed through the cell membrane. The informational frequencies travel to the nucleus of the cell and enter the chromosome, activating a particular strand of DNA. Our genes then communicate instructional functions to our cells based on the information they receive. The cells than prepare to “fight or flight.” This DNA activation response represents a genetic wisdom designed to protect us from bodily harm and puts our physical and emotional health in a state of alert. In this scenario, our consciousness is focused on fear, instead of love.
The Fight or Flight Response
Travel inside the body and see how cell signaling creates physiological changes during the fight or flight response. Transcending our fears by shifting our consciousness to one of trust, harmony and love opens us up to all possibilities. These higher frequencies support our DNA activation in creating profound healing to our body-mind. There is a vibrational pattern attached to each belief we hold. By releasing limiting beliefs that are ego based and choosing high frequency beliefs that are of Heart Consciousness, we create frequencies that affect our bodies, our DNA, and enhance our ability to create a reality we choose to live within.
What really is amazing is we can easily create an illness or enjoy vitality just by becoming aware of our environments, perceptions, beliefs, thoughts, and intentions.
Energy Follows Thought
As human beings we actually choose our experiences by the way we resonate or vibrate as an energy field. Our perceptions and thoughts translate into vibrational frequencies. Energy follows thought—shaping our reality. It is that simple and profound. The Buddha declared years ago: “We are formed and molded by our thoughts.”
Intention Changes DNA Expression
The practice of conscious intention, combined with an energy field that is responsive by nature, can expand our gateways of awareness so we can experience our fullest expression as limitless beings. To be powerful our “intent” must be deeply, personally and sincerely engaged, where pure sincerity of heart is felt and expressed in the act of devotion. Our consciously formed beliefs, thoughts, prayers and intentions have a much stronger affect on our lives than our genes do.
Nobel Prize winner Max Planck, a theoretical physicist and originator of quantum theory, believes that all matter originates and exists as a projection of a conscious and subconscious creative force, which brings the particles of an atom into vibration. This theory revolutionized human understanding of atomic and subatomic processes.
DNA is also a sort of ‘biological quantum field computer’ that connects us to the energies of what is becoming known as “Heart Intelligence.” The heart serves as a key access point through which information originating in the higher dimensional structures is coupled into the physical human system including DNA. Rollin McCrathy, Ph.D., of the Institute of Heart Math in Boulder Creek, Colorado has proven that measurable molecular changes occur in the DNA molecule as a result of intention, meditation and prayer. Intention projected into the energy system from the consciousness of the heart can provide miracles of healing through the epigenetic effects of wellbeing on the cells of the body, shaping our genetic expression moment by moment and catalyzing DNA activation.
Whenever we engage in healing ourselves through meditation, intention or prayer, we activate a “tuning fork” that sends healing vibrations throughout the body.
Masters of Our Destiny
Epigenetic Therapy, correctly practiced, is potentially the most significant breakthrough in the fields of health and longevity to date. This approach allows us to address a predisposition to certain states of health and being. Raising one’s vibration, as a conscious focus can do much to alleviate conditions that one was predisposed to manifest in physical form. The applied practice of this new awareness is empowering, for we can learn to become masters of our destiny instead of victims of our genes.
Physician and best-selling author Deepak Chopra teaches us that we can actually modify our own genes and initiate DNA activation through our actions and behaviors. Miraculous healing occurs as a result of shifts in the consciousness of belief, intention, spiritual practice and prayer. Individually and collectively we constantly contribute to the development of our Universe with our thoughts and our intention behind them.
The Effects of Conscious Intention on Global Change
In the beginning life was experienced primarily from our instinctive nature. Humans existed within the scope of the environment. Intention was focused on survival. Much of our mindset, clearly rooted in the past, is still operating in this outdated survival mode. In today’s modern world our technology has progressed significantly, however, when we look around we see that man is still as primitive in his behaviors as he was at the beginning of our current civilization.
“Epigenetic Therapy, correctly practiced, is potentially the most significant breakthrough in the fields of health and longevity to date.”
The planet is under what I term “re-construction.” We are at the threshold of a new way of living life, where integrity and transparency are the building blocks for a new structure of life. The illusions and beliefs that we perceive through the lenses of the ego–mind are falling away as we open our eyes to the new world we are entering.
As we journey ever deeper into the transformation process, we become intensely aware of the signals provided by our life circumstances, our state of physical health and our vibrational levels relative to all that surrounds us. It will be quite easy to determine where we stand in our own process, at any juncture, simply by becoming aware of the ease or difficulty we experience in manifesting our heart’s desire in our day-to-day life.
We find that we have become the observers and the object of that awareness, simultaneously. Our process of assessing our state of “wellbeing” and shifting our choices accordingly will become an integral part of living. This approach is what practitioners term as “conscious.” The world is in the mist of reorganizing and as major participants on the playing field of life we must now choose from a focused intention rooted in a consciousness how we would like it to be, rather than watch from the sidelines caught in the mercy of the circumstances of our physical environment. Every action, thought and choice we make contributes to the creation of the reality we experience as our life.
“Every action, thought and choice we make contributes to the creation of the reality we experience as our life.”
This major paradigm shift in human evolution has brought us to the doorway of a greater consciousness that transcends our antiquity. The way we navigate the terrains of life will be by conscious intention, encompassing the wisdom of the heart. The focus of this process is to bring us to our highest expression of self. By honoring our own personal truth we succeed in serving humanity by contributing to the energetic whole with which we are connected.
A new chapter is opening now as we begin to view life differently. We are transcending from a world that reflects the strategies of the mind, the mentality of competition and the world of material entrapment, into a global consciousness that embraces unity.
As humankind goes through this process of transformation in raising its consciousness, the driving force will come from higher vibrational energetic signals, which influence the expression of DNA and activate it on an individual level, thus fueling global change in the evolution of humankind.
The Art of DNA Activation and Healing
With intuitive guidance, energetic awareness and conscious intent, healing frequencies can be delivered to the morphogenetic fields that surround us in the shape of belief systems and energy patterns of behavior. In my practice of “Applied Epigenetic Therapy” I call this DNA Activation. This understanding allows us to make conscious choices influencing and shaping those fields. In addition to the resonance or energy pattern we may already carry, DNA activation draws to us enhanced experiences in our life and reflects the synergy and resonance of these higher frequency energies. Working consciously towards these goals, we begin to build and strengthen our own ability to connect with wonderful fields of higher consciousness, direct the expression and activation of our DNA and maximize our purpose in physical form.
Every cell in our body is functioning together for our benefit, for the whole of our bodies. This knowledge is very empowering because we gain the power to influence every biochemical event that occurs in our bodies! The science of epigenetics confirms that our intentions influence our health and cause DNA activation and regulation… So take the time to talk to your cells from the wisdom of your heart for they are certainly listening to what you have to say. “It is only Love that can shine through the clouds of illusion.”
About The Author
Steven “Mana” Trink combined his 20 years of experience in Vibrational/Energy Field Medicine with his training as a Certified Master Hypnotherapist under Dr. John Kappas, who literally defined the profession of hypnotherapy. Mana has since emerged as a leading force and a visionary of personal transformation in the new science of epigenetics. His work as an epigenetic therapist is the culmination of his passion, knowledge and teachings. To learn more about Mana and his work, visit his website: epigenetic-therapy.com or get in touch with him via email firstname.lastname@example.org. |
OK, this is just total eye candy for travel geeks. I don’t even like malls. But Bangkok is a mall kind of town, and when Rod (yes, he met us in Bangkok again this year) told me that there was a new airport-theme mall, I of course had to go.
It’s at the Asok BTS stop (aka Sukhumvit Soi 21). You can enter from the SkyTrain level, but we arrived on foot.
At an airport-theme mall, the security setup even makes sense!
The info-booth girls wore adorable outfits. Two, in fact: At night, the stewardess uniform was black with green trim.
Airport-style signage was everywhere.
Each floor is a different “destination.” The London floor had a red double-decker bus. The floor with the movie theater was Hollywood, of course.
The Istanbul floor had a lot of booths selling crafts. They had some font confusion. Unless perhaps Terminal 21 also enables time travel back to pre-Atatuturk days of Ottoman Turkish script?
I also felt vaguely uncomfortable on the ground floor, the Caribbean.
They seemed to put the most effort into the San Francisco floor.
Just when I started to feel like I was in an even cheesier version of Fisherman’s Wharf, we found the food court. Ah, maybe that’s why there’d been so much care put into the SF floor. The food court–aka Pier 21–was an assemblage of some of Bangkok’s best-known street-food people, in spiffy mall style. But not too spiffy style–I like how everyone still operated out of plastic tubs.
Afterward, we stopped at the bathroom. The theme-ness started getting a little confused here, because the bathroom apparently had its own theme.
It was all set up inside like some rustic pizza joint, with brick everywhere and a wood oven (yes, in the bathroom), and a gargantuan rolling pin hanging from the ceiling over all the toilet stalls. I was a little lulled by the fancy Japanese toilets with the warm seats, so I didn’t take any pictures.
As Rod pointed out, they didn’t go quite as far over the top with the airport/travel theme as we would have liked–I mean, that woman dusting the San Francisco trolley was wearing a random French maid outfit, when she could’ve been wearing a depressing powder-blue polyester jumpsuit!
Why didn’t they consult the real experts before building? An army of frequent fliers could’ve over-designed the place. The Thais just have to focus on the food. Now that’s synergy. |
My health has kind of sucked lately, which unfortunately means I haven’t written anything in a while. My ideas for my next book are sort of suspended in amber right now while my body is being an ass. But, I got another blurb for 13 rue Thérèse and it is totally huggable, check it out:
13 rue Therese is a wildly imaginative, multifaceted, confection of a novel. Like a master magician, Elena Mauli Shapiro gently introduces the beguiling Louise, and asks us to participate in solving her many mysteries. Louise’s story, we are warned, has ensnared many great minds. By the novel’s heady conclusion, we too have fallen captive to this most mischievous and provocative heroine.
–Maria Semple, author of This One is Mine
What a lot of great adjectives! I eat them up. Nom nom.
Meanwhile I got a confirmation e-mail for my reading at Litquake’s Lit Crawl on October 9th in San Francisco and I am very excited about it. Not least because the e-mail included stuff to paste on my blog. Because I am a big dork, I love to paste stuff. Witness:
If you click on that cute little sticker, it will take you to the Litquake site listing all the cool events for the whole festival. The specific event I will be reading at is listed here. I also put it on my Events page. Lit Crawl looks like a ginormous literary progressive, like bar-hopping with stories. After the whole shabang, I have been invited to this party for which my name was put on a list. Whoa. I am also having business cards printed (a couple of people at the Sacramento panel asked me for one, which totally confused me, until I realized that I look like a grown-up, and technically maybe even a professional, and that I should have one). Plus I finally broke down and acquired an iPhone. All these things are harbingers of definite adulthood but I refuse to pay attention. (Adults have great toys though. Did you know that the primary function of the iPhone has nothing to do with telephone calls and everything to do with Pacman and taking goofy videos of your cats?)
Speaking of adulthood, when signing up for the iPhone, I had to go through this big security rigmarole during which I was asked about my mortgage and car loans. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Real people with real grown-up jobs at which they have to wear real grown-up clothes and use hilarious words like “synergy” and “productize” and “thinking outside the box” have mortgages and car loans! I am not real people; I like to tell stories and sleep a lot. I know: I am a bad, bad American. Maybe it is because I am a native speaker of French but I cannot hear the word mortgage without being overly reminded of its etymology, which comes from the French “mort” and “gage,” literally: DEATH PLEDGE. Oh dear. Why would I want to sign up for one of those?
While we ponder that, here is another sticker for the road: |
A bit of historical background on the Immaculate Conception in Eastern Orthodoxy, from Casimir A. Kucharek’s The Byzantine-Slav Liturgy of St John Chrysostom (Allendale, NJ: Alleluia Press, 1971), pp. 354-7. I would love to see an Orthodox historian’s rebuttal of Kucharek (a Greek Catholic) on this topic.
The Byzantine Church calls [Mary] Panagia, “the all-holy one”, because she is the supreme example of synergy, the cooperation between God’s will and man’s freedom. Forever respecting the free will of man, God became incarnate through the free consent of the person he chose as his Mother. She could have refused, but she did not. “So the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed through the obedience of Mary,” says Irenaeus, “for what Eve, a virgin, had bound through her unbelief, Mary, a virgin, unloosed through her faith.” (Ad. haeres. III, 22, 4). Jerome puts it more succinctly: “Death by Eve, life by Mary.” (Epist. 22, 21) And Cabasilas: “The Incarnation was not only the work of the Father, of his Power and his Spirit … but also that of the will and faith of the Virgin … Just as God became incarnate voluntarily, so he wished that his Mother should bear him freely and with her full consent.” (On the Annunciation, 4-5).
Also, from end to end of the Byzantine world, both Catholic and Orthodox greet the Mother of God as achrantos, “the immaculate, spotless one”, no less than eight times in the Divine Liturgy alone. But especially on the feast of her conception (December 9 in the Byzantine Church) is her immaculateness stressed: “This day, O faithful, from saintly parents begins to take being the spotless lamb, the most pure tabernacle, Mary …” (From the Office of Matins, the Third Ode of the Canon for the feast); “She is conceived … the only immaculate one” (From the Office of Matins, the Stanzas during the Seating, for the same feast); or “Having conceived the most pure dove, Anne filled …” (From the Office of Matins, the Sixth Ode of the Canon for the same feast). No sin, no fault, not even the slightest, ever marred the perfect sanctity of this masterpiece of God’s creation. For hundreds of years, the Byzantine Church has believed this, prayed and honored Mary in this way. Centuries of sacred tradition stand behind this title. Even during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when some Western theologians doubted or denied the truth of her immaculate conception, Byzantine Catholic and Orthodox theologians unanimously taught it.* Two of Thomas Aquinas’ most ardent disciples among the Greeks disagreed with him on one point only, his failure to admit the immaculate conception of the Mother of God. Demetrios Kydonios (fourteenth century) translated some of Aquinas’ works into Greek, but vehemently opposed Thomas’ views on the immaculate conception.
The Greek Orthodox Church’s belief in the immaculate conception continued unanimously until the fifteenth century, then many Greek theologians began to adopt the idea that Mary had been made immaculate at the moment of the Annunciation.** Among the Eastern Slavs, belief in the immaculate conception went undisturbed until the seventeenth century, when the Skrizhal (Book of Laws) appeared in Russia, and proposed what the Slavs considered the “novel” doctrine of the Greeks. The views proposed in the Skrizhal were branded as blasphemous, especially among the Staroviery (Old Believers), who maintained the ancient customs and beliefs, however small or inconsequential. This reaction confirms the ancient Byzantine and Slav tradition of the immaculate conception. Only after Pope Pius IX defined the dogma in 1854 did opposition to the doctrine solidify among most Orthodox theologians.*** The Orthodox Church, however, has never made any definitive pronouncement on the matter. Its official position is rather a suspension of judgment than a true objection. When Patriarch Anthimos VII, for example, wrote his reply to Pope Leo XIII’s letter in 1895, and listed what he believed to be the errors of the Latins, he found no fault with their belief in the immaculate conception, but objected to the fact that the Pope had defined it. |
|Número de publicación||US7851935 B2|
|Tipo de publicación||Concesión|
|Número de solicitud||US 12/539,426|
|Fecha de publicación||14 Dic 2010|
|Fecha de presentación||11 Ago 2009|
|Fecha de prioridad||11 Ago 2009|
|También publicado como||CN102598499A, CN102598499B, US7964981, US20100133820, US20110080007, WO2011019739A2, WO2011019739A3|
|Número de publicación||12539426, 539426, US 7851935 B2, US 7851935B2, US-B2-7851935, US7851935 B2, US7851935B2|
|Cesionario original||Jason Tsao|
|Exportar cita||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Citas de patentes (89), Otras citas (2), Citada por (34), Clasificaciones (15), Eventos legales (1)|
|Enlaces externos: USPTO, Cesión de USPTO, Espacenet|
This application relates to solar and wind energy converters.
Wind energy can be converted into useful forms such as electricity. It has emerged as the fastest growing source of energy, presenting a clean, renewable, and ecology-friendly alternative to traditional fossil-based energy supplies. However, due to seasonal and daily variations in wind speed, the output of a wind energy converter often fluctuates.
Solar energy is another type of clean energy source that can be converted to produce electricity. Yet, the output of a solar power converter also relies heavily on weather conditions. For instance, many solar panels are designed to only convert solar energy during sunny daylight hours. They do not produce significant amount of energy during cloudy days or nighttime.
Some general aspects of the invention relate to systems and methods for providing an integrated and complementary energy generating system capable of converting wind and solar energy for use with an electrical generator. During the daytime, such hybrid systems concurrently derive energy from both wind and solar energy sources. During the nighttime, the systems can continuously harvest wind energy regardless of the weather condition. As the peak of wind flow and sunlight tends to occur at different times of the day and year (for instance, winds are stronger in the winter with less sunlight and also stronger during nighttime), these two energy sources can complement each other. A hybrid system that utilizes both sources can reduce the fluctuation in the combined energy output and produce more power in the daytime for urban and suburban areas when electricity demand is usually higher.
One system, for instance, includes a wind powered subsystem having a rotor for receiving wind to generate mechanical energy, and a first shaft mechanically coupled between the rotor and the electrical generator for transferring the generated mechanical energy to the electrical generator. The system also includes a solar powered subsystem having a solar collector for receiving solar energy to generate thermal energy, a thermo-mechanical engine coupled to the solar collector for converting the generated thermal energy into mechanical energy, and a second shaft mechanically coupled to the thermo-mechanical engine. An interconnection subsystem is provided for disengageably coupling the second shaft to the first shaft for combining the mechanical energy generated by the wind and solar powered subsystems to be transferred to the electrical generator.
Embodiments of these aspects may include one or more of the following features.
The thermo-mechanical engine of the solar powered subsystem can be an external combustion engine, for instance, having a set of one or more Stirling engines. Each engine may include a hot zone and a cold zone. A close loop circulation system is provided for circulating a heat transfer fluid through the hot zone of the thermo-mechanical engine. In some examples, the close loop circulation system includes a fluid reservoir for storing the heat transfer fluid, a rotary pump for pumping the heat transfer fluid contained in the fluid reservoir through a first conduit toward a heat source to be heated and subsequently through a second conduit toward the hot zone of the thermo-mechanical engine. In some examples, a second circulation system is provided for circulating a cooling agent to maintain a low temperature of the cold zone of the thermo-mechanical engine.
The solar collector may include an array of one or more collectors such as parabolic reflectors, parabolic troughs, compound parabolic collectors (CPCs), evacuated solar tubes, and Fresnel lens concentrators, some of which are configured for concentrating sunrays on an absorber to heat the heat transfer fluid circulated in the thermo-mechanical engine. The heated heat transfer fluid is circulated to the hot zone of the thermo-mechanical engine for converting thermal energy to mechanical energy. This mechanical energy is transferred to the electric generator through the coupling between the first shaft and the second shaft.
In some embodiments, the wind powered subsystem further includes a wind shield structure rotatably mounted to the first shaft. The wind shield structure may include a pair of arc-cylindrical members symmetrically positioned outside the periphery of the rotor. It may further include a pair of deflectors each angle-mounted at the outer edge of a corresponding arc-cylindrical member for directing wind flow toward a desired region of the rotor. Each deflector may also have a bend on its outside edge and the bend points to an opposite direction.
One embodiment of the interconnection subsystem includes a set of pulleys and one or more V-belts for selectively coupling the set of pulleys. An electric motor is configured for moving a selected one of the set of pulleys upon activation by a control signal, thereby tightening the V-belts over the set of pulleys to couple the second shaft to the first shaft. The interconnection subsystem may further include a control module for generating the control signal for activating the electrical motor in response to environmental conditions, for instance, wind condition, sun condition, and temperature condition in the thermo-mechanical engine and in the solar absorber. In some examples, the control module includes temperature sensors for detecting the temperature of a heat transfer fluid inside the thermo-mechanical engine and in the solar absorber.
In some embodiments, the solar powered subsystem further includes a sun tracking component for obtaining measurements of the sun rays and for directing the solar collector to a desired orientation relative to the sun rays based on the obtained measurements.
The wind powered subsystem may include a vertical-axis turbine or a horizontal-axis turbine.
The solar powered subsystem may further include a set of one or more solar panels coupled to the solar collector for generating additional electricity to power one or more power consumption devices in the wind or the solar powered subsystem.
Another aspect of the invention relates to methods for operating a hybrid energy system having a wind powered subsystem and a solar powered subsystem coupled to an electrical generator. The wind powered subsystem has a first shaft for transferring mechanical energy generated by the wind powered subsystem to the electrical generator, and the solar powered subsystem has a second shaft for transferring mechanical energy generated by the solar powered subsystem. The method includes obtaining measurements characterizing an environmental condition (e.g., a wind condition or a sun condition), and determining whether an activation condition is satisfied according to the obtained measurements. Upon satisfaction of the activation condition, the second shaft is engaged to the first shaft for combining the mechanical energy generated by the solar powered subsystem with the mechanical energy generated by the wind powered subsystem, and for transferring the combined mechanical energy to the electrical generator. The method also includes determining whether a deactivation condition is satisfied according to the obtained measurements. Upon satisfaction of the deactivation condition, the second shaft is disengaged from the first shaft to stop transfer of the mechanical energy generated by the solar power system to the electrical generator.
In some embodiments, the method further includes determining whether a starting condition is satisfied according to the obtained measurements, and if so, mechanically coupling the second shaft to a motor for initiating a rotational movement of the second shaft.
In some embodiments of solar powered subsystem that include a thermo-mechanical engine, a heat transfer fluid is used. In some of these cases, obtaining measurements characterizing an environmental condition includes obtaining measurements of a temperature condition of the heat transfer fluid in the thermo-mechanical engine and in the solar absorber. In some examples, the activation condition is associated with a first threshold temperature, and the deactivation condition is associated with a second threshold temperature.
Another general aspect of the invention relates to a wind powered system having a power generating turbine having a shaft and a set of two or more blades rotatably coupled to the shaft, and a wind shield structure rotatably mounted to the shaft for directing wind toward a desired region of the power generating turbine. The wind shield structure includes a pair of arc-cylindrical members opposingly positioned at the same radial distance from a longitudal axis of the shaft for partially enclosing the set of two or more blades, and a pair of deflectors may have a bend on the outside edge and each bend points to an opposite direction. Each deflector is mounted at a desired angle to an end of a corresponding arc-cylindrical member and being opposingly positioned with respect to the longitudal axis of the shaft in order to settle the wind shield structure under the wind at a position that improves an efficiency of energy conversion.
Embodiments of various aspects of the invention may include one or more of the following features and advantages.
In some applications, hybrid power generating systems can function with improved performance as compared with a single wind turbine generator or a single solar generator. For instance, as a result of the innate synergy between the various assemblies in the hybrid system, the power output is generated in a much more efficient way than any of these components alone. Also, the hybrid system can provide higher power output in the daytime and non-interrupted electricity throughout day and night, thereby reducing the cost of electricity generation and the need for storage battery that can be both expensive and undependable.
In some applications, the whole system can be mounted in vertical, horizontal, or other aligned operational positions and converts air currents to generate electricity with additional mechanical energy derived from the solar powered Stirling engines. Also, this structure-balanced design uses largely of high-strength, non-corrosive, shock absorbent, vibration dampening and lightweight advanced composites (e.g., glass fiber, carbon fiber and Kevlar fiber) to reduce weight and noise and to maintain high operational efficiencies and low maintenance cost. For instance, the system may use compression molding parabolic dish, trough, filament wound drive shaft, supporting tubes, sheet laminated wind rotor, windshield, deflector, pultrusion rod, beam, panel and etc.
The system can be used for generating electrical energy for domestic, small commercial uses, especially in the urban and suburban area, from combining solar and wind power. In some implementations, the system include solar energy collectors, a set of multiple stacked solar powered Stirling engines (a type of thermo-mechanical engine), wind turbine generator with high strength and lightweight advanced composite airfoils, blades rotors or vanes, a starting device, engage-disengage mechanisms, and rotary pumps. The whole system can be mounted in vertical, horizontal, or other aligned operational positions. Solar collectors concentrate light through the use of either parabolic concentrator or Fresnel lens. At first a set of solar collector are set up to concentrate sunrays to an absorber, which then heats up the heat transfer fluid to be circulated into the hot zone of the set of multiple stacked of Stirling engines. The Stirling engines convert thermal energy to mechanical energy to provide auxiliary power to the wind turbine generator.
Stirling engines can utilize heat from the solar collectors at high efficiency with low noise. The multiple stacked Stirling engines can share high heat (e.g., up to 400 Celsius) in turn and fully utilize the heat to increase the output of the power that will provide auxiliary driving force to the wind turbine generator.
The additional force powered by solar powered multiple stacked Stirling engines can be considerable, depending on sun intensity, and can allow the solar and wind hybrid electricity generating system to operate as a complementary electricity generator, albeit at reduced efficiency when there is low wind. Also, it can operate as purely a wind turbine when there is no solar radiation available such as during nighttime or rainy and cloudy days. In this mode, the wind turbine is induced to spin by the wind along.
In some embodiments, the wind turbine generator includes at least two rotors, vanes, blades or airfoils and a windshield/deflector that positioned on perimeter of wind turbine. The use of a greater number of turbine blades may provide a lower tip speed and lower noise emission and higher efficiency, but can also be more difficult to start or too weak to produce electricity to meet a small commercial or house's energy demand. In such cases, it may be desired to provide an auxiliary power from solar energy source to accelerate the rotor to a higher velocity at which the rotor can produce positive torque and generate more electricity.
In some implementations, the wind turbine generator has a base rotationally mounted to its main shaft for orienting at least two air rotors into the wind flow. A self-orienting wind shield/deflector can be mechanically affixed to the shafts of the wind turbine with traditional or maglev bearing sets, or can rotate on the rail guide around the wind turbine to direct the wind flow substantially only to blades and to block wind flow to the backside of the rotors, therefore preventing the wind from inhibiting the rotation of the rotor assembly. In some examples, the wind deflectors with bend are angle-mounted on the outside edge of the windshields against the incoming wind flow for directing the wind towards to the rotor blades at a more efficient angle.
At least two types of the windshield/deflectors can be symmetrically mounted to both sides of the wind turbine. When wind flow changes direction, the windshield/deflector will rotate accordingly and face the wind flow with same position angle. The self-adjustable and self-balancing features of the deflector with bends pointing to opposite directions, permit the deflectors to provide a counter force against each other in the event that the wind, in engaging any of the deflectors, tend to rotate the assembly out of alignment. Windshields can be coupled by bearings, for instance, to a drive shaft concentric with the shaft to the wind turbine and has an arc-cylindrical body portion that rotates freely around the wind rotors. When air currents move towards the wind collector, the windshields and deflectors are moved by and aligned with the wind in same balanced and angled positions. The windshields and deflectors are positioned and shaped to direct the wind flow substantially only to rotors that will be moved in the same direction of the wind flow. They also block wind flow from hitting rotors that will be moved in the opposite direction of the wind flow.
Examples of solar collectors include parabolic solar collectors, which are examples of so called “Imaging Solar Concentrators” that attempt to produce a small but high intense “image” of solar energy at the focal point or focal line. Due to their “Imaging Optics” geometry, the aperture of the collector need to directly face the sun, in order to avoid loss of collection efficiency and to maintain the “solar Image” with the solar absorber. In some examples, parabolic solar collector and Fresnel lens concentrator can use sun track devices (heliostat) to keep them oriented toward the sun.
Some other examples of solar collectors include Fresnel lens concentrators. The Fresnel lens can be made from a smooth flexible transparent polymeric material having a smooth surface and an opposite surface consisting of a plurality of miniature linear Fresnel prisms or arranged side by side, with the smooth surface effectively forming one of the optical faces of each prism. In addition, each prism includes an optical face that is intended to redirect the light. Each prism also has a non-active optical face or step that does not block or interfere with the directed solar radiation. Thus, the prisms in the film are arranged such that the steps defined by the prisms do not interfere with the refraction of the incident solar radiation. Further, in some embodiments, the Fresnel lens is oriented so that the more fragile Fresnel prism will not be directly exposed to hail, rain, or other destructive environmental events.
Further examples of solar collectors include an economic parabolic trough type that is equipped with a compound parabolic collector (CPC) that permits wider sunrays receiving angle and more efficient energy collection, without necessarily using costly apparatus for tracking the sun in its apparent daily motion through the celestial sphere. The CPC may be set up to have one axis aligned to be roughly parallel to the axis of rotation of the earth around the north and south poles. For use in the north hemisphere, the polar axis can be angled towards due north, and the angle between this axis and the vertical is equal to the latitude. In some examples, a real-time clock controller and linear actuator arm are used to move the trough array toward the sun movement of Azimuth. This setup also has an adjustment (monthly or bimonthly) along a second axis: the angle of declination. The second adjustment will angle the compound parabolic troughs array to face the sun when it is higher in the sky (and further northward) in the summer, and to face it lower in the sky (and further southward) in the winter for the optimal position for each season. It might be set with manual (monthly or bimonthly) or automated adjustments, depending on polar alignment. This type of solar collector does not necessarily use sophisticated, expensive and possibly undependable heliostat (sun tracker) that is prone to misalignment due to cloud interference.
In some implementations, the Stirling engines may require some initial disturbance in order to transit from a state of static instability to oscillatory motion. This initial disturbance needs to be sufficient to cause some movement of the displacer piston of the Stirling engines in order to initiate further and regenerative heating or cooling and consequent further expansion or contraction of the working gas. The regenerator, which is generally located between cold and hot zones of the engine, includes a matrix of fine wire.
In some examples, the initial motion of the Stirling engines may be impeded by the friction between conventional seals that separate the different zones inside the Stirling engines. If the initial disturbance is insufficient to overcome the friction, there may not be enough displacement of the working gas to develop sufficient pressure change to continue the motion.
One way to reliably start a Stirling engine generates the initial disturbance by input from load or external sources. This can allow the engine to start even though it is horizontally aligned and therefore is subject to a seal friction that is greater than in a vertically aligned engine. This starting mechanism is simple, inexpensive and does not require periodic adjustment or maintenance. It can be activated by the intensity of sunrays that is in accord with the power generation of Stirling engines.
One example of such a starting mechanism includes an auxiliary electric starter motor, thermocouples, two rotary pumps, pulleys/V belt mechanisms and closed cycle HTF circulation system. The flywheels and pumping rotor housing are affixed with the drive shaft of the Stirling engines and also is connected with the auxiliary electric starter motor by pulleys and V belt. The concentrated sunrays heat up the heat transfer fluid of absorber to a set temperature (e.g., 100 Celsius) then the thermocouple activates the auxiliary starter motor and the HTF rotary pump to circulate heat transfer fluid through the hot zone of the multiple Stirling engines. The heated heat transfer fluid will keep heating up the hot zone of the multiple Stirling engines and the rotating flywheels that are driven by the said auxiliary starter motor, move the crankshaft, power piston and displacer of the Stirling engines into oscillation. Once the temperature of the heat transfer fluid running through the hot zone of multiple Stirling engines reaches a higher set temperature (e.g., 150 Celsius), the wind turbine engages with the rotating Stirling engines first then the auxiliary starter motor will be disengaged with the Stirling engines and be shut off sequentially. The wind turbine generator will combine the dual driving force of wind turbine and Stirling engines to generate electricity.
A first engage/disengage mechanism is provided for mechanically engaging and for disengaging the driving shafts of the auxiliary motor and Stirling engines with said pulleys and V belts set. The pulley sets of drive shafts use rubber v-shaped driving belt to transfer driving force from the auxiliary starter motor to the drive shaft of Stirling engines. The engage/disengage mechanisms has the third pulley form a triangle set up with the above said pulley sets and a small engage/disengage electric motor can be activated by the same thermocouple of the said auxiliary starter motor. The small engage/disengage electric motor retract/tighten (engage) the v-shaped driving belt at the first set temperature (e.g., 100 Celsius) to drive the Stirling engines into oscillation. At the second set temperature (e.g., 150 Celsius) the small engage/disengage electric motor extend/loosen (disengage) the v-shaped driving belt when the Stirling engines are running strongly and the said auxiliary starter motor is off. All three pulleys have large flanges to hold the v-shaped belt in the grooves when the belt is in loose (disengage) and slack state.
A second engage/disengage mechanism is provided for coupling the driving shafts of Stirling engines and the wind turbine generator. This mechanism also uses pulleys and V belts set. The pulley sets of both drive shafts use rubber v-shaped driving belt to transfer driving force from Stirling engines to the wind turbine generator. The second engage/disengage mechanism also has the third pulley forming a triangle setup with the above said pulley sets and a small engage/disengage electric motor that can be activated by the second thermocouple of the control module. When the HTF temperature reaches the first set temperature (e.g., 150 Celsius), the engagement will transfer the multiple Stirling engines driving power to the wind turbine generator. Once the HTF temperature below the second set temperature (e.g., 100 Celsius) the disengagement disconnect the wind turbine from the Stirling engines. All three pulleys also have large flanges to hold the v-shaped belt in the grooves when the belt is in loose (disengaged) and slack position.
The heat transfer fluid is circulated in a closed loop system to maintain the high heat and the whole system is double insulated (e.g., by fiberglass) to reduce the heat loss.
In some examples, the multiple Stirling engines can be equipped with water jacket that surrounds the cold zone of the multiple Stirling engines. A rotary water pump circulates cooling water from water reservoirs to water jacket (cold zone) of the multiple Stirling engines and back. The reservoirs of the cooling system include a cold tank and an insulated hot tank that are connected on at the top. The hot tank is connected to the hot water pipeline that runs into the building and cold tank is connected with water supply line for replenishing. When the hot water of the hot tank is used and not feeding back into the cold tank, the water supply line will be triggered by the water float device and replenish the cold water instead. This refill from waterline will greatly reduce the temperature of the cold tank of the cooling system to further enhance the cooling process and increase the power efficiency of the stacked Stirling engines. The cold zone temperature is important when looking for efficiency gains; for example, a change of 10 Celsius at the cold zone can have an equivalent effect on the ideal cycle efficiency of a change of 30 Celsius at the hot zone. Therefore, a radiator type heat sink (metal device with many fins) covers the cooling agent upstream conduit to the water jacket and runs parallel with the wind rotors axis. The wind flow entering into or exiting from the said wind turbine can improve the transfer of thermal energy from the heat sink to the air by moving cooler air between the fins so that the efficient heat dissipation is promptly obtained. The cooling agent is circulated in a semi-closed loop system to conserve the water and provide thermal energy for hot water and space heating to the dwelling.
In some examples, in cold climate and high heating demand areas, the multiple Stirling engines can be coupled to a second (potentially indoor) heat collector that receives thermal energy from additional heat sources, for example, from space heating such as a gas burner or a wood burning appliance of the dwelling during the nighttime or overcast days of cold weather. The same heat transfer fluid circulating pump of the said hybrid system circulates the additional heat transfer fluid (HTF) from the indoor heat collector (e.g., gas burner) to the hot zone of the series of Stirling engines and back to complete another closed heating cycle. In response to environmental conditions, for instance, wind condition, sun condition, and temperature condition, these two closed heating cycles can be combined to boost output of the Stirling engines in the day time or this additional heat source can drive the Stirling engines in the nighttime. In cold days, the returned hot water from the cold zone of the Stirling engines can be used in a radiator heater for space heating. As such, this solar and wind hybrid generator also works as a combined heat and power (CHP) system utilizes the excess heat of space heating in the dwelling and returns waste heat for the space heating again and for the hot water supply with the added benefit of electricity production.
In some implementations, the oscillating power pistons of the stacked Stirling engines use flywheels, driving shaft and the v-shaped driving belt to transfer mechanical power to the wind turbine generator. During sunny and low wind days, the Stirling engines will fully operate to provide additional mechanical energy derived from the sunrays. During rainy days or cloudy days with low sunrays, the sun collectors may not generate enough heat to power Stirling engines. Thus, the wind turbine generator may be decoupled from the Stirling engines. In the nighttime, the coupling is also off to eliminate the dead weight load and mechanic friction of Stirling engine to the wind turbine. Thus, the system operates as solar and wind hybrid powered generator in the daytime and wind turbine rotates alone in the nighttime, rainy, cloudy and snowy days unless the said additional heat source from indoor space heating replaces the solar energy and drives the Sirling engines instead in the daytime or nighttime.
The integrated and flexible design of the system does not require sophisticated electronic device and a high degree of precision in manufacturing. Since materials of high thermal tolerance are not necessarily required for the majority of the design, the solar energy collector and concentrator can largely use high strength, non-corrosive, shock absorbent, vibration dampening and lightweight advanced composite (glass fiber and carbon fiber). The wind collector incorporates with the high strength and lightweight advanced composite (e.g., S glass fiber, high modulus carbon fiber and Kevlar fiber) airfoils, blades, rotors or vanes to generate electricity. Such an integrated structure is also not susceptible to damage by strong winds, temperature, moisture and other elements. In some examples, the Stirling engines, the reflective film of solar collectors, and the Fresnel lens can be fabricated using industrial grade aluminum, aluminum coating reflective Mylar film, and/or acrylic plastic, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.
In some implementations, the solar collector may be located on top of the wind turbine or beneath it so the wind rotor would not be obstructed from direct access to the prevailing wind. Because the systems use modular design and are structure balanced, it would also be easy to scale up the system by adding more Stirling engines or wind turbines or enlarging the size of solar collector and wind turbine. As the wind power increases as a function of the cube of the surface area of the rotor as well as a function of the height of wind turbine, wind forces placed on the assemblies can be fully utilized as the system is enlarged to create more power or use higher stand-along structure. Furthermore, in practical applications, such systems can be located at sites such as rooftop or stand alone in a backyard or a parking lot, and be suitable for both residential and commercial uses.
Other features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following description, and from the claims.
The hybrid system 100 also includes a solar powered subsystem 120 having a solar collector 122 (e.g., a parabolic dish) for converting solar energy into heat, and a thermo-mechanical engine 124 (e.g., an external combustion engine) for subsequently converting heat into mechanical energy to drive a main shaft 126 of the solar powered subsystem 120.
To utilize the energy generated by the solar powered subsystem 120, an interconnection subsystem 130 is provided for disengageably coupling the main shaft 126 of the solar powered subsystem to the main shaft 116 of the wind powered subsystem. As a result, the mechanical energy derived respectively from wind and solar sources is combined together to power the electrical generator 140.
Generally, the wind powered subsystem 110 operates regardless of weather conditions, but the amount of electrical energy generated from wind may depend on local wind speed. The solar powered subsystem 120, on the other hand, is selectively activated, for instance, based on sun intensity. During the operation of the solar powered subsystem 120, when shaft 126 is coupled to shaft 116, the input to the electrical generator 140 is increased as a result of the superposition of the mechanical energy derived from the two subsystems 110 and 120. Thus, the hybrid system 100 can produce a greater amount of electricity when the two subsystems 110 and 120 operate in a complementary mode. It can also operate solely as a wind powered system when there is no solar radiation available such as during nighttime or rainy and cloudy days, in which case the rotor 112 is induced to spin by the wind alone.
The following description includes discussions of various embodiments of the hybrid system 100 of
This system includes a solar collector 1, a set of stacked Stirling engines 2 (a type of thermo-mechanical engine), a wind turbine 3, an electrical generator 4, a first rotary pump 5 for circulating heat transfer fluid, a second rotary pump 6 for circulating cooling agent, an auxiliary starter motor 7, two engage/disengage electric motors 8 and 9, and a heat sink 6-9 of cooling agent upstream conduit 6-1. Shaft 3-1 serves as the main drive shaft of the wind turbine 3, and shaft 2-8 serves as the main drive shaft of the Stirling engines 2. These two shafts can be coupled and decoupled by use of the engage/disengage electric motors 9, as will be described in detail at a later section of this document.
The solar collector 1 receives solar energy and generates heat (e.g., up to 400 Celsius) to power the multiple Stirling engines 2 to apply a complementary force to rotate the wind turbine generator 4 about its drive shaft 3-1, thereby generating electricity concurrently. In order to convert the mechanical energy to electrical energy, a mechanical-to-electrical converter, for instance, the electrical generator 4, is used. The generator 4 is mechanically coupled by the drive shaft 3-1 to the wind turbine 3 to produce useful output. If desired, the electricity generated by the generator 4 is stored in an electrical energy storage device, such as battery banks 13 prior to being used by a consumer. As shown in
Note that the hybrid system 100 of
In some applications, the vertical alignment shown in
In the above mentioned embodiments, the solar collector 1 focuses sunrays towards the focal point or focal line of a solar absorber 11. At this focal point or focal line, the energy contained in the solar rays concentrates in a small area. In order to properly position the solar collectors to track the sun during its trajectory, a sun tracker unit (e.g., heliostat) 12 can be used to cause directional changes of the solar collector 1 to aim the collector 1 toward sun.
For some roof-mounted types as shown in
Now referring to
Each of the windshields 3-4 has an arc-cylindrical body portion and each wind deflector 3-5, is angle mounted on the outside edge of a corresponding windshield 3-4 against the wind flow for directing the wind towards to the rotor blades 3-2 at a more efficient angle. The two windshields and deflectors are symmetrically mounted to both sides of the wind turbine 3 to coordinate the rotation of the wind turbine according to the direction of wind blow as shown in
Note that the symmetric structures oppositely mounted on the wind turbine 3 are useful as they tend to face the wind turbine 3 toward the wind as a result of the forces acting on the self-orienting windshield 3-4 and deflectors 3-5. When wind flow changes direction, the windshield/deflector will rotate accordingly and always face the wind flow with substantially the same angle position. The self-adjustable and self-balanced features of the deflectors 3-5 permit the deflector to provide a counter force in the event that the wind, in engaging any one of the deflectors 3-5, tends to rotate the rotor assembly somewhat out of alignment. In other words, the positions of the deflectors 3-5 are self-adjusted and self-balanced by the wind flow, which applies the same pressure on both symmetrically mounted deflectors to compensate for undesirable rotation of the assembly that may be caused by wind force against the deflectors 3-5.
A Stirling engine is a type of external combustion engines that can convert heat into mechanical energy (e.g., in the form of driving power) by continuously heating and cooling a captive working gas.
To couple (or decouple) Stirling engine drive shaft 2-8 to (or from) wind turbine drive shaft 3-1, an engage/disengage mechanism is provided. This mechanism includes an electric motor 9, a set of V belts 4-8 and pulleys 4-5, 4-6, 4-7 that connect both wind turbine drive shaft 3-1 and Stirling engine drive shaft 2-8 to form a combined power source.
Another engage/disengage mechanism includes electric motor 8, a set of V belts 4-4 and pulleys 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 that connect the auxiliary motor drive shaft 7-1 and Stirling engine drive shaft 2-8. This mechanism provides a way by which the Stirling engine draft shaft 2-8 can start rotation from a stationary state.
Initially, the heat transfer fluid needs to be circulated when the sunrays are focused to the absorber 11 and the rotary pump 5 will continue to circulate the HTF as long as the sun generates enough heat for the hot zone of Stirling engines. When the solar collector 2 starts to focus sunrays to the absorber 11, the system uses auxiliary starter motor 7 to initially start the rotation of the stacked Stirling engines drive shaft 2-8 to which rotary pump 5 is coupled.
Soon after the HTF temperature reaches another set temperature (e.g., 150 Celsius), the thermocouple extends and loosens one set of the V belt 4-4 on the pulleys 4-1, 4-2, 4-3. As a result, drive shaft 7-1 of auxiliary motor 7 and drive shaft 2-8 of Stirling engines 2 become disconnected then the thermocouple shuts off the auxiliary motor sequentially.
Once the sunrays are strong and Stirling engines start to rotate forcefully, the connection with the auxiliary motor is off so the second engage-disengage motor 9 in turn will retract and tighten another set of the V belt 4-8 on the pulleys 4-5, 4-6, 4-7. The drive shaft 3-1 of wind turbine 3 and jointed drive shaft 2-8 of the stacked Stirling engines 2 will be connected so the driving force will be transferred from the stacked Stirling engines 2 to the wind turbine generator 4 as shown in
When sky is overcast or in the nighttime, the wind turbine will disengage with the Sirling engines to remove the weight load and mechanic friction of Stirling engine and the hybrid solar/wind system will again function solely as a wind turbine generator. The engage-disengage motor 9 extends and loosens another set of the V belt 4-8 on the pulleys 4-5, 4-6, 4-7 of drive shaft 3-1 of wind turbine 3 and drive shaft 2-8 of Stirling engines 2 as shown in
The complete sequence is carried out repeatedly as illustrated in
Now referring to
The reservoir tanks of the cooling system include cold tank 6-3 and hot tanks 6-4 that are connected on the top portion. The hot tank 6-4 is connected to the hot water pipeline that runs into the building and cold tank 6-3 is connected with water supply line 6-6 to replenish the cold water. As the hot water is used through the hot water valve 6-8 to the building, the water from hot tank won't be able to feed back into the cold tank 6-3 through the connected pipeline. The water float 6-5 will activate the water supply 6-6 line to replenish the cold water, which can greatly reduce the temperature of the cold tank 6-3 and to further enhance the cooling process that increase the power efficiency of the Stirling engines.
Note that the cold zone temperature is important parameter that influences efficiency gains. For example, a change of 10 Celsius at the cold zone can have an equivalent effect on the ideal cycle efficiency of a change of 30 Celsius at the hot zone. To mitigate this effect, a radiator type heat sink 6-9 (e.g., metal device with many fins) is provided to cover the cooling agent upstream conduit and runs parallel with the wind rotors axis 3-1. The wind flow improve the transfer of thermal energy from the heat sink 6-9 to the air by moving cooler air between the fins so that the efficient heat dissipation is promptly obtained. The high heat circulating in the solar absorber, hot zone 2-1 of multiple Stirling engines 2, upstream conduit 5-1 and downstream conduit 5-2 is maintained by the insulation 6-7 such as a fiberglass felt to retain the heat and enhance the efficiency of the stacked Stirling engines.
There can be many applications in which the systems and methods described above can be useful. For instance, in addition to producing electricity, the hybrid system (or some parts of the hybrid system) can also convert solar energy to thermal energy to furnish hot water supply and space heating for offices or residences.
Various types of solar collectors may be deployed in the hybrid system.
In some implementations, solar collectors are made of high strength, durable, non-corrosive, shock absorbent, vibration dampening and lightweight advanced composite (glass fiber and carbon fiber) structures. Also, advanced composite (S glass fiber, carbon fiber and Kevlar fiber) airfoils, blades or vanes are used in the wind turbine to generate electricity. The hybrid system can achieve and maintain high operational efficiencies with light weight and substantially reduced manufacturing and maintenance cost. In addition, because of the structure simplicity of construction and light weighted with composites, it can be affordable for small commercial office building rooftop, parking lot and house rooftop or backyard electricity generating application. Furthermore, the system can be used to meet household/small business energy demands in both urban and suburban areas at a cost affordable even by developing countries.
It is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
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|US8847425 *||3 Abr 2013||30 Sep 2014||Donnie E. JORDAN, SR.||Hybrid energy harvesting device and fixed threshold power production|
|US8875450||21 Mar 2013||4 Nov 2014||P4P Holdings, LLC||Solar array system for covering a body of water|
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|US9027288||22 Oct 2014||12 May 2015||P4P Holdings, LLC||Solar array system for covering a body of water|
|US9077280||24 Oct 2014||7 Jul 2015||P4P Holdings Llc||Solar array support methods and systems|
|US9184694 *||12 Jun 2015||10 Nov 2015||P4P Holdings Llc||Solar array support methods and systems|
|US9416774||5 Ago 2015||16 Ago 2016||Donnie E. JORDAN, SR.||Hybrid energy harvesting|
|US20100000516 *||7 Ene 2010||Conger Steven J||Solar array support methods and systems|
|US20100052328 *||29 Ago 2008||4 Mar 2010||Thales Research, Inc.||Hybrid wind turbine - combustion engine electrical power generator|
|US20100107633 *||8 Ene 2010||6 May 2010||Jason Tsao||Solar and wind hybrid powered air-conditioning/refrigeration, space-heating, hot water supply and electricity generation system|
|US20100314876 *||14 Jun 2010||16 Dic 2010||Frayne Kevin E||Wind turbine solar control system|
|US20110043044 *||24 Ago 2009||24 Feb 2011||Yu-Lin Chu||Generating System Using Solar Energy and Wind Power|
|US20110057512 *||9 Sep 2010||10 Mar 2011||Sundial Power Pods, Llc||Mobile power system|
|US20110080007 *||10 Dic 2010||7 Abr 2011||Jason Tsao||Solar and wind energy converter|
|US20110232630 *||29 Sep 2011||Jason Tsao||Solar collector/wind deflector conversion of a solar and wind converter|
|US20120228963 *||26 Ago 2010||13 Sep 2012||Alternative Energy Research Company Ltd||Method and solar-powered wind plant for producing electric power|
|US20120262849 *||25 Jun 2012||18 Oct 2012||Sundial Power Pods, Llc||Mobile power system|
|US20130264829 *||3 Abr 2013||10 Oct 2013||Donnie E. JORDAN, SR.||Hybrid Energy Harvesting Device and Fixed Threshold Power Production|
|CN102305193A *||5 Sep 2011||4 Ene 2012||初立森||Air compression energy storage wind power generation method and generating set thereof|
|Clasificación de EE.UU.||290/44, 290/55|
|Clasificación internacional||H02P9/04, F03D9/00|
|Clasificación cooperativa||H02P2101/15, Y02E10/465, F03D3/00, F03D9/007, Y02B10/70, Y02B10/30, H02P9/04, Y02E10/74|
|Clasificación europea||F03D3/00, F03D9/00E, H02P9/04| |
Since the formation of Pakistan, successive governments have largely ignored the key pillars necessary for socio-economic development. These are: (1) education; (2) science, technology and innovation (STI); (3) access to a quick and effective justice system that swiftly punishes the corrupt; and (4) a visionary, honest and technologically competent government.
For science and technology to have their due impact on society, government policies need to be redesigned in order to incentivise private business and investors as well as academic and research institutions to work in synergy in order to develop strong knowledge-based economies.
The era that we live in today has been termed by the World Economic Forum as a technological revolution that constitutes the fourth industrial revolution.
The future source of wealth will be access to information and the ability to accurately predict market trends by ‘Big Data’ mining. While industrial-scale businesses have historically been the source of wealth, a new important factor introduced in recent decades has been the role of innovation and entrepreneurship that involves facilitation of new business start-ups, access to venture capital, government enabling policies to promote private sector research and development, as well as ease of doing business.
Digital technologies are now playing an important part in this development. Realising this back in 2001 when I was the federal minister of science and technology (which at that time also included the Information Technology and Telecommunications Division) we decided to focus on the potential of Pakistan in the IT field and gave a 15-year tax holiday to the IT industry. A large number of institutions were established to promote quality IT education and thousands of students sent abroad for PhD level studies to strengthen the faculty in IT-related disciplines in our universities. The results are remarkable.
According to a report published on August 10, 1015 in the New York Times, the IT business has reached $2.8 billion annually (from only $ 30 million in 2001) and Pakistan ranks number 3 in the world in terms of the freelance programmers market with their software exports amounting to $850 million annually, behind only USA and India.
For Pakistan to develop a strong knowledge economy we need to make Science, Technology and Innovation the focal points for development. For this we must take the following measures, some of which I have also recommended for the Unescap region, in my capacity as chair of the STI Committee:
STI strategy and action plan: Establish a clear short, medium term and long terms vision, strategy and action plan for integrating STI into all sectors of the government ranging from industry and agriculture to health, communications and social services.
Provide leadership for implementation of STI vision: Support the STI vision with a strong and visionary leadership at the level of the prime minister for its effective implementation and position the mandate for STI in the office of the prime minister to ensure strategic implementation.
Foresight exercises for migration to knowledge economy: Conduct regular foresight exercises, aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and integrated across all line ministries, in consultation with all stakeholders, to help in building functional innovation systems and to transition to knowledge based economies.
Financing of STI action plan for establishing a knowledge economy: Allocate appropriate funding for implementation of STI policy in national development plans including a sizeable allocation for R&D which should be at least three percent of GDP and progressively increased to five percent of GDP.
Institutional reforms: Undertake institutional reforms including the restructuring of institutions of higher learning and research, those providing testing, quality and standards related services, as well as legal and financial institutions.
Support and develop private industry to contribute meaningfully to a knowledge economy: Increase absorptive capacity of private industry to productively use external and internal knowledge for manufacture and export of high technology products by making government funding available for venture capital, for hiring highly skilled personnel.
Promote high-technology manufacturing and exports: Grant ‘pioneering status’ to high-tech industries with suitable long-term tax-free status to promote manufacturing and exports in high-tech fields, provide government insurance for under-writing risk in new high-technology ventures and establish a revolving ‘innovation fund’ to support indigenous high-technology development in the public and private sector.
Promulgation of national education emergency: Declare a ‘National Education Emergency’ so that the appalling state of education in Pakistan can be tackled on a war footing and allocate at least 10 percent of GDP for education to improve access as well as quality of primary, secondary, technical, vocational and higher education.
Promotion of world-class research: Establish world-class research institutions with internationally recognised, peer-reviewed scholarly capacity for academic and industry collaborative research, and undertake investments in the shape of setting standards, funded projects, research grants for faculty
Highly qualified manpower: Create a critical mass of high-quality professionals (scientists/engineers) and technically trained manpower (progressively increase to 2500 highly qualified professionals involved in R&D per million population). This will require a dramatic change in salaries and other incentives to reduce brain drain and re-attract diaspora to fulfil human capital needs for future growth and expansion.
Industrial clusters: Establish regional industrial clusters accompanied by technical training institutions (Fachhochschule model) to ensure cost effective, relevant, demand-driven and collaborative industrial production. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) should become a ‘knowledge hub’ of such multiple industrial and training clusters focusing on the manufacture and export of engineering goods, defence products, biotechnology products, pharmaceuticals, etc.
Institutions for metrology, standards and testing: Establish concrete, world-class infrastructure for metrology, standards and testing including international standards, to facilitate consistent high quality product manufacture and exports.
Link FDI to knowledge transfer: The Planning Division should link the approval of all foreign assistance and Foreign Direct Investment projects to mandatory knowledge transfer, so that at least five percent of the cost of such projects is set aside for training and indigenous capability development, leading to national self-reliance.
For the above measures to be implemented, we need a government composed of top technocrats who realise the importance of a knowledge economy in this new knowledge-driven world.
Corrigendum: In my article of July 20, 2016, the variation in the strength of the big bang should have been published as one part in 10 to the power of 60 and not one part in 1060. Similarly, the figure 1040 shown elsewhere in the article should be 10 to the power of 40.
The writer is chairman of UN ESCAP Committee on Science Technology & Innovation and former chairman of the HEC. Email: [email protected] |
Twitter is vast, and there are tens of tweets I don’t see every week. If you happen across anything you think should be noted in TWIT, feel free to tweet it to @Bry_Mac. And while you’re there, you can follow @Bry_Mac. Or not. But do.
Don’t Worry, No One Will See That Tweet
Sometimes people have a hard time understanding the “social” part of social media. Take, for instance, Oregon DE commit Davin Bellamy. Last weekend, Mr. Bellamy took a visit to Eugene, and had a fine time. Unfortunately for him, he decided to (a) document that fine time, and (b) share that documentation with the world. See if you can identify the problem with this picture he tweeted (hint: it’s NOT the bong on the table):
Uh oh… backlighting.
Okay, I lied. It's the bong on the table.
And while the state of Oregon did legalize weed recently, I’m pretty sure the NCAA didn’t [ED: Wrong hippie state. Somehow Oregon HASN'T legalized weed]. But I’m more concerned about the thought process. Anyone who has ever posted a picture to social media has done the same three-point check: 1) look to see if your fly is down; (2) be sure your hair isn’t doing that thing it does sometimes; (3) check for drug paraphernalia. In Davin’s defense, he was two out of three.
The other briefly shared photo that made the rounds was from none other than LaQuon Treadwell, who totally put those suggestions of Ole Miss funny business to rest by allegedly posting this little number:
Now obviously we can’t be sure that this is Treadwell. Or that this is Treadwell’s cash. Or that the cash was ill-begotten. There are plenty of reasons a teenager would have a few hundred dollars in cash, and only 93% of those reasons would violate NCAA rules. But yeah, I betchya your compliance office will probably have a word with you.
Hugh Freeze, on the other hand, is having none of your insinuations, no matter how ridiculously well-founded. Not long after the Treadwell pic made the rounds, the Ole Miss head coach took to Twitter to defend his recruits (and his program):
He has since deleted the tweet.* You have to respect the coach for defending his guys, but I bet the poor schlub in the compliance office would prefer if you didn’t direct every troll south of the Mason-Dixon line directly to his inbox. The poor guy gets to the office, fires up the coffee maker, and HOLY HELL why do I have seven thousand emails with the subject “CHEATERZ!!!!!1”?
[*NOTE TO TWITTER USERS: Please stop deleting your questionable tweets. Once they’re there, you can’t get rid of them. You’re just making my column less visibly appealing. ]
I Tried ‘Perspective’ Once. Didn’t Care For It.
David Dawson is one of the jewels of this recruiting class, and by all accounts is a genuinely nice kid who has been through quite a bit in recent years. He also took one of the more circuitous routes to signing day, which Chantel Jennings (@ChantelJennings) documented in a recent article about how recruits are treated on social media. And I’m sure that despite his brief decommitment, Michigan fans everywhere maintained perspective and treated him with the utmost respect, especially on social media.
Fans sent him Twitter and Facebook messages telling him they hoped he broke his leg or that he was a "piece of s---."
Worst of all, some fans took shots at his late father.
"They said a couple things about my dad, like, 'He didn't teach you to keep your word,'" Dawson said.
Or not. On the bright side, the article makes clear that Michigan isn’t alone in treating kids poorly, which, hurray we're not worse than Clemson (insert sarcastic slow clap here). The moral high ground we occupied when Buckeye fans were wishing gout upon Kyle Kalis seems to be tenuous. Obviously we’re talking the least stable segments of every fanbase, but let this serve as your reminder: tweeting recruits is generally not cool, but tweeting ill-wishes to kids is even less cool.
From that same article, though, comes possibly my favorite panic-inducing out-of-context tweet of all time, in which Christian Hackenberg announces his dinner plans.
Pops just told me we are going to Canes. #seeya
— Christian Hackenberg (@chackenberg1) December 12, 2012
Canes is some sort of food establishment; Christian Hackenberg declared his intention to eat food. Happy Valley flips out thinking he was decommitting for Miami. I guarantee the words “NCAA conspiracy” were used. Crootin, man. Crootin.
[OBLIGATORY SCOLD: This is your weekly reminder to NOT TWEET OR FACEBOOK MESSAGE OR SEND SMOKE SIGNALS TO RECRUITS. I asked John Infante (@John_Infante, he of the Bylaw Blog and the overwhelming NCAA rule knowledge) to clarify, and he confirms what others have said: it is an NCAA violation. This remains the case until the student actually enrolls. The guys who just signed NLIs are still “prospects” to the NCAA. They are also high schoolers. So, no.]
We Won’t Get Fooled AgaHELLO: RANDOM PERSON
On Monday, MGoBoard users were greeted with an unexpected Hello post for Jahmere Irvin-Sills, a three-star corner out of Maryland.
Congrats to Jahmere irvin-sills committing to Michigan#goblue
— khaliel rodgers (@K_rodgers55) February 4, 2013
You may remember Khaliel Rodgers as an OL with whom Michigan had a brief flirtation when there were rumors of a commit wavering last summer. He also attends the same high school as Irvin-Sills, so attention was paid. Film was evaluated. Y U NO ELITE trolls were summoned. And, of course, within a half-hour the commitment was debunked by Sam Webb and others. This was predictable, of course, because Irvin-Sills had never been on a recruiting visit, appeared on anyone’s radar, or, you know, been offered a scholarship.
The wisdom of The Who is great and all, but I’d bet a shiny new quarter that the next time someone tweets something like this, we’ll go all salmon of Capistrano all over again.
Look Away, Dave Brandon. Nothing to See Here
You’ve probably noticed that the “nameplate with no names” thing has caught on pretty big over the last couple of years. Either that, or you found it very odd that Air Force managed to field a team entirely out of guys named Service. Last week Akron tried to take it to the next level by putting the team’s twitter handle (@ZipsMBB) on the jerseys:
Synergy, we think.
Unfortunately, the NCAA decided to be a killjoy and put the kibosh on the idea. If Michigan had tried to do something like this, Ann Arbor Torch and Pitchfork would have a heck of a day. But this is Akron, so from my perspective this would have been fun. They aren’t trying to Create the Future. They’re just trying to grab some attention for a team that averaged 3,400 fans per home game last year.
If you ask me, Akron should have even taken it a step further; they should have put individual players’ twitter handles on the jerseys. And then they should have made Bill Walton call the game. The joy of hearing Walton have to utter phrases like “@I_B_Smooth41 needs to hedge harder on those ball screens” or “great job by @AkronBalla4Lyfe of recognizing the mismatch down low” would almost make up for the pain of having to listen to Bill Walton.
How to Make Friends and Influence Good ol’ Boys
Reuben Foster has had a fun year. He originally committed to Alabama, then in July, he switched his commitment to Auburn (which is like switching from Michigan to North Korea). He felt so confident in his decision that he got a rather large Auburn tattoo on his forearm, which must have made for some awkward conversation at his switcharoo back to Alabama on Monday. He then took to Twitter to explain everything to everyone:
Auburn had no problem taking him up on his invitation to hate him. Edits are mine; these fans did not care for SFW language.
This is my shocked face /makes normal face.
Unrelated Tweet of the Week
Joe Theismann had an interesting theory about the Super Bowl power outage.
Today's recruiting roundup covers last weekend's All-American games, high profile names emerging (or re-emerging) as targets, and a potentially wavering 2014 commit.
Spill The Beans, Green
Five-star linebacker Reuben Foster: visit on tap?
Michigan didn't land one of their remaining high-profile targets over the weekend when FL S Leon McQuay III committed to USC. They appear poised to get better news regarding VA RB Derrick Green, however—the nation's top running back has maintained Michigan as his leader in recent weeks and told Rivals($) after the Army All-American Game, "I know where I'm going." Green plans to announce sometime this month and it's safe to expect good news barring a sudden change of heart.
While USC snagged a Michigan target, it's possible the Wolverines return the favor after CA WR Sebastian LaRue decommitted from the Trojans; the four-star told 247's Clint Brewster that he plans to talk to Coach Ferrigno about a potential visit to Ann Arbor ($). LaRue currently has a visit to Notre Dame scheduled and is also looking at Miami, Arkansas, and Texas A&M.
The Wolverines may also have suddenly found themselves in the mix for the nation's top linebacker recruit, Alabama prospect Reuben Foster, after he connected with commit Henry Poggi at the Under Armour game. Poggi reportedly alerted Foster to Michigan's potential interest and convinced him to get in touch with the coaches, and Foster looks to be following through, per Sam Webb ($):
Once Foster and Michigan begin having more conversations, the 6'1, 240 pounder says it’s likely he'll get up to Ann Arbor for a visit at some point before signing day.
"I don't know but the odds are pretty darn good cause I'm cool with [Poggi's] dad that I just met this week --- very cool with him," said Foster.
With a month to go until signing day, it's very late in the game to enter into the recruitment of such a high-profile player, but the former Auburn commit seems to have genuine interest. It's early yet to harbor serious hopes of a commitment, but if a visit materializes it would obviously be fantastic news for Michigan.
A more likely candidate for one of the final few spots is CA OL Cameron Hunt, who spent time with Michigan's contingent of commitments at the UA game. Hunt will take his official to Michigan next weekend, followed by visits to Oregon and Cal, and he told Sam Webb that those three schools comprise his leading trio ($).
[After THE JUMP, video and evaluations of Michigan's All-Americans, the latest on Denzel Ward, and more.] |
Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Communicator 2014 Service Pack 1 README
Notice to Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Communicator Customers
In a continuing effort to provide high quality products, Autodesk has
released Autodesk Simulation Moldfow Communicator 2014 Service Pack 1, which fixes or
addresses a variety of issues pertaining to Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Communicator
2014. This README file highlights what has been fixed.
Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Communicator 2014 must be installed before you can apply Service Pack (SP) 1. If you have both the 2014 FCS build and a language pack installed, select the relevant language from the Options dialog before installing SP1. If you do not select the language prior to installing SP1, the user interface will appear in English. To change the user interface language, select the relevant language from the Options dialog.
Summary of issues addressed in Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Communicator 2014 Service Pack 1
- An issue viewing animated 3D injection compression result "Polymer fill region" has been resolved. This also requires correct result file produced by Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Synergy 2014 SP1.
- Administrator restrictions with Autodesk Simulation Moldflow 2014 on Win 7 and Win 8 systems, has been addressed to enable access to users without administrator rights. |
Draft 1: Raphael Levy
Levy may be relatively young, but don't let that fool you- he's one of the Pro Tours most accomplished veterans. The Frenchman made Top 8 at Worlds back in 1998, and had a Top 8 at Chicago 99 with a deck that sported, among other things, Fire Whip/Quirion Ranger technology. Yesterday he ran his somewhat unconventional green/blue threshold deck to a 5-1 record, and sat down at the draft table today in prime position to make a run for another Worlds Top 8 four years after his last one.
The first pack contained Flame Burst, Gravedigger, Syncopate and Second Thoughts as viable picks. Despite the fact that Gravedigger and Second Thoughts provide card advantage, Levy decided to force red and took the Flame Burst. Since red is generally considered to be the weakest color in Odyssey Block draft, this was a calculated risk. Levy was hoping everyone else would avoid the color, and it certainly paid off. Chainflinger came second, Patriarch's Desire third, another Chainflinger fourth and a second Flame Burst fifth. Last Rites, Innocent Blood and Fledgling Imp rounded out Ruel's black as he headed into Torment.
With Torment came a first pick Grotesque Hybrid, and a second pick Chainer's Edict, which has great synergy with all of Levy's burn. The rest of Torment didn't provide any Crippling Fatigues or Faceless Butchers, but it did give Levy two Pitchstone Walls, Cabal Torturer, two Barbarian Outcasts, and a sixth pick Fiery Temper. Obviously, Levy's red gambit had worked. Judgment wasn't particularly exciting, but then again you can't expect much in the third pack if you're black/red. Toxic Stench was taken first pick over Anger and Treacherous Werewolf, and Filth was picked second over Lava Dart. The rest of the picks gave Levy some 2/2 creatures for three in Treacherous Werewolf and Barbarian Bully, in addition to Sutured Ghoul. It is interesting to note that Levy never really considered taking late Goretusk Firebeasts, and went so far as to counterdraft Web of Inertia over one. The Firebeast is not exactly a "platinum hit" but it often works well in an aggressive black/red deck.
Sideboard: How do you think it went?
Sideboard: It seemed like you were trying to force that from the start. You took Flame Burst over Gravedigger and Second Thoughts. Do you like red specifically? Most players seem to avoid it.
Sideboard: So you were looking for red/black from the start?
Sideboard: It worked out well, you got some really good red stuff late.
Sideboard: Are you going to play both of the Pitchstone Walls?
Sideboard:Judgment wasn't quite as good, but then again you're playing black/red, so you can't expect much.
Sideboard: You took Toxic Stench first pick, but you were thinking about Treacherous Werewolf. Was that because you were afraid you weren't going to get enough creatures?
Sideboard: So it's more of a counterdraft, but it also helps you out against other black decks.
Sideboard: I think most people would have taken the Lava Dart. I'm not saying that what you did was wrong, but I think most people would take the Dart. You also counterdrafted a Wormfang Drake fourth pick. There was just nothing in that pack for you?
Sideboard: You took Stitch Together over Goretusk Firebeast and Earsplitting Rats. Some players like the Firebeast, but I saw you give it no respect whatsoever. You took Web of Inertia over it. You just don't like the card?
Sideboard: This is more defensive even though it's black/red.
Sideboard: So the plan is to blow up most of their guys, hold back attacks with the walls and swing with some random guy?
Sideboard: Any predictions?
©1995-2007 Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Wizards is headquartered in Renton, Washington, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057. |
Turntable.fm, the social music site that allows users to take turns DJing, announced at a SXSW panel on the future of the service yesterday (March 13) that they had secured licensing agreements with all four major labels. Co-founders Billy Chasen and Seth Goldstein explained to Billboard, “This feels like an all-time record speed launch - when we launched we really didn’t come at this from the music industry, it was all new to us.” Given the ongoing battles between major labels and other music streaming services such as Grooveshark, it’s pretty commendable that they were able to lock down these deals after being in business for less than a full year.
So why the eagerness by the major labels to get on board with a service that has a fraction of the number of users of Spotify and Pandora? Well, the majors are apparently getting hip to this whole social media gaming trend and see Turntable as a natural extension of the Zynga culture that Facebook has wrought upon us. In addition to just joining a room and queueing up tunes, Turntable.fm allows participants to rate other users DJ abilities, granting them style points that can be accrued and redeemed for upgraded avatars.
In the near future, the plan is to expand what users can use their points toward to include more target market-oriented branded material. Not only will you be able to look like a snazzy Pete Fowler-esque character, but maybe you could look like a Lady Gaga cartoon holding a can of Pepsi! Since Turntable plans on continuing to avoid traditional banner ad advertising on its site, they’ll instead focus on these types of interactive and immersive branding experiments in order to produce revenue, meaning the possibilities for corporate synergy are truly mind boggling. Hence the tingly feeling (a.k.a. boners) the major label execs got as they rushed to license their music to Turntable.fm.
• Turntable.fm: http://turntable.fm/lobby |
The Mississippi Showchoir Contest, hosted by Pearl River Community College, will bring singers and dancers from more than 30 middle, junior and senior high schools to Hattiesburg the first weekend in February.The contest begins the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 3 and will conclude with the awarding of the Grand Prize Saturday night, Feb. 4. The contest will be held in the Thomas Fine Arts Center on the campus of William Carey University in Hattiesburg.Tickets are $6 for Friday night, $6 for Saturday preliminary competition and $6 for final competition or $10 for both Saturday competitions.PRCC started the Mississippi Showchoir Contest in 1987 and hosted it in Poplarville until Hurricane Katrina in 2005 destroyed the performance venues. The contest was held in Petal in 2006. After a two-year hiatus, PRCC revived the contest in 2009 with the assistance of William Carey University.Judges will be:Dr. Mark Malone of Hattiesburg, coordinator of music education at Carey and curriculum designer for the Mississippi Arts Commission Mississippi Blues Project. He directed the choirs at PRCC for 21 years.Jonathan Shew of New York City, recently in the off_Broadway production of "The Voca People. He will be creating the role of Bart in the new musical, The Twelve and will star as Will in the Broadway National/International production of American Idiot in August.Semonne Strawbridge of Indianola, chair of the Fine Arts and Health and Physical Education Division at Mississippi Delta Community College, director of the Ambassadors showchoir and MDCC Singers concert choir, and voice instructor.Doran Johnson of Omaha, Neb., choral director at Westside High School in Omaha.Brett Sutherland of Petal, worship pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church in Petal, will judge the soloists.Performances by showchoirs from Class A schools will be from 3 to 6:25 p.m. Friday. Participating showchoirs are Variations, South Forrest Attendance Center; Dixie on Stage, Dixie Attendance Center; One Life, Clinton Christian Academy; Velocity, Purvis Middle School; New Edition, Pearl River Central Middle School; Showtime, Jackson Academy; Center Stage, West Jones Middle School; and Tiger Vibe, Northeast Jones Middle School.Following a dinner break, Class AA schools will take the stage. They include Ambassadors, Clinton Junior High; Showtimers, Petal Middle School; Infusion, South Jones Middle School; Exclusive, Columbia Academy; Fusion, Jackson Prep; and Brio, Brandon Middle School.The Voices, an elite ensemble of 12 PRCC students, will perform while the judges tally the scores. Awards will be presented at 10:30 p.m. Friday.Saturday will be a full day of competition, starting with Class A schools at 7:55 to 10 a.m. They are Extreme, Clinton Christian Academy; Entourage, Stone High School; Orange Sensations, Wayne County High School; Variations, South Forrest Attendance Center; and Innergy, Pisgah High School.Women Division competition will run from 10:15 to 11:55 a.m. Performers include Synergy, Brookwood, Ala., High School; Aggie Accents, Forrest County Agricultural High School; Innovations, Petal High School; and New Edition, South Jones High School.Preliminary awards (first, second and third) place will be presented at 12 p.m.Class AA competition will be from 1 to 3:05 p.m. for Legacy, Sumrall High School; Central Attraction, Pearl River Central High School; Encore, Jackson Academy; Premiers, Columbia Academy; and Imagination, West Jones High School.RiverRoad, PRCC showchoir, will present an exhibition performance at 3:10 p.m.Competition for Class AAA will run from 3:30 to 6:25 p.m. Performers are Centerstage!, Oak Grove High School; Attache, Clinton High School; Gold Horizons, Northeast Jones High School; Soundsations, Petal High School; Company, South Jones High School; and Reveillon, Jackson Prep.The Voices will perform at 6:25 p.m. followed by the awards ceremony for Class AA and AAA at 6:40 p.m.The five showchoirs with the top scores will compete again, beginning at 7:55 p.m. Three finalists in solo competition will also compete.Awards will be presented at 10:40 p.m. Saturday. Showchoir awards will be Grand Champion, first, second, third and fourth runners- up; outstanding visual performance, outstanding vocal performance and outstanding show design. Solo awards will be Grand Champion, first and second runners-up. |