Recent studies suggest that baby opossums are better at carpooling than Americans. Just kidding. But seriously, only 10% of Americans carpool, and that includes those who ride with family members. July marks the two year anniversary since we sold our car for Ripples, and while we’ve had dialogue about emissions, social psychology has been largely left out. It’s time we had an honest conversation in America about what it’s like on both sides of the windshield.
The psychology of carpooling in America can be as confusing as English grammar. When was the last time you paid friends for buying groceries and cooking dinner for you, or helping you move? Yet, it is polite in our culture to offer gas money in exchange for a ride. Is it fair for passengers to pay for ride favors from friends, when those friends don’t pay for dinner or moving favors from their passengers? A driver who offers free rides might feel taken advantage of, despite receiving gifts or favors from their passengers. And acceptance of a free ride (if you don’t own a car) could create debt in a friendship in a way that accepting expensive food can’t.
Car owners may share rides with each other for free, but people who don’t own a car often become a gas money account. Yet greed may not be the motive for these drivers: car owners face incredibly high costs of maintaining a personal vehicle. Drivers may offer a ride to someone they perceive as desperate, without evaluating their own desperation for gas money. This can lead to unfair carpool situations in which a driver may feel like a chauffeur and the passenger feels like a bank. But awareness of these issues can reduce them.
In the USA, carpooling has plummeted since the 1980s, despite genuinely well-intentioned people offering rides. Applause to the car-pooling mavens out there! Most people are generous and will gladly offer rides to shared destinations. But sometimes even generosity arises from a misconception. Despite being highly mobile without a car, to car-centric American culture, not owning a car is like being permanently grounded by your parents.
American culture depicts people without a car as immature and unfit to date, or in a bad place in their life due to poverty, crime or disability. This affects the American perception of carpooling.
Offering a ride to someone “in dire need” of a ride is seen as saintly, a gesture deserving of immense gratitude regardless of the driver’s other, less saintly, actions (like driving a carpool while intoxicated).
While it may not make them a saint to offer a ride, the driver is required to selflessly forego convenience and privacy for the sake of a carpool. Americans are unaccustomed to sharing their cars, which are experienced as private spaces for phone calls or entertainment. “For some people, saving the earth in a future century isn’t as important as freedom to choose their radio station this morning,” writes Ben Barkow, Ph.D., in Toronto’s Behavioural Team study entitled “The Psychology of Car-Pooling.” Barkow describes the type of social bargaining skills necessary for effective carpooling as maturity. Well said.
Even in the best of circumstances, carpooling takes more than logistical planning and tree hugging. It involves maturity, emotional resilience, good social skills, and healthy amounts of compromise and backup plans from both driver and passengers. Our society can grow to encourage carpooling as a virtue, just like some indigenous cultures grew to consider favors (even to strangers) a hallmark of humanity. This can be tough on both the driver and passenger, but if baby opossums are so good at it, there is hope for Americans, too.
Ripples is a 100 percent solar-hosted website that includes a blog, newspaper column, resources and services for individuals and non-profit organizations. Read more on this topic and others at www.RipplesBlog.org


What has EU climate and energy policy done for the UK? A review with 20 climate and energy specialists
For this review, we interviewed 20 climate and energy specialists. There was a striking consensus that the EU had played a positive role overall in the UK’s energy outcomes, even amongst those who had criticisms of individual policies. There was widespread concern that the UK would struggle to maintain a coherent energy and climate programme if it were to leave the EU.
We conclude that, overall, EU climate policy has been a powerful, positive force in helping the UK to meet its energy investment and climate change goals.
We are grateful to the European Climate Foundation for supporting this publication.
Author(s):
Rachel Cary, Friederike Metternich
Publication Date:
23 October, 2013
ISBN:
978-1-909980-03-7
Cost:
Free
Theme:
Low Carbon Energy


Q1 about analyzing the tasks of the activity in terms of value, time, frequency and cost.
- What criteria were used to classify tasks as value-added (PE and PI) or nonvalue-added (SE and SI)? - Is an activity value-added if it changed the form, fit, or function of the product, for which the customer is willing to pay? - Why is operation 070.00 classified as SE?
- What is the task time versus flow time for the operation 060.00 under 737 EBU? - Why were the tasks valued in $ and not left in hrs?
Q2 about creating two Pareto charts for the tasks of the workshop: one showing the total $ values of all the tasks & one showing the $ values of only the support tasks.
- Will the $ charts that differ across activities (see 737 versus 767 rates) & so the $-based charts discriminate better across activities than labour-hour-based Pareto charts? - Is the $ chart a better basis for division-wide targeting of priorities & improvement goals? - Are $ signals more forceful motivational indicators than labour hours? - What alternative $ rates could have been used?
Q3 about discussing the choice of direct & indirect labour hours as a measurement base for the resources consumed.
- Is cycle time a critical variable influencing the division’s productivity? - May more labour hours on off-line processing reduce cycle time significantly? - Is more analysis necessary to determine the fundamental causes that prevent shorter cycle times & drive up line-item expenses in Exhibit 1-6? - Will a comprehensive ABC require that outcome costs be identified by individual cost drivers?
Q4 focuses on the contracts between traditional methods of budgetary reporting and activity analysis.
- Which is used to provide delayed-outcome measures organized by hierarchical lines? - Which one is to provide real-time information in the improving process? - How is ABC data used to provide strong behavioral reinforcement for value...


Does developing a winning government contract proposal seem impossible? It doesn’t have to if you follow these proven, effective principles. This guest post is by Jim McCarthy, Principal Owner and Technical Director, AOC Key Solutions, Inc. (KSI), a federal contracting proposal and business development consulting firm. Since 1983, KSI has helped clients win over $130 billion in federal contracts. To some, managing a complex major proposal is a fearsome task. It doesn’t need to be if you keep some foundational principles in mind. Next time you face a significant proposal challenge, fall back on these principles that winning contractors follow:


Corey Curtis, age 44, of Racine, Wisconsin appeared before County Court Judge Tim Boyle to face allegations that he owed $50,000 in arrears of child support and $40,000 in interest to the six mothers of his nine children.
While pronouncing a sentence of three years probation on him for failure to pay child support, Judge Boyle mused about how he wished he had the authority to order sterilization of Mr. Curtis, because he couldn’t afford to pay for the nine children he had already sired.
The alert prosecutor then advised the Judge that there was precedent in Wisconsin to make such an order, referring to a 2001 case where a payor father was ordered not to father any further children until he had paid the arrears of child support he already owed.
This precedent setting case, State v. Oakley was upheld by Wisconsin’s highest court and later appealed to the United States Supreme Court, who declined to hear the case, thus implicitly recognizing the legitimacy of the trial court order. The Justices of the Wisconsin Court held that the “no-procreation” condition of probation was constitutional. It was also preferable to the eight-year prison sentence that otherwise would have been ordered.
One Judge dissented on the basis that a person should have as many children as he or she wants, even if they cannot afford them:
“by allowing the right to procreate to be subjected to financial qualifications, the majority imbues a fundamental liberty interest with a sliding scale of wealth. Men and women in America are free to have children, as many as they desire. They may do so without the means to support the children and may later suffer legal consequences as a result of the inability to provide support. However, the right to have a child has never been rationed on the basis of wealth.”
In a similar scenario in Texas, Felicia Salazar, age 20, was sentenced to ten years probation for failing to prevent her 19-month old daughter from being abused by her partner. She was also ordered not to have any more children until her probation was completed.
These orders may be harsh but if the “best interests of the children” are paramount, they may occasionally be necessary.


Longstanding renal calculus is a risk factor of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the renal pelvis. It is highly aggressive and usually diagnosed at advanced stages with a poor prognosis. We present two cases of kidney stone complications with renal pelvic SCC. These two patients had a radical nephrectomy and the dissected tissues were renal pelvic SCC. Our cases further emphasize that renal pelvic SCC should be considered in patients with longstanding renal calculus. These cases contribute greatly to an early diagnosis and early treatment, both of which will significantly minimize the damage of, and markedly improve the prognosis of, renal pelvic SCC.


Traditional e-learning systems offer learners factual and conceptual feedback, providing a rationale for the right answers and hints for the wrong ones. In contrast, simulation-based learning interventions that offer decision-making in a low-risk, high-fidelity context encourage learners to derive understanding through performance-specific feedback. This approach, which focuses on “consequences,” does the following:
Displays the outcomes or consequences of learner decisions by showing them instead of telling them (unlike traditional diagnostic feedback that tells the learner what they got incorrect). Akin to real-world feedback, it gives the learner feedback in a relatable form with implications both immediate and remote. Delays the feedback so learners have time to reflect on their decisions and the outcomes of each, resulting in significant cognitive processing. Is mapped to specific decision outcomes and thus, to learning outcomes. It promotes a holistic view of the concepts and learners’ performances.
Read the
whitepaper to know how a multiplicity of approaches to feedback—experiential, qualitative, quantitative—allow for reflection and understanding. The paper also highlights how these can address the contextual needs arising from myriad learning styles, profiles, and environments with greater efficacy.


Targeted Expression of Catalase to Mitochondria Protects Against Ischemic Myopathy in High-Fat Diet–Fed Mice Abstract
Patients with type 2 diabetes respond poorly to treatments for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and are more likely to present with the most severe manifestation of the disease, critical limb ischemia. The underlying mechanisms linking type 2 diabetes and the severity of PAD manifestation are not well understood. We sought to test whether diet-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress would increase the susceptibility of the peripheral limb to hindlimb ischemia (HLI). Six weeks of high-fat diet (HFD) in C57BL/6 mice was insufficient to alter skeletal muscle mitochondrial content and respiratory function or the size of ischemic lesion after HLI, despite reducing blood flow. However, 16 weeks of HFD similarly decreased ischemic limb blood flow, but also exacerbated limb tissue necrosis, increased the myopathic lesion size, reduced muscle regeneration, attenuated muscle function, and exacerbated ischemic mitochondrial dysfunction. Mechanistically, mitochondrial-targeted overexpression of catalase prevented the HFD-induced ischemic limb necrosis, myopathy, and mitochondrial dysfunction, despite no improvement in limb blood flow. These findings demonstrate that skeletal muscle mitochondria are a critical pathological link between type 2 diabetes and PAD. Furthermore, therapeutically targeting mitochondria and oxidant burden is an effective strategy to alleviate tissue loss and ischemic myopathy during PAD.
Received March 25, 2016. Accepted May 25, 2016. © 2016 by the American Diabetes Association.


ANSI/AMCA Standard 210-07 - ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 51-07 now available The American National Standards Institute approved the standard in August 2007; ASHRAE approved it in March. Standard 210-07, "Laboratory Methods of Testing Fans for Certified Aerodynamic Performance Rating," is now available.
The Air Movement and Control Assn.ting Fans for Certified Aerodynamic Performance Rating.”
According to AMCA officials, this standard establishes uniform methods for laboratory test of a fan or other air-moving device to determine its aerodynamic performance in terms of airflow rate, pressure developed, power consumption, air density, speed of rotation, and efficiency for rating or guarantee purposes. This standard applies to a fan or other air-moving device when air is used as the test gas with the following exceptions: (a) air circulating fans (ceiling fans, desk fans); (b) positive pressure ventilators; (c) compressors with inter-stage cooling; (d) positive displacement machines; (e) test procedures to be used for design, production, or field testing. The standard www.amca.org .


Training Not a Magic Bullet
In Feb. 10 Editor-in-Chief column ("Live in the Moment, but Plan for the Future"), there were several good points executives need to consider related to staffing and the member experience. It's important to clarify that training is not a magic bullet. It's typically viewed as an event by employees. This is why development plans, consistent one-on-one coaching, management follow up and leading by example is critical. How many executives still engage in member issues themselves? If we want employees to engage members, we have to engage the employees. We also have to demonstrate we know what it's like to be on their side of a member conversation.
Secondly, you mention employee buy-in. We have quarterly all-staff meetings (we have 37 employees in two locations). During these meetings, we openly discuss the credit union's financials and progress toward set goals and relate them back to staff roles and responsibilities. By doing this, staff understand why we ask them to review the members' full relationship and to identify where we can help make their financial lives better. This can only be accomplished by having a conversation that understands the members' needs versus selling a product.
Finally, looking outside the industry for new employees provides a new set of eyes to understand why we do what we do and how. The right person has the attributes the organization is trying to instill in other employees. It increases the learning curve, but it's a ride worth taking.
Todd Hoepker Chief Strategic Officer NARFE Premier Federal Credit Union Alexandria, Va.


- Populations in Africa are increasingly exposed to the negative impact of natural and human-induced disasters such as drought, floods, disease epidemics and conflicts which threaten the agriculture production systems and livelihoods of vulnerable communities.
The initiative on “Building Resilience in Africa’s Drylands” was developed to enhance the capacity of these communities ...read more


Download the Transmittal Letter
TO: His Excellency Deval L. Patrick, Governor
The House Committee on Ways and Means
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means
The Joint Committee on Revenue
Under Massachusetts General Laws (MGL) Chapter 29, Section 5B, I am required on or before October 15
th to prepare estimates of budgeted revenues for the current and ensuing fiscal year.
Based on available data on tax collections and economic trends, I do not believe it is necessary at this time to revise the Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14) tax revenue estimate of $22.797 billion, reflecting the FY14 consensus tax revenue estimate augmented by additional revenues assumed in the FY14 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or enacted as part of the transportation finance bill. The $22.797 billion estimate also reflects the estimated cost of the sales tax holiday that took place this past August. Year-to-date tax revenues through September are $199 million above the current benchmarks for those months. However, in light of the repeal of the software tax and economic uncertainty related to ongoing federal budget dynamics, we believe that it is prudent at this time to retain the existing tax revenue estimate.
While we are encouraged by over-benchmark tax revenue performance to date, we do currently forecast lower-than-expected performance for non-tax revenues (approximately $150 million in reduced revenue relative to levels originally assumed in the FY14 GAA). This non-tax exposure does not include estimates of the impact of an extended federal government shutdown, which could more significantly jeopardize federal reimbursements. We will continue to monitor all aspects of our revenue performance closely as one component of our FY14 budget management.
As is customarily the case, I am not providing a FY15 revenue estimate at this time. Our capacity to forecast FY15 revenues will benefit from a few more months of tax collection data and testimony regarding updated economic forecasts at the FY15 consensus revenue hearing in December.
Sincerely,
Glen Shor
Secretary


What President Buhari can do to help Ogoniland clean up Oil Pollution
The Nigerian government has finally started the clean-up of oil-soaked Ogoniland after years of inaction. A billion dollars has been committed to what has been described as one of the world’s most wide-ranging and long-term oil clean-up exercises.
This part of southeastern Nigeria is known to have been affected by widespread oil pollution largely caused by the Shell oil company for more than five decades. A report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) catalogues the damage inflicted on Ogoniland. It includes contaminated groundwater, oil-soaked soils and a polluted environment. There has also been lasting damage to important ecosystems like mangroves.
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan failed to act on the results of the 2011 United Nations report. It is commendable that President Muhammadu Buhari has moved to address the environmental pollution and improve the livelihoods of the Ogoni people.
But there are four fundamental omissions that could undermine the clean-up. These could also prolong the 20- to 30-year target of recovering and cleaning up the region. These fundamental omissions are:
the limited involvement of Nigerian experts in the assessment; the lack of a socioeconomic study of Ogoniland; an absence of comprehensive data on the full extent of damage on livelihoods and its long-term costs; and the lack of clarity on who is responsible to pay for the clean-up between the oil companies and Nigerian government. Overlooking many Nigerian experts
The report was based on environmental assessment of contamination of four thematic areas. These were land, health, vegetation and water. The recommendations cut across vital issues including operations, technicality, monitoring and public health for cleaning up the region.
But the assessment lacked the input of many experts from Nigerian research institutes. The role of international experts cannot be ignored but the exclusion of local expertise can be costly. Many of the stakeholders involved came from government and the oil industry. These stakeholders lack the knowledge acquired by Nigerian academics involved in research related to Ogoniland over the years.
The few Nigerian researchers named in the report were from the River State University of Science and Technology. This gave the impression that no other academics were involved in researching the region. In fact, a good number of Nigerian research institutes and universities have conducted research in the region. These include the universities of Port Harcourt and Ibadan. This research dates back to the 1970s and has been undertaken in collaboration with European entities.
The absence of key stakeholders from the research community could potentially frustrate government efforts in establishing new institutions to oversee and implement the recommendations.
Socioeconomic study
The United Nations assessment did not include a socioeconomic study of Ogoniland. This would estimate the socioeconomic costs of environmental damage due to oil pollution. The report documented a number of socioeconomic experts but no data were provided.
This integration is crucial and could have enhanced the findings of the report. Rather, this study was left to a transition phase that will ensure the activities of the United Nations assessment are carried out. Without this, the real cost valuation of the environmental restoration and clean-up cannot be accurately estimated.
Studies suggest that social disharmony, sabotage, militancy, water contamination and low food production among the people is largely driven by oil pollution. But there is an absence of comprehensive data on economic assessment due to environmental pollution. This would in turn show the full extent of damage on livelihoods and its long-term costs in Ogoniland.
If the government does not consider the socioeconomic impact of implementing the recommendations it will incur more agitation from the Ogoni people, as is already happening.
Socioeconomic losses are huge in the region and the United Nations report does not provide costs related to these losses. As a result, the people of Ogoniland have already started demanding their share of allocation from the government based on the information from the report.
The key question is: what is the environmental damage cost of underpinning factors of socioeconomic activities, including agricultural production, education and property in Ogoniland? The lack of an estimate for the total oil spill cost and lack of formula for compensation could further aggravate tension in the region.
The origins of the conflict goes back to the 2011 report, which was based on an independent assessment on the impact of oil pollution in the region. Its main recommendations were operational, technical, public health and follow-up monitoring for the clean-up. This is far from solving the problem in the region without aggregating the oil spill cost with full extent of damage.
The current estimate for the operational costs of the clean-up is estimated at US$1 billion. But with a proper socioeconomic analysis, the cost could double or triple.
Who pays for the clean-up?
Another issue lies in who is responsible to pay for the clean-up. It is not clear in the report who between the oil companies and Nigerian government is responsible. This may be partly attributed to the absence of socioeconomic data. The availability of this kind of information could see the oil companies pay a very significant amount as compensation due to their oil pollution activities. This can be seen as a deliberate attempt to avoid further debate about holding oil companies responsible for oil pollution in the region.
One of the significant findings was that several years of oil exploration have led to public health and safety issues. This was especially true in relation to water contamination. Benzene, which causes cancer, was found standing at 900 times recommended levels. This was indirectly attributed to the activities of oil companies.
What Nigeria now needs to do
The Nigerian government must take urgent steps to correct the omissions identified in the report. A technical body of local experts should be set up to coordinate new institutions that can be complemented by international expertise and skills.
In addition, a socioeconomic analysis of the impact of oil pollution in the region is needed to make informed decisions. This analysis must capture the underlying causes, and the impact of oil pollution and its associated cost.
An independent organisation must be set up to lead the socioeconomic study. This can be done in partnership with local academic institutions, the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The results should form a rational basis for making decisions to speed up the implementation process.
A set of clear indicators must be developed to monitor and evaluate the activities of new institutions. This must be supported by a clear legal framework based on transparency and openness. This approach should make individuals or groups accountable at every stage of the implementation process and must be well communicated to the public.
Fellow at the School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University
Disclosure statement
Ademola Adenle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.


February 25, 2013
State urgently needs long-term plan to address rising pension and Medicaid costs, loss of income tax revenues
(CHICAGO) – An analysis released today by the Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability shows the State of Illinois is on track to accumulate nearly $22 billion in unpaid bills by FY2018 unless action is taken to curb rising pension costs and plan for increases in the Medicaid program. The five-year projections in the Federation’s FY2014 Budget Roadmap are intended to indicate the long-range consequences of the State’s current revenue trends and spending pressures. The full 63-page report is available at www.civicfed.org/iifs.
In January 2012 the Federation’s five-year outlook warned that Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills could reach nearly $35 billion. The State’s five-year fiscal outlook has since improved, largely due to significant Medicaid program reductions authorized in June 2012. “This long-range outlook shows just how far the State has to go in order to stabilize its finances,” said Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation. “Lawmakers need to adopt a long-term mindset and restructure the unaffordable pension systems that are keeping the State in its fiscal downspin.”
Illinois is headed for a substantial loss of revenue beginning in 2015, after the partial rollback of the temporary income tax increase enacted in 2011. On January 1, 2015 the personal income tax rate is scheduled to decline from 5.0% to 3.75% and the corporate rate will decline from 7.0% to 5.25%. The first full budget year under the lower rates will be FY2016. With the resulting decline in revenues and growing annual pension costs, the State’s operating deficit is projected to increase dramatically to $4.2 billion in FY2018, compared with a modest surplus in FY2013.
Without action to curtail rising pension costs, the Federation’s analysis finds that the State will be unable to stabilize its fiscal condition. Pension costs, including annual contributions and debt payments on pension bonds, are projected to consume nearly one third of State-generated revenues by FY2018. “We’ve reached a breaking point where the State will not be able to make its future pension payments without sacrificing basic government services,” said Msall. The Civic Federation urges lawmakers to immediately enact comprehensive pension reforms, including significant limits on automatic annual benefit increases and a gradual shift of normal pension costs to actual employers.
The report also details the ongoing transformation of Illinois’ Medicaid program, which includes significant program reductions, a shift to managed care for more recipients and potential implications related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Civic Federation recommends that the State expand eligibility for Medicaid under the ACA, allowing a significant increase in federal resources for the program. Regardless of whether Medicaid expansion under the ACA is approved, the State is expecting increased program costs as healthcare expenses continue to rise and publicity surrounding the ACA drives previously Medicaid-eligible individuals to enroll for the first time.


In a monetary union, the interaction between several governments and a single central bank is plagued by several sources of deficit bias, including common pool problems. Each government has strong preferences over local spending and taxation but suffers only part of the costs of union-wide inflation and higher interest rates, creating a tendency towards excessive debt. Motivated by the evident failure of fiscal rules to restrain debt in the European context, this paper analyzes an alternative fiscal regime in which the control of sovereign debt issurance is delegated to an independent authority, while public spending decisions remain decentralized. Using a symmetric perfect-foresight model, we compare the long-run policy biases affecting a typical country across different institutional arrangements. Establishing an independent fiscal authority tends to reduce debt via three distinct channels: first, the debt aversion induced by its mandate; second, its greater patience, compared to an elected institution; and third, the internalization of common pool problems, if the authority is established at the union-wide level. Furthermore, we show that fiscal delegation is more effective in restraining debt, and more informationally efficient, than the establishment of a federal government which would centralize fiscal decisions.
Subjects:
fiscal authority delegation decentralization monetary union sovereign debt


About One Week
Nationwide ice cream cake producer Carvel recommends you do not store ice cream cake in the freezer or refrigerator for longer than seven days. Ice crystals form in the ice cream and degrade its quality within a week.
It Depends on Your Freezer
Ice cream cake might keep longer than a week, depending on the quality and temperature of your freezer, but when ice crystals form in the ice cream, it is time to throw it out. If you freeze ice cream cake made without cream cheese, butter cream, whipped cream or eggs, it can stay good for up to two months, according to PastryWiz.com.
Bottom Line
If you want to eat leftover ice cream cake, you should eat it as soon as possible after freezing it, preferably within a week. The longer you store ice cream cake in the freezer, the more it loses its flavor and texture.


Over the last few months, there's been a lot of talk about the economy. Everyone has something to say: investors, politicians, business owners, and taxpayers. Despite the wide variety of theories and opinions being expressed, all of this talk has one thing in common.
It's all negative.
Layoffs and deficits and business failures dominate the headlines, but there's no reason they need to dominate your mind. If you're tired of the pessimism and ready for something different, you're not alone.
On Thursday, April 23rd, area residents are joining together to focus on a different message - a message of resiliency and confidence and optimism. In a nationwide event called
Town Hall for Hope, national radio show host and New York Times best-selling author Dave Ramsey will be streamed live from Oklahoma City, sharing his vision of hope for America's financial future and answering questions from viewers all over the country.
It's time to stop talking about how bad the economy is and start working on making it better. Come and listen as Dave Ramsey shares real strategies and real answers you can use to better your financial situation and negotiate these challenging economic conditions.
Town Hall for Hopewill be hosted at 7 p.m., April 23rd at The Little Church in the Pines, Bass Lake. To learn more, contact Jeremy Becker at 760-7522 or visit TownHallForHope.com.
Image courtesy of jonathanignacio.files.wordpress.com


8 Tax Tips 5. Child & Dependent Care Credit
Raising children can be expensive, which is why the government offers a tax credit to ease the burden. You can receive a credit of up to $3,000 for one child or up to $6,000 for two or more children if you had to pay someone to take care of them while you were either working or looking for work. Anyone with children who used the services of a child-care giver during the fiscal year is eligible, but your degree of eligibility is based on your gross adjusted income. To apply, you'll need to fill out Form W-10 with your taxes.
6. Deduction for Education Expenses Whether you're in school part-time, full-time, or you're just taking some extra classes to get that promotion at work, you can deduct a portion of your tuition fees. You can deduct up to $4,000 if you made under $65,000 (or under $130,000 total income if you file jointly with your spouse), or up to $2,000 if you made under $80,000 ($160,000 for couples filing jointly). You can take advantage of this deduction on either Form 1040 or 1040A, but the good news is that you won't have to itemize for it. 7. Tax Relief for Divorced or Separated Individuals If you're divorced or separated, then you know that one of the hardest parts is figuring out your finances, from dealing with alimony and child support payments to property settlements. Fortunately, there's help and you may even be eligible for tax breaks. The IRS offers a free publication on the subject that should answer most questions. Additional questions can be directed to the IRS either in writing or over the phone. All taxpayers that are divorced or separated are eligible to receive the pamphlet and can do so at the IRS's official website. 8. E-File for Free Those who file electronically reduce the burden on the IRS. Accordingly, Congress has mandated that the IRS receive 80% of its returns electronically by 2007. To encourage this, the IRS has partnered with various tax software companies to allow those who use these companies' products to file for free. If you decide to use a company that hasn't partnered with the IRS, you'll most likely pay for the privilege of e-filing, so it's worth doing your homework. Companies that are eligible are part of the Free File Alliance, which is the place to start your search if you're looking to file your taxes by Internet.


You know how the males in your life believe they are better at navigating?
Science finds that if you tell them that—even if it's not true—it'll give them a performance boost.
According to the study, “while men are better than women, on average, at using geometric cues to navigate, the genders are equally good wayfinders when using landmarks. The 'men are better navigators' stereotype made men better at both.”
Wonder what
else we could tell them that they're better at?


"SWAC is the oldest initiative of solidarity and partnership between the OECD and Africa."
Anne De Lattre, founder and Director of the
"Club du Sahel" in 1976
The “
Club du Sahel” was founded by Sahelian countries and OECD member countries in Dakar in 1976 to raise international support and awareness of the drought crises in the Sahel. For the first 25 years, the Club’s key mission was to provide support to the Permanent Inter-State Committee of Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and to mobilise support from the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) countries, which led to a significant increase in Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the Sahel region. It also facilitated the creation of the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) and the Network of Farmers’ Organisations and Agricultural Producers of West Africa (ROPPA). Following a large-scale consultation process facilitated by CILSS and SWAC, the Food Aid Charter was adopted in 1990, which outlined many of the principles that were later included in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. West Africa is currently one of the most prepared regions for preventing and managing food crises.
In response to growing regional interdependence, the Club’s geographic focus was extended in 2001 to encompass all West African countries. The Club was consequently renamed the “Sahel and West Africa Club” (SWAC). While deepening its partnership with CILSS, it has also developed strong relationships with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).
SWAC has contributed to strategic thinking and facilitated the development of various common regional strategies and policies, in particular in the fields of agriculture, cross-border co-operation, conflict prevention, climate change, livestock and migration. By promoting regional action, SWAC work has helped highlight that contemporary global challenges are all part of a puzzle of interdependent regional challenges.
In 2010, Club Members launched a deep reform process, which led to the approval of a new Mandate with a new governance structure and a redefined relationship with the OECD. As a result, ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS joined the Club as Members in January 2011.
Top


Based on the reasoning that transcriptional noise arises from the stochastic relaxation of otherwise closed chromatin, Batada and Hurst argue that essential eukaryotic genes tend to cluster within regions of open chromatin because these regions are relatively free from transcriptional noise. This would minimize the possibility of random fluctuations in expression that would kill the cell and therefore provide a selective advantage to those cells whose essential genes cluster together in less noisy regions. They present bioinformatic analyses of yeast data that seem to support this idea.
I like the idea, but am not totally sold on the notion of "essentialness". Yeast essential genes are based on those which are lethal when mutated in yeast grown under the warm and loving conditions of laboratory culture. However, the yeast genome did not evolve in the lab, it evolved in much harsher and variable natural environments. The the real set of essential genes is likely to be much larger than defined here, in fact it may include the whole genome as it is likely that each gene was essential at some point in yeast evolution. This said, even in natural environments, there maybe a spectrum of gene essential-ness, with some genes essential over a broader range of conditions, or longer evolutionary time-span than others. Thus the lab essential genes may actually reflect the core set of "most essential genes". But can we take this for granted?


Abstract
The beginnings of this paper are rooted in Kibera, Kenya; the largest slum on the African continent, boasting a population of 1 million people constrained by a piece of land the size of New York City's Central Park. I had the opportunity to explore Kibera while studying in Nairobi and working at a Health Clinic in the heart of the slums poorest neighborhood. The dichotomy of wealth, specifically in Kenya's urban areas, challenged me to understand how such a social stratification had developed and sustained itself. This paper explores policy decisions spanning from independence in 1964 to the present day that have dictated the development experience of Kenya. Furthermore, I have endeavored to address the specific factors that have hindered economic development. It is my contention that while some of these hindrances are anchored in pre-independence activities, most reflect the failure of Kenyan policy makers to recognize the needs of their own people.
Recommended Citation
Nulty, Christopher(2012)"The Kenyan Development Experience: A History of Hindrances and Limiting Factors,"
Colgate Academic Review:Vol. 3, Article 8. Available at: http://commons.colgate.edu/car/vol3/iss1/8


"Wolverines are unique mammals, they fill a niche that a lot of other creatures couldn't survive," says Robert Inman of the Wildlife Conservation Society's wolverine program in Ennis, Mont. Famously 1,000 pounds of attitude stuffed into 30 furry pounds, wolverines range across the Canada, Scandinavia and Siberia, patrolling territories hundreds of square miles in size in snowy places. "They are carnivores but not top predators, often scavengers that benefit from other's kills," he says.
In an upcoming study in the
Journal of Mammalogy, Inman and colleagues look at one mystery about these formidable carnivores, why they bear their young as early as February, a time when there isn't a lot of food. Bearing and weaning a cub can take more than 100 times more calories than normal daily living for carnivores, the study notes:
"The timing of reproductive events in relation to food availability may be particularly critical for the wolverine. The wolverine's large feet are a morphological adaptation that allows it to travel easily over deep snow, and the species is distributed in circumpolar fashion across the tundra, boreal, and montane biomes (regions). Throughout its distribution, the wolverine displays extremely large home ranges, territoriality, low densities, and low reproductive rates. These adaptations are necessary for exploiting a cold, low-productivity niche where growing seasons are brief and food resources are limited. Starvation is a significant natural cause of wolverine mortality."
"What advantage do they receive by bearing their young in February, ahead of other animals, when their isn't a lot of food," Inman asks. "Any why do they live in rocky terrain that other creatures avoid."
To figure it out, the researchers used reproductive data on wolverines, their own and others, from 1955 to 2011, along with similar data about food resources, carcasses of everything from reindeer to ground squirrels "habitually" cached by wolverines.
The data suggest that female wolverines are preferentially caching carcasses near the dens where they bear young, the researchers report, to later feed their tots:
"We expect that the limits to wolverine distribution are ultimately related to the species' ability to avoid competition by existing in cold, low productivity environments and accumulating (caching) the limited food resources present therein. As such, we propose a ''refrigeration-zone'' hypothesis as a food/competition-based explanation for the observed correlation between wolverine distribution and the area encompassed by persistent spring snow cover."
The "refrigeration zone" regions needed for wolverines may shift due to global warming, Inman says. "A warming climate is not good for wolverines, they are adapted to cold conditions."
Only about 250 to 300 wolverines live in the Lower 48 states, he adds, about half as many as the region could support, the subject of proposed rule-making under study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "They are hard creatures to track and study," he adds. "We don't know a lot of things about wolverines, which might be surprising for such a famous animal."
Visit Science Fair for your daily dose of scientific news, from dinosaurs to distant galaxies. Science Fair is written by science reporters Dan Vergano and Elizabeth Weise and weather reporter Doyle Rice. Their subjects are often controversial -- and always fascinating -- be they stem-cell research, slime mold, or underground slush on Mars. More about the team


Abstract: The dominant tradition in Western philosophy sees rationality as dictating. Thus rationality may require that we believe the best explanation and simple conceptual truths and that we infer in accordance with evident rules of inference. I argue that, given what we know about the growth of knowledge, this authoritarian concept of rationality leads to absurdities and should be abandoned. I then outline a libertarian concept of rationality, derived from Popper, which eschews the dictates and which sees a rational agent as one who questions, criticises, conjectures and experiments. I argue that, while the libertarian approach escapes the absurdities of the authoritarian, it requires two significant developments and an important clarification to be made fully consistent with itself.


Abstract
We used wetland mesocosms (1) to experimentally assess whether inoculating a restored wetland site with vegetation/sediment plugs from a natural wetland would alter the development of invertebrate communities relative to unaided controls and (2) to determine if stocking of a poor invertebrate colonizer could further modify community development beyond that due to simple inoculation. After filling mesocosms with soil from a drained and cultivated former wetland and restoring comparable hydrology, mesocosms were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: control (a reference for unaided community development), inoculated (received three vegetation/sediment cores from a natural wetland), and stocked + inoculated (received three cores and were stocked with a poorly dispersing invertebrate group—gastropods). All mesocosms were placed 100 m from a natural wetland and allowed to colonize for 82 days. Facilitation of invertebrate colonization led to communities in inoculated and stocked + inoculated treatments that contrasted strongly with those in the unaided control treatment. Control mesocosms had the highest taxa richness but the lowest diversity due to high densities and dominance of
Tanytarsini (Diptera: Chironomidae). Community structure in inoculated and stocked + inoculated mesocosms was more similar to that of a nearby natural wetland, with abundance more evenly distributed among taxa, leading to diversity that was higher than in the control treatment. Inoculated and stocked + inoculated communities were dominated by non-aerial invertebrates, whereas control mesocosms were dominated by aerial invertebrates. These results suggest that facilitation of invertebrate recruitment does indeed alter invertebrate community development and that facilitation may lead to a more natural community structure in less time under conditions simulating wetland restoration.


Haemophilia A is a common X-linked recessive bleeding disorder, affecting about1 in 5000 males worldwide. It is caused by a deficiency of functional coagulationFactor VIII (FVIII), resulting in prolonged or abnormal bleeding episodes. Theseverity of the disease is related to the level of functional FVIII in the plasma. TheFVIII gene is a large gene, located at Xq28 with a complex genomic organisation.It contains 26 exons spanning 186kb of genomic DNA, and produces a 9kbtranscript, resulting in a functional protein of 2332 amino acids.Over 900 mutations, which span a wide variety of categories, includingrearrangements; complete or partial gene deletions; large insertions; duplications;frameshift mutations; splicing defects; nonsense and missense mutations, havebeen identified in the FVIII gene. Most mutations are rare or family specific, exceptfor the intron 22 inversion mutation, which is reported to account for 45-50% ofmutations in severe haemophilia A patients in most populations. A secondinversion mutation, in intron 1, accounts for approximately 3.8% of haemophilia Apatients in the UK. In South Africa, diagnostic mutation testing is currently onlyavailable for the intron 22 inversion mutation. Linked marker analysis is used totrack high risk alleles in families where the disease-causing mutation is unknown.This study aims to evaluate an mRNA-based method to identify disease-causingmutations in South African haemophilia A patients and improve the diagnosticservice. Blood samples from 120 patients were tested first for the intron 22 andthen for intron 1 inversion mutations. Inversion negative patients were analysedfurther using mRNA.A mutation has been identified in 73.3% (88/120) of all patients. 30% (36/120) ofpatients had the intron 22 inversion, 2.5% (3/120) an intron 1 inversion and 40.8%(49/120) of patients had a mutation identified by mRNA analysis. A mutation wasnot identified in the remaining 26.7% (32/120) due to sample and technicaldifficulties.Of the 49 mutations identified through mRNA analysis, 28 patients (57.1%) have apoint mutation (17 missense (34.7%), 9 nonsense (18.4%) and 2 splice-sitemutations (4.1%)), 9 patients (18.4%) have a deletion and 7 patients (14.3%) havean insertion. Another 5 patients (10.2%) have a complex mutation (includingpatients where an exon deletion was detected on mRNA analysis, but no mutationwas identified on DNA analysis). One mutation, c.3637insA, was found recurrentlyin 14% (6/43) of patients from the white population. This single base insertionresults in a frameshift mutation with a premature stop codon at amino acid 1221(only translating about half the normal FVIII protein). This common mutation,together with haplotype analysis, suggests a founder effect for this mutation.mRNA analysis of the FVIII gene is a novel technique in mutation detection forhaemophilia A. It decreases the costs involved in sequencing the coding regionand it offers improved mutation detection compared to DNA analysis.Diagnostic testing in South Africa should be extended from the current intron 22inversion mutation to include DNA analysis for the intron 1 inversion and thefounder mutation (c.3637insA) in white patients, followed by mRNA testing,starting with the analysis of the fragments spanning exon 14. mRNA analysisidentifies an additional 55.7% of mutations compared to conventional diagnostictesting for the intron 22 inversion alone.
Description:
M.Sc. (Med.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009.


The term
was initially coined to describe the peculiar resemblance between certain ancient styles of monumental architecture and the fruit of one or other species of fungus. However, fungitecture
With the enduring legacy of the ancient monuments shining as a beacon towards a greater understanding of fungi, FungiTecture has set out to reveal the extraordinary influence of one particular species of fungus upon mankind. Classed scientifically as
Amanita muscaria, this fungus deserves to be renamed Amanitas (h)umanitas. As in nature, this fungus operates at root level, without which nations may drift astamina and soon perish.
Based in southeast Australia (opposite
Tasmania - another anagram of amanitas!), FungiTecture tables a diverse range of goods and services primarily intended to enlighten, inspire or amuse. FungiTecture is constantly striving to improve and expand upon its range of amenities, and is working towards releasing a series of books, films and other media focussed on fungi.
However, FungiTecture has no intention of selling or supplying actual fungi, nor any equipment or material specifically designed to grow, harvest, store or manipulate same - so please do not even ask! Nevertheless, and notwithstanding the ubiquity of fungal spores, some of our products may contain elements made from or with the help of one or other fungus, including but not limited to fabrics, inks and dyes, fuels, solvents, enzymes and other process agents. FungiTecture intends to declare the existence of fungal elements within its products as information comes to hand.
While nations may struggle to reconcile their environmental responsibilities, mankind remains under constant threat of destruction by mushroom cloud, whether man-made or natural. Despite the inevitable, FungiTecture believes a deeper and more widespread understanding of fungi is vital to our achievement and enjoyment of a sustainable future.


Experimental Capitalism : The Nanoeconomics of American High-Tech Industries 9780691169620| Ciltli | 15,19x22,91x1,5 cm. | İngilizce | 272 Sayfa | Türler İktisat
For much of the twentieth century, American corporations led the world in terms of technological progress. Why did certain industries have such great success?
Experimental Capitalism examines six key industries--automobiles, pneumatic tires, television receivers, semiconductors, lasers, and penicillin--and tracks the highs and lows of American high-tech capitalism and the resulting innovation landscape. Employing "nanoeconomics"--a deep dive into the formation and functioning of companies--Steven Klepper determines how specific companies emerged to become the undisputed leaders that altered the course of their industry's evolution.
Klepper delves into why a small number of firms came to dominate their industries for many years after an initial period of tumult, including General Motors, Firestone, and Intel. Even though capitalism is built on the idea of competition among many, he shows how the innovation process naturally led to such dominance. Klepper explores how this domination influenced the search for further innovations. He also considers why industries cluster in specific geographical areas, such as semiconductors in northern California, cars in Detroit, and tires in Akron. He finds that early leading firms serve as involuntary training grounds for the next generation of entrepreneurs who spin off new firms into the surrounding region. Klepper concludes his study with a discussion of the impact of government and the potential for policy to enhance a nation's high-tech industrial base.
A culmination of a lifetime of research and thought,
Experimental Capitalism takes a dynamic look at how new ideas and innovations led to America's economic primacy.


The First Canadian Edition of Forensic Psychology introduces students to the practice of forensic psychology by showing them how psychologists aid the legal system by serving as expert witnesses, criminal profilers, and forensic consultants. Authors Lawrence Wrightsman and Stephen Porter present the roles and responsibilities of forensic psychologists, and address both the opportunities and temptations inherent in those roles, focusing on the unique Canadian context. Through this lens, the text explores the ethical issues facing practicing forensic psychologists, such as promising clients too much, the possibility of becoming advocates rather than objective scientists, and the pitfalls associated with substituting one's values for data.Streamlined to meet the needs of the Canadian marketplace, Wrightsman and Porter provide students with an accurate and candid picture of the field, and the range of careers in forensic psychology.


Red Clover Tea
Some of the exclusive elements of red clover include its ability to reduce inflammation throughout the body. Scientific studies have linked the use of red clover tea to a significant reduction in the tension of blood vessels, therefore reducing blood pressure. This can also help to prevent other cardiovascular conditions and coronary heart disease.


Call it the CSI Effect: Forensics classes are turning high school students on to science, reports Education Week.
For educators like (Mary) Hanson, who teaches a forensics elective at Arlington High School, in St. Paul, Minn., the appeal to students is clear. The nitty-gritty of forensics, whether it involves studying a shoe print or fibers from a crime scene, she noted, excites students in a way that much of traditional science often does not.
Ms. Hanson fully acknowledges that “CSI” has led students to her class. But once they arrive, she emphasizes that forensic techniques—fingerprinting, handwriting analysis, or photogrammetry (making measurements from photos, such as a suspect’s height in a surveillance video)—are more precise and laborious than they appear on TV.
Ms. Hanson draws from work (as a reserve police officer), and from the academic content in other science classes she teaches, in her forensics class. Students use geometry, for instance, to study one of the grimmer aspects of a crime scene: blood spatter.
I learned about blood spatter analysis from watching Dexter, a forensic scientist who moonlights as a serial killer. Don’t try this at home, kids.


As noted in some of our previous blog postings, many condominium corporations share facilities with other condominium corporations or other properties.
While in most cases there are shared facilities agreements that govern the operation, maintenance and costs related to these shared facilities, this is not always the case. Where the facilities are shared between a residential condominium and a commercial property, this often results in the residential unit owners paying more than their fair share of the costs related to the shared facilities.
Where there is only one electricity, water or gas meter that services both the residential condominium and the commercial property, if there is no shared facilities agreement then the residential unit owners end up subsidizing the commercial enterprises. This is particularly problematic where the commercial businesses consume an inordinate amount of utilities, such as a restaurant or laundry for example.
Bill 106 will require that there be a shared facilities agreement in place that meets the prescribed requirements set out in the regulations. While the regulations have not yet been drafted and circulated, the regulations could require that separate meters be installed or could require that the shared facilities agreements set out a method for the equitable allocation of shared costs to eliminate any subsidization.
Bill 106 also provides that unless the regulations provide otherwise, any easement or covenant, whether positive or negative in nature in a shared facilities agreement will run with the land and will be binding on both the real property that has the burden of the covenant, as well as the property that receives the benefit of the shared facilities. This is a significant change to the long-standing legal tenet that only negative covenants run with the land and can be enforced against subsequent landowners. This provision will prevent parties from trying to avoid paying for a portion of shared facilities costs on the basis that they had never committed in writing to contribute to these costs. Our previous blog posting reviewed the case of Middlesex Condominium Corporation 229 v.WMJO Ltd. where some of the parties receiving the benefit of shared facilities had taken this position.
Readers should note that the provisions of Bill 106 could change before the legislation is enacted.


Grand Junction, Colo (KKCO) --- When school gets out for the summer, teachers say their biggest concern is that their students will forget everything they have learned during the year.
This is often referred to as brain drain and now there is a way to prevent that from happening.
Educational toys are a great way to engage children and help them boost their reading, writing, math and science skills without making them work for it.
Math is one of the most difficult subjects to retain when it is not constantly being practiced, but according to the National Association for Music Education, math becomes easier to learn when incorporating music.
There toys can engage both of these aspects and also focus on hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, creativity and imagination.
Discovery Toys has built their business on offering products that are educational, yet fun for kids, so they learn without even realizing it.


First, read about the need for appreciation if you have not done so already.
A woman needs to feel appreciated for the good things she does. If she doesn't, she may cease doing those things. You, as her husband, are the one who can best meet this need. Tell her frequently how much you appreciate the little and big things she does. Compliment her on her intelligence, abilities, and appearance, and tell her how much you admire her. Be sure to show your gratitude for her contributions to the financial well-being of the household, whether it is bringing home a paycheck or cooking more at home and budgeting well. Your frequent expressions of appreciation will help her to gain a greater sense of self worth and confidence. As she does, she will become a more valuable, admirable, beautiful, and praiseworthy woman.
Say it with words
A man feels love through his eyes, a woman through her ears. Your woman needs to
hear your expressions of appreciation for what she does: “The spaghetti sauce you made is delicious.” “Thanks for making dinner.” “You sure are a good mother to our children” “It was so nice of you to ask my opinion.” These words can be made more meaningful if accompanied by a token gift, such as flowers or jewelry.
Express your appreciation in words both written and spoken. Although you may not need to receive cards from her on special occasions, she does need to receive them from you. Send her a card for her birthday, your anniversary, Mother's Day, and Valentine's Day at a minimum, and on other days occasionally “just because” you love and appreciate her. Alternatively, give her flowers with a written note expressing your love. A hand-written letter mailed to her will also turn her heart.
Leave no doubt in her mind
You may also effectively convey your appreciation by acts that are so bizarre that no alternative motive can be assigned to them (for example, unexpectedly washing her car and leaving a note on the steering wheel expressing your appreciation for something she has done).
Return Home


Desiccant Definition - What does Desiccant mean?
A desiccant is a substance or chemical that absorbs or attracts moisture from the air, causing a state of dryness (desiccation) in its vicinity. This chemical used to attract and remove moisture from air or gas and keep the products dry which, in turn, inhibits the corrosion process.
These chemicals are used in product containers during shipping to protect against moisture damage. Descants also prevent condensation of moisture between window panes. Desiccants are available in various forms and are widely used in many industries, such as:
Packing Electronics Manufacturing Corrosionpedia explains Desiccant
Desiccants are chemical substances used as drying agents with a high attraction or affinity for water. They are usually chemically inert and do not react with water or the substances they protect. They use an adsorption mechanism to capture moisture and stow it away where it cannot interact with the product. Industrially, desiccants are widely used in gas streams to control water levels.
Silica is the most common desiccant. It is an inert, nontoxic, water-insoluble white solid. Other desiccants include:
Activated charcoal Calcium sulfate Calcium chloride Molecular sieves (typically zeolites)
Desiccant bags like silica bags are used in package contents to protect against humidity during transport and storage. It also helps to prevent corrosion, mold growth and other harmful consequences of moisture through absorption of water vapor.
Desiccants are sold in desiccant units. A desiccant unit is the measure of the quantity of desiccant which, at equilibrium with air at 23 ± 35.5°F (2°C), adsorbs the following quantities of water vapor:
Min. 3.0 g at 20% relative humidity Min. 6.0 g at 40% relative humidity


Summary: The Third Sector - such as the voluntary, charitable, financial co-operative, religious, health and educational organisations which sit outside the confines of the private and public sectors - is facing a rapidly changing environment which challenges its continuation in its present form. This research workshop seeks to examine current influences on the effective operation of these non-profit organisations. We are interested in high quality research papers which address the managerial challenges facing this sector. The organisers are particularly interested in the results of managerial, economic and inter-disciplinary approaches.


International influences are extensive in the softs markets, such as coffee, sugar, orange juice and cocoa. So, staying on top of what’s happening requires the right mix of in-depth analysis, insightful guidance and effective execution services.
R.J. O’Brien specializes in providing commercial users and producers of these commodities with intelligent risk-management analysis and advice that equal an unparalleled trading experience.
RJO produces proprietary and comprehensive daily and weekly softs market analysis and reports that highlight the following:
© 2017 R.J. O'Brien & Associates LLC
Futures trading involves the substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance is not indicative of future results.


‘An analysis of corporate disclosure and potential improvements in disclosure in quoted companies in the automotive industry’.
Dissak Delon, Samuel (2011)
Abstract
This work is an attempt to assess the effectiveness and impact of disclosure levels in quoted companies in the automotive industry. Changing practices and behaviors is not always the end result desired, but merely a mean to reach the desired end. National and International accounting bodies are aiming to require from firms more disclosure of past and prospective information.
Actions (Archive Staff Only)


Peer Reviewed
1
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2013
Keywords
Malpractice, Primary Care
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review was to examine the epidemiology of malpractice claims in primary care.
DESIGN: A computerised systematic literature search was conducted. Studies were included if they reported original data (≥10 cases) pertinent to malpractice claims, were based in primary care and were published in the English language. Data were synthesised using a narrative approach.
SETTING: Primary care.
PARTICIPANTS: Malpractice claimants.
PRIMARY OUTCOME: Malpractice claim (defined as a written demand for compensation for medical injury). We recorded: medical misadventure cited in claims, missed/delayed diagnoses cited in claims, outcome of claims, prevalence of claims and compensation awarded to claimants.
RESULTS: Of the 7152 articles retrieved by electronic search, a total of 34 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the narrative analysis. Twenty-eight studies presented data from medical indemnity malpractice claims databases and six studies presented survey data. Fifteen studies were based in the USA, nine in the UK, seven in Australia, one in Canada and two in France. The commonest medical misadventure resulting in claims was failure to or delay in diagnosis, which represented 26-63% of all claims across included studies. Common missed or delayed diagnoses included cancer and myocardial infarction in adults and meningitis in children. Medication error represented the second commonest domain representing 5.6-20% of all claims across included studies. The prevalence of malpractice claims in primary care varied across countries. In the USA and Australia when compared with other clinical disciplines, general practice ranked in the top five specialties accounting for the most claims, representing 7.6-20% of all claims. However, the majority of claims were successfully defended.
CONCLUSIONS: This review of malpractice claims in primary care highlights diagnosis and medication error as areas to be prioritised in developing educational strategies and risk management systems.
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Citation
Wallace E, Lowry J, Smith SM, Fahey T. The epidemiology of malpractice claims in primary care: a systematic review. BMJ Open. 2013;3:e002929.
PubMed ID
23869100
DOI Link
10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002929


Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
This opinion is uncorrected and subject to revision before publication in the Official Reports.
Tom, J.P., Andrias, Catterson, Richter, Abdus-Salaam, JJ.
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Donna M. Mills, J.), entered September 19, 2011, which, insofar as appealed from as limited by the briefs, denied defendants' pre-answer motion to dismiss, pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(1), (5) and (7), the cause of action for legal malpractice, unanimously reversed, and the motion granted, without costs.
By written agreement dated April 28, 2009, plaintiff, a commodities trader with MBF Clearing Corporation, retained defendant Quadrino & Schwartz, P.C., on an hourly fee basis, "to represent him in connection with the filing of long term disability claims under two Guardian group policies." At that time, the "look back period" for determining an employee's "Insured Earnings," used to calculate the amount of benefits to which the employee was entitled, was one year from the date of disability. As of May 1, 2009, the look back period was increased to three years.
In support of his malpractice claim, plaintiff alleges that defendants, without his knowledge, submitted a claim form that incorrectly stated that the date of his disability was "4/9/09," which was the day he stopped trading, not the day he was determined to be disabled; the latter he alleges was May 13, 2009. Plaintiff contends that as a result of this error, Guardian applied the one-year look back period, which led to the denial of his claim on April 14, 2010, because his 2008 income tax return showed a loss. Although plaintiff, on a contingency fee basis, retained new counsel who successfully appealed the denial, he seeks to recover from defendants the additional costs, expenses and attorneys' fees he incurred in prosecuting that appeal.
Supreme Court correctly determined that issues of fact exist as to whether the release signed by plaintiff on March 31, 2010, in connection with the settlement of his fee dispute with defendants, was obtained in violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct (22 NYCRR § 1200.0), rule 1.8(h)(2)(see Swift v Ki Young Choe, 242 AD2d 188, 192 [1998]; see also Newin Corp. v Hartford Acc. & Indem. Co., 37 NY2d 211, 217 [1975]). However, the malpractice claim must nevertheless be dismissed because the evidentiary materials submitted by the parties conclusively establish that defendants breached no duty to plaintiff, and that no alleged damages were caused by any act of defendants (see O'Callaghan v Brunelle, 84 AD3d 581 [2011], lv denied 18 NY3d 804 [2012]; Between The Bread Realty Corp. v Salans Hertzfeld Heilbronn Christy & Viener, 290 AD2d 380, 381 [2002], lv denied 98 NY2d 603 [2002]).
To succeed on a motion to dismiss pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(1), the documentary evidence relied on by the defendant must "conclusively establish[ ] a defense to the asserted claims as a matter of law" (Leon v Martinez, 84 NY2d 83, 88 [1994]). On a motion to dismiss pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(7), the court must "accept the facts as alleged in the complaint as true, accord plaintiff[] the benefit of every possible favorable inference, and determine only whether the facts as alleged fit within any cognizable legal theory" (id. at 87-88). However, "allegations consisting of bare legal conclusions as well as factual claims flatly contradicted by documentary evidence are not entitled to any such consideration" (Maas v Cornell Univ., 94 NY2d 87, 91 [1999]).
At the heart of plaintiff's malpractice claim is his assertion that defendants could have obtained the date of his disability from his treating physician, Dr. Schottenstein, at any time after May 13, 2009, but refused or neglected to do so. However, the record demonstrates that when plaintiff's new counsel argued in his June 14, 2010 appeal letter to Guardian that the claim turned on the date it was determined that plaintiff was disabled, not on the date he ceased trading, he relied on the "June 10, 2010 Medical Record of Dr. Douglas Schottenstein, NYSpinemedicine, which for the first time gives [plaintiff] a date of disability on May 13, 2010" (emphasis added). Defendants ceased acting as plaintiff's attorney on December 23, 2009, well before the June 10, 2010 record was available.
The documentary evidence further demonstrates that defendants' submissions to Guardian were based on the information available to them. Defendants were retained to file a disability claim on April 28, 2009, which predates the date on which plaintiff claims it was determined that he was disabled. Plaintiff's claim form, dated September 2, 2009, states that April 9, 2009 was the date that he became unable to work because of illness or injury. While plaintiff asserts that he signed the claim form in blank, the e-mail he relies on shows that he was provided with a draft claim form, asked to review it and complete the unanswered questions, and told that the information would then be typed into the form he signed. Further, on September 9, 2009, plaintiff sent defendants an e-mail stating that "[m]y last trading day was [A]pril 8th." Defendants relied on that date to complete the disability claim form, which they submitted to Guardian that day.
Defendants also submitted to Guardian Dr. Afshin Razi's physician's statement, dated August 27, 2009, which states that Dr. Razi first evaluated plaintiff for his back condition on May 27, 2008, and last treated him on March 19, 2009, and that plaintiff had "[m]oderate limitations of functional capacity; capable of clerical/administrative (sedentary) activity (60-70%)" (footnote omitted). Dr. Razi added that plaintiff "cannot carry heavy bag or be on the trading floor where he may be jostled[,] which may injure his back."
Consistent with the foregoing, the employer section of plaintiff's disability claim, dated September 25, 2009, states that the date the disability began was "unknown," that the last date plaintiff worked on the "floor" was April 7, 2009, and that the reason for leaving work was a disability. Defendants also provided Guardian with Dr. Razi's and Dr. Schottenstein's medical records, the receipt of which Guardian confirmed in a letter dated October 20, 2009, in which Guardian advised defendants that it had requested additional information directly from the doctors.
We also note that Guardian's denial was not final at the point that defendants ceased representing plaintiff on December 23, 2009. In its letter dated December 17, 2009, Guardian stated that it had been determined that plaintiff's disability was "supported" from April 7, 2009, but denied the claim because it had not received his 2008 tax return and trading statements or logs for the year April 8, 2008 through April 7, 2009, which were needed to determine his monthly benefit. The letter further advised counsel that if plaintiff wished to appeal the determination he needed to submit those documents. That information was provided to Guardian on February 22, 2010, at which point defendants no longer represented plaintiff. When Guardian denied plaintiff's disability claim on April 14, 2010 "because the information you submitted does not support any insured earnings as of the date you ceased work full-time on April 7, 2009," it stated: "We did receive a new Long Term Disability Claim form from you dated March 23, 2010 indicating that your disability ...


Every six months, flip your mattress over
To provide even wear, flip the mattress so that the top is now on the bottom, and turn it so that the foot of the mattress is now at the head
Cover the mattress, to protect it and extend time between cleanings
Consider purchasing a mattress cover to protect the surface of your mattress. Choose a washable cover that is easy to remove and replace on your mattress. Some covers are even designed to reduce dust mite allergies, and reduce the need to vacuum your mattress
Remove dust from the mattress surface
Dust, dander, and dust mites build up in your mattress. Even those of us without allergies can begin to notice dust and dirt in our mattress. Vacuum your mattress using the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner. If someone does have allergies in your home, you may need to vacuum more frequently and/or purchase mattress covers
If the mattress surface becomes dirty or soiled, use an upholstery shampoo
Following the directions exactly, use an upholstery shampoo to clean dirt and soil from your mattress surface. Or, mix a mild detergent with water until suds form. Apply the dry suds only to the soiled area using a sponge. Wipe the area with a sponge that has had warm water wrung from it. Allow the area to dry thoroughly


A
n international visionary entrepreneur, published musician, and bestselling author, Ayman Sawaf is one of the original creators of the discipline now known as Emotional Literacy and an early pioneer in Emotional Intelligence. His book Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership and Organizations, which he coauthored with Dr. Robert Cooper, introduced emotional intelligence in the business world. Ayman has spent the last 20 years building the evolutionary foundation for entirely new systems and industries that are transforming human potential by providing new maps to evolve our relationships with ourselves, our business, and our world. His latest book, Sacred Commerce: A Blueprint for a New Humanity, which he coauthored with his wife Rowan Gabrielle, focuses on evolving the business world one person at a time, emphasizing a system guided by spirituality. Ayman has influenced countless individuals, teachers, coaches, and business leaders worldwide. He believes network marketers are particularly well positioned to embrace the feminine and the sacred in business, thus opening the path towards emotional mastery, abundance creation, and conscious evolution.—J.G.
Tell us a little about your background. I was born into a Lebanese family and grew up in the Middle East, but enjoyed a multicultural upbringing in an international environment. I studied engineering and mathematics in the U.S., and after I graduated with my university degrees, I started my entrepreneurial career in the lighting business in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. I became very successful, I had two children, and my life seemed perfect. However, as I hit my late 20s everything started falling apart. I went through a divorce. I became depressed. I had a health crisis, and I thought, “That’s it. I wasted my life.” That led me to deciding to live differently and explore my emotions. Money and business had been such a strong part of my identity that I had never really paid attention to my feelings. A friend observed that this might be the cause of my problem. I was introduced to a book by Louise Hay called You Can Heal Your Life and started reading it. I realized there is a connection between emotions and belief systems and our external reality. I was an extremely chauvinistic* and mental person, categorizing emotions as a feminine energy and not part of my world.
One thing led to another. I met a teacher, read some books, and started my healing journey. I was astonished at how healing my emotions caused my body to heal. I said, “How come no one taught us this in school?” I had been to the best universities. I thought I was very smart, but realized I wasn’t. I saw how we needed to bring and showcase the value of emotions into our education system. I decided, “Let’s start with a new generation of kids who are emotionally smart!” I coined the term emotional literacy, which is the ABC—123 of our feelings—how to recognize them, acknowledge them as ours, how to express them, how to receive the messages they carry inside them. I created a media company in Los Angeles. We did four TV series. We released 28 books, the emotional literacy series for kids. The company is now called KidsEQ.com. For years I sent out emotional literacy newsletters to hundreds of thousands of people, including school teachers and university psychology departments. I launched a non-profit organization called F.E.E.L.—Foundation for Education in Emotional Literacy.
*Chauvinism: 1. zealous and aggressive patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; 2. biased devotion to any group, attitude, or cause; 3. the denigration, disparagement, and patronization of either sex based on the belief that one sex is inferior to the other.
17


PhD Candidates (PGR)
“For students, the move to university is a personal investment of the cultural capital accrued through school and college education. It is also a signification social displacement, which may be intensified where the student is mature, is the first in their family to attend university, or is from an ethnic group under-represented in the university population.” (Briggs, Clark and Hall, 2012).
The context of the challenges faced today:
The pressure to finish within the time limit set.
Pressure to publish.
The relationship between a PhD candidate and their supervisor.
Psychological challenges and poor mental health, such as Imposter Syndrome.
Funding a PhD and living costs simultaneously.
Balancing competing pressures of work, life, teaching, research and family.
Precarious teaching commitments and earnings.
Lack of desk space on campus.
PhD study is a time of extended and potentially slow-paced, independent learning. The transition from being taught directly to learning by research requires development of a different set of skills that may not have been exercised before. Considering the average length of a PhD, it is also incredibly difficult to maintain focus and motivation on the same project that spans over a few years. It is natural, then, that the pressure placed on PhD students can feel unmanageable.
The Students’ Union is here to support you through the ups and downs from start to finish.


Abstract
Muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer is a common malignancy with poor outcomes for which immune checkpoint blockade is now showing promise. Despite clinical activity of PD-1/PD-L1–targeted therapy in this disease, most patients do not benefit and resistance mechanisms remain unknown. The non–T-cell-inflamed tumor microenvironment correlates with poor prognosis and resistance to immunotherapies. In this study, we determined tumor-oncogenic pathways correlating with T-cell exclusion. We first establish in this report that T-cell–inflamed bladder tumors can be identified by immune gene expression profiling with concordance with CD8
+ T-cell infiltration. Upregulation of genes encoding immune checkpoint proteins PD-L1, IDO, FOXP3, TIM3, and LAG3 was associated with T-cell–inflamed tumors, suggesting potential for sensitivity to checkpoint blockade. β-Catenin, PPAR-γ, and FGFR3 pathways were activated in non–T-cell-inflamed tumors. No difference was seen in overall somatic mutational density between groups. The three pathways identified represent targetable potential pathways of tumor-intrinsic immunotherapy resistance. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(7); 1–6. ©2016 AACR. Footnotes Note:Supplementary data for this article are available at Cancer Immunology Research Online (http://cancerimmunolres.aacrjournals.org/).
Prior presentation: Presented at 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Chicago, IL, May 29–June 2, 2015.
Received November 10, 2015. Revision received February 9, 2016. Accepted April 7, 2016. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.


There are certain calls made in a basketball game that are accepted as reality, when it fact they aren't at all.
The truth is, some of the most common truths about the rules of basketball actually aren't true at all.
Need proof? No problem. Here are seven myths about basketball rules, and the actual truth behind all of them. They'll make you think twice about what you thought you knew.
1. A defensive player must be stationary to take a charge. Reality: Once a defensive player has obtained a legal guarding position, the defensive player may always move to maintain that guarding position and may even have one or both feet off the floor when contact occurs with the offensive player. Legal guarding position occurs when the defensive player has both feet on the floor and is facing the opponent. This applies to a defensive player who is defending the dribble. 2. A dribble that bounces above the dribbler's head is an illegal dribble violation. Reality: There is no restriction as to how high a player may bounce the ball, provided the ball does not come to rest in the player's hand. 3. "Reaching in" is a foul. Reality: Reaching in is not a foul. The term is nowhere to be found in any rulebook. Why? There must be contact to have a foul. The mere act of "reaching in," by itself, is nothing. If contact does occur, it is either a holding foul or a pushing foul. 4. "Over the back" is a foul. Reality: Similar to the reaching in myth, there must be contact to have a foul. Coaches holler for over the back fouls when their shorter player has seemingly better inside rebounding position and the ball is snared by a taller opponent from behind. Penalize illegal contact; don't penalize a player for being tall. 5. If it looks funny, it must be traveling. Reality: The traveling rule is one of the most misunderstood in basketball. One of the basic tenets is that a player cannot travel unless that player is holding a live ball. A bobble or fumble is not "control" of the ball, therefore, it cannot be a traveling violation. If you immediately identify the pivot foot when a player receives the ball, you're well on your way to judging traveling correctly. 6. After a player has ended a dribble and fumbled the ball, that player may not recover it without violating. Reality: A dribble ends when the dribbler catches the ball with one or both hands or simultaneously touches the ball with both hands. A fumble is the accidental loss of player control when the ball unintentionally drops or slips from a player's grasp. It is always legal to recover a fumble. The rules do not penalize clumsiness. 7. Referees should not make calls that decide the outcome of a game. Reality: Officials do not make calls that decide the outcomes of games. Players commit fouls and violations; officials view those infractions, judge the action and then apply the rules of the game to what they have viewed. The rules then determine the penalty. The officials do not decide the outcome of the game; the players do. If the rule results in the imposition of a penalty that determines the outcome of the game, such is life. Ask yourself this: If you would have called it in the second quarter, why not call it at the end of the game? You are a credit to the game when you are consistent from the opening tip to the final buzzer.


Summary:This note conducts a business cycle accounting analysis for systemic economies, with an emphasis on spillover effects from macroeconomic versus financial shocks. The systemic economies under consideration are China, the Euro Area, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This analysis is based on historical decompositions of output growth derived from the estimated structural macroeconometric model of the world economy, disaggregated into thirty five
national economies, documented in Vitek (2012). Within this framework, each economy is represented by interconnected real, external, monetary, fiscal, and financial sectors. Spillovers are transmitted across economies via trade, financial, and commodity price linkages.


Delivering personalized digital brand experience is paramount for companies today. Being a successful brand goes beyond providing an aesthetically appealing and intuitive customer experience; it needs to be customized and relevant to the consumer's needs. Is that person is conducting product research, shopping for their own needs, or purchasing a gift is more than an action, but a process. Marketing departments must be strategic in their efforts to assess what draws in the consumer. A lot of issues can surface from trying to couple the technical and business objectives, especially when certain technologies are grandfathered in and may not offer the experience that is up to speed with today's market.
However, implementing a plan and technology that can achieve this is feasible! Businesses must assess what they want to achieve so they can engage with their customers on a personal level across all forms of contact, be it mobile, tablet, or desktop. .
Learn about how Acquia boosts your ability to engage with customers across platforms with customized digital experiences. Acquia and Drupal couple together to unite the technical requirements and the business goals, giving you the edge on delivering high-quality experiences.
Forrester Research agrees: With customer-centered intentions, Acquia serves as a top ranked digital experience company that combines the processes and technologies with the teams and strategies of a company into a seamless platform to boost to your ability to personalize.


This post is part of the series called
Obstacles in Academia, which aims to highlight the many challenges young scientists face today.
Research demands funds, and typically very large sums. Securing funds for research is a laborious process often ending in failure. A stagnant federal research budget has fueled a hyper-competitive environment among scientists, often to the detriment of the research.


A multisubunit translocon of the inner envelope membrane, termed Tic, mediates the late stages of protein import into chloroplasts. Membrane proteins, Tic110 and Tic40, and a stromal chaperone, Hsp93, have been proposed to function together within the Tic complex. In Arabidopsis, single genes, atTIC110 and atTIC40, encode the Tic proteins, and two homologous genes, atHSP93-V and atHSP93-III, encode Hsp93. These four genes exhibited relatively uniform patterns of expression, suggesting important roles for plastid biogenesis throughout development and in all tissues. To investigate the roles played by these proteins in vivo, we conducted a comparative study of T-DNA knockout mutants for each Tic gene, and for the most abundantly expressed Hsp93 gene, atHSP93-V. In the homozygous state, the tic110 mutation caused embryo lethality, implying an essential role for atTic110 during plastid biogenesis. Homozygous tic110 embryos exhibited retarded growth, developmental arrest at the globular stage and a 'raspberry-like' embryo-proper phenotype. Heterozygous tic110 plants, and plants homozygous for the tic40 and hsp93-V mutations, exhibited chlorosis, aberrant chloroplast biogenesis, and inefficient chloroplast-import of both photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic preproteins. Non-additive interactions amongst the mutations occurred in double mutants, suggesting that the three components may cooperate during chloroplast protein import.


Money managers are rewarded for increasing the value of assets under management,and predominantly so in the mutual fund industry. This gives the manager an implicitincentive to exploit the well-documented positive fund-flows to relative-performancerelationship by manipulating her risk exposure. In a dynamic asset allocationframework, we show that as the year-end approaches, the ensuing convexities in themanager's objective induce her to closely mimic the index, relative to which herperformance is evaluated, when the fund's year-to-date return is sufficiently high. Asher relative performance falls behind, she chooses to deviate from the index by eitherincreasing or decreasing the volatility of her portfolio. The maximum deviation isachieved at a critical level of underperformance. It may be optimal for the manager toreach such deviation via selling the risky asset despite its positive risk premium. Undermultiple sources of risk, with both systematic and idiosyncratic risks present, we showthat optimal managerial risk shifting may not necessarily involve taking on anyidiosyncratic risk. The manager's policy results in economically significant departuresfrom investors' desired risk exposure. We then demonstrate how constraining themanager's investment opportunity set, via a simple benchmarking restriction, canameliorate the adverse effects of managerial incentive


The explosion of data, coupled with tools used to collect and analyze that data, has fundamentally transformed how we communicate, collaborate and innovate. Every employee now has access to some level of analytics, helping to guide strategic decision-making and processes. Yet, while we’ve made great strides in data democratization, businesses struggle to master data centralization. And, as a result, are housing siloed treasure chests of knowledge that remain largely untapped. Over the last five years, the complexity of data consolidation has grown in parallel with the expansion of SaaS and


In California, the primary foreclosure method is non-judicial foreclosure. With this method, lenders can choose to bypass the court for a faster, less expensive foreclosure process. If the deed of trust does not contain a power of sale clause, however, the lender might opt for a judicial foreclosure. A judicial foreclosure requires a final order from the court before the lender can legally foreclose the property. Although the process takes longer, the lender can seek a deficiency judgment requiring the homeowner to pay the difference between the loan balance and sale price. If you receive a foreclosure summons, you must take immediate action.
Non-Judicial Foreclosure 1
Contact your lender as soon as you receive any kind of notice pertaining to foreclosure or default. If your lender is foreclosing non-judicially, you might first receive a notice of default followed by a notice of sale. In other cases, the lender might send a combined notice including the notice of default and sale notice. You can write a hardship letter asking to explore options to prevent foreclosure. However, non-judicial foreclosures do not require a legal response since the court is not involved.
2
Write a hardship letter to the lender explaining the reason you fell behind on your mortgage payments. Even after receiving a foreclosure notice, it is not too late to explore foreclosure prevention methods. A short sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure let you give back the home without suffering the credit consequences associated with foreclosure.
3
Contact a HUD-approved foreclosure prevention counselor if you need help. These counselors can explain the process, answer any questions you have, advocate with the lender on your behalf, and determine your eligibility for federal and state assistance programs.
Judicial Foreclosure 1
Contact a HUD-approved foreclosure prevention counselor. The counselors are familiar with California laws and can explain your rights in a judicial foreclosure. They can review your loan documents to identify discrepancies or suggest methods to stop the foreclosure.
2
Draft a response letter. There is no standard format used to answer a foreclosure summons in California. Your response should simply be a letter to the court confirming or denying the allegations stated in the summons.
3
Deny allegations of the foreclosure summons that are false. For example, if the notice incorrectly states the balance due, provide the correct amount in your response letter.
4
Admit allegations that are true in your response letter. By admitting allegations, you are not admitting fault or giving the bank the right to take your home.
5
List reasons why you believe the bank should not have filed the foreclosure lawsuit. State these reasons briefly in your response letter rather going into great detail.
6
Explain to the court in your letter why the foreclosure should not proceed. You can request more time to reach a solution with the lender.
7
Make a copy of your response letter for your records.
8
File your response letter with the clerk of court. Bring your original letter, along with the copy, for the clerk to stamp and record.


Abstract
Consider a group consisting of
S members facing a common budget constraint p'ξ=1: any demand vector belonging to the budget set can be (privately or publicly) consumed by the members. Although the intragroup decision process is not known, it is assumed to generate Pareto-efficient outcomes; neither individual consumptions nor intragroup transfers are observable. The paper analyzes when, to what extent, and under which conditions it is possible to recover the underlying structure—individual preferences and the decision process—from the group's aggregate behavior. We show that the general version of the model is not identified. However, a simple exclusion assumption (whereby each member does not consume at least one good) is sufficient to guarantee generic identifiability of the welfare-relevant structural concepts.


Poultry farmers Ted Layton and Scott Willey were recognized for their efforts to improve water quality and reduce nutrient runoff with the 2016 Delaware Environmental Stewardship Award.
Layton and Willey are co-owners of T&S Farms near Milford, growing broiler chickens for Allen Harim Foods on a 44-acre farm. They have four poultry houses, with a capacity of 134,000 birds per flock. As part of their efforts, they have installed a manure shed and compost, have a stormwater pond and will plant a tree buffer. They focus on weed control, lane maintenance and pad cleanliness and have all manure transported by Ellis Farms.
Awards to Layton and Willey and three runners-up were presented Jan. 9 during Delaware Ag Week by Nutrient Management Commission Chairman Bill Vanderwende and Nutrient Management Program Administrator Chris Brosch.
Runners-up were:
— Alvin and Norma Warner, of Milford, who grow for Perdue Foods growing the Coleman Organic Program, with a capacity of 62,000 organic broilers. They have created 15 acres of riparian buffers and wildlife habitat, planted tree buffers and installed heavy use pads and a composter.
— Tracey Hill, of Laurel, who grows for Mountaire Farms, with a capacity of 116,000 broilers. He has grassed waterways and all pipes lead to a fish-stocked pond which treats stormwater from the production area.
— Jim Nguyen, of Georgetown, who grows for Amick Farms, with a capacity of 110,000 broilers. He has installed heavy use pads, planted trees to reduce exhaust emissions, graded swales to direct stormwater into a one-acre pond, planted apple trees and berry bushes for wildlife and uses freezers for mortality.
Layton and Willey will receive $1,000, a plaque and a sign for their farm. The runners-up will receive $500, plaques and signs.
The awards are supported by Allen Harim Foods, Amick Farms, Mountaire Farms and Perdue Farms.