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R&D: Amazon's Dirty Little Secret Weapon
March 4, 2019 March 6, 2019 Mike Kwatinetz R & D, Stocks, Technology, Unicorns	Amazon, Tesla
Why doesn't Amazon produce more earnings given its dominance?
Amazon just reported earnings and, as was the case in 2017 and 2016, emphasized that 2019 will be an investment year, so the strong operating margin expansion of 2018 would be capped in 2019. This, of course, is great fodder for bears on the stock as Amazon gave sceptics renewed opportunity to point out that it is a company that has a flawed business model and would find it difficult to ever earn a reasonable return on revenue.
In contrast, I believe that Amazon continues to transform itself into a potential strong profit performer. For example, taking the longer perspective, Amazon's gross margins are now over 40% up from 27.2% five years ago (2013). So why doesn't Amazon deliver higher operating margin than the slightly over 6% it reported in 2018? Amazon's dirty little secret is that it continues to invest heavily in creating future dominance through R&D. Had it spent a similar amount in R&D to its long time competitor, Walmart, EBITDA would have nearly tripled… to over 17% of revenue! I must confess that in the past I haven't paid enough attention to how much Amazon spends on R&D. As a result, I was surprised that Apple and Microsoft trailed it in voice recognition technology and that Amazon could lead IBM and Microsoft in cloud technology. The reason this occurred is not a surprising one: Amazon outspends Apple, Microsoft and IBM in R&D.
In fact, Amazon now outspends every company in the world (see Table 1) and have been dedicating a larger portion of available dollars to R&D (as measured by the % of gross margin dollars spent on R&D) than any other large technology company, except Qualcomm, for more than 10 years. Even though Amazon had less than 50% of Apple's revenue and less than 1/3 of its gross margin dollars 5 years ago (2013) Amazon spent nearly 50% more than Apple on R&D that year… by 2018 the gap had increased to close to 100% more.
Table 1: Top 10 (and a few more) U.S. R&D Spenders in 2018 ($Bn)
Sources: market watch, analyst reports, annual filings
Note 1: Ford and GM may be in the top 10 but so far have not reported R&D in 2018. If they report it at year end the table could change. Walmart does not report R&D and their spend is generally unavailable, but I found a reference that said they expected to spend $1.1M in 2017.
Note 2: A 2018 global list would include auto makers VW and Toyota (with R&D of $15.8B and about 10.0B), drug company Roche (&10.8B) and tech company Samsung at $15.3B in place of the lowest 4 in Table 1.
The Innovators Financial Dilemma: Increasing Future Prospects can lower Current Earnings
When I was on Wall Street covering Microsoft (and others) Bill Gates would often point out that the company was going to make large investments the following year so they could stay ahead of competition. He said he was less concerned with what that meant for earnings. That investment helped drive Microsoft to dominance by the late 1990s. Companies are often confronted with the dilemma of whether to increase spending to drive future growth or to maximize current earnings. I believe that investment in R&D, when effective, is correlated to future success.
It is interesting to see how leaders in R&D spending have transitioned over the past 10 years. In 2008 the global leaders in R&D spending included 5 pharma companies, 3 auto makers and only 2 tech companies (Nokia and Microsoft which subsequently merged). In 2018, 6 of the top 7 spenders (Samsung plus the 5 shown in Table 1) were technology companies.
Table 2 – 2008 global R&D leaders ($Bn)
Note: *Facebook data from 2009, first available financials from S-1 filing
It's hard to change without tanking one's stock
When a company has a business model that allocates 1% of gross margin dollars to R&D, it is not easy to turn on the dime. If Walmart had decided to invest half as much as Amazon in R&D in 2018, its earnings would have decreased by 80% – 90% and its stock would have depreciated substantially. So, instead it began a buying binge several years ago to try to close the technology gap through acquisitions (which has a much smaller impact on operating margins). It remains to be seen if this strategy will succeed going forward but in the past 5 years Walmart revenue (including acquisitions) increased only 5% while Amazon's was up 130% in the same period (also including acquisitions).
Whatever Happened to IBM?
When I was growing up, I thought of IBM as the king of tech. In the early 1990s it still seemed to rule the roost. The biggest fear for Microsoft was that IBM could overwhelm it, yet now it appears to be an also ran in technology. From 2014 to 2018, a heyday era for tech companies, its revenue shrank from $93 billion in 2014 to $80 billion in 2018. I can't tell how much of the problem stems from under investing in R&D versus poor execution, but for the past 5 years it has spent an average of about 13% of GM on R&D, while the 6 tech companies in Table 1 have averaged about 24% of GM dollars with Apple the only one under 20%.
Soundbyte I: Tesla
I recently had a long dialogue with a very smart fund manager and was struck by what I believe to be misinformation he had read regarding Tesla. There were 3 major points that he had heard:
The quality of Tesla cars was shoddy
Tesla could not maintain reasonable margins as it began producing lower priced Model 3s
The upcoming influx of electric cars from companies like Porsche, Jaguar and Audi would take substantial market share away from Tesla
I decided to do a bit of research to determine how valid each of these issues might be.
Tesla Quality: I found it hard to believe that the majority of Tesla owners thought the car was of poor quality since every one of the 15 or so people I knew who had bought one had already bought another or were planning to for their next car. So, I found a report on customer satisfaction from Consumer Reports, and I was not surprised to find that Tesla was the number 1 ranked car by customer satisfaction.
Tesla margins: this is much harder to predict. Since Tesla is relatively young as a manufacturer it has had numerous issues with production. Yet it is probably ahead of many others when it comes to automating its facilities. This tends to cause gross margins to be lower while volume ramps and higher subsequently. The combination of that, plus moving up the learning curve, should mean that Tesla lowers the cost of producing its products. However, Tesla charges more for cars with higher capacity for distance, but as I understand it uses software to limit battery capacity for lower priced cars. This would mean that a portion of the difference between a lower priced Model 3 and a higher priced one (the battery capacity) would be minimal change in cost, putting pressure on margins. The question becomes whether Tesla's improving cost efficiencies offset the average price decline of a Model 3 as Tesla begins fulfilling demand for lower priced versions.
March 1 Update: After this post was complete (Thursday February 28) the company announced it was closing many showrooms to reduce costs. Then late today (Friday) announced that the $35,000 version of the model 3 is now available. So, we shall soon see the impact. I believe that if Tesla has increased capacity there will be very strong sales. It also likely will experience lower gross margin percentages as it climbs the learning curve and ramps production.
Will the influx of electric cars from others impact Tesla market share?
Porsche is an electric sports car starting at $90K – at that price point it is competitive with model S not model 3. In competing with the S it comes down to whether one prefers a sports car to a sedan. I have owned a Porsche in the past and would only consider it if I wanted a sports car with limited seating capacity (but very cool). I loved my Porsche but decided to switch to sedans going forward. Since then I've owned only sedans for the past 10+ years. It also appears that early production is almost a year away, so it is unlikely to be competitive for 2019.
Audi is at price points that do compete with the Model 3 and expects to start delivering cars in March. However, I think that is mainly in Europe where Tesla is an emerging brand so it might not impact them at all. When I look at the Audi models I don't think they will appeal to Tesla buyers as they are very old-line designs (I would call them ugly). The range of the cars on a charge is not yet official but seems likely to be much lower than Tesla which has a big lead in battery technology.
The Jaguar competes with the Tesla Model X but while cheaper, appears a weak competitor.
I don't want to dismiss the fact that traditional players will be introducing a large number of electronic vehicles. The question really is whether the market size for electric cars is a fixed portion of all cars or whether it will become a much larger part of the entire market over time. I would compare this to fears that analysts had when Lotus and Wordperfect created Windows versions. They felt that Microsoft would lose share of windows spreadsheets and word processors. I agreed but pointed out that Windows was 10% of the entire market for spreadsheets, so having a 90% share gave Microsoft 9% of the overall spreadsheet market. I also predicted Microsoft would have over a 45% share when Windows was 100% of the market. So, while this would decrease Microsoft's share of Windows spreadsheets, it would grow its total share of the market by 5X Of course we all were proven wrong as Microsoft eventually reached over 90% of the entire market.
For Tesla, the question becomes whether these rivals are helping accelerate the share electric cars will have of the overall market, rather than eroding Tesla volumes. I'm thinking that it's the former, and that Tesla will have a great volume year in 2019 and that its biggest competitive issue will be whether the Model 3 is so strong that it will get people to buy it over the Model S. Of course, I could be wrong, but believe the odds favor Tesla in 2019, especially the first half of the year where the competitors are not that strong.
Soundbyte II: The NYC / Amazon Deal Collapses
I never cease to be amazed at how little regard some Politicians have for facts. I should likely not have been surprised by the furor created over Amazon locating a major facility in New York City. I thought the $44 billion or more in benefits to the City and State and massive job creation were such a win that no one would contest it. Instead, the dialog centered around the $ 3 billion in tax benefits to Amazon. All but 1/6 of the benefits (which was cash from the state) were based on existing laws and amounted to a reduction of future taxes rather than upfront cash. What a loss for the City.
The Argument for Curry as a Unicorn
April 15, 2015 April 15, 2015 Mike Kwatinetz Golden State Warriors, NBA, Sports, Unicorns, Valuation	Golden State Warriors, NBA, Stephen Curry, Unicorns
In our previous post we posed the potential for Stephen Curry to become a Unicorn (in venture this is a company that reaches $1 billion in value). While it was mostly for fun, on reflection we decided that it actually could prove valid. This post will walk you through why an athlete like Curry (or potentially James Harden, Russell Westbrook or Anthony Davis) could become a Unicorn should they be elevated to the elite status of a LeBron James.
The Precedent for Creating a Corporation Owning an Athlete's Earnings Exists
In April 2014, Vernon Davis offered stock in his future earnings via a venture with Fantex, Inc. as part of a new financial instrument being sold by Fantex. Davis offered a 10% share of all future earnings from his brand marketing company to Fantex, which would then turn around and divide it into shares of a tracking stock that can be traded within their own exchange. The offering was 421,100 shares, valued at $10 each, for a total of $4.2 million. This implied a total value of the "Vernon Davis Corporation" of $42 million. Davis' current salary is $4.7 million and endorsement income about $1.75 million for a total income of $6.5 million. Given that the longevity of football players is rarely into their mid-thirties coupled with Davis being over 30 at the time, it seems likely that he had no more than 3-4 years left in his playing career. Putting those facts together makes it appear that Davis was unlikely to earn much more than $42 million going forward and might earn less as we would expect his income to drop precipitously once he retired. So buying the stock was probably viewed as more of a symbol of support for Davis and its "market cap" appears about equal to his expected future earnings.
NBA Stars are Among the Highest Earning Athletes'
The current highest earner of endorsements in the NBA is LeBron James at about $44 million per year (Kevin Durant is second at $35 million). The highest contract in the league is Kobe Bryant at about $23 million per year (and had been $30 million previously) with the 10 highest players in the league making an average of over $21 million. Given the new TV contract scheduled to go into effect in the 2016-2017 season, it's been projected that the cap will increase from about $63 million today to $90 million in 2017 and be nearly $140 million by 2025 (10 years from now, at age 37, Curry should still be playing). Let's make the following assumptions:
Curry's salary will go from a current level of $11 million in 2015 and 12 million in 2016 (4 other Warriors will be paid more that year) to about $30 million in 2017 assuming the top salaries tend to be about 1/3 of their team's cap as they are today.
It will be up to $40 million in 2025, or less than 1/3 the projected $140 million cap.
His endorsements will reach midway between the current levels experienced by LeBron and Durant, to about $40 million by 2017 (they are currently at about $5.5 million from Under Armour)
His endorsement income will rise by about 10%/year subsequently, through 2025 to reach $92 million in 2025
He will continue to earn endorsement income (but will retire from playing) subsequent to the 2025 season.
The level post 2025 will average $60 million per year for 10 years and then go to zero.
The last assumption is based on observing the income of retired stars like Michael Jordan (earning $100 million/year 12 years after retirement), David Beckham (earned about $75 million the first year after retiring), Arnold Palmer (earned $42 million/year 40 years after winning his last tournament), Shaq ($21 million), Magic Johnson is now worth over $500 million. Each are making more now than the total they made while playing and, in several cases, more per year than in their entire playing careers. So assuming Curry's income will drop by 1/3 after retirement is consistent with these top earners.
This puts his total income from 2016 through the end of 2035 at over $1.5 billion. All of the above assumptions can prove true if Curry continues to ascend to super-star status, which would be helped if the Warriors win the championship this year. They could even prove low if Curry played longer and/or remained an icon for longer than 10 years after retiring. Thankfully, Curry has remained relatively injury free and our analysis assumes that he remains healthy. Curry is not only one of the most exciting players to watch, but is also becoming the most popular player with fans around the league. Curry now ranks second overall in total uniform sales, behind LeBron James.
So while the concept of Stephen Curry as a Unicorn (reaching $1 billion in value) started as a fun one to contemplate with our last post, further analysis reveals that it is actually possible that Fantex or some other entity could create a tracking stock that might reach that type of valuation.
As a VC, I would love to invest in him!
SoundBytes:
In the recent game against the Blazers there was further validation of Curry's MVP bid. Curry delivered eight 3-pointers, hit 17 of 23 shots and went 7-of-7 in his 19-point fourth quarter. His last two threes were a combined distance of 55 feet, setting a new record for threes in a season and breaking his own record!
To understand just how well Curry shot, his Field Goal Efficiency was 91% (he had 8 threes bringing his equivalent field goals to 21/23). Not only was this higher than anyone who scored 40 points this year or took at least 20 shots in a game, we believe it may be among the highest ever for someone taking 20 shots in a game.
As a comparison, the two Portland stars, Aldredge and Lillian, each had strong games and scored 27 and 20 points, respectively. But, to do that, they took 46 shots between them (double that of Curry) and only scored 2 more points in total for the extra 23 shots!
The 4th quarter performance by Curry, cited above, translates to a 114% FGE rating, which is averaging more than 100% shooting as he scored 16 points on 7 shots. When foul shots are taken into account, his True Shooting % was 137% as he scored 19 points on 8 field goal attempts (counting the one on which he was fouled).To draw a comparison, when Russell Westbrook scored 54 points against Portland on April 12 he took 43 shots, 20 more than Curry (23 more if we include shots that led to foul shots).
Is Stephen Curry Becoming a Unicorn?
April 9, 2015 April 15, 2015 Dan Park Golden State Warriors, NBA, Sports, Unicorns	Golden State Warriors, NBA, Stephen Curry, Unicorns
Why Curry should be the clear NBA MVP
Much has been written about the importance of discovering and investing early in "Unicorns", companies that eventually cross the $1 billion valuation threshold. In basketball, teams make tough decisions as to whether to sign individual players to contracts that can be worth as much as $120 million or more over six years. The top few players can earn a billion dollars over their career when endorsements are added to the equation, assuming they can last as long as a Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan. Clearly part of the road to riches is getting the recognition as one of the elite. This year, several players previously thought of as "quite good" are emerging in the quest to be thought of as "great". Nothing can help a player put his stamp on such a claim as much as winning the MVP. In the spirit of trying to identify a future "Unicorn" in professional basketball, I thought it would be fun to analyze the current crop of contenders.
Given an unusual emergence of multiple stars, this year's NBA MVP race is one of the most hotly contested in years. There are five legitimate candidates: Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Anthony Davis and LeBron James. All of them are having spectacular seasons and in most years that would be good enough for them to win. But only one can take the MVP crown. LeBron is the reigning king of the league and has long ago hoisted his flag atop the mountain. But, he has won the MVP title a number of times and while he remains a solid choice, he is not a clear choice. Therefore, it appears almost certain that most voters will favor a candidate who has yet to win. In the last few weeks Davis seems to have faded from consideration so, in this post, I will provide the analysis that has led me to determine that Curry is a more worthy recipient than Westbrook and Harden.
Basketball columnists and analysts often focus too much of their evaluation of success on a player's scoring average. In an attempt to help understand a player's full value, John Hollinger created a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) that incorporates several statistics in the hope it provides a single rating that determines the best player. While it is a truly worthy effort, we feel there is quite a bit of judgement incorporated in what value to place on different statistics. For example, it rewards players who take more shots even when the extra shots are 2-pointers at a low field goal percentage (taking extra 2-point shots at over a 31% increases the rating even though that is well below what the rest of his team would likely shoot). We would place more value on giving the ball up (and having a lower scoring average) than taking a low percentage shot.
I am surprised that the simplest calculation of scoring efficiency does not surface as a regularly reported statistic. Some sources occasionally report an "Adjusted Field Goal Percentage" (AFG%) that counts a 3-point field goal as worth 1.5 times a 2-point field goal. We believe this is the correct way of viewing a shooter's effectiveness and called it field goal efficiency (FGE%). It calculates the percentage as the equivalent of 2-point field goals made per field goal attempt (FGA):
FGE% = (2-point shots made + 1.5 x 3-point shots made)/FGA
There is one statistic that analysts call True Shooting Percentage (TS%) that goes one step further. It also takes foul shots into account. It assumes that 1 of every 9 foul shots is part of a 3-point (or 4-point) play and therefore considers 2.25 foul shots as the same as one field goal attempt (since most pairs of foul shots replace a field goal attempt). TS% is calculated by adding the field goal attempt equivalent of foul shots to normal field goal attempts to determine the equivalent number of attempts used by a player. By dividing points scored by 2 we know how points scored equates to 2-point field goals made (FGME). This translated to the following formula for TS%:
Equivalent field goal attempts (EFGA) = FGA + FTA/2.25
FGME = points scored/2
TS% =FGME/EFGA
Now let's compare Curry, Harden and Westbrook based on these statistics all on a per game basis:
Harden and Westbrook are neck-and-neck in scoring average, each about four points per game higher than Curry. But Curry plays fewer minutes per game and takes fewer shots. His shooting efficiency at 58.6% is by far the highest of the three by a significant amount (a full 14% higher than Westbrook and 7% higher than Harden). It is also the highest in the league for players that have taken at least 8 shots per game (which includes all of the top 100 players by scoring average). At over 90%, Curry is the number one foul shooter in the league. But Harden and Westbrook are also hitting roughly 85% of their foul shots. Therefore, the fact that they get fouled much more than Curry brings each of their TS%s closer to Curry's. Still, Curry is a whopping 10% higher than Westbrook and 2.5% higher than Harden. It is apparent that the scoring average advantage is more a function of Curry playing fewer minutes and being more selective in his shots.
To see the impact of this we calculated their scoring average per 36 minutes played (which we consider about average for a team's star) and points scored per 25 equivalent field goals attempts:
So, even if he played the same amount of time as Harden and Westbrook, Curry would trail in average points per game, primarily because he still would take fewer shots. But if he took the same number of equivalent shots he'd have a higher scoring average than both.
A Few Other Statistical Comparisons
While scoring efficiency is an important measure of a players value to his team, several other statistics like assists, rebounds, and steals are also considered quite relevant. To make comparisons fair, we adjusted to the average per 36 minutes for each:
For steals, Westbrook and Curry are close to dead even with Harden about 11% behind. However, Westbrook is the clear leader in rebounds and has 7% more assists than Curry with both well ahead of Harden.
Each of these three players leads their team's offense. They all control the ball attempting to score themselves or assist others in scoring without turning the ball over, as every turnover is a lost scoring opportunity. The ratio of assists to turnovers helps capture effectiveness as a guard. On the defensive end they each can compensate for a portion of their turnovers by stealing the ball. The ratio of steals to turnovers captures how well they are able defensively to partly compensate for depriving their team of a scoring opportunity. But attempts to steal the ball can lead to more personal fouls. The ratio of steals to personal fouls helps understand defensive effectiveness. Here are the comparisons:
Harden and Westbrook are 25%-40% behind Curry in all of these categories. What the first ratio tells us is that Curry passes the ball more accurately and/or takes less risk so that he gets his assists without turning the ball over as frequently as the others. Another way of looking at it is that the extra 0.6 assists that Westbrook averages per 36 minutes comes at the expense of one extra turnover vs Curry. The steal/turnover ratio tells us that for every 3 turnovers Curry has, he is able to get the ball back twice through steals. The others recover less than half of their turnovers through steals. Finally the steals/personal foul ratio shows that Curry is quite effective defensively with a ratio that is over 30% better than either of the others.
Curry Creates the Most Team Success
So, what is the bottom line that helps capture the impact of the various statistics we have shown? Of course one measure is the fact that Curry has helped his team achieve a much better record. What other measure should be considered in evaluating a potential MVP's impact on a team? Given Curry's extremely high Field Goal Effectiveness, does his taking fewer shots help the team more than Harden and Westbrook taking more shots and scoring more? The league average for scoring per game is roughly 99.9 points (through about 76 games of the season). Each of the three help their team score at a higher rate than that, but Curry has led the Warriors to the highest scoring per game in the league. The comparison:
A natural question is whether this superior offensive performance comes at the expense of inferior defense. So we should include the average points given up per game by each team to round out the picture. Notice the Warriors allow fewer points per game than the league average while both the Thunder and the Rockets allow more than the league average. The combination for the Warriors means that they have the highest plus/minus in the league by quite a bit (the Warrior's 10.4 is 60% higher than the Clippers who are second at 6.5), and it is nearly double the sum of the plus/minus for the Rockets and Thunder combined.
The league also maintains plus/minus differential by player. That is how many more points a team scores than opponents when that player is on the floor. In all three cases, it seems clear the players are driving the team's effectiveness as their differential exceeds that of the teams (meaning that without them on the floor, the other team, on average, outscores their team). This statistic takes offense and defense into account and helps measure the influence a player has on his team's effectiveness.
This means that Curry is responsible for a 12.0-point improvement in plus/minus when on the floor versus how the team does when he isn't, while both Westbrook and Harden improve their team's plus/minus by 5.0 points. Given his top score in plus/minus, much higher Field Goal Effectiveness and TS%, combined with driving the Warriors to the top record in the league, it seems that Curry should be the league MVP and is on his way to becoming a Unicorn. As a VC, I would love to invest in him!
The recent ESPN selection of the top 20 players of the past 20 years is quite enlightening in how well the NBA markets their elite players compared to other sports. Despite the fact that football and baseball have a multiple of the number of players and are more popular sports, five of the 20 were from the NBA:
Number 1: Michael Jordon
Number 2: LeBron James
Number 8: Kobe Bryant
Number 11: Shaquille O'Neal
Number 14: Tim Duncan
There were 3 from football (all quarterbacks) and 2 each from baseball, tennis and soccer. And one each from 6 other sports (hockey, boxing, golf, swimming, track and cycling).
The four emerging stars (this includes Anthony Davis) we have discussed all have the potential to be on a future such list but their status among the greatest will also be dependent on their ability to win multiple championships. Winning MVPs makes a player great, winning multiple championships makes them one of the greatest.
Last night's game against the Blazers was further validation's of Curry's MVP bid. Curry delivered eight 3-pointers, hit 17 of 23 shots and went 7-of-7 in his 19-point fourth quarter. His last two threes were a combined distance of 55 feet, setting a new record for threes in season and breaking his own record!


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Young Professionals | Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Since its inauguration in June 2013, the Cypriot Young Professionals (CYP) have brought the community together both professionally and socially while at the same time, bringing important Cypriot and Greek causes to the forefront, engaging a new generation of inspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs.
As the Young Professionals of the CYPRUS-U.S. Chamber of Commerce (a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting trade and investment between Cyprus and the United States), CYP has continued to carry on with its mission of fostering business opportunities and creating closer ties amongst its members and the great business community in the United States.
Building a foundation for success by implementing impactful initiatives such as monthly networking events that highlight and celebrate specific Young Professionals and their successes to date, to round-table discussions, to meeting the President of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Nicos Anastasiades as well as other notables within the Cypriot Community including The Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Photis Photiou and Ambassador Mr. Vasilios Philippou, Consul General of the Republic of Cyprus, CYP has given and allowed its members to grow together and give back within this short amount of time.
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text:
Electron-impact excitation of Xe26+ and its resultant spectral signature
N.R. Badnell, K.A. Berrington, H.P. Summers, M.G. O'Mullane, A.D. Whiteford, C.P. Ballance
We have carried out a 129 close-coupling level Dirac-Coulomb R-matrix calculation for the electron-impact excitation of Ni-like Xe. We have utilized this data to generate the spectral signature of Xe26+ in terms of feature photon-emissivity coefficients F-P ECs. We have compared these F-P ECs with those generated using semi-relativistic plane-wave Born excitation data, which forms the heavy species baseline for the Atomic Data and Analysis Structure (ADAS). We find that the Born-based F-P ECs give a reasonable qualitative description of the spectral signature but that, quantitatively, the R-matrix-based F-P ECs differ by up to a factor of 2. The spectral signature of heavy species is key to diagnosing hot plasmas such as will be found in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.
Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/37/23/002
plasmas
spectral signature
Xe26+
10.1088/0953-4075/37/23/002
Dive into the research topics of 'Electron-impact excitation of Xe26+ and its resultant spectral signature'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
spectral signatures Physics & Astronomy 100%
electron impact Physics & Astronomy 75%
excitation Physics & Astronomy 36%
data structures Physics & Astronomy 33%
high temperature plasmas Physics & Astronomy 28%
emissivity Physics & Astronomy 26%
plane waves Physics & Astronomy 20%
reactors Physics & Astronomy 18%
Badnell, N. R., Berrington, K. A., Summers, H. P., O'Mullane, M. G., Whiteford, A. D., & Ballance, C. P. (2004). Electron-impact excitation of Xe26+ and its resultant spectral signature. Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, 37(23), 4589-4601. https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/37/23/002
Badnell, N.R. ; Berrington, K.A. ; Summers, H.P. et al. / Electron-impact excitation of Xe26+ and its resultant spectral signature. In: Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. 2004 ; Vol. 37, No. 23. pp. 4589-4601.
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title = "Electron-impact excitation of Xe26+ and its resultant spectral signature",
abstract = "We have carried out a 129 close-coupling level Dirac-Coulomb R-matrix calculation for the electron-impact excitation of Ni-like Xe. We have utilized this data to generate the spectral signature of Xe26+ in terms of feature photon-emissivity coefficients F-P ECs. We have compared these F-P ECs with those generated using semi-relativistic plane-wave Born excitation data, which forms the heavy species baseline for the Atomic Data and Analysis Structure (ADAS). We find that the Born-based F-P ECs give a reasonable qualitative description of the spectral signature but that, quantitatively, the R-matrix-based F-P ECs differ by up to a factor of 2. The spectral signature of heavy species is key to diagnosing hot plasmas such as will be found in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.",
keywords = "plasmas, spectral signature, Xe26+",
author = "N.R. Badnell and K.A. Berrington and H.P. Summers and M.G. O'Mullane and A.D. Whiteford and C.P. Ballance",
doi = "10.1088/0953-4075/37/23/002",
journal = "Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics",
Badnell, NR, Berrington, KA, Summers, HP, O'Mullane, MG, Whiteford, AD & Ballance, CP 2004, 'Electron-impact excitation of Xe26+ and its resultant spectral signature', Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, vol. 37, no. 23, pp. 4589-4601. https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/37/23/002
Electron-impact excitation of Xe26+ and its resultant spectral signature. / Badnell, N.R.; Berrington, K.A.; Summers, H.P. et al.
In: Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Vol. 37, No. 23, 14.12.2004, p. 4589-4601.
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AU - Whiteford, A.D.
AU - Ballance, C.P.
N2 - We have carried out a 129 close-coupling level Dirac-Coulomb R-matrix calculation for the electron-impact excitation of Ni-like Xe. We have utilized this data to generate the spectral signature of Xe26+ in terms of feature photon-emissivity coefficients F-P ECs. We have compared these F-P ECs with those generated using semi-relativistic plane-wave Born excitation data, which forms the heavy species baseline for the Atomic Data and Analysis Structure (ADAS). We find that the Born-based F-P ECs give a reasonable qualitative description of the spectral signature but that, quantitatively, the R-matrix-based F-P ECs differ by up to a factor of 2. The spectral signature of heavy species is key to diagnosing hot plasmas such as will be found in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.
AB - We have carried out a 129 close-coupling level Dirac-Coulomb R-matrix calculation for the electron-impact excitation of Ni-like Xe. We have utilized this data to generate the spectral signature of Xe26+ in terms of feature photon-emissivity coefficients F-P ECs. We have compared these F-P ECs with those generated using semi-relativistic plane-wave Born excitation data, which forms the heavy species baseline for the Atomic Data and Analysis Structure (ADAS). We find that the Born-based F-P ECs give a reasonable qualitative description of the spectral signature but that, quantitatively, the R-matrix-based F-P ECs differ by up to a factor of 2. The spectral signature of heavy species is key to diagnosing hot plasmas such as will be found in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.
KW - plasmas
KW - spectral signature
KW - Xe26+
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/37/23/002
U2 - 10.1088/0953-4075/37/23/002
DO - 10.1088/0953-4075/37/23/002
JO - Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
JF - Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Badnell NR, Berrington KA, Summers HP, O'Mullane MG, Whiteford AD, Ballance CP. Electron-impact excitation of Xe26+ and its resultant spectral signature. Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. 2004 Dec 14;37(23):4589-4601. doi: 10.1088/0953-4075/37/23/002

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Is All This Misery Worth It?
If the Democrats Want to Beat Trump, They Need to Take Off the Gloves in the Primary
Allan J. Lichtman
Trump Campaign Fires Its Own Pollsters After Leaked Polls Show Him Losing
The Best Sex Toys for Guys
Zachary Zane
Here's What Happens to Society When Everyone's a Jerk Online
Linguist and UC Berkeley professor Geoff Nunberg on what happens when we're all dicks on the internet, what "socialism" really means these days, and President Trump's disregard for the rules of capitalization.
Clay Skipper
Illustration by Alicia Tatone
Geoff Nunberg thinks deeply about words: the way they're used, the information they convey, and the impact they have on our ability to connect and communicate. If that sounds dry or ponderous, let the profane teenager trapped deep inside you be delighted by the fact that he wrote an entire book on the word "asshole."
That book—called Ascent of the A-Word: Assholism, the First Sixty Years—was excerpted in a 2012 Salon piece titled "Trump, Jobs, Zuckerberg: We Idolize Jerks." In it, the linguist and UC Berkeley professor deftly unpacks our society's fascination with high-achievers whose success and popularity is tethered to a particular brand of dickishness—George Patton, Steve Jobs, and, yes, Donald Trump. ("There have been eras that took a far more intense interest in spectacles of cruelty than ours, but none that was so transfixed by watching people act like assholes," he writes.) He also observes the increasing hostility of 2012 comment threads and makes a prediction that, seven years later, seems eerily prescient: Though people might never be comfortable doing their best screaming Steve Jobs impression in the check-out line at the grocery store, they would become increasingly comfortable being a snarky jerk online. (Bingo!)
Reading it now, what becomes clear is that Nunberg isn't just studying the ins and outs of language. He's using it as a lens to better understand the ways in which our society and culture is evolving. So at a time when language is facing significant change—emojis are used in place of sentences; words are misused, overused, or employed without respect for historical context; email exclamation points are at an all-time high—I wanted to ask Nunberg what the social and cultural costs of those changes might be.
But we spent most of the time talking about assholes.
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I was watching a segment you did on The Colbert Report, in 2006, and you were detailing how what once would have been a civil politics conversation about, say, what role government should play in the economy had basically turned into a shouting match. That seems very prescient. I'm curious what signs you were seeing then that made you maybe think it would lead to the moment we're at now.
I wrote a book called Ascent of the A Word in 2013. "Assholes" is an interesting category, because it's an intimate category. An asshole is the neighbor who's playing music at 3:00 in the morning, right? Saddam Hussein was not someone you'd call an asshole. He's a bad person, but "asshole" suggests a intimate relationship. It engenders the kind of anger you feel towards your intimates within the family. That's the particular tone of indignation that I hear on Fox, I see in the comment threads on Twitter—people are angry at each other in the way they're angry at the asshole neighbor. And there's a sense in which, yeah, the internet makes that possible.
There used to be a clear distinction between public and private in our communication. In John Dewey's "The Public and its Problems" in 1927, Dewey says something like, "Public opinion comes in through the eye, but it doesn't really take form until it's validated by the ear." In that era—pre-radio even—you read it and then you talked it over at the water cooler. Now, there's this continuum, from public to private communications, where there's this whole body of [communications that are] not public, but in public. You tweet, and you're not really public unless you're the president or you have thousands of followers on Twitter, but it's something you're doing in public. There are these degrees of self exposure.
Of course, Trump talks about people in public as he would in private. But, in general, that's what happens with this media. It used to be that if you wanted to be an asshole, you basically had to write on the wall of the bathroom. Now the whole world is a bathroom wall. As I wrote in that book, I don't think there are more assholes in the world than there were 50 years ago, but there are certainly a lot more opportunities for acting like one.
The whole thing about assholes is that you have permission to be an asshole to an asshole, right? The most interesting sentence of the last 30 years is "Mind your manners, asshole." If you're telling someone to mind their manners, you're being an asshole. The Dirty Harry movies basically invented that maneuver. They constructed the enemies or the criminals to be assholes, so that Clint Eastwood had a right to be an asshole back to them.
In the Salon excerpt of your book, you write about how people feel they can be more of an asshole on a blog than they could in line at the DMV. And then you write, "While these activities don't generally inflict the personal injuries that assholism can at work or school, it can be enormously destructive of the fabric of public life." What is the destruction it brings into public life?
Because it percolates into public discourse, a place where there have always been constraints. And assholism gives politicians on both sides—and particularly on the right—the opportunity to depict the other sides as assholes, so that their followers have the pleasure of being assholes back at them.
"It used to be that if you wanted to be an asshole, you basically had to write on the wall of the bathroom. Now the whole world is a bathroom wall."
Why particularly on the right?
I think it happens on the left now too. History's rich with styles of assholes, but I think there's a tradition on the right—particularly the populist right—of a certain kind of indignation. Peter Viereck, a writer in the '50s, his critique of modern conservatism was that it was "guilty of causing the emotional deep freeze that makes young people ashamed of generous social impulses," and that always struck me as a very good characterization of that particular rhetoric.
What are the ramifications for interpersonal communication when there's this lack of public decency?
We have had, historically, a certain language in public life, removed from the language we use in our everyday interactions. But language of everyday interactions has bubbled up into public life, so that you can treat the personalities and issues in public life as if they were no different from the personalities and issues of 11th grade. That idea that there should be a special language and a special set of norms in our public interaction, that's crumbling. Now, it's not crumbling everywhere. It's not crumbling in The New Yorker, The New York Times. It is crumbling in the things that public figures say about each other, whether they're politicians or entertainers, or whatever. And the easy exposure that those remarks get. I mean, Draymond Green has a thought about Kevin Durant, and there it is on Twitter. I'm more concerned about that, frankly. [laughs]
Now, it's been going on for a long time. FDR's fireside chats, the very fact that they were called chats and the idea that he was just sitting there and people were sitting at their hearths, or in their cars. It seemed as if for the first time, the President was intimately speaking, via radio, to every household in America. But if you listen to those chats, the language is, by modern standards, pretty formal. That was impressively informal for them; now it strikes us as quite formal. We expect a much more relaxed, colloquial, intimate kind of language, even from our public figures.
That's a long development, more than a century of informalization—some historians have called it—of public language and public norms. But what's happened lately, due in part to the particular people who have come to the surface and due in part to the media they have at their disposal, that the line between public and private has just dissolved.
Why is that line important?
We have different norms for evaluating things or people in public. Presumably, when we're choosing among Senatorial candidates, it's not the same as when we're choosing kids for our Glee Club. We use different language and different norms. "Billy's stupid," is a perfectly reasonable thing to say about a kid in high school, if he's stupid. It's not a perfectly reasonable thing to say about a Senatorial candidate.
I mean, "stupid" is a really interesting word. Stupid is the first swear word we learn, the first word that your parents tell you not to use. "Don't say stupid." And, Trump's insults, "loser" and "stupid," have that intimate, high school, grade school feel to them. I couldn't find any other political figure who had used it—except, I think, Chuck Grassley once called Obama "stupid." People say, "That's a stupid idea" or "this plan is stupid" but they don't call each other stupid in public life. But Trump does, and people do it all the time on these comment threads.
Newspapers and magazines used to be the sort of arbiters of culture in a way. Like, "Here are the things that matter." Now, with the democratization of voice, anyone can chime in to the public discourse. I'm curious what that means, societally, in terms of conveying information.
Dictionaries used to be kind of a distillation of the language of high brow culture, back when we had brows: high, middle, and low. Those brows were shaven somewhere around 1965—they're no more brows. Dictionaries decided, "Now, we're just going to record everything." Within 10 years, dictionaries were happily recording everything. I mean, Homer Simpson's "D'oh" is in the Oxford Dictionary.
But, now, you have people saying, "Hey, words matter." When they're going to the dictionary to find out what a word means, it's important to them. When somebody says "alternative facts," they want to know what facts mean. I'm thinking, "If you say words matter, you mean there are right ways and wrong ways to use words." That contradicts the kind of descriptive, anything-goes ethos that you adopted in the 1960s. "Words matter" means "use a word correctly;" and "use words correctly" implies a source of cultural authority: "This is how you use that word. This is how you not use that word."
"If you're the sort of person to ignore the rules of capitalization, what other rules would you ignore?"
What responsibility do we have to consider a word's historical context when we use it?
Look at "nationalist." After Trump said, "I'm a nationalist," his guys were going and citing the dictionary: "Well, it means love of your country, blah, blah, blah. What's wrong with that?" What's wrong with that is Nazi Germany. This word "nationalist" has got a lot of shit stains on its boots. The dictionary doesn't include that. This happens over and over again with the language in public life. People say, "Black/white racism and white/black racism are the same thing," where, historically, it's not quite like that. I think people are looking for a kind of cultural authority to do that for them. They want language to be used in a certain way in public life. They want to be able to call people on their misuse of language.
If you'll cast your mind back to Johnson's Dictionary in 1755: in the early 18th century, you have all these people saying, "The language is falling apart. It's changing too rapidly. We have neither chart nor compass." And Samuel Johnson says, "Okay, I'm going to give you a dictionary. This dictionary will show how you can take quotations from people, abstract away from them, create a definition that determines the correct use of the word, and ascertain whether the word is being used right or not." In a certain sense, that settles the anxiety people have about letting public opinion take the cultural role that had been traditionally held by the aristocracy—the church, Parliament, the universities, and so on—and let public opinion do that.
If you give that authority to public opinion, you have to have a way of holding public discourse to certain standards… The way people get upset with the way Trump uses language is kind of a stand in for all the ways that Trump upsets them in general. If you're the sort of person to ignore the rules of capitalization, what other rules would you ignore?
What happens to words that are increasingly overused? I'm thinking about a word like "toxic."
Toxic is one of those words, that had a moment, and it's widely applied. It loses the connection to toxicity that it originally had. And that's a natural process. That routinely happens with words. They are overused, like everything else, like style or fashion.
"Socialism" is a very interesting word in play now, and everybody has an interest in misappropriating it. It sort of belonged to the right since 1920, and they had this Marxist view of it. And you get these kids who are starting to describe themselves as socialists. I got a kid who said to me the other day, "Socialism is cool." That's really interesting, because cool is when something is new and shiny. In Britain, people don't think socialism is cool, because they've always had socialism. And if you say, "I'm a socialist," you're saying I'm a socialist like George Orwell or The Clash.
In the US, what they mean is kind of a New Deal democrat. With the exception of a few lefties, they don't mean anything different than, "I'm a progressive." In the surveys they say, "Oh, I'm in favor of universal healthcare and free college tuition," but nothing that progressives and liberals haven't been in favor of all along. It's rebranding an old concept—like the Mini Cooper, this cool car from the '60s that they rebranded, put a BMW engine in it, and it becomes cool again.
For the republicans, it's as if the kids who call themselves socialists are validating what they've always said: "See, we've always said that Medicare was socialist and now these people are [proving it]." But it doesn't mean that. They're not socialists in any historical sense of the word. So to say there are millions of millennial socialists is to misrepresent [what's happening], because they're not really socialists.
And then you have "capitalist" on the other side. You have all these people like Elizabeth Warren saying, "I'm not a socialist, I'm a capitalist." But we never use "capitalist" to mean somebody who believes in capitalism. In 2010, people under 30—the Gen Xer's—68% had a positive view of capitalism. Now with the millennials, it's 44%. That's an extraordinary shift in just ten years. But then you ask [Millennials] about free enterprise and it's a 75% approval. They don't like capitalism, but they're okay with with free enterprise. "Capitalism" doesn't mean capitalism—it doesn't mean "market system." It means rich assholes.
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Cat must avoid thunder and not getting wet. Use left and right arrow keys to move.
Well... I couldn't think of anything else but making a snake clone :/ Poor thing is all alone :( Arrow Keys to move.
Sales time! Avoid the crazy customers and get to that cashier with the left mouse button!
Collect the cubes of the same color as yourself !
- Enter to start - Arrows to move - Collect spheres - Escape the cube!


text:
Cherokee Nation Hosting Celebration of First-language Cherokee Speakers
Cherokee National Treasure and linguist Durbin Feeling, a Cherokee speaker, was first to sign the Cherokee Speakers Roll Book when it was created in 2019 to ide
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation is hosting a celebration of first language Cherokee speakers Friday, Sept. 27 at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah.
As a part of the United Nations General Assembly's International Year of Indigenous Languages, the Cherokee Nation Translation Department and Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program have partnered to host the Celebration of Cherokee Speakers from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will celebrate the Cherokee language and the carriers of the Cherokee language through fellowship, entertainment and gifts for speakers.
"Our language is intertwined with our identity as a people," said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. "The more we recognize and appreciate our speakers, the more we encourage the survival of a language that, without those speakers and the dedicated staff and educators of our tribe, would cease to exist. By celebrating our language and those who speak it, it will flourish in future generations."
In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. This resolution was written to raise awareness of Indigenous languages and to celebrate the contribution they make to the world's rich cultural diversity.
The international celebration also coincides with the Cherokee Nation's efforts to preserve the Cherokee language. Among Chief Hoskin's first-100-days-in-office initiatives is the largest investment in language programs in the Cherokee Nation's history. The proposal will use millions of dollars in business profits to create a new language learning center, and will also quadruple the size of the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program, an adult immersion program that pairs novice language learners with master-level fluent Cherokee speakers 40 hours a week for two years.
"When our people need the best doctors, lawyers or carpenters, with the proper resources, we can get them from all over the world," said Howard Paden, director of the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program. "The one thing that can't be imported is the Cherokee language. The revitalization of this precious commodity will be determined from within. This is why it is so important that we as a people rally around our remaining speakers and learn from them."
First-language Cherokee speakers who have not had the opportunity to sign the Cherokee Speaker Roll Book will have the chance to do so during the celebration of speakers. Entertainment will be provided by Cherokee storytellers, singers and fiddlers. Attendees should bring lawn chairs.
Learn more about the Cherokee language by visiting language.cherokee.org.
For more information about the celebration, contact Paden, at Howard-Paden@cherokee.org or call 918-207-4995.
The post Cherokee Nation Hosting Celebration of First-language Cherokee Speakers appeared first on Native News Online.


William Sicard, of Clinton, recently won a Spring Training Sweepstakes trip to Florida from Dunkin� Donuts. He brought his brother as his guest on the March 22 through 25 trip.The contest was called �Swing into Spring Training Sweepstakes� and was hosted on Redsox.com. Entrants were eligible to win a trip to spring training. Sicard received a trip for two to Lee County, Fla. The prize package included flights on JetBlue, three nights hotel accommodations, a rental car, and tickets to Red Sox games at JetBlue Park to see the Red Sox vs. Yankees game on March 22 and the Red Sox vs. Phillies game on March 24. Sicard also received admission to an exclusive reception and game-day BBQ featuring a season preview with Red Sox field personnel and select Red Sox players, including Jarrod Saltamacchia, Mike Aviles, Darnell McDonald and General Manager Ben Cherrington.
On Sunday, March 11, on a warm, sunny, spring like day, 52 Clinton Middle/High School Band members, their director, Robin Quist, and eight parent chaperones represented Clinton and marched in the Worcester Saint Patrick�s Day Parade. The Middle/High School Band is made up of musicians in grades 7 to 12. After the parade, the musicians returned to the high school for a much earned meal of pizza, fruit and desert.
On March 25, the St. Patrick�s Day Parade Committee held its 30th annual Awards Night in Worcester. The Clinton Middle/High School Band received second place in the Small High School Division. Quist was in attendance and accepted the plaque on behalf of the schools.
Georgetown University named Michael Giansanti, of Clinton to the fall 2011 dean�s list.
Layne Sadler, son of Dennis and Catherine Sadler of Lancaster, was recently named to the president�s list at Bentley University. Layne is a rising senior majoring in marketing and computer information systems.
Erin Sadler, daughter of Dennis and Catherine Sadler of Lancaster, was recently named to the dean�s list at the College of William and Mary. Erin is a rising senior majoring in neuroscience.
John Ford, of Lancaster, will serve as vice chairman of the Workers� Credit Union board of directors. He has been a member of the Workers� board since 1999, is chairman of the nominating committee and serves on the executive committee. He is also a director of Workers� Financial Services LLC.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute named several local residents to the fall dean�s list: Kaitlin Signor, a junior majoring in business and management/psychology, from Clinton; Nicole Booman, a sophomore majoring in mathematics, from Berlin; Jonathan Duval, a junior majoring in business and management/civil engineering, Thomas Lanciani, a senior majoring in electronic media, arts and communications, and Jeremy Lane, a freshman majoring in aeronautical engineering, from Sterling; Benjamin Ciummo, a sophomore majoring in computer science and Nicholas Lawrence, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering/sustainability studies, both from Bolton.
Baesis, Inc., owned by Lancaster resident Frank Leonard, recently hired three industry veterans: Steven Rosendahl was appointed director of professional services, James Raciot, senior account representative, and Len Diana, marketing and sales manager.
�We are excited to add the level of experience our three newest employees bring,� Leonard said.


text:
Сара Дюстер (, ) — немецкая профессиональная велогонщица.

Карьера
Она начала заниматься велоспортом в 1994 году и добилась определённых успехов в молодёжных категориях. В 1997 году она заняла третье место на  среди кадетов и победила в нескольких дисциплинах на национальном чемпионате по трековому велоспорту. В следующем году она заняла второе место на чемпионате Германии по шоссейному велоспорту среди юниоров. В 2000 году она выиграла национальный титул в индивидуальной гонке среди юниоров. В том же году Сара Дюстер заняла восьмое место в индивидуальной гонке Чемпионата мира по шоссейному велоспорту среди юниоров. В 2001 и 2002 годах она выступала за команду Штутгарта. В 2002 году она выиграла молодёжную классификацию на Туре Тюрингии. В следующем году она выиграла Кубок Германии. В 2003 году она присоединилась к команде Redbull Frankfurt. В 2005 году она присоединилась к команде Therme Skin Care. Она занимала почётные места на различных этапах международных гонок. В дополнение к велоспорту она получила педагогическое образование в период с 2002 по 2006 годы.

С 2006 по 2010 год Сара Дюстер выступала за команду Univega Pro Cycling Team, которая периодически меняла своё наименование. В 2006 году она заняла четвёртое место в Хроно Наций. В 2007 году она заняла шестое место в  и такое же место в Хроно Наций. В 2008 и 2009 годах вместе со своими товарищами по команде она выиграла командную гонку Опен Воргорда TTT. В 2009 году она выиграла Трофео Коста Этруска II в Монтескудайо, опередив пелотон на шесть секунд. В апреле она выиграла Гран-при Доттиньи с отрывом в тридцать восемь секунд от . На этапе Кубка мира в Туре Дренте она ушла в отрыв и финишировала четвёртой.

На чемпионате мира 2009 года она не смогла стартовать, потому что федерация забыла зарегистрировать её для участия в соревнованиях. На следующий год она снова прошла отбор, но не смогла приступить к работе из-за падения на тренировке. В 2010 году она выиграла этап в Туре Тюрингии и пролог Рут де Франс феминин, где также заняла десятое место в общем зачёте. Сара Дюстер участвовала в  Чемпионата мира по шоссейному велоспорту 2011 года, где заняла 56 место. В том же году она выступала за команду Nederland Bloeit, которая в 2012 году была переименована в Stichting Rabo Women.

В конце 2012 года она ушла из спорта.

Личная жизнь
Её отец Роланд работает продавцом, а мать Марита — домохозяйка. Её брат Маркус — тоже велосипедист.

Достижения

2000
   среди юниоров — индивидуальная гонка
 8-я в  — индивидуальная гонка
2003
 3-я в Женском Туре — на приз Чешской Швейцарии
2005
 9-я в Туре Нюрнберга (Кубок мира)
2007
 Пролог Тура Тюрингии (командная гонка с раздельным стартом)
 6-я в Опен Воргорда RR (Кубок мира)
2008
 Опен Воргорда TTT (Кубок мира)
 3-я в Женском Туре — на приз Чешской Швейцарии
2009
 Опен Воргорда TTT (Кубок мира)
 Гран-при Доттиньи
 Трофео Коста Этруска II
 Блауэ Стад TTT
 4-я в Туре Дренте (Кубок мира)
2010
 Пролог Рут де Франс феминин
 5-й этап Тура Тюрингии
 3-я в Женском Туре — на приз Чешской Швейцарии
 6-я в Туре Дренте (Кубок мира)
2011
 3-я в Стер Зеувс Эйанден
2012
 3-я в Омлоп ван Борселе

Статистика выступления на Гранд-турах

Рейтинги

Примечания

Литература

Ссылки

Велогонщики Германии

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
SKILLET Announces Winter 2020 North American Tour With FROM ASHES TO NEW And LEDGER
SKILLET will return to the road in North America this winter in support of its tenth album, "Victorious", out now. The band's headline trek will kick off on February 6 in Wichita, Kansas and run through March 14 in Norfolk, Virginia. Support on the tour will come from FROM ASHES TO NEW and LEDGER, the latter of which features SKILLET drummer Jen Ledger. SKILLET is fresh off back-to-back fall 2019 co-headline North American tours with SEVENDUST and ALTER BRIDGE, respectively. The band just wrapped a sold-out headline tour of Europe as well.
"The whole band is excited to play new music and meet with the fans on the 'Victorious' tour," says SKILLET frontman John Cooper. "There's something about going out on tour, connecting with fans, and having enough time to play everyone's favorite song — whether it's from the new album or hits from the 'Collide' or 'Awake' days. We wanted this tour to be very fan-focused so we went to our fans to build out the set list and added two VIP experiences, a Q&A, and a M&G, so there's something for everyone."
He continues: "The support on this tour is unreal. We reconnected with FROM ASHES TO NEW at a festival this summer and I knew we had to have them out on the road. I'm also stoked to have LEDGER back out and to introduce the band to SKILLET fans who haven't seen her rock live yet. This tour is going to be insane and we're ready for it."
All upcoming dates are below. The pre-sale is set for Tuesday, December 3 at noon EST. The public on-sale is slated for Friday, December 6 at 10 a.m. local time. SKILLET will be offering two VIP presale packages, including a Q&A Experience with exclusive SKILLET merchandise and a limited number of M&G Experiences available at www.skillet.com/tour with the presale password "VICTORIOUS."
In other SKILLET news, the band is celebrating its tenth Top 10 Active Rock single with "Legendary". In addition to the track being tapped as the official theme song for WWE's "Raw" on USA network, the WWE also used the song as the trailer for the "2K20" video game. The NBA, NCA and MLB have also featured the energetic track.
SKILLET on tour with FROM ASHES TO NEW and LEDGER:
Feb. 06 - Wichita, KS - The Cotillion
Feb. 07 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
Feb. 08 - Sioux Falls, SD - The District
Feb. 10 - Idaho Falls, ID - Idaho Falls Civic Center
Feb. 12 - Casper, WY - Casper Events Center
Feb. 13 - Billings, MT - The Pub Station Ballroom
Feb. 15 - Abbotsford, BC - Abbotsford Centre
Feb. 18 - Medford, OR - Medford Armory
Feb. 19 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
Feb. 20 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
Feb. 21 - Ventura, CA - Majestic Ventura Theater
Feb. 23 - Orange County, CA - City National Grove of Anaheim
Feb. 26 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
Feb. 28 - Fort Smith, AR - TempleLive
Feb. 29 - Huntsville, AL - Mars Music Hall
Mar. 01 - Atlanta, GA - The Loft at Center Stage
Mar. 04 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
Mar. 05 - Greensboro, NC - Piedmont Hall
Mar. 07 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
Mar. 08 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
Mar. 10 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
Mar. 11 - Portland, ME - State Theatre
Mar. 13 - Clifton Park, NY - Upstate Concert Hall
Mar. 14 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
Tags: skillet


What do I do? Couldn't find the answer in the FAQs? Open the Bluetooth settings on your PC and search for new devices. Login to register your Trust product s Register product. Unfortunately, we do not have service centers to repair products. What do I do?
Login to register your Trust product s Register product. We offer a 'return to retailer' warranty on our products. Warranty will be void in cases of opened products, physical damage, misuse, modification, repair by keybosrd persons, carelessness and using the product for other purpose than its intended trust wireless keyboard. What you can do to solve this, trust wireless keyboard to use a random code for example, on your own keyboard and on the Trust keyboard too.
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text:
Struggling to shine
By Proma Chakraborty on May 16, 2019
While Student of the Year 2 starring star kids is running on the big screen, here's a play that brings forth the endless struggles of actors who are yet to make their break in Bollywood
From a farmer's son working as a chemist in Vadodara to one of the finest actors in Bollywood today, Nawazuddin Siddiqui's journey to stardom has been quite a struggle.
Graduating from the National School of Drama in 1996, he moved to Mumbai in the hope of getting a break in Bollywood – which took him almost a decade. From being an extra to acting in a few short films, he moved from studio to casting offices, till he finally bagged a big role in Black Friday (2007). However, it was not until 2012 that his breakthrough movie Gangs of Wasseypur made him an overnight star. After that, there was no looking back.
Nawazuddin is not just another actor any more, in fact, he is more of a metaphor – symbolic of countless such actors who didn't get that one chance, who will eventually get lucky and those who are still waiting for it. Mumbai — the city of dreams is full of them, most often referred to as strugglers.
Taking you through the challenging journey of such struggling artists, Bloody Bombay is an amalgam of stories of struggle, survival and success. Directed by Happy Ranajit, the play delves into the not-so-glam side of the showbiz world through the journey of human emotions, ethics and existence.
Traveling to Mumbai for his shows or perhaps to meet his friends, it's the frustration of the struggling actors that caught Ranajit's attention and inspired him to write a play. "Everybody aspires to be the next Nawaz or Irrfan Khan. It is a question of an existentialism where they set out every day to land a role but come back empty handed," he says.
Ranajit felt that such tales need to be told because most of the stories out there are success stories of artists after they actually makes it big. "There are so many good actors who are simply not getting the right break and have been patiently waiting for so many years," he adds.
And casting such actors in the drama is perhaps what makes his play even more sincere. Ranajit keeps it as real as possible, which is why he says that he tried his best to cast real strugglers.
Striving both on and off the stage, artists like Akash Mahamana, Mohit Raj Saxena, Harshvardhan Chaturvedi, Aditya Sinha, Anmol Dahiya, and Harshit Khatana, are not new to the world of theatre but are yet to make their mark in Bollywood. Playing the roles of struggling actors, their real-life struggles added an element of reality to the narrative.
The constant grill of auditions, casting and rejections are to an extent quite well understood by these actors and they bring such emotions to the stage effortlessly. This has definitely helped in making this drama popular.
Part of the Popular Theatre Festival by Unicorn Actors Studio, that puts together productions which have been runaway hits, Bloody Bombay could not have been performed at a better time.
Student of the Year 2, which most reviewers have simply put as "unnecessary and unwatchable" is currently running in the cinemas. For the uninitiated, this Karan Johar film casts star kids – Tiger Shroff (Jackie Shroff's son) and Ananya Panday (Chunky Panday's daughter), and has garnered a good number in box office, despite such reviews.
For Ranajit the examples of such films work quite well for his drama and help in driving home a point. "The play itself is about such artists who are struggling and challenging nepotism. These actors do not have a source or a godfather in the industry," he adds.
Depicting the unsaid part of this glamorous world, the one scene that stands out the most and perhaps, sums up the entire essence of the drama, is also one of Ranajit's favourite. "There is one point, where we perform the suicide letter of Jia Khan. This is juxtaposed with Sanjay's speech from Mahabharat who narrates the whole catastrophe of war to Dhritarastra and draws parallel to the situation that most actors are in Mumbai."
So could these actors be the next Nawaz? Drop in to experience the journey of how a person becomes a star or perhaps continues struggling to become one…
The theatre festival will start from May 17 onwards at Akshara Theatre and Shri Ram Centre
Published in Art and Culture and Lifestyle
Proma Chakraborty
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As an agent for young musicians and with dreams about an indigenous hip-hop label, Ankit Khanna goes wherever his love for music leads him Hailing...


text:
Meet The Owner - The Pringle Family Triumph 1500
'For most people, it brings them back to when they were learning to drive' is just one response to the 1972 Triumph owned by Andrew Pringle's father John. The other near inevitable questions they regularly face are 'Is it a Toledo?' or 'is it a Dolomite'? In fact it is none other than a now uber-rare 1500, the last FWD car to bear the Triumph badge before the launch of the Acclaim.
As almost any enthusiast of British Leyland cars knows only too well, the compact Triumph saloon range of 1965 to 1980 is one of mind-melting complexity. The 1300, the company's first ever front wheel drive car, debuted 54 years ago and by 1970 it was effectively replaced by two models.
The Toledo featured an entry-level specification and RWD to ensure it would also appeal to former Herald 1200 owners, while the 1500 retained the FWD layout combined with an elongated boot and bonnet, plus a 1,493cc power plant.
The '1 ½ litre limousine', as the adverts modestly described the latest four-door Triumph, was nicely equipped; for his/her £1,127 6s 5d, the proud owner, gained a car with a telescopic steering column, a multi-adjustable driver's seat, quad headlamps, two-speed wipers and a cigar lighter as standard.
It was also rather elegant and understated, with looks that were a world apart from its Cortina Mk. III contemporary. If the Ford appealed to the motorist who aspired to be Roger Moore in The Persuaders!, the 1500 was more for drivers whose role model was Terry Scott in Carry On Loving.
Autocar noted the 'prestige' bestowed on the owner of a 1500, and it did occupy a distinctive niche within the British car market. Of its BL contemporaries, the Austin/Morris 1300GT and the Wolseley 18/85 were both aimed at very different customer bases while neither Ford, Vauxhall nor Chrysler UK had a comparable front-wheel-drive offering.
However, when the Dolomite made its bow at the 1971 Earls Court Motor Show, the 1500 looked somewhat isolated within the marque's hierarchy. By October 1973 the original model was replaced by the RWD 1500TC which was facelifted as the Dolomite 1500 HL in March 1976.
By the late 1980s, the 1500 was already a fairly unusual sight, and the Pringles came across their example seven years ago. Andrew recalls that although the Triumph had resided in a garage for a considerable period 'there wasn't much work to do – just cosmetics. My dad says he likes the drive of it and the fact of its easy maintenance and what I like is its recognisable, unique shape'.
Andrew is aged 22 and regarding the mental adjustments he had to make when taking the wheel of a car from the days of Alice Cooper singing School's Out. 'As with driving different vehicles, you tend to turn on wipers instead of indicators. The turning circle is a bit wider than other cars, and these are just little things you pick up on, but the car is simple to drive and has minimal controls'.
Most importantly, Andrew finds the 1500 to be a 'comfortable car and an all-round pleasure to drive' – which was Triumph's original intention nearly five decades ago.


text:
University of Arkansas Community College, Morrilton (UACCM)
University of Arkansas Community College, Morrilton
University of Arkansas Community College, Morrilton Student Essentials
Small Town Setting
Medium (2,000 to 5,000 Undergrad)
www.uaccm.edu
On-Campus Housing Available:
Parking Permit Required:
Selectivity:
Open Admissions
In-State Tuition:
Out-of-State Tuition:
Retention Rate:
About UACCM
A community college with a direct affiliation with an established state university, University of Arkansas Community College in Morrilton, Arkansas (UACCM) provides vocational training and certification as well as guaranteed university transfer.
Students at UACCM may get an associate's degree or career certification in such fields as:
Since the college in Morrilton is now merged with the University of Arkansas, students may also go for an academic associate's degree in such areas as:
With one of these two-year degrees, one is assured transfer to University of Arkansas with a guarantee that all relevant credits will apply to their bachelor's program.
College life opportunities include more than 30 student clubs and organizations and help students to become more engaged while developing crucial communication, leadership and other skills.
Job-placement services are also available for those who choose a vocational degree or certificate.
Financial services are also available to all students who qualify. Need-based financial aid includes federal awards, such as Pell grants, loans and state grants. Those who have a particular skill or a record of strong academic performance may also qualify for academic or technical scholarships award by the school.
UACC has an open admissions policy as well, so that virtually anyone with a high school diploma or GED may attend.
UACCM Map & Location
Morrilton, AR 72110
View campus map for University of Arkansas Community College, Morrilton
Getting Around UACCM
Very good walkability. We recommend walking in this area.
Seasonal average temperatures for Morrilton, AR
UACCM Students
Ethnic Diversity:
Latino: 5%
African American: 10%
Caucasian: 80%
American Indian or Alaska native: 1%
Asian: 1%
Unknown and Other: 4%
Unknown and Other
Undergraduate 100%
Graduate %
Full-Time 0%
Part-Time 100%
International 0%
Domestic 100%
Similar to University of Arkansas Community College, Morrilton
Arkansas State University, Beebe
University of Arkansas Community College, Batesville
Arkansas State University, Mountain Home
Arkansas State University, Newport
Southern Arkansas University Tech
Other Schools Near Morrilton, AR
Little Rock Colleges (12)
Where does this school information come from?
This web site and associated pages are not associated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by University of Arkansas Community College, Morrilton (UACCM). CampusExplorer.com has no official or unofficial affiliation with University of Arkansas Community College, Morrilton (UACCM).


text:
title: "Mastering Paper by FiftyThree: Faux Layer Technique"
last_modified_at:
excerpt: "Discover the faux layer technique and how it can aid in sketching and tracing with Paper by FiftyThree."
tags: [Paper by 53, tutorial, layers, erase]
image:
  path: &image /assets/images/paper-53-faux-layers-feature.jpg
  feature: *image
  teaser: /assets/images/paper-53-faux-layers-teaser.jpg
  thumb: /assets/images/paper-53-faux-layers-th.jpg
---

Up until recently I would painstakingly erase and Blend away lines until I got them just right when drawing with Paper by FiftyThree.

When [version 2.2](http://news.fiftythree.com/post/104844221313/paper-update-2-2-holiday-bonus-edition-happy) was released this past December, along with it came a Color Picker and a way to swap page colors whenever you wanted. Using these new features and a carefully mixed color, I'm going to show you how a "faux" layer can help with sketching and tracing.

{% include toc.html %}

## Replicating the Background Color

Have you noticed that the default page color in **Paper by FiftyThree** isn't a pure white? If you haven't here's a quick comparison between the two that makes the difference obvious.

Default background color compared against pure white.

The key to the "faux" layer trick is matching the color you sketch with exactly to the default background color.

Default background color mix: 48/2/96

There's two ways of getting this color into your Paper palette:

1. Use the [Color Picker]({{ site.url }}{% post_url /mastering-paper/2014-12-18-color-picker %}) eyedropper to sample an empty spot on the canvas.
2. Tap the small circle inside of the [Color Mixer]({{ site.url }}{% post_url /mastering-paper/2013-07-31-introduction-tool-guide %}#color-mixer) and adjust the 3 sliders to have the following values (48/2/96).

Whichever way you end up choosing I suggest you drag this newly mixed off-white color to an open slot in one of your palettes --- for safe keeping of course.

Drag a color to an open palette slot and release to save it.

## Setting the Background

If you were to start sketching now it would look like you weren't drawing anything at all. To make these off-white lines more visible, we need to fill in the background with a contrasting color. In this example I went with a gray, but you can choose whatever color you want (we'll delete it later so don't agonize over the perfect color selection).

To fill in the background, simply drag a swatch from one of your palettes (or the [Color Mixer]({{ site.url }}{% post_url /mastering-paper/2013-07-31-introduction-tool-guide %}#color-mixer)) onto the canvas. When done correctly it should fill in the entire background leaving you with something like this:

Quickly fill in the background by dragging a color onto the canvas and releasing.

## Sketching with White

Now the fun begins! Select the off-white color you sampled/mixed earlier and begin sketching.

Sketching in off-white with the expectation of tracing over it with a darker color.

As you sketch don't worry about whether your strokes are perfect, they won't be part of the finished drawing so be loose and free with them.

#### ProTip: Sketch with the pencil tool
To yield the best results with the "faux" layer technique I suggest using the pencil tool. It blends into the default page color better than the harsh edges produced by the ink tools.

## Tracing Your Drawing

Select a darker color to trace over the white sketch with.

Once you get the general composition of your drawing locked down you'll want to change the color to something darker. Depending on the background color you initially filled the canvas with you may need to adjust it so these new strokes show up.

Using the rough sketch as a guide trace over the white lines with a tool and color of your choice. I used a single color for my tracing but if you happen to change your color as you work it may be necessary to alter the background. You'll know this is the case when your tracing blends into the background making it difficult to tell if you're laying down a mark.

Continue tracing your white sketch and add shadows and other details as you desire.

In the example above I took the tracing one step further by adding dark shadows using a [cross-hatching technique]({{ site.url }}{% post_url /mastering-paper/2014-02-09-basics %}#ink-techniques). This step is completely optional, you really just want to establish enough contours and values to "inform" the drawing.

## Erasing the Faux Layer

Tap and hold on the Eraser tool and then select Clear Page Color.

Once you're happy with things the next step is to remove all of the white lines. If you tap and hold on the Eraser tool for 2 seconds you'll be given the option to **Clear Ink** or **Clear Page Color**.

Tap **Clear Page Color** and watch as the background and rough sketch disappear, leaving behind a pristinely traced image.

All that remains now is the traced drawing.

Now you can continue adding to page by drawing and painting on top of what remains. I think you'll find this method is so much faster than having to carefully [erase or Blend away lines]({{ site.url }}{% post_url /mastering-paper/2014-10-25-erasing %}) from an "under-drawing."

And here is how the faux layer trick for Paper by FiftyThree looks in sequence.

## Other Uses

Because I mostly do portrait work it never crossed my mind that this technique could have other applications.

@mmistakes your dark background trick is sweet. now i'm trying to make a grid based on that idea: even sweeter.
— Ron Jeffries (@RonJeffries) April 13, 2015

I think Ron is onto something and brings up a great use for the faux layer method. In a previous Mastering Paper tutorial I showed how [using grids]({{ site.url }}{% post_url /mastering-paper/2014-07-06-grid-method %}) could help a beginner draw more accurately. Creating a grid comprised of off-white lines would sure make hiding them a breeze don't you think?

Grid template available for free on FiftyThree's Mix service.

So with that in mind here's a [grid template](https://mix.fiftythree.com/11098-Michael-Rose/2854744) I shared on Mix. Save it to your Paper journal, remix your own variations for others to build off of, or share what you created with it on Mix or in the comments below.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
When you hear the word superhero, the first person that comes to mind is most likely male. Batman? Probably. Superman? Likely. Spiderman or Captain America? Definitely maybe.
The reality is it might take you a moment to come up with a female counterpart.
Now this isn't necessarily your fault as up until recently comic books and movies based on comics have been squarely aimed at a male audience. But times are changing and the audience of one of Marvel Studios' most recent movies, Avengers: Age of Ultron, was 41% female.
With nearly half of the audience being female one would think we'd have blockbuster female-fronted comic book movies every summer.
You'd be wrong. We don't even have one. Yet…
Since the 2008 release of Iron Man, there have been 15 Marvel Studios films all featuring male heroes as the lead characters. DC isn't much better with nine superhero movies since Batman Begins in 2005 with eight of those focusing on a singular male hero.
Marvel has the spy hero Black Widow in the Avengers line up but after first appearing in Iron Man 2 back in 2010 she hasn't been up to much besides being relegated to side-hero status on the Avengers. She doesn't even make it onto most Avengers merchandise!
DC seemed as though it may pull ahead in the female super hero movie race when they cast Gal Godot as Wonder Woman back in 2013. But, here we are three years later, having to wait another year for her stand-alone film.
There is some promise on Marvel's side of the fence with female fronted television shows like Agent Carter, focusing on the strong female character Peggy Carter who creates the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D (Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division).
Now, that's all well and good but, while Peggy Carter most definitely kicks ass, she isn't a superhero in the traditional comic book sense of the word.
Last year Marvel debuted the Netflix series Daredevil which features female characters in key leading roles. These women serve greater purpose than as sidekicks or a love interests and I count that as a victory. It is, at the very least, a step in the right direction!
An exciting entry in the comic book television universe is another Marvel Netflix production, Jessica Jones.
This dark and violent series actually takes place right after her brief time in the superhero spotlight, with Jones trying to rebuild her life as a private investigator specializing in cases with people who have "remarkable abilities" in New York City.
Jessica Jones averaged 4.8 million viewers in the 18-49 age range per episode over a span of 35 days after its initial release, which compares favorably with shows airing on traditional networks.
Not to be left behind, DC features several strong female superheros on their CW shows Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow and have Supergirl patrolling the skies on CBS. Those shows are all doing fantastically well in the ratings and proves audiences are accepting female superheros as readily as their male costumed counterparts.
The comic book universe is no longer just a man's world. It's time for the boys to step aside and let female viewers have someone on screen to connect with.
I want to see a future where superheros aren't subjected to gendered marketing. I want to see as many little girls dressed up as Black Widow for Halloween as I see boys dressed up as Batman. I want to see a superhero world where all viewers can feel at home no matter their gender. Equal representation is important and I think the comic book cinematic universe should finally take note of that.
Why let television have all the fun.
From the time she could crawl, Marina La Frossia's mantra was always Make Mine Marvel! Raised on superhero stories and gravitating toward anime as she got older, the sequential story holds a huge attraction for Marina. Her writing demonstrates that influence. Marina is a self-professed comics uber-nerd and was bitten by the cosplay bug — hard — and she hasn't missed a MegaCon convention in her hometown of Orlando, Fl. in years. When not immersed in the world's of Marvel, DC, Hello Kitty and Adventure Time, Marina pursues an English Degree at UNF in Jacksonville, FL. She is fiercely protective of female roles, super or otherwise, within the comics universes and will continue to blog about it.
Comic Books Editorial Guest Writer Movies Television Women
arrow CBS cw daredevil dc Jessica Jones Legends of Tomorrow marvel netflix supergirl wonder woman
About Marina La Frossia
View all posts by Marina La Frossia →
Captain America: Civil War – What They're Not Talking About
Taste All the Colors of the Rainbow in Brooklyn
Gambling: Anime Style (Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler)
Small Gift, Big Smile
"LOST IN SPACE" ON NETFLIX IS A FUN FRESH REBOOT
Pingback: It's a Woman's Comic Book Universe, Haven't You Heard? | We Are The House


text:
NAS pays dividends for bank conglomerate
Move from direct-attached storage to network-attached helps trim the fat at FAT.
Susan Kuchinskas
First American Trust Federal Savings Bank is a banker's bank. While it offers kid-glove trust and estate planning services to high net worth individuals, the bulk of its operations are electronic banking services for high-volume businesses. Its biggest customers are sister companies in First American Corporation, a Santa Ana, CA-based conglomerate with 2002 annual revenues of around $1.5 billion. If wealthy individuals expect superb service, the exigencies of the B2B side demand it. If First American failed to execute a transaction due to a network glitch -- or anything else -- the bank would be liable for the interest lost.
"That's why we can't have things break," said chief technology officer Henry Jenkins, who has somehow learned to take the intense pressure and immense responsibility of his job in stride.
For a while, it wasn't so easy for Jenkins to remain cool. Back when First American focused its business on wealth management, things were under control -- around 110 employees handled operations that brought in around $10 million in revenue. They used Microsoft Exchange Server for e-mail, a customer relationship management application called Onyx, WinImage by halFILE for document imaging and a number of homegrown applications. The bank simply kept all its data in SQL databases on direct-attached storage (DAS); each application server typically had its own RAID.
Then in 1999, First American moved into B2B banking and the pressure was on. Revenue began to grow. By 2002, it had doubled to $22 million -- while employee count remained the same. The network needed to keep pace with the new world of e-business. First American's data ballooned, in part because it began to offer client statements online in the obese PDF format. It was time for an infrastructure upgrade.
First American installed a high-speed data center backbone, standardized the company on Windows NT workstations for desktop users, and added Windows NT and Linux servers. Most important, it moved all data to a central Network Appliance network-attached storage (NAS) component. "At this stage, we were primarily concerned about storage consolidation," Jenkins said, "especially for user files, imaging and SQL databases." The single NetApp filer provided 360 gigabytes (GB) of storage. It served user files and wire services files processed on the Linux servers, and also was a storage location for SQL Server 7 backups.
Jenkins was looking for three things: simple administration, reliability with disaster protection and the ability to add storage economically. He considered a storage area network (SAN), but found the options "horrendously expensive." The NAS solution was still relatively new, but it was nearly 20% cheaper than a SAN. Jenkins narrowed the field to products from Hitachi Data Systems, Procom and Network Appliance. "I was sold primarily on their presence on so many tech sites," Jenkins said. "They had quite a bit of market penetration." He also saw that the NAS would be easy to expand, while administration took just five minutes a week.
First American has continued to upgrade and expand its network and storage. In 2000, First American added a second NetApp filer in the company's configuration to bolster redundancy. Its current infrastructure stands at 35 Windows NT servers and six Linux servers.
"We've continued and expanded the Linux presence because we do a lot of internal development on Linux," Jenkins explained. It made sense for the company to build its own applications, such as budget estimating and fee review software. "Wealth management is very much a niche business," Jenkins said. "I don't think I could get a consulting business off the street that understands our needs."
First American's home-baked apps and reporting engine take XML code and deliver it into various output files for management, such as PDF documents or Excel spreadsheets. Each application is powered by a SQL database on the NetApp filer. Most of the reports are stored on the NAS as well, and Network Appliance's ability to handle Linux files was another important consideration.
In 2002, Jenkins also added NetApp's SnapDrive product to mirror the SQL databases, Exchange information stores and user files to another NetApp filer at a hot site in San Diego. The failover cluster sends updated information to the hot site every five minutes, and a recent test showed a lag time of only three minutes in the data.
The IT team did no formal measurements to determine what kind of return it was getting on the investment in the NAS. But there were some clear benefits. Throughput was not affected by the switch from direct attached to NAS, while online backups of the SQL databases were cut from 30 minutes to five minutes when done directly to NAS instead of to a Windows server. Most important, "We had no user complaints," Jenkins said, "and that's what I'm measured on."
This year has already seen continuing upgrades. Jenkins added more storage to the existing failover cluster. "We found out you can't have too much," he said. "We may never meet our goal of 100% uptime, but we'll always strive for it." Thanks to NAS, Jenkins has gotten close without breaking a sweat.
For more information on First American Bank, visit its Web site.
Additional information on Network Appliance can be found here.
>> HDS, NetApp forge alliance on NAS, SAN systems
>> Much ado about NAS
>> Best Web Links: NAS
Dig Deeper on Win Development Resources
Infinite io storage controller accelerates NAS filers
By: Sonia Lelii
CERN turns on new NetApp ONTAP clustered NAS capability
By: Antony Adshead
Coraid launches ZFS NAS, again
Common NAS backup challenges
It's Time for a Shift to Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure –NetApp
NetApp, McData simplify SAN management – SearchStorage
Common NAS backup challenges – SearchDataBackup
CCI ditches NetApp for OnStor gateways – SearchStorage


text:
require File.expand_path('../support/helpers', __FILE__)

describe 'rsync::lwrp_test' do
  include  Test::Rsync

  it 'starts rsyncd' do
    rsyncd_service.must_be_running
  end

  it 'enables rsyncd' do
    rsyncd_service.must_be_enabled
  end

  it 'creates config file' do
    rsyncd_config.must_exist
  end

  it 'serves test files' do
    serving? "test"
  end

end