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General Commentary
Tale As Old As Time…
Last week, in The Dream for '17, we looked "back" on 2017, the year that was. Spoiler alert: The World did not come to an end after the inauguration of our 45th president on January 20th.
This week, we're reflecting on the global growth economy in 2016, by the numbers. It begins with GSV's annual 10-Year Top Performing Stocks Study, which screens all publicly traded companies in the United States for the top 25 by total return over the past decade.
It is highly unlikely that GSV will fulfill its quest to find the "Stars of Tomorrow" by mining this list — success begets size, and size forges an anchor — but it is instructive to analyze the characteristics of top-performers.
While pizza might not seem like a growth industry — besides contributing to our obesity epidemic — number 6 on the list, Domino's, surged in popularity with an ingenious app to track your order from click to home. Its stock CAGR outperformed Amazon (#7) and Google (Unranked) over the last decade.
10-Year Top Performing Stocks Study, 2006-2016
Top-25 Publicly Traded U.S. Companies by Total Return Over the Past Decade (through YE 2016)
Source: Capital IQ, GSViQ, NASDAQ, Wonda
*P/E starts at first profitable year
The median stock performance of the top 25 companies over the 10-year period was a 31% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) — which implies that stock value is nearly doubling every two years, according to the "Rule of 72." The median market cap at the beginning of the period (12/31/06) was $145 million. These would have been Micro Cap companies by today's standards.
The median P/E for the top performers at the beginning of the 10-year period was 19x, slightly higher than today's Market multiple. But as we've learned from past studies, a low or discounted P/E isn't an important variable for ascendent companies. P/E ratios are often already high at the beginning of a period of outperformance.
Top Performers Study Summary, 2006-2016
Prior Year Studies for Comparison
Cleary, that the secret to big success isn't about finding beaten-down stocks. It's about identifying the fastest growers.
The key trait of top performing stocks is that they always have high earnings growth for the period of outperformance. The median EPS growth of the top 25 companies in this year's study was 29%. EARNINGS GROWTH DRIVES STOCK PRICE OVER TIME.
Thee top-performing stock in this year's study was Tencent. Founded in 1998, the Chinese technology and social media powerhouse has seen its stock price grow at a 42% CAGR over the past decade, catalyzed by compounded annual earnings growth of 48% in the period.
Tencent's top ranking is a notable reminder of the increasing impact China will have on global innovation and growth. Interestingly, conventional wisdom is that the China growth story is yesterday's news.
But it's just beginning.
A key catalyst is massive urbanization that is constant around the world but exploding in China. If you look at the United States, there are 10 cities with a population of one million or more. In China, there are 160. These are young people who are embracing technology, brands, and digital commerce. They're getting ready to change the World.
And days of cheap labor and knock-off manufacturing are long gone. China is intent on creating its own consumer brands, exporting them and putting up roadblocks for foreign players. Today, Alibaba handles more transactions than Amazon (#7 in 2016 Study) and eBay combined — the company recorded $17.8 billion in sales over 24 hours for its annual "Singles Day" event earlier this year. Alipay, its payment platform spinout, counts over 400 million users — a group larger than the entire population of the United States.
Xiaomi (Mobile Devices; $46 billion market value), China Mobile (Mobile, $222 billion market value), Vipshop (Digital Retail, $7 billion market value), Baidu (Search & Internet Services, $61 billion market value; #15 in 2016 Study), and NetEase (Gaming & Media, $30 billion market value; #23 in 2016 Study) are just a few examples of what China has in store for the World.
For the third Ten-Year Study in a row, Priceline was the second-ranked performer, with a 42% stock price CAGR over the past decade. Its 44% annual earnings growth rate ranked among the top companies on this list, but dropped significantly off its remarkable 62% growth rate for the 2005-2015 decade span.
Netflix came in at third. Interestingly, while the company's 10-year earnings growth rate of 15% per year wasn't particularly strong, its P/E expanded from 37x in 2006 to 302x in 2016. But EPS and P/E can be misleading metrics for Netflix. The company has purposely destroyed earnings to invest in content and distribution as the "Streaming Wars" heat up. Over the past decade, Netflix annual revenue grew from $990 million to a projected $8.8 billion in 2016 — a 24.5% CAGR that is more in line with the leaders on our list.
GSV 300 IN 2016
In 2015, GSV launched the GSV 300 Index, which we believe is the best representation of what is truly going on with growth companies, their valuations, and performance.
It is an index of 300 of the World's fastest growing companies, selected systematically based on key fundamentals, including revenue and earnings growth, geography, valuation metrics, and market capitalization. Because the companies are not handpicked, the GSV 300 doesn't look at all like the typical indexes that people use to analyze growth companies and growth investors.
The GSV 300 Global Growth Index
The Definitive Barometer for the Global Growth Company Ecosystem
Comparing Key Metrics: GSV 300 vs. Peers
Tracking the GSV 300 P/E, Growth Rate, P/E/G, and P/S vs. Key Global Indices
Country Breakdown: GSV 300 vs. Peers
Performance in Context
Tracking the Performance the GSV 300 vs. Key Global Indices and Funds
The most relevant index for Institutional Investors to date has been the S&P 500, which is a good proxy for broad Market dynamics. But with a 5% long term growth rate, it hardly reflects conditions or performance for fast growing companies.
The fact that the S&P 500 is solely a market cap weighted index is problematic in that a $100 Billion Market Cap Company has 100x the impact on the Index as a $1 Billion Market Cap Company… not realistic in that a portfolio manager who viewed two portfolio companies as being equally attractive would have 100x more of that company in their portfolio.
The most well-known index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), is created with an even more bizarre rationale in that it is weighted by share price. So in other words, if one stock was $30 per share and another was $300 per share, the $300 stock would have 10x the influence on the DJIA as the $30 stock.
The GSV 300, by contrast, is constructed using a systematic three-step process, which is summarized below: Screening, Ranking + Scoring, and Index Weightage. For a full description of the GSV 300 construction methodology, please click HERE.
GSV 300 Methodology Summary
GSV 300 Snapshot
The average market capitalization of GSV 300 constituent companies is $5.7 billion, with a median of $1.4 billion. The 10 largest companies account for 27% of the index. By comparison, the top five companies in the 2,500-company NASDAQ Composite — Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Alphabet (Google) — account for 29% of the index alone.
At 2016 Year End
Looking at the GSV 300 by geography, 32% of the index weightage comes from U.S. companies. China is the second-largest geography at 18%, followed by India at 10%, and South Korea at 9%. By contrast, 95% of the S&P 500 and 86% of NASDAQ are represented by U.S. companies.
GSV 300 Breakdown by Country
Countries of GSV 300 Constituent Companies as a Percentage of Index Weightage (through 2016)
Source: GSViQ
S&P 500 Breakdown by Country
Countries of S&P 500 Constituent Companies as a Percentage of Index Weightage (through 2016)
NASDAQ Breakdown by Country
Countries of NASDAQ Constituent Companies as a Percentage of Index Weightage (through 2016)
Performance & Valuation
There was no "Trump Bump" for the GSV 300, which fell 9% in Q4 and 15% for the year. U.S. and Chinese companies drove the action, down 16% and 26% respectively. Indian companies, by contrast, rose 3% in 2016. Segmented by GSV investment theme, "Sustainability" and "Cloud + Big Data" companies declined 20% apiece. "Marketplace" businesses gained a modest 5% and "Education Technology" enterprises were up 8%.
GSV 300 Performance by Country
2016 Performance of the GSV 300 by Country of Constituent Companies
Source: Yahoo Finance, GSViQ
GSV 300 Performance by GSV Investment Theme
2016 Performance of the GSV 300 by Industry of Constituent Companies
While we're certainly rooting for stronger performance, our objective in launching the GSV 300 was to create a scorecard that reflects what is actually going on in the World of growth stocks.
The T. Rowe Price New Horizons Fund, for example, has pursued a strategy of investing in small, high-growth companies since 1961. While it is actively managed, Peter Lynch observed in Beating the Street that the fund is, "as close as you'll get to a barometer of what is happening to emerging growth stocks."
Since small companies are expected to grow at a faster rate than large companies, they usually sell at a higher P/E than larger companies. Logic might suggest, therefore, that the P/E of the New Horizons Fund would be higher than that of the S&P 500 at all times.
This isn't always the case, and at times when it isn't, the New Horizons Fund can be a smoke signal for an undervalued or overheated growth economy. Over the last 50 years, for example, the New Horizons P/E has risen to double that of the S&P 500 only four times.
GSV 300 Valuation Metrics
GSV 300 Valuation Metrics vs. Key Indices (12/31/16)
Source: Capital IQ, GSViQ
Currently, the GSV 300 has a P/E (forward) of 25.7x, or1.5x greater than the S&P 500. Our thesis is that at over 2x, it's a warning signal for growth stocks, and at under 1.2x, it's a buying opportunity. We'll monitor this trend, as well as the relationships of other key valuation metrics, to determine patterns over time.
GSV 300 P/E VS. S&P 500
GSV 300 P/E as a Multiple of the S&P 500
Source: GSViQ, Capital IQ
GSV 300 P/E/G VS. S&P 500
GSV 300 P/E/G as a Multiple of the S&P 500
GSV 300 P/s VS. S&P 500
GSV 300 P/S as a Multiple of the S&P 500
There were a paltry 102 U.S. IPOs in 2016, but we started to see some bullish signs from the Market with Twilio's successful offering on June 23rd. Despite recent volatility, it is trading at twice the $15 per share where it priced. It was followed by 63 IPOs, including notable listings from technology companies like Line, Talend, and Nutanix, which priced above range and popped over 27%, 42%, and 130% respectively.
2016 IPO Snapshot
The recent trend points to a broader opportunity for the best names to break through an IPO backlog that has been building over the last fifteen years.
Snap (Snapchat), a powerful new force in digital media, has already filed for an IPO that could value the company at $20-$25 billion, according to the Financial Times. The streaming music leader Spotify has also signaled its intent to go public. A 2016 $1 billion convertible note with aggressive IPO convert terms has become a countdown clock of sorts and CEO Daniel Ek has stepped in for co-founder Martin Lorentzon as Chairman of the business — another sign of a likely listing. (Disclosure: GSV owns shares in Snap and Spotify)
New IPO Fundamentals
Disclosure: GSV owns shares in Lyft
In July, Vice Media CEO indicated that he was in discussions with major banks about taking his $4 billion company public. Dropbox, which announced in June that it has become free cashflow positive, has had similar discussions, according to Bloomberg. At the Wall Street Journal's 2016 Global Technology Conference, Palantir CEO Alex Karp indicated that the company had prepared itself should it decide to go public in 2017, which would create liquidity opportunities for employees. (Disclosure: GSV owns shares in Dropbox and Palantir)
China's Didi Chuxing, which was valued at $33 billion in a September 2016 funding, could be primed to IPO now that it has absorbed Uber China. WeWork, where CEO Adam Neumann remarked in July that, "we're not afraid to go public," could surpass $1 billion in revenue run rate next year. The list goes on.
Stocks kicked off the New Year with a bang, with technology stocks finally participating in the post-election Market party. For the week, NASDAQ advanced 2.6%, the S&P 500 was up 1.7%, and the Dow closed within a smidgen of 20,000.
The Consumer Electronic Show (CES) is where over 100,000 people gather in Las Vegas to see what's new and what's next. This year, the buzz was about driverless cars, virtual reality, and drones.
Tech leaders such as Facebook, Alphabet (Google), and Amazon were all acting well, moving up 5.8%, 3.0%, and 4.1%, respectively. Chinese Internet stocks also came out strong, with the BATs (Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent) all soaring.
What seemed like disappointing news for Tesla — that quarterly production would fall a couple thousand short of its 25,000, target — was actually greeted with a 7% rise in the company's shares. Maybe it's that the Gigafactory had some positive news. In any event, investors believe that the next stop for Tesla is delivering 500,000 cars in 2018.
We remain BULLISH on the outlook for equities and premier growth companies in particular. While rising interest rates have historically put the brakes on growth stocks, the modest valuation for many of the leaders, coupled with extraordinarily low yields, makes near term competition from bonds unlikely.
HERE WeGo!
As we enter the age of autonomous driving, a whole new ecosystem is getting created. From cars, to interior design, to outside sensors, to cutting edge software, to better streets…and even better cities. Needless to say, we expect 2017 to be a big year in that space!
And its started with a Boom! Last week at CES, one of the biggest stories was HERE — the real-time, high-definition mapping provider, which could become the backbone of the autonomous driving industry.
First, Tencent, GIC, and Alibaba's NavInfo announced they invested and took a collective 10% stake in the company, along with existing investors Audi, BMW, and Daimler. A few days later, Intel announced its investment in HERE, resulting in a 15% stake in the Chicago based company. "A real-time, self-healing and high-definition representation of the physical world is critical for autonomous driving, and achieving this will require significantly more powerful and capable in-vehicle compute platforms," added HERE CEO Edzard Overbeek.
Then at CES in Las Vegas last week, HERE announced a partnership with the other chip leader, Nvidia, to develop the HERE HD Live Map into one of the leading real-time mapping solutions for the autonomous car space.
On stage at CES, Nvidia's founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said, "HERE's adoption of Nvidia's deep learning technology for the cloud-to-car mapping system will accelerate automakers' ability to deploy self-driving vehicles."
HERE had recently redesigned its consumer mobile app, called HERE WeGo, which tracks real-time data from a broad range of transportation sources, including city traffic, train schedules, rental car availability, on-demand ride sharing, bike sharing services, etc.. HERE WeGo is similar to Google Maps, in that it allows users to get from A to B. But it does so by using actual, real-time information from the spot, making its mapping service much more efficient.
A few days ago, HERE also announced it is integrating data from ride sharing leader Lyft into its app, allowing its users to see and chose available Lyft rides when appropriate. (Disclosure: GSV owns shares in Lyft).
What differentiates HERE from other mapping software is its accuracy; its HD mapping technology can pinpoint a car's real-time location down to a few inches. In contrast, existing navigation technology can show location of vehicles only within a few feet of error. This significant advantage places HERE on the forefront among autonomous driving mapping providers.
What's obviously exciting to car makers is that HERE's mapping will be added to the entire network, and it will be processing the information derived from all the car sensors (think eyes and ears) instantaneously. In split seconds, that information will be communicated to the software that's "driving" the car (think brain). And HERE is essentially the "nervous system" of the autonomous driving network, translating all the relevant information in as it happens.
HERE's WeGo app currently works in many major cities across the globe, and it covers data from over 200 countries. HERE's Director of Consumer Experiences, Patrick Weissert, explained that "there's a fast-moving, emerging landscape of car-sharing, bike-sharing, scooter-sharing, car pooling, peer-to-peer rental and ride-hailing services, there are even providers now offering flight sharing!"
Not surprisingly, big tech leaders such as Amazon, Baidu, Microsoft and Samsung use HERE's mapping software to power their mobile and online location-based services.
We are very bullish on the autonomous driving space, and believe that HERE is among the best positioned companies to thrive over the next years.
The Only Way A US Tech Company Can Win in China
American tech startups and even more established companies competing to become a category leader in China is like European military powers trying to invade Russia during the winter.
It doesn't work.
Google was slow to realize the rising competitive power of local grown Baidu. Facebook got censored and then largely displaced by Tencent's WeChat. Uber ultimately bowing out by selling its China unit to Didi. Apple is besieged daily by new Chinese phone makers often with faster specs, and definitely at lower prices (more on Apple later).
Bless Mark Zuckerberg's heart and his Mandarin skills but it's going to be very difficult for Facebook to compete in China against Tencent.
The three factors that's most difficult for U.S. (or really any non-Chinese) company to overcome is different consumer preferences, unfair government intervention, and the aggressiveness in which local competitors work.
Most company's China strategy should and will end up in something other than growing organically. They can buy as Amazon did when it acquired Joyo for $75M in 2004. Joyo, now Amazon China, generated a reported $3B of revenue in 2016. Or invest as Apple did in Didi. Or create a joint-venture or franchise.
But the only way for a non-Chinese company to win organically in China is to build a BRAND. And not only any brand but one that is ASPIRATIONAL.
The Chinese consumer class is a new one, having made much of its purchasing power in the last two decades. In a mature market, people's mentality is to buy the best product at the most affordable price. The Chinese psych is to buy products that reflect the aspirational lifestyle they want to have and will make the budget work.
Consumer models such as Louis Vuitton, Starbucks, and KFC have seen success in China. In fact KFC is the largest restaurant chain in China with over 5,000 stores.
Tech models like Apple and Tesla also tap into the aspirations of Chinese consumers. Apple, while trying to fend off every form of competition, is still well positioned and beloved by Chinese consumers for its premium brand. It's early lead may slowly get eroded by every other handset maker, but its brand and image remain an alluring moat for the company.
Apple store in Chongqing, my mom's hometown.
Airbnb, which started life as a simple couch-surfing service, has created a lifestyle brand. Now it's opening a separate China unit. Airbnb will need to continue to build the vision of bringing a curated experience and unique taste to consumers in China. Offering the prestige of international travel experience is also a differentiator that's hard to copy.
Coursera is growing in China. In fact, it's the number 2 market for the company behind the U.S. The reason Coursera is so appealing to Chinese consumers is because it offers people the opportunity to take courses created by Ivy League institutions, something both highly valuable and worth striving for. (Disclosure: GSV owns stock in Coursera)
Both companies still have a lot of work to before they can celebrate. Airbnb is facing multiple stiff local competitors and Coursera has only reach 1 million (of the nearly 700 million) Chinese Internet users.
But an ASPIRATIONAL BRAND like Airbnb or Coursera can succeed where a more utility service like Uber failed.
Easier said then done. Jia you!
Week ending January 8, 2017


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The Ayyubid dynasty ruled many parts of the Middle East and North Africa in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries. The following is a list of Ayyubid rulers by county/province.

Sultans of Egypt
See Rulers of Islamic Egypt.

 Saladin, son of Ayyub, 1174–1193
 Al-Aziz Uthman, son of Saladin, 1193–1198
 Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammad, son of al-Aziz Uthman,  1198–1200
 Al-Adil Sayf al-Din Abu Bakr I (al-Adil I), brother of Saladin, 1200–1218
 Al-Kamil, son of al-Adil I, 1218–1238
 Al-Adil Sayf al-Din Abu Bakr II, son of al-Kamil, 1238–1240
 As-Salih Ayyub, son of al-Kamil, 1240–1249
 Al-Mu'azzam Turan-Shah, son of as-Salih Ayyub, 1249–1250
 Al-Ashraf Musa, presumed descendant of Saladin (nominal rule, under Mamluk sultan Aybak), 1250–1254.

Displaced in Egypt by the Mamluk sultanate, ruled briefly by Shajar al-Durr, widow of as-Salih Ayyub, and then Aybak, 1254.

Family Tree of the Ayyubid Sultans of Egypt

Sultans and Emirs of Damascus
See Rulers of Damascus.

 Saladin, 1174–1193
 Al-Afdal, son of Saladin, 1193–1196
 Al-Adil I, brother of Saladin, 1196–1218
 Al-Mu'azzam (Sharaf al-Din) Isa, son of al-Adil I, 1218–1227
 An-Nasir Dawud, son of al-Mu'azzam Isa, 1227–1229
 Al-Ashraf Musa, son of al-Adil I, 1229–1237
 As-Salih Ismail, son of al-Adil I, 1237–1238
 Al-Kamil, son of al-Adil I, 1238
 Al-Adil Sayf al-Din Abu Bakr II (al-Adil II), son of al-Kamil, 1238–1239
 As-Salih Ayyub, son of al-Adil I, 1239
 As-Salih Ismail (second rule), 1239–1245
 As-Salih Ayyub (second rule), 1245–1249
 Al-Muazzam Turanshah, son of as-Salih Ayyub, 1249–1250
 An-Nasir Yusuf, son of al-Aziz Muhammad, 1250–1260.

Takeover by Mongols, and then Mamluks following the battle of Ain Jalut, 1260.

Family Tree of the Rulers of Damascus

Emirs of Aleppo
See Rulers of Aleppo.

 Saladin, 1183–1193
 Az-Zahir Ghazi, son of Saladin, 1193–1216
 Al-Aziz Muhammad, son of az-Zahir Ghazi, 1216–1236
 An-Nasir Yusuf, son of al-Aziz Muhammad, 1236–1260.

Takeover by Mongols, and then Mamluks following the battle of Ain Jalut, 1260.

Emirs of Baalbek
See Baalbek, Middle Ages.

Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn al-Muqaddam (non-dynastic, former governor of Damascus), appointed by Saladin, 1175–1178
Turan-Shah, brother of Saladin, 1178–1179
Farrukh Shah, nephew of Saladin, 1179–1182
Bahram Shah, son of Farrukh Shah, 1182–1230
Al-Ashraf Musa, son of al-Adil I, 1230–1237
As-Salih Ismail, brother of al-Ashraf Musa, 1237–1246
Saʿd al-Din al-Humaidi (non-dynastic, appointed by as-Salih Ayyub), 1246–1249
Al-Muazzam Turanshah, son of al-Salih Ayyub, 1249–1250
An-Nasir Yusuf, as sultan of Aleppo and Damascus, son of al-Aziz Muhammad, 1250–1260.

Takeover by Mongols, and then Mamluks following the battle of Ain Jalut, 1260.

Emirs of Hama
See Hama, Muslim Rule.

 Al-Muzaffar I Umar, son of Nur ad-Din Shahanshah (brother of Saladin), 1178–1191
 Al-Mansur I Muhammad, son of al-Muzaffar Umar, 1191–1221
 Al-Nasir Kilij Arslan, son of al-Mansur Muhammad, 1221–1229
 Al-Muzaffar II Mahmud, son of al-Mansur Muhammad, 1229–1244
 Al-Mansur II Muhammad, son of al-Muzaffar II Mahmud, 1244–1284
[Vassals to Mamluk sultans after 1260]
Al-Muzaffar III Mahmud, son of al-Mansur II Muhammad, 1284–1299
[Ruled by emirs of Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, 1299–1310]
Abu al-Fida, son of Malik ul-Afdal (brother of al-Mansur II Muhammad), 1310–1332
Al-Afdal Muhammad, son of Abu al-Fida, 1332–1341.

Formal takeover by Mamluk sultanate in 1341.

Emirs of Homs
See Homs, Seljuk, Ayyubid and Mamluk Rule.

 Muhammad ibn Shirkuh, son of Shirkuh (uncle of Saladin), 1178–1186
 Al-Mujahid Shirkuh, son of Muhammad ibn Shirkuh, 1186–1240
 Al-Mansur Ibrahim, son of al-Mujahid Shirkuh, 1240–1246
 Al-Ashraf Musa, son of al-Mansur Ibrahim, 1246–1248 (Homs), 1248–1260 (Tell Bashir)
An-Nasir Yusuf, as sultan of Aleppo and Damascus, son of al-Aziz Muhammad, 1250–1260
Al-Ashraf Musa (second rule), 1260–1263.

Directly ruled by Mamluks under Alam al-Din Sanjar al-Bashqirdi, assigned by Baibars, sultan of Egypt and Syria, from 1263.

Emirs of Hisn Kaifa
See Hisn Kaifa, Ayyubid and Mongols.

As-Salih Ayyub, son of al-Kamil, 1232–1239
Al-Mu'azzam Turanshah, son of as-Salih Ayyub, 1239–1249
Muwahhid Taqiyya ad-Din Abdullah, son of al-Mu'azzam Turanshah, 1249–1294
Kamil Ahmad I, 1294–1325
Adil Mujir ad-Din Muhammad, 1325–1328
Adil Shahab ad-Din, 1328–1349 (Meinecke gives this ruler as al-ʿĀdil Ghāzī, 1341–1367)
Salih Abu-Bakr Khalil I, 1349–1378
Adil Fakhr ad-Din Sulayman I, 1378-1432 (Meinecke gives this ruler as al-ʿĀdil Sulaimān, 1377–1424)
Ashraf Sharaf ad Din, 1432–1433
Salih Salah ad-Din, 1433–1452
Kamil Ahmad II, 1452–1455
Adil Khalif, 1455–1462
Salih Khalil II, 1482–1511
Adil Sulayman II, 1511–1514
Salih Khalil II (second rule), 1514–1520
Malik Hussayn, 1520–1521
Adil Sulayman II (second rule), 1521–1524.

Takeover by the Ottoman Empire in 1524.

Emirs of al-Karak
Also referred to as governors of Transjordan.  See al-Karak, Crusader, Ayyubid and Mamluk Periods.

Saladin, 1188
Al-Adil I, brother of Saladin, 1188-1193
Al-Mu'azzam Isa, son of al-Adil I, 1193–1227
An-Nasir Dawud, son of al-Mu'azzam Isa, 1229–1249
Al-Mughith 'Umar, son of al-Adil II, 1249–1263.

Taken by Mamluks under Baibars, sultan of Egypt and Syria, in 1263.

Emirs of Diyar Bakr
See Diyar Bakr.

Saladin, 1185–1193
Al-Adil I, brother of Saladin, 1193–1200
Al-Awhad Ayyub, son of al-Adil I, 1200–1210
Al-Ashraf Musa, son of al-Adil I, 1210–1220
Al-Muzaffar Ghazi, son of al-Adil I, 1220–1244
Al-Kamil (II) Muhammad, son of al-Muzaffar Ghazi, 1244–1260.

Taken by Mongols in 1260.

Emirs of Yemen and Hejaz
See Yemen, Ayyubid Conquest.

Turan-Shah, brother of Saladin, 1173–1181
Tughtakin ibn Ayyub, brother of Saladin, 1181–1197
Al-Mu'izz Fath ud-Din Isma'il, son of Tughtakin ibn Ayyub, 1197–1202
An-Nasir Muhammed ibn Tughtakin ibn Ayyub, son of Tughtakin ibn Ayyub, 1202–1214
Al-Muzaffar Sulayman, son of Al-Mansur I Muhammad, 1214–1215
Al-Mas'ud Yusuf, son of Al-Kamil, 1215–1229.

Takeover by Rasulid dynasty of Yemen in 1229.

Emirs of Banyas
See Banyas.

 Al-Aziz 'Uthman, son of al-Adil I 1218–1232.
 Al-Zahir Ghazi, son of al-'Aziz 'Uthman 1232–1232.
 Al-Sa'id Hasan, son of al-'Aziz 'Uthman 1232–1247.
 As-Salih Ayyub, son of al-Kamil (dependency of Egypt) 1247–1249.
 An-Nasir Yusuf, son of al-Aziz Muhammad (dependency of Damascus) 1250-?.
 Al-Sa'id Hasan b.  al-'Aziz (second reign;  d. 658) 1260–1260.

References

Sources

Ayyubid dynasty
Ayyubid
Ayyubid dynasty

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Last year I wrote a blog piece on "How to Make Destination Wedding Guests Happy." This was a subject near and dear to my heart being a Weddings by Funjet Travel Coordinator. Every day I interact with our awesome guests, and they never fail to bring a smile to my face. It has had me thinking about our work here at Weddings by Funjet and the impact we strive to have on everyone involved in a destination wedding or vow renewal. So I would like to take a moment to explain what it means to be a part of the Weddings by Funjet family as a wedding guest. Here is what you can expect from your friendly, neighborhood Weddings by Funjet Travel Coordinators.
When brides and grooms begin working with Weddings by Funjet, we ask them early on for a wedding guest email list. We use this list to email you with an introduction, explaining who we are and how you can book your travel. Your email is not added to a promotion list and we will never email you about anything other than your travel details. This is simply to introduce you to our team, so you feel comfortable coming to us with questions. We want you to start off with all the information necessary to get your travel started on the right foot. After all, this might be your first time traveling to this destination, and we want you to know we are here for you!
From that first email on, we are here to help you. There is no such thing as a ridiculous question. We understand we are helping a wide spectrum of guests from travel novices to citizens of the world. If you do not know what all-inclusive means or what passport information you need to provide, no worries! Just ask. Trust us, there is likely no question we haven't heard before. When in doubt, feel free to reach out!
Whether you prefer the convenience of making a booking online or like the guidance a Travel Coordinator provides, we give you those options. Every bride and groom is offered a complimentary, personalized booking site. On this site, you can book your own travel arrangements. Everything on this site is catered to the wedding, so you don't have to worry about booking the wrong destination or resort. You will be given only the options available for booking with the wedding. If making reservations online isn't your style, you can always reach out to a Weddings by Funjet Travel Coordinator. We are happy to book your reservation for you, providing the guidance you need to create the right travel for you.
Image by: Degroot Film Co.
You can always trust that we will give you the appropriate assistance based on the wedding you are traveling with. We are a small team of experienced coordinators who have knowledge of all of our weddings and all destinations. We are not a call center, and we do not treat you like you are just a number. We know plenty of our guests by first name! You are important to us and we do whatever we can to make your travel experience special.
With a destination wedding, you generally book your travel farther in advance than you would with a regular vacation. That being the case, we often find guests will need to make changes to their reservation as they go along. Maybe your boyfriend can go along with you now, or maybe you got an extra day off of work and want to extend your stay. We can always help you with that! Pro tip though – if you have the All-In-One Travel Protection, it is much easier and much less expensive for us to make those changes for you. Some modifications can be costly, and we've seen the travel protection save guests a lot of money!
If you aren't a world traveler, there are a lot of little things you might miss. We're here to remind you of those things. Did you make sure your name on your flight tickets matches your passport? Did you arrange airport transportation to the resort? Could you save money by arranging a private transportation vehicle to the resort vs. shared transportation? We have your back and can help you with arranging virtually anything you need.
We do not forget about you while you are traveling either. If an issue comes up or you are not sure what to do, you just call or email us and we will do our absolute best to assist. We also have a dedicated 24/7/365 Funjet Vacations Customer Care team that will be there for you after regular business hours as well.
If you want to book your own destination wedding, vow renewal, honeymoon, or just a personal va-cay, it would be our pleasure to help you! The Weddings by Funjet Travel Coordinators are dedicated to making your travel fabulous before, during, and long after the event. Reach out to us any time!


Professor Kompressor is an inventor. He is excellent at inventing, but the inventions are not always excellent.
When the Professor sets out to improve the world, unexpected things happen. Making your mechanical helper too clever might be an obvious a mistake, but who would have known that tinkering with an old Volkswagen Beetle could turn out to be so dangerous?
And who would have thought that a time machine would turn out to be such a waste of… well… time?


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Pages with this tag: diary
Indigenous land use
The Indigenous people of Victoria used sophisticated farming practices to mould and shape their environment.
Bushfires have dramatically shaped the way we respond to the Victorian bush and country.
Kokoda track campaign
A hard fought battle along a narrow jungle track created a legend in Australian history.
Morale & relaxation
Away from the front, soldiers were keen to live for the moment and indulge in the freedoms of a 10-day leave pass.
Letters & diaries
The correspondence of Anzac troops hints at tragedies kept to themselves; later revealed in diaries and memoirs.
Life in the trenches
The Western Front settled into a line 20km wide and 800km long, running from the English Channel to the Swiss Alps.
After a disastrous landing at Anzac Cove, a legacy was salvaged by a successful retreat and evacuation.
In New York, the Piersons joined American, Canadian, German and English men and women on a 4 month voyage to Australia.
Nicholas Pateshall's diary
Nicholas Pateshall's record of his experiences in Port Phillip provides a rare insight into convict life.
Buckley's return to European life
After 32 years living in an Aboriginal community, William Buckley found himself stranded between two cultures.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


BRIGHT has developed an interactive game for Scania test days in Latvia, in which users have to register and play the game on Apple iPad devices by going through different quest stations. In every station the user has to answer questions or complete tasks which are indicated by the experts at the event. BRIGHT has developed the game's design based on the SCANIA graphic style guidelines and has executed the programming. After completing the test, users have been registered into a data base to participate in a lottery later on.


Last week, I was honored to be interviewed by Alan Houseman for the oral history project of the National Equal Justice Library.
I will be posting fragments that folks might find useful.
This first one actually comes near the end of the full interview, and is my attempt an an overview of my perspective on the future of access to justice.
I hope you find it useful, perhaps as a stimulant to discussion. It is a little over 12 mins long.
This entry was posted in Access to Justice Generally, History, Legal Aid, LSC, Non-Lawyer Practice, Referral Systems, Systematic Change, video. Bookmark the permalink.
Richard–thanks for clearly identifying the gap in the Access to Justice community/world. You are absolutely right in that there is no one organization to organize research, respond politically to opportunities, or who makes the phone call to deal with a crisis, and how we have to build that capacity. I was alluding to this in my blog post "the elephant in the room" https://accesstojustice.net/2011/12/30/claudia-johnson-blogs-on-legal-services-policy-research-and-the-elephant-in-the-room/, however, as usual you have done it better in this video. Thank you for articulating it so clearly. I want more of your videos–inspirational and calls to action!
Thanks for sharing this, Richard, and looking forward to future segments. Appreciated your comments about an expansive definition of access to justice that includes not only an opportunity to be heard, but also to advocate for changes to the rules under which one is heard.


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Interview with singer McCall
May 07, 2020 234 Views 0 Comment
Pop artist McCall has started to gain notoriety through collaborations with producers Grant and Just a Gent, and with her own music that has awarded her over 5 million Spotify Streams, placements on the 2019 Rocket League Soundtrack, and high praise from established publications such as Billboard and The Fader.
Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?
When I was five or six, we started learning patriotic songs in my elementary school music class, and for some reason, I had this burning desire to perform "Grand Ol' Flag" wherever I went – I literally stood on a table and sang it at the top of my lungs at an Italian restaurant once. Then in fourth grade, we got to learn how to play three chords on the guitar and write a simple blues verse in music class. That was pretty insane to be exposed to at such a young age, and I'm super grateful for it.
My first introduction to music production was an amazingggg DAW called Audacity. Ah, so grey and royal blue. I would sick for hours and record every voice part to "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas and "Opera of the Bells" by Destiny's Child. I torrented Logic in college and worked exclusively in that for a while until my laptop got stolen so then I switched to Garageband on my phone for about a year. We are thankfully back to working in Logic on a laptop now haha.
What are some of your key musical influences?
Lil bit of Cher, Lil bit of Paramore, and countless hours playing Chris Stapleton covers in smoky southern bars.
If you could paint a picture of your unique sound, what would it look like?
An emotionally unstable songwriter is getting eaten by a sentient PC.
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?
Normally I have a snippet of the song looping in my head for a bit before I sit down to write, whether that be a full chorus or just a bass line. I then produce out the small bit that I have and sample in some drums. Through that process, it feels like there's a program running in the back of my mind that's starting to reach for lyrics and melodies. At some point, the writing and the production merges and I have a teeny tiny demo.
What gets your creative juices flowing?
Watching interviews with other artists is my go-to. Grimes has offered me a wealth of rabbit holes to go down. RuPaul and Timbaland both have great Masterclass courses, as well. If that doesn't work, I try to learn a song that I like and then rework the chord progression. If that doesn't work I give up and watch YouTube for like an hour until I begin the process again.
As an artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?
I think a lot of people underestimate people's want for challenging pop music. There are so many words in the English language and we keep using the same ten as hooks on every chorus. There's a lot of dumbing down happening and I don't always think it's necessary.
Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.
Hmmm I'm not sure, I guess it feels like we're all going through a manic episode together?
What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?
Someone recently told me that my song "was there at the exact right moment" to affect them in a special way. Whenever I'm having a moment where the perfect song is playing at the perfect moment, I always wonder for a second if my music will ever find people at that exact right time for them, and it was pretty surreal to hear that it happened 🙂
What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?
Of course I have grandiose plans, and I want to see this thing through as far as we can possibly take it – but since COVID has begun, I'm questioning and reframing things like everyone else. For now, if I can continue to make music that I'm proud of with people I admire and comfortably pay my bills, I'll be happy.
What's on your current playlist?
Sevdaliza, SOPHIE, Remi Wolf
Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you in the near future?
We got another song coming out soooooon shhhh
Famous last words?
"This wallpaper is terrible. One of us will have to go!" – Oscar Wilde
Follow McCall online
Youtube | Spotify | Twitter | Soundcloud | Facebook


BEIJING (Reuters) - China is to "declare war" on pollution, Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday at the opening of the annual meeting of parliament, with the government unveiling detailed measures to tackle what has become a hot-button social issue.
China does not just suffer from smog, which has once again this winter enveloped large parts of the heavily populated east, and will this year also aim to tackle severe water and soil pollution.
The NDRC said it would also take action this year to tackle agricultural pollution, including the contamination of farmland by heavy metals, with 3.33 million hectares (8 million acres) believed to be too polluted to grow crops.
Last month, the government said it would spend 2 trillion yuan ($330 billion) on tackling pollution of scarce water resources.
Li said China would also aim to convert 333,300 hectares of marginal farmland to forest and grassland and would continue to fight desertification and recover wetlands.
The NDRC said China would seek to ensure that polluters pay by establishing a new mechanism to compensate victims of environmental damage and by holding local officials accountable.
Parliament is also mulling amendments to environmental protection legislation that will grant new powers to fine and punish offenders.
In a separate report on Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance said China would spend 21.1 billion yuan on energy conservation and environmental protection in 2014, up 7.1 percent on 2013. It said 64.9 billion yuan would be allocated to agriculture, forestry and water conservation, up 8.6 percent.


The Kane County Sheriff's Office recently found 18 baggies of heroin, some containing fentanyl, that were smuggled into the main housing units of the county jail.
The office is reviewing its procedures to prevent contraband from entering the facility, officials said.
Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said he is researching purchasing a body scanner for non-intrusive examination of all people entering the jail facility.
Between Jan. 12 and 22, sheriff's officers found the drugs, starting with the discovery of two small bags of heroin on inmate Jose Charles, 24, of Elgin, during a routine search on Jan. 12, sheriff's officials said in a statement.
A shakedown of Charles' jail pod yielded no additional drugs, according to officials.
Charles, of the 600 block of Forest Avenue, was charged with possession of a controlled substance.
On Jan. 21, a female inmate was discovered to be in possession of nine small bags containing suspected heroin and fentanyl residue, authorities said. She had been housed in the general jail population since Jan. 18.
Hain called for a shakedown of multiple jail housing units on Jan. 22 and a second female inmate was found to be in possession of seven small bags containing suspected heroin residue, according to officials.
The substances seized from both the female inmates require additional lab testing and weighing before criminal charges can be filed against the two, officials said.
Three housing units containing 159 inmates were searched on Jan. 22 and no additional drugs were found.
The Kane County SWAT team and corrections officers conducted a shakedown of two jail pods on Dec. 31 after a corrections officer was assaulted.
Several bottles of alcohol were seized and six inmates were disciplined, officials said.


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Print Home / Islands / Western Isles / Swimming / Men's 50m Butterfly
Western Isles Swimming
Men's 50m Butterfly
Harry Shalamon
Joel Watterson
Róland Toftum
Heat: Prelims
22nd Matthew Hanlon WES 30.10
Last Result: 10/07/2019 10:36:47 Status: Confirmed 10/07/2019 10:36:53
Prelims Wed 10 Jul 09:00 - 11:00
Final Wed 10 Jul 18:00 - 20:00
Venue: Lathbury Sports Complex
Games Record
23.26 Brett Fraser CAY 2013
Gotland 2017
Result: 00:25.03
Priit Aavik
Brett Fraser
Isle of Wight 2011
Magnus Jákupsson
Pál Joensen
Josh Ballem
Shetland 2005
Simon Le Couillard
Other Swimming Events:
Women's 100m Butterfly Results Entries Medals Schedule 08/07/2019 19:02:44
Men's 100m Breaststroke Results Entries Medals Schedule 08/07/2019 19:11:06
Women's 50m Breaststroke Results Entries Medals Schedule 08/07/2019 19:20:18
Men's 50m Backstroke Results Entries Medals Schedule 08/07/2019 19:29:25
Women's 200m Freestyle Results Entries Medals Schedule 08/07/2019 19:33:56
Men's 200m Individual Medley Results Entries Medals Schedule 08/07/2019 19:47:37
Women's 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay Results Entries Medals Schedule 08/07/2019 19:56:53
Women's 200m Breaststroke Results Entries Medals Schedule 09/07/2019 18:43:36
Men's 100m Butterfly Results Entries Medals Schedule 09/07/2019 18:53:25
Women's 100m Backstroke Results Entries Medals Schedule 09/07/2019 19:06:36
Men's 50m Breaststroke Results Entries Medals Schedule 09/07/2019 19:14:30
Women's 50m Butterfly Results Entries Medals Schedule 09/07/2019 19:29:04
Men's 200m Freestyle Results Entries Medals Schedule 09/07/2019 19:36:14
Women's 200m Individual Medley Results Entries Medals Schedule 09/07/2019 19:42:25
Women's 4 x 50m Medley Relay Results Entries Medals Schedule 09/07/2019 20:09:00
Women's 50m Freestyle Results Entries Medals Schedule 10/07/2019 18:59:17
Men's 50m Butterfly Results Entries Medals Schedule 10/07/2019 19:08:59
Women's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Results Entries Medals Schedule 10/07/2019 20:03:20
Men's 100m Backstroke Results Entries Medals Schedule 11/07/2019 18:38:32
Men's 50m Freestyle Results Entries Medals Schedule 11/07/2019 18:58:38
Women's 50m Backstroke Results Entries Medals Schedule 11/07/2019 19:07:07
Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Results Entries Medals Schedule 11/07/2019 20:11:34


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GFSI on-boards four new members to its coalition
Aug 31, 2021 Sep 5, 2021 Editor
GLOBAL – Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), now the Consumer Goods Forum Coalition of Action on food safety, has announced that four more companies, Develey, Kerry, Spinneys and Sysco, have joined its coalition.
The four companies are now part of a unique group that is collaborating across borders to ensure safe food for everyone. The Coalition now totals 38 companies, all of whom are members of The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF).
CGF is the only organization that brings consumer goods retailers and manufacturers together globally. It helps them to collaborate, alongside other key stakeholders, so as to secure consumer trust and drive positive change, including greater efficiency.
Develey is a family-owned business which has grown to become a leading food manufacturer of mustards, sauces, salad dressings and other condiments in Europe with more than 175 years in the industry.
Sophie Kaiser, Lead unit QM Management Systems at Develey's department of Quality and Risk Management commented that the family-owned and operated company thinks in terms of generations and rely on sustainable economic business practices and quality without compromise. She added that it is the only way for the company to remain competitive and be handed down.
Kerry Group plc is a public food company headquartered in Ireland which is a world leader in the development of taste and nutrition solutions for the food, beverage markets.
According to Hugo Gutierrez, Global Food Safety & Quality Officer at Kerry, the company is an innovative one whose business is all about helping customers to develop delicious and nutritious food with unparalleled consumer appeal.
Spinneys is a multinational supermarket chain active in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon, Oman and Pakistan.
Sharon Sausman, HOD – Technical & Compliance at Spinneys expressed the company's delight in being a part of the coalition citing that the coalition is well placed to support its efforts to build capacities at a local, regional and international level.
Sysco Corporation is an American multinational corporation involved in marketing and distributing food products.
GFSI estimates that of the 600 million people worldwide, almost 1 in 10 falls ill after eating contaminated food each year with the covid 19 pandemic exacerbating food safety concerns. To tackle this, Coalition members are addressing challenges facing food safety systems in their supply chains and the markets they operate in and are helping to raise the food safety bar globally.
Everyone has the right to access safe, nutritious, and nourishing food which is why GFSI's work is critical to every community across the globe. As one of the world's leading networks to help achieve safe food, GFSI is committed to making food safety everyone's business.
GFSI has two decades of experience in supporting the industry on its food safety journey.
ATWAP educates members on importance of GMPs
NIGERIA – The Association of Table Water Producers of Nigeria (ATWAP), has got the ball rolling on the sensitization of its members on the need to continue to adhere to…
GLOBAL - The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has announced the addition of 6 industry experts to its Steering Committee including several new retail members, a step that will strengthen…
GFSI recognizes IFS Standards following benchmarking
GLOBAL - The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), and International Featured Standards (IFS), a globally active organization providing trusted standards and services to co-operate within the supply chain to improve…
Vietnam's giant noodle makers Acecook, Thien Huong face products recall
NAFDAC, ATWAP join hands to aid purification of water


PRATT, Kansas — The Cloud County Community College women's basketball team started its Thanksgiving break on a high note, snapping a mini two-game losing streak Tuesday with a 102-40 thumping of Pratt Community College.
"I thought this win was very important. It was important for us to play well, get everybody involved, and head into this short Thanksgiving break with a good feeling about ourselves," said Cloud County head coach, Brett Erkenbrack. "We had good production from a lot of different players. This was a different level than the games we played last week (against nationally ranked teams), but we did a lot of good things."
The T-Birds improved to 5-2 overall on the year and evened their Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) record at 2-2, with the two losses coming to No. 9 Hutchinson and No. 20 Seward County.
Cloud County controlled Tuesday's game from the opening tip, leaping out to a 23-8 lead after the first quarter. Defensively, the T-Birds limited the Beavers (1-7 overall, 0-4 KJCCC) to single-digit point totals in three of the four quarters.
"The first quarter was critical. Kaley Broeckelman hit some nice shots for us and I think Erin Alexander asserted herself offensively, especially that first half," Erkenbrack said. "We were also active defensively. I thought it was important that we have a quick start and we did."
Broeckelman and Alexander each finished with 18 points to lead Cloud County, which had 11 different players score on the night. Joining the duo in double-figures were sophomores Chelcie Kizart (16 points), Jenna Clasen (11 points) and Simone Walker (10 points).
Freshmen Kennedy Gay and Rebecca LaBerge added eight points and seven points, respectively.
The T-Birds will be back at home after the holiday at 6 p.m. on Saturday when they host Coffeyville Community College.


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Founded by ex-Israeli Special Forces Commando and world renowned coach, Moni Aizik. CKM FIT is more lifestyle than exercise program. It is an ideology that combines positive mindset, healthy dietary choices, and functional physical training built around real-world bio-mechanical movements to prepare you for whatever challenges life throws your way.
CKM FIT focuses on functional exercises that prepare the body for specific tasks needed for everyday life, competition, or combative situations. It places a premium on measurable progress in power and intensity through time-based performance related to your specific objectives and individual level of fitness without the use of elaborate machines.
CKM FIT balance and body weight exercises enable you to train in the comfort of your own home or backyard, public park or beach, hotel room, or wherever else your lifestyle takes you. It is a system that has taken the excuses and frustrations of time and place out of the fitness equation.
CKM FIT capitalizes on the convenience and versatility of specialized training equipment and environmental objects to maximize fitness returns. It incorporates mobile training equipment like kettle bells and sandbags into the mix while turning ordinary objects such as trees, tables, chairs, rocks, tires, sledge hammers, ropes, and most anything else you can imagine into effective products of exercise. Your options are endless with CKM FIT! Train alone or with a partner exploring a multitude of exercises that can be performed anywhere your imagination takes you. Turn "date night" with your significant other into a fun workout to remember, or a camping trip with friends into an extreme weekend training event. It doesn't matter where you find yourself…indoors or outdoors…by yourself or with a partner…CKM FIT will open your eyes to new training adventures everywhere you look.
Unlock your true potential and exclaim…"The World is YOUR Training Ground with CKM FIT"!!!
The Elite Combat Fitness Certified (ECF) Instructor course is a three intensive days (@10hrs/day) course for men & woman (ages 18 and up) which will help you achieve the success you want as a certified trainer!
As an ECF Instructor, you will have access to the most revolutionary and exciting Fitness training methodology in the world. You can train indoors, outdoors, with one person, two partners or even an entire class of students.
Get a prestigious Instructor diploma at the Elite Combat Fitness Certified Instructor course! Give yourself the competitive edge and offer your clients more than the average trainer. At the ECF Instructor course, you will be certified in Elite Combat Fitness Strength & Conditioning, you will have the tools to reshape your clients and your business. Get anyone into the best shape of their lives using ECF's unique and proven training methods.
As Elite Combat Fitness is expanding worldwide, we are now looking for the right people with the right attitude to join our team. Become an Elite Combat Fitness Certified Instructor and be part of the growing success of Elite Combat Fitness!
Learn on your own anywhere that you have an internet connection.
Check out our store to purchase a DVD that is sure to get you in shape.
Connect with a certified Commando Krav Maga ECF Instructor near you.


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IP Services
WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION
Moog Inc. v. Andrew Botte, Sayfa Workwear Limited
Case No. D2014-1484
1. The Parties
The Complainant is Moog Inc., East Aurora, New York, United States of America (the "US"), represented by Hodgson Russ, LLP, US.
The Respondents are Andrew Botte and Sayfa Workwear Limited, Leiceister, Leiceistershire, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the "UK"), self-represented.
2. The Domain Names and Registrar
The disputed domain names <moogagm.com>, <moogglobal.com>, <moogindustrial.com>, <mooginnovation.com>, <mooginvestors.com>, <moogmedical.com>, <moogsystems.com> and <moogturbines.com> (the "Disputed Domain Names") are registered with GoDaddy.com, LLC (the "Registrar").
3. Procedural History
The Complaint was filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (the "Center") on August 29, 2014. On August 29, 2014, the Center transmitted by email to the Registrar a request for registrar verification in connection with the Disputed Domain Names. On August 30, 2014, the Registrar transmitted by email to the Center its verification response confirming Andrew Botte as the listed registrant for <moogagm.com> and confirming Sayfa Workwear Limited (with Andrew Botte as the contact) as the listed registrant for <moogindustrial.com>, <moogturbines.com>, <moogmedical.com>, <mooginnovation.com>, <mooginvestors.com>, <moogglobal.com>, and <moogsystems.com>. The Complainant filed an amended Complaint on September 9, 2014.
The Center verified that the amended Complaint satisfied the formal requirements of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Policy" or "UDRP"), the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Rules"), and the WIPO Supplemental Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the "Supplemental Rules").
In accordance with the Rules, paragraphs 2(a) and 4(a), the Center formally notified the Respondent of the Complaint, and the proceedings commenced on September 10, 2014. In accordance with the Rules, paragraph 5(a), the due date for Response was September 30, 2014. The Response was filed with the Center on September 15, 2014.
The Center appointed John Swinson as the sole panelist in this matter on October 7, 2014. The Panel finds that it was properly constituted. The Panel has submitted the Statement of Acceptance and Declaration of Impartiality and Independence, as required by the Center to ensure compliance with the Rules, paragraph 7.
4. Factual Background
The Complainant is Moog Inc., a US company which designs and manufacturers motion and fluid controls and control systems for applications in aerospace, defense, industrial and medical device markets.
The Complainant owns numerous US trade mark registrations for MOOG, including Registration No. 0893181, registered June 23, 1970. All of these registered trade marks will be collectively referred to as the "Trade Mark" for the purposes of this decision. The Complainant also owns the domain name <moog.com>. The Complainant submits that it has common law trade mark rights in MOOG dating from April 1951.
The Respondents are Andrew Botte, an individual who worked for HSBC bank prior to being made redundant, and his company Sayfa Workwear Limited, both of the UK (collectively, the "Respondent").
The Respondent registered the Disputed Domain Names as follows:
- <moogagm.com> on March 30, 2013; and
- <moogglobal.com>, <moogindustrial.com>, <mooginnovation.com>, <mooginvestors.com>, <moogmedical.com>, <moogsystems.com> and <moogturbines.com> on March 31, 2013.
The website at each of the Disputed Domain Names displays the same content, which is critical of the Complainant, HSBC bank and Lockheed investors. The text of the websites, which is accompanied by a photo of rows of coffins draped in US flags, is as follows:
"WHO ARE MOOG INC? A supplier on many U.S. military aircraft and missile programs, including National Missile Defense.
HSBC Bank has lent Millions lying to Shareholders.
Invest in Hellfire Missiles in Iraq? Who do you think these missiles will kill in the future?
US Government has just approved a $700 Million deal for 5000 Hellfire Missiles.
HSBC Bank, Moog Inc & Lockheed Investors do you need to Invest in death?
http://andrew-botte.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.mooginvestors.com
5. Parties' Contentions
A. Complainant
The Complainant's contentions are as follows.
Identical or Confusingly Similar
The Disputed Domain Names are confusingly similar to the Trade Mark. Each Disputed Domain Name incorporates the Trade Mark and a generic or descriptive word signifying one of the Complainant's business units or product names (e.g., "innovation", "industrial", "AGM").
Rights or Legitimate Interests
The Respondent is not an authorized distributor of the Complainant's goods or services and the Complainant has not licensed the Respondent to use the Trade Mark.
The Respondent is not commonly known by the Trade Mark.
The use of the Disputed Domain Names is not a legitimate or fair use. The website at each of the Disputed Domain Names criticizes HSBC bank for providing a credit facility to the Complainant. The Respondent Andrew Botte is a former employee of HSBC bank who believes that HSBC bank violated its lending policy. The websites criticize HSBC bank, not the Complainant.
The Respondent explains the purpose of the websites on his blog (which the websites link to), in the following post, dated July 28, 2014:
"I would like to stress at no point did my concern extend to the company in question [i.e., Moog Inc.] or any wrong doing on their part. The US company in question is a perfectly successful and legitimate business – my concern is based around should we [i.e., HSBC bank] have lent? And had [HSBC's] internal policy or procedure been breached?"
The stated goal of the websites was to encourage HSBC bank's Chairman and CEO to resign by July 31, 2014. The Respondent has hijacked the Complainant's Trade Mark to take its desired action against HSBC bank. Even if the websites were "criticism" sites, the Respondent has no legitimate interest in using the Trade Mark without some other term that would alert users that the Complainant does not own or sponsor the websites.
Registered and Used in Bad Faith
The Respondent's registrations of the Disputed Domain Names significantly post-date the Complainant's acquisition of common law trade mark rights, and its US trade mark registrations.
At the time the Respondent registered the Disputed Domain Names, it was aware of the Complainant and the Trade Mark (in fact, the websites include a description of the Complainant).
The Respondent was holding the Disputed Domain Names hostage to force executives of HSBC bank, not executives of the Complainant, to resign. When this did not occur, the Respondent put the Disputed Domain Names up for sale on eBay, with a "Buy it now" price of GBP 1,450,000. This is in excess of the Respondent's out-of-pocket expenses directly related to the Disputed Domain Names. This method of sale also means that the Disputed Domain Names could have been acquired by one of the Complainant's competitors. As an additional indicator of bad faith, the Respondent was also trying to sell domain names incorporating the HSBC bank trade mark on eBay at this time.
The Respondent acknowledged that the material on the websites "may be impacting" the Complainant's business, but rejected an offer by the Complainant to purchase the Disputed Domain Names for their actual cost.
The Respondent's use of the Trade Mark in the Disputed Domain Names diverts Internet traffic from the Complainant.
B. Respondent
The Respondent's contentions are as follows.
The Respondent does not dispute that the Disputed Domain Names are confusingly similar to the Trade Mark. The Respondent submits that the Respondent does not have exclusive rights to the term "Moog", and lists a number of other parties which hold registrations incorporating "Moog".
The Respondent submits that the Complainant had every opportunity to register the Disputed Domain Names itself, but chose not to.
The Respondent is using the Disputed Domain Names for the legitimate purpose of drawing attention to a funding facility arranged by HSBC bank that the Respondent believes breaks HSBC bank's Defence Policy. After being unable to use other avenues to voice his concerns, the Respondent saw this as being the most effective way of bringing the issue into the public arena. The Respondent states "My core objective remains to highlight HSBC Bank's wrongdoing". The Respondent submits that the websites are protest sites and it would be clear to any user that they are not affiliated with the Complainant. It further submits that no proof of confusion has been provided.
There are no products or services offered on the Respondent's websites. The Respondent is not a competitor of the Complainant. The Respondent has made no attempt to tarnish the Trade Mark.
The Respondent also makes a number of submissions relating to free speech and Constitutional rights.
The Respondent contacted the Complainant trying to seek a low cost resolution of the issues. The Respondent asked the Complainant to make a "nominal sensible" offer, and does not believe that the Complainant did so.
The Respondent has no grievance with the Complainant, and its criticism is directed at HSBC bank.
The Respondent listed the Disputed Domain Names for high prices on eBay to gain media interest.
6. Discussion and Findings
To succeed, the Complainant must demonstrate that all of the elements enumerated in paragraph 4(a) of the Policy have been satisfied, namely:
(i) the Disputed Domain Names are identical or confusingly similar to a trade mark or service mark in which the Complainant has rights; and
(ii) the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the Disputed Domain Names; and
(iii) the Disputed Domain Names have been registered and are being used in bad faith.
The onus of proving these elements is on the Complainant.
A. Identical or Confusingly Similar
Paragraph 4(a)(i) of the Policy provides that the Complainant must establish that the Disputed Domain Names are identical or confusingly similar to the Trade Mark.
The Complainant provided evidence of its ownership of the Trade Mark. The Panel accepts that the Complainant owns the Trade Mark.
In this case, the generic Top Level Domain ("gTLD") designation at the end of each Disputed Domain Name does not impact the assessment of confusing similarity under the Policy (see e.g., Arthur Guinness Son & Co. (Dublin) Limited v. Dejan Macesic, WIPO Case No. D2000-1698).
Each of the Disputed Domain Names is a combination of the Trade Mark with a descriptive term ("AGM" (one of the Complainant's products), "global", "industrial", "innovation", "investors", "medical", "systems" and "turbines"). The Panel finds that the Trade Mark remains the dominant element in each of the Disputed Domain Names. It is well established that the addition of a descriptive term (such as those listed above) to a trade mark does not prevent confusingly similarity (see e.g., Mesosystem, S.A. v. LeaseDomains.com, WIPO Case No. D2013-0711 and Giorgio Armani S.p.A. Swiss Branch, Mendrisio v. Gabriella Chung, WIPO Case No. D2013-0821).
In light of the above, the Panel finds that the Disputed Domain Names are confusingly similar to the Trade Mark. The Complainant succeeds on the first element of the Policy.
B. Rights or Legitimate Interests
Paragraph 4(a)(ii) of the Policy provides that the Complainant must establish that the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the Disputed Domain Names. The Complainant is required to make out a prima facie case showing that the Respondent lacks rights or legitimate interests.
The Panel finds that the Complainant has made out a prima facie case. This finding is based upon the following:
- the Respondent is not commonly known by any of the Disputed Domain Names; and
- there is no evidence that the Respondent has any connection with the Trade Mark and the Complainant has not authorized the Respondent to use the Trade Mark.
The Respondent seeks to rebut the Complainant's case by establishing that its use of the Disputed Domain Names is a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the domain names without intent for commercial gain to misleadingly divert consumers or to tarnish the Trade Mark (see paragraph 4(c)(iii) of the Policy).
The relevant facts can be summarized as follows:
- The Disputed Domain Names are substantially similar to the Trade Mark.
- The Respondent's websites do not include an express disclaimer that the websites are not associated with the Complainant.
- The Respondent's websites contain wording critical of both HSBC bank and the Complainant.
- The Panel is of the view that it would be clear to most users that the Respondent's websites were not controlled or authorised by the Complainant.
- It does not appear that the Respondent is making a commercial gain from the websites. There are no advertisements on the Respondent's websites or on the Respondent's blog (which the websites all link to).
Panels have expressed two main views in relation to criticism websites (see WIPO Overview of WIPO Panel Views on Selected UDRP Questions, Second Edition ("WIPO Overview 2.0" paragraph 2.4)). View 1 is that "[t]he right to criticize does not necessarily extend to registering and using a domain name that is identical or confusingly similar to the complainant's trademark. That is especially the case if the respondent is using the trademark alone as the domain name (i.e., <trademark.tld>) as that may be understood by Internet users as impersonating the trademark owner." This line of cases tends to disapprove of the use of a domain name for criticism in particular where the domain name is identical to the trademark. Additionally, in some cases, panels disapprove of the use of a domain name for criticism where another term is added, including where the criticism is apparent from the domain name itself (e.g., <moogparts.com> or <moogsucks.com>), notwithstanding the critical content of the site (see, e.g.,Kirkland & Ellis LLP v. DefaultData.com, American Distribution Systems, Inc., WIPO Case No. D2004-0136 and Anastasia International Inc. v. Domains by Proxy Inc./rumen kadiev, WIPO Case No. D2009-1416, both cited by the Complainant).
The other view, to which this Panel subscribes, tends to look past whether the domain name alone connotes criticism, but focuses on the content at the website located at the domain name. If the website is a genuine noncommercial criticism site, then paragraph 4(c)(iii) of the Policy may be satisfied (see e.g., Legal & General Group Plc v. Image Plus, WIPO Case No. D2002-1019 and Sutherland Institute v. Continuative LLC, WIPO Case No. D2009-0693).
Here, the Respondent's websites appear on the record before the Panel to be noncommercial and the use of the Disputed Domain Names similarly appear to be noncommercial. The linked websites are also seemingly noncommercial. The websites do not contain an express disclaimer that they are not associated with the Complainant. While this could potentially lead to user confusion, the Panel is of the view that the content of the websites is not misleading, and that it would be clear to users that the websites were not controlled or authorized by the Complainant (and were third party criticism websites).
This Panel considers the preservation of the free exchange of ideas via the Internet to be of the utmost importance. The Panel is of the view that any initial confusion experienced by users (due to the fact that the Disputed Domain Names do not disclose that the associated websites are criticism sites) would be immediately dispelled upon arrival at the websites. As a final point, there is no evidence that the Respondent is promoting the Disputed Domain Names, or using the Disputed Domain Names other than on the associated websites.
Accordingly, the Panel finds that insofar as the Policy is concerned the Respondent has sufficiently rebutted the Complainant's case as to rights or legitimate interests in respect of the Disputed Domain Names.
C. Registered and Used in Bad Faith
As the Complainant has failed to establish that the Respondent lacks rights or legitimate interests, it is unnecessary to determine whether the Respondent registered or used the Disputed Domain Names in bad faith.
7. Decision
For the foregoing reasons, the Complaint is denied.
John Swinson
Sole Panelist


02 Jun 2016 Durham, N.C.
BCBSNC is suing for hundreds of millions of dollars in risk corridor payments the government is required to pay the insurer under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as assurances from the government that full risk corridor payments for 2015 and 2016 will be timely made.
Federal government underpaid BCBSNC by approximately $130 million for 2014 alone.
Risk corridor payments are required by government obligations under statute, regulation and contract in connection with BCBSNC's agreement to serve as a Qualified Health Plan on ACA Exchanges in North Carolina.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) has filed suit against the federal government in the United States Court of Federal Claims, located in Washington, DC, for hundreds of millions of dollars in mandatory risk corridor payments the government owes to the insurer for 2014 under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).
BCBSNC also seeks assurances from the government that full risk corridor payments for 2015 and 2016 will be timely made. The government is obligated by statute, regulation and contract to timely pay the full risk corridor payments owed to BCBSNC for 2014. The government has acknowledged it is obligated to pay BCBSNC approximately $147 million in mandatory risk corridor payments for 2014, but has only paid BCBSNC approximately $18 million of that amount – a shortfall of nearly 90%.
BCBSNC estimates that the government will owe it more than $175 million in mandatory risk corridor payments for 2015 as well. The federal government's failure to meet its legal obligations exacerbated BCBSNC's ACA losses in 2014 and 2015 and has made it significantly more challenging for the company to continue selling ACA products. BCBSNC lost more than $400 million on its ACA products in 2014 and 2015.
Congress designed the temporary risk corridor program to provide financial stability for insurers and consumers during the first few years of the ACA and to encourage more insurers to participate in the ACA's new exchanges. The risk corridors program was modeled after a similar plan Congress initiated when it expanded Medicare to include Part D coverage of prescription drugs during the last decade.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina improves the health and well-being of our customers and communities by providing innovative health care products, services and information to more than 3.89 million members, including approximately 1 million served on behalf of other Blue Plans. Since 1933, we have worked to make North Carolina a better place to live through our support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health. We have been recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute every year since 2012. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit Blue Cross online at bcbsnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.


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Top 9 Most Hated Celebrities in Hollywood
It's always hard with celebs – you can't just love them or hate them, usually it's both. Some celebrities are truly amazing and show only their best qualities, while other don't really care about what people think and do whatever they want. Can we blame them, though? With so many people watching your every step, it's hard to be yourself and feel truly free. Being in the spotlight can be really stressful and some people cope with that stress in unusual ways. Others just like creating chaos all around them. There are celebs that are hated by thousands of people for various reasons, but does it really bother them? We don't think so. They are just too cool to be bothered by those things. Here are 9 celebs that are hated by almost everyone.
Everyone agrees that he's an amazing musician that will become even greater over the years, but it's hard to ignore the fact that he's been beating up his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna, for who knows how long. We just can't forgive him for that! He got away with a five-year probation period, but things didn't end there. He even got into a fight with Drake over Rihanna!
Kim K's tape with Ray J is among the many things that have put the Kardashian clan into the limelight. Most people hate them for over exposure. With their emoji's, clothing lines, pregnancies, marriages and scandals, it's just too much! Every morning we wake up and hear about something Kardashian in the news. It's a bit tiresome to say the least.
Justin Bieber's fan base involves millions of people, but the number of haters is growing with each passing year. Justin started as a cute teenager singing about love, but that charm soon began to wear off. His new persona was more of a bad boy who liked silly pranks and irresponsible behavior. Yet his songs and good looks are still keeping his fan base intact.
Mel Gibson is one of those people we love to hate. He has just as many haters as he does fans, and there's a reason for that. While being a talented actor and director, his true feelings about some really important matters shocked the publicity. He turned out to be sexist and racist and that's not something that is taken lightly.
Kanye has achieved a lot and is definitely a very talented man. Yet he's done some things that were really beneath him. During the 2009 MTV Music Awards he blurted out to Taylor Swift that Beyoncé should have won it. He also called himself a 'creative genius' on more than just one occasion. To top it all, he's married to Kim Kardashian and his kid's name is North West.
Bill Cosby used to be one of the most loved actors in Hollywood. Thousands of people have grown up watching his shows. Yet even he has a dark side! Did you know that more than 50 women accused him of sexual assault? He supposedly drugged them before that. In court he admitted that he had a prescription for Quaaludes that he did use on women to have sex with them. Many people have started hating him afterwards.
Millions of people are blaming Zack Snyder for ruining the movie 'Batman vs. Superman: Dawn'. This movie has too many flaws! What should have been one of the coolest blockbusters ever, turned out to be a major flop. Fans still can't forgive him for that!
Shia has almost made it after the Transformers franchise. He's become the face of these movies and could have done so much with his acting career. Yet it seemed all too much for him because one time he was arrested for public intoxication and the other he turned on set with a bag on his had saying 'I'm not famous anymore'. Well, it seems that after all these things he really isn't!
While being loved for acting skills, Gwyneth Paltrow has made lots of people angry with her new lifestyle guru thing. GOOP, her new publication, has become the topic for many jokes. Fans just couldn't relate to it as Gwyneth's lifestyle was so expensive and far from the lives of average people. She was even named the World's Most Hated Celebrity back in 2013!
Ivanka Yurchenko


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Home » News » Americas
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the true Lady of the Amazon, priest says
Mexico City, Mexico, Dec 6, 2019 / 10:42 pm (CNA).- Our Lady of Guadalupe is the true Lady of the Amazon, a leading expert on the apparition said, pointing to Pope John Paul II's recognition of Our Lady of Guadalupe as Queen of all the Americas.
Fr. Eduardo Chávez is the director of the Major Institute of Guadalupan Studies and the postulator for the cause for the canonization of Saint Juan Diego. He told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish language sister agency, that Our Lady of Guadalupe "takes nothing from syncretism, what she does is a perfect inculturation, as Saint John Paul II says" in his 1999 apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America.
In the Guadalupe Basilica on January 23, 1999, by placing Ecclesia in America at the feet of the Virgin, he said, Saint John Paul II underscored that Our Lady of Guadalupe is "Mother and Queen of this Continent" and took the title used years prior in the Synod for America: "Patroness of all the Americas and Star of the First and New Evangelization."
On that day, Saint John Paul II said that Our Lady of Guadalupe knows "the paths followed by the first evangelizers of the New World, from Guanahani Island and Hispaniola to the jungles of Amazonia and Andean peaks, reaching Tierra del Fuego in the South and the Great Lakes and mountains of the North."
Chávez emphasized that for almost 500 years, the Virgin of Guadalupe has been "perfectly well known as the patroness of the entire American Continent."
"She brings Jesus Christ Our Lord," the priest said. "She brings the truth which is Jesus Christ, and puts it in the heart of every human being, over and above cultures, traditions and languages."
This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Tags: Catholic News, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Amazon
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Reputability
This blog carries a series of posts and articles, mostly written by Anthony Fitzsimmons under the aegis of Reputability LLP, a business that is no longer trading as such. Anthony is a thought leader in reputational risk and its root causes, behavioural, organisational and leadership risk. His book 'Rethinking Reputational Risk' was widely acclaimed. Led by Anthony, Reputability helped business leaders to find, understand and deal with these widespread but hidden risks that regularly cause reputational disasters. You can contact Anthony via Reputability{at}cantab.net
Complacency - a Behavioural and Organisational Risk
Robert Shrimsley, one of the FT's satirical columnists (when he isn't managing FT.com) wrote about a recent Mayfair dinner hosted, I suspect, by Edelmans to promote their Global Trust Barometer. The Barometer is a valuable institution that has been going for 15 years. We have written about it in the past and we expect to return to it.
The dinner was attended by former ministers, former and current CEOs and senior journalists (such as him). They made a well-educated, well-heeled cohort of 'serious concerned people'.
One of the Barometer's findings was a drop in trust in leaders, institutions and elites. The decline in trust in the CEO as a credible spokesperson continued for the third consecutive year, with trust levels now at 31 percent in developed markets. Globally, CEOs (43%) and government officials and regulators (38%) continue to be the least credible sources for information. CEOs lagged far behind academic or industry experts (70%) or "people like me" (60%).
The reaction of those diners is interesting. Shrimsley did not mention anxious discussion of the possibility that the Barometer might be onto something fundamental - for example that elites' collective behaviour leads outsiders to regard elites as untrustworthy - let alone soul-searching to understand why people like those present are seen as so untrustworthy. On the contrary, Shrimsely summed up the event as
"an evening of high-level hand-wringing, the kind of self-reinforcing event that goes on all over London most weeks."
We recently carried out a poll on perceptions of behavioural and organisational risk. The cohort consisted of almost 100 company secretaries and senior in-house lawyers, who had recently completed an intense training session we had run to introduce them to behavioural and organisational risk and its tragic reputational consequences. These were people who often know more about 'where bodies are buried' than most.
We asked two pairs of questions, separating them as much as we could (which wasn't much) to reduce the effect of 'anchoring bias'.
The first pair of questions concerned the extent to which behavioural and organisational risks were understood across business generally and in their own organisation.
The results clearly imply that those present thought that their own organisation deals with behavioural and organisational risks better than others could.
Our second pair of questions produced a similar pattern.
Whilst not suggesting a solid working knowledge, those present clearly thought that their own board understood these risks rather better than boards in general.
In his second 2015 Reith Lecture, Atul Gawande looked at analogous behaviour in a different context: surgery. After introducing a checklist system for surgeons, modelled on those used by airline pilots for procedures routine and emergency, he surveyed surgeons on their attitudes.
Whilst most surgeons had become very happy to use the checklist system, about 20% really disliked it even after three months' use. So he asked those who really disliked the system whether, if they were to have an operation, they would wish their surgeon to use such checklists. 94% wanted their surgeon to use the checklists! The implication was clear: I don't need such a system but everyone else sure does!
Drivers fit a similar pattern: Apparently almost all of us think we are above average drivers!
This is a very common behaviour. Shrimsley mentioned confirmation bias. He might also have mentioned the availability heuristic, optimism bias and above all superiority bias and the overconfidence effect. All are widespread behavioural phenomena and all lead to a corresponding behavioural risk that we can summarise as complacency risk.
Add herding behaviour and the effects of social norms, and 'groupthink', a dangerous organisational risk, is the inevitable result.
At a dinner party, the consequences are likely to be dull and self-reinforcing conversation because participants' knowledge and experiences all come from the same box. Trapped inside, they may be unable to see they are in a box, let alone see the box from the outside; still less can they examine the beliefs and assumptions in and around the box.
Translated to leadership teams of companies, governments and other organisations,the effect of these relatively homogeneous groups (that probably see themselves as diverse) is as predictable as it is devastating. Whilst these behavioural and organisational risks are predictable, and blindingly obvious to an outsider given access to insiders' knowledge, they commonly lie unrecognised and untreated for long periods before they blow up. We plan a blog with our latest research on this, but you already know why this is so.
The challenge for leaders is to understand not just how others see them but how others would see them if they had an insider's knowledge.
Or as Robert Burns eloquently put it:
O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion!
Anthony Fitzsimmons
Reputability LLP
Anthony Fitzsimmons is Chairman of Reputability LLP and, with the late Derek Atkins, author of "Rethinking Reputational Risk: How to Manage the Risks that can Ruin YourBusiness, Your Reputation and You"
Posted by Reputability at 17:12
New FRC Guidance for Boards on Risk
The boards of companies publicly quoted in the UK face a step change in their approach to risk management. A similar change for banks and i...
Boards in the dark
As stories continue to emerge from China this week about GlaxoSmithKline's operations there, it must be an anxious time for the Company...
Designing Better Boards
At a recent seminar, Tom Peters tackled board composition. His prescription for a perfectly composed [non-executive] board team of ten? ...
Are civil service leaders competent?
Are the Civil Service's top mandarins competent? Two strong pieces of evidence suggest that they have a reputation for incompetence a...
'Three lines of defence': A dangerous delusion
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First Lessons from Volkswagen
Volkswagen, scion of German industry, has fallen off its pedestal after revelations that up to 11 million of its diesel cars were fitted wit...
Helping NEDs see through CEO charm
Leaders found to be dominant or hubristic regularly unleash unpleasant surprises after years of charming behaviour that camouflaged the vuln...
Radical Revisions to FRC Corporate Governance Code and Guidance on Board Effectiveness
The Financial Reporting Council has delivered radical revisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code and of the Guidance on Board Effectivene...
Solvency II Handbook makes Start on Reputational Risk for Insurers
As a textbook author for the Chartered Insurance Institute I am only too aware of the challenges of writing about Solvency II, the regula...
Intelligent Dissent
On 13 May, 1940, Sergeant Walther Rubarth was in the vanguard of the German army invading France. His company had survived a hail of French ...
Solvency II Handbook makes Start on Reputational R...
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Holds creme rinse, shampoo, deodorant, soap, washcloth, bathing cap, and nail brush for fingertip convenience. Hangs over your shower head. Washable, cushioned-coated steel frame will never rust.
Dimensions: 6-1/4" x 3-3/4" x 17".