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Supplemental Analyst Package First Quarter 2008 Earnings Call April 30, 2008.
Published byJessie Harmon Modified over 4 years ago
Presentation on theme: "Supplemental Analyst Package First Quarter 2008 Earnings Call April 30, 2008."— Presentation transcript:
1 Supplemental Analyst Package First Quarter 2008 Earnings Call April 30, 2008
2 Table of Contents
3 Financial Highlights (dollars in thousands, except per share data) 1
4 Consolidated Balance Sheets (dollars in thousands) 2
5 Consolidated Statements of Operations (dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) 3
6 Consolidated Statements of Funds from Operations (dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) 4
7 Property Results of Operations (dollars in thousands) 5
8 Capital Structure as of March 31, 2008 (dollars in thousands) 6
9 Portfolio Overview as of March 31, 2008 Same Store Wholly-owned Portfolio 7
10 Portfolio Overview as of March 31, 2008, continued New Wholly-owned Properties & On-Campus Participating Properties 8
11 2008/2009 Leasing Status Same Store Owned Portfolio - Applications + Leases 9
12 2008/2009 Leasing Status, continued Same Store Owned Portfolio-Leases 10
13 2008/2009 Leasing Status, continued Owned Development Projects and 2007/2008 Acquisitions 11
14 First Quarter 2008 Acquisitions (dollars in thousands) 12
15 Owned Development Update (dollars in thousands) 13
16 Third-Party Development Update (dollars in thousands) 14
17 Management Services Update (dollars in thousands) 15
18 Investor Information 16
19 Forward Looking Statements This supplemental package contains forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of management. Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this supplemental package are forward-looking statements and can be identified by the use of the words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "estimate," "project," "should," "will," "result" and similar expressions. Such statements are based on current expectations and involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including risks and uncertainties related to the proposed transactions (including but not limited to (i) the occurrence of any effect, event, development or change that could give rise to the termination of the definitive agreements, (ii) the inability to complete the proposed transactions, including in the case of the merger, due to the failure of GMH's shareholders to approve the merger, (iii) the failure of any party to satisfy the conditions to the closing of the transactions and (iv) the failure of ACC to obtain the necessary financing arrangements set forth in a commitment letter received in connection with the proposed merger), inherent in the national economy, the real estate industry in general, and in our specific markets; the effect of terrorism or the threat of terrorism; legislative or regulatory changes including changes to laws governing REITs; our dependence on key personnel whose continued service is not guaranteed; availability of qualified acquisition and development targets; availability of capital and financing; rising interest rates; rising insurance rates; impact of ad valorem and income taxation; changes in generally accepted accounting principals; and our continued ability to successfully lease and operate our properties. While we believe these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this supplemental package, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Additional Information about the Merger and Where to Find It This supplemental package does not constitute an offer of any securities for sale. In connection with the merger, American Campus Communities, Inc. ("ACC") has filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4, which includes a proxy statement/prospectus of GMH Communities Trust ("GMH") and ACC and other relevant materials in connection with the proposed transactions. The proxy statement/prospectus will be mailed to GMH shareholders starting on April 30, 3008. Investors and security holders of ACC and GMH are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus and the other relevant material when they become available because they will contain important information about ACC, GMH and the proposed transactions. The proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials (when they become available), and any and all documents filed by ACC or GMH with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by ACC by directing a written request to American Campus Communities, Inc., 805 Las Cimas Parkway, Suite 400, Austin, Texas 78746 Attention: Investor Relations. In addition, investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by GMH Communities by directing a written request to GMH Communities Trust, 10 Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073, Attention: Investor Relations. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND THE OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTIONS. ACC, GMH and their respective executive officers, directors and trustees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the security holders of GMH in connection with the merger. Information about those executive officers and directors of ACC and their ownership of ACC common stock is set forth in the proxy statement for ACC's 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 2, 2008. Information about the executive officers and trustees of GMH and their ownership of GMH common shares is set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10K/A of GMH, which was filed with the SEC on April 29, 2008. Investors and security holders may obtain additional information regarding the direct and indirect interests of ACC, GMH and their respective executive officers, directors and trustees in the merger by reading the proxy statement and prospectus regarding the merger when they become available.
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1 FIRST QUARTER 2009 INVESTOR CONFERENCE CALL. 2 Today ' s Hosts Steve Romano Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Jim Baumgardner President & Chief Operating.
1 ICON Quarter 1, 2009 Results ended March 31, 2009 Dr. John Climax, Chairman Mr. Peter Gray, CEO Mr. Ciaran Murray, CFO.
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Paravalvular leaks (PVLs) are a well-recognized complication of prosthetic valve replacement. Perivalvular prosthetic regurgitation causes significant morbidity and is associated with high perioperative mortality if open surgical repair is required. PVLs manifest with symptoms of congestive heart failure, hemolysis, or in most cases, the combination of both. In recent years, the development of imaging and device techniques significantly shortened the duration of fluoroscopy and procedure success was achieved. Percutaneous transcatheter closure of PVLs with a specific device causes symptomatic improvement. We present a case of transcatheter closure of aortic paravalvular insufficiency with amplatzer duct occluder 2 device.
Paravalvular leaks (PVLs) are common complications of patients who had a history of valve replacement. It can be seen in 2% to 10% of prosthetic valve in the aortic position.  Redo valve surgery is the gold standard therapy, but carries high risks for the patients. Morbidity-mortality rates are high after a surgical reoperation especially on the vast majority of elderly patients.  With the advancement of device technology and imaging modalities, interventional cardiologists have begun to perform percutaneous valve interventions successfully. We report our experience with percutaneous transcatheter closure of PVL in a patient who had a history of recurrent hospitalizations diagnosed as decompensated heart failure.
A 57-year-old male patient who presented with New York Heart Association class III-IV dyspnea and massive ascites, was admitted to our clinic. He had a history of mitral valve replacement for serious mitral insufficiency and aortic valve replacement for severe calcific aortic stenosis 3 years ago. He had repetitive hospitalizations due to decompensated heart failure for a period of 3 months.
On examination, he had a regular pulse rate of 82 beats/min, and blood pressure of 120/70 mmHg. The cardiopulmonary examination revealed a grade 2/6 early diastolic decrescendo murmur, clear prosthetic click and bilateral crackles in the lung bases. He had massive ascites, pretibial and scrotal edema. The transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) showed mildly decreased left ventricular systolic function with left ventricular hypertrophy and aortic metallic prosthetic valve with severe paravalvuler insufficiency at the edge of the sewing ring [Figure 1] and [Figure 2]. He denied the options of redo operation and percutaneous closure of the defect were discussed in every detail. Then, patient agreed to attempt percutaneous intervention. Warfarin was stopped before the procedure and his international normalized ratio at the time of the procedure was 1, 9.
The procedure was performed under TEE guidance using general anesthesia. Right femoral artery puncture was performed, and paravalvular aortic regurgitation was evaluated by aortography. Leak was passed by a hydrophilic terumo 0.35 inch guide wire and 5 F delivery catheter was placed into left ventricle. Paravalvular aortic leak diameter was calculated using TEE and 4 mm amplatzer duct occluder (ADO) II was chosen. ADO II was loaded into the delivery system and left ventricle side was opened first, and aortic side was opened secondly. During the opening of aortic side, disappearance of leak was observed, and device was released [Figure 3]. Complete disappearance of leak was confirmed by aortography. There was not any complication, and the patient was discharged from the hospital after 2 days.
With increase in elderly population, the normal of prosthetic valves also increases. Nowadays, echocardiography has demonstrated more and more prosthetic valves leakage and hence, the cardiologists can recognize such problem easily.
The present report is an example of a successful repair of paravalvular aortic prosthesis leakage using ADO II.
Paravalvular aortic insufficiency is a complication of surgical aortic valve replacement and it is associated with poor prognosis. As in our case, paravalvular aortic leakage causes the persistence of congestive heart failure, and percutaneous aortic leakage repair is a good alternative to the redo surgery.
Ruiz CE, Jelnin V, Kronzon I, Dudiy Y, Del Valle-Fernandez R, Einhorn BN, et al. Clinical outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous closure of periprosthetic paravalvular leaks. J Am Coll Cardiol 2011;58:2210-7.
Miller DL, Morris JJ, Schaff HV, Mullany CJ, Nishimura RA, Orszulak TA. Reoperation for aortic valve periprosthetic leakage: Identification of patients at risk and results of operation. J Heart Valve Dis 1995;4:160-5.
Webb JG, Pate GE, Munt BI. Percutaneous closure of an aortic prosthetic paravalvular leak with an Amplatzer duct occluder. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2005;65:69-72.
Hildick-Smith D, Behan MW, De Giovanni J. Percutaneous closure of an aortic paravalvular leak via the transradial approach. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2007;69:708-10.
Pate GE, Al Zubaidi A, Chandavimol M, Thompson CR, Munt BI, Webb JG. Percutaneous closure of prosthetic paravalvular leaks: Case series and review. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2006;68:528-33.
Sorajja P, Cabalka AK, Hagler DJ, Reeder GS, Chandrasekaran K, Cetta F, et al. Successful percutaneous repair of perivalvular prosthetic regurgitation. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2007;70:815-23.
Nietlispach F, Johnson M, Moss RR, Wijesinghe N, Gurvitch R, Tay EL, et al. Transcatheter closure of paravalvular defects using a purpose-specific occluder. JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2010;3:759-65.


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ImageWare Highlights Gartner Research Ahead of AWS Launch
As it prepares for its big Amazon Web Services launch, ImageWare is highlighting the findings of a joint publication with Gartner on user authentication.
Building on research from Gartner's Market Guide for User Authentication, ImageWare points out that 63 percent of last year's data breaches involved weak or stolen passwords. That's a serious issue in light of the fact that half a billion new devices went online in 2015, with a wide swath of those being potentially vulnerable to such attacks.
For its part, ImageWare is preparing a refined Software-as-a-Service solution. It's going to launch its flagship GoVerifyID system on a SaaS model via Amazon Web Services, offering companies an end-to-end, cloud-hosted security platform based on biometric authentication.
Given that GoVerifyID has already seen multiple high-profile integrations with previous partners, it's no surprise that the company says its multimodal, multi-factor platform is now proving popular in its AWS SaaS iteration, with multiple clients already signing up as resellers. And given Gartner's finding that many organizations prioritize the user experience in seeking authentication solutions, the simplicity of biometric authentication, together with its cloud-based scalability, should attract even more interest in GoVerifyID's AWS offering as it goes live.
May 10, 2016 – by Alex Perala

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In a debate that went on late into the night, MPs yesterday backed controversial plans to build a third runway at London's Heathrow Airport, potentially ending decades of indecision over the future development of the UK hub.
The government won a key vote in the Commons by 415 votes to 119 – a majority of 296 to seemingly pave the way for the gateway's expansion.
But to think that it is all over may be premature as a cross-party group of London councils and the city's mayor, Sadiq Khan, have already indicated that they are ready to mount a legal challenge against the third runway.
Indeed, Matthew Riley, the UK managing director of engineering and design consultancy, Ramboll, cautioned: " "Whilst this is good news for the economy and our industry, the reality is that is has taken successive governments 20 year to make a decision, and we still have the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn saying he may reverse this decision if Labour form the next government.
"This whole process serves to demonstrate why politics alone cannot be allowed to dictate the fundamental needs of critical infrastructure in the UK.
There was support for the decision from many quarters, including from the business group the CBI, which called it a "a truly historic decision that will open the doors to a new era in the UK's global trading relationships".
While Luton Airport's CEO, Nick Barton, said: "The House of Commons' approval of the Heathrow third runway is a welcome sign of the government's commitment to providing much needed aviation capacity in the South East.
And responding to approval of the Airports National Policy Statement, Karen Dee, chief executive of the UK's Airport Operators Association (AOA), said: "A global Britain requires connectivity to both established and emerging markets right across the country and thus needs both world-class hub and point-to-point capacity.
"Parliament has today recognised the importance of aviation connectivity and its approval of the Airports NPS for a north-west runway at Heathrow is an important step towards delivering that connectivity.
"It is now vital that the government delivers an Aviation Strategy which sets out a clear and positive framework for aviation growth across the UK.
"Alongside the recently announced government support for all airports in their efforts to make best use of their existing runways, an ambitious Strategy is urgently needed to ensure that all airports have the capacity and the surface transport links necessary to connect communities and businesses with domestic and international markets.
Not surprisingly, Heathrow CEO, John Holland-Kaye, welcomed the news, calling it a landmark decision that will unlock jobs and growth.
Heathrow said that it will now prepare an application for development consent which will see construction begin in 2021.
Holland-Kaye said: "Parliament has ended 50 years of debate by deciding that Heathrow expansion will go ahead. This vote will see us deliver more jobs, create a lasting legacy of skills for future generations and guarantee expansion is delivered responsibly.
In addition to Heathrow's consultation, the development consent process will provide further opportunities for residents and stakeholders to influence Heathrow's proposal.
If Heathrow is granted development consent, construction would begin in 2021 ahead of the new runway opening in 2026.


A. In any instance where the operator of a cemetery is informed or becomes aware that it has interred or permitted the interment of a body or cremains in the wrong burial space, it shall disinter the burial container wrongfully interred, identify the burial container, and reinter it in the proper burial space. The cemetery shall give reasonable notice, in advance of the disinterment, to the nearest known next of kin of the deceased person and, if requested, the owner of such burial space. For the purposes of this section, "interment" means the same as such term is defined in § 54.1-2310.
B. At the time specified for the disinterment and reinterment, the cemetery shall permit the nearest known next of kin and, if requested, the owner of such burial space to witness the disinterment and reinterment.
C. The cemetery shall bear all costs of the disinterment and reinterment.


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Space to Work, Rest and Play
So I did my back in. I managed to get a new TV corner unit on special offer, and had help getting it into the car, but had to get it out on my own. I was well impressed with my own display of Herculean strength, until I got up the following day with a stiff back – a condition that got steadily worse. Soon, I wasn't able to stand up straight. I was walking around tilted over, like a cyclist taking a right turn. If you've ever suffered from a bad back, you'll know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, be glad. Mine is okay most of the time, but ten years of martial arts training (including countless times being slammed onto the floor) has left me with an absolute humdinger of a gremlin in the base of my spine. On the rare occasion when it shows up, my life has to slow down.
It was still bad the following day, and the day after that I had to cancel a session in the JCSP library in Killinarden Community School (sorry again, Helen). The next day, it was still giving me trouble, so I had to sit down through both the sessions in Mullingar Library, which I don't normally do unless I'm dealing with very young kids.There's nothing you can really do with this thing, you just have to rest it and keep it warm and it sorts itself eventually. I was doing better, and then, a couple of days ago, I had to change the wheel on the car, and that set me right back to square one again.
Add to that, the fact that I've had a gluey cold for the last few weeks that I couldn't shake, and I was in no shape for sessions at all. The last bit of that cold is passing away, but I've had a few sneezes that jolted my back – my yelps, grunts and cursing would sound hilarious to anyone who heard them.
It got me thinking about my work environment again. Over the years, I've moved my studio many times, and I normally have to fit it into whatever room I can make free in the flat or house. When I came back from London, I made two standing-height desks to work at, one for the computer and one for the drawing desk, so that I wouldn't be sitting down all day (we learn that particular bad habit in school and it stays with us for life). It's helped a lot, but there's still a lot about my workspace that still doesn't come up to scratch – not least the chair I have to use at the desk; it's really hard to get a chair that high which is also good for your back.
I have high hopes of having a whole studio space built-to-purpose some day soon, instead of trying to fit a mixed batch of furniture into ill-suited spaces.
Last Sunday, we took the kids to Imaginosity in Beacon South Quarter in Sandyford. It's a fantastic building, packed with activities for everyone from tots to brats (we have one of each) over several floors, including a roof-top set-up. It's an environment that encourages physical play, interaction, make believe, and curiosity. Our baby daughter's only problem with the place was sensory overload – there was too much to see and do. But she had a ball, especially in the areas that weren't aimed at her. Our nine-year old was just barely catered for, having already sold his soul to football and computer games, but stick him and his sister anywhere and they'll have fun together. She particularly liked the spinning cup-seats up on the roof and demolishing the well-ordered kitchen and post office.
These play centres are great, but I sometimes think they are part of a continuing tendency to create manufactured playing environments for our kids. They're one more reason not to send the kids out on their own, to make up their own games and play, y'know . . . for free. Without the need for a ticket, or a supervisor with a childcare certificate. One good part of Imaginosity was that it wasn't supervised – the older kids could wander on their own, and you had to stay with your younger kids and play with them. Next time we have a day out, though, we're going back to our nearest forest, or a park.
Just to catch up on the reports of my gigs; before the Easter break, I visited the JCSP Library in Trinity Comprehensive in Ballymun, one of many great JCSP projects, (I'll be back down that direction next week to talk about Dorian Gray, sin, vice and hedonism). I did a day's course for Inkwell Workshops, a very professionally run outfit altogether, and spent that Saturday talking shop with a lovely bunch of people.
On the 23rd of March, I was over in London for the Middlesex University Literary Festival, where I gave a talk with Frances Hardinge, author of 'Fly by Night' and 'Verdigris Deep'. The college is on spacious, forest grounds, with a beautiful manor house as its centre, but they've been trying to rebuild their boxy old faculty buildings for years and may have to move because they can't get planning permission. They should come to Ireland; seems you can build any oul' shite over here if you build it big enough.
I've blogged earlier about the event in Trinity with Philip Reeve and Conor Kostick and, of course, explained above how I missed Killinarden in Tallaght. I did get to Mullingar Library, which boasts an amazing new building where, as I arrived, people were queuing to get in and get libraring. Last week I visited Glenasmole National School, a small country school in the hills above Tallaght, though despite its proximity to the Big Shmoke, it could have been anywhere in rural Ireland. They were out playing tag-rugby when I arrived. It was nice to see the walls covered in murals. We need more of that!
I took the opportunity to take a peek into the new Tallaght library (well, new to me) and was well impressed, particularly with the kids' section. Unlike so many of the old libraries my generation grew up with, these are places full of light and space, welcoming layouts and innovative features. The folks in Tallaght had some really cool little book-rack/reading booths that the kids must love.
This week I was in the JCSP library in St Paul's CBS in Brunswick St, talking to a cool, good-natured bunch of lads. Then I did a few sessions for the junior infants up to second class in St Mary's in Blessington (so close to my beloved Wicklow Mountains – God, it's been a long time since I got out hillwalking!). I've been there before, and it's a big, busy, buzzing school. And I'm not just saying that because they gave me wine and chocolates as we said goodbye.
While I was in St Paul's, Annie the librarian there, told me that the contracts for all the JCSP librarians run out on the 31st of August. They have no idea if they'll all be out of a job come September. I've seen enough of these libraries to know what a hugely positive impact they're having. Ireland's schools have suffered for years from having no proper libraries, and we're still playing catch-up with places like the UK. It's not enough that we just save these projects from going under – we need them in every secondary school in the country.
Take note, Ms Coughlan, our new Minister for Education and Skills: books may be made with wood pulp, but educations don't grow on trees. And those imaginative, enlightened, educated kids will be vital to your plan, as you put it: to market Ireland as the innovation island 'like Einstein explaining his theory of evolution'.
Truly, these kids will need all the help they can get – it's survival of the physicist out there.
To end this spatial exploration on a positive note, I recently heard about the Room 13 project in Scotland. We need more of this kind of thing over here.
The Hard Facts
Charles Stross, one of the UK's most successful sci-fi writers, and a compulsive and prolific blogger, has written a series of posts about writing for a living, but there's one post I think everyone should see, about the lifestyle of a writer. There are a lot of blunt truths here – though there are some key differences in the life of a children's writer – so if you're considering trying to get published, or if you are published and you're wondering 'Is it like this for everyone?' (Answer: Yes, it probably is.), you should have a read of this post.
In the article, Charlie refers to a survey carried out by the Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS) on writers' incomes in the UK. It makes for sobering reading. The Irish Copyright and Licensing Agency (ICLA) and the Irish Writers' Union recently carried out a similar survey. I haven't seen the full results yet, but I got a peek at some of them and, as might be expected, things are even tougher in Ireland. I'll post more when I have more.
Something Old, Something New . . .
I would be wary of claiming that I could define what makes great art, or what qualities bestow the term 'classic' on something – particularly when that term can turn most kids off it quicker than pressing the power button. But for me, a great story is one that ticks all my various and demanding boxes and leaves me saying 'I don't know how they could have done that better'. And 'Addams Family Values' has that effect on me. The first film, 'The Addams Family', was really good, but the second outdid it. It is just beautifully darkly weird and wickedly funny, with the kind of script that just leaves you waiting for the next character to speak. It's perfectly cast, imaginative, theatrical and visually fantastic, but it's the dialogue that does it for me. There are just so many good lines in it. This was a big influence on my Wildenstern books. If you haven't seen it already . . . what the hell's wrong with you?
I had been meaning to pick up 'Harry Brown' for a while. The other night, while I was out browsing through Xtra-Vision, I decided that it might fit my requirements for a well-paced, intelligent film that wasn't going to be too taxing on my tired brain. As it turned out, Michael Caine's latest was just the ticket. He once said of his prolific career: 'I wanted to do so many films, that by the time people realized I wasn't a big star, I'd be one'. That might explain how he's managed to be in quite a few absolute turkeys (keep well clear of 'On Deadly Ground' with Steven Seagal). But he rarely gets it wrong, and when he's on form, he as good as anybody. And 'Harry Brown' is a prime example. The plot is hardly original – an old man who turns vigilante after the death of his friend – but Caine brings an ordinariness, a pathos to it that lifts it above being just another revenge film. He's ably assisted by Emily Mortimer and some scarily realistic thugs.
Anybody who had Charles Dickens forced on them in secondary school probably, like me, wondered if the definition of literature was supposed to be a dense text full of archaic language and meandering narrative that had to be analyzed to death. And I had really good English teachers. But these books are good, it's just hard to appreciate that when you're being made to read something that doesn't reflect your interests. And when the language, we are told, is beautifully written English but is, at the same time, difficult for anyone in their teens to understand. So every schoolkid is left wondering: Is that what we're supposed to be aiming for? The curriculum has a lot to answer for, but there's a reason Dickens is considered a cracking writer, and 'Bleak House' is a great example. I downloaded it onto my phone a few weeks ago (for when I'm in the car, or out walking), from South Dublin Libraries' website.
It's probably not ideal material for an audio-book, as it's long, with a wide range of separate plot-lines that take time to weave together, and a massive cast of characters. And at the start, I was only listening to it from time to time, so it took a fair bit of recalling to remember everything that was going on. After some begrudging years studying long, old-fashioned novels, printed in small, dense type, it's easy to forget how colourful and distinct Dickens's characters are, how witty the dialogue and the level of near-slapstick humour and wonderfully over-the-top description he uses at times. The description of Mrs Jellyby's house, whose grand plans for building homes in Africa result in her own house falling down around her ears and her children running riot, is brilliant – and the scene featuring Mrs Pardiggle's bulldozer opinions on social justice, her destructive skirts and her long-suffering sons is hilarious. As is the scene where we first meet the Smallweed family, headed by the malignant Grandfather Smallweed and his slingshot cushion. Imagining his feeble body barely containing his vitriolic hatred for his wife's babblings just has to put a smile on your face. The book is packed with humour and character and wisdom and a mastery of language. But students take note: that language is just how Dickens told his story – we don't have to write like that today!
Speaking of classics, this year's 'One City, One Book' campaign for Dublin has adopted 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. I read the novel years ago, but now I've just read the graphic novel, adapted by writer Ian Edginton. I've enjoyed Edginton's work on comics such as 'HG Wells' War of the Worlds' and 'Leviathan', so I was looking forward to this. With illustrator Ian Culbard, he has delivered a sound adaptation.
There are loads of comic versions of the classics, but most of them are crap – badly adapted and drawn by amateurish illustrators. Edginton is a pro, and Culbard's simplistic (but well-executed) drawings with their brush-stroke portraits and crude digital paint toning have a flavour of European comics and I think the look works well. It's a deceptively hard style to do, and I've seen better, but Culbard makes it work. There's not much money to be made in books like this, so you rarely see them being done (competently) in any very realistic or finished style, and this is a story that leans heavily on Wilde's cutting dialogue anyway. This is a fine adaptation of a classic story of hedonism, sin and the destruction of the soul.
I also checked out the recently released film adaptation, directed by Oliver Parker, entitled simply: 'Dorian Gray'. Well worth a look (especially as it delves with a little more detail into the sins that Wilde brushes over – wa-hey!), I saw a couple of mediocre reviews for it, but I think it's better than that. Ben Barnes (previously known as Prince Caspian) does well as Dorian, going from innocent to cursed with great aplomb – although I'd wonder if he quite has the charisma to carry the whole film – and Colin Firth is excellent as Lord Henry Wooton. Modern CGI also gave the painting a whole life of its own, which could have spoiled it, but was nicely underplayed.
I'm going to be giving a talk next week in Ballymun Library about the story, specifically the comic adaptation, to Transition Years, so I'm working on a pitch that will grab their attention. Despite all my chatter about modern adaptations and how classics can have universal appeal, I know that making these kinds of stories relevant to teenagers is a tall order. So, only time will tell if I'll be able to put an acceptable face on the eminent Mr Dorian Gray.
Something Wicked This Way Came
Well, it's been an interesting week. I've been struggling with my web connection, first because of some kind of breakdown in the line, and then having to juggle the settings on my Mac and other devices to get everything back up and running again. I love the way you pay for a service and end up doing most of the maintaining yourself.
I will some day soon have to replace my computer, along with a few other pieces of very old kit. Anyone who has spent years maintaining a growing collection of hardware and software, constantly tinkering to keep it all working together, will know the terror involved in taking it apart and setting it up again. Can't wait for that little ordeal.
On Friday, I went with my mother, brother and his wife to see the wicked Mr Derren Brown live in the fantastic new Grand Canal Theatre. We saw his show a few years ago, and loved it. This new show, Enigma, didn't disappoint either. He has a unique ability to wreck your head and leave you completely intrigued as to how he did it. The fact that he explains how he did some of it just makes things worse, as anyone who has watched his shows for any length of time will know you can't trust a word he says. I don't want to say too much about the show, in case I spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but it included planting various subconscious suggestions in our collective brains, cold reading (how psychics read your body language to con you into thinking they can read your mind), 'contacting the spirits of the dead', putting much of the audience into a trance and giving us a bloody good laugh the whole way through. A brilliant performance. And it's funny to see how worked up he gets himself by the end.
While I'm on the subject of smoke and mirrors – well . . . mainly smoke – I had a meeting cancelled, for the first time ever, because of a volcano. I was supposed to meet the managing editor of Random, my UK publisher, on Friday. But her flight was cancelled because of the much-publicized eruption. I think it was a pretty acceptable excuse. Eyjafjallajökull volcano (I have no idea how to pronounce that) in Iceland has, as everyone in the world should know by now, caused massive disruption for air travel. I heard one person on the radio say that they were stuck in an airport abroad and the earliest flight they could get on was on the 14th of May. I really think airlines should be giving priority to those who have to get home, rather than trying to keep to their schedules for the benefit of those whose flights have yet to be affected. Better that someone have their holiday cancelled and have to drive home again, then someone having to be stranded in a foreign country without a place to stay, eating airport food and blowing the limit on their credit card.
I once had to stay just one night sleeping in an airport, and it was a pretty miserable experience. And I was young with no family to look after. The benches were so uncomfortable to sleep on I just lay on the floor with no cover except my jacket. They don't turn off the lights all night, the cleaners work at night, so it's not that quiet even then, and I couldn't help worrying about somebody nicking my stuff while I was asleep – and this was in a London airport with hardly anybody else in the Departure lounge. I can only imagine what it's like day after day in a crowded airport. Given that the last time this volcano erupted, it lasted for fourteen months, airlines should be taking better care of the people who find themselves stranded. Those companies are going to need a lot of good will – and as few lawsuits as possible – to stay in business as things get even tougher for their industry.
For anyone who's interested, I found this description of what volcanic ash (which is basically particles of vaporized stone) can do to an airplane, on Wikipedia:
Sandblasting effect
Ash can "blind" pilots by sandblasting the windscreen requiring an instrument landing, damage the fuselage, and coat the plane so much as to add significant weight and change balance. In addition, the sandblasting effect can damage the landing lights, making their beams diffuse and unable to be projected in the forward direction. Propellor aircraft are also endangered.
Clogging of the plane's sensors
Accumulation of ash can also block an aircraft's pitot tubes. This can lead to failure of the aircraft's air speed indicators.
Electromagnetic wave insulation
Volcanic ash particles are charged and disturb the communication by radio.
Combustion power failure
Volcanic ash damages machinery. The effect on jet aircraft engines is particularly severe as large amounts of air are sucked in during combustion operation, posing a great danger to aircraft flying near ash clouds. Very fine volcanic ash particles (particularly glass-rich if from an eruption under ice) sucked into a jet engine melt at about 1,100 °C, fusing onto the blades and other parts of the turbine (which operates at about 1,400 °C). They can erode and destroy parts, drive it out-of-balance, and cause jams in rotating machinery.
The effect on the operation of a jet engine is often to cause it to cut out — failure of all a plane's engines is common (compressor stall and flameout, fooling of the engine temperature sensors). The standard emergency procedure when jet engines begin to fail had been to increase power, which makes the problem worse. The best procedure is to throttle back the engines, and to lose height so as to drop below the ash cloud as quickly as possible. The inrush of cold, clean air is usually enough to cool, solidify, and shatter the glass, unclogging the engines.
So, I'm happy for the airlines to play it safe and keep those birds on the ground until the air has cleared. Whenever that happens.
Apparently, Eyjafjallajökull is right next to a much bigger volcano named Katla. It could erupt with a force nearly ten times greater than its smaller neighbour. Every time Eyjafjallajökull has erupted in recorded history, Katla has gone up not long after. Not a pleasant thought for anybody wishing to fly over Europe in the next year or so . . . I might well be taking the ferry next time I have to do any events in the UK.
One additional casualty last weekend was the Philip Pullman event in Trinity on Saturday, for which I had tickets. I was looking forward to a good row between himself and the fundamentalists over his new book 'The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'. But it seems Catholic Ireland, at least, has been spared his wicked, blaspheming presence.
So, this volcano thingie. . . Act of God, d'you think?
Ideas for the Future
I'm borrowing the theme/title from Trinity Week for this piece, partly because of the great event I got to do with Philip Reeve and Conor Kostick last Tuesday, and partly 'cos it fits nicely with the other stuff I want to talk about . . .
An article I read recently on Publishers Weekly about new apps for the iPad and the iPhone is the best one I've seen so far about how children's publishers are becoming pioneers into all the new formats that are exploding into existence. This article is about Apple's tablet, but it's what is being created for the device that's interesting, with applications that still centre around reading, yet offer animation, audio, interactive text and activities such as digital painting, puzzles and games. There are also services like the International Children's Digital Library, offering its content from creators all over the world for free as apps.
Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, one of Ireland's best picture book creators, sent me this link she found for 'Alice in Wonderland' on the iPad. They've done a lovely job on it.
But I'm still a great believer in always bringing things back to basics when it comes to developing essential skills. All the best digital artists learned their trade with pencils, paper and paint, working the old fashioned way first. Before it all becomes buttons and styluses and touchscreens, kids should get crude and mucky and feel the textures under their fingers and get the smells of the different materials. It's bad enough that all the drawing they see on television is done with a marker (or even worse, on a computer screen) without making any mistakes. It makes it look like a magic trick and leaves them with a terrible impression of how art is supposed to work.
Writing should be approached the same way. A good story shouldn't have to rely on gimmicky features to work; those features should enrich the core experience, not substitute good storytelling. And the same applies with learning to read.
Niamh Sharkey – whose wonderful book, 'The Ravenous Beast' has been released as an app – sent me this link to an article by Sharon Glassman on the Publishing Perspectives site. It features a discussion with Antonio Faeti, President of the Jury for the book prizes of Bologna Children's Book Fair, and is about the how the world of picture books is evolving, and the importance of these books to the new generation of kids, with regard to equipping them to deal with an increasingly complicated world. I thought this bit was particularly interesting:
'He cites a study at the University of London that prescribes exposing infants to picture books starting at five months of age as a way of helping them "manage a high-stimulus society."
'A brain formed on multi-layered images will be more prepared to tackle the mental double-espresso of multi-tasking in years to come, this argument says.
The point ends with:
'The ability of beautiful books to prepare infants and children for a high-tech life adds a new dimension to bookselling.'
It's certainly an argument that strikes a chord with me. This technology is part of our world now, which means that developing the skills and the maturity to use it properly is all the more important. But I'd be a little concerned that children start to see books, or any large collection of text, as more and more like vegetables or vitamins (a positive comparison in the article). Faeti goes on to say:
'A brain formed on sound bites and headline news doesn't have the skills to dig deep and ask, "How does these events compare with the original ones? How much of this news is hype and how much is reality?"
"Generations are growing up who can't distinguish," warns Faeti.'
That's my single biggest concern if we can't produce the stuff that can hold these kids' attention and extend the attention spans. Speaking of holding kids' interest, the event with Philip Reeve and Conor Kostick in Trinity College last Tuesday went very well. I got an extra treat in the form of a mini rostrum camera that could film a drawing I did and display it on the huge screen behind us – what one person referred to as 'drawing live'. I normally have to use a desktop easel, or a flipchart and they're no good for big crowds. We had about three hundred and fifty in the lecture hall that day.
I've done a bunch of events with Conor – we both had our first novels published by the O'Brien Press around the same time. He's a good friend and is always interesting to listen to. He has a huge interest in the blurring of boundaries between reality and virtual reality and the possible social consequences. Philip is one of my favourite authors, and it was a nice to discover he's a sound guy too, articulate and passionate about his work. And as interested in history as he is about the future, which is one of the elements I think gives his sci-fi stories such a rounded feel.
Thanks to the organizers of Trinity Week and the gang at Children's Books Ireland for setting up the event, and to Karl Burke and Trinity College for providing the photos.
The interview between Philip and Robert Dunbar that evening, attended by many of the great and good of Irish children's books (aka The Usual Suspects) went down very well, and the whole day emphasised the current craze for accessible, innovative science fiction. But that demand is also, as Philip pointed out, for sci-fi that is not only about ideas, but characters too. If 'mainstream' science fiction has a common flaw, it's that the concept often crowds out the character and storytelling.
That's a luxury you can't afford in young adult books – story is king – so I think that's why young adult or 'crossover' books are becoming so popular with grown-ups. Particularly as real life starts catching up on science fiction, and real technologies become more and more electrical, virtual, invisible, intangible – harder to understand and relate to. Technology is reaching the point where it is almost magical to anyone without a relevant education. I don't think this is a good thing, but it's hard to know enough about everything.
I believe that, as the effects of that technology on our lives and its integration into them become increasingly hard to separate from life's fundamentals, it will take ever more clever storytelling to explain it, investigate it, make it understandable and still spin a good yarn to engage a reader on an emotional level so that they stay interested. I'm not a scientist, a computer programmer or an engineer, although I have a very amateur interest in the effects of these things on our lives.
But we will need writers who really know their stuff, and can also turn these issues into gripping stories (a rare mix), to help us understand our fast-evolving world, give us a structure for lives within that world, and help us keep things in perspective. 'Cos that's what great stories do.
And just to sign off on this post, here's a link to 'Pixels', by Patrick Jean, a spectacular short film that should bring a smile to the face of anyone who grew up in the 8-bit, chunky pixel era of Space Invaders, Pac-Man and the unfortunately named Pong. And if you didn't, you'll probably like it anyway.
Unidentified Inflated Objects
Following reports of strange objects spotted in the sky over Trim on Easter Sunday, the Weird-Wide News Team (in this case, me and the wife and kids) dropped our chocolate eggs and made our way hurriedly to the edge of that historic town to investigate. There, in a field just across the river from Trim Castle, we came upon an odd sight. Well, actually a whole field of odd sights, including an enormous can of Guinness and a gigantic Panasonic battery rising up over the landscape.
It was the Trim Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, struggling against typically damp and cold Irish weather. Sonic the Hedgehog, a giant chicken, a cat and the Boyne Valley Honey Bees all made an appearance. Apparently Darth Vader's head, a colossal slice of orange, Bertie Basset and Thomas the Tank Engine were all there over the weekend. Aviator Brian Jones also paid a visit, in a replica of the balloon in which he and Bertrand Piccard became the first people to fly all the way around the world in a hot air balloon without stopping.
The balloons should have been the main event, and they certainly attracted crowds, but it was a pity to see such fantastic sights slowly inflate, only to be allowed buckle and fold back down again because the wind threatened to drag them away.
There were no flights taking place, as they only happened early in the morning or in the evening, when we couldn't go. I fully intend to get up in a hot air balloon sometime soon, and apparently Trim is one of the centres for ballooning in Ireland.
There were a lot of stands around, with various foods, games and activities, as well a big inflated ball you could roll down a hill in, crazy golf, inflated slides and people in the ballooning baskets scattered around so you could see how the burners worked and get your picture taken as you triggered a jet of fire into the sky. But the weather really put a dampener on things.
When you think of the gorgeous weather we had last weekend, the organizers of the festival must have walked outside, and let off some colourful language as they saw the sun shining down out of those lovely clear skies a week too late.
And speaking of balloons . . . in 'Strangled Silence' I had a war where nothing was what it seemed and tricking the eye – and the mind – was all part of the game. In yet another case of fact being as strange (or even stranger) than fiction, Weird-Wide News has discovered that the Russian military are 'faking it' for real, with balloons that look like military equipment. These life-size decoys are used to make a base or airfield look as if it's better defended than it actually is, or to attract the attention of attacking aircraft away from real troops and hardware.
It's like some of the stuff I read about in the book, 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' (now a major film – a pretty good movie, but could have been better), except not quite so unbelievable and scary.
I love this idea of balloon decoys. I can see the Gardai using this in a few years, putting inflatable police cars by the side of the road to stop people from speeding. Or maybe property developers will start putting up inflatable houses, to fool people into thinking we still have a building industry . . .
Almost as Strange as Fiction
In 'Small-Minded Giants', I described a city built in the form of a machine that could generate electricity using the movement and activity of the people living within in it. Since then I learned about a train station in Tokyo where they had a very simple version of this idea built into the floor at the ticket barriers, the passing travellers contributing electricity to the station just by walking across these sensors. The amount being generated is still very small (the level of powering a light bulb or an LCD display), but it's only a fledgling technology and has already become ten times more efficient than when it was first installed in 2006.
Then I was sent this link, about an experiment in Toulouse to generate electricity for street lamps using pedestrian power – based on a technology that was first used to light the dance floor in the Watt nightclub in Rotterdam.
Honestly, sci-fi writers can barely keep ahead of the real world these days. No wonder we're all writing nostalgic, steampunk stuff at the moment.
The Vile Desire to Scream
Finally! A few months later than planned, but it's been a weird period in the life of this particular author/illustrator, for reasons that I won't go into yet. Anyway, here it is – my first (and by no means last) ebook novella: 'The Vile Desire to Scream', available to download for free.
Here's the blurb:
'If no relatives are involved,' said Nate, 'then somehow an enemy has infiltrated our home – one who is able to get past our guards, take Daisy without a struggle, and navigate the hazards of the house without detection. Which would make him a formidable opponent indeed, and an unknown quantity.
'For Daisy's sake, I hope that is not the case.'
'Bloody right,' Gerald sniffed. 'With enemies like that, who needs relatives, eh?'
This is part promotional tool, part experiment and partly done just for the craic. It's a short read, the kind you could finish in a lunchtime. The story is set between 'Ancient Appetites' and 'The Wisdom of Dead Men', but you don't have to have read either to follow the storyline.
My technical department (ie. my brother) and I have tried to make it as universal as possible – there's nothing more annoying than something being released as a file that only works on one kind of system, or for one kind of software. To make it as accessible as possible, there's a pdf, an epub file and a mobipocket file to choose from. There are simple explanations for each on the download page to help you make your choice.
It's been an interesting experience, particularly creating epub files for the first time, and I intend to do more of this in the future. I hope you choose to read this story, and if you do, I hope you enjoy it. If you do, tell your friends, tell people who aren't your friends, tell strangers you meet on the street – tell the whole world and see if I care . . . 'cos, well . . . I do.
Fun Lovin' Storytellin'
So I finally got to see the Fun Lovin' Criminals perform live. Though the fact that I saw them in Navan made it a bit surreal – especially during 'The King of New York', when Huey Morgan had the Naaaaavan crowwad chanting 'Free John Gotti' over and over again. Did they know Gotti was a gangster and a murderer – and already dead? Did they care? Probably not.
But it was a brilliant gig, a real class act that combined hip-hop, rock, blues, jazz and funk. They first showed up in the nineties with their album 'Come Find Yourself', although I didn't appreciate them (or start paying proper attention to music generally) until later. When I did finally get the album, I was delighted to find there wasn't a bad track on it. The next record, '100% Columbian' is pretty good too, but didn't tighten my nuts like the first one.
Apart from the tunes themselves, I loved the way Morgan's gravelly drawl often told a story with songs like 'Bombin' the L', Methadonia and their show-stopper, 'Scooby Snacks' (although 'Fun Lovin' Criminal' is probably still my number one). Observation, humour, atmosphere, all wrapped up in a distinctive voice. His delivery – and guitar playing – was every bit as good on stage. And apart from the drumming, the multi-talented Brian 'Fast' Leiser did everything else: synthesiser, bass, trumpet, harmonica and backing vocals, often doing two or three at a time. They were excellent.
Possibly my favourite writer-director team in cinema, the Coen brothers, demonstrated a very different style of storytelling with 'A Serious Man', which I got out on DVD the other night. There's a mix of psychological thriller, black comedy, action and atmosphere in their films that just does it for me every time. And they cross so many genres, without getting stuck in any of them, and without losing that gripping style. I mean, I just wish I could have been there when they pitched 'Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?' to the studio. That must have been interesting.
'A Serious Man' is a bit of a departure from most of their other stuff – it's most like 'The Man Who Wasn't There', which is probably my least favourite of their films (it's still pretty bloody good).
Like that one, 'A Serious Man' is a slow-paced, observational piece that is driven almost entirely by character. Much of the film centres around Jewish culture, so I'm sure I didn't get a lot of the references, and it's the type of film I have to be in the mood for, but you could just sit there and soak up the gallery of entertaining moments. Films influence my writing at least as much as books, and as 'the two-headed director', Ethan and Joel Coen (they both write, direct, produce and normally edit their films) are the kind of creators I'd aspire to be.
And finally, for now, to the oldest style of spinning a yarn, oral storytelling – or at least the type narrated in book form. 'Here Lies Arthur', by Philip Reeve, is a retelling of the King Arthur legend. A story within a story, it's about a cunning storyteller and his young apprentice, and their series of tricks and creative spin (ie, blatant lies) that established one of the world's most well-known legends, based on the life of a man who was essentially a complete blackguard in a world populated by barbarians, rather than the shiny-armour-suited gentlemen we think were around at the time. Reeve is one of my favourite authors for young adults (or old ones, for that matter) and this book has it all, a gripping story, sophisticated plotting, action (including some pretty unflinching violence), suspense, intrigue, humour, a bit of weirdness and some great characters.
I will have the pleasure of doing an event with Philip Reeve, along with my mate Conor Kostick, in Trinity College next Tuesday. The kids' event is booked out, but Reeve is doing an interview with Robert Dunbar that evening. If you can, you should check it out.


Higher education tuition deduction. This write-off can be as much as $4,000, or $2,000 for higher-income individuals.
Tax-free treatment for forgiven principal residence mortgage debt. Forgiven debts generally count as taxable cancellation of debt (COD) income. However, a temporary exception applies to COD income from canceled mortgage debt used to acquire a principal residence. Under the temporary rule, up to $2 million of COD income from principal residence acquisition debt that's canceled from 2007 to 2016 can be treated as a tax-free item.
$500 credit for energy-efficient home improvements. Homeowners can claim a tax credit of up to $500 for certain energy-saving improvements to a principal residence. The $500 cap must be reduced by any credits claimed in earlier years.
Exceed the standard deduction allowance. If your total itemized deductions for 2016 would be close to the standard deduction amount, consider making enough additional expenditures for itemized deduction items to exceed this year's standard deduction. That will lower this year's tax bill.
Consider prepaying deductible expenditures. If you itemize deductions, accelerating some deductible expenditures into this year to produce higher 2016 write-offs makes sense if you expect to be in the same or lower tax bracket next year. That's more likely with Republican tax reform proposals now on the table.
Prepay tuition bills. If your 2016 AGI qualifies you for the American Opportunity credit (maximum of $2,500 per eligible student) or the Lifetime Learning credit (maximum of $2,000 per family), consider prepaying tuition bills that aren't due until early 2017 if it generates a bigger credit on this year's tax return. Specifically, you can claim a 2016 credit based on prepaying tuition for academic periods that begin in January through March of next year.
Defer income recognition. It may also be beneficial to defer some taxable income from this year into next year if you expect to be in the same or lower tax bracket in 2017 (which, again, is more likely with Republican tax reform proposals on the table). For example, if you're in business for yourself and a cash-method taxpayer, you can postpone taxable income by waiting until late in the year to send out some client invoices. That way, you won't receive payment for them until early 2017.
Sell loser underperforming stocks held in taxable accounts. By selling off loser investments (currently worth less than what you paid for them) held in taxable brokerage accounts, you may be able to lower your 2016 tax bill, because you can offset the resulting capital losses against capital gains from earlier in the year.
Consider postponing Roth IRA conversions until next year. The best scenario for converting a traditional IRA into a Roth account is when you expect to be in the same or higher tax bracket during retirement. Even if the tax laws are reformed in 2017, you might eventually wind up in a higher tax bracket during retirement, so conversions can still be a smart tax-planning move.
Donate appreciated stock to charity. If you own appreciated stock or mutual fund shares that you've held for over a year, consider donating them to IRS-approved charities. If you itemize deductions, you can generally claim a deduction for the market value at the time of the donation and avoid any capital gains tax hit.
Make charitable donations from IRAs. IRA owners and beneficiaries who have reached age 70-1/2 are permitted to make cash donations totaling up to $100,000 to IRS-approved public charities directly out of their IRAs. These so-called qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) are federal-income-tax-free, but you can't claim an itemized deduction for the charitable donation. That's okay, because the tax-free treatment of QCDs equates to an immediate 100% federal income tax deduction without having to worry about restrictions that can delay itemized charitable write-offs.
These are just some of the tax-planning strategies available to help individuals lower their taxes. Before implementing any of these strategies, consult your WFY tax advisor at info@cpa-wfy.com to discuss the details and limitations, as well as other creative tax-saving alternatives. Your tax advisor is closely monitoring any tax law changes and will let you know when (and if) circumstances change.
33% on taxable income of $225,000 or higher.
The bracket thresholds for unmarried individuals would be half these amounts, and the head of household filing status would be eliminated. The tax rates on long-term capital gains would be kept at the current 0%, 15% and 20%.
Under the President-elect's plan, the alternative minimum tax (AMT) would be eliminated for individual taxpayers. And he has proposed capping itemized deductions at $200,000 for married joint-filing couples ($100,000 for unmarried individuals).
In addition, the standard deduction for joint filers would be increased to $30,000 (up from $12,700 for 2017 under current law). For unmarried individuals, the standard deduction would be increased to $15,000 (up from $6,350). But personal and dependent exemption deductions would be eliminated.
There's no way to tell what will happen in 2017. These proposed changes are significant and controversial to some, so it's uncertain what will actually change — or when. The President-elect's proposal differs somewhat from the House's Tax Reform Blueprint, and some concessions may eventually be made to appease congressional Democrats.


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Stories By unCrazed
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No roof repairs for todays blog. Instead we want to mention a job that we did that was very focused around gutters. This central coast home owner owned a lovely home just off Pearl Beach. Most of our blogs are detailing jobs that we performed closer to the city but its about time we spoke about our friends to the North.
We started by removing the existing gutter from the entire roof. We obviously provided a range of different colour options to suit the houses aesthetic before continuing to fix the new gutter brackets to the fascia. We then continued to fix the new quad gutters and any stop ends. Then there was the crossing of the t's and dotting of the i's to complete the gutter, but that did not guarantee a long lasting gutter!
Once the gutter was put in place, we needed to install a new aluminium screen mesh and attach it to the metal roof sheets via the colorbond saddles. Tris involved trimming the mesh to have it at the right lengths and widths and using silicone seal to keep it in place. This will help guarantee a long life span of the gutter and remove a lot of extra work required from the Central Coast home owners. It would be very silly of us to finish a job creating work for the client so we always suggest that they take extra measures to secure their greatest investment.
Head on to our gutter services page to find out what kind of gutter work we could be doing for you. If you spend too many weekends cleaning out your gutters, then you need a leaf screen so call us on 02 9477 7961 to get a free quote.


* "Tantrum After Wyeth" from "The Savage Maddoxes" series featured in group show with some of my favorite people!
29 x 29 - Bruce Silverstein / 20 - 529 West 20th Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY, April 19-21, 2012.
Abigail Feldman Photography officially takes on WEDDINGS!
Solo Exhibition and Website Relaunch!
Interview with Vianna Renaud - The Audience Review Vol. 3, No. 1, Winter, 2009.
is a short film series showcasing women's memory and experience spanning across all genres of film and video.
On October 6, 2007, Salon Ciel was proud to present select works from the "Habitation & Hibernation of Memory" photography series.


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VTechWorks Archives
JTE v1n1 - Full Issue
Council on Technology Teacher Education and the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (Council on Technology Teacher Education and the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association; Virginia Tech. Digital Library and Archives, 1989)
Images of Schools: 2020 Possible, Probable or Preferable?
Smalley, Lee H. (Council on Technology Teacher Education and the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association; Virginia Tech. Digital Library and Archives, 1989)
The Search for Excellence in Technology Education
Zuga, Karen F.; Bjorkquist, David C. (Council on Technology Teacher Education and the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association; Virginia Tech. Digital Library and Archives, 1989)
Soil survey of Montgomery County, Virginia
Porter, H. C. (Hobart Clarke), 1908-; Creggar, W. H.; Hudson, H. C. (United States. Soil Conservation Service, 1985-09)
This soil survey includes Montgomery County, Virginia, and the City of Radford.
The Bugle, 1987
Browder, S. Lynn; Zakary, Jonathan; Hampton, Gerald (Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1987)
Yearbook for Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. The yearbook includes information about the school as well as photographs and illustrations of the student body, teachers, organizations, and buildings.
Implementing technology education
Jones, Ronald E.; Wright, John R. (Glencoe Pub. Co., 1986)
Perceptual and psychomotor learning in industrial arts education
Shemick, John M. (McKnight Pub., 1985)
Fitzgerald, Kayleen; Lilly, Greg; Gamble, Geoffrey (Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1985)
Up and down these roads: a rural county in transition
Fine, Elizabeth C. (Reynolds Homestead Continuing Education Center, 1982)
Documents the continuity and change in Patrick County, an isolated rural county in southwestern Virginia. Includes interviews with local residents Ruth Jean Bolt, Dorn Spangler, Jim Shelor, Judge John D. Hooker, and the Foddrells.
Conducting technical research
Israel, Everett N.; Wright, R. Thomas (Glencoe Pub. Co., 1987)
Content TypeArticle - Refereed (19)Book (10)Yearbook (10)Book review (2)Editorial material (2)... View MoreSubjectVirginia Polytechnic Institute -- Students -- Yearbooks. (9)Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University -- Students -- Yearbooks. (9)Yearbooks (9)Industrial arts -- Study and teaching. (4)Teachers -- Training of -- United States. (2)... View MoreDate Issued1989 (12)1988 (4)1987 (3)1986 (5)1985 (4)1984 (3)1983 (4)1982 (3)1981 (4)1980 (5)AuthorPfeiffer, DG (6)McCoy, R. A. (3)Wright, R. Thomas (3)Burts, E. C. (2)Zuga, Karen F. (2)... View MoreHas File(s)Yes (47)


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Adaptive Segmentationmicro-segmentation February 24, 2016
CyberSecurity Moon Shot
Alan S. Cohen, Former Chief Commercial Officer
This week's RSA conference may prove to be a watershed moment in the history of the IT industry. After several years of hundreds of billions of dollars invested across a range of security technologies, it is self-evident that cyber presents a huge paradox to organizations of all types. The growth of cloud, mobile, and agile computing capabilities has delivered a golden renaissance of innovation.
The iPhone is the digital equivalent of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Amazon Web Services is eating the infrastructure world like a black hole
Today is a software company, embracing agile development to support business initiatives.
In the security space, though, we have nearly conceded defeat. People are going around saying: "assume not that you will not be hacked, but that you will be hacked." How uplifting!
It is time for things to change.
Forty-three years ago, when President Kennedy called for a man on the moon, many were skeptical. Today, people are equally skeptical about our ability to re-establish control of our own computing systems
Illumio represents a movement that unshackles security from the past to make it responsive to the dynamic, distributed, heterogeneous, and hybrid world into which we are moving.
What happens if this was the time when things changed? What happens if we committed to leveling the playing field between attackers and defenders? What happens if we take a clean piece of paper to how we think about restoring trust to our computing—where security enables innovation rather than stifles it?
What happens if we acknowledge that no one vendor has the entire solution?
The vendor part of the security industry—yes, I am calling myself out—has failed its customers. Einstein allegedly defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Companies claim to innovate, but all they do is present different version of old models. A firewall that runs on a software platform is still a firewall. If your security is tied to infrastructure, you are leashed to a world where you have to own the infrastructure—sorry AWS, Azure—and more onerously, need to upgrade the infrastructure to upgrade your security.
I would never claim that we at Illumio have the answer for cybersecurity. But we represent a movement that unshackles security from the past to make it responsive to the dynamic, distributed, heterogeneous, and hybrid world into which we are moving.
Here are my 7 points to a cybersecurity moonshot program:
Turn everything inside out. We take back our computing from the inside out, from the applications out and not the infrastructure in. In the cyber world, the perimeter attacker only has to be right once and the defender has to slip once. Why not shift the logic so the attacker only has to make one mistake and the defender will catch it?
Trust nothing. Start with the premise that everything is untrusted and establish trusted relationships between users and applications in a granular and controlled way. This is the heart of a whitelist model.
Build tighter and tighter segmentation around smaller and smaller attack surfaces. The biggest challenge to granular segmentation has been complex and fragile networks, firewall rules, and outdated application-entitlement strategies. The smaller the surface, the less damage. The tighter the segmentation, the fewer false positives.
Make security part of the application life cycle. Today security is most frequently added after applications are built. What happens if developers are equal participants in security? Eliminate the false boundaries among application, infrastructure, and security teams. From a security perspective, all three groups must work hand in glove.
Decouple and automate. Infrastructure security has enormous benefits in most security approaches but it comes with two distinct disadvantages: what happens when you don't own the infrastructure (e.g., AWS), and what happens when you do not want to upgrade your infrastructure to keep up with your security needs. Moreover, security that requires detailed oversight and management of every command by human middleware is bound to fail. Computers (and a lot of math) were instrumental to the moonshot program. Algorithms and machine learning will play a role in our cyber future.
Manage both sides of the equation: applications and clients. Today people see end-point and infrastructure security as two separate issues. As Illumio demonstrated through Adaptive User Segmentation, it is possible to fuse these two areas and make data center computing more secure. Do not create gaps in protection.
Make security part of the business, not just IT. A lot of pundits talk about Board of Director oversight of IT security. Having been a board member several times in my career, I agree it is a key area of risk that boards must monitor. But long before Board oversight of cyber needs to occur, management teams must make it a priority. Where is it baked into the reward system of an executive team? Which of the CEO's direct reports owns cyber end-to-end for a business?
Regaining control of the cyber landscape will not be easy. There is no magic bullet. But a steady plan that both builds on the best practices of today and anticipates and takes action for the world we are moving into presents the last best hope for creating trust again in IT.
Alan S. Cohen
Former Chief Commercial Officer


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MLB Rookie Profile: Jose Osuna, 1B-OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Right-handed hitter Jose Osuna seeks an expanded role with the Pittsburgh Pirates
By John Sickels@MinorLeagueBall Apr 19, 2017, 2:47pm EDT
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The baseball world awoke yesterday to the news that Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte had been suspended 80 games for PED use. Replacing him on the roster is outfielder/first baseman Jose Osuna. Let's take a look at what he offers.
Osuna was first signed by the Pirates out of Venezuela in 2010. He was originally a pitcher as an amateur but the Pirates decided to develop him as a hitter. He had an explosive campaign in rookie ball in 2011 (.331/.400/.511) but never quite lived up to the early promise, though he's been decently productive. He was quite solid last year with Triple-A Indianapolis, hitting .291/.333/.482 with 13 walks and 36 strikeouts in 220 at-bats.
Osuna was rated as a Grade C+ pre-season but fell just short of the Top 20 on the 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates prospect list.
He had an excellent spring training with the Pirates, batting .407/.492/.759 with 10 walks and 10 strikeouts in 54 at-bats. Osuna's tear through Florida spring camps was still fresh on Pittsburgh's mind when Marte was suspended, making Jose the logical choice for promotion, especially given the slow start of phenom Austin Meadows with Indianapolis.
Osuna is right-handed hitter and thrower, listed at 6-3, 240, born December 12, 1992. Although he does not have the overall athleticism and long-term potential of Meadows, Osuna has two intriguing tools, with 55-60 raw power and a clear 60 arm. He's quite strong physically but his ability to get to the power in real games as opposed to batting practice is inconsistent.
He's quite dangerous when he's locked in and managing the strike zone well, but he's shown a tendency to chase pitches that he can't really drive. He'll crush a hittable pitch over the left field fence, but has yet to master the art of driving pitches the opposite way.
Defensively, Osuna's pitching background shows up well with a strong and accurate outfield throwing arm, but his speed is distinctly below average and he lacks the range and instincts to be more than an average fielder overall. He's learned to play first base to add another line to his resume. He's workable there, but no one will confuse him with Mark Grace. He does stand out for his work ethic on both sides of the ball.
Overall, Osuna projects as a first baseman/outfielder/platoon bat/pinch-hitter with some sock.
Here's a look at some of that pull power.
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Catalina Cruz is an experienced attorney and a leader for immigration reform and workers' rights. If elected, she would be the first DREAMer elected in New York state.
Catalina seeks to represent these diverse communities of Queens.


My childhood is filled with fall Saturdays watching Michigan on TV. It was cool outside, me and the neighboorhood kids had played football until gametime and then the streets emptied. Mom had a pot of chili on the stove and we gathered around the TV and yelled and gasped and watched. Great fun.
There's not a lot about those days that I really, really miss, but that's one of them. Now, I live in basketball country and football is just not the same here. They try, but they just don't get it. In my hometown, on Friday night we walked to the High School game, then watched Michigan on Saturday and just kept going (let's not talk about the Lions).
Michigan is on the cusp of arguably the biggest game in the history of it's existence...and that is saying a lot. Every year there is always a game or two that are huge...this is gargantuan. The biggest rivalry in college sports, and arguably in American sports pro or college - Michigan / Ohio State and now they meet as two unbeaten teams #1 vs. #2 (only because it would be all but impossible to have a tie in the polls). The winner gets to go the the championship game, the loser gets to go to...The Rose Bowl?
I have seen way too many of these games to bet on either team because anything can happen. When this game comes around you throw away stats, schedules, charts, polls, talking heads, sports casters, records...everything. A 1-9 team could beat the other in this game and consider their season good...in fact the 1-9 team usually has nothing to lose and does just that. You can listen to all the analysts talk all week (I have) and it means squat. Anyone that makes a pick is just throwing dice.
There is something almost magical about this game each year, it defies logic and makes people crazy. It's a blast and I will hold my breath until the last second ticks away on the clock.


A wool-silk scarf in Vintage check, colour block and our heritage stripe. The Italian-made design is woven in a lightweight gauze.
Shop new Bohemian styles like Burberry Vintage Check Colour Block Wool Silk Scarf - Blue that have just landed from this season's collection. Discover our wide selection of designer dresses, jackets, jeans, tops, shoes and more in our shopping section.


The former VU man reveals the video to his new single, Perfect.
From legendary Velvet Underground architect, to influential producer of punk and new wave icons including The Stooges and Squeeze, to singer/songwriter with a new-found predilection for the loops and samples of digital age R&B.
John Cale's brave new album, blackAcetate is in the shops now. The first single to be taken from the album, Perfect' is out on October 17, but you can watch the video here.


This entry was posted in climate change, Global warming, Uncategorized and tagged Cyclone Fehi, Granity, Millerton, tropical cyclone, Westland by ianmillerblog. Bookmark the permalink.
Dear Ian: I was going to reblog this excellent essay, which reflects, in a fresh example, what I have been saying for years. However, there are no picture(s), although Westland is one of the prettiest place on Earth (that matters). THUS I am going to CC and glue it back on my site, AFTER ADDING an irresistible picture of NZ….
Meanwhile your feedback on this ten year old essay of mine would be appreciated!
The key sentence in this essay, I believe is "As cold and warm air masses get thrown about, the variability of temperatures will augment all over." Basically, everything gets stirred up more Anybody who argues this should not happen because of entropy has no concept of what entropy is. The key is, as you say, energy pumped into the system has to go somewhere, and thanks to ocean currents and air movement, it tends to go far away from where it started. Because you have temperature differences you have the potential for a heat engine, and the bigger the temperature differences, the stronger the resulting effects.
Thanks. I shall send you a couple of pictures from newspapers of what used to be a very peaceful place with a great swimming beach about a couple of hundred meters away.


We are expecting 80 degrees today. Frankly, I'm not sure if I can handle it. Ok, I lie. I'm SO excited! I am taking the kiddos today to let them pick out flowers for their own flower pots. I'll share the results of today's activity this coming week.
This morning I took a stroll around the cottage gardens. We are at least a month behind with blooming. And I see a lot of projects in my future. But, that is for another day.
In the backyard, my salad vegetable garden is coming along. Radishes and spinach have been harvested already. Snow peas, green onions, three types of lettuce and another sowing of radishes are coming along nicely.
My strawberry terrace is also about a month behind. We do look like we will have strawberries, but I suspect that it won't be till July.
The bright white dainty blooms on my Heuchera add nice contrast against the 'green' of the shade plants.
To the rear, in the new 'Woodcutter's garden' (it's next to my firewood pile) I've got a few plants showing off some blooms.
Around the corner, we head to the front yard. Soapwart is like a blooming tidal wave..it's fun, but the front beds are getting a little crowded. I think my Munro pine is going to have to go at some point. Hm. Just saw a great post about mini conifers on Tatyana's blog might be an idea there!
My delphiniums are slowing growing.
Here's a shot of the front taken last weekend.
And around the other side of the house, along the unused driveway are my rose beds. I was very neglectful last fall, I did not put mulch around the base of the roses and they have clearly suffered. I lost a Texas Yellow hybrid rose and my Chicago Peace is looking very poorly. Not sure that my Peace hybrid is going to bounce back either. Well, my inexpensive unnamed pink hybrid rose has provided the first bloom.
Weekend update is complete. I'm excited to enjoy the sunshine this weekend with my kiddos.
I cut back our dicentra yesterday as it had flowered out.
everything looks good. What's so sad about your delphinium? Any delphinium that actually survives the winter and makes a flower spike is happy compare to the one in my yard which has just two little slug eaten leaves.
Thanks for your blog post about blogger it really helped.
Enjoy the warm weather - and the sun. Your plants look happy - they will be much more happy with some sun and warm weather, too. Have a great weekend!
Your salad bed looks great! I hope ours will eventually look like that. It was beautiful here too. It was nice to actually feel hot and it lasted all day. Can't wait to see what flowers your kids chose.
Jenni, your cottage garden looks great! Of course I am most interested in the veg and the strawberries (of which you do seem to have a lot!), but the ornamental plants are also very attractive. I really love having salads "on tap" so that you can pick something fresh at a moment's notice.
Such a lovely array of flowers and vegetables. The entrance way to your front yard is SO welcoming.
Jenni Your spring garden looks wonderful to me. The weather has been something for everyone this spring. Looks like the strawberries have lots of blooms. Yummy. Makes my mouth water just thinking about strawberries. LOL! Your delphinium looks huge to me.The hail about beat mine to death last night along with knocking off the rose blooms. Have a wonderful week!!
Jenni, I can't imagine why lilies-of-the-valley don't grow for you. Is it possible that your zone is too warm for them?
If others in your zone grow them, my book says 'moisture-retentive soil' is essential and at least partial shade. But you probably know that.
Mine are not in good soil, particularily.
Your delphiniums are magnificent! As is the rest of your sweet garden. I'm focusing mainly on vegetable and salad garden and looking forward to a bounteous harvest eventually!


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Reports: Listing of Aramco delayed and scaled back
Saudi Arabia is delaying and scaling back its plans for an international IPO of Saudi Aramco in the face of potentially major problems with disclosure, valuation, and litigation risks.
According to The Wall Street Journal, citing government sources and others close to the process, Saudi officials are now leaning toward listing the state-owned oil giant on the Tadawul Stock Exchange in Riyadh, while taking more time to decide if a broader international listing would make sense. The IPO, for which the London, New York, and Hong Kong stock exchanges have been competing for, was expected to be the centerpiece of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 transformation program.
Prince Mohammed, currently on a trip to the United States, has become resigned to the idea that the legal risks of a US listing could be insurmountable, The Wall Street Journal says. Lawyers have warned Saudi officials that US legislation could allow Aramco to be sued by families of victims of the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001. The company could also be subject to class-action lawsuits by investors for failure to comply with US regulations on disclosure of reserves and other data required from oil companies. London listing requirements could also mandate greater disclosure than Saudi Arabia would prefer, analysts say. However, a supplementary listing in Hong Kong, coupled with Chinese state-owned companies buying a strategic stake in Aramco in return for long-term oil supply agreements, is still a possibility, they note.
Valuation also remains a deterrent. Prince Mohamed originally estimated that floating 5% of Aramco on international exchanges would raise $100 billion and value the entire company at $2 trillion. Analysts say that it has become clear that this figure is unrealistic and even the $75 billion (hence $1.5 trillion value of the whole company) cited recently as the most likely IPO proceeds may be ambitious, absent a further major recovery in the oil price beyond the current $63/bbl. But a range of $60–80/bbl, capped by rising US shale oil production, through to at least 2020 seems to be in the cards, they say.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Saudi officials say that rising oil prices has eased pressure on the kingdom's finances and bought them more time to determine whether an international IPO of Aramco remains a good idea. The prince first floated the idea of an IPO in early 2016, when oil prices had fallen at one point to below $30/bbl. Analysts say, however, that there may be a face-saving element in this argument since the International Monetary Fund estimates that the kingdom still needs an oil price of around $70/bbl to balance its budget, even though a raft of domestic tax increases—including the first-time imposition of value-added tax on a wide range of goods and taxes on expatriates' salaries—will add to government income.
Khalid al-Falih, Saudi Arabia's oil minister, told CNN this month that the Tadawul will be the key listing location. "An Aramco listing on the Tadawul will be catalytic for that capital market," he said. The Wall Street Journal says, however, that even a Tadawul listing could present problems for Aramco and the exchange itself, as it is a small venue and it is unclear whether the internal controls and technology could support large-scale trading that would come with listing a company as big as Aramco. The domestic listing is unlikely to happen by October 2018, a deadline set last year. Officials and people close to the process say April 2019 is likely the soonest a local IPO could proceed.
By Natasha Alperowicz
Source: Chemical Week
Neste brings liquefied plastic waste trial to successful conclusion for industrial-scale recycling
Neste is announcing the conclusion of its first series of trials into processing liquefied waste plastic with chemical recycling technology at its Porvoo refinery in Finland. The oil refining company says it has processed about 800 tons of liquefied waste plastic over the last two years – roughly the same amount generated annually by a European city with 500,000 people.
SIKA posts record sales for 2021 – growth of 17.1%
Sika performed well in a challenging environment in 2021. Despite the persistent COVID-19 pandemic and bottlenecks in the procurement of raw materials, sales rose significantly to a record CHF 9.24 billion, corresponding to growth of 17.1% in local currencies.
Ineos joins Nextloopp's polypropylene recycling project for food-grade polymers
Ineos Olefins and Polymers Europe is joining the pioneering polypropylene (PP) recycling project Nextloopp, supporting its delivery of food-grade recycled content. The chemicals company will orchestrate a pivotal two-year project that will inform the building of a demonstration plant in the UK to produce 10,000 metric tons of recycled polypropylene (rPP) annually.


Burlesque performer Dr. Lukki and writer Laurie Penny join us to debate the virtues and meaning of the neo-burlesque movement. Read more about Lukki on her site, and also check out Laurie's article on this topic "Burlesque Laid Bare." This interview is part of our Urbanite Radio series; read more about Burlesque in the July issue of Urbanite Magazine.
Later in the hour, we bring you our recent interview with Baltimore-based artist Hugh Pocock once more.


Cory Hutchinson-Reuss grew up in Arkansas and holds a PhD in English from the University of Iowa. Her poems have appeared in The Pinch, Drunken Boat, Four Way Review, American Literary Review, and other journals. She received the 2016 Lynda Hull Memorial Prize for Poetry from Crazyhorse and was a finalist for the Persea Books Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize and the Milkweed Editions Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry. She currently lives in Iowa City with her family.