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Home Parliamentary Business Committees Senate Committees Senate Standing Committees on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Completed inquiries and reports Completed inquiries 2012-13 Chapter 3
Senate Committees wcag
3.1 In order to manage the entire water resource in the Murray-Darling Basin, the Basin Plan also sets Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs) and Baseline Diversion Limits (BDLs) for groundwater. The groundwater SDLs and BDLs have been developed in a manner similar to surface water SDLs and BDLs as discussed in the previous chapter. The definition of the SDL and BDL apply to groundwater in the same way as to surface water (see chapter two).
3.2 This chapter discusses how the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) has set groundwater SDLs and BDLs and how they have changed significantly over the various iterations of the Basin Plan. It also discusses the key criticisms of the modelling of groundwater for the Basin Plan. Finally the chapter details the concerns with the treatment of the connectivity of surface water and groundwater resources in the Basin Plan.
Groundwater SDLs and BDLs
3.3 In the final version of the Basin Plan, the MDBA set the Basin-wide SDL for groundwater at 3334 GL/y. The BDL for groundwater is set at 2386 GL/y.[1]
3.4 The SDLs and BDLs for groundwater proposed by the MDBA have varied significantly across the different versions of the Basin Plan. Table 3.1 lists the groundwater SDLs and BDLs from the MDBA's Guide to the Proposed Basin Plan (the Guide) through to the final Basin Plan.
3.5 As Table 3.1 indicates, the Guide provided for a relatively small increase (309 GL/y) between the total Basin SDL (2095 GL/y) than the total Basin BDL (1786 GL/y). The total allowable extraction of groundwater increased greatly under Basin Plan (November 2011) with a SDL/BDL difference of 1988 GL/y. Under the final Basin Plan this SDL/BDL difference was reduced to an increase of 948 GL/y but still represents a much larger increase in ground water extraction than proposed in the Guide.
Table 3.1—Groundwater SDLs and BDLs from the Guide to the Basin Plan
The Guide (October 2010)
Basin Plan (November 2011)
Basin Plan (May 2012)
Basin Plan (August 2012)
Final Basin Plan (November 2012)
BDL GL/y
SDL GL/y
3.6 Unlike surface water which had extractions limited by the 1995 cap agreed to by Basin states, no equivalent constraint has been applied to groundwater use. As a result, the MDBA developed the BDLs for the Basin in reference to current groundwater extraction levels and water entitlements. The Basin Plan divides the Basin up into 66 groundwater SDL resource units (based on state planning boundaries and hydrogeological regions) and sets a BDL and a SDL for each.[12] The number of SDL resource units has change across the various iterations of the Basin Plan – for example, there were 79 resource units in the May 2012 version, and 70 SDL resource units in the August 2012 version.[13] The Basin-wide groundwater BDL and SDL is the sum of individual BDLs and SDLs across all the groundwater resource units, respectively.
Determination of groundwater baseline diversion limits
3.7 As a reference point, the MDBA determined the BDL for each SDL resource unit on the following basis:
1. where a water management plan or proposed plan exists, the BDL is the plan limit unless the plan limit is greater than the level of entitlement, in which case the BDL is the entitlement;
2. where there is no plan, the BDL is the entitlement along with the effect of any rules managing extraction; and
3. where there is a cross-border agreement for groundwater management, the extraction limit under the agreement is the BDL.[14]
3.8 The MDBA has indicated that this policy is the most 'accurate reflection of the limits of use imposed on current groundwater planning arrangements.'[15] The Basin states provided the MDBA with estimates of average use of groundwater resources for the period 2003-04 to 2007-08. The MDBA stated that 'small changes to some BDL estimates' had to be made following receipt of this information.[16]
Modelling for groundwater sustainable diversion limits
3.9 According the MDBA, the proposed groundwater SDLs were informed by numerical groundwater models or an analytical risk assessment which provided the 'potential volume of water available for consumptive use' or the preliminary extraction limit (PEL).[17]
3.10 The MDBA undertook numerical modelling for 13 of the 79 groundwater resource units where numerical models were already available. The MDBA also needed to supplement this analysis with a Recharge Risk Assessment Method (RRAM) for the remaining 66 groundwater resources units, as numerical models were not available in all areas. The MDBA explained this approach:
Numerical modelling was carried out in 13 SDL resource units where there were fit for purpose numerical models available. Where numerical models were not available the [MDBA] has used a recharge risk assessment method (RRAM), developed for the MDBA (CSIRO and SKM 2010), to inform the proposed SDLs. Both the numerical groundwater modelling and the RRAM provide the potential volume of water available for consumptive use.[18]
3.11 The MDBA stated that the numerical models used 'represented systems that covered 73% of the groundwater [extracted] in the Murray-Darling Basin in 2007/08.'[19]
3.12 The MDBA explained that for the development of SDLs for resource units where numerical model were not available (i.e. through RRAM) that:
...the first step in determining the PEL using RRAM was to determine recharge across the Basin using the Water Vegetation Energy and Solute (WAVES) model and upscaling techniques developed for the Murray‑Darling Basin Sustainable Yields project and subsequently refined for the Basin Plan (Zhang and Dawes 1998 and CSIRO 2010). Additional recharge information was also used where it was made available by the states.[20]
3.13 Modelling of groundwater SDLs included the MDBA developing a 'groundwater assessment framework' which involved two stages:
The first stage considered the characteristics of the individual groundwater resource units. Each groundwater SDL unit was characterised as either:
Deep groundwater;
Non-renewable groundwater;
Connected groundwater; or
Non-connected groundwater.
The second stage assessed the Authority's determination of the BDL and assessment of the PEL in conjunction with the current or proposed groundwater management arrangements to determine the SDL for each groundwater SDL resource unit. The assessments within each of the characterisation groups considered:
is there an existing reduction program in place;
is the BDL greater than the PEL;
is the BDL equal to the PEL;
is the BDL less than the PEL; and
is there more up to date science or knowledge, or existing or proposed water management arrangements in place and how do they relate to the BDL and PEL considerations.[21]
Addendum Report on Groundwater modelling
3.14 In July 2012, the MDBA released the Addendum to the proposed Groundwater Baseline and Sustainable Diversion Limits: Methods Report (Addendum).[22] This report provides updated information regarding the modelling for groundwater BDLs and SDLs. This included a review of the groundwater assessments by the MDBA and other groundwater experts and led to a decrease in the Basin-wide groundwater SDL from 4340 to 3184 GL/y in Basin Plan (May 2012).[23] The review included:
an explanation of how the potential impacts of groundwater take on surface water were accounted for when setting the groundwater SDLs;
a discussion on data quality and how it was considered in the review; [and]
changes to deep groundwater SDL resource units.[24]
3.15 The MDBA acknowledged there was limited science available for setting groundwater SDLs and stated a 'conservative approach' should be adopted. According to the MDBA, this approach provided the justification for some SDLs being reduced in the Basin Plan from the initial estimates that were outlined in the Guide.[25] This is despite the significant overall increase in the Basin-wide SDL from the Guide to the first iteration of the Basin Plan.
3.16 The MDBA reassessed the information and data used to inform the SDLs in the Basin Plan (November 2011) and determined that the most appropriate method of revising the groundwater SDLs was to alter the 'unassigned groundwater assessment' in three broad groundwater systems, the: Lachlan Ford Belt System; Highland System; and the Western System. The revisions in these groundwater SDLs focussed mainly on unassigned groundwater and deep aquifers. Unassigned groundwater is the groundwater that can be 'made available for consumptive use above the BDL'.[26]
3.17 The MDBA's major reports that publicly detail groundwater SDLs, BDLs, and SDL resource units pre-date some changes to the groundwater SDLs, BDLs and SDL resource units that are listed in the final Basin Plan. Some of the evidence discussed below refers to SDL, BDL and SDL resource unit figures from earlier versions of the plan and therefore may differ from the figures included in the final Basin Plan. However, despite the changes in numerical values, the committee considers that the general thrust of the criticisms raised below have not been altered by the final version of the Basin Plan.
Key criticisms of groundwater modelling
3.18 In April 2012, the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists (Wentworth Group) stated in its analysis of the groundwater in Basin Plan (November 2011) that the BDLs have 'changed considerably' since the Guide (from 1786 to 2352 GL/y) and that no evidence had been provided to justify these increases:
Across the Basin as a whole there have been some baselines that have increased and some that have decreased.
However the accumulated decrease in baselines across the Basin is less than 20 Gl. On the other hand, the accumulated increase in baselines across the Basin is in excess of 600 Gl. This dramatic increase in claimed baseline water use matters. Since the Baseline Diversion Limit is used to establish the Sustainable Diversion Limit this large creep in baseline use in just 13 months has the effect of increasing the Sustainable Diversion Limits available for consumptive use and decreasing the available environmental water.[27]
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority provides no evidence to justify the 600 Gl increase in baselines over the 13 month period since the publication of the Guide.[28]
3.19 The Wentworth Group claimed there was no new modelling undertaken since the Guide and which would explain the groundwater SDLs as per the Basin Plan (November 2011):
In the 12 months since then, there has not been any new science done—let us make that clear—but there has been a change of 2,600 gigalitres. We have increased the amount of groundwater we can take by 2,600 gigalitres. I am a little bit shocked at that without new science to back that up.[29]
3.20 The RRAM approach was criticised by stakeholders for the lack of scientific review. Environment Victoria's Healthy Rivers Campaigner, Ms Juliet Le Feuvre explained this criticism stating the groundwater SDLs:
[are] based on the recharge risk assessment model, which estimates on a very broad basis what recharge to groundwater is. They [the MDBA] say that they have taken a precautionary approach and halved it and halved it again, but there is no scientific review of the model that they have used, so it would not be a precautionary approach at all.[30]
3.21 The Wentworth Group also challenged the validity of the modelling undertaken for groundwater SDLs stating there were key limitations and flawed assumptions made with this approach:
The draft Basin Plan divides the Murray-Darling Basin aquifers up into
79 groundwater units [Basin Plan (November 2011)]. Numerical groundwater models currently cover 13 of these 79 resource units. The areas covered by the models are generally the most heavily used alluvial systems...
The Recharge Risk Assessment Method was used as a prioritisation tool for the Guide to the Basin Plan. Its results were never intended to be used to provide quantitative recharge estimates...
Given the great uncertainties in the calculation of the recharge rates, the need to retain groundwater resources for future generations, and the limited information available about reliance of ecosystems on groundwater discharges, using risk factors of 50% and 70% of the recharge is very concerning.[31]
3.22 Given the information gaps regarding groundwater in the Basin, many stakeholders have argued for a precautionary approach to be taken. For example, the National Water Commission (NWC) has stated that the potential impacts regarding extraction of water from groundwater systems will take a long time to emerge so an adaptive and precautionary approach is essential.[32]
3.23 The Basin State Ministers also supported a precautionary approach for all aquifers consistent with the NWC position and also noted that extraction limits for groundwater resources may shift over time depending on new information and the best available science in relation to these resources.[33]
3.24 Despite the prospect for future review some stakeholders claimed the proposed amount of extraction is too high. For instance Dr Paul Sinclair from the Australian Conservation Foundation stated:
The increase in groundwater extraction contemplated by the proposed basin plan is reckless. The draft plan proposes to increase the extraction of groundwater by 2600 gigalitres, about the same amount it once returned to the rivers. Enormous amounts of public money and effort are being dedicated to addressing the problems that have arisen from past decisions to over-allocate surface water based on poor understanding and political self‑interest. The authority should be prevented from repeating the mistakes of the past.[34]
3.25 The Wentworth Group was also critical of the modifications made to groundwater extractions after Basin Plan (November 2011), arguing that the Basin‑wide groundwater SDL in subsequent version of the Basin Plan were not based on strong scientific evidence. As Mr Tim Stubbs explained:
We have had a pretty comprehensive look at that huge increase [in Groundwater Methods Report] and we released a submission asking a lot of questions about the science justifying that increase. We could not see that science. The authority put out a subsequent document [Addendum] but again it really lacked the details and proved to have some very dubious assumptions in it—assumptions that were made to get to those final numbers. It was very interesting that a number of weeks after that version a subsequent version of the plan [Basin Plan (August 2012)] came out and we saw a drop of around 1,000 gigalitres in those groundwater numbers. Craig Knowles said at a media conference, I think, that he got the boffins in a room and looked at the numbers. That translated to a one-day workshop with a handful of groundwater experts and others. The big concern is that we are making decisions about the future of the Murray-Darling basin through a one-day workshop. It is an interesting way of going about public policy, particularly when we are spending huge amounts of money and time modelling the surface water and saying how much water needs to go back in there, and then completely separately having a one-day workshop to adjust the volumes of groundwater by around 1,000 gigalitres. And the two are connected.[35]
Connectivity between surface and groundwater resources in the modelling
3.26 Groundwater and surface water connectivity was perhaps the single most contentious issue regarding the treatment of groundwater in the Basin Plan.
The committee heard extensive evidence that the two resources should be treated as closely linked and that Basin Plan did not adequately address this issue.
3.27 The National Water Commission has stated that although it is not always apparent, these resources are 'intimately linked' and should be managed as a single resource, unless proven otherwise.[36]
3.28 Conservation Councils in particular have stated that the water resources in the Basin need to be considered as connected when considering how much groundwater is sustainable to extract. For example Mr Tim Kelly, Chief Executive of the Conservation Council of South Australia stated that 'by default, these systems should be treated as connected' and that the MDBA 'should not be allocating further water from them.'[37]
3.29 This position was echoed by the Wentworth Group that stated the Basin Plan's failure to include the impact of increasing groundwater extractions in the surface water modelling means the surface water SDLs are unlikely to deliver the claimed outcomes. The Wentworth Group analysis of the Basin Plan (November 2011) stated:
The failure to adequately analyse the impacts of increasing groundwater extractions on surface water means the draft basin Plan will not adequately protect environmental assets, particularly those dependent on low flows.[38]
3.30 Dr Bill Young from the CSIRO advised the committee that, as with the surface water SDLs, the adaptive management approach that the MDBA have stated it will use will allow for further consideration of new science and information in relation to groundwater and surface water connectivity:
The surface water impacts from the groundwater...will take a long time to emerge. There is a review process that has been put in place. There may be no demand for that increase in groundwater use to happen in a hurry, but that does not necessarily mean it is scientifically defensible. But it does not mean it is necessarily risky either. There is an opportunity to review this. If the authority follows through with its commitment to adaptive management, we will be monitoring the increases in use, we will be monitoring the impacts on stream flows and we will be monitoring the consequences and outcomes for environments across the basin.[39]
3.31 The CSIRO was also critical about the level of rigor that MDBA applied to this issue:
...the evidence base that has been presented by the authority to date to support the [Basin Plan (November 2011)] has not demonstrated that it has undertaken a rigorous assessment of the surface water impacts of the proposed levels of groundwater take.[40]
3.32 Other Basin stakeholders also voiced concerns regarding the limited knowledge and scientific understanding of the impact of the proposed groundwater extractions. Professor Mike Young noted that he did not believe the appropriate amount of information was available for the approach the MDBA was taking with groundwater under the Basin Plan (November 2011) and that he supported the NWC approach to connectivity.[41] Another witness, Ms Beverly Smiles from the Inland Rivers Network explained:
One of the concerns is that where this new groundwater extraction is being proposed overlays the Great Artesian Basin in recharge areas, and there is a whole range of concerns around this proposal. Those of us who have been following water for a long time know that the knowledge and science around groundwater is relatively new compared to what we know about what is in front of our faces on a regular basis with surface flow.[42]
3.33 Some stakeholders have suggested any increases to groundwater extraction should be delayed until detailed evaluations are completed:
Any consideration of increased extraction should be delayed until a thorough assessment of characteristics, surface groundwater connectivity, groundwater dependent ecosystems and resource sustainability can be carried out.[43]
3.34 The Wentworth Group have strongly criticised the assumptions used to calculate the diversion limits and have stated the assumptions used 'ignore the long‑term connectivity of surface and groundwater' resources:
...in documentation supporting the draft Basin Plan [November 2011] the [MDBA] states that for the purpose of determining Sustainable Diversion Limits, rivers that are classified as losing streams (i.e. ones where there is a flux of water from the rivers to the underlying aquifers) can be treated as unconnected systems. This is then used to justify the assumption that drawing these aquifers down further will not increase the loss of water from the overlying rivers.
However, this assumption is incorrect. The aquifers that receive water from losing river reaches will provide water to these rivers further upstream or downstream; i.e. there are gaining reaches elsewhere. Allowing additional extractions from these aquifers simply means that the level of the watertable will drop, and the extent of the losing stream will increase into areas that are currently gaining streams. Reducing the length of these gaining streams will affect river flows, including important base flows.[44]
3.35 Dr John Williams summarised the Wentworth Group's concerns about the Basin Plan (November 2011) introducing uncertainty by not considering the water resources as connected:
...we need to realise that groundwater and surface waters are connected, in most instances. At the moment, until you establish where the groundwater systems are and without recognising the implications of taking water out of the groundwater system on the surface water—and that being done properly, which the Basin Plan does not do—you have no understanding of the impact of the groundwater allocations on the subsequent surface water allocations, which makes them most uncertain.[45]
3.36 The issue of groundwater connectivity remained a key concern of the Wentworth Group as the final Basin Plan was presented to Parliament in November 2012. On this basis, one representative of the Wentworth Group raised doubts about the reliability of the 3200 GL/y relaxed constraints surface water modelling:
We accept that the 3,200 modelling, with the eight constraints removed, would produce a substantive improvement in the health of the river system, subject to two significant and important caveats. The first is: that would require an assumption that increases in groundwater extraction would not have a negative impact on stream flow, which is an enormous assumption that we do not believe is valid...[46]
3.37 This was detailed further by the Wentworth Group as the following exchange shows:
Mr Cosier:...the plan proposes an increase in surface water flow of
2,750 gigalitres. It also proposes an increase in extraction of groundwater by 1,700 gigalitres. The modelling for the environmental outcomes for both the 2,750 gigalitres and the 3,200 gigalitres with the constraints removed assumes that groundwater will have no impact on streamflow.
Senator NASH: Assuming there is no connectivity.
Mr Cosier: Assuming there is no connectivity. The National Water Commission advice to government is the absolute opposite. If you cannot demonstrate no connectivity, you should assume 100 per cent connectivity. As it stands, we are looking at a scenario of 2,750 gigalitres being added to the river [through increased surface water flows] and potentially
1,700 gigalitres being taken from the river [through increased groundwater extractions].[47]
3.38 As a result of the MDBA's treatment of ground‑surface water connectivity, the Wentworth Group claimed the environmental outcomes achieved by the 2750 GL/y reduced surface water extractions could not be properly evaluated because of the lack of information about the impacts of increased groundwater extractions. As Mr Cosier and Mr Stubbs explained:
Mr Cosier: ...The plan as it has been presented to parliament is for a
2,750 gigalitre SDL target. The public documentation we have from the [MDBA] is that that will achieve a certain number of environmental outcomes based on 113 indicators that have been referred to recently. All of those comments, all of those statements...ignores groundwater extraction. So parliament is being presented with a basin plan that pretends to produce certain environmental outcomes for the volumes that parliament believes it is being asked to sign up to, when in fact none of those outcome targets have incorporated anything to do with groundwater extraction.
Senator XENOPHON: And that is the question you think ought to be put to the [MDBA]...?
Mr Cosier: Yes. And, our view is that, if it is not satisfactorily answered by the [MDBA]...the parliament should reject this plan.
Mr Stubbs: I think the question to be asked is: can the [MDBA] quantify the volumetric impact of that groundwater extraction on the river system? If the [MDBA] cannot provide you with a number which you can then subtract from the 2,750 to understand what volume will actually be flowing down the river and then go and look at the outcome targets or rerun the model to find out what that volume will actually achieve—if the [MDBA] cannot reply to you with a number—then clearly you cannot understand what we are actually getting, because you can never subtract that number from the 2,750 and you can never rerun the model to find out whatever that number is and what environmental outcomes you will actually be signing up to. Until you can do that, you do not know what you are signing up to as far as environmental outcomes.[48]
3.39 The Australian Conservation Foundation also noted the new modelling for 3200 GL/y did not take into account any future impacts from additional groundwater extraction.[49]
3.40 The MDBA responded to this issue and challenged the groundwater extraction figures used by the Wentworth Group:
The [MDBA] strongly refutes the statements by Mr Cosier at the public hearing on 23 November 2012 that the Basin Plan "proposes an increase in extraction of groundwater by 1,700 gigalitres" and "potentially
1,700 gigalitres being taken from the river". The Basin Plan sets the Basin wide groundwater baseline diversion limit (BDL) at 2,386 GL/y, which reflects a more accurate determination of the potential extraction under current planning arrangements than the estimate of the BDL as at late 2010 which appears to inform Mr Cosier's remarks. The Basin wide groundwater SDL of 3,334 GL/y allows for an additional 984 GL/y of overall groundwater use above the groundwater baseline.[50]
3.41 The MDBA also challenged the idea of assuming 100 per cent connectivity of surface and groundwater resources. As Dr Rhondda Dickson told the committee:
...The Wentworth Group have characterised groundwater as if it were one whole combined pool that was all directly linked to surface water. That is very simplistic and wrong—that is not how the system works...
There are 66 different aquifers that have been assessed... [F]or most of the aquifers that are highly connected to surface water—a lot of the alluvial aquifers—there is no increase in the diversion limit. The baseline diversion limit is determined and then the sustainable diversion limit is the same as that—there are a couple where it is a little bit lower; there is one up in Queensland.
There are a lot of other aquifers that have very little connection, or no connection in the case of some fossil aquifers, with surface water, so there are different issues to consider. The issue of recharge is a key consideration in determining the sustainable limits of those. The simplistic point that is being made is just not correct and does not have any grounding in science. It is just a simplistic expression of how the system works...[51]
3.42 The MDBA further stated that:
As part of the determination of groundwater SDLs the [MDBA] has categorized the level of connectivity between surface and groundwater resources as high, medium or low. There are 30 of 66 groundwater SDL areas where the connectivity level has been classified as low.[52]
3.43 The MDBA also explained:
In relation to the potential impact on surface water of the increase in groundwater use permitted under the Basin Plan, the Authority's July 2012 Addendum to Groundwater Methods Report (p10) relevantly states:
"In regards to the issue of the potential impact of groundwater extraction on surface water resources the MDBA has calculated that the unassigned groundwater assessment for the revised draft Basin Plan (28 May 2012) has a potential reduction in surface water resources from unassigned groundwater extraction in the Lachlan Fold Belt and Highland unassigned systems of between 29 and 58 GL/y. It is essential to note the time span of the potential impacts can vary from a few years to hundreds of years and in some cases may never be realised. Mindful of this context, the MDBA is of the view that this is an acceptable risk".
The groundwater SDL revisions since May 2012 do not change the scale of the Authority's assessment undertaken for the revised draft Basin Plan.[53]
Committee view
3.44 The committee considered the issue of surface-groundwater connectivity in its interim reports for this inquiry and is disappointed that this issue continues to be only partially addressed by the MDBA through separate groundwater modelling. The committee supports the Wentworth Group's statement that the Basin Plan fails to fully assess the impacts of increasing groundwater extraction in the surface water modelling which undermines the effectiveness of the MDBA's SDLs to deliver a healthy basin.
3.45 The committee also supports the recommendation of the Windsor report which states that 'the Murray Darling Basin Authority improve data of groundwater availability, use and connectivity with surface water prior to proposing sustainable diversion limits for groundwater.'[54] The committee notes with concern that the MDBA has not done more to address this important recommendation.
3.46 The MDBA has acknowledged that groundwater SDLs may be adjusted according to new information presented through current research projects.[55] The committee welcomes and acknowledges that the MDBA has taken steps to improve groundwater information. While it is accepted that certain groundwater information will take time to develop and that SDLs should be adapted accordingly, the MDBA needs to make the rationale for future changes as clear as possible to the public and the Parliament.
3.47 The committee supports the suggestion by the workshop of groundwater experts for an ongoing Groundwater Advisory Group[56] to provide technical advice to the MDBA on groundwater matters. The committee strongly encourages that any such group include experts in relevant fields, such as climate change and coal seam gas mining to inform changes to groundwater SDLs. The committee considers that formal and public updates from such a group would help Basin stakeholders and communities further understand groundwater issues and improve the public accountability of the MDBA regarding this issue.
3.48 The committee recommends that before 2016 the MDBA undertake a thorough review of the groundwater aspects of the Basin Plan including:
the methodology and the assumptions underpinning the groundwater BDLs and SDLs; and
the connectivity of all groundwater and surface water resources to ensure that the modelling used in the Basin Plan is scientifically sound.
3.49 The committee also recommends that in conducting this review the MDBA should consult with a range of scientific experts. To ensure reliability, the final review findings should be peer reviewed by the CSIRO. To ensure transparency, the results of the review should be published by the MDBA.


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Home Regions UK Nationwide records jump in UK ATM cash withdrawals
Nationwide records jump in UK ATM cash withdrawals
Viktor Kayed
ATM cash withdrawals in the UK are on the rise for the first time in 13 years, according to data published by the Nationwide Building Society.
The financial institution registered a total of 30.2m withdrawals being made from its ATMs throughout last year, a 19% increase from those made in 2021, but still short of the 44.6m withdrawals reported in pre-pandemic times.
On average, the public withdrew £105 per transaction – which is 25% higher than 2019's figure. Nationwide attributes this to the current cost-of-living crisis.
Cash deposits have also risen in value, reaching £277, a 37% growth over the last five years. Nationwide's ATMs use for deposits simultaneously rose by 34% over the same period.
Otto Benz, Director of Payments at Nationwide, said: "For the first time in years we are seeing a natural rise in cash withdrawals as people return to using cash to help avoid getting into debt from the rising cost of living."
Nationwide's numbers correlate with a previous study made by IT company Accenture back in December, where it was highlighted that the monthly cash reliance of surveyed UK adults (63%) is almost as strong as that of debit card reliance (75%).
At the time, the company's Global Payments Lead, Sulabh Agarwal, stated:
"Cash remains a crucial method of payment for most UK consumers, who still rely on its accessibility and convenience and ability to budget in the current high inflation macroeconomic climate."
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Viktor graduated from the University of Salford with a BA in Multimedia Journalism and an MA in International Journalism. His additional professional proficiency in English and German, as well as native Bulgarian, makes him a highly-versatile media worker who can be easily deployed across several key markets.
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Gardening gurus appointed at historic estate near Pulborough
Erika Packard and Tim Miles
Sarah Page
Published: 16:22 Monday 22 July 2019
A new head gardening team has been appointed to Parham House and Gardens.
Erika Packard will take on the role of head gardener and will be supported by her husband and horticulturalist Tim Miles as assistant head gardener. The couple will join Parham on September 9.
Following a successful career in journalism, marketing and communications, Erika went on to pursue a life-long passion for horticulture, training as a community horticultural educator and volunteering with the Piedmont Master Gardeners in her hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, in the United States. Inspired to learn more, Erika relocated to Scotland where she was awarded a BSc degree in Horticulture with Plantsmanship from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, finishing at the top of her class.
She went on to become head gardener of a large private garden designed by Tom Stuart- Smith in Kent.
Erika also has a keen interest in needlework and flower arranging, which are significant features of Parham House and its history, creating another opportunity to further interweave the house and gardens.
Talking about her new role, Erika said: "I am very excited by the chance to lead an already accomplished team as we continue Parham's upward trajectory as a notable British garden.
"I plan to bring horticultural rigour, an artist's eye and a plantsperson's wide palette to develop a garden that honours its dramatic historic setting while providing an inspirational experience for its visitors."
Erika will be joined by her husband Tim Miles, who moved into horticulture in 2014 after a career as a chef in prestigious restaurants around the world.
Tim graduated from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh with distinction in July 2017 and that month began work at Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent.
In 2018 Tim won the Chartered Institute of Horticulture's Young Horticulturist of the Year competition.
Tim said: "Since Erika and I met at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, it has been our dream to develop a garden together, and we are especially grateful to Lady Emma (Barnard) and her husband James for having the vision to engage us as a team.
"We believe working with them and the existing gardeners at Parham will be a dynamic creative collaboration that will push the garden forward into a new and exciting stage of development."
Lady Emma, chatelaine of Parham, said: "Erika and Tim are energetic and highly knowledgeable horticulturists, with a sophisticated eye for detail.
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"They understand and share what has always been my simple vision for the garden, namely that, in order for it to continue to flourish as a dynamic part of the visitor attraction, the emphasis should remain on it being a uniquely beautiful, tranquil family garden of exceptional quality."
Parham is one of the country's finest Elizabethan houses, known for its rare and precious collection of paintings, furniture and needlework.
The four-acre 18th century walled garden includes a vegetable garden, orchard and 1920s Wendy house. Its opulent mixed borders and abundant greenhouse provide flowers and plants to decorate every room in the house, an old Parham tradition. The adjoining pleasure grounds include a lake, many specimen trees and a brick and turf maze.
Parham House and Gardens is open to the public from April to October. www.parhaminsussex.co.uk
Parham House is situated on the A283 Pulborough - Storrington Road.
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I was just curious, and got to wondering, which anime's that are out in japan now, should get dubbed. What are yall thoughts?
The complete Original Fist of the North Star TV show and Akira Toriyama's Dragon Warrior. Also any other gundam that never got dubbed.
interesting choices. I remember looking at the fist of the north star movies, one of first animes I ever watched, cool choices. I have have to go with "Isekai no seikishi monogatari", the "To aru majutsu no Index" series, and "fate/zero".
Anything else would just be icing on the cake.
I think Minami-ke would be pretty funny dubbed.
If Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 was dubbed I'd buy it.
None need to be!!!! Hahaha.
Though, I am sure Fate/Zero will be done as Fate/Stay Night is.
Anyway, I'd like to see all the Kara no Kyoukai films and fate/Zero dubbed.
Well, those and half the shows NIS America has licensed, especially Toradora, Pandora Hearts, Katanagatari, Usagi Drop and Kimi ni Todoke... Now, if only they'd change their 'no dubs' policy.
My #1 want for a dubbed anime is Hayate The Combat Butler. I have the Animax dub versions, but they are such poor quality that I may end up just watching it subbed soon.
I also really want the sequels to You're Under Arrest to be dubbed, although now that they have all been released and re-released by Sentai, that hope is dead in the water.
Others: Digimon Xros Wars, FotNS(they should use the dub cast from the Ken's Rage game), Maria Holic(Once again, no chance now).
Note: I have not actually seen any of these, except FotNS, as I have been holding out hope for dubs.
Up until recently, Blue Exorcist was also sub only, but it got a dub announcement out of the blue. There might be some hope considering how wildly popular Fate/Zero seems to be.
^That news actually got my hopes up, but neither Fate/Zero nor Kara no Kyoukai have actually been licensed by Aniplex; They simply possess the distribution rights to both anime, which is also why their BR box sets are so ridiculously expensive.
I hope Animax dubs the rest of Nodame. I watched the first season dubbed so really hope they do.
They should do the OVA's for History's strongest Disciple Kenichi. Although it doesn't bother me if it gets dubbed or not, I really don't mind watching subbed, although it can be hard when your eating your tea and having to look at the monitor every 5 seconds.
I'd love to see Kara no Kyoukai and Fate/Zero dubbed. May be AniplexUSA will dub them in the (near?) future....after all they only got released in North America as imports.
It will be great if Hayate The Combat Butler get an uncensored dub. The Animax dub was censored like the Japanese TV broadcast, although it's fine with me anyways...it is a shame that Bandai didn't dub it.
Working and Working'. The Macross stuff(never gonna happen .) Release the ENTIRE dub of Monster FFS!
Release the ENTIRE dub of Monster FFS!
That may take forever....it's weird Viz dubbed the whole thing and only released a single volume!
Don't care what gets dub i only listen to Japanese dubs. If the question would be what would you like to be release in 1080p then I would have a long list.
It was announced last year that someone had picked this up for dubbing, just can't remember who it was. It was some small rarely heard of Canadian-based company though (however, Viz Media is also mostly Canadian-based so don't fret).
I was disappointed this wasn't dubbed. Though I'd also like to see a second season be made.
Indeed, I recall hearing about that. Had given up on it really as nothing has come of it.
The Animax dub seemed like it would be fine to watch, my problem is that the ONLY encodes I could find were recorded in such dreadful quality, it was hard to watch. Did you see them on TV? Or do you have a good source?
I watched it on TV initially, but I also have the English audios ripped by someone else, and they seem to be in decent quality if you ask me, expect one or two may be...I'm planning to upload Season 1 with those audios soon (I hope), may be you can compare them with the ones your existing ones?


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We are the Michigan State AFL-CIO. Fifty-nine national or international unions are affiliated with us, representing over 700,000 Michigan workers. We also represent another 200,000 union retirees. Our primary missions are political and legislative action. But we also are involved in job training, safety and health programs, and community services.


A literature search and focus group interviews has been conducted in order to gather data to investigate what informal caregivers would find supportive in their everyday life. Further more a co-design process together with carers of persons with heart failure has been conducted. In addition, input from researchers, research evidence, experts within both medical and technical fields have and will guide what goes into the supportive aid being developed.
In relation to the question about sustainability there has been ongoing discussions about the hosting of the website. It is agreed that the website, at least during the test phase, will be situated within 1177, which is a Swedish national online e-health citizen information programme. The interactive website will therefor take the form of a support programme for carers of people with heart failure.
The support programme will contain modules with different themes such as "About heart failure" and "Where to get support" and will contain written information, videos, relevant links and reflective questions. As an end product, if carers find it useful, an action plan can be developed. This plan will entail reflective questions concerning what kind of support carers believe they need, and also information about where to turn for this support. The main goal with the support programme is to help carers become aware of themselves as carers and also about how this affect their life situation.
There is an ongoing work with the development of the different modules to be included in the support programme. Different experts will be invited to produce information for specific modules. To ensure a professional product, a graphic profile has been developed within the programme. This profile entails a logotype, and also information about fonts, and colors to be used in different media.
The action plan will be outlined, and will be presented as one module.
During autumn 2018 carers will be asked to participate in user trials to test two of the modules in the programme, namely the Introduction module and the module About Heart failure. Think -aloud interviews and observations will be conducted to receive carers feedback about content, usability, design etc. After feedback and refinement the rest of the modules will be completed.


NEW YORK (CNS) — Hold on tight for the ride of your life in "Gravity" (Warner Bros.), a lost-in-space adventure as exhilarating as it is terrifying.
Director Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men"), who co-wrote the screenplay with his son Jonas, serves up a modern-day horror story with top-notch performances and dazzling 3-D cinematography that envelops the audience in the majesty of space.
The film's life-or-death scenario evokes the spirit of the 2011 movie "Apollo 18." But the danger here doesn't come from aliens as it did in that feature. Instead, it results from all-too-human technology gone badly wrong.
Amid the mayhem, "Gravity" has another, deeper story to tell, as the nearness of death provokes reflections on mortality and the afterlife.
The space shuttle is in orbit 370 miles above Earth, and astronauts Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are outside it, making repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope. The two crewmates are chalk and cheese: Stone the cool, reserved scientist on her first mission; Kowalski the cocky veteran, a fun-loving space cowboy with the gift of the gab who's savoring his final voyage.
"Houston, I have a bad feeling about this mission," Kowalski quips lightheartedly to mission control before breaking into another yarn as his favorite country music plays in the background.
Kowalski's levity is misplaced. When the Russians launch a missile against a spy satellite, it causes a chain reaction in space, raining debris on the astronauts. Within seconds, the shuttle is destroyed, and Kowalski and Stone are the only survivors, cut off from Earth and spiraling into outer space.
What ensues is "E.T." in reverse, as our plucky marooned humans search for a way to go home (where gravity is taken for granted). With Kowalski steering his jet pack and Stone on a tether, they make their way to the nearest oasis, the International Space Station, where more challenges await.
To describe what happens next would be a spoiler. Suffice it to say that, in the deafening silence of space, the duo has plenty of time to meditate as they stare death in the face.
For Stone, this is an epiphany. She laments that she is alone in the world, mourning the loss of her only child in an accident years ago. "Who will pray for my soul?" she asks.
While she admits that she has never prayed herself, she regrets that no one ever taught her how.
Such feelings are hardly surprising when the possibility of death is imminent. But "Gravity" — which provides a rare combination of enlightenment and excitement — uses these sentiments as stepping stones toward a resolution that viewers of faith will find both satisfying and refreshingly pro-life.
In view of its underlying significance, and despite the elements listed below, some parents may consider "Gravity" acceptable for mature adolescents.
The film contains scenes of intense peril and horror, brief gore, at least one use of profanity and a few crude expressions. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.


On October 24th, President Trump signed a package of bills designed to confront and combat the nation's opioid epidemic. On November 2nd, the FDA approved Dsuvia.
2019 is coming, and so is Medicare's Merit-Based Incentive Payment System. Here's an easy-to-follow breakdown of what PTs, OTs, and SLPs need to know.
The holidays can be hard on children with sensory processing disorders. Here is a guide of sensory-friendly items your patients' families might want to add to their lists this year.
Three days before a physician became a victim of the 372nd mass shooting in the U.S. in 2018, the American College of Physicians updated its position on firearms.


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Willibald Ruch (* 22. Juli 1956 in Kühnsdorf, Kärnten) ist Professor für Persönlichkeitspsychologie und Diagnostik an der Universität Zürich.

Biografie

Willibald Ruch studierte nach Schulbesuch in Kühnsdorf und Klagenfurt (Abitur 1974 am Bundesrealgymnasium Klagenfurt) von 1973 bis 1975 Konzertgitarre am Kärntner Landeskonservatorium Klagenfurt und war 1974–1975 als Lehrer am Bundesrealgymnasium Klagenfurt im Unterrichtsfach Instrumentalmusik tätig. Von 1975 bis 1980 studierte er am Institut für Psychologie (Vorstand: Erich Mittenecker) der Karl-Franzens-Universität in Graz und wurde 1980 an der naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät zum Dr. phil. promoviert. 1976 verbrachte er einen Studienaufenthalt am Department of Psychology und Department of Statistics an der Miami University in Oxford (Ohio), USA.

Ruch war 1981–1983 Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter bei F.-J. Hehl am Lehrstuhl für Experimentelle Biologische Psychologie der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf und 1983–1989 Hochschulassistent am Lehrstuhl II des Psychologischen Institutes der Universität Düsseldorf. Von 1989 bis 1991 war er Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Institut für Physiologische Psychologie der Universität Düsseldorf. Ruch habilitierte sich 1991 an der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf zum Thema "Die Emotion Erheiterung: Ausdrucksformen und Bedingungen". 1992–1998 war er Stipendiat im Heisenberg-Programm der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) und arbeitete im Labor von Paul Ekman an der University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). 1999 wurde er außerplanmäßiger Professor der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf.

Von 2000 bis 2002 war Willibald Ruch Senior Lecturer für individual differences / motivation & emotion an der School of Psychology, Queen's University of Belfast. 2002 erfolgte der Ruf zum ordentlichen Professor am Psychologischen Institut der Universität Zürich.

Forschungsschwerpunkte
Ruchs Forschungsschwerpunkte betreffen Themen der Differenziellen Psychologie und der Diagnostik, insbesondere der Positiven Psychologie, und die Erforschung des Humors. Im Bereich der Positiven Psychologie beforscht Ruch Charakterstärken und Tugenden sowie die verschiedenen Orientierungen zum Glück, wobei Fragebogen zur Selbsterkundung bereitgestellt werden.

Er ist Gründungsmitglied der International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA), deren Vorstand er angehört.

Im Bereich Humor und Lachen untersucht Ruch den Sinn für Humor, Erheiterung als Emotion, die Angst vor dem Ausgelachtwerden (Gelotophobie) und Heiterkeit als Merkmal und Zustand. Seit 1995 ist Ruch Mitherausgeber der Buchreihe Humor Research zusammen mit Victor Raskin, sowie weiterer Zeitschriften im Bereich Differenzielle Psychologie, Diagnostik und Positiver Psychologie. Er ist auch Mitherausgeber von Humor-International Journal of Humor Research. 2001 gründete Ruch die  International Summer School and Symposium of Humour and Laughter, welche seitdem jährlich abgehalten wird. Im Jahr 2002 war er Präsident der International Society of Humour Studies.

Veröffentlichungen

 als Herausgeber: The Sense of Humor: Explorations of a Personality Characteristic. (= Reihe Humor Research, Bd. 3). De Gruyter Mouton, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-11-019829-4.
 Halb so lustig: Meine abenteuerliche Reise in die Welt des Humors. Ecowin, Salzburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7110-0067-5.

Weblinks

 auf der Homepage der Universität Zürich: Lebenslauf
 Lehr- und Forschungsgebiet

Belege

Psychologe
Hochschullehrer (Universität Zürich)
Schweizer
Österreicher
Geboren 1956
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Fiona Kelly McGregor
MOVING MASKS
A NOVEL IDEA
WATER SERIES – TRACE INSTALLATIONS
WATER #3 – EXPULSION
WATER #2 – PASSAGE
WATER #1 – DESCENT
TIDAL WALK
YOU HAVE THE BODY
DEAD ART
BURIED NOT DEAD
INDELIBLE INK
STRANGE MUSEUMS
CHEMICAL PALACE
SUCK MY TOES/DIRT
Fiona Kelly McGregor is a cross-disciplinary author, artist and critic who writes novels, essays, articles and reviews, most of which can be accessed here.
In September 2022, Picador published Iris, first in a duet of novels based on the life of Iris Webber, petty criminal active in Sydney's sly-grog underworld from the 1930s-1950s. Set 1932-37, Iris is an epic and picaresque ride through inner-city slums; a doomed love story peopled with scammers, gangsters and thieves. It's an interrogation of how society criminalises its most marginalised people.
McGregor's previous books include Buried not Dead (Giramondo, 2021), a collection of essays about art, sexuality and the life of the city. Shortlisted for the VPLA, it features long form artist profiles and critiques of Mike Parr, Latai Taumoepeau, Marina Abramović, Bev Nicholas (Cindy Ray) and more, as well as memoir, urban histories and accounts of Sydney's queer performance culture going back 30 years.
Indelible Ink won 2011 Age Book of the Year and was shortlisted for several other awards. It was published in the UK by Atlantic, and in French translation by Actes-Sud as L'Encre Vive.
Strange Museums, an account of a performance art tour through Poland, can be purchased here. Short story collection Suck My Toes won a 1995 QLD Literary Award (Steele Rudd) and was re-issued by Scribe as the ebook Dirt (2013) along with the novel Au Pair.
McGregor is also known for an extensive repertoire of performance art, beginning with collaborations at queer dance parties and cultural events in the 1990s, moving to a solo practice in 2007. The most recent performance work is the 2020 photographic series Moving Masks done in response to the onset of Covid-19.
From 2008-2011, McGregor created the multidisciplinary Water Series, exploring the fundamental substance of water in the context of rising sea levels, environmental degradation in Australia, and as 80% of the make-up of the human body. Group shows include 'Performance Presence/Video Time' and 'Same River Twice' at Australian Experimental Art Foundation. In 2016, McGregor performed with USA artist Sheree Rose as part of 'The Patient', curated by Bec Dean at UNSW Galleries.
Fiona Kelly McGregor lives and works on Gadigal land – Redfern division. Fundamental are the storytelling traditions and cultural custodianship of the most ancient civilisation on earth. Sovereignty was never ceded.


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Luxembourg – The Global Fund Centre
Luxembourg investment funds started the year on the back of a new record high. On 31 December 2021, assets under management in the Grand Duchy stood at EUR 5.9 trillion, representing an increase of 17.8% or EUR 886 billion compared to 12 months earlier. More specifically, a 9.9% increase based on market valuation was complemented by an impressive 7.9% organic growth rate stemming from net subscriptions from both retail and institutional investors. The Luxembourg fund industry therefore retains its leading role as the largest investment fund centre in Europe, a landmark first achieved in 1999, regained in 2005, and held ever since.
Nearly all asset classes registered inflows. UCITS, the definitive standard for retail investment funds with built-in protection and worldwide renown, are a perfect match for Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy, which can itself be characterised as an agile and yet stable, flexible yet safe, efficient yet reliable investment fund hub, shares its adaptability with the UCITS cross-border fund brand and multi-purpose solution which has become an export hit since its inception more than three decades ago. Of all true cross-border UCITS – those registered for distribution in at least three countries – Luxembourg is home to 57%. Investors from 77 countries have entrusted in excess of EUR 4.9 tn to Luxembourg UCITS, and the industry advocates the removal of any remaining or new barriers to cross-border distribution.
Less traditional asset classes often appear in an acronym disguise used for the corresponding vehicles, ranging from SICAR, SIF and RAIF to ELTIF and EuVECA. However, once the jargon is decoded, the asset classes grouped under the term "alternative investments" are often real assets and quite literally more tangible, as a general rule. The term "private assets" is preferred by some market participants, given that private equity and private debt play a major role along with infrastructure and property. Call them what you will though, investors have made it very clear that their demand for the asset class is only increasing. Although volumes in alternative funds are usually considerably smaller than in more liquid investment pools, the growth in regulated alternative funds that Luxembourg asset managers look after impresses with nearly 30% over the past three year – but perhaps this is not surprising given the unique expert knowledge the country has built up around all facets of servicing AIFs and their particular bespoke structures.
Early on, and with strong support from ALFI, the fund centre became one of the pioneers inflying the flag for sustainable investing. More than 15 years ago, in 2006, ALFI was a founder of LuxFLAG, a non-profit organisation awarding a series of recognised labels aimed at helping inform investors about fund investment and governance policies. Fast-forward to the end of 2020, and Luxembourg captured 44% of total net flows in sustainable funds made across all European domiciles, making it the leader in this important field too. Maintaining this position is a top priority for ALFI, as regard to ESG factors for many has ceased to be "nice to have", but a matter of course that is also expected to be evidenced. ALFI engages in mobilising policymakers and market participants to make the quest for true sustainability the foundation of the entire fund value chain. Progress has been made, especially in the area of climate neutrality, but good governance and socially responsible business decisions should be equally self-evident. Good governance in particular is easily overlooked as an importantfactor in achieving fair business operations with long-term benefits for not just the market participants but society as a whole. The ALFI code of ethics, introduced in 1998, provides a framework of high-level principles and best practice recommendations for the governance of Luxembourg investment funds. A key ingredient in the recipe for a more sustainable economy, among which the financial sector and investment funds are crucial drivers, is quality data. How the ecological and social outcome and fairness of an investment can and should be measured remains one of the biggest challenges the industry faces. Technology can support the route from getting hold of the data itself to understanding the information and developing solutions from it. Luxembourg fosters innovative collaborations between experienced investment industry players and newcomers from the technological field that have the potential to propel the small country to the fore once again.
Most individuals who consider a first-time investment today expect to invest via electronic channels, often ideally a smartphone app. The concept of a (human) investment advisor is an anachronism for many, which means that the matter of investor education, which has long secured a prominent place on the local agenda, is only growing in importance. Asset managers have a crucial role to play in this, as there is still quite a way to go in terms of making the investment process appropriately transparent. Sustainable companies are often leaders in transparency, disclosing in considerable detail the projects they finance with the invested monies. This is a serious appeal to investors who aim to do good – or at least definitely no harm – with the money they entrust to the asset manager, such as their personal contributions to pensions or other long-term savings. In this context, coupled with the increasing need for individuals to take responsibility for their own financial security later in life, the pan-European personal pension product, or PEPP, is of pronounced significance. The PEPP is a long-term, individual, non-occupational personal pension product of the third pillar that savers subscribe to on a voluntary basis to provide supplementary income upon retirement. Luxembourg is very well positioned to support the speedy uptake of the PEPP, and this "European pension", like UCITS, has the potential to become another recognised brand in the investment world.
In Luxembourg, investors on the one hand and asset management and investment fund players on the other find the perfect interface location, dovetailing products, processes and people. Here, the essential role of investment funds for the global economy becomes tangible, as the fund hub connects investors with market opportunities worldwide.


Go custom like we did and organize, organize, organize!
In need of a little storage therapy? Relax. There is light at the end of the seemingly never-ending organizational tunnel. A custom closet may be the ticket, and it's an easy and painless way to add both value and convenience to your home, even if you're a passive pack rat or a self-righteous neatnik.
California Closets designer Danielle Haggerty (left) discusses how to reorganize Art Director Heather Leahy's closets.
Take our art director, Heather Leahy, for example. Now that her fiancé is moving in, she'll have to share her already precious space. But like many of us, when Leahy's space is out of order, she feels out of order. "I treasure my letters, books, and photos more than my 401(k)," Leahy jokes, "but I just can't stand disarray." So we called on Danielle Haggerty, a Middle Island, New York-based designer with California Closets, for help. (Expect to pay about $400 to $900 for a five-foot-wide closet.) The entire job—from design consultation to manufacturing specs and installation—takes one to four weeks, enough time to purge the old and get ready for the new.
WHAT SHE HAD During kitchen renovations last year, this space shrank to accommodate Leahy's new refrigerator on the other side of the back wall. Clothes were organized by color and texture, but she still found her belongings to be a bit inaccessible, especially with shoes scattered across the floor and hidden by low-sweeping clothes.
WHAT SHE WANTS To fit the majority of her wardrobe, including shoes, into one neat space (currently, overflow is creeping into the guest bedroom).
SUGGESTIONS Take advantage of dead space by allowing clothes to hang to the floor. Place shoes at easy-to-reach eye level. Insert a valet rod for the next day's outfit.
RESULTS Leahy chose the Suite System from the Designer line (one of three style options, which also include the Classic and Home Office lines), combining architectural design principles and refined details with furniture-like styling. These systems are built with 1-inch-thick furniture-grade engineered wood and are mounted to both the floor and the wall. Clothes hang wrinkle free, and shoes are neatly stacked on shelves (with high-end shoes in clear plastic boxes). A pull-out belt rack and a jewelry drawer make a.m. accessorizing a fun assignment, instead of a last-minute effort to throw something together.
Leahy chose Quiet—a soft, nearly white wood finish—for her master bedroom closet. Other color options for the Designer line include Maple and Cognanc.
Haggerty based the dimensions of the guest closet on shirt size, allowing for three rods and shelves.
WHAT SHE HAD Overflow of clothes and shoes from the bedroom, sentimental keepsakes, and office equipment that ran the gamut from printers to scanners.
WHAT SHE WANTS A closet to accommodate her fiancé's wardrobe, which includes dress shirts and casual gear.
SUGGESTIONS Insert multiple rods to provide more space. Place shoes at eye level, and install a belt rack and a tie rack to make the closet even more tidy and accessible.
RESULTS To keep the style consistent with the master bedroom closet, Leahy again chose to install the Suite System in Quiet. With her belongings and bric-a-brac out of the way, her man can move right in with ease.
The hobby closet, once a breeding ground for clutter, is now a study stellar in organization.
WHAT SHE HAD A somewhat spacious closet with one rod to hold the overflow of clothes from the master bedroom, one shelf stacked with art and office supplies, boxes of design samples littering the floor.
WHAT SHE WANTS To use her space more wisely and delineate between hobbies, especially since sporting, photography, and other gear are on the way in.
SUGGESTIONS Install drawers to better preserve drawings and prints, containers for charcoals and other art supplies, extra shelving to accommodate records, additional rods to store dressy clothes.
RESULTS Leahy chose the Classic line. It's simple and clean with functional components; hardware is built into and secured to the wall, leaving the floor clear for additional storage; shelves are fully adjustable. Leahy chose the Maple finish, one of four options, including white, Almond, and Cognac.
WHAT SHE HAD Outerwear interspersed with cleaning supplies; mops, brooms, and dusters affixed to the backside of the door; messy shelves brimming with hats, gloves, and other seasonal items.
WHAT SHE WANTS A neater presentation without losing its utilitarian purpose—this is the first closet guests see upon entering Leahy's home.
SUGGESTIONS To keep the style consistent with the nearby hobby closet, Leahy chose the Classic line in Maple for the coat closet, too.
RESULTS A newspaper recycling basket fits perfectly below the coats, and three baskets containing cleaning products, baseball caps, and winter gear such as scarves and gloves make a striking presentation.
In the coat closet, baskets separate cleaning supplies from winter gear.
California Closets, based in San Rafael, California, has 130 locations throughout the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. For more information, call 800-336-9178, or visit calclosets.com.
Can't stand to part with that old Flock of Seagulls T-shirt? Though many of us are working longer hours and myriad obligations are vying for our attention, there's still no excuse to sabotage your newly installed built-ins. A personal organizer may be the way to go. Amre Griffin, owner of Rienu (917-502-1690), a New York City-based creative consulting firm for the closet and home, says: "Once you have a blank canvas, initiate the dumping process by pitching anything you haven't worn in two years."
Next, categorize by season and genre. Guarantee your hard work pays off, and immediately hang up clothes at the end of the day (though tempting, an "I'll-hang-it-later" mentality will only foster chaos). Griffin also advises us to dedicate some time on the weekend to refolding and hanging clothes, "but stick to under 15 minutes or the process will become tedious."


Historical daily share price chart and data for McDonald's since 1970 adjusted for splits. The latest closing stock price for McDonald's as of April 18, 2019 is 194.91.
The all-time high McDonald's stock price is 194.91, which is 0% above the current share price.
The McDonald's 52-week high stock price is 194.91, which is 0% above the current share price.
The McDonald's 52-week low stock price is 153.06, which is 21.5% below the current share price.
The average McDonald's stock price for the last 52 weeks is 170.74.


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Irrational Theory Wins Nobel In Economics For Thaler
by Thom Forbes , Featured Columnist @tforbes, October 10, 2017
Richard Thaler, the University of Chicago professor who infuses the dismal science with a lighthearted but studious measure of our everyday irrational behavior, was awarded the Nobel Prize for economics yesterday.
"The panel said Prof. Thaler's insights helped people to recognize marketing tricks and avoid bad economic decisions," the BBC reports. "In particular, his work looked at how to 'nudge' people into doing more long-term planning, such as saving for a pension."
Kamal Ahmed, the BBC's economics editor, delves more deeply into nudge theory in a blog post. It has become "so famous that the [British] government now has its own Behavioural Insights Team, otherwise known as the 'nudge unit,'" he writes.
In a short video for his 2016 book, Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics, "Thaler explains how this book — which chronicles people's financial misbehavior in things ranging from household finance to TV game shows — and his field of study differ from traditional economic theory," writes Adam Shell for USA Today.
"It is 'about the way actual people behave as opposed to the way economists think people behave — [like] people who are highly rational, unemotional creatures, kind of like Spock in the "Star Trek" TV series,' Thaler explained. 'The people I study are humans that are closer to Homer Simpson.'"
"We humans don't always choose the right thing," [Thaler] continued. "Sometimes we overeat. Sometimes we exercise too little. Many of us have trouble saving enough for retirement."
"I believe that for the last 50 or 60 years, economists have devoted themselves to studying fictional creatures," Thaler told NPR's Shankar Vedantam in a podcast discussion about Misbehaving. "They might as well be studying unicorns."
"In a series of brilliant and startlingly funny articles published in prestigious academic journals beginning in the early 1980s, [Thaler] pointed out that only economists think that people think the way economists think they think. Instead, non-economists think like human beings: impatiently, inconsistently, easily distracted by irrelevant factors," writes Jason Zweig for the Wall Street Journal. "Worse, Prof. Thaler pointed out, even most economists think like human beings."
"The fact that people are human is only interesting if uttered by an economist," Thaler tells Zweig. "It's obvious to everybody else."
In a commentary for the Chicago Tribune titled "How Richard Thaler changed my life (and everybody else's)," Cass R. Sunstein writes, "with clear examples, a sense of play and a little math, he showed that people just don't act in the way predicted by standard economic theory."
Sunstein, who co-authored the 2008 book Nudge with Thaler, is a Harvard Law professor and founder and director of its Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy.
"If you give people a mug or a lottery ticket, they will demand a lot more to give it up than they would pay to get it in the first place. People are planners as well as doers, and their decisions can be radically different depending on whether they are planning or doing," Sunstein continues.
More formally stated, "the announcement from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm said the 72-year-old Thaler 'has incorporated psychologically realistic assumptions into analyses of economic decision-making. By exploring the consequences of limited rationality, social preferences, and lack of self-control, he has shown how these human traits systematically affect individual decisions as well as market outcomes,'" Scott Neuman reports for NPR.
For example, "observing that inertia limited participation in beneficial programs, like retirement savings plans or school lunch programs, Professor Thaler proposed that governments and employers should make participation the default option. People are free to opt out, but inertia is on the side of the preferred outcome," Binyamin Applebaum writes for the New York Times.
"In the 2015 movie The Big Short, Thaler made a cameo with pop star and actress Selena Gomez," reports Akshat Rathi for Quartz in which he endeavors to explain [3:31] "wtf is a synthetic CDO."
Thaler's cell rang at 4 a.m yesterday, writes Susie Allen in a University of Chicago blog post. "The phone number was from Sweden, so 'I had a pretty good idea what that might be,' he said. The award was particularly meaningful because behavioral economics was 'really out in the wilderness 40 years ago,' when Thaler began his research," Allen continues.
"'It's been a long journey,' he said, 'so I'm happy about that.'"
When asked at a news conference yesterday how he would spend the $1.1 million or so he'll be receiving in addition to the recognition of his influence by his peers, Thaler responded: "I will say that I will try to spend it as irrationally as possible."
Thom Forbes was editorial director of Adweek and its sister publications in the 1980s and has written about marketing and media as a freelancer since 1990.
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Igetm.com is registered in 2010-11-15 owned by DNS Admin (), website's age 8 years, 5 months, 5 days years. It has an average of 92,400 pages indexed in major search engines like Google™. Website's IP address is 204.93.183.28 which is hosted by Server Central Network, site server is located in Rolling Meadows IL in United States. Google PageRank™ of the website is 2 of 10. Igetm.com reputation rank is 8 of 100. The web site is not listed in DMOZ open directory project.
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Igetm.com is visited by around 0 unique visitors per day. Every visitor of this website viewing approximately 0 pages per day.
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The IP address of Igetm.com is 204.93.183.28.
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text:
Yahoo users exposed to malware attack
Some users visiting Yahoo.com are redirected to sites armed with code that exploits vulnerabilities in Java and installs a variety of different malware.
Dan Farber
January 4, 2014 6:48 PM PST
Yahoo.com visitors over the last few days may have been served with malware via the Yahoo ad network, according to Fox IT, a security firm in the Netherlands. Users visiting pages with the malicious ads were redirected to sites armed with code that exploits vulnerabilities in Java and installs a variety of different malware.
Correction:This story previously stated that the ads required a click to trigger the exploit. According to Maarten van Dantzig of Fox IT, the ad being displayed is enough to redirect users to the malware injection site. We are checking with Yahoo for further explanation.
In a blog post, Fox IT estimated that, based on sample traffic, the number of visits to the site carrying the malicious code was visited around 300,000 times per hour.
"Given a typical infection rate of 9% this would result in around 27,000 infections every hour. Based on the same sample, the countries most affected by the exploit kit are Romania, Britain, and France. At this time it's unclear why those countries are most affected, it is likely due to the configuration of the malicious advertisements on Yahoo," Fox IT said on its blog.
The security firm found evidence that the redirects go to domains hosted in the Netherlands, but was unable to identity the perpetrators. Traffic has slowed to the exploit, Fox IT noted, suggesting that Yahoo is addressing the vulnerability.
Yahoo confirmed the presence of malware on its servers and said it had taken steps to combat the issue.
"We recently identified an ad designed to spread malware to some of our users," Yahoo said Saturday in a statement. "We immediately removed it and will continue to monitor and block any ads being used for this activity."
In a further statement issued Sunday, a Yahoo spokesperson said:
On Friday, January 3, on our European sites, we served some advertisements that did not meet our editorial guidelines, specifically, they were designed to spread malware. We promptly removed these advertisements. Users in North America, Asia Pacific and Latin America were not served these advertisements and were not affected. Additionally, users using Macs and mobile devices were not affected.
Yahoo subsequently modified its statement, adding that malicious ads were served between December 31 and January 3, not just Jan. 3. The spokesperson added that the company plans to post more information on the malware incident for its users.
Updated January 5, 2014, with additional information from Yahoo.
[Via ZDNet and the Washington Post]
Discuss: Yahoo users exposed to malware attack


When I was growing up my father rarely offered me advice. Instead he asked questions that inspired me to find my own answers.
Because of that single question, my creative edge has always been to teach in a way that connects deeply with my audience.
Are their eyes lighting up as we interact? Are their questions reflecting what I'm unfolding for them?
When those "aha" moments pop up, my heart ignites — and in that moment I know I'm making a difference.
This month I'm fulfilling that promise once again by offering two new opportunities that will make your life easier … and bring even more grace into your healing process.
The first one is a new online course starting on September 12th called The Power of Touch and Presence.
It's a collaboration of the heart with my dear friend Kate Mackinnon, Hay House author of From My Hands and Heart: Achieving Health and Balance With CranioSacral Therapy.
It's designed for anyone who wants to understand the power of CranioSacral Therapy … how to get the most out of every session … and how to use its core principles to improve your health long after the session ends.
Are you wondering if CranioSacral Therapy is right for you?
This class will give you all the details you need to understand how this subtle yet transformative therapy can improve your health challenges for good.
It'll also give you new tools to nurture the vibrant energy that can impact and improve every area of your life … from your career to your personal relationships.
Are you a Craniosacral practitioner?
You're going to hear firsthand how we teach our clients to get the most value out of each session. So you can turn around and use those same techniques yourself to turn one-time clients into clients for life.
Plus, at only $39, it's a great bonus gift for your clients. It'll help them get even more out of your work together. And inspire them to send you more referrals.
Again, you can check out that class here. It's coming up soon.
The second opportunity I'm bringing you this month is a FREE gift that'll land in your email inbox in the second half of September.
It's going to walk you step-by-step through an enlightening process I developed after years of teaching people around the world how to clearly hear — and courageously follow — their own internal guidance system.
In this age of uncertainty, this will give you the skills to get past your stuck spots … and move forward in your life and career with utter confidence.


text:
New Mexico lawmaker says shootings suspect confronted her outside her home
By CBS News
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▶ Watch Video: Failed Republican candidate arrested in New Mexico shootings targeting Democrats' homes
Solomon Pena, a former Republican candidate for New Mexico state House who is accused of masterminding multiple shootings at the homes of Democratic lawmakers after he lost his race — is facing multiple criminal charges ahead of his first scheduled court appearance. No one was hurt in any of the shootings.
Pena, was arrested Monday on four counts each of shooting at a dwelling or occupied building, shooting at or from a motor vehicle and conspiracy to commit a felony, along with one count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful criminal solicitation. He was also charged with one felony count of "receipt, transportation or possession of a firearm or destructive device by certain persons."
The mugshot of Solomon Peña.
Metropolitan Detention Center
Pena, who is in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque, orchestrated a number of shootings at the homes of four Democratic lawmakers in Albuquerque since early December, according to Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina. Pena hired four accomplices to fire bullets into the homes of two state legislators and two county commissioners, Medina told reporters in a news conference Monday.
Another suspect was taken into custody on Jan. 9, but it's unclear whether that person is an accomplice in the case.
Police said that Pena falsely claimed that his own race, which he lost in a landslide in November to incumbent Democratic state Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, was "rigged."
Mayor Tim Keller called Pena, who ran on a "Make America Great Again" platform, a "right wing radical" and "election denier," as well as "someone who did the worst imaginable thing you can do when you have a political disagreement, which is turn to violence."
Adriann Barboa, one of the elected officials who police said was targeted by Pena and his accomplices, said that Pena had confronted her at her home shortly after the election. As the commissioner of Bernillo County, she was involved in the process of certifying election votes. Barboa told CBS News Tuesday that Pena told her not to certify the election.
"He said, 'I want results now,' and he was definitely aggressive," Barboa said.
Solomon Peña is taken into custody Monday by Albuquerque Police officers.
Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal/Zuma Press Wire/Newscom
Later in December, Barboa was returning home from Christmas shopping when she found evidence of gunfire.
"My home was shot right through my front door, four times, out my back window, right through my living room and kitchen, right where I had been playing, only hours before, with my brand-new grandbaby," Barboa said.
No one was harmed in the shooting at Barboa's home, or at any other crime scene. In one case, a state legislator's 10-year-old daughter was awoken by bullet debris dropping onto her bed, but she was not physically harmed. According to a police report, Pena was unhappy with these outcomes, and asked his accomplices "to shoot lower into the houses and to do so earlier in the evening … when targets would be less likely (to) be lying down."
State House Speaker Javier Martinez, another official who police said was targeted in the shootings, said that the events of the past month reminded him of violence in his birth country of Mexico.
"(Mexico) is a place where politics and journalism can actually get you killed," Martinez said. "I would have never thought that could be the case in my own country, here."


There are three ways to arrive at Lochmara Lodge, you can walk in through the Queen Charlotte track, land on a helicopter or arrive by boat. I arrived by boat with one week to make some new photography work. I had some advice from a colleague not hold onto your original idea and to be open to reacting to the environment. I went for a walk into the hill behind the lodge and discovered bees collecting nectar on the flax flowers. I photographed them and I was there for ages. I was enjoying the challenge of getting focus with such a small depth of field with the added challenge flax flowers waving in the wind. I spent the rest of the week photographing bees.


Do you know how many customers you lost last quarter? Do you know why? Do you know what you'll do to keep your customers' business in future? A Complaint Is a Gift is an effective customer service training workshop about turning customer complaints into business opportunities, regaining unhappy customers' trust, and keeping them as customers.
Managers and staff working in the services industry with direct customer contact either face-to-face, over the phone, online, or in writing.
important information from conversations with customers are not added to the system, leading to declining relevance and use of information stored.
CRM Alive! is not only a practical "how-to" customer service and sales training course that takes participants into the world of customer relationships, but also provokes and inspires changes in related thinking, attitudes and habits.
CRM Alive! can support the implementation or revitalization of your Customer Relationship Management system and effectively helps to really make it happen. We inspire passion and belief in that each single employee, as an individual, can make a meaningful contribution to a long-lasting, individual and personalized relationship with customers.
The program helps every organization to make the best use of their CRM systems and translate process and technology to actual service excellence and success in sales.
How do we build relationships with our customers that feel authentic, individual and relevant to them?
How do we store, manage and utilize information we gather about our customers' needs meaningfully, so these will actually help us be there for them at the right time and engage in relevant, personalized interactions with them?
How do we really engage in using CRM across the organization in a meaningful way that goes way beyond a simple tick-box approach and actually helps us improve our sales and customer service?
½ or 1 day open or in-company customer service training workshop.
Participants receive a complimentary personal copy of the TMI book A Complaint Is a Gift by Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller.
A Complaint Is A Gift is be best utilized organization-wide as part of our comprehensive Mapping Your Service Recovery Process intervention.
A Complaint Is a Gift is also available as a comprehensive e-learning program.
The program can be implemented as training only, or as part of our comprehensive Mapping Your Service Recovery Process intervention.


Click on the links provided below for helpful links in your organizing projects.
The Neat Company creates integrated software and scanning solutions that help you tame your paper monster. Transform receipts, business cards and documents into organized digital files that are easy to use, easy to find and easy to share. Think of it as a digital filing cabinet—a place to track and manage all your information—except without the paper, or the filing cabinet.
Goodwill - also gives you a calculator for your tax deduction estimate.
Choose only which ones you want to receive here.
Call toll-free 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) or visit here.
The phone number and website are operated by the major consumer reporting companies.
To opt out permanently: You may begin the permanent Opt-Out process online here.
Then to complete your request, you must return the signed Permanent Opt-Out Election Form, which will be provided after you initiate your online request.
Another Opt Out option is here.
To register your phone number or to get information about the registry, visit here, or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register.
Reduce the risk of identity theft by opting out of credit card offers here.
The EPA – Environmental Protection Agency provides a comprehensive list of the household waste and materials and how we should dispose of them for the benefit of our environment.
Household Hazardous Waste should be disposed in a special way and you should check your local authority when you have to dispose of items like: paint, oils, medical products – over the counter, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, oil and others.
If you have crayons and won't use them anymore, Crazy Crayons will recycle them. Check their website for information on how to ship your crayons.
You can list your used packing supplies for free on your local Craigslist.
Expanded Polystyrene is abbreviated as either EPS or EPF. It can be recycled into such things as: concrete, egg cartons, office products, foam insulation, and garbage cans. To have it recycled call 1-800-944-8448 or visiting here to learn of the nearest EPS drop off recycling location. Some EPS locations may take the plastic bubble wrap too. Ask before you visit.
Many retailers and telecommunication companies offer cell phone recycling programs.
Best Buy has a very comprehensive recycling program and even if you bought it in another retailer, they'll take it, making it a no brainer stop.
Sprint Enables anyone to recycle wireless phones, batteries, accessories and data cards for free, regardless of carrier or condition. Program benefits Internet safety for kids.
Verizon Verizon Wireless' retail stores are participating in the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) Call2Recycle™ program for collecting spent rechargeable batteries. To participate, simply drop your used rechargeable battery at any of their retail locations nationwide.
Staples – more than just cell phones, you can bring in used toner cartridges and select office equipment.
Target – a very comprehensive program, you can drop-off used cell phones at any Target store.
Check with your local schools to see if they are engaged in any recycling program. Here is a link, as reference, to bring such program to your school. Look for local partners as well.
Check the Call2Recycle website and use the locator tool to find a collection center near you for batteries.
Target and Radio Shack will take back the small batteries used in watches etc. and car batteries will be taken by service stations.
And if all else fails, check Earth911.com locator tool for collection centers for any type of battery.
Staples & Gazelle.com – Trade in your newer, working technology devices in exchange for a Staples eGift Card. Visit here and identify your device to see if it has trade-in value. If it does, you ship the device to Gazelle – for free. You'll receive your confirmation and Staples eGift Card via email, and you can redeem your eGift Card in any Staples U.S. store.


We all know that government has a tendency to grow and the U.S. federal government has been no exception. But we may forget that the Bill of Rights did not even apply to the states until the enactment of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868. We may forget that the wholesale regulation of business by the federal government through the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution didn't get going in earnest until well into the 20th century. If you weren't aware, from the get-go, the U.S. Constitution reserved the police power to the States, not the federal government. Simply put, a cowboy in the old West like the fellas we see depicted in a John Wayne movie would have had no concept similar to ours of a Big Brother-ish federal government.
For fun, let's take a lightning tour of history to see which Presidents created key federal agencies and when. You may find some of this a bit surprising.
George Washington led our army during the revolutionary war against the British and saw us through the formation of our government, including the establishment of the US military.
Abraham Lincoln saw us through the Civil War, which was as much about union versus separatism and federal power versus state power as it was about slavery. Federal power was affirmed, obviously.
Theodore Roosevelt championed the idea that we needed a big government as a counterweight against big business, which at that time meant the robber barons and the big trusts. Teddy championed antitrust regulation and created the FBI and the FDA.
Woodrow Wilson saw us through World War One and the first year of his presidency was the year the Federal Reserve was created.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman saw us through World War Two. FDR gave us Social Security, welfare, Fannie Mae, the FCC, the SEC and the G.I. Bill of Rights. Truman gave us the CIA.
Dwight Eisenhower gave us the national highway system, the FAA and NASA. Big picture guy: cars, planes and spacecraft. He also made nuclear weapons a key part of our defense program, under the theory that we could then get by with a far smaller conventional force.
John F. Kennedy set the goal to put a man on the moon and got us into the Vietnam War.
Lyndon Johnson gave us the Civil Rights Act, Medicare and Medicaid, and HUD.
Richard Nixon opened relations with Communist China, ended the Vietnam War and oversaw the creation of the EPA, OSHA and Freddie Mac.
Ronald Reagan accelerated an arms race with the Soviet Union, thereby setting the stage for the eventual collapse of that communist regime during the administration of his successor.
George Herbert Walker Bush and his son George W. Bush fought wars in the Middle East and gave us the ADA and Medicare Part D (drug benefit), respectively.
As the power of the government has grown and laws have proliferated, we as citizens (including some business people) have naturally developed a habit of looking to the government for solutions, the same way that a child looks to its father or mother. We must get back to our sense of rugged individualism.
One of the worst dangers we face is that modern technology can enable a totalitarian state to exert control over the populace in a way that could only be dreamt about when Hitler held sway over central Europe. Because of that, the need for us to be wary of government interventions is more acute now than ever.
Isn't it refreshing to hear thinking like that after years of suffering so many tin gods ruling from on high in our federal agencies, filling their bloated egos with the empty calories provided by the power and money siphoned away from the citizenry? But watch out! Once these folks get a taste of playing god, they'll do anything to stop that high from ending. Bureaucratic dopamine; Oxycontin for empty suits; heroin for half-wits. Try to take the hypodermic needle away from the addict and be ready for a fight.
Are we ready? Fired up and ready to go? It's not going to be easy.


a mobile air conditioner can help you stay cool and comfortable. Some of the greatest advantages of a portable air conditioner is its maneuverability and simple installation. Although portable ACs still need to be vented, permanent installation isn't required, and most units have caster wheels which allow you to move the unit from room to room. They are also a cost-effective alternative to central air conditioning systems because they allow you to cool specific areas instead of an entire home.
Portable air conditioners are relatively simple appliances. A box-like configuration holds both the cold and hot sides of the air conditioner in one and an exhaust hose expels heat. Water is condensed out of the air, and most portable units collect this water in an internal drain bucket or through a drain hose. As well, some models use evaporative technology and produce very little to no water at all.
Many models available on the market are also multi-functional in that they offer more than just portable cooling. In fact, some units include built-in dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and even heaters - making them truly versatile and not just suitable for the summer heat.
However, many consumers often overlook certain factors when purchasing a portable air conditioner and one of the most common mistakes is not paying attention to a portable AC's BTU rating.
BTU stands for British Thermal Unit, and it is a unit of energy used in the power, steam generation, and heating and air conditioning industries. Essentially, an air conditioner's BTU rating describes its power and cooling capacity and the higher the BTU value, the stronger the air conditioner.
Cooling capacities usually range from 5,000 BTUs to as high as 30,000 BTUs, and the size you need will depend on the area being cooled. If you choose a model with the wrong BTU value, your cooling efficiency can be affected.
An air conditioner with a higher BTU rating than the corresponding room size will cycle off too quickly, and the air conditioner will not properly remove the humidity from the air.
On the other hand, if a mobile air conditioner has a lower BTU rating than the required room size, the unit will not adequately cool the room.
Measure your room dimensions by multiplying length by width.
Verify the size of your window opening.
Check the plug type and electrical requirements of your room.
Find the recommended BTU measurements from the chart below.
Alternatively, to get a quick ballpark figure of the BTUs you will need for your room, multiply the square footage of the room by 35 to get a very rough estimate.
Once you've found your BTU requirement, click here to visit our selection of portable air conditioners to find the perfect model for your needs. Need help calculating your room size? Call our cooling experts for advice and product recommendations. We're always here to help.