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Wednesday, 20 March 2002, 12:00AM
Barnard's Inn Hall
Governance and management in the not-for-profit sector
Professor Daniel Hodson
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The stakeholders are clearly different and require different prioritisation, but is governance any different in the not-for-profit sector? How can boards and their individual members (or their equivalent) in the not-for-profit sector better discharge their function? Are management skills and tasks so radically different? What can the corporate sector learn from its not-for-profit counterpart, and vice versa?
Daniel Hodson was the Mercers' School Memorial Professor of Commerce between 1999 and 2002, lecturing widely on governance.
Daniel Hodson's early career spanned both marketing and financial roles. He became Deputy CEO of Nationwide Building Society in 1989 and in 1993 was appointed CEO of LIFFE plc, a post held until 1998. Daniel has extensive experience as non-executive director of The Post Office, Rolfe and Nolan plc, Independent Insurance Group and the London Clearing House plc.
He is a non-executive director of SVM Global plc and Chairman of BPLGlobal (Holdings) Ltd. He is also a former Master of the Mercers Company and Chairman of the Lokahi Foundation.
All of his previous lectures can be accessed here.
Financial regulation Business
Governance and management in the
not-for-profit sector
Guests: Jack Wigglesworth, Chairman, Hackney Education Action Zone and former Chairman, LIFFE,
and Robert Napier, Chief Executive, The World Wildlife Fund UK
This is my final official lecture as Mercers School Memorial Professor of Commerce, an honour which has for the most part been hugely enjoyable. I shall miss Sir Thomas stern gaze at my back, and your penetrating questions from the front, as well as my guests constant ability, from the side, to find important aspects of each lecture topic which I had either omitted or underemphasized, or just, in their view, got wrong. If that makes me the meat in a three dimensional sandwich, it makes me wonder why I ever took on the task. I already miss my greatest historical heroine, Queen Elizabeth the First, over there on the right, who was once described to me by a distinguished American businessman as the best Chief Executive Great Britain has ever had. In that case Im not sure who her Chairman was, and she certainly had an effective way with her NEDs, either (so rumour has it) selectively seducing them, and/or removing their heads. Now theres an interesting idea for NED mind concentration for the recently announced task force on the role of the NED and a dilemma for those offering D&O (Directors and Officers) insurance. My paranoia has on occasions only been controlled by the thought of the vast well, one or two online audience out there who can do whatever they want in front of their screens, but to me they are the most docile, best behaved of attendees, who never ask a difficult question, snore loudly in the second row, ask unintelligible questions from the back or leave noisily and pointedly just as the lecture reaches its denouement. We seem to date to have avoided dossers, although some might believe that there are few more inviting, warm and attractive places for a chap down on his luck to lay his head than in this lovely little hall, to the comforting drone of the Professor of Commerce on the topic of Regulation and such matters. Nonetheless, there is nothing like a live audience and I salute those here tonight but we must recognise the importance of those online participants, who represent perhaps the single greatest change in the conduct of the College since Sir Thomas original inspired vision for the propagation of the late 16th century New Learning to the educated man in the street.
[Introduce guests]
My interest in governance and management in the not-for-profit sector has stemmed in the most part from the modern equivalent of the transition from the Fifth to the Sixth Age of Man; from the fair round belly with good capon lined to the lean and slippered pantaloon from a fulltime wage slave to what is called (in my mind rather unattractively) plurality; from a single full time occupation, to a variety of interests. In my case and I suspect in many others it has arisen from long held but suppressed interest in education and the arts, as well as a more vague desire to give something back as a quid pro quo for a professional career which has for the most part treated me well. And so I have a range of non-executive positions in the arts, education and charitable worlds, which not only provide great pleasure, but also a fascinating insight into the way such institutions function and are governed, to go alongside my own academic and professional work as a non executive in the commercial sector. As you now see, my own experience is somewhat similar to that of my guests, although of course Robert is a fulltime CEO of a major charity.
But of course social, legislative and political change have hugely increased the opportunities for NEDships/Governorships/Council memberships of an ever increasing range of not-for-profit institutions: for example health trusts, schools, universities and colleges of all types, charities, quangos, arts organisations and cooperatives. As a result people, of varying socio-economic class, education level, trade and/or profession, many of whom would only a few years ago never have dreamt of taking on such roles, are assuming positions of importance, responsibility and gubernatorial (my spell-check software has thoroughly approved the use of this word) significance. Thus Jack and I are not necessarily stereotypes of the average board member of a not-for-profit organisation, although Roberts is probably more typical of the CV of the CEO of an important charity these days.
One can conclude that a large number of not-for-profit NEDs (from now on I shall use this acronym to describe anybody who sits on a board or council) have had no prior experience of board level governance. They will in most cases have important skills, which will be of great value if exploited properly, but for many joining such a board is a totally novel experience. They well may be sympathetic to the Chairmans greeting to me on my first appointment as a director: Welcome to the Board and to the thankless task that lies ahead. And so, in that case, it proved, although I always hope that first time board members soon overcome their qualms and get a lot of fun and satisfaction out of the experience.
Boards have much in common
It is a common mistake to believe that boards of not-for-profit organisations are in some way radically different from their commercial counterparts, but the fact is that the differences, if they exist are marginal and nuanced rather than fundamental. Take stakeholders. Stakeholder is of course a buzz word that has cropped up regularly in my lectures and which refers to those who have an interest in the operations and success of the institution in hand. Whilst it is surely true that they will vary in terms of identity and emphasis, many stakeholders will nonetheless be common to both sides: employees, community, environmental interests, suppliers, where appropriate customers. Yes, even customers, as for instance in educational establishments where it is increasingly clear that competition exists and is even being encouraged, so that where the provision of education is seen as being a service to students with a choice. And of course some of these stakeholders in common may move to top priority in the case of not-for-profit institutions formed to help them, as with community and environment. Indeed, every organisation should have one principal stakeholder, not necessarily much ahead of the others, but one which is clearly recognised in the goals of the organisation. Boards need regularly to pause, particularly when faced with difficult decisions and analyse the issues which confront them in the light of the priorities posed by that principal stakeholder.
Now, conventionally, shareholders will be seen, even in todays politically correct world, as the principal stakeholder in commercial organisations, and rarely exist in any other than a nominal form in not for profit organisations. But wait a moment. Examine the accounts of virtually any of the latter and note that there is in most cases a surplus. Indeed in the majority of cases it is necessary, desirable and an aim to create a surplus not always substantial in order to meet the objectives of the organisation, for instance to invest in fixed assets such as IT systems and to guard against future contingencies. So we have the ironic proposition that whilst no such organisation would dream of declaring itself For Profit, a substantial number, indeed possibly the majority, would, if pushed, have to say that they were, in part at least, For Surplus. And in accounting terms, the difference between profit and surplus is a rather subtle one. Why then is generation of a profit in a commercial organisation usually deemed more motivating than generation of a surplus in a not-for-profit one? I shall return to this topic later on.
Moving on to other areas of common ground, it is in my experience quite a usual failing of the not-for-profit sector, and to a lesser extent of commercial entities that their boards concentrate too much on mundane operating matters, even nit picking (a common hole in which to fall with directors of limited board, and narrow, experience of the subject in hand); or are mesmerised to the point of its occupying the bulk of all board meetings by the often wordy requirements of the statutory framework in which their organisation operates.
Yet both of these tendencies belie what is usually considered to be the prime role of any board, bearing in mind the priorities of its stakeholders, namely the setting and supervision of the implementation of strategy for the institution. All boards should regularly review their strategic objectives and ensure that their short term activities and objectives are prioritised to achieve them. This is not usually as difficult in commercial organisations as it is in not-for-profit institutions, where many board members are not trained to think strategically, and where there is even a tendency for management to imagine that strategy is entirely their province and the role of the board is to make sure that the entity remains solvent and does not break the law; put bluntly not to make too much of a nuisance of itself.
That is not to deny all boards the requirement to supervise the day to day operations of the organisation, but this should, unless major problems occur, be very much at a high level and designed to satisfy directors that all is moving in the right direction, within an agreed framework; and not to take over what they have hired and paid executive management to do. Of course there is a balance to be struck here. On the one hand NEDs may have to act fast if there is an operating issue of heavy significance, or if executive management gets ahead of the board or exceeds its mandate and in the latter case, there are as many examples of the detrimental effect of strong willed managers on both sides of the commercial/ not-for-profit divide, always a major worry for competent boards. But it is equally dangerous to be too laid back.
Indeed, boards of all stripes have a major responsibility to ensure that senior management is appropriate for the tasks set them by the board. Again this is not always an easy one for inexperienced not for profit directors to grasp, particularly in its more dynamic sense, management planning and succession. In particular the term of executive appointments has been a significant current issue in governance terms, with consensus in director level jobs coming down around the five year mark with exceptions of course for commercial organisations, based on practical observations about diminishing value added, growing stale, and the need for a fresh pair of eyes. In my experience, not-for-profit organisations often exceed such a rule of thumb by allowing senior managers to stay in their jobs well into injury time, and usually by not being prepared even to plan change in the context of an individual who is perceived to be doing a good job at least for the time being.
It is also true, not least in this context, that the code of governance demanded of quoted companies and increasingly of other smaller entities in the commercial sector, reads across to the not-for-profit sector. Indeed in some cases, the quality of risk reviews by boards, for instance, the latter is ahead of the commercial sector. In addition, the usefulness and need for appropriate board committees is appreciated in both sectors, the most common being those for Audit and for Remuneration. As a footnote, the latter tends to be less well developed in the not-for-profit sector, and in particular in its common usage, not least amongst plcs, of the discussion of more strategic but sensitive management organisational issues, such as those relating to management performance, planning and term of office. Or indeed to executive malfunction where this unfortunately becomes necessary.
Nor indeed does the necessary makeup of boards differ too much between sectors, which is not surprising given the similarity of the tasks before them. There is no doubt, given the nature of human relationships and discussion an optimum number of about 8 and a maximum of 12 members, with a balance between non-executive and executive. Furthermore, just as there tends to be a range of disciplines represented on the executive side, so there is a requirement for a balance of skills and knowledge on the non-executive side. Whilst this is desirable, and eminently possible in the context of commercial entities, it is much more difficult to achieve in not-for-profit organisations who are tied to certain undesirably large sizes either by convention or by stakeholder representation requirement, or by statute.
Even so, working within these constraints, there is a requirement regularly to analyse the skills and knowledge requirements of the board, on which may be overlaid certain representational requirements of NEDs in the case of commercial companies, probably of shareholders; and of not-for-profit entities, of stakeholders of one kind or another. Indeed it should not be forgotten that the skills requirements of the latter are often very broad, only matched by the often rich and diffuse communities from which their board members might be drawn a huge and fascinating opportunity for bringing the widest range of experience effectively to the board.
Terms of NED appointment too can be contentious. I am a strong, but occasionally flexible, supporter of a maximum of two terms of three years each, for commercial NEDs, and there are good reasons for the same being true of not-for-profit organisation: as with commercial companies, but not I hasten to add true in every case, people grow stale and/or complacent after a while, their knowledge base, and therefore potentially their usefulness diminishes, they become less than objective camping in the executive kraal, if I may verge on the non-PC. Frankly such boards, like most human organisations, need change and fresh set of eyes. Members of the audience familiar with board politics will know how even block buster bombs can be insufficient to dislodge a recalcitrant NED overstaying his usefulness, and I can assure you that the same is all too true of not for profit organisations, in my direct experience. In both cases it can take a Chairman and/or group of senior NEDs of determination and cunning, yet with considerable diplomatic skills gently to extract a well entrenched long server. In both cases the requirement and the resultant problem are similar, and the remedy is certainly identical.
This leads naturally on to the role of the Chairman, which in fact I examined in detail in a lecture during the last academic year, and which has like, or at least parallel, requirements focus in both groups. And in both cases the position plays a pivotal role in the governance and the practical efficiency of the board,. The Chairman it is, who ensures that the strategy is set and adhered to, and that the right executive team are in place to implement it; and who manages the board itself, getting the best out of its members individually, and as a whole, as well as ensuring that it properly discharges its function.
It is certainly evident that the desirable qualities of good Chairmen are not only to be found in the commercial sector, but are available from any walk of life. It raises another interesting point about interchangeability between sectors. We know that commercial people often take jobs as chairs of not-for-profit companies, and we have seen the occasional senior civil servant move from Whitehall to take important commercial chairmanships. In logic, though, could such roles as well be filled by successful figures from the not-for-profit sector: head teachers, CEOs of major charities, or Chairman of non-commercial cooperatives, for instance. There is considerable interchange below board level. Could it also be reflected at the top rung, too?
Finally in this discussion of board similarities come the knowledge issues. It is obvious that all boards have a duty to ensure not only that the information provided by management, both financial and qualitative, is useful and appropriate, but also that it is adequate. But they also have to ensure that, in addition to whatever professional and other skills and abilities they bring to the board, they also understand the work, objectives and challenges faced by the entity, commercial or otherwise, and keep themselves constantly up to date. There are a number of recent cases of corporate collapse/scandal, Enron being the most obvious recent example, where it is clear that the board either did not understand what was going on and/or were not told, and from which both commercial and not-for-profit sectors could learn. There could be a number of reasons for these failures: for instance not investing enough time and effort to get to grips with the business and its risks and opportunities at the outset and then keeping such knowledge up to scratch; and/or not asking management the right questions, and probing intelligently until satisfied; and/or not insisting that management provide the right information, properly annotated, on a regular basis. And there is beginning to be more than just a sneaking feeling that NEDs, particularly in the plc environment are simply not spending enough time at the job to do it properly. The days of reading the board papers in the train or car on the way to the monthly board meeting and then vanishing in a cloud of dust as soon as the meeting was declared closed are over although I can think of one NED stalwart who used to annoy management intensely by never reading the lovingly prepared and (we thought) highly professional papers, but always, instantly and with no apparent disadvantage, getting to the heart of the issue that we had taken many man hours to express articulately on paper.
The same challenges exist of course for not-for-profit NEDs, but with a significant twist. The vast majority of commercial NEDs are paid, and some do nothing but NED work. If they feel that they need to put in more time to get the job done, they will be likely to get appropriate compensation. Even if they dont, they will usually take the view that they wish to do the job professionally, and that if this requires more work, then they must spare the time. On the other hand not-for-profit NEDs are usually not paid, and even when they are it is usually at a much lower rate. I have argued that the burdens of office are substantial, and not dissimilar between the two sectors, although there is probably more catching up to do in the not for profit sector than in the commercial sector. To add further burdens to their existing load, for the most part unpaid, may well be asking too much. Yet one cannot but think that requirements of NED office will call for increasing expenditure of time; and this will certainly affect some institutions in the not for profit sector, a major potential challenge for the future.
Finally in this analysis of comparatives comes training. I do not in this case mean training in relation to activities of the entity itself, although this is clearly of great importance; but training in governance, that is what it means to be a director and what responsibilities and duties fall on the shoulders of directors, as well as the other increasingly well worn features of modern boards. But it is here above all that there is most likely to be a difference between NEDs in the two camps. Governance is a developing art, and even experienced businessmen would admit that sitting on a commercial board for the first time in ones life can be a daunting experience, and that it usually takes a while to be become an effective, participating member. Objectively this can require education, advice, seminars, even counselling, not least because such activities become a short cut to full effectiveness.
But how much more is this needed for people who have little senior management experience but have the potential to become very useful and contributing members of not-for-profit boards, because of their knowledge and skills base? For my firm conclusion is that there is no substitute for well thought out, appropriate, interesting and stimulating training for board initiates in the not-for-profit sector. The problems associated with obtaining it are likely to be much more associated with willingness on the part of the trainee and commitment of his/her time, than it will be a matter of financial resource, since much such training is now available free, for instance through government and other sponsored programmes. It is arguable that such opportunities should be close to compulsory in order to place all NEDs in a position to become fully contributing members. Boards should be both cold blooded and relentless about appropriate training.
So do managers
Moving to management, rather than governance, consider the following attributes:
Ability to judge and motivate people
Ability to relate to, understand, be respected by and just plain get on with other people: called in the jargon interpersonal skills
Objective driven with Knowledge of the operation and its relevant strategic and immediate objectives
General financial literacy
It would be far from controversial to say that this would be a sensible menu for at least some of the requirements for success in both commercial and not for profit environments. It would of course only be a commercial equivalent of Superman who would have all of these characteristics in abundance, but they would be a good starting point, and anybody with them in any sensible degree would no doubt be, in principle, welcome in any senior management team in either camp.
There are in addition two parallel qualities which are key ingredients in each case. In a for-profit environment it is usually a compliment for a manager to be called commercial or with good commercial instincts. This may also be a requirement in select not-for-profit environments, but more often there will be a need for a type of nous, partly learned, partly intuitive appropriate to the environment, vital but particular to the entity and its purpose. A good head teacher will instinctively understand school situations in which he or she may find himself, or the head of, say, a medical charity the way in which to manage doctors and research people skills not necessarily much good to a commercial manager, but a huge help in doing the job on hand.
Similarly there will be a need to understand, react to and perhaps even anticipate the environment in which the service provided by any institution operates, or the requirements and expectations of its principal stakeholders. In a commercial environment it is easy to identify: it is called marketing, or at least the requirement to understand the market environment for the products sold. This word may also be appropriate in a not for profit environment, but there may also be a need for more subtle interpretations for that sector: such as knowledge of fundraising sources for many charities dependent for their activities on giving, the ability to recruit not just students but also staff in the educational sector, awareness of the demands, structure, likely patrons and clients of a particular branch of the arts in an arts related organisation, or comprehension in a hospital trust of the complexities of NHS funding and structure.
I now return to the old chestnut about management and employees motivation under a profit oriented environment without, or preferably, with employee shareholdings, which states, quite simply, that employees of any stripe are more focussed, more productive, better motivated and more flexible within that framework, than in a not-for-profit entity. I find this conventional wisdom somewhat counterintuitive, for I have seen highly motivated, hugely productive employees, who would adorn any kind of organisation, across all my not-for-profit interests in the arts, music, educational and charitable worlds without any sniff of a profit motive, nor the slightest interest in anything as sophisticated as a shareholding. I have incidentally more than anecdotal evidence that the same is true of many public sector industries, contrary to the Thatcherite precepts of casting off the chains of public sector constraints. I was for many years on the board of the Post Office (as it then very properly and descriptively was) in the days, mainly in the 80s and early 90s when, I am glad to say, it was recognised as being one of the best, if not the best post office in the world. What struck me in the case of that basic, not always very glamorous industry was the commitment and pride of its managers and most of its employees, those who were not held in the practical or ideological grip of some not always very enlightened union reactionaries. For the most part, they loved their employer, were proud be part of it, worked hard and with a purpose, and thus created a well run concern delivering quality to its major stakeholders, its customers. It was not the profit motive that would have saved the Post Office from its current mire, had it gone into the private sector. It would have been removal of the icy and restrictive imprint of the Treasury on every important decision; not some notional financial incentive which would supposedly and at a stroke have released a wave of apparently pent up employee motivations.
Transferable lessons
It is clear that, when analysed, there is, with some nuances, a high degree of overlap in terms of board and senior management requirements. So what, in reality can the commercial sector learn from its not for profit counterpart, and vice versa? It is never wise to draw sweeping conclusions from statistical input limited by ones own experience and that of friends, acquaintances and colleagues. Nonetheless the former Post Office example illustrates how a public sector company with clearly identified principal stakeholders (customers), and an agreed and understood strategic mission can successfully emulate the private sector. Unfortunately these strategic qualities are all too often lacking in the not for profit sector, whereas the commercial sector, particularly amongst quoted companies, is increasingly focussing on the need for and importance of them.
There are of course honourable exceptions, and Im sure that Roberts WWFUK is one of them, but its up for debate that not for profit organisations are less strategically aware, less driven by identified strategic objectives, based on value and benefit to the principal stakeholders, more inclined to live in the now, and less to look ahead at the change and opportunities that lie ahead.
Commercial organisations seem also to be better at generating and making good use of appropriate and timely management information, both financial and non financial. The advantages of having a dashboard with a sensible and informative set of dials available to board and management is a lesson in many cases yet to be learned. The modern buzz expression key performance indicators or KPIs is still little appreciated, with the concomitant need for quality management time identifying the right KPIs for each level and making sure that they are available on time, and accurate.
It is also my experience that, on balance, they are rigid structurally, less flexible and with tortuous decision making processes. They could learn from the lean, empowered and flat (ie with the minimum layers of management) of successful commercial operations. The latters processes of delegation and empowerment (that is giving managers and employees a degree of total responsibility for decisions at a certain level) make a significant contribution to their forward momentum.
Unfortunately bureaucracy and lack of delegation is an epidemic disease in not-for-profit organisations, and one which significantly impedes their progress, down even to the vast and depressing piles of board papers which so many seem to produce. For my money, no set of board papers should (perhaps excluding appendices) take more than two hours to read, and should concentrate on high level strategic matters, not on operating minutiae. I once served on a Regional Health Authority in West London. The papers for the meeting arrived the previous night, carried, all 10 inches of them, by a muscular courier, ready to be read, with little pleasure, by an already knackered board member. The meetings were interminable, and the best bits as one had always been led to believe kept till last, when only the activists remained. I couldnt hack it for very long, and Im afraid that this experience is being undergone not just within the NHS, but also on the boards of schools and charities etc, all over the country. It is the thought of the bureaucracy and the paperwork combined I must say with the apprehension of inadequacy that puts off so many potentially excellent NEDs of not-for-profit organisations.
But its not all one way traffic, for there are in my mind several key lessons that the commercial world can learn. For instance there is usually albeit often unfocussed a greater sense of contribution in not-for-profit organisations, of doing something worthwhile for justifiable motives, just by the nature of the entity; and this leads to greater collaboration, both between peers working together in teams, and in the way in which managers reach decisions, by a more concerted process. It is true in organisations of any kind that managers will often have to take decisions for which they alone are responsible, but the ability to seek others opinions not only makes them feel more included in the team, but also provides greater and deeper input for the decision. While, unfortunately, as I have argued, managers tend to be less empowered in the not-for-profit sector, and thus the benefits of collaboration may thereby be diluted, this basic ingredient for good decision making is certainly there.
In addition, such organisations tend to be more transparent, more open to scrutiny, both within and without, as compared with the often rather secretive corporate community; the latter may be driven by the power seeking or paranoia of individuals, worries about excessive and uncontrolled public disclosure for quoted companies, or a feeling that keeping matters secret is in some way more beneficial for the company. In contrast for institutions like mutuals, transparency comes with the territory, in that the beneficiaries or stakeholders in the entity will or at least should always require to a reasonable extent to know what is going on in their cooperative, while for others, like schools, it is part of the culture. This cultural issue is important, for it can not only build respect and understanding of the organisation externally, but can create a very positive attitude in a workforce who might otherwise be demotivated by an inherent feeling of being kept in the dark.
The corollary of transparency is the way in which information is disbursed and to whom, generally called communications. The ability to provide more information, to be open clearly provides a great advantage, as do the potentially less socially or politically divisive messages of not for profit organisations many of them use this opportunity very effectively. And of course the stock in trade of many such organisations is in the area of media and communications; their reason for existence may be to make the public aware of their stakeholders interests or plights. In many others much could be learned about communications, it is fair to say, but the combination of a culture of transparency and well thought out and effective communications is one where some non commercial companies are world leaders. No better example than Roberts organisation, a good point at which to recap my points and then hand over to Robert and Jack for their no doubt trenchant observations.
The role and objectives of boards, or their equivalent, is broadly similar in both commercial and not-for-profit sectors, but in each case the burgeoning duties of NEDs could require greater time commitment than in the past.
In particular, directors with important skills other than the commercial can be great contributors, but appropriate training will in most cases be essential.
Nor are management, as opposed to board, requirements so different, and it is not proven that For Profit provides any superior motivation. In any event many not-for-profit organisations are, at least in part, For Surplus.
The not-for-profit sector might in principle learn from the strategic awareness and focus, the quality of management information, and the delegation and empowerment, combined with lack of bureaucracy found in the commercial world; while the latter could draw from the sense of collaboration, transparency and communications skills of the best of not-for-profit organisations.
And to end on a frivolous note, may I remind you of Lady Bracknells caustic analysis of charity, which she would undoubtedly have applied to the whole of the voluntary sector: Charity, dear Miss Prism, charity! None of us are perfect. I myself am peculiarly susceptible to draughts.
© Daniel Hodson, 20 March 2003
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It's been a while.... but Big Ron is back!
It seems a long time ago since Big Ron took over at Torino and made his first appearance in the P2E league.... Anyway after leaving Torino due to Roland's (Nilsson) sexual exploits with the chairmans wife, Big Ron had a brief spell in Portugal in charge of Benfica where somehow he managed a promotion.
Although the Portuguese climate thoroughly agreed with Big Rons need for constant tan, the lure of Japan and the offer of a free motorbike from Kawasaki was too much to resist and off he went to the land of the rising sun. A big decision had to be made at this point.... was he going to take Roland (his faithful no 2)? After much deliberation Big Ron came to the conclusion that lure of Geisha girls all over the place was going to prove too enticing for Roland, and as consequence he felt it would be best if he searched for a new no 2.
Flicking through the contact list on his iPhone, he could see a whole range of potential candidates..... Gary Megson, Sheridan, Hirsty, Waddle..... all had fine qualities but Mego was too ginger, Sheridan... mad Irish John Snow, Hirsty... always on the pop and Waddle... never available as he is always doing reunion gigs singing Diamond Lights with that nut job Hoddle.
Much to Big Ron's surprise Carlton had just done a coaching course and was full of enthusiasm and ideas for his new role! Controversially he wanted him to scrap his 4 4 2 formation that had served him so well and implement a new 4 3 3 system. Big Ron was not too keen on such a radical shake up but as Carlton pointed out.. "it hasn't done Klopp any harm". Anyway after several Sapporo's followed by a couple of Saki's.... even Big Ron could see the benefits of a new 4 3 3 system.... at least it would play to the strengths of Pepe (the main man on the right wing).
Wow... what a piece of footage....they were the days when you were disappointed with a draw against City!


Pay it forward: Random acts of kindness.
"Pay it forward" is an international movement promoting the idea of random acts of kindness and aiming at making a world around us a bit better, a hopeful mission attracting millions of followers. In December 2015 I have become a part of the movement and later have made my own contribution into spreading the idea.
My colleague and I, "Batman and Robin" they used to call us, watched a deeply moving picture "Pay it forward" and got really inspired by the message behind the movie. In short, the movie is about a teacher, played by Kevin Spacey, trying to instill values and morals (what an irony!) in children resulting in one of his students starting a movement of kind actions towards those in need. The boy suggests starting from yourself and extend helping hand to 3 other people encouraging them to do the same thing afterwards. This way he, a young schoolboy, created a chain (or a net) of kind acts, increasing social responsibility and changing dozens of lives.
We had a strong belief that teaching values such as graciousness, humaneness, mindfulness and self-awareness had to be a part of school life. To make the idea work we needed to attract people (students in our case) and make sure the idea spreads and becomes sustainable. However, we faced difficulties (as it usually happens when you have startlingly great ideas): if we start simply instructing students it might be perceived as annoying moralizing. So, we needed to intrigue them, trigger their interest and absorb them fully as though they were playing a game. After a month of scrutinizing the matter we came up with a plan.
Our team designed a visual representation of the movement and ordered 1500 badges and 2000 sticky labels with the logo.
After months of preparation we held an all-school meeting and explained how the projects works: every student receives 2 badges and a set of stickers; the trick is to get rid of badges as fast as you can. The only way to do that is to help someone and give the badge to that person. The important thing is to instruct the person you helped to do the same: make an act of kindness and pass the badge on.
We asked students to take photos of people they helped to if they could to share with everyone on our page in social network.
Most of students loved the idea. Soon enough it became contagious.
After a week our team started receiving stories and photos from the students. We were happy to see that many of them went outside the school into the town and spread the idea among a wider community. They helped passers-by, gave food to beggars, prepared other students for exams and did many other things. Even teachers got actively involved. The idea has also attracted one of the local kindergartens and we were able to "sponsor" them with dozens of "Pay It Forward" badges.
This project was a pride of our team. Even if we stopped the project a year ago, we still receive photos (the last one was sent to me three months ago). We do understand that it is a small-scale project and might have had a small impact on some students. However, we hope that it has pushed them to realize the value of support and care.
I wrote this little blog not only to share my experience but also to inform you that April 28 is International Pay It Forward Day. If you are interested in learning more, you might want to join the movement on http://payitforwardday.com/.
Please, comment down on what you think about the movement in general and our project in particular. We will use your feedback next time we run the project.
Happy upcoming Pay It Forward Day!
I have never gone to a kindergarten; and I should admit I have always been jealous of those who did. Those kids had so many chances to become a part of the world in such an early age. However, I bet after watching Takaharu Tezuka's insightful speech on his Fuji kindergarten project, which is his "attempt to change the lives of children", you will be dreaming about becoming a small Japanese boy or girl and attending that fantastic place.
Takaharu Tezuka, a well-known Japanese architect, a winner of more than 20 awards and a master of his job, designs buildings that serve people's needs putting great philosophy behind each construction. In our case, it is Fiju kindergarten, an oval-shaped building without any boundaries. Classrooms of the kindergarten, that are full of natural light and even have trees, are on the first floor, while huge rooftop space and five-meter-high annex building is for children to play, run, jump and climb. During the speech Takaharu explains why such construction is effective for raising and educating younger generation.
The speaker claims that children get nervous when they are surrounded by boundaries (walls, doors, and even roofs) emphasizing that both noise and freedom are important for learning. This is the reason, Takaharu says, why Fiju kindergarteners show amazing degree of concentration and enjoy exploring new things. Indeed, we are used to treating freedom as a prize for good behavior and results: if you do well, you are allowed to play outside. We rarely stop to think whether "locking up" kids with difficult behavior is doing them favor. However, even though I fully support the idea of freedom becoming a common practice, Takaharu's words might face confrontation since, as a person without degree in child psychology or pedagogy, he makes huge assumption by saying that noise and freedom are necessary for all kids and fails to provide any reliable results related to the matter to make his words more creditable.
The next benefit of such construction lays in allowing kids develop physically. Findings of their observations indicate that on average these kindergarteners walk or run 4000 meters in a day (one boy even made 6000 meters in a morning! Feel ashamed?). As a result, children have the highest athletic abilities among all other kindergarteners. I would dare to say that raising physically strong and healthy child is a desire of every parent. Yet, parents want to make sure that their children are safe and sound. Unfortunately, Takaharu mentions only handrails and nets being used to provide safety. Although, he considers a small dosage of danger to be advantageous for kids, discussing the ways they maintain safety might have allowed him gain listeners trust and acceptance of the idea.
Another lesson Takaharu tries to teach us is that kids need to learn helping each other and to feel connected to the outside. It often happens that pre-school education focuses on teaching kids letters and numbers, instead of teaching them life skills. Still, letting kids "tumble sometimes", help friends (when they cannot climb a tree), and interact with outside world (like biting trees and getting used to different weather conditions) teaches them "how to live in this world", which, in my opinion, is a valuable lesson. The strongest evidence for Takaharu's claim here is photos and video of children engaged in interaction with others and children falling and getting up.
Takaharu Tezuka's speech reflects his love towards children and desire to give the best for them, which proves that raising a child is not the mission of parents and teachers only, other people (architects, for example) can have tremendous impact. This man has impressed me with unordinary way of thinking, dedication to his job and innovative ideas, that are worth spreading.
What is in my teacher bag?
There is a bag that I carry around all the time. It is handmade, it is ever-changing, and it is irreplaceable. Well, I have to admit that it is not the best one and not everyone likes it. But I do love it.
To make this bag I used the best fabric I could find. I found it after hearing one university professor explain how to find profession you are destined for. She asked to think about a thing that irritates us the most in our environment, city or country; and then she said to think about profession that fights against this thing. I thought about school I studied in, about increasing educational issues, and about low level of literacy. That is how I discovered the fabric- strong motivation for teaching. Still, I thought it was not enough: I needed more colors.
All great educators I have met in my life were highly dedicated to what they were doing. They did their job the best way they could; they had no excuses. That dedication inspired us, as students, and we worked hard not to let our teachers down. So, dedication became the second cloth I used.
Now, I needed threads. But what could tightly tie motivation and dedication together? I needed something that would keep me afloat even when I want to give up and find easier way to live. What would constantly remind me about the importance of my job? After scrutinizing the question, I found simple answer: lifelong learning. To hold the bag together no matter what, I needed to constantly refine myself as an educator, to learn more about my field of work and to connect my knowledge with changing world. I have to stay hungry for knowledge to keep my motivation and dedication.
Finally, I had the bag I liked. Yet, nobody needs an empty teacher bag. I mean you do not carry the bag unless there is something in there that you find necessary, valuable or hard-to-reach. During my teaching practice I slowly but surely started filling the bag. I kept some things, threw away others or simply replaced with better ones. Let's have a look at what I have right now.
If you rummage a bit in the bag, the first thing you find will probably be a big boxes of desire to see every single student succeed. When I say every single, I mean every single: the one with low level of readiness, the one that is bored because he or she already knows the topic, the one that feels anxious, the one with low level of self-esteem, the one that loves being the smartest- every single one. This box teaches that every student has potential, he or she just needs to be guided to make him or her stay curious about learning. It teaches to be friends with mistakes and be able to learn from them. To be honest, these are my favorite boxes.
The other thing you will come across in my bag is a package of teaching techniques. This package took me a lot of time to fill. I have differentiation to foster student-centered learning and student autonomy. There is also a small piece of project-based learning, a result of action research I did with my former students. Next to it is the creation of learning objectives in collaboration with students to instill a sense of ownership over the learning process. A lot of these things were stolen from my colleagues using close collaboration and constant observation of their work. There are other small things in this package; however, it is still not full (I doubt whether it will ever be).
I hate trash in my bag, but it appears there somehow. Challenges with time management and inability to successfully cooperate with parents are still residing at the bottom of the bag. I am sure I will get rid of the them one day, but still graciously accept another portion of trash, since this is the way we learn. We need our weaknesses and we need challenges to learn and become better.
I think we do need our bags to see what we currently have, to reflect and to look ahead. Do you have a bag? Can we have a glimpse of what you have in there?
Equity in education is a matter that has always been widely examined, discussed and debated. One might consider that equity means granting every child a school place; however, there is a way more to this. Equity allows every kid to obtain quality education regardless of student background, his/her skills, parents' wallet thickness or any other factor. This piece of writing discusses equity challenges faced by rural ungraded schools, the issues bothering me for a while.
Ungraded school (UGS) might be defined as a comprehensive school with a low number of learners per class that results in the establishment of joint grades, where students from different grades study in one classroom, and special ways of teaching (Irsaliyev et al., 2015). In Kazakhstan those schools take around 50 % of total number with only around 10 % of students studying there (Irsaliyev et al., 2015). Due to the lack of teaching staff, teachers are forced to teach multiple subjects, with only 82% of them having Higher Education degree (Irsaliyev et al., 2015). To add to the pile, ungraded schools suffer from inadequate infrastructure and devastatingly low ICT support. Therefore, a great majority of students of UGS get lower scores in national and international exams compared to other students (OECD, 2014). For instance, generally UGS students are observed to get 10 points less in unified national testing (UNT) than in urban comprehensive schools (OECD, 2014). Thus, equity is firmly positioned under a great threat, unless certain measures are taken to change the situation.
On the bright side, there are number of innovations related to the system of ungraded schools. The main changes include the establishment of a Republican Centre for the Development of Ungraded schools and Resource centers (OECD, 2014). While the first one deals with teacher development and methodological support, the main aims of the second one incorporate conducting training session and distance learning courses for students. Next, to decrease a number of drop-outs students who live in distant areas are provided with free transportation. Some might consider that something is better than nothing; however, the reforms mentioned above are just a temporary remedy, which do not eliminate the issue itself. For instance, teacher and student trainings do not decrease the number of ungraded schools, or offer substantial support since both are hold several times per academic year. The same is true for free transportation. Therefore, inequity between UGS students and other students remains and to reinforce equity more fundamental changes are necessary.
So, here is the question I am asking you to consider: what actions might be taken to effectively solve equity challenges of ungraded schools?
Irsaliyev, S., Kultumanova, A., Tulekov, E., Kussidenova, G., Iskakov, B., Zabara, L., & Korotkikh, Y. (2015). National report on the state and development of educational system of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Astana: JSC, Informational Analytical Center of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.


Another year. More moments and adventures. More memories and laughter and disappointments. And lessons. So many things learned.
I enjoyed participating last year with Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky, and thought I'd share again this year.
This is by no means a complete list, but it's certainly all over the place. Just like my 2015.
1. There is a very specific method, dare I say art form, to making the perfect custard. I'm not the usual "custard-maker" at the pie shop where I work, but I do have to step in from time to time. There's a lot that can go sideways in the custard cooking process. But thankfully I've learned a lot this year.
2. The little box that plugs into the wall on power supply cords is called a wall wart. Obviously this little nugget of knowledge came from my husband. And thanks to YouTube I also learned how to solder and replace a capacitor in one of those. Haven't put it into practice yet, but it's on my to-do list.
3. How to sew a button on a shirt. My hubby had accumulated shirts with quite a few missing buttons over the years, before we were married. And apparently our dryer likes to eat them. Compliments to YouTube again, because I can now sew buttons like a pro. Our dryer will not defeat me.
4. There are bears in Tennessee. Okay. I realize I probably should have known this. But I was SHOCKED when we saw bears on the side of the road in the Smokey Mountains on our honeymoon. Gatlinburg is only a few hours from where we live! I just didn't realize bears lived so close to us.
5. I can clearly hear the sound of a spoon scraping the bottom of a glass bowl from multiple rooms away. Gregory has a problem with ice cream. My hearing is a match for his late night, early morning and mid-day sneakiness.
6. I actually have the courage to fight against the expectations and traditions and ideas of what other people want, to have the wedding that we wanted. No white dress. No walking down the aisle. No bridal party. No gifts. No crazy planning and decorations. Just potluck-style dinner while we said our vows. Complete with kids everywhere. And it was perfect.
7. There are frequent, unannounced (at least to me) parades when you live down the street from a high school. The cost of this lesson is waking up from a nap to the sounds of a marching band and sirens, followed by the horrifying realization that your car was parked on the street. Why yes, my little red car doubles as a parade obstacle.
8. What exactly aperture, shutter speed, and ISO mean and how they work together to make a good picture. I've always been interested in photography. And my husband is quite knowledgeable in this field and has some pretty awesome equipment. And Greg has been teaching me a lot. I really enjoy it.
9. How to make window screens. I love having the windows open. So Gregory taught me how to make window screens and how to use this fancy little tool. This man constantly amazes me. Boys are annoying. They know how to do everything. "Hmm… I need window screens. Let me just make them." I can't just DO that. Well... I guess, actually now I can. Hmm. Another benefit to marriage.
10. My husband knows how to juggle. I discovered this one a few nights ago. Oh marriage is fun.
11. My husband also is the best Christmas tree limb shaper I've ever witnessed. We had the nicest shaped artificial trees possibly in the whole country, or state, or for sure our town.
12. It's actually pretty easy (and cheap!) to make your own wonton wrappers. After not being able to find some at the grocery store (and I was DESPERATE to have some crab rangoons for Chinese night!) I did a quick internet search and BAM! found a great recipe.
13. There are some friendships that go deeper than any distance or circumstance or issue can tear apart. Some friendships take a lot of time. Some can be pretty low maintenance. Some can feel life-changing the moment you meet them. Some can take a while to take off. And sometimes you get lucky enough to experience friendships that withstand everything. Friends that stay friends regardless. True love.
14. Ice cream is a foundational part of my marriage. We started off with plenty of ice cream at The Old Mill Creamery in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We bought an ice cream maker to make our own shortly after our honeymoon. My husband bought me ice cream for Christmas. Ice cream is great.
15. Grace is truly and completely changing my life. I don't always see it day to day. A lot of days I can be quite hard on myself. Some days my insecurities feel like they are choking the life out of me. But as I sit here looking over my year, I feel different. I feel a new peace and joy. Bad days no longer completely do me in. I feel a faith that has become foundational. Suffering has shaped me. It's hard to describe. But I'm not the same Emily of 2014.
17. I'm an extremely emotional person. As much as I hate to admit it, it's totally true. Small things affect me. I'm insanely sentimental. Little moments can tear me down or build me up. I find beauty and life lessons in the weirdest places. I can be so dramatic. I think deeply. I love fiercely. And it all leaves me feeling completely vulnerable. And I feel crazy most of the time. But I'm also learning it's okay. And the people who love me the most, love this part of who I am more than I could have ever expected.
18. I am a writer. I write on this blog. I write in journals. I type. I write with pens and pencils. I do calligraphy. I make up stories in my head. I tell stories of my life to the people around me. It feels scary to say it, but this year I've learned it's completely true. I am a writer.
It feels hard to find a place to end this list. It's hard to find a place to stop. I feel like I can go on and on. It's fun to look back on the last year. But I guess number 18 is as good a place to end as any.
It's been nice to look back on this year with a lot of silliness and a smidge of seriousness thrown in. It's been a rough day. But it's been nice to write this post. Thanks for reading with me.
What about you? What lessons have you learned?


The major objective of the workshop is generating ideas and learning how to validate idea worthiness and feasibility using structured approach & techniques. The workshop provide an experiential leaning on idea funnel and idea validation process with 15 validation filters to select the best set of ideas.
Participants will get an ideation journal to maintain the learning's of the program for lifelong reference.


How are you navigating the complex global securities litigation landscape? How are you weighing risks and opportunities in each jurisdiction?
In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Morrison V. National Australia Bank that international claims must now be filed in the court system in their country of origin. That decision has significantly complicated the landscape of international claims recovery and will likely increase the number of group actions in jurisdictions that utilize a variety of legal mechanisms other than the traditional class action litigation.
FRT Global Group Litigation is designed to meet the growing demand for research and analysis on non-US settlement recovery opportunities by providing analysis and facilitation of potential recoveries from non-class action settlements for institutional investors.
profit and paid kickbacks to politicians.
Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF).


Taking on NAFEM 2017 - Tri-State Marketing Associates, Inc.
If this is your first time attending The NAFEM Show, it can be a bit overwhelming, but in a good way. You will be in the company of over 500 exhibitors and be able to experience first hand the newest innovations and technology known to the food service industry. Our best advice to taking on NAFEM 2017 is to be prepared!
Download the NAFEM Show app for iPhone or Android. This easy-to-use app provides you with almost all information regarding the show at the tips of your fingers. You can access the floor map, real time activity feed, exhibitor directory, agenda builder and more!
The NAFEM Booth: The NAFEM booth (Booth 1835) offers a lounge area with charging tables and a show floor way finder. NAFEM representatives are on hand to offer assistance. Hours are the same as show hours.
Inspiration Station: New this year to the WHAT'S HOT! WHAT'S COOL!® product gallery is our Inspiration Station – a series of four (4) discussions designed to generate conversation around the latest equipment and supplies trends. The series will be led by Mike Colburn and Mary Esther Treat, founders of product design firm Ideas Well Done.
Friday, Feb. 10: 11 – 11:30 a.m. and 2 – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11: 11 – 11:30 a.m. and 2 – 2:30 p.m.
Research show events beforehand so you are familiar with what is going on and when. These events are great for networking and learning about new products.
Check the weather for the week. This will help you with planning what to pack, as well as what to wear on what day.
Be sure to bring business cards, a notebook and pen. With the amount of people you will meet and information you will take in, it will help you tremendously to write it down for when things settle down.
Remember to introduce yourself to as many people as you can because you never know what business opportunities a connection could open down the road. And have fun! An event this large can be extremely beneficial for both you and your business.


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Lakshmi Narasimha Entertainments (Telugu: లక్ష్మీ నరసింహ ఎంటర్‌టైన్‌మెంట్) is an Indian film production company established by Chakri Chigurupati an Indian film producer. The company is based in Hyderabad.Telugu movies produced by the company Veedu Theda, Swamy Ra Ra, Mosagallaku Mosagadu (2015 film), C/o Surya and Okka Kshanam .

Production company and success
Chakri Chigurupati established Lakshmi Narasimha Entertainments in 2011. The first movie that was made under the banner was Veedu Theda directed by Chinni Krishna. In 2013, they made Swamy Ra Ra under the direction of Sudheer Varma. In 2015, they made Mosagallaku Mosagadu (2015 film) under the direction of Nellore Bose. In 2017 they produced two films C/o Surya under the direction of Suseenthiran and Okka Kshanam under the direction of Vi Anand.

Film Production

References

External links

Indian film studios
Film production companies based in Hyderabad, India
2011 establishments in Andhra Pradesh
Indian companies established in 2011

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Marathon Petroleum Delivers Eight Consecutive Annual Dividend Hikes, 3.8% Dividend Yield (MPC)
By: Ned Piplovic, August 1, 2019
The second-largest petroleum refiner in the United States — the Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) — rewarded its shareholders with consecutive annual dividend hikes for the past eight years and currently offers a 3.8% dividend yield.
Driven by the integration of the recently acquired Andeavor unit into the company's operations and the overall market correction in late 2018, Marathon's share price declined more than 30% over the trailing 12-month period. However, the company maintained a steady annual income payout growth since introducing dividends in 2011. The enhancement of 370% over the past eight years corresponds to an average annual dividend growth rate of 21.4%. The share price pullback and the rising dividend income pushed the Marathon Petroleum Corporation's dividend yield more than 60% above the 2.3% level from just one year earlier.
However, prior to the current pullback, the Marathon Petroleum Corporation advanced its share price at a relatively steady pace for several years. Since initiating dividend distributions in 2011, the share price encountered just one significant correction of more than 40%. After losing close to half its value in 2015, the share price resumed a relatively steep uptrend and nearly tripled before peaking at its all-time high in early October 2018.
Furthermore, the company's current 38% dividend payout ratio is still slightly lower than the company's own 39% five-year ratio average. The payout ratio of 38% indicates that the Marathon Petroleum Corporation currently distributes only a little more than one third of its earnings in its current dividend distributions. With its payout ratio well within the 30% to 50% sustainable range, the company has demonstrated its ability to cover its dividend distributions with ease, at least in the near term. Additionally, the current payout ratio level also indicates that the Marathon Petroleum Corporation should be able to support the continuation of its current streak of consecutive annual dividend hikes.
While the company's dividend income history and future outlook look good, even the current share price pullback might be an advantage for some investors. Whereas long-term shareholders lost nearly one third of their investments over the past year, new investors who are looking for an equity with reliable dividend income payouts and a potential for robust capital gains could discover that the Marathon Petroleum Corporation might fit that profile.
However, as with any investing decision, investors interested in the Marathon Petroleum Corporation stock must perform their own due diligence before taking any action. Investors whose analysis indicates that the Marathon Petroleum Corporation might be a good investment should act before the next ex-dividend date on August 16, 2019. Claiming stock ownership before this ex-dividend date will ensure eligibility for the next round of dividend distributions on the September 10, 2019, pay date.
Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC)
Headquartered in Findlay, Ohio, and incorporated in 2009, the Marathon Petroleum Corporation engages in refining, marketing, retailing and transporting of petroleum products. The company's three business segments — Refining, Midstream and Retail — offer a full spectrum of products and services from crude refining to distribution and the direct sale of its products to final customers. As the largest refiner in the United States, the company's Refining sector operates 16 refineries in 13 U.S. States with a total refining capacity of more than three million barrels per day. This segment refines crude oil into gasoline, distillates, propane, heavy fuel oil and asphalt. As of July 2019, the Marathon Petroleum's Midstream segment primarily includes the operations of MPLX LP and Andeavor Logistics LP — the company's sponsored master limited partnerships. This segment transports, stores, distributes and markets crude oil and refined products through 120 terminals and a network of more than 13,000 miles of various product transportation and distribution pipelines. Additionally, the company's Retail segment sells its product in 43 U.S. states and the District of Columbia through approximately 6,800 Marathon, Arco and Speedway branded retail outlets. The Marathon petroleum Corporation owns and operates more than 57% of these retail locations — 3,900 of them — and independent third-party operators run the remaining locations. The company's Speedway LLC subsidiary owns and operates the nation's second-largest convenience store chain, with nearly 2,800 convenience stores in 21 states.
The company's current $0.53 quarterly payout is 15% higher than the $0.46 dividend distribution from the same period last year. Over the past three years, the quarterly payout amount has advanced nearly 50%. This current $0.46 quarterly distribution is equivalent to a $2.12 annualized payout and a 3.8% forward dividend yield. The current dividend yield is almost 30% higher than the company's own 2.4% average yield over the past five years.
Furthermore, Marathon's current dividend yield is nearly 70% higher than the 2.22% simple average yield of the entire Basic Materials sector. While Marathon's current yield trails the 4.78% yield average of the Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing industry segment, that comparison is slightly misguided. Many of the top-yielding equities in the Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing segment that are driving the average yield higher are trusts and limited partnerships. As such, these equities are designed to funnel earnings to the unitholders and partners. Therefore, due to their specific setup, these equities have naturally higher yields.
However, stripping these equities from the average yield calculation makes the Marathon Petroleum Corporation's current yield as much more competitive. Compared to the 2% adjusted segment average that excludes trusts and limited partnerships, Marathon's current yield is 88% higher. Furthermore. Marathon's current yield is also nearly 12% above the 3.36% adjusted average dividend yield of the segment's only dividend-paying companies.
Despite rising at double-digit percentages, the dividend income was unable to counter the 30%-plus share price decline over the trailing 12 months. However, dividend distributions managed to reduce the total one-year loss to 27%. Longer-term analysis shows stronger results. The five-year total return has been 54%. Finally, the timing of a share price drop in late 2015 and early 2016 resulted in a three-year total return of nearly 58% that outperformed the aggregate total return over the last five years.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you are extremely concerned about your website ranking, Microformats and Microdata should be included in your HTML code to drive more organic traffic. In today's post we have for you an article: How to Use Microformats and Microdata to Get More Traffic.
Microformats and Microdata is one of the newest features in search engine optimization. The key concept behind HTML microformats would be the process of setting up context that can help search engine crawlers. Microformats serve as an immediate solution for referencing through HTML code.
Hence, websites will be identified based on specific relations like interests, job title, address or colleagues. Microformats have a very long history; however, they are less famous amongst SEO professionals.
According to web developers, microformats are much more effective than many other SEO methods. If you are new to microformats and microdata, this article will lend you a hand of help. Here is a brief introduction on how they work.
Microformats are designed with the help of special HTML element classes. Hence, you should build classes that can carry specific values like the job title, address or interest. Microformats tend to follow standard semantic rules. However, the overall structure can become very messy when the number of classes involved increased. That is why you should be very careful when you frame classes for your web content.
How to Use Microformats in WordPress?
You can use microformats to describe everything in your website. Even the smallest and least significant items in your website can be elaborated with the help of microformats. And, the best part in using microformats would be its simple and straight forward nature. All the elements have similar codes that can be appended quite easily.
Just find "post-title" and type "entry-title" beside it like the following image, and its done. Quite easy, Right?! – Same with the others microformats data.
All you have to do, is just surrounding your original data (Title, Author and Dates) with microformats data. Check the following original and microformats data for easy implementation.
The possibilities of using microformats to describe your website are countless, you can describe your URL, products price, telephone number and even the geographical coordinates of the location for your company to generate an awesome rich snippets for your pages in search engines which lead to drive more traffic.
Hint: Here is the main page for microformats to get all information you need.
Microdata makes use of semantic rules like itemtype and itemprop. If required, you can develop your very own microdata styles.
Microdata is used by many search engines themselves! The biggest benefit in using microdata would be it heavy, comprehensive libraries. These libraries are filled with data types that can help you define pages. "Itemprop" in microdata should be used when the elements have related information.
How to Use Microdata in WordPress?
There are several other types of options and items that can support you in customizing the markup as much as possible. For example, microdata has "thumbnailURL" to identify the URL of thumbnails!
Google already developed amazing helper tool that allows you generate the necessary microdata in your site. All you have to do is just choose the type of your content and highlight the most important areas in your page.
How to Validate Microformats and Microdata?
Google Structured Data Testing Tool is the best online tool for checking your markup data, and this is important step after you implement the code to check if everything has been correctly or not.
Both microformats and microdata will help you write structured, semantic code. Nevertheless, you must learn how to use these data formats properly.
Google recommends web developers to use microformats WordPress and microdata. If you are extremely concerned about online ranking, these formats should be included in your HTML code. The rule applies for different types of content. From images to text files to videos, media content should be accompanied by microformats and microdata.
There is a very thin line between these two formats. Many web developers have proposed different strategies on how microformats and microdata should be used. Out of which, microformats are the oldest and one of the most widely used markup format. Luckily, Google has exquisite updates that can recognize both these formats easily.


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Ltd. Edition Color Sukierae Double LP [IRREGULAR]
Please note, this item has incurred jacket damage. Does not affect playback. No returns on damaged items from this stock. ALL SALES FINAL.
Sukierae is the first studio album by Tweedy, Jeff Tweedy's musical collaboration with his 18-year-old son, Spencer Tweedy. Recorded at The Loft in Chicago and released on Jeff's own dBpm Records, Sukierae features 20 new Jeff Tweedy originals. Jeff handles his usual guitars and vocal, as well as playing bass and keyboards while Spencer plays drums. Backing vocals come from Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig (Lucius). Scott McCaughey (R.E.M., The Minus Five, The Baseball Project) lends additional keyboard support. Produced by Jeff Tweedy. Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway. This is a one time double LP pressing on 150 gram virgin vinyl with orange and yellow opaque swirl (actual color may vary from image). Gatefold Cover. Made in the USA. Each vinyl copy includes a custom 20 track CD version of the album.
Side 1: Please Don't Let Me Be So Understood / High As Hello / World Away / Diamond Light Pt. 1 / Wait For Love
Side 2: Low Key / Pigeons / Slow Love / Nobody Dies Anymore / I'll Sing It
Side 3: Flowering / Desert Bell / Summer Noon / Honey Combed / New Moon
Side 4: Down From Above / Where My Love / Fake Fur Coat / Hazel / I'll Never Know


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Rockland declares state of emergency over measles outbreak, bars unvaccinated from public places
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ROCKLAND COUNTY, New York (WABC) -- Rockland County has declared a state of emergency over the ongoing measles outbreak, with Executive Ed Day announcing that non-vaccinated minors are now barred from public places.
Now in effect, anyone who is under 18 years of age and is not vaccinated against the measles is prohibited from public places until the declaration expires in 30 days or until they receive the MMR vaccination.
Officials said law enforcement will not be patrolling the streets or asking for vaccination records, but if someone is found in violation of the declaration, their case will be referred to the district attorney's office.
Parents will also be held accountable for their children if they are found in violation of the state of emergency, and could face fines and possible jail time.
Officials say there are no religious exemptions, and that they have been working with area rabbis who have been encouraging their members to get vaccinated.
According to the emergency declaration, public places are defined as a place where more than 10 persons are intended to congregate for purposes such as civic, governmental, social, or religious functions, or for recreation or shopping, or for food or drink consumption, or awaiting transportation, or for daycare or educational purposes, or for medical treatment.
A place of public assembly shall also include public transportation vehicles, including but not limited to, publicly or privately owned buses or trains, but does not include taxi or livery vehicles.
There are currently 156 confirmed reported cases of measles in the county, according to health officials.
"As this outbreak has continued, our inspectors have begun to meet resistance from those they are trying to protect," Day said. "They have been hung up on or told not to call again. They've been told, 'We're not discussing this, do not come back' when visiting the homes of infected individuals as part of their investigations. This type of response is unacceptable and irresponsible. It endangers the health and well-being of others and displays a shocking lack of responsibility and concern for others in our community."
Day said the intention of the state of emergency isn't to arrest people, but to educate the community and gain compliance.
"This is an opportunity for everyone in their community to do the right thing," Day said. "We must do everything in our power to end this outbreak and protect the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and for the children too young to be vaccinated."
Day said he recognizes there are religious holidays coming up soon, but if people immediately comply with the state of emergency and vaccinate their children now, they will still be able to enjoy Easter and Passover with their friends and family.
"We want people to be able to celebrate," he said. "We don't want to see a repeat of how this outbreak started when we saw people gathered together and then fall ill last fall. We want everyone to enjoy their friends and families, something quite difficult with the specter of measles hanging over their heads."
Some community leaders are urging vaccination and say resistance is not about religion, but a lack of education. They applaud the state's efforts thus far, but many have real fears about this latest step.
"Describe a B misdemeanor and someone can get arrested, that just sounds very scary to me," community activist Rivkie Feiner said.
Others worried normal people would be demonized.
"I'm very concerned about how people will be viewed and what will happen when people go to the mall and try to go to the Target or wherever they want to go shopping or be out," said Gary Setzer, of the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County.
Meanwhile, other leaders say the problem is the numbers.
"This community has a boatload of children," said Yossi Gestetner, of the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council. "To give you context, Manhattan, less than 9 percent of the population is under the age of 10. New Square, the Hasidic village, 40 percent."
The Rockland County Department of Health held a free MMR vaccination clinic Wednesday afternoon. Free MMR vaccines are available by calling:
--The Rockland County Department of Health at 845-364-2497 or 845-364-2520 to schedule an appointment to get a free MMR vaccine at the Pomona health complex.
--The Rockland County Department of Health Spring Valley Family Planning Clinic is also providing MMR vaccines, by appointment to Family Planning patients. Family Planning Clinic patients can call 845-364-2531 to schedule an appointment.
In addition, MMR vaccines are available at local health care providers or by calling a local federally qualified health center.
"We must not allow this outbreak to continue indefinitely," Day said. "We will not sit idly by while children in our community are at risk. This is a public health crisis, and it is time to sound the alarm, to ensure that everyone takes proper action to protect themselves and their neighbors; for the health and safety of all of us in Rockland."
High-risk groups include pregnant women, children under 6 months of age, the immunocompromised or immunosuppressed, those who have not been vaccinated against the measles, and those who were born before 1957 and are immunosuppressed
RELATED: What to know about measles symptoms, vaccine and treatment
Health officials say the best way to help protect yourself and the community is to remain up-to-date with measles vaccinations, and that high community vaccination rates help protect people who cannot get vaccinated because they are too young or have specific health conditions.
"We continue to encourage everyone to be up-to-date with the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine to help protect them in case of any future exposure to measles in Rockland," Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said. "Measles is highly contagious, so anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of getting the disease, and they may spread measles to people who cannot get vaccinated because they are too young or have specific health conditions."
The New York State Department of Health released the following statement:
"From the onset of this outbreak, the State Department of Health has implemented a number of preventive measures to limit the further spread of measles. Together with the Rockland County Department of Health, we launched a successful school exclusion initiative for unvaccinated students in the outbreak area and, in partnership with the County and local healthcare providers, administered nearly 17,000 MMR vaccinations across the county - more than four times the number given over the same time frame in each of the last two years.
We are reviewing the county's emergency order and are continuing to work with all community stakeholders to end this outbreak once and for all."
RELATED: Rockland County Department of Health measles outbreak Information
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Drunk med student groped two colleagues
A heavy-drinking medical student accused of sexually assaulting two female colleagues, telling one of them she was a "good girl" while she was falling asleep, can complete his internship.
The 26-year-old man, who cannot be named, entered one of the women's dorm rooms while they were completing a rotation in regional Victoria in May 2019.
He allegedly climbed into bed with the woman, who was falling asleep, and placed his hand inside her pants, groped her bottom, rubbed her breasts and kissed her neck.
The 26-year-old said "I'm so sorry" and "you are a good girl" before he left the room, according to documents published by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal this week.
Another student saw him "crouching" outside the woman's room. But no charges were laid as the woman told police she did not want to proceed with her complaint.
The man was accused of sexually assaulting another woman, with whom he shared an apartment near the overseas hospital they were studying at in June 2019.
He climbed into her bed and groped her breasts before getting out and lying on the floor next to her.
Both women suffered significant emotional impact.
The man later told authorities he had drunk excessively on both occasions.
He had no memory of touching the first woman and he was "shocked, appalled and devastated" to learn of her allegations, according to court documents.
But he did not contest her claims and admitted assaulting the second woman.
He also claimed he drank excessively in response to university and work-related stress but since the allegations had sought professional help to combat his drinking.
VCAT Senior Member John Billings, Member Patricia Molloy and Member Laurie Warfe this week imposed conditions on his medical registration.
He must be supervised in a non-clinical role that does not require patient contact.
They said he poses a public safety risk to colleagues and vulnerable female patients. But this risk had to be managed with "as little damage" to his vocation as possible.
"Suspension of (the man's) registration would seriously interfere with his medical career, especially at his early stage where he needs to complete his internship," Mr Billings, Dr Molloy and Dr Warfe said.
The man has more than 20 weeks of his internship program to complete, which involves two more rotations.
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Regimental designation as worn by The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. This title was on the official listing of June 1943. End of 1943 saw this being changed to a diced flash (see related products below). Please be aware that official orders would always decree that old stocks should be used first, so any of the titles already held would still be issued until used up.


Spring is coming, and so is Scout Night with the Eau Claire Express! Come watch the game and fireworks, then camp out on the outfield. See the flyer below for ticket options and join us for a great evening.
The Eau Claire Express are happy to work alongside the Boy Scouts of America Chippewa Valley Council to help raise funds for their organization. Express tickets sold to this game using promo code: boyscouts19 will see their proceeds directly donated to the organization.
Tickets for the game can be purchased online at EAUCLAIREEXPRESS.com using Promo Code: boyscouts19 or by using the order form below. Completed forms can be returned to the Eau Claire Express or to the Boy Scouts of America.


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With it's beautiful leafy surroundings, many fans of BBC One's hit show The Repair Shop want to know where the series is filmed in the UK.
The Repair Shop is one of the country's favourite shows at the moment and it's no surprise really, as The Repair Shop presenters and experts create innovative restoration projects on priceless family gems every time the show airs. It's a winner among restoration fans, those who just love a good story with a happy ending and fans of the show's sister series, The Bidding Room, which follows auction experts from valuation to selling.
So whether you want to visit The Repair Shop yourself out of filming time or appear on the series as a participant, this is what you need to know about The Repair Shop's stunning location.
Where is The Repair Shop filmed?
The Repair Shop is filmed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton, Chichester. Most of the repairs and filming takes place at this West Sussex location but for particular projects, cast and crew do move to the nearby smithery and wagon shed occasionally.
The Weald and Downland Living Museum describes itself as a "hidden gem in the South East, quintessentially British in a picture perfect setting.
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"We are a museum for those who want to see, touch and even smell what life was really like for people living in years gone by. Whether you are 5 or 95 there is something for everyone!"
So as well as being a filming location for The Repair Shop, it's a functioning museum in its own right as well.
Can you visit The Repair Shop?
Yes, you can visit The Repair Shop! Well, you can visit the place where The Repair Shop is filmed.
Unfortunately, the show closes the museum's Court Barn for filming and when filming is in progress, the set is not open for visitors to explore.
The Weald and Downland Living Museum is open from 10.30am to 6pm during the British Summer Time and 10.30 to 4pm at other points in the year.
Jay Blades presents the show alongside experts like Suzie Fletcher, Credit: BBC.
There is a cost for entrance which comes to £15.50 for adults (concessions available) or £27.50 or £42 for a family ticket, depending on how many adults are present. Children under 4 years old go free and any child over four years old as well as students can enter the museum for £7.50.
This means that if you want to visit The Repair Shop for antiques restoration projects, you'll need to apply to go on the show.
How to appear on The Repair Shop
It's very easy to appear on The Repair Shop, simply apply through the BBC's Take Part website.
The only condition is that you must be 18-years old or over to enter.
The show is particularly keen to hear from communities who have "objects of historical or social interest" they'd like help with, along with people looking for the experts to restore their their family heirlooms and similar pieces on the show.
And don't worry, hopeful viewers out there will be pleased to know that if your piece is chosen for the show then you won't have to pay for any of the repairs. As the head of factual entertainment at the show's production company, Ricochet, Rob Butterfield said, "We don't charge for repairs. If people wish to make a donation to charity, we're very happy with that but it's by no means necessary."
Looking for more exciting shows with stunning filming locations on the BBC? Take a look at Vigil, filmed in Scotland, for a drama series with enough twists and turns to keep you in your seat for all six episodes.
Starring Line of Duty actor Martin Compston alongside Doctor Foster's Suranne Jones, it's the latest must-watch show to hit our screens this year.
The post Where is The Repair Shop filmed? appeared first on GoodtoKnow.
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