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Friday, 31 July 2009

Knowing excellence

Really knowing what excellence means for your project is the first law of performance management. Everything else builds on understanding what excellence means.

The clearer, more basic, and more direct you can make your understanding, the better. Getting to excellent can then be a purposeful journey, with a clear view ahead.

Everyone has different ambitions – whether you are an individual or an organisation. It might be to write a book, reach a particular goal or grow a product line. It might be to develop a well-used and useful software system or reduce your carbon footprint by a certain amount.

Excellence can always be defined. It’s not always easy – invariably it’s difficult – but it can be done.

Carl von Clausewitz, author of the 1830 classic text On War, starts by asking the simplest of questions: “What is War?” He provides a pivotal definition:

“an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfil our will.”
By defining war at its fundamental level, he expands our understanding and tolerates no weakening of war’s purpose.

It is instructive that a military man starts his discourse by considering such a basic question.

I wonder how many advertising men consider the essential nature of advertising before designing an advertising campaign. Or garage mechanics consider the basic design of the internal combustion engine before carrying out a service. If they did, would more advertising campaigns might properly communicate with their intended audiences, and fewer cars might be returned to the garage after a service?

War is an act of violence; advertising’s purpose is to sell, and car servicing should make cars run better.

Whilst von Clausewitz in no way implied that diplomacy shouldn’t be used in resolving conflict, he defines war as a violent act that forces rather than persuades the enemy. By this definition he presses the case of diplomacy.

If you have a project that has stalled or isn't progressing as you would like, back up a little and check how you have defined your excellent end-point.

Thursday, 30 July 2009

The Bentley Garage

My drive to work each morning takes me past a Bentley Garage. It is a thing of wonder: calm, polished and full of beautiful cars. Really beautiful cars.

As I queue with the rest of the traffic to get past the roundabout I watch their morning routine – the cars are slowly driven out onto the forecourt and lined up. Quietly, unhurried but in perfect alignment: simple and stylish.

When I drive past I always subconsciously think “ah – how the rich live…” but more recently I have been wondering who would actually buy a Bentley these days. They are lovely, but they do about 12mpg and chuck out over 3 times the emissions of my little car. Admittedly they get well over 3 times the admiring glances, but I wonder if that is likely to change.

I’ve heard that the waiting lists for the Toyota Prius is getting so long they will be delivering into next year. It has been massively popular in Japan, far exceeding Toyota’s expectations. I hope this is the way of the future – a leaner, 72 mpg car that cares for the environment, not just its sleek lines.

Am I passing a garage full of white elephants? Or will it take a great deal more to convince the wealthy to kick their oil-hungry habits?

Wednesday, 29 July 2009

Let's talk about Measurement

There is no other subject I have found to be as quick at generating comments as measurement.

Only yesterday I was discussing the 100-day habit idea when the conversation veered towards the complexity of the reasons for wanting to, for example, give up caffeine. The reasons why are, after all, so much more complex and interesting. Yes, I argued, but they obfuscate – one cannot see whether or not the habit is being formed without measuring the number of days one has abstained.

The measurement idea is simple, and reveals nothing or little of the complexity. But it is a highly effective way of defining success or failure. It seems, though, it is also disturbing. I don’t think people like bald measures that hold no insights into the why’s and wherefore’s.

Another example is Toastmasters – the club I attend to practice public speaking.

One of the first Toastmaster goals is to complete the first manual of 10 speeches. The quality of speeches that people give varies enormously – from the well prepared to the barely prepared, the intelligent to the flippant, the funny to the downright embarrassing. Yet despite all of this, there are very few people who are not better public speakers once they have finished those 10 speeches. As someone once wryly pointed out - he had never known anyone get worse.

So despite the differing quality and styles, the number of speeches gives an indication of competence. It is only an indication, of course, even if I did 100 speeches I don’t think I would ever get up to Obama’s standards, although it might be an interesting test.

I consider measurement to be one of the fundamentals in increasing performance. It’s not the only one, but it is a cornerstone.

As Lord Kelvin so succinctly pointed out - if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

Tuesday, 28 July 2009

100 days to form a habit

Habits are oh-so-useful things. Because they get done automatically, they don’t get missed. So when you make something a habit, you are close to guaranteeing it gets done. Because they don’t require brain-power they are also highly time efficient - you just do them, instead of agonising and wasting time.

Brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, reaching for your first cup of coffee – all get done on auto-pilot whether or not you have added them to your To Do List.

Aristotle said: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
There are many things that we would like to make a habit – eating less, exercising more, doing a task every day. All things that if we only had the discipline to do, we know we would be more effective.

So – if habits can be such useful things – how do create good habits?

To form a new habit you have to ingrain it into your routine. You must do it every day, without missing a day, until the habit has been formed. There are various estimates as to how long it takes to form a habit – ranging from 21 days, 30 days to 66 days. Researchers at University College London have been studying habits as part of their research into weight loss. They suggest that it takes 66 days for a new habit to become ingrained, perhaps longer if the habit is complex. Interestingly, exercise took longer to make a habit than did a healthy eating habit.

I was interested to note that I could give up wine for 48 days over Lent but had no problem reinstating a glass of wine with dinner as soon as Easter came. I had thought I would have difficulty readjusting, but it was frighteningly easy to get back to old ways. So for me, at least, 48 days wasn’t long enough for the teetotal habit to form.

If the new habit is worthwhile, it would seem that overkill is required to try to establish it. In the spirit of The Power of Round Numbers, I am going to try 100 days to ingrain the habit of not drinking caffeine.

I’m hoping that living a caffeine-free life will mean that I sleep better, have fewer headaches and enjoy a more even temperament. My alcohol-free living didn’t produce the performance-enhancing benefits I’d hoped for, and so far cutting out caffeine has done little but given me a headache. But I’m difficult to dissuade once an idea has lodged itself, so this is day 5 and counting ….

Monday, 27 July 2009

10 Good Ways to Get Things Done

Everyone has their own techniques to get things done - and this is mine. A way to get done what needs to be done efficiently, and well. And then have time to Smell The Roses, which is a Good Thing to do at this time of year.

  1. Do Important things first. Consider the most important thing that was left undone from yesterday.

  2. Do difficult things first. This is a cornerstone in our work in software development, but also helps with other work. Getting difficult things completed stabilises a project.

  3. Do big things first. If you don’t have anything important or difficult (lucky you), do bigger things first. Smaller things are easier to fit around bigger things. (These first three point also work like Russian dolls, ie for any given task you can prioritise what needs to be done by Importance, Difficulty, Size.)

  4. Focus 100% on the task in hand. Although this has the biggest impact on productivity, it’s only possible when are convinced that whatever you are working on deserves your full attention. Turn off all distractions like e-mail, Twitter, MSN, etc. to help focus.

  5. Work for longer on the task that you think you need to. In other words – really finish it. Finish everything about it. Think about what you have done and whether it’s good enough/finished enough/needs input from anyone else. Finish the admin associated with it. Put things away neatly afterwards. Then it doesn’t reappear on your To DO list in a different guise.

  6. Plan before you do it – ideally at least a day before. This enables your mind to work on the problem/task beforehand so you are more productive while you are doing it.

  7. Work undisturbed in pre-determined blocks of time. The Pomodoro technique suggests 25 minutes. I like half days. This brings all the advantages of 5, plus it ensures you plan your time properly to get the thing finished before you have to stop.

  8. Make things a habit. For tasks that crop up regularly it is worth putting the extra effort in to engrain them into your psyche. You don’t have to think about habits, you just do them, so habits always get done.

  9. Plan your day. Spend time at the beginning of the day planning what needs to be done. Spend longer on this than you feel is necessary and really work through as much detail as possible. 30 minutes seems like a long time when working at the day level, but it pays off handsomely.

  10. Review your day. Identify what needs to be done tomorrow, what you could have done more efficiently, what could/should be made a habit. What can you do better tomorrow?

Then go smell those roses ….

Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Work the problem

Anyone who has not been in a coma this last week will know it is the 40th Anniversary of Armstrong and Aldrin landing on the moon. Whatever your views on the space programme it is hard not to be impressed by the scientific and engineering achievements this milestone represented.

As footage of the space missions is played over and over again (at least in my house) one phrase is heard repeatedly:

“Work the problem, guys.” “Work the problem.”
I can find no evidence that the words “work the problem” were uttered with the regularity that the film footage suggests, but I can imagine something similar might have been said.

As tempers and personalities flare and flash it is tempting to get defocused with who did what and why, instead of what needs to be done. NASA couldn’t afford to defocus; this was a critical time for them. They knew the eyes of the world were upon them, and that they were working with difficult and untried technology. They also knew that mistakes could mean the loss of life of their colleagues. I can’t imagine anything with more pressure.

So those 3 simple words encapsulate quite a lot:
  • Stay focused on the issue
  • Don’t let irrelevant details take attention away from what needs to be done
  • Keep focused until the problem is solved
Having a process to solve problems can save time and tantrums, and improve the final outcome:
  • Identify and define the problem
  • Determine possible causes
  • Agree the cause of the problem
  • Evaluate possible solutions and select one
  • Implement the solution
  • Check that the problem has been solved

Not all our problems are rocket science, but that doesn’t make them any less important in achieving our goals.

Tuesday, 21 July 2009

The benefits of not working at weekends

Someone posed a question on Twitter last week – should we work at weekends? I’m guessing the question was directed to people like me who have a computer based job with enough freedom to decide when, where and how work gets done. Not those who work set hours determined by someone else.

I have become quite a fan of Twitter. It has taken a little time for me to get used to it: at first I thought it was just silly. But little by little I have grown to find it quite useful.

So – what an interesting question – should we work at weekends? He followed up by saying it was very tempting - which indeed it is.

Going back a few years I always worked at weekends, and certainly during the time I did my MBA I had no choice – weekends were quiet time to get essays written and books read.

These days I find it difficult to switch off completely on Saturday and Sunday (although I do get the hang of it more by Sunday). My mind is still buzzing with ideas and thoughts on whatever project I am working on. The big difference, however, is that I don’t have to get to my desk by a set time, and I don’t feel compelled to start doing things. I can just let my mind turn the thoughts over and play with ideas. I often write them down in my notebook to come back to later. Not really work, but a change of pace and style. It’s often a time when I re-evaluate the direction I’m going with something, or question whether my approach is right.

It’s pretty similar to the phenomenon that most of us are familiar with – having an idea in the bath or while we are driving or going for a walk. The brain is still working away long after we think we have moved onto something else. That’s why the advice to sleep on a problem is normally wise counsel. A bit of time and space, and a chance for the cogs to turn slowly on an issue mostly produce a better answer than trying to solve it there and then.

So with the exception of the urgent report, or necessary emails from the week before, I come down on the side of not working at weekends. Letting the mind have a chance to rearrange and reorder seems like useful enough work for the two days sandwiched between frenetic weekday activity.

Monday, 20 July 2009

6 tips for meeting deadlines

Deadlines focus the mind.

Going on holiday, sitting an exam, or a key client meeting are all examples immovable deadlines that result in higher than normal performance. By the time I’ve finished getting ready for a holiday, I absolutely need one, and strangely enough I’ve never missed a flight. Amazingly teams work to get everything together for an important meeting that somehow wouldn’t happen in the normal course of events.

So deadlines are an important aspect of performance management. But how do we make them work in our favour? Going on holiday, sitting exams and crucial client meetings are all deadlines that work wonders without too much additional management effort. They are external, often imposed on us (apart from the holiday!) and everyone understands their importance. Yes, one has to be organised, yes, one has to plan ahead, and yes, knowing exactly what needs to be done are all important. But the bigger the deadline, the more focused the mind.

What about the internal project planning deadlines? What about those deadlines that would massively improve our overall performance if we could raise performance to the same level as the pre-exam focus level? Here are 6 ways to ensure interim targets and deadlines are always met:
  1. Meet smaller deadlines. Be on time for meetings. Get weekly reports in on time. When the smaller deadlines slip it sends out a clear message that deadlines are unimportant. The army stresses the importance of being punctual, because lives can be lost when people are not. Not all civilians have that discipline, even though projects are often lost through missed deadlines. Practice meeting all deadlines, no matter how small.
  2. Communicate the importance. If no one thinks the deadline important, then no one will bother to meet it. It is, after all, hard work to meet deadlines and extra hours are often involved. The importance of a milestone needs to be communicated so everyone understands what the impact will be if it slips.
  3. Don’t set trivial deadlines. The opposite of ensuring a deadline is communicated, is not crying wolf when deadlines are not important. Save your thunder for the key things that do really matter, and ensure those deadlines are met. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Have fewer, but more important deadlines.
  4. Follow up. Follow up whether a deadline has been missed or met. Praise for a job well done and investigation when milestones are missed. Just never let a deadline pass with no acknowledgement of it.
  5. Work together to solve problems. Any deadline of any importance will likely have difficulties. So get together with other team members, or another colleague, to talk through the difficult stuff and find new answers. Sometimes just articulating where you are stuck can free things up.
  6. Communicate the vision. There are no magic answers to making things happen. Deadlines are a key tool in performance management but they need everyone to believe in what is being aimed for. Communicate the big picture and get everyone committed to the vision.

Thursday, 16 July 2009

The Pomodoro Technique

Regular readers will know I have one bit of kit on my desk that saves the day when my personal performance takes a nose-dive.

It’s my trusty red stopwatch.

It’s water resistant, and can do lots of clever things that I have never bothered to learn. I only use the start and stop function on it. But as far as personal performance is concerned it is the best thing I have ever bought. And it probably cost less than a fiver – I can’t really remember, it was so long ago.

It’s simple, not unique, and goes like this:
  1. I decide on The Single Most Important Thing that I should be working on.

  2. If it’s a small-ish task, figure out what completion means. If it’s a larger task, decide how long to spend working on it.

  3. Start the stopwatch and stop it each time I stop working on my identified task. I stop if for any kind of break or interruption, noting down start and stop times. The stopwatch forces me to focus on the task in hand.

  4. I can then either see how long its taken me to complete the task, or ensure I have spent the allotted time on the task. I can also see how much time went on other things. Some of those other things will be unavoidable and actually productive, but some will be time-wasting activities. Sometimes short breaks turn into long breaks, or other less than useful stuff creeps in.
My stopwatch makes me really aware of how I’m working.

I’ve used the technique for years. When I feel I’m not focusing I bring out the stopwatch and get my productivity soaring. I’ve written about it before in
Boosting Personal Productivity – A Quick Tip

It turns out that great minds (or undisciplined minds) think alike. A wonderful chap called Francesco Cirillo has written about his version at some length. He recommends working in 25 minute chunks on a planned task. He also recommends analysing the time spent on specific tasks. There is a wonderful paper to download which is very helpful and I recommend you take a look:

What is most wonderful is his timer: instead of my boring old stopwatch he has a bright red tomato timer that ticks away and encourages you on with your work. I would be shot if I tried that here – software development likes a quiet workplace – but in noisier offices or at home it would work a treat.

If anyone knows where to buy these beautiful Pomodoro timers – let me know. So red, so tomato shaped, and so much yummier than my stopwatch …

Wednesday, 15 July 2009

From Material Girl to Eco Warrior

I am a child of the ‘60’s who still looks back on the ‘80’s as her glory days. I worked in London and for the advertising agency that worked on the BMW account (amongst other things). I used to joke, although it doesn’t sound so funny now, that I changed my car when it needed washing. We got a new one every six months. It seems impossible now, when I happily drive a car for 10 years, but back then it was part of a heady lifestyle that I took to like a duck to sparkling water.

I guess I’m a pretty unlikely eco-warrior.

But I have to admit I have become increasingly focused on environmental issues. To some degree it’s inescapable: the newspapers are full of it. Yet to many it’s still “someone else’s problem”. And perhaps to me too, after all it’s a big shift in thinking – moving away from the “I-can-use-up-and-wear-out-what-I-like-so-long-as-I-can-just-about-afford-it” mentality.

To be honest, my thinking is changing kind of slowly. My car is still too useful not to drive whenever I want. I am more aware of the price of petrol, and how many miles I can drive on a tankful, but as long as I can afford the petrol it is still pretty much an academic exercise. It’s only when I stop making semi-necessary journeys that I can really say that I am on the first rung of being a trainee eco-warrior.

I’m also slowly becoming more aware of the real cost of the stuff I buy. Changing my thinking away from just its price tag, to considering the raw materials that go into it, producing the thing, me using it and then disposing of it. Cars, computers, even my beloved books, all have energy costs to them that I wasn’t really aware of before.

The government publishes their strategy for moving us towards a low carbon economy today. Their introductory paragraph is heartening – they suggest that low carbon living might actually create a better kind of society, and a stronger, more sustainable economy. When compared to the throw-away lifestyles we have become used to, that has to make sense.

So Material Girl turns Eco Warrior ….

Tuesday, 14 July 2009

The Power of Round Numbers

What is it about the big ‘0’ that has such a hold over us? Round numbers have a magic that a ‘7’ can only envy. Anniversaries, birthdays, turnover, profit, runs, wickets (I think, I don’t play cricket) and speeches all have an allure in their round-numbers that we don’t quite understand.

Setting targets, meeting targets, or just living all has extra significance in round numbers.

In fairness, there are other numbers that also have a magic to them: 25, for example, and perhaps 7.

All of which is a roundabout and performance management way of saying I passed a milestone last night. I delivered my 10th Toastmasters' speech and completed my Competent Leader manual.

I don’t feel any more competent than I did yesterday, but that’s missing the point. Although I wasn’t 100% happy with my speech, I am certainly a better speaker today than I was before I delivered my first speech. Which is the whole point – pushing me to deliver 10 speeches gave me the practice and exposure I needed to improve my skills. And 10 is a nice round number to aim for. It is arguable whether doing 12 speeches might not have made me an even more Competent Leader, but the Power of Round Numbers won out and 10 speeches are in the manual.

What hit me this morning as I was still going over all the things I could have done better, was that hitting that milestone was important. Not important because it has finished something, but important because it allows me to step back and evaluate my progress. So often that’s what targets are all about. Phases of a project, or interim steps to a larger goal are designed to allow a pause for evaluation of what’s going right and what’s going wrong.

So whilst I expected to impress myself and everyone else with how I put Barack Obama’s speaking skills to shame, what I found was a milestone that forced me to look at where I thought I would be, and where I actually am. And then figure out what I’m going to do about it. Barack Obama isn’t safe yet, but it may take a few more than 10 speeches to reach his standard.

Round numbers have an undeniable power that is worth being aware of. Setting targets or performance management and measurement can all make use of the added magic they bring. It goes without saying that any number, round or otherwise, forces you to quantify your target. Quantifying targets is an absolute basic in improving performance; not always easy, but always effective.

So one target met, and the next one to aim for. Isn’t it always the way?

And a big thank you to everyone who voted that ribbon my way last night.

Thursday, 9 July 2009

Floods and power cuts – just another day on the London Underground

I have been in London twice this week and I have been delayed on the underground twice. First it was flooding that closed a bunch of stations (including one I needed to use), and today it was power cuts that closed the Circle line for I don’t know how long. Readers outside the UK won’t recognise the details, but will certainly recognise the frustration this adds to the already arduous task of moving around a capital city.

Thankfully, in the London of 2009, this is a relatively rare occurrence. However, London of 2019 or 2059 might tell a different story. Scientists tell us that we need to prepare for climate change and that climate change is going to mean more extreme weather conditions occurring more frequently. Temperatures will get uncomfortably hot more often - perhaps 70 days in the year instead of the handful we experience at the moment. We will have less rainfall in the summer, and more in the winter.

This is the pioneering work being presented by UKCIP, leading the world in trying to predict what the effect of pumping CO2 into the atmosphere will have on our climate. UK Climate Projections 2009 is a brand, spanking new report that uses the best scientific and statistical techniques available to predict what the UK climate will feel like in 10, 20 or 100 years’ time. What I find particularly impressive, however, is that all of the data is being made available, including the assumptions of, for example, how much CO2 we continue to pump skywards.

They have included, for the first time, the full range of confidence levels that can be extracted from the data. This is good news for all those journalists who write for The Sun – plenty of headline grabbing scare mongering to be had for those who go in for such things. But also a wealth of valuable data for professionals who want to make the best of available data to look 50 – 100 years into the future. Which is, coincidentally the life of a building or a railway track for example.

Unless our tube and railway infrastructures are upgraded The Sun’s headline writers will have had it about right – we will be in for summers of misery and winters of cancelled train services.

All this was hosted at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers – perhaps the very people we should be blaming for getting us into this CO2 pickle in the first place. It was engineers who taught us how to use carbon-based fuels with such efficiency. But let’s not quibble – they are making up for it now with some intelligent and thought provoking debates about how to move forward. And we have to face facts – there are not too many of us prepared to give up our washing machines or cars for the sake of the planet.

With a bit of luck, however, and some critical analysis of the data, policy makers will have a better view of what’s in store going forward. Which means I will be much less forgiving when they close underground stations for either “unexpected” floods or power cuts due to a certain type of leaf on the line.

In the meantime I’m resting my tired feet after having trekked half way across London to get home. All that, and it was a hotter day than the weather forecasters had predicted. Ironic, non?

UKCP09 is published by UKCIP and is available to download from

Wednesday, 8 July 2009

Use Your Talents

I wrote yesterday about the genius next door: someone you know socially but have no idea about the contribution they have made to their field. It was inspired by a lovely comment from a reader who pointed out that geniuses have to live next door to someone, and sometimes we need to look up and see who is around us.

The unknown genius next door is one thing, but what if you get introduced to an acknowledged major talent? The word genius is perhaps a bit strong as we tend to think of geniuses such as Leonardo da Vinci or Einstein, and so no on else measures up. But there are many more who have been blessed with a talent and have diligently used it to make a real contribution in their work and to humanity.

The other evening I found myself sitting opposite such an individual. Well practiced in the art of small talk I invited him to tell me about his work – expecting a short explanation of his field. Not normally a high-risk question - except if you are sitting opposite a theoretical mathematician. Obviously.

I was introduced to the complexities of ring theory and matrices, although the explanation was dumbed down for my benefit. As the explanation progressed (at reasonable speed) he occasionally looked up and asked “do you recognise this equation?” or “you have heard of this?” or some other such question. As I failed to live up to the most basic expectation comments such as “I’m surprised you’ve not seen this before” were thrown in. If this is making it sound like a maths lesson, I’m doing him a grave injustice. It was a fascinating and friendly insight into a different world, a rarefied place where those who make genuine breakthroughs in algebra live.

He has a mathematical matrix named after him. Awesome.

On the way home I thought about Radio 4’s “Thought for the Day” when The Rev. Rosemary Lain-Priestley spoke of the Parable of Talents. Use Your Talents wisely, Jesus preached. Those who do not were judged harshly by Jesus, but those who do use their talents to generate wealth were praised. It was a fitting thought for the drive in to work.

It seems to me that we are all blessed with talents, but not everyone uses them wisely. I know I go about my day without a thought of any talents I might have, or how they manifest themselves in my work.

As individuals, managers and parents, however, we need to be aware of our own, and others’ talents. We need to encourage the best out of ourselves and those around us. Most of us won’t have some major breakthrough carrying our name, but that doesn’t matter. What the Parable of the Talents teaches is that we should not squander the talents we have. All contributions matter.

I now have a napkin covered in algebra. I’m hoping its similarities with the napkin Picasso signed are recognised. In the meantime, though, I will be using my talents just in case theoretical mathematics never gets to hang in The Tate.

Tuesday, 7 July 2009

The clattering chasses

I don’t go to parties often; I guess it’s a function of my age. I used to, when I was young, free and single. Now I’m not, parties happen without me.

Last Saturday, however, I was invited to one, and had a great time. Not in the way I did when I was young, but still in a beautiful-July-evening-in-the-garden sort of way. There were lots of interesting people, a beautiful garden and conversation that flowed freely.

As the wine flowed, so did my outgoing nature and I found myself bending the ear of one of the geniuses next door. I don’t know that he was a genius, he had had some success in Making Things Happen, and had been recognised for it. We were talking energy policy (a bit of a difference to younger day parties!) and decided that there was a swell of public opinion that cared about how we would be leaving this planet once we have burnt all the fossil fuels we can lay our hands on.

The clattering chasses are not being given fair information about where we are heading with our energy policy. In our happy July evening way chattering classes was far too dull a description for those who discuss such things. I fully realise how this gives away my idea of a good time, but somewhere along the way things changed. I became one the clattering chasses – sorry chattering classes – and started to care about such mundane things.

I don’t believe we do understand what the target is with energy and reducing carbon emissions. Not everyone agrees that the Waitrose brigade are ready to discuss energy policy at their dinner parties (it will take a lot to displace the state of pension schemes) but there is definitely a change from a few years ago.

Performance management understands the importance of making targets clear and understandable, as does project management and many other disciplines. If you don’t know where you are going, you have little chance of getting there on time.

It is the same with whatever we are trying to do. If we don’t understand what the target is, we cannot understand how our actions contribute, positively or negatively, towards it.

Having clear targets will enable you to achieve whatever is important to you. Ensuring everyone understands the target, and can see visible progress, will improve performance. It's worth considering what’s important to you right now, and how clear and communicated your targets are.

I know I should give it a rest whilst partying, but I also probably should have had one less glass of wine. Perhaps the two are linked? Can’t wait until I get invited to a party with Ed Milliband …

Saturday, 4 July 2009

Nuclear Fusion's promise

I am one of those illogical people who is amazed when something of world importance happens to be on my doorstep. I mean – it has to be on someone’s doorstep, doesn’t it?

Culham is home to UKAEA’s research facility into Nuclear Fusion and is the world’s most advanced magnetic confinement research programme anywhere in the world. It is home to MAST (the UK’s fusion machine) and JET (the EU’s Joint European Torus). Nuclear Fusion is probably the most difficult thing that mankind has ever attempted, so the work they are doing on my doorstep is right up there on world-scale impressive things. I visited Culham last week and was shown around their impressive facilities. It is fascinating stuff and provides more than a little food for thought.

Let’s start with Nuclear Fusion. It has been described by a certain dishy physicist as mankind’s “Get Out of Gaol Free Card”. We don’t appear to have too many other answers about how we are going to supply an ever-increasingly energy hungry world with electricity that doesn’t rely on fossil fuels. Renewables such as wind, tidal, hydro and solar will play their part but there is no realistic likelihood that they will be able to replace the amounts of electricity that we are generating using coal, oil and gas – we simply couldn’t install enough of them. Nuclear Fission (traditional nuclear power stations) is a likely stop-gap but has significant problems, not least of which is managing waste which is radioactive for thousands of years. So Nuclear Fusion carries heavy expectation on its shoulders – it promises big advantages in the conundrum of how to produce electricity without frying the planet or using up resources that future generations also have a claim to.

But therein lies the rub – it’s still a promise, a hope, a research facility. And will remain so for some years. The reasons are twofold – one is that it is extremely difficult to do, and the second is that it is underfunded: the second reason only being slightly more controversial than the first.

Nuclear fusion produces energy by fusing atoms together at massively high temperatures. It is the same process at the heart of the sun and the stars. But on earth we have to use much higher temperatures because we cannot reproduce the mass of the sun. So where the sun is a mere 15 million degrees Celsius at its core, scientists have to heat plasma to 200 million degrees Celsius to get deuterium and tritium atoms to fuse together. It’s a tall order which is posing all sorts of problems and keeping some very bright brains more than occupied.

As for the funding issue, we spend about £75m per year on fusion research in the UK – that’s our own UK research on the MAST programme plus our contribution to the EU JET programme. Even I don’t think that’s a lot of money when you consider the scale of the problem and the potential benefits involved. We (that’s you and me the taxpayer) spent £1.6bn on refurbishing the MOD headquarters at Whitehall in 2007. It was agreed to be extremely good value considering the quality of marble and oak that was used. I only mention it to give you some sort of benchmark and so that we can be clear on where our priorities lie.

The UK’s energy spend each year is £75bn. So we are spending 0.1% of our energy expenditure on trying to find a credible replacement for our carbon-based fuels. In the meantime our government is collecting £780m in tax from the UK’s largest energy company. I hate to think what that figure might be if you added the tax from all the UK’s energy companies together.

By now I hope you are beginning to think that our efforts to replace carbon-based fuels are beginning to look a little half-hearted, despite what all those fluttering windmills would have you believe. Not all problems have an easy solution, and a deeply embedded problem like our addiction to carbon-based fuels took hundreds of years to take hold. Undoing the damage we realise we are now doing is going to take at least as much effort.

And for those interested in such things – the picture is of the sun taken by NASA at 7am this morning, Saturday 4th July 2009. Neat, huh?

Thursday, 2 July 2009

A higher purpose

St Paul’s Cathedral stands tall and proud across the skyline of London as one of the most instantly recognisable and most admired buildings in the world. It was built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London. Its sumptuous golden interior is an awe-inspiring reminder of man’s faith in a greater good.

My blog is inspired by excellence and high performance and I have often thought of writing a piece about Cathedrals. They are a testament to vision, planning and leadership that go far beyond what most of us try to achieve in our working lives. St Paul’s Cathedral must surely be one of the most outstanding and lasting examples of what man can achieve.

Tuesday evening saw St Paul’s host worship of a different kind, however. One of our favourite and most accomplished ballet companies danced under St Paul’s magnificent dome to an appreciative audience. English National Ballet was performing at St Paul’s as part of the Festival of London and their ballet was in perfect harmony with their imposing surroundings.

I have made more than passing reference to the inherent excellence of ballet – it is an unforgiving art form that makes high demands on management and dancers alike. Those demands were more than met on Tuesday evening.

A new ballet choreographed by Thomas Edur started the evening – simple and disturbing it was a bold first act that was instantly judged a success by the audience. It was followed by Elena Glurdjidze dancing the Dying Swan to Sans-Saens’ beautiful music. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies was in attendance to hear his rousing Orkney Wedding with Sunrise performed complete with a Scottish piper. It gave everyone a chance to enjoy the enormity of our surroundings, as well as the scale of his music.

The evening culminated in Thomas Edur and Agnes Oakes dancing in Les Sylphides, a favourite that I had seen just recently. Already poignant with its prayer-like simplicity, it was made all the more haunting by this being their last performance with English National Ballet. Individually and together they have danced with English National Ballet in principal roles for almost twenty years and will be missed by their many fans and colleagues.

The evening was a feast for the eyes, the ears, and the soul. And a reminder that excellence comes from deep within.

Photograph by English National Ballet

Wednesday, 1 July 2009

I’m like a kid with a new piggy bank – counting has become a marvel to me. In this case I’m counting miles to the gallon. Well, actually miles to the litre, or converting between the two. OK – maybe the similarities between me and a kiddy’s piggy bank are a bit limited.

Anyway – the latest tankful got 39.5 mpg – 3.5 mpg better than last time. In other words I drove almost 30 miles for free – the equivalent of almost two days to work and back. Not bad considering I didn’t have to rob a petrol station or even a bank to do it. I just had to drive a little slower and brake a little less often. Even though I rant about inconsistencies in units of measure, I think this little experiment is showing one thing: I can teach myself to drive more economically. And save money. And the planet. And ignore other road users who want to overtake me on narrow country lanes. Hey – we all have to make sacrifices to go green.

This has probably been my most successful experiment in the living data-centrically month. It’s pretty simple, but has also been very effective. As we all know round numbers have a power over us that we cannot control, so my next target is to get over 40mpg out of my little car. We shall see.

I’m also noticing a complete change in my attitudes to cars and driving. Whereas before I couldn’t comprehend anyone who didn’t tear around like a Bat Out of Hell, now I let them overtake me without even a hint of irritation. Quite a change. And safer too.

So if a dyed-in-the-wool girl racer like me can do it, imagine how much CO2 we would save if everyone took their foot off the accelerator, and the brake, a little more often. Imagine calmer, safer roads, with less CO2 being emitted. Imagine … (fades out to the lyrics of John Lennon)


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ENGLISH military victories of the Middle Ages have inspired a Middlesex youngster to county glory in archery.

In fact, it's a real battle between old and new for two of the most promising young bowmen at Greenwood Osterley Archers.

Matthew Pike, 12, and Chris Cassells, 14, both cut their teeth on the standard Olympic recurve bow at the club, based at Grasshoppers RFC off Syon Lane.

But the duo have now deviated onto more challenging bows as their preferred weapons of choice, and have become Middlesex Indoor Champions in their respective classes.

While Cassells opted for the hi-tech route and went for a compound bow, which has bow wheels at each end, Pike chose the more traditional route of the English longbow.

Proud dad Andy Pike said: "Matthew's been shooting for around three years and was initially attracted to archery by the historical side of the sport, and by tales of English archers at battles such as Agincourt and Crecy.

"Today's sport, however, is a little less violent, and the only targets that are shot are circular ones, usually up to 50 yards away!

"He enjoys the sport for its precision and accuracy, which requires a lot of practice and concentration - he's either at a competition or practising nearly every weekend.

"He's attended more than 50 competitions in the time he's been shooting and achieved Bowman class with the recurve bow before moving onto the longbow.

"He currently holds a number of Middlesex County records, both indoor and outdoor, and is looking forward to the weather getting a little warmer, when he can focus on outdoor shooting a bit more."

Both Pike and Cassells were in fine form at the indoor competition held at Spelthorne Archers, Sunbury, earlier this month.

Up against rivals from as far and wide as Surrey, Kent, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, Pike won the Boys Longbow and Cassells the Boys Compound events - also helping Greenwood Osterley to the overall team prize.

The competition is seen as a warm-up for the Middlesex Indoor Championships in early February, also held at Spelthorne.

* GREENWOOD Osterley Archers were formed in 1985 from a merger of Greenwood Bowmen and Osteley archers, both of which can trace their routes back to the 1950s.

They have members of all ages and shoot with all the major types of bows, including recurve, compound and long-bow.

To enquire about joining, call Jeff King on 020 8575 0618.

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Tools & Testers

With tools for the professional, our tool department is well stocked by names synonymous with quality and reliability.

Our handtools offering is vast, including power grip screwdrivers, pliers, strippers, spanners, levels, tape measures, and tool kits from Kewtechnik.

We have a full range of testing equipment from Fluke, Di-log and Martindale, including 16th edition testers, voltage testers and socket testers.

We also stock the industry standard holesaws and arbors from Morse and drill bits from Vanco.


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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

BWOF 2/2005 #132

It all started with this piece of fabric from fabric.com

I thought a new dress for me would be just the garment for this fabric.  Well, it did become a dress but for Erin not me!

Description: Slim, elbow-length sleeves, bands along the center front seam and a plunging v-neckline underscore the slim line of the dress.  The tie-bands are caught into the side seams.

Sizing: 38 to 46, I made a 38

Instructions:  Once I got past the instructions for the band, it was pretty traditional dress sewing.
I did not have enough of the floral fabric for the bands and used some knit I had recently ordered from Needle Nook Fabric.

The bands were interfaced with Fashion Sewing Supply interfacing and then the right sides are matched with the wrong side of the bodice  then stitch the seam

Next turn the bands to the right side and press.  I used some steam-a-seam II to keep the turned edge of the band to the bodice for topstitching
I topstitched the neck edge about 1/4" and the folded under edge of the band was edgestitched

Next you put in the invisible zipper and I used Amanda's tutorial to help have a very successful invisible zipper (thanks Amanda for a great tutorial)

a hook and eye was added later.  The back band is sewn the same way the front band is constructed.
Next, Burda has you sew the shoulder seams.  As I was constructing the back bands, I pinned the shoulder seams together to make sure I had bands the same width.

After that, you sew the side seams, inset the sleeves, hem and you are done.

Likes/Dislikes:  I thought this was a very classic and timeless design.  Especially since my BWOF magazine was 6 years old.

the dislike - the dress looked horrible on me.  Also, the torquoise in the fabric ran a bit in the wash.  You can see this in the above picture.  After completing the dress, I put some Shout on these spots and that seemed to help quite a bit.

Changes:  None to the dress pattern at all.

Conclusion:  All was not lost when I realized this dress wasn't suited for me but would be perfect on Erin.  She was out today picking up some things and the dress was on the dressform.  I had told her about a new dress coming her way and she said, Is, that the dress?  I nodded yes and she said what a cute dress.
The v-neck is low but she will wear a cami with the dress.  If I had kept it I would have put an inset of fabric to cover the deep v-neck.

Note on the tie, since it is sewn in the side seams, you can tie it in the front or in the back depending on the what look you want.

Here is the dress:

I am very please on my zipper and how well the bands line up

  1. It is a beautiful dress and so nice that it will suit Erin :)

  2. Oh I love your dress! The fabric is so pretty and the contrast band looks great with it.I'm sure Erin will love it.

  3. I find it hard to believe this did not look good on you. It looks awesome on the dressform! I love the fabric and I'm glad you were able to save the fabric after it ran a bit.

    As I said on FB, feel free to send any of your cast-offs to me. :-)

  4. LOVE the dress! And it didn't look good? Are you sure? Did your daughters have the final say?
    Counting down the days til we get to meet!

  5. I love that dress and that fabric. I think that fabric is just what I have been looking for to make a pattern that has been in my stash.

  6. Lucky Erin! Although I can't imagine this dress not looking striking on you! Maybe it's not your style?

  7. Shame you don't get to wear it as it is very nice.

  8. The dress turned out very cute, even if it doesn't look good on you. At least Erin can wear it. :)

  9. Isn't it nice when it all comes together! I'm sure Erin loves it.


text:
Tyler told he can leave

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Football News

Peterborough goalkeeper Mark Tyler has been told he can leave London Road if he finds a new club over the summer.

The 32-year-old, who still has a year to run on his contract with Posh, has failed to make a first-team appearance this season and had a successful two-month loan spell with League Two promotion-chasers Bury.

And with the club preparing for life in the Championship, they have informed Tyler that his future lies elsewhere.

"He did very well at Bury and we all know that he is a good keeper, but if another club did come in for him he would probably be allowed to leave," assistant manager Kevin Russell told the Evening Telegraph.

Tyler has fallen behind Joe Lewis and James McKeown in the pecking order at London Road and the last of his 428 appearances for Peterborough came in January 2008.

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Peterborough United
Mark Tyler
Joe Lewis
League Two
James McKeown

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Anti-Glazer protest at Old Trafford

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A mass anti-Glazer protest took place at Old Trafford ahead of Sunday afternoon's Barclays Premier League meeting between Manchester United and Stoke.

With feelings running high on the final day of the season, hundreds of supporters congregated outside the directors' box and chanted venomous anti-Glazer songs before being moved on by police.

There were unconfirmed reports of at least one smoke bomb being let off inside the Megastore at the front of the stadium, and at least one injury being reported as a result.

Avram Glazer, the co-chairman of Manchester United, had been due to attend the game but never made the journey due to flying restrictions imposed because of the on-going ash cloud disruption.

The demonstration is the start of an escalation in the anti-Glazer campaign, aimed at driving the Americans out of Old Trafford.

A bid from the Red Knights group of wealthy United fans is expected in the next few weeks, although the consistent stance from the Glazer family has been that they are not interested in doing a deal.

The Glazers have never been welcomed by a minority of supporters, but those feelings have grown markedly this season as the full scale of the debts incurred in their controversial takeover have become clear.

A successful bond issue earlier this year highlighted the potential for the sale of both Old Trafford and the club's state-of-the-art Carrington training complex should the Glazers hit problems with the repayments.

Although he has backed the Glazer family, Sir Alex Ferguson has previously defended the supporters' right to protest, whilst chief executive David Gill admitted he would prefer to see fans wearing the club colours of red and white rather than the highly visual green and gold scarves now being worn by a vast majority of supporters.

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Premier League
Manchester United

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Swansea City Vs Crystal Palace, Sat 15 Jan 2011

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Alan Tate makes a timely return from suspension to take the captain`s armband for Swansea`s home clash against Crystal Palace.

The left-back completed a three-match ban with the passing of last weekend`s 4-0 FA Cup triumph over Colchester, but the vice-captain is likely to make his comeback at the heart of defence against the Eagles after skipper Garry Monk was ruled out for six-eight weeks.

Monk hobbled off just before the half-hour mark last weekend fearing he had again damaged his cruciate ligament but scans this week has revealed he instead ruptured a medial knee ligament.

Angel Rangel is expected to overcome a groin problem to regain his spot in one of the full-back positions, with Albert Serran, Daniel Alfei and Ashley `Jazz` Richards competing for the other due to left-back Neil Taylor (ankle) remaining three weeks off fitness.

Midfielder Andrea Orlandi may also return having recovered from a thigh strain while there could be a league debut for striker Luke Moore after he started the FA Cup tie last Saturday following his switch from West Brom.

Jordi Lopez will not be available however after he cancelled his contract with the club by mutual consent on Thursday, while striker Jermaine Easter has seen his loan spell cut short by parent club MK Dons. Easter has been linked with a permanent switch to Palace and could find himself in the away dressing room.

New Crystal Palace manager Dougie Freedman will check on midfield duo Darren Ambrose and Alex Marrow.

Ambrose missed Saturday's FA Cup defeat at Coventry with a hamstring problem and Marrow, who recently signed a permanent deal from Blackburn, sat out with an ankle injury.

Pablo Counago could start alongside recent signing Steffen Iversen in attack after the Spanish striker came on before half-time at the weekend in place of Alessane N'Diaye.

Defender Claude Davis was an unused substitute after a hamstring strain and could be drafted in if Freedman opts to make further changes.

Freedman, who scored 108 goals in two spells with Palace, was handed a two-and-a-half year contract to become George Burley's successor this week.

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Alan Tate
Luke Moore
Jermaine Easter
Dougie Freedman
Neil Taylor
Neil Taylor
Darren Ambrose
Albert Serran
Jordi Lopez
Claude Davis
Crystal Palace
Andrea Orlandi
FA Cup
Pablo Counago
Angel Rangel
Garry Monk

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I'm never going to retire, pledges England star

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Ashley Cole has warned Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs he has no intention of simply stepping aside and allowing the youngster to take his England spot.

Cole will create history in Denmark tonight when he becomes the most-capped England full-back of all time. His 87th England appearance will eclipse the record of another former Arsenal man, Kenny Sansom, and the likelihood is Cole will crash through the century barrier at some stage next season.

"I'm never going to give up or retire," Cole told BBC Radio Five Live. "I want to win as many caps as I can. In the back of my mind I think I will break the record. But I don't want to stop here. I want to keep going and get more caps."

Barring a staggering change of selection policy by Fabio Capello, Cole will not only make his 87th appearance for England, he will also be starting his 87th game.

It is a quite remarkable record. One he is rightly proud of.

"It's probably unique," he acknowledged.

"I have missed a lot of games through injury so maybe I would have hit 90 by now. But to play for your country is a dream as a little kid and I am thankful to have done it so many times."

It seems the England fans are starting to be thankful of Cole too after the Chelsea star, who has never previously been a popular figure, collected the 2010 award for fans' player of the year.

That award seems a world away from the time as a six-year-old, growing up in a small London flat, when he broke his mum's favourite photo playing football inside.

"Not for one minute did I imagine I would win trophies, play for Chelsea, play for Arsenal and for England so many times," he added. "Every day is a joy but I am still very hungry for more trophies."

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Fernando Torres feeling 'positive'

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Chelsea assistant manager Eddie Newton reveals Fernando Torres is feeling' 'positive' after the Blues forward scored against Wolves in the Capital One Cup.

Chelsea ran riot at Stamford Bridge last night, hitting six past a much-changed Wolves team and progressing into the fourth round of the competition.

And Torres was back on the scoresheet for the Blues, firing a second-half header past Dories De Vries. After a strong start to the season, the Spaniard had threatened to suffer another dip of form and hadn't found the net since late August, but Torres got in on the act against a poor Wolves side.

And Blues assistant Eddie Newton revealed Torres was feeling a lot sharper after a prolonged run in the team.

"Nando's positive," said Newton in the Daily Star. "We're always talking with him. He's feeling a lot sharper. The goals will come. You can't expect it to be a flood all of a sudden. We just want consistency over the season."

Torres found the back of the net against Reading and Newcastle early on in the season, but failed to score against QPR, Stoke and Juventus.

It led to speculation that he was slipping back into last season's form, but the Spaniard allayed those fears with last night's goal.

Gary Cahill, Ryan Bertrand, Juan Mata, Oriol Romeu and new signing Victor Moses also scored for Chelsea in a one-sided match.

The Blues face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday as they look to remain top of the Premier League table.

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Rodgers hints at January striker move

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed he may dip into the transfer market come January to improve his striking options.

The Reds managed to avoid a fourth straight loss at home for the first time in nearly 90 years and kept their first clean sheet in nine games, but could not break down a stubborn Potters defence.

The Anfield club appeared to have got over their scoring woes in recent weeks, with defensive issues being more pertinent, but Rodgers admitted they ran out of ideas near the end.

However, he insisted his Liverpool side would stick to their principles and continue to pass the ball when he was asked if the absence of Andy Carroll meant he did not have a “Plan B”, though he did admit he would be looking at his options come January.

“In my career, I’ve won a number of games, especially against big teams, by continuing to play and waiting for those moments at the end of the game,” he is quoted as saying in the Liverpool Echo.

“I don’t really do the desperation one where it becomes a war in the last 10 minutes of the game by taking it longer.

“We work with what we’ve got, look to find different ways and solutions to score, and then when January comes we’ll see if we can re-visit that.”

The Northern Irishman will now have a couple of weeks to plan a victory in their next Premier League fixture against Reading at Anfield, as many of his players will be away on international duty.

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Brady Hoke explains Brendan Gibbons' expulsion from Michigan

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Football News

Last week the University of Michigan announced that their kicker Brendan Gibbons had been expelled from the school after violating the school's Student Sexual Conduct Policy.

The incident which saw the 22-year old reprimanded actually took place on November 22, 2009.

This led to questions directed at the Michigan athletic department, with many wondering why Gibbons had only been expelled four years after the original incident occurred.

So today Michigan head coach, Brady Hoke, released a statement in order to explain the schools position:

"Michigan Athletics has no influence over any part of a review of a potential violation of University's code of conduct - not the process, the investigation or the timing of the resolution," he explained.

He spoke in detail about the disciplinary process that the University of Michigan has in place to deal with issues such as the Gibbons case.

Gibbons was expelled on December 20, 2013  after receiving a letter explaining the situation, and accusations, the previous day. At the time coach Hoke announced the kicker would not be with the team for its bowl game because of family reasons.

And although the coach could not discuss the individual case in detail because of federal privacy laws and university policy he was keen to stress the emphasis the school's athletics program places on character development:

"We talk every day with out kids about the importance of character and integrity.

"It's something we take very seriously...That's why you get into this as a coach, to help young men grow and learn and mature."

"I've made clear our expectations, and our actions and discipline involving incidents in the past have reflected that.

"And those standards will not be compromised."

The Michigan Wolverines finished the season with 7-6 record.

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College Football Playoff

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LA Clippers star gives Dallas Cowboys draft advice

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Football News

Los Angeles Clippers star, DeAndre Jordan has spoken out on twitter with NFL draft advice for the Dallas Cowboys. Jordan, who was born in Houston backed his fellow Texas A&M alumni Mike Evans as a possible future Cowboy.

The Cowboys have been running a number of profiles on potential draft picks and Jordan appears to agree with one particular article featuring Evans. Jordan tweeted out in reply:"Can't go wrong with an Aggie"

Jordan attended Texas A&M between 2007 and 2008, averaging six rebounds a game during his first and only season.

Evans played college football for the Aggies in 2012 and 2013, recording over 1,000 receiving yards in both seasons.

The Texas born receiver is projected to be a first round pick and could potentially be on the board when the Dallas Cowboys select at 16th.

At 6'5", Evans is just six inches shorter than Jordan and could maybe have even taken his vertical skills to basketball. However it remains to be seen whether Evans will still be on the board when the Cowboys select.

If they do select Evans, at least there will be one fan that will be cheering the pick.

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Manchester United duo out of Norwich clash, confirms Giggs

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Manchester United temporary manager Ryan Giggs has revealed that Robin van Persie and Rafael da Silva will miss his side's clash with Norwich City tomorrow evening, reports the club's official site

The Red Devils enter a new era under the Welshman at Old Trafford against the Canaries, but will have to make do without two of their key stars.

Van Persie has been on the sidelines since scoring a hat-trick in the Red Devils' 3-0 Champions League quarter-final win against Olympiacos last month.

Rafael, meanwhile, has been in-and-out of the Manchester United team this term because of injuries and is also unavailable for the clash.

However, Giggs has confirmed that the rest of his squad are in contention for the clash, as he told reporters in his pre-match press conference: “20-odd players are in with a chance.”

It remains to be seen as to how many changes the Welshman opts for after David Moyes' reign ended in a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park last weekend.

Manchester United fans will be desperate to return to winning ways against the Premier League strugglers.

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Louis van Gaal & Brendan Rodgers both want Javier Pastore

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Liverpool and Manchester United could go head-to-head for the signing of Javier Pastore this summer, with reports suggesting that both Brendan Rodgers and Louis van Gaal would both be willing to spend £20 million on the Paris Saint-Germain player.

This is according to The Daily Express, who claim that Rodgers believes Pastore can flourish alongside the likes of Luis Suarez while Van Gaal reportedly views the Argentine as a perfect accomplice for Manchester United's own attacking unit.

24-year-old Pastore joined PSG from Serie A outfit Palermo during the summer of 2011. However, despite initially proving rather crucial to the Parisians' fortunes, his influence at the Parc des Princes has diminished somewhat in recent times.

Indeed, the Argentine international - who was not named as a member of Alejandro Sabella's provisional 30-man squad for this summer's World Cup - has made just 17 starts in Ligue 1 this season, with 11 further appearances coming from the substitute's bench.

Both Manchester United and Liverpool have the need to strengthen their respective squads this summer, although for quite different reasons.

After a turbulent 2013/14 Premier League campaign which saw the club dispense of manager David Moyes after just 10 months in the Old Trafford hotseat, Manchester United - who are expected to confirm the appointment of Van Gaal as their new manager next week following Holland's friendly with Ecuador - will surely be hoping to complete several big deals for reputable players as part of an overdue overhaul.

Liverpool, by contrast, enjoyed a remarkably strong top-flight season. Although their title bid eventually crumbled at the final hurdle, the club still managed to comfortably exceed pre-season expectations and deservedly secure runners-up spot and automatic Champions League qualification.

While Rodgers may perhaps want to ensure that he is first able to strengthen a suspect defensive lineup whose failures certainly contributed to Liverpool's downfall in the final few weeks of the season, it certainly would not harm the club to further increase their impressive options in the final third.

Convincing Pastore that his future lies away from France may prove somewhat tricky, however, with the player having expressed an apparent desire to stay at PSG.

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UN warns of 'shocking' abuses in Bahrain

Breitbart.com 03/18/2011 05:43
UN warns of 'shocking' abuses in Bahrain - Middle East - human rights - security - Bahrain

The United Nations warned on Thursday of "shocking and illegal" abuses in Bahrain after a bloody crackdown on Shiite-led protesters which has alarmed the United States and infuriated the Shiite world.

Political dissidents were rounded up at gunpoint in midnight raids and police armed with shot-guns stood outside Manama's main hospital, amid reports the authorities were beating doctors and denying treatment to the wounded.

UN rights chief Navi Pillay said any takeover by the security forces of hospitals and medical facilities was "a blatant violation of international law."

"Governments are obliged to protect the rights to life and health of the people, but we are hearing very credible reports indicating that they are in fact obstructing access to such rights," she said.

"There are reports of arbitrary arrests, killings, beatings of protesters and of medical personnel, and of the takeover of hospitals and medical centres by various security forces.

"This is shocking and illegal conduct."

Five hardline Shiite activists and one Sunni were arrested during the night, a parliamentarian from the Shiite opposition alliance said, after a day of violence which left five dead in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.


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Mutual Fund News

How we probed the churn patterns

Rapid trading in mutual funds is highly profitable for professional traders. And while it isn't illegal, fund managers have a fiduciary duty to investors to ensure that the fund is run with their best interests at heart. Rapid trading is clearly not in the best interests of long-term investors because it reduces a fund's returns.

The practice -- where traders such as hedge funds attempt to exploit price discrepancies in overseas funds where prices can be hours out of date because of time-zone differences -- has been prevalent in North America. U.S. regulators launched a crackdown in 2003. But what about Canada?

Report on Business examined the activity in international equity funds managed by Canadian mutual fund companies, using data available for 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. We excluded startup funds and funds for which there were no data for a full year.

The monthly churn rate for each fund -- a measure of all the money flowing in and out of it -- was calculated by adding four numbers: gross sales, redemptions, transfers in and transfers out. Transfers consist of money that moves from one fund to another within the same company.

An annual churn rate was then calculated by dividing each fund's total money flows for the year by its average assets.

These figures were calculated for about 500 funds in each of 2003, 2002 and 2001, and about 450 funds in 2000 -- a year in which there were fewer international funds.

We then examined every fund with a churn rate of 100 per cent or more. A rate of 100 per cent means cash equal to the dollar value of average assets flowed in and out of the fund.

Eric Zitzewitz, an assistant professor of economics at Stanford University's business school, whose research has been cited by U.S. investigators, says he would start to question whether market timing is going on in any fund with a churn rate greater than 100 per cent.

Report on Business determined that the main mechanism for rapid trading was transfers within the same fund family. We looked for funds with roughly similar and erratic monthly churn patterns.

A typical example is the CI Global fund, which had a churn rate of 554 per cent and average assets of $1.1-billion in 2003. That year, $2.85-billion was transferred in from other CI funds, and $2.87-billion was transferred out. By contrast, sales were only $117.2-million, while redemptions totalled $148.8-million. The monthly churn rate ranged from 34 per cent to 120 per cent between January and August.

In some instances for 2003, funds with a churn rate of slightly less than 100 per cent are included in the list because of their cash flow patterns during the first nine months -- market timing activity came to a virtual halt last September when New York Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer cracked down on the practice.

Any fund for which a churn rate exceeding 100 per cent was just the result of a major inflow or outflow of cash was eliminated from the list, because there was no pattern of similar cash flows in either direction.

The list also excludes funds exceeding the 100-per-cent threshold that had large transfers in and out in only one month. However, churn rates in these funds were included in the aggregate calculations.

And how does this compare with a benchmark? We calculated the activity in the international funds managed by TD Asset Management Inc. and Fidelity Investments Canada Ltd. Both companies, which rank among the 10 largest in Canada, have had policies and procedures in place to keep the market timers at bay. The benchmark churn rate indicates a normal level of activity.

The aggregate annual profits for the market timers were calculated by attributing all churn in excess of the benchmark standard to rapid in-and-out trading. And finally, we calculated the impact on the funds' assets by applying Mr. Zitzewitz's estimate of 60 to 70 basis points in profit pocketed by the market timers for every round trip. (A basis point is 1/100th of a percentage point.)

© 2007 The Globe and Mail. All rights reserved.

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Monday, July 25, 2016

Rise Bakery Review

I'll start right off the bat and say this review is almost two years overdue. How could I not have visited Washington D.C.'s only dedicated gluten-free bakery before now? Quite honestly I'm still asking myself this question.

Rise Bakery opened in November 2014 and has quickly made their name as the go-to gluten-free bakery in the region. While 100% free from gluten, this bakery stocks the delicacies not often seen even in gluten-free establishments: croissants (sorry, not dairy-free), eclairs, pies, and so many more gourmet delicacies. This is not just a cupcake-laden bakery, but has equal opportunity sweet and savory options.

Located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood north of the tourist-heavy parts of the District, Rise Bakery is nestled among a row of restaurants and cafes in a truly elegant, neighborhood. It may be a bit off the beaten track, but definitely worth the excursion for the pursuit of gluten-free baked goodness.

The morning I visited, there were only a handful of dairy-free treats available, but I was able to get a nice selection of sweet and savory to sample around Rise Bakery's options.

The first thing I picked out was the flourless chocolate cake. Rich, decadent, and oh, so chocolatey, each forkful was a revelation, and the slice achieved the perfect balance between cakey and fudgey. I ate the slice for breakfast, and highly recommend it as a way to start the day because it truly was the breakfast of champions before a day full of exploring the District.

The next thing I tried was the vegan banana bread, which was loaded with crunchy walnuts. Although I liked the balance of nuttiness and banana flavor, this loaf was a little to dry for my liking, though I'm guessing that carrying it around D.C. on a pretty hot day didn't help. The bread was good, but was the least impressive of the three items I tried.

I am not a fan of gluten-free bread brands most commonly found in grocery store freezers- I much prefer locally made options. Rise Bakery makes two sandwich-style loafs, and only the superfood one is dairy-free. This bread has a nice whole grain texture, and toasts up quite lovely (I highly recommend for avocado toast). While not fully sized to non-gluten-free sandwich loaves, the slices are hefty enough to make a satisfying sandwich. I definitely will be picking up another loaf next time I'm in the neighborhood.

Rise Bakery is definitely worth seeking out, as it is the District's only dedicated gluten-free bakery. I loved the bread and cake I bought, and will definitely make a point to special order more gluten and dairy-free items to try on a future visit. Located in a nifty neighborhood, Rise Bakery is removed from the hustle and bustle of central D.C., but an attraction in it of itself for locals and visitors alike.

I also was able to sample Rise Bakery's treats at the 2016 D.C. Gluten-Free Expo. Click here to read my recap of that event.

Update 12/2/16: I special ordered a dairy-free apple pie for a winter treat and second chance to stop by Rise Bakery. The pie is impressive any way you slice it. It's double crusted- with a thick, sweet, flaky crust. It's massive and heavy- laden with perfectly stewed cinnamon apples. I love that Rise's pie does not cower in the shadows of gluten-filled competitors. This one stands out and stands alone. At $25 (now on the website the price is $29.95), the amount of pie you receive is completely worth the price tag, and I couldn't have been happier with it. It's sweet, cinnamon, and apple-y, practically perfect in every way.

The Basics

Address: 2409 18th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
Cuisine: Bakery
Ideal For: Breakfast, Snack, Dessert
Price: See prices on the menu here.
Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible
Special Feature: Delivery information can be found on their website, click here.

Disclaimer: This review is based upon the information I have at the time of the review and does not reflect changes in ingredients or availability of items. Please contact the restaurant directly for up-to-date information and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. I was not compensated for this review and it is a reflection of my personal opinion.

Rise Bakery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Better LCAPs with District Achievement Highlights

Since the beginning when we created the first Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Infographic, we have been committed to helping share the good work California schools do. Our new District Achievement Highlights continues that commitment, providing School Districts and COEs a clear and concise way to emphasize their key achievements […]

Gobo's LCAP Infographic District Clients

Some Districts & COEs We Have Worked With

As word spreads across the State of California about the benefits of Gobo’s LCAP Infographic and the stakeholder engagement it facilitates, our list of Districts and County Offices of Education we work with continues to grow: Adelanto Elementary School District Alta Loma School District Alvord Unified School District Anaheim Union […]


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Restore Courage

Restore Courage

Member: $27.00    |   Retail: $35.00   |   BV: $20.00

Availability: 5ml Bottle

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. ~Mark Twain

Courage is the ability to act in spite of our fear. Fear is not the enemy, but rather our intuition guiding us in the direction we are intended to follow, much like a compass.

The powerful aroma of Restore Courage grounds and balances the emotions while empowering the mind.

Restore Courage can help to balance, ground, and stabilize the body emotionally.

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We promise that all of goDésana's ingredients are minimally processed. Our Essential Oils are from first distillation only, they are never adulterated or rectified, our herbs and grasses are processed with low to no heat temperature.

No goDésana products are ever tested on animals, are always free of pesticides, chemicals, synthetics, preservatives, stabilizers, potassium sorbate, phthalates, petroleum, sulfates, silicones, parabens, mineral oil, triclosan, and animal products.

Our products provide you with the guarantee of independently tested and certified pure, unadulterated Essential Oils and physician endorsed plant-based herbal and nutritional formulas guaranteed to be therapeutic.*

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All ingredients in goDésana products are 100% pure and therapeutic, meaning they are sourced and approved by Master Formulator Alexandria Brighton to the highest standards possible. Our raw plant ingredients are chosen for their integrity (all chemical constituents important for use are intact), ecological 'soundness' (all are organic or wildcrafted), and the specific therapeutic chemical constituent percentages that Alexandria Brighton insists upon for safety and therapeutic properties.

*The information in this document has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice or medical care of a qualified healthcare professional and you should seek the advice of your healthcare professional before undertaking any dietary or lifestyle changes. This information is provided for educational purposes only.

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Our business scope

Goldbat Group Corporation Limited, professionally manufactures textile machinery parts and trade used textile machinery in North China.

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We are China's outstanding Twin Disks suppliers, manufacturers and wholesalers.
To provide you with high quality Twin Disks products, as well as the Twin Disks price is very competitive.