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Documents

equiano — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:51:53 +0000

The original first draft of the Declaration of Independence in which Jefferson argues, among other things, that George III

"has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. this piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the CHRISTIAN king of Great Britain. determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce:[11] and that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, by murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them; thus paying off former crimes committed against theliberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another."

Other crucial documents of the era of the Revolution and Early Republic:

Thomas Paine's collected works

John Locke's 2nd Treatise on Government

The Articles of Confederation

The Federalist Papers (there are 85 of them, though number 10 is one of the most famous)

The Anti-Federalist Papers

New Discoveries Reveal US Intervention in Bolivia

jeremybigwood — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:06:51 +0000

As a photo and investigative journalist for more than two decades, I often come across revealing government documents and information through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) requests. These requests declassify and allow me access to documents from various entities of the US government.

I made my first request of US government documents about Bolivia in 1997 and since then have made subsequent requests for information, ranging from American embassy communiques in La Paz to USAID grant requests. The information below reveals a clear policy of US intervention and meddling in Bolivia´s internal affairs. Almost all the time, this has been done without the knowledge and at the expense of the American taxpayer.

1. The first document, from 2001 is written before a visit by then President Quiroga, to the US, in which the US Embassy states that they didn´t believe he had acted strongly enough against the MAS party, led by Evo Morales. In talking points prepared by the US embassy in La Paz to be used by US Secretary Beers during his meeting with the President, the US government suggests he say, "We were quite concerned by the agreement in November to halt eradication.... We believe that a continued strong response could have weakened the political base of Evo Morales even further." View the full document here.

2. In 2002, the American embassy qualifies Evo Morales as an "illegal coca agitator" and admits that cocaine production in Bolivia is insignificant for the US. More importantly though, the embassy details a USAID “Political Party Reform Project” that should specifically “serve as a counterweight to the radical MAS or its successors.” View the full document here.

3. In 2004, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) funds the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce organization, CAINCO, through CIPE (Center for International Private Enterprise) to alter an existing Bolivian law and “gain popular support for their policy recommendations”. This clearly shows that US funding was spent to alter internal legislation and in this case, it also shows a historic relationship between US funding institutions and the Santa Cruz opposition. View the full document here.

4. Many organizations funded by NED show a clear political bias. One, the IIPS or Institute of Pedagogical & Social Investigation, refers to Evo Morales and the MAS in their grant request and project summary as an “anti-democratic, radical opposition” that doesn’t represent the majority. Of the three program objectives listed, the last is telling. The NED grant awarded to them will help, “efficient and effective social monitoring.” View the full document here.

5. By 2006, it is evident that the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and USAID are openly working to promote events centered around regional autonomy and decentralization. “…NDl adapted the community forum model piloted in this program to conduct a Santa Cruz dialogue event through its USAID funded political party program to facilitate an open discussion about regional autonomy and decentralization.” View the full document here.

6. The most telling documents from my point of view, are a series of e-mails from within USAID-Bolivia last year. They detail the forming relationship between the U.S. government (specifically Ambassador Philip Goldberg and the US embassy in La Paz) and indigenous groups in the Chapare and Media Luna departments to create a common USAID-guided front against Evo Morales and the MAS. In discussing who to invite to a lunch between indigenous leaders and US Ambassador Philip Goldberg in 2007, USAID staff write that the litmus test for being invited is, "a su situacion real frente el gobierno del MAS, etc. ademas son aliados nuestros." The staff members goes on to discuss the indigenous organizations that USAID programs fund and how their principal demand is to "fortalecer sus organizaciones de base para hacerle frente al MAS:" In order to facilitate communications, one of the USAID officers recommends “immediate assistance” by sending them radios. Shades of Vietnam and the US assistance to the Hmong tribesmen, which only guaranteed the destruction of their way of life. View the full document here.

7. Among my many Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests on Bolivia, I have made five such requests to USAID since 2005 to determine exactly what they are doing there. So far, USAID has not responded to my requests, I can only conclude, because they wish to keep their activities there clandestine. USAID denied any response to my latest request about their activities in Bolivia during the last year (2008) by stating that “the few people who are still there will not be able to conduct a search of the documents you request” because of the “political crisis” in the country. This is simply not the case: as anyone who drives by the USAID building knows, for the parking lot is still full and there are hundreds of employees still working there. View October 2008 photos of USAID-Bolivia´s full parking lot taken by me and the full document requests and responses here from September 14, 2008, September 19, and September 28.

To summarize, I believe that these documents provide clear proof that the US government, through its various entities - especially USAID - have been, and continue to conspire against the legal and democratically elected government of Bolivia. In coming weeks, I will reveal more of the documents that I have uncovered in my ongoing investigation and research here.

Necessary finance tips for young adults

iteamweb — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:16:16 +0000

1. Understand the basics

Financial services often seem really complicated, but it's not hard for you to understand the basics for all financial services that you buy. Otherwise, you could get a nasty surprise if something goes wrong.

Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you understand the basics of:

* What you have promised to do (eg make regular payments).
* What the company has promised to do (eg provide a loan, or cover a loss).
* Whether there are any exceptions or qualifications to these promises (eg an insurer may not have to pay your car insurance claim if you had been drinking when the accident occurred).
* What you should do if something goes wrong.

Don't be afraid or embarrassed to ask questions. Sometimes it can be awkward, but a good salesperson should give you enough time and information so that you can understand the product. You can also ask to take the documents away, so that you have time to read them and get advice.

Don't be pressured into signing something that you don't understand. You could regret it later.

2. Hold onto your paperwork

Anything to do with money often involves lots of paperwork - account statements, contracts, policy documents, terms and conditions and more.

If you're tempted to throw all this paperwork in the bin - stop! Even if you don't read it all straight away, get into the habit of keeping the important paperwork in a special file that's easily accessible. It will come in handy if you have a question or problem about your financial affairs.

You should also get into the habit of keeping notes from any important telephone calls you have with your finance institution. Again, they might help if you have a complaint.

Your notes don't need to be fancy, but it's important to record basic information such as the name of the person you spoke to, the date and time, and an outline of what was said. Keep this with all your other paperwork.

3. Reduce your costs

Some form of savings or transaction account is almost a necessity these days. But don't be complacent about your account - there are ways that you can reduce the costs.

For example, if you are a student or a recent graduate, you may be able to get a fee-free account. Ask your institution if they have one.

But what if you are not eligible for a fee-free account? You can still reduce your costs by changing how you bank. For example, it's often cheaper to use Internet banking than to visit a branch. But first, you'll need to understand how and when fees are charged on your account. Ask your institution to tell you about the main fees and charges, and whether you are entitled to a certain number of free transactions. You can use this information to help you develop cheaper banking habits.

4. Minimise the risk of unauthorised transactions - keep your PIN secret

Many complaints about unauthorised transactions are made each year. The best way to protect yourself from someone accessing the money in your account is to keep your PIN and/or password secret! Don't tell anyone your PIN or password - this includes your friends and family. Also, don't keep a copy of your PIN or password near your card, or on your computer (unless it's password protected).

Many institutions will let you choose your own PIN or password, and this can help you remember it. But, be careful with what you choose - don't make it so easy to remember that it will also be easy for a thief to guess.

5. Be very careful with direct debits

Direct debits can be a great way of making sure that the necessities of life - like your bills and rent - are paid on time. But make sure you know how to cancel a direct debit if you need to. For example, if you change your phone company.

To cancel a direct debit, you should tell both your institution and the company making the direct debit (eg the phone or electricity company). Writing a short letter is often best. Keep a copy of the letter, and if problems arise, contact your institution straight away.

Also, make sure you have enough money in your account to cover a direct debit. If there is not enough, you might have to pay an expensive overdraw fee.

EGYPT: FATHER’S BRIEF CONVERSION TRAPS DAUGHTERS IN ISLAM

Particular Kev — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:49:39 +0000

Two Christian sisters battle to regain religious identity following forgery charges.

ISTANBUL, October 10 (Compass Direct News) – An Egyptian Coptic Christian woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for failing to uphold her Islamic identity – an identity she didn’t know she had for over four decades.

Sisters Shadia and Bahia Nagy El-Sisi, both in their late 40s and residents of the small east Delta town Mit-Ghamr, were arrested and tried for claiming their official religious identity as Christian. Unknown to them, their religious identity officially changed 46 years ago due to their father’s brief conversion to Islam. Both are illiterate.

Shadia El-Sisi was tried for stating her religion as Christian on her marriage certificate and sentenced to three years in prison on Nov. 21, 2007. She was released two months later. Last Sept. 23 a judge also sentenced Bahia El-Sisi to three years in prison for “forging” her marriage certificate by stating her religion as Christian.

Their father, Nagy El-Sisi, converted to Islam in 1962 during a brief marital dispute in order to divorce his wife and potentially gain custody of his daughters, the sisters’ lawyer Peter Ramses told Compass.

Egyptian law is influenced by Islamic jurisprudence (sharia), which automatically awards child custody to whichever parent has the “superior” religion and dictates “no jurisdiction of a non-Muslim over a Muslim.”

If Bahia El-Sisi’s identity as a Muslim stands, then her religious status could potentially create a domino effect that would require her husband to convert to Islam or have their marriage nullified. Her children, too, would be registered as Muslims. Both women are married to Christians.

“All of their children and grandchildren would be registered as Muslims,” Ramses said. “[The ruling] would affect many people.”

Other sources said it is too soon to determine the fate of the sisters’ marriages and families, as neither of their cases have been finalized.

‘But I Am a Christian’

A few years after his conversion, Nagy El-Sisi returned to his family and Christianity. He sought the help of a Muslim employee in the Civil Registration Office, Ramadan Muhammad Hussein, who agreed to forge his Christian identification documents. Reversion back to Christianity for converts to Islam has been nearly impossible in Egyptian courts.

The daughters discovered they were still registered as Muslims when Hussein was arrested for forgery in 1996 and confessed he had helped El-Sisi obtain fake documents three decades earlier. El-Sisi was later arrested.

When the two daughters visited him in prison, they were detained and accused of forging their Christian identification documents, according to national weekly Watani. A criminal court gave them each a three-year prison sentence in absentia in 2000.

Shadia El-Sisi was arrested in August 2007, three days before her son’s wedding. Her first hearing was on Nov. 21, 2007 at the Shobra El-Khema criminal court; she asserted that she had no idea of her so-called conversion to Islam. Judge Hadar Tobla Hossan sentenced her to three years in prison.

Confronted with the sentence, Shadia El-Sisi kept repeating, “But I am a Christian. I am a Christian,” according to Watani.

She was in prison until Jan. 13, when Prosecutor-General Abdel Meged Mahmood retracted the sentence because she was unaware of her conversion by proxy and due to legal technicalities that voided incriminating evidence.

The advocacy group Egyptians Against Religious Discrimination also pressured the judiciary through a signature drive to release her from prison.

Bahia El-Sisi went into hiding following her sister’s imprisonment, but came out after news of her release. Legal experts believe that when Bahia El-Sisi’s case comes before the Supreme Court, her sentence will be retracted as her sister’s was, as their cases have no legal foundation.

Early in the morning of May 5, however, police arrested Bahia El-Sisi and held her in jail until her hearing on July 20, after which she was released pending the verdict.

On Sept. 23 she was sentenced to three years in prison for “forgery of an official document,” as her marriage license states her religion as “Christian.” Bahia El-Sisi was married years before learning of her father’s brief conversion.

Ramses will appeal to Egypt’s Supreme Court in next week. He said he worries the case could further erode the precarious situation of religious minorities in the Muslim-majority country of 79 million.

“How can the government say to [someone] who has lived 50 years in a Christian way that they must become a Muslim and their children must be Muslim and their whole family must all be Muslims?” he said. “This is very important for the freedom of religion.”

Egypt’s constitution guarantees freedom of belief and practice for the country’s Christian minority, which makes up 10 percent of the population. Islam, however, is the official state religion and heavily influences the government and court system.

The case is an example of the social pressure put on Egyptian non-Muslims to convert when one of their parents embraces Islam, despite the constitution guaranteeing equality, said Youssef Sidhom, editor-in-chief of Watani.

“This is a sick environment that we struggle to change,” Sidhom stated. “According to what is taking place here freedom is protected and provided for Christians to convert to Islam while the opposite is not provided.”

Egyptian courts have continued to discriminate against Christians who have one Muslim parent, according to human rights reports, as the judiciary gives them no choice but to convert to Islam.

On Sept. 24 an Alexandria court awarded custody of 14-year-old Christian twins to their Muslim father even though the twins said they were Christians who wanted to stay with their mother. Egyptian civil law grants child custody to their mothers until the age of 15.

Report from Compass Direct News

INDIA: EVIDENCE CONCOCTED AGAINST CHRISTIANS IN MURDER OF HINDU LEADER

Particular Kev — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:33:39 +0000

Orissa police confirm Maoists killed Saraswati; thousands flee amid continued violence.

NEW DELHI, October 10 (Compass Direct News) – After police in the eastern state of Orissa confirmed this week that Maoists killed Hindu nationalist leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, a Hindu extremist group circulated allegedly forged documents in an attempt to implicate a local church in the Aug. 23 murder.

The Hindu Jagaran Samukhya (Society for Revival of Hinduism or HJS) circulated documents saying the plan to kill Saraswati in Kandhamal district was made at a meeting at Bethikala Church on May 25 attended by 17 people following a briefing and command from religious leaders, the Press Trust of India news agency reported yesterday.

Local Christian leaders responded by saying they will file defamation charges.

“We will file both civil and criminal defamation cases against the person who made such allegations,” Father Joseph Kalathil from the Catholic Archbishop House in Bhubaneswar and the Rev. Fr. Prafulla Ku Sabhapati, president of the Bethikala Parish Council of Kandhamal, said in a statement. “Not only our signatures were forged, the contents of the documents were also fabricated.”

On Oct. 6 Orissa state police confirmed that Maoists killed Saraswati, a day after the chief of the Orissa unit of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist, Sabyasachi Panda, told NDTV 24X7 news that his organization was behind the murder.

The Maoists killed Saraswati because he was a key leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council or VHP), Panda told the channel. The VHP, he said, used non-tribal traders’ money to build VHP’s youth wing, Bajrang Dal, and ran a campaign against Christians, falsely accusing them of forced conversions and killing cows, considered holy by Hindus.

“This forced us to attack him,” Panda said. “We left two letters claiming responsibility for the murders. But the [Chief Minister Naveen] Patnaik government suppressed those letters. It is a BJP [Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party] government; they will support the VHP. The state government made it look like Christian groups were responsible for the attack. The Christian community in Orissa does not have any Maoist organization supporting them here.”

There were also reports, however, of the Orissa police having arrested three tribal Christians in connection with Saraswati’s murder. The Indian Express reported that the three had confessed their involvement.

A representative of the Christian Legal Association told Compass that according to sources, the police had tortured the three Christians to pressure them to confess a crime they did not commit.

After the assassination of Saraswati, Hindu extremist groups blamed local Christians and began attacks on them, their houses and their churches. The worst violence against Christians in modern India erupted in spite of the Orissa police and media stating on the day of the murder that suspected Maoists killed Saraswati.

According to the All India Christian Council, more than 60 people have been killed, more than 18,000 injured and around 4,500 houses and churches destroyed in the “retributive” violence. Two Christian women, including a nun, were also gang-raped. The violence, which later spread to at least 14 districts of Orissa, has left more than 50,000 people homeless.

Attacks Continue

Orissa’s Kandhamal district remained tense even 48 days after the violence began.

Yesterday about 15 houses were burned down by a mob in the Lansaripalli village in Kantamal Block of neighboring Boudh district, The Hindu reported. The attackers came from the Gochhapada area of Kandhamal district.

“Thursday’s was the third incident in Boudh district,” added the daily. “More than 100 houses were burnt down in two separate attacks in the past few days.”

On Wednesday (Oct. 8), a mob burned and looted at least 25 houses belonging to Christians in the Balligada village under Daringbadi police station in Kandhamal’s Nuagam Block, Father Ajay Singh of the Catholic Archdiocese of Bhubaneswar told Compass.

On Tuesday (Oct. 7), over five houses were torched in Jalespanga area under Phiringia police jurisdiction in Kandhamal. Another house was burned in the Sujeli village of G. Udayagiri Block the same day.

The Hindu also said the more than 16,000 Christians living in various relief camps were not returning to their villages, fearing attacks on them if they refused to convert to Hinduism.

Fr. Singh from the Bhubaneswar Archdiocese told Compass that over 12,000 Christians from various relief camps had moved out of Kandhamal to other districts and states, as they feared more attacks.

Supporting Violence

The president of the VHP, Ashok Singhal, told Zee News channel on Sunday (Oct. 5), “What Hindu organizations including the VHP, the Bajrang Dal and the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, India’s chief Hindu nationalist group] are doing in Orissa is all legal and is the reaction of the murder of VHP leader Saraswati, who was like Jesus Christ to us.”

In an interview with The Week magazine (Oct. 5), Singhal said that Hindu youth are “ready to die and, if necessary, to kill. [Their] patience is ebbing.”

Singhal added that a “Hindu uprising” had begun, “and the political parties will have to rethink and reinvent themselves, for their own existence. If there is no arrangement for Hindus’ security, they’ll do it on their own. The Hindus will not die. If that self-defence is militancy, so be it … the Hindu never went around the world for suzerainty or to convert ... now they are here, undermining us. That causes anger. In fact many want to fight back this harvesting of Hindus.”

In addition, a leader of the Bajrang Dal in the southern state of Karnataka admitted to supporting recent attacks on churches while speaking to The Week magazine. “We supported those who attacked the churches, as it is a justified fight,” Bajrang Dal convenor Mahendra Kumar said.

The violence in Orissa spread to several other states, including Karnataka, where around 20 churches were destroyed and 20 Christians were attacked in the recent weeks.

As many political parties and rights groups have demanded a ban on the Bajrang Dal for attacking Christians and churches in Orissa and other states, the federal government ruled by the United Progressive Alliance has mandated the National Integration Council to give its recommendations, reported the Times of India today.

The Bajrang Dal, however, warned that any such move would have “grave consequences” for the government politically, saying there was “no legal ground” for such an action.

There are 897,861 Christians in Orissa, which has a population of 36.8 million.

Report from Compass Direct News

Fiche sur la classification périodique.

at34 — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:42:11 +0000

fclassificationperiodique

Flyers Notes

Daniel Smith — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:03:22 +0000

[caption id="attachment_898" align="alignright" width="193" caption="Flyers Notes"][/caption]

These are introductory desktop publishing notes for creating flyers.

The Documents below are aligned to the Presentation below. All of this was created for the new Computer Applications I curriculum.

Downloads

You can also view the presentation online as a Google Doc Presentation.

Uitwerking Concept Voorstel

projectgroepuno — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:08:37 +0000

Uitwerking Concept Voorstel

uitwerking-ontwerp-voorstel

Inhoud Website

projectgroepuno — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:07:29 +0000

Concept Inhoud website

concept-inhoud-website

Project Bespreking 01-10-2008

projectgroepuno — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:06:21 +0000

Project bespreking 01-10-08

projectbespreking-01-10-08rtf

Connecting Vibes Onderzoek

projectgroepuno — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:04:35 +0000

Het connectin vibes onderzoek, gegevens over de doelgroep.

connecting-vibes-onderzoek

Plan van Aanpak

projectgroepuno — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:54:02 +0000

Plan van Aanpak

plan-van-aanpak-concept-opdracht1

plan-van-aanpak-concept-doelgroep1

Working from Home and Cool Docstoc Users

girlatastartup — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:43:22 +0000

Ugh. I have a pretty bad cold at the moment and I'm alternating between water, coffee, and diet 7up. Is this good for me? Not sure.

But, one of the best parts of my job at docstoc is being able to message with users about how to better the site and of course, talking to them about various user issues and suggestions. I feel as though I have all these "friends" from across the world. And we only talk about documents. LOL.

One such docstoc user is Anderson de Alencar, , a Senior Quality Analyst from Brazil, who has given me useful feedback about improving our site. Most of all, the best e-mails I tend to get are from users who state that docstoc has helped them re-organize their finances, get legal templates, or even from an acquaintance of mine who told me the following:

EXT. STARBUCKS-NIGHT
A warm Los Angeles night as my friend (doesn't want to be in the blog so she's nameless) and I grab our caffeinated beverages and take seats outside the crowded Starbucks in K-town

MY FRIEND: My stupid roommate didn't clean the kitchen again. GROSS! It's a huge mess with piles of dishes everywhere.
ME: (Take a long sip of my latte) Didn't you guys already have this discussion already? I thought you were each going to do your own dishes. And the 10 minute rule.
MY FRIEND: What's that?
ME: Oh, it's when you can only allow the dirty dishes to be in the sink for 10 minutes. A second beyond that and you don't have to pay utilities for a month. Or you can modify that.
MY FRIEND: Actually, I went to your site and got a Co-Habitation Agreement.. Then just changed it, and put that she HAS to do her own dishes. And then made her sign it. Now, it's laminated and on the fridge.

She gives me a smug glance as I choke on my coffee.

ME: OMG. You actually listened to me. This is a miracle.
MY FRIEND: I still don't get what you do though.
ME: I told you. You know "Tom" from Myspace...

Mary A. Bowden

stwainer — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:33:30 +0000

My cousin, Bryana, sent me an e-mail over the weekend asking about her Great-Great Grandmother Mary Agatha Bowden. I was able to find quite a few facts about her and her family as well as a great picture.

Mary A. Bowden (1873-1969) married George Robert Culshaw on 22 September 1897. They had five children: Mary Margret, George, Joseph, Francis and ( most importantly to the Knickerbockers) Jessie Elizabeth.

Jessie Elizabeth Culshaw married William Clarence Knickerbocker. Hurray for us!

Here's a picture of the family of Mary A. Bowden and George Robert Culshaw:

Front: Francis, George Robert, Jessie
Back: Margret, Joseph, George, and Mary A. Bowden

Fanuc oiT Parameter Manual

leobtm — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:11:00 +0000

Fanuc oiT Parameter Manual

Fanuc oiT Manitenance Manual

leobtm — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:02:09 +0000

Maintenance Manual Fanuc oiT

Letterhead Stationery Notes

Daniel Smith — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:55:19 +0000

[caption id="attachment_860" align="alignright" width="193" caption="Letterhead Stationery Notes"][/caption]

These are introductory desktop publishing notes for creating letterhead stationery.

The Documents below are aligned to the Presentation below. All of this was created for the new Computer Applications I curriculum.

Downloads

You can also view the presentation online as a Google Doc Presentation.

Suggestion for Preview

jeiishin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:21:02 +0000

It can be an incredible hassle to view a PowerPoint file on a Mac without Microsoft Office or iWork. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any modern viewer application. The only solution I've found thus far is to use NeoOffice, which is as slow as heck. And then there's the added problem if the file is in the new Office format, .pptx. Then it has to be converted to .ppt by some other means before it can be viewed in NeoOffice. Oh, and did I mention how incredibly slow NeoOffice is? It's really overkill for just wanting to view a file.

So, Preview is used for viewing documents. Why not add support for PowerPoint files into it? I realise that one of the driving points of Preview is that it's so lightweight and fast, but I doubt adding in support for PowerPoint would compromise this. It could even convert it to some viewable intermediate file like it does to PostScript files if it would help.

Performance Indicator

Poster to be named later — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:40:18 +0000

What's the best way to measure the performance of a supplier?

Seems like that would be an easy enough question to answer, but it turns out, it's not.

If the supplier is the kind that simply delivers product and does nothing else, then sure, it's pretty easy. Did I get what I ordered and did I get it on time? Period.

But what about suppliers who provide things like professional services? Did they provide what I wanted when I wanted? Sure. But what about scope creep (that's your fault). Did you clearly define acceptance of deliverables? CAN you define acceptance in a way both parties will agree with?

What about software? Does it work error free? Ok, but the fact that it fires up when you double click, is that *really* the measure that it does what the sales guy promised it would? What about when you buy services along with the software? Maintenance? Installation? How do you know for certain the supplier did or did not succeed?

It's actually not so easy. I've come to discover that in the MRO side of the procurement house, measuring the success or lack of success of our suppliers is often not easy to do, and is therefore not usually done.

And that's a shame.

Because when we finally cross the line to where The Client is mad and ready to boot them out the door, the Procurement person is now lost to be able to provide objective hard proof that the supplier isn't cutting it. "Prove it," they will say. And we can't.

"Feelings" don't really hold up in front of a jury when things go really, really wrong.

I don't have good answers, but I'll say this. The best way to incorporate measurement is early. Put it in the contract. Discuss metrics with the supplier when things are good. Hey, they might even have some good ideas! They may have their own measures you can use.

Implement quarterly business reviews. Yes, I know, they take time and energy but the dividend is worth it. Do QBRs at least on your top ten suppliers. The big dollars or impact suppliers should be watched the most.

Make sure the "feelings" are known early. Well before the "feelings" turn to anger.

Coming Soon

jeremybigwood — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:06:02 +0000

Check back in a few days for updates on the unfolding situation in Bolivia and the US government´s role in the internal matters of this South American nation.

Business Cards Notes

Daniel Smith — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:31:21 +0000

[caption id="attachment_846" align="alignright" width="193" caption="Business Cards Notes"][/caption]

These are introductory desktop publishing notes for creating Business Cards.

The Documents below are aligned to the Presentation below. All of this was created for the new Computer Applications I curriculum.

Downloads

Name That Color

Daniel Smith — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:17:53 +0000

[caption id="attachment_835" align="alignright" width="193" caption="Name That Color"][/caption]

This is a word processing activity to introduce students to color psychology and symbolism as it relates to publication design. This assignment was created for the new Computer Applications I curriculum.

Note: This activity requires that students access the following web sites:

FactMonster’s Color Psychology Page
Wikipedia’s Color Symbolism and Psychology Article

Downloads

More Information

The Xerox International Color Guide site has information on the cultural colors of certain countries. ColorSchemer Online is an online version of professional software for generating matched color schemes.