Mr Werritty had been "allowed to run an organisation called The Atlantic Bridge from Liam Fox's Parliamentary Offices."
2. The Commissioner's memorandum is appended to this Report. In accordance with the established procedure, we supplied Dr Fox with a copy of the Commissioner's memorandum and asked him if he wished to give evidence to the Committee, orally or in writing. Dr Fox has written to the Commissioner expressing his acceptance of the Commissioner's conclusions, and he has copied this letter to the Chair of the Committee. He also confirmed that he did not wish to give evidence. Dr Fox's letters are also appended to this Report.
The issue I am to resolve is whether Dr Fox misused Parliamentary allowances and facilities first to accommodate a friend for a year in his Parliamentary funded flat in London from October 2002 to October 2003 and second to accommodate in his parliamentary office from 2003 to 2009 an organisation which he co-founded but which was unconnected to his Parliamentary duties.
i. Was Dr Fox correct in continuing in 2002 and 2003 to designate as his main home his constituency property, thus enabling him to make claims against his parliamentary Additional Costs Allowance for his London flat?
ii. Should Dr Fox have recognised in his claims against the Additional Costs Allowance that these claims also met the living costs of the friend who was living in his flat from October 2002 to October 2003?
iii. Did Dr Fox's friend use the London flat for business purposes in 2002 and 2003 or subsequently?
iv. Should Dr Fox have permitted his Parliamentary offices to be used by staff to run The Atlantic Bridge organisation from September 2003 to June 2009?
4. The Commissioner considered it was reasonable to accept that the constituency property was Dr Fox's main home.
5. The Commissioner found that in October 2002 Mr Werritty was allowed to stay in Dr Fox's London flat, rent-free, until he had a job and was able to find alternative accommodation. The Commissioner accepted Dr Fox's evidence that, in fact, Mr Werritty remained at the flat most weekdays until October 2003, and was away from the flat for about eight weeks in total over the period.
6. During this time, Dr Fox had not asked for or accepted any payment from Mr Werritty. He continued to claim ACA against the property without making any deductions to take account of Mr Werritty's use of the flat. Dr Fox considered that no additional costs to the public purse were incurred by Mr Werritty's use of the flat, nor was there any subletting of the property, which the Green Book advised against.
7. The Commissioner noted that the Rules introduced in June 2003 provided explicitly that the Additional Costs Allowance should not be used to meet the living costs of anyone other than the Member, and he accepted that this was a clarification of previous practice. He therefore considers that this principle should apply to the full period when Dr Fox's friend was living with him in the flat, October 2002 to October 2003.
Dr Fox's friend was not part of his family. He was not a child dependent on him. He was not a carer. By generously allowing his friend full use of his parliamentary supported flat between October 2002 and October 2003, Dr Fox was clearly, in my judgement, giving his friend a considerable financial benefit. I accept Dr Fox's evidence that in fact his friend was away from the flat for two months of that year and that would need to be taken into account in any consideration of the value of the benefit his friend received. I accept too Dr Fox's evidence that his friend paid for his own food, basic supplies and use of mobile telephone. But the largest part of people's living costs is their rent or equivalent and Dr Fox's friend lived in the London flat rent-free. The benefit his friend thus received was made possible because of the claims which Dr Fox made against his parliamentary allowances to support him in his parliamentary duties. As with the previous cases considered by the Committee, the result was that parliamentary allowances were helping to meet the living costs of someone other than the Member. That was, in my judgement, a clear breach of the rules.
9. The Commissioner also notes previous decisions by our predecessor Committee which held that the provision that ACA should not be used to cover "living costs for anyone other than yourself" should be interpreted as requiring the Member to make sure that he or she did not make a claim which had the effect of subsidising the living costs of anyone other than themselves (other than partners, dependent children or carers), and that claims should be reduced to take account of any such benefit.
I therefore find that Dr Fox was in breach of the rules of the House from October 2002 to October 2003 in that his claims against his Additional Costs Allowance for his flat in London did not take account of the living costs of his friend who was living there. When his friend was away from the property for significant periods (perhaps for more than a week or two at a time) then it would, in my judgement, have been reasonable for Dr Fox to have reflected his absence in the claims which he made and to have reverted to the full amounts for those periods. This does not, however, justify Dr Fox making no allowance at all for his friend's living costs in the claims which he made that year.
11. The Commissioner finds that when Mr Werritty registered his Directorship of a health company with Companies House in October 2002 he gave his address as Dr Fox's London property. The company's registered address in the period was at a different address. Dr Fox's evidence is that Mr Werritty had listed Dr Fox's London flat as his residential address in October 2002 as it was his only predictable residential address at that time. The Commissioner saw no evidence that the flat was used for business purposes. The registered address for the business itself was elsewhere, and although during the period in question the friend was developing a business plan, much of that work was done elsewhere. The Commissioner also notes "drafting a business plan is not the same, in my view, as running a business."
12. The Commissioner found that between September 2003 and June 2009 The Atlantic Bridge was located in Dr Fox's parliamentary offices, and four successive employees of the charity had worked there. We note the Commissioner's memorandum states Dr Fox's evidence is that "Mr Werritty did not at any point work for The Atlantic Bridge from the House of Commons."
13. On 16 May 2006 Dr Fox wrote to the House authorities informing them that a telephone line in his office was to be used for business pertaining to The Atlantic Bridge, and requesting a separate bill for this line be sent so that he might pay separately for any outside costs incurred. In April 2009 he wrote two letters to the House authorities; one requesting a separate bill for the phone line in question dating back to 16th of May 2006, and the other seeking "to reconfirm the continued use of parliamentary office space for business pertaining to my charitable organisation, The Atlantic Bridge".
With the notification of that bill the House authorities noted that this was not a service they normally provided and suggested that Dr Fox get in touch with the Head of Policy in the Resources Directorate "to discuss the use of this line in future for business pertaining to The Atlantic Bridge." There was no record of any subsequent correspondence or discussion between Dr Fox and the Head of Policy. Dr Fox's letter of 7 April 2009 to the Serjeant at Arms was received and forwarded to the relevant office but the Director-General's evidence is that unfortunately there was no record of a response to Dr Fox on file and no recollection of one having been made. The rules on acceptable and unacceptable use of parliamentary accommodation were first set out unequivocally in the 2010 Members' Handbook. The Director-General's evidence is that before then, it could have been argued from first principles that the House's budget which pays for accommodation (the Administration Estimate) was for parliamentary purposes only; but that might not have been made clear to all Members.
I consider that Dr Fox's use of his parliamentary office for The Atlantic Bridge was serious. It continued for some six years. It is a matter of some concern that a Member should think it acceptable to use parliamentary resources for non-parliamentary purposes.
But the seriousness with which I view the breach is substantially mitigated by the fact that Dr Fox specifically raised his use of his parliamentary office with the House authorities in May 2006 (and repeated in unequivocal terms in April 2009). While the Department's evidence is that Dr Fox's letter of May 2006 was "the subject of discussion" between several Departments of the House, including whether the use of a parliamentary telephone line for business purposes was acceptable, the matter was not pursued by the Department. Nor was Dr Fox given a specific answer to his request 3 years later to "reconfirm the continued use of parliamentary office space for business pertaining to my charitable organisation". While it is to his credit that during the course of this inquiry Dr Fox has not sought to criticise the House authorities in any way, or to seek to shift responsibility on to them, I consider that Dr Fox was not well served by the House authorities by their failure to respond in 2006 or again in 2009 to his reporting to them the use of his parliamentary office by The Atlantic Bridge. Dr Fox made no secret of the fact that the organisation was run from his parliamentary office and the House authorities should have given him clear advice about the propriety of this when he first approached them in April 2006. Had they done so, Dr Fox should have been able to take the necessary corrective action and so have prevented the breach continuing for another three years.
16. We agree with the Commissioner's findings. We now need to consider what action is appropriate in respect of the two breaches of the rules which the Commissioner has identified.
I naturally regret that I did not take more care when allowing someone to stay in my flat, but I am grateful for your recognition that there is no evidence of significant extra costs being incurred and of the state of the rules in place at the time, a decade ago.
It is true that my friend Mr Werritty temporarily stayed in a spare bedroom at my second home address funded under the Parliamentary expenses system for several months in 2002-03. The Green Book 2003, section 3 on Additional Cost Allowance, paragraph 3.5.1 Subletting, lodgers, paying guests etc, page 9 states: "You are strongly advised to avoid subletting or renting out any part of a property for which you claim the additional costs allowance." I define subletting as the act of leasing or renting all or part of a leased or rented property. As I neither accepted, nor asked for, any payment from Mr Werritty in return I did not violate the rules as outlined in the 2003 version of the Green Book.
18. We accept that the rules referred to "subletting, lodgers, paying guests etc" and did not explicitly refer to cases in which a person made significant use of ACA funded accommodation without making any payment. Nevertheless, as the Commissioner notes, "The rules introduced in June 2003 provided that the Additional Costs Allowance should not be used to meet the living costs of anyone other than the Member". Although these rules were a clarification of existing practice, not a new departure, they were first set out clearly in section 3 of the Green Book in June 2003.
19. As the Commissioner notes, the Committee has dealt with several analogous cases in the past. The closest is that described in our Fourth Report of Session 2009-10, in which a Member had permitted someone to use his ACA funded property for about three nights a week between November 2003 and June 2007. This arrangement continued after the Member was elected in 2005. In essence, in that case the Commissioner considered that even though the use of the accommodation was short of full-time occupancy, it was more than occasional use. In this case, the use was still more extensive.
20. In the previous case, we considered it appropriate to accept the offer to repay half the sums claimed over the relevant period. We consider that sets a useful precedent for the current case. The rules were not explicit until June 2003. When they had been clarified it was incumbent on Dr Fox to seek advice; he did not do so. We consider Dr Fox should repay half of his ACA claims for the months from June 2003. As time has elapsed, it is impossible to be exact about the breakdown in spending; we therefore propose repayment of £3,000. Although it is not possible to determine the precise breakdown of the figures, we consider it is reasonable to expect Dr Fox to pay this sum, since the use of the property was more extensive than in the previous case.
the organisation had the significant benefit of free office accommodation in central London. This included heating and lighting as well as access to the facilities on the parliamentary estate. Those benefits were provided from public resources. They were benefits to which, in my judgement, the organisation was not entitled.
I also accept your conclusion on the use of my office for the Atlantic Bridge charity. I regret that the rules were breached, but again I am appreciative of your view that the breach was substantially mitigated by the lack of advice from the House Authorities.
As the Commissioner notes, Dr Fox raised the position with the House authorities in 2006, and again in April 2009. He received no guidance. We agree with the Commissioner that Dr Fox "was not well served by the House authorities by their failure to respond in 2006 or again in 2009 to his reporting to them the use of his parliamentary office by The Atlantic Bridge." It is particularly disappointing that the Director-General for Human Resources and Change indicates Dr Fox's request was the "subject of discussion between several departments of the House, both in terms of the production of a separate bill and whether the use of a Parliamentary phone line for business purposes was acceptable" but that no response was given. Against that must be set the fact that Dr Fox had simply raised the question of the telephone line, which he said "is now also to be utilised by both the fax machine and a handset. It will be used not only for House of Commons business but also business pertaining to my organization", rather than explicitly asking for advice. Moreover, between 2003 and 2006 Dr Fox used Parliamentary facilities for Atlantic Bridge without even raising the question.
I am advised by the Serjeant at Arms that no rules relating to permitted uses of Members' offices have been promulgated. It is, however, a fundamental principle underpinning the provision of Parliamentary facilities, services, expenses and allowances to Members that they are provided to enable Members to carry out their responsibilities as Members of the House, that is they are provided for Parliamentary rather than for party purposes.
We nonetheless take this opportunity to remind all Members of the importance of the fundamental principle that Parliamentary facilities, services, expenses and allowances are provided for Parliamentary purposes, and that it is incumbent on them to check regularly the relevant rules.
24. Dr Fox's evidence was that The Atlantic Bridge was a particularly small organisation with only one part time employee, which had long periods of inactivity. The facilities Dr Fox received from the House were no different than they would otherwise have been. For the period in question, the organisation was a registered charity. While that organisation doubtless benefited from use of Dr Fox's Parliamentary facilities, it is impossible to quantify that benefit.
25. We recommend that Dr Fox repay £3,000 to cover the period in which his friend was staying in his ACA funded accommodation after the revised Green Book had put the rules beyond doubt. We also recommend that Dr Fox apologise in writing for his breaches of the rules in permitting his friend to use his ACA funded flat for a year and in permitting The Atlantic Bridge to use his parliamentary offices. We would have proposed a heavier penalty if Dr Fox had not raised the use of his office with the House Authorities.


Catherine (Cat) Pigott leads a virtual team responsible for analysing and modelling natural perils. She is an actuary by training and a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (UK).
Catastrophe (cat) modelling is often regarded as dense and complicated. Could you demystify it?
While the details can sometimes get rather complex, cat modelling is not as dense as many people perceive.
In simple terms, cat models are a tool for estimating potential losses following a natural disaster like a hurricane, earthquake or flood. Where it can get complicated is that cat models generate outputs derived from two types of data: historical and scientific information on different types of natural perils including frequency, severity, geographic spread, etc.; and exposure data including occupancy, construction details, value, etc. While the inputs and outputs of a model can be grasped pretty readily, the mechanics of organising different types of data into an informative model can indeed be somewhat elaborate.
In the late 1980s / early 1990s, several large-scale disasters illustrated the need for and value of modelling catastrophe risk, notably Hurricane Andrew that devastated the south coast of Florida in 1992. It caused USD 15.5 billion in insured damages and left nine insurers insolvent. Around the same time, some major scientific studies of natural hazards, combined with advances in information technology and geographic information systems, made it increasingly possible to measure hazards and map risks.
In the wake of Andrew and other disasters, many (re)insurers began to incorporate cat modelling into their decision-making – especially for pricing and managing accumulations in hazard-prone areas. Since then, cat modelling has become increasingly sophisticated, especially as more research is conducted into the causes, dynamics and impacts of various types of natural disasters. At the same time, modelling tools continue to become more innovative while technology platforms also become faster and more powerful.
We are a small, multidisciplinary team of actuaries, cat modellers, and scientists with backgrounds in relevant areas like atmospheric science. We work across the entire enterprise. We also liaise extensively with other scientists and technical specialists within XL Catlin and externally.
Like other (re)insurers, XL Catlin relies primarily on cat models licensed from commercial companies. So a big part of our role is to evaluate and adapt cat models from different companies covering specific perils and geographies. The aim is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the model and determine what we can and cannot do about those shortcomings. We also decide on the best uses of the model internally.
We typically start by breaking the model into its constituent pieces and then evaluating each component separately. And when something looks sub-optimal, we work with the developer to understand the issue further. We may then decide to adapt XL Catlin’s copy of the model so that it is more robust and fit-for-purpose.
For example, a commercial model for a particular peril and geography will be built around a hazard or a science module. We’ll try to isolate that part of the model, and assess it based on data from an academic organisation, a publicly available source and our portfolio data. We’ll review the scientific methods that have gone into the model, and where possible, make comparisons against other models.
In the process, we often find elements that are particularly uncertain; large, catastrophic events are – fortunately – relatively rare, so the historical data are often fragmented and sparse. Or we might have a different view of the risk compared to the developer’s default view. In either case, we need to justify, internally and externally, why XL Catlin’s view of the peril is more in line with the potential risks and recommend modifications. We also need to develop a roadmap for making the proposed changes.
So it’s a mix between deconstructing models to understand their inner workings, offering recommendations to make the models more reflective of specific perils and XL Catlin’s distinctive view of risk, and educating users about the strengths and weaknesses of particular models.
What do you mean by XL Catlin’s “distinctive view of risk”?
That means having a specific and particular point-of-view about how a particular risk is likely to impact XL Catlin’s clients, and, in turn, our different portfolios.
Commercial models are designed for everybody to use, and they’re typically based on averages. But our portfolios don’t necessarily match the averages. As a result, it’s important that the models we use reflect XL Catlin’s particular risk profile as well as our knowledge and expertise in, for example, specific occupancies.
XL Catlin, for instance, is the leading insurer for a particular property type in the UK that is susceptible to wind damages. These are unusual structures that are by no means average. We have been writing this business for more than 25 years and have a sophisticated understanding of the risk of windstorms on this occupancy. The developer of the UK windstorm model acknowledged that they do not have data on this occupancy, and since we’ve been writing it for so long, we do. So we are working to modify XL Catlin’s use of the model to reflect XL Catlin’s distinctive view of this unique risk.
What do you see as some of the most promising developments in this field?
I see two main developments driving the evolution of cat modelling over the next few years: big data, and the emergence of new model developers, including collaborative, open-source initiatives.
The increasing volume of data from a widening variety of sources and flowing with greater frequency – aka big data – is having significant implications across all kinds of fields, including cat modelling. For instance, when we evaluate a model, we now have significantly more and better data from academics, government agencies, and various other sources. Our Science team is liaising, for example, with some universities to capitalise on new research for more advanced studies.
The other piece is around exposure data. The more we understand about the characteristics of the buildings we insure, the greater the reliability of the model outputs. However, accurate and up-to-date exposure data has historically been difficult to get. Today, many new information sources are available to supplement what we get directly from clients.
Another exciting development is the emergence of smaller model developers offering solutions that provide more flexibility in incorporating the user’s assumptions and data. That includes some open source models that typically are collaborative efforts between private industry, academic researchers and government agencies.
These new approaches could move cat modelling to the point where (re)insurance companies aren’t just using models from the same major developers straight out of the box. That should lead, in turn, to much more divergence of opinion between different (re)insurers. And that’s good because it lessens the possibility of systemic risk within the industry, and it will also create more differentiation between (re)insurers.
Last question. You go by the name Cat. When did you become aware that it was shorthand for catastrophe?
(Laughs.) I’ve been called Cat since I was a child. I didn’t know it was shorthand for catastrophe until I started applying for insurance jobs. I must admit that in my first position, I was tempted to change the spelling to a “K” because it was causing genuine confusion. People were referring to me, the person, and other people thought they were referring to cat risk. So, yes, it is brought up regularly. And it is a bit ironic that I ended up in this field. On the other hand, I do find that people remember my name!


OVERVIEW: Ever since Max’s parents were spirited away on a mysterious ship, he has longed to find them.
He’s solved case after case for other people in his business as “solutioneer.” And he’s puzzled out the coded messages sent by his father. He doesn’t know exactly what’s happened, but he knows his parents are in danger—and it’s up to Max to save them.
Max and his friends (and a few old foes) don disguises and set sail on a rescue mission. It will take all of Max’s cleverness and daring to outmaneuver the villains that lie in wait: power-hungry aristocrats, snake-handling assassins, and bombardier pastry chefs.
And behind the scenes, a master solutioneer is pulling all the strings.... Has Max finally met his match?
FORMAT: The Book of Kings is the third and final book in the Mister Max series. It is a children's mystery, historical fiction, adventure novel. It stands at 352 pages was published September 8, 2015 by Knopf Books for Young Readers.
ANALYSIS: After two entire books of Max trying to uncover the mystery of why his parents disappeared, readers finally get the answers they were hoping for in The Book of Kings – the third and final chapter of the Mister Max series. The question is does it come to a satisfying conclusion?
Answering that question is rather difficult for me. There are certain elements I enjoyed about the Mister Max series and there were certain things that fell flat. Unfortunately, the elements that I didn't care for seemed to outweigh the good parts.
In this third installment, Max and his 'crew' head out Andesia which is a completely new setting with new characters. The problem I had was everything felt so rushed. The entire series revolved around the disappearance of Max's parents and they didn't even go to the place where the parents were to solve the mystery until a good quarter of the way through the final book.
With the change of setting, there are a lot of things that are different. There is a new political system, new geographical setting, new customs, and new characters. This might have been great had the entire book been dedicated to Andesia or if some of this information had been present in previous books, but it wasn't. That left me with a feeling that too much time was being spent on this new setting and not enough time really exploring what readers had been waiting for – solving the mystery of where and why Max's parents disappeared.
Another issue I had with The Book of Kings was the character development. Max seemed to grow and mature throughout the series, but the other characters did stuff that was completely out of character for them. For example, there was a romance angle that happened between Max's grandma and his painting instructor. It literally came out of nowhere. This might have been okay but space was at a premium in this book so starting a random and unnecessary romance just seemed a waste of valuable space.
Pia, a favorite character, seemed to be MIA most of the book. Even her 'ending' seemed to be shoved into the novel as an afterthought.
Another example is Max's parents. They felt extremely underdeveloped, not really thought out, and their entire attitude just seemed off. Their son risked a lot and did a lot to get them back and it seemed like the entire attitude was "oh well. Thanks I guess". I would have liked to see a bit more of a relationship between Max and his parents.
The last issue I had was with suspending disbelief. Everything from the belief that this 12 year old boy could wander around and make a living on his own solving rather juvenile problems to the entire reason why Max's parents were kidnapped just was too much for me to take. I couldn't suspend my disbelief. I tried, but it didn't work. I couldn't get passed the idea that all these adults just shrugged their shoulders and were ok with everything Max did (quitting school, living on his own with a random roommate, starting a business).
A disappointing aspect of the book was the lack of development revolving around Max's mysterious eyes. I also really hoped something would come of the whole "having weird color eyes". Every time Max was mentioned, people mentioned his eyes. I thought there would be some hidden meaning behind it but it didn't pan out. It was a bit disappointing.
I was also disappointed in the reason why Max's parents disappeared. It didn't make a lot of sense and was rather confusing. It turned into this whole moral, human rights issue almost and helping the area switch political control. It just seemed as if it was put in there to send a message and less because it made sense with the plot or story line.
Even with the issues, I do have to say that Cynthia Voigt's writing is absolutely beautiful. It really had a very nice flow to it and she is extremely talented. I feel if either the entire trip to Andesia had been left out or if she had devoted the whole book to it things would have turned out better.
Is The Book of Kings a bad book? I don't think it is. I think there is a very specific reader who would love this series. I also think that younger readers may not be as critical of the book and would be able to enjoy it. I don't regret reading the series, but I do wish I had been able to walk away from the series feeling more closure and satisfaction than I did.


A torch singer from the 1940’s, mother to cabaret star, Andrea Marcovicci, Helen makes a triumphant return with this sweetly nostalgic CD demonstrating why she stopped the show at Carnegie Hall - and Town Hall at 90!
A surprisingly powerful instrument makes for a CD that you’ll savor again and again.
Following the sold-out self-titled debut CD from 2000, this new disc (released in celebration of Helen’s NINETIETH birthday), moves easily from classics sung with conviction (\"My Melancholy Baby\", \"The Twelfth of Never\"), to tender moments (\"Autumn Leaves\"), to playful memories (\"Smiles\", \"It All Depends on You\", \"Take Me Out to the Ballgame\"), to powerful statements of love (\"In the Still of the Night\", \"Russian Lullaby\"). Helen Marcovicci has stopped the show with standing ovations at every major venue where she has appeared including the ultimate stage, Carnegie Hall. Her sultry register ignites in a fiery passion whenever she performs. This latest CD, recently recorded at the age of eighty-nine, displays the singer’s warm honest emotion on these beloved songs.
We all know about that larger-than-life creature known as the stage mother. In popular mythology, she is the ogre responsible for warping her children\'s lives by pushing them too hard into a spotlight she secretly craves for herself.
How real is this bogeywoman? Candidates were prolific on Tuesday evening at Town Hall where the 15th annual Cabaret Convention celebrated family night. As six musical clans appeared in various multigenerational combinations, you felt that a genetic predisposition to perform mattered more than any pushy mother in determining a child\'s future in show business.
The Callaway Sisters (Ann Hampton and Liz) appeared with their mother Shirley (a voice teacher and former member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus) to sing three-part harmonies in a cheery set that might have belonged on the old \'\'Carol Burnett Show.\'\' In Shirley Callaway\'s voice there were distinct traces of the honeyed timbre inherited by Ann.
Some years ago, a dear friend introduced me to the music of the brilliant Andrea Marcovicci. Recently, in search of a birthday present for my friend, I was trolling around on-line for possibly a new cd of Andrea's, when I came upon Helen's. I'd had NO IDEA that Andrea's mother was a former cabaret artist and night club star! I immediately ordered 2 cds, one for my friend, and one, for me. I'm so glad I did! HELEN IS AMAZING! Her cd has truly defined for me this Season of Spring, 2009. The songs are time-honored, and wonderful, by themselves..but with her voice, still gorgeous and so full of experience, a voice that conveys the joy of having truly LIVED, they are imbued and embossed with a special tenderness, and a unique conviction. As you listen, you get a sense of a bless-ed memory of the past, and, at the same time, a belief in the future...It's a marvelous legacy she offers, and it's truly a work of art. Helen Marcovicci has a beautiful instrument, and more importantly, a beautiful heart.


How to transfer iPod Music onto Mac?
1. Can you transfer music from your ipod to your mac?
2. How do i transfer the music off of my Ipod to the new mac?
After installing the program, connect your iPad with Mac via USB cable, and the software will detect your iPad automatically.
All information about your iPad will be shown in the main interface. On the left side, all iPad data files are classified. Tab "Media", and you can see all media files, including audios and videos, are listed in the interface. Choose the target music you want to transfer to Mac.
Click "Export to", and choose "Export to Mac" in the drop-down options to export iPad music to Mac, or "Export to iTunes Library" to move music to iTunes. Select a file location on Mac, and then it will start to transfer music from iPad to Mac.


What's Turkey's Role in the Second Round of Iran Talks?
Previous talks have always been in European venues, so why Istanbul for this second round of talks between Iran and the world’s six major powers over Iran’s controversial nuclear program?
Iran called for the talks to be held in Istanbul to reward Turkey—and also Brazil, since President Ahmadinejad has announced the next meeting is supposed to be there—for trying to negotiate a compromise on the Tehran Nuclear Reactor Deal in May 2010. Turkish officials will not be in the room in the January 2011 talks, but the Iranians are likely to praise Turkey’s role in speeches before and after talks in the hopes of getting Ankara’s support for its own position.
How might the Turkish venue impact the diplomatic dynamics of talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany, or P5 +1?
It will have no impact on the dynamics of the negotiations.
In the past, what role has Turkey played in negotiations on Iran’s controversial nuclear program?
The Turks, in particular Prime Minister Erdogan and Foreign Minister Davutoglu, have tried to downplay the significance of Iran’s nuclear program. Erdogan has even dismissed international suspicions that Tehran may want nuclear weapons as “gossip” and says he takes Iran at its word when it claims the program is only for peaceful nuclear energy.
Turkey and Brazil negotiated a deal with Iran in May 2010 just as the U.N. Security Council, including all five permanent members, was about to seek further sanctions against Tehran. The two rising powers proposed transmitting some 1,200 kilograms of Low Enriched Uranium to Turkey for safekeeping, but the P5+1 saw it as insufficient and a last-minute ploy by Iran to prevent a fourth round of punitive sanctions. For Turkey, it was a bittersweet deal because it undermined its position with the United States.
What role might Turkey play this time?
It will play no role as it is not participating in the meeting.
Does Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan appear to have any interest in playing a role, beyond host, given the nuclear deal he and his Brazilian counterpart negotiated in May 2010?
The Turks are uneasy about playing a role, given the failed May 2010 diplomatic effort and fears that they may be dragged into backing either side. Turkey has not even responded yet to the Iranian invitation to visit its nuclear sites. Iran’s invitation countries seen as being friendly to Tehran was designed to drive a wedge between them and the U.S. and European positions on Iran’s nuclear program.
Erdogan was surprised by the P5+1 reaction to the Turkey-Brazil proposal on the Tehran Research Reactor and especially by President Obama’s reaction. When they met in Toronto in June 2010, Obama told Erdogan in no uncertain terms that he was upset at the Turkish role and Ankara's subsequent decision to vote against a new U.N. sanctions resolution. So Erdogan is likely to be circumspect this time around. One can even imagine him wishing that the meeting would not take place in Istanbul.
What does hosting these talks do for Turkey’s reputation and Erdogan’s foreign policy ambitions?
The use of Istanbul as a venue is always good publicity. However, in this case, this is clearly an Iranian choice and Western powers did not object so as not to appear to be dismissive of Turkey. In an ironic way, Iran may be doing Turkey and Brazil a disfavor because the Istanbul talks will remind everyone of the previous diplomatic debacle in May 2010.
In a recent press conference, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the January talks in Istanbul, followed by February talks in Brazil and March talks in Tehran. That sequence has not been confirmed by other countries. What is he up to?
At this stage, these negotiations are pure theatre. Nothing is expected to come out of them. Both sides are playing a game in which the object is to pretend to the audience (the rest of the world) that they mean well. For the Iranians, the goal is to gain time. For the six major powers, it is about building international consensus for the dual policy of talking and ratcheting up the measures that make it more difficult for Iran to achieve its nuclear goals.
The Americans and Europeans can already claim success because their policies have clearly caused substantive delays in the Iranian nuclear program.
Henri J. Barkey is chairman of Lehigh University’s international relations department and a visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.


Suppose you are going to pick John Smith up at the airport. What if you have never met him? How are you going to know which one of the passengers is john Smith? You would need a description. You would need to know things like his height, weight, hair color, and what he was wearing. Finding a man who is six feet tall with blonde hair, who is wearing blue jeans and a white button- up shirt would be pretty easy.
In the Old Testament, God told the Jewish nation about a special person who was coming to lead them. This person was called the messiah of Savior. But the Jews needed to know what to look for. How would they know who the Messiah was if they had no information about Him? For this reason, God told the Jews many things about the messiah that would help them identify Him. This is called Messianic prophecy. It simply means that God Predicted things about the Messiah in the Old Testament that would come true later. When they did come true, then the Jews would know who the Messiah was. For instance, God told the Jews that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and would die for their sins (Isaiah 53). God even told the Jews that the Messiah would be betrayed for exactly 30 pieces of silver (Zachariah 11:12). These are just a few of the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. There are actually more than 300 prophecies concerning the messiah that all came true in the life of Jesus.
There is one very interesting thing about the Messiah that God told the Jewish nation. In Exodus 12, God told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover feast. God designed this feast to help Israel remember the night He brought them out of Egypt. During the first Passover, they were supposed to sacrifice and eat a special lamb. After killing the lamb, they were told to put some of its blood around their doors. That night, God went through Egypt and killed all the firstborn children of the Egyptians. But God did not kill the firstborn children in any house that had the blood of the lamb over the door. The blood of the lamb saved their lives. But there was something very important about the way the Jews killed the lamb. God told them to make sure that they did not break any of its bones (Exodus 12:46). Why would God tell them not to break its bones? We find out the answer in the New Testament.
Jesus, the Messiah, was sacrificed on the cross for our sins. Usually, when someone was hung on a cross Roman soldiers would break his legs. This would keep the person from being able to raise up and breathe, and he would die more quickly. The bible says that Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two robbers who were crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, He was already dead. They did not break His legs. Why? Because He was like the Passover lamb- not a single bone was broken. The apostle John said: “For these things were done that the scripture should be fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken’” (John 19:36).
The Bible describes Jesus as “the Lamb of God who was takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Just as the blood of the Passover lamb saved the lives of the firstborn in Israel, the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, saves those who obey Him today. God told the world to look for a coming messiah, and He described many things to help us identify the Savior. One of those things was the fact that not a bone of His would be broken, a prophecy which matches perfectly with Jesus’ death on the cross.


This is intended to be a brief overview of some things you should keep in mind when installing Nagios, so as set it up in a secure manner.
Your monitoring box should be viewed as a backdoor into your other systems. In many cases, the Nagios server might be allowed access through firewalls in order to monitor remote servers. In most all cases, it is allowed to query those remote servers for various information. Monitoring servers are always given a certain level of trust in order to query remote systems. This presents a potential attacker with an attractive backdoor to your systems. An attacker might have an easier time getting into your other systems if they compromise the monitoring server first. This is particularly true if you are making use of shared SSH keys in order to monitor remote systems.
If an intruder has the ability to submit check results or external commands to the Nagios daemon, they have the potential to submit bogus monitoring data, drive you nuts you with bogus notifications, or cause event handler scripts to be triggered. If you have event handler scripts that restart services, cycle power, etc. this could be particularly problematic.
Another area of concern is the ability for intruders to sniff monitoring data (status information) as it comes across the wire. If communication channels are not encrypted, attackers can gain valuable information by watching your monitoring information. Take as an example the following situation: An attacker captures monitoring data on the wire over a period of time and analyzes the typical CPU and disk load usage of your systems, along with the number of users that are typically logged into them. The attacker is then able to determine the best time to compromise a system and use its resources (CPU, etc.) without being noticed.
Use a Dedicated Monitoring Box. I would recommend that you install Nagios on a server that is dedicated to monitoring (and possibly other admin tasks). Protect your monitoring server as if it were one of the most important servers on your network. Keep running services to a minimum and lock down access to it via TCP wrappers, firewalls, etc. Since the Nagios server is allowed to talk to your servers and may be able to poke through your firewalls, allowing users access to your monitoring server can be a security risk. Remember, its always easier to gain root access through a system security hole if you have a local account on a box.
Don't Run Nagios As Root. Nagios doesn't need to run as root, so don't do it. You can tell Nagios to drop privileges after startup and run as another user/group by using the nagios_user and nagios_group directives in the main config file. If you need to execute event handlers or plugins which require root access, you might want to try using sudo.
Lock Down The Check Result Directory. Make sure that only the nagios user is able to read/write in the check result path. If users other than nagios (or root) are able to write to this directory, they could send fake host/service check results to the Nagios daemon. This could result in annoyances (bogus notifications) or security problems (event handlers being kicked off).
Lock Down The External Command File. If you enable external commands, make sure you set proper permissions on the /usr/local/nagios/var/rw directory. You only want the Nagios user (usually nagios) and the web server user (usually nobody, httpd, apache2, or www-data) to have permissions to write to the command file. If you've installed Nagios on a machine that is dedicated to monitoring and admin tasks and is not used for public accounts, that should be fine. If you've installed it on a public or multi-user machine (not recommended), allowing the web server user to have write access to the command file can be a security problem. After all, you don't want just any user on your system controlling Nagios through the external command file. In this case, I would suggest only granting write access on the command file to the nagios user and using something like CGIWrap to run the CGIs as the nagios user instead of nobody.
Require Authentication In The CGIs. I would strongly suggest requiring authentication for accessing the CGIs. Once you do that, read the documentation on the default rights that authenticated contacts have, and only authorize specific contacts for additional rights as necessary. Instructions on setting up authentication and configuring authorization rights can be found here. If you disable the CGI authentication features using the use_authentication directive in the CGI config file, the command CGI will refuse to write any commands to the external command file. After all, you don't want the world to be able to control Nagios do you?
Implement Enhanced CGI Security Measures. I would strongly suggest that you consider implementing enhanced security measures for the CGIs as described here. These measures can help ensure that the username/password you use to access the Nagios web interface are not intercepted by third parties.
Use Full Paths In Command Definitions. When you define commands, make sure you specify the full path (not a relative one) to any scripts or binaries you're executing.
Hide Sensitive Information With $USERn$ Macros. The CGIs read the main config file and object config file(s), so you don't want to keep any sensitive information (usernames, passwords, etc) in there. If you need to specify a username and/or password in a command definition use a $USERn$ macro to hide it. $USERn$ macros are defined in one or more resource files. The CGIs will not attempt to read the contents of resource files, so you can set more restrictive permissions (600 or 660) on them. See the sample resource.cfg file in the base of the Nagios distribution for an example of how to define $USERn$ macros.
Strip Dangerous Characters From Macros. Use the illegal_macro_output_chars directive to strip dangerous characters from the $HOSTOUTPUT$, $SERVICEOUTPUT$, $HOSTPERFDATA$, and $SERVICEPERFDATA$ macros before they're used in notifications, etc. Dangerous characters can be anything that might be interpreted by the shell, thereby opening a security hole. An example of this is the presence of backtick (`) characters in the $HOSTOUTPUT$, $SERVICEOUTPUT$, $HOSTPERFDATA$, and/or $SERVICEPERFDATA$ macros, which could allow an attacker to execute an arbitrary command as the nagios user (one good reason not to run Nagios as the root user).
Secure Access to Remote Agents. Make sure you lock down access to agents (NRPE, NSClient, SNMP, etc.) on remote systems using firewalls, access lists, etc. You don't want everyone to be able to query your systems for status information. This information could be used by an attacker to execute remote event handler scripts or to determine the best times to go unnoticed.
Secure Communication Channels. Make sure you encrypt communication channels between different Nagios installations and between your Nagios servers and your monitoring agents whenever possible. You don't want someone to be able to sniff status information going across your network. This information could be used by an attacker to determine the best times to go unnoticed.


This article is about the relation, the similarity and contrast, between the well-known subgroup property of normality, and the important subgroup property of being a direct factor -- a factor in a direct product.
is the kernel of a homomorphism from . In particular, there is a quotient group .
Every inner automorphism of leaves invariant. In symbols, for every .
A subgroup of a group is termed a direct factor if it is normal, and there is another subgroup of such that is normal, and is trivial.
(The three conditions are equivalent to saying that is the internal direct product of with . Thus, is isomorphic to the external direct product ).
Such a will be termed a normal complement to .
Just as we factorize natural numbers as products of smaller natural numbers, we want to factorize groups in terms of smaller subgroups. One such approach is using normal subgroups. If , then we can intuitively think of as being factored into two pieces and .
The role played by and in the factorization is not symmetric, and in this sense, the factorization does not commute. While is a subgroup, is a quotient group. There are situations where we can identify with a subgroup of that intersects trivially (this is the situation of an internal semidirect product) but this is not always true.
The structure of is not determined by the structure of and that of . In other words, knowing and upto isomorphism doesn't reveal upto isomorphism. There is additional pasting information that describes how and interact. This is in sharp contrast to the case of numbers, where we can multiply the factors together to get back the original number.
One can use factorization in the sense of normal subgroups to get the notion of composition series: a subnormal series with the property that all successive quotient groups are simple. A uniqueness theorem of sorts holds for all groups admitting a composition series of finite length: any two composition series have the same collection of isomorphism types of simple groups, with the same multiplicity of each isomorphism type.
Factorization of natural numbers may seem to bear closer resemblance to the notion of direct factors in a group. Namely, if is a direct factor, with a normal complement , we may think of as factored into and . is isomorphic to the quotient group , and is isomorphic to the quotient group , so this is a special case of the general factorization in terms of normal subgroups.
The role played by and is symmetric. Thus, the factorization is commutative.
is completely determined by and . In fact, it is isomorphic to the external direct product .
On the other hand, knowing does not completely determine as a subgroup. Although any normal complement to must be isomorphic to , there could be many different normal complements to .
Direct factors can be used as a tool of factorization. Every finite group is expressible as a direct product of directly indecomposable groups, and the Remak-Schmidt theorem states that the isomorphism types and multiplicities of these pieces are independent of the choice of decomposition.
This page was last edited on 7 August 2008, at 23:24.


What do Americans do traditionally toward the end of a year and the beginning of a year?
What do Americans do traditionally on 12/27, 12/28 or New Year's Eve, like clean the house or something, or special food .
What do Americans do after New Year's day at the beginning of the new year, like 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 etc.Do you have to work? new year party? special food? do you have school? Do you watch movies as a family?
In the US, the days following Christmas (Dec 26, 27, etc) are often used to visit and exchange gifts with those friends and family members that you didn't see prior to Christmas. Basically, every day from December 25 to January 1 is very relaxed, a time to get together with friends and have a drink or two, exchange gifts, etc. A lot of people have to work during these days (only December 25 is an official holiday), so the getting-together stuff is often confined to the evening hours. Unless your particular religion has its own rituals, there are no specific foods consumed during these days. New Year's Eve (Dec 31) is one of THE biggest party days in the US. Of course, champagne plays a major part of the drunkeness, but folks tend to imbibe in the libation of their choice beginning in the early evening (most New Year's Eve parties begin after 6:00PM). A traditional New Year's Eve gathering has plenty of booze, lots of various snacks (anything from sandwiches to chips and dip, Buffalo wings, quesadillas, pizza, vegetables and dip, etc) as well as novelty hats and noisemakers. Whether you're at a private home or in a public venue, all eyes turn to the TV just prior to midnight to watch the ball in Times Square fall. When midnight strikes and the New Year has officially been rung in, everyone hugs and kisses one another, whether they be lovers or strangers. It is a moment or two of true comraderie. The party continues until the wee hours of the next morning.
New Year's Day is an official holiday, and either consists of folks quietly staying at home and nursing a hangover, or getting together to party while watching one of the many football games broadcast on TV that day. In many southern US states, it is traditional to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day - legend has it that consuming these legumes on January 1st will bring you good luck during the coming year.


One reads: 18 This new aristocracy was composed of both Frank and Gallo-Roman elements. We have seen how great Roman families rose in the official hierarchy. But a far larger number, living undisturbed on their ancestral estates, still enjoyed the wealth and social consideration of generations before the conquest . . . . The Frank kings had after the conquest come into possession of great estates which were previously public land . . . .
. . . warring group exercised conquest over some entire weaker group . . . [the former] would settle down in the territory of the conquered, or in an adjacent territory and live from the proceeds of the labor of the vanquished.
The slaves of Greece and Rome, the Plebeians of later Rome, the serfs and villains of feudal times, and the laboring and menial classes of all ages have belonged to nobles, lords, and upper classes generally. They represent the conquered races of the world, and had occupied those social positions since long before there was any written history of the countries in which they lived. It is this fact that concealed their true origin for so long and obscured the great ethnic principle that underlies the social classes.
In reality, one is able to affirm that . . . the distinction of classes in France does not correspond at all to a difference of races. In the epoch of the Carolingians . . . Gallo-Romans and Germans were both equally recruited to make up the aristocracy.
Gumplowicz, one of the most vigorous exponents of the race-conquest theory, refers, as does Wundt, to the conquest of England by the Normans and states, or infers, that the new nobility was composed of the conquerors. 25 Later in this chapter it will be shown that this, too, is not historically accurate.
Thus the conquest of southern Europe by northern tribes led to a period of somewhat confused readjustment, in which men of natural power bettered their status. The classes that emerged were as much the result of competition as derived by inheritance from those of tribal society.
In refuting Ward, Gumplowicz, Fahlbeck, Sorokin, Wundt, Cooley, Westermarck, and the exponents of the Nordic myth, one need only cite accredited historians; they have gone much more thoroughly into detail.
18. Dill, op. cit., (7) pp. 223 - 224.
19. Ibid., pp. 225 - 226.
20. Cecil Clare North, Social Differentiation (Chapel Hill, 1926) p. 210.
22. Lester P. Ward, "Social Classes in the Light of Modern Social Theory," in American Journal of Sociology, vol. XIII (March, 1908) p. 620.
23. North, op. cit., p. 143.
24. René Gonnard, "Quelques considérations sur les classes," in Revue Economique Internationale, 17th year, vol. II, No. 1 (Paris, April 10, 1925) pp. 69 - 70; translation ours.
25. Ludwig Gumplowicz, Der Rassenkampf (Innsbruck, 1883) p. 208. 26. Pontus E. Fahlbeck, Die Klassen und die Gesellschaft (Jena, 1922) p. 47; translation ours.
27. Charles Horton Cooley, Social Organization (New York, 1909) pp. 225 - 226.


How to get FFmpeg/sox working on heroku flask app?
I am trying to convert an mp3 audio file from .mp3 format and multi-channel audio to a .flac format and single-channel audio in my python flask app. I am currently using the python wrapper for ffmpeg called ffmpy. Here is my code.
We have faced quite a few errors with this code segment when deploying the flask app to heroku (The code seems to work fine locally). The error I am running into is a ffmpy.FFExecutableNotFoundError: Executable 'ffmpeg' not found execption. To fix this, I tried downloading the ffmpeg build and set that as my executable (see the comment in my code above). I dragged that into my project directory and added the code above but the same error was throwing, except it said: ffmpy.FFExecutableNotFoundError: Executable 'ffmpeg-20190304-db33283-macos64-static/bin/ffmpeg not found. The name of the file was the executable not found in case that was unclear. We then tried adding buildpackages from the following two github repos: https://github.com/HYPERHYPER/heroku-buildpack-ffmpeg and https://github.com/integricho/heroku-buildpack-python-ffmpeg but neither buildpack solved the issue. When we ran heroku run bash and typed ffmpeg we got a command not found error. I then tried to install it with apt-get install ffmpeg on the heroku bash but that also failed. This is my requirements.txt file.
This kept saying <inputfile.mp3> sox: not found and thus I pivoted to ffmpeg. If there is a more efficient way to do this conversion please let me know as I'm new to both python and heroku. Any help is appreciated.
Browse other questions tagged python heroku flask ffmpeg sox or ask your own question.
How do you get a query string on Flask?


Consider the data which is given in the question.
is the population of the fish.
is the carrying capacity before Catastrophe.
is the carrying capacity after Catastrophe.
The objective is to graph the “before-and-after “curve that tells how population of fish reacts to the change in environment.


want more? Including short descriptions of the book mentioned above, and a chance to vote? Go here.
I wanted to like Bookchase, but I can't tell how it's unique or different enough from a certain game on pursuing trivia to make it stand out. I also get the feeling that the questions might not all be about books but about general trivia. Make this a chase for some antiquarian books and everyone has to answer different levels of questions on books and libraries. I'm there (probably alone, because who really wants to play a game focused only on books instead of, say, actually sitting down and reading one.) I get the concept, get people interested in reading, but it doesn't seem different enough.


Labor Day Weekend marks the official end of summer, one that Hollywood will be sad to say goodbye to. And although it won't exactly be going out with a bang, the summer season closes off with at least a couple of films that could transcend Labor Day's reputation as a dumping ground.
With cheap horror films becoming a reliable source of income for studios, it's only natural that they would turn to remakes of classic titles in the genre. It started with Michael Bay's production company redoing the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films, which were surprising hits, with the first one grossing $80 million in total. The latest is Halloween, which has been handed to death metal musician/director Rob Zombie.
Bringing film's version of the Boogeyman in Michael Myers back to the screen, Zombie attempts to update it with his frenetic directing style as seen in House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, as well as plenty of blood and guts. In the film, Myers is accidentally released from his mental institution, after which he heads back to his hometown in search of his dear old sister, with whom he has a long standing score to settle. Involving, you know, knives, and stabbing her with them. And if other people happen to get in his way in the meantime, they can be stabbed too.
Zombie looks to have delivered a rather intense film. Zombie is a well-known proponent of dialing it up to 11 with gore, and given an opportunity like this, he will certainly have taken it. This gives this film a bit more credibility in horror circles than it would otherwise have and might save it from being "just a remake" in the eyes of aficionados. Reviews are horrible, but then when have horror fans cared about that? I think the combination of the classic franchise name, Zombie's street cred and the lack of much horror lately should push this to the top of the box office this weekend, with about $21 million over four days.
The weekend's new comedy offering, Balls of Fury, got a jump on the weekend by opening on Wednesday. An absurdist sports movie parody in the vein of Dodgeball, Balls of Fury delves into the world of underground table tennis, or as Christopher Walken might call it... ping-pong. If the idea of Christopher Walken saying that makes you smile a little, then this is the film for you. If not, then you're probably scratching your head that this is fodder for a major motion picture.
Relatively unknown (but Tony Award winning!) Dan Fogler stars in the film as a former ping-pong pro working an act in the Vegas scene until he's recruited to infiltrate a combination ping-pong/martial arts tournament run by the evil Mr. Feng (Walken, milking his general weirdness for all it's worth). General wackiness ensues, with screenwriters Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant (most known for Reno 911!) throwing every joke they can think of up on screen to see what sticks. Most critics are saying that it's not too many of them, but the commercials do pack a fairly impressive number of gags into 30 seconds.
Balls of Fury debuted with a modest $1.7 million on Wednesday, in second place behind Superbad, the other raucous comedy in the market right now. There's a fairly large overlap between the two audiences, which should eat into the overall figures for this one, but this film faced a pretty tough uphill climb anyway. Comedy these days seems to be all about branding, and without a big name star or producer, this film won't have much of a chance to break out. Look for about $10 million over the four-day holiday period.


It is important that we are able to have the proper mindset in dealing with the goals that we want or in handling any kind of situation that we are in. There are a lot of us that are interested in gaining more knowledge for success and we should know that the Lean Six Sigma is able to offer us with a program that would be able to give us all of the knowledge that we need to know.. There are organizations that we are able to deal with where we are able to take courses that are related to Lean Six Sigma and the type of behavior that it promotes that would help us get all of the information that we need. The Lean Six Sigma course is one of the programs that we are able to deal with that have high quality training that are specialized in healthcare. If you have often asked yourself, can six sigma work in healthcare? then find the answer here.
They have learning programs that are offered in their facilities but we should also know that we can also take their courses on the internet. We should look for websites and online platforms of Lean Six Sigma courses that we are able to take so that we can do some research on them. We should not just take any kind of course as we need to make sure that it is something that would be able to give us the results that we need. We should look for healthcare courses that are certified and are also trusted by a lot of people as it is something that would be able to affect our health. Learn how to develop a Lean six sigma company here.
The world that we live in is constantly changing and we should also know that there are a lot of new technologies and discoveries that we are able to find that are related to our healthcare. There are different types of programs that are being developed and we should make sure that we are able to look for one that would suit our needs and one where we can be most comfortable in. The Lean Six Sigma healthcare program is something that would be able to affect our mindset as well as the motivation that we need in order to put in some work in taking care of our health. They would be able to provide us with a structure that can serve as a guide on how to have a much better condition in our health and that is why it would surely help us out if we can get to know more about them. Find out more about the ideas behind six sigma here: https://www.encyclopedia.com/management/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/statistical-process-control-and-six-sigma.


Moody’s Analytics AXIS actuarial system is widely used by life insurers, reinsurers, and consulting firms for pricing, reserving, asset and liability management (ALM), financial modeling, capital calculations, and hedging. The AXIS actuarial system provides the flexibility to deploy large-scale computing power through an advanced cloud-based delivery platform or installed software.
Access software for pricing, valuation, modeling, financial projections, asset and liability management, and surplus adequacy requirements.
Project future monthly cash flows from starting liabilities and invested assets, for up to 100 years.
Generate valuation data, for financial reporting, and time-critical production of actuarial reserves simultaneously, on statutory, tax reporting, and other bases.
Evaluate blocks of business using projections of profitability and movements in surplus; evaluate the impact of reinsurance or changes in premiums and other plan values.
Benefit from the fully integrated additional modules for liability products, in-force assets, and reinvestment assets.
Perform a wide variety of actuarial applications with the same software, utilizing common assumption and business data.
Produce full financial projections with customizable reports, based on in-force business and defined levels of sales of new business.
Perform stochastic risk analyses of future economic scenarios using mathematical models with user-defined parameters, and project asset and liability performance linked to scenarios.
Design new products and solutions for life insurance, disability insurance, critical illness, savings products, and payout annuities to reach target profitability or other performance metrics.
Analyze policy and calendar year information to help understand the effect on both the income statement and balance sheet.
David is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and Associate of the Society of Actuaries. An IFRS 17 subject matter expert. David is currently involved in the interpretation of IFRS 17, working with insurers across the globe on the key aspects of the new standard. David has been with GGY and now Moody’s Analytics since 2004. Prior to joining GGY, he spent 16 years working as an actuary for insurance companies across a number of lines of business and functional roles. David’s experience includes various GAAP reporting frameworks, earnings analysis, long-term care, and other health protection products.


Kurt A. Körber, an enthusiastic inventor, founded what would later become a leading international technology company.
Every successful business starts with a sparkling thought. The foundation for our Group and its success was laid by Kurt A. Körber in 1946. In that year, he founded the cigarette machine repair company Hauni Maschinenfabrik in the district of Bergedorf in Hamburg. Körber had a lightning idea: the filter cigarette. Although the cigarette industry was very skeptical, Hauni began to develop a filter attachment machine. 1950 marks the birth of this machine, the MAX, which made the worldwide success of filter cigarettes possible. Around ten years later, Körber and his team of employees were manufacturing filter attachment machines and had become the top supplier of the tobacco industry. MAX enabled Hauni to achieve the international breakthrough, and production was scaled up rapidly. In 1956, Kurt A. Körber established Hauni Richmond as first subsidiary in the USA.
In 1970, Hauni acquired E.C.H. Will in Hamburg, a well-known manufacturer of paper processing machines. This acquisition laid the foundation for the company’s diversification into the paper and tissue sector. Eight years later, a grinding machine manufacturer was acquired. In the decades that followed, the company increasingly expanded into other sectors, including pharmaceutical and logistics systems. All of these companies were eventually consolidated under the roof of Körber AG as the holding company for the Group.
[Translate to English:] Tüftlerdiskussion: Kurt A. Körber (rechts) im Gespräch mit Mitarbeitern, um 1970.
[Translate to English:] Erweiterte Realität: Mit dem Wearable-Helm von Fabio Perini (vorgestellt 2017) können Service-Techniker aus der Entfernung Probleme bei Kunden lösen - mittels Augmented Reality.
Smarter production: Körber acquired the IIoT specialist connyun in 2018. The solutions and services of connyun boost the efficiency of machines and plants.
Körber sells the Business Units Motion Technology and Energy Technology in the former Business Area Automation.
The Körber Group acquires the start-up connyun (based in Karlsruhe, southern Germany), which supplies forward-looking applications, platform components, and services for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Körber acquires Centriq, a leading provider of voice-controlled warehousing and modeling solutions, and also invests in the Munich-based robotics start-up Magazino. Magazino develops and manufactures perception-controlled mobile robots that fully automate the movement of general cargo in intralogistics applications. The Group also invests in the Next Logistics Accelerator (NLA) in Hamburg. NLA provides venture capital to selected start-ups from all over Europe that employ disruptive business models.
The Körber Group sells its Business Area Machine Tools.
Extremely high-precision printing: In 2017 Körber acquired shares in “BigRep,” a Berlin-based tech start-up that produces large 3-D printers for additive manufacturing.
Establishment of Körber Digital in Berlin. Körber Digital shapes and drives the Körber Group’s digital advancement.
Körber acquires Systec & Services GmbH, with headquarters in Karlsruhe, southern Germany. Systec & Services GmbH is a system partner that specializes in consulting and implementation services for production control systems and track-and-trace solutions.
Körber strengthens its Business Area Logistics Systems with the acquisition of the US supply chain specialist HighJump, which has its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Group also invests in the Berlin technology start-up BigRep, which manufactures large-format 3-D printers for additive manufacturing applications.
Körber acquires a majority interest in DMLogic LLC, with headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the USA. DMLogic is a specialized supplier of logistics software products.
The Group also acquires MTC S.R.L., with headquarters in Lucca, Italy. MTC develops, manufactures, and markets tissue processing machines for hygienic paper and napkin processing machines.
In the same year, the Group acquires Fargo Automation, Inc., with headquarters in Fargo, North Dakota, in the USA. Fargo Automation develops and manufactures automated packaging equipment for the pharmaceutical and medical sectors.
Combined IT expertise: Körber IT Solutions GmbH (KITS) was founded in 2016.
Establishment of Körber IT Solutions GmbH (KITS). KITS manages the Körber Group’s IT infrastructure, IT solutions, and IT services around the world.
Körber acquires Qubiqa Logistics – an intralogistics company and leading supplier of depalletizing solutions, with headquarters in Arden, Denmark. The company provides products, systems, and services for the fully automated management of material handling and order picking facilities. Qubiqa Logistics has been rebranded as Riantics in 2017.
The Körber Group sells Winkler+Dünnebier GmbH and POEM GmbH (W+D) to Barry-Wehmiller Companies.
The Körber Group acquires Efacec Handling Solutions S.A., Porto, Portugal. The company is a systems integrator and one of the leading suppliers of automated materials handling technology and warehousing systems. Efacec Handling Solutions has been rebranded to Consoveyo in 2017.
In the Business Area Machine Tools, United Grinding Group AG and inspire AG — a spinoff of ETH Zurich University — establish Irpd AG, a joint venture for additive processes.
Digital know-how for the pharma industry: In 2014 Körber acquired Werum IT Solutions GmbH, a company based in Lüneburg that produces controlling and monitoring software such as PAS-X for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry.
Körber acquires Werum IT Solutions GmbH, which has its headquarters in Lüneburg, northern Germany. Werum is the world’s leading provider of production control and monitoring software for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries.
Körber also acquires a majority interest in Inconso AG, Bad Nauheim, near Frankfurt, Germany. Inconso is a leading provider of logistics software and consulting services for logistics solutions.
Hauni Maschinenbau AG (Business Area Tobacco) acquires Garbuio Dickinson, a primary technology specialist company from Italy and the country’s leading supplier of tobacco processing systems.
Körber’s four previous ‘divisions’ — Körber Process Solutions, United Grinding, Medipak, and Hauni — are transformed into seven Business Areas. The Group now offers its customers solutions, products and services in the Business Areas Automation, Logistics Systems, Machine Tools, Pharma Systems, Tissue, Tobacco, and Corporate Ventures.
Körber acquires LTi Group, which will later enable the creation of the Business Area Automation.
Hauni (Tobacco) acquires the Borgwaldt Group, which expands its expertise in the areas of measurement and analysis equipment and flavorings.
The Körber Group acquires Aberle Automation GmbH & Co. KG, located in Leingarten, Germany. This acquisition expands the Group’s expertise in the field of intralogistics.
Sale of E.C.H. Will, Kugler-Womako, and Pemco, and renaming of the Körber PaperLink division to Körber Process Solutions.
Testing competence: In 2011, Körber acquires Seidenader Maschinenbau GmbH. The company from Markt Schwaben manufactures, among other things, inspection machines for pharmaceutical production.
Acquisition of Seidenader Maschinenbau GmbH, located in Markt Schwaben, near Munich, Germany. The company manufactures inspection machines, software, and vision applications for pharmaceutical production.
Hauni (Tobacco) acquires SODIM SAS, Orléans, France, a specialist provider of measurement technology.
The Business Unit Pharmaceutical Packaging Systems is transformed into an independent division in the Körber Group.
Körber AG consolidates its Group management structure and moves to a new joint location in the center of Hamburg with its division holdings Körber PaperLink and Körber Schleifring, as well as the Group-owned insurance broker BVG.
From the roll to the box: Körber acquired Köckner Medipak in 2003. This company produces packaging machines for the pharmaceutical industry.
The companies in the Business Unit Pharmaceutical Packaging Systems — Rondo, Dividella, and MediSeal — are consolidated into a new brand known as Körber Medipak Systems.
Körber acquires Klöckner Medipak, which is renamed MediSeal in 2004. The Körber portfolio thus now includes another manufacturer of packaging machines for the pharmaceutical industry.
Körber AG acquires the Swiss companies Rondo AG and Dividella AG. The acquisitions expand the company’s operations in the sector for packaging systems for the pharmaceutical industry.
Paper and high tech: In 1994 Körber acquired a majority interest in the Perini Group and thus entered the tissue processing industry.
The Körber Group enters the tissue-paper processing sector by acquiring a majority interest in the Perini Group, which operates in Italy and Brazil.
Acquisition of the Sopianae Maschinenfabrik in Hungary. The company is later renamed Hauni Hungaria.
The Business Unit Machine Tools is expanded through the acquisition of the three German companies BWF, MIKROSA, and Schleifmaschinenwerkstatt Chemnitz. Just a short time later, Körber AG also acquires the Swiss companies Mägerle and Studer.
Establishment of the Schleifring Group.
Cause for celebration: Kurt A. Körber (right) and former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt at the event celebrating the transformation of Hauni-Werke into Körber AG in 1987.
The Hauni-Werke and all of the companies are consolidated into Körber AG.
The acquisition of the Hamburg-based grinding machine manufacturer Blohm marks the company’s entry into the machine tool division.
Hauni diversifies by acquiring the Hamburg-based company E.C.H. Will, a renowned manufacturer of paper processing machines.
The cornerstone of the breakthrough: Kurt A. Körber and an employee in front of the filter attachment machine MAX in the mid-1950s.
It all started with repairs to cigarette machines: The Hauni plant in 1956.
Early high tech: A historic cigarette machine from Hauni in Hamburg-Bergedorf.
Also in demand across the Atlantic: Machines from Hauni are loaded into an airplane bound for the USA (1956).
The start of internationalization: The first Hauni location outside Germany was founded in Richmond, Virginia (USA) in 1955.
Initial international expansion through the establishment of Hauni Richmond in Richmond, Virginia in the USA.
Production of the MAX filter assembler begins. This product enables Hauni to achieve the breakthrough to become a supplier of the tobacco industry.
Kurt A. Körber founds the Hauni Maschinenfabrik in Hamburg, Germany, to repair cigarette machinery.
A leading entrepreneur: Kurt A. Körber in July 1946.
The basement room where it all began: This photo taken on July 15, 1946 shows the first office of the founder of Körber AG.
Promoting involvement and taking on societal responsibility.


The author sets out to find whether free-floating an AR-15 makes it shoot better.
I was observing the training of a medium-size agency SWAT team that was upgrading its equipment after it had come into some money, and since the team knew it may never see a similar level of funding again, the crew wanted to get the best gear available. A young sergeant came up to me and asked "So, what do you think? Should we spent the additional funds to get the high-end carbines with the quad rails and free-floating barrels, or should we buy the standard models and just add rails where needed? I'm told that the free-float guns are far more accurate."
To be honest, the question caught me off-guard; I had never thought about it. The truth is, I'm not much for modifications unless they prove their worth, and few have done so, in my opinion. I had heard that free-floated AR-15s were supposed to be more accurate than stock guns. After all, free floating the barrel of a bolt-action rifle has proven to be far superior so, logically, doing so to the gas-powered AR would offer similar enhancement.
However, I had never seen it demonstrated before my eyes so I didn't truly know. What I have seen is a number of ARs that have been exceptionally accurate and dependable while others would better serve as jack handles. More troubling is that I've seen both good and bad guns from the same manufacturer, so I wasn't comfortable offering a blanket endorsement that free-floating a barrel would make an AR more accurate.
The author started the test with a standard Stag Arms Model 3 and Aimpoint sight system. The gun came back from the Stag Arms plant sporting a JP Enterprises/V-TAC free-float fore-end and a different gas block.
For weeks afterward I thought about the question and even contacted some of the sharpest people in the business who work with the black rifle daily. Their opinions were mixed.
I spoke with a number of trainers who see the AR-15 continuously, in the hands of shooters with a variety of skill levels, and all told me that a free-floating barrel would make no real difference in a fighting carbine. All said the necessary accuracy for this application was well within the capability of the factory AR-15 with the trapped barrel and two-piece fore-end. In all fairness, it should be noted that high-end custom guns receive additional modifications beyond a free-floating barrel, which likely justifies their higher cost.
While communicating with these experts, I read reviews in several magazines and trade journals that continued to report that the AR-15 with a free-floating barrel was far more accurate than the standard design. In the end, I decided that I had to find out for myself.
The goal was not to pass judgment on custom guns but to know how much more accurate an AR-15 would be if its barrel was free-floating. So I brought the question up to Mark Malkowski, president of Stag Arms (stagarms.com), one of the nation's largest manufacturers of AR-15s.
While many readers may know Stag Arms as the company that makes the AR for left-hand shooters, the truth is that Stag has been in the business of making AR-15 components for decades, and many well-known manufacturers use Stag parts. Some complete rifles you see are actually Stag Arms guns that carry someone else's brand. In other words, Stag knows ARs.
the placement of accessory rails.
After listening to my proposal, Mark agreed that it would be fun to find out about free floating. My regular carry carbine is a Stag Arms Model 3 that will shoot 1.5- to two-inch groups with boring regularity at 100 yards. I asked Mark if he would modify my Model 3 to a free-float barrel if I gathered the needed componentsâ€”figuring that since the gun came from Stag, if it were modified in the same place, a certain consistency would prevail as opposed to sending the rifle to a custom gunsmith.
Mark agreed that he would do nothing more than install a free-float fore-end and gas block and would then return it to me with no further modifications.
So I set out to get the components. Larry Weeks at Brownells (brownells.com) was equally enthusiastic about the project and put me in touch with the company's excellent technical staff, who gave me a number of ideas and options for what would work for my test.
After several discussions, it was decided that the JP Enterprises/V-TAC modular free-float handguard/rail system would be the best choice. This system provides the tactical or competitive shooter with maximum flexibility to set up a rifle the way he wants without having a bunch of sharp, unnecessary rail surfaces on the forward end of the gun.
In addition to floating the barrel, the V-TAC fore-end also eliminates pressure points from bipods or sling mounts that can pull on a fixed barrel and affect accuracy, something that many tactical/defensive shooters do not consider.
Also, having a long fore-end on an AR-15 can protect the barrel from banging against barricades, walls, cars, range props or other objects that can affect the barrel and thus accuracy. This is the reason that I opted for the longest fore-end that I could get so that it would cover as much of the 16-inch barrel as possible. The vented V-TAC fore-end would also vent built-up heat better, which would certainly aid accuracy during heavy shooting sessions.
The fore-end came with several four-inch sections of rail for the addition of white lights or vertical grips, as well as a trim piece of rail to mount a flip up-iron front sight. Since the V-TAC fore-end is also taller than the standard gas block rail, I added a Forearm Flip Front Sight from Yankee Hill Machine to my Brownells order. While I prefer a quality optic on an AR-15, it's wise to have backup iron sights.
d, Brownell's also included a Midwest Industries low-profile, one-piece gas block.
Once I had all of the components in hand, I headed to my gun club to conduct the pre-modification portion of my test. I had originally intended to shoot the Stag Model 3 for groups at both 100 and 200 yards, but the 200-yard range at my club was undergoing renovation, so I had to settle for a 100-yard test alone.
Since the Model 3 is a 16-inch carbine intended for combat applications, I resisted the temptation to put a high-magnification sporting scope on the gun and instead went with something that was more in line with the gun's intended function.
In the case of this particular rifle, switching to a free-float fore-end resulted in an accuracy improvement of 50 percent. This half-inch group was fired with 75-grain Hornady TAP.
I opted for the U.S. Army's current issue Aimpoint M68 CCO (Close Combat Optic)/M68 3X Magnifier combination ( www.aimpoint.com ). The M68 system comes with a quick-release mount that allows the magnifier to be removed, literally, with the twist of a wrist, which makes this a perfect sighting system for situations where both close combat and long-range shots may be required.
I also like the Aimpoint system because it is simple to use. You just place the dot where you want to shoot and press the trigger.
For targets, I used three-inch Shoot-N-C dots from Birchwood Casey as they would offer a nice contrasting background for the red dot of the Aimpoint.
I selected Hornady 75-grain TAP boattail hollowpoint (www.hornady.com ). This new 5.56 load is designated the T2 because it was designed especially for enhanced performance in carbines.
Used extensively by Special Forces Units in Iraq and Afghanistan, the T2 load differs from other loads in that it takes into account the direct gas action system of the AR-15 and its sensitivity to ammunition.
The T2 bullet has a unique ogive shape designed to facilitate feeding in M4 weapons systems. A cannelure was added to the bullet to facilitate case-mouth crimping and resulted in bullet push/pull forces that meet or exceed mil-spec standards. Hornady also uses a mil-spec primer (due to the free-floating firing pin) and crimped it in the case to preclude primer back-out and thereby limit unintended discharge.
The standard 75-grain Hornady TAP load has proven to produce one-minute accuracy out of 20-inch AR rifles, so I had little doubt that it would prove to be quite accurate in the short-barreled Model 3.
I benchrested the Model 3 on my Blackhawk Battle Bag and shot a series of five-shot groups. The temperature was 77 degrees with a negligible breeze that was coming from the rear. My best group measured 11â'„4 inches, my worst, 21â'„4.
I then sent the gun off to Mark at Stag Arms and waited for its return, which didn't take long. Stag installed the new gas block and fore-end in a day, and I was back at the range later that week to resume testing.
The first thing that I noted about the Model 3 as I took it from the shipping box was that it was noticeably heavier. This was due to the aluminum versus the plastic fore-end, which is also twice as long as the standard two-piece plastic unit. I also noticed that the trim profile of the JP/V-TAC fore-end was more pleasing to my hand.
I headed to the range the next day as the temperature was 79 degrees with a slight breeze that was coming in from the left side. This breeze was blocked by the range's side berm, so I doubted that it would have any effect on a 100 yard shot. After rezeroing the Aimpoint, I shot a series of five-round groups with the same lot of Hornady T2.
This time my best group measured 1/2 inch, an improvement of more than 50 percent. There's no reason to suspect that other rifles or other fore-ends would give significantly different results, so in my opinion, free-floating an AR-15 barrel does increase its accuracy at a noticeable level.
But to answer the SWAT sergeant's question about whether a free-float barrel is worth the extra money for his team? I would have to say "no." In the tactical environment in which his team is likely to operateâ€”engaging chest-size targets anywhere from five to 50 yardsâ€”I think they could use funds to purchase other items team members might need.
Is it worth it to the sportsman who uses his AR in three-gun competition, hunting or who likes to outshoot his buddies on the range on Saturday? You bet. Here the added accuracy can mean the difference between first and last place or connecting on a distant varmint.
Accuracy will always be mission specific. In the end, only the shooter can decide how much accuracy he needs or wants for a given purpose. Can a gun be too accurate, provided reliability is not affected? I think not.


After A Rough Summer, Pennsylvania Trump Fans Explain Why He Is Still Their Guy In central Pennsylvania, a farm family, the CEO of a small paper mill and a student at Penn State University — all Trump supporters — weigh in on the candidate's claim of potential voter fraud.
The Walizer Farm in Howard, Pa., is home to three generations of Trump supporters: Jim Walizer (from left), Jason Walizer and Dennis Walizer.
It's been a rough summer for supporters of Donald Trump.
A convention that aimed for harmony had some disharmony. The candidate picked arguments with a Gold Star family and with Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Polls have shown Trump falling behind.
At a recent rally in Altoona, Pa., Trump told the crowd that the only way he could lose Pennsylvania — a state where he is polling well behind Democratic rival Hillary Clinton — would be in the event of a fix.
"The only way they can beat it, in my opinion, and I mean this 100 percent, if in certain sections of the state, they cheat," Trump said. As NPR has reported, Trump's suggestion could be difficult to prove come Election Day but does touch on voters' distrust of government and growing polarization.
NPR's Robert Siegel went to central Pennsylvania — a Trump stronghold — to ask some members of his strongest demographic group, white men, whether they agree with that notion.
Among those supporters are three generations of a farm family, Jim Walizer, 82, Dennis Walizer, 57, and Jason Walizer, 22. Siegel also spoke with Mike Grimm, president and CEO of the American Eagle Paper Mills; and Chris Baker, a rising senior at Penn State University, who is the leader of the campus group We Are For Trump.
Baker credits Trump for getting so many people to pay attention to the presidential election.
"Everyone is looking at the election now; everyone is looking at politics now," he said. "If this was Jeb Bush vs. Hillary Clinton, most people would be turning their eyes away."
Jason Walizer: We were in this kind of overflow room, packed probably full of a thousand people and 2,000 upstairs in the big, main room. [Trump] actually come down to our room first. And he came in and he said, "I gotta be honest with you folks, you don't have the nicest real estate in the building, but that's why I wanted to come see you first." So it just made me feel that much more important.
Chris Baker stands in his apartment in State College, Pa. Baker is a rising senior at Penn State University and a leader of the campus group We Are For Trump.
Dennis Walizer: I think a lot of people who are saying — whether they're for or against the candidate — may be a little bit afraid of what the label is going to be put on them. When they get to the voting polls, and it's a secret ballot, things could be totally different.
Mike Grimm: Successful people are usually successful for a reason. And that really comes down to the people that you surround yourself with. [Trump] thinks like an executive. Is he an expert? Absolutely not. But I do believe that he can find the right people. That's my trust.
Chris Baker: I identify myself as a Libertarian. When this originally started, my top three candidates in order were Rand Paul, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump. I liked Rand Paul because he supports the Constitution. I liked Bernie Sanders because he represents the people. And I like Donald Trump because he represents himself. He's an individual. The rest of the candidates, they represent interest groups and lobbyists and people funding their campaigns.
Jason Walizer: Yeah, I would say that's possible. Absolutely. There's so much corruption around Hillary right now. How could I not believe that?
Jim Walizer: I think it's possible either way. And we think voter fraud in Philadelphia is pretty high.
Dennis Walizer: So, when you get things that close [a margin of 1 percent], it doesn't take much of a fraud or anything to sway the election.
Mike Grimm, president and CEO of American Eagle Paper Mills in Tyrone, Pa., says he is supporting Trump because Trump "thinks like an executive."
Grimm: [Trump] fans the flames way more than anybody should. That's not my style. That's not most people's style. That's why we turn our nose a little bit sometimes when you get in a fight with a couple of parents that lost their son. I don't care what their religion is, we shouldn't be picking a fight with 'em period. So that's generally where I'm at. Could I change my mind? I can't see myself voting for Hillary.
Baker: Trump was wrong for attacking [the Khan family]. Their son, what he did, is something I could never do. He's more courageous than I would have ever been for this country. I didn't go into the armed services. But I don't think that it was right for them to use the death of their son as a microphone to attack another candidate.


Make the stock: Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange wings in large roasting pan. Roast until deep brown, turning once, about 2 hours total.
Transfer wings to large bowl. Spoon 3 tablespoons turkey fat from roasting pan into large pot (reserve roasting pan). Add onion, carrot, and celery to pot. Sauté over medium-high heat until vegetables are golden, about 20 minutes. Add turkey wings to pot. Add 2 cups water to roasting pan; place over 2 burners and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Add liquid to pot. Add remaining ingredients and enough cold water to cover wings by 1 inch.
Bring water to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until stock is very flavorful and reduced to 7 1/2 to 8 cups, about 2 1/2 hours. Strain stock into large bowl. Cool 1 hour, then chill until cold, about 3 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled. (Can also be made and frozen 2 weeks ahead.) Spoon off fat from surface before using.
Make the herbed salt: Rub first 6 ingredients in small bowl to crush herbs finely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; store at room temperature. Stir in peel before using.
Season the turkey: Rinse turkey inside and out (do not pat dry). Pull any fat pads from main cavity and neck cavity of turkey; wrap, chill, and reserve fat for roasting. Place turkey in roasting bag; sprinkle inside and out with herbed salt. Close bag. Place on baking sheet; refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.
Roast the turkey: Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 325°F. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat very dry. Stir chopped onion and next 5 ingredients in small bowl. Divide onion mixture between main and neck cavities. Fold neck skin under and secure with skewer. Tuck wing tips under. Tie legs together loosely. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan, breast-side up. Spread butter all over 1 side of turkey, and flip over so the turkey is breast down – spread with remaining butter. Place reserved fat pads and reserved neck, heart, and gizzard in pan; pour in 2 cups Golden Turkey Stock.
Roast turkey 45 minutes. Remove from oven and tent with foil – roast for an additional hour. Remove from the oven, and flip the turkey so it is breast-side up. Replace the aluminum tent, and roast for an additional 30 to 45 minutes; be sure to add stock or water to the pan if it gets too dry. Remove the foil tent, and continue to roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F to 170°F, basting (if desired); re-tent loosely with foil if it browns too quickly. Transfer turkey to platter; tent very loosely with foil and let rest for about 45 minutes. Reserve roasting pan with juices for gravy.
For the gravy: Remove turkey neck, heart, and gizzard from roasting pan. Pull meat off neck; chop neck meat, heart, and gizzard and reserve for gravy, if desired. Pour pan juices into 8-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat from surface, reserving 1/2 cup fat. Add enough turkey stock to degreased pan juices to measure 5 1/2 cups total.
Place roasting pan over 2 burners on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup reserved fat and shallots; sauté for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the flour. Cook until roux is light brown, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in wine, stock mixture, and fresh herbs. Bring to boil, whisking to blend. Boil until gravy coats spoon, about 3 minutes. Add neck, heart, and gizzard, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.