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One of the Seven basic tools of quality
First described by
Walter A. Shewhart
To determine whether a process should undergo a formal examination for quality-related problems
Control charts, also known as Shewhart charts (after Walter A. Shewhart) or process-behavior charts, are a statistical process control tool used to determine if a manufacturing or business process is in a state of control. It is more appropriate to say that the control charts are the graphical device for Statistical Process Monitoring (SPM). Traditional control charts are mostly designed to monitor process parameters when underlying form of the process distributions are known. However, more advanced techniques are available in the 21st century where incoming data streaming can-be monitored even without any knowledge of the underlying process distributions. Distribution-free control charts are becoming increasingly popular.
Chart details
Chart usage
Choice of limits
Calculation of standard deviation
Rules for detecting signals
Alternative bases
Performance of control charts
Criticisms
Types of charts
If analysis of the control chart indicates that the process is currently under control (i.e., is stable, with variation only coming from sources common to the process), then no corrections or changes to process control parameters are needed or desired. In addition, data from the process can be used to predict the future performance of the process. If the chart indicates that the monitored process is not in control, analysis of the chart can help determine the sources of variation, as this will result in degraded process performance. [1] A process that is stable but operating outside desired (specification) limits (e.g., scrap rates may be in statistical control but above desired limits) needs to be improved through a deliberate effort to understand the causes of current performance and fundamentally improve the process. [2]
The control chart is one of the seven basic tools of quality control. [3] Typically control charts are used for time-series data, also known as continuous data or variable data. Although they can also be used for data that has logical comparability (i.e. you want to compare samples that were taken all at the same time, or the performance of different individuals); however the type of chart used to do this requires consideration. [4]
The control chart was invented by Walter A. Shewhart working for Bell Labs in the 1920s. [5] The company's engineers had been seeking to improve the reliability of their telephony transmission systems. Because amplifiers and other equipment had to be buried underground, there was a stronger business need to reduce the frequency of failures and repairs. By 1920, the engineers had already realized the importance of reducing variation in a manufacturing process. Moreover, they had realized that continual process-adjustment in reaction to non-conformance actually increased variation and degraded quality. Shewhart framed the problem in terms of Common- and special-causes of variation and, on May 16, 1924, wrote an internal memo introducing the control chart as a tool for distinguishing between the two. Shewhart's boss, George Edwards, recalled: "Dr. Shewhart prepared a little memorandum only about a page in length. About a third of that page was given over to a simple diagram which we would all recognize today as a schematic control chart. That diagram, and the short text which preceded and followed it set forth all of the essential principles and considerations which are involved in what we know today as process quality control." [6] Shewhart stressed that bringing a production process into a state of statistical control, where there is only common-cause variation, and keeping it in control, is necessary to predict future output and to manage a process economically.
Shewhart created the basis for the control chart and the concept of a state of statistical control by carefully designed experiments. While Shewhart drew from pure mathematical statistical theories, he understood that data from physical processes typically produce a "normal distribution curve" (a Gaussian distribution, also commonly referred to as a "bell curve"). He discovered that observed variation in manufacturing data did not always behave the same way as data in nature (Brownian motion of particles). Shewhart concluded that while every process displays variation, some processes display controlled variation that is natural to the process, while others display uncontrolled variation that is not present in the process causal system at all times. [7]
In 1924, or 1925, Shewhart's innovation came to the attention of W. Edwards Deming, then working at the Hawthorne facility. Deming later worked at the United States Department of Agriculture and became the mathematical advisor to the United States Census Bureau. Over the next half a century, Deming became the foremost champion and proponent of Shewhart's work. After the defeat of Japan at the close of World War II, Deming served as statistical consultant to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. His ensuing involvement in Japanese life, and long career as an industrial consultant there, spread Shewhart's thinking, and the use of the control chart, widely in Japanese manufacturing industry throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
A control chart consists of:
Points representing a statistic (e.g., a mean, range, proportion) of measurements of a quality characteristic in samples taken from the process at different times (i.e., the data)
The mean of this statistic using all the samples is calculated (e.g., the mean of the means, mean of the ranges, mean of the proportions) - or for a reference period against which change can be assessed. Similarly a median can be used instead.
A centre line is drawn at the value of the mean or median of the statistic
The standard deviation (e.g., sqrt(variance) of the mean) of the statistic is calculated using all the samples - or again for a reference period against which change can be assessed. in the case of XmR charts, strictly it is an approximation of standard deviation, the [ clarification needed ] does not make the assumption of homogeneity of process over time that the standard deviation makes.
Upper and lower control limits (sometimes called "natural process limits") that indicate the threshold at which the process output is considered statistically 'unlikely' and are drawn typically at 3 standard deviations from the center line
The chart may have other optional features, including:
More restrictive upper and lower warning or control limits, drawn as separate lines, typically two standard deviations above and below the center line. This is regularly used when a process needs tighter controls on variability.
Division into zones, with the addition of rules governing frequencies of observations in each zone
Annotation with events of interest, as determined by the Quality Engineer in charge of the process' quality
Action on special causes
(n.b., there are several rule sets for detection of signal; this is just one set. The rule set should be clearly stated.)
Any point outside the control limits
A Run of 7 Points all above or all below the central line - Stop the production
Quarantine and 100% check
Adjust Process.
Check 5 Consecutive samples
Continue The Process.
A Run of 7 Point Up or Down - Instruction as above
If the process is in control (and the process statistic is normal), 99.7300% of all the points will fall between the control limits. Any observations outside the limits, or systematic patterns within, suggest the introduction of a new (and likely unanticipated) source of variation, known as a special-cause variation. Since increased variation means increased quality costs, a control chart "signaling" the presence of a special-cause requires immediate investigation.
This makes the control limits very important decision aids. The control limits provide information about the process behavior and have no intrinsic relationship to any specification targets or engineering tolerance. In practice, the process mean (and hence the centre line) may not coincide with the specified value (or target) of the quality characteristic because the process design simply cannot deliver the process characteristic at the desired level.
Control charts limit specification limits or targets because of the tendency of those involved with the process (e.g., machine operators) to focus on performing to specification when in fact the least-cost course of action is to keep process variation as low as possible. Attempting to make a process whose natural centre is not the same as the target perform to target specification increases process variability and increases costs significantly and is the cause of much inefficiency in operations. Process capability studies do examine the relationship between the natural process limits (the control limits) and specifications, however.
The purpose of control charts is to allow simple detection of events that are indicative of an increase in process variability. [8] This simple decision can be difficult where the process characteristic is continuously varying; the control chart provides statistically objective criteria of change. When change is detected and considered good its cause should be identified and possibly become the new way of working, where the change is bad then its cause should be identified and eliminated.
The purpose in adding warning limits or subdividing the control chart into zones is to provide early notification if something is amiss. Instead of immediately launching a process improvement effort to determine whether special causes are present, the Quality Engineer may temporarily increase the rate at which samples are taken from the process output until it is clear that the process is truly in control. Note that with three-sigma limits, common-cause variations result in signals less than once out of every twenty-two points for skewed processes and about once out of every three hundred seventy (1/370.4) points for normally distributed processes. [9] The two-sigma warning levels will be reached about once for every twenty-two (1/21.98) plotted points in normally distributed data. (For example, the means of sufficiently large samples drawn from practically any underlying distribution whose variance exists are normally distributed, according to the Central Limit Theorem.)
Shewhart set 3-sigma (3-standard deviation) limits on the following basis.
The coarse result of Chebyshev's inequality that, for any probability distribution, the probability of an outcome greater than k standard deviations from the mean is at most 1/k2.
The finer result of the Vysochanskii–Petunin inequality, that for any unimodal probability distribution, the probability of an outcome greater than k standard deviations from the mean is at most 4/(9k2).
In the Normal distribution, a very common probability distribution, 99.7% of the observations occur within three standard deviations of the mean (see Normal distribution).
Shewhart summarized the conclusions by saying:
... the fact that the criterion which we happen to use has a fine ancestry in highbrow statistical theorems does not justify its use. Such justification must come from empirical evidence that it works. As the practical engineer might say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. [10]
Although he initially experimented with limits based on probability distributions, Shewhart ultimately wrote:
Some of the earliest attempts to characterize a state of statistical control were inspired by the belief that there existed a special form of frequency function f and it was early argued that the normal law characterized such a state. When the normal law was found to be inadequate, then generalized functional forms were tried. Today, however, all hopes of finding a unique functional form f are blasted. [11]
The control chart is intended as a heuristic. Deming insisted that it is not a hypothesis test and is not motivated by the Neyman–Pearson lemma. He contended that the disjoint nature of population and sampling frame in most industrial situations compromised the use of conventional statistical techniques. Deming's intention was to seek insights into the cause system of a process ...under a wide range of unknowable circumstances, future and past....[ citation needed ] He claimed that, under such conditions, 3-sigma limits provided ... a rational and economic guide to minimum economic loss... from the two errors:[ citation needed ]
Ascribe a variation or a mistake to a special cause (assignable cause) when in fact the cause belongs to the system (common cause). (Also known as a Type I error or False Positive)
Ascribe a variation or a mistake to the system (common causes) when in fact the cause was a special cause (assignable cause). (Also known as a Type II error or False Negative)
As for the calculation of control limits, the standard deviation (error) required is that of the common-cause variation in the process. Hence, the usual estimator, in terms of sample variance, is not used as this estimates the total squared-error loss from both common- and special-causes of variation.
An alternative method is to use the relationship between the range of a sample and its standard deviation derived by Leonard H. C. Tippett, as an estimator which tends to be less influenced by the extreme observations which typify special-causes. [ citation needed ]
The most common sets are:
The Western Electric rules
The Wheeler rules (equivalent to the Western Electric zone tests [12] )
The Nelson rules
There has been particular controversy as to how long a run of observations, all on the same side of the centre line, should count as a signal, with 6, 7, 8 and 9 all being advocated by various writers.
The most important principle for choosing a set of rules is that the choice be made before the data is inspected. Choosing rules once the data have been seen tends to increase the Type I error rate owing to testing effects suggested by the data.
In 1935, the British Standards Institution, under the influence of Egon Pearson and against Shewhart's spirit, adopted control charts, replacing 3-sigma limits with limits based on percentiles of the normal distribution. This move continues to be represented by John Oakland and others but has been widely deprecated by writers in the Shewhart–Deming tradition.
When a point falls outside the limits established for a given control chart, those responsible for the underlying process are expected to determine whether a special cause has occurred. If one has, it is appropriate to determine if the results with the special cause are better than or worse than results from common causes alone. If worse, then that cause should be eliminated if possible. If better, it may be appropriate to intentionally retain the special cause within the system producing the results.[ citation needed ]
Even when a process is in control (that is, no special causes are present in the system), there is approximately a 0.27% probability of a point exceeding 3-sigma control limits. So, even an in control process plotted on a properly constructed control chart will eventually signal the possible presence of a special cause, even though one may not have actually occurred. For a Shewhart control chart using 3-sigma limits, this false alarm occurs on average once every 1/0.0027 or 370.4 observations. Therefore, the in-control average run length (or in-control ARL) of a Shewhart chart is 370.4.[ citation needed ]
Meanwhile, if a special cause does occur, it may not be of sufficient magnitude for the chart to produce an immediate alarm condition. If a special cause occurs, one can describe that cause by measuring the change in the mean and/or variance of the process in question. When those changes are quantified, it is possible to determine the out-of-control ARL for the chart.[ citation needed ]
It turns out that Shewhart charts are quite good at detecting large changes in the process mean or variance, as their out-of-control ARLs are fairly short in these cases. However, for smaller changes (such as a 1- or 2-sigma change in the mean), the Shewhart chart does not detect these changes efficiently. Other types of control charts have been developed, such as the EWMA chart, the CUSUM chart and the real-time contrasts chart, which detect smaller changes more efficiently by making use of information from observations collected prior to the most recent data point. [13]
Many control charts work best for numeric data with Gaussian assumptions. The real-time contrasts chart was proposed to monitor process with complex characteristics, e.g. high-dimensional, mix numerical and categorical, missing-valued, non-Gaussian, non-linear relationship. [13]
Several authors have criticised the control chart on the grounds that it violates the likelihood principle.[ citation needed ] However, the principle is itself controversial and supporters of control charts further argue that, in general, it is impossible to specify a likelihood function for a process not in statistical control, especially where knowledge about the cause system of the process is weak.[ citation needed ]
Some authors have criticised the use of average run lengths (ARLs) for comparing control chart performance, because that average usually follows a geometric distribution, which has high variability and difficulties.[ citation needed ]
Some authors have criticized that most control charts focus on numeric data. Nowadays, process data can be much more complex, e.g. non-Gaussian, mix numerical and categorical, or be missing-valued. [13]
Process observation
Process observations relationships
Process observations type
Size of shift to detect
x¯{\displaystyle {\bar {x}}} and R chart Quality characteristic measurement within one subgroup Independent Variables Large (≥ 1.5σ)
x¯{\displaystyle {\bar {x}}} and s chart Quality characteristic measurement within one subgroup Independent Variables Large (≥ 1.5σ)
Shewhart individuals control chart (ImR chart or XmR chart) Quality characteristic measurement for one observation Independent Variables† Large (≥ 1.5σ)
Three-way chart Quality characteristic measurement within one subgroup Independent Variables Large (≥ 1.5σ)
p-chart Fraction nonconforming within one subgroup Independent Attributes† Large (≥ 1.5σ)
np-chart Number nonconforming within one subgroup Independent Attributes† Large (≥ 1.5σ)
c-chart Number of nonconformances within one subgroup Independent Attributes† Large (≥ 1.5σ)
u-chart Nonconformances per unit within one subgroup Independent Attributes† Large (≥ 1.5σ)
EWMA chart Exponentially weighted moving average of quality characteristic measurement within one subgroup Independent Attributes or variables Small (< 1.5σ)
CUSUM chart Cumulative sum of quality characteristic measurement within one subgroup Independent Attributes or variables Small (< 1.5σ)
Time series model Quality characteristic measurement within one subgroup Autocorrelated Attributes or variables N/A
Regression control chart Quality characteristic measurement within one subgroup Dependent of process control variables Variables Large (≥ 1.5σ)
†Some practitioners also recommend the use of Individuals charts for attribute data, particularly when the assumptions of either binomially distributed data (p- and np-charts) or Poisson-distributed data (u- and c-charts) are violated. [14] Two primary justifications are given for this practice. First, normality is not necessary for statistical control, so the Individuals chart may be used with non-normal data. [15] Second, attribute charts derive the measure of dispersion directly from the mean proportion (by assuming a probability distribution), while Individuals charts derive the measure of dispersion from the data, independent of the mean, making Individuals charts more robust than attributes charts to violations of the assumptions about the distribution of the underlying population. [16] It is sometimes noted that the substitution of the Individuals chart works best for large counts, when the binomial and Poisson distributions approximate a normal distribution. i.e. when the number of trials n > 1000 for p- and np-charts or λ > 500 for u- and c-charts.
Critics of this approach argue that control charts should not be used when their underlying assumptions are violated, such as when process data is neither normally distributed nor binomially (or Poisson) distributed. Such processes are not in control and should be improved before the application of control charts. Additionally, application of the charts in the presence of such deviations increases the type I and type II error rates of the control charts, and may make the chart of little practical use.[ citation needed ]
Analytic and enumerative statistical studies
Common cause and special cause
Distribution-free control chart
W. Edwards Deming
Seven Basic Tools of Quality
William Edwards Deming was an American engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and management consultant. Educated initially as an electrical engineer and later specializing in mathematical physics, he helped develop the sampling techniques still used by the U.S. Department of the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Six Sigma (6σ) is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement. It was introduced by American engineer Bill Smith while working at Motorola in 1986. A six sigma process is one in which 99.99966% of all opportunities to produce some feature of a part are statistically expected to be free of defects.
A Z-test is any statistical test for which the distribution of the test statistic under the null hypothesis can be approximated by a normal distribution. Z-tests test the mean of a distribution. For each significance level in the confidence interval, the Z-test has a single critical value which makes it more convenient than the Student's t-test whose critical values are defined by the sample size.
Walter Andrew Shewhart was an American physicist, engineer and statistician, sometimes known as the father of statistical quality control and also related to the Shewhart cycle.
Common and special causes are the two distinct origins of variation in a process, as defined in the statistical thinking and methods of Walter A. Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming. Briefly, "common causes", also called natural patterns, are the usual, historical, quantifiable variation in a system, while "special causes" are unusual, not previously observed, non-quantifiable variation.
In statistics, a sampling distribution or finite-sample distribution is the probability distribution of a given random-sample-based statistic. If an arbitrarily large number of samples, each involving multiple observations, were separately used in order to compute one value of a statistic for each sample, then the sampling distribution is the probability distribution of the values that the statistic takes on. In many contexts, only one sample is observed, but the sampling distribution can be found theoretically.
The standard error (SE) of a statistic is the standard deviation of its sampling distribution or an estimate of that standard deviation. If the statistic is the sample mean, it is called the standard error of the mean (SEM).
Statistical process control (SPC) is a method of quality control which employs statistical methods to monitor and control a process. This helps to ensure that the process operates efficiently, producing more specification-conforming products with less waste. SPC can be applied to any process where the "conforming product" output can be measured. Key tools used in SPC include run charts, control charts, a focus on continuous improvement, and the design of experiments. An example of a process where SPC is applied is manufacturing lines.
In probability theory and statistics, the coefficient of variation (CV), also known as relative standard deviation (RSD), is a standardized measure of dispersion of a probability distribution or frequency distribution. It is often expressed as a percentage, and is defined as the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean . The CV or RSD is widely used in analytical chemistry to express the precision and repeatability of an assay. It is also commonly used in fields such as engineering or physics when doing quality assurance studies and ANOVA gauge R&R. In addition, CV is utilized by economists and investors in economic models.
The Western Electric rules are decision rules in statistical process control for detecting out-of-control or non-random conditions on control charts. Locations of the observations relative to the control chart control limits and centerline indicate whether the process in question should be investigated for assignable causes. The Western Electric rules were codified by a specially-appointed committee of the manufacturing division of the Western Electric Company and appeared in the first edition of a 1956 handbook, that became a standard text of the field. Their purpose was to ensure that line workers and engineers interpret control charts in a uniform way.
In statistical process monitoring (SPM), the and R chart is a type of scheme, popularly known as control chart, used to monitor the mean and range of a normally distributed variables simultaneously, when samples are collected at regular intervals from a business or industrial process. It is often used to monitor the variables data but the performance of the and R chart may suffer when the normality assumption is not valid. This is connected to traditional statistical quality control (SQC) and statistical process control (SPC). However, Woodall noted that "I believe that the use of control charts and other monitoring methods should be referred to as "statistical process monitoring," not "statistical process control (SPC).""
A process is a unique combination of tools, materials, methods, and people engaged in producing a measurable output; for example a manufacturing line for machine parts. All processes have inherent statistical variability which can be evaluated by statistical methods.
In statistical quality control, the p-chart is a type of control chart used to monitor the proportion of nonconforming units in a sample, where the sample proportion nonconforming is defined as the ratio of the number of nonconforming units to the sample size, n.
Natural process variation, sometimes just called process variation, is the statistical description of natural fluctuations in process outputs.
In statistics, the 68–95–99.7 rule, also known as the empirical rule, is a shorthand used to remember the percentage of values that lie within an interval estimate in a normal distribution: 68%, 95%, and 99.7% of the values lie within one, two, and three standard deviations of the mean, respectively.
In statistical quality control, the individual/moving-range chart is a type of control chart used to monitor variables data from a business or industrial process for which it is impractical to use rational subgroups.
In statistical quality control, the and s chart is a type of control chart used to monitor variables data when samples are collected at regular intervals from a business or industrial process. This is connected to traditional statistical quality control (SQC) and statistical process control (SPC). However, Woodall noted that "I believe that the use of control charts and other monitoring methods should be referred to as "statistical process monitoring," not "statistical process control (SPC).""
Laboratory quality control is designed to detect, reduce, and correct deficiencies in a laboratory's internal analytical process prior to the release of patient results, in order to improve the quality of the results reported by the laboratory. Quality control is a measure of precision, or how well the measurement system reproduces the same result over time and under varying operating conditions. Laboratory quality control material is usually run at the beginning of each shift, after an instrument is serviced, when reagent lots are changed, after equipment calibration, and whenever patient results seem inappropriate. Quality control material should approximate the same matrix as patient specimens, taking into account properties such as viscosity, turbidity, composition, and color. It should be simple to use, with minimal vial-to-vial variability, because variability could be misinterpreted as systematic error in the method or instrument. It should be stable for long periods of time, and available in large enough quantities for a single batch to last at least one year. Liquid controls are more convenient than lyophilized (freeze-dried) controls because they do not have to be reconstituted, minimizing pipetting error.
In statistical quality control, the EWMA chart is a type of control chart used to monitor either variables or attributes-type data using the monitored business or industrial process's entire history of output. While other control charts treat rational subgroups of samples individually, the EWMA chart tracks the exponentially-weighted moving average of all prior sample means. EWMA weights samples in geometrically decreasing order so that the most recent samples are weighted most highly while the most distant samples contribute very little.
↑ McNeese, William (July 2006). "Over-controlling a Process: The Funnel Experiment". BPI Consulting, LLC. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
↑ Wheeler, Donald J. (2000). Understanding Variation. Knoxville, Tennessee: SPC Press. ISBN 978-0-945320-53-1.
↑ Nancy R. Tague (2004). "Seven Basic Quality Tools". The Quality Toolbox. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: American Society for Quality. p. 15. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
↑ A Poots, T Woodcock (2012). "Statistical process control for data without inherent order". BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. 12: 86. doi:10.1186/1472-6947-12-86. PMC 3464151 . PMID 22867269.
↑ "Western Electric History". www.porticus.org. Archived from the original on 2011-01-27. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
↑ "Western Electric – A Brief History". Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
↑ "Why SPC?" British Deming Association SPC Press, Inc. 1992
↑ Statistical Process Controls for Variable Data. Lean Six sigma. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://theengineeringarchive.com/sigma/page-variable-control-charts.html.
↑ Wheeler, Donald J. (1 November 2010). "Are You Sure We Don't Need Normally Distributed Data?". Quality Digest. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
↑ Shewhart, W A (1931). Economic Control of Quality of Manufactured Product. Van Nordstrom. p. 18.
↑ Shewart, Walter Andrew; Deming, William Edwards (1939). Statistical Method from the Viewpoint of Quality Control. University of California: Graduate School, The Department of Agriculture. p. 12. ISBN 9780877710325.
↑ Wheeler, Donald J.; Chambers, David S. (1992). Understanding statistical process control (2 ed.). Knoxville, Tennessee: SPC Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-945320-13-5. OCLC 27187772.
1 2 3 Deng, H.; Runger, G.; Tuv, E. (2012). "System monitoring with real-time contrasts". Journal of Quality Technology. 44 (1). pp. 9–27. doi:10.1080/00224065.2012.11917878. S2CID 119835984.
↑ Wheeler, Donald J. (2000). Understanding Variation: the key to managing chaos. SPC Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-945320-53-1.
↑ Staufer, Rip. "Some Problems with Attribute Charts". Quality Digest . Retrieved 2 Apr 2010.
↑ Wheeler, Donald J. "What About Charts for Count Data?". Quality Digest . Retrieved 2010-03-23.
Deming, W. E. (1975). "On probability as a basis for action". The American Statistician. 29 (4): 146–152. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.470.9636 . doi:10.2307/2683482. JSTOR 2683482.
Deming, W. E. (1982). Out of the Crisis: Quality, Productivity and Competitive Position . ISBN 978-0-521-30553-2.
Deng, H.; Runger, G.; Tuv, Eugene (2012). "System monitoring with real-time contrasts". Journal of Quality Technology. 44 (1): 9–27. doi:10.1080/00224065.2012.11917878. S2CID 119835984.
Mandel, B. J. (1969). "The Regression Control Chart". Journal of Quality Technology. 1 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1080/00224065.1969.11980341.
Oakland, J. (2002). Statistical Process Control. ISBN 978-0-7506-5766-2.
Shewhart, W. A. (1931). Economic Control of Quality of Manufactured Product. ISBN 978-0-87389-076-2.
Shewhart, W. A. (1939). Statistical Method from the Viewpoint of Quality Control. ISBN 978-0-486-65232-0.
Wheeler, D. J. (2000). Normality and the Process-Behaviour Chart. ISBN 978-0-945320-56-2.
Wheeler, D. J.; Chambers, D. S. (1992). Understanding Statistical Process Control. ISBN 978-0-945320-13-5.
Wheeler, Donald J. (1999). Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos (2nd ed.). SPC Press. ISBN 978-0-945320-53-1.
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Luxembourg Herald
Fresh News from the heart of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Gavin Williamson at centre of row over chancellor's cancelled China trip
18th February 2019 Finance 21978
The defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, was at the centre of a growing cabinet row on Saturday night as senior government sources blamed him for offending the Chinese and causing the cancellation of a crucial trade visit to Beijing by the chancellor, Philip Hammond.
Senior Conservatives said it was time to rein in Williamson, who has earned the nickname Private Pike in Whitehall after a series of gaffes. Treasury insiders said comments the defence secretary had made in a speech last week about sending the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to the Pacific had caused such "clear irritation" in Beijing that the trip scheduled for this weekend could not take place.
The Treasury issued an official comment saying "the chancellor is not travelling to China at this time" and adding that "no trip was ever announced or confirmed". But sources confirmed that Williamson's clumsy and undiplomatic language had caused real upset that had been relayed back to London by the Chinese authorities.
The result was that a visit that been planned for many weeks – and that would have focused on opening up Chinese markets to UK exports – has been put off until the diplomatic damage is repaired.
Williamson said in the speech last Monday that the aircraft carrier would be sent to an area where Beijing has been involved in a dispute over territorial claims in the South China Sea. The remarks incensed the Chinese just days before Hammond was due to arrive for a series of meetings, including one with the Chinese vice premier, Hu Chunhua.
Government sources said there was disbelief across Whitehall departments, particularly as the comments came at a time when the UK is desperate to negotiate better trading arrangements across the globe as it prepares to leave the European Union on 29 March. Williamson said in his speech that the UK was prepared to use lethal force to deter countries that flout international law – an apparent reference to China's expansionist ambitions in the South China Sea.
Hammond and Williamson have had a tense relationship for months, partly as a result of the defence secretary's attempts to secure more money for his budget at a time when the chancellor has been under intense pressure to deliver more funds for the NHS.
On Saturday night former Tory cabinet minister and governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten said it was time to "bring back the grown-ups". Lord Patten said China should be welcomed to the global economic community, although it should play by the same rules as everyone else. He stressed that a careful diplomatic balance had to be struck: "You don't win deals by cowering whenever China gets cross, nor on the other hand does stamping a foot persuade the Chinese that we are more important than we are."
Another senior Tory said Theresa May should issue an order to "pipe down, Private Pike".
The chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on China, the Tory MP Richard Graham, said: "The crucial thing is that we do need to engage with China, and we do need to be sensitive with the tone, and I suspect that is where the issue is at the moment."
Steve Tsang, the director of the School of Oriental and African Studies' China Institute, said: "It is a silly thing for Gavin Williamson to have said, particularly when there is no compelling reason to say it now and the ship he was referring to is not even ready to send." But he added that there was nothing wrong, in principle, with a navy vessel sailing in the South China Sea. Ministers who "picked on" Williamson were also to blame, he said, as they would give China reason to argue that it had been seriously wronged.
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Home » Britam recovers from pandemic effects to post Sh376.3 in net profit
Britam recovers from pandemic effects to post Sh376.3 in net profit
By Wanjiku Njugunah on August 31, 2021 Africa, Kenya
Britam Building/ courtesy
Regional financial services firm, Britam Holdings PLC has posted a profit after tax of Kshs 376.3 million from a loss after tax of Kshs 1.6 billion posted in the six months ending June 2021.
According to the firm, the improved performance is attributed to growth in premiums from new business and investment income from its broad investment portfolio.
The firm also registered significant growth in investment income following the moving of its investment portfolio to increase yields.
Investment income during the period grew to Kshs 4.9 billion, representing a 35 per cent growth compared to a similar period last year.
The Group also realized growth in revenue from both its local and regional businesses.
The regional businesses contributed 24 per cent of the Group's gross earned premiums.
The Group's gross earned premiums and fund management fees were up 5.7 per cent to Kshs 14.9 billion.
Britam's Group Managing Director, Tavaziva Madzinga said: "The Group remains optimistic of sustaining profitability in 2021 on the back of an improving operating environment and gains from our new transformative strategy. In the short term, we will however continue to pursue prudent cost management initiatives and maintain a stable solvency position."
Britam recently completed its transformation process which entailed creating a leaner, agile and more customer-centric organization.
Britam adopts survival tactics for market dynamics
Madzinga added that the transformation exercise is expected to accelerate delivery of its new strategic plan, which focuses on preparing the firm for growth by organizing the business around delighting the customer; leveraging technology; turning around key cost drivers and optimizing the profile and returns of its investments.
Commenting on the firm's outlook, the company said the operating environment remains uncertain as the effects of Covid-19 on economic activities continues to impact individuals, businesses, and the economy in general.
"As the local and regional economies recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the firm is optimistic of improved performance across its local and regional businesses in the second half of 2021," the firm said.
The Board of Directors did not recommend the payment of an interim dividend for the six-month period to June 2021.
Digital uptake
The results have been announced at a time when the firm says it has generated Kshs 1.4 billion in new business under its revamped digital channels following the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.
The company operationalized a digital business transformation strategy that saw investments in automation of operations to improve customer experience.
"Currently, business efficiency has increased by 30 per cent across all operations with transactions processing cycle-time reducing from over 7 days in 2019 to the current less than 24 hours," the company said.
The company has attributed its improved performance to growth in premiums from new business and investment income from its broad investment portfolio / courtesy
Britam said the move enables customers to manage their insurance portfolios, update and process their policies. Additionally, they will also be able to purchase their preferred investment options from the comfort of their smartphones.
Madzinga said that since they adopted a technology-led strategy, Britam has realized significant achievements.
"This move is firmly anchored in our 2021-2025 Strategic Plan that seeks to enhance customer experience by ensuring that we become a more customer centric organization. We are leveraging more on customer insights to drive relevant innovations" he said.
The MD said the Covid-19 pandemic catalyzed a more digital-savvy approach to growing and retaining their customer numbers.
Britam in yet another profit warning for 2018
He added: "We will continue to digitize more products and grow customer numbers and revenue. Our plan is to fully eliminate manual processes by introducing standardized faster efficient systems by 2022.
The firm currently has digital partnerships with fintech and taxi-hailing apps to drive insurance and investment through innovative solutions and provide greater choices for customers.
Some of the key digital partnerships under Britam's portfolio driving high investment appetite include – a partnership with KOA, a Kenya-based fintech startup, to support savings and investments penetration, a deal with Little Cab that will see it provide insurance cover to more than half a million customers currently using the taxi-hailing app service and a pact with Cellulant that aims to provide its customers in Kenya with a seamless digital platform that offers them access to savings and investment products
Britam Holdings Featured Kenya Kenya Insurance Industry
Wanjiku Njugunah
Wanjiku Njuguna is a Kenyan-based business reporter with experience of more than eight years.
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About • Paintings • Drawings • Illustrations • Contact
My inspiration is the natural world in all its forms: from my vegetable garden, woodland paths and its seasonal blooms, to fields of seed pods. I keep a knife in my purse and clippers in my car, foraging from feathers to flowers.
I draw on my rich background in illustration and design to start my process. Com- position first, drawing second then painting. Sometimes I finish at a drawing. Other times I build up my paper with layers of paint, ink, and pencil, capturing the es- sence of the object. I paint with expression and energy. For me, that emotion is what I feel about the space or object.
"Bringing the outside world inside. I try to capture elements which represent the seasons of change. For just this moment they are still, a gift for us to enjoy."
Diane Lemonides Biography
Diane Lemonides was born in Brooklyn NY in 1960 and was raised on Long Island. She spent summers taking classes at the Art Students League in NYC and attended the Rhode Island School of Design summer program. Diane then attended and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in painting, with a focus on illustration. Upon graduation in 1983, she moved to Melbourne Australia, where she lived and worked as a painter and graphic designer in magazine publishing for three years. She returned to live and work in NYC, where she was the art di- rector for many magazines and book publishing companies. Diane launched her company, Verve Marketing & Design, recipient of local, national and global awards for creative excellence which is now celebrating its 30th year. Diane has been a passionate environmentalist and lover of the natural world all her life, from which she draws her creative inspiration. She resides in Glen Mills PA. with her husband, two adult sons, and rescue dog. Diane recently completed the Botanical Illustration program at Cornell University and is working on further expressing her painting voice to capture the natural world.
copyright: dianelemonides.com | phone: 484-319-1485 | email: LemonidesArt@gmail.com | instagram: @diane_lemonides_artist


Around UND
Leaders in Action
April 6, 2017	by Kaylee Cusack
In search of 'intellectual souvenirs'
UND Atmospheric Sciences researcher is one of many faces temporarily leaving campus to bring back advanced work and knowledge
UND Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences Gretchen Mullendore is one of 13 UND faculty members who have been approved for developmental leave opportunities in the coming academic year. The first part of her sabbatical will allow her to spend three months at Texas A&M University as a visiting scientist. Photo by Jackie Lorentz.
Gretchen Mullendore is one of those people who doesn't run from disasters—she embraces them.
The UND associate professor of atmospheric sciences' research blows past wind speeds and rain gauges to discover how severe weather actually works.
"It's very hard to open up a storm. If you care about how a clock works, or how a radio works, you can open it up and look inside. But how do we look inside a big storm, particularly when it's really violent inside?" Mullendore mused.
Like the inner workings of a clock or a radio, Mullendore's research has many pieces. One question she must answer to bring the pieces together is how mid-latitude convection—like convection in North Dakota—differs from tropical convection. And to find that answer, she'll need some time away from campus.
Mullendore is one of 13 UND faculty members who have been approved for developmental leave opportunities in the coming academic year. The first part of her sabbatical will allow her to spend three months at Texas A&M University as a visiting scientist.
"I'm going to be collaborating with scientists who do more tropical work. I do a lot of mid-latitude work, so we can bring our theories together and learn from each other," she explained.
Mullendore will also sit in on tropical meteorology classes—both undergraduate and graduate—in hopes of developing those courses back at UND. From there, it's off to the University of Melbourne in Australia, where Mullendore will continue research toward a unified convective theory, but also gain more knowledge in turbulence due to convection and how storms affect aviation hazards.
"As air traffic has become more and more global, it's now typical for people to fly across the oceans. As part of that traffic, we have a lot of planes flying over tropical areas—even if they're not going to tropical places," Mullendore said. "We don't have very good observations of the kind of hazards that planes experience over the open oceans, particularly in tropical areas."
Developmental importance
It's hard to be a pioneering scientist when one's schedule is filled with class time, meetings and other University commitments. Mullendore says her leave will allow her to focus her energy on not only research and course development, but also writing grant proposals to bring research funding to UND.
But she looks forward to her return to campus, and the intellectual souvenirs she'll share.
"The whole point of the University is to bring in ideas from all around the globe. We want our students to be able to experience the latest in research in all of the fields," she said. "That might be the most important thing I'm bringing back—not classroom material or anything, just excitement for science and the newest research going on."
"Gretchen is a phenomenal researcher and teacher," said UND Provost and Vice president for Academic Affairs Tom DiLorenzo. "She is exactly the type of person we want to nurture and support through a developmental leave."
DiLorenzo added that the University strongly supports being away from campus during developmental leave. "Faculty need some time to work in external archives or someone else's laboratory and to learn new skills, so that they can grow their work and research and be more competitive in getting grants," he said.
According to DiLorenzo, cancelling developmental leaves could have been an easy way to trim in a time of budget restraints. But he says the phenomenal quality of research and work that was completed last year helped the University decide that the program should carry on.
"In tight times, we should be spending money where our priorities are," DiLorenzo said. "An important part of being a research university is having an opportunity to work on, update and extend one's teaching and research capabilities. I am pleased to say we're continuing to do that."
World of research
Twelve other faculty members were also approved for developmental leaves. The following are partial summaries of what their leaves will allow them to accomplish:
Xiaozhao Huang (English) – Huang will collaborate with scholars in China to collect data and analysis for research in the sociolinguistic use of Mandarin Chinese in particular social settings. He will also attend an academic conference that focuses on teaching English to non-native speakers, including K-12 students.
Melissa Gjellstad (Languages) – Gjellstad will complete a manuscript and revise/renew a previously unpublished scholarship, as well as complete a monograph entitled, "Parental Parity: Mothers and Fathers in Millennial Norwegian Literature?"
Emily Cherry (Theatre Arts) – Cherry will serve as a guest artist at Texas Wesleyan University and will direct one of their productions. She will collaborate with an award-winning actor and teacher regarding the pedagogy of teaching acting courses in a university environment.
Michael Niedzielski (Geography) – Niedzielski will develop new concepts and models in the area of accessibility research. He also plans to develop instructional material for high school teachers about incorporating accessibility objectives in land use planning.
Sean Valentine (Management) – Valentine will continue working on current research projects and start several new projects. He also plans to publish a 16th edition of a human resources textbook.
Yun Ji (Chemical Engineering) – Ji will conduct research projects in the bio-based products area, including using lignin to make renewable fuels and chemicals. He will also conduct research in the water usage reduction area to benefit the pulp and paper industry and oil recovery industry.
Reza Fazel-Rezai (Electrical Engineering) – Fazel-Rezai will expand his research in the area of brain-computer interface (BCI) systems.
Sima Noghanian (Electrical Engineering) – Noghanian will travel to the University of California, San Diego, to expand her research in wireless communications.
Deborah Worley (Education Leadership/Higher Education) – Worley will explore how culture is communicated by institutions of higher education through campus traditions with visits to other campuses.
Kara Wettersten (Counseling Psychology) – Wettersten hopes to publish a curriculum titled "Friendships that Work", a program currently geared for 5th-8th She will collaborate with the Community Violence Intervention Center (CVIC) and rural schools as a part of her research.
Cheryl Hunter (Educational Foundations and Research) – Hunter plans to develop a new line of research in curricular models in doctoral education.
Donna Pearson (Kinesiology & Public Health Education) – Pearson will study interculturalization as related to, and integrated into, teacher education and educational professional development.
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Sixers need to give Paul Reed and Charles Bassey an opportunity
can screen protectors crack
It was entirely predictable that the Sixers' signing of DeAndre Jordan wouldn't help their backup center situation. It was a better idea in theory, when you thought of the prototypical center that could complement James Harden in non-Joel Embiid minutes — a high-flying rebounder, rim roller, and shot blocker. Someone with the skills that made Jordan so impactful in his prime.
But that isn't who Jordan is anymore. He's declined a lot over the last few seasons, to the point where his motor, speed, agility and defense have dropped off so much that he can't consistently fill the rim-running, shot-blocker role even in short stints off the bench.
As you'd expect, Jordan has immediately taken sole possession of the Sixers' backup center spot. With his history with Doc Rivers and experience at 33 years old, he's a well-known veteran and other bigs on the roster (Paul Millsap, who was understandably replaced, Paul Reed and Charles Bassey) haven't had a shot to try to crack the rotation again. And through his first five games, the DeAndre Jordan experience hasn't gone well.
In his 12.8 minutes a night, Jordan has averaged 3.8 points, 5.4 rebounds (2.2 offensive) and 0.6 blocks. His basic numbers don't really matter, though. The problem is that he still has the same weaknesses that have increasingly bothered him over the last few years — such as reduced mobility when defending near the perimeter, and reduced energy, explosion, and attentiveness as a rim protector. Jordan can't be relied on to man the back of a defense in nearly the same way anymore, and too often he can be beat by opponents getting downhill or attacking off a ball screen due to how much slower he is sliding his feet now.
Then there are useless lapses in focus and activity like the play below, where Jordan completely lost track of none other than Nikola Jokic at the arc, allowed a free cutting lane, and only started to move once Jokic already had the ball in the paint:
While the Sixers only need their backup center to survive without getting burned for around 8-10 minutes in a playoff game, you can expect teams will look to target Jordan through switches and high pick-and-rolls.
Jordan has typically been a highly efficient finisher at the rim and will likely get back on track soon, but he's been struggling in this area so far as well. He's only made 46.2 percent of his (easy) shots within three feet of the basket since coming to Philly.
After the Sixers' loss to the Nuggets on Monday, Doc Rivers was overly positive with his review of Jordan's performance so far, clearly reinforcing his confidence in the team's new veteran center.
"He's been great overall," Rivers said. "I thought today he struggled a little bit but still, he's the one roller on our team. He gets downhill. He sprints the floor, and that's so important for our team. So he's been really good. He's really bought in to what we're trying to do."
In Jordan's defense, he has had some solid moments. He's still 6-foot-11 with enough leaping ability to catch a few lobs next to Harden (even if Jordan can't fly down the lane like he used to), he still has a massive 7-foot-6 wingspan, he can grab a few offensive rebounds, and he's made a few decent rotations around the rim and picked up three blocks. At the very least, he's better than the smaller, older, less bouncy Paul Millsap.
But that's such a low bar to clear, and while Jordan's finishing will inevitably bounce back to his usual level to correct some of his early offensive shortcomings (he made 73.5 percent of his shots within three feet over the previous five seasons), Rivers shouldn't just be settling on his rotation because of Jordan's age and familiarity and not let others even get on the court.
Understandably, Paul Reed has had his ups and downs with the Sixers so far. He can be somewhat out of control, trying to do too much offensively and committing unwise fouls at times, then at others he'll look like a disruptive defender and athletic finisher. However, he has an edge over Jordan in terms of his high motor, speed, and impressive mobility when moving outside at 6-foot-9. When Reed averaged 14.7 minutes a night in the last three games before the All-Star break, he provided some of his best NBA play yet with highly active defense (he snatched seven total steals in this stretch) and controlled offensive play in a smaller role as a rebounder and play finisher.
There's some upside to at least giving Reed a shot with his athleticism to cut off Harden's playmaking, and the agility he offers on defense to potentially embrace a more switchy approach, or at least move around the perimeter better than Jordan.
Then there's Charles Bassey, who is probably the Sixers' best option to get some run at center.
Bassey has only appeared in 23 games and played 168 minutes this season. He's still made some mistakes with his positioning and typical rookie errors, yet his early flashes have been fairly encouraging, showing some of the rim-rolling and defensive qualities that stood out while he was in college.
He has good size with his 6-foot-11 frame and 7-foot-3 wingspan, solid instincts and timing as a shot blocker, and fine lateral quickness for his size. He was a strong rebounder in college and he plays with energy. Even if he's going to make some mistakes and a couple of bad fouls as he grows used to the NBA, you can at least count on Bassey for his physical tools and effort.
Bassey has looked promising when he's had chances to play, especially when he picked up a handful of games with 10-20 minutes played in November and December.
Bassey's sturdy frame helps him when guarding the post, too. He held up about as well as you could ask for against Nikola Jokic back on Nov. 18, when the rookie tallied 12 points, seven rebounds (four offensive), one steal and three blocks, while defending with physicality and reasonable discipline:
He's also athletic enough to catch a few lobs and likely benefit with easy dump-off finishes playing next to Harden, who has always gotten more out of rim-rolling backup bigs.
So, are Reed and Bassey ready to be constant positive role players, or be completely reliable in the playoffs? Of course not. Players in their first and second seasons need time, and maybe they won't end up growing into backup bigs of the future for Philly. If they play and it doesn't work out this regular season? Fine. It's not like they'll be way worse than Jordan to cause much damage in a few minutes anyway.
The young guys just need a chance. The Sixers will never know exactly what they have in Reed and Bassey unless they give them opportunities to play, a chance to show whether they can be better options than Jordan or to at least develop into players who could be. The end of the regular season should be a time to finish experimenting and see if there's an upgrade from Jordan already on the roster.
After all, if the Sixers are going to commit so many roster spots to backup bigs rather than bolstering their wing depth (which is a whole conversation for another time), they might as well try them out.
As I mentioned above, Bassey in particular deserves a chance. When active this season, he's had stints that have been superior to what Jordan is doing right now. And compared to Reed, Bassey has an advantage in size and strength that help him as a rim protector and full-time center, and he's been a little more steady in general.
Ultimately, it's this simple: with Jordan's level of play at this stage of his career, the Sixers really have nothing to lose.
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The Least Expensive 2016 Sedans to Insure
Generally, a combination of low price and high safety ratings will bring insurance rates down more than anything else. The problem with that is that lower-priced vehicles sometimes have lower safety ratings. It's larger vehicles that are often safer. And larger vehicles are generally more expensive. So smaller cars aren't necessarily a lot cheaper to own, even though they're more efficient. Which sedans are cheapest to insure? We've gotten some help from nerdwallet to answer this question.
#1 Ford Fiesta
Avg. Annual Premium: $1,104
The Fiesta has a 4-star safety rating and a low MSRP, making it insurable without spending too much money. It also gets an impressive 31 mpg in the city and 43 on the highway, making it even more affordable.
#2 Chevy Cruze
The Cruze is an example of a roomy compact car with lots of trims and options. It has a 5-star safety rating and a low price tag, like the Fiesta. It's about a foot longer than the Fiesta; however, and it provides a quiet, comfortable ride.
#3 Toyota Camry
The Camry's a big step up, in terms of price, from the previous vehicles. Although, since it gets 25 mpg in the city and 35 on the highway, it's not expensive to own. An additional reason it's inexpensive to drive is the low annual premium you'll pay when you own it. The new Camry is peppy enough for a little excitement and it finally got a facelift.
#4 Honda Accord
The Accord is probably the cheapest midsize car to own for five years when you factor in every expense you can. It's also extremely comfortable and equipped with good electronics. It's not a Tesla, with collision avoidance, but it doesn't cost nearly as much as a Tesla. It's a Honda, one of the most trusted brands we can think of.
#5 Toyota Corolla
The corolla may be the most reliable car ever built. Although today's Corollas are a little more complex than they were years ago, they're still very reliable. They're still inexpensive to maintain, as well. Driving a Corolla is kind of like driving a smaller Camry or Accord. It's a good choice for fuel efficiency.
#6 Honda Civic
Tied with the Corolla in terms of insurance costs is the newly redesigned Civic. it's a little more expensive to purchase and (probably) to lease but it has a little more power, 26 hp more, and it's actually a little bit more fuel efficient, getting one more mpg in the city (31) than the Corolla and the same mpg as the Corolla on the highway (42). That's a strong value proposition.
#7 Nissan Altima
Atypically of Nissan, the Altima is a little bit less powerful than the Honda Accord. It is slightly more efficient, as a result. It gets 27 mpg in the city and 39 on the highway. The Altima isn't styled with the aggressive lines the Accord and the Camry have. It does look pretty, though.
#8 Lexus ES350
You would expect something like a Chevy Malibu or a Kia Optima to be here but, instead, it's a luxury brand! It's quite a bit more expensive than the car in the #7 spot. That is, in part, due to the 80 extra horsepower it has. It also comes with a better warranty. Whereas the Nissan comes with a 3-yr/ 36,000 mile basic and a 5-yr / 60,000 mile drivetrain warranty, Lexus gives you a 4-yr / 50,000 mile basic and a 6-yr / 70,000 mile drivetrain warranty.
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Mauritania Public Holidays
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Independence Day 2022, 2023 and 2024 in Mauritania
Mauritania became an independent nation by on 28 November 1960 by declaration of its "Constituent Assembly". Independence Day is celebrated on this date each year to remember this important historic event.
2022 28 Nov Mon Independence Day
2023 28 Nov Tue Independence Day
2024 28 Nov Thu Independence Day
Although Berbers and other tribes had lived in the region for as long as anyone can remember, there was no "Mauritania" as such before the arrival of the French colonialists. They essentially created a new colony that incorporated the lands of numerous local tribes in the region into one "new country".
France colonised what is now Mauritania to block the expansion of Spanish Morocco and to create a "land bridge" between French Algeria and French West Africa. Their conquest of the area began at Adar and moved inland.
After the French established a new constitution in 1958, they had hoped that Mauritania might remain within the "French Community" even if they opted for independence. But instead, the country fully left being under French influence by 1960. After independence, Morocco tried to oppose them or dominate them, but Mauritania successfully resisted.
2021 28 Nov Sun Independence Day
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Purgatory Road (Unearthed Films) Blu-ray Review
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Ian Jane
Released by: Unearthed Films
Released on: February 12th, 2019.
Director: Mark Savage
Cast: Gary Cairns, Luke Albright, Trista Robinson, Geoff Falk, Tom Parnell
Purchase From Amazon
Purgatory Road – Movie Review:
Purgatory Road opens with a scene where a young boy named Vincent is unable to stop a thief from stealing his father's savings. Shortly after this, his father commits suicide in front of his two sons. This turns out to be something that Vincent blames himself for as he grows into adulthood. It also results in Vincent finding religion, and hard.
As an adult, Vincent (Gary Cairns) works as a priest, albeit one with a rather unorthodox modus operandi – he and his brother Michael (Luke Albright) drive the highways of the American southwest in a large van, offering salvation and confession to anyone interested. There is, of course, a bit of quirk to all of this, besides the obvious: they tend to kill anyone who confesses to thievery, in hopes of saving their souls, of course. When a woman named Mary-Francis (Trista Robinson) takes an interest in what they're doing, she proves her loyalty to them by murdering someone who threatens to expose the truth behind their 'ministry.' This quickly endears her to Vincent, which results in an offer to join them on their journey, but things quickly spiral out of control for all involved. When Michael takes an interest in a local woman named Ruby (Sylvia Grace Crim), his relationship with Vincent starts to show signs of cracking.
Directed by Mark Savage (read our interview with him here!), and co-written by Savage and actor Tom Parnell, Purgatory Road is as grim as it is compelling and well-made. Hardly 'feel good movie of the year material,' it's a tightly paced picture that borrows from films like The Confessional while still cutting out its own unique path. Setting the film in the American Southwest gives it its own unique feeling and Savage and cinematographer Andrew Giannetta do a fine job of using this backdrop to help build a very specific type of atmosphere. The dusty locals contrast of the exteriors contrast in interesting ways with the lighting used inside the confessional can. It's here, inside the van, that the film makes use of some bold lighting choices, using strong primary hues to bath those baring their secrets to Vincent in eerie shades of red and yellow. For a film made on a modest budget, the visuals here and the production values that go alongside them are impressive.
Performances from the main leads are good, sometimes very good. Cairns is a strong choice to play Vincent. He has a very sort of staunch look to him so that when he speaks what he believes are his religious truths, he does so with enough conviction to convince the audience he means it. He and Albright, also quite good here, have a good chemistry and we can buy them as brothers without any trouble. Initially, Trista Robinson seems like she might be a weak link but her performance will win you over – she turns out to be great in the part, we just can't go into much detail about it or we'd head into spoiler territory.
The movie does have one flaw worth pointing out, and that's that the murder set pieces, while strong in both content and execution, get a bit repetitive – but this is easy to forgive when the bulk of the film works as well as it does.
Purgatory Road – Blu-ray Review:
Unearthed Films brings The Purgatory Road to Blu-ray using an AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer framed at 1.78.1 widescreen. Shot on HD digital video, there's obviously no print damage or grain here. The picture has very nice color reproduction going for it and pretty solid black levels as well. Typically, detail is strong, though there are some scenes where the colored lighting dilutes things a tad. Still, this was likely done on purpose as it suits the tone of the scenes in question quite nicely. No noticeable compression issues to complain about here, and all in all, the picture quality is solid enough.
The English language LPCM 2.0 Stereo track on the disc is problem free. Dialogue stays clean and clear throughout the duration of the movie. Balance is fine and there are no problems to note with any hiss or distortion.
Extras start off with a feature length commentary track featuring director/co-writer Mark Savage and co-writer/actor Tom Parnell. It's an interesting and informative track with the two discussing where some of the themes and ideas that the picture explores came from, working with the cast and crew, locations that were used for the shoot, casting the picture, changing up certain aspects of the script as the production progressed and quite a bit more. The track goes at a good pace and it's worth a listen if you want to know more about what went into making this picture.
After that, dig into a twenty-minute Q&A session featuring Savage and actor Gary Cairns wherein they talk about working primarily with local talent in terms of casting the film (leads excepted), their approach to making horror pictures, contributions of the different cast and crew members and more. The disc also contains a twenty-nine-minute featurette with actors Gary Cairns and Luke Albright and actress Trista Robinson entitled The Actors Speak. Here the two cast members explain their thoughts on the characters that they play, their impressions of the script, their thoughts on the film and more. Parnell shows up again in an eight-minute featurette called Beyond The Day Job where he talks about how he got into screenwriting, collaborating with Savage and what it was like to work with him and his approach to acting. All of these pieces are put together nicely and quite interesting.
Additionally, we get a still gallery that showcases 'The Grisly Art Of Marcus Kock & Cat Bernier' and trailers for Brutal, Dark Side of the Moon and The Song Of Solomon.
Purgatory Road – The Final Word:
Purgatory Road is tense stuff, a grim slice of religiously themed horror told with style and performed by a pretty solid cast. Savage keeps the pacing quick yet still manages to craft interesting characters to hold our attention, while the story offers a few genuinely unexpected twists and turns before it all wraps up. The Blu-ray release from Unearthed Films is a good one, presenting the picture in very nice shape, with solid lossless audio and with a good collection of extra features as well. Recommended!
Click on the images below for full sized Purgatory Road Blu-ray screen caps!
DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S
Tags : blu-ray, blu-ray review, gary cairns, geoff falk, luke albright, mark savage, purgatory road, tom parnell, trista robinson, unearthed films
Keeth - 03-24-2019, 02:41 PM
I watched it last night & thought it was well-made, etc. but the female character I didn't like at all esp. her squeaky voice. I need to check the director's past movies out again. Not sure P.R. is one I'll be re-visiting any time soon.
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ENDURANCE RACER WITT SET FOR DUBAI 24HRS RETURN WITH SCHUBERT MOTORSPORT'S NEW BMW M4 GT3
Posted by sportscarracingnews ⋅ December 10, 2021 ⋅ Leave a comment
Filed Under 2022, BMW M4 GT3, dubai 24 hour, Jens Liebhauser, Jordan Witt, Marcel Lenerz, Schubert Motorsport, sportscar racing, sportscar racing news
British race ace Jordan Witt will make a welcome return to the annual Hankook 24H Dubai in January after signing a deal with top team Schubert Motorsport to pilot the squad's stunning new BMW M4 GT3 – and both driver and team have their sights set on challenging for outright victory.
Marking the first competitive outing for the German team's brand new BMW M4, the twice-round-the-clock encounter at Dubai Autodrome on Friday, 14th January, and Saturday, 15th January, will be a hugely important event, one which Schubert Motorsport previously won in 2011.
Cheshire's Witt, who will be backed by long-standing sponsors Vibe Audio and Yelir World for his return to action in the 24H Series, is to team-up with fellow Briton Nick Yelloly and German duo Jens Liebhauser and Marcel Lenerz in a particularly impressive line-up.
Absolutely relishing such a fantastic opportunity to race the latest state-of-the-art BMW M4 GT3, Witt cannot wait to head out to the United Arab Emirates in the New Year for the traditional curtain raiser to the international endurance racing year.
"This is such an awesome opportunity, I can't thank everyone at Schubert enough and I obviously cannot wait to get behind the wheel of the BMW M4 GT3 for the first time – it's a mega car and if it goes as fast as it looks, we've got a great chance in the Dubai 24 Hours", said the Nantwich driver.
"The guys have put together a strong line-up with Nick, who is obviously a BMW works driver, Marcel and Jens and I really am looking forward to teaming with them. I've got a lot of experience in a variety of GT3 cars, including Lamborghini, Bentley and McLaren, so it's an exciting prospect to be racing a new marque."
Witt, who was GTC Class Champion in British GT in 2011, GT Cup Champion in 2016 and Silver Cup winner of the prestigious Total 24 Hours of Spa in 2019, raced a Lamborghini in the Fanatec GT2 European Series this year as well as in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe. Additionally, he contested the final round of the British GT Championship season in a Bentley Continental GT3.
His only prior experience of the Dubai 24H came in 2019, racing in the GT4 class at the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG, and so next month's encounter will deliver a series of firsts for Witt with a new car, new team and new team-mates.
"Although the BMW M4 GT3 is new to me and it'll be the first time working with Schubert, I'm very confident we have a fantastic package and will be able to hit the ground running", he added, "It's an exciting new challenge, and there will be a lot to learn, but I really am very confident we can try to fight for the win."
Schubert Motorsport is based in Oschersleben, Germany, and was established in 1999. Becoming one of the most successful teams in GT3 endurance racing, the squad has won the Dubai 24H, won the Team Championship in the ADAC GT Masters and is also a title winner in VLN, now the Nurburgring Endurance Series.
Source. Marc Orme/Photo. Schubert Motorsport
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Neil Young. Coming to Israel this summer
Neil Young headed to Israel
Canadian rock legend to perform at Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park on July 17; ticket sales underway online
Ami Friedman|Published: 01.15.14 , 19:41
VIDEO - Another rock legend will be making its way to Israel this summer: Neil Young, one of the most important and influential figures in the history of rock music, is expected to visit the Holy Land in July for one concert, Ynet has learned.
The Shuki Weiss production company, which will be bringing the singer to Israel, said in an official statement Wednesday that the concert will be held on July 17 at Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park.
Summer Rocks
Pixies, Soundgarden to perform in Israel this summer
Ami Friedman
New music festival brings two of biggest names in 90s rock to Israel for first time. Pixies were scheduled to appear in Israel in 2010, but canceled in aftermath of Gaza flotilla incident
Tickets are currently being sold online, with prices ranging from NIS 340 (about $97) to NIS 1,400 ($400) for VIP seating.
Neil Young was born in Toronto, Canada in 1945. He began performing on his own with an acoustic guitar and harmonica, and in 1966 he moved to the United States and joined the Buffalo Springfield band as a guitarist. When the band split up, he launched a solo career and recorded his debut album, "Neil Young," in 1968.
Neil Young. Back to Israel after two decades (Photo: MCT)
In 1969, he joined the members of the Rockets band, which later changed its name to Crazy Horse, and together they recorded the highly successful album "Everybody Knows this is Nowhere." Later that year, Young Joined Crosby, Stills & Nash as a fourth member, but continued recording albums with Crazy Horse.
In 1972, Young released the album "Harvest," which included the classic "Heart of Gold," and became his most successful album until then. Due to the death of friends and colleagues, the 1970s were a gloomy period in Young's life, and his albums from that time – including "Zuma" and "American Stars 'N Bars" – reflect his personal pain.
Over the years, Young's work became more political and social, and in the 1980s he released albums which his fans and critics considered disappointing due to his attempt at electronic music and country music.
"Freedom," released in 1989, was considered by many as Young's return to his prime years, mostly thanks to the song "Rockin' in the Free World," which turned into one of the singer's biggest hits.
The 1992 album "Harvest Moon" was a return to the acoustic sound. In the 1990s, Young was nicknamed the "Godfather of Grunge" due to his direct influence on the work of that period's most successful rock bands, including Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Young even joined forces with Pearl Jam several times, and its members were featured in his album "Mirror Ball."
His latest album, "Psychedelic Pill," was released in 2012 and received positive reviews.
This will be Neil Young's second visit to Israel. In the summer of 1995, he performed with Pearl Jam members (excluding lead vocalist Eddie Vedder) at Jerusalem's Sultan Pool and at the Caesarea Amphitheater.


OSAT Middle Level Social Studies (CEOE) (027): Practice & Study Guide
Ch 40: Civil Rights in the U.S.
Watch video lessons about the history and progress of civil rights in the U.S. Learn about the origins of civil rights as well as the issues and court cases that shaped their development.
Civil Rights in the U.S. - Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you'll find lessons concerning the historical roots and progressions of civil rights in the United States. Our instructors will guide you through the details of civil rights beginnings before delving into cases, social issues, and laws that have contributed to the evolution of U.S. civil rights. By the end of the chapter, you'll have gone over:
The origins of civil rights
Minority civil rights
The civil rights of women
Civil rights victories for Americans with disabilities
Equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment
Efficient video lessons taught by professional instructors allow you learn about these topics both quickly and thoroughly. Through the course of any video lesson, you may also skip ahead or go back to main points as you wish using convenient video tags in the timeline. You'll also be able to measure your progress by testing yourself with quizzes that you can take and re-take at your discretion.
6 Lessons in Chapter 40: Civil Rights in the U.S.
1. The Origins of Civil Rights: History & Overview
Most people know that a major victory for civil rights was won when the slaves were freed after the American Civil War, but that was just the beginning. In this lesson, we'll look at civil rights and the Civil Rights Movement in America.
2. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas: Definition, Decision & Significance
In this lesson, we will learn about the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education. We will take an in-depth look at the facts surrounding Brown and the aftermath of the decision.
3. The Civil Rights of Other Minorities: Issues & Actions Taken
In this lesson, we will review the timeline of several smaller minority groups. We will take a closer look at the background of basic human civil rights, how the groups are fighting for their rights and what they mean to society today.
4. The Civil Rights of Women: Timeline, Leaders & Ongoing Issues
In this lesson, we will review the timeline of the civil rights of women. We will take a closer look at the background of the rights, what they include and what they mean to society today.
5. The Civil Rights of Americans with Disabilities: Judicial & Legislative Victories
In this lesson, we will review the timeline of the civil rights of Americans with disabilities. We will take a closer look at the background of the rights, what they include and what they mean to society today.
6. Equal Protection Under The Fourteenth Amendment: Definition & Summary
In this lesson, we will learn about the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. We will take a closer look at the history behind this clause, what it contains and what it means to society today.
Visit the OSAT Middle Level Social Studies (CEOE) (027): Practice & Study Guide page to learn more.
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Medical Office Administrator: Job Description, Duties and Requirements
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Other chapters within the OSAT Middle Level Social Studies (CEOE) (027): Practice & Study Guide course
Mesopotamian, Egyptian & Kush Civilizations
Overview & History of Ancient Greece
Roman Republic & Roman Empire
Early West African Culture & Development
History of the Dark Ages
History of the Medieval Warm Period
Art & Culture in the Renaissance
The Age of Exploration & Discovery
European Religion & Politics During the Reformation
Empire and Expansion in the 18th Century
Industrialization from 1700-1900
Global Politics (1760-1848)
The Age of Nationalism
European Life & Trends
19th and 20th Century Imperialism
The Great War (1914-1919)
History Between World Wars
Early American Civilizations
Settling North America & the Colonies
Important Events Leading to the American Revolution
Events & Leaders of the American Revolution
The Making of a Nation after the American Revolution
Jacksonian Democracy
Everyday Life in Antebellum America
Buildup to the American Civil War
The American Civil War
After the Civil War: Reconstruction
Westward Expansion, Industrialization & Urbanization (1870-1900)
American Imperialism & World War I
The Progressive Era of the Early 20th Century
1920s America
America and the Great Depression
America & World War II
Civil Rights & Other Movements in the US (1954-1973)
World Events & Politics After World War II (1946-1959)
America in the 1970s
The 1980s in America
Oklahoma's Culture, History & Geography
Introduction to American Government
Elections & Electoral Systems
The Origin & History of Life On Earth
Overview of Microeconomics
Overview of Macroeconomics
Introduction to Geography
Land Resources Geography
The Relationship Between Humans and the Environment
Culture, Socialization & Social Interaction
Analyzing Historical Information
Applying Social Study Skills
OSAT Middle Level Social Studies (CEOE) (027) Flashcards


Dropbox Q1 2018 earnings – Business Insider
Dropbox beat Wall Street's Q1 targets and gave a greater-than-anticipated enterprise forecast on Thursday in its first quarterly report card as a public firm. But with buyers having already bid up the inventory sharply within the first few weeks since its IPO, shares of Dropbox slipped barely after the "beat-and-raise" report.
The cloud storage firm's income elevated 28% within the first three months of the yr, above the 24.5% clip anticipated by Wall Street.
And Dropbox mentioned income within the second quarter would vary between $328 mililon and $331 million, topping the $325.6 million anticipated by analysts.
Shares of Dropbox, that are up roughly 50% because the firm's March IPO, fell three% in after hours buying and selling on Thursday following the report.
Here's what Dropbox reported:
Revenue (GAAP) for the quarter: Dropbox reported $316 million, up 28% from the yr earlier than. Analysts anticipated $308.7 million.
Earnings per share (Adjusted) for the quarter: Dropbox reported $zero.08. Analysts anticipated $zero.02.
Net loss (GAAP) was $465.5 million, as in comparison with a lack of $33.1 million in the identical interval final yr, however $418.7 million of that's associated to its IPO.
Q2 Revenue steerage: $328 mililon to $331 million, versus $325.6 million anticipated by analysts.
Full yr 2018 steerage: $1.343 billion to $1.355 billion, versus $1.33 billion anticipated by analysts.
Analysts additionally saved their eyes peeled for Dropbox's paid consumer development, common income per consumer, non-GAAP gross margin and free money circulate.
Dropbox had a complete of 11.5 million paying customers, in comparison with 9.three million for a similar interval final yr.
The common income per paying consumer was $114.30, in comparison with $110.79 for a similar interval final yr.
Non-GAAP gross margin was 74.2%, in comparison with 63.5% in the identical interval final yr.
Free money circulate was $51.9 million, in comparison with $56.5 million in the identical interval final yr.
Dropbox did not give steerage in its earnings press launch however mentioned it could share these figures on its earnings name. Analysts are searching for a income steerage (GAAP) for fiscal 2018 of $1.33 billion, and an earnings per share steerage (adjusted) of $zero.15.
Dropbox, now valued at $12.5 billion on the general public markets, started buying and selling on the Nasdaq on the finish of March in what was widely considered a successful IPO.
Business Insider is masking Dropbox's outcomes and earnings name, so refresh this page or click here for all the latest details.
Read more about what analysts expected from Dropbox here on BI Prime.
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MCPS Receives the Highest Recognition for Financial Reporting
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has received the highest recognition possible for accounting practices and financial reporting.
MCPS has received the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The award was given for the district's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
According to the GFOA, the award was created in 1945 "to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal."
"This award is further proof that MCPS conducts its business in a transparent, ethical manner and to the highest levels of professionalism and expertise," said Superintendent Jerry D. Weast. "I am extremely proud of our financial staff and congratulate them for their excellent work."
For more than 20 years, MCPS has received the Certificate in Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Association of School Business Officers (ASBO). This nationally recognized program reviews and critiques district account practices and rewards districts that adhere to sound accounting and reporting principles.
MCPS' Comprehensive Annual Financial Report website
Information on the GFOA Award
Information on the ASBO Certificate


HighTower adds LCK Wealth Management as partner
HighTower, a US-based advisor-owned financial services company, has added LCK Wealth Management as its partner.
LCK Wealth Management specializes in combining personalized wealth management strategies with investment services for families, trusts, foundations, charitable organizations and other non-profit entities.
LCK Wealth Management is the 41st team to enter the HighTower partnership since the firm's inception in 2008. The team will be managed by Laurie Kamhi, who joins HighTower as partner and managing director.
In addition, the team will also include Christine Torrey, senior financial analyst, and Karman Tong, senior private wealth associate.
Commenting on the deal, Kamhi said: "HighTower allows us to build on the white-glove service and commitment to bottom-line results that define our team, while integrating the support of an entire partnership."
Michael LaMena, president of HighTower, said: "Kamhi's team combines the dedication to client service and adherence to accountability that define the HighTower brand, and we welcome them to our partnership."
Competitor Profile: RBC Wealth Management
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Advisory Mandates: Implications for Wealth Managers


Heterologous signals allow efficient targeting of a nuclear-encoded fusion protein to plastids and endoplasmic reticulum in diverse plant species
Gnanasambandam, A., Polkinghorne, I.G. and Birch, R.G. (2007) Heterologous signals allow efficient targeting of a nuclear-encoded fusion protein to plastids and endoplasmic reticulum in diverse plant species. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 5 (2). pp. 290-296.
Article Link(s): http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7652.2007.00241.x
Publisher URL: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/home
Approximately 30% of plant nuclear genes appear to encode proteins targeted to the plastids or endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The signals that direct proteins into these compartments are diverse in sequence, but, on the basis of a limited number of tests in heterologous systems, they appear to be functionally conserved across species. To further test the generality of this conclusion, we tested the ability of two plastid transit peptides and an ER signal peptide to target green fluorescent protein (GFP) in 12 crops, including three monocots (barley, sugarcane, wheat) and nine dicots (Arabidopsis, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, lettuce, radish, tobacco, turnip). In all species, transient assays following microprojectile bombardment or vacuum infiltration using Agrobacterium showed that the plastid transit peptides from tomato DCL (defective chloroplast and leaves) and tobacco RbcS [ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) small subunit] genes were effective in targeting GFP to the leaf plastids. GFP engineered as a fusion to the N-terminal ER signal peptide from Arabidopsis basic chitinase and a C-terminal HDEL signal for protein retention in the ER was accumulated in the ER of all species. The results in tobacco were confirmed in stably transformed cells. These signal sequences should be useful to direct proteins to the plastid stroma or ER lumen in diverse plant species of biotechnological interest for the accumulation of particular recombinant proteins or for the modification of particular metabolic streams.
© Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Endoplasmic reticulum retention signal; endoplasmic reticulum signal peptide; green fluorescent protein; plastid targeting; stromules; transit peptide.
Science > Botany > Plant physiology