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Scotland's youngest ever minister outlines his priorities as the SNP prepare for an unprecedented UK influence
HUMZA YOUSAF is in confident mood. As well he might be. The SNP is on the verge of an historic victory at the 7 May election. It is riding so high in the polls just now that its members must be suffering from a bout of altitude sickness.
For a party that has been in government for eight years, its levels of popularity are quite astonishing. This does not fit with everything we have been told to expect in politics. But then again, there is nothing 'normal' about politics in Scotland these days.
On Saturday, thousands of people - mostly women - turned out on Glasgow's Buchanan Street as Nicola Sturgeon launched her party's election pledges for women. She was mobbed for over an hour in a sea of selfies, hugs and handshakes.
"Everything you see in public is being mirrored privately in our canvass returns. The whole rules of politics seem to be switching before our eyes." Humza Yousaf
Just around the corner, thousands more attended a rally in the city's George Square. This was a vast gathering in support of the SNP, but the party played no organisational role nor had any high-profile members in attendance.
How would Yousaf, a Scottish government minister aged just 30, sum up his party's position just now?
"Terrifyingly exciting," he says. "Everything you see in public is being mirrored privately in our canvass returns. The whole rules of politics seem to be switching before our eyes."
His phone beeps. "Have you seen this?" exclaims Yousaf.
The latest TNS polls are out. The SNP is up two points to 54 per cent. Labour is down two to 22 per cent. This was followed by a Daily Record/Survation poll which put the party's support at a comparatively more modest 51 per cent. If replicated on 7 May then these numbers would give the SNP well over 50 of the 59 seats available in Scotland.
Perhaps the most fascinating feature of these polls is that support for the SNP is even higher among women than men. In its 81-year existence, the party has long faced - often justified - accusations of being male-centric and struggling to relate to female voters. No more.
"Traditionally, the SNP has struggled in appealing to women. That has fundamentally changed now." Humza Yousaf
While independence may still have been more popular among men last September, women are now flocking to the nationalists in their droves.
"Nicola Sturgeon has had a huge impact," says Yousaf. "Traditionally, the SNP has struggled in appealing to women. We've had strong women in the past... Winnie Ewing, Margo MacDonald, Nicola, to name a few, but we've not actually broadened the appeal to women very well. That has fundamentally changed now."
Since succeeding Alex Salmond as first minister last November, Sturgeon's profile across the UK has rocketed. While the Daily Mail has called her the most dangerous woman in Britain, the British public gave her top ratings for her performance in recent UK leaders' debates. Yousaf agrees.
"She not just held her own, but actually bossed the debates against the prime minister and opposition leaders," says the Glasgow MSP. "For a while, a lot of people south of the border thought that the SNP were a bunch of fringe, looney nationalist, romantic, face-painted bravehearts. But now they're seeing us in a whole different light."
In 2012, at the age of 26, Yousaf was given the portfolio for external affairs and international development, making him Scotland's youngest ever minister.
Like his party's leader, Yousaf represents a modern and progressive face of the SNP. Born in Glasgow to a Pakistani father and Kenyan mother, he is the epitomy of an inclusive, civic nationalism that the party promotes.
In 2012, at the age of 26, he was given the portfolio for external affairs and international development, making him Scotland's youngest ever minister.
He is held in affection by a Scottish public who shuddered in collective disgust when Ukip's David Coburn told a journalist that he refers to the government minister as "Abu Hamza" earlier this year.
This was, for Yousaf, a reminder that, for all the talk of a new Scotland, the blight of racism and Islamophobia remains present in Scottish society and is even on the rise across Europe.
"I don't think we should look at Scotland with any rose tinted glasses," he says firmly. "Sometimes we like to think of Scotland as being above racism, and Islamophobia. It's not.
"Islamophobia, anti-semitism, racism, these things all exist in Scotland. You don't even have to scratch below the surface to see they exist. I've grown up and spent my whole life in Glasgow and during that time been called everything under the sun.
"Sometimes we like to think of Scotland as being above racism, and Islamophobia. It's not." Humza Yousaf
"And whether its the hijabs being banned or minarets being banned, there are hints that Islamophobia is getting worse across the European continent. We need to be vigilant."
Did the response to Coburn's comments encourage him?
"I was heartened by the kind messages from across the political spectrum," he says. "The main message is that the voices of positivity in Scotland will always defeat the voices of negativity and that makes me very proud."
When it comes to the issue of immigration, however, the opposite seems to be true. Negative scare stories about immigrants litter the speeches of Britain's political leaders in a debate seemingly influenced by the rise of Ukip.
Yousaf accepts that the SNP's pro-immigration stance is not necessarily a vote winner - "I knock enough doors to know that" - but says that it is nonetheless "incredibly important that politicians try to shape and change attitudes".
Brought up by his mum to think of Labour as the "party of immigrants", Yousaf now believes it has betrayed this mantra. A recent election mug on sale on the party's website with the words "controls on immigration" emblazoned across it was but a symptom of that, he says.
Brought up by his mum to think of Labour as the "party of immigrants", Yousaf now believes it has betrayed this mantra.
"I'm disappointed with the Labour leadership in how they've been painting migrants.I think its pretty poor. The party of immigrants has now become the party that's happy to have a pop at immigrants at any opportunity for cheap political gain.
"We desperately need immigrants for our economic prosperity. It's not the only thing that immigrants are needed for but its important for our economy to thrive. These are highly skilled people who want to work so why on earth wouldn't we let them into the country to do that?"
With the SNP looking more likely by the day to hold the balance of power at Westminster post-election, talk is turning towards the areas where the party could potentially win concessions from a minority Labour government.
While an end to austerity and scrapping the Trident nuclear missile system are - by some distance - top of the party's priorities, there are other issues that the SNP will seek to influence.
Perhaps on shutting down controversial detention centres for asylum seekers, such as Dungavel in South Lanarkshire?
"Dungavel should be shut down without any shadow of a doubt. We don't think detention is actually a good way to deal with asylum seekers at all.
"We don't think its humane for any asylum seeker to be detained whether its in Scotland or across the United Kingdom so we hope they wouldn't be needed across the UK," says Yousaf.
"I would like to see Scotland realign the UK's foreign policy to something that is a lot more positive and progressive." Humza Yousaf
Being the closest thing that Scotland has to a foreign minister, it is no surprise that Yousaf is also eager to see the SNP wield influence in the international arena.
The SNP's opposition to the Iraq war was one of the driving forces that him led to join the party and his objections to UK foreign policy remain evident.
"I would like to see Scotland realign the UK's foreign policy to something that is a lot more positive and progressive," he says, mentioning official recognition of a Palestinian state as one such issue he is keen to see pushed.
Will he go as far as SNP parliamentary candidate Stewart McDonald who recently called for a boycott of Israel?
"As a government minister I might have a more diplomatic response," he says cautiously. "Where segregation exists - take the separation wall for example - we have to be unequivocal about that and say it is unacceptable, utterly condemnable and should be removed.
"We call for an arms embargo (on Israel) and that remains the case. We're in a position when these things are always under review. We certainly don't dictate to other organisations what they should do - that's a matter for them, but ourselves as a government we don't have a position of boycott."
"The establishment tells you that you've got to have Trident to be safe, what a load of rubbish." Humza Yousaf
In just over a week's time, if Labour is indeed reliant on SNP MPs to pass bills, Yousaf may be granted his wish to see the SNP have more influence on UK domestic and international policy.
This responsibility will likely bring with it other problems. Despite being in government at Holyrood for eight years, the SNP has been successful in continuing to pitch itself as something of an anti-establishment, almost radical, political force. This image could become obscured, at the very least, if the party does play a pivotal role at big, bad Westminster.
"We are challenging the establishment," insists Yousaf. "Whether we're in government or not, the SNP will challenge the status quo. The establishment tells you that you've got to have Trident to be safe, what a load of rubbish.
"The establishment tells you you've got have austerity politics, that there's no money in the coffers so you've got to make cuts. We're going to challenge that. The establishment says that because Scotland said No in the referendum we've come to the end of the devolution journey. We're not having that either."
Few people in Scotland, and indeed the UK, would really now assert that Scotland's devolution journey has indeed come to an end. While another referendum on independence is not currently on the cards, events could change that.
"The establishment says that because Scotland said No in the referendum we've come to the end of the devolution journey. We're not having that either." Humza Yousaf
If the election goes the other way and the Conservatives somehow cling on to power, a referendum on EU membership is on the cards. If Scotland is dragged out of the EU against its will, would that give the party the legitimacy to call a second poll on independence?
"I'm not going to get drawn into whether that is an automatic trigger or not but it would give us real cause for concern," says Yousaf. "We would have to very seriously consider what the next steps would be.
"A referendum would have to be in our manifesto and would have to command majority support. That's the only way it would happen. But the EU question is fundamental. It would certainly be a considerable change in circumstance if that (an EU exit) were to happen."
Yousaf pauses for a moment, and then smiles. "It would be the worst crisis since the abdication".
Picture courtesy of the Scottish Government


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As noted earlier, while European stocks and US equity markets have ignored the commodity crash in China, which in addition to iron ore plunging limit down, also saw rubber tumble 7% lower, and steel rebar, coke, coking coal plunge over 6% …
… Axiom's Gordon Johnson warns (as we did a month ago) that the worst is yet to come, and in fact, the "backdrop of near-record/record iron ore inventories and aggressive domestic and seaborne iron ore supply, paints a nightmarish picture for iron ore prices over the coming months."
* * *
Here are the choice excerpts from his overnight note "Why We Feel Iron Ore Prices Are Slated For a Sharp N-Term Fall (Even From Here) & Why Iron Ore Stocks (FMG; RIO; CLF; X) Are Attractive Shorts Right Now"
SUMMING THE BELOW ANALYSIS UP: With China's April PMIs disappointing, suggesting China's tightening measures are beginning to take hold (i.e., demand for steel in China is now weakening), we expect steel supply in China to begin to moderate imminently; stated differently, this suggests iron ore demand is in the process of waning, which, against a backdrop of near-record/record iron ore inventories and aggressive domestic and seaborne iron ore supply, paints a nightmarish picture for iron ore prices over the coming months. On this trend, we would be adding to shorts in FMG, CLF, RIO, and X.
SO WHY THE IRON ORE PRICE PESSIMISM & CONFIDENCE ON THE FMG, RIO, CLF, and X SHORTS?: We believe, when looking at the data, iron ore prices are on the precipice of a "spectacular decline". As detailed below, iron ore imports into China were up 11.4% y/y to 95.6mt in March, and YTD were up 12.2% y/y to 271mt. In our view, due to what is expected to be a 1%-2%% fall in y/y crude steel production in China in 2017, which is below the +1.04% y/y growth seen in 2016, we believe elevated imports through March point to continued inventory build, as well as a lack of seaborne-supply-discipline to falling iron ore prices (iron ore prices fell 11.9% through March).
Exhibit 1: Despite Waning Crude Steel Output in China, Import
Growth Y/Y is Strong than Ever
Source: General Customs Administration, Axiom Capital Research.
Furthermore, moving to the domestic production of iron ore in China this year, it's clear that momentum is picking up in a very rapid manner (a troubling trend if you're an iron ore bull). That is, of the 266 domestic Chinese iron ore mines Mysteel tracks, capacity utilization has risen from 62% as of mid-April 2016, to 69.5% as of mid-April 2017; stated differently, domestic iron ore production is up 21.4% y/y to 45.6mt YTD. This stellar growth, we believe, is a byproduct of higher prices driven, we believe, not by fundamentals, but rather the "financialization" of the futures trading market in bulk commodity materials in China (where traders have to constantly speculate, in the overnight markets, on the daily directional shifts in commodity prices – due to the duration mismatch in assets vs. liabilities in the ~$4tn off-balance-sheet Wealth Management Products market). Yet, with the cash cost of iron ore production in China at ~$57.8/mt, until prices fall below this level, we would expect the "rising tide" of supply to continue to be a headache for the iron ore bulls.
Exhibit 2: Domestic China Iron Ore Supply is Growing Sharply Despite
Record Inventories and Record Seaborne Imports
Source: Mysteel.net, Axiom Capital Research.
WHAT ABOUT INVENTORIES? In addition to the above, as can be seen in Exhibits 3-4 below, inventories at both the Chinese ports and steel mills are at/near record highs. That is, looking first to major Chinese ports' iron ore inventories, we note that inventory has increased by 15% thus far this year, and is 33% higher than at the same time last year; in fact, there is enough iron ore inventory sitting at the ports in China to construct 13,000 of Eiffel towers (that's a hell of a lot of iron ore). Furthermore, while they have come down off their peaks experienced this year, steel mills' iron ore inventories in China are also still high when compared to historical levels. Yet, despite these high inventory levels, iron ore prices remain above our $40/mt target for April; in short, we believe this dynamic is a byproduct of both: (a) stellar margins for steel mills earlier this year, pushing them to prefer higher-grade iron ore in the face of higher coking coal prices, and (b) the aforementioned preference for higher-grade iron ore, in the face of bloated coking coal prices, enabling elevated production rates at Chinese steel mills. However, based on the sharp fall in Chinese steel mill profitability (discussed below), we believe both of these dynamics have come to an abrupt end (a problem if you are an iron ore bull).
Exhibit 3: Chinese Ports' Iron Ore Inventory is Sitting Near
Record Highs
Source: Shanghai Steelhome, Steel Business Briefing, Axiom Capital Research.
Exhibit 4: While Off Their Highs, Days of Imported Iron Ore Inventory
at China's Steel Mills Remain High on a Relative Basis
Source: Mysteel.net, Axiom Capital Research.
AND SPREADS? Moving on to price trends, we note that steel prices in China have been in sharp correction territory for some time now; and, with Cyclone Debbie in Australia pushing coking coal prices higher, steel mill profit margins have deteriorated. This, in turn, caused a shift in approach from the steel mills in China. More specifically, instead of opting for the higher-grade version of iron ore, in an effort to shift costs lower, mills in China instead moved toward the lower-end version of iron ore (due to its ready supply at both the ports, and at the domestic mills in China) – this trend, which remains intact today (and is an outsized, yet underappreciated, in our view, risk to seaborne iron ore prices), is evidenced by the sharp fall in the premium of 62% Fe grade iron ore when compared to 58% Fe grade iron ore (see Exhibit 6).
Exhibit 5: China's Blast Furnaces' Cash Margins Have Come Down
Considerably From the Highs
Source: Bloomberg, Axiom Capital Research.
Exhibit 6: High-Grade Iron Ore Premium is in Full
Correction Mode
Source: Metal Bulletin, Beijing CUSTEEL E-commerce Co., Axiom Capital Research.
CONCLUSION: With the above as a backdrop, as we have warned for some time now, the recent correction in steel prices in China should come as no surprise. Why? Well, as detailed below (Exhibit 7), with China continuing to pump out record levels of crude steel output (i.e., supply), despite an aggressive push by the PBoC to clamp down on property speculation, as well as elevated interbank lending rates (suggesting liquidity has tightened) – Exhibit 8 – it seems, currently, supply is outstripping demand (a recipe for disaster for prices). Furthermore, as detailed below in Exhibit 9, given expectations of steel demand coming into 2017 in China were elevated (on expectations of a Trump-driven rally, as well as reflation in China), aggressive inventory building defined the better part of C1Q17 in China. Consequently, with China's April PMIs disappointing, suggesting China's tightening measures are beginning to take hold (i.e., demand for steel in China is now weakening), we expect steel supply in China to begin to moderate imminently; stated differently, this suggests iron ore demand is in the process of waning, which, against a backdrop of near-record/record iron ore inventories and aggressive domestic and seaborne iron ore output, paints a nightmarish picture for prices over the coming months. On this, we would be adding to shorts in FMG, CLF, RIO, and X.
Exhibit 7: CISA Members' Daily Crude Steel Output
Source: China Iron & Steel Association (CISA), Axiom Capital Research.
Exhibit 8: Interbank Lending Rates in China Have Moved Structurally
Higher… Suggesting PBoC Tightening is "On the Menu"
Source: Bloomberg.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bureaucrats have been hampered by partisan postings and partisan interference for the last decade.
That does not even address the province's hypocritical approach to ferry construction in the province which is a post in itself.
South East Bight has been coping with replacement ferries for months.
After years of throwing good money after bad, the province finally said enough is enough last week and decommissioned the Nonia, after investing $19 million in repair work since 1999. The writing has been on the wall for years, yet there is no replacement for that vessel.


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ECF has recently joined Instagram to share moments from our events and to connect with our grantees, partners, programme participants and more. In this spirit, we organise regular takeovers within our networks.
Our third takeover is by another Idea Camp participant: Eduardo Cassina, on behalf of METASITU, the artistic duo made of himself and Liva Dudareva. They are currently in Kiev as artists in residence at Izolyatsia and are taking over our Instagram account from 24 to 28 August to introduce you to their practice and world.
METASITU is a strategic art collective and urban consultancy founded by landscape architect Liva Dudareva (Latvia) and urban sociologist Eduardo Cassina (Spain). The duo was formed in early 2014. During this time, the group implemented projects in Palestine, Austria, Serbia, Russia, Greece, the United Arab Emirates. METASITU's research interest lies in the study of the different fibres that weave it, the social and communal layers, the built matrix and the infinite networks that traverse it. From this departure point, their intention is to dissect the inhabited territory and bring architectural and urban sociological research to a wider audience through art in order to bridge the gap that currently exists separating urbanites from a global understanding of their immediate surroundings. This project, according to the authors, will be able to bridge the gap between the local community and the global world.
IZOLYATSIA is a foundation working with cultural and arts initiatives in Kiev, Ukraine. Founded in Donetsk in 2010, it has actively promoted culture in Eastern Ukraine, and worked with a number of site specific community projects. Izolyatsia is a former ECF grantee (for their project Memory and Space) and has recently participated to our TANDEM Ukraine Cultural Exchange Programme.
Follow them throughout the week on ECF's Instagram account, check out METASITU's work on their website and on facebook.com/metasitu.


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Chris Ledochowski
Chris Ledochowski was born in Pretoria in 1956 and grew up in Johannesburg. He attended boarding school at Waterford - Kamhlaba in Swaziland. After completing military service he studied at Michaelis School of Find Art, University of Cape Town majoring in Photography (1977-1980). In the early 1980s he joined the Afrapix photographic collective. He contributed to the Second Carnegie inquiry into Poverty and Development and worked closely with the S.A. Labour Development Unit at UCT. Apart from documenting the ongoing struggles and strife in the communities on the Cape Flats he dedicated much of his work to documenting the formation and development of the Congress of South African Trade Unions and related worker organizations within the Western Cape. While photographing in the townships he also took on commissioned portraits, which he hand coloured for his subjects. His long standing experience and relationship with these communities drew him further into recording their various cultural and sub-cultural expressions. Since 1994 he has covered the townships almost exclusively in colour for political, aesthetic and documentary reasons.
Apart from his ongoing work in townships and long-term rural projects he is regularly invited to collaborate on group projects and contribute to national and international exhibitions. He continues to work as a freelance photographer in Cape Town.
Exhibition: Cape Flats Details
Chris Ledochowski undertook a long term project to document the art and cultures of the Cape Flats townships which he began in the late 1980s. The entire project was photographed on colour transparency. This culminated in the publication of the book Cape Flats Details in 2003. That year Ledochowski was invited to exhibit a series of photographs from the project Cape Flats Details at the 50th Venice Biennale. His essay was part of an exhibition �The Structure of Survival�, curated by Carlos Basualdo.
In 2003 a solo exhibition of Cape Flats Details was held at Michael Stevenson Contemporary in Cape Town and at Photo za in Johannesburg. The work was later exhibited at the Polish Institute in Paris, France, as part of the Mois de la photo in 2004. The group exhibition- Autres Lieux, Autres Regards, Pologne-Afrique - featured Polish photographers in Africa from past to present; Jan Czekanowski, Casimir Zagourski, Ryszard Kapuscinski and Chris Ledochowski. Cape Flats Details was also exhibited at The Visiting Gallery in Warsaw, Poland in 2005.
"In the townships, I focused my attention on capturing - through photography - the dignity with which people were surviving and challenging their oppressive living conditions, The energy and soul of this struggle drew inspiration from the growing climate of political defiance. A collective desire for change gave people purpose and direction. I found that even in the midst of this modern political struggle, people still drew primarily on their traditional cultures and religious convictions, using them as outlets for creative expression. This project attempts to capture expressions of that process," says Ledochowski.
"Cape Flats" refers to the vast stretch of exposed sandy wetlands that lie north of Table Mountain and which now forms a large part of the metropolitan region of Cape Town. Racked by the harsh south-easter and frequently flooded in winter, the Cape Flats is highly unsuitable for residential purposes. But today it has become home to close on a million people. The use of the term "Details" stands in contrast to the general appearance of the townships as a bleak and colourless environment - an environment which over time, challenges one to seek and unveil hidden layers. It is in these "details" that Ledochowski found individual and collective expression of creativity and resilience that give positive meaning and definition to peoples' lives. His works present public and private images of hope that bring together and convey tradition and modernity, stability and change, faith and despair. Against the rigid domination by apartheid, so physically represented in the construction of township living spaces, people created and nurtured a culture that was under their control.


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The bail system was intended to ensure that arrested persons would return to court. Now, however, jails across the country are filled with people too poor to post exorbitant cash bonds and buy back their freedom. Because the vast majority of poor people who are arrested are Black and Latinx, the cash bail system is devastating communities of color.
We have sued judges who continue to jail innocent people for the "crime" of living in poverty.
Right now, thousands of people are being held in Mississippi county jails.
Most are there because they are too poor to make bail. As a result, they we will remain behind bars for months – even years – before trial or release.
For the first time, we have been able to make this information available to the public.
Latest Developments
Federal Court Rules Orleans Parish Magistrate Judge Violating Constitutional Rights During Bond Proceedings
Key Cases
Caliste v. Cantrell
Cash Bail
The MacArthur Justice Center is pursuing a federal class action lawsuit against Orleans Magistrate Judge Harry E. Cantrell challenging his practice of setting high bail amounts without any consideration of the person's ability to pay or alternative no-cost conditions of release. Judge Cantrell also insists on using commercial bond companies (rather than cash), which require a non-reimbursable fee, a portion of which goes to the court's General Fund – revenue Cantrell and other judges' control.
Burks v. Scott County
Cash Bail
The MacArthur Justice Center, the ACLU and the ACLU of Mississippi filed a class action lawsuit against Scott County (Mississippi) sheriff, district attorney, and judges after learning that the Scott County Detention Center has held people for as long as a year without appointing counsel and without indicting them. A settlement was reached in June 2018 which ended this practice by appointing public defenders at arrest.


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My six-year-old, during a gourmet sloppy joe dinner last night: I have a sesame seed bun.
My seven-year-old: I have a delicious and nutritious whole wheat bun.
My six-year-old: If I plant these seeds, will it grow bread?
My two-year-old at his very first movie last week (very loudly, as the prehistoric squirrel in the Ice Age movies appeared on the screen to start the film): OHMYGOD! WHAT IS THAT?
And, I'll leave you with this. What my six-year-old does to her brother when left unattended.


text:
Saw my X-rays for the first time since this happened. I basically have a titanium cage holding my bones. Looks pretty rad.
Doc says I'm healing great. Wants me to start having someone bend my knee to 90 degrees. Wants me to start going to physical therapy. He said I can also start putting 50% weight on my foot.
And the most important thing, he's 95% sure that I'll be able to go to England! If not, he says a doctors note will get me a full refund on my plane ticket. WOOT!
He's also been using me as a strange case in his classes. I'm like one of those patients on House where they have to figure out how the hell I did this to myself.
So great news all around.


text:
Guyana new 20-dollar variety confirmed
22 11, 2010 15:03 Category: South America
20 dollars (US$0.10), no date. Like P30, but new signatures, new printer imprint (CANADIAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, LIMITED), and the serial number font at lower left has been changed and no longer matches the novel serial number font at upper right.
Courtesy of Murtaza Azeez.


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|I was tapped to taste-test some new options (oil) for popping Lone Star Kettle Corn
Kettle Corn is one of my favorite things. Luckily (or unluckily for my fitness) my friends own Lone Star Kettle Corn - http://lonestarkettlecorn.com/.
They were working on a new oil to make their kettle corn more healthy... so I got to try 4 different options. Mission Accepted. Belly Full.


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-Where are you located?
We are located at 25 N 300 W Washington, UT. For directions, click here.
-Do you offer concessions?
We at Brigham's Playhouse consider ourselves a "dessert theater". We offer a wide and delicious variety of concessions including Red Barn ice cream, Brigham's Brew Root Beer, Choosy Popcorn and Chocolates, and freshed baked cookies.
-How much are tickets?
Our tickets are $23 for adults, $21 for seniors, and $17 for students and children for our Broadway-caliber productions. Season tickets are 15% off individual tickets. To order yours click here.
-Are children allowed at the theatre?
To create an optimal atmosphere, we request that children under five do not attend productions. We are family-friendly establishment, however, and encourage young viewers to gain the culture experiences our shows provide.
-How can I become a sponsor?
Becoming a sponsor for quality entertainment and meaningful theatrical experiences is easy. Contact us at (435) 251-8000 to get involved. For more information and a sponsorship breakdown, click here.
-When are auditions?
Check back on our site for updated information about when auditions are. Requirements include a headshot, resume, and an accompaniment track or sheet music. No a cappella audtions permitted. For more information, click here.
-Do you offer youth classes or camps?
Yes! We are currently offering applications for the sessions of our 2017 Summer Youth Theatre Camp.
To learn more, click here.


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Tely Labs is a pioneer in simple, secure and affordable video communication and collaboration systems that fundamentally change the way people communicate. Our solutions help organizations to:
-Extend existing standards-based video networks from executive boardrooms to secondary conference rooms and remote offices.
-Gain the benefits of videoconferencing and content sharing without the investment in expensive on-premise video networks.
-Connect meeting rooms to a wide variety of video-enabled devices, including tablets, smartphones, laptops and traditional room-based videoconferencing systems.
Tely Labs is dedicated to bringing video conferencing to every meeting room, remote office and healthcare facility – simply, securely and affordably.


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Three stories of hope
Three very special men
One perfect holiday!
A Place To Belong by Judith Stacy
Sheriff Jack Crawford is a man who has never called anywhere home, but Maggie Hudson's beauty makes this good-looking drifter think about putting down roots.
A Son Is Given by Victoria Bylin
Katherine Merritt's life was changed utterly by a tragic accident. Now, in the season of miracles, will she find it in her heart to forgive the husband she once adored?
Angels in the Snow by Elizabeth Lane
Della is resolved to give a lonely little boy the Christmas he needs--even though the boy's exasperatingly stubborn, infuriatingly gorgeous father has his mind dead set against it!


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Stand Up Paddle Annapolis
Stand up paddling in the Maryland and Mid-Atlantic Region!
We are a Stand Up Paddle company in Annapolis, MD. Our main goal is to help spread the word and increase interest in stand up paddle boarding in the area. We regularly host group paddles, races, cleanups, etc. We also sell the best top of the line boards for the best prices in the area. We can find the perfect board for you, just give us a call! 443-829-2266
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Lot's of new goodies in!!
Big Infinity Sup and Riviera Demo day coming up
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Beyond the rules applicable to centralised and occasional joint procurement, and still focusing on issues concerning the allocation of responsibility/liability between contracting authorities, reg.39 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR2015) is dedicated to procurement involving contracting authorities from other Member States and sets 'conflict-of-law-like' rules to determine the procurement regime applicable to cross-border cooperation, in the same terms of Article 39 of Directive 2014/24. Pedro has encapsulated its content very clearly here.
Reg.39(1) PCR2015 opens with a reference to public-public and in-house cooperation (for critical remarks, see here, here, here and here) by determining that "[w]ithout prejudice to regulation 12, contracting authorities may act jointly with contracting authorities from other member States in the award of public contracts by using one of the means provided for in this regulation". One option is to interpret this as allowing for contracting authorities to set up cross-border in-house/public house schemes, in which case it is to be deferred to the general legal requirements of the chosen vehicle to determine which procurement system controls its activities (which is, by no means, necessarily obvious). However, in view of regs. 30(10) to (14) PCR2015, the relationship between cross-border in-house and other types of cross-border joint entities is not easy to fathom.
In any case, reg.39 PCR2015 goes on to establish a significant number of cross-border cooperation possibilities, subject to the general requirement that contracting authorities shall not use them for the purpose of avoiding the application of mandatory public law provisions in the law of the jurisdiction to which they are subject, where those provisions are in conformity with EU law [reg.39(2) PCR2015], which of course may impose significant restrictions once budgetary and other sets of public sector laws are considered.
The three main options foreseen in reg.39 PCR2015 are cross-border centralised purchasing, cross-border joint procurement and cross-border procurement through joint entities (other than in-house ?, see above). Each of them prompt significant questions.
Regs.39(3) to (5) PCR2015 deal with cross-border access to centralised procurement bodies and determine that contracting authorities are free to use centralised purchasing activities offered by central purchasing bodies located in a Member State other than the UK. The PCR2015 has not restricted the sort of activities carried out by the non-UK CPB, which can then take either of the following forms: (a) the acquisition of supplies and/or services intended for contracting authorities, or (b) the award of public contracts or the conclusion of framework agreements for works, supplies or services intended for contracting authorities. In either case, the provision of centralised purchasing activities shall be conducted in accordance with the national provisions of the Member State where the central purchasing body is located; which rules will also apply to direct call-offs or awards of contracts under framework agreements and dynamic purchasing systems organised by the central purchasing body. So far, so good.
This is quite interesting because it creates a situation where, for example, an English contracting authority that conducts a mini-competition within a framework set up by an Italian central purchasing body is acting with subjection to Italian public procurement law. The likelihood that this actually happens in practice seems small, as the English contracting authority will most likely prefer the Italian CPB to conduct the mini-competition and choose the specific provider of the given goods or services in order to avoid such extraterritorial application of Italian public procurement rules. In that case, though, the initial act whereby the English contracting authority approaches the Italian CPB is not covered by the 'conflict-of-law-like' rules in regs.39(4) & (5) PCR2015, which creates a legal vacuum concerning that specific act.
It would be tempting to assume that it would be English law, but that is by no means the only possible option or the strongest in law. If the "entrustment"/"collaboration" act was considered a commercial contract (the public-public cooperation element indeed seems rather limited as far as that transaction is concerned), the rules of the Rome I Regulation would most likely be engaged, in which case the several criteria in Art 4 would point towards Italian law, unless there were some serious overriding mandatory provisions that could trigger the application of English law instead under Art 9. In any case, it seems clear that there is either a requirement or a risk that the English contracting authority would have to comply with Italian law, which seems a serious limitation of the system.
It would be tempting to assume that it would be English law, but that is by no means the only possible option or the strongest in law. If the "entrustment"/"collaboration" act was considered a commercial contract (the public-public cooperation element indeed seems rather limited as far as that transaction is concerned), the rules of the Rome I Regulation would most likely be engaged, in which case the several criteria in Art 4 would point towards Italian law, unless there were some serious overriding mandatory provisions that could trigger the application of English law instead under Art 9. In any case, it seems clear that there is either a requirement or a risk that the English contracting authority would have to comply with Italian law, which seems a serious limitation of the system.
Moreover, the law applicable to the (public) contract with the ultimate supplier/contractor would also be Italian law in almost all cases, except if the Italian CPB (with amazing foresight) had introduced compliance with the law of the 'client' contracting authority as a contractual condition in the relevant tender documentation. All in all, it looks like this sort of cross-border activity would create a significant need for the English contracting authority to obtain advice on foreign (EU) domestic procurement and contract law, which make well erode any economic advantages derived from the recourse to the CPB of a different Member State.
Regs.39(6) to (9) PCR2015 establish the conditions under which an English or Welsh contracting authority may, together with contracting authorities from different Member States, jointly award a public contract, conclude a framework agreement or operate a dynamic purchasing system, or award contracts based on a framework agreement or on a dynamic purchasing system. For this to be possible, and unless the necessary elements have been regulated by an international agreement concluded between the Member States concerned, the contracting authorities involved need to conclude an agreement that determines: (a) the responsibilities of the parties and the relevant applicable national provisions; and (b) the internal organisation of the procurement procedure, including the management of the procedure, the distribution of the works, supplies or services to be procured, and the conclusion of contracts. In any case, it is clear that a participating contracting authority fulfils its obligations when it purchases works, supplies or services from a contracting authority which is responsible for the procurement procedure.
This is a group of rules and requirements that fundamentally superfluous. I would have expected this scenario to be covered by reg.9 PCR2015 (art 9 dir 2014/24) on public contracts awarded and design contests organised pursuant to international rules, particularly given the need for an (international) agreement to be reached prior to the cross-border cooperation--either in general terms, or for the specific case. Moreover, the rules in reg.39(6) to (9) leave all decisions to the agreement between the Member States and simply impose a transparency obligation whereby the allocation of responsibilities and the applicable national law must be referred to in the procurement documents [reg.39(7)(b) PCR2015]. However, this does not sort out any of the practical problems derived from joint procurement (see comment to reg.38 PCR2015), which are potentially magnified by the cross-border nature of the rules under reg.39 PCR2015. Hence, this is another area where uptake in practice seems likely to be limited, unless contracting authorities invest significant resources in legal advice.
Cross-border procurement through joint entities
Regs.39(10) to (14) PCR2015 establish rules for contracting authorities of different Member States to set up a joint (in-house?) entity, including European Groupings of territorial cooperation under Regulation 1082/2006 or other entities established under Union law. This raises the already mentioned question whether other sorts of joint entities (ie other than those established under EU law) can be created under the general clause of reg.39(1) PCR2015 or not.
In any case, for the purposes of the joint entities established under EU law, by a decision of the competent body of the joint entity, the participating contracting authorities shall agree on the applicable national procurement rules of one of the following Member States: (a) the national provisions of the Member State where the joint entity has its registered office; or (b) the national provisions of the Member State where the joint entity is carrying out its activities. Such agreement may either apply for an undetermined period, when fixed in the constitutive act of the joint entity, or may be limited to a certain period of time, certain types of contracts or to one or more individual contract awards.
In this case, there is no specific transparency requirement to the effect of imposing disclosure of such agreement in the relevant procurement documents, but the joint entity would be well advised to do so. In this scenario, the same issues concerning the conflict-of-law-like issues discussed above also apply.
Overall impression
In my view, all of the above creates the impression that these rules will be applicable in a marginal set of cases where contracting authorities of different Member States engage in long-term cooperation for public procurement purposes, which seems most likely in frontier areas. In any case, the rules in reg.39 PCR2015 (art 39 dir 2014/24) are mostly limited or completely open to agreement between the Member States/contracting authorities involved, so they can hardly be seen as much more than enabling provisions and, in that case, their relationship (or distinction) with reg. 9 PCR2015 (art 9 dir 2014/24) is unclear.
I would personally not expect a very significant practical implementation of these rules in the short term, with the only possible exception of cross-border centralisation. That is an issue briefly explored in A Sanchez-Graells and I Herrera Anchustegui, Impact of Public Procurement Aggregation on Competition: Risks, Rationale and Justification for the Rules in Directive 2014/24 (December 5, 2014). University of Leicester School of Law Research Paper No. 14-35, and one which we aim to explore further in a forthcoming paper.


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This tickled my funny bone when I came across it in a photo album. It must've been picked up from a hotel a decade ago. Of course, I laugh because of the contemporary association (I still don't understand how anyone can think suicide bomber is a good career choice) but Isis was a goddess revered in Ancient Egypt, the daughter of Geb and Nut, and married her brother Osiris and together they gave birth to Horus. Funny a group wanting to rid the world of those who follow a variety of spiritual paths, that they should use the name of a goddess from people who didn't believe in a one almighty god, but many gods. I'm sure they have their rationale, but I don't care; LOL.
November 2019


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West Midlands Police are investigating after a man was shot in Kings Norton last night (Thursday 11th February).
Officers were called to a house address on Redhill Road, Hawkesley at around 10:20pm following reports of a man with gunshot wounds.
A 21-year-old man was taken to hospital with two gunshot wounds, to his leg and chest, where his condition today is described as stable.
At this stage, police believe that the shooting was a targeted attack and have reassured that they do not believe there is a threat to the wider community.
Detective Chief Inspector Sean Russell said: "We're very keen to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard anything last night that may help with our investigation.
"There may be people out there who feel uneasy about coming forward. I would reassure those individuals we have a range of special measures that we can use to support them. Firearms have no place on the streets of Birmingham. There must be no let-up in our approach to tackle gun crime and it remains an absolute priority for us."
Anyone who can assist the police investigation should call 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


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Trend Chart of the Day: REO Demand & Las Vegas Home Prices
Is the housing market bifurcated or should all supply be considered part of a single housing market? Evidence is mounting that the market is the market – REOs and non-distressed properties cannot be isolated.
From Friday's DSNews article – "Heavy Distress Sends Las Vegas Home Prices to 15-Year Low" -
Foreclosure resales – homes that had been foreclosed on in the prior 12 months – accounted for 57.5 percent of the Las Vegas resale market during the month, up from 45.2 percent a year earlier, the real estate tracking company reported…
…DataQuick says the heavy presence of investors and others paying cash, with their focus on lower-cost homes, helps explain why 41.1 percent of June sales were for less than $100,000.
The data shows that REO demand in Phoenix and Las Vegas is affecting aggregate market price trends of the so-called "regular" market. Prices are low, but stabilizing even with the increased inventory hitting the market – a result in the increased REO sale activity.


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This morning while gulping down a cup of coffee I felt the need to rattle off my To-Do List to my husband as he was running out the door to work. He is taking vacation starting tomorrow and in my mind this equals help with completing my list... Daddy Frankenstein is a very patient and wise man. He smiled at me and said "You know there are the 12 Days of Christmas?!" You don't have to get it all done by the 25th. You have the season of Christmas Tide."
Well, that had me thinking all day and led me on a bit of a quest. It turns out that the 12 days of Christmas was in fact a real thing and it has real meaning. It seems to me that this very important part of the Christian experience has been left behind, (maybe like no longer ringing the bell in mass at communion- I am bitter, I miss the bell- moving on). When reading up and researching the 12 Days of Christmas I came across a few people who have tried to revive the tradition. One of them is a priest. I have listed links below so that you can check them out. I have decided though to kinda do my own thing and I am going to share it here with all of you.
It seems the 12 Days of Christmas is connected to 12 key truths about Christ. The "True Love" in the song is God and these are the 12 gifts God has given us. Each gift has significance and are important parts of understanding the Bible and our relationship with Christ. While there doesn't seem to be much historical evidence to support the song being created to teach hidden messages, it doesn't ever hurt anyone to find a way to learn more about and come closer to God.
I think for me the bigger question is, what would it be like if we really did make Christmas a 12 day experience? How did we come to stuff Christmas into a one day celebration? Would we just make Christmas into a crazy 12 day experience or would we not feel so much pressure if we spread things out? I know for me there was some relief in the idea that I could sprinkle Christmas over an extended time frame rather that cram it all into one day. I am also aware that as Christians we are called to have the spirit of Christmas in our hearts all the time, but what if the celebration of the birth of God's son was important enough to us to take the time to make it a multi-day celebration and worship?
Here are a couple links to historical explanations of the 12 Days of Christmas:
Christian History: The Real Twelve Days of Christmas
Catholic News Agency: The History of the 'Twelve Days of Christmas'
Living the 12 Days of Christmas
The Voice: The Twelve Days of Christmas
Just for fun, here is my favorite version of The Twelve Days of Christmas


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Genetic Engineering in the House of Prayer - Welcome to Belle-Hop!
Yesterday Kirk and I paid a visit to Belle Hop, the House of Prayer in Belleville, Ontario. There we were warmly greeted by Wendy Anderson, who made us a lovely lunch and gave us a tour of their exciting storefront facility in downtown Belleville.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBUmk_nceaIThe building (as you can see from the video), is quite amazing. Space for hospitality. A worship area for Harp and Bowl, but then multiple other prayer rooms for other kinds of prayer expressions!Wendy and her team have done some genetic engineering, and have fused the IHOP model of night and day prayer with the 24-7prayer.com model out of the UK. Her associate director, Jeff Boerger, is an Anglican, and on Monday nights teaches on the spiritual disciplines. They have a keypad on the backdoor to give 24/7 access, and large whiteboard where people can sign up for an hour towards the goal of praying 24/7. "One of our community has Down Syndrome," says Wendy, pointing to some night slot hours. "He sets his alarm for midnight and prays from home."As many of you know, GOHOP has been doing much the same thing over the last 7 years or so, with what to us have been delightful results. But we always felt a bit like the oddball on the Canadian HOP scene. So imagine our delight to find another HOP making the same crazy experiments, fusing the spiritual DNA of two prayer movements! Making room for all kinds of prayer (Ephesians 6:18) makes our prayer space accessible and attractive to a wide variety of prayer enthusiasts, not all whom identify with the charismatic camp. The Spirit of prayer is at work in every denomination! We had a very short time with them, and I can in no way give justice to the scope of their work and the quality of their hearts. You will just have to go visit them and learn for yourself! You can find them on facebook here.


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"US set the whole Middle East on fire…but someone else is a d**k." Jimmy Dore calls it straight on this one.
Sean Spicer claims Hitler did not use chemical weapons (gas chambers??).
The Trump attack on Assad is making the entire White House look more stupid with each passing day.
Jimmy Dore takes Spicer to task for his ridiculous comments, and the White House's dangerous run up to war with Syria and Russia.


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Posted 1/20/10 (Wed)
I guess there is nothing like a January thaw to put a smile on a rancher's face. With the change in the wind chill, we are looking at nearly a one hundred degree change from last week. From wind chills around fifty below, to temps in the mid forties! All of a sudden the hay pile looks a little bigger, and the cows a little fuller. Life is good!
A few cowboys and cowgirls are saddling up rope horses and barrel horses and pretending that summer is here! I'm even eyeballing a couple of colts that are going to need some riding one of these days, and worrying if Shirley's knees are healed up enough to take the rough off of them. Hope so, cause I dang sure don't want to do it.
There is nothing that makes a fat guy wish he had worked a little harder over the winter than crawling on a cold-backed horse on a frosty morning. A horse that has been eating a little grain and not doing a lick of work all winter. It makes your stomach tie up in a knot. And for me, that is a pretty darn big knot.
Or, you can take them out behind the barn, where no one can see you, tie your reins up, and sic the dogs on them. It's not the best way to get a horse gentled, but a couple of trips around the pen with the dogs helping, darn sure gets the hump out of their back!
And now, for some reason, horse sales just popped into my head!
And I was afraid I had writer's block.
So, I am going to give you the true meaning of things said at a horse sale.
When the seller says, "The only reason we're selling him is we have too many young horses at home," he really means this horse is not as good as the ones we have left.
When the seller says, "He's been ridden about thirty days," he means the horse has been saddled a few times and acted like you could get through the ring on him.
When the seller says, "Broke to death, but I wouldn't recommend him for kids," he means Brad Gjermundsen couldn't ride him when he blows up.
When the seller says, " If you want a horse that will go all day," he means this horse will run off with you and ain't going to stop.
When the seller says, "You can catch him in the pasture," he means the horse won't come in for grain and you have to go out in the pasture to find him.
When the seller says, "He's a little cold-backed, but all right once you get going," means when he usually just bucks you off once in the morning, then he's all right the rest of the day.
When the seller says, "He's broke to ground tie," he means don't tie this bugger up to anything, cause he'll halter pull like nothing you have ever seen.
When the seller says, "He's started on barrels," he means he shies at the garbage barrel when he goes out of the yard.
And that reminds me of a story I just heard. Willard was the auctioneer and pedigree man at a horse sale in Dickinson years ago.
Now, Willard could brag up a horse like no one else in the country. This one old boy comes in on this bay horse. He's riding this horse around and Willard starts giving the history on this old boy and this horse. He tells how broke this horse is. How he can bring a cow into the yard when she's calving. He tells how the wife can use this horse in the Fourth of July parade. He tells how you can pack calves and kids on this horse. This horse is the real deal.
The guy riding him, finally looks up at Willard and stops him. Willard asks, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," the guy replies. "But he sounds so good, I decided not to sell him!"


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In theatrical productions, there is a process called setting the scene, which is the act of describing a situation so that the audience understands what is happening. Setting the scene lays the groundwork for what to expect during the remaining acts in the production. Similarly, a well-written introduction in a scientific paper sets the scene for the reader. It starts by telling the reader what is happening or has happened (the context), and ends by giving the reader a glimpse of what follows in the remainder of the article (the plot).
Introductions seemingly should be easy to write, since they do not require details about methods and results or a discussion of the results. Besides, the introduction is usually found right after the abstract, where you already summarized the content for the reader. In actuality, however, writing a good introduction requires considerable time and thought. Here I provide information about the structure of a good introduction and how to avoid common problems that editors see with submitted manuscripts.
The Conical Introduction
Introductions have shapes. Some individuals see them as funnels, others as cones or inverted pyramids. Whatever image you choose should go from large to small, broad to narrow. This is how the information in the introduction should flow as well (Fig. 1⇓ ). Begin by providing the reader with background information on the topic of the paper. Describe what is known about a disease, technique, or compound and why it is an important topic. Do not be concerned if this takes several sentences. If there is a certain amount of background information that you believe the reader must have to follow the remainder of the article, include it. But make sure that the background information directly relates to your specific study. For example, if you are reporting on a new marker for pancreatic cancer, do not devote unnecessary text to the epidemiology, therapy, life expectancy, medical costs, etc., of cancer in general. Get to the known information about pancreatic cancer as soon as possible.
Having presented relevant background information, the next step is to narrow the introduction and focus the reader's attention on the importance of continued research on particular aspects. Tell the reader about needed but unknown information, an unsolved problem, a knowledge gap, or limitations of prior studies. There may be a lack of a good analytical technique or the availability of a new animal model. Perhaps no one recognized the problem before now or tied the literature together to identify a possible solution. The important goal here is to demonstrate to the reader that there are important missing pieces of the puzzle that need to be filled in. Using the analogy of a theatrical production, you should set the scene by putting the necessary background information into the proper context.
Now the introduction can be narrowed again by focusing on the goal of your study (the plot). From this point on, the text must provide a clear rationale for why you initiated the study. The reasons for doing research are limited. You test a hypothesis, answer a question, solve a problem, or fulfill a purpose. The text should include something like the following:
We hypothesized that…
We tested the hypothesis that…
We asked whether…
To answer this question,…
This prompted us to investigate whether…
To resolve this apparent difference…
We solved this problem by…
The purpose of our study was…
Importantly, this type of presentation tells the reader to expect a clear answer by the end of the article regarding the study goals or hypothesis—i.e., true/false, yes/no, works/doesn't work.
Optionally, some writers choose to add a short concluding sentence or two telling the reader something about the approach taken, the plan of attack, or the proposed solution in the paper and its importance. If included, however, my recommendation is that you not provide method details, results, or conclusions. The reader should already have had a brief exposure to these items through the abstract.
Example 1 provides the introduction for a hypothetical study of a biomarker in vascular inflammation. Compare the format of this introduction to the cone concept in Fig. 1⇑ . The first sentence (top of the cone) tells the reader that the study relates to the broader topic of cardiovascular disease, which is an important health problem. The next sentence narrows the topic to chronic inflammation, which is linked to cardiovascular disease, followed by a sentence that focuses the topic further to β-selectin, a marker of inflammation that is increased in the serum of patients with peripheral vascular disease. Besides referenced association studies, the introduction next emphasizes that 2 major prospective studies have found a positive correlation between β-selectin and actual cardiovascular risk. The first paragraph has provided background and known information from citable work, all the way demonstrating to the reader the importance of β-selectin as a subject of research. The second paragraph (narrower section of the cone) presents the unknown information (knowledge gap) that previous work has failed to address. Even without the question being explicitly stated, the reader can begin to deduce what the study question will be. The third paragraph (even closer to the tip of the cone) narrows the focus to the question itself and the purpose of the study. Is β-selectin a contributing factor or just a marker of cardiovascular disease? At the minimum, there will be a yes/no answer. The last paragraph of the introduction gives the reader some clue as to how the study was performed, i.e., using a viral infection model in mice. No method details are provided, no results provided, no conclusions stated. Overall, this introduction follows the model in Fig. 1⇑ .
Transition Phrases
In the introduction, the story becomes clearer if transition phrases are used. Transition phrases allow the author to emphasize important points, and also help the reader differentiate the known, the unknown, the question, and the experimental approach. I previously listed some examples of ways to lead into the question or hypothesis. Examples of transition phrases that can be used to highlight the known, or link the known to the unknown, are shown below:
These prior studies show that…
Supporting the theory that…
These studies are important because…
More importantly,…
Using this information,…
Whereas it has been shown that…
On the other hand,…
It is unclear…
The question remains, however,…
Although prior studies demonstrated…
Different Study Types, Same Model
Many published articles describe a new method or a secondary finding that sheds new light on a topic. These types of studies were not initiated to directly answer a question or test a hypothesis, yet they had a purpose that should be described in the introduction. Regardless of the type of study, the same process of honing down to the problem to be addressed, as illustrated in Fig. 1⇑ , can be followed when writing the introduction. Example 2 and the learning exercise at the end of the article illustrate ways that this can be done. Example 2 is a modified introduction from an article describing the finding that, in addition to biological matrices, solvents can impact the performance of mass spectrometric assays. The introduction starts with the broad topic of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, describing what advantages it has and how clinical laboratories are successfully using this technique, subsequently narrowing the subject to a specific assay that served as the origin for the study. This is the known information. The second paragraph, while not directly describing a knowledge gap or problems with previous studies, brings a previously unknown problem to the attention of the reader. It also indirectly introduces the question: Does the quality of solvents have any significant impact on ionization efficiency in electrospray mass spectrometry? The last 2 sentences (paragraph 3) close the introduction by stating the purpose of the paper and what new information is going to be provided. This introduction, although different in style, narrows from known information to a previously unknown problem to the specific purpose of the paper.
Length, Detail, and Overlap
Introductions tend to be too long rather than too short. A long introduction reminds me of the courtroom scene in a television show, where an attorney keeps feeding statements to a witness until the frustrated judge asks, "Counselor, is there a question in there somewhere?" Similarly, in sifting through what was intended to be an impressive overview of the topic and the issues, the reader may fail to appreciate the question when it finally arrives.
There are several ways to avoid giving too much information. One is to characterize the audience of the selected journal. Ask yourself, "If I were the reader, how much information would I really need to understand the study question and why it matters?" Another way to avoid excessive length is to go back in time only as far as needed to bring the reader up to speed. Unless being cited as influential work in the field, is mention of older work or an older reference necessary? A third way is to set a target word limit before linking the known information to the unknown information, and then similarly the unknown information to the study question. The fourth way is to consider whether some of the information or associated references might fit better into the discussion section, where you are interpreting your results and their relevance.
The last option above calls attention to a couple of problems that editors encounter in submitted papers: (a) unnecessary overlap of the introduction and discussion sections and (b) inconsistencies between these 2 sections. A few brief sentences at the beginning of the discussion help reorient the reader to the purpose of your study and your findings, but you should try to keep background or reference material in one section or the other, not both. Repetition between the sections not only wastes words, but also can create the impression that you had little to discuss in the paper and thus reused background information to fill space. As you try to interpret your study results and put them in context with other studies, you may find that some background or reference material fits better in the discussion than in the introduction. This gives you the opportunity to link specific results or points of discussion to others' work, citing their work where it makes most sense.
Consistency with Other Sections
Although you want to minimize repetition, it is important that the text be consistent among all of the sections of the paper. Background information, knowledge gaps, purpose statements, and proposed solutions in the abstract should be consistent with the introduction. The methods used must reflect any mentioned in the introduction. The results must relate to the study question, hypothesis, or problem first presented in the introduction. The discussion, or summary if separately written, must answer the question posed in the introduction. Sometimes reviewers and editors request changes to the text, restatement of the question or problem, reinterpretation of results, or modification of the conclusions. Thus, it is a good idea to take a fresh look at the introduction after the final draft is written or after any revision to be certain that it is still accurate and consistent with the rest of the article.
Learning Exercise
Below I have provided 10 sentences that together make up an introduction for a paper describing a new method. Using the concept for writing an introduction shown in Fig. 1⇑ , rearrange the sentences to create an introduction. Compare your final product with the one provided in the box after the list of selected additional reading materials.
Iohexol is not bound to serum proteins and is filtered through the glomerulus, with no identifiable reabsorption or tubular secretion, making it an ideal marker for estimating GFR.
Ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC), a recently introduced modification of LC, allows rapid chromatography owing to faster gradient curves, as well as the potential to use smaller particles and higher flow rates.
Protocols have been developed that involve a single intravenous injection of iohexol followed by timed blood collections.
Iohexol is an iodinated contrast dye that has been shown to be useful in clearance studies for the determination of GFR.
We have combined these 2 techniques to develop a UPLC-MS/MS assay for iohexol in human serum that uses a simple sample preparation, a structural analog internal standard with the same retention time, and a ballistic gradient for rapid chromatographic analysis.
Both of these techniques require lengthy run times to separate iohexol from endogenous interfering compounds and the internal standards.
In the subset of patients with suspected renal insufficiency for whom it is important to have an accurate assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR), clearance measurements provide the best information.
No urine collection or quantification in urine is necessary, an advantage over iothalamate, the other agent used for GFR studies.
By comparison, the high selectivity of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) as a detector generally allows simpler specimen cleanup and shorter chromatographic times compared with UV detection.
The majority of published methods for quantifying iohexol have used capillary electrophoresis or gradient elution liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with ultraviolet (UV) detection.
Final Thoughts
When you introduce an important speaker, you want to give a "proper introduction." This usually entails telling the audience about the speaker's background, area of research, and the topic to be presented. If you go on and on about the speaker's background and accomplishments, or spend too much time talking about how you came to know this individual, or forget to reinforce the topic of the lecture, by the time the speaker says a word the audience may have trouble recalling why they were there in the first place. We have all suffered through such introductions. Your own work must be important to you; otherwise you would not want others to read it. So give it a proper introduction as well, using the tips and ideas that have been presented.
Suggested Additional Reading
Friedman GD. Please read the following paper and write this way! Am J Epidemiol 2005;161:405.
Katz MJ. From research to manuscript. New York: Springer, 2009.
Zeiger M. Essentials of writing biomedical research papers. New York: McGraw Hill, 2000.
Answer to Learning Exercise1
In the subset of patients with suspected renal insufficiency for whom it is important to have an accurate assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR), clearance measurements provide the best information. Iohexol is an iodinated contrast dye that has been shown to be useful in clearance studies for the determination of GFR (1). Iohexol is not bound to serum proteins and is filtered through the glomerulus, with no identifiable reabsorption or tubular secretion, making it an ideal marker for estimating GFR. Protocols have been developed that involve a single intravenous injection of iohexol followed by timed blood collections (2–4). No urine collection or quantification in urine is necessary, an advantage over iothalamate, the other agent used for GFR studies.
The majority of published methods for quantifying iohexol have used capillary electrophoresis or gradient elution liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with ultraviolet (UV) detection (5–9). Both of these techniques require lengthy run times to separate iohexol from endogenous interfering compounds and the internal standards. By comparison, the high selectivity of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) as a detector generally allows simpler specimen cleanup and shorter chromatographic times compared with UV detection. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC), a recently introduced modification of LC, allows rapid chromatography owing to faster gradient curves, as well as the potential to use smaller particles and higher flow rates. We have combined these 2 techniques to develop a UPLC-MS/MS assay for iohexol in human serum that uses a simple sample preparation, a structural analog internal standard with the same retention time, and a ballistic gradient for rapid chromatographic analysis.
Comment: Following the cone shape model, this introduction narrows from known information to a problem to a solution to the problem. The first paragraph provides a general overview of iohexol and why it has advantages in GFR evaluations. The second paragraph narrows the focus to published methods for quantifying serum iohexol and their drawbacks. Although unknown information or an unsolved problem is not directly stated, the need for an improved assay is implied. The introduction closes with a proposed solution to the problem. Is there a need to propose a hypothesis or ask the question of whether mass spectrometry could be used to quantify iohexol? One could do so, but the answer must be yes, otherwise there would be no need to report the new assay.
Author Contributions: All authors confirmed they have contributed to the intellectual content of this paper and have met the following 3 requirements: (a) significant contributions to the conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; (b) drafting or revising the article for intellectual content; and (c) final approval of the published article.
Authors' Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest: Upon manuscript submission, all authors completed the Disclosures of Potential Conflict of Interest form. Potential conflicts of interest:
Employment or Leadership: T.M. Annesley, Clinical Chemistry, AACC.
Consultant or Advisory Role: None declared.
Stock Ownership: None declared.
Honoraria: None declared.
Research Funding: None declared.
Expert Testimony: None declared.
Role of Sponsor: The funding organizations played no role in the design of study, choice of enrolled patients, review and interpretation of data, or preparation or approval of manuscript.
↵1 Modified from Clin Chem 2009;55:1196–202.
- © 2010 The American Association for Clinical Chemistry


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Wedding Invitation Wording Vistaprint
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By Lee Saunders, President, AFSCME
Have you been contacted by a group called the Freedom Foundation?
Don't be confused by their name — they're interested in crushing your freedom, not defending it. They're one of the anti-worker groups (funded by billionaires like the Koch brothers) spending tens of millions of dollars contacting us and trying to trick us into quitting our unions.
Have you heard from them? We want to know. Click here and let us know what you've experienced, so we can track these anti-union groups and their dirty tricks.
They might be targeting you online with ads on your computer. They might be emailing you, sending you mail, or calling you on the phone. They might even have shown up at your door.
They could be calling themselves by a different name — like "The Buckeye Institute," "The Illinois Policy Center," "Liberty Justice Center," "Mackinac Center for Public Policy," or the "Commonwealth Foundation."
No matter what misleading name they picked for themselves, their agenda is the same: Trick AFSCME members into leaving our union — so working families lose our seat at the table, and the same corporate fat cats funding these attacks grow richer and richer.
To fight back against their propaganda, we need to know what they're up to. That's where you come in:
Click here to fill out our "scam tracker" form and report any contact you've received from these anti-union groups.
Thanks for helping us keep an eye on these con artists.


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How much has changed since the 1963 March on Washington?
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How far have we come in 50 years in terms of economic equality? It depends on how you look at the numbers. Fewer than half of Americans say the country has made substantial progress toward racial equality. But the overwhelming majority of whites, blacks and Hispanics believe their racial groups get along. Wealth and income gaps between whites and minorities remain extremely high. And the unemployment rate among African Americans is about double that of whites — same as it was in 1972, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Black households in 2011 earned 59 percent of what white households earned — up slightly from 55 percent in 1967, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. But in actual dollars, the income gap has grown. In the late '60s, white households earned about $19,000 more than black households — today, white households earn $27,000 more. (*Note: numbers are for the median, and adjusted to 2012 dollars).
The median wealth gap between white and black households has also increased from about $75,000 in 1984 to $85,000 in 2011, according to Pew.
The Urban Institute breaks the numbers down differently. They looked at the average wealth gap between white and black families in 2010 and found white families have six times the wealth of black families ($632,000 compared to $98,000).
The Census Bureau also took a snapshot comparing then to now. In 1966, nearly 42 percent of blacks lived in poverty (compared to a national average of about 15 percent). Fast forward to 2011, about 28 percent of blacks live in poverty (the national average remained the same).
There have been gains in education. As of 1964, just 4 percent of African Americans had completed at least 4 years of college, compared to 21 percent in 2012. And the number of black students in college as of 2011 was more than ten times what it was in 1964.
While the data show gaps have grown in some areas, shrunk in others, the overall perception of black economic equality is still pretty bleak. According to Pew, more than half of African Americans said blacks are treated less fairly on the job than whites (compared to 16 percent of whites). The majority of Africans Americans also feel they're treated less fairly in the courts, when dealing with police and in local public schools.


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Assistant Category Manager / Junior Buyer - Vitamins
- Recruiter
- Holland and Barrett International Limited
- Location
- Nuneaton
- Salary
- Competitive
- Posted
- 09 Jul 2019
- Closes
- 24 Jul 2019
- Sector
- Manufacturing & Industrial
- Job Type
- Manager
- Contract Type
- Permanent
Job Title: Assistant Category Manager / Junior Buyer - Vitamins
Job Type: Permanent
Location: Nuneaton
Hours: 37.5
Salary:GBPCompetitive plus benefits
The Role
As an Assistant Category Manager for the Vitamins, Herbals, Minerals & Supplements Categories you will report to one of the Category Managers for VHMS, and will own the product management process of a specialist, market leading retailer - from the drawing board into our customers' hands.
The successful candidate will be highly driven and tenacious with experience in retail buying. You will be responsible for developing the buying strategy for your growing product areas, and will source and develop product ranges which satisfy our customers' requirements, whilst achieving our company objectives.
By confidently using your influencing and negotiating skills, both with our supplier base and internally, you'll work strategically to make sure we have deliver customer-centric ranges and promotions that meet our financial targets
The Role
To continuously review current Category Performance and the market place. Work with Supplier base to develop an innovative and profitable product range to meet anticipated demand of the customer base and improve the commercial performance of the Category.
- Management and control of the Supplier base in their Categories to source an innovative and profitable product range to meet anticipated demand of the customer base and improve the commercial performance of the Category.
- Be involved in Supplier negotiations to maximise profits on Branded and Own Label product ensuring that all suppliers are meeting requirements on margin, marketing support and delivery performance.
- Coordinate Category activity with internal and external stakeholders.
- Work with the Marketing team to maximise the success of promotional activity through accurate sales and product forecasting.
- Work with the Buying Team to develop new and exciting products for the Category.
- Work alongside the E-commerce and CRM / Insight teams to implement programmes using our Rewards for Life and multi-channel delivery.
- Provide information and analysis to assess levels of slow moving & dormant stock and work with the team to clear. Maintain stock at agreed levels for planned activity and to reduce overstocks.
The Person
- Experience of Category Management or Buying.
- Good negotiation skills and influencing skills.
- Strong communication and time management skills.
- Track record of working independently.
- Ability to build relationships both with suppliers and internal multi-discipline teams.
- Strong numeracy and analytical ability to find trends and patterns from reports.
- Experience in using forecasting tools and techniques, ERP software solution and intermediate user of all Microsoft Office tools including Excel.
- Determined, tenacious and resilient
- Optimistic and open-minded to change
- Customer focussed
- Positive, resourceful and an energetic team worker
- Driven to continuously improve both yourself and your team's performance
The Company
Holland & Barrett is one of the nation's most loved and trusted brands, known for offering quality health food, vitamins and supplements all sold by highly trained and qualified advisors.
Bucking the current trend of high street retailers, we forecast significant growth and expansion plans in the coming years, with considerable investment going into all areas of the business. We certainly embrace change and drive speed in everything we do. Every day presents a different challenge, but every day is also filled with fun, teamwork and passion to succeed and surpass every expectation.
Join us and see how far you can go???


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Pictorials & Separate Photos featured by Traci Wright
Pictorials & Separate Photos: Felicia Michaels (by Stephen Wayda); Girls of the Big East: Jenny Lyn Baitch, Catherine Crowder, Susan Ring, Anne Madison, Justine Schade, Michelle Diamond, Nina Getzie, Traci Wright, Marie Drake, Laura Lowe, Melissa Catlett, Michelle Morgan, Lynsie McKeown, Christy Altmann, Paula Jean Selinsky, Randi Sullivan, Kimberly Gromel, Stacey Schwaller, Christi Crenshaw, Anna Merrick, Jamie Cryan, Wendy Weatherhead, Callie Addesa, Michelle Marlowe, Stefanie Levin, Alexandria Mamakos, Lindsay Jones, Erika Michels, Carla Cline, Rhonda Fagula (by David Chan, David Mecey)
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Certified Pre-Owned 2016 Cadillac SRX AWD 4dr Luxury Collection
Price $28,198
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