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Discover's top 100 double issue is jam-packed with the best in science from the past year.
From space exploration to medicine, technology, paleontology and the environment, we've got every field covered, and our countdown puts these discoveries in context so you can understand the bigger picture.
Read about the latest in quantum computing, advancements in growing organs from stem cells, the discovery of Earth's biggest volcano and signs of life on Mars — just a few of the top science stories of 2013.
In 2014, the Lake Powell reservoir will release less water than any year since it was built.
A new approach may prevent breast cancer from metastasizing.
Are Google Glass' conveniences worth wearing a PDA on your face?
Being exposed to one's fears while asleep can help overcome them.
To better understand the brain's wiring, European and U.S. governments made big commitments to brain research this year.
Consumption of arsenic-tainted rice is linked to health effects for the first time.
Self-professed tech geek Elaine Mardis aims to transform cancer diagnosis and treatment using genetic sequencing.
The new element is one of a growing family of superheavy substances.
The triceratops' cousin is not only a new species; it's a whole new branch on the dinosaur family tree.
Citizen science projects tackle everything from weather data to brain mapping.
Protons and electrons from the sun create a so-called heliotail, first imaged this year.
A gene transplant silences the extra chromosome that causes the disease.
A new technique reveals the molecular structure of hard-to-study compounds.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture begins to allow imports of poultry processed in China.
The first carbon nanotube computer, a long-sought alternative to silicon, is unveiled.
The updated DSM-5 continues to stir controversy over how it defines mental illness.
Contrary to biological dogma, it appears human DNA can sometimes form a quadruple helix.
Scientists snap the clearest picture yet of the immune system in action.
DIY innovation is paving the way for some simple, life-saving products.
A hurricane-like system in the planet's northern hemisphere puts Earth's storms to shame.
A newly detected fracture suggests that tectonic forces are pulling the continents together once again.
Computer programmer and activist Aaron Swartz campaigned for open access.
Meet Segue 2, the galaxy that is millions of times smaller than the Milky Way.
Human conflict appears to intensify during times of heat, drought and torrential rains.
The extra Van Allen belt, which lasted only a month, may have been caused by a solar shock wave.
Physicists confirm that their 2012 Higgs discovery was the real thing.
Scientists finally find the neurons that produce the sensation of itch.
Veteran storm chaser and researcher Tim Samaras improved warning times ahead of tornadoes.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk unveiled his vision for Hyperloop in the hope that someone else would build it.
Survival of the fittest appears to govern the earliest days of an embryo's development.
Contest entrants christened Pluto's newly discovered moons Kerberos and Styx.
Populations can change abruptly in response to temperature shifts.
Discover Magazine


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In gunite or sprayed concrete or mortar are conveyed through hose to project pneumatically to a surface at a high velocity which is required to construct or repair work.
Sprayed concrete terminology is a term in EU and significantly general. But both gunite and sprayed concrete are nothing but synonym of shotcrete.
The properties of ginite are identical that of traditionally placed concrete or mortar having same proportions. In this method significant skill of nozzleman is important. We will discuss about different method of applying shotcrete in our next post.
In any method strength and finishing of surface depend especially on control on accurate placing of materials with the help of nozzle i.e. performance depend on skill of operators.
ACI certifies the nozzleman for shotcrete operation and we should hire only certified nozzleman for our shotcrete operation.
We have discussed where to go to be shotcrete nozzleman and who patronize this certification in our previous posts. You can visit this for more information.
Dear reader we will discuss about application of shotcrete/gunite/sprayed concrete in our next post. Please stay with us.

subset: commoncrawl


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How do I access my questionnaires?
There are several ways to access your Online Course Questionnaires (OCQ).
- Navigate to https://coursequestionnaire.iu.edu/
- Follow the link provided in the invitation or reminder emails from firstname.lastname@example.com
- Access the OCQ via Canvas. There is a tool on the left-hand side of each course page that will take you directly to your questionnaires
- Access the OCQ via your iGPS notification app


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Care Volunteer Projects in Ethiopia
- Placement locations: Addis Ababa
- Types of care projects: Care centres and kindergartens
- Age of children: 0 - 18
- Number of people cared for: 15+
- Role: Assisting with local staff including playing with children, basic teaching and giving general help
- Accommodation: Host families
- Price: From
- What's included? Food, accommodation, transfers to and from our specified airport,transport to and from work where required, insurance, personal webpage, induction and orientation, 24/7 support
- What's not included? Flights, visa costs, spending money
- Length of placement: From two weeks
- Start dates: Flexible
You can experience volunteer development work on a Care placement in Ethiopia as part of a gap year in your education, on a career break, as part of an extended holiday or during your retirement. You could be a trained professional or totally new to the field. All we ask is that you have a passion for and a commitment to the work and to the people you are there to help.
Only two decades ago, Ethiopia was ravaged by massive famine and cruel conflicts that left many hundreds of thousands of children abandoned. Today, the onslaught of HIV/AIDS combined with desperate poverty means that many children from the latest generation are being left to fend for themselves. The need for care volunteers cannot be over-emphasised.
Despite the rapid growth of the capital, Addis Ababa, and the emergence of a small Ethiopian middle class, over three quarters of Ethiopians still live on less than $1 a day. A placement on one of our volunteer Care projects is sure to be challenging but you there will not be a single moment when you doubt that you are needed, or valued.
Voluntary Community Development work with Projects Abroad
Projects Abroad is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. Located in the centre of the country at an altitude of 2400m, Addis Ababa is the third highest capital city in the world.
Care volunteers in Ethiopia work in care centres and kindergartens in and around the capital. The homes provide full-time care for abandoned children and are places where children are given friendship and support. Care centres and kindergartens provide a safe haven where children can be free to play and learn away from the stresses of their home or street lives. The children who have made it to these centres crave the emotional and educational support that volunteers have the time and energy to give. This is where your help is most needed.
Our Ethiopian team organise a workshop once a month for our care volunteers in the Addis Ababa office. The workshop provides care volunteers with a valuable overview of the care system in Ethiopia. You will also receive advice and suggestions regarding activities to carry out at your placement.
Apart from fundamental childcare activities such as feeding the children and getting them ready for the day, you will find yourself getting involved in other essential activities. Whether you are helping a child to learn to count, organising a game of catch or letting a child braid your hair, volunteer work in Ethiopia will make a difference to the quality of their daily lives.
Many placements will appreciate you providing an extra dimension to the childrens' education by giving them some informal English lessons. With Ethiopia increasingly becoming a tourist destination for visitors from the developed world, this will be a valuable skill for young people trying to find jobs. Volunteers also organise occasional trips out from the care centre and sometimes assist with fundraising events.
We also work with a local organisation that arranges activities like games and sports for street children. These extra activities usually run a couple of times during the week and on Saturdays and all our volunteers in Ethiopia have the opportunity to be involved.
You can read more detailed information about the aims of the project in our Ethiopia Care Management Plan.
Volunteering abroad on a Care Project in Ethiopia
Over the years, our volunteers have worked with children at orphanages and residential care homes in Ethiopia. They have done incredible work at these placements, improving living conditions there and creating opportunities for children by supporting their education and care. However, we have decided to move our focus away from orphanages and homes toward community and family-based care. This is because we believe stable family environments are best for the children we work with. Read more about orphanage volunteering and our position on it. This means that instead of volunteering in orphanages in Ethiopia, volunteers will work in placements like day care centres, kindergartens and schools, or support groups for the elderly and mothers and babies. This will help Projects Abroad build stronger relationships with local communities and – most importantly – help families stay together and flourish.


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Welcome to Vitamin Innovations!Thank you for taking the time to visit our online store. It is our hope that you will find all of your supplementation needs right...
Shop by Category
Vitamin D3 - 5,000iu
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Vitamin D3 enhances calcium absorption and retention, a key nutritional role in supporting healthy bones; new evidence suggests it may also have a prominent role in cellular, cardiovascular, colon and immune health.
Vitamin D3 Liquid Information
Pure Encapsulations Vitamin D3 liquid provides 1,000 i.u. per drop, an ideal daily amount. For individuals with greater short-term needs, this product allows for achieving 25,000-50,000 i.u. vitamin D3 per week without having to take multiple capsules. For the elderly, Vitamin D3 liquid is an easy to use form. Vitamin D3 liquid, in a base of medium chain triglycerides, does not require emulsification for absorption. Vitamin D3 liquid is also free of preservatives, artificial colors, flavors and sugars.


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A few years ago (before I moved to my current studio on Depot Street, I was in the Wedge Building in Asheville's River Arts District. At that time, I was painting mostly local Western North Carolina mountain scenes — places that were within an hour or two drive from Asheville. I was beginning to sell well (much better than I'd ever thought I would or could) and I was really excited about what I was doing. I was selling artwork to people from the north as far as Maine and south as far as Florida, and from the east coast to the west coast.
Because my clients were from all over North America, the thought occurred to me that maybe I was unnecessarily limiting myself in my subject matter. My musings at the time went like this… "Since my art buyers are coming from literally all over the country, maybe I shouldn't JUST paint local Western North Carolina landscapes. Maybe I should I branch out and paint some of the iconic scenes from all over the country." ???
So I spent several months painting some of the most amazing landscapes this country has to offer. The painting I'm featuring on this blog post "El Capitan" is from that series. What I found though was that my sales shriveled to a small fraction of what they were before. Because I am dependent on making the most people happy as possible with my artwork, I gave up painting anything but generic or local North Carolina landscapes and…my sales went back to where they were before my little theme-based experiment. I learned something from that, although I confess I wish I could make a living painting more than JUST my own backyard. I love this part of the country, but this country is so huge and so beautiful — as an artist, I'd love to be able to paint all of it. But as a homeowner, I need to sell my artwork so I can pay my mortgage. So that has been my quandary.
So I write this blog post to ask for the opinions of anyone out there that might feel inclined to share…
1) Would you like to see at least some paintings that were not "North Carolina themed" and, if you could, would you be more inclined to purchase them than local themed paintings?
2) If you answered yes to question 1…What part of the country would you love to see depicted?
3) Do you have a favorite place in your own state that you would love to have depicted in a painting? Or have you visited somewhere in your travels that would make an awesome piece of art?
If the only artwork I can sell here in Asheville is North Carolina themed and generic landscapes, I'm content with that. I'm just wondering if I chose the wrong photos to work from or if the paintings I did back then just weren't all that great (I hope I'm a better artist now than I was six years ago!). But I'd love your input. I really do listen. So thank you ahead of time for any opinion you have on the matter!


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Djenaba Johnson-Jones is Founder and CEO of Hudson Kitchen.
After working in marketing and product development at some of the biggest media brands for 15 years, Djenaba was clear of one thing when she was laid off from W magazine in 2014: This was the opportunity for a new beginning.
Owning her own business was always something Djenaba was interested in, but the lure of corporate America (and a substantial, bi-weekly paycheck) were ever-present. Although there was a part of her that understandably had some concerns when she had to call her husband and tell him about the sudden unforeseen change, the other part of her knew, now is the time to stir things up!
And stirring things up is exactly what the Arlington, Texas, native does through her business, Hudson Kitchen, which is a culinary incubator that helps food entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses with low risk. Currently, Hudson Kitchen offers culinary business workshops, networking events, access to food industry experts and consulting services. After the opening of its physical location, it will also offer 24-7 kitchen rental, storage and a co-working space.
"We want to give soup-to-nuts support to food entrepreneurs with the goal of helping our clients find success selling their products, open their own storefronts and hire employees to help fulfill demand,'' says Djenaba, who has connected entrepreneurs with major retail outlets -- such as Whole Foods, supported food businesses with securing major catering jobs, helped supply food services to local nonprofit organizations and raised brand awareness for up and coming food entrepreneurs.
The creation of Hudson Kitchen came out of Djenaba's own experience with facing countless obstacles when planning to launch her initial business, which was a health and fitness concierge service. As someone who has always loved fitness and who is a former certified personal trainer, her original plan was to provide fitness support and food service to her clients, which included the delivery of prepared meals. But doing so out of one's home kitchen in New Jersey is illegal -- so Djenaba, after doing more research and realizing this pain point also presented an opportunity, shifted her business to the Hudson Kitchen concept, and it has been bubbling ever since.
Djenaba Johnson-Jones has found her sweet spot -- a business that allows her to utilize her marketing and product development acumen, and is a client-centric model that fosters a community and focuses on the success of other entrepreneurs. And for this wife and mother of two, one of the sweetest gifts is that she now has more time to spend with her family and friends. "No more hustling back to forth to someone else's office. I can go into the school, talk to the teachers and be more involved, and then I go to work to serve the community I'm building at Hudson Kitchen."


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Privacy Statement
The Icehouse Privacy Statement
We collect personal information from you, including information about your:
- Name;
- contact information;
- interactions with us;
- billing or purchase information; and
- business demographics.
We collect your personal information in order to:
- process your enrolment;
- understand more about you and your business; and
- better enable us to help you grow your business.
Besides our staff, we share this information with our delivery partners in order to better tailor the event, workshop or programme content to you and your business.
Providing some information is optional. If you choose not to enter business demographics, we may unfortunately be unable to enrol or tailor your business to a programme or workshop.
We keep your information safe by storing it in secure locations and only allowing authorised users access.
You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you'd like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com, or 09 308 6200, or PO Box 4301, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140, New Zealand.


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Our Services
Contact Us
Welcome to 1st Class Property Maintenance
Based in Fareham, Hampshire, we take on the jobs you'd prefer not to! Smaller jobs such as installing a shower or larger projects including kitchens and complete garden overhauls are all part of our offering.
If it's a small job, let us deal with it before it becomes a large job!
If it's a large job we provide the comfort of knowing you are employing a reliable, local tradesman with years of experience!
Please use the links above to explore our site, including some images of works completed. We're always happy to provide a quote for any works, without obligation. Rest assured that whatever the nature of the maintenance you require, we will be able to help.
Thanks for visiting our website, and we look forward to being of service soon.
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Wow! Seems like lots of you were waiting for just the right nudge to start doing some crazy quilting! Wheeee!
I've set up a Flickr group. You can join here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/qftrucrazyquilts/.
Wow! Seems like lots of you were waiting for just the right nudge to start doing some crazy quilting! Wheeee!
I've set up a Flickr group. You can join here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/qftrucrazyquilts/.
It struck me this morning, as I was thinking about the crazy quilt block I need to make for my stitching group, that I should invite y'all to join me on this adventure! This would be a very simple, very s-l-o-w stitch-a-long.
If you've listened to my most recent episode, you already know the backstory to this. In a nutshell, I've started meeting with a couple of quilty friends who are also embroidery enthusiasts and we've decided to start working on crazy quilt blocks. We're not swapping or putting them all together into a single quilt or anything; we're each just making our own blocks and then bringing them to our coffee shop meet-ups to work on the embroidery while we're together. We are, however, swapping some fabrics and threads with one another to help augment our stashes.
I'm also using it as an opportunity to finally do Allie Aller's Crazy Quilt class on Craftsy;* I've owned the class for a long time and have watched it before, but never made the time to actually do a crazy quilt. So my first few blocks will be based on her techniques in the class.
Our blocks are supposed to be 8" finished which, handily enough, turned out to be the same size as the ones in Allie's class. Convenient, that. I'm using my collection of cross-woven cottons (aka "shot cottons") from Indonesia as my base fabrics though I'll be throwing a lot of scraps into the mix.
So, if you'd like to play along, we're aiming to have our first block done (just made, not fully embroidered) by Saturday, December 12. Leave a comment here if you're interested in joining in a crazy-quilt stitch-along--if there's a few of us, I'll set up a Flickr group for us to share our pics-in-progress! Maybe I'll throw a give-away in there somewhere along the way. Can you tell I haven't really thought this through in any formal way yet? I just wanted to invite y'all in on the fun!
I've got some crazy quilt resources to recommend, too, if you're interested.
Blogs on embroidery or crazy quilts
And I now have a Crazy Quilt board on Pinterest that one of my stitchy friends and I collaborate on.
(*As a Craftsy affiliate, using this link helps support my podcast and blog. Thank you!)
Yep--I'll be doing it this year! Join me for our annual (or almost-annual for me) Black Friday Sew-In! For those of us who detest crowds and avoid shopping like the plague on this day, what better way to stage our sit-in protest than by sitting-in in front of our sewing machines?
We'll be live-tweeting, live-instragramming, and even live-facebooking (or slightly less than live since it's a little trickier to do a by-the-moment update there) the event.
Ready to have some fun and get some stuff done?
Hey, y'all. While I was running giveaways and the like, SquareSpace tech support was checking out any comments people were leaving that gave information about whether or not the comment had worked, how they'd accessed the blog, and so forth. Here's what they've found out:
1. Most people who comment directly on the site itself, or through the email version of my blog posts, have no problems. (And, actually, the vast majority of people reported in that they didn't have a problem commenting.)
2. When you want to comment, you're getting redirected to a screen in which you can choose or not choose to actually register on the site. You do not have to register, but you do have to leave a name. This is a spam-protection feature. So if you've been asked to sign in and don't want to, know that it's not necessary to actually register--but it is necessary to leave a name.
3. Commenting by logging in with your Google and Facebook accounts seems to be working fine.
4. To sign in to leave a comment, you have to have enabled pop-up windows for the site. If not, you'll either get a failure message or your screen will just sit there and look at you blankly, in confusion. I can't tell you how to enable pop-up windows--it all depends on your own set-up; you'll need to do a little Internet browsing if you don't know how to do it on your computer.
5. There are particular issues with BlogLovin'. The BlogLovin' feed for the blog doesn't actually reference to my SquareSpace site somehow--BlogLovin' changes the feed. So if you try to comment through BlogLovin', your computer (or whatever device) won't actually know where it's supposed to go to comment. I actually have this same problem when I'm trying to comment on some other people's blogs through Feedly (which I use because I prefer it to BlogLovin'). There are certain blogs I just can't ever comment on through Feedly, but other ones work fine. So if I want to leave a comment on certain blogs, I know I have to go to the blog directly from the web in order to comment.
6. Under the category of "other": This same issue as #5 may occur in other RSS feed readers. I can also personally attest to occasional issues I have commenting on other blogs when I'm on my iPad--but I don't have those same problems on my iPhone or PC. So there is something just a little funky about the way iPads talk to the Internet or something.
So, basically, what we found out is that most of you have no problems leaving comments. So I hope you'll continue to do so!
For those of you who have experienced issues, please check the information above to see if any of it may fit your situation. If you've had a completely different experience, then (again) give me very specific information about what you're seeing when you try to comment, how you're trying to access the blog to comment on it, and so forth, and I'll go back to tech support again. Thanks!
Thanks so much to all y'all for being part of my celebration!
I've had a lot of fun reading your comments and will probably do a summary on an upcoming podcast episode.
(I've already emailed all five winners so if your name/last initial matches one of the above, check your email. If you don't have an email from me, that means your Doppelgänger is the winner--sorry!)
I wish I could give all my listeners out there gifts to say "Thank you!" Thanks so much for making these past five years fun, creative, and interesting. Part of the benefit for us podcasters to doing a podcast is that we try to stay on top of our projects knowing we need to have something to talk about! I know I've been much more productive these last few years because I knew I had people waiting to hear about my progress. Accountability, donchaknow.
Also, for me, knowing that I have listeners who enjoy learning new things pushes me to learn new things myself. I likely would have ended up doing art quilting and hand-dyeing and working with fibers eventually one way or the other, but I strongly suspect that having you all sending me encouraging comments, asking questions, and sharing your own experience with me has propelled me forward more effectively than I'd have done on my own. And I know my family is very happy that I have other people to talk about all this with, so I'm not constantly bending their ears about color schemes, accurate 1/4" seams, and struggles with fiddly bits! (They're none too sure about the Mad Quilt Scientist, either, but the less said about her, the better.)
So, thank you, thank you, thank you. And thank you again.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...
I haven't been to the gym this week so "Fight the Funk Friday" would have a whole lot more with what I didn't do than what I did do. However, this is likely the last opportunity I'll have to write a blog for a few weeks so I didn't want to walk away from it completely. Fortunately, "Farewell" has nice alliterative magic as well.
Tomorrow I get on a plane. For a very long time. (30 hours travel time, all in, if everything stays on schedule.) I've got me some podcasts. I've got me some Great Courses lectures. I've got me some Craftsy classes. Since I'll be on Dramamine, though, I'm likely to be dozing quite a bit and probably won't get through everything I've downloaded to keep me entertained.
I'm not bringing any handwork. First of all: airplane. Very cramped. Secondly, packing space. Very cramped. Thirdly, once I'm there I won't have a lot of downtime--at least, not other than when I'm on planes or buses or in vans and, again, cramped.
I'm hoping to have halfway decent access to WiFi at least often enough to occasionally tweet or post on Facebook a pretty picture and short update. The hotels we're staying in all have WiFi, but quality and endurance of the connection are always questionable, so we'll see.
We've got a couple of markets on our schedule and I'm quite familiar with textiles from that area, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm also hoping to visit some local artisans, especially spinners. It'll be interesting to see the techniques and tools they use. I'm familiar with the weaving as I've worked with groups of weavers originally from Burma here in the U.S., but I haven't met any spinners yet, so that'll be fun.
Meanwhile, as of 4:30 p.m. this afternoon I'm as packed as I can be until I'm done getting dressed and ready tomorrow morning. The clothes only take up about 1/3rd of the suitcase. The rest is pharmaceutical supplies (for any eventuality!) and gifts for people I'll be meeting.
Fortunately, our flight is very late morning tomorrow so although we need to get to the airport a couple of hours earlier, it's still a very reasonable time, so I won't be rushed in the morning--always a nice way to start a long travel day. The weather looks clear. But I won't say any more about the flights in case I jinx something.
So that's it! Until sometime in very late December...
Sing it, everyone! "So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, good bye... I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly..."
You've been waiting and waiting...and your patience has been awarded. Our talented Charlotte of Scrapitude Fame now has her blog up and running!
Go add her to your feeds and give her some commenty-love!
She's got the cutting instructions for Scrap-in-a-Box posted (but I'll still be leaving them on my blog here as well). She'll be starting to post the mystery clues in January--and I won't be posting them here so make sure you're following her blog to get them as soon as they go live!
I'm pleased to finally be able to announce that I now have a CafePress store up and running!
Sure, I've got some Quilting...for the Rest of Us logo items available if you want to join me in my morning coffee.
Or totebags for shop hops, or dufflebags and pajamas for retreats...
I was creating the logo items so I could order them myself, but if you'd like to have one too, the more the merrier!
But here's where I really had fun: Check out the sections of my store that have items featuring my photography.
In the "Landscapes and Florals" section, I have several great options for greeting cards, journals (notebooks), and other items. Some of the photos are used as straight photography; others have been edited using the Waterlogue app.
Several are seasonal. This image is my Fall Beauty collection, that includes a quotation from Albert Camus.
I also have some for winter, and one that wishes peace for the season. Plus there's just some fun florals and landscape images that would be a bright spot any time of year.
And then there's what I have to confess is my favorite section, the one titled simply: "Dogs."
Yep, you too can have the Doofus come to visit you in a variety of forms.
Right now I'm featuring a series I've entitled "Happy Dog." This photo was taken on one of this summer's canal walks. This watercolor version of the photo makes a great greeting card, notecard cover, or padfolio, or you can even get him as a dog tag. Your pet and Sammy can take walks together every day! (It also works great on a keychain, which is where I've got mine.)
I'll be periodically adding new images and new products, but there's plenty enough to check out right now!
Visit www.cafepress.com/quiltingfortherestofus to see what I've got available, and bookmark it so you can keep an eye on what's new!
By the way, while you're on CafePress, be sure to also check out our friend Jaye of www.artquiltmaker.com. She's got a Cafepress store too: www.cafepress.com/artquiltmaker. You can include items from both our stores in a single checkout process.
It's that time again! Check in here with your progress on your 2014 Quilty Resolutions to date!
If you've participated in my quilty resolutions challenge, click here to remind yourself what your resolutions were.
If you didn't participate in my original quilty resolutions challenge, that's fine! Just check in on what your progress has been on your own quilt-related goals for 2014.
(Grrrr. We're in an animal mood these days.)
For some of you, this will be a two-step process. For others, only one!
First step for everyone: Leave a comment on this blog post with your progress, and then make sure you enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget immediately below. (I'll only see your name through Rafflecopter for the drawing, I won't be trying to count up names in the comments.)
Use this Rafflecopter widget through Saturday, October 4. I'll draw the winner on Sunday, October 5.
Second step for bloggers: If you've got a blog, write about your progress on your quilty resolutions and link up here! To enter the linky party, click on the froggie-fella below and follow the directions. (Remember, you still have to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway above. This linky party is just so others know about your blog and can come for a visit!) No fears--participating in the linky party does NOT earn bloggers an additional leg-up than non-bloggers in the giveaway. It's just for kicks n' giggles!
For everyone--click on the link to the linky party below to see who-all has linked up, and go read their blogs! It'll be good times!
The giveaway and linky party both close on Saturday night, October 4th, at midnight my time. I'll be doing my drawing on Sunday, October 5th. Again, I'll only draw from names entered in the Rafflecopter widget so be sure, after you've left a comment on this blog, that you go back into that Rafflecopter widget to say that you've left a comment!
I'll be posting my own progress in a separate blog post. Looking forward to seeing yours!
Don't forget--Sunday starts Banned Books Week!
I've already got my blog post written and scheduled to go live at one minute past midnight on Sunday, September 21st, announcing my giveaway. Woo!
Sorry that I couldn't quite pull off a podcast episode this week--things got a bit hectic again. I leave town bright and early tomorrow morning for a work trip and by Friday afternoon, I'll be off the grid until I'm traveling home again Monday. I won't be able to see tweets, texts, or emails (o my) while I'm gone, which is sad. But I'll look forward to catching up with everyone when I get home.
Have a great weekend, everyone. There's still time to do a BBW project if you've been waffling about getting involved. Check out the Flickr group for inspiration!
Woot woot! It's time to engage in a little nonviolent protest again. And we get to do it with quilts!
Although I fully support everyone's right to determine what they and their children will read, I also support my right to do the same. Banning books from libraries does not protect freedom, it restricts it. Books are open pathways to ideas, meaningful discussions, and growth--even if (even especially if!) one does not agree with what's inside the covers. Besides, I was an English major in my undergrad years. Hence, I support Banned Books Week in celebrating literature!
Tanesha of Crafty Garden Mom podcast and blog and I are once again hosting the Banned Books Week challenge (and giveaway--whee!). And this year we're giving you a little more heads-up than in the past--ain't that just grand?
Banned Books Week is September 21-27, 2014. You will find lists of books that have been banned or challenged and other resources on www.bannedbooksweek.org or the American Library Association website at www.ala.org. They also give a lot of ideas about ways to observe Banned Books Week in your area.
For our challenge: Create a small wall quilt that somehow represents a book from the banned/challenged book list that you have read and particularly loved, found meaningful, or otherwise want to celebrate. How you choose to represent the book is up to you—it could be a scene from the book, words from the book, or just represents the book in some way.
Please be aware that book cover images and illustrations in books are copyrighted art. You would need permission from the publisher/artist to depict those images exactly. You may, of course, use them as inspiration for your own artwork!
During Banned Books Week, Tanesha and I will be blogging/podcasting about the entries and there will be...yes!...prizes!
I did this last year, and I'm doing it again: I offer this same challenge in my quilt guild, and with the help of Kate, a guild friend who's also a librarian at our town's public library, for the second year in a row we've arranged for the library to display during Banned Books Week quilts from our guild members who participate. Why don't you ask your local library if you can display your finished project there?
Tanesha and I will both be posting about BBW over the next several weeks to help motivate and inspire you, and have some fun to boot. We'll also be posting about our own projects as we're so moved. So stay tuned!
I don't have time to do a full-on review this week, but I wanted to get the word out that one of my favorite quilt design study books, which had been out of print for a year or so, is now available for sale again. Woohoo!!!
Check out Heather Thomas' A Fiber Artist's Guide to Color and Design. It's available on Amazon (in paperback) or through Landauer Publishing (in print or ebook).
It should suffice as enough of a review to say that my quilt design study group has used Thomas' book for the last year and it has been far and away our favorite book to work with. To whit: we're nearly finished with all the workshops in the book. When we have completed them, we have decided to "wing it" by each member of our group taking a month and choosing a topic to lead the rest of the group through, still using this book as our foundational text. We'll pull in other resources as well based on whatever the challenge is that month, but we all really like this book and feel there's more we can get out of it if we spend even more time with it.
It really is a great book--good content, good layout, good explanations in the workshops (practice sessions)...all around very useful resource. You should definitely check it out!
(If you've already read this blog, note that the Craftsy class giveaway information has been updated!)
This is the closest I can get to sharing a cake with y'all, but I can give you presents!
Following quickly on the heels of the 2014 Quilty Resolutions First Quarter Check-in Giveaway and Linky Party that just ended at midnight last night (I'll announce the winner on my podcast episode this afternoon), it's time to celebrate my fourth podcastaversary with a HUGE giveaway!
With thanks to sponsors the Fat Quarter Shop and Craftsy, I have two big prizes to give away!
Start dreaming now. What wonderful, beautiful, funky, pet-able fabric could you buy from the Fat Quarter Shop for $30? Wheeee!
But wait...there's more!
(Please note: updated information!) The winner will be able to choose which Craftsy class s/he wins!
If you're already registered for Craftsy, you'll just log into your account; if you're not already on Craftsy, you'll be prompted to create a Craftsy account (for free). Once you do so, you'll be entered into the giveaway! Craftsy will choose the winner using Random.org. Craftsy will let me know who the winner is and Craftsy will email the free class link to the winner.
I posted my first episode of Quilting...for the Rest of Us on March 28, 2010. It's been four great years of making new friends, learning a lot of new skills, and (of course) messing up a few times along the way. But I've had fun, and I'm looking forward to the next...however many...years! So come in, have a seat or hang out by the kitchen island like most of my guests do, and join me in my celebration, won't you?
Okay, y'all: I just sent an email to everyone who contacted me with their availability for the meet-up at the AQS Quiltweek in Lancaster this week. So check your email!
If you didn't get an email and are planning on being there (especially on Wednesday, hint hint), be sure to email me or tweet me (@sandyquiltz). If you leave a comment on this blog post, I'll get it that way too, though if I don't have your email address I won't be able to get in touch with you.
At last count, there could be seven of us at the meet-up--Woohoo!!!!
I was caught in a weak moment, apparently.
Listener Kitty had sent me the link to a recent Missouri Star Quilt Company video on the Disappearing Pinwheel. I subscribe to their feed so I'm not sure how I missed this one, but miss it I did. Thanks, Kitty, for pointing it out...I think!
The video shows a twist on the concept of the Disappearing 9-Patch that involves a very simple process for making a pinwheel, and then making that pinwheel "disappear," enabling you to make two different blocks. I thought it was a cute idea so I posted it to Twitter.
And that's when all the trouble started.
Dang, that @KnittyAJ and her enthusiasm! Now, after a series of tweets extending over a couple of hours, several of us are joining in on a Disappearing Pinwheel Quilt-Along. Sort of, anyway. Some of us have Monday, January 20th, off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so we're (as we like to do) spending it sewing and tweeting and tweeting and sewing. So those of us who feel like playing along will be spending at least a portion of our day making a Disappearing Pinwheel. It seems like most of us are leaning towards block version #1, but if you'd like to join in, you can do either variation or any variation you come up with yourself.
For me, this fits in with one of my 2014 Quilty Resolutions to be conscientious about using my stash. This is a fantastic stash project. The project is geared towards layer cakes (packs of 10" squares). I don't have any layer cakes in my stash, but I do have a stack of 10" squares I've cut from scraps over the last couple of years so I'll start there. I may cut some additional squares from my stash as well--I've just got to do some math to figure out how many squares I'll need in the long run, and what kind of variety I've got in my current collection.
So yes, an unexpected new project is now getting shoe-horned into the mix. But I'm looking forward to it--and I'm still making good progress on my other goals so I'm good to go. Isn't that the fun of quilting, after all?
So, check out the videos below and see if maybe you'd like to play along. (If the videos don't appear in your feed, just go to YouTube and search for "Disappearing Pinwheel" and it'll turn up.) There isn't actually a time limit on this quilt-along. My personal deadline is that I'd like to have a top pieced within the next three weeks. Depending on how big a quilt I decide to make, I might send it out for quilting. Could be a donation quilt, could be another dorm/apartment quilt for an offspring, could be something for a guest room bed, or could be something I put on a shelf until I need a gift somewhere down the road....
By the way, @knittyAJ is another podcaster, if you're not familiar with her. You can find her over at The Quilting Pot. Go give her some love--even if I'm gnashing my teeth in her general direction for getting me involved in something new! :-)
It's been a year of fun and creativity! Thanks, everyone!
For me, the day after Christmas has always been a Jammie Day. When I was growing up, that was a day set aside for being lazy and reading all the great new books I'd been given, and playing games with my sibs. Occasionally we'd get bundled up and go sledding down the hill on our property--a hill that emptied right into a pond at the bottom so you had to learn exactly when to roll of the sled lest mayhem ensue.
Once I had kids of my own, the day after Christmas was set aside for reading stories to the kids, helping them assemble new toys and get stickers in all the right places, and maybe going for a visit out to Nana and Papa's house to go sledding on the hill with the pond.
Now we no longer have Nana and Papa's house in the family, and I no longer have little kidlings in the house. My son has an apartment of his own and, working retail, will likely be working all day anyway. My college-aged daughter will be curled up in her "nest" on our family room couch, reading or hanging out online. We'll still likely play games, but sledding takes a lot more work to get somewhere with a good hill and, frankly, I notice the bumps and bruises a whole lot more now in middle-age. Plus, given that it's currently raining outside, I don't hold out a lot of hope for decent sledding snow anyway.
So now my favorite way to spend the day after Christmas--known as Boxing Day in some parts of the world, is to sew, or read quilting books or magazines, or watch Craftsy classes. Or a combo package thereof.
I--as always--invite you to join me!
Drum roll please... It's time for the
I'll be doing some giveaways that day--you don't have to be home and sewing in order to get in on the fun, as I'll be doing all of mine off my blog. I'll also add a linky for any other podcasters or bloggers who want to offer a giveaway that day too--list your giveaway on my blog and please list mine on yours so people will find all their opportunities to win regardless of who's door they walk in through!
My linky will go live at 9:00 p.m. on December 25th to give everyone the opportunity to join up regardless of your time zone. Each podcaster/blogger will have their own deadlines so be sure to pay attention.
We'll also be having all sorts of fun on Twitter--hijinks will most definitely ensue. So if you're on Twitter, I'm @sandyquiltz. You'll be able to find all sorts of other bloggers and podcasters in my follow/follower list and follow them as well. If you're not on Twitter, you may want to think about it!
So, be ready for the 26th! Now I need to get off the computer and organize what I want to get done that day...
First, you'll need to listen to episode 138 In Which We Make 2014 Quilty Resolutions to understand what this year's theme is!
Once you've listened, use this link to submit your responses and be entered in the giveaway. Deadline is January 31st, 2014. I'll update this blog post later when I have pictures of what's being given away... :-)
I'm going to be doing a podcast episode this week on this:
Finally, the official blog post about the Banned Books Week Challenge! If you've been listening to my most recent podcast episodes, you'll already know all about this. Yay you! If you've been listening to CraftyGardenMom podcast or following Tanesha's blog, you'll also already know all about this. Yay you!
If you've not done either this is hitting you out of the blue. But you're a quick study--you'll be up to speed in no time. Yay you!
(and giveaway!)
Once again, Tanesha and I are co-hosting a Banned Books Week mini quilt challenge. Our form of non-violent protest, I guess, of the idea that anyone would want to ban books. Just so not our style.
Books Week is September 22-28, 2013. You may find information on the issue of
censorship, lists of what books have been banned or challenged, and other
resources on www.bannedbooksweek.org or the American
Library Association website at www.ala.org. You can find lists of Banned or Challenged Classics here, and the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009 here, and the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books 1990-1999 here. (Those dates, by the way, are when those books were banned/challenged, not when they were published.)
You are challenged to create a small wall quilt that somehow represents a book from the banned/challenged book list that you have read and particularly loved, found meaningful, or otherwise want to celebrate. How you choose to represent the book is up to you—it could be a scene from the book, words from the book, or just represents the book in some way.
Please be aware that book cover images and illustrations in books are copyrighted art. You would need permission from the publisher/artist to depict those images exactly. You may, of course, use them as inspiration for your own artwork!
The pert-details:
During Banned Books Week, Tanesha and I will be blogging/podcasting about the entries and there will be...yes!...prizes!
Here's another idea: I'm also co-facilitating this same challenge in my quilt guild, with fellow guild member Kate who is a librarian in our local public library. We've arranged for the library to display during Banned Books Week quilts from our guild members who participate. Woo! That meant having a few more guidelines about sizes and deadlines and such, but I'm very excited about it. I'll post pics of the display when it's up and ready. Why don't you ask your local library if you can display your finished project there?
Whatever you do, Tanesha and I are looking forward to seeing it!
For inspiration, here are the pictures from last year.


text:
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Adidas Stars and Stripes Hybrid 300 Boxing Glove
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Available in sizes 10oz 12oz, 14oz, 16oz


text:
Protect Excel Worksheets and Lock Cells in Office 2011 for Mac
When you make forms in Excel 2011 for Mac, you'll be turning worksheet protection on and off frequently. You must turn off worksheet protection when you want to build a form. Turning off sheet protection enables you to use the form controls on the Developer tab of the Ribbon and allows you to edit worksheet content. When you're done building the form, you must turn on protection so that people can tab through the input fields.
By default, all cells on a worksheet are locked. You unlock cells that you want to designate as input fields, which are the cells that users fill in. You also unlock the cells that will have the result of a choice made by a user in a form control.
Protecting and unprotecting a worksheet in Excel 2011 for Mac
The default state of a worksheet is that it is unprotected. When you want to create or edit a form, you need to make sure the worksheet is unprotected; if it's protected, you can't edit the form. Conversely, when you're ready to test or use your form, you must turn on protection.
To turn on protection on a worksheet, follow these steps:
From the menu, choose Tools→Protection→Protect Sheet.
(Optional) Type a password to be required to unprotect the form.
In the Allow Users of This Sheet To section, select the first two check boxes, Select Locked Cells and Select Unlocked Cells.
Click OK to close the dialog.
The worksheet is now protected, and the form is enabled for use. The Protect Sheet button has become an Unprotect Sheet button.
While protection is turned on, the only cells that can be changed are the cells you unlocked. While protection is turned on, pressing the Tab key takes the cursor from one input field (unlocked cell) to the next. This is a very convenient feature for filling in forms.
To turn off protection on a worksheet, from the menu choose Tools→Protect→Unprotect Sheet, or click the Unprotect Sheet button on the MVP Toolbar. Your worksheet is enabled for editing, and the Unprotect button reverts to the Protect Sheet button.
Locking and unlocking a cell in Excel 2011 for Mac
Unlock a cell by selecting it and then press Command-1 to display the Format Cells dialog. Click the Protection tab in the Format Cells dialog and then deselect the Locked option. If you installed the MVP Toolbar, you can simply click the Lock/Unlock Cell toggle button on the toolbar. On the MVP Toolbar, the Lock Cell button acts as status indicator. When it appears as a depressed button, the selected cell(s) is (are) locked. It always indicates the lock state of the current selection.
Alternatively, you can right-click on a form control and choose Format Control from the contextual menu. In the Format Control dialog, click the Protection tab and deselect the Locked option.


text:
She knew no stranger and showed all, Christ-like love: true Charity.
Jessie Mae Redd Macdonald, born August 17, 1925 in Blanding, UT, passed away at the age of 91 on October 22, 2016.
Jessie Mae was the daughter of Ancil Rey Redd and Louise Ann Elliott Redd. Jessie had four brothers and an older sister.
When Jessie was five years old, her father Ancil was killed in a horse race accident during a July 24th celebration. She and her baby brother, Eugene, and four older siblings grew up fast with the responsibilities of caring for the family.
She attended Blanding Elementary School, where she found a love of reading. When she was learning to read, she would go up to the post office and read to the postmaster. He had great patience.
Jessie served in various church callings as a young girl in class presidencies and the primary.
She had a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and of service to others.
She attended San Juan High School. She excelled in business, drama, acting, English and writing. Loving acting, Jessie had the opportunity be a movie extra and danced with Henry Fonda in the film My Darling Clementine that was shot in Monument Valley.
She graduated from high school as the valedictorian and was accepted to Dixie College.
While at Dixie College, she first met her future husband, Kenneth Preston Macdonald. Ken's sister DeLenna was Jessie's roommate and introduced her to Ken while he was on furlough from World War II.
Ken and Jessie reacquainted after the war at a Dixie College reunion and were soon married in the St. George LDS Temple, June 24, 1949. They have been married for 67 years.
After graduating from Dixie College, Ken and Jessie attended Utah State University. Jessie majored in Home Economics, Clothing-Textiles and related arts and minored in Business.
She graduated from Utah State University, Suma Cum Lade–4.0 and received the National Phi Kappa Phi award. Later Jessie certified in library science.
Ken and Jessie were offered jobs at a high school in Layton, UT and a year later, teaching jobs became available in Blanding, UT. The family moved from Layton to Blanding to assist Jessie's mother, Louise Redd.
Jessie taught on and off at San Juan High School in library instruction, business and home economics.
Jessie had one stillborn baby, Ann Marie and three living children: Marta Macdonald Curran, Scott Kenneth Macdonald and Paul Redd Macdonald. Her family was her joy in life.
She gave many years of service well into her 70s in the Relief Society, both on a ward and stake level as president, counselor, committee member and visiting teacher.
She is survived by her sweetheart of 67 years Kenneth Macdonald; three children, Marta (Grenade) Curran, Scott and Wendy Macdonald, Paul and Lisa Macdonald; 10 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren whom she loved dearly.
Services will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 12 p.m. at the Blanding North Chapel. A viewing will be held prior to the funeral service from 9-11 a.m. at the San Juan Mortuary. Interment following in the Blanding City Cemetery.


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Stanislao Rizzo, MD, Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Florence, Italy, will be hosting FLOREtina 2017 in Florence, Italy, on 27 – 30 April. The meeting program agenda is comprehensive covering both medical and surgical retina. "The main meeting goals are to share ideas, friendship, collegiality and experience Florence. Experiencing is key and I have this opportunity to share it with my friends," according to Dr. Rizzo. Air travel to Florence is very comfortable with an easy walk to the meeting venue in the most beautiful city in the world. Plan to attend FLOREtina 2017 by registering today.
Dr. Rizzo provided us some important details about FLOREtina 2017.
RetinaLink: Please discuss your FLOREtina 2015 Congress. What were the key takeaways?
Stanislao RIZZO, MD (SR): I was surprised by the success of FLOREtina 2015. The first FLOREtina meeting was held in December 2015 which is always a busy month. We had 1,400 physicians in attendance. There were many scientific sessions and we included courses for Fellows, Nurses and Optometrists.
RL: FLOREtina 2017 has approximately 100 presenters and faculty. Explain how they collaborate together to present FLOREtina's university setting? How does a retina specialist choose what scientific session to attend?
SR: The university setting is unique because it offers a variety of courses for surgical and medical retina from many different faculty presenters. In the United States, retina specialists can treat both medical and surgical retina conditions. The rest of the world is different. As an Ophthalmologist and retina specialist, you are either a retina surgeon or treat medical retina conditions.
Our industry partners will offer dedicated sessions with wet labs to feature how their surgical platforms work. ALCON's CONSTELLATION with 3D NGENUITY system, Bausch & Lomb's VITESSE which incorporates Ultrasound vitrectome and DORC's EVA will be available for demonstration.
RL: Who will be operating at the 3D Live Surgery event and will Drs. D'Amico and Wong be moderating?
SR: 20 of the best surgeons from around the globe will be operating during the live surgery, Professor Claus Eckardt (GERMANY), Steve Charles, MD (UNITED STATES), Carl Claes, MD (BELGIUM), Ramin Tadayoni, MD (FRANCE), José Garcia Arumi, MD (SPAIN), Kourous Rezaei, MD (UNITED STATES) to name a few. The industry partners involved are Leica, Optikon, Zeiss, Alcon, Bausch & Lomb and DORC.
Drs. Donald D'Amico and David Wong will moderate in the Congress meeting room like Frankfurt Retina. Dr. D'Amico, Weill Cornell Chairman of Ophthalmology, commented, "FLOREtina 2015 was an amazingly successful initial meeting, and the 2017 version promises to be even better. A remarkable number of luminary faculty will be present (approximately 100) and are very available to the large audience of over 1,500 participants, through presentations, panels, courses, and of course my favorite, live surgery. During the 2015 meeting, at the very moment Dr. Rizzo hovered over the macula holding the Argus II implant on its tack, and then implanted it while the massive audience held their breath, he looked at it critically for a moment and said, "It's perfect"– the audience erupted in cheers. This will certainly be remembered by me and by many as one of the most exciting moments in any retina congress that has ever been held. I am sure we will have many exciting moments at FLOREtina 2017, and I am honored to be with my surgical colleagues in the operating room again, moderating, asking, joking, and commenting with David Wong and we all learn and delight in the many advances in our field."
RL: How does FLOREtina Live Surgery compare to Frankfurt Retina?
SR: It's similar. However, we'll have two days of live surgery.
When you compare Frankfurt Retina and FLOREtina, FLOREtina is more comprehensive about retina, new ideas and technology and we have more surgeons operating in the live surgery.
RL: How many physicians do you anticipate at this year's FLOREtina Congress? Did FLOREtina 2017 receive more free papers than FLOREtina 2015?
SR: We are planning for 1,500 physicians this year.
The number of free papers received was overwhelming. We were surprised to receive 200 free papers. The Committee selected 80 papers which are divided into two retina sessions – 40 surgical and 40 medical. In the surgical free paper session, there will be 20 presentation and 20 videos no longer than three minutes in length.
The winning free paper from FLOREtina 2015, a German Ophthamologist, will be attending FLOREtina 2017, too. Their award was a grant with airfare and hotel accommodations for this year's meeting. The Luigi Barca awards will include best poster, video and oral presentation.
RL: When does registration begin?
SR: The registration website opened in October. www.floretina2017.it.
Dr. Stanislao Rizzo can be reached via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Tanya, the cement truck driver, and Adriane, the mechanical insulator, are two of more than 80,000 skilled tradesmen who help build Minnesota, literally.
A coalition of 16 local labor unions have launched "Elevate Minnesota," a public relations campaign to tell the stories of blue-collar workers who are described in a release as "your union friends and neighbors raising the bar for us all."
"We are trying to really show them who these folks are and remind them how hard they work for all of us and show the skills that we have, the training that we have, the privately funded health care, pensions and what we do every day in the communities across the state," said Elevate Minnesota Board Chair Jason George, special projects director of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49. "We just feel like that that story has been lost in the last few decades."
The "Elevate Minnesota" campaign launched last week in the form of radio spots, Facebook posts and digital videos.
The venture doesn't have a political agenda, George said. The impetus was simply that the construction trades don't often do a proper job explaining their contributions and the benefits that they offer to their workers, he said. The campaign highlights the union-funded training and other benefits to workers as well as the community involvement that many engage in.
"The important thing that we want people to understand is the value that we give Minnesota," George said.
Construction workers continue to be in high demand. Last year, the construction industry added more than 7,400 jobs in Minnesota growing 6.9 percent, which was more than four times the national pace.
For more information, visit ElevateMinnesota.org.
Hey Elevate Minnesota is a partnership of these organizations:
Boilermakers Local 647
Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1
Cement Masons, Plasterers and Shophands Local 633
Heat and Frost Allied Workers Local 34
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 110
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 292
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49
Iron Workers Local 512
Laborers' District Council
Minnesota Pipe Trades Association
North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters
Painters and Allied Trades District Council 82
Plasterers Local 265
Roofers and Waterproofers Local 96
Sheet Metal Workers' Local 10
Teamsters Local 120


text: Ecological indicators were synthesized to identify ecologically significant and priority areas within each province/administrative territory of Pakistan. We compiled the spatial distribution of six aspects of ecological value for geographical targeting of conservation priority areas. A Geographic Information System (GIS) based overlay analysis of ecological dynamics was carried out. Indices for forest cover, vegetation zones, endemic mammals, highly significant wetlands, bird species richness and mammal species richness were developed by compiling the secondary data into Geographic Information System. Analytical hierarchy process was used to weight these indicators and also multi-attribute utility theory to combine them into a single spatial layer of ecological value. On the basis of these indices each district was ranked within its respective province/administrative territory. The results highlighted ranking of districts in order of their ecological significance within the province for all the provinces/administrative territories. The study is a pioneer study to identify administrative areas of high ecological value and can guide in setting the conservation priorities. The current broad scale study can help decision makers in provincial level policy making. In the highly significant districts, development activities should require special attention to assess their environmental impacts. In contrast, for the least significant districts a set of indicators can be identified and shared with the District Governments to improve and monitor their ecological conditions.


text:
The passage of Senate Bill 10 by the Florida House and Senate today drew praise from diverse groups including farmers and environmentalists.
The bill calling for a $1.5 billion, 78.2 billion gallon reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee now goes to Gov. Rick Scott. Publicly-owned land will be used for the reservoir aimed at keeping discharges from the lake entering the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.
Earlier this year, farmers fought the original proposal which would have taken productive farmland.
Here are some of the reactions:
Tammy Jackson-Moore, Guardians of the Glades said, "Guardians of the Glades made our voices heard this session to ensure Senate Bill 10 would not devastate the Glades communities. We are grateful lawmakers chose to reject the Everglades Foundation's bumper-sticker slogans and took into consideration the human impact on our communities by completely reworking Senate Bill 10 to protect our agricultural jobs.
"The Guardians have been saying all alone that if we're looking for real solutions, there has to be a water treatment and storage project north of Lake Okeechobee in addition to septic to sewer conversions along water bodies where septic tank systems exist," said Jackson-Moore.
"We also thank Governor Rick Scott and hope that lawmakers in the future will support his efforts to speed up the rehabilitation of the Herbert Hoover Dike, which the governor understands is a top priority to protect the health and safety of our residents south of Lake Okeechobee."
Statement of Sierra Club Florida Chapter Director Frank Jackalone:
Sierra Club supports the final version of SB 10 which passed the House and Senate today and urges Governor Scott to sign it into law. The bill funds construction of a reservoir that will have the capacity to receive and store a significant amount of water from Lake Okeechobee and move it south to the Everglades while reducing the need for harmful discharges to the St. Lucie Canal and Caloosahatchee River.
We thank House and Senate leaders for improving the final version of SB 10 by removing earlier provisions that would have used Land Acquisition Trust Fund (LATF) revenue to fund Phase I of the C-51 water supply project and other inappropriate uses of voter mandated funding set aside for conservation and recreational land protection. Unfortunately, the bill still includes the LATF as a potential funding source for Phase II of the C-51 reservoir, which would be an impermissible expenditure of funds from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund under Article X, Section 28 of the Florida Constitution. We continue to oppose funding for all water supply projects from LATF monies.
Statement by Judy Sanchez, Senior Director for Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for U.S. Sugar, on the Florida House's Passage of Senate Bill 10
"Senate Bill 10 has been greatly improved, takes essentially no privately owned farmland, and even removes the threat of eminent domain. The House deserves credit for quickly passing legislation that can provide some protection for our water resources while also protecting our farming communities and vital food production.
U.S. Sugar always supports solutions that are based on science, which, in this case shows the source of the water significantly impacting the coastal estuaries flows from north of Lake Okeechobee, not the south. Obviously, you're going to have to build some solutions north of the lake to finally fix the discharge problem. We look forward to working with legislators in the future to get that done."
U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18): "As I talk to people in our community, the one issue that keeps them up at night more than any other is the lack of clean, safe water in our area. Our waterways are irreplaceable treasures, central to the economy and quality of life in our region. The water being discharged by Lake Okeechobee into the Treasure Coast is destroying our community, putting people out of business, killing sea life and even making people sick. The Florida legislature's commitment to building a reservoir south of the lake is a critical step forward in our work to restore our lagoon and beaches. I urge Governor Scott to sign this bill, and in my role as Vice Chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, I will do everything in my power to ensure the federal government matches Florida's commitment to clean water."
With the passage of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan's reservoir, which was approved and authorized by Congress in 2000, the legislature advances to the Governor the long-awaited and urgently-needed Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir legislation for his signature. Today marks the most significant victory for Everglades restoration in more than two decades.
Everglades Trust Executive Director Kimberly Mitchell:
"Today, we enthusiastically celebrate the decision made by legislators in both chambers who voted in support of Senate President Joe Negron's top priority. The people of Florida can be proud to know their voices were heard throughout the state Capitol. Senate President Negron, Senators Jack Latvala and Rob Bradley, and Representatives Thad Altman and Heather Fitzenhagen led the charge. Their legacies as protectors of America's Everglades and Florida's waterways have been secured.
As Senator Jack Latvala perfectly articulated, dealing with the sugar industry is like a game of 'Whac-a-Mole. It's a new issue, a new complaint, a new defense every day. They just really don't want to do anything differently.' But this legislature saw past the red herrings and strawman arguments. Sound science, robust economic value and common sense prevailed.
Senator Joe Negron's success is both a testament to his political courage and the enduring power of grassroots engagement. This victory belongs to all of us, but especially to those who sacrificed their time and resources to meet with legislators in their districts, educate their friends and families, speak out publicly and travel to Tallahassee on behalf of the Everglades and three vital estuaries. Together, we have given a voice to the vulnerable and the voiceless, those whose jobs have been lost or put in jeopardy, the wildlife who make their home in the Everglades and our waterways, and the children and their grandchildren who will call this state their home.
So, yes, this is a very big day."
Gaston Cantens, Vice President of Florida Crystals Corporation:
"The version of Senate Bill 10 that passed the Florida Legislature today made additional changes to continue to improve what was already a significant transformation from the original anti-farmer bill. The initial proposal could have threatened existing Everglades restoration plans, but this most recent version uses science-based research to continue the construction of CERP projects. Fixing SB10 was important to Florida Crystals, because we have always supported and believed in CERP, and we wanted to make sure that politics would not derail or defund it."
Keith Wedgworth of EAA Farmers, Inc.:
"Farm families like mine were very concerned when government leaders, out of the blue, announced a plan to take our private land without even speaking to us. But, we were pleased legislators used common sense and listened when we shared the importance of our farmland for homegrown food. Fortunately, they ignored an ill-intentioned, flawed plan championed by the anti-farmer Everglades Foundation and rewrote Senate Bill 10 to protect our private property.
"We'd like to thank the thousands of Floridians who stood with us to save our farms. We urge the Legislature to now focus on plans that will actually tackle water problems at their source, which is the only way to reduce discharges, clean pollution and avoid future algae blooms in the estuaries."
Ryan Duffy, spokesman for Florida Sugarcane Farmers:
"Today, the Florida House stood up for Florida's farming communities by approving legislation that does not take farmland out of production. While not perfect, Senate Bill 10 will ensure the planned EAA reservoir is eventually completed on existing state-owned land. Having turned the page on buying additional land south of Lake Okeechobee, the Florida Legislature in a future session can focus on plans that will address the excess water and nutrients originating north of the lake, which science shows can reduce the frequency of discharges by more than 60 percent."


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Knotted Tassel Necklace ~ December 1 ~ $18
Join Lisa Jarrell and have some fun putting together your own knotted necklace! You will choose between a focal of a green serpentine stone heart, or a deep yellow carved round wooden bead. We will work with waxed cording, an assortment of glass, wood and other accent beads, and then finish it off with a tassel made with your choice of fun fibers! Makes a great gift too!
~ Fee: $18 per person
~ Workshop open to ages 14& up
~ Workshop size: 6 minimum/12 maximum
~ Register by November 29 by calling (517) 295-4673


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Today a Newbie, Tomorrow a Wizard...
Tired of being just another name on the WHOlist? Take your MUCKing career to the next level at UNIVERSITY MUCK.
At MUCK U, we are committed to helping MUCKers develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the competitive world of MUCK administration today.
Our innovative, three-tiered system is designed to help you reach your full MUCKing potential and elevate you to a level far above the average user. You'll not only learn what you need to know to offer yourself up as more than a 'PR Wiz'. With an education from MUCK U, you'll have the tools to provide what MUCK adminstrators REALLY need.
Flexibility is key! Learn only as much as you wish to know. Our comprehensive programs in MUCK Building, MUF and MPI programming, and Administration are designed to allow you to learn up to what you want to know. You can quit anytime!
Don't take our word for it. See what our almuni have to say:
"For two years, I was just another name on the WHOlist. The only girls who would talk to me were genderbenders and yiff-nuts. Today I'm a MUCK U graduate and I hold admin positions on three games. I have my choice of women -- REAL women. Thank you, MUCK U!"
--Bob "Belgarath" Robertson
For years I've dreamed of running a MUCK of my own, but the building commands had me stumped. Within only a few weeks of starting my studies at MUCK U, I had mastered them and was building towns, cities, entire realms! True, other players rarely explore enough to view my work, but the pure joy of creation is mine nonetheless. Thank you, MUCK U!
-- Tim


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So start a couple smile ripples today!
photo prop smile from Etsy seller EventsbyElisa
print from Etsy seller breedingfancy
Thanks for the pep talk!
Smiles & good wishes,
You have a great blog and an absolutely adorable Etsy shop. I'm honored that you'd mention my "You Make Me Smile" print, and I hope it does start a smile ripple or two. I wish you very much success, and lots of fun along the way!ReplyDelete


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My fashion icons are typically women that wear high-quality classic clothes with interesting details, like Victoria Beckham and Carine Roitfeld. I fell in love with Carine's style when I was working in the corporate world and had to wear suits and dress skirts. Carine is a great inspiration for those looks with her pencil skirt outfits. She always adds some trendy, interesting details that make even conservative dress wear fun. I particularly like her necklaces in the outfits below.
My Interpretation of Carine Roitfeld's Style


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Samsung must still convince investors its recent improvement is sustainable, and that innovative products are in the works to grow revenue. Some attribute its rebound partly to Apple's weaker performance, and cost-cutting.
"I think they will try to imbue the Note (tablet) with a more transformative change such as new technology under the new leadership, than the fine-tuning we saw with the Galaxy S7," said Kim Hyun-su, a fund manager with IBK Investment & Securities, which holds Samsung shares.
Long-time mobile chief J.K. Shin ceded day-to-day management in December when Dongjin Koh became president of the handset unit in the biggest leadership change to date under the conglomerate's heir-apparent Jay Y. Lee.
Samsung's operating profit is expected to be flat this year and grow just 3 percent next year, according to 43 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Slimming down its product portfolio was another departure from the past, when Samsung launched variations to soak up as much demand as possible. As market growth stalled, that approach was no longer cost effective.
It phased out unpopular models and created common platforms, with more phones using the same parts. Researcher Counterpoint says Samsung has shed close to a third of its product portfolio.
That move also had to overcome internal resistance.
"If you're in the trenches, you want to have a machine gun, a grenade, a mine on hand," Kim said. "There are also different needs depending on individual markets, so regional sales staff naturally can't be happy when the company moves to rationalize and restructure from a global structure. The transition process is painful."
The product cull paid off; the revamped models helped Samsung recover in big markets such as India. "There was a feeling the sheer number of phones in the market was confusing for customers," said a Samsung India executive, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to speak with the media.
Despite a solid first quarter, analysts remain cautious about Samsung's outlook, with researcher Gartner predicting global smartphone sales growth will slow to 7 percent this year.
Samsung has also yet to recover in China, the world's top smartphone market, where it ranks sixth with 7 percent market share, according to Strategy Analytics, well behind local rivals such as Huawei, Xiaomi and OPPO.
Samsung's Kim says his focus now is on premium-end smartphones - those costing $600 and above - where not all industry players have the muscle to compete.
"There's still room for growth in the market," he said. "This segment wants innovation, which has turned it into an area that requires huge capital equipment investments."


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Westport, CT
Huntington, NY
Greenwich, CT
San Francisco, CA
Palo Alto, CA
Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Tigard, OR
View all the items you have purchased online and in-store in your Virtual Closet, check your alteration status, track online orders, and communicate with your Style Advisor.
Don't have an account? Create an account


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If you've been accused of a crime in Maryland, then you may be wondering
what kinds of options you have for defending yourself. It's possible
to use several tactics to do so. Here are a few you may be able to apply
to your case.
Take for instance this scenario. If you were attacked and forced to fight
with someone to defend yourself, you could be said to have been in duress.
If your fight resulted in you killing your attacker, it could be possible
to have the murder charge eliminated if you can prove that you had no
motive and were in danger. If you were under threat of bodily harm or
death, this is one defense you may be able to fall back on. This type
of defense may also be similar to a defense alleging self defense.
One slightly odd defense is the defense of automatism. This defense suggests
that a person did not have control over his actions. For instance, if
a person was suffering from psychosis at the time of an attack, then he
could be said to have been in a state of mind where he had no control
over what he was doing.
If someone is proven to be suffering from insane automatism, then the person
typically has to seek psychiatric help or other appropriate medical attention
following the trial. In a case where the person is not insane, the court
could choose to give a lesser sentence or to acquit the case. These defenses
typically apply to federal and state crimes, felonies or misdemeanors,
depending on the situation.
Source: ListVerse, "Top 10 Defenses Against Criminal Charges" David Hopkins, accessed Mar. 17, 2015


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We celebrated my son's birthday last Sunday at a local park. For the weeks leading up to it I was going back and forth about how to plan this thing. I'm just not a good party planner. My birthdays always suck. Although I did plan a kickass New Year's party at my brother-in-law's house in Israel. We partied like it was 1999. In fact it was 1999. Uch, I'm old.
My husband and I decided we'd just do something simple at the park and invite a few of his friends from school and a few family friends. Then my husband spoke to our friends who were having their daughter's fourth birthday party the day before in Berkeley. And they were having everyone from her preschool, baking homemade pizza, planning all kinds of games and MAKING a pinata. George Jesus. How I am going to compete with all that. People. Take it down a notch. You're making the average mothers look really bad here.
So then my head started to spin a bit. Not unlike a bashed-in, homemade pinata. What the hell can we do to spruce up this party? I wasn't super excited about the thought of leading a bunch of four year olds in games. And yet we had reached the point where we couldn't just invite folks to play at a park and call it a party. The kids needed some structure. But I never thought of my son as a kid who likes to participate in games. Since he never does.
So I came up with one game - the going to work race. My son's favorite activity when he gets home from school is to put on my shoes, get his purse with his keys and go to work. He works in San Francisco he recently told me. I figured I'd bring twelve pairs of shoes and twelve purses or bags and line them and make the kids walk across the lawn "going to work". I also ordered a cake from my brother's neighbor in the shape of a Motorola flip phone with happy birthday written in the screen. Then I decided I'd pimp out my husband and make him do gymnastics tricks for the kids and maybe teach them a few tumbles. The only wild card was my son. Who knew if he'd participate at all. Or if he'd want any attention on him. He had the power to completely sabotage any and all plans. So we stuck with our two random party games and hoped for the best.
The day finally arrived and I channeled the spirit of Barney. As my son's friends started to arrive he greeted each one with a sprint in their direction and a bear hug. Who is this child? Pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Once there was a critical mass I called all of the kids to do follow the leader and I marched them around the lawn doing overhead claps and giant steps and shark claps and monkey jumps. Then my brilliant mom came up with the hokey pokey. My son actually knew the words and sang the whole thing. Then we did the "work" race which was a hit. And after we went to a little hill and my husband showed the kids how to tumble down. Then he walked on his hands and did some cartwheels. The guest were sufficiently impressed. That completed the entertainment portion of the party and then it was time for lunch. So we sat around on blankets and ate pizza. Then we put Shalev in a little chair and sang happy birthday to him and lifted him four times and one for good luck as is the Israeli tradition. Then he saw his cake and just about died. MOTOROLA CAKE! I know, we're weird.
All in all I have to say it was a surprisingly great birthday. No tantrums. No whining. And no one threw up. The three criteria by which every party should be measured. I give it a ten.


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Use the form below to nominate an accredited RCN representative who you think deserves to be recognised with an award.
This award is for accredited RCN representatives (learning representatives, safety representatives and stewards) who have made a difference in their workplace and shown outstanding commitment to the RCN and its members.
They may have:
Members of the UK representative committees are not eligible for nomination.
Nominations for the RCN Representatives of the Year Awards 2019 are now closed.
The shortlisted candidates in each of the three categories will be invited to attend an awards ceremony at Congress.
The prize for each award winner is £500, while commendees receive £250.
The awards are sponsored by LV=, the RCN's approved provider of consumer insurance products.
Winning the award has increased my confidence and made me realise that I am providing a good service to members, even when cases don't go as I would like. It has made me feel that the work activists carry out is very much recognised and important to the organisation.
I felt privileged and appreciated as a representative, which I had not always felt previously. It is with this confidence that I have now applied to train as an RCN steward as well as continuing my work as a safety representative.
This award has given me the confidence to approach senior staff, as well as the connections to work with different nursing teams within my trust. It was a great honour and keeping it quiet, when I could not stop smiling, was difficult.


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Version 11.04 of Ubuntu was released yesterday. Ubuntu is one of the most used Linux distributions and with this new update, there is a new User Interface waiting for us. This new version was sweetly named as Natty Narwhal by its developers and looks stable and secure like all its previous versions.
Ubuntu as always is one of the most trusted Linux distro, with high customization capabilities and a huge software base too, Ubuntu looks promising. Let us take a look at the new changes that had been bought to the interface with Natty Narwhal. (Narwhal is a kind of whale).
The launcher
The Launcher finds it position in the left hand side of the screen, looks a lot similar to the Windows 7 task bar. Application shortcuts can be added by simply dragging them into it. It's designed to make getting to your favourite tools and applications quick and easy. We can hide it and reveal it easily. We can add App shortcuts, bookmarks and keep track of the open windows. This one will look familiar for Windows 7 and Mac users.
The dash
When we click on the Ubuntu icon in the upper right corner, the new Dash(board) shows up. This will provide us quick access to files and programs. It has search bar, app list and a list of recently used files and folders. You can use the search bar to quickly open a program or a file.
By clicking the Workspace icon in the launcher all your active spaces will pop up. This new setup helps us easily multi-task without cramping multiple windows into a single workspace. With this we can easily switch between the multiple workspaces.
Hope this article helped you get a small insight about the new UI of Ubuntu 11.04. Download it and try it and share your experiences on Linux with us. the .iso file is just 698MB. You can burn it into a CD and try it without installing. Waiting for your replies ! 😀
Download Ubuntu 11.04: Natty Narwhal
Don't forget to checkout the milestones of Linux in these 20 years.


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Bookcase Shelf Pins image above is part of the post in Bookcase Shelf Pins gallery. Related with Bookcase Ideas category.
For Bookcase Ideas, You can find many ideas on the topic shelf, Pins, bookcase, and many more on the internet, but in the post of Bookcase Shelf Pins we have tried to select the best visual idea about Bookcase Ideas You also can look for more ideas on Bookcase Ideas category apart from the topic Bookcase Shelf Pins.
This post published on . Read Diy Modern Bookcase or find other post and pictures about Bookcase Ideas.
Bookcase Shelf Pins Gallery


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Wine Stories: 5 Steps to Look Like a Pro When Ordering Wine
We all want to enjoy a great glass of wine when dining out, but sometimes, staring at a large wine list can be really overwhelming.
This is exactly when we play it safe and order our favourite. This month I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and try something fun and new by the glass or the bottle, besides isn't your resolution to be more adventurous?! Here's how to look like a pro when ordering wine at a restaurant.
- Find Your Style
Depending on your mood, the type of restaurant and food being served, think about what style of wine you want to sip on. Are you looking for light and fruity, big and bold, or bubbly and fresh? Is it a glass of white, red or something in between? Try to put words to the style you are craving and get ready to explain it.
- Ask for the Sommelier
Ask for the wine expert or the Sommelier (pronounced Somm-Ah-Lee-Eh) on staff to help you find what you're looking for. They know the wine list in and out and are happy to make a recommendation based on the style and price range you are seeking. This is great chance to have a connection with someone who knows the menu inside and out and can ask you about what your food choices as well. Pairing wine and food is a really exciting part about dining out so use this time to have engaging conversation, ask about recommendations from someone who knows everything from the inside out.
- Swirl, Smell & Sip
When the wine comes to your table that you've ordered, the Sommelier will pour a small amount of wine into your glass. This is your opportunity to taste the wine and ensure it fits the style you are looking for. Your job is to look cool and swirl, smell and sip the wine – take your time and try a few sips. If you are ordering by the glass, you can still ask to taste the wine before ordering.
- Judge the Wine
After analysing what is in your glass, say exactly what you feel about the wine. If you don't like it, speak up and the sommelier will select a new option for you. If you like it, simply smile and say "it's perfect, thanks."
- Love & Share the Adventure
Talk with the Sommelier and don't be afraid to voice your thoughts about the wine being poured and others you'd like to try. You're the customer and deserve to be happy in your wine choices. So enjoy a great night out, ask for expert help, and learn about new wines you may not have tried. Most importantly, remember to only drink wine you love! Usually, if you ask/show some wine enthusiasm about what else is one the list, tell them you'll Instagram the bottle and share with your friends, you can have a little wine tasting experience right at your table and those are really quite cool to showcase.


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Back in January Meek Mill filed a lawsuit against the Philadelphia police department stating, he was illegally being held by arresting officers, Andre Boyer and Michael Vargas. According to court documents, Meek Mill claims that the illegal arrest caused him to lose a deposit on a private jet, as well as income from a show.
It's been bought to the attention of the media and judges that one of the officers, Andre Boyer, "In the interest of productivity (900 arrests in less than two years) he cut some clerical corners." Words from his own mouth, Boyer is known to frisk everyone, in every car, that he's ever stopped.
Read full story after the jump
Looks like Meek has a really high probability chance of winning this one. "It will have an effect on the case," Meek Mill's lawyer Dennis Cogan said. "We're talking about institutional indifference." The hearing for the case will be held April 28th, so we'll see what happens.
Drop down bottom to see what officer, Boyer is doing in retaliation of these allegations.
Since being outed, officer Andre Boyer has decided to sue the city of Philadelphia as well. Boyer claims that his reputation has been tainted due to the falsifying records allegations. He hopes to get $200,000 if he wins.


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Global Contract Laboratory Providing Pharmaceutical Analysis
With facilities located around the world, STERIS Laboratories provides Customers with a wide range of chemical and microbiological services.
Our areas of expertise are finished products and raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry, and other quality-regulated markets such as medical devices, cosmetics and homeopathic products.
Whether you require QC laboratory analysis, method development, validation or expert advice on your product, process or market, STERIS Laboratories offers you a fully comprehensive range of services for all your laboratory and commercial needs.
Our expertise in pharmaceutical analysis allows us to understand the unique pressures and demands of the industry, delivering the support you need.
Our Analytical Testing Services
Contact our team of experts to find out more about Analytical Testing Services


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Investors hadn't seen Under Armour (NYSE:UAA) for a while, and whatever it's been doing is really working -- we can tell. The company reported analyst-beating earnings this morning, helping jar the stock out of its doldrums. In addition to beating market expectations, the company also raised its guidance, adding to the market's excitement.
Under Armour has managed to outpace Nike (NYSE:NKE) in 2013, but the stock is still lagging over the past 12 months. The sports giant -- Nike's market capitalization is about eight times the size of Under Armour's -- has been moving quickly into international markets, while Under Armour still produces 94% of its revenue in North America. But Under Armour has a lot of other irons in the fire, and there is still a lot of room for growth.
New product success
Under Armour has recently launched a series of new products, and these saw good results in the first quarter. Its Baselayer and expanded cotton line helped push apparel revenue up 23% compared to last year, and the company grew footwear revenue by 21% over the same period. The increase in footwear is especially good for Under Armour, as the company is relying heavily on the line for future growth.
Under Armour's three-year plan is to reach $4 billion in sales by 2016. To do that, it needs to grow all of its lines, including footwear. The goal is to have footwear account for $600 million in annual sales by 2016 , and this quarter's $82 million is a great step toward the final goal.
Nike is still dominating the athletic footwear division, though, and its footwear division alone accounted for $3.9 billion in its last quarter. Of that revenue, 54% came from outside of North America, with the biggest international chunk coming out of Western Europe.
Challenges ahead
If Under Armour wants to compete on the global scene, it's going to need to start pushing harder on its international agenda. Again, the 2016 agenda is for big growth, and international sales are forecast to account for 12% of total revenue. That growth is going to put a hit on margins, so Under Armour also needs to slim itself as much as possible, even as it grows.
This quarter, things looked good as gross margin expanded from 45.9% a year ago to 48.3%. That puts Under Armour ahead of Nike, although Nike manages a higher operating and net income margin. The extra cash that Nike has on hand gives it a distinct advantage, but the beauty of the thing is that Under Armour can easily hit its 2016 goals without ever having to take Nike on for the top-dog spot.
In fact, I think Under Armour would do well to sit happily in second place. Nike does most of the hard work, introducing American branding to international markets, and Under Armour can come along behind and pick up a few million here and there. While Under Armour has stalled out over the last 12 months, I think the long-term prospects are good. Its current P/E might put some investors off, and Nike is certainly cheaper by that measure. If you think Under Armour can achieve its goals, though, the stock could very well prove to be worth the premium.


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Rush mooted for Green Lantern role
Geoffrey Rush has been linked to the role of alien instructor Tomar-Re in the film Green Lantern.
The King's Speech star has been approached about voicing the character, a member of the Green Lantern Corps, the Los Angeles Times said.
Green Lantern, being directed by Martin Campbell, is set for release in June and is already in the post-production stage.
But casting actors to voice characters at this stage in the film's process is not unusual in Hollywood.
Ryan Reynolds voices the role of Hal Jordan (the Green Lantern) while Blake Lively is Carol Ferris in the Warner Bros movie, adapted from the comic books.
PA Media


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Therapy table S3
Three-section therapy table to perform various examinations.
Therapy table S3 is a stable bed with electrically adjustable back and seat section enabling easier positioning of heavier patients. It is suitable for general and specialized examinations.
- hand switch with memory function for electric adjustment of height, back and seat section
- circular switch enables height adjustment from any side of the table
- table width is 65 or 75 cm
- table ensures maximum comfort
- thicker, seamless padding (6 cm)
- oblong, oval or wide oblong breathing hole
- base cover design enables free side access
- supplied with retractable castors (Ø 75 mm) to move at short distances
- variety of accessories
- upholstery available in more than 40 colors


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MMP Architects was proud to attend the grand opening of Deer Lodge Centre's new Special Care Behavioural Unit (SCBU) on November 16, 2017. Representatives from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Deer Lodge Centre gathered together alongside staff, press, and project consultants to mark the occasion with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.
The new unit was a conversion of an existing Deer Lodge Centre PCH unit into an 11-bed space for residents that require more attention and detail in their day to day care. The renovated SCBU space is small, with controlled access for increased safety, specifically targeting patients with dementia who are easily agitated and respond better to quieter environments. With the addition of these 11-beds, the Deer Lodge Centre campus now has space for 32 individuals requiring specialized care.
Our team acted as Prime Consultants on the 8,000sf renovation, which included demolition, planning, and new construction, all within an extremely aggressive timeline. MMP is proud to have been a part of providing this much needed resource to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
Please see above for a few photos taken at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
DLC SCBU Project Team
Project Architect: Chris Daly
Interior Designer and CA: Jessica Kost
Healthcare Support: Hailey Connor