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The 2019 Women's World Cup has now reached the latter stages, meaning awards such as Golden Boot or Golden Ball have started to be discussed a lot more. The race for the Golden Boot is a close one, with a few players tied on five goals, while the Golden Ball will likely end up with one of the players who plays for a team who reached the semi-final at least.
With this in mind, I thought it'd be fun to have a look at what players impressed, despite their team not having a deep run in the competition.
To set some rules, I've said the team must only have players who were knocked out in or before the round of sixteen and there can't be more than two players from any one team. I'll also start with the attack, as it's a lot easier to justify with the numbers, rather than the defence where you'll see there isn't a huge amount of logic behind the selection.
Forward – Sam Kerr
Probably one of the most obvious picks, Sam Kerr had a hugely impressive campaign for Australia, scoring five goals in four games.
There are a few caveats, she missed her penalty in the shootout against Norway, while four of her five goals came in the game against Jamaica, but Kerr's ability to get shots – and good quality shots at that – was practically unrivalled.
@EveryTeam_Mark wrote an ode to Sam Kerr over on StatsBomb which highlights just how good her ability to get clear shots was. Kerr had the most shots with no players in the 'cone' between her and the 'keeper, taking 12 (not including her penalty rebound). Norway's Caroline Graham Hansen was next with 10, but the quality of her shots was much lower than Kerr's.
Kerr finished the tournament with a huge xG per 90 of 0.66, the 3rd highest at the end of the round of sixteen, behind only Carli Lloyd and Ellen White.
The forward offered more than just goals though, she had Australia's highest xG Assisted per 90 as well as receiving the 3rd most pass progression received per 90 in the whole tournament. Looking at all progression (pass progression takes out crosses), she had the most progression received per 90 – which should come as no surprise given her jumping and heading ability.
Honourable Mentions
Jennifer Hermoso – Spain
Hermoso didn't have Spain's highest xG contribution per 90, but was hugely influential to the Spanish attack. While the pass progression numbers are relative to their distance to goal, it's still hugely impressive that a forward had the 3rd highest numbers for her team. Hermoso also had the 2nd highest numbers for received pass progression per 90 in the Spanish squad.
Spain as a team weren't too impressive going forward, but the main reason for picking Kerr over Hermoso was the goal scoring and shot creation of the Australian. Hermoso's only open play goal was the one against the United States, while she only managed an xG of 0.11 per 90, it was her xG Assisted that bolstered her xG contribution numbers.
Christine Sinclair – Canada
The experienced forward had some strong numbers for Canada but all of them fell behind Kerr. Not to mention, her good xG numbers only resulted in one goal in the tournament.
Right Wing – Hayley Raso
The second and last Australian pick, which leads to some pretty big exclusions later on, is right-winger Hayley Raso. Raso didn't play a huge number of minutes with 196, so these numbers may be skewed somewhat, but the numbers she managed in her time on the pitch are great.
Rather than going through each metric, the easiest way to highlight just how good her numbers were is this: For midfielders and forwards with more than 150 minutes, Raso is the only player above the 70th percentile for xG + xA per 90, completed pass progression per 90, received pass progression per 90, attempted dribbles per 90 and pressures per 90.
The right-wing was a huge part of Australia's attack and Raso was a huge part of that right side. While Australia went out earlier than they'd have liked to, Raso's numbers after suffering a broken back last year are a positive for the Matilda's to take from this campaign.
Honourable Mentions
Nichelle Prince – Canada
Prince had the 2nd highest xG + xA per 90 for all players who didn't make the quarter-finals, behind Sam Kerr, but I decided to highlight Raso due to how strong her numbers were in multiple categories.
Lucía García – Spain
Another Spanish honorable mention, García had the best xG + xA per 90 numbers for Spain and the 3rd best for players who didn't make the quarter-finals. With Spain making big progress on their last World Cup showing and García being just 20-years-old she could be on to keep an eye on, particularly for the 2021 Euro's or next World Cup.
Left Wing – Jun Endo
Like Raso, Endo didn't play a huge amount of minutes as rotated the left flank with fellow youngster Yui Hasegawa, but she was productive when she was on the pitch.
Endo stands out in the same type of search as Raso. In the same metrics as above with Raso, Endo was one of only five players who was above the 60th percentile for each of the numbers – interestingly four of the five names didn't make it to to the quarter-finals.
It's worth pointing out that none of Endo's numbers for these metrics jump right off the page, but the fact such a young player is putting up above average numbers in so many metrics is impressive – particularly considering Japan weren't great in the group stage.
It may have been a disappointing tournament for Japan but, with plenty of impressive young players in the squad, it doesn't seem as though they should be worried about the future.
Honourable Mentions
Gabrielle Onguene – Cameroon
Onguene had the 5th highest xG + xA p90 for teams who didn't reach the quarter-finals. I went for Endo because of the strong numbers across multiple areas, but Onguene also had a great tournament for Cameroon.
Mariona Caldentey – Spain
Yes, it's another Spanish honorable mention. Caldentey was on of the five players with numbers above the 60th percentile with Endo, but I opted to go for Endo instead – even though Caldentey played slightly more minutes.
Centre Midfield – Erin Cuthbert
Scotland didn't have the tournament they were hoping for, losing a 3-0 lead in their final game against Argentina and having many VAR controversies saw them crash out at the group stage, but the performance of 20-year-old Erin Cuthbert was a positive for Scotland.
Cuthbert played both upfront and in a deeper role but it's in the deeper role I've chosen her, mostly due to her pressure numbers. For players who didn't make the quarter-finals, she had the 14th most pressures per 90, in a team that didn't record all too many pressure events. Cuthbert averaged 26.2 pressures per 90, significantly more than the other midfielders Kim Little and Caroline Weir, who oddly both had 13.1 pressures per 90.
She isn't just here because she was active on the ball though. Using the same metrics as previously mentioned, Cuthbert was above median for all of them. It's likely skewed due to her goal against Argentina, but Cuthbert had the 7th highest xG + xA per 90 of player not to make the quarter finals.
Her progressive passing numbers, both made and completed, don't rank as highly but, given Scotland didn't have great numbers as a team, having above median numbers is still a strong showing from Cuthbert.
There's no doubt that Cuthbert has a big future ahead of her, she's already playing for a strong Chelsea team and can only really grow from here. It's unrelated, but it'd be good to see her get picked in the Team GB Olympic squad for Tokyo 2020.
Centre Midfield – Hina Sugita
Another young Japanese player and another player who means there are some pretty big exclusions in defence, Sugita has some strong numbers from midfield for Japan.
She had the 2nd highest completed pass progression per 90 for midfielders and forwards who didn't make the quarter-finals, while also having the 6th best completion rate for passes that move the possession closer to goal.
She doesn't have a huge goal contribution, but she is above the 70th percentile for progressive passing per 90, pressures per 90 and defensive actions per 90 (attempted tackles, attempted interceptions and ball recoveries) – so if you want a midfielder who can win the ball back and progress it with accuracy, she's your player.
While I'm awarding individual performances, in the back of my mind I am thinking about how this team would fare as a team and a midfield of Cuthbert and Sugita (with a player still to mention) does sound like it could be fun. Both are active off the ball and able to progress it, while Cuthbert can push forward and contribute in the final third as well.
Centre Midfield – Sophie Schmidt
Canada may have been disappointing going forward in the World Cup, but they were one of the harder teams to play against.
Looking at passes that intersect the middle third, Canada's opponents had the lowest pass completion. They do drop to 2nd when looking at passes that move the possession closer to goal, with United States leapfrogging them, but given Canada's group seemed to be a lot tougher than that of the USWNT's, it's still a strong performance from Canada.
A big part of the Canadian midfield was 31-year-old Sophie Schmidt. For midfielders and forwards who didn't make the quarter-finals, Schmidt had the highest pass progression per 90 with the 4th best accuracy.
She didn't make a huge amount of pressures per 90 with 14.6, but she did have the 2nd most defensive actions per 90, only behind Raissa Feudjio of Cameroon.
With Canada's strong numbers for pass completion in the middle third, plus Schmidt's individual numbers for progression and defensive activity, she seemed like a strong option as the final choice in midfield.
Going off on a tangent, if it was to be a starting eleven, it could be a double pivot of Sugita and Scmidt with Cuthbert playing just behind Kerr.
Honourable Mentions
Rui Zhang – China
China had strong numbers for opposition pass completion in the final third and solid defensive numbers. Zhang was their main creator with a strong xG Assisted per 90, while also having the 8th highest pass progression per 90.
Emily van Egmond – Australia
Strong progression numbers and kept the Australia team ticking, but her numbers aren't quite as strong as the others and there's already two Australian's in the side.
So-yun Ji – Korea Republic
So-yun Ji had the 4th best pass progression per 90 and the best accuracy for passes that move the possession closer to goal. She had strong numbers for Chelsea in the FAWSL and I'd have liked to include her but Cuthbert's stronger xG contribution and activity off the ball made me pick her.
Right Back – Ashley Lawrence
The second Canadian player to make the side is right back Ashley Lawrence.
Lawrence had the best pass progression per 90 of all right-backs in the tournament, while also having the 2nd best xG Assisted per 90 for those who didn't make the quarter-finals.
Defensively Canada were strong down that side, having the 4th best numbers for opposition pass completion for passes that move the possession closer to goal from their left flank.
Honourable Mentions
Ellie Carpenter – Australia
Only 19-years-old and was an important part of an Australian team who had the 2nd best numbers for pass completion from the right, however, her individual numbers don't jump right off the page.
Left Back – Tamires
With Brazil getting six points in a tough group and narrowly losing against France, it feels as though there probably should have been a Brazil player mentioned before this point. However, no individual's numbers stand out a great deal.
Cristiane had a great opening game and followed it up with a strong header against Australia, while Marta had some good moments, but the only Brazilian player I've named is Tamires.
The left-back had the most pass progression per 90 for Brazil and the 2nd of all left backs not to make it to the quarter-finals. Defensively Brazil had the 7th best numbers for pass completion of passes that intersect her flank and move the possession closer to goal.
What's interesting is that they had the biggest difference between opposition pass completion on the two flanks, with their left side performing much better than their right.
Honourable Mentions
Aya Sameshima – Japan
Sameshima had the best pass progression numbers per 90 for left-backs who didn't make the quarter-finals, but having already mentioned two Japanese players and Japan's numbers on that flank being slightly worse I opted for Tamires instead.
Centre Back – Irene Paredes
I've talked before about not being good at assessing centre backs, so this is where all logic gets thrown out of the window.
The only Spain player I've picked is Irene Paredes. The centre back had the best progressive passing per 90 numbers for Spain, who also had strong defensive numbers as a team.
They had a fairly tough group with Germany and China – although their attacking numbers were poor – before they faced the US in the round of sixteen, yet they still had the 7th best xGA against.
Going back to the preview from the USA vs Spain game, they also had some of the best numbers when it comes to completion rate of progressive passes conceded.
Paredes doesn't play a huge part in all of that, with Spain putting a lot of pressure on higher up, but her strong progression numbers at the heart of a side with good defensive numbers made me pick her here.
Centre Back – Yuping Lin
This is the pick I have the least confidence in and it basically came down to I have to pick someone.
My thought process was China had a strong defence and they had slightly better numbers for the left side of the defence so I'd pick their left centre back. She doesn't have great individual numbers, centre back partner Haiyan Wu actually has better numbers, but I wanted to pick a right centre back on the right and a left centre back on the left so I opted for Yuping Lin – more to reward China's strong defence as a team more so than Lin's tournament as an individual.
Honourable Mentions
Australia's Centre Back Pairing
The top two defenders (from teams who didn't make the quarter-finals) for pass progression per 90 were Australia's centre back pairing – Alanna Kennedy and Steph Catley. They both are good, ball-playing defenders and have good accuracy as well as totals, but Australia were suspect defensively and Kennedy got herself sent off in extra time against Norway with a fairly unnecessary foul.
Saki Kumagai – Japan
3rd best progression numbers for all defenders who didn't make the quarter-finals. Would have probably been a better pick than the centre-backs I did pick, but I didn't want to pick someone else over Jun Endo or Hina Sugita.
Kadiesha Buchanan – Canada
Didn't have great individual numbers, but Canada were strong defensively and when watching I thought she looked like a great defender, while also being confident on the ball.
With me picking the rest due to some strong numbers and teammates Schmidt and Lawrence having leading numbers for their positions, I thought it'd be harsh to not pick one of those for Buchanan though.
Goalkeeper – Claudia Endler
I could have dived into (I didn't intend for that to be a pun) the StatsBomb freeze frame stuff and tried to assess goalkeeper's in a better way, but I've decided to be lazy.
Endler had strong performances against Sweden and the US, before not being tested against Thailand. It seems odd to pick a 'keeper who conceded five goals as the best of the rest, but she seemed to do a good job of keeping the score down in the opening two games.
Honourable Mentions
Vanina Correa – Argentina
I was initially going to pick Correa instead of Endler, but her only strong performance was against England from what I remember. Japan had a low xG total, so she wasn't hugely tested, while Scotland scored three – albeit from good chances. Against England, however, she looked unbeatable. She pulled off a few great and different type of saves – like the one-on-one vs Beth Mead, the penalty save and the reaction save through a group of bodies.
Sydney Schneider – Jamaica
Made some great saves in the opening game and saved penalties in back to back games, before the second one had to be retaken. Only 19-years-old, could be one to keep an eye on in the future.


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Facebook apologized, stating that it has notified regulators in the US, Canada and Europe, and that it is contacting affected users by email. Security commentators, meanwhile, are trying to work out exactly what happened, and how.
Facebook has admitted that the bug caused the phone numbers and email addresses of six million users to be shared unintentionally. The number of UK users affected by the bug is believed to be around 200,000 according to the Telegraph.
One of the methods for increasing Facebook membership is to invite existing users to submit their email contact lists. The data in those contact lists is then matched with existing data to find connections. If a person is not already a member, that person might receive a Facebook email suggesting that they join and connect with known contacts already on the social network. Those who are already members, but not currently friends with other known members, might receive a message inviting them to become Facebook friends.
It would appear that the bug discovered just over a week ago didn't disconnect the links made from the uploaded users' contact lists and stored behind the scenes in what is known as the users 'shadow profile' from the users' official profile. According to Reuters, the year-long bug was fixed within 24 hours, but it was several days before the company disclosed the issue – and that it did so late on a Friday afternoon, a good time to bury bad news, and not been lost to researchers such as Graham Cluley.
According to the statement, when users invoked DYI, "they may have been provided with additional email addresses or telephone numbers for their contacts or people with whom they have some connection," (that is, from the contact data stored in the shadow profile) announced Facebook late on Friday
It went on to say, "We currently have no evidence that this bug has been exploited maliciously and we have not received complaints from users or seen anomalous behavior on the tool or site to suggest wrongdoing." But many users are not satisfied. The point at issue is that someone using DYI might have received the telephone number of another person who specifically chose not to share that number with Facebook.
Violet Blue, writing in ZDNet, put it like this: "What it means for me is that even though I've been very careful not to give my phone number to Facebook or the men in my 'friends,' the guys I've 'friended' might have gotten my phone number anyway, regardless of my consent. I did not know they may have been able to get my phone number throughout the course of a year, and now I have no way of finding out who might have gotten my phone number."
Infosecurity has reached out to both the UK Information Commissioner and the Irish Information Commissioner (Facebook has offices in Dublin) for a comment on any relevance of this potential leak of personal information with the Data Protection Act. At the time of writing we have not heard back from the Irish Commissioner. The UK ICO will "take a look into this," and we will update this story with any comment we receive from either source.
Infosecurity received the following statement from the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner in Ireland:
"I can advise that Facebook-Ireland reported the system bug which gave rise to the inadvertent disclosure of additional contact information in respect of a user to a different user who used Facebook's "download your information" tools.
"In line with our general data breach guidance, we sought and were provided with a report on the matter from Facebook-Ireland. We sought assurances that the system bug had been fixed and also that the affected Facebook users should be advised. We are satisfied with Facebook-Ireland's response to our data breach procedures to date.
"In relation to the uploading of contact details by users to Facebook and the use by Facebook of those details, these matters were examined as part of our audit of Facebook-Ireland in 2011. The matter of the creation of shadow profiles, which our audit found no evidence of, is dealt with at Section 3.11.1 (p.119) of the document available [here]."

subset: commoncrawl


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Lent and Easter Reflections
The Catholic Daily Reflections Series is a great resource for daily meditation and prayer. Lent and Easter Reflections is a daily devotional offering reflections on the Gospel of the day in a practical, faithful and down-to-earth way. Allow the death and resurrection of Christ to transform your heart more fully this Lent and Easter! Also available in paperback & eBook format!
Table of Contents – Read Online
Also available in Paperback & eBook format!
Amazon – Google Play – iTunes – Barnes and Noble
You may also be interested in:
40 Days at the Foot of the Cross:
A Gaze of Love from the Heart of Our Blessed Mother
Catholic Daily Reflections Series:


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Hello all, Im not having much luck and thought I would pick the collectives brains.
I want to paint up a band for my Russian Napoleonic army and not having much luck and finding some figures in 28mm.
Does anyone know if there are any figures for making this unit?


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Organising Committee
2021 Organising Committee
Mark Griffin, Co-chair
Statistical Society of Australia & International Institute of Business Analysis
Mark Griffin is the Director of Insight Research Services Associated, a boutique agency working across the domains of business analysis, statistics, and IT. Mark also holds academic appointments at the University of Queensland and the University of Sydney. Mark is the Section Coordinator for the Statistical Society of Australia (SSA), the Founder and Co-Chair of the SSA Section for Business Analytics, the Asia-Pacific Regional Director for the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), and Founder and Co-Chair of the IIBA Special Interest Group for Business Analytics
Marie-Louise Rankin
Statistical Society of Australia
Marie-Louise Rankin is the Executive Officer at SSA. She has been managing the office and providing support for the Society's conferences since 2008. Though not a statistician herself, she loves attending the biennial conference because she gets to catch up in person with many of SSA's members and meet potential new members.
Daniel Gerhard
New Zealand Statistical Association & University of Canterbury
Daniel is the treasurer of the NZSA since 2016. He is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Canterbury in Christchurch New Zealand with research interests in applied statistics, mainly in the area of dose-response modelling. Daniel is also a member of the Statistical Consulting Unit at the University of Canterbury.
Shu-Kay Angus Ng
Statistical Society of Australia & Griffith University
Shu-Kay Angus Ng is Professor of Biostatistics at the Griffith University. He received the Ph.D. degree in statistics from the University of Queensland in 1999. In 2003, he was awarded an ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship. He joined the School of Medicine, Griffith University, in 2007. Professor Ng has engaged in many multidisciplinary research projects, clinical trials, Government and consultancy research contracts. His research interests lie in the fields of cluster analysis, survival analysis, multilevel and longitudinal analyses, and random-effects modelling, with particular focus being given to the theory and applications of mixture models, as well as computational statistics concerning the development of the EM algorithm for estimation of mixture models. Professor Ng has authored over 130 research publications. He is an Associate Editor of Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation and has served in the Program Technical Panel for IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine BIBM 2017 and 2018.
Chris Brown
Statistical Society of Australia
Chris Brown is a Biostatistician at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney. He is a graduate of the Masters in Biostatistics program run by the Biostatistics Collaboration of Australia. His experience is in clinical trials (primarily oncology) and has also worked in the field of pharmacoepidemiology. He has a strong track record of accomplishment in trials research grants and publications, experience designing clinical trials and other research studies and in teaching applied statistics at the postgraduate level. Having worked for SPSS for 3 years he could make it do (almost) anything SAS and Stata could. However, atv (after tidyverse) his preference is R (markdown) whenever possible.
Women in Statistics Dinner – Organising Committee
Dr Grace Joshy
Dr Grace Joshy is a Fellow within the Epidemiology for Policy and Practice Group at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. A biostatistician by training, she is experienced in population health research, and has high level technical expertise in analysing large population based studies and complex linked administrative datasets. She has particular interest in causal modelling and cohort studies, in particular survival models.
Brigid Betz-Stablien
More information available shortly.
2020 Organising Committee
Christopher Drovandi, Co-Chair
Statistical Society of Australia
Christopher Drovandi is an Associate Professor in Statistics at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. He currently holds an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. His main research areas are in computational Bayesian statistics, optimal Bayesian experimental design and the translation of Bayesian methods to applied fields. He is currently an Associate Editor of Statistics and Computing and the Chair of the Bayesian Section of the Statistical Society of Australia. Dr Drovandi is an Associate Investigator of the Australian Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers.


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To George Washington from Adam Stephen, 13 September 1758
From Adam Stephen
Camp on Loyal Hannon Sepr 13th 1758
We have fortifyd this place, & taken post ten miles to the westward on Kishiminatos, about forty miles from Fort du Quesne1—In obedience to Col. Bouquets Commands I wrote you by serjt Poynes to send up the mens Cloathing, but humbly Conceive, that Blanket Coats would suit Better than any that can be got for your Regement.2 You will be so good as to excuse me for not being Particular about our Situation & designs, as I cannot depend on your geting Letters that I write—Some of great importance wrote by others, have fallen into the hands of the Enemy. I offer my Compliments to the Gentlemen with You and am with respect Sir Your most Obt hube St
Adam Stephen
1. Loyalhanna Creek joins the Conemaugh River to form Kiskiminetas River which in turn flows into the Allegheny River.
2. See Stephen to GW, 9 September. Sergeant Poynes, or Poyne, may have been GW's clerk. See editorial note to Orderly Book, 21 Sept. 1758.


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January 2013. Other than the Emerging Public Policy Leader Award program, which continues to be in effect, the AIBS awards listed below are under review for alignment with the AIBS Strategic Plan. No nominations are being accepted at this time. Questions? Please contact our Public Policy Department.
Distinguished Scientist Award: The AIBS Distinguished Scientist Award is presented annually to individuals who have made significant scientific contributions to the biological sciences. See past recipients of this award.
Education Award: The AIBS Education Award is presented annually to individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to education in the biological sciences. Nominees may work to advance biological education in formal education (K-16); informal public education programs; or professional programs that educate biologists. See past recipients of this award.
Outstanding Service Award: The AIBS Outstanding Service Award is presented annually in recognition of individuals' and organizations' noteworthy service to the biological sciences. Nominees may lead initiatives or dialogs that help the biology community advance in a new and exciting way, work to innovatively solve a problem facing the community, or contribute above and beyond the professional call of duty..
President's Citation Award: Recognizes meritorious accomplishments by individuals or groups in the biological sciences. See past recipients of this award.
Media Award: Recognizes outstanding reporting on biology to a general audience. See past recipients of this award.
Emerging Public Policy Leader Award: Recognizes graduate students in the biological sciences or science education that demonstrate a potential to become science policy or science education policy leaders. See past recipients of this award.
Diversity Leadership Award: Recognizes programs that promote best practices and disseminate successful strategies to broaden participation of women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in the biological sciences. See past recipients of this award.


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Doing terrible things in an organized and systematic way rests on "normalization." This is the process whereby ugly, degrading, murderous, and unspeakable acts become routine and are accepted as "the way things are done." There is usually a division of labor in doing and rationalizing the unthinkable, with the direct brutalizing and killing done by one set of individuals; others keeping the machinery of death (sanitation, food supply) in order; still others producing the implements of killing, or working on improving technology (a better crematory gas, a longer burning and more adhesive napalm, bomb fragments that penetrate flesh in hard-to-trace patterns). It is the function of defense intellectuals and other experts, and the mainstream media, to normalize the unthinkable for the general public. -- Edward S. Herman
Sympathy is much easier to come by than empathy. Funny that, since it would seem easier to disinterestedly understand the conditions leading to another's feelings and reasons behind his or her actions than to actually share those feelings and agree with those reasons, particularly when the other is so different from oneself. I suspect the dominance of the word 'sympathy' is largely due to not enough people appreciating the need for 'empathy,' or even understanding what the word means, as if the two terms were synonyms. Thus, when the more ethnographically inclined among us suggest America needs to understand the environs or rational structures of a foreign entity perpetrating some act that we deem immoral, they get called traitors, or sympathizers. HUAC in the 50s springs readily to mind, as well as the right-wing media's reaction to the intellectual Left's take on 9-11. Classical liberalism, which serves as the bellwether for America's moralizing, defines the human as a self-regulating rational individual, and thus any action taken by an entity (our state, another state, or some hodge-podge collection of disagreeing radicals) that violates the rights of the human so defined is, ipso facto, inhumane. Thus, any attempt at humanizing, eliciting empathy for, the ad hoc devil will be received about as judiciously as Hannah Arendt's "banality of evil" in 60s Israel -- which is to say, not very to downright hostilely. This negative reaction is always despite any potential moral agreement that the devil should still be hanged.
It's a characteristic of the Leftist and what's now called the Liberal, particularly artists and intellectuals of these persuasions, to try and understand how another human can be led to committing inhumane acts, whether due to their focus on structural influences on behavior or because they're all just godless commies who don't have enough commonsense to tell right from wrong. Regardless, one can smell leftism or modern day liberalism on art any time a story about some morally reprehensible subject is eliciting an act of understanding from the audience (be that subject an Islamic terrorist, Nazi, covert CIA operative, or mythical monster like Grendel). Sometimes, you get a critical understanding of the subject, as in CROSSING THE LINE, a doc about an army private defecting to North Korea in '62, but other times such artists slip into sympathy when they should've been going for empathy, ironically creating a right-wing work, like DIRTY HARRY. Three dvds I've recently caught all have that familiar odor:
Writer-director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's film takes place on the wrong side of the Berlin wall in its waning last decade and tells the story of Stasi Captain, Gerd Wiesler, who is sent to spy on the popular, ostensibly pro-Soviet playwright, Georg Dreyman, and his apolitical girlfriend, actress Christa-Maria Sieland, all because the Minister of Culture, Bruno Hempf, has a hard-on for the actress. Wiesler is shown being a devoted agent for the communists, teaching students the techniques of his craft, defending its morality and having very little life outside of work. It's not until he discovers the true reason for his current assignment -- while being told by his commanding officer, Anton Grubitz, to find something on Dreyman when his eavesdropping has produced nothing -- that he begins to question his ideological service, It's not so much that he questions the ideology, only whether anyone around him is serving communism or the more bourgeois interest of personal gain. It's his vicariously experiencing the aesthetically romantic lives of Dreyman and Sieland that he begins to turn against the ideology, the crux of his transition being when he hears the playwright playing a piano piece composed by Gabriel Yared.
This tale of the transformative powers of art was inspired by an anecdote of Lenin's reaction to Beethoven's Appassionata, where he could no longer listen to it as it made him want to stroke heads, not smash them. In a century where one of the greatest poets, Ezra Pound, was making radio broadcasts in support of Fascist Italy, the anecdote comes across as not much more than a romantic lie artists would like to believe in to inflate the political importance of their vocation. Contrary to Donnersmarck's assessment that it's a testament to the power of art, what seems more crucial is that Lenin chose smashing heads over listening to a phonograph. Thus, what the film ultimately leaves us with is a sympathetic tale of how we'd like to believe we'd react if we (meaning us non-communists and members of a non-totalitarian, liberal state) found ourselves in the unfortunate position of being a Stasi Captain. What it doesn't give us is any reason why we might find ourselves in that position had we been brought up in East Berlin. Thus, we're to admire Wiesler for his bravery in trying to save the artists from state persecution and despise his superiors for their misuse of bureaucratic power -- humane on this side, the inhumane on that side. Right back where we started.
Paul Verhoeven is the master of transparent cinema, taking classical Hollywood narrative techniques and turning them into a reflective experience of viewing. His masterpiece of mainstream film is undoubtedly STARSHIP TROOPERS, where he delivers the goods one expects from a sci-fi action spectacle, but, upon reflection, makes the viewer feel dirty for being complicitous in enjoying a fascist fantasy. He seems to be going for a similar effect in BLACK BOOK (which seems to be loosely inspired by Anthony Mann's movie of the same name) where he gets you to root for Ludwig Müntze, an SS-hauptsturmführer, which is the Nazi equivalent of a Captain. (Interesting that Sebastian Koch, who played the persecuted artist in the previous film, is now playing the Captain in a totalitarian regime.) However, Verhoeven leaves out just about all personal actions and traits that might have led to Müntze's having achieved his rank in the first place. It seems unlikely that a man would achieve a rank similar to that of Josef Mengele's without being a fairly committed Nazi. One might object in the film's defense that actions don't always convey beliefs, but as Slavoj Žižek says of communism, acting as if one believes is good enough for the totalitarian bureaucracy to be real.
Thus, Verhoeven and his co-writer, Gerard Soeteman, gain sympathy for a Nazi only though a cheat, namely omission. But that's not their only trick. They also tend to focus on the character's more positive qualities and the Dutch resistance's more negative ones: his falling in love with a Jew, Rachel, the main character -- who, with her hair dyed Aryan, was sent to spy on his activities; his willingness to negotiate with the Dutch resistance, members of which it turns out were the reason for the majority of Jewish deaths depicted in the film; and contrast him with a classic evil Nazi whom he gets to butt heads with over the mistreatment of prisoners. As with the prior film, the only kind of "understanding" here comes from a manufactured form of sympathy, making what most call a monster into what's not much more than a version of who we believe we'd be if thrown into evil circumstances. The questions of how such circumstances structure one's decisions or how seemingly benign actions (e.g., those of efficiency) in one context take on monstrous implications in another are largely ignored.
Finally, I saw the last of the Bourne trilogy, which turns out to be the most critical here of the tendency toward viewer identification, or sympathy, even if it makes little attempt for empathic understanding. The interesting aspect of Jason Bourne, which keeps him being just another fantastic superspy in the mold of James Bond is that while his super-abilities come from his secretive training, his morality comes from no longer being able to recall the ends for which he was trained. Thus, the narrative thrust of the trilogy: while trying to find out who and what he is and why a top secret offshoot of the CIA wants him dead, he tries to make amends for various assassinations he performed, but can only remember as abstractions without their ideological content.
So as not to condemn the entire CIA, there's good guys (Nicky Parsons and Pamela Landy) -- who recognize the wrongs perpetrated on Bourne by the ultra-clandestine offshoot Operation BlackBriar -- and real bad guys (Deputy Director Noah Vosen and Dr. Albert Hirsch) -- who do everything they can, including killing innocent civilians, to keep the Operation under wraps. In terms of an action spectacle, the film delivers (although there is an extended sequence involving cellular technology that reminded me of that tedious Ben Affleck actioner where he spends an hour and a half with a phone to his ear). As with 007, the object of the audience's wish-fulfilling identification is clearly delineated, only with a face that suggests more B.M.O.C. at your average Mid-Western fraternity than international espionage. But the film is tuned to STARSHIP TROOPERS in that its final reveal has the viewer questioning his or her fantasized identity rather than giving into the dictates of diversionary entertainment. -- SPOILER ALERT -- Upon going face-to-face with Dr. Hirsch, Bourne achieves total recall, remembering that he willingly gave himself over to the Operation, proving his allegiance by willingly killing an unknown captive for no other reason than he's told to. -- END SPOILER ALERT -- Therefore, director Paul Greengrass and writer Tony Gilroy reinforce what a responsible viewer should already know, that there's a bit of fascistic yearning underlying these wish fulfilling fantasies of agents "doing what has to be done" outside of liberal law, what Dirty Harry viewed as flaccid bureaucratic moral proscriptions.


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Dongpeng Ceramic(HK stock:3386), where technology meets art.
Dongpeng Holdings Co., Ltd.(HK stock 3386) is the world-class brand of manufacturing and marketing ceramic tile and sanitary ware. The company was successfully listed in the main board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange on December 9, 2013 as the first ceramic company listed in Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Founded in 1972, Dongpeng has been committed to the ceramic industry for more than 40 years which represents a culmination of strong experience and capabilities. The company's trend-;leading products all over the world, including Beijing Olympics Venue, Shanghai International Financial Center, National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Empire State Hotel in New York, Mexico Cancum International Airport, other Buildings, etc.
Dongpeng has registered internationally in nearly 30 countries and regions, including the United States, United Kingdom. Our products have been recognized for its high quality and are sold internationally in 106 countries.
The Company has strong leading advantages in terms of ceramic products including porcelain tiles, ceramic tiles, glazed porcelain tiles, unglazed porcelain tiles, marble plus porcelain, sanitary ware, micro glazed porcelain tiles, etc.
Brands: Dongpeng Holdings Co., Ltd.(HK stock: 3386) is the world-class brand of manufacturing and marketing ceramic tile and sanitary ware.


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September 03, 2013
Registration Open for "An Introduction to Pro Bono: We Can All Do Something" – Webinar October 21
Celebrate Pro Bono Webinar
"An Introduction to Pro Bono: We Can All Do Something"
Registration has reached capacity as of October 1. Look for the next free webinar in early December.
Monday, October 21, 2013, 2–3:00 p.m.
Session Description: As the legal community recognizes Celebrate Pro Bono Week, the need for pro bono services nationally is greater than ever during these challenging economic times. According to the October 2012 Report of the Pro Bono Task Force of the Legal Services Corporation, nearly one in five Americans qualifies for civil legal aid assistance. Further, there has been an "explosion" in the demand for legal services, especially after the foreclosure crisis, as well as a significant increase in legal matters involving Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, health care, predatory lending, and immigration issues. At the same time, funding of legal aid and non-profit law offices which provide legal assistance to the poor has been severely cut. Against this backdrop, studies have found that 80 percent of the legal needs of low income people go unserved. Hence, there is a critical need for assistance from the private bar in order to help to offset the justice gap facing those lacking the economic resources to retain counsel.
This webinar will serve as an introduction to pro bono and overview of what constitutes pro bono, why more pro bono lawyers are needed in Virginia, and the rules of professional conduct that govern pro bono work. Participants will also be provided with information about resources that can assist them as they engage in pro bono work.
Registration now closed.
Learning Objectives: During this webinar, attendees will:
- Learn about the justice gap experienced by the poor and how pro bono can help alleviate the crisis in legal representation provided to the poor;
- Receive information about the Rules of Professional Conduct that specifically address pro bono representation issues;
- Gain a greater appreciation as to why every attorney should be able to provide some type of pro bono assistance;
- Be able to identify and gain access to the resources to assist them as they provide pro bono legal assistance.
- Joanna Suyes*, Marks and Harrison; Chair, Virginia State Bar Access to Legal Services Committee
- Alexandra Fannon*, Executive Director, Greater Richmond Bar Foundation
- Erin E. Layman*, Erin E. Layman, PLC, Harrisonburg
- Christopher M. Malone, ThompsonMcMullan, P.C., Richmond
- Welcome and Introduction of Presenters – Karl Doss, VSB, Access to Legal Services Director (5 minutes)
- Pro Bono – What is it? Why Is It Needed? Where Are There Opportunities for Pro Bono Work? – Speaker TBD (15 minutes)
- Overview of Rules of Professional Conduct that Apply to Pro Bono Practice – Joanna Suyes (15 minutes)
- Handling a Pro Bono Case: One Lawyer's Experience – Erin Layman (10 min)
- You Are Not Alone – Resources and Assistance – Ali Fannon (10 min)
- Questions – Wrap Up – Karl Doss (5 min)
originally posted 9/3/13Updated: Oct 01, 2013


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PepsiCo's Gatorade is giving itself a big pat on the back with this ad featuring Olympic sprint king Usain Bolt from TBWA Chiat Day. And very good it is for a re-cut quickie.
PepsiCo, of course, wasn't an Olympics sponsor unlike arch-rival Coca-Cola. Which, as far as I can recall, didn't produce any decent Olympics ads, concentrating on its music fest.
So all fine and good but does Pepsi have to labour the point that it wasn't an Olympics sponsor? Does this make a blind bit of difference to any Gatorade consumer?
Anyway, I thought Bolt trained on McDonald's chicken nuggets and lots of parties.


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Consumer Fraud Complaints
Consumer Fraud Complaints in New Jersey
The New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act's prohibits defect deceptive acts and practices. Jonathan Rudnick's law firm has been litigating fraud and consumer fraud claims for many years against various business entities. The New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act applies to many industries including but not limited to the automotive sales industry. The reach of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act is excellent with regard to this industry. It applies to various and specific part of the sales and servicing process.
- Advertising – bait and switch
- Service
- Marketing
- Credit
- Finance
- Damages Cars
- Pre delivery services
- Aftermarket products
- Salesman statements
- Product condition
- Warranty contents
Each of these products and the sales process behind these products are areas for litigation when and if a consumer has sustained an ascertainable loss associated with a deceptive practice. The basic requirement is that there must be a deceptive practice and affirmative misrepresentation or in other violation of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act associated with or related to an indirect fashion to an ascertainable loss sustained by consumer. In short:
- Deceptive practice
- Measurable Loss
- Measurable Loss related to the practice
Very frequently in my experience a car dealership or an employee of the car dealership is involved in a deceptive practice. What a significant portion of my practice is related to car dealerships and the salesman this concept of deceptive acts and practices are not limited to the auto sales business. Recently you might have read significantly about Wells Fargo in the news with regard to opening accounts in consumer's name without the consumer's consent. Again, in my opinion, this would be a violation of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act for which there would be recovery if the consumer sustains a measurable or ascertainable loss. There are other areas of litigation against Wells Fargo including the fair credit reporting act and the fair debt collection practices act. While these are consumer laws resulting in consumer litigation is completely separate and apart from the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act. However, just because you litigated a New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act claim would not bar you from litigating a claim under the fair credit reporting act or fair debt collection practices act. The remedies and rights under the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act are in addition to, cumulative of the other rights guaranteed in either state or federal statutes.
In short you're not limited to the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act. You can Sue under the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act in addition to those other federal or state statutes without any detriment to your claims. In fact hired you bring all claims against all parties in one litigation. So if you did not bring a specific claim in a certain litigation you would be barred from act claim if you wanted to relitigate that issue. The term is one bite of the apple. You get one bite of the defendants Apple. This is assuming everything is related to one transaction.
You need an experienced attorney to navigate the areas of consumer law in New Jersey and under the federal statutes. Various attorneys have a varying experience in certain areas of litigation. Jonathan Rudnick at Esq. has significant experience in litigating in the automotive industry against car dealerships. Not only is he represented consumers against car dealerships but he has represented many salesman a car dealerships with regard to pay plan litigation. Pay plan litigation is asserting that the dealership failed to pay their employees properly in violation of a written or non-written pay plan. The concepts are the same.
The New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and the consumer laws associated with the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act are an excellent source of remedies for those who have been aggrieved and have sustained losses.


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U Aung Htoo, Deputy Minister for Commerce said at the Pyithu Hluttaw meeting held at yesterday, "As regards the implementation of Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone, discussions will be officially released transparently, by making directly contacts with local people. Enquiries can be directly made at the Office of the Kyaukphyu SEZ Management Committee, CITIC Ltd and Myanmar Public Company to be formed newly."
In reply to the question raised by U Ba Shein of Kyaukphyu constituency, deputy minister said, "In implementing Kyaukphyu SEZ enterprises, for the successful set-up of Government Designated Entity—GDE which is to launch joint venture with the foreign developer investor, declaration of interest was publicized. Now 52 Myanmar companies which proposed to take part are making arrangements to form Myanmar-Kyaukphyu SEZ Private Company Ltd. Kyaukphyu SEZ Management Committee is discussing with CITIC & Myanmar Public Company matters on investment, ratio of share ownership, bank loans, environmental destruction, analysis of social disadvantages, matters of making survey to be carried out on the ground and framework of the agreement, at length. Depending upon the results of the discussions, projects are to be implemented step by step in accord with the procedures."
And, deputy minister added, "Kyaukphyu SEZ is a long term project. Profits are expected to be gained in 2039. Volume of the investment is huge, thus discussions are being made transparently as it is of great importance as a strategy in implementing the project. As regards compensation for the land, it is K 25 million per acre for the land nearest to Yangon in Thilawa SEZ, whereas in Kyaukphyu compensation for the land is being demanded at up to K 90 million per acre. Regarding this, we will meet with local people for discussion."
As regards the question raised by U Sai Ngaung Hsai Hein of Maukmae constituency, Dr Win Myat Aye, Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement said, "209 villagers of 45 house-holds from Mikesharsay and Ponesote villages of Gadugyi village-tract in Maukmae township are taking shelter at Narhii village of Barnmart village-tract in Maukmae township. For them, Shan State Cabinet supported K 1.5 million, with on 17 May, 2017 K 11.4825 million worth of commodities, rice, oil and monetary aids provided by the department of relief and resettlement, Shan State and on 30th May 2017 11.4825 million worth of provisions. And, cloth for rain-proof tents and medicine for purifying water and K 19.3 million were supported by donors and philanthropic groups."
He added, "Necessary supports will be given to displaced people to return to their locations, depending upon peace and security in their area. As Makyaingmoon youth development center has a land of enough area and secure buildings, arrangements are being made to create it into a pleasant place for pre-primary school-age children. And, arrangements are under way for students desirous of proceeding learning at school to study again, and for children lacking academic education to learn vocational training." Afterward, Union Minister Dr Win Myat Aye, deputy ministers U Aung Htoo, and U Kyaw Lin replied to the questions raised by U Than Aung of Ngaputaw constituency, Daw Aye Mya Mya Myo of Kyauktan constituency, U Ar Moe Hsi of Khaunglanphoo constituency and U Khin Maung Thein of Sagaing constituency. At today's meeting, annual meeting report of Pyithu Hluttaw Investment and Industrial Development Committee was read out and approval of the bill on amendment of the act of marriage on Christianity was made.
Kyaw Thu Htet &
Aye Aye Thant
(Myanmar News Agency)


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Volume 2 // Number 1 // Article 10
Biotechnology And Agriculture: A Skeptical Perspective
Vernon W. Ruttan
University of Minnesota
A combination of population and income growth will more than double the demand for food and other agricultural commodities over the next half century. Advances in crop productivity during the twentieth century have largely been based on the application of Mendelian genetics. If farmers are to respond effectively to the demands that will be placed on them over the next half century, research in molecular biology and biotechnology will have to be directed to removing the physiological constraints that are the source of present crop yield ceilings.
Key words: biotechnology; physiological constraints; crop yield ceilings; mendelian revolution.Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, a series of strategic or general purpose technologies have served as the primary vehicles for technical change across broad industrial sectors. In the 19th century the steam engine was the dominant general purpose technology. In the early 20th century the electric generator and the internal combustion engine became pervasive sources of technical change. By the third quarter of the 20th century, the computer and the semiconductor had become pervasive sources of technical change across both the manufacturing and service industries. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that biotechnology is poised to become the most important new general purpose technology of the first half of the 21st century.
A consistent feature of these general purpose technologies has been a long period between their initial emergence and their measurable impact (David, 1990). The steam engine underwent a century of modification and improvement before its widespread adoption in industry and transport. It was half a century from the time electric power was first introduced until it became a measurable source of growth in industrial productivity. Controversy about the impact of computers on productivity continued into the 1990s. It is not yet possible to demonstrate measurable impacts of biotechnology on either human health or agriculture in terms of broad indicators for health (such as infant mortality or life expectancy) or agriculture (such as output per hectare or per worker).
The argument that I make in this paper is that the advances in crop productivity experienced during the 20th century were made possible primarily by the application of the principles of Mendelian genetics to crop improvement. Biotechnology is poised to become an important source of productivity growth in agriculture during the first half of the 20th century. But the advances in the new biotechnology achieved thus far have not yet raised yield ceilings beyond the levels achieved using the older methods. Nor do they promise to do so in the near future.
The Mendelian Revolution
Prior to the beginning of the 20th century almost all increases in crop production were achieved by expanding the area cultivated. Farmer selection had led to the development of landraces suited to particular agroclimatic environments. But grain yields, even in favorable environments, rarely averaged above 2.0 metric tons per hectare (30 bushels per acre). Efforts to improve yields through farmer seed selection and improved cultivation practices had relatively modest impact on yield prior to the application of the principles of Mendelian genetics to crop improvement. In the United States (US), for example, maize yields remained essentially unchanged, at below 30 bushels per acre, until the 1930s (figure 1). It was not until the introduction of hybrids that the corn yield ceiling was broken (Mosher, 1962; Duvick, 1996).
Figure 1. US corn yield estimates.
Similar yield increases have occurred in other crops. These increases occurred first in the United States, Western Europe and Japan. Since the early 1970s, dramatic yield increases, heralded as a "green revolution," have occurred in many developing countries, primarily in Asia and Latin America. By the 1990s, several countries in Africa were beginning to experience substantial gains in maize and rice yields (Eicher, 1995).
Yield Constraints
By the early 1990s, however, there was growing concern that yields of a number of important cereal crops, such as maize and rice, might again be approaching yield ceilings. In the Philippines, rice yields in maximum yield trials at the International Rice Research Institute have not risen since the early 1980s (Pingali, 1990). In the US, maize yields which had been rising at an arithmetically linear rate of approximately 2.0 bushels per year appeared to be following a logarithmic path (figure 1). Two bushels per year is a much lower percentage rate of increase when maize yield stands at 130 bushels per acre than when it was 30 bushels per acre.
The issue of whether crop yields are approaching a yield plateau has become increasingly controversial. In an exceedingly careful review and assessment of yield trends for 11 crops in the US, Reilly and Fuglie (1998, p. 280) found that an arithmetically linear trend model provided the best fit for 5 crops while an exponential model provided the best fit for another five—"but none of the differences between the two models are statistically significant." (Reilly and Fuglie, 1998, p. 280).
Efforts have been made to partition the sources of yield increases among genetic improvements, technical inputs (fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation), and management. I find many of these approaches conceptually flawed.1 Genetic improvements have been specifically directed to enabling yield response to technical inputs and management. For example, changes in plant architecture such as short stature and more erect leaves have been designed to increase plant populations per unit area and to enhance fertilizer response. The combined effect has been to substantially raise yield per acre or per hectare.
It is hard to escape a conclusion, drawing on the basic crop science literature, that advances in the yields of the major food and feed grains are approaching physiological limits that are not very far above the yields obtained by the better farmers in favorable areas, or at experiment station maximum yield trials (Cassman, 1998; Sinclair, 1998). If present yield ceilings are to be broken, it seems apparent that improvements in photosynthetic efficiency, particularly the capture of solar radiation and reduction of water loss through transpiration, will be required. Even researchers working at the frontiers of plant physiology are not optimistic about the rate of progress that will be realized in enhancing crop metabolism (Cassman, 1998; Mann, 1999; Sinclair, 1998).
The Biotechnology Revolution
The impact of advances in biotechnology on crop yields have come much more slowly than the authors of press releases announcing the biotechnology breakthrough of the week anticipated in the early 1980s. The development of in vitro tissue and cell culture techniques, which were occurring in parallel with monoclonal antibody and rDNA (recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid) techniques, would make possible the regeneration of whole plants from a single cell or a small piece of tissue. It was anticipated that the next series of advances would be in plant protection through introduction or manipulation of genes that confer resistance to pests and pathogens. Many leading participants in the development of the new biotechnologies expected that these advances would lead to measurable increases in crop yields by the early 1990s (Sundquist, Menz, & Neumeyer, 1982).
While the early projections were overly enthusiastic, significant applications were beginning to occur by the mid-1990s. The first commercially successful virus resistant crop, a virus resistant tobacco, was introduced in China in the early 1990s. The Calgene Flavr Savr tomato, the first genetically altered whole food product to be commercially marketed, was introduced (unsuccessfully) in 1994. Important progress was made in transgenic approaches to the development of herbicide resistance, insect resistance, and pest and pathogen resistance in a number of crops. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) marker technology was being employed to locate important chromosomal regions affecting a given trait in order to track and manipulate desirable gene linkages with greater speed and precision. By the 1998 crop year, approximately 70 million acres (28 million hectares) had been planted worldwide to transgenic crops, primarily herbicide or virus resistant soybeans, maize, tobacco and cotton (table 1).
Table 1. Global area of transgenic crops in 1997 and 1998 by crop and by trait.
The important point that needs to be made, however, is that the biotechnology products presently on the market are almost entirely designed to enable producers to achieve yields that are closer to present yield ceilings rather than to lift yield ceilings. When I asked the research director of a major commercial seed company when he might expect to see a line in table 1 for higher biological potential his response was "I don't know. There is a lot of hype out there." One reason for the cautious response is that attention is shifting away from yield to a second generation emphasis on quality traits.
More Generations
Even as we move into the initial years of the first generation of agricultural biotechnologies, second and third generation technologies are being enthusiastically heralded (Kishore, 1998). The objective of the second generation, now being explored at the laboratory level, is to create value downstream from production. DuPont recently introduced a high oil maize which, though not strictly a biotechnology product, is often referred to as an example. Efforts are being directed to develop cereals fortified with the critical essential amino acids such as lysine, methionine, threonine, and tryptophan for use in animal feed rations and in consumer products. It is also anticipated that oilseeds will be modified to enhance their content of trans-fatty acid free fat and protein quality (Kalaitzandonakes & Maltsbarger, 1998).
A third generation of biotechnologies, directed to the development of plants as nutrient factories to supply food, feed and fiber, is also anticipated. High carotene fruits, vegetables and oils designed to reduce Vitamin A deficiency, is one example. In the longer run it is anticipated that biotechnology will revolutionize crop production and utilization technology. Processed feed and food will be grown in fermentation vats using biotechnology engineered micro-organisms and generic biomass feedstocks (Rogoff & Rawlins, 1987; J. Reilly, personal communication, January 25, 1999).
In a fit of what can only be characterized as "irrational exuberance" some biotechnology publicists have proclaimed that the benefits of new value-added grain production systems will be shared equitably among producers, the biotechnology and food industries, and consumers. In addition, these systems will eliminate the historic cycles of price and profit instability associated with traditional commodity market instability (Freiberg, 1998). It is not too difficult to hear echoes of the hype of the early 1980s when the first generation biotechnologies were still in the laboratory.
Some Concerns
I am concerned that more intensive research efforts are not being devoted to attempts to break the physiological constraints that will limit future increases in crop yields. These constraints will impinge most severely on yield gains in those areas that have already achieved the highest yields. It is possible that advances in fundamental knowledge in areas such as functional genomics, for example, might provide a scientific foundation for a new round of rapid yield increases. This would, in turn, enhance the profitability of private sector allocation of research resources to yield improvement. But it would appear exceedingly rash to predict that these advances will leave any measurable impact on production within the next several decades (Duvick, 1996).
I am concerned that many developing countries have not yet acquired the research and development capacity necessary to enable their farmers to realize the potential yield gains from crop improvement efforts. In most developing countries, yields are still so far below existing biological ceilings that substantial gains can be realized from a strategy emphasizing traditional crop breeding combined with higher levels of technical inputs, better soil and crop management, and first generation biotechnology crop protection technology. Since the fastest rates of growth in demand, arising out of population and income growth, will occur in the poorest countries, it is doubly important that they acquire the capacity to sustain substantial agricultural research efforts.
I am also concerned about the economic and scientific viability of public sector agriculturally oriented research in developed countries. Since 1980, the resources available to the federal government (US Department of Agriculture) agricultural research system has remained essentially unchanged in real terms. Public support for the state agricultural experiment stations (from federal and state sources) has barely kept up with inflation.2 The economic viability of private sector research requires that it be directed to the development of proprietary products. It is important, for the scientific and technical viability of private sector agricultural research, that the capacity of public sector institutions to conduct basic and generic research be not only maintained but enhanced.
1 In the mid-1990s, Donald N. Duvick (1997) of Pioneer Hybrid International conducted a series of very careful experiments to determine the relative contribution of increases in maize yields due to breeding. His results suggest that plant breeding contributed about 60 percent of the yield increases between 1935 and 1975. Donald N. Duvick has also suggested in correspondence (personal communication, February 13, 1999) that by the mid-1990s in the US and other developed countries, the relative contribution of plant breeding is probably higher than in the period he studied because there are fewer increments to yield being realized from more effective weed control or higher levels of nitrogen fertilizer application. Duvick also reminded me that advances in crop yield from plant breeding has been due at least as much to the tacit knowledge of experienced breeders as from the application of the principles of Mendelian genetics.
2 The Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of California-Berkeley has recently entered into an arrangement to sell its "research product" to Novartis (Wein, 1999). A number of similar relationships had been developed between private universities (Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Washington University) and large pharmaceutical companies in the early 1980s. The Berkeley arrangement is controversial, primarily because it is the first time a major public university has entered into such a close arrangement.
Cassman, K. (1998, December). Ecological intensification of cereal production systems: The Challenge of increasing crop yield potential and precision agriculture. In Plants and population: Is there time? Proceedings of a National Academy of Sciences Colloquium, Irvine, California. Retrieved January 31, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.lsc.psu.edu/nas/colloquium.html.
David, P.A. (1990). Computer and dynamo: A Historical perspective on the modern productivity paradox. American Economic Review, 80, 355-61.
Duvick, D.N. (1997). Genetic rates of gain in hybrid maize yields during the past 40 years. Maydica, 22, 187-196.
Duvick, D.N. (1996). Plant breeding, an evolutionary concept. Crop Science, 36, 359-548.
Eicher, C. K. (1995). Zimbabwe's maize-based green revolution: Preconditions for replication. World Development, 23, 805-818.
Freiberg, B. (1998). Will biotechnology bring prosperity to rural America? AgBioForum, 1(2), 76-77. Retrieved January 1, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.agbioforum.org.
Hayami, Y. & Ruttan V.W. (1985). Agricultural development: An International perspective (pp. 214-222). Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Kalaitzandonakes, N. & Maltsbarger R. (1998). Biotechnology and identity-preserved supply chains: A Look at the future of crop production and marketing. Choices (Fourth Quarter), 15-18.
Kishore, G. M. & Shewmaker, C. (1998, December). Biotechnology: Enhancing human nutrition in developing and developed worlds. In Plants and population: is there time? Proceedings of a National Academy of Sciences Colloquium, Irvine, California.
Mann, C.G. (1999). Genetic engineers aim to soup up crop photosynthesis. Science, 283, 314-316.
Mosher, M.L. (1962). Early Iowa corn yield tests and related later programs. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press.
Pingali, P. L., Moya, P.F., & Velasco, L.E. (1990, January). The post-green revolution blues in Asian rice production: The Diminished gap between experiment station and farmer yields (IRRI Social Science Paper 90-01). Manila, Philippines: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
Reilly, J. M., & Fuglie, K.O. (1998). Future yield growth in field crops: What evidence exists. Soil and Tillage Research, 47, 275-290.
Rogoff, M. & Rawlins, S.L. (1987). Food security: A Technological alternative. BioScience, 37, 800-807.
Ruttan, V. W. (in press). The biotechnology industries. In V.W. Ruttan (Ed.), Technology, Growth and Development. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Ruttan, V. W. (1998, December). The transition to agricultural sustainability. In Plants and Population: Is There Time? Proceedings of a National Academy of Sciences Colloquium, Irvine, California. Retrieved January 31, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.lsc.psu/nas/colloquium.html.
Sinclair, T. R. (1998, December). Limits on land, water, energy and biological resources: Comment. Plants and population: Is there time? Proceedings of a National Academy of Science Colloquium, Irvine California.
Sundquist, W.B., Menz, K.M., & Neumeyer, C.F. (1982). A Technology Assessment of Commercial Corn Production in the United States (University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 546). St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota.
Wein, H. (1999). UC Berkeley and Novartis: An unprecedented agreement. Washington, DC: Federation of American Scientists, Global Issues In Agricultural Research, 1 (January).
Suggested citation: Ruttan, V.W. (1999). Biotechnology and agriculture: A skeptical perspective. AgBioForum, 2(1), 54-60. Available on the World Wide Web: http://www.agbioforum.org.
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Below are bands that appeared in 2019
The Rhythm & Blues Allstars are a dynamic, aggressive 10-piece band celebrating their 40th year on the Vancouver scene. For 2019, the powerful vocals of Nathen Aswell have been added to those of Joani Bye, Tim Porter, Peter Juric and Billy Mendoza. A funky powerhouse rhythm section features Billy Mendoza (bass), Rick Hill (drums) and the iconic Hammond skills of Robbie Buchanan. The brass still kicks ass with the awesome Steve Hilliam (tenor sax), Peter Juric (trumpet), Colin Weinmaster (trombone) and Bill "Maseo" Abbott (alto sax).
Hard drivin', old school Rhythm & Blues, complemented by some killer Boogie Woogie, by the fastest, flashiest, piano-thumping boogie man from the Netherlands.
Mr.Boogie Woogie (aka) Eric-Jan Overbeek was voted Best Dutch Blues Pianist 2010. He also won the prestigious title of Best European Blues Pianist 2005.
During his 30 year carreer he has opened the stage for international giants of blues like Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Johnny Copeland, Van Morrison, Koko Taylor, Magic Slim and the Teardrops and even The Blues Brothers Band.
Mr.Boogie Woogie has recorded 12 CD's, 1 DVD, 2 EP's and 2 CD singles and toured internationally in the United States, Canada, England, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Poland and Corsica.
A show that highlights a variety of musical styles from Louis Armstrong and Professor Longhair through to Huey "Piano" Smith, Fats Domino, and Allen Toussaint.
Al is joined by Dan Casavant – guitar and vocals, Roger Brant – bass guitar, Chris Nordquist – drums and vocals, Jerry Cook – tenor saxophone and Steve Hilliam – tenor and baritone saxophone paying tribute to the many recording artists from New Orleans who have influenced him throughout his career.
Band highlights include winning Canada's Juno, headlining the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, winning the Blues Foundation Award in Memphis, Tennessee and touring the US and Europe with legends like Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, James Brown, Albert Collins, James Cotton and Stevie Ray Vaughn. 2019 is the band's 41st Anniversary. Their more than a dozen CD titles and DVD continue to sell world-wide making Tom Lavin & The Legendary Powder Blues one of Canada's longest standing musical ambassadors.


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When I Die
When I die
bring me back
to Spring
in the Garden of Wild Things.
I would lazily lay
the Lupines
& Weeping Willow Trees
for all eternity.
Verdant mosses
would cradle my dreams
as the Earth would awaken
in teams of
lavish greens
& rich hues
that came alive only for me.


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America Online will reorganise into four product groups, including one devoted to Netscape Communications' operations, and will lay off between 700 and 1000 workers from AOL and Netscape combined, the company has announced.
The new product groups will be: the Interactive Services Group, focused on AOL's interactive services including CompuServe and Netscape's Netcenter portal Web site; the Interactive Properties Group, built on properties that work on other platforms such as ICQ instant messaging; the Netscape Enterprise Group, which will also be a part of the new AOL-Sun Microsystems e-commerce strategic alliance (announced yesterday); and the AOL International Group, overseeing AOL and CompuServe operations outside the US.
Each of the four groups will report to Bob Pittman, president and chief operating officer of AOL, and both AOL and Netscape executives will hold key management positions within the groups. Netscape operations will remain based in Mountain View, California, AOL said in a statement.
Meanwhile, AOL said it reduce it would eliminate between 350 and 500 jobs both internally and at Netscape. Currently, about 12,000 people work at the two companies, including about 2500 at Netscape. AOL spokesman Jim Whitney said the company would be finalising over the next few weeks what jobs in which areas of the companies would be cut.
Whitney declined to say which products or services of Netscape's may be phased out. It was clear from the company's statement, though, that Netcenter and Navigator's browsers would be maintained and developed.
AOL plans to expand the reach of Netcenter, which it said would enable AOL to increase its daytime traffic and capture audiences by broadening its reach worldwide. In addition, AOL will release the 5.0 versions of Navigator and Communicator later this year and will continue Netscape's policy of supporting open development and open source through the work of mozilla.org, the organisation that manages Netscape's open source initiative for developers.
"We will continue to build Netscape's successful businesses, including expanding the audience for the popular Netscape Netcenter and extending both the Navigator and Communicator browsers to the emerging market of next-generation Internet devices," Steve Case, AOL chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "This acquisition will greatly accelerate our business momentum by advancing our multiple-brand, multiple-product strategy and helping us take e-commerce to a new level."
AOL and Sun Microsystems' e-commerce alliance, announced yesterday, will see the companies offer turnkey e-commerce products -- modular software flexibility and consulting services -- to companies that want to do business on the Web.


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"In order to achieve your marketing objectives you need to have a strategy that includes different elements - the various parts of the marketing mix. Calling it, a mix reminds you to try to get the balance right between the different elements. It is easy to assume that one part of the mix is wrong, when in fact it is another." (Shelia Webber, 2005)The four Ps for marketing managers to use in satisfying customers in the target market are:â¢Product - an object or service that is produced or manufactured.
â¢Place - represent the location where a product can be purchased.
â¢Price - is the amount that a customer would pay for a product.
â¢Promotion - is the communication that marketers use in the marketplace (i.e. Advertising, public relations, word of mouth and point of sale).
"For more than 120 years, Avon has empowered women all over the world. Since 1886, Avon has been building bonds with women, offering them a dynamic earnings opportunity to achieve economic independence, accomplish their financial goals and transform their lives.
As a top global brand and world leader in lipsticks, fragrances and anti-aging skincare, Avon continues to revolutionize the beauty industry by launching innovative, first-to-market products using Avon-patented technology. In addition, our growth vision includes expanding into new geographies, bringing our high-quality products and personalized service to more women. Throughout the years, Avon has always been a legacy, for brand name product, and the reputation to earn a responsible corporate pay. The founder, David H. McConnell, built this company on solid values and principles with a longstanding commitment to the highest standards of ethics and integrity. As a result, Avon has been consistently recognized as one of the most admired companies and one of the best companies to work for, with a highly diverse...


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Imagine every food & CPG facility was an ocean cargo vessel crossing the Atlantic. Who would you want on-board? I would assume you'd want the best captain, but second to that would be the best engineering and maintenance staff, not to mention quality assurance and health & safety? While often under appreciated, over worked, and over looked in the boardroom – our network of technical professionals is second to none across Canada.
We have toured slaughter plants, attended an audit, implemented BOMs and new ERP systems and know what a PM is. Our technical recruiters know their way around a shop floor and thus can engage with and deliver technical leaders.
CPG Exec puts quality before quantity. We are diligent with background checks and verifying past performance. We invest the time to get to know our candidates and clients to accurately assess a fit within the workplace.
We are here to help you connect to the top talent and best career opportunities in the CPG industry.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: 416.943.6277
Invaluable = extremely useful; indispensable. At CPG Exec, we deliver value through connecting invaluable candidates and clients.
Some people think recruiting is sending in resumes that seem to match keywords on a job description. Good luck. We use a 6 step process that looks beyond qualifications and experience to ensure each candidate's suitability and fit within the workplace. For retained and senior management to executive level searches we take it one step further and combine psychometric testing with interviewing techniques.


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Q. My computer clock keeps resetting to the incorrect time ever since the change for DST happened this past weekend. Is there a way to make it reflect the correct time?
A. If you find that your Windows computer will not stay set to the correct time here is what I have found will fix it.
First, go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com and make sure you are fully patched. You can use the custom option if you want to exclude Internet Explorer 7.
Install all the patches, reboot and go back until there are no more high priority updates to be installed.
Once you are patched double click the clock down in the system tray. Go to the Time Zone tab and select any time zone other than the one you are in. Click apply. Then set it back to your time zone and make sure the check box that says "Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes" is checked and click apply.
You should see your system clock has now changed to the correct time.


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When it's time for something to change
Alison Leverett-Morris
Hello and welcome to my website
I'm guessing that you are here because you are longing for something to be different.
Maybe you feel stuck. Maybe you never feel good enough. Maybe you are in emotional or physical pain. Maybe some areas of your life are going well – but there's this unwanted "thing" that's always there, hanging over you, affecting everything you do.
Our mindset affects our whole experience of life.
With the right support, we can quite literally change our minds and change our experience of life.
You might not know what you'd like to change. Or you know exactly what you'd like to be different – but don't believe you can make that happen. You may even be someone who doesn't like change (but at the same time you want something to be different).
All of this is ok. And you are very welcome here.
As you look around my site you will see the different ways that we could work together. Just by being here you have started a positive change process. With the right support you can experience more choice and control. You can restore balance and wellbeing. You can begin to feel how you want to feel.
You are already one step closer to experiencing the changes in your life that you want, need and deserve.
I very much look forward to meeting you
Heal your past for a much better future
Are painful past experiences still affecting you today?
Sometimes we recognise the link between past hurts and current thoughts, feelings and behaviours. More often, we are unaware that past 'imprints' are negatively affecting us. Sometimes we tell ourselves "we're over it" or that other people go through worse".
Either way, insight alone often isn't enough. We need more than awareness to be free from the unwanted influences of past pain.
This treatment program is safe, gentle, solution-focused and effective.
Be free of that "thing"
Do you have an unwanted "thing" that is always there, hanging over you?
Maybe it's anxiety, an eating or weight issue, a health or fertility issue, a phobia, a habit or addiction or some other unwanted way of thinking, feeling or behaving.
Whatever that thing is, it's affecting you.
I'm so pleased you are here so that now this can change.
Mind-body health
Most of accept that we get 'butterflies' when excited, blush when embarrassed and tense shoulders when stressed.
Our minds and our bodies are in constant communication and each influences the other. We are all different in how we process, express and manifiest our emotions.
We are so fortunate to live at a time when science is "catching up" in terms of giving us actual explanations and evidence of the mind-body connection. This informs us how to purposely use the mind-body connection to restore optimal health and wellbeing.
A growing body of clinical research evidences the benefits of a mind-body approach in the treatment of conditions such as IBS, ezcema and psoriasis, fertility issues and chronic pain conditions.
Things can be different
and you may be surprised to discover that with the right support positive change can happen in an instant.
I know you might not believe it right now, but hopefully as you look around my site you'll see the different ways I help lots of people like you feel better.
I am not talking 'magic wands' when I say that "positive change can happen in an instant". But if we are honest, it is the lead-up to change that takes months or years (not the change itself). We are all human. At times we all get stuck and ruminate or procrastinate because we fear failure, fear success or fear change. We can get stuck in a loop of 'one step forward, one step back'. We begin to see the changes we want only to sabotage our own progress without really understanding why. Either way, just like the proverbial tomorrow, the desired change never comes (or it doesn't last for long).
But it can. With the right support it really can.
When real change happens, something shifts inside and feels 'right'.
And yes, that inner shift, that positive and powerful internal change, happens in an instant. It feels like something missing has just slotted into place. I want that for you and hope that you get in touch to explore how we might achieve that together.
I am always delighted to receive the appreciative cards and emails, that many of my clients send after our work together. However, I do not publish client testimonials. As a UKCP registered psychotherapist, I fully comply with UKCP's code of professional standards and ethics. The UKCP considers client testimonials unethical for a number of reasons: they can be edited, presented out of context and misleading (no two individual's experience of therapy is quite the same). Testimonials also pose a conflict with client confidentiality, the Advertising Standards Authority requires testimonials to be verifiable and traceable.
My clients want a professional, confidential and discrete service – and that is what I offer. I chose to work hard to achieve membership of reputable professional bodies and establish a 'word of mouth' reputation. If you choose to work with me, my focus is on you. I don't expect you to assist with my marketing.
The testimonials presented below are from hypno-psychotherapists that I have taught and supervised. In addition to my private practice I am a trainer for the National College of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy. To be clear, these individuals are not my clients (thus they do not purport to describe the client experience and these testimonials are not in breach of the UKCP's professional code).
The statements below are offered as assurance of my professional experience and competence.
"I have learnt so much from Alison, she is such an inspiration to me. She is very knowledgeable about a wide range of issues and has a miraculous ability to explain things in a way that is so accessible and at the same time absolutely fascinating. She has a real passion for her work that shines through and clearly cares deeply about achieving the best outcomes for her clients. Thanks for everything Alison!"
Liz Potter
"Alison was my tutor on a one-year Hypno-Psychotherapy course. During the course I got to know her as a very warm and knowledgeable person. She demonstrated a deep knowledge in Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy. Alison has a great way of bringing the course material to life and I experienced her skill and art of Hypnotherapy when she was guiding me into trance. She also encourages her students to build their own point of view as she explores different approaches. Personally, she helped me not only to learn the theory of Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy, but also gave me confidence in practicing."
Klaus Bockholt
"Alison is a very professional and skilled tutor. I have learned so many useful techniques, backed up by current research and best practice. Her skills are clearly based on the foundation of a sound ethical practice and she brings this to life in her lectures. As an individual, Alison is very kind, compassionate, and very patient with a manner that is very approachable, while maintaining the boundaries of a true professional"
Vickie Loh
"Alison is a warm, gentle, supportive and patient Tutor. She listens and explains everything in a way that is easy to understand. Her professionalism, ethical practice, knowledge and stories leaves you inspired to be the best therapist you can be and wanting to learn more. Alison has great communication skills which accompanied with her wide knowledge of issues enables her to pick up things quickly. I am honoured to have Alison as my Tutor. Thank you Alison"
Mayura Patel


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Hanging Light Ideas - There are great deals of chandeliers these days that are budget friendly and also eye-catching; each chandelier could certainly give radiance to any kind of residence. There are various styles, designs, different colors, and also finishes that you to pick from in a light fixture. Certainly, there are a lot of types of chandeliers for you to pick, among the types of chandelier is crystal chandelier. Crystal chandelier is actually among the preferred types of chandeliers. So, here we have Amazing Hanging Light Ideas that will provide you the concept of lighting decoration.
The first thing you need to make a decision is the kind of chandelier that you intend to acquire, the kind that will certainly suits your residence. Like for circumstances is crystal chandelier, because this kind could make your residence stylish and also innovative. If you need lighting design there Hanging Light Ideas that will certainly function flawlessly for your house.
But in order to see to it that the chandelier you will certainly acquire is the appropriate one for your residence, you need to think about some aspects. One of which is looking for the design, design and also theme of your residence and also seek chandelier that matches your residence's design and also design. If you will certainly acquire a light fixture that matches your residence, you will certainly be certainly sure that it will certainly look excellent and also stylish enough because it matches every details of your residence.


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After breaking above the trading range between 89.63 and 91.08, USDJPY bounced sharply to as high as 92.95 level, suggesting that the rise from 88.14 could possibly be resumption of uptrend. Further rally to test 93.75 key resistance is expected next week, a break above this level will indicate that the pair is in a longer term uptrend from 84.82, then another rise towards 100.00 could be seen.
For long term analysis, USDJPY formed a cycle top at 93.75 level on weekly chart. However, the fall from 93.75 is more likely consolidation of uptrend, another rise towards 100.00 area would more likely be seen in next several weeks.


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Kenai River Scenic Float
Join us on a serene two-hour float along a non-motorized stretch of the scenic Upper Kenai River through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
- Wildlife Sighting Opportunities: Have your camera ready as we keep a keen watch for moose, eagles, Dall sheep, salmon, waterfowl, beavers and bears as your guide navigates you through snow-capped mountain scenery.
- Alaskan Natural & Cultural History: Hear the stories behind the sights: the wildlife, the native inhabitants and early settlers, and the forces of nature that shaped the Kenai River Valley.
- All Equipment Provided: We provide rubber boots, rain gear and personal flotation devices (see Packing List for tips on what to bring and wear).
Trip Prices & DeparturesAdults: $65 + tax per person
Children (5-11): $45 + tax per person
Daily Departures: 9:30 am, 1:00 pm and 5 pm
Check-in Time: 30 minutes prior to departure at the Cooper Landing Office
Reservations recommended: 800.478.4100.
Note: Raft trip prices do not include 3% local sales tax, Two Dollars A Day Program, or gratuities to guides.


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This flaunt-worthy and chic notebook set is perfect for your endless to-do lists, rigorous note taking or even those random bouts of doodling!
A set of two notebooks – one plain and one ruled with foiled covers printed in full colour on 300GSM laminated art cards.
SIze: 8.5in x 5.5in
Material: Paper
Weight: 0.240 gm
Days to Dispatch: 2 to 3 days
Made In India
Designed by: Tilt


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- Find a Trail
- My TrailLink
- Explore Trails
- About Us
- Get Involved
- Donate
- Login
- Register
Find the top rated atv trails in Longwood, whether you're looking for an easy short atv trail or a long atv trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a atv trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
I truly enjoyed myself. I rented a bike from West Orange Trail bikes & blades...amazing customer service by the way, and took off to the trails. I saw so many beautiful surprises; peacock ¿, a snake slithering pass my bike ¿, etc. the trail had walkers, joggers, rollerbladers, and so much more. Heavenly covered with trees if you're not too big on direct sunlight. I love my experience every time I go¿
It's a sidewalk, we have them everywhere in the greater Daytona beach area. It is a pretty ride though
Road the trail today. 11 miles into the trail as you cross maytown road the trail is under water. Prevented me from getting to maytown spur. Beautiful ride. Sun and shade.
Some parts are scenic. Others not so much. Watch for sand on the path.
What a nice surprise. Parking available at the former Artegon parking lot on the corner of Oakridge Road and International Drive
Deep pockets of lush vegetation and eternal springs interspersed with four-lane vehicle parallels make this trail a notch below a five. Take in all the glory of live oaks, turkeys, sabal palms, gators, deep green springs to offset the noise and speed of the bustle of the road on the Lake Monroe leg.
We dropped in at the parking area just west of Gemini Springs, then headed east to Green Spring, taking in the Debary Hall on the way out and the Enterprise Museum on the way back for a little East End history tour.
The west trek delivered us at Lake Monroe to a boisterous boat landing, then back to the lot for a 17-mile RT journey. Finished with a Sanford Farmer's Market visit and a Smithwicks at Sullivan's to finish a glorious Saturday in late August.
You'll never find nirvana with all the cars between the two spings on this let, but you will find a great slice of Florida. Soak it in.
Great 17-mile out and back trail with deep lush canopies and natural springs. Trail headed at Gemini Springs then went East to Green and back to Lake Monroe. Do yourself a favor and check out the the Enterprise Museum as a n offshoot path.
I came cycling from Downtown Orlando to here and I really enjoyed. Great atmosphere.
We rode the northernmost part of the trail. We parked at Barkley Dog Park in DeLand, which has bathrooms and is relatively close to the start of the trail. We rode north all the way to DeLeon Spring. The entrance to the Spring is about a mile from the end of the bike trail but is easy to access. $2 per bike to get in to the park, but it's worth it to take a dip and cool off before heading back. Looking forward to doing other legs of the trail. 16 mile round trip!
This past Friday I had t he pleasure of riding The West Orange Trail. We parked and entered the Trail at the Killarney Station. We rode through Oakland, through Winter Garden, and a few miles further, we turned and headed back to Winter Garden, for lunch. Along our route we not only saw older historic buildings, but beautiful homes, natural wildlife habitats, as well as the very nice Butterfly Garden. We saw a chicken crossing, where the local rooster was doing just that, checking on all the chicks in the area, crossing from one side of the road to the other. The Oakland Park was picturesque. And we even passed a walking/hiking point, though we opted in the heat of Summer to keep riding past... Definitely a family friendly trail, as we ventured past playgrounds, as well as families on their bikes, and/or walking. Runners, and cyclists alike met us on our "Cruisin'" journey. Round trip we did 22.38 miles, and still did not see everything. We will be back.... nicely done!
We started the trail at the Apopka end. There was no parking so we had to park at the nearby Publix which has good restrooms. The ride was mostly shaded with a cool overpass bridge but there were some questionable areas and apparently homeless individuals on the trail. The other end of the trail near the Killearny Station was much nicer. There's a nice bike rental shop at that end. If you can handle the 800+ feet which included rolling hills, the South Lake trail was much more interesting.
There's lots of animals and pretty houses and yards and plant life. It's all a good destruction from my quads on absolute fire haha
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!


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Kaitlyn Seats
Billing Support
Kaitlyn joined the team in December 2018. With a background in banking, Kaitlyn helps patients understand their insurance benefits. "The people on the team at Loehr Chiropractic & Acupuncture are family oriented and very dedicated to their jobs and patients. I enjoy being able to give patients peace-of-mind knowing that we are assisting them in every aspect of their wellness journey. Outside of work, Kaitlyn enjoys spending time with her family and dog. She also likes to attend sporting and community events like National Night Out and SnowFest at Jordan Valley Park.


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Sunday, November 30, 2003
Night Watchman
By Jason Wesco
For my father, Edward, and great-grandfather, Pearl
The cicadas' songs swell
beyond the loading dock door
that frames
the watchman and child
Sitting side by side
the boy's legs swing
from the platform
as the watchman's
boots flank a stool
The old man accepts
a thermos and pail
from the child
as they look into the evening
sharing sandwiches
and talking
their comfortable talk
In time, the watchman rises
and stretches wide
in the falling night
He pats the boy
and, checking his keys,
ambles off to his rounds
The boy lingers a while
fingers the tail of his coonskin cap
then grabs the pail
skipping down the stairs
and away
-- Jason Wesco is a Perry poet who runs 219 Press, which publishes, among other things, books of poetry. Poet's Showcase features work by area poets. Submit your poetry via e-mail with a subject line of Poet's Showcase to email@example.com or send typewritten (not handwritten) submissions to Mindie Paget, 645 N.H., Lawrence 66044, attn: Poet's Showcase. Teen writers should submit their work to the 18 & Under page at email@example.com.
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Watch series Gogglebox full online free. » Best site to watch Movies free and TV series online is CipFlix.To Daily News Added!
Gogglebox Online Free
Watch Gogglebox Full Series Online. Gogglebox is an entertaining television review programme in which some of Britain's most opinionated and avid telly viewers comment freely on the best and worst television shows of the past week, from the comfort of their sofas.