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Now that it's finally official – I'm growing another human – I'm sure you can't wait to be inundated with all things baby. Should we let the nonsense and self-indulgence begin?
Main scoop: Where do I even start? Maybe it would be wise to start at the beginning…
We decided to start trying around Amelie's first birthday. I must admit, I wasn't ready for another baby but there were a few factors that swayed our decision to try: 1. I'm older; I turned 35 this year. That biological clock is a tricky/scary thing. I felt like I was running out of time and fast. 2. We wanted two kids, eventually, if possible. 3. I suspected it would take us a while to get pregnant, which turned out to be not the case. 4. Lastly, even though I didn't feel ready for another baby, do you ever feel ready or do you have to just decide?
Since I've done more than my fair share of whining about this pregnancy in my non blog life – let me do you a favor by summing up the first 14 weeks as an incredibly miserable experience for me and everyone around me (including Amelie). I was SO TIRED. Like falling asleep in the middle of the day at a track meet in a tent full of high schoolers (one strumming wildly on his guitar) with the starting gun firing every few minutes kind of tired. I was sick, all day, all night, which prevented me from eating and drinking. I was dehydrated. I had an all day headache every day. Worst of all, I was SAD.
How about we take a break from all of the whining and see a bump pic?
The Science: Baby Center recap – 16weeks. I'm now 18 weeks but behind on blogging. Because, of course. I'm so annoyed with myself but I have a hard time even remembering how far along I am! As far as a due date, it's mid-December. I'd better get my Christmas Everything done way early this year!
Body morphing: Since I'm a little behind, the details are fuzzy. I think I had gained about 6 lbs. at my 16 week appointment. I've gained more weight than last time around and I'm certainly showing earlier than I did with Amelie. I'm at that weird stage where maternity pants don't fit well (all they do is work their way down and bunch up my underwear) but regular jeans feel uncomfortable, especially because I'm always bending over/sitting with Amelie. My boobs took a while to change – which was also unlike my first pregnancy.
Sexy stuff! Before all of the food and drink drama (noted below) came other sexy drama. The first week of my pregnancy, I had terrible cramping. At Amelie's birthday party, I secretly wished I could lay down while everyone celebrated because I was in pain. I thought it was a nasty impeding period but it was actually implantation. That cramping lasted a few days and was replaced with what I self diagnosed as impacted diarrhea. It's exactly what you think, diarrhea that can't come out. It was disgusting and painful. That lasted almost a week! Not cool!
You know what else wasn't cool? At my first ultrasound (I think I was 9 weeks along), they had a little trouble finding the baby. In fact, they had to bring in a totally different machine and another doctor to find that little sweetie! What they had no trouble finding? A ridiculous amount of poop. I'm always a little confused reading ultrasounds but even I had no trouble identifying all of the poop trapped inside of me on that screen. Finally, scientific validation for literally feeling like crap!
Food drama: You don't need to care but I had so much food drama. I was sincerely starving all of the time but eating made me so sick and "urpy" that it wasn't worth it. Drinking anything, but especially water, made me feel even worse. Literally, I had dreams of being hooked up to an IV to get fluids in me. I felt like I was dying of thirst . Not drinking leads to dehydration headaches and more fatigue so it was a blackhole of ugly for a long time. I feel so much better now – just an upset tummy and urpy in the evenings.
Exercising? Is this even worth having in here anymore? I've run only a handful of times the entire pregnancy. First, it was due to sickness. But since I've felt better? Just LAZY.
To Dos: Our To Dos are fewer as far as prepping for the new baby but I figure I should list them out to help me organize my mind. We borrowed a large amount of baby gear from our neighbor but we had to return it because they needed it back. Bad news is: we have to purchase quite a few things. Good news is: borrowing helped us figure out what we really needed. Every baby is different so we can accumulate as we go along. What we do need: fix the burned out motor of our baby swing and acquire a few more cloth diapers, a second carseat/base, a double stroller, another crib/mattress/sheets…and probably a bigger car.
We are also trying to figure out where to situate the new baby. Do we keep him/her in our bedroom for the early days and then make the two kids share rooms? Do we have a second nursery by moving Hub's home office downstairs and give up the guest bedroom? Speaking of home related To Dos, there is still so much I'd like to tackle before the baby's arrival. There is painting, organizing, de-cluttering, decorating. I'm not expecting a miracle boost in energy but I'm hoping for continued progress until December.
And randomly: Even though I'm not nearly as obsessed with being pregnant as I was the first time around, I'm still nervous. The appointments make me fret. I find out the sex in two weeks. I'm excited for that day but scared, just like last time.


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STEAM Director
Middle/High School STEM Science Teacher
Elementary and Middle STEAM Facilitator
Elementary, Middle, and 9th grades
STEM Science, STEAM
Additional Roles & Responsibilities:
Student Council Advisory, Science Fair Advisory
About Mary Beth Abbey
Mary Beth Abbey is a dedicated teaching professional and collaborative grade level and cross-functional team leader, specializing in the facilitation of learning in multi-age environments. Her professional experience includes implementing integrated, standards-aligned curriculum which is effectively supported through differentiated instructional practices. Mary Beth serves as Foothills Academy's Director of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art+Design, & Math). She facilitates STEAM classes for elementary and 8th grades, and teachers STEM Science to 7th and 9th grades. She is an energetic and committed educational leader for whom FA is grateful.
B.A. Education, Mathematics Specialization- University of Toledo
Masters of Educational Administration in progress – Grand Canyon University
Ohio Professional Teaching License K-8
Arizona Elementary Certificate K-8
Full SEI Endorsement
Mathematics Specialist K-8 Endorsement
The best thing about teaching: Making a difference through service to others.
If I wasn't a teacher, I would be:
Why did you choose to become a teacher?
After spending fifteen years as a professional in the business community working strategic analyses and training adults in both manufacturing and corporate environments, I decided to shift my focus back to serving children.
Current G.P.A. at GCU- 4.0. Being a role model as a life long learner. Raising two pretty cool kids with my wonderful husband, Bob. Just sayin'

subset: commoncrawl


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I was kind of surprised by the lack of NuWave tested recipes out there. Maybe it's not so popular with the food bloggers? Well, it should be. My 17 year old step son cooks dinner one night a week at our house and about 90% of the time he reaches for the NuWave. In fact, he got his very own for Christmas...and was super excited about it. He loves it because he can make a great dinner for all of us without standing over the food in the kitchen. To give him credit here, he was the one who discovered the deliciousness of cooking brussels sprouts in the NuWave.
Start out by placing halved brussels sprouts in the bottom tray, mixing in 1-2 tablespoons bacon grease
Add the rack and place chicken thighs on rack. Season with Italian Seasoning, garlic and salt
Put the dome on and set the cook time for 15 minutes. Flip chicken over, give the brussels sprouts a stir, and set the timer for 15 minutes again.
Finish everything off with some cracked pepper. It's really important you don't add pepper before cooking because it will burn and make your food taste funny.
1 lb brussels sprouts
1-2 tablespoons bacon grease (optional, but who doesn't want bacon grease??)
chicken thighs (thawed)
Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
Halve brussels sprouts and add to bottom tray of NuWave. Add the rack and place chicken thighs on rack. Season both side of chicken and turn the NuWave on for 15 minutes. Stir veggies and flip chicken over. Turn on for another 15 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through).


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Don Hewitt, who created the landmark CBS show 60 Minutes, has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 86. Reuters reports:
Hewitt worked as producer or director for CBS legends Edward R. Murrow, Douglas Edwards and Walter Cronkite but his strongest legacy was the television news magazine format on "60 Minutes" starting in 1968.
The show featured mini-documentaries segments based on investigative reporting by seasoned journalists like Mike Wallace, Dan Rather, Morley Safer and Harry Reasoner. "60 Minutes" proved to be a profitable and steady ratings winner for CBS and the magazine format was widely copied by other networks.
Hewitt always had pat answers to questions about what 60 Minutes' secret was. He often told journalists, "It's four words every child knows: Tell me a story." He sometimes wondered if people flocked to 60 Minutes as to church on Sunday for redemption from a week of watching entertainment programs. He sometimes said it was people's interest in the adventures of his correspondents that made it so compelling. But he also admitted it was the talent of his staff, saying he never hired anyone who wasn't smarter than himself.
Hewitt liked to say that 60 Minutes' success was not the best thing to happen to the small screen. Especially later in his life, he railed about how his news magazine changed television for the worse. News programs were never supposed to make money, he argued, and the minute they did, the pressure was on for news to get ratings. The quest for ratings led to more sensational topics on an increasingly larger number of broadcasts. Indeed, as soon as 60 Minutes broke the top 20 in 1976, a parade of imitators began and, at one point in the late '90s, nearly 30 percent of the top 20 programs were news magazines. Hewitt began to say publicly that "behind every news magazine there is a failed sitcom" – the networks were using the format to cover their mistakes, not the news.
But 60 Minutes never really suffered from the glut of competitors, relying on its quality reputation. "It's an institution," Pulitzer-Prize winning Washington Post television critic Tom Shales told People for a 1995 profile of Hewitt, "and it's twice as good as its nearest imitator."
Read more about Hewitt's remarkable accomplishments here.


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Contact us!
Alliance of Community Assistance Ministries, Inc.
710 North Post Oak Road, Suite 210
Houston, Texas 77024
(713) 640-5192 Main Line
ACAM provides support and services to ministries
and does not provide financial assistance directly
to the general public. Please call 2-1-1 for basic needs and financial assistance.
Management Support
The Management Support Program is one of ACAM's five core programs and forms the basis of ACAM's commitment to growing collaborative effectiveness for improving client services. From its beginnings as a funder-initiated project, ACAM has a deeply ingrained appreciation and recognition that ongoing strategic discussion, development and evaluation is critical to the continued success of any organization or collaborative. ACAM's client organizations and collaborative partners receive an array of supports from ACAM including fiduciary policy and procedure development, case management development assistance, resource development, and leadership and staff mentoring and training.


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Spent about an hour debugging a bit of code today. I was attempting to read data from a particular source and kept getting back failure codes. After some debugging I discovered the data didn't actually exist in the source I was reading from.
This put me back to investigating where I wrote the data out. Restarted the scenario and verified that I actually called the data writing API and that it succeeded.
Now what' Well the data clearly wasn't there so I concluded the data writing must be failing in some odd way. I eventually found the data writing code and was horrified to find the following definition.
HRESULT WriteSomeData(...) {
// We don't support data of this type
return S_OK;
Personally I thought this warranted an error code (perhaps E_NOTIMPL). But given the situation I must conclude the author successfully failed to write the data.


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How is your website performing?
We can answer that question! Send us your website URL and we'll provide you with a detailed website audit showing you what is working and what needs improvement on your website.
Thanks for visiting VisionDesign.com, we hope to partner with you on your next project!


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Simon Stratford, a fourth year rabbinic student at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, is thrilled to be a part of the Jewish Foundation Fellowship once again this year. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, he received a B.A. in social work from Michigan State University before he began his path to the rabbinate. This year as a Jewish Foundation Fellow, Simon is working at the Jewish Family Services of Cincinnati under the supervision of CEO Beth Schwartz MSW, LSW. The focus of Simon's fellowship experience this year is organizational leadership, where he leads various projects designed to increase organizational capacity and restructuring, strategic planning development, and engagement methods. Simon is proud to be part of the Jewish Foundation Fellowship, as it offers him a more pragmatic learning opportunity as a supplement to his academic studies.
Articles by Simon Stratford:
A Spring Reflection on a Year of Service
Bringing Light into Lives This Holiday Season
Teaching Judaism vs. Preaching Judaism


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After a 25-minute bus ride, a near four-hour train ride and another 25-minute bus ride, we made it from Cusco to Machu Picchu. We spent the past two days exploring the ruins of the old Inca city, which many now consider to be one of the seven wonders of the world.
It took the Incas about 80 to 100 years to build Machu Picchu. They started building the city around 1450, then abandoned it in the 1500s, for fear that the Spanish would take it over like they did so many other Peruvian cities at the time. The Incas left Machu Picchu unfinished – as evidence shows in many of the unsmoothed rocks that make up the city structures – and trekked to the other side of a nearby mountain with their artifacts, mummies and other valuables. Unfortunately, the Spanish found them in their new living place and conquered them there. The Spanish never found Machu Picchu and, until it was refounded in the early 1900s, the entire city was completely overtaken by jungle.
Machu Picchu is breathtaking from every angle. There are so many parts of the city that prove the Incas to be incredibly intelligent in their design of Machu Picchu. Houses, temples and structures dedicated to running the city's agriculture make up the ruins. There is even a seasonal "clock" in town, and on every winter and summer solstice the sun hits a certain part of a large, carved rock on the exact same point. This is how the Incas measured the time of year.
No one knows the original name of the city, but the ruins lie between two mountains – one which is significantly larger than the other. The larger mountain is called Machu Picchu, which means "Old Mountain" in the old Inca language of Quechua. The mountain directly behind the ruins in most of the famous pictures of Machu Picchu is Huayna Picchu or "Young Mountain".
Today, we hiked Machu Picchu mountain, which is a three-hour trek round trip. The hike is incredibly steep, and the path is made entirely of stone steps that ascend almost straight up the side of the mountain. With no exaggeration, we stopped nearly every minute or two to catch our breaths. The worst parts for me, though, were the times the path wrapped around the mountain with nothing but a straight drop to one side of us. This absolutely petrified me and I walked as close to the the side of the mountain as possible, mumbling curse words until the path was finally enclosed by plants and trees again.
While we are on the topic of terrifying edges, the 25 minute bus ride from Aguas Calientes (or Machu Picchu town) to the entrance of Machu Picchu also got our hearts pumping. The roads were no more than 15 to 20 feet wide in some parts and curved around the mountain in an "S" shape. In most places, these roads did not have guard rails and, similar to the Machu Picchu mountain hike, were nothing but a steep cliff to one side. At points, two buses would have to pass each other, requiring one to back up (or down) the road.
We spent the night in Aguas Calientes, which is a town that runs almost entirely off income from the tourists of Machu Picchu. I absolutely adored this town. It is a small mountain town, comprised mostly of restaurants, hotels and a central market, and is tucked perfectly in a little nook of the Andes. Like Cusco, the walk around town is constant hills, and the people were incredibly accommodating – as everyone we have met so far is. To complete our visit, Eric and I bought a pair of pajama pants from the market to keep us warm in our hostels the rest of the trip.


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It will take only a few minutes to get a personal registration code for the full version of WinCatalog 2018.
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Daniel O'Connell is referred to as the Liberator or the Emancipator and was a Irish political leader who campaigned for Catholic Emancipation, as Roman Catholics were forbidden to sit in Westminster as a Member of Parliament, and to repel the Act of Union that combined Great Britain with Ireland.
The Emerald Isle
O'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare and was renamed in 1924 to honor Daniel O'Connell.
The two phtographs directly below are details of the O'Connell monument and the bottom two were photographed from the bridge that bears the name of Daniel O'Connell.
The colonnaded building in the background is the General Post Office, which served as headquarters for the leaders of the 1916 Uprising.
Main Index Page
Ireland Home Page
Kilkenny & the Rock of Cashel
Dingle Peninsula
Gallarus Oratory & Beehive Huts
More Dingle Peninsula
Kilmalkedar Monastery
Kyrie Elieson Abbey & Tralee
Ferry ride & Killrush Monument
Aran Islands & Cliffs of Moher
Dùn Aonghasa, Aran Islands
St. Tóla's Church
Castles in Clare
Abbeylara, another page
St. Mary's Abbey of the Shruel
The Hill of Tara
Dublin City
St. Stephen's Park, Dublin


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Fireworks Hazard Warning Issued
The Wyoming Poison Control Center is warning people about the hazards of fireworks, especially glow sticks and sparklers.
Spokeswoman Joan McVoy says poison centers across the country received over 23,000 calls about exposure to glow sticks and similar products in 2012. She says most of the calls involve children ingesting the chemical that makes the sticks glow, dibutyl phthalate. Although contact or ingestion of the chemical is not fatal, in can be a severe irritant ( especially to the eyes) and cause children's mouths to glow.
McVoy says the situation is not life threatening and advises parents to call the center at 1-800-222-1222 if their kids come into contact with the chemical. McVoy says sparklers, while often thought of as "harmless", cause more injuries than any other fireworks and should only be used with adult supervision.
Finally McVoy says many kinds of fireworks contain a variety of hazardous chemicals and should be kept out of reach of small children and pets.
Fireworks are illegal within the city limits of Cheyenne. Police spokesman Dan Long says violators of the ordinance face a $200 fine, and warns police will be actively looking for people using fireworks within the city limits through July 4th.


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About Falk & Co
Falk & Co Real Estate is a local family owned business servicing the South West of Victoria. David Falk founded Falk & Co in February 1999 after many years in the industry.
At Falk & Co, we pride ourselves on our ability to provide an exceptional level of service that is envied by others in the real estate industry.
The Falk & Co team have the capacity to manage all types of sales including auction, private residential, expressions of interest, as well as tenders with a team experienced in all markets including residential, rural and commercial.
Our exceptional property management team led by Liz Uebergang, service a large portfolio of commercial and residential properties where they strive for excellence in everything they do.
As accredited members of the REIV, Falk & Co is built on values including honesty, integrity and the desire to achieve the best outcome for their clients. We are constantly developing and broadening our knowledge and skills whilst keeping up to date with innovative marketing methods. We continually strive to capitalise on the blending of youthful enthusiasm and mature experience to achieve the highest possible standards of excellence.
When you choose Falk & Co, you can be assured that you're choosing a passionate, friendly and knowledgeable group of professionals.


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There is an obvious reluctance to draw too strong conclusions from games so early in the season but the gulf in quality between Tottenham and QPR was clear. QPR's defence looked at sea and Pochettino appears to be getting more out of signings than either Andre Villas-Boas or Tim Sherwood could. Here are the THREE Things We Learned From Tottenham v QPR:
It may be early doors but all the signs point to Lamela having the kind of second season that many expected him to have in his first. The Argentine provided two assists in the Europa League mid-week and continued that form against QPR. Tottenham fans may remain wary, but Lamela now looks the real deal.
Early days yet, but Pochettino appears to have revived those who struggled last year: Lamela and Chadli outstanding so far here, Capoue tidy
— Dominic Fifield (@domfifield) August 24, 2014
Lamela is going to show why they paid £30m for him last year. Incredible talent.
— Michael Fitzgerald (@BornOffside9) August 24, 2014
Some seemed to overlook Lamela's vast potential due to persistent injuries. Will have a splendid season should remain injury free.
— Sergi Domínguez (@FutbolSergi) August 24, 2014
It may be a cliche but these things become cliches for a reason. QPR were all over the place defensively in the first half as the central three of Dunne, Ferdinand and Caulker were consistently split. Perhaps Glenn Hoddle's coaching will change things, but in the short-term it looks like Redknapp was right to shelve the back three experiment.
So QPR are playing a back 3 with Rio and Dunne in it? Jesus Christ no wonder they're losing. No pace whatsoever, easy to get in behind.
— Luke. (@LukeLessUnited) August 24, 2014
Four at the back now for QPR (3-0 down). I wonder whether that's a tactical retreat on 3-5-2 or an unconditional surrender.
— Paul Hayward (@_PaulHayward) August 24, 2014
Harry Redknapp still inspiring Tottenham's bid to return to the top 4
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) August 24, 2014
Spurs fans may not be particularly excited by the idea of player who became associated with defensive errors in his later years at Arsenal but they certainly wouldn't say no to a goalscoring centre-back. Eric Dier's early form would suggest he such a player and even led to a cheeky edit of his wikipedia page:


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Bookings form escort
By filling in the bookings form escort below you will make a request for a reservation for a booking. We receive the form immediately and will contact you by phone to verify the reservation, the details and payment agreement. In case you wish to be called at a particular time or date, you are able to state his in the booking form. Naturally we will handle all details and communication with the upmost discretion.
Please contact us directly in case you would like to make a last minute bookings within 24 hours. In case of any questions or doubts concerning our services, we are always available to discuss details.


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London's Live Development Directory
New London Development showcases significant commercial and residential development across London. Available via the web and free iPad app.
|2 Admirals Way, E14
|Investin Plc
|9-13 Aldgate High Street
|Elite Region Ltd, Dorsett Hospitality
|American Embassy, Grosvenor Square, W1
|Qatari Diar, Chelsfield
|Angel House, E14
|Angel House Developments
|Angel Lane/Great Eastern Road, E15
|The Archway Campus, Highgate Hill, N19
|10 Bank Street
|Canary Wharf Group
|Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
|Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy (part of the City of London cultural hub), EC2
|City of London Corporation
|Battersea Gas Holders, SW8
|National Grid Property
|Beam Park, South Dagenham East, RM13
|Mayor of London
|Blackhorse Lane, E17
|MacDonald Egan, REVCAP
|Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects
|Blackwall Reach, Robin Hood Gardens, E14
|Swan Housing Association, Countryside Properties, Mayor of London, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
|Boatmans Wharf
|100 Bollo Lane
|Pocket Living
|Borough Triangle
|Stephen Marshall Architects
|Bream Street Wharf
|Brewery Wharf
|St James Group
|John Thompson & Partners
|Cadogan Place
|Private Client
|Holder Mathias Architects
|Camden Town Hall Annexe, WC1
|London Borough of Camden
|Canada Water Sites C&E, SE16
|Sellar Property Group
|Chrisp Street Market, Chrisp Street, E14
|Poplar HARCA, United House, Allied London
|118-120 Christchurch Road
|West Register
|Aros Architects
|Colindale Newspaper Library, NW9
|Fairview New Homes
|Crossrail Paddington Station – Eastbourne Terrace and Departures Road Urban Realm, W2
|City of Westminster / Crossrail / Network Rail / Transport for London (TfL)
|Cuba, E14
|3DReid Limited
|Dollis Valley, Dollis Valley Way, Chipping Norton
|Countryside Properties / London & Quadrant / London Borough of Barnet
|Alison Brooks Architects / HTA
|The EMD Cinema
|Waltham Forest Cinema Trust
|Ebury Bridge Estate
|Westminster City Council
|HTA Design LLP
|Eileen House, SE1
|Oakmayne Properties Limited
|Allies and Morrison Architects
|Elephant Square – Elephant and Castle Public Space Project, SE1
|Transport for London (TfL)
|Witherford Watson Mann Architects
|Enderby Place
|Barratt London
|HLM Architects
|The Faircharm Trading Estate
|Workspace Group PLC
|Karakusevic Carson Architects
|Farringdon East, EC1M
|PLP Architecture
|The Festival Wing, South Bank Centre
|South Bank Centre
|Feilden Clegg & Bradley
|90 Fetter Lane
|CORE & Evans Randall
|Fisher Street, WC1R
|Crossrail, Transport for London
|Florian Place, 8 Albert Embankment, SE1
|Albert Embankment LLP
|Google HQ
|Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
|Great Eastern Quays, Royal Docks, E16
|Notting Hill Housing Trust
|Macreanor Lavington
|1-5 Grosvenor Place, SW1
|Grosvenor/ Hongkong Shanghai Hotels Limited
|Hopkins Architects
|HS2 Old Oak Common Station, NW10
|Terry Farrell & Partners
|Hale Wharf
|Lee Valley Estates / ISIS
|The Junction
|Sunny Popat
|196-222 King's Road
|Cadogan Estate
|PDP London
|Lambeth College Brixton Centre, Brixton Hill, SW2
|Lambeth College
|Landmark Court SE1
|U+I and Transport for London (TfL)
|Allies and Morrison
|Lisson Grove Elderly Housing
|London Borough of Westminster
|Mæ LLP Architects
|Lisson Grove Health Hub
|London Borough of Westminster
|Mæ LLP Architects
|Manilla Street, E14
|Ardmore Group
|Morden Wharf
|JV with Cathedral Group and Development Securities PLC
|Morley House, EC4A
|The Tannen Group
|Stephan Reinke Architects
|Mount Pleasant Sorting Office, Farringdon Road, EC1
|Royal Mail Group
|National Institute for Medical Research site
|Medical Research Council
|National Temperance Hospital, 108-122 Hampstead Road, NW1
|Medical Research Council
|Canary Wharf Group
|Horden Cherry Lee
|North Quay
|Canary Wharf Group
|Northumber -land Park Estate Regeneration
|Haringey Council
|Fletcher Priest Architects (Development of the Northumberland Park Strategic Framework)
|The Old Vic Theatre, The Cut, SE1
|The Old Vic Theatre
|Bennetts Associates Architects
|Pacha Victoria Biodiversity Intervention, SW1
|Victoria BID / Transport for London (TfL) / Pacha
|Paddington, Crossrail Oversite Development, W2
|Crossrail, Transport for London
|Grimshaw Architects
|One Park Place
|Canary Wharf Group
|Squire and Partners
|Park Place, West India Avenue, E14
|Canary Wharf Group plc
|Squire and Partners
|185 Park Street
|DV4 Properties
|Squire and Partners
|The Pinnacle, 24 Bishopsgate, EC2
|CORE, Union Investments
|Pitzhanger Manor House
|London Borough of Ealing
|Jestico + Whiles
|40-42 Ponton Road
|Bellway Homes
|GRID / Maccreanor Lavington
|Poultry Hotel, 27-35 Poultry, EC2
|Sydell Poultry LLC / Capital Construction & Development Ltd
|Ram Brewery Regeneration Project, Wandsworth High Street, SW18
|Delancey & Minerva Group plc
|EPR Architects
|Ronald Ross and Greenmead SEN Primary School
|London Borough of Wandsworth / White Young Green
|Rose Court, SE1
|Scottish Widows
|Rotherhithe Bridge
|387-399 Rotherhithe New Road, SE16
|SCCD Developments
|HLM Architects
|Royal Albert Basin, Albert Island, E16
|Mayor of London, Royal Docks Management Authority (RoDMA)
|Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, SW3
|Royal Brompton & Harefield Foundation Trust
|Royal Docks, E16
|Mayor of London, London Borough of Newham
|Royal Victoria Dock, E16
|Mayor of London, Royal Docks Management Authority (RoDMA)
|Skylines, E14
|ZBV Limited
|Somerleyton Road, SW9
|Lambeth Council
|Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects
|St Luke's Muswell Hill, N10
|Hanover Housing Association
|Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects
|Thames Baths Project, EC4
|Studio Octopi
|Tottenham Hale Station Development
|Transport for London
|TwelveTrees Park
|Berkeley Group
|Patel Taylor
|UCL East
|LDA Design
|UCL Hospital - Odeon site
|University College London Hospital NHS Trust
|Scott Tallon Walker Architects in association with Edward Williams Architects
|Vernon Square, WC1X
|SOAS University
|Victoria Station, SW1
|Waterloo Station, Waterloo Road, SE1
|Network Rail, BRB Residuary
|156 West End Lane, NW6
|London Borough of Camden
|West Hendon Estate
|Barratt Metropolitan LLP
|Allies and Morrison
|White City Regeneration, W12
|Helical Bar
|The Whitgift Centre, CRO
|Westfield / Hammerson
|Allies and Morrison
|Wimbledon Tennis 2020 Masterplan, Church Road, SW1
|All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC)
|Grimshaw Architects
|One Woolwich, SE18
|Lovell Partnerships
|Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects
|Woolwich, SE18
|Crossrail, Transport for London
|TP Bennett
|YMCA London South West
|Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners


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When Rodney Jones and Tremain McCreary walked to school on Tuesday morning, the brothers were headed to the same classrooms, to sit next to the same students, in a building with the same façade it had on Monday.
But it was not the same school they had gone to the day before.
"It's a relief to me to know the school name had changed. I was thinking about it: How do we have a KKK leader's name for our school?" Jones says.
"Things are changing around this school," says McCreary.
On Monday night, the Duval County Public School Board voted unanimously to rename Nathan B. Forrest High School.
Forrest High was originally named for Nathan Bedford Forrest — the Civil War general and first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
It almost didn't happen that way. In 1959, students at what was then a new high school in Jacksonville voted to become the Valhalla High Vikings. But like so many southern cities at the time, Jacksonville was wrestling with its identity against the backdrop of the civil-rights movement. And at the last minute, the Daughters of the Confederacy convinced the board to name the school after Forrest.
"That was clearly a reaction to the civil-rights movement and desegregation," says Jacksonville's superintendent Nikolai Vitti. "What I think is concerning about that is -- one: It negated the voice of the students. But it also was a sign of the resistance to racial equality."
RELATED: Interview With Jacksonville Superintendent Nikolai Vitti
"Things like this are literally carved-in-stone sorts of decisions," says Peter Moran, a historian and professor who studies how schools get named in the South.
He says schools of a certain era reflect the power structures of their time: "You can probe those a little bit and learn something about those people who made that decision and the values of that place at that point in time."
"These names are going to last a long time if you do your job right," says Bruce Turkel, CEO and executive creative director of Turkel Brands in Miami. His firm has worked on branding for big civic projects like the new Soundscape Park on Miami Beach. "These things matter."
Turkel says that when it comes to naming an important cultural institution like a school, there's a responsibility to the people who use it and the community around it.
The school once known as Nathan B. Forrest High School, home of the Rebels, is now a majority African-American high school — and critics of the name have made many attempts to change it over the years.
For community and education activists like Aleta Alston-Toure, the Forrest name represented institutional racism.
"That's a small thing, changing the name of a school," said Alston-Toure, but she said the change represents an important first victory.
As recently as 2008, the school board elected not to rename Forrest High.
In an interview with StateImpact Florida in June, Jacksonville's superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti indicated he would be open to renaming the school if the community supported it. After that, more than 160,000 people signed a petition to change Forrest's name.
The school district held a series of public hearings. Many of the speakers who came out in favor of keeping "Forrest" said the name was part of their personal history, arguing that "at that time [slave trade] was a legitimate business," "[the name] is part of my heritage, it's part of my status as a veteran, sharing my status with Nathan Bedford Forrest."
Jacksonville residents in favor of the change brushed the criticism aside. On argued, "This isn't going to change anyone's history. People aren't going to come in the middle of the night and say, 'we want your yearbook so we can change it.'"
When the school board members voted this time, most of them cited a survey showing that current students supported a name change.
It's a different board than the one that voted in 2008. And, says Vitti, the decision indicates it's a different Jacksonville, too.
"I think it restores faith in part of the community that didn't always feel we were equitable with our decisions," says Vitti.
He hopes students at Forrest High will see this episode as evidence that their voice has power.
"It shows me that someone cares about my education — not just sending me to a school named after a confederate general," says McCreary. "My thoughts matter. I feel a sense of accomplishment."
McCreary, his classmates, and Forrest alumni are being given the chance to vote on a replacement name.
Whatever they choose, it won't be a person's name. There's a rule against that in Jacksonville now.


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[JURIST announcement] WE NEED YOUR HELP. Our spring fund drive ends in just a few days, and we still have a lot of work to do. As previously mentioned, due to general economic circumstances completely outside of our control, we are anticipating a significant reduction in funding (meaning several tens of thousands of dollars) from our primary benefactors for our next fiscal year. If not offset, this reduction has the potential to directly affect JURIST's ability to maintain its current operations. This fund drive is one of the efforts that we've recently launched to try to make up the shortfall.
Please consider donating to JURIST. Even if you are not in a position to give much, please keep in mind that small donations - $25, or even $10 - can go a long way. One of JURIST's strengths is in the number of people it touches every day, from readers to staff to alumni. If everyone of those people could give just a small amount, JURIST would never have to worry about funding again. We know that not everyone is in a position to give, but if you can, even a small amount can make a big difference. For those of you that are able to give more, please know that JURIST will recognize all donors that give $100 or more on its website at jurist.org/supportjurist/honorroll.php.
Thank you - we greatly appreciate your support!


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Monday, May 3, 2010
Writing Tips - Getting Published - Part One
Are you dreaming of becoming a well-known writer, or have you actually written a book and now want to get it published and into bookstores? It's not impossible, though I'm not going to kid you – it is difficult. However, if you follow the ten steps below, your job of writing and publishing your first book will be much easier.
1. Finish the Book. If you're trying to get a fiction book published and you're a first time novelist, i.e., no track record, you're going to have to finish the entire book before any agent or publisher will even consider your work. Editors might like your idea, but they want to make sure you can deliver the goods – on time and extremely well written.
2. Target Your Book to a Specific Audience. We've all heard of "crossover" books. Books that are "literary science fiction" or a "horror romance." This might work for established authors, but first time authors will have to have a clearly defined audience in mind when either they or their agent markets their book. Be aware that editors will definitely want to know who your intended readership is. If you can't answer that question, editors will infer that you simply don't know enough about publishing to be published yourself. Try to define your book in one sentence.
3. Do Your Homework. This one applies whether you have an agent or not. Various agents and editors tend to specialize in various types of books. Some agents specialize in literary fiction, some editors in mysteries and thrillers. Whether you're searching for an agent or a publisher, know what each specific agent and editor wants. You can find this information in books like Writer's Market or Literary Market Place.
4. Send an Agent/Editor What He Asks For – No More, No Less. Some agents and editors want to see only a query letter first. Others initially want to see a query letter and the first three chapters. Others want an outline. Still others want the entire manuscript. If you're bypassing an agent (and I don't recommend that), there are some editors who will read manuscripts submitted by the author, and there are editors who will only read manuscripts submitted by an agent. Your job, in marketing your work, is to know exactly what an agent or publisher wants and then to submit that – no more and no less. Not until someone asks you. So, where do you find who wants what? Again, Writer's Market and Literary Market Place are two excellent sources.
5. Make Sure Your Submission is Professional. The best way to make an initial bad impression is to submit a poorly or unprofessionally prepared manuscript. You must print (laser printers only, no dot matrix) or type your manuscript on very high quality white (nothing else but white) bond paper. Never use onion skin or erasable paper. If you do, you can count on your work not even being read no matter how good it might be. Make sure you double space your manuscript and leave one-inch margins on all sides. Don't justify your right margin, however. Number your pages (what if a busy editor drops your manuscript?), and for goodness sake, use spell check. Use a 12-point font in either Courier or Times New Roman (I love Times New Roman). Never mix fonts and don't use boldface or italics unless the words are supposed to be in bold or italics in the printed book. The Writer's Digest Guide to Manuscript Formats will tell you all you need to know about preparing a professional manuscript. Several agents and a few editors will allow you to submit your work electronically, but don't count on this. Most are going to want a hard copy. Take a leaf from the Boy Scouts and be prepared.
(To be continued)
Posted by Literary Corner Cafe at 2:46 PM
Labels: book publishing, manuscript submission, Writing tips
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Neck Construction
I previously discussed headstock designs as a major component of a guitar but 'ignored' the piece that attaches the headstock to the body. In this article I wish to explore necks: how they're constructed and the various ways they connect with the body. Simply put, there are three things worth mentioning when it comes to the neck itself: How is the neck-to-body connection made? What is the construction method of the neck shaft? And how does the neck shaft transition to the headstock? The choice for any method can be inspired by tonal reasons, but costs (labor and material), tradition and nostalgia play a huge part in the final choice. Let's work our way up from the body to the headstock in describing the various design choices.
The neck-body connection can be divided in two major styles: a mechanical bond (aka: screws) or a chemical bond (aka: glue). Some guitars are traditionally screwed, and others are glued. Having a guitar with a glued neck instead of screws is often considered a luxury, while screwed connection is considered a cheaper construction method, even though making a tight neck joint for a screwed neck is more difficult than for a glued neck. Gluing a neck makes it easier to cover up gaps, not to mention the ease of making the proper angle of the neck in relation to the body. Screwed neck designs have gotten a poor reputation over the years because its also easier, if done sloppy, which was the necessary trade-off for cheaper guitars. The more luxurious screw neck designs don't even use screws anymore, but have threaded inserts in the heel of the neck and use bolts to bolt down the neck to the body.
Most guitars that use a glued neck (also called a set neck) have a tenon that stops near the end of the fretboard. There are more expensive guitars that use a neck that goes deeper in the body. These necks protrude as deep as the cavity of the neck pickup. This style is usually referred to as a long neck tenon. If the neck goes even deeper in the body, sometimes even as far as below the bridge, the name changes again. This style is called a deep set neck.
A luthier might choose any of these styles for economic reasons, but a good luthier will make his decision based upon the tonal needs the guitar has to fulfill. Generally speaking, a screwed neck will provide a brighter, twangier sound with the emphases on the upper mids. A glued neck generally has a warmer sound with more sustain.
Choosing a deep set neck over a regular glued joint might be spawned by the desire to differentiate. This style is considered a more difficult construction and a bit more luxurious. It also offers possibilities to carve the heel (the spot where the neck leaves the body) to a less obtrusive shape than with a regular set neck. This is because if you carve a so-called heelless joint on a set neck guitar, the neck won't have enough grip and might give troubles over the course of its life. Presumed tonal benefits such as more sustain and better harmonics have little evidence. It is unclear whether it really is the design that is so beneficial or that the woods that are being used on these guitars make all the difference, because deep set neck designs are generally found on guitars in the higher end (which in turn use woods of a higher quality than other guitars).
If the neck is elongated even further, so much that it runs through the entire length of the body, the method is called, simply neck through. This style offers the same benefits as the deep set neck, but is substantially easier to construct. Unfortunately because this construction uses so much wood, it is deemed a luxury construction too. But because the neck is an actual part of the body, with all the hardware attached to this part of the guitar, it makes it easier to build an odd shaped guitar, such as the Rhoads V, or the BC Rich Bich.
The neck itself can be made out of a single piece of wood, with the headstock cut from the same billet, out with the headstock glued on. The later is only being done if the headstock is at an angle with the neck, as many guitars have. The shaft can also be constructed out of several pieces. These laminated necks offer incredible sustain, stability and are considered by some extremely beautiful. The downside, according to some players, is that you loose some of the liveliness, but my multi lam necked guitars lack nothing in liveliness.
The neck eventually ends in the headstock. There are two ways the headstock and neck might be connected: either there's a break angle between the headstock and neck, or the neck and headstock are in the same plane. If there's an angle, the headstock and neck can be made out of a single piece of wood (or the same multilaminated billet that makes up the neck shaft in a laminated design), or the headstock is being glued on the neck shaft. The reason there's an angle is that the angle creates a downward pressure on the string towards the nut. This pressure is needed, otherwise the string will slip out of the slot in the nut! In order to have this pressure on the nut, headstocks without an angle use string trees or similar designs to push the string down.
If the headstock is being glued on, the headstock is much stronger and much less prone to breaking if the guitar happens to fall on the headstock. But because this technique can also be used as a way to save wood and thus costs, this method is sometimes considered to be cheap, compared to the headstock from a single piece of wood. This is because the forces go down the entire length of the neck and are being fully transfered at the transition between headstock and neck.
If the wood has a short grain, such as mahogany, the short grain can't handle all the additional stress of falling. A longer grain will help a bit, and adding more wood will help even more, but using a separate piece of wood for the headstock will dissipate all the stresses better. But the best thing you can do, of course, is to take good care of your guitar and make sure it never falls!


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So, without any ado, because I know that people scroll past all the stuff at the top to see who the winner is (I do, anyway)...
The winner of the JA Fanfiction Short Story Contest is:
Maria Elisabeth! (aka Louisa Musgrove, which was her JA pseudonym for the story)
We would like to thank the others who entered the contest. We greatly enjoyed reading the stories Mr. Crompton (featuring Mary Bennet) and And Miss Bates Lived Happily Ever After that were contributed by Josephine Brooks and Miss Molly!
And now for your reading pleasure:
In Which Another of Mrs. Bennet's Deserving Daughters is Married
a short story by Maria Elisabeth
With a sigh, Miss Catherine Bennet threw down the book she had been reading for the improvement of her mind. It was not a novel, and all her weeks of communication with Pemberley's famous library had not yet reconciled her to a book that was not a novel. It was a thick, dull book, and Lizzy, away with her husband on a trip to the north, was not there to enliven the dull pages with a witty comment or a laugh. Georgiana was entertaining a caller in the sitting room and Catherine felt rather guilty for not assisting her in the troublesome duty, but it was only the cheaply stylish, simpering Miss Grantley, whose vulgarity and gossip would run just as fast in front of two people as in front of one.
She looked through the window. Up the lane, through the park, she saw a figure in black move briskly to the house. Another caller. It would not be fair to make Georgiana face him alone.
"Your headache is better?" Georgiana questioned softly as Catherine curtseyed to their visitor and sat down.
"Oh? Yes!" Then Catherine hurried on to the important news, "Someone – I think a clergyman – is coming up the lane."
"Is he coming to call?" Georgiana began to ask, but Miss Grantley interrupted. "He must be the new clergyman of Kympton. He's sallow and ugly and awkward and horribly poor. Mamma says Mr. Darcy only gave him the living out of charity. I do not advise you to take any interest in him at all, Miss Bennet. I was telling Miss Darcy about a naval officer – an excellent prospect, upon my soul! His intimate friend is even more so – he was extremely flattering to me last time he was here. I do believe – "
"Mr. James Morland," announced the footman.
Mr. Morland was sorry for the intrusion, &c; he had expected Mr. Darcy to be home, but he bore his disappointment well and bowed to the ladies with a very good grace. Catherine observed that he was not nearly as sallow as Miss Grantley had suggested. A trifle untanned, perhaps, but was that his fault? He was really almost good-looking. A flash of a smile as he seated herself by her convinced Catherine that if Mr. James Morland was not exactly handsome, he was very near it.
A few minutes of conversation convinced her that he was about as non-awkward as he had been not ugly. He told her of his sister who was also named Catherine, of the rest of his many brothers and sisters, and regaled her with stories of his university adventures. By the time he got up to leave, Catherine was more than eager to echo Mr. James Morland's wish of spending more time together, and the genuine smile he flashed her in parting was fully reciprocated on her side.
With all these favorable happenings, the reader will not be surprised to hear that soon (I purposely abstain from dates on this occasion, that everyone may be at liberty to fix their own) the gentleman had declared himself in a very pretty speech. The lady, of course, said what she ought. A lady always does.
Their wedding took place soon afterwards, witnessed by their not at all small band of friends (more or less true, since Mr. Wickham, due to pressing financial inconveniences, had been unable to come for the ceremony.)
I leave it to be settled, be whomsoever it may concern, whether the tendency of this work be altogether to advocate the necessity of going to Pemberley to find a husband, or otherwise. It is certain, however, that between Pemberley and Kympton, there was that constant communication which strong family affection would naturally dictate, and that Mr. and Mrs. James Morland were ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing them both into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them.


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Last week was filled with lots of little bumps in the road. As a result, this week's menu is a the same as last week {we ate lots of left overs!}. Also, my dad and brother and Brad's mom will be in town the second half of the week for Emma's birthday. I've been knee deep in cleaning and projects so I haven't figured out what we're going to do to feed all those people!
Sunday: chili lime tofu with rice and steamed snap peas
Monday: asagio chicken tenders with corn


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(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved on Friday the first test - a diagnostic from Meridian Bioscience Inc - to help detect a type of herpes virus in newborns.
Meridian's Alethia CMV Assay Test System detects cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA from saliva swabs and won approval for use in babies younger than 21 days of age infected during pregnancy.
Over half of adults have been infected with CMV by the age of 40, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Once the virus enters the body, it stays there for life and can reactivate.
Most people affected show no signs or symptoms of infection, but those with weakened immune systems are susceptible and some babies can develop hearing problems or other long-term health problems, the FDA said here
"This test ...when used in conjunction with the results of other diagnostic tests, may help health care providers more quickly identify the virus in newborns and determine the best approach for the child," said Tim Stenzel of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
Reporting by Tamara Mathias in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila


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ZTE Chorus Bluetooth Headsets
You came to the right place for the ZTE Chorus. Accessory Wiz offers the most competitive prices for ZTE Chorus accessories such as handsfree headphones, cases, pouches, home wall chargers, cell phone car chargers, stereo and mono headsets, armbands and more cell phone accessories. Its stylish design, new features and user friendly menu are making the brand new ZTE Chorus popular in the market. The dimensions of ZTE Chorus are 4.30 x 2.20 x 0.50. Accessory Wiz is always making the best efforts to bring the latest and high quality cell phone accessories.


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Volkswagen Settlement Work Group
The NTAA VW Settlement Tribal Work Group was formed to address the historic settlement that will provide $55 million to Tribes in the near future and ensure fair access to all Tribes as the settlement moves forward. This page includes information and resources for Tribes to help them understand and access this historic settlement.
As a reminder, Tribes and states each have their own separate trust each managed separately by the trustee, Wilmington Trust, N.A. The trustee will be posting a website for Tribes to access and submit forms necessary to access funds. Stand by for more information!
The NTAA VW Settlement Tribal Work Group hosts monthly calls for Tribes on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Check NTAA's
or NTAA's
Weekly Update
for information on the next call.
Click HERE
to view a fact sheet for the VW Settlement Work Group
Click here to view a flier
on the NTAA VW Settlement Work Group
For information on the NTAA VW Settlement Tribal Work Group, feel free to contact:
Dara Marino, Research Specialist
Craig Kreman, Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma
For technical assistance with the VW Settlement and the Tribal Trust, visit
ITEP's VW Settlement website
or contact:
Mark Daniels, Program Coordinator, Sr.
Updates on the VW Settlement:
On January 15, 2019, the Trustee for the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust released an announcement to notify Tribes that the second funding cycle is now open, with over $15 million available for eligible diesel emissions mitigation projects. This notice can be found on the Trustee's public website:
under the Current Updates & Key Information section, and includes useful information on how to apply for funding along with important dates and deadlines. For more information, or to request technical assistance with applying for funding from the Trust, see the information on ITEP's VW Settlement Technical Assistance Program website.
VW Settlement Trustee Notice and U.S. Notice of Filing of Modified Indian Tribe Trust Agreement
The United States has filed the final, fully executed Environmental Mitigation Trust Agreement for Indian Tribe Trust Beneficiaries (as modified on November 15, 2018) with the United States District Judge for the Northern District of California.
The VW Settlement Trustee will provide a Notice of Beneficiary Designation for the Indian Tribe Trust on January 15, 2019 (for the second funding cycle) and moving forward:
January 15, 2020 (for the third funding cycle)
January 15, 2021 (for the fourth funding cycle and any subsequent funding cycles)
The trustee will notify Tribes certified as beneficiaries in the first round by December 31st with final allocation totals. All federally recognized Tribes not certified in the first round of funding will have until March 18, 2019 to complete the forms necessary to certify as a beneficiary for the second round of funding. To view the
final trust agreement, please click here
. For additional related court documents, please click on the links below:
Dkt 5559 Order Approving Material Modifications
Notice of the Trust Modification Effective Date - Final
Dkt 4701 Notice of Beneficial Designation (Indian Tribe Trust)_0
On November 19, 2018, Federal District Judge Charles Breyer issued an order to lift the stay on the Indian Tribe Trust. To view the Notice of Order Approving Material Modifications to the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust for Indian Tribe Beneficiaries in accordance with Subparagraph 6.5 of the Indian Tribe Trust, please
click here.
Click here to view a fact sheet
from ITEP's VW Settlement Technical Assistance Program that details the proposed modifications to the VW Environmental Mitigation Trust. Please note that this process for funding is subject to approval by the U.S. District Court and might change.
August 14, 2018: The United States Department of Justice issued to the U.S. District Court Northern District of California a "Notice of the United States' Consent to Modifications to the Indian Tribe Trust Agreement and Memorandum in Support of Its Request for Court Approval of Modifications". This Notice can be read in its entirety
The Notice to the Court includes:
A. Proposed Indian Tribe Trust Agreement as Modified
B. Redlined Edits to Indian Tribe Trust Agreement per June 21, 2018 proposed amendments
C. Public Comments Received by the U.S. Department of Justice
D. United States' Response to Public Comments
E. Declaration of Robert Mullaney in Support of United States' Request for Court Approval of Modifications to the Indian Tribe Trust Agreement
F. Declaration of David A. Vanaskey, Jr., on Behalf of Wilmington Trust, N.A., as Trustee, in Support of the United States' Request for Court Approval of Modifications to the Indian Tribe Trust Agreement
G. Proposed Order Approving Modifications to Indian Tribe Trust Agreement
On June 21, 2018 the Trustee provided Notice of the Proposed Material Modification of the Indian Tribe Trust Agreement. The notice to tribes and the proposed material modification to the Trust Agreement can be reviewed on the Trustee's website by
clicking here
The U.S. Department of Justice will accept written comments from Beneficiaries and potential Beneficiaries on the proposed modifications to the Trust Agreement by
no later than July 23, 2018
. Instructions for tribes to provide written comments are provided in the Notice.
NTAA's Policy Advisory Committee member Pilar Thomas prepared a memo to the NTAA VW Settlement Work Group that summarizes the trust agreement modifications that you can
read here
On June 1, 2018 the U.S. Department of Justice issued a report to the Courts providing an update summarizing actions taken by the Department of Justice since the issuance of the March 2, 2018 Court ordered stay for the first round of funding of the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Indian Tribe Trust Agreement.
For details of the update issued by the Department of Justice please
click here
On May 10, 2018 the U.S. Department of Justice issued a letter to tribal leaders with an update and proposed modifications to address the over-subscription of funding for the first and subsequent rounds of funding for Tribal Beneficiaries in the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Agreement. To view the letter issued by the Department of Justice please
click here.
The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are inviting Tribes to a third telephonic session to discuss the proposed modification issued in the letter to tribal leaders.
The schedule for the third telephonic session and for providing any written comments is as follows:
Monday, May 21, 2018: Discussion Session 2:00 pm Eastern.
Link to register for the call and receive the call-in information:
Those without internet access or unable to preregister may dial in by calling: 1‐866‐777‐2509 (toll free)
Monday, July 2, 2018
is the deadline for written comments.
On May 1, 2018 the US Department of Justice provided the Courts a report pursuant to the requirements established by the March 2, 2018 stay issued by the Courts. The report provides an update to the Court summarizing the actions taken by the Department of Justice during the 60 day stay. Furthermore, the report states that ...."The United States must further coordinate with the Trustee regarding how any changes to the equitable allocation formula may necessitate other related modifications throughout the Trust Agreement, and must obtain approval of the parties to the Trust Agreement. This process should be completed in approximately 30 days."
Click here
to read the full report from the Department of Justice.
As a response to the March 2, 2018 Court Order from Judge Charles R. Breyer, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued two letters to Tribal Leaders regarding the Court Order's requirement to "meet and confer" with Tribal Beneficiaries and potential Tribal Beneficiaries.
first letter
dated March 16, 2018 details four possible approaches to allocation for an oversubscribed funding cycle. A call was held on March 21st with Tribes. Comments are due by March 28, 2018.
second letter
dated March 27, 2018 provides several conceptual approaches to allocation for over subscribed funding cycle that were raised by Beneficiaries during the March 21st call.
The Department of Justice accepted written comments until April 3, 2018.
On March 2, 2018 United State District Judge Charles R. Breyer ordered a 60 day stay for certain Trustee obligations under the Environmental Mitigation Trust Agreement for Indian tribe Beneficiaries. In compliance with the Order of the Court, the Trustee will not be publishing any notice, with respect to the first funding cycle on the Indian Tribe Trust's public-facing website at this time.
Instead, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with the Trustee, will be establishing a schedule for the process described in the Order. The Trustee will share the details of that schedule and process as soon as they are available.
Click here
to read the Court Order.
On October 2, 2017, the VW Settlement Trust Effective Date (TED) was established. The first round of funding closed on January 2, 2018 but Tribes can apply for the second round of funding that closes on September 1, 2018. NTAA has developed a
Fact Sheet
and a
Beneficiary Claim Checklist
to help guide Tribes in the application process.
9/19/17 NTAA received word that Honorable Judge Charles Breyer signed his approval on the $55 million settlement for Tribes to help fund and implement environmental mitigation projects in the coming decade. With Judge Breyer's approval the morning of September 19, 2017, the VW Settlement for Tribes moves to all the settlement parties for signatures. Once the attached agreement has all the signatures and is filed with the court, we will have a Trust Effective Date! Thanks to all the NTAA VW Settlement Work Group members and others who have contributed to finalizing this historic settlement!
You can view the Judge's order here.
9/15/17: The NTAA Executive Committee submitted a letter to the U.S. DOJ and EPA with a request for a legal opinion on a tax issue with the VW Settlement related to the separation of the Tribal and State trusts. NTAA again recorded the EC's request for reconsideration of the funding match requirement for the VW Settlement's DERA option's for Tribes.
You can view the letter here.
9/6/17: The final VW Settlement Trust Agreement was made public and submitted to Federal District Court Judge Breyer for approval. This will set into motion the VW Settlement for Tribes. If and when Judge Breyer approves the settlement, his approval will set the Trust Effective Date (TED). The TED starts a 90-day clock for Tribes to submit their Beneficiary Claims and Environmental Mitigation Plans for funding to the trustee. The $55 million settlement will be available to Tribes for the next 10 years. You can find the full court motion, trust agreement and template forms Tribes must fill out to gain access to the Settlement by
clicking here
The final VW Settlement trust agreement includes modifications from the original settlement. The modifications include:
Once Judge Breyer approves the trust agreement, a 90-day window opens for Tribes to submit funding requests to the trustee. After that, window closes, Tribes may submit plans on September 1st of each year for the following 9 years.
As requested by Tribes during consultation and negotiations, the Trustee has agreed to establish both a Technical Assistance Provider (TAP) to assist Tribes in preparing funding requests and a Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC), and has selected the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) as the TAP and as the coordinator of the TAC. The TAP will be funded with 5% of Tribal Allocation Subaccount, and an $30,000 portion of the Tribal Administration Account will pay for the TAC costs.
Modifications to the Trust Agreement have been made and there will now be two Trusts: one for States/Puerto Rico/District of Columbia and one for Indian Tribes.
Appendix D has been modified to extend the application period from 6 years to 10 years. If the fund is oversubscribed in a given year, funds will be allocated according to census information.
On June 28, 2016, the United States lodged with the court a settlement with automaker Volkswagen to resolve allegations that Volkswagen violated the Clean Air Act ("CAA") by the sale 2.0 and 3.0 liter diesel engines equipped with "defeat devices" ("CAA 2.0 Liter Partial Settlement") meant to falsify air emission tests. The major excess pollutant at issue in this case is oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and is a serious public health concern.


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This morning, while Tyler worked with Charlie splitting wood, I headed over to West Arlington for another horsecart ride with the Washington County Draft Animal Association. It was colder than last time, and most of the leaves had fallen from the trees, but oh it was beautiful. I rode in Jan's cart again; we shared a blanket and chatted our way along the meandering River Road, listening to the clip-clopping of her team's hooves.
Just like last time, I was bewitched by the ride: the ancient-feeling horse cart, the slowness of travel, the way the sharp, cold air was filled with the aroma of woodsmoke, decaying leaves, and an earthy equine musk. Riding along with a chill wind in my face, I felt connected to the trees and fields and river around me, making me acutely aware of the changing seasons. Autumn's color was rapidly fading to grey, and the fields were barren, the bountiful harvest already squirreled away in preparation for a long, cold winter.
I can't think of a better way to spend an October morning. Thanks, Jan!


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VersionOne has released the results of its third annual State of Agile Development 2008 survey.
This survey was conducted and sponsored by VersionOne in June and July 2008, receiving feedback from 3061 participants in 80 countries. Most respondents were Agile team leaders, coaches, or consultants. Most survey participants work in small organizations with fewer than 100 people involved in software development. 17 percent of the companies surveyed have full Agile adoption with Scrum at the head of the list. Iteration planning, unit testing, daily standup, release planning, and continuous integration (CI) have been adopted by more than 66 percent of respondents. Pair programming didn't fare as well, with only 31 percent of those surveyed having adopted it.
According to VersionOne, the goal of the survey was to repot on the status of organizations currently implementing or practicing Agile methods. Survey results are based on those that have practiced Agile methods in some capacity within their organization.
VersionOne will be releasing a more detailed analysis report that will include trending information from the 2006 and 2007 surveys.


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"The Prime Fishing Pond"
Come learn how to fish for potential technicians and service advisers! How should you bait your hooks? Make sure that you watch the corks!
Be a part of this webinar experience. You will learn the theory of the "Prime Fishing Pond" firsthand!
*Rods, reels and bait not furnished.
Five Key Topics
- The Prime Fishing Pond for recruiting staff members
- Let's Face the Facts about Technician shortage
- 100 Miles – 100 – Technicians – 100 SA – 100 GS
- Bench Strength
- What you think you know. Keeps you from knowing what you cannot yet think.
Documents & Related Links
Powerpoint PDF


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HALIFAX, NS - March 2, 2016 – The Halifax Partnership is pleased to announce that Dalhousie University MBA student, Sarah Deveau, has won the Game Changers 'Pitch It' competition and the grand prize of $1,000.
Thirty students and recent graduates entered their best "Hire Me Halifax" video pitch for the Partnership's 'Pitch It' competition held in late January. A panel of seven Halifax business leaders judged the competition. Six of the 11 finalists presented their pitches live at the Game Changers 'Pitch It' event held yesterday afternoon.
Ron Hanlon, President and CEO of the Partnership, announced the competition winners – Sarah Deveau, first place winner ($1,000); Elizabeth Shaw, second place ($300); and Meghan Lafferty, third place ($200). The winners' and finalists' pitches can be viewed at http://ht.ly/YWa0W.
"The 'Pitch It' winners, and finalists, are excellent examples of the motivated young people who want to start and grow their careers in Halifax," says Hanlon. "This event was all about showcasing our young talent and helping them connect to career opportunities in Halifax."
The event also included a networking workshop for students and a speed interview session with employers like Scotiabank, RBC, Desjardins, Blackstar Wealth Management, NTT Data, REDspace, ClearPicture and Arrow Electronics. Businesses benefited from a Hiring Expo offering resources and training programs to help them hire young people.
"Every business has a role to play in retaining our young people," says Hanlon. "Companies can help young people make professional contacts, offer experiential learning and co-op opportunities, and provide more job opportunities for recent graduates."
The Partnership launched the three-year Game Changers program in November to retain young talent in our city, a critical factor in growing Halifax's and Nova Scotia's economies. Through the Game Changers program, businesses can connect to the resources and opportunities they need to hire Halifax's young talent. For more information visit: www.halifaxgamechangers.com.
Media Contact:
Krista Juurlink
Manager of Communications, Halifax Partnership
Office: (902) 490-7105
Cell: (902) 223-9170
Email: email@example.com
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Great deals this evening from Toronto to Brazil, with return fares to Rio de Janeiro as well as Fortaleza in the northeast for under $400 USD!
Not all aggregators are picking these up, check Kayak (flex month) or Google Flight Explorer for available date combinations, they're not likely to last long.
Like this deal? Book it. Share it!
Photo credit Adam Carson. H/T Secret Flying