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Here are a few of the lovely, clever, and (in the case of that chocolate) delicious goods I've spotted around town of late. For the record, those candlesticks are officially on my holiday wish list. Full stop.
The finds, clockwise from top:
- William Yeoward's gilded autumnal dishes spotted at Madison — These pretties would inject a nice shot of glam into my otherwise earthy Thanksgiving table decor. Hmm…
- All the fun rubber stamps, notebooks, boxes, and such at We Are 1976 — My girls go absolutely nuts in that place. So, so much goodness.
- The Groovy flavor combos (and stellar packaging) from Komforte Chockolates — Janet Gridley (who it should be noted is also rather groovy) actually turned me on to these bad boys, which she stumbled across at REI. I am all in on that Tortilla, Lime + Salt action. But I'm odd that way.
- Artecnica's "Wonderland" candlesticks spotted at the Nasher store. Horses and rabbits and birds, oh my… I'm officially smitten with these whimsical little treasures. Just excellent all around.


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Mid- to late summer is the hottest time of the year, and just like humans can suffer from heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses, high temperatures are also dangerous to birds. Young hatchlings and active parents that need to expend more energy to care for their broods are especially at risk, but backyard birders can do several things to help birds keep cool even on the hottest days.
- Provide multiple bird baths with clean, fresh water. Putting a bath in a shady area will keep it cool and minimize evaporation, and adding a chunk of ice or a few ice cubes in the morning will keep the bath refilled through the day.
- Offer nutritious food in large feeders that can accommodate hungry flocks. The best summer bird foods include black oil sunflower seed, nuts, fruit, jelly, and mealworms, and keeping feeders full will help parent birds have a reliable food source to feed their chicks.
- Cultivate shady landscaping with layers of broad-leafed, deciduous trees and shrubs that can provide cool shelter for birds to take advantage of. Choose plants that can do double duty as food sources, such as seed-bearing flowers or berry bushes.
- Position bird feeders and bird houses in shady areas, particularly where they will be protected from the hottest summer rays during the late afternoon. If necessary, placed pruned branches above the feeders or houses to add some shade.
- Use moving water with fountains, misters, or drippers. Not only will these serve as additional water sources for birds to drink and bathe, but the splashy noises and reflections from glittering drips will help alert birds about the water and attract them to the yard.
With just a few simple steps, it is possible to help backyard birds keep cool and enjoy their company even when temperatures are reaching toward triple digits.
Learn even more about how wild birds are adapted to keep cool in summer!

subset: commoncrawl


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CNET Names OpenOffice Suite as Best Download of 2007
By GD on Feb 07, 2008
CNET's Top 5: Best Downloads of 2007 names the free and open-source OpenOffice suite as this year's best download. Download the free OpenOffice productivity suite: word processor, presentation program, spreadsheet, database, and vector drawing tools. OpenOffice.org is an open-source project headed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.


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San Fierro Medical Center
Santa Flora Medical Center is the main hospital servicing San Fierro, San Andreas. It is located in the Santa Flora district, just north of City Hall, west of Chinatown, and south of Palisades and Juniper Hill. This is the hospital at which the player will re-spawn after being killed anywhere within San Fierro city limits.
Events of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
After arriving in San Fierro to find the garage he won in a street race with Claude and Catalina to be in desperate need of renovation, Carl Johnson employs the assistance of his new friend, The Truth, to seek out employees to turn the garage into a successful chop-shop. On their way to pick up Dwaine, Jethro, and Zero, The Truth's friends in San Fierro, he asks Carl to make a few seemingly random stops to monitor the activities of some mysterious vans. One of the stops he asks Carl to make is directly in front of Santa Flora Medical Center, where The Truth admonishes the other passengers to "think about a pink golf ball" as a van emerges from the medical center's parking lot. Without explanation, The Truth urges Carl on to the next stop.


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Crestline and Lake Gregory are beginning to offer more activities for children and their families, and many of these events are free and open to the public. "Campfire Time" is offered by Lake Gregory Environmental Education Nature Center, every Tuesday evening at the Nature Center in Crestline, California. The hours are 6:00 – 7:00 p.m (bring your own picnic supper), and 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. (stories, songs, and skit). A fun time will be had by all ages as we watch the stars come out.
A bonus is the free parking, at the San Moritz Lodge, while attending "Campfire Time". San Moritz Lodge is located on the shore of Lake Gregory on San Moritz Drive in Crestlne, California.
Questions? Please call (909) 589-0243
Ask for Carol Kinzel
Since Lake Gregory Regional Park came under new management, parking fees of $6 have been required. However, this special events offers free parking. For additional news about "Campfire Time", please visit ROTW News and enjoy reading the official announcement.
Lake Gregory is the primary attraction for visitors to Crestline, a summer resort town in the San Bernardino Mountains. Swimming and fishing are the primary activities, plus the lakeside has a water slide and floating playground. The best part of Lake Gregory Regional Park is the ability to get close to nature without venturing far from civilization. The Nature Center helps to educate children and families about the wildlife and the trees and other plants in these mountains. Adults and children will enjoy the presentations, songs and skits.
Crestline offers this and many more safe, fun and educational activities. These mountains have deer, raccoons, squirrels, and the occasional bear or mountain lion. Trees found in Crestline include a variety of oak and pines, as well as incense cedars and the lone survivors of historic apple orchards. The park has well-marked walking paths inside the grounds, as well as a jogging path round the perimeter of the park. It is a great place to visit and get in touch with nature.


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- Calendar
- Online Classroom
- In Focus
- More Diplo Sites
'Social media for sceptics' could have been a subtitle for the coaching programme we have been running with Diplo staff and teaching faculty. Distinguished and deeply experienced diplomats and educators were presented over the four weeks with an introduction to personal dashboards like iGoogle or Netvibes, tools to help select from and manage the racing 'web of flows'; they engaged with enthusiastic bloggers; and we shared experiences of using LinkedIn and Twitter.
If there was an icon for many of the exchanges it would be a pair of folded arms, below a head leaning back, with a raised eyebrow, perhaps saying, "Really?" Entirely understandably and properly, those experienced in the subtlety, complexity and richness of diplomatic communication wanted evidence not hype, to interrogate the real and potential contribution of social media. These tools are increasingly part of the mainstream in Public Diplomacy, illustrated in the slowly growing activity on #eDiplomacy and #DigitalDiplomacy on Twitter and the professional social media operations of many larger MFAs, like the social-media rich US State Department site or the open promotion of UK FCO Digital Diplomacy. In their public engagement on the platforms diplomatic communicators have to adapt their language and engage with the predominant culture, much as people do on postings outside their own country. Will this in turn impact the language and practice of Diplomacy? There is plenty of case-lore about the overflow from social media into more private spaces of negotiation, as Governments and individuals use public social media to promote their causes, test opinion, leak to embarrass or wrong-foot. Will open media, digitally literate populations and universal access to the Internet transform Diplomacy? We might also need an icon for a sceptical snort.
None of the participants on our coaching programme had grown up with social media, or any of the web2.0 toolsets, indeed some of us were around before electronic computers. But our current usage of the tools bore no relationship to our age. The experience cemented for me my changed position on the concept of Digital migrants. This is based on the notion that Digital natives, people like my 27 year old son, who grew up with computers and digital tools as an integral part of their environment, have an affinity with the technology and its use which is denied those of us who have migrated into the culture. David Hockney, the modern British artist, provides a compelling illustration of how adoption of technology and its functions is far more to do with experience and engagement than upbringing. For those who don't know his work, he is extraordinarily prolific, and popular –'worth a staggering £80 million'. Hockney integrated video into his work as soon as it became a consumer commodity and has used the iPad as a sketch pad since it appeared. He has always sketched quickly, and often produces several paintings in a day. But the iPad has extended his range. As a consummate artist he does more than sketch: he draws on the iPad to scale, with the size of the final blown-up product in his mind, as it might appear on a gallery wall, as illustrated opposite. In the jargon, he has appropriated the technology – not only learnt how to use it but innovated with it and developed a new form. Hockney is 74.
There are still digital divides: recent Pew research showed 20% of US adults don't use the Internet at all. But their findings confirm those of the earliest Oxford Internet Institute UK Internet survey which demonstrated that the strongest indicators of Internet activity were the same forces that have always influenced social exclusion, namely education level and wealth. And soon to be published research from the UK Institute of Development studies, into the 'information ecosystem' of 'policy actors' in six Southern countries confirmed what many of us have been arguing for years, from our own experience: that the 'elites' in economically poorer countries, once they have access to affordable technologies like the Ideos smartphone, retailing for $80 in Kenya, access information and engage with friends and colleagues using digital tools - and their profile of tablet use is ahead of many wealthier countries.
Pew illustrates that not being aware of the benefits available on the Internet is also a factor in not being connected. But people who engage with digital culture later in their lives do have to overcome barriers to do with confidence in a particular way. People who grow up using technology are obviously more comfortable using it and, importantly, often find migrating to newer technologies – software, devices – relatively easy. They have expectations about how these things will work: they assume, for example, that there will be menus and a logic to functions; above all they know it will work, you only have to learn how. They are unafraid.
Then again, the impact of openness and the giving away of data to the new behemoths of the Internet age, Facebook and Google, is something that had to be learned by eager 20 somethings, while many older people were instinctively suspicious and more cautious. (even though the former might have taught the latter where to find the security settings). But on the day that eight year old Facebook has been valued at an unimaginable $104 billion why not sit back and listen to the master talking about his instant iPad art
Jaume Fortuny (not verified)
18 May 2012
I agree that the idea of native / digital immigrant must be buried. We all must adopt the technology in our lives. Surely the children with their learning ability will assimilate it before. And adults and elder will be more limited with it. But will become part of our lives. But I see that we are filled with impressive figures on connectivity and the reality is very cruel. I remember the basic example of statistics: A person eats two chickens and another one don't eat any >> The statistics say that each person eats one chicken. The same happen with the numbers of people with access to the Information Society. And I say, through the experience, that is not the same to connect to Internet via GPRS (56kbps) than doing it with fiber optics to some tens of Mbps. For certain features, an Internet connection through a GSM channel, can represent being excluded.
Jaume Fortuny (not verified)
18 May 2012
Thanks for this thoughtful post, Pete. In the same way as in the physical world, there are "illegal" and "undocumented" digital migrants. 20% of the "developed world" (or almost 80% of the "developing world") have no access for any reason to the tools of the Information Society (conections, devices,...) and are fully excluded. This is a big amount of "illegal" and "undocumented" migrants. UN statistics say that 65% of the world population has no access to the Internet (http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/) . As you expose, it's necessary to increase the level of education and wealth of the population, while raise awareness of Internet benefits and overcome barriers. So, for now, you may need to change the post title to: "Only 35% are digital migrants now" (but we will continue working to not exclude anyone).


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Self-study and independent study, two ways for individuals to continue their professional education, are gaining widespread popularity. Outlined below are their similarities and differences.
New Post-Acute Care Quality Measures Take Effect Oct. 1: The IMPACT Act requires facilities to report standardized patient assessment data. Are you ready?
Realizing the Power of Communication: A clinician's early interest in drama therapy leads her to speech-language pathology—a career that also advances human connection through communication.
New Federal Center to Boost Support for Students With Disabilities
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 186,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students.
The ASHA Action Center welcomes questions and requests for information from members and non-members.
Available 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ET Monday–Friday
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My Beautiful Holiday Magic Bouquet From 1-800-FLOWERS
December 18, 2012 by admin - Jennifer
Filed under Reviews
Company: 1-800-FLOWERS.com Item Sent: Holiday Magic Bouquet Holiday Magic Bouquet Our enchanting bouquet of red roses, white lilies, alstroemeria and evergreens brings holiday magic to the door—no sleigh or reindeer required! Hand-designed by our expert florists in a red gathering vase accented with a festive Santa belt, it's a spellbinding surprise for that special someone. [...]
Fields of Europe for Christmas | 1-800-FLOWERS.Com | Giveaway
December 15, 2012 by admin - Jennifer
Filed under Featured, Giveaways
Company: 1-800-FLOWERS.com Item Sent: Holiday Bouquet (review in separate post) Item Given Away: Fields of Europe for Christmas Start Date: December 15 End Date: December 20 Fields of Europe™ for Christmas We've decked out our bestselling, truly original bouquet in its holiday best. Inspired by European style, our expert florists gather festive red roses, white [...]
Holiday Hershey's Giveaway
December 12, 2011 by admin - Jennifer
Filed under Featured, Giveaways
Company: Hershey's Item Reviewed: Hershey's Prize Pack Item Given Away: Hershey's Prize pack Start Date: December 12 End Date: December 17 Whether you're looking for the perfect stocking stuffer or a sweet treat to fill your candy dish, Hershey's holiday collection has a variety of items sure to top every wish list this season. Every [...]
SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration 2011
December 7, 2011 by admin - Jennifer
Filed under Featured, Odds & Ends, Orlando
SeaWorld knows how to do Christmas. I have had the wonderful opportunity to see it first hand and while I am not in Florida at the moment I was able to send my sister, Melanie who is my Orlando Correspondent while I am away, this year and she and her family had a lot of [...]
Veggie Tales Saint Nicholas | DVD Review
November 15, 2009 by admin - Jennifer
Filed under Reviews
Discover the power of a simple gift! Laura Carrot's Christmas stocking might be empty this year because her dad is in danger of losing his job. While Larry thinks a letter to the North Pole should fix the problem, Bob knows what will really help…and tells the story of a little boy named Nicholas who [...]
Secrets of a Christmas Box | Book Review and Giveaway
August 31, 2009 by admin - Jennifer
Filed under Giveaways
From the start of December, to Christmas Eve night, one chapter an evening, Wrapped up with delight. Enter the magical festive world of the Christmas "Tree-Dwellers", as Larry, a Christmas snowman, wakes up after a long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother missing. Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with [...]
TCM Presents: The Family Classics
December 6, 2008 by admin - Jennifer
Filed under Reviews
I am so excited about this and I hope you will be too. I would love to invite all my readers to take a trip down memory lane with me this holiday season. Please tune in to Turner Classic Movies as they conjure up some pure movie magic this December with the debut airing of [...]
Elmo's Christmas Countdown Review
December 1, 2008 by admin - Jennifer
Filed under Reviews
We love Sesame Street here at our house and the latest DVD, Elmo's Christmas Countdown just adds to the greatness of it all. My toddler loves Elmo & Abby (and she is super pleased that that Abby has her name) and even my two older kids like to stop what they are doing and join [...]
Grandma D's Tree And Wreath Farm Review
November 28, 2008 by admin - Jennifer
Filed under Reviews
When I was approached to review a Christmas wreath from Grandma D's Tree & Wreath Farm I was so excited. I miss the real trees and wreaths we had when I was younger. I wanted to instill this in my family as a new tradition and what better way to start than with a wreath [...]
Chex Mix Bars Review and Giveaway
November 2, 2008 by admin - Jennifer
Filed under Giveaways
For my second Christmas Giveaway I am happy to say I will turn you to chocolate. You are going to love this!! If you are like me you love chocolate!! And because I love chocolate I jumped at the chance to try out the new Turtle Chex Mix Bars. And let me tell you I [...]


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Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, chairing today the regular weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, reiterated the Kingdom's commitment to eradicating Al-Qaeda, and expressed his satisfaction over the achievements and repeated success of the Saudi security forces in aborting the destructive plans of the deviant group, eliminating their desperate attempts to destabilize the Kingdom, and tracking down suspects: the latest of which was the incident in Makkah where a number of wanted suspects were cornered.
King Fahd then expressed his congratulations on the conclusion of the third and final phase of the nationwide elections for the country's municipal councils, and wished all those elected every success in serving their constituencies.
The Cabinet, reviewing international developments, expressed the hope that Lebanon's new government under Premier Najib Miqati accomplishes the ambitions of all the Lebanese people in these critical times.
King Fahd, stressing the Kingdom's constant commitment to good relations among the international community, commented on the Afro-Asian Summit being held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Bandung Conference that set up the Non-Aligned Movement, saying its role has enhanced solidarity between the two continents and furthered political, economic and cultural achievements. King Fahd went on to affirm the Kingdom's continued interest in extending economic assistance to developing countries, as well as providing humanitarian aid to alleviate the impact of natural disasters, and confirmed the Kingdom's pledge, announced at the Afro-Asian Summit, of U.S.$ 400 million in export guarantees and soft loans for reconstruction projects in those countries afflicted by the December 2004 tsunami.
Turning to items on its agenda, the Cabinet passed a number of resolutions, including authorization for the Minister of Foreign Affairs or his deputy to discuss with the Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Developmental Organizations (AGFUND) a draft agreement designating a location for AGFUND headquarters in Riyadh and determining the legal status, privileges, immunities and facilities for the program and its personnel; approval of a draft memorandum on cultural and scientific cooperation between the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; and formation of a three-member panel to adjudge disputes between insurance companies and their clients or other parties and also issue decisions on violations by insurance companies of control and supervision instructions, the panel to be formed of Dr. Bandar bin Raja Alshammari as chairman and Dr. Khalid bin Hasan Banasr and Dr. Waleed bin Mohammed Alshaibani as members, with a term of three years, renewable.


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The second of a five-day series on the 2013 New Orleans Saints draft class. Coming Wednesday: John Jenkins.
Before Damon Nivens began coaching the offensive linemen at Arkansas-Pine Bluff last season, he was given a quick scouting report on the big, athletic tackle who was about to begin his senior season at the Southwestern Athletic Conference school.
Fellow coaches told Nivens that Terron Armstead was an athletic freak with loads of talent.
By the time Nivens got to work with Armstead, Nivens, too, saw the uncanny skill set. But he also saw a 6-foot-5, 306-pound left tackle with bad hand placement, sloppy footwork and poor leverage.
"He was just a big, athletic kid with talent, but raw," Nivens said. "We had to work on his technique and things like that to enhance his stock."
That work obviously paid off for Armstead, who entered this past season as a sixth-round draft prospect before becoming the first of two third-round draft choices by the New Orleans Saints in last month's NFL draft.
Armstead and the rest of the Saints' five-man draft class, along with their 13 undrafted rookies and a host of players trying out for a chance to land an invitation to training camp, will get to show Saints coaches just how far he has come in a season when the young players take part in the team's three-day rookie minicamp this weekend at the Saints' Metairie training facility.
Nivens, a former undrafted free agent from Southern who spent three years in the NFL, including a short stint with the Saints under former coach Jim Haslett, said Armstead now has what it takes to make it in the NFL.
"He took coaching real well," Nivens said. "His running ability and his moving ability, he always had that. It was just getting him the fundamentals of the game and learning the game. He did that. Now the sky is the limit for the young man."
Despite a successful senior season in which Armstead, a three-year starter, helped the Golden Lions to the SWAC championship, he mostly went unnoticed until a dominant performance at the East/West Shrine Game and then a strong showing as a late injury replacement at the Senior Bowl.
But for anyone who missed the early auditions, Nivens gained not only the NFL's attention but perhaps much of the football world's attention with his jaw-dropping performance at the NFL Scouting Combine.
He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.71 seconds, the fastest by an offensive lineman in the history of the combine. He also recorded a 34½-inch vertical leap, which was better than all the Saints' drafts picks except first-round safety Kenny Vaccaro. He also did 31 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds and a 9-4 broad jump.
"The East/West Shrine game was definitely a huge opportunity for me, especially coming from a small school getting a chance to go against some bigger competition," Armstead said. "The biggest question coming out of my school was the level of competition, so having that opportunity that I went down with a chip on my shoulder, of course, and just tried to answer the question about level of competition.
"Then I went to the Senior Bowl the next week and tried to continue the same thing and I believe I just topped it off at the combine and I got to show all the teams my athleticism."
The athleticism has always been there for Armstead, a former multi-sport prep star in the St. Louis area.
As a senior in Cahokia High School, Armstead, who along with being a standout football player, was a state champion shot putter.
Armstead, a three-time All-SWAC performer in football and an eight-time conference champion in track, admitted that he had aspirations of playing on a bigger platform than the one the FCS Golden Lions provided.
Larger schools like Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State recruited Armstead but eventually shunned him because he had some initial problems with the NCAA's Clearinghouse and gaining academic eligibility.
"I lost a lot of my Division I recruitment because of my ACT scores being so late after signing day. A lot of the smaller schools were coming at me and being able to do track at Arkansas-Pine Bluff was a deciding factor in why I chose Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and I believe it helped me tremendously," Armstead said. "It was a humbling experience going to a smaller school and I thought I was going to go big out of high school, so it's been a longer road but I just kept fighting."
The fight isn't over, however.
After this weekend's rookie camp, Armstead will begin competing with former 2010 second-round pick Charles Brown and newly signed former No. 2-overall pick Jason Smith for the Saints' starting left tackle spot, which opened up after Jermon Bushrod signed a five-year, $36 million contract with the Chicago Bears.
Saints Coach Sean Payton said Armstead certainly will be given a shot to become the Saints next standout linemen to come from a small school, joining offensive guard Jahri Evans (Bloomsburg) and Bushrod (Towson).
"He's very athletic," Payton said after the Saints selected Armstead. "I think he'll put some weight on. He's won a lot of college games. ... He's someone that's very intelligent and has good length, but his athleticism is the thing if you measure the quickness and those things.
"To say that he's going to come in right away at that position and be a starter, I just know that he's going to be able to come in here and compete for that opportunity. But I think there are some players that are going to do the same thing. So, we've been pretty disciplined and had good fortune at finding good offensive linemen at the right spot in the draft. Hopefully this is a case of that."
Nivens apparently doesn't have any doubts.
"He's a real smart kid so his learning the playbook is not going to be a problem," Nivens said. "He'll have to get adjusted to the NFL. But with his athleticism, he shouldn't have a problem. He works hard and he is a humble kid and a hungry kid. The sky is the limit. I look forward to seeing him starting if not this year then next year."
Although Armstead doesn't have much experience playing against top-shelf talent, he said he doesn't envision his rookie season being a redshirt season, one in which he spends his time watching from the sideline.
"I really don't see myself sitting out," Armstead said. "I love to play, I love the game of football, I love being on the field and I have a problem sitting on the bench. I know I have a lot to learn and I'm willing and ready to learn as fast as I can, as fast as I possibly can to get on the field.
"I'm really excited about blocking for one of the greats of all time, Drew Brees. I'm really, really excited about that."


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"I followed the step by step business plan and it was very successful for me."
The Art is 4 Every 1 method developed over the 25 years of teaching that began when I took on the challenge of teaching acrylic painting at a long term care facility. Since that time, my unique, customized and adaptable method has been taught successfully to students ages 8 to 102 of all abilities and disabilities.
Take a minute to view some amazing paintings done using my method by a diverse group of student artists.
Student artists from all walks of life benefit from learning to paint with my method. Listen to what some of them have to say about their experience with an Art is 4 Every1 class.
Whether you desire simply to teach art or whether you are inspired to work with mentally or physically challenged groups, either way you will find this training opens up a whole new career path for you with endless possibilities.
This type of art program is sought after by many types of organizations who contact me daily looking for instructors. The demand and need continues to increase for value added art programs that offer engaging interaction and activity. Art is 4 Every1 art classes fill that need and more!
Make plans today to make your passion your job and your job your passion!
- Elaine Griffith
Course Description
During the three day comprehensive certified instructor training you will learn how to:
- customize this innovative painting method to the age, ability and experience of your student;
- create a positive, uplifting and therapeutic learning atmosphere for all students;
- teach in a group setting while also providing enriching 1:1 instruction;
- receive real life teaching experience right in the classroom;
- solidify your use of the primary colors and color wheel to create any color in the world and bring harmony to a painting;
- work from a small number of colors to generate all others reducing your supply costs;
- manage your students, supplies, and sales with ease;
- market yourself effectively to organizations and facilities in need of art classes;
- advertise, promote and share your classes to create a steady flow of eager students;
- build an art instruction business on your terms with a proven support system behind you.
- join our Certified Instructor Facebook Mastermind Group to share and learn from other instructors;
- join our Instructor Area for ongoing trainings and support materials.
Listen to Dolores Cowden, an instructor from our very first instructor course, as she shares her experience with the Art is 4 Every1 Certified Instructor program.


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By Planet Luxe, Oct 10 2014 12:45AM
How often do we hear these words – or something like them?
I am a major sufferer of the 'too busy' syndrome and have been most of my working life, but life is too short to be busy all the time.
It's easy to fall into the busy trap, it makes us feel important and wanted. Only losers don't have anything to do! – but maybe saying I'm super busy all the time is really a vanity thing.
I have started to think that maybe I'm the real loser here. Not only do I feel stressed most of the time because I have so much to do…but maybe if I eliminate the idea of being too busy all the time I can finally open the door to being totally happy. I am on a quest to feel human again – aware, productive and happy!
Eliminating busy means I am in control of my life and my time management skills. Eliminating busy will mean that I get the time to really think, to improve my productivity and creativity that will move my business forward.
My steps to eliminate busy:
1. Say no more often
2. Delegate
3. Believe in the value of taking time away - the business won't fall over if I'm not working on it 24/7
4. Have one 'off the grid' day per week to tune out– leave the emails and FB alone!
5. Recognise that being idle is a good and necessary thing
READING: Zen Habits
LISTENING TO: Tedeschi Trucks Band
0 comments
By Planet Luxe, Nov 12 2013 10:50PM
I was reminded a couple of days ago of the Google quote 'Done is better than perfect'. At the time I was frozen with indecision and these words made me think that my constant desire for things I do to be perfect is really holding me back. So I scribbled the words on a big piece of paper and stuck it on the wall. I've got my long list of things I've been working on and not finialised and I am on a mission to get things done. I mean who knows what perfect is anyway? Just get on and do it!
READING: Dumbo Feather
LISTENING TO: Emeli Sande
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By Planet Luxe, Aug 13 2013 9:04AM
In the quest to reduce my stuff, last weekend my sister and I had a garage sale. Whilst the lead up was very stressful by the time we had filled the garage on Friday night with our unwanted goods I was already feeling a bit lighter.
Saturday morning at 7am there were already a bunch of people lined up at the gate. A quick dog walk, erecting our signage along the way, and we were ready to go. From a frenzied start we settled into steady customers and sales. By 2pm it was pretty much all over and we had cleared a lot of things from the garage and driveway.
Most of the people who came were really nice and I felt happy that my things would be with people who loved them. I now feel ready for another round of cleaning out. I must admit I often feel overwhelmed when I face a heap of stuff that I know I don't really want to keep but can't seem to get the energy/motivation to sort through. I need to remember that everyone feels like this and the trick is to only do a little bit at a time.
With close to two weeks until I move I have plenty to do but I feel like I am well on my way to 'falling in love with less'!
READING: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
LISTENING TO: Seventh Tree by Goldfrapp
0 comments
By Planet Luxe, Jul 24 2013 11:11PM
Last year I sold my apartment and moved into a large rental property. I was astounded at much stuff I had squirrelled away in what I thought was a roomy space but with limited storage. I promised myself I would de-clutter and have got rid of some things but now it's crunch time! I've bought a new place and it's compact. I don't want to fill it with occasional furniture and knick-knacks on every surface so I have 30 days to cull and move with only what I really love and want to keep.
Goodbye to all those things I've bought over the years at op shops, garage sales and second hand furniture stores that will be great if I buy a beach shack, a country retreat, a warehouse, a massive house or farm! I'm not buying any of those places in the foreseeable future and that's a fact.
Goodbye to a bunch of stuff that has been gifted, handed down or inherited that reminds me of someone special but I don't really like for its own sake and so keep in cupboards or storage.
Goodbye to the clothes I don't wear that I either don't like on me, love but are worn through/damaged/really out of fashion and those that just don't fit any more (some I don't think ever did!).
Then there are all the projects I plan to do. Craft, sewing, knitting, jewellery making and anything else I've seen in a store, magazine or on a blog and thought 'I can make that'…but I haven't.
And so it goes on! Frankly I've just got too much of everything.
So now I begin a serious clean out. I am approaching the job one room at a time following tips from the very clever Tanya Lea, a professional organiser from Declutterhome.
SORTING - Organise some empty boxes for sorting items. Decide what categories you need and label ready for sorting. For example: items to keep, charity, sell, repair, rubbish, for friends or family, storage (I am not putting anything in storage!).
RUBBISH BINS - Don't forget to take the bins out that week so they are empty and ready to use. Check with your local council to see if you get any free hard rubbish collections. Pre-book a rubbish skip bin if needed.
CHARITY – I have a pile of things to go to charity. Tanya suggests researching your favourite local charity and making sure they are taking donations. Some charities get overloaded with certain items so it's worth researching options in advance. Take note of their opening hours too!
SELL – I'm having a garage sale and putting some things on eBay and Gumtree. If they don't sell they will be going to charity.
DECLUTTERING/ORGANISING TIPS – Tanya says it doesn't matter what space she is organising she always follows the same steps: sort, assess, clean, put away, label.
1. Sort items into categories.
2. Assess what's to stay and what's to go.
3. Clean surfaces.
4. Put remaining items away in new logical homes.
5. Label storage, drawers and shelves to help keep organised.
Wish me luck!
WATCHING: DVDs of Entourage
LISTENING TO: Whistle While You Work from Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs 1937
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By Planet Luxe, Jul 17 2013 12:38AM
Each year Australians send around 8 billion (yes that's right 8 BILLION!) bottles and cans into the environment as rubbish or litter. Environmental scientist and international top model Laura Wells has joined with Greenpeace as part of its push for a national Cash for Containers Scheme to reduce plastic rubbish that is killing marine wildlife and polluting the environment.
"This rising tide of plastic waste not only leaves our beaches, parks and rivers looking like rubbish tips but is killing marine animals like sea birds," says Laura.
"The birds swallow bits of plastic which get stuck in their stomach and build up to the point where they can't eat properly and starve. It's an awful death caused by plastic rubbish.
"A national Cash for Containers Scheme, similar to South Australia, could double recycling rates and greatly reduce plastic rubbish in our parks, beaches and oceans."
I guess a lot of us really do need more than just the good of the environment to change our habits – South Australia's 30-year-old container deposit scheme has delivered a recycling rate of 83% more than double the rest of Australia.
The Boomerang Alliance of over 20 environment groups including Greenpeace, the Australian Conservation Foundation, Cleanup Australia, and the Total Environment Centre, are calling on state and federal governments to introduce a national cash for containers scheme. Governments are expected to make a decision later this year. Join me in supporting this action by signing the petition here.
LISTENING TO: The Big Blue Soundtrack by Eric Serra
READING: Green Pages Newsletter
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Hi I'm Toni Lawler and I am the creator and owner of PLANET LUXE. Join me as I look for tips and resources to help me live a more sustainable, mindful life and reduce my exposure to hideous chemicals and other nasty stuff.
I believe that adopting a greener and healthier lifestyle doesn't have to be an exercise in deprivation. By providing constructive tips and resources - which I am following myself - I hope to encourage the eco-inclined of you out there to act with me in terms we can live with.
"I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something."
Helen Keller
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Thrill to chilling Halloween festivities at the most bewitching event of the year—select nights throughout September and October!
You're invited to dress up your little ones to trick-or-treat at the ultimate neighborhood—Disneyland Park—and enjoy:
Chilling and Thrilling Attractions and Entertainment
And lots more excitement for little boys and ghouls of all ages!
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Costumes Should
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Know Before You Go
If you're visiting during Mickey's Halloween Party, you can make your stay in a Disneyland Resort hotel even more magical with a personalized Halloween In-Room Celebration, Mickey's Spooktacular Halloween Celebration.
In-Room Celebrations feel as if favorite and beloved Disney characters have come to your room for an over-the-top celebration just for you!
Imagine walking up to your hotel room to discover a spooky door banner indicating something special took place inside. As you step into the room, a host of personalized surprises, goodies and treats make you feel like Mickey has visited.
Add some extra magic to your stay with additional Halloween gifting experiences, along with experiences for all kinds of special occasions. Ideas range from "My First Disney Visit" to specialty trick or treat bags filled with surprises.
Learn more by visiting Disney Floral and Gifts online or call (714) 781-GIFT (714) 781-4438 to speak with a friendly Dream Maker.
These holiday surprises are available seasonally.
Disneyland Park
Disneyland Resort
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Also in Court News - Mann Defamation Continues
ALSO IN COURT NEWS — MANN DEFAMATION CASE CONTINUES: A D.C. Superior Court judge on Friday shot down a request by National Review Online to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought against it by climate scientist Michael Mann, letting the case move forward. Mann sued NRO and the Competitive Enterprise Institute after a 2012 CEI blog post (also picked up by NRO) called Mann the "Jerry Sandusky of climate science" and accused Mann of fraud. Judge Natalia Combs Greene also indicated it's looking more and more likely there is "sufficient evidence in the record to demonstrate that [Mann] is likely to succeed on the merits." The judge called the NRO's words "something more than mere rhetorical hyperbole" and said the group's continued questioning of Mann's work, which has been found sound by several investigations, "could be likened to a witch hunt." She added that using Mann's name in the same sentence as Sandusky's "is clearly outrageous." The Friday order, via Climate Science Watch: http://bit.ly/17sKaE0


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Smart Irrigation Controllers
Use these wireless sprinkler controllers to manage the watering of your yard remotely using your smart device.
- Integrate real-time weather forecast data
- Control your system from anywhere in the world using home WiFi and ethernet connection
- Sync with moisture sensors installed in your yard
- Reduce your monthly bills while helping to conserve limited water resources
Retail Solutions
BlossomPrice: $149 (Available Now)
Apps: Android, Apple
Description: "We created Blossom to be a simple, smart and economical solution to this problem. Blossom uses weather intelligence to automatically pull in data from multiple forecast services and constantly makes adjustments for a highly accurate localized watering plan. Share your yard's plant types and it will customize the right water schedule for each vegetation. Blossom makes all the difficult decisions for you and keeps you connected from your smartphone, tablet or computer."
Zones: 12 zones
Connectivity: WiFi + Powerline
Additional Details: Kickstarter Page, Tech Specs
BlueSprayPrice: $199.95 (8 zone) to $299 (24 zones)
Apps: Browser
Description: "BlueSpray is a feature rich web-enabled Irrigation Controller. Unlike today's conventional Irrigation Controller which are programmed with confusing dials and buttons, BlueSpray is controlled/accessed from a computer, tablet, or smart phone with intuitive, user-friendly UI. It has built-in wifi, easy to use, flexible scheduling, and can adjust to season and weather conditions. –"
Zones: Three versions; From 8-24 zones
Connectivity: WiFi
Reviews: Amazon 4/5 (22 reviews), SmartHome 5/5 (2 reviews)
Additional Details: FAQ, Manual
EvePrice: $295 with Smartthings Hub and 1 Adam sensor (Pre-order)
Apps: Apple / Android
Description: "The next evolution in home irrigation. Eve and Adam are intelligently designed to save you time, water, and money.
The Eve Ecosystem monitors soil moisture throughout your yard, then takes control to optimize watering . Eve is an irrigation controller with intelligence - and is a drop-in replacement for your existing 'dumb' controller. Put a few Adam wireless moisture sensors around the yard, boot up your smart phone, and forget about your sprinklers."
Zones: From 8-16 zones
Connectivity: Zigbee (Needs SmartThings Hub)
Additional Details: Details, Youtube Channel
GreenIQPrice: $249 (Available)
Apps: Apple, Android, Browser
Description: "GreenIQ is an affordable, easy to use, garden computer that controls garden's irrigation and lighting, and saves money on water and electricity bills. GreenIQ allows to control and to schedule garden's irrigation and lighting, from anywhere, at anytime. It's easy to use, and easy to install and setup.
The GreenIQ garden computer uses the most advanced Internet, cloud and mobile technologies to intelligently manage garden's irrigation and lighting scheduling. In a typical garden, the system can save up to 50% of the irrigation water."
Zones: 6 zones + 1 master + 1 garden lighting control
Connectivity: WiFi, Ethernet
Additional: Installation (PDF), FAQ, Press, Video
Sensor Integrations: Parrot Sensor, others
HydrawisePrice: $245 (Available now)
Apps: Apple (4/5 21 reviews), Android (5/5 7 reviews)
Description: "Control and monitor your sprinkler system from anywhere in the world using your web browser or our iPhone and Android apps."
Zones: Expandable up to 36 zones
Connectivity: WiFi
Reviews: Amazon 4.5/5 24 reviews
Additional: Installation Videos
IroPrice: $249 (Available now)
Apps: Apple, Android
Description: "The Iro is our smart sprinkler controller. It works with both existing and new home sprinkler systems. If you have an existing sprinkler system, the Iro simply replaces your old controller.
Once the Iro is installed, Rachio will connect with it and create an optimized watering schedule based on your location.
Rachio will continuously update your schedule as it learns about your weather and yard characteristics."
Zones: Two versions; one controls 8 zones, the other 16
Connectivity: WiFi
Additional Details: FAQ
Reviews: Amazon (4.5/5 with 137 reviews), Wired (8/10), Home Depot (5/5 with 57 reviews), DigitalTrends (4/5)
IrrigationCaddyPrice: $179.95
Apps: Apple, Android
Description: "The Irrigation Caddy ( IC ) device is an ethernet based irrigation control system. The system allows the user to control and schedule an irrigation system from any computer with a web browser. No special software or clients are required, just a Web Browser on a computer."
Zones: 9 zones + 1 master
Connectivity: Ethernet (Optional WiFi Adapter)
Additional: Documentation, Video
Reviews: Amazon 4/5 (199 reviews), SmartHome 4.5/5 (11 reviews)
LonoPrice: $249.00 (pre-order)
Apps: Apple, Android
Description: "We have the technology. We've sent a man to the moon. So why are we still running in and out of the garage to see if our sprinklers are working? Lono lets you control your sprinkler system anywhere, anytime with your smart phone. And the things that should be automated, finally are."
Zones: 20 zones
Connectivity: WiFi & Bluetooth
API: Yes
Additional: Video, Crowdfunding page
netAQUAPrice: $299-$349
Apps: Browser
Description: "netAQUA Irrigation Controller: web-enabled, easy to use, accessible from anywhere, automatically adjusts to weather.
The netAQUA is unlike any other irrigation controller that you may have come across. It is easy to use, intelligent, accessible worldwide for remote control, and able to harness the power of environmental sensors and Internet weather stations for automation. Gone are the confusing dials and buttons, and the associated limited functionality of the traditional controller."
Zones: 8 zones + 1 master (Expansion capability in 8 zone increments)
Connectivity: Ethernet with WiFI version available
Reviews: Amazon 4.5/5 (37 Reviews) SmartHome 5/5 (3 reviews)
Additional: Support, Crowdfunded, Video
RainCommanderPrice: $249
Apps: Android (4/5 5 reviews), Browser
Description: "The RainCommander RC1200 is a WiFi-enabled sprinkler controller that allows homeowners to run their systems from anywhere using an app on their smartphone, tablet or any other connected device. You are able to rename up to 12 zones per controller and create 10 schedules to fit your watering needs. The RC1200 can accommodate up to 12 zones, but you are not limited to just 12 zones. One RainCommander™ account can host multiple RC1200 controllers accommodating an endless amount of zones."
Zones: 12 zones - unlimited with multiple devices
Connectivity: WiFI
Review: Amazon 5/5 (1 review)
Additional: Support, Kickstarter.
RainMachinePrice: $259
Apps: Apple (3.5/5 10 reviews) , Android
Description: "The RainMachine is a radical departure from the old ways.Forecasting seven days in advance, the RainMachine was scientifically conceived to improve watering efficiency, thus reducing water waste and your water bill!
The RainMachine automatically adjusts your watering amount by lowering it on rainy or colder days and increasing it on hot summer days. The system not only saves water but it also protects your plants."
Zones: Controls up to 12 zones
Connectivity: WiFI
Additional: Support
Reviews: Amazon 4.5/5 (244 reviews)
skydropPrice: $299 (Available)
Apps: Apple, Android
Description: "Fresh, Simple, Powerful Cloud based system to intelligently water your landscape. The skydrop controller is built with the planet, and you, in mind. It is designed to not only save water, but to save you money.
Skydrop introduces simplicity to watering your landscape. Installs in just 10 minutes, just replace your old sprinkler controller."
Zones: 8 zones plus Master Valve/Pump
Expandable to 16 valves with expansion unit
Connectivity: WiFI
Additional: Blog, Tech Specs, Video, Installation
Reviews: Amazon (4.5/5 with 13 reviews), CNET 4/5, Lowes 5/5 (10 reviews)
UgmoPrice: No charge with revenue share model
Apps: Apple, Browser
Description: "Utilizing real time soil moisture sensor data on a zone-by-zone basis, UgMO always applies the optimal amount of water – no more, no less."
Zones: Controls up to 36 zones per clock
Connectivity: 3G cell modem
Additional: Support, Installation (PDF)
DIY & Open Source
OpenSprinklerPrice: $149.99
Apps: Browser
Description: "OpenSprinkler is an open-source, internet-based sprinkler / irrigation timer. This is the version 2.0s, featuring ATmega644 mcu and injection molded enclosure specially designed for OpenSprinkler. This product is fully assembled (with SMT components) and tested."
- Created in a collaboration between Ray (Rui Wang) and former Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson
Zones: Controls 8 zones (Up to 48)
Connectivity: Ethernet with add-on portable WiFi adapter
Additional: Github page, Raspi shield, Video
Arduino sprinkler valves + wifi + twitter
Parts List Includes:
Full Instructable for the project can be found here.
| Additional:
Sensor Driven
PlantLinkPrice: $69.00 (Shipping Spring 2014)
Plantlink (Additional Links $25.00 Extra: Valves $65 )
Apps: Browser
Description: "Place the links next to your plants and never worry about incorrectly watering again.
Our internet-connected system makes properly watering easier than ever before. PlantLink's automatically generated watering schedules take into account variables like plant type, soil composition, and weather patterns."
Zones: Unlimited "Valves"
Connectivity: Ethernet basestation & Zigbee
Additional: Crowdfunded, Video
Koubachi Outdoor SensorPrice: 129 eur (available)
Apps: Apple (3.5/4 179 reviews), Android (4/5 88 reviews), Browser
Description: "The Koubachi Plant Sensors measure soil moisture, sunlight, infrared light, ambient temperature and more to determine the vitality and exact needs of your plants."
Additional: Manual (PDF)
- Smart Irrigation: A Supercomputer Waters the Lawn - Scientific American
- Smart tech could save billions of liters of water - Reuters
Looking to just monitor a single plant? Visit our round-up of wireless plant monitoring solutions here.


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Jul 10, 2014 10:00 AM
If you spend hours perfecting your special signature sauces - your curry ketchup, your maple bacon aioli, your zesty BBQ sauce - you'll want to show them off in worthy vessels. The next time you're invited to a potluck, transport your masterpieces in the Oh Joy! Condiment Caddy ($12). The four brightly colored bottles will do the best job possible in bringing attention to the amazingness inside.
If you've got a product or service that you'd like to promote on Outblush, click here to find out about our advertising opportunities.
Outblush is a blog for girls who love to shop. Our staff digs up the best clothes, home stuff, beauty items, and more. New items are posted every day — bookmark us and check out:


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Raymond Revard appeared in Spencer County Circuit Court on Thursday, but not to stand trial — just yet.
Revard was indicted on charges of murder and tampering with physical evidence in the alleged shooting death of his wife, Lea Revard, in 2009.
Revard appeared in court last week for a pretrial conference, the result of which is another pretrial conference scheduled for April 20 at 1 p.m. in Shelby County.
A jury trial, however, is scheduled in Spencer County from June 27-30.
The 536 Taylorsville Water Works customers who pay for both water and sewer services can now get a better idea of how an impending rate increase will affect them.
The Taylorsville City Commission moved in a special session Feb. 28 to advance with a state-mandated project to upgrade the city's current wastewater treatment facility, which is estimated to cost $3.4 million. Although more than 58 percent of the project will be funded by grants, the city will be left with repaying a $1,410,000 loan, most of which will be passed on to ratepayers.
Would you call this year's Bears' basketball team the best in Spencer County history?
Click here to vote!
Shannon Brock was recently hired as the editor of The Spencer Magnet. Brock joined the staff last week.
Brock comes to the Magnet after spending three years as a staff writer and news editor at The Anderson News in Lawrenceburg.
A Taylorsville woman died Wednesday in a two-vehicle collision on U.S. 42 in Oldham County.
Lois M. Bailey, 68, died after police believe she lost control of her vehicle, spun into the opposite lane of traffic and was struck on the driver's side by a van.
The crash occurred in the 13100 block of West U.S. 42.
According to police, Bailey had been traveling eastbound on U.S. 42 in a 1999 Ford Contour. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the van, 43-year-old Robert Ochsner of Louisville, was not injured.
Beginning Wednesday, March 23, The Spencer Magnet's website, www.spencermagnet.com, will become a subscription-based service.
Anyone with a subscription to the newspaper will have access to all of the news and features that appear in each week's print product, along with a number of online-only features including videos, slideshows and more.
A digital PDF version of the newspaper will also be available online.
A wonderful season came to a disappointing end Tuesday night for the Spencer County Bears as they fell to Oldham County 70-50 in the finals of the Eighth Region Tournament in New Castle.
The Spencer County Courthouse has seen its share of uninvited guests recently — at least that's what the empty pizza boxes found after hours would suggest.
During Monday morning's fiscal court meeting, Judge-Executive Bill Karrer told magistrates about the apparent after hours guests.
"It seems like we have gremlins in our courthouse," Karrer said.
Karrer said it seems like a group of teenagers might be sneaking into the courthouse just before it closes and having a party of sorts.
When Superintendent Chuck Adams took the helm as the leader of Spencer County Schools almost four years ago, he said improving the struggling district was a daunting challenge.
"It's been absolutely overwhelming at times. When you come in to a divisive situation, your first order of business is to reassemble a vision and direction, and to bring in as many supporters as you can," said Adams, who was recently awarded a contract extension by the Spencer County Board of Education.
A Springfield man died Friday afternoon after crashing his truck into an embankment on Ky. 48.
Copyright © 2016
The Spencer Magnet is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Spencer County, KY and the surrounding area.


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Aerospace Plane Technology:
Research and Development Efforts in Japan and Australia
NSIAD-92-5: Published: Oct 4, 1991. Publicly Released: Oct 4, 1991.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
(202) 512-4800
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO composed investment in Japanese and Australian aerospace vehicle research and technological development efforts with the joint Department of Defense (DOD) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) Program.
GAO found that: (1) Japan has not officially approved a plan to build an aerospace plane, although it has been conducting feasibility studies and developing critical technologies primarily to achieve autonomy; (2) neither Japan nor the United States have officially approved a plan to build an aerospace plane; (3) Australia has not developed a national aerospace plane program, although it has been developing subsystems for future aerospace vehicles and its facilities have been used to test various U.S. aerospace vehicles; (4) because of its more technologically challenging NASP Program the U.S. has been ahead of Japan in hypersonic aerospace plane technologies, although Japan has been making a more determined effort to challenge U.S. superiority in hypersonics; (5) between fiscal years (FY) 1986 and 1990 the U.S. government and industry invested almost $1.8 billion in the NASP Program, whereas Japan had only invested about $150.4 million between FY 1982 and 1990 in various aerospace plane studies; (6) Japan's rate of progress in refurbishing and modifying old facilities and building new ones has been significantly greater than that of the U.S., although it still needs more trained personnel and better test facility instruments before it will have adequate support for testing aerospace planes; (7) Japanese government and industry officials believe that developing an aerospace plane will ultimately require an international effort, because of the extensive technological requirements, tremendous costs, and lack of adequate test facilities; (8) combining national interests, expertise, approaches, funding and sharing of test facilities in a major international collaborative effort could be competitive with the NASP Program; and (9) Australia represents no present commercial threat to the U.S. in aerospace vehicle development.
Apr 8, 2016
Federal Research:Information on DOE's Laboratory-Directed Research and Development ProgramGAO-16-486R: Published: Apr 8, 2016. Publicly Released: Apr 8, 2016.
Jan 20, 2016
Federal Research Opportunities:DOE, DOD, and HHS Need Better Guidance for Participant ActivitiesGAO-16-128: Published: Jan 20, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 20, 2016.
Sep 9, 2015
GPS:Actions Needed to Address Ground System Development Problems and User Equipment Production ReadinessGAO-15-657: Published: Sep 9, 2015. Publicly Released: Sep 9, 2015.
Jul 30, 2015
Facial Recognition Technology:Commercial Uses, Privacy Issues, and Applicable Federal LawGAO-15-621: Published: Jul 30, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 30, 2015.
Mar 13, 2015
Defense Science and Technology:Further DOD and DOE Actions Needed to Provide Timely Conference Decisions and Analyze Risks from Changes in Participation [Reissued on March 13, 2015]GAO-15-278: Published: Mar 4, 2015. Publicly Released: Mar 4, 2015.
Mar 2, 2015
Federal Research:DOE Is Addressing Invention Disclosure and Other Challenges but Needs a Plan to Guide Data Management ImprovementsGAO-15-212: Published: Jan 30, 2015. Publicly Released: Mar 2, 2015.
Oct 3, 2014
Technology Transfer:Federal Laboratory Consortium Should Increase Communication with Potential Customers to Improve InitiativesGAO-15-127: Published: Oct 3, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 3, 2014.
Jul 23, 2014
Small Business Innovation Research:DOD's Program Has Developed Some Technologies that Support Military Users, but Lacks Comprehensive Data on Transition OutcomesGAO-14-748T: Published: Jul 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 23, 2014.
Jun 9, 2014
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education:Assessing the Relationship between Education and the WorkforceGAO-14-374: Published: May 8, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 9, 2014.
May 20, 2014
Nanomanufacturing and U.S. Competitiveness:Challenges and OpportunitiesGAO-14-618T: Published: May 20, 2014. Publicly Released: May 20, 2014.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here


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Tonight at 8 p.m. central, "JEK III Productions" presents a special 2-hour edition of "The Pugilist KOrner", featuring current WBC Lightweight Champion Omar Figueroa and undefeated Bantamweight prospect Adam Lopez!!
Pugilist KOrner link: Pugilist KOrner Radio
Pugilist KOrner listener line: 718-506-1506
Starting off tonight's program will be WBC Lightweight Champion Omar Figueroa (24-0-1, 18 KOs). The Weslaco, Texas native will discuss his most recent successful title defense, which took place this past Saturday night over Daniel Estrada, as well as his inevitable move to Junior Welterweight. "Panterita" will also talk about making the move back home and leaving world class trainer Joel Diaz.
The following segment will feature undefeated San Antonio fighter Adam Lopez (8-0, 3 KOs). The explosive counter puncher will be competing at TMB Entertainment's "Battle at the Ballpark" on August 30th, at Wolff Stadium against Leonardo Torres in the co-main event of the evening. The 23 year old fighter will also talk about his future in the talented enriched and very underrated 122 and 118 pound weight division.
The exclusive presentation will also feature undefeated Heavyweight Deontay "The Bronze Bomber" Wilder, IBO Super Middleweight title challenger Don "Da Bomb" George, Cruiserweight contender Francisco Palacios, and former WBC Junior Middleweight title challenger Vanes Martirosyan.
Tonight's two and a half hour program will be hosted by radio commentator and ring announcer Joseph Herron, as well as Pugilist KOrner producer James E. King III.
To listen to tonight's program, please click on the attached link or dial 718-506-1506.
Pugilist KOrner link: Pugilist KOrner Radio
Join us tonight on Pugilist KOrner Radio!!


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This article begins a series on whether, to what extent, and by what means a Christian may seek secular authority, i.e. government office, according to Christian writings before the thoroughgoing persecution, mass apostasy, and upheaval of AD 249-251. There were and are two categories of such office: elected politicians, and civil servants that are usually employed on a permanent basis regardless of change of the persons in elected authority.
The only sources that deal with our topic in depth begin in the last third of the second century AD. They include prominent church fathers and also a pagan who criticized Christians for their refusal to accept government posts of any kind, even those required for "the maintenance of laws and the support of religion." This first article of the series will consider the pagan Celsus's criticisms. The next two articles document and observe corroboration of them.
Part 4 will deal with the independent arguments of Tertullian against Christian participation in public life. Part 5 considers material of more general purpose than the writings of a single author.
Part 6 takes schoolteachers as a case in point. The seventh will consider the differing extent and types of government involvement in daily life between ancient Roman and modern Canadian regimes, and puts authors and political conditions into perspective to invite discussion as to whether and to what extent the blanket prohibition of public office-holding might apply to Christians today. The concluding (eighth) article will outline public activities which all early authors considered open to Christians, and cautions against simplistic methods of interpreting and applying the Bible and other early Christian sources.
This series presents more of a discussion than a thesis, for it deals with all early points of view, and frequently asks questions as to whether and to what extent the ancient wisdom is applicable in today's Canada.
In the last third of the second century AD, the pagan philosopher Celsus composed the earliest known systematic written attack on Christianity and its followers. He was well versed in Christian literature and practice, and directed his attack both against contents of the Bible and also against the day-to-day behaviour of ordinary Christians. His book was so incisive and influential that, towards the end of his own writing and preaching ministry, the church father Origen composed eight books in reply to it, collectively known as Against Celsus. Judging by Origen's comments, and those of other early writers who never referred to Celsus, he was largely accurate in his depiction of Christians as refusing to accept service in secular government.
Celsus urges us "to help the king with all our might, and to labour with him in the maintenance of justice, to fight for him; and if he requires it, to fight under him, or lead an army along with him." (Origen Against Celsus 8.73)
Celsus also urges us to "take office in the government of the country, if that is required for the maintenance of the laws and the support of religion." (Origen Against Celsus 8.75)
Celsus goes on to say: "We must not disobey the ancient writer, who said long ago, 'Let one be king, whom the son of crafty Saturn appointed;'" ( HomerIliad ii. 205) and adds: "If you set aside this maxim, you will deservedly suffer for it at the hands of the king. For if all were to do the same as you, there would be nothing to prevent his being left in utter solitude and desertion, and the affairs of the earth would fall into the hands of the wildest and most lawless barbarians; and then there would no longer remain among men any of the glory of your religion or of the true wisdom." (Against Celsus 8.68)
The implication throughout is that Christians persistently refused to fill state offices.


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Grovetown councilman found guilty of bribery
A federal jury convicted a Grovetown city councilman of bribery charges Thursday.
The jury convicted Leland J. "Sonny" McDowell of two counts of bribery after a three-day trial in Montgomery, Ala., according to U.S. Attorney Clark Morris, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office Middle Alabama District.
"We are just shell-shocked," McDowell said. "This is not what anyone expected up until the moment of the verdict."
Organizers of a three-day family and music festival hope to draw visitors as well as locals to Evans during Masters Week.
The Columbia County Championship Festival includes performances by Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, country artist Chris Young and a day of family-friendly activities at Evans Towne Center Park, said Jim Freudenberg, president and CEO of The Savor Society, which produces the festival.
Visitors from around the world are converging on Augusta this week for one of professional golf's more prestigious events – the Masters Tournament.
But springtime a century ago was a signal to Augusta's prominent residents to board trains out of the steamy city for rural getaways among the pines in Columbia County.
"The railroad made this town," Columbia County historian Charles Lord said of Grovetown, just 15 miles from Augusta. "The main thing was the train. ... That's what brought the people."
Two Columbia County residents recently celebrated their 100th birthdays two days and about a mile apart.
Vivian May Whyte Bock, a resident at Morningside of Evans, turned 100 on March 24, and Ruby Grimmer, who lives at Washington Commons, celebrated a century on March 26.
A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Bock attributes her long and healthy life to a positive mental attitude.
"I've just had a good time," she said. "Everyone has been nice to me, and I've been healthy."
By Barry L. Paschal
An Augusta woman who worked with students in Columbia County's 4H program has been charged with having sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Jennifer Gayle Davenport, 26, of the 1300 block of Baker Avenue in Augusta, is being held without bond at the Columbia County Detention Center since her arrest Monday, according to jail records.
Contaminated kerosene sold by a Martinez convenience store could cause an explosion if used, state officials warn.
Kerosene sold on or after March 31 from Sprint Foods, 424 South Belair Road, might have been contaminated with gasoline and should not be used in kerosene lamps or heaters, according to a news release from Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black.
An academy with a connection to a past Green Jacket winner will help an Augusta Prep educator further her teaching skills.
Augusta Prep Middle School math teacher Peggy Kelly recently was accepted into this year's Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy for math and science teachers.
She was one of just nine teachers in Georgia selected and among just more than 200 teachers chosen nationwide.
The week-long, all-expenses-paid professional development academy will take place in late July in Jersey City, N.J.
The transformation of an empty Food Lion in Evans into a Walmart Neighborhood Market is expected to begin soon.
Columbia County officials have nearly finished reviewing construction plans for the planned renovation in the Village at Furys Ferry, at Furys Ferry and Evans-to-Locks roads, said Columbia County Development Services Director Richard Harmon.
"It's ready for them to walk in the door pretty much and get a building permit," Harmon said.
Columbia County News-Times ©2016. All Rights Reserved.


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Policies & Procedures: Policy 1A.1
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Standard Service Hours for both campuses are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. During normal workday hours a Vice President or designee is the contact person on campus. From 4:30 -10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, a security officer or a facilities person will be the contact person.
See Procedure 1A.11/11 Service Hours for more information about college hours.
The evenings of the first four days of each semester (excluding Friday), an Educational Services Administrator will be on campus until 7:30 p.m. The names of those administrators will be published in the weekly College Bulletin. The rest of the semester, a security officer or a facilities person will be on duty.
Administrators may also be on duty in the evening and Saturdays as determined by the President.
In case of an emergency in the evening, a security officer or a facilities person will contact the administrators on the emergency list in College Policies and Procedures.
04.2010 Changed Administrator Saturday hours from 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m
05.2010 Removed phone list for Cambridge campus and changes Saturday Admin Duty hours to 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
10.2011 Updated Administrator Duty purpose, principles and responsibilities.
10.2012 Reduce amount of Administrator coverage during evenings and Saturdays.


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Arab Spring fatigue is spreading across the board in the United States. One year after Tunisia triggered a wave of Arab demonstrations and revolutions, Americans are discovering that Tunisia is not in great shape, Egypt hasn't changed much, the monarch is still in power in Morocco, and there's violence in Syria with no end in sight.
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No wonder that "Arabs are beginning to wonder whether they would soon start missing the corrupt dictators who ruled them for the past few decades." A Gallup poll recently found that residents of many Arab countries feel less safe today than they did a year ago. And such feelings have implications: "[S]upport for transitions or reforms may wane if the broader population perceives them as undermining community safety and stability. This is particularly the case where such demands fall along ethnic lines".
It is not surprising then, that there's a growing sense among American (and other world) leaders that "developments in the region signal a protracted crisis that could threaten Arab-Israeli peace, world oil supplies and the U.S. fight against terrorism". Look at recent events in the region:
Tunisia's moderate Islamic government is muzzling the press. Bahrain has cracked down violently on demonstrators. Libya's restive east, which holds much of the nation's oil, is proposing self-rule. In Egypt, where a new Islamic-majority government is poised to take power by July 1, pro-democracy workers face trial and the new Parliament voted unanimously to expel Israel's ambassador to Egypt. Across the region, economies are staggering and structures needed for political transition don't even exist.
Israel's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) just published a collection of articles marking the one-year anniversary of the Spring. And in his introductory overview of this collection General Amos Yadlin, former head of Israel's military intelligence, counts the winners and the losers of this past year:
The biggest winner of the past year is political Islam – in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and (perhaps soon) in Syria. It seems that the rise of the Shia in the Middle East has been curbed and that the Sunnis are the big winners of the Arab awakening. Turkey is also seen as a winner, even though it has paid a political price for hesitating over Libya, has lost economic investments worth billions in Libya and Syria, and is itself facing significant challenges because of the drawn-out repression in Syria and the Kurdish revolt at home.
The US, according to Yadlin, is also on the losing side: "They lost important allies in Egypt and Tunisia, their Saudi and Israeli allies find it hard to forgive them for abandoning Mubarak, and the instability in Libya and Yemen could strengthen al-Qaeda." This doesn't mean that America will always be on the losing side. Thomas Henriksen of Stanford University told NPR that "overall, I think it's good [for America]. People really want to be free, and in the long term, democracy and a greater freedom will come about in the Middle East. In the interim, there may be some difficult days". The question, though, is how long the US (or Israel for that matter) would have to wait until the "long term" becomes contemporary reality. In other words, does the US have the patience to stomach many more possible setbacks for the promise of a better future?
Giving up on Arab reform and democracy is premature, writes Marc Lynch: "We are still in the early stages of a profound structural transformation in the Arab world, and there's no going back to the old status quo. The Arab uprisings are far from over, no matter how much the Arab regimes would like them to be."
I tend to agree with Lynch, and also with Greg Gause of the University of Vermont, who told NPR that asking whether the Arab Spring is good or bad for the US is "almost like saying, 'Is a natural disaster good or bad for America?' It just happened. I mean, there's not that much… there's nothing that we can do about it." Nothing that is, unless someone still believes that the US has real influence in the Middle East, which both many Americans and Arabs seem to doubt these days - until proven otherwise.
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Connecting Learning to LifeLearn more here
From Our Blog
List of Schools Using CSS Profile
Participating Institutions and Programs The following colleges, universities, and scholarship programs use PROFILE, Noncustodial PROFILE, and/or IDOC as part of their financial aid process for some or all of their financial aid applicants. Please contact the institution for more information. CSS Code Name State PROFILE PROFILE for International Students Noncustodial PROFILE IDOC 0690 10,000 Degrees […]
Peter Thiel and Higher Education
Peter is one of the great immigration stories of the 21st Century. Like many immigrant families, his father moved them quite often because of his work. You can imagine how difficult it might be for a child to move all over the world switching elementary schools seven different times. Thankfully, Peter's father finally settled […]
Another Perspective on Obama Plan
Margaret Spellings on Obama Plan Margaret Spellings was Education Secretary under Bush. Read her perspective on President Obama's 3 point plan to reform Higher Education.
College Professors do not like online courses
Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology Check out this survey Gallup did for Inside Higher Ed. Do you think the professors surveyed did any substantive research on the quality of online education before answering the survey? Are the professor's attitudes justified or more reflective of an elitist, Luddite mentality more interested in self-preservation […]
President Obama Wants to Fix Higher Education
Unfortunately, because the speeches in New York and New Jersey were delivered just before the weekend during a vacation time for many of the headliners on popular, political talk shows and Syria decided to use chemical weapons on its own people, President's Obama's speeches on Higher Education didn't seem to register. However, we are […]
3 Positive Takeaways from Bennett's New Book
I want to be clear. Bennett and his ghost writer do not have your student's best interest in mind by writing this book. They are only interested in a political agenda. Their rhetoric is irresponsible. However, if I could distill all of the hyperbole, incoherent and conflicting ideas, inaccurate and inappropriate use of stats, and […]
College is Worth It!
Disclosure: I am a college consultant. I make my living convincing people to pay me for my solutions and services that will help them matriculate into a best fit school with an informed interest in a future career path. I absolutely believe college is worth it. I believe down in the marrow of my bones […]
Critics of College
In this series of posts, we are taking on the critics of a college education. We continue looking at the Preface of William Bennett's recent book, Is College Worth It? In our last post, we commented that the title of this Preface The Truth About College should be titled, Opinions Based on Faulty Logic and […]


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College Hockey:Hilbert's OT Goal Puts Michigan Past Michigan State
Shutout Streak Ends at Three Games for MSU's Miller
DETROIT — They say defense wins games, but could the No. 1 defense in the country topple the No. 1 offense in the CCHA?
No. 1 Michigan State failed to prove the old sports cliche true on Saturday night.
Michigan sophomore Andy Hilbert scored with 1:57 left in overtime to give the sixth-ranked Wolverines a 4-3 victory over the Spartans in front of 19,618 fans at Joe Louis Arena.
The win pulls the Wolverines (19-6-4, 13-4-2 CCHA) within three points of the first-place Spartans (21-2-4, 14-2-3).
"We got the break," Michigan coach Red Berenson said of the game-winner. "It doesn't mean first place, but it means we're still in the hunt."
Michigan State lost for the first time since a 2-1 loss to Nebraska Omaha on Oct. 20.
"It shows the character of this team," Hilbert said. "We knew we couldn't lose this thing. We were too psyched up, too excited."
Michigan State goaltender Ryan Miller stopped 32 of 36 shots, but broke his three-game shutout streak.
"He's a pretty realistic kid," Michigan State coach Ron Mason said. "I don't think he had a chance on a couple of the goals. I'm not too worried about him."
The Spartans had little worries about their first-period play, taking a 1-0 lead thanks to a turnover in the Michigan zone by Wolverines defenseman Jeff Jillson.
Troy Ferguson picked up Jillson's errant pass, and on the 3-on-1 break, Rustyn Dolyny slapped it past Michigan goaltender Josh Blackburn.
"Our boys kept the puck in the zone in the first period really well," Miller said. "Everybody thought we were just going to sit back and play defense. I think we surprised the hell out of people."
Michigan's offense came alive in the second period. Michigan took a 2-1 lead on tap-in goals by Josh Langfeld and John Shouneyia. Thanks to a tripping penalty on Michigan State's John Nail, the Wolverines' kickstarted their offensive flame on the power play. Langfeld tapped in a Mark Mink centering pass, saving a poor performance in the first minute and a half with the man advantage.
Michigan's second goal was one for the highlight reel. Shouneyia's original shot from the middle deflected off the goalpost. But Shouneyia then tapped the puck in mid-air past Miller giving the Wolverines a 2-1 lead.
The Spartans came back with two goals to close out the period within almost three minutes of each other. Troy Ferguson scored his first of the season, then Jon Insana added his second of the year to give the Spartans back the lead at 3-2.
It didn't take long — 14 seconds into the third period — for the Wolverines to tie the game at 3-3. Hilbert scooted around the Spartans' defense and found Mike Cammalleri in front of the goal. Cammalleri then got it past Miller for his 18th goal of the season and his sixth goal in three games.
The Wolverines controlled the tempo to their advantage for almost the entire third period, outshooting the Spartans 12-6 in the third stanza.
Michigan's best chance came when sophomore J.J. Swistak stole the puck from Michigan State defenseman John-Michael Liles. Swistak had Miller one-on-one but couldn't put it past the country's best netminder.
As the final horn sounded, Michigan controlled most of overtime, knowing it needed a win a lot more to try and gain ground on the Spartans. Hilbert received a pass from Mark Kosick and put it through Miller's five-hole, deciding the close game.
"It's great to see that two teams in the state can play each other that hard," Mason said. "Any team could have won."
Michigan played without the services of sophomore forward Jed Ortmeyer. The sophomore is out for the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Notre Dame on Tuesday.
The Spartans played four-deep on defense without Joe Markusen, who sat out due to a game disqualification against Lake Superior State.
Miller and the Spartans haven't given up four goals since the first game of the season and will have to recover on a road trip at Northern Michigan next weekend.
"Next week will tell of the character of this team," Miller said.
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Adele Leads 2011 Top Sellers
According to data released by music sales tracking service Nielsen SoundScan, Adele's album 21 and her single from the album Rolling in the Deep were the number one sellers in the United States for 2011. The album reportedly sold 5.82 million copies, with the single hitting 5.81 million downloads. As the singer-songwriter's second album, 21 is the biggest selling album since Usher's album Confessions sold 7.98 million in 2004. Judging by the initial sales of 21 when it was released in March 2011, it was no surprise to fans that Adele's album took top honors. The album sold 352,000 copies in its first week and has remained in the Billboard 200 chart's top 10 for 44 weeks and counting.
In second place for 2011 was Michael Bublé's album, Christmas with sales of 2.45 million. Lady Gaga was 2011's third biggest seller, with Born This Way selling 2.1 million. LilWayne took the number 4 spot with sales of 1.92 million for Tha Carter IV. The other six top ten sellers, in order, were Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party; Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More; Drake's Take Care; Justin Bieber's Under the Mistletoe; Jay-Z & Kanye West's Watch the Throne; and Lady Antebellum's Own the Night.
Interestingly, in this fast-paced digital world, 2011 was the fourth year in a row that vinyl album sales have increased, with 3.9 million in sales compared with 2.8 million in 2010. Statistics reveal that of every four vinyl LPs sold, three were rock albums, with 67 percent of all vinyl album purchases being made at independent music stores.
Created by Mike Shallett and Mike Fine, Nielsen SoundScan is the official tracker of music sales for the United States and Canada. Subscribers to the service include record company executives, music retailers, publishing firms, artists, booking agents, concert promoters and other music industry players. Information collected from around 14,000 outlets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom is made available to subscribers on a weekly basis. Billboard makes use of SoundScan data to publish their renowned weekly music charts detailing current music trends for the public.


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Scientists Reveal True Origins of the "6-Inch Alien" in New Documentary
The preserved skeleton of what appears to be a 6-inch "space alien" has been confirmed as human, according to scientists in a new documentary film Sirius.
Since the discovery of the small humanoid known as the "Atacama Humanoid" in Chile's Atacama Desert a decade ago, many have hailed the mummified remains as proof of extraterrestrial life.
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Theories about the mysterious bones ranged from those of an aborted fetus to a monkey and even a small alien that had crash-landed on earth.
In early publicity, filmmakers claimed that the documentary, which premiered Monday in Hollywood, would reveal the DNA of the creature with a gigantic alien-like head couldn't be medically classified.
Oscar Munoz had reportedly found the remains on October 19, 2003 in a ghost town in the Atacama Desert called La Noria, according to a local Chilean newspaper. He found " a strange skeleton no bigger than 15cm," covered in white cloth near an abandoned church.
The small, mummified creature had a bulging head with additional bulge on top and hard teeth. The body of the creature was scaly and dark, but unlike humans it had nine ribs.
But to the dismay of many UFO enthusiasts, who had grown increasingly excited in the weeks leading up to the premiere of "Sirius", after months of intense research, scientists concluded that the little humanoid was, in fact, human.
"I can say with absolute certainty that it is not a monkey. It is human -- closer to human than chimpanzees. It lived to the age of six to eight. Obviously, it was breathing, it was eating, it was metabolizing. It calls into question how big the thing might have been when it was born," Garry Nolan, director of stem cell biology at Stanford University's School of Medicine in California who performed the DNA tests, said in the film.
"The DNA tells the story and we have the computational techniques that allows us to determine, in very short order, whether, in fact, this is human," Nolan explained.
"We traveled to Barcelona Spain in late September 2012 to obtain detailed X Rays, CAT scans and take genetic samples for testing at Stanford University," said Disclosure Project founder Dr. Steven Greer, according to the Daily Mail.
"We obtained excellent DNA material by surgically dissecting the distal ends of two right anterior ribs on the humanoid," he explained. "These clearly contained bone marrow material, as was seen on the dissecting microscope that was brought in for the procedure."
After analyzing the DNA sample from the bone marrow extracted from the specimen, scientists concluded that the "Atacama Humanoid", nicknamed Ata, was an "interesting mutation" of a male human that had survived post-birth for between six and eight years.