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ARM Trip Report
I have just returned from another wonderful trip aboard some private varnish from Chicago to Tucson and I would like to share some of this adventure with you. So I will be sending some photos ( I took over 500) along in the next few days. We left Chicago on Thursday afternoon at the rear of the Texas Eagle and arrived Tucson (Port of Tucson) on Saturday around 10 PM at the rear of the Sunset.
To set the stage for this trip, I should explain how things are and why.
The Arizona Railway Museum owns several passenger cars that are out working on the railroad and are available for charter. These two cars are the Diablo Canyon and Vista Canyon, both ex Santa Fe. There are also several members of the museum that also own passenger cars and they are the Jane Marie, ex Rock Island coach owned by Jane and Bart Barton, The Promontory Point, heavy weight business car owned by Mike Margrave, and the Federal, owned by Janet and Dave Luca of New York. The Federal is a Pullman heavy weight business car built in 1911. The Federal was Pullman's second business car built for use by the Pullman Co.
All of these cars have been based in Kansas City in the summer and New Orleans in the winter due to the fact Amtrak no longer serves Phoenix and the Union Pacific refused to handle PVs at Tucson. Members of the museum have worked several years with the owner of the Port of Tucson, Union Pacific, and Amtrak, to make the Port a destination for PVs and it looks as though the work has finally paid off.
There was also the 09 AAPRCO convention that just wound up in Washington DC. This year's convention went from DC to Cape Kennedy, St. Augustine and Savannah before returning to DC. All cars dispersed to Chicago and then on to their normal homes. I did not have the time off to attend this trip. When I arrived in the Chicago coach yard on Wednesday afternoon, it was teeming with beautiful private cars from all over the nation.
There were twelve or more guests that would be traveling with us, among them were Tim Tennant, President of the Cumbres and Toltec and his group of five couples. There was also Mr. Bob Brubaker of Tucson. Bob is the head of the Old Pueblo chapter of the NRHS. Jane did the cooking for everyone except the Federal's party. We also had two paid waiters aboard and they did a marvelous job of keeping us happy though out the trip. I have a hard time being waited on constantly. Oh Baby!
I was assigned to the Jane Marie and had my own bed room. As it turned out Bart and I were the only two aboard this car except when the others came in to visit. All of us had free range to all cars including the Federal and its open platform during the trip.
This first series of photos includes the Chicago skyline from the parlor of the federal and the interior of the Jane Marie including my state room and the Jane Marie on the end of the inbound Chief on the inspection pit.
This set of photos depicts our train set together at Chicago's coach yard before pushing into the depot. We are attached to the Eagle for an early afternoon departure. The first interior photos are the dining area and the lounge area of the Diablo, followed by the lounge of the Promontory Point.
Unfortunately, Amtrak did not follow the move request instructions per Bart and no amount of arguing could change their mind. We were to have an open platform at each end because when our consist reaches San Antonio, we will depart in the opposite order as we arrived. So, when we left Chicago the Jane Marie was against the Eagle, followed by the Diablo, the Vista, the Point ( with platform to the rear), and the Federal at the rear (with platform to the rear). As it turned out, I was happy with the Jane Marie at the end after San Antonio due to the vestibules at each end of the Jane Marie which afforded a great place to view the train and scenery.
The Jane Marie has the best ride of the lightweight cars and of course both heavyweights have a great ride. This is not to say the Diablo and Vista do not ride well. Also, I sleep like a log when the train is moving and usually awake when we are stopped only to pull the blanket up a little tighter and go back to sleep. Private railcar travel is tough!
As I said earlier, there were many private cars in Chicago. Many were from the AAPRCO convention train but there were many from an NRHS excursion as well. Here are a few that were either coming or going when we in the coach yard.
The next few installments will depict the trip from Chicago to San Antonio behind the Texas Eagle. The route is very interesting as we pass though Joliet, Springfield, St Louis, Little Rock, Texarkana, Dallas, Ft Worth, and Austin. By 4:30 PM it is getting dark in Chicago so by the time we reached Lincoln Illinois there will be no photography. I did try some shots of the St Louis arch but with the train moving it was near impossible. I went to bed after St Louis and did not get out of bed (the Jane Marie is very comfortable) until Marshall Texas. It was my first time to see the arch and it is very beautiful at night. The best view was on the bridge over the Mississippi just south of the arch. It would have been a great time to make a stop.
At dinner time aboard the Diablo Canyon, I dinned with Al and Diane Ramsey of Phoenix and the museum, Ed and Valley (their last name escapes me at the moment) from the Cumbres and Toltec group, and Bob Brubaker from Tucson. All evening meals were formal with white table cloths and museum china. I had my share of wine plus someone else's. I think I had someone else's desert as well. The meals prepared by Jane were very good and the service from both waiters was excellent. Like I said earlier, PV travel is rough!
Ok this set depicts from the time I awoke some
time after Texarkana to big D. The first is the Marshall, Texas depot and museum
followed by the Mineola, Tex depot.
Around fifty miles east of Dallas we came to a stop due to the news there may have been a washout near Dallas. This could have been a problem for some, however for me it just meant more time aboard the train. After thirty minutes or so we continued on our way. I took advantage of the stop to take a long shower and put on some clean underwear. The rest of the passengers appreciated it very much.
The third shows the sole rider aboard the Jane Marie. I spent most of my time in the Jane Marie and usually by myself except when the owner sat with me.
The next one is the Dallas skyline followed by the infamous Deeley Plaza with the Texas School Book Depository on the left. The last time Dave Greenberg and I were there, I had chills run up my spine. The same thing happened this time.
On our departure from Dallas and after we passed the infamous Deeley Plaza, our route heads due west to Ft Worth. The trip takes less than an hour and we cross the Trinity River and pass the new home of the Cowboys at Arlington. We enter Ft Worth at the site of the famous Tower 55, the great railroad junction of Texas. At this location, over five rail lines converge, switch tracks and depart in as many directions. Tower 55 was a major rail fan hangout until they built the I-35 I-20 interchange smack on top of it. Our route from the east takes us pass the southeast corner of the tower and then we cross over to west side trackage for the reverse move into the Ft. Worth Transportation Center. As we push back, we pass the old Santa Fe freight house that is now a restaurant and business center and if you know where to look, we pass the old, but beautifully restored Texas and Pacific depot which is now a light rail center. At FT. Worth we water the cars and get rid of the trash that has accumulated since Chicago. I take up a position at the Jane Marie and answer questions from the poor Amtrak riders.
After Ft Worth we pass the old Santa Fe shops at
Cleburne, now operated by TTX and make a dash for Temple. We pass the old Santa
Fe depot at McGregor where the station chief will lock the doors and make a fast
run to join us at Temple. At Temple, we will be joined by a small group from the
Railroad and Heritage Museum which includes Judy Covington. Judy is the
Executive Director of the museum and played an important role in the Santa Fe
superintendents car #405 making its way to the Arizona Railway Museum in
Chandler. This group will have a fast diner aboard the Federal before detraining
in Austin.
After Austin, it's a night ride to San Antonio where we will be switched out for the early morning arrival of the Sunset. San Antonio will be the next installment.
San Antonio is the end of the line for the Texas Eagle with an arrival time of around 10 PM. The west bound Sunset arrives after 3 AM if is on time. During the layover many things happen. The Eagle has a through sleeper and coach that must be switched out and put in the proper position for the out bound Sunset. Tonight they have five PVs to switch, position, water, and inspect as well.
The westbound Eagle normally has one locomotive to handle the train from Chicago. Because all PVs were to travel together, we had to purchase a second locomotive. This unit was number 500, an old GE B-32-8 if my locomotive types are correct. This unit was a POS (piece of SH--). It was dead in the consist most of the way and hopefully Cruising by Rail will get a refund. This unit would also have to be cut out in San Antonio.
Our route into the city is kind of confusing, for me any way! I was on the platform of the Federal since Austin and our route took us though the worst part of San Antonio. We arrive from the south and when we depart on the Sunset, we will go back south.
At the beautiful and historic Southern Pacific depot which is just north of the Spur's old arena is a very nice SP 2-8-2 steam locomotive that is spotted next to the station tracks. It is lighted and has has a working head lamp and the cab is lighted. Now I did my best to photograph the area and equipment but without a tripod to hold the camera still it was tough so no bitching about the crispness of the photos.
There was also two other odd passenger cars located at the depot both with the FRA. The two track mainline is just next to the depot tracks as well and we weren't in the station for ten minutes than we had freight traffic pass by. It was a good thing this is a quiet zone so no horns.
After the #500 was set out, the switching was
handled by the road unit. Both through cars were positioned correctly and then
we were added. Now the Jane Marie was the tail car.
Bart set about hanging the markers, the red tail lamp, and beautiful Jane Marie tail sign. As we were having the hoses and cables connected, the westbound Sunset arrived early and backed on to our trainset. We watered the cars and then, since it was now 3 AM, I went to bed. Bart had to stay up until the inspection was completed. I remember when we started to move but I stayed in bed until the border town of Del Rio Texas which we will continue shortly.
I awoke shortly before Del Rio, Texas, to dark and rainy looking skies. This cloud cover would last until El Paso. Del Rio is your classic border town. It does however have a new Del Rio Transportation Center, we were there about ten minutes.
The only major problem traveling by PV that I can find is you really don't spend much time in your room because you don't want to miss anything.
The Sunset route from Del Rio to Alpine has some very interesting locations and some beautiful scenery. The track seems to continually twist and turn though one arroyo and mesa to another. Twelve miles west of Del Rio lies the immense Amistad Reservoir which I missed due to breakfast (breakfast burros which was a fitting breakfast), the deep Pecos River, with it's interesting approaches, Langtry, Texas, home to the infamous Judge Roy Bean, and the town of Sanderson which still has the remains of a once very nice Southern Pacific depot.
I spent most of the time moving from one side of the vestibule to the other at the rear of the Jane Marie. I did venture forward to ride in the Point and Federal. It was too bad the skies were dark. I think this was because NASCAR was in Phoenix.
Alpine Texas is a smoke break; so many passengers take a few minutes to stretch their legs. In this first photo, the owner of the Jane Marie, Jane Marie Barton, poses for the photographer. The nice little Alpine depot still sees a good many passengers because the eastbound and westbound (if they are on time) meet just west of town at Alpine siding. At this location, the trains park with their diner doors next to each other to trade items. What items? I do not know!
A few miles farther west is Paisano Pass with an elevation of 6,000 ft. If I have my facts correct, this is the highest elevation on the Sunset Route and the only interesting location from Alpine to El Paso except Sierra Blanca. Most everyone aboard took this opportunity to take a nap. I did!
El Paso is also a long stop plus there is a large engine service facility just east of the depot. It was here that I was told that I missed the UP business car train because I was looking out the south side (left) of the train at the engine facility and the special was parked some 40 ft from the right side of the train. Damn!
A mile or so west of the depot, we cross the Rio Grande and skirt the Mexican border. I was told to be on the lookout for rocks, however the kids only waved hello this time.
It was now dark and time for our last meal aboard the train. I was already beginning to suffer from POST TRIP DEPRESSION. I wonder if there is any medication for this ailment.
The interchange at Wilmot Siding with the Port of Tucson will be covered in the last installment.
The eastbound Sunset arrives Tucson between 10 and 11 PM. If all goes as planned, the Sunset will be delayed only 10 minutes.
The plan is to have Amtrak take the north Wilmot siding and pull down pass the switch to the Port where the Port locomotive is waiting. When the train stops, Bart and Dave Luca are between the train and our cars. With hand brakes set and the head end power (hep) dropped, Bart and Dave disconnect the power cables and reconnect to the rear of the Amtrak car, close the angle cock and lift the coupler pin. Amtrak pulls forward, makes a running air test and high balls to Tucson.
Tonight is the first time for this event and
everyone is cautious. The UP managers are in attendance to make sure everything
works smoothly and safely. The event takes a lot longer than planned but mostly
due to the over cautiousness and the dispatcher. We are soon watching the Sunset
disappear and we are headed east a few yards to the Port switch.
From the time we stopped on the Wilmot Siding to the time we set the hand brakes in the Port is about an hour. It will be much faster as this process evolves.
The cars are once again home in Arizona after several long years of traveling to Kansas City and New Orleans. The Port, when fully set up for PVs with power and water should be a great place for PVs to visit or winter.
This was a great trip. We had great service, great food, and a great time aboard the train plus we met a host of new friends.
Personally, I can't wait to go again!
I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I had doing it!


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Emmys 2012: January Jones Dons Dramatic Black Gown (PHOTOS)
Living up to her red carpet reputation, the always-chic Mad Men star — who plays Betty Francis on the hit AMC drama series — made a statement in an all-black ensemble.
The Mad Man star stunned in a semi-sheer black number by high-fashion favorite Zac Posen.
And she let the dress do all the talking.
With a slicked-back up 'do and sans jewels, Jones' let her dramatic, floor-grazing gown — featuring a criss-crossed bodice and full-bodied skirt — take center stage.
And she wasn't the only actress from Mad Man — which has a chance to make history by snaring its fifth best drama award — shining on the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Elizabeth Moss — up for outstanding lead actress in a drama series — wowed in floral-printed strapless frock, while the always-busty Christina Hendricks supported her designer pal Christian Siriano in a belted, beige gown.
See what the stars rock on the red carpet at Celebuzz.

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Lincoln, Neb. » Utah's gymnastics team came here with dreams of winning a national title. In the end, the Utes had to settle for a third-place trophy and the comfort of knowing they had done the best they could.
Utah scored a 197.425 to finish behind Georgia (197.825) and Alabama (197.575). Florida was fourth (196.725), followed by Arkansas (196.475) and LSU (196.375).
Georgia's win gives the Gym Dogs 10 national titles, which ties Utah for the most ever for a program. In addition, the five in a row ties Utah (1982-86) for the most consecutive NCAA titles won by one school.
Utah now has finished in the top four for the last five years. It finished third in 2005 and second the last three years.
"We moved a spot on the podium, just not in the direction we wanted," said Utah coach Greg Marsden.
That he could joke about the Utes' placing so soon after the meet is indicative of the team's overall mood.
The Utes were disappointed, but not devastated, they said.
Devastation would have been if they had failed to qualify for the Super Six, something that nearly came true before they won a tiebreaker with UCLA for third in the qualifying round Thursday.
That performance rated as the worst of the year by the gymnasts' estimations.
"What happened was good because it grounded us and made us appreciate where we are and enjoy the moment we have here," senior Kristina Baskett said. "Last night, we could not have had this moment, and we were going to take anything we got. It made us appreciate being on the floor today and representing Utah and the West Coast."
Friday was much different than Thursday, with Utah performing much more consistently throughout the competition. The problem was Georgia and Alabama improved on their Thursday performances, too.
Alabama started strong to take the early lead, while Georgia struggled on the bars and balance beam.
After two rotations, Alabama led with 98.75 points, while Georgia and Utah were tied for second at 98.625.
During a bye, retiring Georgia coach Suzanne Yoculan took her team into the locker room and reminded the gymnasts to compete so they wouldn't have any regrets.
Georgia did just that, coming out of the break and scoring a 49.575 on floor, with every gymnast earning a 9.9 or higher.
While Georgia was hitting big on floor, Utah was having a similar performance on vault, the event that was the Utes' saving grace Thursday when they earned a 49.4 to put them in the tie with UCLA for the last qualifying spot.
On Friday, the Utes did even better, posting a 49.525, led by Baskett's 9.95.
The effort put the Utes ahead of Alabama and gave them the hope they could catch Georgia on the last rotation.
But Georgia would have none of that, as the Gym Dogs scored a 49.625 on the vault.
Georgia ended the meet on a bye and started its celebration early, knowing that Utah needed an almost impossible score of 49.675 to tie.
Utah couldn't do it, finishing with a 49.275 on the bars. Every gymnast had 9.8 or higher, but it wasn't enough to catch Georgia or hold off Alabama, which finished with a 49.5 on floor.
"I can't be unhappy, not with the performance we had tonight," Marsden said. "I have nothing but praise for our team. They did a great job, but obviously there were a lot of other teams that did a great job."
Senior Nina Kim said the Utes had no regrets, not even making the T-shirts that said "2009 national champions" or wearing gold on their uniforms to signify first.
"It's about how we felt, those were our dreams," she said. "We believed in our hearts we did our best and we couldn't have done better. We don't have any regrets."
In brief » A good meet by the Utes simply isn't good enough, as they finish third after taking second the last three years.
Key stat » Utah puts up a 49.525, its second-best vault score of the year, to stay in the hunt for the national title.
Key moment » The Utes need a 49.675 on the bars to tie Georgia but score a 49.275.
Georgia Utah
Vault 49.625 49.525
Uneven bars 49.425 49.275
Balance beam 49.2 49.175
Floor 49.575 49.45


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Arizona voters may get to decide if they want to know whether their cold cereal is made with genetically modified corn.
An initiative drive launched this week would require a label on any foods sold in the state which contain "genetically modified food or ingredients consisting of or made form genetically modified foods." The same measure, if approved by voters, would force labeling of meat and meat products which have been fed with genetically modified food.
Backers have until July 3 to get 172,809 valid signatures to put the issue on the November ballot.
The move is getting the attention of the state's agriculture community.
Tucsonan Jared Keen, who is directing the effort, said it's simply a question of consumer education. He said people have a right to know if what they're eating is made from or contains genetically modified organisms.
But Julie Murphree, who is in charge of marketing for the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, said it's not that simple.
"It's not so much about the right to know but the right to create doubt," she said.
Murphree said that smacking a label on food that it was made from genetically modified crops essentially sends the message that there's something inherently bad or unsafe about it.
Anyway, she argued, there's nothing new about genetic modification.
"Historically, we've been modifying crops for going back 1,100 years," Murphree said. That includes cross-breeding and even "domestication" of crops, turning what was at one time little more than a grass into what we know as corn today.
"In reality, everything's been modified," she said.
But Keen said that's telling only half the story.
"Splicing two plants together and giving them a chance to cultivate and grow and see what becomes of them has been part of what we've been doing for centuries," he said.
"This is taking the gene of a non-plant item and basically shooting it into the gene of the corn," Keen explained. And that gene, he said, might be of a toxin designed to help make the plant more resistant to pests.
There is precedent for what the initiative is seeking.
Aside from federal regulations on nutrition labels, state law already mandates labeling of food for artificial flavors, artificial colors or chemical preservatives. The law even says that any product with vegetable fat or oil must contain the common name for that oil and the percentage of the product that contains fat.
Murphree said that those who want to avoid genetically modified foods already have options. She said they can eat foods that are labeled "organic."
And she said companies do respond to consumer demand, citing the decision earlier this year by General Mills that it would stop using bioengineered corn starch and sugar in its Cheerios.
But Keen said a similar mandate is needed for genetically modified foods. He said that most manufacturers have shown little interest in following suit.
Murphree said that's not surprising, saying there's no evidence that such products are harmful in any way.
She said, for example, that sugar produced from genetically modified beets – one of the things that will no longer be in Cheerios – is chemically and genetically indistinguishable from sugar from other beets.
"If you label this, you're giving food products with a GMO label the implication there is a danger when none exists," Murphree said.
Keen is not citing any specific danger, but he said there are at least circumstantial reasons to question the safety of these modified products, saying there has been an increase in things like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and gluten intolerance, all correlated to increasing use of GMOs.
Murphree countered that there are no studies linking GMOs to any disease.
Foes of GMOs got a similar measure on the California ballot two years ago. But it was defeated on a 53-47 margin after a campaign against it heavily financed by Monsanto, a major supplier of bioengineered seeds.
Washington voters also defeated a 2012 ballot measure.


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This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (
Post-fire vegetation response is influenced by the interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors such as topography, climate, vegetation type and restoration practices. Previous research has analyzed the relationship of some of these factors to vegetation response, but few have taken into account the effects of pre-fire restoration practices. We selected three wildfires that occurred in Bandelier National Monument (New Mexico, USA) between 1999 and 2007 and three adjacent unburned control areas. We used interannual trends in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to assess vegetation response, which we define as the average potential photosynthetic activity through the summer monsoon. Topography, fire severity and restoration treatment were obtained and used to explain post-fire vegetation response. We applied parametric (Multiple Linear Regressions-MLR) and non-parametric tests (Classification and Regression Trees-CART) to analyze effects of fire severity, terrain and pre-fire restoration treatments (variable used in CART) on post-fire vegetation response. MLR results showed strong relationships between vegetation response and environmental factors (
Natural disturbances like wildfire events can rapidly modify the landscape, often causing substantial economical losses and a drastic shift in ecological processes [
Ecological disturbances are often discrete events in time affecting ecosystem communities and populations by shaping their structures, redistributing their resources, and modifying the biophysical environment at different scales [
Wildfires are extremely complex phenomena in terms of the number of environmental conditions that regulates their magnitude and ecological impact [
Fire suppression practices in some U.S. forests have resulted in the accumulation of fuel, and the modification of the fire regime, potentially causing fewer but larger and more severe fires [
Our objectives in this research were: (1) to evaluate the influence of a selected set of environmental factors to describe post-fire vegetation response, and (2) examine if pre-fire restoration treatments have a significant effect in post-fire vegetation recovery.
The goal of this research was to evaluate post-fire vegetation response for three fires in north central New Mexico, as a function of local environmental factors and pre-fire restoration practices that took place in part of the burned areas. Surprisingly, research has been limited, and little literature can be found regarding the assessment of the collective effect of the factors previously mentioned on post-wildfire vegetation response [
The use of remote sensing technologies constitutes a good source of information and data to assess vegetation response and trends [
Remote sensing techniques have been extensively used to monitor and assess diverse aspects of wildfire events [
In this research we use two different widely used modeling approaches to achieve our goal. Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) is a parametric statistical technique. The procedure starts with the tentative explanatory model using a set of response and explanatory variables, and analyzes secondary models that are derived from the same explanatory variables. The final model is constructed with the independent variables that significantly contribute to the explanation of the response [
Classification and Regression Tree (CART) has been used in many disciplines [
This research is based on the premise that post-fire vegetation responses are influenced by environmental factors which might vary in importance, depending on geographic location. Also we pose that pre-fire restoration techniques applied to locations within a fire will likely affect post-fire vegetation response resulting in fire damage. Therefore vegetation stand conditions and response due to these conditions will differ among treatments. The following sections provide a description of the study area and the datasets used to derive our set of response and explanatory variables, including the method utilized to test environmental drivers of post-fire. The methodological pathway used in this study is sketched in
This study takes place in Bandelier National Monument which is located in north central New Mexico (35°53′38″N 106°17′02″W) in the area known as the Pajarito Plateau. The approximate extent of the monument is 13,290 ha, and its elevation above sea level ranges from around 1,680 meters near the Rio Grande River to approximately 3,240 m at the summit of the formation known as Cerro Grande. Bandelier National Monument was created in 1916 to preserve the cultural heritage and history from pre-Hispanic settlements and communities in the area (
The landscape in Bandelier is composed of sloped mesas cut by steep-walled canyons. The average annual precipitation ranges from 330 to 460 mm [
Forest fuels have been increasing in the last decades [
Within the area of Bandelier National Monument, we utilized three recent fires to conduct our studies (
For each fire, treatment types were identified according to restoration or mitigation actions that took place before the fire happened. For the three fires we surveyed at Bandelier National Monument, we identified burned areas that received no pre-fire treatment, and adjacent reference areas (not burned by the fire) that according to experts, sustain similar vegetation conditions to the ones present in each of the burned areas before the fire. Two of the fires we used for this study (Mid Elevation Mesas and Upper Frijoles Fire) had pre-fire treated areas.
The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) measures the amount of potential photosynthetic activity of vegetation [
Even though we cannot consider NDVI as a direct measurement of productivity, it is tightly linked to photosynthetic active radiation (FPAR), which is a factor that regulates production [
In this research we use the average of the NDVI for the monsoon season, derived from the MODIS sensor at 250 m spatial resolution. This average is generated by calculating the mean of MODIS-NDVI 16 day composite product (MOD13Q1) for the periods 13 to 17, which corresponds to the composites during July, August and September. For the treatments in each fire, we generated the monsoon averages for each year after the fire occurred. After obtaining the monsoon averages post-fire, we established a least square relationship using the following model to obtain the trend in vegetation response after each fire:
To find the local environmental variables that influence vegetation recovery, we derived a set of explanatory environmental variables from Landsat TM5 and other ancillary data sources. Specifically fire severity information and terrain characteristics (elevation, aspect and slope) were calculated, along with the location of pre-fire restoration treatments and specific management approaches that took place within the fire, previous to the event.
We prepared a collection of Landsat TM reflectance data (30 m spatial resolution). Two images per fire were selected, one during a growing season previous to the fire event, and one during the growing season after the fire event (
From each of the two images derived per fire we generated the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) as an indicator of fire severity [
The NBR has performed well when comparing burn severity in situ to the index measurements [
A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the study areas was provided by the National Elevation Dataset (NED) through the USGS, at 30 meter resolution. The DEM was surveyed and filled to correct for errors [
In this study we consider elevation and topography as a proxy for climatic variation within the study area, as well as an indicator of spatial arrangement and morphology of the land surface (
Finally we used pre-fire treatments as the last set of explanatory variables. Within each fire perimeter studied, we considered areas with pre-fire restoration practices on vegetation, and areas that did not receive any pre-fire restoration as two separated treatments. We also included areas near each fire that have not burned and have not received pre-fire vegetation treatments as our third treatment, to represent reference conditions. Due to differences in spatial resolution and projection [
In this section we discuss the statistical model used to assess the environmental factors affecting vegetation response post-fire. Using the environmental proxies previously defined, we: (1) Assess fire factors affecting vegetation response in each treatment; and (2) Analyze the effect of fire treatments along with the rest of the environmental factors in each fire.
For remotely sensed datasets the common output format is a raster with a given spatial resolution, determined by the two dimensional area represented in each one of the image cells, and the magnitude of each of these cells constitutes the average of the reflected energy of the area represented. In this research we use every pixel that is 30% or more contained within our treatment type as a sample for the specific treatment. Typically if the pixel is divided between two treatment types, the sample was assigned to the treatment that contains more area of the specific cell.
The Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) model approach in this study was designed to assess the variation on vegetation response explained by topographic and fire severity effects in each of the treatments per fire. For this analysis, we used vegetation response as our dependent variable, and the same set of independent variables derived for the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) model. However, pre-fire treatments were not included in the analysis since this model analyzes the effects of the rest of the environmental factors on those treatments. For our study we used the iterative process of forward stepwise MLR (with
For each of the models generated with the MLR we calculated the adjusted R2 and the standard deviation and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). Using the modeled results, we also generated a map of predicted values and a map of residuals for each of the pixels to assess where the model presented more errors.
One of the primary objectives of this work was the assessment of pre-fire treatment effects on post-fire vegetation trends. We used a non parametric method to assess the effect of pre-fire vegetation treatments along with the rest of our environmental factors. Our aim was to use the CART modeling approach to evaluate how pre-fire treatments and environmental variables have an effect on post-fire vegetation trends.
An analysis was conducted per-fire as a general model for factors affecting vegetation recovery post-fire. The level of pruning in these models was established by a process of cross-validation, where we developed and fit the entire tree, then evaluated the model using subsets of the entire dataset to produce the tree with the optimal number of nodes. The purpose of this is to improve the prediction of the response variable by the model (vegetation trend post-fire), these methods are extensively explained by Breiman
For each of the models generated we created a map with the values estimated for vegetation response after fire. We also plotted the decision tree scheme, showing the decisions taken for each step of the model and the variables contributing to the model development. Finally we generated the chart for the "best pruning level" where we show construction of the smallest tree that is within one standard error of the "minimum-cost" sub-tree. The cost of the tree was calculated as the sum over all terminal nodes of the estimated probability of that node times the node's cost [
We conducted a simple linear regression analysis between the estimated NDVI and the NDVI response per fire to analyze the goodness of fit for the overall model as well as the RMSE.
In this section we provide the results and discussion for (1) Post-fire vegetation response as a function of restoration treatments for each fire (2) The MLR approach for the analysis and modeling of the effect and importance of environmental factors in determining post-fire vegetation trends, for each pre-fire treatment per fire, (3) The CART analysis and modeling of the effect and importance of environmental variables and restoration treatments per fire. These analyses are used together to explain vegetation trends after disturbance per fire and also per treatment.
A series of parameters were estimated from vegetation response after fire (
In accordance to our assumptions regarding post-fire vegetation response (
We calculated the ratio in each fire by dividing the mean NDVI change through the year in each treatment (IPY) by the same change in the reference area (therefore the reference area ratio was always equal to one), to compare the recovery among treatments after adverse environmental conditions and disturbance events. From our results (
For the Frijoles Canyon fire, we obtained the opposite results: the reference area had the slowest positive response. However, the reference area in this particular fire had a high NDVI right after fire (higher than the burned areas). This suggests that climatic conditions in this particular fire were more favorable than in the other fires in the first year after disturbance, therefore the response trend could not be expected to increase rapidly for non-disturbed areas if the conditions were almost similar through the years analyzed. Further analysis will require vegetation structure surveys for each fire.
For every fire and reference area (
The Capulin fire (
Analyses of the Frijoles (
For la Mesa fire (
The variable usage and the fitness for each of the models previously described are illustrated in
Topography constituted a key component of our models due to its effect on the local factors; however, our main purpose for the inclusion of these variables is to capture the effects they have in local climatic variability [
Our analysis also suggests that much of the variability of post-fire vegetation trend can be explained by the variability in fire severity and the vegetation condition pre- and post- fire. The DNBR, and pre- and post- fire NBR where frequently used in our models (
Each of our models explains a substantial portion of the variation in each pre-fire treatment, suggesting that the selected set of remotely sensed and ancillary datasets used as independent variables captures part of the underlying ecological processes directly and indirectly affecting post-fire vegetation trends. All the models developed here significantly explain variation in vegetation trend (ranging from 0.2528 to .9086 in adjusted R2 values multiplied by 100) as a function of the combination of topographic relief and its properties, and also as a function of vegetation condition and fire severity.
The CART model steps and the rules used in each of the fires to model vegetation response are given in
We tested the goodness of fit for the CART results by comparing them to NDVI response in each fire, and also provided the root mean square error (RMSE) in the same NDVI units to show the average distance of the residuals. We found that in the case of Capulin fire the R2 was 0.87 with a RMSE of 0.0009 of NDVI units, for Frijoles fire R2 was 0.47 with a RMSE of 0.0096 of NDVI units, and for La Mesa fire R2 was 0.82 with a RMSE of 0.0016 of NDVI units. These results suggest that the variables included in our models substantially explain vegetation response after fire, and that the pruning level of the CART procedure allows the construction of these models by including the optimal number of factors in them.
The first split of the tree for the Capulin fire indicates that pre-fire treatment is the characteristic separating the burned with no pre-fire treatment, and the reference area. The second split occurs in the reference area, and it suggests that at higher altitudes the vegetation trend has a "steeper slope" (or faster recovery) than at lower elevations.
In the Frijoles fire model (
For the La Mesa fire model (
According to our models, elevation and pre-fire treatments were the primary response variables that explained post-fire vegetation response variation in the three fires we analyzed. The models show that elevation changes have a strong effect of vegetation response after fire, very likely due to its relationship to moisture and climatic conditions. These results along with previous research, discussed in this paper, suggest that climate and terrain condition are some of the important drivers for vegetation response after disturbance.
The objective of pre-fire restoration treatments is to mitigate fire severity and control fire spreading, by modifying vegetation conditions like density and fuel availability. Therefore, it is expected that pre-fire treated areas will suffer less severe damage due to fire disturbances than untreated areas that burn. In the models generated, the pre-fire treatments were always present as one of the factors affecting vegetation response. However, the models suggest that there was not enough variability between treatment types used in this study to separate the burned treatment types (pre- or post-fire treated), and the model separated only burned from non burned areas.
By analyzing post-fire vegetation response for this region, we observed that pre-fire vegetation management practices, topography, and fire severity control a significant portion of post-fire vegetation responses. From the Multiple Linear Regression analysis, our results corroborate that elevation, burn severity and pre- and post-fire vegetation condition strongly influence post-fire vegetation trend. These results agree with previous findings that suggest that these local environmental factors are key for vegetation development and activity [
In this work we used a Classification and Regression Tree model as part of our analysis to assess the effect of pre-fire vegetation treatments on post-fire vegetation response. Our results suggest that pre-fire treatment and pre-fire condition (fuel reduction practices impact on vegetation structure and biomass quantity) have a significant effect on post-fire vegetation trend, when analyzing effects of treatments in combination with the rest of the explanatory variables utilized in this study. However with the level of pruning used, these models do not clearly discriminate between treated and untreated burned areas, only between burned and non-burned areas. This model also suggests elevation as a significant influence for post-fire vegetation trend.
The two modeling approaches used here have advantages. We decided to use the MLR for each of the treatments essentially because all the datasets used for the model were normally distributed, and it was easy to explain their effects on vegetation trend post-fire using the conventional tests. This technique was only used to compare effects of environmental variables in different pre-fire treatment types. The second approach used was the CART model, which presented us with a powerful tool to analyze the effect of pre-fire treatment types and environmental variables on post-fire vegetation response. In this approach the response is modeled through a series of binary splits of the explanatory variables, making it relatively easy to explain (and understand) the effect of each variable in the model. The approaches and methods used in this project constitute a potential tool to help in the development of better strategies to reduce wildfire effects over the landscape. We use a wide array of environmental variables to analyze the response of vegetation after disturbance, and the techniques used give us the opportunity to assess their influence on vegetation response. Further explanation of fire effect on vegetation, will require the inclusion of vegetation structure post fire. Because of the remote sensing tool capabilities, these types of analyses can be conducted spatially and at different scales, providing the opportunity to analyze vegetation response after fire and other disturbance types. This approach could be refined through the use of this methodology to assess other fires and disturbances in the arid southwest portion of the US.
We would like to thank Craig Allen, researcher the USGS Fort Collins Science Center (Jemez Mountain Field Station), Susana Bautista, professor at the Universidad de Alicante, Barron Orr, professor at the University of Arizona, and Dan Malkinson, professor at the University of Haifa, for their help in the development of our analysis. We also thank Kay Beeley (National Park Service) and Rebecca Oertel (US Geological Survey) at Bandelier National Monument for their help providing information for this project. We would also like to thank NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC), the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center and The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), for the information provided. This research was funded by the International Arid Land Consortium (IALC) Grant 08R-01. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purpose only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.
Conceptual representation of vegetation response (production proxy) to climate, restoration and wildfire disturbance. During wildfire events restored-burned areas are expected to have less damage due to a reduction in fire severity.
Parametric and non-parametric approaches were used to evaluate post-fire response drivers. Remotely sensed and ancillary datasets were used to derive response and explanatory variables.
Explanatory variables used by Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) models. (
Monsoon trend for each pixel within the fire and the reference areas were computed. For Frijoles Canyon (
The MLR spatial interpretation for the model results for trends in monsoon NDVI are shown in Frijoles Canyon (
The regression tree models for post-fire NDVI with the optimal pruning level [
The CART spatial interpretation for the model results for trends in monsoon NDVI are shown in Frijoles Canyon (
Fire event and Landsat TM5 scene dates.
|Mid Elevation Mesas
|Upper Frijoles
Statistics for the mean monsoon NDVI trend estimated from the MODIS NDVI time series data. Where AF is the mean NDVI monsoon reading the first year after fire, IPY is the increment per year in NDVI units after the first year reading, percent is related to the increment based on the AF and Ratio results from the division between the treatment and the reference areas AF per fire.
|Frijoles Canyon
|Mid Elevation Mesas
Variables that were present in each of the models (per treatment), and the effect each factor has on vegetation response. Here we also show how much each model explains the variation in response, percent of the time each variable was used.
|Frijoles Canyon
|Mesa Fire


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Instead of drafting a small PG like Ty Lawson or Darren Collison, how about drafting a tall SG who can handle the ball like Evan Turner? He's very versatile and can replace Willie Green in the near future. The 2 PGs may be too small and can not play with Lou Williams any way.
As far as a tall PG, I'd say draft Nick Сalathes. He's 6'5", can pass near Jason Kidd's level and he is a very high % shooter from outside (a la Calderon). He isn't that athletic but he has supreme skills.
With Thad, I'm sort of happy with his progress so far. He has gotten better at scoring (which is important) but he isn't defending, rebounding or passing at last year's level. First off, they need to move him to the 3 and move Iggy to the 2. He really isn't a PF. Second, they should use him as the primary scoring option now. He probably has the best offensive repertoire on the team already.
I'd still like him to improve on his ancillary skills though. I agree with Brian, he should be an excellent defender if he works on it. He also has to board better as there are some midget PGs in the league averaging more rebounds than him in less minutes a game. He possesses the wingspan of a pterodactyl and has amazing hops so he should be rebounding better than he has this year.
Brian, it is nice when Iggy doesn!t have to be the #1 option and can just play.The sooner Thad becomes a 20 ppg. player the sooner the Sixers may decide to get a lockdown, pressure the ball p.g..Or A.Miller!s minutes may be able to be cut some [32?] so we can pressure the ball a little more.As far as the draft, L.Will. hopefully will have a defined role by the end of the playoffs; if he is our backup 2 guard and Iggy our starting 2 guard the only place for a shooter is the backup p.g. position, and he has to be tall to guard the opposing 2 guards [Ivey].It is tough to be pigeonholed when drafting and look for a certain type, that is why I hope L.Will. can be our backup p.g. and a backup 2 can be added.I like Turner and Terrence Williams because they are good creators and in Williams case, a lock down defender but my guess is shooting is at the top of their list when looking at players in the draft.
Brian, I agree Thad needs to become the go to scorer. I am not on the same page with you about Miller.
Miller might be one of their top 2 players right now, but Miller/Iguodala/Thad just does not work. Not enough shooting. Even ignoring 3pt shots, look at 2 pt shooting (http://www.82games.com/0809/FGSORT7.HTM .) Thad is developing a decent spot of 3 ball, and can score inside, but he still is a horrible 2pt shooter, just like Iguodala. They shoot 35% and 34% on 2pt jumpers. They are both bottom 15 of the 125 regular players listed.
They can get away with this if they have a shooting PG. They also have less need for a 'true' PG with Iguodala's ability to create. They need a PG who can shoot- even if that player is overall not as good as Miller. Even if that player is a rookie.
Look at Lebron/Kobe/Wade. All way better than Iguodala, but similar in that they create enough where a good shooting PG (Mo Williams, Fisher and Chalmers) is a better fit than a pure PG with limited range like Miller. I argue Iguodala has reached the level as a creator/slasher that the same thing is true for the Sixers.
The other key is that with tall/long wings like Iguodala/Young your PG must be able to cover quick PG's. Right now Green does this for Miller. Iguodala will not be covering the PG for Miller like Green has. They really need a Chalmers type (they almost traded to get him for good reason.) Not a great player or PG, but can defend and hit shots. In the draft Curry could fall to them perfect fit on offense), but he is going to be killed just like Miller by many PG's. Maybe he is a better defender than I think?
IMO miller is a better defender than you give him credit for, but we've differed on that for a long time.
If you're looking for a rookie who can come in and shoot jumpers better than Miller (he's currently about middle of the pack on that list you showed above for PGs at 41%), and cover quick PGs, you're asking a lot. Chalmers doesn't even fit that bill (he isn't on the list at all).
I'd love to have a definitive stat to point to for Miller's defense. 82games only breaks down opponent's production by position, not by who the player is actually guarding. In general, I think it's overblown and I don't see a drop off at all when Miller eventually slides from the two to the one. From what I've read from the coaches, they start Green on the opposing point so Miller doesn't have to work so hard on defense early on.
This is all a conversation for next season, but personally, I'm fine with Miller on the ball. With Brand back, they'll have two guys protecting the hoop if guards can penetrate.
Draft Express doesn't project calathes to come out this year and has him a top 10 in the 2010 draft.
WHy is this interesting to me?
In the 2008 draft, draftexpress didn't project a certain player from Florida to come out at this time last year and projected him as a top 10 pick in the 2009 draft.
If Stephen Curry falls to the sixers how much of it is because he was more hype than substance - he's a kid who worries me - he was impressive in the tourney - but suddenly you got people cooling off on him who look at the game with a more analytical eye who aren't 'just' impressed with his points per game.
Only player i've developed any interest in is a late second round pick kid named woodside at North Dakota State as a back up point guard (who could not be on the floor as the same time as Lou, but that's ok - I'm of the 'one andre at all time' school)


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July 2, 2009
June 21, 2009
May 28, 2009
May 18, 2009
Corey McSweeney lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and follows the Indianapolis Colts, Boston Red Sox, and all Detroit teams and the Michigan Wolverines.
You can leave him message on his board here or at email@example.com
He recently created a new blog, called The Summit City Report (summitcityreport.blogspot.com), which will provide for more quick hitting analysis to supplement his articles from B/R.
Since all else has failed, I see no reason for the Knicks not to sign Allen Iverson.
read this awesome news!
Are you ready for some Football? I know I am. I would love it if you would check out two of my college football preview articles.
I looked back at 2 trades that may affect what the Blue Jays decide to do with Halladay, plaus what he means to the pennant race.
Is Ben Roethlisberger more clutch than Tom Brady and the rest of the league? I've created a new measure to test quarterback "clutchness". FInd out how Peyton Manning fairs.
I screwed up the link, but fixed the title
the offense is done:
Pedro Martinez's activity during All-Star week has not been the type I would have once predicted. What about you?
For the second time, I've had the privilege of interviewing an Indianapolis Colts football player.
This time I got to speak one on one with Colts' Wide Receiver, Pierre Garcon.
The exclusive interview can be read right here...
I hope you enjoy the article and would love to hear your feedback if you get the chance.
-Ryan Michael
After the great success of my first article about the uniform numbers 1-10, I have come back with the next installment, with the best players to wear the uniform numbers 11-20. I hope you can take a look and even comment on my choices. Thanks in advance!
- Matthew Falkenbury
Thanks for the link to the Ramirez-Beckett deal, that really is a great piece that I never really thought of before reading this.


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The Australian dollar has been at parity with the US dollar, or thereabouts, since late last year and has also performed well against other currencies.
This trend has encouraged Australians to take advantage of opportunities to travel to overseas destinations and buy goods online from overseas sources.
All good things come to an end sooner or later, however, and there are plenty of forecasters predicting the dollar will fall.
Commonwealth Bank says the Australian dollar will be worth US92¢ by the end of the year, National Australia Bank says it will fall back to US98¢ and Westpac is forecasting an increase in the exchange rate to $US1.03 by September and then a fall back to US99¢ by the end of the year.
Currency markets can be volatile and hard to predict.
A very simple way for travellers and others who are planning to spend a lot of foreign currency in coming months to protect their exposure is to exchange half their spending money now and half later.
If exchange rate movements go against them they have locked in current rates with half their money. If exchange rate movements go in their favour half their money is exposed to the upside.
For travellers on a strict budget or for those who like to plan with certainty, it might make sense to exchange more than half now.
There are plenty of ways to hold foreign currency these days.
Travellers can buy cash, travel money cards or travellers' cheques. For the adventurous, foreign currency exchange traded funds (ETFs) or foreign exchange trading sites offer hedging facilities.
The key is to get a good spread on the foreign exchange transaction and not be burdened with too many fees and charges.
Buy-sell spread
Banks impose a buy-sell spread on their currency transaction. For example, on March 8, ANZ's website said the bank would sell the US dollar at a conversion rate of 0.98. In other words, a customer would get US98¢ for every Australian dollar they spent.
For customers selling US dollars back to the bank, ANZ was offering a conversion rate of 1.04 - that is one Australian dollar for every $US1.04. The exchange rate on the day moved about $US1.01 for one Australian dollar.
The spread means the bank makes money buying and selling foreign currency and, as the example above shows, that spreads can be wide.
It is worth doing some homework - looking at different bank, credit union and specialist travel money websites to see who is offering the best spreads at the time you want to do the foreign-exchange transaction.
On the same day in March, Commonwealth was offering a conversion rate of 0.97 to sell US dollars and 1.04 to buy - not as good as ANZ on the sell side but the same on the buy side. Teachers Credit Union was offering a conversion rate of 98.8 to sell US dollars - the best of the three.
American Express has an online ordering service called FX4You that offers a good rate. The cash or travellers' cheques have to be picked up at a post office or an American Express office.
However, the spread is not the only cost you have to worry about.
Fees vary widely
The Commonwealth Bank Travel Money Card issue fee is $15 and the initial load is free. But the reload charge is 1 per cent. Reloads can be done through BPay. The CBA withdrew its inactivity fee last year, as did other banks. Closure is free.
For foreign currency notes, CBA charges 1 per cent of the value, with a minimum charge of $8 per currency. For travellers' cheques the bank charges 1 per cent of the value, with a minimum of $8. ANZ's travel card has an $11 issuance fee and a reload charge of 1.1 per cent.
ANZ's fee for foreign currency notes is 1 per cent of the value, with a minimum charge of $8. For travellers' cheques the charge is 1.1 per cent of the value, with a minimum charge of $13.
The best deal is at Australia Post, which charges no commission on travel money sales. That includes Travelex Cash Passport, American Express Global Travel Cards, American Express travellers cheques and foreign currency.
Consumers will also pay ATM withdrawal fees of $3 to $4 (travel money cards cannot be used at point-of-sale terminals). Additional fees are charged for reloads.
For credit cards, Choice estimates the median charge is 2.95 per cent for currency conversion during a transaction. Choice found one bank charging 3.45 per cent for currency conversion. If a card is used to withdraw cash overseas a cash advance fee will be charged.
For debit cards, Choice found a currency conversion rate of 2 per cent to 3 per cent and ATM withdrawal fees in line with charges for travel money cards.
Travel money tips
❏ Notify your bank, or banks, of your destination before you travel.
❏ Don't rely on using a signature for transactions. Some countries (Visa Australia says New Zealand, China, Britain, Ireland and France are in this category) have moved to chip technology that requires a PIN for all transactions.
❏ Keep a copy of the customer service numbers of all financial services companies you deal with.
❏ Check to see if there are any daily withdrawal restrictions in the country you are travelling to.
❏ Do not keep all cash, cards and cheques in one place. Make sure if you are robbed or lose your wallet you do not lose all your travel money at once.
❏ Keep a copy of all receipts to check against your statements.


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I'm posting this to give you a snapshot into my life to allow you to be aware of all that I've been up to and what I'm VERY EXCITED to be bringing to you in the very near future. Do you think I'm a little overwhelmed? LOL!…. Here's what's been goin' on!
Dinar Daddy's Sites
- Dinar Daddy's Tidbits: You'll see a few small changes that will improve how this site runs, mostly behind the scenes.
- Dinar Daddy's Chat: Within the next few days, I'll be introducing you to Dinar Daddy's Archives, the NEW site set up on the old Dinar Daddy's Chat site, www.ExchangeTidbits.com. I have so much content from my sites and services that I've chosen to use that site to be a completely free access and reference site for everyone to be able to obtain access to ALL information from ALL my sites and services, minus Investor Tidbits.
- The Weekly Tidbit: I will be starting up my weekly newsletter publication once again in October.
- Investor Tidbits: My most exciting project to-date is very much moving forward and I will be releasing it when I feel it's at a point where EVERYONE will find it worth a daily visit. I don't have a launch date set because I'm revamping much of what was already done. I want it to be very impressive and worthwhile. Once live, you'll be able to access this valuable site and service at www.InvestorTidbits.com.
Dinar Daddy's Services
- SMS Text Notification Services (CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THESE SERVICES)
- Daily Dose: I am phasing this out and will be moving all Daily Dosers to my Weekly Update service free-of-charge.
- Weekly Update: I will be starting this up again in October.
- RV Announcement: If you're signed up, then you should be good-to-go. There's nothing else I need to do other than inform you once we notice a significant adjustment in the price of the Iraqi Dinar.
- The Weekly Tidbit (Newsletter): As stated above, I will be introducing an all new cast of industry experts and opinions in a variety of professions staring next week. You can go to www.TheWeeklyTidbit.com to access my latest release that is a few months old at present.
- Tidbits Radio: I will be returning with a series of short educational and promotional interviews starting as early as next week. I will announce the schedule soon. To access my new radio page and follow me, please CLICK HERE.
- Dinar Daddy's Dashboard: This service has been one of my most consistent services. Many enjoy this news and info highlights desktop application on a daily basis. For more information on this FREE service and to download, please CLICK HERE.
- Dinar Daddy's iPhone App: Beta 2 release was completed TONIGHT!!! We should be releasing this VERY IMPRESSIVE application within a week or so. I'll keep you posted on when I've released it and what you need to download that WAY COOL new "toy". Sorry Droid users, but nothing has been started for that application other than we now have a blueprint for this that will make the development process go much quicker.
Dinar Daddy's "Day Job" (Treasury Vault)
- Treasury Vault by Fort Knox (Safes & Vaults): I introduced the team at Treasury Vault to Fort Knox, and set up their supplier relationship with the premier provider and leading manufacturer in the world of high-end residential safes and vaults. If you wish to read more about these incredible safes and vaults, please CLICK HERE.
- Treasury Vault SMS Text Alert Service: I set up Treasury Vault with their own version of the SMS Text Notification Service that they use to provide notification of major exchange rate changes for the currencies they make a market in, and to allow their subscribers priority notification of new promotions and additional savings opportunities. This is a FREE service they provide their subscribers. To read more about this service I set up for Treasury Vault, please CLICK HERE.
- Industry-Changing Services & Products: Due to my unique perspective and access to important people and critical products, I've been able to affect change at Treasury Vault in a very nice way that speaks to the needs of so many who have been following the Iraqi Dinar and world markets. I will be announcing over the next 10 days, a few new products for Treasury Vault I feel many of you will be very excited about and interested in. Furthermore, I will also be introducing a couple of new services and opportunities that MANY MORE will most likely want to take advantage of! I'm not at liberty to share some of these things I've set up for them for another few days, but I'm confident all that I'm doing there is a direct result of my unique position as Dinar Daddy, the HUB of Information surrounding the Iraqi Dinar, the world currency markets, and general world economic news. For that I'm extremely grateful I have the ability to make a large impact for positive change.
It's my opinion that where much is given, much is expected. I feel I've been given a tremendous responsibility being in the position I'm in as Dinar Daddy. I don't take that lightly at all, and I certainly don't feel I carry the ego that would otherwise cloud my judgement. I'm doing all I can to help EVERYONE as much as I can, and to fulfill the promises I made to everyone following me when writing my first eBook, "Dinar Daddy's Self-Sufficient Speculator". I hope that what I'm doing now, and what I'm bringing to you all in the future is sufficient. Only time will tell. Either way, I am so excited about what I'm doing, regardless of the overwhelming workload, and I'm at peace about how I've conducted myself through all my efforts for you and for those I work with.
Yes, there will be much more to come, and I pray I will be guided as I must to continue down the path of truth, integrity, and professionalism. One things for sure in my mind, whether I provide you sites, services, and products directly through my Dinar Daddy offerings, or through my "day job" in working with the Treasury Vault team, I'm doing all I can to help improve this crazy ride for everyone interested.
I look forward to continuing my efforts to bring forward the "difficult-to-do" so things can be "easier" for all who would follow. Enjoy the ride!
Go Productivity… Go Good Stuff… Go Dinar!
Dinar Daddy


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It was bound to happen! Having already grossed the best part of $8 billion at the box office it was only a matter of time before Warner Bros. gave the public more of their beloved Harry Potter.
J.K. Rowling, the book's famous author, is writing a Harry Potter spin-off based on the series' spin-off book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Have you heard of Fantastic Beasts before on your Harry Potter travels?
Avid fans out there will remember the reference, as it is mentioned in the novels. You may recall that Harry and Co. studied that book at Hogwarts.
Warner Bros. has been sure to safeguard Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and is also making sure it registers trademarks for any other Harry Potter spinoffs. There are also other names which are being trademarked such as The Tales of Beedle the Bard and Quidditch Through the Ages.
Even though Warner Bros. are registering those trademarks it is no guarantee that the books will end up on the big screen. Despite the fact that the trademarks cover everything from TV to video games no one knows if or when Warner Bros. will adapt the spinoffs for the big screen.
Here is the full statement released by J.K Rowling regarding the Harry Potter spinoffs:
"It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author ofFantastic Beasts, realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood. As I considered Warners' proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn't dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros. Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for 17 years, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world. The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt's story will start in New York, 70 years before Harry's gets underway. I particularly want to thank Kevin Tsujihara of Warner Bros. for his support in this project, which would not have happened without him. I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it."


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ICMAD is a non-profit trade association dedicated to providing programs and services to those creative, innovative cosmetic companies to help them succeed in the rapidly changing, highly competitive cosmetics and personal care industries.
ICMAD Mission: "To represent, educate and foster growth and profitability of entrepreneurial companies in the cosmetic and personal care industries worldwide"
Why Choose ICMAD?
ICMAD helps member companies grow their business in many ways:
Special Partnerships
Business Assistance
What's New?
To learn more about ICMAD and its events or to join please visit www.icmad.org


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As the local MP voiced concern about the British Nuclear Fuelsplan, the environment agency said last night it was investigating the issue.
The Guardian revealed yesterday that the Springfields BNFL plant at Freckleton, Lancashire, is to dump 30,000 bags of nuclear waste containing depleted uranium at a site three miles from Preston in the river Ribble.
A BNFL employee said in a letter that the bags would be the only form of containment used and would be closed "using just a couple of strips of adhesive tape".
The postmaster and a local councillor, Kiran Mulholland, said: "It just beggars belief... it will destroy any confidence local people had left in BNFL.
"I will be asking some very serious questions of the environment agency to make sure that licences are being complied with."
Philip Woodward, director of environmental services at Flyde council, said: "We need to establish if waste which should be stored elsewhere is being dumped here. We need some answers."
A shop owner, Linda Law, who has lived in Freckleton for 25 years and has three children, said she was scared by the prospect of radioactive materials being disposed of so close by. "People in this village have always been concerned about the dump but if this is what's happening, we need to be told. Our children are here and we have to think of our grandchildren too.
"People have lost any trust they had. We've never really been told the whole truth about what is being dumped and this is worrying indeed".
Anne Smith, who sits on Flyde's environmental liaison committee, said: "The people of Freckleton have been concerned for some time.
"I'd like to think BNFL had no intention to be secretive but this destroys confidence. We want to protect this community."
With residents expressing alarm, David Borrow, MP for South Ribble, said last night that many people in the area were worried by the prospect of radiation pollution of the nearby river.
The site, managed by Lancashire Waste Services, is used primarily for household and industrial waste - although for a number of years BNFL's Springfields plant, near Preston, has been using it for low-level nuclear waste. This type of waste used to be taken to the BNFL dump at Drigg in Cumbria which is filling up earlier than expected.
Lancashire Waste Services said in a statement yesterday: "To date the company has not been informed of any problems with this type of waste but we will continue to monitor the situation."
The company said it had been accepting low level radioactive waste from BNFL for many years under a special licence from the environment agency. The company said disposal of the materials have complied with agency regulations and passed spot checks for radioactivity.
The environment agency said: "We are looking into the allegations made in the letter received by the Guardian. But these are complex issues and will take time." So far no irregularities have been found.
A spokesman for Lancashire Waste Services said deliveries from BNFL were labelled and disposed of immediately according to regulations but added: "We do not carry out inspections of the contents on site. That is an issue for the environment agency and companies involved."
The land currently used for waste disposal at the site will be converted for agricultural use when the company's licence runs out in a year.
BNFL www.bnfl.co.uk
HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate report on Springfields www.hse.gov.uk/nsd/llc/2000/
Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment www.corecumbria.co.uk


text:
Fusion cuisine combines the best of both worlds, much like when Jupiter crashes into Mars next year. Let flavors collide with this Groupon.
Choose Between Two Options
$12.50 for $25 off your bill
$35 for three vouchers (a $75 value); each voucher is good for $25 off your bill
You can order anything on the menu, including Chinese chicken, goat, and seafood entrees prepared in an Indian style, as well as noodle dishes and vegetarian dishes.
Want a Suggestion?
- Entrees—homestyle lamb curry ($12.50) and Tangra-style chicken-and-shrimp chow mein ($10.90)
Total Bill: $23.40 for two
Bordoloi's Asian Fusion
When Chinese immigrants came to India—specifically Calcutta—centuries ago, they brought with them culinary traditions that slowly merged with local flavors over time. The chef at Bordoloi's Asian Fusion showcases the unique style of Indian-Chinese cuisine that developed from this blending of cultures as he serves up dishes such as chili chicken, Tangra-style mutton, and spicy red manchurian noodles. To accommodate vegetarian diets, the menu boasts a wide variety of herbivore-friendly options, including meatless momo dumplings, okra with chili, and vegetables with cashews.


text:
lies at the mouth of the Bosphorus, a strait
which formed thousands of years ago when the
land between the Black and Marmara seas split
apart. Since it was founded the city has possessed
a unique, even magical, attraction. This is
true today, as travellers from all over the
world attest, and was so in the past. Who were
the first to be drawn by this irresistible magic?
The history books tell us that in the 7th century
BC people from the warm climes of Megara, a
city in central Greece, travelled to the cooler
seas of this region. Under their legendary leader,
Byzas, they established a colony here. They
must have been people who appreciated beauty,
because others who arrived earlier were not
so discriminating in their choice of site. If
they had been, would they have settled on the
flat Asian shore which lacked the spectacular
views over both the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus
on the opposite shore? Although so close, Chalcedon
on the Asian shore enjoys slightly milder winters,
and perhaps it was this which motivated them.
the case, the Megarans settled down facing the
Chalcedonians on the other side of the strait.
But was it just beauty which drew them there?
Cynical voices deny this, suggesting the less
poetical explanation that they merely found
the Golden Horn a perfect sheltered harbour
for their ships.
However, poetry and lyricism are the food of
life, and bring our story to life. Istanbuls
enchantment has been shaped by many fascinating
events, one of which occurred when the glorious
Roman Empire stretched out its arms to this
place, and one of its majestic rulers appeared
on these shores and hills. In a struggle for
power in the boot of Italy, this remote town
played on the wrong horse when it backed Niger.
his rival Septimus Severus won. As if that were
not enough, it made another wrong move by refusing
to surrender, and Septimus Severus laid siege.
was then that the magical elixir began to work
again, and the emperors Constantine and Justinian
brought new splendour to their capital city.
The centuries passed, and in the 15th century
the last stage in the elixirs life commenced.
A tribe of people from the distant heart of
Asia had arrived in Asia Minor to mingle with
the ancient indigenous peoples.
At the same time they drew into their midst
the most promising young people of the Balkans.
This process inevitably led to crowning their
expanding empire with the city of Istanbul,
and thus the rest of the story began to unfold.
The successors of the Byzantines adapted with
perfect harmony to their new capital, and with
each passing century added to the manmade adornments
of its beautiful natural setting. When Süleyman
the Magnificent appointed a genius like Sinan
as his architect and poured chests of gold at
his feet to pay for a mosque in his name, Sinan
created an extraordinary monument.
above all it was the spring months which caught
at the heart. Spring was a time of joy and hope,
as everywhere in the world. But springtime here,
on these hills and these shores, was still more
evocative. While greens of every hue painted
the forests, the judas trees which nature grants
so sparingly were like splashes of pink and
cyclamen applied at random by a painter, transforming
those expanses of green into paintings of bewildering
loveliness. The magic of Istanbul was the result
of such a spell woven by nature and art. The
past century has affected this corner of the
world, as it has so many other places. It seems
as if the old magic has fallen silent, allowing
a new world to impose itself in places over
the past.
But universal beauties are not so easily defeated,
and powerful actors do not so easily retreat
from the stage. The machines of modern cities
cannot always manage to silence the old enchantment,
and in todays crowded metropolis there
are still places where the commotion fades and
the old music can be heard.
spring on the hills of the Bosphorus the brush
of that great painter still sprinkles his pink
colours over the green background. The monumental
fountain of Beykoz still plays its sweetest
music. A ship passing close to the shores of
the Bosphorus appears at the end of a deserted
street like an old friend and carries your heart
away. On moonlit nights the apricot coloured
light of the moon lights up your soul like a
magic lamp.
A silver wash of light on the dark blue waters
glimmers with the magic of Istanbul, coursing
through your heart and captivating you once
more. It was both easy and difficult for Istanbul
to hand you its magic elixir in a golden cup.
Easy because nature provided so many readymade
beauties as its raw material, and difficult
because the elixir simmered on an ancient fire
for nearly three thousand years before reaching
Çelik Gülersoy is author of many
books on the history of Istanbul.


text:
This event is in the past.
December 17, 2012 | 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Category: Movie
Location: Welcome Center Auditorium | Map
42 W. Warren
Detroit, MI 48201
Detroit, MI 48201
Cost: free
Calendars: Theatre, Main Events Calendar, Department of Communication, Dance, College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts (CFPCA)
Audience: Alumni, Community, Current Graduate Students, Current Undergraduate Students, Faculty, Parents, Prospective Students, Staff
COM 5400, Techniques of Film and Video Production, is a capstone course for students in the production track of the media arts program at Wayne State. Seniors gain experience with the preparation, shooting and editing of video projects in film-style production. This special screening event presents the most recent batch of COM 5400 finished products. View the scheduled lineup of films.
For more information about this event, please contact Kelly Gottesman at 313-577-2897 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
The Embedded Artist Project: Antennas Of The Race
A unique initiative offers governments a different perspective on cultural issues.
Ezra Pound once referred to artists as being "antennas of the race." This could be interpreted as the artist's knack for posing relevant questions and picking up on those cultural activites that lead to change. In turn, their ability to create works that instigate this change are their greatest assets.
On Frances Whitehead's site for the Embedded Artists Project, she asks, "What do artists know?" For one, an understanding of composition and structures, but perhaps more importantly, in what Pound implies, is the ability to remain critical in the happenings of culture.
In keeping with this ability to be critical of structures, Whitehead's Embedded Artist project offers the opportunity for artists and government officials to engage in dialogue, applying a critical eye to government infrastructures with the following methodologies:
- Synthesizing diverse facts,goals,and references–making connections and speaking many "languages". Artists are very "lateral" in their research and operations and have great intellectual and operational agility.
- Production of new knowledge as evidenced by the 100+ year history of innovation and originality as a top criterion
- Creative, in-process problem solving and ongoing processes, not all up- front creativity: responsivity.
- Artists compose and perform, initiate and carry-thru,design and execute. This creates a relatively tight "feedback loop" in their process.
- Pro-active not re-active practice: artists are trained to initiate, re-direct the brief, and consider their intentionality.
- Acute cognizance of individual responsibility for the meanings, ramifications and consequences of their work. (The downside of this is that artists are not always team-oriented or willing to compromise due to the high premium placed on individual responsibility and sole authorship.)
- Understanding of the language of cultural values and how they are embodied and represented – re-valuation and re-contextualization.
- Participation and maneuvering in non-compensation (social) economies, idea economies, and other intangible values (capital).
- Proficiency in evaluation and analysis along multiple-criteria–qualitative lines, qualitative assessment. Many are skilled in pattern and system recognition, especially with asymmetrical data.
- Making explicit the implicit — making visible the invisible.
- Artists do not think outside the box– there is no box.
[via Art 21]
Image by Veer.
Veer has recently relaunched its site, Veer.com, with a simplified, easy to use interface allowing for enhanced and simplified image search. The site, which is a go-to source for creative and affordable stock photography, illustrations, fonts and merchandise, helps people add style to business, marketing, and personal design projects.


text:
PHOENIX - The site was the same.
Many of the central characters were identical, too.
The stakes were far, far different, however.
Five months ago, the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns were locked in a fierce battle for the Western Conference championship. Only bragging rights were on the line when the teams took the US Airways Center court Friday night.
The Lakers continued their mastery of the Suns, getting ahead of their rivals and staying there when it mattered most en route to a 114-106 victory.
The Lakers defeated the Suns for the eighth time in their past 10 regular-season games.
Phil Jackson earned the 1,100th victory of his Hall of Fame coaching career. He made it to the mark in 1,560games, faster than any coach in NBA history. Pat Riley was the second fastest, needing 1,639 games.
"It's just a number, but it's kind of overwhelming," said Jackson, who is 1,100-460 with the Lakers and the Chicago Bulls. "It took 20 years to do it. Well, almost."
Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom helped deliver the milestone victory for Jackson. Bryant scored 25 points, Gasol had 21 and Odom had 18points and 17 rebounds for the Lakers, who improved to 2-0 to start their three-peat chase.
Bryant made 9 of 19 shots in a little less than 34 minutes; Gasol also had eight rebounds and nine assists; and Odom had five assists in a team-leading 40:17.
"Everybody thought it would take us a while to jell and it would be a process," Gasol said.
"I think we're still finding our best level, so I think we're doing well considering the point we're in, in the season. We've got to stay sharp."
Gasol said he didn't realize during the game he was close to a triple-double.
"I was trying to play and make the right plays," he said. "I wasn't rebounding as well as I would have liked, but my teammates were making shots out of my passes so that kind of gives you a (big) stat line."
Grant Hill scored 21 for Phoenix (1-2).
"There's a reason they're the world champions and there's a reason they've been in the Finals the last three years and won two of them," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said.
The Lakers edged away slowly but certainly in the second half.
Shannon Brown gave the Lakers an 87-79 lead going into the fourth quarter with a steal of an inbounds pass and a breakaway dunk for two of the easiest points he'll ever score. He took off with the ball in his right hand then dunked with both hands.
Lakers fans among the sellout crowd of 18,422 roared first in anticipation as Brown broke free of the pack with the final seconds of the quarter ticking down and then in appreciation as he soared through the air.
Early in the fourth, Brown leaped and tipped a miss by teammate Steve Blake into the basket to give the Lakers a 92-82 lead.
On the next trip, Matt Barnes swished a 3-pointer that made it 95-82 and forced the Suns to take a timeout with 9:48 remaining.
The Lakers turned away the Suns down the stretch, keeping them at arm's length.
"We were able to react well when they made runs at us," Gasol said. "They're a talented team and if you relax for one second they're going to take advantage of it. They run and gun. They have some very good shooters."
It didn't take long for the Lakers to notice a difference in the Suns.
Power forward Amare Stoudemire used to give the Lakers fits, teaming with point guard Steve Nash to pick-and-roll them into submission.
Stoudemire was in Boston on Friday, however, playing with his new team, the NewYork Knicks.
Nash still runs the pick- and-roll, but judging by Friday's game, it's not as effective with Hedo Turkoglu playing in Stoudemire's spot.
In fact, Turkoglu looked a little lost at times while scoring nine points on 4-for-7 shooting.
Nash had eight points and nine rebounds for the Suns, who played and won handily Thursday night against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
They couldn't handle the Lakers in their home opener Friday, however.


text:
Arnold Schwarzenegger is no stranger to playing iconic heroes and infamous villains on the silver screen. Of course, depending on who you ask, the former California governor's political career has left many wondering if the "Governator" was ultimately a hero or villain to the Golden State.
Although the historians and pundits are now weighing in on Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial legacy, the actor's return to Hollywood and freshly announced separation from wife Maria Shriver have already overshadowed what for most ex-governor's would be a quiet return to private life.
The Debate Begins
While the policies enacted during Schwarzenegger's tenure will be discussed and debated for decades, California's massive small business community has arguably felt the effects of the Schwarzenegger administration more intensely than others in the State. Ninety-eight percent of California businesses, after all, are defined as small, with fewer than 100 employees and less than $12 million in average gross annual receipts. With well over three million small businesses calling California home, the actions — and, some would say, inaction — of Governor Schwarzenegger were markedly consequential, particularly during recent years of recession and intense economic turmoil.
"Small businesses drive our economy… and small businesses will drive our recovery during this very difficult time," Gov. Schwarzenegger stated at the height of 2008's global economic downswing. "I have friends who come here from Europe and they join Gold's Gym and before I know it, they become personal trainers and then they have 100 clients and they are making $100 an hour and driving around in Hummers and Corvettes," he said. "You need to have the vision and the will. You can start something, but you have to be creative."
But where small business owners differ in their view on Schwarzenegger is whether he was truly creative enough himself when it came to cultivating a small business-friendly economic climate in the State of California. Not surprisingly, the Governator's supporters point to a litany of achievements during Schwarzenegger's eventful two terms in office.
Legacy of Leadership in Small Business
In 2006, the Governor issued an executive order reaffirming California's commitment to 25 percent small business participation in state contracts. In 2009, he made it possible for small businesses to take advantage of billions of dollars in highway funding, including Recovery Act funds. Most significantly, perhaps, Schwarzenegger is credited with moving California towards a "green" economy based upon renewable energy, an accomplishment that may continue to pay economic dividends for decades to come.
The flip-side of the coin, however, paints Schwarzenegger in a different light — specifically, as a leader in over his head at a time when the economy was collapsing, and there was very little the big screen hero could do to save Calfornia in real life. Others concisely deride Schwarzenegger for not making small business a high enough priority, the evidence of which is often cited as the chasm that still represents the disconnect between Sacramento and the State's myriad small businesses.
As the Los Angeles Times reported in early 2011, a $400-million program set up in 2009 to encourage California small businesses to take on new employees had disbursed only $39.7 million by the start of this year. With more than 7 million Californians employed by small businesses, it was understandable — Schwarzenegger's critics argued — that the "little guy" didn't feel looked out for by the larger-than-life governor.
Historians "Terminate" Premature Assessments
While it's a political impossibility to find any contemporary statesmen who has left public office with universal approval, the five months removed from the Governor's office don't provide a clear enough picture of how one man handled the eighth largest economy in the world. Although Californians, for the time being, are mostly unhappy with Schwarzenegger, he isn't a hated man, Thad Kousser of the University of California tells Time magazine in the publication's look back at the Schwarzenegger era. "He is not divisive nor scandal plagued, but he's generally fallen short of changing the political culture of Sacramento and the policy course of the state."
In the final analysis, it may be far too premature to evaluate whether California's retired chief executive was ultimately good or bad for small business. Only time will tell the whole story. And that's precisely why most historians are currently forced to say "I'll be back" when asked to rate Arnold's legacy as the 38th Governor of California.
Photo courtesy Wikimedia/Creative Commons, originally posted on Flickr.
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text:
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Recap - St. Louis Defeats Milwaukee 6-0
St. Louis didn't allow Milwaukee to get untracked at the plate, mowing them down for a 6-0 shutout win and a trip to the pay window for bettors on Friday.
St. Louis was favored by -151 and came through for bettors backing them. The game went UNDER the consensus closing total of 8.5.
St. Louis got 9 innings from Jaime Garcia, who gave up 0 earned runs on 2 hits, while striking out 8. He earned the victory, while the Cardinals got 3 RBIs from Albert Pujols in the win.
Milwaukee's starting pitcher Randy Wolf worked 5 innings, giving up 7 hits and 6 earned runs while striking out 2 in the loss. They got 1 hit from Rickie Weeks in a losing cause.
St. Louis enjoyed an edge at the plate with a 7-2 advantage in hits.


text:
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text:
BOZEMAN – John McCutcheon, an assistant professor of biology from the University of Montana, will visit Bozeman on Tuesday to kick off a semester of weekly talks hosted by Montana State University's Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
The hour-long Tuesday seminars, which will take at 4 p.m. in Room 125 of Linfield Hall, will introduce topics relevant to the wide array of microbiology and immunology research going on in the department, which was created with the recent merger of two departments – microbiology and immunology and infectious diseases. Department of Microbiology and Immunology offices are in Lewis Hall.
The newly merged department brings MSU scientists together to pursue the future challenges in these diverse disciplines. Seminar speakers come from MSU and beyond, but all are internationally recognized for their accomplishments in health and environmental sciences.
McCutcheon, whose lab in the UM Division of Biological Sciences is focused on microbial genomics and symbiosis, will give a talk entitled "Extreme Genome Reduction in Insect Endosymbionts: Walking the Line Between Bacteria and Organelles."
The full schedule of speakers in the series can be found at http://www.montana.edu/wwwmb/index.php?page=department-of-microbiology-and-immunology-seminar-series.
Jennifer Hodges, email@example.com, (406) 994-2020.


text:
The dean of the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences at Western University of Health Sciences will be part of a group, led by Gov. Jerry Brown, heading to China on a trade and investment mission, the University announced recently.
Dean Michel Baudry is one of about 75 people who will travel to China for a seven day trip that begins April 10, the statement said.
The mission will help increase direct investment in California, build sales by California businesses, and strengthen ties between the world's second- and ninth-largest economies, the statement said.
"Participating will go a long way toward helping Western U become a leader in training the next generation of health researchers and practitioners," Baudry said in the statement. "Fostering a partnership and collaboration between our University and the leading Chinese universities and medical centers is important, since the Pasadena-Pomona-Riverside corridor represents a rich and diverse community, which needs to develop innovative solutions to the health care challenges of the future."
During the trip Baudry will promote the University and would like to offer Western's programs to Chinese students who, along with other foreign students, could play a significant role in a future PhD program in translational health sciences, the statement said. They could also play a part in the future expansion of the University's master's programs in biomedical sciences and informatics medicine, the statement said.
To see a statement from Brown's press office on the mission visit bit.ly/14ItqGJ and to see see the list of delegates traveling to China go to http://gov.ca.gov/docs/List_of_delegates.pdf.