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Through implementing health literacy concepts and skills into core area classrooms (mathematics, social students, reading/language arts, and science), students are able to take the knowledge from their health classroom into their general classrooms and apply it to what they are already learning. By integrating lessons, students are taught concepts that are reinforced throughout the school day which we hope will lead to the adoption of healthy behaviors as they grow.
Integrated Health Literacy Program
What if every child was able to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services in order to live life to the fullest?
Founding Story: Share a story about a key experience or spark that helps the network understand why this project got started or a story about how you became inspired about the potential for this project to succeed.Worcester County, Maryland ranks number one in the state for many behaviors that are not favorable for the youth population. In order to prevent future generations from continuing this trend, the Integrated Health Literacy Program was created to approach population change in an innovative way. Instead of students being taught concepts in their core area classrooms that do not relate to their life, students are now being taught lessons with a health-related twist.
Which categories describe you? (the answer will not be public)
- White (for example: German, Irish, English, Italian, Polish, French, Caucasian)
Location: Where is your organization headquartered? [State]
- Maryland
Location: Where is your organization headquartered? [City]Berlin
Location: Where is your project primarily creating impact? [State]
- Maryland
Location: Where is your project primarily creating impact? [City]Worcester County, Maryland
Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?In the United States, only 12% of the adult population is proficient in health literacy. This means roughly 9 out of 10 people lack the skills to manage their own health. People with low health literacy are more likely to skip preventative care visits, have chronic conditions, and report their health as poor. The Integrated Health Literacy Program chose to address low health literacy by targeting children before their life long habits are formed.
Is your model focused on any of the following traditionally underserved communities?
- Communities of color
- Low-income communities
- Other
Does your model work within any of the following sectors?
- Community Development and Empowerment
- Education
- Other
If you chose "other," please share the sector you work within here:Healthcare
Year Founded2013
Project Stage
- Scaling (the solution has passed the previous stages, and the next step will be growing its impact on a regional or global scale)
Example: Walk the network through a specific example of what happens when a person or group engages with your solution.The Integrated Health Literacy Program is implemented within core area classrooms in all elementary and middle schools in Worcester County Public Schools. Students in grades one through six are taught key health literacy concepts and skills that lay a solid foundation that allow students the necessary tools to make well-educated decisions about their health and the health of their families.
Impact: What was the impact of your work last year? Please also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.During the 2014-15 school year, 2nd grade students showed a decrease in poor health literacy, from 57% pre-test to 31% post-test. 33-year veteran second-grade teacher and pilot group member Linda Brown found the "lesson plans to be engaging, helpful, and significant to changing our students' health knowledge and wellness." In the pre-test, 3rd grade only had 4.5% of the students with a perfect score of 6 for health literacy. During the post-test, this percent increased to 23%. 4th grade students also showed an increase in high health literacy from 45% pre-test to 64% post-test. There was also a significant decrease in students with the lowest health literacy from 14.6% (pre-test) to 4.5% (post-test). 5th grade students with a high health literacy score increased from 44% during the pre-test to 72% post-test. 6th grade was piloted this year and 7th & 8th grade will pilot next school year.
Organization Type
- nonprofit/NGO/citizen sector
Annual Budget
- $100k - $250k
Financial Sustainability Plan: What is your solution's plan to ensure financial sustainability?Financial sustainability for our community programming becomes challenging as hospital reimbursements decline, but our responsibility to the communities we serve is paramount. Many of the services we provide are supplemented through community and agency support. The Atlantic General Hospital Foundation, under the Board of Trustees, coordinates fundraising drives and events to support community programs and services provided by Atlantic General.
Unique Value Proposition: How else is this problem being addressed? Are there other organizations working in the same field, and how does your project differ from these other approaches?Our program works closely with the University of Maryland's Hershel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy to create an innovative approach to low health literacy. To the best of our knowledge, there are no programs in place in the entire country that integrate health literacy concepts and skills into core area classrooms using both health literacy standards (created by our team) and already existing core area standards. A few programs around the country have included health literacy in curriculum in one grade at one school but nothing exists county-wide as our program does.
Reflect on the Field and its Future: Stepping outside of your project, what do you see as the most important or promising shifts that can advance children's wellbeing?The most important shift in the advancement of children's well-being is applying thinking to the whole child rather than just focusing on one aspect of his/her life. This means looking at each dimension of the child's wellness (social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, occupational, intellectual and physical) and ensure that all aspects are balanced and taken into consideration. An approach that covers not only one area of all child's life, but all areas, ensures that a child has the resources to live a comfortable, happy, and healthy life.
Source: How did you hear about the Children's Wellbeing Challenge? (the answer will not be public)
- Changemakers.com
Evaluation results
4 evaluations so far
1. Relevance: Does this project seem to help children (ages 0 to 12 years) develop a strong sense of self, belonging, and purpose?
5 - Yes, this is great! The project lays out a strong, compelling case for how its model nurtures children's wellbeing. - 0%
4 - It seems like a good fit, and the model talks explicitly about children's wellbeing. - 25%
3 - I think so. The project seems related to children's wellbeing, but the logic is vague. - 75%
2 - Not sure. The project doesn't have much to do with wellbeing, or it doesn't give enough information. - 0%
1 - Nope, this project definitely doesn't fit the challenge brief (e.g., It doesn't help kids younger than 12, isn't in the U.S., etc.) - 0%
2. Innovation: Does this project tackle children's wellbeing from a new angle?
5 - I loved this! The project describes a novel model that addresses important cultural or systemic barriers. - 0%
4 - This is pretty cool. The project is addressing an important problem in a new or compelling way. - 75%
3 - I feel like there's something there, but I want more details about what makes it distinctive. - 0%
2 - It's a good project, but I've seen others like it before. - 25%
1 - It was confusing or hard to tell what it made it different. - 0%
3. Social Impact: What is this project's potential for creating positive social impact?
5 - Lots of potential. This project is achieving impressive results, and it's growing quickly. It could absolutely inspire changes in the ways we approach caring for kids nationally, across sectors (e.g. childcare, healthcare, education). - 0%
4 - Pretty good potential. This project demonstrates significant positive impact so far, and it could scale regionally or nationally one day and fundamentally change how a system operates (e.g. childcare, healthcare, education). - 75%
3 - Budding potential. This project is creating local impact, but it would take a few adjustments before it could scale. - 25%
2 - Some potential. This project demonstrates some initial positive impact, but it would require major changes before it could scale. - 0%
1 - Limited potential. This project has great intentions, but it looks like it does not include key drivers of a shift towards children's wellbeing. - 0%
4. Overall, how do you feel about this idea?
5 - This idea rocked my world. It's awesome! - 0%
4 - This idea seems really exciting. With a little more polishing, it'd be among my favorites. - 50%
3 - I think the idea is great, but it needs some work before it moves onto the next round. - 25%
2 - I liked it fine but preferred others. - 25%
1 - It didn't make my heart beat faster. Needs significant revisions. - 0%
5. Offer some feedback. Where should this participant spend some time revising?
DEFINING THE PROBLEM. Make sure to articulate the root causes or main barriers of the social issue your project addresses. (Founding Story, Problem, Solution). - 33.3%
CLARITY OF MODEL. Make sure to mention (a.) the beneficiary, b) the main activities, and c) how those activities drive social impact. Keep it streamlined! - 100%
MARKETPLACE. Make sure to research other players in this space and articulate how this project is different. I didn't get a complete sense of how this project compares to others. - 0%
IMPACT POTENTIAL. Make sure to use specific numbers to describe what your project has achieved so far! And consider how you might scale the model or its insights, through partnerships, trainings, or franchising. - 0%
WRITING STYLE. Try to stay concise and make it vivid. Avoid jargon. - 0%
Nothing stands out! I thought it was great. - 33.3%
2 comments
Join the conversation:Comment


text:
HER RAD HIGHNESS WISHES TO ADDRESS THE PEOPLE! But before we give Madison Eskelson room to tell you about her rad fleet of cars, and starting RADwood Utah, Mike, Dave, Zack, and Pizza Dad get into AJ Glasmacher's response to last week's Track/Daily/Crush. Then they get a new one going, that Brandon was not a fan of (we had to crush a Ferrari), and we read Devin Crezee's review of the new Ford Ranger.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Chris-PC RAM Booster 5.06.30
Manages your computer memory and pagefile usage more wisely than before by changing Windows default behavior. Your newly opened games and applications will run better and faster.
Alternative apps to Chris-PC RAM Booster:
RAMExpert gives you a crystal-clear vision of your RAM (Random Access Memory) specification. It then recommends upgrade if appropriate.
- Freeware
- Windows
TweakRAM is a powerful tool for cleaning and optimizing memory on your computer.
- Free to Try
- Windows
Freeware application to free and defragment your computer's RAM.
- Freeware
- Windows XP


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ENVIRONMENT: Green 'Tipping' Point Reached in SA
Recent Gauteng Business News
South African businesses lag their international counterparts in terms of turning their buildings 'green' but a tipping point has been reached – going green is today driven by a convincing mix of financial imperatives, adoption of triple bottom line principles and moral conscience. Being late to migrate to greener practices does have some advantages, however.
Says Philip Gregory, Senior Regional Executive - Middle East and Africa at Johnson Controls' Global WorkPlace Solutions: "There are proven methods, approaches and practices to lean on, and demonstrable business benefits that will allow executives to make a strong business case in terms of joining the green building revolution."
Possibly the most important considerations, however, are: understanding your status, assessing long and short-term interventions, being able to measure your progress, and ensuring you have the buy-in from staff.
Says Gregory: "Going green is more complex than just changing the light bulbs. A formal analysis of your situation is possibly the most important step. Get professional advice that the service provider is willing to stand by. If you are going to invest, you need guarantees in terms of savings and you need to know how to measure those savings."
First Steps
Says Karl van Eck, Africa Regional General Manager for Johnson Controls newly formed Global Energy Solutions division, "The first step is to examine your building's equipment and operations to determine how your building consumes energy, then identify opportunities to eliminate waste and increase efficiency and develop a program to seize those opportunities."
Typical improvements include enhancements to heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting and electrical systems, control systems, motors and pumps, and eliminating leaks and waste. "For example," notes van Eck, "most fan systems are oversized by 60% while chillers are often 50-200% oversized." Opportunities include upgrading or replacing inefficient equipment, installing high-efficiency lighting, and installing variable speed drive chillers that operate up to 30 percent more efficiently than the industry average, and geothermal heat pumps that heat and cool buildings more efficiently than conventional HVAC systems. Renewable energy technologies, such as photovoltaic (PV) solar panels can
reduce your utility bills while providing clean, sustainable energy. Deploying a building management system, which controls and integrates key mechanical and electrical building systems - HVAC, lighting, security, fire and safety - can help you optimise energy and operational efficiency, comfort and safety. "There are a number of ways to make your projects affordable," notes van Eck. "For example, performance contracting is a way to fund improvements by using the energy and operational savings to offset the project costs."
Johnson Controls does offer this option, funding the investment necessary to achieve savings, then recouping the investment from an agreed percentage of the savings. "We are fully invested in our clients' success so we provide ongoing support to help identify additional savings opportunities and educate occupants on what they can do to conserve energy and water," he notes.
SABC goes green
A good local example of performance contracting is the energy saving being achieved by SABC on the back of a retrofit by Johnson Controls. The broadcaster implemented a five-year energy management project in 2005 that, three years into the initiative, delivered operational savings of over R500 000 a month. In 2007, 23% energy savings were measured. In May 2010, savings per month are at 5 281 738 kWhr, equating to approximately R900 000,00 per month.
Explains Bruce Phipson, engineering manager at SABC: "In 2005, the SABC took a strategic decision to reduce its energy consumption. At the time, our electricity usage accounted for 25% of our operational costs. We considered a number of alternatives but selected Johnson Controls' proposal for its depth and breadth of insight into our operations, their familiarity with our systems and challenges, and the financial model they proposed."
The retrofit, which included the refurbishment of plant equipment, (AHU and chiller optimisation and scheduling, and the addition of variable speed drives on chillers and pumps) the modernisation of approaches to energy usage (lighting optimisation and scheduling) and the adaptation of control
processes, cost R 3,5m.
Empire State Building saves 38% more Another example of how planning and forethought can deliver significant green benefit is the retrofit that was done at the Empire State Building. Explains Gregory: "The goal of the project is to make the Empire State Building about 40 percent more energy efficient and significantly reduce carbon emissions while providing an economic justification through return on investment. Johnson Controls, as the energy services company, is executing a broad range of renovations and retrofits to achieve these goals.
These improvements include refurbishing 6,500 windows with new components to reduce the summer cooling load and winter heat loss; adding insulation behind radiators to reduce winter heat loss and summer heat gain; upgrading tenant and common area lighting with controls and sensors to lower electricity costs and cooling loads; retrofitting chiller plants to improve efficiency; introducing individualized Web-based power usage systems so tenants can manage their power consumption more efficiently; installing of one of the world's largest digitally controlled wireless networks, enabling 24x7 monitoring and control of every steam valve, pump, louver, fan and other elements of the building's HVAC system; and integrating the Johnson Controls Metasys building management system to monitor and optimize HVAC, lighting, and other building systems.
To help ensure these efforts achieve the project's goals, Johnson Controls and the Empire State Building's owners have entered into a performance contract which guarantees the projected energy savings over the life of the project. Says Gregory: "When the project is complete in 2013, the Empire State Building will be more than 38 percent more energy efficient, placing it among the top 10 percent of all office buildings in the United States for energy efficiency of any age. These improvements will reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 105,000 metric tons over the next 15 years.
The building owners calculate their energy savings to be $4.4 million a year with payback on their incremental investment in just three years. After that, savings will continue to flow right to their bottom line, year after year, making the building more profitable.
Concludes van Eck: "Buildings are both a significant cause of and a potential solution to climate change and energy insecurity. The goal for any building owner or occupant should be to start now to make a difference - every tiny bit helps, and it begins with increased awareness. Buildings that work benefit owners, occupants, and their communities. They operate efficiently and profitably and provide comfortable, safe living and work
spaces - minimising the negative impact on the environment. .
Business News Sector Tags: Business| Environment|


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18 January 2012
Strategic Gaming Roundtable, NDU 1/18
Looks like we're starting now, after some tech connection issues.
Covering some admin bits:
- next roundtable will be Monday 19 March.
- Connections in late July
First presentation will be Bill Simpson from MCWL: Multi-Sided Gaming or Getting a Handle on Chaos
It grew out of a project on MAGTF Strategic Communication.
Game purpose: "to understand and apply the USMC Strategic Communication Concept across the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war."
How to coordinate non/kinetic actions along the same message through the staff processes?
"How do you properly replicate the myriad interactions, assess the impacts, and adjudicate the outcomes?"
Had to be very simple b/c while there was time to train adjudicators/staff, there was not time to train the players.
Built off of Marine Corps Planning Process CoA wargaming paradigm.
Worked at multiple MAGTF levels: MEU, MEB, MEF
Process flow was a 17-step slide, and I'm not going to try to capture it all here. If I can snag it later, I will.
One of the first adjudications was situational awareness, and they let the players sort out (using their professional military judgment) who knew what at any given point in time. If the players couldn't agree, then the umpires stepped in to adjudicate. Kept the process flowing...
Follow the jump for the "more" - trying to get the length of this post on the main page under control
Situation brief included blue and red briefing the "locals": mayor, merchant, imam (not an adversary), media, general public.
First, red & blue brief COA briefs - entire plan in front of entire audience.
Then, red & blue reach their agreement on what each other can see of the other - all the non-kinetic details.
Next, blue & red action statements, followed by the "locals" stating their situational awareness and actions, with some specific details for the media.
Next, blue reactions.
Then, red reactions to locals... and red was frequently upset that the locals were reacting the way he wanted them to.
Local reactions went next, and included media attitudes, as well as other considerations.
Blue counteractions were programmed, but frequently glossed over b/c they were accounted for elsewhere.
Finally, the umpire summarizes the new situation and move the game forward to the next major interaction.
Some potential changes:
Allow multiple counter-actions instead of just blue.
First action taken by side who had the initiative in the actions, rather than a fixed rotation.
First counteraction also by side with initiative.
This wraps up the first brief. Q&A follows.
(as a side note - this roundtable is being 'broadcast' to some remote sites. The ambient mike looks a lot like the probe that the Empire used to interrogate Princess Leia on the Death Star)
First Q: Did red develop their own objectives?
A: No, red objectives were scripted by the wargame staff, but their plan and execution was up to them.
Q: What were experience levels of players in the game?
A: Junior officers and senior enlisted, with some gov civs and contractors. Most w/ experience in info ops, PR, cyberwar, etc.
Q: Simultaneous adjudication?
A: Although the participants briefed sequentially, the adjudication was simultaneous after the briefings were complete.
Quick break to fix audio...
(a note about the audio - apparently it's Brian out in Victoria that's screwing up the audio!)
edit: we found out, it was NOT Brian that was screwing up the outbound audio; he just couldn't hear all the heaping helpings of praise being piled on him by Ottenberg
Second presentation is on operational level irregular warfare, with Mike Ottenberg from OSD/CAPE
Talking about the approach: process, theory, and application
Basing the theory on Bard O'Neill's work on Insurgency and Terrorism
Looks at insurgency through its underlying political framework
Discussing the use of a system called "Algernon"
Derived from Brian Train's Algeria: The War for Independence 1954-1962
Need to look at insurgent strategic goals and purposes.
Some goal categories:
- anarchy
- egalitarian
- traditionalist
- pluralist
- secessionist
- reformist
- preservationist
What is the defeat mechanism the insurgents use to attain their goals? How do you incorporate that into the game?
- conspiracy (Lenin)
- protracted popular war (Mao)
- military focus (Che)
- urban (terror) strategy (went by too fast)
What sorts of external support can you provide? With different patrons, goals, support levels & mechanisms, etc?
Algernon uses resource costs and administrative points. Missions that units can execute and the costs for those missions.
Building the ORBAT on the military is reasonably easy, but what about NGOs, media, gov't, police, etc? What sorts of capabilities and attributes can/do they have and how to quantify them? What sorts of "missions" do you give these folks?
Briefing the "Ginger Junction" scenario - fictional island chain with geo regions as "areas".
There's waaaaaay too much detail for me to keep up with here. I don't know if I'll get my hands on this again later or not, so just suffice it to say it's the "game world."
Modular rules base that includes adjudication for
Terrain effects
Political Support Effects
Combat Results
Information Operations
Civilian Actions
and more that went by too fast to capture them all
Talking about determining techniques for building popular support (charismatic, legitimacy, etc)
Within Algernon, what actions have impacts on popular support to red, blue, green?
--- again, based on Brian's work - that guy is everywhere!
Basic game design stuff: prototypes, play testing, boundary testing, etc.
Got that infamous Afghanistan slide on irregular warfare up on the screen right now.
At least slightly dismayed that his list of other available games includes
Ici C'est la France
Operational Wrap-Around
Karsten Englemann's Colombia (tho misspelled on the slide as "Columbia" - invading South Carolina!)
but managed to not include GEMSTONE despite its recent star turn in the cover story at Training and Simulation Journal.
Q&A is firing a little too quick right now... Though the one that got the chuckle was "the question that keeps game designers up late at night" - "Was your sponsor happy?"
There's now a more general Q&A / discussion going on now, and I'm signing off to go pay attention to it.
OK - I'm back just to throw out this bit: there was a throw-down about modeling and simulation vs gaming for exploring wicked hard problems. How do you explore the uncertainty space?
This is going to feed into our irregular-running series on games and sims that's going to continue to expand through GN. Watch the blog for more...
By: Brant
1 comment:
- Brian Train said...
Despite the fearsome appearance of the Probe, it didn't do its job all that well and I ended up hearing very little of the presentations clearly. That some of it was praise for my work, and that I missed it, stings the more deeply (snicker).
I could hear the Q&A later a bit better, at least for a while, and rather expected the "M&S vs. gaming" question to come up. It usually does, after presentations like this. My short answer for your question about how to explore the uncertainty space is to assert that both M&S and games do explore these uncertainty spaces, just in different ways. In a model you have control over all variables, at least ideally, and like any good scientific experiment you try to change one variable at a time and see what happens. In a game you often have exponentially more of everything, and everything changes and is changed continually.
But both approaches will settle out into some kind of end state eventually I think, and that state occupies a spot somewhere in the uncertainty space. Multiple trials of the model, and multiple plays of the game, will give you a sort of distribution pattern - maybe.
And the nature of the problem will generate the uncertainty space you are exploring. Many things don't lend themselves to quantification at all, but that shouldn't make up stop our brains from exploring their juxtapositions.
Brant, you saw and commented on Rex Brynen's blog entry about video games and their limitations
and I liked Skip Cole's comment about how we're reluctant to game because it seems like a trivial exercise.
- 18 January, 2012 23:43


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And she's a very familiar face…
There's not long to go until Love Island takes over our lives for the entire summer once again – and it looks like we have our very first sexy single.
But something tells us the new batch of boys will be hesitant to crack on with this beauty, considering who her very famous father is…
She was forced to pull out of ITV2's Survival of the Fittest in February after dislocating her shoulder, but it's been reported Dani Dyer will return to our screens next month for a steamy summer of love.
MORE: Caroline Flack teases exciting Love Island details – here's everything you need to know
READ: All the latest showbiz news and gossip
And, unsurprisingly, hardman actor dad Danny, 40, isn't too impressed, according to The Sun.
A source said: 'Danny wasn't happy about her signing up to do Love Island because he doesn't want her to have sex on-screen. He thinks it could damage her reputation in years to come. No father wants to see their daughter romping on national TV.'
The EastEnders actor is even said to have slapped Dani, 22, with a kissing ban, which is sure to come as a disappointment to any of her love interests on the show.
MORE: Love Island's Iain Stirling reveals 'baby plans' with Laura Whitmore
The insider added: 'He's imposed a strict no-bonking ban as he doesn't want her to anything she regrets. He doesn't even want her to snog anyone.'
Actress Dani previously opened up about her protective father, confessing: 'He is massively protective. I haven't had many boyfriends so he has had it quite easy until now.'
If Dani does end up in the villa, we actually feel quite sorry for any guys who couple up with her because nobody wants to be on the wrong side of Danny Dyer…


text:
Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds: Passerines
By Hadoram Shirihai and Lars Svensson
Bloomsbury, 2018
HBK, 2 vols; more than 5,000 photographs and 400 maps
£150.00 buy it from the BB Bookshop
To the surprise of everyone except, perhaps, the authors and the publishers, Volumes I and II of the long-awaited Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds (HWPB), covering the passerines, was released over the summer. Many BB readers will remember the similarly long-awaited publication of the Handbook of Bird Identification (Beaman & Madge 1998). That book, which fulfilled a similar remit to the current publication, still stands as a monumental piece of work, a tribute to the knowledge and skill of the authors and artists, but by the time it was published large parts were dated or superseded, such that it was no longer the essential reference that it would have been, had it been ready a few years earlier. Does HWPB avoid the same fate? Is it timely, and is it essential?
The volumes represent a birder-orientated guide to the identification of passerines in a birder-friendly definition of the Western Palearctic. By birder-friendly, we mean that it ignores the biogeographical southern border of the WP as defined by the likes of Cees Roselaar, following political boundaries (to the possible exclusion of some African taxa), but including the whole of both the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, opening up a range of Yemeni and Asian goodies for the WP lister. What is new, and undoubtedly timely, is that the book is profusely illustrated entirely by photographs, depicting all species and nearly all subspecies in the wild. Digital photography means that there are now very few WP taxa for which excellent images do not exist, and the authors have presented an astonishing reference collection. This is the first thing that hits you when you open one of these books. Equally new and timely, though requiring you to actually read it, is the authors' consideration of subspecies. 'Everyone knows' that subspecies, even in the well-studied WP avifauna, represent a mixed bag of taxa that might individually be more accurately treated as anything from 'good', if cryptic, species, to incipient species, geographical clines, marginally distinctive local populations, or biologically indefensible vanity projects and flights of fancy. In this single work, the morphological distinctiveness of every subspecies has been re-evaluated, with the result that many have been synonymised (i.e. found to be invalid), or retained but labelled as subtle or doubtful. We may not agree with all their decisions (see below), but we cannot question the authority and depth of knowledge that underlies the text of this book – it is a rework, not a rehash.
The books are sold as a two-volume set, although each volume is complete on its own. For example, the introduction, which bucks the trend of recent avifaunas in being mercifully concise, is included in full in both volumes, with different illustrative images. It describes the reasoning behind the scope, taxonomy, nomenclature and sequence of the books. Both volumes also include the same guide to moult and ageing in the field.
There are some minor errors in some captions, main text and range maps (as anyone who goes looking for breeding Parrot Crossbills in the Tay Valley of Scotland will find). With the main bulk of the text written by Svensson and the photo captions led by Shirihai (and checked by a team of experts on ageing and sexing), there were perhaps bound to be some small discrepancies creeping in elsewhere although, by and large, the two authors seem to have worked well together to avoid this. The photo captions are, in a few cases, a little bold in their interpretation and often less conservative than the corresponding body text: see some of the sparrows, for example. Sticking with the sparrows, a few intraspecific inconsistencies have crept in, such as the statement in one Tree Sparrow Passer montanus caption that 'As with all sparrows ageing impossible once late-summer moult completed.' As other sparrow species-accounts show, that's not true: the book offers ageing criteria for many of the other Passer species. There are other minor errors, understandable in a publication of this size, although there is a sense that the finished product could have been improved still further had the publishers dedicated some resources to a book-wide edit before publication. Indeed, some of the final species accounts were still being written as other parts of the book were set and ready for print. It feels as though, in the haste to get the title out, the publisher skimped on some of the ornithologically focused editing that made Helm/Bloomsbury titles of yesteryear shine so brightly – which matches the feeling with several of Helm's latest offerings.
These few inconsistencies aside, the body texts and the photo captions complement each other well. Ageing and sexing details perhaps verge on being a little too 'in hand' for many field birders, but the text is nothing if not thorough and this is certainly a case where more information is better than less. There is genuinely new material in here, rather than just a regurgitation of current literature – and, knowing Lars Svensson's thoroughness, we can be sure that all of the ageing and sexing features mentioned will prove to be robust. Mistakes appear to be few and far between – due in no small part to the team of Swedish and Spanish 'checkers'. Again, an odd mistake has slipped through, such as the 'adult female' Naumann's Thrush on p. 383. That said, the original PDF proofs showed a much less saturated bird with a moult limit that's much harder to see, and the authors and checkers can be forgiven for not spotting the error. The change in saturation and colour tones between the PDF and the printed material is stark. Indeed, some of the photos have had their colour balance perfectly adjusted but others appear to be sent to print 'as is'. Furthermore, some photographs appear to be very low resolution suggesting that a high-res version could not be found. By and large, however, the photographs are excellent and, coupled with the custom-written captions, they really show what they were chosen to show.
The text-based description of vocalisations has difficulty conveying what the birds actually sound like. The Sound Approach team, among others, have provided birders with a vocabulary for describing and understanding bird song and calls, and, notwithstanding the demands on space, some sonograms would have helped to communicate the information. Furthermore, when illustrating subtle plumage differences between subspecies, for example, single images of birds in the wild do not always convince – a few well-chosen images of a series of museum skins would sometimes do much more to illustrate these geographical changes.
In a publication of this size it's easy to be picky about the few errors that creep in; but, let's be clear, this is a magnificent publication and the few niggles above do not detract from its value. The effort that has gone into completing this publication is self-evident in the content. The species accounts form the bulk of the text, and the extent of coverage is impressive – Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor (which includes the southern forms in this treatment) gets no fewer than 12 pages with 51 photos. Species texts include a short introduction to each species, saying basically what it is, with a range map. This is followed by sections summarising identification, vocalisations, similar species, ageing and sexing, biometrics, geographical variation, taxonomic notes and references. Birders who are familiar with the Collins Bird Guide or the Identification Guide to European Passerines will be very comfortable with the layout and feel of the current texts. Each species account is accompanied by multiple (typically 6–20) high-quality images of each age and sex class and, when appropriate, each subspecies. The images have informative captions, usually summarising key identification criteria for birders who read these bits first. For some birds, side-by-side comparisons with confusion species are presented. Tucked away at the back, with more cursory text and fewer images, are sections of 'Vagrants to the Region' that have occurred on ten or fewer occasions. These could perhaps have been better named, since vagrants that have occurred more than ten times get the full treatment in the main text: Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea is in the main text but Summer Tanager P. rubra is relegated to the back of the same volume, for example.
The maps are one of the standout features of the book. Broken lines are used to denote subspecies boundaries and such a simple but effective thing saves having to open Google Maps to check where Lower Altai or the River Ob lie in relation to one subspecies distribution or another.
The taxonomy employed is quite conservative. The family sequence used is basically the now antiquated Voous order, and there is an underlying tension in the text between the authors' own experience and knowledge of the morphological and vocal characteristics of the birds and the recent outpourings of genetic evidence that underlie our understanding of their true relationships. Genetic evidence is fully cited and reviewed and included in the taxonomic treatment of the species accounts, but the authors make clear their intention to prioritise geographical variation in morphological characters when judging the validity of subspecies, and if forced to choose between genes and feathers, they have chosen feathers. This is fine, and will be welcomed by many birders. It leads to some potentially misleading arrangements, however. An example is the treatment of southern subspecies of Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita. The northern Turkish breeding population, P. c. brevirostris, and the Caucasian population, P. c. caucasicus, may well look and sound like normal Chiffchaffs but together they represent a genetically distinct clade, divergent from all other Chiffchaff taxa, and deserve recognition at some level. The authors' decision to set aside the genetic data and synonymise brevirostris within nominate collybita, and caucasicus within northern and eastern European P. c. abietinus, does not represent their most likely true relationships and obscures some of the true biodiversity within the species.
BB readers in particular may notice the cull of subspecies occurring in Britain in this work such as its Dipper Cinclus cinclus 'hibernicus', Dunnock Prunella modularis 'hebridium', Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 'zetlandicus', Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 'gengleri', Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis 'britannica', Linnet Linaria cannabina 'autochthona', Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula 'pileata' and Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella 'calignosa' – all synonymised with more widespread subspecies. The authors may be doing us a favour – in most cases it has been suspected for some time that British and Irish subspecies of common European birds may well fail any critical review of their validity. However, the loss of some of the Wrens Troglodytes troglodytes might hurt rather more. St Kilda Wren T. t. hirtensis survives, but Shetland T. t. 'zetlandicus', Hebridean T. t. 'hebridensis' and Fair Isle Wrens T. t. 'fridariensis' are subsumed into Faeroes Wren T. t. borealis. These decisions seem arbitrary and biologically counterintuitive and ignore the genetic evidence, such as it is, that these subspecies exist and may well carry unique genetic variations that deserve recognition. The authors are correct that genetics does not (yet) provide all the answers to our understanding of avian systematics, but we contend that this is probably because we have not (yet) done enough genetics, and the days are gone when taxonomic rearrangements that may have important conservation or biogeographical consequences should be made without genetic input.
One downside to so much content, however, is that it still has to be bound within two volumes. Consequently, layout sometimes feels a little cramped. With resources such as Birds of North America and HBW now available online, one has to wonder about the decision to publish this as a hefty, slightly cramped hard copy rather than a well-presented online version.
So, is HWPB timely? Yes. Is it essential? Well, it contains a lot of quality reference information, and you would be crazy if you felt that you didn't want to know what these authors have to say about Western Palearctic birds. Its intention is not to replace any of the standard references such as Svensson's ringing guide, the Collins Bird Guide or BWP, but it will certainly end up sitting side by side on the same shelf and included in that same 'default reference material' set. Like BWP, the fact that HWPB is already an abbreviation should tell you what an indispensable and well-thumbed reference it will be in the years to come.
Martin Collinson and Stephen Menzie


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13 March to 31 May 2015
Transformation and memory are the key themes that inform Latifa Echakhch's oeuvre. As part of the consistent pursuit of her approach, the artist has combined in this exhibition three work groups and individual objects, all dealing with deconstruction and change.
Wall texts that have partially become detached appear alongside imposing paintings featuring networks of tangled lines and scenery flats, disillusioningly seen from behind: fading memories of an individual self, whose unfulfilled hopes have outlasted youthful simplicity, attempts to break free from ascribed identities, and the seemingly endless multitude of definitions of one's own personality are all simultaneously represented here.
In her work, the artist calls into question the symbolic significance of objects. She experiments with that significance by bringing all sorts of national, cultural, (socio)political and personal influences to bear on the objects and by changing their context, which results in a new freedom of thinking about them. Her own story as a Frenchwoman with Moroccan roots living in Switzerland forms the backdrop for themes that concern all of us.
Latifa Echakhch (b. 1974), who was awarded the Prix Marcel Duchamp in 2013 and the Zurich Art Prize in 2015, will have her first museum exhibition in Austria at the LENTOS.
With the generous support of Phileas.
Thursday, 12. March 2015, 7 pm
(together with the exhibition Love & Loss)
Guided tours
Duration 1 hour, costs € 3, exclusive admission, German only
Every Thursday, 7 pm
The guided tours combine the two exhibitions Latifa Echakhch and The Collection.
Exhibition booklet
A free exhibition booklet with information on the exhibits is available in German and English language.


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A beautiful Winter grounding scent that also purifies the air. Using this to build up my immune system in this cold weather.
Sold Out
Oregano has a lovely dry and warming quality with a camphorous and herbal scent. Research has indicated that Oregano essential oil is very effective against bacteria, fungus and viral infection. Useful for those who are prone to infection due to a lowered immune system and an expectorant that can help treat colds and flu. Oregano oil has anti-inflammatory, pain reducing and warming properties and can be used to encourage healing of muscle injuries and reduce arthritic pain. Considered a stimulant for the mind, Oregano essential oil may be useful for mental fatigue and to help maintain focus especially in an essential oil blend for the office or study.
Key benefits:
- Strong antibacterial and effective to prevent the spread of germs
- May help reduce inflammation and promote muscle healing
- Helps maintain focus
Note: this product comes unboxed
Oregano essential oil is not recommended for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. A potential skin irritant, avoid topical use for children under 2, or those with sensitive and irritated skin. Not suitable to use in the bath.
A beautiful Winter grounding scent that also purifies the air. Using this to build up my immune system in this cold weather.


text: Cafe Henrie opened in New York City yesterday on the Lower East side at 110 Forsyth St! André Saraiva, a graffiti artist and international club owner, usually focuses on nightlife; however, Saraiva is trying something "different" with Cafe Henrie. The restaurant will serve breakfast (including Counter Culture Coffee) and lunch. Unfortunately, for now, Cafe Henri does not have a liquor license.


text: Just 3 weeks before the legislative election, it has been found that Israel's ruling party has inadvertently exposed all 6.5 million eligible voters' personal information. And despite the growing sophistication of cyber-attacks, simple but severe Business Email Compromise attacks, are the leading cause for cybercrime losses. Phishing efforts continue to get more convincing, with a…Continue readingCloudSEK Daily Threat Bulletin – 12th February 2020


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Bring the Kids to the 3rd Annual Bat Festival SATURDAY
The Third Annual Glen Canyon Bat Festival is being held on Saturday, July 21 (5 to 10 p.m., MST) and everyone is invited to attend. The National Park Service (NPS) and Glen Canyon Natural History Association (NHA) are hosting this event in the Wahweap District of the park; at the Lake Powell Resort Lawn. Festivities will include informational booths, kid-friendly crafts and activities, guest presentations, and bat discovery walks.
North American bat populations are facing unprecedented threats from habitat loss, disease, wind energy development, and misunderstanding. This bat festival will highlight the role the public can play in bat conservation efforts and celebrate the ecological services bats provide, such as pest control, seed dispersal, and pollination).
"We get to live our lives relatively pest-free here because of the hard work of bats," said Amanda Boston, program coordinator for the Glen Canyon NHA. "There are a lot of misconceptions about bats, and the point of hosting this festival with the park is to celebrate these underappreciated mammals and our unique relationship with them."
Guest speaker Jason Corbett, Director of the Subterranean Program from Bat Conservation International, will present on the potential impacts of white-nose syndrome on Southwestern United States cave roosting bat species. Student Conservation Association NPS Academy intern, Ashley Xu, will delve into the inspiration behind her studies and provide an engaging introductory presentation for participants new to the world of bats.
According to Lonnie Pilkington, Natural Resources Program Manager with the NPS at Glen Canyon, "recent bat monitoring efforts have enabled park scientists and the public to better understand occurrence, distribution, and abundance of bats within the park and contribute to long-term continental bat monitoring efforts (i.e., North American Bat Monitoring Program)."
Bat discovery walks are being held at 7:20pm and 9:00pm on an easy one-mile guided walk between the Lake Powell Resort and Lake Powell. Using iPads and other wildlife monitoring devices, participants will have a chance to use some of the available technology to identify bat species by sound.
Rainbow Bridge National Monument was established before the NPS in 1910 and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area joined the family in 1972. The recreation area stretches for 1.25 million acres from Lees Ferry in Arizona to the Orange Cliffs of southern Utah, encompassing scenic vistas, geologic wonders, proposed wilderness areas, and a vast panorama of human history. Last year, approximately 4.6 million park visitors enjoyed these national treasures, added $425 million in economic output, and supported 5,148 local jobs.


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How to Access Dropbox's New Redesigned Desktop App Now
Dropbox describes it as a single workplace solution to help you organise content, connect tools, and bring work groups together.
Dropbox describes it as a single workplace solution to help you organise content, connect tools, and bring work groups together.
You can't create new folders for files via the add-on, but you can click on the three-dot icon at the top of the sidebar to jump to the web-based version of your Dropbox, if you need to do a little more organising.
Here's how you can freely upload files to the group - but they're only accessible by you.
What if you had access to up to 10TB of cloud storage space without having to jump through a bunch of hoops to get at it?
Using Google Drive to sync your cloud files with your computer used to be an "all or nothing" scenario. With today's update for the Google Drive desktop app that's no longer the case.
Let's break down three of the most popular file syncing services out there and see which one reigns supreme.
Both are popular, and we've recommended both in the past. Let's compare them.
Adobe's recent news that Acrobat Reader can edit PDFs stored in your Dropbox on Android is a godsend.
Why your data should be stored as securely as a Swiss bank account.
CloudReady, the software that allows you to turn just about any old laptop into a Chromebook, now offers a dual boot option.
Even if you don't use Google Drive, free stuff is free stuff.
Copy.com, one of our favourite cloud storage services, is shutting down on 1 May. Here's how to migrate your data before it goes to the digital boneyard.
If you don't like the boring old Dropbox checkmark, here's how you can spice things up.
There isn't much you can buy for less than a penny these days, but you can store a whole lot of files in the "cloud" for $0.005/£0.003 a month with Backblaze's new B2 storage service.
Last month, Microsoft did a massive downgrade on all its OneDrive accounts, getting rid of unlimited storage. Today, they're backpedalling on some of that.


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Our Cranbrook Funding Organizations Directory offers comprehensive online listings of a wide variety of establishments and services located throughout the area.
Customer Listings
Business Development Bank of CanadaLoans to Business, Workshops, Counselling
Cranbrook Funding Organizations
Kootenay Rockies Business Guide Guide
Discover the best online Kootenay Rockies business guide. If you need an accountant, a lawyer, a barber or a shoe repair business chances are we will have one listed near you.
If you are not sure about either the area or the category leave the choice to "Display All". You have to specify only one of "Category" or "Region".


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If you're a birder, you never leave home without a field guide, for you never know when that life bird may appear before your eyes.
While fishermen don't keep such a book in their tackle box or on their boat, the latest offering by authors Dan Rice and Brian Zimmerman may change all that.
Funded by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources through the Wildlife Diversity Fund, and the Ohio Biological Survey as well as a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "A Naturalist's Guide to the Fishes of Ohio" will answer every question you ever had about fish in Ohio.
It's 391 pages of the history of 187 different species, their habitat, how they spawn, their abundance and where they can be found, from the most common game fish to minnows, from alligator gar to paddlefish and blue pike.
You will be able to tell the difference between a Redear sunfish and a Pumpkinseed, a Warmouth and a Rock bass, a Shorthead Redhorse from a Smallmouth Redhorse, a Highfin Caprsucker from a Quailfin Carpsucker and many, many more.
"Everything in Ohio is covered in the book, including some that are gone," said John Navarro, the Aquatic Diversity Program Director for the ODNR, who pushed for the book and pursued Rice and Zimmerman to compile it.
"The last time something like this was done was in 1980, so we funded Brian to compile all the fish data he could find and do a quality analysis of it. Brian's strength is fish collection and photography, and the writing is where Dan Rice came into play. We asked Dan to co-author it with Brian the last two years, and it was a heck of an effort."
Zimmerman started working on the project in 2011.
"To me, the thing I'm excited and happy about is how our river fish have recovered," said Zimmerman. "It's a positive picture that's important for me to share. Regulations, like the Clean Water Act, have really helped.
"It took awhile, but it's now showing up in a big way in the recovery of our fish species."
The last time a book like this was published was in 1981 by Milton B. Trautman, but that was more of a textbook.
"We're hoping this is easier to use and make the public aware of what's out there," said Zimmerman.
Rice, who retired to Smithville in 2004 after years as a zoologist for the ODNR, said his job in the project was being "the color commentator for the book."
"I'm really happy with how it turned out, it's better than I could have imagined," said Rice. "They showed me what they were looking for, and while I thought, 'that's different,' I said we can do that."
Rice said that for each fish he wrote about, he asked himself, "does this fish have a story to tell?"
"I started writing in January of 2017 and worked 24-7 until October of that year," said Rice. "Then Brian went through what I wrote and then we sent it off to other fish biologists around the state.
"After that, I started working on the book's introduction, which was harder than the individual species accounts."
The paperback book is 6x9 inches, the perfect size to toss in a backpack to use as a field guide.
"Our target audience is fishermen and naturalists," said Rice. "Even if you don't know a lot about fish, I think you'll find this book interesting.
"And even if you don't read a word, you'll learn a lot from off the (graphics and) information in the book."
Right now, the only place you can purchase the book in online through the Ohio Biological Survey at www.ohiobiologicalsurvey.org.
Cost is $30 plus shipping and handling.


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We are looking for a Senior Digital Consultant to join our team.
Design Container is growing, and currently seeking an experienced consultant with vast experience from digital projects. We believe our new colleague will have experience from other agencies and clients within the Norwegian or Nordic B2B-sector, as well as a passion for communication, digital solutions and business development.
For more information about the position please visit Teft.


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Good Eats (and drinks) in Hamburg
Just in case you're lucky enough to be going to Hamburg (die schönste Stadt der Welt, I'll have you know) anytime soon, here are a few places you must try out.
- Sweet Virginia (Bismarckstr. 10, Hoheluft-West):
If Sweet Virginia were in America, I'd call their food New American, but as it's not really American at all, I'll just call it New Food. This teeny restaurant is hidden in a mostly residential neighborhood whose first floors are filled with boutiques and cafes. They have a constantly changing menu – they don't even bother with a sample menu on their website – and their daily offerings are very much determined by what's fresh at market and what ingredients are top notch.
Influenced by the Slow/Local/Organic Food movements, Sweet Virginia is focused on providing excellent service and high quality fresh food with robust flavors and not too much drumherum. It's not fussy fancy food, but it's deeply delicious. I ate house-made salsiccia ravioli with herbed brown butter sauce. Yum.
As good as the food is the atmosphere. Low lighting, friendly waitstaff, and seating for maybe fifty make for a cozy setting. You'll want to stay for hours.
- Südhang (Susannenstr. 29, Sternschanze)
This restaurant and wine bar is situated in what used to be a punky part of town. It's quickly gentrifying and becoming much hipper than it used to be, but Südhang has been there long enough that we'll not hold any of that against them. Also, they're above a combination shoe and wine store. Awesome, right?
Anyway, this is another fresh, local, slow food restaurant. The appetizer I had there was one of the most memorable things I ate on this whole trip – it was a mache salad (the Germans love their mache – why can't we get it here more often? I'm so planting some on the roof this summer) with a sesame-y, balsamic-y dressing and fancy local goat cheese on toast. Holy. Crap. It was so delicious.
The wine and entrees were also great, but damn. I can't get past the goat cheese.
Again, it's a rapidly changing menu, so don't expect to get the same thing twice, but I've heard it almost never disappoints.
Oh, and the waitress was the nicest one I've ever had in Germany.
- Hegeperle (Hegestr. 68, Eppendorf)
I went to the Hegeperle twice in one day. Wiebke and I had breakfast there before she went to work (poor thing wasn't also on vacation) and it was delicious. Cold cuts and cheese and delicious bread – all the things I like about a German breakfast, but it was all of a slightly higher quality than I'm used to seeing at German breakfast places. There was also a tiny little bowl of jam that was a gorgeous fuchsia color. We tried and tried to guess, but couldn't place the sweet but tangy, almost creamy flavor. I asked finally and was totally surprised. You'll have to wait for a recipe and the punchline when I have time to can some for myself. Ha! Also, it's the kind of place that has a resident dog. This one scuttled around the cafe sniffing people's feet and stopping to say hello each time she passed my table.
When I went back in the afternoon, it was with the beginnings of a cold that knocked me out for the following two days. I ordered myself a big pot of berry tea and a slice of cake. They had just been setting the cakes out at breakfast time and I had had my eye on a slice of Beerentorte, but decided 10 AM was too early for gluttony. When it arrived, it was stunning. I have no idea what kind of filling it was – it was almost cheesecake-like, but without the tang and with a more solid (almost custard-like?) texture. It was the color of butter. And all over the cake, just at the surface of the filling, popping and bleeding into it, were at least three types of berries. Definitely raspberries, maybe blackberries, definitely Preiselbeeren (which the Germans think are like cranberries, but aren't, actually), maybe blueberries? And there was a beautiful, glistening cloud of whipped cream on the side. I begged and flattered and brown-nosed and pouted, but the owner wouldn't give me the recipe. Apparently she's maybe writing a cookbook. Fine. I'll figure it out MYSELF.
- 20up (in the Empire Riverside Hotel, Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 97, St. Pauli)
There was quite a fuss when they built this hotel. It's in another rapidly gentrifying area, just between the Reeperbahn (red light district) and the harbor, on the old grounds of the Astra brewery. Anyway, it's a pretty elegant hotel and up on the 20th floor (20 up, you see?) there's a very chic bar. Seriously, extremely chic. All the beautiful media types were there. They sell expensive drinks (not by Boston standards, really, but for German drinks they were expensive) and a view that's worth every penny you'll spend on the drinks. If it's not completely foggy, it's completely fabulous.
- Trific (Eppendorfer Weg 170, Hoheluft-West)
I went to Trific with Christine on my first night in town. I was so very sleepy that I don't remember exactly everything that I ate, but it was delicious. I had delicious Arctic Char and Topfknödel – a kind of dumpling (steamed?) with a fruit sauce – I don't remember exactly what. These Topfknödel were amazing. We'll be talking about them again soon.
The restaurant is run by a former food magazine editor and his wife. They had an ad up in the bathroom looking for a new apartment and offering a reward of a free meal for anyone who helped find one. It seems like quite a nice family and they've created a gem of a restaurant. Definitely try it out for good fresh seafood and extremely friendly service.
10.February 2011 17:31
Ooooo… drool drool. So glad you posted about your Hamburg food experiences. Now I want to go back, and learn German, and… and…
I love mache! So tender and succulent. One may find it at Whole Paycheck, but it is (duh) not cheap. You may want to start seeds inside (around early April, methinks) and plant it out early, as it is definitely a cool-season crop. Or you could rig some kind of shade structure up on your roof so the mache doesn't bolt for the sky as soon as the temps crack 70.
wjh permalink13.February 2011 06:57
Die schönste Stadt der Welt!!
I am still dreaming about these daiquiris. Should start test series of how to make them just as delicious as at 20up.
Next time we have to have breakfast at Speisekammer. http://www.qype.com/place/48602-Speisekammer-Hamburg
17.February 2011 21:07
Was that a wiener dog??? I LOVE dachshunds!! And good food, of course. Great post! Makes me want to travel!


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The Cloud's Encore gift set is the latest chapter in the life of Cloud, a dynamic and powerful band stallion on the Pryor mountains of southernMontana. At 18 years old, Cloud fathers a foal that looks just like him and shares his outgoing, daring personality. Set includes Cloud, his newest foal Encore, her mother Feldspar and yearling brother Mato Ska. A portion of the sales of Cloud's Encore will help the Cloud Foundation educate the public to help support and protect wild horses and burros on our public lands. A portion of the proceeds will also go to support public television. Comes with a FREE Cloud and Encore Poster! Poster is 11"x17" double sided and depicts images of the real mustangs! Ages 8+
Collectors Information: Classic Scale
Breed: Mustang
Dimensions: 25cm L x 20cm H


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The Other Chiapas
Danny Kirk '09
I set my backpack down on the ground in front of me and look around. Women usher children through the city's main square while others sit shoulder to shoulder along the perimeter, selling scarves, dolls and bracelets. The sun is high in the sky and as I sit and wait for the rest of my group to congregate, I notice two little boys playing across from me. They run back and forth, yelling to each other, their shoeless feet barely making a sound on the stone walk. Behind them runs a younger, smaller boy, a brother I assume. I watch their game, thinking about how small they look and wondering how old they might be. I never decide on a definite age, but clearly they are at an age when normally children don't feel the need to act like adults. The children of their age which I know would be appalled by this idea; to be like their parents, the main adults in their lives, is the opposite of what they want. That is what draws me to this trio, their complete departure from what I am used to. When they reach the far end of the courtyard, the youngest of the three, the tiniest boy, falls over a curb. Though he reacts as any small child would, his older brother moves into action in a way completely unlike anything I would have expected. Like a miniature adult, he scoops up his brother, carries him away from where he fell, and then sets him back to keep playing. This act of surprising maturity barely slows down whatever game they are engrossed in, and once it passes the playing continues.
I look back on this moment, replaying it over and over in my head, trying to understand why, of all the things I experienced in Chiapas, this is one that stands out. Such a seemingly unimportant moment has come to mean so much more. Happening so early in the trip, this scene created a kind of frame through which I watched everything else that happened to me. These children's lives made a kind of role reversal necessary. They were forced to move beyond the roles of children I am used to. As I traveled through Chiapas, meeting indigenous people and learning about their lives and their struggles, I noticed similar shifts in responsibilities. The immensity of their struggle has forced regular citizens to reexamine and restructure their lives. Men and women from small villages, people that one would never picture as being government officials, have become just that. We saw many examples of this restructuring as we traveled to the autonomous government centers (caracoles). The Councils of Good Government who ran them were comprised entirely of these villagers. They have no qualms about their new roles, just as the small child had none with his. As they see it, the voice of their struggle called out for a voice of the people and they responded.
I feel that this attitude defines the idea of "the other Chiapas," a phrase I heard thrown around numerous times throughout the trip. Thinking about it now, I feel that this is the perfect way to describe the incredible actions of the indigenous people of Chiapas. I was constantly amazed by their unwavering devotion to the causes that defined their movement. Seeing it as an opportunity to gain the rights they lacked, they allowed their lives to rearrange themselves. They represent a group of people who on the one hand are a part of the state of Chiapas, and on the other, when they need be, are a part of this other Chiapas. When their brother falls they are more than ready to leap to his side and pick him up, whether or not they are old enough to be parents. In every person I met I saw this sense of devotion, and I was constantly blown away by it. They recognize that their rights are not being met and they are not willing to stand by and let that happen. In this other Chiapas life moves forward, but when a person needs to step up to do their part they do it happily. They represent true devotion and true passion for a cause, a quality unfortunately lacking in the lives of many people today.


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Sunday's column from The Sanford Herald:
It's another wild day at Dallas Cowboys' football practice. Coach Wade Phillips sits in his office thinking about watching some game film of the New York Giants. But first he has to figure out if he's going to wear the Michelin Man jacket again on Sunday night.
Head Trainer: "Coach Phillips, we have a problem."
Phillips (frantically shuffling a GORE-TEX catalog into his desk): "What now?"
Trainer: "Well, it seems the guys are a little upset."
Phillips: "Why would they be upset? We've won eight games already."
Trainer: "Um, right. But, well, uh, the receivers just got out of a meeting with head coach… uh, I mean, Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett."
Phillips: "Why is that a big deal?"
Trainer: "'Cause they aren't happy with Tony. And T.O.'s with them."
Phillips: "T.O.?"
Trainer: "Yes, you know, Terrell Owens."
Phillips: "I know who he is, thank you."
Trainer: "Just checking."
Phillips: "So what seems to be the problem?"
Trainer: "Something about the footballs. That there's not enough of them to go around."
Phillips: "Get them in here right now. And I mean now!"
Trainer: "Yes sir."
The trainer heads over to a cluster of receivers, among them Owens, Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton. Crayton, standing in front of Owens, who seems to be whispering to him, is finishing up an anonymous interview with an ESPN reporter.
After 45 more minutes of texting, getting massage treatments and a couple of quick naps, the receivers show up in Phillips' office.
Phillips: "What's this I hear about the footballs?"
Owens: "Why don't you ask your quarterback?"
Phillips: "What's that supposed to mean?"
Owens (mumbling): "Nothing. But I bet his boy knows."
Phillips: "His boy?"
Owens: "Whatever."
Phillips: "Start talking, Terrell."
Owens: "T.O., Coach. You know you call me T.O. Do I have to call Jerry again?"
Phillips (a nervous smile on his face): "Hold on now. C'mon. Why don't we start over? What can I do for you guys?"
Owens: "It's like this: by the time I I mean, we get out to the field every day, you know, after I see the trainer and work out and lift a little and run and get the pedicure and everything, they're already out there. And they got all the balls, man."
Phillips: "All the balls? What? Who?"
Owens: "Romo and Witten. Working on these routes and stuff. Like the tight end is so important. Run this way. Go that way. If this happens, come this way. And they're using the good balls. We're left with the ones even the kickers won't use."
Phillips: "T.O., what happened to the balls we gave you at the beginning of the season? We gave you more than anybody else on the team."
Owens: "Not that many more."
Phillips: "We gave you 10 bags of brand new balls. Put them in your locker. Remember? You carried them out to your car after practice. And then we gave you 10 more bags of new ones a few weeks ago when you complained the other time."
Owens: "Yeah, I remember. So?"
Phillips: "So this shouldn't be a problem. You're getting more balls than anybody."
Owens: "That's not the point."
Phillips (mumbling): "Maybe you dropped them."
Owens: "You say something?"
Phillips: "Nothing."
Owens: "Look, I see those two all the time on the field. They're thick as thieves, they are. Talking all the time. Drawing up routes. Going on vacation together. And then once we get in the game, Tony looks for him all the time when I'm open. And now they keep getting all the good footballs before we get out there. Good balls in practice. Good balls in warmups. Good balls after practice when they hang around after everybody leaves."
Phillips: "Unbelievable. You two you got anything to say?"
Crayton: "Nah."
Williams: "Man, I just got here. We didn't even have footballs in Detroit."
Phillips: "It shows."
Williams: "I know."
Phillips (sighing): "So, T.O., what do we need to do to fix this?"
Owens: "I need more balls. Remember when I got more balls before the San Francisco game?"
Phillips: "Those were the 10 extra bags I was talking about."
Owens: "Yeah. Blew up for 213 yards and we won big. We play well when I get my balls."
Phillips: "OK, OK, I'll get you more balls."
Owens: "You'll talk to Tony?"
Phillips: "What for? You get more balls, then he and Jason can do what they want with theirs, right? What's the big deal?"
Owens: "Well, I gotta give a couple of them to the guys on defense. They like the good balls, too."
Phillips: "What do they care?"
Owens: "I talk to them about it all the time."
Phillips: "You talk to them? About this?"
Owens: "About everything."
There's a knock at the door. It opens and defensive back Terence Newman is in the doorway.
Newman: "Coach, when you got a minute, I'd like to talk to you about something. Oh hey, T.O. Got any more balls yet?"
Phillips: "I'll see you in the defense meeting, Terence."
Newman: "So you'll get T.O. his balls, right? 'Cause, you know, we seem to play better when he's got more than anybody else, and well, you know how Tony and Jason are."
Phillips: "OK, that's enough. Terence, I'll talk to you later. T.O., guys, we'll get you more balls, OK? I'll call Jerry."
Owens: "Way ahead of you, Coach. He already said he'd get me some. Glad we could have this talk, though."
Phillips: "Um, yeah. OK. Well, I'll see you guys at practice then?"
Owens: "After pilates, yeah. You'll talk to Tony, then? Tell him to stay away from my footballs?"
Phillips: "Yeah, I'll talk to him."
Owens: "And Witten?"
Phillips: "I'll talk to him, too."
Owens: "Great. Who are we playing this week, Coach?"


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Maria Sharapova soared into the top 60 of the women's tennis tour rankings after she won her first title in two years.
Sharapova's 7-5, 7-6 (10-8) over Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus to clinch the Tianjin Open in China at the weekend marked her first victory since returning from a 15-month doping ban in April.
"It is a special title, a special victory," the former top-ranked Russian said in a post-match news conference. "It has been a couple of years since I have held the winner's trophy. It is a great feeling, a team effort."
Direct entry
It was the 36th singles title of her career, which she won without losing a set.
Sharapova's first tournament victory since winning on clay in Rome in 2015 pushed her 29 places higher to No. 57 of the rankings of the women's WTA Tour on Monday, meaning she is guaranteed direct entry into January's Australian Open.
Earlier in the season, the French Open refused to give Sharapova a wild card while the US Open did grant her direct entry into the main draw. She pulled out of Wimbledon with an injury.
Sharapova had been in need of receiving wild cards because she no longer had a ranking following her ban.
Kremlin Cup
Sharapova's ranking may get another boost this week at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, which gave her a wild card last week.
"I am really looking forward to playing in my home country as the last event of the year," Sharapova said.
"Obviously coming there with the title already means a lot, but I do really want to finish strong, even though it is a very fast turnaround, and I don't remember the last time that I played three events in a row.
" But I will give it everything I have got and I know I have so many amazing fans there."


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(→Bugs and To-Do List)
(→Bugs and To-Do List)
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* When opening a fan remote with the current state of !low the low button is left aligned instead of center. Should be fixed in next commit.
* When opening a fan remote with the current state of !low the low button is left aligned instead of center. Should be fixed in next commit.
* Added tooltips to select images.
* Added tooltips to select images.
* I added an away mode. It's a lot of sets and gets in a row, so I'm a bit concerned about the error rate.
* I added an away mode. It's a lot of sets and gets in a row, so I'm a bit concerned about the error rate.
Revision as of 14:14, 8 March 2015
Unhappy with the security around the INSTEON Hub, I decided I wanted to front end it with a secure, modern webserver. I made the following assumptions:
- I don't want to deal with password management, I want to use an OpenID(-like) solution.
- All webservers should be TLS encrypted, even if there is no secure content.
- I have a webserver on my home network that's world-accessible.
- The webserver is a modern Linux system running php5.
- I can either attach the Hub to a dedicated network on my webserver or rely on my router to filter traffic to it from only acceptable IP addresses.
- I use an original Hub, however most of the code is abstracted that adding support for other controllers (or even WEMO via the ouimeaux libraries) should be easy enough.
Run the following and put the files into /var/www/insteon/ or the directory of your choice.
git clone firstname.lastname@example.com:jdbower/insteon.git
Edit insteon.conf to include your Hub information.
Edit insteon.ini, we're mostly interested in the [devices] section as of now. You can delete the sample entries, the format is:
- short_name
- A short form of the device name, keep it small, unique, and one word. This is no longer used except as a key.
- insteon_id
- The INSTEON ID, usually printed on the device or visible from the app. Use a format that's not mistakable for a number, like xx.xx.xx or xx:xx:xx.
- device_details
- The product code for the device, visible from the app and provides a way to identify the type and version of the device. Today I just use this to determine if the device is a dimmer or one of my fan modules, but in theory device-specific icons and behavior are possible.
- friendly_name
- What will be displayed in the UI. Avoid commas, but most other characters should be fine.
You can also edit the [other_services] section to choose whether to display links to other home automation sites.
Copy both insteon.conf and insteon.ini to /etc/.
Google+ Authentication
Storing passwords locally is a Very Bad Idea™ unless you're a full-time IT guy. Password reuse is a big problem, and no matter what you think you're storing your passwords incorrectly. So is Google, but they have a large team of full-time IT guys on it. And you can use their password database to make sure there's one less password (including 2FA) you need to remember.
I choose the Google+ Sign-In mechanism. First, go to the Google Developers Console and follow this workflow. Once you're done, under APIs and Auth you can click "credentials." Find the "Client ID" (it looks like a mess of random characters ending in .apps.googleusercontent.com) and copy that value to the client ID in /etc/insteon.ini.
Now you should be able to open up the /insteon page on your web server and see the Google+ login button. Click on it, and log in. You'll be presented with a "Sorry, not authorized." message including your user ID. You can view your profile by entering that ID after https://plus.google.com/. If things are working, you can add that ID to /etc/insteon.ini as a unique user under the [valid_users] section (deleting the placeholders).
Finally, try refreshing the page and see if you can log in.
You can see index.php to see how to present the button, and insteon.php to see how I check the token against Google's APIs and then set a PHP session to let it flow through to other pages without needing additional API calls.
Just open it up and you'll see a web page that displays a summary of all of your devices. I default to four per row, but you can change this by editing $dev_per_row in insteon.php. The icons are designed to give you a nice, intuitive overview with basic black shapes differentiating between fan controllers and light controllers. There's an off-white circle that appears if a light is on, it will be filled with the level of the light if it's a dimmer. Fans will be animated if they're on, with a fan level indicator in the lower right.
The page is just a snapshot in time, it doesn't automatically update. However in the upper right is a blue refresh icon that will update that device. Updating all devices at once is easier with a page refresh.
Clicking the green power icon in the lower left of the device will bring up a device-specific remote. Clicking buttons should work in (near) realtime and the device will be refreshed when you close the remote (by clicking off the remote).
File Descriptions
This section describes the various files included with the package.
Support Files
- insteon
- A shell script I wrote to control INSTEON devices. I use this as a standalone module as well.
This is the script that I started out with, primarily because setting a cron job is easier than configuring scenes and schedules.
Web Code
- index.php
- A very basic landing page that displays the login button.
- login.php
- A transitional page that parses the data the Google+ login gives, authorizes the user, and sets the session. It also displays the login failed message.
- insteon.php
- The main page to render the screen.
- insteon.js
- The primary JavaScript for the page.
- insteon.css
- Edit this to change the formatting of things.
This is the basic application.
API Calls
- status.php
- If you've got a PHP session active, it will pull the light level of device_id. Note that "on" will return 100 and "off" will return 0.
- fan_status.php
- If you've got a PHP session active, it will pull the fan status of device_id. Output should be off, low, medium, or high.
- set_light.php
- Sets device_id to value - you can call this directly (once you're logged in and have a session active).
- set_fan.php
- Like set_light.php but sets the fan status.
I could have done this a bit better, more PHP-contained rather than simply a callout to a shell script. But I already had the script and I'm lazy. It does check if a session is active, so using curl directly isn't easy (and something I'd just do via the shell script), but it should be easy enough to modify if you want other security.
Note that the status API calls will return text beginning with ERROR if there is a failure of some sort. Check the JavaScript console for details if an error icon appears.
Config Files
- insteon.conf
- The configuration for the insteon shell script. It can also be placed in ~/.insteon.conf but for www-data that's a little tougher.
- insteon.ini
- The configuration for the web-based controller including the user and device database.
Two files since insteon is also a standalone app. You may need to update insteon.ini every time you add or replace a device, but I'm assuming that's not often. As a side effect, it also stores the device ID someplace, useful if your Hub goes wonky. Note that I don't bother storing devices that I can't control or that are directly controllable. This includes the 6-button keypads that control the fans.
Both config files should be moved to /etc/, if they're left in-place they could be downloaded. While they don't contain hugely sensitive data, better safe than sorry.
Image Files
- light-off.png
- The standard light (meaning !fan) backdrop, defaults to a black vector art light bulb.
- fan-off.png
- The standard fan backdrop, a four-blade ceiling fan.
- light-on.png
- An off-white circle positioned over the center of the light or fan backdrops.
- fan-on.gif
- An animated fan used when a fan module has a status not equal to off.
- fan-low.png, fan-medium.png, fan-high.png
- Used to show an increasing number of bars for the fan speed. Note that fan-off.png is not part of this sequence since a fan that's off doesn't get a speed icon.
- loading.gif
- The image displayed at the lower right when the device information is being loaded.
- reload.png
- The icon in the upper right to refresh the device information.
- power.png
- The icon in the lower left to bring up the remote.
- error.png
- An icon displayed in the lower right if there is an error getting the status.
- nest.png, dropbox.png
- Sample logos that can be used to generate links to related services. Check out insteon.ini for examples on how to use them.
Each of these files is automatically resized, in theory you can just swap them out for other files and things should just work. All files should be roughly square in aspect ratio or you may get scaling issues.
Bugs and To-Do List
Things I want to add/fix:
- I display dimmer information but I don't allow setting anything other than on/off.
Things I'm not sure I care about:
- I don't have support for rooms. In theory that should be easy enough, but I'm uncertain if it adds clutter.
- On Android devices some light icons appear off-center.
- There is no support for scenes or adding devices. This is not something I use so it may be a community-driven feature.
Pending Changelist:
- Refreshing a device after a session expires will result in an unhelpful error. In the next commit I've changed the behavior to force a refresh if the session expires. This is a bit better, and I don't know of a cleaner way to handle it other than to extend the session.
- If you've authenticated it's pretty darn hard to log in as another user. The standard methods don't seem to apply for some reason. Really it's just easier to request a login than it is to log out and back in again. Additional help around revoking access manually will be added to the next push, but this should be cleaner.
- When opening a fan remote with the current state of !low the low button is left aligned instead of center. Should be fixed in next commit.
- Added tooltips to select images.
- Added support for external service links. There's no real integration, just click to open up a new tab.
- I added an away mode. It's a lot of sets and gets in a row, so I'm a bit concerned about the error rate.


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- Bows Traditional
- Recurve Bows
- Removable bow
- Bow Longbow
- HorseBow
- Handle
- Limbs
- Recurve Bows
- Removable bow
- Bow Longbow
- HorseBow
- Limbs
No products
Hoyt Archery BOWHUNTING is a great brand of equipment and arc of target, hunting, competition as well as accessories: hip quiver, bow quiver, hunting stabilizer, arrow rests, sights.
More than just a hobby to us, archery is a way of life. Hoyt is home to employees that are driven to build the best bows the world has to offer. There are no compromises. The people behind the scenes at Hoyt are just like you: hardcore bowhunters and target archers who demand the best from their equipment. Our dreams are filled with new bow designs, record book bucks and tournament victories. Since 1931, Hoyt has been leading the way with uncompromising quality, performance and reliability. Get Serious. Get Hoyt
String Flemish Brown / Black HOYT Archery, many sizes, supplied with silencer for traditional bows as Hoyt Game Master, Buffalo, Dorado, Tiburon ...
The HOYT Shock Rods are silencers for Hoyt arches, Hoyt bow quiver that reduces vibrations and noises when shooting so that your bow is silent when hunting or 3d.
SATORI Riser Hoyt Archery bow handle is sold in 3 sizes 17", 19", 21" We recommend Hoyt Tradition branches or Uukha NaturEvo branches Handle for 3D archery, Hunting, Nature or instinctive.
The Rest Quiet Track from HOYT designed for traditional recurve arches: Dorado, Buffalo, Triburon as well as the GameMaster2 or the arches having a screw thread. Available in Left or Right handed.
Classic HOYT arrows rest for Bow recurve, classic as well as initiation bow. The rest rests Hoyt sticks with a double sided adhesive provides.
The new SATORI, a removable recurve bow, several hand sizes of 17", 19", 21 ". This arc recurve hunting is suitable for 3D, Hunting, competition ... Sold with its rope.
Quiver 6 arrows CARBON PRO HOYT ARCHERY into 2 parts for the arc stability, reduce noise. Ultra-Light color Realtree Max-1 for hunting bows, traditional, compound bow.
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Custom kit HOYT of 10 pieces for the customization of your hunting or classic compound that contains: grip pro-fit, Stealth Shot, Shock-rod, Limb Shox. This adapts to the hoyt Bows.
The hunting stabilizer 3D PRO SERIES home Hoyt is vibration, noise reduction of the arc, 5.5 "or 8" color camo or black. An essential accessory for your hunting bow. Personalized possibility of optional rubbers.
Hoyt Archery Wrist Slings, fastening and quick mounting, adjustment knob, aluminum bracket. Top quality accessory for your bow hunting.
HOYT ARROW RACK 2 PIECE QUIVER , Carquois flèche en rack sont extrêmement léger et conçu pour s'adapter à votre arc pour un compact et bien équilibré . Carquois universel, qui s'adapte sur n'importe quel arc et offre une sécurité de flèche ultime .* 2 pièces carquois s'adapte 2012 et plus récent carbone arcs et 2013 arcs non-carbone. Modèles en ligne...


text:
Print Sampler streamlines stationery over multiple locations
Print Sampler has various uses. Here we show you how a British investment firm used Print Sampler to overcome the challenges that come with multiple addresses, decentralised design management and changing company names.
Challenge: Multiple branches with decentralised management of stationery
A world class investment firm with headquarters in London and branches at multiple locations around the UK were looking for a way to optimise how they handle all their stationery. Previously each location managed its own pre-printed stock with local contact details.
Solution: Centralised template management and corporate design control
Print Sampler enabled the bank to streamline the process across the organisation by centralising templates and enabling the corporate image to be controlled centrally by the marketing department. Print queues were setup to automatically add the correct template to the print job.
Later the organisation went through a merger which is often a challenge for the design department. But thanks to Print Sampler templates were quickly updated and modified with the new details and logos. And the best thing was, there was no old stock of paper that needed to be thrown away, since everything is managed digitally.
The ease of template management has been useful as the organisation has had a number of rebrands since the first deployment of Print Sampler.
Talk to us about Print Sampler
Get in touch with the local MPI Tech office if you want to know more about Print Sampler or fill in the contact form if you want to be contacted by one of our sales people.
About Print Sampler
Print Sampler is a software solution for digital document template management that automates document flows and output options and centralises template management. The solution runs on Windows and can receive practically any kind of office application output and delivers output as Print and/or PDF.
Print Sampler prints using manufacturer drivers enabling all finishing options and it is fully compatible with push, pull, & secure print solutions.
Advanced options such as PDF indexing, splitting, routing and renaming and chain-link scenarios for multiple output style and target are also available.


text:
One thought on ""
We had mounting medical bills due to my health. There was no way we were going to get above water. My wife who is a HCA employee told me about THE HOPE FUND and that we should apply. THE HOPE FUND came thru in a way we could not believe possible. We told ourselves that we would donate to THE HOPE FUND each year to help other families like ourselves that was in a crisis. THE HOPE FUND truly performs miracles!!
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text:
CAMP THEME: Coming soon.
WHO: Anyone going into 9th-12th grade in the Fall of 2019 and 2019 HS graduates
SPEAKER: Coming soon
WHAT TO EXPECT: All week long, campers are ENGAGED with other students from all over the area in activities such as water sliding, zip-lining, skits, and all kinds of high energy team games!
DROP OFF & PICK UP TIMES: Registration is from 2:00pm-4:00pm on Sunday, June 16. Pickup 12:00pm on Friday, June 21.
SCHOLARSHIPS: Active and Deployed Military – We are pleased to offer free registration to any camper who has a parent or guardian serving our country away from home. E-mail Andy Hoover if you want to partake in this offer.
IMPORTANT: Parents arriving prior to pre-stated drop-off times will be forced to wait at camp until registration officially begins. There is a 2-hour window for registration at each camp. Arriving anytime during this 2-hour window is acceptable.
Proof of ID will be required upon pickup for each camper. ID must match the pickup individuals listed on the registration form.
More info at http://lebanoncamps.com/camp-lebanon-summer-camps/camp-9twelve
Register by tapping on the image below.


text:
You can make your own web pages or even web sites if you do some tinkering with my new web tool.
go to ZPtr.net and click on the "Make a page" tab at the top and have some fun.
For a tour of this tool visit here TourStart.
Example page - UltimateGuide - Copied Dyndrilliacs post because it was the most formatted one I could find that would demonstrate what it does best.
Tell me what you think and if you do play around with it please report any bugs or anything of the like.


text:
Berry Merry Xmas Giftbox
R 155.00Add to wishlist
These juicy strawberries are hand-dipped in the richest, silky Belgian couverture chocolate, then artfully decorated with Christmas sprinkles and chocolate drizzle.
Available in gift boxes of 6 ;12; 30 or 50 pieces, these strawberries are a perfect addition to your end of year office parties; gifts for your favourite co-workers, bosses, clients, lawyers, teachers , doctors , friends, family.
Allergy Warning: Edible Bouquets products may contain peanuts and/or tree nuts. We recommend that you take the necessary precautions based on any related allergies.
Please visit the FAQ page for more information


text:
PLEASE NOTE: The Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor Center and WCHF are closed until at least August 31, 2020 due to COVID. The outdoor areas of Schmeeckle Reserve including trails and picnic area are open.
The Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor Center, located on the UW-Stevens Point campus, houses the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame Gallery for the inductee plaques and monographs. The center also features a hands-on Conservation History Museum and a classroom/meeting room used by students and nonprofit organizations. Plan a visit to experience Wisconsin's conservation history, and stroll through the many trails of Schmeeckle Reserve.
Gallery of Inductees
The WCHF in the Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor Center includes a sunlit gallery that displays wooden recognition plaques of the inductees, along with a touchscreen exhibit and bird viewing windows.
Learn more.
Conservation History Museum
The WCHF in the Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor Center houses a hands-on museum that interprets the exciting story of conservation in Wisconsin.
Learn more.
Meeting Room
Originally funded by the WCHF, the Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor Center offers a classroom/meeting room used by hundreds of civic organizations and student groups each year.
Learn more.
Schmeeckle Reserve
Schmeeckle Reserve, located on the UW-Stevens Point campus, is a 280-acre conservancy area with trails, boardwalks, a 24-acre lake, and a large diversity of wildlife habitats. Each year thousands of visitors enjoy the beautiful landscapes, hiking trails, educational programs, and gift shop.
Learn more.
Just outside the doors of the WCHF, explore 5 miles of trails and boardwalks that meander through Schmeeckle Reserve. They are open sunrise to sunset.
Learn more.
Our location
2419 North Point Drive
Stevens Point, Wisconsin 54481
We are part of the Schmeeckle Reserve located on the University of Stevens Point (UWSP) campus.
For more information, call (715) 346-4992.


text:
Abu Dhabi-UAE: 14 April 2013 – Zayed Future Energy Prize, the world's preeminent award for innovation in renewable energy and sustainability, conducted a workshop for the teaching community at the ongoing annual National Science Teachers Association conference (11 – 14 April) in San Antonio, Texas.
The initiative was part of the Prize's outreach campaign to engage with global school communities and encourage the increase of quality and caliber of submissions for the High Schools category that was launched in 2012. The Zayed Future Energy Prize participated at the conference through a series of activities including a workshop titled 'Leapfrogging energy education to the next level through the Zayed Future Energy Prize'. The Prize booth at the conference included presentations on the scope and reach of the awards.
"The Global High School category of the Prize aims to ensure that sustainability is woven into the fabric of future generations. By funding renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy access projects in schools from across the globe, we hope to achieve just that," said Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Director General of the Zayed Future Energy Prize.
"For years, our founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, emphasized that human capital is the core of our sustainability – through his legacy and the vision of our current leadership – we hope to achieve the great goals that our founding father had set," added Dr Al Jaber."
The workshop, conducted by Gayatri Raghawa, Zayed Future Energy Prize Review Committee member and Deputy Manager of Environment Education, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, included a short presentation on the Prize, video highlights of previous award ceremonies and a virtual submissions workshop that showed attendees how to write a winning submission.
Dr Al Jaber added: "One of the unique factors of the Prize is its transparent four-tier evaluation and selection process. Our committee members continuously help the Prize attract submissions both in terms of quantity and more importantly, quality."
The Global High Schools Prize category was launched as part of the UAE's commitment to the UN Secretary General's 'Sustainable Energy for All' initiative that seeks to recognize and encourage young people to incorporate renewable energy and sustainability. It is awarded to schools that submit a winning proposal on the implementation of a renewable energy, energy access or energy efficiency and / or sustainability project for a chance to win US$100,000 each, across five geographical regions.
The 2013 winners of the Global High Schools category included Secundaria Tecnica 120 School from Cuernavaca, Mexico representing the Americas; Okehampton College, in the United Kingdom from Europe; Kirya Secondary School in Tanzania, Africa; and the Sheikh Khalifa Bangladeshi Islamia School for the Asia region.
The Zayed Future Energy Prize is a US$4 million prize awarded annually to companies, schools and individuals that have made significant contributions to the future of energy, sustainability and climate change. In five years, the Prize has rewarded 21 innovators and impacted communities across the world.
Submissions for the sixth edition of Prize opened on 4 March, 2013 and will close on 5 August, 2013. Winners will be announced at the Zayed Future Energy Prize awards ceremony scheduled for 20 January, 2014 as part of the annual Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
The National Science Teachers Association is a member-driven organization, 60,000-strong. They publish books and journals for science teachers from kindergarten through college. Each year, the National Science Teachers Association holds four conferences on science education: three regional events in the fall and a national gathering in the spring. They provide ways for science teachers to connect with one another and inform Congress and the public on vital questions affecting science literacy and a well-educated workforce.
The National Science Teachers Association conference includes an exhibition, workshops and seminars as well as presentations and discussions.