text:
February 2016
Is Baseball Prepared for a "Walking Dead" Apocalypse?
Happy Valentine's Baseball lovers. Tonight is the second half of the current season of "The Walking Dead" and while it is far from my type of entertainment, I'm personally all too familiar with the storylines because my wife like so many American's finds it more interesting than politics, the news, or other more pressing subjects. So much of what is presented at least in the view of this writer is an overhyped and overblown focus on a postapocalyptical world where everything has been destroyed by some horrible event, be it man made or nature's doing or some out of world alien/zombie created circumstance and the few survivors fight for what is left in a tribal like society.
What I present may seem a tad apocalyptical but based on past baseball history and current trends, it could become a stark reality that dramatically alters the sports and baseball landscape over the next 20-40 years. God willing, I'll still be alive at age 82 in 2056 with spring training upon us, but will baseball look anything like it does today, will any major sports league? Below, I present some of the potential pitfalls that await MLB and its pro sports partners in the NFL, NBA and NHL, and the question is, what will they do to prepare for the end of the sports world as they know it?
Walkers are coming from all around to eat up the sports landscape. From the west, a group of walkers is carrying signs that state in very harsh language that government funding is dead, sports leagues must make it on their own. The owners are running in circles with no idea how to resolve this conflict. They don't want to admit that society finally grew tired of their endless begging for corporate welfare, which asked for public money to build new stadiums and arenas to replace the ones that were built just 15-30 years ago. The last round of the sports building boom, everyone was told that to compete and field a winning team, the club had to have the latest, greatest state of the art facility. Build it, we win championships and contend every year for the opportunity to win more. Don't build it, we leave. NO one stopped and realized, there are 30 teams in MLB, so if every team won just one single championship, it would take 30 years for every team to get its title, meaning it was nearly a stone cold lock that several MLB teams would not see a championship and might not even make it to the World Series during the same 30 year or shorter term for said stadium lease. The White Sox, Giants, Astros, Padres, Marlins, Rays, Athletics, Twins, Pirates, Mariners, all made the I'm leaving threat in baseball and the Expos eventually did leave. IN the NFL, the Rams have made good on the threat twice, the chargers and Raiders both could potentially join the Rams on that have done it twice list, while the Saints, Jaguars, Colts, Bills, Vikings, Seahawks, and buccaneers, have had or are currently making the same threat to government officials, while the Colts and Cardinals, and old Houston Oilers made good on the threat. IN the NBA, the Kings and Bucks are the latest teams to make the threat and get a new building, those two had brand new arenas in 1988, while the Hornets, Heat, and Magic which all got new buildings at the same time as new expansion teams all have since moved into new buildings that replaced those original new homes. The Grizzlies had a new home in 1995 and moved six years later, getting a second new building in 2004, while the Supersonics moved and became the Thunder in 2008. Similar arena threats were put out by the Rockets, Spurs, and pacers that got new buildings put up between 1999 and 2003, while other multiple sports cities, Dallas, Denver, and Chicago opened new facilities between 1994 and 2001. IN the case of Dallas, the new arena was replacing a building just 21 years of age that now no longer exists, Reunion Arena. Miami may be the most gross case here, because the new Miami arena that opened in 1988 was used to get both the expansion Heat in the NBA that year and the Panthers NHL team in 1993. It was built specifically for both sports. Yet by 1996 both teams were asking for new buildings, they each got one that they call home, the Panthers in 1998, the Heat a year later. The original Miami Arena was used sparingly until it was brought down less than 20 years before its first NBA game. Meanwhile, in the NHL, the Senators want a new arena, the current facility this 1992 Ottawa expansion franchise called home opened in 1996. The Red wings are getting a new building of their own, largely paid for by local public dollars in a city and state that is bleeding red ink, even though the owner could easily spend enough of his money to build the whole thing and still have billions left over. Talk about welfare, but of course when it is the owner of Little Caesar's Pizza, the Tigers and Red Wings, that is somehow OK, but it is horrible when we give well fare to a 19 year old pregnant girl who is on her own with no family to turn too? Every arena used by NBA and NHL teams today not named Madison Square Garden and Oracle Arena is younger than Jennifer Hudson, younger than Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira. Remember the Warriors are getting a new building unless things fall apart in San Francisco, scheduled to open by 2018. Only six MLB stadiums are older, Wrigley which is getting remodeled, Fenway which has had upgrades, Kaufman which received a new round of upgrades on the public tab in 2006, Dodger Stadium and yes, that ballpark urrrr stadium in Oakland; Angel Stadium went through a pair of major upgrades, one to add football in 1979 and one to undo that change and update the baseball only feel in 1997. IN the NFL, the only older venues that predate Jennifer and Mark are Lambeau Field and Soldier Field (both which had a major makeover and upgrade in 2002-03), Arrowhead Stadium, Rich Stadium, that stadium again in Oakland, the temporary home the Rams are moving to at Los Angeles Coliseum which had no NFL team since the Raiders left in 1995, QUALCOMM Stadium in San Diego and the new Orleans Super Dome which has had its share of upgrades and repairs. The Falcons like several NBA teams got a new facility that opened the year Bill Clinton was elected to his first term in office, only to have it torn down potentially in the first year of another Clinton administration 25 years later in 2017. The Dolphins again as we point fingers at greater Miami moved to a facility built in 1987 for them and to get what would become the marlins. Almost immediately, the Marlins wanted out when it rained too much before baseball games to keep fans coming, hey Miami has always been that way, and now the Dolphins want upgrades or a new facility.
How do owners then fund new palaces to play in you ask? Well that depends on where else they can reach out with buckets in hand begging for private money to build the new stadiums. The public money is all gone, being used to build much more needed and much more outdated public works items such as electrical grids, water and sewer lines, replacing old gas pipes that keep exploding, and upgrading the telecommunications utilities. But there is another problem, walkers coming from the east, with signs featuring more stark language. Your cable TV money is gone, never to return. Here, we see another problem that takes us back in time while also developing on the horizon like a hurricane 1000 miles out in the Atlantic. We know damage could be done, we don't know where or to what extent, but we know it is coming. IN this case, let's think back to 1988 and the announcement that CBS had paid massive media rights fees to MLB. Teams were spending money on players left and right with this new found wealth of TV dollars. Yet in 1994, that CBS deal was gone and the new package was not nearly as lush with free greenbacks. Since MLB is not the treasury, it could not issue its own money and had to cut back. Baseball's best season was ruined by a player strike, but the owners had just as much to do with it. Instead of using some of that TV money to build and update stadiums, owners bid against themselves and overpaid players, then begged for a salary cap to keep their fellow owners from spending too much on player contracts. We all know how that ended. But now fast forward to 2016, many teams have recently entered into or are just now starting new TV contracts with massive payouts from regional sports networks that are operated by and owned by divisions of the major cable and satellite TV companies. ESPN, Fox and TBS also are in the middle of huge contracts that pay very high rights fees to MLB through the 2021 season. But by 2021, it could be painfully apparent that baseball will need to come up with new revenue sources. The problem is simple, many people especially younger folks are ditching cable and satellite TV for on demand internet programming and who can blame them, a new trend known as chord cutting. Our own Time Warner bill has gone up almost 25 dollars in the last year, most of that in extra fees including a 6 dollar sports channel use fee. TWC and the other providers like Comcast, DirecTV and Dish will say that ESPN is to blame because of the high fees it demands for carriage over these systems. That has some truth to it, but look at how much money these same cable companies have sank into local TV rights contracts for teams in MLB< the NBA and NHL. The NFL largely dodges this issue because most of its games are still on over the air TV, something that is almost unheard of these days with the other leagues. This also does not even take into consideration the huge amount of money promised to college athletics, mainly in the form of NCAA football and men's basketball at the division I level, viewed by many including myself as nothing more than university sponsored minor leagues. As more and more customers drop 180 to 200 dollar a month cable bills for on demand internet programs where they are purchasing only the programming they want to see, it forces the cable folks to raise rates. That bubble is about to pop like an overblown helium balloon and when it does pop, the sports leagues could find themselves being short changed because future promised dollars that were coming are suddenly now evaporating in the smoke and dust that is left behind by the burning down of the cable and satellite TV industry as we know it today.
Walkers are coming from the north and south too. From the north, they carry signs from entitled players who want even larger salary figures from owners who no longer have public welfare and no private money in hand to spend. The southern flank carry signs representing fans who are revolting against ticket prices that are increasing at many times the rate of working wages, fans who are tired of overpriced food and drinks provided by third party venders that do not follow food safety requirements in several instances. Minimum wage was $4.25 in 1993, it is now $7.25 in most locations. Yet $4.25 in 1992 will cost you more like $9 in today's market for the same goods.
So the fans won't buy tickets, the players are demanding money that is not there because the cable contracts are dead and worthless sheets of legal paper, while the government bonds have expired and no public official worth his or her weight in is coming through that door with as much as a dime of free goodies. This could happen and when it does, how do the pro leagues respond, and how does baseball in particular adapt to this very possible future reality?
I don't have all of the solutions, but here are a couple. First, MLB should realize that the way fans are going to consume sports is changing and they will not be able to rely on passing this service fee on to the backs of many people who will never watch a game on television, much less attend a game in a stadium. MLB must come up with other revenue from the broadcast of game events. How you do this in part would be to make every single game you broadcast on TV and radio available worldwide to anyone online, no matter what. The audio service largely already accomplishes this and the MLBTV product should follow suit. Make that service available to any fan who wants to see any game, any team, anywhere. Already class action has forced MLB to sell an individual team package for out of market games, but this out of market concept is outdated and frankly it should have been terminated 15 years ago. MLB should have a very basic process here, no matter the fan, no matter where in the world you are geographically. Want to get the audio only package, sell it on a monthly or season long basis, sell it also on a per team or whole league type of package. So, I can get all MLB games for a month at a time, one team for the entire season, or all MLB games for the entire season. The same concept naturally would be true for those who upgrade to the video streaming service.
MLB should also hire broadcasters to cover games in other foreign languages. Many teams already have Spanish announcers, but hire a few MLB controlled broadcast teams who can do games in various popular languages around the world. While these announcers would not be able to cover all 2430 regular season games, they could cover 5-7 games a week, with all teams being offered throughout the season. Imagine if on any given day, you could find a couple games with an option in French, or German, or Chinese, Etc. These foreign language products would be streamed anywhere in the world, including to US based customers with a 30 day free intro to get fans interested. Teach them about the game if you will, then if they get hooked and fall in love, they can by a subscription. Similar audio broadcasts in various languages should also be made available via streaming services and if in languages that are in parts of the world with less internet traffic, dedicate a shortwave or related radio broadcast service specifically for this purpose.
Second, find ways to make the stadium into a year round money generating facility. Stadiums would become better public works investments if they were used more than 80 some odd times a season. MLB teams should find ways to book events at stadiums on all possible dates outside the baseball season and during the season, allow various events to take place at the facility on all dates not used for baseball, accept the day prior to a team returning home from a long road trip when the facility needs to be prepared for the next home games on the schedule. With more and more teams creating social zones in stadiums, those could all be rented out for big events and receptions on a very regular basis. I think the future here is interesting, as I could see a day where seats as we know it are no longer sold, with fans instead buying tickets to various zones within a ballpark and having areas to move around in, while using more restaurant style seating with tables and movable seating that allow for folks to face the field of play if using such setups on game days. Plus here is a big leap of Sheldon Cooper sarcasm, host more baseball games. Schedule the big state high school tournament during certain seasons at your stadium, bring college teams in on a regular basis for more than just the single weekend tournament and have events at the stadium on those open dates that are baseball related that get the community involved with one another. Have showcase events for international prospects, have baseball combine style events prior to the draft, and other events that promote baseball's future talent, but do so in MLB stadiums where you can draw in MLB crowds. Imagine, you sell 30 thousand seats at 15 bucks a pop for any seat in the stadium and charge 5 dollars for parking, you know, minor league rates back in the day and you have made 450K just in ticket sales for that one event. For the stadiums as we know them to become true profit machines and thus to view them as investments or properties that have value, they must be living breathing spaces that are regularly active throughout the calendar year. We would never see funding for office buildings that were open only on Monday and Tuesday, or about 100 days in the year, which is even more than we see for actual game day events in MLB, even when postseason is accounted for. The numbers are certainly much worse in terms of usage dates for the NFL which has a max of about 12 in any given season, while the numbers for NHL and NBA arenas are about a max of 58 dates if a team played all the way to the finals, since no team plays the max 7 games in all four series. Even and arena that is home to both an NBA and NHL team gets a max of fewer than 120 usage dates during the year.
In conclusion, it is safe to say that things will probably not unfold in exactly the way that my imagination is presenting here. But the issues I have laid out on electronic paper here could very well take baseball and sports as we know it into new directions that require very difficult decisions and it will require creative solutions by power brokers who are used to getting everything the way they want it. All in the baseball and sports industry will need to be willing to make some real sacrifices and change how they think today, or risk forever destroying the very games we love in the future when resources have dried up and the league as currently funded becomes a bankrupt hulking mass of debt with empty decaying buildings that are home to no games, no fans, and no joy.


text:
Exam Candidates Certified Professionals IC&RC Representatives
IC&RC, the world leader in addiction-related credentialing, is pleased to announce the completion of its updated Alcohol and Drug Counselor Job Analysis (JA). IC&RC's Alcohol and Drug Counselor credential is held by more addiction counselors than any other credential of its kind.
The updated Alcohol and Drug Counselor Job Analysis will be used to develop a new examination to be administered by all IC&RC member boards in late 2014. More details regarding the first administration of the examination will be forthcoming.
For more information on the first administration of this exam and all IC&RC's testing policies and procedures, please visit our examination page at http://professionals.internationalcredentialing.org/.
Please feel free to direct any questions you may have regarding these changes to Rachel Witmer, Assistant Director at firstname.lastname@example.com.
At the annual meeting of IC&RC, the Board of Directors, representing 77 certification and licensing boards from 24 countries and 45,000 professionals, re-elected Phyllis Abel Gardner, Professor of Sociology and Addiction Studies at Texarkana College, as President and Jessica Hayes, Executive Director of the Illinois Certification Board Inc. (ICB), as Treasurer. In their speeches, they both thanked delegates for their support. Both offices hold two-year terms.
As a welcome to its home state, the North Carolina Certification Board for Addiction and Prevention Professionals hosted the Honorable Martha Beddell Alexander, former Executive Director of the Charlotte Council on Alcoholism, as the meeting's keynote speaker. As State Representative for the 106th District in North Carolina, Alexander served 10 terms, including chair of Appropriations and vice chair for Education, Health, Judiciary and Mental Health Reform. During her service, she introduced and sponsored numerous legislative bills to enhance services for substance abuse education, prevention, and treatment. In 1993, during her first year in the General Assembly, she sponsored the substance abuse certification act in 1993. Now, she serves as the vice-chair on the Board of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Inc.
"I'm one of your greatest advocates," announced Alexander. She recalled how she spoke to IC&RC in the fall of 1995. Only a few months after her diagnosis of cancer, she was self-conscious about her wig. After her presentation, delegates and administrators approached Alexander to thank her for making a public appearance during chemotherapy treatment, relating stories of loved ones with similar difficulties. "Twenty years later, I want to thank you. You gave me hope. That's what you do every day – you give people hope every day."
Spain Joins as a Board
At the annual meeting, the Board of Directors planned for the future of the international organization. As a part of its business, the organization proudly welcomed Board of Spain Certified Addiction Counselors from Spain as a Member Board. It will offer the Alcohol & Drug Counselor credential.
An existing board, Tennessee Certification Board adopted the Certified Criminal Justice Addictions Professional, Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Professional, and Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Professional Diplomate credentials.
The Board was pleased to have a large number of new delegates, including:
Turpin Honored
Phyllis Abel Gardner, IC&RC President, presented the Presidential Leadership Award to David Turpin, IC&RC Secretary, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to IC&RC and the prevention, substance abuse treatment, and recovery professions.
The CEO/President of Clinical Services of North Carolina, Inc., Turpin is a therapist, clinical supervisor, and administrator in the fields of substance abuse and mental health. He holds licenses as a Psychological Associate, a Clinical Addictions Specialist, and a Certified Clinical Supervisor. He serves as the North Carolina Program Consultant for the Southeast ATTC, a Senior CARF Surveyor, and a Clinical Instructor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
Turpin was surprised that he waited until the next day to respond: "Yesterday, I was so overwhelmed, honored, humbled that I couldn't say anything. When I first came back to IC&RC around 1994, I made two promises to the NC board. One, I would represent North Carolina and the field. Second, I would serve as a delegate with honor, dignity, and respect. Yesterday's award affirmed for me that over the 20 years, I kept those promises."
IC&RC, the world leader in addiction-related credentialing, is pleased to announce the completion of its new Prevention Specialist Job Task Analysis (JA).
A JA is the methodical process of determining what elements of practice and knowledge are important to assess as part of a certification examination and serves as the blueprint for the examination. It is the process that directly links an examination score to a specific job and ensures that an exam is valid, reliable, and legally defensible. To stay relevant to current trends and practices, a JA must be updated every five to seven years.
The updated Prevention Specialist Job Analysis will be used to develop a new examination to be administered for the first time on December 13, 2013 by IC&RC member boards.
The new examination will include the following six domains:
In addition to the new Communication domain, the former domain of Education and Skill Development has been changed to Prevention Education and Service Delivery. The new JA also broadens the scope of a Prevention Specialist from focusing strictly on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD) to encompassing aspects of mental, emotional, and behavioral health. The full exam content outline and updated reference list can be found on the following pages.
The new examination will continue to have 150 questions, of which 25 will be non-weighted, pretest questions. For more information on pretesting, please read Important Information Regarding IC&RC Exams.
IC&RC is the only organization offering standards and an examination for Prevention Specialist certification and is proud to stay in the forefront of the ever evolving field.
To learn more detailed information, please download the 2013 Prevention Specialist JTA Announcement. This document may also be used to share the news of the updated Job Task Analysis.
Please direct any questions to Rachel Witmer, Assistant Director, at email@example.com or via phone at +1-717-540-4457 Ext. 105.
At its 2013 Semi-Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, USA, the IC&RC Board of Directors elected Annie Ramniceanu, MS, LCMHC, LADC, Associate Executive Director of Clinical Programs at Spectrum Youth & Family Services, as the organization's Vice President. She will hold office until Fall 2014.
Ramniceanu has worked at Spectrum for over 15 years, and she has focused on creating an organization where every system is based on research and evidence based practices. She has alos been the Principle Investigator on a three-year Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) ROSC grant and an Adolescent Treatment Enhancement grant. Currently, she is the Chair of the Vermont Alcohol and Drug Certification Board, and since October 2011, she was served as IC&RC's Marketing Committee Chair.
Ramniceanu attended Amherst College and is a graduate of Columbia University. She completed a Master's in Science in Counseling at the University of Vermont. She is licensed in Vermont as both a Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Alcohol and Drug Counselor.
In 2012, she was awarded the Burlington Business & Professional Women (BPW) Woman of Achievement award. She was also chosen as one of Vermont's 25 Most Outstanding Women by Vermont Works for Women Labor of Love 25th anniversary celebration.
"I am very honored to serve the IC&RC as Vice President and look forward to contributing my skills and knowledge to a great organization and dedicated leadership team," said Ramniceanu after the election.
During the meeting, the Board of Directors also approved Minnesota Certification Board to adopt the Co-Occurring Disorders Professional (CCDP) and Co-Occurring Disorders Professional Diplomate (CCDPD) credentials.
The future of the profession is at stake, and the nation's leading addiction organizations are working to preserve it.
Due to the rapid changes expected in the addiction profession through the Affordable Care Act and parity, three leading organizations in the field – NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP) and the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) – are discussing collaborative activities to ensure professional quality in the delivery of prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery support services.
In its Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) named substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors as one of the fastest growing professions, expected to grow 21 percent by 2018. Despite this positive outlook, changes to practice legislation and funding streams make the future of the profession difficult to predict.
"Our field is at a real turning point with drivers such as the Affordable Care Act, parity, and myriad challenges facing the addiction workforce looming large," stated Mary Jo Mather, IC&RC Executive Director.
The leaders of NAADAC, NCC AP and IC&RC view great strength in the strategy of collaboration. Together, the three organizations will work to influence federal policy, including workforce development issues within Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and other departments. The goal of working together is to protect the addiction profession as a specialty within the primary healthcare system. Ideally, an economy of scale can be achieved in the managing, administering, programming and serving the addiction profession.
"Now, perhaps more than ever, the addiction profession needs strong voices, unified messages and cohesiveness that our respective organizations can take the lead through joining forces and working collaboratively," stated Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, NAADAC's Executive Director.
Shirley Beckett Mikell, NCC AP's Director of Certification, agrees. "NCC AP and IC&RC have a tremendous amount of respect for one another as addiction credentialing organizations. What better demonstration of that high esteem for one another than working together."
Areas of collaboration include:
With a shared goal of advancing the profession, NAADAC, NCC AP, and IC&RC are committed to cooperating as they meet the challenges ahead.
NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, represents the professional interests of more than 75,000 addiction counselors, educators and other addiction-focused health care professionals in the United States, Canada and abroad. NAADAC's members are addiction counselors, educators and other addiction-focused health care professionals, who specialize in addiction prevention, treatment, recovery support and education.
The National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP) has since 1990, instituted nationally recognized credentials specifically for addiction professionals. The NCC AP operates as an independent credentialing body, managing credentials and additional services, including test administration, certification standards, ethics codes of conduct and rules of credentialing development and procedure.
IC&RC, the world leader in addiction-related credentialing, has protected the public by establishing standards and facilitating reciprocity for professionals since 1981. Today, IC&RC represents 76 member boards and 45,000 professionals from 24 countries, 47 U.S. states and territories. IC&RC's nine credentials include counselors, clinical supervisors, prevention specialists, criminal justice, co-occurring disorders professionals, and peer recovery coaches.
At its 2012 Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, the IC&RC Board of Directors elected Bob Field, Executive Director of the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals (OCDP) Board, as its new Vice President and David Turpin to a second term as Secretary. Both offices carry two-year terms.
Field has led Ohio's state licensing and certification board that credentials chemical dependency treatment and prevention professionals since November 2003. He has served on a number of IC&RC committees and task forces, including Finance, Prevention, Clinical Supervision, and Business and Operations. He also served briefly as the Administrators' Representative between 2005 and 2006.
Previously, Field served for four years as the legislative liaison for the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS), where he worked on a number of state and federal issues. He is currently a member of the U.S. Army Reserve's Individual Ready Reserve where he holds the rank of Colonel (COL), after having served thirty-two years in the Army National Guard.
Turpin is the IC&RC Delegate from North Carolina and has been affiliated with IC&RC for 20 years. Involved with the North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board since its inception, he is currently its Treasurer and former Board President and Secretary. Turpin said, "The past two years that I have spent as your Secretary have been rewarding and exciting as I was able to work alongside the dedicated members of the Executive Committee on issues facing the field."
Expanding the Reach of Credentials
During the meeting, the Board of Directors also approved new credentials for existing boards:
The additions maintain the trend of co-occurring disorders credentials being the fastest growing at IC&RC. In five years, they have grown by over 500 percent.
Honoring a Leader
"This woman has always done whatever she has been asked for IC&RC – with courage and perseverance. She has served on numerous committee and task forces, chaired the Finance Committee, and served on the Executive Committee. Her integrity is beyond reproach, her dedication is without match." With these words, President Phyllis Gardner introduced the 2012 Presidential Leadership Award recipient: Kristie Schmiege of Michigan.
Kristie R. Schmiege, MPH, CCS, CADC, CPC-M is a graduate of the University of Michigan-School of Public Health and has worked in the addiction field for 28 years including 10 years in local public health. She is currently Director of Prevention and Health Promotion for Genesee County Community Mental Health in Flint, Michigan and President of the Michigan Association of Substance Abuse Coordinating Agencies. Kristie is also Vice President of the Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals. She is IC&RC's Chair of the Credentialing Services and Peer Mentor Credential Committees.
Schmiege accepted the Award with great emotion, saying "Thank you. I am extraordinarily committed to this organization. I feel so deeply grateful to work with the staff and all of you. The dedication in this room is just the most extraordinary thing I've seen. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of you for all of these years."
Since 1981, IC&RC has protected the public by establishing standards and facilitating reciprocity for the credentialing of addiction-related professionals. IC&RC represents 76 member boards and 45,000 professionals from 22 countries and 53 U.S. states and territories. IC&RC's seven credentials include counselors, clinical supervisors, prevention specialists, criminal justice, and co-occurring disorders professionals. The organization is in the process of developing a Peer Mentor credential.
The Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) network just released its long-awaited report, "Vital Signs: Taking the Pulse of the Addiction Treatment Profession," prepared for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
ATTC writes, "In the national Vital Signs report, the ATTC Network provides a unique picture of the state of the SUD treatment field and taps into the considerable experience and expertise of clinical directors and thought leaders from across the country to illustrate the challenges that lay ahead for the field as well as the ways that the workforce will change to remain viable in the future. The potential impact of this report is significant."
IC&RC, the world leader in addiction-related credentialing, has prepared several responses to the report:
In 2009, IC&RC released a white paper on the necessity for prevention credentialing. Over the last year, the organization's Credentialing Services Committee has prepared white papers for three other credentials:
These documents can be used to educate legislators, treatment providers, educational programs, and others about the importance of credentialing.
IC&RC has selected Deanne Bergen, ICPS, as the recipient of the 2012 IC&RC Prevention Professional of the Year Award. The IC&RC Prevention Professional of the Year Award seeks to honor the best of the best: the certified preventionist who best embodies the ideal of the profession and of IC&RC. This year, IC&RC received nominations from Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
Bergen was the founding President of the Prevention Credentialing Consortium of Georgia (PCCG). During her four-year tenure, she stabilized the fledging organization. She has worked with Georgia Family Connection Partnership, Inc., Drug Free Coalitions, and Suicide Prevention Awareness in multiple counties, as well as KidsNet Savannah and Positive Parenting and Teen Pregnancy Prevention classes. She has developed multiple trainings, such as Ethics for Preventionists, How to Survive the Credentialing Process, and the Fundamentals of Prevention. She is a true champion within the prevention community locally and statewide. She remains the "go to" person for consultation, training and education and is widely acclaimed in Georgia.
In its nominating statement, PCCG wrote:
"For the past 32 years, Deanne Bergen has devoted every working day to the advancement of prevention. She goes about this mission in an unassuming manner that belies her passion for the work. Frequently confronted with some monumental challenges such as bureaucratic inertia and scarcity of resources, she, nonetheless, doggedly remains focused and on track until positive outcomes are achieved. She maintains a balanced approach to the daily work so as to keep herself refreshed and ready for the next inevitable challenge."
"For the past 32 years, Deanne Bergen has devoted every working day to the advancement of prevention. She goes about this mission in an unassuming manner that belies her passion for the work. Frequently confronted with some monumental challenges such as bureaucratic inertia and scarcity of resources, she, nonetheless, doggedly remains focused and on track until positive outcomes are achieved. She maintains a balanced approach to the daily work so as to keep herself refreshed and ready for the next inevitable challenge."
Substance abuse is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time, and its success depends on a workforce of qualified prevention professionals trained in evidence-based practices. IC&RC's competency-based Prevention Specialist (PS) credential offers a consistent standard of knowledgeable and well-qualified individuals practicing prevention in our communities. Certified prevention professionals help ensure that programs and their funders are delivering on their mission of ensuring public safety and well-being.
Adopted in 1994, the Prevention Specialist is one of the fastest growing credentials in the field of addiction-related behavioral health care. This credential is recognized worldwide as the gold standard for competency in the field, and it is written into U.S. state and national practice regulations and insurance legislation.
Prevention professionals are working all over the world – partnering with parents, community groups, coalitions, faith-based organizations, health care professionals, law enforcement, businesses, and educators – to make a difference in their communities. Among them are the professionals who go above and beyond, truly standing out in their dedication, intelligence, compassion, and effectiveness. It is those professionals – like Deanne Bergen of Georgia - whom IC&RC seeks to recognize.
Since 1981, IC&RC has protected the public by establishing standards and facilitating reciprocity for the credentialing of addiction-related professionals. IC&RC represents 76 member boards and 45,000 professionals from 24 countries and 47 U.S. states and territories. IC&RC's seven credentials include counselors, clinical supervisors, prevention specialists, criminal justice, and co-occurring disorders professionals.
At the annual meeting of IC&RC, the Board of Directors, representing 78 certification boards from 25 countries and 45,000 reciprocal-level credentialed professionals, elected new leadership. Phyllis Gardner, Professor of Sociology at Texarkana College, was elected President, and Jessica Hayes, Executive Director of the Illinois Certification Board Inc. (ICB), is the new Treasurer. Both offices hold two-year terms.
Gardner expressed thanks, in her acceptance speech: "I'm grateful for the evolution of this organization, and the way this organization lets me evolve and grow. I appreciate the trust that you have shown, and I will endeavor to live up to that trust."
Gardner holds a doctoral degree in Sociology from Texas Woman's University and is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, Certified Clinical Supervisor, and Certified Advanced Addictions Counselor. She has served the Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals in various capacities since 1990 and is a past president of the Texas Association of Addiction & Prevention Professionals. Her most recent role at IC&RC was Chair of the Credentialing Services Committee, which oversees the maintenance of all IC&RC examinations and credentials, as well as related products.
Hayes began her career in the field of addictions in 1997 as the financial manager for the ICB. She took on the role of Executive Director in 2009. She has been associated with IC&RC for fourteen years, most recently as Chair of the ADC Committee then Chair of the Business & Operations committee. She told the group, "I am certainly both humbled and excited about the election as Treasurer."
The Board Administrators elected Debbie Gilbert as their Representative to the Executive Committee. Gilbert has been Executive Director of the Iowa Certification Board for almost a decade, and she has served as the Chair of IC&RC's Marketing Committee for six years.
Immediate Past President Rhonda Messamore passes the gavel to newly elected Dr. Phyllis Gardner.
By submitting this form, you are granting: IC&RC, 3544 North Progress Ave, Suite 101, Harrisburg, PA 17110 United States, http://internationalcredentialing.org permission to email you. You may unsubscribe via the link found at the bottom of every email. (See our Email Privacy Policy for details.) Emails are serviced by Constant Contact.
© IC&RC. All Rights Reserved.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Image enhancements
Fluorescent lighting is very common in stores, warehouses and office environments. In this kind of lighting, the lamp turns on and off at a rapid pace, although to the human eye this appears as a steady flow of light. At certain camera shutter speeds, however, this flickering will create an undesirable effect in the video stream. Enabling the flicker-free option in the camera allows it to adjust its shutter speed to avoid the flickering effect. Depending on the geographical location, the power frequency will be either 50 Hz or 60 Hz, and this value must also be set in the camera, to get proper results from the flicker-free setting.
To produce a balanced exposure the camera adjusts the shutter speed and aperture according to the available light. In some scenes, there may be some areas that are much brighter than others, as caused by reflections, strong lights, or sunlight coming through a window. These overly bright areas may cause the camera to lower its exposure settings, thereby making most of the image too dark.
By enabling the backlight compensation setting, the camera will ignore any isolated bright areas and keep the exposure at a suitable level for the darker parts of the scene.
The difference between the darkest and brightest parts of a scene is called the dynamic range. If the dynamic range is wider than the capabilities of the camera's sensor, the dark parts will be rendered as all black, and the bright parts will be all white.
Some cameras feature a Wide Dynamic Range mode (WDR), which uses various techniques to try to compensate for extremes of brightness in the scene. Try this setting if there are very dark and very bright areas in your scene. If possible, try to position and aim your cameras so as to avoid extreme variations in brightness.


text:
$97 Movie Made in Hollywood Kitchen (Nov, 1928)
$97 Movie Made in Hollywood Kitchen
By A. L. WOOLDRIDGE Special Hollywood Correspondent
Stories of millions of dollars spent in producing ten-reel movie features have given the public an idea that only a big company could produce profit-making motion pictures. But Robert Florey, expending $97 produced a picture which is making him wealthy!
IF YOU have $100 or so, plus a few old cigar boxes, a motion picture camera, and a desire to break into the movies—as who hasn't?—you can be your own director and cameraman and produce a motion picture worthy of exhibition in theaters throughout the country. That is, you can it you are as skillful and economical as Robert Florey, who cut his sets from cardboard and cigar boxes and produced in a Hollywood kitchen, at a total cost of $97, a movie which is being shown in United Artists theaters all over America.
Futuristic creations, Florey calls them. "Creations of a genius!" say old studio heads.
Florey, who has been about everything in pictures from wardrobe designer to assistant director and "gag man," has exploded the theory that a "movie" must be made in a million-dollar studio beneath the glare of the Kleigs, while soft music is playing. Rather, he has demonstrated that a marketable production may be filmed most anywhere—in a kitchen where the music of pots and pans is played, or out in the street where tram cars and traffic take roles.
Hollywood was astonished a few years ago when Josef von Sternberg made "Salvation Hunters" in a studio on Poverty Row at a cost of $4,500. Critics didn't think much of "Salvation Hunters," but it was extensively shown and made money. Robert Florey's pictures now make von Sternberg's $4,500 accomplishment look like nabob extravagance, as neither he nor his associates could afford any such reckless expenditure of money. One hundred "bucks" had to be the limit on the first production because one hundred "bucks" was about all the money he had. Even now, while their offerings are going good, that sum isn't greatly exceeded.
"We didn't have any treasury, any stockholders, any props, any anything except our weekly pay-checks," said Florey at the side of his camera when I called the other day. "And," he added, "some of us didn't even have pay-checks. I had the idea for my first picture and one night in a restaurant I met Slav Vorkapich, the Serbian painter, to whom I confided my plans.
" 'Let's buy the short ends of films at the studio,' I suggested, 'and make a picture. Short ends will cost us about 1 cent a foot. New film in rolls costs about 3 cents. I'll cut out sets in miniature—make them from cardboard that comes back with my laundered shirts, and from boxes. Then you paint 'em. When we need big scenes, we'll grab 'em on the streets.' "
The idea hit. Florey and Vorkapich pooled their possessions and went to work. They found they would have to invest fully $3 at a 5-and-10-cent store for three toy trains, four toy automobiles and a boy's mechanical building set. Then there would have to be string, mucilage, a paper of pins and a few other small items.
In Vorkapich's kitchen one night, Florey cut "buildings" with scissors and knife while his companion painted doors, windows, fire escapes and chimneys upon them. It took days to complete the task. Then the "producer" went out in search of actors temporarily out of employment, or rather, "between pictures," as they term it.
They found Jules Raucort, a Belgian, who years ago was leading man for Pauline Frederick and later the star of several Maurice Tourneur productions. They stumbled upon Voya George, a Serbian whom Vorkapich knew. Both agreed to lend their talents, not for immediate compensation but for "part of the benefits" which might accrue. Adrian March, an "extra" girl, was induced to play the heroine of the picture for similar remuneration. In addition to these, the producers took roles themselves. Gregg Toland, cameraman for Samuel Goldwyn, agreed to photograph the production.
"Twenty scenes an hour," directed Florey. "This is going to be a great picture. One hundred and fifty scenes. Let's go."
"Crazy" Story Makes Hit Their story, "The Life and Death of a Hollywood Extra," was based on the experiences of an actor seeking employment. On every hand he encountered the sign, "No Casting Today." He moved about in a daze, tired, hungry, revolving in his mind, "No Casting Today! No Casting Today I" A producer valuing him as only one of the thousands of "extras" brands him on the forehead with the number 9,413. He begins going "blah-blah" and moving his lips like a dummy. The world goes dizzy, buildings whirl round and round, street cars shoot toward heaven. From unexpected places pop out traffic signals "STOP" and "GO." The goofy extra tries to comply with the confusing directions.
He meets a star who "high-hats" him, but finds that the star, too, is going crazy. Then the little heroine becomes demented. Finally, in utter exhaustion and thoroughly disgusted with life, the poor "extra" lies down to die. His spirit leaves its earthly body and turns to look at what has been carrying it around.
Then the extra awakens.
"Crazy!" one exclaims on seeing it.
"Impressionistic!" corrects Florey in mock hauteur.
Just the same, persons laugh uproariously at the exotic, distorted, "looney tale." Virtually every trick of the motion picture camera is incorporated in its making. There are cut-backs, fade-ins, fade-outs, lap dis- solves, scenes shown upside down and others revolving.
At a private showing in the home of Charlie Chaplin, there were present Joseph Schenck, Doug and Mary, Camilla Horn, Harry d'Arrast and a few other motion picture people. As the impressionistic creation began to unreel, the audience snickered. Then it guffawed. Presently, in a dignified way, it howled.
"That's good enough for our theaters," exclaimed Mr. Schenck. "I think we could use a half dozen more."
Players Share in Melon The total expenditure on the production was classified, according to Florey's books, as follows: Negative ……………….$25.00 5-and-10-cent Store Props….. 3.00 Developing and printing……. 55.00 Transportation, odds and ends. . 14.00 $97.00


text:
Hi Philip, I've had a look at your work and was inspired to contact you after reading the Freelance Website Coder page. I'd like to talk to you about
Subject *
Please Select
designing a new website
re-designing an existing website
writing the code for a website I've designed
optimising a website for the search engines
photography / videography
promoting a website
something else, I'll explain below
Without going into too much detail, my requirements are as follows:-
Message *
You can reach me by calling
or by emailing
Email *
Many thanks,
Name *
p.s. Please send me a copy of this message
By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy
Got It
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer or mobile phone by your web browser. They let websites store things like user preferences. Cookies allow your browser to 'remember' a website, so that it can recognise you when you come back and respond appropriately.
There are several types of cookies:
So when you access our website, in compliance with Article 22 of Law 34/2002 of the Information Society Services, in the analytical cookies treatment, we have requested your consent to their use. All of this is to improve our services. We use Google Analytics to collect anonymous statistical information such as the number of visitors to our site. Cookies added by Google Analytics are governed by the privacy policies of Google Analytics. If you want you can disable cookies from Google Analytics.
However, please note that you can enable or disable cookies by following the instructions of your browser.


text:
$ 499.95
The Capra 75 is a 1x1' panel with 840 high-power LEDs, a high CRI of 85, and built-in barn doors. This light weight, durable panel is a perfect unit for photographers and videographers shooting both in the studio and on location. When in the studio, you can power the unit via the included AC Power Adapter, and when you are shooting on location, you can power the light via its built-in v-mount battery plate. At full power, you can achieve roughly 1 hour of run time on a 99Wh battery.
Bi-color units have 420 daylight LEDs and 420 tungsten LEDs. This light can be dimmed from 0-100%, via a dimmer knob on the back of the light, without any noticeable shift in color quality. Bi-color units have an additional knob that allows you to smoothly blend between the daylight and tungsten LEDs. The bi-color lights are perfect for interviews when you may need to warm or cool the light based on your talent's skin tone.
A 60 degree beam angle gives you a wide, even beam of light with a soft fall off around the beam's edge. The built-in barn doors can be used to reduce spill from the side of the light, and they fold-up flush with the face of light to protect the unit's LEDs during travel. All units come pre-installed with LinkPorts that allow you to connect multiple units via RJ11 cable. When multiple units are linked together, you can dim any light in the series, and all the connected lights will dim in unison. This works for both intensity and color temperature. On the top and bottom of the units there are QuickSnap connection points that allow you to easily stack units together. This is a great feature if you need to create a larger light source. Simply stack them together until you reach your desired intensity / size, and you will not take up any more floor space.


text:
10 Reasons to Read This Story
Thanks for clicking on this story. I won't beat around the bush. Here are the 10 reasons why we want you to read it:
1. We will be doing something different. AlterNet will stand out this fall. Frankly, I don't want to send all of you millions of emails and pester you for support. Half of the time you ignore them anyway. :)
2. We will do what no one else will do, not the same old same old. We will have fun and stretch the boundaries. We want you to join us in the adventure.
3. We want you to laugh and not get depressed. We will not repeat, over and over, the scary stuff about the state of the nation. We'd rather be inspiring action.
4. Of course we'll still be serious about the radical right, the failure of the corporate media and the consequences of the upcoming election. (But since you know AlterNet, we doubt you would worry about that.)
5. So what is it we are going to do? Well, we hope to motivate you by passion, curiosity, and inspiration to be more involved in AlterNet, and not by fear.
6. We will organize our campaign in a way that has proven immensely popular to you, our readers, over the past decade. AlterNet is widely known for our Top 10 lists -- some of the most popular on the internet. So in this campaign, in the next months, we will tell you many stories -- about us, about you, about the world, but only using lists.
7. Why lists? Because we trust your judgement as our readers. Time after time our Top 10 lists are the most popular, the most read, the most viral, the most emailed, the most popular on Facebook and Reddit. It's not even close. Some weeks 8 out of the 10 most read stories by our readers are lists. And when Salon republishes our lists, they become some of the most read articles there, too.
8. Why are lists so popular? Organizing information in lists is clearly one of the most effective ways of communicating information and satisfying your need to know about politics and change. Lists work because: A) they make the material clearer; B) they make it easier to remember; and C) they cut through the massive amounts of words, sounds and images, coming at you to give you digestible amounts of content so you don't get overwhelmed.
9. Of course, we won't be a one trick pony. Have no fear. Strong narrative, investigative reports, personal voice -- all the tools of great writing will remain present on AlterNet, along with the popular lists.
10. So with this communiqué we are launching our fall campaign for support. And it is true: we haven't asked you for any money. Of course AlterNet needs money. But we all also need something else, something perhaps more important. We progressives need to "think differently." We need more confidence. We need to feel like we are working on something together, and not doing the same thing over and over, while the Right succeeds in taking over our country.
We must do what ever it takes to protect our values, our people and our team. And I think you will agree, a lot of the same old stuff hasn't been working so well.
Over the next months we will send you lists... some funny, some deadly serious, some informational, some surprising -- some from you our readers, some from our star writers -- all interesting, entertaining and inspired by our goals.
So, if you believe in AlterNet, like what you are reading and want to support us, we welcome you and we appreciate whatever you can do.
Don Hazen
Executive Editor, AlterNet
P.S. If you just want to read our top ten lists, and are not on our mailing list, click here to sign up.
Contributions to AlterNet are 100% tax-deductible. Won't you help us today?


text:
To withdraw, you must follow established withdrawal procedures beginning with completion of a withdrawal form available from your undergrad college office or graduate department office. To obtain a partial refund of semester registration charges, you must notify your college or graduate department office of your intent to withdraw no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 2, 2021. No refund is available thereafter.
If you officially withdraw within the refund period, you will receive a pro-rata refund based upon the date on the withdrawal form.


text:
Pull over for a second, America. We know it's hot out there. But Congress is about to decide whether your life on the road will get easier or be more difficult.
In just over two weeks, the multibillion-dollar Federal Highway Trust Fund will hit a financial wall. Yes, another fiscal crisis. This time with the account that funds road and bridge projects. But unless Congress extends more funding by August 1, the Department of Transportation says the account balance will dip too low and the agency will start pulling back on money paid to states for transportation infrastructure.
The House of Representatives was scheduled to vote Monday on its proposal to keep the money flowing. The question is whether it can forge a deal with the Senate before the deadline hits.
Take in five ways this highway crisis could affect you:
1. Your car repair bill
Seriously. According to AAA, the average American spends $324 a year on additional repairs and maintenance caused by poor road conditions. And that's just average. People in Los Angeles pay an estimated $832 a year because of bad roads, according to the nonpartisan TRIP organization which is funded by a variety of transit industry groups. It's $673 in New York City, $784 in Tulsa.
It's a lot of money. And now, because of the uncertainty with the Highway Trust Fund, many states have delayed repair projects slated for coming months.
Take New Hampshire, unhappy owner of massive cracks and potholes from the overly long winter. Thanks to congressional indecision, the state put off seven major paving projects and 11 other projects (including bridge repairs). That bump you feel from the road could be a crack in the Highway Trust Fund.
2. Prices at the pump
Brace yourself. The price of gasoline could go up. Not because of the federal gas tax, which is the main source of money for the highway trust fund.
Congress hasn't raised the 18.4-cent fee in 20 years. (That's one reason the account itself is continually running out of fuel).
But while "tax" has become a four-letter word for some in Washington, states are starting to see it as a solution. Eight states raised their gas taxes last July.
Just last month, tax-averse New Hampshire enacted its first gas tax increase in 23 years. Even conservative Texas lawmakers are seriously considering it.
3. Traffic problems
Here's where things get really interesting. For some, the highway funding tangle could briefly improve their traffic situation. For others, it means a longer wait for help.
Where will traffic improve? In a few places where road construction crews have derailed the usual traffic patterns. In those places, in the very short term, a freeze in funding could also freeze the hassle and bottlenecks caused by construction.
Where will traffic take a hit? Places that need road or bridge expansions. Like southeast Iowa. A new $1 billion fertilizer plant is under construction near Ft. Madison and the state was planning to expand the nearby highway — US 61 – from two-lanes to four.
Instead, Iowa DOT spokesman Stuart Anderson said the start of that work is delayed at least until October. So, the heavy trucks going back and forth to the fertilizer work site share the road, a smaller road, with everyone else.
Or Oklahoma, which is holding its breath, waiting as long as it can before delaying any work. Spokesman Terri Angier of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation said the state is planning to take bids for new road projects next week, but won't act on the bids until Congress agrees to a trust fund deal.
Furthermore, if there's no deal by August, Angier said the Sooner State may suspend some major traffic projects already underway, including the widening of a major interstate, I-40, to a rapidly growing Oklahoma City suburb.
And in Massachusetts, a state whose roads are known for their heavy traffic, "the vast majority of MassDOT's road and bridge projects" could grind to a halt, according to spokesman Michael Verseckes. He sent an e-mail, saying "virtually everything would be forced to stop" if the Highway Trust Fund started to run dry.
4. You've heard about the economy, right?
You may not be a construction worker. Or maybe you are. But you probably are someone who realizes the U.S. economy is still fragile.
How much could a highway trust fund freeze hurt the economy? You may see some figures on the Web, but the truth is there is no reliable estimate for how many jobs could be affected, in part because not every state has decided exactly which projects to suspend. The White House Monday said it would mean "many thousands" of jobs.
We do know this. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association estimates 1.7 million Americans are directly employed in road, bridge and transit construction. And another 1.7 million have jobs that supported by the road construction business or infrastructure they put in place.
Just the loss of thousands of construction jobs alone — at the height of construction season — is something that could ripple out to everyone else in the economy.
5. Congress keeps acting badly, operating in crisis mode
Perhaps worst of all, lawmakers are poised to walk away from this crisis, like they have from others, without any significant change in the impending fiscal problem. That's true whether they meet the August 1 deadline or not.
Both the House and Senate are proposing short-term highway funding bills that would keep the program chugging along for less than a year. A punt, even as lawmakers seem to all admit that a long-term solution is needed, ("critical," they sometimes exclaim). Yet, they continue to avoid making the tough, or even slightly difficult, choices needed to get there.
And regardless of what happens with this deadline, the next Congress is likely to face another Highway Trust Fund crisis next May. Just in time for your Memorial Day.


text:
Not usually - and it makes it more difficult to read.
When using a formal letter, can you use double spacing?
Not usually - and it makes it more difficult to read.
PLEASE!!!! Forget the concept of 'formal letters'.....anyone who thinks they are important are (or should be) retired by now.
Write the way you feel. Modern people appreciate honesty!
1.5 is OK to me.
No worries, you really couldn't afford me!What an odd idea! Remind me not to hire you. And why, exactly, do you think that honesty is precluded in a letter that acknolwedged the niceties through proper formatting, closings, etc.?
The concept of a 'formal letter' implies that you are trying to be something that you are not, and therefore the content can be taken with a pinch of salt since you are seen to be following formal rules, not being yourself. What exactly IS the point of a 'formal letter' as opposed to a 'personal letter from you'?
I regularly employ people (mainly the very highest level students who go on to gain PhDs and beyond) and I very much prefer them to write as they are, not in some artificial manner that they've been taught on the totally false premise that it might influence the reader by them being artificial instead of normal. Any 'formal' letter I receive is instantly put on the "doesn't understand the reality of business" pile - it tells me very little about the person, except that they've been sadly misled by very obsolete teaching, but that they haven't the intelligence to realise that what was being taught was wrong for today's environment.
'Formality' always hides one's own personality - that is precisely what is is designed to do. Therefore it is a lie and dishonest. Get rid of the concept now! It adds absolutely NOTHING to anything except the fact that someone has learned how not to be themselves. What use is that?
It is so very unfortunate that way too many academics have never actually worked outside of schools and colleges (most go to school, go to college/university, then go straight back to school/college/university), and they thus continue to propagate what they've been taught by people who have done exactly the same thing in a relatively closed world, rather than embrace modern day business realities. This is just one reason why businesses and employers continue to complain about schools not teaching students things that they really need to know.
I believe this archaic philosophy has been referred to as the 'donkey clubbing syndrome'....the story goes....."Why do you club donkeys to death? We've always clubbed donkeys, that's what we do!...but why?....I dunno, that's just what we do, we've always done that, my grandfather did it, my father did it, so I do it."
Hmmm. The modern voice of business speaking?
Formal letters for formal matters seems good sense to me. And for those learners who are struggling with the language, it is better to follow formal structures until they are able to use informal ones.
Rather than using carriage returns between paragraphs, it looks better if you set Format | Paragraph | Spacing | After to e.g. 6pt.
All the best,
I like the way you employ people and you are right formality hides personality. However not only formality hides personality but also politeness. Does that mean always speak your mind? What about the ettiquette? Isn't it too direct? Still I hope there are more employers around like you who prefer to find out the true personality of their applicants than "lies" but I am really not sure whehter this is obsolete. Our world is based on lies in general and will go on preferring lies to honesty. But I know the degree of formality is decreasing in business as well. In Germany you still need to stick to formality if you applied for a job but it varies from job to job.
Last edited by Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim; 28-May-2007 at 00:54.
Yes... always be yourself.
Write what is in your mind. If you're angry, be angry, if you're asking for information, then just ask for it, if you're complimenting someone, be complimentary.
Polite people naturally write in a polite manner so one can identify them as being polite from their writing, even if they're angry. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Rude people naturally write in a rude manner so one can identify that that they are naturally rude, even if they are trying to be complimentary. However, some may consider that to be a positive point for them if they are employing someone for the customer complaints department!
'Formal' letters give nothing away about the writer. One cannot tell anything about the person, if they don't want you to know who they are or how they think, why bother with them?
The bottom line is that the recipient of the letter should in all cases act on the CONTENT of the letter, not on the style, however, before someone comments that this statement negates my previous assertion that formal letters I receive go on a different pile: if the letter is 'Formal', that says that the person isn't giving the full information about themselves and is hiding behind 'formality', therefore that in itself is therefore part of the content and can be taken into account!
As for formal styles, they differ between Countries. In France, for instance, they have really archaic multi-line meaningless statements at the end of each letter, saying how much they esteem you and your business and how much they wish to see your continued prosperity....despite the letter actually telling you that they are closing your bank account and initiating legal proceedings against you!
Basically, please ditch formality. It is well past the sell-by date.
Last edited by pedant; 28-May-2007 at 01:11.


text:
Enter your name and primary email address for instant access to a free guided meditation that will help you to connect to your truest, deepest and highest self each time you listen to it. Thank you!
Welcome to SOUL OF LIGHT and The Vibration Transformation Process, a lifestyle program for big vision, heart-centered leaders, teachers, entrepreneurs, healers, artists and change makers who are here to make a positive contribution to humanity and our amazing planet. My mission is to help you clear the stress, tension and heavy energy in your life that is the result of living out of alignment with who you truly are and what is most important to you. My mission is to help you raise the vibration of your body, mind, heart and Soul to match the energy of your Life's highest purpose, your Values, your Message and your Big Vision so you can fully embody your highest potential while bringing your beautiful gifts into the world in the most powerful, healthy and sustainable way possible. My intention is to support you in transforming your life into a reality that makes you enthusiastically and honestly feel that you are living an authentic, one of a kind and truly fulfilling existence as you continuously cultivate your own unique and versatile path of being a SOUL OF LIGHT.


text:
Made in China Wholesale Flexible HDPE Plastic Netting Material
Product Description
Fence Mesh Netting Material
Safety fence is also named as warning barrier and snow fence. The main color is orange,
designed for warning. It adopts PE as major raw material with UV added in manufactured
through plasticizing. It is featured with high strength, ageing resistance, anti-corrosion,
softness and portability, and recycle. The main mesh is rectangular and oval. The width is
in the range from 1m to 1.80m. Many different mesh sizes and specifications are available
for these products and multiple diverse products can be customized as per customers'
The most popular colour of these products is orange. And black colour, green colour or blue
colour is also avaibale. These products have the following features:
(1)Manufactured from HDPE;
(2)U.V. stabilised;
(4)Usually packed by rolls in plastic film bags with labels inside and then loosely loaded in
the container;
(5)It is usually packed in rolls in transparent plastic film bags with labels inside, and loosely
loaded into the container or pallet.
|Model No
|Mesh Size
|Total Weight
|1.0 Meter
|50 Meter
5PCS/woven bag.If you have the special requiement,we will pack it according to yours.
2.Shipping:Usually :
We delivery goods through shipping.If you have the special requirement ,we can contact the airport for you.
ZheJiang Eastsea Rubber Factory [Eastsea Rubber] was established in 1985 as one of the earliest Stock Cooperative Enterprise. We specialize in production and development of Recycle Rubber Products for application to traffic safety & parking safety industry.
We provide a large selection of speed hump, wheel stopper, wall protector and corner guard and recycle rubber safety products. In additional, we offer OEM and ODM service which are supported by our R&D team which has over 20 years experience in this Industry. Eastsea Rubber is dedicated to providing our customer with the most advanced Technology available.
We have been developed over 200 Safety products that conform to MUTCD, ASTM, AS/NZS and CE Standard. We have implemented a Stringent quality control standard to ensure our customers in North America and Europe have quality products in this ever-changing Global Markets.
At Eastsea / Bestsea ,we work diligently developing new material compositions and products for application in more fields. During this process we carefully analyzes every step to ensure that our customers always to receive the best quality products. At Eastsea / Bestsea , quality is our number one commitment.
We are a company committed to building long-term partnerships with our customers all around the world. Our goal is to be your primary source for all kinds of Traffic & Parking Safety products.
1. We will provide the free service on 24 hours.
2. We have a complete QC system,and regulary the quality on 24 hours.
3.We have a specialized foreign trade team,and can provide the professional service.
4.We have several sets of production equipments,can meet the your delivery time in time.
5.We are factory ,and can provide the cheap price for you.
At Eastsea , we have a completed production line of recycle products from recycle tire to Speed Hump ( And Other Rubber Products).
At Bestsea , we have a completed production line of manufacture recycle cable to traffic cone back base , and another line of virgin PVC Resin Sand to be Orange Traffic Cone Body.
Besides Workshops, we also build large warehouse for storing large quantity popular products – Traffic Cone, Delineator Post, Speed Hump , Cable Protector and More.
Further More, we have a completed testing equipments for checking materials physical performance and chemical properties.
Guaranteeing quality for us at Eastsea / Bestsea means more than checking appearance, weight and dimension after production. Quality for us starts right at the heart of the company.
There are various type recycle rubber source – Tire , V-Belt, Conveyor Belt, Sealing Ring, Shoe Sole, Rubber Mats and more than hundreds fields. All of them called recycle rubber but has many difference in polymer content , Strength, hardness , density and more performance. Although them could be covered by yellow rubber and hide inside of Speed Hump, but them would be broken easier in a shorter time.
That was why that we have to a lot inspection before production. Normally we spent a lot time to inspect imported Recycle Rubber to make sure the materials are conform to our quality standard.
During production, Not only QC inspect, but also our sale departments will go to workshop for inspecting personally as sales known the customer's requirements most completely.
Further more, It was most important to test the products in Simulate real environment for checking if them could meet expectation or standard. We often tested the products by heavy container trucks for checking bear capacity, Ice Box for Cold-Resistant, Aging testing for ageing-resistant performance, Heavy Pressing Testing…..
We carefully analyzes every step to ensure that our customers always to receive the best quality products. At Eastsea / Bestsea , quality is our number one commitment.
Eastsea has been attending the Exhibition / Tradeshow actively. Not only in China, we also atend well-known show in Amsterdam and Dubai. Besides getting a lot opportunity meet Potential Customer , and leanring the industry development direction.
Bestsea Offer OEM/ODM Services, custom-made products designed by our in-house designers for perfect looking and functionality – your custom designs without paying additionally.
Our client's confidentiality is a key concern to Bestsea. As a matter of course, we will execute non-disclosure agreements prior to exchange of information.
Besides Designing the products according to your requirements, Bestsea are also able to manufacturer the mould tooling with understood of how to make the products 100% same as design.
At Bestsea, we would like to sign a Agreement for stating the Mould Ownership, provide free maintenance and 200,000 Times Service Life Warranty. Our products are approved and marketed in over 90 countries worldwide including USA, Japan, EU, Canada and Australasia. Our manufacturing facilities are regularly audited by internal teams as well as by domestic and international government agencies to ensure the highest quality production and quality management system.Bestsea has developed the systems to work with OEM partners and integrate them into our quality management system. Bestsea is certified to ISO 9001:2008.
Contact us if you need more details on Netting Material. We are ready to answer your questions on packaging, logistics, certification or any other aspects about Hdpe Raw Material、Plastic Raw Material. If these products fail to match your need, please contact us and we would like to provide relevant information.
Product Categories : Barrier Fence Mesh
Premium Related Products


text:
Wave Rider
Thrill Rides
Surfing in the sky - ride merrily through the air in the arms of a giant octopus. Up and down, again and again...
Surfing in the sky - ride merrily through the air in the arms of a giant octopus. Right next to the Fondaco dei Tedeschi hall the arms of a giant octopus are waiting to be boarded to swing you through the air - high up or deep down, almost touching the ground. Watch out, the octopus's arms are quite flexible...
- Outdoor
- For disabled guests
safety instructions
Spinning aerial ride off ground.
If the ride comes to a stop during the experience passengers are to remain seated until told to exit by staff.
Children up to a height of 105 cm must use the child seat.
Persons up to 7 years and a minimum height of 100 cm must be seated next to an adult.
Due to the nature of the experience you should be in good health and of sufficiently strong muscles.
The following persons are not permitted on the ride :
Expectant mothers.
Persons unable to obtain a safe sitting position due to physical shape or size, limited mobility, physical handicaps, protheses and amputations.
Persons under the influence of alcohol, drugs or psychopharmaceuticals.
Maximum 2 persons per gondola.
Sit calmly and upright during the ride and hold on to bars.
It is not permitted to stick out arms and/or legs or stand up or lean out during the ride.
Clothing and footwear required.
No umbrellas, (walking) sticks, sharp or bulky objects.
For safety reasons loose items are not permitted. In particular cameras, mobile phones and other loose items that could fall out and endanger passengers or other guests. Such items are to be removed or stowed away safely before the ride.
HANSA-PARK accepts no responsibility for items that are removed or taken onto the ride.
Exit after every ride.
No food nor drink.
No animals.
No smoking.
The entire site is monitored by cameras.
Before you use the attraction, please note the ride description, safety warnings, possible access restrictions and how to behave in a safe manner posted at the entrance to the attraction.
The use of our ride attractions by adults is not generally subject to any weight restrictions. However, you must be able to properly close all safety lap bars and other safety devices so that you can sit in a normal sitting position.


text:
Office Holiday Party Hair and Makeup Ideas (Video)
Get Glamorous in Minutes For Your Office Holiday Party
Figuring out how to transition your office hair and makeup to a nighttime-ready look can be tricky, especially when it's for your office's holiday party. Learn how you can update your look at work before you venture out to a glamorous evening ahead. On Kirbie: Ali Ro dress, Ban.do hair clip.


text:
Difference between revisions of "User:Jeff"
m (3 revision(s))
(No difference)
Revision as of 20:43, 13 July 2006
I'm an amateur photographer and panorama nut. I currently use a Canon 20D, and also have a Pentax Optio S. I run linux 90% of the time, and thus use autopano/hugin/enblend and gimp for my pano software needs.
--Jeff 10:04, 6 Dec 2004 (EST)


text:
Pages: 1
Hey there! I thought I'd take a minute to introduce myself, after lurking here for months.
I am the Chief Editor of The PCLinuxOS Magazine, and a true Xfce fan. For me, the Xfce desktop is fast and stable, and can run exceptionally well on old and new computers alike. In fact, I now build the monthly magazine on my Athlon 3200+ with 1.5 GB RAM running Phoenix Mini, the light version of PCLinuxOS Xfce. I also run the PCLinuxOS Xfce version (a.k.a. Phoenix) on my netbook, two laptops. My wife has made Xfce her desktop of choice on her laptop.
As was mentioned in another thread here in this forum by kalwisti, one of the PCLinuxOS Forum community members, The PCLinuxOS Magazine has published a series of articles on the Xfce 4.6 desktop, from June thru August 2010, and those articles were combined and published together with the LXDE articles in the Gtk Lightweight Desktops: Xfce & LXDE Special Edition. You all are welcome to download the special edition of our magazine. Many of our Xfce users have done so, and keep it handy for reference.
Btw, nice job on the new forum software and look!
Read that article some time ago, very good. Will put it on the website later this week. Welcome to the Xfce forums.
Thanks for sharing those articles Parnote, I will definitely give those a read.
Pages: 1


text:
If you've been looking for a case mod that will strike fear into all the other computers you come across, well, look no further. But be careful, this guy gets cranky when he needs to defrag.
A lot of us subject our computers to quite a bit of abuse. We overcrowd their hard drives and overclock their processors. We bang on their keyboards. We smudge their screens. If you want a case mod that will keep you in line, this one, taking the form of Kratos, the main character from the God of War game series, will do just that.
With Kratos's unflinching stare burning a hole in the side of your head, you're sure to always stay on task and treat your machine with respect. Or he'll have your typing fingers. [Engadget]


text:
Deadly force OK in Windham police shooting
Attorney general says shooting justified
The attorney general said Windham police were justified in the shooting of a Pelham man in October.
In a 10-page report on the incident, officials said Grant Hebert, 21, led police on a high-speed chase and tried to run down officers with his car before they opened fire.
"It was when their life was in danger that they discharged their weapons," Associate Attorney General Jane Young said.
Officers opened fire on Pelham after he allegedly drove his car at the officers on Lowell Road in the early morning hours.
"The three officers involved in the shooting, which occurred in Windham on Oct. 28, was justified use of deadly forces by each of the officers based on the facts and circumstances as presented to them that evening," Young said.
According to the report, it all began when an officer tried to pull Hebert over.
"Shortly after 1:30 (a.m.), a Pelham police officer saw a car speed past him. He proceeded to follow that car. The operation of the car became erratic to the point that the car drove off the road into a yard," Young said.
The situation quickly escalated, and at some point, police said Hebert rammed into a police cruiser.
"The driver of that car turned his car and headed directly at two police officers," Young said.
That's when police opened fire on Hebert, but the situation didn't end there.
"He continued to drive at another officer. There was another round of volley," Young said.
The attorney general's office determined that the officers' lives were in danger because Hebert was using his car as a deadly weapon, and that's why they were authorized to use deadly force.
"The car, and the manner in which it was used, was considered a deadly weapon," Young said.
No police officers were hurt in the incident. Hebert suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.


text:
Central Plateau School Attendance Service
Central Plateau REAP now runs the new School Attendance Service. Previously two services, the District Truancy Service and the Non-Enrolled Truancy Service, the new service combines these two roles and the branding is "ecase – Every Child Attending School Everyday". The service intends to significantly reduce unjustified absence rates and the time taken to return learners to education.
The vision of the attendance service is centred on learners, and both learners and whānau lie at the heart of stakeholder efforts to improve attendance, engagement and ultimately achievement of individual learners. The new service, which REAP runs on behalf of the Ministry of Education, extends beyond returning a learner back to school. It looks at all factors contributing to a learner's unjustifiable absence or non-enrolment and identifies what school, family/whānau, community and social service support is required to sustain attendance.
The Attendance Service is designed to support schools to maximise attendance as a foundation for engagement in learning and achievement. Learner attendance, along with effective teaching, has the greatest influence on learner engagement and achievement.
Learners with high absenteeism are less likely to succeed in their learning. If a learner misses five school days each term, or one day a fortnight they will miss the equivalent of one year of school over 10 years. As the level of absenteeism grows, the difficultly of re-engaging in learning can grow exponentially.
Keeping our children and young people attending school and engaged in education is important. Attendance and engagement in school improves employment, social and life chances and reduces the development of antisocial behaviour and youth offending.
We have been fortunate to retain the services of Benoir Midwood-Murray, who was the Truancy Officer under the old service. Benoir relates well to young people and adults alike and is passionate about young people making the most of their opportunities in order to give themselves the best start in life. We also have Melissa Tupara in Turangi, who was also previously the truancy officer there. Melissa has many years of experience in the education sector and she knows whanau and the Turangi community well.
For concerns about non-attendance of school-age children in Taupo, contact Benoir on 027 265 6901 or for Turangi, Melissa on 021 213 6487.