text:
In a previous post, XML Is Such A Pain, I showed the technique that I use to
simplify the creation of XML code for custom ribbons.
This is a handy technique, as it means that creating the XML
is very simple, it is more or less a cut-and-paste job, and I spend very little
time thereafter with the XML, which I
like as the tools for XML in Excel 2007 are not great.
As much as I like this technique, it still requires a lot of
VBA code. Whilst VBA is a great deal easier as a development tool than anything
we have with XML, there are many areas where errors can creep in, both
compilation and runtime errors.
In the old world of commandbars, I used a table driven
method of generating the commandbars. It is possible to use a similar technique
with Excel 2007, many such have been demonstrated.
I prefer to generate the code, from a similar setup table. This
way I can generate all of the code components; it only needs to be run when
anything changes; and I can view the code that is generated. I like code
In the technique that I will demonstrate here, I generate
all of the required code from the setup table
- the
ribbon XML
- the
VBA callback procedures
constants used in the callback procedures.
In addition, the VBA code is automatically inserted into the
target workbook. As of yet, the XML is not automatically added as the workbook
is open at the time, but it should be possible to extend the technique to write
the XML file.
As in the previous post, all of the code shown here relates
to the following custom ribbon tab.
In that earlier post, you can view all of the XML and VBA
code, so it will not be repeated here, but rather this post will cover the
generation of that code. The autogeneration code here only caters for button
controls, but it can easily be extended for other controls such as menus,
toggles, and so on.
Autogen Setup Table
The table used to drive the autogeneration is structured as
- Type
– a simple Data Validation list of tab, group, separator, or button
- Tag
– an id for the control that is used to generate unique control ids
- Tag
Upper – an upper case copy of Tag
- Group
– the Tag Upper value of the current group
- Separator
– the Tag Upper of the previous separator within this group (if
- Group/Sep/Tag
– concatenation of Group & Separator & Tag Upper
- Control
Id – a derived id for this control
- Caption
– a value to assign as the control label
- Procedure
– the OnAction procedure name
- Image
File – the idMso of the required image
- Image
Size – a simple Data Validation list of small or large
- Screentip
– a value to assign as the control screentip
- Supertip
– a value to assign as the control supertip
- Keytip
– a value to assign as the control Keyttip
The example shown above consists of
- a
tab control
- a
group control
- two
button controls within that group
- a
second group control
- a
third button control within the second group
The table for this example is shown below. I have transposed
it (columns to rows) in order to show it on this page, but that aside, you
should get the principle.
Autogen Overview
The autogeneration works in the following way:
- read the setup table and create a staging array
of details
- initialise the constants array, setting up on oversized array
- initialise the output XML array with the
namespace etc.
- initialise the VBA code output arrays with
function signature (a public ribbon variable and an onLoad callback
- read the staging array and create items for each
line of XML code
- create output arrays for
- procedure VBA code lines
- label VBA code lines
- image VBA code lines
- image size VBA code lines
- screentip VBA code lines
- supertip VBA code lines
- keytip VBA code lines
- create constants arrays for
- procedure ids
- label VBA ids
- image ids
- image size ids
- screentip ids
- supertip ids
- keytip ids
- finalise the output XML array with the closing tags, and write the array to a text file (this is an area to be improved)
- finalise the global constants output arrays by resizing the arrays to the appropriate size and write the arrays to a code module
- finalise the VBA code output arrays by adding closing function statements, resizing the arrays, and write the arrays to a code module
- write a procedure to the code module to invalidate the ribbon
In its present release, the XML code is written to a text
file. It needs to be copied to the custom UI file, either by unzipping the
file, then opening the customUI.xml file and replacing the XML within there, or by
using the CustomUI editor to replace the XML.
There is nothing particularly illuminating in this code, it
is a very straight-forward loop, depending entirely upon the setup table being
correctly formatted. It should be noted that some control types do not create
all of the array data, for instance a separator does not create constants or
VBA code, tabs do not create image code and so on.
As this technique writes VBA code on the fly, trusted access
to VBA has to be granted, but this is only required in the development
environment, if a workbook that this technique is applied to is given to a
colleague, that colleague does not to grant trusted access.
This was a relatively simple project to build, there were
not many problems encountered. The oddest involved the image size. In the XML,
the image size is normal or large, so you would naturally assume that the value
to be assigned in the callback procedure was normal or large. My original
attempt at the code assigned these values, but the images always showed as
normal size, I couldn't get large images. Finally, I contacted Ken Puls a co-author on the RibbonX
book, which was and is my main reference in working with the Ribbon. Ken's book
seemed to suggest that normal and large was the correct values to use in the
callback procedures, but he also found that this wasn't working. Luckily he
found the values to use, which are 0 and 1. Ken has blogged this bug here.
Code Writing Code
The code that writes the VBA code on the fly is given below.
There is not much code as there is no decision logic required in this code, the
setup code creates complete output lines, apart from a test as to whether the
code is to be written new or appended.
Option Explicit
Option Private Module
Public Enum ModuleTypes
vbext_ct_StdModule = 1
vbext_ct_ClassModule = 2
vbext_ct_MSForm = 3
End Enum
Public Function WriteCode( _
ByVal CodeArray As Variant, _
ByVal Module As String, _
Optional ByVal Append As Boolean)
Dim mpModule As Object
Dim mpInsertLine As Long
Dim i As Long
On Error Resume Next
Set mpModule = ActiveWorkbook.VBProject.VBComponents(Module)
On Error GoTo 0
If Not Append Then
If Not mpModule Is Nothing Then ActiveWorkbook.VBProject.VBComponents.Remove mpModule
Set mpModule = ActiveWorkbook.VBProject.VBComponents.Add(vbext_ct_StdModule)
mpModule.Name = Module
mpModule.CodeModule.InsertLines 1, _
"'== Generated Cube Formula Module " & _
Format(Date, "dd mmm yyyy") & " " & Format(Time(), "hh:mm:ss") & _
" By " & Environ("UserName") & _
" on " & Environ("ComputerName") & vbCrLf & _
"'== " & vbCrLf & _
" "
End If
With mpModule.CodeModule
mpInsertLine = .CountOfLines + 2
For i = LBound(CodeArray) To UBound(CodeArray)
.InsertLines mpInsertLine, CodeArray(i)
mpInsertLine = mpInsertLine + 1
Next i
End With
End Function
Example File
For RSS subscribers, you can download a zip file containing
the Autogen addin, and the example file shown above.


text:
Volume 6 Issue 1 / Jul 2008 pp1‑74
Keywords: architectures for knowledge management systems, business school, case based reasoning, communities of practice, customer relationship management, decision making, discovery query, expert, failure factors, frames, fuzzy logic, Heidegger, info-culture, info-structure, infrastructure, knowledge acquisition, knowledge adaptation, knowledge communication, knowledge dialogues, knowledge dissemination, knowledge generation, knowledge management practices, knowledge management systems, knowledge media, knowledge representation, knowledge transfer, knowledge utilization, knowledgebase, learning organization, ontology, organizational knowledge, popper, predicate logic, production rule, propositional logic, ranking semantic relations, relation robustness, relationship search, semantic associations search, semantic nets, semantic web, social capital, structuration theory, success factors of KM, validation
Look inside Download PDF (free)
The conceptual evolution of Knowledge Management (KM) has been supported by the use of flexible processes and several computational tools. The sophistication of these tools, incorporating the KM concepts, has been growing with time, creating functions better suited to knowledge creation processes. However, centralized Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) present some inconveniences, such as inflexible knowledge codification structures and centralised control. These may diminish the flexibility and the availability of knowledge through processes that standardize knowledge and information and remove them from the context. The suggestion of peer‑to‑peer (P2P) systems seems to promise to overcome these inconveniences by supporting interaction and knowledge sharing in simultaneous different contexts. The P2P systems provide real benefits to the interchange of knowledge among its peerscollaborators, but they are far from being a guarantee of interaction. We argue that the notion of ba is the design basis to obtain P2P systems closer to theoretical KM concepts. Peers can be encouraged to freely share knowledge without the constraints imposed by hierarchies or other organisational limitations. Interaction through P2P systems, supported by the ba concept, can make better use of autonomy to access and share personal knowledge without a centralized codification. P2P systems consubstantiate the ba concept thereby creating a new entity which we call "connecting ba". We believe that the "connecting ba" can give different visions and energy to the utilization of P2P systems. "Connecting ba" can also provide stimulation for virtual participation and for knowledge creation processes. Probably the most important implication of "connecting ba" is the possibility to incorporate peers within the spirit of ba, promoting collaboration for knowledge creation. The characteristics and the concept relations of these notions are enumerated and justified throughout the text.
Keywords: knowledge management knowledge creation concept of ba knowledge management systems peer-to-peer systems interaction
Look inside Download PDF (free)
This paper considers knowledge management functions as carried out by distributed virtual teams involved in the compilation of information‑based products using dedicated and domain‑specific computer‑ mediated practices and tools. We are concerned with two primary tasks, namely depositing shared assets and assembling information‑based artefacts by appropriating the benefits of virtual networking. Moreover, these tasks are considered from the perspective of the Social Experience Factory (SEF) — a platform enabling rich collaborative interactions between geographically dispersed members of communities of practice. The SEF incorporates domain‑specific workflows and several model‑based tools to facilitate systematic accumulation and reuse of collaborative artefacts. An account of these is provided by discussing current implementation in the context of a pilot application.
Drivers of Dynamic Learning Mechanism and Dynamic Knowledge Articulation in Alliance Organizations pp33‑40
Look inside Download PDF (free)
This study demonstrates that resource‑based view (RBV) misidentifies the locus of dynamic knowledge articulation and long‑term dynamic competitive capabilities, and focuses on the distinctive role of drivers of dynamic learning mechanism in the evolution of dynamic knowledge articulation and dynamic competitiveness. Five drivers of dynamic learning mechanism such as the integration power of managers, external linkages, previous experience, repeated practice, and codification of experience play important roles on developing dynamic knowledge articulation, and ambiguity is a negative driver impact on developing dynamic knowledge articulation. Dynamic knowledge articulation is a positive impact on dynamic competitiveness in alliance organizations. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a more complete understanding on developing dynamic knowledge articulation via the dynamic learning mechanism. The paper defines a clear theoretical model for the tautological animadversion of past research on RBV that can be complemented.
Keywords: dynamic learning mechanism, knowledge articulation, dynamic capabilities, alliance organization
Look inside Download PDF (free)
Knowledge is seen as a driver for the definition and development of an organizational strategy and a key determinant of sustainable organizational competitiveness. The shift to knowledge as the primary source of value means that knowledge plays a key role in the organizational effectiveness. This paper highlights the importance of developing and managing the intangible assets and intellectual capital of organizations to create distinctive and sustainable value. It sets forth the concept of Knowledge Circles to enhance activities along the Knowledge Value Chain. Some of the factors that will impact knowledge management initiatives in Pakistani organizations have also been identified.
Look inside Download PDF (free)
In today's changing economy managers of the leading companies understand that the key sources for value creation are Intangible Assets (IA). The latest surveys confirm the fact that nowadays these assets are the value drivers and not "traditional" assets having tangible form. The same surveys confirm the fact, that one third of all the effected investment solutions is based on the existing Intangible Assets, and that the decisions made on the basis of IA allow them to make a more accurate prediction of income and profitability of a company in the future, and, hence, the company's value for the shareholders. The research held in the paper defines the impact of fundamental value of both tangible and intangible assets on the market value of assets of Russian companies. As a general approach used herein for IA evaluation, the method of Calculated Intangible Value (CIV) offered by T. Stewart was chosen. According to CIV the evaluation of Intangible Assets is based on residual operating income (REOI) model as a variant fundamental value of equity model. The problem of Intangible Assets composition and structure is also covered in the paper. Developed econometric models are tested on the data of Russian stock market for two periods: from 2001 to 2005 year and from 2001 to 2006. In the focus of the research there is both the analysis of the sampled companies (43 companies) as a whole as well as divided into five aggregated fields: mechanical engineering, extractive industry, power engineering, communication services, and metallurgy. At the end of the paper the authors highlight the main directions for further research in the field.
Keywords: value creation, intellectual capital, fundamental value of intangible assets, market value, calculated intangible value
Look inside Download PDF (free)
This paper hopes to persuade readers of current thinking around Knowledge Management that more emphasis should be placed on tacit knowledge in management and its education and how it might be better communicated to students within universities and in organisations in general. It reflects upon what appears to be the predominant attention being paid to explicit knowledge in the curriculum and pedagogy of UK Universities which offer courses entitled Knowledge Management, and that this may be at the expense of more tacit knowledge 'management' approaches.
Keywords: knowledge management, KM, tacit knowledge communication pedagogy curriculum didactic v constructionist university curriculum on knowledge management

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Just a reminder that I'm teaching a Bourbon class on Monday, February 1, at Rocks Bar (1301 West Schubert Ave.). The class will include tasting.
I'm doing this through I Wish Lessons. To attend, or get more information, go to their web site and click on "Drinks Around the World."
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Class Next Week By Me.
1 comment:
- rayna said...
Another awesome class. Thanks Chuck!
- February 2, 2010 at 4:53 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Women in Nicaragua may soon get mammograms while they bank, thanks to the work of two Seattle nonprofit groups.
Global Partnerships, which supports microfinance and other services for the poor, is working with global-health expert PATH to launch the program with Pro Mujer, a women�s development and microfinance organization in Latin America.
The goal of the collaboration is to provide health services for Pro Mujer�s borrowers while creating a model for similar projects in other communities.
The project will start in Nicaragua, but Pro Mujer hopes to eventually expand to its entire network, which reaches 150,000 borrowers in Argentina, Boliva, Mexico, Peru and Nicaragua.
Microfinance �banks� like Pro Mujer are nothing like a neighborhood Chase branch. Once a month or every few weeks, small entrepreneurs who have taken out loans from a community fund gather to make payments.
With 20 or more poor women coming to one place, it�s an ideal opportunity to offer them health education or screening in addition to financial services, said Rick Beckett, president and CEO of Global Partnerships.
A staff member could speak to the women about sanitation or reproductive health, or the customers could be offered an opportunity to get vision screenings, pap smears or mammograms.
PATH, which is best known for its development of global health technology such as vaccine injectors, enriched rice and vaccine freshness indicators, will help the project focus on the highest-impact disease prevention, Beckett said in an interview Thursday.
Pro Mujer also will consider other health-related services: negotiating on behalf of its customers to get lower fees for service, helping women who test positive for disease at bank day screenings to get expedited treatment, and possibly arranging a system of health insurance.
As part of its efforts to help poor women in Latin America lift themselves out of poverty, Pro Mujer has been offering some health care and health information to its customers, but the new initiative will help the organization focus its efforts, said CEO Rosario Perez.
�Collaborating with Global Partnerships and PATH will enable us to do so with greater focus, higher impact and lower costs, with the goal of tackling the health care problems that contribute most to poverty and pose the greatest danger to women and their children,� Perez said in a written statement.
The initial focus will be on preventive and primary care, said Chris Elias, president and CEO of PATH. Eventually, the collaborators hope to look at all the ways that poverty and poor health are connected, including maternal and child mortality, family planning, cervical cancer and domestic violence.
Beckett said microfinance reaches 150 million customers around the globe, so he hopes this effort will eventually reach millions.


text:
We are happy to answer your questions
Before you contact us via e-mail or call, we recommend that you visit our Service section.
Do you have a question regarding one of our products? Please check out the Product Support section, where you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about our Swiss Army Knife, Cutlery, Watch, Travel Gear, and Fragrance products.
To find a service/repair center nearby, please use our Repair Center Finder.
For all other questions, please contact us via the contact form below.
We're also happy to answer your questions on the phone.
Victorinox Swiss Army Inc.
7 Victoria Drive
Monroe, CT 06468
Tel. 1-800-442-2706
Mon - Fri 9:00 am - 5:00 pm EST
Tel. 1-800-665-4095
Mon - Fri 09:00 am - 5:00 pm EST


text:
Write down many different types
of calculations which give the answer 46.
Topics: Starter | Arithmetic
How did you use this starter? Can you suggest
how teachers could present or develop this resource? Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive
feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for Maths teachers anywhere in the world.
Click here to enter your comments.
If you don't have the time to provide feedback we'd really appreciate it if you could give this page a score! We are constantly improving and adding to these starters so it would be really helpful to know which ones are most useful. Simply click on a button below:
This starter has scored a mean of 3.0 out of 5 based on 136 votes.
Previous Day | This starter is for 16 August | Next Day
Note to teacher: Doing this activity once with a class helps students develop strategies. It is only when they do this activity a second time that they will have the opportunity to practise those strategies. That is when the learning is consolidated. Click the button above to regenerate another version of this starter from random numbers.
Your access to the majority of the Transum resources continues to be free but you can help support the continued growth of the website by doing your Amazon shopping using the links on this page. Below is an Amazon search box and some items chosen and recommended by Transum Mathematics to get you started.
Apple iPad Pro
The analytics show that more and more people are accessing Transum Mathematics via an iPad as it is so portable and responsive. The iPad has so many other uses in addition to solving Transum's puzzles and challenges and it would make an excellent gift for anyone.
The redesigned Retina display is as stunning to look at as it is to touch. It all comes with iOS, the world's most advanced mobile operating system. iPad Pro. Everything you want modern computing to be. more...
Before giving an iPad as a Christmas gift you could add a link to iPad Maths to the home screen.
Math with Bad Drawings
I had been tutoring the wonderful Betsy for five years. When the day came for our last ever session together before the end of her Year 13, I received this beautiful book as a gift of appreciation.
This a very readable book by Ben Orlin. I'm really enjoying the humour in the writing and the drawings are great.
Ben Orlin answers maths' three big questions: Why do I need to learn this? When am I ever going to use it? Why is it so hard? The answers come in various forms-cartoons, drawings, jokes, and the stories and insights of an empathetic teacher who believes that mathematics should belong to everyone.
A Compendium Of Mathematical Methods
How many different methods do you know to solve simultaneous equations? To multiply decimals? To find the nth term of a sequence?
A Compendium of Mathematical Methods brings together over one hundred different approaches from classrooms all over the world, giving curious mathematicians the opportunity to explore fascinating methods that they've never before encountered.
If you teach mathematics to any age group in any country, you are guaranteed to learn lots of new things from this delightful book. It will deepen your subject knowledge and enhance your teaching, whatever your existing level of expertise. It will inspire you to explore new approaches with your pupils and provide valuable guidance on explanations and misconceptions. more...
Teacher, do your students have
access to computers?
Here a concise URL for a version of this page without the comments.
Here is the URL which will take them to today's pupil activity.


text:
The survey found 17 per cent have seen over-servicing levels increase during the first quarter of this year as opposed to 11 per cent seeing them decrease, while 67 per cent said they were unchanged.
However, the trend was less pronounced than in the final quarter of 2013, when 37 per cent reported increasing over-servicing.
PRCA director-general Francis Ingham said that this levelling-off, along with other positive findings in the survey, meant there was "much to feel confident about".
The survey found that 80 per cent of agencies described new business as either busy or very busy in the first quarter of 2014 – a rise from 76 per cent in the final quarter of last year and the highest reading since the final quarter of 2012.
More than half of agency heads (57 per cent) said they felt optimistic about their consultancy, though only 38 per cent said they felt more optimistic about the PR industry in general.
In addition, 71 per cent of agency owners believed that the UK economy would improve in the next 12 months and 49 per cent expected staff numbers to increase in the next quarter.
New business was coming primarily from new clients rather than existing clients, according to 56 per cent of consultancies.
The survey drew responses from 46 agencies.


text:
"Hawaii Five-0" (9 p.m., CBS):
Grover (Chi McBride)
is in desperate need of McGarrett's (Alex O'Loughlin)
tracking skills when one of his close friends is accused of murder — and then is nowhere to be found.
"Enlisted" (9:30 p.m., Fox): Break out the camo and get ready to laugh. This new comedy is about three bickering brothers (Geoff Stults, Chris Lowell and Parker Young) stationed together on a small Florida Army base.
"Helix" (10 p.m., Syfy): Billy Campbell stars in this sci-fi drama with creepy horror-movie overtones. He plays the head of a Centers for Disease Control team who is sent to a top-secret biological research facility in the Arctic. There he discovers the brutal effects of a virus that could wipe out the human race.
Also on Friday:
Contact Chuck Barney at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.ChuckBarney, or Twitter.com/chuckbarney


text:
We ship most items the same business day as the payment for the item is cleared if the clear payment if received before noon central time. In some cases items may ship the next business day. We do strive to ship all items as soon as possible.
Here you can write a few short sentencs about why your customers can buy with conficence from your store. You might also want to outline your payment options here.
The ALX-210 analytical balance is designed to provide uncompromising accuracy at a great value. This feature packed lab balance sports a large display and rugged design. The large glass draft shield provides great visibility while maintaining stable weighing conditions. The built-in USB and RS232 ports allow connection to a PC or printer.
Product 2/12
This product was added to our catalog on Sunday 29 October, 2006.


text:
A new discovery (for me at least):
The Daily IKN email digest, get all daily posts sent to you next day (& no ads)
The most visited IKN post this week is...
...this one, "The Silver Wheaton (SLW) tax bill: The Canadian tax people have a point here". Though it was a travel-shortened week for the blog.
Now the bit i don't like about being away; catching up, reading up, getting back to something like normal speed on the newsflow.
On the road
Your humble scribe will pretend to be out of the office, pretend to visit people and pretend to work on deep due diligence in the mining sector for the next three days, in which time posting will be light. So considering the metals market action so far this week we leave you in the capable hands of Jack...
There was an old rusty freighter out in the bay that was used as a buoy. Remi was all for rowing out to it, so one afternoon Lee Ann packed a lunch and we hired a boat and went out there. Remi brought some tools. Lee Ann took all her clothes off and lay down to sun herself on the flying bridge. I watched her from the poop. Remi went clear down to the boiler rooms below, where rats scurried around, and began hammering and banging away for copper lining that wasn't there. I sat in the dilapidated officer's mess. It was an old, old ship and had been beautifully appointed, with scrollwork in the wood, and built-in seachests. This was the ghost of the San Francisco of Jack London. I dreamed at the sunny messboard. Rats ran in the pantry. Once upon a time there'd been a blue-eyed sea captain dining in here.
I joined Remi in the bowels below. He yanked at everything loose. "Not a thing. I thought there'd be copper, I thought there'd be at least an old wrench or two. This ship's been stripped by a bunch of thieves." It had been standing in the bay for years. The copper had been stolen by a hand that was a hand no more.
I said to Remi, "I'd love to sleep in this old ship some night when the fog comes in and the thing creaks and you hear the big B-O of the buoys."
Remi was astounded; his admiration for me doubled. "Sal, I'll pay you five dollars if you have the nerve to do that. Don't you realize this thing may be haunted by the ghosts of old sea captains? I'll not only pay you five, I'll row you out and pack you a lunch and lend you blankets and candle."
"Agreed!" I said.
...and by way of bonus, Paco de Lucia and his Sevillana "Cobre". Spanish for 'copper', of course.
Labels: jack kerouac
Van Eck builds its position in Pan American Silver (PAAS) (PAA.to)
From tonight's filing, we see that Van Eck has nearly doubled its position in Pan American (PAAS) (PAA.to) during the first half of 2015:
That new figure represents 11.92% of shares out.
Fun silver fact
In its June 2015 feasibility study on the Corani silver mine project, Bear Creek Mining (BCM.v) used U$20/oz as its "base case" price for silver.
Oh how we laughed.
The Silver Wheaton (SLW) tax bill: The Canadian tax people have a point here
Oh, a late night news release classic from SLW here which can be boiled down to "we got slapped with a very big tax bill".
So, let's compare the tax paid by SLW in the last few years to a similar company, Franco-Nevada (FNV). Here's how FNV has been paying The Man...
...and that looks fairly normal to me. And here's how Silver Wheaton thinks it can treat the taxman...
...and that looks fairly normal to me. And here's how Silver Wheaton thinks it can treat the taxman...
...which looks more like the way Bain Capital or Amazon works its books.
Naughty naughty, Randy. Pierre pays his dues, so why don't you?
Focus Ventures (FCV.v) write-up
As I own a few of these shares, this one gets a window at IKN today.
A pretty good report on Focus Ventures (FCV.v) and its Bayovar 12 phosphate project from something called "The Ag Letter" (new to me). It goes over all the main points and does a little work on the project economics, too. Well worth a view.
Chart of the day is...
...copper. Even though I've been obsessing on the metal for a few days, the Shanghai move last night needs a headsup:
Ouch. How's that supply crunch going, guys?
HudBay (HBM) (HBM.to) at Constancia: How's the ramp-up going?
It's going like this:
So now you know. Data here
Peru's all-time record copper production month
Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) published the country's metal production numbers for the month of May 2015 this afternoon and the headline is...
...that at 131,955 metric tonnes, May 2015 is the new all-time record for copper production in the country.
Punctuation is important
Back in late June, your humble scribe got off the fence, stopped being kinda-leery-but-maybe-there's-hope-ish about copper and laid out the full bear scenario for all to see in IKN319. Here's an extract from that edition of the Weekly, dated June 21st:
"I believe the copper market's going the way of iron ore and there's no reason to hold even the minimal exposure that I have in the metal at the moment. What we've seen in the iron ore space is the small players squeezed out by the big.
RioTinto, BHP and Vale have been happy to oversupply the market and dump the price down, which has been the death (quite literally) of many of the smaller and medium-sized players in the iron ore space, not to mention the crushing of any company looking to develop an iron ore project as a junior explorer. We're now seeing the same type of market conditions begin to appear in the copper space, with the big players happy to run their big mines at full speed because they're still highly profitable at the current copper prices, but the small players, the medium-sized and those left holding exploration projects are now being priced out.
A couple of days later, as if by sheer coincidence and all that, several subscribers sent over the link to this Infographic (I think that's what the cool kids call 'em) entitled "The Looming Copper Supply Crunch", published by Visual Capitalist, because its bullish view of the metal's fundies was the exact opposite of your author's bearish "get out of copper" attitude.
That Visual Capitalist piece was interesting for two reasons. Firstly because (and here's a screenshot from it)...
...it was sponsored by a junior mining company with a big copper project. My what a coincidence. Secondly because after a couple of seconds I realized what was wrong with the title. Everything was spelled right, but they'd got their punctuation wrong. It should have been:
"The looming copper supply. Crunch."
Here we are in early July and the IKN corrected version is making a lot more sense.
Steve Letwin news
The news is: He's still CEO of IAMGOLD (IMG.to) (IAG).
So impressive Steve. You need to tell us how you do it.
Gold should now start to catch a bid
Oh, the wailing and gnashing of goldbug teeth over the last couple of weeks as Greece has imploded but their preciousssssssssss metal hasn't made them any money. Just not jolly well fair is it chaps?
Anyway, good news for you. As of this week gold should start moving up and bring you all some hoorah. The reason? The real safe haven, the US dollar, can't move up muchy further and those wishing to stash cash away from Euro exposure will need to find somewhere else. So, expect the dollar to roughly flatline and due to that, gold should start catching a modest bid or two, perhaps up to U$1,185/oz.
UPDATE: Yes you're right, this was posted at 10:47am local time when gold was trading at U$1,165/oz. Why do you ask?
UPDATE: Yes you're right, this was posted at 10:47am local time when gold was trading at U$1,165/oz. Why do you ask?
Copper in Shanghai...
...is having a pleasant evening.
Base metals are not precious metals, they're commodities and not asset classes. Don't use them as collateral, dumbasses.
The IKN Weekly, out now
IKN321 has just been sent to subscribers. New Gold (NGD) is the main focus.
The delivery problems that about six of you have had over the last couiple of weeks should now be fixed but if not drop me a line, I'll scream at Google and fix it. Again.
Labels: otto, the IKN weekly
Mainstream media continue to spew complete bollocks about Greece
I've just read this on the Guardian's "business live" rolling report thingy on Greece this (Americas time) lunchtime:
An example of the complete crap they're still serving up for the benefit of the lumpen. Firstly, if you didn't get that Greece was going to vote No this weekend you deserve to lose any money you risked on the counter, it was that freakin obvious. Second, there isn't going to be any "crisis" when the markets open tomorrow morning, just the same as there wasn't one last Monday despite the best efforts of the dumbass brigade of wailers. There will be a market adjustment, then life will go on unruffled. The rest is noise.
Want it simple?
1) Markets don't like surprises.
2) Greece voting No today is not a surprise.
3) Markets won't care.
What the market will care about is if Merkel and her friends decide to throw Greece out the Eurozone, but that's already been decided; they won't. Syriza had already won the game of chicken before the polls even opened this morning.
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Impact Blank Firing Grenade
The new designed TRMR allows the user to field strip with ease of a single pin. The new 'pin thru' system has been designed so the user can disassemble the device by pulling a single pin from the wobble head and allow the body to separate for cleaning and lubrication. This is ideal for anyone who needs a smoother and easier twist system by applying more lubrication on the main o'ring inside the body on a regular basis. This version allows the use of the Multi-shot Base.
Product Description
New features of the TRMR E1 X4 Tactical Reloadable Maritime Ready Enhanced 1 version.
New firing mechanism that gives enhanced kinetic energy transfer to the firing pin allowing the mechanism to operate from a drop height of 30cm instead of 50cm.
· New tri-lock bearing safety system that completely locks the firing pin until the twist to arm system is rotated within 2mm of the full arm position.
New stainless steel base cap with profiled pin hole to aid multi-shot base use.
· Enhanced mid body texturing to aid grip and reloading.
· Duel machined shield sections on the top portion of the device to aid removal from a pouch and single hand arming and deployment.
· New duel ejection base holes to aid removal of adaptor and spent blank munitions.
· New vibrant colour range for ease of locating and identification once deployed.
The TRMR has the new X4 base which includes the adapter to allow up to 4 different calibres to be used. The 8mm, .380, 209, 12 gauge / MAG-FLASH. This adapter allows the user to be able to choose the preferred blank dependent on the delivery system that is required for that purpose.
Mechanism / Technology:
The T.R.M.R. is an ergonomically designed reloadable device that utilises a twist to arm inertia recoil firing system. This allow for safe, fast reloading of the device without the need for levers and pins as used on conventional hand deployed devices.
Twist to arm safety system (The T.T.A.S. system is the safest and fastest system on the market rendering the device 100% safe until armed).
The fastest reloadable inertia device on the market.
No pins or levers to lose because of the T.T.A.S. system Inertia recoil firing system I.R.F.S. (allow for successful discharge of loaded munitions on contact with the deck or hard surface from a drop height of 50cm, 19 inches).
The I.R.F.S system will not discharge its munitions on soft flammable materials avoiding ship fires and vessel destruction. (Applies to normal T.R.M.R. deployment heights for discharge).
Manufactured from aircraft grade aluminium and stainless steel. Hardened and hard anodised to Mill Spec standards Multi munitions base system (Allows the T.R.M.R device to be loaded with a verity of munitions for varying mission applications).
You MUST be 18 or over to purchase this product!
|Concept Tactical


text: The Most Cost Effective AM2 Solution with Vista Support - AMD AM2 Platform- Dual-Channel DDR2 800/667/533- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3- ASUS EZ Flash 2 Shop Modal header The Most Cost Effective AM2 Solution with Vista Support CPU, Chipset and Graphics features Support AMD Socket AM2 Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 X2 / Athlon 64/ SempronThe M2S-X supports AMD socket AM2 single-core Athlon 64/ Sempron and dual-core Athlon 64 X2/ Athlon 64 FX processors with 2MB / 1MB / 512KB L2 cache, which is based on 64-bit architecture. It features 2000 / 1600 MT/s HyperTransport Bus, dual-channel un-buffered DDR2 800 memory support and AMD Cool 'n' Quiet! Technology Dual-Core CPU The advanced processing technology contains two physical CPU cores with individually dedicated L2 caches to satisfy the rising demand for more powerful processing capability. Dual-Channel DDR2 800 DDR2 is the next generation memory technology to replace the current DDR. With the highest speed up to 800MHz, DDR2 memory provides great performance for 3D graphics and other memory demanding applications. AMD Cool 'n' Quiet! TechnologySupports AMD Cool 'n' Quiet! Technology, which monitors system operation and automatically adjusts CPU voltage and frequency for a cool and quiet environment. Audio C-Media Superior Quality AudioC-Media CM6501 onboard 8-channel Superior audio CODEC( transfer audio signal over USB bus, Microsoft Vista ready. ) S/PDIF-out on Back I/O PortThis motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home theater audio systems via coaxial S/PDIF-out (SONY-PHILIPS Digital Interface) jacks. It allows to transfer digital audio without converting to analog format and keeps the best signal quality. ASUS Unique Features CrashFree BIOS 3 Simply restore corrupted BIOS data from USB flash diskThe ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 allows users to restore corrupted BIOS data from a USB flash disk containing the BIOS file. This utility saves users the cost and hassle of buying a replacement BIOS chip. EZ Flash 2 Simply update BIOS from a USB flash disk before entering the OS EZ Flash 2 is a user-friendly BIOS update utility. Simply launch this tool and update BIOS from a USB flash disk before entering the OS. You can update your BIOS only in a few clicks without preparing an additional floppy diskette or using an OS-based flash utility. ASUS MyLogoASUS MyLogo personalizes and adds style to your system with customizable boot logos. C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)Protect your BIOS data when overclockingWhen the system hangs due to overclocking failure, there is no need to open the case to clear CMOS data. Just simply restart the system, the BIOS would show the previous setting and then users can amend the CPU setting again. Q-FanConstant, high-pitched noise generated from heatsink fans are a thing of the past thanks to ASUS Q-Fan. This motherboard with Q-Fan technology intelligently adjusts fan speeds according to system loading to ensure quiet, cool and efficient operation. *The specifications are subject to change without notice.


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Software innovations, partnerships revealed at Spillman Conference
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. – Sept. 21, 2009 – Nearly 400 public safety personnel from 195 agencies across the country are gathered in Salt Lake City this week to receive hands-on training and get a glimpse of the newest software solutions from Spillman Technologies.
At this year's Spillman Annual Users Conference, attendees will preview Spillman's latest software product, Mobile 4.5, scheduled for release next month. While other industry mobile communication packages only allow a user to search names and vehicles from the road, Spillman's Mobile 4.5 product allows for true database access from the field. Users will have the ability to search 20 new records management screens, including fire/EMS, law incidents, property, and evidence.
Mobile 4.5 includes Automated Field Reporting modules, allowing users to quickly complete and submit forms from the field, and a Driver License Scanning module, which makes it possible to automatically populate Mobile search screens with a driver's information by simply scanning a driver license.
Mobile 4.5 also incorporates voice and highlight functionality for mobile returns in 19 states. Using the new feature, field personnel will be able to minimize time spent looking at a laptop by receiving key information about an individual or vehicle through audible voice returns and prominent visual highlights.
Today, Spillman introduced an expansion to its focus on continual customer feedback. In addition to the product suggestions collected and incorporated each year from all users, a new Customer Advisory Board (CAB), comprised of nine individuals from public safety agencies around the nation, will work closely with Spillman's research and design team to provide input regarding product direction, business decisions, and changing industry trends. The CAB held its first meeting today.
The input and direction from the CAB ensures we are moving our products in the right direction," said Spillman Research and Design manager Ben Godfrey. The members of the CAB are industry experts and help keep us in tune with industry trends and changing local, state, tribal, and national requirements."
Spillman also announced its partnership with new vendors to maximize the features available to agencies. Spillman's AVL Mapping module is now linked with the Google Earth™ mapping service, allowing users to replay patrol vehicle routes on a Google Earth map. This capability makes it easy for agencies to review pursuits and evaluate police routes.
Through a partnership with Semotus Solutions, Spillman agencies will be able to use HipLink© messaging software to send information from Spillman's Computer-Aided Dispatch solution to virtually any device, including smartphones, fax machines, and text-to-speech equipment.
Attendees at the conference will also get a glimpse of Spillman's new CompStat Dashboard module, which enables agencies to use a dashboard to spot trends, make informed decisions, and monitor the health of their organization. Agencies can identify crime hot-spots and evaluate the success of crime-fighting strategies by comparing statistics over user-defined periods of time.
Other new features include Spillman's CAD-to-CAD interface that enables users to exchange call data with agencies using either Spillman or non-Spillman dispatch software. Spillman has also become certified in all three ProQA© protocols: law, fire, and EMS, ensuring that Spillman's Computer-Aided Dispatch solution and ProQA work together seamlessly.
Spillman Technologies provides a full range of integrated software solutions for public safety agencies, including Records Management, Computer-Aided Dispatch, Mobile Communications, Corrections Management, Fire/EMS Management, Resource Management, and Data Sharing.
Google Earth™ mapping service is a trademark of Google Inc.
HipLink© is a registered trademark of Semotus Solutions Inc.
ProQA is a registered trademark of Priority Dispatch Corp.™ evolved from Medical Priority Consultants, Inc.™ in the United States and certain other countries.


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Kindle Spam Is A Filter Issue, Not A Spam Issue
from the filter-away deptVia Slashdot, we learn that spammers have discovered the ability to publish cheap "ebooks":
Thousands of digital books, called ebooks, are being published through Amazon�s self-publishing system each month. Many are not written in the traditional sense.The article makes it sound like this is a big problem, calling it "the dark side" of self-publishing, but I don't get it. Assuming no one wants this crap, then it seems likely that Amazon will start to filter it out of any search results or top lists.
Instead, they are built using something known as Private Label Rights, or PLR content, which is information that can be bought very cheaply online then reformatted into a digital book.
These ebooks are listed for sale � often at 99 cents � alongside more traditional books on Amazon�s website, forcing readers to plow through many more titles to find what they want.
There is some slightly more legitimate concern about outright plagiarism, where some of these "spammers" are merely copying other books and then re-branding them and selling them as ebooks. But, once again, this seems like a filter problem more than anything else. In fact, I'm a bit surprised that Amazon doesn't do a basic check to make sure the content of an ebook hasn't already been offered by someone else, and do a further investigation if that's the case. Others have suggested that Amazon charge a small fee to upload a book, as that might prevent spammers from going crazy with such copies, and that could make sense as well. I just have trouble believing that this is such a serious "problem" that it can't easily be stopped.


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The Green Energy Act (GEA) is a breakthrough piece of legislation for the community power sector in Ontario, unparalleled in North America. Most importantly, the act enables a feed-in tariff (FIT) program for green energy procurement that allows for the broad-based participation of homeowners, community organisations, First Nations and municipalities in the development and ownership of green energy projects. Prior to the GEA, the means for procuring green power in Ontario was a request for proposals requiring, among other things, a cumbersome C$100,000 bid-bond, making it impossible for community power proponents to compete. The GEA, however, calls for a well-designed FIT program with no cap on project size or the number of projects, and guarantees access to the grid and a secure a long-term power purchase contract, opening the doors to community power across Ontario.
Community power can take a variety of forms, such as self-generated power, off-grid power, pure distributed generation and net metering. In Ontario, the goal for the community power sector is community ownership of renewable energy generation facilities, emphasising the local and democratic ownership of these facilities with more than 50% ownership by community residents. This model evolved from the first community wind co-operative project in Ontario. Led by the Toronto Renewable Energy Cooperative (TREC), this project saw the installation of a wind turbine on the Toronto Waterfront in 2002 at Exhibition Place.
Although the community power sector is relatively new in Ontario, it must be recognised that hydro projects on First Nations land in the province have always required First Nations participation by law. They could therefore be considered a pre-existing form of community power. There have been numerous cases where First Nations have owned a minority interest in the initial stages of the project and, over time, used their profits to purchase a greater percentage of the project. Recently, the First Nations Energy Alliance (FNEA) was established to facilitate the further development of First Nations ownership of renewable energy projects throughout Ontario. The FNEA is also a founding member of the Green Energy Act Alliance.
During the development of the Exhibition Place project, TREC formed the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA), in coordination with some Ontario members of Green Communities Canada, to replicate the community power model across the province. Through the TREC project, barriers that were impeding the Exhibition Place wind turbine and would likely impact other community power projects, were quickly identified. These included access to a long-term, secure power purchase agreement and early stage financing. This led to a campaign for a better support program for renewables in Ontario in 2004, identifying FITs as the key policy instrument needed to advance the sector.
In response to this campaign, in 2006 the provincial government announced a FIT-type program for Ontario: the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program (RESOP). In 2007, it seeded the Community Power Fund (CPF) with a mandate to provide early-stage development grants to the sector. Through the CPF, several projects in Ontario were able to move forward. However, by 2008 it became clear that most community power projects were not able to proceed due to additional barriers faced by the sector, including lack of grid capacity and insufficient RESOP prices given the local resource availability.
Fresh hope
Despite these barriers, new opportunities were emerging in Ontario. Perhaps most importantly, George Smitherman became Ontario's new minister of energy and infrastructure in June 2008. With his appointment and other events, the timing was ideal for an alliance of farmers, unions, environmental organisations, First Nations and others to launch a new campaign calling for a Green Energy Act for Ontario.
The Green Energy Act Alliance campaigned for a law that would replicate Germany's renewable energy sources act. It would include a FIT program; a right of access to the grid; a standardised permitting process; a commitment to a continuous improvement approach to conservation; no caps on the amount of renewable power that could be fed into the grid; a commitment to support community power; an amendment to the Ontario Co-operative Act; support and protection for low-income families; and the adoption of a smart grid. In part due to the global credit crisis, the alliance has also proposed the expanded mandate of the CPF. This would include financing for capacity building, development loans, bridge financing, loan guarantees, and the establishment of a mezzanine fund that would be set up within Ontario's Infrastructure Fund to raise any renewable energy project market shortfalls in the community power sector.
In September 2008, the premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, announced he would move forward on a Green Energy Act for Ontario. By February 2009, Smitherman introduced the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, which passed in May 2009. The act is the first of its kind in North America. It is an enabling piece of legislation that effectively covers most of the key elements that the Alliance campaigned for.
Several policies and programs resulting from the act are under development and should take effect sometime this fall, including domestic content requirement rules, final FIT program rules, renewable energy approval process requirements, a variety of community power funds, the local distribution company conservation programs and a transmission directive that will give everyone in Ontario a better sense as to how and where the grid will evolve.
Today, the community power sector in Ontario has around 200 MW of projects in development that could be built by summer 2011 if the resources and financial instruments mentioned above are put in place. For Ontarians, this represents significant financial and social benefits - 200 MW of community power translates into gross revenues of C$50 million a year staying in Ontario, in the pockets of ratepayers, taxpayers, voters and residents.
Since TREC, the success of the community power sector in Ontario has been inspiring communities across Canada. In Quebec, the Val-eo project is a co-operatively owned and limited partnership between 60 farms, two municipalities and nearly 100 local investors to harvest the wind potential in their neighbourhood. In April, Hydro-Quebec Distribution announced a call for tenders to develop 500 MW of wind capacity, with an even split between 250 MW of power coming from Aboriginal projects and 250 MW coming from community projects. The proposed tender specifies a high content of ownership for each project. For the Aboriginal project a minimum of 50% of control is required, while community projects must have a minimum of 30% control.
Meanwhile in Manitoba, the Elton Energy Cooperative is working to build a proposed 3 MW facility that will power local homes and businesses. In New Brunswick, the provincial government has announced that it will consider community power projects and is working with stakeholders to articulate how a community-based power program should be implemented. In Alberta, a First Nations group has built a collectively owned wind turbine in a 50/50 partnership agreement with Epcor.
The community power sector in Ontario has grown significantly over the past decade. With the Green Energy Act and FIT program in place it can now continue to expand while creating local jobs and feeding local economies. The leadership Ontario has shown is remarkable and sets a precedent for other provinces to follow suit.
About the Author:
Deborah Doncaster is the executive director of the Community Power Fund, which she co-founded in Ontario in March 2007. She was previously the executive director of the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, which she co-founded in 1999 and, before that, was project manager with the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative. Deborah would like to thank the following people for assisting her in the research for this article: William Bigbull, Byron Le Clair, Lisa Daniels, Alex Doukas, Toby Couture, Paul Gipe, Laurence Lafond, Paul Norris, Niki Skuce and Elizabeth Koster.


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Environmentalists gearing up to oppose Tennessee Gas Pipeline plan
PITTSFIELD -- Environmentalists in counties along a proposed new natural gas line route across northern Massachusetts are gearing up to oppose the Tennessee Gas Pipeline plan.
"Technically, it's speculative," said Bruce Winn, president of Berkshire Environmental Action Team, but he believes the company wants to move quickly in seeking permits if a viable route can be found.
"It would go right through here," Winn said.
In recent weeks, Tennessee Gas Pipeline has contacted landowners along the tentative route, seeking permission to do survey work. The route is expected to angle northeast from an existing gas line coming from New York into Richmond; it would then pass through Lenox and other Berkshire towns, and towns in Franklin County and possibly Hampshire County on its way east to Dracut.
Interest in organizing in the Berkshires to oppose the project is not yet as evolved as in Franklin and Hampshire counties, Winn said, but he added that BEAT recently received a number of calls from residents seeking information. He said he expects the environmental organization will act as a lead group here and provide information.
Winn, a member of the adjunct environmental science faculty at Berkshire Community College, will speak March 8 in Cummington to a rapidly forming Hampshire County citizen group. He said objections to the project include the likelihood gas extracted through controversial fracking techniques will be delivered to Massachusetts.
"They [Tennessee Gas] are pushing that," he said, referring to the large new gas reserves being extracted by the fracking method, which has led to lower costs but also, opponents argue, to unacceptable environmental damage to water supplies and in the release of methane into the atmosphere.
Fracking involves the injection of water and chemicals under high pressure into underground rock formations to release gas trapped there.
"We don't want fracked gas," Winn said. "It is not a selling point with us."
Other major concerns, he said, include the gas line industry's history of gas line leaks and related problems, as well as the wetlands and other sensitive areas that the proposed line would pass through. "There would be damage beyond fracking," Winn said. "This would go through a lot of very sensitive wetlands areas."
Concerning the lines themselves, Winn said methane leaking from gas lines has been shown to have up to 30 times the greenhouse gas effect of carbon dioxide. That, he said, should be counted against the overall positive effect of using natural gas as an alternative to coal or other fossil fuels to produce electricity.
Expansion of renewable energy sources and energy conservation through insulation of older properties and other initiatives is a better alternative for Massachusetts, he said.
Rosemary Wessel of Cummington said a group she and a few other citizens recently formed, nofrackedgasinmass.org, has been gathering information about the gas line project and keeping residents informed. She said Winn will speak to the group March 8 at 1 p.m. at the Community House on Main Street, or Route 9.
In addition to a map of where the proposed line might be located, the group has posted the latest projections for each town believed to be in the path -- noting that Tennessee Gas has contacted landowners or the town with survey requests and it is considered likely or just a possibility the town will be involved.
Other than the desire to keep fracked gas out of Massachusetts, Wessel said the group has concerns about the wetlands, farmland and forest areas in the projected pathway. "We are against this pipeline and favor alternative forms of energy," she said.
The Cummington group also is drafting a resolution to submit to town meeting voters in May and members hope it will be used as a model for other communities. It calls on the town select board to oppose the project and for state and federal legislators to oppose any pipeline that would carry fracked gas into the state.
The group's website is at www.nofrackedgasinmass.org and includes information on each town in the area of the proposed project.
Berkshire County towns considered by the group likely to be in the path if the line is constructed are Richmond, Lenox, Pittsfield, and Dalton. Those listed as possibly in the path are Hancock, Hinsdale, Peru, Savoy, Stockbridge, Washington, West Stockbridge and Windsor.
The citizen group's draft town meeting resolution can be viewed at www.nofrackedgasinmass.org/non-binding-resolution-for-towns.
Another group, Climate Action Now!, plans a meeting on March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Co-Op Power facility on Routes 5 and 10 in Hatfield. The purpose, according to a website posting, is a "Valley organizing meeting on resistance" to the gas pipeline plan.
More information about the group is available at http://climateactionnowma.org
Richard Wheatley, a spokesman for Tennessee Gas Co.'s parent firm, Kinder Morgan Inc. of Houston, has said the proposal is in response to an increased demand for natural gas in the region, including for heating and for gas-fired electric power generation facilities.
Tennessee Gas transports and stores natural gas for its customers with a pipeline from Texas and the Gulf of Mexico to the Northeast.
The new line, according to a map on a company website, would follow the existing line path into Richmond and then head north toward Greenfield and across the state just below the New Hampshire border. At this point, the company has stated, it is gauging the feasiblity of the route and of the commerical feasiblity.
To reach Jim Therrien:
or (413) 496-6247
On Twitter: @BE_therrien
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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This animation shows NASA's Orion spacecraft as it will appear on its Exploration Mission-1 in 2017, complete with a service module to be provided by the European Space Agency.
NASA and the European Space Agency have signed an agreement calling for the Europeans to provide the service module for the Orion space capsule, the U.S. space agency's crew vehicle for exploration beyond Earth orbit.
The hardware would provide the Orion with propulsion, power, thermal control and basic supplies such as water and breathable air. ESA said the design will be based on that of the ATV supply ships that are currently being sent to the International Space Station.
"ATV has proven itself on three flawless missions to the space station, and this agreement is further confirmation that Europe is building advanced, dependable spacecraft," Nico Dettmann, head of the ATV's production program, said in an ESA statement.
The Orion's first test flight is scheduled for 2014, using a test service module built by Lockheed Martin. That unmanned launch would send the Orion to an altitude of 3,600 miles (5,800 kilometers). The European-built service module would get its first in-space tryout along with the Orion capsule and heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket in 2017, during an unmanned test flight that would go around the moon and back.
"This is not a simple system," Orion program manager Mark Geyer said in a NASA statement. "ESA's contribution is going to be critical to the success of Orion's 2017 mission."
The first flight with astronauts aboard would follow a round-the-moon route in 2021, and ESA will provide components for that flight as well.
NASA's current exploration plan calls for the Orion-SLS system to send humans to a near-Earth asteroid in the mid-2020s, and to Mars and its moons in the 2030s. Meanwhile, the task of sending cargo and crew to the International Space Station would be left to commercial spaceship providers.
When the Orion-SLS program was unveiled in 2011, the development cost was estimated at $18 billion through 2017, and roughly that much more for the 2017-2022 time frame.
Under the NASA-ESA agreement, which was signed in December and announced on Wednesday, ESA will provide the design and the hardware for the Orion service module as part of its contribution to the International Space Station project. The BBC reported that without such a contribution, ESA would owe NASA $600 million for the 2017-2020 period.
"Space has long been a frontier for international cooperation as we explore," Dan Dumbacher, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration system development, said in the space agency's statement. "This latest chapter builds on NASA's excellent relationship with ESA as a partner in the International Space Station, and helps us move forward in our plans to send humans farther into space than we've ever been before."
Even though ESA will provide the service module, its propulsion system will make use of engines left over from NASA's space shuttle program.
Bill Gerstenmaier, director of spaceflight operations at NASA Headquarters, said the European contribution would help keep the Orion project on track for the 2017 and 2021 flights. "We shouldn't try to go look at what ESA's contributing and then try to subtract that out of our budget," he told reporters. "We're actually getting a better, more robust design by cooperating together."
He acknowledged that the agreement put the Europeans in the "critical path" for future U.S. space exploration.
"I'm a realist, and I know that this won't be easy," he said. "It's not 100 percent comfortable — but I'm never 100 percent comfortable."
More about Orion:
- Europeans decide to boost NASA's Orion
- Orion project on schedule for 2014 test flight
- The moon looms again as future destination
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.


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According to forecasters from U.S. News & World Reports and the American Bar Association, one of the largest growth areas in the legal profession is in international arbitration. But information on arbitrators and their work can be difficult to ascertain said Professor Catherine Rogers, the Paul and Marjorie Price Faculty Scholar. "While mediators often come with references, getting data on arbitrators still depends primarily on word-of-mouth inquiries," said Rogers. "The problem with informal information gathering based on personal relationships is that it tends to benefit so-called international arbitration 'insiders' over newcomers or those from developing countries. To maintain the legitimacy of international arbitration, the process for selecting arbitrators needs to have a more even baseline of information that is accessible to all parties."
As a step toward resolving this issue, Rogers will spearhead a project to create an online resource giving parties access to more information for making informed decisions in the arbitrator selection process. The International Arbitrator Information Project (IAIP) will offer various forms of information, including feedback on arbitrators and links to publicly available arbitral awards and judicial opinions referencing either the arbitrator or the award. The conceptual background for and additional details about the IAIP are developed in Rogers' forthcoming book, "The Ethics of International Arbitration," due out by Oxford University Press in April 2014.
The IAIP is one of several initiatives Rogers will help drive as part of a joint appointment to the law faculty of Queen Mary, University of London where she will co-chair the new Institute on Ethics, Regulation and the Rule of Law with Queen Mary Professor Stavros Brekoulakis.
In addition to the International Arbitrator Information Project, Rogers has a couple of other projects on the docket. The first is a collaboration between Queen Mary and the International Council for Commercial Arbitration in the form of a task force that will address the rising importance of third-party funding and the related complex legal and regulatory issues that arise from it. The second is a long-term objective to develop programs that will provide lawyers, government officials and arbitrators with skills-oriented training specific for international arbitration.
"Professor Rogers is a scholar and an original thinker who is willing to undertake difficult issues with an open mind," said Julian Lew, head of Queen Mary's School of International Arbitration and Centre for Commercial Law Studies. "Together with Professor Brekoulakis she will provide a new impetus to the research programs we have previous undertaken."
Rogers is a reporter for the American Law Institute's new Restatement of the Law (Third) of International Commercial Arbitration. She has served as an expert on topics of international arbitration and global legal ethics for various international organizations, including the OECD, UNCITRAL, the International Judicial Academy, the American Society of International Law, and the International Bar Association. Before entering academia, Rogers practiced international litigation and arbitration in New York, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. She was formerly on the law faculties of Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Milan, Italy, and Louisiana State University Law Center.


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Alarm clocks are usually something to snooze about but Sony's new Dream Machine has put a cool spin on the old ticker.
According to Sony Insider, the upcoming ICF-CL75iP has a sharp 7 inch color LCD, 1GB of built-in storage, and a retractable iPod/iPhone dock. Even cooler, photos on the screen can either be pulled from your iPod/iPhone, or loaded onto the unit via USB.
You can also store and play music and movies, wake up via radio, iPod/iPhone, nature sounds (Sea Waves, Birds, Rain, Brook, Under the Sea), or even record your own custom 10 second voice recording. Oh yeah, you can listen to radio too.
U.S. & World
The unit is expected to ship around October 1 and retail for about $180. Now if only it made coffee too.


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Position your teams for success with direct, prioritized support. Priority access to dedicated Success Advisors helps you find key resources and get the most from your subscription, and priority Customer Service helps get you fast answers to account and billing inquiries.
Unity Learn Premium gives creators at every stage of learning the most advanced and up-to-date resources to master real-time 3D development and build in-demand skills across industries. Included for Pro subscribers, Learn Premium offers exclusive access to live sessions with Unity Certified Instructors and a growing library of award-winning, on-demand content updated for each release.
Pro subscribers get a comprehensive, high-fidelity art package created by top-talent industry icons, free. Buried Memories: Yggdrasil retails for $249 on the Asset Store.
Unity Pro includes three seats of Unity Teams Advanced per organization, which enables faster teamwork with features such as project collaboration and history, cloud storage, automatic cloud builds, and integrations with popular collaboration tools for project and build notifications.
Integrated Live-Ops Analytics give you real-time gameplay data and insights to help keep your players more engaged and help you maximize monetization revenue. Analyze player behavior and take actions right away to tweak gameplay experiences for better results.
Unity is the world's leading real-time 3D development platform, offering what you need to create, operate and monetize amazing games and experiences across the widest range of platforms in the industry. Build once, deploy anywhere, captivate everyone.
There is no cancellation policy or reimbursement for a subscription. Once you commit to a subscription you are obligated to pay all monthly payments owing.
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Please contact your local Unity representative if you are interested in purchasing Premium Support and/or source code access.
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Spanish 21 Strategies
Spanish 21 has emerged as a popular alternative to blackjack in casinos all around the country. The most significant difference is that Spanish 21 takes a standard deck and removes the 10 and joker cards. In Spanish 21, when a player draws a 21 or blackjack, it automatically beats the dealer — there is no tying. These factors change the dynamics of the game considerably, and many experienced players find Spanish 21 to be both more exciting and easier to win.
If you are thinking of trying a game of Spanish 21 — whether online or in a casino — knowing some basic strategy can help improve your chances of success.
Spanish 21 Strategy Basics
- Stand and hit: Always stand if you draw a hard 18 or higher, or a soft 19 or higher. Always hit with a hard eight or less, or with a hard 12, soft 13, 14 or 15.
- Doubling down: Double down if you have a hard nine or soft 16, and the dealer is showing a six; a hard 10 and the dealer is showing between two and seven; an 11 and the dealer is showing between two and eight; a two-card soft 17 and the dealer has a four; or a soft 18 and the dealer has a four, five or six.
- Splitting pairs: Always split a pair of aces and never split a pair of fours, fives or sixes. If you have a pair of twos, threes or sevens, split if the dealer is showing between three and seven. Split a pair of sixes if the dealer shows between four and six. Always split a pair of eights, unless the dealer is showing an ace, in which case you should fold. Split a pair of nines if the dealer is showing a three, four, five, six, eight or the nine.
The more familiar you get with the rules and odds of Spanish 21, the more intuitive the game will become. Enjoy!
How to Play Spanish 21
Players who enjoy Blackjack often love Spanish 21. It offers a variety of options, and many players find it more fun, in addition to easier to win.
Played with a Spanish card deck, the dealer works with 48 cards. The cards include the numbers 2 through 9, the Jack, the Queen, the King and the Ace; the dealer removes each 10 card and the Jokers. Play unfolds much like Blackjack, with several notable exceptions.
In Spanish 21, players win hands that would tie the dealer in Blackjack. For example, the player's Blackjack always beats a dealer's Blackjack, which pays 3 to 2. In addition, a '21' earned by a player always beats a dealer's 21, unless the dealer had a Blackjack and the player got to 21 with more than 2 cards. Certain player hand totals result in special game payouts.
Also, players double down only one time – including after splitting – on two or more cards. Players can split matching pairs, including Aces, up to three times; players can also double down and hit on split hands, Aces included. Players can take back a double down bet and only lose the original wager with Spanish 21's Double Down Rescue.
A player can sometimes drop out of a hand and only lose half his bet by folding after getting the first two cards. If the player drops after the dealer shows a face card or an Ace, the dealer must check for Blackjack. Although the player cannot fold when the dealer's hand is Blackjack, he may if no Blackjack exists.
Finally, a player earns a Super Bonus if the dealer shows a 7 and the player's first three cards are suited 7s. Super Bonus payouts range from $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the original bet. Although doubling down and splitting pairs void the Super Bonus payment, all players earn an Envy Bonus of at least $50 when it occurs legitimately.
Non-Double-Down Spanish 21 Payouts
Five-card 21: 3 to 2
Six-card 21: 2 to 1
Seven-card 21: 3 to 1
6-7-8 mixed suits: 3 to 2
6-7-8 same suit: 2 to 1
6-7-8 spades: 3 to 1
7-7-7 mixed suits: 3 to 2
7-7-7 same suit: 2 to 1
7-7-7 spades: 3 to 1
Players may also bet that the dealer's face up card will match either of their first two cards. Called match-the-dealer, these bets cannot exceed the original wager but must be greater than $1. Players must attempt to match-the-dealer prior to the first dealt card. Players cannot make insurance bets on match-the-dealer wagers. Non-suited matches pay 3 to 1 for each match, while suited matches pay 12 to 1 for each match.
Dover Downs Hotel & Casino reserves the right to change game rules and regulations without notice.


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Monsanto tries to criminalize saving seeds, drags farmer into court
by: Summer Tierney
Thursday, October 18, 2012
As if its costly genetic tampering with the whole natural world weren't brazen enough, Monsanto continues to bully and intimidate farmers across the United States, hoping this time to push its agenda through the highest court in the justice system.
The Supreme Court agreed last week to hear an appeal regarding Monsanto's case against Knox County, Indiana soybean farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman. Monsanto has pursued a lawsuit against the 74-year-old claiming Bowman made unauthorized use of its patent-protected Roundup Ready seeds. Bowman reportedly purchased additional, cheaper seed from a local grain elevator and used it to plant a late-season crop. He repeated this activity over a period of eight years beginning in 1999, continually saving and planting the new seeds generated by the commodity elevator crop.
Though Bowman was saving seeds from only the elevator crop, nature was doing what nature does best. With the Monsanto variety in the 90-percent majority over the other crop on Bowman's 299-acre farm, it was only a matter of time before contamination occurred. When it did, and Monsanto learned of Bowman's seed harvesting activities, they sent their well-funded attorneys after him for patent infringement.
The Rest…HERE


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If you haven't already checked out Los Angeles Magazine's Farmers Market issue, get thee to the newsstands immediately! I have a short item in there about my weekly CSA bag on page 143! While the headline is a bit provocative ("Why I Skip the Market"—I don't. I go religiously every week), the piece mentions my very favorite part of participating in a CSA, which is a friendly neighborhood challenge I have with a few friends to use everything in the bag each week. This week we were handed an exorbitant amount of Swiss chard.
I remembered a super comforting recipe we ran in Bon Appétit several years ago for Bacon and Swiss Chard Pasta. You sauté some bacon, then sauté onions in bacon fat (do I have your attention yet?) and add Swiss chard until it wilts, then sprinkle with parm and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Toss in fresh fettuccine or linguine. That simple, that delicious. And bye-bye, chard, for this week anyway. For recipe, click HERE.


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Since I've been dealing with my mother's passing just last month, it's made me appreciate the little things I subconsciously do, or used to do, to take care of myself–some of these even being things I did with her. I often think about how much better I could be, and how it's hard to focus on striving to be that person, when I'm trying to figure out how to grieve and I'm constantly tied down by countless emotions. Then I realize, that sometimes, just like the version of myself I envision falling in love with, I'm not perfect… And that's okay. People are allowed to go through things, and I mean really go through them. They are permitted to feel every ounce of pain, and sigh at every feeling of relief. I can't blame my mom passing on a lack of a good relationship with myself, because to be clear, it was never really healthy even when she was still here. Because I have people to take care of, and because I have myself to take care of, I've been pretty determined to manifest this self-fulfilling friendship.
So I've been trying this out:
Make yourself your top priority at some point in the day, because sometimes, it's selfless to be selfish. You can't effectively help others unless you help yourself, and equally so, to be able to fully give or receive love, you need to be capable of loving your own vessel fist.
And when it all comes down to it, you deserve the same love you give to others.
There are plenty of ways to fall in love with yourself, and the relationship you have with yourself. While some are more direct, and involve self-affirmation, some take the back route, and distract you with things you can use to relax, and, as a result, you end up falling anyway.
So let's explore some methods of self-care:
1. Be Positive
Start every morning by telling yourself that it's going to be a good day, even if you think it won't be (or you pulled an all-nighter and only got 3 hours of sleep before class or work). You woke up this morning, and I think that's one reason, if not the most important reason to smile.
Try telling yourself something really positive–does that direct deposit come in today? Did you pull off an effortless top bun (even though it took more than enough effort)? Did you get the perfect winged eyeliner before a tenth try?
Tell yourself that, even if on a minuscule scale, you're going to do something good in the world today. Whether that's making someone laugh, or smiling at a stranger–tell yourself that you have more than enough power to affect someone, other than yourself, in a really beautiful way. You never know what people are going through, and how significant of a difference you can make with something seemingly small.
2. Take a Bubble Bath
And add a bath bomb! Some of my favorite bath bombs come from Lush Cosmetics. These include, but are by no means limited to,
- Pink: a sweet candy smelling bath bomb that turns your water into a dream-like frothy pink with cute little biodegradable heart confetti. It's featured ingredient is Tonka Absolute, but is also made with natural ingredients like Vanilla and Lavender Oil. It's sure to create luscious escape. Price: $5.25
- Twilight: this particular bath bomb is pink as well, but when it fizzles down, creates streaks of purple (think twilit sky), and finally turns into a deep indigo blue. This one's featured ingredient is Lavender Oil, and you can never have enough of that. Note that if you have trouble falling asleep at night, essential oils like Lavender create a warm, fuzzy feeling, and help induce a more peaceful and restful sleep. So this one's perfect for before bed! Price: $6.95
- Butterball: This one is almost always my top choice. I keep these stocked for a rainy day, literally. This bath bomb's featured ingredient is probably like my favorite thing ever, Cocoa Butter. Ugh, yes. When you pop it into your bath, it oozes this blissfully dreamy vanilla scent. Because of the organic Cocoa Butter, your skin will feel soft and hydrated (and you'll smell amazing). Price: $4.95
Baths at the end, or even in the middle, of a stressful day tend to relax your mind, thereby de-stressing you, and making it easier to function for the rest of the day, or sleep better at night.
3. Read
Something that definitely helps me unwind is reading (something other than my Bio 102 textbook). This week's picks are Jane Austen and this cute little book of poetry. I highly recommend taking a trip to your neighborhood Barnes & Noble. If you have a free day, spend the entire day in there, I promise you'll feel lovely when you leave.
4. Self-Reflect
As a writer, self-reflecting at the end of most days in a journal, is something that 1) clears my mind, and 2) creates avenue for more inspiration. Get yourself a little journal a ridiculous ink pen, and put something down in it every now and then. It doesn't have to be every day, but studies show that writing things down, sometimes makes them easier to process and creates room for more information intake. Journalling can help manage anxiety, cope with depression, prioritize concerns, and improve your mood.
5. Put on a Face Mask… or 2
This act of self-love gives you triple rewards: glowing skin, being able to unwind, and calming your mind. You can also double this up with some other self-care acts like reading or writing while it's drying, or putting it on then sinking into a luscious a bubble bath (exactly what I'm about to do after writing this). I have to represent one of my favorite cosmetic companies again, so here you go Lush:
- Cup O' Coffee: This is an exfoliating face (and body) mask that is perfect to wake you up in the morning. Because its featured ingredient is Coffee Infusion, it has the intoxicating aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee. It also contains Kaolin that cleanses the pores, and ground coffee that scrubs away dead skin to reveal your glow underneath. Price: $10.95
- Mask of Magnaminty: Another face and body mask, Magnaminty is cleansing with out harsh exfoliation. It's a bit more gentle than Cup O' Coffee, so you can use it more frequently throughout the week. It's made with Kaolin clay and infused with Peppermint Oil, Vanilla, and Honey which calm redness and moisturize. Price: $10.95
- Rosy Cheeks: PSSST THIS ONE'S MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. *Clears throat*, Rosy Cheeks is an uber soothing and uber softening fresh face mask. Made with Kaolin Clay, its featured ingredient is natural Rose Oil, which acts to nourish and tone your skin. It also includes fresh Rose Petal infusion, and Calamine Powder to remove dirt. This mask is perfect for people with oily skin (such as myself) because the Calamine Powder also tightens pores, and thereby* calming* your skin and leaving a smooth matte finish behind. Price: $12.95
- BB Seaweed: This is Lush's newest fresh face mask and I'm completely in love with it. Like Rosy Cheeks, it has Rose Absolute, but its featured ingredient is Bladderwrack Seaweed. 7 pounds of this natural nutrient-rich seaweed goes into each batch.It's made specially for those of us with sensitive skin, and has finely ground almonds for gentle exfoliation. Price: $8.95
*Lush's fresh face masks must be kept in the fridge as they are made with fresh ingredients and without preservatives!
6. Do Some Yoga
One way I decompress is through yoga. I started two years ago with my mom, and now, even when I'm in school, I go alone to yoga classes at least 4 times a week. Just think, calming music, stretching, no thinking, and no outside distractions for an hour of your day. I feel like everyone needs at least hour of every day to get away from everything; whether it be school, work, social distractions, and even feelings. Yoga is a very good way to re-center yourself, and re-focus on your goals for the day, the week, and even for your life. Re-instilling your life mantra for an hour every day can prove to be extremely motivating, and then it's a workout!
7. Meditate
This one is very similar to yoga, just minus the stretching. Focused breathing, a focused mantra, or focusing on nothing at all. Take 15 minutes out of your day to sit down, close your eyes, and breathe. Focus on nothing but your breathing, and you'll see how your stress just washes away, even if it's only for 15 minutes.
8. Listen to Music
Because I am very fond of putting feelings into words, sometimes I tend to run out of words for said feelings. Sometimes music is a gateway to expressing those feelings you felt couldn't really be expressed. Whether it's making your own music, or listening to someone else's, sometimes this is just as therapeutic as yoga, mediation, or a hot bath for me; and I can do this one while working as well!
9. Burn Some Candles
Here's a list of essential oils with different uses and benefits:
- Cinnamon. Cinnamon has stimulating attributes that help fight mental lethargy and work to improve focus and concentration. Try a cinnamon candle while you're getting ready for class in the morning for a more productive and memorable lesson!
- Jasmine. Jasmine can be used to calm nerves, but it is more so renowned for its uplifting capabilities such as confidence, optimism, and energy, making it a great antidepressant. Try some Jasmine oil, flowers, or natural Jasmine tea when you aren't feeling quite like yourself.
- Lavender. Lavender has an über soothing effect on nervous tension and can help to control emotional stress. It also works to treat headaches and migraines. Try a Lavender bath before bed to help promote more restful sleep!
- Rosemary. Rosemary helps to improve memory recollection and combat physical exhaustion.
- Vanilla. Vanilla is a very a warm and cozy scent, and there's a reason why people describe it as such. In several studies, researchers have found that smelling natural vanilla bean elevated feelings of contentment and relaxation. When you're relaxing after a tiring day, a little vanilla bean may go a long way. Ooh and try some Vanilla ice cream! It's a bit of a reach, but it still tastes good!
10. Get a Mani/Pedi
It's okay to treat yourself every now and then. Just like yoga or mediation, this can be another way you dedicate 30 minutes to an hour to yourself and only yourself. If you want, bring a friend along! Just remember, a mani-pedi never stressed anyone out more.
11. Take a Nature Break
If you're feeling cornered, bottled up, stressed, or like you're about to explode, drop everything, and just take a long walk outside. If you have to bring your phone, turn it on silent. Use this time to look at the simpler, more beautiful things about life, and then go back to work, to school, to family, and see how much more productive you can be.
12. Watch Reruns of Your Fav Sitcoms
This one's a definite fav. When I'm feeling stressed about school work, I make a productivity goal with myself. Once I've completed it, I shut every thing down, close all my textbooks, put on a sweatshirt and leggings, grab some yogurt or some ice cream, and watch re-runs of Friends, America's Next Top Model, That's So Raven, and even Proud Family. I don't quite know how to explain it, but there's something about watching or engaging in things from your past. It's almost like a time capsule; it sucks you back into that age you were when your biggest fear was the boogie man, and your biggest responsibility was making sure you practiced your spelling words for the big 10-letter quiz the next day at school. So watch an episode, or 5, of Law & Order SVU re-runs; let Benson and Rollins take your mind off of life for at least a season
13. Plan Out Your Week
Get yourself a planner and some colored pens, and plan out your week! Yes, I'm talking Monday through Friday. Any big tests coming up? Due dates for that essay? A seminar you really want to attend? Maybe a social event with friends on Saturday. Write out a schedule for yourself, and a little to-do list. When you accomplish things, check them off. You'll feel better, promise. Research actually shows that checking things off of a list of things-to-do causes your brain to release Serotonin, a chemical responsible for feelings of pleasure, accomplishment, and content.
14. Turn Off Electronics
Give yourself one hour, whether it be at the beginning of the day, or the end, where you turn off your computer, your laptop, your TV, your Apple Watch or your FitBit, and even your pager (if you still have one?) At the end of your hour, turn everything back on, and go back to your life, but just know that that one hour without all of those distractions, you've given your poor old brain a huge break. And during this hour, you could have done at least one thing from the list above!
15. Tell Yourself It'll Get Better
Whenever you feel like you'll never get everything done, you just can't keep your eyes open in Business Law 102, or you can't get rid of feelings of hopelessness, try telling yourself that it won't always be like this. That all of the work you're doing now will some day pay off. Say that you're doing it for you, even if right now you're doing something for somebody else. Because even if you are, you only started doing it, because of a vision you had or have for yourself down the line. Remind yourself why you're doing something, and the contentment that it could possibly bring you, and I guarantee you'll feel at least a little better about doing it. Know that at the end of the day, if you're not making yourself happy by doing it, or you aren't working to be happier as a result, then you shouldn't be doing it at all. It's a good feeling to be able to feel like the world is smaller than it really is… To feel like the weight of the world isn't on your shoulders. Because to be quite honest, it isn't.
You just have to try and remember that every now and then.
– – –
Hopefully this can be a help to some of you, because I'm working on sticking to them to help myself.
Today, the moon is in full Sagittarius, aligning with its opposite in Gemini, so this Friday's feeling pretty sweet for this little Sagittarius girl.
Do you guys have any other methods of self-care that work for you? Or maybe do some of the ones I mentioned? If so, let me know down below! I love hearing from you ☺
P.S. thank you for 300 WordPress followers, and 2,000 overall!
Until next time,


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