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South Plainfield, NJ – Jan. 11, 2011 -- Petra Solar, the New Jersey-based pioneer and market leader in grid-tied, pole-mounted, distributed solar generation systems which include a Smart Grid backbone for utilities, today announced its continued international expansion with the launch of a research and development center in Amman, Jordan. This new office will enable Petra Solar to provide regional technology expertise that is geared to the needs of its partners in the Middle East.
The launch of a R&D center in Jordan further demonstrates Petra Solar's ongoing commitment to expanding its international business, and developing the solar and Smart Grid markets in new regions around the world. Petra Solar is actively partnering with key Middle Eastern companies on solar and Smart Grid initiatives and is developing research agreements with leading regional institutions. The office in Jordan is the result of a meeting last spring between Petra Solar's founder, President and CEO Dr. Shihab Kuran, and His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan. This collaborative effort with the Jordanian government will promote local economic development and create green jobs in Jordan.
"The growing global demand for sustainable energy and jobs provides a tremendous opportunity for Petra Solar throughout the Middle East and the world. Jordan is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the Middle East. Tapping into the region's research and development talent will facilitate the international expansion of our products and will take our utility based solutions to a higher level," said Dr. Shihab Kuran, President and CEO of Petra Solar.
Dr. Kuran is currently in Jordan, meeting with Jordanian government officials including Prime Minister Samir Rifai, Minister of Information and Communications Technology Marwan Juma, members of the Electricity Regulatory Commission, leaders of electricity distribution companies and Jordanian energy developers to discuss partnership opportunities.
"Our cooperation with Petra Solar represents our commitment to the alternative energy sector and our confidence in Petra Solar's ability to tap into Jordan's human capital and help create a solar industry in the country," said Marwan Juma, Minister of Information and Communications Technology.
As part of Petra Solar's plan to expand internationally, the company is partnering with key Middle Eastern companies on solar and Smart Grid projects that confront renewable energy challenges with inventive solutions. Petra Solar employs an international team of engineers and scientists including talent from the Middle East who are valuable contributors to product development and advanced research efforts. In addition, the company is engaged with many countries around the globe and is helping them achieve their goal of an energy independent future.
Petra Solar's powerful product, pioneering people and strong business model form an exciting platform for building both environmental and economic sustainability around the globe. Its core solution, the SunWaveâ"¢ system, is unique and innovative. With initial efforts focused on utilities, Petra Solar is creating a new category in the solar generation and Smart Grid fields while staying true to its commitment of green job creation. The company is a strong advocate of tying local consumption to local manufacturing, resulting in the creation of local green jobs and economic development.
About Petra Solar:
Petra Solar, founded in 2006 by CEO and President Dr. Kuran, is the pioneer of SunWaveâ"¢, a new technology that combines distributed solar energy generation with Smart Grid communications and improved grid reliability features to create a comprehensive utility grade solution. One of the key advantages of the Petra Solar solution is its flexible grid integration architecture. Petra Solar is the only cleantech company that provides utility-grade, grid-tied, distributed smart solar systems that can be installed on existing assets such as utility and streetlight poles. Petra Solar's success is the culmination of more than 18 years of research and development. For more information about Petra Solar visit www.petrasolar.com.
Mary Grikas
Vice President Communications, Petra Solar
Phone: 732-429-3908
E-mail: [email protected]


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No good news for government IT in sequestration delay
Observers say budget cuts may be preferable to uncertainty.
A just-past-deadline deal to put off a decision about drastic federal spending cuts until February will provide little solace for government technology chiefs and may be more damaging than if the draconian cuts had gone into effect, observers said Wednesday.
With no final decision on how or even whether to avert the slate of automatic cuts known as sequestration, agency leaders must spend two more months planning and budgeting for the most austere outcome or risk violating budgeting laws by overspending, said Alan Balutis, a former chief information officer at the Commerce Department and now a director at Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group.
The major change resulting from the last minute deal is that if and when a sequestration-averting plan comes through, agencies will have only seven months to rejigger their spending to conform with final budget allowances before the government fiscal year ends in September 2013, Balutis said, rather than nine months if a deal had been reached by January 1, the initial deadline.
Sequestration was part of a larger self-imposed austerity program that also included massive tax hikes. The nation was scheduled to go over the so-called cliff at midnight on New Year's Day unless the White House and congressional Republicans could reach agreement on less severe or more targeted measures.
That agreement, which passed the Senate on New Year's Eve and the House on New Year's Day, raised taxes only on the wealthiest Americans but delayed a decision on sequestration until the end of February.
"In many ways I view it as worse than if we had joined hands with Thelma and Louise and actually gone over the cliff," Balutis said Wednesday. "At least we'd know what's in store for us and we could begin to plan and take action."
With their budgets in limbo for another two months, agency officials are likely to put off new projects and to consider less ambitious and cheaper options for contracts that do go forward, said Julie Anderson, chief operating officer with Civitas Group and a former deputy assistant secretary at the Veterans Affairs Administration.
That could mean slower progress on a number of the government's major technology priorities including shifting government systems to off-site computer clouds and making more government data available to private-sector entrepreneurs in machine readable formats.
Contractors also will likely be hesitant to take on new risks during the two-month sequestration delay, Anderson said. Civitas is a consultant for federal contractors.
The Office of Management and Budget will likely urge agencies to develop more concrete plans for how they will continue essential operations if sequestration does go into effect during that time, she said. OMB issued general guidance on sequestration planning in December.
Anderson agreed with Balutis that sequestration may be preferable to continuing uncertainty for both agencies and contractors.
"Uncertainty is paralysis," she said.
Balutis and Anderson were both pessimistic about the chances for a grand spending deal in February when Congress will also debate raising the limit on federal borrowing.
"I have a feeling that there will be another short term fix that may take us to summer," Anderson said.
"I think most people feel like it will be the Perils of Pauline again, and once again we'll go down to the wire," Balutis said. "But you won't see much change in that period. No one's going to come and sprinkle rationality dust around Capitol Hill so a new spirit of comity will prevail . . . Republicans still control the House and Democrats control the Senate."
(Image via Ufuk ZIVANA/Shutterstock.com)

subset: commoncrawl


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Medicaid Financing: An Overview of the Federal Medicaid Matching Rate (FMAP)
Since its enactment in 1965, the Medicaid program has used the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to determine the federal government's share of the cost of covered services in state Medicaid programs. On average, the federal share has been 57 percent. Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) establishes highly enhanced FMAPs for the cost of services to low-income adults with incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) who are not currently covered. The federal government will pick up 100 percent of such costs in 2014 through 2016, phasing down to 90 percent in 2020 and beyond. To place these new FMAPs in context, this primer provides an overview of the FMAP and temporary changes to the formula over the history of the Medicaid program.
Issue Brief (.pdf)


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Dinnerware - Morning Glory
You very well might be looking at the last set of dinnerware you'll ever need. Incredibly durable and beautiful to look at, our dinnerware sets are a perfect compliment to your culinary prowess.
Order as standalone pieces, or as a set. Each set consists of an 10" dinner plate, 8" salad plate and 7" salad bowl.
Prices discounted 10% for Sets of 4, 15% for Sets of 6, and 20% for Sets of 10. For sets of 10 or more, please call us for pricing


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I have been avoiding posting, so much going on with family loss and challenges. But I saw AnceStories post and decided I need to get a grip and enjoy the Holidays sharing memories.
Holiday Foods
In our family, there are many memories around Holiday Foods.
Two years ago, I shared GreatGrandmother Sackley Ellsworth's Rum Balls. Last year it was my mother's Date Roll.
This year it will be Great Aunt Mary Gadleman Ellsworth's Cheese Cake.
When Holidays rolled around We would all gather at either the Hero's mom's house or his uncles. They are all gone now, but the memories live on.


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An Overview of the Mars Pathfinder Mission
The goal of the Mars Pathfinder (MPF) mission was to analyze the rocks and soil of Mars. The MPF was actually 2 parts, a lander and a rover. The lander stayed right where it landed while the rover named "Sojourner" could roam the surface.In its study of the Martian terrain near the landing site, Pathfinder found sand dunes, pebbles, wind drifts and other evidences of a changing surface. MPF also had the chance to explore Martian weather.
There was great excitement when Pathfinder landed on the surface of Mars on July 4, 1997. That excitement continued throughout the mission as the Rover was highly successful in exploring the geology of Mars. NASA's Mars Pathfinder mission was last heard from on September 27, 1997. It did operate on the surface of Mars three times longer than expected! Overall, the Pathfinder mission handed scientists tons of new knowledge about Mars!


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Today's A Lab Aloft was posted by Ellen Stofan and Julie Robinson on April 17, 2015.
The International Space Station is a unique laboratory for performing investigations that affect human health both in space and on Earth. Since its assembly, the space station has supported research that is providing a better understanding of certain aspects of both fundamental and applied human health, such as the mechanisms causing aging and disease. Several biological and human physiological investigations have yielded important results, including improved understanding of bone loss and rebuilding, and development of new medical technologies that have impacted lives right here on Earth.
From studying the behavior of cells to developing potential improvements in clinical settings, a variety of health research arrived at the space station today aboard the sixth SpaceX contracted resupply mission. The Dragon spacecraft delivered research equipment for biology, biotechnology, human research, as well as additional research and supplies to the station. These new and ongoing investigations continue to assist researchers in pursuing scientific and medical knowledge not possible under the weight of gravity on Earth.
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and his identical twin brother Mark will participate in a series of human health studies as part of the recently begun One-Year Mission aboard the space station. The data collected comparing the twins, Scott on the space station, and Mark living on Earth, will enable researchers to determine how cognitive function, metabolic profiles, gastrointestinal microbiota, immune system and genetic sequences are affected by different factors attributable to the environmental stress of spaceflight. Results could potentially be used as the first steps to understand how to help develop new treatments and preventive measures for health issues on Earth.
Another investigation will study how and why some astronauts experience eye changes that can affect their vision during missions aboard the station. There are several factors that may cause this problem during spaceflight. This research will improve scientists' understanding of this phenomenon and how changes in the brain and eye shape affects vision. It could also help people on Earth suffering from conditions that increase swelling and pressure in the brain.
Studying cells in space is another important area of health research on the station. Research in microgravity provides an important novel tool to better understand the mechanisms that cause cellular functions such as cell division, gene expression and shape. Looking at cells in space provides unique insights, because in the absence of Earth's gravity, cells grow with a similar structure as they do in the body. Scientists can use this knowledge to improve diagnosis and therapies.
A type of bone cell, called osteocytes, will arrive at the space station on today's cargo delivery as part of a project funded under the Biomedical Research on the International Space Station (BioMed-ISS). This initiative is a collaborative effort among the National Institutes of Health, the ISS National Laboratory and NASA. The investigation team, led by Dr. Paola Divieti Pajevic, Assistant Professor at Boston University and the Director of the bone cell core at Massachusetts General Hospital, will analyze the effects of microgravity on the function of osteocytes. The study will provide better understanding of the mechanisms behind bone disorders on Earth, such as osteoporosis.
Additional investigations also may yield results that can potentially improve patient health in clinical settings on Earth. Scientists may be able to develop methods for combating hospital-acquired infections, a chronic problem in clinical settings, by researching bacterial growth in a microgravity environment. Moreover, by studying protein crystallization in space, scientists may be able to improve crystallization technology that can change the way drugs are used for treating various human diseases.
The programs outlined here illustrate only a fraction of the space station's potential as a groundbreaking scientific research facility. The International Space Station National Laboratory, as designated by the 2005 NASA Authorization Act, is a unique scientific platform that continues to enable researchers to put their talents to work on innovative experiments that could not be done anywhere else. Use of the space station's singular capabilities as a permanent microgravity platform with exposure to the space environment is improving life on Earth; fostering relationships among NASA, other federal entities, and the private sector; and advancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
We may not know yet what will be the most important discovery gained from this orbiting laboratory, but we already are doing significant research on the International Space Station that could greatly benefit human health. Through advancing the state of scientific knowledge of our planet, looking after our health, and providing a space platform that inspires and educates health, science and technology leaders of tomorrow, these benefits will drive the legacy of the space station as its research enhances the quality of life here on Earth.


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If you've wrestled with Windows 10, you've undoubtedly heard of PowerShell. If you've tried to do something fancy with Win7/8.1 recently, PowerShell's probably come up, too. After years of relying on the Windows command line and tossed-together batch files, it's time to set your sights on something more powerful, more adaptive—better.
PowerShell is an enormous addition to the Windows toolbox, and it can provoke a bit of fear given that enormity. Is it a scripting language, a command shell, a floor wax? Do you have to link a cmdlet with an instantiated .Net class to run with providers? And why do all the support docs talk about administrators—do I have to be a professional Windows admin to make use of it?
Relax. PowerShell is powerful, but it needn't be intimidating.
The following guide is aimed at those who have run a Windows command or two or jimmied a batch file. Consider it a step-by-step transformation from PowerShell curious to PowerShell capable.
Step 1: Crank it up
The first thing you'll need is PowerShell itself. If you're using Windows 10, you already have PowerShell 5—the latest version—installed. (Win10 Anniversary Update has 5.1, but you won't know the difference with the Fall Update's 5.0.) Windows 8 and 8.1 ship with PowerShell 4, which is good enough for getting your feet wet. Installing PowerShell on Windows 7 isn't difficult, but it takes extra care—and you need to install .Net Framework separately. JuanPablo Jofre details how to install WMF 5.0 (Windows Management Framework), which includes PowerShell, in addition to tools you won't likely use when starting out, on MSDN.
PowerShell offers two interfaces. Advanced users will go for the full-blown GUI, known as the Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE). Beginners, though, are best served by the PowerShell Console, a simple text interface reminiscent of the Windows command line, or even DOS 3.2.
To start PowerShell as an Administrator from Windows 10, click Start and scroll down the list of apps to Windows PowerShell. Click on that line, right-click Windows PowerShell, and choose Run as Administrator. In Windows 8.1, look for Windows PowerShell in the Windows System folder. In Win7, it's in the Accessories folder. You can run PowerShell as a "normal" user by following the same sequence but with a left click.
In any version of Windows, you can use Windows search to look for PowerShell. In Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, you can put it on your Ctrl-X "Power menu" (right-click a blank spot on the taskbar and choose Properties; on the Navigation tab, check the box to Replace Command Prompt). Once you have it open, it's a good idea to pin PowerShell to your taskbar. Yes, you're going to like it that much.
Step 2: Type old-fashioned Windows commands
You'd be amazed how much Windows command-line syntax works as expected in PowerShell.
For example, cd
changes directories (aka folders), and dir
still lists all the files and folders included in the current folder.
Depending on how you start the PowerShell console, you may start atc:\Windows\system32
or at c:\Users\<username>
. In the screenshot example, I usecd ..
(note the space) to move up one level at a time, then run dir
to list all files and subfolders in the C:\
Step 3: Install the help files
Commands like cd
and dir
aren't native PowerShell commands. They're aliases—substitutes for real PowerShell commands. Aliases can be handy for those of us with finger memory that's hard to overcome. But they don't even begin to touch the most important parts of PowerShell.
To start getting a feel for PowerShell itself, type help
followed by a command you know. For example, in the screenshot, I type help dir
PowerShell help tells me that dir
is an alias for the PowerShell command Get-ChildItem
. Sure enough, if you type get-childitem
at the PS C:\>
prompt, you see exactly what you saw with the dir
As noted at the bottom of the screenshot, help files for PowerShell aren't installed automatically. To retrieve them (you do want to get them), log on to PowerShell in Administrator mode, then type update-help
. Installing the help files will take several minutes, and you may be missing a few modules—Help for NetWNV and SecureBoot failed to install on my test machine. But when you're done, the full help system will be at your beck and call.
From that point on, type get-help
followed by the command ("cmdlet" in PowerShell speak, pronounced "command-let") that concerns you and see all of the help for that item. For example, get-help get-childitem
produces a summary of the get-childitem
options. It also prompts you to type in variations on the theme. Thus, the following:
get-help get-childitem -examples
produces seven detailed examples of how to use get-childitem
. The PowerShell command
get-help get-childitem -detailed
includes those seven examples, as well as a detailed explanation of every parameter available for the get-childitem
Step 4: Get help on the parameters
In the help dir
screenshot, you might have noticed there are two listings under SYNTAX
for get-childitem
. The fact that there are two separate syntaxes for the cmdlet means there are two ways of running the cmdlet. How do you keep the syntaxes separate—and what do the parameters mean? The answer's easy, if you know the trick.
To get all the details about parameters for the get-childitem
cmdlet, or any other cmdlet, use the -full
parameter, like this:
get-help get-childitem -full
That produces a line-by-line listing of what you can do with the cmdlet and what may (or may not!) happen. See the screenshot.
Sifting through the parameter details, it's reasonably easy to see that get-childitem
can be used to retrieve "child" items (such as the names of subfolders or filenames) in a location that you specify, with or without specific character matches. For example:
get-childItem "*.txt" -recurse
retrieves a list of all of the "*.txt
" files in the current folder and all subfolders (due to the-recurse
parameter). Whereas the following:
get-childitem "HKLM:\Software"
returns a list of all of the high-level registry keys in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software
If you've ever tried to get inside the registry using a Windows command line or a batch file, I'm sure you can see how powerful this kind of access must be.
Step 5: Nail down the names
There's a reason why the cmdlets we've seen so far look the same: get-childitem
, and get-help
all follow the same verb-noun convention. Mercifully, all of PowerShell's cmdlets use this convention, with a verb preceding a (singular) noun. Those of you who spent weeks struggling over inconsistently named VB and VBA commands can breathe a sigh of relief.
To see where we're going, take a look at some of the most common cmdlets (thanks to Ed Wilson's Hey, Scripting Guy! blog). Start with the cmdlets that reach into your system and pull out useful information, like the following:
: Sets the current working location to a specified locationget-content
: Gets the contents of a fileget-item
: Gets files and folderscopy-item
: Copies an item from one location to anotherremove-item
: Deletes files and foldersget-process
: Gets the processes that are running on a local or remote computerget-service
: Gets the services running on a local or remote computerinvoke-webrequest
: Gets content from a webpage on the internet
To see how a particular cmdlet works, use get-help
, as in
get-help copy-item -full
Based on its help description, you can readily figure out what the cmdlet wants. For example, if you want to copy all your files and folders from Documents
to c:\temp
, you would use:
copy-item c:\users\[username] \documents\* c:\temp
As you type in that command, you'll see a few nice touches built into the PowerShell environment. For example, if you type copy-i
and press the Tab key, PowerShell fills inCopy-Item
and a space. If you mistype a cmdlet and PowerShell can't figure it out, you get a very thorough description of what went wrong.
Try this cmdlet. (It may try to get you to install a program to read the "about" box. If so, ignore it.)
invoke-webrequest askwoody.com
You get a succinct list of the webpage's content declarations, headers, images, links, and more. See how that works? Notice in the get-help
listing for invoke-webrequest
that the invoke-webrequest
cmdlet "returns collections of forms, links, images, and other significant HTML elements"—exactly what you should see on your screen.
Some cmdlets help you control or grok PowerShell itself:
: Lists all available cmdlets (it's a long list!)get-verb
: Lists all available verbs (the left halves of cmdlets)clear-host
: Clears the display in the host program
Various parameters (remember, get-help
) let you whittle down the commands and narrow in on options that may be of use to you. For example, to see a list of all the cmdlets that work with Windows services, try this:
get-command *-service
It lists all the verbs that are available with service
as the noun. Here's the result:
You can combine these cmdlets with other cmdlets to dig down into almost any part of PowerShell. That's where pipes come into the picture.
Step 6: Bring in the pipes
If you've ever used the Windows command line or slogged through a batch file, you know about redirection and pipes. In simple terms, both redirection (the >
character) and pipes (the |
character) take the output from an action and stick it someplace else. You can, for example, redirect the output of a dir
command to a text file, or "pipe" the result of a ping
command into a find
, to filter out interesting results, like so:
dir > temp.txt
ping askwoody.com | find "packets" > temp2.txt
In the second command above, the find
command looks for the string packets
in the piped output of an askwoody.com ping
and sticks all the lines that match in a file calledtemp2.txt
Perhaps surprisingly, the first of those commands works fine in PowerShell. To run the second command, you want something like this:
ping askwoody.com | select-string packets | out-file temp2.txt
Using redirection and pipes greatly expands the Windows command line's capabilities: Instead of scrolling endlessly down a screen looking for a text string, for example, you can put together a piped Windows command that does the vetting for you.
PowerShell has a piping capability, but it isn't restricted to text. Instead, PowerShell lets you pass an entire object from one cmdlet to the next, where an "object" is a combination of data (called properties) and the actions (methods) that can be used on the data.
The hard part, however, lies in aligning the objects. The kind of object delivered by one cmdlet has to match up with the kinds of objects accepted by the receiving cmdlet. Text is a very simple kind of object, so if you're working with text, lining up items is easy. Other objects aren't so rudimentary.
How to figure it out? Welcome to the get-member
cmdlet. If you want to know what type of object a cmdlet produces, pipe it through get-member
. For example, if you're trying to figure out the processes running on your computer, and you've narrowed down the options to the get-process
cmdlet, here's how you find out what the get-process
cmdlet produces:
get-process | get-member
Running that command produces a long list of properties and methods for get-process
, but at the very beginning of the list you can see the type of object that get-process
TypeName: System.Diagnostics.Process
The below screenshot also tells you that get-process
has properties called Handles
, and WS
If you want to manipulate the output of get-process
so that you can work with it (as opposed to having it display a long list of active processes on the monitor), you need to find another cmdlet that will work with System.Diagnostics.Process
as input. To find a willing cmdlet, you simply use … wait for it … PowerShell:
get-command -Parametertype System.Diagnostics.Process
That produces a list of all of the cmdlets that can handleSystem.Diagnostics.Process
Some cmdlets are notorious for taking nearly any kind of input. Chief among them:where-object
. Perhaps confusingly, where-object
loops through each item sent down the pipeline, one by one, and applies whatever selection criteria you request. There's a special marker called $_
. that lets you step through each item in the pipe, one at a time.
Say you wanted to come up with a list of all of the processes running on your machine that are called "svchost
"—in PowerShell speak, you want to match on a Name
property of svchost
. Try this PowerShell command:
get-process | where-object {$_.Name -eq "svchost"}
The where-object
cmdlet looks at each System.Diagnostics.Process
item, compares the .Name
of that item to "svchost
"; if the item matches, it gets spit out the end of the pipe and typed on your monitor. See the screenshot.
Step 7: Dissecting a useful PowerShell command
At this point you know enough to shoot yourself (and your machine) in the foot. Be careful. Before I point you to further reading and drop you off the deep end, let's go through an example of a PowerShell command that many of you have asked about.
This particular command works only in Windows 10 and only if you're running PowerShell as an administrator. It's designed to re-install the default Windows 10 apps, and I've found it useful for refreshing the little beasts—particularly for those who deleted the built-in apps but suddenly have a change of heart. The command looks like this:
Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
If you run that PowerShell command, ignore the red warnings, and when it's done, reboot your machine; all of your default Windows 10 apps will suddenly appear in their latest incarnations.
Here's how the command works. Get-AppXPackage
goes through all of the app packages in your user profile. Even if you've deleted an app, by whatever means (some are easy, some not so), it's still listed in your user profile.
The Get-AppXPackage
cmdlet returns an object with the TypeName Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.AppxPackage
, which includes the full name of the app package and the location of the accompanying XML manifest file. If you run the get-appxpackage
cmdlet, you see a long list of app packages. The screenshot shows the entry for the Xbox app on my main computer.
In the PowerShell command, the Foreach
cmdlet loops through each of the entries in theAppXPackage
object, feeding them to the Add-AppxPackage
cmdlet. According to get-help
for Add-AppxPackage
, there are two key switches:
- The
switch is used "To register an existing app package installation, you must specify theDisableDevelopmentMode
parameter and theRegister
parameter." - The
switch tells Windows to re-register "an existing app package installation that has been disabled, did not register, or has become corrupted."
The "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml
" string specifies where the XML manifest file is located. If you peek into one of the AppXManifest.xml
files, you'll see a complex list of application IDs, executable files, and a large number of visual elements associated with the app.
On reboot, all of the freshly added app packages get downloaded from the Windows Store and installed.
Where to go next
With a little bit of luck, that should get you oriented and cracked out of your Windows command line (or batch file) cocoon. A whole new world awaits.
For starters, I suggest that you tackle two lengthy introductions on the web.
The first comes from Taylor Gibb at How-To Geek. He has a series of 11 courses that end with putting together a full script. Start on the last lesson, then use the links to jump to individual courses.
The second is an encyclopedic course on the Microsoft MSDN site. Written by PowerShell guru JuanPablo Jofre, Getting Started with Windows PowerShell takes you on a whirlwind tour of the concepts and commands. Most important, it includes dozens of cookbook-style solutions to real-world problems.
Once you have your bearings, stay on top of the latest developments, both with theWindows PowerShell Blog on MSDN, and with the Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog on TechNet. The latter also has a PowerShell forum.
There are plenty of PowerShell books on the market. The one I anticipate the most is Don Jones and Jeffrey Hicks' "Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches," third edition, which is due in December 2016.
If that isn't enough, PowerShell MVP Boe Prox has a three-year-old list of 50 PowerShell forums on the learn-powershell.net blog.


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Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for providing strategic oversight in the best interests of the Company, to foster Finning's long-term success and maximize shareholder value.
"Finning's Board of Directors is committed to playing an active role in supporting the realization of the Company's strategy through upholding the highest standards of corporate governance and fulfilling its duties of stewardship and accountability. We are creating a solid and sustainable future for Finning. With safety and talent management as the foundation of the Company's priorities, our focus is on execution of our operational excellence agenda to improve return on invested capital." —Harold (Hal) Kvisle, Board Chair
The Board of Directors is responsible for providing strategic oversight in the best interests of the Company, to foster Finning's long-term success and maximize shareholder value.
Finning's Board of Directors and management are committed to the highest corporate governance standards and understand that adherence to such standards ultimately enhances shareholder value. The Board is resolute in its commitment to fulfilling its duty of accountability and building on its best practices through continuous evaluation and improvement.
The Board of Directors has overall responsibility for Finning's business conduct. The Board fulfills this responsibility both directly and by delegating certain authority to its Board committees pursuant to Board-approved terms of reference and guidelines.
Committees undertake the duties and responsibilities that they are charged with by the Board of Directors, consistent with their terms of reference.
Consistent with Finning's corporate culture of integrity and respect for the our stakeholders, the Board of Directors has approved key policies to ensure employees at all levels maintain Finning's high standards of governance and ethical conduct.
Finning's corporate officers provide leadership and vision in developing, in concert with the Board of Directors, Finning's strategic direction , our values and the plans required to realize our objectives.
Articles of Continuance (4.1MB)
By-law No. 1 (165KB)
Advance Notice By-law (139KB)


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Not exactly a Scandal, but this is certainly a surprise!
Kerry Washington married San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha on June 24 in Blaine County, Idaho, E! News exclusively confirms.
Because, you know, they were such a high-profile couple...?
Well, according to sports gossip site TerezOwens.com, which was first to get wind of the happy news, Asomugha has been dating Vanity Fair's August 2013 cover girl since last summer.
The 31-year-old three-time Pro Bowl star played with the Oakland Raiders, who drafted him following his graduation from UC Berkeley in 2003, for eight seasons and the Philadelphia Eagles for two before signing with the 49ers in April. The bookish athlete is no stranger to showbiz, either, having scored acting gigs on The Game, Friday Night Lights and Leverage in recent years.
Like his bride, Asomugha is also a dedicated activist and philanthropist and he has participated in the Clinton Global Initiative every year since 2009.
This is the first marriage for Washington, 36, who went from generally lovely actress to mega-star over the past year thanks to her breakout roles playing not-to-be-messed-with political fixer Olivia Pope on ABC's Scandal and Jamie Foxx's enslaved wife Broomhilda von Shaft in Django Unchained.
Washington broke up with fiancé David Moscow (little Tom Hanks in Big!) in 2007 after several years together. Since then, however, the New York-born actress has kept her private life increasingly on the down-low as her star has steadily risen.
Asked in May about her latest film, the ensemble comedy Peeples, Washington told Essence: "I think the message of this film is to really be yourself and to love other people for who they really are."
Sounds like winning advice to us!
But otherwise, she has given zero clues as to what she's been up to in the romance department.
She tweeted Tuesday: "Ok. Logging off! See u in a few weeks! SO excited 4 all u UK #Gladiators about 2 experience Season 2! Spread the word! July 4th @More4Tweets."
—Reporting by Holly Passalaqua and Claudia Rosenbaum


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The Cistercian Nun Convent
Even though the remains of the Cistercian Nun Convent, Nonneseter, are found in a central part of Bergen today, it was originally located outside the town. Cistercian nuns spent their time here in prayer and work, probably more peacefully than their male colleagues at Munkeliv Monastery. At least until the early 16th century, when the alleged decadence at Nonneseter Convent became the talk of the town.
The famous author Ludvig Holberg wrote an historical description of his birth town Bergen in 1737. According to his description, Nonneseter existed as early as in 1134, during the reign of King Magnus the Blind.
We don't know the exact year of the establishment of Nonneseter Convent. It was hardly as early as 1134, but there are some good indications that the convent was founded in the 1140s. Bishop Sigurd of Bergen founded a convent of the Cistercian order for monks at Lyse in Os in 1146. It is likely that Nonneseter, the only convent for women in this order, was built around the same time. It may very well have been Bishop Sigurd, in cooperation with the king, who was responsible for the founding of Nonneseter.
King Håkon Håkonsson's Saga tells us that King Magnus and Queen Ingeborg left their little son Olav with the nuns when they set out on a journey to Trondheim in 1262. Nonneseter Convent has also been mentioned in a number of letters and testaments.
The order of the Cistercians was founded by Robert of the Molosmes in 1098 in Citeaux in France. The order based its thinking on the basic principles of the Benedictine order, with work and prayer as the main elements of a pious life.
Around this time moral standards begun its decline in many European Benedictine convents. A monk dreamt one night that St Mary had asked God to save mankind from the apocalypse. In return she would send the people an order that would keep the promises of poverty, and live and work for God. This became the Cistercian's mission – to reform the Benedictine convent movement. After this, the order's churches were always dedicated in honour of the holy St Mary.
The order grew in size and influence, particularly when a monk called Bernhard was appointed abbot of a convent in Clairvaux. Bernhard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) is referred to as the second founder of the order of the Cistercians. His significance for the order was immence, and the order is still commonly known as the Bernhardine Order. He was said to be a very charismatic ecclesiastical leader. In his time the order of the Cistercians grew into a large movement. Around year 1150 there were 350 convents around Europe.
Nonneseter was a significant property holder. Probably the convent had farmland nearby for its own use. There is also reason to believe that the nuns started St Jørgen's Hospital for leprous. The site on which the hospital was built used to be grazing land belonging to Nonneseter. Also, churches and convents were the only institutions that cared for the sick at this time. "The hospital at Nonneseter" has been mentioned in a source from 1411. From 1438 the leprosy hospital was commonly referred to as "St Jørgen's Hospital"
In late medieval time, very little is mentioned about Nonneseter. The Plague in 1349-50 may have reduced the convent's incomes. In 1507 the Cistercian nuns left the convent. They were supposedly run off because of their loose and improper conduct. Had the holy virgin's delegates lost their moral integrity?
The order of St Anthony moved into the women's convent. St Anthony was a monk order founded in 1095 as a hospital order. The monk order had taken its name after the holy Antonius, who was born in Egypt around year 250.
In 1528, King Frederik I gave the convent to his officer in Norway, the nobleman Vincens Lunge. It was said that he offered this gift to his nobleman after the monks of St Anthony had conducted themselves just as poorly as the nuns who had been chased from Nonneseter some twenty years earlier.
It is not impossible that a spiritual and moral decay put its mark on Bergen's convents during the last decades prior to the Reformation. Still, let us not forget that such accusations very well may have originated from those who benefited from the dissolution of the convents. The vast estates belonging to the convents were much-coveted properties for upper-class people like Vincens Lunge.
Some remnants from Nonneseter can still be seen. Near Bergen Railway Station a Romanesque tower foot is now a memorial chapel over those who were killed during the Second World War. A Gothic side chapel is also found nearby.
Til alle som har en fot i fortidens Bergen - hva med Elisabeth Welhavens fornøyelige historier fra Bergen rundt 1800? Boken kan bestilles på Histos forlag!
Nonneseter kloster var et kloster for kvinner i Bergen i middelalderen. Det lå ved innfartsåren til byen, ved sundet mellom det som i dag heter Lille og Store Lungegårdsvann. Mens stedet i middelalderen lå åpent og fritt til, er det i dag et trafikk-knutepunkt, med bybane, jernbanestasjon og busstasjon som nærmeste naboer. Nonneseter var lagt ut i en klassisk klosterfirkant, med en enskipet klosterkirke i nord. Kun to bygningsdeler er bevart, nemlig tårnfoten i vest og søndre korkapell. Mens tårnfoten er godt synlig, ligger korkapellet mer skjult mellom andre bygninger i Kaigaten. Begge eies av Fortidsminneforeningen.
Read full article on Wikipedia


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More or Less covered this yesterday (you can listen on line, or get the podcast), as they did with the original bet. Tellingly, you can hear that David Whitehouse was not prepared to bet against a record over the next 4 years on the same basis. So even though he continues to bluster about a standstill in temperature, he obviously doesn't really really believe it. Here are the three data sets (offset for clarity), with the simple linear trend (dotted lines with associated decadal trend value) over the last 20 years. I estimated observational values for 2011, as they are not actually published yet. It is is quite clear that even with the supposed halt in warming, the trend continues to be positive, and the 1998 value (dashed line) will be regularly exceeded in a few years by all measures.
That said, there is little sign of the acceleration in warming that most models had predicted, and it increasingly seems that the Smith et al forecast (for example) was a bit excessive. This new paper also suggests that the transient response of a modern model (albeit a particularly sensitive one) has to be significantly downscaled to match observations. Mind you, that paper also has a worrying discrepancy between the results obtained with 1900-2000, versus 1850-2010 data. Normally one would expect the latter to be broadly a subset of the former - more data means closer convergence to the true value - but the two sets of results are virtually disjoint, which suggests something a bit strange may be going on in the analysis (cf Schmitter et al with the land-only versus land+ocean results). But just a glance at the first figure shows a striking divergence between model and data over the first decade of the 21st century (compared to the close agreement prior to then). Something isn't quite right there.


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where the reporters get to ask questions to TEPCO and the relevant government ministries and agencies that deal with the accident, all in one room. The joint press conference, which has at least helped keep some politicians and bureaucrats honest or hold them accountable, is not only over for the month of December but over for good.
Why? Because the accident is declared by the prime minister of Japan to have been over, and the members of the Press Club has had enough, according to Ryusaku Tanaka, an independent journalist who's been covering the Fukushima accident from the beginning.
From the blog of Ryusaku Tanaka (12/16/2011):
There was a remark from Minister Hosono which was more chilling than the declaration of cold shutdown. He said, "Today (December 16) is the last day of the government/TEPCO joint press conference."
The government and TEPCO were going to use the baseless "cold shutdown declaration" to mark the end of the accident, and discontinue the joint press conference to signal the end.
"To stop the joint press conference is to harm the right of the citizens to know. TEPCO is allowed to lie, is not held responsible. But the politicians, if they answer the questions from the reporters in an irresponsible way, they will damage their reputation and the success in the next election may be jeopedized. Is it possible for you to continue the joint press conference?" I asked.
Minister Hosono said something to the effect that "TEPCO has changed significantly (disclosing more information)". One common trait of many politicians is to defend TEPCO at all cost.
Minister Hosono cited the reason to discontinue the joint press conference as "people in the mass media have suggested to us that it may be time to discontinue". "Who are the people in the media? Newspapers? TV? Or are you talking about the Press Club?" Hosono replied, "I cannot say, because of the trust between the media and us." Talk about letting the cat out of the bag. The discontinuation of the joint press conference was proposed by the Press Club. There is no way that freelance journalists would suggest such a thing. Besides, you wouldn't call freelance journalists the mass media.
After I almost had a brain freeze on the announcement of the discontinuation of the joint press conference, an incident took place that got my blood boiling with anger. It was 1 hour 15 minutes into the press conference. Minister Hosono left the room in the middle of the conference. Then President Toshio Nishizawa [of TEPCO] immediately left the room.
"You [fill in the expletive of your choice, readers]". Anger swelled inside me. "Why is President Nishizawa is leaving?" I asked. The room was immediately filled with commotion, as freelance journalists started to press hard on the irresponsible Nishizawa. "Why is the highest ranking executive [of TEPCO] leaving before everyone?" President Nishizawa's action was the epitome of the attitude of TEPCO toward the nuclear accident.
It turned out Minister Hosono left the press conference in progress in order to appear on "NHK News 9". According to Takashi Uesugi, freelance journalist, to leave the press conference in order to appear on TV is "neglect of official duty" and is subject of censure.
An irresponsible government protects an irresponsible TEPCO, and newspapers and TV do not question TEPCO. The headline in the morning papers on December 17 will be "Cold Shutdown" in large fonts. Now, a good cause [cold shutdown] to "forcibly return" the residents has been given.
By the way, TEPCO wants to reduce the number of daily press conference to "one" (currently they are still holding two press conferences per day), and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency wants to stop giving a daily press conference and only have it twice a week, now that the accident is "over".
Cold shutdown of information flow on the way, as the government embarks on an ever grander "Extend and Pretend" that everything is OK - decontaminating, returning the residents, making them grow crops again next year to feed the rest of Japan (some Fukushima farmers have already turned the soil in preparation for the next year's rice crop) while the NISA looks the other way even if TEPCO lets the treated water with full of strontium and tritium into the ocean.
You see, the radiation is a "kuro-ko" (person in black) in a Kabuki Theater. A "kuro-ko", dressed in black (thus the name), is present on the stage, assisting the actors or manipulating some tools for theatrical effects. He is there for all the audience to see. But it is an unspoken rule that the audience is not supposed to see, and ignore whatever he does on stage.
The whole country will continue to play Kabuki, until it can't, if that ever comes to pass.


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Here is a look at the life of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former president of Iran.
Birth date: October 28, 1956
Birth place: Aradan, Iran
Birth name: Mahmoud Saborjhian
Father: Ahmad Saborjhian, a blacksmith. Ahmadinejad's father changed the family name from Saborjhian to Ahmadinejad after the family moved to Tehran.
Mother: Seiyed Khano
Marriage: Azam Farahi
Children: Two sons and a daughter
Education: Iran University of Science and Technology, Bachelor's and Master's in civil engineering, 1986 and Ph.D. in transportation engineering, 1987
Other Facts
He is a member of the Abadgaran party and considered to be ultra-conservative.
He is a loyal supporter of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Several of the 52 Americans held hostage during the 1979 Islamic Revolution claim Ahmadinejad was one of their captors. Former hostage takers in the incident deny he was involved.
1986 - Joins the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Late 1980s-Early 90s - Governor of Maku and Khoy in Iran.
1993 - Adviser to the Minister of Culture and Higher Education.
1993-1997 - Governor of Ardabil Province in northwestern Iran.
May 3, 2003-2005 - Appointed mayor of Tehran.
June 24, 2005 - Wins Iran's presidential election, defeating Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani. Ahmadinejad gets approximately 62% of the vote and immediately begins stating his desire to restart Iran's nuclear program.
August 3, 2005 - Sworn in as president.
October 26, 2005 - During a speech at the World Without Zionism conference in Tehran, he states that "Israel must be wiped off the map."
December 14, 2005 - Speaking to thousands of people in the Iranian city of Zahedan, Ahmadinejad states "Today, [Europeans] have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion, and the prophets."
April 11, 2006 - Announces that Iran has produced low-grade enriched uranium that can be used for nuclear power.
September 19, 2006 - One of two featured speakers on the opening day of the United Nations General Assembly. The other is US President George W. Bush. The two men do not meet.
September 24, 2007 - Speaks at Columbia University. Ahmadinejad denies having ever denied the Holocaust, saying he just introduced "two questions" about it. He is booed after saying, "we don't have homosexuals [in Iran] like in your country."
September 25, 2007 - Speaks to the UN General Assembly.
September 26, 2007 - Christiane Amanpour interviews Ahmadinejad. He unexpectedly gets up and leaves after only a few minutes.
March 2-3, 2008 - Becomes the first Iranian president to visit Iraq. He meets with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani, discussing topics such as oil production and development, border demarcations, and Israel's excessive use of force in Gaza.
June 13, 2009 - Is reelected president of Iran.
August 5, 2009 - Is sworn in as president.
October 13, 2010 - Arrives in Lebanon for his first state visit to meet with the president, the prime minister, and members of the militant group, Hezbollah, with whom Iran has a strong relationship.
April 17, 2011 - Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi is fired by Ahmadinejad; the action is vetoed by Khamenei.
May 2011 - Ahmadinejad accuses Western countries of using special equipment to cause a drought in Iran.
September 22, 2011 - Speaks at the UN General Assembly.
March 14, 2012 - Ahmadinejad is summoned before parliament to answer questions about domestic and foreign issues. It is the first time since the Iranian Revolution in 1979 that the parliament has summoned the country's president to answer questions.
September 24, 2012 - Gives a speech at the United Nations, during which the ambassador from Israel walks out.
February 5, 2013 - During a visit to Egypt, a group of men throw shoes at Ahmadinejad. This is an insult in the Muslim world.
June 14, 2013 - Hassan Rouhani wins the Iranian presidential election.
August 4, 2013 - Rouhani is sworn in and Ahmadinejad officially leaves office.
April 11, 2017 - State media reports that Ahmadinejad has registered to run in the country's presidential elections in May. This is unexpected, as Ahmadinejad was previously instructed not to run by Khamenei.
April 20, 2017 - The Guardian Council, a government forum that approves candidates, disqualifies Ahmadinejad from running in the upcoming presidential election. In 2021, he is again barred from running in the presidential election.
March 2, 2022 - Expresses his support for Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky following Russia's invasion.


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Cameron Russell (who works as an underwear model) gave an interesting TED talk about beauty [1].
Ben Goldacre gave an interesting and energetic TED talk about bad science in medicine [2]. A lot of the material is aimed at non-experts, so this is a good talk to forward to your less scientific friends.
Russ Allbery wrote an interesting post about work and success titled 'The "Why?" of Work' [4]. Russ makes lots of good points and I'm not going to summarise them (read the article, it's worth it). There is one point I disagree with, he says "You are probably not going to change the world". The fact is that I've observed Russ changing the world, he doesn't appear to have done anything that will get him an entry in a history book but he's done a lot of good work in Debian (a project that IS changing the world) and his insightful blog posts and comments on mailing lists influence many people. I believe that most people should think of changing the world as a group project where they are likely to be one of thousands or millions who are involved, then you can be part of changing the world every day.
James Morrison wrote an insightful blog post about what he calls "Penance driven development" [5]. The basic concept of doing something good to make up for something you did which has a bad result (even if the bad result was inadvertent) is probably something that most people do to some extent, but formalising it in the context of software development work is a cencept I haven't seen described before.
A 9yo boy named Caine created his own games arcade out of cardboard, when the filmmaker Nirvan Mullick saw it he created a short movie about it and promoted a flash mob event to play games at the arcade [6]. They also created the Imagination Foundation to encourage kids to create things from cardboard [7].
Tanguy Ortolo describes how to use the UDF filesystem instead of FAT for USB devices [8]. This allows you to create files larger than 2G while still allowing the device to be used on Windows systems. I'll keep using BTRFS for most of my USB sticks though.
Bruce Schneier gave an informative TED talk about security models [9]. Probably most people who read my blog already have a good knowledge of most of the topics he covers. I think that the best use of this video is to educate less technical people you know.
Blaine Harden gave an informative and disturbing TED talk about the concentration camps in North Korea [10]. At the end he points out the difficult task of helping people recover from their totalitarian government that will follow the fall of North Korea.
Bruce Schneier has an interesting blog post about the use of a motherboard BMC controller (IPMI and similar) to compromise a server [11]. Also some "business class" desktop systems and laptops have similar functionality.
Russ Allbery wrote an insightful article about the failures of consensus decision-making [12]. He compares the Wikipedia and Debian methods so his article is also informative for people who are interested in learning about those projects.
The TED blog has a useful reference article with 10 places anyone can learn to code [13].
Nick Selby wrote an interesting article criticising the Symantic response to the NYT getting hacked and also criticises anti-viru software in general [15]. He raises the point that most of us already know, anti-virus software doesn't do much good. Securing Windows networks is a losing game.
Joshua Brindle wrote an interesting blog post about security on mobile phones and the attempts to use hypervisors for separating data of different levels [16]. He gives lots of useful background information about how to design and implement phone based systems.
- [1] http://tinyurl.com/be6eel3
- [2] http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_battling_bad_science.html
- [3] http://levlafayette.com/node/383
- [4] http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/journal/2013-01/021.html
- [5] http://www.sorced.com/2012/03/penance-driven-development.html
- [6] http://cainesarcade.com/
- [7] http://www.imagination.is/
- [8] http://tanguy.ortolo.eu/blog/article93/usb-udf
- [9] http://www.ted.com/talks/bruce_schneier.html
- [10] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SAWKDRHZuw
- [11] http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/01/the_eavesdroppi.html
- [12] http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/journal/2013-01/026.html
- [13] http://blog.ted.com/2013/01/29/10-places-where-anyone-can-learn-to-code/
- [14] http://tinyurl.com/q2vl2fv
- [15] http://tinyurl.com/awtv7ka
- [16] http://securityblog.org/2013/02/11/security-anti-pattern-mobile-hypervisors/


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Home > Unused > earthday
Beauty and aesthetics can serve as a playground to cultivate mindful awareness, as artist and poet-turned-monk Phra Amnart Ophaso discovered
Bangkok, Thailand -- With one stroke of black paint, Phra Amnart Ophaso drew a picture of an oval drop of water on a piece of paper. And he began to ask questions.
"Do you feel that there are two separate things here? Something that is a water drop and the space around the water drop?
"Look deeply. Do you see the difference between the space inside and outside the line that makes up a picture of a water drop? What if I erase the line? What would remain?
"What creates the feeling of division, that there is matter inside and outside?"
With just a simple illustration and some inquiries, artist and poet-turned-monk Phra Amnart Ophaso illuminated profound Buddhist teachings for his audience.
"It is the seed of avijja [ignorance] that blinds us from seeing the truth. Forms may make us look different, but in essence, everything shares the same quality. We see it as a different picture because we are stuck with the frames and forms that seemingly divide things," Phra Amnart said, explaining some of the ideas behind the Law of Dependent Origination (paticcasamuppada) and anatta (non-self).
<< "Art can be agood playground for mindful awareness meditation practice in a sense that art, with its beauty and aeshetics, can stimulate or provoke our attention and sense so sharply that we can be aware of it." — PHRA AMNART OPHASO
"Art is a medium of and towards the truth. Meditative art questions life, and sets a dialogue between artist, pictures and viewers," he said.
For an artist and devout Buddhist to be able to merge artistic passion and monastic vision is truly fulfilling. Two years ago, when Amnart Klanprachar decided to enter the monkhood to dedicate the rest of his life to teaching and giving dharma instruction, he felt a bit despondent as he thought he would have to leave behind his artistic skill. "I felt like I was losing my arms and legs," he recalled.
But an accident changed this perspective.
One day, ink fell on a piece of blank paper. The black splash of colour invoked the spirit of the veteran artist. Phra Amnart continued the picture with another stroke. Two to three minutes later, another picture emerged, until finally this accidental drop of ink inspired him to create a series of 84 abstract paintings called "The Enigma of Pahsornkaew", the name of the temple where he now resides in Phetchabun province.
"Art can be a good playground for mindful awareness meditation practice in a sense that art, with its beauty and aesthetics, can stimulate or provoke our attention and senses so sharply that we can be aware of it," he said.
"The Buddha does not teach us to refrain from feeling, but to be aware of it and observe what it actually is," he explained.
In fact, mindful awareness practice enhances the clarity and depth of his paintings, he added.
"Not the beauty of a picture, but a brush stroke that reflects the inner quality of an artist. Creating art with a carefree mind that is void of ego-driven expectation or desire, the picture becomes light, sharp, modest and gentle. You can feel it," he said.
Just one good gaze and a picture can move the feelings and communicate noble dharma.
Some people, Phra Amnart said, can become meditative while looking at a picture. "Spiritual art does not mean the religious content that the art depicts, but the process in which the art can get people to meditate and to be awake to the truth within themselves."
Also, spiritual art offers the spiritual effects of creating art. To portray anicca (impermanence) and anatta, Phra Amnart does not use solid mass-colours. Rather, he prefers to make colour dust to portray the state of anatta.
These techniques create a translucent, light, floating, transforming effect. In the details, one can see a picture of a mountain, for example, that is composed of dots and lines of colour particles. And in many of his paintings, one will see that forms, lines and colours are moving, transforming, as there are no concrete demarcations of space. Everything can be dynamic and emerging.
"Artists who aim to create art of beauty and truth should meditate to have some experience of dharma," said Phra Amnart.
"In whatever we do, we need concentration, a meditative state of mind. In creating art, too, artists and musicians will have some quality of meditation while doing it. But such meditation is focused outside. Here, I reverse meditation to look within to see how the mind reacts with each given moment while working," he said.
After finishing work, he usually "tastes" his work before passing it on to viewers. "Art can serve a noble path. So I need to check if the work can enhance the viewers' sense of tranquillity, meditation, perhaps illuminate them with some profound dharma lessons."Creating such art, Phra Amnart said, requires an understanding of Buddhist philosophy through reading and practice and ultimately living a life of dharma. Which, in the case of 51-year-old Phra Amnart, is what he does most of the time.
Since he was young, Phra Amnart knew his heart lay in both the arts and Buddhism. He did not apply for art school. In fact, he was a school dropout. Having a gambler for a father, Amnart, the second son in a family of five children, helped his mother mind the orchards and run errands from the age of 10. He did many jobs: a writer for magazines, editor for a newspaper, work on a film crew, an accountant in a textile factory.
"For me, art is personal, an expression of experience, thoughts and emotions. It's an innate talent that I can do whenever I want. Besides, the best way to learn is to do it - practice," he said. His fingers were brushes and the air his canvas. "I can practise drawing anytime, anywhere," he smiled, waving his fingers in the air to make a portrait drawing.
Young Amnart learned how to meditate when he was six years old. He read books, practiced meditation and went to religious retreats in the wildest of places - the cemetery, a cave, a cliff, the forest.
"I like challenges, putting myself in unknown and uncomfortable situations. In such states, the mind becomes alert and aware, which is good for practice," he said.
"You can't learn Buddhism from reading alone. One needs to experiment and experience what is the truth and what is the middle path."
As a devout Buddhist layman, his artistic skills were used to serve dharma. "I didn't do art for a living or for fame, recognition or competition. I did art for Buddhism, spirituality and for my goal in life, which was to be awakened and help people," he said.
To exchange the truth of non-self (anatta) with self (atta) was not just worth it, he said.
When he was asked to draw mural paintings at temples, he bartered his artistic fee and time for meals and a place to sleep. With no money, sometimes, he said he had to walk some 30 kilometres from his home to the temple.
Another time, he was commissioned to create a series of 12 paintings explaining the philosophical Law of Dependent Origination. There was no fee but free accommodation and food at a nice resort for the year that he worked. The series are highly acclaimed as the artist digests profound Buddhist tenets into forms that many find easy to understand.
The last major work before he retreated to the monkhood was 78 paintings for the Tarot deck, "Roots of Asia". The paintings in the fortune-telling deck are aimed to integrate dharma with people's belief in fate.
Galleries, exhibitions and viewers are no longer part of his landscape. Today, his canvas is the vast, lush mountain range of Phetchabun province. The landscape of the 65-rai Wat Pahsornkaew provides a plethora of natural impressions. Blooming flowers. Morning dew. Misty fields. Fragile cobwebs. Fat bunches of bananas.
Everything in the natural world is his art and teacher.
"I read poetry and view works of art every day. It's ubiquitous in nature," he said.
One morning, during an alms-round, the rain began to drizzle down. He recalled: "I looked up and saw drops of rain spiralling down from the sky. When each drop fell into a water pond, it created small ripples. It became one with all water.
"Bananas can be ordinary, a kind of fruit in our backyard. But if you observe it closely, you will see the miracles of this bit of nature. When you eat with awareness, it is like you are eating nature's miracle. Bananas won't be just bananas any more."
The same is true of art and so many of life's activities.
"Just be aware of everything you do. That awareness will unveil the truth to you."
Guidelines to mindful awareness
Artist-turned-monk Phra Amnart Ophaso suggests some practical ways to use art to cultivate mindful awareness. These guidelines can be applied to children as well.
While appreciating art
Be aware of the feeling and thoughts that are present. What is happening in your mind? What feeling is present? What thought is present? Like, dislike, pleased or confused, and so on. Accept the feelings as they are.
Just acknowledge like/dislike as a feeling, and don't identify it with "I" . There is a feeling of like, this is how like expresses itself, it is light, glowing, and when dislike appears in the mind, there may be a sense of struggle or closeness within. Observe how these feelings remain and disappear or transform.
We can meditate with art or bits of nature that exude an aesthetical element for our eyes, such as the setting sun, fluffy clouds, swaying leaves.
While creating a piece of art before working
If you have an object that you want to draw or paint, spend time observing it completely. Appreciate it, without judgement or intervention of thought. Observe it long enough that you feel (if possible) that there is no division between subject and object. Or observe it long enough that when you close your eyes, the image can clearly spring up in your mind.
If you intend to draw or paint abstract topics, then contemplate the issues for a while until the concept is crystallised.
Start working
Clear and relax your mind. Leave out expectations for success or beauty, competition of any kind.
Do not think as you spend some time to crystalise ideas. Draw with your heart. Allow the image to emerge in the mind and work on it each present moment. You may have an idea when you start, but you should allow for fresh and spontaneous expression. In short, do not cling to the old ideas too hard.
Be aware of the movements of your hands
Be aware of what is happening in your mind and hands while you are creating the work. What feeling is present? What thought is present?
If you cannot be aware with the present moment, the finished art work can help you contemplate.
Art for children
To inspire children to do art work is a good way to help develop their meditation and awareness skills. One may tell them to draw or paint a picture for someone they love.
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The Internet is a scary place, and anyone who's browsed 4chan can attest to that. But this creepy technological web can connect strangers and answer questions, often with unexpected results. The latest example: Jenna Jameson exchanged an unverified story and super sad, semi-nude pics for information about her former agent who Jameson said turned out to be a con man and is sabotaging her online presence. She was given the man's phone number, address, social security number, credit score an more private information within the hour. Cool?
David Lynch fans will likely recall the last episode of Twin Peaks, where Laura Palmer tells Agent Cooper she'll see him in 25 years. Peaks took place in 1989, which means she was referring to this year — 2014. Hence, Lynch is filming new episodes of the cult series, as evidenced by a Twin Peaks casting call.
It's always exciting to see Cincinnati on the big screen — not just a mention, but actual shots of the city. It's certainly not the most exotic locale, and many scenes of a Cincinnati-based movie could probably be replicated in a Hollywood studio. So movies that do make the trip Midwest tend to be very special to locals. Rain Man, Traffic and The Ides of March all brought a spotlight and stars to the Queen City. Next up: Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara make their way to Cincinnati this spring to film Carol. Based on the Patricia Highsmith book also known as The Price of Salt, the movie will be set in 1950s New York City, but shot exclusively in Cincinnati. Blanchett and Mara in vintage garb, traipsing around town? Celeb-stalking will be in full force, #ClooneyWatch style. Read more here.
In case you missed it, Shia LaBoeuf has lost his damn mind. Exhibit A. Exhibit B. Exhibit C. But, due to my undying love of Louis Stevens, I still anticipate seeing his wiener (again) in Nymphomaniac.
We're a week into 2014 but, judging by the proliferation of "best of" articles and continued obligatory year-end reflection posts on Facebook, it appears most people are still in #RIP2013 mode — so we're going to follow suit. Now that our marathon New Year's hangover has passed (and since awards season doesn't kick off until this week's People's Choice Awards and Golden Globes), let's look back at some of the highlights — and low points — of 2013.
The most photographed location on Instagram was a Bangkok mall; the most "popular" is this shot of Will Smith and the Biebs, with more than 1.5 million likes.
A sacrifice to the Xenu gods? No such luck.
Moving on to Twitter, the most re-tweeted post was a somber one — Lea Michele of Glee's photo of herself with boyfriend Cory Monteith, who died of a drug and alcohol overdose in July.
A close second was the announcement of actor Paul Walker's death in November. :(:(:(
OK, enough with the sads! The most illegally downloaded artist of the year was Bruno Mars. Not sure whether that means he's even more popular than his record sales show, or if people are just really ashamed to buy a Burno Mars album. Either way, the guy who penned, the exquisite phrase, "You and me baby making love like gorillas," will be performing at halftime during next month's Super Bowl. Good luck topping last year's!
During awards shows and in end-of-the-year roundups, we often take a moment to remember people that have passed away. Since just looking at that Cory Monteith photo makes me want to sob and hide in a room full of Pug puppies and body pillows, actual real humans are out of the question. So, as a variation of this trend, let's look back on some of the important TV characters we lost this year. SPOILERS.
In Memoriam
Game of Thrones
After the main protagonist of Game of Thrones, Ned Stark, was shockingly beheaded in the first season, audiences quickly learned any character on the series could find themself chopping block at any time. But who (besides, of course, those who've read A Storm of Swords) would expect Ned's widow and oldest son to join him so quickly — and in such a terrifying fashion? The episode "The Rains of Castamere" brought the merciless death of Catelyn and Robb Stark plus Robb's wife, Talisa, their unborn baby and direwolf Grey Wind, in addition to at least a dozen others at the "Red Wedding" alone. Earlier in the season, Ros — one of my favorite "working ladies" on television — fell victim to the insufferable Joffrey. While she played a much smaller role than the Starks, her death was heartbreaking and shocking. You'll all be missed!
Boardwalk Empire
A Prohibition gangster drama is bound to rack up a serious body count. For some of the historically-based characters, like Al Capone, viewers have a pretty good idea about how long they will last. The fictional characters, however, can meet their maker at any point. While I'm still not over Jimmy and Angela's demise, Boardwalk fully crushed my heart by having Richard Harrow go out in a completely un-badass style. Harrow was more than just a talented sniper with half a prosthetic face. He was a hero in the show. He killed — a lot — but usually only the true bad guys, and often to protect others. He was sensitive and strong, but slipped in his final scenes, accidentally killing Chalky's daughter instead of his target, Narcisse. As soon as he missed the shot, I knew he was done for — Harrow, by definition, always hits his mark! Sure enough, after a dream sequence in which Harrow reunited with his family, we were jolted back to reality to find the wounded war vet dying peacefully under the boardwalk. The show will go on, but won't have the same heart without him.
Oh, Debra. I never much cared for Dexter's little sis — the phony fowl mouth act just rubbed me the wrong way. But she definitely played an important role in the series, especially once she found out about her brother's "dark passenger." Dexter seriously declined after its fourth season, and this final one was a doozy. But it still didn't prepare us for Deb's death. After surviving a shot to the stomach, Deb appears to be recovering at a hospital. While Dexter was busy chasing down his sister's shooter, Deb's health turned for the worse, leaving her brain-dead. As a hurricane hits Miami, sending the hospital staff into a frenzy, Dex is able to pull the plug on his sister — sure she would not want to continue on in a vegetative state at a hospital for the rest of her days — and takes her body on his boat, to be whipped into the stormy sea. It seems like Deb and Dex died together in the water, until we meet up with a bearded, lumberjack Dexter in some mysterious woodsy locale, living in solitude. The fuh?
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead killed off a number of significant characters between the end of Season Three and first half of Season Four this year. Andrea, who once shared a bed with the Governor, ended up dead because of him. The Gov. hunted and captured Andrea after she attempted to run away to her group at the prison. Trapped in a torture chamber with the ticking time-zomb™ that was Milton, Andrea was unable to protect herself from a deadly bite. Michonne made it to her BFF Andrea's side, only in time to put her down before she turned. And, after making an anticipated return to the show, Merle also fell victim to the Governor. His brother, Daryl, was tasked with killing zombie-Merle in a super-sad scene.
The Governor's path of terror finally came to an end at the prison, but not before he was able to take out Hershel (the closest thing the group had to a doctor, not to mention Maggie and Beth's father and the sweetest one-legged man to make it in the apocalypse). The villain was finally taken down in a big shoot-out between his group and Rick's, which left all the survivors in disarray. Also, baby Judith is MIA, probably in a zombie's belly. :(
Breaking Bad
I made up my mind early on that Walter White needed to die at the end of Breaking Bad in order for the story to retain its authenticity. Walt got into the meth business in order to pay for his medical costs and provide ample support for his family if and when he succumbed to cancer. We all know he stuck with the game for so long because, as he finally admitted in the finale, he liked it. He was good at it. "I did it for me," he tells Skyler in their final scene. Most fans probably expected Walt to die, and he did so in a truly epic fashion, while protecting Jesse. His brother-in-law Hank also went out like a champ, after a brutal desert showdown. The saddest death of all was the end of the show itself, but Breaking Bad will surely stand the test of time as one of the greatest American dramas.
Talk about a surprise ending! After breaking free from countless near-death experiences, Nicholas Brody was captured and killed. Viewers got a taste of a Brody-less Homeland this season, as the character was on the lam and not present in much of this season. But the show was so much better with Brody in it — somehow, he balanced Carrie's cray, despite the fact that he was a damaged man who flipped every chance he got. This death gives the show an opportunity to take a completely new route. Hopefully we'll still check in on his family (am I the only one who still cares about them?) but we're definitely going to have a little bit of Brody in the form of his child with Carrie. How a fetus could survive the stress, cigs and booze she put it through proves that this is definitely a Marine baby.


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This blog post explains how to try the GDM login screen and make screen shots in any, user-specified screen resolution. This can be useful when designing GDM themes. The instructions were tried on Ubuntu Hardy (8.04), but they should work on Ubuntu Intrepid (8.10) and Ubuntu Jaunty (9.04). They won't work on Ubuntu Karmic or Ubuntu Lucid, because they contain GDM 2, which doesn't have the --xnest
feature implemented (** (gdmflexiserver:18758): WARNING **: Not yet implemented
Installation instructions:
- (When asked to run a command, run it in a terminal window.)
- Make sure GDM is your display manager. Since GDM is the default, chances are that it is. To make sure, run sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm, and select GDM if it asks you.
- Log in using GDM if you haven't already done so. To do that, run sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart . (You will lose your X11 session doing so.)
- Install Xephyr, a modern nested (embedded) X server, similar to Xnest: sudo apt-get install xserver-xephyr
- Install ImageMagick for making screen shots in various image file formats: sudo apt-get install imagemagick
- Try Xephyr: Xephyr :9 -screen 800x600 -extension RANDR . A new window should appear with the usual a black-and-white diagonal background and a diagonal cross-shaped cursor. Abort Xephyr in the terminal window. Try with different -screen sizes.
- Find your GDM Xnest command line by running grep ^Xnest= /etc/gdm/gdm.conf . You should see something like Xnest=/usr/share/gdm/gdmXnestWrapper -br -audit 0.
- Create a new xnest wrapper script:
echo '#!/bin/sh GEOMETRY="`cat /tmp/new-xnest-geometry`" GEOMETRY="${GEOMETRY:-800x600}" exec Xephyr "$@" -screen "$GEOMETRY" -extension RANDR' | sudo tee /usr/local/sbin/gdm-xnest && chmod 755 /usr/local/sbin/gdm-xnest
- Create the screenshot helper script:
echo '#! /bin/bash -- # by email@example.com at Sat Feb 20 11:09:20 CET 2010 GOT=($(ps x | perl -ne '\''if (/[ ]Xephyr :/) { $c++; print"$1 $2\n" if (/[ ]Xephyr :(\d+)(?= ).* -auth (\S+)/)} END{die"Xephyr not found\n"if!$c;die"multiple Xephyrs found\n"if$c>1}'\'')) test "$?" = 0 || exit "$?" if test ${#GOT} != 2; then echo "Xephyr detection failed" >&2 exit 90 fi export DISPLAY=":${GOT[0]}" XAUTHORITY="${GOT[1]}" exec import -window root "$@"' | sudo tee -a /usr/local/bin/xephyr-import && sudo chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/xephyr-import
- Change the Xrandr= setting in /etc/gdm/gdm.conf to use the new wrapper script: sudo perl -pi -0777 -e 's@^Xnest=.*@Xnest=/usr/local/sbin/gdm-xnest -br -audit 0@gm' /etc/gdm/gdm.conf
- Make sure the Xrandr= setting is changed: check that running grep ^Xnest= /etc/gdm/gdm.conf displays Xnest=/usr/local/sbin/gdm-xnest -br -audit 0
- Save your work in your X11 session, and restart GDM: sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart . (You will lose your X11 session doing so.)
- If not already logged in, login in at the GDM login screen.
- Run gdmflexiserver --xnest to get the GDM login dialog inside a window of your regular session. You can specify the window size using e.g. echo 1024x768 >/tmp/new-xnest-geometry && gdmflexiserver --xnest
- To make a JPEG screen shot, run xephyr-import -quality 75 screenshot.jpg while the Xephyr window with the GDM login screen is still open.
- To make a PNG screen shot, run xephyr-import screenshot.png .


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It wasn't a deliberate decision, but for the past two years I've been on Santa sabbatical.
It's felt a little weird, especially this year; kind of like the feeling an active church-goer gets when they've missed worship for a few Sundays. It's like the rest of the week feels a little off when you've missed church.
Stress has been a factor, along with my wife's health struggles, and a recent transition from care center chaplaincy to serving a new church in a new town. I did some of my best "Santa-ing" at the care center, but also felt the biggest push-back I've ever experienced, from people whose strongly-held religious beliefs had convinced them that Santa was an inappropriate person to appear there (and that a pastor-type person had no business portraying him).
There's a lot more tolerance at my new setting, and health concerns aren't nearly as big as they've been.
So let's raise a toast to the New Year, 2019, with the hope that it's going to be a great year for all us Jolly Old Elves, Mrs. Clauses, elves and reindeer!
Peace! Health! Love!
Santa Dan
- 6
- 5


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News and communications
The latest news and communications from Wiltshire Council.
There are 34 results
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Published 25 November 2020
Spotlight on young people for "16 Days of Action" in Wiltshire and Swindon
What makes a healthy or unhealthy relationship between young people will be the focus of this year's 16 Days of Action in Wiltshire and Swindon.
Published 24 November 2020
Silverwood School - new name chosen for special school as plans progress for the future
After weeks of consultation the votes are now in and the North Wiltshire School has a new name.
Published 18 November 2020
Competition Time!
Wiltshire Council is launching a competition to encourage young people to share their creative flair during lockdown.
Published 16 November 2020
Residents invited to shape Salisbury River Park proposals
The joint project aims to reduce the risk of flooding
Published 16 November 2020
Anti-Bullying Week 2020: United Against Bullying
A new online directory and a new forum for talking about mental health are some of the events happening this week as Wiltshire Council joins partners to mark Anti-Bullying Week.
Published 16 November 2020
Drive to encourage more people to consider fostering teenagers
Teenagers and those who have been in care are sharing experiences of how a foster family can change a life.
Published 13 November 2020
New Local Restrictions Support Grant scheme opens for applications
Apply now
Published 13 November 2020
Wiltshire Council welcomes eggs-cellent donation for vulnerable residents
A very generous donation of eggs was made from Stonegate Farmers Ltd of Lacock, for vulnerable residents during half-term.
Published 10 November 2020
Don't miss out on free childcare for two-year-olds
Wiltshire Council is encouraging parents with a child who will be two years old on or before the 31 December 2020 to apply for 15 hours free childcare.
Published 6 November 2020
Wiltshire Council pays tribute ahead of Remembrance Sunday
Wiltshire Council pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice


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WASHINGTON - The first thing the White House wants you to know about assessments of a president's first hundred days is that those assessments don't matter.
"It's the journalistic equivalent of a Hallmark holiday," a senior administration official said. "They don't mean anything but you have to observe them."
Yet advisers are only too happy to tick off a flurry of accomplishments on the economy in the administration's first hundred days — a mix of old-fashioned palliative measures, such as increased jobless and health insurance benefits for struggling Americans, to a series of sophisticated correctives for the faltering financial system.
Among the most significant steps in the first hundred days:
- passage of a $787 billion recovery plan;
- the release of the second tranche of TARP funding — an additional $350 billion — for troubled banks;
- a public-private partnership to rid banks of toxic assets on their balance sheets;
- so-called "stress tests" on major financial institutions;
- a $275 billion housing program estimated to rescue as many as 9 million homeowners from foreclosure;
- a proposal for major overhaul of the financial regulatory system.
The president also has called for limits on executive pay; ordered the firing of General Motors chief Rick Wagoner as part of the restructuring of the auto industry; and taken credit card executives to task for raising interest rates and fees in the midst of a recession.
Aides say the president's first hundred days have been as productive as any since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
High Stakes
The financial crisis is the defining challenge of Barack Obama's presidency and he knows it.
In an early signal of the issue's importance, the president instituted the "economic daily briefing" — a meeting with top economic advisers in the Oval Office modeled after the daily national security briefings he receives.
Famous for his even temperament, the president's mood has darkened, aides say, in only a few instances since taking office: in his dealings with military families who've lost loved ones, and when reading some of the personal letters from Americans telling stories of their own economic turmoil.
Nor has the president shied away from articulating his own political stakes.
"I'm not going to make any excuses," he told a town hall audience in Fort Myers, Florida on Feb. 10. "If stuff hasn't worked and people don't feel like I've led the country in the right direction, then you'll have a new president."
Hitting the Right Note
Early on, the president struggled to find the proper tone in discussing the economy. Faced with a financial system in freefall, and the task of convincing Congress his massive recovery plan was necessary, in the first weeks the president spoke in grim terms, at one point going so far as to suggest the financial crisis could be irreversible if his stimulus plan weren't enacted.
That led to concerns Obama's foreboding tone was exacerbating the confidence crisis on Wall Street and among consumers — a criticism crystallized by former President Bill Clinton in a February television interview.
"I like the fact that he didn't come in and give us a bunch of happy talk. I'm glad he shot straight with us," Clinton said. "I just would like him to end by saying that he is hopeful and completely convinced we're gonna come through this."
At the same time, the president had to manage the fury many Americans feel over bailouts of Wall Street, while recognizing he may well need to ask Congress for additional funding to shore up banks in the future.
Public anger reached a boil last month when news broke that the insurance company AIG paid $165 million in bonuses to the very financial division executives blamed for running the company into the ground. "I don't want to quell anger; I think people have a right to be angry," Obama said on March 19.
At an Oval Office meeting with CEOs of the nation's top financial institutions, the president told top executives his administration was the only thing standing between them and "the pitchforks" of an angry public.
In recent weeks, the president has been striking a more hopeful, if cautious, tone on the economy, while advisers point to "green shoots" of progress: a surge in home refinancings, some loosening of credit, signs of resurgence in the retail sector.
"There is no doubt that times are still tough. By no means are we out of the woods just yet," the president said in mid-April in an economic address at Georgetown University.
"But from where we stand, for the very first time, we're beginning to see glimmers of hope. And beyond that, way off in the distance, we can see a vision of an America's future that is far different than our troubled economic past."
The Next Hundred Days
The next 100 days may be even more significant than the first.
The president's signature middle class tax cuts are just now getting into the system; the next few months will reveal whether they've worked to stimulate demand. Billions in recovery act funds should start to flow into the economy. And in the coming months, the Treasury Department is likely to hold the first auctions to purchase banks' bad assets. The success — or failure — of that effort will be crucial and telling.
"The moment of truth is at hand," said Mark Zandi, an economist with Moody's, who has advised the Obama administration.
"We should see some benefit [from the administration's policies] in next 100 days. If we don't, policymakers have to think about plan B — quickly."


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Whether you're Single, Married or Divorced… Grab your Best Friend, your Partner or the Girls for a raucous and hilarious time out!
Still reeling from her divorce, Linda is rescued by her three friends who have come to turn her despair into a weekend of hilarity. Linda has to pack up her house and memories while finding the courage to start over again when all she wants to do is bury herself in Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream. With the help of a delivery pizza boy, a groping massage therapist, a fabulous make-over guru, among others, they sing and dance their way through the wildest divorce party ever. Nothing is sacred as the girls cut loose on the realities of divorce, long term relationships and moving on. All of this is coupled with a good dose of comic mayhem, and a touch of "naughty."


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You've got to…
- Make the best first impression—smile, welcome and connect with customers authentically.
- Love the brand and ensure that passion is evident in everything you do.
- Do what it takes to create seamless, amazing experiences customers can't stop talking about.
- Bring your best to everything you do and achieve your goals.
- Always be flexible, up for anything and ready to have fun along the way.
- Look under rocks, be curious, ask questions and think boldly.
- Have a great fashion aesthetic and be plugged in to what's happening in the industry and community.
- Make the most of every moment and be energized by multi-tasking.
- Be technologically savvy, while also knowing that devices don't dominate the dialogue.
- Build productive relationships with everyone on the team and always respect each other.
We'll want you to…
- Ace training, use product knowledge tools, participate in fit sessions and put those experiences to use.
- Drive sales by exceeding selling and service expectations.
- Introduce customers to Loyalty and open at least one J.Crew Card per shift.
- Learn our systems and gadgets and use them effectively.
- Assist in processing and replenishing—our customers should always see us at our best.
- Share feedback, insights and ideas with the management team.
- Act in a manner that aligns with our values.
Oh, and by the way, you…
- Are at least 18 years old.
- Communicate effectively and write with a bit of flair.
- Are available when we are busy, including: nights, weekends and holidays.
- Can bend, reach, stretch as well as lift, carry and move at least 40 pounds | 18 kilos.
- Can regularly move around all store areas and be accessible to customers.
Before we wrap, a word about a few of our way cool perks…
Amazing discounts on clothes and accessories (even new arrivals), flexible days and hours and 401(k)*.
We are committed to affirmatively providing equal opportunity to all associates and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, legally protected physical or mental disability or any other basis protected under applicable law.
- 401(k) eligibility rules apply