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Last week, the little dude asked me to "download" a volcano Lego set. As you can imagine, the mom in me was confused. Was he asking me to search YouTube Kids for a video of this Lego set? Or was he asking me to "stream" it from the T.V.? With a little more conversation, we were able to clear the confusion. The little dude was asking me to "download" this epic Lego set from you know where? Amazon. The term "download" has taken on a whole new meaning in my dictionary! After some further thought, the hubby and I discovered a teaching moment for our little dude, called, "Earning" (this will be a future blog post). So for now, we'll just say that life takes hard work, and hard work pays off in rewards. Like the ole' saying goes: Work hard. Play hard.
Now back to the term, "download". When a five-year old uses the term "download", he means "purchase" from Amazon. We've hit an evolution, the Technological Evolution.
This got me thinking; we've all reaped the benefits of the technological evolution, Human Resources, especially. Let's take a closer look at three transformations that have expanded the world of human resources:
The Cloud – a little known game changer!
What is the cloud? Specifically, cloud computing? PC Magazine breaks it down in the simplest terms: "cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drive. The cloud is just a metaphor for the Internet. It goes back to the days of flowcharts and presentations that would represent the gigantic server-farm infrastructure of the Internet as nothing but a puffy, white cumulus cloud, accepting connections and doling out information as it floats".
How has the cloud changed human resources? Well, when it comes to workforce management, tools such as human resource management systems (HRMS) have helped professionals like me become more efficient, so that I can focus on matters that require my undivided attention. I've implemented HR technology in the organization I support, and for those who haven't, are in for a wild ride! I learned so much from these implementations. One thing is for sure, there's definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach. It's amazing how with HR technology, accessing information we need has become so easy. More importantly, it's allowed us to get out and do what we do best, meet with our employees!
Employee Training – a new way of learning has arrived.
Training is no longer limited to work hours. In fact, it wasn't long ago where classroom training was the primary method for educating employees and professionals, who use continuing education to keep abreast of trends in their field of expertise. Today, podcasts, online learning, e-learning, learning management systems (LMS), etc. have become the new way in training and developing employees.
If you are looking to obtain a certification in your respective field, there is more than one way to gain the knowledge to accomplish such prestigious goal. The opportunities to learn are becoming endless. One way of learning that has become widely popular for professionals like me is on-demand training. With mobile devices and apps, employees and professionals can access educational materials anywhere, at anytime. On-demand training allows employees and professionals to learn new skills, or even keep old ones in tip-top shape. It's really made learning and development a continuous process, and for the working professional, this new learning is an almost saving grace!
Now I'm not saying the instructor-led employee training program has gone away, or is going for that matter. In my opinion, there will always be an instructor-led role within the training environment. It's just that technology has allowed learning and development to evolve, and that is a benefit we can all get behind!
Social Media – the people connector!
Gone are the days of finding a job through a newspaper ad. There is a new tool in town, one that is more powerful than ever. Social media has changed how people look for jobs and employers recruit for their positions. Platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter are being used as recruiting tools. For the job seeker and the perspective employer, both can get to know one another before actually meeting for a face-to-face interview. The job seeker can learn about the organization's culture, while a perspective employer can view an online resume of their perspective employee!
Social media has expanded the world of human resource departments in how they engage with employees. It has become a primary source for organizations at reaching their engagement goals. Organizations and professionals alike are able to reach an enormous audience through pictures, blog posts, and little tweets of information. Social media has become a phenomenal professional development tool for human resource professionals like me. It's one tool that keeps us informed of changes and trends in the world of human resources. LinkedIn and Twitter have fostered and nurtured professional relationships, while giving us the ability to collaborate and share industry knowledge.
And finally, when it comes to personal branding, social media has become the marketing tool of the century! A connection of mine on LinkedIn, Page Kemna, was recently featured on The Muse. Her story proves how powerful social media can be, and how taking risks can pay off. Here is Page's video:
As I mentioned above, the term "download" has a whole new meaning, and the conversation with our little dude had me thinking of all the wonderful ways technology has advanced us all. Everyday, I learn something new form our little guy. It's another little "chelle" for my "pocketful of chelles".
Reference: What is Cloud Computing. https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372163,00.asp.


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Home remedies for nail discoloration
There are several different factors that cause the nail to change its natural color or get discolored. They can range from the frequent and improper use of brightly colored nail polish to smoking, frequent use of tanning beds or even health issues.
Proper cuticle care
For generations a woman's hands have been considered a reflection of her social and self-image. In order for the hands to be beautiful, first they have to be healthy and their health should be maintained through proper care. And when talking of proper hand care, special attention should be given to ...
The latest tendencies for sharp manicure
The latest tendency in manicure seems to be dictated by Rihanna and the scandalous Lady GaGa who are bending fashion to a new eccentric degree. According to their stylists, the nail can be very sharp or a little blunted, but the top angle should definitely be less than 60 degrees.
How to decorate your nails yourself
Preparation: If you have old nail polish on your nails – remove it. Rub the cuticles with softening lotion and gently push them back. Apply nail strengthener. Don't forget to seal the nail at the tip with the application of each layer of nail polish. Do this by tracing your nail polish brush over ...
How to use the nail file
Here you will find some basic rules on filing your nails.
When and why do nails break?
There can be several reasons behind breaking of the nails. One of them can be found in the effects of chemicals, contained in detergents or other house cleaning products, including dish washing liquid. Another reason is that they spend too much time in water, as when doing the dishes. A simple solution ...
How to heal brittle nails and decorate them
One of the best natural remedies for brittle nails is lemon juice. It is a great strengthener and can be applied before the base layer of polish when you're doing your manicure.

subset: commoncrawl


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I just want to inform you all that I have now had the all clear from the Infectious Disease Clinic, so I'm free of the Tropical infection that I picked up in March.
I can now move forward and focus on getting back to where I was at the start of the year before this happened. I'm catching up with all my Team next week so I can now put a plan together to get back in the gym so I am fit and ready to start competing again. I have a few options over the winter but I just want to see how I get on over the next few weeks.
I have now sent off all my information to the European Tour and I've been told that they will be in contact with me at the end of November regarding my medical exemption application.
I would just like thank everyone for the kind words and messages over the last few months. I really can't wait to get back competing and get back to my normal day to day living.
I really appreciate everyone's continued support.
Best wishes in golf
Chesterfield Golf Club Tournament Professional, George Woolgar, has recently used innovative biomechanics techniques in his training regime to improve his game.
Biomechanics is an electromagnetic motion tracking system, using receivers and sensors attached to various body parts that distort the magnetic field generated and collect data. The entire process takes around 10 minutes and gives valuable feedback to golfing professionals and their coaches. The system reports exactly what the professional is doing and leads them towards a more efficient body motion for a repeatable and powerful golf swing.
The session was booked with Dr Robert Neal, one of the leaders of biomechanics in the world, at the Styal Golf Club in Cheshire. The focus was to facilitate efficient body motion throughout the golf swing and to highlight any physical issues. This then allows the golfer to improve in order to assist in the technical progress relating to posture, flexibility, stability, strength and power. Taking characteristics and abilities into consideration, the system uncovers the most efficient swing for the individual golfer.
George Woolgar said about the session: "The most useful thing for me was the data produced from the transition of the downswing timings and sequences and how easily they were identified. The report gives you suggestions as to the important technical faults to address and also gives biofeedback. The lesson was really helpful and now I can work with my swing coach, Steve Astle, and put a winter plan together to make my game more efficient."
George's 2016 Tournament Schedule is published here.


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Greece Holidays in Delos Island. Greece. Aegean Sea. Apollonion light. On Delos Island, where Apollo was born, the summer sun reflecting off the marble and baked stones may be blinding, but for the Ancient Greeks it also symbolised the light of inquiry, reason and harmony. It radiated throughout Greece, making Delos the centre of an archipelago of islands arranged, as if magically, in a circle around it. Hence the name Cyclades.
The island of Delos near Mykonos, near the centre of the Cyclades archipelago, is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece.
A pilgrimage to the core of Greek civilisation
As you stand in the centre of this historic holy place, you're bound to feel awe simply imagining how the Delians and their sanctuary could have the impact that they did. Take a good look. Spread out around you are the most famous monuments: the House of the Naxians, the Temple of Artemis, the Pythion, the House of Dionysos and the ancient theatre, the homes of the Delians and the temple of Isis.
There's the Terrace of the Lions, with five of the marble lions that guarded the Sacred Palm that Leto, Apollo's mother, held onto when she gave birth to the god of light. You are at the heart of the ancient cosmos.
Archaeological Museum
One of the world's finest collections of ancient Greek sculpture awaits you here. Since its inauguration in 1904, it has been among the most important in Greece. Its nine rooms house sculptures, mosaics, pottery, inscriptions, jewellery, funerary statuary and grave stones. Look for the torso of the Archaic kouros from the Sanctuary of Apollo, the statues of Dioskourides and Cleopatra as well as Boreas abducting the nymph Oreithia.
The Temple οf Isis
Inside, you'll find the statue of Isis, patron goddess of sailors, and one of the most significant attractions on the island. The site stands out among temples to other foreign gods and can be found on the foothills of Mt Kynthos.
The Theatre
Originally made of wood, it was replaced by the stone structure seen today in the third century BC. It could hold 5,000 spectators in all and the entire area has archaeological remains, private dwellings from the time of Kleopatra and Dioscorides.
Photos of Delos Island
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Holidays in Delos Island
Ascent to the hub of the Cyclades
The climb up Mt Kythnos, the highest point on this small, flat island, at just 133m, takes a mere 20 minutes. Steps carved by the ancients will lead you to the often blustery top, where you can see the islands that form a circle around Delos.
The birth of Apollo on Adelos, the invisible island
As mythology tells us, before the birth of Apollo, Delos was an invisible rock floating in the Aegean. The goddess Leto, pregnant by Zeus, was desperate to find a place to give birth but no one would take her in, fearing the wrath of Hera, Zeus' jealous wife. Seeing her distress, Zeus sought help from his brother, Poseidon, the sea god, and asked him to anchor the floating invisible islet for Leto's sake.
Poseidon obliged, tied it to the deep and named it Delos, "visible". Leto leaned back against the slope of Mt Kythnos, holding onto the island's single palm tree, delivered her son, the god of light.
Discovering Rineia
Very close to Delos and Mykonos, this 14 sq. km island has a width of only 1km and is known for its many bays, inlets and deserted sandy beaches. There are five chapels and a number of dispersed farmsteads across the island. Most of them can be found close to the chapel of Agia Triada, by a stunning sandy beach.


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H3 – Horse Heaven Hills
H3 Wines were created to celebrate the winery's rich heritage in the Horse Heaven Hills in Washington State as well as its innovative spirit with regards to winemaking and viticulture practices. Grapes from this distinctive appellation produce bold, well-balanced and seductive wines. Great care is taken to ensure that the uniqueness of the appellation's terroir is expressed in each bottle of H3.


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Train model making for kids
Teach your kids how to build a model railroad! Model train sets add extra fun because kids not only get to play with miniature trains, but also watch them go around miniature buildings and mountains on a model railway. Buy your kids a starter kit so they can learn to make their own!Read more
Reptile Parks For Kids In The Adelaide Region
Channel your kid's inner Steve Irwin!

There are an abundance of reptile parks in Adelaide region, so why not give it a try?Read more
Remote Control Toys For Kids
Remote control toys for kids are great gifts for Christmas and birthdays!

They are also called radio control cars (or other toy) because radio signals are used to control the cars' movement.Read more
Collections For Kids
Encourage your kids to start collections out of the treasures they gather!

The passion for collecting is one of the activities for kids that they can take interest in.Read more
Kites For Kids
Get out in the fresh air with this classic among kids' activities!

Popular all over Australia for its simplicity and appeal to all ages, kite flying is great entertainment on a windy day!Read more
Model Making for Kids
Watch your kids build their own planes, and boats and trains!

These can be everything from scale models of old wooden sailing ships to whole villages!Read more


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Allied Maps - North-East France, WW2 - 1/35 Scale
All prices are in US dollars
When you buy more than 1 item you get a discount!
Spend between $10 and $20.99 - get 10% off*
Spend between $21 and $30.99 - get 15% off*
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Spend more than $61 - get 25% off*
* Please click the SALE! tab at the top of the page for details!
- Printed on premium, high quality paper tested and selected specifically for scale model maps.
- 15 unique maps of France showing specific regions.
- Maps for: Northern France, Amiens/Mons, Miens, Dunkirk, Lens, Reims, Soissons, St Quentin, Calais, Verdun, Hazebrouck, Valenciennes, Havre/Amiens, Strassburg and Epinal.
- Most maps width is approx. 3/4" (1.9 cm).
- Sourced from genuine US and/or British maps.
- Quickly and easily add color, visual interest and focal points to any diorama, vignette or model.
- Achieve incredible accuracy with authentic maps actually related to the location depicted in your diorama.
- Thin, strong paper allows bends, creases and folds. Can be dampened with water and realistically moulded or draped.
- Can be weathered with chalk, colored pencils, ink, or paint.
- Can be cut, torn, shredded and even burned to simulate age or damage.
- With so many maps provided, one sheet can be used for many different projects.
Some Related Products (Buy more, Save more):
1/35 Allied Maps, North-West France
1/35 Allied Maps, Southern France
1/35 French Road Signs, Normandy
1/35 Allied Maps, Southern France
1/35 French Road Signs, Normandy
French, Map
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The Humble group are running another GameDev bundle. The Humble Bundle is a collection of software with a pay what you want pricing structure where the proceeds go towards various charities, this particular bundle is in support of the EFF (Electronic Freedom Foundation) and Child's Play charity. By paying more you can access higher and higher tiers which include even more software. Currently the bundle consist of:
GameDev News


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In searching for information, I found many old websites and broken links. I decided to gather as much material as possible to share with people needing information on this topic. All posts list author, source and link. If you find some of your material here, you would rather not share, please drop me a line, I will remove it promptly. Thank you.
Related Articles
- Dead link checker (sciencetext.com)
- Are You Losing Visitors with Broken Links? How to Fix Them (BuildMySiteforFree.com)
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The Berkhamsted-based Rush Judo Club won the coveted Community Club of the Year at the British Judo Association Awards earlier this month.
The year has seen eight of their competition squad selected for the England Judo set-up.
While Rush's judoka were preparing for the British Championships, which take place in Sheffield this weekend, coaches Laurie Rush, Matt Rush and Pete Brent were invited to the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham, where Rush was nominated for three awards.
They returned to Berkhamsted after winning one award and being named as runner-up in the other two.
Rush won the award for the Community Club of the Year, which was backed up with second-place for Performance Club of the Year and Laurie Rush adding to the tally when he collected the runner -up trophy for Talent Coach of the Year.
It was a particularly fantastic achievement in that Rush was only formed nine years ago when Laurie and Matt Rush set up the club from money left from their dad Gordon in September 2008.
What started off as a weekly class in a community centre in Northchurch has developed into eight classes in a permanent dojo at Ashlyns School which opened in 2015.
Coach Pete Brent was pleased with the evening's haul and added:"Two silver's and a gold isn't bad."
Meanwhile, last Sunday saw Rush's 16-year-old Paddy Lish compete in his first year as a senior (U18) at the British Judo Council Championships in Kettering where he was unbeaten to win gold in the extremely strong U66kg category to be crowned national champion.
Paddy was selected to the BJC national squad for the Dan Helder International championships in Holland. Fighting in a large category littered with European judoka, he had an early win with a stunning flying juji and was unlucky not to progress to the crossovers.
Also in action in Holland at the BJA Helderse Open, Michael Fryer won a silver with consistent wins and losing narrowly in the final.
Seven of Rush's England squad have also spent a day at the GB Judo Centre of Excellence: Pre cadet Lewis Fryer, cadets Leah Hasler, Hannah Niven, Emily Niven, Haydn Williams and Gergo Berendi, and junior Michael Fryer.


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What makes some startups more successful than the others? Is it the money? The passion? Qualified human resources? While some great ideas catch on within a few weeks or months, other fail miserably. There is no telling what will succeed and what definitely won't before the product is launched. And this is the greatest risk all startups must bear.
But there is one thing that kills all new businesses by default: not being useful to the end users. If you can't make someone's life easier with your product, you better think again before you look for an investment.
So if you have something that your target group wants, you should avoid all other startup mistakes that can kill your business.
Here are 5 startup mistakes that can cost you money and career
1. Weak identity
Good ideas take some time to develop. Unfortunately, they can't be rushed. Entrepreneurs often don't have enough patience or resources to establish their startups properly.
This leads to rebranding the original idea to something else, and then they rebrand it again and again. Ultimately, the customers are too confused and have no interest in the product anymore.
2. Narrow focus
Sure, you want your idea to be loved by everyone. But if your initial target group is too narrow, you might lose before you even get the chance to win.
For example, when Segway was introduced to the market, everyone thought that it will change the way people live. Even Steve Jobs thought of it as an important invention for this century.
But Segway refused to sell to the general public and decided to focus on mail carriers. Now, how many times have you seen a mail carrier on a Segway? Exactly.
3. Bad hiring
Your startup team is more important than you may think. Hiring the wrong people can harm your business from the very start.
That's why choosing the right people carefully is essential for the startup's success. From the co-founder to the marketers, your team needs to be on the same page with you if you want to succeed. Every single person on your team is important for the startup.
4. Lack of clear plan
Not having a clear action plan for your future is equally bad for your business as not having any plan at all. The sad truth is that the entrepreneurs who fail to plan also fail to complete their projects in the first year of their startup.
The worst thing you can do when starting a business is letting it go with the flow. Build a solid action plan and a framework for the future course of development. This will help you gain the control over your company.
5. Lack of determination
Don't lose the drive that keeps you going even when things get complicated (which is inevitable). It is easy to get impatient when you invest blood, sweat and dollars into your startup. However, you must be highly motivated and determined in order to overcome the obstacles.
We live in the era of startups. Because of that, sometimes it may seem like there is little or no space for new business venture on the market.
Of course, this is not true. While some startups succeed faster than the others, there are some key points that can make or break the launch of your business.
One of them is focus. Focus on your idea and good hiring. Pivoting can be a good thing but try not to change the main purpose of your product too many times or you will confuse your customers to the point where they don't want your product anymore.
Also, be patient and ready to adapt to new circumstances. It is never easy to succeed with a startup but it is definitely far from being impossible.


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Late Harvest (or Fall) raspberries are just starting to make their appearances here in Wisconsin. If you've been following my blog, you know that I love raspberries and the fact that they are harvested twice a year thrills me. While the nights are getting cool, days can still be warm so I still, occasionally, enjoy an entree salad for dinner. This salad is bright, refreshing, and a great reminder that summer isn't over just yet.
Spinach & Raspberry Salad
1 1 1/2 pounds Baby Spinach
6 slices Bacon, thick cut, diced
2 each Chicken breast, cut into strips
1 each Leek, white and light green parts only
3/4 cup Raspberries
1/3 cup Raspberry Vinegar
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup Pecans, toasted and chopped
If spinach is large, remove the stems. If it is tender baby spinach you can leave the stems intact. Place spinach in a large bowl. Place bacon in a saute pan and cook over medium high heat until rendered and crisp. Remove from pan, pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of bacon fat and and saute the leeks over medium heat until tender and just slightly browned around the edges. Remove leeks from pan and add the chicken. Again saute until until done then remove from pan. Add the raspberry vinegar to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat and stir in the vegetable oil. Season with a few grinds of black pepper. Add the bacon, leeks, and chicken to the spinach and drizzle with the warmed raspberry vinaigrette (you may not need all of the vinaigrette). Toss to mix and divide among 2 plates. Garnish with the fresh raspberries and toasted pecans.


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Junior Goes for All-Time Rossum
Rossum. Read this, dare you not to vomit: Tori: "Every night when I walk by my mirror I just stare at my belly and I"m so impressed by it. You always wonder what you"ll look like when you"re pregnant and it looks good. I like being pregnant." Junior: "She looks so sexy naked." It just never f*cking stops… Check out the First Couple of Rossum out and about the other day, she looking rather cute, he contaminating the Edmonton Oilers, my heartfelt sympathy to the city of Edmonton for the flagrant foul. Source


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Master Zi
Master Zi is the founder of Dharma Health Institute and has been studying tai chi, qi gong, and yoga for over 40 years. His studies include mechanical engineering, quantum physics, acupuncture, acupressure, and traditional yoga & tai chi. Please see additional information on Master Zi under "Founder".
Master Pauline E. Brooks (Master P)
Pauline E. Brooks, PhD is an independent evaluator/researcher with particular interest in cross-cultural issues (bridging cultures) and the elimination of inequities, including racism. Dr. Brooks is former manager of evaluation for a large California-based health foundation, university professor, and independent evaluator for family foundations. She has participated on numerous evaluation teams working with and within African American, Latino and Asian American communities, and internationally in Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Burkina Faso and Surinam. Her initial evaluation training was at UCLA's Center for the Study of Evaluation where she later worked as an evaluation project director. She presents on issues of evaluation, culture, equity and racism at national and international conferences.
Pauline has been studying tai chi and qi gong for over a decade and teaches beginning-, intermediate- and advanced levels. At present, she is teaching advanced classes, including working with weapons and teaching others about accessing and applying their infinite potential. She is currently finishing a book concerning her learning as a tai chi practitioner.
Master Reid Shapiro
Reid had the good fortune to become one of Master Zi's first tai chi students in Los Angeles more than fifteen years ago, and has enjoyed the benefits of the work ever since.
Holding BA and MA degrees in International Affairs, Reid looked forward to a career in diplomacy or intelligence (wanted to be a spy!), but ended up pursuing a different path, working primarily in marketing and sales in Los Angeles after graduate school.
In addition to tai chi, Reid has taught yoga for over a dozen years, and is grateful to be married to his one-time yoga instructor
Prefect Rob Hoffman
Rob began his martial arts training at the age of 15 studying Isshin-Ryu karate with world karate champion Sensei Pattie Booth. After moving to Los Angeles in his 20's, he began studying Hung Gar kung fu with Sifu Buck Sam Kong in Hollywood. His desire to study internal arts led him to Master Zi, and the Yang Classical Family style tai ji form. Rob has studied Yangjia michuan tai ji with Oso Tayari Casel, push hands with Master Julius Baker, and qi gong with Michael Winn. He has continued his studies of Xing Yi, and Bagua with Sifu Jonathan Wang.
Rob is also a certified Kundalini yoga teacher through Golden Bridge Yoga. He has also studied and taken teacher trainings in Tibetan Heart Yoga, and Yoga Naga. He is currently working towards his masters in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and studying Ni family style medical qigong at Yo San University. Rob has traveled extensively throughout the world, including many trips to China, to better his understanding of martial arts, and yoga.
Sifu Diane Griggs-Ross
Diane R. Griggs, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is an advanced tai chi practitioner. She has also been cultivating a yoga practice, studying Yoga Naga, for several years. As a traditionally trained mental health practitioner, Diane has been using alternative healing practices in her work including hypnotherapy, astrology and the Eastern practices of tai chi and yoga. She believes that molding traditional and non-traditional approaches can promote a more holistic approach to wellness. Her passion is working with those who have experienced trauma.
Sifu Joan Greenwald
Joan has an M.A. in art (painting and drawing) and B.A.s in music and anthropology — always fascinated with world cultures and their underlying enduring unity and flow through expression and meditation. She has decades of experience in Transcendental Meditation and the T.M. Sidhi Program. Besides her devotion to Tai Chi and Qi Gong, she is currently a practicing and showing painter and teacher of classical and folk guitar.
Since 2002, Joan has studied and practiced Tai Chi's inspirational work with Master Zi and is very grateful to be one of the Dharma Health Institute's Tai Chi and Qi Gong instructors. Her teaching emphasizes gracefully flowing fundamentals through understanding one's own mind/body consciousness. Joan has a broad range of experience working with many age groups and populations and welcomes seniors to enjoy the fun and gentle classes.


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Toledo Botanical Garden Joins Metroparks
The City of Toledo, Metroparks Toledo, Toledo Public Schools and the Arts Commission are working together to ensure that Toledo Botanical Garden remains one of the region's cultural gems. An ordinance introduced by the administration and approved Tuesday by city council transfers ownership of the 60-acre garden and artist village in west Toledo to Metroparks. "Metroparks Toledo has always been an amazing agency that oversees some of the greatest assets our region has to offer – the Metroparks," Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said. "I have the utmost confidence in the Metroparks to continue to maintain the Botanical Garden as one of Toledo's great amenities and that it will continue to rival other botanical gardens across the nation." Metroparks executive director Dave Zenk said the park district will "keep what people love about the Garden while adding additional reasons to go there. We want to build on the horticultural heritage of the site, increase educational opportunities and raise awareness to increase visitation." Among other improvements, Metroparks is planning to develop a garden-themed playground envisioned as part of the new Discovery Trail that opened last spring. Recently, the park district renovated a restroom building, and renovations are set to begin shortly on the Conference Center and a maintenance building. Partnerships: In addition, Metroparks and Toledo Public School are in discussions about a partnership to create a new trail through TPS property adjacent to the Garden. The property is between Hawkins Elementary School on Bancroft Street and the Frank Dick Natural Science Technology Center on Elmer Drive. In addition, there are opportunities to work with students at both schools to support their science and nature studies. "Toledo Public Schools strives to build stronger relationships in our community with the goal to support our students and their education," said Superintendent Dr. Romules Durant. "Working with the Metroparks has been very beneficial to the district, and expanding options for students at Hawkins is a great opportunity." Talks have also begun with the Arts Commission and 15 resident arts and horticulture organizations located on the property to explore new opportunities to engage visitors to the Garden. The Commission will provide oversight of 6 sculptures in the Garden, which make up the community's largest public art installation. Metroparks assumed responsibility for operating the property from the city in 2006 under a 33-year cooperative agreement then entered into an agreement with Toledo Botanical Garden Board, Inc., a non-profit organization, to manage day-to-day operations. Since then TBG has been an affiliate of the park district. Last June, Metroparks and Toledo Botanical Garden Board, Inc. agreed to shift daily operations of the Garden to Metroparks, while the non-profit organization continues to operate Toledo GROWS, its community garden outreach program. At the time, the park district announced that the popular Crosby Festival of the Arts and the Jazz in the Garden series will continue, with proceeds from both benefitting Toledo GROWS.
Press Release Contact Name: Scott Carpenter
Press Release Contact Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Press Release Contact Phone: 419-407-9726
Organization Name: Metroparks Toledo


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To purchase, add this item to your shopping cart and either go back to do additional shopping or go to check out when you are ready.
Featuring Larry McSwain
This course will focus on a multiple meanings of the vocation of ministry for both clergy and lay leaders. The class will give attention to three aspects of functioning effectively as a congregational leader: the being of the leader, the knowledge base for leading, and the multiple doing tasks required of the leader. Primary emphasis is given to the tasks of dreaming or visioning for a missional congregation, caring for the church and community, organizing for the mission, and resourcing the congregation.
Registration is open the on-demand online lecture: "The Calling of Congregational Leadership" taught by Larry McSwain.
Click Here for Details About This Lecture
This course, "The Calling of Congregational Leadership," is one of our video-only courses consisting of seven high-quality video lectures from Larry McSwain. All video lectures are delivered as streaming video to media players embedded into each lecture's page in a dedicated Virtual Classroom.
We recommend that you also purchase the course's textbook as part of your study of this subject. You will get the most out of this course by using the videos and the book together. Study both at your own pace.
For the price of registration, you will receive 120 days of unlimited access to this course's Virtual Classroom and all of its included videos and other class materials. You may come and go into this course's online Virtual Classroom as often as you wish.
Larry McSwain serves as a ministry coach with International Coach Federation training and consults with congregations through the Center for Congre-gational Health at Winston Salem, North Carolina. His consulting focus is on planning, staff configurations and staff compensation/evaluation.
Larry served as Professor of Leadership at the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he held the Watkins Christian Foundation Endowed Chair in Ministry and served as Associate Dean for Doctor of Ministry Studies. He taught Christian Ethics, Leadership, Change and Conflict in the Church, and Capstone courses from 2003 until 2012 when retired from fulltime teaching. He continues to teach at McAfee as an adjunct professor.


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An aquarium full of fish, or one with a captive reef and fish. They are both potentially beautiful.
The aquarist has acted absolutely correctly, allowing the aquarium to mature and adapt to the increasing bio-load by introducing fish very slowly. The research showed that more timid fish should be introduced first, and thus those fish can settle in and feel secure before more boisterous fish arrive. There aren't any particularly belligerent fish, and certainly no fish predators, in the final fish mix. None are oversized for the physical size of the tank or the net gallonage.
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Thursday, October 1, 2009
THE TEEN TONES_Darling I Love You
Another obscure white vocal group this from Syracuse,New York.Their one released 45_Miss Sweet/Darling I Love You.was pressed on Dan Leonard's Dandy Dan label out of Ithaca,N.Y. around 1958 backed by only a guitar player.
To Listen or Download please visit; http://www.box.net/shared/7e911kxqri
The group members were(L to R);Sam Furco,Tommy Nelli,Bill Sanders,Bill Shelly and Dominick Scretti.
A Side...
Later 3 members of The Teen Tones sang with Jan Perolla Reichard as Little Jan & The Radiants.
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The FIFA Women's World Cup is about to kick off. Find out about the players and fixtures we're most excited to see, and what you can expect to see from
This summer, the women's game takes over.
That's right, the FIFA Women's World Cup is nearly upon us. And it promises to be one of the most exciting and competitive tournaments we've ever seen.
From 7 June, 24 teams – including England and Scotland – will battle it out for the sport's most coveted prize. So, will the USA win a record fourth title? Will other frontrunners Japan, Germany or Brazil lift the trophy? Or maybe, just maybe, could we see a home nation do it?...
Of course, we'll have to wait until 7 July – the day of the final in Lyon – to get our answers. However, what we can do is reveal the players we can't wait to see take to the pitch, the games we're most excited for, and what we've been doing in our role as official partner to the tournament.
The USA's Megan Rapinoe is definitely someone to keep an eye on. A winner in 2015, the winger is often the most creative player on the pitch, and could well be the player of the tournament – if things go the USA's way, of course. If that mantle doesn't go to Rapinoe, it will likely be Sam Kerr. The Australian scores goals for fun and will have defences running scared this summer. And, of course, no list of the best female footballers at this FIFA Women's World Cup would be complete without Marta. This tournament is likely the swansong for the six-time World Player of the Year. Don't be surprised if she sets the tournament alight.
Looking at the fixture list, there's even more to be excited by. In the groups, old foes USA and Sweden face each other, and Brazil will be looking to avenge their 2015 knockout loss to Australia. But the game that's really going to get us out of our seats – and will likely see offices throughout the nation divided – is England vs. Scotland. The two do battle in Group D on 9 June, in a game that surely sees England as favourites. But, as we all know, the Scots love an upset…
With its passion and sense of belonging and togetherness, football can transform lives – and often does. So, to celebrate this and the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup, we've assembled #TeamCocaCola – six elite female players who will each be starring in this summer's tournament.
Each member of #TeamCocaCola has faced unique challenges on their journey to France. Through a series of short films, we've brought their stories to life, in the hope of inspiring the next generation of aspiring young footballers to follow in their footsteps. You can check those videos out below...
Sara Däbritz
Sara is a midfielder for the German national team, and competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics where Germany won the gold medal. Competing in the FIFA Women's World Cup is a dream come true for Sara, who has been playing football since she was five years old.
Abby Dahlkemper
Abby is a central defender for U.S. women's national soccer team, the reigning world champions. After overcoming an infection that put her career at risk, her love for the game of football is stronger than ever as she prepares for the tournament.
Debinha is a forward for the Brazil national team. After years of fighting for gender equality in football, she is proud to play the game she loves while representing her country – and inspiring girls everywhere.
Grace Geyoro
Grace is a defensive midfielder for the French national team. Kickstarting her career in football on a local boy's club team, she has overcome the odds and is excited for the future of women's football.
Saki Kumagai
Desire Oparanozie
These six athletes are role models that reflect the values of football, the FIFA Women's World Cup and
But it doesn't stop there. For the FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019™, we'll also be launching #MessageAStar. This will see
The messages will have the chance to be shared during the tournament via in-stadium displays, social content, and even physical notes delivered to players. The best messages will also qualify to win some epic prizes, including player meet-and-greets, signed footballs and more.
Coca-Cola has supported every FIFA Women's World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1991. Over the years we've seen the women's game only grow in size, influence and the joy it brings to players and fans alike. We can't wait for this year's tournament to kick-off. Good luck to all the teams in France!
Want to learn more about


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Photo of Display at Castronovo Chocolate literally from beans to bars.
I spent a day and a half visiting both the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Miami and Castronovo Chocolate, a 700 square foot chocolate factory, 2 hours north of Miami located in Stuart Florida. This posting tells the story of the morning with Mike Winterstein, an agricultural research technician at the USDA and of the afternoon and following morning, spent with Denise Castronovo, an artisan chocolate maker and the owner of Castronovo Chocolate.
It is my opinion that both the USDA and Castronovo are part of solution to problems we have studied in the cacao-chocolate supply chain.
First Stop: USDA Agricultural Research Subtropical Station
Photo: Mike Winterstein is the Agricultural Research Technician at the USDA Agricultural Sub Tropical Research Service, He is from Long Island New York, moved to Florida in 1974, as a farmer, and joined the USDA in 1994.
As a grower, Mike maintains plants, going out into the fields and taking care of them from planting to germinating etc. Indoors, he also formats and stores data, maintaining data on the USDA websites. Mike works with other researchers verifying collections. The USDA genome research is publically available. You can order a species, 13,000 are available, from the USDA for the cost of shipping and the phytosanitary certificate verifying the plant is free of all pathogens ($50 ) The big five crops for the USDA are wheat, rice, soybean, corn and cotton. However at the station in Miami the primary crops being studied are avocado, mango and cacao, and interestingly also sugar cane. To paraphrase, Mike, "Even though cacao is not really grown in the US, yes, some is in Puerto Rico (Mayaguez has the main cacao collection) and Hawaii, the research and the storing of the genome and plants are important because lots and lots of jobs in the US are tied into chocolate from the manufacture, to the infrastructure, to the advertising/marketing to the consumption."
The research at the USDA is funded primarily by the US Government. CRIS the Current Resource Information System https://reeis.usda.gov/reports-and-documents/cris-reports/cris-overview. Is the "documentation and reporting system for ongoing agricultural, food and nutrition, and forestry research."
The research is funded through farm bills, approved by Congress and thus is really funded by the US taxpayer. The USDA is a government agency, funding for research changes (due to changing taste and politics), research is at the mercy of the government. In the new farm bill you can look up the research being done on specialty crops. Here is the link for 2017 http://www.obpa.usda.gov/budsum/fy17budsum.pdf and a link for programs possible being dropped in 2018 http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/path-to-the-2018-farmbill-stranded-programs/ and another link from the Council of State Governments for 2018 as proposed by President Trump: http://www.csg-erc.org/blog/2017/04/10/first-look-president-trumps-usda-budget-2018/
The History
The USDA in Miami started with "The Boys". (See photo) Walter Tennyson Swingle, (1871-1952) who graduated from Kansas State at age 16 and had an obsession with chasing citrus (there was no citrus industry yet in Florida, but there was a potential for the crop. http://merrick.library.miami.edu/specialCollections/wtswingle/. Swingle taught himself Mandarin Chinese and German and went looking for crops that could be successful in the US. He persuaded Henry Flagler, the man who brought his railroad to South Florida, thus opening Florida for development, to give the USDA an acre of land along Biscayne Bay for a lab to study plant disease. Swingle also persuaded Mary Brickell to give 6 acres to use as a plant introduction site. The donation was not accepted, but a lease was negotiated. Plant Explorer, David Fairchild, the same David Fairchild who brought the cherry trees to Washington, D.C.'s tidal basin, is another major player in the history. He sought a piece of land for its climate, not just for the land.
Where the USDA sits today is not shielded by barrier islands. It receives the warm gulf stream, and because there are no barrier islands, the Atlantic Ocean retains the warmth of the gulf stream, creating a climate fit for cacao. The land, it is believed, has always been frost free (important for all subtropical fruits and vegetation).
Viktor Emmanuel Chapman was the first aviator to be killed in France in WWI on November 15, 1918. He trained on this same sight, what is now known as Chapman field with America's first "Fly Boys" who flew, before the US entered WWI, for the French Foreign Legion in the American Escadrille. The history of the USDA station at Chapman field in Miami and the breadth of agricultural research currently being done at the USDA subtropical agricultural research center is fascinating and complex.
For more detail of the history see: https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/miami-fl/subtropical-horticulture-research/docs/a-century-of-research-with-usda-in-miami/
The USDA Mission in Miami is to:
1. Introduce a broad genetic base for tropical and subtropical horticultural crops believed to have economic potential in warm humid regions of the United States or its territories.
2. Evaluate the introduced populations for their genetic structure, horticultural variation, and botanical characteristics.
3. Preserve a diverse sub-set representing a broad genetic base for each crop.
4. Distribute the material to research scientist, botanical gardens, nurserymen and parks as is appropriate.
The National Germplasm Repository (NGR) is one of eighteen such repositories in the NPGS. The NGR-Miami shares responsibility with Mayaguez – Puerto Rico, for maintaining the U.S. clonal collections of mango, avocado, banana and plantain, tropical citrus, annonas, sugarcane and related grasses, palms, Tripsacum, and a few other relatively minor tropical crops.
Germplasm Holdings:
The NGR-Miami maintains approximately 6000 accessions. Most the holdings (3500) are in the major fruit and grass collections. The remaining 2500 accessions are ornamental, chemurgic, and spice introductions from tropical and subtropical areas of the world. These plants are a unique collection and requests for material come from many scientific disciplines. Small quantities of germplasm are distributed to bona fide scientists for research purposes." Not true anymore: the germ plasm is available to landscapers, botanists, landscape architects, nurseries, as well as bona fide researchers.
Cacao is held at the NGR Miami and has been important both to deal with diseases: witches broom, frost pod, bitofera, pests, parasites, fungus, etc. benefitting cacao producers worldwide, but also because "significant quantities of milk, sugar, peanuts, almonds, and other materials produced in the U.S. go into the making of chocolate products. The station is one of two quarantine facilities for cacao in the western hemisphere that serve to keep diseases from moving into the area". The station also does research for Mars with Mars scientists. They have sensors monitoring trees for nitrogen, sunlight, humidity etc. monitoring conditions to be able to help cacao farmers in Indonesia. The cacao is grown in an area that was built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp -think the Depression and the New Deal) cement walls that look like Mayan ruins absorb the heat keeping the area warmer.
Mike will hand pollinate a cacao tree, by collecting pollen at the beginning of the day., The next morning he takes the anther's off, so the tree can not self pollinate, and he brings the pollen, using a Q-tip or tiny paint brush from another tree. He said that when he brings the pollen he sees a little spurt. Wire mesh to keep rats and mice away are around the trees.
Kathleen Martinez, a researcher at the USDA doing Mars research, took me inside the lab. I was not allowed to photograph inside. I was shown how leaf material is organized for genome sequencing. Kathleen explained pipeters, fill tips, DNA samples, working in small quantities, then working on a plate, sequencing 96 samples on 32 plates , PCR amplifying samples, like 96 little needles into a capillary system, with florescent probes, Single nucleotyde polymorphism genotyping, looking for one single change in the genotyping, 96 samples and 96 markers ,fluidigm EPT. She talked about raw data, XX meaning homozygous, XY meaning heterozygous, allele. Basically, taking a physical trait linking that trait to a genotype associating it to a phenotype to predict the physotype. I was shown how the researchers use the centrifuge to remove the cell wall to get clear DNA, some scientists use the plate method and do 40 samples in a day. Extractions are done all day long. I was shown the lypholizer, how the water is removed from the fresh leaf keeping the leaf material for long term storage minus 80 degrees C. Leaves being worked with regularly are stored at minus 20 degrees C. The autoclave sterilizes all equipment with heat. Everything is reused. Tips are cleaned in bleach. UV cross linker sterilization washed with ethanol then the UV cross linker sterilizer microwave.
Cacao bred to be resistant to disease that tastes well, horrid, CCN51, is now being bred again, for flavor. I do not know how much research is being done on flavor at this site.
"The next time you drive by Chapman Field or enjoy a fine bar of chocolate, ponder the centuries of work that have gone into the making. Agriculture is always a struggle and it never ends. The climate will change, diseases ravage, breeding lines narrow and humans crave something new. Behind that fence along Old Cutler [road] is a battleground on which the survival of one of mankind's most iconic crops depends"
Richard Campbell in Edible South Florida Magasine, Winter 2017, Number 1, Volume
Photo from USDA website
From Gene to Bean to Bar: Visiting Castronova Chocolate
The timing of my 2nd visit to Castronovo Chocolate was serendipitous: I got to see the cacao beans arrive. The driver who delivers them brings them inside and is thanked by Denise with one of her chocolate frozen drinks.
Denise Castronovo is a fine chocolate maker. Originally from Massachusetts, she went to Lehigh University for her Bachelors and Masters in Environmental Science and Economics, then for 2 years she did her PH.d coursework in Ecology in the Botany Department at the University of Georgia. During her undergraduate years she had visited Costa Rica to study the rainforest. In Florida, she started her own mapping technology consulting business. She has always been interested in sustainable development and conservation. At the time she was in Costa Rica, eco-tourism was beginning to grow. Her studies in Economics linked conservation and the environment. She was interested in monitoring reforestation using aerial satellite imagery.
In her home life, Denise wanted healthy eating for herself and for her family, (husband and two young children). She became interested in superfoods, foods high in anti- oxidants, acai, goji berries. When she went to Whole Foods and bought cocoa nibs she became amazed by the flavor notes and chocolate and decided to learn all about chocolate. All her life was excellent preparation for the opening 5 years ago of her chocolate factory and store.
What Denise is successfully creating and growing parallels the societal changes reflected in the American Artisan and Craft Chocolate time line by Carla Martin, Ph.d Chocolate, The Politics of Culture and Food, Harvard Extension. And just as in France, in American society today it appears that the food movement is valuing artisan craft makers, (perhaps the consumers are of a certain economic level) turning to slow, small batch chocolate, that we too are part of a changing culture of chocolate consumption. (See Carla D. Martin-Kathryn E. Sampeck)
Denise's mission is to raise awareness of chocolate by offering unique varietals of chocolate and flavors, heirloom varieties that are endangered, to create a market that will preserve the diversity of cacao. see http://hcpcacao.org On her website she has written: "Reclaiming the craft of bean to bar chocolate making. At a glance, all chocolate-making looks the same: beans are cultivated and fermented, roasted and ground, sweetened and sold. Large-scale chocolate manufacturers have optimized this process for mass production. The unfortunate result: flat, uninspired, expressionless chocolate – the taste has been engineered out of the bar!
We salute the few, craft chocolate makers that are taking time and care with each part of the chocolate making process, releasing the full potential of the bean; those who are supporting careful farming and fermentation, the ones who ensure farmers are paid a fair wage through an ethical and sustainable supply chain, and those who skillfully grind, roast, and sweeten without diluting the bean's essence.
We at Castronovo Chocolate are in relentless pursuit of discovering the absolute depths of the chocolate experience knowing full well we may never get there. But along the way, we can all enjoy a bar of the most flavorful chocolate you can find.
Denise receives positive feedback from her customers. She loves to watch them try a truffle at the store, because most have never had anything quite like the ones she makes. One customer has told her that her truffles are better than any he ever had in Brussels.
She is succeeding as shown by the numerous international awards she has already won. As she said modestly "I am winning awards with Bonnat, how incredible!"
International Award-winning Chocolate
The Process
photo of Jean-Marie Auboine Chocolatier Chocolate Map with Descriptions copyright 2012-2015
For a complete description of the chocolate making process see http://expertenough.com/973/chocolate Both are much like Denise's process.
Denise with her two employees, wearing gloves, sorts the beans, the beans go on trays. She roasts them in a convection oven (not in a coffee roaster). A roast of 15 trays is approx. 5 1/2 pounds. She has a loss (shrinkage) of about 30%. Next she winnows the beans which crack and separate the nibs and shell. The vacuum suction takes the lighter weight nibs to the bottom. Again she handsets, making sure there is no shell. Shell is dirty, having bacteria. The beans roast at 250 to 270 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. killing the bacteria. She does her grinding and mixing in a melanger. For milk chocolate sugar is added and milk powder. Her melanger has 2 big granite wheels and a granite bottom. She does about 90 pounds of chocolate in 3 -4 days. 10,00 in a year. Refining, Conching and Tempering
Tempering – creating stable crystals. Denise uses the seeding method.
an example of a badly tempered bar.
Denise mentioned how clean the beans are from Honduras. Obviously leaves, twigs, rocks especially are not good for the juicer. One can hear the rock in the juicer and must pull it out!
Everything in the shop smells so good, the aroma hits you as soon as you enter the door. All the volatile compounds come out mellowing the chocolate. Denise has a chocolate library, pours the chocolate into hotel pans, pours it into blocks and then uses air conditioned cooling.
Sample Packaging.
Castronovo chocolates may do more flavored bars in the future, she does 2 right now with coffee. But the focus will remain on single origin bars.
Some of her beans are sourced from the wild. Her beans from the Sierra Nevada and Honduras are wild. Beans in her Patenemo, Venezuelan bar are not quite as wild, as they are grown by subsistence farmers. She sees herself as a small fish in a big pond, but by joining with other craft makers there will be an impact. source: http://www.castronovochocolate.com
If you take the time to look at each Castronovo chocolate bar, read the label: you will see the % of cacao, the type, where it is sourced, a story about the cacao and its origin and flavor notes, and a batch number.
The flavors of chocolate begin with the farming, with the soil, the climate, the elevation, the tree, perhaps the spacing, and then with the process: the harvesting, the fermenting the addition of sugar (or not) or milk (or not) and all the steps leading to the bar . Certain beans, the varietal of chocolate will grow better in one place than another. The difference between a single origin chocolate maker and large companies, is the same as the difference between agriculture and viticulture for wine. Agriculture seeks standardization, uniformity, high yield and consistency on as large a scale as possible. With single bar origin done well, the taste brings a sense of connection to the place from which the bean came. It is "perhaps the most elusive of these concepts and the most difficult to ascertain. It is the sense you get from …aroma and flavor that could not have come from just anywhere but rather the embodiment of a single piece of earth. Connectedness makes a thing different and therefore worthy of appreciation. "
Both Mike and Denise are incredibly knowledgeable, enthusiastic, passionate and generous. Thank you both for the time you spent with me, guiding me through your factory and your fields and for the information and the chocolate Denise fed me! I am enormously grateful. Thank you Kathleen Martinez for showing me the lab and for making the chocolate genetics research more understandable.
Disclosure: Next blog post, I would like to make a comparison between wine and chocolate as my husband is a 30 year wine industry consultant, specializing in artesan vintners. participating in this course through learning about chocolate, and now enthralled with the history, politics, culture, and taste of chocolate (and other foods) has heightened for me the parallels between wine and chocolate.
Campbell, R. Edible South Florida Magasine, Winter 2017, Number 1, Volume 8.
Castronovo, D. , Castronovo Chocolate Factory, Stuart, Florida, conversations and texts May 2017. and website: http://www.castronovochocolate.com
Kiel, K. & Ornelas, K.,200, "North America from 1492 to the Present- Recent Developments in Foodways" The Cambridge World History of Food, Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, p. 1320.
Leissle, K, Invisible West Africa: The Politics of Single Origin Chocolate, Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Fall 2013), pp. 22-31 Published by: University of California Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/gfc.2013.13.3.22 .
Martin, Carla D. and Sampek, Kathryn E , The Bitter and Sweet of Chocolate in Europe. DOI: 10.18030/SOCIO.HU.2015EN.37.
MacNeil, K. , The Wine Bible, 2001, Workman Publishing, New York.
Martinez, K., Subtropical Research Geneticist, USDA ARS, Miami, Florida, lab research tour, May 2017
Sethi, S. 2017, "Origin Made Chocolate: The Bars to Beat", Wall Street Journal, web Feb 9, 2017.
Williams, P. & Eber, J., 2012,"To Market to Market: Craftsmanship,Customer Education, and Flavor Raising the Bar The Future of Fine Chocolate, pp 143- 209, Vancouver, BC Wilmor Publishing.
Winterstein, M. USDA ARS, Miami, Florida, conversations and emails, May 2017
Council of State Governments, http://www.csg-erc.org/blog/2017/04/10/first-look-president-trumps-usda-budget-2018/
Expert Enough Blog http://expertenough.com/973/chocolate
Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund http://finechocolateindustry.org/hcp
Jean Marie Auboine Handcrafted Chocolate Map https://www.jmauboinechocolates.com//
UM Walter Swingle information http://merrick.library.miami.edu/specialCollections/wtswingle/
USDA Agricultural Research website https://www.ars.usda.gov
USDA GRIN System: http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/
USDA Station History:https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/miami-fl/subtropical-horticulture-research/docs/history-of-chapman-field/
USDA https://reeis.usda.gov/reports-and-documents/cris-reports/cris-overview.


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It has been weeks since I religiously follow my jogging regimen every other day and during weekends. And, since I want my family to be healthy and fit too, I normally drag them with me. My kid and other family members do their inline blades and brisk walkings respectively.
So, around six (6) am on no - school days and during weekends, I just have to drag myself and be on running shoes. I manage to run 4 - 5 turns on their entire parking lots and then, head home to attend to my kid.
Since 2008, I do my on and off joggings and only my sneakers can tell the long years of use. I wish I can have new Converse All Stars to replace my old dilapidated sneakers, and, my joggings shall be more convenient and fun.
And, as soon as our family van gets repaired, we shall bring our chow - chow dog to exercise with us. For now, we can only settle for occasional exercise but once summer kicks in, we shall be on the running tracks everyday.


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Assembly I WAS £65 NOW
Assembly I.
'The sun never knew how great it was until it struck the side of a building.' Louis Kahn
Geometric 3 colour screen print. Metallic silver ink, black & pastel pink. Depicting part of the structure of Louis Kahn's Assembly building.
Sold unframed. Delivered in a protective poster tube.
Available exclusively at Dowse and The Design Museum London.


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So sad. How could this go wrong? I was giddy with excitement, especially after the lovely trailer. The seminal musical Les Miserables, finally being made into a film by a good director with a stellar cast. C'mon…that's an easy formula for success–right? Well, for most people it has worked (and I am in the minority here)–but, for me it failed to capture the magic and beauty of the music–and of even the narrative, for that matter.
Okay, let me state that I love this musical! Actually, it is in truth, an English language opera. There are no spoken words and I have only seen it performed by opera-level singers. Although, I have yet to see it on stage live, I have watched a recording of a stage performance and enjoyed both the 10th and 25th Anniversary concerts (PBS rocks!). That history could be why I had issues with Tom Hooper's interpretation.
Let's begin with the voices–because, honestly, this should be all about the voices. There are three stand-outs, Anne Hathaway (who gives a heart-breaking rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream", but it was still more "acted" than sang), Eddie Redmayne, who has a strong presence and voice, and Samantha Barks, who actually performed on stage as Eponine–so it is no big surprise that she delivered (to me) the best performance of , what happens to be my favorite song, "On My Own".
Now, I love Hugh Jackman and respect that he is a song and dance man–he won a Tony for goodness sake! But, Mr. Jackman does NOT have the chops or range to pull off Jean Valjean's resounding tenor. Unfortunately, his acting performance (which is wonderful) does not match his singing voice. Most of the time, it sounded shrill and like, well…he was stretching his vocal chords. And then of course, there is Russell Crowe. Oh, Russell Crowe. He CAN NOT sing. Nope. It was painful. Especially, when Inspector Javert is supposed to have an intimidating, strong baritone or bass-baritone. His power and presence is diminished when Crowe's tiny voice is barely able to do what is expected from the songs. I was looking forward to "The Confrontation" scene and was left deflated. What a let down.
If you are interested in why I have problems–check out these videos with the differences.
Les Miserables 10th Anniversary (HD) – The Confrontation (11/41) – YouTube
Les Misérables – 25th Anniversary – "the confrontation" – YouTube
The Confrontation – Russell Crowe & Hugh Jackman – YouTube
This leads to my other issue–Hooper's direction. Due to a plethora of close up images and shaky cam action, you lose the grand scope of the period. This is France! This is the Revolution! I got none of that. It looked like a sound stage. I never once felt like I was in France. Oh, well. And yes, it is awesome that he recorded the songs live on set–but, next time he should pick better suited singers–wait, actually…let's not have a next time, Mr. Hooper. Thanks.
Finally, I felt the 2.5 hour run time. It was over-long and had lost much of its impact by the end. I was just happy to be out and thankful for being able to listen to the original cast recording in my car! Whew!


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I love this expression of determining and letting others know what they do and do not get to say or do that is acceptable to me.
People without a mental illness diagnosis, do not get to judge my actions, labeling them as they see it or according to their perceptions. Just ask me, maybe then you will not judge, but understand.
People without a mental illness do not get to ignore me, treating me as though I am not there by talking about me as if I do not exist. No, they do not get to ignore me. No one does. I am a force to be seen and heard. I am here. You do not get the right to ignore me in word or deed.
No one gets to say I am not perfect because I have a mental illness. Do they not know a person's mental health has nothing to do with being perfect.
People do not get to say, I am not smart. Who determines smart anyway? Just because a subject does not hold my attention does not mean I am not smart. More than likely it is so boring, I do not care to contribute. Just because a person has much to say does mean what they are saying is correct.
Get the point?
No one gets to say just anything to me or treat me any kind of way, nor I to them. We all deserve respect.
As people living with an uninvited guest: bipolar, depression, schizophrenia or any other mood disorder, we do not and will not let anyone say what they want or do what they want.
Remember: No one gets to……
What do people not get to say or do, where you stand?


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BESA Engineering
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9531 JL Borger
E: firstname.lastname@example.com
Chamber of Commerce 04074756 Emmen
Address Data:
Bloemdijk 2A
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Tel. 0599-211913
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Internet: http://www.besa.nl
Do you have a question? Please let us know through the contact form
Take the exit from the N34 Borger Centre. At the roundabout go straight on in the direction of Stadskanaal. At the first intersection turn left, you are now at the Torenlaan. Take the first exit on the right and you will see our office on your right.


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Tapestry of Grace - It pains me to say this, since we loved it all through middle school. Still, the rhetoric level was not for Amber. I'm pretty sure the results would have been the same though if we had stayed at the dialectic level too. People change. Our needs changed. We just don't have the time to be so history intensive.
I held on to TOG too long even though I knew it wasn't working. Somehow I thought we could figure a way through. It took having Amber's occupational therapist work with us to see her optimal learning styles for me to realize that TOG was not in that category. Perhaps it was 3 years ago, but it isn't anymore.
Amber still says she wants to use Tapestry of Grace. She has fond memories of it and likes the style, yet she never wants do the assignments, or the reading, or the discussions. TOG is too overwhelming for her, with too much reading and not enough hands on learning. I did mange to adapt it for the latter part of the school year and Amber got back on track with history. However, next year we are moving to something different that is more suited to Amber's current needs - I hope.
Classical Homeschooling - Another sore spot for me and a fairly large issue for our homeschool. I love this style of education and so did Amber. However her body does not have enough stamina for that much mental exertion; she cannot physically handle it. She also needs more hands on learning. So, we are returning to a more eclectic style of learning while keeping as much of the classical ideals as possible.
Prima German - Amber used this for several years, but simply got tired of the curriculum. That and being mentally exhausted made it difficult to motivate Amber with her German lessons. We switched to Portfolio Deutsch mid-year and had more success. I don't feel too bad about it though, since Prima German appears to have been discontinued anyway.


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Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries are home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish — a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater.
Estuaries are among of the most productive ecosystems in the world. Many animals rely on estuaries for food, places to breed, and migration stopovers. Human communities also rely on estuaries for food, recreation, jobs, and coastal protection.
Of the 32 largest cities in the world, 22 are located on estuaries (e.g., New Orleans, London, New York, etc). Human activities have led to the decline in the health of estuaries, making them one of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserve System, in partnership with coastal states, monitors the health of estuaries and helps communities manage their coastal resources.
These resources focus on the different types of estuaries, the kinds of organisms found in estuaries, and how they have adapted to survive in these unique environments. These materials also highlight the important work being done to monitor, protect and restore estuaries. Lesson plans are provided, along with case studies from teachers describing how the lessons were implemented in their classrooms.


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Posted on 01st Jul 2012
Pasta-lovers rejoice, as family favourite Ragu re-launches this month with brand new and improved sauces.
Each jar of Ragu is now packed with even more tomatoes, making it tastier and more satisfying than ever before. The improved range (below) is quick, easy and perfect for the whole family to enjoy… delizioso!
The full range of new Ragu sauces includes:
- Bolognese: Original Smooth, Traditional Chunky
- Lasagne: Red Lasagne, White Lasagne
- Pasta Sauce: Tomato & Basil, Tomato & Mushroom, Tomato & Pecorino Cheese, Tomato & Chilli, Tomato & Sweet Chilli
For more information please visit www.ragu.co.uk, www.facebook.com/raguuk or www.twitter.com/raguukTweet


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Stationary Reading Bikes Help Power School
Avoca, Michigan
ASCE has combed through successful solutions across the major infrastructure sectors to identify the most innovative #GameChangers. Imagine what more we could do if we seize the opportunity to replicate these engineering innovations. Are you ready for tomorrow's infrastructure?LEARN MORE ABOUT GAMECHANGERS
Stationary Reading Bikes Help Power School
Avoca, Michigan
Chilled Sustainability
Oxnard, California
There's an App for That
Ports of Seattle and Tacoma
Better Connected
The Port of Savannah
Magnets for Mega-Ships
Los Angeles, CA
Inland Waterways
Handy Companion for a Trip on the Inland Waterways
Pickwick Lock in Tennessee
Inland Waterways
Corps Management of Columbia Snake River Maintenance
Columbia Snake River
Moving Wind Energy
West Texas
Public transit growing all over, even in Montana
ASCE urges the 116th Congress to focus on prioritizing infrastructure upgrades and modernization to sustain our economy, public health, and safety. Contact your Member of Congress to urge them to draft and pass legislation that moves toward closing the $2 trillion investment gap.Share Story
Tell Congress to reverse decades of underinvestment by making an infrastructure bill a top priority in 2020.Share Story
While we have made some progress, reversing the trajectory after decades of underinvestment in our infrastructure requires transformative action.Share Story
America Scores a D+
The 2017 Infrastructure Report Card gives our nation a D+ across 16 infrastructure categories #InfrastructureMatters
Fix the Trust Fund
#FixTheTrustFund to put us on a road to better transportation! #InfrastructureMatters


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Please use the form below to give Mike feedback on Double Dynamo: bugs, crashes, suggestions, accolades, cat videos. I read every message, and I will try to get back to you within 24 hours. This is a one-person operation, so thanks for your patience!
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The Highline Express Graphic Collection covers a myriad of predesigned patterns inspired by geometry, hoops, stripes, 3-dimensional grids and expressive typography. In contradiction, the collection also offers simply beautiful mélanges and random abstracts. Ranging from bold and dramatic designs to organic, fluid and distorted patterns, the Graphic Collection provides a powerful design language to tell your story on the floor. Thanks to our advanced production technology, it is easy and quick to recolour standard designs at no extra charge.
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I admire Bill Moyers, but I found a problem with what nobody said during the first episode of his new show last week. The elephant in the drawing room.
Wait – stop thinking! I have an answer for you if you are about to tell me that I don't deserve Bill Moyers, that he is far more talented than I am, and who am I to tell Bill Moyers what is wrong with his show, and besides it's only a matter of opinion. Me/him, yes it does remind me a bit of the delegation of American do-gooders who went to India to educate HH the Dalai Lama. But if that's what you thought, please go back and read the first sentence again.
I admire Bill Moyers, I stopped pledging our local PBS station (against his advice) specifically because they dropped Bill Moyers, for political reasons, a couple of cycles ago. I believe that neither I nor America deserve the lifetime of responsible contribution that Bill Moyers has given us, I can't hold a candle to his expertise except in one area of my own expertise, and I didn't say he is wrong. So take that, and please listen to what I am saying. For the sake of us all, including Bill Moyers, and even the people of the top 1%.
What is it that Bill Moyers and the two authors of "Winner Take All Politics,"Jacob Haecker and Paul Pearson, didn't say that is critical to our recovery? What is the unspoken false assumption that lies behind almost every discussion of our economy and our politics on all of our media, even the internet? All of these discussions assume the omnipotence of human kind on this earth, and they assume the validity of the basically invalid assumption upon which modern economics is based, which is that resources are infinite. We can grow forever through technology.
Whoa, there, you might now be saying. They can't talk about everything at the same time. That is a real mouthful of assumptions that you want us to factor into this one little hour that is about politics. Not eternity.
I have two answers to that. The first is the story of the blind men and the elephant, and the second – the authors themselves referred to the "ecosystem of politics," so they opened that door. There is no such thing as an ecosystem of politics and I will therefore tell you what an ecosystem is – really what it is. And why we need to think accurately instead of metaphorically — and talk about the REAL ecosystem — if we want to accomplish any political or economic or social human goals. But first the six blind men and the elephant.
You will remember, one blind man felt of the tail and said an elephant is like a rope, another felt of the leg and said an elephant is like a tree, and so on and on, the moral of the story was supposed to be that all of them were right and nobody knows everything. At least that's the moral they told me.
But remember the last part of that moral. It is true that nobody knows everything, but I say there must have been a 7th man who wasn't blind, or there would have been nobody to tell the story. Whoever that 7th man was, his obligation to the community was to help all seven of the men to deal with the elephant in a sensible and constructive fashion. I do not believe the story means that it's OK to let anyone stumble around in the dark believing things that will cause harm to everyone. I say there is an obligation of the person who can see — to work together with the blind men. I say also the blind men have an obligation to respect the knowledge of the person who can see. I say it's wrong for anyone to take advantage of his perks by leaving everyone else in the dark.
No human person and also no human organization is omniscient. Nobody knows everything. No human person and no human organization – not even the corposystem – is omnipotent. Nobody is all-powerful. Basically, that is because no human organization, not even American politics, is an ecosystem.
An ecosystem is a living entity or system that uses and degrades energy to do the work of recycling the materials it needs to stay alive. Human politics, or human social relationships or all of human power added together is NOT an ecosystem, because we do not and cannot recycle the materials we need to stay alive. Food, air, water and soil, climate.
The ENTIRE living ecosystem is the entity that recycles the things that the whole thing requires to stay alive.
Human politics is a pinhead on the life of an ecosystem. Humans – human cultures – the whole span of the human species, are just a ripple in the tide of life. (This, by the way, is what the 1% don't want us biologists to teach in school, thus the big fight against teaching evolution.) Furthermore, the primary function of the ecosystem is to automatically maintain the balances among those and all the other cycles of life. That's the unifying vision of the whole. We ignore it at our peril.
Humans, human politics, even the human corposystem, are not more powerful than life itself. If we really want to survive, that must be the foundational assumption of everything we do — and therefore of our political, social and economic human discussions. Food, water, energy and climate are made by the whole earth ecosystem, and only the whole earth ecosystem, and there is not an infinite supply because taking more than we give unbalances the balance of life itself. That's basic REAL economics, and it's a measurable fact.
OK, so let's factor in to our political discussion the basic economics of life, and the fact that we are only a part of life, not its central concern, what does that have to do with Bill Moyers and "Winner Take All Politics" and the corposystem? Well, maybe I don't know enough about human systems, but I'll tell you what I thought when I saw that graph they threw up (on Moyers web site) that showed the relationship between the incomes of the richest 1% of humans over the past 30 years – and the rest of us.
I'll give you a hint, I did not think: "Let's overthrow the 1%." I didn't think of that because it won't do any good to overthrow the 1% and still keep living as though we were omniscient and omnipotent on this earth. Without respecting the system, we would just make a different kind of mistake. Just as bad. So I did not think we should try one more political experiment without factoring in what we now understand about our place inside the whole earth ecosystem.
What I did think was: "I looks like corposystem economics and politics have changed fundamentally, at the same time that the available physical resources (per person) of the earth have declined. The corposystem can not be making all that money off of increasing resources, so how are they making it? It looks to me very much like our corposystem have switched away from using non-human resources as the resources declined, and in recent time it has been more and more feeding off other other humans. Looks to me like the 1% is farming us, like my neighbor farms cattle – or a highly sophisticated form of slavery.
I say Bill Moyers is one of the best we have, but his program will not be perfect until he approaches all of his topics of discussion with the awareness that ecosystem health, the availability of resources and the destruction of biodiversity are not separate issues from politics or any other human endeavor now that both are running short. Therefore, no matter what we decide to do about our politics it won't solve our political/economic problems until we understand that we are neither omniscient nor omnipotent, and therefore our first (or at least concurrent) obligation is to figure out how to live in balance with the needs of the whole earth ecosystem. Anything less will be wasting what little energy we have left.
Filed under: Reviews and Guest Editorials | Tagged: Moyers | Leave a comment »


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Author Introduction: Jennifer Marsh is a software developer, programmer and technology writer and occasionally blogs for Rackspace Hosting.
Data warehousing is an expensive project with high costs and a great return on investment — if executed properly. Data warehousing isn't for the faint of heart. It is a process that connects several databases together in a single data center for higher performance output, low energy use, cost savings and terabytes (and sometimes even petabytes) of data storage space. Having an effective method of data preparation can help to make the handling and interpretation of data in business more streamlined.
When moving to a data warehouse, the architectural design and the storage structure implementation are integral to the performance and scalability of future development projects. Cloud data warehouse hosting offers scalability and reliance that internal warehouses can't offer, and they only use resources on demand, lowering the company's costs. Due to the importance of a cloud data warehouse, most companies want to make sure that they have a backup server that houses their data. Some companies may use NAS systems or Network Attached Systems to house their data, making it available and easy to access. However, there is the unfortunate possibility of data becoming corrupted or lost. When this happens companies will turn to NAS or QNAP data recovery specialists who may be able to help recover any data that was lost.
Maintain Data Integrity
When moving to a new cloud data warehouse, get specifications from business units, so the database administrator can identify the tables required for the new warehouse design. After identifying the important data, create a table design that maintains the data's integrity and avoids redundancy.
Data redundancy means the same data is available in several places in the warehouse. So if one value is not updated, then it can cause processing issues. Relational databases don't need data redundancy, maintaining more efficient queries.
Data Quality
When developers are tired or the move to the data warehouse passes the deadline, data quality is forgotten. Data quality demands maintaining an efficient data set for performance and to obtain accurate information. When tables aren't normalized, indexed and primary and foreign keys aren't set, the data warehouse might perform poorly. Ensure that data and the database structures are properly set up before releasing and deploying the warehouse to the production environment.
Ad-hoc Queries and Nightly Jobs
For reporting, add nightly jobs and ad-hoc queries that run off-hours and store the data in a separate reporting database. Cloud hosting can run these queries in the background while serving up other interfaces such as the company's website and data transformation projects. This reduces the amount of queries that return large data sets on the production database.
Nightly jobs run a query on the main production server and transform the data to a table or group of tables on a reporting server. In some cases, businesses copy all new data over to a reporting server that stores a copy of the production data. If data is not needed real-time for reports, then a 24-hour delay for reports can be used.
For instance, the billing department might need a list of invoices for the previous day. A reporting server with 24-hour-old data is sufficient to store the data, and the production server is left only for queries required in real-time.
Implement Audit Tables
Audit tables keep track of when data is changed, and it's a great way to monitor important data for any data changes or when the data is accessed. The audit tables track when a record is viewed or updated, the person who viewed the data, and the application from which the data was accessed.
Place indexes on the date and time field for sorting and performance. These tables can grow by megabytes of storage space. If the tables grow too much, archive old data that isn't needed into a separate table or database.
Energy Efficiency
Google recently released some of its energy efficiency information for the company's own data centers. The company creates its own renewable energy and efficiency standards. Instead of keeping the data centers at a low temperature, Google allows temperatures to rise within the center section of the data center and removes the hot air using cooling units. This reduces A/C and energy costs. Some of the basic standard changes pioneered by Google can help new data center administrators create a cost-saving warehouse for the business.
Creating a well-designed data warehouse takes several months of planning and consideration. Although the initial costs seem high, the benefit is monthly cost reductions are well worth the money, especially when the company moves the data to a cloud host.


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EU Privacy Regulations: A Greek Tragedy
September 14, 2017 – Scott Meyer
This post should help you wrap your head around the situation and communicate what really matters to your organization.
There are so many conflicting opinions and messages — or lack thereof — on EU privacy (specifically GDPR and the proposed ePrivacy Regulation) that I'm going to take another crack at boiling things down. Evidon's leadership team is speaking at just about every event on this topic over the next several months, so there will be plenty of chances for us to dig deeper. If you aren't on the privacy conference circuit, or you aren't an Evidon client, this post should help you wrap your head around the situation and communicate what really matters to your organization.
First, let's define the interested parties and the relevant regulations:
The Players
- Brands = Buyers of advertising.
- Publishers = Sellers of advertising.
- Tech providers = Advertising- and Marketing-Technology companies that collect data on behalf of Brands & Publishers. In GDPR/Cookie Law speak, these are Data Processors.
The Regulations
- GDPR = The EU's General Data Protection Regulation. This goes into effect on May 25, 2018
- Cookie Law = The EU's ePrivacy Directive, as most recently amended in 2011, which provides for notice and consent when tracking technologies like cookies are used
- ePrivacy Regulation = The proposed revisions to the Cookie Law that could significantly tighten the flexibility that Brands, Publishers and Tech providers have to collect user data.
So far so good? OK, now time to unpack the different issues, where they are connected and where they aren't.
Point 1: Regardless of what happens with the proposed changes to the Cookie Law, the GDPR definition of Consent will become the standard as of May 25, 2018. That's because EU directives adopt the underlying data protection regime that exists at the time which, as of May 2018, is the GDPR. This means that the Cookie Consent banners you see today have to change (Evidon delivered around 1 trillion of these last year on behalf of our clients).
Today there are two standard forms of consent: "Implied Consent," where all the tracking occurs when the site loads and the user is given notice that it's happening; and "Prior" or "Explicit" Consent, where the site doesn't load until the user has clicked "I Accept" or edited their settings. Neither of these forms will be compliant in May 2018, but that has nothing to do with the proposed changes to the Cookie Law.
Informed Consent notices will become a thing of the past for just about every type of Tech provider. The Publisher or Brand site will need to separate essential cookies from non-essential ones and get Explicit Consent for non-essential tracking. Tech providers could be considered "non-essential." This is not great news if you are a Tech provider and your data collection practices are opaque, but that's the law.
Explicit Consent notices that hold the entire site back from loading will no longer be compliant either. The essential tracking will still happen, and the same requirement for Explicit Consent for non-essential tracking applies.
That's life folks. But remember, this has nothing to do with the planned changes to the Cookie Law that is causing massive indigestion in the Tech space.
Point 2: While some key parts of the planned revisions to the Cookie Law are not yet set in stone, the definition of consent is. The time to lobby to keep them from getting worse is now. My friend Randall Rothenberg, CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, wrote a call to arms just a few weeks ago: European regulators are about to kill the digital media industry (disclosure: we are partnered with the IAB for the Ad Choices program).
I think he has it mostly right, in that the proposed language of the ePrivacy Regulation aligns with the consent requirements of the GDPR:
"No user shall be denied access to any [online service] or functionality," the proposed amendment says, "regardless of whether this service is remunerated or not, on grounds that he or she has not given his or her consent […] to the processing of personal information and/or the use of storage capabilities of his or her [device]."
However, as of now there is no indication there will be any changes made to the Cookie Law in the foreseeable future. Personally, I think there's no chance these proposed revisions are enacted in time to align with the GDPR deadline next May.
But, it's not doomsday if the Publisher can demonstrate that they have a legal basis that makes key data collection practices essential. The Cookie Law applies to accessing and/or storing information on a user's device, e.g. via cookies. Tracking itself could – in theory – be justified using "legitimate interests" under the GDPR.
Point 3: Publishers and Brands who master control over their supply chains aren't in nearly as much trouble as it seems. It comes down to the enforcement and how you make your case. The IAB EU has launched www.datadrivenadvertising.eu, which further explains this crucial nuance.
If you aren't a policy wonk like we are here at Evidon, it's easy to misunderstand how regulations get implemented. Regulations are often purposefully worded ambiguously so as to give the industry room to maneuver while figuring out how to balance business needs with compliance requirements. It's annoying, and can be expensive, but it typically leads to good outcomes for businesses and consumers.
Again, regardless of what the regulation states, it's all in the enforcement. While there certainly are factions inside of the European Commission that dislike the use of any data to target ads to users, this stance is hardly universal. Regulators will be given a lot of leeway at the EU member state level (e.g. country) for how strictly they enforce different aspects of the regulation.
That's why any Publisher or Brand has to start with knowing which Tech providers are collecting data on their users, and what they are doing with it. Industry groups, like the IAB, working with Publishers and Brands can do a lot more to promote transparent data collection practices in the digital supply chain. Backing that up with comprehensive supply chain mapping and clear consent notices can make a significant impact in favor of the digital media industry.
This Is An Opportunity
I personally think that most EU regulators are trying to balance personal data privacy protections with the need to keep the digital economy growing. Public policy conflicts are always messy. Opinions naturally run hot when there are billions of Euro, Dollars and Sterling at stake.
But every party needs to go back to the user, recognize that users have a fundamental right to privacy, and start from there. If consumers have both clear explanations of how the sites they visit are using their data and the ability to adjust this collection at the site level, then their trust in the digital media ecosystem can only increase.
That's where the GDPR becomes an opportunity. We're already working with many leading brands who want to approach privacy like nutrition labeling on food. Those notices are layered. The basics about how many calories and grams of fat, are straightforward, while the deeper details are there if the user needs to understand what specific ingredients are in their tasty snack.
Digital media is no different.
Don't panic. Take control of your digital supply chain. Work with Tech providers you trust. Be transparent with consumers and give them real choices. The regulators are going to focus on the Brands and Publishers who don't take this seriously. They aren't going to destroy the industry.


text: Stravinsky's tongue-in-cheek morality masterpiece, The Soldier's Tale, is one of his cleverest and most enduring works, here receiving its first outing on CD, following several requests. It boasts a stellar cast, not only of musicians, drawn from the Boston Symphony and soloists in their own right, but also of the narrators/actors – Sir John Gielgud, Tom Courtenay and Ron Moody, with English texts by Michael Flanders & Kitty Black. The couplings include the BSCP's complete LP of chamber music by Stravinsky (the Concertino and Septet being released on CD for the first time), and also works by Schoenberg and Berg, previously unissued internationally on CD.


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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
|Optimisation of Maintenance Programs in View of long Term Operation of Nuclear Power Plants
|BIETH MICHEL; RIEG Claude
|Other Contributors:
|Proceedings of the 6th International Conference On Nuclear Option In Countries With Small And Medium Electricity Grids p. S4-114-(1-16)
|ENS (Croatian Nuclear Society)
|Publication Year:
|Articles in periodicals and books
|Many Countries and plants radically modified their maintenance rules towards a condition based approach as a precondition for the implementation of life extension (LTO/PLEX) programs. In 2004 a network of European Organisations operating Nuclear Power Plants, SENUF (Safety of European Nuclear Facilities), under the coordination of the JRC-IE, carried out an extensive questionnaire on maintenance practice in their facilities aiming at capturing the aspects of the maintenance programs where research is mostly needed. This paper uses some results of the questionnaire, which was not oriented to LTO/PLEX, to draw some conclusions on how the current maintenance programs could support a potential LTO/PLEX, among the other programs running at nuclear power plants (NPPs). In this sense, it is spin-off of the SENUF working group on maintenance. The paper aims at identifying the technical attributes of the maintenance programs more directly affecting the decision for a long-term safe operation of a nuclear facility, the issues related to their implementation and safety review. The paper includes a discussion on the implications of optimised maintenance programs in existing plants. Some examples at VVER plants taken by sources other than SENUF complete the overview, with some proposals for solution of practical implementation problems.
|JRC Directorate:
|Energy, Transport and Climate
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