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Practical Solution in applying the Espoo Convention
The procedure
Initiating the process
The notification
Transmitting information
Screening the likelihood of significant adverse transboundary impacts by the affected Party
Preparation of the EIA documentation
Final decision
The competent authority is the authority that is designated by the Party to carry out the practical application of the Convention nationally and may also have the decision-making powers regarding a proposed activity. The competent authority may be, depending on the nature of the issue, a local, regional, state or national authority. The Point of Contact is the authority, which is designated by the Party to be the official contact towards other Parties and towards the Secretariat of the Convention. An updated list of the Points of Contact is available from the Secretariat or from the Internet.
Although the practical application is the responsibility of the competent authority, some tasks are clearly part of the mandate of the Point of Contact. The responsibilities of the two should be made clear and the information flow should be ensured between these two authorities in clear national rules of procedure or separately in each case. An agreement can help in defining the roles by designating contact points and their functions (e.g. mailbox, executive function, initiating function, use of a joint body). An agreement should also take note of other stakeholders such as the developer, International Financing Institutions (IFI) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO).
The Convention requires Parties to take all appropriate and effective measures to prevent, reduce and control significant adverse environmental impacts from proposed activities. The environmental impact assessment process is carried out to achieve this. Successful management of the process and the related formal procedures depend on smooth practical application of the provisions of the Convention and on a reciprocal understanding of differences and similarities in the assessment procedures across the border.
Lack of understanding of the differences in EIA legislation in the Parties involved makes the application of the Convention often cumbersome or, in the worst case, unsuccessful as there are many elements in the Convention that require close cooperation between the Parties. Open discussions at an early stage reduce misunderstandings and help in avoiding friction between the Parties. As a last resort the Convention includes a formal legal dispute resolution process.
Negotiations can be organised before the actual start of transboundary EIAs on an ad hoc basis or by forming a permanent working group that discusses the practical matters of ongoing and upcoming applications of the Convention. The following issues could be discussed:
- institutional arrangements;
- time schedules;
- translations;
- cost sharing and other financial matters.
At a national level, permanent rules of procedure that specify as clearly as possible the different tasks and the responsibilities of all actors involved have been found useful. If no clear plans for the implementation of the Convention have been set in national primary or secondary legislation, the practical application of the Convention can be perceived to be complicated. This is due to the fact that it includes many steps and stakeholders.
Rules of procedure provide a basis for the process in each individual case. The level of detail and the degree of formalism in the rules of procedure may vary depending on the administrative culture. When a new application procedure is forthcoming, a plan for carrying out the application needs to be tailored according to the rules of procedure but taking into account the special circumstances of the case in question. It is advisable to go through all the stages of the application procedure and examine their practical implementation for each case in advance (see chapter The procedure).
Parties with one or several agreements with varying combination of Parties build the national rules of procedure in consistency with the contents of the different agreements.
The procedure has distinct stages, each of which needs to be carried out in a way that serves the case in question, fits into the procedures and the culture of the Parties concerned and fulfils the requirements of the Convention. These stages include notifying the affected Parties, organising participation and information flow and providing EIA documentation and final results. In case the affected party decides not to participate in applying the Convention in the notified case, the process is stopped and it is up to the Party of origin to decide whether it carries out an EIA or not. An overall plan is needed for the entire procedure. Each step requires careful preparation before being carried out. National legislation plays an important role when applying the Convention. On the other hand, it may lead to rearrangement of the phases, e.g. the notification and transmission of EIA documentation.
Initiating the process
According to the Convention, the practical application starts with a notification. In practice, there are tasks to be carried out before sending out the notification. This chapter gives an overview of the tasks involved in the initiation of the process and suggestions for how they can be carried out.
The legal or natural person who raises the question of applying the Convention in a Party may vary from case to case. It is important that the Convention is well known in those Parties that are Parties to the Convention. Authorities within different sectors and at all levels of administration in particular, but also NGOs, IFIs, developers and the public, should receive information on the Convention and its contents through various means such as environmental committees. In this way one can ensure that knowledge of potential cases reaches the competent authorities and Points of Contact, which can officially initiate the procedure.
In the Convention Appendix I includes a list of activities that automatically require an application of the Convention if significant impacts may extend across the border. The first task is thus to determine whether an activity may have significant impacts across borders. This exercise is often called screening. Some Parties may find that the list of activities in the Convention does not cover all relevant activities. An agreement could thus include further activities, which always require transboundary EIAs. Appendix III contains general criteria to assist in the determination of the environmental significance of activities not listed in Appendix I.
Furthermore, there may be other types of activities that in the special circumstances of the border area are likely to cause significant transboundary impacts. Such activities can be locally identified in advance to ensure smooth initiation of transboundary assessments. Special issues may also arise in the connection with the assessment of policies, plans and programmes and in issues related to long range transport of pollutants. The concerned Parties should discuss the need to apply the Convention also in these cases (Art. 2.5).
In most cases the Convention will be applied between neighbouring Parties. However it should be noted that the Convention does not only apply to transboundary impacts between neighbouring Parties but also to long range transboundary impacts. Activities that can make long-range impacts in transboundary context include activities with air pollutants or water pollutants, activities potentially affecting migrating species and activities with linkages to climate change.
The legislation varies between Parties with respect to the criteria for initiating environmental assessments at the national level. This may confuse decision making concerning the applicability of the Convention. International, national and regional environmental programmes may provide useful criteria to be used as a basis for finding thresholds and other criteria. In the ECE Environmental Series Nr. 6., the chapter called "Specific methodological issues of Environmental Impact Assessment in a transboundary Context" contains information on the determination of "significance". An agreement can define criteria such as large and major and thus provide mutually agreed threshold values.
It may be advisable to notify neighbouring Parties also of activities that appear to have a low likelihood of significant transboundary impacts. It is better to inform potentially affected Parties and let them decide on their participation instead of taking the risk of ending up in an embarrassing situation in which other Parties demand information on activities that have already progressed past the EIA phase. There are several cases where the affected Party has wished only to be kept informed.
In cases where an affected Party feels that it is likely that the Convention should be applied although it has not received a notification, theaffected Party may initiate discussions on the issue of significance with the Party of origin (Art.3.7). Sometimes, the public in the affected Party raises the issue of negative impacts from another Party´s activity and demands the Parties to start exchanging information according to the Convention (3.7). The public can submit these requests to the competent authorities in the affected Party, either directly, or through authorities at local, regional or national level. Clear rules on screening will help in dealing with this kind of situations and in resolving any disputes that may arise.
The Convention specifies the formal steps and Points of Contact, but has no provisions on the informal contacts and negotiations that occur in many border areas between authorities at different levels. Formal contacts and negotiations must be carried out to meet the legal requirements of the Convention. It is nevertheless worth contacting the Point of Contact well in advance to give the Party time to get organised. It may also be useful to designate a "contact point" at the regional or even local level.
It is important to trigger informal negotiations throughout the process and especially at the start. Such negotiations should be conducted between:
- points of Contact, developer and responsible authorities within the Party of origin
- responsible authorities in border regions within and between Parties
- the developer, authorities and IFIs
- the developer, authorities and NGOs
The IFIs play a major role in EIAs in many Parties of the Convention. The IFIs are not, however, Parties of the Convention and are thus not able to apply formally the Convention although practically all IFIs have internal rules for EIAs. It is therefore advisable to clarify the relationships between the IFI and the actual Parties to the Convention. In this way the internal rules of the IFI for EIAs can be matched with the legal requirements of the Parties as well as the Convention.
The application of the Convention has several financial implications. The "polluter pays" principle has been interpreted to mean that e.g. translation costs of the various EIA documents should be covered by the Party of origin, respectively by the developer. Furthermore there are some procedural steps with clear financial implications (publication in the affected Party, presentation of the documentation for public inspection, public hearings etc.).
It is necessary to go through the financial arrangements in an early phase. When all actors are informed early of their future responsibilities they are able to reserve finances and to link the matter with other processes. Agreements may specify financial aspects such as:
- costs of special transboundary studies;
- costs of translations;
- costs of public hearings and other participatory procedures in the affected Party.
The costs can be covered by
- the developer,
- the affected Party,
- the Party of origin,
- an IFI,
or by a combination of two or more of the above mentioned bodies. In some cases e.g. NGOs may provide contributions in kind by translating additional documentation of specific interest to the organisation, for example wildlife inventories.
It is in the interest of everyone involved in a transboundary EIA that time schedules are specified as clearly as possible. The authorities involved can prevent or minimize possible delays by planning the time schedule at an early stage. Opportunities to combine steps of the EIA procedure can be explored to increase efficiency. For example, the provision of extra information after a confirmation of the participation by the affected Party may be unnecessary if the notification already contains the complete information.
The timing of the application procedure process should be set at the initiation phase so that the entire process is given a clear structure with a start and an end. Then all Parties are aware of the time sequencing involved. The timing should be discussed with everyone concerned in an early phase. Parties may have strict rules on time schedules for public participation and these may cause difficulties in linking the transboundary EIA to the national EIA. IFIs may also have their own rules concerning timing. By identifying the different requirements at an early stage it may be possible to develop a smooth process that avoids delays and/or rushes that may be intimidating for those participating in the transboundary EIA.
Clear rules on the timing are as important as the actual allocation of time for each step.
Timing is important especially:
- In sending the formal notification;
- In responding to the notification;
- In public consultation and participation;
- In informing of the final decision.
The notification (Art. 2.4 and 3.1-3.2)
Notification is the formal and mandatory start of the application procedure. Informal contacts may have preceded the notification. The notification may be passed between the official Points of Contacts or by other authorities, which are responsible for this step according to national legislation or through agreements. To avoid misunderstandings, the notification or a copy of it should be sent to the Point of Contact, which will then pass the notification to the actually responsible authority. The prenotification (informal) contacts are highly recommendable to give both Parties time to get prepared for the coming procedure. The importance of the official notification lies in the formality it gives to the procedure. The format for notification can be found in the Convention´s website.
Timing the notification
The notification must be sent the latest when the public in the Party of origin is being informed of the national-EIA process. It is recommendable to send the notification as early as possible, favourably before the scoping, if such a phase is being carried out (see sub-section on Time schedule above). All Parties that have been identified to be potentially affected should receive a notification. In the case of joint transboundary EIAs. i.e. when two Parties to the Convention are simultaneously affected Parties and Parties of origin e.g. in connection with transboundary transport routes, reciprocal formal notifications help to clarify the roles of both Parties.
In agreements, the moment of notification should be specified. The precise time of the notification depends on whether the EIA procedure of the Party of origin includes a) a formal stage with mandatory public participation for the identification of issues to be studied, b) a formal identification stage without participation or c) no such formal stage at all. The formal stage for the identification of issues to be examined in the EIA, often called scoping, provides a suitable moment for an early notification.
Contents of notification (Art.3.2)
The contents of the notification is specified in Article 3.2. In addition, a format of notification has been provided by the UNECE working group (Report of the First Meeting of the Parties). It is recommendable to add "other" information (Art. 3.5) already to the notification. This speeds up the process since it removes one round of information exchange. The additional information on the activity and its likely impacts also helps the affected Party to consider whether it wants to be part of the EIA or not.
Responding to the notification and confirmation of participation (Art. 3.3)
Parties should always respond to notifications within the time specified by the Party of origin. A negative response to the Party of origin is also important. The Party of origin can then proceed in planning the national EIA process. While responding to the notification and confirmation of participation, the time of carrying out environmental impact assessment specified in national legislation of the Parties should be taken into account.
Transmitting information (Art. 3.4-3.7)
If a potentially affected Party decides not to participate and indicates this in its reply to the notification, the application procedure ends. On the other hand, if the affected Party wants either to be informed or to participate, the application procedure continues with further exchange of information.
If other information has not been provided to the affected Party already in the notification, it must be sent as soon as the affected Party has expressed its interest in participating in the process. The exchange of information then continues between the Parties throughout the process. The time limits given by the responsible body should be followed. The time limits should preferably be agreed upon in advance so that the time limits are both legally acceptable and realistic (see chapter Time schedule).
Selection of material
The documentation has to include all relevant items mentioned in Appendix II of the Convention. The identification of alternatives is usually felt to be the most difficult part in preparing the documentation but also among the most important ones. The alternatives set the scene for the entire assessment and thus they should be identified at an early stage.
Submitters and receivers of information
The Convention provides (Art. 3.8 and 4.2) that both concerned Parties shall ensure that the public of the affected Party is informed and be provided with possibilities of making comments. Comments of the public to the EIA documentation may be sent by the public either to the competent authority or, where appropriate, through the Party of origin. The Convention does not contain more specific information on the authority to be addressed.
The Parties should know from the very beginning, at the latest at the time of notification, who the concerned authorities are that exchange information. The roles may vary depending on the type of information exchange:
- sending documents (e.g. notification),
- providing information to the public, and
- sending comments of the public.
It should be clear how the information from the public is transferred to the Party of Origin. It should be clarified who is responsible for informing the public of the affected Party and the way that comments of the public shall be transferred.
Documents like the notification and the EIA documentation will always be passed between the authorities of the respective Parties. For the provision of information to the public and the transmission of comments of the public there are various options:
· the responsibility is with an authority of the affected Party (Point of Contact or other authority); it is possible that the public of the affected Party sends comments either directly to the competent authority of the Party of origin or through the Point of Contact or competent authority in the affected Party;
· the responsibility for informing the public of the affected Party is with the authority in the Party of origin (competent authority) or the proponent (developer); the public of the affected Party sends comments directly to the competent authority of the Party of origin; or even directly to the proponent and sends copies of the comments to the competent authority of the affected Party;
· there is a shared responsibility between authorities in both Parties.
The advantage of the first option is that the authority of the affected Party is usually well informed of the ways and means of publishing and making available the EIA documents for public inspection. A drawback, depending on the specific arrangements, could be the timing, especially when the comments of the public are first sent to the authority in the affected Party. The advantage of the second option is that the information can be provided directly to the public and that the comments can be sent directly to the Party of origin. This will enhance the timing of the process. A disadvantage may be that the authority of the Party of origin is not familiar with the local ways of publishing and practice regarding making available documents for public inspection. The advantages of both alternatives could be combined by the third option: sharing the responsibility between the authorities or both Parties but that needs a further specification and division of tasks.
Agreements give a forum for defining the roles and responsibilities in information flow.
Public participation (Art. 2.2, 2.6, 3.8 and 4.2)
The Convention requires that the public of the affected Party is given the opportunity to participate in the environmental impact assessment process. Participation is specified in the Convention as a right to be informed and a right to express views. Thus the practical application of the Convention should include these aspects. One of the main challenges of public participation arises from the fact that the legislation and practice concerning public participation vary between Parties. Therefore, participation methods need to be tailored to fit the practices of the affected Party.
Apart from the broad public, bodies worth consulting include different authorities, specialists, IFIs and NGOs on both sides of the border. To pass information in correct form, in relevant scope and in the most appropriate language, the stakeholders and the target groups need to be clearly defined. Many stakeholders may hold information and may positively take part in gathering information. The competent authority should, however, ensure that the information is non-biased and of adequate quality (see also chapter Financial aspects).
Public participation is considered very important in the application of the Convention and thus there is guidance specifically meant for planning the participatory process. This guidance is being developed and will be available on the website of the Convention. Detailed arrangements on informing the public on the involvement in the transboundary process may be included in an agreement. An agreement could make clear what the roles and responsibilities are in informing the public and in transferring the comments of the public to the competent authority of the Party of origin.
The UN Convention on access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters (the Aarhus Convention, 1998) sets the basic requirements on public participation.
A special feature of the practical application of the Convention is the multilinguality of the concerned Parties. Studies have shown that even minor difficulties in understanding the language may retard participation of the public and the authorities. This is the case with closely related languages such as the Scandinavian, German-based and Slavic languages.
Although the Convention does not specify issues of language, it is important that information is provided in a language understood by those participating. The Parties are recommended to plan and decide upon responsibilities concerning translations in the initiation phase. The target group needs to be well defined before planning the translations is taking place.
It is necessary to decide:
- Which parts of the documents are planned to be submitted to:
- the affected Party,
- the regional/local level in the affected Party,
- the public in the affected Party;
- What language requirements are set by the chosen target groups;
- Which documents will be translated into which language;
- In which language the responses can be given;
- Who is responsible for the translations and the quality both in given and received information;
- Who covers the costs of translations both in given and received information.
Translating into English or Russian instead of the language of the affected Party is sometimes done when there is an IFI involved or when the assessment deals with more than two Parties. It is important that at least parts of the documents are translated to the language of the affected Party.
Needs for translations are determined according to the language differences between the Parties. These matters can be generally specified in an agreement between Parties: which documents should be translated, who is responsible for the translations, for their quality and for their costs. Agreements can also set requirements on time allocated to translations and the timing of translations. In agreements Parties can also state who is responsible for the interpretation at hearings.
Screening the likelihood of significant adverse transboundary impacts by the affected Party (Art. 3.7)
The Party of origin should have carried out the screening of the potential adverse impacts of the planned activity in the initiation phase. Even if the Party of origin comes to the conclusion that the Convention does not have to be applied, the affected Party may have another view and thus initiate discussions with the Party of origin. If no common view is reached, any of the Parties may ask an inquiry commission in accordance with the provisions of Appendix IV to give advice. One way to avoid situations of this kind is to open unofficial discussions with the affected Party already in the initiation stage or to just notify the affected Party.
Preparation of the EIA documentation (Art. 4.1 and 4.2)
Once the developer has compiled all the material in the environmental impact assessment nationally and in the affected Parties, he or she produces a documentation. When the assessment is based on an application of the Convention, the documentation shall cover, as a minimum, the items that are listed in the Appendix II of the Convention.
The documentation has to be provided to the affected Party. In practice the documentation may be sent to the Point of Contact of the affected Party or to another authority of the affected Party, which is responsible for this step according to national legislation or if both Parties so agreed in general (e.g. in an agreement) or for the specific case. In both cases the delivery may be carried out through a joint body, where one exists and where this is appropriate.
The document shall be provided to the public for comments, which are collected later. According to the Convention, both Parties are jointly responsible for the distribution and collection of comments. It is necessary to decide which Party shall perform this task and which way. The chapter on transmitting information (2.6.2) suggests ways how to arrange the information flow. It is important to decide these issues in the initiation phase or at the latest immediately after the notification. It is also highly important to provide time limits for the submission of the documentation and especially for the public to respond. The time limits should be realistic both from the participants' and from the authorities' point of view.
Consultations (Art. 5)
After completing the documentation, the Party of origin has to initiate without delay consultations with the affected Party. Matters to be decided upon when planning the consultation process include
- which authorities and bodies can and should participate in consultations
- how and when consultations are carried out
- how the Parties are informed of the consultations outcomes and their use
Due to the sensitivity of different cultures to issues such as participation and time-frames, agreements could include provisions on the consultations.
A reasonable time-frame for the duration of the consultations has to be set (see also chapter Time schedule). One way is to agree on a case-by-case basis on the time-frame within which the consultations has to be finished. The consultations should always be conducted before the final decision is made so that their outcome can affect the decisions and the conditions it may specify for the activity.
Article 5 suggests issues to be discussed in consultations, e.g. possible alternatives to the proposed activity, other forms of possible mutual assistance in reducing any significant adverse transboundary impact of the proposed activity and any other appropriate matters relating to the proposed activity. Another important item worth to negotiate is monitoring during the construction phase. It seems likely that Parties propose in consultations additional items (e.g. specific mitigation measures, monitoring, post-project analysis).
Roles of different stakeholders in consultations
The Convention does not unambigously specify who should participate in consultations. Official consultations should, however, take place at sufficiently high level because they represent negotiations between national states. The Parties may wish to include other bodies in the consultations. It may be essential to meet more often and to start with an exchange of information at an expert level (e.g. experts of sector authorities). In order to ensure that consultations will focus on the most important items, the presence of experts has been found useful. Consultations may also be done in writing (see also chapter Institutional arrangements.).
Means to be used in consultations
In consultations it is useful to use many different means in order to ensure efficient information flow in different consultation phases, taking into account cultural differences in communication and negotiation. The different forms include:
- A joint body;
- Meetings of experts;
- Electronic meetings/exchange of emails or official letters;
- Meetings of medium and high level officials (see also chapter Roles of different stakeholders in consultations)
Final decision (Art. 6.1)
The Party of origin has to provide the final decision with the reasons and considerations to the affected Party. These should also reflect the impact on the affected Party.
Trust may be raised by clearly specifying how comments of the authorities and the public of the affected Party and the outcome of the consultations will be dealt with. However, this does not mean that the Party of origin has to strictly follow the proposals or requests of the affected Party in detail, but it will have to take them into due account and to balance them against other items according to existing legislation. The basic premise is that comments are treated equally, irrespective of national boundaries. If it is unclear how the comments of the authorities and the public of the affected Party are considered, future motivation to participate is affected negatively and distrust may arise. If individuals in the affected Party have the right to appeal against the decision in the Party of origin, the information about such a right of appeal should be given in the decision or in an annex to it (see also chapter Public participation).
Consultations on the basis of additional information after the decision
In case additional information relevant to the decision is obtained after the final decision but before the activity is started, the Party of origin should deliver this information to the concerned Parties. If one of them so requires, additional negotiations have to be carried out on the revision needs of the decision e.g. monitoring, additional conditions or mitigation measures etc..
The Point of Contact or other authorities, responsible according to the legislation of the Party of origin or to an agreement, may send the final decision to the affected Party. For the way by which the authorities and the public of the affected Party are informed and provided with the final decision see sub-section on Submitters and receivers of information.
In an agreement roles in dissemination of the decision could be dealt with in detail.


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So, I'm still here at home with sick kids, and a sick self, and I just had the heathiest lunch I have eaten in years:
Red Gatorade and a handful of Cheetos.
We're talking the Lunch of Champions here.
Yesterday The Girl laid on the sofa with fever all day long. This same child, who could barely hold her head up, did nothing but talk about how all she wanted to eat was Cheetos. Crunchy, not puffed.
The Mister stopped and picked up a bag for her on his way home from work.
One of the sad symptoms of the respiratory flu is a lack of appetite. Not only do you not feel like eating, but just the energy it takes to prepare something to eat feels like climbing Everest.
Although I am feeling better, neither the appetite, nor the energy, has made it's return, so when the kids asked for Cheetos this afternoon I was lured by it's cheesy goodness.
While I was munching, I mean "lunching", I was taken back to my junior high days when I bought a glazed donut and a Coke for lunch, every single day. Which reminded me of senior year in high school when I my lunch choices had matured to the mystery snack bar "Burrito". Unless they were out, then I would eat a pizza roll-up. Although, now that I think about it, they probably were both the same thing: unidentified food product rolled up in a bread substance.
Even thinking about those lunch memories makes my stomach turn just a bit.
If the snack bar lady was out of both choices then a bag of Doritos or Cheetos were just as good. Of course I beginning to realize by senior year that food choices may contribute to dress sizes so I would always drink diet soda, to even things out.
The good Lord knew what he was doing when He introduced The Mister to me in college. We married the week after he earned his degree in Nutrition and Dietetics!
Speaking of Junior high, do y'all remember KangaRoo tennis shoes? They were the sneaker with the pocket sewn on the side.
I had a pair. In pink, with maroon accents.
It's where I kept my donut money.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Posted by Unknown at 2:01 PM
5 comments:
- meh said...
They really need to bring those back, only make the pocket big enough to also hold a cell phone and my keys. I would buy them!!! Probably. Maybe.
- February 06, 2008 4:20 PM
- mer@lifeat7000feet said...
Cheetos sounds like a good lunch to me! I don't buy them because if I ever start eating them, I can't seem to stop! They're so yummy. Same with nacho cheese doritos. So addictive!
- February 06, 2008 4:47 PM
- Anonymous said...
What are cheetos, anyway? I mean, really? How do they get so . . . orange?
- February 07, 2008 1:37 AM
- Lisa said...
I don't know what this stuff is going around. It lasts too long and takes its toll.
I hope you and your kiddos feel better very soon so you don't have to eat Cheetos.
- February 07, 2008 2:32 PM
- TJ Wilson said...
Now you've got me thinking about all those school lunches. I actually preferred the friend chicken cutlet thing, remember? With cheetos, of course...
- February 09, 2008 12:39 AM

subset: commoncrawl


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The holidays can drive some people to drink. Others just want to pop a cork and celebrate. In any case, a gift of something lusciously libatious will make most people happy. Here are some great gift ideas for the wine snobs, scotch lovers, cocktail aficionados and other tipplers on your list.
Blissful bubbles
The fizz of Champagne can make any festivity more fun, especially when it's a luxe bottle like Veuve Clicquot's La Grande Dame or a vintage Krug. But if you don't want to spend $200 and up (sometimes, way, way up) for the best bubbles, then you could always opt for a "cremant'' instead. These French sparkling wines are made in the same style as Champagne, but in a different region such as Alsace or Burgundy, so they come in at a much lower price. The Blasons de Bourgogne Cremant de Bourgogne, for instance, retails for $24.99 in British Columbia while the Pierre Sparr Reserve Cremant d'Alsace is $18.95 in Ontario. With prices like that, you could add a couple of Riedel Sommelier series vintage Champagne glasses to the gift at $90 a stem (http://riedelcanada.ca/).
Fizz it up
Add bubbles to almost any drink from water to cocktails to iced coffee with the easy-to-use iSi Twist 'n Sparkle. Just fill the bottle with your favorite chilled beverage, insert the sparkling wand, twist and, hey presto, like magic you have a bubblicious concoction. The iSi Twist 'n Sparkle retails for $75.95 at Williams Sonoma, www.williams-sonoma.ca.
Whisky for winter weather
Nothing warms the spirits on a cold winter's day like a wee dram of whisky. While whisky lovers have their decided favourites - the fruitiness of Canadian rye, the rugged spice of bourbon or the mellow sweetness of Irish - there's nothing like the myriad flavours of single malt scotch to really get the passions rising. One surefire favourite is the Highland Park 18 Year Old, which has a complex toffee sweetness beautifully balanced with a smoky finish - this single malt from Orkney has won barrels of awards and has been named ``best spirit in the world'' by American spirits expert Paul Pacult. It retails for around $150 in B.C. and $140 in Ontario. Want something to pour it into? Riedel's Vinum series single malt whisky glasses would be a delicious choice, $59 for a box of two, http://riedelcanada.ca/.
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder
Now that the Green Fairy is flitting about legally again, spirits lovers are rediscovering this delicate herbal eau de vie (and no, absinthe doesn't make you crazy or give you hallucinations). One of the best versions of absinthe on the market is Taboo, which is produced right here in Canada by Okanagan Spirits. Taboo is available in B.C., Alberta and Ontario and retails for $55 to $60. To serve it properly, you'll also want an absinthe fountain, which makes a stylish addition to your home bar. You can order one through Okanagan Spirits, $275 for a four-fauceted fountain, www.okanaganspirits.com.
Wine to go
It's an elegant way to B.Y.O.B. - and to keep it perfectly chilled, too. The Skybar Wine Traveler is an on-the-go wine carrier that will keep wine chilled for up to two hours, thanks to an insulated construction that prevents drips and condensation. It comes in four fashion-forward colours and has a convenient carry handle, making this a great way to present a gift of wine or simply to transport it to a party. The Skybar Wine Traveler retails for $29 at Williams Sonoma, www.williams-sonoma.ca.
Before there was the cocktail, there was punch. And now, to take us through the story of this mixed drink is the James Beard Award-winning cocktail historian David Wondrich. In Punch, he introduces us to the sailors and kings, poets and pirates who enjoyed it, and provides us with authentic recipes to try at home (Berkley Trade, $30). If you've always wondered what the wine experts are getting that you don't, you may want to check out Secrets of the Sommeliers: How to Think and Drink Like the World's Top Wine Professionals by Rajat Parr and Jordan Mackay (Ten Speed Press, $37.50). It's a fascinating snapshot of some of the world's top wine professionals, as well as a handy immersion course in tasting, serving, buying and pairing.
In the mix
Booze is good, but so are the kinds of quality mixers home bartenders are always searching for. Fee Brothers bitters, especially the Old Fashion and Whisky Barrel Aged bitters, are among bartenders' faves for adding aromatic spice and depth to cocktails ($8 to $12, available at select gourmet shops; visit www.feebrothers.com for info). Fever-Tree sodas have natural ingredients and intense flavours, just like soft drinks used to in the days before mass production; the tonic water alone is an absolute revelation. They run about $5 for four small bottles and can be found at select gourmet shops; visit www.fever-tree.com for more info.
Vintage glassware
The coolest bartenders have moved on from Riedel and Ikea and are stocking their bars with vintage glassware. Post-war tiki mugs, belle epoque absinthe glasses, art deco champagne coupes and even 1988 Olympics pint glasses are all the rage these days. Swing by your local antique shop or, better yet, venture online to discover the cool collectibles on eBay as well as antiques sites like www.mygrannysatticantiques.com and http://cocktailshakers.com. Prices vary, and expect to bid for the glassware you love.
Raising the bar
When it comes to building a home bar, it helps to have a real, honest-to- goodness bar for all those bottles rather than, say, a cupboard above the fridge. The U.S.-based website Every Home Bar has a huge selection of high- quality styles in all shapes and sizes, like the elegant built-in ECI Manchester raised panel bar in burnished cherry ($2,000 US) or the compactly portable Home Styles Steamer folding bar ($600 US). The site also offers bar stools, tiki gear, bar accessories, wine racks and almost every drink-related gadget you can think of - and yes, they ship to Canada. Visit www.everyhomebar.com.
The best of the fests
Whisk the wine lover you adore to one of the world's great wine festivals, where you can dine on terrific food, chat with the people who grow the grapes and, of course, sample plenty of great wine. For sheer variety, you can't go wrong with the Okanagan Wine Festival in B.C. - each season has its own festival starting with the winter fest Jan. 19 to 23, 2011. It's held at Sun Peaks Ski Resort, but the other three feature events all through the valley (spring is April 29 to May 8, summer July 8 to 16, and fall Sept. 30 to Oct. 9). Both WestJet and Air Canada fly into Kelowna and there are great places to stay like the Watermark Beach Resort in Osoyoos (www.watermarkbeachresort.com), Summerland Waterfront Resort Hotel (www.summerlandresorthotel.com) and the classic Hotel Eldorado in Kelowna (www.hoteleldoradokelowna.com). For more info about wine festival events, visit www.thewinefestivals.com.


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10 February, 2011 | (01 hr)
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This Conference KeyNotes Webcast will include video clips and live discussion of two sessions delivered at The 2010 Human Capital Metrics Conference. Senior executives will discuss human capital analytics as a tool that can be leveraged to:
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Participants will have the opportunity to pose questions to the speakers.
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Executives responsible for human resources, talent management, workforce planning, workforce analytics, human capital analytics.
Ken Carrig
Mr. Carrig is executive vice president of human resources for Comcast Cable where he is responsible for all people-related functions including: Comcast University, Compensation and Benefits, Diversity, Employee Relations, Labor Relations, HR Communication, HR Policy, Performance Management, Talen...Full Bio
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Mayank Gupta
Mr. Gupta is Executive Director Organizational Analytics and Performance Management at Comcast Cable. In his role Mr. Gupta is responsible for bring analytical rigor to large human capital initiatives at Comcast Cable. Mr. Gupta uses internal and external data points to identify drivers for human...Full Bio


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Stacks of Maths!
Age 5 to 14
Article by Bernard Bagnall
Published September 2007,February 2011.
I'm going to be looking at a piece of Maths that's quite simple and then see how this can be extended for much more experienced pupils.
(In this article, when I present the start of a number pattern and various activities that might be followed up, I show the first few parts only, as an example. More experienced pupils will be able to take it further by working at the numbers involved or by making use of a spreadsheet. If a fuller version would be helpful to you - maybe because the pupils would be good at and/or enjoy the number exploration but unable to extend it themselves - you can find this in the
It's all about stacking. So, for the youngest of our pupils we may be think about stacking cans in this way, I've called it "simple";
So there are all the explorations about the number of cans needed for a triangle like this, the numbers for each new layer and the total number of cans needed for each bigger size of triangle. This will probably be recognised by you as the triangular numbers.
B. Then there's stacking boxes;
So now we have each layer as a square number, and for some pupils it would be a good way to introduce the whole idea of square numbers. Again this can be explored by looking at layers and totals for each bigger size of square-based pyramid.
C. Then there's stacking balls so that a ball sits on three that are below it!
(Had to be a photo - too hard to draw properly!)
Looking from above you get something like this for the first seven layers:
This can then be explored in a similar way with older pupils but the layers are not quite so straightforward, as can be seen in these two pictures, that show the front balls on one "side" and the front balls on the adjacent "side".
So for this new irregular hexagonal based pyramid we'd have layers of 1, 3, 7, 12, 19, 27, 37, 48 ...
Each of these three sequences can be explored for different types of patterns. According to the pupils' experiences and skills, they may be asked to extend those sequences themselves or just be presented with them as shown.
(see 1 in the
You'll notice that I've just looked at the digital root (D.R. - see
Digital Roots
) as this usually throws up some very interesting patterns, as it does in every example in this article.
It's good to bring in other aspects of mathematics to a challenge, so, as well as having so much numerical work here we can explore the shape and space aspects of it too! Some pupils would definitely prefer the visual - either creating their own or being presented with them. In that case, using layer 5 as a starting point we would have:
Younger pupils may particularly like to explore the shape and space of the activity and ignore the numerical aspects.
Having got three lots of results, we can now pursue more mathematical processes.
For example we could look at the numerical differences of the numbers in each layer of the three arrangements.
(see 1 in the
Taking the differences as a sequence and looking at both their differences and the digital roots of them gives us more sequences to pursue.
Some pupils would benefit by looking at these differences as they would appear spatially.
This would be layer 5 for the three different arrangements. Taking a couple of the arrangements, e.g. simple and square, at a time, the differences can be seen and talked about in a variety of ways. Some pupils could look at what happens as more layers are added. So, looking at both layers 5 and 6 we could see (in the same order):
The irregular hexagonal one has had to be skewed slightly to fit on top of the square.
The differences between the simple and square arrangements, as seen in the table and in the pictures above, could possibly show the presence of factors to many pupils - 4, 5 and 5, 6. So we could look at factors. Here I present two tables of the factors of those differences for pupils to explore and ask WHY? at various points, or for them to create themselves. (See also table 5b in the
Firstly the differences between simple and irregular hexagonal, and the simple and square.
(2a in
(2b in
Again things that are noticed may be looked at visually, e.g. the occurrence of consecutive numbers in the factors of 2b. So for 2, 6, 12, 20 in the sequence we have factors - 2, 3, 4, 5.
Looking at it spacially, the simple (BLUE) overlapping the square (GREEN) so that the remaining Greens show the difference. It can then be seen - as below - why we get the numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 as the factors. [As the differences in Green are 2x1, 3x2, 4x3, 5x4.]
It's always good to ask the question, "I wonder what would happen if I ...?" and to encourage pupils to do the same. So what would happen if we look at a set of stacks getting bigger each time, and explored them in a similar way? [I've called these, "totals".]
and comparing the differences between different kinds of stacks:
(see 3 in the
We've looked at these three stacking arrangements and the sequences they've produced. The arrangements were related firstly to triangular, then square numbers. The newly introduced hexagonal one has a base which alternates between being regular and irregular.
To have hexagonal numbers in keeping with the triangular and square numbers we would have to miss out every other layer. This idea may very well come from some of the more experienced pupils.
So the exploration can continue by saying that we've looked at stacking and got involved with some triangular numbers [totals of "simple"] and square numbers, so what about ignoring the stacks and looking at triangular, square and hexagonal numbers? In other words, asking, "I wonder what would happen if I explore the three more common number patterns in the same way as the stacking exploration?"
These three patterns start off as:
(see 4 in
So, as before, having found it useful in producing patterns and ideas we look at the differences between these three newly generated number patters and the digital roots.
(see 3 in
Again as we have three new sequences we might look at differences within each.
A reminder that the results that we got in this last table might be looked at visually.
Sometimes the shape has to be skewed slightly to show the subtraction [as shown below in the 2nd and 3rd ones]:
So (1) shows tri number green that could overlap the red hex, so the remaining reds show the difference.
In (2) the square is skewed and then the diagram shows how it could overlap the red hex, so the remaining red show the difference.
(3) shows the tri number that is skewed and turned and then how it could overlap the blue square, so the remaining blues show the difference.
How these progress with the 4th, 5th, 6th etc. can be quite challenging in aspects of both number and shape and space.
These three number patterns can, of course, be looked at cumulatively. For example in the case of triangle numbers it would be:
1, 1+3, 1+3+6, 1+3+6+10 etc.
Do the same for all three number patterns and explore!
Then look at differences as we have done in the past!
(see 5 in
Just to whet your appetite, look at the numbers showing regular hexagonal totals i.e.
1, 1+7, 1+7+19, 1+7+19+37
Then consider cube numbers!!
Talking of Spatially - the younger/less experienced pupils can look at the spatial patterns in each of the hexagonal numbers, perhaps something like this:
Returning to the numbers ... Having got tables that show patterns in the three number sequences and patterns in their totals, we could compare things between the two and see if there is anything of interest - and if there is, WHY?. As an example, take the triangular numbers and totals of regular hexagon numbers and square numbers:
(see 6 in
What about the presence of prime factors?
Well we could look at something in this table 6, like the difference between the triangular numbers and square number totals:
(see 7 in
Also having got regular hexagon numbers we could look at the factors there:
(see 8 in
Quite a lot here with so many primes and the numbers that make up the prime factors!
An extension of this can be seen in the
showing 54 hexagonal numbers - with 27 primes!! - for exploring.
Those of us in England may wish to look at the Primary Framework , and there, in Using & Applying, say for Year 6, we would find the following.
All these statements could be experienced, used and learnt from the activities described above.
Using & Applying Mathematics Year 6
Solve multi-step problems, and problems;
Choose and use appropriate calculation strategies at each stage, including calculator use;
Tabulate systematically the information in a problem;
Identify and record the steps or calculations needed to solve it, using symbols where appropriate; interpret solutions in the original context and check their accuracy;
Suggest, plan and develop lines of enquiry; collect, organise and represent information, interpret results and review methods;
Identify and answer related questions;
Represent and interpret sequences, patterns and relationships involving numbers and shapes; suggest and test hypotheses;
Construct and use simple expressions and formulae in words then symbols;
Explain reasoning and conclusions, using words, symbols or diagrams as appropriate.
I've tried to show an example of taking a fairly simple activity and getting questions going that lead to other explorations. To summarise:
Simple challenge;
Ask "I wonder what would happen if we did them differently?";
Look at any number patterns generated, explore digital roots;
Take a look at it all spatially if appropriate;
Compare one number pattern with another; also spatially;
Have a look at factors;
Ask "I wonder what would happen if we did cumulative totals?";
See if there are any divergent thoughts that come out from it so far that lead to further study;
[That could lead to starting all over again as I did by introducing the regular number sequences.]
So allow freedom, give ownership, praise all kinds of suggestions, and take risks.
It's all a bit like writing a poem.
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The chief of the U.S. Africa Command warned on Friday (MARCH 15 ) that threats from Islamic extremists in Africa are increasing and if unchecked could pose a greater danger to American interests and allies.
Army Gen. Carter Ham faced some wary members of the House Armed Services Committee, who questioned a robust U.S. military involvement in Africa after more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ham said the threats in Africa do not match al-Qaida or the Taliban in Afghanistan, "but the trend is not good."
"I think we have an opportunity now to work preventive effort in concert with African forces and with allies and friends globally to suppress the threat, to reverse the trend, which is increasingly worrisome to me," Ham told the committee. "And that does not necessitate a large commitment of U.S. forces. And I do not believe that a large commitment of U.S. forces is either necessary nor appropriate under the current circumstance."
Ham cited the growing collaboration between the Nigerian-based radical sect Boko Haram and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which bases its operations in Mali. The general said AQIM is the wealthiest affiliate of al-Qaida, due in part to ransom from kidnappings and the drug trade, and the group has been financing Boko Haram.
The two groups also have shared training and fighters.
Boko Haram has targeted Nigeria's weak central government with guerrilla attacks. Pressed on whether it had any intent on striking in the United States, Ham said some elements of the group are looking to attack beyond Africa to Europe and the United States.
"I think that's why it's important for us in partnership with Nigeria and others … to help them counter this before their capability matches their intent," Ham said.
The challenge facing the U.S. military is determining which groups have legitimate ties to a terrorist organization such as al-Qaida and which are organizations dissatisfied with their government.
Ham also complained about "significant shortfalls in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance" as he tries to carry out his mission.
Ham's testimony came as the United States has increased training efforts in several African nations amid widespread insurgent violence across North Africa.
AQIM-linked terrorists are believed to have played a key role in the attack last September on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.
Ham, who took over Africa Command in March 2011, is stepping down and will be replaced by Army Gen. David Rodriguez.


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Skip to 0 minutes and 11 seconds Different organisms have different numbers of chromosomes, although instinctively, we think that the more complex an organism is, the more chromosomes they might have, this doesn't always pan out in nature. For instance, although a fruit fly has only eight chromosomes, a horse has 64 chromosomes, a turkey has 80 chromosomes, and a pineapple has 50.
Did you know?
Our resident scientist tells you his favourite genomics facts.
© St George's, University of London


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For Fiscal Cliff Deal, So Close Yet So Far
The quest to avert the fiscal cliff is as uncertain as ever after rival plans were rejected. WSJ reporters break down how the negotiations will play out from this point on.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... I ... silk some people may start to read to the fiscal cliff servicemen and flattening the collectors as rollercoaster and we were up last week this week were to ... read or we have to have election wind up with the status quo in the house in the Senate the White House and in terms of the status quo again with the with the debt ... load back were restarted ... pasted to spend the whole week ... doing this sideshow couldn't negotiation on plan B V has been any real substantive talks to him to the point now are actually pretty close to the engine is not a lot of stuff to show for it and can be just extends tax cuts for just about everywhere in the country that doesn't fix met many of the underlying problems ... which is just a sign that the talks either weren't moving fast enough for for for House Republicans ... and choosing isn't boasts the means to confess that they were making progress here there were there was a compromise on both sides ... and as Obama put that in his press conference today ... at ... not that far I ate it were heading toward a place where it looked like they were getting close in the office and it was deeply held and ... Obama Saturn or CNET can take it beyond ... anything I would just take the deal but it did it with a little bit surprising to see things go off the rails when they were ... putting the right direction what's confusing is that like what we all thought going in would be the big moments of concessions were actually achieved earlier this week were late last week and ... up ... John Binner takes Republicans to appoint place where they're willing to accept some tax rate increases million dollars in an oven income but still that broke the back of that that question ... and present Obama said we can live with reducing the inflation rate for Social Security ... benefits we can which means a ... lower benefits of toasters and he's taken in entitlement cuts ... you would've thought those were the big moments and it turns out was enough right ... it really interesting and confusing about this for families and businesses ... is there was use to watch in Pediatrics and is you know ... they compose employees in ... trying to get leverage ... should tell what exactly is that it isn't as bad as it looks as it is confusing as it is or is a really ... you know to be some call that thing at the end of where they sorta shake hands or when certain said that they did their best to try to get the most of the other side ... at this point it's hard to see her ... see a scenario where they do commit ... to a couple isn't shake hands and say you know we did the best ... of the question about that because we've been having these discussions come in at high altitude and high salary levels ... but I know people knew who are in our income level ... who actually supplement the incomes of say elderly parents who are on fixed incomes ... you know through no fault of their only were targeted sellers of a debt high enough to bring in huge benefits of the kids arrested trying to help them ... with that that this thing Etsy washes up in ... it's the kids whom Simon don't have as much disposable income so what happens to the parent that you've been trying to keep all of ... you know of the federal dole scheme to offer food stamps keep him off of all these other federal programs ... by supplementing their income is what happens to ... all of it's it's I mean the the impact of go over the fiscal cliff a service agreement will be to be a real jolt and mostly ... the biggest impact beyond the taxable to tax will really go up everybody know ... Univeristy ... maybe a ... hundred or two or dollars per paycheck extra going to the federal government the thrill of grocery money that's gas money ... Mr. been released on the tax rates go up the payroll tax ... reduction ... was put in effect two years ago also goes away at the same time in their sheer immediate impact as well as Akron and when that was testing cut from the federal program to see ... the impact over the place so ... you know the impasse ... both sides of things here but the manager baby ... dipping into January with a brief ... priests tell it but you can much further ... you can really cause a problem now on I think the assumption has to be the you can undo Congress's Congress they can do when they can and do whatever they feel like doing that mostly ... and ... don't roll that back you will get maple later ... but in the short term ... no waiters later short-term is now and I don't think you can deny that ... there's a real and a psychological impact if that's what happens ... the scary prospect that the politicians talk about this kind of tactical tear when he um maybe we should go aircraft missile Gets More leverage and and and the ... date the type that I kept asking that we will talk to some of the fence and in the White House ... kind of behind the scenes in the state this scene is when this happens this is not just a testing is a people's lives in people's pocketbooks without ... whom there are very real ... just this year ... she keep coming back up outside the Beltway and outside of the you know that the chest and discussions that we seem to have ... this is the Christmas season this is the holiday season this is what people would normally be shopping and going out to stores and buying things on Etsy trying to help boost the economy ... are people already starting to throttle back to ah to be on certainty and and what does that mean for business ... well I think some to some extent of this the striking thing is then the stock market has remained up ... even while this process hit the skids once again this week so much or people actually believe in iRobot consumers up my impression is that Christmas shopping has been ... reasonably good so I'm not sure that this is ... been absorbed are believed by people and an aviation because maybe this is all ... bluffing but I don't think the real ... the the the pre January first economic impact of the leopard one lesson we learn from the debt ceiling was that no one really pays attention to the last few days in the last week with the debt ceiling or end of July early August it was just absolute mayhem with financial markets the car was caught up in down ... two hundred and three points today ... you know the downgrade came back into the whole process really snowball quickly and I think ... I prefer the politicians haven't seen that so that there was no ... impetus for us to act because you know we can kind of advances process to muddle through ... but that once people start really ... go zooming in on this that when things get a motivation for Republicans really is that they don't believe that if they agree to tax increases now don't get leader of the spending cuts that are promising or some evidence in history to support that ... aam and sadly I don't think they believe the ... present has really shown seriousness about one in the collectors in time for Medicare and Social Security so ... they're arguing the long term ... the strategy here when everybody else ... around this table and elsewhere ... is more focused on the short term I think that's a tough balancing act in this one of the reasons this is really coming together ... both sides think that the other side ... has not been serious about right that the ... network it's a rather the phrase a lot right that's what they hear said in a spiffy when second press conference ... FDA said it ... and he thinks that the president has been serious about making kites ... and the Democrats think that the Republicans had serious ... about raising revenue and and so ... there's a dish or basic disconnect what does lead to serious mean in this process


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The all-new 2010 Mercedes Benz E-Class Coupe officially revealed ahead of the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The Coupe's styling is based on the new 2010 E-Class Sedan, unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show last month, and it shares most of its engines and its interior with the four-door as well.
With the new design, Mercedes claims that the E-Class Coupe will be the "world's most aerodynamically efficient series-production car." That's a bold claim to make but one can see in the newly acquired sleekness of the body that things have changed. This Coupe, in its slight form with no B-pillars and completely retractable side windows, creates a drag coefficient of just 0.24.
Read more (details + photos)!!
Read the rest of this entry »


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The Franklin Square Union Free School District is a highly regarded K-6 public school district located in the heart of Western Nassau County. It serves children from Franklin Square, West Hempstead and Garden City South. This primarily residential community is attractive to families with school-age children because of its high quality education, its family centered suburban lifestyle, and the recreational amenities provided by local parks and community sports leagues. The students complete their secondary educational programs in the Sewanhaka Central High School District, with most children attending the H. Frank Carey High School, located in Franklin Square.
The Franklin Square Schools are at the center of the community, serving the needs of many diverse groups. Community members take advantage of adult computer classes, the on-site community Historical Society Museum, after school child care, evening recreational activities, and summer educational and recreational programs.
The Franklin Square students are recognized for their academic performance. The Franklin Square Schools score within the top 5% of Nassau County School Districts. The community is justifiably proud of the following District accomplishments:
The District has long been known for the quality education and the Foundation of Success provided to the students who attend these schools. The students are offered a nurturing, caring, safe and educationally stimulating environment in which to develop healthy attitudes, strong character, and intellectual curiosity.
The School District offers a comprehensive curriculum to meet the needs of a diverse student population. Reading, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, and physical education represent the core K-6 curriculum. Cultural Arts programs and educational field trips enhance the elementary program. Integrated instruction through balanced literary strategies accommodates the developmental level of each student. A wide variety of supportive services are provided to address specific individual student needs. These services include special education, speech, remedial reading, English as a second language, gifted education, instrumental education, psychologists, and nurses. Beginning with the 1999-2000 school year, the District initiated Academic Intervention Services at the directive of the New York State Education Department. These services include remediation before, during and after school.
The District has a technology initiative that provides all students and staff access to state-of-the-art computer labs, distance learning equipment, in class computers with internet access, and other technologies.
The professional staff of the Franklin Square Union Free School District is composed of dedicated, competent and well-educated teachers and administrators. They continue to build on the strength of past successes with a pioneering spirit by adding new methodologies to their repertories of professional skills. The District's Professional Development Plan provides teachers with the training and skills to engage students in cooperative learning strategies, hands-on activities, research, and experimentation. Teachers utilize a developing knowledge of authentic and rubric assessments to accurately assess student progress and to guide remedial activities when necessary.


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Dennstedt appointed to water board position
A local representative on the Western Municipal Water District board of directors has been named one of the board's officers.
Brenda Dennstedt, who represents Murrieta on the five-member governing board, was appointed last week as secretary-treasurer for 2013.
Other appointments included Thomas Evans, president, and Charles Field, vice president.
The district provides drinking water to 23,000 customers in the region, including about 2,500 homes and businesses on Murrieta's northwest side.


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