text:
Winery Info
Gavin Newsom and Gordon Getty established PlumpJack Winery in 1995, inspired by one of Shakespeare's most memorable characters, Sir John "PlumpJack" Falstaff. His down-to-earth, fun-loving, irreverent nature is rivaled only by his fierce loyalty to Prince Hal, with whom he shares more than a few goblets of wine at the local tavern. PlumpJack Winery appreciates this hearty fellow's priorities. They pay allegiance to their world-class vineyard by crafting wines of the highest quality, and they celebrate the convivial spirit of their namesake with their inviting, approachable style. Even their tasting room encourages camaraderie, with doors wide open to longtime wine lovers and new enthusiasts alike.
PlumpJack Winery sits squarely in the heart of Napa Valley's renowned Oakville region, surrounded by a 42-acre estate vineyard highly regarded for the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon. Both the winery building and vineyard date back to the 1800s, which is when winemaking pioneers first took advantage of a unique position on the valley floor. The east side of the vineyard lies along the foothills of the Vaca mountain range and yields grapes with the kind of bold fruit character that comes from well-draining hillside soils. To the west, the estate lies in the Napa River floor zone, allowing vines to take root in rich, deep clay soils to produce grapes with softer, suppler varietal character. From the oldest, rockiest section – the "I" Block that sources Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve – to more recent plantings, PlumpJack strives to maintain balanced vines. Thanks to the full, expressive range of the estate, the resulting wines have become known for their intriguing complexity.
From 1973 to 1995, proprietors James and Anne McWilliams brought the estate vineyard to prominence with the dynamic, long-lived wines of Villa Mt. Eden Winery. PlumpJack is proud to carry on their fine heritage. Today, winemaker Aaron Miller and his team create the full-bodied, elegant wines that have earned the winery high critical acclaim. For each wine, he selects methods that allow our vineyards to shine through. He monitors vines for peak ripeness, chooses fermentation in oak or stainless steel, and ages the wines in a variety of oak barrels from distinctive cooperages.
PlumpJack is offered through Verity exclusively in New York.


text:
Wax On! Justin Bieber Gets an Early Look at His Madame Tussauds Figure
Plus: More star sightings!
Justin Bieber bought three tickets to Madame Tussauds Hollywood for himself and two friends, bought some popcorn and soda for the group, then checked out all the celebrity wax figures inside the museum. But he also got the rock star treatment: The teen star and his pals got a behind-the-scenes tour of the studio where the artists sculpt the celebrity wax figures.
Bieber, whose own wax figure is being readied for his 18th birthday, chatted with the studio manager and took an early look at the first photos of the clay head mold for his figure (see photo). A source tells us Bieber was more than happy with the progress. His assessment? "Very cool," he said, according to the source. – Kristin Boehm

subset: commoncrawl


text:
If you get through a lot of Oracal?651 or 631, buying by the roll may be for you!
Bulk purchasing Oracal?can get your per?square foot price down to as little as $0.43 using the discount code of SWINGDESIGN10.
Oracal 651 Glossy Vinyl 12 In x 150 Feet
Prices Start?at 10% Off $71.99 With Code
- 61 Assorted Colors Available
- 2.5?mils thick
- Made in the U.S.A
- 6 Year Outdoor Durability / Metallics 4-years
Oracal 631 Matte Vinyl 12 In x 150 Feet
Prices Start?at 10% Off $71.99 With Code
- 88 Assorted Colors Available
- 3?mils thick
- Made in the U.S.A
- Designed to last years
Whether you need adhesive vinyl for decals, cups, tiles or more removable?vinyl for window decorations, stencils, etc. buying bulk rolls will save you lots of money and shipping costs.
Check our store also for different pricing and size options for Oracal and Siser?products!


text:
Braised Fennel with Saffron & Tomato
I forgot to take a picture of this beauty the other night, because I had just come home from work and it was already ready to go (thank you my dearest husband!) and I gobbled it right up. The flavor here is amazing. I'm a huge fan of fennel and this tomato sauce does it right. We served it over brown rice to give it a little more heft (and to provide some lunch leftovers for the next day).
Braised Fennel with Saffron & Tomato
via Vegetable Literacy
2 large fennel bulbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
good pinch of saffron threads
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups fennel stock, chicken stock, or water
sea salt
1 tablespoon butter
freshly ground pepper
minced fennel greens or fresh flat-leaf parsley
Trim off the stalks and greens from the fennel bulbs. (Mince the greens for a garnish. If there are none, you can use parsley.) If the outer thick leaves of the bulbs look tough and scarred, as they often do, take a slice off the base to loosen them and set them aside for another use. Halve each bulb lengthwise and cut the halves into wedges about 1 1/2 inches at the widest part.
Heat the olive oil in a wide saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and fennel seeds, crumble in the saffron and thyme and then cook until the steam releases the color from the saffron, after several minutes. Add the fennel wedges and cook them until golden, turning them and the onions occasionally. Once they are well colored, add the garlic, stir in the tomato paste and then add the stock and 1 teaspoon salt. Scrape the pan to release the juices, then cover and simmer until the fennel is tender, another 15 minutes.
Photo: Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton


text:
Chicken Mole
6-8 Boneless chicken breasts, defrosted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 cups water
Mole Sauce:
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
¼ cup chili powder
3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of ground cloves
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3 Tablespoons peanut butter
2 cups water
Add water to 11 qt. Nesco® Pressure Cooker. Place chicken breasts on wire rack in cooker and set regulator knob to PRESSURE. Set Cooker to HIGH temp for 5 minutes and press START. Timer will not begin counting down until ideal pressure is reached. Ensure that internal temperature of chicken reaches 180 for doneness. When finished, release the pressure but leave chicken in Cooker to keep warm.
In Nesco® 8" Electric Skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until onions slightly are browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in chili powder, brown sugar, cloves and cook for 2 minutes, continuing to stir. Mix in tomatoes, cocoa powder, peanut butter and water. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until desired thickness is achieved.
Mexican Rice
2 cups white rice
1 Tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 ½ teaspoon salt
16 oz. tomato paste
4 cups water
2 cups frozen peas and carrots
Preheat Skillet to medium-high and add oil. Reduce heat to medium, add rice, stirring constantly until lightly brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, salt, tomato paste and water. Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until rice is tender. Add peas and carrots, and cook for another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.


text:
Quick Links
SEAC Agendas and Minutes
Agendas and minutes from previous SEAC meeting are available by contacting Lorna Goodrow (email@example.com) or 905-631-6120 ext. 323.
Accessible documents available. The Halton District School Board is working toward having this website fully accessible and compliant with AODA regulations. If you require a PDF document that is not accessible, please contact Director's Office for assistance at 905-335-3665 ext. 3354.
Halton District School BoardJ.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph LineBurlington, Ontario, L7P 5A8
Phone: 905-335-3663Fax: 905-335-9802


text:
Speaking of embarrassing, here's me modeling my newly re-fashioned shirt!
This is what I started out with. See? Boring, over-sized men's shirt.
Side note: our team's name was "Factor America". Factor is a medication my work provides for Hemophilia patients and one of my awesome co-workers loves superheroes, so she named the team after Captain America.
Next up, I used some leftover elastic in my stash to ruche the sleeves & sides. I won't go into how I did it, but if you want to know how, you can use this tutorial that I used. I have heard that there is such a thing as elastic thread, but couldn't find it at the store, so just used regular elastic which worked all the same. Since I used leftover elastic, I used the thinnest one I had, but if I were to buy elastic specifically for this, I would have bought something even thinner.
After ruching the sleeves, I tried my shirt on again and pinned where I wanted to take the sleeves in since they were still a bit too big, then hemmed them up.
I trimmed off the excess fabric...
Then zig-zagged the edges just to be on the safe side. If you have a serger, that would work much better than zig-zagging.
Here's how the sleeves looked after ruching. Cute (and a little bit crooked)! I didn't bother buying matching thread since I had planned on only wearing it once for the walk, but normally you would want to buy matching thread. Otherwise, it's noticeable like this.
I ruched the sides of the shirt, just like I did with the sleeves.
Then I cut out the collar to open up the neckline a bit more. I left it as-is, after cutting it.
And one more time with the embarrassing picture, for the final product! Sure, I could have rolled up the sleeves and tied a knot at the bottom of the shirt, but anyone can do that! Do this instead!
Originally posted by Adventures in DIY


text:
Monday, January 31, 2011
SuprA! ft. 1ino1eum - Musique Mécanique
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sun Wizard
ARTIST / BAND: Sun Wizard
MP3: World's Got A Handle
ALBUM: Positively 4th Avenue
FILE UNDER: Alternative / Grunge / Powerpop
LABEL: Light Organ
INFO: Sun Wizard are your favorite band from when you were in high school, back when the whole world was a little bigger and everything you touched was a bit more golden. You knew all the words to their songs, you bought every last one of their records, and rushed out to the record store every time their new single came on the radio. They were the soundtrack to that endless summer, and they colored your adolescent fever with the helpless optimism that everything was going to be just fine.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
FILE UNDER: Experimental / Other / Pop
INFO: Zoey Van Goey are an indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland, made up of Matt Brennan, Michael John McCarthy, Kim Moore and Adam Scott. Brennan, McCarthy and Moore, hailing from Canada, Ireland and England respectively, formed the initial trio in Glasgow in 2006, with Scott becoming a fully-fledged member in 2010.
Friday, January 28, 2011
ARTIST / BAND: Jeniferever
MP3: Waifs And Strays
ALBUM: Silesia
FILE UNDER: Alternative / Gothic
LABEL: Monotreme Records
INFO: Monotreme Records is very proud to be releasing 'Spring Tides', the second full-length album by Jeniferever.
Jeniferever is a 4-piece band from Uppsala, Sweden. They have previously released 4 eps and one album since 2002, and have played over 250 live shows across Europe. Over the years, they have gained an ever-growing band of admirers, who have bestowed descriptions such as 'lush', 'melodic', 'swooping', 'glacial', 'beautiful', 'shimmering', 'sublime', 'electrifying' and 'atmospheric' on their music.
Some have compared their sound to the physical beauty of their native country, with its aural landscapes of slow-paced melodies which build to orchestral-like climaxes.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Nightlands Drops
ARTIST / BAND: Nightlands Drops
MP3s: "Suzerain (A Letter to the Judge)" / "300 Clouds"
ALBUM: Forget The Mantra
FILE UNDER: Indie
LABEL: secretly canadian
INFO: Nightlands is the recording project of Philadelphia-based multi-instrumentalist Dave Hartley. The music he creates in his bedroom is itself a bed of delicate, chiming strings and bubbling synths beneath a blanket of choral vocal arrangements. It's dreamy in the literal sense -- the seeds for the album were sown when Hartley began archiving musical ideas that occurred in his sleep with a simple bedside tape recorder. As a result his debut album Forget the Mantra is, in essence, a field recording of Hartley's dreams -- a travel journal through pop music and a collection of psych-hymns from the first human lunar colony. The songs sound both huge and intimate, breathy and cavernous like massive echoes of a faraway concert. It's the big, shadow music from just across the lake.
Friday, January 21, 2011
All Tiny Creatures
ARTIST / BAND: All Tiny Creatures
MP3: An Iris
ALBUM: Harbors
FILE UNDER: Electroacoustic / Minimalist / Rock
LABEL: Hometapes
INFO: Stacked melodies, distorted organs, stretched chords, reimagined vocals: Collections of Colonies of Bees/ Volcano Choir multi-instrumentalist Thomas Wincek drops his Emotional Joystick handle for the glorious themes of All Tiny Creatures. ATC's debut release is Segni, a vinyl-only document of four engrossing instrumentals that kindle the fire of something-like-Krautrock through the lens of both rigid methodolgy and a wholehearted embrace of rhythm and its unpredictable results.
All Tiny Creatures - An Iris Mixtape SIDE A
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Modern Skirts
ARTIST / BAND: Modern Skirts
SONG (MP3): "DUI" / Modern Skirts -- "Rebecca St. Claire" / "Happy 81" / "Bumper Car"
ALBUM: Happy 81
FILE UNDER: Alternative / Indie / Pop
LABEL: s/r
INFO: Modern Skirts' Happy 81 EP marks a stark contrast to their previous records. The band flexed its pop muscle on the debut record, Catalogue of Generous Men, and their sophomore effort, All Of Us In Our Night, found the band starting to push its own boundaries. The Happy 81 EP and the forthcoming full length record (tentatively scheduled for a November 9th release date) both have their origins in singer Jay Gulley's bedroom four track cassette recordings. Through the years, while Modern Skirts was touring and recording their studio albums, hundreds of cassette demos were being recorded in the off time. These songs were purely for enjoyment, never to be heard by anyone outside of the band. This is a rare treat. A peak into the fetal stages of many of the songs that will see their finished versions on the soon to be released full length. read more from the source...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Echo Lake
ARTIST / BAND: Echo Lake
MP3: "In Dreams" / "Young Silence"
ALBUM: Young Silence
FILE UNDER: Ambient / Pop / Psychedelic
LABEL: No Pain In Pop
INFO: In the summer of 2010, Thom Hill met Linda Jarvis while studying at Camberwell Art College in South London. The two instantly connected after discovering the ex-choir girl's voice perfectly complemented the tracks Thom had been crafting in his bedroom, and they decided to work on a new project together, which would come to be known as Echo Lake.
Matching driving rhythms with ethereal, gorgeous melodies, Echo Lake is an arresting take on the droney side of psychedelia's pop frontier. The band's demos were quickly discovered by indie label and blog No Pain In Pop, who signed the band and posted some of the songs on the blog. The tracks garnered critical praise almost immediately, and were featured on Pitchfork, Gorilla vs Bear and The Fader.
The songwriting duo decided to take a bit of time off from school to record and put together a band with some friends from Thom's hometown of Birmingham. Keen to avoid the stigma often attached to bedroom projects' live performance, they shed the backing tracks the recordings were based on and replaced with a tight, loud set up for shows.
Echo Lake's debut EP, Young Silence, is set to be released via No Pain In Popon February 14 (UK) and February 15 (US). Recalling a pre-Sub Pop Beach House crossed with a more raw side of My Bloody Valentine, it's as bold and complete of a statement as you can expect from a band so young.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Okinawa Lifestyle
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Download "Muzorama's Best of The Recent 1"
Les Jupes - Myth #3 (The Mountain)
Frightened Rabbit - My Brother Tom, the Green Beret (The Philistines Jr. Cover)
In Grenada - Distance And Temptation
The Asteroid #4 - Wild Opal Eyes
Eksi Ekso - Kills of the Flood Tide
The Liptonians - You Know I Did
Monday, January 10, 2011
John Blaze
Sleeping In The Aviary
MP3: Sleeping In The Aviary -- "You Don't Have To Drive" / Sleeping In The Aviary - "Y.M.C.A. (No, Not That One)"
ALBUM: Great Vacation!
FILE UNDER: Rock / Classic Rock / Comedy
LABEL: Science Of Sound
The lineup of Kozel, Phil Mahlstadt (bass), and Michael Sienkowski (drums) churned out their debut album, Oh, This Old Thing? in 2007. The disc's intense bursts of lo-fi pop-punk drew comparisons to The Thermals, Buzzcocks, Violent Femmes and Nirvana. Then another side of the band's musical personality was captured on SITA's sophomore album from 2008. Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel was a move towards indie-folk heralded by the addition of fourth member, Celeste Heule, on accordion and musical saw. Kozel switched from electric to acoustic guitar for many of the songs, and also found himself screaming just a little less, exposing more of a tender side. This album cued comparisons to artists such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Bright Eyes, Baptist Generals and even Bob Dylan.
For 2010, Great Vacation once again finds the band in fresh musical territory, and also with a newly-added fifth member; Kyle Sobczak on guitar. Layers of backup vocals (including multiple tracks of gargling, which Kozel describes as "the new reverb") and additional instruments such as harp, trumpet, banjo and mouth harp accompany stories of scuba diving, sinking on a ship, space-like love, an S&M session gone awry (or did it?) and the occurrence of irony the day before one dies. The ten songs on the album were tracked and mixed by the band themselves in their Minneapolis attic.
Saturday, January 08, 2011
MP3s: "Ignition Slated For Eight" / "Wild Opal Eyes"
ALBUM: Hail To The Clear Figurines
FILE UNDER: Psychedelic / Folk Rock / Experimental
LABEL: The Committee to Keep Music Evil
INFO: Ups & Downs, Twists & Turns….That is an appropriate way to describe the path traveled by the Asteroid #4 since the latter half of the Clinton years. Hail To The Clear Figurines is the sixth album by Philly psychonauts, The Asteroid #4.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Caroline Lufkin
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
G e o t i c
ARTIST / BAND: G e o t i c
ALBUM: Mend (download album for free)
FILE UNDER: Minimal / Ambient
LABEL: s/r
INFO: Music project of Will Wiesenfeld (Bath)


text:
Who will win an Oscar at the 2015 Academy Awards? It's been a tradition since my wife and I first started dating many years ago, for us each choose the winners…
Tag: academy awards
A Parent's Picks – Academy Awards 2013
See all of this year's Academy Award nominated films? See any of them? I feel you. In case someone brings it up at work or on a play-date (same difference?), here are this year's nominees, and who will win:


text:
Your Propane Company, Employees & Customers Deserve Full Value For Their Ongoing Loyalty
The decision to sell your propane company must not be taken lightly. Here's just a brief sample of what some of our propane business acquisition owners have to say regarding their experience joining the ThompsonGas family:
"When researching a buyer for Cooperative Propane, I was determined to find an organization that would provide my employees the opportunity for growth. I carefully studied the path ThompsonGas was taking, confident with their future plans. It was obvious our team could contribute to this candidate's vision. Since selling my propane business I've watched with great pride as our star employees have continued to evolve with ThompsonGas."
Benny Gay
Cooperative Propane
Andalusia, AL
"I can't express how appreciative I am to Randy, Jeff and the entire ThompsonGas team for including my loyal employees in the ongoing success of the propane business. It's been like joining a close knit family."
Luke Houlton
L&P Propane
Wetumpka, AL
"After working in the business for 60 years, I decided it was time for me to retire from my propane company. I started the process of finding a propane business buyer and had actually consulted with several propane companies. I decided to sell to ThompsonGas. They were the perfect fit, and understood the value of my propane business. I was confident they would continue the valued service my company had provided for my customers, some of whom had been with me since 1946. I also wanted to sell my propane company to a group who would value my current employees and offer them more benefits than I had been able to provide.
Negotiations with ThompsonGas began and were conducted with transparency in a professional, competent, and timely manner. I have been pleased with our business transaction and continue to receive positive reports from my previous employees and customers.
If you are looking to sell your propane business, I highly recommend speaking with ThompsonGas."
David Sarten
Tri-State Gas
Clinton, KY
"In 2012 after the death of my business partner and good friend Alton "Bear" Askew, it was decided that we would sell our four location propane distribution company. We had two main criteria as conditions for a sale. One, to sell to a larger company that could provide a fair price for what we had established and, secondly, to find a buyer that would also make a commitment to our employees to evaluate them fairly and provide benefits to them that we could not provide. Of the companies we interviewed only ThompsonGas met this criteria, to which we are continually grateful. If the time has come to sell your propane company, I certainly would recommend selling to ThompsonGas."
Ed Bistany
Fourpoint L.P. Gas
Meriwether County Gas
Coweta County Gas
Luthersville, GA
"ThompsonGas was great to work with. They followed through with their promises and the transaction couldn't have been smoother. I recommend anyone thinking of selling your propane company to contact the team at ThompsonGas."
Charles Lesley, President
L & L Propane Gas
Red Bay And Tuscumbia, AL


text:
Revised 9-07
For more information contact:
Controller's Office
Account Balances/Detail
The Account Balances/Detail Application is a means of communicating financial information between University units. It provides WSU Budget Statement information which permits the comparison of commitments (expenditures and encumbrances) with allocations and revenues.
Such comparison assists deans, budget administrators, finance officers and principal investigators in monitoring and controlling each project's financial activities.
Personnel should check online Account Balances/Detail or the hard-copy Budget Statement monthly to make sure recorded commitments to the account are an accurate reflection of actual commitments as documented by the responsible department.
Online Access
The Controller's Office encourages departments to use online Account Balances/Detail to review and control departmental financial activity. The online application provides more timely data and is less costly to departments than using and maintaining hard-copy Budget Statements.
Departments should request computer access to the Account Balances/Detail Application, also referred to as BALANCES (see BPPM 85.33). Online data available through this application reflect all financial transactions which have cleared the Controller's Office by the end of the previous working day.
Account Balances/Detail provides the same information as Budget Statements. Much of the descriptive information about the online Account Balances/Detail included in this section (BPPM 30.07) also applies to the Budget Statement.
Hard Copy Distribution
When requested by University departments, the Controller's Office authorizes the issue of hard-copy Budget Statements. Contact the Budget Statement Distribution Coordinator for details; telephone 509-335-2013. Departments are charged for hard-copy Budget Statements.
Departments and deans' offices receive copies of the statement by the15th of each month. The statement reports transactions processed by the Controller's Office through the last working day of the previous month.
Using Account Balances / Detail (BALANCES)
The responsible administrator (dean, chair, etc.) may delegate to a specific office group or individual responsibility for carefully monitoring assigned accounts.
Personnel may use the Account Balances/Detail (BALANCES) and project records to get a relatively current accounting of project allocations, revenues, encumbrances and expenditures. An accurate accounting of a project's financial status is critical when the project is nearly out of money or when the end of the fiscal year or agreement period is near.
Reconciliation Procedures
Refer to BPPM 30.06 for suggested reconciliation procedures.
The following pages provide descriptions and sample exhibits of all sections of the online Account Balances/Detail (BALANCES). Since the configuration of the Account Balances/Detail reflects departmental activities, a given department's Account Balances/Detail may or may not include all of the described sections.
Heading Information
Certain data are printed at the top of each page.
Programs 0110, 15 and Up
For accounts in these programs Account Balances/Detail (BALANCES) headings include the following elements (Fig. 1).
Budget Title
The budget title indicated. The responsible budget administrator is also indicated in some report screens.
This is the budget number. The Budget Office assigns budget numbers (see BPPM 30.05).
Inclusive Dates of This Report
This period commences with the beginning of the current fiscal year and ends with the last business day of the indicated month.
Page (Budget Statements Only)
All of the project Budget Statements within a budget are issued together in project order within program. This number appears on the hard-copy Budget Statements only and simply indicates page number sequence within a given budget. It has nothing to do with the specific program or project.
This indicates the specific type of operating function within the University. Programs 1 through 10 are educational and general operating programs. Programs 11 through 14 are sponsored; 11 and 12 by federal agencies; 13 and 14 by nonfederal agencies. Auxiliary enterprises, service funds, scholarships, trust and agency funds are included in programs 15 through 19 (see also BPPM 30.05).
Each project within a given budget is assigned a unique number.
Project numbers under programs 1-10 and 15-19 are assigned by the General Accounting Section of the Controller's Office.
All numbers are approved by Controller's Office personnel to prevent duplication.
- Hard-Copy Budget Statement
Each unique project number initiates a new page; thus, each project's complete Budget Statement can be separated if necessary.
Project Name
The project title is indicated after the project number.
% of Period Elapsed
This is the percent of the current fiscal year which has elapsed.
Sponsored Programs
The following data appears on the master account table for sponsored accounts in programs 11 through 14 only (Fig. 2).
Inclusive Dates of This Report
Statements for sponsored programs report data from the beginning of the agreement period to the last business day of the indicated month.
In most cases Sponsored Programs Services assigns project numbers when sponsored accounts are established; however, Sponsored Programs Services has designated blocks of project numbers for assignment by certain major University units.
Project Name
The project title may be the sponsor's name or initials or a short description of the research involved.
Project Period
This indicates the beginning and termination dates for the project.
Prin. Investigator
The name of the principal investigator(s) is printed below the project period. The principal investigator is responsible for all charges incurred during the project. (NOTE: Although the principal investigator is responsible for charges, he or she does not automatically have expenditure authority for the account. See BPPM 70.02 for delegation procedures.)
% of Period Elapsed
This is the percentage of the actual project period which has elapsed.
Project Summary to Date by Object
This report provides a concise summary of the current status of the project's budget. All allocations, expenditures and encumbrances which have been processed between the commencement of the fiscal year or project period through the end of the indicated month are included. (See Fig. 3).
Object categories identify expenditure type. The object code and name are indicated on the left side of the page. Object categories are grouped differently on various types of Account Balances/Detail reports. See BPPM 70.09 for more information about objects.
Explanatory Note
The following descriptions of this section are divided into two major parts. The first part describes project summary reports for general University accounts in programs 01 through 10. The first part also describes those elements common to all Account Balances/Detail reports. The second part describes those aspects of project summary reports which apply to Account Balances/Detail reports for accounts in programs 11 and above only.
General University Accounts
General University accounts include those accounts in programs 1 through 10.
This column indicates the total amount allocated or budgeted for expenditure by object.
- Object Grouping
Objects 01, 02, 03, 04, 06, 11, 16, 19 and 21 are grouped and the operation subtotal is provided. A budget administrator can reallocate between these objects by notifying the Budget Office.
- Object 05
If the account is in fund 001, object 05 (computing) is not subject to object reallocation by the budget administrator.
- Object 00
Object 00 monies are usually allocated on the basis of positions assigned to the account.
- Object 07
Object 07 monies are usually allocated on the basis of employee benefit charges for positions assigned to the account.
Expended To Date
This column indicates the expenditures processed by the last business day of the previous month.
- Object 21
This object records transfers between accounts in programs 01 through 10. For vendor departments interdepartmental transfers (object 21) are recorded as a negative expenditure and are interpreted as transfers of funds into the account.
This column includes amounts that administrators have obligated but not yet disbursed. Encumbrances are carried forward from month to month until the designated expenditures are processed by the Controller's Office. If a partial payment is made to a vendor, only the amount of the payment is liquidated from the original encumbrance. The balance of the original encumbrance remains encumbered until the remaining payments are made to the vendor.
- Object 00
Salaries (00) are encumbered to the end-date of the fiscal year, assignment, position, or appointment; whichever comes first.
A personnel action processed by Payroll automatically generates encumbrances in this object (see BPPM 60.25).
- Objects 03, 06 and 16
Goods and Services (03), Equipment–Capitalized (06), and Equipment–Noncapitalized (16)
Purchases from off-campus vendors are encumbered by issuance of a Purchase Order (see BPPM 70.13).
Subtract Expenditures and Encumbrances from Budget to calculate Balance.
Example for equipment (object 06):
Only those expenditures and encumbrances which cleared the Controller's Office by the end of business on the previous day are indicated on the current Account Balances/Detail reports.
Percentage Used
This is the percentage of the budgeted amount which was processed by the Controller's Office as spent or encumbered by the final working day of the previous month. This figure is calculated as follows:
(Expenditures + Encumbrances / Budget) x 100 = Percentage Used
Budget administrators and principal investigators are encouraged to compare this figure (especially the total) with the percentage of time elapsed indicated at the top of each page. If the project's percentage used to date greatly exceeds the percentage of time elapsed, a budget administrator or principal investigator might wish to carefully monitor future obligations.
Programs 11 and Up
All objects are totaled together (Fig. 4).
Project Budget
- Sponsored Programs
In programs 11 through 14 the indicated amounts are budgeted to each object by the sponsor's agreement. Requests for changes in allocations are transmitted to Sponsored Programs Services. Sponsor's approval may be required before an allocated amount is transferred. See rebudgeting procedures in BPPM 40.23.
- Programs 15 and Up
For programs 15 and above this is the amount allocated to an object for the fiscal year.
It is not necessary for the department to request object reallocation since expenditures are not limited to specified object allocations.
Revenues collected during the year are allocated to object 03, 08, or 15.
At the start of a new fiscal year, the previous year's closing Balance is allocated to object 19 as the new year's project Budget.
Outstanding Encumbrances
- Object 00
Salaries (00) are encumbered under sponsored programs (11-14) to the end-date of the applicable project, assignment, position, or appointment; whichever comes first.
- Object 07
Employee benefits (07) are encumbered under sponsored programs (11-14) to the end-date of the applicable project, assignment, position, or appointment; whichever comes first.
- Object 13
Facilities and administrative (F&A) costs (programs 11-14 only)
The amount encumbered is merely an estimate based on the F&A cost rate specified by the agreement multiplied by the estimated expenditures included in the base. The amount spent for F&A costs is the specified percentage of actual expenditures.
Project Summary To Date Revenue
This section provides a summary of revenue received or invoiced to date. (This section is not provided on Account Balances/Detail reports for state-funded accounts (fund 001) in programs 01 through 10.) (Fig. 5).
Object 99
Revenue-This includes amounts received from sources of funding. (This does not include interdepartmental transfers which are recorded in object 21. See Object 21 above.)
- Programs 01-10, Fund 148-01
This is the projected revenue for the fiscal year.
- Programs 11-14
This is the award amount due from the sponsor.
- Programs 15 and Up
Differing methods are used for setting the Estimate.
Generally, this is the amount the project has received or invoiced, unless the revenue comes from a revenue pool account (RPA).
This is the amount currently due from the source. This is the amount received or invoiced (Revenue) minus the Estimate. The Variance is negative as long as the Estimate exceeds Revenue.
Personnel should report positive variances for sponsored projects (programs 11-14) to Sponsored Programs Services. This positive variance may result from an overpayment by the sponsor or from late allocation of funds by Sponsored Programs Services personnel when processing a new or recently renewed agreement.
This is the percent of the Estimate which the project has received from the funding source. This is defined as:
(Revenue / Estimate) x 100 = Percent
Project Balance
A project Balance is displayed for sponsored and self-sustaining accounts. The project Balance is Revenue received to date minus the total Expenditures.
Project Summary To Date By Subobject
This section provides more detail than Section 1. Budget administrators may use this section to help identify problem areas or to analyze expenditures. Objects are listed in numerical order with subobject codes listed alphabetically within object. Subobject titles are listed after the subobject codes.
Allocations are not made at the subobject level, thus nothing is shown in the Budget column by subobject categories.
Expenditures and Encumbrances are indicated at the subobject level (Fig. 6).
The Budget, Expenditures, Encumbrances, Balance, and Percentage Used (PCT) columns are all indicated at the object level, repeating data shown in Section 1.
Current Month Transactions–Operations
This section provides data to enable personnel to check or audit the Account Balances/Detail. (See BPPM 30.06 for reconciliation procedures.)
Each transaction for the month is indicated under the appropriate object with the subobject code listed in the first column Fig. 7).
This is the date the transaction was processed by the Controller's Office.
Description or Payee
This is usually a vendor's name or a description of what was encumbered.
Additions or subtractions in allocated amounts are listed under the appropriate object.
Expenditures for the month are listed in alphabetical order by subobject under the appropriate object.
Actual payments to vendors may differ somewhat from the encumbered amount. The original encumbered amount may be an estimate based upon a catalog price, or it may not include sales tax, shipping charges, or discounts.
The minus next to an amount in the Expenditure column indicates a recovery of expenditure which results in a gain of available funds within that object.
Encumbrances are listed in alphabetical order within subobject code under the appropriate object.
- Carry-Forward
Encumbrances are carried forward until the obligated funds are spent or the encumbrance is cancelled.
Sponsored programs (11 through 14): Treatment of encumbrances at the project termination date varies with the agreement (see BPPM 40.03).
Programs 01 through 10: Encumbrances carry forward at the end of the fiscal year. Expenditures which correspond to carried-forward encumbrances are charged to new fiscal year dollars.
- Salaries
Encumbrances for salaries under sponsored programs (11-14) are based upon 174 hours a month. Actual salary expenditures are based on the number of hours worked divided by the actual total potential working hours for that month. Actual working hours may be more or less than 174; thus, the actual expenditure may vary somewhat from the encumbered amount.
ID Number
- Salaries and Wages
Most transactions involving salaries (object 00) and wages (object 01) have an ID number. The first six digits are the position number. The last alpha character is the employment type code. Employment type codes are as follows:
C = Classified Employees
E = Administrative Professional
F = Faculty
G = Graduate Student
H = Nonstudent Temporary
R = Retiree
U = Student Temporary
- Other Objects
For other objects, the Controller's Office assigns the ID number to identify the vendor when a disbursement takes place.
The fund designates the type of resource expended or allocated. A fund may have restrictions placed upon its use (see also BPPM 30.05).
The transaction type identifies the way a transaction is handled by the accounting system.
If the transaction type is odd (e.g., 51, 83, 91), the transaction is processed as a positive amount. If the transaction type is even (e.g., 52, 84, 92), the transaction is processed as a negative amount. Usually the even transaction type is the inverse of the odd transaction type.
Journal vouchers are used to make adjustments within the WSU accounting system. A transaction type that is described as journal vouchering another transaction type is simply adjusting a previous transaction. For audit purposes, the previous transaction is not changed.
The transaction types in the following table are found on Account Balances/Detail reports.
|01, 02
|Cash Receipt--Records the receipt of cash.
|07, 08
|Refund--Records a refund of revenue and operating transfer.
|11, 12
|Original Allocation--Used to enter the original budget for the fiscal year or the project period.
|13, 14
|Supplemental Allocation or Reallocation--Entered throughout the fiscal year or project period to cover allocation transfers to the account.
|15, 16
|Computer Generated Allocations--Automatically created in the month-end processing of receipts. This is done only in certain accounts.
|17, 18
|Balance Forward Allocation--Carries forward cash balances at the end of the fiscal year.
|21, 22
|Journal Voucher--Corrects an original receipt or transfers revenue between accounts.
|27, 28
|Journal Voucher--Used to transfer revenue between accounts or to cancel a refund check.
|51, 52
|Encumbrance--Records an obligation or encumbrance against an account based upon an order which has been placed with a vendor or an expressed intention to purchase goods or services.
|55, 56
|Encumbers salaries and wages
|57, 58
|Encumbers employee benefits
|71, 72
|Refund of Revenue
|81, 82
|85, 86
|Expenditure-Payroll System--Records payments for salaries, wages or retirement supplementation.
|87, 88
|Compensating Tax Accrual--Records the sales tax payable on a purchase from a vendor who does not collect sales tax as a part of the invoice total.
|91, 92
|Expenditure Journal Voucher--Corrects the account coding of a previous expenditure or transfers expenditures between accounts.
|93, 94
|Check Cancellation--Cancels a check written to the wrong vendor or for the wrong amount, e.g., duplicate payment, payment for out-of-stock item.
|97, 98
|Recovery of Expenditure--98 records the recovery of a prior expenditure. It also records a transfer from another department in object 21. 97 records an increase of expenditure.
|Accounts Receivable--Records a receipt processed through the Billing Receivables System.
- Document, Reference Numbers
These numbers refer to documents associated with a transaction.
- Doc. No
This is the number of the document which directly initiated a transaction shown on the Account Balances/Detail reports.
- Ref. No
Usually this is the number of the document which initiated a previous step in the expenditure procedure, e.g., field order. Sometimes a reference number is assigned to further identify the transaction, e.g., a Request for Shipment of Merchandise number.
- Allocations
For allocations or transfers listed as entries in the budget column, nothing is indicated under document number. The budget journal voucher number is indicated under reference number.
- Salaries and Wages
Expenditures for salaries (object 00) and wages (object 01)-The reference number indicates the month worked and the fraction of total staff-months the expenditure represents, e.g., FEB 0.18.
- Encumbrances
Salaries–The reference number indicates the date through which the salary is encumbered.
Other objects–No reference number is shown. The document number is the field order or contract number.
- Employee Benefits
Expenditures for employee benefits (object 07)–The reference number indicates the date of the expenditure.
- Telephone Rental
Expenditures for telephone rental (object 11) or telephone tolls (object 03)–The reference number is the billing month.
- Number Prefixes
Most document and reference numbers are numeric (other than exceptions noted above) with an alpha character prefix. The alpha prefix identifies the type of document involved. The following prefixes have been assigned:
B. Budget journal voucher BA. Blanket Purchase Order C. Contract CC. Computer Benter IRI CR. Confirming Requisition D. WSU Receipt E. Emergency orders F. Field order H. Departmental requisition I. Interdepartmental Invoice (Service Center automated billings only) J. Income journal voucher K. Departmental purchase order M. Olympia requisition MS. Mailing Services N. Olympia purchase order P. Payment Request P. State printer requisition R. Receipt S. Salary and benefits encumbrance (document number only) S. Slip number (similar to a packing slip number) (reference number only) T. Transportation Request U. Purchasing card transaction line V. Payroll batch number X. Requisition number Z. Purchasing Blanket Order Blank Interdepartmental Requisition and Invoice (IRI)
Project Summary To Date
This section shows receipts by source/subsource (Fig. 8).
Source codes are listed for receipts with a source description.
Current Month Transactions–Receipts
This section details receipt activities for the month of the report (Fig. 9).


text:
Steph's Travels
Whether you're headed just for a short trip by car, flying to a different state, or touring oversees, it will assist pack all the essentials you would possibly need and to not forget things. I was thinking that maybe with buying and selling within the motorhome I might get the trailer and perhaps have something left over in direction of a small rig for summer season journey. I took a similar journey in 1992, to journey on what was left of US Freeway eighty, from Tybee Island, Georgia to San Diego, California. Welcome to this offers and reductions record and directory for seniors age 50, fifty five, 60, 65 and over. Now that my new passport has arrived, I am looking into getting a 3-month journey visa.
With all of the electronic gadgets and equipment women need to travel with as of late, these organizers are simply the fitting items to give them. In hotter climes the power for the silk journey blanket to keep you cool is very handy, you'll be grateful your travel blanket made of silk. Job #1: Portray RV Interior Cabinets & Vinyl Wallpaper – Latex over Primer over Vinyl – Roll On!
You present your travel recommendation in a wonderful reader-friendly trend, offering a nice stability of pros and cons, and providing frugal options to certain things we right here in America take without any consideration. I favor to get a journey blanket and pillow together, however you might desire to get a singular travel pillow that meets you specific wants. Our map combines data from a wide array of sources (English-language guidebooks, Spanish-language restaurant websites, Cuba travel blogs, and so forth).
Then if they don't but have a journey pillow and blanket set, this may be a lot appreciated reward. Most males need to look smart and trendy, fairly fashionable and be able to travel round in a pair of light and cozy good wanting pants. One factor to know however, is that these trailers the place built in a time when velocity limits didn't exceed fifty five mph. Get all the journey inspiration and data you want from superstar journey audio system and vacation spot and travel specialists at dozens of travel seminars designed to help you dream and plan your subsequent vacation. This short video takes you through the highest style traits for men who have to journey. One tip for the frequent traveler: Convey one of those garbage luggage (industrial use) in your carry on. You should utilize this to wrap your baggage not solely after they burst open but additionally whenever you journey to rural areas and your baggage might be placed in the back of the vans.
Fundamental Plan includes essential travel insurance coverages (trip cancellation, interruption and delay; lost, stolen, delayed or damaged baggage; emergency medical remedy or evacuation) and 24-hour emergency journey help. Nahwa Journey menyediakan berbagai jenis kendaraan seperti avanza, xenia, innova, hiace serta isuzu elf baik long maupun quick. We brought our printed map with … Read More


text:
Latitude: 55.8747 / 55°52'28"N
Longitude: -4.2928 / 4°17'33"W
Nearest Postcode: G12 8SJ
OS Eastings: 256650
OS Northings: 666994
OS Grid: NS566669
Mapcode National: GBR 0BF.WT
Mapcode Global: WH3P2.1L3Q
The nearest postcode is for approximate location purposes only (eg, sat-nav use), and is not necessarily the correct postal address postcode for this location.
The Street View image is of the nearest location (within 1km) that has imagery available. It isn't necessarily the precise location of this object. It's just there to give a general impression of what the surroundings are.
(Links open in a new window)


text:
They sleep on our beds, shed on our clothes, star in countless YouTube videos, and brighten our lives in every way imaginable. There is nothing like the unconditional love pets give us, and ARF, the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, Inc., has brought that love to hundreds of Hamptons homes. In 2014 alone, ARF found homes for over a thousand cats and dogs, a number that definitely calls for celebration.
ARF has been one of the Hamptons' best-loved organizations since its beginning in 1974, a no-kill shelter that cares for animals until they find good homes. Their kennels have indoor and outdoor dog runs, and the catteries have scratching posts and screened-in porches. All of that ritzy real estate for Fluffy and Fido is payed for with private funds, largely raised at ARF's summer events.
Saturday, May 30 is the opening of ARF's Designer Showhouse. Designers, including Brian P. Brady, Jamie Drake, Kevin Hart, Tamara Magel, Mark Schryver and Peri Wolfman descend upon ARF's Thrift and Treasure Shop in Sagaponack to turn it into a designer show stopper using whatever catches their eye among the thrift shop inventory, supplementing with items from their own collections. "It's the fifth year for this event," comments Jamie Berger, Director of Marketing and Communications. "It started in 2011. We were planning to renovate our thrift shop—15% of our income each year comes from there."
Jennifer Rockford, ARF's Director of Philanthropy adds, "The event was created to introduce a new audience to the thrift shop." For animal lovers and design fans, the ARF Designer Showhouse has a unique feature—everything is for sale, even the items coming from the designers' own collections. "That's what differentiates this designer showhouse from others," Rockford points out. "You can buy everything!" Berger remarked, "The different designers have put together some unique rooms—one is on the theme of birds."
At 5 p.m. on May 30, there is an exclusive viewing for those who want to have first dibs on their favorite items. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the event opens up to general admission. With 100% of the proceeds going directly to ARF, the price of admission, either for the preview hour at 5 p.m. at $250, or the general admission at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for $150, your purchases will go a long way to making our furry friends comfortable and happy. As an additional draw, there will be a book signing by Jorge Bendersky, author of DIY Dog Grooming, From Puppy to Best in Show: Everything you Need to Know, Step by Step. Bendersky will be donating 100% of the proceeds of his book sales at the signing to ARF. The Designer Showhouse will be open the following day, Sunday, May 31, to the general public, with a suggested $10 donation.
Saturday, June 20 is the date for ARF's much-loved garden tour. This year the focus is on the gardens of Southampton. Running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine, this self-guided tour has always been extremely popular. Berger observes, "You can walk it, bike it, a lot of people come to the ARF Garden Tour from mid-island and Nassau County." The Garden Tour concludes with a cocktail party at Blue Haven, the home of Lisa and Donald Jackson. The tour alone is $85, the tour and cocktail party is $175.
ARF will wrap up their summer season with their third annual Bow Wow Meow Ball on August 15. "It's our biggest fundraiser of the season," Rockford says. "We'll have a sit-down dinner, a vegetarian meal catered by Glorious Food, and music by Peter Duchin. We tent the grounds and we have the same design team as last year—David Monn and Alex Papachristidis. We are so excited to announce this year's honoree, [architect] Peter Marino."
The proceeds from all these events will help fuel ARF's future plans, Berger explains. "We're on the verge of another expansion." Which just means that ARF will be able to help more of our furry friends find loving homes in the Hamptons.


text:
"The man who changed the way the world thinks"
Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco (WiredPRNews.com) – "The man who changed the way the world thinks" – Bestselling author, Tony Buzan, brings his sell out tour to America
From 3rd May to 18th May Tony Buzan will be presenting a series of workshops and seminars on improving thinking, creativity, productivity and effectiveness.
There are limited places at all events which are being held in San Francisco, Minneapolis and New York. His Accredited Trainer course in New York has already sold out.
Described as "the next giant leap for mankind" by best-selling author Michael Gelb, Tony Buzan has helped millions to unlock their creativity, enhance their memory skills and expand their thought processes. He invented Mind Maps in the 1970s, which are now used by over 250 million people worldwide. He is a speaker and consultant for businesses and government organisations all over the world, including Walt Disney, Microsoft, Boeing, HSBC, IBM, and the BBC. Tony has also worked with prominent figures and global media personalities, including five-time Olympic Gold Medallist Sir Steve Redgrave, and the royal families of Bahrain and Liechtenstein.
Tony will be hosting events in New York, Minneapolis and San Francisco. The course attendees will learn how to work creatively, generate innovative new ideas, deliver dynamic and engaging presentations, improve organisation and planning, and enhance their training repertoires.
HSBC's Head of Learning & Development, Anne Ewing said that "he held the audience spellbound as he challenged, confronted and tested our collective assumptions about how adults learn. His complete mastery of his subject shone through… He is an extraordinary teacher and communicator".
About Tony Buzan and the Think Buzan System
"Tony didn't invent the brain. He did invent the instructions".
John Husbands, Institute of Management
In 2008 Tony received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Creativity Association (ACA). In 1994 Forbes Magazine named Tony one of five top international speakers, along with Mikhail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger and Margaret Thatcher, and reported that "Buzan shows corporate executives how to hotwire their creative energies." He has authored or co-authored over 100 books on the brain, translated into 33 languages and published in over 150 countries.
Tony's courses are lauded internationally, and he has been described as "a mesmerizing speaker" by Stephen Lundin, author of the five-million-copy bestselling 'FISH!', who went on to say that "in a few hours he communicated to a business audience the practical portion of what I had spent four years studying."
Raymond Keene, of The Times newspaper in London, declared that "Tony Buzan will do for the brain what Stephen Hawking did for the universe… there can be no clearer or more effective mental tool". Tony's achievements have also been commented on by Maurice Gavin, Chairman of The Institute for Management Studies "Tony Buzan, the father of Mind Mapping, has impacted millions with his thinking and toolset. I am not only a huge fan, but also a devout user of his Mind Mapping thinking process."
The brand new ThinkBuzan System will be making its global debut on Tony's US Tour. After decades of research into the brain and how it works, Tony Buzan has synthesized his range of knowledge and expertise into the ultimate workshop for fine tuning your brain. His Excellency Dr Abdul Hussein Ali Mirza, Minister for Oil & Gas in Bahrain, observes that "Tony Buzan is a man on an impressive mission – to unlock the power of our brains and show us how to tap and use our creative genius." With a potent combination of over 40 years of study, and co-hosted by ThinkBuzan's CEO and author of 'Mind Maps for Business', Chris Griffiths, this new system is designed to maximise your creativity and give you the tools and techniques to conquer any area of your personal or business life.
The ThinkBuzan System is built around a number of cutting edge techniques created to address key areas such as; working creatively to generate new ideas and find innovative solutions, conquering an overwhelming workload with ease, making the right decisions quickly, combating information overload with Rapid Reading and Recall, and strategic thinking and goal setting to boost personal and business development. A one stop shop for addressing all business situations and demands, the ThinkBuzan System is constructed to maximise your potential and help you achieve unimagined levels of success.
Tony's US Tour events are an ideal opportunity for all executives, consultants, trainers and managers, as well as anyone working within the education sector, marketing and PR, learning and development and human resources. However, Tony Buzan's mind-enhancing techniques can be applied to any situation, be it personal or business, so everyone can benefit from attending the workshops. The ThinkBuzan System workshops and Buzan accredited courses are all being run for the first time ever in the USA, and bookings are already coming in from across the globe. As said by John Husbands, of the Institute of Management, "Tony didn't invent the brain. He did invent the instructions".
• The world's leading author on the brain and learning (over 100 authored and co-authored books to date, published in 33 languages, in over 150 countries).
• The world's top lecturer on the brain and learning.
• Named in 1994 by Forbes magazine as one of five top international lecturers.
• Recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Creativity Association (ACA) .
• Founder of the World Memory Championships.
• Founder of the World Speed Reading Championships.
• Inventor of Mind Maps, the thinking tool now used by over 250 million people worldwide.
• Previous editor of the international journal of MENSA, the High IQ Society.
• International business consultant to major multinationals including: BP, Boeing, Walt Disney, Oracle, Microsoft, HSBC, IBM, British Airways.
• Consultant and adviser to governments and government organisations including: England, Singapore, Mexico, Australia, the Gulf States and Liechtenstein.
• Waterstones book shops and the Express Newspaper group have recently selected one of Tony's books, 'Use Your Head', as one of the 1000 greatest books of the past millennium.
• Tony Buzan:
• ThinkBuzan Ltd:
• The ThinkBuzan System & The US Tour: http://www.thinkbuzan.com/uk/services/training/usa2010
Kathleen Church | Media Relations Liaison
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 1-800-961-4582 (US time)
Mobile: 952-297-7496


text:
In honor of today, here is the scene from Joseph Makiewicz' 1953 film adaptation of Shakespeare's, Julius Caesar. Starring a young Marlon Brando as Marc Antony and Louis Calhern as Caesar, this is a classic piece of literary history on film. Enjoy, but beware the Ides of March. … [Read more...] about The Ides of March Have Come
Newsies: Disney's Addition to the Tools of Protest
Don't you wish we could use choreography as a method of protest the way they do in the movie Newsies? Disney seems to have added something to the toolbox of protest in this film about historic newspaper worker confilcts with Pulitzer. Demonstrations, marches, pamphlets -- and dancing. While I used to claim that it takes more than that to make change happen - and … [Read more...] about Newsies: Disney's Addition to the Tools of Protest


text:
Arnold Schwarzenegger Gets Literary
Arnold Schwarzenegger has a memoir in the works. Simon & Schuster announced today that our fair former Governator/Gropenator has begun work on an autobiography with the tentative title Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story.
"Truly, Arnold is one of the most fascinating figures of our time, and one of the greatest success stories in the world," Simon & Schuster publisher Jonathan Karp said in a press release. "Nobody has a life story even close to his."
Tough to dispute that. Doesn't mean we'll be giving him our money though. If the libraries weren't broke thanks in part to his tenure as governor, maybe we'd be able to pick a copy up there.
Amazingly, this will be Schwarzenegger's second book. He published The Education of a Bodybuilder back in 1977.


text:
Steering Committee
Greg O'Malley is Director of the CWH and an Associate Professor of History. His research interests include the early modern Atlantic world, slavery, the slave trade, and the American Revolution. He is the author of Final Passages: The Intercolonial Slave Trade of British America, 1619-1807 and serves on the steering committee of Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database.
Maya Peterson is an Associate Professor of History. Her research interests include Imperial Russian and Soviet history; comparative empires and colonialism; and the histories of science, technology, medicine, and the environment. Her recently completed book, Pipe Dreams: Water and Empire in Central Asia's Aral Sea Basin, was published in the Cambridge University Press Studies in Environment and History series in 2019.
Ben Breen is an Assistant Professor of History. His research interests include early modern Europe, the history of science and technology, the global drug trade, and world history. He is currently finishing a book, The Age of Intoxication: Origins of the Global Drug Trade. He is also starting research for a second book that will explore the misidentification of unfamiliar technologies as magic over the past three centuries.
Marc Matera is an Associate Professor of History. His research interests include Modern Britain and the British Empire; Black European Studies; the Black Atlantic; women's and gender history; and the history of sexuality. He is the author of Black London: The Imperial Metropolis and Decolonization in the Twentieth Century and co-author of The Global 1930s.
Affiliated Faculty
Edmund Burke, Professor Emeritus of History
Alan Christy, Associate Professor of History
Alma Heckman, Assistant Professor of History
Gail Hershatter, Distinguished Professor of History
Sharon Kinoshita, Professor of Literature
J. Cameron Monroe, Associate Professor of Anthropology
S. Ravi Rajan, Professor of Environmental Studies
Juned Shaikh, Assistant Professor of History
Edward (Noel) Smyth, Lecturer, Writing Program
Megan Thomas, Associate Professor of Politics
Lynn Westerkamp, Professor of History


text:
Photography by Nick Ballon
Models shot by Jonathan Minster
Words by Elizabeth Breiner
Drawing upon his familial link to the Bolivian region and knowledge of the cultural landscape, Nick Ballon employs his camera in El Alto as the vehicle for an aesthetic and sociological study of the indigenous Andean people through the material objects of their aspirational self-expression. Placing traditional miniatures representing diverse desires next to the physical incarnations of these strivings, realized, the photographer proposes a means of understanding the new Aymaran bourgeoisie's singular brand of vibrant, futuristic architecture that saturates the otherwise grey skyline of El Alto: namely, as the expression of an identity so endlessly reconfigured, unyielding yet adaptable, that it simultaneously straddles the realms of ancient and modern, Bolivian and European, fantasy and reality.
Outward and upward
For the indigenous peoples of Bolivia, preservation of a distinct cultural identity has been no small task in the face of colonial oppression, enslavement, and forced religious assimilation by a ruling Spanish elite, who presided over Bolivia's Andean region for centuries, withstanding countless narrowly-quashed rebellions by the native populations.
Even today, the city center of La Paz – which, with its skyscrapers and government buildings has become the commercial and political heart of the entire region – is populated largely by wealthy Spaniards. It is only as one travels outward and upward onto the steep slopes of the Andes that the population transitions into majority indigenous Aymara, in an uncommon inversion of the typical urban relations between wealth and altitude. Although the city's population is predominantly Aymara, the power still rests in the hands of the European ruling class, and the city is host both to the cultural manifestations of its tradition-oriented natives and the highly modern financial and political structure that makes it the Bolivian capitol in all but name.
God of abundance and fortune
It is here in La Paz, the city with a split identity, that the Alasitas festival takes place, a socio-religious celebration that combines ancient tradition with modern consumerism in the sale of miniature objects representing the buyers' desires for the coming year. Once purchased, the miniature items must then be blessed, first by a Catholic priest at the cathedral and then by a curandero (a native shaman), representative of Bolivia's distinctive religious fusion of Catholic and Andean beliefs. Finally, the acquired miniatures are placed under the arms and at the feet of each household's own miniature Ekeko, the poncho-clad patron of the festival and god of abundance and fortune.
Ekeko himself has undergone numerous transformations since his origination among the pre-Columbian Tiwanaku. The grinning icon is particularly associated with the late eighteenth century liberation of La Paz, which ushered in a new era of optimism among the indigenous people and established the connection between the tradition of offering miniatures and the dogged hopefulness of the native peoples. He is always outfitted in traditional Andean garb, typically a poncho, but the range of modern miniatures that adorn and surround him suggest the ancient god is not incompatible with the spirit of globalization. In fact, the Aymara have always been active traders, prior to the Spaniards arrival and even after losing their Pacific coast to Chile in the early twentieth century; nowadays El Alto is still considered a 'dry harbor' through which all nature of goods pass from the Far East to the rest of the country.
While the most common miniatures were once grains and representative symbols of other material necessities like livestock, these have since been displaced by miniature currency (Bolivianos, Euros, Dollars), in addition to visas, diplomas, marriage and divorce papers, property deeds, and—among the most popular items—tiny two- and three-story buildings and housing complexes. These are enhanced by a cartoonish palette and often feature a range of architectural oddities that have been rendered using increasingly diverse and ambitious materials. As a vendor at the Alasitas fair pointed out to Ballon's collaborator Amaru Rance, "Those big buildings, you know, they look like some of the casitas we used to make years ago. Who knows, maybe the people who own them have been faithful to the Ekeko and have asked for their houses to be built just like that."
El Alto, alter ego of La Paz
El Alto became one of Bolivia's largest, poorest, and fastest-growing cities after becoming its own municipality, distinct from La Paz, in the mid-1980s. Considered something of an 'alter ego' of La Paz, El Alto has suffered rough economic conditions—low employment, limited resources and access to running water or electricity—that have not prevented many of its residents from looking down on La Paz, which they call 'la hoyada' ('the hole'); indeed, El Alto sits on the rim of the Altiplano and so literally looks down on La Paz that sprawls beneath. A certain pride in their collective "urban-rural identity" quickly arose among the majority indigenous population; a large number of the new Alteños were farmers and herders from the rural Altiplano, and prided themselves on both their resistance to adversity and of their ability to retain their traditions in an urban setting.
But although many of these new residents were joining others from their home communities, they frequently strove to eliminate any outwardly identifying signs of their rural, peasant origins. Bolivians striving to become more white or westernized generally distanced themselves from the Alasitas fair, seen as a symbol of indigenous tradition and culture, and even the wealthy or upwardly mobile Aymara were reluctant to draw attention to themselves. This is visible in the El Alto architecture prior to the turn of the century, which was functionally very similar to the flashy structures that exist today, with different levels serving distinct social and economic purposes, but aesthetically was deliberately banal.
It was not until the turn of the century, coinciding with the election of Bolivia's first indigenous president Evo Morales in 2006, that El Alto's indigenous population began to once again wear their cultural identity on their sleeves—and, as a period of increased economic prosperity took hold, on the increasingly extravagant facades of their own homes. The vibrant, sometimes lurid structures interweave futuristic sci-fi abstractions and Western iconography (see: faux-diamond insignia and a building modeled after the Transformer's Sentinel Prime) with variations on traditional Andean and Aymara motifs like the Andean Cross, echoing the patterns and palettes seen in their textiles and the ancient Tiwanaku structures. Well over a hundred of these buildings exist, with that number growing by the year.
Architecture of a people
Inside, the structures are typically divided into commercial storefronts on street level, with a rentable party hall taking up the main floors—the interior here tending to mirror the extravagant pastiche of the exterior—and residential apartments up above, for rent or for members of the proprietors and their family. The architectural individuality of these structures is by no means a reflection of the owners' social mentality, which tends to be one deeply rooted in a sense of community and communal living, deriving directly from Aymara spiritual tenets (historically challenged but not wholly compromised by Christianity). Aymara spirituality is "based on the notion of the binary, of complementarity, of living in function of others and not of oneself," so that individuals strive to achieve the same reciprocal and harmonious relation with their neighbors as with the natural world and the Supreme Being they worship.
As such, although it is generally merchants with some disposable income to spare who initiate these architectural projects, the structures are built with the community not only in mind but often directly involved. Most new businesses and initiatives in El Alto are funded by way of local financial support—individuals pooling their resources—outside any formal system of loans and banking; all with the understanding that each new venture thereafter will, in turn, receive comparable support from the community and give back where possible. This informal approach to credit and business is similarly mirrored in their approach to construction, with the majority of the involved architects and construction teams having had no formal training and employing highly unconventional and improvisational methods in the building process.
This new Aymara landscape, then, has been constructed on the indigenous people's own terms, utilizing traditional economic and social methodologies and mapping on the face of these architectural oddities an identity built of seemingly impossible physical and cultural contradictions that nevertheless coexist in an unlikely and vibrant beauty. The aesthetic is in some ways reminiscent of wealthy Roma gypsies' domestic interiors, lavish dreamscapes of the nouveau riche that combine elements of their cultural heritage with the seemingly fervent desire for singularity—as though compelled by a sense of the comparative fragility of their newfound status to make their mark as boldly and unapologetically as possible. For the indigenous Aymara, these designs are a way, perhaps, of expressing pride in a cultural identity many centuries old whilst simultaneously distinguishing themselves from their ancestors, showing a forward-thinking, modern attitude that will distance them from their rural, peasant origins.
For despite natural lapses in ethnic pride in the face of centuries of oppression and marginalization, the indigenous people of the region have demonstrated a special brand of resilience, consistently resisting the ruling class's efforts to mold them and force acceptance of their cultural and religious practices, particularly Castilian culture and the Catholic faith. It is also worth nothing that the mediated method by which these groups were historically ruled, in conjunction with the segregated and self-contained nature of their communities, granted them a unique ability to preserve many aspects of their cultural identity—leaving them, finally, with a complex heritage that is difficult to define but hardly diminished.
In a sense, the exteriors that are neither strictly Aymaran or Andean or Western or colonial or futuristic, but all of these things simultaneously, are perfectly emblematic of the unique population that reside within. The contemporary Aymara are by no means without a distinct and authentic identity, but it is one that has been infiltrated by a hybrid of multicultural influences, including Western models of consumption and pre-packaged desire, visible in the evolution of the iconography and rituals associated with the ancient god Ekeko. It is, however, through this unique strategy of outward assimilation (and indeed, the unchanging faith in what Ekeko represents) that they have been able to retain and protect the essential aspects of their cultural identity—seen in the interior composition of the flamboyant structures where lie ensconced the integrated layers of communal social living on which their society depends, and around which the physicality of an entire city is formed.
All additional images courtesy of Nick Ballon.


text:
Budding jazz instrumentalists are often told that they need to find their own voice but, ironically, those who use their actual voices are often expected to adhere to the sonic standards of those who came before. Fans and press who value originality in jazz instrumentalists wring their hands in frustration when moreJohn Coltrane clones come into the picture but, on the other side of the coin, the masses applaud and herald singers with voices crafted in the images of jazz icons (e.g. Madeleine Peyroux'sBillie Holiday-like voice), creating a double standard that does a disservice to those singers who don't fall in line.While the ability to interpret songs from The Great American Songbook, and understand and borrow musical mannerisms from notable artists, has undeniable merit, vocalists like the one and only Rene Marie deserve to be measured for their originality in voice, spirit and song. Marie's steadfast commitment to her own vision of music has won her wide acclaim for a string of fine recordings, and placed her in controversial situations, as with her "Lift Every Voice" rewrite of "The Star Spangled Banner," but she always remains confident in her artistic decisions, never letting populist ideals or the changing winds of the music industry sway her from her chosen path.
Black Lace Freudian Slip comes closely on the heels of Marie's personally patriotic Voice Of My Beautiful Country (Motéma, 2011), but the focus is now on Marie-as-composer. Ten of the thirteen tracks on this album are Marie originals and, while her honesty and spirit shine through in each and every performance, she touches on various themes and styles throughout.
"Black Lace Freudian Slip" is a study in contrasts, as Marie uses a sensuous delivery that shows off her feminine wiles, while also infusing her vocals with the type of boastful braggadocio usually reserved for male rappers, but that's only one side of this complex individual. Elsewhere, she touches on a folk-country hybrid that leans toward the sound of Ray LaMontagne ("Wishes"), boisterous pseudo-samba ("Rufast Daliarg"), stunning, soulful displays of vocal intensity ("Deep In The Mountains"), and music with earthy bass and tom grooves that wear textural designs often found in the work of Cassandra Wilson ("Ahn's Dream"). While Marie rails against the notion of people comparing her to other famous voices—like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan—during her aural response to a club owner who told her that jazz singers should interpret rather than write ("This For Joe"), it's hard not to notice a Nancy Wilson-like zeal in her voice on the waltzing "Free For A Day." Here, and on her ode to a drummer's accent ("Rim Shot"), Marie is at her most lighthearted.
With so many different styles and sounds coming in and out of the mix, Black Lace Freudian Slip doesn't really come off as a statement from a jazz singer. Instead, it arrives as a musical gift from one of the most arresting and complex vocal personalities performing today.
Track Listing: Black Lace Freudian Slip; This For Joe; Wishes; Thanks, But I Don't Dance; Free For A Day; Ahn's Dream; Gosh, Look At The Time; Rim Shot; Fallin' Off A Log; Deep In The Mountains; Serenity Prayer; Rufast Daliarg; Tired.
Personnel: Rene Marie: vocals; Kevin Bales: piano; Rodney Jordan: bass; Quentin Baxter: drums; Bill Kepper: acoustic guitar (3); Lionel Young: electric guitar, fiddle (10); Dexter Payne: harmonica (3); Michael A. Croan: vocals (10).
Record Label: Motéma Music


text:
What is it?
Eurobarometer surveys monitor the evolution of public opinion in all EU Member States. The aim is to assess EU citizens' awareness of and support for the European Union's activities. Tracing public opinion trends helps the preparation of policy, decision-making, and the evaluation of the EU's work.
What do European citizens think?
The 2017 results show a continuing and overwhelming level of support for EU action on humanitarian aid and civil protection:
- 88% of respondents felt it important that the EU fund humanitarian aid activities.
- 90% said it was important that the EU help to coordinate the response to disasters in the EU (through its civil protection role).
- Most EU citizens (56%) do not think their own country has sufficient means to deal with all major disasters on their own.
Asked about the current pressure on Europe's public finances, 84% supported the continued funding of EU humanitarian aid, and 66% felt humanitarian aid provided by the EU was more efficient than by individual countries. An overwhelming majority (91%) also believe that EU should fund education for children and young people caught up in crises, and 86% support the sending of EU volunteers abroad.
If an emergency were to occur in their country, 80% of Europeans feel that they would expect another EU country to help. 86% also believe that the EU should help any country in the world hit by disasters by sending experts and equipment. A large majority (87%) also believes that there should be an EU civil protection policy, as crises can impact across borders. Finally, 81% think that coordinated EU action in dealing with disasters is more effective than actions by individual countries.
Regarding prevention and preparedness for disasters, almost half of Europeans (49%) do not think that enough is being done at a regional level or within their own countries to prevent or prepare for emergencies.
EU citizens also show a high level of awareness (71%) of EU humanitarian aid activities and significant awareness (55%) about EU's coordination role in response to disasters in the EU.
Report and Summary
- Report: Humanitarian aid | Civil protection
- Summary: Humanitarian aid | Civil protection
Factsheets national results:
- Austria en
- Belgium en
- Bulgaria en
- Croatia en
- Cyprus en
- Czech Republic en
- Denmark en
- Estonia en
- Finland en
- France en
- Germany en
- Greece en
- Hungary en
- Ireland en
- Italy en
- Latvia en
- Lithuania en
- Luxembourg en
- Malta en
- Netherlands en
- Poland en
- Portugal en
- Romania en
- Slovakia en
- Slovenia en
- Spain en
- Sweden en
- United Kingdom en


text:
December 20, 2014
July 12, 2014
Colin Jackson
June 28, 2014
Tonight on the Cultural Vibe, CJax and Spenny have a special treat. They will be giving away tickets to see Rittz tomorrow night! Tune in to find out the special trivia question in order to win. Spenny also talks...
Michigan State University Student Radio
© 2020 • Privacy Policy • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNO • Log in


text:
I working with Excel 2003. I am trying to create a formula which will count on two criteria. Basically in the example attached I am trying to count the number of times that "Not recorded" shows for the "AMS" column. Any help would be appreciated.
Col A Col B Col C
Name 1 Not recorded AMS
Name 2 Not recorded AMS
Name 3 Not recorded AMS
Name 4 Not recorded BCG
Name 5 Not recorded BCG
=SUMPRODUCT(($B$1:$B$5="Not recorded")*($C$1:$C$5="AMS"))
Click Here Before Posting Data or VBA Code ---> How To Post Data or Code.


text:
At Barcode Technologies and Services (BTS), we're in the business of making your job easier while saving you money with comprehensive barcode technologies and services.
We understand that printing labels can be time consuming and expensive to manage. BTS is relieving much of that burden with products and services that are proven to cut costs and improve overall efficiency.
BTS offers a wide selection of labels, tags and ribbons. And our service bureau—offering customers the option to outsource their label printing to us—guarantees quick turn around and the highest quality work … satisfaction guaranteed.
No two businesses are exactly alike. Nor do they have the same label printing and bar coding needs. That's why we address every customer's issues individually, expertly tailoring solutions to overcome unique challenges and address specific needs.
Time and again, customers express their appreciation for the convenience and peace of mind Barcode Technologies and Services affords them. In fact, they've labeled us their "provider of choice." Now that's a label worth living up to.


text:
Friday Giveaway: Elemental Herbology Pure Radiance Facial Mask & Serum Kit
I'm a fan of Elemental Herbology for its natural-meets-cosmeceutical sensibilities, clean scents, and pretty packaging. I'm an even bigger fan of even prettier holiday packaging. Exhibit A: the Pure Radiance kit. In this little gold box of bliss comes the Facial Glow peel and Cell Food serum. The time is right to liven things up during this skin-dulling weather. From Elemental Herbology:
Cell Food: This anti-aging powerhouse of proteins, anti-oxidants and vitamins is an essential addition to any skincare regime. Daily Serum combining Kombuchka/Pomegranate/Green tea/Vitamin A, C and E
Facial Glow: An essential radiance peel with a tropical cocktail of vitamins, enzymes and skin-brightening botanicals to exfoliate dead skin for a glowing complexion. Kombuchka/Vitamin C/Papaya/Manuka Honey.
And who couldn't use a little more Manuka honey right now? Enter here to win.


text:
S.510: Your government welcomes you to the new "nationalized agriculture" system!• The PPJ Gazette
1 Comments in Response to S.510: Your government welcomes you to the new "nationalized agriculture" system!
Oh, you poor souls are so confused and misguided. What you see as "nationalized agriculture system" is what the rest of us who don't hate Obama because he is black (but because he is Bush III, another corporate shill) see is that destructive, predatorial mega corporations such as Monsanto are paying off the government to do things like this and eliminate the competition so that they can reign supreme on the market. But y'all keep seeing what you want to, continue aiding and abetting the pillage and theft of whatever is left and accelerate your own enslavement to them. Go ahead, cut your own nose to spite your face.


text:
|From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk
Stella Barbone linked to The A2 milk case: a critical review.
This was refuted by A critique of Truswell's A2 milk review.
That referenced Autism and schizophrenia: Intestinal disorders , Can the pathophysiology of autism be explained by the nature of discovered urine peptides? , Enzymatic release of neocasomorphin and beta-casomorphin from bovine beta-casein. & Opioid activities of human b-casomorphin.
Babies have naturally-high gut permeability, so wrong milk proteins may cause damage. Human breast milk contains only A2 casein.
In older humans, gut permeability is modulated by several factors.
1. Insufficient sun exposure, causing hypovitaminosis D. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=%22Vitamin+D%22[All+Fields]+AND+%22tight%20junction%22+AND+hasabstract[text]
2. Excessive consumption of oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids. See Dietary Fat Can Modulate Intestinal Tight Junction Integrity.
3. Excessive consumption of Wheat. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=%22Wheat%22[All+Fields]+AND+%22tight+junction%22+AND+hasabstract[text]
4. Excessive exercise. See Shedding Some Light on the Leaky Gut <> Exercise Connection. Plus: 20+ Things You Should or Shouldn't Do to Protect and Restore the Integrity of Your Intestinal Wall.
5. Lack of dietary Sulphur. See Sulphation and Autism: What are the links? A good source of sulphate is Epsom Salts.
See also Physiology and Immunology of Digestion.
Continued on Wheat, Constipation, Ischaemic Heart Disease, Type 1 Diabetes, Schizophrenia and Autism.


text:
METRO VANCOUVER -- When the fierce windstorm that blew across Metro Vancouver Saturday reached Kevin and Susi Koehn's home on a dead-end avenue in Surrey, it packed so much punch that it snapped their lone power pole and toppled five large alder trees across the road.
The Koehns and their three young boys were among the more than 710,000 people left without power in what BC Hydro is calling the worst attack on its electricity system. But unlike most, who had their power back on as early as Sunday or Monday, the Koehns on Wednesday at noon became the very last house to have their power restored, a full four days after the storm began.
However, don't think that the Koehns, both 35, or their boys, Andy, 10, Jesse, 7 or Toby, 5, had it too rough. If there is going to be any family left to the last without power, isn't it best that it be one with a general contractor for a father and a husband, with gas-powered generators, chainsaws and a handy excavator in the backyard? With strapping strong brothers who can come over and help clear the road of the deadfalls? And a brother-in-law who knows how to hook up the generator in such a way that it doesn't re-energize the downed line and endanger crews working elsewhere?
"The trees hadn't stopped coming down and I found my husband in the garage sharpening the chainsaw," said Susi. "I said 'what are you doing?' and he said he was getting ready to clear away the trees."
"I had power to the house by 2 p.m. with a 7,000-watt generator," Kevin said cheerfully. "The only thing we couldn't do was do the laundry."
The Koehns don't live atop some remote mountain, or in some greatly inaccessible place. Their newer house, built on an acre in a pocket of small hobby farms, is tucked into a short stretch of 92nd Avenue just down the road from the Serpentine Hills entrance to Tynehead Regional Park. One can hear the traffic racing down the hill on the Pacific Highway, heading for Cloverdale and the Canada-U. S. border. The nearest Starbucks is just eight minutes away.
But the Koehns might as well have been somewhere remote. It is exactly because they are the only home on a single pole that they were left to last, as overworked and exhausted Hydro crews struggled to fix nearly 2,000 separate windstorm-related outages. When the storm whipped up Saturday at noon, it took out power to nearly half of Hydro's 1.4 million customers in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island. It was the single largest power failure in Hydro's history.
Someone had to be last as nearly 400 electricians, including crews brought in from all over the province, turned their attention to restoring large swaths of neighbourhoods left dark. Hydro always said it would get to single or isolated circuits last. It turned out the Koehns' broken pole was it.
"When you are the only guy on the street and the only one being fed by a pole that is broken — and the delay was getting a new pole — you gotta know that you're going to be last," Kevin said. "I had always said that if we had power by Thursday or Friday I'd be happy. Turns out we got it by Wednesday."
Kevin called in his two brothers to help buck and clear away the fallen trees. His brother-in-law came over and wired the generator into the house electrical panel. And then the family settled in for the long wait.
Hydro spokeswoman Simi Heer said the Koehns' repair job was an example of how the company has to prioritize repairs.
"This was an extensive repair job that brought power back to one customer and is a good demonstration of our restoration plans during large storm events like Saturday's," she said.
When a bleary repair crew from Hydro's Victoria shop on Vancouver Island showed up Wednesday halfway through a shift that started at 3 a.m., Susi said they were surprised to learn this was the last reconnection left from the windstorm.
"The guys who were here today were red-eyed and tired, but they were super nice and happy to help," Susi said. She plied them with baked goods and coffee she made in her generator-powered kitchen. By 11 a.m. they had disconnected the generator, planted the new pole, strung new wire and energized the line. Only the Shaw cable line is still on the ground, and that will take another week to reconnect.
The Koehns, who moved to the neighbourhood two years ago to raise the boys closer to nature, said the power failure delivered unexpected benefits. Kevin lent a smaller extra generator to someone to power a refrigerator, and the family made closer friends with neighbours. The boys, who are in Scouts, learned what it means to be prepared.
"I think it is the first time I've been so glad my husband had so many tools. I used to say 'oh no, not more tools,'" she laughed. "We know more about our neighbours now than we did when we lived in Burnaby."
The Koehns didn't take their gas-powered generator for granted. Andy said he and his brothers played board games the first night and were happy to have the television later. But they don't watch a lot of TV or play with hand-held devices, so it didn't matter too much.
Tuesday night's dinner was chicken barbecued on the grill outside, and pasta from the gas stove in the kitchen. And as has become a new normal, at least for a brief time, Andy, Jesse and Toby washed up.
"The boys had to do the dishes by hand because I wouldn't let them use the dishwasher because it uses too much power," Kevin said.
Asked what he was most glad for now that power had been restored, Andy deadpanned that he'd just loaded the dishwasher.


text:
Prestige Pavers Ltd carry out all aspects of professional paving work from commercial to domestic projects in and around East Anglia. Our work includes patios, driveways, roads, landscaping and many other surfacing services. Our business has been primarily built on recommendations throughout both the commercial and residential sector.
Our team of professional paving specialists are all fully qualified and highly experienced, ready to design to fit your needs. Contact our team today for a free no-obligation quote. All work is guaranteed.
Please browse through our website for many of the different projects we have completed.
For all paving in East Anglia and surrounding areas we can offer:
- All driveways and block paving
- Surfacing
- Landscaping
- Domestic & commercial work
- We cover Essex, Cambridge, London, Kent and all surrounding areas
- Insurance work taken on
As specialist domestic and commercial paving contractors with a wealth of experience and skill, trust Prestige Pavers with the job of supplying committed service and value for money.
01255 423 839
Talk to our friendly team today to discuss your project and requirements. All quotations are free with no-obligation.
Click here to contact us via email


text:
11 Dec 2017
Education has been a powerful enabler in Artur Kaluza's life, so when he was looking for ways to give back to the community, empowering others through access to education resonated with him.
In June 2017, Artur, from Macquarie's Sydney office, and his family travelled to South Africa, Kenya and Uganda to volunteer for four months. Artur was prepared to do any kind of work that local non-profit organisations needed, but he felt his experience and business skills would be a unique way to make a bigger impact.
During one of the four months Artur spent overseas, he volunteered with School for Life in Uganda. "The people I met in Uganda really value education," says Artur. "They know it is the first step out of poverty."
School for Life was founded in 2008 and has grown significantly since then. With rapid growth, sustainability becomes increasingly important so Artur focused on this as a priority. Artur conducted a strategic, operational and commercial review of School for Life and created a plan for sustainable growth that is now being implemented.
"My objective was to work out how the organisation could become more self-sufficient and less dependent on donor funding, which is highly competitive and unreliable."
Founder and CEO of School for Life, Annabelle Chauncy OAM said Artur's time was incredibly valuable for the charity. "Artur brought a wealth of commercial experience, focusing on organisational efficiency. He facilitated a workshop for all my managers, realigning them with our goals and strategy. He also helped implement a range of different systems and templates for staff reporting, procurement, forecasting and talent management."
As well as making a significant impact on School for Life, Artur said he personally got a lot out of the experience.
"Meeting the people in Uganda has changed the way I think about some things in my life and how I relate to people at work – for the better. I would encourage others, if they are able, to embark on a similar experience."
After returning to work in Sydney, Artur continues to be involved with the charity in a consulting capacity and will serve as a member of its board. He also organised a half day workshop with colleagues from Macquarie and staff from School for Life, focusing on human resources and procurement.
Lisa Fletcher from Macquarie's Learning and Development team participated in this workshop and has now also started working with Annabelle to develop her skills in human resources, talent development and structuring effective teams. These are competencies Annabelle finds valuable since School for Life has grown from a team of two to over 120 people in Uganda and five in Australia.
"It's easy to take things for granted here at Macquarie where we have so many resources available to us. I'm more than happy to give up some of my time to help a small non-profit that does not readily have access to the resources and expertise needed to support its growth," says Lisa.
Michael Muehlheim from Macquarie's Banking and Financial Services Group also became involved in School for Life after meeting the team at a crowd funding event hosted at Macquarie's Sydney office. "I strongly believe in education and recognise that we're lucky to live in a country where education is easily accessible – but people in other parts of the world aren't so lucky. I wanted to help."
In 2016 Michael ran a marathon raising $58,000 with matching from the Macquarie Group Foundation, which enabled School for Life to purchase a truck that was needed to help build two schools in 12 months.
He also recently joined the School for Life Foundation board and is helping the team with strategy and fundraising – connecting Annabelle with people he knows who may also be able to support the organisation.
Michael is currently planning a trip to visit School for Life in Uganda in 2018.
Hero caption: Artur Kaluza (sixth from right) with the School for Life team in Uganda.
Image caption: Founder Annabelle Chauncy OAM with students from School for Life


text:
This week while (attempting!) to cut out sugar, I gave this recipe from Joyous Health a crack (my new favourite go to!) I was keen to try this recipe as it seemed like a great yogurt substitute for Olive. It is a bit thick and not as creamy as yogurt, but I found that adding a lot of berries and nuts helps a lot.
What you will need:
- 1 banana
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries (I tried this first with frozen and it didn't go very well. Was much better with fresh!)
- 3/4 cups chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond milk
- Place everything in a food processor and blend.
- Cover in an airtight container in fridge overnight.
- Will be ready to serve by morning – enjoy!


text:
The Great Banquet
When is the last time you paused to significantly invest in your spiritual life? The Great Banquet is a 72-hour spiritual retreat similar to a Walk to Emmaus or Tres Dias Retreat. We host you here at Southport Pres as our guest, serve you amazingly delicious food, and offer you both encouragement and challenge in your spiritual life. For more information or to register, click here.