text: Health and Safety Overload in Strength Training By Paige Waehner facebook linkedin Paige Waehner is a certified personal trainer, author of the "Guide to Become a Personal Trainer"; and co-author of "The Buzz on Exercise & Fitness." Learn about our editorial process Paige Waehner Updated on September 10, 2019 Print T.T./Getty Images More in Fitness Health and Safety Beginners Motivation Sports Nutrition Fitness Trends Running Strength Walking Workouts Cardio Flexibility Yoga Pilates Tools and Equipment Special Features View All If you lift weights, you probably follow some kind of strategy for working all of your muscle groups. Certain exercises done for a certain number of reps and sets and using a certain amount of weight and doing those exercises two more times a week. Many of us follow this kind of strategy when lifting weights without knowing where these rules came from. So, where do these strategies come from? How can we know if they're right for our fitness level and goals? It's true that we pick up information from everywhere—books, websites, magazines, friends, what we see other people do at the gym, but all of these resources have to rely on some kind of foundation to give us this information. That foundation comes from the basic principles of strength training which teach us exactly how to lift weights for the best results. Those principles, known as F.I.T.T., include the frequency of our workouts, the intensity of our workouts, the type and the duration or time of our workouts. From those principles, the most important when it comes to lifting weights is the intensity of your workouts. To get the most out of strength training you want to give your muscles more than they can handle, or you want to overload them. When you lift enough weight, your muscles become stronger and you become fitter. Here's what you need to know about overload. The Basics of Overload Overload may sound like a bad thing like maybe you're overdoing it. But, what it means is that the intensity of the exercise must be high enough above normal for physiological adaptation to occur. If you want to see results when lifting weights, you have to lift more than your muscles can handle. The only way your body changes is if the muscles are taxed to the point where it must grow stronger to lift that weight. That overload will cause the muscle fibers to grow stronger and, sometimes, bigger in order to handle the extra load. How to Overload Your Muscles Overloading really has to do with how much weight you lift when you're strength training. If you're a beginner or you haven't lifted weights in a long time, you don't have to worry too much about how much weight you're lifting. Everything you lift is considered overloading your muscles. In fact, you may not need any weight for some exercises to get that training effect. Sometimes just body weight may be enough to tax your muscles. Essentially, that means it almost doesn't matter how much weight you lift because anything is more than what you were doing. Once you're consistent with your workouts, overloading gets a little more specific and you have to continue to work harder from workout to workout to get that same training effect. Below are the elements you can manipulate to keep progressing and avoid hitting a plateau. Choose your reps: The number of reps you do depends on your goals. But, changing the reps you do can help keep your muscles working in different ways. If you usually do 15 reps, for example, dropping those reps down to 10 and increasing the weight you're using changes that exercise. These are the rep ranges that correspond to the most common goals:For general fitness - 8-15 repsFor more endurance - 12 or more repsFor muscle mass - 6-12 repsFor strength - 6 or fewer repsChoose your sets: Again, the sets you do are generally based on your goals but, like your reps, you can easily change the number of sets you're doing in order to mix things up and add intensity. These are the general set ranges recommended for different goals:For general fitness - 1-2 setsFor more endurance - 2-3 setsFor muscle mass - 3-6 setsFor strength - 2-6 setsChoose your weight: Once you know how many reps and sets you're doing, you can focus on how much weight to lift, which is the essential ingredient to overloading your muscles. So, how do you choose the right amount of weight? If you're an experienced exerciser, you probably know a general weight to choose for each exercise. Start there and do the number of reps you've chosen. If you get to 12 and you could keep going, you need to increase your weight for the next set. The idea is that the last rep should be difficult, but not impossible and you should be able to do it with good form. If your form slips, stop early or try a lighter weight next time around. For beginners, it's best to err on the side of using lighter weights rather than heavy weights. You can always increase the weights once you get a feel for the exercises.Keep track: Keeping a strength training log can really help with your weight workouts. That way you can track from week to week how much weight you're lifting and if you're seeing progress or you need to change things up a bit. Progressing Part of overload is progressing over time. Too often, we do the same workouts again and again, but in order to keep overloading the body, you have to keep progressing. That means you need to take your exercises to the next level. That might mean going from knee pushups to toe pushups, for example, or progressing from a chair squat to a dumbbell squat. As soon as something starts to feel easy, it's time to up the ante so you're always overloading your muscles and adapting to get strong and fit. Just take care not to always work at high intensities, which could lead to overtraining. Sometimes progressing is as simple as changing the exercise you're doing to something different or even changing the order of your exercises. Almost any change will make a difference in your workout. You should learn how to change your strength training workouts so you're always making progress. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Bryant CX, Newton-Merrill S, Green DJ. ACE personal trainer manual. San Diego, CA: American Council on Exercise; 2014. Senter C, Appelle N, Behera SK. Prescribing exercise for women. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2013;6(2):164-172. doi:10.1007/s12178-013-9163-1.


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YouTube Channel Launch
Well, it is finally here! I have officially launched my Jette Sette Youtube Channel. Super scary and exciting! Optin below to gain access to one my pilates videos. This project has been such a journey and I am thrilled for all of you to have a bunch of fabulous workouts right at your fingertips.
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This shoot was good challenge for me… emotionally and business wise. I am a perfectionist. I like things to go my way. I plan my life thoroughly so I know things will work out. I am all about the details (as many of you know! 😉 ) Well, I quickly learned that you have no control on set and the twists and turns that occur are often out of your power. This is a life lesson I struggle with daily!
I am happy to say that we made it through and got some kickass videos to show for it. And I am already planning the next shoot. So I am proud that I pushed through even when I wanted to throw in the towel. I have learned a lot and I am excited for the next videos to turn out even better.
Let me know what you want to see in the upcoming workouts. What do you want to work on? What are you curious about? Questions you have been pondering? I would love your feedback. Send me a message!

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How to Make a Hyperlink in a Textbox in Access
Including links in Access to files on your computer or Web addresses can save you the time of looking up those resources when needed. To create a live hyperlink in an Access 2010 text box, you must change the data type of the field. This will present the text entered into the corresponding boxes as blue, clickable hyperlinks that you can configure to link to an existing file, Web page or email address that's relevant to the data in the table.
Open the Access database table in which you want to add hyperlinks. Click "View" in the Views group of the Home tab and select "Design View."
Click on the text box in which you want to make a hyperlink. Click the "Fields" tab under Table Tools.
Click the drop-down arrow next to Data Type and select "Hyperlink."
Type the text you want to appear in the text box. Right-click the text, point to "Hyperlink" and choose "Edit Hyperlink."
Select the type of link you want to add in the Link To section, such as a Web page or an email address. Type in the address or select the file location and click "OK."
Photo Credits
- Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images


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Photographing oneself by the road-sign of this French town has become a truly old-hat activity.
In Italy the equivalent word for this interfering sexual accessory is 'preservativo'. So if, for example, you are an avid jam maker in Italy don't go into a shop and ask for a 'preservativo'. You might just get a funny look. The correct word to use in this case is 'conservante'.
Talking of humorous town names we came across a real 'Faggiolo' last month while doing our peripatetic tour in a remote corner of Friuli- Venezia-Giulia.
The 'Faggiolo' town and its environs should appeal to any fans of this idiosyncratic fellow:
Or, indeed, anyone who managed to escape as a kid from the good manner of 'The Eagle' comic and became a fan of the 'Bash Street kids' instead.
This one of course!
I'm not telling you precisely where it is (as I don't want to cause a traffic jam) but the place and its environs are highly tempting parts of an equally tempting part of Italy which has its own language, as these bike signs in Italian and the local lingo confirm. (Italian comes first and Friulian comes next. If you speak Italian see how many words you can translate).
This reminds me that I once met a Japanese student who learnt Friulian as he was enamoured of endangered languages (Perhaps I should soon include English 'as she is now spoke' among these…) He loved Italy, except, that he had to travel with his charming Friulian girlfriend who translated for him when outside her native region into Italian. (I'm now researching on what 'preservativo' is in Friulian.)
PS Did you know that Italian is only one of twenty-six officially recognized national languages in the country – to say nothing of the languages brought in by the the recent high tide of immigration into the country?). If you are in Tuscany then you're truly lucky – the local language is as close to Italian as you'll get in Italy. Thank poet Dante for that.
Here are Italy's official languages:
Anyway, I will postpone meandering further on this subject except to feast your eyes on Beano/Bean, a delectable and slightly neglected part of Italy which (fortunately, perhaps) has no 'Mr Beans' – signori faggioli – or 'Desperate Dans' in it. In compensation, it has some of the most appetising and attractive corners to be found anywhere in 'il bel Paese', including, not too far away, the winner of the most beautiful borgo (town) for 2017
Incidentally, 'preservativo', if you were desperate for one in Friuli, is known as "budiel di Flandre". Wonderful how we transpose our 'French letters' with reference to one of our other beloved European regions and countries……
PS Why is it both 'Beano' and 'Bean' on the town road sign? 'Beano' is the Italian name for the town and 'Bean' is the Friulian name. (Compare Cardiff – English – and Caerdydd – Welsh).


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With the puck already dropped on the 2009-10 season, there is stability in the league structure. After doubling the number of divisions in the league prior to last season and with no less than two teams seriously considering relocation at the onset, this QMJHL season has begun with no major changes in the way the league is arranged.
The same can not be said for on the ice. As is often the case with junior hockey, the balance of power has once again begun to shift. The QMJHL hosted the 2009 Memorial Cup and now teams who sacrificed some of their future for a shot at the championship begin the long road to rebuilding, while others look to step into place as contenders.
Here is a look at the 18 QMJHL clubs and what they might expect from the 2009-10 season.
Telus West
Gatineau Olympiques
2008-09 season: Finished 1st in the Division, 7th in the league; Eliminated in the quarter-finals of the playoffs
A year removed from winning the QMJHL championship, the Gatineau Olympiques were unable to put up much of a defense for their title. With their former coach moving on to the AHL prior to the season's start, the club struggled out of the gate, including a 13-game winless streak and had a sub-.500 record after the first half. Thanks to key contributions by Gatineau's veteran players, the Olympiques turned it around in the second half to solidify their division title and make it to the second round of the playoffs.
The remnants of Gatineau's 2008 championship squad continued to whither away entering into the 2009-10 season. Gatineau will enter the season without last year's top scorer (Paul Byron), team captain (Jean-Philip Chabot) and two of their top defenders (Maxime Mallette and Alain Goulet). Among the names returning to the squad are forward Alexandre Quesenel (82 points in 63 games last season), defensemen Steven Delisle (CLB) and Hubert Labrie (DAL) and 2010 eligible goaltender Maxime Clermont. Expect another drop in the standings for Gatineau as they continue to retool after their championship run.
Montreal Junior
2008-09 season: Finished 2nd in the Division, 8th in the league; Eliminated in the quarter-finals of the playoffs
QMJHL hockey's return to the Montreal area show it to be an early success. After three seasons in Newfoundland, the St. John's Fog Devils became the Montreal Junior as the QMJHL tried to take advantage of the largest market within its borders. Bringing in Pascal Vincent from Cape Breton, the team quickly underwent a makeover to attract the local fans. Perhaps the most dramatic move was trading for Angelo Esposito (ATL), a native of Montreal who began to rebound after a handful of struggling seasons in Quebec. Unfortunately for both Esposito and the franchise, the forward suffered a knee in mid-February to end both his season and his QMJHL career.
Esposito isn't the only impact player not returning to the Montreal lineup for 2009-10. The team will be without its four leading scorers from 2008-09, as Nick Layton, Matt Fillier and Esposito have all finished their junior careers, while Luke Adam, the team's second leading scorer, was traded in the off-season to Cape Breton. Meanwhile, defensemen T.J. Brennan will be moving onto the pro ranks and blue liner Dmitri Kostromitin was dealt to Rouyn-Noranda. The riches of the Montreal franchise can be found between the pipes, where the team boasts not one, but two top-tier net minders in Jake Allen (STL) and Jean-Francois Berube. With the Junior looking to reload for the future, some expect that a player like Allen could be dealt before the season is over.
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
2008-09 season: Finished 3rd in the Division, 11th in the league; Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
After finishing the 2007-08 season as the top seed in the QMJHL, the difference of a year came at a heavy cost for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The team watched many of their veteran players move on and when the 2008-09 season came to an end, there was little resemblance to the team that lost just 20 games in 2007-08.
However, with some smart dealing and some talented youth ready to take larger roles in the organization, the Huskies look primed to rebound quickly in 2009-10. Led by Sergey Ostapchuk and Jean-Sebastien Berube up front, the squad welcomes Philippe Cornet from the Rimouski Oceanic. On the blue line, the efforts of Nicolas Deslauriers will be bolstered by the addition of Dmitri Kostromitin. The Huskies may be the best bet in the Telus East.
Val-d'Or Foreurs
2008-09 season: Finished 4th in the Division, 17th in the league
One of only two teams to not qualify for the playoffs under the new league rules, the Val-d'Or Foreurs missed the post season by a single point. Despite the efforts of Maxime Sauve, Samuel Morneau and Marco Scandella (DAL), the team struggled throughout the year. They had a 14-game winless streak in first month of the season and went 2-8 to close out the last 10 games of the season.
Hanging out in the league's cellar does have its benefits, however, as the team has been able to add some talented young players to the lineup such as Olivier Archambault, the top pick in the 2009 QMJHL Draft and Jean-Francois Leblanc, the fourth overall pick in the same draft. They join Alex Noel (15th overall in 2008) and Gabriel Beaupre (22nd overall in 2008) in forming the nucleus of the team moving forward.
Telus Centre
Drummondville Voltigeurs
2008-09 season: Finished 1st in the Division, 1st in the league; Won President's Cup as QMJHL Champion
To say the defending QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs will look a bit different from the team that raised the President's Cup is an understatement. Gone from the squad are their top four scorers from the 2008-09 season and with them goes 184 goals and 409 points. Also gone is mid-season additions like forward Christopher DiDomenico and goaltender Marco Cousineau. Behind the bench, Guy Boucher, their head coach is also gone, moving to the AHL to helm the Hamilton Bulldogs.
With that said, there's still plenty of talent left, which, if nothing else, is a testament to just how strong the Voltigeurs were in the 2008-09 season. Up front, the team will be led by Gabriel Dumont and Philippe Lefebvre, a pair of Montreal Canadiens prospects and by Marc-Olivier Vachon, their top returning scorer. Antoine Tardif, the goaltender who split time with Cousineau is also returning. But the wildcard in all this is defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. A first-round pick in 2009, Kulikov is currently making his case to become a member of the Florida Panthers. A game-breaker every time he steps on the ice, his loss could be the final straw for a Drummondville team that has already said goodbye to so much.
Lewiston MAINEiacs
2008-09 season: Finished 4th in the Division, 16th in the league; Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
Barely squeaking into the playoffs in 2008-09 and being out scored 38-9 in a four-game sweep in the first round, it is hard to imagine the Lewiston MAINEiacs as a team on the rise, but that might be exactly what they are. A young team, the MAINEiacs endured a coaching change in mid-season with veteran Don MacAdam taking the reins. Fueled only by the meager goal of making the playoffs, the team managed to achieve precisely that, despite going 3-7 in the last 10 games of the regular season.
With everyone a little bit older and more experienced, Lewiston is hoping for modest improvement over the previous year. With the knowledge that the road to competing in the QMJHL is a journey, not a sprint, the MAINEiacs dealt away some of their veterans over the off-season, saying goodbye to Danick Paquette (ATL), Patrick Cusack and Peter Delmas in return for younger assets and draft picks.
Shawinigan Cataractes
2008-09 season: Finished 2nd in the Division, 2nd in the league; Eliminated in the league finals
The Telus Centre was a battle all season long as Shawinigan and Drummondville, top two teams in the QMJHL, faced off against each other eight times during the regular season while beating up on the rest of the league. In an almost story-book finish, these division rivals met once again in the league finals with Drummondville coming out on top of the thrilling seven-game series. With so much action and emotion packed into the 2008-09 season, one of the questions circling the Shawinigan Cataractes is what do they have planned for an encore?
Like Drummondville, Shawinigan has experienced their share of losses, including their top three scorers, their top two scoring defensemen and their top goaltender. But they also have plenty of talent to back that up. The 2009 NHL Draft day was especially exciting for the Cataractes organization as four Shawinigan players heard their names called. Forwards Philippe Paradis (CAR), Dave Labrecque (PHI) and Maxime Legault (BUF) as well as defenseman Charles-Olivier Roussel (NAS) are all expected back in the lineup for 2009-10. They will be joined by top returning scorer Pierre-Alexandre Vandall and should form the core of a competitive roster for Shawinigan.
Victoriaville Tigres
2008-09 season: Finished 3rd in the Division, 10th in the league; Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
Stuck in a division with 16 games against heavyweights like Shawinigan and Drummondville, Victoriaville did an admirable job by posting a record just shy of .500 on the season. Improving sizably on their 16th overall finish the previous year, Victoriaville may have lost players like leading scorer Maxime Tanguay, but they boast an interesting mix of young talent and veteran savvy that should be able to compete every night.
Among the names returning to the team are veteran netminder Kevin Poulin and defenseman Joel Chouinard. The Tigres second leading scorer, Andrej Nestrasil (DET) will be looking to improve on his numbers, while Columbus draft pick Tomas Kubalik hopes to make the most of his first season in North America.
Telus East
Baie-Comeau Drakkar
2008-09 season: Finished 4th in the Division, 14th in the league; Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
A year removed from a disappointing 2007-08 season that saw them finish second in the league only to be upset in the first round, further salt fell into those wounds as the Drakkar struggled out of the gate in 2008-09 and never found their way. With a new year comes new hopes, but the forecast doesn't look much better for Baie-Comeau.
Saying goodbye to leading scorer Felix Petit and top defenseman Pierre-Luc Lessard, the Drakkar will rely heavily on forwards Gabriel Bourque (NAS) and Guillaume Goulet to lead the offensive attack. The additions of veterans like Simon Olsson and David Cliche should help, but Baie-Comeau will need to continue to rebuild and wait for their young players to mature.
Chicoutimi Sagueneens
2008-09 season: Finished 3rd in the Division, 13th in the league; Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
Although they are saying goodbye to both their leading scorer, Mathieu Tousignant and top defenseman Drew Paris, who are turning pro, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens might be a team on the rise. A young squad that took a step back in 2008-09, Chicoutimi will benefit from the return of Nicolas Deschamps, Jacob Lagace and Michal Hlinka, who will again be called upon to help lead their offense.
However, like any junior team, Chicoutimi has to look towards the future, which is why their lineup will boast three first-round draft picks from the 2009 QMJHL draft, including goaltender Robin Gusse, forward Rock Regimbald and defenseman Gabriel Vermette. The team also picked Finnish netminder Christopher Gibson in the Import Draft.
Quebec Remparts
2008-09 season: Finished 1st in the Division, 4th in the league; Eliminated in the semi-finals of the playoffs
After the 2008-09 season, rumors had Patrick Roy leaving the helm of the Quebec Remparts to take over a coaching or management role in the NHL. Nothing came to fruition and the former star goaltender is back behind the bench for another season in Quebec. Keeping the team competitive year after year, Roy's squad looks to be strong again for 2009-10.
Despite saying goodbye to leading scorer Mikhail Stefanovich, forwards like Benjamin Breault and Jean-Simon Allard and top defenders Guillaume Monast (DAL) and Kevin Marshall, the team reloaded over the off season. Quebec added talents like Paquette, Cusask, Ryan Bourque (NYR), and Peter Delmas to a roster that already boasts considerable depth. With forwards like Dmitri Kugryshev, Kelsey Tessier and David Gilbert as well as a blue line featuring Samuel Groulx and Mikael Tam. Quebec will be a team to watch in 2009-10.
Rimouski Oceanic
2008-09 season: Finished 2nd in the Division, 6th in the league; Eliminated in the semi-finals of the playoffs
The host of the 2009 Memorial Cup, the Rimouski Oceanic loaded up on talent early on to compete with the CHL's best. Unfortunately, they now have to pay the price. Gone from their squad are forwards Philippe Cornet, Keven Veilleux, Luca Cunti and Logan MacMillan (MIN). The team also said goodbye to defensemen Sebastien Piche (DET), Marc-Andre Bourdon and Maxime Ouimet.
However, like any team coming off a championship run, not all is lost as there is still talent left on the roster. Up front, bruising forwards Patrice Cormier and Jordan Caron are both expected back as is Patrick Delisle-Houde. The blue line still features Gleason Fournier (DET) and Emmanuel Boudreau and Matthew Dopoud will still man the pipes for Rimouski. Coached by Clem Jodoin, Rimouski may not compete for any championships, but they will still be a willing combatant for any opponent in the league.
Acadie-Bathurst Titan
2008-09 season: Finished 5th in the Division, 15th in the league; Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
No team in the QMJHL scored fewer goals in 2008-09 than the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Couple that fact with the Titan winning just five games in the second half of the season, including going winless in their last 13 matches and it may be another long season for the Titan.
With a young roster, Acadie-Bathurst regularly played a number of rookies in 2008-09. Those same players who experienced a trial by fire in their first season will be expected to mature quickly in their second year. The 2008-09 season featured a handful of bright spots, among them goaltender Nicholas Champion and forwards Vincent Couture and Jonathan Lessard, but more will be needed for the Titan to continue to progress.
Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
2008-09 season: Finished 2nd in the Division, 5th in the league; Eliminated in the quarter-finals of the playoffs
Known as a hard-working, defensive squad, Cape Breton proved to be up to the challenge and once again was one of the top teams in the Atlantic Division. Despite losing their top three scorers over the off season, the Screaming Eagles opted to retool slightly and are set to once again be among the top teams in the QMJHL.
An offseason trade added burly forwards Luke Adam and Ashton Bernard to the Eagles front end, where they will join Nick MacNeil, the team's top returning scorer. Meanwhile, on the blue line, Mathieu Brodeur, Michael Ward and Francis Meilleur form a solid core in front of star netminder Olivier Roy.
Halifax Mooseheads
2008-09 season: Finished 6th in the division, 18th in the league
Perhaps the best example of putting it all on the line for a run at the championship is the Halifax Mooseheads. After falling short in the title bid in 2007-08, the team plummeted to the bottom of the league in 2008-09. Not much was left from the team that finished the 2007-08 season atop the Atlantic Division and the pieces that were left were soon dealt as the Mooseheads rebuild their team and restock their pipeline.
Halifax fans can count on another long season in 2009-10, made perhaps even longer after Jan Stransky, acquired in a mid-season trade, opted to return to his native Czech Republic rather than continue with the team. Among the few bright spots for Halifax is Gabriel Desjardins, who as a 16-year-old rookie posted 13 goals. Halifax will be among the bottom-feeders in the league again in 2009-10 with an outside shot at a playoff spot.
Moncton Wildcats
2008-09 season: Finished 1st in the division, 3rd in the league; Eliminated in the quarter-finals of the playoffs
A defensive powerhouse, no team allowed fewer goals against than the Moncton Wildcats in 2008-09. Their star goaltender, Nicola Riopel, led the way, setting records and winning the Michel Briere Trophy as the league's top player. However, Riopel, a 19-year-old, was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the off season and has made the jump to professional hockey.
That isn't to say the story is over the Moncton Wildcats, far from it in fact. They still might be the team to beat in the Atlantic Division. Supplanting Riopel is goaltender Louis Domingue, a 2010-eligible netminder who is no slouch between the pipes. Returning to the blue line is a trio of defensemen in Mark Barberio, David Savard and another 2010 top prospect in Brandon Gormley. Up front, the team welcomes back top returning scorers Scott Brannon and Randy Cameron. Finally, Moncton may have an ace up their sleeve named Kirill Kabanov. Thought to be one of the top prospects for the 2010 draft, Kabanov is currently tied up in a dispute between the KHL and the CHL on where he will play in 2009-10. Should the IIHF rules in Moncton's favor, his impact could make Moncton a favorite in not just the Atlantic Division, but also in the whole QMJHL.
PEI Rocket
2008-09 season: Finished 4th in the Division, 12th in the league; Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
After stumbling out of the gate in 2007-08, the PEI Rocket repeated themselves in 2008-09 and once again, never seemed to get off on the right foot. However, once again, they find themselves with a new season ahead of them and perhaps the last chance for this particular group of players to try to get the team firing on all cylinders.
Returning to the lineup is Benjamin Casavant, a revelation in his second year to lead the team in scoring, Joel Champagne and Jarrad Struthers, both mid-season pickups and veteran Rocket players Chris Doyle and Jordon Southorn. They'll also be aided by promising young players like Ben Duffy, Jordan Escott and Brandon Maclean, the team's first-round pick in the last draft Jimmy Oligny (7th overall) and a pair of Import selections in Adam Polasek and Lauri Tokoi. Is this the year the Rocket get it right?
Saint John Sea Dogs
2008-09 season: Finished 3rd in the Division, 9th in the league; Eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
Much was expected from the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2008-09 after a 2007-08 season that saw them make a run right to the third round of the QMJHL playoffs. Unfortunately, some early stumbles led the team to sell some of their assets, namely Christopher DiDomenico and Alex Grant in an effort to retool quickly and be competitive in 2009-10. At least that was the plan.
As it stands, the Sea Dogs find themselves with a lot of questions. One major question, 'will Stanislav Galiev, the first overall selection in the 2009 CHL Import Draft report?' was answered when the IIHF ruled in Saint John's favor after there was some disagreement between the KHL and the CHL about the 2010 top prospect's rights. But two more questions are still unanswered. In return for the aforementioned trades of DiDomenico and Grant, Saint John received the rights to overagers Mike Hoffman and Nicolas Petersen. Unfortunately for Saint John, both players were drafted at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and could be a contract offer away from turning pro. Regardless of those outcomes, Saint John will still ice a competitive team with leading scorer Michael Kirkpatrick back, as well as forward Steven Anthony and blue liners Yann Sauve and Simon Despres. But until the fates of Petersen and Hoffman are decided, the Sea Dogs have their fingers crossed.


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Shyam Panthi, Jason J Nichols; Secretory phospholipase A2-IIA (sPLA2-IIA) activity and concentration in human tears and correlation with the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores.. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2017;58(8):488.
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Purpose :
Secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) is a potent antimicrobial enzyme found in the tear film that protects the ocular surface from microbial pathogens. The enzyme may also play a role in the degradation of tear phospholipids, which might cause lipid layer disruption and tear instability. Increased sPLA2 activity may also lead to increased formation of pro-inflammatory lipid mediators responsible for ocular surface inflammation. To our knowledge, the enzyme's activity and concentration have not been correlated with patient-reported outcomes. Our purpose was to evaluate the potential relation between the activity and concentration of sPLA2-IIA and subjective outcomes.
Methods :
Ten µL of tears were collected from each eye of 20 normal subjects using glass microcapillaries, pooled, and stored at -80 °C until analysis. sPLA2-IIA activity was calculated using 1,2-dithio analog of diheptanoyl phosphatidylcholine as substrate. A double-antibody sandwich ELISA was used to determine the sPLA2-IIA concentrations. Subjects also completed the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) which was scored per recommended guidelines. The activity and concentration were then correlated with the OSDI using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Results :
The mean sPLA2-IIA activity in normal human tears was found to be 0.014 ± 0.028 µmol/min/ml while the mean sPLA2-IIA concentration was found to be 8111.098 ± 7.662 pg/ml. A moderate but non-significant negative correlation was found between the sPLA2-IIA activity and OSDI scores (ρ= - 0.42, p=0.06). sPLA2-IIA concentration had a strong negative correlation with the OSDI scores (ρ=-0.67, p=0.001).
Conclusions :
The results indicate that tears contain low activity and concentration of sPLA2-IIA which may be due to the fact that all the tear samples came from normal individuals. The significant negative correlation between OSDI scores and the sPLA2-IIA concentration suggests increased activity in the tears may protect the ocular surface, thereby leading to lower subjective scores.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.
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text:
My war with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Minnesota
It's June and I'm on another first date, drinking at a sidewalk cafe in Minneapolis.
My date, an artist with a penchant for putting Sharpies to skateboards, seems wholly unaware that I'm already buzzed, though happy hour's close remains in the distance.
I have rediscovered my love of coffee- and cocktail-fueled writing benders a few weeks after flying to Minneapolis from Kenya, where I work as a freelance journalist.
"So what brings you back to Minneapolis?" my Tinder Swipe Right asks, oblivious that my answer is spiked with two glasses of chardonnay and about a gallon of espresso.
"Well, if you're talking literally, I would say a nonrefundable airline ticket to visit my now ex-boyfriend," I answer. "But figuratively, I came home to spend time with my 94-year-old grandfather, who's in hospice."
I pause to take a long drink from my gin and tonic.
"I also have narcolepsy," I add. "I take Adderall — like, a lot of Adderall — to function. They don't have it in Kenya, so I bring it from the U.S."
Silence. I probably should've just said I was visiting family, omitting any mention of my autoimmune disease made famous by the movie Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.
"I work with a lot of overmedicated kids," he replies, referring to his gig moonlighting as an art teacher. "That's the first time I've ever heard anything positive about Adderall, ever."
I ease into the awkward silence with another sip.
"Trust me, I wouldn't be alive without it." I deadpan. "Adderall saved my life."
This might seem a lofty statement for a prescription stimulant known for its addictive qualities and reputation for abuse. But the truth is Adderall did save my life. The proof reveals itself in the spider webs of scars carved into my forearms.
"Can I get you two anything?" the waitress cuts in. He looks at me. I nod back, suggesting it's up to him.
"Yeah," he replies. "Another round."
I was a few days shy of my 30th birthday when I returned to my parents' house in south Minneapolis. My recent repatriation from the chaotic streets of Nairobi was a result of a sucker punch of shitty situations: an out-of-the-blue breakup with my Minneapolis boyfriend, the pending death of my much-loved grandfather, and a lingering lung infection that landed me in a Nairobi hospital, which resembled something from The English Patient.
But of all the crappy situations I was facing, one was most formidable: dealing with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.
I was diagnosed with narcolepsy when I was 25. It's an autoimmune disease that disturbs the restorative stage of sleep, leaving me exhausted during the day and an insomniac at night. Still, as bizarre as it seemed, my diagnosis ended a 10-year cycle of depression so intense I almost didn't survive.
I was a healthy child whose gentleness was only outmatched by my bleeding heart. But my soft demeanor seemed to catch an edge around high school, turning what was routine teenage melancholy into a tunnel of unrelenting depression that eventually landed me in a locked hospital unit.
I turned my anger inward. Anorexia was first, satiating my obsession with self-punishment until I was nothing more than a human marionette of twisted bones propped together with paper skin. After high school came forced isolation, a way of protecting others from my emotional volatility, which seemed to sweep through me suddenly and with growing frequency.
By mid-college, most of my free moments were spent buying drugstore makeup to cover the million little cuts I sliced down my forearm.
My parents realized something wasn't quite right. First, they chalked it up to hormones, a chemical imbalance in my brain, or the fact that my conservative schooling didn't tolerate girls who preferred Sylvia Plath to prep rallies.
They sent me to a shrink. Despite piles of antidepressants, hours in cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, music therapy, and two stints at an eating disorder program, my emotional instability continued to worsen to the point of tempting death.
"I swear to god, I didn't want to die. I just wanted to sleep forever."
It was a frigid December night in 2011 when my longtime boyfriend found me quietly carving away at my left forearm with a razor.
"What are you doing, Katie?"
My eyes remained transfixed on a series of small slices filling with small red dots of blood.
"I'm really tired and everything hurts," I said. "But not the physical pain, like when you break a bone. The kind of pain that makes you want to slice apart your flesh so you can crawl out of your own skin."
He called my mother.
Heeding the warning on my physician's voicemail — "If this is an emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room" — they loaded me into my boyfriend's Chevy Suburban and drove me to the nearest emergency room.
I was taken behind a thin blue curtain and asked a series of questions. "How are you feeling, Ms. Nelson?" the young doctor asked.
"I'm really tired — like I could sleep forever," I explained hesitantly. A cotton sheet divider was the only thing hiding my shame from the other patients.
"Why did you injure yourself?" he asked, gazing at my damaged arm.
"Because everything hurts and nothing makes it better. I'm exhausted."
I found an open bed and quickly fell asleep. An hour later, I woke up feeling better — not great, but not wanting to sleep forever, which seemed like progress.
"I'm fine now," I informed the doctor. "I mean, I'm still really tired, but think I'm okay."
"I don't think so, Ms. Nelson. We're going to send you somewhere where you can be monitored. We need to make sure you don't hurt yourself again."
"What?" I pleaded. "I think you've made a mistake. I'm just really, really tired."
He was not convinced.
A few minutes later, three strong-armed medics and a cop put me in the back of an ambulance. I arrived at a second hospital and was taken to a wing sealed shut by two steel doors, a place for psychiatric patients the emergency room couldn't handle.
Behind the locked doors were a dozen patients, half wandering aimlessly around the living room, the rest watching a muted talk show on a television locked inside a steel cage.
"I swear to god, I didn't want to die," I told the intake nurse, who was inspecting my bandaged arm.
"I'm sure you didn't," she said.
Instead of releasing me to my family, the nurse took me to a small, white-walled room with a single window overlooking East 28th Street.
"Schizophrenia and meth don't play nice," my middle-aged roommate explained while taping handfuls of family photos to her side of the wall. Apparently she planned to stay for a while.
I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, lay down on the bed, and cried, finally realizing what everyone else already knew: I was sick and I wasn't getting better.
"Ms. Nelson, you promise you won't cut your arms again, correct?" a young doctor asked the next morning.
"Sure," I replied.
I somehow convinced the on-call physician to discharge me the following afternoon by making a plethora of promises I had no intention of keeping.
I left the hospital traumatized and deeply terrified of what my mind was capable of. I vowed never to ask for help again. I decided I would rather die alone.
It's a year later and I'm barely alive.
"I'm going to give up," I told my psychiatrist, Allison Holt. She had taken over my care after I fired her predecessor for loading me up with a slew of psychotropic medications that made my face twitch uncontrollably.
I was spending up to 22 hours a day in bed, only rising to drink coffee or boxed wine, depending on the time of day. Most of my doctors assumed my all-day sleep regime was a side effect of the 10 medications I was taking, or an unusually severe bout of depression. Allison did not.
"You need to get a sleep study," she said, an occasional request she made more forcefully this time. Finally, I acquiesced.
I arrived at the sleep clinic 20 minutes late and looking like hell. I had slept all day and, despite chugging coffee en route, was still exhausted.
A nurse escorted me to a bedroom that resembled something from a Holiday Inn, gluing a handful of wires to my scalp before putting me to bed. I was surprised to awake the next morning feeling somewhat refreshed.
"You have narcolepsy," my neurologist explained. "It's a chronic sleep disorder that makes you feel like you haven't slept for a week. There is no cure for it, but there are medications that will help."
He handed me a prescription for 60mg Adderall — a stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The dosage was later cranked to 90mg.
That afternoon, I swallowed two capsules and fell asleep on my parents' couch. Forty-five minutes later, I woke up a different person — feeling clear-headed and more awake than I had in my entire life.
In less than one hour, Adderall, a medication demonized by many for its common abuse, had done what dozens of physicians and specialists failed to do. It ended a decade of suffering at the blade of my own mind. I was suddenly free.
"I felt like I finally got my daughter back," my mother said. "It was a miracle."
It's a strange feeling, spending an entire decade in unimaginable pain, only to have everything you've lost — your spirit, your passion, your sense of feeling human — quietly return to you.
But that's what happened on January 26, 2012, the day I got my life back.
A few weeks after my first dose, I reenrolled in graduate school, quickly regaining a sense of normality and routine. My once-debilitating depression became almost obsolete. By spring, the only traces of my tragedy were the white scars running down my forearm.
But while the semblance of a human took shape, internally I was still profoundly wounded, grief-stricken by my past and haunted by a fear that everything could be taken away again by a handful of pills.
I was also terribly lonely, a state of mind compounded by the fact that I had no idea what to do with all my free time. I had few hobbies or interests outside of staying awake and alive. Worse, despite years of therapy, I was still very much a stranger to myself.
One year and four months after finding out I had narcolepsy, I graduated with a master's in public health — only to promptly bail on health care for a career in journalism.
I had dabbled in freelancing for a local paper, but was forced to abandon it after sleeping through one too many deadlines.
So I contacted one of the only editors in the Twin Cities who was harder off than me: Nick Coleman. The former columnist known for hounding both sources and colleagues alike had just taken over The Uptake and was looking for hungry — and perhaps desperate — journalists. I was hired on the spot.
My rookie reporting gig quickly steamrolled into a proper career. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling I was living in the shadows of my past, fearful that I was too sick, too fragile, too dependent on medication to pursue a bigger life.
I was faced with a choice: Stay in Minneapolis and remain tethered to the fear of my own darkness? Or leave and take a gamble on my second chance at life?
On a sweltering June afternoon two years ago, I boarded a plane to begin again as a foreign correspondent in Kenya.
I'm crawling on my hands and knees and can't see a goddamn thing. The ground is shaking with each echoing BOOM as bombs of black smoke explode at my feet. I take cover under two plastic lawn chairs that quiver with each blast.
"All right, Kate!" my colleague Anders Hammer yells. Too loud to hear, he gestures a countdown with his fingers. "One, two ... three!"
We run toward a heap of plastic dummies strewn 100 feet ahead. The combination of sounds, smells, and 90mg of Adderall leaves me choking for air, my heart pushing violently against my chest.
"You take his legs and I'll get his arms!" I yell to Hammer, who's already putting a tourniquet on a dummy whose limbs were blown off moments before.
I begin threading the tourniquets into two loops, but am hit by something hard and hot on my lower back.
"SHIT!" I yell, falling down to my knees, the ground reverberating.
I'm in the middle of a firefight in Nairobi. A simulated one, I should say.
It's the last day of a battlefield medical course for journalists who work in conflict. We're practicing stopping femoral bleeding, treating bullet holes, cleaning shrapnel wounds.
Thankfully, the bombs are only massive fireworks and stink bombs. Still, Black Cats hurt when they hit open flesh.
I'd successfully avoided rubber bullets and cluster bombs since coming to Nairobi, opting for stories on gay rights and environmental degradation, rather than seeking out the bang-bang of neighboring Somalia.
That said, life in the city fondly known as "Nairobbery," for its theft and petty crime, isn't without its challenges, especially when you're living with a chronic illness.
Traveling abroad is nearly impossible for people like me. Many countries — including Kenya — ban stimulants like Adderall. But it was my insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, that made life most difficult.
I first confronted America's insurance clusterfuck a few days before my 26th birthday. Ripening out of my parents' plan and constrained by a pre-existing condition, I was forced to buy a policy under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act — aka COBRA — which may be the most expensive insurance ever.
Then came the Affordable Care Act — aka Obamacare — which banned insurers from refusing to cover pre-existing conditions. It was a godsend.
After conferring with dozens of companies and spending countless hours on hold, I enrolled with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.
My new insurance policy seemed like a decent, albeit expensive plan, chosen for its low prescription copays and clear "vacation override policy," which allows patients to collect several months' worth of medication in advance before an extended trip. But as they say, the devil is in the details.
"This is a courtesy call from Walgreens pharmacy located at the southwest corner of Lyndale Avenue South and 54th in Minneapolis. Your prescription scheduled for pickup has been delayed. We are attempting to contact your insurance carrier for additional information. We will contact you as soon as possible by phone when your prescription is ready for pickup. Thank you. Goodbye."
Goddammit. My prescriptions are denied again.
It's June of last summer, and I've just flown to Minneapolis after five blissful months in Kenya. Things aren't going as planned.
"I think Blue Cross wants me to give up," I tell my mom.
I've been battling my insurer for weeks. Blue Cross is refusing to approve a five-month medication advance — known as a "vacation override" — for another stint in Kenya.
I'm not surprised.
Vacation overrides allow patients to get more than one month's worth of medication at a time, freeing frequent travelers like me from the 30-day refills often required for controlled drugs like Adderall.
I've gone through the process a half-dozen times before with other insurers. Each is different. All are complicated.
I submitted my first override to Blue Cross in January 2016 with the help of my doctor's administrator, Lisa Smith. Requesting six months' worth of Adderall was far from straightforward.
Over two months, Smith and I spent countless hours on the phone with departments and divisions, attempting to clarify obscure policy details with representatives who often had no idea where to find the override policy in my plan. Or even what a vacation override was.
It was a grueling and deeply emotional experience that left me questioning whether anyone in the insurance industry even cared about the patients they were hired to serve.
Now, six months later, Smith and I were on our second time around. We felt more confident it would go smoothly.
We were wrong.
Smith calls Blue Cross to verify my override policy is the same as the year before. But neither she nor I can find anyone remotely knowledgeable about overrides — or who can even provide me with a copy of my policy.
Instead, we are passed from person to person until the line inevitably goes static. It is the second week of June.
Eventually, Smith finds an online application form for Prime Therapeutics, the Blue Cross subsidiary that sets prescription costs, approves medications, and arranges contracts with pharmacies.
Despite being owned by Blue Cross, Prime often operates on a completely separate set of standards, which, in my experience, often contradicts those of Blue Cross.
Nonetheless, Smith files requests for each of my seven medications. Prime will make a decision within 10 days.
"It seemed to be too good to be true," Smith would come to say. "And I was right. It was too good to be true."
It's now July 7. I'm almost out of Adderall.
My request is stuck in Prime purgatory. Walgreens refuses to dispense my monthly prescriptions until Prime gives the OK.
On top of that, Smith has bad news.
"Prime just called. [Blue Cross] gave me the wrong information," she says. "You do need to request a second travel override request to Blue Cross Blue Shield, not Prime."
This isn't the worst of it, she adds. Prime now says that my plan allows only one override a year. Since I used it in January, I'm not allowed a second request.
"Prime," she adds, "said it was not their problem anymore."
This is bad. I can't get back to work. I only have a few days of medication left. Worse still, my life is caged between two companies actively keeping me from the medication that keeps me alive.
My mother, who has spent 30 years managing a Minneapolis children's hospital, senses my panic and steps in.
"Where is the travel override policy in her plan?" she asks a Blue Cross rep.
"Who's responsible for making these decisions?"
"Can you appeal the policy?"
No one at Blue Cross can answer her questions. In fact, they can't even find a copy of my policy, much less interpret the fine print.
"Your plan doesn't necessarily list all those intricate things," explains Dawn Jones, a pharmacist in Woodbury. "If the change doesn't address a certain percent of their clients, insurers don't feel there's a need to inform people, so then they don't. But you don't know that until you go to the pharmacy and there's an issue."
Smith keeps digging.
After logging dozens of hours on the phone, she finally reaches someone in Prime's clinical review department. Their suggestion? Submit yet another override request to Prime, with a note requesting that Blue Cross "override the first override."
Essentially, it would mean asking Blue Cross for a one-time policy change.
We rush the new request, which requires a documented itinerary for my upcoming trip to Kenya. But I am not an optimistic woman. Nor a rich one. I am not very willing to gamble $1,500 on a non-refundable plane ticket in hopes of picking up my Adderall by the departure date. My parents gamble for me and we book a ticket.
Smith calls again with good news — sort of — saying my request for a second override is "officially under review." A decision will be made within 72 hours.
It is July 12, more than a month into my phone war of attrition with Blue Cross. And still no word.
Smith contacts Prime. More bad news. The company has been sitting on the request without action.
Even worse news comes from Blue Cross, which now says Prime provided the wrong information. In fact, patients are never allowed one-time policy changes, irrespective of circumstance. Nothing can be done.
"But what happens if a patient travels out of the country a few times a year?" Smith asks a company rep. "Are they responsible for paying for their medications out of their own pocket?"
Blue Cross suggests having a doctor prescribe a greater dosage than needed to make the medicine last longer, an idea posed by another rep a few weeks before.
There is a small problem with this.
"That's falsifying medical records," says Dr. Bryan Schwieters, my physician. And it could be illegal.
I am furious. Furious that my insurance company preferred to pass me between divisions, departments, and parent companies rather than take responsibility for dealing with my case. Furious that I am forced to fight for medications to treat a disease that I never asked for and never wanted. More than anything, I am furious that after 10 years of suffering, my life — my second chance — is being determined by two large companies that clearly do not give a single shit about me.
"I honestly don't know what to say, other than sorry about all of this and it was basically just a huge waste of time on both of our parts," Smith writes in an email. "I just don't know what else I can do on my end ... I'm so very sorry."
It seems I will never return to Africa.
"Thank you for using Walgreens pharmacy located at the southwest corner of Lyndale and 54th in Minneapolis. Your prescription is ready to be picked up at the Walgreens pharmacy. Thank you, goodbye."
"Huh, that's weird," I tell my mom. "I thought Blue Cross denied my request."
It is July 18. My mother agrees to stop by Walgreens. "But don't get your hopes up," she warns.
Waiting for me are five bags of medication, enough for a 90-day trip abroad — 60 days less than I requested. Strangely, Blue Cross has covered everything.
I have no idea why. Neither does the pharmacist.
I contact Blue Cross. Unfortunately, getting answers from its communications team is almost as painful as getting medications approved.
"We're looking into your questions and will follow up shortly," writes Laura Kaslow.
She does not follow up shortly. After hounding the company for a week, Blue Cross releases a generic statement.
"Each person's situation is unique," it reads, adding that factors such as "whether a member is traveling within the United States or abroad, the length of travel, and the types of prescriptions requested" determine if a request is approved or denied.
Prime isn't much better, refusing to comment on my case because "statements may not apply across our book of business," says Denise Lecher.
I continue to contact both companies, asking for a copy of my policy. Their response is to pinball me between communications teams over the next 10 months, my questions unanswered.
I return to Nairobi. But while my work brings me to some of the most difficult parts of the world, I cannot escape the fact that my life can be determined by two companies.
That was until January 18, 2017, when my third request for a one-year override was mysteriously approved. I collect 365 days' worth of Adderall.
I will never know why Blue Cross agreed to release my medications. Friends suspect it buckled under pressure from a journalist, her physician, and her family who wouldn't give up.
According to my pharmacist, it was the first time in her career that she'd ever seen a patient successfully request that amount.


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The Registrar's Office will communicate with you about graduation and the commencement ceremony via e-mail that is sent to your nmu e-mail address about three weeks prior to the end of the semester. In this communication, you will receive information from the NMU records system for you to review for the printing of your diploma and final transcript. If you are participating in commencement, the e-mailing will also include your seat assignment.
Information Restrictions
The Family Rights and Privacy Act (federal law) stipulates that if you have a restriction on your name, address or other information, it can not be released by the University. As you graduate, restricted information can create potential problems for you. For example, if your name is restricted, we can not verify your graduation to prospective employers or notify your home newspaper of your graduation. In addition, you may not participate in commencement, or have your name published in the commencement program. Please come to the Registrar's Office, C.B. Hedgcock, Room 2202, to remove restrictions.
Mailing of Diplomas
Diplomas will be mailed approximately eight weeks after the commencement ceremony. For December graduates, there is a two week delay from other graduation periods due to the holidays.
Accommodation Requests
A limited number of seats have been reserved to accommodate those needing handicapped seating on a first come first served basis. If you have questions about disability related accommodations or services during commencement, please contact the Degree Evaluation Office at 227-2257 or e-mail email@example.com. Reasonable and effective accommodations and services will be provided to students if requests are made in a timely manner, with appropriate documentation, in accordance with federal, state and university guidelines.
Rehearsal will begin promptly at 2:15 pm in the Superior Dome on Friday, prior to ceremony.
The university has retained the services of a professional photographer from GradImages to take your picture as you shake the President's hand. Instructions for ordering will be sent to your permanent home address (see information restrictions above) from the photographer with a "proof" print. If you have questions, please contact GradImages at 800-424-3686. You can visit their web site at www.gradimages.com and click on pre-event e-mail registration. Enter your e-mail and up to six other e-mails to have your photo samples quickly and conveniently provided to you and any others who you registered. Get $5 off on orders of $25 or more just by registering your information with GradImages prior to the ceremony. After the commencement ceremony, order online at the web site or call 800-261-2576.
Video Streaming
Family and friends from outside the WNMU-TV 13 viewing area can see you walk across the stage via video streaming on their home computer provided for free. To learn more about this viewing option or to link to the broadcast, go to http://www.nmu.edu/commencement.
Commencement Report Time
You must report to the Vandament Arena (Room 160 in the PEIF building), Saturday at 9:15 am to line up for the processional. The march to the Superior Dome is a little after 10:00 am. Please inform your guests that the Superior Dome will open at 9:30 am and commencement begins at 10:30 am. Guest seating is not limited and is open to the general public. No tickets are necessary.
New Cap and Gown Ordering Information
All undergraduates are required to wear the green NMU cap and gown during commencement. All graduate students are required to wear the black Master's cap, gown and hood.
Starting December 2016, a new company will be supplying the cap and gowns for the commencement ceremony. The new cap and gowns are dark green for undergraduates and black for graduate students.
NOTE: The old cap and gowns (shiny bright green and shiny black, prior to 2011, or the dark green and black from May 2012 to May 2016) cannot be worn.
Cap and Gown
The NMU Bookstore will hold a Graduation Fair where caps, gowns and tassels will be available for purchase. If you are unable to make the Graduation Fair, cap, gown and tassel can be purchased from the Bookstore up until Commencement morning, but sizes will be limited. Please see www.nmu.edu/commencement for more information.
If you live outside of Marquette and are unable to get to the Bookstore, cap, gown and tassel can be ordered online and delivered to the students address for an additional charge at www.oakhalli.com/nmu.


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French parliament OKs Lyonnais bailout plan
Related Articles
- Credit Lyonnais seeks partners for spinoff. // American Banker;4/12/1994, Vol. 159 Issue 69, p2
Reports on Credit Lyonnais' search for investment partners for its computer service activities in Paris. Plan to sell assets over two years; Losses in 1993.
- Credit Lyonnais issues $100 million in stock. Siegel, David // American Banker;7/8/1993, Vol. 158 Issue 129, p20
Announces that Credit Lyonnais launched a $100 million issue of perpetual preferred stock in the private placement market. High dividend; Registration under Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 144a.
- Credit Lyonnais' derivatives get AAA rating. // American Banker;10/28/1994, Vol. 159 Issue 209, p24
Reports on the rating received by the derivatives program at Credit Lyonnais from Standard & Poor's Corp. Expected rating from Moody's Investors Service.
- Rumor mill. Cerio, Gregory; Howard, Lucy // Newsweek;8/2/1993, Vol. 122 Issue 5, p4
Reports that a rumor that Cargill Inc. was buying MGM and United Artists studios turned out to be false, when the French bank Credit Lyonnais, which owns MGM/UA, ponied up $400 million to restructure the studios. The $1.3 billion the bank has already invested; Michael Ovitz; Frank Mancuso.
- Credit Lyonais forecasts bright future. Michaud, Paul R. // Hotel & Motel Management;05/19/97, Vol. 212 Issue 9, p4
Reports about Credit Lyonais, an institutional lending firm in Paris that has increased its commitment to U.S. market. Its role on several industry leaders; Services provided by the company; Improvements on the services being offered; Three principal activities included on the projects of...
- Credit Lyonnais bail-out probe. Clarence, Mavis // Hollywood Reporter;4/13/95, Vol. 336 Issue 42, p3
Report on the European Commission's investigation into the legality of the French government's plan to bail out European bank Credit Lyonnais and owner of MGM. Analysis of element of state aid in rescue plan; Amount of government capital infusion given to bank in 1994; Estimates of bank's...
- Bank becomes librarian for 900 repos. // Variety;11/6/95, Vol. 361 Issue 1, p87
Reports that Credit Lyonnais is planning to open a film library company in 1996 featuring its collection of 900 repossessed titles. Films such as `Platoon' and `City Slickers'; Movies taken from failed film companies including Epic and Vision.
- Credit Lyonnais on 4-year plan. // Hollywood Reporter;4/5/95, Vol. 336 Issue 36, p12
Reports on the French government's desire to see Credit Lyonnais profitable again.
- $1.2 bil loss at CL. // Variety;3/28/94, Vol. 354 Issue 8, p79
Reports on film industry banker Credit Lyonnais' reported 1993 loss of 6.9 billion francs. Warning that it will not develop new film business.


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Up-and-coming electronic hip-hop producer Dorian Concept, otherwise known as Oliver Thomas Johnson, will take to the stage come this Thursday at The Shelter. Having developed his own distinctive twisted sound, the 24-year-old Austrian has just released his debut LP and performed at this year's Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards a few weeks back.
FREE the WAX talks to the geeky beat banger recently as he spills the beans on his music and other bedroom secrets.
Dorian Concept: The Keyboard King
Venue: The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu (near Fuxing Xi Lu) 永福路5号 (近复兴西路)
Date: 19 Feb. 2009 Thursday
Time: 9 pm – Late
Cover: RMB 30
Man, you look young – in the good sense of the word, of course! When did you start getting into this crazy music making?
Like many other people, I will have to say, it just kind of happened. At a young age I had piano lessons, then turned into a pot smoking teenager, and then heard the first electronic music when I was 16. From there on my friend showed me how to make music with software and the rest is history.
Dorian Concept is quite a nom de plume. What is it about?
It's a musical scale that has been used in many different cultural settings. The "dorian scale", which is similar to the minor-scale, was the first thing I improvised on when I was about 16. And when I first recorded myself playing the piano, I just gave the audio file the name "Dorian Concept". So it's really been there for a while, and it is there to remind me where I come from.
In some of your videos you appear playing in what seems to be your bedroom at home. How much of a bedroom producer are you?
I'm pretty much a full-on hardcore bedroom producer. It's the only thing I know: waking up and going to the computer instead of having ham & eggs. I think out of healthy reasons it should change one day but, as of now, it just feels right.
Do you think the term "beat maker" defines accurately what you do?
Not really, but I don't mind being called one. I think everyone who is able to sequence a couple of notes and layer a beat, in my eyes, is a musician. So I prefer just being called a music-maker.
Your music makes a lot of organic experiments with vintage sounds and crafty synths. Do you look for a particular texture when composing?
For me it's definitely important to find the middle between a certain analogue and acoustic thickness and a more digital and electronic sound world. I think it's the most interesting border to explore.
How much of your music is influenced by the past, and how much of it is looking into the future?
I would say it's 70% past and 30% future. The music I listen to is mostly older electronic or acoustic music, but when I'm behind my computer working on music, I just ask myself; what could I possibly make the I haven't heard yet? So I end up in a way looking for a future sound.
Some of the chord changes in your songs are pretty crazy and jazz-like. Does your sound feed off a lot from your keys improvisation? Do you search for a certain kind of beat liberty in your songs?
I think my sound lives off the things I do with my synthesizers. I tend to just start a track by playing around with a certain sound, and then trying to find chords that just hit me as being either right, beautiful, fun, etc. So in the end it all revolves around some kind of process with the keys. Beat liberty is very important to me.
From your videos you seem to have quite a collection of synths. Can you tell us a little bit about what you like from each one, what kind of sound you can get from each of them? What is your most prized synth?
The two synthesizers I'm a proud owner of are the MicroKorg and the Alesis Micron. For me the MicroKorg is also my main production tool, and I get all kinds of sounds from it, ranging from basslines to pads and leads. I just love this one. The Alesis Micron is more of a Live-Synth to me, because it's really nice to play, but I'm not as impressed with the sounds you are able to generate on it. Other than that I just play on whatever's lying around from children keyboards to midi-keyboards.
What artists out there do you admire and think are the biggest influences on your sound?
Almost too many to name, but here I go: Mccoy Tyner, Tom Chant, J.Swinscoe, Squarepusher, John Coltrane, Dabrye, Four-Tet, Manitoba, Tim Koch, The Clonious,… List goes on and on and on…
Do you see any relations between the kind of beats/music you are making and that of other producers putting out some stuff at the moment?
I think the relation I see has mainly got to do with the tempo (BPM) that a lot of producers seem to be working at right now. Club music gladly just slowed down, and it's nice to be part of a group of people that don't have to speed up drumbreaks to get some kind of energy going in a room.
From your first releases to touring worldwide and releasing your new album in the end of January, do you see your work taking on a different shape or a different direction as time passes?
I definitely have the feeling that I need to do something else, because you always have people getting excited about certain tracks, and often I ask myself "hmm, can I do another track as good as this? Or as similar?" And in those situations I noticed it's best to just let go and see where the music takes you.
You're releasing a new album in the end of January. What's it gonna be like? Is it being released by Kindred Spirits?
Yeah, it's going to be released on Kindred Spirits. It will be quite eclectic I suppose, because it ranges from quite energetic and club-friendly tracks to some more weird-spacey soundscape stuff and even has a lot of noisy and edited parts. I just really wanted to release something that's all over the place, instead of maybe making an instrumental hip hop album like people would've expected.
You are being hotly tipped as one of the freshest beat-makers of 2009 by a few people around. How do you personally see the reception of your releases and the attention you've been getting lately?
In a way it's flattering, but I tend to not think too much about it. For me it's more exciting seeing a Youtube video with music from me whilst some guy from South Dakota is walking through the woods than someone saying that I'm "hotly-tipped". I ften like the small things that happen, if that makes sense.
What does the near future look like for you in terms of releases and albums?
For now it's just the release of "When Planets Explode" on Kindred Spirits, and then a tour throughout Australia, China and Europe. After that I think I'll just head back to the studio, aka, my bedroom.
You are a Youtube star of sorts, with your most watched video reaching around ¼ million hits. How important is the internet for you as a musician?
Yeah, the Youtube thing is crazy. Feels weird when you put something into the internet for no real reason (I would've never thought that it could be that interesting seeing me play a mini-synthesizer), and then have so many people seeing the video. The internet for me has worked wonders, because I was able to find a lot of inspiring music and get such good feedback from all around the world through it. So, yeah – it's really important!
Your shows look like quite a lively affair when you are there dropping those fat beats and working the keys to an audience. What's the reaction you've been getting from people so far?
The reaction has mostly been really good, also because I don't really work out a program for an evening, but rather try and see, in which mood the people are, and then just work around that. I think the live-key playing has always been a bit of an attention-grabber, just because you so seldom have a musician improvising over club music (with the exception of those cheesy half naked saxophone players of course, but yeah)
How do you see playing live against recording in a studio?
For me playing live is just something I really do for the people. I just want them to hear the stuff I do as loud as possible, and tweak around and have fun. In the studio it's just a long process of trying to figure out how I could make this sound better and that sound better. So for me in a way I can really live out both my extroverted and introverted side in both of those settings.
You are playing at the Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards. What's that gonna be like? Are you excited?
I'm very excited because there are going to be some crazy people playing there also. I just found out that I'll play after one half of Basement Jaxx, and couldn't stop laughing, because I saw their videos on MTV about 7 years ago. So yeah, it's exciting and I have no clue what to expect.
You participated in the Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona. What does it mean being there for a young musician such as yourself?
It's just a playground really, where you get the greatest input you could ever get as a musician. You are around people that are into music for two weeks, 24/7, and just get into the most interesting discussions, and have the time to make some crazy music. Looking back, it really just helped me understand so much more about the process of making music, and how people approach it. Very thankful for that experience.
Man, you are coming to 3 Chinese cities for the first time (and a couple of them don't usually get a lot of international artists coming to play there). What does it mean to be playing to an audience that -I'm assuming here- has no idea what you are gonna hit their heads with?
Honestly, it's just crazy. There is no way that I can really get my head around playing in china, because it's just a place where I, as an European musician, normally don't get to play at. So for me it just feels like flying to another planet, taking along some laser guns that I'll sell to people in form of audio-waves.
What do you have to say to any budding Chinese bedroom producers out there?
If you're a bed-room producer, and you have a bed and a computer, then all you need, is everything that you already have.


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Offer good until Sunday, Feb. 1st, 2015 midnight Pacific time.


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Peace, privacy and outdoor family adventure! Presenting a unique, family sized, country property. Beautiful, rare, 34 acre lot with everything you can asking for; hardwood forest, pond, trails, clearings, hills, valleys and ridges. The property is great for: hockey and staking on the pond; ski on the trails; hiking through the forest and activities in the flat open spaces. Next, the fantastic home; a 2,653sqft (per mpac), all brick bungalow with walkout basement. Includes four bedroom (2 + 2), three baths, with spacious principle rooms and large windows throughout. Main floor also features; updated eatin kitchen with cherry cabinets and granite counters; large master suite with 6 piece ensuite and walkin closet,; sunny office space with propane gas fireplace and hardwood floors throughout main floor.
Basement features: full, finished, walkout basement with massive rec room, two more bedrooms and a full, four piece bathroom. Additionally a large mudroom with 2nd laundry setup. The basement could make a great inlaw suite with the addition of a kitchen. Also included; two wood fireplace inserts and two propane fireplace, eight walkouts to balconies, deck and patios, nine closets and welcoming covered front porch. Available outdoors: ~40ft x 80ft Coverall building; Scandinavian sauna house; circular driveway and plenty of parking; and two car builtin garage. Minutes to Hwy 50 & Hockley Valley. New, active managed forest plan in use for reduced taxes. Note a portion of the property in the Oak Ridges Moraine.
Peace, Privacy & Outdoor Family Adventure! Presenting A Unique, Family Sized, Country Property. Gorgeous, Rare, 34 Acre Lot W/ Everything You Can Asking For; Hardwood Forest, Pond, Trails, Clearings, Hills & Valleys. ~40Ft X 80Ft Coverall Building. Featuring A Fantastic Home; 2,653Sqft, All Brick Bungalow W/ Full Finished Walkout Basement; 4 Bdrms (2 + 2); 3 Baths W/ Large Windows Throughout. Also Features; Main Floor Office, 4 Fireplaces & 2 Laundry Rms.
Property Type
Rural Adjala-Tosorontio
Land Size
Frontage - 687 Depth - 2211 Irregular - ~34.88 Acres
Total Parking Spaces
Lake privileges Rolling Treed
Architectural Style
Basement Features
Walk out Separate entrance
Central air conditioning
Heating Type
Forced air
Heating Fuel
|Ground level
|6.72 x 3.02 (meters)
|Ground level
|4.52 x 3.22 (meters)
|Dining room
|Ground level
|4.67 x 4.65 (meters)
|Living room
|Ground level
|4.68 x 6.97 (meters)
|Ground level
|3.38 x 5.07 (meters)
|Primary Bedroom
|Ground level
|5.83 x 4.88 (meters)
|Bedroom 2
|Ground level
|4.64 x 4.02 (meters)
|Bedroom 3
|3.59 x 3.42 (meters)
|Bedroom 4
|3.64 x 3.55 (meters)
|Recreation room
|10.19 x 4.58 (meters)
|3.91 x 4.64 (meters)
|Utility room
|6.37 x 2 (meters)
Adjala-Tosorontio was a merger between townships of Adjala and Tosorontio after an amalgamation in 1994. It is a rural area small villages and hamlets inspired by the origins of Irish settlers and has developed to become a residential area for people commuting to greater Toronto. It is below the Niagara Escarpment and has beautiful rolling countryside with the Nottawasaga river cutting across.
There are numerous communities within the area with Loretto being the oldest. As a result, the oldest and most famous tavern in the area Loretto Inn. There are numerous recreational outlets with numerous parks, playgrounds, community halls, walking tracks, baseball and soccer fields.
The township came to be after a merger in 1993 which was followed by amalgamation between the townships of Adjala and Tosorontio in 1st January 1994. The hamlets in the township are based and named by Irish Catholics and pioneer families after their home towns in Ireland. Tosorontio is a Huron word for beautiful mountain while Adjala was named after the wife of Chief Tecumseh.
The township of Adjala-Tosorontio has fourteen parks, two indoor community halls and has playgrounds and walking tracks. There is a robust soccer program in the town and numerous soccer fields as well as baseball which has a big following in the town.
For the art lovers, there is Floral Arbor and Archway Intensive and there are nature days for homeschoolers. There are numerous retreats for health and wellness and for community and culture, there is an annual day on the farm and Mother's Day high tea. The township has ski resorts, golf clubs, resorts, retreat centers and campsites.


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Blurred is the fourth episode of Season 3 and the forty-ninth overall of Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
After his reckless actions cause the escape of a dangerous Sharkticon, Sideswipe goes out of his way to recapture the 'Con and prove his value to the team in fear of getting replaced by a younger, and faster, newcomer - Rescue Bot Blurr.
Team Bee pops out of a GroundBridge to see a light plane trailing smoke as it flies overhead. Bumblebee contacts Fixit who confirms the stricken plane is still going to crash on one of Windblade's caches. As this could result in the rescue teams stumbling on whatever's in the cache, Sideswipe starts making his way up a nearby cliff to try to save the plane from crashing. As he gets to the top of the cliff, it crumbles beneath his feet and he's left clinging to the edge as the plane hurtles towards him. He's saved at the last moment by Blurr, who streaks in out of nowhere and pulls him up onto the cliff. While the rest of the team is accidentally buried under the collapse when Grimlock falls over, Bumblebee takes off after the plane and manages to stop it by grabbing its landing wheels.
The excited Blurr greets Sideswipe, who's slightly put out about Blurr taking over the rescue. They're joined by the rest of the team, whom Blurr is somewhat starstruck at meeting. Once Grimlock moves a concealing boulder out of the way, they find Windblade's cache contains supplies and a captured Sharkticon, Ragebyte. They realize that the explosive the Decepticon scientist was working on may be in one of the containers, and decide to take everything back to the scrapyard for safekeeping. Blurr asks if he can tag along, and Sideswipe starts wondering if the new Bot is after his spot on the team.
Later, the Autobots are driving along a highway. Sideswipe continues grousing about Blurr's over-eagerness, but when he carelessly passes Strongarm, he ends up sending the trailer-load of supplies and the stasis pod off the side of a bridge and into a river. The shock of landing releases Ragebyte from the pod, who immediately retrieves his explosive and sets off to find the missing ingredient he had originally come to Earth to obtain: polystyrene. The Autobots hurry to try to secure the cache contents, only to see Ragebyte departing in submarine mode. Sideswipe continues to act like a jerk as they fish crates out of the river, and when it turns out there's been a shark sighting at some nearby docks, he immediately takes off to investigate, with Blurr following before Bumblebee can stop either of them. Bumblebee sends Drift back to the scrapyard with the supplies to pick up a jet boat, since they'll need some way to keep up with Ragebyte on the water.
Blurr and Sideswipe reach the docks, the latter still complaining that Blurr is trying to take his spot on the team. The pair head into a warehouse where Ragebyte is feeding polystyrene into his device and try to sneak up on him, however Blurr steps on some loose packaging foam and they have to take cover momentarily. Sideswipe jumps out, only to find Ragebyte has disappeared. He manages to cut off the Decepticon's escape, and Ragebyte obediently hands over the bomb... before blasting Sideswipe. Blurr takes possession of the bomb and leads the Con on a chase to the loading gate, where the rest of the team have arrived and proceed to ambush the Con. Unfortunately for them he blasts his way free and dives back into the river. As they're wondering how they're going to catch him, Drift appears through a GroundBridge in Denny's boat which Sideswipe immediately commandeers, acciedentally knocking Drift into the drink in the process. Blurr manages to get on board as the boat streaks along, and makes it clear to Sideswipe that he's trying to help, not take Sideswipe's spot on the team.
The pair pursue Ragebyte along the river, but until he tricks them into hitting a buoy, destroying the boat and sending the pair to the bottom. They try to grab Ragebyte, but he manages to knock them off by swimming through an undersea structure. Ragebyte attaches the explosive to one of the supports of Crown City Bridge, intending to test the explosive's yield. Sideswipe contacts Bumblebee, who is on top of the bridge with the rest of the team. Strongarm clears the bridge by pretending to be actual police, but while she's doing that, Ragebyte takes out Drift, Bumblebee and Grimlock. Sideswipe and Blurr reach the top of the bridge, and while the latter speeds off with the explosive device, Sideswipe manages to render Ragebyte unconscious. As the team regroups, there's an explosion in the distance, however Blurr returns unscathed having ditched the bomb.
Back at the scrapyard, Ragebyte is locked away in a stasis pod. Though Sideswipe assumes Bumblebee is going to kick him off the team, Bumblebee instead suggests he take on Blurr as a temporary intern.
Featured Characters
- Denny Clay
- Bush Pilot
"What's he doing? Angling for a spot on our team?"
"Why not? Some days it seems like you don't want one."
- —Sideswipe is unimpressed with either Blurr's enthusiasm or Strongarm's burn.
"Experimentation paused. New objective, dissection of Autobot."
- —Ragebyte subscribes to the Shockwave school of science and engineering.
"Congratulations, Sideswipe!"
"...don't say it!"
"You really jumped the shark."
- —Strongarm is on fire, and Sideswipe needs more burn cream.
Continuity notes
- Sideswipe and Blurr first met in the Rescue Bots episode "The Need for Speed", when Sideswipe chased the escaped Cyclone Mini-Con Bounce all the way to Griffin Rock.
- Blurr offhandedly remarks on his his new look. This would indicate this episode takes place after the finale of the Rescue Bots cartoon, since Blurr was still purple then.
Prisoner manifest
- In stasis: Crustacion, Ragebyte
Transformers references
- Bumblebee asks "Who the Helex saved Sideswipe?", referencing the city.
- This is the first time a character native to Rescue Bots has crossed over into a "main" Aligned cartoon, though Bumblebee alluded to Heatwave's existence back in "Battlegrounds, Part 1".
- The official synopsis seems to imply that this fairly young and immature version of Sideswipe is older than Blurr... but Blurr has been alive for well over 10,000 years, as seen in the Rescue Bots episode "The New Recruits". However, Blurr has been in a stasis pod for a long time, and for the most part was shown to be more reckless than Sideswipe ever could hope to be.
- Bumblebee has visited the Rescue Bots during Blurr's time on the team, in the episode "Uninvited Guest". However, Bee was at the Rescue Bot Training Center outside of Griffin Rock while Blurr was in town dealing with traffic emergencies, so the two hadn't met until now.
- Ragebyte's bomb appears to re-use the data cylinder model from "T.M.I.".
- Apparently explosified extruded polystyrene glows exactly the same color as Dark Energon.


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Unique charm of Guilin lies on the stunning landscape from Guilin to Yangshuo area. By bike, car, cruise and on foot, you will enjoy the different beauties.
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Be Inspired : Easter Inspired Indoors
Sugary pastel shades are springing up all over the high street this season so what better time to add a pop of pastel and introduce country style colours indoors than during the Easter holidays. This week we're looking at the sweet and cheery designs of Cath Kidston, her fancy floral prints work great with a pastel palette.
Incorporate a soft feminine palette of powder-puff pinks and pretty peaches. Kidston's Bright Daises cotton duck print features deep pink, white and blue posies on a sheet of pale pink. Perfect for a little girls room, add our Aimee Bed Set for extra country style and finish with shabby chic creams and white lighting and layer with pink and white flowers.
As well as floral motifs Kidston is know for her spot print designs, this retro pattern will work well in any home this Spring and with red and navy tones you can take this look straight through Summer and will sit comfortably during the Autumn and Winter months. Whether it's a indoors country chic cottage or a suburban terrace this retro style will fit perfectly for a nostalgic touch. Pair spot patterned fabrics and polka prints together with retro designed furniture and soften the bold tones with cream and white enamelled finishes.
For a more natural and earthy décor choose accents of green in the home, green is a cheery and calming colour, perfect for Spring as well as Summer. Kidston's Provence Rose Oilcloth is available in a soft green and features pink ditsy print flowers. Try not to go over-board with the green accents as this may make your interior look fussy so soften with white and cream accessories. Introduce natural green foliage.
To help you piece together your perfect pastel interior take a look at our Easter Pastel Look Book for lighting and accessory inspiration...
1 CommentAdd a comment
- Wow thats all so nice. x↓


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This chapter describes the auto industry and its evolution from its inception in the late 19th century up to the present day, paying particular attention to the forces that have shaped it from the 1970s onwards. The chapter covers the challenge to the US and European auto industries posed by the rise of Japan in the 1970s and 1980s, and the plateauing of Japan since the 1990s. We look at the auto mergers and acquisitions of the 1990s and the rapid rise of China, now the largest car market in the world.
We note that the auto industry also has six key idiosyncrasies that are key to understanding its dynamics.
- Persistent global production overcapacity – there is capacity to produce more vehicles than there is demand for.
- Auto firms have national and corporate symbolic value – there are strong economic and non-economic incentives to enter car-making and equally strong barriers to exit.
- Car sales are heavily affected by the economic cycle – replacement or acquisition of vehicles can usually be deferred if money is tight, amplifying the peaks and troughs of the economic cycle
- Cars are complex products – they contain a multiple technologies that must be acquired, developed and integrated into complete vehicles. Car making requires a formidable capability to coordinate and control.
- Cars operate in varied and demanding environments – they have to function reliably for many years with minimal maintenance. Much modelling, testing and proving is needed before products are released to the market, and high levels of support are required thereafter.
- Cars are important 'identity' items – a car can be expression of one's self. For many car owners brand counts for a great deal, and brand is something that develops slowly, over many years.
Fig 2.1 Global annual vehicle production since 1900
Selected Quotes
"The dominant design of the contemporary automobile was established in the early 1900s and has not changed fundamentally since then". (p. 44)
"[Electric vehicles] raise the prospect of a disruption to the established order in the auto industry that will challenge the incumbents in various ways, creating advantage for some and disadvantage for others, and opening up the field to new competitors". (p. 46)


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As my friend Emily once wrote 'I want to take over the world with clay and fibre!' and I can completely mirror her statement in that mission now that I have started working more at the pottery studio. There is something really nice about just getting to take your time and try to perfect every part of the working with clay…from the time that you center it on the wheel, to feeling it move between your hands while you shape and rise the walls of the cylinder, trying to keep things even with the power in your own hands, to the creative process it can take once it has formed into something like a mug or bowl or whatever your heart desires. I spent some time last weekend just throwing forms and practicing my forming skills and now the pieces are all leather hard and ready to be worked with. Lastnight I went to the studio and sculpted a squid which I attached to the lid of a lidded bowl that I have been working on. I forgot to bring my camera to snap a shot of it though. However, in keeping with my love of the ocean and sticking a bit to a theme, I brought a bowl home with me and decided to apply an octopus to it. So, today I spent some time carving the octopus and here are the results so far – there is still some touching up to do.
I have also been dyeing up a storm for The Black Lamb – Blue Faced Leicester roving and bamboo sock yarn. I have figured a really wonderful technique to really saturate the BFL with colour. I find that BFL is very hard to get true colour and a lot of saturation with. It is a dense fiber and the colour has trouble sticking and penetrating into it. The fibers are medium soft (when natural and processed into roving) and it does not take colour the same as superwash products or a finer wool such as merino. However, I love BFL for it's smell and its feel. It is a warm fiber and very home like in some way. Here are some of the braids I dyed up:
My technique essentially is this:
- Soak the roving in hand warm water with a drop of dish liquid so that mild bubbles form. Press the roving under the water so that it can fully absorb. No scouring needed but just a gentle swish once or twice. Allow to soak for 15 minutes.
- Pull up carefully out of the water, bundling and gathering the roving into a neat tripled over length. Squeeze the water out in sections only slightly so that about half of the water retains but it is not soaked with water pouring from it.
- Place it in it's tripled over lengths down on a tray with edges that you can use as a dye tray. The secret really is low water absorption with the actual dye process (when dye is added).
- Mix up your acid dyes with hot water. I use jars (medium sized) with citric acid or vinegar and first mix up a paste, then add more acid, then the hot water. I don't boil the water but use the hottest water that comes out of the tap. Stir the dye up well ensuring no flecks or clumps.
- Pour your dye over the roving in the method preferred ensuring to saturate the entire area as much as possible. It is likely there will be some white sections – this is OK. I tend to dye a section at a time. ie. red for the first third, yellow for the second third, orange for the final third – crossways on the roving. But, feel free to hand paint and drip as you wish!
- Wearing a plastic glove or a bag over your hand, press down firmly to allow the dye to press through the fibres. Do this with the entire roving surface. Do not move hands around. This will cause felting.
- The next part is the steaming. Prepare a large dye pot of clean water to boil. Place a metal strainer or colander (not used for food) inside the pot similar to a double boiler. This will be your steamer.
- You can choose to then wrap your roving entirely in plastic wrap but this was too much of a doddle for me so I used plastic bags (thin and clear) and placed one roving inside each bag.
- Firmly press the bag down to let as much of the air out as possible, then twist the tops to keep a seal.
- Place the rovings inside the colander and put the pot lid on top.
- Allow to steam for 20 minutes.
- Remove the roving from the bags and allow them to cool until you can handle them.
- Rinse in hand warm water – you should see very little dye water rinse from them unless you have certain colours that simply act this way. (Seabreeze always wastes a lot for me no matter what).
- Gently squeeze water out and hang to dry


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Since September 2015, we've given $30,000 in grants
to the amazing projects, startups, and businesses you'll
learn about below. Click on each one to learn more!
Relevant work
The projects selected for funding present creative solutions to relevant problems in their communities and the world.
Lasting relationships
We value taking the time to meet and keep up with each one of our brilliant, hard-working micro-grant recipients.
More than money
We're an organization that gives grants, but our goal is also to move ideas to get the conversation going about topics that matter.
proApia Biotech
Biotechnological Device Helping Bees
Fight Parasites and Contaminants
Gex, France
Caeli Energie
Low-Consumption Indoor Air Cooling
System Based on Thermodynamics
Grenoble, France
Ma Petite Maison Verte
Eco-Responsible Tiny Housing Constructed
Using Durable Recycled Cardboard
Paris, France
Reinventing Bulk Food Distribution and
Logistics for Consumers and Shopkeepers
Paris, France
Service Recovery Strategies
Providing Aquatic Tanks to Reduce
Stress in Those Suffering From PTSD
Tampa Bay, FL
James McAvene's Meadery
A Homemade, Honey-Based Wine That's
Raising Awareness for Dying Honey Bees
Central Ohio
Diversifying Natural Cashew Products to
Create Jobs and Decrease Food Waste
Côte d'Ivoire
Creopia Productions
Building a Film-Based Creative
Economy for Social Impact
vanadzor, armenia
Educate a Child
Reading and Technology Programs
for Young Learners in Isheri-Osun
Lagos, Nigeria
Forming Greener Habits for
Millennials Through Everyday Tech
Los angeles, ca
Dragonfly Effect Naturals
A Holistic Products Company
with a 1:1 Giving Philosophy
oneonta, ny
Creating Jobs and Healthy Living
with Natural and Organic Foods
bulawayo, zimbabwe
Improving the Affordability and Accessibility
of Alternative Fuel Sources for Refugees
Sub-Saharan Africa
Discover Unfold
A Wallet Company Promoting Community
Development Through Economic Empowerment
mbale, uganda
Ion-Powered Aircraft
Self-Contained and Silent Aircraft
Can Lift Its Own Power Source
oberlin, oh
The MirIAM
Self-Sustaining Faith-Based Detox and
Rehabilitation Center for Women
carteret county, nc
Snail Farming
Poverty Reduction Through
Food Security in Rural Ghana
abura district, ghana
The All Watch
Developing Sustainable Leather Materials
And Challenging Philosophies of Time
new york, ny
Potter Farm
Supporting Community-Based Agriculture
And Locally Grown, Healthy Food
carteret county, nc
Want to be on this list?
If you're an emerging entrepreneur with a great idea and limited funds,
here's an opportunity to get ahead. Submit your project today!


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WHS Seatbelt Wearers Rewarded With T-Shirts Monday!
Pic compliments of WHS YEARBOOK!
WPD and student helpers handed out "prize tickets" this morning at WHS to students as they entered the parking lots. If you were wearing your seat belt, you were handed the "ticket" and then the ticket could be redeemed as you entered the building for a new "SEAT-BELT AWARENESS T-SHIRT", compliments of Professional Body Works here in Wellington!!